Texas
June 20, 2013
Texas
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Vince Young: Back to class

On how school is going: School is great. It's different, but at the same time it's good because I feel like I'm more mature right now. So I understand everything the teachers are saying, and I'm paying attention a whole lot. Some of the different things we're talking about in class are the same things I'm dealing with when I'm out in the world, which is helping me understand a lot more. Everything has been cool. I just basically wanted to come back and finish up. I wanted to show, not only myself, but also my family and other people that I could do it. School is key. You can never have enough knowledge. And even kids who left early to go to the NFL to make money still need to come back and get their degrees because it's something that you'll have for life. I want to get that message out to kids who are going to be making similar choices in their lives.

On how many hours he's taking: I'm taking 12 hours on campus and three hours online. I didn't want my schedule to be too packed because of the fact that there are times that I'm going to have to go back to Nashville. I should be done if I take care of my business. If I get a 4.0 GPA, then I should be walking across that stage in May. So that's what I'm working towards right now.

On what it's like going to class: It's cool. It's relaxing. The kids are shocked (to see me back on campus). One day I walked into class and they gave me a standing ovation, and my teacher is from California so I think she was a little confused. The kids have been giving me a lot of love, so it's been real cool. Some kids don't understand why I'm back, but I've just told them that I want to get my degree. A lot of people have shown me a lot of respect, so it's been real cool.

On getting asked for autographs: I've been telling most of the kids that I'm going to do that stuff more towards the end of the year.

On if he feels old: Yeah, they are kids. They're 17, 18, 19 years old, and I'm 24 going on 25 now, so I feel a little old. And at the same time, they are real smart kids.

On if it was hard to convince the Titans to let him come back to school: It wasn't hard at all. Tennessee and the organization down there is really supportive of me, so they are with me at all times. My teachers understand that there might be a few times I'll have to miss class because of the fact that I need to be back at work. I don't think I'll miss that much class though because most of our mini-camps don't conflict with when I have class.

On focusing on school: That's why I didn't want to go to the Super Bowl this year and all of these other events because I already had plans for myself. And the NFL has a lot of respect, and they understand and respect me for what I'm doing as well. I really feel like being back here at my home is keeping me humble and grounded, and I'm taking care of a lot of different things that I wanted to take care of.

On if he had always planned on doing: Oh yeah, I always planned on coming back and getting my degree. I didn't know when, but when I felt like I had everything in line like I wanted to, it gave me the opportunity to take care of other personal stuff like getting my degree.

On sending a message: Overall the message I'm just trying to get out is that I want to continue to keep getting respect from people and I want to continue to give it back to them. It's not all about the money and it's not all about the fame. It's all about helping that next person out.

On the Titans' new offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger: I talked to Coach, and just from talking to him I can already tell he's a great guy. And I think the way he runs his offense is similar to the type of stuff I'm used to. So all I have to do is get in there, pay attention and study. He told me a little about himself and said that he uses certain words sometimes but doesn't really mean it. And I told him that as long as he continues to keep making me better and better, I'm going to continue to respect him as a man. The terminology should stay the same.

On setting an example for athletes leaving college early for the draft: You've got to think about all the different circumstances like how many hours you have left and stuff. A big thing for me was that I didn't have that many hours left to take, so I knew I could come back and knock them out really quick. But if you're one of those guys that still has 30 or 60 hours left, I really think you should stay in school and try and get closer and closer to finishing, and at the same time continue to improve as an athlete.

On if a 4.0 GPA looks realistic: It looks good. I've been making some high B's and the A's are coming, so it looks good.

On if he was surprised when former Titans' offensive coordinator Norm Chow was fired: Yeah, I was pretty surprised, but it's a business. That's one thing I had to learn about the NFL was that it's a business and you never know what's going to happen. You have to stay on your game all the time because you can be cut at anytime. Norm Chow is a great guy and he taught me a whole lot, and I'm never going to forget that. We're going to stay in contact.

On suffering from injuries last season: It was definitely frustrating. I missed my first game ever last year, and that was hard because I always want to be out there with my teammates. That was the first time for me to suffer injuries like that, but that's why I started getting ready and working out early this year so certain things don't happen again.

On how his life is right now: Life is cool. I can't complain. There are ups and downs, but that's just part of life. Everybody sees the money, the spotlight and fame, but there are a lot of other, different things that are going on in my life that I'm still trying to get situated and figure out. I'm still trying to get everything structured how I want it.

On what he's had to give up to do his homework: I haven't had to give anything up. My life as a student right now is to get up early, work out, then I study for my classes, go to class and different things like that. Everything is flowing pretty well right now. I'm doing a lot of stuff, but at the same time school is first and then I take care of everything else.

On if he'll be sad in May when he's done: Texas is not going anywhere. It's always going to be here and I'm always going to support my school. Like I said, I'm going to bleed orange until the day I die.


 

 

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