Part 1 - FAMU Head Coach Willie Simmons, Quarterback Jeremy Moussa, and Defensive Back Javan Morgan At SWAC Media Day
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00:00 Coach Evans, please.
00:02 Good morning, everyone.
00:03 It's always great to be here.
00:05 Swag Media Day is always a day that everyone looks forward to.
00:08 We're glad to be here, excited about the start of this football season.
00:12 This is a great, talented group of young men that I can bless to coach every single day.
00:17 Looking forward to seeing what this team can accomplish this season.
00:23 Excited to have Jeremy Musa here as our leader, starting quarterback.
00:27 Also, Jaden Morgan, one of our leaders on defense.
00:31 Ball Hawk, and just two phenomenal guys.
00:34 Four guys who have their college degrees and embody everything that it means to be a Raptor.
00:39 I look forward to answering your questions this morning and letting you guys get to know us a little bit better.
00:45 All right.
00:47 Thank you, Coach.
00:48 Thank you, Coach Evans.
00:49 The floor is now open to the press.
00:52 Keisha Kelly, Blank College Experience.
00:53 Coach, I want to start with asking both of you guys, were all of you guys predicted or finished?
00:59 We see that Fannie was predicted to finish first in the East.
01:02 How are you guys feeling about that?
01:04 Well, obviously we know that we have high expectations coming into the season.
01:09 I think everyone recognizes the talent that this team has, a lot of experience returning on both sides of the ball.
01:16 Whenever you have that type of experience, people typically have high expectations.
01:20 So we know what comes along with it.
01:23 We talk to our guys every day.
01:24 When you come to Fort A&M, you better be prepared to be able to the high standard that's on the field, that's in the classroom, that's in the community.
01:32 And so for us, it's about just doing a little bit right, about staying close as a group, learning every day from each other, from our successes, from our failures.
01:40 And that's what this group is committed to doing.
01:42 So we don't really pay too much attention to the preseason rankings, but we are focused on making sure that we end the season as a number one team.
01:49 And that's our ultimate goal.
01:51 Mason Smith, HGCU Legends.
01:53 Coach, obviously there's no replacing Xavier Smith as he's now in the NFL, but what have you seen from your wide receiving room that lets you know, hey, we can still maximize our offensive potential?
02:01 Well, we have a talented group.
02:03 Xavier was the unquestioned leader of that group last year.
02:07 And I knew I had him for one more season.
02:09 And that's probably why we're four-spin him as much as we did.
02:12 But again, we have some really talented guys returning.
02:15 Mariah Sheree is an all-conference performer.
02:18 Marcus Riley, who transferred in, is an all-conference performer.
02:21 David Madigo has made a ton of plays for us.
02:24 Guys like Trey Davis, Darren Oxendine have been guys who have a ton of potential.
02:29 Just haven't had the chance to show it yet.
02:31 And even some of our other transfers, Chris Reed and Jaquan Lee.
02:34 So it's a group that's really, really talented.
02:37 Jeremy's built a great rapport with those guys over the summer.
02:41 And I'm looking forward to seeing how we come together in our passing game through our training camp.
02:47 Now we know Kamari Stevens transferred late to Jacksonville State.
02:49 But there's still plenty of talent in that defense, Javon Morgan, Isaiah Major.
02:52 What are you expecting from that defense going into 2023?
02:55 Well, the dark cloud defense really is a no-name defense.
02:59 We've had some phenomenal players, Martin Eastbell, Isaiah Lane, Kamari Stevens, guys that you alluded to.
03:07 But we're not short on talent on that side of the ball either.
03:10 Up front, we've got guys like Jethro Hunt, Stan Mitchell, Anthony Dunn.
03:15 A ton of guys that can get out of the quarterback.
03:18 Linebacker, Isaiah Major, Johnny Chaney, Jordan Moore, Dallas Smith.
03:23 Again, we're very, very talented in the athletic second level.
03:26 And then in the back end, we have Javon Morgan, but also guys like Kendall Bowler, Eric Smith, Lovett Jenkins, Chase Lloyd.
03:34 And so, again, it's a group that's very, very talented, very deep from top to bottom.
03:38 We have a great scheme that allows these guys to play fast.
03:41 And I think you're going to see an exciting brand of defense this year that's going to put pressure on the quarterback,
03:46 that's going to be optimistic, create turnovers, tackle some losses.
03:50 And we're not hands on a lot of football because of the talent that we have on that side.
03:54 Now, when it comes to the administration, how you guys have handled decisions, you don't have to go into detail about that.
03:59 How have you enjoyed working with AD Sykes, the president there, and Johnson & Johnson, just making sure it was swiftly and effectively handled?
04:05 Well, again, we use the word family.
04:08 And again, we're a little more public at CSU, so we don't spell family.
04:12 We spell it differently because ours is different.
04:15 And everyone understands the brand, right?
04:17 Everyone understands that we are who we are because of our ability to work together and to overcome any challenges that come our way.
04:25 So I'm blessed to have an administration led by our university president, Dr. Larry Robinson,
04:30 an athletic administration led by our vice president, the director of athletics, Dick McDonald, Sykes, board of trustees, Rathlin Nation,
04:38 everyone who loves the Orange and Green, we're in this thing together.
04:42 And one party's success is all about success.
04:46 One party's failure is all about failure.
04:48 So we stay together.
04:50 We ride or die for each other as a university and as an alumni base, and that's what makes us special.
04:55 So I'm looking forward to, again, just continuing to grow with this group and see if we can reach the potential that we have.
05:02 Last question for me.
05:03 I obviously talked to Jeremy Moussa earlier about how he's preparing for this year.
05:06 Of course, Mr. Dorsett is gone.
05:08 He's being portrayed as the next guy up in the quarterback of the sweat.
05:12 What do you think he needs to do to maximize his potential and also potentially have a career at the FAMU in professional football?
05:19 Well, I'll let him answer that since he's right here.
05:22 So, Jeremy, you can take that.
05:24 Yeah, I think I just need to keep following Coach Simmons' guidance.
05:27 You know, he works with the quarterbacks day in and day out.
05:30 He gives us the opportunity to learn from him and everything that he's learned in his career.
05:36 He's a great offensive line, and he teaches us the game with great detail.
05:41 The biggest thing that I need to focus on just for me going into this year and beyond is just continue to be consistent.
05:48 I think the quarterback position often they look at how talented your arm is or how fast you are or how athletic you are.
05:56 But it's really a mental position.
05:58 You have to be able to deliver the ball accurately and on time.
06:01 And doing that at a high, consistent level, the more that you can do that, the more success that you'll have on the field.
06:07 Has the NFL been a personal goal for you or just playing professional football as a personal goal for you?
06:12 Yeah, it's definitely been a professional goal.
06:14 I think growing up in Southern California, I have a lot of friends that are in the NFL right now.
06:19 And I have the same aspirations as them.
06:21 I think I'm talented enough to do so.
06:23 And I think that the body of work that I'll put in this year will give me the ability to have an opportunity when I wake up next April to be able to make the NFL roster.
06:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]