Roy Roundtree doesn't fancy himself a trash-talker.

But the Michigan redshirt freshman wide receiver admitted he was tempted to return some of the verbal jabs directed his way by Purdue defenders, who - at one time - were slated to be his teammates.

In a conversation two days after he made a career-high 10 catches against the Boilermakers, Roundtree discussed everything from his decision to de-commit from Purdue to finding his role in the Michigan football team's passing game.

Roy Roundtree

A: They were just talking a lot of junk. It's football, and so you're going to hear things even when you're playing at home. But Purdue's defensive backs were talking smack about how hard they were going to hit me on the next play or (were saying) 'You're going to drop this pass because you see me coming. They were just trying to get in my head and I heard what they were saying, but I just wanted to get back to the huddle. ... I just let them talk - I just wanted to play football.

Q: When they're constantly in your ear, isn't it hard not to say anything?

A: I wanted to (say something) so bad, but I was thinking we didn't need any penalties, and so I just went back to the huddle.

Q: What's that process like to have your mind pretty much made up about where you're going to play football and then change your plans - especially when they involve going to another Big Ten school?

A: It was a close decision with me going to Purdue after being committed to them all my junior year and some of my senior year. But when I decommitted, I felt comfortable because it was my choice. I'm going to be here for four years, and I just felt like Michigan was the best school for me.

Q: Did you think about calling Purdue earlier than signing day or did you want everything to play out on signing day?

A: I thought about calling, but when I was up there saying who I was going to, my phone kept ringing - Coach Rod, Purdue, Coach Rod, Purdue. Then, I just picked up the Michigan hat.

Q: What did you think about the way (then-Purdue coach) Joe Tiller handled it with his comments about the wizard's hat and the snake oil?

A: (De-committing) is all part of recruiting - that's every year at every school. And Coach Tiller coming at Coach Rod like that, I mean, it's going to happen because he's very upset about it the situation, but we had to move on.

Q: Was that hard for you to be stuck in the middle of?

A: Yeah, because it was national. It was in USA Today and I was like, man, I didn't want to take it this far, but it happened.

Q: You talked about how much you heard from Purdue players on Saturday, but did you hear a lot after you made your decision to come to Michigan?

A: Not really. My family knew I made the right choice. With other schools, I'm not really sure they knew I was the snake oil kid. But against Purdue, I'm pretty sure they knew, and they just kept trying to get in my head.

Q: Wait, people actually called you the snake oil kid?

A: That's what they said or 'Wizard hat' or whatever.

Q: So what made Michigan the right choice?

A: I just saw (the school) academic-wise, and I said, 'Man, this is nice.' You get help, you get tutored, you've got computers, you've got an (academic center) to do your work and then with football, it's just a great tradition. So I couldn't be mad about that.

Q: After working hard as a redshirt last year and with seeing more time this year, it's got to be satisfying to have a game like you did against Purdue.

A: When your number is called, you always have to be ready. My number just hasn't been called all the time, and I just have to step up every play and do my job.

Q: How much did redshirting last season help your game?

A: Last year, it was just weight room, practice, scout team, practice learning what the other team does. It was hard for me because I wasn't really that strong, and I was just using my quickness and my speed to get past the defender. This year, I can see a huge difference - I can stay on the block longer, I can burn a defender faster, read coverages, and so I think that first year really helped me.

Q: Do you think the way you played Saturday leads to a bigger role with the offense?

A: I hope so, but it always depends on the game plan. (Leading up to Purdue) we practiced a lot of the quick passes and reading off the defense. That's what we learned off the film and we saw their weaknesses. So that's been the biggest thing on me, coming in extra and watching film on the opponent.

Q: Has there been someone who's really helped you develop at a receiver at this level?

A: Steve Breaston - he was my role model and a receiver I liked at Michigan a lot. Him being a Michigan man and with him being in the NFL and seeing him on Sundays is wonderful. But he also comes back in the summer and helps you. He pushes you through the hard times, and so that's really special to see an older guy like that coming back to help a young receiver out.

Jeff Arnold covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at jeffarnold@annarbor.com or 734-623-2554.