Press Conference (Ezekiel Elliott) Elite Edition September 2

0:00You're the family of dry. Man, beautiful. Beautiful. I think I'll start with Rico. Rico's running at ball hard. Definitely got the team going a second half and finish it up. I mean, just draw that line. You guys do the finale three plays for the other three. How did you see if you were in the final three years? You guys are great here, man. I mean, yeah, but I mean, honestly, I instantly thought of like 2017. I played at Denver. At least we didn't start the game and have to come and sit the locker room for hours. So what did you do when you got to the final three? That's like a long time ago, right? What did you guys do when you were in the final three? We were 90 minutes behind. I don't know. I just was right. Listening to music. For 90 minutes? Warm enough. I mean, what else I got to do? I'm not about to play cards before the game. I'm locked in. Come on, no. What did you think of just three goals of performance overall? You've been receiving game kind of touchdowns.

1:01Is that the way you were running for? He definitely stepped up today. He definitely stepped up when his number was called. He was running out hard. We were able to stick to the run the day and he saw, you know, once you kind of get those attempts, how that wears out in that defense. And that was a byproduct of it. What you've made with that touchdown pass there on the floor down there. Oh, we need coverage. We need it. You know, when it comes down to it, force is going to be there for us. And so that's exactly what we do. I eat and bed. Yeah. I do. I'm going to tell you better, but you do your own thing. Hey, my name is Doran Jones. I'm here to talk about how my diet impacts my trainer. The philosophy behind my diet, you know, just to have lots of veggies, a big broccoli and spinach. That's a big, spinach guy. I would say how I'm protein, too, you know, lean protein at that.

2:02So chicken, grill shrimp, my daily schedule for my diet. I wake up and get to the facility normally, I give me about two eggs or three eggs, turkey bacon, probably a little bit of wheat toast during the football season. You know, we're doing a hard training in the morning, whether it's lifting. And then after no time, we're going to yell in the field, you know, hitting and banging. The next step with, you know, after your practice, you're most likely starving. And so, you know, I feel like I kind of like fill myself a little bit more. I normally go to see the salad with a little bit of ranch. I go with a bison burger, you know, it's kind of not the same as a beef patty. It takes off. Like I said, a calories off your diet. It's definitely outside of my diet. Then there I normally wrap up with grilled chicken, mashed tails, and broccoli half the time, you know, it's like one of my go-to's. My pre-workout foods, I try to eat some predsuits, you know, it has a little bit of carbs on there. So it gets my body started. I know everybody's different, but for sure it works out for me. And then after, I don't just do a shake. I feel like I took kind of two full before lunch.

3:02So I definitely just do a shake, you know, after practice or after lift, you know, just to make sure, you know, getting a protein and just getting everything back that I was while I was working out. All right, it's time for some rapid fire questions. Do I count my macros? I try to, you know, you're supposed to eat brown, for me, it's like 2,500 to 3,000 calories. And so I definitely try to make sure I'm accumulating them every day until, you know, how much I need this day and that day. Because, you know, sometimes, you know, my appetite's kind of different depending on how I'm on my days. My favorite carbs, for sure, I have to eat one of my favorite foods is french fries and so, you know, it kind of definitely plays a hurt in my diet. For sure, breakfast, you know, it's my favorite meal. So, you know, it's the easiest day to make. If I did my piece of crust anything, it had to be cheese or, man, I thought you can't go wrong with either one. I eat in bed, yeah, I do. You know, I'm a big guy, you know, I'm not a friend of you, I'm back before, from where I'm at. I'm all talking about it, but, you know, you do your own thing.

4:03My dream taco, I think, is just normal bread tacos, you know, it's pretty good. I wanted to say, this guy is the protein in my pan. You know, sometimes it gets just a little gritty and, you know, once she makes it that will, I think it really helps like the shake a lot. I just want to say, just work hard to stay dedicated to whatever you're doing. Everything's not going to be all right sometimes, but, you know, it's going to be all right half the time, but, you know, it's no work out at the end. Yeah, and that pissed us off too, they're getting them three points up. But, you know, we're really excited for the opportunity to, you know, hopefully get one of those this year. As you really feel. Jack, Jack, how did you see Grown just in the last several months? What do you see about him from this Irish stand, Polina? You know, I was asking him that day, he's kind of a boss, asked me out, I have a Penn State game. Ever with that. Yeah, I say so. But we're surprised. I mean, we're surprised that differently I get spun into this season.

5:04Yeah, I mean, he's just, you know, JT's just, you know, he's taking that next step. He's super focused in, you know, this whole offseason, and we've been really downed in and trying to pinpoint stuff that we can get better at, you know, and specifically attacking it and really trying to, you know, focus on and get better on those things. I think that he has. He looks great, you know, this whole fall camp, leading up to this game so far, this game prep week. So he's definitely taking, you know, huge strides. And, you know, I think a lot of people would give him unfair criticism too, because they do all expect to end up in Penn State game every game, which is, you know, that's one of the best defensive games he ever played. So it's unfair to say that, but he's been consistently one of the best defensive games to call a football if you turn on the tape. So I'm really excited to get out there with him this year and, you know, Rickson Haddock, I'll find that out. You move the expectations for both of you guys, you know, came in. Yeah. You feel like this is the year it comes to fruition from the standpoint of dominance. I don't know. I don't want to pick that word, you know, for what you're facing since then. Yeah, I mean, no, that's something that we talk about. I think that's something all four of us, and, you know, really eight of us on the D-line talk about is, you know, being dominant.

6:04You know, there's no ceiling to how good we can be this year, and we know that it's all about us going out there and doing it. You know, we can talk about it all day, but until we go out there and do it, you know, it doesn't mean a damn thing. So, you know, we're all excited to get out there, man. We're hungry, and, you know, I've seen this at a different level with determination, you know, to chase greatness, and I've seen so that I've been here. So, you know, like I said, we're just, you know, we just can't wait for Saturday. I know the question. You never remember all the other times. Yeah. Good trip playing a team here. A few points, David. You got a couple of other covers. David, you don't play Notre Dame this year. You're definitely in the same team. What's the challenge when you, please, we're not going to be in the test season for a way that will be getting the team to finish the challenge? No, I think the challenge is that, you know, we're playing an opponent's coming in our house in the shoe this week. We only get eight shots up in the shoe, and we've got to make everyone one count and Akron's a good football team. You know, good head coach. I believe he was the offensive coordinator for Oregon when they beat us here in my freshman year. You know, so they're going to be well coach.

7:04You're going to run their offense well and, you know, play good defense. So, to us, you know, in Coach Day always says, it's never about our opponents always about us. You know, if we're executing on the high level and playing fast and physical, then, you know, things will take care of itself. We got to get a opponent Akron and, you know, works out of playing the side of it. You're on the sheer early on as I actually felt like, and I think there's a more big hatred since Oregon and business are not going to have big fights. You know, on the against playing, you guys playing a lot more sound, I guess. Yeah. The sort of thing, this year, Jim, we'll just talk about opening the up and opening up and getting running more work. This is not leading to how you are playing along the against blind. Is there more of an emphasis on attacking the line of experiments playing the wrestling? Yeah, I know I think that, I think that, you know, a huge emphasis, this fall camp and leading up to this season is to, you know, kind of let us play more downhill, more free with less thinking. So, I think that's been great, honestly, the last few weeks and, you know, in the camp as well. And so, you know, I think that we are going to, you guys are going to see a more downhill team.

8:05And, you know, more of us coming off the edge, we're going to have it. You guys all want to see. So, I think that, you know, we're really excited to go out there and, you know, and, and, and, and roll it out there and play. So, you know, we're really excited for that. Have you seen science theater yet? Did you watch it on that play? No, I haven't watched it yet. I got no comment on that. Where do you feel like you've grown the most personally from where you are here in here? I think that this off season was big for me and, you know, get my body right. I think that, you know, I don't really like to talk about myself, but I think that I'm a little more exposed than I was maybe in years past. And, you know, I was really excited for the work that we put in. I think all of us have grown in so many different areas with our hands and hips across the defensive line. So, you know, like I said, just, just super excited for Saturday. What do you do more playing as a real life? I just, I just want to get a little more leaner, you know, really work on that. And, and I just work on my technique, you know, my stance, my get off and stuff like that, of that nature for the defensive line. So, I think that I have, and, you know, I'm excited to put on put on the field center. Jack, what's the big difference between the guys sitting in the chair right now

9:09and the fresh face kid that came in four years? They're not like on the field stuff that you learned, but off the field that maybe even translated on the field, you know. Yeah, I think that when you come in here and, you know, you're an 18-year-old kid, just leaving high school that there's a ton of things you can learn, you know, just as becoming a man and, and on the field, and the woody as well. And, that's why I tell all these young kids now that, you know, you gotta make the main thing, the main thing, make people the main thing. You know, and everything else will take care of itself. So, I think that, you know, coming in as we were all highly recruited to, you know, didn't help with our expectations and how it really, how it really goes in the first game here. So, I think that, you know, when you get, you're used to starting to plan 80-staffs of games since you were five years old when you first get here. You know, you don't really see the field much as a freshman kind of. It kind of takes you back a little bit. But, you know, the growth that we've all had, you know, we're all just laughing about that. Actually, it's a great question because me and Tyler, you can JT, we watch it film us from our freshman year, we're like, holy shit, we came a long way.

10:09You know what I mean? So, you know, it's been good. Being able to, you know, grow up with those guys and, you know, see the maturity level that we've all grown to from our freshman year on the football field. And, you know, it's funny that it comes full of circle. So, it's been awesome. So, if I'm on... Alright, Jack's up. Thank you guys. How are you doing? We're coming back. You were the only one who made that decision before the concert. What was it like from your perspective behind the scenes as all the dominoes are falling on as all these other guys on the defense are coming back from the year? Yeah, I know. It was definitely a weird time, you know, for, I guess, fans. But, you know, I talked with a lot of coaches and I felt like, you know, there was stuff we needed to, you know, come back for. Like, we had some unfinished business. I know that's the term people use, but, you know, I think everybody realized that, you know, there's more to give here. And, you know, I commend all the players who did come back because I know those are tough decisions.

11:14You know, you could be a first round pick and you decided to come back for your brothers. And I think that's... It spoke to the brotherhood that we have here, you know, the guys are being selfless. And they work out suck, like everything sucks, but like, you go through that together. And so that's what really makes that bond between teammates. And, you know, I can't thank my teammates enough because they could have been in, you know, Lucas always stayed in last week and doing their own things. But, you know, they made a decision to be there for their teammates and the young guys and to carry on the legacy of how to stay. I would say, how's selling the world? He's super, super athletic and he knows the game really well. So I think he's coming to the role really well. I mean, obviously we're in practice too, so, you know, there's a lot more to go, but he's coming into the role really well. Is he eventually ending up at Leibhack? We've always joked about it because he's heavier than half the linebackers in the room. But, you know, for him, he can play really any position he wants.

12:14You know, he's that dynamic as a player. And, you know, really it's for my job as physically just to keep up with him because he's the most athletic on the field. So he's a super talented player and he works really hard too, so it goes really well together. How much are you saving it? How much do you want to take advantage of it? You know, that's a big thing. You know, you want to appreciate those moments that come because they really are fleeting. And, you know, it's only like after being here for five years now, it's like every day goes by so much faster. And, you know, you want to appreciate these moments. And, you know, I don't really want to read into it as much because I've prepared every day like I was the guy. And, like, no matter what's anything that happened in a game, you know, and like all this stuff has come out from last year, but like guys can get hurt and it's your job. And, you know, I feel like I've prepared since my freshman year to be able to contribute. And so right now, I'm not taking it too to heart, but like I understand the moment and I want to embrace it.

13:17Being in middle-eyed life for here is kind of a special thing. Yeah. That part of it, how much the responsibility part of it being it will lead to that's how much do you... You know, I know you're taking a seriously serious thing. Yeah. No, I love having that on my shoulders. I love being the guy that people look to for help. And I want to be able to lead these guys. And I can say I've been preparing my whole life, like even since I was young, like my brother, like we always try to be that first guy in the room that, like the loudest, you know, the most vocal and the most responsible, you know. And so I think all those little intangibles playing and playing Mike here and it all helps. When you say unfinished business, what are the biggest things in your mind that you need to accomplish this year? Yeah, I mean, right now we don't want to look too far in the future, but our goals, you know, always to be team of north, always to big 10 championship and we want to win the whole thing. So those goals have never really changed and, you know, that we haven't done it in years. That's why that's the unfinished business for us.

14:19Cody, how do you describe your relationship with Coach Noles? He always says that he kind of wants to be on the field like through time he was. Yeah. How do you guys kind of go about each other in the real relationship? Yeah, no, Coach Noles is a great guy even. You can still contest that. But, you know, I think as we, as I've grown and been here longer with him, you understand his mindset and how he wants us to, he doesn't want us to stress while we're on the field. So he puts that stress on us in practice and he wants us to get it right. And he knows that we're not perfect, but he knows that as long as we are, we're pushing towards it and every day we're getting better and we're working on our new techniques. He's always positive and I mean sometimes he can get a little negative, but you take that. It's constructive criticism. And that's something we develop as players. And you take the yelling because you know the message behind it. He wants you to get it right in the game. So he's going to get on you because at the most important is the game because every play is so important for us. Do you chambers ever truly be replaced?

15:20No, never, never. I've never seen a person ever like steel and I'm happy I don't because he's hilarious. When you look at your advantage, describe that front four that's in front of you right now, the veterans, HG, how would you describe it? I say all even more than the four, but they're all just dominant. Like the physical hand violence speed. They could probably fasten most of the linebackers and you know they're just super physical. And you know I like they've gone through so much here too and you know I think they're really good players. That's what I'm saying is it's show up more in the than else that they've been around. Oh yeah, yeah. How does that show up front four? You know experience is definitely like you got guys it's tough like playing with playing strong with your hands is tough. And like it's something you develop in college and you know I'd say probably the best in the country we have with our hand violence at upfront and it was a knockback.

16:20And it shows up in the games and on film and you know I think they're exceptional at that. The first two days you'll ever really play real football. Yeah. You're keeping your eye on the defensive side. I'm talking about some people aren't talking about right now. On office? No, the defensive side of the Camiga rise. Oh, there's a lot of players. You want a young guy or old guy? I mean I'm always going to push for from my guys from Jersey. I think Bonsu and McLean have played really well these first two days and I'm really excited for them because they're really like hometown guys. And I think the competitiveness here has helped them a lot. And you know they're really coming up in the bucket. But you put a nut job in the bucket and you continue to do it. You'll look back over time and you'll have a full bucket. So is that kind of mindset that you know we're coming into practices? You might not see yourself getting that style to get better. It's like working out. You don't go in the mirror after a workout and see yourself getting stronger. But you have the faith and the trust that you continue to put days in.

17:22You'll look back and nothing will be the same. You'll be a better team. For better or for works if you're not putting the work in you'll look back and you won't be where you want to be. So I believe that I'm confident that this team has put the work in. We show up weekend and week out. We put jobs in the bucket and we're going to be able to reap that this weekend. She both Brandon and Cody kind of parlaying off the way she said about making a change and trying to kind of feel different. If you will especially with the practice aspect they said that it's they've you guys have a plan for these practice. We have a little bit more revenge this weekend. So Cody and said maybe that started last week before Iowa. Your thoughts on how you guys were practicing here this weekend? I think going back to this our foundation of the team. We believe that we're built on toughness. It's one thing to say it but I believe that we show up weekend and week out when we show toughness. But to your point last week I believe there was position groups that were challenged not necessarily taking a personal but just challenged to practice harder.

18:22Let's see how hard can we practice. And so I think ever since then there has been another step that we've taken but that's the whole goal. I mean I hope in two or three weeks from now there's even another step that we take forward for where we are now. That's just the evolution of getting better as a team. I think one thing I've noticed with this football team is I think every single week we play we continue to get better. But I mean that's just life right. I mean that you continue to do you have the hopes to continue to get better at it. But I think we're seeing that here with this football team as well. I think when we talked to you in camp you said you were excited about how you guys are going to run the ball this year. Yeah. What point did it become clear to you guys were going to be able to kind of hang your pants on the ball the way you are now. I just think we're such a balanced offense. I think this kind of going against our team. Especially specifically against our offense. I think there's just too many things you have to remember. You've got to respect the perimeter and you have to respect the run game. You have to respect the stretch and the inside zone. All the different things that we can do putting the ball over the field in perimeter or even take a shot down the field.

19:24I think to respect some of the things that just leaves gaps in the ability to catch the ball for six and seven and eight yards. So I guess to answer your questions the more dynamic wherever to be on the perimeter the more we're able to connect when we hit on shots. I think the better it's going to be able to open up the run game as well. But I think coach Kelly and a coach today they do an amazing job just putting us in the right position and we don't have to think about that kind of stuff. It's all who minds that is four to six eight of you plus two to play as hard and as violent as we can. And we'll look at the scoreboard at the end of the game and see where we are. Is that balance the best you've had in your life? How would you guys characterize the balance of the ball? Yeah, I just think I don't know. I don't want to sum up. I don't want to compare. But I think we're just a very balanced team. I don't there's not much weakness. When I say that we still have the humility to know that we must continue to be better weekend and we count. But when I just look at our teammates a hole I don't just see like let's go pick on this guy because this guy can't do X-1-Z or we can leave him.

20:28I think we have 11 guys on both sides of the ball that are able to be dynamic and the physical and strong players. And I think we're just a complete team. But again, I say that with humility we want to continue to weekend and we count be the best team. We know we have to show up because on any given week you can lose. So we show up every week with the intentions of the National Championship. So today's football is about a few days of less than you can have this team for the Iowa game. What's kind of helped you grow as a leader and what's kind of helped you grow more comfortable? I guess it's being kind of a voice in my mind. I would just attribute that to my faith. My Lord, David Jesus Christ. I think before you can lead anybody else you have to have a sense of foundation who you are. Having a sense of self and I think the more that I've been able to be strong in my faith the more confidence is it is given me into being leaders to other people, being able to be a leader to other people. But I think that's where it starts. How can you lead people if you're not really sure of where you are?

21:30And then also when it comes to practice, practicality of football. I think the more you have an understanding of the often, the more vexing you are in this often, the more that you know, the more ability you can then hand knowledge to the next group of younger guys coming behind you. So that all helps with leadership. But I would attribute that to my faith, my strong foundation and knowing who I am. Where maybe some of the veterans will ask you years that you kind of were able to learn from as well. I noticed that they were pretty good leaders as well. You asked who were some? Others, there were so many. This being my 50 year, I've seen many, many leaders always going back to my freshman who was just in and pass bowl and Jonathan Cooper. Those guys to then the next group of guys with Chris and. I think that's what they are all those different guys going up coming through here. I've seen many great leaders and I think there's something I would definitely say that's something special with the leaders on this team.

22:31I would say there's not the leaders that we have on this team. They're not just leaders due to seniority due to it's just my turn. But I would look at the leaders that we have on this team and say they're sincerely leaders not just by. It's not as hammy down. We have great leaders on this team. The first question. Brandon was saying that he feels like Will is just built for the moment. Do you kind of feel that way too? Yeah, I feel like he never gets too high. He never gets too low. He's always locked in and focused. That's the kind of, I don't know if temperament is the right word, but the right attitude, if you will, for lack of better words. That's the right attitude that you want from a quarterback. No matter what spot we are in the game, we can look to Will and we'll be able to lead our huddle. And we have confidence in that. All right, Keith, thank you. We have one-on-one matchup. Obviously we'd like to take it with our guys. Or if there's quarter safety, the steps down. What are your thoughts about the James Keefer's and the same moves?

23:31They've been doing a good job. For the first fall camp, there's a lot of things that go on for a freshman. And there's a lot of things to stress about and worry about. But I feel like they're taking it one step at a time and trusting in Coach Lock and Coach Lock has done a really good job with them. Have you seen progression from Jeremiah? Obviously the ball isn't spring and we saw some of those things. Have you seen him take some of the steps you need to see from a younger student? Yeah, for sure. I mean, obviously he's very gifted and he has all the abilities to do whatever we need him to do. But you can definitely see that change in mindset from the spring to now, especially with his knowledge and the offense and knowing how to utilize his skills in different co-verages. And he handles it like a pro every day. There's really nothing that affects him. He just kind of steady on and doesn't really think about anything else. He just likes to play ball. For Ryan, steady like the name is starting the first couple weeks. Chip kind of laughed and walked that back a little bit there. Do you have a sense of the time? I have they communicated to you guys what they want to do. No, they just been rotating us through everything and everybody's in reps.

24:33Running game, offensive line, you said better. Cut it off on you. A more robust dynamic running game this year. What is that? I think we just have weapons everywhere. And with this new offense, we're able to utilize every weapon differently and make it really harder than defense to figure out what we're trying to do. And if you know the takeaway one option, there's a lot more options to go after. For sure. Obviously last year, when you were in games or in practice, you had Marv. Now it was kind of a cheat code. But you had all of full practice without him doing much and obviously the part of the game you played. How much does that help when you're getting ready for this season without a guy like that? I mean, yeah, obviously Marv's diamond in dozen, but like there's five other guys in the room. That can do all the same things, you know, with Jeremiah and Carnell and Ameka and Brandon and Bryson Raj.

25:33Like the list goes on and on. Whoever's in the game, we trust them to do their job. Do you like the helmet car on? How is that going to change your friend doing the huddle? Do you know their opportunity to meet? Yeah, I like it a lot. It makes it a lot more clear for us just to get the full play and not have to look at a signal. You know, we can get to play first and figure out what the defense is doing and then get able to rally our guys and get them going pre-play. What do you think about Jeremiah Smith just in terms of his ability to be ready when he gets here? Our explosion has been somewhat limited, but you're in the room with him and on the field with him. What's impressive to you about that guy? I said it earlier, just handles everything like a pro, you know, for only being a freshman, how gifted he is, how strong he is. No matter what anybody says about all this hype and all the talent he has, the dude works hard, works really, really hard. And, you know, he's iron bunk guy. That's never happened as a freshman. The first true freshman ever do that. So that's just a testament to who he is as a person and who he is as a player. So like I said, he's taken a huge step even from the winner. So can't wait for him to get on the field. There's more guest though. There's more guest though to the run game so far.

26:34I mean, obviously five praxis in. You know, you never really put what's your sense of what's different about the run game? Maybe this time here. I feel like there's just a lot more options. I think we've made it a lot harder in the defense to know what we're doing. I feel like we're less predictable. And like I said earlier, we just have so many options to make it harder on the defense and protect our runs. I'm just giving back, just give back there and get excited because you know that guy's going to go make a play. Alright, thank you, buddy. Thanks guys. We all want it now. That's maybe not the case all the time. So for him to get those real reps and show up. So no, I think we've built up with the tackle. I can say I'm naming those guys. We even had checked. And Morris had to run out there and play some two reps. It looked pretty good for a guy that's not even been here a year. So I think the positive is that it's been visible.

27:37Obviously, you're in a set from what you guys have done. You know, what do you have? What have you started doing with the tackle tackle? How different is that? What does that feel like for you to see these guys develop? What do you have? I think it's not for me. It's for them. Like that's his young guy. So he said like you got a guy like Tegrit. Like he's put in a lot of time and a lot of work, changes his body and some stuff. Carson. Carson got here at you know, 255, 259. And now he's a 300 pound guy and he's 12 games started under his belt and he's battling and playing and doing some things. So I think for them when it starts bearing a little fruit of the things that you do tell them when you're coaching like if you work this technique, you work this fit, you work this communication, then this is going to show. You know, and so from a coaching standpoint, yeah, it feels a lot better when you're not looking around like. Well, you put your right hand down now. Now it is so we had the sickness going back around and it was taking the slide outside in. Hey, we're going to you're going to two platoon go both cards today. You got to coach.

28:37And that was good for both parties as a coach who we can still practice and then for the kids getting really good reps out of it. How much does it? You're going to get this huge steak and some of the stuff. Is there a way you can put that to your head? I mean, it's sort of psychology. Yeah, just just yeah, I just put the calendar of an offensive line unit anywhere. You're going to take the criticism. I think the maturity of these guys is probably what sounded or showed with Donna when I wasn't over there, but like. Yeah, the oldest. Yep. Okay, that's our position. That's who we are. That's when you want to coach this position or play this position like. And you're going to take those. So I think the maturity and the growth of those guys understanding what they need to do, why they need to do it. It's going to pay dividends when we get on the field and start playing in the games. We're playing more and continue to play more like linemen and not lines on the page. I think as young guys and new guys you get in, you're kind of like, right, who do I have?

29:37Oh, I got burned. Okay, I'm going to go get the burn. No blocking you. I don't want to block you. You're right. I want to block you. Right? Okay. Okay, okay. Thanks, guys. But just trying to not screw it up or get there, figuring it out, you know, schematically or whatever. We're now the ownership and we're going to burn. And this is how we're getting here. And this is technique I'm using. That's showing up a lot. And like I said, that starts playing the truth because we're not. You're not blocking a pop up them. Like we do pods. We do individuals. Larry's guys and you got good on good and it's showing. That's the positive. As a coach now, I'm sitting there feeling like. Feeling better about it because we're doing it. And they're doing it because they understand it and they're not just saying. I'm aligned on a page. I got to go block those. You know, you mentioned Larry's guys. How much is it almost shining the light if you see a weakness on your line going against those guys? I would think it would expose it pretty well. You get a good read on what you have. Yeah, it's another proof though of when you're in a matchup game, Ryan talks about this all the time.

30:41It's you versus you. If you don't take the right step, if you don't communicate or get the right fit to the right identification, then really good teams and really good players are going to take advantage of that. If you give them something that way. So you're playing you. So for us to answer your question, yeah. They expose like, why did I get beat right there? Did he beat me or did I give it to him and he took it? And then Larry's guys can do the same. And what we get at whatever the technique may be on a zone player or a gap player, whatever it may be. And we hit something big. He can watch us say, hey, did you miss their fit? Did they miss their hands? So that good on good that we're getting the goal is going to expose a lot of things. Not necessarily how good you are, but when you don't play as good as you are. If that makes sense. Hey, could you just, and then just this might be a general question. But how would you see more, I guess, recruiting approach, recruiting pitch, mold change over the course of your tournament? It's still all about, in my mind, or in my like the evaluation. Like you have to be a guy that can come here and grow and perform and play.

31:42The changing has really been with the NIL at Wandscape. And so figuring out what that piece really is, how vested and how far you have to be in that. What's their priorities? So I think that's always, that's going to be a fluid thing. But at the end of the day, like, you know, I'm sound boring and cliche, right? But like if a kid loves football, it wants to be great, wants to get developed, wants to be around and play against Larry's guys and those guys in practice. And we feel like we've evaluated through camp or through tape. And we've offered those guys to, we want to go get those guys. That 40 is, that 60 is that 90. I mean, that's, that's off our evaluation and what we have. So from a, you know, the game of football hasn't changed for recruiting change. Yeah, and all that. But you still got to take guys that you can don't develop because that day one ready made guy in the offensive line set. Point amount if you're finding for me because they're feeling far between. You see a roster home with five stars in the quarterback corner, whatever. And it seems like there's been a little bit of a struggle to get those hot guys. Those hot guys, do you feel like you're approached with NIL as a part of it?

32:46Do you feel like it's working? Do you feel like it's a high state here? Yeah, because we're not done yet. I mean, you know, keep your head on the swivel here. I mean, December the long way away and weekends coming up soon. And, you know, where guys are, where they get recruited, what position before? I mean, that's what we have to do. That's, that's my job. That's, that's coach's job as we go together. And, you know, we're like evaluating guys that we feel can come here and develop and play and help us to continue to win. And so, yeah, stars matter share. My wife could point out, that's a, that's a really good guy, right? But, as I said, those, that pool lineman is not as big as some of the other. I mean, we shouldn't get him. It doesn't mean we're not working to get those guys. And like I said, it doesn't mean that we're done either. That's a long way to December too. How do you turn this thing? Couple of questions. I'll just ask you a spot. There's one super star guy that's up on the news. Is that a start-up pipeline or is it hard to really get these to be in place? You're getting those guys in the Madison Square?

33:46Yeah, I mean, I think you just look at the recent history all the way through, or all the stickers on the wall in there. I mean, you know, yeah, we had Paris. He was your national five star guy, right? But then we had other two other draft fix there that the one was in five star guy, right? Luke was in five star guy, good players, and they got developed. You know, those guys before, I got here, all the guys on the wall. I mean, yeah, that's... You'd love to go get all those guys, but... Do they fit the next step around, guys? So the four star guys? Are they really a four star? Are they really fit? Do they really want to do that? From a pipeline, though, you just click on the wall in the room, and we've seen all those guys that have come from all different levels. How would you... It's a little bit easier than the evaluation style. When you're dealing with so many people wanting to hear, before they even play the game, as a junior, I needed to offer for my last days, like, it seems like the process is just kind of lost. It's a way of being about a valuation, right? It's about a touch in a lot of cases,

34:46but how much harder does that make you think you're looking at a kid who's gotten the size you've looked at you're looking for, but maybe the film isn't there, maybe the camp performance wasn't what you wanted to see. How do you get him to understand that? Yeah, I think you got to feel through the relationship of what the kid, maybe the relationship with the coach, and just being frank and honest with him. I mean, I'm not smart enough to tell this guy one thing, this guy the other, and circle back, and all of a sudden you come back, and it's like, what was the message you gave here? Just trying to be as straight and communicative as you can. I still don't think, though, you get into early junior year first two or three games which we're going to do on guys that we felt like right there you needed to see. That's when the next wave of offers and recruiting stuff goes into. If a kid's just looking for a check mark on the internet, I probably failed at that my entire career early on, until you know that they're a buck eye. To be clear, you set up an out of pop up dummy, can I have a spawning career? You? Yeah.

35:46I would love to block you, bro. With one leg or both, for two left. Just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, Just trying to be as straight as you can. Got you. Three guys, then the last question for coach. That they all have. Two of them starts. We got Josh, he's a dryer of his dad, and he's 16. We got one else, he's gonna add 12 or have none. Where did this running experience show up with their watches? The day down this mountain, the wave of play. It could be, depend on the day. the dull drums and the grind of camp practice 12 13 14 that veteran guy that kind of grabs the guys like fellas we've been here let's go this is a lot of tough we got to pick it up we're gonna go could be in a situational deal it's nowhere it's like a it's we're going to third down period well it's not just another play hey it's just third down now they come over walls our butts in watch the picks watch the twist whatever the patterns may be I think we'll show them in the games when we hit the first real adversity through whatever game

36:47whatever quarter or whatever drive it shows up then that's the next time I'll show because they as you said there's there's gamesmanship there they've been in and they know now it's not the first time like whoa what's happening it's hey this is happening here so we get through it that's something that you think that you guys with the brain of two examples that you know obviously had gone like you think that you were missing a little bit of veteran veteran experienced guys you know and you had Matt there would play a lot of ball he had Donnie was coming into it but then yeah you're replacing the three new guys you know one coming from across the country and covering other two guys that we're coming into it so yeah my experience helps the time what's the experience you've said I've started this many games which means he's played this many thousand reps I started this many games I've had this many reps in the red zone this many in whatever situation it may be hey everybody

37:50it's been good a lot of learn obviously just trying to adjust everybody just in this game and see where you fit in that but it's been good that's good at the game game action first time since you play in a bowl game I felt good good do where to get your feet wet especially do it close to home here especially me so it was good I'm glad it glad it happened that way yeah had a bunch of family there I got to see a bunch of people so yeah couldn't ask for any more I was been good I mean just trying to just a different way of play different terminology different to whole different schemes so just learn how they want things done compared to how I used to do how you used to do things is really the right yeah no it's a great room a lot of really good guys I've grown really close with a lot of those guys so everybody helps each other a really nice learner from Dalton bread and those guys I mean Dalton's done it for a really

38:51long time so he helps me a lot with things that really aren't coachable things you know I mean how the family the game but what about working out here at this high school you're still in Ohio yeah yeah yeah I want to lecture tonight about the eighth of the size of this place yeah this is not like my high school but this is a healthy place but 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 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 days he did with 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 yeah

39:53it's a good question I don't think that's for for me I'm just trying to give I mean every time I think you can be as you can play this game for 50 years and there's always going to be something you leave the field with like I wish I would have a better not area I wish it would have been 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 all right right now the hardest part of this is just mental toughness of it all I mean physical toughness I mean you either have that or you don't my opinion so I mean I've always felt like I was kind of bred in that area with things and that's just kind of way happens naturally so just play after play that's kind of how we roll we gotta get you on the ball you get on the roll and that began the game defense more sound and those guys are more stiff as this far it's giving up yards as the game goes it's like okay guys are playing up so just keep running but you can't see it especially right now what do you see from Indiana's defensive front that's the strength of their team yeah undefeated team right now I think more so sound and you know those guys are super disciplined they like they want to give up in the yard so that's our job to go out there and make a

40:54give it up we talked to Trey last week about just kind of how fresh he felt how about you obviously have you worked over the last couple of years but yeah man I think right now you know I felt the best ever but like especially mentally and physically feel great just having a great group of guys around me to go out there and try to go win it all so you know having Trey around as well he's been such a asset to the team and you know just supporting each other for this whole year and just trying to go win it all great you had good you expect the offensive line to pick up work left off obviously losing Seth is a huge blow and so what if you noticed like today from the a spree to cover that group yeah I don't know there's anything out of the ordinary you know whoever steps in those guys are gonna go and execute so I don't have any doubts of anybody I don't know how for the line I know they're sky you know they're going in as good as their best so what was it about a high state staff that may be correlated between what you were going into with Alabama that you felt you could transition over here I felt like there was a really good quarterback development

41:56coach day pre-poor like Westboro you know the quarterbacks they've had just the past five years shown the credit rate numbers and I just really done things the right way and I wanted to come this offense because by him because my coach Kelly you know make a just look line I had to go much contact with them and you know they weren't really a I didn't know that something really one of the things that coach days is that you don't like tag your hand held and that process now you you played up a need a lot of time football there what is it about you to try and want that much virtue I'd say you know in high school I had a coach that you know he was giving me a lot of responsibility and I he would you know kind of a lot of not a responsibility I mean make things hard on me and so I just you know I want to be the best for back in the heat and take the need to feel do things the right way and just do things around on my love Washington Joe Barrow he makes a just look line he's a really good decision maker

42:59on I just have heard it's not a charge of events I'm watching him play on some of those guys know just you know the decision makers who make these you know I would say I'm a little bit more quiet from working on the focus I you know coach days trying to get the email the won't go later out there with the guys that I think my you definitely quiet conference uh that's why uh confident you're going to play I actually I think I've only been here once in a few years in the process and I love that I'm really good to be places to be hang out with friends a lot of the second I think I visit maybe freshman soft family yeah just just for the camper and visit just just the just the facilities I know it was only a few days but being in the Alabama program especially as they prepared for

44:00uh the ballpoint upfront what did you take away from that short period of time yeah it was uh it was really good with uh the coach of recent kerosene and they were uh they were coaching players hard and I saw the uh the work it takes to get to the uh the playoffs and I'm coming here um to see and the order guys put in the work and uh throughout throughout the winter you know seeing our older guys and older leaders put in the work and showing the athletes how much of a relationship is you have with air obviously coming in he had been committed you come in you're both freshmen what was it like before and then what's your relationship exactly like now we didn't have much relationship prior uh we mentioned that we were going to let them uh new each other a little bit and then come in here you know uh quarterback room everyone here is really close so it's uh we're all pushing each other be better um we're all we're all taking push points from each other try to try to come in I would say we are called by surprise uh you know come back from the uh in the game it was a little bit high experience because of the team journey

45:00uh it was high-five success how did you feel when you did what did you feel in America with the coaches like for or you were assigned with for or and you were assigned with all that there was definitely a lot of emotions but uh i'm not that way we know uh they help me through it and uh they've been at make the relaxation uh uh and up here and i'm like um i can't really explain how that out i would be um just really trying to develop and take coach coach day and i'd break one of my course and then uh take your course and coach Kelly so you know i just uh one developed from uh run the offense when they want it and then take their coach and uh try to figure out how to do it when you look at your skills at coach brain and then at the time you get a knock on your head what do you think what about your game you think you're trying to do it with the coach before i think that i can be a really good decision maker for uh the offense and someone who'd be absolutely never from trust

46:02you i think uh it's it's kind of a lot of things um and i was always around football my foot my bow's a quarterback at can so he used it quarterback and i was in high school and i was kind of following his feet to depth so i've always been around football and then uh just been at high level off this high school and just uh really just having a lot of fun thank you one more who's your favorite titan uh packer and he's you know certainly making a case to to uh get on the field this fall you know so i think it's been a really good spring for cj um there's just always you know whenever you have a good day you got to follow it up by another good day you know and kind of stack days and i think that's what a pro does you know i mean like there's always you want to be a pro you got to keep

47:06stacking and that's the expectation and i think you know he's had some really good days and then he's had some days where you're like you're trying to push him a little bit but i think i think cj where he is now compared to where he was last fall is uh he's a lot better football player we heard a lot of good things uh a lot of individuals here so far this year i go down the case hours our release are you envisioning right now that you want this to be a five six person operation yeah well i think coach dade's talked about it a lot right it's gonna be a long season and so i think we need to have i've always been on the opinion if you have two guys you have two guys when you ride with them right if you have six you have six and i've been blessing so i'd say right now we're probably at five uh that i would feel confident rotating out there on the field um and look i i'm old school right so i come from the era i used to yell at uke fickle what he was taking out oh i get so mad i get some it'd be 42 whatever against young stout state i'd be so upset coming out of the game but seeing how violent this game is from this perspective now you have to

48:11say hey okay not only within games can we keep guys fresh right but can we do that so that when you get to the last two games in the season that act that are the big ones right the ones that you're judged off of when you get to the game are we healthier i think that's it's kind of a both a both-hand right um so i'm still confident with five guys and and that's gonna be a week to week you know and me and like these guys know i think honestly who starts to be weak to weak if you display during the week of practice that you're locked in and somebody else has a bad mental weak well i can't reward you with starting if you have six mental errors during the week you know i mean just because you started last week so i think it's got to be that iron sharpens iron constant complications through the whole fall i always felt when i was here that they were trying to out-recruit me which is the reality right yep which is why it prepares you so well for the national football that's why

49:12Ohio State prepares you so well for league because now it's like they're trying to out-drat you and so i used that as fuel but i also thought firsthand you know like there was a season where it was john curr market-streaming certain guys rotating week to week and so i saw like should if it happened to them it could happen to me so i just tried to be a certain way in practice like i tell the guys all the time you have to control the things that take no talent you have to eliminate all loves like if you if you loaf on the field you're a traitor like you should just go play for their team like that can't you can't be coaching effort and then you can't have mental errors because if you have a mental error then then you can't trust you so those are the two things i always in the player was like all right you're not going to catch me loaf and you're definitely not going to catch me not knowing what i'm supposed to do i might get beat and that's that's inevitable it's football everyone got scholarship right but those two things you can control everything i think it's just you know we haven't we haven't done like any of my series you know what i mean

50:13so we know he can tackle and all that but i think it's just the repetitive grind of a football game from in the box the constant and he's been he's been willing so far you know what i mean as far as his hand placement has been good he's been willing to strike he's tough so it's just continuing to to have him challenged to there's plays right now where he's seeing it from the first time from a well-backer so the next time he sees it maybe a throw catch tackle is at the intersection you know what i mean because he's seen it before from that perspective everything he's seen before this has been from top down off the shelf right so now it's dropping back settling striving so he's made great progress and i'm really happy with without something's done James looking at recruiting that seems like it's going really well for you obviously you can't talk about specific recruits but just overall how do you feel like that's going and are you enjoying i am i i am enjoying i think it's it's fun to to build relationships and get to know so many different types of kids you know um oh how state presents opportunity right in so many different ways

51:17you're not gonna get developed um better anywhere else in the country we have the largest fan base the largest alumni it makes his opportunity everywhere right so you try to just export like explain your passion for the school that did so much for you you know especially being an out-of-state kid not being from Ohio and then realizing how much Ohio state changed my life and so now you communicate that to other young kids who kind of see it and you try to tell them the vision like where do you can get to and i think the fun thing for me is that most of the kids them recruiting are way more athletic than i ever was so it's like i tell them if i can the only way i survived in the NFL eight years was the fact that i had football intelligence like i knew where i was going you know what i mean i knew where i was fitting and so now if i can impart that information on kids who are extremely athletic well now you're now you got something special you know what i mean how much of you guys have staff already talking about the long season and

52:19the people play more guys well i think yeah you're gonna have to have depth that's the reality right it's a longer season there's more games and there's no excuse that a place like here like if you're all i'm playing with a maybe a guy who was third or fourth under no matter you know like you got to be ready to go so i think depth is it's crucial at all to be pushing because injuries are gonna happen there's part of football you know you never want to wish had upon anyone and you're certainly not but it's just you can't be naive to think that you're just gonna have every single starter healthy for the whole season you talked about your mentality as a player and then you're recruiting different players than you were how do you how do you marry that when they may not have the same mentality that you need it but you want them to have them well you figure that out when you get to know them and there are certainly some kids that you start to recruit to where you see like you know it Ohio State might be too big it might be too big for them you know what i mean and so it's not for everybody you have to want to come in and compete against

53:22the best and realize that you have to win every single game to be the best in the world of what you do that's the expectation that Ohio State and that's certainly not for everyone and that's okay but you have to through the process kind of find out who has that mentality who really craves football you know like who craves football versus a lot of the other fluff that kind of comes with it who craves ball because when they crave football then the other stuff will take care of itself right and we'll just keep getting better and better and better if they want to be the best you said you were two more questions for games yeah that's i mean that's i think that's your job as a recruiter is you got to figure out what's the mindset of the kid and are they are they serious about football and you have to talk to the people that are around them and you got to figure out talk to coaches you just got to try to figure out like who loves ball and they had a felt they do the same thing right now they're attending the massive about the money and they're saying okay we're gonna get this person money as a change their motivation or they still love ball so now it means college is the same thing like who who actually wants to be the best or who just

54:23likes the attention that comes with playing football James I've already talked about it but he's a little bit of the elevation from our bell from end of last and obviously missed the time last year injury but where he's at now versus the expectation that he had to move this our bells I mean show a lot of progress you know most most importantly you know mentally with the playbook and everything I think our bell last year there was a couple things right because of injuries on the D line and camp you know he moved the end for a little bit then we brought him off the ball and then he had an injury and he kind of missed some time he wasn't an early mid-year you know so he comes in right in the summer and so he missed some reps there so the see where he's at right now is extremely impressive and for a guy of that size and that much power and his ability to run he's a he's a special athlete and so our bell is had a good spring he's got continue to dive into the playbook and got to continue to to learn all the little things and as you go right like week one week two you start seeing new schemes new schemes things build and it becomes kind of a lot he's just got to continue to comb through it all because

55:27athletically you know he's one of the most gifted guys that we have in the room to now that you're with me like are there on the middle differences you've noticed in the room no I think I think it still comes down for the most part like NIL is certainly an aspect for some for some it could be the most important thing it's always a factor but I think you still just need to find out who are the kids that love football and they want to be developed and it's about the relationship to an extent like a relationship gets you to the final stretch for some kids and I might be the thing that pushes them over the top I mean I don't know like every kid is so different right I try to view it as you're just building relationships and are you going to get a young man to trust you to develop them and to not only the player that they want to be but the person that they want to be in the future can you convince mom and dad that you're the right person to to do that you know what I mean so I think one of the things that

56:27is helpful is my playing experience I think you know when you've played and you've done it and the drills that you're doing you know that they work you're not going to waste your time on stuff that doesn't work and then the fact that you know I am blessed to be at my alma mater you know so there's no there's no sense of trying to leave here you know and you have the question I get a ton is what do you see yourself in five years I'm like where I'm sitting my alma mater you know my my kids love it Columbus obviously I love Ohio State so I think those are things that can kind of be in advantage yeah it's awesome maybe I love it because it gives you an opportunity to coach the the whole team you know what I mean like special teams in a spot where the whole team probably minus the quarterbacks right is is all in one team room in one meeting room so you get to actually directly impact other positions and just your own and I think it also gives it gives

57:28a little bit of urgency to your own room like when you're in there every single time you better be making an impact on pun if you're a linebacker you better be making an impact on kick return or on kickoff kickoff return punt return all those things you better be making an impact right because your coach is in there all the time so it's been nice and and there's a lot of stuff that I think our coaches have done to kind of push that that sense of team when you're in special teams that we every position matters. Jared someone has been in a foul what do you think what being a foul is doing to kick off now and even that's like it could be good for college. I mean the thing that states it takes away like the surprise on side you know what I mean but all these rules are changing so much for the safety of the game and I mean I think it's only a matter of time before it triples down it seems like everything triples down so we'll see as of right now we'll keep things going the way they are. All right James thank you. Yep. Thanks guys.

58:31Yeah I think when you go to a game like this one of the most important thing is to avoid distractions so I'm letting my wife handle that right now which is a lot but yeah the number one thing for us right now is focusing on this game and so I said that to our team that we have to avoid all distractions right now we have a lot of family a lot of friends a lot of people who certainly want to come to the game and obviously those things need to get taken care of but ultimately we have to do our job they're all there to see us and that's what we're going to focus on so no it's it's an opportunity obviously to be on stage and finish our mission but we have to make sure we avoid all distractions. It just makes me realize I've grown up a lot since then.

59:36You know again I feel like our guys are men we have 145 guys on a team right now which is you know when you when you hear it it just kind of blows you away you have that many guys and everybody's job on the team and that includes coaches and staff is not to be a distraction to the other player as they prepare but also just in general you know avoiding distractions for the for yourself in terms of your your focus and so we know the question right there about tickets and all the different things or some of the stuff that you know the stories that are written you know talking about you know previous years or previous games or things that make that has nothing to do with what's going on in this game and just being focused on this game and how we execute and that's been a message without overdoing it but our guys understand what the message is and I believe they're locked in.

1:00:57Well I know that we we need everybody so you know former players you know people who are going to be at the game and having a great presence in Mercedes-Benz stadium and being allowed yeah we'll need them so we're playing for them you know people who are back home in their living rooms whether it's back in Ohio or you know another country or across the country you know just said in great energy our guys feel all that so you know we're playing for everybody who's pulling to be a buck guy we're playing for buck guy nation for sure we're also playing you know for each other and for this team and and that's it I'm not going to get too far into that right now but but that's it yeah

1:01:59um yeah he's like family he is you know being the first really commit and guy who you know recruited the other guys especially on defense but also on offense um he just he was a leader from the jump and being a buck I meant even more to him growing up in Columbus and Pickering to Ohio his family of just great people and this is a guy who overcame some things you know he just didn't come in his freshman year and dominate leaving three years and going to the NFL to be a first round draft pick I mean this this is a guy who again I say it all the time you know where's a hard hat to work every day brings his lunchpale to work and has the respect of his team teammates and you know you're seeing his play it was talking talking this year so I know he wants to play it his best this this game being a captain you know again you know in in August having his teammates vote him in was a big deal for him it was an emotional moment and

1:02:59and you know winning some of these games has really built him more and more confidence in knowing that this is what he wants you know he wants to win a national championship more than anything and that I think represents our entire team you no I just think that this this year with with the 12 team playoff it's just been a little bit different and there's a lot everyone has their own story and there's a lot of great teams out there and you know a lot of things come into play when you make a run like this injuries and and just different things so you know we'll look at it at the end of the year and figure out you know the adjustments that need to be made I think internally but I also think that you know we all need to look at you know how this is playing and what this means you know playing 16 games

1:04:00I think it's a great learning opportunity to see what that what that's going to look like moving forward but I know it's been exciting for college football and for their fans yeah I think they do a great job on offense coach Dembrox done a great job wherever he's been Riley Leonard's an excellent leader Jeremiah Love is one of the most talented backs we've gone against and they have a very good offense align the heavens is really good at tight end multiple tight ends receivers are our weapons so you know they're gonna they're gonna challenge us in a lot of different areas and so we have to play big 10 football you know that's what it's gonna look like and you know every play matters when you play any game like this and certainly against this team it'll be the same way

1:05:03yeah I think we built we say this in all the time is that you know when you have momentum you gotta keep it when you don't you gotta go get it and you know we didn't have momentum at the end of the season we had to create our own momentum and then we started to build some momentum and now now we have to keep it but I think the the ability for our guys to sustain throughout the season has been significant here and and now it now it's gonna be at the best it's got to ramp up and again the goal is to play our best game and to finish the mission but we talked early in the season about building a foundation for down the road and just like anything else you you build a foundation of a building when storms come it has to with with with stand those storms but now we gotta finish we gotta finish what we started and that's it I think again there'll be time to reflect on some of those things after the game right now we're just gonna continue to look at Monday night and play in our best game

1:06:12you know it's been it's it's it's been enjoyable to be able to you know it started off with the home game against Tennessee and then one of the road to the Rose Bowl to LA that was an experience and then you know so went through that and and then went down to Texas and you know played Texas in Texas which was very much like a road game and and so now we're into Atlanta and we have a lot of guys on our team from the Atlanta area from the southeast so for a lot of these guys it's like coming home so so that's exciting but it's it's allowed you know our our families and team to kind of be on the road together for the last you know month but we we just like we're I kind of say like we're like train rats we just come to work and and you know figure out what the next mission is to get back to work that way you know that's just really what it is and every once in a while you gotta come up for air and realize that you know it has been a great run and but now we gotta finish it and so you know every once in a while you take a step back but then you get refocused on what matters and but to your point it's it's it's about everybody you know and

1:07:14certainly it all starts with the players and what they do and I think the you know our energy has continued to grow I think you know we talk about like the mental fatigue I just don't see that with our guys I think there's it's only increased the energy's increased the focus is increased I think our team is fresh right now you know I think you know if you had to we could continue to play for a few more weeks but but that just shows you the the experience the maturity the depth that we have and I think that's all important but but we're not gonna play anymore we got one more left and it's gotta be our best say that again yeah yeah we have we have and you know excellent football players with you know just great focus on family and you know just and you can see how important relationships matter and

1:08:23you know when you when you have an opportunity to recruit families and get into their homes you got to feel for what that's like at home and and you can certainly see how how you know in the Haitian community family matters relationships matter so that when you bring somebody into your family and the football family you know they grab onto the culture and and it's been a huge asset to our team you know say it one more time yeah yeah oh I got you yeah well yeah we're kind of I guess that that transition has been happening the last few years but you can see obviously this year it's really accelerated and the thing

1:09:25that's hit me is that you know we're we're in the middle to late January we're still playing and you know some teams are you know starting spring ball in another week or so you know and so it's just very very different um I think it's all things that we have to learn from when we assess what's going on but it's been hard to take a step back and look at anything because you know you know you have a short period of time to get back and win the next game and like every single ounce of your energy has to be to go win the next game and then you wake up and you realize you're on to the next one and so we're not there right now but I know after the season you're going to wake up what just happened you know and then we'll try to assess at the best weekend and make it better I know there's a lot of things that we can do to make this all better and and I know institutionally we'll continue to make those adjustments like you said and do things the way we've done before but also adjust but also you know I think in college football we need to look and see how we can make this even better as it's gone on because every year it has gotten better and I think it's great right now but man when you think about the potential and what it can be for the

1:10:26players and his teams it's pretty extraordinary oh yeah that's it that's it and I think our strength coach Mick Morati really you know symbolizes kind of what that means you know he has this old school work ethic you know because the line's still the line and the cone's still the cone you still got to have your foot behind the line you still got to run through the cone plus two but there's so many other things now there's sports science there's GPS there's a longer season and so having to be able to adapt with those times is important and I think it's the same way with our program and how we run things and the tradition is not going to change Ohio State and that's one of the reasons why these guys come here it's one of the things we sell and recruiting you know is that you know just over a hundred years of football and the great teams and players that have come before and what the expectation and you know we have an obligation to be the best in a world at what we do and that's the expectation whether you're a player or coach and we own that we absolutely embrace

1:11:29that and but then also adjusting with the times and now we have a new playoff system in place so but all that being said here we are a couple more days before the game and we've got a chance to finish our season and finish the mission and then again cement ourselves in the history of Ohio State football as the 19th to win an national championship and and the third in over 50 years a lot of good teams along the way and that's been a message to our guys and it's not about how you start it's how you finish try not to get too much into those nostalgic thoughts because it's a distraction and there when you're in a game like this it's easy to get distracted players and coaches so what matters is

1:12:30what we do on Monday night how we execute how hard we play and that's it and then after the game I think there's a great opportunity to sit back and think about all those types of things but yeah there's a lot that I could probably go into if we were to sit back and talk about what Monday night means but but ultimately we have to we have to go win the game and that's it right now so 48 hours out I know a lot of people want to talk about different things we're just going to focus on executing at a high high level everybody doing their job and find a way to win the game in the fourth quarter and that's it yeah

1:13:33I think you know in life you know you have to you know work through tough times and it's how you respond to those tough times and and that's it and that's been the message all along to our players and it's not always how how things happen in your life it's how you respond and I think our guys have learned a lot about that and I again I said this before I think there's some great stories to be told about you know what went on behind behind closed doors and you know some of the things that were said and you know the personal challenges that we we had for each other and you know collectively the story but the only way that gets told is if a banner gets put up in a hoodie that's it and and that's the that's the sobering reality of this game that nobody cares about what you go through and you got to win that final one to finish the mission and so that's it for our guys and you know as much as some of these these wins have been great wins for us you know to me you know it's about winning this final game and so all that being said I think our guys have learned a lot about life over the last month I think

1:14:37it's been a tight group we we've seen the good the bad and the ugly and it's a special group of guys that care a lot about each other and they're going to go on to be very very successful moving forward because they're strong they're loyal and and they're they're very mature you're going to see you know 10 20 30 years down the road these guys making an unbelievable impact not only on their families but in the community and in the game of football yeah it's it's football and you know I said my wife all the time like that's we signed up for it and you know it's the highest of highs and the lowest of lows this game will take you to the knees and and give you some of the greatest experiences in the world and that's it you know not a lot of people get to experience those those highs and lows and you have to manage the tough times and you got to enjoy the good ones and that's it and you know the more you're in this game

1:15:37the more you're going to realize that and that's it and those are opportunities to show strength and and that's it so you know we're counting on that to make a difference on one night yeah you got it yeah that's it and set a great example for the younger groups one of the good things about having 145 guys on the roster is some of these new freshmen and and transfers that are coming in get to see what it's supposed to look like get the C great leadership if this wasn't the case they wouldn't get able to have an opportunity to see what you know a mecca book is like will Howard traving on Henderson late and ransom then Zell Burke you to go through the list Cody Simon I mean these you know Tyler Williams you know what does it look like how do they prepare not only for one week but but several weeks and and and these these guys are they're men they are and the way that

1:16:41they go about their business not only they love being Ohio State Buckais but they love their teammates all those things matter and so again they want to play their best game here and and finish themselves and cement themselves so that you know when they come back they can see that banner up there and you have a bail ring to show for it so that's it you know we'll get back to the hotel here get back to work get to these meetings and focus on what matters right now yeah hard to put in the words what a mecca is meant to this team or to me or to my family or to Ohio State it started when he first got here he had a different look in his eye he's extremely competitive no jobs too small for a mecca he's selfless he's really made it unbelievable strides in his life

1:17:43but also just in his faith and you know he speaks people listen he's very well thought out he's sitting on having a conversation with a mecca book or you're going to walk away extremely impressed and but then when you talk about his play on the field he's made a lot of great plays he's been very clutch he's been very consistent and this is a guy I know who wants to finish his career out with a great game one at night okay I think when you're when you're starting out this season and you're putting a roster together you have to start from this game and move back and and I think when when that happens you

1:18:45have to build a team and I think now the big 10 has allowed us to do that with with the addition of some different styles of play on the west coast and then certainly the traditional big 10 play it's a combination of being able to get big and strong and heavy and stop the run and run the football when it matters but also being a spread out game where you can be in a little bit of a track and have the skill to play with anybody in the country and I think that's the combination that you need to have and and that's the goal every year to do that you know when you when you need to go get that yard you get that yard and when it's time to get that stop you get to get that stop but also having the skill to be able to run with everybody in the country and that's that's how we start and then as the season goes on we look to identify the areas where we have to you know get better or whatever that might be but but I think it all starts in the off season with our off season program and what Mick Morati does and I think our our off season program when and I know it now because when I see players come from other teams that's you get great feedback you know you get

1:19:48you know guys who come in from different programs and say you know talk to me about what your program is compared to our program off season during the season all that it really gives me confidence no one were doing the right things I think every year you learn and I think you know to be to be you know to be honest I think you know every year I learn and grow and figure out what needs to be done to get it fixed and identify the issues and be honest and call it out for what it is and get it fixed and get it addressed and that's what leaders do and you know they look out in the horizon see what's coming because the soldiers are fighting right in front of you and that's what they are and so what what's coming down the road and then obviously what what areas need to get addressed and get fixed and that always starts with you know who's in the right seats you know players coaches and staff making sure that's organized and then building it from there and

1:20:50so every learn every year you grow to try to get better and then you know identify it the next year and move on from there and keep growing and and we all have to continue to learn and I think you know I've done that as well yeah yeah Caleb is mature beyond his years is a tremendous player but he brings a work ethic that's tremendous he and Nathan ran some both in the way that they bring energy to practice every day and they let their play do the speak to do the talking for them but but they're great leaders um during the recruiting process I went all the way down to the wire it's been told before and we were right there at the end and you know I wished them good luck and understood I mean coach Sabin is a unbelievable coach and certainly has success speaks for itself but also just as a

1:21:51defensive backs coach and I totally understood and was pulling for him in his freshman year you can tell my my family and my wife and kids we were all pulling for him because he was just such a unique talent and great person and great family and then when when coach retired and you know he was in the portal it was an opportunity to reconnect with him and I think he had great relations with players and it's been great to see him this year really flourish within our culture and you're seeing the best version of him now well it's going to be a great environment we know that great crowds on both sides so it'll be electric and you know different than in the past where you kind of had these you know bowl game and then a final game we you know these playoff environments now or something that you know we become accustomed to and so we need to focus on what really matters and the execution and find a way to win the game in the fourth quarter that's it

1:22:53you know this is a team that continues to come at you so we know what's going to take four four quarters it went all the way down to the last play last time we played them and you know we have to be prepared for that but but that's it great environment you know and you know we it's good to get over there today to have practice just to kind of see it again feel it again and I know our guys will be ready all good okay thanks you're going to get one more question here and then it is yeah I think he's built confidence as an offense alignman throughout his career and especially this year and he's become a leader for us up front and we'll need him to be at his best in this game as well thanks yeah I mentioned this before that you know this is about these players in this game

1:24:03it's all going to be about who executes well during the game that's it and I think our guys understand that and feel that and um know there'll be a lot of conversation which is great it's exciting for the fans to talk about um but we know what really matters and that's what our focus is on is executing at the highest level we possibly can that thanks so we're excited to be back home for a couple weeks and uh need to stack another one Nick how do you manage your own expectations when you have 14 pressures but you're not putting getting the sack numbers that you'd like to get um I think just stay in the course and continuing to get better which I think I've done um and then hopefully that day comes where where the stats come but uh I think I affected the game a good amount last week so um that's that's good for the team. Nick I'm sure it was a super player playing a player as you think about and Dan probably can we done better there but what it comes with the fifth line and the home the home is running over time is that one particularly

1:25:06greener or with one so it's no guarantee you're going to stop them but is that one particularly exactly like the ball to get over yeah no that's tough especially because we have calls that could negate that um 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 but yeah I mean I definitely thought he was going to hold it or keep it but uh I got to do my job especially in a big moment like that you can't go out of your job um but um we definitely have a plan for the zone read this time so high in states 2020 you could you clap that that is your job right that was yeah okay but then you like make player kind of like yeah yeah did a shrug but not a solid the courage strike yeah even the hints at what should have happened um I I mean there's a couple of variables

1:26:09I think the tight end came across so that changes some things to the guys behind me um 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 it's a lot from that team just watching in terms of how you try to attack from this time around from your experience yeah yeah I mean like any game that you played a team before you watched tape and learn from it does this does this often to fly in the torres they get kind of less I guess less in trouble for holding or is it just depending on the kind last year for sure last year they had two of the top penalized guys in the league um but uh doesn't look too bad this year but we'll see if there are more crews are there referring crews that kind of let it go more than others I mean um it seems different every week so let's see do you count your steps throughout the day is that why you use a scooter uh that's kind of how it started I don't count

1:27:09them glad I just takes a little off the legs why not it's a lot of walking from building to building it is good morale boost yeah it's good to have them um and I'm excited to watch a clip recent history and some cheats down in this one to have them again it'll tip in like they go back and be looking at them on three um it's definitely a little emotional but uh at this point it's just a game so we're just looking at the tape trying to learn from it um a lot of similarities from last year to new guys but uh really good defense and uh offense that obviously has 15 back there so um always dangerous 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 ladder yeah you're with lots of last year did you feel ever run

1:28:13up against an offensive line and feel like you feel like you're at a good way right now where you can do things against them no matter what offensive line if you're trying to yeah I mean this year it's kind of different because I obviously I'm pushing to the ball but um it kind of feels the same you know I think I like being able to place these I like tiny things up and being able to run full speed and be able to hit somebody and catch them off guard and that's just what I'm able to do now this on the ball and closer to them. um we haven't really talked about like a few guys but uh he's talking about like winning the Guinness um I had a chance to work with him my my junior at the opening but I was different because obviously I was playing off-guard um yeah that's done with guys they know Smith and Robo. Let's see the way that he coaches and what is his style.

1:29:14It's very intentional but he knows that we're human so you know he knows nobody's going to be perfect and it's okay to mess up but the thing is being able to learn from that mistake and not do it again. I know how different is this. How different is your future? Um it's different but like I said I've just been enjoying the ride. I like why I am now so I'm just gonna grow at this fight and get to where I want to go. I'm 100% No um it's very hard. We're just looking at our 222 class. We've got a lot of guys and now we're probably going to have like five or six guys here exactly so um being able to just stick it through and just you know I feel like me staying here each year I feel like I was telling you this thing because yeah it was opportunity to transfer but I just kept feeling like God just stay

1:30:16let his will be done just let his will you know you know um I try to every little drill that we do I try to make sure I'm doing it to to to the team you know I don't like to mess up and that's why you see me after practice working with coach Johnson or coach Patricia because of the fact I know it's very urgent but um I still feel like I have time you know I'm just only the spring you have 158 days probably to replace us. You've been revving there throughout December obviously. What exactly did you start to make that transition though and you heard they were hiring an operator at your um obviously in December it was different because we had coach Knows here and coach Knows was more he was telling me different ways he was going to use me with the Jagged and the way he was going to have me line up and things like that um coach Day what he was telling me was we're going to bring in a different coach and just you know uh there'll just be a specific coach

1:31:20just sort of position I was playing just that way it could just be easier on everybody and that probably was just going to be coach Knows because obviously it's his defense but um with coach Patricia coming in um I feel like it's a lot easier on everybody because of the fact like I said his experience and he's everything that we're doing now it just feels like everybody can just play fast you can beat themselves. We talk about every day. Yeah coach Day brings it up every day because of the fact we got to like yeah we have one good day today but we do have to stack day on top of day on top of day because of the fact that we played sex and sex is just in the playoffs you know they're not on saw she even though that they're probably in the same mindset as we are right now because they're lost a lot of starters but it doesn't mean you see guys like like the parts of the real part are they start to get through the line back with the edge how much does that inspire you to see what kind of success that you guys have? No um I feel like watching those guys I feel like you can see like it helped them in the

1:32:22longer um especially with the blue especially with the blue last year because of the fact it was it's first year one month on a lot of scrimmage but um um obviously I watch those guys I watch other guys but I'm on it so I mean it means that they can happen really so 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 earlys you got a chance to go to you know set my final some of you went to the Rose Bowl there's nothing caught more national championship game what was like what was that like how much did you think that helped you oh that was incredible just see how other leaders led in that position and just seeing what they did how they prepared that's not helping out with everybody what was the highlight of that that time other than winning the national championship itself was

1:33:24there's something that stands out to you just being able to uh trouble and get the meetup everybody meet all the players um everybody I won an ad and meet all uh early and brothers that early I was really just living on your own you gotta be independent um that's pretty much it though you feel kind of comfortable in that age so we're trying to get myself out of this I mean of course there's adjustments but I'm getting this for you uh yes sir my need is 100% I mean of course it's hard to miss my senior year last year when I was on my best friend right I think you can take back the game right all right it was an interview really good

1:34:25sorry but how did you get your oh really it says I was uh baby my dad like my dad my master partner like once I was born okay forever why did they pick that uh my dad looked up to me and I'm a junior so I swear to you man you're I think you should be your first name's alright yeah okay so could wear eight two you got two choices it's a desire that can be addicted for people you know I think I fell into that no way younger age but super good that that's not it again I watched the lab last episode of lamb and on the planet download it to

1:35:30I don't know that just this wife seems to be like hold it I don't know how he handles it so it's a good show we're all like it seems to be coming on the film up with all this middle right so I'm excited to see how I'm doing oh I thought I did a good job um I was surprised honestly it seemed like it seemed like you knew what he was doing for a period of school this year so maybe you put your question you say you pay your mom a salary if you guess we did all just mommy get a pay raise or uh I don't know what to talk about that this year have a meeting or something you can choose I'll figure it out everybody's talking about you yeah well first off I think I'd be doing this service to to my teammates you know me even

1:36:33thank you though what's the next this what's right in front of us is an over you and that's another thing I got to tell me so much through is just being present in every single moment that I'm in you know not looking too far ahead because I'm tripping on what's right in front of me so again I just that's too selfish of thank you for meeting me thinking about what's next to me did you're at least aware that there's a lot of speculation out there that people have been a for a huge number of people going to the season I mean right now I'm just not worried about all that stuff I mean people can say all they want to say but you know I'm just focused on focus on Friday nervous I mean I just don't get nervous for sure but I just don't think I think I do a good job just understanding that that moment whatever moment it is that I'm nervous about it doesn't define who I am as a person and it doesn't define who I am and God's eyes

1:37:38and understanding and knowing that has just kind of put like this force field of peace around me that I think it allows me to be able to be calm in certain situations but it doesn't but that's not good nervous I mean I just love the game so much and if you don't get nervous or a little bit of butterflies I would think you you have that same love I mean I've got butterflies you know going into football the instance oh it's you know five six years old so I don't know what that feels like I just you know football just doesn't mean as much as it did to you back then I want to talk with you playing as much so I just wanted to get like more experience under my belt so I can

1:38:41bring younger guys with me because I've been through uh well as a workhorse he he goes stay quiet you go work hard and that's what I love about him he focuses he don't really talk much he's going to get a job done do a job right really has any mistakes uh the national championship I ring when all the games we don't want to lose anything uh we got a mindset that we can't be beat and the lids you got to go show it seems like you guys expect the national championship every year this year even more so you guys have all come back for this you guys have all decided like an opposite one is that just you feel the difference or is there not really any difference it's just the same one uh there's definitely a difference everyone working harder um we noticed our last run

1:39:43like we most of us don't have any years after this so we got to go go bigger go home then we not trying to go home finished big we know what you guys think of Michigan but when you look at what they did they won the national championship and you guys took them down to the final minute right you know what I mean I mean you you were right there something goes a little different you guys could have been won that game against them does that tell you anything about like that hey you guys want to win a national championship but you played to the 59th minute with the team that won the national championship last year like you're that close so I'm saying uh we just like work harder and that's that's kind of coach makes uh saying you know nobody cares is work harder like those you know when we played Georgia it's the same thing uh last last play you know they went on the win the 90s so we just got to get over that hump at the end of the season I think we'll be fine how frustrating is that you're that close against the last two national title uh of course is you know it's frustrating but you can't change the outcome you can't really dwell on uh dwell on it you just got to you know come back and work harder do things better than you did

1:40:49last year and hopefully the outcome would change as that is you get a order you kind of learn I thought I was working hard and you always find out there's a little more you could have been doing yeah definitely I mean that's how that's what growing up is basically in college I thought French me where I was working it's hard as I could but now I look back at it I really wasn't working hard at all compared to what I'm doing now so just to learn anything what do you need it to be to be your best uh 85 I mean I can it's all on me I just I think it's a little higher I was just trying to be funny but I mean that's all on me I just got to run harder get in shape I think I think we I definitely can last I was just you know we got to get the young guys that come along with us we can't play 50 snaps again that's just too much on our bodies uh

1:41:52just everybody like online D line we got to get those younger guys to play you know get that pieces on the D line and online and everywhere else so we can last that long run uh yeah I did unless we were like winning by like a line uh I thought like there are no moments you know I can go sit down or something but we're playing them big games like you know Notre Dame too in North those kind of games of course I want to be because I know I can contribute and I won't want to put that on anyone else when I know I can get the job done. What stands out about Kaden McDonald is he got a kick of you guys in the second? Oh yeah definitely K-Mac is a K-Mac's animal y'all you haven't really seen it yet but in practice he shows it all the time he's just he's just he's growing right now he has a work ethic he just has to get you know in the playbook things like that you guys are about the exact same size it's listed you're both listed six three you're three twenty seven he's three twenty six yeah he's I kind of look at him like my my junior but you know K-Mac he's going to be a great player

1:42:57he's got to develop more and getting to play. So really a lot on you older guys there's a large group of young guys and then there's the seniors in the back is that part of your task for this year to bring those guys along as well yeah definitely we got to be leaders um like I say we've got to have them play this year we can't just play all the snaps they got to get in there and get some work and we got to get them right during the all season so they can play and not just play they want to like contribute like make plays tackles sex. Yeah they're definitely some big dudes um and they all work hard I'm really seeing much of something day two when I'm passing on but throughout the workouts they've been working hard you know they they're determined and it looks like they're ready to work. There's a lot of great defenses that you have big athletic defensive tactics who can eat up space

1:43:59but also move you know right that is that is that an environment maybe for a great defense guys like you that have some balls but also a great feat. I think that is definitely I think if you look at the last uh a couple of national championship winners uh like team of North they you know they got two good uh detaco two athletic detacles look at Georgia two athletic detacles so I think that's definitely need if you want to go on that big run and beat those big teams. If you think about this they're going to fight by the defensive tactics like what's Georgia's Jordan Davis and Daniel Carter let's miss again it's Chris Jenkins. Tell us a more questions about this one and how I mean you understand this because you play it but I feel like some time I don't know are people realizing how important defense tackles are a little bit more than they used to. I think so uh I think they're starting to develop to develop more and more of these like freaky detacles yeah like in the combine just now you see in like those guys they're moving forward to 478 and things like that so we'll see and when you think it when you think about

1:45:02those freaky shots how do you think you fit into that all of that kind of player you watch that and say yeah that's me yeah definitely I think I'm top-notch when it comes to detacles but I don't want to you know get a big head but you know I watch it come on I watch it do do the drills I have tape here you're like looking like my film so I think I'm up there with all those. I think your legs have your things. I mean you're going to bring frags you're not doing much of a level of level of that. I don't know how you work on that. Do you have like a goal or mine? I don't remember how many Adidas drift like you have a goal or mine? How many do you want to have? I mean as many as I can have I think I have more than that but I think they're counting. I think they're counting some of them and it's some of them where I like just missed it so but I think we work on drills matching the hand I think that's uh goes big and uh what we do is a D line you know just affecting the quarterback is anywhere you can it's just great for the defense you know just that little thing you cover

1:46:04in his eye you know he might throw it a little bit to the left to our player so so let's something that you really really have to work on. It's really that's one of the things that you've maybe worked on the most to continue your time here because there are a few guys that I've seen like oh that pastor takes it we don't have to ask this guy. I think I just have like a like a eye for the ball kind of I kind of just look at the quarterback and just I see him like load up I just try to get in his ways and sometimes he just throws it to me. I mean they get frustrated but you know we're a team you know we're just getting ready. Watch a lot of a lot of different backs man and just learn and grow for them. I don't really have a top three but I'll give you I'll give you one I would say say Juan Gibbs and I like McCaffrey.

1:47:07Although he was injured this year I like McCaffrey. Best back in this draft I'll lead that up to y'all that's y'all decision. What do you remember most about playing with well Howard when I'm going to remember most where Howard man he's just such a great lead such a great leader man it's just like in moments where you know usually a lot of players they fold man he was just always calm and relaxed man he just the leader that he was man that's one thing I'm gonna remember about him. Yeah he's shoot he's gonna be really good man he's um Coach Lock I think he got the transfer in as well from West Virginia just that one two punch with them both as well they're gonna be really good backs and so James people's man he's smart the way that he goes about his business man he's mature and so man he's growing you know just as a person and as a player and so man yeah definitely Ohio State you know that running backroom is in gray hands yeah coach coach hard line man he's full of energy man and he's

1:48:19creative as well you know I'm just learning from him as well you know I'm trying to run more outside the backfield was being able to learn from coach hard line and so he's definitely creative at what he does and he brings a lot of energy to the team as well and so I think they'll do really good just intensity man then since he got the playoffs um every game man is like the intensity got you know higher and higher and so you know being able I know in the lead it's it's the same thing even if it's not the playoffs just every every game and then intensity it keeps getting higher and higher and so yeah you just I know you got to bring it you know each and every day and come in and work just like Ohio State you know I definitely feel like Ohio State they definitely do a good job of preparing us for that you know I just remember even before going through this process I'll I'll talk to a lot of players um before then and they told me a lot of just about how much Ohio State prepared them you know for the NFL and so yeah

1:49:21yeah yeah I know I took a couple days off after the um national championship and then shoot right after that I'm right in right in Tampa Florida and I'm right to it and so um yeah I think while trained I trained at um your birth performance um I think it's called the house of athlete or the compound now um they they did they did a good job man they're just bringing us in and the the way they went about training us man they were they did a really good job the bucking ears know what I haven't breathing in the city Tampa Tampa Tampa nice this night it's a it's a nice city man really uh the 40 to broad and avert yeah yeah no man uh it's really all about technique and then it's about my set as well and so um I say you know it's for the love of my brother it's for the love of will highway it's for the love of the receivers who I got on the perimeter just making sure you know um first

1:50:25of all my quarterback doesn't get sacked um and I I told will I think it was before the first game I was like I got your brother it's uh I said man I'm not gonna let you get hit you know um and so I don't know if I don't know if I gave up a sack I'm not sure that um but I know if I did I haven't given up too many and so man it's for the love of my brothers though man making sure the ball get in their hands you know the guys on the outside and making sure they get fed in my game uh you can't really work on this you know in all season I feel like it's more so you know you got to put the pads on you got to go through some inside run you know maybe uh it's really just continuing run through tackles and so that's I feel like that's one of the areas in my game you know I want to continue to get better I feel like I did a good job of that my senior and so I just want to continue to build on that yes I did yes I did

1:51:27I did me with um New Orleans as well um I never got that comparison actually um I know I have a Camera shoe yeah man I have a Camera great great back man um just what he does and those 101 matchups he's dangerous man and he's so smooth he's so smooth as well I'm not going like he's smooth yeah um inside zone from stack being able to hit that thing downhill and I say the next one it's probably just an option route out of the backfield you know and man and man coverage you're getting on that linebacker and so yeah I say the man the biggest thing is the way that he carries himself man and the way that man um he approaches the game he comes in with the mindset you know he's going to work every single week you know every practice you know he's working hard you know um even shoot I don't know

1:52:32every good I think he had every game was a good game for him man and so but still man he always has the mentality the mindset that you know he's going to come in each and every day he's going to continue to work and get better man and so he's definitely man he's going to be a special player man he really is man man a lot of ups and downs man it's just how you respond to adversity and I feel like that's something that God has definitely helped me to do better is this um not have something to lean on now you know I remember before I met him you know going through those adversity I had nothing to run to you know you can run to people but they still can't it's not too much they can't truly help you you know I feel like you know I feel like the only person that can truly help you is your relationship with Jesus Christ and so being able to lean on him you know he gives you in those moments where it's tough you know where it's low and um when you're behind the scenes and you're going through things that people don't know about um he gives you he gives you that peace and comfort you know um even in those moments man where it's so hard that you

1:53:37can't you can't explain it's like man I'm going through this but like how am I still feel with this internal joy you know how do I have so much peace in this situation and so that's something that only Jesus Christ can give you and so um man those guys have such a great mentality man am I just really love their mentality especially um Q as well you know I talked about Will Howard his leadership but Quincham mentality man um that boy just yeah that boy just gifted you know you see you know sometimes he put in a situation where he looked like you know he should have a negative five yards and as soon as you know it you know he that running through somebody still farming somebody and she was just gaining a 10 and so yeah man I think it's just like he's just gifted man too

1:54:42beyond it he's just gifted you know he's he's a big back you know he's strong and so um you know he's he's able to do he's able to do those things and so yeah man it's definitely you know I look at this game and I want to you know at the same time I want to learn from Quincham you know I want to look at this game is like man where where can I get better at as well you know that's the type of player I am I'm always looking to get better man I'm always looking to grow as a player Julian San oh yeah he's gonna be a great but he's gonna be a great quarterback man he's so so accurate and so um he's definitely man I know Coach Dez definitely going to get him right just you know um container grow as a leader container grow as a player and so he's going he's gonna be really good for high state uh he's that I know just the quarterback position um I feel like you know the quarterbacks in the past they've they've definitely been vocal and so I feel like that's something that they're definitely going to um ask him Julian San as well it's to be that vocal leader and lead the um and lead the offense and lead the team shoe man he has he has a build like JK Dobbins and um I kind of see them you know similar

1:55:47similarities in their game as well and I know JK Dobbins he was a great running back um I feel like he's not talked about his none um a lot but man his career here you watch his highlights is is great I remember um before I recruit before I committed here I remember watching JK Dobbins highlights like every every um one of his years here like four or five times and so man he was such a great back and um I feel like you know um when I see JK Dobbins when I see um James people I see similarities to both of their games I feel like they play the same and so appreciate

1:58:19you well I got coming in last round new row so I just attacked every day really the same way it's a really fancy area physically how different are you weight wise body wise on that from the year ago um I think I got a lot bigger I'm like 240 you know like 244 right now last year I played it like 236 to 37 what does it feel like 244 or better you feel like almost a different machine out there yeah what does it what does it feel like to be running around out there like you are with more uh more back I just feel like I'm like like like like more downhill like stronger like I'm taking all blocks better it's bigger yeah is it don't think uh maybe that's not the correct term but to think you're going to be playing much more than you did even last year and you played quite a bit last year and stuff what do you have to get straight in your head about being on the field that much more this is gotta get ready to just play 30 more snaps so but are you are you how would

1:59:23you describe how much you're looking forward to it from an eight-stand point yeah I'm looking forward to it I'm ready for it my I'm ready for it the Texas opener it's a rematch and so to say but it's not really two different teams compared to last time y'all played and stuff but how is that enhanced this camp for you and this team getting ready for the we're an opener of that magnitude yeah we're the opener like that we've been um we've been emphasizing it a lot and we know we got coming so we know we got to do we've prepared for it I already just probably worked today I think Riley ready to play right now he he advanced freshman like he in the he in the book he stood in like he advanced and his measurements was crazy like he saw like a saw line to him or like you said you're ready right what was that process like during last season could you feel yourself becoming more and more ready yeah because that's pretty much what my role was just whenever I was needed I had to step up so I feel like that's what built me into me being able to say I'm ready for this year when you say

2:00:24ready is it more a physical thing is it a mental thing when I say ready I think it's pretty much like everything physically mentally mostly I think I'm there oh I still want one time how different is that response bill oh um I feel like it's uh it's a way bigger responsibility with me having to step up this year but I kind of go about it the same way like last year I was intentional with everything I did I feel like this year it's gonna be the same thing it's probably a little bit more it won't work how's anybody worked you watch uh I say describe like now I say like when you're thinking me you're thinking like a like a bully like a

2:01:26silver bullet like I'm really a bully I'm always on the ball that's how I like to play and think no I ain't I gotta be my nickname but oh yeah yeah um think it fit me because I don't know I just like the defense I feel like we got like you said we got a lot of freedom and we moving around a lot a lot of the terms is like you know I don't know I don't really not answer that that's okay does it you can go on your instincts a little bit more baby that's not so thinking of too much I don't even know if I say that because there's a lot of thinking going on but it's like I just like it's deep I like what you got going on now I wanted to my sad I was kind of like happy for you like yeah that's what you want no that's my dog so yeah kind of missing a little bit but yeah

2:02:34I'm happy for you though don't think go ahead one last but coach days talked a lot about the guys played some last year but maybe weren't the starters and the hunger for that wasn't maybe your national championship you guys will win your own yeah how much do you feel that is a guy who certainly contributed last year but will be in this bigger role and along with some of your your classmates yeah I do feel like um yeah I do feel like I did win a natu last year but like you said my role wasn't same as how's gonna be this year so yeah I definitely want to want to go get another one experienced that like feeling maybe on the field a lot more place great oh well thank you very much thanks so they've been using you you know that almost at safety role stuff how much is it grown uh that you could put your finger on yeah I was growing immensely I mean uh Caleb he makes a lot of checks late and makes a lot of checks uh I listen to them whatever they need if I need to cover somebody out I'll go cover anybody if they need me to do run support I'll do run support and it's really uh what Caleb does what we do and lathe and it just

2:03:38goes back to the coach G's preparation um and everyone's preparation to give us more flexibility and doesn't matter who's in those positions and we can all play every position whether it's covering somebody or running running and tackling did you feel like that was the case before the Oregon game you're showing up Sammy is that something's been added uh it just you know rely on a little bit yeah it did I've probably been a broska game uh me getting more safety reps and we had a five-week to prepare so I really learned to play but a lot more even though I knew the playbook I learned a lot more it amounted like in debt you know so uh really just after the Oregon game it helped me a lot to go back to safety go go to nickel and everywhere you guys had a lot of issues of giving up big plays in a passing game in the first game against Oregon what do you feel you guys need to do better this time around just to make sure that doesn't happen just the same same mindset we got to challenge these receivers um you know every dog has their day

2:04:38maybe some people didn't have their day that that game but um we'll look out there and hopefully change the narrative and we still play with the same confidence same technique and yeah Bill Rebinois, Columbus Dispatch and Denzel obviously had a tough game and that one what have you seen from him and how he's responded do you get a sense of from him how up he is for this rematch oh yeah he's super stoked for this rematch um his preparation has been very good um he's always been preparing you know 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 um but the fact that you get to play them at the Rose Bowl I mean get a second chance and people have said you don't get that very often how determined are you guys to take advantage of it we're super super determined we watch film I mean we've lost a lot of film the first time we play them now we've got another six games that they played

2:05:39of 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 thighs physical and everything like that all right Jordan we're going to jump to the to assume a question here from Joey Coffin Columbus Dispatch oh my bad not too Joey Cameron T. Robinson the athletic hey it Jordan you've moved around a lot in the second day in your career and and now kind of getting some many more safety reps what is it like at this point when when wall or or coach knows 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 in the middle of the season uh means a lot we always talk about this is if is being on selfish whether that's making plays or not making plays or doing your job so another person can make plays that's kind of what we pride ourselves on and it's just fun me moving around different

2:06:40positions uh 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 uh if anybody else needs a question let me know but otherwise we can go to Austin more of the podcast Jordan when you were talking about watching film Oregon which one do you think is more valuable to you watching that against yourself you know seven games ago even if you've changed or the ensuing six games for Oregon which one do you put more stock in uh kind of both for me uh I kind of watch what I did things I did well things I didn't do too well against them and their team is saying that like their scheme has changed some players have been out those those stretch of games so uh 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 so just watching watching stuff like that every game matters so yeah

2:07:45Jordan thank you very much thank you really playing as much so I just wanted to get like more experience under my belt so I can know bring younger guys with me because I've been going one of those younger guys we're seeing one of those younger guys we're seeing one of those first time I've heard all those last years we're seeing one of those last year we all forgot about him because he was hurt now he's running you know almost a second man up behind him and tied what have you seen uh what was the workhorse he he goes stay quiet you go and work hard and that's what I love about him he focuses he don't really talk much he's going to get the job done do a job right really has any mistakes what would be a successful season uh the national championship I'm reading when all the games we don't want to lose anything uh we got a mindset that we can't be beat and we just got to go so because that mindset different it seems like you guys expect the national championship every year this year even more so you guys have all come back for this you guys have all decided like that is that is he feeling different or is he not really any difference it's just the same

2:08:49work it's definitely a difference everyone working harder um we noticed our last run like we most of us don't have any years after this so we got to go go bigger going home and we're not trying to go home finish big we know what you guys think of Michigan but when you look at what they did they went to the national championship and you guys took them down to the final minute right you know what I mean I mean you you were right there something goes a little different you guys could have been one that game against them does that tell you anything about like that hey you guys want to win a national championship but you played to the 59th minute with the team that won the national championship last year like you're that close so I'm saying uh we just like work harder that's that's kind of coach makes uh saying you know nobody cares just work harder like those you know we'll play Georgia it's the same thing yeah last last play you know they went on the win the 90s so we just got to get over that hump at the end of the season I think would be fine how frustrating is that you're that close against the last two national title uh of course as you know it's frustrating but you can't change the outcome you can't really do

2:09:53the one uh do it on it you just gotta you know come back and work harder do things better than you did last year and hopefully the outcome will change yes that is you get older you can learn I thought I was working hard and you always find out there's a little more you could have been doing yeah definitely I mean that's how that's what growing up is basically in college and I thought French me I was working it's hard as I could but now I look back at it I really wasn't working hard at all compared to what I'm doing now so just to learn anything 80 85 I mean I can it's all on me I just I think it's a little higher I was just trying to be funny but I mean that's all of me I just got to run harder

2:10:54I think I think I definitely can last I was just you know we got to get the young guys to come along with us we can't play for the snaps again that's just too much on our bodies uh just everybody like online D-line we gotta get those younger guys to play you know get that pieces on the D-line and online and everywhere else so we can last that uh yeah I did unless we were like winning by like a lot uh I thought like there are no moments you know I can go sit down or something but we're playing them big games like you know Notre Dame too in North those kind of games of course I want to be because I know I can contribute and I won't want to put that on anyone else when I know I can get the job done. Oh yeah definitely K-Mac is a K-Mac's animal y'all you haven't really seen it yet but in practice he shows it all the time he's just he's just he's grown right now he has to work at the he just has to get you know in the playbook things like that you guys are about the exact same size

2:11:59list it you're both listed six three you're three twenty seven he's three twenty six yeah he's I kind of look at him like my my junior but you know K-Mac he's gonna be a great player he's got to develop more and get into playbook. It's really a lot on you older guys there's that large group of young guys and then there's the seniors in the back as part of your task for this year to bring those guys along as well yeah definitely we got to be leaders um like I say we've got to have them play this year we can't just play all the snaps they got to get in there and get some work and we got to get them right during the all season so they can play and not just play they want to like contribute like make plays tackle six. It seems like these guys get big each in the first minute class because they're bigger and those guys kind of those are going to kind of while you want to solve the first. Yeah they're definitely some big dudes um and they all work hard I'm really seeing much it's only a day two when I'm not passing on but throughout the workouts they don't work hard you know they they're determined. I can say that and it looks like they're ready to work

2:13:00and make it. How important is those? It feels like there's a lot of great defenses that you have big athletic defense attacks who could eat up space but also move you know right? Is that it? Is that important maybe for a great defense to have guys like you that have some balls but also a great feeling? I think that is definitely I think if you look at the last couple of national championship winners are like team on North they didn't know they got two good detacled two athletic detacles look at Georgia two athletic detacles. I think that's definitely neat if you want to go on that big run and beat those big teams. If you think about this if they want to fight by the defense attack what's Georgia? Jordan Davis and Jeff Carter and let's Michigan it's Chris Jenkins. How's the four questions? It is funny how I mean you understand it because you play it but I feel like some time I don't know are people realizing how important defense tackles are a little bit more than they used to?

2:14:00I think so I think they're starting to develop to develop more and more of these like freaky detacles. Yeah like in the combine just now you see in like those guys they're moving four to seven eights and things like that so we'll see. And when you think about this freaky shot. How do you think you fit into that mold of that kind of player? You watch that and say yeah that's me. Yeah definitely I think I'm top notch when it comes to detacles but I don't want to you know get a big head but you know I watch it come on I watch you do the drills. I have tape here like you're looking like my film so I think I'm up there with all those. I mean as many as I can have I think I have more than that but I think they're counseling. I think they're counseling some of them and some of them why like just missed it so but I think

2:15:04we work on drills matching the hand I think that's uh goes big and uh what we do is a d-line you know just affecting the quarter bag is anywhere you can it's just great for the defense you know just that little thing you cover it is I you know he might throw it a little bit to the left to our player guys that I've seen like oh that pass through. We don't have to ask. We kind of kind of expected for I think I just have like a like a eye for the ball kind of I kind of just look at the quarter bag and just I see him I load up I just try to get in his ways and sometimes he just throws it to me. I mean they get frustrated but you know we're a team you know we're just getting better. I should lot of a lot of different backs man and just learn to grow for them.

2:16:04Uh I don't really have a top three but I'll give you I'll give you one I would say say Juan Gibbs and I like McCaffrey auto he was injured this year I like McCaffrey best back in this draft I lead out of the yard that's y'all that's y'all decision playing well Howard when I'm going to remember most uh we're a Howard man he's just such a great such a great leader man it's just like in moments where you know usually a lot of players they fold man he was just always calm and relaxed man he just the leader that he was man that's one thing I'm gonna remember about him. Yeah he's shoot he's gonna be really good man he's um Coach Lock I think he got the transfer in as well from West Virginia just that one two punch with them both as well they're gonna be really good backs and so James people's man he's smart

2:17:06the way that he goes about his business man he's mature and so man he's growing you know just as a person in as a player and so man yeah definitely Ohio State you know that running back room is in great hands. Yeah um coach coach Hartlund man he's full of energy man and um he's creative as well you know I'm just learning from him as well you know I'm trying to run more outside the backfield was being able to learn from um coach Hartlund and so he's definitely creative at what he's he does and he brings a lot of energy to the team as well and so I think they'll do really good. Just intensity man then since he got the playoffs um every game man it's like the intensity got you know higher and higher and so um you know being able I know in the lead it's it's the same thing even if it's not the playoffs just every every game and then intensity it keeps getting higher and higher and so yeah you just I know you got to bring it you

2:18:07know each and every day and come in and work just like Ohio State you know I definitely feel like Ohio State they definitely do a good job of preparing us for that you know I just remember even before going through this process I'll I'll talk to a lot of players um before then and they told me a lot of just about how much Ohio State prepared them you know for the NFL and so yeah yeah yeah I know I took a couple days off after the um national championship and then shoot right after that I'm right in right in sample Florida and I'm right to it and so um yeah I think while trained I trained at um your birth performance um I think it's called the House of Athlete or the Compound now um they they did a good job man they're just bringing us in and the the way they went about training us man they were they did a really good job the bucking years know I haven't temple a temple nice this nice this is a nice city man really nice

2:19:09uh the 40 to broad and avert so you've been um raises an awesome locker and these feet here mentality and like when you've got a linebacker so you can dig that bigger than you and you're getting ready to wear a ball yeah uh yeah no man uh it's really all about technique and then it's about mine said as well and so um I say you know it's for the love of my brother it's for the love of will highway it's for the love of the receivers who I got on the perimeter just making sure you know um first of all my quarterback doesn't get sacked um and I I told will I think it was before the first game I was like I got your brother it's uh I said man I'm I'm not gonna let you get hit you know um and so I don't know if I don't know if I gave up a sack I'm not sure that um but I know if I did I haven't given up too many and so man it's for the love of my brother's though man making sure that the ball get in their hands you know the guys on the outside and making sure they get fed in my game uh you can't really work on this you know in all season I feel like it's more so

2:20:13you know you got to put the pads on you got to go through some inside run you know maybe uh it's really just continuing run through tackles and so that's I feel like that's one of the areas in my game you know I want to continue to get better I feel like I did a good job of that my senior and so I just want to continue to build on that yes I did yes I did uh I did meet with um New Orleans as well um I never got that comparison actually um I know I have a Camera shoe yeah man I have a Camera great great back man um just what he does and those 101 matchups he's dangerous man and he's so smooth he's so smooth as well I'm not going like he's smooth yeah um inside zone from stack being able to hit that thing downhill and I'll say the next one it's probably just an option route out of the backfield you know and man and man coverage

2:21:15you're getting on that line backer and so yeah I say the man the biggest thing is the way that he carries himself man in the way that man um he approaches the game he comes in with the monster you know he's going to work every single week you know every practice you know he's working hard you know um even shoot it I don't know every good I think he had it every game was a good game for him man and so but still man he always has the mentality to mindset that you know he's going to come in each and every day he's going to continue to work and get better man and so he's definitely man he's going to be a special player man he really is man uh a lot of ups and downs man it's just how you respond to adversity and I feel like that's something that God has definitely helped me to do better is this um

2:22:17not have something to lean on now you know I remember before I met him you know going through those adversity I had nothing to run to you know you can run to people but they still can't it's not too much they can't truly help you you know I feel like you know I feel like the only person that can truly help you is your relationship with Jesus Christ and so being able to lean on him you know he gives you in those moments where it's tough you know where it's slow and um when you're behind the scenes and you're going through things that people don't know about um he gives you he gives you that peace and comfort you know um even in those moments man where it's so hard that you can't you can't explain it's like man I'm going through this but like how am I still filled with this internal joy you know how do I have so much peace in this situation and so that's something that only Jesus Christ can give you and so around um man eight those guys have such a great mentality man I might just really love their

2:23:19mentality especially um Q as well you know I talked about Will Howard his leadership but Quinch John mentality man um that boy just yeah that boy just gifted you know you see you know sometimes he put in a situation where he looked like you know he should have a negative five yards then as soon as you know it you know he that running through somebody step on him somebody and shoot it's a game to 10 it's uh shoot I think yeah man I think it's just like he's just gifted man to be honest he's just gifted you know he's he's a big back you know he's strong and so um you know he's he's able to do he's able to do those things and so um yeah man it's definitely you know I look at this game and I want to you know at the same time I want to learn from Quinch John you know I want to look at this game is like man where where can I get better at as well you know that's the type of player I am I'm always looking to get better man I'm always looking to grow as a player Julian San oh yeah he's gonna be a great but he's gonna be a great quarterback man he's so

2:24:19so accurate and so um he's definitely man I know Coach Dez definitely going to get him right just you know um continue to grow as a leader continue to grow as a player and so he's going to be really good for high state uh he's uh I know just the quarterback position um I feel like you know the quarterbacks in the past they've they've definitely been vocal and so I feel like that's something that they're definitely going to um ask Julian San as well it's to be that vocal leader and lead the um and lead the offense and lead the team right shoot man he has he has a build like JK Dobbins and um I kind of see them you know similar similarities in their game as well and I know JK Dobbins he was a great running back um I feel like he's not talked about his none um a lot but man his career here you watch his highlights is is great I remember um before I recruit before I committed here I remember watching JK Dobbins highlights like every every um one of his years here like four or five times and so man he was such a great back and um I feel like you know um when I see JK Dobbins when I see um James

2:25:25people I see similarities to both of their games I feel like they play the same and so appreciate you all y'all y'all be going

2:27:15you well I got coming in last round new to roll so I just attack every day really the same way it's taking a very rare basically how different are you weight wise body wise on that from the year ago oh I think I got a lot bigger I'm like 240 you know like 244 right now last year I'll play that like 236 to 37 what does it feel like a 244 or a belt you feel like a almost a different machine out there yeah like what's it what does it feel like to be running around out there like you are with more more back I just feel like I'm like like like more downhill like stronger like I'm taking all blocks better it's a big no is it daunting uh maybe that's not

2:28:16the correct term but to think you're going to be playing much more than you did even last year and you played quite a bit last year and stuff what do you have to get straight in your head about being on the field that much more this is gotta get ready to just play 30 more snaps so but are you are you how would you describe how much you're looking forward to it from an 8th yeah I'm looking forward to it I'm ready for it my I'm ready for it the Texas opener it's a rematch so it's big but it's not really two different teams compared to the ones that me all played and stuff though how's that enhanced this camp for you and this team getting ready for the where an opener of that magnitude yeah with an opener like that we've been we've been emphasizing it a lot and we know we got coming so we know we got to do we look prepared for it I think Riley ready to play right now he he advanced freshman like he entered he in the book he stood in like he advanced and his measurements is crazy like he saw like the saw line too well you said you're ready right what was that process like during last season could

2:29:20you feel yourself becoming more and more ready yeah because that's pretty much what my role was whenever I was needed I had to step up so I feel like that's what built me into me being able to say I'm ready for this year when you say ready is it more a physical thing is it a mental thing when I say ready I think it's pretty much like everything physically mentally mostly I think I'm there oh that's the one more time how different is that response um I feel like it's a uh it's a way bigger responsibility with me having to step up this year but I kind of go about it the same way like last year I was attention over to everything I did I feel like this year it's gonna be the same thing it's probably a little bit more somebody you

2:30:23and what work well I say describe like now I say like when you think of me you're thinking like a like a bully like a silver bullet I don't really a bullet I'm always on the ball that's how I like to play a thing you know I ain't got to be my nickname but oh yeah yeah um think it fit me because I don't know I just like the defense I feel like we got like you said we got a lot of freedom man we're moving around a lot a lot of the terms is like no I don't know I don't really not answer that I don't even know if I say that because there's a lot of

2:31:24thinking going on but it's like I just like it's deep I like how it's deep because I like what you got going on uh now I want to much sad I was kind of like happy fun yeah that's what you want all right that's my dog I'm gonna say yeah kind of missing a little bit but yeah I'm happy fun though thank you go ahead one last but coach days talked a lot about the guys who played some last year but maybe weren't the starters and the hunger for that wasn't maybe your national championship you guys know when you're out yeah how much do you feel that as a guy who certainly contributed last year but will be in this bigger role and along the summer year your classmate yeah I do feel like um yeah I do feel like I did win a nattie last year but like you said my role wasn't same as how's gonna be this year so yeah I definitely want to want to go get another one experienced that like feeling maybe on the field a lot more place that's it great oh bell thank you very

2:32:28on that just like defend but you know we got to stay stay square in some place exactly yeah that's a great question I mean I don't think I feel like these two can answer that for the deer right now I think KK and here I'll get answer that well I don't know what to say about that what do you guys say I go guys every day you know this man is strong right I'm talking about like the basketball here like you can just do I think that move the field covers really fast man just to hold on straight to his hand and he got the great thing he doesn't give up on the playing like you said he's gonna go in and watch the film he's doing the other day and then you can see the hunger feeling like this one so now that's nice to see the movement of the game here if you just follow us around all the you sound like a coach man sound like a coach check Kelly's in full exchange your mind about maybe like the idea of tackle versus guard

2:33:32because obviously his offensive predelictuous for like yeah the offensive blind play has you been a part of you settling in the car that's um I would I want to say maybe I don't know but I mean when I when I'm pretty sure you got the job I was really excited because I'm one of those guys who's the tempo I can run with the tempo you know I mean I'm I'm playing basketball all life in center football and I feel like just the fast pace often so we're running really fits the guys we have right now I'm really excited I know you think they're all for balling 65 guys but can you kick a football 75 years ago like it's probably question Lincoln what's your question how is your your roommate he's a blessing man I can't complain he's a great guy his name's Lincoln keen hoes oh he's cleaner I think we're both really clean that's why we kind of picked each other's roommates because we're very clean and we don't like our rooms really messy

2:34:33well that's true though it's true it's a real pretty clean so Luke are you still a cross-training in tapville some or if you just been all guard this spring oh so far I've been all guard um I really don't know like I said I'm taking it practice I practice I could end up being back attack like good not but you know I'm just really focused in on this past practice and the next one fun yeah oh that mean a lot um you know you put a lot of work in to play here can I spend a dream just for being in Ohio kid is I'm from Ohio kids perspective it's I mean that's the biggest wish possible out if I would say that's that'd be pretty cool what was it like it's last year first game getting on the field for the first time it didn't like that's gonna be a weird answer but it feel like I was playing a game yet that made sense I hit I was pretty locked in I felt like just no anxiousness no stress no nothing really I just went in that first game was like shoot out here now it's time to roll you know it didn't really hit me I was like it didn't even hit me after but no mom was like what'd you feel there and if like get out there in the end

2:35:33I was like honestly I don't know I felt less nervous I didn't ice go and that makes no sense you um a lot I mean I'm learning from Josh and Austin I think prior to one of my biggest role models here is my bigger big brother my first baby I'm a padea okay yeah no yeah yeah so yeah padea and Austin those are my guys man I mean even miles two I mean all three of them that's those are my roommates and they're progressing every day as well and I'm excited to see where they can get to I'm excited to plan and feel with them oh yeah you know it's been really helpful you know just keeping my mind just settled and straightforward on the next play it's a great question like I said I mean I just need to say consistent in my word I think that's the biggest thing for me is just ain't consistent and worried about the next play so you got it from the guy you were in the play yeah wow that's weird yeah I mean I guess they

2:36:39didn't want to get my nerves up but like I was ready I mean I did I took most of the ones that solved camping I mean I was already I was pretty much it yeah I wasn't really nervous to start the game yeah what was his advice to you yeah he said you got it you mean you're going against i-league and Kyle every day and practice me and this is not different almost different or you now both do we tend to get two starts in the game as a as a player you know having having that under your belt um me I'm more confident I know what's going on I can see like I can see what's going on with the defense I know what's going on I know what's coming I mean I understand the game's a lot better than what it was like yeah which adds up to what fast the car yeah yeah you playing with that dust for a while I mean if we get out early it's you get the defense change in place it like change their defense you start fast and they're trying to get the call in the play but you start faster I'm not going back you but trust a lot of trust yeah of course they isn't pretty much that those you deserve to play man

2:37:39you know some warm up fast what were you expecting this week in terms of your role um wherever they need me if it's left right wherever it's I didn't go in I'd go in and go back to do it front of me um took me back to high school days but I should back at high school it was really random all what really and doing passes but it was fun change you got my made my feet better I would say how confident you feel like you play there if they want me there I'll guess I'll play there I mean they need me they need me also in the illness that's up through the office of the line room a lot of times coaches and players are said like I was still relying for the groom you know getting you experience among others what was that like for you and double dipping playing some tag or playing some guard the same practice it was a base like a group effort like for me know we had guys out we just had to go back practice um all five guys there's wherever they were playing we just got to go how much of that accelerate your

2:38:43development like that time with the ones you actually they really said it did um I was jumped in there I didn't really know so we like one or two practices with practices but like after those I was like you're out of good you're my confidence grew um yeah it seemed like there was sort of a settling in practice process for you and the Akron game maybe play got better if the game went on it and really need to especially in the ground game things seem to take on but what was there a moment when they clicked on the field for you like was there nerves and then a time of settling in I guess how taking you through kind of that first game mentally yeah um first game obviously you can have nerves for your first time starter but then like after the first couple plays meaning you have nerves naturally that's first couple play that was good I was rolling also there's a weird meaning first time a striker player I was saying it was also the first start yeah um you yeah it's but like I prepared well um and camp and practice all week and I was I was ready

2:39:49um yeah I have two multi-year starters I did a lot I mean I couldn't ask them hey what we got here but I was prepared well I mean I was telling Jimmy and says like hey why are blocks happy emotional excited it what it just that's a guy from Ohio what does it mean to start a game it was always my dream to come here and play and start and having that like me I just gotta keep going keep building those days and go games and keep building what a much younger Austin don't you know I don't think even I told like me I asked yeah younger self even committing I wouldn't believe that now having a couple of starts for me yeah awesome has this happened faster than you had been building these are coming up to play as a I guess you're technically a soft one to play as a richer question no I knew that year two I was

2:40:50gonna see you some playing time now starting week one year two I didn't receive that but like I was ready in spring ball like I knew I was going I was going to play some soft games but so what does it mean to you to it's not only get the opportunities to play but like you play well enough now I guess it shows like my preparation my hard work and just everything I put into this and I went showing up on field there are moments the offseason being in the spray and I realized that you could play at this high level with the ones you know if you knew you did yeah uh the definitely was in training camp I mean blocking highly can tie every day like it feels it feels a lot of confidence and doing it well and not like getting balled or anything so there's defensive that was a challenge by the team you know he wrote in Jason Moore and Taiwan all those guys I mean

2:41:53pretty much anyone on the deepened line gets your face all the time so okay mag is low so yeah yeah he's got a lot of knowledge I would work like the power of the stability and the great thing in the line how much can he help you he helped me a lot and I'm proud that he's our starting center not someone else's but um I mean he's like the captain of the line he's another voice on the line with guys like Josh Fryer and Josh Simmons Donnie and Tiger that means another voice and another captain on the look ways of having the and I'm with this much experience help man like he can tell you like before the play what's going on like how to block someone like what you need to do and like that's a lot Tiger talking about how calm he is how much does that mean you have a guy who's kind of been there and it makes us us more calm like especially me and Tae does our first start so like we were up here with what

2:42:56what said like he brought us down I mean we were like five like our emotions weren't high we were settling is that like something he tells you is that something you pick up on by how he's acting how do you kind of mean sense what he's trying to say about how he's acting and what I mean him when we're on the side of him both Josh Donnie like he was telling us like hey you're cool like we've got it but it's pretty much like everyone old cool group how much do that as a first time starter how much at the end that mean a lot that was my first time ever using high pads we didn't use the high pads in high school but I mean you can say like try to remember the defense you can just come on a silent bring up we'll play and get help up really not probably the first or second but after that I thought we say oh and seven great awesome thank you very much it seems like training part is a part of it's not the whole thing they're getting bigger strong yeah it's like the culture part of the part of the talent part how much of the

2:44:00factory is that it's also it's a lot and I mean it's I feel like you can't be able to transform your body like I like I have like people here come and do that without having that mentality part with it it's like we we always talk about competitions here and our our culture is fight so we're always here compete and I feel like that is just that's what gets you in this mindset when you talk about that transformation you just give us a little sense maybe with numbers or body fat or like what do you do in the weight group how big is that transformation yeah I don't have really specific numbers but I just like it's more just like I can just I feel like feeling when I'm playing like I remember how I felt to play when I just got here and now I know how how it feels to play like like like just today like it feels physically different on my body it's like it's just it's I'm getting used to that makes sense

2:45:05Hadea also said about you that you are just a completely different guy from last year you hear the word this year so let's get it done yeah look so you're here do you feel like you weren't at that place mentally I think I was but I think I had some I would say like kind of like confidence issues like I was just but you know I mean I work past it and I know I know I know why am I know I can be here so if you have confidence issues how do you get through is it yourself as teammates there's someone in your family the next year that you can do it I know I can do it it's not like that's those are those are all it's on the past now did the past the play time in a very obvious opportunity guys had to step up the other day that helped you get over that confidence issue there because it's now a memory so it's your opportunity so kind of is just like

2:46:12just I mean it's just just being here like I feel like being here every day working with the guys every day just like you know you become this person that you might not have like uh you might not have like felt like you were before that like coming here working every day stacking these days like like you know I mean I just feel like I realized who I am and I know what I can do now I knew I knew I could play here I mean it's just it was like the like I just I don't know how to explain I just like I've always known I could play here it's just I'm just like let's go like I'm ready like I'm ready to attack with our guys the room to help you figure that out for sure I think KJ was a big influence tie Hamilton's I think they all they all

2:47:14helped me a bunch last year kind of just pushing through you know I just wanted to get like more experience under my belt so I can know bring younger guys with me because I've been through now he's running you know almost a second man up behind you and tie what have you seen well as a workhorse he he goes stay quiet you go and work hard and that's what I love about him he focuses he don't really talk much he's going to get a job done do a job right really has any mistakes what it would be a successful season uh a national championship ring when all the games we don't want to lose anything we got a mindset that we can't be beat and we just gotta go show it so that mindset different seems like you guys expect a national championship every year this year

2:48:14even more so you guys have all come back for this you guys have all decided like that up as a one up to deal with difference or is there not really any difference it's just the same word oh it's definitely a difference everyone working harder um we noticed our last run like we most of us don't have any years after this so we got to go go bigger going home and we're not trying to go home so it's finished big we know what you guys think of Michigan but when you look at what they did they won the national championship and you guys took them down to the final minute right you know what I mean I mean you you were right there something goes a little different you guys could have won that game against them does that tell you anything about like that hey you guys want to win a national championship but you played to the 59th minute with the team that won the national championship last year like you're that close this I'm saying uh we just like work harder that's that's kind of coach makes uh saying you know nobody cares just work harder like those no one played Georgia is the same thing yeah last last play you know they went on the win in 90 so we just got to get over that hump at the end of the season I think we'll be fine

2:49:17how frustrating is that you're that close against the last two national title? uh of course as you know it's frustrating but you can't change the outcome you can't really do dwell on it you just gotta you know come back and work harder do things better than you did last year and hopefully the outcome will change is that as you get older you kind of learned I thought that was working harder than you always find out there's a little more you could have been doing yeah definitely I mean that's how that's what growing up is basically in college and I thought fresh me I was working as hard as I could but not look back at it I really wasn't working hard at all compared to what I'm doing now so just to learn anything it's a beat to be your best uh 85 I mean I can it's all on me I just I think it's a little higher I was just trying to be funny but I mean it's all on me I just gotta run harder get in shape

2:50:27I think I think I definitely can last I was just you know we got to get the young guys to come along with us we can't play 50 snaps again that's just too much on our bodies uh just everybody it's like online D-line we gotta get those younger guys to play you know get that pieces on the D-line and the online and everywhere else so we can last that long run speaking of life plan yeah I did unless we were like winning by like a lot uh I thought like there are no moments you know I can go sit down or something but we're playing them big games like you know Notre Dame too or North those kind of games of course I want to be because I know I can contribute and I won't want to put that on anyone else when I know I can get the job done what stands out about Taden McDonald and you got the thing you got the little second? oh yeah definitely K-Mac is a K-Mac's animal y'all you haven't really seen it yet but in practice he shows all the time he's just he's just he's growing right now he has to work out I think he just has to get you know in the playbook things like that you guys are about the exact

2:51:31same size you're both listen six three you're three twenty seven he's three twenty six yeah he's I kind of look at him like my my junior but you know K-Mac he can go be a great player he's got to develop more and get into playbook so really a lot on you older guy there's that large group of young guys and the seniors in the back is that part of your task for this year to bring those guys? yeah definitely we got to be leaders um like I say we got to have them play this year we can't just play all the snaps they got to get in there and get some work and we got to get them right during the all season so they can play and I just played they want to like contribute like make plays tackles sex yeah they're definitely some big dudes um and they all work hard I've only seen much of something day two when I'm not on pass on but throughout the workouts they've been working hard you know they they're determined I just say that and it looks like they're ready to work

2:52:37there's a lot of great defenses that you have big athletic defense attack to get eat up space but also move you know right that is that is that from choir maybe through great defense to have guys like you that have some fault but also a great team I think that is definitely I think if you look at the last uh couple of national champions and winners are like team of North they you know they got two bit uh detaco two athletic detacles look at Georgia two athletic detacles I think that's definitely need if you want to go on that big run and because they're big teams. You think about that they're going to find why the defense attack is like what's Georgia? Jordan Davis and James Carter. Let's miss you again it's Chris Jenkins. Tell me more questions. You might as well like how I mean you understand this was your play but I feel like sometime I don't know are people realizing how important defense tackles are a little bit more than they used to. I think so uh I think there's starting to develop to develop more and more of these like freakiest detacles. Yeah like in the

2:53:40combine just now you see in like those guys they're moving four to four seven eights and things like that so we'll see and when you think about those freakish out there you know how do you think you fit into that all of that kind of player? You watch that and say yeah that's me. Yeah definitely I think I'm top-notch when it comes to detacles but I don't want to you know get a big head but you know I watch the combine I watch it these through the drills I have tape here you like looking my film so I think I'm up there. I mean as many as I can have I think I have more than that but I think they've counted. I think they've counted some of them and some of them were like just listed so but I think we work on drills matching the hand I think that's uh goes big and uh what we do

2:54:41is a DLine you know just affecting the quarterback is any way you can it's just great for the defense you know just that little thing you cover it is I you know he might throw it a little bit to the left to our player so. So let's something that you really really have to work on. You can do that with what you can do. It's one of the things that you can maybe work on the most. You can do it in your time here because there are a few guys that I've seen like oh that passes through the back of the deck. We don't have to ask for this kind of kind of expected for the physical. I think I just have like a like a eye for the ball kind of I kind of just look at the quarterback and just I see him I load up I just try to get in his ways and sometimes he's just those are tennis. I mean they get frustrated by you know we're team you know we're just getting better. Yeah. That's a lot of a lot of different backs man they just learn to grow for them. I don't really have a top three but I'll give you I'll give you one I would say

2:55:45say Juan Gibbs and I like McCaffrey auto he was injured this year I like McCaffrey. Best back in this drive I lead out of the yard that's y'all that's y'all decision. Playing well Howard when I'm going to remember most. We're a Howard man he's just such a great lead such a great leader man it's just like in moments where you know usually a lot of players they fold man he was just always calm and relaxed man he just the leader that he was man that's one thing I'm going to remember about him. Yeah he's he's going to be really good man he's on Coach Lock I think he got the transfer in as well from West Virginia just that one two punch with them both as well they're going to be really good backs and so James people's man he's smart the way that he goes about his business man he's mature and so man he's growing you know just as a person in as a player and so man yeah definitely

2:56:48Ohio State you know that running back room is in great hands. Yeah coach Coach Hartline man he's full of energy man and he's creative as well you know I'm just learning from him as well you know I'm trying to run more outside the backfield was being able to learn from coach Hartline and so he's definitely creative at what he's he does and he brings a lot of energy to the team as well and so I think that do really good just intensity man and since he got the playoffs um every game and it's like the intensity got you know higher and higher and so you know being able I know in the lead it's it's the same thing even if it's not the playoffs just every every game and intensity it keeps getting higher and higher and so yeah you just I know you got to bring it you know each and every day and come in and work just like Ohio State you know I definitely feel like Ohio State they definitely do a good job of preparing us for that you know I just remember even before going through this process I'll

2:57:50I'll talk to a lot of players um before then and they told me a lot of just about how much Ohio State prepared them you know for the NFL and so yeah yeah yeah yeah I know I took a couple days off after the um national championship and then shoot right after that I'm right in right in Tampa Florida and I'm right to it and so um yeah I think while I trained I trained at um your morph performance um I think it's called the House of Athlete or the Compound now um they they did they did a good job man they're just bringing us in and the the way they went about training us man they were they did a really good job the bucking near know I haven't Tampa Tampa nice this is nice it's a nice city man really nice uh the 40 to broad and avert train you've been uh phrases and awesome lockers these people your mentality of like when you've got a linebacker so you can catch a finger that you you're in right it's where I'm off of yeah uh yeah

2:58:56nah man uh it's really all about technique and then it's about mine said it's well and so um I say you know it's for the love of my brother it's for the love of will highway it's for the love of the receivers who I got on the perimeter just making sure you know um first of all my quarterback doesn't get sacked um and I I told will I think it was before the first game I was like I got your brother it's uh I said man I'm not gonna let you get hit you know um and so um I don't know if I don't know if I gave up a sack I'm not sure that um but I know if I did I haven't given up too many and so man it's for the love of my brother's dumb man making sure the the ball get in their hands you know the guys on the outside and making sure they get fed you had to practice feel later today in my game uh you can't really work on this you know in all season I feel like it's more so you know you got to put the pads on you got to go through some inside run you know maybe uh it's really just continuing run through tackles and so that's I feel like that's one of the areas in my game you know I want to continue to get better I feel like I did a good job of that

2:59:58my senior and so I just want to continue to build on that yes I did yes I did I did me with New Orleans as well um I never got that comparison actually um I know I know I'm gonna come here sure yeah man I would come here great great back man um just what he does and those 101 matchups he's dangerous man and he's so smooth he's so smooth as well I'm not going like he's smooth yeah um inside zone from stack being able to hit that thing downhill and I'll say the next one is probably just an option route out of the backfield you know and man man coverage you're getting on that linebacker and so yeah I say the man the biggest thing is the way that he carries himself man in the way that

3:01:07man um he approaches the game he comes in with the monster you know he's going to work every single week you know every practice you know he's working hard you know um even shoot I don't know every good I think he had every game was a good game for him man and so but still man he always has him and Tyler did a monster that you know he's going to come in each and every day he's going to continue to work and get better man and so he's definitely man he's going to be a special player man he really is man a lot of ups and downs man it's just how you respond to adversity and I feel like that's something that God has definitely helped me to do better is this um not have something to lean on now you know I remember before I met him you know going through those adversity I had nothing to run to you know you can run to people but they still can't it's not too much they can't truly help you you know I feel like you know I feel like the only person that can truly help you is your relationship with Jesus Christ and so being able to lean on him you know he gives you in those moments

3:02:09where it's tough you know where it's low and um when you're behind the scenes and you're going through things that people don't know about um he gives you he gives you that peace and comfort you know um even in those moments man we're so hard that you can't you can't explain it's like man I'm going through this but like how am I still filled with this internal joy you know how do I have so much peace in this situation and so that's something that only Jesus Christ can give you and so which aspect do you do those other individuals who run to the model and from being around power to um man eight those guys have such a great mentality man am I just really love their mentality especially um Q as well you know I talked about will Howard his leadership but Quenchon mentality man um that boy just yeah that boy just gifted you know you see you know sometimes he put in a situation where he looked like you know he should have a negative five yards and as soon as you know it you

3:03:10know he either running through somebody step on somebody and shoot it's a game to 10 it's uh shoot I think yeah man I think it's just like he's just gifted man to be honest he's just gifted you know he's he's a big back you know he's strong and so um you know he's he's able to do he's able to do those things and so um yeah man it's definitely you know I look at his game and I want to you know at the same time I want to learn from Quenchon you know I want to look at this game is like man where where can I get better at as well you know that's the type of player I am I'm always looking to get better man I'm always looking to grow as a player Julian San oh yeah he's gonna be a great but he's gonna be a great quarterback man he's so so accurate and so um he's definitely man I know Coach Day is definitely going to get him right just you know um container grow as a leader container grow as a player and so he's going he's going to be really good for high state uh he's uh I know just the quarterback position um I feel like

3:04:10you know the quarterbacks in the past they've they've definitely been vocal and so I feel like that's something that they're definitely going to um ask Julian San as well it's to be that vocal leader and lead the um and lead to offense and lead to steam shoot man he has he has a build like JK Dobbins and um I kind of see them you know similar similarities in their game as well and I know JK Dobbins he was a great running back I feel like he's not talked about his now um a lot but man his career here you watch his highlights is is great I remember um before I recruit before I committee here I remember watching JK Dobbins highlights like every every um one of his years here like four or five times and so man he was such a great back and um I feel like you know um when I see JK Dobbins when I see um James people I see similarities to both of their games I feel like they play the same so I appreciate you all you have

3:06:48you all I got coming in last I knew we're all so I just tacked every day really the same way it's taking advantage very rare physically how different are you weight wise body wise on that oh I think I got a lot bigger I'm like 240 you know like 244 right now last year I played it like 236 to 37 what does it feel like a 244 or a belt you feel like an almost a different machine out there yeah what does it what does it feel like be run around out there like you are with more uh more back I just feel like I'm like like like like more downhill like stronger like I'm taking all the bloods better it's a big move you see don't think uh maybe that's not the correct term

3:07:51but to think you're going to be playing much more than you did even last year and you played quite a bit last year instead what do you have to get straight in your head about being on the field that much more this is got to get ready to just play 30 more snaps so but are you are you how would you describe how much you're looking forward to it from an 8th and I'm looking forward to it I'm ready for it I'm ready for it I'm ready for it it's a rematch so to say but it's not really two different teams compared to last time y'all played and stuff it how does that enhance this camp for you and this team getting ready for the where an opener of that magnitude yeah with an opener like that we the um with the emphasizing in the line we know we got coming so we know we got to do we prepared for it I think Riley ready to play right now he he advanced freshman like he ended up here in the book he stood in like he advanced and his measurements was crazy like he saw like the saw line too or like you said you're ready right you know you're ready what was that

3:08:51process like during last season could you feel yourself becoming more and more ready so whatever the team needed for you yeah because that's pretty much what my role was just whenever I was needed I had to step up so I feel like that's what built me into me being able to say I'm ready for this year when you say ready is it more a physical thing is it a mental thing when I say ready I think it's pretty much like everything physically mentally most of me I think I'm there a different is that feeling this year than last year oh asked a one more time how different is that responsibility uh it's a way bigger responsibility with me having to step up this year but I kind of go about it the same way like last year I was intentional with everything I did I feel like this year it's gonna be the same thing it's probably a little bit more

3:09:57it won't work I say describe like now I say like when you think of me you would think of like a like a bully like a silver bullet I don't really a bully I'm always on the ball that's how I like to play a thing no I ain't ain't got to be my nickname but oh yeah um think it fit me because I don't know I just like the defense I feel like we got like you said we got a lot of freedom and we're moving around a lot a lot of the terms is like you know I don't know I don't really not answer that that's okay does it you could go on your end stakes a little bit more baby and it's not so thinking of too much I don't even know if I say that because there's a lot

3:10:57of thinking going on but it's like I just like it's defense I like country defense I like what you got going on now I want to say that I was kind of like happy for you like me that's what you want that's my dog don't say yeah kind of missing a little bit but yeah I'm happy for you all right well don't thank you go ahead one last but coach days talked a lot about the guys who played some last year but maybe weren't the starters and the hunger for that wasn't maybe your national championship you guys will win your own yeah how much do you feel that is the guy who certainly contributed last year but will be in this bigger role and along with some of your yeah I do feel like yeah I do feel like I did win the Natty Lash but like you say my role wasn't same as how's my beaters here so yeah I definitely want to go get another one experienced that like feeling me be on the field a lot more place great oh bell thank you very much you need to offense compared to NFL especially with the way he uses receivers how do you anticipate

3:12:02your role changing it how do you view the offense from a receiver perspective specific yeah um I mean I think he likes to really push the ball down the field um he likes to be balanced he likes to uh give different looks to a difference you know we're going to uh not to try to get too much into it but you know we're going to use some motion move some guys around and things of that nature I think for myself I feel comfortable playing any of the positions that is that is asked whether it's the slot the outside positions and um unique part about our offenses I don't think necessarily you play the X or the Z because the pit on the formation of the hash you can be the opposite you could you can be the X but then you're to the field now you're the Z so you got to really learn the entire concept and know where you're out in the field which I think makes everybody smarter players because you don't pigeonhole yourself I just play X you know I'm only know this position like you get in two minutes you're the Z now you got to know what to do you may have the clear outrout or you may have the backside dig like you got to know uh what you're doing so I think

3:13:02he doesn't just say like we're going to do this offense he's really trying to create an offense that it's our personnel really well that that field boundary thing yeah that's a thing in college but it seems like it's more unique to clip is that is that something you're used to seeing with another offense has it been yeah definitely I mean I think if if I'm on the left hash like technically um I'm the X you know I'm in the boundary but if we're on the right hash I'm still on the left side I'm really the Z in the concept because I'm to the field I'm to the strength of the tight end so I've been in offenses like it's similar like that before and um you know I just think he he one thing I think that's really stood out as the compliments of our routes that we have so far I feel like we have a chance to really run similar stems but there's different routes off those stems and things like that which I think for receiver like myself who uh you get you know a really good look at DBs and they study your film they study your splits like having routes that look the same but break off at different different angles is extremely important because it

3:14:04feels like you have some versatility in your bag to go out with versus like you got this hitch again you're back side like that's all you got you know what I mean so um yeah he's just been a really good player's person to work with and he's been really communicative with the leaders and how we want this offense to look like in some of the ideas that we may have as well so it's it's been a really cool transition you talk about the transitions you've heard offense in three years probably your fourth and six years yeah how do you not kind of build up some barriers yeah man I gotta do this again right um I think you know human nature is is always um a factor in whatever you do in life but I think I try to make a conscious choice of coming in with a new year mentality each and every year and I think it's easy because we've had so many changes and um it's been great working with Marcus and Jaden and Jeff and Sam all of everybody like it's it's been great with working with all

3:15:04the quarterbacks and um I just have a mentality and not really being complacent like I try to really focus on the things that I I can come back better at this year and I've been working my my butt off to do that so um I think the easy thing and when I was younger you're like dang like you just want that consistency you know I mean like you want that um something you could depend on but like life isn't life isn't always like that so um I've been reinvigorated because of just the energy that DQ brings in to our building each and every day and and the coaches as well like it's fun competing you know what I mean and sometimes I could get lost in the grind but um I think the reason why you make it here at this level is because you you fall in love with the competition of it and I think the competition breathes the success because um that is really where you the iron truly sharpens iron so you know other guys are going to make plays but you get excited to go in there and and know that um the next day we're going to go right back after the defense so

3:16:07um for myself I'm just looking forward to continue to grow with the quarterbacks that we have um I'm in year six now which is extreme blessing and um leader one of the leaders in our room and I just try to take the bull by the horns with that and so uh that's really been my focus and uh you know I'm excited for another year to us it's looked like you're being more vocal on the sideline to help young guys definitely something you decided this offseason or uh I think that's uh been a part of my maturation process as a leader um I've always seen myself as somebody that was a uh a leader by example um but from coaches and other teammates I've had over the years um guys like to hear what I have to say for whatever reason sometimes you know and I think the biggest thing where I've tried to figure out where I sit in with my vocal leadership is I never wanted to be like a dictator you know I mean I never wanted to tell guys what to do or or be a yellow or things like that like when I say something I wanted to have power I wanted to have meaning and I hope you know the guys would feel the same way if they were to ask them that question um because I

3:17:10want to see all these guys win man like it's it's hard to make it in this league and staying a career and so anyway I could help the receivers the DBs I'm talking to some alignment Johnny who's who's rehabbing his foot you know what I mean like everybody has a role and everybody has a different story and path and so if I could share what I've been through my testimony to help them or do things that kind of slow down the process I'm gonna try to do that because um we need everybody from the rookies to the ten year vets to to make this thing work so um more so I I try to speak to what I what I know and and really those honest conversations that I try to have with guys what they know I'm coming from a good place and I think I'm not a type of guy where I'm just going to talk in at them like if they see something like I could take a coaching point from Luke McCaffrey I could take a coaching point from Deami from Jahan from uh Marcus from anybody you know like I think that's what makes you a great player when you can really uh be

3:18:11coachable from anybody and not take it from a personal standpoint. Hi, I'm good. I'm going back to what you were saying about Cliff and how was he as a teacher in teaching all this? Yeah I mean I think he does a really great job of making things simple first and foremost he doesn't overcoach and I think that's the trust that he has in our group and his in his coaches our position coaches to um fill in the details so we'll have an install meeting and um it'll be a good amount of time but then our position coaches will have time and we'll make it specific to that position and so um then we'll come in and have a walkthrough um and then after that we'll have another walkthrough and so I don't think there's been a time where I've come out here and I'm kind of worried about what I got you know what I mean and when you get into certain offices there could be so many details where you could be overwhelmed and I think then it forces it kind of separates guys in a sense that like one guy may study more than another guy but when you have these these sessions that we have where we're having installs in the morning we're having two walkthroughs and then we're coming on the field

3:19:13and doing it like I think you notice a lot of guys are playing a lot faster and more confident because he's keeping it simple but also he's very particular in in what he's expecting but it's not a lot so um there's not a pressure of to get it right but at the same time um you know it's expected of you and and you know you're going to have the tools given to you to be successful out there on the field and this offseason just the totality of change from front office players coaches the turf field I mean what what does that been like for you just to see what's going on uh it's been fun um you know I think from uh Mr. Harris and the entire ownership group down to uh Adam Peters down to DQ down to Jada who he drafted and bringing in Marcus and Jeff and all those guys and down to leaders we have on our team I think it was extremely specific on the way they tried to build this thing going into this year um first having the right people bringing in leaders bringing in guys who love to compete first thing that DQ said when he came here was and his first meeting like if you love

3:20:14to compete this is going to be the place for you and I love it you know I mean I love bags and and going at it with the DBS every day like the little mundane stuff can seem a little boring but I think that was the where you make the gains during the offseason where you're really focused on I'm hey like I'm gonna I'm gonna give all I got for this day and I'm gonna get better and then I'm gonna I'm gonna learn from the film and come back tomorrow and ready to do it again and he also understands like the the benefits of having breaks like he's given us breaks we've had you know weeks off here and there that we can compose ourselves but then come back and give it all we got you know what I mean and when you got a coach that understands the physicality of an entire season where you guys do need breaks by the same time we're going to get after it uh it makes it fun as a leader because you can take that to your room and be like yo we got these we got this week you know I mean that it's extremely important but you know we have this little break coming up um where you're gonna get your your mind and your body and your soul right so um coming into this season I'm I'm really optimistic of what we can be this year and I think it started with the

3:21:16foundation that uh the ownership group and the entire staff has built and now it's on myself as a leader to continue to hone that in into the locker room but I think it's great because we have so many great leaders from all across the league uh who have won and hey we got Bobby Wagner in there you know I mean I asked a hall of famer so like you know being able to have kind of guys like that that you can lean on that can sometimes take over that leadership role where it doesn't fall on one person I think it's uh uh extremely refreshing and knowing that everybody's on the same page and the message is the same um allows you to go out there with confidence and always expect to know you Terry you seem to spend many of your off seasons learning about things beyond football hobbies what happy did you do anything to this off season so far to hobbies or increase your knowledge of this the world around you uh it's a good question um play a lot of golf uh as that they just keep my competitive juices flowing um uh planning the wedding that's going well and uh man I just

3:22:21been grinding like honestly you know I mean I've been hungry uh this all season like uh I started working out you know pretty early and uh you start to see guys like coming back and it's just fun to like to be here and compete and feel like everybody's on the same page you know what I mean like and so for me I'm a grind every off season but just this one just feels like it's the start of something you know new and special and the foundation of is extremely important and to be a part of that to have a hand in that um you know it's it's an honor you know and I put a lot of expectation on myself to come out here and and be the guy that I know I'm capable of and also like take him the next step and uh being somebody that our quarterbacks that can trust and and believe in so um this all season was pretty simple for me um it was just really about you know working and and and grinding and getting better you talked about jaden before and you're eating so far I know we haven't seen everything but in terms of his his arm strength the throws he's making anything

3:23:24surprising so far about the types of his ability in that regard definitely uh I think after the second or third crosser that he threw I started telling receivers like hey you gotta get your head around you know I mean because again each quarterback throws the ball differently and sees the field differently so sometimes on crossers a lot of quarterbacks may like to see you cross the ball and get into that open zone over there if it's a man flattened off they like to see you get open with him he has a really good anticipation over the middle of the field where he can make those throws and give you a chance to catch and run and uh he he's really accountable too like we had to play the day where he felt like he missed me and you know it's not a big deal at all you know I mean him and I could talk to those things and there's been a play that I've talked to him about I could do a better job but again like that open that open former communication from a rookie I think is is very rare and I think it speaks to the confidence he knows who he is but he's also not afraid to say when he's wrong and he knows he needs room to improve but his touch on the deep balls is amazing um you know I love getting extra reps with practice after practice with him we're just

3:24:26catching the top end of a deep ball as big for me you know I mean I get to track the ball over my shoulder and as big for him to be able to uh get used to dropping the ball in the bucket but he just naturally has an ability to throw the ball he sees the windows really well and now uh he's just you know continue to get adjusted to the speed in the past rush I think he's these reps that he's getting our unbelievable during 11 on 11 because he's getting the field pain and Allen and D.A. and Cleveland Farrow like we got some dogs up there who are gonna come after him you know I mean and we got some great guys up front who are gonna protect them and so these reps I feel like are even better than just seven on seven seven on seven I think he could do in the sleep to be fair like he throws the ball really well but uh when you get this 11 on 11 in two minute drill you're putting them in game like situations and I'm looking them in his eye I'm like we play a real ball now like we we we playing you know I mean and uh you just see no no uh anxiousness in his game and his demeanor which is extremely exciting and and then you know he's extremely light hearted and he's always smiling so he's joking with lime and D.Line he's just cool with everybody and like I said like for a rookie quarterback to come in like that where guys are gravitating to him and he's

3:25:31not afraid to be who he is uh that's dope I think he has a bright future for himself the tough losses the tough seasons can weigh on a player sure you're entering the prime of your career J.A. kind of mentioned it last year all he cares about is winning he wants to win now is there a sense of urgency you obviously always want to win yeah knowing that you know you're you're getting to the prime your career like you want to win now yeah I think that's a fair question I think um you know you start to evaluate when you I'm in year six and you know it's how fast it goes and um I try not to put the cart before the horse we're looking too far ahead by at the same time uh you do want to win you want to be a part of a winning culture and have a chance to win the Super Bowl and the playoffs and all those things like that's why we we do this uh personally and uh I'm just excited with being a part of a organization in a environment where now like everybody's on the same page in the in the in the message is uniform and it speaks from the top

3:26:31down and uh it reflects in the guys that they're bringing in you know all the guys that they brought in are guys who are hungry who are competitors who uh not only fighting for spots but we're going to help us win games and when you're around an environment like that like that that that makes you excited makes you hopeful and um you know you don't know how it's going to turn out until we start playing games but um the foundation is extremely important and I think this all season we've really done a great job of building that they have and then when a coach Quinn guy here building with this team so I feel like we're going to be going into this offseason really um knowing we we all got to do individually to become ready for camp but the the message is clear to come back to camp ready to compete and uh and and be ready to win thanks Daryl appreciate you guys and thank you one of the funniest guys on the team right really playing as much so I just wanted to get like more

3:27:35experience under my belt so I can know bring younger guys with me because I've been going around for a while. One of those younger guys we're seeing it on the first time it's heard all your life years but what have you seen for well because I should have real forgot about it because he was heard now he's running you know almost a second man out of the community tied what have you seen? Uh well as a workhorse he he gonna stay quiet he gonna work hard and that's what I love about him he focuses he don't really talk much he's going to get a job done do a job right really has any mistakes what it would be a successful season uh a national championship? I ring when all the games we don't want to lose anything uh we got a mindset that we can't be beat and which you gotta go show it. It seems like you guys expect the national championship over here this year even more so you guys have all come back for this you guys have all decided like that. Is that this is to feel different or is there not really any difference it's just the same word? Uh it's definitely a difference everyone working harder um we noticed our last run

3:28:39like we most of us don't have any years after this so we gotta go go bigger going home and we not trying to go home so it's finished big. We know what you guys think of Michigan but when you look at what they did they won the national championship and you guys took them down to the final minute right you know what I mean I mean you you were right there something goes a little different you guys could have been one that came against them. Does that tell you anything about like that hey you guys want to win a national championship but you played to the 59th minute with the team that won the national championship last year like you're that close. So I'm saying uh we just like work harder that's that's kind of coach makes uh saying you know nobody cares just work harder like those you know when we played Georgia it's the same thing. Last last play you know they went on the win in 90 so we just got to get over that hump at the end of the season I think we'll be fine. How frustrating is that you're that close against the last two national title? Uh of course it's you know it's frustrating but you can't change the outcome you can't really dwell on it you just

3:29:40got to you know come back and work harder do things better than you did last year and hopefully the outcome will change. Is that as you get a order you kind of learn I thought I was working hard but then you always find out there's a little more you could have been doing? Yeah definitely I mean that's how that's what growing up is basically in college and I thought freshman year I was working as hard as I could but now I look back at it I really wasn't working hard at all compared to what I'm doing now so just to learn anything. What do you need it to be to be your best? Uh 80 85 I mean I can it's all on me I just I think it's a little higher I was just trying to be funny but I mean it's all on me I just got to run harder in shape. I think I think I definitely can last I was just you know we got to get the young guys to come

3:30:44along with us we can't play 50 snaps again that's just too much on our bodies uh just everybody like online D-line we got to get those younger guys to play you know get that pieces on the D-line and online and everywhere else so we can last that long. Speaking of that we like playing that new snap to game last year I don't know if any of us were really expected to play that next time. Uh yeah I did unless we were like winning by like a line uh I thought like there are no small machines I can go sit down or something but we're playing them big games like you know Notre Dame too on North those kind of games of course I want to be because I know I can contribute and I won't want to put that on anyone else when I know I get to drop them. Well it stands out about Kevin McDonald and he got a kick up in a second. Oh yeah definitely. Came back as a came back to Animal Yard you haven't really seen it yet but in practice he shows it all the time he's just he's growing right now he has to work I think he just has to get you know in the playbook things like that. You guys are about the exact same size you're both listen six three you're three twenty seven he's three twenty six.

3:31:48Yeah I kind of look at him like my my junior but you know came in he's going to be a great player he's got to develop more and get into playbook. So really a lot on you older guys there's that large group of young guys and then there's the seniors in the back as a part of your task for this year to bring those guys. Yeah definitely we got to be leaders um like I say we got to have them play this year we can't just play all the snaps they got to get in there and get some work and we got to get them right during the all season so they can play and not just play they want to like contribute like make plays tackle six. Yeah they're definitely some big dudes and they all work hard I've only seen much just only a day two and not bad zone but throughout the workouts they've been working hard you know they they're determined and it looks like they're ready to work with me. It feels like there's a lot of great defense. You have big athletic defense

3:32:54attack so you can beat up space but also move you know right there is that. Is that required maybe for a great defense to have guys like you that have some fault but also a great feeling. I think that is definitely I think if you look at the last couple of national championship winners like see my Northean and they got two good detacled two athletic detacles. Look at Georgia two athletic detacles so I think that's definitely need if you want to go on that big run or beat those big teams. Hey if you think about this they want to find why the defense with athletes like what's Georgia Jordan Davis and Janet Carter? Let's miss you again it's Chris Jenkins. Tell the four questions for you guys. I mean you understand it was your play but I feel like some time I don't know are people realizing how important defense tackles are a little bit more than they used to. I think so I think they're starting to develop to develop more and more of these like freakish detacles. Yeah like in the combine just now you see them like those guys they're moving

3:33:54four to seven eights and things like that so we'll see. And when you think about those freakish attack how do you think you fit into that mold of that kind of player? You watch that and say yeah that's me. Yeah definitely I think I'm top notch when it comes to detacles but I don't want to you know get a big head but you know watch it come on I watch it do do the drills. I have tape here you like you like my film so I think I'm up there with all these guys. I think you become like a artist who comes into bad down passes the figure wags hand your thanks. I mean you're going to bring practice you're not doing as much a weapon on a weapon. That's the thing. How do you work on that? Do you have like a goal one mind? I don't remember how many had last year but you have a goal one last year. I mean many of these I can have I think I have more than that but I think they've encountered. I think they've encountered some of them and some of them were like just listed so but I think we work on Joe's matching the hand I think that's goes big and what we do is a D line you know just affecting the quarterback is

3:34:56anyway you can it's just great for the defense you know just that little thing covering his eye you know he might throw it a little bit to the left to our player so so it's something that you really really have to work on. It's really that's one of the things that you've maybe worked on the most you could bring your time here because there are a few guys that I've seen like oh that passes you down. We don't have to ask this. We're kind of kind of expected. I think I just have like a like a eye for the ball kind of I kind of just look at the quarterback and just I see him I load up I just try to get in his ways and sometimes he's just those are two days. I'm irritated you do have two D O I have stayed quarterbacks good. I mean they get frustrated by you know we're a team you know we're just good. I should lot of a lot of different backs man they just learn to grow for them. I don't really have a top three but I'll give you I'll give you one I would say

3:35:57say Juan Gibbs and I like McCaffrey auto he was injured this year I like McCaffrey best back in this draft I lead out of the yard that's y'all that's y'all decision playing with Howard when I'm going to remember most we're a Howard man he's just such a great lead such a great leader man it's just like in moments where you know usually a lot of players they fold man he was just always calm and relaxed man he just the leader that he was man that's one thing I'm going to remember about him. Yeah he's he's going to be really good man he's um Coach Lock I think he got the transfer in as well from West Virginia just that one two punch with them both as well they're going to be really good backs and so James people's man he's smart the way that he goes about his business man he's mature and so man he's growing you know just as a person in as a player and so man yeah definitely Ohio State you know that running back

3:37:01room is in great hands. Yeah um coach coach Hartlund man he's full of energy man and he's creative as well you know I'm just learning from him as well you know I'm trying to run more outside the backfield was being able to learn from coach Hartlund and so he's definitely creative at what he's he does and he brings a lot of energy to the team as well and so I think that'd do really good. Just the intensity man then since he got the playoffs um every game man it's like the intensity got you know higher and higher and so you know being there but I know in the lead it's it's the same thing even if it's not the playoffs just every every game and then since he keeps getting higher and higher and so yeah you just I know you got to bring it you know each and every day and come in and work just like Ohio State you know I definitely feel like Ohio State they definitely do a good job of preparing us for that you know I just remember even before going through this process how

3:38:02I'll talk to a lot of players um before then and they told me a lot of just about how much Ohio they prepared them you know for the NFL and so yeah yeah yeah I know I took a couple days off after the um national championship and then shoot right after that I'm right in right in sample Florida and I'm right to it and so um yeah I think while I trained I trained at um your your performance um I think it's called the House of Athlete or the Compound now um they did they did a good job man it just um bringing us in and the the way they went about training us man they were they did a really good job the bucket in the airs know I haven't temple a temple nice this is nice this is a nice city man really nice uh the 40 to broad and avert yeah yeah no man uh it's really all about technique and then it's about mine said as well

3:39:13and so um I say you know it's for the love of my brother it's for the love of will highway it's for the love of the receiver so I got on a perimeter just making sure you know um first of all my quarterback doesn't get sacked um and I I told will I think it was before the first game I was like I got your brother it's uh I said man I'm not going to let you get hit you know um and so um I don't know if I don't know if I gave up a sack I'm not sure that um but I know if I did I haven't given up too many and so man it's for the love of my brother's though man making sure the ball get in their hands you know the guys on the outside and making sure they get fed you had to hit the practice field later today what is something you'd be working on right now in my game uh you can't really work on this you know in all season I feel like it's more so you know you got to put the pads on you got to go through some inside run you know maybe uh it's really just continuing run through tackles and so that's I feel like that's one of the areas in my game you know I want to continue to get better I feel like I did a good job of that my senior year and so I just want to continue to build on that so you know what I said yes I did yes I did

3:40:22uh I did meet with um new Orleans as well um I never got that comparison actually um I know I have a command sure yeah man I have a command great great back man um just what he does and those 101 matchups he's dangerous man and he's so smooth he's so smooth as well I'm not going on like he's smooth yeah um inside zone from stack being able to hit that thing downhill and I'll say the next one is probably just an option route out of the backfield you know and man and man coverage you're getting on that linebacker and so yeah I say the man the biggest thing is the way that he carries himself man in the way that man um he approaches the game he comes in with the monster you know he's going to work every

3:41:22single week you know every practice you know he's working hard you know um even shoot I don't know every good I think he had it every game was a good game for him man and so but still man he always has the mentality the monster that you know he's going to come in each and every day he's going to continue to work and get better man and so he's definitely man he's going to be a special player man he really is man man a lot of ups and downs man it's just how you respond to adversity and I feel like that's something that God has definitely helped me to do better is this um and I have something to lean on now you know I remember before I met him you know going through those adversity I had nothing to run to you know you can run to people but they still can't it's not too much they can't truly help you you know I feel like you know I feel like the only person that can truly help you is your relationship with Jesus Christ and so being able to lean on him you know he gives you in those moments where it's tough you know where it's low and um when you're

3:42:24behind the scenes and you're going through things that people don't know about um he gives you he gives you that peace and comfort you know um even in those moments man where it's so hard that you can't you can't explain it's like man I'm going through this but like how am I still filled with this internal joy you know how do I have so much peace in this situation and so that's something that only Jesus Christ can give you and so um man those guys have such a great mentality man I might just really love their mentality especially um Q as well you know I talked about Will Howard his leadership but Quincham mentality man um that boy just yeah that boy just gifted you know you see you know sometimes he put in a situation where he looked like you know he should have a negative five yards and as soon as you know it you know he that running through somebody stiff arm and somebody and she that's a gain of 10

3:43:25and so shoot I think yeah man I think it's just like he's just gifted man to be honest he's just gifted you know he's he's a big back you know he's strong and so um you know he's he's able to do he's able to do those things and so yeah man it's definitely you know I look at his game and I want to you know at the same time I want to learn from Quincham you know I want to look at this game is like man where where can I get better at as well you know that's the type of player I am I'm always looking to get better man I'm always looking to grow as a player Julian San oh yeah he's gonna be a great but he's gonna be a great quarterback man he's so so accurate and so um he's definitely man I know Coach Dez definitely going to get him right just you know um continue to grow as a leader continue to grow as a player and so he's going he's gonna be really good for high state uh he's uh I know just the quarterback position um I feel like you know the quarterbacks in the past they've they've definitely been vocal and so I

3:44:26feel like that's something that they're definitely going to um ask Julian San as well it's to be that vocal leader and lead the um and lead the offense and lead the team. Shoot man he has he has a build like JK Dobbins and um I kind of see them you know similar similarities in their game as well and I know JK Dobbins he was a great running back um I feel like he's not talked about his none um a lot but man his career here you watch his highlights is is great I remember um before I recruit before I committee here I remember watching JK Dobbins highlights like every every um one of his years here like four or five times and so man he was such a great back and um I feel like you know um when I see JK Dobbins when I see um James people I see similarities to both of their games I feel like they play the same. Appreciate you. I'll you have it going going.

3:47:14I got coming in last year. I knew where I was. So I just tacked every day really the same way. It's technically very rare physically. How different are you? Weight wise body wise on that? I think I got a lot bigger. I'm like 240. I'm like 240 for right now. Last year I played it like 236 to 37. What does it feel like at 244 or about? You feel like almost a different machine out there. Yeah, what does it feel like to be ran around out there like you are? But with more or more bats. I just feel like I'm like like like more downhill like stronger like I'm taking old blots better. It's a big. No. You see, don't think maybe that's not the correct term, but to think you're going to be playing much more than you did even last year. And you played quite a bit last year and stuff. What do you have to get straight in your head about being on the field that much more? You got to get ready to just play already more snaps.

3:48:17But are you are you how much you're looking forward to it from an eight stand point? Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready for it. My I'm ready for it. The text is open. It's a rematch. So it's not really two different teams compared to the last time you all played stuff. How is that enhanced this camp for you and this team getting ready for the where an opener of that magnitude? Yeah, with an opener like that, we've been we've been emphasizing it a lot. We know we got coming. So we know we got to do. We prepared for it. Already does probably. I think Riley ready to play right now. He advanced freshman like he in the he in the book. He studied in like he advanced and his measurements is crazy. Like he saw like a lot to say you're ready. What was that process like during last season? Could you feel yourself becoming more and more ready? Yeah, because that's pretty much what my role was just whenever I was needed. I had to step up. So I feel like that's what built me into me being able to say I'm ready for this year.

3:49:20When you say ready. Is it more a physical thing? Is it a mental thing? When I say ready, I think it's pretty much like everything physically, mentally, mostly. I think I'm there. A different is that feeling this year than last year? I asked the one more time. How different is that responsibility? I feel like it's a way bigger responsibility with me having to step up this year. But I kind of go about it the same way like last year. I was intentional with everything I did. I feel like this year is going to be the same thing. It's probably a little bit more. Somebody. And what word? I say. Scrab my game. I say that when you think of me, you would think of like a like a bullet like a silver bullet.

3:50:23I don't really know what it's all about. That's how I like to play and think. No, I ain't got to be my nickname, but. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's like. How is that? I think it fit me because. I just like the defense. I feel like we got like you said, we got a lot of freedom and we moving around a lot. A lot of the times is like, no, I don't know. I don't really not answer that. You get to go on your instincts a little bit more. Maybe that's not so thinking of too much. I don't even know if I say that because there's a lot of thinking going on, but it's like. I just like his defense. I like how the previous defense. I like what he got going on. What was it? Now I wanted to much sad. I was kind of like happy for me. That's what you want.

3:51:27That's my dog. I'm not missing a little bit, but I'm happy for you. I don't think you go ahead one last but coach days talked a lot about the guys who played some last year, but maybe weren't the starters and the hunger for that wasn't maybe your national championship. You guys will win your own. How much do you feel that is a guy who certainly contributed last year, but will be in this bigger role and a lot of some of your classmates? Yeah, I do feel like I did win the national championship, but like you said, my role wasn't the same as how it's going to be this year. I definitely want to go get another one experienced that feeling. Maybe on the field, a lot more place. Thank you very much. I feel like I have a lot of leaders on the B-line and I have to be in position. We kind of all kind of just count off the children. I'm trying to do musicals, so I'm going to talk to you guys. Same with the ball. You're on the field and I'm just going to start getting a little bit out and try to just be like, so you need this guys. What is that transition?

3:52:28It's competitive and we love it. We're all competitive people. We all love to fish each other. And I feel like the spring and the best side of all is. I feel like we're all just kind of bouncing off each other and seeing what one person does. And we kind of build it into our actual box and we all kind of just kind of build one great thing. You're going to go last year and you've got to get the shot at the full back in the world. And they approach you that idea and two coach team. I mean, how did that come about? Because you're a jack sawyer sloppy. You get to test that. So I definitely did it in high school. I was pulled back and a little bit of tidying. So I feel like they kind of saw what I could do there in Coach Wilson. I was really looking forward to it too. And I feel like you're playing that seed in Coach Day's head and Coach Day kind of just went for it. And I try to do the best I could to do it. Is that continuing now? Are there any things you can do? New playbook. I did not know you haven't got that far. How tall is that? Are you a little tackler? I like to think myself as a football player. I can really play any position on the field. You need me to just give me a weaker two to learn it and kind of perfect it.

3:53:32And I'll try to do my best for you. Can Jack do the same thing? Oh yeah. It's roughly. That's what I'm talking to Coach Johnson on Tuesday about. So the conversations and sort of sought you and got out to have some conversations after JT and Jack decided to come back. Just went a way into those things. Respected him. And out of that helped you maybe get the right mindset. I guess I'm going to be a school. Definitely kind of seeing it all the way through. I feel like people kind of just see what happened and they don't know everything that goes into it. How long the season is now. What you got to do to prepare for it and what's happening all that time from here to to this. So I feel like we definitely just coached in me kind of connected. And we kind of just talked man-to-man and he kind of just sat straight to me. And I feel like we kind of both had been on the pitch. That's the question. We know we were making it together. We're making each other better every day. We got the 4 best Dn. 5 best Dn honestly. And we're going to coach football and we're going to be one of the best D-Rimes in coach football. How do you feel like a better player today than you were in this season? I feel like I've taken big steps in my roles of just being responsible and being more of a leader.

3:54:38And kind of stepping up and taking a step to kind of get out there more on the team and kind of bring people in. And I feel like I'm kind of helping out more. How do you recommend a round of the Possible Team GFC? That sounds bizarre. I mean the season goes by so fast already. So when you're kind of like week 10 and you're like wow it's already week 10. So now it's kind of getting more time to kind of enjoy it and kind of savor it. Because I'm already here for a freshman. But you don't want to spend all your power in the first month of the year right? Oh yeah. There is a mindset. Definitely. Definitely going to have the mental stability to handle all those weeks and all those practice. How much has Larry talked to you guys around the game? The last question right here. 2016, 2017, 2004 and the FFD coach of the year is all in the same rotation. How much has he talked about that? I mean he doesn't have to talk about it. We know about it. We've seen it every day. We watch the film. We see them all working together. We know what it could be.

3:55:38We know what it could become. So we know we're at the same, we're at the right place at the right time. And God wanted us to be here and we knew we wanted us all to come together and kind of play together and be able to bounce off and just perfect our craft together. And I feel like we all are just great individuals and we come together. It's something special. We plan as much. So I just wanted to get like more experience under my belt. So I can bring younger guys with me because I've been through a lot of the years. One of those younger guys we're seeing it. It's the first time you've heard all your lectures. What have you seen from Lowe? I don't know. I should have real forgot about it because he's heard it. Now how he's running, you know, almost a second man. I hope that you're in time. What have you seen him many times? Well, it's a workhorse. He goes, stay quiet. He don't work hard. And that's what I love about him. He focuses. He don't really talk much. He's just going to get the job done. Do a job right. He rarely has any mistakes. So what would be a successful season? A national championship? I'm running. When all the games were going to lose anything, we got a mindset that we can't be beat.

3:56:41And we just got to go. So. It seems like you guys expect a national championship every year. This year even more so. You guys have all come back for this. You guys have all decided, like, that nothing is going to happen. Is that, is it? Is it? You feel the difference? Or is it not really any difference? It's just the same. It's definitely a difference. Everyone working harder. We noticed our last run. And we, most of us don't have any years after this. So we got to go, go bigger, go home, then. We're not trying to go home. So it's finished big. We know what you guys think of Michigan. But when you look at what they did, they won the national championship. And you guys took them down to the final minute, right? You know what I mean? I mean, you were right there. Something goes a little different. You guys could have won that game against them. Does that tell you anything about like that? Hey, you guys want to win a national championship. But you played to the 59th minute with the team that won the national championship last year. Like you're that close. So I'm saying, we just like work harder. That's kind of coach makes a saying, you know, nobody cares.

3:57:41It's work harder. Like those, you know, we'll play Georgia. It's the same thing. Last, last play. You know, they went on the win in 90. So we just got to get over that hump at the end of the season. And then we'll be fine. How frustrating is that? You're that close against the last two national titles. Of course, you know, it's frustrating. But you can't change the outcome. You can't really dwell on it. You just got to, you know, come back and work harder. Do things better than you did last year. And hopefully the outcome will change. Is that as you get older, you kind of learn. I thought that was working hard, but then you always find out there's a little more. Yeah, definitely. I mean, that's how that's what growing up is basically in college. I thought, Frank's from here, I was working as hard as I could, but now I look back at it. I really wasn't working hard at all compared to what I'm doing now. So just to learn anything. But for standing, what do you need it to be to be your best? Uh, 80, 85. I mean, I can, it's all on me. I just, I think it's a little higher.

3:58:42I was just trying to be funny, but I mean, it's all on me. I just got to run harder. Get the shape. It's a bit of a step. It's gonna affect you. The idea of a potential difference. That's what we ran to. Side to about that idea that makes me nervous about can you last that long around. I think. I think we, I definitely can last. I was just, you know, we got to get the young guys to come along with us. We can't play 50 stamps a game. That's just too much on our bodies. Just everybody. It's like all on D line. We got to get those younger guys to play, you know, you know, give that pieces on the D-line and O-line and everywhere else so we can last that long run. Speaking of the life plan, let me snap to that. If you like playing that knee snap to me, I see your development. I don't know if any of us were really expected to do play that knee snap. Ah, yeah I did, unless we were like winning by like a lot. I thought like there are no small means you know I can go sit down or something. But we're playing them big games like you know, Notre Dame too or North, those kind of games. Of course I want to be because I know I can contribute.

3:59:44And I won't put that on anyone else when I know I can get the job done. What stands out about Taden McDonald is he got a key up in the last second. Oh yeah definitely. K-Mac is a K-Mac animal. You haven't really seen it yet but in practice he shows all the time. He's just, he's growing right now. He has to work at the, he just has to get you know, in the playbook and things like that. You guys are about the exact same size. Listen, you're both, listen to 6-3, you're 3-27, he's 3-26. Yeah, I kind of look at him like my junior but you know K-Mac, he's going to be a great player. He's got to develop more and get into playbook. It's really a lot on you older guys. There's a large group of young guys and then there's the seniors in your back. Is that part of your task for this year to bring those guys along as well? Yeah definitely. We got to be leaders. Like I said, we got to have them play this year. We can't just play all the snaps. They got to get in there and get some work. And we got to get them right, burn the all season so they can play. And I just play it. I don't want to like contribute like make plays, tackle a sex.

4:00:44It's a state that I don't like this way. It seems like these guys get bigger. Each one of the first-minute classes is a bigger, bigger, bigger. Do those guys kind of, that those are going to kind of while you're in the cell? Yeah, they definitely need some big dudes. And they all work hard. I've only seen much of somebody day two when I'm passing on. But throughout the workouts, they've been working hard, you know, they're determined to... I have to say that. And it looks like they're ready to work with me. I'm poor at this, though. It feels like there's a lot of great defenses that you have big, athletic defensive tactics that you can eat up space, but also move, you know, right? That is that. Because I have an environment maybe for great defense. To have guys like you that have some balls, but also have great feet. I think that is definitely. I think if you look at the last couple of national championship winners, like, see my North, they didn't know they got two good, two athletic detacles. Look at Georgia. Two athletic detacles. So I think that's definitely neat if you want to go on that big run and beat those big teams.

4:01:45If you think about this, they're going to fight by the defense with actors. Like, what's Georgia? Jordan Davis and Janet Carter. Let's miss you again. It's Chris Jenkins. Couple of more questions. What is, like, how... I mean, you understand this, which you play it. But I feel like some time, I don't know, are people realizing how important defense tackles are? A little bit more than they used to? I think so. I think they're starting to develop more and more of these, like, freakiest detacles. Yeah. Like, in the combine, just now, you see in like those guys, they're moving forward to 478 and things like that. So we'll see. And when you think about this freakish attack, how do you think you fit into that bowl of that kind of player? You watch that and say, yeah, that's me. Yeah, definitely. I think I'm top-notch when it comes to detacles, but I don't want to, you know, get a big head, but, you know, watch it come on. I watch the dudes do the drills. I have tape here, you're like, you're looking at my film. So I think I'm up there all the time. So, Tyler, do you become like an artist or come to the bad guy's list of figure-wigs, kind of your things?

4:02:50When you're going to bring practice, you're not doing as much a weapon or a weapon. That's trust. How do you work on that? Do you have like an overmarse? I don't remember how much you have a last trip. You have a gold eyes, good to find. I mean, as many as I can have, I think I have more than that, but I think they've counted. I think they've counted some of them, and some of them were just listed. But I think we work on drills matching the hand. I think that goes big. And what we do is a D line, you know, just affecting the quarterbegg is, anywhere you can, it's just great for the defense. You know, just that little thing you cover in his eye, you know, he might throw it. And a little bit to the left or our player. So it's something that you really, really have to work on. It's really, that's one of the things that you can maybe work on the most. Because there are a few guys that I've seen. Like, oh, that past few guys. We don't have to ask this style. We're kind of, kind of, expected for the future. I think I just have like an eye for the ball counter. I kind of just look at the quarterback and just, I see him like load up.

4:03:51I just try to get in his ways. I'm going to get frustrated by, you know, we're a team, you know, we're just getting better. I should lot of, a lot of different backs, man, they just learn to grow for them. You got to pick your top three backs. You got to go right now. I don't really have a top three, but I'll give you, I'll give you one. I would say, say, Juan Gibbs and I like McCaffrey. Auto, he was injured this year. I like McCaffrey. Who's the best back in this draft? Best back in this draft. I lead out of the yard. That's y'all decision. Playing with Will Howard. What I'm going to remember most. We're a Howard, man. He's just such a great leader, man. It's just like in moments where, you know, usually a lot of players they fold, man. He was just always calm and relaxed, man.

4:04:52And he just the leader that he was, man, that's one thing I'm going to remember about him. Yeah, he's shoot. He's going to be really good, man. He's on Coach Lock. I think he got the transfer in as well from West Virginia. Just that one two punch with them both as well. They're going to be really good backs. And so James people's man, he's smart. The way that he goes about his business, man, he's mature. And so man, he's growing, you know, just as a person and as a player. And so man, yeah, definitely Ohio State, you know, that running back room is in great hands. Yeah. Coach, Coach Hartlan, man, he's full of energy, man. And he's creative as well, you know, I'm just learning from him as well. You know, I'm trying to run more outside the backfield. It was being able to learn from Coach Hartlan. And so he's definitely creative at what he does. And he brings a lot of energy to the team as well. And so I think that would do really good. It's really good.

4:05:58Just intensity, man. And since he got the playoffs, every game, man, it's like the intensity got, you know, higher and higher. And so, you know, being able, I know in the lead, it's the same thing. Even if it's not the playoffs, just every game and intensity, it keeps getting higher and higher. And so, yeah, you just, I know you got to bring it, you know, each and every day and come in and work. Just like Ohio State, you know, I definitely feel like Ohio State. They definitely do a good job of preparing us for that. You know, I just remember even before going through this process, I'll talk to a lot of players before then. And they told me a lot of just about how much Ohio State prepared them, you know, for the NFL. And so, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I know I took a couple of days off after the National Championship. And then shoot right after that, I'm writing sample Florida and I'm writing to it. And so, yeah, I think while I trained, I trained at your morph performance. I think it's called the House of Athlete or the Compound now.

4:06:59They did a good job, man. They're just bringing us in and the way they went about training us, man. They did a really good job. The Bucking Nears, no, I haven't. Temple of Tampa. Temple of Tampa. Nice. This is a nice city, man. Really nice. The 40 to broad and avert. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Nah, man. It's really all about technique and then it's about mindset as well. And so, I say, you know, it's for the love of my brother. It's for the love of Will Howard. It's for the love of the receiver. It's why I got on the perimeter. Just making sure, you know, first of all, my quarterback doesn't get sacked. And I tell Will, I think it was before the first game. I was like, I got your brother. It's like, I said, man, I'm not going to let you get hit, you know, and so, I don't know if I gave up a sack. I'm not sure that, but I know if I did, I haven't given up too many.

4:08:02And so, man, it's for the love of my brother's, though, man, making sure that the ball get in their hands, you know, the guys on the outside and making sure they get fed. In my game, you can't really work on this, you know, in all season, I feel like it's more so, you know, you got to put the pads on. You got to go through some inside run, you know, maybe. I was really just continuing to run through tackles. And so, that's, I feel like that's one of the areas in my game. You know, I want to continue to get better. I feel like I did a good job of that in my senior year. And so, I just want to continue to build on that. So, you get what I was saying? Yes, I did. Yes, I did. So, people say you don't look like a lot of people are out there. You get back to nursing. You said you met them before. I did meet with New Orleans as well. I never got that comparison. Actually, I know I have a Camera shoe. Yeah, man, I would come here great, great back, man. Just what he does and those 101 matchups, he's dangerous, man. And he's so smooth. He's so smooth as well. I'm not going to lie. He's smooth.

4:09:02Yeah. Inside zone from stack, being able to hit that thing downhill. And I say the next one is probably just an option out of the backfield. You know, man, man coverage. You're getting on that line backer. And so. Yeah, I say the man, the biggest thing is the way that he carries himself, man. And the way that man, he approaches the game. He comes in with the mindset, you know, he's going to work every single week. You know, every practice, you know, he's working hard. You know, even shoot, I don't know, every good, I think he had it. Every game was a good game for him, man. And so, but still, man, he always has the mentality to mindset that, you know, he's going to come in each and every day. He's going to continue to work and get better, man. And so he's definitely, man, he's going to be a special player, man.

4:10:03He really is. Man, a lot of ups and downs, man, it's just how you respond to adversity. And I feel like that's something that God has definitely helped me to do better. Is this, I'm not having something to lean on now. You know, I remember before I met him, you know, going through those adversity, I had nothing to run to. You know, you can run to people, but they still can't, it's not too much. They can't truly help you. You know, I feel like, you know, I feel like the only person that can truly help you is your relationship with Jesus Christ. And so, being able to lean on him, you know, he gives you, in those moments where it's tough, you know, where it's low. And when you're behind the scenes and you're going through things that people don't know about, he gives you that peace and comfort. You know, even in those moments, man, where it's so hard that you can't explain, it's like, man, I'm going through this, but like, how am I still feel with this internal joy? You know, how do I have so much peace in this situation?

4:11:04And so that's something that only Jesus Christ can give you. So, which aspect could be to those other individuals like you around to follow and from being around power to him? Um, man, those guys have such a great mentality, man. Am I just really loved that mentality? Especially Q as well. You know, I talked about Will Howard, his leadership, but Quenchon mentality, man. Yeah, that boy just gifted, you know, you see, you know, sometimes he put in a situation where he looked like, you know, he should have a negative five yards. And as soon as you know it, you know, he, the running through somebody, still farming somebody and shoot, it's a game to 10. It's a. Do some of the things that he does, he just realized that you're different than God. Um, shoot, I think. Yeah, man, I think it's just like he's just gifted, man, too, beyond it. He's just gifted. You know, he's, he's a big back.

4:12:04You know, he's strong and so, um, you know, he's, he's able to do, he's able to do those things. And so, um, yeah, man, it's definitely, you know, I look at his game and I want to, you know, at the same time, I want to learn from Quenchon. You know, I want to look at this game and it's like, man, where, where can I get better at as well? You know, that's the type of player I am. I'm always looking to get better, man. I'm always looking to grow as a player. Julian San. Oh, yeah, he's going to be a great, but he's going to be a great quarterback, man. He's an accurate and so, um, he's definitely, man. I know Coach Daz is definitely going to get him right just, you know, um, continue to grow as a leader, continue to grow as a player. And so, he's going to be really good for how I say, uh, he's, uh, I know just the quarterback position. I feel like, you know, the quarterbacks in the past, they've, they've definitely been vocal and so I feel like that's something they're definitely going to, um, ask of Julian San as well. It's to be that vocal leader and lead the, um, and lead to offense and lead the team. I see an extra. Shoot man, he has a bill like JK Dobbins and I kind of see them, you know, similar,

4:13:07similarities in their game as well and I know JK Dobbins, he was a great running back. I feel like he's not talked about his none. A lot but man, his career here, you watch his highlights is great. I remember before I recruit, before I committed here, I remember watching JK Dobbins highlights like every, every one of his years here like four or five times and so man, he was such a great back. And I feel like, you know, when I see JK Dobbins, when I see James people, I see similarities to both of their games. I feel like they play the same. And so I appreciate you all. Yeah, I'll be going.

4:15:22I'm going to do it. Well, I got coming in last round to the role, so I just tacked every day really the same way. It's really very rare. Instically, how different are you? Weight wise, body wise, all that. From your, I think I got a lot bigger. I'm like 240, you know, like 244 right now. Last year, I played it like 236 to 37. What does it feel like 244? Or maybe I can feel like almost a different machine out there. Yeah, like what does it feel like? Be run around out there like you are, but with more, more back. I just feel like I'm like, like, like more downhill, like stronger. I'm taking all blocks better. It's a big. Yeah. Is it daunting?

4:16:24Maybe that's not the correct term, but to think you're going to be playing much more than you did even last year and you played quite a bit last year instead of what do you have to get straight in your head about being on the field that much more? This is going to get ready to just play 30 more snaps. So, but are you, are you, how would you describe how much you're looking forward to it from an eight-stand point? I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready for it. My, I'm ready for it. The Texas opener is a rematch, so to speak, but it's not really two different teams compared to the ones that I'm going to play. How has that enhanced this camp for you and this team getting ready for the where and openers of that magnitude? Yeah, with an opener like that, we've been emphasizing it a lot. We know we got coming, so we know we got to do what we're prepared for it. Already this is probably what you're going to be. I think Riley ready to play right now. He advanced freshmen like he in the, he in the book, he studied in like he advanced and his measurements crazy like he saw like saw like to. I said you're ready. I know you're ready.

4:17:24What was that process like during last season? Could you feel yourself becoming more and more ready for whatever the team needed for me? Yeah, because that's pretty much what my role was. Just whenever I was needed, I had to step up. So, I feel like that's what built me into me being able to say I'm ready for this year. When you say ready, is it more a physical thing? Is it a mental thing? When I say ready, I think it's pretty much like everything physically, mentally, mostly. I think I'm there. A different is that feeling this year than last year. That's the one more time. How different is that with John Hill? That's what you said. You just need to see a more straight call back. It was last year. You knew you were a role player. I feel like it's a way bigger responsibility with me having to step up this year, but I kind of go about it the same way. Like last year, I was intentional with everything I did. I feel like this year is going to be the same thing. It's probably a little bit more.

4:18:24Somebody who's not ready for this. And what work? How's everybody working? I say, scrawling. When you think of me, you think of like a bullet, like a silver bullet. I don't really know what it's like. That's how I like to play and think. No, I ain't got to be my nickname, but I'm saying that the thing to be that's something. Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's like. I'm going to ask you a few questions. How does that fit you? And where are you going about playing in that kind of cycle? I'm thinking fit me because I don't know, I just like the defense. I feel like we got, like you said, we got a lot of freedom. We're moving around a lot. A lot of the terms is like, no, I don't know. I don't really not answer that. That's okay. You can go on your instincts a little bit more, maybe.

4:19:26I don't even know if I say that because there's a lot of thinking going on, but it's like, I just like it's deep. I like how it's deep. I like what you got going on. I was upset when I was a kid. Now, I wanted to my sad. I was kind of like happy for you. Yeah, that's what you want. No, no, no, no, that's my dog. I'm going to say it. Kind of missing a little bit, but yeah, I'm happy for you. Go ahead one last question. Coach Daze talked a lot about the guys who played some last year, but maybe weren't the starters and the hunger for that wasn't maybe your national championship. You guys will win your own. How much do you feel that is, guy, who certainly contributed last year, but will be in this bigger role and along the summer year, your classmates? Yeah, I do feel like, yeah, I do feel like I did win the 90 last year, but like you said, my role wasn't same as how it's going to be this year. I definitely want to go get another one experienced that feeling.

4:20:26Maybe on the field, a lot more place. Great. Oh, Bill, thank you very much. I'm going to be so happy. The championship in Lincoln, you know, before and everything like that, and Olsen to get your teeth knocked in, you know, first game, and you can't have that happen because I don't really know what it is. I mean anything. And so just the concept mindset to continually get better is a forefront of my mind and forefront of anyone here you can ask. Yeah, I know we look at the class sets of R&D on them and be like, oh man, they're gone, they're gone. No, it's been good. I mean, the guys who are still here have definitely kind of bonded together pretty good. So. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, Mark came in at a day is like that class, 21 best class ever. And like, yes, you're okay. You know, I can't really, I can't really even, you know, just sitting to that, you know,

4:21:27not much left. But, yeah, I mean, to do what we can and do what we can for this team has been really important for all of us. And I think us now realizing where the veterans, you know, where the old guys now in the group has been kind of strange, at least to begin with, you know, because you go from all those guys, you like Donnie and Josh and those guys and all of a sudden, it's Sunday. We have a team meeting after the, like the celebration and the shoe and all of a sudden, the next day there's gone. And, you know, it's just very different. So I think us being able to step up as, you know, leaders and as, as vets to help bring out, you know, along the team, our units and this program has been really important. What are you doing overall? Two more questions. Just a try. Um, but then he was your office manager for sure. Luke Souther, Jake has been a bus so far. He didn't contain himself. Yeah. Somebody who went through that would have been impressed by Jake. No, it could have been doing really well.

4:22:29I mean, I could go as an ego's of work. He's extremely athletic, extremely flexible. Um, you know, he's a young kid. Obviously he's a lot of, um, a lot of development, a lot of, he's a little adversity at all of us do. Um, but I think he's going through that right now, but he's been, um, coming out on the better end of it so far and excited to see what he can do because he's very impressive at this young stage. So I steer overall level of excitement just to be back with the rest of this interior office of Lyme group. You guys have it so much experience back there. Yeah, extremely excited. I mean, um, trying to just build that culture back up again. You know, like what we had last year, uh, I, we're trying to do a little stuff here in there. And I know I think we're going to Ray raise a barbecue. I think tomorrow. So shout out Ray raise. But, um, but yeah, just trying to get that brotherhood back, get that, you know, that oblock spirit back. Sure it's coming soon. Um, hopefully. Um, but just to kind of get those, uh, not those same faces, but those same kind of

4:23:29mindsets back in our group is important right now. And it's been fun to meet new guys from different backgrounds and stuff like that. Um, and try to figure out how to, you know, build that and mend that together. It's been pretty cool. Now, as you are, one of the most experienced veterans on this team, how much do you feel like you have to be a leader for the students here? Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think that comes, um, it's, it's obviously, I don't feel like it's natural to anyone to immediately step up. And that's something I've been working on every day and talking to God about. Um, but I have to understand that and that's something I want to continue to work on. I want to be able to be a guy that people can fall back on and like coach was saying before, like, we're going to have highs and lows, but the great players, the ones being set our clocks to and I kind of want that's my goal as to be one of those people that you can do that. Um, and I think for especially a very new set of eyes in the woodie, not only coaches, but players. Um, I think it's very important to kind of keep that steady mindset. And I think for me, learning how to be a leader has been important just to not be too hard on myself, but also not let myself kind of slack off in some departments to try to keep steady.

4:24:39Just your story itself, though, is testament of what it means to like for perseverance and stuff, too, though, right? Carsel, I mean, you know, that's, that's an extent up from somebody to say that, right? I mean, just, yeah, what do you, what do you think you've shown more than anything else in every card? Yeah, I mean, I've been blessed, you know, I've, you know, I've been blessed with a lot of adversity. I think it's definitely made me better on the back end and, um, you know, coach, so it, Coach, they always talks about it. And you don't, you know, great leaders aren't, you know, they can show it, but you know, a lot of people can show it. A lot of people can just talk about it. Um, but to be about it is important. And I think, um, to me, now I've went through a lot of that adversity. I went through a lot of that stuff and, um, my testament, you know, has been, um, written in an interesting way. But I think for me to take that next step is really important for not only for this team, but for myself personally. Yeah, he's been doing great. I mean, he came in big, freaking strong. He's fun to be in the weight room with.

4:25:39Uh, he's, uh, he's kind of quiet. Like that's kind of my first impression on him, but he's actually pretty funny, dude. He, he and his dad come over and they kind of joke around. So he's been doing a great job. I can't talk. He's been a great job. Um, for his size, he has like freaky athletic feet. Like I watched him do the ladders and that's a lot of massive over on those things. You know, doing a little acheshuffle, but I mean, he was, he was killing it. And so he's been doing a great job. I can't wait to see how it kind of continues to develop throughout this summer. And throughout this fall camp. First thing I mean, I was like, what did Austin do? Yeah, Piggy's been doing great. I mean, he, uh, he stepped up. Piggy. Yeah. Yeah, everyone first of us. Piggy is his username one time. Nice. Everyone's Piggy. But anyway, um, you know, Pig's been doing great. He, uh, he's been able to step up and kind of bring around along those younger guys. You know, everyone's kind of trying to figure out their, their new roles. And I think he's been, uh, a big, big body guy that you catch the bar can run between the tacos.

4:26:39Um, his feet are quicker than once you think for a big guy. That really good feet and good balance. So that's what makes him good. That's what I saw. Is that a comment for a bigger back like in the family? The personality. Yeah. I don't know. I was trying to get like, I'm running back. I'm trying to get back. Well, tight in background. No, I don't know many with that type of background, but he's high-spiracy. They try to play as an age back. Well, you know, looking at the portal for running actually, we try to recruit right back. 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 use you. Or is it? You'll just say the best running back. You can fight. I want to have different styles. I want to do stuff. I'm going to talk to you. You know, take, say, you know, take guys with different students. Whether they're big guys, small guys, class catchers, in-between the attacking runners, I don't know. I don't want to take this out, but they're all different, different backs. You guys have built in clinch, you know, a lot of them are at a slower red zone story.

4:27:42You guys are actually really in the corner. Was it important to find the back that had to size, let's see if they had the up and the back that they lost. No, I have my own opinion on the size they've been accompanying me with. I had joined James out of Oregon. And he's my grandson, running the show y'all's lines of freshman. He probably waited two, ten, twelve, five. Which is not very big, but they ain't got anything to do with them. Some guys just got to know, sticking their bound his own. And he played with a lot of aggression down here running. And that could be CJA, that could be James, or it could be the freshman, though, Jackson. It's just who has no experience for getting his own. But that's, that's one more over here. You don't have to be six, two. No, just because you're being there, I'm making five. We need to get, obviously, you know, freshman running back from it in, but what do you need to see from a freshman? To feel comfortable with that place. In the first thing,

4:28:42you will be on the ball. Well, they do a little small detail, but take care of the ball. The second thing will be how good they are in the past. Because it's the hardest thing for high school back. Because they're not really here in high school. You have to understand the past. But all their falls are new. So like they said, I'm the head coach in my heart. So that's why I need to see first, and everything, Jackson. I will understand to read this. So I have to be able to get in. You feel comfortable with, with Bowen, and I say, whether I had, or at least, you know, whether time was correct. Yeah, I think they're gonna be fine. Like I said, I tell all the young guys, he's a marathon out of the sprint. I'm sorry, first you've been on the spot on Special Teams. You know, you're on Special Teams, then, then you're on the right to be a buck out of me. So they'll get out down the field. So, I think they're turning the right towards you. First practice. Like it wasn't merit. It's under build-off rules. I can't stop the work on it.

4:29:48Good. Yeah. Long day. I've been seeing some of the younger guys in their room develop, thinking about, like, Patrick Houston just coming in this year, seeing him working with you guys. Joshua and Bacon, how's he coming home? I feel like they're definitely picking up quick. I mean, I was in their shoes one time, and I had Zach Harrison, and Javante, and Tyler Friedell in front of me. So I feel like I'm just trying to be one of those peers that they work for me, and kind of just give them the steps to get there. And I feel like they're definitely picking up quick, and I definitely need to be one of the great Russians. And what do you think of Joshua talking about? J.T. and Zach, probably don't need it. It's on their way. They're spending some of the opportunities for me to be out of them. Is there a difference in the work for you, because you've been getting through after chance, been the last couple? I feel like all the camps, I've definitely gotten a big course learned, and I love that side. I ask Josh J for it. I love getting more reps, because I just like protecting my craft. So, I mean, some people may not need it. Some people need it, but I mean, I just like to use me,

4:30:48because I get the little things on that course load. So, what do you think? I mean, for me, it's always just kind of getting my little details perfectly, like my steps, my footing, kind of just affecting my toolbox, and what we call it, my craft, and just trying to be a, it's like a whenever you pick a place, what kind of difference. Yeah, definitely just getting stronger faster, everything all the above, but one of my big things is being a leader, and kind of just not trying to look, still look up to Jack and JT, and kind of have my own kind of leadership and be able to bring people into. So, I feel like, kind of have a lot of leaders on the D line, and we have to be in position, so we've kind of all kind of just pounds off the children's and homes. Is that been a tough turn? We've used to go from what we've had to know, to guys playing with them, all of you, and being on the field, and just kind of taking it out, and trying to get us to be like, from the leaders, those guys, those that are just your kids. I think competitive, and we love it.

4:31:49We all competitive people, we all love to fish each other, and that's really the thing that bests out of all of us. I feel like we all just kind of bouncing off each other and see what one person does, and we kind of build it into our actual box, and we all kind of just kind of build one great thing. Hey, you're going to go a lot less year, and you've got to get the shot of the full back in the boat. And, did they approach you with that idea, and two coach's team, I mean, how did they come about? Because you're a good checksier, it's not me. Okay. It gets a test day. So, I definitely did it in high school. I was pulled back, and a little bit of tidied in. So, I feel like, it kind of saw what I could do there, and Coach Wilson, obviously, he loved watching it too, before he left, and I feel like he planned that seat, and Coach Day's head, and Coach Day kind of just went for it, and I tried to do the best I could to do it. Is that continuing now, I mean, or do you think anything in the screen? New playbook, I did not know you haven't got that far. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, people, and I'm talking to him. Yeah, look at that. I like to think myself as a football player. I can really play any position on the field, you need me to

4:32:49just give me a weaker tube to learn it, and kind of perfect it, and I'll try to do my best for you. Kid Jack, you're the same thing. Oh, yeah. And what about football? Graph, please, that's what I... Kid, he's talking to Coach Wilson on Tuesday about some of the conversations, and sort of sight you, and you've got it out to have some conversations. I think JT and Jack decided to come out, just got to wait until it's more perspective, and how did that help you maybe get the right mindset against many of these players? Definitely kind of seeing it all the way through. I feel like people kind of just see what happened, and they don't know everything that goes into it, how long the season is now, what you got to do to prepare for, and what's going to happen in all that time, from here to to this. So I feel like we definitely just coached in me, kind of connected, and we kind of just talks, man-to-man, and we kind of just set straight to me, and I feel like we kind of both are going on, and we know we're making it. We're making each other better every day, and we got the 4 best Dn, 5 best Dn, honestly, and I'm going to coach football, and we're going to be one of the best D-Lines in coach football. I think you feel like a better player today than you were in this year.

4:33:51I feel like I've taken big steps in my rules of just being responsible and being more of a leader, and kind of stepping up and taking a step to kind of get out there more on the team, and kind of bring people in, and I feel like I'm kind of helping out more. I think I'd rather end right after passing the TKFC. The tips sound ridiculous. I mean, it sounds bizarre, but I mean, the season goes by so fast already, so when you're kind of like week 10, and you're like, wow, it's already week 10, so now it's kind of getting more time to kind of enjoy it, and kind of savor it, because we're number 8 year free and feel like I'm fresh and fresh and sweet, and it's crazy. But you don't want to spend all your power in the first month of the year, right? Oh, yeah. There is that pace yourself there, but there is a mindset that I did that season. Yeah, definitely. You're definitely going to have the mental stability that I've handed all those weeks, all those practices. How much has Larry talked to you guys about in here? Last question right here. 2016, 2017, 4, and the 5, 2, 500 dollars. So much, does he talk to that? I mean, he doesn't have to talk about it.

4:34:52We know about it. We've seen it every day. We watch the film. We see them all working together. We know what it could be. We know we could become. So we know we're at the same, we're at the right place at the right time, and God wanted us to be here, and He knew we wanted us all to come together and kind of play together, and be able to bounce off, and just perfect our craft together. And I feel like we all are just great individuals, and we come together at something special. Great. How did your expectations, like, this team, have you felt like you had this point in the past? I feel like I've made the plays that came to me, and that's really all I can control. I've had more opportunities as he has progressed, and been in the spot to be here on the ball. But the expectation was that coming here and contribute to the team, and kind of find a way to push the team to win games at high level, and to be better than they were in the match, and for me to play better than I was in the match. So really just coming to try to grow with myself,

4:35:52and with the team. So that was my big goal, and I feel like I've done a good job, and the team has done a good job, progressing through the year and getting better. So yeah, that's all I can say about that. Okay, and then the right person made it up in the row. Yeah, I can't stand here right now. Just feel like a different season. What does it feel like for you going in from playoffs? You know, you all did get the goal you wanted, necessarily to make your mistakes, but here you are. Right? I mean, what does that sense that you have right now, that's a different height about the regular season? I mean, everybody wants to say it's a new season in terms of, because if everybody's 0-0 right now, when you keep going, if you lose, you're done. So, I mean, but genuinely, that's how you play every game. You know, that play every game, and that gets your last game. So for me, I don't think it's really any difference to be able to go play. I don't know how that will ever game, and that can't be based upon. Is there a playout game or anything else? You know, I don't think it will ever game like this is the same thing. So, I would say in terms of that, no,

4:36:53you just have to play the game. Play the game with us there. What feels difficult about this defense right now, going into this, you know, the outfield even more. The time we work, you know, up by the tide, I mean, close together. What was it? I mean, what was your sense of the brotherhood, so to speak, of the defense? I feel like we progressed throughout this season. We had to make a change after game six, because we lost and we didn't play well that game. And I feel like we'd grown from that and add to a better place. And over these past two weeks, off just realizing, okay, these are the things that we messed up throughout the year. These are what we need to fix. These are what this team is trying to exploit on us. So just really going back to everything, seeing what we can do better, for this coming game, we put the next one on. Let's go for questions. Deep, I told you you heard me, fuck a hell. How does the Tennessee's wide split with your receivers, in fact, you, as a hundred? I feel like it makes the game more, more, more,

4:37:53again, I meant you receivers, or DBs at the place, at the game, than the guys up front. And it makes it, truthfully, like, those guys have to do their job, and these guys have to do your job. You got to be able to stop the run with the people they have from the run fit, and you have to be able to stop the traffic with the people they have out there. So that's what they do, and they do it at a really low. So it's going to be tough to go. And I find a question to join in on this discussion. Coach knows the time, about the speedy, which, there, you guys are in the column, and the lane, is this go-for-tensil, is it kind of fast, you get to play column and, because the player kind of vanishes it, that gives you, you use the speedy, which is called that. It allows you to get your feet centered, and I said earlier, just a ability to see the formation, see what keys that you have before the play, and have knowledge of your job, and not really thinking, being able to play and not think during the games is a really big thing. So whenever you can get the call, they're faster and play at a high level,

4:38:53and play without a car. That's a really good thing for your team. Thank you very much. Appreciate you all. Thank you. The viewers, you're actually all yours, not me. Oh, yeah. It gives a touch now. So I definitely didn't in high school. I was pulled back, and a little bit of tidying. So I feel like, it kind of saw what I could do there, and Coach Wilson, obviously, he loved watching it too, before he left. And I feel like he planned that seat and Coach Day's head, and Coach Day kind of just went for it, and tried to do the best I could to do it. Is that continuing now? I mean, I know that you've seen it before. Do anything in the screen? New playbook, I did not know yet. Yeah, I've gotten that far. Yeah, you're good, then. How toposet you think? Yeah, look at Jack. I like to think myself as a football player. I can really play any position on the field, you need me to just give me a weaker chew to learn it, and kind of perfect it, and then I'll try to do my best for you. Can you check me the same thing? Oh, yeah. But don't laugh. It's a graph, I think. That's why. I was just talking to Coach Johnson on Tuesday about some of the conversations, some sort of side-viewing that we got out to outside conversations after JT and Jack decided to come back.

4:39:54Just a little bit of weight into those, and you're expecting to do it. And how did I help you maybe get the right mindset? That's what you need me to do. Um, definitely kind of seeing it all the way through. I feel like people kind of just see what happened, and they don't know everything that goes into it, how long the season is now, what you got to do to prepare for, and what to happen in all that time, from here to then. So, I feel like we definitely just coached in me, kind of connected, and we kind of just talked, man-on-man, and he kind of just sent straight to me, and I feel like we kind of both agreed on it. Right, bless, and we know we're making it. We make it each other better every day, and we got the 4 best D-N, 5 best D-N, honestly, in the College Football, and we're going to be one of the best D-Lines in College Football. How do you feel about it today, today, and you're working this year? Um, I feel like I've taken big steps in my rules, of just being responsible, and being more of a leader, and kind of stepping up, and taking a step to kind of get out there more on the team, and kind of bring people in, and I feel like I'm kind of helping out more. How do you recommend a pass at the C-D-H-C?

4:40:57I mean, it sounds bizarre, but I mean, the season goes by so fast already, so when you're kind of like week 10, and you're like, wow, it's already week 10, so now it's kind of, it gives you more time to kind of enjoy it, and kind of savor it, because you've come already here for a really refreshing, fresh, and fresh, and crazy. But you don't want to spend all your power over the first couple of months in the year, right? And there is a, not pace yourself that, but there is a mindset, and you know, the season. Yeah, definitely, definitely going to have that mental stability to handle all those weeks, and all those practices. How much is Larry talking about you guys around with him? Last question right here. The K-16, 2017, 4, and a 5, 2, 5, 2, 1, so much, does he talk to that guy? I mean, he doesn't have to talk about it. We know about it. We've seen it every day, we watch the film, we see him all working together, we know what it could be, we know we could become. So we know we're right at the same, we're at the right place at the right time, and God wanted us to be here, and we knew we wanted us all to come together, and kind of play together, and be able to bounce off, and just perfect our craft together. And I feel like we all are just great individuals,

4:41:58and we come together at some special. You get like good coaches who believe in you, and they give you the tools to go out there, and just play with confidence. You know, not out there doubting yourself, like you got your teammates, you got your back, like our first play, when I got up there at Tennessee, like when Dezeo, IGB and Jermaine, like, personally, they say, like, no, where you just go out there and play with confidence. You know, the tools, there's usual tools, it's just go out there and make a play, and where about a play coming to you? You know, where you're so timed, and so job, and you just do it, and then like, say what Coach Warren is like, he gives me, he puts me in a position, like, at the drills we put in, the work we put in, the one-on-one tools, to just go out there and just perform at the highest level. How much better are you right now than maybe last month and fourth spring practice? I mean, I got to lay better just because I've transitioned a little bit to the inside, Nicholas Fawseh, I'm like, now I've seen some like catch technique, and it's often covers not, it's not always press at the line, so it's like, not maybe to like move my feet, move my hands, like, see, like, what I gotta do, just like, just in case I gotta go back and corner, I can, I'll plan,

4:42:58oh, I'm not, I'm very confident out there. Do you think that Nick 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, Coach has helped us learn fast, 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 always, we used to go out there and play like fast spot, and it would, like, reversatility, you're able to just go out there and just compete. Is that where you kind of stuff, just spring, or do you get kind of melt there? So I'm really, you've been stuck there, this spring, a little bit, right, whenever you get this, like, other things, I just bounce out there every once in a while, just like, have fun, see if I still got it every once in a while, so it's as good as to go out there to compete at most spots. You mentioned the technique, what technique, you know, tips and things, and you had to pick up and learn from what you're from, taking the inside. I mean, this is always like, you're all, because what, coaches are asking hands, like, see it,

4:43:58you see it, move your feet, and then get your hands, and put your hands on the mat, so it's like, when you get like, when you out there, you're able to, like, just process like the way the receiver comes off the ball, looking at the hips, and seeing like, the way he moves, and are you able to pick up, like, the round concerts, you can get out of that, like, so it's being like, you know, the ball's, you know, 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 in, since? I really just say, like, the corner, you got your cover two, you got your cover three, you got your cover one, it's easy, but you got nickel, now, so many responsibilities, you got to see, like, the round concepts, you got to be able to process, like, I ain't going to throw it fast or dead, but you got to do my corner, and just be able to, like, everything is quid, you got to transition, you got to, you got to move fast, you got to just learn to move fast. It's like game recognition, where you think, maybe from the most, since you got it, and now since you got it, that's good. I would definitely say, I would definitely say, because, how, when you get to college,

4:44:58it's a little bit different, like, in high school, we don't got to worry about things like that, when I want you to get to college in a school like this, like, your recognition of plays, and like, your loyal drops, the way, like, the coverage is supposed to be played, and understand all your teammates or positive you have in the field, it's like, it's easy. What if your pressure is bad? It's a very talented, easy, great dude, it's a humble guy, a great teammate, very supportive, it's like a guy that you don't want to rob, because, you know, you can feed off your energy, because, you can see, like, we make a play, he's like, he like, IGB, it's like, IGB 2.0, so he's like, when you get out there with guys, like, that would get energy, it makes you play a little bit harder, and it's like, when you make a play, he's out there, like, it's helping you, like, it's being out there with him, he's a great player. One of those guys, trust question, and for kids, I would say obviously, in the last couple of years, you just know, there's a public area first now. What is it about one build that gets you to play at Ohio State? It's a big question, I know. The question is, let me just try some components,

4:45:58because we have so many kids come out of glue-bill and just play at leagues, elite schools, and they like, like, tracks a big part of it, because, you know, I mean, actually in a glue-bill, you're not going to be able to track like this, it's meant to, you don't really get a choice. You're able to just, like, get out here, and like, know how to compete, and then like, you're getting builds that mental toughness into you, so I was like, have you like, have you, have you got to be mentally tough, because I'm not like, life's not going to be easy, so it's like, being out here, being able to compete, when you down, just pick yourself back up. I mean, that's what being is done for me, and that's what being is done for me, that's what being is done for me, that's what being is done for me, is it going to be for a great, after the word end? Yeah, hungry and thankful. I mean, we know how the last, 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 and had to make a couple changes, but I think we understand what, you know, everything's that's stick right now, you know, just fighting to where, another high-stage jersey for the next game, that's what's on stake, and just be able to represent this,

4:46:59this state and this, this team. I mean, we understand what's, what's on the line, and, you know, I mean, the way we're doing and blessed that we get this opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl. Right behind you, Adam King. WBN, what do you remember most about walking off the field in Eugene? What was kind of going to see your eyes in that moment? I mean, there was a, I don't think anybody imagined it, imagined us losing. You know, I didn't, that's for sure, and I think after that, it was kind of hit deep, understanding that, man, we still, we 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. There it 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,

4:47:59and 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. After all, right, Vladimir Drow. Jay, what did you see from King Yada in the last couple of weeks? Was there like a push from him? And, you know, there were many conversations with him. You can see that he's playing since the best moment in the season. Yeah, I mean, that's, that's my boy, he's in the R2X club too, but, you know, King Yada, I mean, every time his number is called, 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, and, you know, we see it in practice, so it's not surprising to us. Bill, we're a bit of an applause this back. Bill and Gabriel's obviously very elusive in our 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.

4:49:00Yeah, I think it just comes out being disciplined, knowing who you're playing against. Like you said, he's, he's, he's sharply very elusive. I mean, he can, he is making throws. I mean, he get out the parking to everything. So I think for us, we just got 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. You're a question about UNJ. I mean, your personality seems to be a little different. You're more on the quiet side. He's, he's not. Yeah. How about it? You've played together four years, both five-star guys, kind of describe your relationship with him, friendship with him, and just kind of how you cop among each other. Man, that's, that's my brother. Like you said, we're different but very alike. I think outside, like you said, he's louder and quiet, but you know, once we're on that field, we're like the same person. We'll do anything for this team. You know, we'll die for our players and we'll give everything we got. We've been in the room together for four years, correct? Yeah. Fall camp. Every room.

4:50:00Yeah. Sometimes a gov there. It's the gov there. Yeah. There's the meet when he's the messy one. We have our share of days when we, when I'm neat, he's neat. Or, you know, we might both be messy, but we do a, we do a good job. Yeah. Oh, I'd probably say I would better kick the jack though. Tony Gertman, Buck I Hell. When you're playing a team for the second time, and that was almost a season to go by now, yeah. How much of, are you at square one with the 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 preconceived notions of what you're going up against? That's probably the offense for the audience. 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, so did we. So we understand that they had, they made some changes for sure. You know, there's, there's a certain intensity that we can take back from that game, 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,

4:51:00dissect 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? I was 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, you have the question one more time. Yeah, no problem. I wanted to ask you about the synergy you are able to develop over the course of the season, obviously celebrating the triumphs, but also getting through the adversities to where you are, are 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 are a lot of things we can take away from all the wins and losses. From those wins, we understood that, hey, we can be the best defense of the country,

4:52:00and from those losses, we understand that there are still things that need to be fixed, and I think when you take all that in, at once, that comes out to the Comma Gold or the Common Talk, which is, you can, there are always learning points everywhere, and depending how we dissect those games or how we just continue to come as one and elevate, you know, we continue to just collect all those, those learning points and just continue to grow from them. And one final question. Joey Coffin, Columbus Dispatch. Joey? JT, what have you guys done better in the, especially in the Tennessee game, and just late in the season, you think about turning some of the pressures that you've got on the quarterbacks and the sacks and getting home in some of those situations? Yeah, I think it was more just, understanding the defense as a whole, understanding everybody's job, thing as the season went on, we had to understand that, you know, we had to know what was going on in the back, and we had to know what was going on with the linebacker crew to understand what plays

4:53:00we have, room of freedom, and I think once we understood that and got a better understanding of everybody's job, I mean, it showed this play, because, you know, everybody else we should have is doing. It's not like the lineback is not what they're doing. The corners 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, you know, if they're listening to how they can get to the quarterback, and, you know, if I'm dropping, playing quarterbacks, but I can ask Cody on how to open field tackle it. So, you know, we just, we just kind of lean on each other's understanding, because, you know, like I said, like Denzel knows how to play corner-bending, and I know how to play corner. So, you know, he has more, more wisdom at that position than I do. JT, thank you very much. Thank you. Thanks, man. You've been on this like that for a long time. Definitely, a little bit of both. Obviously, I just wanted the team to win. I think we got a chance to win. No, definitely towards it, and the stretch that last drive. I was a couple of plays here, a couple of calls that he made me should have gotten,

4:54:00but I think the frustration more so it just comes from, you know, wanting to win or anything. You said he was a little surprised how much attention you got right away from the defense. How about you? Yeah, definitely. I think we'd maybe kill the more one-on-ones kind of how the game plan was set up. You didn't have a lot of different coverage out of cloud to my side, and this is kind of how the game goes. What's the process of it in the election time? Where, or whatever reason, just see that. Yeah, definitely. Especially in college, a lot of the game friends defensively were taking your leg. You know, we had a lot of success at a high-up state. Obviously, we were running the ball and having different weapons and kind of still get the victories. And I was, yeah, you continue to do better jobs doing it here. My heart is the limitation that process been like post-game, getting on the same page with Kyler, just, you guys exchange text, or, you guys get the stone. Yeah, film them, definitely. Kind of ask me what did I see there, kind of go over and play, and, um, I just, I give them what I saw,

4:55:02and kind of different feedback there. Change words. Mark, I get it. We're asking questions about the previous game bar. Are you the type of guy to let a game like that winger, or how do you flush it? Yeah, you got to move on. Got to move on. It's a long season guy. It's like 16 more of them. Hopefully, you know, I can stay healthy throughout the year and, um, just continue to build and get better each week. You guys did so much work throughout the off season to get on the same page. How different is it when you get into that regular season? Yeah, it's totally different. It's totally different. It's totally different. Um, you can do a lot of things, you know, insert some shorts, and then once you go out there, put practice, and you got pads on. You do, like, the point practice, you do the colds, but there's nothing like actually going out there, um, and live action, and really trying to be on the same page. So, I think that would really should both continue to develop and look at better. Did it just a matter of reps then this month's the same thing? Yeah, I do definitely, definitely. Um, like I said, I was kind of my first live action together. Um, so I can continue to give up. When you're early impression, so I turn around and feel together and I'm just going to increase and it's like, what's happened? Uh, yeah. But, now obviously, I would definitely respect,

4:56:02like, no JG's call or preseason, and obviously, we all feel really healthy. That's kind of the best and most important thing, and obviously, that's a lot of healthy going forward. So, um, that's it. I can say, I can say. Mark, when are your early impressions of the Rams? What do you think of the Rams? Yeah, I mean, they're a good team. They're good physical team. I got a new, a lot of new guys up front, I think. And that's kind of where their strong suit is. Um, kind of a little different to Buffalo. Come work a little match coverage. So, I'm excited to go get some. Personally, when the bells take taking one of my opportunities, I don't know today, since it's getting open, but it wasn't many of them. It wasn't many of them, so, uh, I thought I needed to. I'm sure you think game versus just playing. You're not getting any preseason game, and I think it's a lot. Definitely, definitely thinking a lot out there, and, um, you know, I think I'll come with reps. I think, to think less, you're just going out there and playing. Definitely come with reps. And it's something you're on, you're better at, but, um, definitely say I was thinking a lot out there. Is there anything you can do to bring that, that's from coverage, and that you didn't do the class? You're going to get a better start along, obviously.

4:57:03Yeah, I mean, you just got to team, get open for yourself, make yourself available, and when the ball does good, make it into play. Um, this, the people just taking you away, that means other guys are having a chance to get open, so, uh, that's not kind of how I look at it. It's no longer since it's either offense, it's the best thing of course. That comes to me with highlights. Is there something that comes pretty quickly, and you need something like that? Uh, hopefully sooner or later, I think. Um, I'll look into the scene and see, we'll see. I don't think we're in a bad place right now at all. Obviously, I don't really think that, but, uh, just a live episode, continue to grow and show. I think how I believe in maybe different than somebody else, maybe not like to, at practice, at least like the legal positivity, you know, I mean so, but, he, the energy I would be on, just though, hyperbion, so that's kind of how I look. The goal I'm, um, really my whole life, I'm on the NFL team captain, like specifically, and I felt I wasn't a captain in high school,

4:58:04wasn't a captain in college, but I want to make a joke, I was in high school, so I feel like I'm not going to be a captain like his, that I felt. Yeah. Um, but that would be awesome, you know, but, you know, that happens, that'd be great, but not either way, I want to assume a role as a captain from, to respect the guys, onto a visual world, and get back to that point. Yeah, I mean, I can't say that, um, I mean, I guess, the biggest thing is that, I felt like it has felt, like how, you used to move past, but it didn't take just the first day, LTAs, it took, training, left and right, once this season ended, because I don't know what was going to be shared in it, so, I was going to go out, and, you know, to get to some things, if I have no regrets, just to get back to feeling, like myself, for LTAs, and then that whole first week, and now, like, today specifically,

4:59:05just changing some small things with my feet, that is talking about belong coach, asking things that I'm doing my feet to get, to sound a traditional angle that I love to set on, and, thought I felt, I thought I felt, I felt, how I like the right side and on the left side. So long side. I mean, obviously I feel like in the league, whether you're left or right, you're still going against Premier Guy, so obviously you have high expectations for the left hand or high tackle. But there's definitely a level of energy and like expectations definitely take the human side. Because now tonight it blinds like that. So that's the tackle world. So yeah, I would say in terms of communication as far as this, even outside of the facility, you can just stuff like that. I think really creating that, but in tackle quarterback, bond even more often, feel what I think has been something that's even done cool. I mean, I got the text one day.

5:00:06Is that hey, you put it up. I was like, you know, I've been training both. I've been training both. I asked after the season there, like honestly, we'll talk to you some things in the next time. And I just got a text one. I don't know how this was with the free agency. Then so I was like, you know what? I had an old season right tackle. So if I get the word, I'm going to stand right tackle. I'll just do what I did before I'm built on that. But I was like, I might as well just train the left tackle now. As if I'm going to be left tackle. And I'd rather do that than train on right time with the co-a, the left tackle. I'm like, who? How does it fight? I'm switching my feet. You know what I mean? So I'm like, let me just prepare an advance. I'll just go. You know? I think occasionally on third down, there will be a lot of twists. That I'll just know like it's automatically going. And I think that was my mindset for the first half of the season. Like I didn't have to go into the game with some pros. Like, oh my gosh, I did that. I tried to figure it out. OK, this is the type of rush.

5:01:08I'm going to get it. This is how this guy usually rushes. If I get the vibe, this is how it ends like the rush. The tackle is at it first year guys. We got the premier patch on. Already, you know, what it was going to be. Already, you know, we'll be every step. And honestly, just knowing that's kind of an advantage. So you're not, you're not, oh, the problem is twist on my side again. It was never airy-doll, but it come out the hot side. Three plays in a row. Two minutes. I knew that. It was going to be like, you said a lot. You know what I mean? I'm watching more everybody else. And you really, you know, it goes out there occasionally. Well, third down, I was like, you know, I'm sorry. He's going to pick me. You know what I mean? So, effect, effect, it's kind of, it's also kind of an advantage in a way. But it's also exciting, like, okay, I'm going to get the hardest look. You know, those are real, real reps, you know, the day. So, really, I went into kind of process. That I was like, hey, when I tell me, let me know about my arms going to train it. I was training all the way.

5:02:09So, TAs, I guess if I didn't hear anything about the TAs, I would came in like, so, you know what I mean? Because just like, I'm cool with training both continuing. I would have been cool training both continually. But I feel like anybody, any position will be like, okay, like, you want as soon as possible, you get your feet, you're settled in, your hips, your hands, so then, a second time with it. What have you been hard at? You work both very hard to use? No, no. But, they're definitely, but in terms of the development, it's definitely a lot faster, to stay on one side. But I think having that week's that we had the transition with the seasons over, I'm like, it was fun. You know, good. I'm trying to get up with it, but I'm not having any weak things at a time right now. But when it comes back, I'm going to show them to you in the house. I've got a house that's not too far from, so I told them, I got that house, I could yell outside.

5:03:09Did you say? You don't have any, so... Yeah. That doesn't have any stock or anything. It doesn't mean anything, so we had to play on Friday, and that's really all that matters. We're going to take two more from Zoom before turning it back. Our first one's going to come from Stephen from Cleveland.com. Go ahead. It's the fun, I'm sorry. Hey Caleb, we've seen, you were talking about the Ohio State Office, the success that they've had. Obviously Jeremiah has been a big part of that. What's it been like this year going against him in practice, and you know, after doing that, does it surprise you at all to see him having a success he's had as a freshman? No, it doesn't bring surprises. It was pretty easy to see the talent that he has and the blessings that God has put on his plate. It's always a challenge going against Jeremiah and other receivers in Mecca and Karnel in practice, and even guys like Brandon and his impression Rogers, they do a great job bringing looks for the defense,

5:04:14and create a lot of obstacles. I'll find a question from Zoom is going to come from Dan Hope. Go ahead Dan. Caleb, you've been had a lot of success against you guys when you played him at Alabama last year. What do you remember from going up against him last year and what can you learn from that game? Really smart quarterback knows how to operate their offense, push the ball in the right places, and then Coach Narkeeson does a great job putting him in positions to win. All right, back to you. Thank you Rob Aller, Columbus Dispatch, Caleb, JT and Jack Lannops and sides, and it's opposite off the field as they are on in terms of personality and just the people they are. They're offices, but they're also like one of the closest people I know they spend a lot of time together. They've come from different sides of the country so they're different people for sure, but they're both really great people and really great men. I'm sorry I respect both of them.

5:05:16How would you do that? I'm not going to do that. I'm sorry I'm not going to do that. Throughout the season we would always see you on Wednesday nights you and Nathan would be some of the last people off the field. Are the things that you're working on after a practice always the same? Is it a routine? What are the things that you're hoping to get out of those extra moments after practice? So routine pretty much the keys that we need to go into the game with, and then also changes week to week on based on what our jobs are going to put us into doing. So every week we go through the same things and then we add certain things that we do for the... What the team that we play is going to ask us to accommodate. Bill, we're going to win. Okay, Joey Goplin, club is this bad? When?

5:06:17What do they do well in those spots and what's the key for you guys in those moments with Quinn? They do a really good job with I Candy. They've increased a lot of challenges for defense in order to see if it's runner pass and see... Because that's when they're going to take their shots too as well. So really just having great eye discipline, seeing the line and seeing what it's telling us. So that's just what it is. Deep break, Nick Walker, Letterman, roll. Hey, you guys had a pretty good game plan for Tyler Warren when you guys played him. You guys have another technical to get tied in and gone around. What do you guys have to do to limit him and what do you think about his game? He's a really good player. He makes a lot of plays and he has a lot of receiving yards this year. So really just do the same thing we've done all year. Just be disciplined in our responsibilities. And if you're on them, you've got to make the play when it comes. Right, one of the main drillists, play them.com. When you look at their receivers, they spread ball around.

5:07:18There's a lot of what stands out about the way they can spread the ball around. A lot of really good athletes. I play with Isaiah Bond, last year, who's a really great receiver. A lot of speed. And then all their receivers have made a lot of plays. So I mean, everybody has to be on their peasy cues if we're going to stop them and do a really good job. From all here, Tim May, Letterman, roll. Yeah, kill, but you moved up here. I don't have to tell you when you moved it, basically a year ago. And stuff. It was a little bit of a leap of faith because you know how many athletes are on this team. Get athletes to stuff. But when did you really feel this defense come into its own? And then past that, man, watching in Rose Bowl, you're recognition of what was coming seem to be on point. Did it feel like that? I mean, you personally. I think the defense has played really well throughout the season. I think we've had games where we played better and games where we haven't put it all together.

5:08:18I think that's how all defenses are. So I can't say there's a certain moment where I think we put it together. But what was your second part of your question? You seem really on point against Oregon about recognizing what was coming. I mean, you were really active out there directing and things like that. Did it feel like that, I guess? I feel like, as Luke said earlier, the preparation that we put in goes into that. So just feeling comfortable and what we're doing, comfortable and what we're seeing with the other teams. I feel like that allows us to play fast and to me and Laketon to communicate to everybody else. Did I miss anyone's questions here? Steve, how long and 24 seconds before this? Yeah, Caleb, but you came to Ohio State to play for National Championship. And there were a lot of ups and downs throughout the season. Just to be in this position, the last four teams still alive. Did you feel validated by that? Did you always have faith that this is how it was going to turn out?

5:09:18I came to Ohio State to become a better player and to help the team be as good as it can be. Not to win a national championship. Like that wasn't the only goal for me coming here. I really just wanted to be in the team and be with the brotherhood. But it's a great feeling being in the final four and being with the team and everything that comes with that. And one final question, Bill, where Ben wants to play this back? I did want to follow up. When I talked to you at the after the game, you said when they scored their first and second touchdown, you were really hot on the sidelines. What was your message to the team? And you know, that's a good offense. They're going to score against most people. Why were you so hot? Really just because we didn't execute, which let them score. So we've done that a lot, which is something we can't do in these big games and these games where it's when they go home. So we got to make the plays when they come and get our competitive excellence as Coach Dases make the play where your numbers call. I feel like they're definitely picking up quick.

5:10:19I mean, I was in their shoes one time and I had Zach Harrison, Javonte, Tyler Friedel in front of me. So I feel like I'm just trying to be one of those peers that they work for me and kind of just give them the steps to get there. And I feel like they're definitely picking up quick and they're definitely going to be one of the great rushmen. So we go to Josh and Sarkin, but JT and Jack probably don't need a ton of their experience. Same with some of the opportunities for me, which are a lot of them. Is there a difference in the work going because you've been getting through the half of the camp for the last couple of years? I feel like all the camps I've definitely gotten a big course word and I love that. Coach J4, I love getting more reps because I just like perfecting my craft. So I mean, some people may not need it, some people need it, but I mean, it's like he has made a record of second years. But what do you think is the speed on that course that I've been working on? I mean, for me, it's always just kind of getting my little details perfectly, like my steps, my footing, kind of just perfecting my toolbox, what we call it, my craft, and just trying to be a second winner every place we try to do.

5:11:24Yeah, I'm definitely just getting stronger faster, everything all the above. But one of my big things would be the leader, and kind of just not trying to still look up to Jack and JT and kind of have my own kind of leadership and be able to earn people into it. So I feel like I kind of have a lot of leaders on the B line and we have to be in position so we kind of all kind of just kind of talk about each other. It's not been a tough time, we should be doing the buildup. We'll be back to you guys, playing with them all, and being on the field, and just like that, it's not going to take that all. And try to be like, so the leaders, these guys, how does that bring us into it? It's a competitive, and we love it. We're all competitive people, we all love to fish together, and that's really the thing in the best side of all. We're all just kind of bouncing off each other and seeing what one person does, and kind of building into our actual box, and we all kind of build one great thing. You have a little less to your end, you've got to get the shot of the full bag hit and go.

5:12:24And they approach you with that idea and you approach them, I mean, I'll get to my power. Because you're a Jack's all year sloppy. Okay. You can test that. So I definitely did it in high school. I was full back and a little bit tired, and so I feel like it kind of saw what I could do there in Coach Wilson. So he left Washington too, before he left. And I feel like he planned that seed in Coach Day's head, and Coach Day kind of just went for it, and tried to do the best I could to do it. Is that considering now, I mean, you need to make it a screen? New playbook, I did not know yet, and got that far. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. How top of the set, Steve? You're looking back. I like to think myself as a football player. I can really play any position on the field, you need me to just give me a weaker two to learn it, and kind of perfect it, and try to do my best for you. Good jacket, you the same thing. Oh yeah. And what about football? Roughly, that's what I'm talking to. I was talking to Coach Johnson on Tuesday about some of the conversations and sort of sought you and not out to have some conversations after JT and Jack decided to conduct.

5:13:24So you've got to lean into those from your perspective, and how do that help you really get the right mindset, I guess, when you need to be successful. I'm definitely kind of seeing it all the way through. I feel like people kind of just see what happened, and they don't know everything that goes into it, how long the season is now. What you got to do to prepare for, and what happened in all that time, from here to there. So I feel like we definitely just coached getting me kind of connected, and we kind of just talks man-to-man, and he kind of just sent straight to me, and I feel like we kind of both have been on the same team. I mean, we know we're making it yada. We're making each other better every day, and we got the four best D-ins, five best D-ins, honestly. And we're going to be in the college football, and we're going to be one of the best D-Lines in the college football. What do you feel like a better player today than you were in this season? I feel like I'm taking big steps in my roles of just being responsible and being more of a leader, and kind of stepping up and taking a step to kind of get out there more on the team. They kind of bring people in, and I feel like we're kind of helping out more. How do you record your hand around the past season?

5:14:27That sounds bizarre, but I mean, the season goes by so fast already, so when you're kind of like week 10 in, you're like wow it's already week 10. So now it's kind of, it gives you more time to kind of enjoy it, and kind of savor it, because you've come already here for a really fresh, fresh place. But you don't want to spit on your powder for the first month of the year, right? Oh yeah, there is that, that pace yourself, that way. I mean, there is a mindset, that I didn't have the season. Yeah, definitely, definitely going to have the mental stability to handle all those weeks and all those practices. How much is Larry talking to you guys around like this? Last question right here. The K-16, 2017, 4 NFL D-French Awards are in San Francisco. How much does he talk to that guy? I mean, he doesn't have to talk about it. We know about it. We've seen it every day, we watch the film, we see them all working together, we know what it could be, we know we could become. So we know we were right at the same, we got the right place at the right time, and God wanted us to be here, and he knew we wanted us all to come together and kind of play together, and be able to bounce off and just perfect our craft together. And I feel like we all are just great individuals, and we come together at some discussion.

5:15:30Great. Doing it, what were the deliberations? I'm surprised it's even a conversation. Like, it should always be live. Let's tell you, tell you, tell you play football. So obviously there's a proximity to the season, which is a little reckless, I understand that. But in spring, we're here competing for jobs. I mean, if I'm a quarterback, I'm asking to be live, so I can show him how I'm different than, you know, anyone that can't be live. You know what I mean? You're always trying to find an edge, and if you're never fully live, I don't think you fully give guys opportunity to be who they want to be or who they can be. That being said, you know, I will cast my votes, but that will not be my final decision on that, but I will cast my vote. The guys have handled it well. It was good for all parties involved, and more we can do that better, but I'm sure that is coming to a close here very quickly. So. Right. Jeremiah off the field, we saw after practice on this Saturday that the mob that came to get autographs and things.

5:16:36When you're working with him on all these things you're talking about, but also dealing with the life of being one of the biggest names in college football, how do you help mentor him in that aspect? Yeah, I mean, it's a blessing to be able to be in a position where you know, can provide insight or I wouldn't say recommendations, but just give perspective. How he chooses to receive the first perspective or not one and not me. He always does, but which is fine. But to be in that position is really humbling. That being said, he does a really good job on his own. He doesn't need to check talent too much. He's really done a great job. Again, the way he was raised and his morals and humble and always sign and taking pictures. I'm always trying to be the bad guy for him because he's not going to be and just says again more about his character. But he's not the only guy any guy would kind of do that. We have a group full of awesome young guys, but Jeremiah has done a great job with it, handling it.

5:17:36And it's definitely growing at an exponential rate to say the least, but I think he's built for it and he's been handled at a high level. But those around them were trying to help him out a little bit. What made Quincy the first freshman to do this black striker issue? Yeah, I mean, that's a good question. I think that, you know, frankly, you know, I don't know. I'm not really fully evolved with that. So I can be, but I wasn't. You know, I think that people on the outside, whether it be defense or even coach day or anybody brought it to my attention. You know, we're kind of just going about practice and that's our expectation to make plays, not make mistakes. And he was starting to make a lot of a lot of plays consistently. I think the consistent level that he's been as a person, being on, being on time and doing his job description on each play and the ball is going your way and making some big plays.

5:18:37And, you know, it starts, it starts being seen by your peers and your peers are asking for it. They start barking, getting a stripe off all those kind of things. That's the ultimate sign of respect. I think with your peers, you know, go to your bat. He's not going for his bad. No one, people are bringing it to your position coach. I think it speaks volumes of the general respect that you're earning through the process. So I think it's something like that happened. And, you know, as well as their based on his peers and the other coaches. Right. It was talking about how impressed he's been this spring with Austin's serval. All that he's been able to do and Tyler bones talking last week about the importance of the cross training and all that that goes into that. How much have you seen Austin benefit from this spring and everywhere that he's been and helping with peace. You think he's going to be regardless of where he fits on this offensive line? Yeah, I think Austin's been awesome. I mean, he literally, you know, what was they say, he played every split every position. We just move around, you know, and he handles it. And, you know, he's one of those guys. I feel like he watched film over and over again day after day.

5:19:41His name never really gets brought up, you know, in a good way. Like you know, the online, your name is brought up when usually not going as well. You know, I mean, they're literally at the point of attack on every single play. So there's nowhere to hide. And so, but Austin, when his name is brought up, he's like, man, that was a good job. Pass off that combo. Whatever it's always positive and really impressed with him. You start in the winter. They did a great job through the winter again, continuing to build their respect for his peers. And then he's going to good job. Really good job just being very consistent through spring. Our left, Jeff Gilbert, press pros. Brian, since you've been working more with the whole offense, comes a quarterback play. What has grown in your, I don't know, appreciation of that position and what those guys have to do and go through. What do you think more about those guys versus maybe what you've done before is just a wide receiver guy. Yeah, I mean, I mean, there's no just a wide receiver guy. If you are just wide receiver guy, you won't be a very later on.

5:20:41It's all about, it's all about quarterback play, you know, so I think in that same world, though, to the point is that, you know, in order to be a great receiver or a great receiver or receiver guy, whatever you want to call it, there's only one page, just the core backstage. So everything is based off them. There, whether it be their progression, their timing, the stresses they have is what we're trying to minimize. So if you don't fully understand the quarterback play, it's hard to maximize receiver play, I think. That being said, yeah, I'm still always learning. I think that I can't stand these jumped out massively right now. But I would say that, you know, I guess I would say that the preparation level, I mean, what is required to execute and play at a high level. It's just not capable in the a lot of time, right? I mean, there's only so much time where I'll be with players. If you're not willing to spend, you know, your own time getting prepared for practice to be to maximize one's ability.

5:21:43There's a good chance you're not going to maximize your ability. So, you know, other positions, I mean, online, same thing. I mean, receiver play sometimes can, can, you know, get away from it. We do a great job studying and being in the room extra for sure. But the requirement of a quarterback to know the fixed protections, the BR run game coordinator based on the calls, you know, to get us in different checks. I mean, there's so much they need to know. And frankly, the, you know, the online is good as the quarterback. The receiver's going to the quarterback. They're often silly as the quarterback. And it's our responsibility to put guys in position to maximize what they're capable of maximizing. But their inability to notice that they can just spend extra time outside the a lot of time. I think it's critical. And the amount that it takes, I guess, maybe a little naive to, but the guys are doing a great job doing it. Just a couple more coaches got a meeting Rob all our Columbus dispassion. Brian, you get reached the mount top. You got a banner out there national champs. I can keep these guys grounded. Being in the moment, looking ahead. Not back.

5:22:47Do you are you tougher on because no, I think that I mean, I think we have a lot of guys. You know what? I think it's understanding that we were trying to build the map to get to where you wanted to get to. But now that we have the map, doesn't mean we've traveled the path. So like we know what it looks like. The guys that are here know what it's supposed to look like. The guys before us, say, I'm believe we'll example how to get to where you want to get to. So the focus is on trying to replicate what they just did and how they operated. Can't say we've done that right now. So it's very easy to stay motivating because they already know it's not good enough. Frankly. And so the last thing they want to do is put in a ton of effort and then not reach their goals. So motivation, I don't think is needed. I think there is a catching up of those and maybe aren't quite sure what it takes. But overall, motivation is not what we've needed. A clarity of message is definitely what we've been focused on. And I think the message is being received.

5:23:51So not concerned about motivation and looking back, if you will, I think everyone's pretty pretty focused on being forward and knowing we haven't accomplished anything. Steve, please. Who would you say is the leader of your wide receiver right now? I would say Cornell Tate, Brennan Innis, probably done the most outspoken, you know, in the room. Yeah, I would say they're doing a good job. Those are probably the two guys that would jump out of my room. Yep. I mean, Brennan, he's been in trouble. Obviously. Cornell taking on that role, more and being more vocal. He's a good football player. Obviously, he's the only other. But that process for heaven, becoming a more vocal leader to bring you to say that on him. What's the question? What do you think like the growth of it? Yeah, I mean, he's, I think he's pulled guys aside, you know, it had one-on-one conversations with him. He's locked in, you know, just I think he saw the impact that I met him made and the role he played.

5:24:54And to think that we're going to lose that and then be a better group probably doesn't mathematically make sense to him. So someone's got to set up in that role. And one, I don't know, respects him too. He knows he's capable of it. And it's just the desire and the appreciation, I think, to be at the older table now, the older head. And appreciate the way I met him probably went about his business. And so he probably valued that, appreciated that. And he's just being assured we still have that. Final question. Bill Reben, what's the bonus to this guy? Could you assess the running back room? I think it's pretty much assumed. Both those running backs.