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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 1, 2015

Nyeem Wartman-white

University Park, Pennsylvania

An Interview With:

NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE

Q. You talked a lot before everything started in camp about the move and the adjustment and all the things that go with it. Now camp has almost run its course. What's that been like for you? How do you think you developed and improved and just kind of gotten a grip on things?
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: I think got some good work in. Camp obviously was hard, but I think everything -- camp went very well, I think for the defense, offense and special teams. I feel like our bond even got even stronger, our communication got better and overall as a team we got better. So I think camp went very well for all of us.

Q. How much of an adjustment was it moving inside and having to take on some of those added responsibilities? Some of your teammates have been talking about the job you did there.
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: I just had to change my approach how I went through walk-throughs, how I went through like the mental parts of the game. So when we have a walk-through, I make sure I project my voice, make sure I'm on top of my Ps and Qs about the defense, make sure that I'm locked in, no matter what, regardless. Just relax, up tempo. Just make sure I have the same demeanor every time I approach my defense so they know what they're going to get. So one thing I have to change about myself is being more vocal for my teammates and having the demeanor that's consistent so they know what they're going to get out of me.

Q. Nyeem, this is, of course, a homecoming game for you. How do you regard that? And I guess the other question along with that, do you ever think about what your life would be like if you hadn't left Philly to begin with?
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: Oh, man, I think about it all the time. I probably would have never played football, to be honest. I didn't start playing football until I moved. I remember at some points when I lived in Philadelphia I could actually see the Linc from where I live, and I remember never playing a football game in my life, but I knew I loved football at that time. It was dreams to play in the Linc, and look at me now, eight, nine years later, moved from Philly and I'm playing for Penn State, about to go play in the Linc. So it's truly a blessing, and all glory goes to God for that.

Q. Do you ever have to dial yourself back a little bit?
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: I already know I'm going to have a little jitters. You know what I'm saying. It's the Linc. I went to a few eagles games and it's something about the Linc that gets me. I don't know, maybe because it's my hometown and it's my favorite team, the eagles. I'm going to have to calm myself down. I know I'm going to be a little emotional. Bunch of my family is going to be in front of me. But I know I'm going to come ready, straight mindset, ready for Temple, ready with the game plan. I'm going to have to take a step back, but that's going to be in the pregame. I think once the kickoff starts, I'm gonna be okay.

Q. So Jordan Lucas comes across to us as very kind of open, open book. He was saying earlier, somebody was saying that you're one of his roommates?
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: Yeah.

Q. So how would you describe him to me?
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: Jordan Lucas?

Q. Yeah.
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: Oh, Jordan Lucas, yeah, he's very open, very opinionated, strong guy. He's not afraid to like let a guy know, all right, you gotta pick it up. Like we call it confrontation. He's comfortable to have a confrontation with you, as long as it's for the better of the team, his teammates. So Jordan is not one of those guys that holds back. Like he's a great leader for us. He's one of those guys that can go out there, you know what you're going to get from him. And he's going to like -- I don't know, he's really out there. I don't know. He has a big personality. So I like living with Jordan.

Q. Do you know his brother Brandon?
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: Oh, I do. Oh, he's very caring. He loves Brandon. I know about one or two times a year he goes out there and does events with his brother. You can even see him when we have events and when we have people like similar symptoms of his brother, like how much care he shows to them, like how much comfort he has around him, I mean even people would feel kind of guilty, but he's just truly his brother's keeper. He actually has a tat on his body, "I'm my brother's keeper, Brandon." So I respect him a lot for what he does for Brandon for the past four years that I saw.

Q. This is a little out of left field, but we've been to these practices and there's a lot of Drake, but Philly guys are obviously pretty prideful. Do they let you put Meek on in the locker room anymore?
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: No. I like Drake and Meek. Of course, I'm on Meek Mill's side, but the songs he makes are so good, I can't help it. I don't want to sing along with the songs, but they play it so much, I'm going to have to sing along with it. I love music. I like singing along with it. Nah, Philly guys, we're not taking sides. We're just having fun. We play for Penn State. I don't play for Philadelphia. So I'm not really worried about that.

Q. I was talking to your high school coach yesterday and he said that you will always see yourself as a Philly guy. What's your take on that?
NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE: I think my take on that is that's the honest truth. I think for the rest of my life I will see myself as a Philly guy, only because I grew up 15 years in Philly and like I just -- you know what I'm saying, a little bit different lifestyle in Philadelphia, different like experience, different things, and I guess moving out of Philly, it taught me a lot, different atmosphere, different environments, different people. So I will always truly like be grateful for the opportunity I had to grow up in Philly because it taught me the more people I meet, I can compare it to that experience of living in Philadelphia. And it shows me the other side of the fence, different lifestyle. So that's the only reason I consider Philly my home for life because it's actually what taught me a lot of things, moving forward in life, too. I try to get a lot of tickets, but like everyone want to be from Southeastern PA, South Jersey. Like everyone needs tickets. I'm probably only going to have -- I think family members are buying tickets. I think I should have maybe 25 people. But me personally giving out tickets, I think like 10. Yeah, everybody want to have people come to the Temple game. That kind of gets to me. No, I'm kidding.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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