2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: AJ Satcher, DB, Gannon University

• Name: AJ Satcher
• Height: 5’8”
• Weight: 175
• Position: Corner/Free Safety
• College: Gannon University – Erie, PA
• Twitter: @dreadhead716

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

•  I’m from Buffalo, NY. I’ve lived in just about every part of the city and I love how tough our people are. It’s not easy to make it out of where I’m from so I think it’s good to see other people from there be successful or even myself being in the position that I’m in today. We also have the best food.

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

•  All three have to coexist I think, you can’t be a complete football player without all three being equally important. But if I had to rank them, it would be practice, film, then strength and conditioning. Practice makes perfect, clique but true. I also love to practice so that makes it much easier. Film is the more serious part where I can study my opponent and look at his tendencies. This is especially important at my position playing corner for these past 4 years. I want to know everything about him, even what time he goes to the bathroom so I can meet him there to hand him the toilet paper. And then strength and conditioning is all about building your body. You gotta get up and go get it because nobody is gonna do it for you.

What do you worry about, and why?

•  I don’t worry about much of anything because I know that God will never give me a situation that I won’t be able to handle. I try not to live my life worrying or fearing because I know that will only prevent me from reaching my full potential. This doesn’t mean I go around thinking I’m Superman, but my focus isn’t on worrying about things. My focus is on working the absolute hardest I possibly can and then letting the rest fall into place.

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

•  I transferred into the best school in New York State (Canisius) my junior year of high school and wanted to continue playing basketball after I finished my first football season there. I tried out for the basketball team, but didn’t end up making it. Of course I wasn’t happy with that, but I wasn’t going to sit around all winter not playing a sport. I’ve ran outdoor track and field my entire life but my school also had an indoor track and field team. So, I joined indoor and ended up setting school and area records with my team, remembering the entire time that the basketball team didn’t want me. I eventually let that anger go because I had made some of the best memories in high school with my track and field teammates. I wouldn’t change anything if I could.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

•  Athletically, my feet and hips. My teammates call me “sweetfeet” because I take pride in having the best footwork to be able to cover up anyone who lines up in front of me. My teammates also see me as a great leader because I try set the example on and off the field, always.

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

•  Probably Garry Brown of Cal U. Strong and physical receiver who could also run really good routes. He won just about every award I could think of back then and always found ways to get open when I lined up against him. As good as he is though, I’d still bet on myself if we had the chance to go at it again because I’ve developed so much as a cover corner since then.

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

•  My career would likely be in the realm of IT (Information Technology). Recently I just graduated with a degree in computer science and have also worked for two Fortune 500 companies as a software engineer. One of my good friends and I constantly have conversations of being innovative with respect to technology. I could see us using computer science and technology to continue to improve people’s way of life.

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

•  Room absolutely first. The way my room looks throughout the week is also a reflection of my mind that week, so I try to keep things organized. Car and then desk goes afterward.

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

•  Family to me is most important so I’d have to go with that. My family are the ones who’ve helped make me into the man I am today and so they have my life if necessary.

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

•  I would be the Flash. He has the speed and quickness and we all know speed kills, simple as that.

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

•  My biggest adversity would have to be dealing with the struggles of my parents’ divorce when I was young. I would constantly have to talk to lawyers and deal with people who didn’t care much about my family falling apart but only wanted money. Meanwhile, this affected me growing up with my siblings and not knowing who I could trust. I’ve overcome this since by becoming a man and trying to be the most self-sufficient person as possible. This still affects me until this day though because I end up trying to be too self-reliant often and will willingly put all the pressure on myself to deal with my problems.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

•  I tried to impress my dad one time by moving and rearranging his couch at home. Well… it got stuck in our hallway so I got nervous and tried to move it back to where it was. When I did that I had realized that I put two huge holes in his brand new couch. I sewed one of them back together but the other one I couldn’t do in time and he just pulled in the driveway. I tried to act like nothing much happened but he knew I was being strange and figured out what happened. He was obviously pissed and I felt like an idiot because I wasted hours trying to fit a couch somewhere it couldn’t even fit anyway. Maybe one day when I get the money I’ll buy him a brand new couch and not put holes in it.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

•  I remember playing against Mercyhurst my freshman year and was the very first time my coaches threw me in the game at corner. We were tied at 13 with 6 minutes left and they were deep in our red zone. It was 3rd and about 10 and they ran a flood concept with this huge full back who was way bigger than me falling right into my zone of course. The QB threw him the ball and I just remember flying in and throwing every bit of myself at him. I definitely felt that hit but I made a huge stop for my team late in the fourth to help us win the game. That was an amazing feeling.

What song best describes your work ethic?

•  Hustle Hard by Ace Hood

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

•  Having the persistence to keep going and never quit. For example, I already know I am going to be criticized for my physical measurements but to me that doesn’t matter. What matters is how persistent I am in my efforts and to always give 110 percent effort. Many didn’t even believe that I would make it this far and to be doing it so well at this point in my collegiate career, yet here I am because of my persistence. 

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

•  I’d bring back my grandmother, my mother’s mom. She passed away my freshman year of college and she always gave me good advice when it came to dealing with life situations. She even helped out and gave me money to pay my school bill when I didn’t have a scholarship as a freshman.

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

•  I’d name it Sweet Feet and you couldn’t get in unless you had the sweetest of feet to dance of course.

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

•  I’d have to say Stephon Gilmore. That guy has evolved into a very efficient corner over the past couple of years, especially with New England. If you look at his film from these past two super bowls, it speaks for itself. There are a lot of good corners out there but I never seem to hear his name being brought up into that conversation as one of the best right now.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

•  I would much rather be respected because to me respect is earned not given and when something is earned, it means more and is valuable. Anyone can be liked for whatever traits they may have.

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

•  Colin Kaepernick is the first person to come to mind. You mean to tell me that Nathan Peterman can find a job in the NFL but a QB who led his team to a Super Bowl appearance in 2012 as a backup can’t!? Colin is a leader and is trying to stand for what he feels is right. He is more than capable of playing in the league.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

•  Hate to lose because I am a natural competitor. I thrive off of competition because it brings out the best in me but my goal is to always win, so it burns me inside when that doesn’t happen.

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

•  My dad because he has always been there for his children no matter what and that is something I admire about him. He offers some great advice and is my number one fan on the field. To give you some context on his support for me, he has never missed any of my college games and even came to every single game when I had to sit out a year in 2017.