NFL DraftProspect Interviews

2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Willie Candler, QB, University of West Georgia

Willie Candler is one of my favorite small school quarterbacks. The West Georgia gunslinger reminds me of a young Drew Brees.
  • • Name: Willie Candler 
  • • Height: 6”
  • • Weight: 195
  • • Position: QB
  • • College: University of West Georgia     
  • • Twitter: @7willie_candler

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

•  I am from Atlanta, Georgia, and I love that I live very close to the new Braves stadium. I really enjoy going to the games and hanging out in the battery. 

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

Strength and Conditioning, film Study, practice. Strength and Conditioning is very important because it prepares your body for the hits that you will sustain in the long season to come. Without strength and conditioning, you would not be able to maintain peak performance throughout an entire season and may even be injured along the way.  Film study is second important because you are able to see what mistakes you are making and how to correctly fix them in practice. In addition, film is where you gather information about your opponent and come up with a game-plan for the week, and practice is last because this is where you fix your mistakes and work on executing your game-plan until you feel confident about playing your next opponent. 

What do you worry about, and why?

• I am not a big worrier. I don’t think it is healthy to worry about something like the outcome of a game. I think all you can do is play to the best of your ability and do your job and let the outcome of the game take care of itself. 

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

• I failed to win the starting job for a quarterback as a freshman. There was a transfer senior that came in and was given the spot. I waited patiently and kept learning the offense until we started to struggle mid-season and my number was called and I have not looked back since. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• Calm competitor loves the pressure and I crack jokes in high-pressure situations 

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

• Tyreek Hill at West Alabama 

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

• On the PGA tour as a professional golfer 

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

• Room, I make my bed every morning and love coming home to a clean room. 

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

• My twin sister, because I am her older brother and watch out for her and make sure she is in line. 

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

•  Christian Bale, I love batman

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

•  I was told I was too small to be a good college quarterback and play at the D1 level. Well here I am as a four-year starter, not at a D1 school, but looking to go down as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of my school and God willing the GSC conference with another successful year. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• High school State championship game for football in the Georgia Dome in 2013, we were under center with the play clock running low and I had to tell a man to get lined up and with 3 secs left on playclock, I got under center behind my right guard instead of my center. Luckily, a time out was called. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

•  Had a ball snapped over my head late in the fourth quarter of a big game and I picked it up around 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage and scrambled around and threw it over to the sideline where my receiver had a diving catch for the first down. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

• Cinderella Man – Eminem 

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

• Have to put two, mental toughness and accuracy are huge for a quarterback at the next level 

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

• Jesus, so He could save the non-believers. 

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

• Wild Willie’s

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

• Alex Armah, fullback for the Carolina Panthers. Played with me at UWG, great human being 

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• Respected. I know not everyone is going to like me because it is impossible to please everyone, but I would hope they could respect me and see that I work hard for my goals. 

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

• Johnny Manziel, as a similar in stature quarterback I was rooting for him to succeed and the fact that he was just fun to watch and make something out of nothing. 

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• Hate to lose, but you can learn more from a loss than a Win 

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

My Dad, he is my best friend and has always supported me and my goals and has worked his butt of to help me get to where 

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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