CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACH
Opening Statement...
"Good to see everybody. Welcome back to Vanier and fall football. Excited to be here. We've had four practices. It's been really hard on the guys, all the uncertainty, the mental strain and anxiety of not having answers. That's the one time as a football coach where you don't have answers to give them. You have to control what you can control. When you go out and watch practice, it's fun. They're having a blast out there with their family and with their guys. At the end of the day, they see the news and reports of uncertainty on whether we're playing. That weighs on them. We go about our business. We've done as good a job as we can with the time we have, the information and the knowledge we have. Our kids want to know, but I know this. Between the docs we've had here and Matt Thomason and his crew, we have an extremely safe environment here. It's been a new normal that is different, but pleased with how the guys have handled it so far."
On the Big Ten moving to spring football and what that would look like for K-State…
"One of the things that we would like is some clarity to what they do, no matter what. If we play in the fall, here's when we're starting, we're having a non-conference game, here's the conference schedule, all those things - that's going to be as normal as we can get. If it moves to the spring, what is the fall? Are we having a spring ball right now, is this time we're going to use with the guys? You don't want to send them home because I really believe that the environment we have at K-State and the environment we have in Manhattan is the safest place for these guys. Can we continue with workouts? Can we continue with walk-throughs? Is it required activities? Is it voluntary activities? When will spring ball be? All those things, I know everybody wants answers to before they would make a final decision."
On the most recent round of COVID testing…
"We did not have any last week before we started camp. All of us are going under testing again tomorrow. We did it 9 or 10 days ago and we didn't have any positive tests, which told us that the protocols that are in place here are extremely, extremely good. From here on out it would be every Wednesday, I'm losing track of days, but tomorrow would be the first day we would test again after camp started."
On this being the best environment or not for the players…
"Regardless of when football is, this is the best environment. I think this is the best environment because we have the best medical professionals. I worry about kids that go home. We have a number of kids from Georgia and Texas. Those places have become hot spots. You can get Covid anywhere, but they're going to get fed here, get their education here, all the amenities they need to be successful. The little thing of our face to face interaction has been so helpful to us as coaches and to the players as well. You can only do so many Zoom calls with somebody. It's been so fun to see all these guys on a daily basis."
On being able to practice fully despite the increased safety protocols…
"You bet. We've had our normal practice now. Because of how we do things, it probably helps us, because we have our double rep and two team system. There's half the team on one end of the field, half the team on the other end of the field. There;s plenty of space because we've been on the grass all the time, it's been really, really good. We've been able to do everything we've done in the previous year."
On if he and the team want to play if it's up to them…
"Yeah it would be. For myself, the coaches, the players. I have a leadership council, we met last night. They all want to stay safe and do it the right way. We want to have good protocols in place with masking. We haven't got into travel yet. They want to play and compete. Especially these seniors, you only have so many opportunities to compete. Those guys, I'm really hopeful they get a chance to compete."
On the safety protocols put in place at practice…
"The inside stuff is where we have many more complications and many more adjustments. We used to bring them all in and they'd go to breakfast and they'd tape and then they'd come to meetings. We split that up now - half of them go to breakfast, half of them begin their taping. We always start our day with a special teams meeting, now we have two special team meetings - kind of an older guy and a younger guy. In our team theater we have pieces of white tape on the chairs that the guys are able to sit in so that we can end up getting about 55 guys in here and then we use upstairs on the fourth floor and put another 30-40 guys in there. Position meetings are all over the building, we don't use the smaller position meeting rooms that you would see. We've used West Stadium Club, we've used our academic resource center. We've used everything to spread the guys out, although they're having masks on during the meetings, we keep them socially distant. At practices, Al Cerbe and Matt Thomason and their crew have done a great job. We're trying different things all the time - how do you cover your mouth, cover your nose and still be able to be effective as a football player and breathe. We're continuing to try different masks, different face guards, these gaiters that they pull up, the guys have liked. When they come to the sideline, take their helmet off, get their drink, walk away if you really have to get your breath, get away from people. Then when you're back with your coach, pull your gaiter up and have the conversation. The challenging thing for us as coaches, they can't see your mouth moving, they can't see your face very much, so they can listen to you but sometimes they don't understand with your facial expressions if you're kidding on something something or if you're being serious, but we've done a really good job managing it."
On confidence when the team starts playing and competing with other schools…
"Our medical professionals are doing a really good job of managing our team. Our medical people are managing our team. We are confident that every Big 12 school, each team and medical professional are doing everything we can to ensure that we are sending a healthy and safe team and returning them that way. What we've been told is to make sure they have their mask on. They can be relatively safe. I'm not a medical doctor. We're following the guidelines that this is their profession."
On the early outbreak in June…
"I think it was a blessing in disguise because it was in June. The kids that did test positive had mild symptoms. We were fortunate that nobody got really sick, but they learned lessons. I think they learned that nobody is immune to this. If you are in the wrong situation and don't protect yourself, you have potential to get the virus. It only takes one. Was it someone who came into town, did they get it in town? One turned into three, can turn into five. When we sent them home and brought them back, they quarantined. The guys were really cautious that they weren't going to be the guy to get someone sick;. We had really good success in July. We were able to start practice in August. We test everyone tomorrow. Someone may have to sit out or a group of guys may have to sit out. We feel more comfortable and confident that if we're protecting ourselves, we won't be a contact trace."
On adjusting to a new schedule…
"We're close. We know approximately when it will be. We're in camp. Maybe a week earlier. They know it will be mid-September. We didn't have spring ball. We didn't have any time with them in the summer. We've built in more days off so they can get their bodies back and keep their minds fresh. We don't have team meetings. The position coaches are talking about this stuff all the time. Control what you can control. Gene and President Myers know our kids would like to play. We'll just see how it plays out."
On his reflections over the last few months and headed into year No. 2…
"It's nothing like anyone of us has done, as head coaches, assistant coaches, from the NFL, to Division 1, to Division 3, to high school. There's not a coaching 101 for any of us, but there's not a player 101 manual either. We just want to progress the program forward and I thought we had a really good last summer and fall, we were off to a good start in the winter, we got delayed in the spring. It was difficult because everything was virtual so we were having zoom meetings and stuff, players were working out on their own. That was a strange time. We get to June, I'm proud of the guys for coming together for some of the social injustice and racial issues that were going on. We're going to continue to fight for those guys, to fight for equality. Then we move into we have a bunch of positive test, to get everybody back. I know this, to tell the young players, this is so difficult on the young players especially someone that's just come here - football is not canceled for good. Football is ultimately going to come back with full crowds, I don't when that will be but it will come back. Every day you get an opportunity to go out and compete, everyday you get the opportunity to get yourself better take advantage of it and make the most of it
On the message to the fan base in such uncertain times…
"Gene has been great on social media. Just be patient and pray and wish these kids the best. These kids spend their whole lives working to tee it up 12 times a year. Some of the guys who have been injured see that and think now something else could keep me out of a season. For the fans, just pray for these guys and continue to support them. We appreciate the K-State faithful staying with our guys."
On Jonathan Alexander deciding to opt-out of the season…
"I supported Jonathan. He came in and visited with Coach Malone and I, he just didn't feel comfortable and needed to do some things for himself so he felt more comfortable. That's all there really was to it. We said we supported him, you're still a part of the K-State Football team it's just going to be virtual, from afar now. He's going to get a degree in December so we're excited. He's a good student anyway, but we challenged him as a student to make sure he was the best student he could be so he could get his degree. We're excited about getting a chance to continue visiting with him throughout the fall but ultimately if that's the plan, and I assume it is with Jonathan and get him back for '21. Jonathan has a redshirt year so it's a little bit different for him."
On players possibly losing a season…
"Well, I hope they don't totally lose a season, I hope they get a chance to do something in the spring. That's the protocol all us coaches want. What's the plan? What is the plan for those guys in each league? Whether they play in the fall or they play in the spring. Once again, let's rally around these seniors and find a way for those kids to have an unbelievable experience, whenever that is to play."
On the senior leadership helping guide the team through different times…
"We rely on everybody. We rely on the seniors. We rely on each other as coaches. We rely on our medical staff. I don't want to put the pressure on one individual in Skylar (Thompson). He's done a phenomenal job being a great leader through a lot of things this summer. He's getting guys out there and throwing on their own in seven-on-seven. I think it's a collective group of guys that have to continue to be positive, especially for the younger guys. They're coming to college for the first time and don't really understand what to expect, it wasn't anything like their recruiting trip I can assure you of that. The leaders have done a really nice job guiding and answering questions for the freshman because this is as hard as it is as a freshman coming into fall camp and then you think we're really putting those freshmen in a bubble of they go to Jardine and they come here, that's all those kids have done since early June and that's difficult to do. Proud of the guys, our leadership council and our Seniors. They've done a really good job of continuing to educate and help the young players.
On who has stood out through the first few practices…
"Offensively, Skylar (Thompson) being the second year in the system, you can tell how much more comfortable and confident he is. I'm pleased with the progress he made in the offseason, both mentally and physically . A lot of good offensive lineman that we're learning more about.. Josh Rivas looks a lot more comfortable, Kaitori Leveston looks a lot more comfortable. Excited about the addition of Briley Moore I think he would be a guy we would lean on quite a bit as a tight end, along with Nick Lenners. You can name a lot of them at wide receiver, we have a really deep core there. Lots of options at running back led by Harry (Trotter) and Tyler Burns."
"On defense, Khalid Duke, you can tell he's put on a lot of weight as a defensive end. He came in as a linebacker and we threw him at defensive end. He put on 20-25 pounds and still has great explosiveness, he's been really impressive to me. Drew Wiley and Eli Huggins, we had some great defensive tackles last year with Mittie and Dishon, but I'm excited about those two guys. They're doing a really good job. Nice to have Justin Hughes back out there from a leadership standpoint. We have a number of guys returning on defense that you can tell they're so much more comfortable in our system. It hasn't changed even though Joe's (Klanderman) calling it now, the system is the same. The guys are more comfortable and the practices are more crisp. There's a lot better communication. Just through a handful of practices we've made great progress."
On Jonathan Alexander's involvement with the team going forward…
"We envision him being on campus, don't get me wrong. He's not going to be in the locker room and some of those areas It's all about health and safety, so we're going to keep him safe and healthy and keep him away from the guys. Having him on the practice field, that doesn't make sense. He'll be a part of everything but when I say virtual, he won't be on the sidelines at games and stuff like that. We'll allow those guys their space so to speak. But he'll still have a number of responsibilities and some of those responsibilities are on campus."
On if anyone might be switching positions…
"Probably not. We've only been out there for four days. I'm really impressed with our freshman class. Some really talented kids, especially a couple of running backs that I think are really electric kids. Some defensive backs that get the game. TJ Smith will be a kid that helps us this year. He just understands the game of football, credit T.J. he works his tail off from a mental standpoint. Right now we wouldn't move anybody. We like where we're at."
On where the team has been affected by not having spring football…
"Probably the biggest position it would be the offensive line not having spring ball, it's five guys that have to work as one and they've never worked together. That's the biggest thing that as we came into to fall camp we were concerned about. We needed to make sure that we would keep moving those guys forward. The communication is really good, Noah Johnson will step into center for Holtorf. He's a great communicator so he's kind of the anchor and the guy that talks the most so I've really been impressed with Noah. We've got 8 or nine guys battling for those positions that we didn't get the chance throughout the spring to 'Hey, let's try this guy at the left guard rather than the right guard. Let's try this guy at tackle, rather than guard.' Trying to mix and match to get the best five, then find out who the next one is. Who's the sixth, who's the kid that's going to be like Rivas last year who would step in for Evan Curl last year. Who are the sixth and the seventh, the continuity at that position is so critical because five guys have to work as one and for us for as many guys as we're probably going to play there, it's going to be 8 or 9 guys working as one. So that's the position we need the most work on for sure."
On if there is still pressure in year two with the program…
"You always feel pressure from within, but no, it's much more comfortable. It's like Skylar (Thompson) or anyone who has been in the system for a year. You know how things work, you know more people in the facility and so I think all of us as coaches feel much more comfortable in year two. It stinks that we lost all of the winter and the spring and the summer but it allowed us as coaches to be around each other more because we didn't take any vacations this summer. We just saw each other all the time. I would say that was probably a good thing. With Coach Stanard coming in his family was still in Syracuse, so he was with us everyday in May, June, and July getting ready for the season. Typically we would've been in camps and then on vacation time but we didn't do that this year so I think there is a lot more continuity on our staff."
On the #WeWantToPlay movement and student-athlete organization…
"I think so. I think it was great he came out and then other players echoed his sentiments of letting people know."
"I think it was important to let as many people know that the kids felt comfortable that they wanted to play and that's something I think the Presidents needed to know, most Athletic Directors do know it that because they're around guys so much. I thought that was a positive thing and hopefully they can figure out a way to do something like that. It's just so different because everyone is on a different schedule. In the NFL, everyone has OTAs at the same time, everyone has the mini-camps and stuff at the same time. For us, there are people that have spring ball in February and some have it in April. There's so many differences in college football but it'd be great for some of the guys to come together. Maybe as a Power 5 we can nominate 20-30 kids from each conference, or 10 kids from each conference to be a part of something like that."
On watching the decisions on the season unfold…
"I know it changes everyday. If you had asked me in March, football is going to be fine. Once we got to May, there was a time where I thought this just isn't going to fly, I don't know how we're going to do it. Then we got to late May, early June, and I thought we really had a chance. I saw some things going around the nation and I thought it's getting a bit tougher again, but it clears up again. Everyday is different. As a football coach, and not just myself, all of us as coaches. We want to be coaches. We want to talk x's and o's. We need to be leaders more than we need to be anything right now. And leaders amongst our leaders on the team and really be there for the guys who are really unsure, the freshman and sophomores. We don't have all the answers for them, but we need to be there for them. We need to listen, we need to support. We need to let them know that it's going to be ok and we're going to find a way to make this right."
JUSTIN HUGHES
On battling back through injury and now dealing with so much uncertainty…
"It's a little difficult, but I'm a man of faith and a man of God. I know that God has a plan for me and my teammates. I just handle each day at a time, take it one step at a time. Trying to come back from my injury and getting healthy again, getting stronger by the day. It's just starting to feel more normal. Everything is out of whack right now with whether we're going to play or not going to play, but I can't focus on that. We just have to focus on getting better as a team and individually so we can become better as a unit. We just have to take each step one day at a time."
On whether or not he's 100%…
"I would say 96 percent."
On the emotions he felt the first time he was back on the field…
"A bunch of emotions. Sadness that I missed last year. Happiness being out there with my teammates laughing and playing ball again. Excited, just a bunch of emotions going through my head. Am I going to tank it and get hurt again? There are those emotions, too. My trainers have done a great job helping me mentally as far as just going out there and being able to go out there and play. Just go out there and do your very best. Just go out there and play like normal, because your knee is fixed. Everything has healed. We've been through the training process, and we've been through the treatment process, rehab and everything. We've done everything possible for me to be successful, so I just have to go out there and play."
On why he and the rest of the team wants to play this season...
"This is my final go around. To all the seniors out there, it's been a hard road knowing if we're going to play or not. For the seniors out there, we have one last go around. Don't take this year away from us because of this tragedy going on. We want to play as a team. We want to be able to do the thing we love safely, so whatever it takes to do that, we would love to do it.."
On the relationship with Elijah Sullivan…
"It's very special. He's my brother. We actually live together now. We've been trying to get that together since we moved up here. It's a special thing. We see it as another obstacle to get through to get to our goal. It's been a dream of each of ours (getting to the NFL) since we were little kids. We believe God is testing us right now and testing our faith. We have to continue to be strong for each other, be strong for ourselves and motivate each other so that we can have that big year that we want to have. It's almost in our hands. It's almost in our grasp. We just need to go get it."
On confidence with the health professionals and the team's approach to safety…
"We believe in our trainers. They've done their research. They know a lot about it, and they relay the information to us. We wear our masks. We wear our gaiters. We have plastic on our face masks. We have our meetings simultaneously so not everyone is in the same place at the same time. We listen to all our coaches and trainers. We believe in them. They have the knowledge to keep us safe and keep us from attracting the virus. We're thankful to be in a state that isn't as bad as Texas or New York or California. We've done a great job with that, and hats off to my teammates, as well, for being disciplined, as well."
On the message in the locker room and younger guys looking for leadership…
"A lot of eagerness about the situation right now. Guys want to know what's going on and when it's going to happen. They want to know the answers, and we have to be patient. They're coming up with answers, and it's out of our control right now. Guys are ready to know if we're going to play right now, the spring or next season. We've been preparing like we're going to play September 5th or September 12th. We're just going to continue to prepare like it's going to happen. We're going to continue to be great as a team. That's the mindset going into each and every practice."
On what he's learned about his teammates during all this adversity…
"Just knowing and reassuring what I already know. We're a bunch of relentless guys who fight through adversity. At Kansas State, we're mostly underdogs who have to jump over hurdles to get to where we want to be on the field. We came across a couple of obstacles off the field, and we handled the adversity well. That's what we do. Coach Klieman preaches it everyday that we need to win the day. We just come out and get to work. We go hard and no matter what we do, we believe in each other. We take each other's back no matter what we have going on."
On if there is fear of an outbreak happening…
"Our trainers have done a great job of preaching how to stay safe. Playing other teams, we have to wear our gators or the visor on our face mask to lower the chance and percentage of attracting the virus. That way, we can have our full team for the full year. We're doing a good job of that. We were in the indoor facility yesterday, and guys wanted to take their masks off so badly. We held strong, and I feel we can continue to do that. Especially towards the end of the season when it gets cold, guys are going to want to wear their masks. We're not afraid at all. We want to get to it. Yeah, it's a struggle breathing, but it's always a struggle breathing in football. It's another obstacle, but we've done a good job with the protocols. We believe we're doing the right things, so all we can do is hope the other teams are doing the right things, as well."
On Jonathan Alexander's decision to opt out…
"He's doing whatever it takes to do what is right for his family. He believes it's the best decision for him and his family. I applaud him for that, because that's a huge step that some may be afraid to make. That's the step he wants to take to keep his family and himself safe. He wants to keep his family safe and not put himself in that situation again. I completely understand, and we're behind him 100 percent no matter what."
JOSHUA YOUNGBLOOD
On the case to play in the fall…
"We're going to prepare like we have a game on September 12th. We're not worried about everything that's going on. On the field, it feels like last year's camp. We're preparing very hard like last year. It doesn't feel any different except for wearing masks. The intensity is great. We're ready to play at any moment."
On goals for the season and how to block out the negative stuff…
"I try to block everything out. It's easy to let distractions in. If you want to know what's going on, go to Twitter. If you don't, stay off of social media. That's something I'm trying to do. I don't know what's going on with every other conference. I'm just blocking out the outside noise, staying low key, not commenting on anything. First off, I want to win every game. As a receiver, I'd like 1,000 receiving, 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards returning. Those are my goals. If none of that happens and we win every game, that's great and is probably better."
On what he'd miss the most if there is no football this fall…
"One thing I'd definitely miss the most is the fans. There is nothing like running out in front of 50+ thousand people. There's nothing like it. I think we have the best fans in the country, so that would be a bummer, just not being able to see a full crowd and play in front of a full crowd. If we've got to cut it down to 50 percent in order to play, we have to do what we have to do. But that's one thing that I'd miss the most. Hopefully we can try to have at least one packed game. If it happens, it happens."
On the team staying safe amidst the uncertainty…
"Our medical staff is doing a great job of informing us on what we need to do to stay safe. Our lockers are spread apart. We have hand sanitizer everywhere. They're really informing us on protecting ourselves so we can play this year."
On if there is fear of another outbreak…
"There's no fear at all. We don't fear anything."
On if any friends in other conferences have had seasons postponed…
"I have a couple of old teammates in the Big 10. I've talked to them. They're in the dark about it, too. I haven't talked to them in the last day or so. It's crazy times we're living in. Nobody really knows what's going on. We can only control what we can control, so we have to do the little things right to make sure we have a season. We don't know what the Big 12 is going to do, so we have to prepare like we're playing on September 12th or whenever they want us to play."
On how he feels going into his second season…
"I feel great and fast. I'm ready for this year. I think it's going to be a great year for my teammates and I. My hunger will never be depleted by success. I had an ok freshman year, but that has no bearing on year two. I really think year two is going to be special. I've matured as a player. Being a receiver, I'm starting to get that down. I think it's going to be a great year if things go as planned."
SKYLAR THOMPSON
On what's going on inside his head…
"There's a lot going through my head. I'd be lying to you if I said there wasn't. I think any senior in the entire country would say the same thing. There's a lot of things being said about possible outcomes of our football season, our last football season. It's pretty crazy. I've completely eliminated myself from social media for the past week. Since camp started I haven't been on social media at all and I'm still hearing about all these things through my teammates and on tv. It's a lot to process, and I've been trying my best to not let it be a distraction and just focus on what I can control. That's the message that I've been giving to all my teammates as well and my other teammates who are seniors. All we can do is focus on right now and where our feet are at and right now we are playing football and practicing. That's what we need to focus on and do the best that we can to show up and be the best we can every single day, and then whatever happens happens and if it does go south we'll plan accordingly and be ready regardless. That's the thing, this team is going to be ready no matter what, it's a matter of when we are going to play, but we'll be ready whenever that time comes."
On playing football in the spring...
"It'll be something different, and something new, but if I get to play I get to play. That's all I want to do. I just want to play football. Whenever that time may be, the fall, the spring, next fall, I don't know. I just want to get the ball in my hands and go compete one last time. That's all this is. That's all that worries me is I just want to play football whenever that time is and whenever that is right. I want everyone to be safe. I'm not being oblivious to what's going on and what not, but at the end of the day, I think I'm speaking for everybody that it would be nice to have some answers and for things not to keep getting pushed around. There's so many things of uncertainty every single day that can change in 24 hours and it's very hard on a player. I think if we were to get some answers we would be able to process what that would look like, whether if that's what we want or not. For me, I wouldn't be opposed to playing in the spring or the winter or whatever, just get me a football and let's go play. That's all I want to do."
On the impact the pandemic has had on the team…
"I think realistically speaking we figured out how fast this virus can spread. I think that's something that is noted and is something that we are aware of. I wouldn't say we are scared or fearful of it, but it's more so that this is something we are going to be cautious of to not take it likely. That starts with us wearing our masks, covering our nose. Taking all the precautions that our medical staff has been giving us. Our coaches have done a great job of making us social distance and wearing masks in meeting rooms. We are doing all the right things, and that's all we can do. I think by us doing that it takes the fear away from it quite a bit just because we are doing the right things and that's all we can do. If something were to outbreak, us wearing our masks and doing the proper protocols that we are told to do will limit the contact tracing and limit the people put in quarantine and those types of things. That's super vital that we understand and follow that which we've been doing and to keep continuing to do that and that will take some of the fear out of it."
On the impact of a shortened summer camp on the team…
"Honestly I wouldn't say a lot. As far as just in the past four days of practice, you can tell guys are a little rusty and haven't been in pads for eight or nine months including myself as far as I haven't thrown a football in shoulder pads in ten months but I've been throwing and training tons during quarantine and everything where I'm pretty used to throwing without them and now am trying to get accustomed to having some resistance up there. I think our whole team is in the best shape as far as our comradery and continuity. We have a lot of good stuff going on and brewing up with our team. We are really close and were doing a lot of great things in the winter, requiring all of our meals to be team meals and sitting down and eating together before all this covid stuff hit and we made a lot of progress. Guys got to know and create relationships with guys they haven't had in the past. Even as simple as having a meal together, you find out something about somebody you didn't know beforehand. I think we've had a lot of communication too throughout this covid stuff. We created a team group chat that we basically talked through throughout quarantine. We got on zoom and we did a whole bunch of things to try to keep those relationships and keep that stuff going even through the midst of all that time away."
On how his leadership role has evolved during the pandemic…
"I truly believe I have done everything I could do up to this point. This has been a challenging time to be in a leadership position just because there is so much uncertainty. Even I don't know what's going on, so I can't sit here and if a younger guy asks me what's going on I just don't know, and that's hard for me. I wish I had answers and could tell people what's going on and help the younger guys out who are trying to figure things out right now, but I truly have just been trying to embrace all of this and focus on what I can control and how I show up every single day. Yesterday I let a lot of outside talk and rumors affect my day. At the end of the day I got home and was laying in bed and thinking about my day which I do a lot. I wasn't a good leader yesterday. I allowed a lot of outside voices take away from the way I showed up at practice and led my team yesterday. I have an honest self assessment, and that's what has really impacted my leadership is having that self assessment and my growth as a leader of being able to realize that and admit that. I'm going to be better today, I'm not going to allow that stuff to happen. That's what people out there need to realize, us as young men and leaders, we are not superheroes, we don't have capes on our back. There's times where we go through things as well. We face adversity. Social media is our highlight reel. Those are all the positives going on in our life, but at the end of the day that's not who we are directly and what we go through and face on a daily basis. It's a challenging time for me, but through my faith and past experiences has prepared me for times like this and to remain locked in on what's important and how to handle those things to the best of my ability. Like I said, I'm not perfect but I'll be dang'd to let one day take away from today and let yesterday dictate how I show up today. I'm ready to go, I'm having fun. It's been so fun to get the ball back in my hands and go compete with my teammates. There's guys flying around and you can tell we are having fun. There are guys jawwing and playing physical. It's good to see Justin Hughes out there even though he talks a little too much, I do have fun competing against him and did miss it. That's what we have to keep doing. As one of the leaders on the team I'm going to keep enforcing positive messages and positivity. You speak negative thoughts about yourself or someone else that stuff is so contagious and spreads like wildfire. We just need to remain positive and spread the love and be there for one another. We do that, and whenever the time comes that we are strapped up and ready to play, we'll be ready for it and there will be nothing stopping us. Tough times shape people into who they want to be and will make you or break you. I've been telling the guys that this time is going to make or break us. There's not going to be a lot more challenging situations that we are going to go through, so that's been my message to everybody."
On other conferences canceling fall seasons…
"I think me being a senior makes it scary thinking about my last year getting taken away. Or getting moved and being anything but normal. That's been heavily on my heart and mind for the past 24 hours just seeing that this is real. The Big 10 canceled and I think the Pac 12 canceled and moved to the spring. This isn't a joke, and it's heavy on our hearts, not trying to sound selfish but this is our life, and it's a big part of my life. We have invested so much time into this. During quarantine I was waking up and working out in my basement and staying in a routine. I was doing everything I could and stayed in a routine to get ready for my senior year and the opportunity to play. That being up in the air is hard to process, and it puts a lot of weight on your shoulders, but that's when my faith comes into play and I know that this whole situation is out of my hands and that has given me peace. I know whenever the time comes I'm ready for it and it's going to be the perfect timing."
On what he missed out on during the spring…
"I think for me the spring is such a great time for an experienced player, because you can really assess your performance from the previous season and these are 15 practices that I can focus on and can focus on certain things to get better at. I think for me, even without spring ball, I highlighted those things and got better at those. But what I missed out is having live bullets flying at me. Improving my pocket presence and stepping up in the pocket and progressing through my third and fourth reads, and that's a lot different when I'm at home getting bean bags thrown at me compared to Wyatt Hubert and Khalid Duke coming at me. It's a lot different and a lot bigger and a lot faster to say the least, as well as throwing routes on air to a receiver to work on timing and do all those things. But I'd say I missed those live bullets the most."
On how protocols affect practices…
"The practice aspect isn't as different, because we have face shield and covers over our face when we don't have helmets on to where we don't have to be strict with social distancing, but I think the biggest difference is and what makes it hard is leadership and being a great teammate is a contact thing. Loving up on your guys and being a leader like man you have to show love to your teammates and that involves contact, like dapping each other up or hugging each other after a touchdown or getting in each other's face and celebrate. That stuff is part of the game and that I do all the time, and having to think that I can't do that beforehand or trying to be aware of those types of things. Those little things that we have to limit and not do and have that thought in our head is hard. That and the ability to breathe is obviously a challenge, and that's just getting used to that, but you do catch yourself when air is really stagnant inside your helmet and you can't lift it up to catch your breath, so that makes things difficult. As far as the practice setup and organization of it has been run the same. The physical challenges are the hardest that we just have to be cautious about."
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August 12, 2020 at 05:55AM
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Football Meets with Media on Tuesday - Kansas State University Athletics - K-StateSports.com
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