Gopher Pro Day: Jon Hoese Interview

Last week was the University of Minnesota Pro Day, where graduating Gopher football players had the chance to strut their stuff and take part in several drills under the watchful eye of NFL scouts. One senior who was looking to impress scouts was fullback Jon Hoese, and after his workout Hoese took some time to speak with the media.

The following is a transcript from Hoese's discussion with media members. Questions asked are in bold, while his comments are listed in regular font. For full data as well as notes from the Pro Day, you can click on this link. There's also another interview from pro day with Gopher QB Adam Weber here.

So, where you happy with today?

Yeah, I was very happy. Like I said, this is the day to showcase everything you have, and I've been looking forward to it and working hard towards it.

Was it fun to do this with some of your former teammates, like Adam (Weber), and see some of the other players out there?

Yeah, it's cool to see everyone come back. You know, at the end of the year, the fall semester, everyone kind of goes their separate ways or goes back home to start working out. Coming back, it's nice to see everyone and see how everyone is doing. Like you said, it's fun watching them and seeing how everyone else performs.

What'd you think of Adam? It seemed like he had a little extra bite on a couple of those passes today.

I thought he looked really good. I know he's been working hard, and he's got a lot of people helping him, too. I thought he did a good job today as well.

What did you have to improve most from today?

I don't know, I didn't hear all of my numbers. Obviously you can always improve. It doesn't matter which aspect of the game it is, there's always room for improvement. Once I get the results, I can get more of a pinpoint on what spot, but from a general perspective of things I thought I did a good job today.

What are you hearing about the odds of making it to the next level?

The whole thing with that is this year, with the whole NFL Lockout stuff, that even puts more uncertainty to it. So, on a personal level that's kind of up in the air itself, and with the NFL that only makes matters worse. Right now it's just trying to take it day by day and keep up with the NFL labor issue, and figure that out to see if there's even going to be a season this year. Then I'll see how it'll go on a personal level.

What are you going to be doing to continue to lead up to April

I'll probably relax a little bit this week, since it's been a grind for the last two months. But then it's back at it. A lot of the stuff leading up to this was speed training, and I'll continue with stuff like that, but now you can start to build your endurance up a little bit, start to do some longer runs. Lifting-wise, I'll keep lifting. Bigger, faster, stronger, I'll just keep working at that.

I think you bench pressed 25 times, were you pleased with that?

Yeah, 25 was actually my goal. I thought if I could hit that, I'd be good with that. Any more than that would just be a bonus. Obviously it would be good to get more than that, but as a benchmark this was good. I mean, last fall, I can't remember what the numbers were exactly but I think it was 21, 22, somewhere in there, so I was happy with that.

Why should a team take a chance on you?

I think I've got a good work ethic. One thing I think about is that I'm always more of a team player, with team first more than personal gain. Back in high school, this was always one thing I kind of thought about. I ran track, and I had a lot more fun winning a relay and being able to celebrate with other guys than winning an individual event. I feel like success should be shared with a bunch of people rather than with just one person doing their own thing. As a team you have to be all in as a team. I try to help out anybody whenever I can. One analogy our coaches used was, 'As a fist, you're a lot stronger with all of your fingers together than as individuals.' I feel that's kind of the same way with the team, with everyone together you're that much stronger.

You're a former walk-on, earned your way to get a scholarship. Are you using that mentality to prove to some people that don't know you that well?

Definitely, in high school I wasn't that sought after, I guess. I just kind of came in, worked hard, just tried to make a name for myself, and I feel like it's kind of the same way here. I'm not naïve to the fact that fullback isn't the highest priority position, but at the same time if I can get a chance with a team to showcase my skills and work ethic, I think I can prove I belong.

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