Sprinkle hopes to stand out among TEs

Reese's Senior Bowl: Tell us about the experience of being in the tight end room at Arkansas.
Jeremy Sprinkle: It was a great experience playing under Coach B, who obviously likes tight ends. At Arkansas we had a tradition of having good tight ends. It was good to continue that tradition.

RSB: You arrived there at 205 pounds as a freshman. Talk about the growth from when you arrived to then playing under somebody like Hunter Henry and then becoming the guy your senior season.
Sprinkle: It was good. I feel like I really developed as a man, just physically and mentally. It's like physical, going in there at 205 and then now I'm 255. Obviously working with Coach Herb and things like that, doing things in the weight room getting my weight on and continuing to improve as a blocker and routes and things like that, it was just good for me. Playing behind Hunter, I feel like it really helped me, just watching him do the things he did in practice and watching film and things like that.

RSB: What changed for you in the offseason when Hunter decided to move on to the NFL and you knew you were going to be the number one tight end?
Sprinkle: Having to take over the number one role, you know it'll be more in-line blocking and things like that so just really working on my footwork and really just driving my feet and learning how to strike guys, just being that in-line blocker and taking over that role.

RSB: You've been working out since your season ended, tell us about how your preparation has gone so far and where you're at.
Sprinkle: Oh it's been going good. You know I’m down here in Mississippi training and it's going pretty good so far, you know, trying to get all my technique right and things with the bowl game, getting ready for the practices and game.

RSB: You're from White Hall, Arkansas. A lot of guy sin that area could go under-the-radar in recruitment so how did you end up at staying in-state at Arkansas?
Sprinkle: I always grew up as a Razorback fan. I went to their camps every summer and I finally got the opportunity. They gave me the offer after one of the camps one year and it was just a dream for me to get offered by them and be able to play for them. It was kind of an easy decision but I feel like it was a great place for me to go.

RSB: Four years under coach Bret Bielema, he's one of the greatest characters in all of college football and he's a great supporter of us here at the Reese's Senior Bowl. What is your favorite part about Coach Bielema?
Sprinkle: I would say just how open he is. By the things he says to the media and a lot of things that he shares. Obviously with the reality show, you see a lot of things that go on behind the scenes and also just I feel like he's a really good players coach and really looks out for his players and takes care of us. 

RSB: Did you ever want to try to get on that reality show?
Sprinkle: You know a few times I see the cameras around, I'd try to stick my face in there here and there. We try not to think too much about it but the cameras are there and you just try to stay in your normal routine.

RSB: Back in July at SEC Media Days, we met with you there where you and I first met. When I mentioned the Reese's Senior Bowl to you back then, I felt like you were intrigued by the possibility of being watched by the Reese's Senior Bowl. Why was it so intriguing for you at that time?
Sprinkle: Just growing up and hearing about it. You always have goals. Coming back for my senior year that was one of my goals, to make the Senior Bowl roster and i feel like I achieved one of my goals. It was just exciting me at the beginning of the season just to know that I was on the watch list and things like that. It was a big deal for me. 

RSB: What about when you ultimately got the invitation from Coach B, what was that moment like for you?
Sprinkle: It was great. He didn't tell me until a team meeting the night before a game. It came out of nowhere, it really surprised me. I just got kind of emotional just thinking about it, I just gotta take advantage of the opportunity now.

RSB: Another thing from SEC Media Days, I remember you walking around. As a scout, we're sizing you up and I look down and your shoes are some of the biggest shoes that I've ever seen. And I asked you and you told me they were size 18. At what point did you realize you're going to need some bigger shoes.
Sprinkle: Just growing up as a kid, I always had a big shoe size. People liked to say "act your age, not your shoe size." But there was a point where my shoe size was always at my age so I always thought that was a good joke. Just growing up in elementary, I always had a big foot so I knew it would just keep getting bigger.

RSB: Well with your shoe size being 18 and you being a college senior now, you don't want to act like your shoe size now, you want to act like how old you really are. You're getting ready to be a professional athlete, you're getting ready to have money in your pocket so you definitely want to act older than your shoe size now, right?
Sprinkle: Oh yes, sir. A lot of things I've learned here at Arkansas just really developed me and just trying to apply those things in the real world so yeah definitely.

RSB: You’ve been a part of some program building there in Fayetteville. You guys have had your highs and you've had your lows. When you look back at the career, what are some of the best memories?
Sprinkle: Probably a few years ago when we beat LSU at home, that was a good memory. Last year at Ole Miss, that 4th-and-25 play, it was a pretty big game for us. A couple overtime games, Auburn last year and TCU this year and just a couple other ones. Playing in the SEC, it's highly competitive. A lot of games come down to the last final play so yeah we had a lot of games that were real nail biters and came out with the W but it also ended up the other way too so you just got to take those experiences and learn from them.

RSB: As a junior, you led all tight ends in the SEC in receiving touchdowns. You've been a receiving threat for the Allen brothers at quarterback. What's your favorite route?
Sprinkle: Some of my favorite routes are probably the dig route, like a 12-to-14 yard dig, or a deep over route. A deep over route, you can really work the route. See what type of leverage the defender's wearing and you can use that leverage to your advantage and create that separation.

RSB: One big part of this week here in Mobile is not only what you do on the field for the three practices but you're going to meet with probably all 32 NFL teams and you're going to have to answer a lot of questions. You created some questions with a mistake that you made on your bowl trip going to Belk. Tell me about that experience and what really happened there.
Sprinkle: It was an event where we had a shopping spree to Belk. What happened was I had some stuff in my bag that I checked out, so I was just walking around the store, you know, made the mistake of trying to be too greedy and putting extra stuff in my bag and just got caught up with it. You know, I'm just trying to take this opportunity to learn from it, become a better man from it and just look forward.

RSB: So it was just extra stuff that you had put in your bag? There wasn't anything that you were trying to hide or anything mischievous that you were trying to do?
Sprinkle: Yes, sir.

RSB: I read your apology statement that you put out after that and obviously Coach Bielema is very supportive of you and he's been supportive of you through that tough time. You mentioned specifically that you apologize to the young people that look up to you. How important is that?
Sprinkle: Just like I said earlier, just growing up in the state and little kids looking up to the Razorbacks and having favorite players and things like that. And then they have to read about something like that and why he missed the game. I had a lot of people disappointed in me and things like that and I just had to take that and just see what that feels like and just know that I never want to feel like that again. Just come out stronger from it. 

RSB: There's been a lot of talk about bowl games being meaningless. Your bowl game specifically, the way that Virginia Tech fought to beat you guys, that shows to me that that was not a meaningless bowl game. But how much did that hurt you, whether you considered it a meaningless game or not, to not be able to play?
Sprinkle: Oh, it hurt me so much. Just not being able to be out there with my guys. Just being out there and fighting with them. Obviously, when they were up 24, I was proud of them and everything. When they started coming back, I just really wanted to be out there. It hurt me a lot. I still think about it a lot but that's just the type of thing that happens and it was just an unfortunate mistake that I made. I just gotta learn from it.

RSB: We have another tight end here like O.J. Howard that you know of from the SEC. When you get down here, what are you looking to prove?
Sprinkle: Just some of the things that I've been working on. Some of my weaknesses such as in-line blocking and things like that. Try to show the scouts that I can play with my hand in the dirt and do other things other than receiving the ball. 

RSB: You've started to fly under the radar with Alabama and Clemson playing for the national championships and both of those teams having tight ends. Jordan Leggett from Clemson will not be here but O.J. Howard is and that got a lot of people excited because he's seen as the top tight end. You're going to have something to say about that when you get down here and compete with him. How do you feel like you stack up with O.J. Howard and other guys?
Sprinkle: I feel like we played against the same competition, playing in the same division. We both have our strengths and our weaknesses. I feel like we're going to take this bowl opportunity to just prove some of the things we can do and show the scouts what we can do and make the scouts make the decision based off that, what we do on the field.

RSB: This week in Mobile is going to be great for you. It's going to give you a good head start and build up a lot of momentum for you heading into the NFL Combine and the rest of the NFLD raft process. We're really glad that you're going to be down here. Thanks a lot for taking some time to talk with us.
Sprinkle: Alrighty, no problem. Thank you.