Golden Tate walked away from Notre Dame after one of the most electric seasons in Irish history. The Biletnikoff winner dazzled fans with nearly 1,500 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, to go along with electric touchdowns on the ground and as a punt returner. While the Irish’s late-season swoon cost Tate an invitation to the Heisman proceedings, Golden’s junior season capped a remarkable three-year career that started with a converted running back learning on the job how to play wide receiver, to becoming the most versatile offensive weapon in college football.
While he’s busy in Arizona preparing himself for the biggest job interview of his life, he was nice enough to trade emails with me and let us know what he’s been up to.
I hope you enjoy catching up with Golden Tate...
ITI: Last we saw, you were sitting next to Coach Weis and Jimmy Clausen announcing your decision to enter the draft. What have you been doing since then?
Golden Tate: Since then, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona to prepare myself for the events that I will have to do.
ITI: What kind of things are you focusing on in your training? What do you feel you need to improve on?
GT: I have really been focusing on the forty. I think that is the most important event for me to do well on. I have also been working on the other drills equally.
ITI: Do you have any goals for the NFL Draft? Do you plan on participating in all the tests at the combine?
GT: Only goal I have at this point is to impress the scouts with not only my athletic ability, but also my personality. Hopefully they will see the Golden Tate outside of football. Yes, I plan on participating in all the drills.
ITI: Have you had any interaction with your old teammates? What are they saying about the coaching change?
GT: I have had a few conversations and they all said it is really intense and they are all getting better.
ITI: How tough is it not playing baseball right now? Do you think about your professional prospects in baseball if you decided to focus on that sport instead?
GT: It’s not tough at all. I do miss being around the guys, but that’s about all. I think I made the right decision by entering the NFL draft.
ITI: How close are you to finishing school? Do you plan on coming back and getting your degree?
GT: I am 30 hours away from graduating. I juggled baseball, football, and school for 2.5 years and only have a year until I graduate. I plan on continuing school during my offseasons.
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A special thanks to Golden for making time for me in the midst of a pretty crazy time for him. I wish him the best of luck and think some team is going to be very lucky to have him next year.