Everything Sherrone Moore said on the In the Trenches podcast post-spring

On what it's been like for him since becoming HC

It's been outstanding. It's been so much fun. Busy. A lot of stuff to do, never a dull moment. Fun times. Probably the best part of it is being around the players all the time and being around every position, not just the O-line, not just the offense. Interacting with the defense, interacting with the DBs, the linebackers, D-line. That's been really cool for me, so just super exciting.

On what he learned coming out of spring

We've got a tough, physical team that has seen how it's built, understand it and are willing to do anything for each other. They're competitors, they compete at a high level. Super excited for the summer.

On how he resists stopping into the OL room all the time

You know what, I've talked to Grant. Grant has been with me since he was here — he was a student assistant when I was tight end coach, he was my GA when I was O-line coach, he was the tight end coach when I was offensive coordinator and now he's the O-line coach. So I know Grant. Grant knows the vision and what I want that room to look like. It's hard sometimes but sometimes it's not because I've got a lot of stuff going on. Sometimes you just don't have time to get there. I'll definitely stop in there during training camp and be a little bit more involved in that position. I think he did an outstanding job for his first spring.

On whether there's been a surprise for him when he took the HC job

Just less football. Less watching of football. I found myself in years past just sitting in a room, doors locked, music on just watching random plays and building libraries of plays and special moments. That's probably been the biggest difference for me. The managing of a roster, managing of an alignment of a culture. We have a great culture here so that part is not that hard. Just keeping everybody rolling in the same direction has been the biggest difference for me but it's been awesome. It's so great when you have a great staff and great players.

On what he saw from the offense and the growth during spring

I think they had great maturation because of who they're going against every day. If you don't get better, you're just going to get smashed every day by our defense. They're some days they got them, our offense got after them. They just got better, they competed at a high level. The young guys didn't back down, the older guys stayed the course and kept playing. It was good. It was really good to see.

On the quarterback position

Super competitive right now. Excited to see what happens in the summertime and then in fall camp. We won't know until fall camp, probably, until game one. A week or so before that game. Those guys are competing at a high level. It's a healthy competition so it's been really good.

On ideally when he would like to know who the starting QB is

Ideally, I'd like to know now but that's not going to happen. Probably, sometime during fall camp. We'll have a couple of scrimmages and put them in those situations and see who manages the team best and go from there.

On Alex Orji

He's gotten better every single day. He studies the game at a high level, he's a great leader. has the it factor. People trying to follow him. Obviously, he's a superb athlete. He's done a really good job and excited to see where he goes.

On Davis Warren

Just the way he performs is kind of who he is and his story and what he's been through, he's just a dude that is never gonna give up. Keeps fighting, keep clawing and he's had a great spring and topped it off with a good game.

On Jayden Denegal and Jadyn Davis

Both those guys had a really good spring and I think with both of them is just consistency. With Jadyn Davis, for a young freshman, super impressed with the poise that he holds. He kind of has that factor to him, he has a little bit of that J.J. He's a young guy and guys gravitate toward him, he's a leader but he's always here. Always in here. Cool thing about him, we played the Rose Bowl, came back from the Rose Bowl and he was in here studying film. Won a national championship, came back and he was studying film. He really gets it and what it means to be a quarterback here.

On the offensive line

You gotta put them in the situations. They've gotta play the game, which they did this spring. The good thing about a lot of those backups like Gio, Crip and Persi, Gentry. Those guys got a lot — well, Myles was here and started some games, played some games. A lot of those guys got a lot of experience in a lot of games. Fortunately, we were up in a lot of them so they got to play in a lot of second halves last year, which was really cool. They got to play in game-type atmospheres and game atmospheres. I think the way we practice and the way we prepare them in game situations have really helped.

On how to find the best five OL to start

I think that's a process that you have to take into fall camp, it's gotta be every day. You just evaluate every single day to see who is the best, who is the best here. Rank your top five, rank your top six, seven and, like we talked about last year, you're gonna need 10 guys to really go make that run. Especially with how many games you have to play now.

On what tight end depth allows you to do offensively

Be super multiple, create a lot of issues for defenses, especially with number 18. He's special in every single way. Those guys behind him are really good. Super excited for Marlin Klein's progression and what he's done. Breddy is Breddy, he's a special player in his own right with what he does. Fourth down conversion was huge. He missed the other knee slide route before that earlier, I think it was the second play of the game on the run-action play. All those guys are really good. A guy that's stepped up a little bit and done a really nice job, we're really looking for that fourth guy is Deakon Tonielli. He's a guy that had a really good spring and is starting to progress and show his talents a little bit.

On Donovan Edwards

One, as a leader, the dude is a phenomenal leader off the field. The way you want your starting running back, one of your top players, your senior, to be. Just everything, in the weight room, the locker room, academically, all that. He's done an outstanding job. On the field, every little detail he studies and he critiques himself on every little thing. He wants to be great. Doesn't want to be good, he wants to be great. He always says that. He's taken that and he's ran with it.

On RB depth

We've got really good depth. If we listed them right now, it would be Donovan, Kalel and then Ben Hall. Tavi had a really good game. He's pushing for that third spot. It's really healthy competition, really good competition.

On how he makes up for the loss of experience at the receiver position

They gotta play. They continue to play and put them in games and those big-time moments. Playing against Will Johnson every day is enough practice you get yourself, that's been good. Those other DBs, Jyaire, Zeke and DJ Waller, those dudes are animals. It's always good for them to play against them.

On what his vision is for the offense

Same as last, be physical. It starts up front and it always will. Be physical and set the tone up front. Be efficient, take care of the football. Create explosive plays in different ways. Whether it's the play-action pass, run-action pass, drop-back pass, runs and then just be sound, fundamentally sound, in everything we do.

On the defensive line and the depth

I think all those guys, Mason, KG, Josaiah, Derrick, the cool thing about them is they all just work hard. They all try to get better. They're all very humble about their business and try to attack it. Guys like TJ Guy, there's time in practice where, man, can anybody block TJ Guy today? He's a dude that's really jumped out. Enow Etta, Cam Brandt, Trey Pierce, even Aymeric Koumba, he's kind of got some freakish talent for a young, young guy. The true freshman, Dominic Nichols, he's going to be a star, he just doesn't even know it yet. It's cool to have that depth at the D-line and see what those guys can do. They've done a really good job.

On what Wink Martindale has brought to the staff

The experience is huge. He's been in every situation in every type of place. He brings a wealth of knowledge but he's also very humble. He tales critiques, he takes coaching from people, he doesn't think he's perfect, he asks questions. It's cool to see somebody who has been through it and has done that and how approachable he is with suggestions from the other staff members and he's very open about all of that.

On Jaishawn Barham

When we used to play him, every week, I was like, oh, man, we gotta play this dude again. He was the guy on the team that we're like, this dude is a problem. They put him in different situations, they pass rush him, they blitz him, he's just really, really good. He's just shown that every day in practice. One of the greatest kids, a great, nice, kid. Doesn't say much, very quiet, super humble but when he is on that field, he's a monster. Just super excited for him.

On the depth at LB

Jayden Hood is a guy who's definitely flashed, done some really good things. Want to see the rest of the guys pop out and do some things. Him, Jimmy Rolder had a good game and played well. He's popped out and flashed. Those two guys behind those guys have probably really popped but these younger guys are really stepping up and doing some good things.

On what's next for Will Johnson

To be the best one in the country. He's got all the ability in the world, he's got the mindset, does it right off the field. He's a leader, he does everything you want. Just to continue to progress and be the best he can be.

On losing Rod Moore

It's heartbreaking. You feel for anybody, leaders especially, that have put so much time in and impacted this team in so many ways. It was heartbreaking. Same feeling I had when Zinter got hurt last year. You feel so helpless, you can't do anything for them. Praying for him and I know he will recover and get fully healthy.

On how he helps keep injured players involved

When Rod got hurt, we had him on a golf cart just driving around. Every station he wanted to be at. He was texting me, coach, I want to be at practice but it kinda hurts to stand. You got a golf cart? I said, yeah. We got him one and let him drive around. Any time he's around practice and meetings, he's in meetings, anything he can be around, we want him in. Just fully emerge him in everything we do.

On how he fills rolls on the team from last season

We got a lot of guys that have left but we've got a lot of really good talent here. Not going to be anybody that is going to be like Mikey because Mikey is Mikey, he's different. Zeke Berry, man, he's had a heckuva spring. He showed that potential last year and you could see flashes, he started to put it together from a mental standpoint now. Super excited for him. He's really done a heckuva job this spring.

On Jyaire Hill

That kid has got immense talent to be as good as anybody. I've talked to Will a couple of times. Man, Sug, they call him Sug, Sug's gonna be good. This kid, he's got length, he's got speed, he's got athleticism, he's fearless, he'll tackle. He'll go make a play on the ball. He's everything you want in a corner. He's just had a heckuva spring.

On special teams

We had really competitive period of special teams during practice in the spring. It's like putting the O-line together, it's a process of putting the right pieces and the key players in those spots. You're competing even in the summer with all those competitions that they do in the summer for those spots so we'll see how that works out in fall camp.

On what the next few weeks look like

This week, be around, be with the players, hang around with them and do all I can to make sure they're in the right position for finals. We'll have an event to watch the draft together a as a team and then go from there. Think about the summer and think about how we can get better.

On whether there's any planned mental breaks for him

No. I don't want any mental breaks. It's a break for me to think about football. I just like thinking about that.

On the ring ceremony

That was incredible. Never received four rings. Been fortunate to have a ring each year these past two years, that was incredible. Incredible to see all the coaches back, see Coach Clink, see Coach Minter, Coach Harbaugh. Sat with coach and Jack and Jackie. That was so awesome. The favorite ring, love them all. I know we won a national title, love the national title ring but the Rose Bowl ring is special. Might be the biggest. It's so beautiful. There's something about that Rose that is just different. Having that rose right on the front and the detail of the rose on the back is immense, it's beautiful. They're all beautiful rings but that's probably my favorite.

On his top play from the past season

I'm going to give you two perspectives. The first, my favorite play I called was the fourth-and-two against Alabama. My favorite play of the year I didn't even watch was the fourth-and-three stop the defense had against Alabama.

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