My Football Journey: Joey Ehrmann
12/3/2012 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 3, 2012
This article was originally published in the Nov. 24 edition of Kickoff, the official gameday magazine of Wake Forest football.
Q: When did you start playing football?
A: I started playing in seventh grade. My dad was always a coach for my high school so I was always around those varsity teams. That is probably my earliest memory of being around a football team.
Q: Your father, Joe Ehrmann Sr., played in the NFL for 13 years. What was it like growing up with a professional football-playing father?
A: He was retired when I was born. He was a totally a different man than when he played so I don't know.
Q: You played both football and lacrosse in high school. When did you decide to pursue football over lacrosse?
A: I knew I always wanted to play football. For a little bit my senior year I thought about doing both but I just wanted to go with football.
Q: When did you first realize you could play football at the major college level?
A: My junior year. I was really small, but I was really quick. I did a good job pass rushing, and I realized if I could put on weight then I could play.
Q: Describe the recruiting process and how you ended up at Wake Forest.
A: I didn't have many offers. I came here, and it's kind of hard to explain how I ended up here other than it just felt right--it had a good feel to it. Wake Forest was coming off two really good seasons with the Orange Bowl and the Meineke Bowl, and it's a great [academic] degree so it was a win-win situation for me.
Q: Did you get recruited to play lacrosse in college?
A: Yes, but I always wanted to play football that was for sure. And I didn't know if I wanted to do both or not, but I just wanted to stick with football.
Q: What area of your game have you had to work the hardest to improve upon?
A: My pass rush, and it's still not quite there yet but I feel like I'm getting better at it.
Q: Is there an area of your game that just comes natural to you?
A: Being physical. I've never strayed away from being physical. It's in my blood.
Q: What is the best memory of your high school career?
A: Probably my sophomore year. I didn't play much on the varsity. I played a little bit, but I was on the team with my brother (Barney). He was a senior and that was the best year we ever had still until this day. So it was good to be a part of that team.
Q: What do you plan to do after your football career is over?
A: I'd like to play in the NFL, but I'm just glad to be getting out of here with a degree so my options are open.