Andy Levitre is the starting left tackle for the Oregon State football team.

He was selected to the all-Pacific-10 Conference second-team after his junior season.

Levitre has played every position on the offensive line except center during his OSU career.

Q: What were you like as a youth?

A: I was kind of one of those kids that was kind of a troublemaker, but nothing serious. Just kind of like having fun with my friends and whatnot. Once I got into high school I started playing football and that helped give me a good sense of direction and what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to go. It got me this far and I plan on keeping continuing that.

Q: Were you always a big guy or did you grow into the offensive lineman you are today?

A: I was always kind of a big kid and I blew up in high school. I started out like 270 (pounds) my freshman year in high school and I got to about 340 as a junior and then I was about 305 and entered the season at about 315 my senior year. Then I came in here about 325 and I've just been hanging around there ever since.

I was 340 my junior year. That was my highest. The whole growing process and eating and after that point it kind of hit me that I should probably start thinking about changing my diet and eating a little more healthy. One of my coaches back home, Ty Locatelli, he put together a little plan for me to help me lose weight and I dropped about 35 pounds. I leaned up a little bit and then I got a little bigger from working out and lifting.

Q: Was it getting tough for you to get through games at the higher weights?

A: Yeah, I used to cramp at halftime in high school because I was playing both sides of the ball and really never off the field except for special teams. So that was rough and especially being that big really didn't help. Trimming down a little bit helped and now that I'm here, I'm only playing one side of the ball, so I haven't been cramping as much.

Q: Looking back, how much did losing the weight help you to get a Division I scholarship?

A: I'm kind of glad that I made that choice and I think it really helped with my career as a football player. There's not a lot of schools that look at players that are that big and so trimming down I think probably caught some team's eyes more than it would have if I was still that big or bigger. So I think that's a big role, something that helped me move on in football.

Q: You have four brothers and your older brother, Erick, played football at Arizona. What are your brothers up to?

A: My older brother works in Houston, Texas, for HP right now. Travis is almost 20. He's in a band right now and he's just living his life, doing what he needs to do. My two younger brothers, Logan and Ryan, they're about 9 and 10. They both play Pop Warner football right now, back at my house. A couple years ago we had a bye and I went home and watched some of their games. It's cool to watch them play and if they have the same goals, I wish the best for them.

Q: Are all your brothers big guys also?

A: My older brother used to be big. He's now about 230. He used to be like 290 when he was playing college football. Travis is pretty skinny. He's probably 200 pounds or less. The two younger ones are still pretty small.

Q: What was it like to have an older brother playing football in the Pacific-10 Conference?

A: It was kind of cool just to hear what he had to say about college football and all that. He really kind of gave me a jump-start on my college recruiting out of high school. I've learned a lot from him from things that he learned from football, just the work and effort that he put into it. He's gone through some hard times when he was in college and that helped me learn what to expect when I got to college.

Q: Did Arizona go after you as well?

A: Yeah, they offered me. It was right in the middle of the coaching change between (Mike) Stoops and (John) Mackovic. My brother was there when Mackovic was there and then halfway through is when Stoops came in. They offered me, but it was one of those places that was just too hot for me. I didn't want to live in a place that was uncomfortably hot for me for the next five years.

Q: What kind of influence did Erick have on you as a college football player?

A: Some of the stuff he talked to me about I wouldn't really understand because high school's a lot different from college in terms of the learning curve, so he was telling me these things that really didn't make much sense to me. How hard it was to be away from your family and things of that nature when you start college. I never really knew what that was like because I had always been at home with my family and friends. It didn't seem that I was that type of guy that would miss home, but occasionally I miss being back at home. But I like it up here, I like the friends I have up here and I'm having a great time while I'm here.

But he's definitely taught me a lot of stuff, like the whole football layout and how it goes every day and some of those long weeks that you have and all that. It kind of helped me know what to expect when I got here.

Q: Along with Arizona, what schools recruited you and how did you end up at Oregon State?

A: In terms of offers I had an offer from here, Fresno State, Arizona and Louisiana State University. I actually had tried to commit to LSU and something didn't work out and they had filled their scholarships. Fresno State wasn't really the kind of school I was looking to go to. Nothing against Fresno State, but from what I heard through word of mouth, I just haven't heard great things about it, not the school necessarily, but the town and the whole setting. Arizona, I had a temptation with my brother going there, but the weather was one of the big things that turned me away from Arizona in general and the same with Fresno State. So those two places kind of went out the door.

Then Oregon State, I came up here my junior year and I loved the place. There was nothing that wanted me to turn away from it. The coaching staff was great and I just really got along with all the people that I met here on my recruiting trip. It's a pretty good school to get a degree from and the football program is on the rise. We've made some records since I've been here and it's just great to be a part of that. And that's one of the main reasons I came here.

Q: How has moving around on the offensive line developed your versatility?

A: It's good to get those reps at multiple positions when you're in practice. Since I've gotten older and found a position to start at, you kind of get used to one position instead of moving around. You still know all the plays, you know what everybody on the offensive line is doing. It's a good tool to have in the box, to know how to play other positions.

Q: Which position do you feel most comfortable with?

A: I'd say right now I feel comfortable at left tackle just because I've been playing it for about a year. Right now that feels comfortable, but just getting back into the swing of learning right tackle or guard, it takes a couple days to get back into the groove. It's muscle memory, you know? You'll pick it back up on the field and just keep going with it.

Q: Do you think your ability to play both tackle and guard spots will be attractive to NFL teams that need offensive linemen when they start looking at guys around the country?

A: I think that will definitely be a good attribute to have, especially since it's tough to make NFL teams nowadays, there's so much competition. Some guys can only play one position and the guys who can play multiple positions are more valuable and those teams are going to get the most bang for their buck. I think (former OSU center Kyle) DeVan, when he got cut - I don't know if this is true - but that could have been because he played center. He didn't really play guard. If they got somebody that can play guard and center, then they're going to keep that guy over somebody who can only play center. So just knowing multiple positions makes you more valuable and if you want to play in the NFL, that's something you should probably start thinking about nowadays.

Q: Do you have any plans as far as getting ready for all the NFL stuff that goes on before the draft?

A: I'm not too worried about that right now. I'll let it all play out once the season's over and start worrying about it, but right now I'm just focusing on these last couple of games.

Q: When you do get a chance to watch NFL games, is it strange to think, "I'm going to have a shot at making one of these teams pretty soon?"

A: I still think it's dreaming. It hasn't happened yet. It's always in the back of your mind and you sometimes think about it, but I just don't want it to take over who I am. The way I've been playing now, I want to keep that going and let that all unfold itself later on after the season's over. If it works out, it works out and it's great.

Q: Is there anything you enjoy doing in your down time?

A: Lately, it's just been trying to find some time to relax. I've been so busy with homework and school that I really honestly don't have much time to relax except for the day before a game. I like to go hang out with my friends and do things, kind of a spur of the moment deal, but lately I haven't had much time to do any of that.

Q: What are your long-term plans?

A: I'm getting a double degree in finance and sociology, so I want to lean toward doing something in the finance area in terms of investing or wealth management kind of stuff or even corporate finance. I like working with numbers. That's something that's always interested me growing up and I found that finance is putting numbers to use. They're not just numbers, they mean something and you make decisions based off those. I actually went into it not knowing a lot about it and I've learned a lot. So I plan on doing something with that and hopefully using that to my personal advantage, if the NFL were to work out or whatever job I get, it's another tool for me to use to help myself be successful.