Jared Goff Interview: California QB ready for stardom

California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff took the time to speak with FanSided.com’s Evan Massey about the past season, the future, and everything in between.

Jared Goff put together a masterful 2014 college football season, and was the nation’s fifth leading passer as a sophomore. That is impressive to say the least, and he is in line for Heisman Trophy and other award consideration heading into next season.

During the 2014 season, Goff ended up finishing with 3,973 yards, 35 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions through the air. His numbers show off an impressive NFL resume for the future, but he is focused on his junior season at California. It is easy for a young quarterback to get caught up in the moment and fame, but that isn’t the case with Goff.

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At 6’4″ and 210 pounds, Goff is the perfect size for a quarterback. His arm has a great combination of strength and accuracy, and the future is extremely bright for him.

Goff agreed to do an exclusive interview with us here at FanSided.com, and any quotes from this point on are from that interview.

Looking ahead to next season, the expectations have been raised for Goff. He talked about what his goals are and how he feels that he needs to improve this offseason.

“Really everything. I’m just trying to get better at ever facet of the game. Get better by watching film and at the same time try to get physically stronger and bigger and mentally stronger, become a better leader and teammate.”

Those comments alone show the maturity that the quarterback possesses, as he hasn’t allowed himself to get carried away with the success. He has stayed grounded through everything, and is focused on getting better and becoming a better teammate. That in and of itself is an encouraging answer.

“My individual goal is to win a lot of games, and I think that’s the same as our team goal. That’s going to start with first game against Grambling.”

California is expected to be a much better football team this year with an even better version of Goff, and are coming off of a tough 5-7 season.

It’s hard for him to believe that he is already heading into his junior season, and he talked about some of the changes and how the time has blown past him.

“The time has definitely flown by, and it feels like just yesterday I was entering my first semester in the Spring and graduating early from High School and two seasons just went by super fast.”

Another question that fans always love to hear from college football quarterback is whether or not they model their game or compare themselves after an NFL quarterback. Goff had an answer that would make most California fans proud.

Nov 29, 2014; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff (16) controls the ball against the Brigham Young Cougars during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

“I don’t know, I mean. There are a lot of of great quarterbacks. I don’t think I’d compare myself to any single guy, but I like to take things from a lot of different guys games. My favorite quarterback in the NFL is probably Aaron Rodgers, and I try to do stuff that he does. He’s just so good with the football in his hands, both running and passing. He’s not necessarily a dual-threat type of guy, but he can move a little bit when he has to and I think I can do that as well.”

With all of the media talk about him, it is easy to get lost in award races and what he needs to do in order to win those awards. Goff talked about how he handles all of the expectations.

“I don’t really think about it too much. I’m going to let all our media guys handle all that. If they need to do interviews like this, I’ll do interviews, but as far as what awards I’m up for I won’t know for the most part. I just try to pay attention to getting better and winning games and that stuff will take care of itself.”

Athletes sometimes appear to be so much different from normal people, but Goff talked about what he enjoys doing off-the-field. It doesn’t sound too much different than what a normal college guy would do.

“I like to just relax and I’ve been playing a lot of FIFA lately. Just playing video games, watching TV, watching movies, stuff regular college kids do. I’m a huge Warriors fan right now, and I’m excited to see what they’re doing right now.”

Next season is coming up very quickly, and Goff is expected to have yet another huge year. California needs their quarterback to step up in a big way, and he is more than ready for the challenge.

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