0:04

In Huddle is a production of the NFL

0:06

in partnership with iHeartRadio.

0:15

You know, well, I'm gonna start calling this like

0:17

the Walk of Fame for prospects

0:20

before, like we had it first, they

0:22

became our friends before they got

0:24

to the NFL.

0:25

Blue Eggs up.

0:26

You're already possessive. You're already possessive of

0:29

our name playing it.

0:30

You know, friends, we have to share

0:33

him.

0:33

We have to we have to share him in the world

0:37

the.

0:37

Teams, and that's it because we have right

0:39

now running back from Troy who ran a

0:41

four four six for you.

0:43

Know what this is like, It's ridiculous. I don't even

0:45

understand that.

0:46

Welcome to the pod, Kimani Vidal,

0:49

how are you doing yo?

0:50

Come on, honey, what up?

0:51

Hey? I'm doing great? How about you? Guys?

0:54

We're fantastic, but not very fantastic

0:56

as you fantastic

1:00

lead up too. That's gonna be our buzzword

1:02

for today. How are you feeling now that the

1:04

combine has been behind you? You're getting

1:06

ready for draft. There's a lot

1:09

going on these next couple of months for you.

1:11

How are you balancing it all?

1:14

Really? Right now?

1:15

Just the days kind

1:17

of feel a little slow compared to you know,

1:19

just really training for the combine. Now I'm

1:22

just really kind of like training on my own for

1:24

football really, you know, kind

1:26

of like why we're while I'm playing this, and why

1:29

I did the whole combine and things like that.

1:31

But I'm kind of enjoying the time off.

1:35

Just really just really keying

1:38

in on some interviews and

1:40

you know, things like that.

1:42

Cabani, do you just like lie in your

1:44

bed, have your hands classed behind your

1:46

head, staring at the ceiling, thinking of

1:49

the possibilities of where

1:52

you may play, where you can go

1:54

and make the most impact.

1:57

All the time. All the time.

1:58

It's like it's like, you know, there's thirty two

2:01

different places I could go to I could

2:03

be living in, and it's like it's just

2:05

crazy to think about, like, you know, how

2:07

much of a change it

2:09

can be.

2:11

You know, just coming from Troy, Alabama, you know a

2:13

lot of a.

2:14

Lot of there's a lot of different places I have never

2:16

been to that I have

2:18

been to, but I haven't lived there.

2:20

You know. It's just you know a lot

2:22

of things.

2:23

Are about to change my life, and

2:25

I'm excited for it, you know.

2:27

To have the wherewithal to already understand

2:29

the grasp of it's not just your life

2:31

changing in terms of your highest

2:34

level, right, the highest level of the sport you've

2:36

played, likely for most most

2:38

of your life, but the entire

2:41

backdrop of your life is changing

2:43

too.

2:43

That's a lot.

2:44

That's a lot to sort of consider and

2:46

way, and for someone as accomplished

2:49

as you have been collegiately, right your choice

2:51

first ap All American going

2:53

back to two thousand, two thousand,

2:56

that's a.

2:57

Long long time.

2:58

I mean, the first one to do it, Sunfelt

3:00

Offensive Player of the Year. And

3:03

I love that they put this the Dow

3:05

trifecta. Okay, because Will

3:07

it's the single season rushing

3:09

leader, single game rushing leader, and

3:11

career rushing leader. Okay, this is the thing, right

3:14

start to happen, the Dow trifecta

3:17

when you look back at all you accomplished in

3:19

in your collegiate career and

3:22

now it's a whole new level, a whole

3:24

new step going to the NFL. What are you

3:26

most excited for as you prepare

3:28

for that possibility.

3:30

I'll probably say just I'm excited to

3:32

go against better competition.

3:34

I'm yeah,

3:38

I'm really excited for that, you know,

3:40

it's been in dream of mine since I was since

3:43

I was like six years old.

3:45

And I'm just I'm really just excited. You know. It doesn't

3:47

even feel real that it's like right there.

3:49

Yeah, well it's totally right there in

3:52

your resume and your

3:55

times at the combine make

3:57

it very real for you.

3:59

Uh. I know.

4:00

A question that always pops

4:02

up when it comes to you

4:04

and your player profile is your hype?

4:07

And I believe

4:09

that you had said at one point in time, Yeah,

4:11

there are some undersized running backs, some pretty

4:13

good ones at that. How about Oh, I don't know,

4:15

Barry Sanders. Is he

4:18

somebody that you model your game after?

4:21

Oh, definitely, you

4:23

know, he's I think he's the best running

4:26

back ever, you know. And

4:29

like you know what you were saying about the whole

4:31

high thing, I don't. I don't think it's really even

4:34

I think it's more so an advantage for me,

4:36

because I've only heard it as

4:38

an advantage, you know, maybe like

4:44

when I when I'm talking to like some

4:46

of the guys I've gone against, they really say, oh,

4:48

it's harder to get lower because

4:50

you know you're already lower to the ground.

4:53

Sure, you know, And and

4:55

I like it, like it's easier.

4:57

To change change

4:59

directions, and it's just I

5:01

don't know, it just feels so natural to me.

5:04

Look like Austin Eclarin what they've been able

5:06

to do in the league. And he's known as strongest

5:09

dudes in the league regardless of his height

5:11

in his position. He's he's definitely one

5:13

of those who has sort of changed the perception

5:16

of what quote unquote undersize.

5:18

He's like, yeah, have you seen my workouts?

5:20

Just throw it out there, sprinkle it

5:22

in there. You know, you mentioned Troy, Troy,

5:25

Alabama. What what is the closest

5:27

like bigger city to Troy.

5:32

I guess you would say Montgomery or Montgomery.

5:35

Okay, so like a smaller town

5:37

set, smaller school for sure. But do

5:40

you feel like there's just things

5:42

that you've gained going to a quote smaller

5:44

school than you think you would have gone to

5:47

one of the bigger programs.

5:49

I would say, like it

5:52

kind of gets rid of all the distractions,

5:54

Like it's just there's like

5:57

none against Troy. I love Troy. I've

6:00

loved being here. I'm here right now, as

6:02

a matter of fact, I'm right now.

6:04

Uh but

6:06

there's nothing to do here.

6:08

Uh so.

6:11

Yeah, yeah, it kind of like.

6:15

And it's funny because like I didn't like it

6:17

when I was a freshman or like a

6:19

sophomore because I lived in Atlanta.

6:22

Oh my god, Okay, that's a big change.

6:24

Yeah, you changed.

6:26

And like I think as

6:28

a freshman and like kind of and going

6:30

into a sophomore year two, I kind of I

6:33

was like, man, I don't like I

6:35

want I want to say I like being I didn't like being here, but

6:37

it was just it was more so a struggle. But

6:40

like as I kind of grew up, I kind

6:43

of enjoyed that too. I was like,

6:45

like, it just allows you to just

6:47

just like that. And it's

6:50

funny because when I was a freshman, and

6:52

I think a lot of people are like this too. But when

6:54

I was a freshman, I was like, man, I'm going

6:56

home every weekend everything like

6:58

that.

6:59

Now it's like I can't get out of this place.

7:03

I stay here.

7:03

Almost not being around people

7:06

is a great thing.

7:08

And how old are you now? How

7:10

older you know? Kamani twenty

7:13

two.

7:13

The older you get, the more you

7:15

will appreciate and enjoy. You already

7:17

appreciate it, I can tell. But trust

7:20

being by yourself in the house, it's a it's

7:22

a great thing.

7:26

So come oni.

7:27

Now you're you're in this time

7:29

where you're kind of waiting for

7:32

potentially visits and interviews,

7:34

et cetera. What

7:36

is your guilty pleasure? What

7:38

is something that you like to

7:41

do that maybe people don't know that

7:43

you like to do, whether it's you

7:45

know, watching reality TV, watching

7:47

a really good series, playing another

7:50

sport or gaming.

7:53

What what is something that you do that's that's a

7:55

hobby that occupies your

7:58

time that is not football.

8:00

I like to read love

8:03

that hey.

8:05

Yeah, while I was here, I also

8:07

started to journal a little bit too.

8:09

Yes, yeah,

8:14

So what do you like to read?

8:16

Uh?

8:17

It's a wide variety, really, I

8:20

guess you just say, like fantasy.

8:23

Right now I'm reading.

8:25

Are you reading that dragon thing? It's the

8:27

Dragon book? Fourth Wing? No, what's it called?

8:30

Wildly popular?

8:32

Oh? You know what? You

8:34

know?

8:34

What you want to talk about?

8:35

Is that? Is that? What it is? I don't

8:38

know. I don't know. I feel like I feel like I know I

8:40

know what he's talking about, but I don't.

8:41

You know, how about Percy

8:44

Jackson?

8:44

I mean.

8:47

Fourth Wing?

8:48

Okay, that's yeah, Okay,

8:50

you've heard of it.

8:52

Yeah, I want to say my set also reads like Percy Jackson.

8:54

So so are so those fantasy

8:57

books like you you get into them, then, huh,

9:00

Like what what appeals uh

9:03

to you of those books?

9:05

I don't know. Oh,

9:08

I really don't know. I think I just like good

9:10

stories, like I like to watch movies too. I just like

9:12

a good story. You

9:14

know.

9:14

It's funny because I was talking to my mom

9:17

the other day and I was like, looking back

9:19

because I had to read the Odyssey while

9:21

I was in school, and I was like, wow, I

9:24

was like, looking back, it really was a good

9:26

story.

9:29

It's kind of funny because I didn't like it at the time, but now

9:33

I came to kind of enjoy it. I

9:35

love that.

9:36

I love that because honestly, it's just you

9:39

never hear that because now, again, we're at a

9:41

day and age where you know, we're

9:43

on our phones or we're doing

9:45

those sorts of things, and I feel like reading

9:48

is something that people don't do or they

9:50

actually grab a book, they open it up

9:52

and are thumbing through it and actually reading, and

9:56

that's that's a cool thing. So obviously reading

9:58

is an important thing. Is that something that

10:01

you know your family stressed to you

10:03

growing up?

10:05

Uh? No, not really, Actually,

10:07

we're.

10:08

Going to start a book club. This is great.

10:09

Yeah, yeah, we gotta do it.

10:12

I wish more people would pick up a book. Are you

10:14

a like you need the physical book?

10:16

You like to turn the pages.

10:17

I like the physical, like the yeah,

10:21

the TecTile part of it. Is there

10:23

a book that you want to read that

10:25

you haven't yet?

10:28

I would?

10:29

I'm technically yes, yeah

10:31

there is, but it's

10:33

kind of I still have to read one to

10:36

get to it because it's a it's a sequel. Yeah,

10:40

it's the Way of Kings I'm trying to get to.

10:42

I forget what I've heard.

10:44

It's phenomenal, yes

10:47

for sure.

10:48

Yes, yes, I can't remember what the second book

10:50

is called.

10:50

But whatever the sequel is

10:52

to that, m I really

10:54

want to read that because I feel like

10:57

it's setting up so well too.

10:58

Yeah, oh my god, this is fantastic.

11:01

Look, this has gone in a direction we didn't

11:03

know when. I love this for us, I

11:06

pick up a book, pick up a book before, pick

11:08

up a genre you've never read before, Explore

11:10

things, use your imagination, put

11:12

the screen down. See our

11:15

our athletes are multifaceted.

11:17

They have layers to them.

11:19

So you must be my favorite thing.

11:21

Yeah, I mean Kamandi, but but also

11:23

it's like coaches must love you because

11:25

you it seems like like you

11:27

you you take things, you grasp things,

11:30

and you are are

11:32

executing them.

11:33

Do you know what I mean? Like it's just like the playbook.

11:36

It's just it's just like that's that's I

11:39

don't know, I just I'm just really impressed

11:41

because I don't think we've.

11:42

Ever heard right j uh.

11:46

That yeah,

11:49

yeah, yeah,

11:51

yeah, definitely, I think

11:54

probably honestly, especially like the mm

11:57

hmm yeah.

11:58

Right, he can go through the playbook easily. He's like, I just read

12:00

eight hundred pages, like I'm good.

12:04

For me.

12:06

Is there a moment in your mind that

12:08

you can almost visualize through

12:11

the draft process as we get, you know, closer

12:14

to that that after all of the all

12:17

of the interviews are done, the pro days are done,

12:19

you know, the visits hopefully

12:21

are wrapped up, that you can say,

12:23

Okay, now I'm ready

12:25

to step into what is this next

12:27

chapter not only of my career, but

12:29

of my life. Is there something that you vision?

12:32

Is that your name being called out? Is it that phone

12:34

call? Is it your your family

12:36

losing it when you finally

12:39

new man?

12:40

I have no idea what that's gonna look like, yeah,

12:43

whenever. I don't even

12:45

think.

12:45

I think I would be more so into the call

12:48

more than my name being called out.

12:51

Sure, I

12:53

just I don't. I don't know.

12:54

I'm excited to see, like, you

12:57

know how I feel and you

12:59

know what's being.

13:00

Said, you know, because I know people will be like, oh

13:02

what did he say? I'm be like.

13:06

Right in the moment, you know, yeah,

13:11

someone's got to record something.

13:13

I gotta talk about that. Someone's got to

13:15

record because.

13:16

I'll sign your

13:18

job only for the weekend.

13:21

Yeah, yeah, that's your only job, you

13:23

know. Listen, come on. He's like, we also talked

13:25

to a bunch of athletes, doesn't matter. It's like Max Crosby.

13:28

I mean remember and.

13:29

We had him on and I mean he goes one

13:31

thousand miles per hour, right, But

13:33

every athlete that we've ever talked to always

13:36

gets really you know, needs that

13:38

extra motivation. They they read

13:40

something a scouting report, you

13:43

know, JJ wow would talk about it's like, oh wow,

13:45

look what they said about me before and

13:47

how you like me now?

13:48

Right?

13:50

Are you reading any of the scouting

13:52

reports or early ones about you and

13:54

saying, you know, I'm going to approve

13:56

these people wrong big

13:58

time when I get to the NFL.

14:01

Yep, there is at

14:06

that's actually a part of what I journal about

14:08

too. I write all that stuff down like I

14:11

keep receiving all of it. So actually

14:14

I started this like my

14:17

junior year to beginning of my junior year, and

14:20

h like, I was kind of like I

14:22

feel like I needed more like fuel to the fire

14:24

and just like just to because

14:27

I feel like I played better when I'm angry or kind

14:30

of set, and I would kind

14:32

of like just write that down just to kind

14:34

of like get me going a little bit.

14:37

But yeah, I was no I knew

14:39

what everyone.

14:40

Was thinking when I was, uh, well what

14:42

they were, you know, predicting me to run in the forty

14:44

and I was.

14:45

I was definitely keen on that period.

14:49

What what do you like about journaling?

14:51

How does how does that helped you as

14:54

you navigate sort of the space and this

14:56

next this next chapter.

14:58

I think it kind of like just keeps me grounded, Like

15:00

it kind of like if I get too high or

15:02

if I get you well, it kind of like just evens me

15:04

out, just kind of just keep them in the level,

15:06

keep myself level headed.

15:08

I like that for sure. I have journals all over

15:10

the house. There's one so impressively right to

15:12

my Like.

15:13

There's empty ones, there's full ones,

15:15

Like I just have them if I have a thought in

15:17

my mind, a creative idea, whatever, something

15:19

I don't want to forget. Like I think people think

15:21

journaling is just one thing, and I use

15:24

it for a ton of different things.

15:26

And it sounds like like you do as well.

15:28

Yep. I use it for that.

15:29

I use it for like this in

15:32

terms of like my body, like

15:34

how how do I adapt to certain different

15:37

things, or like if I eat something?

15:39

You know, things like that.

15:41

I love that.

15:43

Come Onie, just so incredibly

15:46

impressed with you right

15:48

now. It seems like you've got a good head on your shoulders.

15:51

You know exactly what you want and how to

15:53

get it. And the fact that you're you're journaling.

15:56

I've never thought about doing that, but that's

15:59

what a way to get your emotions out there. And

16:01

it'd be great when you get drafted

16:03

and you're bawling out in the NFL to look back

16:05

at that stuff and say like, yeah,

16:08

okay, how about it now, haters.

16:11

Oh yeah, definitely definitely.

16:13

Even just to see your growth. Com Onie, we are

16:15

so excited for you. Please send us

16:17

book Rex. When you're done with

16:19

the book all that stuff, let us know. We'll

16:22

jump in.

16:22

This is now the l Huddle Book Club, the

16:25

first chapter of it. So this

16:27

is great. Thank you for kicking it off for us.

16:30

We really are excited just to see what's to come

16:32

for you. We know that you will be fantastic.

16:34

Thank you so much, Thank you.

16:53

In Huddle is a production of the NFL in

16:55

partnership with iHeartRadio. For more

16:57

podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio

17:00

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17:02

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