1
00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:13,560
Speaker 1: This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans

2
00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:18,720
Speaker 1: celebrating seventy six years of protecting Tennesseeans with high quality

3
00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:23,279
Speaker 1: health coverage at affordable prices. Visit FBHP to get a

4
00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,840
Speaker 1: quote today. I'm Mike Keith, and this is a very

5
00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:32,240
Speaker 1: special OTP as it's our full conversation with DeAndre Hopkins.

6
00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,360
Speaker 1: What career this guy has had to this point and

7
00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:39,040
Speaker 1: what great football he continues to play. He was kind

8
00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,560
Speaker 1: enough to sit down and talk about his career away

9
00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,800
Speaker 1: from Nashville and what he's doing with the Titans now,

10
00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,800
Speaker 1: plus a lot of great off the field things that

11
00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,479
Speaker 1: he has to say. An interesting person, a super player,

12
00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:58,240
Speaker 1: DeAndre Hopkins of the OTP. So, DeAndre Hopkins played against

13
00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:02,280
Speaker 1: us nearly twenty times over the last ten years. So

14
00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,720
Speaker 1: we've seen a lot of you, maybe too much of you, honestly,

15
00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,319
Speaker 1: but you played very well against us. The thing that

16
00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,520
Speaker 1: we didn't know until you got here is about your

17
00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,960
Speaker 1: incredible preparation. And if you watch in practice, the attention

18
00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,360
Speaker 1: to detail on the route running, the communication with the teammates,

19
00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:22,399
Speaker 1: even the core work you're doing well. The first team

20
00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,959
Speaker 1: defenses on you are NonStop. Ten years ago you didn't

21
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,080
Speaker 1: know to do that come out out of Clemson. Nobody

22
00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,560
Speaker 1: twenty one years old knows to do that. How did

23
00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,720
Speaker 1: you learn to be that kind of pro like what

24
00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,919
Speaker 1: we used to see out of Eddie George years ago.

25
00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,640
Speaker 2: I appreciate it, obviously, to young me didn't know any

26
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:45,600
Speaker 2: of any of those tactics. I felt like, my skill, could,

27
00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,320
Speaker 2: you know, keep me in this thing long as long

28
00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:49,200
Speaker 2: as I wanted to play?

29
00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,280
Speaker 3: Obviously, you know skill takes you so far.

30
00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,760
Speaker 2: But I would say I picked that up from guys

31
00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,600
Speaker 2: around me, like JJ Watt and Andre Johnson, being in

32
00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,680
Speaker 2: Houston and seeing the way they practice and seeing things

33
00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,680
Speaker 2: they did when nobody was watching. To me, I knew

34
00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,280
Speaker 2: I wanted to be where those those guys were one day,

35
00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,600
Speaker 2: and I felt like that was the standard. JJ used

36
00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,760
Speaker 2: to do cardio during practice, or he would run sprints

37
00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,160
Speaker 2: during practice while the first team offense was out there.

38
00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:19,120
Speaker 2: And it's just something that I picked up. And I

39
00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,760
Speaker 2: always say, just watching the greats around me and never

40
00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:26,280
Speaker 2: feeling like I know it all, or I'm where I

41
00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,119
Speaker 2: want to be year eleven and I'm still doing those

42
00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:30,919
Speaker 2: same things that I did a couple years ago.

43
00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:33,799
Speaker 1: How proud does it make you that the young guys

44
00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,320
Speaker 1: are now following you around doing a lot of the

45
00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:37,519
Speaker 1: same things at practice.

46
00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:40,519
Speaker 2: It makes me feel good because I learned there from

47
00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,760
Speaker 2: someone who is going to be a future Hall of Famer,

48
00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:45,880
Speaker 2: and hopefully you know, that's something that they feel like

49
00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:49,920
Speaker 2: will help their game. And you know, sometimes it's not

50
00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,640
Speaker 2: something where it just overnight is going to take effect,

51
00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,519
Speaker 2: but over time it's something that you know, you pick

52
00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,520
Speaker 2: up that mentality and you want to do something when

53
00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:58,560
Speaker 2: you feel like nobody else.

54
00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:04,160
Speaker 1: Is what makes DeAndre Hopkins game as a wide receiver unique?

55
00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,840
Speaker 2: I would say my knowledge of football, my knowledge of defenses,

56
00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,960
Speaker 2: being able to get open, not necessarily being a four

57
00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,640
Speaker 2: to three, four to four guy, but just my knowledge

58
00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:17,680
Speaker 2: of defenses. And I would say being able to catch

59
00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:18,840
Speaker 2: contested balls.

60
00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:20,840
Speaker 3: I feel like that's something that separates me.

61
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:22,919
Speaker 2: Just my focus and when the balls in the air

62
00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,320
Speaker 2: it's the fifty to fifty ball, I feel like it's mine.

63
00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,840
Speaker 1: It feels like in watching you on and off the field,

64
00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,800
Speaker 1: you like the puzzle of the details of the game.

65
00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,280
Speaker 1: Is that one of the parts of football that you

66
00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:36,440
Speaker 1: really enjoy the most?

67
00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,160
Speaker 2: It is I think part of that is probably due

68
00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:42,280
Speaker 2: to playing quarterback when I was young and still kind

69
00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,440
Speaker 2: of having that mentality like, all right, you know, I

70
00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,200
Speaker 2: feel like I'm a quarterback in my position and just

71
00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:48,520
Speaker 2: you know, trying to see everything.

72
00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:50,280
Speaker 3: I grew up playing quarterback.

73
00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,520
Speaker 2: I grew up in a football family where my grandfather

74
00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,360
Speaker 2: was Hall of Fame South Carolina, my uncle's Hall of

75
00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,800
Speaker 2: Fame in South Carolina. I've been introduced to football that

76
00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,360
Speaker 2: young age and knowing not just my position, but what

77
00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:05,960
Speaker 2: everybody else's position is as well, and how it affects me.

78
00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,040
Speaker 1: Weren't you supposed to be a defensive back originally when

79
00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:10,840
Speaker 1: you went to Clemson?

80
00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:11,440
Speaker 3: I was.

81
00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,480
Speaker 2: I was recruited very highly out of high school as

82
00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,840
Speaker 2: a safety defensive back, got the state record in South Carolina.

83
00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,480
Speaker 2: Just about every college recruited me as a defensive back,

84
00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,719
Speaker 2: not receiver. But I wanted to go somewhere where, you know,

85
00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,120
Speaker 2: I had the opportunity to play both, and Clemson at

86
00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,360
Speaker 2: the time didn't have the great greatest receivers, and they

87
00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:30,839
Speaker 2: gave me that opportunity.

88
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:36,520
Speaker 1: So five Pro Bowls, three times, all Pro statistics that

89
00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:41,240
Speaker 1: are already Hall of Fame worthy, potentially year eleven, what's

90
00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,480
Speaker 1: left for you to do in football? What are your goals?

91
00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,479
Speaker 2: You know, obviously a Super Bowl is everybody reasoning of

92
00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:47,200
Speaker 2: playing the game.

93
00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:48,160
Speaker 3: But you know, my.

94
00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,120
Speaker 2: Goal is to pass down what I can to other players,

95
00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,520
Speaker 2: the knowledge, you know, certain skill sets that I have,

96
00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,560
Speaker 2: you know, try to sharpen someone else. And for me, it's,

97
00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:03,160
Speaker 2: you know, giving back what I've gained and trying to

98
00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,240
Speaker 2: help someone else get to that goal of winning the

99
00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,000
Speaker 2: championship or just being the best version of themselves on

100
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:10,520
Speaker 2: the football field and off the field.

101
00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,480
Speaker 1: I have more of our interview with DeAndre Hopkins coming up,

102
00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,080
Speaker 1: but I've got to remind you about our friends at Duncan.

103
00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,359
Speaker 1: That's right. It's always game on with Duncan. So grab

104
00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:23,360
Speaker 1: a coffee and kick off the action, whether that's drinking

105
00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:25,400
Speaker 1: a cup on the way to the game, where grabbing

106
00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,000
Speaker 1: a cup to watch the game at home, or listen

107
00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,480
Speaker 1: to the game at home. As we often say, Duncan

108
00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:32,400
Speaker 1: is always there to help you get your game on.

109
00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:34,760
Speaker 1: Just like the pros, we need to be at our

110
00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:38,279
Speaker 1: best come game day, and Duncan is the most important

111
00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,200
Speaker 1: part of your game day ritual because it's always the

112
00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,720
Speaker 1: best call for Football America runs on Duncan. Here's more

113
00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:50,760
Speaker 1: of our conversation the OTP with DeAndre Hopkins. My cause

114
00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,159
Speaker 1: Mike Cleatch is coming up and you will be representing

115
00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:59,479
Speaker 1: the nonprofit Smooth that you founded with your mother. It's

116
00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,760
Speaker 1: done some very special things empowering women against or who

117
00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,040
Speaker 1: have been affected by domestic violence. Safe to say this

118
00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:09,840
Speaker 1: is a personal issue for DeAndre Hopkins.

119
00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:10,520
Speaker 3: Absolutely.

120
00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,400
Speaker 2: A lot of you guys know my mom was involved

121
00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:17,640
Speaker 2: in the incident many years ago, and you know, just

122
00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,920
Speaker 2: found ways to turn that negative into a positive vent.

123
00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:24,880
Speaker 2: This was one of them, starting a Smooth Foundation to

124
00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:28,640
Speaker 2: help other women who could have been or was in

125
00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,040
Speaker 2: a situation like that, you know, to try to prevent it.

126
00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,280
Speaker 2: And so you know, it's something that definitely hits home

127
00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:33,560
Speaker 2: for us.

128
00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:35,880
Speaker 1: All Right, So let me ask you about going back

129
00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,600
Speaker 1: to college to finish your degree. Have you been surprised

130
00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:44,920
Speaker 1: at how many people are fascinated by DeAndre Hopkins going

131
00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:46,960
Speaker 1: back to finish his degree at Clemson.

132
00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,440
Speaker 2: I am surprisingly shocked. You know, I didn't think it

133
00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:53,200
Speaker 2: would be a big deal. I didn't know that going

134
00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,400
Speaker 2: back trying to you know, graduate or get a degree,

135
00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:56,120
Speaker 2: was a big deal.

136
00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,440
Speaker 3: But you know, I'm just doing something that I promised

137
00:06:58,440 --> 00:06:59,960
Speaker 3: my mom and my father that I would do.

138
00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,520
Speaker 1: It was just that simple, really, I mean, there are

139
00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,040
Speaker 1: other things you want to do in your life, and

140
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,600
Speaker 1: finishing a degree, I'm sure is something important to you.

141
00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:08,480
Speaker 1: But it's still a big deal.

142
00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:10,720
Speaker 2: It is it is, And uh that's a big deal

143
00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:12,200
Speaker 2: because you know, in my community, not a lot of

144
00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,920
Speaker 2: people make it to college and you know better yet graduate.

145
00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,120
Speaker 2: So for me, I want to, you know, kind of

146
00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:20,880
Speaker 2: be the person to set an example for the youth

147
00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:21,600
Speaker 2: in my community.

148
00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,040
Speaker 3: To graduate is important. Not just playing sports.

149
00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:29,920
Speaker 1: Okay, so it's in parks, recreation and tourism and manage Okay.

150
00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:31,240
Speaker 1: How many hours do you lack?

151
00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,040
Speaker 3: Man, I'm lacking a couple. I probably got two semesters left.

152
00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,000
Speaker 3: That's not too bad. It's nothing crazy.

153
00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:39,600
Speaker 1: What do you want to do with that degree?

154
00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,440
Speaker 2: Well, you know, I've always been into country music. I

155
00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,679
Speaker 2: want to I want to throw and have my own.

156
00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:48,040
Speaker 3: Festivals and concerts.

157
00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,920
Speaker 2: So that's my plan after football with one of them,

158
00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:54,600
Speaker 2: to get into the festivals of country music.

159
00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,760
Speaker 3: Uh, you know, alternative music that world. Yeah, man, what

160
00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:00,440
Speaker 3: what sort of.

161
00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:04,240
Speaker 1: Got you interested in the concert festival promotion aspect of it?

162
00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:07,040
Speaker 2: I went to a concert in South Carolina, where I'm

163
00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,480
Speaker 2: from it was a small festival and it was actually

164
00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:12,920
Speaker 2: like one of the biggest festivals. Well I'm from not

165
00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,840
Speaker 2: the highest promoted, but you know, it was something from

166
00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:17,920
Speaker 2: my small town for us to get a joy out of.

167
00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,720
Speaker 2: And you know, it meant a lot to us locals

168
00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,200
Speaker 2: having that little festival there and just seeing everybody come out,

169
00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:26,400
Speaker 2: you know, all the people who make I pas and

170
00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:28,480
Speaker 2: just you know, all the locals who do all their

171
00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,960
Speaker 2: little knick knacks in their backyard, you know, come together.

172
00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,280
Speaker 2: And I always thought that was cool as a kid.

173
00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,319
Speaker 2: You know how something like that can bring bring a

174
00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:36,120
Speaker 2: community together.

175
00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,280
Speaker 1: You know, there's a CMA music festival here.

176
00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:38,720
Speaker 3: Are you?

177
00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:39,760
Speaker 1: Are you familiar with that?

178
00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,600
Speaker 3: I am. You could in turn, Hey, who knows?

179
00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:43,320
Speaker 1: Man, who knows?

180
00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,520
Speaker 3: I wouldn't mind. I wouldn't mind getting down and dirty.

181
00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,920
Speaker 1: It's so impressive because it's clear you love the game

182
00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,000
Speaker 1: and you take the game seriously and you put everything

183
00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,120
Speaker 1: you have into the game. But there are other parts

184
00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,960
Speaker 1: of your life too. The game is not your entire life.

185
00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:01,800
Speaker 3: Fair, It's very fair to say, you know, I like art,

186
00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:03,160
Speaker 3: like ceramics.

187
00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,360
Speaker 2: You know, I love music, you know, so you know, man,

188
00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,080
Speaker 2: it's a lot, it's a lot too other than the game.

189
00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,480
Speaker 3: But football is definitely my passion. But Tim McGraw's your guy, though, right,

190
00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:14,800
Speaker 3: Kenny Chesney and those boys.

191
00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:17,400
Speaker 1: All right, so let's wrap it up with five questions

192
00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:18,439
Speaker 1: for DeAndre Hopkins.

193
00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:19,920
Speaker 3: All right, are you ready? I'm ready?

194
00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,320
Speaker 1: Best player you have played with, JJ Watt, best player

195
00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:27,080
Speaker 1: you have played against, Tom Brady. Favorite athlete you like

196
00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:31,360
Speaker 1: to watch, regardless of sport, Lebron James, favorite stadium to

197
00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,959
Speaker 1: play in as an opposing player. Famous person that you

198
00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:35,640
Speaker 1: would like to meet.

199
00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:36,040
Speaker 3: Angel.

200
00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:37,679
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, that's pretty good.

201
00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:39,880
Speaker 3: Yeah, DeAndre Hopkins, thank you, thank you.

202
00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:44,000
Speaker 1: That's our conversation with DeAndre Hopkins on the OTP, brought

203
00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:45,880
Speaker 1: to you by our friends at seat geek, now the

204
00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:49,800
Speaker 1: official ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans. Whether you're buying

205
00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:52,880
Speaker 1: or selling tickets to Titans games or any live event

206
00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,920
Speaker 1: in Nashville, seat geek is the place to do it.

207
00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,440
Speaker 1: Seat Geek the new official ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans.

208
00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:04,199
Speaker 1: So Titans fans can fan speaking of tickets for all

209
00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:08,480
Speaker 1: the ot people who are Titans season ticket members, listen up.

210
00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:13,559
Speaker 1: If you renew your season tickets by December the eighteenth,

211
00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,520
Speaker 1: meaning you've got a little over two weeks then you,

212
00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:21,319
Speaker 1: you Titan season ticket members, will lock in your prices

213
00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,520
Speaker 1: not only for twenty twenty four, but also for twenty

214
00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:28,120
Speaker 1: twenty five and twenty twenty six. That's right. If you

215
00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:33,000
Speaker 1: renew your season tickets by December the eighteenth, the OT

216
00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:36,240
Speaker 1: people who are season ticket members will lock in their

217
00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,040
Speaker 1: prices until we move into the new Nissan Stadium in

218
00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:43,880
Speaker 1: twenty twenty seven. That is a deal. Call today and

219
00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,120
Speaker 1: renew yours sixty one five five six five forty two

220
00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,720
Speaker 1: hundred six one five five six five forty two hundred

221
00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:55,400
Speaker 1: Renew before December eighteenth, and lock in your prices for

222
00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:59,240
Speaker 1: the life of your seats at the current Nissan Stadium.

223
00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:02,520
Speaker 1: Thanks to DeAndre Hopkins, and thanks to our fine staff

224
00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:06,000
Speaker 1: for making this possible for you. I'm Mike Keith, and

225
00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,520
Speaker 1: you're listening and watching the OT