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Auburn DL Coach Vontrell King-Williams - Post-Transfer Portal · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

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  Um, I love this place. Seriously, I love
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  this place. It, you know, gave me my
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  first shot at coaching in the at the P4
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  level. Um, and so, you know, I feel like
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  there's unfinished business. Um, got a
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  lot of guys that are hungry and and
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  things like that. And and I do believe
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  in what we're building. Uh, I believe in
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  um, Coach Golish and um, and some of the
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  things that he's done so far, I think,
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  is going to be big time for us uh,
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  developing leaders and holding everybody
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  accountable. So, I'm excited about it.
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  >> How excited were you when the news came
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  out about Dallas being able to play
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  again?
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  >> That's big, man. That was big because
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  we're we're a talented group. Um, very
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  unproven, right? A lot of young guys
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  that that are going to be really, really
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  good. Um, and so, which is different
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  than what we were, you know, shoot
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  really the past two seasons, we've had
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  some older guys, um, now being younger.
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  So, having Dallas come back gives you
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  that veteran presence. um a guy who has
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  done it in the SEC and played, you know,
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  at a at a a pretty high level um you
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  know, last year and so he knows our
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  system. He knows our defense and so um
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  no, super excited about having him back
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  and it's going to be a big one for him.
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  >> Cody Sigler, you guys go and get him. I
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  mean, he he busted his tail at West
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  Alabama and had some really great
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  numbers at Arkansas State this past
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  year. What do you really like about him?
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  >> He a dog, man. He's a dog. uh you know
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  like will not be broken um competition
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  stuff like he there's no excuse like
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  he's taking double reps um you know
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  taking someone else's reps and things
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  like that not making any excuse about it
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  still winning so he's a dog he's going
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  to bring competitiveness to our room um
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  that I think will be big and and what is
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  needed um but but yeah no Cody is going
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  to be a big part of what we uh what we
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  accomplish this year
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  >> trail you have guys like and and Jordan
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  Darion just coming back for year two.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> In today's college football, how big is
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  that, you know, for you as a coach to
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  get an opportunity to coach some guys
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  for a second year?
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  >> Yeah, just continue like like being able
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  to coach the same things you've been
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  coaching and not only doing that, but
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  like watching them get better. Uh we we
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  just did some drills uh the other day
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  and it's so funny because they were
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  like, "Coach, is this what we looked
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  like last year?" I'm like, "Yeah." So,
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  uh, but no, I mean th those guys, I mean
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  sticking sticking it out and, um, being
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  a part of something that's bigger than
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  themselves. Um, and then like I said,
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  like I mean they're all got to remember
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  they're all young. Like they were
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  freshman last year. Uh, and so watching
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  them also take the leadership role has
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  been something that's been pretty cool,
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  right? So, um, a blessing to have those
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  guys and to come back and excited to
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  build off of, you know, what what's been
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  done. Just following up on that, what is
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  kind of your expectation for them on the
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  field? I know they played a lot as as
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  true freshman.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> Well, well, let's continue to get
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  better, right? Like continue to take the
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  necessary steps to um improve your game
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  and and I think they will. They they'll
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  answer the challenge. Like they'll
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  answer the bell uh because of how hard
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  they work and and um you know, the love
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  that they got for each other ultimately.
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  So um you know that that's the
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  expectation. and I expect for them to
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  continue to get better um and continue
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  to, you know, improve and and make a
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  bigger difference for for our defense
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  this year.
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  >> We've heard a lot about just kind of the
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  connections and the familiarity amongst
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  this coaching staff, but I know you and
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  AG had a prior relationship. I know
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  you've talked about it a little bit, but
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  just how far back does does that go? You
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  >> Man, it goes It goes He was my area
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  recruiter um when I was uh coming out of
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  high school and uh shoot back in 2012.
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  Um, and so he ended up going to
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  University of Illinois with uh um Coach
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  Banks. He was my DC. Um, and so yeah,
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  no, I mean just the the that part like
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  having people that you know and and uh
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  family around like I mean that's
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  essentially what what it feels like.
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  Like I was damn near tears when I knew
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  Coach B is coming back. So, um, you
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  know, it it's awesome. Awesome being
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  around people that, you know, um, and
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  and and for them also to see how much
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  I've grown since then, right? So, that
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  part is pretty cool. What's
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  >> it like, you know, still going to work
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  with coach Durkin being here and having
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  that new staff, but you guys are the you
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  guys are the guys that carried over.
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  >> Yeah. Yeah. That's probably been good,
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  too, cuz like I said, we know each
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  other, right? we we know our strengths
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  and weaknesses and um and how to play
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  off of them. And um you know there's a
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  when you've been with someone for a
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  while um like you know for him he has
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  like a certain level of confidence and
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  faith in me when making certain
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  decisions. Um and same thing like with
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  him like we are all on the same page and
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  so it it's it's it's been good. It's
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  been really good.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> He's a DC Bank has been to DC in this
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  league. Hustler's been in DC in this
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  league. What's it like, you know, being
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  in a room with that that much
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  experience? A lot of you guys have done
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  this for a while here in the SEC.
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  >> For for me, I'm extremely blessed.
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  Extremely blessed um to be around a
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  wealth of knowledge. Seriously, I don't
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  take that for granted. I think those
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  guys are um they they have been DCs.
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  They will be DCS again um if not head
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  coaches. And so, right now, I'm I'm
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  trying to soak up all the knowledge I
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  can from them. Um and, you know, stay
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  humble and and hey, let's listen. like
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  let's let's like they they've been doing
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  this for a while so like let's see what
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  they what they got going. Um and so far
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  it's been really really good.
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  >> Fantrell, what did it mean to you when
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  when coach Gullers took over and you
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  know coach Durkin kind of went to bat
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  for you and was like you know this is
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  the guy we got to keep on staff got to
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  retain him moving into next season. I
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  guess just what did that mean to you to
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  have made that impact here at Auburn so
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  far? Well, it it means a lot, right? Um,
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  you know, you always as a young coach,
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  uh, coming up in this deal, especially
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  in a situation where, you know, how I
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  got promoted, um, I my resume didn't say
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  Auburn defensive line coach. It didn't.
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  Um, and so, shoot, even when he first
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  came in, like he could have went and
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  hired any defensive line coach that he
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  wanted cuz Jeremy had just left. U for
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  myself to get promoted and and now um
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  having him fight for me to to stay here
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  a part of the staff. I think that's a
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  big big deal. Um it also makes me hungry
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  um to not let him down. Um and so you
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  know like when you have your motivations
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  and the external motivations that that's
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  definitely one like he went to bat for
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  me and I can't make him look crazy. I
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  got to continue uh to get better right
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  as a coach and continue to recruit good
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  athletes and develop them.
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  when you're recruiting, what do you look
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  for in a defensive lineman?
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  >> Yeah, I I think uh there's a combination
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  of things. Um but there's like a certain
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  amount of tra like of course you want
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  size, right? Like you're in the SEC, you
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  got to have some big dudes. You got to
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  have some big boys. Um you want guys
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  that can pass rush. Uh but like really
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  the ex the the the biggest thing besides
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  of intangibles or things like that, like
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  I need to see if you got that dog in
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  you, like if you going to run down the
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  field, if you going to right like like
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  play with some nastiness to you like
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  that. That's what I want to see. um all
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  the other things I feel like I I I can
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  help develop and coach, right? Like do
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  you got that dog in you? Do you have
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  that pop about you? Like that difference
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  maker in your mind that like I will not
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  be beaten. And so, uh that that's like
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  the that's like the biggest thing.
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  That's the biggest thing for me.
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  >> How nice is it for you knowing look, you
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  don't have to start from scratch. You've
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  recruited a lot of these guys in this 27
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  class.
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  >> Kind of got a head start a little bit
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  there compared to, you know, some of
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  these other guys on staff trying to play
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  catch up a little bit. Yeah, that that's
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  always uh that's always a good thing
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  about um you know staying at a place and
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  all those things and those relationships
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  won't won't go anywhere. Uh I think it's
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  big and so we just got to continue to do
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  a good job and land some of them boys.
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  >> Do you feel like that helps you like
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  recruit like telling guys like, "Hey,
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  I've been here four years like and I'm
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  going to be here."
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  >> Well, that that's a big thing, right?
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  Cuz like you know, of course kids ask,
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  uh how much longer you plan on being in
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  Auburn? As long as Auburn will have,
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  right? Like I mean that's that's just
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  the the truth about it. So yeah, it
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  definitely does. Um and it also helps
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  when they see all right well coach
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  Montreal is taking care of other guys in
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  the state in the area. Um and those guys
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  have gotten better and and they stayed
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  right like they're still here. So I
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  think that part helps too.
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  >> What did you guys see out of Buddy
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  Matthysse in the portal that made him
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  somebody you guys wanted?
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  >> Well well you remember we recruited
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  Buddy out of high school. Uh didn't win
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  him over. didn't get him at that time.
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  Um, but the thing I saw from Buddy,
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  right, like his stature, like I said,
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  you want size usually, right? Uh, he
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  don't check that box in length. He
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  doesn't. Um, but like I just said, like
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  he he had that dog about him, right?
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  Like I'm watching him go against South
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  Carolina and uh chasing down Lenora
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  Cellers. Um, which is impressive for a
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  freshman to do. And so the the f the
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  future is bright. Of course, we got to
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  keep them all here. Uh, but the future
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  is bright and and so I'm excited about
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  all those young guys that we have. Uh,
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  but Buddy was one that you saw him play
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  not only play, but play well in the SEC
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  environment, right? Despite his size,
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  right? Despite anything else, like he he
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  played his butt off. So, super excited
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  about Buddy, too.
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  >> You were talking about Jordan and Malik
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  being getting them back on the team this
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  year. since you know their skill set,
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  since you know them so well, having
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  recruited them and getting them on
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  campus, what are a couple things with
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  them that you're looking for them to,
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  you know, kind of take a step with in
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  year two?
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  >> Yeah, the leadership, right? Like last
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  year they were just coming in trying to
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  figure things out and all that stuff and
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  um taking the the the right challenge
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  and I've had and I've challenged them on
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  it like, hey, like guys, get up here and
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  get some extra work in, right? Not only
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  yourself, get the group in and get some
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  extra work in, whether it's watching
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  film or uh anything like that. So, uh,
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  the leadership part, um, and the
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  technique will continually get better,
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  right? Like I I tell them, right, it's
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  not about, uh, it's not about getting a
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  whole bunch of reps. It's about getting
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  perfect reps and creating great, uh,
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  muscle memory for yourself. And so, that
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  part will continue to get better cuz
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  they're intentional about their work.
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  Uh, but the leadership part uh, is what
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  I'm going to challenge them on is what I
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  expect.
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  >> You may have been asked this already,
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  but I mean, you and Coach Durkin like
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  the only guys stayed through the
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  coaching change. what was that process
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  like for you and you know why why did
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  you want to stay and you know work with
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  this new staff?
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  >> Yeah, well the first thing is um myself
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  and coach D we we've done well right um
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  here at Auburn feel like we've laid a
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  foundation um uh of our defense is going
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  to we're going to stop the run and we're
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  going to hit the quarterback, right? And
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  so uh there's a familiarity there uh
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  between us two. The next part was right,
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  I knew Coach Golish. Um, you know, he
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  recruited me out of high school. And so,
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  uh, having the chance to work on his
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  staff after not only being recruited by
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  him and playing for him my freshman and
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  sophomore year, uh, I I thought that was
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  something that I couldn't pass up. And
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  that the last part for me is I love
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  Auburn. Um, like Auburn gave me my first
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  shot at at being um a a P4 position
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  coach. Um, and so myself, my wife, like
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  my family, we come down and we we love
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  it. Uh, and so like that that those
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  those are really the points, man. It was
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  big for me to stay.
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  >> What do you remember about, you know,
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  when you played for as a player playing
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  for coaching about him back then? And I
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  guess what do you see in him now?
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  >> He he was uh so he was young. So it's so
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  he was very young u at the time and uh I
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  say young, he he's old now. Uh but no,
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  he was very young at the time and like
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  he was like very uh uh energetic uh but
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  like super chill and laidback the same
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  way that that he is now. Um but meant
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  business, right? Like I mean was
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  straightforward and and so like that
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  part is is what I've seen. Um watching
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  him like run a team meeting now is
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  probably the biggest thing that I'm like
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  wow like this is pretty cool. Uh because
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  he while he spoke right but he he was a
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  young guy on the staff at the time. So,
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  uh, just kind of watching that and kind
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  of seeing how he's developed, right, as
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  far as like teaching leadership skills
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  and all those different things that
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  that's been pretty cool.