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PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL: OHIO STATE VS CLEMSON

December 29, 2016

Christian Wilkins

Glendale, Arizona

Q. (Indiscernible).
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I think that we do what we do and do it as best we can. Because both of those guys, all three of those guys, between Curtis Samuel, Mike Weber, J.T. Barrett, they're all so talented, so dynamic and everything, just all good players. So we're just going to have to put on our big boy britches and get ready to play some big-time, tough football.

Q. How do you feel going into this game after having a long three weeks of bowl practice?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I feel pretty good. I think we have a good game plan, both offense and defense. We have a good game plan going into this game. We're just excited to go out there and finally play the game.

It gets so hyped up throughout these three weeks and you have such a long time off and you just want to get to the game. You want to play.

So we're doing a good job now of just focusing on these last few details of the game plan and doing all we can to just make sure we're ready come Saturday.

Q. There's been a lot of talk about your guys' defensive front, how dominant you've been all year. Do you think that Ohio State's offensive line, giving up eight sacks against Michigan, do you think that's something maybe you can exploit, your defensive line putting pressure on J.T. Barrett?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I mean, that's just our mindset as a defensive line, just be as dominant, as tough and as aggressive as you possibly can be and just wreak as much havoc as you can.

And we're lucky we've got the guys who can do that. I think that Ohio State's offensive line is one of the best we've seen. They got the Rimington Award winner leading those boys at center. And you've got big tackles and a lot of -- I feel like they have just a lot of good talent. And they're prepping the last three weeks or whatever.

I'm sure those mistakes they made three weeks ago, you know, they won't necessarily carry over. You have a lot of time to correct those things. And so it's a new game. It's a one-game season. It's a new season. We are just going to have to be ready for whatever they throw at us.

Q. How does having a seasoned vet like Ben Boulware lining you guys up, how does it help the young guys on the defensive line?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: It's great. Makes things a lot easier for us. He's our signal caller. He's just a leader for us and our emotional leader, our vocal leader, everything.

And we all look up to Ben. He's just such a good player and he's so good at what he does and everything, and he just leads us and he's always so intense in everything. And he's what we need to help drive our defense, just as a leader for us, for sure.

Q. I'm trying to get a gauge on -- how big is recruiting (indiscernible)?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I would definitely say Ohio State was the top three. My family loved Ohio State. My brothers, when they went out there on the visit with me, they loved it.

My mom got really close to Coach Johnson and everything. And they were up there. I feel like if it wasn't Clemson I probably would have gone to Ohio State. So, I mean, obviously I know what they have there. I got really close to them throughout the whole recruiting process and got close to Coach Johnson and all that, too. So I know what type of program they are.

Q. Anybody in that recruiting class who tried to woo you along? Sometimes that happens.
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Yeah, yeah. I got real close actually with Jashon Cornell. He's a D tackle for them now. And I play with (indiscernible). He's on the other team. And also Glover, Eric Glover, those guys. I talked to them a little bit late in my recruiting process and everything, too.

Q. I don't want to like assume anything about the level of competition you had in Springfield -- you grew up in Springfield?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Went to prep school in Connecticut.

Q. But not a lot of colleges in those areas. When you started getting recruited nationally, facing competition, what did you feel the competition was when you were growing up? Did you sort of get like it's a whole new world out here seeing guys from different regions?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I wouldn't say necessarily it was like a whole whirlwind or I was shellshocked or anything like that. Football is football.

I mean, when you get around those better guys and you see those better guys, you take your game to a whole nuther level.

I feel like I always just was able to adapt and everything, too. But it is a little different. But I feel like the best guys from back home, the best guys could compete pretty much anywhere and stuff like that, too.

But definitely a different level, like you were saying, for sure.

Q. You grew up (indiscernible), you have like a big college following?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I mean, the local schools, like Boston College and UConn, just paid attention to what they were doing.

But I did hear about Clemson at a young age, too, which kind of it always stayed with me since I was young til the point I was getting recruited by them. And also Texas as well, with Jamaal Charles and Vince Young, that whole group.

Q. Are you a Red Sox fans?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Red Sox fan. I was true to Boston sports teams. Love my Boston sports teams. Celtics are my favorite. Paul Pierce, that's my guy, that's my favorite athlete.

Q. You were a really good athlete when you were coming up, how many other positions did you play (indiscernible)?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Well, yeah. I mean, there was always weight limits. So I wasn't always able to stay below those weight limits. I always exceeded them by several -- a hundred pounds. (Laughter).

But, yeah, never really got the chance until maybe about late middle school or high school to really do a bunch of different things. My first year of high school, I was like playing tight end a little bit. It wasn't truly until high school that I got to move around, use my athleticism to do a bunch of different things.

Q. Do you remember how old you were when you sort of became aware of Clemson?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I was about eight or nine years old the first time I heard about Clemson.

Q. How did it happen?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: A family friend of ours grew up in Pickens. And she actually told my godbrother about Clemson and sent him like pictures and stuff of like Clemson and everything.

So like I was with my godbrother one day and he said: Have you ever heard of Clemson? I was like: No. What is Clemson?

And so from that point I always remember hearing about Clemson, always thinking about Clemson and stuff, too. I was just following them a little bit here and there.

Q. You were already playing football?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I was, yeah.

Q. So was she thinking like Christian up there in Springfield, I need to get him interested in these guys?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I don't think that necessarily. Just like, yeah, just her genuine love for Clemson, just trying to spread that to other people and bring awareness about Clemson and everything here.

Q. Do you remember how your recruitment from them began?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Yeah. Coach V, he reached out to me and everything and I was waiting -- I always wanted a Clemson offer and everything.

And finally when Coach V reached out to me going into my junior year: I was like: About time. What took so long? I always wanted to take a look to Clemson and see what they had to offer and everything.

I was excited when he finally reached out to me. And him and Coach Brooks and Coach Hobby all came up to visit me at my high school.

They all came in their big letterman jackets because they thought it was going to be freezing and everything, I guess. That stands with me forever, these big orange lettermen jackets. I was like it's not that cold.

But just them coming up. And from that point on we just built a close relationship. As much as they could come up, they came up, Coach V and Coach Brooks, just built a good relationship. And I trusted them enough and now I'm at Clemson.

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