Latest / Coaches Corner / Jim Mora - Media Zoom December 12

Transcript

Jim Mora - Media Zoom December 12 · Coaches Corner

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Historic venue Finway.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: I mean, I just think that we're all really excited
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: about this opportunity we have. And uh, there's some challenges certainly,
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: you know, with it being after Christmas, but we'll do
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: the best we can to provide a real family environment,
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: you know, for our for our players and their families
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: during the holiday season. But you know, it's just I
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: think it's exciting, you know that, uh, that it's so
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: close to home and uh, like I said, a quality
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: opponent and I mean it's Finway, you know, I mean,
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: it's it's gonna be awesome. So you know, I've been
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: smiling since it was announced, and I'm really excited. I
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: think our players are really excited. It's our it's our
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: four shot against an a SEC opponent and uh, which
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: is rare for a group of five team to you
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: know have five five games in a season against group
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: of or powerful opponents. So it's just another opportunity for
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: us to you know, go out there and compete against
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: against a powerful opponent and hopefully find a way to
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: get a win.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Finally, great, Okay, folks were open for questions.
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: Just use the raise your hand and I'll call on
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: you and then you can go, Donamore, you're up first.
• 1:06
  Speaker 4: Hey, Jim, Hi, Don, I imagine you're anticipating this one,
• 1:11
  Speaker 4: and of course you're uniquely qualified to speak to it.
• 1:14
  Speaker 4: But what's your take on Bill Belichick coming back? And
• 1:19
  Speaker 4: I know he's probably not gonna be a factor in
• 1:21
  Speaker 4: this game, but what's your take on that you've kind
• 1:23
  Speaker 4: of gone that route.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: I think it's awesome, and I think he's gonna love it,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: and I think he's taken it very seriously, given the
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: fact that his first hire was Mike Lombardi, Who's someone
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: that I know very well and have a great relationship with,
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: and Mike has been a really successful general manager in
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: the National Football League. So you know, to me, that
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: indicates that there's a real seriousness by Bill to do
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: this right. I think if you're a good football coach,
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: you're a good football coach. I think sometimes the Bill
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Belichick that people see on TV, at least when he
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: was coaching, wasn't the guy that I've come to know
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: over the last twenty or thirty years. He's got a
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: great personality, uh he He's has a great sense of humor,
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: and I think that those players will really relate to him.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: I think that he will get great joy out of
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: coaching college football. I know for me it's brought me
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: great joy. It's uh, it's the same game on the field,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: but it's a different energy off the field and the
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: you know, I think the thing that and I don't
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: want to put words in his mouth to project how
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: he feels, but I know that for me, it's just
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: been it's been so rewarding and uh and so different
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: than than what the NFL was in a in a
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: positive way. And that's not any negative inst the NFL.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: It's just there's just a there's just a factor to
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: college football on dealing with this level and this age
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: that is really rewarding as you get a little bit
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: older in your career. So I I hope he enjoys it.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: I know he'll be successful, he'll recruit well, he'll attack
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: the portal and with Mike by him, you know that
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: that's a powerful duel right there. Now, that's a super
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: Bowl that's it's big time duo.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: You know, I just follow up.
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: You know you you've alluded to it throughout the year
• 3:05
  Speaker 4: that one of the one of the things behind the
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: success that you've had is your familiarity with this kind
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: of a system that's coming into college football today. You know,
• 3:14
  Speaker 4: you're not phased by players coming and going. Do you
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: feel like maybe that this is going to be the
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: way of the future for for college football, that maybe
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: this is the kind of higher that you're going to
• 3:25
  Speaker 4: see more often?
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: Well, I do, and I believe that you can look
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: at Stanford and what they did with Andrew Luck. Uh,
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: now they didn't switch head coaches and bringing an NFL
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: head coach, but they brought in a true general manager position.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: So now you've got a couple of programs. I'm sure
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: there's others that that are i mean going all in
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: on the on the NFL model of organizational structure, and
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: I think that you're going to see more and more
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: of that.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: I think it's it's necessary right now, the way this.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Thing is going. And uh uh, you know, we'll we'll
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: we'll see where it goes. I mean, I know that
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: those are thoughts that David Bennett and I have talked about,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: is you know, how do we set up a structure
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: that allows us to have the most success that we
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: can have. And it's a discussion we have all the
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: time and we're working through it, and I think yeah, Dom,
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: I do think you're gonna see a lot more of this.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: Thank you, Jim, go over to go ahead.
• 4:20
  Speaker 5: Hey Jim, have you ever been to Sunway before? And
• 4:23
  Speaker 5: I was just wondering, how much of a baseball guy
• 4:25
  Speaker 5: are you. I know you've talked about yukon baseball before,
• 4:27
  Speaker 5: but you an MLB guy.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: I'm I mean, I'm a sports fan. I don't sit down.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, I like watching the World Series. They play
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: so many games.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: It's hard. It's hard for me to just zero in
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: on that.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: But I've been to Finnway several times. I mean, you know,
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: it's it's an awesome place to go. I made sure
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: that my kids have been there. I was there a
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: long time ago. I saw Karia strimskate a home run.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: You know, when I was a kid, And you remember
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: my dad coached for the Patriots and when I would
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: come out here, we would you know, we would be
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: able to go to some games there, you know. And
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: I mean, I'm excited to like I've never been on
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: a field. I'm excited to walk on that grass, you know.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: I'm excited to see that the green monster from the field.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: And I think our players feel the same way. And
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: it's gonna be awesome, Roger Cleaven go ahead, Jim.
• 5:22
  Speaker 6: Roger, I seem to remember when you first got hired,
• 5:25
  Speaker 6: it was at the end of a season and you
• 5:26
  Speaker 6: had a chance to kind of see what the program
• 5:29
  Speaker 6: was like.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Is that true?
• 5:31
  Speaker 6: And how much do you think that helps build just
• 5:34
  Speaker 6: getting to look at the program before he takes over
• 5:37
  Speaker 6: full control next year.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: Well, I think it's going to help him. You know,
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: it's a little different now than it was when you know,
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: even three years ago when I took over in that
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: there wasn't so much activity.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: In the portal.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: You had more I had a lot of time to
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: really evaluate our roster, anticipate some of the moves that
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: we might want to make. You know, he's got to
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: come in and really hit it hard immediately. You know,
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: he's got to be able to evaluate his roster. He's
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: got to be able to make moves quick in the portal.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: So it's truly an advantage though you know, you're not
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: in charge of the team yet per se or the
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: at least the activities that happen on the field, so
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: you do have some time to remove yourself from bull
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: prep and practice and focus on some of the other
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: things that you need to do to build a successful organization.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: And like I've said, you know multiple times already, having
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Mike Lombardi by his side is just an enormous, enormous advantage.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: I mean, this guy's you know, you guys know he's
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: an East Coast guy. I mean, he's he's an amazing
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: general manager. And to have that duo at UNC, well,
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: I'll tell you what, I don't know if there's going
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: to be a more powerful duo whilst you've Bill on
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: his own is as powerful as it gets.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: But you know, this is just something special, something really special.
• 6:52
  Speaker 6: And can you just talk up at the importance of
• 6:54
  Speaker 6: having extra weeks of practice for you just getting with
• 6:59
  Speaker 6: the player and continuing the whole growth of your program.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: I think there's an advantage to it. I think sometimes
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: it can be a little difficult when you're this far
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: out from a game. It's it's not as easy to
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: keep everyone focused on a daily basis, you know, because
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: there's not a task that's right in.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: Front of you.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: It's even different than spring or summer camp. In spring,
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: you know, it's fifteen days, it's high intensity. In summer
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: you're working towards the season. These last three practice have
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: just kind of been generic training camp type practices, but
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: there's not necessarily a goal at the end of them,
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: so you know, keeping everyone motivated or inspired to go
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: out there, you know the energy up is not as easy.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: But when we come back next week.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: So we're going to take a week now and let
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: these guys as they finish finals, go home and spend
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: some time with their family. But when we come back
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: next Thursday, I think that the practices will be really
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: beneficial now, you know, Roger, one thing that we were
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: able to do and I said that, I said this
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: after the season when we talked about the Bowl is
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: you know, our objections to win the ball and not
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: develop young guys, but we've also had the chance to
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: give young guys some work. You know, our practice haven't
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: just been a bunch of young guys running around there,
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: but we've had a chance to get them some competitive work,
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: not just scout team work. So you know, we've we've
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: done the best we can to take advantage of this
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: extra time.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: Thank you, Uh go ahead, Graham.
• 8:26
  Speaker 7: Hey, coach, I wanted to ask about you know, Freddie
• 8:31
  Speaker 7: Kitchen's being the interim at UNC and you know them
• 8:34
  Speaker 7: having some guys enter the portal. How does that change
• 8:37
  Speaker 7: the preparation on your end? Well, do you do you
• 8:42
  Speaker 7: look at the team any differently than you have, you know,
• 8:44
  Speaker 7: throughout the regular season.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: No, you know, I think Freddie called the players. So
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: I don't think that's going to change much. Uh, at
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: least that's you know, my understanding right now. To be
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: really honest, we haven't necessarily started in earnest preparing for UNC.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: You know, we've been.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: Working the portal and you know, working retainment of our
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: players and it's that's been quite a heavy task and
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: then just going out and practice generically. Now we've got
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: a week as a staff to really dig in to
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: U n C, figure all those things out and see
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: how we want to we want to tack preparations for them.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: So it's a really it's a really interesting time.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: As you guys know, in college football, it's very discombobulated.
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: I think it's really strange to have you know, free
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: agency the portal before your last game. It I think
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: it's created a ton of anxiety for players, a ton
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: of uncertainty for players. I think as an adult, as
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: a coach in this profession, you know, we're more able
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: to handle it, better prepared to handle those anxieties and
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: those pressures than the players are. So you know, half
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: of the battle right now is making sure our players
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: are getting good direction as they work to make these decisions,
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: and that takes a lot of time.
• 10:00
  Speaker 7: Yeah, And just to follow up, do you think that
• 10:02
  Speaker 7: any of the portal defections that you've had so far,
• 10:06
  Speaker 7: is that creating any sort of distraction, Like, how do
• 10:08
  Speaker 7: you keep the guys who are still remaining, you know,
• 10:11
  Speaker 7: not focused on that.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: Well, we really the.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: Only defection we've had of significance is Durell. Everyone else
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: is here. I mean, even if they've entered the portal,
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: they're playing, they're practicing, they're playing. You know, I don't
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: know if we talked about this before, but you know,
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: if a guy here enters the portal and you know
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: he's someone that we think is valuable, I'm not going
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: to stop recruiting him. You know, this is like the
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: NFL free agency. A guy becomes a free agent, he
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: goes out on the market. If he's a value to
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: your team, you don't just let him go, you know,
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: you fight for him. So we're fighting for those guys,
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: and to the credit of some of those guys that
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: have gone to the portal, they're here practicing.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: The only one that's not is Durell. And that's because
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: Durrell's out on visits. You know, he's been to Auburn,
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: he's been to Arkansas. I'm in contact with him on
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: a daily basis. But no, it hasn't affected us.
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: So far, thank you.
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: Sure Joe's own Go ahead, Joe your uh I think
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: you muted Joe and here you Joe still can't.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: You got to start in. Hereat too many people muting me. Uh.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: I'm just a little bit concerned.
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: I don't know if you are about Christmas foling right there,
• 11:30
  Speaker 4: like three days.
• 11:31
  Speaker 6: Before the game, You're you're ramping up, you know, you're
• 11:34
  Speaker 6: getting ready, and then boom that holiday.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: That's kind of hard to ignore it.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: Actually, it's interesting. It's it lays out well for us.
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: It's not ideal, certainly for families that want to spend
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: time together. But I've done this, I think two or
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: three other times at Bulls when I was at University Washington,
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: Plane and the Rose Bowl. We were always out on
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: site for Christmas. What we do, Joe, is make it
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: as family friendly as possible. You know, our intent right
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: now is to travel up to Boston on the twenty
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: fourth after our morning practice, have a have a meal,
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: have some meetings, have you know, a chapel and a mass,
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: have have a social with the parents, and then on
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: on Christmas Day, which is a Tuesday, Wednesday, I believe Wednesday. Uh,
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: we'll practice in the morning. I think we have some
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: community events, and then that evening we'll have a big
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: you know, family team holiday celebration dinner. You know, we'll
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: have Santa and we'll have I don't think we'll have
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: any Reindeers, but we'll have you know, we're gonna make it.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: We're gonna make it special for these kids and their families,
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: and then we're then you know, once that day ends,
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: we're you know, Thursday, Friday, Saturday into the game.
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: So my concern certainly.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: Is is is for these kids having any great experience
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: at the Bowl and for their families feeling like they
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: can still celebrate the holidays together. So we're doing the
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: best we can to make that happen. Thanks, coach, Sure,
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: Eric Thilbrat's go ahead, coach.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: I wonder if you can just talk about hitting the
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: recruiting trail.
• 13:09
  Speaker 5: I mean, going out on the trail with after an
• 13:11
  Speaker 5: eight win season's got to be a lot differ than
• 13:13
  Speaker 5: it was last year.
• 13:13
  Speaker 6: What's the buzzmen like out on the recruiting trail.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: To be honest with the Eric, we haven't been out.
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: You can't go out right now because it's all about
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: the portal, you know, we can't afford to.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Have anyone on the road.
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: And I think that's one thing that's really really different
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: than it was in the past, is this would be
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: a time when you know, you'd be hitting all the
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: high schools. I think if you look around the country
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: right now, staffs are hunkering down, you know, and they're
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: working on retaining their players, and they're evaluating the players
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: in the portal. It's really different. It's really strange. It's
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: I'm not sure it's the most healthy thing in the
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: world for this sport, but it is what it is,
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: and we're going to make the best of it. So
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: not one of our players, our coaches has had an
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: opportunity to get out on the road, and that's very,
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: very unusual, and I would imagine that it's really difficult
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: for high school recruits and high school coaches as well,
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: you know, this is the time when you start to
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: to build some of those relationships. You're you know, you're
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: going to some of the playoff games, you're getting in
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: the in the schools, you're spending time with the coaches.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: Uh. And that's just not happening right now.
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: It's just and I don't think it's happening anywhere in
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: the country or if and if it is, it's I
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: haven't heard of it.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: So it's it's very different, very different. Wayne.
• 14:24
  Speaker 8: Why don't you go ahead, Wayne, Hey, coach, could you
• 14:27
  Speaker 8: give an injury update? I know, Two, we got lost
• 14:31
  Speaker 8: some time against you Mass. Will he be back and
• 14:33
  Speaker 8: as anybody else impacted by injuries for this game too,
• 14:37
  Speaker 8: we will be back.
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: I mean, well, Dow, I think I've filled you guys
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: in after the game on Dalmont.
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: Dow's out.
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: He broke his foot in practice Wednesday before the UMass game.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: So he had surgery. You know, my hope for for
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: Dows that he's one hundred percent for his pro day.
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: But two, he's doing really well. It wasn't it was
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: I mean, it was any injury. This is an injury,
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: but it wasn't a serious debilitating injury. It's something he's
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: working through right now. And other than that, I think
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: we're in pretty good shape.
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: Sounds good.
• 15:08
  Speaker 8: And one more thing, would it be fair to say
• 15:11
  Speaker 8: that most of the guys, that not all the guys
• 15:13
  Speaker 8: on your team, they would rather be preparing for a
• 15:16
  Speaker 8: ball game than sitting at home with the family at
• 15:18
  Speaker 8: Christmas time. This is what they want, this is what
• 15:20
  Speaker 8: they play for.
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: Without a doubt. I mean that that attitude is very
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: alive on our team. These guys are excited. Now, this
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: was not an easy week. I'll tell you you know
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: a lot of distractions this week finals the portal. I
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: mean that the opening of the portal creates so much
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: anxiety for these kids. It's hard, but I think giving
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: them a chance, it's settled down here as the end,
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: as the week has gone on, you know, they'd been
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: able to focus a little bit more that they'd much
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: rather be going to a bowl than than finishing their
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: final and going home. And we're all excited about this
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: opportunity to go get win number nine. As I've said
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: you know a lot of times, and I think it's
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: a real credit to these players is they've been playing
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: football here for one hundred and twenty eight years and
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: now they didn't always have twelve games, Okay, so let's
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: be fair about that. But there's only been two nine
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: or more win seasons here in one hundred and twenty
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: eight years.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: And so I think I told those guys today, I said,
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: you guys can do something that's pretty darn special.
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: Won't be the first time it's been done, but it
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: hadn't been done a long time, and it hadn't been
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: done often. And you guys can look back with a
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: lot of pride that you've changed, hopefully changed the trajectory
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: of this program for a long time to come.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: So I think that they're excited about all of those things.
• 16:36
  Speaker 3: Joe Ruda, and then we have a couple more and
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: then we'll be good.
• 16:39
  Speaker 5: God, Joe, jim I, I know you mentioned that most
• 16:43
  Speaker 5: of the Portal guys have been practicing. Do you expect
• 16:46
  Speaker 5: them to play in the game? Are you asking them
• 16:48
  Speaker 5: to play in the game? How do you approach that?
• 16:49
  Speaker 5: Obviously Darrell might be a different situation.
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I would be. I don't think Durrell will play
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: in the game. I think the others will, you know,
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: I mean they're at practice or practicing hard. They have
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: a great attitude. Everyone kind of it's in the portal
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: for a different reason. You know, just because you get.
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: In the portal these days doesn't mean you want to leave.
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: It might be to test your market value. It might
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: be to see what else is out there, and it
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: might be to leave. It might be to you know
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: that you're that you're maybe feel like there's a place
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: that's better for you.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: So there's all kinds of reasons.
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: But you know, the guys that have gone in have
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: indicated to me that they want to they want to play,
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: they want to finish this thing out. And they've also
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: all indicated that they don't necessarily want to leave.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: You know, they don't want to leave.
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: But I mean, the way this thing is set up
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: nowadays is if you've got a kid and and uh,
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: he's been really successful here and a big time program
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: that can offer him a lot of money, and maybe
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: a different opportunity comes along, then they have to listen.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: That's that's the free market. But they also realize that
• 17:52
  Speaker 2: there's there's risks involved because as soon as someone goes
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: into portal, it's our responsibility to work hard to place them.
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: I think anytime a guy goes in the portal, you
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: have to assume that he's not going to be here.
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: And so, you know, there's that, there's that that part
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: of it that's a little bit tricky for these guys,
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: and they don't always understand that. So we try to
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: explain that to them very very clearly. And then there
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: are guys that are going in the portal that I
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: tell hey, listen, I just will tell you that we're
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: going to try to replace you, but you'll have rite
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: a first refusal, you know, like, well, not a lot
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: of them didn't even know what that meant, you know.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: I think it's like some old man term or something
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: like one kid goes, I don't even know what They
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: don't know what that means.
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: I said, well, here's what it means, you know, is.
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: That if we're you know, if we're filling your spot
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: before we tell someone else yet, we'll come Yes, we'll
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: come to you and say, hey, you know, what do you.
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: Want to do?
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: You know, we'll give you the last the option to
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: come back before we fill your spot. So I think
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: we're handling this whole thing the right way. I think
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: it's really difficult. I know, for a fact, we're handled
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: it with the best interests of our players in mind,
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: also understanding the responsibility we have to this university and
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: this fan base and and our donors and supporters, uh
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: and in this program.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: So it's it's it's pretty interesting, you know. And I'm actually.
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: Enjoying it, but not enjoying it, you know, And like
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: I said, I'm used to it, so I you know,
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: I think you try to you try to try to
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: balance the needs of your players with the needs of
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: your program.
• 19:25
  Speaker 5: And then just one last one for me, when you
• 19:28
  Speaker 5: approach the portal on a national level to bring guys in,
• 19:31
  Speaker 5: do you have the same approach this off season that
• 19:33
  Speaker 5: you did last year.
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been easier though, Joe, to get eyes, to
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: get people to pick up the phone, to get people
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: to respond, you know, when you DM them on Twitter, Instagram,
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: or you you call them or text them. You know,
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: we've had we've had price seven or eight, maybe nine
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: guys in already. We've got four guys here today, you know,
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: we have a couple more coming in tomorrow. So it's
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: it's the same approach. But thankfully the reaction of those
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: out there has been they're a little bit more quick
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: to respond to us, which is a credit to the
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: things that you know is going are going on here.
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: Okay, we'll go to Roger and then wrap it up
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: with Tom.
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: Go ahead, Roger.
• 20:18
  Speaker 6: I think you just I think you just kind of
• 20:21
  Speaker 6: answered it, Jim. But what is the process right now
• 20:26
  Speaker 6: for you? If you're not out on the road recruiting,
• 20:28
  Speaker 6: are you back there in stores just taking a lot
• 20:31
  Speaker 6: of visits from the portal guys and reaching out to them.
• 20:34
  Speaker 6: Is that what the process is kind of like now?
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, And it's so fluid, Roger, It's it's practicing, you know,
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: we practice, but it's it's it's twofold. It's it's spending
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: a lot of time with your current players trying to
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: help them understand their situation and their opportunities and work
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: them through some of the decisions that they have to make.
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: A lot of them don't have someone that they can
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: lean on for advice or someone that has knowledge or
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: experience in this space. And I think that most of
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: these guys trust my experience and they trust that I'll
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: give them the right advice. So I spent a lot
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: of time doing that as of our assistants. At the
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: same time, we're constantly evaluating guys as they.
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: Enter the portal.
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: You know, I've got a backlog of I'm not kidd
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: you now, I've got a backlog of hundreds of players
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: that I've got to look at in the next few days,
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: you know, and someone can be real quick looks. It
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: might be Hey, you watch six or seven plays and
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: this guy's a no brainer, yes, and you watch it,
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: feel well, now he doesn't fit what we want to do.
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: And then there's a lot that you're gonna have to
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: study a ton of film to really feel out who
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: they are. And then then there's the part about bringing
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: them in. You know, we're bringing these guys in and
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: spending time with them. You know, we've talked us, all
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: of us on this call so often about the culture
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: being you know, important, and how dangerous the portal can
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: be and influencing your portal. So it's really important that
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: we bring them in here and we spend time with them.
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: We can see what kind of football player they are
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: on film. It's critical that we understand what kind of
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: person they are before we open our gates to them,
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: so that it's it's a lot. I mean, it's NonStop,
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: and it's it's it's there is no, we're not walking
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: down a straight line.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: I mean it every day.
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: It's like, I mean, it's it's it's insanity, you know it, really,
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: it really is.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: And you better keep a good sense of humor or
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: you're gonna go crazy.
• 22:29
  Speaker 6: Thank you?
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: Sure?
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: Okay, Dom, why don't you pick the last one?
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: Here?
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: Tom? Now here you are with your mute on you
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: muted Dom. You're like a rookie right there.
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: I know.
• 22:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Well, I'm gonna have to explain to my young
• 22:47
  Speaker 4: colleague what right of first refusal means later be ready?
• 22:51
  Speaker 6: For got it?
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: Got it?
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 22:54
  Speaker 4: You got okay? Joe, Jim. We haven't asked actually about
• 22:57
  Speaker 4: North Carolina. I know you don't know exactly what they're
• 23:00
  Speaker 4: going to have by the time you get there, but
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: from what you've seen of them, you have some common opponents.
• 23:05
  Speaker 4: What what what's the challenges that they're gonna pose.
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: I haven't watched him yet.
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: I haven't had a chance, but I mean i've seen
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: them on TV, and I you know, I'm fairly familiar
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: with them and knowing that they're an accy opponent and
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: they were coached and built by, you know, someone that
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: I respect a whole lot. You know, they're gonna be tough,
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: they're gonna be big, they're gonna be faster and be physical.
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: They've got a running back that you know, this guy,
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: I got the depth chart here Amari and Hampton. I mean,
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: this guy's rushed for you know, sixteen hundred and sixty
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: yards and five point nine yards of carry, so I
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: know they run the ball well. They're they're really big upfront.
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: I mean they're really big. So you know it's going
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: to be an a SEC opponent that's formidable, that's talented,
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: that's big, that's physical. I would say that probably, you know,
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: getting coach Belichick in there give some of these guys
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: a little incentive to play really, really well. They want
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: to impress him, you know, and I know that. You know,
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: they've had a guy that winning the portal, that's already
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: pulled his name out of the portal. I wouldn't be
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: surprised to see more of that because initially they had
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: you know, six of their offensive linemen and got in
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: the portal, and I believe three of those were starters.
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: You know, I wouldn't be surprised at all they all
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: come back. You know, it's a chance to get coached
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: by a legend. Uh So, listen, I don't know where
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: their mindset is. I know they're very, very talented. I
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: know they can run the ball, I know they can throw.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: It another, they're big.
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: I'm just concerned with our guys being in the right
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: headspace and going out and doing what we've done all year,
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: which is, you know, fight like crazy, fight like crazy
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: to try to get a win.
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: And that's what we'll do. That's what you can expect
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: from us. Okay, great, Thank you so much today for
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: your time. Coach, appreciate it. Hey, guys, thanks, thanks everybody,
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: and you too, Gabby. See you guys, Thank yous, Jim bye,
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: thanks for doing this bill. No problem, guys.
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: I'll send out the recording for anyone who needs it
• 24:56
  Speaker 3: and I'll be in touch on some availability, hopefully at
• 24:58
  Speaker 3: the end.
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: Of next week.
• 25:00
  Speaker 7: Awesome, thank you.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: You got it.