Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 >> Sorry, how would you just kind of classify your comfortability right now
00:04 and your playmaking out there?
00:06 >> I mean, I pretty classified pretty high.
00:08 Coming into camp, my main focus was just to stay consistent.
00:14 This camp I'm getting put in different positions.
00:17 So really just feeling comfortable within the defense,
00:19 I feel like that's all I'm talking about right now.
00:21 >> Coach, I mentioned you as a versatile defensive back,
00:25 I've been sending multiple roles.
00:26 What goes into preparing for any given role, to have any given play?
00:31 >> Really just paying attention to me.
00:33 If coach say he gonna put me somewhere today, I'm gonna pay attention and
00:37 I'm gonna apply what I took in the meeting out on the field and I play.
00:40 I've been staying consistent with that.
00:42 >> It seems like they regularly match you up with kind of the taller wide receivers.
00:46 Makes sense, you're one of the taller corners.
00:48 How much do you embrace that challenge?
00:49 It seems like you rise to it.
00:50 >> I mean, I embrace it each and every day, especially going against Johnny.
00:55 Johnny is, to me, one of the best receivers,
00:58 if not the best receiver in college football right now.
01:00 So I take that to heart each and every day, just trying to get him better and
01:05 myself, so it really gets to me.
01:10 >> A year ago to now, where have you kind of grown the most?
01:12 Where are you more comfortable in your game?
01:16 >> Coming in, I will always call myself mature, but
01:20 I feel like I've matured even more, really just on the field.
01:23 Last year, I had to learn quick, receivers are gonna make a play on you.
01:28 Coming in from high school, you know coming in from high school,
01:30 somebody better make a play on you.
01:32 So really just learning just to have short term memory.
01:35 Playing DB is hard, and only few can do it.
01:39 If it was easy, as cliche as it sounds, everybody would do it, but
01:43 everybody can't play DB.
01:44 So really just coming in and trying to understand that somebody's gonna make
01:47 a play on you, have short term memory, like Coach Sertain always said,
01:52 this is an imperfect game played by imperfect people.
01:54 So really just trying to have that short term memory,
01:56 really just move on to the next play,
01:58 because you can't let the last one affect your presence and stuff.
02:01 >> How much of your improvement, your segment's improvement,
02:03 would you attribute to Coach Sertain with his broad?
02:06 What has he brought?
02:06 >> Yes sir, yes sir, really just everything,
02:09 just the whole focus on playing different positions.
02:12 I feel like last year, I was just really just focused on corner.
02:15 But him coming in, he's really expanded me playing a little bit of nickel and
02:19 a little bit more positions out there in the secondary.
02:24 So really just that whole mindset of being versatile on the field and
02:26 playing different spots and different positions.
02:29 But you just never know what's gonna happen in the game and
02:32 what spot you're gonna have to play at.
02:33 So I'll say that, yes sir.
02:35 >> Coach Nobel said,
02:36 I'm pretty sure you got to get all that first year defensive backs you're going to.
02:38 At some point, you're gonna play good football and play mistakes.
02:41 What have you seen from that group of newcomers?
02:44 >> Newcomers, I would say all the boys, I mean, some of them came in the summer.
02:48 So it's much harder because I feel like you have to make mistakes to learn.
02:54 And I feel like in the summer,
02:55 you really don't have that room to really make mistakes.
02:58 You're really just doing seven on or pause or stuff like that.
03:01 But I mean, Edwin Joseph, Conrad, all the boys that's coming in.
03:07 I'll say Ash coming in, I feel like they're coming along well.
03:14 Of course, I feel like you still have to make a couple more mistakes to really just
03:17 learn, go out there and be comfortable, especially with coming in the summer.
03:21 But I feel like they're tackling along well, so.
03:25 >> How is Coach Ortan's style different from maybe some of the other coaches you
03:28 had in your life?
03:30 >> I feel like he's just straight to the point.
03:33 A lot of DB coaches, they try to be pretty with it.
03:35 I feel like Coach Ortan is really just straight to the point,
03:38 straight to the technique, and all about the basics.
03:41 Cuz you can't grow if you don't have a foundation.
03:42 So I feel like with him, he lays the foundation each and
03:46 every day we work on the basis each and every day.
03:48 I feel like once you have that foundation, I feel like you can stack days and
03:51 you can grow from that.
03:52 >> I think in this past year, last season,
03:55 it seemed like you got a little bit more confident.
03:57 Is that a fair assessment?
03:58 So I guess what you're gonna do to progress throughout the year?
04:02 >> Like I said, just making mistakes, learning from it on the field.
04:05 Y'all may not know that that was a mistake, but
04:08 I feel like just taking it and learning from it.
04:11 Like I said, just applying what I learned in meetings on the field.
04:14 Just trying to stay consistent, stay confident in my book, and
04:18 really just grow from there.
04:20 >> What was it like the first time you ran against Johnny?
04:23 >> [LAUGH] The first time?
04:27 It was a learning experience, cuz just like I watched our opponent,
04:33 I watched our team go up.
04:35 >> I love you too, man.
04:37 >> But I watched Johnny each and every day, cuz I'm gonna go against him each and
04:42 every day.
04:42 So I feel like if I practice that now, then when it comes to game time,
04:46 I know the difference, what I'll be looking at in the receiver.
04:50 So but to answer your question,
04:52 I feel like when I first came here I was trying to get too physical with him.
04:56 Like he's 6'7", he's about 7 feet, so it's like he's just gonna move you.
05:00 So I mean, to me, I feel like I just had to be more patient when I'm guarding
05:04 Johnny, so yeah, to answer your question.
05:07 >> I know you're trying to have a whole bunch of confidence, but
05:08 when you line up next to him, you're like, man, he really is-
05:10 >> Yeah, yeah, I mean, of course,
05:12 every receiver that I line up against, I'm like, all right,
05:14 I'm gonna have to be on my stuff.
05:15 But when I line up against Johnny, and Johnny know I know this,
05:19 I'm gonna really have to lock in, so.
05:20 [LAUGH] >> What stands out about
05:23 Greedy's game, and what are things that you guys love about him?
05:25 I wish I could apply that, or something you admire about Greedy's game.
05:28 >> Greedy, and it's crazy you asked that, cuz we was in the weight room yesterday,
05:32 I asked him, cuz Greedy is so twitchy, he's real twitchy.
05:36 I asked him, I was like, were you born with that, or
05:38 did you have to put any work on it?
05:40 He was like, man, I ain't gonna lie to you, I was born with it.
05:42 But I mean, I feel like just his God giving gifts that God has blessed him with,
05:46 it's crazy.
05:47 And it's not like he's complacent with them, he keeps on working on it.
05:51 And that's why you see it on the field, cuz he stays consistent working in the weight
05:55 room, on the field, late nights, early mornings.
05:58 I mean, I didn't see this, so I mean, just the work he's putting,
06:00 I admire as well.
06:01 I mean, of course, I have older brothers, and I've seen them do it, but it's crazy.
06:04 But it's different when you actually have another teammate by your side that you
06:08 can actually look up to as well, so Greedy is a hard, hard, hard worker.
06:13 I'll say that, so.
06:16 >> I know you guys don't let people outside the building set expectations, but
06:19 you guys had preseason ranked eight by the coaches, the advisors.
06:22 Where is your guys' confidence level at,
06:24 where is that kinda growing from and what's it's done?
06:27 >> I mean, being ranked number eight and all that, it's cool.
06:31 But that's not gonna win us a championship.
06:34 The work we put in each and every day, I feel like we're confident in that.
06:38 And as a DB group, each and every day, we just focus on getting the ball,
06:42 owning the ball, and getting the ball back, creating takeaways,
06:46 punching at the ball, stuff like that.
06:47 Just trying to focus on the little things and not trying to look past them.
06:51 Cuz I feel like the little things is what creates your head, so
06:54 just focus on that.
06:55 And the outside expectation is cool, but we know what we have to accomplish and
07:00 we know what we have to do to accomplish that.
07:02 So I feel like that's all that matters.
07:05 >> What are you guys capable of?
07:06 >> Capable of anything.
07:09 I feel like there is no limit.
07:11 Our only limit and our only opponent is ourselves.
07:15 I feel like we can only stop ourselves.
07:17 Like I said, putting in the work each and every day.
07:19 >> Thanks.