Oklahoma State University Athletics
Freshman Fiesta: Defensive Tackle James Castleman
December 30, 2011 | Cowboy Football
Dec. 30, 2011
A 6-foot-3, 295-pound freshman defensive tackle, James Castleman nearly ended up in a Texas Tech uniform but changed his commitment to Oklahoma State just four days before national signing day. And he and the Cowboys are glad he did. The Amarillo, Texas native is a player OSU coaches anticipate having a successful career in the trenches for the Cowboys, and he showed flashes of that talent throughout his first season in Stillwater
In an OKState.com exclusive interview, Castleman talks about his decision to become a Cowboy and how he has developed during his time in Stillwater. For the complete interview, check out the video below.
You were committed to Texas Tech until way late. What was it about OSU that made you have a change of heart?
JC: It's a lot like home actually. I like the open space, the countryside and everything about it. It kind of hurt whenever I told them to begin with that I wasn't going to commit, but I felt so much better when I recommitted to OSU and decommitted from Tech.
Talk about your first year and how you've progressed.
JC: I feel like coming in, I was a little scared of the experience. But players like Nigel Nicholas, Richetti (Jones), Jamie (Blatnick) and Coop (Bassett) helped me get comfortable and helped me get into the groove. I feel like towards the end of the season I got a lot better and started getting to know the plays a lot better, just the experience part of it.
How have you developed physically?
JC: I feel like I've gotten a lot bigger since I got here. Coach (Rob) Glass' program, it works, trust me. It will get you big. If he wants you big, he'll get you big. If he wants you small, he'll keep you small.
Being one of those bigger guys on the interior and going against Stanford, that's going to be a pretty big challenge.
JC: It's gonna be a really big challenge. Their o-line is pretty good. Coach has been talking them up. Being big is going to help out a lot against them, getting leverage against them.
People always talk about the defensive line being the hardest position to find good players. What does it take to be a successful defensive lineman?
JC: To be a successful defensive lineman, you have to have good feet and good hands, you have to be quick off the ball, you have to be strong and you can't be scared, you have to be tough. It takes a lot of qualities to be in the grind.
With all those qualities, that might have helped you out in other sports and apparently you were a basketball star back home.
JC: I played basketball through my high school career, and I ended up breaking our highest points record in three years, and the guy that set it did it in four (years). So I felt pretty good about that.
Was it hard to give up basketball?
JC: Not really. I feel like if I was to play basketball, I wouldn't have fit in as well because I'm not as tall as most of the post players. So I feel like football is my best choice.
You've played some this season but what are your goals for the future as far as stepping in and being the guy in the middle?
JC: My goal is just to step in and do what Coach wants me to do and help out our team, do my part. As long as I do my part, I feel like the rest of the team will do their part and we'll get the job done.
