We're back. How is everybody doing? All right? Well, first and foremost, you know what? Welcome, guys. Welcome to the start of another season, and should be an a lot of fun. I know how excited we are to kind of get started, to build on what happened last year, let you know how proud I am of those guys and how they held themselves to a little higher standard.
Really took pride in giving themselves an opportunity to get to Atlanta, and I was really excited for not only our players, but our organization, just to be able to experience that event, because that is one of the greatest events there is, and it was a lot of fun.
And yet very disappointed in how we finished. Not something that we're proud of, and not something that, you know, I take very lightly. Yet, at the same time, it was an opportunity for us to kind of learn. And really, as you go through life, the piece of learning is what it's all about. And by no means can you ever be satisfied, can you ever be – well, you know what, we exceeded expectations, so let's call it good. That wasn't good.
And learning from that, it will be interesting to see how this year's team responds. We lost some really, really fine players, and I'm excited for them to, you know, move on into the National Football League and get that opportunity to achieve a dream, and yet excited when those guys graduated as well, walking across that stage. That's the most important stage there is.
You know, the three guys you'll get a chance to visit with that are here, two of those, Marcus Maye and Jarrad Davis, chose to come back to school. You know what? I was really excited about that, because they are great leaders. David Sharpe on offense. They had an opportunity to visit with him. Probably the most experienced of any of our players that are returning on the offensive side of the ball with arguably, probably, the most starts.
With that, this should be a lot of fun. Really looking forward to it. Looking forward to see what this team's all about. I've been excited the way our older guys have grabbed these younger guys. You know? We're able to get 12 of them in at mid-year, which was great. Had an opportunity to go through spring practice. That really helped us.
And then, you know, the 12 new guys that joined us here in mid-June, just seeing how our older guys have helped those guys along, is something that I'm happy to see. And going into year two, you know what, things are good at the University of Florida, and that's the way it should be.
So, with that, love to take some questions.
Coach, what about Luke Del Rio makes it obvious to you that he's a coach's son, and what has your interaction, if any, been with Jack? Sure. I got to say this. All four guys we have in that quarterback room I'm really excited about. Luke being one of them who obviously was with us last year, so his familiarity with what we're doing.
I've known Luke a long time. I think he was an eighth grader when he came to camp in Alabama. Obviously, Jack, when they were in Colorado, he's a guy that we stayed in touch with a lot, and so, you know what, I'm excited to see us at that position. And the way Luke is, and Austin, both have kind of elevated the guys around them. It will be fun here during two-a-days to see who takes that step, but, you know, as far as your other question, I had a brief stint with the Raiders, so I'm kind of a Raiders fan and I'm excited for Jack.
When you're looking at this offensive line, everybody always says they want to get five, their best five out there. Is there – are you trying to get to like a level of eight? Yeah. In – obviously our offensive line play has got to get better. That's something we've already talked about and, Pat, you and I have already talked about it already, and yet those three true freshman that played last year had an opportunity to kind of learn under fire, and I'll be excited to see what they learned as we get back.
You know, ideally, what we'd like to be able to do is be ten, where you had, you know, kind of backups at each one of those spots. Whether we get there or not, I'm not sure. Usually in a rotation of nine is ideal. And you got to have versatility at the center spot, and that's something we got to make sure we have as well.
Hey, Coach, I notice all the Nick Saban assistants to get SEC jobs are always in the other division. Is that by coincidence, or is that kind of by design? And what do you think it will take for one of you guys to beat him, and do you guys ever talk about that amongst yourselves? I know what an honor it was to work for Coach, what I was able to learn when I was at the University of Alabama. And I was excited to be able to play him. I know this, I'll be excited to play him again this year, because I know it's in Atlanta.
Coach, you talked about your quarterback room previously. It's very interesting that you have two transfers, two freshman. There's a nice dynamic there. What's the difference as a coach when you're recruiting a high school kid as opposed to bringing in a transfer? One player looking a year or two down the road versus one that needs to help you right away? I think the key there is having that right mix. Obviously in Austin Appleby, someone who played in big games, he's played in big stadiums, having started in the Big Ten. That's something that's invaluable. You know, in Luke's case, familiarity he had kind of with what we do offensively, I think is good.
The key is to see that competition, and what those guys do to give of themselves, to help those two younger guys in Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks, how they help them develop. That's what has been kind of fun, is to see some veterans who know how to study a game plan, know how to study install. Kind of from that standpoint help those younger guys come along. Here's the good thing. We've really got good arm talent. I'm excited about being able to stretch the field vertically. Should be a lot of fun.
Considering the way your place kicking transpired last year – Are you going come kick for us?
You got a guy now – We'll see. I don't think the guy has ever kicked in a game. But we'll find out.
That's what I was wondering. I know you were happy to see what happened in the spring, but do you think it can transfer over to when the lights are really on, what you saw? You know, that's going to be interesting. I know this. I was excited to see he was able to buckle his chinstrap. That was awesome. And to see that happen, you know what, that's a step in the right direction. Obviously, he's got a very strong leg, talking about Eddy.
And, you know, Jorge Powell, who will be back, that actually got hurt in the LSU game a year ago, taking over the kicking duties, he's back to being healthy. We'll talk about that same piece. Johnny Townsend really did a great job for us as a punter, on the hidden yardage, the field position, pinning guys down inside the ten. I thought he did an outstanding job of giving the opponent long fields.
So, you know, that's a group that, you know, we'll see. And yet I got total faith in the kickers, and they are a lot of fun to be around, too.
Coach, Nick Saban took a chance on you, bringing you in from Fresno State to run an offense, and of course did very well with that. A couple of national championships. Of course now you're with Florida, had a ten-win season last year. What are some of the things that you value from being around Coach Saban, whether was in the film room, on the field, in telephone conversations? How much did you really value that experience? You know, as you go through this, I've been very fortunate. I've been round a lot of great head coaches and guys I've been able to take a lot of things from. Coach, you know, he only asked a couple of things, is work hard and be complete in what you do.
If you think about it, all of us kind of live by that. We have a pretty good chance to be successful. That's something I'll always take.
And yet, when I was head off to Colorado State, he pointed something out. He said: Whatever you do, you got to do it your way. You got to be you. You can't be someone else. And I think that's a piece that I probably tried to take with me, and, you know, because he's one of the best and a guy that I consider, you know, a friend, and a guy that I can lean on at any time.
I'm so sorry, I'm going to ask you another Saban question. That's okay.
At this point in his career, what do you think continues to drive him and how much longer do you think he can keep doing it? I think he can go forever. He's – that's just the way he's wired. And I haven't seen one thing, when we were around each other that week of the SEC Championship game, I didn't see one less bounce in his step, anything like that. And, you know what? He's – the guy's something special.
Hi, Coach. Can you give us some clarification as to the status on Treon Harris and Antonio Callaway, please? Yes, absolutely. They are back on campus, using the academic center and working out, and yet nothing has been resolved yet. And there really isn't – there isn't a time table on it. So that's about what it is right now.
Really took pride in giving themselves an opportunity to get to Atlanta, and I was really excited for not only our players, but our organization, just to be able to experience that event, because that is one of the greatest events there is, and it was a lot of fun.
And yet very disappointed in how we finished. Not something that we're proud of, and not something that, you know, I take very lightly. Yet, at the same time, it was an opportunity for us to kind of learn. And really, as you go through life, the piece of learning is what it's all about. And by no means can you ever be satisfied, can you ever be – well, you know what, we exceeded expectations, so let's call it good. That wasn't good.
And learning from that, it will be interesting to see how this year's team responds. We lost some really, really fine players, and I'm excited for them to, you know, move on into the National Football League and get that opportunity to achieve a dream, and yet excited when those guys graduated as well, walking across that stage. That's the most important stage there is.
You know, the three guys you'll get a chance to visit with that are here, two of those, Marcus Maye and Jarrad Davis, chose to come back to school. You know what? I was really excited about that, because they are great leaders. David Sharpe on offense. They had an opportunity to visit with him. Probably the most experienced of any of our players that are returning on the offensive side of the ball with arguably, probably, the most starts.
With that, this should be a lot of fun. Really looking forward to it. Looking forward to see what this team's all about. I've been excited the way our older guys have grabbed these younger guys. You know? We're able to get 12 of them in at mid-year, which was great. Had an opportunity to go through spring practice. That really helped us.
And then, you know, the 12 new guys that joined us here in mid-June, just seeing how our older guys have helped those guys along, is something that I'm happy to see. And going into year two, you know what, things are good at the University of Florida, and that's the way it should be.
So, with that, love to take some questions.
Coach, what about Luke Del Rio makes it obvious to you that he's a coach's son, and what has your interaction, if any, been with Jack? Sure. I got to say this. All four guys we have in that quarterback room I'm really excited about. Luke being one of them who obviously was with us last year, so his familiarity with what we're doing.
I've known Luke a long time. I think he was an eighth grader when he came to camp in Alabama. Obviously, Jack, when they were in Colorado, he's a guy that we stayed in touch with a lot, and so, you know what, I'm excited to see us at that position. And the way Luke is, and Austin, both have kind of elevated the guys around them. It will be fun here during two-a-days to see who takes that step, but, you know, as far as your other question, I had a brief stint with the Raiders, so I'm kind of a Raiders fan and I'm excited for Jack.
When you're looking at this offensive line, everybody always says they want to get five, their best five out there. Is there – are you trying to get to like a level of eight? Yeah. In – obviously our offensive line play has got to get better. That's something we've already talked about and, Pat, you and I have already talked about it already, and yet those three true freshman that played last year had an opportunity to kind of learn under fire, and I'll be excited to see what they learned as we get back.
You know, ideally, what we'd like to be able to do is be ten, where you had, you know, kind of backups at each one of those spots. Whether we get there or not, I'm not sure. Usually in a rotation of nine is ideal. And you got to have versatility at the center spot, and that's something we got to make sure we have as well.
Hey, Coach, I notice all the Nick Saban assistants to get SEC jobs are always in the other division. Is that by coincidence, or is that kind of by design? And what do you think it will take for one of you guys to beat him, and do you guys ever talk about that amongst yourselves? I know what an honor it was to work for Coach, what I was able to learn when I was at the University of Alabama. And I was excited to be able to play him. I know this, I'll be excited to play him again this year, because I know it's in Atlanta.
Coach, you talked about your quarterback room previously. It's very interesting that you have two transfers, two freshman. There's a nice dynamic there. What's the difference as a coach when you're recruiting a high school kid as opposed to bringing in a transfer? One player looking a year or two down the road versus one that needs to help you right away? I think the key there is having that right mix. Obviously in Austin Appleby, someone who played in big games, he's played in big stadiums, having started in the Big Ten. That's something that's invaluable. You know, in Luke's case, familiarity he had kind of with what we do offensively, I think is good.
The key is to see that competition, and what those guys do to give of themselves, to help those two younger guys in Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks, how they help them develop. That's what has been kind of fun, is to see some veterans who know how to study a game plan, know how to study install. Kind of from that standpoint help those younger guys come along. Here's the good thing. We've really got good arm talent. I'm excited about being able to stretch the field vertically. Should be a lot of fun.
Considering the way your place kicking transpired last year – Are you going come kick for us?
You got a guy now – We'll see. I don't think the guy has ever kicked in a game. But we'll find out.
That's what I was wondering. I know you were happy to see what happened in the spring, but do you think it can transfer over to when the lights are really on, what you saw? You know, that's going to be interesting. I know this. I was excited to see he was able to buckle his chinstrap. That was awesome. And to see that happen, you know what, that's a step in the right direction. Obviously, he's got a very strong leg, talking about Eddy.
And, you know, Jorge Powell, who will be back, that actually got hurt in the LSU game a year ago, taking over the kicking duties, he's back to being healthy. We'll talk about that same piece. Johnny Townsend really did a great job for us as a punter, on the hidden yardage, the field position, pinning guys down inside the ten. I thought he did an outstanding job of giving the opponent long fields.
So, you know, that's a group that, you know, we'll see. And yet I got total faith in the kickers, and they are a lot of fun to be around, too.
Coach, Nick Saban took a chance on you, bringing you in from Fresno State to run an offense, and of course did very well with that. A couple of national championships. Of course now you're with Florida, had a ten-win season last year. What are some of the things that you value from being around Coach Saban, whether was in the film room, on the field, in telephone conversations? How much did you really value that experience? You know, as you go through this, I've been very fortunate. I've been round a lot of great head coaches and guys I've been able to take a lot of things from. Coach, you know, he only asked a couple of things, is work hard and be complete in what you do.
If you think about it, all of us kind of live by that. We have a pretty good chance to be successful. That's something I'll always take.
And yet, when I was head off to Colorado State, he pointed something out. He said: Whatever you do, you got to do it your way. You got to be you. You can't be someone else. And I think that's a piece that I probably tried to take with me, and, you know, because he's one of the best and a guy that I consider, you know, a friend, and a guy that I can lean on at any time.
I'm so sorry, I'm going to ask you another Saban question. That's okay.
At this point in his career, what do you think continues to drive him and how much longer do you think he can keep doing it? I think he can go forever. He's – that's just the way he's wired. And I haven't seen one thing, when we were around each other that week of the SEC Championship game, I didn't see one less bounce in his step, anything like that. And, you know what? He's – the guy's something special.
Hi, Coach. Can you give us some clarification as to the status on Treon Harris and Antonio Callaway, please? Yes, absolutely. They are back on campus, using the academic center and working out, and yet nothing has been resolved yet. And there really isn't – there isn't a time table on it. So that's about what it is right now.
