Q&A With Justin Herbert: Bulking Up, Favorite Oregon Uniform, Callaway Club Fittings

From homegrown football hero, to NFL Rookie of the Year, to first-time Pro Bowler, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is enjoying a career arc like few ever have.

Born in the shadow of Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, Herbert starred at Sheldon High School before enjoying four standout years with the Ducks.

This allowed him to be drafted sixth overall by the Chargers in 2020, the team that he grew up rooting for since their days in San Diego; a place his grandfather once called home.

In fourth grade, Herbert predicted that he would one day be a professional football player and live in Los Angeles. He also said that if he could have any super power, it would be invisibility; fitting for his low-key demeanor.

Since his impressive rookie debut vs. the Chiefs, Herbert's been anything but invisible. However, the QB always does his best to stay out of the spotlight. Always giving the shine to his teammates, coaches and supporting staff.

That said, we were fortunate enough to speak with the Bolts phenom on everything from Mike Williams' return, to his favorite childhood QBs, improved golf game courtesy of Callaway and more.

The Spun: You had everybody shook when you showed up to OTAs with some packed on muscle. Obviously, this was more than just hitting the bench press. What was the mindset you and your trainer had this offseason when attacking the weight room?

Justin Herbert: Coach Lamondo and Jonathan Brooks, they’ve done an incredible job with the team so far kind of tailoring a workout to our quarterback-specific group. Chase Daniel, Easton Stick and I, we’ve kind of lightened the load on upper body lift. But, at the same time, you know, squatting, cleaning, doing all the important things for our core as well so we’re ready to go come game time.

The Spun: There’s no such thing as an easy Sunday in the NFL, especially not in the new-look AFC West. You guys were seconds away for a playoff berth last season. What do you think it’s going to take for the Chargers to break through in 2022?

JH: We’re going to have to be playing our best football. And, like you said, obviously it was a tough year last year not making the playoffs. But, we were awfully close. And, you know, we added a couple guys on defense this year that are definitely going to change our defense: Kyle Van Noy, Khalil Mack, Bryce Callahan, J.C. Jackson… they’ve had so much experience in the league and they’re such smart players/athletic guys that we’re going to be able to learn a lot from.

The Spun: Mike Williams is back in powder blue and gold. How much of a benefit is it to throw to a guy with that kind of catch radius?

JH: That’s a great question. He changes the game for us. He’s so athletic... such a physical weapon that you have to be able to take advantage of out on the field. He’s able to win his matchups whether it's third down or early downs. You know he’s going to win. Even if you overthrow him, underthrow him, he’s gonna be there and he’s gonna compete for the ball. He’s one of the best 50/50 ball catchers that I've ever seen and I'm super thankful that he’s on our team.

The Spun: Brandon Staley gets a lot of flack for his aggressiveness on fourth down. But what does it feel like to know your coach has that much confidence in you that he trusts you in any situation?

JH: I think it’s great. He believes in us, just like we believe in each other. We want to be out there and we want to be able to throw the ball, run the ball, do all those things we can; and give our defense a shot to put them tight. So we’ve done an incredible job of believing in each other and I know that coach Staley believes in us. And if we keep doing that, good things will happen.

The Spun: One of the things that’s most impressive about you is your calmness in the storm. When live bullets are flying and the heart rate goes up, you remain still. Where do you go in your mind to stay so level?

JH: I appreciate that. And I think a lot of it is practice and experience and having been through it. Having taken too many sacks or being able to throw the ball away… kind of understanding what not to do in those situations. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in the pocket and it’s all about learning from those and watching film. Coach Shane Day, our quarterbacks coach, we’ve spent so much time working on my footwork in the pocket, stepping up, being able to get the ball out quick. And I think it definitely helps having an offensive line that’s done such an incredible job, especially last year, of giving me time to throw the ball.

The Spun: You were recently fitted for clubs by the folks over at Callaway. Have you always had a passion for golf? Do you use it as a way to get the guys together off the field?

JH: I think golf’s been a great sport. You know I kind of grew up playing, not competitively, but for fun. But, over the past couple of years I’ve definitely learned a lot more. This fitting I had at Callaway, it kind of opened my eyes to the whole golf scene. There’s so much more that goes into these club fittings than I’d previously thought. You know the irons, the Rogue ST irons, that I’m hitting now have changed my game and they’ve given me a much better understanding of the game as well. And having all those guys, especially all the guys on the team that play, it’s a great chance for us to get out and get to know each other and have some fun too.

The Spun: Who you got in “The Match?” The old guard or the young bucks?

JH: That’s a good question. I don’t think I’ve watched enough of their golf games yet to really make a prediction but I’m just hoping for a good match and I’ll be watching.

The Spun: Where were you when you got the news that Tom Brady was unretiring?

JH: Umm… I can't quite remember. I might’ve been at the facility… I think we might’ve had an OTA that day I’m not quite sure. But, I wasn’t too surprised. He’s a competitor and he’s one of the best to ever do it. I think it’s a tough decision, the one he made, but glad to see he’s back.

The Spun: Let’s go back to you tossing the ball around in your backyard as a kid in Eugene, Oregon. Who’s a young Justin Herbert envisioning himself as on that imaginary final drive?

JH: Having grown up in Eugene, I was always an Oregon Duck fan. You know, a lot of the great quarterbacks came from there… I grew up watching Joey Harrington, Marcus Mariota, Dan Fouts is a name that Chargers fans know really well… Those guys are kind of the guys that I looked up to. They were great players, great people and great teammates. And I think that’s what football’s all about.

The Spun: Over the course of your Ducks career, you rocked a number of looks on Saturday. What was your favorite uniform set?

JH: I think my favorite might’ve been from the Rose Bowl… We wore kind of like these dark green uniforms with chrome helmets and that kind of took me back to the 2012 Rose Bowl that the Ducks played in. So, I thought for me, that was pretty cool to be able to wear those.

The Spun: At 24 years old, you still have a lot of football life ahead of you, and we look forward to watching you for many years to come. You famously held a 4.0 GPA as a Biology major at Oregon. Have you given any thought as to how you might like to apply that after your playing days are over?

JH: That’s a great question… I’m not sure how I pulled that off… A lot of hard work and it has helped because I feel like if you can understand what works for you schoolwork wise, I think you’re able to apply it to the film room. Being good at taking notes and knowing how to study, knowing what works for you I think that’s helped me pick up this offense. It is a very challenging offense to pick up and it's taken me a couple of years. I still have so much more room for improvement. But, I’ve been taking good notes and kind of understanding what works… I think that’s helped me a ton.

*****

Entering year three, Justin Herbert knows that you can always get better. 

He and the Chargers will aim to do just that with another season of familiarity in Joe Lombardi's offense.

Whatever growing pains Herbert has gone through, he's hidden them well; throwing for 9,350 yards and 69 touchdowns to just 25 interceptions through two NFL seasons.

Check out more of our interviews with athletes and media stars here.