The Sooners' head coach unofficially opened spring practice on Wednesday with a 40-minute news briefing.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 All right, good afternoon.
00:02 I'd like to just start out by just announcing a few staff members.
00:08 Zach Alley is a defensive coordinator, linebackers,
00:12 and along staying on the defensive side of the ball,
00:16 is the defensive analyst Henry Weinreich.
00:20 Jack Lowery, senior offensive assistant, Kevin Johns,
00:23 an offensive analyst, and Nick Baskwin moved into an analyst role.
00:27 Tyler Hatcher is our offensive GA.
00:31 Ben Tallwater has an offensive GA.
00:34 Doug Deacon is our special teams coordinator.
00:37 Joe Lee, Alay, is a recruiting,
00:39 director for recruiting strategy and external engagement as well.
00:45 And other great news for us is Justin Harrington won his appeal.
00:52 We got news back on that here this morning.
00:53 So really excited for Justin.
00:56 So really excited about this group of guys.
00:59 We've been around for the last almost eight weeks here through our
01:04 mat drills, winter conditioning, the weight room, the film room,
01:07 a little bit of walk through.
01:09 It's been a really competitive group of guys.
01:13 It's probably the word that we've used the most in our staff room.
01:18 And with what our eyes tell us, a very driven and focused group of guys.
01:25 Obviously, with our returning players, along with 35 newcomers,
01:30 both high school and transfer, it's been a lot of fun to watch these guys come
01:35 together, develop their chemistry, their relationships, their trust,
01:40 their understanding of all of our processes.
01:43 And again, how we do what we do, which is a critical part of this time of the year,
01:47 along with developing, again, trust and
01:52 respect and getting to know one another.
01:55 But so far, just from the 10,000 foot lens,
02:01 that's what I've seen from this group of guys as a whole.
02:04 And I really like where, again, our leadership has been up to this point in
02:07 time, so we'll see if the investment and
02:13 the commitment is there as they develop their team, Team 130.
02:19 And I think ultimately, that'll be the test of what we're gonna be,
02:24 is what our commitment is.
02:26 It's just eight weeks, and we got a long ways to go between now and
02:32 the beginning of the season.
02:33 But I really like where we're at in a lot of places.
02:38 Right now, I'm anxious and excited to watch our guys get out on the field,
02:42 our coaches and players together, and start to do spring ball.
02:46 And this is the time of the year, obviously, that, again, we reinforce all
02:49 of our processes and how we practice, how we compete, how we play,
02:54 running on and off the field, all the little things, doing the little things right.
02:59 And but it's also an opportunity for us to look at,
03:04 as we evolve in all three phases of the game and the things that we're gonna do.
03:09 We wanna tinker with and have an opportunity to try some new things.
03:16 But most importantly, again, just establishing our standards of
03:20 expectations and how we practice, how we compete, how we play the game,
03:25 how we meet, all those types of things.
03:27 So with that, I'll open it up.
03:29 >> Sir, Kyle, Eric Bailey.
03:31 >> Great, I wanna ask you about Zach Alley,
03:34 the process of getting him on campus, his knowledge of what he can do defensively.
03:40 How has the early months been with him in the offices?
03:42 >> Yeah, it's been good.
03:43 Zach's somebody I've stayed, I have a very small circle in the coaching
03:49 profession that I stay in touch with regularly.
03:51 So I've obviously have done that the last several years.
03:55 And just out of nowhere, I changed course of the conversation.
04:00 He just felt that this was the right time for us and
04:04 continue to grow as a defense and as a program.
04:08 Get a guy with some fresh ideas and get a new voice,
04:13 a new face as we move into the SEC.
04:17 I thought this was the right time to do that.
04:19 And again, a guy that's gonna show up with his hair on fire,
04:25 a lot of energy, a really bright guy, works well with people, no ego whatsoever.
04:32 He figures things out.
04:34 He's a great teammate and he's tough as all get out,
04:39 really understands offense and understands defense.
04:42 And he understands how to take advantage of the players that you have on your roster
04:47 and build things around that group of guys.
04:49 So he's been great along with the rest of our defensive coaches,
04:55 developing an understanding for all of it.
04:58 How you work cohesively in a staff room and
05:01 deciding on foundationally the things that you wanna install
05:05 during the course of the spring and what that schedule looks like.
05:08 But if we're gonna be successful, it's gonna be because of the collaboration.
05:12 He'll be the first one to tell you that.
05:14 And it's gonna take all of us to continue to make improvement where we need to make
05:19 improvement defensively.
05:21 So I'm really excited about having Zach on the team.
05:26 >> Do you see a lot of you in him as a young coach, you started at that level?
05:32 >> I think I'm comfortable with where his football acumen is and
05:38 how he thinks in relation to how I think.
05:42 And again, I know how he grinds, I know how he thinks.
05:47 We know each other very well.
05:49 We are, again, we have great compatibility before Zach got here and
05:55 we'll continue to have that.
05:56 Moving forward, but there's a lot that we understand about each other and
06:00 there's some things that he's evolved with and things that certainly we have,
06:04 even since our time together just whatever that was four or five years ago.
06:08 And but he understands, again, what the expectations and
06:14 the standards are.
06:15 He's relentlessly been working to get the players in position to feel confident and
06:21 comfortable.
06:22 And so we've tweaked a few things from a language,
06:25 all the things you would expect subtle changes and he's just one guy.
06:30 So he's gonna learn a lot, but he's gonna bring a lot to the table too.
06:33 >> [INAUDIBLE]
06:38 >> Something you just mentioned the last four years for him.
06:43 What kind of growth have you seen from him?
06:46 How much, obviously, running the defense when you were with Clemson,
06:50 but how much difference have you seen from him in what he was when you were last
06:55 with him at Clemson to what he is now after those shots?
07:01 >> Yeah, I think in fairness, you're asking me to, and maybe you aren't, but
07:05 it sounds like you're asking me to judge him as the defensive coordinator.
07:10 When I saw him last, I sent him off to Boise from analyst to
07:18 full time position coach linebackers and special teams coordinator.
07:21 You know he was a national special teams coordinator of the year,
07:26 his first year at Boise.
07:29 And I would just think the depth of how he thinks probably, defensively,
07:35 front and the back end, how it's all tied together.
07:38 The anticipation of verbiage, scheme, how the players think,
07:44 how to make things systematically easy on the players so they can learn quickly.
07:51 Number one, and then number two, play confidently and
07:54 aggressively through the processes.
07:59 And probably some tough moments along the way at some point in time,
08:04 he'll be up in front of you all and he'll have an opportunity to kind of give you
08:08 intimate moments as he's progressed and developed and
08:14 experienced the last several years, but so I don't wanna speak for him that way.
08:19 But that's probably the biggest thing, process wise and
08:24 how you install day one and to get the coaches and the players on the same page.
08:28 And again, the depth of things that he's done,
08:31 things that he has kind of got out of the family and explored.
08:37 And learned and he's a gym rat, he loves the game.
08:42 He loves every part of the strategy of the game.
08:46 And so he's worked hard at continuing to develop himself and
08:52 getting out of that tree, if you will.
08:55 And has discovered other new successful ways to play good defense.
09:02 >> Yeah, I guess what I was asking should have been a little bit better about that,
09:05 was just, is there anything that he's added to defense over the last couple years?
09:11 You're excited to see how it fits in.
09:13 >> It's everything.
09:14 I would just say it's everything to me.
09:18 Yes, if I'm excited to see, I'm excited to see all of it.
09:21 And but there's not any one thing.
09:24 Like I said, situationally, he has a background.
09:33 Holistic, has a background, different schemes within your scheme.
09:38 He's got a background, some of it's the same, some of it's not.
09:42 And without getting to, nobody wants to hear me talk about sub packages and
09:48 all that kind of stuff.
09:50 And we don't even know, to be honest.
09:52 Once we start working with our players, we'll figure all that out.
09:55 But there's a lot of the newness to the things that he's gonna bring,
10:02 but there's certainly a lot of familiarity as well.
10:06 >> Any problem?
10:08 >> Yeah.
10:09 >> Right, there's been some super talented defensive linemen who come into this place
10:13 over the years, guys like Tommy Harris and GK McCoy come to mind more recently.
10:19 Sometimes they've gotten on the field early, sometimes not.
10:21 You've got some super talented defensive linemen, guys like David Stone and
10:25 Jamie Jackson.
10:26 What do you expect out of them?
10:27 And just why might they be more able to help you right away than maybe some
10:32 other guys?
10:34 >> Well, I'm gonna speak and brag on the 22 high school guys that showed up.
10:40 It's a really tough group of guys.
10:44 The mental toughness that I watched the last eight weeks is exemplary.
10:50 Just fantastic.
10:51 Nobody shied away.
10:54 These guys were prepared for the challenge of what this entails and
10:59 it was never easy for any of them.
11:02 But these guys were fearless.
11:04 Those D linemen that you mentioned and the rest of the group of high school guys,
11:10 along with the transfers too, they looked it right dead in the eyes and attacked.
11:15 And I love that.
11:17 Again, ambitious, confident, tough.
11:21 What they just went through, there's nothing easy about it.
11:25 So that gives me reason to believe that they're big, they're strong,
11:29 they're powerful, they got good quickness.
11:32 They have a little bit of development to their game from a fundamental and
11:36 a toolbox standpoint.
11:37 And if they're willing to continue to be committed to becoming contributors,
11:43 if that commitment maintains through the course of the spring and
11:49 the summer and fall camp, all that kind of thing,
11:52 then they'll have a chance to be contributors for us.
11:56 And that's the expectation, that's the hope.
11:58 I think that makes us better.
12:01 But once they both play D tackle,
12:06 I think Jayden will start out at nose guard, but he can play the three technique.
12:11 Both mentally and physically, he's skilled to do that.
12:15 Some things he's better at.
12:17 Some things David might be better at.
12:21 But they've been really good as far as young guys figuring out the pace and
12:27 the tempo and the competitive stamina that you have to have to go through,
12:32 again, the things that they did.
12:33 And again, just all the mental things.
12:35 Again, going away from home for the first time, handling a full schedule and
12:40 just all the meeting times and the walkthroughs, all of that.
12:44 Where you gotta be on point, they've been fantastic, again, as a group.
12:48 >> Yeah, Brent, we've actually been talking about the SEC longer and
12:54 worrying about it longer than you have.
12:56 But when you got here, you deflected most of those questions for good reason.
13:01 You had a team to coach, a season to play.
13:03 Now the SEC is here.
13:05 When you looked at OU two years ago when you got here,
13:09 what did you see that needed to be changed for
13:13 going to the SEC and what has changed to get you to where you needed to be?
13:18 >> I would probably say just the depth of the commitment off the field and
13:22 the support staff and the structure.
13:24 Getting all of our processes where we wanted to get them,
13:28 the depth of what that looks like.
13:31 And again, we're just, regardless of the conference affiliation,
13:37 my job and my job's always been to build the most competitive,
13:43 strongest, deepest, fastest, explosive, smartest group of football players I can.
13:48 Whether that's linebackers or it's a defense or it's a team.
13:52 So that's what we've been trying to do.
13:54 It hasn't been, well, let's put a really good team together for the big 12.
13:58 And then when we go to the SEC, now let's go back and
14:02 reevaluate and look at what kind of team that's needed there.
14:05 What we wanna do to meet our standards and our expectations,
14:10 it really doesn't have anything to do with the conference as much as it does our
14:14 roster and our processes, our support, the resources that we feel like we need to be
14:20 successful and I think we're in a good place and
14:24 the test of time will challenge all those things.
14:27 And again, this is maybe the most unforgiving league on the planet and
14:32 what we're getting ready to go into.
14:35 We know that with clear vision.
14:37 And just, but our focus has really been inside out and
14:41 trying to develop a team, a mindset, a culture, high standards.
14:47 Certainly the roster is a big part of it.
14:49 And in a perfect world, you have great stability on your roster, but
14:53 that's not where we're at in college football.
14:56 And so again, we've got 35 newcomers here this year.
15:02 So, but you're never gonna be where you wanna be.
15:06 We got tremendous amount of improvement that we gotta make and
15:10 starting this spring football, long ways to go.
15:13 To be, put ourselves in position to be successful this year.
15:18 But I like a lot of the things that we've been able to do over the first
15:23 couple of years and, but again, as I've said many, many times,
15:28 you're never gonna be satisfied.
15:29 There's always gonna be a way to get better or improve your roster or
15:32 improve a certain aspect of your program.
15:35 And we're focused on doing that.
15:36 >> Yeah, Brent, college football's changing a lot in IL transfer portal.
15:44 You're seeing a lot of programs go out and hire quote unquote general manager.
15:48 I'm wondering how have you maybe adapted to that?
15:51 I guess a general manager is something that you guys are interested in doing and
15:55 maybe either elevating people within your staff or how do you, I guess,
15:59 approach that?
16:00 >> Yeah, so what do you think a general manager is?
16:03 >> I think it depends.
16:04 Is it like a chief of staff or a director of football ops?
16:07 >> A player personnel guy or something like that.
16:11 I'm sure it's different for every program.
16:13 >> Right, well, again, I think we'd be naive if we didn't
16:18 look at the change that's going on in college football, both currently and
16:23 the landscape.
16:24 The toothpaste is definitely out of the tube and not putting it back in.
16:31 So we always looking at, again, all of our processes, our programs,
16:36 our support systems on how we can continue to improve and be efficient.
16:41 Be really good at what we're doing and finding,
16:44 always look at trying to hire people that are smarter than me.
16:49 And to surround myself with really good intelligent people that
16:53 have either the experience where you wanna go or they have the acumen to learn and
16:58 grow and get better and lead.
17:02 So we're always looking at ways to get better.
17:05 There's some restructuring, reorganization that we're looking at doing over the next.
17:11 And we've been working on this for 16, 18 months.
17:16 And where, again, a lot of it's where we feel like college football is going and
17:20 making sure that we were in a position of strength.
17:24 We're not reacting when it does happen.
17:27 This is gonna continue to be just kind of a process.
17:30 And you wish it was a little more congruent, but
17:34 it's kind of a piecemeal is what's going on in college football.
17:39 So we've been working hard and diligently trying to anticipate
17:44 the things that we need to do off the field programmatically to strengthen us.
17:51 So that'll be somewhere here in the near future.
17:57 >> Some stuff out there about Curtis Lofton and his role.
17:59 How much has he maybe helped you guys in the program and
18:02 some of that stuff that you're talking about, the change of college football?
18:05 >> Again, Curtis has been doing what he has been doing in the last couple of years.
18:09 He's been fantastic.
18:10 Soul Mission as a whole is fantastic.
18:14 And remember, Soul Mission isn't just one job.
18:18 It's, again, holistic development.
18:21 And they're leaders, they're mentors, they're recruiters,
18:24 they're therapists, they're competitors.
18:28 Curtis brings a lot to the table.
18:32 Same things that he did as a player, now he's using those same transferable skills
18:38 as a leader in our program.
18:42 So he's been fantastic.
18:43 >> You gotta get to a fair number of these,
18:46 give yourself a couple more questions.
18:48 Let's go to Ron Chapman.
18:50 >> Yeah, Brent, in helmet comms, it seems like momentum's moving in that direction.
18:55 Piloted a couple of bowl games, that's something you guys are planning for
18:57 this spring.
18:58 And how would that change the sideline dynamics with having the actual in helmet?
19:03 >> Yeah, so yeah, they give every team in college football that's doing that.
19:09 They're giving them all three headsets to use in the spring.
19:12 And so you gotta figure out your three guys that you wanna practice with.
19:17 You're still gonna have to signal unless everybody decides they're gonna huddle.
19:22 There's no other way to get everybody the call.
19:27 In the NFL, you see a lot of huddles both sides of the ball.
19:31 Defense huddles cuz the offense is over there huddling.
19:34 But so that's how they do it there.
19:36 But maybe more wristbands, people have to do more wristbands if they don't wanna
19:41 signal.
19:43 But again, I think it's a technology that is good for the game.
19:50 And you gotta be careful not trying to over coach.
19:54 Sometimes you can over coach.
19:56 And just imagine the coach having the player come over to the sideline, right?
20:02 15 seconds before the snap and you tell them one last thing.
20:05 Well, you're able to do that to one guy, both sides of the ball.
20:09 And obviously most people in offense will have that with the quarterback.
20:12 And then defensively finding somebody that's a little bit different than
20:16 the NFL.
20:17 Some ways we're modeling it after the NFL, but our rosters are different.
20:22 The pace and the huddle of the NFL is much different.
20:27 But we'll manage all that and figure it all out.
20:30 And everybody will try to find ways to continue to be more efficient
20:35 with your processes pre-snap.
20:36 And so I think it's a good thing.
20:39 >> [INAUDIBLE]
20:49 >> Yeah, that is the only guy.
21:01 As far as the defensive tackles are concerned.
21:06 We got good numbers there.
21:07 We don't have much experience there.
21:09 So, DJ Terry, I think he maybe started four games last year there.
21:17 And then again, we've got some guys like Devon Sears that is gonna have
21:22 more opportunity, Grayson Halton.
21:24 Certainly we've talked about a couple of the freshmen along with Marcus Strong.
21:29 Really like the things that he's been able to do.
21:31 Champ Sanders, we're excited about a lot of things that he's been able to do
21:36 at this point in time.
21:38 So we'll see where all that goes, but we got a lot of work to do everywhere.
21:42 But that's the position that we gotta get guys better.
21:45 And we gotta, again, that's a, back in the day,
21:49 you could play with like three guys.
21:51 If you were deep, you could play with three.
21:54 And so now, again, we've got eight or nine guys there that we're dealing with.
21:58 And we're gonna get, it's gonna be a group of guys that, again,
22:03 we've gotta, wherever we ended the year with that group of guys,
22:07 they're gonna have to be a lot better than what we were.
22:09 But that's the expectation.
22:10 That's what our job is as a coach, and their job is as players to make
22:15 a tremendous investment, and go to work, keep your head down.
22:19 And but I love the group of guys, I really do.
22:22 It's a hungry, tough, talented group of players.
22:27 >> Great.
22:29 >> Is there an area like that you're looking at, not even a starter, but
22:34 just that, that you say, we need to get a couple guys that we provide, so
22:37 of course, other than guys, either freshmen or transfer, that you gotta-
22:41 >> Yeah, I mean, it goes without saying,
22:43 we gotta do that on the offensive line.
22:46 And I really like the group of guys that we have there.
22:50 Jacob Sexton, obviously he started several games.
22:56 Troy Everett started several games as well.
23:01 And that's a group of guys along with Jake Taylor,
23:05 Heath Ozieda, Loken Howland, Josh Bates.
23:10 That's a really good group of young players,
23:14 along with the freshmen that we brought in.
23:16 And then the transfers that we brought in, four freshmen and four transfers.
23:22 They're all gonna have to play a role.
23:26 And so between Garen Hatcher, Spencer Brown,
23:32 Fabetchi, along with Michael Tarquin.
23:38 And then again, this group of freshmen that we brought in,
23:42 we really like the group of guys that are smart, that's an athletic group.
23:46 They've got experience, those four transfers all bring experience,
23:50 different systems or different school.
23:53 But the reason they were brought in was because of their experience and
23:57 their ability both.
23:58 And so getting those guys all to mesh quickly is the charge of Coach Beatonbow,
24:05 but he's up for the task.
24:06 But that's probably the position that everybody knows, right?
24:11 That if you follow Oklahoma football,
24:12 where we lost the most experience on our team.
24:17 That's the group that we've gotta replace.
24:21 >> The tight end room has completely changed from last year.
24:25 How happy are you that you didn't have any sharp,
24:29 DJ Crawford slamming the- >> [COUGH]
24:31 >> What's the status of Caden?
24:33 >> Yeah, so Caden will be a little bit limited.
24:36 We're gonna work him in and try to be smart about that.
24:39 I'm really excited about his potential and ability.
24:43 And Caden McIntyre, boy, he had another really good out of season.
24:48 He's quick, he's athletic, and he's put on some good weight.
24:51 And then Jake Roberts, he's got great experience, tough.
24:57 He's a really good football player.
24:59 Bower Sharp, I can say the same thing there.
25:01 He's got a unique story, level play where he came from, but
25:06 also a high school quarterback.
25:07 And I think the last quarterback that we brought in that we're moving
25:12 to another position that I can remember is a man that made the all world team for
25:18 the Philadelphia Eagles, and he made the move to offensive line.
25:24 And I think he became the third pick in the draft.
25:27 But Bower Sharp has been really, really good.
25:30 He's put on probably ten pounds since he's been here.
25:34 And then Devon Mitchell, as a freshman that getting transitioned and
25:41 learning, so we're really excited about him.
25:43 He's got great athletic ability and really good size for
25:47 reclassified freshmen, or really it has.
25:53 It's been a much different group.
25:55 Stogg did a great job.
25:56 Josh Faneuil is back as well, and he's done a really nice job learning how to play
26:01 tight end, a guy that was a basketball player when he got here.
26:06 And he's really had a good out of season as well.
26:08 So, expect that group to perform in a much different place
26:13 than what we were able to do a year ago.
26:16 And again, Stogg had a great year, but we had no real depth there at that position.
26:21 And that's a tough challenge.
26:25 You got one guy that you feel really consistently can get in the game and
26:29 win for you.
26:30 >> Grant, I wanted to ask you about Jackson Arnold.
26:34 Obviously, he got the start in the bowl game.
26:36 But heading into this spring, just for him, where does the focus and
26:39 growth need to be for him?
26:42 Getting more acclimated, working with Seth all those times.
26:45 >> Yeah, I mean, the growth has to happen everywhere.
26:48 And I got a small sample size of where he was a year ago, some good,
26:52 some not so good.
26:53 So having awareness, good self-awareness, taking ownership and
26:57 all of it, the things that I need to get better at, more comfortable at leading or
27:02 decision making or the timing aspect of it, the mechanics, footwork, eyes,
27:08 trust in the guys around you, all those kind of things.
27:11 He'll have to get better at all those things.
27:12 So there's no one particular area that he needs to improve over the other.
27:16 Certainly in the 2024 season, haven't taken any snaps.
27:21 But he'd be the first one to tell you,
27:22 he'd go right down that same checklist along with you.
27:25 So obviously, you feel really good about the type of leader and
27:32 the type of athlete and the type of quarterback that he's capable of being.
27:35 But at the end of the day, your real judgment is on the kind of
27:41 teammate that he's been, the leader, the worker.
27:43 He's been fantastic in those areas since he's been here.
27:47 And he's a bright guy, he has great instincts, and he's very skilled.
27:51 And now you gotta become a great college quarterback.
27:54 So that's what's in front of him right now.
27:55 But if he's gonna be successful, it's gonna be because everybody around him.
27:59 It's gonna be because of a really good defense.
28:02 It's gonna be because of a great complement of players around him,
28:05 both off the line, the running backs, receivers, tight ends, all of it.
28:09 >> [INAUDIBLE]
28:12 >> Coach, the game management,
28:14 of course, [INAUDIBLE]
28:16 >> [INAUDIBLE]
28:19 >> And everybody has different ways of
28:20 doing things, and then you add a two-minute warning into things.
28:23 Where do you see that being, I guess,
28:27 just a different way of holding your timeouts, using your timeouts,
28:31 all that type of thing?
28:32 How much will that play into just your overall scope of how you manage the game?
28:38 >> Well, if they pass that, that's something that I don't know yet for
28:43 sure if they're gonna pass that.
28:44 But it's on the agenda, as well as a lot of other things.
28:47 But in many ways, it's the same, and just football generally speaking.
28:53 There's a real thing called analytics.
28:56 A lot of people are utilizing those.
28:57 We look at all of it, taking account to all the information,
29:03 the education that's out there, and the strategy that's behind all of it.
29:07 And but we work hard at game management all throughout the course of the week,
29:13 in preparation week to week.
29:15 You might slightly tweak some of your philosophy based on who you're playing,
29:19 and what the matchups are.
29:21 I think that's a real part of the game, and how you anticipate it going.
29:24 >> Yeah, Brent, I saw some really good news in the Oklahoma today.
29:30 Can you give us an update?
29:32 >> Yeah, I mean, whatever it was, several weeks ago, maybe a month or so ago,
29:39 we were able to just get good news.
29:41 Praise Jesus, that she's cancer free.
29:45 As you know, anybody that's gone through that journey, it's terrifying.
29:52 And you're never real comfortable.
29:54 So you keep everything in perspective, but really thankful.
29:59 We had a great team of doctors and nurses and things of that nature.
30:05 But she's tough as all get out, and she's been doing great, so appreciate that.
30:08 Appreciate everybody's prayers as well.
30:11 >> Second row, right.
30:15 >> Brent, wanted to ask you about two analysts in the talk, Doug Deacon and
30:19 Kevin Johns.
30:20 What drew you to Doug, making that special teams hire?
30:22 And then with Kevin, how much is that extra voice in the room gonna help Seth and
30:27 Joe John go in his first season in the offense?
30:29 >> Yeah, so loved, again, Doug's body of work.
30:33 He's been committed.
30:34 He's built something where he's at in lots of different ways.
30:37 He's kind of earned his way in this profession.
30:41 So he's got a great journey and great testimony on how he got to where he is.
30:47 But he's really good.
30:49 He's passionate about what he does.
30:50 He's smart, very, again, successful.
30:54 Put his guys in both scheme and the fundamentals of the game in position to
30:58 win.
30:58 He's got a philosophy on special teams from an aggressiveness standpoint
31:04 that aligns with what we wanna be as well in the special teams area.
31:09 And again, we feel like there's be an opportunity to improve and get better.
31:14 That's obviously a space that we gotta improve,
31:17 we gotta kick the ball with more consistency, can't turn the ball over.
31:21 And we gotta be more efficient in every part of that.
31:26 I think the one area that we are pretty good, top five in the country,
31:29 was kickoff.
31:31 But every other part of our special teams will substantially improve if we make
31:36 a few more kicks and we don't fumble the ball.
31:37 >> And Kevin Johns, how much do you- >> Yeah, so again,
31:41 Kevin's been a very successful coach wherever he's been offensively.
31:45 He's got a depth of experience coaching quarterbacks and
31:49 offense, run some great football minds.
31:51 Whether he's with Cliff or Kevin Wilson,
31:56 certainly Coach Yoko at Duke and Mike Morvell at Memphis.
32:00 So always admired him, have known him, not personally, but known of him.
32:07 Have watched his body of work for a number of years.
32:09 So this was an opportunity where everything aligned,
32:12 where he's got great relationships with some of our guys on offense.
32:17 Coach Latreau in particular has worked with him,
32:19 as well as Coach Jones at Texas Tech.
32:22 So just an opportunity for us to go into this season and get better.
32:29 Learning from him and having his expertise and
32:34 his experiences will only help us.
32:37 >> Stay on that side, that's right.
32:40 >> Yeah, Coach, more of a dad question.
32:42 What was it like watching your daughter play at the state tournament?
32:44 >> That was great, it was awesome.
32:46 It was a lot of fun.
32:48 I'm probably smiling right now.
32:51 Daddy proud, she plays her guts out.
32:54 And she's on a really cool team with some amazing girls.
32:58 She's found her little niche and they've made her better.
33:01 Coach Starkhill has done a fantastic job, as well as the rest of his staff,
33:07 in developing their team.
33:09 But they believe, I think, foundationally, and they're tough.
33:12 And so for me as a dad, I'm just thankful she's in a wonderful environment to learn
33:18 and grow, and she's one of the younger players.
33:21 So she's able to learn from some really good girls that are committed to
33:26 excellence and are just good people.
33:28 So that's what we all want for our kids, to be in a really good circle.
33:31 Where the people that are in position of influence, which as a young one,
33:37 everybody around her is influencing her in all the right ways.
33:41 They're able to teach her how to do things the right way and
33:44 bring out the best in her every day.
33:46 So it's a really healthy, connected environment.
33:50 And then I love to watch them play, they're inspiring.
33:53 They have a never say die attitude.
33:56 And so the things they've been able to do is some of the first times in
34:01 program history there.
34:02 So that's pretty cool to witness that as well.
34:05 >> [INAUDIBLE]
34:09 >> Brent with Casey Thompson,
34:11 I know you've talked about wanting to bring him here before,
34:15 known him for a long time.
34:16 Just to have him come back home in a sense after a long college career,
34:21 just what was that like for you?
34:22 >> It's been fun.
34:23 I've known the family for a long time.
34:26 And like every decision I make, I try to find great people.
34:30 No matter if it's a player, it's a staff member, it's a full time coach, or
34:35 it's an analyst, whatever it is, GA.
34:37 Try to find great people that have a belief system and
34:40 a value system that aligns.
34:42 And Casey's just phenomenal.
34:46 He's got, again, a depth of experience as a quarterback.
34:50 He epitomizes what you want from a work ethic and
34:54 a commitment standpoint to his craft.
34:56 And his teammates, he's got wonderful leadership traits that he's gonna
35:02 immediately be able to bring some things that maybe that group of guys,
35:06 as a young group, doesn't already have.
35:08 They were all able to, at least Jackson was able to learn,
35:12 along with General, learn from Dylan.
35:15 And that was a wonderful opportunity for them.
35:18 And now this is an opportunity for Casey to plant some more seeds.
35:24 And he's been working on getting healthy and
35:26 those types of things won't do a whole lot for the spring.
35:30 Won't do anything in the team stuff in all likelihood, but
35:34 bring so much to the table.
35:36 And just as an easy competitor, he'll wanna get out there and have a go at it.
35:42 And everything has its time from that standpoint, but
35:44 he's immediately able to bring a veteran presence to that room.
35:48 And somebody that the younger guys can lean on.
35:51 He's been a starter several college games, 50 games plus, and
35:56 has had a lot of success at quarterbacking.
36:01 >> [INAUDIBLE]
36:11 >> Yeah, they're coming along well, and
36:16 neither one of them will participate in the spring, as you would expect.
36:21 But it's big, Justin is a highly invested guy.
36:25 And he's talented, can do a lot of different things.
36:29 So you're always looking for big, long, fast, aggressive,
36:33 physical guys, and he's those things.
36:35 But he understands what commitment is and how we do what we do.
36:39 So he'll bring again the experience from that standpoint, and
36:43 playmaking from that standpoint.
36:45 And getting both those guys back will be huge.
36:48 And so expect them to be full go if there's no setbacks when we start up here
36:54 this summer.
36:55 >> [INAUDIBLE]
37:05 >> Well, seeing the best version of
37:10 Jaleel Farouk, which is what you want, your best players, so to speak.
37:14 You always want to be your best workers, your best leaders.
37:18 And so far through the first part of the winter and
37:23 spring, that's what Jaleel's been.
37:26 But seen tremendous growth from several guys.
37:29 Jaden Gibson is easily at his best.
37:34 He didn't lose a competition.
37:36 We put him in there a lot, trying to help expedite the growth of a lot of guys.
37:41 But I don't think he lost a competition the entire winter.
37:45 JJ Hester's another guy that, again, big, long, strong.
37:50 I think he might have lost one time.
37:53 And he's got a different look in his eyes.
37:56 Brendan Thompson has been fantastic.
38:01 Nick Anderson, early in particular, he was wonderful.
38:05 Jock West Pettaway was really good.
38:10 Gavin Freeman was really good.
38:12 Dion Burks is, he's as competitive of a player as we have on the team.
38:18 He's gonna fit in really, really well in that group of guys.
38:21 They got great chemistry already.
38:22 But that's been a group that not only do we have numbers, but
38:28 we have a group of guys that are committed.
38:29 And you throw in Zion and Ivan and Jacob Jordan and
38:34 several other walk-ons that we have in there.
38:37 And that's a dang good group of players right there.
38:41 So really excited about the leadership and
38:44 excited about the growth and maturity of that group.
38:48 We lost a great one in Drake from a leadership standpoint.
38:52 But I love the depth of the buying and the ownership and
38:55 the leadership that we're getting out of that group thus far.
38:58 >> Last question, Farrell, that's not a question.
39:02 >> Yeah, Coach, when you look at this group of players we're gonna need today,
39:05 the mid-year guys,
39:05 in which area do you feel like they have the potential to make the greatest impact
39:09 this season?
39:10 >> I expect every position on our football team to be impacted.
39:14 I don't see one position that is gonna have more impact.
39:21 Maybe more players, offensive line would have more of an impact if you look at just
39:25 your players than at quarterback.
39:27 But Mike Hawkins and his development and
39:31 Brendan Zurberg and his development are as critical as any part of our team.
39:36 Their play and their opportunity to take reps.
39:39 So again, I don't see a position that we don't expect there to be an impact.
39:47 And so if we've done a good job recruiting,
39:51 that's what we're gonna get out of that group.
39:56 One thing that I do love about, again, and I said this when I started,
40:01 just overall, holistically, this is a group of guys.
40:05 There's 35 new guys that are here right now that, man, they're competitive.
40:11 And driven, self-starters.
40:14 When we showed up to the indoor facility for the last seven and
40:18 a half weeks, man, they showed up prepared.
40:20 The mindset was really good.
40:23 We're in a much different place from that standpoint to where we were,
40:27 whatever it was, 26, 27 months ago when we got here.
40:32 And so, and they're a big part of that, buying in and
40:36 you end up recruiting the right guys.
40:37 So I think it's really a strong reflection on the staff choosing the right guys.
40:41 That's the hope, you're never gonna be perfect, you're gonna make some mistakes.
40:44 Misjudge somebody every once in a while, but
40:48 our staff did a wonderful job of bringing in the right guys that got the right stuff.
40:51 Humility, the work ethic, the toughness, the drive, the focus, all those things.
40:59 And that's what we've seen.
41:00 You got a young guy like James Nesta, he's all the way from North Carolina.
41:07 He's participating in both things that we're doing on football and
41:10 then managing a baseball schedule as a pitcher on the baseball team.
41:14 And he's just, so I can only imagine what he's going through.
41:19 Learning certainly all the things that we do on football and
41:24 then the things that he needs.
41:26 It's game day every day at baseball right now, this time of the year for them.
41:29 So, but he hadn't flinched, he hadn't flinched.
41:35 I'm sure he's probably had some moments off the field, talking to mom or dad.
41:40 But he's been a stud since he's been with us.
41:44 So I'm excited to see our kickers come in here and help make us better.
41:52 The competition will bring out the best in everybody, is my expectation.
41:56 So Tyler Keltner and Liam Evans will have a chance to come in here and
42:01 make us better that way.
42:02 Same thing, we'll open it back up with our punters.
42:07 And Luke was fantastic the back half of the season,
42:11 averaged 47 plus yards a punt in the back half of the season.
42:17 So that's exciting as well.
42:19 But every position on our football team is gonna be impacted by this group of
42:26 newcomers.
42:27 >> Thank you very much, Coach.
42:29 >> All right, see you soon.
42:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]