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Auburn EDGE Coach Coleman Hutzler - Post-Transfer Portal · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

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  uh starting out. What do you think about
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  your group so far? I know it's just been
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  a couple months, I guess.
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  >> Yeah, excited. You know, it's it's fun
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  in the month of February to to get back
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  on campus. Um you get hired and you
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  immediately hit the road recruiting and
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  um so it's it's been awesome this past
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  week or so to to to get back around the
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  guys and excited about the group. Um,
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  you know, with Jared and Joe and and JJ
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  as as the returning guys and then
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  adding, you know, Nate and and Deshawn
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  Wac um think we got a great combination
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  of of talent and and you know, some guys
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  with some versatility. That's really
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  been the the biggest word that comes to
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  mind.
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  >> Now, am I right? This is the fourth time
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  you and DJ have worked together,
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  different places.
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  >> Gosh, yeah. 2007 was a long time ago. Uh
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  that was the first time we we got
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  connected. That was Stanford. um
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  Stanford to Florida. Um Florida um left
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  and came back again. So if you count
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  Florida twice, I guess. And then uh Old
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  Miss in in 20121. So
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  >> DJ have hair back at Stanford.
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  >> He did. Um my It's funny. My my daughter
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  um when she came to the facility for the
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  first time saw the picture was like,
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  "Dad, look how bald coach Durkin is."
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  >> I remind him every day. Don't worry.
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  >> That's good. That's good. Yeah.
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  >> Thank you. Thanks, Brad.
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  >> No doubt. You mentioned Deshawn Wack.
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  How important was it for you guys to to
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  bring in someone who's got as much
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  experience in the SEC as he does?
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  >> Yeah, it's a huge addition. Um, you
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  know, a guy that that understands the
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  league, right, and understands the the
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  level of, you know, competition, and
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  Nate's the same way, you know, coming
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  from Missouri last year. Um, and so, you
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  know, anytime you can add a guy like
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  that who um gets it and and knows what
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  it takes to to compete at this level is
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  is a great addition.
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  Then talk a little about the younger
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  guys. Jared Smith specifically, I mean,
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  you haven't been around that long, but
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  you know, as a fivestar come out of high
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  school. What is it about him that, you
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  know, gives him so much potential?
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  >> Yeah, Jared's got a ton of potential.
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  Um, he he's got a great combination of
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  of size, um, right, and length, um,
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  along with the the skill set, the
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  athleticism, the coordination. Um, I was
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  giving him crap the other day about, you
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  know, how do you not trip over yourself
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  with a size 18 shoe, whatever the hell
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  he's got, you know, on his feet. But,
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  um, you know, excited about about his
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  potential and and got to have a great
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  offseason and great spring ball going
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  forward to to be ready for for the
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  season.
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  >> You have any idea yet who you like at
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  five, who you like at Edge? Any idea on
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  that yet or is it just get them out
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  there?
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  >> No, it's and that's kind of the fun
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  part, right? Is is really we've got some
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  guys in the room that can play both. Um,
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  and so training guys to to, you know,
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  learn both, challenging guys to to learn
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  both has been big, um, here as we start
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  to to do some of the football stuff.
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  And, um, we we'll put the pads on and
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  and figure out what guys might do the
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  best. But I tell them all the time, you
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  create value for yourself in that if I
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  can go to coach Durkin and say, hey, so
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  and so can play both, man, that that
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  checks a lot of boxes. um and and and
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  creates a lot of value for you as an
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  individual, but also for for Durk as the
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  the play caller.
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  >> DJ was talking about uh some some other
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  guys that uh you guys may take a look at
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  linebackers. Can you talk to to DJ Brad?
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  Any about about some of those guys that
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  you might take a look at?
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  >> Yeah, I mean we're we're going to
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  evaluate through the month of February
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  as we get into these workouts and you
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  know that that linebacker room is loaded
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  with with a ton of talent, right? And so
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  you're always looking for ways to get
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  your best 11 on the field. And if
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  somebody from that room can can do that,
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  um, you know, skill set wise, then um,
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  be happy to, you know, coach them and
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  and and help them. So um, we'll see kind
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  of through February and and then, you
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  know, into spring ball if there's
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  anybody like that.
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  >> Nate Johnson didn't have a whole bunch
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  of playing time last year, but you
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  obviously saw stuff from them. What was
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  that? Yeah, I I um Nate's a guy that,
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  you know, has great frame, great length,
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  and and a great skill set. If you look
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  back to his Appalachin State film, um
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  you know, played a lot of really good
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  ball, right? I think got in a situation
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  at Missouri where he was behind some
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  guys and you know, that happens. Um but
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  excited about what Nate brings to the
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  room. Uh mature um you know, a guy that
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  that that's seen it, been through it. um
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  and and knows that his window of
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  opportunity really is shrinking and that
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  creates a lot of urgency and a lot of
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  you know um work ethic.
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  >> Are you seeing that with him so far in
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  >> Definitely. Yeah. I mean there there's
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  you know he he brings a great presence
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  to to the room and and you know on the
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  field as well. So um excited to to to
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  continue to see him progress.
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  >> Have you seen anybody stepping up as a
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  leader in that room so far? Now you're
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  losing falls over fall girls,
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  >> right? Jeldendrick. Yeah, I mean, you
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  know, ton of talent, ton of production,
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  ton of leadership that that was, you
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  know, in the group last year that's no
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  longer here. And so, I think it's early.
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  I think it's one of those things where
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  guys need to to take that opportunity to
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  to, you know, grow in that role. Um, you
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  know, I challenge them that you got to
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  make sure that that you're taking care
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  of your business before you're trying to
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  to to lead others, right? But, um,
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  always going to continue to to push guys
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  to to grow as, you know, as leaders. And
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  Coach Golish says it all the time, man,
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  it's got to be player driven, right? If
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  it's just coach driven, we're we're
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  going to reach a certain limit.
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  >> When you're out recruiting, what are you
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  looking for in an edge guy?
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  >> You know, it's a it's a hard position to
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  to find because it's a great
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  combination. You know, some people think
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  edge and they think uh, you know, an
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  apex inside backer or something like
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  that. No, it's it's a guy that's really
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  a hybrid defensive end, right? Hey, that
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  can set edges in the SEC. Um, so you got
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  to have the length, right? But but also,
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  you know, affecting the quarterback,
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  pass rushing, um, the ability to to drop
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  some playing space, right? We're going
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  to do a lot with that guy. Um, and so
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  it's the ultimate combo player and and
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  combo athlete.
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  >> How would you kind of describe yourself
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  as a recruiter?
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  >> Um, I don't know. I don't think there's
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  a recruiting version of me versus
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  another, right? I try and, you know,
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  been doing it long enough where, you
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  know, you're you're really looking to
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  build those relationships. Um, looking
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  to be genuine. I, you know, I tell guys
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  all the time, what you see is what you
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  get. And, you know, um, coming to a
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  spring practice, watching us do what we
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  do, you know, that that that's a great
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  evaluation of, you know, um, what kind
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  of coach I am and and, you know, the
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  things that that you're going to get as
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  a player in my room. What's it been like
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  working not only with Dirt but Tim
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  Banks? I mean, three SEC VCs all
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  together on stats. It's
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  >> been awesome, man. The the the wealth of
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  knowledge in the room. Um the energy in
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  the room, you know, guys that that
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  understand this conference, guys that
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  understand, you know, what it takes to
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  to to win at a high level. It's been a
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  lot of fun and uh been, you know, been a
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  great, like I said, two months here and
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  and you know, excited going forward.
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  >> You've been in this conference. It's
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  different schools, right? I'm sure you
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  played here as a with another school.
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  >> Sure.
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  >> What brought you to Auburn? What do you
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  think about Auburn?
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  >> You know, it's amazing how many people
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  over the course of my career, whether
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  they've played here, whether they've
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  worked here, um how much they love the
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  community here at Auburn and that's
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  really what's what stood out. Um you
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  know, as you're going through a
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  transition as a coach, um the way that a
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  town and a community opens their arms to
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  you is is awesome. and I'm excited to
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  get my family, right, moved over and
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  settled and all th those kinds of
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  things. But um it it's the community,
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  the the football is first class, the the
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  facilities, the stadium, the home game
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  environment. It doesn't get any better,
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  right? But, you know, what makes it
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  different, I think, is you know, the
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  town of Auburn, the community of Auburn,
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  and the alumni of Auburn.
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  >> I'm ask about a couple more guys. You
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  talked about up JJ Paul, just what have
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  you seen on him so far? Where do you see
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  his potential?
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  JJ is uh has been awesome and and he's a
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  guy, you know, that kind of made that
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  transition from linebacker, right, to to
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  playing on the edge and, you know, his
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  combination of athleticism and and and
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  the skill set that that that he's going
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  to bring to the position is exciting. Um
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  you know, there's obviously every guy
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  every guy's got things they got to work
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  on and and so he knows what those are.
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  the maturity of identifying, you know,
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  hey, I got to get better at this. Um,
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  those have been great conversations with
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  him and so, you know, excited to to to
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  see what he brings.
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  >> And then Joe Phillips, a lot of guys who
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  don't play for a couple years end up
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  moving on, but he decided to come back
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  and continue to push himself. What do
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  you see now?
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  >> Yeah, Joe's a guy honestly um recruited
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  a little bit coming out at at another
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  place and and so, you know, familiarity
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  with them. um relationship there kind of
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  as a foundation and you know he he's a
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  guy that like you just mentioned he's
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  trusting the process. He's he's sticking
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  with right what it means to to be an
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  Auburn man and play at Auburn and so you
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  know excited for Joe high football IQ um
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  understands you know both spots and how
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  to play them and and so he's hungry for
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  his opportunity.
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  >> And who gets Chico's books first? Is
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  that you or somebody else? because I'd
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  be fighting for you.
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  >> I uh asked Durk that if if I'm fighting
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  because it's it's a daily
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  >> it's a daily request
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  >> cuz he belongs with you. Do I need to
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  talk to Durk about that?
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  >> Please do.
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  >> Who has him right now?
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  >> He's with Durk right now.
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  >> Okay. Well,
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  >> yeah.
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  >> We'll see about that.
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  >> Yeah, we'll get there.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> How you doing?
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  >> Good. How are you?
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  >> Good. I know answer question, but just
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  >> first impressions of of the group that
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  you have now had a little bit of time. I
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  know you haven't practiced yet,
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  >> right?
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  >> Yeah. I mean, I was just, you know,
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  telling everybody that it's exciting to
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  to get back on campus in February,
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  right, and get off the road and get
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  around your guys. Um, really excited
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  about the room and and the versatility
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  that we have. You know, we've got a
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  bunch of guys that um can play both the
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  buck position and the defensive end
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  position. And so that um creates a lot
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  of versatility for us as a as a defense.
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  um you know, haven't put the pads on
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  yet, haven't gone out and and truly, you
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  know, played ball, but um look forward
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  to to seeing what the returning guys and
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  and Jared and and JJ and Joe bring, but
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  but also Nate and WAC, you know, the two
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  guys that we added.
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  >> It'll be in your mind, it'll be a
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  productive spring practice if what takes
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  place.
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  >> Oh man, if we just continue to to learn
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  and grow and and focus, you know, each
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  day on getting better. Um, you know, I
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  think we've had a lot of conversations
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  um, leading up to this point of, you
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  know, what does each individual guy need
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  to improve on? Um, and so focusing on
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  those things, right? Focusing on, you
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  know, process over over outcome and
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  result, right? Um, so, you know, that
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  that's what I'm looking forward to is
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  seeing how guys respond to success, how
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  they respond to to to a little bit of,
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  you know, adversity.
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  I have the best friend here to show the
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  TV guy. Get out of here,
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  >> I guess. Chris Wells, is he is he?
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  >> Yeah. Yeah, he'll be coming in. No, he's
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  in the summer. Yep. Yep. He's in the
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  summer.
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  >> Thank you very much.
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  >> Yeah, absolutely.
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  >> Anybody else for Coleman Hutler?
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  >> Going twice. Sold. See you.
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  >> Gone.
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  >> You're free.
• 11:25
  >> How about that?
• 11:26
  >> He was He was so good. He didn't need to
• 11:27
  stay.