Interview: End of Season Wrap Up with 2017 Archbishop Moeller DT Jeremy Meiser

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Senior seasons are always the time when players in any sport want to play their best and out shine their competition. Archbishop Moeller defensive tackle Jeremy Meiser has been a key piece up front for the Fighting Crusaders over the past two seasons but took a big step forward with his game at exactly the right time.

The end of high school careers can be a bitter-sweet parting but lucky for Old Dominion fans, Meiser will be taking his talents from the Cincinnati area to the Norfolk community in 2017 ready to help the Monarchs against Conference USA foes. The talent they are receiving in Meiser is a proven commodity having played against some of the best competition in the nation during his senior campaign.

Archbishop Moeller did not have the overall successful season they had hoped to achieve but were still one of the more talented teams in the nation during the 2016 season. The Fighting Crusaders play in the Greater Catholic League in Ohio, one of the tougher conferences in the nation. Adding to their challenge, their first six contests of the season were all on the road. One of those tough first six games was a 20-14 road win against New Jersey powerhouse Don Bosco Prep. On the heels of the win against Bosco was a 21-14 loss to St. Xavier, eventual Ohio State champs ranked No. 14 in the nation (MaxPreps), and then a really tough 55-14 loss to La Salle, another traditional Ohio powerhouse that finished the season ranked No. 32 in the country.

Through all of the ups and downs, Meiser was the man in the middle collapsing the pocket, stopping the run, and eating up linemen so his linebackers could make plays. The 6-3, 285 pound, talent will be the first to tell you stats do not matter much to him, but on an estimate he ended up with around 30 tackles and double-digit tackles for a loss.

At the heart of it all, Meiser is proud Fighting Crusader but is also very-very excited about the next chapter of his life with Old Dominion. He committed to ODU in late June staying solid with the Monarchs over offers from teams like Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Navy, Kent State, Yale, Nevada, Buffalo, Cornell, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Harvard, Fordham, William & Mary, Holy Cross, Mercer, and Western Kentucky.

In a Recruiting News Guru end of season interview, Meiser and I covered the Crusaders 2016 campaign while getting a recruiting update with a look ahead to ODU.

Interview

Jeremy, how did the 2016 season go for you overall?

“From a personal perspective it went well. I feel like I played well. A lot of the guys on the opposing o-lines, guys I know, said I was the best they had gone up against this year. I received GCL Defensive Lineman of the Year. From a team perspective and as a captain, I think we fell short. I think we played a really tough schedule. USA Today said it was the second toughest schedule in the nation. Six away games to start the season was hard. We won our first two games and beat Bosco – that was a great accomplishment. I think we got cocky going into our league games. We ended up going 4-6. I think if we had gotten into the playoffs we could have made a run but we will never know.”

How did your game improve this year?

“I think I was a lot stronger. I think I held the line better, my first step was better, and I stopped plays in the backfield not at the line. We played a lot of quick release guys (quarterbacks), so I did not get a lot of sacks. They were a lot of quick reads and the ball was out of their hand plays.”

You got an interception this year, was that your first ever at the varsity level?

“Yeah it was. I was really surprised when I caught it. First thing that went into my mind was do not fumble. That was right before half. They kept running that play, running a draw. When I got through the line too quickly I realized what the play was. I was not worried about scoring, I was just worried about not fumbling the ball.”

The Fighting Crusaders played some tough teams this year. Who was the toughest lineman or running back you went up against in 2016?

“Tyler Friday from Don Bosco (guard). He was a big challenge. We played against him last year when he was a sophomore and I was a junior. He got the better of me last year, I got him this year. I think he is probably one of the best we played against this year. Not many can move like him. No. 70 (Darian Kinnard, 6-6, 315) for St. Ignatius (No. 19 team in the nation). He can move well. He was one of the guys that I struggled to hold the line of scrimmage against without great effort. He challenged me.”

Have you found out about any postseason honors?

“Yes. I was first team All-GCL, GCL Defensive Lineman of the Year, and Man of Moeller of the Year Award.”

Have you taken your official visit to Old Dominion yet?

“Yeah, last weekend I took my official to Old Dominion.”

How did your visit to Old Dominion go?

“It went well. I had a lot of fun. I hung out with the players and went to Dave and Busters. It is fun down there around the beach. It was a great time.”

How many times have you been there now?

“This was my fourth time. This was the first time I stayed for a while and had a great amount of time with the players. All the other visits were a Junior Day or a day visit.”

Was there anything that you learned about ODU during this trip that you did not know before hand?

“I didn’t really know about the academic part as much in terms of the plan they put you on. They want you to finish your degree in four years. If you have your first degree within four years, if you redshirt you can finish your masters in a five-year program. That was cool.”

Have you started getting ready for the next level?

“Yes, I have been lifting pretty hard. I have a lifting class two days a week, three days a week every other week. I lift with my coach. I lift before school too. The next couple of weeks I will start on my speed and cardio.”

Do you remember your weight room totals from the off-season?

“My bench was 365, squat 510, deadlift 545, and clean 315. We have not maxed out since then.”

Do you have any weight room goals for this spring?

“Honestly, I’m not worried about max numbers. I’m just worried about being ready. I’m doing a lot of reps at medium weights. I’m not worried about the numbers. I’m just trying to get prepared.”

Have the Old Dominion coaches told you anything specific that they would like for you to work on before reporting?

“They have not told me anything specific. One thing they said, the defensive coordinator (Kermit Buggs) told me one of the big things defensive linemen and players have to learn when they come to college is using their hands. He said it takes players a few years to learn that. He said I use my hands well and that I have a good start there. We had a player panel telling us to make sure we are in shape too.”

Have any teams started picking up the recruiting intensity a little bit trying to see if you are interested in their program?

“Not in the past couple of weeks. During the season some teams were messaging me. I am happy where I am going. I would not change from Old Dominion. ODU is the right fit for me.”

What is the proudest achievement you will take with you from your days at Moeller before going to ODU?

“I think beating Bosco was my biggest achievement. Last year we had a ton of talent and they dominated us. This year we had a good team but maybe not the talent from last year. Bosco has great players. We were down 21-7 and we won. The trip and experience was great. I don’t think they will play each other again. We were one of the only teams to beat Bosco. That will carry some weight next year. A lot of ODU players are from New Jersery.”

Jeremy, thanks for your time today. Congratulations on a great season and good luck with your off-season workouts.

“Thank you.”

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Photo credit: Meiser family; Jeremy Meiser at ODU on the field.

Photo credit: Meiser family; Jeremy Meiser at ODU.

Photo credit: Meiser family; Jeremy Meiser and family at ODU.