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00:00 >> Okay, well, good morning.
00:02 We're definitely excited to kick off fall camp today.
00:05 And I know our players have worked hard, put in a lot of time and
00:08 effort to get better and gel this thing together.
00:11 So we're excited to get practice one underway.
00:14 I think that there's a lot of work to be done, but
00:17 some new pieces that weren't here in the spring that fortunately have been here
00:22 all summer, so we've got a chance to get around them and
00:28 get them up to speed as much as we can.
00:30 But getting out in the practice field will be even better.
00:34 So we're excited about that.
00:35 And it's important to get our guys prepared and ready to go and
00:39 get us guys as many, get us guys healthy as much as we can to game one as well.
00:44 We're looking forward to preparing for Georgia Tech.
00:45 Questions?
00:47 >> Yeah, Jeff, what are your top priorities going into the fall camp?
00:52 Maybe some things you didn't get quite finished in the spring?
00:57 >> I think it's important that we throw as much at our guys as we can early on.
01:02 There are some numerous components that have not been here in the spring, so
01:07 we wanna get a chance to look at them in full speed action,
01:11 doing real football activities in a team setting.
01:15 So that'll be important to see how much depth we have in each position.
01:18 I do think that we have the ability to develop some depth right now
01:23 at certain positions that we did not have before, which will be great to see.
01:26 So we've gotta continue that.
01:28 And then of course, like everything, it's about getting guys ready for game one and
01:32 then getting that next batch ready to step in when their number's called and
01:37 also prepare for the future.
01:39 >> Jeff, do you have any idea how many players you'll have in camp and
01:43 have with the team?
01:45 And is everybody here that should be here is another thing?
01:49 >> Yeah, I think everyone's here that's supposed to be here.
01:52 Normally we start camp with a normal audit amount of guys.
01:59 >> 115?
02:00 >> 115.
02:01 >> Yeah, so we feel good about where the roster is in that aspect.
02:06 There are a few guys that have had off-season surgeries that have recovered,
02:12 and probably 90% of them are fully cleared, and a few others that
02:17 it'll take a little time to see how they progress in fall camp.
02:22 >> How do you bring all this together in that preseason?
02:26 Now you're what, five weeks away from your first game?
02:29 Like you said, there's a lot to do.
02:31 How do you bring it all together and say, well, we can do this,
02:34 we can't do that, blah, blah, blah?
02:36 >> Well, that's what we're supposed to be getting done right now.
02:39 And I do think nowadays, summer workouts and summer planning and
02:43 making sure we do enough things to challenge them to prepare,
02:50 just like it was practice.
02:51 And then of course, they're able to run some player practices on their own after
02:55 we work with them a little bit, is vital to success.
02:58 So I think they're up to speed to a certain degree.
03:00 At the same time, they don't have pads on at that point.
03:03 So to get them in full pads and see them run things and
03:09 learn things and play together and
03:12 see who definitely are our playmakers will be important.
03:15 But I think that's what we're gonna do every year.
03:18 I think every year it's gonna be like that as well,
03:20 where you're gonna have guys come back and new pieces of the team.
03:24 And you gotta prepare that way and
03:27 piece that together as quickly and as efficiently as you can.
03:30 >> Have you changed how you do things in terms of install or
03:35 things early on in fall practice,
03:37 considering you have so many new guys and they're different from other years?
03:41 >> Well, what we try to do is, a lot of these guys
03:47 have been here throughout the spring and then we have a component of guys that are new.
03:51 And the summer is planned out accordingly where we're running ball plays,
03:57 running our defense and offense, and doing special teams and going over all those things.
04:03 So while there are certain rules you have to abide by and
04:07 adhere to, at the same time, you can get a lot of work.
04:10 These guys have been here and over the years,
04:13 it's different than over 30 years ago when I played.
04:15 But they do a lot in the summer and they put a lot of time in and
04:20 it's mapped out and they're over at the facility and it's really not optional.
04:25 So I just think that you have to utilize that,
04:27 it can't just be a free for all and throw the ball out.
04:30 You gotta prepare, so I just think that's part of it.
04:33 And now it's about us fully being on the field and pads and
04:38 we should be able to prepare and know what to do.
04:41 And everyone who's here, no matter when they got here, it's up to us and
04:45 our job to get them ready to play.
04:46 And if they don't know what they're doing, then it's our fault.
04:49 >> You said it was different than when you played.
04:52 What was the difference 30 years ago?
04:54 I can't believe it's that long.
04:57 >> Quite a bit, it was quite different.
04:58 >> [LAUGH] >> Back in those days,
05:01 you showed up in the summer and worked out and grabbed a card and
05:03 filled it out and did as much as you can.
05:06 That was optional.
05:07 And that's changed years ago and it's just very, yeah,
05:12 I'm sure every team's doing it, if not, I'm sure they should be.
05:16 But you've gotta map those things out.
05:19 And these guys are here, they're taking classes in the summer,
05:22 they're going through workouts, they're in our weight room, they're training,
05:24 they're rehabbing injuries, they're conditioning.
05:27 And we're able to do things on the field.
05:30 And that rule changed a couple years ago where we can do a little bit more on
05:34 the field with them than we used to as far as individual instruction.
05:37 And you have to utilize that, it's vital to do that.
05:40 And really the kids wanna do that as much as possible.
05:44 So I just think that we try not to burn them out, so to speak.
05:53 But they wanna be here and they wanna put in the work and
05:55 it's up to us to make sure we're around as much as we can to help them prepare.
05:58 >> Jeff, a couple weeks ago,
06:02 you said that TJ Capers was still kinda coming back from a knee injury.
06:06 Is he full grown now or
06:08 is he still very much trying to come back from that injury?
06:10 >> He is not full grown yet.
06:12 He had knee surgery after this season.
06:15 Things have gone well.
06:18 We just got him here a little while ago, so
06:19 we wanna make sure we get him fully healthy before we get him out there going
06:24 full speed, but he's making progress and I think he's getting closer, but
06:28 that'll still take some time.
06:29 >> Okay, Coach, you guys have eight open practices.
06:32 Just talk about the decision to do that and what that means for
06:35 the program to have fans come out and see them eight times this fall camp.
06:39 >> Well, I think it's very important and my mentor, Coach Nelmer,
06:42 was the best at it and fully believed in it.
06:45 I know nowadays not many people do it, but we want to.
06:49 And I think it's important to include the fan base and
06:51 anybody who wants to be a part of the program and see what's going on.
06:54 And there's nothing we're hiding.
06:56 I want guys and our players to see the support that's out there and
07:00 the people that are interested in watching them compete and get ready for
07:03 the season.
07:04 I want them to add a little excitement to the practice and
07:07 let them know that there's a lot of people depending on them to go out and
07:11 perform at a high level and want to see them succeed and want to be a part of it.
07:15 And I just think it's a lot more fun that way.
07:20 Are there a few things we gotta be careful of what we show and do?
07:24 I'm not even sure there is, but at the same time, we gotta be good enough coaches
07:29 to be able to change things up and do what we need to do to win and
07:33 know that we'll have time to prepare for each opponent weekly.
07:36 But right now, it's about playing football, learning the game.
07:40 We want the fans to be a part of it.
07:41 We want them to come out during game day as well.
07:43 But I definitely want to continue that and do that as much as possible.
07:48 >> Jeff, how vital is Jack Plummer's role in the quarterback's role,
07:54 given his experience playing for you before, and
07:56 just in terms of setting the tone for him?
07:59 >> I'm excited about Jack.
08:00 He's worked really hard, and that's always been a strength of his.
08:02 He puts in the time, he puts in the effort.
08:04 He's a great leader.
08:06 He's really bought into getting to know his teammates here as quickly as he can.
08:10 He did a really good job in the spring.
08:11 I see him putting in extra work all the time.
08:14 He came here for a purpose.
08:15 He wants to be great.
08:17 He wants to challenge himself to help this football team win.
08:21 He was able to play some pretty good football last year,
08:24 even though they weren't able to win as many games as he would like.
08:27 And he wants to be on a winning football team and try to do something special.
08:31 And I think he's definitely battle tested.
08:34 He's got the experience that you're looking for with that position,
08:36 which is hard to do.
08:37 He's been through the ups and downs.
08:39 He knows my positive traits and negative traits.
08:42 We know each other.
08:43 But at the same time, he's a competitor.
08:47 And he's been really, really good with the other quarterbacks,
08:51 getting them up to speed on maybe how we do things slightly different here and there.
08:55 And even the young guys, and Pearson, those guys, teaching them what he knows.
08:58 So I just think he's really been a positive influence and
09:02 a great addition to this point.
09:04 >> Jeff, when you take this job, there's a lot of outside things pulling at you.
09:08 Obviously, you have a lot of family and friends in town.
09:10 Does this kind of feel like turning the page of a new chapter today?
09:14 It's like, okay, this is the football season.
09:17 Now we can really focus and get locked in and
09:20 kind of block out everything else and just kind of get ready.
09:23 >> Well, it does.
09:24 And I've enjoyed being back.
09:25 And I think it is important that myself and
09:30 everybody realizes, to me, the great part about winning here is it can be
09:36 not only just a family affair, but a full city affair.
09:39 And this town wants to see sports succeed.
09:41 They wanna do great things.
09:43 They wanna challenge themselves against any city across the country, any program.
09:47 And we wanna help try to put a great product on the field.
09:50 So there's a lot that goes into it.
09:53 But it's important that the fans in this town know that we're gonna give
09:59 everything we have, we're gonna lay it on the line.
10:02 We're gonna try to win as much as we can.
10:05 We want them to feel a part of it.
10:06 These players wanna win.
10:08 It's important to them.
10:10 They really do work hard and they wanna do great things.
10:12 And as a former player, former coach,
10:17 who's coached here and native of this city,
10:24 I understand how important it is and what it means.
10:26 So we're gonna do everything in our power to try to put a good product on the field.
10:30 >> As a quick follow up, Kenny Payne kinda talked about that TBT,
10:34 how it affected him with the crowd.
10:36 You were there for a couple of games.
10:37 Did that kinda have the same impact on you,
10:39 kinda like going back to when you were a kid, being in there?
10:42 You see the fan base so excited about something?
10:44 >> Well, I enjoyed it and it was fun to watch.
10:46 And it was fun to watch the former players go out there and
10:48 compete, that did great things when they were here.
10:50 They understand what it means to work hard and try to win a championship and
10:57 what it brings to the city and all the positives that come with that.
11:01 And but they understand the work that's required to do that.
11:05 And it was fun to watch those games.
11:09 And a lot of fans were out in full force and
11:16 yes, a lot of players, I'm sure Kenny's basketball players saw that.
11:21 But that's what winning can do.
11:22 And if you're willing to put in the work and willing to work at it,
11:25 lay it on the line, it can bring a lot of people together.
11:28 And everybody can have a lot of fun.
11:30 And at the same time, you've gotta be tough enough to handle some losses and
11:35 some defeats and work through it.
11:36 But realize that the prize at the end can be really fun for all.
11:43 >> So kind of going back to Jack, you talked about how he wants to be great.
11:46 With him having so much experience as a college football player, quarterback,
11:51 four years with you and then one year at Cal.
11:52 What more do you feel like he has to prove or how much more does he have to get
11:57 better to be that great quarterbacker, maybe where he wants to be?
12:00 >> Well, quarterback play is unique where you've just gotta be efficient a lot of
12:06 things.
12:06 And his work ethic is there, his intelligence level is there.
12:12 Executing, helping his team win is really the difference maker for quarterbacks.
12:18 Can you elevate your team and help them win?
12:20 And sometimes it's not all due to your play and
12:23 sometimes the losses isn't all due to your play, but that's how it's perceived.
12:27 And I just think we're gonna try to build this team around his strengths.
12:31 He will let us, the talent we have.
12:32 He's gotta play efficient, smart football, be a great leader, be tough.
12:35 >> Thank you.
12:36 >> Be able to handle the adversity that comes up.
12:40 But I just think he's been battle tested a great deal at this point.
12:44 That's much harder to teach than you think.
12:47 You kinda have to go through it.
12:49 And he has, so I would hope that we can help him have a great
12:54 last year and he can help his football team win games.
12:58 >> Just since you've been coaching, which goes back a ways,
13:05 how much has this first week of camp, first days of fall camp changed?
13:10 Even the last couple years with this post spring transfer window and
13:13 you got completely new guys coming in the morning and year in the spring.
13:16 Has it changed the way you start practice at all or
13:19 change the timing of the start of practice?
13:21 >> Well, rules change every year.
13:24 To be quite honest, we've adjusted our practice schedule more over the years and
13:29 maybe others.
13:30 And I think the game is kinda catching up to that to a certain degree.
13:34 What's going on is these guys train year round now.
13:37 They put in a lot of time in the summer.
13:39 Is it important to go out there and grind and work hard and sweat and
13:43 be out there a long time?
13:44 Yes, it is.
13:45 But same time it's important to get your best players to game one healthy and
13:48 to get them fresh.
13:49 So I think we try to combine the perfect combination of getting work in and
13:53 also trying to get to that first game healthy.
13:57 I think we try to combine the perfect combination of we've got a football
14:02 really comes down to 11 on 11.
14:04 So people can throw the ball around all summer.
14:06 They won, they can play seven on seven.
14:07 It's not real football.
14:10 And so we have as much 11 on 11, good on good work as we can in camp to get our
14:15 guys accustomed to going against the best competition they can.
14:19 We'll continue that through the season, probably more so than others,
14:21 where we go good on good and our best against our best to
14:25 understand the speed of the game each and every week.
14:28 So I think we've mapped it out pretty good.
14:34 It slightly changes every year.
14:36 That's based on how much depth you have and the veterans you have on your team.
14:41 But yes, there are some newcomers that we need to see in live bullets.
14:47 We need to see how they react to good things and bad things happening.
14:51 But to this point, what we've been able to see in the summer has been good.
14:55 And I think these guys should be able to help our team.
14:58 They've been good teammates to this point, and
15:00 we're hopeful that the chemistry is good as we continue to move forward.
15:04 >> Jeff, you on the offensive line during the spring,
15:07 you said you had to get better there.
15:08 You've brought in a bunch of guys since then.
15:11 What do you expect out of the competition that you're gonna see there in fall camp
15:15 with all those new guys?
15:16 >> Well, just the other day, we were going over our depth chart and
15:19 how to rotate guys and get them ready for practice.
15:21 And yes, we have more depth there, and that is really good to see.
15:24 Now some of them, we haven't seen them full pads and go full speed, so
15:28 I don't wanna judge it too soon.
15:30 But I think we definitely have depth in competition.
15:34 We would like to play more than one deep and get other guys ready to go,
15:38 just in case things happen, keep guys fresh.
15:40 We've always done a pretty decent job of that.
15:43 So that's been encouraging to this point.
15:45 And I think just getting those guys up to speed on how we call things,
15:49 making quick decisions, being able to react and understand and
15:54 adjust to what you're seeing on defense is always important.
15:57 The communication part as far as physically, a lot of times they can do that.
16:01 It's just recognizing and being intelligent in how we teach and
16:07 making sure they know exactly what they're doing on every play.
16:10 But I've been encouraged at this point.
16:13 >> You said your goal or one of your goals is to win now.
16:16 That covers a lot of ground, of course, from 7-5 to 12-0.
16:20 How do you define success?
16:22 What, with this team, your first team, what's a successful season in your eyes?
16:28 >> Well, we don't talk about goals a whole lot, but we do at the beginning of camp.
16:31 And with that question, we always wanna try to win the ACC Championship.
16:35 It's always gonna be a goal of ours.
16:36 It's gonna be this year as well.
16:38 We always wanna try to win our home games and win any time we play on this field.
16:43 And that's gonna be another goal as well.
16:44 And we always wanna try to beat our rival, which we all know who that is.
16:47 So all those things are important.
16:50 We won't shy away from it.
16:52 I can't predict exactly how the season will go, but
16:56 unfortunately for Moran, it's gotta be a one game season every week.
17:00 And you've gotta prepare as much as you can for that opponent.
17:04 Put everything you got into it, coaches and players, and lay it on the line and
17:09 hope to win.
17:10 And if you win, you gotta be able to do it again, not pat yourself on the back at all
17:14 and take it easy the next week or you will lose.
17:16 Same time if you lose, you gotta be able to keep that confidence and
17:21 use that as motivation and drive you to work even harder so
17:24 that doesn't happen again.
17:25 I just think if you're able to stay balanced and
17:28 know that it's a one game season every week and block out anything else,
17:33 normally good things are gonna happen.
17:35 But if you allow any of that to affect you or you look down the road or
17:38 you don't take one team for granted, it's gonna catch up with you.
17:43 So I just think we talk about it a lot, but we need to back that up.
17:48 So it's just a matter of putting the best effort forth every day and
17:53 getting better, challenging ourself, and hope that we can have the toughness and
17:58 composure to compete every week to win the football game.
18:02 >> One more for Jeff.
18:03 >> Jeff, I mean, I guess at this point in the season,
18:05 about a month out from the start of the season,
18:07 what kind of feelings are going through you as you're coming back to your alma mater,
18:10 coming back to your hometown?
18:11 What kind of emotions are with you as you start practice a month out from the season?
18:16 >> Well, I've watched a lot of videotape of our first opponent and
18:19 I've here lately just to make sure I'm up to speed.
18:21 So you just kinda, you really go back and you dive into things even deeper and
18:26 you realize that the time to watch a baseball game on TV or
18:32 do something simple that needs to wait till after the season.
18:35 So that's important and I'm excited to see our guys compete.
18:40 Like everyone knows, there's some new pieces.
18:42 I wanna see what they can do.
18:44 I wanna have some fun with it.
18:45 I want our guys to enjoy trying to be great at what they do.
18:49 I want them to enjoy trying to defeat the person on the other side of the ball each
18:56 and every play and have some fun with it.
18:57 I just think if we can make it competitive and fun and
19:01 everybody's working hard, good things will happen.
19:03 But you gotta take things head on, you gotta not back down,
19:07 you gotta be willing to lay it on the line each and every week.
19:11 And if you do that, you can achieve whatever you want, but it's gotta be
19:15 consistent and you gotta be able to stick together and
19:19 continue to fight through it no matter what's going on.
19:21 And everybody at this time thinks they can win every game,
19:25 it's just not the reality of it.
19:27 So you gotta be able to handle losses when they come.
19:29 You gotta be able to press forward and realize that that's part of the game.
19:35 At the same time, yeah, it'd be great to win every one, but
19:37 preaching one game season is how we try to get through that.
19:44 >> All right, okay.
19:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]