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Q&A: Alabama Safety Talks Gophers Offer, U Visit, and Relationship With Coach Sawvel
Q&A: Alabama Safety Talks Gophers Offer, U Visit, and Relationship With Coach Sawvel
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/272064?referrer_id=331171
Khari Blasingame, a 6-foot-1, 202-pound safety from New Market (Ala.) Buckhorn, attended the Minnesota spring game in April and has a scholarship offer from the Gophers. GopherHole.com caught up with Blasingame to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your college recruitment right now?
Khari Blasingame: Nothing is really new. Just been to a couple of camps and hearing from those schools about my performance. Nothing besides the last offer I picked up is really changing right now.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to attend?
Khari Blasingame: I went to the UAB camp, Memphis camp, Auburn, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State.
Gopher Hole: Do you feel that you are able to pick up some things at these camps to make yourself a better player?
Khari Blasingame: Definitely. The coaches and the people who run those camps, they definitely help you. They might tell you a little something about your technique that you didn’t know. The camps are helpful as far as getting better because you are competing too and that always helps.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to right now?
Khari Blasingame: Five. I’ve got Mercer, South Alabama, UAB, Middle Tennessee State and of course, Minnesota.
Gopher Hole: You were up for the spring game. How was the visit to Minnesota?
Khari Blasingame: It was really cool. It was a nice atmosphere around everything. It was a real cool visit.
Gopher Hole: What all are you hearing from Minnesota?
Khari Blasingame: Of course, they offered and I talk to Coach Sawvel. He says he likes me and that I would be a great fit for the program. I talk to Coach Sawvel and sometimes we just talk about regular stuff, like how the holiday weekend is going.
Gopher Hole: Besides the five schools that have offered you, what other schools are you hearing from right now?
Khari Blasingame: I heard from Georgia the other day and they want me to come up for a camp. Duke wanted me to come to a camp. The Cincinnati Bearcats and I am getting a little bit from Vandy.
Gopher Hole: Have you even thought about when you are going to try to decide on a school?
Khari Blasingame: About my decision, I don’t know. I haven’t pinned down a time yet, but I could be thinking about that soon.
Gopher Hole: Are you planning on taking some official visits before you make your decision?
Khari Blasingame: I haven’t thought that far yet.
Gopher Hole: Are you planning on getting back up to Minnesota soon?
Khari Blasingame: Next time I come up to Minnesota will probably be on an official.
Gopher Hole: Did you know much about Minnesota before you came up for the spring game?
Khari Blasingame: They had been sending me some letters and I had been talking to Coach Sawvel for a little, so I knew a bit about the program.
Gopher Hole: Had you ever been to Minnesota before that?
Khari Blasingame: No. I hadn’t been to Minnesota before that.
Gopher Hole: You had a pretty good impression of the state and the school, right?
Khari Blasingame: Oh, yes. The campus was real nice. The facilities were great. A pretty good impression.
Gopher Hole: What is going to be the main thing that makes you pick School A over School B or C?
Khari Blasingame: I think the thing that would make me pick School A over School B or C would be education and how I fit into their plans. Number one, the school has to have a great education, because that is what you play football for. You play football to get your college education paid for, so if I can get a great education, I think the next thing I look at would be how I fit into their program or what their plans for me are. I think that will be a factor because education goes first. That is what you play football for, to get your education paid for, so I think the next factor that would decide how I pick School A over School B or C would be how I fit into their plans and the program.
Gopher Hole: Is distance from home going to be a factor?
Khari Blasingame: Distance from home isn’t a big factor at all.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a football player?
Khari Blasingame: I think that I am a pretty good athlete. Right now, I work on my athleticism and my speed and strength, but I think that what sets me apart from other athletes, is what I do above the game. I think about the game a lot. I think about jobs and assignments, personally. I think that mental aspect of the game sets me apart.
Gopher Hole: What things are you working on to try to continue yourself as a player?
Khari Blasingame: My strength and my speed. Making myself a better athlete. Everything about agility and speed. Strength, vertical. Stuff like that. Just try to improve those, because I think that if you become a better athlete, you will inevitably become a better football player.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought much about a college major?
Khari Blasingame: I plan on majoring in biology. Pre-med.
Gopher Hole: What would you like to do with that?
Khari Blasingame: Probably get out and go to medical school and become a doctor.
Gopher Hole: Do you have any doctors or anyone in the medical field in your family?
Khari Blasingame: My mom is a podiatrist.
Gopher Hole: Do you have any athletes in your family?
Khari Blasingame: Yes. A lot of people in my family plays sports and been athletic. My mom ran track. My sister didn’t play anything in college, but she played softball. My dad play football in high school, but didn’t play in college, so my family has a pretty athletic background, I would say.
Q&A: Alabama Safety Talks Gophers Offer, U Visit, and Relationship With Coach Sawvel
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/272064?referrer_id=331171
Khari Blasingame, a 6-foot-1, 202-pound safety from New Market (Ala.) Buckhorn, attended the Minnesota spring game in April and has a scholarship offer from the Gophers. GopherHole.com caught up with Blasingame to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your college recruitment right now?
Khari Blasingame: Nothing is really new. Just been to a couple of camps and hearing from those schools about my performance. Nothing besides the last offer I picked up is really changing right now.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to attend?
Khari Blasingame: I went to the UAB camp, Memphis camp, Auburn, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State.
Gopher Hole: Do you feel that you are able to pick up some things at these camps to make yourself a better player?
Khari Blasingame: Definitely. The coaches and the people who run those camps, they definitely help you. They might tell you a little something about your technique that you didn’t know. The camps are helpful as far as getting better because you are competing too and that always helps.
Gopher Hole: How many offers are you up to right now?
Khari Blasingame: Five. I’ve got Mercer, South Alabama, UAB, Middle Tennessee State and of course, Minnesota.
Gopher Hole: You were up for the spring game. How was the visit to Minnesota?
Khari Blasingame: It was really cool. It was a nice atmosphere around everything. It was a real cool visit.
Gopher Hole: What all are you hearing from Minnesota?
Khari Blasingame: Of course, they offered and I talk to Coach Sawvel. He says he likes me and that I would be a great fit for the program. I talk to Coach Sawvel and sometimes we just talk about regular stuff, like how the holiday weekend is going.
Gopher Hole: Besides the five schools that have offered you, what other schools are you hearing from right now?
Khari Blasingame: I heard from Georgia the other day and they want me to come up for a camp. Duke wanted me to come to a camp. The Cincinnati Bearcats and I am getting a little bit from Vandy.
Gopher Hole: Have you even thought about when you are going to try to decide on a school?
Khari Blasingame: About my decision, I don’t know. I haven’t pinned down a time yet, but I could be thinking about that soon.
Gopher Hole: Are you planning on taking some official visits before you make your decision?
Khari Blasingame: I haven’t thought that far yet.
Gopher Hole: Are you planning on getting back up to Minnesota soon?
Khari Blasingame: Next time I come up to Minnesota will probably be on an official.
Gopher Hole: Did you know much about Minnesota before you came up for the spring game?
Khari Blasingame: They had been sending me some letters and I had been talking to Coach Sawvel for a little, so I knew a bit about the program.
Gopher Hole: Had you ever been to Minnesota before that?
Khari Blasingame: No. I hadn’t been to Minnesota before that.
Gopher Hole: You had a pretty good impression of the state and the school, right?
Khari Blasingame: Oh, yes. The campus was real nice. The facilities were great. A pretty good impression.
Gopher Hole: What is going to be the main thing that makes you pick School A over School B or C?
Khari Blasingame: I think the thing that would make me pick School A over School B or C would be education and how I fit into their plans. Number one, the school has to have a great education, because that is what you play football for. You play football to get your college education paid for, so if I can get a great education, I think the next thing I look at would be how I fit into their program or what their plans for me are. I think that will be a factor because education goes first. That is what you play football for, to get your education paid for, so I think the next factor that would decide how I pick School A over School B or C would be how I fit into their plans and the program.
Gopher Hole: Is distance from home going to be a factor?
Khari Blasingame: Distance from home isn’t a big factor at all.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a football player?
Khari Blasingame: I think that I am a pretty good athlete. Right now, I work on my athleticism and my speed and strength, but I think that what sets me apart from other athletes, is what I do above the game. I think about the game a lot. I think about jobs and assignments, personally. I think that mental aspect of the game sets me apart.
Gopher Hole: What things are you working on to try to continue yourself as a player?
Khari Blasingame: My strength and my speed. Making myself a better athlete. Everything about agility and speed. Strength, vertical. Stuff like that. Just try to improve those, because I think that if you become a better athlete, you will inevitably become a better football player.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought much about a college major?
Khari Blasingame: I plan on majoring in biology. Pre-med.
Gopher Hole: What would you like to do with that?
Khari Blasingame: Probably get out and go to medical school and become a doctor.
Gopher Hole: Do you have any doctors or anyone in the medical field in your family?
Khari Blasingame: My mom is a podiatrist.
Gopher Hole: Do you have any athletes in your family?
Khari Blasingame: Yes. A lot of people in my family plays sports and been athletic. My mom ran track. My sister didn’t play anything in college, but she played softball. My dad play football in high school, but didn’t play in college, so my family has a pretty athletic background, I would say.
