If you really wanna know how the freshmen are doing for Cain/Simmons, here ya go. A lot of quality info from the coaches this week.
No media Thursday, so let's go ahead 'n get it out now.
Jamar Cain
NRK?
Nate’s interesting because he’s only played 10 games of (high school) football, and I’ve had conversations with him about that. Just got to be able to accept development and know that it’s going to take awhile. He can’t beat himself up over it — he wants to be at x y z and he’s gotta get to ABC first. We had a good conversation about that. But he’s learning it, he’s learning the game and he’s taking it all in stride. He’s really attacked the weight room since he’s been here in January. Just to see his body grow from where it was when he first got here, he was a basketball player and he’s developed into a really big defensive end. I’m interested to see how he’ll continue to grow. But he’s had a good fall camp, especially for a guy who’s only played 10 college games. It’s going to take awhile, but we definitely like where he’s at right now.
Reggie Grimes?
I expect a lot out of Reggie this season. Reggie is an interesting kid because his dad was a former player, his dad was a coach so Reggie takes coaching really well. He’s hard on himself which is good and bad in the same instance, but Reggie kind of hit a wall in the middle of camp but in this last week and a half, he’s taken off. I’m excited to see what he’s done. Reggie was a heavy power rush guy, now he’s actually trying to throw some pass rush moves and he’s developing really well. These older guys between Nik and IT have really helped with the development of those guys. I’m excited to see where Reggie is, where Reggie he’s gonna continue to grow in that backup role behind Isaiah.
Ethan Downs?
Ethan, the other freshman, has had a really good camp. Everything is so exciting to watch — everything with Ethan is fun to see. He goes out into the stadium and he’s all wide eyed because he’s an Oklahoma kid and [it’s] the stadium — So it’s fun to watch his development. And again Isaiah, Reggie who’s been through that freshman grind, now he’s helping Ethan come along, that depth is definitely there.
First year at a new school and recruiting during COVID?
"Yeah, I remember when we had our first event here, I was like, 'Wow, there's actually recruits in the house,' and, just the recruiting throughout the summer, like it was new to me. And Annie or coach would say something to me. I've never been through this. So you guys got to walk me through. You know, I've been here a year and a half. So it's been fun. Recruiting to a pandemic, to a new school was something I hope I never have to do again. I know the whole world hopes we don't have to do it again. But it was just challenging because you're trying to build a relationship with somebody that you've never met and you really hope that person is 6-3. You know, you're saying he's 6-3 and he walks through the door 6-foot, I don't want anybody looking at me crazy. So it's been it's definitely been challenging. I'm excited to get out here on the road out here in the future and kind of see some of these other kids that we're targeting. But hope I never have to experience that bad again. But everything's been new to me. Like, you know, this fall camp was a real fall camp. I've actually been through here, even I've been here and actually here some of the stuff that we're doing as a staff -- we were doing all that virtually last year. So everything is like new and the whole process is new to me. Like, I can't wait for my first game in a packed house. Never been there, even though I played (coached) seven games here, like I'm ready for my first Red River Shootout. Never been to one with a packed house. So to me, this is like my first year really here.”
***
Dennis Simmons
Mike Woods?
“He’s added a lot of experience, obviously coming from a place where he had a lot of playing time. It was serious playing time where he made some key plays in some big games, so he’s added a lot of experience there. He’s added some leadership there. When you see him actually getting out on the field and playing, he’s a physically gifted kid. He’s very strong, he’s got great hands, he can snatch the ball out of the air very aggressively. He’s added a little bit of a mental toughness to the room as well.”
Jadon Haselwood?
“Well the biggest thing that I saw or has come out of both working toward the latter part of the spring and all throughout summer is him getting healthy. He was able to be released from working out with that brace, so he was able to strengthen that leg and get his body back into pre-injury form. That has been a huge plus for him. And then along with Mike (Woods) and Theo (Wease) and a couple of other guys, he’s just taking ownership in the room. He’s taking ownership at the position and trying to not just push himself every day but encourage his teammates and other guys in the room. That’s been a tremendous plus for him.”
Freshmen WRs?
“Mario (Williams) came in a very confident kid, much like (the previous) question off the bat. So with him, you saw that ‘I belong here.’ He was playing at a faster tempo and a faster pace than most freshmen come in much like what we saw with CeeDee Lamb when he came in. Cody (Jackson) was a little bit not as assertive when he first got here, but since the spring and throughout the summer he has really stepped his game up. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see him on the field at some point earlier on in the season on Saturday. Jalil (Farooq) was a kid that missed all of football due to COVID last year in his high school and came in in the summer, so he was a little bit behind as far as catching up. But from a physical standpoint, he has all the tools that you would need. He has done a decent job of trying to get the system down and not just getting it down but being able to process it and get out there and perform at a high level.”
***
Reggie Grimes
Learning from Bonitto?
Nik’s my guy, man. It seems like it’s night and day, but Coach Cain showed us a couple clips of him back when he was a freshman, just to show that hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’ve just taken that. Nik’s first year doesn’t look like Nik now. I go back on film and it may not feel like it just to me at first but I go back on film and I watch myself in my first year and I watch myself now and they’re just two completely different players so you just take that in stride and just realize that it may be slow, it may be steady but progress is being made.
Adjusting after being elite recruit?
Absolutely. Coming from high school, coming from being ‘The guy,’ and then getting here and everyone was the guy in their high school, and taking those strides, taking those lumps, I feel… The only real difference between me freshman year and me now is just confidence—confidence in the things that I’m doing. And now that I’ve seen it, I’ve actually bought into what coach Grinch, what coach Cain, what those guys are selling. Now that I’ve actually bought into it, I’m striving, I’m making plays. I feel as if every freshman coming in should hear that. You’re going to take your lumps at first but if you stick with it, I promise you, there’s success to be had.
Light bulb moment?
I've had a lot of moments like that. I wanna say the second time we were supposed to play West V last year. I had a really good week of practice. It wasn't just doing stuff that I didn't know how to do... I mean, I knew the defense. I've always known the defense. Now, everything's starting to click, make plays, all that stuff. Then we can fast forward to the spring. A new slate again. There was a moment, I think about the halfway point, where again, I started taking that next step as far as playing the run, pass rushing. And then, we can rewind to a couple weeks ago in the middle of camp. There was another few strides I took. I think it's obviously still a work in progress, a lot that still needs to be worked on, but at the same time, again, when you go back and watch the player who played against Missouri State and you watch a practice now, there's two completely different guys.
Bonitto, Thomas & helping young'uns?
IT, when I first got here, I was with IT every day. He taught me the entire defense. We'd stay after some of our summer sessions and just kinda go through it. IT, I learned patience. I knew when I first got here, I was antsy, I wanted to do all this stuff, but I didn't know how to do it. I think from IT, I learned patience. From Nik Bonitto, just go out there and have fun. Just learning how to just be a ballplayer again. All that confidence kinda came back when I was with Nito. Just the confidence part, because Nik goes out every day and just approaches every day the exact same way. He's Nik Bonitto and no one can block him. He's a dude. IT's a dude. Just kinda going out and being a dude, that's what I've taken from both of those guys. And then what I've tried to teach the younger guys was, it may not come today, it may not come tomorrow. It may come a year from now. But at some point, it's going to click for you, and when it does, the sky's the limit. That's for every young guy in our room. It takes time. This is one of those things that just can't be rushed. It takes time and I feel like once they all ... cause they've all taken strides as well, from the time they got here then going through camp, they've all definitely gotten a whole lot better. It's just again, once it finally does click for everyone, I think we'll have a really special room in years to come.
***
Gabe Brkic
Learn after Texas miss?
After that, I kind of learned not to get complacent and make sure I’m locked in and engaged with every situation. I just stay focused. I can’t have a lack of focus at any time.
Specialists' crew?
We get along real well. We hang a lot during the off-season, especially this past summer, we played a lot of golf with each other. Golf, a lot of specialists play golf. We’d come together to play golf, a lot of Sundays. We have a good group and we have a good connection between all of us.
***
Spencer Rattler
Managing expectations?
Personally, when I have an off day in practice, or I’m not feeling my day, I just go home, get it off my mind, know I have to fix those mistakes. Mainly if I have a bad day it’s like, if I messed up in practice or something so that ruins the rest of my day. But knowing I can’t make those mistakes again, go in the next day and be better. Everybody does that differently but I’ve had some experience with that and feel like I’m getting better and better at that. I don’t think it’s too much.
Ralph Rucker?
Ralph’s my guy. Once he got in here, he was a very vocal, very confident guy. Funny dude. He can throw the ball. He can move around a little bit. He definitely did a good job. Same with the other quarterbacks—Micah Bowens, Ben Harris and those other guys. They did a great job but Ralph’s a good player, good guy.
Balance of being in pocket, taking off and running?
I feel like that’s just a natural thing each player has, each quarterback has. I don’t like to sit in the pocket for too long, because that could cause fumbles, turnovers. All my linemen are 6-5, 6-6. I can’t see as well. If I step up and if it’s open, I’m going to go. Or, if not, I’m going to get out of there and make a play with my feet or get somebody open. That’s something I’ve tried to strive to get better on in the offseason is my speed and I feel like I’ve gotten faster. I feel like I’ve gotten stronger with my lower body so I think we’ll see a lot of smart running. I’m not going to be trying to run people over but if I’ve got to get a first down or get in the end zone, I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do.
Camp performance?
“Something I feel like I’ve gotten better at is just my decision-making. Being more consistent. Not turning the ball over. I feel like I had like only two turnovers in fall camp, and they were like on 7-on-7. Just being more consistent, being more decisive. Smarter with the ball.
How good are you guys?
You guys will see. It’s going to be fun to watch. Going to be fun to play with these guys. Just feeling it throughout fall camp. We got better in a lot of areas that we had to get better on. Still gotta get better in some areas within these 10 days, before our first game, but it’s going to be fun. We’re really deep at every position. I’m excited just to distribute the ball and see everybody dominate.
***
David Ugwoegbu
Who you are now vs. 2019?
That happens often, sometimes by surprise by just watching film against old opponents and I see myself at the RUSH position. I see stuff from my physicality to my speed and just my awareness of the game in general. When I watch that film, it’s a whole completely different player. Right now, I feel like I would have made any of those mistakes and I beat myself up when I see a mistake I made as a young kid. You can tell that’s a young player. You can tell that player on the film. I love seeing now that I don’t have that hesitation and that lag when it comes to going out there and playing loose.
Special teams’ importance?
It’s of great importance, especially here at OU. All our coaches across the board express that to our young players that’s the best and easiest way to get on the field and to even travel for away games is to make an impact on special teams because that’s’ where you’re going to be noticed first. Once they see you straining on special teams and proving that you’ll do anything to get on the field, that’s where your opportunities are going to come from.
Comfort level? Odom brings to your game?
I feel way more comfortable and extremely more confident out there because it’s my second year in the position. I’ve been through a whole off-season. I now feel like I can take more of a leader role whereas last year, in my eyes. I was focusing on learning the position and perfecting the position now I feel like I can be more vocal on the defense. That’s another thing Coach Odom has brought to my game. He’s brought so much confidence in me like in letting me know this isn’t my first year here anymore. I know the scheme, know what I need to do. I’m focusing on the leadership aspect of the MIKE linebacker group.
***
Marquis Hayes
Ready to be 2018 again?
"I was there for that, Cody and Bobby Evans and Dru Samia and Creed and them. So that was a good group. It's chemistry. So the more we build on every day and attack practices -- it's really the chemistry in a bond we have to put together. So I feel like the more we take day by day, we can get there eventually. But I do feel what you feel. So I do feel I will be a great year."
Chemistry?
"Yeah, I think so. I feel like since fall camp has started and ended, we, from the beginning to the end, we look very different. Like, I feel like we know each other's tendencies by what we need to do and what we don't need to do with each other. And I feel like we keep going. And with the depth we have also, its good depth because it's good competition still. So we're still competing right now for jobs and spots. So it's a good deal, great deal."
Andrew Raym finding voice as a leader at center?
"I wouldn't say tough. Center Is a tough job, I feel like, especially coming up the role from Creed. So it's kind of like shoes to fill. But I feel like as a leader, he doesn't have to talk much, but he's getting there to talk and communicate more. Like, he communicates. He knows everything well like calling out calls and stuff like that. But as a leader standpoint, he moves by example from extra work to doing everything off the field, grades, everything. So that role is going to become easy for him."
Who is the OL leader?
"I'll say we all play a part, but the loudest voice and move. I say Tyrese Robinson, because like his energy, he bring every day, he's just like, you have to come along. Like, if you're down, he's going to always bring you up. If it's a joke or if it's a yell-out or him dancing, it's his motivation or energy. So he's energetic. So everybody plays a part of leadership, but I feel like he's the guy that brings everybody along.”
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Delarrin Turner-Yell
Gonna be fresher this yr b/c depth?
I feel like it can help me a lot. You always want guys on the field, you know, that are fresh cause they could possibly play faster and things like that. So I just feel like it’s good for everyone, not only myself but Patt, Justin Broiles, Key Lawrence, those type of guys. Everyone can stay fresh and everyone can go out there and play to the best of their abilities and make the plays they have to make.
Pat Fields?
“First off, he handled it very well. As you guys know, he’s one of the leaders of the defense. So with him not being able to go out and compete with us in the spring, he always kept guys uplifted and in high spirits. When a young guy comes off the field, if he notices that they made a mistake or anything like that, he corrects them and just kind of helps them out from that standpoint. Pat is a guy that’s always going to lead us in the right direction. We know that whenever something doesn’t feel right, he’s going to make sure to get us all on the same page. It’s not going to take Coach Grinch or Isaiah Thomas to say something to the defense. Like, Pat is going to able to do that for us.”
Key Lawrence?
“I think Key has become a lot more confident because knowing that whenever he was here in the spring, he was just learning the playbook and learning the ins and outs of the defense. So I noticed that from spring to now how confident he has gotten, adding a little savviness to his game here and there. Key is going to be a tremendous player for this defense. He’s going to be a guy that’s going to help us out a lot on Saturdays. I kind of just stay in his ear any time he needs something or has any type of questions. I always give him feedback or let him know the things that I’ve been through while I’ve been here so he can kind of eliminate having to go through those types of problems or those issues.”
No media Thursday, so let's go ahead 'n get it out now.
Jamar Cain
NRK?
Nate’s interesting because he’s only played 10 games of (high school) football, and I’ve had conversations with him about that. Just got to be able to accept development and know that it’s going to take awhile. He can’t beat himself up over it — he wants to be at x y z and he’s gotta get to ABC first. We had a good conversation about that. But he’s learning it, he’s learning the game and he’s taking it all in stride. He’s really attacked the weight room since he’s been here in January. Just to see his body grow from where it was when he first got here, he was a basketball player and he’s developed into a really big defensive end. I’m interested to see how he’ll continue to grow. But he’s had a good fall camp, especially for a guy who’s only played 10 college games. It’s going to take awhile, but we definitely like where he’s at right now.
Reggie Grimes?
I expect a lot out of Reggie this season. Reggie is an interesting kid because his dad was a former player, his dad was a coach so Reggie takes coaching really well. He’s hard on himself which is good and bad in the same instance, but Reggie kind of hit a wall in the middle of camp but in this last week and a half, he’s taken off. I’m excited to see what he’s done. Reggie was a heavy power rush guy, now he’s actually trying to throw some pass rush moves and he’s developing really well. These older guys between Nik and IT have really helped with the development of those guys. I’m excited to see where Reggie is, where Reggie he’s gonna continue to grow in that backup role behind Isaiah.
Ethan Downs?
Ethan, the other freshman, has had a really good camp. Everything is so exciting to watch — everything with Ethan is fun to see. He goes out into the stadium and he’s all wide eyed because he’s an Oklahoma kid and [it’s] the stadium — So it’s fun to watch his development. And again Isaiah, Reggie who’s been through that freshman grind, now he’s helping Ethan come along, that depth is definitely there.
First year at a new school and recruiting during COVID?
"Yeah, I remember when we had our first event here, I was like, 'Wow, there's actually recruits in the house,' and, just the recruiting throughout the summer, like it was new to me. And Annie or coach would say something to me. I've never been through this. So you guys got to walk me through. You know, I've been here a year and a half. So it's been fun. Recruiting to a pandemic, to a new school was something I hope I never have to do again. I know the whole world hopes we don't have to do it again. But it was just challenging because you're trying to build a relationship with somebody that you've never met and you really hope that person is 6-3. You know, you're saying he's 6-3 and he walks through the door 6-foot, I don't want anybody looking at me crazy. So it's been it's definitely been challenging. I'm excited to get out here on the road out here in the future and kind of see some of these other kids that we're targeting. But hope I never have to experience that bad again. But everything's been new to me. Like, you know, this fall camp was a real fall camp. I've actually been through here, even I've been here and actually here some of the stuff that we're doing as a staff -- we were doing all that virtually last year. So everything is like new and the whole process is new to me. Like, I can't wait for my first game in a packed house. Never been there, even though I played (coached) seven games here, like I'm ready for my first Red River Shootout. Never been to one with a packed house. So to me, this is like my first year really here.”
***
Dennis Simmons
Mike Woods?
“He’s added a lot of experience, obviously coming from a place where he had a lot of playing time. It was serious playing time where he made some key plays in some big games, so he’s added a lot of experience there. He’s added some leadership there. When you see him actually getting out on the field and playing, he’s a physically gifted kid. He’s very strong, he’s got great hands, he can snatch the ball out of the air very aggressively. He’s added a little bit of a mental toughness to the room as well.”
Jadon Haselwood?
“Well the biggest thing that I saw or has come out of both working toward the latter part of the spring and all throughout summer is him getting healthy. He was able to be released from working out with that brace, so he was able to strengthen that leg and get his body back into pre-injury form. That has been a huge plus for him. And then along with Mike (Woods) and Theo (Wease) and a couple of other guys, he’s just taking ownership in the room. He’s taking ownership at the position and trying to not just push himself every day but encourage his teammates and other guys in the room. That’s been a tremendous plus for him.”
Freshmen WRs?
“Mario (Williams) came in a very confident kid, much like (the previous) question off the bat. So with him, you saw that ‘I belong here.’ He was playing at a faster tempo and a faster pace than most freshmen come in much like what we saw with CeeDee Lamb when he came in. Cody (Jackson) was a little bit not as assertive when he first got here, but since the spring and throughout the summer he has really stepped his game up. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see him on the field at some point earlier on in the season on Saturday. Jalil (Farooq) was a kid that missed all of football due to COVID last year in his high school and came in in the summer, so he was a little bit behind as far as catching up. But from a physical standpoint, he has all the tools that you would need. He has done a decent job of trying to get the system down and not just getting it down but being able to process it and get out there and perform at a high level.”
***
Reggie Grimes
Learning from Bonitto?
Nik’s my guy, man. It seems like it’s night and day, but Coach Cain showed us a couple clips of him back when he was a freshman, just to show that hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’ve just taken that. Nik’s first year doesn’t look like Nik now. I go back on film and it may not feel like it just to me at first but I go back on film and I watch myself in my first year and I watch myself now and they’re just two completely different players so you just take that in stride and just realize that it may be slow, it may be steady but progress is being made.
Adjusting after being elite recruit?
Absolutely. Coming from high school, coming from being ‘The guy,’ and then getting here and everyone was the guy in their high school, and taking those strides, taking those lumps, I feel… The only real difference between me freshman year and me now is just confidence—confidence in the things that I’m doing. And now that I’ve seen it, I’ve actually bought into what coach Grinch, what coach Cain, what those guys are selling. Now that I’ve actually bought into it, I’m striving, I’m making plays. I feel as if every freshman coming in should hear that. You’re going to take your lumps at first but if you stick with it, I promise you, there’s success to be had.
Light bulb moment?
I've had a lot of moments like that. I wanna say the second time we were supposed to play West V last year. I had a really good week of practice. It wasn't just doing stuff that I didn't know how to do... I mean, I knew the defense. I've always known the defense. Now, everything's starting to click, make plays, all that stuff. Then we can fast forward to the spring. A new slate again. There was a moment, I think about the halfway point, where again, I started taking that next step as far as playing the run, pass rushing. And then, we can rewind to a couple weeks ago in the middle of camp. There was another few strides I took. I think it's obviously still a work in progress, a lot that still needs to be worked on, but at the same time, again, when you go back and watch the player who played against Missouri State and you watch a practice now, there's two completely different guys.
Bonitto, Thomas & helping young'uns?
IT, when I first got here, I was with IT every day. He taught me the entire defense. We'd stay after some of our summer sessions and just kinda go through it. IT, I learned patience. I knew when I first got here, I was antsy, I wanted to do all this stuff, but I didn't know how to do it. I think from IT, I learned patience. From Nik Bonitto, just go out there and have fun. Just learning how to just be a ballplayer again. All that confidence kinda came back when I was with Nito. Just the confidence part, because Nik goes out every day and just approaches every day the exact same way. He's Nik Bonitto and no one can block him. He's a dude. IT's a dude. Just kinda going out and being a dude, that's what I've taken from both of those guys. And then what I've tried to teach the younger guys was, it may not come today, it may not come tomorrow. It may come a year from now. But at some point, it's going to click for you, and when it does, the sky's the limit. That's for every young guy in our room. It takes time. This is one of those things that just can't be rushed. It takes time and I feel like once they all ... cause they've all taken strides as well, from the time they got here then going through camp, they've all definitely gotten a whole lot better. It's just again, once it finally does click for everyone, I think we'll have a really special room in years to come.
***
Gabe Brkic
Learn after Texas miss?
After that, I kind of learned not to get complacent and make sure I’m locked in and engaged with every situation. I just stay focused. I can’t have a lack of focus at any time.
Specialists' crew?
We get along real well. We hang a lot during the off-season, especially this past summer, we played a lot of golf with each other. Golf, a lot of specialists play golf. We’d come together to play golf, a lot of Sundays. We have a good group and we have a good connection between all of us.
***
Spencer Rattler
Managing expectations?
Personally, when I have an off day in practice, or I’m not feeling my day, I just go home, get it off my mind, know I have to fix those mistakes. Mainly if I have a bad day it’s like, if I messed up in practice or something so that ruins the rest of my day. But knowing I can’t make those mistakes again, go in the next day and be better. Everybody does that differently but I’ve had some experience with that and feel like I’m getting better and better at that. I don’t think it’s too much.
Ralph Rucker?
Ralph’s my guy. Once he got in here, he was a very vocal, very confident guy. Funny dude. He can throw the ball. He can move around a little bit. He definitely did a good job. Same with the other quarterbacks—Micah Bowens, Ben Harris and those other guys. They did a great job but Ralph’s a good player, good guy.
Balance of being in pocket, taking off and running?
I feel like that’s just a natural thing each player has, each quarterback has. I don’t like to sit in the pocket for too long, because that could cause fumbles, turnovers. All my linemen are 6-5, 6-6. I can’t see as well. If I step up and if it’s open, I’m going to go. Or, if not, I’m going to get out of there and make a play with my feet or get somebody open. That’s something I’ve tried to strive to get better on in the offseason is my speed and I feel like I’ve gotten faster. I feel like I’ve gotten stronger with my lower body so I think we’ll see a lot of smart running. I’m not going to be trying to run people over but if I’ve got to get a first down or get in the end zone, I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do.
Camp performance?
“Something I feel like I’ve gotten better at is just my decision-making. Being more consistent. Not turning the ball over. I feel like I had like only two turnovers in fall camp, and they were like on 7-on-7. Just being more consistent, being more decisive. Smarter with the ball.
How good are you guys?
You guys will see. It’s going to be fun to watch. Going to be fun to play with these guys. Just feeling it throughout fall camp. We got better in a lot of areas that we had to get better on. Still gotta get better in some areas within these 10 days, before our first game, but it’s going to be fun. We’re really deep at every position. I’m excited just to distribute the ball and see everybody dominate.
***
David Ugwoegbu
Who you are now vs. 2019?
That happens often, sometimes by surprise by just watching film against old opponents and I see myself at the RUSH position. I see stuff from my physicality to my speed and just my awareness of the game in general. When I watch that film, it’s a whole completely different player. Right now, I feel like I would have made any of those mistakes and I beat myself up when I see a mistake I made as a young kid. You can tell that’s a young player. You can tell that player on the film. I love seeing now that I don’t have that hesitation and that lag when it comes to going out there and playing loose.
Special teams’ importance?
It’s of great importance, especially here at OU. All our coaches across the board express that to our young players that’s the best and easiest way to get on the field and to even travel for away games is to make an impact on special teams because that’s’ where you’re going to be noticed first. Once they see you straining on special teams and proving that you’ll do anything to get on the field, that’s where your opportunities are going to come from.
Comfort level? Odom brings to your game?
I feel way more comfortable and extremely more confident out there because it’s my second year in the position. I’ve been through a whole off-season. I now feel like I can take more of a leader role whereas last year, in my eyes. I was focusing on learning the position and perfecting the position now I feel like I can be more vocal on the defense. That’s another thing Coach Odom has brought to my game. He’s brought so much confidence in me like in letting me know this isn’t my first year here anymore. I know the scheme, know what I need to do. I’m focusing on the leadership aspect of the MIKE linebacker group.
***
Marquis Hayes
Ready to be 2018 again?
"I was there for that, Cody and Bobby Evans and Dru Samia and Creed and them. So that was a good group. It's chemistry. So the more we build on every day and attack practices -- it's really the chemistry in a bond we have to put together. So I feel like the more we take day by day, we can get there eventually. But I do feel what you feel. So I do feel I will be a great year."
Chemistry?
"Yeah, I think so. I feel like since fall camp has started and ended, we, from the beginning to the end, we look very different. Like, I feel like we know each other's tendencies by what we need to do and what we don't need to do with each other. And I feel like we keep going. And with the depth we have also, its good depth because it's good competition still. So we're still competing right now for jobs and spots. So it's a good deal, great deal."
Andrew Raym finding voice as a leader at center?
"I wouldn't say tough. Center Is a tough job, I feel like, especially coming up the role from Creed. So it's kind of like shoes to fill. But I feel like as a leader, he doesn't have to talk much, but he's getting there to talk and communicate more. Like, he communicates. He knows everything well like calling out calls and stuff like that. But as a leader standpoint, he moves by example from extra work to doing everything off the field, grades, everything. So that role is going to become easy for him."
Who is the OL leader?
"I'll say we all play a part, but the loudest voice and move. I say Tyrese Robinson, because like his energy, he bring every day, he's just like, you have to come along. Like, if you're down, he's going to always bring you up. If it's a joke or if it's a yell-out or him dancing, it's his motivation or energy. So he's energetic. So everybody plays a part of leadership, but I feel like he's the guy that brings everybody along.”
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Delarrin Turner-Yell
Gonna be fresher this yr b/c depth?
I feel like it can help me a lot. You always want guys on the field, you know, that are fresh cause they could possibly play faster and things like that. So I just feel like it’s good for everyone, not only myself but Patt, Justin Broiles, Key Lawrence, those type of guys. Everyone can stay fresh and everyone can go out there and play to the best of their abilities and make the plays they have to make.
Pat Fields?
“First off, he handled it very well. As you guys know, he’s one of the leaders of the defense. So with him not being able to go out and compete with us in the spring, he always kept guys uplifted and in high spirits. When a young guy comes off the field, if he notices that they made a mistake or anything like that, he corrects them and just kind of helps them out from that standpoint. Pat is a guy that’s always going to lead us in the right direction. We know that whenever something doesn’t feel right, he’s going to make sure to get us all on the same page. It’s not going to take Coach Grinch or Isaiah Thomas to say something to the defense. Like, Pat is going to able to do that for us.”
Key Lawrence?
“I think Key has become a lot more confident because knowing that whenever he was here in the spring, he was just learning the playbook and learning the ins and outs of the defense. So I noticed that from spring to now how confident he has gotten, adding a little savviness to his game here and there. Key is going to be a tremendous player for this defense. He’s going to be a guy that’s going to help us out a lot on Saturdays. I kind of just stay in his ear any time he needs something or has any type of questions. I always give him feedback or let him know the things that I’ve been through while I’ve been here so he can kind of eliminate having to go through those types of problems or those issues.”
