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00:00 [silence]
00:04 Leo.
00:07 All right, Doug. Good morning, everybody.
00:08 Appreciate you being here.
00:10 You know, obviously coming off the weekend,
00:13 it was an emotional weekend for us.
00:15 You know, going into the game, we knew it would be.
00:17 Senior day, you know, our guys, an incredible group,
00:21 you know, playing in their last game, you know,
00:23 at Doe Campbell Stadium.
00:25 You know, obviously there was a lot of it,
00:28 you know, going into the game.
00:30 You know, didn't necessarily start the way we wanted to.
00:33 You know, fell behind in the game early.
00:36 You had a few mistakes, you know, things that, you know,
00:40 obviously can't have, you know, there in those situations.
00:44 And then, you know, unfortunately, you know,
00:46 Jordan went down, you know, there in the first quarter,
00:50 and you had a season-ending, you know, injury,
00:53 and, you know, you really, you know, just --
00:56 I mean, it was devastating just for him, for who he is,
01:00 for what he's meant to this program.
01:04 You know, the impact that he's made on and off the field,
01:07 to know that his last play, you know, at Florida State has --
01:13 you know, has happened.
01:14 I mean, it's just -- it's hard.
01:16 And -- but, you know, with all of the emotions
01:21 and, you know, you felt the support,
01:23 you felt, you know, the care, the concern for him.
01:26 You know, he was remarkable.
01:28 I mean, his composure, you know, on the field, you know, in pain,
01:31 you know, all things, he just -- he kept telling me, you know,
01:34 he said, "Coach, I'm good.
01:35 I'm good."
01:37 You know, tell him, "Mom, I'm okay," and, you know, "I'm good."
01:40 And as he got up and you see, you know, really,
01:43 I think both teams came out there to just wish him off and, you know,
01:48 wish him well, you know, in his recovery.
01:50 And, I mean, it's -- you know, he's had a great mindset, you know,
01:53 throughout this with an incredibly difficult circumstance.
01:56 But, you know, you felt for him.
01:59 And, you know, just like I told our team, you know, there afterwards,
02:04 and we talked about it in the postgame, you know, when you're in that game
02:07 and you're playing an opponent you're better than, and, you know,
02:11 you have all the shoulds of what should happen
02:13 and what it should look like, you know, and you find yourself behind.
02:16 And then you find yourself with, you know, an unbelievable amount of adversity
02:21 and, you know, just the mental state.
02:24 You know, any of our players that were there on the field, I mean,
02:26 it shook a couple of them.
02:28 And it takes a little bit of time just to kind of regather yourself.
02:32 And I know, you know, Corey asked me afterwards, like,
02:34 "How do you block it?"
02:35 You don't block it out.
02:36 You can't -- it's not on this team, not being a part of who we are
02:40 and what we're about.
02:41 You can't just say, "Hey, it's not just next man up."
02:43 That's not real here.
02:45 Because you care about every one of them.
02:47 I mean, Kalen Deloach not being available to play Saturday
02:51 was something that hurt -- like hurt me too.
02:53 Because, I mean, I wanted -- you know, his last play at Doe Campbell's
02:56 already happened.
02:57 And that's just -- you want it for every one of those guys to be able to fulfill,
03:02 you know, their journey and each of those experiences.
03:04 But it shows you how fragile it can be and how important every play, you know,
03:10 is throughout these guys' career.
03:12 But what I was so proud of was the response of our team.
03:16 And you saw a team that continued to come together.
03:18 And, you know, it was a special, you know, special game to be a part of,
03:27 even though it's one that, you know, you saw the response.
03:32 You know, we scored, you know, whatever, a 58-0 run, you know,
03:36 against a team we needed to beat handily.
03:38 And, you know, it wasn't perfect.
03:41 We had a lot of mistakes, a lot of things to clean up.
03:43 But, I mean, you felt the team come together.
03:45 And to know that, you know, their hearts and their thoughts
03:51 and all those things were -- you know, everybody was concerned for Jordan,
03:55 you know, throughout the game.
03:56 And I gave him an update of all the information I had, you know,
04:00 right after the game.
04:01 But, you know, it was an emotional weekend.
04:03 And, you know, as we come into this week, it's another emotional game.
04:10 There is -- you know, we talked about it a few weeks ago, it's one of the two.
04:15 And everything -- I love this game being the last game of the season
04:19 because everything we've done throughout this season builds for this one.
04:22 And it builds for this moment, for this time.
04:24 And we've seen it -- we've seen it dang near all.
04:28 I mean, we've had highs, we've had lows, we've had adversity, we've had challenges.
04:31 But the one thing that's been constant has been this team
04:34 and just, you know, the work that they've put in, you know,
04:37 how much they care about each other,
04:38 the family that's been built here.
04:40 And, you know, I am -- for as sad as I am for Jordan
04:46 and obviously him not being available, I'm so excited for this team.
04:50 I'm excited for them to go get the opportunity to put their identity on display.
04:53 I'm excited for Tate.
04:55 You know, he did a wonderful job coming in.
04:58 You know, we talked about it yesterday.
05:00 I mean, it didn't shock anybody that was on our team
05:02 because we've seen him do that before.
05:04 We've seen him on the road.
05:05 We've seen him, you know, had to lead us back from being down.
05:09 We've seen him, you know, have to be ready when his number's called.
05:12 And, you know, he's always answered that.
05:14 And these last few years as he's grown, I mean,
05:17 you've seen him answer that call whenever he's got the opportunity.
05:21 And you see it in how he prepares throughout the course of the week.
05:24 And, you know, we've got a football team that's going to rally around and behind him.
05:28 It was good to get -- you know, Brock was able to get some work there.
05:32 You know, he's missed the better part of the season.
05:34 You know, with the injury not being available to play.
05:36 And, you know, obviously he's got -- once he got cleared,
05:39 it was great to be able to give him a couple series of work for him to get out there.
05:44 And, you know, did some good things.
05:45 You know, scored his first touchdown, which was awesome for him.
05:49 And, you know, I was proud of our defense.
05:51 You know, you look at the second half, I think it was six straight three and outs.
05:54 I mean, the only time they got a first down was on that last drive.
05:57 And then, you know, I was really, really pleased with just, you know,
06:00 even the last play.
06:01 You know, we talk about playing 60 minutes.
06:03 You know, being able to get a lot of newcomers in the game
06:05 and, you know, to be able to block the last kick
06:07 and to see guys return it for a touchdown.
06:10 I mean, it was a pretty cool experience for them.
06:13 But as it leads into this week, I mean, it's everything that we have.
06:17 And we know we got one more game after this.
06:19 You know, we get to play for a conference championship.
06:21 And, you know, what we do with this week will put us in position for what's ahead.
06:25 But everything that we have is going into our preparation this week
06:29 to go be better than what we've been.
06:31 We know we have to go to a hostile environment.
06:33 I mean, it's going to be, you know, all the challenges, all the adversity,
06:37 everything that's ahead.
06:39 You know, we've got a team that embraces that.
06:41 And that's what I've loved about watching them grow.
06:44 I love the character of this team.
06:46 And, you know, I'm excited to see them go play.
06:50 And we're going to have a great week of prep, you know,
06:53 as we continue to build and continue to get better.
06:56 But I can tell you that yesterday was a real day.
07:01 And it was one that we lifted, we squatted, we went out, we had practice.
07:07 And, I mean, you felt it.
07:10 And, you know, I'm excited to see these guys continue to respond.
07:13 And, you know, we know the challenges ahead.
07:16 But I believe in this group.
07:19 First question over to Aaron.
07:22 On that note, I think fans have had a hard time processing
07:26 and probably some media processing the last 48 hours.
07:29 You know, was it a challenge to get the guys refocused yesterday?
07:35 And how did you see them do that?
07:38 They came in yesterday with purpose.
07:42 You know, everybody has -- I mean, we all are -- like I said,
07:45 this is truly a family.
07:47 And our guys care about each other.
07:49 And, you know, when you have, you know, one of the elite leaders, you know,
07:54 one of the -- you know, Jordan will be talked about forever in this program.
07:58 You know, and what I love is it's not necessarily going to be just about his
08:02 playing ability.
08:03 It's going to be about who he is.
08:05 And, you know, I think you feel that impact.
08:08 And so, you know, there's concern.
08:10 A lot of guys have got a chance to go and see him
08:12 and spend some time with him.
08:13 And so, you know, he's sent his message to the team
08:16 and, you know, make sure he's communicated.
08:18 You know, throughout this weekend.
08:20 But, you know, there's also an expectation
08:23 and there's a responsibility that we have, you know, for him.
08:27 Because, you know, he's been such a huge part of this journey.
08:30 And, you know, we've got work to do.
08:32 And, you know, that's something that, you know, he's echoed, we've echoed.
08:36 And it's -- you know, we've got to go put it in.
08:40 And that's what we've been built on
08:41 and that's what we're going to continue to do.
08:43 And so, it wasn't necessarily refocus.
08:46 It's just making sure that, you know, as a team,
08:48 we talk about, you know, the things that have happened
08:50 and, you know, where we go from here and how we do it is what we control.
08:54 And so, you know, I thought our guys came with great purpose yesterday.
08:58 And I was pleased with the work that I saw.
09:00 You know, it's -- guys know what needs to be done.
09:05 [Inaudible]
09:07 You mentioned you guys have been through a lot.
09:09 And the Florida rivalry is always interesting.
09:11 But have you ever been in a game like before
09:14 where both quarterbacks kind of go down the week before
09:17 and just kind of -- it doesn't change the dynamic of the game,
09:20 but kind of changes like the complexity of the game a little bit?
09:23 Yeah, I mean, you know, it's -- just to think about both sides,
09:26 I can't recall, you know, that --
09:28 whether that's something I've experienced in my career.
09:32 But ultimately, I mean, you know, we don't --
09:36 the guys that step out on that field, you know, offense, defense, special teams,
09:40 I mean, that's what's going to be ahead of us.
09:43 And, you know, to get a little bit of insight on their quarterback, you know,
09:49 as it comes in later in the game, you know, he did some good things,
09:51 was efficient with the ball, showed off, you know,
09:54 athleticism and speed, you know, as a ball carrier.
09:57 And so, I mean, it's, you know, a guy that's been in their system for a couple years
10:02 and, you know, obviously he's getting his shot.
10:04 So it's an offense that has, you know, really good playmakers.
10:09 They've got a couple of probably the best receivers that we've gone against,
10:12 you know, or a couple, you know, in that world.
10:16 You know, I think a couple of guys at LSU are pretty good, too.
10:18 So, I mean, it's like they're in that spectrum.
10:21 But, you know, a couple NFL running backs, you know, they're big up front.
10:24 You know, it's an offense that you see that, you know,
10:27 they've been doing a good job here, you know, these last four or five weeks,
10:30 you know, putting points on the board.
10:33 So, I mean, we've got to control things we control
10:36 and to prepare, you know, for what we expect
10:39 and then, you know, be able to react to anything that might be unexpected.
10:45 How is life different for a quarterback when the whole week is around them?
10:49 They go take snap one versus being thrown into a game,
10:51 especially in unexpected circumstances.
10:53 Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, you try to make it to where, you know,
10:58 the mindset is always the same because you never know.
11:00 And you never know when you're going to be called upon.
11:04 But, you know, it is probably different for them.
11:07 And, you know, it's just for Tate to go through it.
11:10 I mean, it's the same message that I've had for him for however many three years now.
11:15 And you get your opportunity, just go be you.
11:18 And he is, you know, I've got the utmost confidence in what he'll do.
11:23 I know I remember last year on that trip to Louisville, and he went in
11:27 and he went in right before the half, he had interception.
11:29 And, you know, probably there were a lot of questions and doubt on the outside
11:33 of what it could be or what it would be.
11:36 And, you know, I've had a lot of confidence in him.
11:39 And I've watched him grow over the years.
11:41 You know, I've been fortunate to be able to have somebody that's been in the system
11:44 since we got here.
11:45 He was in that first signing class.
11:47 You know, he got thrown in the fire.
11:49 He started the game.
11:51 And it was maybe his second or third game in his career.
11:54 And it wasn't a real fun start.
11:56 I hate that we had to put him in that position, to be honest with you.
11:59 But he's really done a lot of great things.
12:04 And he's stuck through the journey.
12:07 He's continued to prepare.
12:08 And, I mean, it is his time.
12:10 And, you know, I've got a lot of confidence in Tate because of what I've seen
12:14 and the work ethic he has.
12:16 This football team has a lot of confidence in him.
12:18 And you saw it the other night.
12:19 I mean, he comes in and he made a couple of incredible throws, you know,
12:23 across the field, on rhythm, on time.
12:26 You know, he's -- I think people underestimate just his athleticism
12:30 and what he can do, you know, extending plays.
12:32 And, you know, I think that's something that, you know,
12:35 as we go into this week, I mean, he just needs to prepare to go be him
12:38 and, you know, trust all the things that we've done at this point.
12:40 And, you know, we'll do a good job as coaches in making sure that, you know,
12:45 we try to put him in the best position.
12:47 But, I mean, he's done everything in this offense
12:49 and has been preparing for it.
12:51 [Inaudible]
12:53 Following up on that, and you alluded to it,
12:55 that Tate has grown in his time here and he's gone through.
12:57 I guess what areas have you seen him improve on since day one?
13:00 Really all.
13:01 I mean, he was -- you know, he came in --
13:03 Tate's had a lot of success, you know, playing this game.
13:06 And, I mean, he was, I think, 7A, you know, Georgia State Player of the Year,
13:10 won state championship, player for state championship his senior year,
13:15 him and Jaheim Bell were teammates.
13:17 And, I mean, he's done some wonderful things.
13:20 And, you know, he knows what it takes.
13:23 And, you know, what I appreciate is just the way he has competed, right,
13:29 but also not necessarily gotten discouraged with not being a starter.
13:33 He's been behind one of the best players to play at Florida State.
13:37 I think Jordan is in that conversation.
13:40 I mean, he's special.
13:42 But Tate has stayed the course and he's continued to work.
13:45 His confidence, his understanding, he's gotten bigger, he's gotten stronger.
13:49 He can make all the throws.
13:52 But also, you know, just the ownership of the offense is something I think he
13:57 has a really good understanding of.
14:00 And does that mean that there were a couple mistakes the other day that showed up?
14:04 I mean, that's -- you know, we've all had them.
14:07 And, you know, but he understands, you know, immediately if there is a mistake,
14:12 this is what -- this is the reason why.
14:14 And so that's something that is sometimes hard with a young quarterback,
14:18 but he's already been able to go through that process.
14:20 So, you know, I think it's a high ceiling for what he'll be able to do.
14:24 [Inaudible]
14:27 You mentioned Kalen.
14:29 Was holding him out, was that something more precautionary,
14:31 hoping he'll be more available the next few weeks?
14:33 And then, Renardo and Maurice, I think were two guys who got hurt Saturday.
14:36 Where are they coming into this?
14:38 Yeah, we'll see where it's at.
14:39 You know, I'm definitely very hopeful with Kalen.
14:43 I mean, I do expect him to be ready,
14:45 but you'll see where that goes throughout the course of this week.
14:48 Same with Renardo and Maurice.
14:51 I mean, you know, it was -- felt good about where we were on Sunday.
14:56 And, you know, as we get closer to kickoff, we'll see what that looks like.
15:00 We'll go to Ryan in the back right.
15:02 Coach, when you first got here, Tate was a guy you moved on very quickly.
15:05 Just in the film, what you saw from him in his time at Valdosta High,
15:09 what really jumped off the page at you and what made you want to offer him?
15:13 Well, I actually offered him at Memphis.
15:15 And so, you know, he was a -- one of the guys that I liked a lot coming out.
15:19 I mean, I liked his playmaking ability.
15:22 You know, I thought he was -- you see somebody that can live in the pocket
15:26 and throw on time, throw on rhythm.
15:28 You know, he's not afraid of being able to step into a throw.
15:31 You know, we saw that last year.
15:33 I mean, there was a couple throws in the Louisville game where he had a guy
15:35 come and, you know, right at him, and he stepped into the throw
15:38 and made big-time plays.
15:40 And so he's got -- he is a quarterback.
15:42 I mean, and, you know, like I said, his athleticism is something that, you know,
15:46 you see a tall -- you know, not the biggest guy in the world.
15:51 You see him kind of moving around.
15:52 You don't know just ultimately how athletic he is.
15:54 But when you -- I mean, he's one of our faster players on our team.
15:58 I mean, he can run, he can move, he can do all those things.
16:02 And so it's exciting to see his growth.
16:05 And just like I said, you know, his -- I mean, the determination
16:09 and patience that he was willing to show just continuing to grow.
16:13 I mean, he's a son of a coach.
16:15 And, you know, he challenges himself and he's hard on himself in his growth
16:22 and what he's pushing to do.
16:25 But I also think that's what allows him in uncomfortable situations to be able
16:29 to come in and flourish.
16:30 And, you know, he's earned it.
16:33 And so I'm excited to see it.
16:38 What's another take question for you?
16:40 What does that say about him in the year 2023 that a fourth-year kid is still
16:45 here willing to be a backup, even behind one of the better players in the
16:48 country, because that just doesn't seem to happen a lot around the country
16:51 anymore.
16:52 They go and try to find another place to play.
16:54 I guess what does that say about him and what does it say about your belief in
16:57 him and his belief in you guys?
16:59 Yeah, I mean, I think all factors have to be involved in that.
17:02 And, you know, you see it and we've experienced it.
17:05 I mean, guys that, you know, if they don't get it now, they're going to go
17:09 and try to find a better opportunity.
17:11 And, you know, I think Tate has believed in the growth that he sees in himself.
17:15 You know, I think he believed in the development.
17:18 Because if you don't -- one, if you don't love the place, if you don't enjoy
17:21 who you do it with, if you're not having a good time in where you are, then
17:26 you're going to leave.
17:28 And, you know, I think Tate knows that, you know, it's competitive.
17:31 It's going to -- you know, every year you're going to continue to try to bring
17:35 guys in that are going to, you know, try to be the one.
17:38 And that's playing quarterback, you know, that's all part of it.
17:42 And it's -- if you don't embrace that challenge, then, you know, it's probably
17:46 not the right position and definitely not the right place.
17:49 But, you know, he's always valued that.
17:51 And, like I said, I think he believes in the development that he could receive
17:55 here.
17:56 And I think it showed up.
17:58 I mean, because when he's had his opportunities, I mean, he's been as
18:01 efficient, you know, and I'll owe you all the time of backup or, you know,
18:04 mop up or whatever you want to call it.
18:06 But when you go in and you have to play, you know, and the efficiencies he's had
18:09 has been really good.
18:11 And last year, you know, like I said, in the one opportunity where we needed him,
18:14 I mean, we're down on the road, you know, what was it, third game of the season.
18:19 And, you know, he brought us back.
18:22 And so he is one that, you know, even after that, after last season, he could
18:27 have said, "Well, I'm going to go find a place where I can start," because
18:29 there's a lot of places he could have started this year.
18:32 But he also, you know, how much he cares about this team and, you know,
18:36 obviously enjoys the experience here.
18:38 And he's been willing.
18:40 And, you know, he's gotten better throughout the course of this year,
18:43 through the course of last spring.
18:45 And so I think we've seen glimpses of that and just how he's been able to play
18:47 when he's got his opportunities so far this season.
18:50 Next, we have Marlon Thurgold.
18:52 You know, there's paralysis by analysis for some guys, or if they have too much
18:56 time to think about something, it might hinder them.
18:59 How different will it be for Tate to kind of know, like, an entire week that
19:02 it's his show to run versus some of the spot duty he's had in the past?
19:06 Yeah, I mean, he's played this game and he's had to -- you know, you play at the
19:12 top level in the state of Georgia and, you know, you have to go through that
19:15 experience as a high school player.
19:17 You know, he's played in pressure-packed situations where he's known he's been
19:20 the guy.
19:21 Now, is it a step up when you're in college?
19:23 Yes.
19:24 But he's also -- he's had to do that before, too.
19:26 I mean, this is not -- this will not be his first start, you know, that he's taken.
19:30 Like I said, the one a few years ago, oh, absolutely.
19:34 It was probably a real challenge for where he was just, you know, being a young
19:39 kid getting thrown into it.
19:41 But, you know, he's been preparing for this.
19:43 And, like, I don't -- I'm not worried about, you know, any of the other factors
19:48 and just go play his game.
19:50 And, you know, I've got -- I'm very confident what that will look like.
19:55 Next will be Jordan, third row on your left.
19:57 Coach, for a while, Florida State had a fractured fan base.
20:00 What did it mean to support from the Florida State community to Jordan, you know,
20:04 in the coming days since the injury?
20:05 What did you say about the fan --
20:06 It was kind of a fractured fan base when you got here.
20:08 You know, people were --
20:09 Oh, fractured.
20:10 I was trying to figure out what word that was.
20:13 All right.
20:14 We have an unbelievable fan base.
20:16 And it's one that, you know, to see the support this year.
20:20 I mean, you know, I said -- we had finished the season with five straight
20:24 sellouts and, you know, it's pretty big.
20:27 And especially in the fact that we had three straight home games in the month of
20:30 October, that's challenging.
20:33 And, you know, but, I mean, you see the support of this team.
20:36 And it's not only, well, you know, we're undefeated, great, yes,
20:40 but it's also how they play.
20:41 It's how much they care.
20:42 You know, the way these guys value representing, you know,
20:46 Florida State in general and, you know, to all the past players,
20:49 to everybody that we get a chance to step on that field and, you know,
20:55 speak for in how we play.
20:56 I mean, it's big.
20:58 And, you know, obviously when a player goes down and, you know,
21:01 Jordan has earned every bit of the support that he's gotten because he is real
21:08 and he's true.
21:09 And, you know, he is a remarkable young man.
21:12 And, I mean, it's been overwhelming support from all, from, you know,
21:18 I've had most of the head coaches in the league have texted me
21:21 or reached out, you know, just at their teams, their programs,
21:26 the university, they're praying for Jordan and they're just thinking about him
21:30 because they know the competitor.
21:32 And, you know, sometimes when you compete against somebody, you know,
21:35 you get a different insight of who they are.
21:37 And, I mean, he's just -- he's pure and true.
21:40 And so he's been remarkable.
21:42 And, you know, I appreciate our fan base just for all the support
21:45 throughout the season.
21:46 And, you know, obviously it was definitely on display this Saturday
21:51 and it continues to be on display daily.
21:53 In the first nine games of secondary, you had four touchdowns.
21:58 In the last two games, they've allowed four.
22:00 Does that something just need to be cleaned up
22:01 or just kind of a little regression to the mean as well?
22:04 Well, I mean, you know, there's -- obviously there's plays that we'd like to have
22:08 back, things that we can learn from, things where we can get better.
22:11 I think we've been really, really good in our past defense, you know,
22:14 throughout the course of the year.
22:16 And, you know, we don't ever want to give up a touchdown,
22:18 but, you know, sometimes that happens.
22:20 And, you know, but you can still learn from, you know, the why
22:23 and, you know, obviously how we can improve on that.
22:25 And, you know, I know that's what our guys are excited to work on
22:29 as we go through this week.
22:32 I know statistically Florida's defense has struggled,
22:34 but when they play well, when they are good, what is it that allows them
22:37 to be good, what does stand out about them when they're playing?
22:39 Yeah, I mean, it's a huge defensive front.
22:42 I mean, they're massive.
22:44 They got, you know, number one is probably one of the better defense alignment
22:48 that we've faced this year.
22:49 You're very active.
22:51 I think he's got six and a half sacks, you know, 11 TFLs.
22:54 You know, he's a really good player.
22:56 We saw him last year.
22:58 But he's done a nice job for them.
23:00 But you see the size that they have up front.
23:03 I mean, it's a big group.
23:05 You know, a couple big corners that are aggressive in nature in how they play
23:10 and, you know, have done a good job, you know, for the most part,
23:13 throughout the course of the season.
23:15 I mean, in what they do, but they're going to run.
23:17 It's a big athletic group that's playing on defense.
23:22 And, you know, they do a lot schematically.
23:24 You know, it's something that's going to be a big week of preparation for us
23:29 because of the volume of things that they're going to try to throw at you.
23:31 So, you know, we've got to try to make sure we settle that down for all of our guys,
23:35 you know, as we get through the week.
23:37 But, you know, this is a -- I mean, it's a talented group.
23:41 All right, we've got time for two more.
23:43 We've got to help Eric out in the back.
23:45 Hey, Coach, could you tell us the extent of the conversations you've had
23:48 with Jordan personally since your postgame presser Saturday night?
23:51 Yeah, I mean, you know, I went and saw him afterwards.
23:54 And, you know, just being there for him.
23:56 And, you know, just helping him to understand the support.
24:02 Because it's tough.
24:04 I mean, you know, as much as anything else, you know,
24:07 for a program that you love so much that you're not going to get the chance to go
24:11 and play, you know, play another snap.
24:14 I mean, it's just hard.
24:16 But, you know, I mean, he talked to me first thing, you know, Sunday morning.
24:20 And, you know, it was something that was -- I'm not going to go into all that it said.
24:25 But, I mean, it was special.
24:28 And I actually shared it with the team there in our meeting Sunday afternoon.
24:33 And, I mean, it's just -- you know, he's a remarkable young man.
24:36 And his belief in his teammates, his belief in our program and what we do,
24:40 you know, he's been a living example of it.
24:43 And, like I told our team, you never know when your last play is going to be.
24:47 But the one thing in life that you never want to experience is regret.
24:51 And, you know, I believe Jordan is very, you know,
24:55 he's very composed and comfortable in where he is, you know,
24:59 in one of the most challenging situations you could ever experience
25:03 because he doesn't have regrets.
25:05 Like he gave all.
25:06 And it was in every practice and every game and everything that he did.
25:10 And so, knowing that, you know, the journey of being a player at Florida State,
25:16 you know, he's not going to be able to make that impact on the field anymore.
25:20 But there's not a regret in how and what he did.
25:24 And, unfortunately, it came -- you know, his time ended a little bit before,
25:30 you know, our last game.
25:32 But, you know, he's still going to make an impact.
25:35 And that's just what's so special about him.
25:38 And, you know, he's making sure that he's communicating
25:42 and continuing to lead in every way that he can right now.
25:45 Last one will be Corey.
25:48 There's another undefeated team that thinks the world's out to get them right now.
25:51 Their coach is suspended and all that.
25:53 When you guys lost your starting quarterback, people decided, oh, their season's over.
25:59 And there are people thinking even if you go 13-0, you might not get to go to the playoff
26:03 because of what you could do in late December or January in the playoff.
26:08 How much do you use that with this team to be like, hey, man,
26:11 this season's still going and we're still really good
26:13 and we have everything out in front of us?
26:15 Is it a rallying cry that it does feel like the rest of the country stopped believing
26:19 in Florida State late in the first quarter on Saturday night?
26:22 Yeah, I mean, it's always about us.
26:27 And through challenge, through adversity, through, you know,
26:31 whatever the perspective is on outside of people that think that know our team,
26:35 I live with them every day.
26:36 I watch them every day.
26:37 I watch their work.
26:38 I watch, you know, their heart, the ability, all the things that are important
26:43 to winning football games and, you know, being able to sustain success.
26:47 You never want to see anybody go down, you know,
26:49 but I can't control what anybody on the outside says about our team,
26:52 but we can make our impression by how we play
26:55 and how we do the things that we do.
26:57 So, you know, I can't go through the season and say, well,
27:00 don't worry about those things, and then, oh, now this week,
27:04 now it's going to be important because that's not real.
27:06 We are going to be true to who we are.
27:08 And these guys, you know, to say that they don't hear it, no,
27:12 that's not real either; right?
27:13 I mean, I'm sure they hear it, but, you know, thank God the opinions of others
27:17 don't dictate what our actions are going to be; right?
27:20 This team, you know, a year ago, nobody thought we were worth a crap; right?
27:24 They proved them wrong; right?
27:26 We're -- big expectations coming into this season and, you know,
27:29 people waiting for us to slip and fall.
27:32 They're continuing to get better; right?
27:34 Quarterback goes down, oh, that must be it.
27:38 That's why we get to play the game.
27:39 That's why we get to go to work.
27:40 That's why we get to continue to push and build
27:43 and go be all that I know that this team can be.
27:45 So we'll take care of the rest out there on the field and what we do.
27:48 And if we take care of our business and continue to grow and get better,
27:51 I'll put no limits to what this team can accomplish because I believe in them.
27:54 And, you know, I believe if we can put that on display,
27:58 then maybe a few more will believe in what they can do.
28:01 All right, thank you, guys.
28:02 Thank you, Shad.