Former Tennessee wide receiver Donté Stallworth has made a name for himself as a Saint. He is part of a talented receiving corps anchored by veteran Joe Horn. As a rookie Stallworth missed three games due to an injury, but he still caught 42 passes for 594 yards and recorded a team-high eight touchdowns on the season. Jason Doré spoke to him recently following practice.
JD: Do you consider there to be a rivalry between LSU and Tennessee?
DS: The last time Tennessee and LSU played, Tennessee should have won. It’s a big rivalry. We came down to Death Valley back in 2000. It was a hard fought game that went into overtime. It’s always a close game overtime we play. It will be a big game if they end up playing in the conference championship this year and obviously I’ll be pulling for Tennessee.
JD: What do you think about all your new fans on the Gulf Coast?
DS: It’s cool. You see what kind of fans the Southeastern Conference has. I think once you leave the SEC and become an NFL player, everyone from the SEC is going to cheer for you.
JD: How do you feel about the performance of the Saints’ talented receiving corps thus far?
DS: Our numbers could be better, but I think we made a lot of strides from the first few games. We get better every game. It will be a thing to see once we can actually put everything together before the season ends.
JD: Speaking of receivers, have you been able to watch some of the receivers we have down at LSU this season?
DS: I knew about Clayton when I was at Tennessee. My last year he was a freshman, I knew he was going to be a good player because he was damn good then. He was a hell of a player. I watch him every time I get a chance to watch LSU.
JD: What do you think about LSU’s team this year?
DS: They have a pretty strong team over there. Nick [Saban] is doing a good job. He came over there a few years ago and kicked our ass. I think he’s doing a good job.
JD: Was it difficult for you to adjust to the NFL?
DS: There is a big difference between college and pros. I got adjusted easier to the football side of the NFL than the business side and having to deal with all the off-the-field stuff. All those things can cloud a rookie’s mind. I tried not let that happen last year. I think that’s the biggest difference.