I had lots of fun interviewing Cyrus today. He is a very outgoing young man. I could have talked to him all day.
Like most D-1 prospects during their high school years, Mountain View (Calif.) St. Francis standout Cyrus Habibi-Likio played on both sides of the ball. In college though, he knew he wanted to give running back a try first.
“I love playing running back. I came in, made that decision and it is still my choice. Then Mastro came in, somebody I am comfortable with. He actually recruited me in high school.”
For the Ducks he presents the option of a bigger, longer runner and receiver out of the backfield. And he loves running back. But being a team player, the 6-foot, 200-pound athlete would consider moving to defense if that would help the team more.
“After this past year I was kind of looking at defense,” said Habibi-Likio. “I was talking to Leavitt to see if it’s an option. But Mastro came in and boosted my confidence, so I’m still sticking to that position.”
Speaking of confidence, Habibi-Likio has it in spades for his position coach.
“I call him Mastro the Mastermind. That is the nickname I have always given to him ever since high school.
“It’s all the very little things. People think running back is easy and you can just run around and be an athlete, but no matter who you are he will always find something that’s wrong, and he corrects us and does a really good job with us.”
Click below for the balance of the 6-minute exclusive interview including other topics such as:
- Satisfaction with picking the Ducks
- Assessment of the newcomers
- One thing Duck fans don't know about Cyrus
- More
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