Real Talk With QBV #3: Las Vegas Raiders Defensive Tackle Mo Hurst Jr.

On Friday July 3, the QB Velocity team was fortunate enough to interview Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr.!

Hurst was a consensus all American at the University of Michigan and first team all big ten. He was also born and raised in Canton Massachusetts, and was a star at Xaverian Brothers High School.

Hurst was considered a steal in the NFL draft when he was selected by the Raiders In the fifth round, he is a great player now but we know the best has yet to come!

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Early Life

First things first, what made you start playing Football?

Growing up, Football is something we just did. My Mother was the cheerleading coach for our Football team. I grew up with my cousins mostly, most of them played football. My Father played football, but I never really had a relationship with him. It was something that was a part of my family, part of who we were. My Mom was actually a cheerleader for the Patriots too, she’s always had this love for the game. It is something that is a big part of our life and our family culture...

Do you think playing other Sports helped you as a Football player?

I think so, the biggest thing for me was just the competitive nature. Not being the most naturally gifted Basketball player, but just learning to adapt and how to compete. That's the biggest thing, that’s where you get the biggest competition level.

Growing up in Massachusetts your football level is not going to be the highest. But if you play other sports like Basketball, Lacrosse, and Hockey, you get to see what it’s really like to work for it, not just having everything given to you. If guys have it easy in High School, they don’t always think they have to work hard. But if you see where that work comes from, if you are not as good at something, you need to work hard to get better. That is a big thing athletes need to realize.

What made you want to go to Xaverian Brothers High School?

I was thinking about going to Stoughton High, and I ended up applying to Xaverian. Money was really tight, and my mom said you can apply but I don’t think you’ll be able to go. I ended up applying and got into the school. We found a way to make it work. We were waiting on scholarships to see if I could go and I ended up getting them. Obviously, I had to do work, study, and all that, I was kind of lucky to get in.

The thing for me was just having a little bit of hope, I knew no one had hopes for the NFL from Canton High or Stoughton High. I just remember knowing about Xaverian, having Matt Hasselbeck and some of the guys they have sent to Boston College and stuff like that. I just wanted to have the opportunity to play at a Division I school, whether it was UNH, UMass or a big school. At first, I did not have my sights set on going to a big school.”

What advice do you have for kids about the recruiting process?

Really just work, work really hard, get in the best shape possible so you can play at the highest level possible. Play hard all the time, so the coaches come find you. Camps are really good, but I only went to two camps... All in all, I'd say working hard and hitting the weight room hard. Hit your core and work on your running form and flexibility, just try and be in the best shape of your life come Football season. College Career

What made you choose Michigan?

I think it was because of the history of the school. Just how good of a school it was, coming from Xaverian I really like the balance of sports and academics. Once I got to Michigan it felt sort of like an extension. Just all the great history and great players. The alumni base and the attitude towards Michigan was such a prestigious feeling. Like if you say you go to the University of Michigan someone always knows someone from the University of Michigan... There’s a lot of smart people to come from the University of Michigan, that is not something you can say about every school that is good at Football.

Was there an initial shock for you as a freshman on the team? What advice would you tell athletes who are new to college?

Yes, right when you get on campus, the workouts are the first thing you're doing. Me and all my friends were dead, I couldn’t even make it through a workout when I got there. Certain things weren’t strong enough, my hamstrings and my hips. Those hamstring curls were super hard for me, I couldn’t do it but not doubting yourself and keep on working until you get to a point where you can do all that stuff. Initially, I was worried I wouldn’t keep up with all these guys, but it all changed in the past month and you realize the guys in the weight room are the strongest but may not be the best on the field. It put it in perspective that at the end of the day you are playing football and I can play just as well as anyone.

What was it like when Jim Harbaugh was hired for Michigan? Also, I need to hear your best Jim Harbaugh story.

So, when he was hired, it was really exciting for me to have an NFL coach come in as well as a guy who has been to the Super Bowl and who has put a lot of guys in the league and bringing in a staff of guys who were very respectable. He made it all football, we had 4-hour spring ball practices and we were trying to get better at football anyway possible by playing the game. He had a lot of passion for the game and put in a lot of NFL type schemes and things like that, which really helped. Understanding concepts and what type of run game you were going to get at the next level which was really good.

The Harbaugh story, right when he got there one of our running backs Chris Evans was running a wheel route, and this was the first week with our pads on. He runs the wheel route and he goes “No no no, I don’t want it that way!” So his cap and cleats are on when he goes to practice, so he lines up and he starts to run a wheel route and you see him get shot in the back of the leg and he tore his hammy really really bad.