Q. What changes has the team made in attitude since the COVID year of 2020? Are you surprised it worked this well? You're 25-2 since.

CO-OFFENSIVE SHERRONE MOORE: I mean, not really, because I knew the talent we had. We knew the players, we knew what we had. We knew the ability the players have. So just helping them, putting them in the position to develop the mentality. And really, the culture and everything was built. The brotherhood was built by the players. They bonded together and said, you know what, if you don't want to be here, then don't be here. If you guys are going to be here, this is how we're going to do it. This is how we're going to prepare. This is how we're going to fight. This is how we're going to play. And that really carried over from then till now.

Q. A lot of players mention things like pointing your shoes in the right direction, folding your shirt the right way, as being keys. What was your take on that and maybe the hidden value in that subtle discipline? CO-OFFENSIVE SHERRONE MOORE: I learned as a coach and a player a long time, if your life is right off the field, then it will be right on the field. Whether that's making your bed, going to class, getting good grades, doing the right things. You know, following the Lord. I think those are the things that really helped us and pushed us, and now you can focus things on the field and make sure you're really good at football. If you don't have any of those distractions off the field, then it makes it a lot easier to get better at what you want to do on the field.

Q. What was it like interviewing for the job?

CO-OFFENSIVE SHERRONE MOORE: I drove from Mount Pleasant, Kansas, to Louisville. Then driving back to Mount Pleasant, I was about five minutes from my house. And Dan Enos, who was the wide receiver coach here for, like, four months, he called me and I'm very thankful for that because he gave me the job. He said the tight end job opened, would you like it? Would you like the opportunity? Without a doubt, yes, absolutely 100%. And the coach called me maybe two or three days later and said, hey, we want to interview you. And I was one of the seven guys who interviewed and got the job. I was very fortunate. There was just a connection built since then. He pushed me, he challenged me but gave me this opportunity that I will forever be grateful for. Great man, great coach. The connection we have is very strong, the bond we have is very strong. Love him with all my heart.

Q. How do you establish this characteristic, that feeling of imposing your will on the defense?

CO-OFFENSIVE SHERRONE MOORE: I mean, practice is a big part of it. Our defense is phenomenal. If you don't have that mentality, you'll get bullied. And our guys, they just want to be the bully. And I think that's a big part of the mentality that we have, what we do. But it all comes from preparation, and a big part of that is our strength staff. Coach [Ben] Herbert and his staff are unbelievable in what they do, the strength, the power, the explosiveness, the flexibility. What they give us from a coaching standpoint is a springboard to make big, huge strong athletes. Those guys do an unbelievable job.

Q. When did you first feel that Luke Schoonmaker was emerging as a draft pick?

CO-OFFENSIVE SHERRONE MOORE: Oh, man, when I first started coaching him. When I first came to Michigan and thought man, that dude can be special. And he worked and worked and worked and got better. You could see it every game. He just put himself in great position to be a high draft pick.

Q. What do they like most about Luke Schoonmaker's game at this point?

CO-OFFENSIVE SHERRONE MOORE: Everything. He's just complete. He can play in line. He can play the slot. He can block defensive ends. We can run, pass linebackers. But then he can also help on the running game. He's a complete tight end, which is something that not every NFL team has that they all want.

Q. Olu [Oluwatimi] just said you haven't seen the 3-3-5 defense in the Big Ten. How can you attack it right off the bat?

CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT WEISS: We certainly don't have much experience. Ohio State has a little bit of flavor with that, with James Knowles coming from Oklahoma State, Big 12-style defense. They play three safeties and some of that stuff, but to Olu's point, that's totally valid. We haven't seen anybody play like this all season. It's a different style.

Q. How would you approach attacking them?

CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT WEISS: So we're not going to get too much into game plan, I'm sure you understand. But yeah, it poses its own unique set of challenges. They have the third safety who not only is a factor down the field in the pass game, but when you run the ball, he shows up pretty quickly. In the end, our identity is not going to change. Certainly, our approach might change a little bit. We're going to find ways to do things we do well in a way that will be effective against TCU. But yeah, we're not going to have to change who we are to attack a 3-3-5 defense. Are we going to have a little bit of a different look? Sure.

Q. Do you think the 3-3-5 scheme lends itself to your strengths?

CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT WEISS: To a degree. I mean, the defense kind of evolved to stop air raid offense in the Big Ten, right? So it's really hard to have a quick air raid defense. You don't see them playing against people who look like us. So it's really hard to watch the tape and say, okay, this will definitely work, but this won't. At the same time, they have the same issue. They're not seeing us go against a 3-3-5 defense, so they don't really know what we're going to look like either.

Q. Their coach [Sonny Dykes] this week was saying things like "stop Michigan's run game and stop their offense." What kind of things do you look to do if, say, they do manage to somewhat stall the run game a little bit?

CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT WEISS: Well, certainly every defensive coach wants to stop the run. That's fundamental to playing defense, and TCU has done a great job of that all year. I'm sure they have a ton of confidence they'll be able to do it against us. But we've been a great team at adjusting all year. So if they come out and do something totally different, or if we have any issue, we'll adjust from there. We're confident that we'll be able to do that.

Q. In terms of adjustments, what does it say about the talent of your running backs when you lose a potential All-American in Blake Corum and there's been potentially really no dropoff with Donovan [Edwards]?

CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT WEISS: Blake [Corum] was a consensus First-Team All-American. Speaks to how talented that guy is and how brilliant his future is. You can't replace a guy like that. At the same time, it's a credit to all the guys around him stepping up, like Donovan or CJ [Stokes] or Tavi (Tavierre Dunlap). But it's a credit to the offensive line, obviously and J.J. [McCarthy] and the receivers blocking down the field, and the tight ends who are a huge part of the running game. It's a credit to every one of those guys.

Q. What do you think makes the offensive line special? They're voted the best offensive line in the country. In your mind, what makes them the best in the country?

CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT WEISS: I think it's a couple things. They play together. They're totally on the same page. That's one of the hardest things playing offensive line. You have to be able to handle anything the defense does. You have to all be on the same page. They're phenomenal at that, and that speaks to the guy over here, the best offensive line coach in the country (Sherrone Moore). And credit to the players. They have a good mentality. And our offense feeds that mentality. We're going to be a "run the ball first" kind of team and allow those guys to fire off and go down the hill and be physical. That's part of what Michigan football is and who they are. And those guys embrace that and everything that's built around what they do ask.

Q. Does it feel like this offense was made for someone like you? What is it like to be a part of an offense that's like this?

OLUSEGUN OLUWATIMI: It's awesome. Like I said, I watched them from a distance last year, and I saw this scheme. I wished I was in this scheme, just because what it can do for you as an offensive line. You're able to showcase a lot of your game. You're able to showcase your power at the point of the attack. I think Coach [Sherrone] Moore really doesn't ever put us in bad positions as an O-line. Just being able to play in a system like this is very fun.

Q. As an offensive lineman, is there something that makes you want to bury the person in front of you?

OLUSEGUN OLUWATIMI: That's why we love the game of football as the offensive line. It's a very selfish position. We don't really get glory. Just being able to dominate the man in front of you, that's kind of what we live for in this game as offensive linemen. And run blocking is definitely more enjoyable than the pass blocking. So being able to do that a lot here, it's awesome.

Q. What makes Donovan Edwards so dangerous?

OLUSEGUN OLUWATIMI: Well, first of all, if he was a receiver, he would be one of our top receivers on this team. And obviously him and Blake [Corum] that one-two combo, when Blake is healthy, he showed why he's an elite back. So from that standpoint, he's just a do-it-all type of guy. There's truly not a weakness in his game. And he shows that he's explosive game in and game out, getting big runs.

Q. When Blake [Corum] went down, was there any worry about the O-man? Or were you confident that Donovan [Edwards] could step in and be that guy?

OLUSEGUN OLUWATIMI: We are always confident in Donovan and his abilities. When Blake went down, we didn't have him nor Donos (Donovan Edwards). But we knew, like, whenever he was able to come back in the lineup that there would be no dropoff between him and Blake.

Q. Olu, you mentioned the offensive line is an inherently selfish position and you don't get a lot of glitz and glamor. Do you think in a program like Michigan you get more recognition than other schools?

OLUSEGUN OLUWATIMI: Oh, yeah, we won the Joe Moore award back-to-back. So that's recognition. No other school in the country did that. So from that standpoint, we do get more coverage and love than other offensive linemen around the country.

Q. What is it about this locker room that makes it so special and makes you feel like you could just fit in right away?

OLUSEGUN OLUWATIMI: We're a blue-collar team. Everybody works hard. And we earn everything that we get here. Just from the way you train and the way you perform, whenever we scrimmage. Just we bond over sometimes the day-to-day grind that might become monotonous or might suck.

Q. What kind of confidence did this team have in Donovan [Edwards] when Blake [Corum] goes down and it's finally his time to step up?

OLUSEGUN OLUWATIMI: We had complete confidence in him. We knew that when he got his opportunity to be the guy in the backfield, that he would shine. He did just that. Like I said, every game, if you look at every game over Don's career, where he's been in Michigan where he's got a certain amount of carries, he's done a lot with those carries. His average per carry is very high. So we knew once he filled in with that, it's going to be excellent.

Q. What does it say about Donovan that he was able to step in the last two games of the season.

RYAN HAYES: He was going to be able to step in. He was waiting for the moment to have the spotlight on him. I think he loves the spotlight.

Q. What was that feeling like last year in the playoff when that game ended -- I think it's cliche to say, but what did that do for you?

RYAN HAYES: It was definitely a huge motivation for us. I think we walked out of that stadium feeling like wow, what just happened we haven't seen a team like that before. But then after -- at first, I think we were like oh, they're one of the best defenses in college football. We also didn't prepare like we should have. And I don't think that's on the coaching staff. That's us as players. I don't think we took it as seriously as we should.

Q. As an offensive lineman in this offense, what is that experience like? What is it like knowing that you guys are going to be such a big part of this game?

RYAN HAYES: Coach [Sherrone] Moore always tells us: We go as the team goes. We take that to heart. We want to be the best leaders on the team. We want to be the hardest workers. I think we try to do that every practice for our team. We like that responsibility.

Q. Being here this year as opposed to a year ago, what are the tangible differences feeling like as you got off the plane?

RYAN HAYES: This year is more business. We're going to expect the corps of our team knew that feeling after the game and knew we didn't want that again this year. So we just came in with a completely different mindset, I think. It's more about business. As long as we're there together.

Q. Does this mostly come from the players? Or do the coaches bring these things as well?

RYAN HAYES: I think a little combination of both. I think we all addressed that. It's all about business this year. It's about winning this game. Everybody as kids and coaches dream about being in games like this. I dreamed of this my entire life. I think everyone feels the same.

Q. Have you noticed a change within your program and the mentality from before beating Ohio State last year to now, consecutive wins, consecutive playoff berths. I'm not saying you weren't any good before, but it's now almost like you've broken through, kind of.

RYAN HAYES: There's definitely a difference. I think that COVID year was so bad for us, bad for our program. Some kids loved the program. The kids that stayed, we came together. We never wanted to have that feeling again. Before that COVID year, we were a good team, but we weren't a great team. We came in and we talked. We really found leadership on our team. We just came together as one and I think we were just tired of losing. We got some really good coaches that year. I think we had confidence all year. We played really well. Lost a tough one to Michigan State. But at the end of the year, beating Ohio State, we thought wow, we can do this if we really play together as one and work hard. So I think it was huge.

Q. You have co-coordinators, having Coach [Sherrone] Moore as one of those coordinators, do you think having an offensive line coach, being maybe the driver or one of the main drivers of the offense matters? Do you think that creates an identity for the offense?

RYAN HAYES: Well, I think he does a really good job of knowing what our strengths are. He does that really well. It's great having him in our room. He'll tell us, we get extra intricate detail of why are we doing this as a whole offense? He kind of lets us know what the whole offense is doing and that helps us.

Q. After losing your big running back (Blake Corum), how did your offense change? You guys have a pretty good stable of running backs, so it's not like you were -- nobody that could run well. Did it change, though, a little bit?

J.J. McCARTHY: It's obviously going to a change a little bit when you have a great player like that go down and not be able to contribute to the team anymore. We are so blessed and fortunate to have the running backs that we do behind him. And they were ready for that moment, no matter what, Dono (Donovan Edwards) was ready for that moment, so it has been an easy transition.

Q. We know how close you are with Donovan [Edwards]. Have you changed the way you are approaching the game without Blake [Corum] and maybe trying to do a little more but without pressing or no?

J.J. McCARTHY: I haven't really changed much, just the expectation that I might have to bring more to the table. With him going down, he's been a central point of our offense and just being able to kind of fill that role a little bit more since he's been down and the games that followed. But, yeah, I don't think anything has really changed mentality-wise, just the expectation that I might have to do a little bit more.

Q. Is that something that you have been kind of waiting for in a sense? You had your biggest games and the biggest spotlight. Do you feel like that's -- being able to go out there and do a little bit more was just something that you have been waiting on?

J.J. McCARTHY: Well, no matter what it is, it is what it is. Obviously, I'm going to welcome that with open arms. It's just -- I get so excited with moments like that and opportunities that I can capitalize on. But at the end of the day, I was ready for whatever. And, yeah. I mean, I'm going to be ready for whatever.

Q. How did the expectations of this year and this game change? Last year, not many people gave you a shot. This year considered as the favorite in this one.

J.J. McCARTHY: Yes, sir.

Q. What's your mentality?

J.J. McCARTHY: I don't think the mentality changes, favorite, not favorite. It's just how are we going to perform in those 60 minutes, nameless, faceless opponent. We don't care who lines up across from us. It's just going to be what we have been doing all year, which is smashing people and executing at a high level for 60 minutes.

Q. You guys won 12 games last year, running the football. You made no bones this year about running the football. Why do you think it is so successful? Teams know what you are going to do.

J.J. McCARTHY: For sure. I think that's one of the beautiful things about it, teams know what we are going to do and we are still able to do it. But you go back to the history of the sport of football and teams that are able to run the ball are usually more successful teams. And, yeah. I feel like that's just a really great thing to have as your identity, is to be able to run the ball because the passing game is something that's extremely complimentary off that and could be very deadly in a football game, for sure.

Q. You have said that teams that win have to run the football; and as a quarterback, that kind of runs against maybe what you are trying to accomplish, whatever the case may be. When did you come to that realization and why?

J.J. McCARTHY: It's all about winning games for me. It's all about winning games, and I feel like that's the number one thing as a quarterback, is to -- like Tom Brady, he says the number one thing for a quarterback is to not lose the game for your team. And I just feel like that's what it's all about. It's not about the individual statistics and not about the PFF grades or anything like that. It's about winning football games, and that's all I care about.

Q. Do you have a relationship with Tom Brady?

J.J. McCARTHY: We DMed a couple of times.

Q. Did you slide in there, are or did he hit you up? J.J. McCARTHY: I slid in there and then he responded after we won the Ohio State game.

Q. Words of encouragement?

J.J. McCARTHY: He was just saying congratulations and all this. Like, good luck the rest of the way. Just all positive stuff.

Q. Could you mention how you felt after the loss last year? What do you feel -- what are some tangible ways in which you guys feel like you have bounced back from that, or what have you done differently this year to kind of get back to this point?

J.J. McCARTHY: I feel like last year was just kind of a benchmark that we can look at for the whole offseason and realize that we can get there. And I feel like in the years past, it was always that you can't get over the hump of Ohio State and the Big Ten championship, and last year we did. To be able to refer to that has been huge throughout the offseason. It fuels us even more that we need to get past that point. It's not just -- we're not just happy to be here. We want to get past it.

Q. We were just talking to TCU players, and some of them spoke on the improvement they have seen on through throughout this season. In what ways do you feel you have improved?

J.J. McCARTHY: Obviously, I just feel a lot more comfortable. Just with more experience, more reps in game-like situations and just feel a lot more comfortable out there. And I feel like my arm being finally 100% as the year is going on, it's been helping so much. And just being more -- more kind of comfortable with the offense. That's something that was kind of really -- we were kind of putting bits and pieces together throughout the year. And now I feel like it's finally improved. And it's knowing our sense of identity, and it's been effortless to kind of put myself in that position and kind of do what we have been doing these last few Saturdays.

Q. How limited was your play action last year, and how difficult was it in hindsight to accept all of this?

J.J. McCARTHY: I always wanted all of this, so I was always ready for all of it last year. It was just specific to the quarterback runs, maybe a couple play-action passes and stuff like that, but nothing like the full menu. And being able to kind of get all of those reps of the last 13 games of the full menu has been huge because now you get to a point like this, big game, the tensions could be high. And I'm so comfortable doing the full menu, being able to perform anything they ask of me.

Q. In terms of off-the-field stuff, Erick [All] transferred. You are down two captains. As the starting quarterback, how do you feel to step up as a leader?

J.J. McCARTHY: I was trying to step up as the leader before they left, you know? I feel like that's one of the special things about this team, is that there's not just four or five leaders on this team. There's hundreds. And just them going down, wish them nothing but the best of luck. But at the end of the day, that leadership role does have to be filled. And I will do whatever I can to just be a person that leads by actions, not by his words. And I feel that's really important, especially amongst a group of leaders.

Q. Have you tried lobbying Blake [Corum] to come back next season?

J.J. McCARTHY: I don't like getting into that with guys because I don't want to sway their choice in life. But I definitely have been in his ear a little bit, just asking and kind of picking his brain.

Q. What's your sense?

J.J. McCARTHY: I mean, didn't he say it was like 50/50 or something? I will just go with that.

Q. Talk about as a team, just the team being back, because you talked about how disappointed you were last year. This was not a guarantee. 13-0 is a journey.

RONNIE BELL: Yeah, no, definitely, man. It's a tall task. But we are all very proud of what we have done. You know what I mean? But guys have just worked so hard, man. Like, everybody in the building, everybody on the staff is just trained and worked so hard to get to this point. And so, yeah, to be, again, a part of this. Like, we are all very blessed and thankful. And we want to take full advantage of our opportunity for sure.

Q. You mentioned being emotional before the Big Ten championship. What were your emotions after the game on the podium, when you got the trophy and lifted it up?

RONNIE BELL: Again, it was a full circle moment. I was so, again, thankful for -- just to be able to play, man, to be able to play in that game and be a part of it with everybody, being uniform with everybody. I was just very, very thankful. And then same thing, like I was kind of talking about when we -- we won against Ohio State, it was the same kind of switch, though, in the locker room and for the team. It was, yeah, we won! We were super happy about it for X amount of hours, and then it just clicked and now we are here. This is what we were thinking about. This is what we are ready for. All of those emotions kind of happened after the game.

Q. You guys are going up Saturday against the [Jim] Thorpe Award winner in [Tre'Vius Hodges-]Tomlinson. What have the coaches, co-offensive coordinators, preached to you this week about how you are going to attack them and the rest of the TCU secondary?

RONNIE BELL: Yeah, definitely, physical secondary, athletic secondary, and playmakers. You know what I mean? Those guys are really good. So those are the things that Coach [Jim Harbaugh] and the players, we have all kind of came together talking about with TCU's secondary. And it's going to be an exciting match-up to play against. And, yeah, a lot of fun to be a part of.

Q. They have [Jim] Thorpe winner, Number 1 (Tre-Vius Hodges-Tomlinson) on their team. Just as an individual, are you looking forward that match-up if you wind up against each other?

RONNIE BELL: For sure.

Q. What makes him so special, so good?

RONNIE BELL: Definitely the physicality in which he plays, attack, making plays on the ball and just athleticism. I feel like he's displayed that throughout the season, even in times of, oh, it looks like the big play is about to happen and, boom, he comes and makes the play. That's things he's shown all season that I think makes him really special.

Q. Can you explain what the main difference for you, or I guess the offense as a whole, when facing a 3-3-5, like the standard Big Ten defenses that you see?

RONNIE BELL: Yes, just like I said, adjustments. It will be like a chess match with the Big 12 play and the Big Ten play. Like, whoever adapts to the way this game goes, the best or whatever. And so, yeah, like, we'll just make adjustments to however we see what fits the 3-3-5 compared to whatever we were seeing in the past.

Q. Is it just about picking plays in your playbook that you think exploits a defense better?

RONNIE BELL: I feel like we have always done a good job of what we are good at and doing what we are good at. So it will be a matter of finding the best ways to do what we are good at, yeah.

Q. It's as much doing what you guys do, not sort of adjusting -- not worrying about what they do.

RONNIE BELL: It definitely goes both ways. You have to have the best of both worlds. You have to attack it in multiple ways. I feel like we always put our foot forward to do what we want to do and have adjustments to whatever it is you are doing as well, you know?

Q. Ronnie, I'm not sure if you have been asked about this, but what can you tell us about Kendrick [Bell]. It's official now.

RONNIE BELL: Kendrick. I'm unbelievably excited for him. I think Kendrick is going to be one hell of a player. I'm excited for him. Something to tell you about him, he's a lot bigger than I am. And he's a lot more athletic than I am. So I feel like that will be a lot of fun for Coach [Jim Harbaugh] to get his hands on.

Q. Speaking to that obviously, it's down the line, it's not your call, but there's some developmental stuff with him. What do you think for his future? He played QB in high school, but his athleticism, his height, his length, what do you think is his trajectory at Michigan?

RONNIE BELL: I'm hoping he still plays quarterback. I want him to play quarterback, and I know Coach [Jim Harbaugh] will give him a chance. I know he wants to be the quarterback. I want him to be a starter and make plays and lead the team to a situation like this the conference bowl playoffs.

Q. You are pretty good on the hardwood. You are a few years older than him, what was that like, the basketball, football, the big brother and the little brother.

RONNIE BELL: We were always in the gym together. It was a lot more basketball than football. Kind of the same with me and same with them. They were heavy, heavy basketball. And actually throughout the -- like, the last few years, since I have been in high school, Kendrick [Bell] has shied away from basketball. Like, he still plays basketball just because he likes to dunk. But he definitely has shied away. Marquez [Bell] has been the one who is fully -- got ahold of basketball and, like, you know, really -- and he's about to play college basketball at Southeast Missouri. And so me and him are actually the ones that -- when I would go home, things like one-on-one and shooting competitions and Kendrick would just be in the gym working on whatever the trick he's working on. He's probably doing something for track or something. Kendrick is a multisport athlete. He actually high jumped. Like, I think his PR last year was like 6'7". So he's always doing something else. And so he actually shied away from basketball over last year or two.

Q. Do you still get him?

RONNIE BELL: Yeah, yeah, without a doubt. No. No. Definitely still going to get him, but he -- he's got an impressive little dunk tape of what he was doing last year. He was catching alley-oops. I came to one game in the playoffs, and he ripped baseline and dunked on two people. I'm sure he will do even more of that this year. So he's excited for that.

Q. I wanted to get your opinion on this too. There's been a little bit of a narrative that this is not greatest match-up for TCU, the running game that you guys have and the base defense, obviously, they will have to change some things up. I mean, they are a good team. They are here for a reason, but what are your thoughts on the match-up problem for them?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: Absolutely. I think it's -- I think it's a great match-up for both sides. Defense we don't really see and offense that they don't really see. It will be kind of cool just to see the adjustments that we both make. And I can feel and I think there will be a lot of exciting moments and big-time plays in this game. But, yeah, a ton of confidence in this offense, and it's something that we continue to do so well this season. And yeah, it will be fun to bring it to them and see how they handle it.

Q. Luke, after this long layoff between games and all the circus with the media, how do you guys stay focused?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: Like I have been saying, I think having the sort of confidence that we have been here before and that last time we were here ended in defeat. And I know that there's so much -- there was so much room left and so many things that we wanted to do last year that we couldn't do. We fell short but we are back here with another opportunity. And, yeah, just excited to have it back. And I feel like everybody just has that sort of confidence in not as star-struck and the first-time feeling as we had last year, this year.

Q. Do you think there is a difference between last year's team and this year's team coming into the first game in the playoffs?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: Yeah, I think so. Just that feeling of confidence and being here before and everybody being -- we've played so well together on both sides of the ball this year. We have a lot of guys from that team last year that know what this experience is like. And being able to be back here is a great opportunity to go even farther.

Q. I talked to J.J. [McCarthy]. Today you're practicing outside for the first time in a while. What does that mean to get back outside to practice?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: It will be cool. It will be cool to practice and great weather, not scorching hot or anything. Yeah, it will be great to be back outside. And the Midwest weather keeps you from doing that for a long time. It will be nice. It will be awesome.

Q. Luke, you came out of high school playing a bunch of different positions. Would you call yourself a developmental project as a tight end at Michigan? How would you describe your start, and then where you are now?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: Yeah, for sure. I think there was so much that I had to learn first coming into here as a tight end. And I had so many great guys around me at the time that did so many great things at the position. And I was able to learn all those and incorporate those into my game but, also, learn things that I could use and discover myself. Yes, it's been a great journey, just to be able to keep on building tools and learn new things about the position and watch a bunch of great guys that I love watching at the next level and incorporate their game into mine. Yes, it's been such a fun time.

Q. I wonder if you could take that, and then maybe compare what you have seen out of Colston [Loveland] year one versus where you were and where he is. He's obviously had an impact on you early on.

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: Yes, he was definitely lightyears ahead of me when I first came here. An opportunity presented itself to him, and he grasped it, and he's been running with it ever since. I mean, the sky is the ceiling for him. Tremendous athlete. And tremendous guy too, that he's hard working, blue collar, which we love around here. He will continue to develop. But, yeah, right off the -- right off the bat, when he got his chance, he's been doing so well with it. I'm so happy for him. I know this is just going to be another great time for him.

Q. How has the shared experience over last year's Semifinal served as motivation?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: I think it's a huge motivation, especially getting to that point and it ended in defeat. I think it just fueled the fire. And now that we get the chance to be back here, we get the chance to do it again. It's a different mindset for this team. So we're excited to be back here, excited to be in this awesome location, experience all the different events that we will this week. But I know the underlying focus, knowing that we have a job to do and that's not finished.

Q. Were you able to enjoy the accomplishment you had together last year? Did it leave a bad taste in your mouth?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: It was a bad taste for sure. Just the journey to get to that point was so great and so exciting. It left a bad taste in your mouth. It's a different feel this year. We're not as star-struck and that first-time feeling this year as it was last year. So yes, different mindset, and you can feel it over the past few weeks.

Q. What's it like being here?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: Pretty great to wear short sleeves and shorts, even though it's cooler here. Definitely a big change from Ann Arbor. It's exciting to play in these bowl games. You get to have the nice weather, and it's just another addition to it.

Q. Luke, obviously, you guys just got a big transfer tight end from Indiana in AJ Barner. Could you speak a little bit towards the tight end room, what bringing him in will mean to you next year, and how excited you are to mentor him and the offense?

LUKE SCHOONMAKER: Yes, he's a real exciting player. And, yes, it will be another great addition to a room that just can do so much, so many guys that are so talented at so many different things, and young guys that have had to step up this year and fulfill those roles. And they have done so well with them. So yes, he will just be another exciting player. He will bring a lot of talent and a lot of experience too. So it's exciting for the group.

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