Throughout fall camp ODUSports.com will do Q&A's with members of the Monarchs. Today's chat is with sophomore cornerback, Aaron Young.
Q: What was one piece of advice or experience you have taken from your freshman year that you are applying now as a sophomore?
A: To be a sponge and take everything in and do not take anything for granted. When I came in as a freshman I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t. Most people think they are physically ready but the physical demand is not nearly as much as you might think it is. Some people say the game is 60/40, meaning 60 percent mental and 40 percent physical. I think the biggest thing is to take everything in and learn a lot.
Q: Who would you say are the funniest people on the team?
A: Definitely Anthony Wilson, he is one of my good friends and one of the funniest guys on the team.
Q: What about Old Dominion made you decide to come here to play football?
A: I loved the atmosphere. I came down for the William and Mary game my senior year in high school and I just loved the atmosphere of the sold out game. And it was a good game too. Also one of my friends Malique Johnson, we had worked out together, had started that game. Seeing him play made me think that coming here as a freshman I could make a big impact and play in a game.
Q: Do you speak any languages other than English?
A: No, but I wish I did. A good friend at home, she is majoring in Spanish at Maryland. She is almost fluent and talks it around me. But I can’t.
Q: Having a year already under your belt, what are you most looking forward to for this football season?
A: Definitely playing, the atmosphere and being part of the team. I mean you always feel a part of the team at practice and on the field, but there is a different feeling when you are playing on the field and sitting back and watching. Definitely playing and taking in more of that experience. As a freshman you are so honed in on playing you don’t really take advantage of learning opportunities in school and everything else. So I’ve got a year under my belt, I know a lot, I know the campus and I can actually experience college life now.
Q: Which game are you most looking forward to?
A: They are all going to be great games. But I love competition so it is going to be really fun to play an SEC team (Vanderbilt) because people say the SEC is the best conference, so I am really looking forward to playing the SEC team.
Q: What season of the year is your most favorite season?
A: Winter and fall are definitely my favorite. I am a clothes guy. All my teammates know I love clothes and to dress nice. So winter is my favorite because you get the chance to look better. The winter is always better for clothes; you get to layer up and wear more things that you want to wear, like jackets and scarves.
Q: Have you decided on a major?
A: I have not declared, but I did say I was going to be a fashion merchandising major. That is what it is set at right now, but I might come out of that and just go for business to get a general major and if I want to do anything forward I can go from there.
Q: What does your scholarship mean to you?
A: Everything. I wouldn’t be here without it. I would probably still be at home looking for a job, so it is everything to me. It was my gift back to my parents. They didn’t have the money to pay for college so this was my gift back to them. I appreciate it and it means everything to me.
Q: What artist would we find in your pregame playlist?
A: You’ll see a lot of Gucie Mane and Kanye West, and a lot of Migos, a little Young Thug and a little Rich Homie Quan. That’s about it.
Q: What is one thing you must do before every game in your pregame ritual?
A: I have to get a feel for the field. I go out and walk the field backwards. As a cornerback, I back pedal a lot so I go out and do that to get a feel for the ditches and all before game.
Q: What do you like doing in your spare time?
A: Listening to music is my thing. I love music. People always ask you in those poll type questions, if you had to be deaf or blind, I would choose to be blind because I love music, and I couldn’t be deaf. I could live without television but I could not live without music.
Q: Where is your dream vacation location?
A: I love Egypt. So I would probably say Egypt or Jamaica. There are a lot of great islands of the coast of Jamaica. And I have always been fascinated by Egypt since I was younger, so that would be a cool place to go.
Q: Who is your idol in life and in football and why?
A: My late grandfather is my idol in my personal life. He passed away when I was in the sixth grade, but he had a big hand in raising me, so I model my life after him and I still do to this day. In football I’m not really sure. I always loved to watch Deion Sanders play. When I was back my trainer would always say, ‘God made Deion and threw the machine away, so nobody could beat Deion’. So I like to watch what he does and see how he carries himself. I try to carry myself with a little swagger and confidence, because at cornerback you kind of have to have that confidence. So Deion is my football idol and my grandfather is my personal idol.