Why Xavier Muhammad’s Parents Believe Michigan Was the Right Choice | The Breakdown

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podcast.

Ishmael and Raz Muhammad, the father and mother of Michigan football
commit Xavier Muhammad. How you guys doing?

Doing great. Great. Yeah. Listen, I know you guys have been We were
talking earlier.

I know you guys been bouncing all over the country with Xavier and AU
and all that good stuff. But I saw a video of you guys at Michigan and
it looked like you guys had a good time. Talk to me about that. Well, it
was an absolutely amazing experience.

It was Xavier’s official visit, his OV, and we were super excited to get
down there, but the experience was just absolutely amazing. So grateful.
The weather wasn’t too bad as well, coming from Texas and everything.
So, it’s the great weather that day.

but it was phenomenal. the players, the the coaching staff, the
facility, The Big House. You know, it is one thing you see something The
Big House. When you get there, you really get to see why it’s called The
Big House.

Yeah. Now, was this you guys first trip up to Ann Arbor?

No, it’s actually my wife’s first trip. We’ve been there previously
before. Okay. Xavier and I.

So, I I didn’t tell her. I was like, “Hey, look, you got to go see it
for yourself.” Because it’s one of those it’s one of those experience
you just look and say, “Okay, I get it.” And it’s it was without it
being filled up. Yeah. So, you can’t imagine on on Saturday afternoon or
Saturday night how that would look just in person.

That that’s going to be this crazy. Yeah. Yeah. It you guys are
hopefully you guys get a chance to go for a game that like it’s one of
those big games whether it’s Michigan State, maybe the Oklahoma game.

that’ll be a a great experience for you guys to kind of see that. but
you know, like like I told you guys earlier, you know, part of this
podcast is I want to be able to show fans a different side of the
recruiting process. And you know, we talked before, most fans just see
these kids as athletes. And now that we’re they’re being paid with NIL
money, they see them as professional athletes.

So, I like to do these types of stories where we’re we’re humanizing our
kids and giving people an understanding of like what that recruiting
process actually looks like from a parent’s perspective because like we
talked earlier, my parents didn’t get a chance to go on recruiting trips
to me. So, it was literally just 17-, 18-year-old me having to go back
and tell my parents about what that experience was like. And so I think
it’s great that you guys get to travel and experience and take in all
that information because you know the kids have to rely heavily on your
thoughts, your opinions, your values and guidelines that you’ve
instilled in them to be able to tell the difference between who’s
blowing smoke up their butt and what’s actually real and beneficial to
them.

So, want to jump into the recruiting process, but talk to me about
Xavier as a kid kind of coming up in sport because I know he’s a three
sport athlete. together a video of him kind of breaking down his
recruitment. And I the one part of his video I could not believe what I
saw was him dunking over a kid. like I knew he was big and physical and
you know he played you know that grown man basketball but the
athleticism I saw was just kind of off the chart.

So talk to me about him like I’m coming up as a as a young athlete. You
know it his story is is so unique. I I always tell a lot of people if
you don’t know too much about Xavier, and this is not in a a
braggadocious way, but if you were to Google his name, you will see that
his story started at six years old when he broke his first record in
Chapwood. And just the way that God did it, he has chronicized his whole
journey.

There are articles, there are videos that go all the way back. And this
actually started, you talk about coming from humble beginnings. At the
time, I was working in Houston. I think at the time I was working at a
commercial real estate firm as an a property accountant.

And two weeks before Thanksgiving, I lost my job. Devastated. And I I I
just didn’t know what we were going to do. my husband’s an educator,
been in the industry for over 20 years.

And so I I I mean, this is like right before Thanksgiving, but I always
say be careful what you ask for because prior to that, I had said I
prayed to God and I was just saying that we I just felt like we weren’t
we weren’t doing anything that was purposed for with our family. you
know, we worked we worked a lot of hours, but we were out of line,
right?

And so when I lost my job, this guy came up to to us about Xavier
throwing shot put. And I mean, I was just like, id mine is a devil’s
workshop. We’re not doing anything else. Now I can take him and, you
know, entertain this.

And so went to practice one week, go to the first track meet, he breaks
the record. At that next track meet, we advance to Odessa, Texas. Now,
mind you, we just I just lost my job. So, we’re operating out of fate.

We drive because this happened, so it must be ordained. So, we drive to
Odessa. He breaks another record. Never done this before, ever.

He just picked up the shot put and threw it. And and and from there, he
advanced to the Junior Olympics. By the time we made it back to Houston,
they picked up the story. Fox 26, Channel 13 here in Houston, Channel 2,
they all did a story on them and they did a GoFundMe because they heard
about my story.

And from there, it took my all of us, the entire family to California on
Ace’s last throw. He broke the record. And that just tells us that this
everything that he’s gone through leading up to now has been organized
and orchestrated by God. When you ask for purpose, he’ll give it to you.

We may not understand the journey and the process, but it’s going to
happen. And we trusted the process. We got a Muslim last name, but we
are Christian. And so, we’re heavily led by faith.

And so this whole journey from shot put to basketball ultimately going
into football, we definitely feel like this was led his journey is has
been touched and ordained by God and which leads us to where we are
today. Oh, there’s a little bit extra context to it also. So it as being
a former athlete also what you do what you got when you have boys in
home you get them into sports. So it was like, hey, football season was
football season, then it was, you know, basketball and then a little
track and it’s kind of like you just kind of have that in order like
they have to do something.

the basketball thing was weird cuz when they started out playing
football and when the next season came in, we went and joined like a
local basketball team just to keep them active. I really believe in
training kids in different sports. They’re working on different muscles.
they’re getting different perspectives from different sports so they can
just become an overall athlete.

we went from there and we joined the basketball club and we saw this
group of seven eight year old guards. It’s like a team full of guards.
I’m like there’s no way in the world these young men can do the the
stuff that they’re doing. I was like this can’t be these got to be some
older little kids or whatever.

But they were some skilled kids and I think they beat the team that
we’re on. I think we had like about eight points. Yeah, it was like 60
to 8. I’m like, why do they do stuff like this?

And it just so happened. We were so impressed with it. We had spoken
with the families and talked to the parents and they were like, “Hey,
you know these kids here, they they’re really still.” The very next
week, my wife was like, “Hey, I got a guy named Clyde on the phone. I
think it’s Clyde Drexler.” I’m like, “For what?” [laughter] I think he
wanted to play basketball.

I’m like, “No, not Clyde Drexler on the phone. It was another Clyde.”
But we tell that story with that particular person and we that from that
point on in basketball I just think he was raised by a team full of
guards and and they just took him in. He was just a a big kid. He always
played up.

So the big kid just going rim to rim and that was good for me as a
parent. I’m like that’s cardio for the boys. So they just get there and
learn different sport. but to bring you more context it’s it’s kind of
it’s long but I’m going try to condense it all.

Yeah. And so we we would just play from different sports and continue to
go. But the shot put was very significant. It kind of put him in a
different arena playing I mean participating in shot put because it was
a probably something that I we wouldn’t have liked to say let’s go do
shot put and discus right.

So being open-minded like my wife was saying just being obedient to God
to say hey you know what let’s try this. What can be wrong by having
your kid in an organized sport whether it’s shot put disc whatever it
may be. Did that shot put thing was successful. got into basketball,
really start working, play a little bit more football because the guys
that that they played against, so played with, they they just having fun
and that was most important.

Once they got past, learning how to, you know, pity pat and then a
little hit a little harder, they became say, you know what, I like this
sport. And so we began to keep on putting them in those different sports
each year. And it just became a part of our like our yearly activities,
our our events where surrounded around the kids. And we just bought into
the fact that we want to just invest in the kids.

We want to because they have older siblings as well. And so we just want
to we love being around our kids and that was when they were younger.
Right now they are much more hilarious in front of Oh my gosh, it’s a
full house up here. But I believe those multiple sports we had Xavier
and Darius in throughout the years that helped them be well-rounded.

They got a chance to meet a lot of people, a lot of other kids. And we
talked about it early in those circuits about different summer venues
where you see where it’s a lot of it’s hectic. It’s it’s physical. It
gets out of hand.

But the kids I saw at the time was showing adults how to be competitors
because once the kids competed with one another once they were done,
especially at that age, you see them chasing butterflies and this big
kids and you say, you know what, that’s what it’s really about right
there. having those relationships and to this day they have relationship
competing against guys across the country that they’re familiar with.
They know each other. they competed with each other.

They stood in those lines when they got ready in the shot because like
30 guys sometimes or 20 guys waiting to throw and they’re being kids and
immature and they throw but they learn to just get different
perspectives form like some great relationships and I think that really
helped them in their confidence as well. Now you guys call them Ace,
right?

Yes. I got Okay. So, the first Well, we didn’t know at first. So, it’s
like, okay, if I had a first song, I was thinking about George Foreman,
right?

That’s a Houston thing, I guess. George one, George 2, George 3. I
wasn’t going to do them that way. So, it was more of like, okay, the
first song would be Ace.

And I was considering naming him like legally Ace. I’m like, well, I can
call him Xavier Alexander Muhammad and then I can call him Ace. So, when
Darius was born, like, okay, that’s my deuce. And it’s a quick funny
story about Bryson who’s the Trey, but we don’t call him that now
because we don’t want him to address himself as Trey as Trey [laughter]
speak to individual.

So Xavier and Darius they would pray and say we want to pray you know we
change and and exchange prayers as we get ready to go for bed and he
said I want to pray for Trey and was like Trey we thought it was like a
kid at school that he kind of took a liking to and maybe some having a
difficult time and it wasn’t nothing like that. Trey was like, “No, mom,
that’s going to be your your son.” We was like, “Oh, no. I can’t have no
periods.” And that’s when we found out that I was having a third son and
who we called Trey. But what’s was funny, Ace would when he started
playing basketball, the coaches would hear is on the side saying Ace,
you know, move this or do this.

And they was like, “Who is Ace?” And and we was like, “Well, that’s what
we call him.” and they would always say, “Do you mind if we polymates?”
Yeah. And Ace was like, “I don’t mind.” So that’s really how how that
started. But he goes by Ace X, Muhamad, just all of X-Men. Yeah.

Yeah. I did an interview with with Blake Jenkins and Blake. Yes. Played
against one another throughout the years.

Yeah. Yeah. He he was talking about I guess he had played he was playing
basketball and he was talking about how did he had played against Ace
and I think [laughter] Ace must have put some body on him. He was like
yeah I’m good.

[laughter] He’s like that’s when I knew I’m gonna play football.
[laughter] And you talk about great families like we have met his
parents absolutely amazing. We met them on the and and they from
Houston, but we met them traveling on the AA circuit, but that’s how
when we say about meeting amazing people to come full circle and they’re
playing together, you know, we’ve met a lot of of families like that.
So, how old was was Ace when you guys were like, you know what, I I
think this sports is going to kind of take him some places.

Like when did you guys kind of start to notice other than him being
probably the the biggest kid?

You can always be the biggest kid, but that doesn’t mean you have skill
and you have talent. That’s right. How was when you guys kind of noticed
that?

I would say for me honestly at five, and I say that because when he did
the shot, I mean, so everything that Xavier has ever done, he has over
exceeded. I I and and that’s not even speaking just to No, that’s just
how he has always operated. If he said he was going to do something, he
did it. He’s just been that that child that’s never been afraid.

Like you couldn’t tell him even like I said on the shot put he was new
to it. and he would walk out there with some of I mean I mean he’s
played and competed against some amazing talent who are doing amazing
today. Let me just say that. And he was just that kid like he didn’t
care who they were.

I’m going to win. And that’s what he would say. And that’s what he
literally would do with basketball. When he told us we went to that when
he was invited to this new team and I never forget, like I said, this is
a team full of guards and at the time he didn’t know how to dribble.

I mean, they recruited him because it was a team full of guards, so they
needed a big. And in Texas, anybody that’s big, you gonna be center.
That’s just how it goes, you know. and we didn’t know, had we known, we
would have made him a guard, you know, but but, you know, he was the
center at the time.

And so, I remember he would rebound, throw it back out to the guards.
That’s that’s that was his job. And he told the coach, he said, “I want
to play.” And the coach said, “Well, if you really serious, I need to
see that you are. I want to see how committed you are.” And his his
first full basketball coach, Joey Brown, went to Georgetown University.

I think he’s a Hall of Famer there. He and and my husband worked with
with Xavier, taught him, you know, basketball. It was the fundamentals
first and then the skills came in and 6 months later they were headed to
nationals and he got that phone call from his head coach. You’re
starting.

So for 6 months he was either on that bench or he would come in and I
was that parent like look we ain’t going to be we ain’t going to be
traveling like this this much longer and our son ain’t playing you know
we’re not going to do this and and exe say mom please just I got you got
to trust the process please let me let me do this and I’m like okay all
right and I thank God that I did I took self out of it and we would sit
there and I tell you this the kids will laugh at him because he couldn’t
get the dribble down in the very beginning. But today, they have the
utmost respect for him because everybody saw him. Everybody saw that
struggle. They know he earned every bit of what he has because he was
not that kid that came in.

He wasn’t a legacy kid. He also wasn’t a kid that came in with the
skills. He had to work and grind for everything that he has had. And so,
you talk about just he’s just always been that one.

You know, like I said, no matter what it was, he’s going to outwork
everybody and you going to respect him in the end. Model a little
different cuz I coach youth sports. So, I I’ve seen it. you can be you
can max out at a young age, you can be the one that just did all of a
sudden you be the guy, you know, but for for Xavier it was more of his
work ethic, right?

And when I saw it was more of like he’s going to be okay as a person. He
and Daryus how they competed with each other. They would get each other
up and say, “Dad, you going to come out and get rebounds?” When you get
kids asking you to take them to workouts, trainings, and gyms like that,
it’s like, you know what?

and to be honest, it wasn’t so much that I knew that he’s going to be
what he is today, cuz I’ll be telling a big fib to say that I knew this
was going to be this way. But the way that they approach the game about
getting better, pushing each other, getting out there when they in
competition see that they get down and once you get a layup on you, you
don’t get your head down. Once somebody blocks you, knocking your rear
end, you know, it’s kind of like it’s part of the game and I knew that
for both of them being athletes, I’m like that’s that’s that’s something
that you want as a father to be like, you know what, the game’s going to
have ups and downs.

you’re going to be up, you’re gonna you’re gonna be winning some, you’re
gonna be losing some, but the fact that no matter what the outcome were
was you get back at it the next day and start practicing like let’s get
better and that was it. So, and I would also say the kids that we have
been fortunate to have our kids play around that was competitive and
that’s credit to their parents as well that they had them ready to
prepare to come. we talked about earlier about kids kind of like getting
trained and it was part of that group of that scored that 80 something
points on us when we first played basketball, but it’s it’s it’s
refreshing. It was awesome to see.

It was like a it was just unique to have the parents involved, the type
of kids that were there organization-wise, the the team mom was
phenomenal. I mean, everything was pretty much in in in in order for him
to say, “Look, I’m going to bring what I have and come bring it here.”
and it was like a synergy beyond I mean I haven’t seen it before in a
long time. I coach with different teams and parents and everything else
and it just so happened that I was part of that one at that particular
time. So definitely I would say just knowing that he would be athlete
that would be competitive and not give up the age would probably be
around like 10 11 years old.

Wow. Yeah. That I mean that’s incredible. I mean, I think the thing that
stood out to me was the fact that him having kind of the presence of
mind to tell mom, you know, trust the process.

Yeah. [laughter] They get from dad, you know, because mom, she’s like,
“What we doing?” And but she didn’t see how invaluable it was the
practices. Yeah. That these young men and that it was coach Vigno and he
actually he attended Stanford.

Coach Vignell, John the best and and his wife Megan make man. Those were
his first three coaches. They were hands on. But I I I say, “Oh, I wish
everybody had this sort of experience though because when you talk about
crashing out, they made him levelheaded.

People say this all the time. When he gets in in competitive mode, I
don’t care how the coaches may be screaming, cussing, he going to have
that same look. It’s Yes, sir. Yes, sir.” or “Yes, ma’am.” I mean it’s
game face all the time.

Now to the point we have to tell him smile. Please smile because he’s
game ready all the time but it started at five six years old when you
know they they taught them you know you you don’t crash out. It’s always
you know be respectful mind listening actively listening you know u but
they they they taught him the game. He loved the game first and then he
began to work on on the skills.

Yeah, that that’s important. We talked about that earlier, you know,
having good coaches, right?

Having good coaches that understand the game, that understands what it
takes to achieve at at a certain level. And you know, unfortunately, a
lot of kids don’t necessarily have that, right?

They have guys who, you know, they know a little bit about the the
sport. They they know enough to be dangerous, but not enough to be
really to be stewards of the game, right?

And and I think that’s that’s great that Xavier and and and all the
other kids that you guys have come across have kind of seemed like
they’ve had that instilled in them, which is what’s allowing them to
kind of get to that next level. and talking about that next level, when
did Xavier start getting recruited?

So, actually he got his first offer in middle school in the eighth grade
going into the ninth grade. Going into the ninth grade, he got from
Alabama A&M. He got a football. It was a dual offer football and
basketball.

because we were traveling on the AAAU team and I just never forget the
moment he was told you going to play football. I’m like, I’m not playing
football. I play basketball. you know, and so then when he got to high
school, Texas Tech actually was the first school to offer him.

And he could not understand that. He was like, “Well, I I I play
basketball. Like, what are they talking about?” And when Coach Black
came down at the time, Coach Black was at Vandy and he came into town,
he came to Ace’s school and and and when he offered Ace, he told him, he
was like, he said, “Look, I know you love basketball.” He said, “But I’m
I’m here to tell you.” He said, “You going to play football and you
gonna play it to the highest level.” And Xavier and And that always
stuck with him. I mean, when it was just a coach Blake has such a real
conversation with him and I think that was the pivotal turn for him to
start thinking about that because that was his sophomore year and that
was the first year he played varsity football and he had a breakout year
playing and when he told us I’mma play football this year we was like
you want to put your hand in the dirt that’s what you want to do.

we in the AC like we play basketball. He said, you know, it makes no
sense for me not to play if I’m in high school. So I was like, okay. I’m
shaking my head cuz mama’s the one.

She wants to be inside the AC, [laughter] you know. I want to be
comfortable. We love football around here. We in Texas.

I was going to say we’re talking about Texas now. Come on. I know
basketball. I love football now, but at the time I was remember 10
years.

We invested 10 years into basketball, you know. So when he said I’m
laughing, I’m sorry. I’m laughing because we did this sports, but only
ones he paid attention to was basketball. Basketball.

That was it. That was it. But you know what?

When I saw him on that field, you you talk about when you say, you know,
gosh, I I I guess maybe his sophomore year was when it really set in for
me because of his showmanship, though. You know, you had people that
came to see whether we won or lost. They knew when he hit that field. I
mean, he gonna put on a show or you going to see him doing all this and
he going to do all kind of stuff, you know.

And it was so exciting to say. It was like, whoa, you know, how did he
even know to do that?

It It was just so exciting. Super exciting. Now, now, how did you guys
feel when he got that offer like as as parents, right?

because this is kind of like again like as you talked about, you know,
you know, putting the time and effort and putting them through all these
different sports to kind of see that like, oh my god, like my son just
got his first offer, coaches are starting to come to see him. How did
that feel for you guys?

And was there a conversation that you had to have with Xavier about like
what this kind of means?

Right. So I’m I’m a big college sports fan and you know first of all in
just in Texas when the schools were contacting like TCU and how and here
in Houston you know I was like man that’s that’s awesome for your own
you know the college say you know we see you you know even it was almost
like a campaign of making sure all the Houston area players that were
playing at the high level that man what do you can you just imagine what
that would look like to be at home at the University of Houston to do
those things and we looked at him like that’ll be awesome and then TCU
came in and the defensive coach came in and gave a discussion and he was
like man it just his eyes was like man it’s so many things we can do and
you can find yourself being successful coach McFoer man awesome it first
of all the the men that I’ve been able to just come in and come into our
home or call Xavier the men at these universities are out we know that
they at the job for him to do when you sit down and hear what they have
planned for your son and and and let you know that, hey, look, we
watched him.

This is how we can see how he fits into the system right here. Yeah. And
this is how he’s going to get better here. And checking his weight, is
he this okay?

So, you can kind of understand once you get from middle school to high
school, it’s going to be a different maturation, your body composition.
And then from high school into college, that’s a whole another beast.
And they were like, you know what, he’s going to transform to do all of
these things. him being his dad and his coach over the years.

It’s like, you know, it’s always like not not I want to say not good
enough, but it’s always room for improvement because you’re seeing every
every day. But when the coaches answer your question, when the coaches
started coming in, it was like, wow, that was awesome. And then another
one and you personally, I was thrown back because I can take it back to
my own personal experience without going into a lot of detail. It was
anybody that said, “Hey, we want you to come in and play.” It was like I
thought they hit the jackpot, but to see the the caliber of school, the
schools that were offering them scholarships.

I was like, “Wow.” And once they begin to get over five, I’m like,
“Okay, we got to have a discussion because now these these universities,
they all have a high caliber and they’re going to play in high
competition, but now this is what needs to be done because now we got to
prepare to play at that level and and it’s not easy. It’s not easy. Yes,
you’ve been trained. Yes, you’ve been doing different things, but at
especially at the position that he was being recruited as a defensive
lineman, defensive end, it was like, okay, that’s that’s big that’s big
boy ball right there.

That’s like every snap you got to be prepared. Like you you can’t take a
play off when you’re in the trenches like that. That’s that’s real big
boy stuff. So, once he began to start getting those offers, it just blew
our mind.

But it was a conversation. It was a conversation about preparedness.
It’s about academically what you have to do to make sure you stay ready
to make sure you can compete and be eligible to to play. Yeah.

Also your body, your sleeping habit. I we can say honestly for him his
sleeping habits he he would time himself how much hours of sleep he
would need. He will shut it down. Yes.

When it’s time to go to bed, I mean he’s going to get seven hours at the
least. He’ll get seven. He not going beyond that. I mean, we could just
be in the middle of the conversation and all like, I’m I’m out.

I gotta go be, you know, he’s But definitely humbling experience,
excited. But then it was kind of like, hey, once you get past that part,
it’s like it’s work work time. Yeah. Because not one, not two, not
three, we have several universities, Division I schools, or Division II
or whatever, especially.

He was waiting for a basketball offer. like I’m like and he received two
dual offers from Texas Southern University and also Alabama A&M and
another one UTSA also in Texas another school that recognized him saying
look we we’re interested we’re interested and then as his recruiting
began to pick up it was more of like okay now I’m in basketball and
basketball with the size that he is and the way he can the way he moves
you know if you’ve been around sports and know a guy that be that size
and move that way. It’s It’s a lot of things that a defensive
coordinator can say, and this is me coming, you know, coaching at the
level that I coach at, man.

There’s so many things you can do with a player like that. Yeah. To to I
mean, to just confuse offenses, to make plays, to let the other players
make plays. And so they was like, “Hey, look, I get it.” My wife was
like, “Well, why they just want to give a offer for basketball so we can
be on the inside [laughter] and not worry about all that?” I was still
holding on, Chris.

I was still holding. But yes, it it just awesome. But it was awesome
just to see those universities come in and just getting him prepared to
what will be expected of him on that level. Let me just say just to add
to that just like like Ish said the the level of schools was a total
blessing.

I mean truth be told, who did not know Jason Taylor?

When Jason Taylor flew into town and came up to his school, we were
like, “Okay, this is serious. This is real.” You know, he didn’t have to
do that. But the the level of the coaches, how they have they spoke life
into Xavier. They, you know, and and making that decision for Michigan
was very hard for him because he made he developed relationships with
all of them.

I mean, shout out to all of the wonderful schools. Ace had an interview
earlier today and one of the guys, the guy asked him, he said, “Who did
you talk most to?” Zav talked most to the head coaches. He talked to
some of the defensive line coaches, but he talked to the head coaches.
And and that for him and for us, that said a lot.

Yeah, that said a lot. And and that’s what I’m saying. Our experience
has been just a just such an humbling and and humbling experience, but a
blessing because these, you know, they they showed him that they all
cared and they they showed him how he fit into all of their programs and
every school that he visited, he made notes. We sat down, we went over
all of them.

I mean that was the hardest decision for him was to make that that that
final decision because we told him you can only go to one and we can’t
make that decision for you. You going to have to we can guide you but
this has to be your decision. Which one do you think is going to be the
best fit for Xavier Muhammad’s brand?

Because now this is a business. Yep. Yeah. Did Did you guys have the
conversation where it’s kind of like, you know, part of when you’re
making that decision is thinking about past football, right?

Thinking about, you know, cuz my my stepson, he he played at at Boston
College and but he was he had three concussions within within a year. So
he had to, you know, they they basically kind of medically retired him.
And but he always knew that there was going to be kind of like a
fallback plan, right?

Right. And when you go to a school like Boston in college, that’s a
great school academically, especially when you’re talking about, you
know, post career, post football, u you have to also prepare for that
day, you know, but when we’re young, we never think that day is going to
come. but you also have to prepare for that day of like, is this a place
that you can see yourself being if football isn’t in the cards for you,
right?

Whether it’s an injury or whatever. Did you guys kind of have that type
of conversation with Xavier?

Oh, yeah. That’s the reason that was the one of the biggest reasons for
his commit. his biggest thing was life after. That was number one.

When he decided and stated, I’m not playing basketball in college. I’m
playing football. He immediately went into the the frame of thought,
okay, life after football has to be set and that was his biggest thing.
The alumni, just the the support, all of that was one of the biggest key
factors in why he moved forward with Michigan.

Now, I like to credit my middle school teachers back at Cullen Middle
School back in Houston. They always stress to us, you got to have a
backup plan. football will not ever be there for you forever. And I
think I took it way too serious because I went loaded up on classes my
first or my whole college career.

And and sure I was thinking about life beyond football because it will
end. we coach young men say you’re going to be you know a man longer
than you’re going to be an athlete when you look at it most cases. So,
instill in that and he heard coaches that I’ve coached with that we
coach together and they said those same words, you are going to be a man
longer than you’re going to be an athlete. So, we’re going to be working
on the man more than working on the athlete.

Even though we want both of them to show up on game day, right?

U, but credit to my my middle school teachers. They always have
instilled that into me to my kids. You got to have another ball playing
because that is not going to be there forever. And also seeing players
that I played with whether it was high little league, high school in
college, you know, you one play away from something else.

What is going to be that that that fallback plan and is it going to be
something that you love to do and a career that you can you can have?

And you know, even again crediting my middle school, there were other
employment ways of making a living in the in sports that’s available for
you. And when they opened that up, I was like, “Wow.” So I did the same
thing to my kids. Like, “Hey, look, you can play sports, but the day
it’s over.” I’m like, “Hey, playing sports is a hobby. If you can get
paid for, that’s a blessing.

But when that’s done, what is it that you want to do?

Let’s take sports out of it. What is it?” And and of course it’s it’s
hard because even with us as professionals now all of us can you know
that’s watching your shows like well I I wanted to do this but I’ve
changed my career seven times over you know they you know the history
working but we wanted to instill them that it’s always it’s a great idea
it’s not a bad idea to make sure and ensure that you have like a career
beyond sports in your life and on those OVs you know taking a look at
the different positions that they have now that they didn’t have when we
were in school like the that like I was telling the boys, I’m like when
I was in in college that you didn’t have women in sports like this.

So, you know, just looking at all those things, you know, you can be a
GM and, you know, at a director. I mean, so many different pathways that
you can take now in sports that were not offered at the time. And it’s
it’s just right there. Yep.

You can model behind it. You can look and so there you you shouldn’t be
left without a plan, you Absolutely. Absolutely. Now, we talked about
Xavier’s recruitment.

Now, let’s talk about you guys’ recruitment because if you want to get
the kid, you got to get the parent, right?

And and so talk to me about let’s talk about like the official visits
like or visit visits in general. Which visits did you guys go with
Xavier on?

Like what schools did you guys go with it on?

Funny enough, I went to everyone except for Michigan and Kentucky. but I
I was I was there with all of his other visits. So, we were we went to
Miami, Notre Dame. oh my gosh.

Of course, you know, your local one, UFH, TCU’s UTSA, you know. So, but
everyone except for Michigan. Yeah. Most of it was unofficial and so
just going on those visits and that that’s what you really if I would go
to the unofficial unofficial visits.

Yeah. And I say that for them to get some insight. Yeah. Of the the
temperament of the team, the coaches, the environment.

You get to see, hey, and your kid get to look and say, hey, man, that’s
intense. That’s what I want to be a part of. You know, or you know, hey,
these guys here, they’re working. look at, you know, not just looking at
the weight room.

You’re looking at, hey, we about to work out. You got a group over here
working out. You want to see, hey, do you see yourself going into this
institution able to get better and then you got all the resources there
and then you’re looking to see look at the teammates, right?

Look at and it’s it’s it’s like it’s team building all around. I’ll be
honest with you, Chris, it’s it’s not only in the in the locker room.
It’s the coaches, it’s the parents, it’s the city that you the the
courses that are offered. It’s a combination what they call you can call
it the whole ecosystem that they have for them to look and say this is
going to be the full the holistic view of me as an athlete as a student
my personal life my academic life and hey can this town here can I be
someone can be impactful in this town to be to be a better person right
so for parents I would say the unofficial visits are what you want to
see you see the coaches in their element and as a as a coach myself it’s
You get to see that cuz I I you know places were there in their element.

My hands are getting sweaty because I want to get that Wilson out and
demonstrate. But the the players are there. You get to see your studs.
You get to see man I wouldn’t mind coming here and looking at this guy
that’s going to be a junior senior playing with him and you know you
won’t have to worry about once the kids see it.

It’s like man yeah you can come in want to start and play but when you
ee guys that’s doing it and the guys that can be there and be a good
mentor athletically and academically in life. Hey, look, this is not
what you shouldn’t do. And it’s unscripted. Yeah.

And and you look at it and say, you know what, that’s what you want to
see. This is the real truth right here. Yeah. You know, this this is the
place I want to be at.

Yeah. That that’s And as a parent, you would want to be able to say,
“Hey, my kid is in a safe space. You know, you know that the coaches,
they’re being tough and they’re they’re stern, but hey, that’s ball. You
know, they’re not being they’re not taking away from the kid.

They’re building, right?

And so you look at it and say, “You know what?

I’m okay if he selects this school.” But you take a step back and you
don’t feed him as much. Well, I didn’t. We let I step back and let him
see it. See how he gets cuz they get to sometimes the players if they
get in those groups and get to talk with those guys, the guys are going
to tell you.

Yeah. The players are going to tell you. And he did on those unofficial
visits. he was able to interact with players and and they were able to
have real conversations like how did you feel, you know, in in these,
you know, different scenarios and, you know, how’s the coaching style?

you know, so and I’m glad that he was able to have those conversations
because, you know, some people, we talk about the crash outs, some
people crash out when when the coaches go in. You know, I think Xavier
is an even-keeled. His he can work with good, bad, ugly, you know, yell,
cuss, y, none at all. Cuz he’s used to it.

Remember this started at six, seven years old. So at this particular
moment, we’ve always taught him listen to the message, not the tone. So
he’s taken that out a long time ago. But he is not the type of athlete
you really got to scream, yell, or cuss out to get him to work.

You know, he going to work regardless. He going to work with, you know,
I I always say this, if the kid trust you, he going to give you
everything. Yep. A brick wall for you.

Run through a brick wall for you. Well, it’s a matter of context. You
got to know how much you care as well. That’s That’s right.

And but these kids know, these athletes know. and know if the coaches
care for them, you going to see it on the field. You will definitely see
it. What did you guys like and didn’t like about the entire recruiting
process?

You know, it’s a business. It’s a business. And I can tell my son, take
the emotions out. because I can be very emotionless at times as a mom.

and I had to remember that. Okay, business hat off, not mommy. I’m mom
right now. And and we would have those real conversations because I did
not want him to make a a decision based off of emotions.

because you can’t and because it is a business, you know, I started
early. He had a financial advisor, he has an attorney. I operated as his
manager. we have Monday meetings, really Sunday afternoon meetings, but
sometimes we have to do it on Monday mornings.

and we’re talking about your schedule for the week, you know. because
I’m mom, I had some bargaining things. Now, listen, I need three of
three a weeks this week. You know, I need you to move it around.

I need you to push it through. and then we and you get some different
rewards. But he didn’t understand and see it at the time. he does now.

and so I think we we kind of we actually shaped him into a businessman
without him knowing it. And now I I tell my husband and and people all
the time, I work for him. You know, he’ll send me these messages, mom, I
need this, this, this, and that. And I’m like, okay, I got you.

And this is, you know, how it goes. and and I mean, that’s what that’s
what we do. We we set it up as this is a family business. we are here to
support him.

though we have our own careers but but we have set it up where we can be
there to support him at at 100%. All he needs to worry about is going to
school and playing the sport that he loves and that’s it. the you know I
would say the negative side of it being in today’s climate it’s a little
predatory out there. I would say it’s very predatory.

especially now with opportunities that the athletes have now. it’s it’s
it’s a lot of how can I put it?

It it’s you want to make sure and not just a cliche you stay close to
God because a lot of bad actors and it’s a lot of persuasion out there
and these things can come into play to defy divide a family up. It can
keep your athlete close. Yeah. Keep your keep your kid close to keep
your kid close to you.

have discussions and if you don’t know as a parent don’t know but search
together because that’s right the kid is is f the whole family is fine
this is new now I’m thinking you know maybe what three four years ago
you know you go to college three or four years first to get to this
point here now let’s scale back four years sooner it’s for a high school
athlete instead of the college athlete that’s coming out his junior
senior year now it’s coming out now so it’s very predatory because
unfortunately because the compensation that these athletes are having
they’re just other livelihoods that are at at at risk that they want to
sustain their livelihood and preying on families and athletes like this.

I I believe that’s one of the bad actors. also with the NCAA, I won’t go
off into too many detail because it’s still in its infancy stage even
though it’s been what six, seven years or something. So, they’re trying
to make sure that they’re trying to do things that’s going to be fair,
but is it going to be fair for student athletes and families or is going
to go back to the universities that’s getting, you know, that that that
advantage?

The thing is it’s to make it an even playing field for both. So, without
going in, that may be like a whole another conversation because we got
to reference the laws and conversations from others. But I just think in
a nutshell it’s predatory because I’m I’m she said the good side the bad
side of it is very predatory. Keeping your kid you guys grounded to
understand that it’s it is you guys.

Now it may be others that have come along the way may have been coaches,
trainers. I would actually just recommend that if a person is
specialized in something, let the person that specialize in those areas,
let that person come in and consult with you. Y’all build that
relationship. if making sure that your your athlete, your kid is getting
proper training and getting proper information, proper proper
information and for body composition, getting better the places that you
are to go to for you to succeed.

Sometimes I believe where we’re getting so caught up into everything
away from the kid because we’re forgetting that these are kids now. Yes,
you know, bad enough you had guys that went to school four years and
they still because we all were human. So, really not even your age on it
because we have some of us that are 20, 30, 40, and we’re making
similar. I say we cannot exclude.

We’re making similar decisions that really make a negatively impact our
lives in a way by bad actors, things that are predatory and things that
are just set up to see if it’s going to be even playing field for
players and families and universities or is it going to be lopsided and
be careful with these agencies. That’s a part of sometimes the good and
the bad actors. You know, you do your research. We researched for almost
a year and a half and still almost had a situation.

So it can it can happen, you know, you just you got to learn. we started
taking classes. I started going to seminars. I needed to know and
understand what it is to see if he needed representation, you know.

and then once we figured it out, which was a blessing to be able to
figure it out, be able to help somebody else. Xavier’s teammates and his
old school reach out to me on a weekly basis. There was a one of the one
of his old teammates called me because he received a message from a
coach that stated, “Hey, I wanna I’m from a university university. I
want to send you some money.” So he sent me a screenshot of that and I
said, “Baby, send me the full context.

I want to hear see that whole message chain.” And it was a scam. and I’m
trying to understand why, you know, wanting his his email information to
get inside of his school email and password. So, it’s things like that
where we’re able to be able to be of a a resource for other families and
and athletes who who don’t know and understand this process so that they
can be protected and and and just be okay. I used to say even like when
you know back in our day when you know all we had to deal with was was
agents and right and and going into the process we didn’t have the
resources that you know that these kids have today and so you just had
to almost take this person at his word that they legit or the fact that
the NFL had vetted this person thoroughly.

I mean, even then you had guys who were well-known agents at the time,
but even well-known agents, that doesn’t mean that they’re ethical,
right?

They don’t follow the rule. And I say all the time, just as hard as
you’re out there working hard to make money, there’s somebody out there
working just as hard to take your money. That’s right. And how have you
guys been able to kind of navigate that?

Because the NIL is is still kind of like a wild wild west. There’s still
no with real rules, regulations, guidelines, anything or resources like
we had talked earlier. How are you guys trying to or navigating that
road?

Well, team, we have a financial advisor and an attorney first and we
like I said, we meet weekly. We discuss a lot in regards to
representation. We we vetted out over a hundred different companies. and
because his financial advisor and and my husband and I, we all went to
high school together and he is sits on the board of the NFL PA which was
Yes.

which was amazing. Like when I tell you God just sent He sent people
that were legit. [laughter] Excuse me. Mhm.

He sent people that were legit. his attorney. The way that that even
happened, my daughter, my oldest daughter, our oldest daughter, she’s a
hair stylist. there was an attorney in her chair getting her hair done
and I walked into her salon one day and she heard me overheard me
talking with a coach and the attorney said, “Don’t you sign nothing.”
She said, “Send it.” [cough] And that’s how our relationship began.

She’s the attorney for the lady. I mean, people the female the women’s
soccer league. Soccer league. Wow.

One of the councils for that. And it’s amazing how that whole thing
happened for me. What I did, I kind of I I truly believe everything is
set up like NFL PA, NBA PA. I’m looking at what they’re doing.

Even with percentages that, you know, the the agents are coming in
demanding. I’m looking at the how the professional is doing because some
type of way it’s a it’s mock it’s mocking the NFL and NBA right now.
Yeah. And they’re just saying well NCAA got to come in with the rules
and so now it’s like all the bad acting everything is like the floodgate
is open so they can look at and say okay what’s wrong with this and
they’re assessing it right now and they’re going to take out the things
that are detrimental and predatory and try to make rules for that I
believe because it has to.

If not it’s it’s going to be even crazier. But I look at what the NFL is
doing. I look at their their their rates with with the exception of NCAA
rule because NCAA that’s that’s the line there. Okay, that’s NFL but
here because they’re not professionals, right?

And so they’re drawing a line between not professionals and it’s drawing
a line between a you know pay for play but it it’s kind of difficult to
even say that because even without them being paid just the traditional
scholarship that you and I received when we were in college that’s what
it was. Yes, you get an opportunity to get an education which is first
and foremost, but then you also because of your athletic ability, that’s
why you’re rate and ranked because it it almost seemed like it
contradicts itself in itself of being, hey, you’re a great athlete, but
now hey, we can’t have you here because of your performance. We’re here
because we want you to get an education when in fact it is your
performance.

It is your star rating, right?

It’s it’s all those things that are included. So when you look at it and
sit back and reflect and think, well, this whole thing is kind of
contradictory because these players are coming based on what they can do
athletically. Right. Right.

Now, are the are the are the percentages like lined up as just like in
the NFL?

Because I know like when when we played like I think an agent could only
charge you like three 4% or something like that, but a manager could
charge you like 20%. And that’s still how it is. That’s still the same.
It’s still the same.

And so just kind of going through that. and then just think about it. A
lot of parents don’t know their power. They don’t understand that the
agencies work for you.

You don’t work for the agency. And so they’re intimidated of the whole
process. So, you know, I know for for me when we came in, we just had
such a big support system. you know, I have a a family member that’s a
president of a large H.

B. CU university. So, I had his support and and understanding. and then
I mean we understand business because that’s kind of ultimately how it
it it kind of trickles down into business and and just figuring out
understanding this is the process.

and this is what it looks like. And I I think once that kind of set in,
we knew exactly what to do with Xavier, you know. And so I’m thinking to
myself, well, if the NFL, if the max you can charge is 3%. Why in the
world would I allow any company to come in?

You know, your freshman year, it is what it is. You know, you can
negotiate as they told us in the very beginning. You got to you got to
negotiate and and hey, I understand it, you know, because it scares us
all as parents. you don’t understand what’s what’s going on.

and so, but your freshman year, you got to go in there, you got to you
got to prove yourself. You got to get in there, you know. And so, we
explained that to as as a matter of fact, he didn’t even know the
numbers until the very very end cuz he I I I we didn’t want him to think
or make that decision based off of that, right?

Because that’s not We want to keep the main thing the main thing. The
main thing is if you really want to go to the next level the way you say
you do, okay, let’s see what that looks like. Let’s see what
development, real talk, you all of the the schools that that you narrow
down to your top four, amazing schools, great development. You’re going
to get developed in either one of those university.

Okay, so development check. Let’s move on to the next. you know,
education, which one is going to be, you know, we had to rank them.
Which one is going to hold more weight?

life after, which what does that look like, right?

Distractions. What does that look like?

You know, we need to talk about everything, the good, bad, the ugly, you
know, and we know our son and our son know we know him. And so we just
we kind of talked about everything. We have real conversations. We’re
not going to sugarcoat it and he knows that because we want what’s best
for him.

And then the ultimate thing was we prayed about it. We prayed about it.
I wrestled in my spirit. Woke up in the middle of the night.

Woke up in the middle of the night. What we going to do?

[laughter] Cuz you know this I I just want I wanted to make sure that
this was the right decision, you know. because that first year can make
or break a lot of them. Yeah, that I didn’t, you know, we worked so hard
to get to this point, you know, and so, I wanted to make sure that that
decision was was led by the Holy Spirit. That was the biggest thing, you
know.

I lost my mom two years ago and my mom would always talk about, you
know, let the Holy Spirit lead you. And we used to laugh and Xavier used
to laugh. I grandma. But he understands now.

He understands. He got a tattoo which we was just like, “Oh, okay.” And
it said, and we went with him and it says chosen one. And I remember and
I told him, he and and dad, we told him, now you’re stating this. You
are putting a stamp on you that says chosen one.

But you better understand to whom much is given, much is required. And
that is the assignment. You better understand that assignment because
sometimes God will give it to you and he will allow it to be taken away.
Where do you want to be at?

Where do you want to sit when it comes down to that?

So, understanding that working hard shouldn’t even be a discussion.
That’s that’s just the way of life. That’s what you going to do. You
know, the like I said, we have these these meetings.

We just had one this morning. Well, what does this look like for this
week?

He was like, I’m doing three this week. Okay, then I’m going to get that
scheduled and set up and he knows to be on time. To be on time is to be
early. To be late is to be on time.

We don’t play that. So, it’s getting them set up and and and
understanding processes, work, and and what this looks like. Because if
it’s a business, this is a job. And and what do you look like showing
up?

You taking food from somebody else. You think they’re going to willingly
give it to you?

Don’t work like that. That’s right. Don’t work like that. And I’mma cook
gold today.

[laughter] No, you know, it’s it’s funny because these are these are the
conversations that I think this era of kids need to have. that that’s a
totally different conversation that I was getting back when I was being
recruited. It was more about don’t go up there and embarrass us. That
was like, you know, because you represent the the last name on your back
more than the university.

And but no, this this was this was great. I I want to ask you guys this
last question. what’s that conversation going to look like when it’s
time for him to go to Michigan?

What’s the what’s the send what’s the send off message?

Well, [laughter] that conversation will be look, you’ve you’ve you
deserve to be here. You’re you’re in a place right now that you asked
for that you are you’re wanted. You know, you’re respected. you have a
place where it’s a plan for you.

All you have to do is go there and apply yourself. Let it be there. It’s
it’s and Chris, I’m sorry. It’s just hard to fail with all the resources
at these universities.

Yeah. Do you really have to just go there and just say I don’t want to
go. And if you did that, you got somebody pulling you to the classroom
to say hey or you it’s really difficult. So right now it’s more of
listen you’ve been called for the assignment.

It’s time to execute. Yeah. So we’re here. It’s luckily we did travel
like even sports wise.

So he’s accustomed to traveling to different coast and things like that.
is different because we was there in April and it was 40° [laughter] in
Texas in April it’s 85. So yeah, but he he’s the one to go take a cold
plunge. The weather there, it didn’t phase us at all.

It’s like, hey, look, if you want to win a championship, you got to go
through this weather here. So that’s at every level. It’s going to be at
the college level and it’s going to be at the next level. So if you want
to get used to playing on Sundays, hey, we already know how it feels at
120° and 140 index down south.

Hey, you can see how it feels below zero and enjoy it both and play the
game and prepared. So, we think we we you know, we getting them prepared
for it and that conversation like you here, you want it and you can
accomplish. Let’s go execute. Yeah.

I mean, listen, you you might get drafted by Buffalo and you know, hey,
you better get adjusted real fast. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.

Yeah. When I I remember when I was being recruited, my recruiter was my
my running back coach, guy named Fred Jackson. I don’t know if you guys
had an opportunity to rep meet Fred because he’s still up there. Yeah,
he’s still there.

Yep. Fred there. And Fred was from Louisiana. He came down and and
smooth talked my mom and my dad.

[laughter] Next thing I knew, I was on a plane in Michigan. and Fred
told me, he said, “It didn’t get that cold in Michigan.” My freshman
year, it was the coldest in Michigan history. Oh my gosh. I had a
windbreaker jacket.

I didn’t know where Timberland boots were. Like that first winter I was
at some army surplus store buying a triple goose coat with the fur on
the on the top and putting Vaseline on my face so I could walk the
class. It was it was cold as hell like my freshman year. But but I but I
got acclimated to it.

And and I will say this, you know, when I was coming out of high school,
I was one of the the top running backs in the country. I was used to
being the guy. And when I got to Michigan, I realized really quickly I
wasn’t going to be the guy because I had Tyrone Wheatley in front of me.
I had Kim Baka Batuka in front of me.

And of course, you know, when I’m I come there, I’m thinking like I’m
just as good as those guys, just completely out of left field. And you
have to kind of go through that process of paying your dues, right?

every fourstar ain’t a fourstar. Every fivear ain’t a fivear. Every
Mr. Football from wherever really isn’t that good.

So, it’s it’s all about competition. And when you get to college, you’re
playing against the the cream of the top from everywhere. And so, my
advice would be to to Xavier would be trust the process. Yes.

And it’s going to take time for you to adjust to the speed of the game.
It’s going to take time for you to get your body right, your mind right
to adjust to college life. You know, it’s not just about you being on
the football field. It’s about you maturing and understanding life in
school and acclamation because you know you’re you all most of your
classes are from 8 to 12 or 8 to 1.

Then you’re in meetings, then you’re in football practice and that
process repeats over and over and over again. So my advice to him would
just be to trust the process. It’s going to be ups and downs. There’s
going to be times where even for me, I wanted to transfer.

My mom was like, “Nope, you made a commitment. You’re not going to grant
that worked out for me.” Not to say, you know, it’s it wouldn’t be the
the same with Xavier, but right, you know, I think a lot of times kids
give up on the process too quickly, you know. Yeah, that would be my my
advice to him. And man, I I love this conversation.

I I appreciate you guys coming on. Do you guys have any questions for
me?

Anything that you can ask me that I can tell you about Michigan?

Oh. So, I mean, [laughter] well, you were just telling us about, you
know, your experience since there. I mean, what overall was it a a great
experience for you?

And and if you could change anything, what would you change?

Boy, that’s a good question. I might have set myself up for that.
[laughter] it was my first two years were were rough and primarily
because again I’m a kid from from the south from Louisiana being away
from home. I’m a mom I’m a mama’s boy and so that was that was rough.

And again when football when when your whole identity is football and
you’re a football player and you’re not be you’re not doing the thing
that you love the thing that you identify as. just Chris student athlete
just walking around going to class while someone else is kind of getting
the glory and the accolades and stuff like that. That was that was a
rough two years. but I kind of had to just you know go through the fire
and then my junior year kind of took off.

My senior took off. We won a national championship my senior year. I
ended up getting drafted. so I was able to accomplish all the things
that I wanted to accomplish.

But those first two years were were an adjustment for me, right?

Because a lot of kids aren’t able to process not being the guy, right?

Because they’ve just been they’ve just been that guy. but the only thing
that I would change honestly is I didn’t get a chance to be a student.
And when I say a student, I mean like I didn’t feel like I got the full
student experience. Like I didn’t go see other sports.

I didn’t go venture out and be with other classmates that just weren’t
my teammates, right?

And so for four years, you’re just there playing football and taking
class and going going to school. If I had a chance to go back and do it
over all over again, I would want the full college experience. I just be
in this bubble of being a football player. That would change.

I agree with you big time. We tell him even in class now I would explain
to him the whole time even when he came to the same school hey don’t you
don’t hang around the athletes all the time to the person that’s there
especially the one that’s know all the work sit there have a
conversation and see how they’re thinking combine y’all like lines
together you never know and so hopefully that will work because in
college you know now you’re going to be sitting next to the next who
that’s not going to be sports related and you guys have this
relationship and that the college experience is special when you do that
when you got that bubble and I I the reason I’m shaking my head with you
too Chris I did the same thing I was so engulfed just being the football
player being a football player I’m going to class I norally get a job I
got to be just a football player but just to relax and just smell it a
little bit and say you know what this person is cool right here and we I
did I did get an opportunity to meet those individuals that way I I I
hope Xavier does is able to to experience I know that a lot of people
don’t know that he so he was at a early college school this year.

and was it last year?

No. Program was Yeah. So, it’s a early college school. So, technically
he finished high school last year and then he would go back to his high
school.

So, he’s at Saneno College now, but we just for his last year, well, the
last couple of months, he’ll be at Shadow Creek here in Houston. So, he
transferred out of college back into a high school. and so when he was
at San Jack though, he’s interacting with nothing but college kids. So,
you know, going he would go to his classes, they would go to the student
union, they have the the cafeteria, and I never get when he first his
first week or so.

He was like, I like this college thing, mom. I like, I bet you do, cuz
it’s you don’t have to be defined to this schedule in the high school.
you know, you walk the campus, you you know, he would come home when he
didn’t have a class and he’ll drive back up to the school. So, work on
time management.

Yeah. Time management. It was all on him. And that’s one thing though,
too.

I never [clears throat] with him. I’ve never ever had to say like, “What
time you got to be in school?” He just would always go. I just I mean, I
feel bad now that I’m thinking about that. I’ve never ever had to ask
him.

As a matter of fact, he would send me a screenshot of his grades. Hey,
mom, this is what I got on my report card. I mean, he has a 4.3 GPA. His
grades has just always been good.

Wow. So, I’ve never we’ve never ever had those sorts of conversations
with him. Now, last year, he got food poison. He was really really sick.

He was in and out the hospital. He got sick at at his high school and he
missed a final. this was his first time receiving a D and he was hot. He
was pissed off about that and that’s because he got it was in in science
because he couldn’t go to the lab and that’s how you had to do he
couldn’t do the lab part.

So u now though the professor could have worked with him and I told him
I said listen this is life now you experiencing what life looks like.
Some professors are going to work with you and some are not. It’s not
going to make or break you. So I think every lesson had is prep, like I
said, has prepared him for this moment.

You know, this last couple of months is going to be the first time in a
long time. He’ll literally have like a a easy schedule. He’s always gone
to summer school, high school, you know, just preparing, which we didn’t
even know we were preparing for this and didn’t know that we were
preparing for this. So now because of everything that we put in, he is
in a position now that he gets to graduate early.

and so this last semester, he maybe I think he has two classes. The rest
he’ll probably do something easy, some electives that he may want to do.
and just train and and play football. I was going to add too, I mean for
your your parents, that’s one thing that they I would encourage them to
stay very diligent on the grades.

Making sure that they’re eligible and recruitable. That’s something that
a lot of players are like just forgetting or the parents like, hey, just
play sports, just play sports. You know, about those grades, those days
of like they can get you in there and kind of hide you a little bit kind
of over with. And so it’s kind of almost it’s well not almost it is a
requirement to make sure that they’re doing it.

But to bring some context to the early college program he that the early
college program was for students who may who can earn their associates
degree in high school and so when they get to college they have two
years of school the first major instead of four. Yeah. So he’s lead
because he has to leave early. He’ll come in with maybe a year and a
half completed versus the two four years.

Another thing was the universities around the country. All of them may
not accept it. Yeah. But we’re just so glad that he had the college
rigor to understand what the expectations are, time management to have
that there so he can bring something he can pull from say taking college
classes and it’s going to be different.

It’s a new environment. It’s a new city. He’s going to have to adjust.
It’s good for him to get there early in January to get acclimated.

Yeah. to the just the city itself because I told him this. I said, “This
has got what you got to do when we’re not here and you got that bad day
in practice or that bad week. When you look back and reflect, what’s
going to be I want you to pick a place that when those days are hard,
you don’t call me and say you want to come home.” That’s right.

And so those are the things I tell him. I need you to pick a place that
hey, it’s going to get tough. You’re going to get knocked down. He’s I
won’t say used to getting knocked down, but he’s used to being humbled,
especially from veterans because that’s going to happen.

Yeah. He’s playing Big Ten ball. Oh, they going it. It’s It’s And you’re
in the trenches.

Baptized. Every snap. You got to work every snap. Everybody’s from the
right.

You don’t understand what goes on in the trenches unless you lived it
and been there. It’s a tough place to be, but he’s built for it. But I
need you to know that once you have those days like that and you’re
second thinking, I need you to pick the school that when you go through
those moments, you got to look and say, “No, okay, this is why I picked
here.” And mom said, “Pick a school that I can jump on out on a flight
and be there in a couple hours.” That’s it right there, man. I
appreciate you guys coming on and you know I I could tell just by you
know just looking at at Xavier and his his highlights he has a high
motor.

he really gets after it. I always see him compete on every play and have
an opportunity to speak with you guys. I understand where that where
that comes from and so I hopefully I get a chance to to to meet him one
day. But I’m excited about Xavier, what he brings to not just what he
brings to on the field, but just the type of human being he is.

And and that’s when we talk about Michigan men and being a Michigan man.
I’m excited to have Xavier and his brotherhood. And so, and I’m excited
to have you guys in the family. So, and thank you for the the the film
that you did on him.

I honestly feel like yours was like the breakthrough. Then everybody
could understand Xavier the athlete, right?

Cuz at first it was like where where did he come from?

But when you broke his you did it so eloquently. You broke down the
football, the basketball, the track, all of that. We’re so grateful for
you. Thank you so much.

I appreciate it. I I love covering him and I just love the caliber of
kids that Michigan is recruiting. Not just outstanding athletes, but
outstanding students and just outstanding young men in general. And the
parents are the crown jewels.

So again, I appreciate you guys coming on and go blue. Go blue. Go blue.
Go blue.

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