Latest / The Craig Way Show / Steve Sarkisian and Craig Way discuss Spring Practices, Jonah Williams, and Staff Changes!

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Steve Sarkisian and Craig Way discuss Spring Practices, Jonah Williams, and Staff Changes! · The Craig Way Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Very pleased to have joining us on the hotline.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: They had football coach of the University of Taxas, Steve
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Sarkeashan to join us now, Sark, I appreciate the time.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: How are you today?
• 0:09
  Speaker 3: I'm great, Craig. I feel like I haven't talked to
• 0:11
  Speaker 3: you a while.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: But where you be.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: You know, the last time we saw each other was
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: in the tunnel before a basketball game and you had
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: just you had just come off making your some of
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: the new additions to the coaching staff, and I said,
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: how you like your additions? You said, I love them
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: and you said, more's the point. People are going to
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: love them. So let me start with that and then
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  Speaker 2: we'll kind of recap your thoughts on the spring. You've
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: talked a little bit about it and your media availabilities.
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: How about your thoughts on the new staff members and
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: how they've integrated themselves well with the team during the spring.
• 0:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I'll I'll start on defense, probably because we've
• 0:49
  Speaker 4: had the most that was where the majority of the
• 0:51
  Speaker 4: turnover was, and obviously a really major kind of makeover
• 0:56
  Speaker 4: in the secondary right, we lost two really good coaches
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  Speaker 4: and Blake get In and Terry Joseph and UH. So
• 1:03
  Speaker 4: that the idea that we were able to bring in
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  Speaker 4: to bring you know, Coach Aquina back UH and then
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  Speaker 4: hire two kind of younger coaches who are great coaches,
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  Speaker 4: and Mark Orfe and Kenoto Hudson. I just think that
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  Speaker 4: combination of coaches back there has been awesome. And Coach Aquina,
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  Speaker 4: I've heard about his energy and the and the legend
• 1:21
  Speaker 4: of Coach Aquina's energy. It's real, man, this guy. This
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  Speaker 4: guy's impressive at practice. Man, he is flying around and
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  Speaker 4: he sets the tone over there. So between he and
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  Speaker 4: Johnny Nansen, now we we are we are a high
• 1:33
  Speaker 4: flying UH group on defense from an energy standpoint. And
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  Speaker 4: then we brought in Lee Allen Clark to coach our
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  Speaker 4: edge players, and I think that's been a great addition
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  Speaker 4: as well, uh to work with Kenny Baker who we
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  Speaker 4: brought on last year and PK.
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  Speaker 3: In the front. UH.
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  Speaker 4: So those have been some great additions on the defensive
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  Speaker 4: side of the ball. Offensively, you know, we brought in
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  Speaker 4: UH Chad Scott to coach the running backs, and I've
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  Speaker 4: been super impressed with him. He was a great man,
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  Speaker 4: very knowledgeable at the game. You know, there's a reason
• 2:00
  Speaker 4: he was offensive coordinator and running back coach at West Virginia.
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  Speaker 4: It's been around some great coaches and I think, you know,
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  Speaker 4: anytime you lose a quality coach and to shar choice
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  Speaker 4: and the rapport that he have with the players, that's
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  Speaker 4: probably the biggest concern. And man, the rapport that that
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  Speaker 4: coach Scott's brought has been great. And then we brought
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  Speaker 4: in some some some analysts, you know. Obviously Neil Brown
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  Speaker 4: on the offensive side of the ball has been an
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  Speaker 4: awesome addition.
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  Speaker 3: Love having him. He's great for me.
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  Speaker 4: Another another set of head coaches eyes you think about
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  Speaker 4: and we had coach Patterson here, we had coach christ here.
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  Speaker 3: Now we got Neil Brown.
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  Speaker 4: They brought in a quarterback coach from the NFL to
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  Speaker 4: work with our guys on defense and carry Joseph who's
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  Speaker 4: been a great addition as well.
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  Speaker 3: So we brought in some really good people.
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  Speaker 4: I think the players have responded to them, which is
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  Speaker 4: probably the most important thing.
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  Speaker 3: But we're pumped, man, this is a good group of
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  Speaker 3: guys that are working well together.
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  Speaker 2: Sart was really kind of curious is to whether there
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: was any kind of real discern will change in how
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: you saw the spring practices go with not having at
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: the end of the road, so to speak, the annual
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: spring game, and we all know what that was all
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: about at the end there and largely for the fans.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: But did much change with regard to how you.
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  Speaker 2: And the staff handled and operated the spring drills for
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: the guys and what they went through with no spring
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: game at the.
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  Speaker 3: End, I did.
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  Speaker 4: I did adjust a few things, Craig, So I think
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  Speaker 4: the first part is this, Okay.
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  Speaker 3: We signed.
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  Speaker 4: I signed twenty five high school kids, and it was
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  Speaker 4: a great class we all know as a heck of
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  Speaker 4: a heck of a signing class. Twenty two of those
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  Speaker 4: twenty five guys were on campus in January.
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  Speaker 3: They're mid year admits.
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  Speaker 4: Then I signed five transfers at the first portal, so
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  Speaker 4: that's twenty seven new faces. And then we just touched
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: on all the new coaches and the new faces on
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: our staff. So the biggest thing probably changed that we
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  Speaker 4: made for those that ever watched as practice, we didn't
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: two spot any of our team stuff this spring. Everything
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  Speaker 4: was on one field and so we were actually on
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  Speaker 4: the field a little bit longer than normal. But it
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  Speaker 4: allowed me to watch and see every player, especially the
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  Speaker 4: new players. Allowed me to watch and help coach the
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  Speaker 4: coaches as they were getting acclimated our style and what
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  Speaker 4: we like to do.
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  Speaker 3: And then you know, to me, it.
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  Speaker 4: Allowed some of our veteran players who have played thirty
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  Speaker 4: games the last two years to back off kind of
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  Speaker 4: their workload a little bit, but yet really still focus
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  Speaker 4: in on the fundamentals and techniques. And so I think
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  Speaker 4: it's been some nice changes and adjustments to what we did.
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  Speaker 4: With two practices to go, we're looking forward to it
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  Speaker 4: that we can maximize these last two to go.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you
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  Speaker 2: about that other early signing that I've seen quite a
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  Speaker 2: bit of lately. Jonah Williams has been lighting it up
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  Speaker 2: in baseball, and I know Schlass and the staff loved him.
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  Speaker 2: How about the feedback you've gotten from what Joe and
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: is done on the baseball field.
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  Speaker 4: Well, I think I get the text from Slash at
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  Speaker 4: different times, and the one he set me the other
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  Speaker 4: night was something about this dude's a great competitor, and
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  Speaker 4: I wanted.
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  Speaker 3: To say something.
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  Speaker 4: I just said, no kidding, send him back, But uh no,
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  Speaker 4: I'm excited for Hey, Slash, what he's doing. Man, what
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  Speaker 4: what a What an incredible job this guy's done, first
• 5:25
  Speaker 4: season with us running that program, uh, and dealing with
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  Speaker 4: some of the adversity and the injuries they are getting
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  Speaker 4: faced with. But still, you know, you know, competing and
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  Speaker 4: playing at a high level. And what a big series
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  Speaker 4: they have this week, and so pump for that. I
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: get to throw out the first pitch Friday night to
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: Craig if you know that?
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I saw that, And and and Linda asked me,
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  Speaker 2: she said, now, he he didn't he used to play baseball.
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  Speaker 2: Said yeah, he was pretty good baseball player. So I'm
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  Speaker 2: sure he'll he won't bounce it in, He'll he'll throw
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  Speaker 2: it right across the plague.
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure that'll be the case on Friday.
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  Speaker 4: Hey, I saw video Sean Miller throwing it though the
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: other night. He looked pretty good. He looked natural to you.
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: Did a whole wind up.
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  Speaker 2: He did a big, slow, overhand curveball, breaking ball. It
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: dropped right in. It would have been a called strike,
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: There's no doubt about it.
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  Speaker 3: Really kind of gotten hit over the left field fence.
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  Speaker 1: Though.
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  Speaker 3: If that they was hanging.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Visiting the SARKI for a couple more minutes.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: All right, The requisite question obviously about the quarterbacks, but
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  Speaker 2: beyond arch, I wanted to get your overview on the
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  Speaker 2: progress of the position as a whole as you saw
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  Speaker 2: it during the course of the spring.
• 6:28
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: I like this room.
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  Speaker 3: You know, this is a really competitive quarterback room.
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  Speaker 4: These guys, all three of them, play their best when
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  Speaker 4: we get into scrimmish settings, and that's a great sign
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  Speaker 4: that the more intense, the more competitive the drill, their
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  Speaker 4: level of play continues to rise. And that's a good
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  Speaker 4: sign when it's a bit of an inexperienced room. Right,
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  Speaker 4: you got one guy who's got a couple starts under
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  Speaker 4: his belt and two other guys who haven't really played.
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  Speaker 4: But it gives me a little bit of a precursor
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  Speaker 4: of what I can expect if they get put on
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  Speaker 4: the field, that their level of play is going to
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  Speaker 4: continue to rise. Now, there's still all everybody's got things
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  Speaker 4: to work on. They're all at different stages right Arches
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  Speaker 4: in year three, Trays in year two. Kj's in his
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  Speaker 4: first spring ever, so they're all working on different things.
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  Speaker 4: But I love the growth. I love where they're headed.
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  Speaker 4: They're all improving. We're fortunate to have the room of behalf.
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  Speaker 2: You know, you talked about some of the position needs
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  Speaker 2: that you needed filling on both sides of the football.
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  Speaker 2: Everybody saw how you really attacked the portal, and you've
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  Speaker 2: always said it's got to be something to fill in
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  Speaker 2: the not just filling a roster spot for the sake
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  Speaker 2: of having a number.
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  Speaker 1: So I would imagine you feel really.
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  Speaker 2: Good about the guys you brought in as to where
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  Speaker 2: they can provide some pretty quick help for you.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so. You know, our numbers were really down.
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  Speaker 4: At the receiver position, and obviously we address that hard
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  Speaker 4: in the high school recruiting. You signed four high school receivers,
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  Speaker 4: but we were a very young room and our numbers
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  Speaker 4: were still low. So to go get em at Moseley,
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  Speaker 4: I thought was a huge deal for us at receiver.
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  Speaker 3: At tight end.
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  Speaker 4: You know, I wanted another number, but yet I kept
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  Speaker 4: assessing the room. We were a young room again, not
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  Speaker 4: any experience really whatsoever.
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  Speaker 3: So to be able to go get.
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  Speaker 4: Jack injuries as an experienced tight end who's a very
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  Speaker 4: versatile player, I thought was big for us on that front.
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  Speaker 4: And then you looked at it on the defensive front,
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  Speaker 4: and what we did there was our numbers was just
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  Speaker 4: so low. You know, we we just didn't have the
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  Speaker 4: numbers on the front that we needed to have, and
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  Speaker 4: we love to rotate those guys so they can play
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  Speaker 4: at a really high level. And I feel like every
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  Speaker 4: guy we just kind of keep hitting home runs on
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  Speaker 4: the on.
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  Speaker 3: The right guys that that we're getting.
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  Speaker 4: And so you know, with with Javon and Marod like those,
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  Speaker 4: those are huge additions for us to go along with
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  Speaker 4: the all the other guys we brought in to go
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  Speaker 4: along with the players that are growing up in our program.
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  Speaker 4: So we feel good about out that that unit.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: Now, all right, before I let you go, I know that, uh,
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  Speaker 2: there's another edition that you're pretty proud of. And I
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  Speaker 2: haven't had a chance to ask you about the addition
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: of a Mayas to your family and and uh and
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  Speaker 2: and how excited you are with with that young man's
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: addition to your family, your immediate family.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, super pumped.
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  Speaker 4: You know, he's uh, he's doing great. And uh, keep
• 9:22
  Speaker 4: me young, you know, fifty one now, Craig, But you know,
• 9:25
  Speaker 4: I got to stay young.
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: This is a young man's profession. So I'm staying young
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: for sure.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, final thing.
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  Speaker 2: And I always ask this at the end, when when
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: you join us after the spring game. So since there's
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: not a spring game, I'll ask it now about to
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: give fans an idea of the time table of what
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: you expect from your guys in the offseason workouts before
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: you get the fall camp workout.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: So we'll wrap up Saturday with practice, and we got
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: the fan Day and I heard you just plugging Fan Day.
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: We're excited to do that and be able to actually
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: hang with the fans.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: Normally longer than you normally would when.
• 10:00
  Speaker 4: We just do the autograph signing before the game. Now
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: we can really hang on the field with them. We're
• 10:04
  Speaker 4: going to do that next week. Our players, you know,
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: they got to finish up school, they got to finish
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: up finals. They got one more week of workouts with
• 10:12
  Speaker 4: coach Beckton. He's not going to let him, you know,
• 10:14
  Speaker 4: get out on that. And then they're gonna get a
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: little bit of time here in the month of May,
• 10:18
  Speaker 4: and you know a lot of the guys will stick
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: around some we'll go home and come back, and then
• 10:22
  Speaker 4: we really crank it up June July. I mean those
• 10:25
  Speaker 4: two months are critical for us as we get ready
• 10:28
  Speaker 4: for August. And so in June and July, a lot
• 10:31
  Speaker 4: of weight training, a lot of running in the heat,
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: a lot of skill development work, and then we'll get
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: ourselves ready for August when we hit the grass for
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: training camp.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: Hey, I appreciate you doing this. I'll look forward to
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: watching that first pitch on Friday night. I'm expecting probably
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: you know, a chest high fastball coming in or something
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: like that.
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: The key the key to the drill, right, can I
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: make the catcher's mint pop?
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: That's it, And we have a field microphone so it
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: will pick it up if if it's happening there, we gotta.
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: Pop, we gotta pop the leather. That's that's the key
• 11:04
  Speaker 4: to the drill. So we'll see what happens.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: Hey, sorry, thanks for the time. I appreciate we look
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: forward to seeing you soon.
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: All right, thanks, Buddy Hook.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: Look them all right. That's log Wort's head coach, Steve
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: Sarkegan