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Q&A: Drayton Carlberg Talks Gophers, Recruiting and More
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/422716?referrer_id=
Drayton Carlberg, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound senior defensive lineman/offensive lineman from Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle, is one of the state's top players. Carlberg recently cut his list to six schools including California, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon and Vanderbilt.
Carlberg talked to GopherHole.com after Jarvis Johnson’s press conference about the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are sidelined with a high ankle sprain. You are a competitive kid. How hard is it to not be out there on the field?
Drayton Carlberg: It is definitely a struggle for me to not be out there and hitting people because that is all I have known, but I am definitely still a leader of this team. I am going to do what I can, even though I am out. I am going to make sure that I know all of the scout teams and make sure that I know what they are doing, so I am still going to be a leader off the field even if I can't play.
Gopher Hole: Sounds more than likely you are going to miss this weekend's game and next week's game. Is the hope that the following weekend, you will be ready to go?
Drayton Carlberg: I am definitely going to keep working on my ankle and see when I can play and as soon as I can play, I am going to be out there.
Gopher Hole: How hard is it to not be out there?
Drayton Carlberg: It is really a struggle, but it kind of gives you a perspective to stay and humble and not take anything for granted that you have. It sucks, but stuff happens and you have got to get through it
Gopher Hole: I saw that you had a big interview in the Star Tribune. Do you like the interviewing part of it and getting calls not only from coaches but the media? Do you like that part?
Drayton Carlberg: I really don't like on phone calls, but if I am face-to-face, I'll do interviews. Phone calls aren't my thing, but if I do a face-to-face interview, I have no problem with that, but I like getting calls from coaches and building relationships with other people.
Gopher Hole: Do you like the recruiting process or do you see how it could get old? Is that one reason why you narrowed down your list to cut down on some of the calls?
Drayton Carlberg: Like Jarvis (Johnson) said earlier, it is heavy on me. You kind of get used to it a little and you have got to stay focused and maintain what your goals are between school and stuff like that. You have always got to set your priorities and make sure that the recruiting process doesn't come before football, your own team and school.
Gopher Hole: Is it hard to balance school and friends and all the other things you have going on in your life. ?
Drayton Carlberg: Definitely. I will get phone calls and stuff when I am doing home work and I'll call them back after I am done. They don't have any problem with that, so you have to make sure that you prioritize.
Gopher Hole: You recently narrowed down your list to six schools. How hard was it to narrow down to that list?
Drayton Carlberg: It was definitely difficult because you build relationships with coaches that weren't going to be the top six. It sucks for me and them that they are not going to be in my top six, but you have got to narrow it down to what is best for you.
Gopher Hole: Does it make it easier in the short time that you have narrowed it down, knowing that those are probably the only six schools you are going to have to deal with?
Drayton Carlberg: There are definitely other schools that still try to contact you, but if you focus on those top six schools, it makes it a lot lighter load and easier as the process goes.
Gopher Hole: Have you set up any official visits?
Drayton Carlberg: I already took one to North Carolina last week and I have got one set up at Michigan State for the Nebraska game and one for Oregon at the Washington game towards the end of the season and I am currently working on Cal and Vanderbilt right now.
Gopher Hole: You are going to take an unofficial visit to Minnesota since it is so close. Do you think that makes a big difference or do you feel like you know Minnesota fairly well?
Drayton Carlberg: Yes. I have known Minnesota really well. I have been over there a ton. We do 7-on-7 passing league over there. I think that I know the most about Minnesota, so I don't really need to use an official on that.
Gopher Hole: I think that you and Jarvis are pretty close. Is he going to be working on you to get you to go to Minnesota?
Drayton Carlberg: He tried to keep Minnesota a secret, but definitely now that he has made his decision, he will probably be like Dray, Minnesota and all that stuff. I feel like he is going to try and impact me on my decision.
Gopher Hole: Did you know that he was probably going to go to Minnesota? Did you have a feeling?
Drayton Carlberg: Yes. I kind of have that gut feeling, especially after he took his official to Minnesota and he said that he loved it, so I definitely had a gut feeling that he was going to go to Minnesota.
Gopher Hole: Do you talk to other athletes at DeLaSalle besides Jarvis about recruiting and get some feedback and advice from them?
Drayton Carlberg: Yes. Sacar (Anim) and Josh Collins. We all have a relationship because we are all being recruited heavily, so we always have talks about what is going on and how your visits went. We definitely stay in touch and work with each other to figure what is the best way to go.
Gopher Hole: You used to play basketball. Do you ever miss not playing?
Drayton Carlberg: I miss playing basketball, but my passion is for football. Every day of the year, I am grinding to be a better football player, so I really don't have time to miss it. You just have to work on being the best football player you can be.
Gopher Hole: You have a lot of high expectations for the football team once you get back on the field. You got upset in the playoff last year as the number one seed. Is that a motivating factor for you guys to get even farther this year?
Drayton Carlberg: Definitely. Our goal is to win this year. No doubt about it. We came back with a lot of seniors this year and we are a special class. The Class of 2015 football program. We are a special class and we are going to get it done this year.
Gopher Hole: I know that Minnesota has been recruiting you for a long time. What would it maybe mean to possibly play for the home state school?
Drayton Carlberg: It would mean a lot. I have got a lot of home fans here. A lot of the teachers here are always pushing for the Gophers and stuff like that. It would definitely mean a lot, but at the same time, you have always got to think about other options.
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/422716?referrer_id=
Drayton Carlberg, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound senior defensive lineman/offensive lineman from Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle, is one of the state's top players. Carlberg recently cut his list to six schools including California, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon and Vanderbilt.
Carlberg talked to GopherHole.com after Jarvis Johnson’s press conference about the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are sidelined with a high ankle sprain. You are a competitive kid. How hard is it to not be out there on the field?
Drayton Carlberg: It is definitely a struggle for me to not be out there and hitting people because that is all I have known, but I am definitely still a leader of this team. I am going to do what I can, even though I am out. I am going to make sure that I know all of the scout teams and make sure that I know what they are doing, so I am still going to be a leader off the field even if I can't play.
Gopher Hole: Sounds more than likely you are going to miss this weekend's game and next week's game. Is the hope that the following weekend, you will be ready to go?
Drayton Carlberg: I am definitely going to keep working on my ankle and see when I can play and as soon as I can play, I am going to be out there.
Gopher Hole: How hard is it to not be out there?
Drayton Carlberg: It is really a struggle, but it kind of gives you a perspective to stay and humble and not take anything for granted that you have. It sucks, but stuff happens and you have got to get through it
Gopher Hole: I saw that you had a big interview in the Star Tribune. Do you like the interviewing part of it and getting calls not only from coaches but the media? Do you like that part?
Drayton Carlberg: I really don't like on phone calls, but if I am face-to-face, I'll do interviews. Phone calls aren't my thing, but if I do a face-to-face interview, I have no problem with that, but I like getting calls from coaches and building relationships with other people.
Gopher Hole: Do you like the recruiting process or do you see how it could get old? Is that one reason why you narrowed down your list to cut down on some of the calls?
Drayton Carlberg: Like Jarvis (Johnson) said earlier, it is heavy on me. You kind of get used to it a little and you have got to stay focused and maintain what your goals are between school and stuff like that. You have always got to set your priorities and make sure that the recruiting process doesn't come before football, your own team and school.
Gopher Hole: Is it hard to balance school and friends and all the other things you have going on in your life. ?
Drayton Carlberg: Definitely. I will get phone calls and stuff when I am doing home work and I'll call them back after I am done. They don't have any problem with that, so you have to make sure that you prioritize.
Gopher Hole: You recently narrowed down your list to six schools. How hard was it to narrow down to that list?
Drayton Carlberg: It was definitely difficult because you build relationships with coaches that weren't going to be the top six. It sucks for me and them that they are not going to be in my top six, but you have got to narrow it down to what is best for you.
Gopher Hole: Does it make it easier in the short time that you have narrowed it down, knowing that those are probably the only six schools you are going to have to deal with?
Drayton Carlberg: There are definitely other schools that still try to contact you, but if you focus on those top six schools, it makes it a lot lighter load and easier as the process goes.
Gopher Hole: Have you set up any official visits?
Drayton Carlberg: I already took one to North Carolina last week and I have got one set up at Michigan State for the Nebraska game and one for Oregon at the Washington game towards the end of the season and I am currently working on Cal and Vanderbilt right now.
Gopher Hole: You are going to take an unofficial visit to Minnesota since it is so close. Do you think that makes a big difference or do you feel like you know Minnesota fairly well?
Drayton Carlberg: Yes. I have known Minnesota really well. I have been over there a ton. We do 7-on-7 passing league over there. I think that I know the most about Minnesota, so I don't really need to use an official on that.
Gopher Hole: I think that you and Jarvis are pretty close. Is he going to be working on you to get you to go to Minnesota?
Drayton Carlberg: He tried to keep Minnesota a secret, but definitely now that he has made his decision, he will probably be like Dray, Minnesota and all that stuff. I feel like he is going to try and impact me on my decision.
Gopher Hole: Did you know that he was probably going to go to Minnesota? Did you have a feeling?
Drayton Carlberg: Yes. I kind of have that gut feeling, especially after he took his official to Minnesota and he said that he loved it, so I definitely had a gut feeling that he was going to go to Minnesota.
Gopher Hole: Do you talk to other athletes at DeLaSalle besides Jarvis about recruiting and get some feedback and advice from them?
Drayton Carlberg: Yes. Sacar (Anim) and Josh Collins. We all have a relationship because we are all being recruited heavily, so we always have talks about what is going on and how your visits went. We definitely stay in touch and work with each other to figure what is the best way to go.
Gopher Hole: You used to play basketball. Do you ever miss not playing?
Drayton Carlberg: I miss playing basketball, but my passion is for football. Every day of the year, I am grinding to be a better football player, so I really don't have time to miss it. You just have to work on being the best football player you can be.
Gopher Hole: You have a lot of high expectations for the football team once you get back on the field. You got upset in the playoff last year as the number one seed. Is that a motivating factor for you guys to get even farther this year?
Drayton Carlberg: Definitely. Our goal is to win this year. No doubt about it. We came back with a lot of seniors this year and we are a special class. The Class of 2015 football program. We are a special class and we are going to get it done this year.
Gopher Hole: I know that Minnesota has been recruiting you for a long time. What would it maybe mean to possibly play for the home state school?
Drayton Carlberg: It would mean a lot. I have got a lot of home fans here. A lot of the teachers here are always pushing for the Gophers and stuff like that. It would definitely mean a lot, but at the same time, you have always got to think about other options.
