MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama football defensive lineman Tre Alford recently sat down with USAJaguars.com to discuss how he ended up playing football for the Jaguars, the impact his injury last summer had on him and what he likes most about playing on the interior part of the defensive line, among other things.
Alford, a senior from Tuscaloosa, Ala., has been a member of the Jaguar program since the 2013 season. He has seen action in all 34 of South Alabama's games during his career recording 60 Stops, including 4½ behind the line of scrimmage. He returned the field this season after missing the 2016 campaign with an injury. Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Alford earned preseason second-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors from Athlon Sports and was a preseason fourth-team all-league pick by Phil Steele Publications.
What factored into your decision to come to South Alabama?
"When I initially came to South Alabama, I wasn't even coming here to play football, because I came here for the allied health program. [Former assistant] Coach Vincent called me and asked me to walk on, so I gave it a shot and ended up starting three years later. I've loved it here ever since then."
How has your previous experience prepared you for this season?
"Because of that experience, I can picture plays from the formation a lot better. Knowing the play before it happens has really helped me more than anything."
What are a couple of things that you will take away from your time here at South?
"This university and the football program have both grown so much since I've been here; it has continued to get better each year. I also have made some great friends here and built a lot of great relationships; I couldn't picture myself anywhere else."
What do you like most about playing for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack's?
"What I like best is the way he develops the player's attitudes. He wants us to play with passion and aggression every play; get into our opponent's head while still maintaining our focus."
What do you see as your role in the defense and as one of the senior leaders on the team?
"For the most part, I just try to lead by example. I'm not really a vocal person. I just try to let my play on the field do the talking. As far as my role on the defense, I just try to make sure nobody runs up the middle between the tackles."
Last season, you were projected to be a starter along the defensive line, but suffered an injury during the summer. What was it like sitting out last season?
"It was pretty humbling honestly. I thought I was at the top of my game and in a good position to get all-conference honors, which was a goal of mine. Looking back on the injury though, I'm kind of glad it happened because I felt like I wasn't living my life how I wanted to or how it should be lived. Having the injury just made me look at life differently."
How did the offseason conditioning program help your rehab?
"It most definitely helped me and it is still helping me out today. We have some good strength coaches and now we actually have prehab worked in so that we are able to prevent injuries before they even happen. I feel that it was an extra rehab process for me, which helped me get even stronger and more confident in my knee."
What has it meant to you to be able to continue playing football close to your hometown?
"It means a lot to me, because my parents are so supportive of me. Even though my mom doesn't live in Tuscaloosa, she is able to fly down every now and then and still see some of my games. My dad makes it down for a majority of the home games and I don't think that would happen if I wasn't playing so close."
What are your goals over the final games of your Jaguar career?
"The goals are really just to continue to get better every game. With only really a month to get ready for the season because of the rehab, I really didn't feel that I began the season the way I should have. I feel like that I've gotten better each game and that I'm playing more confident."
You received a degree in exercise science in May, and now you're currently working on your master's degree. What are you wanting to do after your football career is over?
"I have the undergrad in exercise science, but I would love to go into athletic training; my best grades came in my athletic training classes and it just seemed to come naturally to me. I would like to do that regardless of the long hours they put in because that's where I've found my passion is. I also wouldn't mind being in the sports management field possibly. I would just like to stay in college sports in some capacity."
When did you get interested in athletic training as a possible career?
"I originally had thought about physical therapy and hadn't really considered athletic training. I wasn't really sure that I wanted to go as far in school as you have to with physical therapy. Around the time that I got injured, I was beginning my athletic training courses and I started to find a passion in those classes began to focus on the injuries in a game. I started asking others going through an injury about how they felt and about their rehab process and I decided that I loved that."
What do you like to do in your spare time?
"For the most part, I just like to be by myself; I don't really try to get out of the house that much. If I do leave the house, I like hanging out with friends or playing video games."
Is there a piece of advice you've received or a quote you've read that has impacted you?
"There's a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King that I really like. 'The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy'. I like that quote a lot. Everybody goes through stuff; it's just how you bounce back from those situations."
What are some challenges the offense faces this week against a team like Arkansas State?
"Arkansas State has a talented team and if we give them a chance, they are going to take advantage of it. Every time I've played against them in the past, they've played with a lot of energy. We've played the close the past few years. I feel we are a better defense and that the game can go either way."
What are some things the defense needs to do in order to be successful against Arkansas State?
"We just need to eliminate the big plays."
What do you like most about playing on the interior part of the defensive line?
"It's such a physical environment down there. Most of the offensive linemen are bigger than me and to be able to hit them and control them is fun, because you feel that all of the hard work that you've put in is worth it. You only have a limited number of chances to make plays, so whenever you are able to get in the offensive backfield it gives you a huge level of excitement."
Who has had the biggest influence on your life?
"I would have to say my parents. They really just raised me to be the person that I am and I feel like I'm accomplished young man and that I've come a long way."
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