Q&A with William Brimfield

The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Brimfield, who signed a national letter of intent to play football for UT on Feb. 7, is recovering from surgery he had in December to repair his dislocated shoulder.

Brimfield, from Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High School in Neeses, S.C., gave credit to his head coach, Jermaine Derricott, for helping him during his rehabilitation after the surgery.

Brimfield talked about Derricott’s influence, among other things, in this GVX Q&A.

Q: What was your most memorable moment from an official visit?

A: My most memorable moment has got to be going out with the guys after dinner at Tennessee. We were just hanging out at the parties. It was good to be around the guys. It was real fun feeling like a nice, family atmosphere.

Q: What was your least favorite part about the recruiting process?

A: I really disliked being pressured by the coaches from the University of South Carolina. A coach was trying to get me to commit to South Carolina before my time when I was ready or when I wanted to. I wasn’t cool with that.

Q: Who has been the most influential person on your football career?

A: Right now, I would have to say my high school coach, Jermaine Derricott. He came in last year, his first year here. He got me where I needed to be for my upcoming senior season during the summer. He made a huge impact. I went down with a dislocated shoulder (in November). He’s got me back working out, at least doing my conditioning. He’s still helping me get ready to play football at Tennessee.

Q: Did you have a good feeling about Derricott when he became the head coach?

A: I knew he was the guy. He really helped the school and my fellow teammates when he got here. I just knew it was going to be a good season. I knew we were going to have a great season. We really struggled the three seasons before he got here. We didn’t make the playoffs last season, but we went 6-4. It was a good season.

Q: When did you know you would have a future in football?

A: I knew I would have a future in football my sophomore year. My sophomore year was one of the best seasons. I started playing defensive tackle as a sophomore. I was having fun. Things went from there, and I knew I’d have a future. My freshman year I played offensive guard and linebacker. It was a good move for me. I started to get bigger and heavier. I could still move like I wanted to. I felt good about it.

Q: What is your favorite part about playing football?

A: The attitude I have about the game. I love the game so much. I go in with the mindset as I look at my opponent as if they had picked on my mother and my sister or something. I go out there and visualize that and attack.

Q: Who is your favorite athlete?

A: My favorite football player is (Carolina Panthers defensive end) Julius Peppers. I like his style. I like how he comes off the end really hard. I just like it. The way he comes off the line, it’s amazing. That’s always been my dream.

Q: You and UT signee DeAngelo Willingham were basketball rivals in high school when he attended Calhoun County High School. Which one of you is the better player?

A: I think I am. I have to go with myself. If you ask him the same thing, let him I know I said I’m the better athlete. We can go one-on-one if he wants to.

Q: What makes you better than DeAngelo?

A: I’m big. I can move with it. I can do a little bit of everything. I can shoot the three-ball. They had me at 6-6 shooting the trey ball. Nobody could stop me. I could go inside and outside.

Q: How far do you think you could take your basketball game if you hadn’t focused on football?

A: I think I could take it beyond the collegiate level. If I put my mind to it and wasn’t as focused on football, I think I could go past college.

Q: How often do you think about taking football past college and making it to the NFL?

A: I really haven’t thought about the NFL much to be honest. Right now, Tennessee is my main focus, not the NFL. I’m just preparing myself for helping Tennessee.