On shuffling of the offensive line

It's next man up. Guys practice like that, we do that in training camp so they're already ready to make those changes. It's crazy how calm you feel when you insert some of those guys because of the way we practice and the competition in practice. Those guys are getting work in at practice against our defense. It was good. Just excited about the progress we're making.

On having stability up the middle with Olu, Zinter and Keegan

It's great. Obviously, with the experience of those guys and how well they're playing, it's been really good for us. Especially Olu. We raved about him in spring ball and training camp. Watching him in games kind of puts the stamp on how good he is and what he's done. It's going to be good. He's taking control of the middle of the group and it's been very positive for us. I'm excited about it.

On the offensive line having to clean things up

I think it's a process. We've gotta go through the same process every week and it's going to change. We're going to play better players, play better competition in Big Ten play and we know that. We're just excited for the challenge. I've seen the progress in practice, even saw more this week. I can see it in the game bit by bit. It takes time. The line we had last year wasn't what they were in week 12 to week 1. It takes some time for those guys to build that rhythm and chemistry. They're starting to do it so we see the process going and see the process rolling.

On the growing pains for Trente Jones

I think the big thing is that it's your first time in a starting position. When you put on a helmet here and you're the starting tackle at Michigan, it's a big deal. Sometimes, in your mind, you can make it a bigger deal than it really needs to be. It's all about confidence. If you play with confidence, you walk around with that confidence, you practice with that confidence, you're going to play like that on Saturdays. I tell the guys you play like you practice and he practiced a lot better last week and played a lot better. Just continue to do that and he'll progress and be in the right direction.

On whether Jones playing more snaps than any offensive lineman is by design

I think that's part of being a guy that hasn't played much football. Those guys have played and started a number of games so try to get them more experience and more playing time. It's been really good for him, especially that last game we played. He played much better, he played really well. Just watching his progress has been good.

On the logistics of playcalling

It's been good. Again, playcalling has been smooth, playcalling has been great. I feel like it's been in a rhythm. Obviously, when you put up the points we have, it's gone pretty well. We always think there's things to improve. The pre-snap penalties, it's really about the players. Just their focus and their details. They came out in that game, they had an hour rain delay and they could've been excited and unfocused, could've came out with juice and energy. They came out with the same focus as if we kicked off at 8. Just watching them progress has been really good. Playcalling has been smooth.

On whether downfield threats are more prevalent with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback

I think it's all about the bounce and, really, it's predicated on the game plan. Those shots were a little different versus the team we were playing last week. They played a lot deeper so there were less opportunities to do that, so that's why I think that took place. This team is just aggressive and they played a lot closer to the ball. We're going to try and take advantage of what people do. Whether they play deep or whether they play close, manipulate ways to where we want to get the ball, not where they want us to get the ball.

On the learning curve of calling plays and what's different for him on game days

Just different that I'm calling plays. Obviously, when you're not a play caller, you suggest plays, you have a thought process of what you would like to get called. You're suggesting to the play caller, you know, I would like to get this one on this series because you're not saying it during the series, there's more focus on your position. When you're calling plays, you're watching everything. There's less of me watching the offensive line when I'm calling plays, it's less of me watching positions. It's more watching everything. In between series and drives, it's communicating with the staff. Trying to figure out what we want the next series to look like. Figuring out the rhythm and making it happen. The communication with the players is you try to be as detailed but it's just a little different when you're calling plays.

On Mimi Bolden-Morris

She's done an outstanding job. She's very smart, very intelligent. Super athletic, she actually throws the football way better than I do. It's not a joke, she really does throw it. She's outstanding, she's very intelligent and very detailed. Very willing learner, she's always asking questions and trying to make sure she's doing things the right way and it's happening how we want. She's just been an outstanding addition for us and just gives you a different perspective. Somebody that didn't play the sport but is an athlete and can see it through those eyes. Obviously, she's a woman but, to us, she's just another coach and the players look at it the same way and she's done an outstanding job for us.

On whether Bolden-Morris is making suggestions

She's asking questions but there's also times she's suggesting things. She's an intricate part of what we do on game days. She's on the sidelines and she helps with substitutions and things like that. People look at it as maybe not important but it's super important, especially with the personnel we put into the game. She's doing a great job for us and we're super excited to have her.

On Grant Newsome

When Grant first started becoming a student coach, you knew he would be an exceptional coach. His detail, his focus, how smart he is, how he coaches the game. Obviously, he was a really good player but his focus and how he attacks everything. You can just see him going up in the ranks and he's done an outstanding job and continues to do it. He coaches guys really hard and he does a lot of things that I do just because he's worked with me for so long. He's taking his own way of doing things, which is really good, and that's what you have to be able to be a good coach. The sky is the limit for Grant and his coaching career.

On his skills and his relationship-building making Newsome stand out as a coach

Both. He's great with Xs and Os, he suggests plays on game day but he's also got a great ability to relate to the players because he's been in their shoes. At the same time, the separation of coach and player, he does a great job of keeping it that way so they don't look at him as just a friend. He's their coach.

On whether he's game-planning or calling specific downs

I'm game-planning and calling specific downs. Everything.

On whether he has a specific down he calls

We gameplan it all.

On how much experience does Trevor Keegan has at tackle and Gio El-Hadi's play

Keegan was actually a tackle in high school. There's been times in camp—it started last year. He said, hey, do you mind if I go to LT? I was like, sure. So we'd switch him and see what he would do. First time we did it, I was like, wow, that was pretty good. We just kind of did it throughout camp to prepare him just in case we needed it. We actually did which was really good. We like to switch guys around, move guys around to find the best five. We've got great athletes up front, they all think they can play tight end which is a joke. We did that in camp and it's been really good. Gio, he's just been on the up, and up, and up. He came in last year as a freshman, really didn't know much and was really kind of lost. This spring and this training camp, you could see the steps forward. He was always a big, strong kid but it was the playbook and the alertness, the fundamentals and all that. That's where he's taken himself to the next level. That's why there's so much confidence to play him in these games. He's done a good job for us.

On how much plays are scripted at the start of games

Not during series. As we call plays, we let the play-caller call plays and not say much. When you're calling something and there's people yelling, it could be a distraction. As far as how we script the plays, we have a method to it. I can't really explain it. We have a great method and we're just really excited about the direction of where we're going.

On whether Jim Harbaugh weighs in on play calling

He just lets us handle it. He lets us handle it. He's been awesome, man. I've been so blessed to have him as the head coach here. Learn from him and all the stuff he's done. Sometimes you sit down and listen to the stories he's had whether it be here, or at USD or at what he's with the Niners and all that. The details and things that he's done, I don't think people really understand how good of a coach Coach really is. Just blessed to learn from him.

On Keegan's weight

I think the blessing is that we have great food here and Abigail does a great job with the food. He started the season heavier in general than he started now. I think he might've gained a little during the season and really just the way we were growing, he really didn't track, OK, I'm gaining this much, this high. At the time, it wasn't affecting his play because that is what you're looking at. How is that weight affecting your running? How is that weight affecting the way you move? Protect, all those things. I think that gain stood out to him and he made a personal choice to do that. He's playing his best football right now. Just keep doing what he's doing.

On Jeff Persi

Keegan, he's one of the best linemen we've got. So we put him in a position for us to be victorious and get the win. That's really what it's all about. Gio would be next, we have kind of a ranking. Persi in this past game played really well. He's put a lot more confidence in our heads so it's exciting to watch the progress of how he's been and what he's doing because he's playing very physical. He's obviously a huge man and he's played very well so I'm excited to see his progress.

On J.J. McCarthy going through his progressions

He's been really good. Really both of them have. J.J. had a really good game but he's done a really good job. Saw him study the playbook, study the gameplan. Understanding and having confidence in what you're seeing and what you're studying. He's done a great job, he's going through his reads and he'll continue to progress.

On C.J. Stokes

C.J. has been awesome. I thought C.J. just the first day in camp, I can't remember what part of it was, but he hit the middle, he hit is so fast I was like, I didn't know you were so fast, C.J. He runs physical, he runs hard. He runs tenacious and he knows exactly where to go and how to do it. Love C.J. Stokes, love what he's done and his progression as a back.

On analytics

I think it's a little bit of both. There is an analytics part to it but there's also the emotional feel and the player. This is a player-driven game, you try to get the players in the best position and put our players in the best position to win. Really, it's about both. We'll use analytics during games, we'll use it during game planning and we'll use it, obviously, during the game in certain situations. The biggest thing, especially if you're calling plays, is the rhythm of the game and making sure the best players get the ball.