Latest / The Sean O'Connell Show / Utah Football Head Coach Morgan Scalley on Utes Fall Camp, Fall Camp Surprises (?), Culture of Current Roster (?), + More

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Utah Football Head Coach Morgan Scalley on Utes Fall Camp, Fall Camp Surprises (?), Culture of Current Roster (?), + More · The Sean O'Connell Show

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  Speaker 1: You are listening to a Sean O'Connell show, your source
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  Speaker 1: for the best youthes football coverage. Here's oc from the
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  Speaker 1: Murdoch Hyundai Studio of DESPN seven hundred at ninety two
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  Speaker 1: to one.
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  Speaker 2: Alf Am, Welcome to hour number three of the Shawn
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  Speaker 2: O'Connell Show.
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  Speaker 3: Your kids are back in school this week. We are
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  Speaker 3: just over two weeks away from Utah football kicking off
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  Speaker 3: at rice ecl Stadium on the Thursday nights, and the
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  Speaker 3: head coach of your Utah youths is here on the
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  Speaker 3: Shan O'Connell Show.
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  Speaker 4: Now, Morgan Scally, Welcome to the program. How are you, sir?
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  Speaker 5: What's up brother? Good practice today, just got off the field,
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  Speaker 5: guys are eating, getting ready for meetings. But a ton
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  Speaker 5: of progress.
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  Speaker 4: What does progress look like from a practice to practice standpoint?
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  Speaker 4: At this juncture of camp where there.
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  Speaker 2: Are a couple of bumps and bruises and the enthusiasm
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  Speaker 2: of the season being back has started to maybe shake
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  Speaker 2: a little because you're sore and all that kind of stuff,
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  Speaker 2: What are you looking for when it comes to that progress?
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  Speaker 5: Morgan? Well, a lot of it. I mean, you're not
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  Speaker 5: installing at this point. It's all operational cleanliness. You know,
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  Speaker 5: you just want to be disciplined. Lining up fast, offense
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  Speaker 5: dictates the tempo. Defense is flying to the football, and
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  Speaker 5: you know, just teaching everything you can about situational football,
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  Speaker 5: situational awareness. We can't get enough of that, you know,
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  Speaker 5: particularly with as many new guys as you have. But
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  Speaker 5: right now, it's just about cleaning things up. But I like,
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  Speaker 5: I honestly like where we're at right now.
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  Speaker 4: Are your position battles where you have them as close
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  Speaker 4: to resolution as you'd like them to be at this point.
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  Speaker 5: We're getting there. Yeah, we're getting there. We've had some
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  Speaker 5: bumps and bruises along the ways and positions and that
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  Speaker 5: can cause some you know, some delay and finding out,
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  Speaker 5: you know, whether guys can do it or not. We
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  Speaker 5: still are going to continue to practice physical The live
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  Speaker 5: tackling stuff is intermittent in the practices that we have.
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  Speaker 5: You're never going to see a large dose scrimmage. But
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  Speaker 5: you know, we got to find out who can tackle,
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  Speaker 5: who can break tackles. And but I you know, I
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  Speaker 5: would say we're probably eighty five percent there when it
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  Speaker 5: comes to you know, deciding who the starters are.
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  Speaker 4: Can we have a I know, You've been asked about
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  Speaker 4: the offensive line a lot. I'm so intrigued by the
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  Speaker 4: safety room. I know it's a position group that's near
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  Speaker 4: and dear to your heart, having played it and coached
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  Speaker 4: it for so long, and you've got talent there. I
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  Speaker 4: think there's at least four guys that I could see
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  Speaker 4: as kind of every down starters. How is that shaping up?
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  Speaker 5: What's good? It's a good problem to have. You got
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  Speaker 5: The beauty of that position room is you've got guys
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  Speaker 5: that could play the nickel position, and so teams that
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  Speaker 5: try and create issues with more athletic tight ends, you're
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  Speaker 5: fine because you've got you know, that's the safety is
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  Speaker 5: normally covered. But once you get into eleven personnel and
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  Speaker 5: ten personnel and maybe you're asking a safety to cover
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  Speaker 5: a slot receiver. You know, I feel really confident in
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  Speaker 5: Jackson Benny being able to do that. Rabbit Evans Tilman,
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  Speaker 5: Nate Tillman's come a long way as well. So you're
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  Speaker 5: able to play in those three safety packages much like
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  Speaker 5: we did would have been with Sioni Vaki and r. J.
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  Speaker 5: Hubert and Cole Bishop. So you know, that's where we
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  Speaker 5: need to go. That's where we need to go. Plus
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  Speaker 5: it allows us to blitz and do some things with
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  Speaker 5: those guys. So really pleased with the safety room. You
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  Speaker 5: talk about Ate Ritchie and his experience in this and
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  Speaker 5: the snaps he's given us as well, and it's a
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  Speaker 5: really good group.
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  Speaker 4: Have there been any surprises, any guys that weren't on
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  Speaker 4: your radar? Necessarily is going to be needed, you know,
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  Speaker 4: reps and we got to get this guy some snaps
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  Speaker 4: that have emerged in fall camp.
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  Speaker 5: Not necessary. I mean it's been it's been good to
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  Speaker 5: get mont Carbolio back at the slot receiver position, just
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  Speaker 5: because he didn't participate in the spring because of his injury.
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  Speaker 5: And you know, he's one of those when you talk
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  Speaker 5: about separation that's you know, a lot of that is
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  Speaker 5: how how well you run your routes and a very
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  Speaker 5: good route runner, very quick, good hands to buy some
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  Speaker 5: Meriweather's a guy last year that you know didn't get
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  Speaker 5: a lot of production, but it's shown some very good
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  Speaker 5: things in fall camp and you know, you got zip,
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  Speaker 5: we got a good amount of wide receivers. It's really
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  Speaker 5: good to have that depth there. Depth at linebacker, depth
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  Speaker 5: at the end, tight end is it is a is
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  Speaker 5: a spot where we're still working some things out. But
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  Speaker 5: I love Benny and Will Money. You got your rhinos
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  Speaker 5: that that provide some versatility and and you know, allow
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  Speaker 5: you to get a little bit physical, but also their
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  Speaker 5: athletic and athlet they can cost some issues. I would
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  Speaker 5: say Matiaki Halo's probably the the biggest surprise at camp,
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  Speaker 5: not that we didn't think that he could do it
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  Speaker 5: in the running back position, just he He's shown so
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  Speaker 5: much in the ability to catch the ball, run with
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  Speaker 5: physicality and pretty good vision too, So I you know,
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  Speaker 5: maybe Halo's the answer for that.
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  Speaker 4: Interesting Morgan scale, Utah had football coaches our guest here
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  Speaker 4: on the Sean O'Connell show, just off the practice field
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  Speaker 4: and obviously in the heat of camp. Right now, how
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  Speaker 4: has the culture of this particular roster in your first
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  Speaker 4: year as a head coach kind of shaped up through camp?
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  Speaker 4: It feels like that, you know, you had spring ball
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  Speaker 4: obviously an off season program, and now as you get
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  Speaker 4: closer to installed next week and things like that, are
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  Speaker 4: you finding that the leaders you expected to be leaders
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  Speaker 4: are there? Is there somebody maybe that maybe wasn't penciled
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  Speaker 4: in that way that is more of a vocal person,
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  Speaker 4: the overall kind of like vibe and culture of this
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  Speaker 4: this particular version of Utah football.
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  Speaker 5: What does it look like. Well, I'm I'm pleased with
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  Speaker 5: what I've seen in terms of the progress of the offense.
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  Speaker 5: You know, the defense has kind of known this culture
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  Speaker 5: for a while, but to see the buy in from
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  Speaker 5: the offense, and you know, Wayshaun Parker's one that that
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  Speaker 5: wasn't much in terms of, you know, being a vocal guy.
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  Speaker 5: Last year was in newcomer, but man is he stepped
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  Speaker 5: up and practice is the right way. You know, he's
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  Speaker 5: willing to call people out, but he's also willing to
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  Speaker 5: do that because everyone knows he's taking care of his business.
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  Speaker 5: So love what I've seen out of him. And it's just,
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  Speaker 5: you know, the offense buying into team football and the
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  Speaker 5: fact that one guy gets the ball, boys, and you know,
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  Speaker 5: what are you going to do? It's it's like basketball
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  Speaker 5: eighty percent of the game. You know you're not going
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  Speaker 5: to have the ball, so so be greater a that
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  Speaker 5: eighty percent. Whether it's setting picks, whether it's you know,
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  Speaker 5: going to work the boards, whatever it is. You know,
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  Speaker 5: on the offense, it's you can kind of tell if
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  Speaker 5: a wide receiver is a me guy. If you know,
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  Speaker 5: when the ball's throne, he just turn turns and watches, like,
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  Speaker 5: don't watch football, play football. If you want to watch football,
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  Speaker 5: come come stand by me on the sideline. Play football,
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  Speaker 5: Go block, get out in front of people, Go do
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  Speaker 5: the team thing, celebrate together. So that's what's been fun
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  Speaker 5: is to see that showing up more and more every day.
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  Speaker 4: How do those conversations go when it's just you and
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  Speaker 4: especially your offensive coaches. You just said it, there's only
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  Speaker 4: one football and when we look at this roster and
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  Speaker 4: what we know about it, it's like, man, I think
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  Speaker 4: there's a bunch of weapons here, and you probably want
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  Speaker 4: to get the ball into everyone's hands at some point
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  Speaker 4: during these games. That's not the most realistic game plan,
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  Speaker 4: I imagine sometimes. So how do those conversations go with
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  Speaker 4: Kevin mcgiven and these position coaches as camp progresses, like, Hey,
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  Speaker 4: you know, before we decide whether or not we're going
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  Speaker 4: to give it to him against Idaho, let's see what
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  Speaker 4: he can do tomorrow in practice? How does that go?
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  Speaker 5: Well, you're looking for, you know, a discipline consistency, you know,
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  Speaker 5: are they consistent practice after practice after practice? Everyone can
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  Speaker 5: have a good practice, you know, and you put us
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  Speaker 5: put much stress and pressure on him as possible just
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  Speaker 5: to find out who those guys are. Who's going to
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  Speaker 5: catch it in you know, in a in a pressure situation,
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  Speaker 5: Who's going to do what you ask? Who's gonna you
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  Speaker 5: know when you're when when it's on to who's going
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  Speaker 5: to jump it? Can? Can you hold your water? So?
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  Speaker 5: I mean, Kevin is Staff's awesome. So much of culture
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  Speaker 5: is about everyone being on the same page, being unified
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  Speaker 5: in your message and holding people accountable to it. So
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  Speaker 5: very pleased with with that group, a bunch of good
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  Speaker 5: teachers and likes that we've got some good players.
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  Speaker 4: How are you different during this camp? You're first as
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  Speaker 4: the headman versus you know, the defensive coordinator, the position coach.
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  Speaker 4: Morgan Scalley during a fall camp.
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  Speaker 5: Well, you just don't hear me a lot. You know,
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  Speaker 5: if you you were at practice last year, I Scalley's
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  Speaker 5: always Scalley is always yelling at something.
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  Speaker 4: If I'm not here in scally a practice, it feels
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  Speaker 4: like it's not a Utah practice.
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  Speaker 5: Yes, something's up. Yeah, so no, it's it's much more,
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  Speaker 5: you know, is practice going the way it's how we're
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  Speaker 5: doing things. Are we running to the ball or were
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  Speaker 5: running from drill to drill, or we're being efficient with
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  Speaker 5: our time? Uh, practicing the right way? Yeah, it's it's
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  Speaker 5: a different role for me. I'm still you know, very
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  Speaker 5: anal about the details and and about you know, us
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  Speaker 5: behaving the way we've asked these kids to behave, you know,
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  Speaker 5: living our culture. But you just don't you know, you
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  Speaker 5: don't hear me. I'm not screaming as much. Probably better,
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  Speaker 5: probably better for my voicebox.
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  Speaker 4: Who is taking that on that There's got to be
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  Speaker 4: somebody out there who if I were able to practice.
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  Speaker 5: It was me. It's me and Shaw, right, those are
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  Speaker 5: the two that you're usually always hearing going crazy. But
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  Speaker 5: I tell you what, MARKYATWAYA, he's he's he's picked up
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  Speaker 5: the the torch.
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  Speaker 4: Okay, I like that.
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  Speaker 5: That's him him, Him and Shaw, I would say, would
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  Speaker 5: be the two that you're always hearing.
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  Speaker 4: Okay, we're efforting. I'm trying to get your strength and
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  Speaker 4: conditioning coach Steve Saunders on the show as soon as possible,
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  Speaker 4: because everybody that we have talked to players, uh you know,
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  Speaker 4: other reporters that are coming on to share their thoughts
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  Speaker 4: of what they see at practice. There is a constant
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  Speaker 4: attention being paid to body composition, especially with your big guys,
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  Speaker 4: your offensive and defensive lineman. And everyone's making comments about
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  Speaker 4: your own physique too, which is hilarious. I mean, you're
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  Speaker 4: you're shredded right now. I don't know how you pulled
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  Speaker 4: that off. I need to get on the Morgan Scalley program.
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  Speaker 4: I don't know what pep tides you're on.
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  Speaker 5: I'm not I'm not sure. A lot of a lot
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  Speaker 5: of cookie butter chip ice cream from from Blacksmith, just
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  Speaker 5: so you know, I.
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  Speaker 4: Don't know if that works out that way for the
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  Speaker 4: rest of us. But in all seriousness, right, Uh, the
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  Speaker 4: strength and conditioning foundation that has been so important to
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  Speaker 4: Utah football for so long. It's a big change with
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  Speaker 4: somebody new in a different voice, and it was a
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  Speaker 4: big story over the off season, and the players are
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  Speaker 4: speaking very positively about it. From an injury standpoint and
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  Speaker 4: from just a performance standpoint. Are the results what you
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  Speaker 4: expected them to be when you made the change?
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  Speaker 5: Uh? One hundred percent? Yeah. I knew what I wanted
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  Speaker 5: going in. And you know, there's always difficult decisions that
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  Speaker 5: you have to make but I knew that Steve spoke
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  Speaker 5: my language when it came to you know, my vision
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  Speaker 5: is the strength conditioning and how we train and everything
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  Speaker 5: being positioned specific and making us better football players in
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  Speaker 5: the weight room, not necessarily better weightlifters. Everything we do
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  Speaker 5: has to have a purpose, has to have an answer
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  Speaker 5: to the why. And if the why, if that answer
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  Speaker 5: is well, it's just the way we've always done it, well, nope,
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  Speaker 5: that's wrong. You know that we've got to be on
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  Speaker 5: the cutting edge. We've got to be are we doing
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  Speaker 5: the best thing for these kids? So Steve came in
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  Speaker 5: and you know, I'm a believer because I've been doing it.
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  Speaker 5: You know, I wanted to make sure that I got
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  Speaker 5: in the weight room, and you know, obviously Weddel's endorsement
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  Speaker 5: was huge, but just the fact that we had other
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  Speaker 5: NFL guys with Enoke and Luther and and Jordan and
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  Speaker 5: all these guys were like, yes, this is you know,
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  Speaker 5: he's speaking our language. This is what we need. And
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  Speaker 5: you know, the results speak for themselves in terms of
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  Speaker 5: the body composition, in terms of our guys feeling strong
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  Speaker 5: or feeling healthier, and you know it, but it's also
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  Speaker 5: the buy in from the players, you know, attacking the
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  Speaker 5: weight room, you know, not just as a checklist item. Okay,
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  Speaker 5: this is what I do as a football player, But
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  Speaker 5: how is the weight room translating to me being a
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  Speaker 5: better football player? And if you can see that and
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  Speaker 5: see how this lift, the specific lift, or this specific
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  Speaker 5: technique is making me a better football player, well then
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  Speaker 5: you get more buy in.
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  Speaker 4: How is Devin dan Pierre different in his second camp
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  Speaker 4: as the projective starter versus last year.
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  Speaker 5: Well, I think he's he's a much more aware of
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  Speaker 5: eyes are on him, much more aware of how he
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  Speaker 5: behaves matters, you know, in terms of you know, if
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  Speaker 5: we're asking everyone's held to the standard. It's not just okay,
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  Speaker 5: you're the starting quarterback and you're the highest paid guy
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  Speaker 5: we got like you get to do it, You get
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  Speaker 5: and want to do No, you live the culture, just
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  Speaker 5: like we're asking everyone else to live the culture. And
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  Speaker 5: if you don't see it that way, then you don't
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  Speaker 5: understand leadership and you know how culture's created. So that's
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  Speaker 5: what I'm proud of Devin is that he's bought into that.
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  Speaker 5: You look at the things that he does off the
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  Speaker 5: field with our players, inviting players to come out to
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  Speaker 5: his place, the team building stuff, like he's very aware
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  Speaker 5: of his role on this team and that all eyes
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  Speaker 5: run him.
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  Speaker 4: This is gonna be my last question, because I can
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  Speaker 4: be guilty of taking up too much of your time.
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  Speaker 4: I think it's important. I don't know if it's something
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  Speaker 4: that I just got used to as a player, who
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  Speaker 4: wasn't this guy or observing when you go out and
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  Speaker 4: you watch a practice, even when it's a bunch of
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  Speaker 4: great players and I think you've got a bunch of
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  Speaker 4: really good ones, you can pick out the one or
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  Speaker 4: two or three usually even as a casual observer, where
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  Speaker 4: you're like that that's a different animal. That's a dog
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  Speaker 4: right there. That's the alpha in this group. We know
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  Speaker 4: who those guys are yet for Utah football, like the
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  Speaker 4: Devin Lloyd, the Spencer Fono, the the outlier from the outliers.
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  Speaker 4: If that's the right way to say it.
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  Speaker 5: I think we're still in the process of finding I
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  Speaker 5: would hate to just like start listing names and all
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  Speaker 5: of a sudden, guys are like, well what about me?
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  Speaker 5: But one guy I'm just extremely excited about just because
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  Speaker 5: he's he's put the work in and he's as Marshaun
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  Speaker 5: Lynch would say, all about that action is way, Shank.
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  Speaker 5: I cannot wait to see what what this guy does.
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  Speaker 5: He's you know, he's lifting the right way, he's eating
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  Speaker 5: the right way, he's practicing the right way. So I'm
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  Speaker 5: excited for his season.
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  Speaker 4: Well, we're very excited for the season overall. I appreciate
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  Speaker 4: you giving us some time today. I know it's very,
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  Speaker 4: very busy. We'll cut you loose now, coach, and we'll
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  Speaker 4: see you up there and just over a couple of weeks.
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  Speaker 5: Oh see, you're the man. Brother. Can't wait.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you, Morgan Scalley, Love you, dude. Holy cow, we
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  Speaker 4: are so close, ladies and gentlemen. That is your head
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  Speaker 4: coach at the University of Utah, Morgan Scalley.