Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman with update on wide receiver Quincey McAdoo, who is recovering from automobile accident after practice Thursday afternoon before game week next week.
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00:00 Said beyond the obvious judge and football ability on tape,
00:03 what goes into researching the character of transport portal players and
00:08 their reasons for transferring and projecting how they will fit as team members and
00:13 not distractions regarding their playing time?
00:18 How could that research be done methodically and
00:21 carefully this 22, 23 period when you took so
00:24 many expected to play key roles immediately?
00:28 >> I think in our transfer portal evaluation,
00:34 a lot of it relies on where they're transferring from to.
00:41 And we want to call and talk to as many folks as we can from
00:46 the school that is transferring.
00:49 Obviously, character becomes the number one concern.
00:57 We've already evaluated, we just very rarely another some instances when we take
01:03 guys from the portal that haven't played a lot of ball, but
01:06 we very rarely have had success doing that, to be honest with you.
01:11 We have to see them on tape for the most part playing it.
01:18 We don't really care what level I mean,
01:20 there is a concern about who they're playing against.
01:25 But we go back and research if we have seen any 40 times,
01:29 we research how many times they've been hurt.
01:32 Are they coming in with the injury?
01:36 And then we try to find out as much as we possibly can about character.
01:41 And obviously, we go from our boards to needs, and
01:46 then we rank our needs and we rank the guys coming in and
01:51 however they are on our needs, that's how we bring them in first, second, third,
01:55 fourth.
01:56 And to be perfectly honest with you, we try to find out if they're looking for
02:00 an NIL deal or they're looking for a team.
02:03 If they're looking for just an NIL deal,
02:05 a lot of times we don't have just great success with those guys.
02:10 But if they're looking for some NIL and things of that nature,
02:15 not necessarily the highest bidder, we do real well with those guys.
02:20 Hope that answers the question.
02:21 >> Mock game Saturday?
02:24 >> Friday, tomorrow.
02:26 >> Okay, anything out of the box?
02:29 >> No, to be honest with you, our mock game has kind of gone a little bit, Trey,
02:36 into I believe taking the stress out of the kids is a main concern about game day.
02:43 So we will do everything from pregame meal.
02:46 Now, we're not gonna do it four hours before the game, but
02:50 we'll do everything from pregame meal, how we do that to we'll do the hog walk,
02:56 to running through the A, to where do we set, to a bunch of substitutions.
03:03 We'll go through goal line and make sure we have the goal line out there.
03:07 But we used to put on shells and run a kind of a game.
03:13 We used to put on spiders and then we went to spiders and
03:16 now we use that for announcing our captains tomorrow.
03:21 And then we use it for team photo and then we use it for just substitution.
03:27 It's almost like a subscript,
03:29 a little more physical than a subscript would be on a Friday afternoon.
03:33 In other words, nobody will get taped and things like that tomorrow.
03:37 It'll be more of mental than what will be physical and
03:42 showing them from the beginning to the end to everything of what
03:47 a game day is all about.
03:50 >> How difficult is that conversation and how do you broach that with somebody like,
03:55 been working on our offense, working on our defense and
03:59 now we need to work on the opponents?
04:02 >> I think it's tough.
04:04 First thing I did, I put up two guys that were scout team players that were
04:10 winning the first round, Isaiah Wilson played on the scout team the entire year.
04:17 And two years later he went in the first round and Jonathan Cooper,
04:21 I coached him at North Carolina was a scout team red shirted guy and
04:25 there was a seven picking a draft.
04:27 Guys learn a little bit different, some guys aren't big enough,
04:32 strong enough yet, but I showed them talk about their dreams,
04:36 whatever their dreams may be, they can still have them.
04:39 These guys did and they continue to do it.
04:42 But we've got the better your players get, the better your scout team gets.
04:48 I can remember in 2017 at Georgia, our scout team, I know on both sides of all,
04:55 but I was more, knew more about the defensive scout team was incredible.
05:01 And I think it helped us tremendously and I think the better your players are,
05:06 the better scouts team, your look team is gonna be.
05:08 And I thought they did a really good job.
05:10 Alex Sanford is down there right now.
05:13 I don't know he'll be there all year.
05:15 He makes a lot of plays down there.
05:17 There's guys showing out every day or last two days since we moved out.
05:22 So really proud of them.
05:24 The conversation is hard though.
05:25 [BLANK_AUDIO]
05:27 >> A bow on what you thought of camp now that it's done.
05:30 And then the prep for Western Carolina, how it's gone so far?
05:33 What do you think of the plan?
05:35 >> Well, I like camp.
05:36 We are beat up.
05:38 If you guys come to practice, there's several guys and
05:41 there's some guys in green, there's some guys not in there.
05:44 There's some guys saying that.
05:45 I do not think today though, to be perfectly honest with you,
05:49 that we'll have anybody.
05:50 I don't think that we'll have anybody miss a game except for obviously Bocca.
05:56 We're trying to be smart with them.
05:59 Some of the guys today, we did scout team work with them, but
06:04 did not do good on good work with them.
06:06 We had three different segments of good on good.
06:08 We didn't put them in live action.
06:10 We do have some guys with some ankle injuries and things of that nature that
06:14 we've got to get healed up between now and when we play next Saturday.
06:19 So it's been a physical camp.
06:22 It was a physical practice today.
06:23 It was just a Tuesday practice for us.
06:25 But there's three segments of good on good and a lot of physicality.
06:29 We went goal line, we went short yardage, all those things that obviously we all
06:34 know we need to work on last year, and we're trying to correct all those things.
06:38 So really proud of where we've been.
06:40 I wish we weren't as banged up as we are right now, but I believe that by Monday,
06:44 at least half, maybe more of the guys that were holding for
06:50 good on good sections, that's what we've got.
06:54 >> We saw Quincy yesterday, I'm not sure about today.
06:56 >> Quincy McAdoo?
06:57 >> Quincy McAdoo.
06:58 >> Yeah.
06:58 >> Slim pants this year, and what does it look like?
07:03 >> Well, you never want to take the guys three months ahead of him.
07:08 But if I was saying here, he needs some physical development.
07:14 I had a long talk with him yesterday, and he's 192.
07:20 You know he came in at 177 or something.
07:22 And he looked proud of me a little bit yesterday because he was 204,
07:27 I think, before he had his accident.
07:31 But he is doing really well.
07:33 We want him to, he's coming every day now.
07:37 We want him to coach, help us coach as a student coach,
07:43 until he gets his physicality back, and then we'll figure out what happens after.
07:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]
07:50 I love him, I think he's doing really good.
07:52 I do, I think, I had a long talk, you'll have to tell you, and
07:56 I'm sure he'll be more than happy to talk to you.
07:59 But I think start a camp, trust him,
08:02 because he wasn't able to be out there with the team and all those things.
08:07 But I think he's doing well.
08:10 The conversation I've talked with him for 45 minutes yesterday,
08:14 that conversation, thinks he's in good spirits.
08:17 He's a Christian young kid, he believes there's a reason for everything.
08:22 And he's gonna make the best of his situation, and
08:26 we'll get his strength back, totally, and see you in there.
08:31 >> And you mentioned one guy goes in poorly, he's always on his feet.
08:34 What are those conversations like?
08:35 Because I can understand when you might call a coach, ask about player Wayne,
08:39 say, I don't wanna talk about that guy.
08:41 Or some are, what are those conversations like, generally speaking?
08:44 >> Some of them you say, hey, he left because, and you go, okay,
08:48 we can't get that on our team.
08:51 Sometimes they'll say, well, we've had a guy or two started for him, and
08:57 then for whatever, didn't have a good second half of the season, whatever.
09:03 Lost his aggressiveness at practice, whatever it may be.
09:08 Do we feel like with our coaching staff, do we feel like we can get him
09:14 back to what we saw on tape, or is he gonna come in and be that kind of a guy?
09:20 People call us all the time about our guys that transfer, and
09:23 if they transfer the right way, we never have anything but
09:27 good things to say about them.
09:29 Well, we're truthful about the ability, which we need to be.
09:35 But character-wise and all that, they do it the right way, we certainly.
09:40 And we've never said anything negative about any of our guys that transferred.
09:45 It's just been simply, most of them, it's been because they wanna go play somewhere
09:50 and they don't see a light on the depth chart here, most of them.
09:54 And really, it's kinda that way with some other schools too.
09:58 And you can get a guy like, let's say, Jaheim Singletary,
10:01 that is really a good player, but he's locked down on the depth chart
10:07 at some schools and things of that nature.
10:09 So that's a little bit, yeah, it is a difficult conversation, but
10:14 it's one you have to have, cuz you cannot afford to take a character issue.
10:18 >> And then the next NIL, I'm sure, Perry Pines is going to Mississippi State.
10:24 I don't know how close you work with Terry, but
10:27 they did a pretty good job getting NIL launched.
10:29 I'm just wondering what your thoughts are about the job, Perry.
10:32 >> Yeah, we're wishing him the best.
10:33 And obviously, everybody's in who wants to move up in the profession,
10:38 and if that's what he felt like he did, we're very happy for him.
10:43 And yeah, we worked, obviously, worked well together,
10:49 and he did a wonderful job here.
10:52 And he'll be missed, but certainly, the NIL program,
10:58 well, I'm sure it will continue to be as good as it has been, and
11:03 it will get better, but I'm happy for him if he's happy.
11:07 [BLANK_AUDIO]
11:09 >> Still working back, or
11:10 if Andrew Chambly has maybe won over that starting month tackle?
11:14 >> I think that's still yet to be seen.
11:17 Andrew Chambly certainly deserves reps on a Saturday.
11:20 I think there'll be an ongoing battle there, and
11:24 I think at some point you'll go, okay, are both of these guys in our top five?
11:30 And if there is, then you gotta have another conversation of what's our best
11:34 five, where can we put our best five?
11:37 Lately, in the last few days,
11:40 Tyke Keech Crawford has entered into that conversation as well.
11:45 But I couldn't be any more proud than I am with Andrew Chambly, and
11:49 he took an opportunity, and he proved that he's ready to play.
11:54 And so we're gonna play him.
11:56 >> I've seen Amari Wiggins has also run with the first team offense a little bit.
12:01 Is he in that top five conversation as well?
12:03 >> Absolutely, and I think we've had some injuries over the last,
12:09 I don't know, week.
12:11 And we've found, you see him against our D line and things, and
12:16 you're going, okay, okay, okay.
12:18 So I think we feel really good about at least eight,
12:21 I do, with Amari being one of those guys.
12:24 He's beat up a little bit with an ankle.
12:25 We've gotta get him healthy as well, but he's never missed a practice.
12:29 Well, he missed a couple early when he first did it.
12:31 But we gotta get that ankle healthy to really see what kind of player he really
12:36 is, because the power is not quite there because of the ankle.
12:41 But I think once the ankle gets healed up, and he's close, but
12:45 we're monitoring him and the reps that we're giving right now versus good on good.
12:50 >> I was wondering, with Antonio Greer, what exactly is going on there?
12:55 And I mean, do you expect him to be okay?
12:57 >> Well, he had a quad pull, and
13:02 we expect him to start practicing on Monday.
13:08 But he's had a lengthy injury there, even when he was practicing,
13:12 he wasn't full speed.
13:13 So we expect that our plan is to either get him in some Indy on Saturday,
13:19 and then obviously Sunday we're off, Monday, so it will be a Tuesday practice for us.
13:24 But at the latest, we'd like to get him back on the field Monday, and
13:28 we think we can.
13:29 >> So you saw the memory of Jaden Johnson on the radio last night.
13:34 >> Yeah.
13:35 >> And he's been with you guys, I think.
13:37 >> Yeah. >> What specifically has he done better
13:40 than he was last year?
13:41 >> I don't know.
13:43 You guys, I think he'll really have to answer that question,
13:48 but here's what I've seen.
13:49 He's changed.
13:53 Matter of fact, I've talked about a couple of guys who,
13:57 they decided that it's not this guy, it's not that guy,
14:02 it's not the coach, it's not the culture, it's not this, it's me.
14:06 I've got to change.
14:08 And I called out Jaden Wilson, because he certainly has,
14:13 now he's a little beat up right now, but he certainly has.
14:16 And I called Jaden Johnson, because what we saw as young guys,
14:21 maybe not quite all the time last year from those two guys.
14:25 And then this year, they are leaders, they're as hard of working kids as we have.
14:31 They've always had the athletic ability, and some, I think, they've just decided,
14:35 hey, let me focus on me and not this, where I'm in the depth chart, this, that,
14:40 and the other, and can I become the player that I should be.
14:45 And I couldn't rave anymore about those two guys.
14:49 They have totally changed their mindset, in my opinion.
14:55 They would have a better answer than me, but that's what I see.
14:57 >> I think I counted from Georgia, so between you and Demi,
15:02 yeah, Georgia is just more open for y'all now, I guess.
15:05 >> Yeah, it really is.
15:07 And we have that relationship in there, and Jimmy's really the guy.
15:13 I mean, Jimmy's like the godfather when he walks into schools over there.
15:17 Cuz he has such a, everybody respects him, man.
15:22 He has such a great career as a head coach over there, both in football and track.
15:26 But yeah, Georgia's been good to us, and we'll continue to recruit there.
15:33 >> You have a lot of transfers from smaller schools and new players, and
15:39 you have two neutral site games, especially one to open the season.
15:43 Have you talked to them about kind of the increased rigors that that entails, and
15:48 if you have, how it's going?
15:50 >> Well, that's a good question.
15:52 We really haven't.
15:54 I believe our D2 guys, if I'm thinking,
16:01 that's the two wide outs, and they've been here since January.
16:06 I think they're excited about going into new venues and
16:11 having a lot of people there and all those type things.
16:15 But I think I've asked them both about the differences,
16:20 and obviously it's just on a bigger scale,
16:26 more people, more help, more trainers,
16:31 more food, all that kind of stuff.
16:35 But I think they're ready for the challenge.
16:39 They were really, really good Division II players, and
16:42 I think they're excited to see what this is all about.
16:46 But they've practiced so many times against SEC type players that
16:51 I think they're gonna be just fine, but they're really excited.
16:54 >> And then as far as the portal, do you think communication between coaches
16:59 has kind of gotten better as a byproduct because of the portal?
17:08 >> In a lot of cases, a lot of cases there's no communication and the guy's gone.
17:12 Most time when somebody comes in and says I'm going to portal,
17:18 they know where they're going.
17:19 But in our case, I really believe that they get in the portal.
17:27 Brian Overton tells us they're in the portal.
17:29 We watch the tape, we do this, and then we call whomever it is to try to get to know
17:34 them, but I think it's just like anything else.
17:38 You take mine, I'll take yours, whatever your needs.
17:42 Different teams have different needs, immediate needs, or help depth wise needs.
17:48 And I've got enemies out there.
17:50 I don't think I have a whole lot of enemies in the coaching business and
17:54 that they're willing to talk to us, and we certainly are them.
17:58 We wanna help our kids if they decide to leave.
18:00 >> [INAUDIBLE] But is that happening in the Western Division?
18:05 It's like, I know you got connections with Georgia, but
18:07 you're not calling up Lane, Eli Drinkwicz and saying, hey, how are you?
18:12 They calling you.
18:13 >> No. >> Not that close.
18:15 >> No, and usually I'm not talking about the SEC.
18:19 Well, now I've called Kirby, but no.
18:28 No, that doesn't happen.
18:29 I'm talking about Tesla, and I'm talking about guys from like KB Rhodes and
18:34 things like that, Rhodes, excuse me.
18:38 Yeah, no, no, there ain't a whole lot of conversation going on there.
18:42 >> [INAUDIBLE] You talked about having nine guys and
18:46 three deep and stuff.
18:49 That's obviously a position group that rotates probably more than any other
18:52 position.
18:53 Is that something you see as a three deep?
18:55 It's like we're going with this group and next year with this group and
18:59 this group and how much of a benefit can that be in terms of getting to the fourth
19:03 quarter?
19:03 >> Yeah, I think big, especially early in the season and
19:06 depth is gonna show later.
19:09 And it can show early in the heat.
19:11 So I think it's huge for us going against Western Carolina early,
19:15 cuz it's gonna be hot, and real hot, and on the turf as well.
19:19 But I think, to be honest with you,
19:23 the only thing I want, I don't want a four man rotation,
19:28 then a four man rotation, then a four man rotation, then a four man rotation.
19:31 I do want, let's go back.
19:32 The guys who run out there first,
19:36 those are the ones that deserve to be running out there first.
19:39 In other words, I don't want to be each week, okay, these four guys go out first,
19:43 the next four.
19:45 If these four guys out down here, one of them outplayed the guy,
19:49 he goes out there first in this group.
19:51 I don't want it to be, okay, well, they're all playing the same amount, but
19:56 somebody's playing better, he doesn't have a chance to run out.
19:58 Cuz it's more important to the kid than it is to us who runs out there first,
20:02 if you're rotating, you know what I mean?
20:05 And we wanna make sure that we honor that if they're out playing the guy ahead of
20:09 them, but yes, I think four plays and we'll probably rotate in and
20:14 out at that point.
20:15 And then at the end of the game, you wanna make sure you have whom you think are your
20:21 best four out there, and it could be a different four if you're trying to
20:26 keep them from scoring on two minute and your four best pass rushers.
20:30 It could be, get the ball back, it might be your four best run,
20:35 guys against your run.