Arkansas Razorbacks offensive line coach Cody Kennedy with the media after Tuesday morning's practice.
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00:00 You guys have had pretty much the same
00:01 starting five offensive linemen
00:03 from the last five or so practices in the spring.
00:05 I know competition keeps on going,
00:06 but do you feel pretty confident in this group right now?
00:08 Yeah. You know, outside of what you see in practice,
00:13 there's also some combo periods where, you know,
00:16 Marty Wiggins has ran with the ones,
00:17 Tacky Strofford ran with the ones,
00:19 E. Harris, Chambly's with the ones.
00:21 So we're getting a good mix of guys to kind of build --
00:25 build that confidence among the group
00:27 because, obviously, you know, as you know,
00:29 you don't control when somebody goes down.
00:31 If they haven't been put in that situation,
00:33 their confidence is also going to be impacted.
00:35 So those drills kind of later in practice
00:38 are a time for us to utilize those different combinations,
00:41 especially along the offensive line, right,
00:43 because you got trust among the five guys
00:45 that are out there that you work next to every day,
00:47 but you want to fight against the drop-offs
00:49 when you sub a guy in, all right,
00:51 or a mishap happens in the game, something along those lines.
00:54 You want that player coming in to have that same level
00:57 of confidence of working with those five.
00:58 So I think we do a really, really good job.
01:00 Coach Pittman does a good job with emphasis on those periods
01:03 of, man, every day might not be great.
01:05 You might lose somebody. What's your next guy up?
01:08 What's your next combination?
01:10 And that's really good for us,
01:12 and it's really good for the players as well
01:14 to have that confidence among the group.
01:18 But what are your thoughts on his progress from spring to now?
01:21 I know he's put on a lot of weight, too, since the spring,
01:24 but his progress and what kind of ceiling does he have?
01:27 Does he have potential to be great?
01:29 Yes, that's a good word.
01:31 Now, he's got to work for it, and he's well on his way.
01:35 His first, you know, seven practices right there,
01:38 compared to the spring, I mean, we're talking about a guy
01:42 that's worked to get to that point
01:45 and put a lot of things off the field to get to that point,
01:48 and it showed.
01:49 Really, really impressive.
01:50 We're looking forward to getting him back this week
01:53 to, you know, provide even more depth on the edge,
01:55 but, you know, that kid came in
01:57 and was really, really raw, right, when he got here.
02:01 And obviously, I mean, it was at 490.
02:03 I mean, he can say 390 if he wants to,
02:06 but it might turn over to 4 on the scale
02:08 when he first got here.
02:09 And it's kind of retooled his body,
02:11 reshaped his body, able to create power.
02:14 I'm really, really proud of him.
02:15 I'm excited for him to get back out there
02:17 and get rolling and continue on that level of progression
02:21 because it really, you know, he's had a really,
02:23 really good start to the camp.
02:25 And, you know, like you say, as a coach,
02:29 provide a lot of confidence when you get a guy
02:31 that has the potential to be great like that
02:33 if he continues on the trajectory he's on.
02:37 Paul, Ta'Keis Crawford moved out to tackle today,
02:40 Harris to guard.
02:41 Do you see those guys as, like,
02:43 interchangeable guard and tackle,
02:44 or do you like one of them at a specific spot?
02:47 I do. I think they're flex guys.
02:49 I think it's good for Ta'Keis to get out there
02:51 and feel what it's like because it's a different --
02:53 it's a different feel of the game, right,
02:55 going from tackle to guard.
02:56 I think sometimes people under-emphasize
02:58 the big change that has,
03:00 and the ability for a guy to do that,
03:03 you've got to play those guys in those roles
03:05 so they have confidence within that role.
03:07 But, yes, I see them as interchangeable.
03:09 They've both been taking guard reps.
03:11 They've both been taking tackle reps.
03:13 Their one reps have been my majority
03:16 with guard usage up there with the ones.
03:20 But, yeah, with that two group, they're kind of interchangeable.
03:23 They're right guard and right tackle.
03:24 And they've done a really, really good job.
03:26 Like you said, today was the first day
03:28 really Ty bumped out the tackle there
03:30 and let E get in the guard.
03:31 But it's kind of a pickup from the bowl game there.
03:35 You had Ty starting at right guard.
03:37 He goes down and E Harris fills in right there
03:39 at right guard with the one.
03:40 So continuing with that trend from the offseason.
03:46 Manuel, we know that, you know,
03:47 he's been sent out a little bit,
03:48 Chambly, at left tackle.
03:50 Do you feel confident in him,
03:51 or maybe, you know, if Manuel wasn't good to go,
03:53 would you move someone else out to left tackle?
03:55 All honesty, after the three practices he's been there,
03:59 I feel exponentially more confident than Andrew Chambly.
04:02 He's done a really, really good job filling that role.
04:05 But, you know, that goes to, you know,
04:07 hats off to the D-line and those guys, too.
04:09 He can't make the mistakes he makes with the twos,
04:12 with the ones, and it flies.
04:14 You know what I'm saying? There's a level of error there
04:16 when you get up to the ones where, you know,
04:19 you can't get by.
04:21 You know, there's some things that your athletic ability
04:23 can take over when you're a little bit more athletic
04:25 than the guy, but when everything's even,
04:27 you've got to trust on your training
04:29 and trust your technique.
04:30 And he's learned that lesson going up there
04:32 with the ones, playing next to guys like Brady and Bo
04:35 and seeing how they handle their business
04:37 and how he kind of has to transform into that,
04:40 all right, and step up to that level.
04:42 He's doing a really, really good job in there
04:44 filling that void while Dev's not.
04:46 And going after the spot, you know,
04:48 that's the conversation we had is, you know,
04:50 you go in there and you perform at an elite level,
04:53 might not have to give it back, you know?
04:55 So that's the thing for him that he's doing really,
04:58 he's done a good job transforming his body as well
05:02 as far as in the weight room,
05:03 being able to handle power rushes
05:05 and utilize his hands better.
05:07 Those are things he's working on.
05:09 He's playing strong with his hands
05:10 and obviously with the frame he has playing long,
05:13 that's one big thing we talk about with his strike
05:16 and his hand usage is being able to play long
05:18 and utilize that frame that he does have.
05:22 What have you seen from Bron?
05:24 I mean, Kyle as an experienced newcomer,
05:27 in what ways has he kind of helped the unit?
05:29 Yeah, I think there's give and take with that, right?
05:32 He played snaps at Florida into a new system,
05:35 new verbiage, things like that.
05:36 He's going to have a little bit of picking up to that pace
05:40 as far as the coaching and the system we have.
05:44 But he's done a really, really good job
05:45 providing leadership along with Bo and Brady,
05:48 kind of being a guy that's been in the fire of SEC play,
05:53 which always brings you some comfort as a coach.
05:55 He knows how you have to prepare in this league
05:58 because he's done it.
06:00 And that provides something along the interior
06:03 that's only going to help you.
06:04 And he's done a really, really good job
06:06 taking a hold of the playbook, learning it
06:09 and coming into our system and providing value.
06:14 Feeling too much scheme,
06:16 what's kind of the biggest difference
06:17 going from last year to a Danny Nose offense
06:20 as an offensive line?
06:21 I think without giving away too many things a lot,
06:26 I mean, there's a big change
06:29 within the run game of tight end utilization.
06:32 There's a big change within the multitude
06:35 of protections we use, okay?
06:38 And I would say the formations,
06:43 have changed drastically with utilizing two tight ends
06:46 and things like that.
06:47 And everybody kind of asked me,
06:50 well, are you going pro style?
06:52 Well, did you watch the Super Bowl?
06:54 You had the Chiefs and the Eagles.
06:55 If that's pro style, then yes.
06:57 So pro style has kind of shifted along the years.
07:01 And I think it's really enjoyable for our guys
07:05 to turn on and watch NFL tape and be like,
07:07 oh, that's so-and-so protection.
07:09 That's, oh, that's this run.
07:11 It's very equitable to that.
07:13 (coughing)
07:15 - Washington was in here yesterday.
07:16 He said he likes playing next to Kudas.
07:18 He's doing things like an 18 or 19 year old
07:21 normally doesn't do.
07:22 Like what's the ceiling for Kudas?
07:24 How's his fan rating?
07:26 - Excuse me, man.
07:27 Kudas' ceiling is also extremely high.
07:30 You know, obviously him coming in here,
07:33 he's still a young kid, kid, a young man, all right?
07:37 Age-wise, but his weight room numbers
07:42 and things like that, his strength,
07:44 he is very, very gifted in that neighborhood, all right?
07:47 He's gonna squat over 600 pounds,
07:50 very, very strong on bench press, things like that.
07:53 His movement patterns, he's a smooth mover.
07:56 I think the best thing for him in this camp
07:58 is he's going up against SEC caliber defensive ends, okay?
08:03 Because at times you wonder in practice,
08:05 maybe you're going through it and you're like,
08:07 well, would that hold up
08:10 against top tier SEC competition?
08:13 I think that's the biggest thing for him.
08:14 It's kind of the same thing we touched on with Chambly
08:17 is he's having to raise his game.
08:19 You know, with lower level guys,
08:21 he can kind of get by on athletic ability
08:23 and things like that.
08:24 But now any chink in the armor is gonna show
08:27 versus top tier talent.
08:30 And I think that's what he's working through
08:31 and he's finding out, you know,
08:33 his whole life has been very, very gifted.
08:35 And now he has to hone in on his technique
08:38 and clean up some things there.
08:39 But yeah, he does some things that are very uncanny
08:43 for young players as far as the shrink category
08:46 and things like that.
08:47 And only continuing to get better
08:49 as he learns more in the game
08:51 and gains more confidence out there on the edge.
08:53 - Total ember, getting transition center,
08:58 getting smoother and smoother there.
09:01 - Yeah, I think it's very, very smooth right now.
09:04 You know, he's learning how to set protections.
09:10 And not just any, a multitude of protections, right?
09:13 And how to set runs and spot runs,
09:15 very similar to what they do on Sundays.
09:18 So that's huge for his development.
09:20 And, goodness.
09:23 He's done a really good job transitioning the center.
09:30 Obviously it happened in the bowl game there
09:32 versus Kansas, step in and did a good job.
09:34 And then the change within an offensive system
09:37 provided him a chance to kind of deep dive
09:40 into that playbook and learn those things there.
09:44 - Three seasons should be, but Coach Pittman
09:48 has talked about how that move will help Bo next level.
09:53 Do you feel the same way about, you know,
09:55 getting center guard, Bo combo there?
09:58 - 100%. I think when scouts come in and we,
10:00 I mean, we have scouts at practice every,
10:02 it feels like every day and a multitude of them.
10:04 And that's kind of the thing they ask
10:07 among the interior guys is, can he snap?
10:09 That's kind of the first question they're going to ask.
10:11 Can he snap or has he played tactile?
10:13 They're going to go in one flex position.
10:14 'Cause obviously in the NFL, you're going to take,
10:16 you know, maybe eight, nine on the roster there on the 52.
10:19 And you got to have flex players
10:22 that are able to cover different positions.
10:23 So I think that's huge for him and his development
10:26 towards, you know, his ultimate goal,
10:28 his individual goal to go and play at that level.
10:31 So I think it's really good for him.
10:33 He's speaking the lingo now.
10:35 He's able to, I feel like if he goes in
10:38 with an organization, he's going to be able
10:40 to seamlessly transition to their playbook
10:42 and how they, you know, spot runs and spot protections
10:45 and things like that.
10:46 So I really think it's evolved his game.
10:49 - Ruth from Saturday.
10:53 - Yeah, I think at times protection wise,
10:58 we've got a multitude of protections that are new
11:02 and building confidence within those protections
11:05 versus live fire defense.
11:06 I think you've got to work at that
11:08 and you've got to put yourself in those situations
11:10 that are hard situations, right?
11:12 And luckily for us, we're not doing it against guys
11:16 that let you get by halfway doing it.
11:18 You know what I'm saying?
11:19 That defensive line is humming now, right?
11:22 And executing those protections on a board
11:26 and knowing who you got to get to
11:28 and doing it in live action are two different things.
11:30 So we've got to be better in that regard, okay?
11:33 And we talk a lot about making the conscious decision
11:37 to go finish, you know?
11:40 I think there's a time and there's a point in every block
11:43 where you may be in a bad position
11:45 or out of position a little bit,
11:47 and you've got to have the mental toughness
11:49 to make the decision to go get to your fit, right?
11:53 To go get there.
11:54 And I think that's things, you know,
11:55 I just talked to the guys about,
11:57 hey, we've got to make the conscious effort every play
11:59 to finish in our fit where we need to be
12:02 that can help this run, that can help this protection.
12:05 And I think we've got to tighten that up a little bit.
12:09 But, you know, I think for scrimmage,
12:11 you're going to have a lot of things
12:12 that you need to clean up.
12:14 And those are just two things kind of we talked about
12:17 that are goals for scrimmage too there.
12:19 And, you know, that's kind of it.
12:22 - You've referenced several times the top tier talents
12:26 that you're practicing against.
12:28 Who has flashed you?
12:29 Who in particular over there?
12:31 - There's a lot of flashes over there, right?
12:33 I mean, you got to see the roster,
12:34 you got to see who we brought in.
12:36 You know, Trajan Jeffcoat is a real,
12:39 real loud dude over there.
12:41 He's an SEC caliber guy
12:43 that is going to give these tackles.
12:46 You're not going to have to worry
12:48 that they're prepared to go into SEC play,
12:50 going against them off the edge.
12:51 And then, you know, you look over to the other side,
12:53 you got the Landon Jackson of the world,
12:55 you got the John Morton.
12:56 You got guys on both sides
12:59 who don't let you get away with poor technique, right?
13:04 They're going to exploit it.
13:05 So those guys along the edge, you know,
13:08 the newcomers inside,
13:09 Keebee, all right, has flashed the past couple practices
13:14 inside doing a really, really good job.
13:17 Tank Booker's doing a, doing,
13:19 I mean, those guys are big guys, right?
13:21 They're very large humans in there in the middle,
13:23 very on par with what we're going to see on Saturdays.
13:27 And then you got TC, you got Campbell,
13:31 you can go pretty deep over there.
13:34 So we're really, I mean, you have to,
13:39 every play, whether ones or twos,
13:41 you have to rise to the occasion.
13:43 You cannot just get by.
13:44 You have to be on your A game,
13:46 or they're going to exploit you.
13:48 And I think that's a true benefit
13:50 to have those guys wearing red,
13:52 'cause you're not worried as an offensive line catch man,
13:55 are we getting our real life SEC look.
13:59 There's no doubt about that.
14:01 - I wanted to ask about a couple of the younger guys
14:04 I've seen they're getting some food and three reps.
14:06 Luke Brown, I know he missed the spring.
14:08 How's he doing?
14:10 - Yeah, coming in and doing really well.
14:12 We put him at tackle, we flexed him in the guard today,
14:15 just trying to find his niche where he fits in.
14:18 As far as tackle or guard,
14:20 obviously played tackle in high school,
14:22 moved him in the guard, really big, powerful kid.
14:25 His learning curve is going to be
14:29 within the pass protection, right?
14:31 Pass sets and things like that.
14:32 He knows that he's got to get better at it
14:35 with those techniques,
14:37 but doing a really good job hopping in there.
14:40 The other young cats, Parrish Patterson,
14:43 doing a good job at that left guard spot.
14:45 Growing, growing within the game,
14:48 understanding that offensive line
14:50 is not just smashing someone straight down the field.
14:54 Learning the angles he's got to take,
14:56 learning the techniques he's got to pull with,
14:58 where his eyes need to be, things like that,
15:00 that you just go through the rolodex of things
15:02 as offensive line play to become a complete player.
15:05 That's what he's learning more of.
15:07 And those are the two young guys
15:10 that are active rolling right now.
15:11 And then Aaron Smith has stepped up,
15:14 the younger freshman from Conway,
15:18 doing a good job out there at tackle,
15:20 against plug and play reps across the board there.
15:23 So he's done a really, really good job here in Kent.
15:26 - And Lewis on that line had three power five signings.
15:30 What was it like going in there and recruiting?
15:31 I imagine it was pretty crazy.
15:33 - Yeah, it's not just on the O-line either.
15:36 That's a really good program.
15:37 You know, I don't know how far I can go
15:40 into all that stuff, but it's, yeah,
15:43 it was really good experience to meet Parrish
15:46 throughout the recruiting process and go through that.
15:50 - On the topic of recruiting,
15:53 how much has things changed for you as a recruiter?
15:56 I mean, it used to just be about
15:57 building relationships, right?
15:58 But things have changed a lot.
16:00 How have you adjusted to that?
16:02 - I think it's a wholesale change, right?
16:04 I mean, there's a lot of factors
16:05 that go into recruiting now,
16:07 outside of relationships and things like that.
16:09 You know, I won't get up here and make a stance
16:12 or anything like that.
16:13 It's just, it's a wholesale.
16:15 There's a lot of factors at play in the recruiting
16:17 that have changed the game, have shifted the game.
16:22 And you've got to be prepared for that
16:24 and know how to navigate it.
16:26 I do think relationships still play a big role in it.
16:31 There's just some other things outside of it
16:34 that, you know, it's changed a lot.
16:36 The whole game's changed, right?
16:38 I mean, there's a lot of things within that.
16:40 And, you know, obviously, media and guys cover it,
16:44 but it's a big change up.
16:46 - Where can you transfer people?
16:49 - I think it's like the coupling of the NIL
16:54 and the transfer portal
16:56 that has caused for the wholesale change, you know?
17:00 Because I think back in the day
17:03 when the transfer portal wasn't here,
17:05 you know, you had, there wasn't a threat of guys,
17:08 you know, hopping in it and things like that.
17:10 It's just, you got to adjust, right?
17:13 I mean, you know, I used to have a old coach say,
17:15 you know, the dinosaurs die.
17:16 You got to evolve, you know what I'm saying?
17:18 You got to evolve with the game.
17:19 Like, you got to do what's right
17:21 and do what you think's going to work in those situations.
17:25 And everybody's learning, right?
17:26 It's a huge learning curve with this whole thing
17:28 because it's uncharted territory, right?
17:31 We're the first crew to go through
17:33 the coupling of transfer portal and NIL.
17:35 So you're trying to navigate these things
17:37 and make the right choices,
17:39 but there's no how-to on it yet, you know?
17:42 There's no book for dummies on how you do it
17:46 and how you navigate it.
17:47 So you're living it.
17:49 It's a constant learning process.
17:50 - Coach, I think you said Amore Wiggins
17:53 was running with the ones a little bit.
17:55 Is that, I'm assuming that was at guard?
17:58 - Actually, it was center in the combos.
18:01 You know, he went up there with the center,
18:03 playing the first center spot right there.
18:05 You know, later in camp,
18:06 maybe it will be with the guard combos.
18:08 We'll see how it progresses.
18:09 But he's doing a really good job adjusting.
18:12 As far as playbook and things like that,
18:14 not having really a spring and coming in
18:18 and having to grasp it through OTAs in the summer
18:20 and things like that,
18:21 he's done a really, really good job.
18:23 He's a quieter, really mild-mannered guy
18:26 that can take control when he's learning every day.
18:29 And I think just adjusting to, you know,
18:32 the top tier talent and things like that,
18:34 you know, have been good for him.
18:35 He's stepping up.
18:36 - Last one, Josh Street, I guess, got put on scholarship.
18:40 What do you think about that?
18:41 - Yeah, man, I was a walk-on, right?
18:45 And I got put on scholarship.
18:47 It was the best day of my football career, right?
18:51 You work, you bust your tail, you do what you gotta do.
18:53 You show up every day,
18:55 and really, you get no reward, all right?
18:58 You're busting your tail every day, every day, every day,
19:00 doing what you need to do, showing up on time,
19:03 executing things in practice.
19:05 And really, you're doing it for the love of the game, right?
19:07 And then you hit a moment
19:09 where you get put on scholarship.
19:11 And man, that's something he can tell his kids.
19:14 That's something he can carry with you throughout life,
19:17 that if you work hard for something,
19:19 people will notice, and you'll get rewarded for it.
19:23 And, you know, go chase your dreams, man.
19:25 You know, go chase your dreams,
19:26 and everybody's gonna tell you,
19:29 "Hey, man, that might not work out.
19:30 "You can't do this.
19:32 "Man, that's too much."
19:34 If you go work, and you consistently do everything
19:37 you need to do to your highest level, all right,
19:39 eventually people will start falling off,
19:41 and you'll be the guy hanging on, you know?
19:43 And just, you know, I get on a soapbox with it.
19:46 That means a lot to me, man, all right?
19:48 Value and hard work, and that kid, he's done it.
19:52 He's utilized on special teams units,
19:55 utilized with O-line depth,
19:56 and he's done a really, really good job
19:58 coming into our program.
19:59 It's awesome to see guys take that path
20:03 and bust their tail and get it done.