HBCU Sports contributing writer Brandon King recently caught up with the former University of Tennessee-Martin and current Mississippi Valley State safety Aaron Webb to discuss his football influences, why he chose an HBCU, and what he hopes to accomplish in Itta Bena.
The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.
Brandon King: When did you fall in love with football?
Aaron Webb: I fell in love with football around fifth grade, when I first started playing it. I always use to watch Tyrann Mathieu at LSU. I was an offensive player [and] I used to watch Tavon Austin. I used to watch those highlights. I will say that’s when I kind of knew, ‘Okay, I want to play the game of football.'”
BK: Who have been some of the people who helped get you to the point where you are now?
AW: Obviously, my mom; without her, none of this would be possible. God. Other people like my big cousin, Elijah, who played football first in the family, and my uncle. So really, my uncle, and my cousin Elijah, were the ones who brought it to me, and I knew I wanted to be. I always wanted to be like, my uncle, my big cousin—those guys and along with my coaches.
BK: You went to Pattonville High School (Missouri), where you had a solid career, and after graduating, you went to the JUCO route. What led you to that path, and how would you describe your experience at that level?
AW: I would say what led me to it was due to me not taking care of my grades. In my junior year, the most important year, I decided to play around and got too comfortable. [I] wasn’t focusing on what it took to get to those bigger schools, you know, bigger programs. So that’s what led me to Iowa Western. And all I needed was a chance. So what I did was I walked on, which is having faith in yourself and your ability. It taught me how to lock in on what you got to do and not compare yourself to others around you.
BK: Would you say that experience ended up being a blessing in disguise in a sense?
AW: Yeah. I honestly wouldn’t change it because they molded me into a better man as well. It was just a lot of things that I had to learn that I wasn’t picking up on high school because you’re immature; you think you have got it figured out, but you don’t. It was a lot of things that I didn’t know… So I wouldn’t change anything.
BK: UT Martin goes on to win a second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference title (in 2022), and you were a part of making that happen. So when you’ve had that much success, and you’re starting to find your way, you decide to kind of go in a different direction. What was the impetus for your decision to transfer?
AW: Really, it was big because I know many coaches were leaving; you kind of feel it. After we won, you get better opportunities. It was pretty much a call, and I was ready to be branched out and be, you know, a leader for another program and go positively impact them, and I felt like it was a call.
BK: Once you decide to jump in the portal, is that a conversation you have with your position coach, defensive coordinator, and then the head coach? What does that look like?
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AW: That’s the conversation you have with really, ultimately, yourself first. Believe it or not, a lot of athletes go back and forth on whether they want to hit the portal because just the instinct of you always want more. But you typically have it with your DC, and then you go to the head coach. So [my] DC, it was already a given that he was leaving. So it was just one of the things. But then you also have to [speak with] your head coach. So obviously, he didn’t want to let me go, but at the same time, you want to branch out and have opportunities and go impact the program more at the forefront.
BK: I saw a stat that said there are still over 6,000 athletes in the portal. So in a sense, it is a leap of faith because just because you get in the portal, it may not necessarily mean that there’s something for you on the other side.
AW: You can be in the portal (and) many people think just because you enter the portal, you should get X number of D1 offers or that you should get a few. Some people expect a bunch [of offers], but it just really doesn’t work out that way. I just was blessed enough to have opportunities and coaches who knew coaches and connections to tie it together to have a lot of opportunities.
BK: You jumped into the portal and ended up at Mississippi Valley. How did that happen? Was that the plan all along?
AW: Well, really, when I jumped into the portal, I really didn’t have any attention, but when I got my first offer from the University of Central Missouri, that’s when it kind of started up. And so then I got Lindenwood right after that. I would say that Valley had contacted me, and they loved my film. The things we were trying to work on getting my transcripts and everything through compliance to make sure I was good with school. So it was kind of that was kind of put on hold, but I still have my recruitment open, just in case that didn’t fall through. So a lot of coaches gave me opportunities, but it was really in my head I knew the journey; I knew the goal of what I wanted to do was to impact a program and really impact the culture. I think it’s important to be in my skin color; I think it’s important to rep for the Black community and Black education. Along with Jerry Rice going there, it’s kind of a no-brainer.
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BK: When you decided to get into the portal, was it always your intent to go to an HBCU, or was it just that Mississippi Valley knocked your socks off?
AW: I never really know what God had in store for me. But I knew I always hinted at going to HBCU. I just didn’t know which one. You obviously always think of the Jackson States, FAMU, those types of [schools]. But it felt like it was a calling after I had gone down on my visit to Mississippi Valley, and it felt good with me. I talked to my mom about it, and we prayed and prayed, and it just was kind of everything aligned. I’m just excited to be a part of it and get the HBCU experience.
BK: What mark do you hope to leave once your playing days are over at Mississippi Valley?
AW: Ultimately, to win national championships. I care about winning anything, and the goal is to win a national championship. So that’s what I’m trying to do — change the narrative and obviously be an HBCU legend. I want to be All-SWAC and All-American. That’s the goal as well, but I feel like it all ties in to winning the championship and doing what (associate head coach) Jesse Thompson and (head coach) Kendrick Wade asked me to do. Be a leader and be impactful. You just make plays. I have been doing it all my life.
