Press Conference (Dan Lanning) Elite Edition September 2

0:00aggressive at times and coverage, but they pitch a lot of different looks at you as well. But it starts, they eliminate explosive plays. They play really sound football. They have good overlap in their defense. They're able to change the picture up. They have really good deliming, good edges, and then they're able to cover outside. So they create a lot of challenges there. Right, Bill. First. I know this isn't the first time you face Chip Kelly, but I'm curious if his success that he's had here, he had here in the past, if that still kind of resonates within the program at all. In what way, what do you mean? Just like the success that he had, you know, 10, 15 years ago, if that's still kind of, people still talk about that. Did you learn about that when you got here? Do you remember that era of Oregon football? Yeah, I remember the teams that he had here. You know, I think everybody respects him as a football coach and certainly the things that he was able to accomplish while I was here. Back, right? Correct. Coach Ohio State has obviously two star wide receivers in Smith and in a book. What do you see from them on film and what sort of challenges will those two kind of present to the Oregon

1:00secondary this weekend? Yeah, stop, go. You know, they can catch the ball and they can turn into a big play right away. You know, it's not necessarily always averaged up a target. It's way down the field. It's their ability to catch it in space and get vertical. They block really, really well in the perimeter. And those guys have big catch radiuses. So you see them win on balls that you would call 50, 50 balls a lot of times they win on contested, you know, contested balls to do a really good job there. Back up, Matt. Thinking your career, you've coached in nine different top five matchups. Is there any common trader? You know, I think you have to do in a game in those games to win that's more heightened in this type of atmosphere. I'd say winning football is winning football, but I think you always look when you're playing an opponent, you know, what, what's some commonalities in games that they haven't had success in and that you've had success in, right? Where are those places where you can find strengths? What are the pieces of the game that are going to matter the most? You know, obviously explosive plays and takeaways is always something that we focus on here, but, you know, rushing game, I think that matters, you know, ability to win on critical downs in critical situations, red area, I think are all really important.

2:01Back up there. You and your players have just talked after every single opponent just still about it being Oregon versus Oregon. How was that mindset? Do you feel like kind of prepared this team for this big moment this week? Yeah, I think just the constant growth, you know, the focus on what can we get better if we attack the things that we need to improve on? And that's been our focus all year. And, you know, throughout the season, I think you've seen us play better and better ball in certain situations and attack things that we weren't as good at the week before. All right. Having knowledgeable house dates running back coach give you any sort of advantage this week. I think that probably plays both ways. You know, like last week we played against coaches that have been here before and when we played UCLA, we played against coaches that have been here before it makes you change your terminology. Like you're going to change the names of calls step before that might have been a run for us is maybe now a pass something was going right is now maybe going left. But that's pretty easy for our players to do. Once you, you know, communicate that and change it. Certainly he knows some of the things that we like to do on the same note. We certainly like to know some of the things that he likes to do. So, you know, coach locked it a great job for our program. He's doing a great job

3:03for theirs now. Second round left there. After Friday's game, Dylan talked about emphasizing protecting the ball in the red zone, that being a key, what are some of the ways you do that in a week to try to get those situations kind of figured out? Yeah, you play red red area football, right? You could put it down there, put the ball inside the 20 and you go, you know, communicate, what do we want that to look like? And if you expect to see it in the game, you got to exceed and practice first. And, you know, he knows he wants those plays back. You know, that's, that doesn't take anybody's, you know, especially to recognize that. He wants that back. But it's about how can we coach that better and make sure that those situations are avoided? I love games. How much more confident are you touched the defensive staff as a whole in the CB2 position this year compared to last year when obviously those watching the games where they were able to exploit some things there differently than perhaps this year or at least you hope for this year. How much more comedy in that spot and the depth that you have there? I'm confident in our players. I like our team. I like the guys that we get the opportunity to go out there and play with. I think our guys play competitive ball. This will certainly be the best challenge for every single position on our team.

4:06This week, back very quick. Believe it's been back to back weeks now, no sacks allowed. What do you think's been the biggest difference in the online in the last few weeks? That's made you feel confident in the replay heading to this. Yeah, I think a lot of pieces add up to that. You know, timing scheme as part of that. You know, how we've adjusted some of the things that we do. I think it's a big part of that. And then the communication between the offensive line and the quarterbacks also been really important there. I love math. A lot of attention has been on Jeremiah Smith, but Mecca has been pretty darn good too. It's just been your impressions of him and challenging facing another receiver of that caliber when they have two of them. Yeah, they got more than just two great wide outs. They got several great wide outs on their program. Certainly those two are very, very special, but you know, whether it's Tate, I mean, there's a bunch of them on their team that can go play winning football. So that's what makes this a challenge. You can't just say, okay, I'm going to focus on this one guy because there's other guys on the field that can beat you. Now you guys talk about blocking out outside noise last week. There's a lot of ups. That's a lot of chaos and college football. Do you use that to your advantage to kind of hone in and to show your players why it's so important to have a single game focus?

5:09I think our players are really aware of that. Our messaging doesn't change necessarily week to week. You know, that's been something that's been consistent for us through fall camp. That it's about the guys in our room and what we're able to focus on. Not what everybody else is talking about. The last time that Chip Kelly came to Eugene, it was college game day. UCLA came in as an unbeaten opponent, ranked high. I know for you. I think your profile picture, I think on social media is still that one of you going to the college game day set. Just what do you remember about being there, being at college game day and just you're feeling of being on that set for the very first time? Yeah, I think more than anything that day, I remember our fans and how much of an impact I felt like they had on that game. How fun that environment was for our players to get to be a part of. You know, obviously you come to a place like we're going to play in big time games and this is one of those opportunities. But to get to be a part of big time atmosphere is as well. And certainly this is this is one of those. The room. Jordan's been so consistent in the run game, but it seems like it's been hard at times to find maybe a second runner. What's the key of getting Noah and Dan one more involved maybe this week?

6:13Yeah, just that consistency, you know, continuing to find, you know, opportunities to be able to block up runs properly for those guys and give them opportunities to win, you know, on the second level. From left James. What do you see from Mulhoward that's made him effective in raising his completion percentage compared to a year ago and what insight, if any, can Kobe Savage provide given that he practiced against him for. A couple of years. You know, similar to these other teams that we've played that have had guys that have crossed over, you know, I think. Again, they do a great job, schematically, finding, you know, completions. If you've loaded up hats in the in the run game, there's going to be some guys that are open outside. They've done a good job of throwing in to open windows and attacking that. That great. Right. Coach, this program seen a lot of big games in its history at Austin stadium. You've coached a few of them yourselves. I feel like this matchup against Ohio State top five top three matchup. Maybe the biggest of this program has ever seen in its history. I certainly can't speak to the entire history of Oregon. I think this is a really big game. I think it's a great opportunity for two great teams to get to play against each other. Again, I think that's why you come to a place like this, but I think this will be an awesome atmosphere for our fans and certainly our players.

7:17All right, Zach. Going back to Michigan State, did you ever get an explanation for why that hit? I'm Dylan. Was not a late hit or a revenue pass. We sent it in. I haven't got a response yet on why it wasn't one. I was told that the guy watching us said that it wasn't. So we sent it in. We'll see what it looks like on the left here. A second row. Eric. What's Jury undone to kind of get a bit of a role? Looks like he got in there for the first time this last game. Kind of what's what's been going on behind the scenes that we may have missed? Yeah, just being you know, part of it starts with him being healthy. You know, has been being dinged up at times, but he's practicing really hard. He's working his tail off the beyond the field force, whether that's in special teams in a role at wide out. And it's created some opportunities for him. From about James. What makes their running back through a unique and what's kind of the biggest asset that each one of those guys has in terms of how they go about running because stylistically, I think they're a little bit different than each other. Yeah, maybe a little different, but I'm the same, you know, token there. Guys that have good size and speed and they don't go down on first contact. You know, they're really good at using their weapons as far as at the second level.

8:17They do a good job with stiff arms. They rarely rarely go down on first contact and they have really good vision and their patient until that opportunity window opens up. But when they see a hole, they hit it and they hit it with great speed. Last question, James. Will's done really well at putting safety's and conflict to create some of those big plays that you guys have hit offensively touched on it that OSU is just really basically given up nothing of 30 plus yards. How have they been able to avoid that when that's been a strength of yours in particular? How have they been able to avoid it so far in these five games? Yeah, I think that's a piece. They have a good job defensively of not creating conflict of avoiding conflict and they're guys do a good job of farming the own land not worrying about what somebody else is doing but doing their job and being sound in their job. There's times where those safeties are high and they're responsible for the deep part of the field and they let the corners fit the run. There's times when they're guys that are responsible for the run fit and then those corners do a great job of covering down field. So they do a good job of changing that up and guys doing their job. Thank you coach. Appreciate it. Glad to happen that way.

9:18Yeah, how do a bunch of family there got to see a bunch of people so yeah, couldn't ask for any more. I was just trying to just a different way of play, different terminology, different, it's a whole different scheme. So just learn how they want things done compared to how you used to do things is really the... What's it like being in that tight end room? Everybody's got different skills and things like that. Everybody's good, but y'all do some of the same things. Right. Yeah, no, it's a great room. A lot of really good guys have grown really close with a lot of those guys. So everybody helps each other, a really nice learner from Dalton, breadin' those guys. Dalton's done it for a really long time so he helps me a lot with things that really aren't coachable things. You mentioned how the family at the game, but what about working out here at this high school? You're still in a high school that's got to feel good and I don't know how your high school is like this. Man, it's a good place to put it into a different name. I went to Lexington, how it's about the eighth of the size of this place. Yeah, this is not like my high school, but this is a healthy place.

10:21But super cool to be home and just be back and give you a little sense of comfort I guess for me, especially being my way for as long as I've been. So I've been in a roller around the city and you've been there. Have you seen a bunch of f***ing fans that have wanted to get your autographs and take a picture of them here? I don't get, I don't go out of the hole. I actually went home yesterday. I went back to the farm for a little bit, which was great for a couple of days. He did all my family and stuff and see my grandparents and everything. So it was good, but I really haven't been out enough to know. So I try and keep her inside. Yeah. You think you can play that really showcased and stuff them out? That's a good question. I don't think that's for me. I'm just trying to give. I mean, every time I think you can be, you can play this game for 50 years. And there's always going to be something you leave to feel with. Like, I wish I would have a better, not area. I wish I would have a better, some other, you know what I mean? Like, it's never going to be. This is absolutely perfect. So like to me, that's right right now the hardest part of this is just mental toughness of all. I mean, physical toughness. I mean, you either have it or you don't in my opinion.

11:22So, I mean, I've always felt like I was kind of bred in that area of the things. And that's just kind of what happens naturally. So just play after play, that's kind of how we roll. Okay. Thank you guys. We got to get you on the bus. Also, not wanting to get caught by a footed where it's on. Yeah, that's a good point. I think they're good both ways. But we do have to challenge our receivers. We can't let them run free. They're very talented over there. So we got to go out there, trust our skills, trust our technique. And see what happens. Front row here. Tim May, let him in a row. Yeah, Jordan. How much is your communication, you, you, Caleb and Nathan, grown through, especially the last half of the season, you know, especially where they've been using you, you know, and that almost saved you whole stuff. How much is it grown that you can put your finger on? Yeah, I was growing immensely. I mean, Caleb, he makes a lot of checks. Nathan makes a lot of checks. I listen to them. Whatever they need. If I need to cover somebody, I'll go cover anybody. If they need me to do run support, I'll do run support.

12:24And it's really what Caleb does, what we do and Nathan. It just goes back to Coach G's preparation, and everyone's preparation to give us more flexibility. It doesn't matter who's in those positions. And we can all play every position, whether it's covering somebody or running and tackling. Did you feel like that was the case before the Oregon game? You're saying what I'm saying? I mean, is it something that's been added? It just, you know, rely on a little bit more. Go ahead. Yeah, it did. I've probably been a broska game. A meaghan and more safety reps. And we had a five week to prepare. So I really learned to play book a lot more. Even though I knew the playbook, I learned a lot more. Mounting like in-depth. You know, so really just after the Oregon game, it helped me a lot to go back to safety. Go to NICU everywhere. Thanks, Nathan. Oh, 11 more. You guys had a lot of issues of giving up big plays in the passing game of the first game against Oregon. What do you feel like you guys need to do better this time around? So make sure that doesn't happen. Just the same mindset. We got to challenge these receivers.

13:25You know, every dog has their day. Maybe some people didn't have their day that game. But we'll look out there and hopefully change the narrative. And we still play with the same confidence, same technique. And, you know. Bill Rebellion, what's the problem with this patch? And Tenzel obviously had a tough game. And that one. What have you seen from him and how he's responded? And Tenzel from him, how pumped he is for this rematch? Oh, yeah. He's super stoked for this rematch. His preparation has been very good. He's always been preparing. Even though it didn't go the way he wanted to go that game. But he just always had his confidence. And we're going to see a big game out of him this week. And, you know, I know you guys wanted to play them in anapolis. But the fact that you get to play them at the Rose Bowl, I mean, get a second chance. I said you don't get that very often. How determined are you guys to take advantage of it? Well, we're super, super determined. We watched film.

14:25I mean, we've lost a lot of film. The first time we played them, now we've got another six games that they played of film to watch. And it's just, they've grown a lot as a team. Same as us. We've grown a lot. We're not the same team. We were when we played them week one or weeks, six or whatever. But now we're out there and going to play fast, physical, and everything like that. All right, Jordan, we're going to jump to the Zoom question here from Joey Coffin. Columbus Dispatch. Oh, my bad. Not too Joey. Cameron T. Robinson, the athletic. Hey, Jordan, you've moved around a lot in the second day in your career. And now kind of getting some many more safety reps. What does it like at this point when Walt or Coach Mills comes to you and asks you to do some else? And just how much can you lean on the experiences you've had moving around when you're trying to learn something new in the middle of season? It means a lot. We always talk about, and this is being on selfish, whether that's making plays or not making plays, or doing your job so another person can make plays.

15:27That's kind of what we pride ourselves on. And it's just fun. We move around different positions. I'm always up for a new challenge. And a lot of people in the country can't do that. I just hold myself to that standard where I can play any position and excel at it. Okay, if anybody else needs a question, let me know. But otherwise we're going to go to Austin or the podcast. Jordan, when you were talking about watching film Morgan, which one do you think is more valuable to you watching that against yourself? Seven games ago, even if you've changed, or the ensuing six games for Morgan? Which one do you put more stock in? Kind of both. For me, I kind of watched what I did, things I did well, things I didn't do too well against them. And their team is changing, their scheme has changed. Some players have been out those stretch of games. So I really watched the past game we played. And I know they're going to go back to some of the stuff that they liked, of course. And different games like Penn State, maybe Illinois, they run a lot of men.

16:29So just watching, watching stuff like that, every game matters. So yeah. Jordan, thank you very much. Thank you. I'm here myself on that. It's kind of a couple of little ways. My partner is a tough guy. And that's probably the best problem that he is. I know what you're doing right now. You think you've done something better than I did? Yeah. I've heard a lot of you have talked about. You've done a few of that on the game. Yeah. I've just thought about this on anything. It's been having fun. And right out the ball, I've had just no space. And that's why I've been filming this on this week. And I've never came up early. And I think I'll see some strides there. And I'm just going to, like I said, I'm just having fun. And it's been great. Well, it's very time. I don't know why. Something changed. We just started to build that.

17:30I don't know why I'm all going to back there. It was started right after the spring end. And I went in the summer. Well, I was. My tent is where I'm at work as far as I can. The way I've heard them ever had. And I did. I got to go over the summer. I made some strides in every area. My list, my speed. And I really stopped looking at football as I took a pressure off. Because I'm throwing off the suspension and everyone's like, what they will see what it does. And I'm not focused on that. I'm focused on having fun and playing football. What I love to do. I think that mentality has helped me have a good camp. I'm looking forward to the season. I think that's true for your life. Yeah. No, I wouldn't say it was. I think that's why I always wanted to have a good time. I wasn't having that mentality. And after the suspension was up. I was eager to show that. I think we were again. And I had a lot of pressure on me.

18:31And I was just working for work. And I'm going down and I'm going to do it. And how to get a 4K at the festival. What is the situation? I was really feeling so familiar. I was thinking of the situation. I was thinking of the situation. I was thinking of the situation. It's starting to matter. It's not an emergency. I'm going to say that I was going to be a good person. I was really feeling important. I love you and we'll send my best friends on the team. I think what they will have. I think that's the closest and the highest years has been. Since I've been here. It's not like whether something in the shouting of the game needs a better and a better way to say what Pat is. He will be the best friend with him all the time. I was talking and thinking about his friends and stuff. I would say he's leadership. And the way he's really picked up and needed it. The same with Pat has been a really pressure unit forward. He's always been playing great. The way I'm playing really deep. I was talking.

19:32I was talking. You were going to be on the team. You were there. I was talking to you. I would say I'm not sure, but I know that we are the toughest teams on the team. I'm not going to go. We do everything. You got to keep the screen. I would say we wanted to do that in the screen. But now we are in the form. I don't know where that happened. I know that it's out of the way. We are bringing Max along. I'm trying to keep the screen from running off the wall. And I would dedicate. He's picked that up. And he's done really, really well. So I think the whole unit and the work tough. And that's very, very helpful. And I'm like, here you go. How do you feel about that? Well, I would like to do a sidearm. And you can see the minus scrimmage. If you're going, if you're pushing the guy, pass last courage, plus if you're going back, come up the ball and hit the guy. And I would say, I'm telling Max and other guys, I'm a teller.

20:35Without him, you're off the ball. I'm just alive. I'm running through the screen. I'm running through that very spot. If I miss my missful state, you know, we're not on my biggest bag. I'm on my strong side. And we've seen some huge strides there. So this would be really physical without building. And I'm excited for the very first one. I'd be very sure. That's what you're going to be. Right on my back. I was just curious.

21:35Just curious, I couldn't really know what that was. A couple of that later. Yeah. Yeah. So last year, I was non-travel, obviously. So I would come in and then three hours for it to be the walking. I was just up, guys back for a little walker. And I was on the side of my jersey on the walker game. And so I couldn't say it did. But, you know, I have learned, like I've said before, I've learned from it. But like, man, when I have to be like set up like you guys, it's like, you don't take it for free. And I think I've had a game-based experience. Really, this is like making me think of the social media. I think I've had a game-based experience. That's what I was doing. So you can have that. I don't know how to put that in there. It's awesome. I'm going to suit. How do you use the aloe vera?

22:35You're working on your tech heroes, but they're not. It's been also working on the tech heroes. Yeah. I mean, I had to practice first. I was going to use 50% risk on the first. And 40% and other than 20, little boldest coverage. I, uh, I promise myself, I'm going to be a lot better at physical dive. I think I will be best friends in the past, when I'm running the routes. And I'm going to be doing it. I'm really focused on the moment that I didn't know what was off that snow. And I'm going to make sure that I'm pretty good at physical dive. Outside those guys compete every day. Miles Lockhart just got his strike off. And he's been playing really well. So proud of him. I mean, I think he's really good at it. Just, just, just, Devin Senches looked like, uh, what you would call a five star. I mean, when he's out there and stuff, wait, wait, wait. You know what I mean? The guy comes in with a little bit of tar, he goes back to a certain extent of, but, living up to a billing. How was he, how's he lived up to it, I guess? At the end of the day, even when I got to college, it really doesn't matter about your stars. You walk in and you're at the same type of, uh, statues everybody else. Um, so it doesn't really matter in terms of how,

23:37how would you walk in here with? Learned a lot. He's improved a lot from day one to now. So it's been great to watch him develop and watch him get better. And he's made some exceptional plays. And I hope to continue to continue to see that. I do feel like McRory is helping you grow as a player. What's kind of your relationship? How does that kind of develop over the time that you've been here with at home? Um, very football intelligent, very, like football first mindset. It just, and I respect that as a person just to be able to go and have somebody with the same mindset as me. Um, Coach Wallen has been a really good help to me. And as I'm helping me a lot on and off the field here. Um, so I respect him for that. But Coach G is, he's pushed me to increase and learn, um, more football every day in our sport. Coach, Matt, do you know what you just want to do in your new process? Not when you got, no, not before you got out of there. Did, um, what about like this new coordinator, what kind of training brings a new idea stuff?

24:38How could your role change or evolve or just be the experiment? Um, I mean, just, just being in new positions, um, the ability to play multiple, uh, positions in the secondary, um, playing Don and stuff like that, being put in different positions that I wasn't maybe put in last year to have different things on the field. Um, I think that's a great thing. Always good to have versatility, as I said, and something I'll probably myself also look forward to. Yeah, okay. I'm not a tournament, you could go get, uh, more opportunities, you got the obviously, and the touchdowns, you can get the end, you can get more opportunities with your players. Uh, that's, that's a coach day at Coach Hark's hands, so I don't, I should really think about that. But if I get the chance to go back there, it'll be on, and I'll try to pick another play. It's a light-blocking every day. It's, you know, seeing that thing, you guys need to park it. It's been, it has been kind of weird to walk in here and see all the different pictures that they put up. Uh, even the three from the playoff. So it's been, it's been great. And then they have different pictures inside and everything. So it's been good. It's been eye catching where you walk by, like,

25:38we just accomplished that, but, um, it's, uh, it's a great, it's a great situation to be in. You might have been asked for a few guys a couple of you kind of want to say and have taken that with the issue, because you haven't achieved anything yet. Yeah. We've got one of the leaders that kind of, like, that, um, I mean, I think that's, you have to reset at some point. And I think at some point, we had, like, in the weight room, we had like, national championship stuff up there. And it was like, I mean, this, the new guys that walk in here, we have earned anything. We as the new 2025, 26 season, we haven't earned anything. So we can't really take credit for anything that is up on the banter. So we can't take credit for winning anything at this point. Uh, we have to compete every day with the mods that have, we have to get better to be able to put ourselves in position to be, how the opportunity to get to that point. Yeah, what, what is the lesson learned from an accomplishment like that, Caleb, that you do carry forward? Um, I mean, the lesson learned is you have to continue to work. Uh, last year, every day, we continue to stack bricks,

26:38like you said, and continue to get better every day. And I think that's why we came out to be where we were. And you can't just think about that from the moment that you get here in January. You start lifting in there. You have to continually push to be exceptional every day. And it's not really helping if you're just looking at stuff from the last year, every day. And you get the move passed. You use the keep going, but I think the spring has been good for that because it's been able to be like, okay, we are turning the move leaf. We have different people in here, new faces and everything. And it's different people on the field. And they got to, we got to make plays with who we are. Coach, Dave says you've been limited from a participation standpoint to a certain extent, right? Um, I was asked you want to go about the team. But what have you noticed about this team from a work standpoint of the catches your eye? Very competitive, I'll say. Um, people are trying to compete and push themselves every day. And it gets, it gets chippy sometimes. And that's, that's always a good thing. Uh, especially on the defense to have people that are willing to go there.

27:39We'll, they get to that age. And willing to be physical. Um, I really like to see that. I'd love to see it. And, uh, I mean, I think we just need to continue to be more disciplined. Continue to work on our skills and everything like that. Continue to strive to be better. We good. Do you see yours? Nice to have you back in. Uh, I mean, that's, that's not it by us. They ask, I'll do it for sure. That's, that's not it by us. The team that has so much turnover, you guys step up into the big ones. How big is it? Have a guy like Sunny and how much of you've been to see him grow as a leader for his last two or three months? Oh, it's been an honor to see just because we've had conversations about it and everything. Um, about how both of us are going to have to step in the bigger roles and everything like that. Um, but to see where he's, to see where we had those conversations to where we're at now, it's, it's, it's just an honor to see, honestly, the growth that he's been a part of. Um, and a product and he's going to continue to get better, continue to be the person that he's supposed to be. Okay, I'll keep confidence while I was heading into this next season, kind of trying to push first job.

28:43Does that look like a confidence booster for you? I mean, I'll say it was a confidence booster for you. I mean, I'll say it was a confidence booster. One reason I say that because you get like good coaches who believe in you and like they give you the tools to go out there and just play with confidence. You know, they're doubting those stuff. Like you got your teammates who got your back like my first play when I got a third to the seat. Like when the sale, the IGB and your main like first thing they say is like, no, worry, just go out there, play with confidence. You know, you know the tools, it's usual tools. Just go out there and make a play. And where about a play coming to you? You know, where is your time and show job? You just do it. And then like, say what Coach Roy is like, he gives me, he puts me in a position like, like the drills we put in, the work you put in, the one on one, so I just go out there and just perform at the highest level. How much better are you right now than maybe last month and of course, for right? I mean, I got way better just because I've transitioned a little bit to the inside. I think it was far, now I'm like, now I'm actually trying to like catch, catch technique and it's often, covers not, it's not always, press at the line. So it's like, now I'm able to like move my feet, move my hands, like see, like what I got to do just like, just in case I got to go back in corner, I can, I plan.

29:49Oh, I'm not, I'm very confident out there. Do you think that that was an actual fifth of you or have you had to kind of convince yourself to transition around? I mean, I feel like it's natural for me because I feel like me individually, I'm a fast learner, a fast learner. Like coaches help us like learn fast and like, because they're always honest about the techniques and stuff. So you like, you write down like you pick up on all the things and then like when we get out here, they coach us to like the techniques. So we used to go out there and play like fast spot and it would have like, reverse utility, you're able to go out there and just compete. Is that where you kind of stuck this spring or do you get kind of out there? So I've really been stuck there this spring a little bit right whenever we get this like other things. I just bounce out there every once in a while just like have just have fun. See if I still got it every once in a while. So it's as good as going to the compete at most spots. You mentioned the technique, what technique, you know, tips and things that you had to pick up and learn from, what you're from taking the insight. I mean, this is why I always like, you know, because what coaches ask me hands like see it, you see it, move your feet and then get your hands with your hands on the man.

30:52So it's like when you get like, when you out there, you able to like process like the way the receiver come off the ball, looking at the hips and seeing like the way he moving. Are you able to pick up like the row concepts you can get out of that like so that's being like other coach walls or me. Like as a player and just like him breaking out football to you like one on one. It's like very beneficial. What was the hardest part of making that transition from outside inside? I really say like cornering you got to cover two, you cover three, you cover one, it's easy. But then you got nickel. Now so many responsibilities you got to see like the row concepts, you got to be able to process like diagnosed, roused faster then what you got to do in a corner and just be able to like everything. Quaid like your transition, you got to like, you got to move fast. You got to just learn to move fast. It's like game recognition. I think maybe you've run the ball since you got it. I would definitely say, I would definitely say hasn't because how you get to like college is a little bit different. High school, we don't got to worry about things like that. When you get to college in a school like this, like your recognition of plays and like you know your jobs the way like the coverage is supposed to be played.

31:59Understand all your teammates or pluses you have in the field. It's like it's easy. What have you heard about it's been. He's very talented. He's a great dude. He's a humble guy. Great teammate. He's very supportive. That's like God actually went around because you can feed off your energy because you can see like when you make a play. He's like he like I do me. It's like I do you two partners. So he's like, when you get off there with guys like that with good energy, it makes you play a little bit harder. And then like when you make a play, he's out there and like it's helping you. Like it's being out there with him. He's a good player. One things have to be careful. He's probably serious now. What is it about one build that gets you to play at a high school level. That's a big question I know. The only question is because you have so many kids come out of Glibo and just play at games. We like the league schools and they like like track's a big part of it because I mean to actually in a Glibo everybody got to run track like it's made it's around.

33:01minutes right you don't really get a choice. Do you able to just like get out here and like know how to compete and then like G like getting bills that mental toughness into you so like have you like I heard now you got to be mentally tough because I mean life's not going to be easy so it's like being out here you know we could pee and when you down just pick yourself back up I mean that's what he is down to me and that's what he is down to me. Yeah but I kind of like the saying you know that's a privilege for everybody too you know you know have those expectations for us because they're there for a reason there's a ton of special guys on this team and there's no there's no real reward I feel like if there is no pressure you know what I mean like you want to kind of have the you're back against the wall and you know we have that big red target on our back you know and that's something we didn't have last year so then I'm kind of used to being being from Ohio State

34:03but I definitely do think you know that saying it's kind of what this team is about like we love that pressure we want that pressure and we want to answer that that bell every time we get a chance to so I definitely do think that's what we're gonna live by and we're really excited to have this type of team because as you can see like we're very close and we love each other. Did you like the good in that and not over the track? You said it right there it's a trap so why fall why why look at things that I can't control why worry about things that I can't control I can only control my play and my effort and you know my execution so I think today you know even though we missed a lot of plays and we didn't execute at the highest level we execute at a high level high level high level to win the game man tongue twister but yes you know so yeah Hello everybody welcome in here to the Truth Serum NFL Sunday week one

35:06Joey the Truth Wagner with you and thank you for watching the post game press conferences here for the Houston Texans one of the most entertaining games of the 1 p.m. window the early window a thriller against the cult's final score Houston 29 Indianapolis 27 that CJ Stroud leading his Texans to a week one win on the road against a divisional foe in week two everybody CJ Stroud was just CJ Stroud level good 24 of 32 through the air composed efficient two touchdowns no picks he is just so good everybody he is just so good and we said it last year we'll keep on saying it this year Houston

36:10Texans got the guy at quarterback and they also got the guy at head coach to Houston is going to be a threat here for a very very long time very very long time but a two-point win for Houston like I said Stroud had 234 yards also who had a monster day for Houston in the run game Joe Nixon talk about him 30 carries 159 yards and a touchdown Nico Collins was the leading receiver for the Texans six receptions for one 17 step on digs caught six passes for Houston but only 33 yards receiving for digs so we'll see how quickly it is when the when he starts the Palt and Wine and Complain on the sideline Anthony Richardson you had the good and the bad for him yet two passing touchdowns also

37:12ran for another but he was only nine of nineteen for two hundred twelve yards added six carries for 56 yards on the ground a couple of long touchdowns for the coach was the premise of their offense a 60 yards strike to Alec Pierce 54 yards strike to Ashton Duhlin but overall a very very good win for the Houston Texans on the road against whom I think is a sneaky sneaky underrated team in the AFC South the Indianapolis Colts final score in this one 29 27 and thank you for watching the post game press conferences as well as our post game reaction for the Colts and the Texans you Jay Stroud the Nico Ryan's and all the goods

39:17this year health competition which is which is always nice as well so yeah what was the culture shot like just walking into Ohio stadium and the first time to see a hundred thousand people there to watch you know I'm sure it's your coming from Australia and it's an amateur sport after all what what what was that personally I don't think like game day was hard obviously in terms like experiencing and knowing what it actually felt like obviously in Australia rules football we still experience big stadiums and like I've been to a stadium called the MCG and that's that's all that's only bigger than the one year on an actual physical level but in terms of like kicking it actually didn't feel that bad because the pressure that they put you under in practice is so much more intense than what it is on field and they're trying to put you in

40:19the worst possible situation in practice so when it comes time to perform in game you do your job so that's the blessing about being at a school like a high state everyone around you scout team those that are on your team and against you are the best players in the country and that's that's the that's the blessing of it is if you can perform here in practice you'll be able to perform in a game no matter who it is physically obviously the big issue for me was speed operation time so I did a phenomenal job at the expectations of getting that mower and a big thing for us is not getting blocked we haven't been blocked in four years five years so for me to come in and change what I was doing and speed it up does a real sort of personal conflict whereas I want to be the best partner I could possibly be but

41:24that was conflicting with the speeds they wanted and then I just sort of had to change my mindset and think about truly what I wanted to be if I wanted to be a school like a high state which had high expectations or go somewhere else but with that I just had to make I'd be committed to it so just had to work with coach keys John Firmann our long snap I live with him now but we work every night to make sure that what we're doing is game like and making sure that the speeds that we go out in practice are faster than what it is in game so it's been a blessing to work with him it's been a blessing to work with a guy from Mora Evans as well as Colin Johnson more long snappers and then obviously be able to see what Joe has been able to do in the national championship had a phenomenal kick which was under extreme pressure and extreme speed so to be able to look at what he did it was awesome you would work with Darren Bennett you've been over here a few times but this was your first time living here what was the emotional and adjustment like

42:27just being a college student just moving to a different country and also trying to manage being a college student yeah no it was definitely a emotional toll without your family it's definitely hard time zone differences don't also help the situation at that time there was 16 hours so I'd wake up and they'd be going to sleep or vice versa so it was definitely emotional and the actual stress of trying to keep up with what they wanted also was a mental mental toll fortunately I had a lovely lady called Nicole Kraft who was it was one of my teachers and she got me in contact with some pretty cool people so well we're put some sports psychologists and all that sort of staff to work on that mental side which was far more important for me than the actual physical side because I knew I could physically do it but it was a matter of getting a mental headspace to perform at the highest level possible and this is what it is in college football just physically by playing about the acting something you can say what is changed definitely compared to this time of year

43:28you could put it in that chair well definitely the speed and then the kid trying to build the consistency of the speed there's expectations of what they want here and then you've got to meet those expectations and try some passes so again working with John and working at night we had to make sure that everything I was doing was trying to be as efficient and as effective as possible with that being said I'm still trying to improve I'm still trying to be as effective in my contact with the football under the prep under the spades that they want which again it's a blessing because if you can perform here you can perform anywhere I'm just going to say is there any franchise in Australia and Roots football where we're rivals this in terms of pressure exposure what do you want in terms of exposure not at all this is this is the biggest that I've ever seen and been a part of in terms of pressure I was fortunate enough to play high level football Australian Roots football and the pressure is the exact same

44:32you've got people relying on you you've got coaches wanting you to perform there's jobs at stake there's money at stake there's all that sort of pressure I would like to go to say take a video to the field understanding how to be a pro more and just get things like more just in college football to what do you expect to bring to the team with you like what will people see what you want to be I'm just exposed to miss whatever I can honestly bring to the team whether it's often special teams energy I reckon with the same group I know my score said what I can bring but just whatever the team wrote I can but go stay with the minister right now kind of growing as a leader obviously in the kind of development these past three months in terms of his voice and the locker room yeah I've got here I have kind of seen the better more as a vocal leader especially in our RC rules I think he's probably like the oldest or somewhere around the oldest guy in the room so I'm seeing I've never seen the better better than the other Brandon is was another guy he mentioned it seemed like you know even last year even if he wasn't playing you know as much as as a starter he was still one of the leaders in the room just how much is his how important is his voice how much

45:35how much is right to see it yeah he's there respect the head and the court in our room he just known not even in the receiver room but out of the whole team as like I heard you got like when days are down or they're slow whatever like you know I'm just bringing energy there's a problem they're piping everybody up whether he's like impacting on the food or not he just knows for that what's your body number five I don't know I just kind of liked it I kind of wore the word when I got when I was in high school but I mean it was open when I got here so I was like of course I'm gonna take it I know it's a big plus that's my next number so I was like you haven't taken it so you've heard the care and stuff yeah I see it a lot like that or you just like on my own that I mean it's cool I mean I understand how good he was and how much legacy you left here about that day I just want to be my own person not have to live nobody else but I understand how much of a legacy you left in that time we talked about where you from to the right box how much of a shock was it I mean it was it was it was a pretty big shock just the adjustment from high school to college especially that with that six months and with that six month window I really had like been

46:38off seasons is working out but just coming here adjusting to college speed tip or other things it wasn't pretty big shock yeah I think about that all the time I'm like if I would have got her last year like when all of them admitted really mid-year and release came like I probably would just not be in season so it is pretty presently good home it coach aren't always telling me like like you do have a lot of catching up to do but I told them like as we go down the winter like I understand what he meant by that when you look at last season what did you take away from that year I'm saying maybe not getting on the field as much as you wanted but I imagine there was not a growth things like that what is your takeaway? Just understanding how the games go how the college players just the tempo how fast it is now running from a mecha I felt like a mecha was a pretty solid pro even when he was here last year and I lied a lot from him like I said understanding just the playbook more just the tempo around our offense and you can like that a salad what's your relationship with your mom? uh we're pretty quickly close um I say we're both neither of us are too

47:42pretty out-spoken but I mean we're pretty cool like I'm tight-walled guys we're super good so it's just interesting because he got here early and such a big impact we're developing yeah like he had to have an effect together like his class was like it was that it wasn't a good thing to have come together with him yeah it was so good um like you said I think I got here last year had a like a amazing impact species um as a person but yeah I mean it looked it looked pretty good just both of us in the same class that had been to San kind of impact it's a bit like watching bright hard line kind of step into his role what do you think of his offense um I like I feel like he's more aggressive uh but I like it he still does a great job coaching himself even though he doesn't maybe have as much time but I do feel like he's though that's a great job with us understanding he has to do with us and the whole offense catering to them he talked about other guys how much of an impact other coaches make helping to keep track of the receiver a little bit of the scanner and I needed some of the older guys it's gonna be hard to be cool yeah I feel like coach Jordan man the older guys the

48:43veteran are really good job of stepping up when coach hard is not available I'm I feel like coach Jordan did a great job people my first backer last year um just having extra meetings with him outside of our already meetings having extra meetings with him just learning more just taking away from him I felt like he he's been going to great job so talk about her I think they're solid up I think they're solid up I think they're solid I like all of them um I feel like they all they all can grow definitely and they all like I expect I know what they're feeling because of what because of how I just got her last summer but I feel like they're all doing a great job you got to remind some of those guys you know just because we've been here a longer day we're too much further ahead than you guys yeah well yeah kind of but I'm not really considering myself like a young guy anymore since I've been here throughout the summer and the season like I kind of just trying to prepare myself to be a bit almost we're not really a younger guy but I don't try to be like a veteran type of person to the young guys when did that start you when did you stop feeling like you've been there um I'd say really just just

49:48just upcoming with the spring and the winter um I feel like I like I learned a lot as the season lasts with the team and that like I could say I would have a big role and just take a bigger step with the team and all of that so I don't want to just get some of myself like anymore right Saturday's pride this seems like the competition between the receivers and the corners is so passing watch us how talented those sides are just what would have been thought of that quarterback room and the way that they battle they see us crack this yeah yeah yeah it's always like that B.I.A does there I mean they're local I mean it's always like that even when people aren't here to see like we go back and forth at almost like every day in practice so I mean it's not new to us um just a standard of B.I.A for some suits that's it who's the best rash talker on the other side um I'd probably say I'd say fear to take me they both did after they do you feel like the return day is a place you can make them back this year yeah I do I do feel that way I have did a little bit of a permaturning with some of our returners um draw out the spring I feel like I could impact it how much he's looking forward to

50:52being in the shoot Saturday being part of the offense really for the first time as a buckman yeah I'm excited um just to actually get the step foot and actually like get rolling in the suit it'll be a great feeling I'm pretty excited for our three four change through the year they always kind of were developing it involving it um but the game changed but and one of the things that kind of happened to us in New England luckily and not fortunately I'm all very lucky with the things that happened for a reason but we would pick late in the draft because of our season um our three four scheme really expanded you know co-park coaches left in New York and L that's an airplane to the jets and so it became much more difficult to find the pieces to fit the scheme so we had to take the reverse effect let's just get the best players we can let's bring them in and let's figure out how to use it let's figure out how to put them in position and then with a loving personnel and no huddles and all those things that involved the game changed from a really heavy kind of like called base defensive packages to multiple sub packages and that's something else that happened and we just had guys that

51:56evolved the defense to the years because they were on our team so saying all that I guess what I tell everybody is you know my whole goal is to try to figure out what do you do well how do I put you in the best position to go get on the field and do that well that job well the best your ability because if you can play fast you can play aggressive because you know you know I have you in your skill set then you're going to be disruptive as a defensive player you're going to help us win as a defense win as a team and we can put the pieces around where everybody goes you know in that court so and then go from there so that's kind of like you know I'm not close to all of it right 3443 nickel big nickel dimes all those packages four down from five down funds I'll add space in you know just you kind of do it through the course of the year so to me it's all like hey that guy can do this or that guy can do this and then I also think it creates rules so it's not always like the same 11 on the field so you can have a really good skill set and you can do something if it's in a critical situation then you know we got to get you in that spot and and help you be in that situation when the game actually with the reliable yeah yeah that's what it's going to say

53:00in the building it's going to say it is it is yeah actually have two of them right now I brought them in and kind of like set them down everyone's like oh my gosh what does that like just just reference as you look at this opportunity to come to a higher state and become some of the talent coming back and the guys you'd be able to kill it shoot it out to you is like hey I want to go coach that guy I would like to have an opportunity to put that guy in yeah I mean it's hard not to work in the building and try to find Caleb as fast as possible right I mean he is unbelievable amazing player very versatile you know we can there's a lot of like you know you look at a guy that anything you know we're gonna be able to do some really fun things with him and he's super smart and so such a great student the game and his approach is amazing sunny styles I mean you know you know you look at him and you know our belt I mean those are guys we always had big backers what didn't I was like oh my this is like these guys are you know they're big they're long they can move they eat up a lot of space so now my brain just starts got him like oh we can get this we can move here we can put him there we can line up here and do all those things but

54:03then you got you got IGB outside you know germane you got you have so many great players to me I know it's exciting you have a relationship with Timmy Wolf yes but basically this whole status here and you're coming in just to talk about that dynamic and how much work yeah I mean how lucky for me right to be able to come in a situation where these guys can really help bring me in you know and let me in so obviously I lean on Tim quite a bit because of our relationship going back but coach Johnson and I have known each other for a long time you know going back to when I was at Syracuse University the head coach there was Paul Pasco when he hit played at Penn State so we always kind of had a Penn State Syracuse you know kind of connection and obviously just admired him for the years and always was talking to him because he always great players coming out wherever he's coach to come to our level so you were always building those relationships and so to be able to sit down and talk football the last three with him is amazing the cover stuff when we put Tim and I it's like just like a natural conversation because and again Tim was in the NFL for a long time too so

55:09a lot of those conversations are are great Matt and you know James I worked out James here I'm probably pretty sure that I'm a field and I was you know knowing that but you know super smart player a guy that saw the game extremely well and was able to play fast because of it and so all that those connections it's been it's been really awesome and I'm just again I just my job is really to sit and learn and try to observe and then okay where can I add working we change working we adjust and you know and then we got to work it out of the stand yeah I was actually was I practiced so I was rolling yeah is that just you know I'm always taking notes I actually don't have mine but I usually care like on a notebook so even when our guys are working out I'm probably walking around just taking a little notes and you know we're always drawing football it's kind of just a habit at most points from being a young coach and breaking film you know I think I kind of told the story on Julian's podcast or the show that Coach and I did but you know it's a

56:10young coach we we would break down film I would draw every play you know in detail all 22 guys footballer depths alignments all of it and it really was you know we hand drum and you know the good old number two is the best thing to do nice and sharp we got a nice clean point and the lines were more smooth but it used to take it like 12 hours to break the game you know you're drawing every play so when you're coaching all day long and then trying to break four or five games during the course of the week if you had 10 minutes I mean care where you were in the building you had your pads where they were like you know let me start to draw it kind of just went in the hat because that was the safest place to put it so that's kind of where that is but I'm always trying to take notes and stuff oh yeah yeah I got some good notes and for sure yep I sure so it's going back to school yeah yeah did that impact you if you guys prepared notes at all I mean I don't know if you do that yeah why he did that maybe that would show you it could be yeah um I would say this uh I start to wrap it up with these first

57:13guys and I are obviously very close we talked a lot you know and we've spent great you know these two decades together a football conversation too um but we were together every day this past fall you know we did the coach show on youtube which was which was great that was something I wrote last spring and I just you know no way for you and I to get in the room and just teach football which we love to do um thank you for asking but we did have a lot of conversation about college football you know through the course of really last spring um take a look at how we really get fascinated with roster builds so one of the things I think that was really interesting with college football was with the portal with you know the two opportunities there with recruiting how fast can you build your team how fast can you really you know get the good players in the building um in the NFL it's pretty pretty rigid you know you knew your points where there was free agency to the draft to the 53 cut to the to the trade deadline those are the four opportunities then with the contracts you know how many how many how many really big contracts can you sign and we just we got fascinated with the college models we really started studying a lot of the different schools and how they were

58:17building the roster so we did have a lot of those conversations and duties are different but what did you learn and did you learn there there's so much you learn in that situation I mean obviously you know for myself going from being a coordinator to a head coach it's there's no book it's really you know interior in that position and that's why you know so many first time head coaches it's not easy you know and a lot of times when you go back and if you get in the second opportunity you have more success because if you do take that opportunity and the mind Detroit was great I learned a lot you know great family the four families that owned it so you know it was a great franchise um I wasn't my best version of my of a coach you know it's something I certainly I take responsibility for and you know through the course of my years of coaching like not all of them are going to be perfect you know I'm trying as much as I can but that first year was really hard you know and I was trying to learn a lot and I didn't do a good job you know I reflected a lot too I think one of the things that really um that I kind of I watched that Michael Jordan you know

59:17with documents you see that and something like triggered when I watched he was talking about you know his intensity when they lost the championship and and how told everybody that was coming in the building the next year exactly how it was going to be like his focus um you know we had lost the Super World and we had been you know the Super World Championship Super World Championship it was like every other year and so we had one in six months and went back and set up to the lost and I think that that mindset when you lose that game like all as you want to do is go you just want to go back like it's just your your level of where your intensity and your existence at such a high level and then do a good job of walking into a new building where they didn't lose this you know I mean that wasn't that wasn't that my fault and I never reset myself I don't think well enough to like hey I'm in some place new like these guys didn't have that dream last year okay I got to I got to start to teach him coach again I got to start to build the game and I didn't do a bit much better Matt you mentioned last time you did have so many different packages

1:00:21that you've used as you moved to the college level yeah um I think the beauty of the of football and definitely something I learned that was was take the extremely complex and let's try to boil it down to maybe three to five things really simple so we can really detail that out as much as possible I think that's a really cool thing to do I think that in general yes we have lots of packages and I always felt going into a game I was like I just want to make sure they can go play fast and play aggressive so I don't want to have too much where they can't do that I want them to be able to go play they they play you know I'm not they play the game so let them get on the field let them play fast let them play aggressive and I think that is a good balance and making sure you have enough to you know defend what you're going to see but also you know let the players go play three and know where they can be aggressive and and have the tools on the field they need to make sense Matt thank you it's different I still try to play my game I've been in a day that they they've covered me have to guard me and kind of react to me so I try to adjust too much

1:01:26which is to be prepared for anything that they made the right one how comforting is it to know that you guys and the teams in different ways like two weeks ago with the past game yes we was clearly around the game it's got to be a good thing to know that you guys kind of do what you need to do definitely that's the sign of a great offense um teams like you said they want to pick with the run I'm on me day and sometimes you got to pass the ball and you know receivers have kind of make plays with the outside to help win the game you have a situation that last week when they kind of play a lot of cover two a lot of show defense and kind of forcing you to run the ball and we ran it for about 20 yards so I think the great off is this could do both and um I think that's definitely really good for us what did like when you see your y'all good to blind and you're running backs kind of opposed their will and opposed the defensive really break their spirit all yeah I mean you get kind of get a sense like some teams that they don't want to play no more and it kind of just break down I think it's one thing we pass the ball and you know all over with the place to on a defense when we actually run the ball every single play it gets exhausting so I'm sure you just break some down yeah I mean it's tough it's definitely tough um

1:02:36they kind of want to have you know one of those games every game but that's kind of not the reality of then the NFL like he said he some games you might as well run the ball for 20 yards and kind of adjusted with the defense it's kind of giving you and uh at the end of the day the win is the most important um with the ups and downs kind of just have to you know stick to your process that's a weekend a week out uh results gonna do the results gonna be but uh longer processes consistent about the week that's missing for him this is tight end play been like an eye opener for you like to see the things that Trey McBride does in past one game and he's hurtling guys out there like I mean he's amazing man Trey is just super talented uh has really great ball skills probably best things like he said the ball on his hand he can he can get from the jet seat on a goal line like I'm not mean tight ends can do that so he's just really a special talent uh great addition to this offense and just everything that we can do with him it makes sense to be very dangerous all right he that's probably one of the best coaches I've definitely seen I'm seeing him make plenty of catches that's probably the best one I'll see you in the next one I mean I just try to get a

1:03:39catch at this point you know I mean I think definitely I don't think the stat sheet kind of says one thing um then just based on how the defense is playing you got us and as a whole but you just kind of get better each other week um to take advantage of the opportunity to give them to make it easier when it to win yeah definitely when it's win everything's good do that well the coverage has changed over the course of the game against you or what you see early in the games that pretty much what you're gonna get the rest of the game uh I don't know I'm not the defensive coach I'm sure they have their game plans like okay early on in the game we're gonna try to take away this and everything's the work with stick with it if it doesn't it we may adjust we may not but I'm not very sure with their thought process going into their games um we just kind of see what they do and uh like he said we can do both people run the ball or pass the ball I think that makes a very dangerous there I feel like the moment isn't too big I feel like um

1:04:41getting bigger throughout the throughout the year and when I was hurt um definitely helped me the Caleb's missed the task thing from today was kind of legendary but I I think the great thing about Caleb is he's such he's such like a likeable person a likeable teammate a great teammate um he helped he'll help you he'll help any of the teammates um he's definitely he definitely knows what he's doing he's a great player um and for me he just pushes me to be better every day I think with your room being so stacked as this you guys I'll write do you think that there could be the opportunity though for you guys to all see quite a bit of playing time throughout the season and not just you know towards the end of games moffal through any kind playing time but like some real meaning for reps I think that our room definitely has a lot of great players but as far as playing time like that's a question for coach knows well I mean if you guys kind of been prepping for that though throughout the call camp maybe switching in an out and

1:05:45it really kind of seeing a lot of run to action um we're definitely we're all getting like reps at each spot so like it's not just a just our band anymore it's not just it's not just you're here you're there we're all playing different positions we're all learning different techniques so it's making each one of us more versatile so how comfortable do you feel about strong safety spot I feel comfortable in any safety spot so it's I mean the more reps you take the the easier it is and I played both safety spots last year so it's not really that big of a transition what are the differences between the two spots which you have to be used to um honestly this year they made it so they're kind of they're I mean they're both they're both you have to do each thing in both spots so like you have to come down and make tackles of Andy you have to come down and make tackles that adjust their own obviously it's boundary and feel so that the spacing is a little different but I mean you have to do everything I both say these what's different what's different this camp compared to last camp for me personally

1:06:51I feel like I have I developed a better routine I feel like I'm more mature and um what I'm doing and I feel like just go out there and play and have fun I think that's the biggest thing for me don't don't get too caught up on the last play what have you added or what have you approved to your routine um I think just getting here earlier and at times last year you know when it's hard to maintain that routine throughout throughout the whole camp or throughout the whole the whole year but this year it's it's easier to maintain that because I know what to expect I know the requirements of me and I know that the team is kind of with their guys and last year's room that influenced you to show up a little bit early um yeah for sure I mean everyone everyone is required BIA our standard is so high that we challenge everyone it doesn't matter if if you're gonna play this year it doesn't matter if we're gonna play two years from now it doesn't matter if you're if you're a true freshman you're gonna come in early and we're gonna put in the work just like everybody else

1:07:51because it's not just the starters that are held to the standard is everybody it seems like Jaylen McLean's on kind of a similar trajectory as you were last year where he's pushing for playing time right away what have you seen from Jaylen that's interesting um he's all over the field man I mean he he runs that he runs to the ball every play he hits hard you know he's making plays on the ball so I mean he has like I said before he has a lot of potential and I'm excited to see what he does is yeah so I mean through the season it kind of fluctuated but right now I've gained even more weight so I'm at like 195 now the plan is to get to 200 but it definitely builds confidence when you got to go down there and feel feel like that yeah I'm actually playing folks in the ball exactly yeah yeah yeah I think that um coach preaches competitive excellence and that means putting

1:08:54yourself in position to make a play and that means practicing harder that means that means taking each rep like it's that big moment in the game and um that's definitely what I'll try to do trying to stop his ball I think jacquoise is he's right there he's grinding and stuff like that and it's been good so far and they're getting better every day and you can totally see they're getting some more fitting with coach Patricia's defensive scheme and stuff like that it's been pretty cool a lot like the time I was your status and life whatever it's changed from this time of year ago you're leaving yeah what's the test for sticking with the socket first appearance because I actually yeah yeah I'm a big believer in the Lord and um just trust in this time and instead of lying and leaning on him and leaning on his understanding instead of mind um you know I grew up in a faith based household and um you know I just leaned on him for a while times and that's what's all about it's a process here as much as you want to say something different like you know how I say buck guys your time's probably the majority of the people that are on freeze like

1:09:56jay jay like it takes time you're good but like it takes time for your weather guys you got to learn to take me together off in the scheme and every one of times different and that's what I've learned here it's got to enjoy the process because it's your story not anyone else's and it's going to be different. Look how much time are you spending at center how's that split between center and guard you look at build up pushability yeah um I think obviously just what coach day said just um the narrowing down of the roster and stuff like that um and obviously last year what happened you know like we had obviously step and Josh go down and a lot of a lot of us have step up in different ways and Carson's long around the garden center I mean like we're all switched swap we're all switch swapping and cross training because we got to do that you know like we got to be able to go play different positions it's one of playing that in a fell coach always tells us there's only guys that travel so like everyone's got to know a different position because someone's going to go down and someone's got to be ready to go that position. What's comfortable are you at center? What do you say? How comfortable are you at center? I'm comfortable yeah I mean I play a little bit of a brine in um at family high school and you know I learned a lot from coach Kelly last year

1:10:58with his NFL stuff like because he's obviously coached a line of stuff with the centers and coach fries well and coach I'm just I'm getting more comfortable because last year I was doing a lot of season cues and stuff like that um for practice with starts so it's good. Look we're asking about yeah um oh okay okay is your primary position left guard um yeah just switching around honestly right now yep hey one last quick yeah last question after the street thing through today you know you and tag room you know that was a testament to yeah you're right you're talking about Texas yeah the execution was not playing also uh they've probably got made a couple of no doubt what was it like to make the hard ones that have been in the midst of it yeah it was a perfectly blocked play and I'll give you this story this background so last year we ran a lot a lot of periods with screens and stuff like that and we never really want to run in the game so we're always like toss it out like come on like what are we doing like this we never we never

1:12:00run this play coach Kelly what are we doing stuff like that yeah yeah yeah yeah so um we always joke about it like it was a perfect play to the perfect look and you know I'm not sure how much time was on the clock it was like 14 seconds or something like that so we're getting out there and I'll be lying to you if I said like obviously here we go like we're just gonna run the clock out with this play yeah it's perfect look you know it's the perfect play to the perfect look and you know obviously with all the scheming and stuff we do and obviously running to the place day and day out during that time and what we do you know like the wantate Armstrong it works because you know we were ready for it and you gotta be ready for it and you know sometimes coach always talks about just you know like when we walk through we might only walk through play one time before we play the game but like I'm not sure I also do that and they gotta be ready for that and ready for that certain look that possible you can show up and that's what happened and we ran it perfectly and that's just a testament to the coaches continue to stick with it and that's continue to stick with it you obviously got to kind of see firsthand what it takes to make a national championship run

1:13:03what did you maybe take away from kind of watching that being involved in practice that whole time the biggest thing I took away was seeing how the guys practiced I was able to go on the scouting to see how the offense did things they're particularly like sharp so it was uh you know and it's someone's on me how I have to do things right here since you've been out fully in practice not just scouting so what's been the biggest difference maybe in the jump-up to let molder or is there a difference yeah no um just see everyone's practicing hard you know everyone's time to play do their job to the best they can uh just the speed that's the biggest difference fabulous I'm going to go to one thing like this and get some attention. I'm going to go to the town and stay with you. I can't see that. I'm going to go to that like today. I'm going to go to the town and stay with you. Oh.

1:14:03No, it was amazing. I don't really know. Like, going from graduated right after COVID happened. So, didn't really recruit it. Being able to like be recruited and see what that was like was awesome. I didn't see it. Yeah. If you had to give a live statement, it's like a good one. You're the key partner yourself after. It's okay. It's okay. I look out for a trial. Man. I see a question. Not a particular person. I just see a bunch of highlights. And I'm going to go to one of those albums. As you're, as you're, you have to tweet maybe like, you stop being annoying at you approach those kinds of things. You go to a site where you were doing the for. Yeah. Just like footwork, honestly. It's going from two gaping, just holding the edge.

1:15:04You know, just putting it just. So, I'm fitting that one. Different. Yeah. Yeah. You were able to, you were able to. I just learned. Talk to you. So here. You have to take on screen practice. I think you can take it. And I did the best I could to learn from Jack and JT. So just to see how they practice and what they did. And I was going to ask them. For points. They. What was the biggest. Yeah, no coach Johnson. I. For me. He told me you get to vote me and I firmly believe that. He. Well, people. So excited. You remember where you were. I. Yeah, I know. I was on my way to. So I'm going to go to the right. I'm going to. I'm going to go to the right. I'm going to go to the right. I'm going to go to the left. I'm going to go to the right. I'm going to.

1:16:04I was on my way to dinner. Looking at the family. And I just got a call on the car. I was. Yeah. It's pretty. I was. I was unbelievable. I. Yeah, it's great. How do you get out there? Well, what. What. What. Yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't a serial landmark. It was. It was technique. You can find my technique. Help me. You know, fit the right. The best I can. Pass. That's what I can. Basically. I know. No, it's early, but. Are you seeing the back of elephant take place? Yeah, three days first. These practice. Yeah, no, the learning curve is. It's definitely steep. Just like I mentioned, the. The fence are different. Absolutely. I think you like to get more freedom. And this kind of defense that which you came from was. You're in the. I'm. Under the stress that there's more.

1:17:05freedom is just different. It's not better. It's. Thank you. And Yeah, so we ended up letting our defense coordinator go. I mean, we would have gotten a whole new staff. So I just decided, um, getting the chance for something I wanted to do. And, uh, yeah, I just wanted to go to a floor and get a lot more one on once. I was excited. So that's awesome. Yeah, it was, uh, two gathered. Just to, yeah, I'm a double-tank. Re-surprised to hear from my staff. I didn't know what they'd going to transport.

1:18:05So I think it all was a surprise for me. What other programs have you been here for? I heard from quite a few. I heard from Texas A&M, Missouri. From Oklahoma. Wisconsin, Nebraska. What, once you committed here, uh, you obviously got to kind of see firsthand what, uh, what it takes to make a national championship run. What did you maybe take away from kind of watching that being involved in practice that whole time? The biggest thing I took away was, uh, seeing how I got to practice. I was able to go on the scout team, to see how the offense did things very particularly, like, sharp. So it was, uh, you know, an influence on me and how I have to do things right here. Since you've been out fully in practice, not just scouts, you know, what's been the biggest difference maybe in the jump-up to let Moller-Horror is there for you? Yeah, I know. Um, just seeing everyone's practicing hard. I know everyone's timing to play, do their job to the best they can. Just to speed.

1:19:06That's the biggest difference. That's the biggest difference. When you've got a lot of grip, you know, the one thing I've seen, you could get so much attention on how I would do the challenge. You could get a chance to get a chance. Or if you have to go with that, like, you can get a chance to do the challenge. No, no, it was amazing. I don't really know. Like, going from graduated right after COVID happened. So you didn't really recruit it. Being able to, like, be recruited. And to see what that was like, it was awesome. I didn't see it. Yeah. You need to give a live safe. It's like a good place to play. You're the key partner yourself after it. So you need to have a good time. I love college football. It's a traveling club. Man. I see a question.

1:20:06Not a particular person. I just see a bunch of highlights. And I'm just having a lot of those highlights. As you're, as you're, you have to tweak maybe, like, so you're stopping, going to cheer, bridge. Those kinds of things. You can go to J. Just like, footwork, honestly. It's going from two-gaping just holding the edge. You know, just putting it just. So I'm fitting that we're on different. I'm pretty passionate. So it's like, you had a pretty good person. I'm just having a lot of fun. Yeah. How much did you, before you able to, you believed in me, just learned to talk to you with so dear, before you had to take on spring practice, I was able to take it with myself. And I did the best I could to learn from Jack and J.T. Just to see how they practiced and what they did. And I was able to ask them for points. They did it. What was the biggest draw behind this kind of thing? Did you think that you were going to do it?

1:21:06What was the very work you were doing? You were going to feel it. Yeah, I know. Coach Johnson. You know, I, for me, told me you could develop me. I firmly believed that. He, all people, you could do that. So I decided to get there. Do you remember where you were? You remember? I was down on the tightest, right? I was on my way to dinner with my family. And I just got a call on the car. Coach J. So it's pretty, I was unbelievable, actually. That's probably good. Yeah, it's great. Have you been helped in development plan? What was that? What is your passion? Yeah. Yeah, it wasn't a serial landmark. So it was technique. I think you can even find my technique. Help me fit the run. The best I can in the past, which is the best I can. Makes a place. I know it's early, but are you seeing the back of the element in place?

1:22:06You know, three of these first things practice. Yeah, I know. The learning curve is definitely steep, because like I mentioned, the fence are different. Absolutely. Do you feel like you have more freedom? And that's kind of the defense than what you came from with. You're in the interior so much. I don't know if you're in the interior. I wouldn't just say so. There's more freedom. It's just different. It's not better. It was just different. I appreciate it. I've learned so much from me. I'm going up as a man. I'm growing up as a man. I'm growing up as a faith. And I've made relationships. That's how I've stayed there. I want to change the world. Jory Goughlin, Columbus Dispatch. What's it been like in practice and just preparation for playing off? That's like, can I see that you push the tempo as much as it does? Or play a back space, maybe anybody using this year? Yeah, I think our coach has done a great job. You know, trying to replicate that tempo at practice. Doing as much as we can, running from Joe to Drew. When we are doing 11 on 11, showing that tempo, always been ready to communicate at a high level.

1:23:07So I think our coach has always prepared, you know, for obstacles like that. To make a better man. Yeah, I follow up on that. I know every game is critical for safety. But in a game like this, where they are landing, I'm quickly in stuff. Is your job at hand, stumbling, or maybe more complicated? How can you describe it? Yeah, I feel like one of the keys to victory is always, you know, communicating. You can't run the defense. You want to run without all being on the same page. So, yeah, I think that, you know, I say these DBs linebackers. We always do a great job communicating anyway. But, you know, in any game, you got to be at the highest level of communication. I think that's what we're going to do. In your running back, what just jumps out to you about your couple of guys and talk about his patients, you kind of run intelligently for one of another terms. That would just jump out to you. Yeah, it's a great running back. It's certainly patient, a great contact balance. You really got to run your feet when you're tackling him. And, you know, it's explosive and has that home run speed. So, you know, we're really excited for the challenge and excited to play another great back. Rob Hall, our coach is this bad, it's far right. Yeah, Matt, who is just up there, and he's there. He's kind of unique in players.

1:24:09Can hold coaches accountable in this program. What's that look like? How does that work? Is it quietly, is it done loudly? Yeah, I think that's what's so special about our team is, you know, obviously, when you say, you know, holding a coach accountable, there is no disrespect in that matter. As far as, as we're looking for ways that they can make us better and they look for ways that we can make them better. So, you know, having that relationship, you know, just benefits the team. I'm sorry. Tony, I've got you already. No, we're going to as public disrespect. Come back, let's go, safety. How much do you appreciate flying next to Cam? And what does he maybe watch you even on his two years younger? Just being around him and watching him fly? Yeah, I appreciate Cam, you know, he came here and, like I said beforehand, I'm such like a pro. Cam, you're asking a bunch of questions, you know, with the funds learned as much as he could at such a fast rate. He, you know, continues to learn. And I think you just being with someone like Caleb, just something I constantly compete with. And he makes me better by doing that. So, I think we're always just in competition with each other.

1:25:09Obviously, it's we support each other more than I think anyone else in this building. So, I think just having a brother like that that I can compete against at such a high level, with also having the support from him is extremely special. I'm almost the entire team that you guys are playing like that. I hope you can. If it takes that to win an actual championship, you know, a bunch of stuff going up. But to why and who knows how the games are going to go? When it comes down to you guys having to win, how much confidence is there on this defensive unit? You know, the key road. You know, and at that day, we have complete confidence in our offense, first of all. But, I mean, as a defense, when you go out there every time you step on a field, and we're expected to, you know, get the stop, expect it to win the game. Coach knows it's a great job, you know, making sure that we feel that every day our practice that if it comes down to the defense, I mean, we need to be ready for that moment. So, I think we'll be ready. We have time for just one more. Special needs. You guys ready to come in? You're 20, Garmin. Buck, how about Lincoln with the splits of Tennessee's receivers? How does that impact your job? Yeah, I think just obviously those are unique splits. And, you know, why is that a little more on this more space?

1:26:09But, uh, it just, I mean, just preparing for that game. I want to say really affects our job. But we just have to be ready for that. It's something that we haven't seen before. And I think our coaches and, you know, the team has done a great job of showing us those looks of the players with the game. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you guys. I'm going to say at home town it's time to Tokyo. Yeah, same high school. Yeah, there's nothing like the Tokyo guys that hope to learn more about Logan. Yeah, well, not necessarily about Logan, but I know they coach really well. And the men athletes at the phone call, and I mean, he gave right of years and was a player. It's a person, you know, and that was, that was the end for me. Because you're going to have some information. And then, hey, hey, coaches, just good luck. Because, good stop talking about it. It's a player and a person. So, my brother, me and talked to him. One advantage and a son down. I got out. It was, uh, it was pretty good. What do you mean to see from a guy like him that know that that can translate to a high-oast team? This is like, let's actually point literally the top of the sport right now. So, how do you know that that's going to translate from FCS? Based on what I've seen thus far, skill set is going to translate. Okay. Because it's going to translate.

1:27:09Even though I made a huge mistake. No, I was just kidding. Okay, it's going to translate. Yeah, I know what you're saying. Like, it's a big moment, all right. But, but he's been, he's been, he's done great job. I can tell you that I'm really looking forward to it. And he's been all business. And that's what you want. He's a great leader in a room. He's helping in young guys. But he goes on to see that he works. And that's what I want. Yeah. There, I think it is something that probably all of us, I've talked about at times over the years. So, I'll just ask the drink. Yeah. Was there anything in Jim Nolson's time here where his style of defense and your style of defense did not exactly mesh? No. Why do you think we think that? Because you guys think he's a 3-4, you guys looked at his system at Oklahoma. And thought that way is going to bring the jack thing here. And that's what we thought. And so, when you looked at that, you guys look at 4-3-4 defense. Yeah. And you can remember we have all these 4-3 guys here. And so, you have to change the way you recruit. And you got to change the defense scheme set, right? And I think we tried jacks or a demonstration. And then as the season went on and teams were playing offensively,

1:28:12you know, it was predicated to more having 4 guys in the field and changing up. So, in every way, like, like, I don't chase stories and lies out there because nobody's asking me this question here. But Jim and I had really great conversations about what we do. There was never a moment where we were going, hey, I don't want the 3-4. There was never that. So, what's the best fit for our players? How can we get them with the team? And that was always the conversation I was going to this day. The star was made up of all that. It was a concept with it. It was a concept with it. Maybe because I said, well, I don't know what the jack, you know, I don't know what, at that time, we don't know what we're going to do with the jack. And I knew that we thought jacks are going to say, the decision between coach and I, that, like, let's get jacks or he back to team as it is then. And that's where we'll just go to another jack position and got to do it. But we never did it again. You know, we never got back to the shore of the defense. Because it changed what you do. And I'm not a question about it. It's a different scheme and different thing we do. And you got to look at it in big 10 offense. And there's so many different ways, formations. You can get that guy caught in the house trying to play that.

1:29:12It's a stop. When you did a bother you, that story, you ask it. But that story was out there. How much did it bother you that the story was out there that you and those works, you and I, that, etc. You didn't even fight it. Here's what I say to you. It doesn't bother me because I know who I am as a man as a person, right? And so I'm never going to chase lies of people who talk about what I did. And life is amazing. I'm getting sentenced of nighting. I'm confused to read it because that's not who I am. I mean, Jim and I had a great relationship and never came down to that. I don't have the ultimate. I was never that. The story got created, which is unfair. But you got to create it somehow with someone on a podcast. I guess trying to get clicks of some. I don't know. I don't read that song. But no, it didn't bother me because I'm not chasing a lot. I know who I am as a person. I used to be very high in my character. I've been this business a long time. And I don't know how to go through chairs that are ruined at the point. I have a pin here. I give that a pin here. We agree. Walk on a room. What we're going to do. When we go forward, I think you saw it this season. We played really well.

1:30:12As we did it, we played well as a staff. How much more? How much testimony do you need? Yeah, I start when you think about it, especially the way the defense played down the stretch second half of the year in a playoff. When you think about. Staff players talent experience coming in. Just what's your evaluation of how do you highest state defense play on the way to national championship? I think they played light on. I think they played close as a unit. I thought they had a lot of pride about what they were doing. They were on a mission. They really were a half to team on the rough day. You knew that it was going to change. I mean, I see this as a prize. As long as the coach sees, guys played away the way they played. I mean, everything came to the time. And that's what you want. The greatest moment of all, it happened when they scum. And I could be more proud of how they played down the stretch. And every day, they came to work. Every day, they came to work. Never one moment where they night. They coached. No, let's go. Let's go. You have to be in the rooms and practice and see Zach was on on every day those guys were preparing for every day. That's why you keep doing that.

1:31:12That's why you go. It's fun. It's fun. It's like why stop something really long because you know that. It's a moment. Like I said before, I said to the young guys talking about the four guys of Schronk. We're doing this with them. They came back for a reason and we have to give them everything we got to make sure they're going. And that was every day in my meeting. Like don't forget why we're doing this. It's why we have to go hard because these four guys here, they came back to do this again for us. I hope they win the championship. And that was my passion. I walked through every single day. I was not going to let those guys down. And that count per week throughout my whole room. And that's where we approach every day. Every season, every day we talked about that. We're not going to make that. We came personally because you felt a connection to these four guys. It gave you everything they got. And you feel like you had the same feeling. You had the same feeling. You had the same feeling. You had the same feeling. You had the same feeling. You had the same feeling. You had the same feeling. You had the same feeling. And you felt like you had to give some back. So, every day I walked the room and said I'm not going to fill in your got one. You want to give you everything I got. Everything I got. Every day. Because I want you to be successful. And they last the last game walking off the shield. The tears all our eyes. You felt they believed, like wow, we didn't.

1:32:13You just looked at each other and said we didn't. Because we believed in each other. You saw the fourth one. and you was talking about obviously you got a lot of guys just walk out the door. And then the primary reason for why that boarded. And then, the first one, the first one, the second one. The primary reason for why that 43-40-40 kind of made sense. With that black's turnover and confidence, it's such a hassle for you. You open to the idea of maybe the front's changing a little bit more of a street based on where the depth might be this year, if that were the case. I'm always open and change because it's all about winning. It's all about putting our kids in a best position to be in. I don't know where just this concept comes, but I'm holding things back. I don't have any way. I just want to be a coach, right? And what are you telling me, a coach? I'm going to be a coach. That's the way I am. It's just unfortunate that this 3-4-4-3 doesn't really matter. What we're planning. As long as we're in a best position to be in a best position, that should be the bottom line. Where you're 4-3-4-3-5-6 doesn't matter. Our players are the best position to play in a win. That's it. That's really matters.

1:33:13Because you start getting caught up like, we don't do this. And we don't have the personnel to do this. But we still plan it. The story is how you say, can't play the 3-4 because they're not going to. It can't be that. I think you're a multiple defense. And that's what we are. We can find what to use our players in a best position possible to be successful. I think you have to do that. And I think I've gone to what, 6-4-2-2-2-4-2. And so the change is always rewarded. So you have to adapt to it, but I'm all in. It's going to go to some best position. Our players will play as fast as they can. Whatever you play, I'm all in. So there's no resistance from coach John. It's like you've got to be a four-man trying. And we can be one of the if-to-personals fit what we're trying to do. So the last thing I'm going to say, it's not skiing. It's gym-aid of jokes. And so we can talk, scheme all you want, 3-4-2-2, where are we going? But in the end of the day, if those guys are front and you guys are back at, or we're all on the same page, it's the play of best possible defense. Does that same approach relate to rotation?

1:34:15No doubt. No doubt. Never going to change. So you don't have any particular questions from coach John? That's how much you want to rotate. I do. I go into the game with the idea of Zach what I want to do. Who will rotate and who's ready? It's not necessarily rotating. Who's ready to rotate? You go into the game. Because you can't put a guy to the position where he's going to fail. Because you didn't get him ready for the play. I'm really big in that. They were ready to go. I'm ready to play. Let's go to the play. Eric, do you want to get your first shoe here? Yeah, 2014. Do you want to go to those guys? This guy, as you did, was it more special because you've gone through four years. Yeah. I had to tell people about the time. But I happened this year, it's really special. Because you've been a group of guys. We've been around. You brought him in. I was in the alternate goal. It's a try to win that national attention. We get it down with the same guys in your program. To me, that's what comes to talk about that. It's a great thing. Coach, thank you. Eric, tall player. He's a good player. I mean, we have to really, it's about following our rules.

1:35:15We have different things that we can play against them in different coverages. And so we're going to be trying to change things up and really be able to focus on all their skill players and all their talented, they have talented offense. So for us, it's just going to be matching up well and doing what we do best. So that's my impression. Cleveland.com. It seems like Jack and JT have really had a try in their game. The last few times I'll, how much does that help the defense with those two guys who play on the level that they have been, you know, this past month or so? Yeah, it makes it so much easier. I mean, you know, those guys, there's some of the best in the country. So we can let them go and play free and play aggressive. I mean, it helps defense in so many ways. And so, you know, we're thankful to have those guys because they really create a lot for our defense. And we need that same type of play from them from now on. And, you know, I'm really confident in them because they put on the work. They do all the hard work to get to that point. So I'm confident in them. Austin Ward, the podcast. Cody, was that the first helmet you've ever cracked?

1:36:17I think so. I mean, I didn't even know at the time it was, it was crack. I wish I brought my feet more in that play, but it was pretty cool. I mean, I've never seen that happen before. So, except for my hand. Did you, did you guys have any sense after that? It was such a physical hit. It was also a key tackle. We offered real deal. Like, did you think that that sent any message, both for the rest of you guys on the defensive side or to Tennessee about what that game was going to be like? Yeah, I mean, we knew how important it stops. We're in that game and, you know, more so than the hit, just to be able to get off the field. I think that was the huge part for us because we know if they can drive the ball and create a big place, it'd be tough. It's tough. It's a long day for us on defense. So, yeah, I would just, I'm happy that we got those stops and we needed to get it. And that was one of them. And, you know, all those stops really propelled us to have a good game on defense. Bill Rabino, it's Columbus Dispatch. What changed the most after the order game and the reengineering of the defense? Was it mindset? Was it a schematic thing?

1:37:18What changed the most? I'd say the most prominent change is really this attitude in that mindset. I mean, we know we played good before that and we'd done a lot of things, but, you know, sometimes you need a little juice and a little bit of that. So obviously stuff has changed. Scheme has changed. Like attitude has changed, but I think we have that mentality that we have to be able to win games no matter what on defense and to be able to do that. I mean, we say it all the time in our meetings. It doesn't matter what the offense does. We should be out there and be able to win a game. So, I think we brought back that mentality and it's just got to keep going. You know, it can't just stop at Tennessee. It has to keep going to Oregon. You played so well before that and then that kind of came out of nowhere. How about you, the little awakening was that I'm not sure if they're making real as okay or not there yet? I know. We had, that was a rough two weeks for us after that game. We had to like really, we had a lot of tough conversations. We had a lot of overhaul and just, you know, really looking in words at ourselves

1:38:20and what do we have to change? And, you know, I think what we've done so far has been pretty well and we have to keep that going because it doesn't matter. It's really what you've done lately. So, you have to do that for this next week. If you were a coach, how would you grade a JT Snap as a linebacker? I guess Tennessee. Snap as a linebacker? No, I mean, I give a lot of credit to, to, to Niko as a quarterback. I mean, he did this thing, moving around the pocket. It's not easy like trying to, oh, you said JT as a linebacker or for me, how would you grade it as a linebacker? What was that? Oh, I mean, some tough plays. I mean, that's football though. Sometimes the guys get juked, whatever happens. But, you know, he always keeps coming. That's the best part about JT. Like, he'll never stop playing as hard as possible. So, we're, I'm just, I'm happy he kept going and he made a lot more plays after that, too. So, it's very different tackling and running back and going back. Just, you know, what's the main difference between having to tackle those two types of

1:39:23players? No, it's not. What I've noticed is, I mean, when quarterbacks are scrambling and they're particularly like good scramble threats, they use that ball fake a lot more. And it's, no matter what, even if they're passing line, it's still threatening like it's just the mentality like the playing defense. You're always worried about them throwing the ball. So, they can, they have a little bit more wiggle, whereas running backs, you know, there's a certain amount of jukes moves that they could use or whatever moves they use. So, I mean, I think a lot of the things that we do is just trying to just treat quarterbacks you scramble like running backs, you know, just try to stay down because, you know, your presence affects it no matter what. So, if you're jumping for throw, you're probably going to be wrong. All right. We have time for a couple more. I think we just have one. Someone else wants to jump in, but we got Tim May, Simon Raw. I was trying to hold my hand up. Cody, what is your interaction been like with Caleb and Lathen especially from standpoint of feedback, you know, maybe between plays, maybe on the sidelines after series and stuff? Is it grown as the season has gone and what do those guys especially bring to the table

1:40:26in that regard? I mean, they've always been really great, really great problem solvers. So, at this entire year, you know, our communication is strong, in the two drive and everything. I think they do a wonderful job. Both of them just, you know, diagnosing what's going on and then, you know, if we need to fix, they're always on top of this stuff. Our coaches are great at that too. They make sure that any little issue is being taken care of and we communicate within the positions, but, you know, they really get at that stuff. Okay, one other thing with you, I'm just being honest, I thought from like the late and the fourth quarter on against Nebraska and then since then, you seem to have been a different player. Maybe I'm wrong. I mean, I don't know if there was an epiphany there or whatever, but can you describe your drive or whatever from, you know, that was a close game. It was, you know, I think surprised a lot of people. You understand what I'm saying, but you seem to be a, you're personally seem to be a more driven, different player. Am I wrong about that? Well, I mean, I don't, I feel like I've been taking, you know, the meetings to the field

1:41:31to practice everything. I want to say I've been consistent and, you know, I'm just being able to be in position to make more plays and, you know, I'm thankful for that, but I mean, we're just really just, you know, well, we're just trying to be consistent and, you know, doing what day and day out, not taking any day for granted and not doing anything that I wouldn't do if I wasn't playing well. So, yeah. I think you said it was a good game. Or is that a hailstorm? Keith? Yeah, I'm not sure what to come on. Okay. All right, fine to question. So Dan, hold on. What is Cody, when you guys are looking bad for a good game, obviously, you know, statistically really an anomaly because he mentions here, how much do you look at it as we had an off night, how much do you look at it as they're really good offense that's capable of exposing flaws to the other team's hand? Yeah, I think it's a little bit of both. I mean, we, we definitely did not play to our standard no matter what. I mean, that's number one. But they also played a good game. And, you know, we're both a good team. That's why we're in the Rose Bowl and playing against each other. So, you know, it's going to be on us to be able to execute and do our job to the best

1:42:32of our ability. And, you know, that's what we're spending all this time practicing for. Like, we're doing walkthroughs everything because, you know, we need to, when we get to that moment, we got to do it right. And it didn't get to the last game. So for whatever reason, we'll get those fixed and we'll make the changes necessary and go out there and get to win. How do you feel about it? I feel good now. Just, you know, being a little bit heavier. It was good. It was big thanks to Coach Mackon. It's all so easy. What do you think of being the starting quarterback at Ohio State? What does that look like to be? What does that mean? Yeah, it's definitely, definitely the goal. We're so long as we've just got 15 characters to stay. What should that person look like? Yeah, I think, you know, the first guy in the last guy out, kind of like everyone says, and being that leader of the offense. Were you able to do last year? What's that I with you last year about, you know, Billy Fessler, what he was able to do with the quarterbacks and how much did you specifically get to work with them?

1:43:32Yeah, he had so much impact on our quarterback room last year. Him and Coach Kelly both did a great job with us and I was really appreciative of those guys. We're working closely with Coach Fessler and I was happy to see him yell. How much different do you feel when you're on the way to the quarter? We talked to you in your go-to training practice. You can just get in here and come from Alabama. How much different a year later do you feel in this program as a quarterback all of a step? Yeah, I think when you, when I first got here, I was still learning how everything works and learning what you're doing. And now I think I know what I'm doing within the plays or within how the program works. So I think it's been good to just get adjusted but still trying to improve. And when you talk about toughest guy, first one in the last one or one, there's two other guys that are trying to do that. How do you be that guy when two other guys know that that's what they're doing? So we're trying to do that job. Yeah, I think it's our room is very competitive but we're also very close. It's only three guys in our room so I think it's important for us to just be close but

1:44:34also competitive. I'm working on you throughout a watch. Go ahead. Yeah. I'm working on you throughout one of the biggest things that stands out. I think it's how quick you're going to do this is still how much. How did you develop that quick motion? I think I've naturally had a kind of a quick release. I've got a lot of high school I was always, I was just kind of had a quick release and I've been trying to get a quicker. You know, you got to watch Will and Devon to the battle last year. What did you learn from that? Maybe you was looking to take it and understand that it's competition. I was trying to get each other better for the team. Yeah, I think Will and Devon had a great friendship but they were all very competitive. So I think it was definitely good to see and that's something that we had in our room. I want to show you the toughest guy with nobody to touch with friends. I think there's a lot of ways to show toughness and support about it. I think taking mental reps, finishing out plays, bursting through the line, I think all those control toughness. Just like you.

1:45:34I'm all on this. We spent a lot of hours here. We were watching tape. I'm getting ready to practice. I spent a lot of time. I'm going to get it going. I'm going to stay with my team. I wouldn't say that. I think the whole quarterback room is held to a standard. We all are together in this tournament. Be on time and show up early. I'm going to laugh and talk to you. I'm going to have to talk to you. Yeah, I definitely saw that last year. How much noise there is but I think you have to talk about the noise. I'm just going to talk to you a lot about leadership. From year one to year two. I think you made the biggest big. Two more questions from the QB small team. I would say I think just knowing where I'm going with football and understanding football IQ.

1:46:41I learned a lot from Coach Kelly, Coach Day, and Coach Vessel. They've been, you know, there's still more room to improve and improve the grow. I think they'll learn a lot. How much do you think you'd work with? Yeah, I love Coach Harlan. He had a lot of impact on obviously the offense last year. So we have to really shift it. The first couple of days for him has been a lot of fun. How much do you think you changed and you think under Coach Harlan offensive? Much. I'm not sure. Yeah, I mean, what do you know? I guess it's one of my things. I'm not sure. You're supposed to say? Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. But I would say about a steam wise. Yeah. If you like the direction, she's going. Yeah, I like him as I see him. I like him as a, it's our coach. So I think it's been good. And how is it really felt first? Really felt first. We're sticking around. How key was that for you? You talk about a little bit earlier. Yeah, Coach Kelly, ladies, I'm going to think you're going. Hey, what's up? And then Coach Fest was still there. What is that mean? No, I think we had so much trust in Coach Fest last year with him just helping out the offense.

1:47:43And I was, I was really excited to see him get elevated and I can't even think of it. I think it's really tough. I think Coach Day definitely tries to make it tough and practice on the quarterback. So it's a slow but easier in the game. But I think it's been good. I think the whole quarterback loves to challenge. You like it, huh? Yes. All right, Julie. Thank you. Thank you. I think, I don't know, I think we've grown closer as a unit than I've ever seen before. I mean, I've been here for five years and I've been on a lot of offensive lines. I think this is the closest one we've had by far. And it just, just because I think of the adversity that we've overcome to get to this point.

1:48:47And like Coach Day said, there's a story still to be written. That's what pressure should have on how strong it is. It's impressed me a lot. He's a really good football player, as you can tell. It's going to boost him and the NFL when he gets there. And it's crazy to see how valuable he is to this team. And it's just a huge, huge, huge, huge, huge, huge team. I'd say it feels like a dream. But at the same time, I think you just take it day by day. You can't look forward to the game. You have to have a good Tuesday practice, have a good Wednesday practice, have a good Thursday practice. And just make sure that those days are complete to where you can build up to that game and see how you're going to do in the game. What are the points you're seeing this far and what are the things you've been working on in practice?

1:49:49I think it's more just mental, just seeing what the defense is, what their scheme is. And then also just making sure that you have the right technique for those defenders and stuff like that. Yeah, just to talk to you about what we're having in Dallas. Just talking about now, all you guys are perfect. It's a full-time relationship. It has been a grind. Can you give me any insight on what's kind of hurt you before you're out just applying for it? Yeah, you'd say everything. I mean, we hit on a daily basis all the time. So you could have knee pain, ankle pain. You could have headaches, you have shoulder pains, you have hands, wrist, thumb, anything. But I think it just shows that we're willing to do whatever to play. I don't say what's driving right now. When an asses championship. That's what's driving me more than ever because it's a memory that'll last a lifetime if you go and do it.

1:50:54There are a tie-off starting the pass here in the Teres of Portland, which players have worked with you? You're one game you're working with, but how does senior pitches think? I think it's paid off. Playing for a national championship. If you were to tell me that when I was 10 years old, being a starting right tackle at a house state, I'd say some cuss words at you and tell you to go away. Not that much, but yeah, it's Indiana. There are times in the state you're playing on the wall. How much do you need to take instead of setting up? I don't know. I guess you could say I'm gotten it out. I don't look at myself more than I'm just looking inside that huddle during the offense when we're calling to play. I'm like, I got to do it for these guys. Put so much in for them. Yeah.

1:51:55No, another name didn't recruit me when I was going out through high school. But I don't have any ill will against that. They didn't think I was a good enough football player, so I didn't have the day. No, I don't think that's any motivation. I don't look at it like that. Maybe that they recruited different guys in classes, but I don't look at it as any ill will. I think the first thing that I talked to this morning was like, oh my gosh, which is the pie. I don't know how it costed. How in the world are you guys finding the mental strength to rest and recover over and over again? What is this week that like one day two days? Yeah, I think it's good. I think it just shows it's like an NFL style season. I mean, it's crazy to think what we were in the week was at 16 or 17. And I think it prepares you for the next level more than ever because it's basically, I wouldn't say it's NFL,

1:52:58but the playoffs and all that stuff, it's kind of coming together as the NFL. How are you expecting that? Sleep. Sleep, going in the train room, spend hours in there, then going to the film room with an ice pack on or a stem or something like that and start watching film. I think it's like a 24-7 thing that you always got to keep your body right to make sure that you're ready to perform at the level you want to perform at. That day was an O-shit for me. It was just to see where he went from the winter time to being the guy who wouldn't talk anything and being all American, rimming to winter.

1:53:59Yeah, it was a dark point in this season for us as a line, but I had confidence in Carson right away. I mean, he played 12 games and he did find, I thought he did find those 12 games, so I had complete another confidence in Carson. It was easy, more of a knockdown, it was a drop, he played almost here, but it had to come free, I mean, it's 20 years. Yeah, I think it just shows that sinners, guards, tackle, they just need time. Time to, I mean, you're not going to do amazing your first season unless you're, I don't know, Michael Jordan or something like that. But it shows that it's just a development and I mean, our slogan is developed here. Just to see him come from last season to this season, it's completely different. I was not just going to provide the option to develop a lot of things, but I don't know if it's going to work. Yeah, Coach Fry is a great off-and-slime coach.

1:55:01He knows what technique to use on every single play. He busses, asks for us. Even though people give him hate all the time, I don't understand, I don't see why. He's a great human being. He just wants the best for us, and I think that's what you see at him every single day is he's trying to push us to be the best for ourselves. I think the job, Luke and Austin, Tech, are not that close in on the end here. Yeah, I think they've done an unbelievable job. And it just shows the selflessness of all three of those guys because Tech were starting for the season. Austin was a left guard and then Luke jumps in there, but those guys haven't complained one bit of, oh, I want to get more playing time or something like that. They've been selfless and it's amazing to see. You're after the gut, well, not in Jackson, said that Jack Sawyer called him and recruited and tried to get some of these guys. What do you remember about Jack's goal and trying to get everyone to come back and do this one more time? Yeah, I knew I was coming back. There was no recruiting for me. I was kind of on the outside of that because it was only my first year of playing or first year of starting.

1:56:08But I just remember just of fire and jack's eyes, you see, because Ohio native Ohio State guy, literally the buck guy I call him. And it's just a fire in his eyes of, hey, we can do this. We can go to a national championship and play for it. We just have to have everybody come back and it was awesome to see. Joking around with each other, trying to be free to drive sometimes. Even though I go home and see my mates, I would say something that doesn't seem like a joke but it is. So you're going to get used to that a little bit. Yeah, it's the biggest ones I suppose. It's a little bit more sarcasm than Australia's, I'm saying. Yeah, a little bit more sarcasm. And the way we speak to each other is, like the words we use for different things. I mean, I was just an example last time. I was talking about gardening with Ronald mates and we were talking about using a whipers and a buff, which is a weed wacker. And like just a little things like that. You guys have no idea what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he's exactly like, oh, yeah, this is like the bunch of little words I'd say that, you know, I think in order.

1:57:14But I don't realize that he's actually Australian. I have to go back on it. Yeah, the guys are starting to learn. I hear that. So, what are you doing? I'm just going to go back to my house there. And that's what I'm going to do. One of the big things, we, it's selective for the one. So you can't just sort of walk in, you have to try out. But most of the guys go out playing Australian football, which the primary way to pass the ball is by punting it, essentially. It's a little bit different. But then we have a whole bunch of coaches that actually played a total football. And the Nathan Chapman played a few games at Green Bay. And he knows what to expect. He knows how to kick on. He still goes out and boots and he's old age, 45 or something. So, yeah, and then they sort of, they teach exactly what to expect. They don't give you any false hope really. They say, you're going to go there. This is exactly what it's going to be like. So it's sort of like a one, two, three year simulation of what it's going to be like over here. So guys are ready to go. Two culture. It depends.

1:58:14It depends how good you are. A lot of it's mindset as well. It's very, it's, you know, it's a unique offseason. We might get two weeks, two weeks back and then we're into winter and then spring and then summer and then fall and then season. So, yeah. Two culture questions. One, have you ever had a Vegemite sandwich? Yeah, yeah. And two, I heard no real Australian with drink faster spirit. I've had my first foster in Nashville about two months ago. And? It's alright. Yeah, it's fine. I won't be rushing back to it, but it's, it's easy. And Vegemite? I love Vegemite. It's awesome. Yeah, I, I miss it a lot. I actually brought it over to Jarlos from Los Alamos in Australia. So yeah, I love Vegemite sandwiches. Have you tried to share it with anybody other than Nick? I've tried, yeah. I mean, Nick doesn't mind it. I tried it with our one of our kickers, Casey Magger. He's pretty upset when he tasted it. Yeah, it's been pretty good reactions out of the guys. But yeah, if you, if you, you know, four to one ratio with butter on some toast, it's pretty nice. What's the biggest similarity with Vegemite?

1:59:15To be honest, the foods, the foods seem like, I mean, we, we're very multi-cultural country. It's in America. I suppose we probably have more Asian foods, whereas America has more latinian foods. That's probably the biggest food difference, but I mean, we have a whole bunch of Italian. We're from in Melbourne has one of the biggest great populations outside of Greece. I think it's the biggest, that's sort of, Greece. Yeah, I mean, you could go either. You'd be, you'd be in the city, CDR art. Do you have to watch everywhere you step? No, it's not that bad. Just everything out there, you sort of look up in, it might be a spot, there was something, but... Like the size of your pet? Sometimes, I mean, there's a lot of daddy long legs, you know, these little ones with the big legs, but like you'll lean sick. So they're not sat around in the corners. But it's not too bad. You got class, thank you very much. Thank you, Josh. I can't do it too much sometimes, but I mean, some people they understand, but, you know, I was, you know, thinking for them and all. Is there a specific thing that you want to get better at? I know you're lending it.

2:00:15Yeah. Is there one specific area, maybe you want some? No, just know getting a better understanding of the game, that's the biggest thing. I miss a little of everything, it's me and Coach Hartlan, I talk about who I'm going to prove on and stuff. I actually want to prove on this world, but that's one thing, just know getting a better understanding of the game for sure. Yeah, I know. You know, so many snaps, Josh, you probably knew in the first two, do you think? How bad? Yeah. How much, have you found that? How much do I want to be out there every single snap? Yeah, I mean, no, the competitive nature in me, you know, when I go out there and practice, you know, but, you know, got a listen to my coaches, you know, but, you know, for me, you know, I always want to practice, I always want to go out there and know, compete, but, you know, sometimes, you know, I had to listen, you know, just, you know, take a little break sometimes. So, you can't block that one that only good? Not really, I mean, it's a long season ahead of us, so, you know, I'm just, you know, taking the day by day. You don't see many true freshmen that make that the game going to play in the national championship game. What's the key for you to stay hungry, you know, to continue to grow and make your goals? I mean, no, just, something to me, I mean, just because I made that one play, I have that year, you know, after that, you just can't get big headed.

2:01:24I always feel like it's one for improvement. I never feel like you just got it. That's one thing. A lot of people mess up one for like, oh, they have one good year. Okay, I mean, that's not in me. I'm a no-continent doing for years and years to come. I feel like to myself, for sure. What do you know about Quincy Porter? Well, Quincy Porter, no big, Torres Sieve, just like me, you know, just came in and kept his head, now I'm just working. My hype to see his future here at Ohio State probably going to be, you know, next one for sure. What's it like seeing all these, like seeing the national championship banner and seeing all these new seniors? All the new signage, you know, you played a huge role. I mean, it's no sub-blessing, no disappointed, no, a role and no, the Nadi run that we had as a true freshman. But, you know, it's time to move on. I mean, that's behind us now and I can't wait for this season to come up. What kind of obligation do you do to a guy like me to kind of take him on your way and show him how he could work? Well, I feel like he already got that, just coming in, he already got that hard work at the quiet, just like me as I came in, just all about Bar really, me and here early.

2:02:24I mean, spending time on Coach Hartline, meeting and everything, he going in the right way, I should say, and he have a bright future here. Coach Hartline said he wants you to come up with a good game, and you said, Arnell, you can bring him in the middle of the year, do you agree? How much for a challenge that you are kind of a quiet guy? Well, as a challenge, you know, just stepping on my comfort zone, I mean, something everybody wants to see for me, not just my coaches, but players on the team as well. We have a leadership meeting, there's a lot of people call me out on, just saying they want me to talk more, working on it takes time, not really the guy that's talkative or no, but lay by the time, but one thing that's definitely working on is trying to talk more and get more of my comfort zone and just build it. Coach, do you want more than anything on the field? Yeah, for sure, that's definitely the biggest challenge. I mean, like I said, just stepping on my comfort zone and leading the guys and leading the younger guys as well. Do you guys open with Texas next year, going back to the playoff game? Do you think about that moving forward, just kind of how you were taking out of that game?

2:03:25Yeah, I think not really thinking about it, that's behind me. We won the game, we ended up going to the national championship, and we see it on week one, I just came way to no face a greater point. What's your impression of Devin Sanchez so far? Yeah, big long corner, the Coran, physical, he got it all, and I can't wait to see Tensey do here this year as well. What if you know his difference? Are you think different about this defense of these first three weeks of spring that's caught your eye? They just passed, physical and willing to hit somebody else to say, saying they got the really changed for me. And guys still go no door, they've been doing over the last year and a half and so I should in the year and a half, I should say. Coach, that makes the quarterback live like he did for a couple of practices last week. As a live receiver, right now, how do you think your quarterback is responding to that? Over offering? I think they were responding pretty good. I did not expect the quarterback to be live in a scrimmage.

2:04:25That's a problem for sure, Coach Devin, it's a problem you have to do. But I feel like they handled it very well, they took hits, so I think they needed, I should say, tough them up and go. Why do you see there's a goal behind the quarterback seeing how they handle that since it's obviously not a norm to do that? Learn anything, no, but it's definitely not a norm to see a quarterback get hit, it gets his no defense, I should say. I'm just saying because they was getting hit for sure, but they was getting right back up, so command, good ones are going for that. Two more questions. Definitely can't get better, no, feel like I'm getting complacent. Always want to improve, no, I'm just taking the day by day and just getting better each and every day. And why do you prepare for the sprunding, the expectations you're going to get on the next two seasons here, off the season you just had? Not really focused on the expectations that I have coming up or the year after that, no, just focus on spring, spring and just going to the fall camp and just getting ready for the season as you say.

2:05:29Expectations go be there, not really something high, no, in my mind right now, I'm just being leader and just focus on the team. Jeremiah, how much changes is right? How much changes are there? I really know, we haven't really spoken about that right now. Jeremiah, a lot of guys just said that they want a lot of championship, not taking down. They don't want to see it, it's moving into the CSMAT and we're, what is how important is that for you? And why do you think that's significant for the State movement? I mean, like I said, we came live in the past, the club, the 2014, they won the national championship. This year we did it, so we just took everything down and weight room and everything. So we could focus on being ourselves and this our season. They have always been times for me, anytime I took up my phone and call them in, extra meetings, they're there. So it's amazing. How's it been getting to know this guys?

2:06:30Obviously you're going to testify where you came in early and coached for, I coached for him. All the sudden he's gone in and so we're still like getting to know the new guys. They made it pretty easy to get to know them through because Boa and he kind of recruited me out of high school a little bit when he was there at Virginia Tech. And when he first came in, I remember going out of spring workouts and he kind of just gave the valve like he's a great dude. He really wanted to build connections with us, so it's been amazing. What's been the biggest adjustment you've had to make since coming in on the outside? The biggest adjustment I would have to say is just really buying in to the coach, because we're a big coach or program. We keep the coach and no matter what's going on, we are going to be the same way. So just kind of buying in stuff like that. And you've got to go to a couple of those bowl games and kind of see what that experience was like. What did that kind of do for you to help prepare you to do it yourself? It was crazy because there's my first time actually watching games from the field.

2:07:30So I actually got to see steps. I got to see play call and I got to see coach Fry. I actually coached those guys up on the sideline and actually forgot to talk that he's talking. For freshmen offensive lineman, patience is important. It's a developmental vision. As a guy who comes from high school, we're playing a lot. How do you kind of reset coming in as an offensive lineman knowing it may be a year or two before you start to get real fun? You know, you kind of just want to learn from those guys that have been here because like you said, it's kind of tough coming in and being a young guy and then going against different fronts you might have never seen before and talking different knowledge that you might not have talked before. But for me, it's been kind of a learning process, but I'm picking up on it. I get very great coaching every day and the older guys do a great job of communicating. So it's kind of been really easy actually. Nine different guys started last year. Like, what does that mean for this room in terms of you guys doing your acting for training?

2:08:34So how do you prepare for that? Just coming every day ready to work and coming with that mindset that we all need each other. It's not just one guy there's one guy that knows five guys out there and those five guys that are going to be out there, they got to be able to trust their brother and the guys that are on the side, we got to be out there churning on our brothers. And when our names are called or whatever names call, you got to be able to step up. I'm more just at early on, like right now for you trying to still, your teammates can trust you. Just coming every day with the mindset that I'm here to work. Like I come in the building, I come in the wood and they know that I'm here to work. They know that I'm not here to play around. They know that I'm coming in to meet and ask the questions. So I figured I was going on picking the older guys, brain staying out the practice, even getting extra work. You talked about this kind of scene and movements already. Where have you seen that the most in your games? I want to say knowing the game and football.

2:09:36That was the biggest improvement for me because coming out of high school is kind of a lot more separate. Coming to a place like Ohio State, you got to know your stuff. And coach gives us a good look. I'm talking about Cusper, the defensive quarter, he gives great looks, different looks. Is that through film work that you start to see that the most? The knowledge of the game, not necessarily the whole field. I want to say the film and on the field because you can work on the field, you can work on the world, but if you can't take it to the field, none of that really matters. They're all great snacks, right? Yeah, they got to climb up the depth of the game. You got to see the benefit of just trying out the title ball. What is that relationship like with Tyler? It's been really good. I love coach Bowen. The guys who came in with him too, coach Dickie, coach Johnson, coach Fields. They're all great guys. Definitely great online coaches. You get feedback from all of them and they're all on the same page every day.

2:10:38It's really good, have them. I'm really happy moments here. It's exciting for sure. What do you think of these last couple of weeks as spring ball and what your workouts? Where and what do you think your biggest growth has been? I'd say my biggest growth has definitely been a strength factor. I'd say that's definitely from the winter, definitely a strength. I'm getting work into spring ball more. Just being more focused, kind of like to be more calm. Kind of, in any sense, not freaking out before the play. What am I doing? Just playing football. That's probably my biggest work. How is practice different before offensive line coaches? Do you feel like it has changed the way that you're getting reps in on a reps? No, I mean, after every play, you're getting feedback from everyone. It's great because you'll have coach Baldwin and coach Johnson still coaching the ones or the three of the two's. When you're running off the field, you got coach Dickie or someone else coaching you uptown. You know what to do.

2:11:38I think it's really awesome that we are capable to have four coaches in the room with us. That stuff is really great. You're playing at center. Are you playing some guard? Play a left guard right now. Do you feel like there's a shift to center potentially down the road? I know. I don't know. I don't know yet. I mean, just left guard. That's what I've been taking reps there right now. That's just how it's going to go. As a freshman offensive lineman, it's Asia. This is pretty important because the developmental part of that is issue. How do you, as a guy who was playing on high school, how do you develop that patient's knowing? It might be a year or two before you're out of your seat. I take it as like, you know, you just got to keep just stacking days. Like you can't get down on yourself if you're not playing. Like you just got to keep developing. And like the guys we have in our room are awesome. Like all the, you know, uppercise my blue, Josh, Austin, Austin, Carson, Taggart. All those guys, like they're great dudes. So it's really awesome being able to learn from them.

2:12:40Like watch them, get mental reps of them every day. See what they're doing and then just take that back and just use what they use. So I mean, it's definitely just like keep stacking days. Just keep working. Don't really pay attention about that. Just work. It's really. The interior of the line. I just see a lot of guys played a lot of football. A lot of important football. Who would you kind of lead on here? Who do you think is going to try and learn very soon? How do I learn small things? Definitely. I'd say Luke Montgomery. That's a guy who I just, every practice, I'm just. When I'm not in, I'm just watching him take his reps. Like see what he's doing when he has like a two-eye or a three-hundreds in front of him. Like what, what, what footwork he takes, where he puts his hands and said just so I definitely say Luke is a guy that I never watch. Close, just try that. I see what he does. Is that one of the biggest transitions to make even the jump from high school to college on the offensive line? Just like the small things. The steps and the hand placement. Yeah. That's, that's definitely, that was definitely a huge thing when I first got here was like,

2:13:40there's different footwork, right? Pretty much every block you got to take. So that's like I think it's the most, it's the most detailed position on the field. It's like, you just need, everything needs to kind of be perfect and block. Okay, you're taking steps and placement every. So how do you feel about it? Oh, it's good. Yeah. I'd say it's good. I mentioned that to bars. It's got a position you see yourself sticking with or is that just kind of where it's going? I mean, I could see my stuff sticking out of the guard. Yeah. But I mean, I could play pretty much anywhere. I think I obviously, it's here. But yeah, but right now it's just been less guards. So it's a very interesting area. You've been at that screen. You've been at that stuff, but? Jake, you had the opportunity to watch those ball games first and kind of get that experience on what it's like to be part of a championship roster. What was kind of the biggest thing you took away from that whole couple of weeks experience? Yeah, I would say definitely like watching all those ball games and the national team Egypt just watching the guys carry themselves like how they

2:14:42like the preparation it took to get ready for that. Just how they go about their days. Like what they're doing when they're out here practicing how they practice. So just it was pretty much just like kind of just feeding off the moment what they're doing. Kind of kind of kind of glens to see like what it takes to kind of get to a stage like that. Just kind of. Jake, thank you very much. Right now I'm sitting about 315. Last year I was about 310, 312. There was a period last spring where I got really sick so I dropped down to about 300. I'm about you. So, you're just a mathematician here. Oh yeah, I'm sorry. With that, your tuition here, the defense might be a little different than it looked last year. We're not told how much it looks like, but judging by your face it's more than I would have anticipated. I was sorry. How has been for you going up every day against not Justin Yada and KJ, but now since they're here to sit out of all these and those guys off the edge. What has that done for you? I mean they might be our Vell's one of the most athletic guys I think I've ever seen in my entire life.

2:15:46He probably runs like 4443. I've seen him do, I don't know what his, his approach shuttle is, but it looks fast. And him just kind of bending that edge. It's not scary, but it's kind of scary. Is that something that you're getting better? Yeah, 100%. I think that's my set's, I think, to acclimate to those kind of speed rusher type guys as it improved. And then you got KJ, which is more of a prototypical edge guy instead of like a speed guy. So I mean, it's just, I'm getting a big mix of a lot of different guys and I think it's helping me a lot. Luke was talking about how rear-forward offensive line coaches now can help you guys. I think it's not about how much is that. He's still plotting about it. I mean, it's really good. You know, like Coach Johnson, they all know different things about you.

2:16:46Like Coach Johnson has talked to me about my hands. Coach Davies talked to me about my set. Coach Johnson's talked to me about like my pad. It's like when you, like, especially in one of ones when it's just you going, you've got four different guys seeing so many different things and then you just get all this information back to them. And you can just tweak different things to try and get better. So I mean, it's really helped out a lot of them. But you're like a conqueror level. You've got to use the city plates on the right last year. So like these new lights, but you're kind of coming up with two spots. I mean, I feel, I feel comfortable in both. I don't really think I have like a perfect. I'm just really trying to do whatever I can to do. I feel it's going to be so. There's obviously spots open. I don't want to attack walking off of the line this year. How are you approaching that competition? That's awesome. No, like I'm just trying to get better every single day. I think that in terms of, you know, roster depth, I think I'll say that a few later. You know, right now it springs the time of development. And I'm just trying to develop. What areas are you working to develop right now?

2:17:47Really is my hands. I like to lean a lot in my sets. You know, that gets me to be a lot. I don't strike as fast as I should. So I really work on my hands. In the summer, you also have a World Play big world. You have to see my steer. It's higher, but I this off season. Would it see me to help and to fly the offensive to the goal? And how much of you kind of see that grow and become the leader of this team going into 20-25? I think I think also it's like, you can look at him and you're like, I need to be. You know, he's an outspoken leader. But even when he's not leading, hopefully, you can just, he's leading by his hands. He's like, he's just, you look at him. I feel like he boosts everyone thinking that I need to be to that stand. How much does that motivate other guys? I think it really, especially, I don't know, I think they're getting interviews down there. But especially like you younger guys, I mean, he's not like a screaming.

2:18:48But he'll like walk up and lean in. Like he just, I mean, I think he just, like, kind of elevates on him. He'll take that man out of the way he gets cast. Alrighty. You say something to say? Is that about the physical stuff, is that something else that you're going to have? Most of just giving just to the position. That was a main thing. Just seeing everything. But Tally, you really have throughout the process, tell me you're better at giving the go-and-out room. You're not gonna have to tell him if you're giving him a next part. What does that say to you, Tally? Like, what kind of lesson do you have to have? Really, he told me, main thing he would tell me was stop overthinking everything. Just block their play. And that really helped me because you know, new position trying to find my rareness. So it was pretty good to give assistance on it. What do you think about the...

2:19:48What do you like about this physical stuff? I mean, the strength wise, like I said, and speed gets those vards. That's really helping a lot. What were the conversations like when this first came out, that you possibly think, who are you talking to? What was it like in your mind when they asked you about the tension? Well, I talked to Coach Jay. Coach Jay was the main one. He wasn't forcing me on that thing. He just said, if you were moving inside, you can't have not stood dead, and you can't do that as well. But I saw that I could help the team out. Get some death right there so I told the moving side. I'm a lot of guys. I'm a little bit more like a wild animal. I'm a little bit more self-conscious. As I young guy, I was saying, I'm a little bit more... I'm a little bit more... Where's my son? How? What is that for you? This part of your team is also a little bit...

2:20:49What makes... What do you do for Jay? Jay team is tightly combined. What is next to you? Jack, then Jack, JTE, Tileek, Air Tile, and I'm two of great leaders. Ordered on the field. They helped me with just simple stuff. If I didn't know where to go, get some. They'll tell me, or they just like hanging out with me doing good and closer. Just a lot of different small things that got bothers closer. Like last year, they already started going this year. I haven't started yet, but I'm going to give it to you. I feel like, maybe we teach now that anybody can be a leader, no matter what year, first week, so I'm going through your senior. Or even if we're walking, everybody can be a leader. Yeah. The one thing that hit you last year that, yeah, this technique, this thing can work for me. You know what I mean? You have to grow into it. I have to grow into it a little bit.

2:21:49It's very new, especially playing D in my own life. But I have a talent to help me, like I said, throughout the whole process. Yeah. When did it really strike you that I could be a factor? You know what game or, you know, how do we do to feel comfortable on this or anything else? I would say closer towards the playoffs, meeting with talent a lot. I would feel comfortable, like, okay, I can actually do this. Because when it showed me some stress, I have, like, see, hear what? So you can do this and that really helped me get the confidence in other like, yeah. But then you became a factor. You became a factor, especially, you know, basically through the playoffs and stuff. What did it mean to you to be a factor that early? All the word of God, first of all, to keep me healthy, to keep going out. But it's been a lot that Coach J, trusted me enough to go on end of the big games like that. And I knew that I would be able to produce. You're still setting things up, you think? Good so far. Definitely speed and strength. I made two, and I was saying, will help me, but inside of each of those yards.

2:22:49Really run inside. I really want to be a... What's the changes in home? The tips of realizing your body's taken you there anyway. What is the moment for you to look at what character you've been thinking about? Definitely, the Mar-May thing, also, and some, I thought the interview, some of those interviews I said, the main thing was being a team player. And moving the three-tags was going to help the team. So I was willing to move this hand through it. Let's look up for some Jason and Will and Tim Tawar. Hey, this is all from the team. It's very competitive. We all come in, trying to see where we need to get better, just to keep moving forward. So it's pretty good competition, and I love them. You made the move during the bi-week last year, was that right? What was the toughest part about that whole crash course? Really method.

2:23:50I really embraced it. I made the move inside in order to help out the team. And we had some really great years last year, Mitch Mellon, JT Jack, Kenny Kerry, Kenny Jay. It was pretty good, I was moving the three-tags. I also asked them down there while still been able to showcase what I got there. Did you feel like you, like, just needed to get done quickly? Like, did you feel that pressure to get it done quickly? Because you needed to be ready for that next game? No, they were all in on me, just whenever I'm ready. Just let them know how I feel about moving in or something. Can you just get asked about? You're in the three-tags right now. You played as a freshman, so it takes place a pressure. So you see John Williams and those guys actually think that they can do this at the moment. John Williams, Tracy, all the guys that came in, they continue to work hard every day. Even if they don't get it the first time, they don't ask us what are they doing in this situation to help me out. So their ability to keep trying to learn from people that's playing in their big stage,

2:24:53that's the way it really gonna keep going. I'm not really, I knew what I got it. It was gonna trust me a lot more than to keep going out there every time. So I appreciate them. Like I said earlier, thank you, Lord. Thank you guys. I mean, definitely. You know, just what he did last year is a true freshman. You know, him being able to play an impact team like that, obviously I want that for myself. So I'm gonna push myself to that limit, try to be on the field here when that's my plan. That's the biggest reason I came here because I have an opportunity to play here when. So me having that opportunity is good and I'm always gonna come out here and compete. Like I said, I'm putting myself at the bottom, so I'm working. I'm gonna work every day like I'm at the bottom. I gotta do it. I gotta get to the top. How, well, what do you feel like it's gonna take for you to get from the bottom to the top? You know, just discipline. They're big on discipline here and competitive and excellent.

2:25:56So it's just staying consistent every day, just doing the right, having little to none, mental errors. That's gonna give me on the field. And I do, I do what I'm supposed to do, that's gonna give me on field. Along those lines, how do you manage those expectations for people to think that you can do it? How do you manage people at this point? You know, I don't really let you get to my head because I'm here. I got dudes in the room that are like, I just think of it as a big three-year start. I got your main, first in all, American. He's gonna play this year too. So I can't let what people say on the net get to me because anybody can say, oh, he's gonna play this year. But you know, I actually gotta prove it. So I actually gotta come out here and work and earn that spot. Which is the most important thing you've learned so far in your three months here? Compete, never did. That's the biggest thing. Having to compete, you know, these guys appear. They take winning and losing to heart. So, you know, my first week up here when we did our competitions, you know, I was winning.

2:27:00Then I actually, I got that first loss on my belt and you know, it kind of opened my eyes. These guys take it to heart when they lose, they don't like it. So, you know, I kind of got that now where I don't like losing it. So you had the opportunity to be around the team for that CFP run. What did you learn from Justbos few weeks seeing this team make that run? Being real tight with your brothers, you know, they're real tight. You know, they push each other. You know, it's a real brotherhood. They don't let nobody down. They always got each other back. So, I mean, it's a new team now. So, you know, we gotta build that chemistry with each other. You know, just get tight. And I feel like when I was there for that playoff running and I practiced when they were at the National Championship. You know, I just got to watch, you know, how guys are, you know, real locked in. They're close with each other. They're not letting nobody slack off. And, you know, I feel like we had the opportunity to do that with this team now. How did you handle that first loss? You handle that first loss? That first loss, you know, it kind of got to me. It was the IGB. You know, he, you know, he let me hear. So, after that loss, I was like, nah, I can't let this happen anymore.

2:28:01It's because it's like, now it's not high school where you used 17, 16 years old. And if you lose, you lose appearance. Nah, if you lose, the coach will see that. So, and they go see how you respond to it. So, I feel like I had to, you know, open my eyes. I had to go, go in there and lock them. Like, yeah, I can't let this happen anymore, you know. So, I gotta go up and, you know, these guys are counting on me too. So, it's really important that I don't lose. If you had to describe yourself as a competitor, how would you do that? I'm a great competitor, you know. I like winning. Who does them like winning? So, I mean, winning is, it's in my blood. You know, my parents taught me that, at a young age, you know, going out there competing for anything that you want. And I feel like if you can go out there competing for, you know, as yours. And if you compete for it all the time, who's gonna take it from? So, I mean, I'm a good competitor. I'm always gonna go out there and try to take what's mine. If it's out there, then anybody can have it. And I'm gonna be the one who's gonna get it. There's some role lockers in your room, obviously. Are you a talker? What's your natural partner? Yeah, I mean, it could come out on me, you know. But I don't really, I'm really gonna go into my game through the talk. For this part, but, you know, if it gets there, it gets to that point where,

2:29:04yeah, I can bring it out. Because, you know, regardless, I'm not just gonna let nobody just come out here and just, you know, catch balls on me. So, if I'm having a good day when I'm consistently getting TVUs, yeah, I'm gonna talk. But, you know, being in that room, you kind of got to talk. You know, the Jermaine, you got IGB, you know, those real talkers in that room. So, it kind of makes you want to bring it out. And, you know, when you bring that out, that just brings energy out of the whole defense. And when you got the whole defense clicking, I mean, you can see, you can see what happened. Is there anyone that's kind of in the competition you had with IGB? It was during the winter. We were doing, you know, just stuff on the field. We was just having the time of the field. Just a lot of competitions. So, I mean, he just kind of, it was a day where, you know, they had us going up against just the freshmen. And then they kind of threw us in there and fired against the older guys. So, we had to, you know, we had to wake up and, you know, we all kind of lost. And it all kind of like, we all kind of came to get that professional group, like, what are we going to do about this? Because, you know, they're kind of nice to step up in those roles. Yeah, come here. Welcome to college. Yeah, definitely, definitely.

2:30:04Definitely, my welcome college moments. You know, you know, just showing that, you know, it's real now, a metal high-oh-state. I'm not in Houston, Texas, no more in my school. Far from my family, you know, I got to wake up, I got to grow. I got to mature fast. And, you know, I just got to get ready for the next level. You've mentioned high school a couple of times. How did, you know, grow it up there in Texas, playing at that level. How do you feel like that helped you prepare for a high-oh-state? I still like you prepare good, you know. I feel like I went to a power house in Texas. We obviously ran the Houston area. You know, we've been running the Houston area for a long time now. And I feel like, you know, we're a real college program. We live just like these guys who do the same lifts. You know, the level of ball I play, the highest level of ball in the Texas 6A. You know, we're going against guys like Dunkin' Bill, North Coyle, those top schools, you know, receiving the Korean more I go against him. I want to get some three times in my career. So I mean, those that really prepared me for this level, you know, coming in like, okay, this is not where it's a little school where they don't believe that I can come here and make an impact.

2:31:04I came from big schools, so they're counting on me to make an impact. Because, you know, I think, I mean, everybody would say Texas is one of the highest-played bars in the country. You know, it goes us floated in the probably Georgia. So I mean, they're counting on me to be ready and that level of ball prepared me real, real well. How do you do against the Korean? You know, it was when loose, when loose. You know, I went something, he lost something. So I mean, it's just getting better on Shob and Iron. Because, you know, he's the top receiver, obviously, in our class. You know, I feel like he's going to have a good impact at the awarding. So, I mean, it's just what's going to happen next. Like a part of the scene of him again? Yeah, definitely, definitely. And you know, I plan on planning against him. We want to see him this year, hopefully we'll see him in the big ten championships. So, you know, I want that rematch, you know. You know, you've never, you've committed super early in the process six months after that. You shut things down when, quite frankly, someone of your caliber didn't have to do that. You could have, you've seen kids play the game a little bit longer than that. But you chose to not do that.

2:32:04Just kind of lock it in here. Why? You know, because this is what I felt, this is home. You know, I didn't really feel like, you know, standing Texas was a good thing for me. I didn't feel like that was home for me. Up here, I just thought it was home. It was a good thing to do because of law and because they, you know, they're making it, you know, making me feel important up here. And then, you know, like, you could ask, because how many times I came up here throughout my high school career? I came up here 13 times. So, it got to the point where I was knowing the guys on the team. I had the numbers just like that. When I came up here, you know, I don't got to always build the coaches. I can go chill with some of the guys on the team. So, it was just me, you know, knowing what I wanted to put in my college ball at, you know, knowing where I felt like it was home and they, you know, it was also my parents too, you know. My mom being, you know, feeling safe that, you know, I'm up here, you know, I'm handling the business and not having to worry about me when she goes to sleep. Marcus, thank you guys. Michael's just talking about how you guys make each other better. He's obviously a young guy, but impressive guy. I know your goal is to shut them down and they're up against him, but seeing him get better

2:33:05because you guys are challenging him. Is that a positive? It is a positive. It's a super positive. Just going this unjuremated, that's going to make Saturday super him. Is there, do you guys feel like, does that kind of mindset that you take an everyday practice? Like, you just say you're not happy, Jeremiah catches a little one. People like, I was like 98 out of 100 receivers. Is that, or is that probably your not catching a close one? That's what, is that kind of, if you keep that in the back of your head and you want to get Jeremiah and Carnell and Brandon and Michael? Yes, that's my mindset like, in practice the whole day. I want those boys to get me everything that they have. So I go, up and then Saturday, and it's going to be easy for me and I'll be prepared. What have you seen the growth of the young people in the corners? Obviously we saw it, but not a Jeremiah last year. They're your mates, sorry. But Calvin and some of Aaron, some of the young guys, how do you see them come along? And Scott has got a completely better from his brain. Like completely better.

2:34:06Is that just time in the program? I'm just getting used to the speed of college, but I would say. What about Calvin? He was obviously here last year. He was? Calvin has gotten a lot better. Like, I would say that he's gotten a lot smarter. And then he also write GB. Go ahead, think he's there about Calvin's intelligence, you know, where he's grown. Where specifically is it? The film room, is it kind of picking up, you know, the playbook? Where have you seen that? The rain up a grab, you know? I would say Calvin has gotten smarter just like his game knowledge, like expecting like a different kind of routes and stuff like that. What did everything start to click for him? So last year was it in the soft sea? When did you feel just comfortable with this dude? I would say in the spring, I started to get a lot more comfortable in our decent. We say you break up the past yesterday with the Jeremiah name, I'm sorry if you were asked, but it's earlier. But what is like going up against him? Do you? It seems like you enjoy it. Yeah, I love it. He's tough. I like going against him a lot. He's really good.

2:35:06What have you improved in your game just from that, for example, those those 101 matchups this preseason or whatever? You know how belly who disgame? Yeah. So Jeremiah, he forces me to play the ball because if you don't play the ball against him, he'll go get it. Yeah, yeah. And you, and you Davidson, how would you describe this defense now compared to this time of year ago, from this standpoint of a confidence factor? You don't mean that you guys feel on the field? How would you describe it? It's different about it, I guess. I feel like everybody's a lot more smart than they say it. Everybody's right. I would just say that we're going just smarter. Yeah, but when you look up and lay in there and some decided to come back and Caleb down, transfer it in. What did you feel about that? Did it just grow stronger in that one week span, two weeks span? You're still on up saying? I feel like those guys have played the level those guys have played at. Yeah, I would say that. Like, a downcoming and, um, what may say he was coming back, Zell say he was coming back, it just still like,

2:36:14I think we have to go into that. Yeah, Drake, thanks, man. Of course. Who's there? Right, Bill, Chris? I know this isn't the first time you face Chip Kelly, but I'm curious if his success that he's had here, he had here in the past. If that still kind of resonates within the program at all. In what way, what do you mean? Just like the success that he had, you know, 10, 15 years ago, just that still kind of people still talk about that. Did you learn about that when you got here? Do you remember that era of Oregon football? Yeah, I remember the teams that he had here. You know, I think everybody respects him as a football coach and certainly the things that he was able to accomplish while I was here. Back, right? Correct. Coach Ohio State has obviously two star wide receivers in Smith and in a book, what do you see from them on film and what sort of challenges will those two kind of present to the Oregon secondary this weekend? Yeah, stop, go. You know, they can catch the ball and they can turn into a big play right away. You know, it's not necessarily always averaged up the targets way down the field. It's their ability to catch it in space and get vertical. They block really, really well in the perimeter. And those guys have big catch radiuses.

2:37:15So you see them win on balls that you would call 50, 50 balls a lot of times they went on contested, you know, can contested balls to do a really good job there. Back up, math. Thinking your career, you've coached in nine different top five matchups. Is there any common trader? You know, I think you have to do in a game in those games to win that's more heightened in this type of atmosphere. I'd say winning football is winning football, but I think you always look when you're playing an opponent, you know, what's some commonalities in games that they haven't had success in and that you've had success in. Right, where are those places where you can find strengths? What are the pieces of the game that are going to matter the most? You know, obviously explosive plays and takeaways is always something that we focus on here, but you know, rushing game. I think that matters, you know, ability to win on critical downs in critical situations. Red area, I think are all really important. Back up there. You and your players have just talked after every single opponent just still about it being Oregon versus Oregon. How was that mindset? Do you feel like kind of prepared this team for this big moment this week?

2:38:16Yeah, I think just the constant growth, you know, the focus on what can we get better if we attack the things that we need to improve on. And that's been our focus all year and you know, throughout the season, I think you've seen us play better and better ball in certain situations and attack things that we weren't as good at the week before. All right. Having knowledgeable house dates running back coach give you any sort of advantage this week. I think that probably plays both ways, you know, like last week we played against coaches that have been here before and we played UCLA, we played against coaches have been here before it makes you change your terminology. Like you're going to change the names of calls step before that might have been a run for us is maybe now pass something was going right is now maybe going left. But that's pretty easy for our players to do once you, you know, communicate that and change it. Certainly he knows some of the things that we like to do on the same note. We certainly like know some of the things that he likes to do. So, you know, coach locked it a great job for our program. He's doing a great job for theirs now. Second round left here. After Fred is game Dylan talked about emphasizing protecting the ball in the red zone that being a key what are some of the ways you do that in a week to try to get those situations kind of figured out.

2:39:17Yeah, you you play red red area football, right? You could put it down there, put the ball inside the 20 and you go, you know, communicate what we want that to look like and if you expect to see it in the game, you got to see it in practice first and. You know, he knows he wants those plays back. You know, that's that doesn't take anybody's special to recognize that that he wants that back, but it's about how can we coach that better and make sure that those situations are avoided. How much more confident are you touched the offensive staff as a whole in the CB2 position this year compared to last year when obviously those Washington games where they were able to exploit some things there differently than perhaps this year or at least you hope for this year. How much more confident that that spot in the depth that you have there. I'm confident in our players. I like our team. I like the guys that we get the opportunity to go out there and play with. I think our guys play competitive ball. This will certainly be the best challenge for every single position on our on our team this week. Back. I believe it's been back to back weeks now of no sacks allowed. What do you think's been the biggest difference in the online in the last few weeks that's made you feel confident in their play heading to this.

2:40:20A lot of pieces add up to that, you know, timing scheme as part of that. You know, how we've adjusted some of the things that we do. I think it's a big part of that and then the communication between the offensive line and the quarterbacks also been really important there. A lot of attention has been on Jeremiah Smith, but Mecca has been pretty darn good too. It's just been your impressions of him and challenging facing another receiver that caliber when they have two of them. Yeah, they got more than just two great wide outs. They got several great wide outs in their program. Certainly those two are very, very special, but you know, whether it's tape. I mean, there's there's a bunch of them on their team that can go play winning football. So that's what makes this a challenge. You can't just say, OK, I'm going to focus on this one guy because there's other guys in the field that can beat you. Now, you guys talk about blocking out outside noise last week. There's a lot of ups. That's not a chaos in college football. Do you use that to your advantage to kind of hone in and show your players why it's so important to have a single game focus? I think our players are really aware of that. Our messaging doesn't change necessarily week to week. You know, that's been something that's been consistent for us through fall camp that it's about the guys in our room and what we're able to focus on not what everybody else is talking about.

2:41:22Back up, Aaron. The last time that Chip Kelly came to Eugene, it was college game day. UCLA came in as an unbeaten opponent, ring tie. I know for you, I think your profile picture I think on social media is still that one of you going to the college game day set. Just what do you remember about being there, being at college game day and just you're feeling of being on that set for the very first time? Yeah, I think more than anything that day, I remember our fans and how much of an impact I felt like they had on that game, how fun that environment was for our players to get to be a part of. You know, obviously you come to a place like we're going to play in big time games and this is one of those opportunities, but to get to be a part of big time atmosphere as well. And certainly this is this is one of those. That's the room. Jordan's been so consistent in the run game, but it seems like it's been hard at times to find maybe a second runner. What's the key of getting Noah and Dylan more involved maybe this week? Yeah, just that consistency, you know, continue to find, you know, opportunities to be able to block up runs properly for those guys and give them opportunities to win, you know, on the second level.

2:42:23What do you see from Will Howard that's made him effective in raising his completion percentage compared to a year ago and what insight if any can coby savage provide given that he practice against him for a couple of years. Similar to these other teams that we've played that have had guys that have crossed over, you know, I think again, they do a great job schematically finding, you know, completions if you've loading up hats and the and the run game. There's going to be some guys that are open outside. They've done a good job of throwing in to open windows and attacking that. That great. Right. This program seen a lot of big games in its history and often stadium you've coached a few of them yourselves. Do you feel like this matchup against Ohio State top five top three matchup maybe the biggest of this program is ever seen in its history. I certainly can't speak to the entire history of organ. I think this is a really big game. I think it's a great opportunity for two great teams to get to play against each other. Again, I think that's why you come to a place like this, but I think this will be an awesome atmosphere for our fans and certainly our players. Going back to Michigan, say, did you ever get an explanation for why that hit on Dylan was not a late hit or a weapon that passed?

2:43:24We sent it in. I haven't got a response yet on why it wasn't one. I was told that the guy watching said that it wasn't. So we send it in. We'll see what it looks like. On the left here, a second row. What's Jury undone to kind of get a bit of a role, because I he got in there for the first time this last game. What's been going on behind the scenes that we may have missed? Yeah, just being you know, part of it starts with him being healthy. You know, has been being dinged up at times, but he's practicing really hard. He's working his tail off the beyond the field force, whether that's in special teams in a role at wide out. And it's created some opportunities for him. From about James. What makes their running back to a unique and what's kind of the biggest asset that each one of those guys has in terms of how they go about running because stylistically, I think they're a little bit different than each other. Yeah, maybe a little different, but I'm on the same token there. Guys that have good size and speed and they don't go down on first contact. You know, they're really good at using their weapons as far as at the second level. They do a good job with stiff arms. But they rarely really go down on first contact and they have really good vision and their patient until that opportunity window opens up.

2:44:26But when they see a hole, they hit it and they hit it with great speed. Last question, James. Will's done really well at putting safety on conflict to create some of those big plays that you guys have hit offensively touched on it that OSU is just really basically given up nothing of 30 plus yards. How have they been able to avoid that when that's been a strength of yours in particular? How have they been able to avoid it so far in these five games? Yeah, I think that that's a piece. They have a they do a good job defensively of not, you know, creating conflict of avoiding conflict and they're guys do a good job of farming the own land, not worrying about what somebody else is doing, but doing their job and being sound in their job. There's times where those safeties are high and they're responsible for the deep part of the field and they let the you know the corners fit the run. There's times when they're guys that are responsible for the run fit and then those corners do a great job of covering down field. So they do a good job of changing that up and guys doing their job. Thank you coach. Appreciate it.

2:45:31No, I can't know how to say for every other place. I wanted that to be the point of my career here at the State of Wisconsin. Well, I hope that for you and that would be right. Thank you. You know what I mean? Yeah, I think that's not a bad idea. You don't move nothing more. You don't want to do like, uh, you know what I mean? You never heard that one, but I'm sorry. I mean, I think I'm definitely the new agent because of all of the, you know, it's more money instead of, you know, the term royalty I guess. But I love everything about Ohio State. I love my day. That's one thing about our team. We all ride for a minute. No matter what people make, I want to be stable. And I feel so many good, like long lasting friendships with these guys. I've been to all these teams who so I want to change up.

2:46:33We're creating. Yeah, I mean, I always treated that as if I was. I'd prepare like I was. I was an interesting guy for me. I knew that my time would come and I'd be ready to take my take what's out for the coming. So I'm just happy that I'm going to do that and still try to put better. We're just proud of the work you see. And I'm trying to get a sense of the first floor. And I'm amazing. Where is the flagger level right now? And how big of a friend? I mean, they're a good team. I think our country is going to work together. You know, we practice hard and we want to make sure we get everything. We're going to do a little bit of the last look and a little detail we can. And I think Coach knows a really good job. And I think we need to continue to do that. Everything that happened last week doesn't matter if you don't do it this week. And our goal is to do better than we did last week. And to a totally different game.

2:47:34You've got to see the real good guy. I want to really get clear. Everyone's trying to be a nice guy. And I think that's the biggest thing that football is going to be a fun sport. We're going to have to go out there and make plays and have fun. You really need brothers with each other. So, you know, the only time you really make plays when you're having fun. You're not having fun. You're not making a play. So, you really have to go stand in hand. And we're just out there trying to have fun. I think we're going to have to do it. We're just out there trying to have fun. I think we're going to have to do it.

2:48:37Thank you for all those visiting toots today. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. What's your opinion on your visit to our chocolate hot cell? I call you about that. I guess this will be a fun talk. I got a corner. I guess you're on my first trip. I'm going to go to the front. First time I met up with no one. I thought it was really good. What do you think you can do when you take it off?

2:49:59I don't think anybody outside looking in a room with a question is the strength of your commitment. Like you're locked in your last eight and you send it over and over. But you're making visits around the country. You see other schools. It's almost a totally different mindset. What's that code to be able to aspect of? How do you approach those other visits? And how do you communicate with Ohio State about them? What's been the message? I'm going to keep going. I just let you know that I'm always locked in. I'm still enjoying the buses. I just feel like this is only ever one time. I feel like I'm really receiving it. I enjoy it. I've done this school with my set of life. Yes, can you really hire a driver to flip this? So how's that? What does it mean you want to take home? I believe in the environment and the record speaks for itself. So when you come here, maybe it's a breath of fresh air from where you've been. I don't know. And it's an opportunity with a guy like Pat in my homes, his quarter back, his bags, his defense coordinate, whatever it may be.

2:51:05And so I think he's excited to have an opportunity to play with the guy like Chris Jones in the room, Mike Dana, who is his college teammate, and just a room that we have and obviously playing for Coach Bags. He's been here a couple of times. Chris Jones, you know, a problem for everyone who's been trying to have to try to block him. He maybe doesn't have all the sacks that he might want to have. He can really tell the same thing to him about personal knowledge. We know he does a little bit. Would you grade him out if you're internal grading? How good has he been for you guys this year? Oh, he's been. He's been as disruptive as he's ever been. I mean, he's not only playing passionately well, but he's really physical inside in the run game and taking up two, sometimes three blockers. But he's really having a fantastic year. I'm impressed to be in with the depth behind Chris inside of the Turks and Mike Pennell and that group. Oh, I mean, that whole group, when you look at Turk, where he's come from, I mean, he's doing a great job. Mike Pennell, Derek Nadi, Marlin, who we got from Philadelphia.

2:52:07And we have a really deep group. And the guys are really working hard. And you know, like, and Coach Spags wants guys rolling. When guys are in there, they're starters. And I've been impressed with the way the guys are playing. And then we'll do a couple more. Joe, how much of the week is about you and Chris discussing where he might move at certain matchups to maybe get a one-on-one? And I guess what's it like for you to watch him go through the game and sort of try to find his one-on-one? Is it switching positions right before, you know, the ball is mad, essentially? You know, there are certain things. Like I said, the chess match and Coach Spags does a great job. You know, it will, you want to put him, what you want to do. This is where we can put him. So we decide all that. But it's really an opportunity. He has an opportunity to win on certain plays of five spots on the line of scrimmage. And there are certain ones where he's delegated to a spot on the line of scrimmage. So, I mean, obviously, that's decided as you go through the week. So you see the opponent that you're playing and maybe who would try to exploit, but it's just a weekly deal.

2:53:13Who does that remind you most of whether it's someone you've coached previously in your career or just watching other guys about the league who have that amount of flexibility, freedom, and obviously some responsibility to it? Well, when you look at it, it's within this scheme. And Coach Spags does it, like I said, a great job with that. And Chris is good at defensive players. I know I'm being biased in the league, but that I've coached. I've coached some good ones. And he has that unique ability to go outside and beat a tackle or stay inside and beat a guard. Not many can do it. You have some ends that can do that. But not many true defensive tackles can go outside and beat an offensive tackle. What's the, what's the your goal in the timeline? We're going to make it an in season trade. You know what, Brett me, bring up a name and talk to you. You can kind of contribute. No, I think when you look at it and not necessarily Josh, but other guys, but you might have done them in the past. You might have did them in the off season because you're attacking free agencies.

2:54:15So you have a familiar, familiar, with the player. But Brett does a great job. He'll go to, if he's looking at a guy who coached Spags or the position coach and gets your opinion, he does a great job of that. Thanks Josh. Appreciate it. Thank you. I thought it was a touchdown, but we'll, he pulled the Daniel Jones on the three line out. We always, we always get them to say like, you ain't doing this at K State, but now you come over here. You can't stay on the cheek. How much stopping do you and Jermaine do? Jermaine, we talk every day. Jermaine's, oh my god, on the defensive side of the South like that, we get each other going. And South like that, whether that's competition or picking each other up. How do you say, how do you say, Jermaine? He's going to like, he's playing more and more of this all season in South like that. He stepped up again when we needed him the most in South like that. He's only for taking you when they get better. He's, he's, he's, uh, practiced against the best receivers.

2:55:15So you can't get any better than us. Jermaine, Jermaine, Jermaine, so sure. He's still like John, that's all that we do. He's helping a lot even in practice. He's talking a lot of practice and he's also going out there to make the plays back it up. I knew it happens as receivers and stuff like that. You know, catch every fall. It happens and stuff like that. I just knew I couldn't let it be me up and inside and we score. So I was really fond of that. I knew the ball would come back later in the game and they did. Yeah, I just came out to, I was too open. Came to my elbow too fast. Yeah, it happens a lot, but what you expected a lot of times, but that moment where you just like, especially in the gold line, so everything is more presented stuff like that. So you didn't really think you were going to pop that open. Yeah, yeah. I had one. I mean, a lot every college football player in the world wish they were here and that and our position and stuff like that.

2:56:32Definitely a blessing not everybody gets the opportunity to do it. And it's only like probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for a lot of people watching more. We just had to look at look at ourselves in the mirror and see what was the problem. What we needed to do it to address those problems and stuff like that. We did exactly that and easy. We came out firing of all putting more trust in our receivers and then it's opened up the right game and stuff like that too. You just find any of the necessary of my son stuff like that and then we knew that there was a lot going on with him. So we knew we had to back him up to be there for him. Two more questions folks.

2:57:36I miss my block and I turn around here just running towards me. I'm like, he's going to that point. We have a lot of pride. We know a lot of the explosive plays are on the perimeter and the wide house on the perimeter. So we know we feel like the game don't go unless the wide house are going to stuff like that. So we try to find every way to impact the game as possible with the ball or without the ball. How you used to do things is really the. What's it like being in that tight end room? Everybody's got different skills. Everybody's different but y'all do some of the same things. Yeah, no, it's a great room. A lot of really good guys have grown really close with a lot of those guys. So everybody helps each other. A really nice learner from Dalton. Brevening those guys. I mean Dalton's done it for a really long time. So he helps me a lot with things that really aren't coachable things. You know what I mean? I mentioned how the family is the game but what about working out here at this high school?

2:58:38Are you still in Ohio? That's going to feel good. I don't know if your high school is like this man. It can't feel the focus of a different name. I went to Lexington. It's about the eighth of the size of this place. This is not like my high school but this is a healthy place. It's super cool to be home and just be back and give you a little sense of comfort. I guess for me, especially being away for as long as I've been. So has it been kind of a while around the city? Have you seen a bunch of f***ing fans that have wanted to get your autograph? Take a picture of you being here? I don't get, I don't go out of the hole. I actually went home yesterday. I went back to the farm for a little bit which was great for a couple of days. He did all my family and stuff and see my grandparents and everything. So it was good. But I really haven't been out enough to know. So I try and keep her inside. It's good. That's good. What do you think of your play that really showcases itself? That's a good question. I don't think that's for me. I'm just trying to give. I mean, every time I think you can be, you can play this game for 50 years.

2:59:39There's always going to be something you leave to feel with. Like, I wish I would have a better and that area. I wish I would have a better and some other. You know what I mean? Like, it's never going to be. This is absolutely perfect. So like to me, that's right now the hardest part of this is just mental toughness and stuff at all. I mean, physical toughness. I mean, you either have that or you don't in my opinion. So I mean, I've always felt like I was kind of bred in that area of the things. And that's just kind of what happens naturally. So just play after play. That's kind of how we roll. I'll say. Thank you guys. We got to get you on the phone. You know, just have one opportunity, you know, just a showcase. You know, who we are as a team. You know, at the end of the day, and go our way, we understand that. You know, harsh reality. We as a unit, you know, everybody has to just get better. You know, it wasn't how should I say this. It didn't go our way today. So we know as a whole entire team that what we've been doing that we we kind of have. I want to say fix it. We got to critique, you know, every little detail to get better as a whole entire team. You too, like, you first started getting some on that.

3:00:40What would you start to talk to? You're talking about. Uh, my coach always say on the tough tap, you know, just, you know, somebody has to tackle me. I need them to get up each playing like man, it's hurt. I need like three, four guys trying to tackle each play. So he's as he always tell me to be a tough tackle. Often overall, I feel like we definitely, you know, got a lot of momentum. We, you know, definitely got the passing end going a lot today. But you know, it's always, you know, things that would be clean up, you know, to help, you know, the defense out, to help, you know, special teams out, you know, not put ourselves in difficult situations. So I feel like, you know, as a unit, we will look at the tape and find, you know, the details that you know that we need to clean up. You put some on, you know, at this point, you thought to think that you can still be clean up for a few days? Uh, I just say, you know, for me, I just feel like I just need to run the ball better.

3:01:41And those last five minutes, we do not need to put our deep hit back on the field, because the offense needed going for him in the mode to win the game. So CJ Donovan needs to find some deep down to run the ball better. Yes. I say this one kind of hurt a little more still fresh. That one was a lot of up and down for me. You know, I kind of have my, you know, open the game here. Uh, I kind of burst it onto the scene. So I was like kind of had a little up and down, but I feel like this one kind of stings a little more. Thank you. I learned a lot. A lot of, uh, a lot of little things matter, all the techniques, uh, we just try to take it all this time. You know, what you expected when you signed on here, obviously pretty intense guys. It's kind of what you've learned from any of those. Oh, yeah, for sure.

3:02:41I'm coming in everybody. Everything is a chance to hire you. Have you ever had a coach as intense as there's a lot going on? I get my high school coach. High school coaches pretty intense too. I say I'm pretty very versatile. I can't tell if I'm fast. I'm feeling pretty good. I'm feeling pretty good. They try to put us all in the even place to right now. We all just working the time as a can. Just James helping you a lot. Yeah, of course. Of course all of the guys, everybody ought to captain is everybody trying to just get out of your guy straight and make sure we know everything. When you watch the last day, play like two backs long in the heart. When you try to trade it, what's it to you about the last bill that's going into this season? For you, just get up. I mean, it means that they can happen really soon. I must get to learn right now.

3:03:41I'll let you sit here. Because it seemed like it's a big, big glove. I mean, how would you describe it? I mean, I guess you just got to learn everything slowly. Of course, there's a lot to learn. But I got a lot of hope. You guys had a very unique experience all the early and early needs. You got a chance to go to semi-final. Some of you went to the Rose Bowl. There's nothing caught in the national championship game. What was that like? How much did you think that helped you? That was incredible. You just see how other leaders led in that position and just seeing what they did and how they prepared. That's not helping out with everybody. What was the highlight of that time? Other than winning the national championship itself. Was there something that stands out to you? Just being able to trouble and get the meat out of everybody. Meat out of the players. Everybody I won an addy and meat out of the early and early. It's been the most difficult part of you thinking of making the transition from L.A. to the blue. What has been the most important part of you? I was really just living on your own. You got to be independent. That's pretty much it, though. Do you feel uncomfortable on that or are you still working?

3:04:43Trying to get on the South and it's not like that. I mean, of course, there's adjustment, but I'm getting the despair. How long did you lose your weight? Yes, your money is 100%. Did you have that surgery or anything else? I don't know. It's hard to hold a best time here in the Christian area. Of course, it's hard to miss my senior year. Last year kind of was some of my best friends. What did you do to me? I think you did my skin right? It was an inch of yellow. I'm sorry, but how did you get your surgery? Many of us as I was a baby, my dad and my master. Like, once I was born. Why did they pick that? My dad looked up to me and I'm a junior, so let's work together. I think you should be your first name in the car, right?

3:05:45Yeah. Okay, so you could wear eight, too. You don't have to wear 34. Yeah, you got two choices. Arby last year, how much do you take that to try and use it? How much do you also have to be part of it? Oh. Man, I try to prepare a liking. I like that from the... He prepared when he prepared the attention. So that's definitely how I try to do liking that. Like you said, I'm needed. But when it comes to preparing and being attention with studying and how I prepare for practice, I definitely took that to it. Anything from the senior should see in the week. Now, I totally leave. Totally different type of person in the year. Those were a lot of things, then. When you don't know something else, I don't know something else. What's that come from? Just being honest. You can't be more of those guys when they ask you what happened, you try to lie.

3:06:45You get a film in this obviously. You're obviously lying here. So it's the art of the art. How much do you also think what is it that you don't know something else? I can't believe it'll last something that happened. So that's a good thing. Those big shades to fill the county down for my leadership standpoint, what is he taking out the door with it? I mean, our male. Somebody's got to fill it next slide. I think there's definitely some big shade to fill. This county with a great player, a great leader. He's like with the quarterback and a defense. There's definitely some big shade to fill. And like Coach Lauren, I said though, you got to be who you are or not. Yeah, you got to be the one. Yeah, definitely that's what you're saying. When did you feel like you've lost your last year? I think you started in like Fall camp just flashing. You didn't have to like the first games. We're in a wrong side. I was hollow.

3:07:45I've always been great. I like it. I like it's personality. I like a more feel and that's not important. Yeah. And the life backwards. What kind of is there going to be any difference in responsibility is or in this system or is it going to be in its own heart? We just learn it right now. We just work it out. We just learn this. What do you think about CJ Hicks and what he can do in his defense? I think CJ Hicks, you said what he can do in his defense? Or just what he can do this season. You can do this season. I think CJ will pop up this season for sure. I think there's definitely going to be one of his years for sure. Got to. What do you think is the biggest difference between French and French and French? To me it's no difference. They both coach you and they both like they hard on you, but they want you to be great.

3:08:45So I'm thinking of a difference. I'm talking about how you're looking at what you guys can do and how you think you're doing. Do you think Junior is more so we're trying to plug in Chuck D. You guys can do it. No, I don't think so. I think Sonny is a great year. He fires before anything. Sonny is a great year. I feel like he's like the voice. He can be thinking something Sonny just can't worry about for the whole team to understand. Sonny definitely a great year before anything. What is something that you need to be about? On to my own field or when his leadership. Whatever. I mean like I said he's just a great leader like you a vocal guy and like you said it shows up on the field too.

3:09:46So he's it's hard to follow after a guy who says something that he's not on their stuff. So Sonny one of those guys who he's on his stuff. So he lead everybody listen. Because obviously he's been long-streamed linebacker success of a high-risk state. And I've been a long-streamed linebacker success at a high-risk state. And I mean look at Sonny taking that next step this year. I'm motivated. Are you going to be part of that line and to be one of the great linebackers? It's a play at a high-risk state. Oh, I'm ready for it. I mean that's what I'm here for. Yeah. Are you leading? Are you doing the little things? What's that like? I think that's fishball. Kind of with that. When you're at a big-time program at high-risk state, I think everyone's judged. You know, everything you do is important. How you hire locker looks is important. All the small details. How do you handle a good? I'm here with Vandal. I'm calling you basically the air parent. I mean a lot of people think you're going to be the guy. What do you think you have to prove over the next several weeks and then proceed? Yeah, I don't know. I always say the outside noise. I'm just focused on getting better every day. You know, I'm getting ready for Friday's practice.

3:10:47I'm just improving on practice. I was going to kind of ask the same question and then how do you handle that? Like having that really people here to watch a practice or, you know, being or walking around in Columbus when you know that the quarterback's probably the most judged position, maybe in all of college football. You know, I think, like I said before, I'm really just focused on the fundamentals and improving every day and just getting better. You know, taking what coach day, coach making, coach wrestler, bringing it to us in the quarter. What do you think you have to do? What's the most important thing that you've experienced in this training? I want to see the strongest one. Yeah, I think this winner, I've gained a little bit of weight, got stronger, so that was a big point. This is the winner. And I'm really just focusing on just getting big and stronger. I've looked about, I gained about 10 pounds, so I'm sitting. How much better? I feel good now. Just being a little bit heavier. It was good. It was big thanks to coach Macon.

3:11:48It's so easy. What do you think of being the starting quarterback at Ohio State? What does that look like to be? What does that mean? Yeah, it's definitely the goal. We're so long as we're just skipping. Yeah, 15 carriages. What should that person look like? Yeah, I think, you know, the first guy in last guy out, kind of like everyone says, and being that leader of the offense. What are you able to do last year? What's that I was with you last year about, you know, Billy Fessler, what he was able to do with the quarterbacks? And how much did you specifically get to work with him? Yeah, he had so much impact on our quarterback room last year. Him and Coach Kelly both did a great job with us, and I was really appreciative of those guys. We're working closely with Coach Fessler, and I'm really happy to be here with you. I'm really happy to be here with you. We work closely with Coach Fessler, and I was happy to see you again. How much different do you feel when you talk about putting on the weight? When you talk to your younger, your spring practice, you can just get in here and come from Alabama. How much different a year later do you feel in this program

3:12:49as a quarterback all of a sudden? Yeah, I think when I first got here, I was still learning how everything works and learning what you're doing. And now I think I know what I'm doing within the plays or within how the program works, so I think it's been good to just get adjusted, but still trying to improve. And when you talk about toughest guide, first one in Los Angeles, there's two other guys that are trying to do that. How do you be that guy when two other guys know that that's what they're doing? Also, we're trying to be good at that job. Yeah, I think our room is very competitive, but we're also very close. It's only three guys in our room, so I think it's important for us to just be close, but also competitive. I wasn't even able to watch. Go ahead. Yeah. Watching you throw one of the biggest things that stands out, I think is how quick your release is, and still how much is it you can do? How did you develop that quick program? I think I've naturally had kind of a quick release, not kind of out of high school, I was always, I was just kind of had a quick release, and I've been trying to get a quicker in it.

3:13:50You, yeah. You got to watch Will and Devon, the battle last year. What did you learn from that? Maybe you were looking to have to take over, and we're seeing it in the point. It's a competition, but also trying to get each other better for the team. Yeah, I think Will and Devon had a great friendship, but they were all very competitive. So I think it was definitely good to see, and that's the thing that we had in our room this year. I do show you're the toughest guy with nobody to touch with friends. I think there's a lot of ways to show toughness and support about it. I think taking mental reps, finishing out plays, bursting through the line, I think all those control toughness. It's like, yeah, I'm all on this. Three. You know, we spent a lot of hours here watching tape, getting ready to practice. So we spent a lot of time. You have a couple. I'm going to get it one. I'm going to stay away from the point. I wouldn't say that. I think we all, the whole core record is held to a standard. We all are together in this tournament,

3:14:50beyond time, and show up early. I'm going to do a lap and talk to you later. I'll be back on your side. I'll be back to the game tomorrow. I'm going to go to the next round. I'm going to be in the team. In the race. I'll be here in our team. Yeah, I definitely, um, I saw that last year. And just how much, how much, how much noise there is. But I think you have to fuck up the noise. I'm just going to start. Sprint practice and just get better every day. We're talking to you a lot about leadership. From year one to year two, we're a few made the biggest. Two more questions from the two main folks. I would say, I think just knowing, just knowing where I'm going with football and understanding football IQ. I learned a lot from Coach Kelly, Coach Day, and Coach Vesla, and they've been, you know, there's still more room to improve and remember grow by the other one. What would you like to work with? With Brad? Yeah, I love Coach Harlan. He's, uh, he had a lot of impact on obviously the offense last year. So I give the relationship and the first couple of days

3:15:52for him to have been low. How much are things changing? You think under Coach Harlan offensive? Much. I'm not sure. Yeah, I mean, what, what if you know this, I guess, is what I'm saying? I'm not sure. You're supposed to say? Yeah, I'm not sure. But I would say about a scheme wise. Yeah. Would you like to direct your score? Yeah, I like him as OC. I like him as a, it's our coach. So I think it's, it's been good. And how are you supposed to be the first person? Really, first person sticking around. How keep was that for you? Talk about a little bit of coach Kelly. I think you're going, hey, what's up? And then those firsts were still there. What does that mean? No, I think we had so much trust in Coach Festa last year, with him just helping out the offense. And I was, I was really excited to see him get elevated. And can I do the, I like it. I'm really, really, really, really, really, really, I think Coach Day definitely tries to make a tough and practice on the quarterback. So it's a slow bit easier in the game. But I think it's, it's been good.

3:16:52We, I think the whole program is a challenge. You might go, yes. All right, Julie. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I hope you're all right, Julie. Thank you. Thank you, Julie. I'm out. Kind of like everyone says, and, you know, being that later in the offense. Are you able to do last year? What's that I was with you last year about, you know, Billy Festa, what he was able to do with the quarterbacks? How much did you specifically get to work with them? Yeah, he had, he had so much impact on our quarterback room last year. Him and Coach Kelly both did a great job with us. And I was really appreciative of those guys. Just we're, we work closely with Coach Festa and I was happy to see him get all of it. How much different do you feel? Talk about putting on the weight. We talked to you in your go-to training practice. You can just get in here and come from Alabama. How much different a year later do you feel in this program as a quarterback? Yeah, I think when you, when I first got here, I was still learning how everything works and learning what you're doing. And now I think I know what I would know what I'm doing within the plays or within how the program works.

3:17:52So I think it's a, it's been good to just get adjusted, but still, still trying to improve. And when you talk about, talk this guy, first one in last one or one. There's two other guys that are trying to do that. How do you be that guy when two other guys know that that's what they also are trying to do with the job? Yeah, I think it's, our room is very competitive, but we're also very close. It's only three, it's only three guys in our room. So I think it's, it's important for us to just be close, but also competitive. I was looking at you throughout a watch. Go ahead. Yeah. Watching you throw one of the biggest things that stands out, I think, is how quick your release is. And so how much is it that you can do? How did you develop that quick motion? I think I've naturally had a kind of a quick release. Now kind of out of high school, I was always, I was just kind of had a quick release and I've been trying to get a quick rating. Yeah. You've got to watch Will and Devon keep the battle last year. What did you learn from that? Well, maybe you and Luke, you can kind of take it and understand it. It's a competition, but also trying to get each other better for the team.

3:18:55Yeah, I think Will and Devon had a great friendship, but they were all very competitive. So I think it was, it was definitely good to see and that's something that we had in our work this year. I just want to show you the toughest guy when nobody can touch with Brent. I think there's a lot of ways to show toughness and support back. I think taking mental reps, finishing out plays, bursting through the line, I think all those control toughness. Thanks a lot. I'm all on this. We spent a lot of hours here, watching tape, getting ready to practice, so we spent a lot of time. You have a couple of things. I'm going to get it going. I'm going to get it going. I'm going to get it going. I'm going to stay way to the point. I wouldn't say that. I think we all, the whole core of our group is held to a standard. We all are together in this tournament, beyond time, and show up early. So I think we all are in the same team. Yeah, I definitely saw that last year. How much noise there is, but I think you have to talk how the noise is.

3:19:55I'm just focused on spring practice and just get better every day. We're talking to you a lot about the leadership things of that. From year one to year two, where have you made the biggest big? Do more questions for the two least folks. I would say, I think just knowing where I'm going with football and understanding what I'm doing. I'm going to do my best. I would say, I think just knowing where I'm going with football and understanding football IQ. I learned a lot from Coach Kelly, Coach Day, and Coach Vessel. They've been, you know, there's still more room to improve and remember grow by, I think, other than a lot. How much do you think you've worked with, with Brad? Yeah, I love Coach Harlan. He had a lot of impact on obviously the offense last year. So we have a good relationship. The first couple of days of spring practice has been a lot of fun. How much are things changing, you think, under Coach Harlan offensive? Much. I'm not sure. Yeah, I mean, what have you noticed, I guess, is what I'm saying. I'm not sure. You're supposed to say?

3:20:55Yeah, I'm not sure. But I would say about a scheme wise, I would. Yeah. What do you like the direction she's going? Yeah, I like him as OCE. I like him as a, it's our coach, so I think it's been good. And how are you supposed to build a festival? Really, festivals are sticking around. How keep was that for you? Talk about a little bit earlier. Coach Kelly, ladies, I'll think you're going, hey, what's up? And then, those festivals still there? What does that mean? No, I think we had so much trust in Coach Fessal last year, with him just helping out the offense. And I was really excited to see him day elevated. And I can't wait for the, I like it. I feel like the last question. Five minutes on the club. The really tough thing for me. It's testing it. How has he done that with you and how he responds? Yeah, I think Coach Day definitely tries to make it tough from time to this on the quarterbacks, so it's a slow but easier in the game. But I think it's been good. I think the whole quarterback loves to challenge. You like it, Mark? Yes. All right, Julie. Thank you. Thank you, Julie. We saw him kind of get back to helping healthy last year.

3:21:59As someone who is going to be protecting him, how do you describe him? How would you describe what he's good at and what you need to do to protect him? I mean, he's in the truck. We caught him the wizard. You know, he can figure it all out. I mean, he can make anything happen. And, you know, I'm excited to be able to protect him and, you know, let him make us look good and make plays happen. Thanks, Joe. And I congratulate you. Thank you. Adam. Hey, Joe. Adam, we want to kind of register congratulations. Thanks Adam. Appreciate it. Yeah. I'm curious, kind of what the process looks like. You know, you agree to turn some out two hours into a pretty agency. What do those two hours look like? Who are you talking to? You talked to anyone at the range personally. It's like just what does your hours look like for you? Actually, me and my wife, we were just sitting at home and like the, I guess, 12 o'clock hit. And we were like, we thought it was going to be like immediate, you know, mayhem and kind of sat there for like 45 minutes in my age and was calling me.

3:23:01It was like, what do you think of Los Angeles? And I was like, on Sound 2, Shabby. And we talked about it. And, you know, this sounded like the right move, good weather, good place to be, good winning culture, great staff. And, you know, just everything overall was just a plus. So we couldn't deny that. I know this kind of nature of business. What is it like to make a decision like that? Like, like altering the city and like gotten such short notice? Yeah, I mean, it is pretty crazy, you know, just the amount of time you have. But, you know, you kind of have a, I've been on the outside looking in at this place for a while. So I kind of had a general idea of what's going on. And a lot of familiarity within our building, like, Brad Holmes, you know, he was from here. So I kind of got to feel the people that, you know, they've been around and how they run things. I kind of got a good feel about how it'd be here. Thank you.

3:24:01Thank you. Stu. Hey, Joe, I'm Stu Jackson from the Rams.com. I'm David, what you mean? My fellow Jackson brother. What's up, man? Hey, what's up? Listen, you spend most of your football career, whether it be, you know, college or obviously the NFL now in the Midwest or East Coast. So now that you're here, what's the light just being out here and being in Southern California now? I will say the weather is beautiful, you know, it's excellent. And definitely going to miss the East Coast. You know, I've got a lot of roots there in the Midwest. You know, I've started a lot there, but not in like new beginnings and no better place to be here. And I guess what did you notice about just this offense from afar? I know Jordan asked you about some of the specifics with schematic carryover. But, you know, beyond that, beyond Matthew Stafford, what it would appear to you about being a part of this offense and being a part of this team beyond those things. Yeah, just, I mean, a lot of similarities on what we do, you know, the gap scheme, play action and, you know, having to drop back, you know, I'm comfortable in whatever we've had.

3:25:08I've had eight. This would be, I think nine now, nine different offensive coordinators since I started college. So I'm comfortable in whatever it doesn't really matter. But, like I said, the pieces to the puzzle were, you know, incredible, whether it's the wire receivers, they're running back the QB, the O line, the defense, you know, it's, it's a, it's a pretty good team over here. So I'm excited to be a part of it. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Gary. Hi, Jonah. Gary, you're going from the last time. Sarah, thank you, Gary. I'm curious to see what was it like to be part of, you know, a lion. A certain organization that enjoyed that urge last season. And what, if anything, are your memories of playing against the rounds in that wild part game at 4.0? Yeah, you know, being a part of something, you know, and to treat where for so long, the city was dying for a winner and being able to bring it there and, you know,

3:26:11change the trajectory of everything and bring some light to the situation. It was awesome. And there's nothing like it. But, you know, when you face the LA Rams, you know, they got a special defense and, you know, up front, they, they got the guys, you know, so, being able to be on their team now makes it a lot easier. Sarah, about. We're happy to agree. Hey, Jonah, great to meet you with the VIP. Congratulations, man. Thank you, Sarah. Appreciate it. In free agency, how did you weigh the opportunities in terms of second contract really important? I mean, that's your money. You got to take care of that. But you also talked about how you want to be in a winning culture. You want to be able to play for you to succeed with a team, with a, with a culture. How did you weigh those things and how grateful were you that the, an opportunity, I guess, arose with the team within this gap with winning culture with all this kind of stuff? I mean, yeah, once I heard the Rams were willing to, you know, do what they did and be, and be able to go somewhere and potentially win it all. I mean, there was, there was no denying it. There was, there was some teams, you know, maybe we could have done some more, but I wanted the perfect balance of being able to, you know, set my family up for life and be able to win football games.

3:27:21You mentioned that the Rams have like, you know, they have a good reputation and what is that reputation that other players on other teams, you know, they don't have a direct connection with the Rams. Think about the Rams. What, what is that, what is that vibe? Well, I mean, you just see it from the outside. You see that the quarterback and man, he's second and none. And, you know, just all, like I said, the pieces to the puzzle are just incredible. And then you see Coach McVey and, and how they run things and, you know, it's, it's a, it's an approachable, approachable place you feel. And you feel like it's somewhere you can get settled and pretty fast. And that's why I felt like it was a good fit for me. You know, previous training and seeing Khalil started. Do you know very much specialty? He's very important when he loses that, and seems like he got out of third now and bud. Yeah. So the brain dressed up was just in the, I mean, the very person that was in the phones. Yeah. I talk, I mean, I was talking about today just about how great our room is. We, I mean, me and Khalil aren't here. Probably we'd have bud and Tulea starters.

3:28:21So we're pretty much playing out there with four starters. And then that's not mentioning all the great backups we had behind them, whether it's Chris Drew, all the new guys. I think we have a stacked room and we all compliment each other well. I think buds are very different rushes than I am. I'm a different rusher than Khalil is. So we could all pick each other's brains and learn things from each other. I mean, bud's been doing it for 10 years already and obviously learn a lot throughout that time. So he's a huge addition, I think, to the team. So when it comes to Tulea, just what areas are you seeing and growth from, you know, where he was at last? Yeah. I mean, he came in doing all the right things. I've said it a bunch of times that he really impressed me as a rookie coming in, knowing the playbook, front to back, perfectly, hardly ever making any mistakes.

3:29:23And even last year when he was on the field, we felt totally confident in him to do the right thing and not only execute the plays but also make plays and make really impactful plays. He's a great player and he's just getting better physically, mentally. And I think he loves to learn and he's not afraid to ask questions and learn from the older guys like me, Khalil and bud. So, sky's the limit for him. Yeah, I think he's, like I said, he's a starter of quality out there as a backup. So having two guys like that where you can sub them in and feel like there's no drop off in skill. It's huge for us. So are you motivated by the power of the past season of the following? You said the question to Max here. You guys may talk about the fact that we're going to be proud of him.

3:30:24Are you getting those factors at that after a vocation in the season? Yeah, I mean, there's a few ways you could think about it. Obviously, it's been tough. Tough for the team, tough for me going through some of these injuries, especially last year. I mean, both years, the growing and then last year, a million little things that kind of added up. You know, it's really stressful, but you could really look at it as a positive where myelage wise, I really didn't take too big of a beating over the last two years. My groin is fully recovered, feeling better, probably than it ever has. My hips and everything feeling great. So yeah, I tried to look at it like that, but I didn't really take too much of a beating over the last two years, which kind of adds up a lot, especially going into year nine. So I feel confident about how I'm feeling physically.

3:31:25And I guess, yeah, I think I've been not forgotten, not around here, but maybe some people have forgotten kind of the player I can be. And, you know, I've always enjoyed proving people wrong, whoever that is. Obviously, that's not, you know, the main driver, but, you know, I have felt a bit more of, you know, motivation this offseason to really get back and make a big impact. So, you look forward to the trophy. Jim, are there any things you don't usually say stuff, career stuff? Is there any stuff you can say how to use the concept of success? It's crazy, maybe not be the right word. I think he just has a really interesting perspective on a lot of things. Scott Matlock has been jotting down all of his LOL moments as how he wrote it on the paper, which there's a lot of them.

3:32:26He's just a funny guy and he has a great perspective on life and football. So it's just really interesting coming in the meetings and we're like, what's he going to say today? Whatever it is, it's not nonsense. It's all really relevant to what we're all going through and to our goals and everything like that. So he's a great coach and I just, I really couldn't be happier to have him here. Tell me, are you and your brother Nick has such a great relationship? How much do you guys kind of motivate each other and push each other to take your games to the next level? Yeah, every day when we're working off season, I can't really take a day off because you go out there no matter how I'm feeling. He's tricking ready to go. Always to the line at the drill and I'm like, can we take an extra 15 seconds here or whatever?

3:33:27No, it's hard to do it alone and to have somebody not just somebody but somebody who's that elite of a player to lean on and learn from and to motivate. It's not a lot of robbera this, we go out, we put our heads down and we get to work every day. Yeah, it's been that way for a lot of years now and I'm really grateful to have somebody like that to be able to work with. How much do you actually gauge before asking them on? Yeah, I think the main thing right now is taking care of our bodies and like I said, the coaches are ramping us up in the right way and making sure that we're feeling good. Not only for camp but when game 1 comes around and not only game 1 but you want to start peaking, you want to play well obviously early in the season every game is important but you want to really hit your stride later in the season and when you're heading in the playoffs.

3:34:37What was the question? I'm only asking because you mentioned earlier that this time of the game you started out. Yeah, how can you judge? Yeah, I think I could be hard on myself like I was saying but when the pads come on and you're able to work power and all the different things parts of your game, it's a whole different game out there. Right now it's really about the mental side of things. Really getting the playbook down, making sure you're 100% mentally on top of the plays and everything and when the pads come on obviously that's when people prove themselves and you really find out the kind of players that you have and you're able to compete at a fuller speed. Yeah, I think that's the main goal for this week. We don't go into pads until Monday so I think going out there obviously running fast doing everything right but really being honest mentally. You've been with the team for a bit. You've gone through a few different coaching regimes if you will.

3:35:39You seem really excited about Jim Aron, the coaching staff. I'm going to be excited to come and meet you some things. What other things that maybe excited the most about this regime or how has the first few months of this compared to what he got through the past? Yeah, I mean, I'm super excited obviously and every year I'm excited. The beginning of every year there's a lot of hope and excitement going into going into each season and you never know how it's going to play out but when you get a guy like Coach Harbaugh that has been there in one at a bunch of places. He's not testing it out for the first time. He has a strategy that he knows that works and I think it's easy to buy in when you have a guy like that. I mean, winning a national championship, going to the Super Bowl, wherever he's been, he's been really successful. So to have a guy that comes in, he lays the plan out for you and there's no guessing. It feels nice.

3:36:44It's unbelievable. Still finding my way around. Yeah, I mean, we've come a long way from Murphy Canyon back in San Diego, me and Joliel were talking about it in the sauna yesterday. Come a long way from there, Qualcomm, playing in the soccer stadium, which I still loved. There's a lot of fun there. But yeah, I mean, this is when you think of them, I feel this is kind of what you imagine and it's just great that everybody's here to take care of us and make sure that we have all the resources that we need. And we could, I think at the at Hoag, we could have been just as successful, but definitely doesn't hurt having all these things that I think it just boosts morale and it makes you excited to pull up to the building every day. I just knew we had to be on point. I guess that's really, it becomes, you know, you look to recruit someone like that who understands the game the way he does.

3:37:55It's like a job interview, you know, it's like game day. So it's not, you know, my job is to not be that raw, raw guy and all the beautiful things about Ohio State, you know, my job is to explain the defense in detail so that he understands that I'm going to be able to coach him and make him better, you know, on the field and with the scheme. So it's a lot more analytical, a lot more analytical. And what's the most difficult way to explain this? Jim, I think it's traditional way to mark the non-conference opponent. We're going to be able to see last couple of years. You don't have that this year. Is there any kind of concern that you might not be challenged the way that you would lead me challenged before you get in the middle of the schedule? I mean, how do you kind of feel about it? You don't overlook any of the points. I get that.

3:38:58I think we all throw a realist. How do you kind of approach it? You know, I approach it the same. You're right. That's not something that falls under my bellywik. So I be like, you know, yeah, I barely, I, yeah. So like, yeah, can't be concerned with that. You know, we're looking at our play on the field and I'll challenge them. You know, I make sure that I personally challenge them no matter who the opponent is. Stephen, me, it's believe in Doc. I'm kind of falling up. I also was asking you to find in the lineback rule, but I think in the past years, you've talked to the localize to me, to put Cody Simon out there more than you had, still when you had Tommy. And maybe just run out of snaps at some point, but you were talking about the state. Maybe there is a clear divide between the starters and the backups. Does that still apply to Will with Sonny and CJ? And if not, what would you ideally like to see what that's what looks like between those two guys?

3:40:02Yeah, I know it doesn't apply to CJ, right? So that's what you get into. Okay, we have CJ, you know, who, when I think about things, I think about, okay, is there a clear delineation wanted to, but not with CJ. Just like Cody was, I consider CJ a one. So, you know, you could see, you could see the combination there. You know, you could see Sonny playing Mike and CJ playing Will and Cody taking a rest. You know, or you could see CJ a well and Sonny taking a rest. So I think all three of those guys are considered ones and should play equally. And I'm not saying this outside of it, but like, has he shown you he's been handled that way? Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Sonny is extremely coachable and he's one of those guys. You can tell things to one time and he gets it.

3:41:04So we have some versatility there. Don't you heard me? Fuck out of hell. I mentioned recruiting Cale because like the game day, were you an aggressive play caller that day? Was it kind of a dumb break? No, yeah. We packed up the laptop. You know, very... I really like it. Like into when I interviewed at Oklahoma State and I think Coach Gundy brought in 10 guys. Brought into a room, grilled in for three hours. Didn't see the campus. Shot the laptop. Left. Find out whether you get the job or not. That's when it was like, hey, pack up your laptop. Head to Georgia, get in the house. Three hours on the tape. Pack up the laptop and hope you did a good job. Great. Next door. At Murphy, 24-7 sports. I asked Ryan about just kind of the excitement coming off of the way last season ended.

3:42:08Your defense obviously played well and that season, what they've talked about, how they felt like they were stops they could have played in those vital two games. How much do you sense the opportunity that they feel to go out and kind of reestablish themselves as that dominant group once again? Yeah, you... they get it. I mean, you have to prove yourself every week. And yeah, there were, okay, maybe statistically we played okay, but we didn't win every game. And they are determined that if we have to win the game three-nothing, you know, could have won the ball game three-nothing. That's all those guys. And they get it. Every week you go out there as like you're delivering your thesis. You have to prove yourself on that day. I think they understand that challenge and they want the fans, the media, the rest of the team to be able to know when they go on the field that they can be counting on.

3:43:18No matter what the situation, no matter what the score is. Dan Hope, the level warriors. Cody was saying last week that, you guys think, you know, offices are going to try to do some tricky stuff with the helmet communications. So how do you guys kind of prepare for the fact that, you know, offices may get into formations late? You know, I think you... when you teach now, you have to prepare your players and your all-enfield play callers and adjusters that, you know, I won't necessarily be able to make all the right calls for you. So, you know, it starts a long time ago with the teaching, you know, like, could be that you're going to have to make a lot of on-field adjustments yourself. So you better know the defense. Final two questions. Bill Landis, Kings of the North.

3:44:18Jim, we talked with back rares of the CKZ Class League. And Matt, a couple of players said, they're less focused on like band and adjuster and kind of doing both. And if you just focus on Lawrence, kind of like playing safety, is that like an intentional switch to you? One of the main issues here is that just natural progression of the defense, where guys kind of... I don't even know, cross-training might not be the right word for this, just to say more. Now, we, across trainings, cross-training is a good word, you know. When you get to the game, there are times you may have to do that, but not necessarily going to a game that way, but when you're training safeties, it's good to train them in everything, you know, because somebody goes down, you need to make an adjustment, you know, I think it's a great thing to do in the spring and the fall camp, but, you know, as you get the game week, it becomes more defined. Is that... if you talk about one of the skies, things a little bit better, just having guys be kind of multi-positional on the back end and help you with that.

3:45:22Yes, yes, because, you know, they understand the coverages, and, you know, if you want to change coverage one way, they get it, because they've done it on the other side. And, by the questions, Jeremy Birmingham, the podcast. Jim, I'm not an expert on your career trajectory, but just like cursory glance, it shows that Year 3 has been generally the best year, statistically, for your defensive and in the stops you've made. How confident are you that that's going to be the case now considering that there's not far to go from where you were last year, but what is the biggest difference for you as the play-poller this year and just for the overall mindset of the defense for Westerners? You know, you always take the tools that you work with and that's the job of the coaches to get the best out of what you have now. Yeah, maybe that Year 3 is because, yeah, you get the guys who, a couple years in the system, and now you're working with veterans, you know, so...

3:46:28Here at Ohio State, we're working with veterans who are also extremely talented. So, you know, you have to expect the best and chase perfection. It's just what we got to do. Coach, thank you very much. I'm just going to make this all right. You know, just something to name me, I mean, just because I made that one play, I have that year after that. You just can't get big headed. I always feel like it's one for improvement. I never feel like you just got it. That's one thing. A lot of people mess up one, feel like, oh, they have one good year, okay, I'm gonna ask. That's not any me. I'm a no-continent doing for years and years to come, I feel like to myself. What do you know about pitching quarter? Coach, you're probably no big, tall receiver, just like me. You know, just came in, kept it set, not just working. I'm happy to see this future here at Ohio State. Probably gonna be, you know, next one for sure. What's it like seeing all of these, like seeing the national championship banner and seeing all of the new signage, knowing you played a huge role?

3:47:30I mean, it's, you know, it's a blessing. You know, the side play, you know, a role and, you know, the natty run that we had as a choose freshman. But, no, it's time to move on. I mean, that's behind us now and I can't wait for this season to come up. What kind of obligation do you feel to a guy like put it to the kind of take-home you're waiting to show him how you work? I feel like he already got that. Just coming in, he already got that hard work at it. Quiet, just like me as I came in, just all about ball, really. Me and here early. I mean, spending time on Coach Hartline, meeting and everything. He doing it the right way, I should say. And he have a bright future here. And he wants you to come up with a good game. Yeah. You should part now and bring him up to the leadership group. Yeah. How much for a challenge that you are kind of a quiet guy? Yeah, it was a challenge. No, just, no stepping out my comfort zone. I mean, something everybody wants to see for me, not just my coaches, but players on the team as well. We have a leadership meeting. There's a lot of people call me out on just saying they want me to talk more. Working on it takes time. Not really the guy that's talkative or no, but lay by the time.

3:48:34But one thing that's definitely working on is trying to talk more, get more of my comfort zone and just build it. You guys open with... Yeah, for sure. That's definitely the biggest challenge. I got to say just stepping out my comfort zone and getting the guys and getting the younger guys as well. You guys open with Texas next year, going back to the playoff game. Do you think about that moving forward just kind of how you were taking out of that game? Yeah, I think not really thinking about it. That's behind me. Maybe we won the game. We ended up going to the National Championship. We see it on week one. I just came with no face, face a great opponent. What's your impression of David Sanchez so far? Yeah, big long corner, the Corrine, physical. He got it all. I can't wait to see things he do here this year as well. What if you notice different? Is there anything different about this defense of these first three weeks of spring that's a culture? Yeah, culture, right? They just fast, physical and willing to hit somebody I should say. Saying they got the really changed for me.

3:49:34Guys, they're going to know what they've been doing over the last year and now. In the year and now, I should say. Coach, that makes the quarterback's live like he did for a couple of practices last week. As a live receiver, Cardinal, how do you think your quarterback's responded to that? Over offering. I think they responded pretty good. I did not expect the quarterbacks to be live in a scrimmage. That surprised me for sure. Coach, they definitely surprised me with that. But I feel like they handled it very well. They took hits. Something we need. They needed, I should say, tough enough. Why do you see those guys all like they got quarterbacks in? How they handled that since? Obviously not a norm to do that. Learn anything now, but it's definitely not a norm to see a quarterback get hit. It gets his no defense, I should say. But no, guys, they was getting hit for sure, but they was getting right back up. So command to put those in for that. Two more questions. Can you get? Definitely can't get better. No, feel like I'm getting complacent.

3:50:36Always want to prove that. No, I'm just taking the day by day and just getting better each and every day. So why do you prepare for the scrutiny? In the expectations you're going to get on the next two seasons here. Off the season you just had. Not really focused on the espacation that I have coming up or the year after that. No, just focus on spring. Spring and you know, just going to tell a fall camp and just get ready for the season. I should say, espacations go be there. Not really. No, something high. No. In my mind right now, I'm just no. Being a leader and no, just focus on the team. Jeremiah, how much changes is right? How much changes? How much changes? I don't really know. We haven't really spoken about that right now. I don't really know. Jeremiah, a lot of guys just said that they want a lot of championships. They don't want to see it. It's moving into the CS20 team. What is that for you? And why do you think that's significant for this team? I mean, like I said, we came live in the past.

3:51:38The 2014, they won the national championship. This year, we did it. So we just took everything down in the weight room and everything. So we could focus on being ourselves and this is our season. Great job. Yeah. How are you doing? I'm amazing. I feel like. Can you feel like, I want to ask you something. I feel like, I don't think I can see. You can see. You can see. You can see. You can see. I feel like this year, the World Wide Open, the World Wide Open, the World Wide, the battle is going to be a little bit more. If this year is really going to be a bad moment. I feel like the best men that go out there, honestly, it really doesn't matter about seniority, but G is getting the job done right now. He's an older guy. I'm still taking turns from him. I'm still learning to dance from G. I feel like the spot, the spot is where, who goes out there and do their job. He said the last thing he was on, you want to finish your sentence? What was that like? And he said he had to do that for sure.

3:52:38I mean, obviously as a young guy, when an older guy is on you every 24 or 7, and every play, I want to say annoying, but it's like, they ain't going to get off me a little bit. But it definitely helped me. I feel like it helped me in the long run. He was giving me good advice. He didn't tell me anything wrong. So I appreciate you for that. I don't know how much you got listed. When you hear Ryan Day, say what he said about you last week, how much they kind of need you to do. How do you take that as a player every year? What he to do, say, I sometimes, you know, appreciate you. He said he has the ability, he has the competitiveness. I love being around him on the floor. He's got a great way about it. He's learning how to continue to finish. A couple of clips that we showed the team were facing down the building, playing hard. Continuing to focus on the job and doing exactly what you were going to do. Playing side-end is not easy. It's certainly not easy.

3:53:38Anywhere you play, but it's not easy at all. You've got to be able to run around like a receiver. That's a block like an offensive line. You've got to be able to check like a weapon. They also said, we need you here. We need you. Well, I feel like that's great to hear from your head coach, especially at this high level. You hear your head coach praise you. You give you a pass on the back in ten meetings. I just feel good. Me being up there, letting my team see me do good. Showing extra efforts. Whether there's some things I got to come in and play and make some big plays. You see my high school is pretty easy. I feel like I dominate your high school. When you come here and you're starting from scratch, and maybe some of the things that you really do, where your high school can't get away with anymore. What's that transition like in trying to develop? Actually, as a tight end versus just being better than everybody else. Honestly, I feel like it's high school again. I wasn't always dominant in high school.

3:54:39It's just like my last two years. I sprouted and I did what I need to do. This first year was a developmental year, the second and third year. When I we pop out and be the hardest fighting unit on the team. Tight ends, real to work. What do you talk to you about the ball and how it's used to play? He always gives me gems. He was on the defensive side of the ball. He gave me a different standpoint. But, you know, my main hit's conversation is more like following a sign conversation. Not too much football. He keeps the football side on the field. Did you work with team because of the 50-mortem? No, I worked with team because I was born on the 15th. That makes more sense. Johnny, for you, just a just a while, you talk about early in high school. Maybe you weren't like the ball that you developed into one. Now you're back at that under the developing part of the game. How hard is that for this mental perspective, especially because you're part of home?

3:55:40What is the biggest challenge for you? At first, it was hard because I had to reprogram myself to your back on the grimoat. But, at the end of the day, I've done it before. I know what the overall goal is. I know what I want to complete in my journey. So, it's time to work. When you hear press conference, I'm talking about Johnny. We need you. Is that intimidating? It's firing. As an aspiring, he basically calls your number. Your number is called Make the Play. That's all it is. Because they love me. I love the team. So, when he keeps sending you out and lets you know he needs you, that's all he needs to be said. It would require confidence about you right now. I was talking to the center of the league. I guess where does that come from? Where do you get your confidence? My confidence? I feed off myself a lot. I bring it into your mind with smiling. I feel like if you're going to get another wrong, there's nothing not to be confident about.

3:56:41Johnny, I'm Packard and the same. The toughness for you stands out between last year and this year. What does that mean to you? What is toughness to you? How are you more toughness? Toughness. I feel like for the tight-knit unit this year, we made a stand out of the tight-knit unit. We the toughest team. We the toughest unit on the team no matter what. Often it's different society, we the toughest unit because we have to do, I feel like the most. He said, we're all out. It's like a wide receiver, like a D-line. Many O-Long, sorry. I feel like you got to bring it. You got to be tough. It's just part of the game. What does that look like on the day of day? Was that in the weight room that you built that? Well, yeah, I got stronger in the weight room. I got a little bit bigger. That's also on the field. Being able to get in between big plays. It's some extra efforts down the field running. Being tough is an overall game, it's not physical. You play such a development in a position. What's it like to do that against the so-called I.

3:57:41Well, you get the tension of skills every day. You have the best people on the other side of the ball. You got safety at a high level, corners at a high level, D-line at a high level, lineback at a high level. It's just every day gone for real. What happens if you have a bad day? No such thing as a bad day. It's just lessons. Other than the system, what is the most important thing you need to do? Stay in the books. Stay watching for a while. I feel like. Johnny, with your room being as deep as this, you feel like there is a good opportunity for quite a few of you guys to see some time on the field and not just towards the end of the game, I think, but maybe some real legitimate, meaningful reps. For sure, I feel like everybody in our room is well capable of going out of the field. Not missing a beat. I feel like everybody in our room can come in, play H-O-Y, know what they're doing, and do that high level. I feel like, but our room being deep is nothing but a weapon for us.

3:58:43Have you guys been kind of tailoring your practices towards that kind of possible game plan aspect? I want to say Taylor, but Coach Plissus is in the best situation. Coach Plissus is in all the situations, actually. If he wants to go out of Y, go out of Y. If he wants to go out of H, go out of H, do what you need to do. How do you think you're doing? I should say that there are a number of people in the last night watching, going to be gone in the freshman. I feel like everybody has their own journey for real, and how they go about it is different. I feel like he's taking it on the chin, and I feel like he's taking it well. He's learning from the other guys. Like I had to do last year, he's making plays, he's learning. I feel like that room is deep, and everybody can do what they need to do as well. You feel like you're going to be able to do what you're going to do. You feel like you're going to finally get on the field a lot this year. What's your sense of it? I feel like I'm going to get on the field. It depends on a lot, that all depends on me.

3:59:43If I go on the field and get what I need to be done, I'll get more plays. If I don't do what I need to do, they don't find the next man who can do it. And that checklist is what? I mean, what would get you on the field? Like you said, if you do what needs to be done, what is that? It's just a simple thing. It's just a simple thing. That's all it is. Know what you do, why you need to do it, why you need to do it. That's all part of it. Once you're out there and they know what you know what you're doing, you're going to keep rolling. So you mess up. If you mess up, they're going to take you out of here, fix it. Are you back out there? When you watch video of yourself, can you see what kind of weapon you are? If you're on the field, you're still what I'm saying. I'm trying to understand. You understand your advantages, right? I know a match match problem sometimes, or mostly time. I used to try not to watch too many videos of myself. It's just film now. Yeah. What do you like to do? I like cross-fit just to explore. And there's a thing I do. I feel like I made a lot of progress from last year.

4:00:44This year we'll see how high it goes. We haven't played our free game yet. So I don't know what to expect. But I know I'm going to go out there and give it 110%. Hopefully the buck I was going to win. So you know, kind of learning to play both and get a pick. Where do you think your pick is going to come in this last year? I feel like the growth has been all around, honestly. With the guys on our own, they, different guys have different skillsets. Different guys have different gems. So you pick a gem from Pat, you pick a gem from G. Get a gem from K before he left. He still tells us to us a little bit. He got bigger gems now. So I feel like the development has been all around. I can pinpoint one part of my Gensro. What do you like most about the game football? Physicality part. And fatigue is the score distance. And how much better do you become from a blocking standpoint or where do you want to come? Where do you definitely improve in that realm? Say the guys are. The blocking standpoint of your, you know, as Ryan, they say,

4:01:45it's supposed to be a complex, probably positional field. It's a plan tidy. You got it. You got to be this guy and this guy and then you got to split the scene. Yeah. I feel like the blocking standpoint, the thing I got better at was just hand placement, a hat placement, knowing the leverage of the ball, knowing to get your hands out there first, did the first touch. Yeah. Or if you get the first touch, you win the block. That's a lot of questions. No, we're not. We're not. We're not. Yeah. That helps me a lot. These men are here. Either you can catch something or block something. All right, so I'll be. Thank you. I think it's. Oh, he's been watching everyone. He knows how to do it. He's been watching everyone. He knows how to do it. Nice man. Good thing. Yeah. That was good. Good. Yeah. Yeah.

4:03:08I prefer that, you know, your body, longevity, and then of course your life is better. You can't even swim, so it is. It's a big help, so I do see us doing that. Yes. How do you fit yourself? Power styles are complement each other. I mean, of course the more we practice, we'll figure that out, but I mean, yeah, we're probably in three years. I can see it's going to work out. Trigon, the NFL scouting combined. Maybe comparison with you and Jake Kate Adams. I mean, both being Texas running backs if you watched his game at all, but do you see any similarities between you two running styles? I did, yes. I grew up watching Jake Kate. A lot of me and I grew up on a high-stay-finals. So I watched him a lot, and there are similarities in our game, but of course I'm in my own back. So I did take a little thing, some little things from Jake Kate's game and implemented it to mine. So I could definitely see the similarity there. What are some of those things in the similar game? Similarities, just how he's a one-cut slasher, but he has a good jump cut. You know, I did play a good amount last year, but of course, you all didn't get a chance to see me fully opening up. This year, y'all will see that, but there's a lot of similarities

4:04:10in our game, just how he moves, and of course, our statistics as well, a high weight, they make all that comparison. Then, today, I am on back, so that's a good comparison. Yes, what are those things from? Well, from both, I mean, he's a hard worker. He came in here, just kept his head down, and just been working. He has good speed, of course, good feet, he had good back, and a good through as well. So, what were I going to do? You know, I mean, obviously, two minutes from running back, you know, one can learn, maybe not how to approach the position, anymore than just the one to your last back, you're in the last back, what is your number? I'm trying to cue how they approached it. Was this to approach every day, like it should last there? You know, every day, I know, because I talk a lot with Tray, he just picked out one of the things he could get better at every day. So, taking that, bringing that into this year, one can actually get better at every day, and then upholding the standard as well, and running back room, it's been great, so that's one thing I did too. I did just start feeling confident in anything in your first season here. When did you start feeling okay? They were to ask me to take on a bigger load, I think.

4:05:11I started feeling comfortable, definitely, fall camp. You know, we started getting them reps, things started ramping up. I felt confident myself, so I got here, but I'm especially in the system, and how much I learned, and knew about, you know, playbooking everything, I really started feeling like fitting. Why, Jay? Well, my dad and my my my, my dad from Cleveland, one from Yolkstown, and I just grew up watching a high-stake, and I would always turn around and say, we came down to history, that was the end of the race. Yeah. All of us aligned. It was an honor for you, that you could get an entry. It's a great honor, I mean, this is RBU, and it always has been, since I was growing up watching them, so to be the next one in line, potentially, you know, I got to work for it, but, you know, it's an honor, and I'll take it, I believe, you know, there's a lot that goes with that. So, I was like, I'm actually the first one I ever watched. The first one I ever watched, you remember watching me? So, I was, is he, for sure? Yeah, that's where I went, I saw it watching him as he, as he grew up. James, can you describe the intensity

4:06:13that Coach Aloklin expects from you guys in progress? How does he get you guys to rank up, and stand around? Is he hard to please? Is he hard to please? I don't know if y'all saw a little bit today, but he is definitely on us all the time on team, but he always says, like, today, he encouraged me about my finishing, he said, everything's good, but he's like, you gotta finish more. He said, I'm gonna make you great. So, that just shows that everybody's gamers, always something to get better at. Always something to improve at, no matter who you are, how highly talented you are, the abilities, there's always something that he's gonna nitpick on. He's gonna push you to get better at it, because that's gonna bring out the best of your favorite every situation. So, first beat of him, where are you coming from, things that you got better at just from his table and cheer him in, is it not? You said first, you need to hit him? Yeah, for first, for first getting to know him to land, well, I got to know him, so I feel very weird, he came down to the campus in Antonio. And the same way he is now. Yeah, I've been actually playing under him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wait, he got that question one more time? Yeah, no, what do you do when you're in a single other couple that can learn? It's a true game,

4:07:13a picture of what? One thing I learned is definitely my tempo, my speed, and then off the field, things, like just being the guy I'm supposed to be and being a leader, pushing myself in every situation I can, it'd be better. He really just, he really pushes that aspect of just being better every day, because he always accepted that same standard. You're obviously in a position this year, but you're gonna be like the featured part of the offence where it's last year, taking your time learning behind and training off of Quint Shond. How does that hit you? Is there a pressure with that? I guess, what is kind of your emotions surrounding, the potential to be a real patient part of the offence? No added pressure at all, I knew that I had to train Q-WR in there, I was like, okay, I should have learned. So I had to take that patience with it, but no, your time is coming, but you just kind of wave. I've been waiting for this. Of course, like I said, I still got to work for it. We got great backs in the room, but just hold myself to that standard every day and pushing myself to be better. My first training was, you know, going in the last year, kind of the trash time you made me,

4:08:14pop up duty, and sell it to someone. Like you said, you haven't really gotten to show what you're really all about yet, huh? In a game field, anywhere at a high state. My first training was that, but how did it happen? It was interesting. It was just an insuredity thing, you got to mature. You got to know it was like, okay, I got to win my turn. You know, there were both great backs, and I knew that I got to take up what I came from the situation. So that was all just taking what I had, what I took from the situation. Try to do something. Or whatever you need to do. Well, honestly, I leave that up to you. I just kind of described it. You know, I know my game, and of course this season, this season gets started, but I definitely say I'm like a slash or kind of back, but I'm gonna get out of the side. One Texas recruit seemed to flourish at a high state. Why do you think Texas football compares you for a high state? I work with it. I think Texas is the best ball, some of the best athletes out. So especially in a run-up acquisition, because this is like that. So I mean, Texas, the coaches and how we prepare, and I know we like, there's not every state, you know, you got all season football, all season.

4:09:15So I just feel like the development and the coaches and stuff like that, but I mean, just great players all around, but guess there's a train. Yeah. You mentioned, though, how about the Terba Rogers, what have you seen with hand-in-the-c�s? First time in the past? Terba's not here yet. Isaiah West, Isaiah West is another guy. Yeah, he's recovering. He's paying attention, but Terba gets here, he comes in this Friday. He's gonna be here this Friday. How about Isaiah? Yeah, Isaiah, yeah, he's been a guy. He's really dialed in, you know, more matured in his age. He may be right now because, you know, he's healing, he's getting better, and I'm pretty sure he'll be back for a fall camp so we can see him shining. That's Jay, thank you very much. Thank you. We're gonna talk, continue to stay, communication with one another, continue to just lay each other and we have each other's backs and just trust one another. And man, I think that performance is gonna be off the charts. Well, for the right, Kelly-N, just this, WSYF. DT, how would you describe the mentality of the defense right now, getting this opportunity for Greenback and the Warden? Yeah, hungry and thankful.

4:10:15I mean, we know how the last time when, you know, we had a chip on our shoulder. I mean, we were riding high before that game and we took that loss and we came back how to make a couple changes. But I think we understand what, you know, everything's at stake right now. You know, just fighting to where another hostage jersey for the next game. That's what's on stake. And just to be able to represent this state and this team. I mean, we understand what's on the line. And, you know, we're just hungry and blessed that we get this opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl. Right behind your Adam King, WBNS. What do you remember most about walking off the field in your gene? What was kind of all your minds in that moment? I mean, there was a, I don't think anybody imagined it. Imagine us losing. You know, I didn't, that's for sure. And I think after that, it was kind of head deep. But understanding that, man, we still, there's still a lot of ball left to be played. I mean, you can let it sting for a little bit, but, you know, if you let it carry over too long, then, you know, there it goes.

4:11:16There goes your whole season. But I think we did a great job of just understanding, coming together in this room right here, not being afraid of display or hold accountability for one another. And, you know, as that happened, we came back, we grouped, and, you know, we're just going right now. And I'm just blessed for those specific moments, you know, losing. I mean, no one wants to lose, but the testimonies and the things you're taught within those little situations speaks of all of you. That's our old rope, Vladimir Drow. Jay, what did you see from King Yada in the last couple of weeks? Was there like a push from him? And there were many conversations with him. We could see like he's playing some special ball in Tennessee. Yeah, I mean, that's my boy. He's in the R2X club, too. But, you know, King Yada, I mean, every time his numbers call, he goes out there and makes the most of it, no matter where we are in the game. When he goes out there, he's just hungry. He wants to go make plays.

4:12:17And, you know, we see it in practice. So it's not surprising to us. Bill Rebino, it's a bonus to this match. Dylan Gabriel's obviously very elusive in her talent. And he's not very tall. How important it could be to just kind of stay in your past rush lanes and neglect a lot of balls and kind of make a difference that way? Yeah, I think it just comes on being disciplined, knowing who you're playing against. Like you said, he's a, he's sure, but he's very elusive. I mean, he can, he is making throws. I mean, he get out the pike. He can do everything. So I think for us, we just have to discipline and just continue to just meet with Coach Jay, meet with the coach's nose and understand how we can just eliminate that. Yeah, I should have about you and Jack. I mean, your personality seems to be a little different. You're more on the quiet side. He's not. Yeah. How about you? You've played together four years, both five store guys. Kind of describe your relationship with him, friendship with him, and just kind of how you cop with each other. Man, that's my brother. Like you said, we're different, but very alike.

4:13:18I think outside, like you said, he's louder. I'm quiet. Once we're on that field, we're like the same person. We'll do anything for this team. We'll die for our players, and we'll give everything we got. Room together for four years, correct? Yeah, fall camp. Every room. Yeah, sometimes go over there. So go over there. So yeah. There's the neat one. Who's the messing one? We have our share of days when I'm neat. He's neat, or we might both be messy, but we do a good job. Yeah. I'd probably say I would better kick the jack though. Tony Gertman, like I've heard. When you're playing a team for the second time, and that was almost a season to go by now, how much of a square one with this scouting and preparation, or how much do you take from that game, how much do you avoid taking so that you don't have any creative safety notions of what you're going up against offence on the offensive line? I say it's pretty 50-50. I mean, that game, like you said, it was a while ago, but at the same time, they elevated as a team.

4:14:18So did we. So we understand that they made some changes for sure. There's a certain tendency we can take back from that game, but we also understand that they went on a low run after that. And we can see that they elevated as an offense. So we just got to continue to watch those games, dissect the other games, and just continue to see what stands out and what they changed from the past game. We got a couple calls on Zoom that will wrap up with, first we have Nick Hamilton from Nightcast Media. Nick? Just wanted to ask you basically about the synergy of this defense and how you guys were able to not only celebrate the triumphs, but get through the adversity be able to be this top-notch defense that you are in college football today. Here, Pete, the question one more time. No problem. One that asks you about the synergy you are were able to develop over course of the season, obviously celebrating the triumphs, but also getting through the adversities

4:15:19to where you are all the top-notch defense that you are today. Yeah, I mean, like you said, we went through a lot of trials to trials, but there's also, there's a lot of things we can take away from all the wins and losses. And from those wins, we understood that, hey, we can be the best defense in the country. And from those losses, we understand that there's still things that need to be fixed. And I think when you take all that in, at once, it comes out to the common goal, or the common target, which is, there's always learning points everywhere. And depending how we dissect those games or how we just continue to come as one and elevate, we continue to just collect all those learning points and just continue to grow from them. And one final question. Joey Copp and Columbus Dispatch, Joey. JT, what have you guys done better in the Tennessee game and just late in the season, you think about turning some of the pressures that you've got on quarterbacks and the sacks and getting home in some of those situations? Yeah, I think it was more just understanding

4:16:20the defense as a whole, understanding everybody's job. I think as the season went on, we had to understand that and we had to know what's going on in the backhand. We had to know what's going on in the lineback recruit to understand that the game was going on. We had to understand the, what plays we have, room of freedom. And I think once we understood that, and got a better understanding of everybody's job. It showed this play because everybody knows we each other's doing. It's not like the lineback is not what they're doing. The corner and B.I. they know only their job. I think we all know each other's job and we continue to ask each other questions on if they're listening to how they can get to the quarterback and if I'm dropping and playing quarterbacks by I can ask Cody on how to open field tackle. So we just kind of lean on each other's understanding. Because like I said, Denzel knows how to play corner-bedded, then I know how to play corner. So he has more wisdom at that position than I do. JT, thank you very much. Thank you. Thanks, man. You're welcome. You can't just go on the job.

4:17:22I think it complements each other very well. He can do a lot of stuff, too. You know, a lot of people think he's just power, power, power. But I think he has some other parts to be gained, too, which it'll be great. Because I feel like I could do everything. And when we wanted to get tired, we can roll it in. We keep rolling. We win some games. When you, the two of you, get going. How do you think this is going to look? The work will be that partnership that is back there. I know. That's a hard question. How do I think it'll look beautiful? You know, a lot of people call this a passive league, but I think you got to run the ball to win a Super Bowl. If you look at the team's win the Super Bowl, they can run the ball. They can control the clock. And so if we're both good, it'll look great. Beautiful. How do you describe the Greg Rowan offense? I would describe it as a great offense. I think he gives a quarter back.

4:18:23A lot of options. He's going to give the running back a lot of options. He's going to give the receiver a lot of options. I think it's going to be great. His offense is going to be amazing. When we talk to him, it's like why are you going to build something good for Russian offense throughout your career? Whichever way you fit. And you said that one part of it is just, you got to call the police. You got to call the run the police. As a running back, how much confidence, how much you say it is going to give you a play call that's going to stick with it and allow you any options for him to get to a rhythm of the group. He gives me a lot of excitement. It's going to be, like I said, his spawn to play in his offense. And I think he does have some good things in the pass game too. But like you said, he sticks with the run and that's the identity. You want an offense that has an identity, right? You don't want to be looking everywhere else to find your identity. You want to have it. And so I think his offense has that. And the guy he builds and puts in there, it complements that identity. So I think it's going to be great.

4:19:24You mentioned you're 100 percent now. So you'll be full go for training. That's the expectation. Look, I ain't going to answer any of the four. If it's up to me? Yes. Look, because I had this problem like two years, three years ago. I'm thinking I'm full go. I think I'm ready to go. And then next year you know I'm on PUP. Like, hey, look, some stuff is above my pay grade. So, but I don't know. Hopefully I can start. I think I'm ready to start, you know, the beginning training camp. But that's not up to me as I've learned. How do you, how do you feel? I wouldn't say that. I think I've been in some great organizations. And I think this organization is a great organization. And the training staff is great. And so they just want what's best for me, you know. And they're taking care of me, which that's what you want in the organization. And so that's where that comes from. Which I appreciate it. Like, I really appreciate that.

4:20:25Because I'm a type of guy like I work really hard. So maybe sometime I'm blind to, you know, the danger of something, you know. So I appreciate it. But like I said, if it's up to me, yeah, I'm out there. But never know. Well, any frustration for you during the heading into creativity, you know, dealing with rehab and not, you know, having a full season of paid for the production to go out. There was already part of that where you're like, I wish I had hit the open market with a different situation. You know, I like it. I like how would I say this? I like it the hard way, but not, you know, I like it the hard way. I like it. I like trial and tribulations. So I mean, the dice that I was given to roll was I was coming off a killer. And that was that was the Lord's plan. So it was beauty in that like I was comfortable.

4:21:28I was caught like there was multiple teams, you know, I wasn't, it wasn't like I didn't have any other team, but I was comfortable in sitting back and just enjoying the process, letting myself get fully healed. So whenever that team whoever I would sign with who now is the Chargers is going to get the best me, you know, and I think people all around the league know that like, okay, this guy, okay. He's a high risk, high reward type thing, right? Not even a high risk, low risk because you, it's a business, right? So I forgot her last year. So not as much money and he's be throwing that. But I think everyone around the league knows that whenever I am on the field, the numbers don't lie. And so they know that and a lot of teams were like, all right, here, you can, we give you this, but we want you to be healthy. So when I'm healthy, it's going to be great. There's the chance that I've been giving here. I'm so grateful and I know that's going to be, they won't be, they won't regret it. Are you the type of person that likes to prove people wrong?

4:22:30Like you've done a couple things like the high risk, high reward, injury, prone, you know, like are you the type of person that really tries to prove people wrong? No. I hear it. I see it. It's pretty cool. Like you'll never see me unless I'm just like in a bad mood. You'll never see me like, oh, like if I have a great game or a great year, like I have this wonderful year, I ain't going to go back and you're like, yeah, yeah, what happened? No, because I don't care. You're eventually see, like I'm like, I'm a guy that's really good. So I ain't worry about that, but I'm proving myself right that I am one of the best in the league, right? So forget all the naysayers and people that talk about being injury prone because whenever I have this great year, it's going to be forgotten, you know? Why, why give that energy? Yeah. Talk about Justin and all our grab chances. Yeah, I was, you know, we just with him, you know, he's a great guy.

4:23:31I mean, he was in my class. I remember seeing him on, we were at an award show because I was a dope walker or a finalist and I'm like, I've seen him play, but I didn't know he was that tall. Like I didn't know he was like six, six. I went at first saw him. This was years ago in college. And I'm like, am this great tall? Like, he's cool though. Like I never really got to, I ain't going to lie. I thought it was going to be kind of, you know, nerdy, but he's cool, dude. Very laid back. No, we'll face to him. You know? And then, I've proven out here. I think I've done pretty good improving in like my sets with some song full work, gap moments, times of type of stuff, you know? What was your weight at this time last year compared to that? I've actually been pretty consistent right now. I'm sitting about through 15. Last year I was about 3-10, 3-12. There was a period last spring where I got really sick, so I dropped down to about 300. I'm about, I'm about, you know, about even. So, I'm just a mathematician here. Oh, yeah.

4:24:31So with that, your tuition here, the defense might be a little different than it looked last year. We're not told how much it looks like, but judging by your face, it's more than I would have anticipated. I was, I was, I was, I was been there. For you going up every day against not Justin, Kinyata and KJ, but now seeing, since they're here, sitting out of all the recent, those guys off the edge, what has that done for you? I mean, they might be, our veil's one of the most athletic guys I think I've ever seen in my entire life. He probably runs like 4-4-4-3. I've seen him do, I don't know what his, his, his approach shuttle is, but it looks fast. And like him just kind of bending that edge. It's, it's kind of, it's not like scary, but it's, it's kind of scary, you know? Is that something that you're getting better because of? Yeah, yeah, 100%. I think that's my, my sets, I think, to acclimate to those kind of speed, speed rusher type guys as it improved. And then, you know, you got KJ, which is more of a, you know, prototypical edge guy instead of like a speed guy. And so, I mean, it's just, I'm getting a big mix of a lot of different guys and I think

4:25:35it's helping me. Yeah, it's easy. Yeah. He was talking about how 3-4-2 offensive that could just not have come to that. I think it's not too bad. I think it's not too bad. I think it's not too bad. I think it's not too bad. It's still too long. I think about it. It's still a lot of stuff. I mean, it's really good. You know, like coach Johnson, like they're all, they all notice different things about you. Like coach Johnson has talked to me about my hands, coach DeGees talked to me about my set, coach Johnson's talked to me about like my pad. And it's like when you, like, especially at one at once when it's just you going, you've got four different guys, see so many different things and then you just get all this information back to you. And just tweak different things to try and get better. So I mean, through that, I've got my, but you're like top level. You've got to sit quite some of the right bastards. You're like these are your wits. But you're kind of coming up with two spots. I mean, I feel, I feel comfortable in both. I mean, I don't really think I have like a, a perfect, but I'm just really trying to, you know, do whatever I can to go. I'm just trying to do whatever I can to go. There's obviously spots open.

4:26:35How are you approaching that competition? That's awesome. Like I'm just trying to get better every single day. I think that in terms of, you know, roster depth, I think I'll save that for later. You know, right now, spring's the time of development. And I'm just trying to develop. So what are, what areas are you working to develop right now? I really use my hands. I like to lean a lot in my sets. You know, that gets me beat a lot. I don't strike as fast as I should. So I really work on my hands right now. You know, it's a great, big role. You guys have seen last year, it's higher, but I saw season. What does it mean to help him to line the offensive of the role? And how much of you kind of see that for all when you come to the leader of this team going into 2045? I think, I think, I think, I think, I'm just saying you can, you can look at him. I need to be, you know, he's, he's an outspoken leader. But I mean, even when he's not, you know, leading, hopefully, you can just, he's leading by his hands.

4:27:39He's like, he's just, he's just, you look at him. I feel like he boosts everyone thinking that I need to be to that stance. How much does that motivate other guys? I'm sorry, what? How much does that motivate other guys? I think it really, especially, I don't know, I think they're getting interviewed down there. But especially like you younger guys, I mean, he's not like a screaming, like, who like walk up, like, he just, I mean, I think, he just, like, kind of elevates our own weight. I mean, that makes sense. I'm already, like, they're really good at points and everything, like, they're really good community, which is something that I have, it's how they need to be. Do you mean the cases where it really is? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, just how would you say and how that can be straight, how that can be? Yeah, I mean, the connection, the chemistry is incredibly important because I mean, these are people that you're playing with. They're working with us with them, I mean, you're gonna see them every day. So we have to at least live along with them, understand where their mind is, especially in a game.

4:28:39Sure. You played both, not the thing right, Taco. What do you do most of the time? Left hand. You had one year there at Rice and that type of thing. How'd you find that to you? I mean, I saw a play right and then by my junior movement, as far as my senior was moving to left. And, yeah, I mean, there's some pretty scenes processing. The coaching is a rice because they have some really great, and helping you transition. I didn't even thought it was significant with his challenge. You're just driving us that was surprised that you turned pro, so I'm completely going to say that I'm proud. You shot it, you didn't have you, but a second off thing that you did. Did you consider turning pro? Yeah, I mean, that was on my mind back at the same time. I also realized I wanted to continue to develop and continue to grow great, which is why I wanted to find a good school where I can have a good o-line coach as in helping mentor me. And, I mean, I'm just going to sit like this. I've always known so I thought getting better and improving things that were big discrepancies in my game.

4:29:42Did you obviously do some dark and jacks and Josh Rire, but a lot of guys back in the national championship didn't you? You and the little Daniels and just, do you think about the depth of your life? I mean, it's an amazing thing. I mean, we're all pushing towards it to be great. You know, it's competitive, which is, I mean, that's the best place to get better. Did you seek out Ohio State or they seek you out or was it kind of a choice? I was definitely seeking out of Ohio State. You did? Yeah. Yeah. And how did you know you had a shot that even come here? You know what I mean, Ethan? How does that work in the portal? Honestly, I really didn't know. It was just kind of a whole thing. I mean, I put a lot of prayer to it. I'm going to talk with my family, talk to my agent, my old o-line coaches, Rice-Anne. They're really helping through the process. Without them, I don't know whether I'll be here right now. Yeah, but by the grace of God, I ended up here in the grace of God. Obviously, Justin Fry was the coach when you came here. What was that kind of transition like of him leaving in a tie-up bow and coming in? I'll say it was pretty seamless. I mean, both of them are incredibly coaches

4:30:43that both know what they're talking about. They're really tuned into the fine details. So, I mean, I wasn't worried at all. It was just business as usual. What are the biggest things you like about playing for Coach Bowen so far? He's a really good communicator. We've met a lot and he's really good at putting out the fine details and how you can prove your game. When it comes to different skills and everything, just how to find to do it through practice and everything. Will the heat squad triple-fersion time? I'm trying to live by being the hardest working person in this field. That's why I want to spend the most time watching films. I want to spend the most time after practicing and actually working on my other edge. I find that's how I would describe myself. What do you try to do? Well, I can always be better at a lot of things.

4:31:43But just really, for working on the thing, that's the biggest thing. I think the system is really working. If you talk about our dropping that weight, does that have been an adjustment playing that weight prepared for you? I feel better. You feel better, okay? So you didn't lose any strength at all? Did you know you got to lose better? I knew and then you know, talking to the diet dishes and everything. How's your diet change? I focus a lot more on getting the right macros into my meals. That was really the biggest thing. The biggest thing about losing weight is diet. It's a lot more protein that's part of stuff like that. That's your base and everything. Thank you. You're all good there. I don't really let you get to my head because I'm here.

4:32:45I don't know. I have a big, three-year-old star that I've got to name. First from all, he's going to play this year too. I can't let what people can say on that get to me because anybody can say he's going to play this year. But you know, I actually got to prove it. I actually got to come out here and work in that spot. What's your most important thing you've learned so far? You've learned a few months. Competing everyday. That's the biggest thing. having to compete, these guys appear. They take winning and losing to Hart. So my first week up here when we did our competition, I was winning and then I actually got that first loss on my belt and it kind of opened my eyes because these guys take it to Hart when they lose. They don't like it. So I kind of got that now where I don't like losing. So you had the opportunity to be around the team for that CFP run. What did you learn from just those few weeks seeing this team make that run? Being real tight with your brothers, they're real tight. They push each other.

4:33:46It's a real brotherhood. They don't let nobody down. They always got each other back. It's a new team now. So we got to build that chemistry with each other. Just get tight. And I feel like when I was there for that playoff run and I practiced when they were at the National Championship, I just got to watch how guys are real locked in. They're close with each other. They're not letting nobody slack off. And I feel like we had the opportunity to do that with this team now. How did you handle that first lock? That first lock, it kind of got to me. It was the IGB. He let me hear. So after that loss, I was like, no, I can't let this happen anymore. Because it's like, now it's not high school where you 17, 16 years old. And if you lose, you lose. Appearance, no. If you lose, the coach will see that. So they're going to see how you respond to it. So I feel like I had to open my eyes, I had to go in there and lock them. Like, yeah, I can't let this happen anymore. So I got to grow up and these guys are counting on me too. So it's really important that I don't lose. If you hadn't described yourself as a competitor, how would you do that?

4:34:48I'm a great competitor. I like winning. Who doesn't like winning? So I mean, winning is, it's in my blood. My parents taught me that at a young age, going out there competing for anything that you want. And I feel like if you can go out there compete for it, it's yours. And if you compete for it all the time, who's going to take it from you? So I mean, I'm a good competitor. I'm always going to go out there and try to take what's mine. If it's out there, then anybody can have it. I'm going to be the one to get it. There's some roles in your room, obviously. Are you a talker? What would your natural resources be? Yeah, I mean, it could come out on me. But I don't really know my game to talk for this part. But if it gets there, it gets to that point where, yeah, I can bring it out. Because regardless, I'm not just going to let nobody just come out here and just kiss balls on me. So if I'm having a good day, when I'm consistently being TPUs, yeah, I'm going to talk. But being in that room, you kind of got to talk. You know, you know, you got IGB, you know, those real talkers in that room. So it kind of makes you want to bring it out. And you know, when you bring that out, that just brings energy out on whole defense. And when you got the whole defense clicking, I mean, you can see what happened.

4:35:51Is there anyone that's kind of competition in the records? It was during the winter. We were doing, you know, just stuff on the field. We was just having the time of the field. Just a lot of competitions. So I mean, he just kind of, it was a day where, you know, they had us going up against just the freshmen. And then they kind of threw us in there and fired against the other guys. So we had to, you know, we had to wake up and, you know, we all kind of lost. And it all kind of like, we all kind of can't get that professional group like, what are we going to do about this? Because, you know, some of their kind of nuts to step up in those roles. Yeah, come here. Welcome to college. Yeah, definitely, definitely. Definitely my work on college moments, you know, you know, just showing that, you know, it's real now, a metal high-oh state. I'm not in Houston, Texas, no more in my school. Far from my family, you know, I got to wake up, I got to grow, I got to mature fast. And, you know, I just got to get ready for the next level. You've mentioned high school a couple times. How did, you know, grow it out there in Texas, playing at that level? How do you feel like that helped you prepare a real house date? I still like you prepare good, you know, I feel like I went to a powerhouse in Texas. We obviously ran the Houston area, you know, we've been running the Houston area for a

4:36:54long time now. And I feel like, you know, we're a real college program. We live just like these guys who do the same lifts, you know, the level of ball I play, the highest level ball in the Texas 6A, you know, we're going against guys like Dunkin' Bill, no crowded, those top schools, you know, receiving the coin where I go against him. I want to get some three times in my career. So I mean, those that really prepared me for this level, you know, coming in like, okay, this is not where it's a little school where, oh, they don't believe that I can come here and make an impact. I can't come from big schools so they're counting on me to make an impact because, you know, I think, I mean, everybody would say Texas is one of the highest football players in the country, you know, they go us floated in the probably Georgia. So I mean, they're counting on me to be ready and that level of ball prepared me real well. How'd you do against DeCory? You know, it was when lose, when lose, you know, I went something, he lost something. So I mean, it's just getting better, I'm shopping higher because, you know, he's the top receiver, obviously in our class, you know, I feel like he's going to have a good impact

4:37:56that at Oregon. So I mean, it's just, it's just, it's just, just, what's going to happen next? Looking forward to seeing him again? Yeah, definitely, definitely. And you know, I plan on planning against him. We don't, we want to see him this year. Hopefully we see him in the big team championships. So, you know, I want, I want to, I want to rematch him. DeVa, you committed super early in the process six months after that. You shut things down when, quite frankly, someone of your caliber didn't have to do that. You could have, you've seen kids play the game a little bit longer than that. But you chose to not do that. It's kind of a lot getting here. Why? You know, because this was, this was, this was where I felt, this was home. You know, I didn't really feel like, you know, standing Texas was a good thing for me. I didn't, I didn't feel like that was home for me. Up here, I just felt like it was home, you know, because of law and because they, you know, they're making it, you know, making me feel important up here. And then, you know, like you could ask, because what, how many times I came up here, do I, my high school career, I came up here 13 times. So it got to the point where I was knowing the guys on the team. I had the numbers just like that. When I come up here, you know, I don't got to always be with the coaches.

4:38:57I can go chill with some of the guys on the team. So it was just, just me, you know, knowing what I want to play in my college ball at, you know, knowing where I felt like it was home and then, you know, it was also my parents too, you know, my mom being, you know, feeling safe that, you know, I'm up here, you know, I'm handling the business and not having to worry about me when she goes to school. Right. Plus, yeah. It's not more space to work with. I said, what's the biggest adjustment for you? I'm a runner. Do you come down to the National Championship? I don't know. It was a different week. I would say, I learned, I learned, I liked all the play, but, I learned a play with my hours to do. And this has to go get that down, time it every day, hasn't been before. So now I'm pretty moving it, but I'm getting it down, time can't be fair. How do you feel like this fight practice has helped you progress in all areas, but that's specifically a kind of hard work. So I feel like I'm big and familiar from going against BIA, coach Harder, coach Jordan,

4:40:00getting better, all the older guys helping me out. So I feel like we have to get better. We've heard coach Jordan came up quite a bit, obviously. Coach Harder, life has been a bit different all this year. What kind of impact has he had for you and maybe some of the other guys who are just there? Well, coach Harder's not in the room, coach Jordan stepped up and he helped us out. Everything we do is a big help. And I just like make sure we stand time for my stuff. What are you talking about stepping into a big role in the slide? How much do you watch, I like that every day, try and take things, whether it's preparation, stuffy those on the field, just learning from a guy like that. Yeah, every time I watch, every time I watch him, so I have to take some of this game, I had it to my hand, I have a lot of just two. I take some of this, all the receivers. Yeah, they always help me out. Is what's in life walking into this room specifically and I'm tired of staying with all the history of the majority of the slide? I mean, you know what it means to be a part of this world?

4:41:02What's that? It's a big step. It definitely holds a lot like a shoulder, so you gotta get a big quick. It's definitely a big dream for my team. It's never been to a lot of, I'm blessed to be here. You want that? Yeah, I'm just why you come. Yeah, that's why you come here. What kind of come and advice you've got from some of the workers that has already even before Springgolf started to talk to the Mecca, so that those guys are job? I try not to take everything personally, like I'll say like, when you know time will come, when you're making comments, I'm in that play, and I'll be looking forward to that every day, and I'm standing up playing, but because I still go and get you to find your life, and find that in this game. Yeah, like this. Yeah, like this. As you got pregnant, you was a guy who I've been waiting for the last two years to make the difference out of him. How much is patient to require him to? Obviously, you'd love to get off the field. But how much is patient to have an important child?

4:42:03I'm not everybody has the same amount, so some people always have a written term, but you just have a really amazing, like I say, a very little time, you just have to make that play, and it's going to go on from here. He's good to play Mecca's in space, and I feel like he's doing that. In OTAs, we did that a lot, and I'm excited, like I said, to be able to play in space, be able to play in open holes in the defense, and make plays after the catch. Chris, is it a receipt, really? When you make a catch, and you're trying to make the determination of like, you don't want it to get somebody out, or not having it unnecessary hit? How do you make that calculation, like when it's worth it, when it's not? Just, just all feel really, just seeing, really see a pre-snap from the coverage post-snaps, see what they do, what the defense does. You can really feel the defenders around you. Like I said, if you can see three or four people around you, you can't really do too much.

4:43:03Like I said, there's a lot more space with his offense, a lot more holes in the defense that you're trying to get the playmaker's into. So I'm excited to be able to work with that. You can't really do it as much in practice, you're not going to get hit, but more pre-season, and in the first couple of games, I'm excited to see what that looks like. Can you pick up the sheets? I'm excited, man. Like I said, from jump, he's a special player. You don't really get that so many players like him that's so quick, so fast, at least speed, and I ain't got a run route too. I'm excited to see what he does in the future, but I feel like that's the least they can do for him this year. How do you think he would get in the coverage one another time? Let's just speed, man. Speed, you can't teach speed at all. Just having us on opposite sides, even playing on both sides. Let's just speed down the field. You can run 15, 20 yard end-breakers outbreakers. Like I said, you can have to play two safes most of the time, or you can run the ball,

4:44:04you can get underneath or else. It's going to be a great compliment to the offense, so I'm excited. Chris, you said you hope this new offensive put playing makers in the position of a place. What about you specifically? What's an area where you think you'll have more opportunity than this year game? It's a lot of areas that you can see to look at, to improve my game, but the yards have the chances of what I'm looking for, for just more opportunities with that, more space. Just to showcase my speed and my ability with the ball. I'm excited to do that this year. I'm not really showcased the first two years, so I'm excited to be with the quick game element of it, just getting the ball in your hands. Quick game, play action, more over the middle routes. It's a lot of different things that you can say that this guy's going to help that, but like I said, I'm excited. We're getting way better, man. It was our first year last year,

4:45:07so it was kind of up and down, but that's what it comes with the game of football. So we worked a lot this offseason, OTAs, which was really good, and we got off to a good start. These first two days of game, we're getting extra working, but that's not coming with time. So I'm not worried about that at all. We both competitors, we both want to be the best. So we got to do something to be good. Where do you kind of notice that difference is just like feel on the ground, what do you kind of notice now that it's year two that gets more natural? What do you mean? So I dare to bring you in your death message. Oh, where do you kind of know? It's just like, it's more than that, man. It's NFL, everybody's good, so we just got to know what each other's thinking, pre-snap post-snap coverage is where the ball's going to go. Just read, what read I am in the progression, everything goes along with that. Just being on the same page, being like I said, chemistry is built with time. Just little stuff like that that turns into big things is going to be huge.

4:46:07You caught one from Spencer Routler today too, what are your early impressions from? It's real talented, that's the first thing I've seen from him. His arm titles out the charts, he's a real natural feel out there. He's going to be real good, I want to see him in action, but from my first impression, he's going to be a real good player. It's going back to the machine that we talked about all the different stuff he's doing. You think there's still a lot more there for him? Oh yeah, he hasn't really, I think this is the first year of being received or two or really received or really in my opinion, we both receive one, so I just be able to move around, run real routes, feel like it's going to be a huge advantage for the saying. So it's a special player and I can't wait to see him ball, and I can't wait to see him get more opportunities, and you're going to see what he can do. By run real routes, he's just like an opportunity to run. Yeah, just getting more, he hadn't really played too many plays in his first few years,

4:47:09he kind of just get thrown in there when he's getting the ball or when he's a decoy or something like that, but he's actually being involved in the offense, always being in, even on run plays, I feel like he's going to be a huge advantage for him to get a feel for the game and be more natural out there. How far does it feel to receive him like that, to shed kind of a think of him as a deep threat label, and then so people just think of him as a pizza, but we can do more, how hard is it to kind of shed that label or that perception right? I mean, that's what life everybody is trying to label somebody as one thing or two things, but I feel like you can showcase, I mean, that's not really who you are, you know what I'm saying. As it gets more opportunities as you can see, you can see you can do more and more, that's what anybody on the team. So I'm excited, like I said, and for his huge opportunity, he's going to get this year, and it's going to be a big one for the Saints. Does this scheme ask for more blocking from the receivers as everyone respects all of you? Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, that's what I told you too, we both don't have the block,

4:48:13and I know we're not the biggest guys or the strongest, but like I said, we just want to be on the field, we got to be on the field for the play action plays, all those things. We both got to call block D-Lime and block linebackers, but that's what's coming football, so we both got to take that next step in our game. Is that somewhere there's a payoff, or do you guys know you play from play action next out there that makes it to people? Yeah, it's going to be a huge payoff. Like I said, most of our office is based on play action, all the in-breakers, all the yards at the catch of a play, so we got to go in there and block, and like I said, take that next step and be able to be grateful for our team. Like being here? Oh yeah, so. After I feel the weather out here, man, that's what I'm used to, not using the war, and it's out there trying to catch my breath, but it's a great opportunity for us. Are you going to chance to see family and friends at all, so this is their fourth friend here? Not yet, but they're going to come by every song. Appreciate you all, and thank you very much.

4:49:14Oh, you know, I've studied Josh and he was at Michigan, and I watched him play at New England, but he's been a good addition that Brett Beach and his staff and Coach Reed brought to the group, so he's been working hard and doing everything he can, and excited to help him in the group. He's seen very excited when we talked to yesterday about coming to this place, you guys got so much success. When someone comes in in the middle of the season, he's at the feeling you get from them like this is a special place, and they're, you know, maybe you don't want to be traded, because you were, were you coming here, giving a little extra energy? Well, I would think, you know, I know when I came, I had a little extra energy, but you know, when you come to a place like this, that, you know, from our owner to Coach Reed, Brett Beach Spags, I mean, you know, Nags and Coach Toll, I mean, it's an unbelievable environment, and the record speaks for itself, so when you come here, you know, maybe it's a breath of fresh air from where you've been, I don't know, and it's an opportunity, you with a guy like Pat Mahomes, there's your quarterback, and Spags, there's your defense

4:50:16coordinate, whatever it may be, and so I think he's excited to have an opportunity to play with the guy like Chris Jones in the room, Mike Dana, who is his college teammate, and just a room that we have, and obviously playing for Coach Spags. Even in a couple of times, Chris Jones, you know, a problem for everyone who's being trying to have to try to block him, he maybe doesn't have all the sacks that he might want to have, you can really tell the season care about personal operatives, we know he does a little bit. Would you grade him out if you're in journal grading? How good has he been for you guys this year? Oh, he's been, he's been as disruptive as he's ever been, I mean, he's not only playing passionately well, but he's really physical inside in the run game, and thinking up to sometimes three blockers, but he's really having a fantastic year. I'm impressed with even with the depth behind Chris inside of the church and Mike Pinell and that group. Oh, I mean, that whole group, when you look at Turk, where he's come from, I mean, he's having a, he's doing a great job, Mike Pinell, Derek Noddy, Marlin, who we got from Philadelphia,

4:51:20and we have a really deep group, and the guys are really working hard, and you know, like, and Coach Spags wants guys rolling, and when the guys are in there, they're starters, and I've been impressed with the way the guys have been playing. And then we'll do a couple more. Joe, how much of the week is about you and Chris discussing where he might move at certain matchups to maybe get a one-on-one, and I guess what's it like for you to watch him go through the game and sort of try to find his one-on-one's if he's switching positions right before, you know, the ball is mad, essentially. You know, there are certain things, like I said, the chess match, and Coach Spags does a great job, you know, you know, it will you want to put him, what you want to do, this is where we can put him. So we decide all that, but it's really an opportunity, he has an opportunity to win on certain plays of five spots on the line of scrimmage, and there are certain ones where he's delegated to a spot on the line of scrimmage. So, I mean, obviously, that's decided as you should go through the week, see the opponent that you're playing, and maybe who would try to exploit,

4:52:24but it's just, yeah, it's a weekly deal. Who does that remind you most of whether it's someone you've coached previously in your career, or just watching other guys about the league who have that amount of flexibility, freedom, and obviously some responsibility to it? Well, when you look at it, it's within this scheme, and Coach Spags does, like I said, a great job with that, and Chris is good at defensive player, I know I'm being biased in the league, but that I've coached, I've coached some good ones, and he has that unique ability to go outside and beat a tackle, or stay inside and beat a guard. Not many can do it, you have some ends that can do that, but not many true defensive tackles can go outside and beat an offensive tackle. What's the, what's the general in the timeline? We're going to make it an in season trade, as far as, you know, when Brett made bring up a name and talk to you, and you can kind of contribute. No, I think when you look at it, and not necessarily Josh, but other guys, but you might have done them in the past, you might have did them in the off season, as you're attacking free agencies,

4:53:28so you have a familiar, familiar, arid you with the player, but Brett does a great job, he'll go to, if he's looking at a guy who coach Spags or the position coach and get your opinion, he does a great job of that. Thanks Josh. I appreciate it. Thank you. That I wasn't going to be safe, and I didn't finish that two runs, I should have finished. How can you do that during the season? In practice, I can run more gasses, run more sprints, and we'll be ready to go. What did you think on the 61 yard or when you were breaking free? You turned around and you saw them coming? Well, no, the first 40 yards, I'm like, oh yeah, bye bye. Because I was putting away from him and then after that, I was like, oh, shit, I got heavy. So I was like, alright, let me just cover the ball. I got time. I got Justin Baton, a quarterback, especially. My quarterback is great. He can't be Superman,

4:54:30you know, that's what the team is for, and that's what they brought me here for, to have his back. Next week, I bet you feel better with that. We kept hearing this is going to be Jim. I was going to run the ball. I was going to run the ball. You could just really have it more, especially in the second half. Because you could have never stopped in the office to game, or not even know what you could have worked in the first time. Yes, I always took it. Always believing, always fighting. I knew we were going to crack some. You know, I knew we were going to crack some lines. I knew you were offensive lines going to fight. I want to fight with him. I'm going to have that back. And you saw that. Jake, how did that be after everything? How did that feel to have a performance out there for your first team? Or a game with the chargers? Hey, look, look, look, look, look, look. Look, look, look, look. Get him, okay? Get him, okay? But just look at my, just like, you're right now. You're right now. Man, it felt good though. It felt really good. But now, don't get you ready for next week. You know, the type of guy who will have a good game, go back to the draw board. Let's get better.

4:55:32Continue to be great. I mean, I think he had a great exact Malaysia with Trent in the queue. So he's doing some really good things. But like I said, cause locking him will make it easier for nobody. You did what St. He's now 2.26. Up came in at 244 pound at Challenger, going the process of getting him here. Cause he could have went all the places. And they say he wanted to be, he felt like I could get him ready. And I told him I said, part of that is going to be disciplined. You've got what that is? Getting his weight down. And he went from 244 to 226 in a par, but that's just so the mindset that he has to be disciplined, challenge himself. And he looks good. Yeah, what dimensions is he using 20,000 to faster? I don't know how different this is. Well, I mean, I look at him as a slasher. He has good, he has good, no speed. Great hands. But he's a slasher. Big guy. No big guys often win with the little guys. So he's going to fall for it. But I look at him as a slasher.

4:56:32The power got really good feet for a big guy. Really good hands and good vision. So it's going to help him in the middle of being rich. Part of his longer speed, but he looks good. You were looking at guys on the table before. What stood out, what's your job? The verse to tell you. The fact that he played out, you know, he was a guy that I looked at. And he's a high school. And he's a high school receiver. It's really good. But then you know, try to, they try to move the tight end. Then get moving the right about it. So it's diverse to tell you who they build a lot of things. Big body guy that gets to buy. Can run between the top. His feet are quicker than what you think for a big guy. They have really good feet and good balance. So that's what makes him good. That's what I saw. Is that uncommon for a bigger back like him that has a personality? I don't know. I think that's probably a good way to bring back some tight end background. Well, tight end background. I don't know many with that type of background. But when he's a high school receiver, they try to play as an H-back.

4:57:32But really good. When you look in the portal for running back, actually we want to try to recruit running backs. Does it matter to you if you have two different styles of running backs? Maybe one guy can do certain things better. One guy can do certain things. Or is it? He'll just take the best running back if you can fight. Do you want to have different styles? Yeah, I want different styles. I'm going to try to take the same thing. We're going to take the same thing. We're going to take guys with different strings. Whether they're big guys, small guys, tallers, characters, in between the tapping on them. And no, I don't want to take the same thing. They're all different, different backs. You guys have built a wheel and a clean shot. You do a lot of that. A slower red zone of scoring for you guys. I'm going to go ahead and play. Was you getting a point of the front back and the back just sized? Was it the CK hardest problem? I had a lot of some of that. No, I have my own opinion on the size that when you're coming to risk. I had Jordan James out of the world. And he's my red zone running. Show your arms, your flesh. And probably way to 2, 10, or 12, five, which

4:58:33is not very big. But then he got the new game. And some guys just got the most sticking about his own. And you play with a lot of aggression down here running. And that could be CJ, that could be James. Or what could be the freshman, though, Jackson? It's just who has no one to get an in zone. But that's who I'm going to go with. You don't have to be 62. No, just because you're being there, I'm going to be fine. We knew we could obviously, you know, freshman running back to him at the moment. I was there here. But what do you need to see from a freshman to feel comfortable with that playing? In the first day, you know, with that on the ball. Well, they do a little small detail. Take care of the ball. The second day, you will be, how good they in the past, because that's the hardest thing for high school best. Because they're not the middle-aged and high school. But you have to understand the past, but all that falls on who you mean. So like Coach Day said, I'm in the past in my mind. So, but that's why I need to see first,

4:59:33for everything Jackson. I will understand the reasons that I need to be. Do you feel comfortable with, with Bowen and I say, where they're at or at least, you know, where they're at, right? Yeah, I think they're going to be fine. I can say I tell all the young guys, he's a marathon, that was fun. The first day, first, you've been in an earned in a spot on a specialty. You know, you earn a spot on a specialty. Then you earn the right to be a book out of a beat. So they get out there on the field. So, I think they're training the right way. It's your first practice. Like it wasn't merit. Sun to build off loads. I clean the stuff to work on. Good? Yeah. Good. Monday. I learned a lot. A lot of, a lot of little things matter. All the techniques stuff. We just try to take it all and listen. Is it, you know, maybe what you expected when you signed on here.

5:00:33Obviously, three test guys. Is it kind of what you learned? And any kind of thing? Oh, yeah, for sure. Our new coming in, everybody, everything has a chance to hire interviews. So, I have to go. Have you ever had a coach as intense as there's vodka? Yeah, my high school coach, high school coaches, pretty intense too. So, yeah. Well, if you have any describe yourself, anything from the back, anything from the back? I'm a good person. I say I'm pretty very versatile. Yeah, I can cast on the bass. I'm feeling pretty good. So, yeah. So, yeah. Oh, they try to put us all in the evening class, too, right now. We all just working the time as a can. Yeah, of course. Of course, all of the guys, everybody ought to captain's, everybody trying to just get out of young guys straight and make sure everything. Would you watch the last day, play last year? I'd go two backs along in obviously. We try to trade it out. What's it to you about the last ability to get to this season? For you, just get up. I mean, it means that they can have

5:01:35really. Yeah. Yeah. I must get to learn right now. I love your sit here. Yeah. Does it seem like it's a big, big glove? I mean, I would do describing. I mean, I guess you just got to learn everything slowly. Of course, there's a lot to learn. Um, but I got a lot of hope. So, you guys had a very unique experience all the early and early, you got a chance to go to, you know, the semi final. Some of you went to the Rose Bowl. There's nothing caught in bull national championship game. What was like? What was that like? How much do you think that helped you? Oh, that was incredible. You just see how all the leaders led in that position and just seeing what they did and how they prepared. That's not helping out with everybody. What was the highlight of that that time other than winning the national championship? So was there something that stands out to you? Oh, just being able to trouble and get to meet up everybody, meet all the players, everybody at one in the 90 and meet all early and early. Is that early? It's been a very difficult part. Making the transition from Liza to the blue. What has been the thing that has been hard to play? I was really just living on own, got to be independent.

5:02:35That's pretty much it, though. And do you feel not comfortable in that? Are you still working? Trying to get on, trying to sell his knowledge? I don't know. I mean, of course, it's adjustment, but I'm getting this experience. How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? I feel. I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, it's hard to hold a distance on your face here. Of course, it's hard to miss my senior year. Last year kind of was some of my best friends. What did you do to me? I think you did my skin right? All right. It was an inch of yellow, maybe. Yeah. Sorry, this is sorry, but how did you get your winter shirt in the cold? Oh, really? This is how the baby, my dad, like my dad, my master, you know, like I was like once I was born. Like once I was born. But I remember. Why did they make that? Uh, my dad looked up to me and I'm a junior, so

5:03:36I'm just working again. You're, I think you should be your first name in the heart, right? Yeah. Okay, so you could wear eight, too. You know, I'm not sure I'm already in the heart. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, you got two choices. Yeah. All right. Be patient and realize it's going to be a process that takes time. Oh, yeah, definitely. Coach Hart, um, told me that at the beginning, like he played a quarterback in high school, too. And he hadn't made a transition to receive a here, obviously. And this, he's helped me. It's going to be rough at first, but he has to push me to get me to where I need to be. When you think back and just like, you're upbringing, you know, coming from, you know, Africa being over here, just what do you how did all you feel? Call of that kind of helped mold you interview. Are now. Oh, yeah, I think he's definitely maybe like tough and like, not afraid of like new change. And he's like willing to just adapt to my environment. What was it like for you coming in here as a freshman and getting to see his team go win an

5:04:37national championship for those first few weeks here? Oh, it definitely was a high motivated, you know? Being a freshman. It wasn't really my team, though. So like, I didn't really get it. So that makes like, push me like that once, when it's my turn. I got put in the word. I want in the same position, but with a ring on my finger. What did you learn from those guys? Just about what you need to do to have a chance to go accomplish what they did. I say you just gotta. You know, let the past like affects you like and just you gotta remember. You gotta be remember. So you gotta put it to work. It's not easy at all by any means. It's gotta be hard, but you have to do everything. What do you view as like the best attributes of your game that you're going to bring to this team? I'll just say my, my size, my speed. I can take the top off the defense, and I can play tough and physical. It's about that. When it's the last year, and like when you think back to the whole report last year, I don't know if that's going to be all right. What has the last kind of year been like

5:05:38for you as you've gone from? The player that was kind of going from the process to any of the clients that was making the transition to see how has this last year come to terms with you? That was definitely changed my because I was always myself one year. I was hurt. And my junior, I got hurt during track. So I was able to, I was a highly excluded anything. And this time last year, it was like when my crew really picked up. And it's just like, it's been crazy, must have another like, people just leaving me in my corner, my coach is everything. I just give it the motivation to go. Oh yeah, that's a big good. Before I even got a hosting offer, and before I even knew he was exactly actually through with a couple of times in both Bella and Mons, she was trying to say, yeah, I was working with I knew his head coach

5:06:39and he invited me to come in, run routes. And I actually ran routes for Tavis right. If we was exactly headed like, I would first came to me. We had a lot more, we got got together, I was the freshman class and he's working on everything. He's definitely got nice on. This cornerback is a great talent to come in. Is that kind of too long for your depression? The quarterback? The quarterback. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're definitely talented in it. You say, I always say, I just hope you're fine. And they make it hard for you. And just, when you play this high level competition practice, you go on a game, like twice as easy and then the practice and he's really just built on something. Is there been a moment question? I don't know. I think I was going down it. Oh wow. It is. It's a different one. This is something that you know, I guess like a one-off. I guess there have been kind of like a moment first. I realized it was oh wow these guys are these guys are really good at the cycle of your picking. Oh yeah, just like

5:07:40my first like on high school, I would just take some like reps and FC with this guy. Yeah, I just had speed and catching abilities like face separation. And I come to college and draw everybody's fast, everybody's big. So you have fun new ways to get open. It's really good. Push yourself to hire your IQ. I've been him being here essentially this long and being in meetings last year and being around the program as long as he's been around the program. Does that show up more on the field during the college? If there is any advantage for him? Yeah, I mean, I he wasn't out here practicing last year. You know, so the first time that he was out here running around the field was in December when he came up for practice as an early and early or January or whatever that was. So I think there's a little bit of an advantage there just because he did get to see practice before. But again, I think that you do have some understanding and awareness of the offense and maybe it's not the first time you hear about the formations but to be able to go and apply that to the field.

5:08:40I mean, that takes a lot of work. So there is a there is a slight advantage there just from how much he was around the program. But I'm not sure if, you know, in the meeting room or on the field, which which one affects more ultimate, you know, we're judged based on what we do on the field and our goal is to go out there and execute it. How do you guys show that they are the toughest guys on the team when they get your touch? Yeah. We talk about it all the time. So if we want to show where the toughest guys on the team, you know, we can do that by showing where the hardest working guys on the team. We can show that we are the mentally toughest guys on the team. We can make sure that we don't ever get too high or too low and we, you know, play with passion and emotion without outletting that emotion and passion play with us and affect us. And, you know, we talk a lot in the quarterback room about moving on to the next most important thing. So if I have, you know, a play where, you know, maybe I made the wrong read or or screwed something up, you know, I've got, you know, about a half a second, right, to kind of be bummed out about it, right? But I've got to learn from it and I've got to move on to the next most important thing because so many

5:09:41guys let that first play affect the next play. So we're really working to continue to grow from that. But as far as, you know, showing that we're tough, I even sell our guys that, hey, if I'm, I don't know, lost in Cerebell and I'm watching film and I see in the back of that film that Julian is up or Tavian is up, but Lincoln and the opposite of Julian and Tavian are standing in the back doing a mental rep. Like that gives me confidence if I'm Austin that those guys one understand what they're doing in two are committed to get better, right? And are going to be in position to be tough when we need to be tough. So like little things like that or something that we're constantly working on to show that would be in that position. What have you seen from Lincoln in your first year working with him to help you with what he's been able to do? Yeah, um, you know, I've definitely seen a lot of growth from getting in here in June last year. To what we're seeing about now, you know, it's just a full year of understanding the offense, a full year of getting a feel for what we're trying to do and what we're trying to accomplish.

5:10:42You know, just the, this one of my new details about where my eyes need to be, how I can tie my feet in with my eyes, how I can make sure that, you know, I'm not just throwing the ball to the right receiver because that's for my red dictated. But I'm also throwing it at the right time and I'm, you know, I have accuracy within that accuracy that I just displayed by putting it on the right shoulder, right? Or the right, um, you know, to offset our receiver and throw them away from a defender or whatever that may look like. So that's, that's what I'm excited because you're starting to see more and more of that from Lincoln, um, as, as we've getting into the, you know, two practices. We only have two practices, but, um, you know, just that growth that I don't think is a growth that happened over two practices. Growth that happened from the time we got here and I got here in June through, through right now. And that's a success. He said now, three quarter-veit-coach in three years. Three, like, all there's in three years can that be like an advantage for him? Like, understanding different concepts and different reads, having to see things through different lenses because he's had so many different voices in his head. Or how do you kind of get into games there?

5:11:43Yeah, I mean, he's had, he's had different quarterback coaches, um, but the reality is, it's been the same past game. It's been the same system. So, it's not like we change the way we read a play based on who the quarterback coach was before. We may miss, makes like tweaks, right, or adjustments, or, you know, add a new concept in or two. But I think what Lincoln can get from having those three different quarterback coaches is maybe just three different slightly different perspectives where the message is still the same. So, maybe it's just a slightly different delivery of the same message. And I think that can definitely be a vanish because he still knows, you know, in this concept, this is where my read is, but maybe he heard it in a different way over the last three years. Um, and I guess could be the advantage. You've got a lot of questions. If you are he's quarterbacks and they're supposed to read you the toughest guy, first guy to do the last guy to read, but they're all trying to do that. How do you that separate yourself as one of those guys given they're all trying to strive to do the same things, because they

5:12:43are pretty different. Yeah, um, you know, I think the ultimately, right, is can I sustain it? Can I be the guy that does it the most consistently? Um, I think every single one of all, I know every single one of them. Sorry, that quote by coach today, um, which, you know, is pretty awesome. It's so real. It's who we have to be. We've got to be the toughest guys in the building. We've got to be not just working guys in the building. So, it's easy to go ahead and, you know, do that and be that guy. You know, the next day after seeing that quote, can I continue to be that guy when we're in practice, 11 of spring ball? We're in summer and we're going through workouts with coach Mick. And it's June 17th, you know, can I be that guy with that consistency all the way up through fall camp? It ended to moving on it next year. And I think that, you know, anyone can do something just once, you know, what can I be the guy that can do with consistency? And if you look at anyone

5:13:43that's done anything great, it's been because of their consistency. What do you think being doing all the traits? Where does can't we be recorded back at Ohio State fit in with the kind of magnitude of the, is the able to handle that position? What, where does that fit into your evaluation? Yeah, I think, you know, all these guys were, a lot of that was done in the recruitment process. I'm confident that all three of them can be the guy I don't want to say. I think that, you know, those guys are already kind of check that box. So, you know, now it's just a matter of who goes out as into the job. And again, we are so far away from that point, but, you know, when we're in, when we're recruiting a guy, we try to figure all that stuff out. We're gathering as much data as we possibly can to learn about the person and to to understand their mental makeup and to make sure that they're fit. It's pretty cool up in the quarterback room. We've got pictures of all the great Ohio State quarterbacks up on the wall. And, you know, you go through and take a look at those guys. And, you know, it's, it's just pretty neat. But above all, you can talk about some of the different guys' mental makeup and what made them different. And so, how do we find those guys and bring them in and recruiting? And so, we get to the point like we are now,

5:14:44where you feel really confident about all three of those guys that they are, you know, mentally tough enough and can be at that point that they can't be that guy. What do you think they'd last, but what do you think they'd learn the most from from Will and the job he did last year overall? You know, close to that. Yeah. I mean, where do I start? You know, Will, when it came to intangibles was, you know, I haven't been, I can't say I've been doing this for 35 years or anything crazy like that, but was by far the best I've ever seen do it. And just, as far as what he did the best, you know, I think it just having is such a complete understanding of the offense, you know, from the run game to the past game to the protections, just understanding, you know, the ins and outs and the little details and everybody's job and where, you know, certain concepts or protections or playstyles were weak and how to adjust them if we were going to see something that made us weak there.

5:15:44You know, and having that total command because, I think, you know, a big part of trust is showing that, you know, I'm competent and I understand. And so, Will built that trust in his teammates by showing that, you know, he was extremely competent, you know, that he understood everything and all the ins and outs and he could tell everybody on the field what to do. And from there, then he built it, you know, grabbed on and grabbed the trust of all of his teammates and then he could start to lead. So, you know, the biggest thing, it's tough to say. But I think that everything that he did was kind of built off this total understanding of what we were trying to do offensively. Billy, thank you very much. Thanks guys. Please. Was that like the ball? To get over. Yeah, no, that was tough, especially because we have calls that could negate that. And we just didn't really like they ran in the zone read a few times. I mean, just didn't find an answer to it.

5:16:45But yeah, I mean, I definitely thought he was going to hold it or keep it. But I got to do my job, especially in a big moment like that. You can't go out of your job. But we definitely have a plan for the zone read this time. So, I didn't say it's 2020. Did you you that was yeah, okay. But then you like made player kind of like yeah, did a shrug bring out a solid of the current. Yeah, even the hints at what should have happened. Um, I mean, there's a couple variables. I think the tight end came across so that changes some things to the guys behind me. So I honestly don't know who's it is, but I just tried to try to make it decisive for the guys. The ideas from that room just watching in terms of how you try to attack from this time around from your experience. Yeah, yeah. I mean, like any

5:17:45game that you played a team before you watched tape and learned from it. Does this this offensive line mentors they get kind of less I guess less in trouble for holding or is it just depending on the last year for sure. Last year they had two of the top penalized guys in the league. But it doesn't look too bad this year, but we'll see. Is there more crews? Are there rough refereeing crews that kind of let it go more than others? It seems different every week. So we'll see. Do you count your steps throughout the days? That's why you use a scooter? It's kind of how it started. I don't count them, but I just takes a little off the legs. Why not? It's a lot of walking from building to building. And they've always been your team having worked with your cell back, having to break them out. Good morale boost. Yeah, it's good to have them. And I'm excited to watch a play. We've seen history and some cheats even in the summer to have the game. What's it been like to go back

5:18:45and be looking at them? I'm sure you're out of there. And looking at it. I'd say. It's definitely a little emotional, but at this point it's just a game. So we're just looking at the tape, trying to learn from it. A lot of similarities from last year. You knew guys, but really good defense and offense that obviously has 15 back there. So I'm always thinking. You said it's a little emotional. Do you try to like tap into those emotions? Or do you kind of want to just put the distractions to the side and treat it like another football game? Yeah, the latter. Went into this here, and maybe you were last year. I feel like every year I've just improved on my overall game. Blocking and catching consistent wires. People used that word, but I feel like I'm just overall better. I came in here ready to go. How much does it push you when you're in a room of guys like Max and Will and that you know you've got to be on your game if you're going to get them feel? Man, I feel like I start by iron every day.

5:19:45You come in and work and they go push me every day to work and it's just like I'm going to do them. Probably going to ask this before, but it's not crowded in the room. You got, you got Max first one. What's the brand you're going to have in your back? I love more honestly. Max, Max Claire, Max LeBlanc, both of them. I love them. What's you flashed in the time you are? Is this the year where it all comes together? I feel like every year with my year, but hey, you know see this year? I'm ready to come out here and put on a show for the Bucket Nation. I feel like everybody on the field is ready to go put on a show. We're trying to go back and back. You got a blame? Quite a bit though last year, Jolaine. What did you pick up from all of that especially in a in a championship run? You know, and they were counting on you. Honestly, just be ready at any time. Honestly, you can be throwing in at any time just like I was. I probably had some rest while I was just throwing in and you got to get it done. Yeah. And if you don't get it done, they're going to find somebody who has to do it.

5:20:45And what? No, we, I think we ask you this every time we get a few gentlemen to talk to you. We're, we're, we're you definitely see what you rest as I tied in, you know, the all of that needs. I just don't even hear it. Honestly, over the spray and some of this, I'll see you then. I feel like I've told them I body a lot and I got stronger in the way we were. I've also got a little bit faster so I can get in and out of breaks a little bit better. And just the mind was part of the game. The middle part of the game, if you got even better at that, I mean, how would you describe that? I say it again. The mind part of the game, you know, that. It, well, I feel like it's a lot more fair week. I say like the tight ends, we come here five o'clock every other day to do a walk through more film. We're just more students at a game now. We're, um, like that. I like that. I like it. Thanks. You're one. I wish it was for you. That's good. You bobbed with it for a five time. We never let that blow. I feel like it was just a exciting play. Uh, I was the last read on it. Like the very last read on it. I don't go out. I came down with the catch.

5:21:45So we get the first down. You know what? It wasn't going. Oh, I think you. I think you know, Hey, everybody. Let's say first, I've been good a lot of learning. Obviously, uh, just trying to adjust everybody just in this game and see where you fit in at. But it's been good. That's good. The game game action first time since you play in the bowl game. How'd you feel? I felt good. Uh, good. Do where to get your feet wet, especially to do it close to home here. Uh, especially to me. So it was good. I'm glad it, uh, glad to happen that way. You know what family there? Yeah, had a bunch of family there. Uh, got to see a bunch of people. So, uh, yeah, couldn't ask for any more. I just can't then. I wouldn't have been thinking. Talk about. Well, it's been good. I mean, just trying to. It's just a different way of play, different terminology, different to whole different schemes. So just learning how they want things done compared to how you used to do, how you used to do things is really the. What's the like being in that tight end room? Everybody's got the skills.

5:22:47Everybody's different, but y'all do some of the same thing. Right. Yeah, no, it's a great room. A lot of really good guys. Uh, grown really close with a lot of those guys. So, uh, everybody helps each other. Uh, really nice learner from Dalton breadin' those guys. I mean, Dalton's done it for a really long time. So he helps me a lot with things that really aren't coachable things, you know what I mean? I mentioned how the family is the game, but what about working out here at this high school? Are you still in Ohio? They've got to feel good. And I don't know if your high school's like this. Man, they can't feel the close ones with different name types. Yeah, I went to Lexington. And it's about the eighth of the size of this place. Uh, yeah, this is not like my high school, but this is a healthy place. Uh, it's super cool to be home and just be back and give you a little sense of comfort, I guess for me, especially being my way for as long as I've been. So I was a man in the car, a war around the city. And you've been there. Have you seen a bunch of black-eyed fans that have wanted to get your autographs to take a picture of your career? I don't get, I don't go out of the hole. I actually went home yesterday. I went back to the farm for a little bit, uh, which was great for a couple of days. He did it with my family and stuff and see my grandparents and everything. So it was good.

5:23:48But I really haven't been out enough to know. So I try and keep her inside. It's good. That's good. Yeah. You think it was a hard one? I think you can come this. What do you think of your play and I really show faces and stuff them over? Uh, that's a good question. I don't think that's for, uh, for me, I'm just trying to give. Every time I think you can be, you can play this game for 50 years. There's always going to be something you leave the field with. Like, oh, I wish I would have been better in that area. I wish I would have been better in some other, you know what I mean? Like, it's never going to be. This is absolutely perfect. So like to me, that's, right now, the hardest part of this is just mental toughness of it all. I mean, physical toughness. I mean, you either have it or you don't, in my opinion. So, I mean, I've always felt like I was kind of bred in that area of the things. And that's just kind of way happens naturally. So just play after play. That's kind of how we roll it. I'll say. Thank you. Good to know. Thank you guys. Yeah. We are now. We gotta get you on the bus.