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00:00Hey, I get that, right?
00:02Yeah, I could.
00:05All right, man, welcome.
00:06Thanks for joining us today.
00:07So, so.
00:10All right, group, if you guys have a question,
00:11please use the raise hand function,
00:13and we will get that going here shortly.
00:15And our first question comes from Andrew Jones.
00:17So, go ahead, Andrew.
00:20Hey, Day Day.
00:21Last year, you were kind of thrust into some action
00:24against Duke and Virginia that time of the season,
00:27and I remember Coach Bateman
00:28talking about how they had to coach you up
00:30and get you ready, and you ended up playing well.
00:32You kind of faced a similar situation here this last week
00:35where you hadn't played a whole lot,
00:36and you got the start against NC State.
00:40Can you kind of tell us how you mentally are able to go
00:44from one role to an extreme different role
00:47and able to handle it on the field
00:49the way you have these last two years?
00:52I wouldn't necessarily say I switched roles.
00:55I just always just play with my head down.
00:57I keep my head down, and I just keep working.
00:59Like, that's just how I am as a person.
01:00My work ethic is just, like, continuously just ongoing.
01:06So, I wouldn't say I just switched roles or anything,
01:08but I say I had to step up.
01:11We do the same thing in practice as a starter,
01:13so it wasn't really nothing new to me,
01:16but when I got in and, like, bringing it into the game,
01:20it was, like, it was really refreshing
01:23and, like, reassuring for me.
01:25So, that's what I do.
01:28How much more do you enjoy game film
01:30when you're out on the field for 60-something snaps
01:32as opposed to not?
01:35I would, I don't know.
01:36I'm probably more, like, critiquing myself,
01:41but, like, when I'm not playing, I feel like I can learn a lot
01:43from watching the other corners.
01:45So, that's what I've recently been doing.
01:48But seeing myself, I try not to critique myself as much
01:51because I can be really hard on myself sometimes.
01:54So, I just kind of listen to my coaching points
01:56and stuff like that.
01:57Cool. Thank you, man. Appreciate it.
02:00All right. Greg Barnes, go ahead.
02:03Hey, Dede. Thanks for joining us.
02:06You saw a lot of action against Virginia last year.
02:10Just curious how that experience and some other games
02:13that you played in last year kind of helped you
02:16throughout the offseason and got you ready for this year.
02:19Can you say that again? It was kind of low.
02:23You played against Virginia a lot last year,
02:25got a lot of snaps, and there's some other games as well.
02:28But how did those experiences kind of set you up
02:31to be able to contribute the way you have this year?
02:36Like I said, I'm always gradually
02:38working with my head down.
02:39I don't really complain.
02:41I don't like to complain much.
02:42I was taught and raised throughout high school
02:45not to complain or blame anybody for anything that's going on,
02:49as far as what I can control.
02:51So knowing what I can control and knowing what I'm capable of
02:54and capable of doing, I just go out there
02:56with that confidence and I'll be ready to go.
03:00We talked to Jay Bateman about this last week,
03:02but what is the challenge of defending a running quarterback
03:06and how difficult can that be?
03:11It's not really difficult.
03:14I would say you would have to fill the box more,
03:17so you would have to rely on your corners
03:18or your DBs to play more man principle.
03:23But I wouldn't say you necessarily have to.
03:28With the players we have, I feel like we got great speed,
03:31great discipline, and I just think we can get it done
03:34without, you know, taking an extra step.
03:37Thank you.
03:39All right, Gregory Hull, go ahead.
03:41Hey, Dede.
03:43Mac yesterday was asked about what position group
03:46he was maybe most concerned about at the mid-season point,
03:49and he said the secondary, not necessarily because of skill,
03:53but with Patrice Renne having to be evaluated
03:55with Storm Duck out.
03:57I was just curious, your thoughts on where
03:59the secondary is halfway through the season.
04:03The secondary, I would say we know
04:06we have to bring it every game.
04:08We know we have to bring it every practice.
04:10We know it's like the defense is,
04:13like, we're a leg of the defense.
04:15Like, we need the secondary to play good.
04:19So, knowing that, I think we just, like, lock in more,
04:24watch more film, practice is more, like, focused,
04:29and we just try to get a better understanding
04:31of our players before, you know,
04:33we don't want to go out there and make no mistakes
04:35or, like, blow a coverage or something like that.
04:38So, we just lock in.
04:40Where do you think you guys need to improve?
04:45As far as improvement, I'll say eye discipline.
04:48Eye discipline.
04:50A lot of times we try to look for the quarterback
04:52and look for the ball to be thrown
04:53because we try to make plays.
04:55Like, last week, we were talking about turnovers a lot.
04:57We were just trying to make plays.
04:59So, I think watching our man,
05:03I think our man is going to take us to our ball.
05:05So, if we just have good eye discipline,
05:08I think that will be a better secondary.
05:13Thank you.
05:15All right, Ross Martin, go ahead.
05:18Hey, I was wondering how much y'all are being,
05:20like, how does it work to get cross-trained
05:23at different positions in the secondary?
05:24How does that work with people working from nickel
05:26to safety to cornerback during practice?
05:30The first group, you'll be with the preferred,
05:34I guess you'll be with the preferred position.
05:37So, if I was working at nickel, probably with the first group,
05:40I'd be working with the nickel.
05:41But the second group, if I'm still at corner,
05:44as well, I can be working with the corner.
05:45So, we just kind of split reps.
05:46And then individual practices, we'll get some here,
05:50some there, you know,
05:51it's just maintaining and working on both of them.
05:54Cool. And what do we want,
05:56what do you want us to call you or write your name?
06:00I mean, you were DeAndre when, during your recruitment,
06:02and now LeDaysian or Day-Day.
06:04What do you want and why?
06:06I wanted my full name, LeDaysian,
06:09because all my life, I never really went by LeDaysian,
06:13and that's my name.
06:14So, I feel like I should start embracing that.
06:16Like, elementary school is when it kind of went left,
06:19or my teachers weren't pronouncing it right.
06:21And my mom was just like, all right, just call him DeAndre.
06:23And then, boom.
06:25So, DeAndre carried with me throughout middle school,
06:26high school, and then I got to college,
06:28and I was like, it's not really my name, but it's my name.
06:32But I really want people to know, like, my name is LeDaysian.
06:35But my grandma gave me the name Day-Day,
06:37and I've been really, like, holding on to that one.
06:39I love it, and I love her.
06:43So, Day-Day and LeDaysian, that's fine.
06:46DeAndre, that's fine as well.
06:48So, y'all make it up.
06:50Y'all do what y'all want to do.
06:51Okay, cool. Thanks, man.
06:53Sure.
06:55Taylor Whipless, go ahead.
06:57Hey, Day-Day.
06:59On the first drive of the NC State game,
07:01when you get the start, you made a huge tackle on third down
07:04to get the team off the field.
07:06How big was that for your confidence going forward?
07:12It was really big.
07:15I was fired up afterwards because, like,
07:18I was reading, like, I was able to read, like,
07:20and know and understand what was happening at the moment.
07:23So, I saw the quarterback off, and I was like,
07:26I didn't really feel threatened by him.
07:28So, it was kind of like a two-on-one
07:32with the front receiver.
07:35Then I got my eyes in the backfield.
07:37I told you all we've been working on eye discipline.
07:40I got my eyes in the backfield real quick,
07:42and then I just saw, you know, it was Wildcat.
07:44So, he was coming to run.
07:45He wasn't really looking to throw.
07:47So, I just closed in on it, made a good tackle,
07:50and, yeah, that was it.
07:53And then Sam has talked about it before,
07:56and I've seen some conflicting reports on social media
07:59between you and Jahliel Taylor.
08:01Who's the best Madden player on the team?
08:04On the team?
08:06On the team?
08:09I have to give it to...
08:11It's out of Josh Henderson and Eugene Asante.
08:15Appreciate it.
08:17I haven't played them in a minute, though.
08:18I haven't played them in a minute.
08:20I got to play them and see where I'm at on the team,
08:22but it's a lot of good players on the team.
08:26All right.
08:27Last one here from C.L. Brown.
08:29Go ahead, C.L.
08:30Hey, Ladesan.
08:31I just wanted to get your opinion
08:33on some of the younger guys on the defensive unit,
08:37like Rucker or Evans or Murphy,
08:40just in terms of how far have you seen them progress
08:45since August till now,
08:47and, like, what level of confidence
08:49do you feel like they're at
08:51in being able to come in and get reps
08:53and have confidence executing what they need to do?
08:58You know, coming in as a freshman,
09:00it's always you always want to meet all expectations,
09:04so you're always uptight.
09:05You don't want to make any mistakes.
09:06You want to get on the field as fast as possible.
09:09I feel like they just been learning
09:11and really soaking in what the older guys
09:14have been teaching them
09:15and what the coaches have been teaching them.
09:16So when it comes down to their opportunity,
09:20I feel like they're ready to go.
09:21I feel like they're ready to go.
09:23Like, there's nothing to be scared of,
09:26nothing to be worried about.
09:27We already soaked in all the information
09:29that we can take in.
09:30We learned from the older guys.
09:31We learned from the vets.
09:32So let's just go out and do what they said
09:34and see how it goes.
09:36All right, and I forgot who I asked,
09:39but this was back, like, at the end of the fall camp
09:43when I asked about the best trash talkers on the team
09:46or at least in the secondary
09:48versus receivers kind of battle,
09:50and your name came up.
09:53What's your mentality?
09:55What's your philosophy in finding stuff to say
09:59to kind of get under somebody's skin?
10:01Well, I'm from Florida.
10:03Growing up, you know, high school,
10:05like, it was always, like, just rowdied up,
10:07playing around, you know, just funny,
10:10a lot of funny guys around me.
10:11So when I'm out there, it's like,
10:14I don't mean it personal,
10:16but I want you to feel some type of way.
10:18Like, I want you to get a little mad
10:20and get off your game.
10:21I want you to, you know what I'm saying?
10:22So, because I know my receivers, they're going to go out there.
10:24They're going to do their thing.
10:25I don't really talk too much when I'm on the field.
10:27It's more when I'm off the field
10:29because I know my receivers are going to do their thing,
10:32and I know how DB mind works.
10:33So I'm trying to get the DBs off their game a little bit,
10:35and I feel like it's low-key been working.
10:39All right, appreciate it.
10:41Sure.
10:42All right, Day Day, thanks for your time today.
10:44All right, thank you all.