Vanderbilt is undefeated and ranked 19th nationally and will host the ESPN “College GameDay” crew this weekend, big accomplishments aided by a little-known player. Safety Ryan Hamilton, who picked off three passes against Ole Miss, is part of a dominating secondary ranked first nationally in interceptions. In a phone interview Tuesday, Hamilton discussed the atmopshere on campus, coach Bobby Johnson’s lack of a potty mouth and Jessica Simpson.

Q. What’s it like on campus right now?

A. “Everyone is really excited about the way we’re playing this season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of excited fans out there on Saturday, so it should be really cool.”

Q. You’ve won SEC and national defensive player of the week awards. What are you doing with all of them?

A. “It felt really good but, to be honest I haven’t really thought about that. I’m just thinking about the next game and concentrating on that. It feels good to be doing something special here, and hopefully we’ll do things at Vanderbilt that haven’t been done in a while. We want to make history.”

Q. You’re from Wycombe, Pa. How did you end up at Vanderbilt?

A. “I get that a lot. To be honest, I wanted to come down South and play football in the SEC. I just fell in love with the coaching staff. Most of my friends were like, ‘Where is that?’ They just knew it was somewhere below the Mason-Dixon Line.”

Q. Have you heard Coach Johnson curse yet?

A. “You know, I don’t think I have. Not that I know of. Coach Johnson stays pretty poised all the time. He’s pretty serious, and he’ll get mad if you deserved to get yelled at. Most of the time he’s calm and collected. But he can crack some pretty funny jokes.”

Q. What three guests would you invite to your dream dinner party?

A. “One of my favorites is John Elway. I was obsessed with John Elway when I was little, so I’ll invite him over. And Tom Petty. I like him. He likes to party. I need a girl, so I’ll go with Jessica Simpson.”

Q. You think Tony Romo would be cool with that?

A. “I can’t stand Tony Romo, so I don’t care what he thinks (laughs).”

Q. Who’s the funniest person on the team?

A. “Probably Alex Washington, one of our receivers. He’s always telling jokes, nonstop. He’s a goofy dude.”

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