Sean Lissemore was the starting Defensive Tackle for William & Mary. He considered one of the best DT prospects coming out of the FCS.
In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between the FCS and the FBS?
I think player depth and publicity are the two glaring differences. The CAA is a highly competitive FCS league that has had several victories over FBS teams this past year. One of the most obvious differences that I see between the FCS and FBS is depth. This is due to the extra scholarships for quality players that the FBS teams are allotted. So in short, FBS teams will have more quality players competing for starting positions along with more depth to replace players who are tired and/or hurt. Publicity differences between FCS and FBS are also pretty significant. FCS teams rarely have nationally televised games (W&M had 2 this past year) and the game attendance is generally lower than FBS. I want to say our league attendance ranges from as low as a few thousand to 23K while FBS conferences generally have a consistent attendance rate of well above 30 thousand.
What is your favorite memory playing for William & Mary?
I would have to say my favorite memory is beating UVA this past season at their home opener on September 5th. This win was very special to me for a number of reasons. First, we had a great deal of support from the student body going into the game because of the "academic rivalry" between these two schools. Secondly, this win marked the first victory over UVA since 1986. On that particular date in 1986 one of our equipment managers was seriously injured during the celebration. When he jumped up to high five a fan in the stands he slipped and hit his head on the concrete ground. He has been paralyzed ever since, but has remained very close to the program. It was very emotional at the conclusion of the game when he was given the game ball in front of the whole team. Finally, this game was my last opportunity to beat an FBS opponent and a great way to start off a successful senior season.
With the NFL Draft coming up, how do you evaluate your chances of playing in the NFL? Do you have some other career path you want to follow?
I think I will have the rare opportunity to play in the NFL, but the benefits of going to a school like William & Mary are that I will be more than prepared to follow an alternative career path. I am currently a Kinesiology and Health Sciences major, and I am trying to decide if I eventually want to go pre-med or pursue the sports business route. Either way, I would prefer for my career path to stay close to athletics.
Besides football, what other sports do you enjoy to participate in?
I was a track athlete (100m, 200m, throws) and wrestler in high school, so I love to get back to those sports when ever I get the chance. Going back to wrestling practices are always a great way to get in shape, and it's great to talk with these young athletes about to the benefits of sticking with this grueling sport for all four years. My sister is a high school thrower and she will be throwing at Ramapo College next fall, so I also enjoy helping her with techniques and teaching her some tips when I can.
Many college athletes forget that they are “student”-athletes. How important are academics to you?
William and Mary is a unique place to be a student-athlete. There is absolutely no favorable treatment to athletes, and all the grades that you receive you earn. The level of competition at W&M is quite high so you must be a student before an athlete or you will not cut it here academically. To me academics are extremely important, and I realize that they will carry me through the rest of my life regardless of my future endeavors. I am thankful that I have received a top quality education because I am well aware that the NFL stands for "Not For Long".
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