Better Know A Badger: Quan Easterling
Wisconsin's 2019 signing class will be moving up to Madison in June, so BadgerBlitz.com reached out to the newest members of the UW roster to get their thoughts as they prepare to start their college careers.
Quan Easterling, a two-star fullback from Akron, Ohio, spoke with BadgerBlitz.com about his late decision to de-commit from Akron and flip to Wisconsin before the start of the early signing period last year.
Miss an interview? Catch up here:
RB Julius Davis | CB James Williams | TE Hayden Rucci | CB Dean Engram | OL Joe Tippmann | DE Gio Paez | DT Keeanu Benton | OLB Skyler Meyers | S Titus Toler
You had a relatively exciting end to your recruiting process before you signed with the Badgers - now that you're so close to getting up to Madison, how are you feeling about starting your college career?
Quan Easterling: I’m pretty excited because it’s been a long time without football. But still I’m kind of nervous about leaving my family and friends back at home. Kind of some mixed emotions of excitement and some nervousness.
What was it like to get that offer from Wisconsin? I know you were committed to Akron at the time, but what was your thought process like at the time?
Quan Easterling: When I first got the offer I was excited. I was committed to Akron and I liked Akron and I had visited there and I liked what they had to offer. But when my coach told me, "Wisconsin offered you" it was kind of a shock to me. I didn’t expect to go to the Big Ten. When I heard that I was like, "Maybe I need to reconsider now."
Was it a tough decision to de-commit and flip to Wisconsin? Especially considering Akron was already so close to home for you? What did the Badgers offer that caught your eye?
Quan Easterling: I had to put a lot of thought and time in to it. I talked with my mom and my coach and my family about it. But the thing that stood out the most was Akron kind of wanted me as a tight end, but Wisconsin wanted me as a true fullback. And in my senior year of high school my primary position was playing at fullback so I thought … that Wisconsin was going to be the better fit.
What was your first conversation with Wisconsin like? What do you think got them to start recruiting you?
Quan Easterling: When we first talked they came in and they told me they really liked what they saw and how physical I was, running down hill. I believe it was the second time when we spoke again after that they had decided to offer me.
Had you been talking to Wisconsin before your commitment at all? Or did their interest kind of come out of the blue?
Quan Easterling: It was kind of out of the blue. They talked with my coach initially, and then after that my coach talked to me and was like, "I know you’ve committed, but are you still open (to listen)?" and when he told me it was Wisconsin I was like, "Yeah, I’m open."
That’s when we started talking and that’s when I got the offer.
Was it hard to tell the Akron coaching staff that you were de-committing? How did that conversation go?
Quan Easterling: When I told them they respected my decision because the head coach had just gotten fired, so they were going through a time. I felt like with the head coach being fired it was a better idea for me to go to Wisconsin.
Other than getting to play fullback, what was it about Wisconsin that made them stand out to you?
Quan Easterling: When I took my official up there I kind of liked the family feeling when I was up there. The coaches were nice, the players were nice. When I was up there it felt like a family - it felt like I belonged there. Another thing was … getting to go to a Big Ten school with the academics they offered, I felt like this was something I had to take advantage of.
What motivates you to keep grinding away at getting better at football?
Quan Easterling: When I was younger, my first year playing it - I didn’t really like it. But my mom pushed me to keep going, and eventually I started to see it as kind of a way out; like this is something that can give me a free education and build a future for my life.
Do you have any favorite players at your position or otherwise who stand out as guys you can learn something from?
Quan Easterling: After I took my official to Wisconsin, seeing Alec Ingold graduate and then go to the league, after I took my official and met him I started to look him up and watch him and what he did in Madison.
What excites you the most about getting a chance to move up to Madison and start your career as a Badger? Anything you're looking forward to the most?
Quan Easterling: When I went up there, it was just a family feeling. You really just felt like there was a family mood. Everyone was in it together. That’s what interested me the most.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.