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00:00 What's it been like for you guys as specialists?
00:02 And Coach was saying he wanted to spend a lot of time.
00:04 There is a lot of experience at different places.
00:07 You're kind of the experience guy. What's it been like?
00:09 It's been good. I mean, it's just another camp.
00:12 A little bit different vibe.
00:14 Practice the rain a little differently.
00:17 We try to add in a lot of different pressure situations
00:21 as well as different scenarios that you might see in games.
00:27 So, especially field goal wise, we've been trying to implement all of that.
00:30 You have open spots at both on and off the field.
00:33 What is that competition up there like amongst you guys?
00:35 Because obviously you hang out with your friends, but what's that competition like?
00:38 I mean, it's off the field. We're buddies.
00:41 But when we're on the field, we kind of worry about ourselves.
00:44 Focus on what we need to do better.
00:46 Focus on our job and task at hand.
00:50 So, I mean, we're buddies when it's off the field.
00:53 But when we're on the field, we get our work done.
00:56 How have you improved over the course of this offseason?
00:58 Do you feel like you're more accurate, more powerful?
01:00 Where do you think you've made the most strides?
01:02 Yeah, I think both accuracy and power.
01:05 I've worked a lot of running to condition myself.
01:11 I do a lot of that over the offseason.
01:13 Running also helped me work on gaining a little bit of distance and gaining leg speed.
01:18 So, that's really helped a lot.
01:20 Accuracy, I've been a lot more accurate than I have in the past.
01:23 And I truly believe I'm running this year.
01:26 You kind of did it all in high school.
01:30 I mean, you did a little bit of everything.
01:32 You had the practices. You've been doing a little bit of everything as well.
01:35 What do you feel like your role is going to be?
01:38 And obviously, there's competition and there's different things.
01:40 What's your role going to be on this team?
01:42 I feel like I'm going to be the field goal kickoff guy.
01:45 And then I'll be that emergency punter type deal in cases needed.
01:50 I've taken a lot of runs. I've hunt this spring so far.
01:54 And obviously, a lot of runs in the field on kickoffs.
01:56 So, I feel like that's where it's headed.
01:58 Kickoffs you've done the last couple years.
02:01 It was different from your first year to your second year.
02:03 What's different? Do you feel like it's going to be different this year?
02:07 Yeah, I mean, last year we transitioned to deep right kickoffs.
02:11 It really helped me last year.
02:13 I was able to get my touchback percentage up to around 65.
02:16 So, hopefully that rises again this year.
02:19 I'm sticking with that deep right area and hopefully putting them back in.
02:24 Kind of interesting, Coach Carl was here before and now he's back.
02:28 You worked with him for a couple years, right?
02:30 Yeah, for two years.
02:32 Him and Holt had recruited me in here.
02:34 And then I had freshman/sophomore year with him.
02:36 And then last year, obviously, he was at Purdue.
02:38 But he's back this year.
02:40 So, our specialist group has a pretty good connection with him.
02:43 So, we really enjoy having him back.
02:46 And we're happy to get him up and running again.
02:48 What's he like? He seems really low-key.
02:50 Yeah, he is. He's very low-key.
02:52 He's a great coach. We love his schemes.
02:55 We love what he does.
02:56 He creates competition within us and gets us really the best out of us competing with each other.
03:01 He's got another brother on the roster now.
03:03 What's it like having him out there with the specialists?
03:05 It's awesome.
03:07 It's cool to be able to mentor him and also kind of watch him strive and get better every day.
03:12 So, it's cool to have him out here.
03:14 And it's also fun to have family here as well, too, at all times.
03:19 The one spot that's so important is long-sniper for everybody.
03:22 You didn't have to deal with it the last couple years, but you do this year.
03:25 What have you seen from him and the improvement that he made?
03:29 His shot is a great long-sniper.
03:31 Very accurate.
03:32 He has got some tremendous speed on the balls.
03:36 Like, they get back there faster than any ball I've caught.
03:39 So, he's a great coach.
03:42 You've talked a little bit about the competition at field goal kickers.
03:45 How have some of the other guys looked at camp up to this point?
03:47 Great.
03:49 Nick Lopez has been doing a really good job.
03:52 He's been very accurate, and it's a battle that's between him right now.
03:56 So, I'm really enjoying that.
04:00 And as well as Nick Keller, the boss, I think they're really doing well.
04:04 Where would you say your max range is when it comes to field goal kicking?
04:08 Depending on conditions.
04:10 If we're going to a condition that's here, I'd say around 60, I think.
04:16 Good?
04:17 Yeah, thanks a lot.