How new faces up front on defense are fitting in with one of the projected starters and what Arkansas Razorbacks' quarterback thought about first live scrimmage.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Hey, KJ, one of the first things Sam just told us was
00:02 didn't have a lot of time to pass today.
00:04 Just maybe what you thought of the first offense today.
00:09 I thought we just came out really slow
00:11 when we started today.
00:13 So going into the week, next week,
00:16 I mean, that's going to be a big emphasis for us
00:17 to start fast,
00:19 being able to get out on the field and move the ball
00:21 and get some momentum going early.
00:22 So that's, I mean, that's the main thing.
00:25 Yeah, Cam, flip side of that was he said
00:27 the D-line was really good today.
00:28 Could you maybe talk about what you saw out of the front today?
00:32 Okay, I can say, like, all of us,
00:33 we was hungry as a whole.
00:35 You can tell that the chemistry is really there.
00:37 We all played together.
00:38 It was all one, all on one accord.
00:41 And basically, we just gave a preview
00:42 of how it was going to be this season.
00:45 KJ, a lot of people have been talking about the D-line.
00:48 Are you feeling them a little bit more
00:50 maybe than you did last year, just in practice?
00:52 You feel them pocket a little tighter?
00:54 No, of course.
00:56 Each and every day, they've gotten better.
00:59 Our coaches have put together a great plan for those guys
01:01 to be able to free those guys up
01:03 and let them get a lot of one-on-one blocks going on.
01:05 So, I mean, those guys are just, like you said,
01:07 I mean, the chemistry is good with those guys.
01:09 They work their tails off and it's showing.
01:13 Cam, what's your impression on the offensive line?
01:16 You obviously working against Braun,
01:18 Song, and Lemmer and Latham.
01:21 What are they doing well that's challenging you?
01:23 Well, I can say, like, every practice is a competition.
01:27 We treat every practice like a game.
01:29 And the offensive line, man, they give it to us
01:30 every practice.
01:32 Like, Coach Pitt has a saying that, you know,
01:34 the other guy in front of you is on scholarship, too.
01:36 And I can tell you now that they're front five.
01:38 Their mommas don't never have to pay a word about college.
01:41 So, yeah, they give us a run for our money every day.
01:43 And we just get better as a whole.
01:45 You know, iron sharp as iron.
01:47 KJ, we heard that Dominique Johnson had a good day,
01:49 a couple big runs.
01:50 What did you see from him today?
01:52 Just confident.
01:54 He was really confident in his knee.
01:55 Just seeing him come back and be able to just produce
01:58 the way he did within the past game
02:01 and running the ball as well.
02:02 So it's great to have him back and on full go
02:06 and to show that he has a lot of confidence in the team.
02:08 And also, we keep hearing that Isaac Kislau
02:11 is, you know, catching a lot of tough balls.
02:13 What have you seen from him, and how's that connection
02:15 between you and him going?
02:17 It's going really good.
02:18 I mean, a guy like Isaac, really strong hands.
02:21 When the ball's in the air, I mean,
02:23 he treated it as it's his ball.
02:25 I mean, it's 100 percent his.
02:27 So, I mean, having a guy like that on the outside
02:29 and inside some, too, I mean,
02:30 just being able to put the ball in tight areas
02:32 and knowing that he'll come up with catches are pretty amazing.
02:36 Maybe both of you guys can take this.
02:37 But Sam said Jeff Coats is a guy
02:39 that maybe flashed a little bit today.
02:41 Just what's his skill set?
02:43 KJ, have you had any runs with him?
02:48 Well, I can tell you one thing about Tree, man.
02:50 Tree is a hard worker.
02:52 Tree is mainly -- he's good in both run and pass.
02:56 Tree comes off the edge, and he's flying, man.
02:57 So I can tell you, Tree, he's one heck of a player,
02:59 most definitely.
03:01 Well, like Cam said, I mean, he comes off the edge.
03:04 Really, he's flying to the ball.
03:05 I mean, he got a nose for the ball, run and pass.
03:08 Great guy.
03:10 Like he said, he's a hard-working guy.
03:11 I mean, nothing -- it's always a competition with him.
03:14 He's self-motivated a lot of times,
03:17 and having a guy like him on the edge is really a problem.
03:20 KJ, when Dan was here before,
03:25 he used to tight end probably more than Kendra did.
03:28 What have you seen catching the ball from the tight ends?
03:31 You like what you've seen from that?
03:33 I have. I mean, those guys, I mean,
03:34 being able to have offense in a system
03:37 where we have rules and boundaries
03:40 and also giving the tight ends a little freedom
03:42 to work some moves
03:44 and showcase their skill level and their talent.
03:46 So, I mean, in this offense, they've done a great job
03:49 of taking it on and being able to come out
03:51 each and every day at practice and work those moves
03:54 and freeing up, creating mixed matches as well.
03:56 So just having an offense like this, it frees those guys up.
04:00 Before I ask you, if Marquise looks like someone
04:04 who plays college football, but see, how's his hands?
04:06 Is he catching the ball pretty well out there?
04:08 He is. I mean, he has really big hands and strong hands as well.
04:13 On the defensive tackle rotation inside,
04:17 how do you feel like the competition
04:19 making everybody better there?
04:21 Yeah, most definitely. It's a competition.
04:22 We're competing every day for the defensive tackle spot.
04:25 I feel like right now we have a good three deep.
04:28 We can rotate a lot.
04:30 And no matter who's on the field,
04:31 we both -- both groups, all three of them,
04:34 we both are specialists in pass and run.
04:37 So we can handle both.
04:39 AJ, what stood out to you
04:42 when you think about the secondary today,
04:44 guys that maybe made some tight places
04:47 for you to grow the football and everything?
04:49 I mean, it's like that each and every day
04:50 we come out to practice.
04:52 I mean, those guys are always playing their hearts out,
04:55 competing at a very high level.
04:57 With our guys on the offensive side of the ball,
04:58 there's always iron sharpening iron,
05:00 which is going to help us and help grow --
05:03 help us grow in some areas that we might see in the season.
05:06 But it's man-to-man coverage
05:07 and different things of that nature.
05:08 So it's always iron sharpening iron
05:10 each and every day at practice.
05:11 So, I mean, I love to see that from the secondary.
05:14 The offensive side, Tesla has been mentioned,
05:18 but what's it like right now having to work with --
05:20 it seems like there's a lot of receivers and tight ends
05:22 that are trying to snap some --
05:24 you know, what's it like for you trying to figure out
05:26 who's going to be kind of the go-to targets
05:28 right now before we head into the season?
05:31 I mean, right now, I mean, we're on day eight.
05:34 So it's kind of hard to say who's going to be the go-to guy.
05:37 Right now, I mean, all those guys
05:38 are competing at a very high level.
05:40 They're taking it each and every day personal
05:43 to go out there and be the best they can be that day.
05:46 So, I mean, it's kind of hard to say
05:47 who will be a go-to receiver right now with tight ends.
05:51 Yeah, I heard Sam say this, right, that there was --
05:54 obviously, you guys don't get hit the quarterback stump.
05:56 There was a play where I guess you were scrambling.
05:59 He called it bad, and you were a little upset and said,
06:02 "Well, I would have been tackled."
06:04 And he said it probably wouldn't have happened in the game.
06:06 I just wonder what you learned about that.
06:08 I knew he was going to blow it dead.
06:10 So, I mean, me and him always joking
06:12 about those situations, those scenarios.
06:14 So I knew he was going to do it.
06:16 We was down there ready. I knew he was going to end up doing it.
06:18 So we just laughed it off and got back to the next play.
06:22 Daniel, we're trying to deke Adams in here.
06:24 You were here yesterday.
06:25 I get mixed up on which day it was.
06:27 But, Joe, he's the first D-line coach in a while here.
06:29 He's been back for a second year.
06:31 Lorraine was saying that was real important to him
06:33 because he's had a lot of different position guys.
06:35 I know you're not quite as old.
06:36 But what do you think about Coach Adams
06:38 and what he does well and having him back?
06:41 Man, Coach Adams, he's a very good coach.
06:43 I can say this is my third year being here.
06:46 So my first year, I had a different one.
06:48 So he's a returner for my second year here.
06:50 And Coach Adams has developed me a lot.
06:53 He's made me a better player all around.
06:54 And most important, made me a better person.
06:58 And being, I guess, 3 p.m. kickoff,
07:00 sitting here today, the depth you've talked about
07:03 and other guys have talked about that, too.
07:04 How important is that for the D-line
07:06 and to have some good depth
07:08 once you're probably going to be playing in the heat of the day?
07:11 Oh, it's going to be very important
07:12 because, you know, with the heat and stuff,
07:14 we can stay fresh because we have the ability
07:16 and opportunity to rotate and everyone can stay fresh.
07:21 Tiger, when you come in here,
07:22 a lot of times you're kind of business.
07:24 I see you out on the field and you're joking with people
07:27 and kind of riling people up and stuff.
07:28 Is that something that you kind of feel like
07:31 you need to turn on when you're out there?
07:32 Like, what's your way that you lead this team?
07:35 Is that something you consciously think of?
07:38 I don't think about it.
07:39 I mean, it's just me. I'm just being me.
07:40 I mean, I'm in my element when I'm out there.
07:42 So guys feed off my energy and my mentality
07:46 and my approach and my preparation.
07:47 So I'm just being me at the end of the day.
07:50 And with Rashad Dubinian, Coach,
07:52 you talked about him really starting to turn it up.
07:54 What have you seen from him as the biggest improvement
07:56 last year to where he is right now?
07:58 Rashad, I mean, he's a special athlete.
08:02 I mean, he can do it all.
08:03 And also just the way he's - his preparation,
08:06 the way he's approached this camp,
08:08 he's taking a lot of reps more serious,
08:10 taking everything more serious.
08:12 Each and every day he come out,
08:13 there's some competition in their running back room as well.
08:15 So, iron sharpening iron in their room.
08:17 They all want to see each other get better.
08:18 So, they are just pushing each other in their room.
08:21 So, just to their full potential.
08:23 So, he's doing a really good job so far.
08:25 Cam, we were talking about you the other day,
08:28 and Torium saying you can basically do it
08:30 a lot of different ways, power, finesse.
08:34 When it comes to, like, you know, clubbing people
08:36 and, you know, just doing all different things like that,
08:38 how much emphasis do you put on that,
08:40 like in the offseason and, you know,
08:42 watching NFL guys, things of that nature?
08:44 Right. So, I put a huge emphasis on it
08:46 because I know last year, like I said before,
08:49 I've solidified myself mainly in the run game.
08:52 And I knew that this season, if I wanted to take the next step
08:54 and be where I want to be, I have to work on my pass rush.
08:57 And that's mainly all I focused on this past offseason,
09:00 working with different trainers,
09:02 watching different NFL players,
09:04 and just mainly getting more tools in my toolbox.