Q & A with Aston Youboty – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 6, 2005
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Q: Your family is from the country of Liberia on the west coast of Africa and you were born there. Have you been back there since you moved to the United State in fifth grade?
A: Not yet. My father and brothers went back before my senior year of high school and I was supposed to go, but I came to the Ohio State summer camp instead.
Q: When your family settled in Philadelphia, that was about the same time Philly native Will Smith was The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, right?
A: Yes, we all loved that show. In fact Will Smith’s grandmother lived right by my house and he made part of one of his music videos on my street.
Q: Did you ever run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art like Rocky?
A: No. We took a field trip there once, though, but I didn’t get into running up all those steps.
Q: Before your eighth grade year your family moved to Klein, Texas, a suburb of Houston, so you had the chance to be a part of Texas high school football like in Friday Night Lights, right?
A: Well, it wasn’t quite that big at Klein, but I wish it was. Klein is a football town but it’s not like Massillon (Ohio) or anything.
Q: When you made your first collegiate start at Michigan in 2003, did you know it was in front of a NCAA-record 112,118 fans?
A: They announced it before the game, but once the ball kicks off I don’t pay any attention to the crowd. We just try to do what we are taught to do in practice. The only time you really realize the crowd is right before or right after the game. Other than that I don’t pay any attention. Q: Never?
A: Well, on third-and-three in Ohio Stadium you might notice it a little then.
Q: Some people don’t realize there is a big difference in playing the wide-side cornerback position, you guys call it the field corner, and the short-side, or boundary corner. What are the major differences?
A: The field corner has a lot more ground to cover and sometimes has more coverage responsibilities, but you get a little more help. The boundary corner has the opportunity to be in on more tackles because you’re more involved in the run defense.
Q: You were Chris Gamble’s understudy at the field corner position when you were a freshman. What did you learn from him?
A: Chris doesn’t talk very much. He wasn’t the kind to give you tips or anything, so I just had to watch him, both live and on video of his one-on-ones. During games I would watch what he did then ask him about it when he came to the sideline. Really the one I learned the most from, though, was Richard McNutt. He gave me a lot of tips, like what to check before the play even starts.
Q: What is your favorite sport to watch other than football?
A: (Long pause)… That’s a tough one. I guess it would be basketball. I like to watch track, too, and baseball highlights.
Q: I hear you’re quite the music mixer on your computer. What kinds of music do you mix and do your teammates get involved?
A: I mix rap beats and the guys make up the lyrics. Nate Salley is pretty good and so is Troy Smith, Eric Haw and David Patterson.
Q: Who is the worst rapper?
A: Mo Hall.
Q: Who has been the toughest Ohio State wide receiver to cover in practice since you’ve been here?
A: I should say Michael Jenkins, because even if you had him covered he was so tall he would just jump up and make the catch, but I’m going to have to say Bam Childress. He was just so fast and had so many moves. It was really tough to stay with him.
Q: When you are asked to shut down a receiver, what are the main things you keep in mind?
A: From watching film I’ll go into the game knowing his top three routes and those are the three I’ll try to stop. If I take those three away, they have to try to go to something else. Playing defensive back is all about technique, so if my guy does make a catch, I figure out right away what I did wrong and not let that happen again the rest of the game.
