Nick VanHoose is a three-year starter and an All-Big Ten cornerback who's been one of the bright spots for the Northwestern Wildcats.

He led the B1G with 1.2 passes defended per game last season and finished the regular season with three blocked kicks (two PATs, one field goal). So far in his career, he's racked up 153 tackles, five interceptions and 25 passes defended.

We wanted to get to know VanHoose a little better -- through a mixture of light-hearted hypotheticals, some personal questions and, yes, even some football.

Let's save the football questions for later, because I think everyone wants to know the answer to this: Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?

Nick VanHoose: Wow, that's a really good matchup. But I would probably have to go with Spiderman. I mean, I respect Batman but he has no superpowers. Let's face it, he just knows Kung Fu or karate or whatever, and he has a bunch of gadgets. He's some rich millionaire philanthropist. So I'm going to have to go with Spiderman because he has actual superpowers. And I'd say he's definitely stronger and faster.

Since we're on the superhero theme: If you could pick any super power, what would it be?

NVH: Oh man. Well, I'd love to fly -- but it would probably be to be a "jumper." You ever see that movie? Basically, it's the power of teleporting. I wouldn't have to drive anywhere for the rest of my life, and it would just be a really, really cool power to have. I could get to everywhere so much faster, I could go home a lot more often just being able to poof back and forth. So that's probably the best reason -- to be able to see my friends and family, and to have more time to be able to do things.

Some people are obsessed with comics and superheroes. What's the one thing you "nerd out" on, or maybe something people would be surprised to find out you liked?

NVH: Oh, my favorite hobby is probably watching movies or TV shows. I'm a big TV guy. Nerd things? Hmm -- I love Star Wars. I think a lot of people know that. And I used to be obsessed with Pokemon; that's pretty nerdy.

When I was younger, I'd have a Game Boy and I was obsessed with it and I'd never put it down. And I bought a DS last year so I could play the new Pokemon when it came out, and I played it during camp last year. And the football camp before that, everyone downloaded the Game Boy app onto their phones and we would play when we weren't in meetings. So a bunch of players on the team were playing Pokemon; that's pretty funny.

So that begs the question -- who was your starting Pokemon?

NVH: Oh, my starter had to always be Charmander. I'm definitely a big fire-type guy.

We just finished wrapping up our "most exciting player" series and, for you guys, I picked Justin Jackson as your most exciting player. Besides him, who would you have picked?

NVH: You can't go wrong with J.J. But I would probably have to go with -- and I have to stay on the defensive side of the ball -- and I'd say Matthew Harris or Deonte Gibson. Harris, I feel he's a playmaker and his skills are very, very good. And I know he can make a very big impact. As far as Deonte, it's his senior season just like me and he's got nothing to lose. He's probably one of the hardest working people in the weight room.

Back to the non-football questions, Nick. We need to keep you on your toes. So you can only listen to one song for the rest of your life -- what are you picking?

NVH: Probably Ehu Girl by Kolohe Kai. It's just Hawaiian music. I play the ukulele, so I enjoy playing a couple of their songs. It's pretty fun. So that's a really good song -- I just really like the beat and rhythm. I think I could deal with that for the rest of my life.

I have to ask -- how on earth did you get into the ukulele? That's pretty unique.

NVH: My roommate plays the guitar and I was just sitting there one day when he was playing in my room and I was like, "I want to play an instrument with you. I think I should play the ukulele and we should duet together. I feel like that would be cool." So right then and there, I bought one online and I enjoy playing it. A couple of guys on the team actually have ukuleles; one plays drums and a few play guitar, and sometimes we'll just gather together and have a jam session.

Last question, Nick. If you were starting up a Big Ten team tomorrow and could pick any non-Northwestern player to be on your team, who would you choose?

NVH: Definitely, I got to take one of the three quarterbacks at Ohio State. One of the three. [pauses] It's one of those three.

That's the big question, though. What one?

NVH: I'm going to go with Braxton [Miller]. It might not be the best pick, especially coming back from surgery, but I feel like he's definitely got some fight in him. And I live like a city away from where he's from. So I'd have to go with Braxton.