2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Antonio Wimbush, RB, Carson-Newman University

• • Name: Antonio Wimbush 
• • Height: 5’9
• • Weight: 208
• • Position: RB, KR, PR, Slot
• • College: Carson–Newman University 
• • Twitter: @TBush14

Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?

•   I was born in Fort Lauderdale, FL and had the opportunity to live in other areas such as Pensacola, FL, San Diego, CA, Yulee, FL, and Camden County, Ga. The 954 will always be home to me, but I’ve adopted Camden county as my second home after attending four years of high school and making friends that turned into family. I love and miss Friday nights. There is nothing like playing under the lights in Chris Gilman Stadium. The support is unreal!

List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?

• Strength and conditioning is number one on my list for order of importance because of injury prevention and it increases your performance as an athlete. Second, on the list, I have film study. This is where the magic happens. Preparation is key and this is usually when plays are in installed, you look over different schemes, and you get the mental reps. Lastly, practice. Practice gives you an opportunity to transition your mental reps onto the field while executing them full speed to improve your game and master different objectives.  

What do you worry about, and why?

•  There are so many things in life that can cause stress or worry, but I try to stay away from that and make every negative situation positive. So having faith in God and knowing the character that I possess as a person, I know regardless the situation if it does not kill me it cannot stop me and at the end of the day, I know everything will be okay. 

Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?

• I never look at misfortunate events in my life as a failure. It’s more of a lesson learned to give me the knowledge to build off of it to grow as a person. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

•  My Work Ethic.

Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?

•   All players at the college level are talented. I try to look at each player’s unique skills to see how I can improve on my own game when playing against them.

What would your career be if you couldn’t play football? 

•   I currently have a degree in Business with an emphasis in sports management and will be getting my MBA. I thought about doing pharmaceutical sales or rep, and if not I have an emphasis in sports management. So I could start a career in that field or become a personal trainer, coach, or psychologist. 

Room, desk, and car – which do you clean first?

•   My room. I make my bed every morning. It is instilled in my foundation. That’s just the way I was raised. If the bed wasn’t made, I had a present waiting for me once I made it home. 

If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?

•  The “hero” in me would like to say I’d save them all, but I don’t think I could ever intentionally put anyone before my own family. 

If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?

•  Will Smith because of his determination in life. The mindset I have correlates with him in many ways. I’m sure it’s not easy living the life of a celebrity, but from what I see he’s always enjoying life while having the willingness to outwork everyone around him to continue his success. 

Tell me about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcome it?

•  My biggest adversity would be tearing my ACL and meniscus, but not from a physical standpoint, from a mental standpoint. I knew that physically I could handle it. Mentally I had to come to terms with the fact that doing more wasn’t always better. So, I had to find a way to slow down and enjoy the process because no amount of hard work would speed up time. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

•   One night I went bowling with a few friends and about three frames in I ripped my pants down the crack. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

•   My first collegiate touchdown against Mars Hill. Wide open hole and I was one on one with the safety, spun off of him, and I took it about forty yards to the end zone. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

•   The song that best describes my work ethic is last breath by future. I’ve always had doubters, have always been underrated, and I’ve always made it a point to prove not only to myself, but to others that “I will be a fighter till the end, till my last breath.”

What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level? 

•  My mentality. It is so easy to get caught up in the moment and lose sight of what you’re doing. So having that mentality of having fun and staying focused I feel will help my success at the next level. 

If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?

•   I would bring Coach Ken Sparks back from the dead for one day because out of the ten colleges that fell off, he gave me the opportunity to keep my dream alive. I’d like to thank him one last time for everything and receive my daily hug we always shared. 

If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it? 

•  BoBo’s

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

•  Doug Baldwin

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

•  Respected because it goes a long way. I learned growing up that everyone isn’t your friend and that you will have people that dislike you for the person you are and the accomplishments you are making, but they can’t deny my success. 

What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?

•  As grown men in the NFL, they all know what kind of position they are in as not just professional Athletes, but role models and an image for the organization. So if one puts their career in jeopardy then they have to assume the responsibility. 

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

•   I hate losing because of the competitive nature in me. I’m not saying I’m satisfied when I do win something, but that’s something I expect because of the hours that are put in specially for that reason. Which is why taking a loss sits around longer. 

Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?

• My parents for sure! I never struggled growing up as a child because my parents did everything for us to make sure we had all that we wanted. We weren’t always fortunate and we didn’t always get the things we wanted, but growing up in a Christian based home kind of made things easier and we also knew we didn’t have to worry because our parents would go to hell and back for us. My parents are my rock and words aren’t enough to show how much I appreciate them.