Speaker 1: In the NFL Draft starting today in Green Bay. And
Speaker 1: we're talking with the guy right now that knows about
Speaker 1: this process leading up to it. He is former University
Speaker 1: of Houston linebacker seven lakes product out of the Katie area,
Speaker 1: Michael Batton. Michael, what's going on? Man, appreciate your time.
Speaker 1: You got me, Dan Matthews, you got Sean Salisbury here
Speaker 1: with you, And I mean, you're a guy that knows
Speaker 1: anything but a straight path in this game in terms
Speaker 1: of having to switch positions, playing at different schools, all
Speaker 1: of those different things. How do you feel like all
Speaker 1: going through all that entire process prepared you for possibly
Speaker 1: having a pro career.
Speaker 2: Hey, guys and Sean, thank you, thank you for having
Speaker 2: me on the show. Yeah, my path definitely hasn't been
Speaker 2: a straight line. It's been quite a winding road. But
Speaker 2: like you said, it definitely prepared prepared me for the
Speaker 2: next level. You know, it's not going to be easy
Speaker 2: at the next level, and it definitely wasn't easy taking
Speaker 2: this path, and I think all that adversity kind of
Speaker 2: created a lot stronger person that's prepared for anything. And
Speaker 2: I have the confidence now to take the next step
Speaker 2: and take whatever is going to come my way at
Speaker 2: the next level.
Speaker 3: Michael, You when you came out of high school and
Speaker 3: played quarterback and you've played wide receiver, you played lineback,
Speaker 3: you played quarterback, and you were recruited, had no scholarship offers,
Speaker 3: and so take me through that feeling. You know, you're
Speaker 3: busting your ass in high school wanting an opportunity most people,
Speaker 3: and they're no offers. Going to college, get your degree,
Speaker 3: it's time to move on from football?
Speaker 4: Why not you?
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I actually thought, you know, that's what I
Speaker 2: was going to do. You know, out of high school,
Speaker 2: like you said, I didn't have many opportunities at all.
Speaker 2: All I had was a walk on opportunity University Louisiana Lafayette.
Speaker 2: I took that was only there for about a week
Speaker 2: or two, and I just decided that maybe football wasn't
Speaker 2: for me. I was lit upset, you know, I couldn't
Speaker 2: play quarterback anymore, and so, yeah, away from the sport,
Speaker 2: and I thought I'd never come back. And you know
Speaker 2: that that year I took off back in twenty nineteen,
Speaker 2: I was just living in College Station. I was going
Speaker 2: to go to Blend Junior College up in Brian, which
Speaker 2: didn't have the football team. It was just strictly a
Speaker 2: school and I was going to go to A and M.
Speaker 2: But I quickly realized, you know, I might have made
Speaker 2: a mistake and kind of found my way back back
Speaker 2: into football. And I think, you know, it was really
Speaker 2: a blessing that they went that way, and I'm glad
Speaker 2: I got back into it. It was it was that year,
Speaker 2: you know, I needed to take a break and kind
Speaker 2: of put everything back into perspective, and it led me
Speaker 2: back to the sport I love. And it's like like
Speaker 2: we were saying, it's been a crazy ride, and I'm
Speaker 2: glad I got back into it. And I'm glad I
Speaker 2: took that year off. It's everything I needed to kind
Speaker 2: of put thing back into perspective.
Speaker 3: How did you keep yourself esteem intact? And I'm being
Speaker 3: serid because a lot of you know, kids go through
Speaker 3: and you've been beat down, you're not playing the position
Speaker 3: you want. You go to school, you're only there for
Speaker 3: a little bit, you know, Lafayette, and you're going somewhere else.
Speaker 3: You're done with it, and it gets you know that
Speaker 3: feeling of man, I don't want to get cut. I
Speaker 3: want to I didn't get a scholarship. I just I'm
Speaker 3: fascinated with your resilience, and I think you went to
Speaker 3: what five schools? Ended up at Houston Aunible mentioned All
Speaker 3: conference linebacker, finally found your position under coach Fritz.
Speaker 4: But the journey to get there.
Speaker 3: Most of us, your path is the one we'd say,
Speaker 3: if we're sitting on a radio show, say five schools,
Speaker 3: come on, man, when's it done right?
Speaker 4: We would have tried to talk to you out of it.
Speaker 3: How did you stay involved in it? There had to
Speaker 3: be one deciding moment where you said, nah, I got
Speaker 3: to continue to prove to these guys I'm resilient.
Speaker 5: How'd you stick to well? You know, in the beginning,
Speaker 5: it was more about getting my.
Speaker 2: Life back together, right STUPA stepping away from football made
Speaker 2: me realize just how good of an organization athletics really
Speaker 2: is at keeping your life straight. And when I stepped
Speaker 2: away from it, I saw that, you know, I struggled
Speaker 2: with discipline and those kind of things. So you know,
Speaker 2: I knew I was good at football, and that's kind
Speaker 2: of all I knew up to that point in my life.
Speaker 2: And I was like, I just want to get on
Speaker 2: a team, get my life back together. And figure this
Speaker 2: whole thing out, and you know, I'm gonna put my
Speaker 2: best foot forward, and you know that's what I did.
Speaker 2: I started at HBU, and you know, I didn't do
Speaker 2: too well there. I kind of fell flat on my face.
Speaker 2: I did end up getting into the quarterback room. But
Speaker 2: when springball came around in twenty twenty one, I was
Speaker 2: the only quarterback, you know, not getting any reps.
Speaker 5: But I did learn two things. I realized I'm a
Speaker 5: great athlete. I really am.
Speaker 2: I can't compete at this college level on athletic level,
Speaker 2: and I'm good enough to play quarterback. So you know,
Speaker 2: that was kind of my rock bottom though, not getting
Speaker 2: those reps. In spring practice, I was literally the only quarterback.
Speaker 2: They wouldn't even let me throw routes on air. It
Speaker 2: was it was kind of embarrassing, but it's funny. You know,
Speaker 2: when you hit that rock bottom, you kind of I
Speaker 2: guess it humbles you, but it gives you, you know,
Speaker 2: a new perspective on things, and I kind of just
Speaker 2: jump started from there.
Speaker 5: I realized, you know, I can play this sport.
Speaker 2: I'm athletic enough, and so at that route to JUCO
Speaker 2: and I had a really good season up in New York,
Speaker 2: which the Juco Nashau Community College was was in Long Island,
Speaker 2: and I had one of my best years yet. And
Speaker 2: you know, that's kind of how I kept myself with
Speaker 2: steam up. I just took it one step at a time.
Speaker 2: And you know, unfortunately after that, I didn't really have
Speaker 2: any offers.
Speaker 5: I had an offer to SCS School up in Wagner.
Speaker 2: I was going to go there, but there's a great
Speaker 2: situation that didn't work out, an eligibility situation. They took
Speaker 2: me all for a way and I was left with nothing.
Speaker 2: And obviously that that hurt me a lot too, and
Speaker 2: I felt like I was just back in that same
Speaker 2: situation I was after HBU. But at the same time,
Speaker 2: I still had that confidence that I could play football.
Speaker 2: I still had three years left. And one day a
Speaker 2: coach came and calling from ULM saying they'd love to
Speaker 2: have me as an athlete, special teams player and on defense.
Speaker 5: And I kind of.
Speaker 2: Laughed at the idea at first, but something in my
Speaker 2: heart was telling me that this was a good opportunity.
Speaker 2: I go play Division one football. I get, you know,
Speaker 2: continue pursuing my degree, being a good program with the
Speaker 2: Brotherhood and that's what was most important to me still
Speaker 2: at that time, and so I took that chance and
Speaker 2: I went and you know, right off the bat on
Speaker 2: four stream, and of course I'm a little upset with that,
Speaker 2: but it is what it is. I know, you know,
Speaker 2: I'm a former quarterback. The dude the're probably like, who
Speaker 2: the hell is this guy?
Speaker 5: You know whatever.
Speaker 2: But luckily for me, the second team guy ended up
Speaker 2: quitting two weeks into me getting there, and the third
Speaker 2: screen guy was another walk on like me, And first
Speaker 2: week in the fall camp, I moved up to the
Speaker 2: second string spot. And throughout that year I was just
Speaker 2: the twelfth man guy special teams. But by the ten
Speaker 2: game of the season, I finally got my opportunity.
Speaker 5: The starter got hurt and had that game.
Speaker 2: I finished with sixteen tackles fifteen so it was past
Speaker 2: deflection and a forced fumble. And then the last two
Speaker 2: games and at the last two games I also led
Speaker 2: the team and tackles both those games, and I finished
Speaker 2: the season with forty five tackles, which was fifth on
Speaker 2: the team in pretty much three games. So when you
Speaker 2: talk about self esteem, at that point it started to coming.
Speaker 4: Along, went right right. Your production was off the charts.
Speaker 2: Yes, sir, and you know, stepping into that next season,
Speaker 2: I got put on scholarship right after the season, started
Speaker 2: feeling real good about myself and real confident in my capabilities.
Speaker 2: Led the team and tackles. That next year at ULM,
Speaker 2: was defensive player of the year, was a captain. Unfortunately,
Speaker 2: a team did real bad, you know, and that's kind
Speaker 2: of when you know, me and my father kind of
Speaker 2: had some conversations about hitting the portal.
Speaker 5: And obviously that led me to Houston. I didn't think
Speaker 5: I would get any of these these big offers, but.
Speaker 2: They kind of started coming in and I was very blessed,
Speaker 2: and Houston just made sense, you know, close to home
Speaker 2: and an opportunity to rewrite my history and my failures
Speaker 2: that were at HBU.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Michael Batton again, former UH linebacker joining us here getting
Speaker 1: ready for the draft, and Michael part of that process.
Speaker 1: You go the Big twelve Pro Day, you run a
Speaker 1: four five three forty. You also broad jump ten feet
Speaker 1: two inches best among the linebackers there at Big twelve
Speaker 1: Pro Day, ninety tackles last year on the field. I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, you throw all that together when you're talking
Speaker 1: with teams. I mean, is it just as simple as
Speaker 1: you tell them? Hey, watch my tape. It shows you know.
Speaker 5: I wish it was that simple, but unfortunately it's not.
Speaker 5: You know, I'm fighting.
Speaker 2: Fighting different things, you know, with my size, and you
Speaker 2: know how that goes. Sean, you know you're a former
Speaker 2: NFL player. But I think you know, at the end
Speaker 2: of the day, my film it is the end all
Speaker 2: be all, and I have really good film. I think
Speaker 2: I have some of the best film in this draft class. Thankfully.
Speaker 2: At the prodaate, like you mentioned, I ran really fast
Speaker 2: four or five three, and that's was a big question
Speaker 2: about me. They knew I was quick, they could see
Speaker 2: it on film. They wanted to know just how fast
Speaker 2: it was. And I needed to be as quick and
Speaker 2: as fast as possible because there is a.
Speaker 5: Concern about my size.
Speaker 2: I think it's a little bs but that's just part
Speaker 2: of the game and that's okay.
Speaker 5: So but I checked all the boxes that I could
Speaker 5: possibly check. My film is.
Speaker 2: Really amazing and I'm excited to see where this will
Speaker 2: take me.
Speaker 3: Michael, think about this. Five schools didn't get recruited out
Speaker 3: of high school. Come here, if you play great, go
Speaker 3: to Juco. Find your way through the coach Fritz's team
Speaker 3: of Houston. Now we're on the morning of the draft
Speaker 3: and you're somehow, some way, regardless of the free agents
Speaker 3: are getting drafted somewhere, you're going to be putting on
Speaker 3: an NFL uniform training camp. The road you've been on,
Speaker 3: you've got to be fired up. So thoughts today about
Speaker 3: possible round, what they've told you, and where are your
Speaker 3: emotions today heading into.
Speaker 4: What right now?
Speaker 3: I mean, for you, you've been through plenty of adversity, but
Speaker 3: what a great reward to be able to anticipate this
Speaker 3: day for you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly, it's still hard to believe. I think it's
Speaker 2: still setting in that like the draft is today. But
Speaker 2: you know, I got at least twelve teams interested. I
Speaker 2: mean twelve teams have made contact with me and showed
Speaker 2: some strong interests, So you know, things are looking pretty good.
Speaker 5: I think early as our fall is the fifth.
Speaker 2: Round, but you know, I think I'll be anywhere from
Speaker 2: fifth round to seventh round to a priority free agent.
Speaker 2: Should if I don't get drafted, I should be getting
Speaker 2: that getting several calls right after the seventh round, and
Speaker 2: so yeah, obviously I'm very excited. I feel very blessed.
Speaker 2: Things are definitely coming full circle.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 2: To be able to start in Houston, come all the
Speaker 2: way back, play like I did.
Speaker 5: And to be on this stage is it's it's really
Speaker 5: a dream come true.
Speaker 2: And I think it's just a lesson and just putting
Speaker 2: your best foot forward and everything that you do and
Speaker 2: God kind of leads you down a path that maybe
Speaker 2: you didn't expect and sometimes it's a lot.
Speaker 5: Better than what you had planned.
Speaker 2: But you know, obviously I'm excited and I'm thankful, but
Speaker 2: at the end of the day, I won't be pleased
Speaker 2: until I make that fifty three man roster.
Speaker 5: So this is really just step one of a long,
Speaker 5: long process.
Speaker 3: See Michael, the transfer portal was set up for stuff
Speaker 3: like this. You know, when somebody says five schools, everybody,
Speaker 3: oh my gosh, was he chasing nil money? Your whole
Speaker 3: thing was chasing an opportunity and you had to switch
Speaker 3: positions to do it. And these are the stories everybody
Speaker 3: wants to hear. But for you, yeah, it's a feel good.
Speaker 3: But the feel good is getting getting paid on Sundays
Speaker 3: and going to knocking people around. So with that in mind,
Speaker 3: were you given is there somebody, family member, coach, player,
Speaker 3: advice you were given not just to get to this point,
Speaker 3: but in your preparation and expectations, advice you were given
Speaker 3: as you prepare to embrace a chance to play in
Speaker 3: the NFL.
Speaker 5: Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 2: One thing I've mentioned on several different radio shows and
Speaker 2: some people that I've talked to about this journey. It's
Speaker 2: something my father's with me. I think it's so simple,
Speaker 2: but it really resonates me. Was he told me that
Speaker 2: it's not about winning or losing, it's about trying. And
Speaker 2: the reason that resonated with me so much is because
Speaker 2: I think I was so paralyzed with fear of failure
Speaker 2: in high school that held me back so much that
Speaker 2: you know, it was more about, oh, I don't want
Speaker 2: to look bad versus all. I want to go out
Speaker 2: there and be the best I can be, and whatever
Speaker 2: happens happening.
Speaker 5: Because at the end of the day, if you give
Speaker 5: it your all, if you try, you.
Speaker 2: Prepared as much as possible, you can't lose it, no
Speaker 2: matter the outcome. And so once I took that mentality
Speaker 2: into this life and into this game, everything took off
Speaker 2: for me. So that that would be the one thing
Speaker 2: that really kept me going and it is keeping me going.
Speaker 3: Now, all right, real quick and we'll let you go.
Speaker 3: We can't thank you enough for coming on. Your story
Speaker 3: is so fascinating and I hope it culminates in this
Speaker 3: next few days of excitement for you. This approach to
Speaker 3: it is, did you grow up a Texans fan?
Speaker 4: Be honest?
Speaker 3: Now, if you were putting a jersey on that, I said, hey, man,
Speaker 3: you get to put a jersey on your team, who
Speaker 3: would it.
Speaker 5: Be well to tell you the truth?
Speaker 2: I actually did grow up in Denver, Colorado during my
Speaker 2: elementary days and been to Denver game.
Speaker 5: So that's one team that would definitely be a blessing.
Speaker 2: Unfortunately they haven't contacted me, but I have always been
Speaker 2: a Denver fan. But of course I moved to Houston
Speaker 2: here back in twenty eleven, and I've been a Houston
Speaker 2: fan ever since. You know, how could you not wrap
Speaker 2: your hometown team.
Speaker 5: Putting on the Houston Texans.
Speaker 2: Jersey would just really put things into full circle and
Speaker 2: I think would really even be a cooler story.
Speaker 5: And you know, I went to their local dad.
Speaker 2: I got to meet Tamiko Ryans, the DC, the linebacker coach,
Speaker 2: and walk around their facility and just super cool for
Speaker 2: obvious reasons. Putting on the Texans Jersey wou definitely be
Speaker 2: a blessing and hopefully they can give me an off
Speaker 2: or or draft me. I think they'd be very pleased
Speaker 2: what I can do for them as an organization.
Speaker 3: Well, Man, what a fascinating story, and your resilience is
Speaker 3: pretty damn special, So getting in that uniform I have.
Speaker 3: I don't think any of us are going to question
Speaker 3: the fact that you will finalize that goal of a
Speaker 3: fifty three man roster. But we're so gratefully you spent
Speaker 3: time with us. Man, I hope this weekend is a
Speaker 3: life changer for you and and validates all the hard
Speaker 3: work and time you've put in to continue to believe. Man,
Speaker 3: it's great, and we were pulling for you, and now
Speaker 3: now that we got you on, we would imagine that
Speaker 3: when you're out there making Pro Bowls, that any time
Speaker 3: we call, you are coming on the radio with us
Speaker 3: without without saying no, I don't have time for you guys.
Speaker 4: Fair enough.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I love doing this stuff and I really appreciate
Speaker 2: y'all getting me on the show. So certainly I'm making
Speaker 2: those Pro Bowls, getting in them super Bowls.
Speaker 5: Just just give me a call, right.
Speaker 3: We'll do that, Michael. Congratulations and good luck. We sure
Speaker 3: appreciate you, brother, Thank you.
Speaker 5: All right, guys, I appreciate it. Great.
Speaker 4: What a great story.