COURTNEY MESSINGHAM, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On Skylar Thompson's progress...
"I think the biggest thing is comfort and his understanding of who we are, how we play and how we practice, not just the offense but how we go about our business. I think that's one of the biggest things, not just from an offensive standpoint but from an entire team standpoint of understanding of what it means to go to work each day from the practice standpoint, if it's down in the weight room, in the meeting room learning what we are and who we are offensively. He's really grown in that aspect of understanding how we as a program want to go about our business."
On the receiving corps without Dalton Schoen…
"The one guy that finished up strong last year in our season was Chabastin Taylor. I think he's continued to grow. He's a young man who has worked hard in the offseason, unfortunately an extended offseason to continue to grow and get stronger and become a better wideout. Obviously the Malik's (Knowles) and Josh Youngblood's are names that people know. Chabastin Taylor is maybe one you wouldn't know as much. Landry Weber has done a nice job so far. Seth Porter is probably a guy that no one would think of has done a really nice job. You still have Phillip Brooks. He really has the quick twitch. He looks in great shape right now. Wykeen Gill has done a nice job, so we feel good about that position. Nobody has yet proven that they can be what Dalton was. They're all really looking for an opportunity to get out there and show who they are."
On Joshua Youngblood being more involved in the passing offense…
"The biggest thing is he's very driven. When he was in Tampa, he had the opportunity to get together with other receivers that were in that area, some of which being college guys and some being NFL guys, trying to learn and be a sponge on the craft of being a wide receiver. Josh didn't grow up as a ninth grader, 10th grader, 11th grader or senior being a wide receiver. He was a jack of all trades. He's just continued to try to learn the game from the receiver standpoint and continue to build on his craft and learn his craft. He is very focused and very driven, wants to be successful. We have to keep putting him in positions where he can be successful."
On being stacked at the tight end position…
"We want to have multiple tight end/fullback guys that create issues for people, guys that are big enough and strong enough that understand the run game well enough to set the point and be a legitimate blocker. We want guys to become matchup issues in the passing game. Briley (Moore) brings some of that to the table. I think Nick did a nice job last year. Mason Barta and Jax Dineen are two guys who can do some of the legit fullback work, and Jax has enough quick twitch and athletic ability to possibly get out on the edge and catch a ball once in a while. Nick and Riley and Sammy Wheeler, those three have to be passing game threats, as well as the ability to still block."
On the progress of the offensive line without spring ball…
"That has obviously been a concern all the time, because spring ball was going to be so important for us to really identify the guys that not only mentally can handle it, who can physically do it and get out there in the trenches, get tired and still get their job done. One of the things we'll have to work on the most in this camp is play six, seven and eight, I'm starting to get tired. The style of football we play, we want to have 12, 13, 14-play drives. We want defensive linemen to get tired. The problem with that is when you have 14 or 15 play drives as an o-lineman, you're not having someone sub in for you. So you have to not only execute physically, but you have to communicate and still mentally be strong. That's one of the things we'll really have to work at as camp continues, is getting some 12 play drives, getting our left guard and left tackle to be able to communicate with the center and all be on the same page. We were very spoiled last year, because we had five seniors basically and then put Josh Rivas in there that had all played a bunch of football together, so their ability to communicate and talk and work as a unit was really, really good. We need to get to that point with this offensive line group."
On the backup quarterback battle…
"Even in the short amount of time we've been going, I really feel good about the three guys fighting for the backup quarterback spot. Will Howard has obviously come in and done pretty much exactly what we anticipated that he would having him be here in the spring. Hurt that we didn't have spring ball, but it was extremely good for him that he got to know our players and coaches. He got to understand a little bit about our culture, and that's helped him. Jaren Lewis being a second year player here, he has started to show some of the things we anticipated he would bring to the table when he got here. Nick (Ast) has done a really good job of continuing to learn, he understands that Skylar is the "guy", but has attacked it like he's truly one play away from needing to be that guy that can be a player for us, not just handle the offense but can make plays. We want three guys having a great competition to be that backup, all of us understanding that Skylar is the guy that is going to be the driver right now."
On Malik Knowles getting bigger and stronger…
"The strength aspect and the ability for him with his length and ability to open up and run, the stronger he can be the better it's going to be for him as a wide receiver. Just being able to say, press cover me. Now I can body you up a little bit. I can use my size to hold the edge when I run a vertical route and then go make a play. If he can stay healthy, and we feel like that extra weight and strength he's putting on is going to help him stay healthy. We feel like the sky's the limit, but until you actually get out there and perform it and do it and stay healthy, it's still a work in progress. He has a lot of potential to be a big time playmaker for us, and he really does. We anticipate that he will make those plays. His extra strength and weight will really help him."
On Briley Moore…
"I'm basing it off of things I saw him do at another school. The thing he will bring to the table isn't just his physical skills. He's really been a very good leader. He's learned our offense without being able to get on the field to execute it really well. Day one practice, he had zero busts. Now you might say he didn't get a million reps. He still had a pretty good number of reps, had zero busts and I really feel like he understands the scheme. He understands the why in why we're doing what we're doing with him. Is he going to be a huge impact in our league? I don't know. We gotta let that play out. We obviously feel really good about him. But like was stated before, Nick is a very good football player. Sammy Wheeler showed signs of being able to be a threat in the passing game, so Briley doesn't need to come in and be the man. We want him to come in and be a big impact player, anticipate him being a matchup issue for people. We also want to let it kind of come to him. There isn't a reason to put extra expectations on him. Just let him come in and be a part of who we are. He'll be just fine."
On the lost time in the offseason…
"It's hard to quantify that. I think that from an offensive line standpoint, it hurt our ability to know how well they're going to communicate, how well they're actually going to execute. It's four brand new guys and a guy that wasn't a starter but could've been in Josh Rivas. The ability to see a Joshua Youngblood become more of a legit wide receiver threat, that obviously hurt. Getting Harry (Trotter) and Tyler Burns and those guys more touches, and then also getting Jacardia (Wright) and Joe Ervin and some of those young guys opportunities to truly become better at their craft. It hurt all of us. It's hard to say really how much, because everybody got put in the same boat. All the programs in the country got put in the same boat. When we get out there on the first Saturday we have the opportunity to play, you're hoping that our guys have taken it upon themselves to make sure they're prepared mentally and physically, and that's part of our jobs as coaches to make sure they understand who we are and the style of football we want to play, then take it to the field and show that we're ready to play."
On the level of appreciation for the game…
"Our whole staff needs to get to our players the understanding that worry about the things you can control. You can control preparing to be successful whenever you get the opportunity to get on the field. It doesn't matter if it's tomorrow or September 12th. Worry about getting better each day, and when they say let's roll the ball out, be ready to go."
On the running game…
"Our entire offense is based around the ability to run the football. It's not that we want to run the ball every snap. But forcing people to stop the run is always going to be a huge key for us. If it's Jacardia (Wright) or Joe (Ervin), if it's Tyler Burns or Harry (Trotter), I'm ok with having a running back position by committee. The bottom line is those guys and the o-line and the tight ends really need to make sure they're on the same page. A great running back helps the o-line. A great line makes it easier for a great tailback, because then you get them to space, to the second level with space. At the first level at the line of scrimmage, that tailback can help those o-linemen if he runs his track correctly. That's something we're going to have to do a great job in fall camp is getting the tailbacks on the same page as the o-line. The tailback is a huge part of how good our o-line can be."
On the new offensive linemen…
"That will be a huge key, how quickly they can gel. We feel really good about the young men in our program. We feel we have the ability to be great drive blockers in the run-blocking game. We have a number of young men who are 300+ pounds that we feel can move around well. They still haven't been able to get out there and do it on the field. That's a huge deal, and that's why spring ball was so important. That's come and gone. You can't worry about that. You have to move forward getting them to understand the system as well as they can and getting them to play together as a group of five. We feel like they're dedicated, and their desire to learn our offense has been tremendous. The problem is a ton of that learning has been on zoom meetings. The more times they can be together. The more times they can communicate together, the better we'll be."
On having a guy like Skylar Thompson leading the way in this type of situation…
"Skylar has done a good job, but he's also had guys like Harry Trotter that wanted to be part of helping teach, wanting to be a part of grabbing guys and saying hey, how can we get this done better? Skylar has been in there numerous times with the wide receivers or tight ends on his own teaching our offense. That's a huge deal since it's the second year. If this was his first year and he was trying to learn the offense himself, he wouldn't have been able to do that. Noah Johnson, Josh Rivas, their ability to get in there as a group and be able to talk our offense and the calls. Those things are huge for us, because in the first year, we never would've been able to get that done. They wouldn't have been able to get it done, because they wouldn't have known it enough.
JOE KLANDERMAN, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
On the challenges of adding new things to the defense during the pandemic…
"It's not as bad as one might think, because we had a number of meetings throughout the winter. We took that into a period of time where we were able to do some walkthroughs with our guys. That might've allowed it to click a little bit more than delving right into full speed things. Now that we're re-implementing things through these first few practices, it's really the third time they've heard some of these things. It's starting to make sense to some of these guys. Maybe a little bit easier, to be honest with you, than it may have been in a normal year. People are buying into it. They're grasping it. It's coming along pretty good even though it's just beginning."
On if this situation has given him a higher appreciation for the sport…
"I really am the kind of guy that enjoys the process. I enjoy getting better everyday and teaching these guys. I want to surround myself with players that want to do that, also. I'm going to continue doing what I do until they tell me that I can't do it. I do appreciate it. It certainly has been on the back of peoples' minds. I probably thought about it less than others. I'm going to do what they tell me to do until they tell me I can't do it anymore."
On the importance of having Justin Hughes back out there…
"Justin is a tremendous ball of energy. He's a vocal guy in terms of getting us lined up and in terms of challenging people, which we need. We don't have a lot of those types of guys. That's what he really brings to us. He really is our biggest cheerleader out there. He's the one that can bring that juice. He also brings a lot of game experience. I know that stuff doesn't show up as much in practice, but I think that's going to matter on September whatever when we get this thing teed up. I think the fact that he's been in the fire a little bit is going to be a big deal."
On the new faces at defensive tackle...
"Couldn't be more impressed with what Eli Huggins has done, a name that probably didn't get thrown around a whole bunch. He's been very good throughout camp. Drew Wiley has been very good throughout camp, as we might've expected. He played a little bit a year ago. Jaylen Pickle has been much improved and is somebody we'll work into the rotation for sure. Robert Hentz is going to bring an element of explosiveness in there, as he's working himself into shape a little bit. That's the biggest challenge for that position is the lack of strength and conditioning. Just because of the nature of the bigger bodies, that's the position group that probably gets taxed fastest out there. The more they're getting into shape, the more we're seeing what these guys can truly do. I would say those four guys will factor into the mix. "
On Justin Hughes and Elijah Sullivan playing together…
"Outstanding. They work really well together and work well off of each other. The fact that Eli played Mike last year, which is a position we ask a lot of communication and a lot of helping others, a lot of setting the front and those kinds of things. The fact that he had to do some of that and get out of his comfort zone a year ago is helping him now in a position where he doesn't have to do that. Justin can rely on him a little bit to help him if there's a confusing picture or something. Those two are always working off of each other. Eli Sullivan is a different animal now. Eli Sullivan is an explosive football player. It's going to be a great big year for that guy."
On who is standing out in the secondary…
"TJ Smith at nickel is a true freshman. He was an early enrollee, which would normally give you a leg up. But the fact that he didn't get March-May to do anything, so I don't know how much that helped him. It really matters to him, and he did not waste that time. He's gotten himself into the picture simply because of his desire and hard work. As a true freshman, he's a guy that could be in the mix. Will Jones is a guy that could be in the mix as a nickel. Redshirted a year ago and we expected to have a big year out of him and he's producing. Ross Elder has done a phenomenal job so far through camp. In the corner position, Kiondre Thomas, a transfer, along with Justin Gardner, two guys that transferred in. Kiondre benefits from the fact that he came from the University of Minnesota, where he's been in a program and been in a system and had some complexity in the defense. Because of that, he's been able to pick things up really quickly. There will be a lot of fresh faces back there this year, not to mention some of the old dogs as well."
On the depth in the secondary…
"Those guys will factor into it. It's an ongoing competition. I think some of those spots are a lot closer than some might think because of some of the guys I just mentioned. Kiondre Thomas is going to factor into that. Will Jones and TJ Smith are going to factor into that. Ross Elder, Ryan Henington, Tyrone Lewis, Brock Monty, I mean all those guys are in the mix, and that's not just me talking. That's legitimately out there. There are days maybe at the corner position, maybe Thomas outshines everyone at that position on Tuesday and maybe it's Lance Robinson on Wednesday and Thursday it's AJ Parker. That's something we probably didn't have a year ago. That's a refreshing deal, because we're going to need that depth heading into this season."
On the progress of Khalid Duke…
"The progress he's made in a year with Coach Wyatt is unbelievable. Just playing at a different speed than everyone else right now. They're having a hard time blocking him in the run game and the pass game. That's what we really need. We weren't able to generate a ton of pressure with four last year, part because of injury and part because of personnel. That wasn't our strong suit, but the fact that he stepped up might enable us to move some guys around in third down situations, get the four best pass rushers out there. He's certainly emerged as one of those four, something we weren't sure of prior to this camp. "
On Tyrone Taleni…
"A guy that was just getting started in the winter time before things shut down. In the meetings over the summer, we were concerned about the amount of information he was able to retain. It was so new to him, the system and terminology. It had him puzzled, to be honest. Stepping ahead into camp, he's been outstanding. He's put a lot of effort into that. Unfortunately, he had a little setback the other day with a finger, I believe it was. He won't be out of the mix long. I would anticipate him potentially being one of those guys I mentioned, third down, pass rush guys. He's so strong, once he starts to figure out his keys in the run game, he's going to be an every down kind of guy for us probably this year."
On who will step up in Jonathan Alexander's absence…
"Fortunately at that position, we do have a lot of guys I feel comfortable with and trust. We had already made the move, Jahron McPherson played nickel a year ago which was not his natural position. He did it out of necessity, because he was one of our best 11. We knew we had to get him out there. Even though he didn't necessarily fit the profile of what we were wanting to have out of a nickel, he scrapped it up to be a good player there. We had moved him to the same position Jonathan was at, so there was already a competition there. He will take the lion's share of those reps, as will Ross Elder. We also took Ryan Henington from the offensive side of the ball and moved him to safety. He's a guy that's just taken the bull by the horns, has learned and grown immensely. Haven't seen him in the fire, but what he's done through the first few days here, he'll be a guy that will factor into it, also. Everybody is going to benefit from those reps. Obviously you don't want to lose anybody, but I feel comfortable with the depth at that position."
On AJ Parker…
"I haven't noticed any ill effects from his ankle. He's been getting in and out of breaks, been playing very good man coverage. Has done a great job of being a leader. AJ is a guy that kind of keeps to himself a little bit. To see him work with Tee Denson, Justin Gardner and to see him take some of those guys that are new and try to bring them along has been very encouraging."
On competing against high powered offenses in the Big 12…
"Just a play at a time. It truly is all about the process. I don't worry about who we're playing or how many points they score. What really matters is our execution. Do we get aligned? Do we get our eyes right? Do we play fast? If we do that, are we going to win every 50/50 battle that's out there, no we aren't. There's going to be a time where a corner can play technique perfectly, and he's going to get a ball caught on him. There's going to be a time where we have the play fit up, and we're going to miss a tackle. That stuff happens, but what we can't do and what we're working to eliminate is any mistake that gives someone a free play. Against these high-powered offenses, the one thing we want to make them do is earn everything they get. You're right. These teams are good enough to earn it sometimes. We're not going to be able to stop them if we're giving them free plays. Can they beat us if we make them earn everything? It makes it a little more difficult for them."
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August 13, 2020 at 02:00AM
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Coordinators Meet the Media - K-StateSports.com
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