Vlad Emilien Interview

Tom VanHaaren interviews FL S Vlad Emilien, who visited last weekend.

We're starting to get down to crunch time with the recruiting process, and Michigan has a need at safety. Vlad Emilien is a hard hitting safety from, you guessed it, Florida. There's been a lot of hype about the 6' 1" safety despite a torn his ACL. The injury might have sidelined him for this season, but it hasn't changed his goal of playing for a big time college program.

TOM:How was your trip to Michigan this weekend?

VLAD: It was pretty good, I really enjoyed it. Everybody asked how I compared it to Wisconsin, and I like Wisconsin and Michigan the same. I try to put pros and cons about each of them, and there’s no leader yet. Both schools have strong coach to player relationships, which is what I really like.

TOM:Who was your player host? Did you get along with him?

VLAD:Brandon Smith and Kenny Demens. They’re good freshman, we got along real well. They’re young, and they were telling me how competitive it really is. Everybody gets a chance to play, no matter how old.

TOM:Do you have a top 3?

VLAD:If I had to name a leader today it’s Wisconsin and Michigan.

TOM:What do you think will be the deciding factor?

VLAD:Just how the school is academic wise, and atmosphere wise. How I feel around the team and players. I like the little details of the schools. I’m trying to look at the things that would be beneficial after 4 years.

TOM: I read that you have a 3.8 GPA, so academics must be important to you. How will that play in?

VLAD: Yea I’ve been weighing the pros and cons again. Michigan has a very good business school, and Wisconsin has a good school too. Those schools ranked very high in the country. It hasn’t been hard in that aspect, because either way I’ll have a good degree from a good school.

TOM:On your visit, did the coaches talk about early playing time? Is that important to you?

VLAD:It’s very important. I’m always going to have to battle, I love competition. But I like that there’s a better opportunity to play early and battle out freshman rather than juniors or seniors at Michigan. I’m going to be pretty smart about the depth charts and deciding.

TOM:How many more visits are you planning?

VLAD:I plan to visit Stanford November 16^th, and I’m still scheduling the Ohio State vs. Michigan Game, I still haven’t officially done it yet.

TOM:What happened with Ohio State? Does it bother you?

VLAD:They just started talking to me the last couple months. There was a misunderstanding with the recruiting. They were trying to take in two safeties, because of a mishap with one of their safeties. I’m very interested. I felt kind of like I was the second choice, but business is business. I would love a chance to go that school. It just didn’t happen the way I wanted to happen, I just have to move on from that.

TOM:When do you think you’ll make your decision public?

VLAD:I’m going to make it public November 23rd. I’m not sure where yet.

TOM:Wherever you go, do you plan on graduating early?

VLAD:Yes I do. I want to get to college as soon as possible.

TOM:You missed this year with a torn ACL, are you excited to get back out there? Have any of the schools shown concern about the injury?

VLAD:I’m just training right now. It’s very exciting, the thought of getting back out there. I didn’t have a chance to prove to these colleges and recruiting sites that I should have been an all American. They’re not concerned, because I’m going to play spring ball, and I’m very anxious to get out there.

TOM:So what are your strengths, and what are your weaknesses?

VLAD:My personality is a strength. I am like an extra coach on the field, very vocal, and try to be a leader.One of my weaknesses is I’ve been working on my tackling, and getting my technique better. I want to be more of a dynamic player. I still have a lot to learn. When I learn what’s needed for college, I’ll be an explosive player. I want to learn as much as I can right away.

TOM:Have you analyzed what defense you think you would fit into the best?

VLAD:I focus on everything; I like a two back safety type of defense. I can play anything as long as they let me roam, and just make plays.

TOM:Was there a dream school growing up that you always wanted to go to?

VLAD:University of Miami. As I got older I realized that’s not going to be the right place. I didn’t even really have a dream school that much; I just focused on doing the best I can, so everybody considered me the best.

TOM:Now that you’ve had the chance to see all these schools recruiting you, how do you make sure you make the right decision?

VLAD:I feel like I’m going to follow my gut. This is a very important decision, it’s my future. I’m looking at what school will help me be the kind of person I want to be. A lot of the schools offer the same thing, so I’m trying to weigh the options.

TOM:Was there one thing about any school that has really stuck out to you? Something that you still think about?

VLAD:There are a lot of similarities, both Michigan and Wisconsin coaches treat their players like their sons. I think that’s what stuck out the most, I really like that.