Golfer. Taekwondo black belt. And now the starting quarterback at the University of Tennessee. Nick Stephens is a favorite on Tennessee’s campus and was an entertaining interview Tuesday, discussing Ed Orgeron’s Red Bull habits, Jacques McClendon’s sense of humor and going to court in high school.
Q. Is it true you’re an outstanding golfer?
A. “I played every chance I could over the summer. I love it. My two favorite courses are Avalon and Willow Creek. The last time I went home (he’s from the Dallas area) I played Tour 18 (which simulates some of the greatest golf holes). I live probably 10 minutes away from there, but I just got to play it for the first time. I absolutely loved it.”
Q. What’s your handicap?
A. “I was getting to the point where I could shoot in the mid-80s.”
Q. How would you describe high school football in Texas to someone who has never been?
A. “You’ll see a lot of high schools in Texas that have 16,000, 17,000 people at the games and they’re into it. It’s what you do down there. I took it for granted. I talk to people who played high school football around here, and they’re just amazed by what I tell them about Texas.”
Q. Best high school moment?
A. “My first game at Flower Mound, after I transferred from Marcus, was something I’ll never forget because I had waited so long to play. I threw five touchdowns and ran for another. Also, the game when we played Marcus my senior year. We went to court with them and they wouldn’t sign my papers after we moved, so I was ineligible my junior year. It was tough. My family moved houses into another school district and thought everything was good to go. We tried to fight it because we moved for reasons other than sports. We played them my senior year and beat them. It felt really good.”
Q. Do you have a talent your teammates don’t know about?
A. “I used to do something they wouldn’t know about. I had a black belt in taekwondo in seventh grade.”
Q. Still got the skills?
A. “I could fight a little bit. I don’t know about all the technical stuff, though.”
Q. You originally committed to Ole Miss. Is Ed Orgeron as wild as people say?
A. “Yeah. He really was. The one thing he was very, very good at was recruiting. He had an electric personality. He was saying he drank something like five Red Bulls a day.”
Q. Funniest player on the team?
A. “Jacques McClendon is really funny. He just knows how to put a smile on your face at any moment. I can’t point to anything specifically. He just knows what to do to make you start dying laughing and get everybody cracking up.”
