Penn State was a big part of my life. It's something I can't erase and something I wouldn't erase. When the Jerry Sandusky investigation began, a lot of people who didn't care about us suddenly had really strong opinions. It was a nightmare, especially when Joe got fired. I think all of us kind of felt like pawns. It was something I didn't sign up for. Things started to turn the corner a bit when Coach [Bill] O'Brien was hired, and then we got hit with the sanctions.
I just thought transferring to USC was a better move for me academically, socially and athletically. It was a fresh start, and you typically don't get fresh starts too often in life. I'm sure a lot of my teammates understood, but I think some of them were uneasy about it. I hope they realize now I was just doing what was best for me. It wasn't an easy decision, like, Hey! I'm going to USC! I sat for a whole week thinking about it.
The visit to USC, seeing how the team treated one another, that was a big part of it. Matt [Barkley], T.J. [McDonald], Marqise [Lee], all those guys and a bunch more welcomed me and showed that, "Hey, we're pretty cool too here on the West Coast." I'd say moving to LA was like an eight on the culture shock scale. I'm used to a New York setting, where buildings are on top of buildings. Everything is so spread out here. Everything is so much slower. I'm used to the upbeat, fast living. [Snaps fingers.] I think people here are more chill and relaxed than they are back East. And a little nicer too. Not that much nicer, but a little nicer.
