Dayne Crist is a 6-4, 235-pound quarterback from Kansas University, where he was a captain and seven game starter. He’s from Canoga Park, California where he played at Notre Dame High School before attending Notre Dame. He transferred to Kansas for his senior year after graduating from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business with a degree in management consulting in December of 2011. He was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for spring 2012.
ProPlayerInsiders Melissa Mahler caught up with Crist as he practiced for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
ProPlayerInsiders (PPI): What are some of the things that you’ve taken away from your experience here so far this week?
Dayne Crist (DC): Well, first and foremost, we’re just surrounded by unbelievable coaches with tons of experience- ex- players and everything like that. So just trying to gain every piece of information you can get from them, it’s gonna be incredibly valuable for all of us trying to move to the next level.
PPI: What are some of the things they’re sharing with you and do you have a favorite coach or assistant coach so far?
DC: I’ve had the privilege to work with Coach Terry Shea has been unbelievable this whole process and all through practice. Every coach talks about just taking every opportunity and just making the most of it because you’re only afforded so many opportunities and your time in football is very short so I’m just trying to make the most of every moment, every play, every rep I get and just fully live in that moment.
PPI: What are some of the things you’re doing to prepare for the next step towards the draft?
DC: Well, I mean, you take advantage of the playbook and schematics that you’re running and you wanna stay on top of that and get in a routine of how you’re going to survive if you make it to an NFL team and make yourself better and show what you can bring to an NFL organization.
PPI: What are some of the things you enjoy doing outside of football?
DC: I like to relax… I love watching movies and I’ve got great family and friends and I just try to keep it as low profile as possible.
PPI: When did you first know football was the direction you were headed in and you wanted to play in the pros?
DC: That’s been my dream since I was 6 years old and first started playing. I‘ve always loved watching football, at all levels: high school, college, and the NFL. But it was truly a dream of mine to play in the NFL ever since I started playing at age 6.
PPI: Was there someone that’s been helping you as a mentor, giving you advice as you work through this process?
DC: I’ve been fortunate where I’ve had a lot of teammates that have had a chance to play at the next level and ya know they’ve really given me whatever insights they have and try to help me not make some of the same mistakes they made and really set my path in motion a little bit. I’ve had great coaches, Coach Weis, who’s coached in the NFL for a very long time and now was my coach at Kansas and Notre Dame and I’ve just been very fortunate to have great people in my life to help me out.
PPI: What are some of the things that make you a standout for teams to look at you?
DC: Well I think I bring a ton of leadership to the table. At the quarterback position, that’s incredibly important. I feel, physically, that I can make all the throws necessary to play at the next level and I’m very coachable. If I don’t know how to do something, I’m gonna do everything in my power to get it done and get it done quickly.
PPI: What is your favorite song or group?
DC: I have so much music on my iPod, that’s tough but I truly like all sorts of music.
PPI: What about your favorite food?
DC: Ice cream. My nutritionist probably won’t like to hear that but I love ice cream.
PPI: What’s the last movie or book that you’ve had the chance to enjoy?
DC: The last movie I saw was actually the Life of Pi, I enjoyed that, it was awesome.
Roni Wade contributed to this report
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