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SportsTranscript
00:00 Good morning, everybody.
00:03 Really pleased with what I saw this morning.
00:04 Went about an hour and a half.
00:07 Got, I think, roughly 90, 95 snaps.
00:11 Counting some of the special teams work.
00:13 Probably 80 to 85 offense and defensively.
00:18 Everybody got a chance to participate today.
00:21 I thought it was a good second scrimmage.
00:23 Offense came out, really did well there early.
00:28 Had some different situations, two-minute drive.
00:33 Tried to create some things I wanted to make sure we saw.
00:36 Two-minute situation, red zone, offense series.
00:41 Worked some two-point play situations
00:43 and then went out and just played ball.
00:47 And tried to take the situations as they came.
00:51 I thought our guys competed.
00:52 Jordan did an outstanding job today in his work.
00:58 I think Johnny, Keon, Jaheim,
01:02 I think all guys showed up with scores
01:05 at some point throughout today.
01:07 I thought there were some good runs.
01:09 I thought the defensive line was impactful
01:11 in creating some pressure on the quarterback.
01:15 You saw guys flying around.
01:16 There was a few missed tackles that we got to clean up.
01:19 But I know we created a takeaway or two,
01:24 something we want to do.
01:25 I think Greedy Vance got an interception,
01:28 which was a really good play on his behalf.
01:33 But all in all, I thought it was a really good work day for us.
01:36 Our guys have competed hard through 15 practices.
01:39 And we still have kind of a modified day
01:43 that's going to show up on Wednesday
01:45 as we continue to work and establish
01:48 what it's going to look like as we get into our LSU prep.
01:51 But I think this film and just the way our guys competed
01:56 is really going to help put some guys in position
01:59 to be able to help us and emerge in bigger roles.
02:02 And like I told the team,
02:04 there's some guys that have played a lot of football
02:05 that got to work and you got to go get better.
02:11 You can be passed by.
02:14 I really like our depth.
02:15 I like just the competitiveness within each room.
02:20 But as we're getting closer, every day counts,
02:24 every rep counts.
02:26 And we get a couple days off,
02:30 let our bodies heal up a little bit.
02:33 Like I said, our guys have been pushing at a very high level.
02:36 So I'll give them - tomorrow will be off.
02:37 We're going to be meetings on Tuesday.
02:40 And then we come back to work there on Wednesday
02:42 as we prep to get into game week the following Sunday.
02:48 But all in all, really pleased with the guys.
02:50 No major injuries that showed up today,
02:53 which is something that second scrimmage
02:55 you're always concerned, I guess, about.
02:59 But I thought our guys went and played.
03:02 Jared was impactful early.
03:05 I thought that Tatum Bethune, he's been limited a little bit.
03:08 He really flew around.
03:09 You saw his - you see his presence back there.
03:14 Kaitlin DeLoach, I thought did some good things.
03:17 But it was definitely fun seeing guys fly around.
03:22 All right, first question will be Chris Neal from OS247.
03:26 Morning, Mike.
03:27 On the offensive line, through 15 practices,
03:30 and especially today, how do you feel about that group
03:32 that you feel like is emerging as your first five up?
03:34 Well, you know, I mean, I feel really good.
03:37 And you mentioned the first five up.
03:39 I mean, I think we have eight guys
03:40 that have put themselves in a position
03:44 that I think these guys we can go win with.
03:47 And there's still some moving pieces.
03:49 There's still some things that we're going to look at.
03:52 I feel like there's a couple guys below that
03:54 that can play themselves up into expanding that group.
03:57 But I thought, especially early on today,
04:01 I mean, I thought that group was really good.
04:03 You know, we limited some guys.
04:06 Maurice didn't get a ton of work today.
04:08 You know, him and Casey were probably the first two
04:13 that we pulled after however many reps,
04:16 20 reps or so.
04:18 And those guys have looked really good.
04:20 You know, Jeremiah Byers, you know,
04:21 love what I'm seeing from him.
04:23 You know, Rob Scott, Bless Harris.
04:24 I mean, it's an impressive group.
04:27 You know, obviously we got Meech,
04:28 and I can go through most of those guys.
04:30 But I really like the way they work together,
04:33 even when they're being moved
04:35 and put in different positions,
04:38 because that's part of the game.
04:39 And, you know, Darius Washington,
04:41 I think he's playing his best ball since he's been here.
04:44 And, you know, he played some center today.
04:46 You know, obviously we all know the versatility he brings.
04:48 But, you know, I thought he did a really nice job.
04:53 Next will be Irish Huffel from War Champ.
04:55 You guys have spent so much time during this camp,
05:00 you know, building depth and competition,
05:03 mixing guys and rotating guys.
05:05 But is it kind of fun when you see, like,
05:08 the top 22 or 25 or 30 guys get out there
05:12 and, you know, get a clearer picture
05:14 of what it might look like on September 3rd?
05:16 Yeah, I mean, that was one of the things
05:17 that, you know, today was important about today,
05:21 you know, to see, you know, that first offense go out
05:24 and you see, you know, different guys play,
05:27 you know, with and, you know, play off of each other
05:30 and the ways that we can utilize different,
05:33 you know, skill sets, talents.
05:36 You know, there are, you know,
05:39 I feel like we have a really good two deep
05:41 that can play on both sides of the ball.
05:43 And I really - there's not a position right now
05:45 that I'm overly concerned with.
05:48 Now, there might be some positions
05:50 where we get a couple injuries or a couple guys down
05:52 that could be, you know, thin quickly.
05:54 But I love the competitiveness and then seeing how,
05:58 you know, not necessarily just an 11 that go out there,
06:01 but to see within the course of a series
06:02 where you have 16, you know, 18 guys
06:05 that might find the way in different personnel groupings
06:08 or, you know, whatever the situation calls for,
06:11 just base substitutions.
06:12 And, you know, the way our guys are pushing with that,
06:16 you know, I thought our tempo was better today.
06:17 It was something we still have to improve.
06:19 I mean, that's going to be a critical factor here
06:21 these next two weeks is to be able to play faster.
06:24 And I'm not just talking about offense.
06:25 It's defense, everybody involved,
06:29 you know, just the efficiency of our communication.
06:30 You know, we're trying to create those,
06:32 you know, challenging elements.
06:34 But, yeah, it's good to see them out there
06:37 and all working together.
06:40 All right, next will be Burnham Samoan from Health 247.
06:45 Hi, Mike. You mentioned Johnny, Kion, Jaheim,
06:47 as guys who are productive today.
06:49 When they're all able to give you their A game
06:53 on the field at the same time, I guess,
06:54 what kind of matchup issues of that kind of size
06:57 do you see having an impact on the offense this year?
07:02 Yeah, I mean, you know, I think the experience
07:05 that those guys bring, the playmaking ability
07:07 that they bring, you know, the physicality that they bring.
07:10 Because it's not just -- you could talk about guys
07:12 catching the ball, but, I mean, just they're all big,
07:15 strong, you know, determined blockers,
07:18 which does great things for the run game.
07:21 You know, it allows us to maintain great balance
07:24 and, you know, hopefully creating more
07:26 one-on-one opportunities for guys, you know,
07:28 there on the edge.
07:29 But, you know, I think it's a really good group,
07:33 and it's something exciting.
07:34 You know, Destin Hill had a really big catch
07:37 in the two-minute situation, you know, made a big play there.
07:40 So it's like even, you know, Winston Wright got back.
07:42 I mean, he was back out there today,
07:44 and he was a guy I wanted to see in extensive work.
07:46 You know, he had a big play, you know, made a guy miss.
07:48 So it's just, you know, you start looking at,
07:50 you know, where that group can go,
07:53 you know, on the perimeter.
07:54 You know, the multiple tight ends,
07:56 you know, the multiple receivers.
07:58 It's a -- we should be able to play fast,
08:00 and we should be able to stay fresh,
08:02 and we should be able to, you know,
08:05 have a lot of different options of where to go with the ball,
08:09 depending on what we're seeing.
08:11 So it still comes down to us and our execution
08:13 and the efficiency of that.
08:15 But, you know, I like the growth I'm seeing.
08:18 Next will be Kurt Weiler from the Osceola.
08:22 Hey, Mike. You talked about greedy Vance.
08:24 I feel like -- I mean, I guess there weren't any takeaways.
08:27 I know in the last scrimmage, it feels like there's been a lot
08:28 throughout the fall, though.
08:30 I know that was a challenge from Coach Fuller,
08:32 Coach Sertain, about creating those takeaways.
08:34 I guess, how have you seen --
08:36 what do you think has been the biggest difference for them?
08:38 It just feels like that's been a major turning point
08:40 through the preseason 15 practices.
08:42 You know, I mean, it's -- we've got really good players,
08:44 and I think that, you know,
08:46 I think Coach Sertain has done a remarkable job of,
08:49 you know, just giving them --
08:51 you know, continuing to build upon the tool
08:53 and the skill sets that they have,
08:55 you know, in playing the ball.
08:56 And, you know, we want guys that are playmakers back there,
08:59 and, you know, I think we've got a good group of that.
09:02 But then, you know, also when you have a defensive front
09:04 that can create pressure,
09:05 you know, make things uncomfortable for the offense
09:08 and the quarterback, you know,
09:09 I think Coach Fuller does a great job
09:11 with variations of looks and schemes.
09:13 And, you know, all that works together in allowing,
09:17 you know, more opportunities to take the ball away.
09:20 And, you know, we want it to be a point of emphasis.
09:22 We want that to be something that, you know,
09:25 this defense is known for,
09:26 and it's -- whether it's creating a takeaway
09:28 or forcing a three and out, you know,
09:29 both get the ball back to the offense as quick as possible.
09:32 So, you know, those are things that we're really,
09:33 you know, tied into, and, you know,
09:35 I know our guys are working hard
09:37 at being the best we can in that regards.
09:40 We'll go back to Chris.
09:43 You spoke about Jordan having a good day.
09:45 How did the other quarterbacks do,
09:46 and how do you view the QB2 situation after 15 practices?
09:50 You know, I think they all had their moments today.
09:52 And, you know, I think, you know,
09:53 Tate has had a really good fall camp.
09:56 I think, you know, you see AJ, you see Brock.
09:59 I mean, you know, Brock is progressing
10:01 at a very high level,
10:04 and I really like the consistency of what he's shown.
10:07 But, you know, he had a couple of plays today
10:08 that, you know, he's got to learn from.
10:10 And, you know, it's part of being a true freshman,
10:13 but ultimately, you know, for where we are right now,
10:16 I mean, nobody's going to stop a game
10:17 just because a true freshman is, you know,
10:19 putting himself in a position to step on the field.
10:22 So, you know, we've got to -- we all have to push.
10:25 I mean, I think, you know, Tate has done,
10:27 you know, his overall understanding of the offense,
10:30 what we wanted to do.
10:32 We've seen it, you know, live in action.
10:33 But, I mean, all those guys are continuing to compete.
10:35 And, you know, today's film will be a great evaluation.
10:38 But we grade everything.
10:39 So we have 15 practices, two scrimmages.
10:43 You know, like I mentioned, last week we had guys live,
10:45 a couple guys live that, you know,
10:47 we wanted to see them in those, you know,
10:50 when the possibility of being hit,
10:52 of just what it looks like.
10:53 And, you know, so we've got, you know, great, great evaluations
10:56 in all those areas.
10:58 And definitely excited about that quarterback room.
11:01 It's a talented room.
11:02 And it's one that, you know, I believe that, you know,
11:05 I believe we've got one of the best quarterbacks
11:06 in the country, you know, in Jordan Travis.
11:09 And, you know, ultimately you've got guys
11:12 that we can win with that are in that room with him.
11:16 We'll go back to Ira.
11:17 You know, in college football today,
11:22 a lot of teams, you guys included,
11:24 put some of your best players on special teams.
11:27 But have any of these freshmen, newcomers, you know,
11:31 impressed you guys to a point where you feel like
11:33 we need some of these guys out there, too?
11:34 Yeah, I mean, you know, it's been impressive
11:36 watching, you know, that group as they're coming in
11:39 and they're learning.
11:41 You know, the defensive back group, you know,
11:44 Ashton Barker, you know, Conrad Hussey, Edwin Joseph.
11:49 I mean, we can, you know, go through all of them.
11:51 I mean, Quinn has been here,
11:53 so we kind of understand what he's going to be.
11:55 Jabril Rawls I think has a great future.
11:57 But seeing that defensive back group is really, really good.
12:00 You know, I think a couple of those guys
12:03 will be able to help us here this year
12:05 as they continue to progress.
12:07 You know, I love, you know, a couple guys at linebacker
12:10 that really stood out to me is, you know,
12:12 Justin Cryer and Blake Nicholson.
12:15 Both of those guys I think have really taken a step,
12:18 you know, to battling to see, you know, five, six,
12:21 you know, where they're going to sit in that rotation,
12:24 you know, of battling for that time defensively.
12:28 But on the flip side of it, you know,
12:29 I think it would be great, you know,
12:31 impact players there on special teams.
12:32 And, you know, offensively, you know, continuing,
12:35 you know, it's, you know, Destin Hill, you know,
12:37 is a guy that, you know, had the skill positions.
12:39 But then all of our tight ends, I think, have a chance,
12:42 which is something we've wanted to create.
12:44 And, I mean, these guys have really embraced that.
12:46 And, you know, most of the other receivers,
12:49 I think, are, you know, guys that are veteran
12:51 or have shown that they can do that.
12:54 We'll go back to Brandon.
12:55 We asked you about the kicking game
12:59 probably about this time last week.
13:01 I guess now with the extra data points,
13:03 how are you feeling about it?
13:04 Is anyone kind of emerging in that battle
13:06 as to who you would lean on this season?
13:08 You know, it's been great.
13:09 And, you know, today we had a game-winning kick situation
13:11 that showed up in the two-minute portion of it.
13:16 And, you know, I was able to go out there and execute.
13:18 I mean, same thing as in quarterback.
13:21 You go and you grade every day, chart every kick,
13:23 you know, looking at what team,
13:25 you know, whether it's charting team, pressure situations.
13:28 You know, and I like what I see.
13:30 And I think, you know, not ready to sit there
13:33 and say, you know, one way or the other.
13:35 But, you know, we've had some great consistency
13:40 from both those guys.
13:41 And I think both of them absolutely can win with us
13:44 or win for us.
13:45 But, you know, I think it's a very talented,
13:48 you know, kicking room
13:49 that has absolutely improved through the competition.
13:53 So, you know, proud of those guys.
13:55 I thought Alex had his best day, you know, putting today,
13:57 you know, putting the work that he had.
14:00 Did a remarkable job.
14:01 And, you know, really like where he's at as well.
14:04 I guess you talked a lot, I guess, about the passing game.
14:11 I guess were the running backs, what did you see from them
14:13 today, were they live again?
14:14 And I guess, how big do you think that rotation
14:16 might be as you get into game prep?
14:18 It might be, I mean, Zai is a guy who I don't know
14:19 if we thought factored into it,
14:21 but he's been pretty impressive this preseason.
14:23 Yeah, we had, you know, Trey and LT were,
14:26 you know, we had them in green jerseys.
14:28 You know, they were live last week.
14:30 And we've seen, you know, a lot of good work out of those guys.
14:34 And their approach to practice, you know,
14:38 didn't need to see them tackled to the ground,
14:39 you know, a whole lot of times.
14:41 You're here today, so, you know, they got some work
14:43 and they did some good things.
14:45 But I really like the emergence of that next group of backs.
14:50 And, you know, Rodney was a little limited this week.
14:52 You know, we plan on getting him back active and rolling here,
14:56 you know, this upcoming week.
14:58 I mean, he had a remarkable scrimmage last week.
15:00 So, love what I'm seeing from him
15:02 because Aya has really emerged as a guy that can help us,
15:06 as well as CJ Campbell.
15:07 Both of them had big runs today.
15:09 You know, CJ looked really good on a couple of cuts
15:13 and, you know, making guys miss.
15:15 But I think that group is, you know,
15:17 we got five guys that I feel really comfortable
15:20 being able to go in and play at a high level.
15:23 You know, obviously, we feel like we've got,
15:24 you know, dynamic players there.
15:26 And we'll see what that looks like.
15:28 You know, Trey Benson is, you know, him and LT,
15:31 they played a lot of football here.
15:33 But you got guys that, you know, can be very explosive
15:36 and dynamic with the ball in their hands.
15:38 And, you know, with and without the ball in their hands.
15:40 So, I really like that group.
15:41 And, you know, I'll tell you guys I'm proud of today.
15:43 Sam Singleton, we've kind of been, you know,
15:46 nursing a little bit of an ankle, you know, this past week.
15:48 And, you know, he came out today
15:50 and, you know, showed speed, showed elusiveness.
15:52 You know, we needed that day for him.
15:55 You know, he had a really good first week,
15:57 you know, week, week and a half.
15:58 But, you know, I was proud of Sam.
15:59 I found him after the scrimmage and, you know,
16:02 gave him a little love because that was exciting
16:05 for what we needed.
16:07 And I think a little bit for what he needed, too.
16:09 You never want to see it, but it happens in a lot of camps,
16:18 college football teams around the country,
16:20 where you get to a point after, you know,
16:21 maybe a week and a half, two weeks, two and a half weeks,
16:24 where, you know, the kind of monotony sets in
16:25 and you have to fight through that.
16:27 Did you guys ever have that?
16:29 Have you had that during this camp?
16:32 And how have you seen them respond to that?
16:35 You know, I've been really pleased
16:36 with the approach and the work.
16:38 I mean, there was one of our first, you know,
16:43 I guess less physical practice.
16:45 We practiced physical.
16:47 I mean, we're going to go out there
16:48 and we're going to push each other to get better.
16:51 One of the first days that we took the pads off
16:53 or, you know, backed off of a little bit
16:56 of the physicality part of it,
16:58 we had a mental lapse for a few periods there in practice.
17:02 And, you know, it was addressed, it was corrected,
17:04 and, you know, improved upon.
17:07 You know, I've been proud of this team.
17:08 And it's life.
17:10 I mean, you go through life and there's times
17:11 you want to find the moments to be comfortable.
17:13 You want to find the moments to take a break, to take a rest.
17:16 You know, we build times for rest in,
17:19 but, you know, when it's time to work, we got to work.
17:21 And that's where, you know, the maturity of the team,
17:25 you know, I've been really pleased with that,
17:27 the competitiveness of the team.
17:29 You know, even guys that maybe have not been available
17:31 at times, you know, just to see the engagement
17:34 that they have from a mental aspect.
17:37 I mean, Shane Brown today was awesome.
17:38 I mean, we were repping some of the younger guys.
17:42 And, you know, he's standing out there
17:43 in the middle of the field with me,
17:45 helping kind of coach some of those defensive,
17:50 you know, secondary guys.
17:51 I was just, you know, you see he could be over there
17:53 sitting on the sideline and, you know,
17:56 drinking water or Powerade, but, you know,
17:58 he chose to come out and, you know,
18:01 that's what you want within a team.
18:02 You want to see guys that encourage each other,
18:04 they push each other, you know, because the emotion
18:08 and the desire that you have, you know,
18:12 to want to take a break, it's always going to be there.
18:14 But when you're willing to push and, you know,
18:17 do a little bit more, I mean, that's where you get a chance
18:19 to take some giant steps.
18:20 So, you know, we still got another week
18:22 before school starts, and so, you know,
18:24 we'll still have those challenges,
18:25 I'm sure will be there for us,
18:26 and we get to make the choice of how we respond.
18:29 Next we have Perry from Tomahawk Nation.
18:33 Coach, just following up on that a little bit,
18:35 do you think that baseline for their energy,
18:37 for their level of engagement came since spring,
18:42 or do you think this is something that has developed
18:43 over the past season,
18:45 having a bulk of that team returning from last year?
18:47 I mean, it's a, you know, it's a progression in life,
18:51 and, you know, everybody comes from different places,
18:53 different backgrounds, you know, had different expectations.
18:56 But when you get here, I mean, there's one expectation,
18:58 to get better every day and to push to be your best.
19:01 That is what the expectation is.
19:03 It's not for, you know, the freshman that comes in
19:06 any different than for the head coach.
19:08 If we cannot be that for each other,
19:12 then probably not willing to do all the things
19:14 that are necessary to go accomplish
19:17 all that we have in front of us.
19:18 And, you know, I tell you guys all the time,
19:20 I don't -- I'm not going to set limits on this team.
19:22 You know, I really love coaching this team.
19:25 I love coaching this team because I watch the growth,
19:27 I see the maturity.
19:29 I mean, you have to have momentary failures
19:32 as we go through this, too.
19:34 You got to -- I mean, you have to get knocked down.
19:36 You got to, you know -- because I think in those times,
19:39 you get a chance to get up, to get better,
19:41 you know, to see who's really going to help
19:43 hold you accountable, you know, because if you didn't care,
19:48 I mean, we wouldn't do it.
19:49 But we care about these guys and their growth.
19:52 And so, yes, are we better now than we were in the spring?
19:55 We have to be, all right? But on the flip side of it,
19:57 I think it's been something that's been built here
19:59 over years, and when guys come in in the recruiting process,
20:03 you know, they know the expectation.
20:05 And that's why I tell them all the time,
20:06 Florida State is not for everybody.
20:08 It is just for the real ones.
20:09 It's for the ones that when they say they want to go
20:11 and accomplish great things,
20:14 then, you know, we're going to help them work towards it.
20:17 All right, last one. We're going to go to Ira.
20:19 You guys were real excited when you brought in Coach Shurtan,
20:25 and he obviously has had a lot of success
20:27 everywhere he's been, but after being around him
20:30 now eight months, what he's added to the program,
20:32 can you just talk about some of the things
20:34 he's brought to the staff but also the players?
20:36 Yeah, it starts with the relationships.
20:38 I mean, you know, the football IQ,
20:40 the experiences, all those things,
20:41 that's the extra benefit.
20:45 But, you know, you see a man that cares about people,
20:47 and he cares about the staff.
20:48 He cares about who he gets to do it with.
20:50 You see a man that really cares about his players,
20:53 not just the guys that are sitting in his room,
20:55 but seeing the engagement that he has across the entire team,
21:00 I mean, it's what we want.
21:02 And, you know, I've been fortunate
21:04 throughout my coaching career
21:05 to be around a lot of great assistant coaches
21:07 and guys that are now head coaches,
21:09 and, you know, you watch how they interact with each other.
21:13 And, you know, there's two characteristics
21:17 that are an absolute necessity in any person
21:20 that comes and works on the staff,
21:22 and one, they got to be led from the heart.
21:24 You know, the relationships have to matter.
21:26 And then they got to be willing to pour everything
21:28 into the guys they have, you know, on a daily basis,
21:32 not just with who they are on the field,
21:33 but, you know, making sure that, you know, in every area
21:37 that we're willing to give all to help our players
21:40 to achieve what they can achieve.
21:42 And, you know, Pat is a wonderful example of that.
21:44 You know, he did it at the high school ranks,
21:47 and you saw the growth and development
21:49 and, you know, incredible program
21:53 that he was able to build up.
21:55 But then, you know, on the flip side of it, you know,
21:57 what he's been able to do here in eight months
21:59 has been really, really special.
22:01 All right. Thank you, Coach. All right. Thank you, guys.
22:03 All right.
22:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]