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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 4, 2016

Charles Huff

University Park, Pennsylvania

CHARLES HUFF: Happy to see everybody. Glad everybody's here. Thank you for coming out. Excited about where we're going as a team. Excited about where we're going as special teams. I think Coach Franklin and the rest of the administration here has done an unbelievable job of building something special, and I kind of feel like a parent at Christmas that knows what's in the box that the kids are going to get a chance to open. So we're excited. We're excited. We thank you guys for being here.

Q. What are your first impressions on Alex Barbir and Blake Gillikin, and do you think those are two guys that could compete for the job and possibly win it from day one?
CHARLES HUFF: I think both those guys are competitors. They're not your typical kickers. Both of those guys were multi-sport players in high school, so they are competitors. We described it when we were putting our model together, we wanted athletes and competitors who happened to kick and not kickers, and that's what those two guys are.

Both of them have done well this summer as far as blending with the team. The team likes those guys. They've got some personality. A little bit extreme. Blake's a little bit more kind of laid back, kind of open. Alex Barbir's a little more rigid and detailed and he wants to know every six-inch step. So they're a little bit different as far as their approach, but both of them are similar as far as competitors and athletes.

Q. You mentioned that parent at Christmas feeling. So what are some of those things that have you excited now that you have some of the scholarship guys, or is it more in the return game?
CHARLES HUFF: I think it's all over. I think as a program as a whole we've got more depth. We've gotten some younger guys who played early, years one and two. We've seen them improve. We've seen them get better over the summer in their academics and in the weight room. We've seen guys who red-shirted who are now starting to come on a little bit. Of course, having the scholarships and adding depth at the specialist position.

Talking to Gulla last night after we had our meeting. He said this is probably the most depth in competition they've had since his freshman year, and I wasn't here, but naming some of those guys that were in that class and that brings excitement. Because to me, with depth brings consistency, and with consistency brings success.

So having all those pieces together, being around the guys, the guys feel stronger, the guys feel more confident. Seeing those guys last night, seeing the look in their eyes brings excitement.

Q. You have a plethora of skill players that can take back kicks, take back punts. I know the talk's been about Barkley. But what have you seen from Koa Farmer from last year to this year? I know he got a lot of praise as a potential guy that could break away from the pack as a kick returner. What have you seen from him in that year?
CHARLES HUFF: Yeah, I think Koa, and a couple other guys have the ability. Koa's a big kid that runs a sub-4.5, a strong runner. I think when you're looking at a kick returner, I think you're looking for a guy that's a stronger runner, a straight line guy. Punt returner's more of a shifty guy. I think Koa has some of those traits.

What we're looking for now and we talked about it a little bit last night, we're looking to make those big plays. If you look at last year, we had some opportunities, and we've got to be able to make some big plays. A 58-yard return is great. I'm not upset about it. But we get an opportunity to get a one-on-one with a kicker, we've got to be able to do that. Those are the things that Koa and the rest of that group going into the summer have been working on and going into camp are some of the things that we're stressing. You guys have the ability to do it, you need to take advantage.

Q. How much of an impact does that make in the level of player that you're able to use in the coverage units and return game and that sort of thing? And how much better do you think you can be from last year to the previous year?
CHARLES HUFF: It kind of goes back to whenever you have more depth, I think one you have more options. Then you're not limited as the season goes on with guys who are injury-wise or reps wise, and it allows the guys who are hitting the field to be fresh. It allows that to happen. And because of that, once again, it creates competition.

These guys that are on the punt team want to be starters, as well as the guys on the offense. So when you have competition and you have guys behind them pushing them, I think it creates a culture of improved talent, improved level of confidence, improved skillsets. And it allows us to bring those younger guys who may or may not be ready right now along slower and not have to force them into roles that they may or may not be ready for.

Q. What as special teams coordinator, what are your thoughts on Saquon Barkley's returning kicks and as running backs coach, what are your thoughts on Saquon Barkley's returning kicks?
CHARLES HUFF: Yeah, I think one, this is something that we've discussed all summer moving in. I think whenever you have a player who has his play making ability, whatever position he is, I think you've got to look at multiple ways to put the ball in his hand. You look around the country and there are other teams doing it. You look at the conference and there are teams that have guys playing offense and defense. If you do a history lesson there was a really good running back here that returned kicks and he was pretty good at it.

I think like Coach said, it's risk-reward. You've got to be mindful of the fact that, yeah, there is another opportunity. There is another rep. But whenever you can help the team win by putting the ball in the hands of a play maker, I think you've got to look at that option. That's something that we'll look at moving forward in camp and throughout the season. That also depends on how some of the other guys, how their camp goes.

As running back coach, to me, it's about winning. So whether it's winning with the running back, whoever he may be, getting 300 yards rushing or whether it's winning, having the kick returner return two kicks for touchdowns, to me it's about winning. However that is, that's fine with me.

Q. Joe mentioned just a second ago about using multiple running backs in the same system in different packages and a two-parter about Miles Sanders and a lot of excitement, it sounds like he's making an impact right away, he's doing all the right things. What do you see from him and will he be expected to make an impact immediately?
CHARLES HUFF: Well, 365 days today somebody asked me that exact same question out on the field about some kid that wears 26 here. Like I told them with Saquon, it's going to be what he's able to handle. From a physical standpoint, he's probably good enough to play, but that's not even half the battle. We've got classes. He's got the playbook. He's got the season to be able to handle maturity-wise. There are a lot of things.

He is a freshman, so he's away from home for the first time. So there are a lot of things that we've got to kind of see how he handles. Up to this point he's done an unbelievable job with all those things, and throughout camp, we'll see how he handles it. If he's able to handle those things and he gives us the best opportunity to be successful, then we're going to play him.

But I don't want to get into a position where, yeah, he's playing and then you guys look out there in camp and he's not. We've told him the same thing. If you want to play, it's going to be up to you. You've got to handle it from a playbook standpoint. You've got to handle it from an academic standpoint. You've got to handle it from a social standpoint.

His followers are going to go up on Twitter if he's playing. So there are a lot of things that go into it outside of his natural, physical ability if that makes sense.

Q. There's been talk recently in all levels of football about maybe eliminating the kickoff all together because of the concussive impact potential. Realizing that you have to deal with the rules that you have now, how do you feel about it?
CHARLES HUFF: Whatever rules they give us, we'll adjust. I have heard talk of that. I know it's starting in the NFL, adjusting the kickoff. My arms don't reach that high. If they decide that's the direction they want to go, we'll adjust. But right now, we're going to prepare and try to be the best kickoff coverage team in the country.

Q. But does it make sense to you if they did it?
CHARLES HUFF: I don't have the knowledge. I haven't done the research on the injuries or the impacts. So I would be speaking on just pure opinion, and that's not fair to the people who are doing the research, if that makes sense.

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