Winning the Heisman Trophy in 2004: "I remember when Carson (Palmer) was sitting up there (in 2002) and won it. He said his heart was beating out of his chest. Mine was about to do the same thing...I just kind of dropped. My legs were weak. My heart was beating 20 beats a second. It was probably one of the greatest feelings I've ever had in my entire life...I was a fat kid, cross-eyed, and I used to get made fun of. So I'm extremely honored...But when I got back home, I put the trophy away and acted like nothing happened. I was still the same guy. I let my team know that I thanked them. Then, I continued to work hard...I still feel like I have so much more to accomplish...I'm still the same person and act the same. All my friends treat me the same, as a goofball. They still could care less... I remember talking to (ex-Oklahoma quarterback) Jason White after he won and him saying how winning the Heisman changes your life completely...My life has changed drastically. A few years ago I was a nobody. To me, I'm still a nobody, but in the eyes of a lot of people I'm a role model, which I take pride in. It's been an incredible journey so far." Having a target on his and his team's back now: "I love it. I love having pressure on my shoulders. I've been having pressure my whole life. This is a spot where we want to be as a team. We like being on the national stage where everyone is watching us...I've got great players around me. Our system works, obviously. We recruit the best players every year. We have backups who are awesome."
Play against Reggie Bush in a game with me.
Hard Rock and Rap before the big games.
I dont really have any favorite movies. Im not a movie type of guy.
It's crazy. I get linked with people because they're celebrities I've hung out with. It's kind of sad that I can't go hang out with them without getting my name in the paper. I just want to hang out. I don't want to be in all the magazines. That's not who I am...When I go out, it's all over the TV. That's the thing about the celebrity life. You never know who's watching you. You just have to be really secure about what you're doing...I'm a normal guy, just like any other 21-year-old college student. Really, there's nothing special about me...It's hard to trust a lot of people right now and know exactly what they're after
My playbook only.
My old coach Pete Carroll; he's done such a great job with our team. My family; they always told me to set your goals high, just to dream big because anything is possible. Not so much as "Hero's" just good friends to look up to. Mike Williams had my back from Day One. He was constantly in the newspapers saying I was the man. When one of the best players in the country is saying, 'This is our guy, he's going to lead us wherever we go,' that gives you great confidence." If you'd told me when the 2003 season started that I'd do what I did, I never would have believed it...The season I had, that the team had, I think no one really expected that. It was a dream come true. It was kind of surreal in a way...I learned a lot from Carson Palmer on how to lead a team. He was the same all the time, never nervous, always calm under pressure. And that's kind of how I've been...The way Carson carried himself, even when he was getting ripped by everybody, I really admired that. I tried to be the same way...And with all the talent around me, it would've been hard not to be successful.