Skip to main content
Chargers Homepage
Advertising

Chargers Official Site | Los Angeles Chargers - chargers.com

TRANSCRIPT: S Alohi Gilman Draft Availability

On if he had spoken with the Chargers regarding his role:

"Not yet, not yet. I've had some conversations with the defensive coordinator [Gus Bradley]. He's talked a little bit about my skill sets, what they like about it and how they could use me, but nothing too detailed or any specifics yet."

On joining teammates from Notre Dame:

"[LB] Drue [Tranquill] has been a big mentor for me in this process, as well as my time at Notre Dame. He's talked to me prior to the combine, after the combine — he's really helped me through this process. He's one guy who has been a great mentor for me. I'm grateful for [DT] Jerry [Tillery] as well. Those are two guys who have been helping me out a lot. Drue and I have similar skill sets. We're tough-nosed, grind people who work really hard and believe in ourselves. I think that's been a big thing in my process. To get another opportunity to play with them is amazing."

On his family's reaction to being drafted:

"Everyone was pretty shocked. I was pretty shocked. It's definitely a blessing, especially [after] being so far away from home, getting this opportunity to be closer to home. My college career was on the east coast and in the midwest, pretty far. So this is such a blessing for me and everyone is really excited."

On his relation and comparison to former Chargers LB Manti Te'o:

"Manti is actually from the same hometown as me. He's a very close friend of mine. Growing up, he actually lived right down the road from me. So he's a guy I was raised with, he had been a good mentor for me as I was at Notre Dame and what not. He is excited for me — he gave me a call earlier. He's a big mentor in my life and a really good friend of mine."

On how Notre Dame prepared him for the NFL:

"At Notre Dame, any team you play with comes with their 'A' game. They come with their best. Getting the opportunity to get those game reps, as well as practice reps, the opportunity to play against elite competition — you need to bring your 'A' game as well. It's taught me a lot about preparation, to be able to create a good process in terms of that. I'm excited to take these next steps forward and I think Notre Dame has given me the great opportunity to prepare for this step."

On if he could play special teams in the NFL:

"I played on punt and kickoff for Notre Dame. I played all four throughout my college career, all four core teams [units]. I think I can make an immediate impact. It's a part of my game that I pride myself on. I like playing [special] teams, so I'm excited to get with the coaches to continue to learn and go make an impact right away."

On the meaning of his name Alohi:

"Alohi is actually part of a longer name, it's Alohilaniokala. People just call me Alohi. Alohi means 'bright' in the Hawaiian language. My parents named me that, so I've been blessed with that name."

On his skill set:

"To be honest, I feel like I'm pretty well-rounded overall. I've gotten a lot of reps in terms of run-stopping. Coaches put me in those positions to help the team out and whatnot, but I'm a guy who can do both things pretty well. I still have a lot to work on in my game, but I'm confident in the box, I'm confident in the deep holes. I'm a very physical player. Tackling is pretty natural for me. I feel really good doing it, and that's been a great strength of mine."

From Our Partners

Advertising