On how he's handling media responsibilities as head coach

Yeah, really, just telling the truth, telling them exactly what's going on. You know, obviously, I'm not gonna talk about the quarterback so much, but. But, you know, I just feel like we've had such a good camp and it's been fun. The guys have grinded their tails off and excited about Saturday.

On whether he was able to watch football this weekend

I did, I did. We had practice when the Florida State-Georgia Tech game started and by the time we got done, it was the fourth quarter and, you know, we got done with practice, everybody moving around, so I saw it at the end of the fourth quarter and, I mean, what an ending to the game, so. But I got to watch that and a couple other games, Nevada's game, SMU, so, no, it was good, it was a good day.

On what he's seen from his team during fall camp

Yeah, you've seen that we've got, obviously, a lot of talent that isn't talked about, which is okay with us. We've got a lot of guys that are standing out that are making the move. We always talk about making the move and the depth chart being something that just, it's not just there, you can change it and those guys have really done it. You've seen a fast team. I feel like we're even faster on offense. Feel like we're gonna be super physical on offense.Feel like our defense is gonna be tough to deal with with all the things that they can do, but obviously the players that we have. So, feel really good and, but more importantly, feel like they've become a team and they've become really together and they got to the point where they just got tired of hitting each other, which happens. So, you know, sometimes you gotta take off the pads because as soon as the pads go on with our guys, it's like, it's a bludgeoning. So, we're just, we're in a good place.

On Rod Moore

I mean, he's like a coach on the field. Just another coach there. He's always around. He's always with the guys. If he's not doing rehab or not doing stuff with the strength staff, he's right there with the DBs coaching them. And he coached them hard. And then in the meeting room, he sits right in the front, right there, whether it's the defensive meeting room or it's the DBs meeting, he's right there asking questions because he knows that somebody has the same question because if he's asking it, somebody else has it. And he's doing that. He's coaching guys. He's being a positive influence to everybody. And he's a great pulse for me as a guy that I trust. Hey, how's this guy feeling? How are these guys doing? How are the legs? And he's just been awesome. He's been awesome.

On what he expects from the captains

Yeah, to go chase the perfection, but just be leaders, be who they are. You talk about Donovan and Max Bredesen, those two guys on offense are as respected as anybody. You start the spring of guys that have obviously done it on a big stage, but they practice that way too. And then Makari and Rod, both guys in the back end who've, again, played at a high level, but had the respect of their teammates. And Makari's not a guy that says too much, but when he says it, everybody listens. And you can see that not just in spring ball, but you saw that now for sure in fall camp. And he's taking that next step as a leader.

On the quarterback battle

It's awesome. It's, sometimes it's kind of frustrating because you want it sometimes to be over, but not really. And both of the guys, the top two guys right now are Alex and Davis. And I mean, you know, you look back at camp, you're like, ah, maybe it's this guy. Maybe it's this guy. Maybe it's this guy. But they just keep both making plays, you know, whether it's throwing or running the football, and both of them doing both. So it's cool to watch the competitiveness, but like the coolest thing about all of it is like they support each other. Like if one of them has a bad play, the other one's coming up to him saying, hey, it's all good. You'll get him the next time. It's not a like, oh, I'm glad he's failing. I'm glad he's not doing well. Like it's, they're pushing each other in a positive way. So both of those guys are really good. Jayden Denegal's had a good camp and he's keep progressing, but the guy that probably stepping up even more is Jadyn Davis, the freshman. He's been awesome to watch his progression because nothing really bothers him. You can see why he's won two state championships and played at a high level against a lot of competition because he just plays and he keeps playing, nothing really bothers the kid.

On how he's seen the QB room support each other in the meeting room

Yeah, the cool thing for me, like you say that I get to go to all these meetings now. Now, mind you, I always step in the O-line meeting room. But getting to go in the quarterback room and from one to listen to Coach Campbell teach, he's an outstanding teacher and obviously a great coach, but I mean, from a teaching standpoint, you're just sitting there like, man, no wonder these guys are really good. No wonder JJ was so good. Like you got no choice. Like if you don't learn in there, it's on you. Like you're choosing not to be really good. So, but those guys really just, it's like it's just open forum and conversation of things to do and how to take drops, how to hand off. And so it's been awesome to be in that room.

On how the staff will decide which QB takes the first snap

Yeah, I think we got, we said we're gonna give ourselves a couple practices in the week. If it takes Wednesday, it'll take Wednesday and probably tell the guy on Thursday. And then whether we report that, say it out loud on Friday or day of the game, we'll make that decision as we go and as they feel comfortable too, because a big part of it is what the players want. So we'll try to make sure to make that decision here soon. But it'll really be the guy that practices with the most consistency, making the best decisions, taking care of the football, and make enough plays. Because both of them are gonna be going against similar looks, because it's not gonna be our defense now. It's gonna be their defense. So who's gonna execute, whether you're with the one offense or the two offense, because both of them are gonna take snaps with both. Who's gonna execute with the most consistency?

On whether the choice will be for the entire season or just the foreseeable future

You know what? It's so hard to say that because of, you need two that can really play. And you just gotta see how the guy plays in the first game. And if it's consistent enough to help you win the next one, then yeah, it is. We're lucky with JJ. We knew he was gonna be consistent enough to win the next game. So for us, it's gonna be who's gonna be consistent enough to help us win the game. And yeah, not just manage the game, but sometimes you're gonna have to make a play. You're gonna have to make a play on third down. You have to make a play in the red zone to do things to help us win. So who's gonna do that? It's ultimately gonna be the starting quarterback.

On the offensive line development

I mean, like I said this before, like you don't have a choice but to get good fast with the D line we go against. So they have done an unbelievable job as an offensive line, jelling together, getting an inch of who they wanna be, who they're gonna be, and developing that attitude and confidence that in the spring, they had a little bit, but it wasn't completely there. But you could see it. As we hit about week two in fall camp, you're like, oh, there it is. Week three, it built up more than this last week. We're like, okay, all right, we're gonna be pretty good. So right now, we've got our legitimate left tackle, Myles Hinton. He's gonna be awesome. We got our legitimate left guard, Josh Priebe, who's been phenomenal. Still got a battle at center, and really it's three guys, but really it's gone down to two with Crippen and Dom Giudice. And then right guard, Gio. He's moved over from right to left because we want the best five out there, and he's done an incredible job. He's changed his body. I think he's down like 10, 15 pounds, but like a fat mass. Got clean lean mass on, so he looks phenomenal. And then right tackle, Evan Link has jumped in there with Andrew Gentry. So that battle probably gets cemented here today in the next two days, and I think we're gonna have a really good offensive line.

On who is stepped up at the skill position

Yeah, first one I'll start in the tight end room is Marlin Klein. He has a freakish skill set, and he's finally gotten a playbook mentally and knows what to do and how to do it and use that skill set in those different settings. So he's gonna be one that super excited about. CJ Charleston transferred from Youngstown State. I mean, this kid, he has some dynamic ability and skill set and the things that he does, he's super dependable. He's learned it so fast. He's super dynamic with the ball in his hands, fast, shifty, strong. He's a guy, Kendrick Bell is a guy that everybody's familiar with Ronnie. He's probably got a little bit more athleticism than Ronnie, but he's gotta prove to be the mindset and heart of Ronnie because we all know Ronnie was a complete animal when he came to game day.

On what he's seen from the offense going up against the defense

Start with, you know, just start with Coach Wink Martindale and what a heck of a job he's done. You know, first assimilating to the culture and who we are and what the kids are and what they know and putting his twist on things, but really just getting to know the kids and the kids getting to know him. They love him. He's the OG of the defense, but he's a guy that, you know, I lean on, the kids lean on. He's got so much experience. I mean, the man coached Ray Lewis, one of the best to ever play the game. Talking, I was having a conversation the other day about Ed Reed. I'm just like, dude, the dudes that you've coached are ridiculous. But like, that's not the first thing he talks about. The first thing he talks about is like the kids. So being around him and having him on the staff has been awesome, but the defense, man, they are a pain in the butt to deal with. One, because we have really good players who are great kids, but two, we just do so much. And to the offense, it could seem like so much, but to them, it's so little. And I think that's the great thing about our defense is that we can present so many different fronts, coverages, pressures. You can bring four, you can bring five. Five can look like four, four can look like five, could be six. Heck, you could bring seven. And we can do it from so many different ways with so many different people. I think that's gonna be the challenge for other people to deal with us. But all in all, we got really good players who practice hard, that play hard, that are prepared.

On how to prepare superstar players for the season

Yeah, I think the biggest thing that we do is that we look at the past as well, not just our guys, but people in the past that have been in this stature of, hey, I'm gonna pre-season this, pre-season that. They all know that stuff doesn't matter. It's what you do on the field. You can be ranked pre-season, whatever, and all of a sudden not be at the end of the year because you don't perform well. So for us, it's about staying true to your process of getting better, staying true to your process of preparing to go win and play the best you can, and let everything else fall where it may at the end of the year.

On Jaishawn Barham

He is a physical specimen in all types of ways, not just the way he is, and he's super quiet, and that's what kind of makes him a little bit more mysterious and scary, is that he is, he's the only guy that Max Bredesen said that's the hardest hit I've ever hit, and Max Bredesen likes to hit, but Max said that dude is like a wall, and this guy is physical, he's strong, he's fast, he can play in coverage, he can play on the edge, he can play in the middle, he just brings everything, and he's just, he's such a great kid, such a great human being. His mom was at practice the other day. It was cool just to meet his mom and his, I believe his brother or cousin, and just to have, to see the perspective of who he is from mom to him, and to see that cuddly side come out of him when mom comes, that was cool to see, too, but the kid is unbelievable. He's unbelievable. He's an unbelievable player, unbelievable teammate, and he's just been such a strength for us.

On depth on the defensive line

Yeah, I mean, we practice, we get enough practice hours in, I guess we'd say here, and guys get a lot of reps, so we've done a really good job developing, and I think Coach Esposito and Z-Line's done a really good job with those guys. The guy that jumps out the most, there's two of them, man, there's probably two or three of them, but really the number one guy that's made the most impact is T.J. Guy. He's really stepped up and put himself on the same level as the Josaiah and Derrick Moores, and if he was at any other place, he'd probably be starting a lot of places, but he's gonna be a guy that's gonna make an impact. Enow Etta is another guy that's moved around multiple places throughout the line. He's now up to 308 pounds, and you look at him, he looks like he's 270. He's been a guy that's made an impact. Trey Pierce has finally taken those next steps. Ike's been here for about three or four years and been a scout team guy, and this spring really took that next step of development. It's kind of like the key, a cog of who we are, getting developed and being really good, and he's taking the next steps. Cam Brandt's a guy that's really done a really good job, and then there's a couple young guys, Breeon Ishmael and Aymeric Koumba, who both those guys are young guys, registered freshmen, but they've taken a step where, okay, maybe you can count on these guys to play. So we've developed some good depth and excited to see what they do on Saturday.

On the safety position

Yes, Makari's been outstanding as a leader. The next guy I'd probably say would be Quentin Johnson, who's in his sixth year. I feel like I've known him forever. He's been here just as long as I have. I was here one year earlier, but he's another guy that's had a great camp. Zeke Berry's another guy who's done some spectacular things from a playmaking standpoint. And then our transfers, Wes Walker and Jaden Mangham. I've done a really good job building the culture and doing a really good job, but the guy that's probably stepped up, a younger guy that's really taken the reins is Brandyn Hillman, because he's a guy that had immense talent, has some Daxton Hill-like ability, and fearless as a mover and blitzer and cover guy. So, super stoked to see where he does.

On special teams

Doman's been consistent. Tommy, as he's always been, punted really well. Will be the kickoff guy again, huge leg. Will Wagner will be the snapper. He's done a really good job. And the guy that's won the kicking battle is Dominic Zvada, a guy that's from Arkansas State. He was a Groza finalist, I think, two years ago. And dude has a leg. I mean, he can kick it out the park. He's warming up and he's hitting like 60-yarders. And he's been great. You know, he's a true type of kicker. He's very chill, you know, even keel. But he's gonna be a great weapon for us.

On Fresno State

Yeah, they're a blue collar team that's tough, physical. You know, up front, they're gonna try to maul you when they're doing their run game. They're more of a stretch, a little bit of gap scheme, but more stretch outside zone plays. Really rely on their quarterback. It starts with their quarterback, Mikey Keene. And when he's healthy, he's a really, really good player for them. You know, I know he'll be healthy out of camp. So the offense runs through him. You think he was almost a 3000-yard passer last year at 24 touchdowns. So he's a guy that you really just have to keep in check. You gotta confuse him. You gotta do different things to keep him off balance because if he can sit in the pocket, he'll make the throws that you don't want him to make. And, you know, their running backs are good players too. I had a running back that was, I think he was at 966 yards, so almost 1000 yards. So they got enough balance attack to do both on offense. And defensively, they're sound. They don't beat themselves. Safeties are really, really good tacklers. So if the ball gets to the second level, they do a good job of getting the ball down. So we gotta do a good job of one, getting the ball there in the run game and attacking different parts of the field in passing game. But two, if you're one-on-one on the safety, you gotta try to make a miss.

On the level of excitement for game one

I mean, I'm just so humbly blessed to lead this program. I can't wait to run out of the tunnel with the boys, but I can't wait to just pull up on the bus with the players and see the fans and feel that energy of game day, especially at night game in the big house. So I'm super blessed. I'm super excited, but ready to prepare for this game.

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