I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Alex Gourley a 2016 recruit from North Carolina. He has a lot of promise and skills and as you can see below he already has a good knack for talking to the media. I hope you all enjoy reading this interview as I did writing it. buckeye Nation needs to get to know this young man as his name will start blowing up soon and is already on a national level.
SYR- If you could please tell us about your home life… Parents, brothers and/or sisters, where you were born, have you always lived in in the same place?
Alex- I was born in Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville NC. I am the middle child of my family with an older brother and a younger sister. Both of my parents are bankruptcy attorneys, so we were treated well growing up. When I was about six, we moved to Mooresville NC, where we still live today. I find humor in the fact that my current school’s rival is Statesville.
SYR- Tell us a little bit about your HS FB team such as record and offensive style. What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Alex- I play for South Iredell High School, and this past season, I had the honor to start on a state champion team as a freshman. This past season, we went 14-2, which is a record number of wins for my school. We have a spread offense and try to go 50/50 with our running and passing. We run a no huddle offense where we have a silent count and I get to decide when to snap the ball. We are moving up in size this coming season to a 3A high school and will be in a new conference. It will be harder than last season, but many of the teams we are going to face, we have played before. Our goals are to win our conference and possibly states as well. We say put your goals high, otherwise they aren’t worth setting.
SYR- What college football team did you grow up being a fan of and why?
Alex- I grew up as a UNC Tar heel because I come from a family of people who went to UNC Chapel Hill. Both of my parents went with a Moorhead scholarship and my brother recently got the Moorhead Cain scholarship, so both of my parents went there, and my brother will be going there.
SYR- What was the Rivals250 Underclassman Camp in Dallas like for you and what coaches or players did you get to talk with or work with?
Alex- Rivals invited the top 250 recruits in the country to Dallas for a chance to get one on one film for our rival accounts. It was a very interesting experience for me. I went in knowing that I was going to go up against the best competition of my life so far, so there was a chance that I would get beaten badly in the one on ones. I went in with the mindset that I may not win a single one on one, but I was going to give them my all. I ended up winning the majority of the one on ones, so I was very happy with the outcome of it. The coach that was there for the offensive line was George Hegamin, who played for the Dallas Cowboys for seven years. He prepared us for the one on ones.
SYR- Who would you say is your personal hero and why?
Alex- I would have to say my brother. A few years ago, his ACL was torn and he had to have surgery to replace it. This past season, he reinjured it early in the season, but he soldiered on and finished out the season. In not too long he will have surgery again and his drive to finish what he started really motivates me to do everything I do with the intention of finishing what I started.
SYR- If you were going to die tomorrow what would your final meal be?
Alex- I would eat as many Buffalo wings as I possibly could. They are my favorite food by far and wouldn’t have to deal with the digestion problems that they cause.
SYR- Who do you think you compare to most in the NFL or College right now?
Alex- It’s hard for me to compare myself to people in higher levels, but I admire Ryan Kalil because he isn’t the biggest, but he is one of the best centers in the league.
SYR- Who is your favorite College player of all time? And favorite NFL player of all time if different from College?
Alex- Jeff Saturday is my favorite NFL and College player of all time due to the fact that he is a center, and he is amazing at what he does.
SYR- I know the recruiting process is early for you and I am sure it is tough for you to come up with a top 5 schools list but could you maybe list the top 5 schools you would like to get an offer from and why?
Alex- Academics have a large influence on my choice of schools. Stanford, Notre Dame, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and OSU all have great economic/business programs, which is the field of study I wish to pursue.
SYR- You are listed as a Center is that what you want to play at the next level? Would you prefer another spot on the OL?
Alex- Center is my preferred position and I think that I would play that position at the next level. My height is something that would also probably prevent coaches from putting me at other positions.
SYR- Are you also a Longsnapper? Is that something you excel at as wow?
Alex- I do not do longsnapping even though I do a lot of shotgun snapping. Longsnapping would be something that is good to know, but right now I am focusing on being a normal center.
SYR- What would you like Buckeye Nation to know about you that they most likely don’t already know?
Alex- Even though football is a big part of my life, I am going to college with academics first in my mind. A football career can be gone with a single injury, but knowledge will still be there.
Alex Gourley is a 6’1″ 260 lbs 4 star OC from Statesville, North Carolina. Alex is young as a true sophomore in high school. He is already though racking up invites to some of the best recruiting showcases around the country. He is a little undersized but still growing into his body. he brings speed and quickness to the Center position. He has a good head on his shoulders and will put academics at the forefront of his career. As you can see below recruiting sites are starting to take notice.
#8 in State of NC and #97 Nationally in @Signing_Day rankings. 4* (4 Star) rating.
— Alex Gourley (@quicksnapper77) July 15, 2013
Here are some of his highlight films…
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