Feature on John Estes

About how Estes seemed to be healthy when they worked out together earlier this summer, Willie Tuitama (Arizona's starting QB and Estes' friend and former high school teammate) said:
"A bunch of us (from St. Mary's), we worked out, ran, it was like being in high school again, in a way. John seemed fine. We were going through normal everyday workouts. There wasn't really anything that made him stop or slow down." (HSB)

About Estes, OL coach Brian Smith said:
"John's a kid who really has a passion for the game and is always playing, so I know he really didn't like sitting out of practice. With our whole line, everyone's excited about Florida and getting a chance to show what they can do." (HSB)

About the Sugar Bowl, Estes said:
"That was kind of discouraging for a while just because you never want to lose, but I was just really disappointed how the offense played. That's just one thing that's been in my mind, and with Coach (June) Jones leaving and everything, it's gotta be the worst." (HSB)

Looking forward to the Florida game, Estes said:
"We just gotta hang in there. Things can happen against us and we just gotta stay close with the teams we're playing. The Sugar Bowl was very relevant for us returning (players) because that's how it's going to be in Florida. It might be even louder, so we just gotta look at everything that went wrong in the Sugar Bowl and just turn that into something we're ready for." (HSB)

About how the Sugar Bowl loss bothered Estes, Tuitama said:
"He talked about it a lot, just because Georgia and Florida, it's somewhat the same type of defensive linemen - you've got big guys with speed. He wanted to come out just to show everyone that he could hang with anyone. But that's how John always was. ... I remember in high school, when we were going against one of the teams with the best D-line on paper, he would take it as a personal challenge." (HSB)

HSB Note: "The two helped lead St. Mary's to the Division I sectional championship their senior season, and they can count on one hand the number of games they lost over their entire prep careers."

About how Estes is protective of his QBs, Tuitama said:
"He doesn't like when his quarterback gets hit at all. I remember in high school there were a couple times I got hit and he came and pushed the other guy off, this and that, starting jawing with them. That's just how John is." (HSB)

About the importance of Estes being healthe, Brian Smith said:
"It's extremely important (to have him back fully healthy). Like we all saw, the difference on the line vs. when he's not, there's a lot more confidence in the group, so the level of play was raised when he was in vs. when he wasn't." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Estes is looking forward to returning to the islands early next week, and rejoining his Warrior teammates for camaraderie and preparation. When he thinks back, it's funny how he went to Hawaii (where he has extended family) and Tuitama ended up at Arizona after they wrapped up high school in 2005."

About how Tuitama went to Arizona and he went to UH, Estes said:
"He was (drawn) to Hawaii, because his parents are from Hawaii. I was a big Arizona fan, because I had two cousins who played for Arizona. It was weird that we went to each other's schools." (HSB)

Hoping that he and Estes could be NFL teammates someday, Tuitama said:
"Maybe me and John will be on the same team again. You never know." (HSB)