Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/503016
H e had spent four years at Penn State, but until this spring, Carl Nassib had never given a formal interview. Seated in a black leather chair in the Lasch Building's auditorium in early April, the senior defensive end was surrounded by more than a dozen reporters. Video cameras were on, voice recorders were pointed in his direction, and when a tele- vision news crew reached over his shoulder with a microphone, hoping to inch a bit closer, Nassib impulsively grabbed hold of it, held it to his mouth with his right hand and answered a barrage of questions almost as if he had been doing it for years. The former walk-on, who is battling for a starting spot this spring, was in such a groove that when it came time for the Channel 43 news crew to switch to the next player – meaning he had to give up the mic – Nassib still had a tight grip, holding it like he was emceeing the whole gathering. "I just took it and went with it, bro," Nassib said when he was 8nally asked to hand it back. "That's my bad." To borrow a line from "Animal House," one that Nassib's former head coach Bill O'Brien used on occasion: Forget it. He's rolling. Since Nassib hadn't spoken to reporters previously, there were many unknowns about his background and career going into the interview, and he seemed eager to answer any questions thrown in his di- rection. Why did he choose to walk on at Penn State a;er graduating from Malvern Prep near West Chester, Pa.? "This was the only option for me," he said. What does he want to do a;er college? "I want to ride this football thing as long as I can and then someday I hope to become a doctor," he said. (A pediatrician, to be speci8c.) Why is he always yelling and screaming on the football 8eld? "There is something about Saturdays in Beaver Stadium that | S P R I N G P R A C T I C E ON THE RISE Nassib had what Franklin called a "sneaky quiet, really success- ful year" as a junior. Photo by Bill Anderson