Texas A&M held its big fall camp media day on Sunday, with nine members of the program addressing the press inside the Kyle Field Media Center. We've got video, audio and quotes here.
Texas A&M held its big fall camp media day on Sunday, with nine members of the program addressing the press inside the Kyle Field Media Center. We've got video, audio and quotes below.
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Let's start off today with keeping the Bowden family in your prayers. I know we lost a great man and coach Bobby Bowden today. Meant so many things that so many people. Meant a ton to me, and not only just when I coached with him, but when I was learning to be a coach and around him in a different time, with his family and what kind of person he was and who he was. It's amazing how he affected so many people, lived his life the way it was, like I said, as fine a gentleman and coach that’s ever walked the sideline in my opinion. Just a tremendous human being. But the lives he touched and the players he touched, that's his legacy and that's what he always talked about. The last time we talked we talked about that, he said those things, and he definitely did that. So he lived a full life and said he was ready, and he knows where he's definitely at, that's for sure. And also keep RC (Slocum) in our prayers as he continues to battle the things he has. Football is important, but there’s a lot of things bigger than that. Wish him and his family so much well-being for his future and safety.
Well, I think they also saw the value in coming back for the team and what they accomplished. And I think a lot of guys accomplished so much, and what it felt like to win a championship or almost win a national championship, and liked that feeling. I think also the benefit of them at their next level. It's a double-edged sword that we have a great team, you were great players on it, they enjoyed that success in which we had, and how we had it, and the way we had it to get there. But then also, their personal development, to be able to play at the next level. I think it will enhance every one of those guys’ ability to make the NFL and play in the NFL and be a very significant draft pick and factor in it. And I think it's a combination of both. And I think they loved A&M.
Oh wow. You know, there’s so many. I can’t tell them all. I'm trying to think, my favorite one. My favorite one of me, I always think of this…when I was learning to be a coach I used to work the Bowden Academy. The amount of information that used to come out of him, that he didn't even realize he was exerting and how he did things. Not when I coached with him, not even when I was there. We’d do the Bowden Academy, which was the thing…they had that Manning Academy, now that was all bridged and thought of after the Bowden Academy, that's what started all that and gave the idea. As a matter of fact, Peyton was in the camp, he used to come, he came to the camp, and it was quarterbacks and receivers all over the country that came from everywhere. And that's all you did for three days was throw the football and run routes and catch the football. We used to sit there…some of my greatest memories was sitting there with him afterwards, like after the camp was over, because I was a counselor for the quarterbacks. And Tommy (Bowden) and Jeff (Bowden) did receivers, Terry (Bowden) did quarterbacks. They were all there and Bobby drove around, looked at everybody, watched everybody. He was there at every camp. Every second of every moment on the field, it was a family affair, and I was included in that, was very blessed to be in that. But at night when all the coaches would come and people would bring some old coaches, his old buddies sometimes that knew him from years ago, they’d stay, get a dorm room and you sit up in the dorm room, put your feet up, he'd take his socks off, put his feet up on the table…I mean he was so normal. He could make you feel like you knew him for 20 years in the first two minutes you ever talked to him. He was so genuine and honest. And just sitting there telling stories about ball. Coaches were asking questions, the things he would do and how he handled recruiting situations and how he handled this and that. And I was a young guy, you know, just 22-23 years old, sat there and just listened over and over and over and over and over. And then if he was outside by the pool…he and I had a bad habit. We both chewed, people didn't know that. We both chewed, we’d sit there and chew and spit. Everybody else would watch. But I mean, but he would talk to everybody. Just the knowledge he would put out and how he did things, the way he did things, stories about people back then, and back when he was learning to coach, how he admired Coach Bryant, how he admired the different people he grew up admiring in the day. And just listening to him, the volume of information you used to get.
That was my favorite memories of him. It really was not when I coached with him. That was phenomenal and we had some unbelievable talks. He was an unbelievable historian of the game and loved the game. Our memories of Samford together, because we both played there. It was Howard College back then. People forget that he went to Alabama on scholarship, and he left Alabama after a semester, and people didn't know the reason why. It was because he went back and married Ann. You couldn't be on scholarship at that time and be married, believe that or not, when they first got married. It was more important that he wanted to marry, and he moved back, and he went to Samford and how he gave that up. And I end up transferring to Samford, that was just ironic. We did we talk about different things, while you make decisions in life and coaching, and just listening to him it was just a volume of knowledge.
I remember I first became an offensive coordinator at Samford, that was going into the ‘91 season. Jeff was the OC. I was quarterback coach, and Jeff went to take the job at Southern Miss. So Terry made me the OC. And I wanted to learn. So that year (Florida State) were playing Penn State. I'll never forget him and joe Paterno were playing in the Blockbuster Bowl. Blockbuster Bowl back then was really good. They were both top 10 teams. They were great as a matter of fact, it was (Lawrence) Dawsey’s senior year. So I went and the family took me, put me in a hotel, kept me up and I stayed there the whole week with them and went to every meeting he did. I sat in the back of his coaching meetings, just watched him organize and structure. Then I did his offensive meetings and watched him set up his offense, how he called it, what he did when he watched film. I was just a fly on the wall, sitting in the back. And then I remember I went to the press box that night at the game and put the headset on and listened to him call the game. He and Joe Paterno were going at it that night, back and forth, back and forth. And Dawsey that year was a first team All-American. He always said this, the players make a difference in games, not plays. You gotta make sure you get it to certain guys. He’d have a certain list of guys that you have to get that ball to. Amp Lee was the MVP that night and played good. Casey Weldon was good. But Dawsey was a star, and they had to have plays, and I remember they had a little list of plays over handling of the ball. And he kept saying, ‘Mark, Mark’--Mark Richt, who was his quarterback coach at the time, Brad Scott I believe was the offense coordinator. ‘We gotta get that ball to Dawsey, we gotta get that ball to Dawsey’. And they pulled those plays out, man about five or six plays, about four or five of them went straight to Dawsey and he caught it, went straight down the field, won a big game.
And just those experiences, how vital that was to me at such a young age, I learned how to organize, how to structure, more importantly how to treat people, and then how to coach and call games and do things. And his style was different than a lot of different guys sometimes on offense in how he did it. I could go on like that. I could tell hours of those stories. I mean hours of them. He was just a tremendous man, a tremendous competitor. And like I say, the lives he affected and the people he affected, he didn't even know about. That’s the amazing thing about him.
Well, I don't know if anything's impressed me, but hopefully the urgency to be good. We've done some really good things, and some of the veteran guys are acting like veterans and the young guys I think are anxious to compete. I think the competition level and guys wanting to push each other for jobs is one of the main things that’s starting to push. And I hope that depth pushes that out there, the young talent with the older talent and those guys challenging for positions and playing time. And I think that's probably been the best thing so far.
Well, we are right now. We're in the top 10. We'll see if we can do it. And like say, at A&M, that's our goal. That's why I'm here. That's why we're here and we should be. We have all the resources to do it and things to do it and the program to do it, the support to do it. And now it’s just making sure we do do it. That's the challenge. And you know, when you have the bullseye on your back and people expect you to be good, that's another step in maturity of how you prepare, how you play. And we definitely should be. That's our goal to be here and that's what we're here for.
They’ve had good solid days, you know, we’ve split them up. One day, one had the ones, the other day, the other had the ones. So it’s been two days, but they’ve done a good job, they have good knowledge, you can see they worked hard in the summer, It's been two days in, so we'll watch that. This is an early day for Fan and Media Day, so it hasn't been a ton of practice. But I've been happy with both practices and there's been some little mistakes here and there that we’ll continue to clean up. It’s like that always. But you know, I've been pleased.
Yeah. We’re aware of the situation. We are following the policies of the school and as the situation pans out, then we'll be able to make our decisions based off the information we're given. That's it.
When you have a barbecue and the food's bad, it’s usually not a very good barbecue. So when the food is really good, it usually turns into a real good barbecue. He can cook, he really can. I told him I when I first met him, he had those awards, he had that hat with three or four different awards, places he'd won competitions. And I said, now listen, I don't know if you just sewed those on there or if they were legit, you know what I mean? We gotta do some research, but all you’ve got to do is taste his barbecue one time and they're legit. They were legit wins. He's really good. He's excellent. And a ton of work…the amount of work he puts in the cooking, wow, it's unbelievable.
Well he will be, and he has been, just by his performance. You don't have to be vocal…here's the thing. Everybody thinks leadership is vocal. Leadership comes in many ways. It’s how you affect your teammates. Is it vocal? Is it off the field? Is it on the field? Is it by example? You change behavior, you want people to play like you, you want people to play to your standards. So leadership comes in a lot of different ways. And Aaron has become more vocal, but his is more I think by example and how hard and the type of athlete he is and the way he plays. And he's doing a great job of that in leadership. Other guys on our defense are definitely leading too. So I think we're in a good position there.
I mean you say that, but then you don't put limitations on a new guy. I did that one year and won the national championship with a redshirt freshman. So I don't put limitations on him or I don't want to put limitations on a redshirt sophomore in Zach Calzada. I mean, both guys haven't played as much, but both guys are very talented. So, you know, either way with Zach or Haynes, either way. But I think the defense does understand the experience they have and what they have and the abilities they have. I don't think it's anything they do that they have to do anything different. They have to do their job, and they have to do it well, and have to as they mature into who they are and they get better at their craft of wanting to become a dominant group of guys no matter what. And I think our defense has that mentality and I think they can have that mentality. And they have that ability.
Tremendous competitor, tremendous athlete. I mean, this guy is one of the best athletes on our football team. You're talking about a guy, a seven-foot high jumper. Is a sub-4.5 guy, probably vertical 42, 43 inches. You're talking about a guy who is unbelievably athletic, unbelievably creative, great ball skills and highly, highly, highly intelligent and instinctive. So I think he wants to make a contribution now and where that role is. And I think that's just a great tribute to him. And we still have packages and can do things with him at quarterback. Great young man.
Love them. Size, athleticism, flexibility, strength, learning each and every day. The offensive line’s a challenge because everything's changing constantly with blitzes, movements, and they're getting better at that. But I like the guys that are there and then we’ve just got to continue to coach them, make them better. But I'm very happy with them…there's plenty of ability that's for sure.
Well, we're moving guys around, that's the thing. I'm not worried about how they look as a unit, I'm just thinking about trying to get guys that find the best position. We’re moving guys from left tackle to right tackle, right tackle to right guard, left guard to center. We're moving guys all around. But now when they're in there making calls and guys are making calls, the first group really understands. The second group is very talented with young guys and they're learning. But the first two days have been very pleasing.
Well, I mean, I think I have very high expectations for him because he has high expectations for himself. He's a very unique talent and a guy that can be a mismatch guy, whether it's an inside or an outside guy. Not many guys his size have the athleticism to play the edge and can be that kind of factor. Everybody talks about pass rush, but you gotta play those quarterback runs, those pulls, those nakeds, those boots. I mean there’s a lot of pressure on defenses nowadays, by the way the offenses play across the country. And not many guys his size can do that, which he can. And then he has the size and versatility to go inside and create mismatches, whether it's on the run game or pass game. Leal’s not just a big body, but he's a very good athlete. I mean, if you hand him the ball as a tailback or a fullback or something like that, I mean he's a nimble guy, man. He's a really good, he's a skilled guy in a big body, and that's one of the reasons I think he's such a very successful football player. Because he plays hard. But man, he has that ability to play like a little guy in a big guy's body, which is rare. He's a mismatch guy like you have on offense and you move receivers around, backs, like Ainias does well. He's that kind of guy on defense and you can create matchups to rush the passer, or in the run game or the pass game. Some guys can do in the pass game but can't do in the run game. He can.
Well, listen. I'm worried about us this year. We voted them in. Glad to have them. It's a great conference. I mean this is the best ball in the country, so we'll line up and play, and look forward to playing them.
Had a foot injury that he had this summer, legit. He's worked hard, had great grades, has been busting his tail. It's just taking time to get his sprained foot that he hurt running this summer just in a running drill. We're, you know, timetable each and every day by what goes on in the medical staff. I mean, he'll definitely be back, it’s just getting him back.
I think everything. I mean big plays, catches, no drops…as a receiving group listen, your whole goal is I want to not drop balls, don't have not missed assignments, I want to get open on every play. So those are the challenges, which is like on defense. I want to cover every guy. So just taking another step. When you’ve got young quarterbacks, taking that responsibility of doing my job and doing it well and consistently, where that guy doesn't have to worry about me, because a lot of young quarterback problems come from when people around you don't do their job. That's one of the things. You’ve got running backs, tight ends and receivers that all have tons of experience. So when those guys do their job, it makes a quarterback’s growth much easier when they're where they're supposed to be and I get through my progressions the right way and the read says, I'm going to get this guy, and I'm going to do that, and it's there. It's when guys don't do the right thing that those can be bigger problems for young quarterbacks. The receivers are very knowledgeable. They have good ability vertically. And I think we've got to continue to work down the field in places, which we do getting Chap and some of those guys back I think will help in that and the other guys developing, which I have already seen in the first two days. And I think that will make the quarterback transitions much, much easier in their development and gain their confidence. And once that confidence comes in, they can take off. The receivers are gonna have a big part in that, with the tight ends and the running backs, to what we're doing.
To live in the standard. Not be worried about who we're playing, where we're playing. Worry about how we play and what we do, and that we meet our standard each and every day. Whether it’s the first game or the last game you play, they’re all the same, and every one of them is the most important game in the world. You play them one at a time. There are no ‘big’ games. Everybody says, well, that's a big game. Lose one game and see which game is a big game. I mean, they're all one win, one loss. So you have to approach it that way. And I think there's a mentality and an understanding that it’s that way no matter who your opponent is. It's a crazy statement. Your opponents become faceless. It matters what you do. It’s not a disrespect to them, but you can only control what you can control. And that's the standard in which you approach a game, how you prepare for a game, and how you perform in the game, and that's what you have to do. That's the standard in which we have to learn to do. And I think we're in the process of doing that.
Oh you do. I mean you’ve got Spiller, you've got Achane, you've got all those guys that touch the ball. But Spiller, basically 2,000 yards in two years. Basically 1,000 last year in 10 games with other guys getting plenty of carries. So his productivity is ridiculous. He's become a complete back. He’s picking blocks up, he's learned to be even to be a better receiver, route runner, things he's developing there. He's a huge player and more importantly his leadership. There's another guy that all of a sudden a lot was put on him, and you ask a guy to lead when they're young and there's a lot put on them. They don't need to lead. They need to do their job, learn to be that guy and not put that extra pressure on him. Well now you can see that all right, I'm comfortable in my job. He's starting to really affect the other guys on the team. He had an unbelievable summer. His conditioning, he’s in shape, the way he worked, and hearing it from other players, our strength and conditioning coaches how much he’s really just grown. And just his maturity. You're in your third year in college, which now everybody’s leaving. Back then, back in the old days, that's when you first started playing. Now, everybody's leaving, if you really think about it. You wonder about kids’ maturity? No, we’ve just sped up the clock so much. He's a guy that I've been very, very happy with in everything he does. A great human being, but man what an impactful player. And he's gonna be huge for those quarterbacks, when you turn around and hand it off and make a lot of yards and take some pressure off, its big. And then also when you play action to him, it creates a lot of plays down the field.
It’s the same thing every year. I think you guys make a lot more of that than I do. I’ve never really been looking to go anywhere. Obviously opportunities present themselves and as an assistant you have to look at them. But I have never come close to leaving. We are extremely happy here and we are excited for the season.
Those two kids have elevated their games so much over our time here. Even through the first couple days of fall camp, we’ve seen them take another step. Both of those kids are extremely physical and powerful. I think they have taken their pass rush up a notch too, so hopefully we can become a more disruptive unit both ways, in the run and pressuring the quarterback. Those two kids are going to play a huge role for us this year, for sure.
We should be able to execute our defense on a much higher level. That’s what we talk to them about. When you have a group that has been through it, they have been through a lot of games together, they have been through a lot of situations together. Some of the things that have come up over the years, that maybe we didn’t handle the right way or didn’t play the right way, you’d like to see that stuff disappear with an experienced group. I don’t know that we are necessarily looking to expand as much as we are looking to execute our defense at a much higher clip with a much greater speed. I think if we can do that, that will get the results that we are looking for.
The most exciting thing about this unit is the raw athleticism. This is as athletic as we have been at linebacker since we’ve been here. Obviously, we have had some really talented linebackers, we have four guys playing in the NFL right now that played linebacker for us since we’ve been here. It’s becoming a room where there are big shoes to fill. Right now, the group that we have, minus Aaron [Hansford], haven’t played a lot, athletically they are a really, really good group. We are really looking forward to what they can do, sideline to sideline.
Obviously Buddy is a huge presence that we have to replace. We are going to miss him and the leadership and everything he did for us in the middle of the defense. Anytime someone leaves, someone has to step up. We are hoping Aaron [Hansford] can step up and become a more vocal player. I think we are a little bit fortunate because we have a lot of experience at the safety position, so from a communication standpoint a lot will be put on them. We also have Andre White Jr., Edgerrin Cooper trying to step into a role. And then some of the young guys, Tarian Lee, Antonio Doyle and Chris Russell. Every year you have things that you lose and it takes a collective group to step up and replace them.
That’s something that we have to get good at if we want to go where we want to go as a defense. We have to continue to improve pass defense. Obviously, it’s nice when you have two frontline guys, the Jones, Myles and Jaylon, they are continuing to develop. But I think now we are starting to develop some depth at that unit. You look at Brian George, who has had a great offseason, we are excited about what he’s going to do. Even the young guys, Tyreek Chappell had a really, really good spring, he’s a really talented young player and has had a good start to camp. Deuce Harmon, kind of the same way, he has a really, really good spring and we are excited about where he’s going. Dre Norwood has come in and I think he’s going to be a really talented player. I think we are just starting to develop the depth in that room with the competition and it will give us some versatility and options.
You look to the guys that have played a lot of football, they have to be the voices. Demani Richardson, Leon O’Neal, Keldrick Carper, DeMarvin Leal, Micheal Clemons, Jayden Peevy, there is a core group through the middle that has played a lot of football. Those guys have to be the voices in our locker room. Myles Jones has played a lot of football, but it’s hard for those outside guys to do it the same way. We are guaranteed nothing by experience. We have to work to get everything that we want in the game of football. Everything that we did last year is just that, everything that we did last year. Obviously, we have the capability and potential to be really good, but we have to put in the work to make sure that shows up on Saturdays this fall. That process is ongoing and just starting.
Two qualities you have to have in the SEC are a physical toughness about your game. This is a big boy league, you hear Jimbo [Fisher] say that all the time, and he’s right. If you don’t have a physical toughness about how you play the game, you don’t have much of a chance. And then you have to be able to communicate at a really high level in this league. There are some really talented offensive coordinators at this level, some really talented offensive schemes and you have to make sure that your kids can really function together as a unit. Those are the areas that we have gotten better. We have improved as a defense over time here and those two areas have played a big part in it. We’ve continued to get bigger and more physical and stronger, and I think we have executed better on the big stage year in and year out. And that’s what we are looking to build on this year.
When you watch us play defense I don’t think it’s going to look much different. We didn’t go into this offseason and say ‘hey, we’ve got all these guys back, how can we reinvent football to make it more challenging and more complicated.’ We just want to run this thing better. The guys now are very confident in what we are doing, I think they are very comfortable in what we are doing. They understand how it works. How it works in a game-plan week, how it works preparing. They understand how everything goes. So now, all we are trying to do is build on that and elevate it. If we can continue to elevate how we play the defense, they’ll have great results. They’ll make more plays, they’ll function better, they’ll have more fun. It will all come together the right way.
You never want to use the word “difficult” when you have a lot of good players, it’s difficult when you don’t. When we are talking about how to find roles or how to find ways to utilize talented players, as a coach, that’s always a good thing. If we are sitting in a room trying to figure out who we are going to play at safety, then there are some challenges that we have. Antonio is a really talented player and we expect him to play a really big role for us this year. Him, as well as others, we have to make sure that we fill roles for them. We have a lot of talented guys and that gives you versatility in how you utilize them, what you ask them to do. It kind of makes the whole thing run better and that’s what we are looking forward to.
Demani is unique in terms of my experience because he’s a thicker, more physical, extremely athletic safety. I’ve had some guys that were more lengthy, free safety types that have been really good. Demani is a little bit different in that regard, he resembles Donovan Wilson more than anybody else that I have coached. It’s been fun watching him grow and develop over the years. He played a lot of offense in high school, he didn’t really get to play a senior season because of injury. It’s just been fun working with him and watching him develop year after year and we’re looking forward to seeing what he does this fall.
We feel like we have a good situation at quarterback. Both kids are very, very intelligent. They’ve been able to be on the sidelines and watch Kellen [Mond] and get a little bit of playing time early in their careers. They are both high-character individuals and are both athletic. Haynes is probably one of the best pure athletes on the whole team. Zach also has some athletic ability of his own. Zach may be one of the best throwers of the ball that I have worked with, he’s a very gifted thrower. Haynes, also is a very gifted thrower. They are both very competitive. It’s a situation where they are unique in a lot of areas, but then they have a couple little differences. Zach is probably going to be a little better in the pocket, for his games. Haynes is going to be a guy that can really extend plays and keep the defense a little more honest or a little more scared with his ability to make plays with his feet. They have both been in our system, they understand all of the offense. We don’t have to start the season thinking we have to tone way back from what we were doing with Kellen. Obviously, they are both still young and don’t have a ton of playing experience. We expect them to go out and compete, which is what they are doing in camp and what we expect them to do this fall. The one thing you have to guard with a new quarterback, in my opinion, is that they have to make every play and everything is all on their shoulders. They have to do their job, make the plays that are there when they present themselves, execute and run the offense. That’s where Kellen became a big-time quarterback in his final year, he knew this offense as well as anyone in the building other than Jimbo [Fisher]. Those two, there would be plays they were talking about between series and they were totally on the same page. Kellen knew what to expect before the play was even called. That’s what we hope these two young men will get to at some point. They aren’t there yet, but they are working in that direction. We are pleased with where they are at so far, but we understand that we are playing with a new quarterback.
The Texas Bowl two years ago was there all of this started. We had six scholarship running backs to begin the season and going into the practices for that bowl game we only had one, Isaiah Spiller. We were faced with the question what do we do if something happens to him and what if we want to line up with two backs. We asked Aianis to play some running back during bowl practice, and as we got comfortable Coach Fisher said we can put him in the game for our two back running plays and then without substituting, put him in the slot and have him be an effective receiver. That does a lot to a defensive coordinator because they call their defenses based on the personnel that’s in the game. When Aiaias is in the game, they don’t really know how we are going to line up and our ability to do that gets us a lot of plays against matchups or defenses that we want. Last year we had a good running game against Auburn, sometimes we were lined up with two backs under center with Isaiah at fullback and Ainias at tailback and they had their basic one-back defense out there. It’s a unique weapon in that, not only is he doing that to present personnel problems and call problems for the defense, but he can make plays from both spots. He’s as good of a running back as there is, as far as making people miss, running between the tackles, catching the ball out of the backfield. And then we can line him up in the slot and he’s a playmaker out there. He’s a great weapon to have and we’re really glad he’s on our team and we are continuing to expand his role all the time.
So far Eli being at tight end has been great. He is a very, very gifted athlete. One of the things that we have done, again mostly Coach Fisher, is that we have been able to squeeze everything out of the talent that we have on this team. Our first year here, Cullen Gillaspia is an example. He was a guy out there that did some really nice things on special teams and he played some linebacker here. Coach came in and said ‘we don’t have a fullback in the program, that kid looks like he could do pretty well.’ We put him at fullback and on special teams and we got a lot of mileage out of that. He was a very productive player for us, catching some big fourth down plays against LSU and making some plays. He ended up getting drafted because of it. We look at our team and don’t want to have talented guys on the sideline watching. Eli is a guy that we want to look at and see what he can do. He’s a very, very intelligent young man, he’s a very, very talented young man. He’s got great hands and so far looking at him in two days of practice, we think he can definitely help us at the tight end position, you know how important that is in our offense, and possibly on special teams. Whether he ends up back in the quarterback mix, we’ll take that as we unfold and his development unfolds. It’s a pretty good situation. That’s what’s exciting about this time of year, this is a brand new tea and last year doesn’t count anymore. All the pieces we are putting together, defensively, special teams and offensively, we are molding them. We are little less experienced at quarterback, so we have to take that into consideration. We lost four really good players that started a bunch of games on the offensive line, we are taking that into consideration. We have some positives to add, Caleb Chapman is back and hopefully very close to 100-percent. We have some other people that have gotten experience and are returning, so this year’s team is still a work in progress. We have our strong points, we have our points where we are really hoping guys come through. Every year I’ve done this, this is year 39, there have been a few players that you didn’t know if you could count on going into the season and all of a sudden they emerge and they are really helping you. Devon Achane last year, early on he didn’t get a ton of stuff going, and then by midseason and late in the season he’s a guy that was added into the process and became a playmaker for us. That’s what’s going on right now with this team. Who are the guys that are a little bit new that we can count on, and who are the guys that have had great careers up to this point. We want them to become even better players, so we can become the best offensive team and the best overall team that we can. Eli has had a great attitude about going over there and working at tight end at this time to see if he can get in a position to help the team, and so far it looks like he can.
We think our receiving corps is as strong as it has been since we’ve been here. And we have more guys that we think can impact the game. Coach [Dameyune] Craig has done a great job with those guys, assembling a group of people that we feel like, instead of just having one guy that can take the top off of the defense we have a couple of guys. Caleb Chapman was able to do that for us last year before he got injured. Demond Demas is hopefully going to get healthy for the first time since he’s been here and be able to jump in there. We have a young freshman named Yulkeith Brown that can absolutely run and make plays with the ball in his hands. The more guys you have that can impact the game like that, the tougher you are to defend. Jalen Preston is a guy that has been around, he had his best spring last year and is looking to contribute. Ainias, obviously, spends time out there. Our receiving corps is very strong and hopefully we will be able to throw the ball down the field as good if not better than we have at any point since we’ve been here. That’s one of the things that we’ve worked to do, to go out and recruit some guys and develop some guys that can scare the defense, and we feel like we’ve got them now.
We still believe you have to run the ball effectively to win. And you have to be able to run it when everyone in the stadium and on the other team knows you’re going to run it. That’s where Isaiah has been so strong for us. Not only is he a gifted guy out in space, but he can run the ball between the tackles. He’s big enough and strong enough to hold up. As Coach mentioned, this is a big boy league, and those guys get knocked around. They get beat up a little bit. As strong and tough as Isaiah is, it’s a tough load to carry week in and week out. Devon, for a smaller guy, is surprisingly very, very powerful. The long run he had in the Orange Bowl to seal the win, two guys had great shots on him and he bounced off both of them before he turned on that sprinter speed. That one-two punch for us is going to help our quarterbacks as they develop to be able to get the ball to some guys to go make some plays. Both of those guys possess the ability that sometimes if a play looks like it’s only going to gain a yard or two, they might come out of there with a 4- or 5-yard gain, and that is a big, big difference. They both catch the ball out of the backfield extremely well, they are both really good at pass protection. Isaiah is the bigger guy, he’s more durable. Devon, for his size, he’s not a guy that is going to get knocked off his feet very easily and is not going to get manhandled in pass protection. Even though he’s going to have to block some of these bigger linebackers and defensive ends, he did it last year so we hope he can continue to improve on that. With ort offensive line being a little young, the better those guys can see the creases and get through them where it doesn’t take as long for them, they won’t have to hold their blocks as long. We feel very strong about the 1-2 punch we have, but they just have to go out and do it. Right now in the first two days, Isaiah is really dialed in. He’s trying to improve some things that even he feels he can get better at. Devon is the same way. That’s the theme for us as a team day in and say out, and continue to figure out what we can do offensively to be as productive as possible.
We feel like we are there. We have to grow up in some areas faster than we would have hoped to. We feel really good about Haynes King and Zach Calzada, but they haven’t played a lot. They are still in their developmental process, but you have to remain in that through you career if you are going to play at any level with success. Tom Brady is still one of the most prepared guys to ever play this sport and that’s why he continues to be successful. Everybody is developing. We have so many more guys that can play the positon they are playing here on this football team. Coach [Mike] Elko talked about our defense and they are tremendous. They are talented, skilled, tough and physical. We go against them every day and some days it’s rough out there, but it makes us better. Some days we make some plays and it makes them better. That’s what we are hoping to do here, create a competitive environment that on both sides of the ball and in all areas we are making each other better so when you get out there on Saturday it’s not a shock as to what the other guy is capable of doing. You have to have depth in this league. I think you have to have depth in any league because it creates competition and guys are going to get knocked around, beat up, hurt. You have to be able to withstand a few of those things through an 11, 12, 13 game season.
“We have an experienced defensive line, but also a lot of young guys in the rotation. We are pushing each other every day in practice to be one of the best defensive lines in the country. That’s our main goal going into this season.”
“The expectations I have set for myself are developing my game, physically and mentally. That goes hand-in-hand with using this extra year, which shows the heart I have for this program and our ability to win.”
“DeMarvin Leal, that’s my guy. Ever since he came in as a freshman, I’ve been trying to help him out and help him develop, and he has grown tremendously. During special teams practice he and I utilize our time by going off to the side and working on pass rush moves that we plan to use in practice. We get mentally prepared for what we have to do instead of just standing around.”
“We didn’t come back just for the sake of coming back, we came back to win a national championship. We want to affect the group that is going to still be here whenever we leave. We are going to try to continue and implement the culture, which is a championship-winning mindset. Whenever we leave here, we want to be able to look back and say that we did everything that we could to make Texas A&M better. Our hope is that the group that follows us will continue that tradition.”
“I think that the mentality we have now, we’re further along now than we ever have been. Each year we have continued to get better and we’re really close to where we want to be. Every single day, we continue to improve, so I’m excited about where this team is right now.”
“Having experience is going to be the difference this season. It gives us the ability to have people playing other roles on top of their own. Everyone can help the younger guys get into their game, which creates versatility.”
“I was excited weather people were coming back or didn’t. I knew this year we would pull together a great defense regardless. Once people started making their decision, I knew we had a lot to prove this coming season with the ones that took the extra year.”
“I just think that we, as skill players, are much more experienced and that is going to help our quarterbacks out more. We are going to be able to see in and out of coverages, reading guys differently. The game is really slowing down for everybody, so I think this year, you’re going to see a very different team.”
“We’re really growing in the running back room right now. We’re trying to get those young guys up to speed with us and make sure they stay in line. I’m just trying to be a leader and take that role on every day. We are all coming in with the right attitude. Our run game can be dangerous this year, we just have to come in and work every day. For this team and I, we are all in a good place right now and gelling with the offensive line. We’re all very grateful for those guys, they’re working hard every day as well.”
“I feel a whole lot more comfortable, being both a natural runner and a natural catcher. Having all that experience coming back with Isaiah [Spiller] and the receiving corps, we have a lot of experience back there. I’m very confident in our talent and our technique, so I have great faith in what we’re doing on offense.”
“Whether it’s in the passing game or the run game, I feel like we can go ahead and break off for one-play touchdowns. We definitely have the potential to do it and it’s going to be a great fall camp continuing to develop our plan. It’s going to be a great year.”
“I feel like my role is definitely going to have to expand, just because of the expectations that Coach [Jimbo Fisher] has for me. I’m going to have to step up to the plate to become more of a leader. Also, I’m going to have to continue making plays on the field. Instead of just being a playmaker, I’m going to have to become a gamechanger.”
“I still feel as though I can be the security blanket for my quarterback, like I was for Kellen [Mond]. I know I can be the guy who is the third-down converter, they all know that. I want my teammates looking at me to play that role along with being much more.”
“After wrapping up last year with the honor of being named a Mackey Award finalist was a great feeling. Hopefully, this year I can win it. I am looking to step up my game, in terms of blocking, route running and ball possession. If I can get all those parts better, I will be in a great position to reach the goals I have set for myself this season.”