DeMarco Murray OU Media Day
Transcript
00:00 doing again, just building that mental toughness out to get faster, more explosive
00:03 and stronger. But our guys got to be ready, you know, just off the swing, you know, daily, weekly.
00:09 Just kind of getting that report. You know, those guys worked their tails off and did a bunch of stuff extra.
00:15 And, you know, that's what you want to hear, especially leading into camp.
00:18 I think it was about the overall depth of your room. It seems like you have several guys that you could turn to if you needed to.
00:25 Yeah, that was the biggest thing for us, you know, just having that competitive depth that, you know, we may have not had a year ago.
00:32 But we got some good depth and I'm excited to, you know, obviously get out there and, you know, get to work with the guys.
00:39 But we got some good depth.
00:41 Within that group, how do you feel about the different flavors that the guys bring in terms of style?
00:47 Yeah, I think they're all different. They're all uniquely different in their own ways.
00:55 You know, obviously, you got some powerful guys, you got some strong guys.
00:58 But, you know, all guys that, you know, are ready to come in and work and compete at a high level every day.
01:04 So, excited to obviously continue to, you know, develop those guys in the right direction.
01:10 But, you know, just the versatility that the room has itself is exciting.
01:16 What about the guys that you might ask to do more than they've ever done before in terms of carrying a load?
01:20 What don't they know about a 12, 13, 14 game season and what it takes to be healthy but to be able to run through that span?
01:29 Yeah, you just can't get tired. You know, you can't get tired of doing the little things over and over and over.
01:34 And I think I try to, you know, tell those guys that often, you know, consistency.
01:38 Whether it's the film room, whether it's the training room, whether it's watching extra film, you know, by yourself, you know, as a group.
01:45 You can't get tired of doing the little things week one, week five, week 12, 13 and so forth and so on.
01:51 So, you know, just stand on them, keep your thumb on them as much as you can.
01:54 But at some point, you know, they got to understand how important it is to withstand, you know, the grueling season.
02:01 Because it's long. It's long mentally, physically, emotionally. But I think our guys are up for the challenge.
02:08 When did you learn all that stuff? If you can think back to your time here.
02:13 You know, really just, you know, I would say, you know, I was able to redshirt, you know, and just, you know, watching that year kind of unfold.
02:23 And, you know, got turfed toe and, you know, so I had to redshirt because of that.
02:27 But just watching that year unfold and how long it was mentally more than physically, you know, that was the biggest thing.
02:34 And then just watching guys, you know, veteran guys, Paul Thompson, Adrian's obviously of the world, Malcolm Kelly's.
02:41 Just watching those guys just want to take care of their bodies throughout the season, but to never get tired of doing the little things over and over again.
02:48 I think that was the most impactful thing for me as a young player.
02:52 How important is this offseason for Javante? And where are you expecting the most growth out of him this year?
02:57 It's been a huge offseason. You know, he's physically he looks good.
03:02 And again, you know, can he, you know, withstand a 12 or 13 game season?
03:08 You know, I mean, last year obviously did some really amazing things for us.
03:12 And that was last year. You know, he knows every single day he has to put in the work, just like the other guys to, you know, get that opportunity to get on the field and be one of the guys.
03:22 So I'm excited about him, excited where he's at right now. But again, we got a lot of depth there.
03:29 How different or what's the confidence level like for Javante coming off the spring?
03:36 I'm great. I mean, I couldn't tell you that, but, you know, just looking at him, watching him, you know, a guy who doesn't say nothing, just puts his head down every single day and works, you know, whether it's in the classroom, whether it's in the community.
03:49 And obviously on the practice field in the weight room. So he's had an exceptional offseason.
03:55 So I'm just really excited about Gab and the work that he's put in physically, the weight that he's gained at the right levels.
04:05 Again, obviously kudos to Coach Schmid and his staff, but he's had a really good offseason.
04:10 Along those lines, a guy like Marcus, you know, Jeff mentioned him earlier, you know, he was productive and had some success, you know, last year before he got injured.
04:18 What's the key for someone like him who's been around the program, you know, with some of the injuries he's had, just keeping him healthy?
04:24 I think that's the biggest thing, keeping him healthy. You know, Marcus has been around for a while, you know, just athletically, you know, probably one of the best on the team.
04:33 You know, he's a special kid, great kid, works his tail off, but I've been prone to, you know, future and freak accidents, you know, when it comes to the injury department.
04:42 But you got to, you know, just stay in that training room. But again, he's a veteran player that, you know, hadn't played a lot of football, but he's been around for a while.
04:52 And he's done some good things on the field. So we need to just keep him healthy. And, you know, if he's healthy, we'll be happy at the end of the season.
04:59 What do you expect from guys like Morris and Solichuck this year?
05:04 Just more of a, just vocal presence, you know, and again, I know as a freshman, it's a little hard to do that at times, but I think those guys have earned the respect of their peers, you know, just the way that they go about their business, how they work, how they conduct themselves,
05:20 you know, they need to step out of their comfort zones a little bit and be a little bit more vocal, but more importantly, you know, they got to produce, you know, that's the name of the game.
05:28 You guys welcomed in a transfer from Washington. What have you seen from him this offseason?
05:33 Yeah, Mac has been, it's been good. You know, again, he's another guy that's been, you know, banged up a little bit and, you know, coming out of high school, he's been a really good player to have for us.
05:43 Great kid and again, just excited to obviously, you know, get him healthy and get him on the field, get him some opportunities.
05:49 We chatted this time last year about what Eric Gray had as a pass catcher and the dimension that brought. Do you see anyone in your group right now who projects in a similar way to him?
05:58 Eric was unique in his style of play, you know, so we have a bunch of guys who can catch the ball just like him.
06:08 You know, I think a guy that kind of comes to mind first off the top of my head is Dalyn. He's very natural in catching the ball, really good route runner, smooth, but just, you know, those are things you got to work on.
06:21 And again, we got a young group, but, you know, a group that's hungry and ready to be coached.
06:25 Well, talking about Eric, obviously you've got, it was really productive last year and spent a lot of time on the field.
06:30 You know, with him gone, going into this season, do you see this as, you know, looking for somebody to kind of replace that production or is it more like a committee kind of approach given how productive he was?
06:40 No, you know, you want to have a bell cow. You want to have a guy that you can, you know, count on day in and day out, just like I did with Eric.
06:46 And then obviously some guys that spell them, you know, I was just thinking this point in our room, you know, we got a lot more talent than we had a year ago, you know, just overall.
06:57 So, you know, but I think they understand that, you know, I understand that.
07:02 But again, you know, we need a guy that's going to line up out there every single day and set the tone for us as a group and then, you know, have other guys feed off of them.
07:11 Do you know who that guy is yet?
07:13 We don't, I don't. Nope.
07:15 So that's what, that's what training camp is about.
07:17 If Javante and Gavin are the two primary guys, who are you feeling best or the strongest competition for a third position?
07:28 Well, there is no primary guys. I'm looking for a starter.
07:31 So again, they know that. And again, you know, those guys have put themselves in position to obviously work and get some some reps.
07:40 But, you know, we're looking for a starter.
07:42 You know, obviously we got to, you know, we got some some good talent and but as far as the number one guy, we don't we don't have that right now.
07:50 So we're working on that.