Q: How is camp going so far?
A: It's going good. Everyone has camp legs and is a little tired. Overall as a team everyone is flying around out there and really enjoying themselves. I feel like as a team we're closer this year on and off the field than we were last year or past years.
Q: What did you think of today's scrimmage? It seemed like you were a jack-of-all-trades lining up at A, B, and QB.
A: It was interesting. Coach Johnson met with me this summer and said he wanted to get me the ball a lot more because I'm physical in short-yardage situations. He's trying to put me in wherever I can fit in and get me the ball. I think that pretty much speaks to my game; I'm versatile. So hopefully that turns out pretty good for us this season too.
Q: Obviously the A-Back [position] is more in your wheelhouse probably since you played it the last couple years. Do you have a preference?
A: Not really. I just want the ball in my hands and I want the team to win. I feel like with the ball in my hands we have a great chance of winning because I'm tough to tackle.
Q: How far along are you guys this year compared to last year at this time?
A: I think we're probably further along even though we have a new quarterback in Justin Thomas. Justin was new to the offense when he came in but he impressed me. When he came in I was still at quarterback. He impressed me with his knowledge of the game and how calm he was as a quarterback. You never really see him rattled. At the A-Back position we have a lot of seniors. A lot of people don't think we have depth at the D-Line, but I feel like the core guys that we have are going to hold it down.
Q: There's a lot of talk about the hurry-up. We saw it in the spring a little bit, we've heard about it in the offseason, and we saw it for maybe one or two series today. How much have you all worked on that so far?
A: We've worked on that every day, every practice. Every practice we work on the hurry-up, oh my goodness, especially at the end of practice. I feel like it helps [practicing] when we're tired because it makes us be more mentally focused. I think it's going to be a big factor when we run it this season because a lot of defenses are probably not going to be able to get lined up and get their calls. We're going to know what we're supposed to be doing, so I'm looking forward to running it during the season.
Q: Last year coming in to camp the offensive line was banged up. This year you have 3 or 4 different lines coming in. They're all fresh and you're running them through. Have you noticed a difference in how well they're doing?
A: Yea, I think the O-Line as a whole has progressed in knowing the calls and who they're getting. That's one of the big things with our offense. Playing A-Back and B-Back and knowing the different calls that the linemen have to make, and I see they're making the right calls because that's what I see too. It's reassuring knowing that the line is making the right calls and blocking the right people. I'm really looking forward to this year. I'm really excited.
Q: Last question for you - Last night there was some late-breaking news in the Ed O'Bannon and the NCAA trial. Have you all heard anything about that, the outcome, or do you have any sort of opinion on what that means?
A: No, we haven't heard anything about it. I haven't heard anything about it.
