On the competition at right tackle and center

We feel really good about multiple guys. Both at that center position and that right tackle position. We feel like we've got really truthfully three guys at each of those positions that can go out and we can win a lot of games with. So, I'm excited to see how it continues to play out and I know the guys we tried out there on Saturday are going to do a really good job and I have full confidence in even the guys behind them. So, I'm excited to see how the group plays.

On Dominick Giudice

He's done a great job. Not having an extensive O-line background. I mean we really recruited him as technically an edge. So, he's taken to the offense line in general really, really quickly and then to center as well. Obviously that's a position that's very much mental. You're the quarterback of the O-line. Besides the quarterback, you're the only person on the field who touches the ball every single play. So, it's as critical a position there is in football. So, he's done a really, really good job putting himself in the mix there and like I said, he's one of those three guys at center we feel like can go out and win another national championship with.

On whether he feels like he has 9 or 10 on the offensive line

I do. I do. I feel like we're in a good position where we can roll out multiple guys in most positions and be really, really competitive and have full trust in those guys. It's a credit to the guys in the room. I think they're hungry. I think either intentional or unintentional. I feel like they feel like they've been kind of overlooked because of who we had in that room before them. It's a credit to those six guys we had. They were really, really elite players. We've had some really good ones in that room behind them. So, I think now they're excited to go out and kind of have their turn so to speak to prove just how good they are.

On Myles Hinton and the depth at left tackle

He's doing a really good job. He's doing a really good job. The challenge for him, he's always had that unbelievable physical ability and God-given ability. It's just becoming more of a vocal leader and really becoming the guy in that room, which he's embraced that challenge. He's playing at a really high level right now. Obviously, hay's never in the barn, but I've been really, really happy with how he's played throughout spring and then obviously in the fall camp now. Then behind him, you've got the three guys who are competing at that right tackle position. They'll fill on the left side as well. Blake Frazier's doing a really, really good job too. He's a true freshman.

On positions set in stone

Right now, the way we see it, it's left tackle, left guard, right guard are the ones that are kind of set and good to go. With Gio at right guard.

On Gio El-Hadi and his leadership

Yeah, he's a leader in that room. He's definitely one of the leaders in that room. I think he's one of the leaders on the team. I think he's another great example of a guy who started games for us two years ago even. Am I right in saying that? 2022, he had a start. He's a guy who at 95% of, at 22 versus Maryland, 22 versus Maryland, started at guard. He's a guy who at 95, 97% of programs across the country is a three-year starter. He's probably in the NFL already. So I think it's a credit to him and his mentality. Being patient but not being complacent. Going out and competing and winning a starting job. He's going to put himself in a good position to have a great year.

On the Invictus meaning

I think it's a perfect description. I think one thing that we've kind of embodied is the idea that hey, we respect everyone we play. We're not going to fear anyone. There should be no fear, especially in that room, especially at this place. Like I said, I think you've got a lot of guys who are hungry to prove that hey, we're really good players too. Not tired of or not upset at the guys who came before them who did a great job and set that standard but excited and eager to live up to the standard that's been set and try to exceed it.

On whether his day-to-day with Giudice is different from the rest of the OL

No, he's fully in the mix now. We do the same stuff. We ask him to do the same stuff we ask that Crippen and Raheem and those guys do as well. So no, he's fully in the mix, fully integrated.

On Evan Link

Sure, he's made big jumps not just mentally and playbook-wise and play-wise but physically from being a freshman and sometimes it's easy to forget how big the jump that those guys can make from their freshman year to sophomore year can be, especially as an offensive lineman. So physically he's in a really good spot and he's embraced the challenge of competing against two older guys who are both very good players in their own right. So we feel like we're fortunate. It's good problems to have, like I always joke, it's rich people problems that we feel like we can go out there and have three tackles, just like we feel like we have three centers. So excited to see how those guys perform.

On what has made Link make the jump from freshman to sophomore season

Sure, there's definitely just the understanding of football. Freshman year, especially for a guy like him who did not early enroll, that freshman fall a lot of times you're trying to keep your head above water. Am I going right on this play or am I going left? It's understanding what am I doing, not necessarily why am I doing it or how does the entire scheme, or how do I fit into the entire scheme as a whole. So for him it's been about taking that next step which he has of understanding the big picture and understanding why we do things, how we do things instead of just what's my block on this specific play.

On Colston Loveland and Marlin Klein

Yeah, that room's going to be just fine. That room's going to be just fine. Obviously you guys know Colston and I've been excited to see Marlin be able to take on a bigger and bigger role. And then Max, he's voted captain for a reason. And the cool thing is we've been talking about seeing that in Max for three years now. I think everyone kind of saw it last year and the year before. And then those young bucks are going to be good players too. So Coach Casula's doing a great job with them.

On whether anything has surprised him taking over the OL

I don't know if anything has surprised me, but it's been pretty exciting to be able to get back to my roots. It's such a critical position on any team, but especially here. Coach Moore's preached it. He's lived it and obviously I've lived it playing here. Offense line's the most important position on any team, but especially here. It means something a little more and something I tell those guys. Every time they go on the field, they don't just represent themselves. They represent each other. They represent their families, the names on the back of their uniforms. And they also represent every single offensive lineman who's ever played here, who's ever worn that helmet. And there's been some really, really good ones. So I think they've understood that and have taken that challenge of it means something more than just being good. You've got to be dominant here to play offense line.

On how quickly Giudice was identified as a potential center candidate

He's a very, very intelligent person. He took to it very quickly, especially not having a background in a ton of offense line play and a ton of center play. I would imagine his defensive background probably helped him some in that. Maybe he gave him a little different perspective. We worked him a lot there in the spring and I think you guys saw in the spring game where he played pretty much exclusively center. It wasn't just like, hey, the last two weeks he's playing center. He's been doing it since December. But he's taken a good jump.

On the difficulties of having a first-year QB and a first-year center

Sure. I think it's just repetition. And the great thing is that we've been preparing that no matter who the starting quarterback is, no matter who the starting center is, no matter who the starting right tackle is, so on and so forth, in any position, the guys are prepared. And they know that Coach Campbell, Coach Moore are going to put them in a great position to execute and they just have to go out and trust their training and do it. And I think they're ready to do that.

On whether he wants to see the starting five OL play or have rotation

Sure, that's something that Coach Moore will decide. Obviously, it will depend on the flow of the game and he'll have some ideas there. But no, that will be Coach Moore's decision.

On whether Josh Priebe has been similar to the other OL transfers

Almost identical. I mean, he perfectly melded with those guys. Just was very respectful of, hey, I'm kind of the new guy to the room and didn't want to be overbearing. But he's another one. He's a natural leader. He's a really, really good player. He's a natural leader to the point where we kind of had to tell him after spring, like, hey, you can lead. You don't have to feel like you can't because you haven't earned that right. You've had 15 practices that you've put on the tape. You've earned the right to be one of the leaders in that room, which I think he is. So it's a credit to him and obviously credit to the training he had previously and just his mindset. I mean, he was exactly kind of what we were looking for in terms of a guy coming in and be a pro, be an experienced guy who can come in and still refine his craft, still get better, but be another older veteran presence in that room who can lead not only the room, but I think he's earned the respect of the entire team with his play and kind of how he conducts himself.

On whether there's a sense internally of who the QB is

I don't know if that's true. I feel full confidence, as I know the guys do, in either one of those guys, and truthfully even beyond them. I think it's a credit to Coach Campbell and the guys in that room that it's not some kind of drastic difference depending on who the quarterback is. They all can command the huddle. They all can command the team and command the offense. So I think we all have full confidence, players and coaches, that no matter who it is on Saturday night, they're going to be able to go out there and execute and be a leader, just like we feel the same about center, feel the same about right tackle, and I'm sure other coaches will say the same in other positions.

On whether he'd be able to make the call at QB if asked hypothetically

I'd feel like I'd be really, really happy with both those guys. I feel like we could win a national championship with either one of them. So I'm excited to see how it plays out, but I got full trust in both those guys.

On Jaishawn Barham

I'm excited to see him rush somebody else. He's unbelievable. He's I can confidently say he's probably the most physically gifted second level player we've had here in my time. Probably the closest was Devin, but he's bigger than Devin by a good bit. I don't want to overstate it, but he's really, really good. He's unbelievable. Which has been an awesome challenge for our guys. I had a kind of funny conversation the first time Josh squared up on him. It's a challenge every single day, just like it is with Mason, KG, Stu, D-Moore, all those guys. Truthfully, it's a blessing for us on offense because we face guys who, and we may see a guy who's as good as that maybe across the country, but we won't see one who's better. I would stand on the table right now and say that there's not a better linebacker in the country right now than that guy. That's not an insult to any of those guys who have come before here. The juniors, the Devins, etc., etc., the Mike B's, but he's a specimen. I'm excited to see him fly around and make plays on Saturday.

On whether he feels like he's accomplished everything he's wanted to with the OL

The hay's never in the barn. We're always going to prepare up until game day, especially with a group that's going to be less experienced than the previous two years. We're always going to keep preparing. We're not going to feel like we've arrived. I didn't feel like last year with the Titans we'd arrived ever. The day of the national championship game, there was still work to do. There was still stuff to do. I don't know if I'll ever feel like, we've made it, nor do I really want to. At the same time, I have a lot of confidence in those guys. Any kind of doubt or worry that, are we going to have enough guys? Are we going to have enough depth? Those guys have done a great job of working and putting themselves in a position where we have ultimate trust as myself, Coach Campbell, Coach Moore that we can roll out seven, eight, nine guys and be in a really good spot.

On the pass rush

Truthfully, it's very similar. You had a couple guys who knew when we were established. I said those TD tackles are the best two in the country. I don't think it's very close. They challenge us every single day. Same with those edges. I'm excited to see what Stu and Dean Moore can do in the full season as being the ones on the edges. They're both dynamic players too. I also want to see guys like TJ Guy, who I remember in 22 or 21 when he was on the scout team. He was just a young pup learning his way and trying to make a name for himself. Now to be able to see him take a jump and be a bona fide guy has been exciting. I'm excited to see what that group does. It's a credit to those guys and Coach Espo back there. They give us everything we can handle in practice every single day. It's a blessing for us, truthfully, because it's going to prepare us really well for the game. I'm confident in that.

On why Max Bredeson was voted captain

He's just a leader. He's a leader and he's a worker. That's who he's been since he got on campus. I've said it before, but I don't know how many high school quarterbacks come in and immediately ask if they can move to fullback so they can try to get on the field and help on special teams. He's everything that the Bredesen name has always been here. He talks when he needs to. He's become more and more of a vocal leader, but he leads with his actions. It's kind of overused and cliche, but he's a foxhole guy. He's one of those guys that if my life was on the line, I'm trusting Max Bredesen. It seems like the entire team would as well.

On the trust with Bredeson

I would trust Max. I trust all those offense linemen, but I'd trust Max for sure. He's that kind of guy. I obviously had the honor of coaching him the last couple years. I'm just excited to see what he continues to do.

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