Markus Kuhn training at IMG Academies world-class facilities in Bradenton, Fl.
With a towering athletic stature of 6’4”, 300 pounds, the German native Markus Kuhn was born to play in the NFL. Even with his football career starting much later than most, the standout NC State defensive tackle has proven that he is on the up and coming. At age 15, Kuhn was finally allowed to put on pads and play the game that would soon become his career. After years of playing almost every position possible on his German football club, Kuhn and his father (Wolfgang) headed to the states with only a DVD in hand and a great deal of faith, determination and commitment. After impressing many schools, they decided to become a member of the NC State Wolf pack and they have not looked back since. Kuhn has taken time out of his demanding training schedule at IMG Academies to give his overall thoughts on his football journey over the years, training side by side with former teammate Russell Wilson at IMG Academies, and how or more importantly why the big/tough Markus Kuhn got involved in wearing a feather in his hair.
Markus Kuhn on…
…playing football in Germany
“In Germany we aren’t able to wear full pads until age 15. I started off my first year and I played tight end, and I liked it a lot. Yet, my coach was more of a defensive coach and he saw that with my overall attitude and size that defense was the spot for me. So, after my first year I started playing linebacker which I enjoyed a lot more. Yet, most of the more skilled players played both ways, so I played both linebacker and tight end. In my last two years I actually started playing quarterback a little. It was a very fun time and a great experience.”
…coming to the US in search of football scholarship
“I had visited the east coast many times on vacation with my family and I really enjoyed this area of the US. My Dad and I flew into Washington DC, and my Dad said if you want to do this we can but you have to be prepared for all the possible outcomes. I understood, yet this was what I wanted to do so I committed fully. I took my English test, my SAT, and had all my transcripts translated from my German schools. We planned on checking out a lot of AA schools in Virginia, which is a lot. We started off at Liberty University, University of Richmond and James Madison. They all seemed really interested, so my Dad and I decided to give it a shot at the bigger schools nearby. We went to the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, East Carolina University and finally NC State. I didn’t schedule meetings or anything, I just showed up. I just walked in with my highlight DVD, said that I can play football too, and I am pretty sure my size definitely helped me out as well.”
“When I visited UVA, J.R. (Sweezy) was actually on an unofficial visit there, and that was the first time I ever met him. After I finally committed to NC State, I went online and actually saw that the first ever American football player that I had ever met had just signed with State as well. Since then, he has pretty much been my best friend. It was really cool. When I visited State, the old coach liked me a lot, and my Dads name is actually Wolfgang, so we thought it would be pretty cool if I played for the Wolf pack.”
…first college football game experience
“When I first got to NC State, and I saw the stadium, I couldn’t believe it. Most professional German soccer teams don’t even have as big of a stadium as NC States. Those guys are making great money, yet they don’t have the top of the line facilities like we did. I don’t know if I appreciate it more than some other American players because they are so used to it, but it was pretty shocking for me. To have all of those facilities and the fan support was unbelievable. The first time I had seen a college football game was the first time I ran through the tunnel at NC State. I was pretty nervous but it was an incredible experience to play in front of 60,000 people.”
…relationship with NC State Head Football Coach Tom O’Brien
“Coach O’Brien is always doing the right things, he is a great leader. His leadership style is almost militaristic. Through his overall hard work and dedication he has become extremely successful over the years. When we went to our Bowl Games he was all about business, and we were there to win. Overall the entire coaching staff taught me so much, skills and traits that I will use throughout my career.”
…relationship with teammates
“I talk with George (Bryan) and J.R. (Sweezy) all the time. They are training at other facilities in Florida as well. I still keep in touch with all of them as much as I can. I am really curious of how they are doing, and we all have been such close friends for almost five years now so we definitely want to see everyone become successful and do well.”
… former teammate Russell Wilson training at IMG Academies
“We are still close friends, and I treat him like I do with all of my other teammates…like family. I constantly was texting and talking with him as much as possible while he was at Wisconsin. Every time there was a big game, I would always wish him good luck. We were in the same recruiting class in 2007, so he was also my teammate for three and a half years and it’s awesome that we can come back here to IMG and see each other.”
…overall experience at IMG Academies
“Like at NC State, IMG has provided me with so many opportunities. Never before have I gotten to use a sleeping chamber to help me recover, or use the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, or have vision training. Everything I need is here for me to succeed. I have not been able to say that if we had this or that than I would be better… no. Everything is here at my disposal. So far I have been extremely fortunate to never have bad facilities, I always had the optimal facilities at my disposal to take advantage of and help me get to the next level.”
…relationship with family
“We are all super close; there is not a day that goes by where I don’t talk to my sister, mother, or father. Most of the time I talk to all three of them at least once a day. My dad lives in Spain, my sister lives in Northern Germany and my mom lives close to where I was born in Germany. We are all over the place, but we are still extremely close. They try and visit me as much as possible, but Skype and phone help out a lot. Family is definitely the most important thing in my life.”
…being so far away from home
“Some of the guys used to joke around with me when I first got to NC State; mainly because they couldn’t understand me due to the fact that my accent was so strong. Other than that, I loved the people, I was surrounded by a great group of people. I truly loved the entire atmosphere in Raleigh, in North Carolina, and at the school.”
“When I was younger I would always get homesick really easy; it was so bad that I couldn’t even spend the night at friend’s house. Even though I was 21, people were constantly asking me, “Markus are you going to be all right living in another continent? So far away from home, with no one there with you?” But honestly, I wasn’t homesick or sad for more than a day at NC State. This was extremely surprising for me, because that is not like me. Yet, that truly shows how much I loved it at NC State.”
…feather in the hair
“Halloween was coming around, and we were all thinking that we should dress up as Native Americans. So, that’s how it all got started. Then I decided to take it one step further and get a permanent feather extension… Why Not? So, I got it and said to myself that I am not going to take it out until it falls out. When we played Clemson I lost a piece of the feather and we all joked that I sacrificed a piece of the feather for the game. Even with the odds against us before the game, the feather sacrifice seemed to pay off in the end.”
