Fall Camp. The official, unofficial start of football season. In this multi-athlete Q&A, House of Victory takes you behind-the-scenes with an exclusive look at what Fall Camp was like for a group of freshmen experiencing it all for the first time. Enjoy this look into the Trojans' prep for this season. 

 

HOV: To start, tell us what Fall Camp is like.

Corey Simms: Fall Camp is a challenge. It's preparing us for the season and it's to see if and how we can make it through adversity. There are long meetings, practices on practices. It just lets you know it's football time.

Alex Graham: Overall, it was something where going into it, I didn't know what to expect. But it was fun and challenging in a good way, just getting to play so much football and spend time with my teammates.

Cash Jacobsen: It's a grind for sure. You just have to have a lot of mental strength, even more than physical strength. You're there for so long with team meetings, position meetings, unit meetings. You're always doing something, there's no rest.

RJ Sermons: It was work. It was hard work. A lot of learning, a lot of time really getting into it. It was definitely challenging, but the staff made sure we were taken care of, that we had enough time to decompress outside of football, especially making sure we got sleep and recovery.

Alex Payne: During Fall Camp, it felt like I was on campus for 24 hours a day for three weeks. I got a lot closer to my teammates between practice, meetings, meals, it was just a good bonding experience. I felt myself getting stronger, faster and just better at practice everyday. 

HOV: Obviously each day of Camp is a little different and the schedule changes, but tell us what a typical day during camp looks like. 

Riley Wormley: The day would start around 5 a.m. It's a day full of events from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. I'd start with breakfast, then meetings, then practice and it keeps going from there. Everyone would really help a lot with recovery and making sure we get the right amount of sleep even though it's so busy. 

James Johnson: I'd wake up pretty much everyday at 4 a.m., get up and leave by 5ish. We'd have weight lifting and meetings in the morning, and then after that we'd have practice. After practice, I'd go eat breakfast. After that we'd have meetings, for the team and our position group, we go over plays, form, how practice was, what you can correct, and then after meetings are done we have dinner, and then you have to go home to get some sleep.

RJ Sermons: I'd wake up around 5:30 a.m. and get to the facility. I would usually go in the hot tub and then after tubs, I would get taped, go to breakfast, get a smoothie. Then it's meetings. Going over what we're getting into for the day, team meeting, position meeting. Then we do about two hours of practice. After practice I would hit the cold tub and recovery, eat, then lift or have a special teams meeting, and then another round of meetings and then walk through. Trying to think about it was a lot and it was hard to keep the whole schedule together. 

HOV: Did you know what to expect going into Camp? 

Cash Jacobsen: I had no idea what to expect. I had heard horror stories about camp, and nothing else, so I wasn't really nervous, but I was definitely weary, wondering, 'What is it going to be like?' 

Riley Wormley: I kind of knew what to expect from asking around and getting a feel for what was coming. I knew it was going to be a full-day schedule but before camp I just had the mindset that I was going to commit to it and just do what I had to do.

RJ Sermons: Everybody always talks about Fall Camp and how it's going to be so hard it's going to make you question if you love football. It was challenging, like everybody said, but there wasn't anything so intense that I questioned if I love football. It was a lot of training, a lot of work, and I know it's going to pay off in the end.

Alex Payne: I heard a lot of different opinions on it. A lot of people made it sound really scary, but you just need to have all your stuff in order, do what you're supposed to do, be where you're supposed to be and you'll be fine, which was true. I felt ready because I had prepared beforehand physically and mentally. 

HOV: What was your favorite thing about Camp? 

Corey Simms: Getting closer with my teammates. The receiver room got closer for sure, but we also got really close as a team. Between practice, the locker room, meals, we just spent so much time together as a team.

Alex Graham: Just the experience as whole. Being my first time, it was just great getting to experience new things, experiencing a real Fall Camp in a college atmosphere was just amazing. 

Riley Wormley: Just getting to interact with my new teammates and build closer relationships. Not even just within my position group, but the whole team and really getting to know each and every position group. 

James Johnson: During team meetings we'd do a lot of team bonding. We'd play games and get to know each other, so that was a lot of fun. We did the one where they put up a baby picture and you have to guess whose it is, that was hilarious. 

RJ Sermons: Practices at the Coli because of the way we attacked it when we were there and tried to make it feel like a game environment as much as possible. The vibes at the Coli are always different than a regular practice. It always adds a little energy to it. 

HOV: What's something that people outside of football might not know about Fall Camp? 

Cash Jacobsen: Just the work that goes on behind the scenes. All the studying that we have to do: learning plays, watching film, learning how to study yourself on film.

Riley Wormley: It's about making a commitment overall to the sport of football. It's about creating a stronger culture and getting the whole team to be really close. People might think that it looks easy to do that.

James Johnson: That we're waking up at 4 o'clock every day. I don't think people think about that. 

Alex Payne: It's an all day grind. You get home just to have the perfect eight hours of sleep and you have to take advantage of it because you don't know what could happen the next day. You don't know what the coaches could throw at you, but you have to do it because it's priming you for the season. 

HOV: How would you describe your excitement for the season? 

Corey Simms: I can't wait to go out there, to compete, to play in my first college game. I just can't wait to go do all of it. 

Alex Graham: I'm very excited. I don't know what else to say besides that! I can't wait for the first game, I'm ready for this new start.

Cash Jacobsen: I'm itching for the season! I'm just ready to ball out with everybody. I'm 1000% excited to hit someone else that's not on our team. Honestly, I'm just at a point where I can't even comprehend how excited I am for it.

James Johnson: I'm feeling great. There's a lot of people out there doubting us, but they don't know what we have. We've got a standard. The standard is the standard. It's gong to be intense that first game.

Alex Payne: I'm ecstatic for the season, I'm so ready! To see all the fans in the Coli, to travel, it's all just so exciting to think about. 

HOV: How would you sum up your first Fall Camp in three words? 

Corey Simms: Fun. Long. Successful. 

Alex Graham: Stay ready for whatever. I know that's more than three words! 

Cash Jacobsen: Long. Camaraderie. Grind. 

Riley Wormley: Grit. Unity. Sacrifice.

James Johnson: Unity. Sacrifice. Championship Culture. 

RJ Sermons: Resilience - you have to show up everyday no matter what. Learning. And brotherhood - you're around the same people so much all day, everyday, it's your new family. 

Alex Payne: Quick - because really it went by pretty quick. Unity - I feel like the team got a lot closer on both sides of the ball. Discipline - everyone learned a lot of discipline throughout Fall Camp.