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00:00We have offensive lineman Wyatt Milam.
00:02Questions for Wyatt, Greg?
00:04So Wyatt, start with how odd does it feel
00:07not having Zach, not having Doug,
00:10being the old guy out there now?
00:12Yeah, it's definitely different.
00:13You know, just talking about Doug,
00:15like I grew up with Doug.
00:16I played with Doug in high school my sophomore year.
00:19So just not having, then coming here
00:21and having Fraze and Doug since I was a freshman,
00:23and they just really, they helped me grow as a player.
00:26I really competed with them.
00:29They taught me a lot about the game and stuff like that.
00:31So yeah, it's a little different,
00:32but now I'm just trying to be the best player I can be
00:36and help the younger guys and help the older guys also.
00:39Just get them going, help them
00:41with anything they need like that.
00:43So I was gonna ask that, in terms of leadership
00:45and some of those things,
00:47Doug was really a lot more vocal than Zach,
00:49but do you have to assume some of that role now?
00:53I wouldn't say, I'm vocal sometimes,
00:56like when I have to be, I would say,
00:59but I say vocal is not really my,
01:01really not my leadership style.
01:02I like to lead by example, I would say, minus,
01:06but I'll get people, like when they need help
01:08or anything, any questions like that,
01:10I'm always there for them.
01:11They need help with like their footwork
01:13or anything football-wise, I'm there.
01:15But when I need to be vocal, I could be vocal.
01:18Five of your top seven are back.
01:19Yeah.
01:20Tomas is a practicing this spring.
01:23What do you see about this offensive line that you like?
01:27What's maybe different than what we saw last year
01:31with this group?
01:33I'll say still, we're still a physical group.
01:36Our chemistry's, like even though we lost,
01:38like say, for Asian, Doug, our chemistry's still good.
01:41Because I think bowl game,
01:42we played with Yates and Quaye and Malone.
01:45So our chemistry's still there.
01:47What was the other part of your question there?
01:48Well, just the fact that you, how was it,
01:51you asked how it's gonna be different.
01:52Obviously, you gotta replace two important pieces,
01:55but it seems like with Yates,
01:57maybe a little bit more athletic.
01:59Yeah, Yates is enough.
02:00Yates is athletic, yeah.
02:02Malone's athletic, too.
02:03Quaye, he's a, Quaye's a great player.
02:05Works extremely hard.
02:06So our offensive line, I expect no change from last year.
02:09I expect to be the top in the country
02:11like we were last year in every category.
02:13So I don't, I believe there's no change that'll happen.
02:16You've touched a little bit on communication,
02:18you know, and being vocal, whatever.
02:21Differences in personalities of people on the line
02:23when you have people going in different ways.
02:25Does that lead to different ways that you communicate,
02:28especially in the heat of play
02:30when you gotta communicate really quickly?
02:32Yeah, just say like, I'm beside like Solly right now.
02:35Solly and Moe.
02:37You just like, I just, like before the play,
02:38I just try to like, when I see something
02:40like our defense is doing,
02:41I try to like give them like little pointers,
02:43like hey, I made a twist, maybe coming.
02:44But you really just, the communication you just do like,
02:48like, it's all really the same.
02:53Like, you just talk to everybody before the play,
02:55and then like during the play, like twist,
02:57or like when we need to switch blockers off,
02:59we are, communication's all good.
03:01Who was your leader when you came in?
03:03Who was your communication lead guy?
03:05Say like, when I played right tackle,
03:08Doug was right guard.
03:10So Doug helped me out a lot.
03:12Like Frazie, they helped me out.
03:14But I'd say Doug was probably my leader
03:17when I first got here.
03:19Correct me if I'm wrong,
03:20this is just a kind of an observation
03:22watching you guys and team a little bit.
03:24It seems like you've got two intact groups
03:28that function pretty well, and even a third.
03:32Whereas in the past, maybe some of the earlier years,
03:35you get to that second group,
03:37or the third group, it's like a fire drill.
03:39Is that accurate?
03:40Would you say that amongst the units
03:43on the first cycle?
03:44Both fire groups right now are very,
03:46I feel like Johnny, he can play right now.
03:48Johnny's a very good player.
03:50Nick Cray's getting there.
03:52Solly's getting better every day.
03:54Landon's stepping up big right now.
03:56Yates was out, so Landon's in the run with the ones.
03:58And Landon's been doing a great job.
04:00So yeah, I believe our first two groups
04:02are improving a lot this year.
04:04How about you at snapping?
04:06Well, it's getting better, I can say.
04:09I'm trying to work on it, but yeah,
04:11when I'm the snapping with the quarterbacks,
04:13they're fine, but I just gotta get more work,
04:16live reps at center.
04:17Matt was here, and he was telling us the other day
04:20it helps your marketability.
04:22There's more things that you can show people
04:25in the next level that you can do.
04:26That's kind of how he's approaching it.
04:28Yeah, that's what I want to play
04:30the most positions I can play.
04:31I just don't want to be a guy
04:32that can play only one position.
04:34So I'd be happy if I can play all five.
04:36I'm trying to learn every day, new position,
04:39like I'm taking center reps,
04:41just like learn different positions.
04:42That's what I'm trying to do.
04:43That says a lot for him.
04:45You know, obviously as a coach,
04:46you want to put your best guys together
04:48and work them and work them and work them.
04:50But he's thinking about all of you guys
04:51and what is maybe going to help your careers.
04:53Yeah, I agree.
04:57How many years in high school did you play without Doug?
05:00Was it just one?
05:01Two years, two years.
05:02I played my junior and senior year without Doug.
05:04Is it a similar feeling now?
05:07Yeah, it's like Doug, my sophomore year,
05:10he was like our leader in high school.
05:12So now it's basically the same thing.
05:13Doug and Frazier are gone.
05:14So now it's my turn to step up
05:17and be the leader of the group.
05:19How did that go?
05:22Basically, you just said it,
05:23you went through the same exact thing in high school
05:24where Doug graduates and now you're kind of the guy.
05:27What kind of did you learn from doing it,
05:29you know, three, four years ago
05:31that now you can do it again?
05:32This is really just by,
05:34just like lead by example,
05:36really just show people how to work,
05:40how to do things inside and outside of the building.
05:44So yeah.
05:45Talk a little bit about the relationship,
05:47you and Doug.
05:48He went way back, obviously.
05:52He left to go to Virginia Tech.
05:54I mean, you guys got to talk about that a lot.
05:57And what was it like,
05:58you guys bullying other people in high school
06:01on the football field?
06:03Me and Doug have a,
06:04I love Doug, but yeah.
06:06Me and Doug just always had a good connection
06:08when we was playing together.
06:09But yeah, talking about high school,
06:11it was pretty fun.
06:12Yeah, it was awesome to play with Doug,
06:14especially in high school
06:14and going to college level and playing with Doug.
06:17And hopefully one day
06:18we might go play again someday together.
06:21You guys are out there today,
06:22did a little teamwork.
06:23What did you see?
06:24What was some of your thoughts
06:25on today's practice, offense versus defense?
06:28I thought we did some good things
06:29and some things we need to work on.
06:31Feel like we could have run the ball
06:32a little better today.
06:34Pass or pass protection needs,
06:36we can still work on that,
06:37but I feel like overall we had a pretty good day.
06:40So what is it that this offense is doing best right now?
06:43Where is it that you still think there's,
06:45room for improvement?
06:48I feel like our explosive pass plays,
06:50I feel like we're throwing the ball pretty well.
06:53Like we can always work on about everything,
06:54but I feel like we need to get,
06:57our run game needs to get a little better right now.
07:01And we talked to Sean, I think last week, Sean Martin.
07:05And he said something that's really helped him this spring
07:07is just going against you every single day.
07:09Just what's it like from your side of it?
07:11Yeah, Sean, yeah, we go,
07:13I love going up against Sean.
07:14I want to go against Sean.
07:15Like when we have pass pro drills and stuff like that,
07:17I always want to go up against Sean
07:18because his length is something
07:20that I still need to work with.
07:22So just having someone long like Sean,
07:25yeah, it just helps me out.
07:26And then we just battle every day.
07:28Curious, what's your perspective of Garrett?
07:30Where's he at right now?
07:31And walk us through his growth,
07:34what you've seen playing with him.
07:36I would say he's a fiery guy.
07:39He gets all of us going,
07:40but I see definitely his passing ability
07:43has gotten better this year.
07:44His control of the offense,
07:46like he gets everybody going.
07:47He's a lot better this year.
07:48So a lot of improvement from Garrett this year.
07:51Overall command of the team, you think?
07:53Yeah, for sure.
07:55You think that's a product of just experience
07:57and just having a year under his belt?
07:58Oh, for sure.
07:59No more quarterback battle.
08:01Everybody's positions are established, you think?
08:03Yeah, for sure.
08:04Go back to Doug again.
08:06You guys, how'd you guys meet in high school?
08:09Even before high school, I imagine.
08:11We've always just grew up together.
08:14A lot of people don't know this,
08:15Doug, the first place he stayed all night was my house.
08:17So, yeah.
08:19Yeah, so I've known Doug since I was a little kid.
08:23I'm gonna ask you guys to make some people
08:26cook a lot of food for you.
08:28Oh, yeah, there was a lot of cooking.
08:31Did you save him any Pop-Tarts?
08:33Or did you eat them all?
08:33I don't think there was any Pop-Tarts left.
08:35Ha ha ha!
08:39Does the four years you've been here
08:41feel like it's flown by?
08:43What's it like now, thinking that you're now a senior?
08:45It's crazy that it seems like just the other day
08:48I was arriving here and getting on campus in the May,
08:51and now I only got a couple more months.
08:53This is last season.
08:55Yeah, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
08:58I've loved playing here.
08:59I loved playing for West Virginia University.
09:01Loved playing for my home state.
09:02So, yeah, it's been awesome.
09:09Can you still pitch?
09:11You had to.
09:13If I had to, I don't know if I could bring the heat
09:16like I used to, but yeah, I feel like I can go out there
09:18and maybe throw an inning or two.
09:21I think I saw Doug out there today.
09:22You look pretty good.
09:24Yeah, yeah, he's looking good, yeah, for sure.
09:32Craig, anything else?
09:35Mike?
09:37You guys have any?
09:38I'm good.
09:39Okay, all right.
09:40Thank you.