Interview: Does Steelers UDFA John Rhys Plumlee have Taysom Hill-like 'slash' potential?

Intro chip tamam and football that's what Pittsburgh does what's up everybody thanks again for finding the show here on the post gazettes podcast Network as always I'm Brian batco gonna have a really fun show today with undrafted free agent quarterback for the Steelers John rice plumbley out of UCF everybody's always interested in the quarterbacks no different even if he's an undrafted guy gunning for a spot on the roster so it'll be really interesting to hear his story which is fascinating uh he played some full-time wide receiver at old before transferring to UCF he also played college baseball as as part of his journey so I wait to talk to him about that and how he plans on making an impression this weekend when rookie mini camp begins thanks again to Pella for bringing you this show no better place to get new windows and doors installed in your home in Pella they can help you save on your energy costs year round schedule a free inhome consultation with your local Pella windows and doors to find the right product for your home and your budget give them a call at 866 5931 1560 to discuss your project further that's 866 5931 1560 to get started planning on your new windows and doors installation with Pella Windows and Doors of Pittsburgh let's talk to John rice plumbley on the other [Music] side here he is John rice plumbley new John Rhys Plumlee undrafted free agent of the Steelers quarterback out of UCF great to talk to you here John rice how you doing man man I'm doing good I'm blessed happy to be talking to you that's for sure absolutely I wanted to have you on because you know during the draft down in the Steelers media room we we always get the picks on a conference call afterward we don't usually get to talk to the undrafted guys until you know a week or two later at at rookie Camp so um you know one to get fans kind of a look at at who you are and let's be honest everybody's always interested in the quarterbacks no matter where they come from or or where they're going so first off you go by John rice never John or Jr or anything like that right yeah I go by Jr people call me JRP but it's usually a combination of John rice my first name and my middle name I've always gone by both of those names um so Jr John rice whatever you want to call me okay good to know I'm sure they're probably already calling you JRP on Twitter and everything uh Steelers Nation so um but yeah I mean since since we don't have that immediate call after the draft you know how'd it come together for you with the Steelers Saturday night did you have any sort of interaction with them in the pre-draft like the shrine bow or Big 12 pro day or anything or did things just kind of work out with the opportunity and the signing bonus and all that good stuff yeah yeah so um I went to two uh Allstar games I went to the hula which is a a little bit smaller one and then went to the east west sh um and so I got to talk to them uh both at both of those games um and then as we l up to to draft night I was talking to to guys on the phone um you know whether via text or or phone calls um did a zoom with them uh probably about a week and a half before um and that was that had everybody on it um including uh Omar Mr Omar and you know Arthur coach Arthur and coach Tom and so and so had a lot of people on that and so kind of made me feel important a little bit right get to talk to everybody that was always that's always a good thing and so um then draft night comes along and I'm kind of talking to him through the draft process kind of staying in contact UM as I was with a couple of different teams and then yeah um post draft I'm taking a bunch of phone calls hearing about scenarios and and situations and hearing about and that and so try to navigate through all that good stuff and I felt like Pittsburgh was the best spot for me um and then ultimately uh decided that that's where I was supposed to be and so super super happy super blessed to to have the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh and and and cannot wait to get there and you get to stay in the black and gold even though I personally I think UCF is more traditional gold than the Steelers definitely don't call them black and yellow a subset of the fan base well uh they will not like that so just just say it's still the black and gold for you yeah yeah I was went to ove high school and they were black and gold then I would go to UCF obviously black and gold and now to Pittsburgh I've been black and gold through and through here so super excited to stay in the same color scheme well that works out what were those interactions like with Omar Khan or or Mike Tomlin or the new OC in town Arthur Smith yeah it was really good um to be able to talk to those guys obviously um watching them on TV and watching what they do a big fan of what they do right and so to be able to then um have that interaction with them was was really really cool um and again kind of pumps your tires makes you feel good when you get to talk to important people right and so um then ultimately as as the draft finished up like I said uh felt like the right spot Versatility obviously a big part of your journey is kind of converting from QB to wide receiver at one point and back to QB at at UCF what did they kind of tell you about your role is it purely as a passer or do you think they might look at you in some different ways once they get in here and and start working with you face to face uh it's been communicated to me that I will be playing quarterback okay at Pittsburgh and so I'm super excited about that it's always been what I've wanted to do um and uh super excited that I have the opportunity to do that I was gonna say I mean I've seen obviously the tesm hill comparison is a popular one for you and other college quarterback do you do you Embrace that versatility or are you kind of like and I feel like you you got to this a little bit in your in your last answer I mean are you kind of like hey I I know what I can do strictly as a quarterback like it let at least let me get that chance first at the next level and and then we'll see what happens yeah uh I take it as a compliment right like ta Hill is an extremely athletic guy and I think when people talk me and him they're kind of giving me a compliment saying that I am athletic so I take it as a compliment man I'll take being called an athlete any day of the week right but as far as you know which one that I love pursuing I love pursuing quarterback I feel like I am a quarterback and I feel like I have the opportunity to to be a really really good quarterback and so um excited to be able to Showcase that uh at the highest level right in in a quarterback room that has some really really awesome names excited to learn from those guys and and be around them and work every so super excited about the opportunity yeah gonna get to those Home Run Derby uh awesome names in a minute here but another huge part of your story is the doal athlete aspect of it baseball football uh you know you know the Steelers have a training camp tradition every year that might be good for you right have you heard about this yet have not okay so so each summer toward the end of Camp uh they go over to one of the baseball or soft fields at St Vincent College in latro about an hour hour and a half east of Pittsburgh and they have a home run derby and I believe it was another quarterback Kenny picket who won the past two years but he's he's in Philadelphia now he's traded to the Eagles so the bels up for grabs do you have any predictions for yourself in that given your collegiate baseball accolades yeah yeah obviously uh feel super confident in myself to be able to go over there and and and swing a baseball bat around but also you know I know Russell uh he's he's a baseball player as well and so maybe seeing him swing it might make me a little nervous but um no I'm that sounds like a really cool experience and and excited for it nonetheless yeah I mean that goes right into what I was going to ask you I mean with that legitimate baseball experience and and not to mention you know being a sub6 foot quarterback who can really move and extend plays and use that as a big part of your game I mean is is Russell Wilson a guy you looked up to Growing Up is is he somebody you've kind of tried to pattern your game after to an extent yeah yeah I've I've been a fan of him you know you know for a long time obviously uh you love to to model your game or or um see yourself in somebody and I felt like uh me and Russell kind of uh like right he he was he wasn't the biggest the tallest guy in the room he was athletic he was able to extend plays he played baseball too and so um I felt like I saw myself a little bit in Russell and so haven't met him yet excited to get up there and and meet him and learn from him um and ultimately be around him every day it's going to be a ton of fun absolutely um and I know that Playing both sports at the same time you know probably some of the Steelers die hards out there have seen that famous video of you the clip uh playing you know the baseball and football game on the same day Jersey to Jersey running all around you know beyond that minute or or two minute or glimpse into your life whatever it was I mean what can you say just about that experience what it meant to you um and and I guess you know to to even further that what's it going to be like to just be able to concentrate fully on football for a while here and and sort of you know go for this professional opportunity in one sport versus the other yeah uh speaking on that opportunity so much I that was my dream to play football and baseball at the highest level um I got to live that dream both at Old Miss and at UCF I got to to play both Sports and so um really really enjoyed my time in college um but I think uh there is the reality of I think I would have been a better football player if I would have spent you know 365 days being a football player uh or if I would have been a b basketball baseball player if I would have spent 365 days playing baseball right that's the reality of it um and so looking forward looking ahead I'm excited to be able to spend 365 days being a football player um and really really sharpen my game and in in ways and aspects that I have not been able to do uh you know in the past because half the year I'm a baseball player so um no longer and and so excited to to be full-time full go in football well uh some buddies and I have a beer league softball team that plays Tuesday nights if you once you're in town if you ever want to come pinch hit or do whatever you need to do we will glad you gladly take you on I don't think we'll pay you as much as the Steelers but maybe we can work something out so yeah absolutely absolutely seems like a plan to me all right did did did Mike Toman ask you How much did the Steelers ask much about that I mean that seems like something he would think is uh you know kind of a cool thing and I it is a unique thing for you in this draft how much did the Steelers or or any other scouts or coaches you talk to um kind of discuss that part of your story and also so the sort of wide receiver QB um you know split in time between two positions let alone two sports yeah I had a uh you know I think it's something different right and a lot of times you know uh the guys that are interviewing you know college athletes and college football players they speak about football all day and um so I think it was a little different and so they kind of got excited to to maybe speak about something that was other than Hey how well do you run a 40 or how well do you run a 5105 right I think that were they got excited to talk about something other than that um but uh speaking into the quarterback receiver thing I had a couple of teams reach out you know I'm saying hey we want you to play quarterback and do some wide receiver stuff and utilized in a different way and um which was I would have been all up for right if I'm getting you know paid to play football in the NFL man you can't that's not that's not a bad gig right um but Pittsburgh was one of the teams that that had full full confidence in me as a quarterback and so that that is something that was really really appealing for me um because I do see myself that way I see myself as a quarterback and on that note I I guess The disappointment of not being drafted it's kind of interesting I'm sure there's a little bit of a disappointment when you're not one of those names called in the seven rounds of the draft but at the same time you know you get picked by a team there's there's no sort of control where you're going the vision they have for you how they might want to use you how do you sort of um you know I guess reconcile those two ideas of like that's the dream uh being a draft pick but you know when it doesn't work out i' I've heard I've talked to players and certainly have talked to people on the personel side who say sometimes it's actually better to have that UD next to your name and it can it can sort of help uh picking your landing spot in that way yeah it was uh it was good for me um I'm not I'm not a picky guy for me I just wanted an opportunity an opportunity to go and showcase my skills um and try to raise some eyebrows right and so if I was drafted the second round I was going to get that opportunity if I was drafted in the in the seventh round I was going to get that opportunity or like I was I went undrafted and I got to pick where I could go pursue opportunity and so um I'm not a picky guy right and so when you're when you have an opportunity I think it's just that it's what you do with it right and so look a little different for some guys and and and everybody has their own kind of uh Trek through this through through this process but for me I was just looking for opportunity and was super super thankful that I got that well back in How to stand out as an undrafted QB 2019 which was my first year on the Steelers beat uh there was a living example of that an undrafted quarter he wasn't even a priority signing uh quarterback like you he was a try out guy who stuck around Devin Hodges he played at Samford and you know they they kind of they kept him around I think he did he didn't make the team out of preseason but you know a bunch of injuries hit they made a trade Ben rothberger went down Mason Rudolph went down and next thing you know everybody was singing the Praises of duck Hodges here in Pittsburgh uh so it's you know it only takes uh a few snaps here and there and uh how do you kind of put yourself in position you know once rookie Camp gets here and you know if you're fortunate to stay beyond that how do you kind of plan on trying to make a good impression on coaches how can you stand out as an drafted guy especially at the beginning when it's football and shorts have you gotten any tips or advice from people on that front uh no I haven't really talked to a bunch of guys about that um but I think for me it's GNA be hey be John rice every day right if uh if I'm gonna be John rice and if the Pittsburgh Steelers love John rice like I think they do um I think they'll they'll have me stick around but again I can't see into the future but as I plan and prepare and try my best to to to you know be the best I can every day um that's going to consist of me being John rice right being myself every day coming to work hard give it all I got like I've done uh for 23 years of my life and so um in that aspect I don't think much changes right I've been a hard worker my whole life and so why why would I stop now right why would the why would the pursuit of it stop now and so just going to continue to be me continue to work hard and continue to to to make the most of my opportunities sure do you know any are you familiar with anybody on the roster or anybody on the coaching staff uh either from you know playing against them in the SEC or the Big 12 or anybody that you've crossed paths with in this small football World from recruiting and and high school ball till now yeah um I haven't you know Pickin is the name that that pops up we oh yeah you almost played with him right at Georgia yeah yeah yeah yeah and so um we got to play against each other in the Mississippi Alabama football game all-star game right out of high school and he was unbelievable in that game right I got to he's catching one-handed balls like man this dude's unbelievable right so um so that I I got to talk to him then I wouldn't say we're great friends but looking forward to get know a little more um Mason uh the the linean that got drafted by the Steelers we played in the uh East West Shrine together and he became my my buddy that week beanie Bishop West Virginia we trained did pre-draft stuff together and so have a relationship with him and so some familiar faces up there but excited to to meet the rest of the crew yeah Beanie Bishop beanie Bishop another guy in this uh pretty small undrafted free agent class so I mean I guess that's another thing you know the Steelers didn't sign to too many guys on on Saturday night so you're kind of in select company there uh beanie had a good game against you guys in the UCF West Virginia game he got you a couple times didn't he I did my research John rice he reminded often about it um so he's he's hilarious um I like to say that uh he got a couple of good plays against me but some of them were were you know I wouldn't say 100% you know all on me but beanie is going to let me hear it either way he's awesome and and I'm sure when you get to talk to him you'll see he's he's a great dude a great athlete as well yeah those Mason McCormick DBS any anytime the ball ends up in their hands and the re and the ref's going like this they're going to count it it doesn't matter if it was an R punt or a drop or anything and the guy had 24 pbus last year at WVU too so uh he was around the ball a lot what were your uh what were your impressions of of big Mason McCormick from South Dakota State out there at The Shrine Bowl that's a pick that has Steelers fans really fired up for a fourth rounder but that's not really surprising here in Western PA they just want people who are going to uh try to you know decapitate the Enders on the o line and that's him right I was only got to be around him for you know a short amount of time but um just the way that he went about his business way that he went about playing um and he was fun to play with right what I remember you know one of the uh after one of the practices we had um a couple of one-on ons right so outside receiver inside receiver you know oneon-one wide receiver versus DB and then we had some offensive linemen go one-on-one with some defensive linemen and Mason just absolutely just straps this guy up right I'm unsure who in against but absolutely just pass sets and just straps him up and turns around and he is just like fired up and that's the kind of guy that you know I love being around because I'm I'm super emotional when it comes to playing football and it seems like he was as well and so um was super super fun to be around for sure has there been Steelers fans a lot of interaction for you from Steelers fans on social media just in the last you know uh you know few days since you've been signed uh they they they really r deep and like I said whether you're a first rounder like Troy fanu or or whether you're an undrafted guy they're they're probably flocking to you and very excited to engage with a new player yeah yeah they they definitely are they're showing up big time and so super excited to have more interaction with them but um first impressions are are a big deal and they have made a really really awesome first impression and so hopefully I can make the same first impression on them when I get there did I see Antonio Brown Antonio Brown tweeted about you as well another former Steelers I guess like you know it's sort of a weird dynamic now with him in in his uh social media presence or whatever but I did notice that uh him or whoever's sending Tweets from his account uh seem to be a John rice plumbley fan yeah I'll take it I'll take it either way right um obviously watching what he did uh in the black and go was unbelievable and so to be able to have a guy talk highly uh like that about you is awesome and I'll take it any day of the week was he around the UCF football program at all or is he just kind of down there Florida I guess doing I remember he he came to a couple of basketball games um and so if he was at some football games I did not realize it I was probably super you know tunnel vision as it was you know when it comes to game days and stuff but um if he was there I didn't realize it but I wouldn't be surprised if he was in the same sense gotcha uh well just the last thing man I Troy Fumagalli I read somewhere that you can play the piano and you could sing uh their first rounder Troy fanu told us on Friday at when he got into town that he also dabbles in that a bit uh do you think think a rookie show duet might be on the horizon this August once you guys piano well I did not realize that yeah so that was like a really I talked to his uh College strength coach after they picked him and he put me onto that then I asked him about it and I wasn't sure if he was going to just like shrug it off and be like no no but he's like yeah I learned some stuff on YouTube occasionally and he said his younger sister likes to sing so he kind of tried to pick it up from her so maybe you guys can uh you know get together and perform something when the time comes heck yeah I want to see him play right I think everybody does but um hopefully yeah I get to see that it's always fun to be able to see guys that are you know musically talented B that but yeah I play piano I've been playing since second grade um played classical piano up and through middle school and then figured out that I could play some stuff that I the radio so I put the classical music down and so um yeah it's something I enjoy um in in the past times right when when nothing's going on love to sit down and and bang out a few cords and um but I learned from my grandmother she is is a big part of uh of that and she played the piano in the church that we grew up in for I think close to 30 years and so um it was always fun to watch Grand play and then when she was teaching you was I tried to soak it up that's awesome I'm very Goto song jealous I wish I had that club in my bag but alas I did did not have a classically uh trade grandma on on the piano so do you have a go-to song I got to ask you that before I let you go I don't um it's really whatever whatever I'm here I'm a big country music fan so you know I like loles and Riley green Morgan wall right so that I'm hearing on the radio that sounds like you can play it on the piano I try to sometimes I'm terrible at it right and it's not it's not the right song to be playing on the piano but um I try nonetheless so usually country music but um I don't I don't really care as long as I know the song well enough to play I'll play it Outro well there you go hey it's a great party trick I'm sure and who knows maybe some of your future teammates will put you up to at least singing some car karaoke if not playing uh you know playing an arrangement along with it but all right well hey thanks so much John rice plumbley undrafted free agent quarterback heading to the Steelers from UCF it was great to talk to you man and we will see you down there uh Friday and Saturday for rookie mini camp on the South Side all right yeah absolutely fired up thanks for having me on yeah thanks for coming good luck all right well there you have it another episode of chi tamman football in the books John rice plumbley uh it's going to be fun to watch him once he gets his opportunity with the Steelers these the quote unquote Camp arm fourth QB behind Russell Wilson Justin fields and Veteran Kyle Allen but uh you know really athletic player you know that from his receiver background and you know sounds like a guy who could become a cult hero if things go his way uh once he gets his chances to shine in a Steelers jersey all right thanks as always for finding us here on chip Tam and football from the post cazette podcast network uh we will be back with more shows throughout the week uh leading up to rookie mini camp which does begin Friday uh it's two days Friday and Saturday I will be down there at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex trying to bring you some interesting stories tidbits nuggets from the old football and shorts we will talk to you then have a good [Music] one thank you for checking out this content from Post Gazette sports if you watch this video on YouTube please like the video and subscribe to our channel for all of the sports coverage the Post Gazette has to offer visit postgazette.com [Music] he