Name: Andrew Ewald

Sport: Football

Position: Defensive Back

Year: Redshirt Freshman

Hometown: Woodhaven, Michigan

High School: Woodhaven

Lily Goodfellow: When did you start playing football?

Andrew Ewald: I started playing football when I was in fourth grade, so I would be nine years old. It was the city team. So depending on where you lived, they would choose a team for you. I grew up about 15 minutes outside of Detroit. Then in high school, I actually stopped playing my freshman year because I thought I was going to go play baseball. But things went differently with that, and I decided to stick with football. So I picked it back up my sophomore year and played through the rest of high school. 

LG: How did you end up coming here from Michigan?

AE: There is a teammate of mine, Nicholas Sturgell. He talked to Coach Nolan Menard when he was a senior, and he decided to come here. So when I was looking for somewhere to play, he had me contact him and Coach Noel liked what he saw on my film, and he gave me the opportunity to come here.

LG: What has been your highlight of this season?

AE: Really just being able to go out there with the guys every day and have them by my side. There really wouldn’t be another group of guys that I would prefer out there. One big thing is Guy [Goss]. He has helped me throughout this season and has been an amazing part of it.

LG: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from a coach?

AE: Regardless of what’s going out in the field, just continue to go out there and give your best effort. You never know what can happen, and you never know when your name will be called for your opportunity.

LG: What are some of the emotions you feel when you play, and what mental tools do you use when you’re under pressure?

AE: You go out there, and you’ve got a lot of business to handle and you’ve got a lot of nerves, but at the same time you’ve got to be confident. You practice every day to build confidence. You try to stay level-headed to not get too high or too low and just go out there and do your best.

LG: How do you manage your athletic responsibilities with school and other activities?

AE: It’s really tough. You’ve got to wake up early and be here. I would say the biggest thing is going to sleep on time and getting a good night’s sleep is key. You don’t come in tired the next day, you come in energized and ready to work. I like to plan out my days and give myself timeframes to do homework. I feel like that has really helped me.

LG: What do you listen to while training?

AE: It depends on the mood. Some days I’ll listen to more up-tempo hip-hop music if I’m really feeling good. But some days you’ve got to go with the old R&B to just relax and get a good workout in. 

LG: What is your favorite food?

AE: Definitely Nashville hot chicken sandwiches.

LG: Where do you see yourself in five years?

AE: Oh man. Hopefully just finishing up college and finishing up football and getting into my career of coaching.

LG: What level do you want to coach?

AE: Ideally, college. Since coming here I’ve developed a lot of knowledge of the game, and I feel like I can share that with others and coach my own team. 

LG: What one word best describes you?

AE: Energetic.

LG: Thank you very much, Andrew!

AE: You’re welcome, Lily. Thank you!