Joe, why did you choose to attend the University of Tennessee?

"Schools that were interested in me stopped talking to me about offering a scholarship after I got hurt, and I had some complications with my first ACL surgery. So at that time I was really down about the whole situation. But I was fortunate enough that a few schools still asked me to walk-on to their teams, one of them being Tennessee. I took that as a challenge and now that it has happened this way, I'm actually glad because it has taught me things that I would have never known without this experience. I learned that feeling sorry for yourself is useless and will get you nowhere in life, and that there is always somebody else that has something going on that is 10 times worse than your problems. I am glad adversity hit me when it did because it teaches you who you really are and what you're all about. You can tell a lot about someone by the way they respond after something bad has happened and I will be the first to admit my attitude wasn't great after I got hurt. However, I was lucky enough to have a spiritual mother and father there to guide me and tell me what I needed to do. I truly believe that God has a plan for everyone and it's our job to find out what it is and make it happen with our actions."

Joe, can you talk about your preparation to walk-on the football team? How difficult was that to do?

"I just trained the same way as I did in high school. I learned almost everything I know about training from my dad and Coach Vanhooser. I also worked at Ripped Fitness my senior year so I was never too far away from the weight room."

Joe, obviously you have a sense of gratitude towards Coach Dooley and his staff for giving you the opportunity to walk-on the team. Could you discuss your thoughts on the direction of the new staff?

"The new staff is really impressive. They have unbelievable football knowledge. They're great motivators, and they're very good at teaching the game. They have our team headed in the right direction; to bring the program back to where it should be and where people expect it to be."

Joe, can you talk about the expectations Coach Jones has for the future of this program?

"He emphasizes on a daily basis that Tennessee has the greatest football tradition in college football, and that losing is not tolerated in our program. His expectations for our future are winning SEC Championships and National Championships; I'm sure."

Joe, obviously the offensive and defensive schemes differ from the previous staff; what positive changes have you noticed from the team this year?

"They focus more on the fundamental aspects of the game. But I would say the biggest thing is they teach us how to win with effort everything in our program is about effort."

Joe, can you talk about your transition from quarterback to the linebacker and fullback positions?

"I loved playing quarterback. That has always been my role and I have always felt comfortable there but I knew coming to a big program that I would play wherever they put me."

Joe, I noticed you were playing on special teams against Austin Peay. There have been many players who have started their careers on special teams before moving on to other positions. Is the preparation for that much different from what you are doing for linebacker or previously at quarterback?

"Special Teams is about effort and ability. There isn't nearly as much stuff to learn on special teams. Playing quarterback here takes a lot of preparation to learn and understand the offense and the same really goes for any offensive or defensive position."

Joe, can you talk about your first experience of playing fullback on Saturday?

"It was a good experience and I was very excited about it. It was the first time I've been in on an offensive play in a real game since I was a junior in high school. Every day I continue just trying to find my role so I can play again on a consistent basis."