Press Conference (Jason Moore) Elite Edition September 2

0:00We said especially my arm length you know so many tools that you can do you know just be the best place I can do. What about coming? You know that all the distance that you're doing is like 5 right there. What about that and he is so active in the tool. You know just coming off the bar you know he's been there with the crazy things. Bigger penetration and you know to build off of that you know so many different moves and skills you can do. It's kind of our release. It's not just like the talent by the humans. It's a guy getting kind of good. The Saturday you have this student appreciation. Is it fun? The interfrom the students is a weird having the guy next to a biology class one on a graph. What's that like when you're kind of working out front of your health students? I think it's a great event that we're having. You know you love our students you know just like on game days you know they come to watch you. You know it's a discussion feeling so it's just good to kind of get that doing again.

1:00Like high work and see how it will be for the spring game. You know we're just happy that there is going to come to watch. And also you have the spring game coming up this year it's on Fox. Is that say anything about the brand of a high state or the group of college football that we're starting up a practice. And glorify practices on net worth television within a group 20 years. Yeah I'm saying definitely come going that's an television for spring game. You know I've never heard of that before you know that's a good thing. That definitely serves the brand that we have here. You know it's different here in a lot of different schools in the country. By way definitely it's kind of a really kind of set. And this is definitely a special for us that have the opportunity. Jason, do you have a view of life in your life? Do you have a picture of life plays on the entry of the way? I was going to do all my ice cream career I kind of read out some of my ears. But you know do this in the process. You know post jays you find the only post that has the real meaning of kind of film. You know I might go to the truth that you know that the years went by you know things worked out.

2:04And you write. How much every year is that? I've been like year and age. I am 25, and now I have 305 right now. I'm just guessing. I don't tell it a different one. I think I make a look difference. But I feel like a move is faster. How does he get to your life? I don't know. on the campus floor. Jason, look for your size in high school and just being able to kind of use your size and kind of dominate. So learning how to use your size and college levels, how big for transition? This is huge transition. I feel like it's a magic size, what you did here. That's one thing I realized. It's a long time and it's kind of rough. Because we want to get the Ronald Men out here, Don and Jackson, Matt Jones, and that's way different than anybody in high school. And it's more than just size that you had here that kind of did. Past them. It's more technique, knowing the plays, knowing who's around, what everybody's doing.

3:07So I think this way more than just size is kind of a much easier way. Is there like a moment for you like I think I'm here and I've got to learn to use this size. Is there a moment less your practice with the kids out of it or or courses or one of those guys in the inside? Is there a moment you can point to like, OK, that's what I like. I say, finally, how are we going to see these? You know, we've got all those reps and practice, it's out to you. Number one, you should start at every place. And you know, that's just kind of open my eyes right here. This is the real, this is kind of where everybody knows there's no games. And I really have to adjust myself. I want to do that. How much do you think that helped you put the guy on the scouts in the distance? Right now, Coach Jay said that you've had an ideal free cut. You're gaining some points here from other guys around the program in the spring. How much do you think you can point the scouts in? You know, that helped me prepare for possibly a free cut. That helped me a lot. I feel like without being on the scouts, I wouldn't be right here right now. To learn it, I went to the audience, all the physical teams.

4:09I went to the start, I wanted to come up here and try to keep doing what I mean. It helped me, you know, kind of just ready for myself, you know, for when, whenever my time is, it's coming to me. It's a jump. So we're talking to you and Gated Hero today. How important is it for you three young guys to step up on the interior of this year? It definitely important, man. You know, we have our, I talk for guys, you know, they kind of came in and said, what they could do, obviously, because of what the draft is past year. But they want to come back, you know, and do what they have to do. I go to the Super-Sunday North, let me chat with you, and you know, you can't build just with them. You know, you need guys to come in, kind of get them serves, when they need it. So they can be the best, when they're on the field. And for us to be able to come in and help the team, you know, I just really need it for what I do. What was your reaction when Ty League said he was coming back? Well, I was happy. Now I was throwing slides and you came back, you know, that's my guy. I learned I was probably being able to take another year just to learn from him.

5:12You know, that's for me, that's the kind of thing you're best in. I think a lot of people see it as everybody on the team wants to be older guy to lead. You know, but why is that wrong? Why is that outlook going? I said, you want to win. I feel like that's what everybody here as well. I would never be worried if I had to go to the winning. You know, guys who come back and help us win, you know, that's all they care about. That's all they want. I was there today that said that you guys are going to have to play 25-30 snaps to games to help Ty League and Ty make it 6-17 games. When you know that there's 25-30 snaps to game, you kind of up for grabs. What does that do for you? Obviously, like you just said, you got those guys in the job, they're probably going to play in there. What are you 50 snaps to game? You know that there's pretty good chocolate points. Hey, it's all for you. It's all for grabs and grabs. What does that do for you? Well, you know, I mean, the size of the ring and that, whatever the snaps are available. We just want to do whatever the takes to help us win. And this game, you know, taking those kind of snaps, that's what we need to do in the cup of 10.

6:14We're going to do that and do it the best we can. What about being through the top five matches? How do you expect this year to be different already? Yeah, I mean, every year it doesn't matter what the record is. You know, our record or their record, it's going to be a war no matter what. We just go back to history and look at that. So we know they're going to give us a good shot. You know, they're a good team. And there's no mistake in that. So you know, we know we're going to have to come in there and you know, play our balls off. And we expect a war and that's what that's what we can't really do. That's what we hope it is. Is there any chance they have an extra? I just think they're only playing here sort of on the splitter wall. No, I wouldn't say that at all. And I think that no matter what, it's going to be a battle in this game. You know, it's a rivalry. It's the biggest game of the year for both of our programs. And I expect it to be a hard fought game. I can't wait. Jack, obviously the win is the trial. The last few years with the losses, the toughness of this team is the question. Is that a point of pride for you guys not just getting a win, but doing it in a way that's like, yes, we can play the style we can win that. Yeah, I love it. I mean, you know, for myself personally and for the defense.

7:15That's how we want it offence as well. You know, it's been our motto all year. You know, it's been the toughest guys on the field every time we're stuff out there and execute on a high level. And if you do those two things, you know, usually win the game. So that's definitely, you know, I love that question because you know, for me, you run up in Columbus, that's like what you pride yourself on is being tough and winning games that way. So that's definitely the style of what we expect the Saturday. And that's just the style of what we look at the player. Jack, do you go against Donovan now? Are we playing for anybody else? What if your presence been in him as they left now? Yeah, I mean, Donovan, Donovan is a great player. You know, he's so athletic and seeing him move to left tackle and play well. He has. There's no surprise to me. And the rest of the team, he's set up in a big way too. Leadership wise for the young guys that have to step in for, you know, Seth going down, which is so unfortunate. You know, so still feel so bad for him. But he's been a great leader as well. So Donovan's been great leadership wise, playing wise, you know, it's no surprise he's been able to switch like that. And I really now, these are set. Jack, do you have any specific memories from growing up when you realized how thick this rivalry was?

8:17Yeah, I could say back to when Curtis and Miranda went in over, I think it was over time to win Pat Elfine leading the way, you know, from Pick North. I grew up watching Pat play. So I was really special. I think I was really the moment when I was a man I want to play in this game. And it's just really cool looking back on the now, you know, watching my buddies going crazy when we scored. I have no idea one day I'd be playing this game. So just a blessing from God and you know, take it all in. We said like, the big thing about that is that you're in it for Pat. They didn't kind of sometimes hard to grasp it. What you aspire to is comfort for the vision. Yeah, you know, sometimes it's tough because you get caught up in the swing of being, you know, trying to prepare yourself for the game that you kind of lose sight of, you know, where you came from and, you know, being grown up in Columbus always dreamed about playing this game. Sometimes you forget about it in the, in the midst of, you know, getting ready to go play and actually compete. But yeah, I know it's cool to definitely reflect and be able to realize that, you know, growing up, you know, being a buck out fan, growing up 50 minutes in here. It's such a, like I said, this is a blessing from God to be able to play in this game and play for the buck out.

9:21You know, so definitely don't take it for granted and stuff is senior night too. So sure the emotion can be run high. So I'm going to see if much of tears for my mom, you know, run out of the tunnel. So it's going to be a good experience. You guys are curious, most of us were in Palestine, in Carson. We're going to function this past week. I mean, did you find yourself watching them at all? I mean, when you're on the sideline, just, let me, what that was like watching that from a defensive standpoint. Yeah, I wouldn't say I was curious about how they do because I know that Carson played a lot of ball for us last year at center. And, you know, I know Austin's a great player. He's been, you know, working his tail off all year, being ready for a moment like that. So I wouldn't say I was curious to see how he plays. I know they'd play well together and I was cool to see that. Check. I made the way it is. All of a sudden, everybody talks about this game. It's got kind of that. You're the guy who's going to come back with this game. What's that you're been like in a better couple of time you. Yeah, I mean, it's the reason why we come back.

10:22You know, it's the reason we all came back. You know, I think a big part for me is to come back for Coach Day. I think that no one deserves just one more and he does. And I just see what him and his family have gone through in the last three years, falling sort to them. I made my decision even more clear to come back and he's a guy gave my opportunity to play here. So I thought that I owed it to him to come back and get this win for him. So that's what we plan to do Saturday. It's amazing. It's amazing. You should see the pain on the team. There we go. You can have a last two years. How old are you? We also have a good person. How much two do you have on that? About three. Say that again. Well, how it's said on Saturday, you can go with two. You can see the pain. Yeah. How much do you gain on that? How personal is it? Yeah, I mean, it's always personal with the game. And you know, the last year has been tough. And I'm not going to sit up there until you're ahead and then. Because this game means everything to this program and everything that anybody involved. So. Yeah, we're using this fuel. We use it as fuel the last. Whole off season. So. But you know, we're just ready to go out there and play and compete and.

11:22We're ready for war. You have many amazing. What coach. They have to go through. Just. I'm going to expand there. What does that do to you guys? So team, I know you play for each other. Do you play for him? Yeah, I mean, I love coach day. I mean, like I said before, I'm dictating media to add. Commit him a thousand times over. Just the type of guy he is and the family man he is. And the coach he is to us. Believe in it and all of us. So. Yeah, the stuff he had to go through is bullshit last three years and. Worked out of here and play for him and. Definitely playing for him a little bit to not a little bit. I mean, that's. One of the big reason I came back is for him too. So. Definitely excited for this opportunity as we can. Who up here? Real quick. This robbery. Oh, you talk a lot about David. What's been like for you? It's been the toughest part of. Now you get to live out this robbery. You've watched. And you're on the other side. You don't. Yeah, I mean, it's tough. I think that I don't want to ride for a game of football since seven grade.

12:24Against the rules of you. Never beat them. Never beat central and high school. You know, tie in the like the road that in a lot. And then you get here and you fall sort of three years too. So. Just excited for the opportunity to go out the right way this weekend. I mean, Robert gets emotional. Yeah. A long time to go without running a robbery. I know what high school can be a little different. How does that weigh on you? I mean, I wouldn't necessarily say it weighs on me as a. As a person, but you know, I'd be lying if I said I don't think about it every day. Shit. Sometimes I still think about this. The game's against central and high school. So it's just a competitor in me. But, uh, you know, I think that. Going through those trials and tribulations the last three years has really shaped this team. And the coaching staff as well. And. I think you see it in the way we're playing the way we're approaching stuff now. And, uh, you know, it's been tough. It hadn't been easy. You know, I did it far from easy. So, but that's the way we like it around here. You know, is. Going through those tough times with each other has embraced it for this moment that we're got this year. So I think the chips have all aligned in the right spots. And we're just excited about the people Saturday.

13:24Yeah. The top of the series. They're the games between you guys. And we want to get to. That's the way it's supposed to be, man. You know, I think they've grown up. You know, it's always been like that. You know, the game's always been played for the most on the line. I think that's the way it's supposed to be, man. You know, I think they've grown up. You know, it's always been like that. And it's the way we're the most on the line. That's all I think they want it. That's how we want it. And, you know, that's how you want us competitive too. You know, I know they love it and we love it. They, you know, everything you got you worked for and you love is on the line against the team that, you know, you hate to most. So. That's the way it's supposed to be. And that's a great thing about sports. Jack, the past rush felt like the first quarter against Indiana was a bit of a struggle. But then Cody got free on that. That's you and JT were there too. It just kind of opened the plug against you a little bit. What's your thought about that? Are you guys a 60 minute team that it may not happen in the first five minutes and the second five minutes, but it's eventually going to happen. Is that what do you look at? Yeah, I mean, I think that, you know, early on in games, you know, I'd love it more than anybody to go to get, you know, a bunch of sacks.

14:25So early on in games, but you know, teams scripted up a good, you know, first couple drives and they're getting the ball out quick against us and doing different things. So you kind of got to let the game come to you a lot of times, which, you know, I know you guys want to see a sack. And I was just, you know, I know we want to see it more than anything, but like you said, that once you get in the flow of the game, you start putting, you know, putting the pressure on getting a third down, starting longs when you can really pin your ears back and go. That's when you, that's when you see the sacks that are happening. That's when you can really get out to the quarterback. Did you see that position they hadn't been all year? Did you see that? Yeah, I think you felt it too. I mean, you could see it in their eyes, you know, when they got in the third long, after the first few sacks at, you know, they're kind of looking all over the place. No, some's coming. So once you start putting pressure on offense like that, you know, it kind of just snowballed. Now they say sacks coming bunches. And I really believe that like you saw it last week. You got a couple of sacks going on, then they just started coming away. So that's really solid defense. You want to play? There's a deep, exact defense. You're solosat came on a play where Cody blitz is across the center space and you move from weak side to get all the way to strong side A gap.

15:25When a stun is dialed up for you like that, what is going through you? Just excitement, you know, I mean, just hopefully that, you know, the play works like a supposed to be. It works like a supposed to work and, you know, we executed a high level. That's the thing we've been talking about a lot later is executing at a high level and doing your job and not worry about anything else. So I think that when we got that type of mindset and, you know, we're just going to play as hard as we can execute and do our job, you know, to the fastest and best skill ability we can and things are going to work on the right way. Is there a sense of that deep answer, that there are sense of deep. It's is over. I like that. I might add that in my dictionary. Yeah, I mean, I think that we're playing confident, man. You know, coach knows is trusting in us and he's down and stuff up for us and letting us play. Let us play fast and aggressive, which we want to stop all we want to play and, you know, it's working out great.

16:29We said keep continuing and keep going. He's been calling us fine. A game, the last couple games as he's done here. Jack, you've been here. What he's doing. I think he's done a great job. The whole time it's been here. You know, I think that a lot of times we had execute better and I think that's been the focal point of this defense movement. You know, after the organ loss is executing better and knowing our job with Simon and playing, you know, fast weekend. You know, you guys have not talked about this much. Two, three locks. At least there's no background. How much is that in the back of your mind? You know, we don't really talk about that much anymore. Thanks, guys. Thank you, Jack. He's more poised. You know, we there's a lot of great reps, great won't be ones. And you know, he tests me athletically. I test him athletically, but you know, both him and both Josh is actually they do a great job. They do a great job of just having to stay on our toes. And you know, there's, I mean, we're going to say the best tackles nation they're going to win.

17:30It's the best deans, the best de line. So, you know, we're just it's just good on good every day. What makes him a difficult guy? He has great feet, very athletic. You know, he he's just a he's a freak. I mean, he moves well at his size and and you know, it tests all of us to, you know, stay on edge. You know, he has his has moments. But John is a great kid, man. You know, he's getting better each and every day. Young guy, but you know, he's a high-simmer. Can I get your thoughts on Tyler Conte's new secret TNT handshake? No, I haven't seen it, but I can't talk. I'm not part of it. I always have was. But you know, that's I just I guess it's all the good grumbles, you know. You like the TNT moniker? You like that? I miss you guys. Are you explosive? Yeah. Again, I feel like I could be a part of that. I have a T. But it's probably not in the, you know, my first name, but I do have a T.

18:33But I guess I'm just the cousin of the whole thing. Yeah. Right now they just have me on the side. So I'm just on the side right now. I think that's high. But I think right now, we're working on all the little things, you know, get off violent hands and just stay in our technique and our toolbox. So, you know, of course, that's a that's in mind. But we understand that, you know, that goal would not be reached unless we, unless we don't continue to do the things that we're doing now and just work on our craft. What is Cody Simon's under the respect of his team and the Commonwealth? Man, you know, Cody, you know, once he came back, he just took on leadership, we took on the vocal world, you know, wasn't, wasn't easy at first. He is a, he just continued to talk, you know, just get that confidence going and, you know, he just, he grew and his, his growth as a, as a leader. You know, I've seen it from when we first started off season to now and, you know,

19:36he's a great leader. Great guy want, you know, playing, playing behind me and just leading the pack. And, you know, I'm blessed to have eyes on my lineback. What is Trump going to be known for? Do you think when it turns October, November, what are y'all going to say in my face stand for the world you want to call it? Is there reputation you feel? I think for us, the front four, the D-line, the R2X, we just want to be known as, you know, the guys that play relentless, you know, like, Coach, they says, head on fire. You know, never, never seeing us, you know, for sideline to sideline. That's big as we are, you know, we may be 300 or maybe, you know, 262, 250, but, you know, no matter what, we're going to be flying. We're playing our, you know, our heads off and just, you know, making sure that, you know, relentless effort is a sell to the stadium. Yeah, and you know, more important. It was a commentator around the country, stuff they talk about how good you are. I've been to the Kid Bay, one of the things they talk about is, having a Penn State game every week. You know, he knows about that.

20:36What is your goal in that regard this year? My goal, yeah, I think you just hit on it, consistency. You know, my goal for me is, you know, as much as it would be great to have a Penn State game every day, every week, you know, as hard. So, you know, for me, as you can't go chasing, I got to let it come to me, got to stay, you know, in my well house, not, you know, going outside of it, you know, doing things out of, you know, out the blue that hurt to me more. So right now it's just, you know, eyes, hands, feet, playing fast, playing physical, and just continue to just, you know, be the player in the image, just bring that every week. Did you see how excited are you? Yeah, yeah, that's one thing we've been preaching across the room is a lot of spacious being us by suales, you know, playing together and just playing fast as we can. Did you see how excited are you? Is that a Jack has been able to cap him and wouldn't they buy his leadership? Man, you know, I've been roommates with him. Jack has, you know, just big praise for him, you know, just seeing him grow and being with him.

21:39Jack has been a tremendous leader in and out the, the D-Live room, you know, for him to be named captain, you know, for us to have R2S be named captain, I mean, that just speaks volume and, you know, he's going to continue to lead, continue to push us. I continue to push him and we just continue to just have a hard hat days and, you know, keep our head down and continue to work. But at least years last week, for you two guys. Oh, okay. Yeah. I remember, we was just playing in the, in the Rose Bowl for, you know, a couple of weeks back. But now it's a senior year, you know, we're getting ready for this last season. Man, time flies. That's one thing though. All the guys that came before me told me is just, you know, count your days, make every day count. Because, you know, when that day comes, you're going to look back and be like, man, you know, it's already my senior year. I do that every day. He just wake up, but, you know, that just made me understand that how blessed I am in a play this game. You know, the position I'm in. I'm just able to, you know, not only, you know, affect the,

22:41affect others around me, but, you know, bring, bring a positive message to whoever, whoever's coming after me, you know, just let them know what the standard is. Let them know, you know, what, on how state, especially, what course you expect. Take the lead to the right to appreciate it. Appreciate me. I said, take it. And what's the year to be the first game to got. Never. Wait a minute. Yeah. I'm going to be with James. I'm going there. Thank you. We're done here. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We're going there. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. That's the same time. I'm going to put it out. I'll thank for the reason. No, he's helping us get better. To make sure to run him. He's a champion, type of player, I've seen. So it's time to, I just, I'm like, he's like, trying to get one of the players. What happened? Yeah. What do you think we'll have with all of us before we leave? It's for your teammate. Did you make a card of bank?

23:41Uh, make a decision. Just go to the, do you think he's going to grab a web now tradition? And it looks at it in the season last year. I guess this guy's going to be the first. We'll talk about it in the next few episodes. I'm going to talk to you in the next few episodes. It's about all of the DB1s, just having folks seeking that. I think that there's some kind of player. Yeah, man. I think, like, the DB2s, some kind of DB2s, these days, like, Josh Palin, some kind of, you know, we're really excited to have him on our team. And other than this pocket credits, it's a day of, uh, and where I feel really comfortable back there. There's a lot of players that I've been waiting for. Like, I still need you because it's just, you know, there's a lot of players that I've been waiting for. How fun is it to be at practice or in games like this at B.A. Right now? Oh, it's really fun. You'll be in game like this. And it's kind of just like a little foreshadowed with the season keeping playing on those days. It's really excited for what we have to offer. We have all the tips in this year. And we want to win it all in the same time. You've always been honest about your assessments and how things are going. What did you see from day one of practice or 15 for corners and safes? Is that over there? The offends, my hand, we really get together. Sorry, you know, we have an interesting job.

24:42Like, you see, you have to, like, a lot of your seaters, those seem to be talented, thanks, a lot more comfortable. And they make it play, they're getting better and better. That's what we want. I'm really excited for the season. So I'm going to talk a little bit. The fear of boys, the event. I'm going to be there. They came in at the back. What have you seen in the screen? That corner, yes. We're going to be amazing. You know, we have a lot of new things. We're still installing a lot of new things. For me to see that, the guys go behind the scenes. All the things I have, four or five people in the hotel. I'm really excited. Over the due. We're going to take that off. I just think he's putting a lot of time into it, a lot of effort. And it's definitely showing. So he's doing one heck of a job. And we're just trying to help him out as we can. Really confident. Ronnie was mentioning the idea of increasing Jeremiah's route tree. Something you guys have been working on. Where was it last year in work?

25:42Can I take his grow or can you kind of expand on that? Yeah, I mean, just, you know, ask some JJ do everything. You know, I mean, you don't ever want to put him in a box. You don't want to put carnell in a box. You don't want to put anybody in the box. So to make sure he's, you know, fully equipped with every tool necessary to do anything that's required of a receiver at the college level or the NFL level. We take a lot of pride in developing that route tree technique. But it's really, you know, the play with the mind of, you know, routes based on coverage and all those things. So, um, but yeah, just trying to find ways to challenge him. And that's been one of the ways he's done that. When you guys were talking as an offensive staff about the possibility of having a quarterbacks go live, were you surprised that it came up? Were you surprised that you guys wound up doing it? What were the deliberations? I'm surprised it's even a conversation. Like, it should always be live. Let's tell you.

26:42Tell you, tell you play football. So, um, obviously there's a proximity to the season, which is, it's a little reckless. I understand that. But in spring, when you're 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, who they want to be or who they can be. So, uh, that being said, uh, you know, I will cast my votes, but that will not be my final decision on that. But I will cast my vote. I think I was able to handle it well. It was good for all parties involved. And, uh, more we can do that better, but ensure that is coming to a close here very quickly. So. That murder would be 24-7. Right. Jeremiah off the field. I'm not sure. Practice on this later date, but the mob that came to get autographs and things. When you're working with him on all these things you're talking about,

27:42but 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, um, I wouldn't say recommendations, but just, 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 down too much. He's really done a great job again the way he was raised and his morals and humble would always sign and taking pictures I'm always trying to be the bad guy for him because he's not gonna be and just says again more about his character but he's not the only I mean 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 hang on it and it's definitely growing at an exponential rate to say the least but I think he's built for it

28:45he's been handled at a high level but those around them we're trying to help not a little bit. What made Quincy the first freshman to lose his black straight machine? Yeah I mean that's a good question I think that you know frankly you know I don't I know I'm not really fully involved with that so I can be but I wasn't you know I think that people on the outside whether 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 and I think the consistent level that he's been as a person being on being on time and doing what his job description on each play and the ball is coming your way and making some big plays and you know it starts it starts being seen by your peers and your peers start asking for they start barking

29:46get his stripe off all those kind of things that's the ultimate sign of respect I think when your peers you know go to your bat and he's not going for his bat no one know 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 something like that happened and you know as well deserve based on his peers and the other coaches. Ryan Day was talking about how impressed he's been this spring with Austin's serval all that he's been able to do and Tyler Bone was talking last week about the importance of the cross-straining and all that that goes into that just how much have you seen Austin benefit from this spring and everywhere that he's been and how big of a piece you think he's going to be regardless of where he fits on this offensive line. Yeah I think Austin has been awesome I mean he literally you know what I'm gonna say he played every split every position we just move around you know and handles it and you know he's one of those guys I feel like you watch film over and over again day after day and his name never really gets brought up you know in a good way like he

30:47on the old line your name gets 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 it's like man that was a good job right good job pass off that combo whatever it's it's always positive and been really impressed with him it started in the winter to a great job through the winter again continuing to build a respect for his peers and then he's gonna good job really good job just being very consistent to spring. Brian since you've been working more with the whole offense when it comes to quarterback play what has grown in your I don't know appreciation in that position and what those guys have to do and go through what do you think more about those guys versus maybe what you thought before just a wide receiver. Yeah I mean I mean there's no just a wide receiver guy if you are just a wide receiver guy you won't be a very later on it's all about it's all about quarterback play you know so I think in that same world though to the point is

31:48that you know in order to be a great receiver or a great receiver or you know receiver guy whatever you want to call it there's only one page just a quarterback's page so everything is based off them there whether be their progression they're 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 you know maximize receiver play I think you know that being said yeah I'm still always learning you know I think that I can't say anything's jumped out massively right now but I would say that you know I guess I would say the preparation level I mean that 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 there's a good chance you're not going to maximize your ability so you know

32:49other positions I mean aligns 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 to know and frankly the you know the online is good as the quarterback the receiver's line is good as the quarterback they're often it's the least good as the quarterback and it's our responsibility to put guys in position to maximize with their capable of maximizing but their inability to notice that they need to spend extra time outside the a lot of time I think it's critical and the amount that it takes I guess I was maybe a little naive to but the guys are doing a great job doing it just a couple more coaches got a beating rob all our comers this batch yeah Brian you know you guys reached the mount top you got a banner out there national champs I think you keep these guys grounded being in the moment looking ahead not back do you are you tougher on them because no I think that I mean I

33:54think we have a lot of guys you know 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 said I'm believeable example how to get to where you want to get to so the focus is on trying to you know 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 maybe aren't quite sure what it takes you know and but overall motivation is not what we've needed clarity of message is definitely what we've been focused on and I think the message is being received so not concerned

34:55about you know motivation and and the looking back if you will I think everyone's pretty pretty focused on being forward and knowing we haven't accomplished anything so who would you say is the leader of your wide receiver right now? I would say Karnel Tate Brennan-Anis probably done the most 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 my room yep Brennan he's been in trouble obviously Karnel taking on that role more and being more vocal he's a good football player obviously understand he's the other one but that process for him and becoming a more vocal leader took to pretty to say that on what's the question 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 a mecha made and the role he played and to think

35:58that you're gonna lose that and then be a better group probably doesn't mathematically make sense to him so someone's got to step up in that role and one and one 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 order table now I've the older head and and appreciate the way I met could probably win about his his business and so he probably valued that appreciated that and he's just being assured we still have that could you assess the running back room I think it's pretty much assumed both is running back to CJ and and James think that tandem systems probably the way that it go again how's it working and you see there were maybe fourth guys I think that you know college football NFL football any football really you got to have depth in the running back room I think that this very apparent in the NFL it's usually a two-back system you know very very rarely is it one guy but in college I think we saw the benefit of

36:58that last year the ability to compliment each other is really important the ability for us yeah we're just very three weeks prepared sometimes we get something guitar going and starting he goes down on it somebody else but so they were we're able to do that you know we're gonna tag with somebody just get up and gaze a little and today man we're just to at least off with dog food what about there a person like me I mean I mean we're playing on top but we have to like ten to see the last game I think it was Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt went on to 17 and they came back and we're so we understood that you know the scenes are going to back the hour and get the team to go for all of us yeah

38:02to attack you. Different from what we're looking for. I mean, it was a great crowd. You give different looks and things. I think we saw that today. It's a different difference when the offense starts the way they do. But you're often started the way you did. I mean, we just speed off of it. They started it. We were already hyped and have to sing the way they do. We went down the score. We just formed everything up by turn. So, I think that you guys might be able to do something as well. Now you guys move out the work and then only that's on the dodge. I mean, they're great teams. They'll face a last game and they'll elevate it. So I'm really excited. So we just have a time of care. Time to get our bodies right. It's just a two to just go full-essing. Are you looking forward to that rematch? Oh, yeah, but it was definitely. I mean, there's a lot of people behind us playing them twice. One of my first mirrorers this year. So, you know, we're very motivated. I understand that he's going to be a hard-fought game.

39:02And a poor part of the game. And we're going to take ourselfs right. And you're going to be ready. JT, I know you and Jack, I'm supposed to close the relationship. How special is it when you both play at the level that you did tonight? I mean, a match. You know, like previous games, I always match shove energy. And whenever he makes a play, I want to make a play. And he'll go vice versa. But it's a same in him and it makes me happy. I'm blessed to play alongside him. You know, I think they can go enough to have him. And I can go alongside him as well as everybody else on the part. Do you feel like I was the best game you two have had collectively? I think it's up there. It's up there. It took turns to look like I got a second, you got a second. He got one, I got one. So, I mean, we're just doing off the show this. So, we always bring the heavy games like that. And we've got continuous take-ins system to put another game together. And then, you guys, again, on screen. A lot of stuff. Three now. And then, comment scores right away.

40:02So, I think that was just the very main part we had. The one that offers, like, Tennessee, a very close of office. SEC, play of the year. We had to go back and get on them. Sorry. Sorry. I'll try that. I'll keep talking. I have a very good answer to your name, man. I have a very good answer to your name. I have a very good answer to your name, man. I have a very good answer to your name, man. I have a very good answer to your name, man. But, yeah, so, they have a lot of weapons. No, we have to understand that. No, we had to play Gapsile, play Discreate. Just continue to attack every time. I'm gonna have to finish up with Jack. that they've attacked these playoffs, I feel like they were kind of being challenged, you know, when we came into the playoffs a little bit and and people had a lot of question marks about them, but I think they answered in a big way and I'm just so proud of those guys and the resilience and

41:04the you know the way that they overcame, you know, a lot of those struggles that they had, you know, all the you know shifting around that they've had to do. I mean, Donovan Jackson's playing maybe some of the best football of his career and he's playing left to have. He never played tackle before. I mean, it's unbelievable. These guys have just stepped up and done what the team has asked them and no matter what, you know, maybe they want to do. You know, I'm sure Donovan, you know, coming into this year probably wouldn't have expected to be playing, you know, tackle, you know, and and probably wouldn't have preferred to play tackle, but he's doing it because he, you know, that's what we need for us to win this game and for us to win all these games. So they're just un-selfish or you know, an un-selfish group of guys, you know, a group of guys that I love and care about so much and you know, they keep me safe man. So I got to give all the all the thanks and the credit in the world of those guys. Cool. Yeah, I think that's a really good point man. I, you know, I talked about a lot when I was at

42:18K-State, you know, the fact that experience is invaluable and when you go out there and when you do things, it may not be perfect, but you know, the reps and being out there and just getting that experience is invaluable and you know, I feel like there's, there's few ways to, there's few ways to really practice being out there other than actually doing it, you know, and I've played a lot of football in my career and I think it's taught me a lot, you know, and there's been situations even this year where I've learned from, you know, and you're never done learning and the more that you, the more that you can go out there and and and feel different situations, understand how to deal with it, you know, not just in the moment, but mentally, emotionally after it, you know, I've dealt with pretty much almost every scenario that a quarterback could probably deal with in terms of, you know, playing, starting, backing up, like I've done pretty much all of it, but I think, you know,

43:18I just trust that God has a plan and you know, just continue to work hard and believe in, believe in myself and you know, here we are man, so God is good and you know, just just keep your head down and keep working man. Yeah, you know, obviously after the first two rounds of the playoffs, we were, we knew that he was probably going to draw some attention in that last game and you know, they did pretty much everything they could, you know, in the cotton bowl to eliminate him and not let him beat us or beat them and I thought other guys stepped up really well, but you know, there are ways to get, you know,

44:18to get him the ball that, you know, you just got to scheme it up and figure out different ways to to attack it, but obviously, you know, it's a different style of defense that we're playing, you know, so there's maybe some different wrinkles that we can throw in there and, you know, it's all part of the game plan man, we just got to look at it, feel what's the best way to get the ball into his hands and and and all of our playmaker's hands, because you know, the thing that can work out to your ability there too sometimes is that, you know, he can take two or three guys out of there and you know, that this is a good thing sometimes sometimes you want to get him the ball so you know, there's a lot of different ways you can work with it, but yeah, I definitely would expect him to attract some attention. Yeah, I think, you know, he's just a really down to earth guy,

45:27really, really truly, you know, faith driven, good values, good family, you know, you can just tell, you know, you talk to him and he just feels like pretty similar to me, you know, and I just really respect the guy that he is and the person that he is, you know, first and foremost, and then, you know, seeing the way that he plays, I feel like, you know, our games are a little similar in a way, he's a really good leader, you know, he plays with some passion, some energy, and I love that, man, I think, you know, I think we're pretty similar guys, you know, and I'm just really, it's crazy that we're here, you know, a couple of months later and we're here in the National Championship, you know, it's kind of, it's kind of wild, but you just got to thank God and be thankful, man, and do everything we can to win this game.

46:43Yeah, the transition was definitely, you know, interesting and, you know, coming from a place where you're there for four years and you're very comfortable and, you know, everyone, you know, coming into a new system where you have to kind of, I didn't know anyone's name, you know, I'm just learning everybody's name when I first got here, you know, so first and foremost, I wanted to get to know, you know, I don't know how he went about his transfer, you know, I didn't talk to him a ton about it, you know, we obviously, you know, had a couple minutes together, you know, at the man in camp, but we haven't, you know, we haven't talked a ton, you know, but at least for me in the way that I went about my transfer is, you know, I wanted to get to know everyone first, you know, and come in and not, you know, not be trying to lead everyone in bark orders right from the get-go, man, just coming in there and saying like, hey, I want to be a part of this, you know, I want to be a buck guy, like, I want to understand what it's about, you know, I didn't want to come in too strong, come on too strong, and just, you know, I tried to really just, you know,

47:45show them and earn their respect, show them that I wanted to be here and I wanted to be a part of this thing and going from there, man, like, we just, we just had so many good guys that took me in and appreciated me and I gained, I feel like I gained their respect and, you know, really in the summer, I think I was able to kind of step into more of a leadership role and, you know, just get more comfortable out there. Yeah, first of all, Notre Dame's defense, I mean, they're, I think that the hardest thing about them is that they play really, really hard and they're just, you know, they don't take plays off, you know, sometimes you can watch on film and look around and see, man, like, oh, you know, these guys take a playoff here or there, but these guys play hard and they're tough and, I mean, they're

48:51going to do everything they can to disrupt me, you know, the passer, they're going to, they're going to move up front, those guys are active, you know, I think their linebackers are really instinctive players, their DBs are good cover guys, man, they're smart, that's safety, you know, number zero and number eight, I think they're both really, really good players. You know, I think they got, they got a lot of talent and a lot of heart and I got a lot of respect for that, man, so we know it's going to be a fight, but then the second part, you know, the mystique of Ohio State, I guess, you know, it, coming from a different program, like, you know, the brand of Ohio State is just so big. You know, and so, you know, kind of just, it is what it is, man, it's like, it speaks for itself, you know, it's, it's the Ohio State. So coming to a place like this, man, you kind of understand what that is and I try to just kind of buy into it as much as I could, man, because I'm only here for one year and I love it, I love it here, you know, I love being a Buckeye and I'm trying to just

49:52make the most of the year that I have here. Yeah, that's a good question, man. I would say probably my sophomore year of high schools, when I started to realize like, hey, man, this football thing I think is what I'm probably going to end up doing and I think I might have a real shot to do this thing. You know, I started getting some offers, you know, it wasn't anything too high, you know, I was kind of just thinking, man, you know, maybe I can work my way into some, somehow playing at, you know, at the Division I level someday, but, you know, I always believed in myself. I never really expected to, you know, I never expected my career to go the way that it would. I obviously wanted to make it to this point at some point, but, you know, if you were to ask a 19 year old or 18 year old Will Howard, if he'd be

50:54out of Ohio State playing in the National Championship, I think he'd probably say you're crazy, man, but, you know, it's just you got to continue to believe in yourself, no matter what, and adapt and change, you know, I, that was one of the biggest stories of my career was just dealing with the change and dealing with adversity and then, you know, dealing with success and being able to balance that and just continue to work hard and keep that chip on your shoulder through all that. You know, I would say probably not that much, honestly, you know, when I came into the transfer portal, it was really between, you know, at the end of the day, it was really between going to Ohio State and then, you know, there were a couple other schools on the docket, but it was really the NFL was what my other option was, you know, I had a senior bull invite, you know, I was, everything was teed up for me to kind of go into the draft process. You know, obviously the NIL money, you know, it was nice to get it as kind of more of like a

52:00almost insurance, you know, like kind of kind of thing, but, you know, that really didn't, if I would have been in it for the money, I probably would have been somewhere else, to be honest with you, but, you know, I came to coach day and I said, man, I want to go somewhere I can develop myself into a better player and win a national championship. And that was really what the ultimate motivation was for me. So yeah, the NILs nice and, you know, I wasn't there when I was when I was coming into this thing. It's a nice add-on, but it wasn't why I came here. Trey, ooh, man, that's a really good question. He's, I think one of the most underappreciated guys, you know, in college football, man, that dude's just an explosive guy when he gets the ball on his hands, but I think one of the most special things that he does is without the ball on his hands is pass-pro. I mean, that guy is unbelievable in pass-pro. And as a quarterback, it's cool

53:01because he takes so much pride in it and he loves, he's like, man, they're not touching my quarterback, man, and I just like, man, I love that, you know, I do that, especially a running back, you know, that's unselfish enough to be, you know, that caring about not letting dude say this quarterback, man, like that's special. And he and Q do an unbelievable job in pass-pro, man, but, I mean, you know, what they do with the ball in their hands speaks for itself, but, you know, that's one piece of his game on the field, I would say, that is special and probably overlooked. Yeah, you know, I obviously, I wasn't here for that, but I know that, you know, a lot of people around the building still ache at that one. You know, so definitely it will be, you know, we're

54:02able to get this one done in this building, you know, it'd be a little poetic, you know, that definitely be, you know, a great feeling for a lot of people in this building, but, man, that, you know, Ohio against the world mantra, that's kind of what we kind of what we try to embody, you know, and we talk about Ohio against the world, the woody against the world, you know, really just us believing in ourselves. That's really what it is. It's not us against, you know, obviously, we say it's us against the world, but it's more us bringing each other together and saying, man, like, we're going to hunker down and kind of say, this is all we got, this is all we need, man, and it's more of that, you know, I'm going to go out there and fight my butt off because I love the guy next to me, not because I hate the guy across from me, but it's because of that love for the guy next to me. And that's really what I think we're trying to portray with that, you know. Yeah, yeah, that's definitely, you know, the human element starts to kick in at this point where,

55:20you know, you get a little tired and it's late in the year, but you got to shake that off, man, because this is the national championship, you know, and at the end of the day, none of that, none of that stuff matters, none of that, you know, human stuff matters because, I mean, we got, you know, 60 minutes really for the rest of our lives, man, and this is, this is it. This is all we've, you know, been working for. And it's been, yeah, I mean, this playoffs has been, it's been long, it's been a grind and it's been, you know, kind of a crazy ride because, you know, when we started it off in this thing, you know, a lot of people were writing us off, not really going to give us a chance at home against Tennessee and then all of a sudden going to the quarterfinals were like the favorite and, you know, it's, it's just crazy, man, you got to, I think the thing we've done of really good job of is not changing who we are because of what people are saying about us and trying to just believe in ourselves, stay true to what we are and who we are blocking everything out and just continue in a work and have that same chip on our shoulder every week. Second touchdown. Why did you break that around deep?

56:21Yeah, kind of saw the pre-snap, based on the play that we called, I know I kind of had to over-round and, you know, once I kind of scrambled to the right, roll to the right, I kind of feel like there was only nobody deep there and obviously with Kyler and his ability to explain the play, you always got to be ready and kind of have an pre-snap, you know, what I want to do if he starts to scramble so I just took a high, you know, obviously he's a great vision, he saw me and we connected on a big play there. Yo, when you dove, did you think you were going to get to the goal line or were you worried you were going to be a little bit more? I did once I took off, I was getting an end zone for sure. And that JG always tell us not to reach so I'm sure he's going to tell me about that but I'm glad I made the play for sure. What was another screen? off schedule. What's a key for you to help him? I just get open, make sure he can see you first and foremost, get open, find open space, make yourself available. On the second scramble drill on the left side line, was that intentional? You kind of stepped back, they did the safety that you went deep, was that intentional? What's going through your mind there is just kind of all based on feel? Yeah, I mean,

57:23there's a little bit of feel obviously, you know, I kind of saw the deep fence that they were doing a deep and kind of once I came back to Kyler, I knew he would kind of drive on it and then kind of made a U-turn and took it deep and obviously with Kyler's vision, like I said, his ability to extend the play a second to none and I was been grateful he saw me. On that first touchdown, does it all feel familiar when you score in Paris's lifting up? Yeah, definitely. We've been talking about that for a while now so I'm glad we got to find good chance to do that. Are you feeling good Kyler? You can come from the joy. Yeah, I mean I think it's great. Obviously, his skill setting, his ability, he can do everything when football field obviously from end to pocket, extended to play. I think I do a good job of, you know, getting myself open when the play breaks down, obviously that's one of his best abilities. Obviously in the pocket having everything one time, I feel like I'm a pretty good route runner so I can get open on time and on schedule and we kind of just do our thing from there. Mike said you didn't change anything about your pretty game routine. Did you think about it? Did you think about changing anything up or did you know I got to

58:26just do the same thing? No, we can't change anything up just off of one one week. I think more than anything the process is probably the most critical and important factor to anything. The results are going to be what they're going to be depending on the week, depending on the defense, how the game flows so the results come very, but along with your process, they're the same. I think that's the most important. One of your catches, Marvin, there's a defender draped all over you. What does more for your confidence or validate your confidence that or scoring the touchdowns? I'm just happy because it's a completion. However, however it comes, it comes. I'm just going to do my job to get open and catch the ball for Kyler and I just go from there really. Mike said that he texted you after the game last week to kind of give some words of wisdom. What does it mean to have the support of some of that cheerlocker made over there? Yes. I couldn't ask for a better teammate really than Mike and just to really rest their receiver room. Since the first day I got there, they've always had my back always wanted to support me. That receiver room is great. I've been in a special receiver room from a talent

59:27standpoint and the talent's just up there with the rest of them, but just the characters and persons. Personality's in that room is really second to none. I'm super thankful they always had my back. I always had their back as well. Mike, for him to do that, definitely meant a lot to me. Obviously we do everything pretty much together. We do on a jug machine throughout the week. We're always on a jug machine. Just to find it any way that we can make each other better. So I have a teammate like Mike, like I said, he's been great and I wouldn't ask for anybody better. Did you feel like he left some meat on the bone in terms of the plays that you could have made and then how much is he going to feel for you next week? Like I said, for a completion for Kyler and they were all to me, it's definitely unacceptable and they're continuing to get better. Give up that chemistry, develop that relationship. As you get more giver up, some sure it will come still week two. We have 15 weeks left, so I'm not worried. I'm going to continue to get better, like I said. When did you realize that all the physical completions were targets for you?

1:00:27Well, look at the stat sheet, a box score, whatever it is. I got an onesyeline. It was very disappointed. That's all that. You had a counter-each and was telling us in the locker-american game you was wondering if you would have some jokes for the team this week in meetings? Yeah, they've been on these. Obviously all the rookies have had to stay jokes before the meetings. It's not really my personality. I kind of just sit there and listen to the coaches, but I told them we'll see. We'll see about that. You like the standard deliver though? He said to be you were an online man. You would have been fine by now. Yeah. Like I said, the receiver room, they did a great job of not having me do too many outlander things, and I couldn't ask for a better receiver room. How many texts did you have when you checked your phone after the game? I'm asked that really having gotten around to it yet. I just kind of enjoyed the win with my teammates. Obviously that's our first one of the year against a division opponent. I'll build a lot of momentum going forward.

1:01:32I was just asking what are performance like this says about the offense in big situations, hostile environments, just putting it all together. What does that say about what this team can do moving forward? I think within a building, we think we have the best offense in the NFL, just from a talent standpoint, who the coaches are. There's obviously with one back there, we can do anything. I think we got continue to show that and prove that on a weekly basis. We're continuing to get better. Obviously the whole offensive really hasn't had much, no, in-game action, just yet really, really on that second game. So continue to grow, and I'm going to superside to see where we go from here. I mean, it could have been better, I'm sure. So I got to get the rest of the game to go as well. Bring to the table and come up. Make sure that your mesh well has been greened. I've been enjoying him and he's great feedback. This is the school I really for coming up.

1:02:32I take a lot of pride in it. I feel like I owe it to the guys at that war. This logo on this jersey, prior to me. So don't keep pushing that direction. We're going to talk a little bit about the game. Where have you seen the biggest area of improvement from the teams out there? I just think starting fast, I know that was a big issue. Coach Falsh went to emphasize this season. Hence the early practices, but the guys have taken heed to that and really took pride in it. Just coming out here with the right mentality, not oozing into practice and turning it up at the end. Obviously throughout the camp, we have some highs and lows, but more we can continue to ascend. In terms of how we compete, I think the better we will be. So that's been the biggest thing I've been impressed with. Just coming out hot, ready to go. I'm always in a challenge. My guys are coming out because I feel like we set the tone up front. So if we're half-setting up there, then you can expect the rest of the defense to fly around. So that's going to be the constant challenge in playing out local places this season in a lot of different areas. So we've got to be able to react to whatever time they give us to be. It's got to go play. And what area is still the improvement you think is there in season?

1:03:36I mean, I think this is a little things, like we're trying to, like I said, this is year two for them. This solid defense. So not as much teaching in terms of execution, where you need to be even more so just little techniques, whether that's your handplafing and your feet. How violent you're bringing it to strike or how we're finishing on the quarterback and what we're focusing on in on our past rush, all those little type of things. I think make a big difference once you get to game time. So while we're in this camp training type mode, how can get better on the little things because I think how you do anything. So you're everything? Have you seen the, how have you seen the camaraderie of the team improve that well camp so far? Yeah, I know. It's kind of tough to get around other groups throughout camp. You know, so starting with my group, I think they've been great. And like I said, I've been trying to shuffle around guys and see who can play with what. So you can always trust these out on the field. I think how we play on defense, coach Moe is all about connections. One of the most passionate guys I've been around and bringing us together and playing for one another. And I think that's going to also turn into special teams and it's going to turn them into the offense. I love the competition periods that we have and coach Foster challenges the guys to get after it. But doing

1:04:38it in a way that's great on the field and not the field, we're back to being brothers again. So great competition upfront. I think we can continue to build that relationship with your teammates. I think that's going to ultimately make us better in the long run. What's the process like of building a line, like building a combination of guys that's going to work? And where are you guys out with that process? Yeah. I think it starts with knowing who can do what and knowing what can each person handle. You know, some guys are athletic enough to play on the inside of the outside. Some guys are more cerebral to be able to drop at times. We would rush to pass our time. We have to get inside and play passing situations on the materials. It's similar to what they did with the twins last year. So it starts with that and then just going out there and letting them play. Obviously like individual pairs of things like that. I'm very vocal and I'm trying to show them and teach them what I want to do and when they get on the field it's their time. I don't want to be overcoaching them. I want to be able to have them play naturally and play based off of their parameters when they're defense. But I don't think constantly traveling around, I believe, is putting different groups out there and seeing who can do what and then seeing who steps up and it's time to play. I don't even know. I wouldn't even say I have a

1:05:44clear idea of who is going to be doing what this year. I know we have a lot of guys with a lot of experience and a lot of different athletic abilities. So it's going to be interesting how we can and I'm going to play that on the field. I'm excited for where we're at but you know I'm looking forward to get more help from you to go and drop this last few weeks. What separates J Toya? I think it's mentality man. He's alpha. As you guys know, he's a dog on the field. I guess all business we step into this turf, which is something I can always appreciate. Him being an older guy having a whole lot of snaps. So you know, I'm constantly finding ways to challenge him. Finish more. Like he's definitely going to bring the juice and never got to be a guy that you've got to rally up or roul up to get going. He's going to set the tone up front. So he's trying to find ways to constantly bring guys around with he knows. You know, him and new played a lot of snaps last year. Gary Smith played a lot of snaps last year. We got a lot of guys who haven't had that experience. So trying to help them see what he sees and kind of do kind of what he feels like the best reaction to a blocker reaction to a particular play is. So I mean, definitely stepped up his leadership qualities. You know, I'm definitely got to have him on part of the room. And I think he's taken some strides

1:06:44from my first guy here to now in terms of how he's speaking up. How he's having a sense of pride on the defense and also like having a standard of what he needs to look like. He's probably one of the first guys to speak up with things on going right. But not from a demeaning element, but from a passionate element, a care standpoint showing him that he really cares about this game and he's trying to maximize the time that he has. And I think that's the type of urgency you need to play in this game at this level. So our Collins plans some insights on the interior defensive line on Saturday. Is that kind of like a part of a cross-training where you do both or do you see him maybe play more inside? Yes, that's the fact of the topic of moving guys around. I think Collins is the guy that can do both. So challenge can be do both. I don't know he's been out dealing with injuries in the past. So trying to get him back in the groove kind of shake off the rust and he's accepted the challenge. So I'm going to get the guys going to keep growing, keep improving. He's taking the coaching. And obviously, you know, what he's used to doing in the past, what we're doing here is a little bit different. So he's still very young in terms of, you know, his experience with the defense. But

1:07:45I think he's doing a good job so far. He's got to keep stacking the days man. Trying to find a way to push through to find a way to get better. Sharif says he closed the journey. Yeah, that's up to coach Miller. I hope so and I know he's working hard to get back. We just don't want to be, you know, too, too quick to put him out there before he's ready. So we just want to make sure his conditioning is straight for all that. But you know, behind scenes doing a lot of work to get him prepared and ready. So when his time is, we can see what he can do to make it true. He's got to be valuation and he's kind of going from there. One other guy, you got to try to make it up. You know, leave with Sherman coming from Division 3. That's how I'm against him. See LA, what have you thought about him? So I like his mentality, man. I know he was not sure what to expect just in terms of from where he was at to where we're at here. But another guy that's like you can see and trying to take the coaching and applying. Right. It's just a different way of doing things. I know a lot of our techniques are different. Our scheme on defense a little bit different. You kind of mention how this is the first time of him being like a true outside backer. So all the elements to go around that's been different. But you know, one thing about Luke many go up because it goes a hundred miles per hour. You know, so if you can play with that type of effort and that energy,

1:08:49I think it would be in the right spot. Not just about fine-tuning little details and cleaning up this technique. But you know, he's always going to work hard. He brings that mentality that workforce mentality to the to the group. So he's got to keep it up. One of the younger guys on the group, Grant Bucky. What have you seen out of him so far? Bucky, man. Another guy that's playing multiple positions. You know, I know in the past he's played inside. This season we're really working on him at both. A guy that's, you know, he can just show a tool and Bucky just retains it. Right. He can just listen to the coaching and apply it really early. So him. Another thing I'm challenging to play, continue to play faster. You know, with being able to move him all around. I can't just be just super heavy and just ready to play the run all the time. I want to be able to drop it sometimes. I want to be able to set the edge at time. So I think he's been getting better now. That's especially from spring to now. I'm like, I tell you, it matters to him. At least on the field, he carries it like that. You know, another thing on the container challenge, Bucky, man. Just continue to compete. Everything that he does. Like every place in. Not saying that he is, but sometimes you just feel like when you've got the scheme of the defense down, you can just go out there and just, you know,

1:09:51play it naturally. But I always want to try to find ways to look at things differently. How can it be better in this rush? I can be better on the inside when I'm playing these type of blocks. And he's he's responding, man. He's great, man. I feel like I can coach all these guys. How hard. It's something I appreciate. There's just an extreme amount of passion I have for this game. Like I said, to this university, it means a lot to the folks who follow us and move first. So I want to make sure we put out the proper product once time to go. Good. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you. Just finishing it in the right ways, I might say, you know, right now. You're going to be playing in Texas, I guess, Texas. The crowd will be, you know, you're a lot of low-hours defense because they always travel. But are we a pro Texas crowd for the most part? Do you guys kind of thrive off that? Do you like that kind of being the enemy? I guess. I mean, you can say that, but you know, we don't really, you know, try to focus on the fans. We just want to, you know, produce on the field. If it's a way game, home game, you know, we just want to go out there and execute. Right. Cameron T. Grovitz in the athletic.

1:10:53There's a lot to say when you guys all came back, we're going to see what the line could be. These last two games, we have 12 sacks. You guys really are blitzing the time. It's not even the start. The bench guys can yada. What's it been like to see this? Realize this potential and get up with the counter-regued class of these? I say we always knew what we had in our room. You know, it's just now it was just showing up, you know, teams are scheming us different ways and it's allowing, you know, certain players to make certain plays. And I think, you know, we got so many guys in the room, you know, we have two that can be ones anywhere. We have three that can be ones anywhere in the country. But they all, you know, decided to stick here and, you know, grind this thing out with the guys they came in with. And like I said, I think we have a great group who, you know, can make plays anytime. When you guys get eight sacks in a game, but also hold it, they've been pulled out of it. So minus 24 rush yards in a game. What is that like? What does that say? By the way, the job you guys did, I said.

1:11:56I think it's a great feeling, you know, looking up at the scoreboard and seeing like a negative. Definitely. But you know, it's just like all the work we put in over the summer, over the season, you know, we've been building this defense to where it is now. And like I said, when we're executing and we're at a high level, it's hard, you know, do anything with us. Birmingham, the bot cap. I'm not going to ask you to call out officials, okay? But I do want to ask you, have you ever been told before? Yeah, I think our whole D-line gets held, you know, every game. I don't know what the reps are seeing or what's going on with that. But you turn on the tape and really look at it. We're held almost every play. So. We can be actors, but you know, we don't really teach none like that. But I don't know if it's because we're a high-level state, you know, letting things go or what it is, but it's been, you know,

1:12:59pretty bad. I know y'all see it too. It's every play, almost every game. We got you. Adam, think WDNF? We have a chance to see a glimpse of Coach Day's pre-game speech. The intensity that you've seen for the last two games in the playoffs. Is that different than you've seen throughout the year? And what does that do for this pre-before you go out of the field? I want to say it's different. He's been like that his whole year. It was just now getting recorded and posted. But definitely when you see your head coach, it's fired up like that. It likes the fire. And you go out there and do better. And you know, you can't thank Coach Day enough because he's our leader over this team. And when he's like that, he makes you want to go out there and do great for him for the guys around us. Scotty, we're going to go to you with a couple of Zoom. Yes, sir. We're going to start with Andy Anders. Andy, go ahead. Yeah, Aliq. Texas has a, runs a lot of outside zones,

1:13:59schemes that you're just watching. What's important for the thing? Those kinds of plays on the ground. And I guess just, you're straightening out those kinds of, so to speak. Can you say it out again? Yeah. I don't view it again there. Yeah. Just Texas runs a lot of outside zone in their run game, running schemes. Just what's important for defending that kind of plays? For a detackle versus a stretch team, you always want to talk about penetration, like penetrating the line and not catching. Because once you penetrate the stretch, it basically stops the stretch and makes them come back to unblocked players. So really just attacking this game and not catching. Next question is going to come from Dan Hope. Dan, go ahead. Aliq, you were in a freshman class with Quinn. Now you're playing against him a few years later. Just what's that like for you? You know, Quinn's my guy. You know, he's a great competitor, great quarterback. I think it'll be fun going against him, you know, trying to get him

1:15:04running around. Next question comes from Kurt Bulls. Kurt, go ahead. Yeah, tell me, I don't know if there's one thing you can pinpoint why y'all've been so dominant. I would think maybe it comes back under the physical brand of football. Do you feel that's going to be the survivor in this game? Who's the more physical team? I would say definitely the more the most violent team, you know, the team that plays the fastest executes the most and you know, exceeds their game playing the most is going to win this game. I found a question will come from Stefan from Cleveland.com. Ty Lee, what's kind of your relationship been like with Ty Hamilton, especially as the season progressed and just how in sync do you feel like you two are playing on a defensive line together? Me and Ty are, you know, we've been roommates for the past two years. We live in the same apartment complex. We played a game together. It's really like one of my best friends on the team.

1:16:08You know, we talk about a lot of football things, so we're really on the same page with a lot of, you know, plays teams like to run against us. You know, it could be some stunts we've run. We're always, you know, connected in some kind of way. Jerry, back to you. Great, thank you. Got that. Just a couple more questions. Joey, come up and Columbus this bad. Ty Lee, what does it say about your defensive line and how pride for you guys when you can get eight sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, though, having to bring a ton of extra guys and pressure by you for this and forward and do a lot of that? I'll say cool to store our coach, Coach Jay. This is a lot of technique and you know, sometimes it doesn't show up because you know, teams scheme you different ways, but when you have a team one dimensional, like they have to pass the ball. That's when all the, you know, the fast rush technique and stuff comes out. And I think we've gotten Tennessee and Oregon to those situations where they had to pass the ball and you know, just let us rush free instead of worrying about the run. Does that make sense? You guys just, one on one of those past rushing situations, till I was here,

1:17:09somebody sacks and TFLs? Yeah, I'll say we're definitely winning way more 101s now. And, you know, they're not keeping as many guys in the box to block us because they have to, you know, they're trying to come back. So I think it's like I said, it's just cool to the offense, you know, creating these big leads and making teams one dimensional. Tyler, we've talked about how better the team has gotten to getting off to fast starts on both sides of the ball, but there has been some scoring lead in the first half. Like I said, Tennessee and against Oregon, has there been renewed emphasis on controlling the middle eight and how important will that be against Texas? Definitely, you know, that's one of Coach Day's biggest points, you know, controlling the middle eight, you control the middle eight, you like chances are you winning that game goes, you know, skyrockets. So definitely versus Tennessee, Oregon we gave up touchdowns, you know, lay in the, you know, second half. I mean, first half, but we, you know, we just got to keep our foot on the gas. We can't let up like at all because these teams we're playing are great teams like Texas is a great team, you know, great offense,

1:18:11great offense, a line, great quarterback, great receivers, great running backs. So you know, we just got to just keep executing like we know we can and you know, see how it plays out. Okay, final question for Tyler here. Tim May, Letterman Ruff. Tell me, you know, Aaron Donnelly, you should talk about everybody's hurting at this time of the year, but when the lights come on and the snap goes, what goes off in a guy like here's mine? I mean, from the standpoint of making the play. I mean, can you explain that to people don't get to play down in the middle of it all? I would say, you know, like I said, you're right. Everybody has heard around this time, you know, we're 15th week, 14th, you know, deep in the season, you know, you just got to, you just got to show up. That's my mind. So you just got to show up. No matter what I'm going through, I got to make that play. I got to be disruptive, you know, just to help my team out because when I'm on my A game, you know, everybody else can, you know, feed off of me or we can feed off with like, you know, JT Jack Ty. But I said, you know, Coach, make always says like, nobody cares.

1:19:14Like it's true. Nobody really cares if you're a hurried parent, you just got to go out there and play and make plays. Just a little bit, explain the drive you have personally to get to through this next one into the next one. But I know it's one step at a time, but you know, he came back, etc. Explain people what's going on in your brain about your motivation. My motivation, you know, we all have our wise, you know, while we're doing things, you know, we have family, you know, family here, our team, our brotherhood. But he's got to, he want to do, you write for your brothers, you know, on this team, you know, we're trying to win the big thing. We're not just, you know, trying to go win two games and lose, we're trying to win the big thing, you know. As long as we stay motivated, stay, you know, humble, know like, you know, take the rap poisoning, you know, things like that and just execute and just play our hardest, you know, that will be fine. I think that brotherhood is important. You've been known as a bigger adventure entire career,

1:20:17but have you seen a shift in the way that you're able to do things already without walking into buildings yet? You say like, I would say offensive work. Yeah, whatever you say, like, is it different than what you were able to do already in the emergency tag? We're going to Penn State, we're always, always looking at this with recruiting. I think it's so true. Every program, there's a different level of difficulty, right? It's all, it's all difficult now for you. Now, I think the biggest transition is going from the role as a coordinator back to the role as a physician coach in that recruiting role, which is obviously been something that I've been excited about, to be honest, that's something that I cut my teeth doing. But I think each program you go to, it's a different, it's a different level of difficulty based on who you're competing against. Right? When you're at certain programs, you're not going to compete against a program like this. Right? But when you're at this program, you compete nationally with other programs, right? So, it gets all the same level of difficulty and it still, you know, it goes back to kind of what we talked about with the Trust with the Office of Line. Like, it is a people business. The first thing,

1:21:19and no different than we did with our individual players, but within the recruiting, that have been on Ohio State's radar for a while and our radar for a while. But also, the ones is trying to build that relationship and bridge it quickly, make sure that we're getting people on campus to be able to sit down face to face. You know, I haven't had an opportunity with a ton of these guys to go visit them in person unless they were regionally at the place at once. So, you know, I think all of that's been exciting. You know, I don't know if it's certainly the brand here. It's really, really strong, right? But always look at it. I'll never say it's easier or better, right? Wrong or a difference. Just a different level of difficulty. You got to attack it that way. We talked to Rachel last weekend, the con line about this and the Q. You do a good job putting the running bags in the game, the best position to be successful. Do you have like a one game that you try to stick to or you like a community and what you call one game to get in school practice, you're going to see like, okay, this group does this best. Or is there like a Taliban stable in which you are

1:22:20really unique? Right. I think the first thing that you mentioned is baseball is an incredible player. And it was fun to be able to move them around and put them in positions to be successful, hard worker. I'm looking forward to see what he does with his career. I'll look at the wrong game like this, particularly this time of the year. And today's college game took play and particularly run the ball at high level. You better have a diversity, right? So that's going to look very multiple at this time of the year. And then as we go, we're funneling that now to what does this do well? What is this offensive unit do well in the running game? I think you're always looking at that way. If you don't have the ability to attack the defense from the A gap to the knee gap and on the perimeter, at some point, they're going to be able to on the career and have an opportunity to make it difficult for you. That means you can't do it, but they can make it difficult. So to be able to have that diversity to go into thematically and then from there, what do we do well? What are those five guys doing? What are our run-of-back seat? Where's our quarterback at? All those things we'll play

1:23:25into the run games. I wouldn't say there's ever one thing. I know this. We want to have a physical downhill run game that does not generate TFL's and have it. That's the number one thing where we do and have best all the time to not create TFL's and have it. So it really starts there, right? Before you go run the ball really well, you can't give up TFL's, right? We've got to keep the ball moving forward. So I look at it that way every year, every team's different. Every unit takes so on, the different identities, but you've got to start diverse enough to attack the defense in every area and then figure out what pieces in that game plan we really fit to go against that defense based on what we do well. It's interesting to be thinking about some of our people's feelings about what we do. Oh man, there's a ton. I don't, I'll miss somebody. If I just start spitting off names, I mean I'll go all the way back. I think early in my career, it's fortunate to play for a really good head coach that was run-minded and very diverse in what we did and then also becoming young coach in the first round that would be around

1:24:29free-dune. That's how much comes the mind right away, but then even moving on, you know, the spread game, we coached more at, you know, where I was with him and a couple of different places in running that type of system. Invaluable, the experience I had with the Jacksonville Jaguars, you know, what we did wasn't a great year from a result standpoint, but you take a lot of knowledge from that situation and then, you know, go into a place like I just came from where you're in a rebuild and you're having to evolve every year, your personnel may not be necessarily to go equate, but we've got to figure out how to equate the talent and equate the run game based on what we have. So I think all those have been valuable experience. I don't know if there's, you know, I don't know if there's one person in particular, I would say you take good and bad from everywhere you go. I'm not trying to give a cop out answer, but that, I mean, that's the truth. I mean, if nothing else, I don't believe you can be in this profession and not be a lifelong learner, you know, in that time, you would every year, if we're not studying best practices of technique,

1:25:32if we're not studying best practices of what's new schematically, if we're not looking at our own film and saying, how could we make this better, how can we enhance it, then we're going to fall in mind. I think it's interesting for a recovery standpoint. You spend a lot of time getting no kids, and then you take a job right and you get to switch. How does the messaging shift? When you go from, but any person, obviously for a particular teacher, you're recruiting a lot of students, again, right. How does the message change? Is it just, I mean, I didn't understand, well, I say it's different because of this, whereas it's just still about the person. Yeah, I mean, I think it starts with the personal relationship, for sure. You know, there's a trust level that's built in any relationship we have, but it's also kind of bridging the gap of what this program means. You know, and I think it's a good testimony for guys that I had prior relationships with, you know, why did I look? You know, why did I want to be a part of this, which is what I think is the best program in college football. So I think that part of it makes the communication easy, but

1:26:35it still starts with those personal relationships. Those don't go away. Is there a little moment for you, one, two, three, or whatever? Maybe realizing like this is why plays a prime state is at the time of the weekend. I want to say a while it is what I expected to be, but more. And I'd say that all starts with Coach Day's visual. Just how the program is ran. They, they, the detail of the organization, how everyone has a, a very detailed role of what they need to accomplish for the greater good. And I think that's from a player standpoint, from the coach standpoint, I think that's very unique. And he's at the top of the, excuse me, sorry. The point where I'm going first, well, obviously, you know, what's going on in the in the landscape of coach, you know, I think it was a time, I'm remembering correctly, it's all been a whirlwind. We were out on the road, our house on the road. And number popped up and it was great because I'd been around Coach

1:27:40Day before. I was down in Jacksonville and knew a couple of people here and obviously, they've always competing against this program and also admiring it from afar. It was very excited the conversations started from there and the interview for this organization. Yeah, I think, I think you think about alignment with the type of coaches you want to be around, type of head coach you want to work for, the ability to compete at the highest level. I think all those things have tried to be here. Well, you get here, you've got to value with the guys over here, remember turning service and that, making this happen and practice here. What are your early impressions, like carcinets in the park, that you guys are bringing back and the attack was like, you know, recruit these guys, you know, maybe not met any of them until now. You have your early impressions, like the stock I've had right now. Right. You said it best first, I'm going to reserve a lot

1:28:43until we get on the field. Obviously, there's a body of work with some guys from last year that you're seeing on film watching every snap that they went through last year and guys moving around and all those things. I'd say the thing that stands out to me is the bath lot of system in the room. The guys that can pull and kick out and get on the perimeter and do things. I think there's a general level of athleticism that sticks out and guys that have experienced different spots you hope as we get in the spring that helps the bad strategy, but as we go through spring, we're able to create some flexibility with him for you. You've got your conversations with Brad, about this job, how big is part of this conversation once you've heard him answer them. So how much does that matter? I don't know that, you know, that'd be a question for him. I mean, I hope that everywhere I've been, I think you make an impression on people as a recruiter, as a coach, and I always view it whatever job you're at, you're interviewing every day, not even just for that job, but what your reputation is. I hope that played a part of it, but I'm sure it's just here to work.

1:29:49I ask you, who do you think is the most athletic in your family? I'm going to say myself, my brother is really athletic, but I'm going to go with myself this time. So, Tommy, leave Edwards with Las Vegas Raiders, congratulations. Obviously, you being a linebacker, being drafted by a team whose head coach was a former linebacker. How excited are you to be able to kind of learn under him and kind of gain his knowledge as well? Yeah, I'm really excited to learn from him and just, you know, how he sees the game just as a former linebacker, as a great player. How he sees the game and just how he coaches us too. I can't wait. Just curious, what is your relationship with San Juan Ferner? Have you been able to kind of hear what his experience has been like with the Raider? Did you say that again? No, I was just curious, maybe your relationship with San Juan Ferner from Real Hospital, and he's been able to talk to him and all about what his relationship has been. What his experience

1:30:53has been like with the Raider? Yeah, I talked to him briefly. We overlapped two years or three years, I think, but he loves it. And, you know, I can't wait to join him, so. Tommy, so I don't know how familiar you are with the energy around the Raiders. That's since Antonio Pierce took over his head coach. It's led by guys like Max Crosby and Robert Spillane, but basically, how do you think your energy fits in with this team? I think there are really tough dudes that love the game and football and play really, really hard, and that's something that I try to proud of myself on too. And that's something I hope to add to this team. I was just curious what these last few days have been like. I know this can be kind of a nerve-wracking proposition waiting for your name to get called. How was it for you over the last few days? It was definitely ups and downs, I think. I think if you ask anyone, I think they'd

1:31:53probably say that, but it's a relief, but it's kind of like, you get picked, but there's other things. There's more steps. You got to keep going, so I'm just excited. I know you obviously are new, but you've been in the rivalries of the Real House. Now, you have to rival with the chargers here at the Raiders and Jim Harboss there. You can have excited about her renewing that rivalry at the NFL level. Yes, I am. I'm very excited for that. Tommy, could you talk about your motor and just the way you're all football all the time, and whether it's film and after practice, just about your love for the game, that set you apart from a lot of guys who have talent as well, but maybe don't love it. Yeah, I mean, and that was something I told a lot of teams is, you know, my love for the game is done matched. There's nothing else I want to do in my life. It's hard to turn off, but I mean,

1:32:56I love the game. I'm always around it, always just trying to learn, learn whatever it really. I mean, even, I mean, I can't even name all the things I've done back in college that just revolved around football because I love the games so much, I love the dudes, I love the coaches, just everything that comes with it. So I'm excited to just continue my journey. Tommy, obviously, coming from a prestigious program like Ohio State, you played in some really big games, some really big robberies. How much do you think the pressure of those moments and those situations will help transfer to playing within NFL when making NFL roster? Yeah, I think it'll help me a lot, just because I know that I've played football at the highest level in college, I know Ohio State where the expectations are so high where there's someone come to take a spot every single day and if you don't show up, that's your spot on the line. So, it's helped me a lot so much. I think it'll keep health, man, Drew Drew. And we speak the same language, you know, we know like, you know, he's been on 20 plus years in

1:34:00NFL, I was 12 years in NFL. So a lot of the language, you know, a lot of guys, the tree, of he's under and a lot of guys that I were close with really kind of have the same background. So those things and the language and the understanding of the fronts and covers and high tie-in, kind of similarities there. So that part of being a good blend and you know, just really going to show them the land a little bit of college perspective because it's changed a little bit since he's been there. Yeah, it's different obviously at Ohio State, but you often work in the country, it's Ryan's office, right? Is this still Jim Moles who defense? Is this still Ohio State defense now? What is the identity of the defense? The Ohio State defense, you know what I mean? Is the collaborative group effort on pulling things together? Some new stuff we did in the past, you know, because days thoughts, you know, it'd be a group effort of things trying to pull it together to get their right mix and the right fit,

1:35:04you know, because we've done a lot of good things here that has, but you know, some things we need to tweak and adjust and we'll just kind of blend it all and see how it goes. It's the second year for Aaron and Bryce. How big is this spring for them and what, you know, we're today, because I was really doing Ryan talking about the fact that IGV is not going to be getting as many grub to something like that. So this is a spring, it's probably some real opportunity for those guys to sort of make a step. Yeah, we have to see what some guys can do. Big for Aaron, be it from Bryce, we're really excited about them and upside and potentially they're really good players. Really good young guys with a big, a lot of potential, big upside. We need to see them, put them in position, to see them get a chance to get a lot of reps, execute new things, you know, we have a few guys, you know, IGB, Caleb has played a lot of snaps, you know, so we need to really see the rest of the guys, put them in different positions, game-like positions, and see

1:36:05how they function over a three or four week period. When David St. Joseph Breakfast is wearing other lips, it's also great. Probably so. We're at all, probably so. Yeah, but all those things, though, we'll work on that. Like, even though I was in a league, you know, we have streaks for guys, get, you know, these, those things happen a little bit, you know, I mean, do you want to keep learning and grow for it? You know, I mean, what happens is, you know, we'll go back through it and look through it. Some of them usually have to do a better job. It's two or three of them with questionable calls in there. Yeah. Well, all those things kind of play a factor. Doesn't matter. They call it. We got to work through it. So we got to put ourselves in a position to be better with it regardless because it's kind of thing for you now. So you got to find a way to remove that and you do that by working on it and doing the little things at the top around to

1:37:07help you, you know, overcome that part of it, which we will. We'll work on that all this spring. That part of the big. I know you and my year was a lot very closely together in the secondary, just out of that year together last year, helping pair you this year. We have a new coordinator, one of the kind of things keeps me together and I'm just going to help you. Yeah, it helps a lot with that. You know, man, we work together. So like I said, me and Coach Gurrier got a great relationship and we able to blend stuff together and we're kind of showing them at, you know, something stuff that we've done here. It's all football, man. It's all the same, you know, it's just, you know, whether you call it an apple. So Orange is all, you know, cover three, everyone, cover two, you know, the whole same thing. So we just got to blend it and make sure the the verbiage and all that stuff is in place.

1:38:12Compete, I want to see you compete. I want to see you have like chance to make plays on the ball. I want to see you have a chance to be in competitive situations and apply the things that you know. So that's a big force to see. You know, because that's game light. The good thing for us, we see the best receivers in college football. We also want to top off fences in college football. So we get a chance to experience real game light situations in one on one's, seven on seven's, team drills. So I look to see them compete and then try to execute in game light moments. Because that's critical. That's how you get game ready. You know, it's not just the drills. You know, now can you go play the game of football and go apply situations, the down and distance, field position. Can you comprehend and apply those things under the rest?

1:39:27It's huge. I mean, the leaders over there. So it helps a lot that he can direct, advise, comfort those young guys on how to play the game. He puts a, a at ease type of fit with guys in there because he can help communicate with them. He gives them words of encouragement and the one on one talks and things that he has with them of understanding the game. And they'll be a constant for those young guys when they coached out around. You know, I mean, so that part is big because you're getting it from a guy who's played the game on an elite level. It's with death and death. I think Jeremiah Smith has sort of broken everyone's brain in terms of what a realistic treatment season looks like for guy with sort of a five star group and a great what have you seen out of them so far? What's Devon? What are the kind of key things that he needs to work on this spring? And once a realist is expectation for him, this season if he sort of puts things together. Well, first of all, you know, let's start out where he is a tremendous athlete.

1:40:31A tremendous talent. But now we've got to go play football. You know, now, you know, we have to see the application of those things transitioning into the game. So we kind of got a little bit of waiting to see on that, but we have big hopes. He has a big upside. But we're looking forward to seeing him now go apply those things on the field and competition and six months on the football. And then he does, you know, he doesn't have a chance to improve and keep going in the direction we were like, but you got to kind of wait and see, you know, once they get going, because obviously you still have, we got a lot of guys, man, that have, that we look a bit strange with, you know, ASCOT, Bryce West, you know, we got those guys that are young talent, guys, man, that can bleed, but we got the still go play the game. So we're looking to see how that transpire in the moment when the bullets start flying. See, former player here, yourself, James and Brian,

1:41:35also on the staff, you guys take extra pride that you brought an Astral Chief and Chip back to I state. Have the guys you played with? Thank you and congratulated you, what's been the response? Well, no doubt. We feel really good that we've been able to be a part of that as former players. So that's big for the city. You know what I mean? And the former players, you know, in 10 years, man, we have some really good teams. It's came up short. So I'm going to get it over the hook for those guys. Coach Day, that's really big for the city, you know, because we bleed Buckeye, man, you know, played here. So that stuff is big to be able to be a part of this on the other side. Or go down to the history books, but to be able to bring that to the community is our standing bill to know we have a long history with this city. Sorry, Senator, I asked about this. It's just a wild hair, maybe. Could Davis and play inside at all?

1:42:36Well, he's better outside. Well, he does do inside some to more than the stuff. We just, you know, we'll see how it goes in spring, but you know, we had enough that was stuff last year that we just got a, you know, we had a good group there last year with depth. But we'll move a lot of guys around in spring to see what they can do. I mean, because we're a different year. Different group now. I, Jeremiah sort of redefined, I think, the expectations for freshman around here and maybe National. I have been calling Devon Sanchez, the Jeremiah Special Portabucks for a while. How stupid am I for saying that? And where, how has Devon lived upwards? Or what has he shown you so far? It gives you an optimism that he is, whatever you thought he is. Well, it's not stupid for saying that, but I don't ever like to put expectations on guys. I like to let them go play and see tremendous athlete. But one question for

1:43:43you to just get adjusted to the game, learn the game, get in some situation of football stuff and see and then grow, don't get better, don't compete. Because you know, I'm big on compete. You know, that's the thing we talked about about the room. Even when we started recruiting, you know, like everybody's competing for stuff, but they know that. The whole room knows it. Open to a positive, musical, chairs, man, we want guys to go earn it. Guys to go compete. We got a lot of young guys that's getting on that. We're looking to see things from the screen. And it's got Bryce West. You know, we got a lot of guys that we got to go see play and then we kind of let it play out. We'll have a much better answer on those things. Probably in about two or three weeks once they get going. You know to see how you make the transition. And even with the young guys, when you start playing more snaps, you know what I mean? When you start getting into hockey, now I'm playing 40 snaps. Now you can see whether you can ascend and be able to maintain it for a level of time. And you know, those are the things we were able to see with Jame. You know, he was able to get it and then move up and then be able

1:44:45to maintain it. So that's when they're trying to build the clubs. To be reunited with Max, just how excited are you about this opportunity and how much scheme and how much do you think this defense is going to change? I don't know. It's still up in the air. It's still pretty much under. But I'm excited about it because of the fact that we've worked together before. He's a brilliant mind. He's sharp. He knows the game. We've been able to work together. He knows the same language. And then you know, we'll be able to teach the guys at a high level understanding the game of football and the game within the game. So we're excited about it. It'll be a combination of stuff. You know, because we had a lot of guys that back, you know, me and James and Matt go Jay, you know, all those guys we worked together a lot. So he's the ad-a-piece that's coming in there to be a great addition to it. So we'll just start to blend it and see how all this stuff fits together. Jay's name is David. Coach Hart. You got the runs over in that spot a little bit last year. How much were those experiences taken in as he gets as he kind of wants to start? It was important. You

1:45:47know, again, we have to see how those does on a week. We excited about it. It has a big upside as well. But we have to see it play because you know, Jordan played a lot of snaps a little past several years. So now, we're going to see because he doesn't have as much experience with that. But really works hard, really sharp, detailed, puts him in the time. This will be a good spring for him also to see you in a new role or how to have us applied and how he handles those things. And the first till today he can do it. Being great because of the fact that I saw the transition of him learning, growing, started the bottom of the depth chart and worked his way to the top. But he's a diligent worker, puts the time in and we're looking forward to seeing you now in a new role on how he can compete and go maintain the way he does for Carlos. Thank you.

1:46:48Things because we're going to be going on a road against a really good Baltimore team and we got to be able to minimize mistakes if we're going to be able to win that game. But the vibes are in here are really high because of the way we're competing in practice and is showing up in the game the little thing. So we're looking forward to being on that. Terry, I think you've shut down Cincinnati today. You have 16 plus incredible play. Jayden, how do you feel about the rapport that you and him are building and how special was that played in it? Yeah, him and I are growing each and every week and you know great thing about him is we're always in constant communication. So you know when I have a mistake he's always got my back and making sure I'm just keeping focused and you know same with him. You know just trying to encourage him when things don't go right. But you could definitely tell that our connection is growing each and every week and I just want to be the guy that can help continue to develop and be a great teammate for him and the rest of our team. And honestly I just want to shout out Deami for real. You know he's had quite the journey and the league and the way he's matured and continue to keep his head down at work and he's kept his faith high in the Lord and he was ready for his moment.

1:47:51And obviously missing know that was tough for us but for him to step up in that moment to get one on one coverage. We knew we were going to be a lot of man today and I felt like we handled as a group. Luke coming up with big conversions OZ and I'm just really happy for Deami. So I think he just has to continue to grow and being those big spots for us. I know he's going to continue to try to make those plays. So me and Jayden are going to continue to grow but I'm definitely happy for the other guys. You guys had a lot of huge plays today. I mean what does it say about this office? I think you guys may be able to get I think four plays, 34 more yards. Yeah. I think they just six overall and what's it about the stuff? It's a lot of them plays like that. Yeah. I think we're finding ways to create explosives and it's not just in the past game. It's in the run game as well. You're finding guys who are running down the field trying to get blocks in the second level so they're running baskets spring free. We're doing a really good job in scramble drill and Jayden is giving us a chance and when you got a man game like this you might have some chance to wear some explosives and you got to make teams pay. So we're really excited that we're able to create explosive plays in the run in the past and I feel like that just gives a lot of dynamics for our defense to continue with. And unless we just got to learn how to minimize

1:48:54the mistakes you know getting down in the red zone missing opportunity fumbles on my part drop touchdowns. So but to put up 34 points and win the game against a good defense you know we're proud of that. So you take the good with the bad but you you gotta learn from it going forward because we're going to have a really really good test next week against Baltimore. Terry could you see this coming? The start could you see it coming? I think I think you never really know how it's going to play out but I had confidence in this group the way we practice each and every week the camaraderie the way we built from the spring through camp the competitive edge that we have against one another and Kyle coach Quinn pushes us to compete in everything we do and when you got guys who want to win every single practice rep I think that translates to the football field and I think our preparation is really in a good spot right now but I think it really the hang hat we can really hang our hat on the way we're working and just to see that we're able to put up the points that we already defense is getting a groove but we still have a lot of room to get better and leave you know at least a meet on the bone that's exciting as a as a player for myself so

1:49:55yeah we're just going to continue to build on this you never really know how it's going to play out in the league but when you put good days of practice together when you play for one another when you compete at the highest level and there's a lot of unselfishness on this team you have a chance to have success so I think we're doing that at high level right now. You guys are putting the nation on notice so for those just starting to tune into what this team is all about what do you think you showed them today? We're just going to continue to stay humble but at the end of the day I feel like when you turn on the film you're going to see a group of guys but it's often as defense special teams are going to play extremely hard for the guy next to them everybody's eager to try to make a play to help win the game or make a game change your play and you got guys who are really unselfish and just really to do the little things that help us be successful whether it's in the run game past game defense run it to the ball D-Liam and run out of stack especially teams the way they're converging on kickoffs and bringing energy to our team so it's not really you know something that we're trying to prove to the nation but I think we turn the film on is it's a direct indication of what we've been building since coach Quinn got here in the spring and it's on us

1:50:57and the leaders to continue to try to build on that and continue to get better on the little things and the mistakes that we did have so we could play a lot cleaner but you know when you come out with a win like that and you feel like you still have a lot of room to improve that's exciting you know I mean it makes you get eager to get back to the to the drawing board why's the film to get better thanks sir thank you thank you thank you thank you like fun of mental stuff like hand play scene leveraging things like that what do you do as the biggest strength of your game that you're bringing here last day uh definitely my arm lift uh my side line and side line speed and my covering what are the biggest things you're like working on now do you feel like you need to get better at some pressure uh my hand placement you know since my arm is so long sometimes I tend to try to get all blocks in my hand you too well I gotta get closer things like that you and Riley are kind of going through the exact same thing should still be at high school right now both line backers is it nice to have a kind of a guy you know going through the same thing that you're going to yeah that's my roommate so like we just from everything together yeah what kind of example is sunny setting for you guys is a linebacker right now really just being a great leader like the way

1:52:03leaves old team is just amazing and the way he swims from safety to linebacker and how he learns so much in just more years from what night is just great come valuable wasn't for you to be able to come in in January and be with the team for the end of that championship front oh it was great you know just watching the last year seniors how the the way they led or the way the the run they went on how intense things were and how everything like every rep matters every matters sir like bet something you already dreamed of before you got here but when you actually see your own eyes how much does that inspire you to then want to be part of oneself oh this is great you know he's like you see it and just like we gotta go get with we gotta go get one we gotta keep legacy going things like that the bread doesn't go in that's never happened here before brother early and rollies get to go to like those season games like what when when did you know when did you guys find out that you doing that oh I found out when I came because I got here on like January second and as soon as the day I got here they called me sir had come in and worked out and then we started doing things with them yeah that was the

1:53:04first one that we did it here yeah very and what'd you take away from that experience uh just everything you know the way they appreciated everything the way they took in everything like I would tell him every rep matters just every little thing every little thing matters this is what you have now go ahead now we forgot you're gonna do it individually drills physically how have you changed to personal I was great you know got stronger in the weight room coach make everything there's amazing intent got gotten faster things like that came in at what weight of what weight are you right now uh two dirty would you come in that like two eight teams and 20 round there what are your goals for your freshman year what do you feel like you can accomplish in year one really just getting some playing time you know showing what I could do on the field in the game moments things like that but you know first it starts in practice yeah I wish do they emphasize special themes being something somewhere you can contribute in year one or they they emphasize that lot they'd say

1:54:05to play here at our house that you have to first play on specialty like that's just the coaching you gotta do on self-esteem to make the scene better when it was last time you run special teams uh I play special teams all four of my school years obviously a lot of guys have come here from Florida and have had success here how much does that inspire you uh you know it's great it inspires me a lot see people like you know Jay come in shine uh kj come in and shine ride six year at the right back in position just things like that you just it just shows you that yeah I could do that you know in Florida they kind of be like oh yeah I'll hire them play Florida kids they don't like Florida kids but then when you look at history like it's so different it's she's here one of the guys this inspires you as a player definitely him drone baker players like that yeah teacher thank you thank you teacher and Arlington we're gonna need everything we got to to try to win this game you know you know clearly we're we're massive underdogs nobody's gonna give us a shot so we're gonna need all that that we can to to try to win this game

1:55:07our next question is gonna come from Stephen Hawkins go ahead please Stephen Hawkins with the AP and Dallas will Howard the last game he pointed AT&T stadium with Kansas State beaten the TCU team it was undefeated you saw a lot of him last year obviously and you've seen what he's done this year what do you see from well Howard as you've watched him play in the car and said he brings yeah I'd say the first thing is he's a he's a much better athlete than people probably give him credit for um he snapped off a shoot about a 70-yard touchdown run against us a few years ago uh he so he has good speed he's got great poise and composure in the pocket um you can tell he's very bright you know the system they ran at Kansas State um put a lot on the quarterback and and no one coach Kelly and coach Day and what they do so him managing you know the offense is that way uh so he's got he's got intelligence he's got athletic ability and then his ability to throw a catchable ball you know I've seen that now for a few years you know he throws passes where they need to be thrown and guys make plays form and his poise and composure uh in critical moments is something that has been very impressive as well

1:56:14coach your next question is going to come from Corey Moose Corey go ahead there you go try you doing uh I just want to ask about how you love making your call sheet we got to know that for sure and so when he comes through this game particularly when you have a guy like Caleb Downs and that secondary especially now they're moving him into the box a lot more how much is that effect your building of that call sheet and also how much does it help that you have a gym door for war winner to practice against to prepare for this game yeah I mean Caleb's a fantastic football player you know obviously we played against him last year his freshman year at Alabama uh and made some impactful plays in that game um you can you can sense and feel his his football IQ his awareness um but yet the athletic ability to to cover ground to make plays but then the physical ability to to get people on the ground to take on blocks so as a complete player he's all around player um and again we're we got to look at the scheme first

1:57:15when we start building the call sheet and coach Knowles is a fantastic defensive coach but doing it a long time very good very good at developing plans uh that that put his best players in position to have success Caleb being one of those and so we got to look at the schemes um before we even really start dialing into the specific players um and then try to put our players in the best position to have success so that's always a process that's a it's a fun process to have um but again us to opportunity for our guys to go against our defense uh every day um which we think is pretty good um that that um you know that always helps our guys kind of prepare for the speed uh the closing ability on the ball that uh that is going to be necessary on game day coach your next question is going to come from Eric Henry Eric go ahead good morning Steve uh you know beginning of the season you spoke about the obsession with winning a national title and obviously got a long way to go right two more games but just curious having gone

1:58:16through 15 16 weeks as you said not much rest how does that obsession kind of manifests itself within you now that being so close um um you know we didn't come this far just to come this far I guess would be what I'd tell you it's how it's manifested itself it's like the journey's not done the mission is not complete um it's still a driving force behind you know what we do every day while we wake up so early while we stay so late why our players are you know come in on an off day when they're when we're asking them not to be here and they're in here watching tape working out stretching strident getting rehab um it's all that you know it's all that that continues to push you you know because none of this is guaranteed today's not guaranteed but none of this is guaranteed it's not like well we'll just get back here again next year you know we're back in the final four for the for the second consecutive season and there was other three teams that were here a year ago with us didn't make the the 12 team playoff never mind the final four so nothing's guaranteed it's difficult to get to this spot um and we want to make sure that we maximize this opportunity and put

1:59:20our best foot forward and see what happens folks your next question is going to come from Kenneth Berry go ahead party coach here on the west coast um the grants I'm making it this far in terms of just obviously everybody talks about NIL but you got you talked about pretty much paying for a 16 game season you're pretty much playing an NFL schedule in terms of just a number of games especially with very little buys so and whether outside of the portal how important is it for the sports science department and you as a coach to be on the same page and just the money that would go into that to keep guys healthy making sure you know you're trading and healing processes up the power how crucial and overlooked does that get um does that get overlooked at a time like this

2:00:21it doesn't definitely does not get overlooked in our building you know we we believe in sports science we believed in it before um the 12 team playoff you know became into existence but we definitely poured into it even more so when we found out that this could be the path and the journey that we'd go on before the season um we definitely altered some things before the season and how we worked we altered some things from a recovery and rehab standpoint um we did a bunch of research and studies on NFL teams and and how they practice uh not only in season but as they get into the playoffs um and we tried to we tried to put our players in the best position to perform and as much as it is it's about x's and o's it's about taking care of their bodies take care of their minds um so that they're you know they're they're physically you know ready to compete at a high level but also mentally and emotionally and so sports science sleep studies all those things are hugely important in our building coach your next question is going to come

2:01:22from Nick Hamilton Nick go ahead hey coach Nick Hamilton nightcast media i wanted to ask you just from afar being able to watch um the wide receded wide receded developmental high state of ameka and Jeremiah Smith and just how they've been how they've been able to um you know change the the course of games and the threats that they pose against opposing teams yeah but they're both big physical players um you know they have they have length they have speed they have playmaking ability on the ball they have really big catcher radiuses um they've got they've got the scheme to go with it um with with coach Kelly and and coach day and they've got a quarterback who delivers in the ball so you add all that up these guys are impactful players that uh that are real issues and they're we're gonna have a hard time garden um coach your next question is going to come from Joe cook go ahead Joe

2:02:22hey Steve um i don't know how you view maybe the first round but the peach bull is the first time you as a head coach lifted up a bull trophy in your program in 10 years do you allow yourself to reflect on that or is there still just too far to go before you can start thinking about what that means for your career um no i mean we took a moment um we took a moment after the cleansing game and took a moment after the peach bowl um you know there's it's always probably a good thing when the confetti's falling on you and it's your colors you know so um you know we we try not to miss those things you know as much as um there's a there's a there's the big prize at the end that we're striving for there's there's there's victories along the way and those small victories need to be celebrated and this by no means was a small victory but you got to celebrate your victories as you as you as you navigate your way through it because it's hard to get if they weren't that difficult there'd be a lot of other teams in this position but um you know we're fortunate to be here and like i said i've been i'm so proud of our staff so proud of our team um with their work

2:03:22ethic um with their determination with their resiliency you know week after week after week and it's it's been a credit you know that my ourselves in Penn State are the only two teams now that actually played in the conference championship game and had to play a first round game so we're we're the two that really haven't gotten any of the time off that that you know that Notre Dame and or Ohio State have gotten and even those teams that got the first round by so we're just trying to you know take it all and stride and continue to move forward but again along the way and enjoy the victories as they come coach your next question is going to come from westcott ebbers go ahead hey see if i was just wondering if there's anything that Arizona state did specifically to make things difficult for y'all on first down and what you need to uh and prevent to be more effective on that down against the ios did well i thought they were very active um i thought they did a good job um of running their defense i didn't think it was so much of that there was

2:04:24something new or different um but they they executed uh i thought they won some of their one-on-ones which we got to improve upon that um you know you know at the end of the day you know first and second down wins are really important for us to try to minimize some of the third and long situations that you can get yourself into um but you know that that's when we're at our best and so for them i just thought it was they executed that what they do on defense and they and they did it better than we did um for a lot of that ballgame coach your next question is going to come from brine davis go ahead hey Steve just wanted to ask you about the way you feel like the defense has answered the bell um you know multiple times here you know in the postseason um all these situations they're getting put in and i don't know if you want to do you want to brag on the michael taff or maybe defend him a little bit you know multiple games now you guys have been laying some really hard

2:05:26licks that uh that are not targeting does that is that a sign of how good you know are coaching them to maybe play the right way well i think our defense has been tremendous all year um that was a hard game the other night you know they played over a hundred snaps um and it was an odd game you know you think about we really lost almost three full possessions on offense anytime you have a a scoring return uh on special teams where we had a punt return for a touchdown that would have been an offensive possession that we lost our first drive on offense we scored in two plays and then we we have the safety in one play and so we really lost three possessions that uh you know unintentionally put our defense continually back on the field i just thought it originally man we weren't getting off the field we were we were doing okay especially in the first half of that game but over time that can wear on you and so i thought those guys showed a lot of grit a lot of guts in that game um to fight through i'd you know we have players playing a hundred snaps on defense not

2:06:29including special teams michael taff being one of those i think you played a hundred one snaps on defense not to mention he was on punt punt return and kickoff return and so that that's a lot on these guys that that again we've got to get him healthy and get him back as far as you know football goes hey we don't play flag football man all right this isn't seven on seven this is tackle football we believe in playing a physical brand of football we try to do it the right way within the rules you know there were there were numerous plays i thought in the game that i'm sure um they were upset about a call there was numerous plays i didn't agree with a call and and so but that's football that's the way it goes but we're not going to change the way we play we play a physical brand of football um we're always going to try to impose our will on our opponents and and michael's a great example that he plays the game the right way coach your next question is going to come from david Eckert david go ahead hey steves um appreciate the time i was just curious going back to Ohio state's wide receivers um i guess how do you kind of balance ensuring Jeremiah Smith doesn't kind of take over this game

2:07:34and while they've got you know two other wide receivers who are six hundred yard guys how do you kind of conceptualize that defensively with resource uh management there i just hope we're good enough to guard them i mean these guys are really good players we'll find out coach your next question is going to come from shan mcpharlan shan go ahead hey steve uh appreciate the time uh just you've talked this season about the depth and talent of the sec and the competition of this conference what do they mean in year one to be the last team standing from this conference and be representing this conference on this stage well you know i i still hold true to this like i really believe this is a premiere you know football conference in america um because of the weekend week out task uh that it requires physically and mentally um it's not a one-time thing where you you just play one sec team and then you get on to go do the rest you have to do it weekend and week out you have to go on some really going to some really difficult

2:08:37environments um and and over time that's what takes us toll on your team physically and mentally and so you got to make sure that you can kind of recharge those batteries stay as healthy as you can um you know clearly we've we've endured our fair share of injuries this year um and i think have done a pretty good job decent job of navigating our way through it um you know i know unfortunately for georgia you know they lost their starting quarterback in our game in the sec championship game um and i'm sure other teams in our conference had to endure things that can take their toll on on your team and and that's that's no excuse at the end day we have to find a way to navigate our ways through it um but to be here on this stage to be back in the final four um wearing that SEC patch on our jersey you know we're we're going to do our best to to represent it because it's a heck of a conference coach your next question is going to come from Christopher Hi Dale go ahead hey coach this is Chris Hidal from Herbert the radio in Baltimore um do you feel

2:09:42a lot of pressure being the the home team and the state schools of the big state of Texas doing and playing in the conable with the history of Texas being in the conable you feel a lot of pressure or you just feel like there's just another game each week um i don't necessarily feel pressure upon that you know when you take that the head job here at the university of Texas you got to know what you're signing up for and there's an expectation and a standard here to to compete into win championships compete for and win championships and so you acknowledge it you you accept it and you start charging forward i think if this is more of a great opportunity uh to play in the cop bowl and in the in the semi finals of the college football playoff against an unbelievable opponent in a high-alt state they've got a great fan base they're going to travel their fans are played against them in the Rose Bowl and uh different different opportunities so their fans travel really really well um and so the the challenge for us is to stay composed in that arena um you know the challenge for our fans is to show up by tickets and support us um so that we can make

2:10:44it as as tough an end of fireman as we can because like i said we're going to need all those factors in this game this is this is the you know the best team in college football and and we're going to have to make sure that that we put our best forward to to give ourselves a chance to win the game so your next question is going to come from Rob Oler Rob go ahead hey Steve uh Ryan Day was just uh talking about the NFL and his experience there you have NFL experience he said it kind of feels this starting to feel like like an NFL playoff late season thing does it feel that way to you and you not that you have an advantage but can you use that experience you know moving on from one game with the quick turnaround well definitely feels like that you know you think about like i said we're we're going into game number 16 here um and so how you manage the players how you utilize your time um how you you try to keep

2:11:48them as fresh as you can not only physically but mentally um but also put forth that you make sure you got a good plan that you can execute against you know the further you go into the playoffs the the better quality opponent you face and so your quality of play has to continue to improve the coaching has to improve everybody's got to improve we've always got to continue to strive to get better all on the same time trying to get everybody fresh and back and um putting them in the best position to have success and so uh it's a challenge and but that's the beauty of it right that's that's like to be in the stage and and to be it uh with this opportunity um you you embrace it and you try to balance it as best you can so that when the balls kicked off uh you're putting everybody your staff your players in the in the best position to have some success coach two final questions first from Donovan Bridgeforth Donovan go ahead hey coach uh congratulations on such a great season so far uh what is your response to those

2:12:50who see this as a home game for your program with it being at AT&T stadium yeah i don't know i mean i think both schools get the same number of tickets i'm not certain Bianco might be able to answer that for you but i i think i think everybody gets the same number of tickets um and then from that point who's going to buy the rest you know and and i know we've got a great fan base that travels i know Ohio State's got a great fan base that travels um so um i don't know if it was at D.K.R. or i'd probably say something that'd be like a home game but uh you know it is what it is the last question is coming from chip brown go ahead chip hey Steve um in Ohio State's first meeting with Oregon they didn't sack Gabriel once um in their second meeting they sacked him eight times what uh what you know what stands out most about their past rush do you see them are they similar to Georgia in any way well they're ferocious up front

2:13:51they've got a great past rush big on the inside big edge players that are they're very talented um i think getting ahead 34 to nothing in the second quarter it was helpful um um George you know Oregon got a little limited where they had to just start passing the ball and that's generally one a lot of sacks occur so when people have to just really throw it to get back into the game and quarterbacks can hold the ball and and so on and so forth and d-lime and can start pinning the ears back and going because there's not the threat of the run um so i think inevitably that's where that balance comes in that we talked about um of of why it's important that we continue to lean into the run game and and find find balance there to try to neutralize those guys up front because that it's a ferocious past rest for sure well coach we really appreciate you joining us today thanks for joining us already i'll thank you full transcripts of both news conferences along with audio and video files will be distributed via email and post it via the good year cottonball classic section of the college football playoff media portal the game access

2:14:52to the portal send an email to licensing at catapult sports dot com if you have any questions feel free to send me an email at scottie scltti at cottonbowl dot com thanks for joining us today stay safe we wish you safe travels didn't i think some of us don't need to work on so i got a lot of work to do but uh i think the biggest thing in life i got to just be instinctual in the jggo you can't like trying to rethink things and try and overprost it because then you'll be slow to the play every single time in our bell reach just what uh you see that out of him coming on this season and it looks like he's ready to take over what code he's done is that kind of how you view it yeah i mean i think he's going to be uh i mean he's a great player right now he's going to be a really really good player next year um obviously he's a physical specimen big guy fast and run can hit um i think the biggest thing he he's he took a huge leap this year in terms of like the mental part of the game i think he has a grand understanding of the game you know be able to play my my client back you got to be a smart football player and i think he took a huge jump and um in that part of the game good to share thanks we'll throw it to texas and scottie yes sir we have two questions on zoom our first

2:15:59is going to come from dan hope from eleven warriors go ahead dan hey sonny you talked about how you guys prepared going into those first two games how do you guys make sure you keep that same edge going into this fair game yeah i mean i think those days been doing a good job make sure there's no let off you know um last two weeks really don't matter if you lose this one so we're not only focused on anything's happened to pass it's a clean slate or just focus on bean texas they got a really good team a really talented team and we know we got to bring our best to be able to win that game our next question is going to come from Kurt bowls from the Houston Chronicle Kurt go ahead morning sonny good to see you i was curious how you assess texas off man and they've had their struggles in the running game so they look like a team that's kind of pass heavy and leads into the past first and how would you evaluate that part of their game i mean i mean you say as you say they struggle the past few games the running game but i think they got a super explosive run game if you watch the Clemson game i think they put up almost 20 50 rush hours or something like that

2:17:03i think they're seeing that's capable of putting up around 50 points if you let them so i mean we're deep enough short ready to play it's in an extremely talented offense on all three levels i think the corebacks great player the running backs are very very explosive she was very explosive got great tight in great online so they're they're a well-rounded offense and you guys are big favorite in the game is do you worry at all about you know overconfidence or complacency just because the way you've dominated the opposition so far no i don't think anything outside noise matters um i think there's things they said about it before we won those two games and now they're thinking set up about us after we won those two games and they'll think why be different and it really doesn't matter to us we're just focused on the opinion inside these what inside the woody and uh we know we got a bearer egging every single week i mean it's a really good team it doesn't matter how how it beat the last two teams this is a whole completely different team thank you sir that's all our questions don't zoom all right we'll go back to the to the local level here fill our benowance Columbus this batch i mean um you guys travel your fans travel very well but

2:18:08obviously this game is in Dallas um do you guys kind of thrive and like the playing front of hostile crowds uh i think guys kind of like going in enemy territory sometimes you know it feels good being a little bit of the villain you could say but uh yeah i mean obviously you got to taking the fact that it isn't Texas so it could be a lot of environment could be like an away environment we obviously know that but i mean it doesn't matter where you put the ball now we're just gonna come show up and play and i think there's a staff that you guys that your opponents have not been called for a holding call since September or something like that is that something that you guys are aware of and do you guys point out on the film they didn't call that one they didn't call that one yeah we're aware of this that um you don't pay attention to it too much so you gotta just play um yeah i really got too much to say about that you gotta just play through and just let your let your talent take over don't let it come down to a ref decision over here to the right Austin Ward for podcast so i mean it didn't feel like against Oregon that

2:19:09you guys had two blitz as much as you had been maybe some other games in the second half of the season why is that what does it allow the linebackers to do when you don't have that responsibility what what made that a successful approach on Wednesday yeah i think uh when you got as talented as guys we do the front with those four guys up front i mean a four-man pressure is feeling like a six-man pressure to the quarterback so you're able to drop out and be able to drop everyone else in the coverage so it makes a lot easier on our defense when the the defense align is just taking over like that i mean it's it's tough for an offense to do anything we got four four-man four-man rush feel like a zero coming at you and then you got everyone dropping into coverage just kind of just shout over the field so i mean it's definitely makes the defense lie easier for everyone else when the defense line's playing like that jim knows it talked about this a little with having so many veteran players that you could make different game plans you don't have to just be you know pigeon hold into one thing we kept a week it does it feel when you get in there and you guys start game planning like they are very different for every opponent for you guys

2:20:13at this point i don't know if i would say that i think they they keep it simple enough where guys aren't like confused what we're doing i mean might like look like that like the quarterback like we might be giving different looks and things like that but i don't think it's over complicated at all but i mean that might just be because we got a veteran deep into as well so it could be a little bit biased but that's kind of the way it feels isn't feel overly complicated like that i will go to uh Joey Kaufman Columbus this back so how do you think it's helped you guys to put Caleb down drop down more into the box later late in the season i've been doing that seems like more how does it help you guys yeah i mean i think both our safeties have done a really good job you know dropping down in the box again i would come down fast and run run support i mean i think when you see guys coming from 12 yards and they're making tackles for two yards games it's all that's pretty impressive i mean you saw lathe and last game come from the weak side boundary hash about 10 12 yards you come down hit the dude at two yards and then home was knock him out so i mean both our safeties are they're super impressive in the run game so

2:21:17it definitely makes it the health of the defense you know usually you're dropping the safety in usually those four yard runs five yard runs and where they're stopping for two yard runs no yard runs so it's super impressive and it helps the defense out a lot we'll go to Jeremy Birmingham the podcast so how much does the defense structure really changed since the Oregon game and in Eugene or his or some more of the lost time but you guys just being more better and knowing the defense better where as there have been fundamental changes that have been made because it looks a lot different yeah i mean i think there's been some changes but i think a lot of it's been a mentality of trying to be more aggressive that we're just trying to it's having an aggressive mindset i think you've seen that when it shows up on tape with the pressures the tfls and things like that and i think we've gotten a lot better since like since the beginning of the year and we've kind of improved on the issues that've shown up each week because the issues are always there and i think we've improved on those really well and then obviously

2:22:19look like a completely different team now. You got a different aggressiveness from the coaching staff since then not just coach and old individual position coaches like coach or nice but even from right day like it's has he been a different type of leader? I think he's been a great leader the whole year um i think after that team on norf loss we kind of hunkered down and say like hey we're gonna we're gonna get up we're gonna start swinging and we're gonna keep swinging as hard as we can and see what happens at the end of the game and i think that's what we've been doing the past two games and it's worked out pretty well. Next to uh make Walker Letterman Row. Sony you mentioned a great kind in earlier what stands out to you about Gunner Hellman how do you kind of take out a guy that's such a focal point for all? I think he runs great routes he got's a good he has good hands I think they set up some really nice plays for him like you see some of those plays where he kind of sneaks out of the protection and comes out comes out wide open um i think the biggest in that stands I was probably the routes in the hands it's he's super impressive for a tight end um you know obviously

2:23:21always be aware where he's out on the field and there's gonna be gonna be some explosive play set up for him any other questions here? Yeah absolutely yeah uh uh letterman row i'm sorry good man eruption Jerry uh when you were in a nutshell how would you describe him to someone because he he seems even more effective when he kind of gets out of the pocket or moves around and stuff so what do you see when you think of him? um I would say the capability of like uh early on the game now him getting his routine like some of those routine throws routine throws they run the ball then it's play action shot 50 yards not feel it's like that I think he's a super good job good job with that um be that with a cell to play action pull the safety's up and then hit you down fill with the 60 yard bombs and like that so I think that's the biggest thing that stands out to me on film he's a super super talented quarterback super talented arm talent um he can get the ball on many different ways but uh yes probably how I put it in the show it's just super talented player you know

2:24:22you can make any throw on the field um like you said he can move around a little bit I don't think people respect that enough of his legs he can move around and extend the plays it hurts you down feel they really are the guy used to being this building at least for four or five months um I wasn't really here with them but I don't think it's really odd you play we played some former players before but uh obviously he's a talented player I think a lot of guys have a lot of respect for him so it's just going to be a good match I'm excited for it we'll go to Bill Rebellion Columbus this batch Adam the win we'll talk to you next I'll ask you know um I'm sure the last thing you're on your line and we talk about do you have any idea what you can do about next year I mean you obviously can go to the NFL do you have any thoughts on that right now I haven't thought about it all just worry about what it is Goddie that's it from Columbus for sunny styles anymore on your end no more on our end thank you sunny thank you okay and then we went into to the last game and still didn't quite know

2:25:23what the ramifications were everything that was going on based on who we had up front and you know there was a lot of things that played into that game but um certainly one of them was we called this game more aggressively there's no question about that but also I think we did some things in this game that maximize what we have in terms of our strengths and minimize our deficiencies not that everything was perfect in this game it wasn't but I do think that and I also thought Will was excellent in this game played really well you know did a really good job of placing the ball and some big time throws when he needed to to make plays with his legs he did and certainly Jeremiah you know was dying to mind again but Will was the leader and but we also had balance in this game you know it wasn't like it was just throwing it all over the place you know we did we did have balance we had some good runs and those those hit for us which makes a big difference when you have that run run past balance that we're looking for so you know this has got to continue that it's got to build momentum you know going into this next game over to the right Dylan Davis

2:26:26Delaware Gazette right you don't you don't know the first half but then you look up up the scoreboard head did a half time in your life would you feel like maybe you let them off the hook a little bit more was that conversation like a half time knowing that you did dominate that half I'll be you know yeah that's why we knew coming out in the second half we had to we had to win the next four to five minutes and we did and that that really helped because you're right you know you can feel that way a little bit but I say it all my all time coming in half time you're they're gonna be up the honor it's gonna be tied and so now we have to go win the next five minutes of the game four minutes of the game and you know they deferred so they got the ball so we had to get that stop we did and then we went down the score and that made a huge difference but but yeah you know I tell the guys all the time that you know you're in games like this you got to have poise because there's ups and downs and you can't get caught up in that but yeah I mean there was a point there we're going we have a chance to go up to 28 nothing and we're through the interception great play and I like the call I like how aggressively we're because that's that's part of it when you're gonna call the game aggressively something like this happens you know you have to do one to work

2:27:27you know live with it but but yeah I mean you have chances score right there and go 20 and nothing and the games you know pretty much in hand at that point but they they fought their way back in but they're a good team I mean this is a very good SEC team that came up here and so we knew it wasn't an abysm camera Tee Robinson the athletic right I know obviously the confidence for this group comes from the work you put in on a day the basis but when you sit you sit for weeks and you just obviously just want to get in the game how important is it for you to have that first drive the way you guys did that to build confidence for the putter at that game and just the execution we've talked about that the last few weeks and some of the press golfers who've been in that I know you know you you've heard us harp on execution execution execution because there's a lot of things coming out of that last game that you know we just look back on them like we just didn't execute very well we didn't we know and certainly there are there are things that we needed to do better in terms of scheme but we also you know didn't execute I thought we've you know for the most part field of the kicks better in this game I thought you know we blocked better in this game

2:28:27I thought we ran through contact better in this game and certainly we threw a cop better in this game that that made a huge difference in it but you're right there was there was a confidence coming out of that that first quarter because you know we're playing with a lot of energy but even coming out of warm-ups you can feel it you know there was these these guys wanted to play in this game and there was there was a confidence they got built through practice and I thought we had a good game playing going in I think the guys believed in it and that went a long way to get that first drive folks I'm going to bring have Jack Sawyer and Cody Simon go to the back two tables there to start their interviews then we're going to go ahead and continue with Coach Day Bill Rebenwez Columbus dispatch thank you gentlemen either one of the back two tables how you got through it and just how important this was because this was a season defining win to this point what did you do to make sure that you guys were ready because that was out the event standing off well the the first week was an identification of

2:29:33the issues you don't just move on from the game you have to identify what the issues are and have real conversations with the players allow them to the speak because they're vested in this and then you know coaches have have their their two cents and and you know you give it about a week and then you put a plan together and how we're going to move forward how we're going to get these things fixed and then you figure out who your opponent is we found out it was Tennessee and that's where the two weeks of work went and they got about Wednesday of this week you could tell these guys just want to get on the field and they had been along lead up for us you know weeks and it does you know to say it doesn't weigh on it does you know a lot of pride who we are and these guys have a lot of pride and you know these guys they love each other and they're a great representation of Ohio State and you know I'm glad that they were able to you know for that last game for those seniors to finish with the win but they are not satisfied at all I mean they they quickly are going to get their focus on Oregon which is going to be a rematch for us which is exciting and going into a great

2:30:38opportunity to go play in the Rose Bowl again and so yeah I think it says a lot about who our guys are that we're able to respond like that then a big way Dan Hope Levin warriors Ryan you talk a lot about leave no doubt how important was it for you guys in terms of building momentum to not just win tonight but teams no doubt that's it you know and even there were a couple points in the game where you know there's some couple calls and you know different things where you know in the past when you have one of these games it comes down to the last play you can look to those as game altering plays but when you leave no doubt you know nobody will talk about those plays because we did and there was a few opportunities in this game to do that very thing for a downstop you know there was again that those drives right there in the third quarter that I felt like allowed us an opportunity to pull away when the defense was getting stops. Over to the right Stephen means Cleveland dot com. Ryan you tell us during the week that we could see a rotation on the interior of your offensive line

2:31:39there you just talk about the job Luke Montgomery did but then also Austin's playing essentially two different positions in one game just evaluate the job he did going back and forth depending on who was in the game. When you when you don't notice the guards they're doing pretty well I noticed Luke's energy toughness and edge I got to watch the film and see how we did but we blocked them much better in this game and they have a good front. I thought we got some of the gap schemes going some good double teams it wasn't all perfect by any means but it will have to continue to diversify going into next game but I thought we at least you know focused on the things that these guys could do well and now we got to build on it and and they played with confidence they played with energy you can see after you know we scored a couple of touchdowns I mean they were they were jacked up and coming off the field with good energy and the leaders of that group certainly is Donovan Jackson Josh Friar and great to see Carson play well look like anyways from my point of view watching the game on tablet that he played well so

2:32:40you know that allows us to have balance and as you know that's a huge part of it. Yeah we'll have to look at it and see but it seems healthy to me to get those guys you know involved in the game. We're gonna go just a couple more questions for coach over to the left pat Murphy 24-7 sports. Brian this week the defense talked about you know they had to win the game they felt confident doing that obviously you're often played the way it does so they don't have that much on their shoulders but other than a couple of drives they they hold hold the port down their performance and just what they can build on from this. Well they're they're playing with confidence and coming off the last game I think they felt like you know we have to go win the game but when the offense is playing to their potential like they were today then now it's complimentary and you can end up with a game like we did tonight so you just never know it could be like the Oregon game it could be like you know the the last game of the season you know you just never know how those games are going to shake out and we have to do whatever we can to win we've talked about that before just win the game

2:33:45so we got to win three more over to the right here Spencer Holbrook Letterman Roe. Ryan with Will that first touchdown throw just seemed like it was just so on point yeah he looked to be just kind of dealing tonight what did you see anything different from him the last couple just because like down field he looked better he just looked more concise almost at every time. Yeah I thought his footwork was good I thought that we you know we worked hard on some of those throws and he he had a few of those right on the money yeah the fade ball in the goal ball were really well done I thought the levels ball to carnell was really really well thrown ball probably missing a few others but yeah he was he was accurate today and you know a big thing for Will is his footwork when his foot works on point and when he's seeing things well you know he's as good as anybody in the country. Folks we just sent Donovan Jackson to the back of the room as well and this will be the last question for coach day Scott Darkerman the athletic. Yeah Ryan I wanted to ask you just kind of a big picture about the big 10 and what kind of this

2:34:48the season maybe looks like when you have three teams advancing to the quarter finals and from a big picture perspective what was this first year like playing in the big 10 and how good are these teams that are in the tournament. Well I think you know the big 10 has great football I think that you know we play nine conference games so we beat each other up sometimes but when you have an opportunity like this against a very good SEC team you know we we know how important that is for the conference and you know great to see some of the other teams in the league representing well because it is a great conference and a very difficult conference coach thank you very much we're going to open up. I guess more just like confident than like set you feel like I can lead to this year than you have nine eighths. Nine eighths are my first year and my second year to now right now my guy I know I can play and I know I can go to one of the best especially with Max anybody else that we want to play this year and I know what to do so all

2:35:53guy doing that is actually me my potential and I should do it and help everybody else out on the team as well. You've practiced a lot against Malcolm and he's really coming to his own. What is it about Malcolm that's helped him make that next step there? Malcolm he's quiet he doesn't really say too much he comes in to work every day who he does and he works hard he doesn't like twice at anything yet he get mad over a cold rest felt so the same time they're like he hasn't been tired of at all like he he don't really care what you're talking or anybody else they ain't sure of so it's like all right just keep going that's how everybody is on the team. How about Ty Reed two together same mindset? He does have the same mindset. Look at you guys are reimagining the offensive line with you out there right side arm there next to you on that side too and then drafting guys on the line. How exciting is that

2:36:56to be part of something that's kind of being you know having that trust but also being reinvented a little bit. I was very you know but me and doing those like they go and keep placing us on words but all the same time we got to keep going you know we can't just really think about what they did all we got to do is think about what we can't really do it we better and work the same so we'll start doing a lot of the left side of this and we'll talk about the right a little bit more how well do you guys work together? We've worked pretty well you know yesterday for us we had like a a little rookie moment a little bit but you know as big great friends you know I dream like my brother and I always will you know we talk every day about how can you do better how can we help each other out on the right side so we can make a connection. You guys play like part of the game do you think of that? What do you think about the other field playing like the Wednesday Christmas home? I just think of the challenge okay like we got

2:38:01all these attributes they got all these things but can they get past me though can they beat me though so every day just working on that just getting better and better. Have you ever used in all the strong race-jipping college wrestlers? Yeah that's my dog you know we came in together and just like talking to each other about the process especially when my coach fry left and I was like you know we're gonna build you with me and then we just suck through it and then me and him now I just talked to him every day that's my bully and working on different things because he's at the left I'm at the right scene things with different point of view so it's me great. How's the transition going for you? I was going to be amazing I feel every day get better and better going against the best every day so you have to be on your A-K and going to get to do like C-J that's my cool way just getting better and better and transition just not an hour half away from home so this has been pretty good. You started four games last period and so does those what are you kind of thinking of? You know remember those games? What did you think you learned? I think like for my role

2:39:05I think I did just enough. Like as a person I am now if I was a person I feel like I would have done lay better but just going into that role helping that's helping Minnesota do what we got to do and I feel like I did just enough but there's always I could always do what's always been pretty good. Where did you see this? Pass pro and my first steps working on those scenes I had the lift and the power I just I was all over the place and just every I feel like every game I was understanding on how the game worked and how to attack how to be passive about how to work together as an online unit not to be by myself. You mentioned the first step what was what about that first step? Really just make sure I feel powerful out of my stance that was the one big thing I had to work on especially about my last school working on my stance from making sure I can push off and like gain ground and I felt like sometimes I wasn't doing that. Even mentioning that

2:40:08he had to lose 30 pounds and he got here. Did you have to change from your body at all? Definitely. I was three 20 coming in and I've played at three 20 I feel great and then they told me they wanted me to go down to three 15 and I was like nah I want to do that. I got three 15. I started running. They started putting me on the meal plan they started doing all this. I'm like oh what do I see the vision? I definitely chose for my body. My arm is definitely getting bigger. The weight room is going to be amazing. I'm growing every day. It's hard every day but I love it though. I'm getting worked after practice. I have to do weight room. I'm cooked but I can see the results and see the games. What is it like you leave a place you know you're probably breaking some people's hearts back there. Describe what it's like to make a move like this. You know what I mean? Basically the midst of a college career. What were you seeking more than anything else? It was definitely a big move. What was I seeking? Just development with knowing I can I

2:41:16wanted to go and get some of the best dudes every day and coming here I'll be able to do that. Just a training program in the culture here and it's summer Minnesota so it was definitely like an easy merge. You had said you were going to have a lot of high-stay being an option when the hotel houses quickly the sort of emerge. What do you remember about just the most ever group? I remember coach Fry calling me when I hit the portal. He was one of the one couple first people to hit me up. I was going to go home anyways because I was going to go to my mom house was I fasted. When I hit the portal make sure I made the right decision and I was going to go home with my family and just talk about it and my cousin and I never like you're already an hour and a half away so you might as well just see what's up up there they went they show an interest and I was like you know it might as well. You mentioned the transition from Fry to Tyler Bowen just what's it been like playing with Boat's Bowen so far? I don't really know too much about coach Fry you know just a little bit but what I was in here I definitely saw like

2:42:19dudes that we developed like I can see it on tape not necessarily like really see that practice but with coach Bowen on every day just improving and he's just always telling me things that little things I don't even notice that I'm I need to work on especially with coach Johnson and coach Dickey having no story in the room is probably the best thing ever for me. Last year helped a lot you know just being in Nose of Scheme was pretty complex and understanding both and playing both has really helped me so yeah I'm just trying to do whatever I can to learn both and just fit wherever I'm needed. The map of Trisha has talked a lot about already how he likes to do guys around and adjust things to the strength of his players can you spell on that a little bit? Yeah man I mean we just we've got a lot of players that can do a lot of things and you know you got to the most versatile linebackers and you got CJ too so we I mean you've got Sunny who's probably the best you know past defending linebacker I know and then you got Arvel who's elite off of the edge and can do literally everything on the field and then

2:43:24I feel like I'm pretty good in the box and we all got our our strengths and we're just trying to make each other better and so I think you know whatever happens happens and we've got guys who are able to play anything. It's been like two weeks but what are your thoughts on Trisha? Man I really like coach Patricia a lot he's a he's a big you know it's what can he do for you not what can you do for him and he's rola you know he's just trying to serve and help and I've learned so much football and this past two weeks more than I've you know learned in my whole lifetime so it's been it's been it's been great having him and he's a he's a good coach and he teaches and he's talking to me on the mic telling me what I what I see and stuff and it's just I feel like I'm getting a lot smarter and processing things a lot faster. That's a difference for you coming out of you know last year with the injury and everything what it hasn't been like to take defeat under you and kind of get over the building. I mean it feels good I was kind of just throwing right into it and fall camp and I thought I did a pretty well job you know just kind

2:44:25of getting thrown into the fire but you know now after coming back this year and um just things things click a lot a lot easier and this and I feel like this defense is everyone's clicking and I'm just I'm really studying as much as I can I mean I just live up here all day and you know it's great having sunny and then just even like a guy like Cody last year um just the level preparation he had every single day was unlike I've ever seen anyone he knew what everybody was doing every single play and so that's what I'm just trying to have trust in the coaches that I can I know what's going on at all times so I can go in there and do my job. What feels different about this defense? I think he's just he's big into playing the player's strengths like if I'm better at this he's going to put me in this position and if I'm better at this he's going to put me more in this position and just slow down to that I mean we haven't really done much it's only been two weeks but guys

2:45:26are playing to their strengths and just getting better I mean that's just and we're doing a lot of fundamental stuff not too much scheme just you know working on tackling getting off blocks being available and talented stuff like that. You know there's two coach Laura Minus over years time change a little bit and it's teaching you wherever you are calling those actual yeah absolutely I mean I would say right now he's the best linebacker coach in the country I mean he knows everything about it especially um you know with Patricia being in the NFL um he's he's definitely you know he knows it all and stuff so he's uh he's done good man I it was kind of hard for him I I think it was a little hard you know because he was kind of just thrown in like I was just thrown in the mix um he was trying to give me as many reps as I could get in fall camp and I'm really grateful for that I mean it was hard for me like you know when fall camp kind of ended um my reps really you know cut down but he did a good job of you know keeping me with the defense um and watching all the plays and stuff

2:46:28and just talking me through everything and you know we built a great relationship and I couldn't be our best goal to have him as my coach how would you think you had the last question if we had thrown in the fire like that were there any moments great thoughts here so like I'm not ready for this is it just feel pretty good I felt pretty good I mean I uh like I said wrestling you kind of get forged in fire and so things just a little bit bad I think the really the hard part for me it was just um you know just consistently waking up every day and doing it the mental side of it especially I mean you just don't know a lot of stuff I mean you had never done it before but I wouldn't say the physical stuff was hard I mean I mean obviously it was hard but you know growing up wrestling and you know having older brother beat up on you a little bit it wouldn't you wouldn't you back did you see it it seemed like you picked up more special teams responsibilities especially in the playoff it's like your snap counts at least for hire for you doing more by that one the season yeah 100% I mean I was kind of on all four phases just trying

2:47:30to do my job and just show I'm accountable every week and just I mean you know guys will go down and stuff and step and up and you know being on kickoff and kick return and get some power turn reps and even some punt reps and as you know I was really grateful to have those you know just being even just being in the games and the playoff games you know seeing the stadium being on the field and having a responsibility um it made a lot that they they were willing to put me out there and they trusted me enough to do my job. Thank you very much thank you very much. Thank you. I was really just watching it because I mean we played me very well just from this past year on it's an heartbreaking build build from like 62 yards so like I was watching the game it's more of a span but yeah I mean it the things that Coach Day does in the offense and I thought the Ryan does I feel like really fit my my type of player you know where I was

2:48:34coming from in case day it was a very long heavy offense especially for everyone heavy which I was very happy to do and I'm excited here to where I feel like it's more of a you know where I can be that pocket passer and also use my legs when I need to but you know I feel like my strength but I also feel like I can do really good things to do like obviously being in quarterback you need to make those players. How much do you think that has your own oh it had a huge huge impact on um you know I I love my guys at case date and I have nothing bad to say about that man but I mean the talent here is just being it being around the guys and the thing that's impressed me the most about especially the receiver room is how it's driven

2:49:35and how much they want to work I don't have to go out there and beg these guys to go catch and they're already out here catching on the jugs when I come out the bro you know it's like they're incredibly hardworking just all across the room we got to use like carnell and and brand-in on us and obviously a mecca and all those guys like I mean that's just the that's just the the ice period like there's so much talent in that room and being able to throw to guys like that makes my job a lot easier. First of all he's a dude man I haven't gotten to talk to him that much yet you know just because we've been in different groups lifting and stuff but man he's a specimen I mean that dude is a freak show when he comes to physical I mean he is I'm excited to see what is that? I feel like the resounding thing that I heard from from these NFL guys and from

2:50:37people around the league was need to play more and we need to see more high level play and I feel like you know I played a lot of football in my time at K-State but you know I only had one year where I was really the true starter and where I played you know the whole year the most part I was a backup filling in and I felt like you know there's a bunch of statistics and things that they look at you know I was on the very lowest end of like you know the amount of yards that you're supposed to throw for you know you look at the success stories versus the failure stories and there was just so many signs were pointing to coming back and really in my heart and that was at the end of the day I mean it was up to me it was my gut and I felt like I just wasn't ready to leave college yet

2:51:39absolutely and I mean the biggest thing was I felt like I could come compete here the one in national championships and that above anything else was one of the most important thing I felt like I just had more I wanted to do college and I wasn't done yet and that was I think what really drew me here obviously you know getting to the next level and you know playing in an offense like this I think it's really gonna prepare me for that next level and give me the best shot and that's all I just really shoulder on the cake you know for me yeah I mean we definitely talked about it you know it's we're all we're all here to compete and we're all here to you know hope the buck guys went that's all we're here for and that was you know that was made evident when I you know when I came on my visit and you know the thing that

2:52:40I'm the most fired up about is how good the dudes in the room are and how good they've been to me you know I they could have you know believe me I've been in a situation where we brought in an older trans to get and you know they could have been you know mad and not taught me and not helped me out but I mean Devon and Lincoln the guys that have been around they've they've really helped us a lot especially us three new guys and you know I know I'm older and I've done things but still just learning a new system learning you know how we do think we're waiting how we you know go about our business just everything's a little different so I'm so thankful for those guys that they've just I mean they've helped me so much just getting getting accustomed to you know being in them being in this building really good dudes really good kids and really talented too I mean they can they can both spin the ball really well you know they're they're young and they you know they know they got a lot to learn and so do I you know I'm right there you know I think we're we're all

2:53:44trying to learn this together even you know coach over I know a little bit and and we're we're hitting the ground running but you know it's exciting those two guys there are special especially you know it's hard to say I would probably say the draft would have been my you know I was I was talking to some other schools you know Miami and USC were in there in the mix but it was really I would say here in the draft at the end of it you know it there was a lot of different things when I do it it was a long hard process but yeah I would say I mean that was probably most like I mean nothing nothing crazy you know it was just yeah I appreciate it uh yeah I there you go a little sidetrack but uh no I what was the

2:55:00question again I'm sorry spider controversy what's up yeah yeah no it was I mean it wasn't really anything crazy I would say um you know I just you know nothing really changed it was really kind of you know they they were kind of holding me off a little bit just till after that game just in fairness you know I I was I was patient and waiting my time and you know it all it all worked out it comes to you know you just kind of make it hard to tell I don't really know it was a whirlwind of a process you know I I started hearing initially they might be interested but I hadn't really heard anything directly and then you know really getting in like I really started to feel that interest in you know a little bit yeah I

2:56:04kind of figured that I didn't know for sure but he kind of hinted at it and you know he his point was you know it's it's in the best interest in him and the team and I was all in you know I completely understood you know the decision and why he did it yeah I mean there were a lot of a lot of things that were said you know a lot of a lot of things that you know were attractive to me about this offense and about what he kind of thought about my name and how he thought he could you know elevate me to where I want it where I want it to be and you know I feel like one of the biggest things was how close dial the offense is and you know a lot of these other schools that I was looking at you know maybe these air raid schools you know they got great offenses and you know I could put up a lot of numbers but I don't know how much that was developed and playing in a system

2:57:05that coach over I much better can you prepare for the NFL then with somebody who's coach at a head coach level and then the coordinator level at the NFL you know it's there's just all the things pointed to you know when it comes to you be understanding a new twist or why he called it how we did and it's been great for the Titans I'll leave it at that not to get too much in the scheme but we've definitely benefited and me personally

2:58:09learning every day yeah I think you know awesome that's a great question I hope not right I think I think the energy was still there with a guy like Kate now again it might have been like I said earlier also it might have been you know the the 3000 level course with with Kate because he's ran that play for four years before I got him right now it still might be the what do I got to do and yeah I mean I hope the guys feel that the energy's picked up because the urgency has I mean eight number eight's not in the room anymore great we're gonna play somebody in a couple months right and there's got to be a tie-down out there hopefully it's two hopefully three tie-downs out there so hopefully they feel the urgency's picked up behind that's

2:59:19yeah I don't know I'm not gonna put it all on you right but again the leaders drive the culture now whether it be G or whether it be Pat who's been here for a long time and played a lot of football or whether it be Will came in and say no this is what it should look like I mean I want those guys are taking a run with it you know on Saturdays I'm in the box I'm not I'm not I'm not cutting off the scene guys it's got to come from them now again my job is it coaches to make them hear things they don't want to hear pushing to do things they don't want to do so I'm certainly to do that at times and I'll keep doing it but they've done a great job of driving the culture. Keenan you were in the room with Kevin was in the offensive meeting room for so many years this this haven't chip kind of gets you guys back to where you guys were with Kevin I know that the room as an offensive staff you guys were kind of young last year and now to have chip with that experience is that kind of like what you guys have with Kevin you know some similarities and I think the comparison is that we're talking about Kevin Wilson chip Kelly or two of the brightest you know mines and offensive football in the last several decades so I think there's some similarities there but yeah I think it's a loud one coach day maybe to delegate you know to

3:00:20coach Kelly and let him be the best version of himself and coach Kelly's been and an awesome leader right of driving us and listening and I'm on providing input so it's been great I don't know if it's exactly like it was with coach Wilson but it feels great however it is right now Keenan was there initially a bigger role expected for Jolani in the cotton bowl and that not get to come to fruition as much as the way that game played out you know I don't I don't remember exactly what you know the expectation was he was going to help contribute and certainly we wanted him to contribute from the jump and keep him in there contributing the game kind of started off you know not ideal and we had Kate in there and you know that was his last game as a buck guy so we felt comfortable riding out with him but I think Jolani and everyone else is kind of focused going forward let's see did you guys see him going to ride during the bowl prep that was a step forward at all yeah oh yeah yeah he's definitely takes that forward for sure but you are painting an ideal situation football what does the depth look like it turns out how many guys you

3:01:24trust I think I got six seats in there so six of the toughest dudes on the team I'm not sure I'm just giving you the coach speak but I mean however it shakes out hopefully we could play 13 personal 14 personnel and I got guys out there that are going to go a recent habit but I don't know they're they're going to make that sort of out right now I'm worried about whatever Thursday's practice the toughest dudes on the field are you seeing enough of that just feel comfortable saying that that can happen by yeah yeah I mean we're taking strides we'll see about the end of spring and then hopefully fall camp it's a it's a long ways away from wherever we play we go uh the action great has been great uh a pump return kick return and again the coach other positions too right I mean I mean special teams comes down to a technique and effort right and that's the ultimate test of the brotherhood and no one no one signed up to be a buck out of being a pump return they'd want to be first round this first round that so it's been awesome getting involved in that what do you think? oh yeah yeah we're working quite a few guys back there we we got some options so

3:02:35I mean he had more time right just because we have that whole month of kind of December for development and you know the bull press a lot like spring ball and that he has those three or four weeks you know to get the reps he wasn't getting during the year because Kade was taking the I think good I think it just shows that you know next man in we trust you fully Kade couldn't go no one bad at the night it was G then it was Pat period we call their offense there's no modified offense or anything like that so to put our trust in him he went out and made a lot of plays and both of this gets played really well I think that helps the confidence for him and awesome I'm really good when you look at when you look at G now do you this be a prestigious question maybe but do you see a tight end now you're still when I'm saying from a couple years ago I'm years ago he was you know he moved over from wide receiver and all this kind of stuff what just jumped out at you about what he brings to the tight end spot I guess yeah I know what you're asking too I promise

3:03:37I never like he's in the tight end where I didn't say oh but he's a receiver playing tight end he's a tight end yeah he's a tight end so he's going to be greater like a tight end and treat it like it so I never really but like Kevin talked about when they you know first made the move you want to you want to get this guy some confidence playing tight end meaning I'm not gonna say it's lesser opponents but having some success out there you know like in the run game the blocking aspect of things and stuff and he seems to progress big time from that I mean do you feel that way too oh yeah oh yeah he's gotten way better and again I practice he's on the left side he's against JT if he's on the right side he's against Shaq so I mean there's no this is Ohio State you're playing against the best every day so yeah he's definitely progressed yeah I think so Dan as you know as far as ownership goes right like I mean I'm not saying I wasn't invested last year but shoot I'm pumped return to kicker journey I mean that's that's Coach Hartland and I's product out there and if there's not tight ends all over those units and they're not going to play tight end in Ohio State

3:04:38and I bet you Hartland feels the same way about the receiver so as far as the buy-in from the staff heck yeah heck yeah for me at least speaking for myself when could when coach they broke that up what did you think about that change and number two what is he told you he wants that he wasn't getting from special team to year ago no he never he never told me anything about last year it was all about okay how can we be this is again Ohio State yeah whatever the janitorial staff supposed to be the best in the country the tight end coach better be the best dynamic in the country same thing with quarterback same thing with pump return coach on the pump return coach I should be the best one in the country so I got to work with coach Hartline and coach keys and everyone else learning this game and techniques and now we got to put on the fields could you you find yourself studying hunt returns like NFL teams things like that I mean how are you how are you doing your prep work oh yeah yeah yeah coach hard coach keys thanks gunner not I mean we lot ourselves in a room for a week there and I don't think I did any offense no yeah there's no starting from scratch day I mean it's it's all ball and that's the that's the coolest thing about

3:05:38special teams is if you're on special teams it's gonna make you better tied in as you're being a better DB you're running back and it's like the technique and everything like that I think I had pretty pretty fair foundation and then maybe some tweaks and you know kind of we have to decide what our identity is going this season yeah I think I think he proved it on special teams because he played on special teams before we played offense and then just just reps up practice again against blocking the best linebackers in the country it doesn't matter if you're a five star or if you're a walk on but to that point I think sometimes there's a mentality of oh but he's just a walk on that does not exist with Pat it's went out the window to start he's once you start a plan is that how do you hear about how guys like here's a guy almost 1130 oh yeah oh yeah they know I think everyone in my room knows and you know guys I talked to on

3:06:40the recruiting trail Kate went down and there was G and then Pat was writing I didn't bad and I I'm gonna put the toughest dude out there who goes to hardest right I don't I don't care if you're from Ohio your dad's a buck guy if you're a walk on her five star whatever should help us when you know yeah yeah yeah we can I mean with Max and Toe it's face times and it's encourage you gonna get here and watch practice so that when they get here right at your graduation we could hit the ground running but yeah as much prep work as we could do on the front end with you know setting them tipsheets and that's what a thing with technology nowadays I mean COVID we had to do it so yeah we could get to work right now two more questions folks the with the special teams question the collaboration that you guys have it's three people in one room like how does that work semantically where you guys are all putting your heads together to get one idea just how does that play out in the room together yeah I mean luckily I mean it's coach Hart and I and I mean that guy we worked every we see each other every day for the last eight years and luckily I worked four years with them so that's so organic Hart and I just kind of bounce each other thoughts off each

3:07:43other we can read each other's minds by now I think that's how close we are so this really organic in there and then coach keys does a great job of kind of setting the direction given us some expertise and we just kind of have a flow off each other I've seen the guys react to that so you're coaching that's how you're paying for it yeah I think I think they like it because like the accountability again if if my tight ends aren't on point return to kicker dream they're not playing tight end and then know that so I think across the board it gives us a platform to coach other positions she didn't in a time when print transport is so big and the guy like jeep probably gonna left multiple times that you wanted to what does that do for the room to have a guy who's a leader have just so step-ass and like I want to stay here I want to stay here and make an impact just he goes yeah I think it speaks volumes you hit the nail in the head not just for G but for the brotherhood I know it sounds cliche and people read it on twitter and kind of roll the rise of brotherhood it's what do you think the entire defense came back for the brotherhood we got two goals here we haven't done them since she's been here he hasn't hit his two goals so he stayed for the brotherhood so I

3:08:43think it speaks volumes for G as a leader in the room but also I mean you look around a roster how many guys could have either left for other opportunities in the portal or in the NFL so I think it speaks volumes to the brotherhood is it is it different at tight end with the transfer portal maybe because for some positions it's such a development position at tight end where you have to develop run blocking and you have to learn the passing game like is it different trying to keep kids around maybe in the portal area at tight end yeah maybe it is and I haven't I really thought about that because it's still so new I think you got to be so honest in recruiting right if you think I'm gonna walk into a living room and say come be my starting tight end actually you're crazy you're now come prepared and get to work before you get here and you know I'm gonna give you the opportunity to again I do a question earlier I don't care if it's a senior or true freshman if you could play you could play period I can't wait you give me a true freshman you could play tight end this is Ohio State you get a block Jack and JT and then your dog tired next play you're getting covered by downs and late then and all those guys you kidding me is this NFL no it's Ohio State

3:09:44right so yeah I think it's a little bit different but you got to be honest on the front end can't thank you very much also thanks guys thank you thanks coach thank you you know the games are done so I think that you know I definitely probably was in the back of my mind you know knew I was gonna come back regardless so like I said you know just sort of been tough for me to leave this year and with the opportunity we got you know you only got one more chance left to you know to go do something that not many people get to do you know I don't know why so we're in a blessed position and I just think that I was putting good positions just kind of let you know let loose we're not there in played ball like I know how to and you know my teammates played great too and coaches called it the game defensively I mean you know did we give a 14 total points or a 17 14 14 I mean fortunate to get to get off and it's like that great team I mean that's a good day so obviously

3:10:47we didn't get the results we wanted which is frustrating again but it's a whole different story but yeah I mean I just think it was it was collectively a good day on defense and I happen to be fortunate the being positioned makes me a good place yeah I know I think I felt like I was in a group probably the whole second half of the season I felt like myself again and I was just out there playing and having fun with my teammates and you know I think that you know when you come here and you expect to hit the field it to be a certain way you know it's hard to get over that for a little bit and I think you can look at kind of this all of us on the D line as a front we all kind of had our own journey into how we how we're playing right now and now it's all about building I'm looking back and playing how we know how to play and and being confident out there and and using our abilities that God's gave us so I think that this

3:11:47whole next year you know just gonna see a whole different level of play from all of us yeah yeah you know I've knew all along what I was capable of and I know it's frustrating the first few years you know not being able to you know not playing for whatever reason on the field to what I was capable of but you know once you just put that that stuff to the side just got there and play ball you know how it's just gonna take care of it so you're good yeah you know I think you said it you know with we there's no telling issues here on this team I think if you look at our team across the board probably one of those talent teams in the country if not the most talented team in the country and so you know that's God given though and uh

3:12:49what we can work on is our discipline our skill our technique I think we've become the most you know disciplined and and sound team technique wise there's not going to be a team of countries stopping so uh but it's you know it's a long process to get to that point and to get to that season so I just think that when Coach Day talks about that you know it's true uh we've got the talent just gotta go out there and work every day and the little things you guys what are you specifically working on this spring you know I'm working on uh flexibility you know you're working on bending the bend in the corner a little bit in uh hands and it's at that D line you can kind of improve on everything and so Coach Johnson's is our emphasis is just you know just taking care of the little things hands hips uh foot placement so it's kind of a little bit everything in the spring there's a lot to be excited for especially all the guys coming back on defense but how excited are you to play again with JT? Oh I'm really excited about that you know it was cool really cool I mean him going back and forth the whole time deciding whether we're going to come back or not uh and you know when we you know I kind of knew I knew before you guys knew when he was coming back so you know I was excited I was a you know hell of a player and

3:13:51you know a really good friend of mine so just having another year with him and you know if a moment we're gonna enjoy it and you know hopefully have some fun you know we can have a comfortable time next to all. Even going back to the first guy to come in this spring. You guys over for barbecues in your house what was it like I guess to see a kind of comfortable circle in a way that you could kind of almost leverage that relationship and improve guys to come back into the pool to run back on the magazine. Yeah you know it's it's unique you know I think it's a really unique position um that great group of guys coming back man I mean you know it's just so exciting and I just wanted to you know for me you know and at the same thing same thing for those guys how much they care about this program and care about the team and coach day and and guys you want to do it for in the city and uh you know the chance we we all knew that you know we had great opportunities going in the field and uh but we also have a great opportunity to put another one of those banners up here so and uh you know get some revenge on you know the guys up north all that stuff so um you know

3:14:55when you put in a nutshell you know it was a really simple decision for a lot of us um and uh you know we thank God for being in this position and coming back you know I don't think any of us regretted it and we're just really excited uh you know to get back on the chase and and uh you know not miss a day. Jack you take a wide view of the defense with the additions made the tale of coming in and now you see sunny move closer to the line of scrimmage. When you just when you have an opportunity like looking at what's out there how does it change the capability with your defense? Last week it's how can it change the way maybe you deploy that you couldn't do a year ago? Yeah I mean you look at our you look at the defense one of the three like damn we're big you know corner we're big lineback we're big d line we're big safe through we're big fast uh you know we're this is it's you know we're just got a lot a lot of weapons uh to say the least and so you know when you got when you know you got those guys behind you uh you know you just make place almost more free up front and and you know you you're dependent you can rely on those guys behind you and I think that you know if we take that approach and and everywhere on the field

3:15:59offense too that you know we're never really fun here. I think combo because like you know we're obviously we're doing a lot as a group it's not just chip in eye so uh but you know obviously chip has an image and a view on things that I never had so to have that experience and to have that viewpoint I'm just trying to absorb as like as much as I can but then also highlight some things that we've really done a good job of and make sure those you know nothing's really changing we're just trying to enhance we're not changing we're enhancing so where the things fit is perfect um you know I think uh you know the rest of the dynamics of search chip can talk about but it's been it's been awesome so I'm excited about it. Right right right when you talk about uh we talked to a mech at just on the moving from slot to outside you know how good you think in the sky is that it's difficult uh move for you guys as coaches to know how good a guy is one spot but know that maybe for his long term future and the

3:16:59no I wouldn't say it's anything on his future because he's capable of doing whatever you want to get done but I'd say that it says more about the room I think there's it's the growth of you know Brandon and the growth of Bryson that's really you know allowing my mind to say hey mech be prepared you're gonna move around a lot you're gonna come out of that slot you're gonna be outside we're on cream mismatches out there I mean his ability to move around is critical but I would say between mech and between carnaltates ability to move around a lot um it's gonna provide a lot of flexibility for our room and uh and those top you know six seven guys that are really doing a good job right now yeah heavy heavy emphasis on what work he needs you know versus anything else uh I rely on him we have great dialogue back and forth it's a two way to it's a two way conversation and uh frankly there's gonna be times where I hey mech what do you want to do today you want to go outside you want to go inside and I don't care so uh we're not there yet we will be there but it's

3:18:04just more about you know when the room is ready to start mixing things up I would say there's got I mean I I make sure I bring in guys that are able to do all but I have not asked them to yet so the only guys that in our room currently I've asked to do that has been mech and uh carnell and those are probably the two guys that I would you know think heavily on doing moving around a lot I'm not putting that on anybody else right now not saying they can't but at this point having two guys be able to swing you probably don't need much more than that I need guys being experts at what they're good at so it it helps the offense don't be great and everything be an expert at something and we can use that to our to our advantage the room is always different frankly I mean from 2018 and then 19 to COVID and and those guys and

3:19:11and then the depth of those guys and then where mech and Marvin and those guys were as freshmen compared you know it's just it's always different and uh I expect this one to be different again not sure at what level yet last question the TV room you know he would probably know more for that question than I would but I would say that um yeah we obviously feel of each other right I mean um there really is a team sport and we can't do without them and they can't do without us and we can't do without the quarterback we can't do without the old line so the more that can seep into other positions and we we work as a team and operate as a team and identify where a team uh the healthier we are and we when we are we think that you know already but

3:20:12I would say me and Tim uh everybody you know met on that talked about it like we talk about technique we talk about recruiting we do all that together and uh not a crazy level but definitely like you know more than I have in the past so uh I love working with OG I mean he's he's awesome he's got a great perspective and uh we definitely feel of each other in practice and then maybe while building building our rooms uh we've done the same Ryan thank you very much cool thanks guys uh uh three-take I mean the Strith wise like I was saying uh and speed uh against those guards that's that's really helps me a lot well I talked to uh Coach Jay because Jay was the main one he wasn't forcing me or nothing he's

3:21:14said if you want to move inside you can if not stay uh then you can do that as well uh but I saw that uh I could help the team out get some death right there so I chose to move inside this part here but also uh what makes what you learn from Jack and JT and Ty Lee about what it tends to be a member of in that way uh yeah Jack named my Jack JT Tileek and Ty Helms and with great leaders on and off the field they don't help me uh with just simple stuff like uh if I didn't know where to go get some they'll end they'll tell me or if they just like hanging out with a group getting closer just a lot of different small things they got brought us closer like last year that I need to start doing this year uh I haven't started yet but I'm gonna get into it

3:22:22yeah I feel like uh main thing we teach in our unit that anybody can be a leader no matter what year freshmen sophomore junior or senior or even if you're a walk-on everybody can be a leader just um yeah yeah I had a growing tour the little bit um it's very new especially playing D in my whole life uh but I had uh Tileek help me like I said uh throughout the whole process when did it really strike you that I could be a factor oh what uh what game or you know how do I say closer towards the playoffs uh meet with Tileek a lot uh I felt comfortable like okay I can actually do this because he was showing me some stress I have like see him like see you can do this and uh that really helped me get the confidence to know that I can't yeah but then you became a factor you came a factor you know yeah basically through the playoffs yes sir would it mean to you to be a factor that really uh all glory to God first of all to keep me

3:23:24uh healthy to keep doing that but uh it meant uh it meant a lot that coach Jay trusted me enough to go on in the big games like that and uh new that I would be able to produce uh definitely speed and strength those are my main two that I would say will help me in the inside of those guards definitely my main thing also uh and so I know interview some of those interviews I said the main thing was being a team player and moving the three-tag was going to help the team so I was willing to move inside for it

3:24:24uh it's very competitive uh we both we all come in trying to see where we need to get better in just to keep moving forward so it's pretty good good competition and I love them but all the way to the right place really nothing I really embraced it uh I knew that uh I need to move inside uh in order to help out the team because we have some really great dns last year Mitch Mellon uh JT Jack Kenny Curry KJ so it was pretty good ends and then moving the three-tag I could also uh ask some dev down there while uh still being able to showcase what I got going did you get that purple one? Did you get that brush and get it that purple? Did you get that green and you're ready for that next game? No they they were um all in on me just whenever I'm ready just let them know how I feel about moving in or standing outside. Patrick you just got asked to get the leader who's the three-tag now in the room with you and play as a freshman and see what it takes

3:25:26to build a freshman and what do you see from JT Jack Kenny Curry? uh JT Jack West chasing all the uh guys that came in are they they continue to work hard every day even if they don't get it the first time they'll ask us on what are doing this situation to help me out so uh the the ability to keep trying to learn from people that's played in the big stage uh that's the word really gonna keep them going you uh not really I knew once I got it Coz it was gonna trust me a lot more to keep going out there each and every time so uh I appreciate them uh like I said earlier thank you Lord and uh thank you guys thank you I've been there ready to go in the game and go execute um so now to step into a role where they're competing for the job um you know is is is is a little bit of a different deal I'm so I'm excited to see them compete for anything

3:26:28can you give your kind of impression and give each of those good guys from which you're the coach thank you and it's really good all year because they've been developing it's just his initial impression to look at that? yeah yeah um so you know start with Lincoln you know a guy that's going to his third year here and I think really like when you've been in an offense for for two years already you're going to that third year you've got a really good feel of the scheme you've got a better feel of college defenses and you know where our schemes are susceptible and what where the issues are and what we're trying to attack um and so I think you know that's something that over time I I can feel Lincoln getting a better and better feel for it um you know Lincoln has definitely stepped up from a leadership perspective and you can see the way that you know he attacks workouts and um you know this winner is so big for all three of them just really just set the standard and to understand the intangibles that playing quarterback is all about right because there's so much more than just picking up a football and throwing it when it comes to this succeeded on Saturdays um so I've seen that growth from Lincoln and that's that's really exciting um as for Julian um you know last

3:27:32year going into the year he he was competing for a job and you know end up to not winning the job and you know he could have turned it down and been bummed out and you know um not attacked at the way way but I saw him continue to go throughout the year um so I'm don't learn from well and and to get to a point this year where we're now he can step up and be more of a vocal leader um and you know that's something I've seen growth of him as well um you know he's put on some weight and he looks good and he's definitely attacked uh it's time in the you know the winner and so that's been awesome and then Tavine comes in and you know Tavine Tavine's you know really should still be in high school um instead he's you know in my office all the time uh learning the offense and when he's not with me he's with coach make and he's not with coach makeer eyes over there doing academics and sassos so um his days are pretty jam packed and it's definitely new for him um but his commitment to wanting to be great and wanting to be to the level where he can go out of the compete in the spring uh it's been really impressive um so I'm excited for all three of them.

3:28:32Does it feel like what August 30th is it just around the corner years now and I'm saying you gotta have a good way to go against Texas you know yeah yeah I don't think so um I don't think so quite yet you know it I think we have a unique situation where we've got three really talented kids um you know they're all young um they all have a lot of room to grow and I think they all understand that and are eager to attack tech growth um but yeah most college football teams or a lot of college football teams going through a year and they've ended up you know having a guy get hurt or something happens so as far as you know having one guy like that's not to go either we want to develop the room we want all three of them you know to continue to get better to continue to develop and you know big guys that we can count on you know throughout the season. Do you guys want to work? Scholarship guide? Uh that's still in conversation we'll kind of see how it goes um you know obviously three is a little bit less than we typically have um but you know the three that we're really confident right now. We've got to run into quarterbacks two important quarterbacks you work in the quarterbacks bottom. Perfect. Who's filling out your room?

3:29:33I mean you have someone that you've had in mind to come into being the assistant for you or how do you see that? Yeah right now Colin Kienos in helping me um so Colin was working with me at Akron he was a student assistant um and he was really really impressive there um so he's he's gonna come in he's gonna help out with some of the day-to-day stuff and then you know coach day and I I've built a pretty good relationship where you know between my time here is a GA where you know I learned the game of football the way he's seasoned and that was such a pivotal time in my career you know I was so blessed in college and then in my first couple you know my first job there that I got to work with Joe Morehead and you know I learned so much football from that man and I credit so much of my career to him to put me in the position but then having the opportunity to okay hey man let me see it through a little bit of a different lens and to learn how coach day season was so big for me in my development so that couple of years as a GA was awesome for me and then last year to be able to sit in with him and really kind of see the game you know in a similar fashion

3:30:34and I'm always going to continue to learn from him because he's just such a special coach but to be able to see it you know in a similar way and and continue to bounce thoughts on him to make sure that him and I are communicating in the same way you know coach day will always be directly involved with the quarterbacks and now coach Hartlein will as well you know as the offensive coordinator I think as the guy in that chair you have to have a relationship with the guy that's in the hub I think that's really important so you know him and I have already begun conversations just about you know how that's going to work out how you know he's going to continue to see the game the same way that the quarterback does and how he's going to communicate to them those those conversations are already beginning so it'll be it'll definitely be a combination of you know us three Bill Etavian being there for the championship round how about like a help with this development well it's pretty cool just about every one of those games where he was at a playoff game at the national championship you know our guys were warming up and I grabbed him I say hey look around you got to take a couple minutes and take this in right this is what it looks like this is what this is what we work for so you know when you get to a really hard day in the winter

3:31:34right you just remember not a homework to get to that point so for him to have that experience and to be able to see that and you know hopefully one day when he's in that spot he's like oh I've seen this before I know it looks like I think it's pretty cool I think just to have that bank in his memory I think it comes off so I'm smoking but he's without question you know come out of a show and I would even say he's soft spoken last year you know I think that he kind of understood that you know Will was in charge of the offense and and he knew that he was young and was still earning respect you know a big part about leadership is you can't just walk into a room it's our leading you have to earn the respect to your peers and truly understood that and you know I think he earned that respect about the year and so this year you're definitely seeing a step up him and Lincoln both you know are in that phase where they've earned that respect and so they're doing a really good job leading right now and and Tavine's doing a good job on respect so we're kind of in the middle right there between those two phases. Lincoln is I think still less than two

3:32:37years just specializing. I guess where do you think he is harnessing all of that all on full accountability to being a really good coach? Yeah I mean there's no question that Lincoln's special athlete and you know guys that have that background that have been successful in multiple different sports you know one way or another is going to translate to the game of football so I think that we're continuing to see that Lincoln you know I think as the more that he you know is in position to understand and learn the game and which we saw last year you continue to grow and so to take that into spring you know and combine that with his athletic ability I'm excited to see you know I think it'll be a really good competition. Can I go? You pull back truly lead until he is the quarterback. Oh absolutely. I mean you took one quarterback. Oh I think so. I think so. I mean leadership comes in all different phases you know in all different ways and

3:33:42there's you know there's without question I've been part of different teams and I've seen it where maybe the guy that wasn't starting quarterback was you know the strongest leader on the team. So I definitely think that that's part of it you know I think once you earn the respect of your teammates and once you show that you know you're going to lead by example and they respect you for that you're in position now that you can be vocal so you know I definitely don't think that you need to be a starter named a quarterback to be a leader at all. You've been around some incredible offensive minds in college already. What are your what are the traits you look for specifically as a quarterback being a quarterback yourself? Yeah you know I think it comes in a couple different ways you know from a tangible perspective I think that you've got to be extremely accurate. I think you have to be able to make great decisions with the football and the ball at the time and I think that you have to be able to do it. We saw the problem with the feet so you know it's rare in college football that every protection's blocked up perfectly or everything goes exactly that we

3:34:45drew it up on the whiteboard so when things break down I want the ability to fix it with our legs and then you know as far as in James Fulls go I look at I look at you know guy like Will who had those intangibles about as well as I've ever seen and that's just a complete command and understanding of both the offense and the huddle to know exactly what we're trying to do on every single play. Know what we're trying to attack understand where the issues are and where they lie and how you're going to combat those issues to be able to understand you know when it's time to to move on throw the ball away and move on in the next play and then also be mentally tough enough that when things don't go our way to be able to react the right way and move on to the next play. Did you know last year? What last question? You go fight a question. What's your condition at all? Are you just focused on one thing? Oh no no I didn't do this one condition at all I did. Like when you're coaching and you build a relationship with these guys you want nothing more than for them to go out and have success on the field and and I think that's so you know so

3:35:47important like I sit in that room and you know it's about them it's about them going out and and reaching their potential and maximizing their talents and and going out and execute on the field and so you know last year I was just trying to find a way that I could help them do that so you know to be able to work with those guys last year and to to help out and you know have them see some success. It was special for me but it was special for me because I know how bad they wanted it and so that was that was pretty neat. I'm going to have their day that that game but we'll look out there and hopefully change the narrative and we still play with the same confidence same technique and yeah. Bill Rebellion, what's the most this batch? And Tenzele 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 he's for this rematch? Oh yeah he's super stoked for this rematch. His preparation has been very good. He's always been preparing even though 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.

3:36:50And you know I know you guys wanted to play them in anapolis 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 watched film I mean we've lost a lot of film the first time we played them now we've got another six games that they played up 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 fast physical and everything like that. Alright Jordan we're going to jump to the to assume a question here from Joey Kaufman Columbus this batch. Oh my bad not too Joey Cameron T. Robinson the athletic. Hey Jordan you've moved around a lot in the second day and you're in your career and now kind of getting some many more safety reps. What is it like at this point when Walt or Coach Noles comes

3:37:51to you and asks you to do some else and just how much can you lean on the experiences you've had and moving around when you're trying to learn something new in the middle of season. It means a lot we always talk about this is if it's 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 positions as 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 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 or again which one do you think is more valuable to you watching that against yourself you know seven games ago you're gonna few changed or the ensuing six games for Oregon which one do you put more stock in. Kind of both for me I kind of watch what I did things I did

3:38:53well things I didn't do too well against them and their team is that like their scheme has changed some players have been out those those stretch of games so I really watched the past game we played and I know they're gonna 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. Jordan thank you very much. Thank you. Hi but we're getting out of our foot of that now and we're doing a better job just put it into big sea loads and taking our feet back not for its criticism but just because we love it and you're the best thing. So I'm just doing that and just keep rolling on that all the way to fall and I'm gonna take credit against Texas. You are you doing some more outside for you? Yeah I've been more the more years you get under a belt the more experience you get you start knowing this offense more and more not just your position or what you're doing like everybody's job what you're doing how you're doing and why you're doing it so I mean yeah I've been I've been wrapping the outside ZXH anywhere coach on me is

3:39:58me to just really be that guy and go make a play on me. What's the biggest difference for you between outside and outside? The pace. The route concept you can kind of get the pace you can play within the slides more for next game in the slide. Something I got very comfortable with. Just the ways you can attack the defense I think. Just you know conceptually and also just you're placed out you know but I mean just doing both and just making me a better guy for the NFL and that's what coach on them. Previous time producing on the NFL talent and producing any NFL guys so I'm feeling very comfortable with it. Do you have to have a different mindset as a slide receiver? That's what's going on. Absolutely I think it's more thinking I think it's more of you have to understand another game a lot in the slide you gotta have a feel that have this is natural I feel like it's more than that's a position and on the outside it's just more you know get different things and see different coverage and see more you see different player types of corners and nickelbacks and safeties more in the slide so just seeing how you can attack knowing

3:41:00your person now how you can attack some people is I say the biggest difference. Do you have that more courage? You have that more courage in the slide? Oh yeah absolutely especially like being myself in the slide faster my skinnier guy that want to put hands on and want to get physical with you but you just got to match that and just let them know that you there too. So you is it about as much of whatever gets you want to do regardless inside outside? I'm just wanting to make plays and show one one the best receivers in America so if that's in the outside that's in his side whatever coach hotline in this team needs me help us land and show them what the best receivers in America need to do. Thank you sir. Off to it no decision yet. What do you want to see from Jay Jay this spring? I think everyone played a lot longer than they ever have. So you know I think you know heading to this spring it's just the tear down of the former foundation and the rebuild

3:42:03of a whole new team. I mean you have to have that mindset you have to have a mind a day one mindset in order to progress. You can't rely on previously built culture or schematic understanding there's no assumptions. You have to rebuild from scratch. We're in the process of that we will treat day one like day one that includes and includes Jeremiah Smith and so great opportunity to you know evaluate and grow a new group of guys. I think in spring I think our opinion is you know by fall it's everything the team the team the team it's what it's all about but in order to add to a team to in order to add to a collective you got to focus on the individual individual must improve so the collective can improve and so building the base I think schematically and fundamentally culturally is what we're attacking as we head into spring. How much is Brandon looking forward to a different spring a different opportunity? I know it wasn't fun for him having to take a little

3:43:03bit of a backseat to a knockout. Where do you see him the fire of the passion right now? He gets right for this one. Yeah I think when you come out of a season you get out of January and kind of take a breath then when you get back in the winter it's the first opportunity to reestablish the new role that I want to have right I mean across the board there's not one guy that doesn't want to improve roles so I think they're all attacking it that way. I think Brandon's one of them but he's one of of 50 and I think that it's our job to provide opportunities to grow to separate themselves and see peer-to-peer e-vows to allow these guys to check you know a chase a a role at least through through winter they've gotten that started to continue that through spring and I think Brandon's you know fits in line with that I think Brandon did a great job looking back of finding his role last year and excelling at it. We know we talk a lot about if you

3:44:05want to be a starter you get to be a starter before you're the starter and if you're not then you're never going to be the starter so I think he embodied that you know he gave himself an opportunity to get into spring and get into us he's me in the winter continue who he is continue to build you know his base build his leadership and then now he's got to take that in spring so all the great things you do prior doesn't mean anything if you don't have to go out there and do it in spring so that's that's the harsh reality of this sport you know what have you done lately and I think all these guys are are chewing at the bit to get back on the field. Brian you everybody brings their own experience right Ryan was a quarterback you were a receiver and then to become a play caller I obviously have an understanding of the whole offense but what was the process like for you up protections and the run game and quarterback play and just continuing to grow with your knowledge of that part of the game as you prepared for this position. Yeah I mean I think you're always growing I think that you know you still have a specialty here you still have an expertise

3:45:10in one area it's seen you have an expertise in all of it that's just not true in my opinion I've seen multiple coordinators and I know that as a fact so you know for me I think it's just you have an opportunity to be with the best staff in America every single day with the best coach in America she just stay off your phone and pay attention and take notes and actually maximize your time it's amazing the amount of people that don't do that so every time in a meeting I just try to make sure I'm I'm getting a nugget or I'm getting information or when things are said do I truly understand it and I really think guys will tell you I don't care I'll ask the question and I think I'm I look dumb but I don't care because I want to know the information so I think that approach I think a lot of guys have that approach that approach allows you to just build you know over time and then that'll continue to build from now to game one and then build to the season so the opportunity to grow is literally daily so I just try to make sure I'm finding those opportunities

3:46:11I'm aware of those opportunities when they're writing my face. I think I'm going to do a role in the office of the media room. How important is the coach Jordan's always been a huge part of uh other receiver room. I think that yeah he's just understanding that you know my pull away is real that can happen so he's going to be on his toes and being ready that you know we're ready to not skip a beat right so information wise communication wise um he's got to be locked in on that and just time to assume that you know coach hard's got it he never really has I expect him to continue to do that and uh you know he's been a big part of everything we've done. Is that almost like taken from what Ryan did last year where he shipped away from play calling and maybe that's somebody else and shipped away from being a port of x coach where like get to have somebody you trust and how long did it take you maybe to develop that trust and that relationship with them and to where like you know that hey if I'm pulled away for a second like Devin's got this and I don't I don't have to worry about like what my room is. I think it's more important that I do a great job being organized so I'm never pulled away. I will be in that

3:47:13receiver room and they will be coached at the very highest level so um I think there's ways to eliminate being pulled away by being organized on top of things having the right work and working right help um before that receiver meeting ever happened. Is that important for you? That's what you've got to emphasize. Nothing's going to change in terms of your I never there's no nothing's going to change in my involvement in the receiver room. Ryan from my land to be going through a full spring fall off scene for the first time. What do you look at everything? It's areas he can grow to push for playing time to see your movie. Yeah I mean my land is um he's doing a great job. He's growing on exponential rates getting stronger he's getting bigger he's got way added you know I would tell you like you know he I always explain to him like you don't realize how much he missed when you even you come in June versus a mid-year like it's massively different not saying you can't overcome it some do at the end of the season you know some have um but you know I think that's probably reliant on the room you know I know Chris had an opportunity late a lave you know in the season to kind of make an impact but it's very very

3:48:16rare so um and now you know he's going through the winter workout his growth his everything he's done um he's like hey coach hard you know I know what you're talking about now and you miss that that section of winter workout so uh that being said it makes you laugh but he's doing a great job I expect expectations for him through uh through spring and uh I don't see that changing. What's the average? Is the average age? Is that including support staff? what's it what's it been in the past? A couple minutes no kidding. Yeah yeah I'm a Dan Lanings head coach at Oregon I was there his average I'm asking I don't I'm 38 Kenny Dylan Hamles is 30s and 50s so I don't really know I gave zero thought to that

3:49:19I think that uh you know I think your ability to kept with players is important I think you probably see a little bit that happening in the NFL as well um I really have given zero thought for that so I don't want to just ramble on that. Yeah I just didn't know who saw it as an immediate injury. No thought to it. Frank you were you version with Bryson what's the next step for him because we've heard him make a talk to him and like he's in mistrick consistency catching a lot of things like he's he seems to generate a limited buzz but has limited role like now he's got an opportunity what's the next step for him to get that opportunity to take the next step and uh and be be everything he's capable of being right I mean I think the guys that um you know we're out there are go very consistent in all job phases you know like again I think he wants to be a full rounded receiver and you know that um I think he loves playing in the slot the great job there I asked him to come out to the outside a little bit did a good job out there I think his natural positions and is in the slot doing a great job there but it's just another opportunity to establish himself based on his peers right I mean it's kind of like the draft I try to explain sometimes

3:50:22these guys like you come to Ohio State to compete with the best it'd be alongside the best it's always pure to peer e-vows like that's how it works like the draft embodies that like if if it's easier to go play somewhere else then that's fine if that's what we're kind of looking for per se I'm not saying that's Bryson I'm just saying it's a very competitive room and you chose that because of this room now you're going to beat your peer to play more play more and do more and all that stuff so um you know I think that um we got continue to build worries at and the guys seem to be you know starters in our room you know really I think over the last eight years have been NFL quality guys so if you're and it become a starter Ohio State it's a good chance you're probably an NFL caliber receiver I mean again just go on to the numbers so um you're chasing that can't get discouraged or maybe not being you know not doing what you think you should have done and that goes for everybody it's not just Bryson but all these guys are chasing that as I ramble about Bryson but um you know I think that it's not just him it's at bi it's car now everybody wants it's

3:51:24chasing a higher level of play and uh this spring is another step forward to do that which is what you're doing right now you're trying to multiply how much in your estimation is that a gift we have to do it how much of it is learned and where do you stand on that oh never gave it a lot thought to it I've never I've never called a play in a game so for me to have an opinion I think that'd be a little brash um I would say that um like anything it's probably a skill that you can improve on and they do better at and do good and do worse at um I think being surrounded with guys and seeing how they do it has been a uh blessing and it's very clear others more than one way to do things so um being uh being aware of that um I've noticed that what's your impression of the three freshmen and how they maybe transition to yeah all four freshmen I'm like very uh uh encouraged and pressed with they carry themselves the right way like we have hoped uh they worked their tails off they've all improved uh I would say that

3:52:27um they're the right mode the right fit they belong in the room and uh now they hesitate to improve now they're competing both you know first individually between each other and then you know as we get in the spring they'll start competing against each other um with the rest of the guys what I mean by that so but as a group the freshman group uh very impressed and they're off to the right start okay coach Arland thank you for your support I need like have trouble like remembering something I just go up to them and he knows like every play every little detail he just you're helpful with that and if I need help like with four words up it will come out help me and just like whatever I need is there when you are making that transition to a new position do you have to kind of be patient and realize it's gonna be a process that takes time oh yeah definitely uh coach Hart um told me that at the beginning like he played uh quarterback in high school too and he had a major transition to receiver at here at Austin and this he's helped me it's gonna be rough at first but he has to push me to get me to where I need to be when you think back and just like you're upbringing you know coming from you know Africa being over here just what do you

3:53:29how did all you feel call of that kind of helped mold you interview are now oh yeah hopefully it's definitely maybe like tough and like not afraid of like new change and he's like willing to just adapt to my environment what was it like for you coming in here as a freshman and getting to see if it's team go win an national championship those first few weeks here uh definitely was a high motivated you know uh being a freshman it it wasn't really my team though so like I really get it so that makes like push me like that once when it's my turn I got put in the word I want in the same position but with a ring on my finger what did you learn from those guys just about what you need to do to have a chance to go accomplish what they did I say you's gonna get don't let the past like affect you like and just yeah but let this you got to be a letless you got put in the work it's not easy at all by any means and it's gotta be hard but yeah for everything it's what do you view as like the best attributes of your game that you're gonna bring to this team I'll just say uh my my size my speed I can take the top off the defense and

3:54:34I can play tough and physically it's about that last year and like we think back to all the reports last year what has the last kind of year been like for you as you got gone from the players it was kind of cool and awesome it's too many good times and it's making transition to see how has this last year definitely changed my mind because I was always uh myself one year I was hurt and my junior I got hurt during track so I was able to like I was a high schooler anything and this time last year's like when my crew really picked up and it's like it's been crazy like must have another like you but it's leaving me in my corner my coach's everything I just give you the motivation to go this year I'm just a red light potato that's a big good before I even got a hostage offered and before I even was exactly

3:55:37actually uh threw with them a couple of times in both Bella Fahns, Sioux Chosay yeah I was working with uh I knew it's at head coach and anybody would come in run routes and I actually ran routes for Tavis right if we was exactly at a like uh we first came to the end we had a lot more uh we got got together us the freshman class and he's working on everything he's definitely got nice on this this cornerback year's I was pretty talented how has that kind of been doing all the year for the freshman? the quarterback? the quarterback? yeah yeah yeah they're definitely childhood and you say as I always say I should have been on it and they make it hard for you and just when you play this high level competition practice and you go on a game like twice as easy as the practice and he's really just built on something is there been a moment of question? I think there's been kind of like a moment first

3:56:45oh wow these guys are really good at this thing? yeah just like I just first like on high school I would just take some like reps and every see we just go yeah I just had past speed and uh catching abilities like face separation and I come to college before everybody's fast everybody's big so you have fun new ways to get open it's really good for yourself to hire your IQ we're only freshman ever to receive you know ironbuck eye reward which you know something I was pushing towards my my entire time being here um but you know it takes another level of doing to be able to receive that reward especially as a freshman so um you know that's kind of when I knew. Steven me more on that when you and Mara first got here Gary and Chris were out of it about the way that you guys even as freshmen were pushing two guys who were about to be first round round bigs and then Mara kind of said the same thing about Karnel and Brandon last year how did JJ push you guys when he first got here as the young guy and now you guys are the older guys? yeah I would

3:57:48say it's very similar it's kind of the same exact thing and um you know I don't know what it is about the culture and zone six but we keep bringing in these type of people year in and year out that that's what makes our room so great but I think that um something that JJ was able to push me in was just you know he was able to push me in my leadership um I needed to grow in that aspect but he also was able to challenge me when it came to the weight room and on the field um because we were always are always paired together when it came to summer and when our workouts were always lifting together you know I get a couple wins he get a couple wins so um it's really that next level uh step of um competitiveness that I needed and that edge that I needed that Murphy 2474 you guys came into the Tennessee game with a lot of outside motivation with Michigan loss and kind of the three weeks of the talk I don't obviously there's still that motivation to go on and win a national championship but how do you keep that kind of edge to lack of a better term mentally after some of that stuff has kind of gone away probably the big one um I would say kind of if you lose your edge I wouldn't

3:58:52really call you a true competitor I think that you know the way with the the college football playoffs is structured the intensity cranks up weekend every every single week so um if you're not more intense than you were the last week then then something's wrong with you I think that you know Tennessee was a great win great for our momentum but um we have our full focus on organ not worrying about anything in the past nothing in the future our full focus is towards this game um and then you know we win this one we go on to the next one our full focus is going to be on that one so it's just um you keep moving down a ladder like this step on cranks please my doctor Michael there's been a lot of change the college football in the playoffs and things of that nature but you know the way in some you and some of your team-managed coaches talk about the Rose Bowl seems like that's one game that's really you know maintain a lot of that tradition you you play the net you know what it's about could you explain it to you know I should we would never have a chance to play that why the Rose Bowl does maintain you know that level of respect for players and coaches yeah I think uh I don't know they're just something about it some in the air down there in the Pasadena um it's just a beautiful venue especially that time of the year like you said the tradition is held year and in year out and it's kind of the the game you dream of

3:59:55playing and when when you're a little kid you know playing backyard football with your friends um the Rose Bowl is always one that that tends to come up so just having a chance to play in it is definitely very surreal and this is going to be my second time so I'm going to do my best to take it all in while also being fully focused on organ yeah will is uh he's a laser focused person he goes about his business um he's very loose and he's very calm and he's able to rally the team but um you can you can see it in his eyes that um this this game means everything to him so every single practice every single huddle making sure we're sharp making sure we have a you know a better practice than we had last um than the yesterday a better practice than organs having so his his full focus is is on being um this team and you know obviously it's it's hard not to think about the stuff of the past but I know he's he's laser focused on what we got coming up Tony Gurgon, Bucket Hill, you're one of your kid playing backyard games about to gain what team we played for him

4:00:59um honestly I wasn't I was never really a a buck I fan until you know I really committed here and I and I saw what it was all about I was actually an organ fan growing up especially on the Pacific Northwest um you know my grandpa went to UW and stuff like that so I like the Huskies too but there was a legendary football player named Foto Liatto from my high school and he went to organ and a couple of y'all probably know that story from a couple of years back but he tragically died in the car accident um and you know he was he was someone I looked up to in high school um you know I was uh relatively close with him even though he was a bit older than me in age but um just seeing what he did at my high school and then going on to play big time football organ um that was a school that I really dreamed of going to um they build a bit like on this back I think actually another Jeremiah question is there one moment one play one something that made you just go oh man I've never seen before that's just incredible yeah I would say it's happened multiple times there's not

4:02:01really one I can pinpoint but uh the more he does it the more um I tend to react less so I would say probably my earliest memories of it were in spring ball um kind of getting the first glimpse of him when he's making all these ridiculous catches and he still does it time and time again um even now but it's just more common now for me yeah I mean uh we're not entirely sure what their game plan is going to be but we're paired for everything um you know I'm not going to get too much into schemas stuff like that but uh we know that if the ball comes our ways we've got to make those plays so whether I have 10 receptions again coming up this game where I have zero or one um we're just looking to get this win on the road um because it's really a road game for us you know flying across two times zones so um I think that uh you know it's going to be a great matchup

4:03:04um whether they tend to focus on me um more or or not it doesn't really matter to me um because I know our team has a great plan regardless that time for a couple more questions Spencer Holbrook Letterman role you guys ever surprised when the game and you especially car繞 something I can do on your two games you can kind of feel it throughout the game I would say um you know he's he's a true competitor he wants to get involved but at the same time he's super selfless um he's really humble so he's going to do whatever it takes for the team to get a win um but it's the competitor nature and then that wants to you know contribute as much as he can so um you know I try to be in his ear to to tell him to be level head and stuff like that not that I need to he's a very level headed and selfless guy like I'm saying but um you know sometimes that's just how the game goes you know I had a game this year where I only had one catch um but you know we ended up winning by lot so um I think that you know it's it's hard or it's easy to be focused on the uh the personal attributes that you could have game in and game out but no one's really going to remember those if we're holding up the trophy at the end of the year he could be a number one like 95 percent of the bar off the ground up against

4:04:06like number three you see his work as they all of those things and you know if they're going to play you guys ever come behind him like yeah this guy can absolutely be a number one I would disagree with you I think that he is a number one I think that we don't have a number three receiver that we have three number one receivers out there so um whatever the defense you know if they want to put their attention on one guy or or a couple of us um they're not really doing themselves any favor because we're going to have a favor will match up on the other side of the ball so um that's never how we view ourselves we know we're alpha dogs out there every single one of us um knows we have the capabilities to be a number one receiver and we are number one receivers and final question Steve how long and 24 hours works yeah and then at the end of that game you made one of the clutch plays that passed down the sideline at any time when you make that play you think and did you ever your mind that we're going to win this game after we we're now close to field goal range I mean did that play in your mind say my goodness we've got a chance to get out of here with the win uh yeah I definitely knew where I caught the ball and I knew we were you know

4:05:07closer being a field goal range so um you know there was a sense of you know I knew I knew I knew was a big play that I made but um in those moments you have to finish out the game no matter what you can't get a big head you can't get complacent you have to finish the game um in until the clock hits zero so that's something we've been working on you know we work on two minute every single Wednesday every single Wednesday practice so today we'll work on our two minute and we don't even call it two minute we call it clutch because um in in those time in those in those games in those big moments someone has to make a clutch play so we're focusing on on that every single game knowing that we're going to have to make one of those plays coming down the stretch here what it mean if you're able to finish this one off and get to the final four this and play out just what in your mind just would this be you know just the ultimate I suppose to beat a team that's already beaten early this year no I think the ultimate would be winning the national championship so um you know we're focused on this this just happens to be the next team in the way we're not focused on where we played them earlier this year whether they got the win over us um they're just a

4:06:08nameless faceless opponent so we're going out there fully prepared not worried about what's happening in the past um you know we played them before we felt them out so it's all about who got better from that point in time until now thank you thank you thank i'm talking about this um you know just recently um talking about how what I want to do for the runners I want to bring that hump energy the he brought right so last year um of course i'm sure he's been doing for years but the year when i spent my own he brought a lot of energy excitement and happiness in the room which is his natural energy to where i only have to focus on me you know i didn't have to make sure other other guys are you know feels the type of way when they came in here because hump brought that you know the hump's not here but i saw a way different room i want to be that guy to make sure it's an optical practice everybody's high more taking a built team on period you know

4:07:08it's a low day or something you know it's a disadvantage but like i want to make it feel like all the same but you have the parents to trick i want to bring that because that's what we at hump did to each other we would hide each other up do like two but we're lit so i want to do that i want to bring that energy i want to make bring more guys um you also do that yeah i want to do that from day one you know i kind of i want to do that from day one um um um talking to him and obviously it's that time i spend the off season before until he started um just being in my self-just thinking about what the room needs you know because i don't know i do do well as one of the leaders you know my mom and i think is that we need a guy like that is going to make sure the oh line is picked up we're ready to go every day i was a helicopter little things don't happen to practice people are saying anything and how i'd maybe leave maybe different than somebody else maybe you know like to practice at least like the legal positivity

4:08:12you know i mean so but he the energy yeah would be on just though i'd have to be honest like to so i was kind of how i want to be going on um really my whole life i want to get i felt team captain like specifically and i felt i wasn't a captain in high school wasn't a captain in college but i want to make a joke on high school so i feel like i'm not going to do a captain's like he's that i felt yeah but that would be awesome you know but you know that happens i'd be great but not either way i want to assume a role as a captain from the perspective of guys until the visual words and get back in that way yeah i mean i can't say that um i mean i guess the biggest thing is that i felt like how we used to in the past but it didn't take just the first day of t.a.s it took training left and right once this season ended because i

4:09:12don't know what was going to be the champion so it took a lot of reps just to get back to feeling like myself for day one of t.a.s and then now hopefully but now like today specifically just changing some small things with my feet that is it talking about the long coach about some things i'm doing my feet to get to that to sell my nutritional handle that i love to sit on thought even i thought i felt i thought i felt great already but i'm okay i felt even better than i thought i'd be starting to work sides with tomorrow now i'm getting my feet back and how i liked it the right side and i'm on the left side so i'm excited i mean obviously i feel like in the league whether i left the right there's total audience premiere guys so obviously the high expectations for the left and right tackle but um there's definitely uh like the level of energy and like the expectation definitely taking the human side because now the middle blind side that's the as the tackle world you know so um

4:10:16so yeah i would say in terms of communication as far as this even outside of facility just stuff like that i'm really crazy that the tackle caught back and bond even more off the field i think has been something that's even the cool i got the text one day and it's like hey i keep well up i was like you know yeah i've been training both i've been training both you know i i asked after the season they're like honestly you know we'll talk to you some play in season and i just got a text on telling what happens with the free agency then so i was like you know what i had a whole season right tackle so if i get the word i'm going i'm staying right tackle i'll just do what i did before i'm built on that but i saw something i might as well as train the left tackle now as if we're gonna be left tackle and i'd rather do that than train on right time we're gonna call that air and do the left tackle how do i switch my feet you know what i mean so i'm like let me just prepare an advance i'll see how it's got you know i think occasionally on third

4:11:18now there'll be a lot of twists i was just not like it's automatic and i think that was my mindset for like the first half of the season like i didn't have to go once again with some products like oh my gosh they did that i kind of figured like okay like this is this is the type of rush man again this is how this guy usually rushes if i get the vibe this is how the ends like the rush you know tackles that are you know first year guys you got the premier patch on already you know what it was gonna be already you know will be every stud and honestly just knowing that's kind of an advantage to so you're not you're not you're not oh the problems with my psychic it was never air conflict but it comes up and i was like three plays in a row and two minutes i do that it was the one you had me so a lot of you know what i mean so i'm watching more everybody else and you rarely really goes out there occasionally third down i was like you know what i mean so that effect it's kind of it's also kind of an advantage in a way but it's also exciting like okay i'm gonna get the hardest to look you know so those are real real reps you know the things um

4:12:25really out on i would kind of process that i was like had when i told me to let me know about i'm just gonna train it i was training all left so t.a.s i guess if i didn't hear anything about t.a.s i came in like so you know what i mean because just like i'm cool with training both continuing i would have been cool with training both continually but i feel like anybody any position will be like okay like you want as soon as possible give your feet kind of settle in your hip settle in your hands so then uh certain kind of what would have been harder to work both they're going to use no no but um they're definitely but in terms of the development um it's definitely a lot faster to stay on all one side but i think having that the weeks that we had to transition with seasons over and the bike was fine you know good um we're trying to meet up put them in front and we think that it's time right now but when it comes back i'm going to show

4:13:28me my house i just got a house not too far from so i told him i got that house like i got a yellow outside like DJ you know i mean so um yeah yeah um my mom says you know just go out there one day just dominate the person i'm suffering me you know just do what i've been doing for the last uh two to three weeks i should say um but you know they play man on man so i'm just ready for the challenge uh uh i mean feels good uh just say somebody going out there and playing man on man gets Ohio state receivers it's something crazy but you know we just ready for the challenge uh they're sitting not chasing their game plan but we gotta go out there and show them the reason why not the play man on man

4:14:32uh i mean i don't really if i be on the cover i be on the cover of me it's not really a big deal to me um may it definitely be a blessing for sure just to be on the cover of a game but you know it's not really a dream of mine it's a dream of mine but i don't really think too much of it you uh mean no not yet uh probably hit me after this easy um no just no planning uh call us football players as a freshman uh planning the roles both as a freshman um planning a carton bow and not in national championship i mean it's a blessing for sure um but i haven't hit me yet my favorite catch i would say we play Michigan state um the one i caught over two defenders definitely probably my favorite for sure or you go the one from Iowa as i say and it ends up

4:15:37probably than two uh i don't mean yeah like you said it's pretty first grade of me having a game that i had in the in the rose bowl and they're coming to the carton bow and they're just doing different things chasing their scheme up for uh gives me um but i mean like you said whatever i could do to make i mean help the team win uh it's not really a big deal for me as long as we win that's all i really care about and it got us to national championship uh it means a lot uh we put a lot of work in this uh this season uh we have

4:16:42how's we have loads uh we have people cutting us out um but we hear now we just ready to put on a show Monday oh yeah yeah uh first the one is uh national championship because there was means a lot um you see everything that he bent through this year people uh saying should be fired and this died on third but uh when you see everything that he bent through this year i mean i seen everything i he bent through this year on see everything people saying my hand on twitter um i wasn't here uh he first got the head coach and job but i know this year for sure we definitely got to win this for him uh i mean it's a lot uh a lot of people in the league i should say i can't really say

4:17:42who but i mean you had guys like oh there you had guys like uh oh there you had step on digs means a lot of uh my good time is Chris Carter just a lot of you know guys i played in that failed and stuff like that but yeah really them guys for sure no just keep going um you got it you net stuff for sure uh really i really that for sure so they say uh like a physical defense uh like like you said like people say like they like they play man they not changing their scheme so we're just ready for the challenge uh like you said probably the best defense we probably go see all year and we just gotta be ready to go out there Monday and just put on the show and then we'll have to leave

4:18:48uh i'm excited for will uh him uh first coming here in Ohio State January our first workout we had together uh me just everything that we did through this season um me i'm just happy for willed for him to be in this position right now but we got to finish the job and that's the uh winning Nadio Monday uh i mean it's it's pretty funny um them saying that because i'm i'm just only a friend but um it's a pleasure for sure people to even say that but i got two three more years left for Carlos and i'm just focused on cars right now i'm not really even worried about the NFL right now so uh it's it's very special for me uh just being a freshman and playing the national stage uh appear for national titles something that i dreamed of as a very young kid um i'm just

4:19:51happy to be here and i just can't wait to put on some Monday for you guys uh i mean all of us used we just sitting on the bench and we just seeing him hit the quarter back the ball come out and we all just got up and just started you know jumping up and down we all excited uh happy for jacking that moment and we just knew that that moment like yeah let's we're going to the daddy for sure yeah ministers a lot um mean you know going from high school or winning three state championships uh shamanama donna then you know coming to Ohio state uh just appear for national title right now me just showed that i picked two great schools um but i'm happy to be here and just came

4:20:55with the pool of showroom Monday the coolest person um i mean you got a lot i can't really say just a specific person you got a lot of great guys recharging the league like um oh del you have guys like step on digs um a lot of other players will just take cut off my mom but really really into guys for sure oh del step on digs yeah yeah um mean like they say they play man so i mean i'm just ready for the tallies and just get ready to go out there Monday and just no put them so thank you

4:21:59the vice-geno high gave me um i had to just keep going first um you uh he i know the reason why i'm here and me y'all like he said just keep going first and just no keeping the maintenance and the main thing and the best corner i faced it sure um i mean i faced a lot of great corners uh i can't really say but yeah i faced a great dog great corners he really put a name on it my dream vacation is uh turrets and cakegoes you're good are you

4:23:04uh i say both respect and frustration as well um but i mean i thought they come out there and trip to meet me and they say stick it to whatever door in our ear and that's playing man covers uh we're just ready for the challenge uh pretty good group uh Christian great 29th the great corner uh 15 uh the Narmor two great guys are right there um very physical but you know we all highest they received us so we ready for the challenge uh i say it just no understanding the defense understanding the defense uh understanding the game plan understand what coach Kelly was trying to get done

4:24:08i mean just coming in i felt i progress from our first game gets accrued to now for i got better each and every week um me being slowed down a lot for me um but yeah really just no understanding the versus and no understanding what they're trying to do to me for sure um two guys great part of the best we go see all year for sure um two two physical guys um but you know we're ready we're ready for the challenge that they're coming with and that's to play man oh man and you know we ready to go on Monday yeah uh i mean the environment is pretty crazy uh seeing all these cameras uh something i never thought i'd see it there in my life but uh it's a blessing from sure this is the business position right now

4:25:13uh i mean we just had a uh prayer prayer uh uh lead meeting and you know we all they all just we all discussed the issues because they discussed these issues and you know we just want the work uh i mean not two and a half weeks we had off before Tennessee game and we just came out there um Tennessee game and we played with a chip on our chip on our shoulder um all throughout the playoffs and we go continue to play with that chip on our shoulder and uh that's championship on Monday uh do you know how that very uh impactful uh yeah the very impact on my career i should say you know just going to his games i was a uh very young kid seven eight years old uh him playing what's with him playing for West Virginia and they played Clemson Orange Bowl down in Miami um me just go let that see his games it's like yeah i definitely want to play on this stage and i can uh wait till i get to know that moment for sure you're are you okay uh because they really just in his own his own little space uh he's just walking around

4:26:25trying to get his mind right trying to get his mind ready for the game uh but you know he all he just gave everybody hype in the locker room and you know just trying to get us ready to go to win the game yeah oh yeah oh yeah for sure i mean uh go play man against Ohio State receivers i mean just be ready uh because you know we definitely go come out there and know uh give our best and i mean they cannot go change what they do so we just ready for the challenge not a year later uh definitely sometime my career in college uh but not my first in college i should say uh me just to be able to be in this position right now is you know a blessing or just a yellow keyer from Miami to be here and i won't take it for granted i'm ready to go out there

4:27:26to maybe go there to get the machine ready little els uh just yeah Yeah, I mean, I was watching that game against, was it Georgia? Yeah, I was watching that game. I was pretty sick myself because I was actually committed at that time. So, I mean, yeah, they left a bad chance to name off, but I mean, we ready to go out there Monday to redeem myself and just put a show Monday. I mean, I just laughed, but you know, that's what they do, they're not going to change what they do,

4:28:34just because we're high on state. So, you gotta go out there and put it on, put it on, why not to play, man on, man, it gets us. So, we just gotta go out there and show them Monday. So, here you go. He said he ain't. Sorry. My journey here at Ohio State, prepared me a lot for the National Championship. I mean, just going through everything that I've been through. My first guy here, all the Matt Jules, all the hard workouts that we had, all the hard practices. Just preparing all of us for this moment. And I'm just ready to go out there and give it up my all on Monday. Okay. Yeah. We just squeezed this.

4:29:37200? I mean, he is big and strong. Yeah. I'm going to play. Until you know. 120? Yeah, that's great. Yeah, pretty good. No problem. Yeah. Uh, why not part of the most is the one against Michigan State when I caught up with two defenders

4:30:37on that song on. Put it like one or the one after that, I should say. Or you go the one against Iowa. Part of them three, probably my best ones for sure. Oh, I mean, just we'll put in the ball in my area and I just know how to make a play for them. Even though somebody was gathering my face, I just know I still how to make a play because the ball touched my hand. So, I mean, just when the ball and the other thinking I how to make the play no matter how the ball comes at me. I have to a big gain. I mean, we really, they really feed us Chick-fil-A or Pizza after the game. So it's really either Chick-fil-A or Pizza. So yeah, probably Chick-fil-A for sure.

4:31:43Yeah. It went pretty good. Everybody just uh, uh, speaking with their thing is uh, going right in what they think is wrong. Um, which is a lot of the older guys who are watching their opinions on what we need to do to uh, come to get as a team. Um, but you know, that me and Depply uh, helped us in a, in a big way because it helped us want to feel as well because we're playing our great football right now and we just got to do that one Monday. Yeah, Depply got emotional. Uh, can't really say uh, what really was said because that's not players only and coaches only, but it was definitely some stuff said that um, people took uh, people took and uh, went with it and that's the reason we're playing the way we're playing right now. Yeah.

4:32:45Uh, yeah. Make help me a lot this year. Um, him being our older guy in the room. Um, me help me and Carl Nell as well and Brendan and all the guys in our senior room as well. Me just a great guy as well. It's very smart. Uh, me and make just been a big part of the reason that I'm having a seat that I'm having in well because he's been a big, you know, older guy been there, been a lot of great guys in that room like Chris Alivegaer Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. Jackson Smith and Jibba. So he's seen all the greats I've been through there and he teaching us the right day and the right way and the buck out way for sure. I love it that that means they don't know what's coming out of next. We got 12 personnel, we got 11 personnel. You could throw two of us in and throw one of us in and you gotta stop it all. What have you made of the quarterbacks of the three of them for? Uh, not too much. I feel like they all come in here working. I feel like everybody's making their throws, making their paths and everybody making their directions. What did you take away from last season after the Olympics? And then, what did you take away from last season after the World Cup?

4:33:46When the next game, that was it. When the next game go out there on Saturday, beat the man in front of you, and then came out with a national championship and an advantage. Spring balls about improvement as a visual one who worked on this game. I'm going to everything I'm trying to do my game as well as my spirit. I'm trying to come up to fit it on. We hear about the leaders in the team, those not just for this group, but for the whole team. You could step up who has started to step up and realize their place. I feel like we've had leaders from last year that came back. I feel like we got big guys that stepped up into their roles and their roles and around the team. That would become a leader's. Being a leader, you all always have to be vocal. You can have the same examples on the field. Or you can be vocal and do both. It's not you either. What was it like to be like the same? I got a new one. I was happy for you. I see him out here. I see him out here. I see him out here. He's done and getting an extra work. Ball is ball.

4:34:46We come out here and play ball. He's out here doing a pro day yesterday. I just see him ready to go make some real money. What ways do you feel like you're a different player now going into this year? Maybe you were last year. I feel like every year I've just improved on my overall game. Blocking and catching consists of wires. People used that word. But I feel like I'm just overall better. I came in here ready to go. How much does it push you when you're in a room with guys like Max and Will and Bennett that you know you've got to be on your game if you're going to get them field? Man, I feel like Arya is sharp by Arya every day. He come in and work and they go push me every day to work. It's just like I'm a doodle. I'm probably going to ask this before, but it's now a crowded group. You got you got. I have to say what's the pressure for the max? I love them all. Honestly, Max, Max Claire, Max LeBron, both of them. I love them. What's you flashed in the time you were? No, it's just the year work. It all comes together. I feel like Arya was my year, but hey, you want to see this year?

4:35:47I'm ready to come out here and put on a show for the Bug Eye Nation. I feel like everybody on the field is ready to go put on a show. We're trying to go back and back. You got a blow quite a bit though last year, John. What did you pick up from all of that? Especially in a championship run. You know, and they were counting on you. I just need to be ready at any time. Honestly, you can be throwing in at any time, just like I was. I probably had some rest while I was just throwing in. You got to get it done. Yeah. And if you don't get it done, they're going to find somebody who has to do it. No, I think we ask you this every time we get to. You've done it. We're definitely seeing what you've progressed. Has a tight end, you know, the all of that needs. I don't even hear it. Honestly, over the spring and some of this, I feel like I've told them I've body a lot and I got stronger in the way we were. I've also got a little bit faster so I can get in and out of breaks a little bit better. And just the mind was part of the game. The middle part of the game, if you got even better in town, I mean, how would you describe that? I'll say it again.

4:36:47The mind part of the game, you know, that. Well, I feel like it's a lot more fair. I say like the tight ends, we come here. Five o'clock every other day, we do walk through, more film. Which is more students in the game now. Right there. I feel like it was just an exciting play. I was the last read on it. Like the very last read on it. I don't go out, I can't go out with the catch, so we did the first down. You really don't want to go out? You're but I still had a great rookie year. Six yards of carry, you know, things like that. I think it was like nine touchdowns, ten including the playoffs. And so there's always been like, all right, you guys let me show my talent, trying a little bit. Like even when I had the knee, so I had the knee, right? A lot of people don't know, like I didn't get hurt again whenever I got, you know, you got cleaned up. So I went down in 21, right?

4:37:47Had the injuries in the knee injury. And then came back later the next year. And I played the first few games and I just feel there was a lot of scar tissue in there. So I had to get it cleaned up. I didn't get hurt again. I could have played the whole year, but I got it cleaned up so I can feel like me. And so after I got that cleaned up, the first two games back from the injury, I had over 120 yards of rushing. Right? And then went on, had great, great ending of the year. You know, 100 total yards in the play-out game we lost, which I hate the most. It's not going to matter to me I want to win. But then come back the next year, hurt again. Like, 20 kills. So two really unfortunate injuries, but that's just a guy's plan. You know, and I think that the storm is now over, you know, and I do think that I'll be able to shine a light to the whole world. Are you concerned that you have that label that you can't stand with? I could care less because I do, I know this out there.

4:38:48Because as it should be, it should be. I got hurt two major injuries back or not back to back years, but you know, so I haven't been on the field as much as I should. That's true. That is true, but it's not like I'm having these little, little dinky injuries and sitting out. It's something I can't control literally. So that's why I'm not bothered by it. Like, yeah, I am injury-poorn. You can say that, you know, but I do think that the chargers are getting a guy that's going to be healthy from now on, you know, God will it. And it's going to be great. And I do think that it's going to be a great however many years here. When you've been on the field, you've been highly productive. Yeah. 5.8 yards of very average for your career. Like knowing that when you're out there, you're very productive. How much confidence does that give you that really all you need is not what you need? All the confidence in the world, you know, the way I work. I want to say just from the numbers, but just the way I work, my work ethic, you know, and my relationship with Jesus is like, I have the most confidence when I step out there.

4:39:53Because I do know like, if he grants me the health, it's over with. I don't think I'll be, you know, I think it'll be a great year or whatever, a couple of years, however many years he grants me great health, you know, and I think just the work ethic, my prayer, and all that stuff, that's what helps me have that confidence. With the numbers, we'll be there and they might be higher after this year, you know, and it's crazy to think about it because I had six point yards or six yards per carry, you know, so we'll see. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I play with Bradley. I play with him, you know, I know Slater, I know all the guys, you know, and I'm excited, I think it's like I said earlier, it's a talented group, you know, we just got put together, win some games because that's what I came through for. I wouldn't say part of the recruitment, but like whenever I decided I was going to sign it, it was great to have him in the room.

4:40:55Yeah, we're great. We have a great relationship. That's like my brother. I think it accomplished it complimented each other very well, you know, he can do a lot of stuff too, you know, a lot of people think he's just power power power, but I think he has some other parts of a game too, which it'll be great because I feel like I could do everything and when one is to get tired, we can roll it in, we keep rolling, win some games. When you, the two of you, he's going, how do you think this is going to look, or where will it be, what will be that partnership that's back there? I know. That's a hard question. How do I think it'll look beautiful? You know, a lot of people call this a passive league, but I think you got to run the ball to win a Super Bowl. If you look at the team to win the Super Bowl, they can run the ball, they can control the clock. And so if we're both good, it'll look great. Beautiful. I would describe it as a great offense. I think he gives a quarter back.

4:42:02A lot of options. He's going to give the running back a lot of options. He's going to give the receiver a lot of options. I think it's going to be great. His offense is going to be amazing. And you said that one part of it is just you got to call the place. You got to call the run the place. As a running back, how much confidence, how much you'd say to this and give you, you know, you have a play call that's going to stick with it and allow you and the options on it to give you a rhythm of the opening. Gives me a lot of excitement. You know, it's going to be, like I say, it's fun to play his offense. You know, and I think he does have some good things in the pass game too. But like you said, he sticks with the run and that's that's the identity. You want to offensive has an identity, right? You don't want to be looking everywhere else to find your identity. You want to have it. And so I think his offense has that. And the guy he builds and puts in there, it compliments that identity. So I think it's going to be great.

4:43:08I'm going to answer any of the four if it's up to me. Yes. Look, because I had this problem like two years, three years ago, I'm thinking I'm full ago. I think I'm ready to go. And then next year you know, I'm on PUP. Like, hey, look, some stuff at Bud, my prairie, pay gray. So, but I don't know. Hopefully I can start. I think I'm ready to start, you know, the beginning training camp, but that's not up to me as I've learned. I wouldn't say that. I think I've been, I've been in some great organizations. And I think this organization is a great organization. And the training staff is great. And so they just want what's best for me, you know, and they're they're taking care of me, which that's what you want in an organization. And so that's where that comes from, which I appreciate it. Like, I really appreciate it. You know, because I'm a type of guy like I work really hard. So, maybe sometime I'm blind to, you know, the danger of something, you know. So I appreciate it,

4:44:13but like I said, if it's up to me, yeah, I'm out there, but never know. Well, any frustration for you during the head end of the agency, you know, dealing with rehab and not, you know, having a full season of paid for production to go out there. Was there any part of that where you're like, I wish I had hit the market with a different situation. Yeah. I like it. I like, how would I say this? I like it the hard way, but not, you know, I like it the hard way. I like it. I like trial and tribulations. So, I mean, the dice that I was given to roll was, I was coming off a third Achilles. And that was that was the Lord's plan. So it was beauty in that. Like, I was comfortable. I was caught like, there was multiple teams, you know, I wasn't, it wasn't like I didn't have any other team, but I was comfortable and sitting back and just enjoying

4:45:16the process, letting myself get fully healed. So whenever that team whoever I would sign with, now is the Chargers is going to get the best me, you know, and I think people all around the league know that like, okay, this guy, okay, it's a high risk, high reward type thing, right? Not even a high risk, low risk because you, it's a business, right? So I got hurt last year. So not as much money in these people doing that. But I think everyone around the league knows that whenever I am on the field, the numbers don't lie. And so they know that. And a lot of teams were like, all right, here, you can, we give you this, but we want you to be healthy. So when I'm healthy, it's going to be great. This is the chance that I've been giving here. I'm so grateful. And I know that's going to be, they won't be, they won't regret it. Are you the type of person that likes to prove people wrong? Like you've done a couple things like the high risk, high reward, injury from, you know, like are you the type of person that really tries to

4:46:17prove people wrong? No. I hear it. I see it. It's pretty cool. Like you'll never see me unless I'm just like in a bad mood. You never see me like, oh, like if I have a great game or a great year, like I have this wonderful year, I ain't going to go back and, you know, like, yeah, what happened? No, because I don't care. Like, you're eventually see, like, I'm like, I'm a guy that's really good. So I ain't worry about that, but I'm proving myself right that I am one of the best in the league. Right? So forget all the may sayers and people that talk about being injury prone, because whenever I have this great year, it's going to be forgotten, you know, too. Why, why give that energy? Talking just into the all I got to change the end of all year. Yeah, I was, you know, we just with him, you know, he's a great guy. I mean, he was in my class. I remember seeing him on we were at an award show because I was a dog walker or a finalist. And I'm like, I've seen him play,

4:47:19but I didn't know he was that tall. Like, I didn't know he was like six. I was at first. So I'm this was years ago in college. I'm like, damn, this is pretty tall. Like, it's cool though. Like, like, I never really got to, I ain't going to lie. I thought it was going to be kind of, you know, you know, nerdy, they're ways, he's cool to really, but no, it's the him. So it's just because like the last three years, it's been disappointed at the end of the season. So, I feel like we put more work in. I feel like that's what we're missing. We're just putting more work in. And you just got to do that throughout the summer, the spring, the fall, and then you just got to show it on the field. That's when you look at the person L-chains, we're coming in with Sonny moving up in the post-war line of spring with all the guys in the kitchen coming back. What's your like, just view of what's out there on defense and how it may be a while you can do some things.

4:48:19It's kind of just like, I don't want to like, high-bar head so much, but I kind of look like a like a legendary defense kind of. I feel like we got playmakers everywhere. And then moving Sunday down, I think that's a great move for him. He's a big athletic dude. He can play in a box, he can play like safety thing that's just showing him how like versus how he is. And Caleb, you know, he's using Caleb how he plays. He's an animal. He's only a sophomore I think. And I feel like the guys we brought back, you know, we all can we're all dominant. So, I feel like as a collective unit, we're going to be like unstoppable. So confident is a problem? No. Well, there's a part of that too and as I mentioned, they're about pacing yourself. If there's that way self-believe, then there's also that part of going to build depth. In case you have injuries, case you have injuries. So, how do you look at spring in terms of getting guys that are next in line as prepared to keep that standard high? I think you just got to set a great example for the young guys and just showing them how to how to practice, how to like watch them, how to take care of their body. Because those are the

4:49:20things you're going to need to like go on this deep run. I think it's like 17 games or something. We're not. We add in games. So, the young guys are going to have to play. We can't just play 5th of the games. It's not that. That's not quite. So, how do you get to a 70 or 80-year He's got to keep working. Kind of keep running. Give me shape. You played so many snatches. You know, it's kind of surprised me that you said that. You said that. It was Joe, I'm sure. But like, you know, it's surprising to hear that from you. It's a really humbly snatch you played last year. Did that kind of take a toll on you last year? I think that you need to push it even further getting better shapes so you can play all 16, 17 games. Yeah, definitely. I got to get way better shapes than I've been. And I felt like, it was kind of like it was a joke. Of course, I needed those snatch because the years before, I wasn't really playing 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.

4:50:22One of those younger guys we're seeing right here. It's the first time he's heard all your life. What have you seen from Lill? Because, kind of, I've never felt like last year, we all forgot about him because he was hurt. Now he's running, you know, almost a second man off behind you and Ty. What have you seen in the games right now? Well, it was a workhorse. He's going to stay quiet. He's going to work hard. And that's what I love about him. He focuses. He don't really talk much. He's just going to get a job done. Do it job right. He rarely has any mistakes. What would be a successful season? A national championship? I ring when all the games were going to lose anything. We got a mindset that we can't be beat. And we just got to go show 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 the numbers. Does that feel different? Or is there really any difference? It's just the same. It's definitely a difference. Everyone working harder. We noticed our last run. Most of us don't have any years after this. So we got to go bigger, go home, and we're not trying to go home.

4:51:27Finish 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. You know what 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 of saying, you know, nobody cares. Just work harder. Like those, you know, we'll play Georgia. It's the same thing. 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 titles. Of course, as 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. As soon as you get older, you kind of learn.

4:52:31I thought I was working hard and 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 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. 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 on me. I just got to run harder. You know, shape. I 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. Just everybody's like, online, D line. We got to get those younger guys to play, you know,

4:53:36get that pieces on the D line and the online and everywhere else. So we can last that long. Speaking of that, if you like playing that many snaps again last year, I don't know if any of us were really expected to do that next time. Ah, yeah, I did. Unless we were like winning by like a lot. I thought like there are no small ms. 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 get the job done. What stands out about taking McDonald's, you got the key. You got the second. Oh, yeah, definitely. K-Mac is a K-Mac animal. Y'all, 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 a work, I think. He just has to get, you know, in the playbook and things like that. You guys are about the exact same size. It's listed. You're both listed at 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 just got to develop more and get into playbook.

4:54:38So really a lot on you, older guys. There's that 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. 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 during the all season. So they can play. And I just play, they want to contribute, like, make plays, tackle sex. Yeah, they're definitely some big dudes. And they all work hard. I've only seen much of some of the day too. I'm not a paso on, but throughout the workouts, they've been working hard. You know, they're determined to have to say that. And it looks like they're ready to work at me. There's a lot of great defenses that you have big athletic defensive tactics who can eat up space, but also move, you know, right? Is that, is that an environment maybe from a great defense to have

4:55:43guys like you that have some fault, but also a great team? I think that is definitely. I think if you look at the last couple of national championship winners, like team of Northe, you know, they got two good, uh, detaco 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 find by the defense with actors, like, what's Georgia? Jordan Davis and James Carter. Let's miss you again. It's Chris Jenkins. Cause of four questions. You know, how, I mean, you understand it because you play it, but I feel like sometimes 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, freakiest detacles. Yeah. Like in the combine, 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 it, when you think about this freakish attack, how do you think you fit into that old of that kind of

4:56:45player? We 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 through the drills. I have tape here. You're like, you're looking like my film. So I think I'm up there with all those. Do you become like an artist? You're going to spring practice. You're not doing as much a weapon. I don't know. I mean, as many as I can have, I think I have more than that, but I think he said it. I think they can count 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 quarter of that gets 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 a little bit to the left to our players.

4:57:46So, so, let's something that you really, really have to work on. You can do that with what you've been doing. It's very, that's one of the things that you've maybe worked on the most. You can bring your time here because there are a few guys that I've seen. Like, oh, that past few times. We don't have to ask this. We kind of, kind of expect it for the second. 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 like, load up. I just try to get in his way. And sometimes he just throws it to me. I mean, they get frustrated by, you know, we're a team, you know, we're just good. Big time to grow, you know, you don't have to have the, uh, the pig mentality of problem of, of instant gratification, you know, you can develop and grow. Um, so, and sometimes you may be, and behind a guy that's a really good player is nothing wrong with developing and growing and playing when your time is right. And if the time is right right now, the freshman, like, what's your main? Did you play early? You know, um, so we try to also sell that, you know, we care about

4:58:49them as people and try to prepare you for life after football. Um, so it's bigger than just football. We're going to prepare you for life. Whether it's the NFL or on with a regular career in the in the workforce. We want you to prepare. He has a young man and we try to sell that and preach to the parents. With the remain having that impact that you mentioned, pulling all these different spots, do you anticipate, you know, there wasn't a lot of rotation around the cornerbacks last year when everyone was healthy. Do you anticipate maybe growing him through the rest guys here with the longer season potentially? Yeah, we play it by ear. You know, I mean, we see how it goes by time we get in the camp, but you know, obviously he's earning his stripes. So, you know, I mean, when you earn your stripes, you know, a large opportunity for you. You know, I mean, we have to see how it goes with all the other stuff, you know, once we get closer to the season, and we're getting the game plan stuff, but he's doing a great job and he's and he's taking a great step forward. Tim, when you're the way that you build the room, the way you kind of establish your room now, it seems like it's been, like, son of pieces, kind of relationships and kind of building bonds. But I'm curious, is that something that you came in with the, like, a couple years ago,

4:59:52with the intention of doing it or is it something that you're like, it's kind of been cultivated over the course of your conscious position, both here and the guys who? No, it's been there for a while. I've been doing that for a long time. It's all about relationship. If you develop real relationship and you're authentic in your communication and you have honest feedback and you have, you know, direct teaching, the guys that have a value and character and they appreciate that stuff, they're embrace that. So, but they have to know you care and you have to know that it's real and they have to know that you're really concerned about there where it being as a young man. And when you get close to them and spend a lot of time with them off the field, you could coach them hard. And you can, you can, you can say truthful things to them and then they'll embrace it and you can have real conversation because you know the only goal is to help them get better as a young man. Yeah, it's done balanced up a little bit now. That goes with great competition. We have the,

5:00:52we go against the best receivers in college football. So that helps escalate your growth process because if you don't figure it out real fast, you're getting embarrassed. So that competition, but what happened with that, I guys start competing, I guys start growing, I guys got better and now is even up a little bit. So, where you get really good work at practice today, you know what I mean? So, it's competitive, it's fun. Those guys both on both sides of all care about each other. So, it's great competition and they all are real close. So, you know what I mean, it's that stuff that gets us better that will prepare us for Saturday. I kind of got them as I didn't kind of put the week of poll, make it for this. No, it's just, it's going to competitive, man. They got the best group in the country that you're going against every day. So, you have to bring it every day, you know what I mean? So, they, we got a great quarterback room, we got a great receiver room. The running backs are really good. So, when you out there going against them is deep. So, you have to be ready for it. And obviously, man, we seeing a lot of good stuff with, with, with, with, with, stay in Coach Kelly doing over there. And so,

5:01:55it prepares you a lot and it helps us grow. Yeah, all that's because, you know, that's where you get better. Iron Shoppers are. So, you know, you get to see that every day of practice that helps you grow. It's no better thing to go against every day than to see that on a daily basis. We just move a lot of guys around. We watch that practice. We have a lot of guys in there right now. You know, we pop out through a four different guys in there. Obviously, Lorenzo's in there, Jameen is in there. Caleb Miles, we have, we have about four or five guys moving around. Right now, we just try things out in spring ball. See what it fit. You know, see what things work together. So, there's no probably some more guys in there. You know, we move it around to try to just get the right fit throughout the N and C. How it goes by time we get really start to season. You can run any strong. You know, I mean, he's fast. Very serious about his business.

5:02:57He's big. It's 200 pounds. He can run. He's strong. He's conscientious. Now, man, he's starting to grow and he's starting to get better with it. You know, I mean, so we look for big things for him in spring. Keep competing. You know, I mean, now he's made the transition. Competing the day. You know, I mean, start going in that transition. It's all just like I mean, your main last year, you throw him in the fire. You let him go. You compete. You go by time we get out of the end of training camp. You'll be them figured out. Yeah, I want that. But now you just throw it all at him. Compete. Continue to grow. Continue to learn. He has the skill set. He has to let. Now, you just got to put it all together. And it takes time to do that. And hopefully you see that by time we get in the training camp. It seems like you're springing kind of click for your main last year and you start to see perform a little better in practice. Is that like a benchmark for where you want Aaron to be? By the middle of spring because he has to be at a certain point where you want it to start clicking. Yeah, by the time you start getting about two weeks from now, that last week, you know, because it takes time because there's a lot of stuff going on. But you know, by the time you get into that last week of spring ball, you look to start seeing the things that you look for show up. And then you

5:04:00know you get another evaluation again. We'll get in the training camp. See if this stuff carried on to make sure we go up for starting in September. What's your assessment of the growth that we've just made now that he's kind of got his defense. What do you like about him and that? He's very conscientious. He's smart. He can run. He's tough. He's made the adjustment because he's out of Europe on his belt. So now you can see he's not making a lot of mistakes. He competes. He's real conscientious. And he has a physical presence. So the growth has been really good and we look to continue that throughout spring. Coach, thank you very much. I can't ask one more. All the guys that came back like Denzel, the great example. Because that surprised you as you reflect on all these guys that came back late for the ransom that could have turned pro. No, the culture here is real. Coach, they does a great job of building the culture. Our room is close knit. The guys on defense are real close. Those guys want to come back. They have an agenda. You know, we want to come back. They want to come back and and and and and walk away with something. So it didn't shock me. But it's a good environment for

5:05:02them too. You know, I mean, that's when you see those guys come back. That's a testimony to the the culture that's set here. The brotherhood, the environment. And of course, they run the program for those who want to come back because we go at it. It's hard. It's not easy. It's not easy for what we do. So in fact, they come back and do that as a testament to how he runs the program. Thank you. Coach, thank you very much. As far as intensity, how would you evaluate your games tonight? Yeah, my goal was just to come out play as hard as I could. It was a little weird last week. For the first time in my career, playing a game that doesn't necessarily mean anything in terms of playoff contention. And I kind of had to check myself. And and this week come in with a mindset of every game matters. And and we need to put the best product out there that we came. And and that's what I try to do. Later now, it was a good question. Or you looked at the looking into your work and question,

5:06:05but you retired. You didn't seem shaken up right after you kind of just talked about what happened. Yes, Sam just tried to get on it and caught me. It was more of like a stinger and clave thing. But the ref wanted me to go to the tent. So I had to go answer some questions. How do you come out of your helmet? It was like jammed. Yeah, my neck. You are helmet. I know that you've got a sort of a different helmet. Help you. Yeah, maybe when it hits the top like that, it's not as good. But I played these guys 11 months ago kind of crushed their dreams. Do you get the sense they're kind of a different team? Or and also that they this was a very important game for them to win? I don't think they're that different. I think they've had a ton of injuries on defense, which hurts them. But the mentality of the head coach, you could see it throughout everybody. It's really a cool team. I could just see from afar that it's probably a fun team to play for.

5:07:06And they've they come out and they play to win every game and I respect that. I put so much emphasis on the ball, all meetings, takeaways. And I think you got two since the by-week. Is there any accounting for that? I mean, there's so many different things that go into a turnover or takeaway. How do you wrap your brand around? It goes into every level of the defense. When you have your opportunity, I know we had two against Stafford. That could have made, I mean, if maybe if we get those, it sparks a bunch of other ones. So you just have to make your make your plays when they're there and then just be in being the right spots. And I don't think we've done a great job of that this year. The last time I close it tonight, the soul is all pro. Did you want that matchup? Would you think about that matchup? It's good. He's a really good player and yeah, I wanted to see where I'm at against him.

5:08:10Have you ever seen anything like the Jameson Williams touchdown or his pop act to him? Have you seen something like that? I was in the tent, so I had no idea that happened. There was a play in this game in Mustafa. I'm kind of a misdirection sprinted all the way across the field to make the play. Did you see the play? I think it was the one Gibbs cut back. Yeah, I had like a 10-yard cushion and he ran by me like, I was didn't exist. And I tried to sprint and I was just like, right, don't have this. And thankfully Mustafa is a heat seeking missile and and he made the play. I mean, I think we came in with the right mindset as a team. Just myself. It felt a little like

5:09:10dead energy wise. But yeah, it was a learning moment for me to learn and make sure that I come in with the right mindset every single week. There's a lot of plays where you guys get to get the final pass breakups and it'll be like a couple plays in a row and then there's next close up aloud. What can you leave here on about the emphasis? Yeah, I mean, we did get them to the second, third and longs and then yeah, they would make a big play and you definitely want to capitalize when you back them up like that. We didn't do that tonight and that's why they scored 40 points. I'm sure, yeah, I'm sure. Oh, yeah, for sure. You had guys like Chris Carter, guys like Michael Thomas, really

5:10:20them two guys for sure. I mean, Michael Thomas was talking to me before the game or the Rose Bowl in Chris Carter and after the game as well. I mean, just them giving me advice, just tell them you keep going first and you know, just keep doing what I've been doing the whole year. I mean, I'm God's bugger, I legend. So definitely look at them guys for sure. Make sure to respect. That means a lot. Let me just take care from Miami. Just be able to play an actual championship as a freshman. Something that I've dreamed of as a kid and I'm here now and is K-rated. K can't wait to put it on show Monday. He said he can't. Oh, I mean, the tips is no like he says, man, crazy each and every week playing. But you know, can't, can't let it get to my head, I should say.

5:11:21I'm just football at the end of the day, but you know, just happy being this position. Oh, none of us think we could be covered, man, oh man. I mean, we're actually talking about this yesterday as well, but you know, I mean, that's what they do. That's what they do. I mean, we should go out there and play our game and know certain reasons why not to play, man, oh man. Two. Four. Three. One. I go fly. It's good.

5:12:33I said, you know, just go out there Monday and just dominate the person I'm confronting me. You know, just do what I've been doing for the last two to three weeks, I should say. But you know, they play man on man, so I'm just ready for the challenge. Yeah. I mean, feels good. Just say somebody going out there and playing man on man, guess Ohio State receivers is something crazy, but you know, we just ready for the challenge. They say they're not chasing the game plan, but we got to go out there and show them the reason why not to play man on man. Uh, I mean, I don't really, if I be on the cover, I'd be on the cover. It's not really a big deal to me. Um, may it definitely be a blessing for sure, just to be on the cover of a game. But, you know, it's not really a dream. It's a dream of mine, but I don't really think too much of it.

5:13:50May no not yet. Uh, probably hit me after this season. Um, no, just, no, playing in the, uh, college football playoffs as a freshman, uh, planning the Rose Bowl as a freshman, um, planning a Cardinals, not in the national championship. I mean, it's a blessing for sure, um, but I haven't hit me yet. My favorite catch, I would say we played Michigan State, um, the one I called the two defenders, definitely probably my favorite for sure. Or you could go the one from Iowa, I should say, and it is a problem too. Uh, I don't, I mean, yeah, like you said, it's pretty frustrating me having a game that I had in the Rose,

5:14:52in the Rose Bowl, and they're coming to the Cardinals, you know, just them, uh, doing different things, chasing their scheme up for, uh, against me. Um, but I mean, like you said, whatever I could do, to make the, I mean, help the team win. Uh, it's not really a big deal for me. As long as we win, that's all I really care about and it got us to the national championship. Uh, it means a lot, uh, we put a lot of work in this, uh, this season, uh, we have, how has we had loads, uh, we have people kind of out, um, but we're here now, we just ready to pull in the showroom and then. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

5:15:54Uh, first of all, there's a national championship because there were means a lot. Um, you see everything that he bent through this year, people, uh, saying to be fine and this is the third, but, uh, I mean, you see everything that he bent through this year. I mean, I seen everything I had been through this year on, see everything, people saying my him on Twitter. Um, I wasn't here, uh, he first got the head coach and job, but I know this year, for sure, we definitely got to win this for him. Uh, I mean, it's a lot, uh, a lot of people in the league, I should say, I can't really say, who, but I mean, you had guys like, oh, they're you had guys like, uh, oh, they're you have stepfather, uh, my good time is Chris Carter, just a lot of, you know, guys I played in that field and stuff like that, but yeah, really them guys for sure. Uh, no, just keep going. Um, you got it. You've not stopped for sure. Uh, really, I really

5:16:56appreciate that. So they said, uh, like, uh, physical defense, uh, like, like you said, like, people say like they like to play man, they're not changing their skin. So we're just ready for the challenge. Uh, like you said, probably the best defense week, we probably go see all year, and we just gotta be ready to go out there in the Monday and just put on the show. Um, I'm excited for will, uh, him, uh, first coming here in Ohio State, January, our first workout, we had together, uh, man, just everything that we built through this season. Um, man, I'm just happy for will for him to be in this position right now, but we got to finish the job and that's the, uh, when and now the old Monday.

5:18:05Uh, I mean, it's pretty funny. Um, them saying that because I'm, I'm just only a freshman, but, um, it's a blessing for sure. People even say that, but I got two, three more years left for callers. And I'm just focused on calls right now. I'm not really worried about the NFL right now. Uh, it's, it's very special for me. Uh, just being a freshman and playing the national stage, like a peer for national titles, something that I dreamed of as a very young kid. Um, I'm just happy to be here and I just can't wait to put on a show Monday for you guys. Yeah. Uh, I mean, all of us used to sit on the bench and we just see him hit the quarterback. Come on and we all just got up and just started jumping up and down. We all decided, uh, happy for jacking that moment and we just knew that that moment like, yeah, let's,

5:19:08we're going to the ad for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, ministers a lot, um, means, you know, going from high school or when a three-state championship, uh, Shamanama Donna, then, you know, coming to Ohio State, uh, just competing for national title right now, me just so that I picked, uh, two great schools, um, but I'm happy to be here and just came with the corner show Monday. The coolest person, um, I mean, you got a lot, I can't really say just a specific person. You got a lot of great guys, Richard and the lead, like, um, oh, Dale, you have guys like, stuff on decks.

5:20:08A lot of other players will just get cut off my mom, but really, really them two guys will show her, uh, stuff on decks. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I mean, like they say, they play man, so I mean, I'm just ready for the challenge and just get ready to go out there Monday and just no put them in the show. Thank you. You got a lot of bad luck. The vice-geno, how you gave me, um, I said, just keep golfers. Um, you, uh, he, I know the reason why I'm here. I mean, yeah, like he said, just keep golfers and just no keep the main thing and the main thing. And the best corner I've faced this year. Um, I mean, I've faced a lot of great corners. Uh, I can't really say, but yeah, I've faced a great, a lot of great corners.

5:21:11He really put a name on it. My dream occasion is, uh, turnips and cake goaps. Oh, good. Uh, I say both respect and frustration as well. Uh, but I mean, I doubt they come out there and trip it to me and they say, you stick it to whatever you're doing out here and that's playing man covers, uh, which is ready for the challenge.

5:22:14Uh, pretty good group. Uh, Christian Gary 29th, a great corner, uh, 15, uh, Lennard Moore, uh, two great guys, all right, there. Um, very physical, but you know, we all highest there at sea, but so we ready for the challenge. Yeah. I say just no understanding the defense, understanding the defense, uh, understanding the game plan, understanding what coach Kelly is trying to get done. Um, I mean, just coming in, I feel I progress from our first game gets accurate to now. Feel like I better each and every week, um, me being slowed down a lot for me. Um, but yeah, really just no understanding the differences and no understanding what they're trying to do to me for sure.

5:23:19I'm two guys. Great part of the best we go see all year for sure. Two, two, uh, physical guys, um, but you know, we're ready, we're ready for the challenge that they're coming with. And that's the play man on man. And you know, we ready to go on Monday. Yeah. Uh, I mean, environment is pretty crazy. Uh, seeing all these cameras, uh, something I never thought I'd see it there in my life, but uh, it's a blessing for sure to be in this position right now. I think we just had a prayer, prayer, uh, prayer meeting and you know, we all, they all, the, I mean, we all discussed the issues because they discussed this issue. And you know, which is one of the work, uh, I mean, not two and a half weeks. We had off before Tennessee game and we just played came out there, um, Tennessee game and we played with a chip.

5:24:21Uh, a chip on our shoulder, um, all throughout the playoffs. And we go continue to play with that chip on our shoulder in a championship on Monday. Uh, do you know how that very, uh, impactful, uh, yeah, the very impact on my career, I should say, uh, just going to his games as a, uh, very, like seven, eight years old, um, him playing Westwood, him playing for West Virginia and they play Clemson on.