A quick Q&A with new Northwestern superback Cameron Green

Weeks ago, redshirt freshman Cameron Green was stuck in the basement of a muddled wide receiver depth chart. Due to his size and an injury to Jayme Taylor, however, the former three-star recruit from nearby Buffalo Grove made the move from wide receiver to superback, and he’ll play as the second-stringer to Garrett Dickerson to open the season. Northwetsern tends to use a lot of two-superback sets, though, so Green will see the field a lot. We caught up with him to discuss the move and his expectations for what will be his first official game in almost two years.

Inside NU: What was your initial reaction to you meeting with the coaches and them moving you over (to superback)?

Cam Green: We had joked about it back in the fall and spring, so I wasn’t too surprised. It was pretty cool. If the coaches said I needed to go somewhere to help out the team, I was gonna do that, and that’s pretty much what coach [Pat Fitzgerald] said. He walked me into one of the rooms and he said, “Hey we need some help in the superback room. We’re losing a couple players here and there, so it would be awesome if you could come and join this.” Just told me that I’d be a big help to the team right there, and I was very open to it.

INU: What’s the mindset going from a guy that’s buried on the depth chart to now the No. 2 guy?

CG: It’s kinda cool. It’s a little bit scary to do that, but it kind of just shows a lot of hard work pays off. I’m honored to be in that position right now where I am, and I’m very excited to play and go out there and do what I can. Being in the bottom four didn’t mean much to me. No matter what, everyone’s working hard regardless of where they start, whether you’re the last guy or the first guy. It just feels great to be recognized and put up to the second team.

INU: How do you feel that transition is going so far?

CG: It’s a pretty good transition to be honest. Most of the things are the same. It;s all the same technique, same everything here and there. The guys in the room have helped me out with this transition, especially the coaching staff and everyone else. Honestly,my teammates have made it very, very easy to transition from wide receiver to superback, and I’m enjoying the process that it’s taken as well.

INU: What do you think are some of the strengths of your game moving to superback?

CG: Just using my hands the same way I did as a wide receiver, trying to go out there and catch the ball would probably be one of my biggest strengths. Also trying to take advantage of my size now. I used to be an outside wide receiver that would just belittle corners and stuff like that, but now I’m more in the middle of the field, so try to use my size on linebackers, defensive ends and people like that. So definitely try to take that to my advantage now and showcase that on the field.

INU: What are some of the big things you’re trying to focus on as a superback now?

CG: Doing whatever I have to do to win games. If the coaches tell me I have to do this, I’m gonna go out and do it to the best of my ability, whether I know I can do it or if I’ve never done it before. So just trust the coaches and whatever they tell me to do, that’s exactly what I’m gonna try to do.

INU: How much does having experience on the offensive side of the ball already help out?

CG: It helps out a lot. I’m pretty much doing the same thing, like I said, playing receiver. So that makes it a lot easier for me to run routes, block and do stuff that I’ve done before. It’s just football at the end of the day.

INU: Pat Fitzgerald was joking around that he was trying to keep you in skinny jeans, and now you don’t have to play at such a weight as a wide receiver would have to. The media guide lists you at 210 (pounds). What’s your ideal weight to be playing at now that you’re moving inside closer to the line?

CG: They weren’t lying when they put me at 210, so that is true. It kind of just fluctuates right between there. That’s the weight that I’ve been at for a while now, so I’m gonna maintain that hopefully and play with that, play with my body and then just bigger faster, stronger with whatever weight hops on my body.