Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/356132
five questions SECOND-YEAR DEFENSIVE TACKLE DONTE WILKINS Cavalier Corner: Is it "Donta" or "Donte" Wilkins? Wilkins: "My mom, she always told me to spell it with an 'a' in elementary and middle school, and when I got to high school to get my driver's license, I looked at my birth certificate, and sure enough, my name was spelled with an 'e' and not an 'a.' I still spelled it with an 'a' all throughout high school, but when I got to UVa, I started using an 'e,' because it was more natural to put it on all my school work. "I feel like a brand new person, but I still might go back to using an 'a' one day." Cavalier Corner: In high school, you were the big- gest guy out there, but as soon as you took the field in college, you saw guys your size, and even bigger week in and week out … what was the adjustment like? Wilkins: "It was actually a good thing. I liked the competition and it kind of brought me back to reality, which is kind of what I was expecting anyway. It felt good to play against other big people, because I really had to work on my craft every day, and that is what I have been doing the entire offseason. "I've just been working on my craft and learning the position to try to get better." Cavalier Corner: You got a rare opportunity last year, playing as a true first-year on the defensive line. What was the highlight of your first season at UVa? Wilkins: "The Georgia Tech game was definitely the highlight of my season. [Causing a first-half fumble] was the best feeling in the world and that everything that I had been working for had finally happened. I want to make plays like I did against Georgia Tech all next season, and that is what I am working for right now." Cavalier Corner: Everybody has their own ritual to get ready on game day, how do you psyche yourself up before games? Wilkins: "I just listen to music and try to become one with myself and remind myself why I play this game. I play for my mother and my grandmother, and that's what I am all about." Cavalier Corner: What goals do you have for yourself and for the team in 2014? Wilkins: "For myself, my plan is to get two or three tackles for loss per game, and for my team, I just want to win. I feel like we can win every game. I don't feel that there is any game that I cannot make an impact on, and that the players around me can't make an impact on. "I just want to win as many games as possible and help my team win. I will do anything I can, whether it be kickoff, or field goals, I just want to help my team win games, because that is what I'm here for. I don't think anybody came to college just to play, and we're all here to win." — Drew Goodman Wilkins saw action in nine games as a true- first year and compiled 12 stops, two tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. PHOTO COURTESY UVA