Devon Achane opens up about decision to enter 2023 NFL Draft

Devon Achane announced that he is forgoing his remaining eligibility at Texas A&M to enter the 2023 NFL Draft, where he could be one of the first tailbacks selected. In an exclusive interview courtesy of Pintail Hunting Club, Achane discusses that decision and much more.

Key notes from Devon Achane interview

• I started training. I went up to Dallas from Dec. 11-21. We have a little break, but I’ll be back there on Jan. 1. It’s different because I would usually be doing track during this part of the year. Right now, it’s just straight football. My body is still in football shape. It’s new to me, and it’s my first time since the ninth grade nothing running track after football season. That is new, but other than that, it's basically just training.
   
• When I really train, I don't think I put on that much weight. I can tell I've picked up some since the end of the year, and that's something I always knew would happen if I stopped running track and just focused on football. The place I train is telling me my diet is not that good. They’re trying to keep me balanced with gaining weight but not losing my speed. I'm not really a vegetable guy, and I drink protein shakes. I cannot be eating unhealthy food all the time. I eat a lot of wings. I couldn't give those up.
   
• I'm trying to run the 40 in 4.2 something at the NFL Combine. You get multiple tries, but if I get 4.2 on my first one, I think I'd be in a pretty great spot.
   
• I love Texas A&M. I loved playing here in front of the fans, and being here was so exciting. Playing at Kyle Field gives you a rush. The NFL isn't like college, so I know I'm going to miss being a college player. I talked with my family, coach Jimbo Fisher and coach Tommie Robinson. My family, me and my mom, decided it was time to take the next step. I will come back to finish my degree because that's something I always wanted to do. It was a tough decision, and if I didn't have to take care of my family, I might have come back. I have a son, and I have to take care of him.
   
• I like watching Christian McCaffery. I like Deebo Samuel too. I can play slot receiver. I can run routes. That's something I can do, and in my first year on varsity in high school, I was a starting slot but sixth-string running back. I have a good eye for the ball, and I have good hands. I don't drop a lot of balls. McCaffery is my favorite player.
   
• I'd carry the ball 50 times if the coach asked me to. I've been playing football since I was three years old. I've been getting the ball a lot. The only thing that has been different is the level. When I was in high school, I got a lot of carries. In little league, I was getting a lot of carries. You don't see people getting clean hits on me. That's something I work on. You have to react. Once you know something and study it, it becomes a reaction. It becomes a habit.
   
• It's natural for some people. If you study your opponent and watch film, you know how some people like to tackle. Some safeties like to head hunt with their head down. If it comes naturally to you, that's just an ability that God gave you. I study my opponent, so it comes a little faster to me. The game is fast, so you're not thinking much. It's all about your reaction.
   
• I got hurt in the Florida game. I had the choice not to play vs. LSU, but I told the seniors and my team that it was 100 percent that I was going to play. We wanted to show everybody what we could be. I wanted to be on Kyle Field with them to share in that great moment.
   
• After the first half vs. LSU, we were making plays in the running game and with short passes. We kept doing that, and then the deep ball started working. It's hard to stop you when you have everything going. We were clicking on all cylinders. We played a great game as a whole. The defense got stops too. We had it on our minds, and what a way to go out. We gave it 100 percent.
   
• The LSU game was fun. From the beginning to end. I was laughing at one point. Harold Perkins hit me in the backfield on one play, but I was just laughing. It was just a game. I was out there having fun. It was fun. Jimbo Fisher was trying to yell at Earnest Crownover for messing up on one play, but I told him that we were good. We were just having fun.
   
• I feel like Amari Daniels, Le'Veon Moss and Earnest Crownover are great backs. Earnest has been here as long as I have. When I was hurt, you saw Le'Veon and Amari. They both had big runs. You can expect more of the same thing. It's not like because Achane left A&M no longer has any running backs. They do the same thing I do. I expect the same thing from them. We just recruited and signed Rueben Owens‍ too. That's another great back. I'm just hoping I left a great example so Amari and them can teach him. Once you learn the plays and the offensive scheme, it moves easily for you.
   
• Conner Weigman is going to be great for us next year. When he stepped in, he made plays. He runs for first downs when we need it, and he's not scared to take hits. I just want to see his growth. He already has the mindset of a starter and feels like he should be playing. He had that mindset since he first came in. Weigman and his receivers, Moose Muhammad and Evan Stewart, they're going to be great. I can't wait for college football to come back so I can watch them play.
   
• My favorite plays were the Orange Bowl run, the Alabama kickoff return and one of my touchdowns vs. LSU. A play I would show the NFL would be the run against LSU where I didn't score but broke a lot of tackles and gained a lot of yards. It shows I can run through the tackles. I might not be big, but I can run through tacklers and break tackles. One person should not be able to tackle me, and that's a mindset I go into a game with. I have the mindset of not caring who you are.
   
• Arkansas was a fun game this year, too, because they had a great team as well. It's always a challenge. When you're playing a competitor, it's what I like. They’ll talk trash. I talk stuff back, and it's fun. I like playing against great teams. If we had to play a top-five team for every game, I would have no problem with it. That's what I like about sports.
   
• When I was in high school, I didn't go to camps much. I guess that's why I was underrated as a recruit. I was never worried about that because that's not the type of player I was. I always felt like if you turned on my film, you could see who I was. I didn't go to an All-American game out of high school either because I never felt it was something I needed to do. I'm not saying it's bad, and I know it's fun for some guys. It was just never my thing.
   
• I was so tired in that high school game at Kyle Field after they called an 80-yard touchdown back just for me to run the next play 90 yards for a score.