Andy Studebaker Interview
Defensive End - Wheaton
By: Chris Horwedel
12/10/07
Chris recently had the chance to chat with Wheaton's Andy Studebaker. You can listen to the complete audio here.
Chris Horwedel: Hey Andy, everyone seems to have a different opinion as to where you would project at the next level. Would you prefer to play defensive end or linebacker?
Andy Studebaker: You know, I really don't have a preference to where I get to play. I think as long as I got a shot to play I'd be happy. I guess I'm in a boat where... where ever people see me playing long-term and being the most effective playing for their team, I'd be ok playing that position.
Chris Horwedel: And now that you've given the "right answer", let's say all things being the same, production being the same, where would you prefer to play?
Andy Studebaker: Well if you're looking at just comfort, it would have to be defensive end, being that I have the most experience at that position. Not to say that I couldn't pick up the outside linebacker position with the right coaching and the time spent. Just from a comfort standpoint, I'd have to say defensive end because I'm 4 years ahead of the learning curve as I've been playing the position since I got here to Wheaton college.
Chris Horwedel: Entering the season you were closing in on the all-time Wheaton career sacks record, which is currently held by your defensive line coach Jeff Peltz. What has playing for him meant to your development?
Andy Studebaker: Oh he's been awesome. Coach Peltz is one of the reasons football has just been a blast for me. I have a great relationship with him, he's taught me a lot about pass rushing and that kind of thing. As I closed in on his sack record we did a lot of jawing back and forth as to who would be the number one at the end of the year. He's been really encouraging to me, he wanted me to break that record, he wanted me to more then anybody actually because he just loves to watch his players succeed. That really shows in how he coaches us, he coaches us to have success and he celebrates that with us.
Chris Horwedel: Coming out of Eureka High School in 2003 you made the Journal Star's Small-School All-Star Football Team. You led your team in sacks and was also the team's top receiver. Why do you think you weren't more heavily recruited?
Andy Studebaker: Well, first of all I was 205 pounds or something like that, 210 soaking wet. Secondly, we didn't really have exposure to football camps. We didn't go down to the university of Illinois football camp, or anything like that, as a team. Eureka's a small... about 500 kid school. It's a 3A out of 8A in Illinois and we were 5-5. You mix all of those things together, the town and the school and all that and we didn't draw the exposure that a lot of schools might get just based on size.
Chris Horwedel: If not Wheaton, where would you have gone?
Andy Studebaker: You know what, I'm exactly sure. My first two choices were Wheaton and Illinois Wesleyan, which is in Wheaton's conference. I got recruited mostly by schools in the CCIW which is the conference Wheaton's in. Probably somewhere in the area, I'm assuming.
Chris Horwedel: Over the course of your sophomore and junior seasons, you terrorized opposing offenses to the tune of 110 tackles, 44 Tackles for a loss and 25 sacks. You were hurt some this year, how big a disappointment was that and are you back to 100%?
Andy Studebaker: Actually, what I had was a partially torn ligament in my foot. I had to get surgery about four weeks ago, so I'm in the recovery process, not back to 100% yet. Just getting hurt was pretty devastating, it wasn't what I had planned for during this season. I had big plans for the 2007 season, I was a senior, a captain and all of that. I envisioned myself beating that sack record of my coach and being an All-American and leading my team to the play-offs and just being part of another great Wheaton football team. The injury totally changed my role on the team from being the standout on the field to sort of being the standout cheerleader on the sideline. I became more of a mentor/coach to the younger players who had to step in for the many injuries that we had this year. It was disappointing, but at the same time I feel like I took advantage of the opportunity I had to be a leader and to be part of the team even though I was injured and not able to play.
Chris Horwedel: What are you being told about the injury? Will you be completely back to where you were?
Andy Studebaker: Yeah. I had one of the best doctors in the country do the surgery. He does the foot/ankle surgeries for the Chicago Bears. He told me I will make a full recovery. He got in there during the surgery and said that the foot wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. He said that the ligament wasn't completely torn, like he thought it was. He was very positive about the surgery and the recovery time and he said it will make a full recovery.
Chris Horwedel: Which current NFL player would you say your game more closely resembles?
Andy Studebaker: Oh man... Umm.... The more I watch, I'd like to say.... That's a tough question. I think one of the guys I like to watch the most at the defensive end position is Michael Strahan. Just super-explosive off the ball and relentless, he never quits. That's the kind of guy I'd say I model myself after, just using explosive speed and various pass-rush moves to get to the quarterback. At the linebacker position, I don't really know what my style is.
Chris Horwedel: If you had to pick just one, what would you consider the single more important trait for a defensive end?
Andy Studebaker: I'd say speed. I feel like the game of football is so much about speed nowadays, just being explosive off the ball. It's tough to narrow it down to just one characteristic that's the most important. If you can pair to together, then speed and explosiveness.
Chris Horwedel: If you were running college football, the first rule you would change is....?
Andy Studebaker: Oh man that's a tough question... I don't know... I have no clue.
Chris Horwedel: Are you saying it's good as it is?
Andy Studebaker: Yeah I don't know that there's a lot of rules that I disagree with.
Chris Horwedel: Well let's talk about the playoffs. Would you prefer to see a playoff system or do you think the BCS works?
Andy Studebaker: You know what, one one hand I do think the playoff system would work. But if you look at this year's college football season, especially at the Division 1 level, who do you put in the playoffs? How do you decide who gets to make the playoffs?
Chris Horwedel: But isn't it better to have 16 options, rather then just 2, for a national championship?
Andy Studebaker: Yeah I could definitely see that. But I'm not sure about the politics behind it and how that all works. I know I enjoy watching bowl week, so I can't completely disagree with the set-up. Division 3 has a playoff and I think the playoffs have worked well at the Division 3 level. So maybe seeing it at the Division 1 level would be nice.
Chris Horwedel: Division 2 has a playoff system as well.
Andy Studebaker: Yep, everyone does, except D1.
Chris Horwedel: From a player's perspective, who should be playing in the BCS Championship game?
Andy Studebaker: I like LSU. I knew it had to be someone from the SEC and maybe Oklahoma.
Chris Horwedel: Before the snap, what's the first thing you're looking for in the opposing offense?
Andy Studebaker: Formation. Every week we get scouting reports and you know, if they're in this formation... 70% run, 30% pass. If you can recognize that kind of thing, then you have a better chance of being a part of the next play. You can create some opportunities for yourself by understanding what the offense is trying to do. Just understanding what they're trying to do against you and how you fit into the defensive scheme.
Chris Horwedel: If you could pick a pro team to play for, who would it be?
Andy Studebaker: I think it would just be awesome to play for a team that's going for the Championship. I know that doesn't answer your question really well. I'm a Bears' fan growing up, I've watched the Bears my whole life so you know, that's who I watched as a kid. But I would gladly play for anybody who's in the hunt.
Chris Horwedel: If football weren't an option for you, what would you see yourself doing with your future?
Andy Studebaker: I'm not to sure. I have an applied health science degree, I'm thinking about doing therapy. And I have a Spanish minor, so maybe something mixing my knowledge of the health science world and the Spanish. I'm not sure of the opportunities that it'll create.
Chris Horwedel: You could be a trainer in Florida or something like that.
Andy Studebaker: Yeah I don't know, we'll see.
Chris Horwedel: What's your current height/weight?
Andy Studebaker: I'm about 6'4" 253.
Chris Horwedel: We've seen your 40 time listed as low as 4.53. Settle the this for us, what do you run?
Andy Studebaker: You know what, I don't know what they wrote officially. I thought it was about 4.50 to 4.51. I've had it timed one time and I'm not sure what he wrote down on the paper. You know what, I did run I think a 4.51 and then a 4.58 because I slipped out of the start on the second one, so maybe the 4.53 is an average.
Chris Horwedel: Do you think people overrate the importance of 40 times?
Andy Studebaker: I don't know. I don't know exactly what it determines. I think it's a good standardized test if you're looking to see if someone can run and how explosive someone is. Potentially it is a very good test, but that's not to say that someone with a slower 40 time isn't a better football player then someone with a slower 40 time.
Chris Horwedel: Which one quality do you consider your greatest strength?
Andy Studebaker: I would just say, speed and explosiveness. I feel my first step is explosive.
Chris Horwedel: Which area of your game do you feel needs a bit of work?
Andy Studebaker: As people talk about possibly moving to the outside linebacker position, just having the experience of playing that position. Even just from moving from the division 3 level to the NFL. It's a different game. Just getting used to that game style and that game speed is something that I'm going to have to adjust to.
Chris Horwedel: Let's say your were starting an NFL expansion team and held the first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Who would you take to build your team around?
Andy Studebaker: Man... Oh.... If I don't answer this, do I get another BCS question?
Chris Horwedel: Maybe 2 or 3!
Andy Studebaker: Alright. I don't even know who's projected to be in the top 5. I'm a defensive guy, I might go with Dorsey from LSU, he's just a big guy in the middle. But then there's a guy like Darren McFadden from Arkansas who I think is going to make some noise in the NFL right away. So maybe I'd go with McFadden.
Chris Horwedel: Lets talk get to the important stuff. Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba or Beyonce?
Andy Studebaker: I mean what are we talking about?
Chris Horwedel: Come on, we're both men here...
Andy Studebaker: Oh man, I'm going to say no comment on this one.
Chris Horwedel: What's the last movie you saw, cd you bought and video game that you played?
Andy Studebaker: Let's see, the last movie I saw was "Because I Said So". Last CD I bought... Man I haven't bought a CD in years.
Chris Horwedel: Music then, what's the last song you listened to on your iPod?
Andy Studebaker: I don't even have an iPod man! Weight room type music I guess. Last video game I played was Mario Cart 64, today.
Chris Horwedel: What's the best advice you've been given?
Andy Studebaker: The best advice I've been given is something my coach here at Wheaton said. That was that it takes a lifetime to build up your integrity, but just one second to lose it. Our coach is big on integrity and doing what you say you're going to do. He really presses that to us in these four years we've been. He wants us to become men of character.
Chris Horwedel: You're quickly approaching the end of your college career. Looking back, if you were given the chance to do one thing over, what would it be?
Andy Studebaker: I always wished that I could have traveled abroad. But, I mean, I wouldn't want to do that at the sacrifice of football.
Chris Horwedel: Finally, sell yourself - why should an NFL team draft Andy Studebaker?
Andy Studebaker: A team that draft's me would get someone that knows how to put in a whole day's work. You're going to get 100% effort from me all the time. I love the game of football, it's very important to me. I feel like I'm coachable, I'll do whatever it takes to become the best player that I can be. If a team were to draft me, they should know that they'd be getting a person who gives 100% all the time.
