I must admit, when I heard that the Stangs were kicking off the season with yet another quarterback I was, to put it lightly, frustrated. It’s tough to keep your heart in a game when one of the key players is changed three years in a row! Who did this Gilbert guy think he was, showing up at SMU as starting quarterback? I decided to interview him to get the scoop.
Turns out Gilbert is pretty committed to SMU football. Mustang junkies undoubtedly know he took 27 hours last spring to graduate from UT, with a degree in Sports Management. If he hadn’t done this, he would have had to sit out for a season. The Austin native said he’s glad he did it, even though it was a big workload. (To make it work, two of his classes overlapped each other by 15 minutes!) “Playing football is like taking 15 credits,” he told me, “But I wasn’t playing at the time, so it was manageable.” This semester, Gilbert says he spends about 18-20 hours a week devoted to football.
Gilbert’s dedication comes from his dad who was quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and San Diego Chargers before retiring in 1995. His little brother also plays football but at TCU…At least one of the Gilberts chose right!
When asked about his personal goals, Gilbert said he hoped to change the way people see football on campus. “I want lots of wins and lots of fans,” he told me. (I would imagine UT’s stadium looks pretty different than SMU’s on game day!)
I guess it’s cool with me that this Gilbert guy just showed up. He’s devoted to SMU football, he comes from a big football family, and he’s cute to boot!
Here are the non-football details you’ve been dying to know about Gilbert’s life:
HerCampus: What made you choose SMU?
Garrett Gilbert: I liked the campus a lot. I wanted to play for a school in Texas and SMU allowed that.
HC: Was it a hard transition?
GG: I got to know a lot of the players over the summer, so that helped. But the transition was tough because I always wanted to graduate from UT, and I miss my friends there. I still don’t know a lot of people outside the team.
HC: Do you have a favorite place in Dallas yet?
GG: Not really, since I’ve been so focused on football. But the team goes to Bubba’s a lot!
HC: What about a favorite SMU memory?
GG: Beating Houston on that Thursday is probably my favorite.
HC: What are some of your hobbies?
GG: Hanging out… I love to be outdoors, and I really like to fish.
HC: What do you want to do after school?
GG: I’d love to play in the NFL, even though about only 1-2% of college players are able to do that. But I don’t think there’s any reason to not have high goals.
Hopefully I’ll work in sports. Although my mom thinks I should go to law school because I argue quite a bit.
HC: Favorite books? Movies?
GG: I love Harry Potter and Hunger Games.
Wedding Crashers is one of my favorite movies. I also just saw Flight. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.
HC: What’s a fun fact about yourself?
GG: I really like Taylor Swift.
HC: Do you like her music too? What about the new album?
GG: Yes, her music too. Of course I like her new album.
HC: Other than Taylor Swift, who’s your celebrity crush?
GG: I have a few… Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Anniston, Mila Kunis
HC: Turn-offs when it comes to girls?
GG: Arrogance. “Being stuck up”
HC: Does it annoy you when girls don’t know something about football?
GG: No. I think it’s really funny. What’s annoying is when they act like they know something, and they clearly don’t.