Khairi Fortt talks about his experience at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Dave Ruden's Blog

Blog #1

“Finally, I made it to San Antonio. The flight yesterday was horrible – it was real windy, I’m just happy I got here. When I got to the hotel It was really good to see some familiar faces, like Nick Forbes and Chris Martin – who I know from Football University Top Gun. When I’m around such great players like all of these guys, it’s like they’re just like me. At home, we’re all considered ‘the man’ and then you come here and everyone’s a star. It’s kind of cool to be around so much talent. At the hotel we were all busy from the start. At first I thought it was alright, taking pictures and checking in – it wasn’t too bad. And then we had to sign autographs which basically caught me off guard. I’ve signed autographs before, like when I visit Penn State but never 300 or so in one day like I did yesterday. That was crazy. [Monday] I just had my first practice and I think it went pretty well. I was a little thrown off with all of the new plays—I guess I didn’t expect that, but I’ll get the hang of it. The coaches have been real cool and I’m learning more than I thought I would. I’m just so happy to be here.”

Blog #2

“Last night we had dinner at that Space Needle, I can’t remember the name of the place. It was really high up – the planes were basically linear to me. Everything was fancy and very expensive – we had some fancy chicken, Italian bread, it was all really good. The restaurant overlooks the city, so after we ate, I decided to take some pictures of the view. At one point, Robert Crisp, who is like 6-8, snuck up behind me and picked me up – that was a little scary to be honest. Obviously he was just joking around though. We had our 2nd practice today [Tuesday]. It was a little more intense and you can tell everyone is in a little bit more of a comfort zone. I played pretty well today, especially during the one-on-one’s. I had 2 interceptions and a bunch of knock-aways – that felt good. I still can’t believe how big some of these players are. The line is so huge that I can’t see the backfield some times.My body is definitely feeling a little sore. Practices are tough and everyone’s playing hard so you’re going to be sore. I ate a few bananas to get some potassium on my muscles though, so I think I’ll be alright.”

Blog # 3

We went to Dave and Buster’s last night [Tuesday] which was a lot of fun. I had a little pasta with alfredo sauce and Italian bread. Dave and Buster’s is part restaurant and part arcade, so after we ate we were able to play some games and have some fun. I started off by playing some racing games but I really got to business when I saw that they had Guitar Hero – that’s my game. I was playing on expert and just killing people. If things don’t work out in football, I may have to become a professional guitar hero player. Since no one was really challenging me I decided to play this jackpot game, where I had to spin a wheel and land the dial on a certain number. Looking back on it, that was pretty bad idea since I lost all of my card money on that game – but it was pretty addicting. After that we went back in the hotel and I actually got some more food. They were serving Philly cheese steaks in the player’s lounge, so I had to get my hands on a few of those. Then I just went back to my room and called my mom and dad and my girlfriend. I always have to check in with them and let them know that everything is going OK. Today we had the skills challenge which was cool. The best part was interacting with the soldiers. Almost all of these guys have been in wars and have lost legs and just talking to them and seeing them here meant a lot. It made me want to try harder and play better just knowing they were around watching.

Blog #4

During the player/hero challenge last night I was paired up with a soldier who was shot in the leg. He and his friend were being shot at and his friend was killed right in front of him. He was running away after that and got shot at when he was climbing a fence. He wears a bracelet now with the names of the soldiers in his group who were killed and I thought that was really intense. To be reminded of that every single day makes you appreciate life a little more. He was actually pretty calm when he was talking about it – I guess that’s just reality for him which is pretty sad.After that we went back to the hotel and we were chillin’ with the Football University Youth All-Americans. I had a group of linebackers that was I talking to – I was trying to mentor them a little bit. I spoke to the kids about how to improve their speed, what colleges are looking for in high school players, and different things to work on.

Blog #5

We had a BBQ at the Alamodome last night and met some band members. They were actually pretty cool and they’re all really talented. The food was pretty good but the unsweetened iced tea was terrible – it could’ve been a little more, um, sweeter. I hung out with my solider, Staff Sergeant Atkins and we made up our pre-game handshake for player introductions. It’s going to be hot. We run up to each other, turn around, run up again, we do a cool one-two slap starting low and ending high and then we end with a jumping back bump. We’re going to get a little animated too. We we’re allowed to go back to the hotel a little early so we could watch the Texas Alabama game. I was rooting for Texas because we’re [Penn State] playing Alabama next year in our second game. I thought Texas was going to come back at the end but ‘Bama was too good. It was nice to just sit back and watch the game as a fan. I’m really pumped for the game tomorrow. I know I’m going to be a little nervous but I’m also excited to be on a national stage like this. I’ve never been on NBC before so I’m definitely looking forward to that. And to make it all better, we’re going to win the game.

See Khairi's Selection Video (opens new window)

See Khairi compete in the Push-Up Contest (opens new window)