Vince Mayle is working to get to the next level

From Lewiston -- Vince Mayle transferred to WSU last year after playing football for a limited time at the junior college level. A former basketball player, Mayle has the necessary physical tools and the work ethic to make it to the next level. We had a moment to chat with Vince after a practice in Lewiston. Here's what he had to say:

CougCenter: Vince, I talked to Coach (Dennis) Simmons the other day and he just talked about your work ethic. What did you really work on over the offseason?

Mayle: Just my routes in general. Making sure I got all the the depth in my routes. I worked on my releases a lot. I watched similar guys in the NFL to my size. I saw how they got open and the problems that they had so I could make sure I didn't have similar problems.

CougCenter: Also, Coach Simmons talked about you wanting to get to the next level, how do you work on your skills for the pros playing at the college level?

Mayle: I just take it one day at a time. I try to figure out what I can get better at right now and just work on the little things to make my long term goals get better.

CougCenter: When you came here, you were a transfer. You had played basketball without much football experience. How steep of a learning curve was it for you last year?

Mayle: I came in not thinking it was that steep of a learning curve and it kinda came back and bit me. Now I figured out what it would take to get to the level I need to be.

CougCenter: Vince, you've lost a lot of weight since you arrived here. Is there a trade-off between speed and strength when you drop that much weight?

Mayle: I am actually stronger. I've been stronger in the weight room. I'm losing weight. I've been a lot faster. I'm more flexible. I can get in out of my cuts faster. I've become a lot more explosive. And it's a lot easier to adjust to the ball.

CougCenter: How do you work with Dom Williams and communicate with both of you at the X?

Mayle: It's a really unique friendship. He lets me know what he sees and I let him know what I see. We're kind of like a two-headed monster because you have the big balky guy and you got the skinnier guy that can hook and move by you sneakily. If somebody messes with him, we both get on him so we can tire this guy out.

CougCenter: Did you have somebody that mentored you when you came in last year?

Mayle: Yeah, Connor (Halliday) was my roommate last year at fall camp. He is also my roommate again this fall camp. He was my roommate all throughout on the road so he really helped me learn the offense and was helping me with my routes.

CougCenter: Now being a senior, you come in one year and you're new and the next you're a leader. Has that been a fast transition for you?

Mayle: Yeah, it is a transition you have to get used to because last year I wasn't the guy people were looking up to. Now they are looking up to me so I need to make sure my body posture is good and make sure I am not looking down so when the younger guys look at me, they're not like 'he's down, so what are we going to do?' So I am being a little more positive, a little more vocal than I have been.