TJ Harrell One of the Nation’s Elite DB Prospects for the 2014 Recruiting Class Talks Michigan State, Hunting, Faith and Football with Spartan Nation!

TJ Harrell One of the Nation’s Elite DB Prospects for the 2014 Recruiting Class Talks Michigan State, Hunting, Faith and Football with Spartan Nation! Q: TJ

TJ Harrell One of the Nation’s Elite DB Prospects for the 2014 Recruiting Class Talks Michigan State, Hunting, Faith and Football with Spartan Nation!

Q: TJ Harrell, all the way from Tampa, Florida. How are you, brother?

A: I’m good, good. Glad to be on the phone with you.

Q: Your character…does it come from your family, does it come from your school, does it come from your faith? Is it just something inside of you? Where does your commitment to character come in?

A: I would say it starts with the family, my mom and my dad. When they raised me they raised me to be a good young man. And not only that, but it also comes from within. A lot of people can change over time. One thing that keeps me well grounded, my cartoons. If I can watch cartoons I’m real happy. I’m real happy.

Q: In talking to someone from your school they said your dad is out of sight. What do they mean?

A: Well, shoot I don’t know. Whatever they mean by it, it could mean a million different things.

Q: Everyone I talked to just talked about your dad. What is it about him that makes him special?

A: The way he can get along with everybody. He gets along with everybody. It may people that other people don’t like for a certain reason, he doesn’t see that. He sees the nice, more generous side of you. He’s a real humble guy. He keeps me well grounded. That’s what everybody likes about him, he’s just such a nice guy.

Q: I was also told that as great as your dad is and as great of a friend and leader that he is, mama carries the hammer. What does that mean? Is mama the boss?

A: Mama is the boss. Mama runs everything. Mama runs everything.

Q: Everyone wants you…the SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, PAC 12. What is it about Michigan State the intrigues you?

A: That is a great question. The simple answer to that would be my cousin, Jeremy Ware. He went there He’s back in town. He tells me so many great things about it. I can’t do anything but go off of what he says to this family. He wouldn’t tell me anything wrong.

Q: Has Jeremy talked to you about their ability to coach guys up and make them better?

A: He has, he has. And he says it comes from within. He always tells me that. If you can get it in your mind that you can get better, that you can beat the person in front of you on every single down, that you can get those grades in the classroom, then you can achieve at anything.

Q: When you talked to recruiters from all of these schools, what do they like most about your game?

A: About my game? Probably my versatility, I’m more versatile. I can play anything from safety to linebacker. Anything defense, from linebacker to D end. I can get an offensive catch, run as good as your best receiver and hit the hole, just as your best running back. So my versatility would probably be that.

Q: You’re very fluid with your hips. Where does that come from?

A: It was something I had to work on. To play this game you have to have hips. You have to know how to dance. You have to know how to salsa. You gotta have a good hip. We work on that a lot…everything from the track workout to a football workout. It’s one of the main things that we focus on.

Q: I can tell you’ve worked hard at it because you make it look easy.

A: Well good, good. You work hard it something, it looks easy.

Q: There’s one thing that you’re not like Jeremy on. Jeremy was great at playing the ball and you are too. But you love to step up and pound people.

A: Absolutely. You have said the perfect thing because I love sticking my head in there. Safety is annoying at times because I can’t stick my head in and I see the linebacker making the play before I get there. That is a perfect observation.

Q: What do you run the 40 in?

A: 4.5.

Q: I think your speed is very deceptive. In the 40 you may run a 4.5 but you’re quick. You accelerate really fast. Am I reading you right?

A: Yes sir. Put that foot in the ground, get up, get downhill.

Q: You must take a lot of grief from a lot of wide receivers because most cornerbacks don’t like contact.

A: True, true. When I look at it, every time I step up to a receiver just to jam....they always talk a lot of trash, saying my feet are too big or I’m too big or I can’t cover them. So I put my hand in their chest and then they get off the line and I’m running right with them the whole time. They look at me different now like, Oh he’s a beast. Most definitely.

Q: I was told by someone who you go to school with that the most underrated part of your game is your strength. Are you a gym rat?

A: Not at all. I can’t even lie. Me and the weight room…I get in the weight room when I need to and I know how to put in a weight room grind. But a weight room junkie? I would say no.

Q: Then where does your strength come from? You just like to eat Wheaties and spinach?

A: Actually, I can tell you my strength. This is an interesting story. You’re gonna love this. Where I feel I get my strength from is the food that we eat. We eat everything, literally, from possum, raccoon, pigeon, rabbit, frog legs. I’ve had kangaroo one time. We eat everything.

Q: I live in the country. Sounds like you’re my good redneck brother.

A: I am. You can say that. You can say that. I will eat anything.

Q: Good. I’m gonna tell everyone that TJ is my good redneck brother. Is that fair?

A: That is fair. I can give you that. I can give you that.

Q: I’ve eaten raccoon. I love it. Especially as a meatball or in a stew.

A: Yes, that is so good. I can give you that. You are my kind of man. If you eat that kind of stuff, you are my kind of man.

Q: I’m 6’9”, 296 lbs. There’s very little I don’t eat.

A: Yeah, ooh, you’re huge.

Q: I just had elk for dinner.

A: Serious? You serious?

Q: I’m totally serious. You ask Jeremy if you think I’m kidding. Up here in Michigan we’ve got bear and elk and moose and raccoon and possum and bobcat. That’ll make someone wanna shout amen.

A: And I’ve had all that. But here in Florida I’m always on the football or track kinda food and we can’t even really get them. You’re only supposed to get them in the winter. So there’s not very many times you can do it.

Q: Are you a hunter?

A: I am. Me and my dad are hunters. We are so much of hunters that we can’t really find places to go here in Florida, or in Tampa at all. So we got in the backyard and get some little squirrels and rack up our squirrels and we’ll have a freezer full of squirrel. We’ll fry it up and make it a stew, absolutely.

Q: You start talking hunting with me and that’s like saying sick ‘em to a hound dog or asking a choir for an amen.

A: Can I get an amen?

Q: AMEN! If you’re hunters, you’ll love it here in Michigan because there’s so much hunting land all over the place. You’ll have kids that you go to class with whose parents will be just a short drive from campus with hundreds of acres to hunt.

A: That’s something I love. I would love to do that.

Q: You have so many offers. Does Michigan State legitimately have a shot at your talents?

A: Absolutely. I can tell anybody that, Michigan State does. Not only does Jeremy speaks all these good things, he loves Michigan State to death, but just because the coaching staff is great. I talked to Coach Dantonio just two days ago and Coach Barnett was just at my practice yesterday. This is an awesome coaching staff that Michigan State has. At the same time I love it, I love it.

Q: You’re a young man that faith is important. Does it matter to you that this staff are men of faith, they’re good fathers, they’re good husbands and their faith matters to them?

A: Absolutely. I’ll start here with my track coach… He has had such an impact on my life when it comes to the faith and religion part of my life. I’m looking for that in a school. I’m looking for a team and coaching staff that are gonna be real spiritual, go to church and everything. Coach Barnett told me he goes to church every Sunday. He takes players with him. And that’s another thing that I like about that.

Q: Have you set a timeframe for making your decision or is it just gonna be one day you’re gonna wake up, you’re gonna be eating your spinach and Wheaties, pray over breakfast and just know where it’s gonna be?

A: This process is gonna end pretty late. I’m gonna tell you why. Because you have all these players who commit, de-commit, commit, de-commit…the word commitment means something. It means you’re gonna commit to that school. The word de-commit shouldn’t even be involved in this high school process. It’s gonna be a big decision. So I’m gonna sit back, weigh my options, take my visits, talk to my family and friends and coaches about it, and there’s gonna be a late decision.

Q: I’m gonna make you an offer. When your eligibility is over no matter where you play I’m inviting you and your parents to my home and we’ll have great bear steaks, elk steaks, we’ll have a moose meatloaf, I’m gonna cook you some snapping turtle and some raccoon meatballs.

A: Oooh, goodness. That sounds so much better than the dinner I’m about to have. I’m about to have some pizza from the oven. That sounds so good.

Q: Thanks for your time buddy!

A: No sir, thank you!