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Auburn DC DJ Durkin - Post-Transfer Portal Window · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

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  you guys kept a lot of retention at that
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  linebacker before. What's kind of like
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  the plans for them and how do you want
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  to see them take that leap this year?
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  >> Right. And I I think it's important as a
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  coach, you always um
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  build a plan for your players as to what
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  what they need to work on and then how
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  we're going to work to improve it
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  together. And so even a player like, you
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  know, Xavier Atkins who had amazing
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  production and a lot of numbers, there's
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  so many things he need. Um and so we sat
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  down and met met met with him and gone
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  through that and I think the great part
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  is that he's very open that too realize
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  that knows as well you know undoubted
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  guys that that maybe didn't play as much
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  obviously the things they need to work
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  on. So um that's what we do kind of this
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  time of year is individualize our plans
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  for our players and and really put in
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  place like here's the things we've
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  identified as you know weaknesses or
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  things to work on and then here's
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  specifically how we're going to work on
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  it. Um and and that that room in
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  particular um those guys really embrace
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  it. It it it's awesome. They're they're
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  very coachable and you know they want to
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  get better.
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  >> Uh DJ, I just want to ask you another
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  room defensive end edge. You lost a
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  couple of look players there. How do you
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  feel like the guys you brought in there?
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  Is that a room where you may look to
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  bring in or change the position and
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  bring a guy like Rick Kim maybe or or
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  maybe a defensive lineman to play the
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  five day?
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  >> Um I I I really like the the the room we
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  put together as a whole and our
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  defensive front. Um, just watch these
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  guys run and move around, uh, I think
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  really help ourselves is impressive. Um,
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  you know, there's always, you guys know,
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  we we play a lot of different personnel
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  packages and guys in and out
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  defensively. So, we have a lot of
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  answers for edge type guys and and you
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  know, whether it's in a pass situation
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  or just normal down distance. Um I think
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  on a roster one one of our strengths I
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  think is is a lot of those linebacker
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  body types that can play the the buck
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  position for us and or inside linebacker
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  and then Davis and then just very small.
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  You guys brought back three defensive
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  linemen that were freshman last season
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  got got their feet wet. How important
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  was that to bring them back and
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  obviously get Dallas back for another
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  year. How big is that for which front?
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  >> Man, I can tell you what that that
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  waiver coming through was huge for with
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  Dallas. Um, I think Dallas played really
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  well for us last year. I think he got
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  better and better as the year went on
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  and obviously he'll be a guy we can
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  count on for sure move forward. That was
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  a big one for us. And then the the three
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  freshman you talked about, I mean, those
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  guys, you know, they they played
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  productive snaps for us last year and to
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  play as a true freshman defensive line
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  in the SEC is not an easy thing to do.
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  Uh, we have really really high
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  expectations for those guys this year
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  and moving forward. And so that mall
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  returns still to be here with us and and
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  you know being that that next year
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  development is critical. I I think one
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  of the things being so missed and lost
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  in culture right now is the development.
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  And you know the way you can better
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  anything in life is to do something
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  consistently over and over again. And
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  you know when these guys bounce around
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  from year to year and you get different
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  coaches, different system, different
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  different drills that you're working on,
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  it's really it's hard to continue to
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  develop at the rate you should. So those
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  guys in particular were expecting great
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  things from them.
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  >> DJ Davis Baker WSA Montgomery. I know
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  you've been coaching a while, but are
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  there any lessons that you learned from
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  your time last year as an interim that
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  you think can make you a better
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  defensive coordinator going forward? And
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  if so, what are those?
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  >> I think like it always helps when you
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  when you you change the lens in which
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  you're looking at things, right? The
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  things the things you look at then
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  change. So sure, I mean, just for a
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  little amount of time, you know, um it
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  it broadens your perspective on things
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  and and helps you understand maybe other
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  positions better. Um so, you know, I I
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  think all in all, right, when you when
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  you gain those experiences, like being a
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  coordinator, I think to go back and be a
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  position coach, it helps you be a better
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  position coach. Being a head coach, it
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  helps you go back to be a better
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  coordinator. You know, as you you go to
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  that next step and you're kind of seeing
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  what you want, how you want it done. And
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  so, I think there's good reminders in
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  that for sure. Go Nathan and then Mike
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  >> DJ Nathan King already under recovery.
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  You know those those few weeks for you
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  last season of being promoted to interum
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  and then and then joining coach Gish's
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  staff. Can you kind of talk about that
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  from a personal perspective? You know
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  what that was like for you having kind
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  of a bit of a whirlwind back and forth
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  and and being involved in Auburn's
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  coaching search and now talk as well
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  about your decision to to stay here and
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  and remain the defensive coordinator
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  under coach K. Yeah, I think you know we
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  all learn from experience in life and I
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  think I' I've had enough experiences in
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  college football and coaching in general
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  to know um when you're at a great place
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  don't be in a hurry to leave it. I think
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  Auburn is a great place. I think we can
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  win at the very highest level here at
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  FIFA Championships. We will do that. Um
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  I I love the guys I get to coach on a
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  day-to-day basis. I love this this
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  community, this university. My family
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  really loves it here. And so th those
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  things are all easy. Um the uh the time
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  doing that obviously was was you know it
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  it was 900 mph and that's something all
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  the chance to make it look back reflect
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  a little better just really have to have
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  had that. I mean it was every day going
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  full speed and then and then right into
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  the next thing and then into the portal
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  and everything else going on. So um
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  that's kind of how our our job works how
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  we operate and I'm doing that. I'm very
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  very blessed to be here and thankful for
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  the opportunity coach Bush has provided.
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  coach uh Michael four Atkins exploded to
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  see college football last year. Can you
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  talk about uh getting him back and what
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  that does for your defense? Uh and then
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  can you talk about who is you guys
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  acquired may have the opportunity to do
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  what ex?
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  >> Yeah, I mean his you know I think his
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  numbers speak for themselves obviously
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  the production at a very high rate. Um,
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  you know, just it was really fun for me
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  to see I I was part of Xavier's life at
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  a younger age. He was in high school and
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  recruiting him and getting to know him
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  and his situation and um so to to then
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  see it through I I I thought at one
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  point we were going to be together
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  coming out of high school and and you
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  know things happened that didn't happen,
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  but to get him here now and and to be a
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  part of that with him to see him play at
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  that level has been tremendous. Um and
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  like I said, I think he has a lot of
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  room for improvement in his game. I
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  think, you know, he's got a lot of ways
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  to get better and, you know, those
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  numbers, those those are hard to improve
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  on, but but we're certainly going to
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  strive for it, but I think just in his
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  game in particular, um, there's a lot of
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  things we can do to get better at that.
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  Um,
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  overall defensively, we did make a lot
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  of additions our defensive front, all
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  um, as well as at the corner position in
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  the back end. And, um, yeah, we have
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  some guys there that are extremely
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  talented. you go go watch our guys in
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  workouts and run around. It's it's like,
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  okay, we we got a chance to be be really
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  good. Now you say that right now
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  February the biggest challenge for all
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  of our guys is going to be and it's it's
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  I think probably kind of nationwide is
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  how do you come collectively together as
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  a team and and and build a togetherness
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  and a standard of which they're they're
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  going to operate together because you
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  got a bunch of new faces on it and it's
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  like okay we play the ultimate team
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  sport and and the only way you're have
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  success is those guys are bought into
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  being accountable being a part of
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  something bigger than themselves and so
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  we've already talked about a bunch with
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  our guys and that's what it's going to
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  be now we're starting to build that
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  right here in our winter workouts
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  through spring ball through summer and
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  getting into the season.
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  >> Go third and be finished.
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  >> I want to ask you about Deshawn Wac
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  being, you know, one of those St.
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  Francis guys also, but he's been in the
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  league for several years. How important
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  is it to get a guy like him who's been
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  there and done that, you know,
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  especially off the edge of this league?
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  >> Yeah, it's huge. I mean, getting Sean
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  was was a great one for us. He he's a um
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  NFL type talent. Body um just all his
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  his movement skills for the size he is
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  is pretty incredible and and he does he
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  has a great relationship with a lot of
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  guys on our team as you mentioned that
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  you know the St. Francis High School
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  connection. Um you know I those guys
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  look up to him. He he's he's a he's a
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  guy that's been you know a leader in
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  their lives and somebody they looked up
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  to at a younger age as well. So, I think
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  that that's that's natural um connection
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  with some of the guys on our team and
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  we're certainly going to going to expect
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  big things out of him.
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  >> DJ, every head coach has his way of
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  doing things. Um what's different or
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  what's changed for you over the last
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  couple months the way the program is
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  being run now?
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  >> Yeah, co coach does a great job. I think
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  he has a really good detailed plan of of
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  how he wants things done um in every
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  aspect of the program. There there's
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  there's a good plan in place and good
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  good reason behind it. Um, he's
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  extremely hard worker. He's extremely
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  approachable. I love that. I we've had
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  good conversation on a lot of things and
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  and you can, you know, you can tell
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  there there's good feedback on both
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  sides in those conversations, which I
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  love. Um, and and so I think our players
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  feel it too. I think I think they they
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  see it. Um, you know, as a coach or a
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  player, when you're when you're part of
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  something organization, I mean, you want
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  to know that there's there there's good
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  reason why they're doing. And and when
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  you when you know what that is, so good
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  about it. I mean, what else can you ask
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  for? and he he does an outstanding job
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  as a communicator to the coaches and
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  players.
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  >> All right, thank you. Thanks.
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  >> All right, guys.