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CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL: LSU VS OKLAHOMA

December 26, 2019

CeeDee Lamb

Atlanta, Georgia

CEEDEE LAMB: I was born in Louisiana.

Q. Did you ever consider LSU?
CEEDEE LAMB: Yes, of course. I grew up an LSU fan. When you're from Louisiana, that's kind of all you know, purple and gold.

I'll never forget, at the end of the day, you've got to go back to your roots.

Q. Because I'm a Houston boy and I work in Baton Rouge, so I've learned pretty quick the Louisiana pride goes back --
CEEDEE LAMB: Yeah.

Q. So you kind of took that with you, though?
CEEDEE LAMB: Of course. I know where I'm from, and at the end of the day, I know I'm going to rep where I'm from. Not too many people know that because I don't really speak into it. I just say I'm from Houston because it's kind of a complicated story. Not really complicated, just long and I don't feel like explaining it honestly.

Q. Honestly there was some sort of struggle that made you --
CEEDEE LAMB: Yeah, that definitely made me the person I am today. I'm grateful and thankful for everything that's happened in my life up to this point. Obviously it molded me into the man I am today.

Q. It's a little special that you somehow by fate now play against LSU?
CEEDEE LAMB: Right. Like I said, it's a huge honor to play. I'm ready. Can't wait. I've always wanted to play for LSU, but now that I'm playing against LSU it's a little different approach.

Q. A little something to prove?
CEEDEE LAMB: Yeah, to say the least.

Q. You've had Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, now Jalen Hurts. What makes Jalen different from Kyler and Baker?
CEEDEE LAMB: Well, they're all winners, honestly. Jalen plays with a different swagger. They all have their own unique IQ and Jalen comes about it different. He approaches the game different. He has a different mindset than the others. He's kind of more -- not more mature, but it's like his mindset is on a different level.

Q. Walking in you see the video highlights of yourselves. Go back to the eight-year-old self dreaming of that and now watching that, how does that feel?
CEEDEE LAMB: It's -- man, I can't even put that into words. Like I say, I'm thanking God every day. Every morning I wake up, every night I go to sleep, without Him none of this would be possible. But I'm kind of living it one day at a time like it's a living dream honestly. I'm happy to be in the position I'm in and I'm living it up to the fullest.

Q. Talk a little bit about the O-line. Obviously for you to get open the O-line has got to protect you to get the ball to you. Talk about the job they've done all year.
CEEDEE LAMB: Them guys are not unappreciated, and we tell them every day of the week that we're thankful for them. Without them we wouldn't be where we are today. They've done a great job this season obviously because we put up points, and it kind of all starts with them. Like I said, we let them know every week, every day that we're thankful for them and continue to work.

Q. I was talking to a couple cornerbacks and they were talking about how practice is 100 percent with you all the time, full go all the time.
CEEDEE LAMB: Of course.

Q. Where does that attitude come from?
CEEDEE LAMB: I've been down before. I've been at a hard part of my life, and I'm not trying to go back. So I kind of -- every day in practice, I approach it to my last -- like it's my last. Kind of have that game-first mentality. Imagine if I'm in a game and there's an opponent's DB and I'm my teammate, and we're just working, trying to work to make each other better, and I'm a strong believer in iron sharpens iron.

Q. They all credit you for giving them the strength every time --
CEEDEE LAMB: Yes, sir, that's all I know. Growing up my pops instilled that in me. My mom is a hard worker, so I figured why not me added to the bloodline. This year I feel like I definitely took full advantage of that and did that every day in practice.

Q. You had a different quarterback every year you've been here -- the last three years. Has it been like a goal of yours to make sure, like, I'm going to put the same numbers up no matter who is throwing to me?
CEEDEE LAMB: Yeah, that kind of was my mindset, actually. It doesn't matter who gives me the ball, as long as they get it to me and we get going. I feel like with that mindset, I've definitely got to this point I am today. I just wanted to show people obviously you could have a great quarterback, but a receiver can do a lot. It doesn't matter who you put back there.

DeAndre Hopkins kind of set the tone. He's had 10, 13 different quarterbacks, it was crazy. When I kind of saw that growing up, I was in like high school when he just started getting different quarterbacks, and I was like, wow, that kind of proves the kind of receiver he is. I just kind of wanted to have that same label. I wanted people to see like it doesn't really matter who's at quarterback. At the end of the day, we kind of have a common denominator, and that's me.

Q. Obviously when you get different quarterbacks they have different tendencies, they trust guys. How do you find it is to build that trust with them? Were there any challenges to that?
CEEDEE LAMB: Yeah, just being consistent in the off-season, willingly ready to work, trying to give up extra time that you have to get some extra work in, kind of build that trust. Obviously it's going to take a couple scrimmages, a couple games.

Like this season has been a fun ride, honestly. I'm glad I got Jalen's trust early.

Q. How do you go about doing that? How do you go about saying, Jalen, you need to feed me?
CEEDEE LAMB: I kind of tell him like, look, I'm here to help you. You're not here alone. At the end of the day, if you feel any doubt, you know CeeDee is here. Just kind of telling him that every day in practice or whenever he's feeling down, like I'm with him. I want him to know I'm with him beyond football, on and off the field I'm still here.

I just want him to feel my presence and for him to know that I know I'm here. That's all I can tell him, just to let him know where I'm at, where I stand, where my head's at. At the end of the day, he has to do what he has to do.

Q. When you got there how much were you in his head, come on, let's go catch some passes?
CEEDEE LAMB: Oh, it don't stop, no matter if we're on or not. It doesn't stop. We've got to attack everything like it's the beginning, like you're just starting over, like he just transferred here yesterday. Just having that mindset, kind of showed itself this season.

Q. You've been out there this week getting a bunch of work?
CEEDEE LAMB: I wouldn't say every day, but on one of the days we felt like we missed on a couple targets, we're definitely going to get some extra work in there.

Q. Before spring ball started, there's a video of Jalen putting up 600 (indiscernible). What does that moment mean to you or what does his work in the weight room mean to you as a teammate?
CEEDEE LAMB: Seeing him put in extra work on and off the field, in the weight room, it kind of proved his caliber of quarterback and person that he is coming into this offense of Coach Riley's. He kind of grew on us throughout all the hard work that he's put in, coming in here willingly from day one. Guys like that, you can't give nothing but respect and kind of follow their lead, and he's done a great job of kind of instilling himself in this offense, and he's done a great job. I can't really -- man, words can't even describe how proud I am of him.

Q. He's a serious guy, seems like he's looking at this year as the type of year -- as a business trip. I've got a year to get this done. Has that been something you've noticed from him from the start, that he's very laser focused just on this?
CEEDEE LAMB: Yes, he came here with a mindset and you can kind of see that in his eyes. He's not really here to play a game, he's not really here to take any days off. He's taking every day like it's his last, which it is, and I don't blame him for it. I told him at the beginning of the day, I'm here with you, we're going to work.

Q. So the QB can't take a day off --
CEEDEE LAMB: Then your receivers can't take a day off. When you kind of have that mindset, the offense is very dynamic. He's done a great job this season kind of just leading us in the right direction and kind of taking things in his own hands, if you will. Like I said, we've done a great job of following his lead, and when the opportunity came or appeared itself, we showed out.

Q. He said he felt like he could sense that he thought -- do you remember a moment where you said, I know it's only one year and he's a new guy but this is our guy?
CEEDEE LAMB: It started going in the off-season and the spring. Right before the spring got -- no, it was in the spring. We came in, we were doing like two-a-days. He was just in that working, man. Head down, he wasn't really saying too much to anybody. We kind of got that vibe from him. We were just like, hey, if he does it, why not us, so it kind of was like a domino effect.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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