15 questions with ... Andy Falletta, a Penn sprint football freshman

Andy Falletta is a freshman wide receiver on Penn sprint football. He is from Surf City, N.J. and has already established himself as the team's leading receiver, catching eight passes for 125 yards so far this year. The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Falletta to ask him 15 questions about sprint football, his Penn experience so far, and his hobbies.  

1. Tell us a bit about Sprint Football; what stands out compared to college football or the NFL?

The only main difference is the weight. We’re all under 178 pounds, which adds different changes to the game because usually, in the NFL or college football, the linemen are bigger while the skill players are smaller. Having everyone [be] the same size changes the way we play the game and poses a challenge because it’s harder to find players. You have to worry about keeping your weight [steady], too.

2. From your experience, does the sprint football game tend to be more offensively focused or defensively focused?

It depends on the way your team plays. It can stay even, but I think everyone’s smaller and faster, which helps if you’re more athletic defensively or offensively. I don’t think scoring caters one way, but it’s definitely a faster overall game. It doesn’t necessarily translate to more scoring, though.

3. Being from New Jersey, how was the adjustment to Penn?

It’s been pretty good. There’s days when it’s tougher and days when it’s easier. There’s definitely a lot more schoolwork and more rigorous academics than I’m used to, but it’s also nice. I get to see my family every weekend when they come out for the games; it’s not a long drive, so that definitely helps the adjustment a lot. 

4. Who’s your favorite NFL player? Who do you try to model your game after?

Growing up, I played quarterback, and my favorite player was Baker Mayfield. He was so fun to watch at Oklahoma ... and won the Heisman. If I had to say my favorite wide receiver, which I’m playing now, it’s probably Davante Adams. I’m a Packers fan, since my grandfather’s from Wisconsin, and I loved watching him there. He’s a great player, and he plays the game the right way. 

5. What’s your go-to Wawa order?

My favorite thing from Wawa is the gobbler bowl. It’s not there all the time because it’s a Thanksgiving special. But I would say the buffalo chicken sandwich, maybe a Body Armor, and the Sour Patch watermelon do the job for me. Wawa’s a big thing for me, so I try to switch it up as much as possible, but that’s my go-to.

6. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring three things with you, what would you bring?

I would bring a pilot, an airplane, and jet fuel. It’s a cop-out answer, but it’s a good answer. If I had to stay there, I would take with me a water filter, a lighter, and a knife. You need to stay hydrated to stay alive and I’m not trusting any water I find, so with a filter, I know that part of my survival stays intact. I need a knife to harvest things, to cut things up, or to catch myself a meal. And then the lighter is to keep a fire, cook food, and stay warm. And then my survival on the island should take care of itself.

7. What are your goals for sophomore and junior year, both football and career wise?

I definitely want to stay with sprint football; it’s a good mix of what I prioritize in my life right now. We have a great time with a great group of guys. Next year is going to be a big year for us because we’re so young right now — we only have four seniors. So next year, we’ll have a big senior class and the main goal is to win. I’ll get better individually, and each week, I feel like I get significantly better, just learning how to play the wide receiver position since I played quarterback and safety in high school, so next year will be a big year for all of us. Career-wise, I’m majoring in [economics] right now, and I’ve kind of juggled what I want to do with my life. As of right now, I think I want to go to law school and do something with that. I’m learning as much as I can about the world and trying to figure out exactly what I want to do.

8. Because sprint football isn’t widely played, tell me a bit about the recruiting process. Did you switch from regular football, or did you play in a sprint football league?

Sprint Football was a big thing years ago — all the Ivy League teams had it. But now, Penn and Cornell are the only Ivies with teams. I played normal high school football and was looking at a bunch of Division III and some low Division I offers, but the opportunity to come to Penn was the main reason I switched. Our coaches aren’t allowed to physically go out and recruit, which is the main difference from NCAA. So, I reached out to the coaches — that’s how it works; you have to reach out.

9. What’s your favorite place to be on campus so far?

My favorite spot is Joe’s Cafe, in [Steinberg-Dietrich Hall]. I’m probably in there every morning, getting myself some coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I do some work in the morning before my classes, just to get the stay started off right. The dining [hall] I go to most often is Hill, and I’ve been a huge fan. It’s usually open late, so I go there after practice and it’s usually the whole group of freshmen that goes together. Hill has more options, too, so it works out.

10. What’s your preferred workout routine?

It depends. Recently, I’ve had team workout routines, but at home, I like to separate my workouts by body part. So I’ll have an upper-body day, lower-body day, and just keep it standard. I lift at my high school gym because I feel better there, and I live on the Jersey Shore, so I can go out for beach runs in the morning, which is a good start to my day. 

11. Is there a type of route you really like? Are you a slant type of guy, or do you love the go routes?

I play on the outside a lot right now. I love anything over the middle, anything where I can be on the move and get the ball on the move is great. So far, I’ve had success on jump balls. I’ve had two big catches this season, and both of them were on jump balls on go routes, so those are my two favorite types of routes. My quarterback has been really good at giving me chances to go up and make a play, and so far I’ve been able to do that.

12. Walk me through a typical day of practice.

We meet around 5:00 p.m. in our building. We have film meetings from about 5:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., where we talk about special teams, the offensive gameplan for the day, the defensive gameplan for the day, watch the film from last week, and watch the film on our upcoming opponent. At 6:15 p.m., we walk to the stadium from our building, and we start around 6:30 p.m. for stretching. Then, we go into individual periods where we work with our position coaches to go over technique and things like that. For the rest of our practice, we’re brought together and do different drills, whether it’s offense versus defense or practicing different concepts. We end around 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

13. What made you choose Penn over your other options?

I chose Penn because I was able to keep playing football while going to such a prestigious school. I looked at a lot of really good schools, like some NESCAC schools and some bigger schools with strong academics, but obviously nothing compares to Penn. Being able to keep playing football and stay close to home was the perfect combination for me. 

14. Where do you want to be after college?

Right now, I really want to go to Nashville. I just visited with my family and some friends and I really enjoyed it — I would look into living there. Or, I’d want to live anywhere by the beach. I’ve lived by the beach my whole life, so if I could choose somewhere to settle down, it would also be by the beach.

15. What's your advice to kids who want to play sprint football?

Sprint football is a great mix of being able to continue your education at an amazing school and still being able to play football. I’m at a school that I’ve always really wanted to be able to go to, and I get to keep playing, so it’s always worth reaching out. Email the coach, send them your film, tell them about your academics, and then hope it plays out from there. For potential players, we’re a little more than halfway through our season, but we’re still taking players, and we still have guys walking on.