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University of Minnesota Athletics
Under the Helmet: Theiren Cockran
11/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2014
GS: Being from Florida, how did you decide to come to Minnesota?
GS: What do you miss the most about Florida when you're here?
GS: You put on some weight after last season. Has that helped you this year?
GS: The team has won some pretty memorable games in your time here. Which win sticks out the most to you?
GS: After you had one tackle-for-loss in your first season, you led team in sacks with 7.5 and were second in tackles-for-loss with 10.0 last year. What made the biggest difference for you?
GS: What are you studying in school and what has been your favorite class so far?
GS: What is your favorite part about TCF Bank Stadium?
GS: Outside of football and school, what do you like to do?
GopherSports: You made your collegiate debut against UNLV. Can you talk about what that experience was like for you?
Theiren Cockran: It was good. It felt good to finally get out there against UNLV. It wasn't much of a difference from high school to college for me because I've been playing football for many years. I felt right at home playing at the college level.
GS: How did it feel when you recorded your first collegiate sack?
TC: It felt great. It felt like scoring a touchdown--you get that same type of feeling. It was great celebrating with the defensive line and seeing how happy they were that I got my first career sack.
GS: Being from Florida, how did you decide to come to Minnesota?
TC: They recruited me out of high school--(then Gophers linebackers coach) Bill Miller recruited me. I decided to take a visit up here and I immediately fell in love with the people, the school, the academics, and the football team and its history. I was sold on it immediately.
GS: What do you miss the most about Florida when you're here?
TC: Definitely my family. I spend most of my time over the year up here, so I'd have to say my family.
GS: You put on some weight after last season. Has that helped you this year?
TC: I gained a little over 15 pounds and got up to 255. I definitely feel like that's helped me better on the line.
GS: The team has won some pretty memorable games in your time here. Which win sticks out the most to you?
TC: That's a good one--I'll have to give you two. When we beat Michigan for the Little Brown Jug, it was the first time we beat them in nine years, so that was very memorable. Last year, beating Nebraska for the first time since the 1960s was also a great historical win for the school and the state of Minnesota.
GS: After you had one tackle-for-loss in your first season, you led team in sacks with 7.5 and were second in tackles-for-loss with 10.0 last year. What made the biggest difference for you?
TC: Just maturing. I played behind D.L. Wilhite and he had a great year. I learned a lot from his game and I learned a lot from Ra'Shede Hageman. I got stronger in the offseason and I was able to learn the system here better.
GS: What are you studying in school and what has been your favorite class so far?
TC: I'm studying business and marketing with a minor in construction management and one of my favorite classes would have to be my contracts and documents class for construction. You learn a lot about the legal system in the construction business.
GS: What is your favorite part about TCF Bank Stadium?
TC: The locker room and the fans. You get a great pre-game feeling in the locker room before the game and you've got to love those Gopher fans.
GS: Outside of football and school, what do you like to do?
TC: I played basketball my whole life, so I like to play basketball in my spare time. I also like to go bowling and fishing.
Players Mentioned
Defensive End
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Defensive End
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Defensive End
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