Interview has been slightly edited for clarity.

Q: How excited are you to get things kicked off?

A: I’m excited. Anytime you get to start another season in Kyle Field is a great feeling. We’re really pumped up. We’ve had a really good off-season and a great fall camp and we’re excited to kick it off this weekend.

Q: What is the evolution of your facial hair as you’ve gone through your time here at A&M and what went into those decisions?

A: So, actually I came in and I was bare faced. I was extremely baby faced. I wasn’t really able to grow any facial hair at all. Throughout the years, I thought that I wished I could grow a beard or something cool. We’ve got the strength coach, Coach Red [Brandon Sanders], who has that rocking red beard and everything and I admired it. But really, it was from watching “Tombstone.” Old Western movie. Doc Holliday and those guys have those wicked mustaches and I was like, “Man, those guys are cool.” So, I wanted to be able to get one of those.

Q: Off the field, what are some of your hobbies?

A: I’m an outdoorsman. I love doing anything, whether it’s hunting or fishing. Recently, I’ve taken up a little bit of photography. My sister’s future husband — they’re getting married in October — he is actually a professional photographer. So, he introduced me to that. So I enjoy doing some of that stuff too.”

Q: What is your favorite things to photograph?

A: I’ve done a few family portrait stuff for my fiancé’s family and then also kind of for my family, as well. They’ve gone pretty good. I’ve done pretty well with them. But, I also really enjoy taking pictures of wildlife and stuff. So, whenever I’m hunting and stuff, I’ll take my big camera. I have a big camera lens on there that goes 100 to 400 millimeters, so I can get out and really reach out and touch them.

Q: What is your biggest hunting trophy?

A: Actually, just this past spring, after my shoulder surgery, Luke Matthews — I was in his wedding, I was his best man. Instead of doing a bachelor trip we did like a hunting trip, just family and a couple of us guys. I shot a kudu. I shot a non-typical. He had one [horn] that spiraled up on the right side and other other one hooked back.

Q: You got engaged to former Texas A&M volleyball player Mallory Talbert over the off-season. How nerve wracking was that day?

A: More than any game. More than any tunnel that I’ve had to run out of. It’s not even close. But it was honestly more exciting nerves. I’ve been dating Mallory since my sophomore year here, so going on four years. Shout out to Texas A&M, love makers. She’s a volleyballer here and we met. Planned it out with her family and my family. Did it here, actually, in Kyle Field. That’s the best Aggie way to do anything.

Q: Was it a surprise or did she figure it out?

A: So, I tried to make it as big of a surprise as I could. So that’s the thing though, nowadays, it’s kind of hard to make it a surprise. They want their hair done and their nails done. You’ve got to make sure they have a nice dress on. So, my pitch to her was, “Hey, we’re doing a little photo shoot for graduation pictures and I want you to be in some of my grad photos,” because I was in some of hers. So I was like, “Hey, get dressed up. I”ll have my [graduation] gown and stuff. We’ll take a few pictures in Kyle that are fun for us two and then we’ll go around campus and do some other stuff.” I was hoping she had no idea, but I think once she started piecing together, “Oh, interesting. You want to take pictures on Kyle, but it’s 100-something degrees outside and you want me dressed up real nice.” She’s real smart, so she kind of knew it was coming. It was really fun. She was surprised. She cried.

Q: How is your volleyball game?

A: We play together. We’ll play some sand together, for sure. She’ll sometimes play me in some little pickup games that they play at practice and stuff and every now and then, when I get a point on her, she’ll turn on the competitiveness and put like eight on me. She’s like, “Know your place.” But we have fun playing and volleyball is one of my favorite sports to watch.