This is the second installment of a week's worth of questions and answers with Oklahoma football players and others surrounding the team
Here's Monday's talk with offensive lineman Daryl Williams.
Check back Wednesday to hear what world-famous, Sooner football fan Jim Ross has to say.
Charles Tapper started 12 games a season ago at defensive end and was part of the defense that got better as the season went on.
Tapper became an All-Big 12 selection and finished the season with 49 tackles, including nine for a loss.
The 6-foot-4, 281-pound junior from Baltimore will be part of a defensive line that should be the best in the conference this season.
Check out what Tapper had to say.
Q: So, when you got to Oklahoma, did you notice a lot of different-sounding accents?
Tapper: When I first got here, the guys were country to me. They talk so slow. I would tell people to hurry up and get your words out because I have things to do. They need to talk faster. I was talking to Baker (Mayfield) the other day and he was so slow. "Hey Tapp, what's going on?" It's so different. And some of the East Texas guys are so country to me.
Q: But do they understand you?
A: Never. They never understand me. They tell me to slow down.
Q: You're from Baltimore. Do the guys on the team know about "The Wire?"
A: Almost nobody. Some of the guys do.
Q: Is that real Baltimore?
A: Yeah. Some of the guys you see, you knew the stories. There were legends you knew about and then you got to see them on TV.
Q: Now that you've been in Oklahoma, do you miss Baltimore?
A: I do, but I don't need it. I love both places. I might move back, but I would want a place in Oklahoma, too. These worlds are so different. Oklahoma is a great place to settle. Baltimore is a place I grew up. I would love to go back and help some of the younger kids and get them going the right direction. I'd like that.
Q: Do your friends back home have a concept of Oklahoma?
A: They think it's all Cowboys out here. But if most people from Baltimore had a chance to live here, they would love it. There's so much space. People here make it home. Norman is home to me.
Q: Do people recognize you around town?
A: Sometimes. If someone comes up to me and talks to me, that makes me happy. They are the reason I'm in school, even if they don't know it.
Q: How have you changed since that incident last season where you were ejected against Baylor for throwing a punch?
A: When I was younger, I had a temper problem. But I've matured and now I understand that if something happens, you don't have to retaliate. You can walk away. You can run away. If we know that and realize people look up to us, we could probably avoid a lot of bad situations.
Q: What's your piece of advice for the incoming freshmen here at OU?
A: Don't judge a book by its cover. Most people come to Oklahoma and they don't know about it. Realize you have to find your fun and find your people.
Q: What video games are you playing now?
A: I play NBA 2K. I'm the Cavaliers, but I guess I need to change it up since they got LeBron now.
Q: You a baseball guy?
A: Yeah, I love the Orioles.
Q:You used to have the braids, what's the story with the shorter hair?
A: I talked to my mom and she told me I shouldn't have cut it. She asked if my hair was thinning, and I said it might be. She said, "Yup, your father went bald about your age, so you're reaching that age." Man, I don't need that kind of pressure right now. I told her I needed her to make up some sort of mixture to get my hair growing back.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
