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PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYS

July 31, 2015

Mark Helfrich

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA

COACH HELFRICH: Thank you, excited to be here. I'm sure everybody's used that word at some point today. Excited to enter a new age. Everybody asks about, and we'll cover some of that ground in the opening statement and I'm sure somebody will ask about it as we go forward. Coming off a great season, great journey with a lot of legendary type guys. One of the biggest things moving forward out of last season was simultaneously learning from and flushing the end of it.
Taking everything that was good, and making it more efficient, making it better, and then learning from whatever anyone could have done differently, certainly starting with me, to end it the right way. One of our biggest off‑season concerns initially was leadership. We lost several leaders on both sides of the ball that were all‑time great leader type guys, and really, really pleased about coming out of both winter conditioning and spring football of getting that solidified and very pleased with where that is.
Rodney Hardrick who is here today, a tremendous leader. Joe Walker, DeForest Buckner defensively, and then on offense, Jeff Lockie did a tremendous job, and Royce Freeman starting to find his voice and Tyler Johnstone back in there and being a vocal leader was a big, big deal.
I know everybody will want to address the quarterback position, and the only thing we're going to talk about are the people that are here and involved in the program. Jeff Lockie had an outstanding spring, and I know to a person in our program, we have a hundred percent confidence in him and all those around him. The key to replacing a great player, a once‑in‑a‑lifetime player, however you want to describe a guy like Marcus is everybody has to do their job better. We don't need somebody to come in and try to be Superman when they're not. We need them to play their role well, utilize the strengths we have on our team and go.
Also, today I have to celebrate two things today. It's the hundredth anniversary of the Pacific Coast Conference/812, whatever, born in Oregon. Which is a big deal, we're proud of that. Has David Shaw been up here yet? Yesterday. It's David Shaw's birthday. So if you see David Shaw, happy birthday David Shaw.
So with that we'll bring in our player representatives. We have two guys with us today that we're really proud of. Rodney Hardrick, linebacker from Colton, California. He's going to be over here, and it looks like Royce Freeman, a running back from Imperial, California back in the back over there.

Q. Seems like your quarterback's going to be in a very envious situation. Is it that simple? How do you make it that simple for the next guy?
COACH HELFRICH: It is that simple. And you play to their strengths. And kind of what I've been saying, any time‑‑ Jeff had an unbelievably efficient spring, and the times he wasn't efficient, it was just that, trying to do a little bit too much or create something that wasn't there. Then that's where we as coaches have to define those roles really well. Whether it's Royce or Byron Marshall or all the skill around him, do our deal.

Q. Philosophically, how do you feel about two quarterbacks?
COACH HELFRICH: Yeah, we've played two quarterbacks before in various ways. I think especially if two guys are different, it's better than if they're very similar or you do things one way. That's a little bit harder. That's kind of to the team a show of uncertainty a little bit. But if guys are different, you can use their skills completely differently. We don't have the‑‑ people talk about what about when you're looking them in the eye in the huddle? We don't do that. We need a guy to be a great practice player, great leader and score the football. That's what we need.

Q. In terms of picking up the verbiage and playbook, how often does that tend to take guys at the quarterback spot?
COACH HELFRICH: 100% unique to each individual. Some guys can come in and know kind of the scheme and maneuver of things within days. Some guys it's never.

Q. Who would Jeff remind us of among quarterbacks you've this there in the past?
COACH HELFRICH: Yeah, I think, gosh, he's kind of Darron Thomas‑ish. Nate Costa, he's probably a little faster than Nate. Nate's going to be mad that I said that. But probably in that realm.

Q. Last year how many reps would he have gotten during the season?
COACH HELFRICH: I don't even know that. I should know that, but I don't know that. I don't know.

Q. Not many?
COACH HELFRICH: Not that many that were meaningful or within the realm of the game plan. A lot of times when you get into a situation where your back‑ups are in, you're not going to run your stuff, but he knows our system better than anybody on the team.

Q. Jeff wouldn't be the first guy that's put in the work, been loyal, stayed for a bunch of years and had the chance to be unseated as a starter. How are you dealing with that if and when it comes about?
COACH HELFRICH: We're honest and we talk to each other. I have total confidence in Jeff, hundred percent. The players do too and that is probably the more important part. We're going to compete every day at every single position. Our guys know that. We tell them in recruiting. If I'm recruiting Dennis, I'm saying, hey, Dennis, next year I'm going to try to outrecruit you. We want to look them in the eye and see how they react. Because they're going to be a part of something. They're not guaranteed anything. We don't‑‑ we turn that into a trust building situation, not a look behind your back type situation. Our guys, Jeff coached Marcus every single day. Marcus coached Jeff every single day. Royce coaches Thomas Tyner every single day. It's not hey, that's my rep, that's my rep. We don't do that.

Q. You have a guy you want to be your team leader or starting quarterback, what's it say about him that he hasn't taken care of business yet?
COACH HELFRICH: I have no comment on that. I have no idea.

Q. About Jeff, did you ever have to sell him on the idea of coming back?
COACH HELFRICH: No, and I think that's what makes Jeff such a great guy is he's a team dude. Not the guys that transfer aren't team guys. There can be some unselfish guys that transfer. But in this day and age as soon as somebody else is named the quarterback they just assume everybody else has to transfer, and that's unfortunate. So it's kind of a feel good story in that way of a guy that's stuck it out. I think Bercovici at Arizona State is a similar deal. So, yeah, we'll go from here.

Q. Coach, the connection to Oregon, I guess that goes back to Hawaii…
COACH HELFRICH: You're close. Just say Canton, just go Canton.

Q. How will (Canton) make an impact?
COACH HELFRICH: He's a guy, we sure hope so, he was a guy that really turned it on towards the end of spring ball which is probably to be expected for a guy that shows up and should still be in high school, kind of muddied through the first ten practices. But the last five it was like, okay, wow. So hopefully that trend has continued during the summer when we kind of unwrapped the presents that is fall camp and you see guys for the first time, we're excited about him. He's literally a beast and just learning the system, learning how to play hard. Learning where everything is, and having that ground work laid in the spring I think will pay off.

Q. Jeff's probably not going to rip off those 80‑yard touchdown runs like Marcus. But what does he bring to the table in terms of skillset and what he can do?
COACH HELFRICH: It's a point guard type analogy is his biggest strength and to be a great point guard, utilize the system, know each player and the nuances of this receiver versus that running back or whatever it is, and certainly would play to his strengths from a scheme standpoint and how we game plan.

Q. Of all the quarterbacks you've had as a coordinator, is there one who reminds you of yourself from the moment you met them?
COACH HELFRICH: I would never make someone feel that poorly about themselves.

Q. Is there anybody, anybody that the way they think, the way they sort of approach the game, the way they have vision? I don't know. Anybody you would most liken to yourself?
COACH HELFRICH: That's a weird question. It's a good question. I mean, Jeff is similar. He's better looking than I am. But Nate Costa is kind of a quiet, fiery competitor type guy. Yeah, that's the best I can do.

Q. Talk about the things you learned‑‑
COACH HELFRICH: I was very similar to Marcus on the field though.

Q. I can totally understand that.
COACH HELFRICH: Very similar.

Q. Can you talk about the things you learned from last year and the things you flushed and things you're willing to keep? How would you summarize what you think you learned?
COACH HELFRICH: Some of them are more simple, but they're that much more frustrating. If we need somebody in the B gap to stop the run and he's not there, and the ball goes through the B gap for 50 yards. That's not difficult to break down, but that's what makes it that much more frustrating is why not. So at that point you're going through the normal kind of quality control you do every week. Every practice you're going, okay, this guy did this well, we need to tweak this. Whatever the normal part of that is simple. But then you have that much longer to go why did that happen? Okay. It must have been what we ate. It must have been how we met. All the things you can labor on. And that's where you're carrying a dead weight. You're carrying a rock for six months. If you compartmentalize it, and flush it, and use the rest to catalyze your improvement that's a good thing. So each guy, each coach has to take it how they best use that kind of motivational force.

Q. What was it like emotionally for you getting to that point and the way it turned out? How long did it stick with you?
COACH HELFRICH: Well, that's one of those things. I'm horrible at all those things. At all these deals they say what is your favorite memory? We just really try to live day‑to‑day. From doing that process for everybody, that's something we try to do as fast as we possibly can, and we're over it. We have to be. We have to be. But I'm sure some day when I'm sitting on a beach with Ted Miller, we'll be talking about a great year and a great run, and getting to that end point was an unbelievable ride with a bunch of great guys, bunch of great coaches. All the things that when you get to that point, yeah, absolutely, it's very disappointing, very emotional. But you've got to get up the next day and go to work and work on the next deal.

Q. Coach, I understand your offensive staff alone has over a hundred years of experience combined. What was it like acclimating them and implementing a system of football that literally didn't exist when they all started coaching? What was that process like for you and for them?
COACH HELFRICH: Well, yeah, there are parts of our offense that did exist and parts of it are all over the Oregon blueprint going back to whoever. Whether it's Bob Toledo and certainly into Coach Bucks and those eras. But that's the thing. We've got to get better. Got to be more efficient, more innovative to try to stay ahead of an unbelievable group of coaches and teams in this conference. Part of that is schematic, recruiting and development. If you look at a guy like Jim Radcliffe, our strength coach, who is the best in the world at developing speed, and then you put it all together, and that's ours. It's never done. You're always at work of trying to be just a little bit better day after day.

Q. You had your fewest plays per minute in at least five years, and you let the country in points per possession. Number one, did you know that? And number two, what does that mean?
COACH HELFRICH: I got to be honest, you went over my head on that one.

Q. You guys are slowing down offensively numbers‑wise. But you're as efficient as ever in scoring when you have the ball.
COACH HELFRICH: Some of that was on purpose and some of it wasn't. I think we were fortunate to be in some games that are decided in different‑‑ you have a different approach to things. We were different in a few scenarios than we were before in terms of pace. But, yeah, some games naturally we're going to go a little bit faster. In the Emporia State game we played a lot faster than we did in the Arizona game, for instance, for different reasons.

Q. USC won the media day yesterday in terms of the media poll. How would you describe your frustration with us?
COACH HELFRICH: We can all go home. It's done. It's decided. No, I think whatever it is, I always tell our guys, whatever the noise is that you listen to, if it's your girlfriend, your wife, the media, Twitter, whoever, if you use that for motivation, great. If you use it to dwell or think about something else, that does nobody any good. So if somebody's sitting at home going those jerks didn't vote us for whatever and they go lift. Great. But we don't think about that too much?

Q. On USC, is there a level of curiosity there?
COACH HELFRICH: No, there is no level of curiosity. They're really good. We see them all the time just in crossover film of getting ready for other opponents. Yeah, SC is SC. Quarterback playing great, unbelievable skill everywhere in the back end, on defense, all over the map on offense, a young offensive line that is big and physical and can move. I mean, they always are the best recruiting class. Always are the best‑‑ we know they have guys and they do a good job with them.

Q. Do you have any clarity on Darren Carrington?
COACH HELFRICH: Nothing has changed. That's an interesting deal.

Q. Prior to the first game though? The letter of the law says he’s going to be gone half the season?
COACH HELFRICH: If something was going to change, we'd have to hear before. That is the process that we've gone through a couple times and nothing has changed.

Q. For you, what is the biggest challenge recruiting in this conference?
COACH HELFRICH: Distance. I think it's the biggest challenge in recruiting in general for us. We have maybe the credibility of how we take care of our guys and what we've done on the field. I think we have credibility to go into any area of the country but we still can't overcome distance, and that's fine.
But we want to make sure that we get the right guys. We're going up against a bunch of tradition, a bunch of great coaches, a bunch of great different places that are making each recruiting challenge unique.

Q. Do you want to see Royce Freeman improve in? What do you want to see him do as a potential leader of this offense?
COACH HELFRICH: Yeah, he's developed into a tremendous leader. Royce is a guy like Marcus type leader. Initially, that's not his natural deal is to vocalize anything. But he's an unbelievable worker from day one, a great worker. But when he is just that physically imposing, doing what he does on the field in the weight room, in the classroom, in the community, we need more of that. A simple way to communicate it to him or guys like him is would our team be better off if more guys were like you? And you kind of go, yes, of course.
So just trying to facilitate those things and not make it fake. But facilitate positions of leadership for him to be in. We did that, and very pleased with how that's progressing.
Then on the field, just the total package. He's a really good protector, he's got great hands. He's tough, he's smart, and then just developing the rest of the positional kind of advancement.

Q. You talked about getting better and refining what you do. Now that almost everybody in college football has gone to the space and gone to the tempo, how difficult is it to stay? Do you see defenses showing any signs of catching up?
COACH HELFRICH: Absolutely. Defenses are, I think, we'll be talking about how we can increase scoring here in a couple years. It's always a cycle. But, yeah, defenses are different, and they're changing in a lot of ways, whether it's scheme or communication or however they're deploying their deal. Then that's always our thing is kind of the shell game with us of how can we move the ball without them looking.

Q. What are you seeing defenses do that is better now?
COACH HELFRICH: Well, red zone efficiency. I think there are a lot of coaches out there that talk about, and we're not one of them. We want zeros. But if they can hold serve to a field goal, then that's victory. There is some merit to that type of thinking. But just communication, a lot more three‑four teams certainly in our conference of being a little bit more versatile in your fronts, your coverages. I mean, I bet the drop eight is the predominant coverage in the conference right now, and that's, again, trying to get space deployed presnap. So that just continually trying to move their shell faster than the other guy and grab the wrist.

Q. You've been so good for so long. But with that winning, does it bring pressure to a program? Are you starting to feel that?
COACH HELFRICH: Feel that at all, did you say?

Q. Yes. The pressure.
COACH HELFRICH: We just try to focus on us. Whether it's the media poll or whatever else, we know, and I hate it when we lead up to the game everybody says that to the other team and they go, oh, yeah. We have to prepare that much better for Oregon. I don't know. I don't know if it's pressure, but just focus. We try to make it focus on us of what we did last year, doesn't matter. What we did 15 years ago, doesn't matter. What we do today is the only thing that matters. Getting an 18 to 22‑year‑old person to focus on that is difficult when they're tweeted they're the greatest player in the history of the world by whoever.
So that just continued focus on the process is something that we hammer home constantly.

Q. Which personnel group did you have the most concern about?
COACH HELFRICH: Yeah, from an experienced standpoint on the field, secondary was where we lost our most guys, and obviously at quarterback in terms of game play. I like where we're headed in both those areas. The secondary is a lot like our receiver was last year. We had a lot of young talent, they just hadn't played very much football yet. As they developed into a really good unit for us, obviously with the addition of Byron Marshall, did a fantastic job moving around.
So that will be an ongoing thing through fall camp is just figuring out which guys. We've got a couple guys that can be both corners and safeties. We've got a bunch of guys that can play both safety spots and a nickel roll. We'll figure it out from here.

Q. This spring did you allow anybody in that you fully trust off season?
COACH HELFRICH: We had a few guys. I'd have to sit down and think about that for a second. Brady Hoke was in. Known him for a long time, and a couple guys on our staff. I'm losing my mind. We do a ton of crossover with other schools and NFL guys.

Q. But did you have college staff?
COACH HELFRICH: We didn't have the full staff come in, no. We do a bunch of one‑on‑one stuff in unit.

Q. That's your philosophy? Chip did that too. It's just kind of closed.
COACH HELFRICH: Yes, and no. We had some guys in, yeah.

Q. Perhaps you didn't want DeForest leadership on a guy, but you've kind of petitioned Royce as that guy. So what gives you the confidence that he's ready to handle that kind of a role?
COACH HELFRICH: I think in leadership in general you can't mandate it. We can't say hey, you're the captain. That can't happen. But what you can do is if you're a guy that has potential to do whatever, you can put those guys in positions of leadership and see what works. But he's just a great guy first and foremost. Great family. Comes from a really good family, great background that way, and he just works. Oh, by the way, on the field, he's really good. So those things together, just a ton of credibility within the program.

Q. Coach, I know you play Eastern Washington--
COACH HELFRICH: Again, nobody ever believes this. Every week is the same. Every week we address a new coordinator, new staff, and non‑conference player that we haven't had before. We spent a little time on them in the spring, and a little time in the fall staff. We'll do that again like most people do. Once it's game week for week one, it's game week for week one period.

Q. What are the characteristics you're looking for in a returner?
COACH HELFRICH: Fearless. To be a punt returner, you have to be a fearless guy. Like don't do this. Running out on the freeway, not in LA because they don't move very fast, but if you run out on the freeway and look up in the air and know that the cars are coming and then split them, that's the number one thing. Just being able to consistently catch the ball, get vertical. Then obviously speed and elusiveness and all that other stuff. But up front you have to have some guts.

Q. Continued
COACH HELFRICH: A lot of guys in high school, obviously, if they're a great returner, they're going to be back there in general in high school. If the guy isn't playing quarterback and he's their best athlete, he's probably a returner. Then we try to facilitate some drill work early on to identify not only returners and special teams, but also other positional work that they may not have done in high school. So we'll try to do it both ways, both kind of before they're on campus and once they're there.

Q. What was it like not having Marcus there during the spring? Just from a sensory standpoint what was that like?
COACH HELFRICH: He was there for a bunch of practices, so that was funny. From a football standpoint, you just really do, you just move on. I was saying earlier in 2001 Oregon football was doomed because Joey Harrington was gone. It's the end of the world. Somehow they found a way, and I think our team, our culture believes so much in each other that they think that too. But, yeah, certainly from a personal standpoint, he's such a great guy to be around. Strauss is such a great guy, Keanon Lowe, that guy such an electric smile every single day. That's what's so neat about those guys' legacy, they're not gone. They'll live forever in our team and in our culture.

Q. What positive affects will Johnstone's continued come back and his attitude have on your offense overall?
COACH HELFRICH: Big. You could make a claim that he was our best offensive lineman there for a while. He's certainly the vocal leader of that group. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes it's a little too much. But he looks great. We'll see where he is. So much of that is a confidence thing. Not only from a structural standpoint when a guy's coming back from injury, you can show him an MRI or show him a test result or whatever, but the confidence of being out there again, that's the special sauce to get them totally back to normal.

Q. Devon Allen as well?
COACH HELFRICH: Same type of deal.

Q. Can you talk about Joe Walker?
COACH HELFRICH: Yeah, love Joe Walker. Joe's another guy that just has really done a good job of stepping up as a leader. He and Rodney have done a great job of becoming vocal or becoming more vocal in Joe's case. But Joe's a guy that you just love to be around. He literally didn't say a word. Makes a ton of tackles. Does his slide back and doesn't say anything and just plays his tail off. He's not the‑‑ he doesn't look like your prototypical All‑Pro middle linebacker. But the guy plays his tail off.

Q. He was not offered scholarships out of high school. What got him to you guys?
COACH HELFRICH: Yeah, we had a great relationship with his junior college. And it was, hey, you need to keep an eye on this guy. Like you said, he wasn't recruited out of high school, and he's one of those guys that he just grows on you. He doesn't slow down. In a drill, in seven on, in game play, he's a physical, smart, tough guy, relentless guy. All those guys played hurt every single week. DP doesn't complain about it. We're not complaining about it, don't talk about it. To do what they did was really impressive. So really excited to see those guys fresh and healthy and renewed and ready to go.

Q. I saw him play JC once and it was like why is he here? You talk to his high school coaches and they say he got hurt a little as a senior, and nobody believed that he could play.
COACH HELFRICH: Right. Some guys, not necessarily him, but there were a couple guys that would look at him as an undersized guy or whatever. If there is a one knock and an injury, a lot of guys are like, oh, we'll move on in the recruiting trail.

Q. So you've been through this drill many times coming down for media day. But you brought two newbies with you this time around. Rodney was saying he actually is excited about it. Royce said he would have avoided it if he could. Could you talk about how they've been since they've been down?
COACH HELFRICH: They've been awesome. They've been awesome. They've been exactly what we'd expect of them. They're two great representatives of our program. Yeah, Royce in particular, he's not doing cartwheels about talking to the media that much more. But I think he likes flexing up and taking these pictures. He likes that part of it. But it's good for him. He's got a bright future not only on our team but beyond, and being exposed to all these kinds of things. We had a couple of the guys we talked about bring them down and try to work out their academic schedules and these guys worked out the best.

Q. He got on Twitter?
COACH HELFRICH: That's what Rodney said. I don't know if that's a good thing, but, yeah.

Q. Last couple years you've had success against UCLA. What in particular in those games have you done?
COACH HELFRICH: Well, gosh, I'm trying to think back. This year being able to run the football and being able to get that going was a huge deal. Put as much pressure on, at that time, Hundley as possible, and get him on the ground. That guy was one of the most productive, elusive runners ever. It's not like he wasn't a four‑three guy or anything like that, but he was hard to get on the ground.
So that was a big area of concern and keep him out of the end zone as much as possible. So we did it for a long time in that game. We did a really good job of that. Then I have to think about the year before, can't remember. Did a great job against the pass two years ago, and just tried to make them one dimensional.

Q. Jeff's story and his progression since he's been there in terms of how different is he now? Did he run your system when he was in high school?
COACH HELFRICH: Sort of. He's from Monte Vista High School in Danville, California, East Bay. To be honest, I cannot remember his recruiting. He was recruited by several people, and then once he's been on campus, he's a life long bills fan. There are not too many of those guys around. But ever since he's been there, he's been rock solid. A guy that's just, again, we had a couple of guys transfer.
Again, I'm not saying anything negatively about those guys, but he stuck it out and kept improving. He and Marcus were attached at the hip in everything that they did. He's just improved a ton. He's got a great feel for the system. Yeah, I don't know.

Q. Every year you guys innovate and bring out something new. What else are you guys doing? Is it uniforms or any surprises?
COACH HELFRICH: That is the first‑‑ I'm going to give you congratulations. That is the first uniform question of the media week. Yeah, Nike's always coming up with something. A lot of it comes from our players. Our players have a great relationship with their design staff, and they have meetings a couple times a year as far as off field equipment and all those things. Wearing a prototype for something or whatever, and it's a great relationship that way. Then a lot of those things show up in the uniforms. There's not anything‑‑ we don't have like see‑through helmets or anything crazy or hologram or something. But, yeah, it's good looking, high quality stuff.

Q. I know players are superstitious. Do you know of anything like that or any particular item that they're not going to wear?
COACH HELFRICH: I don't know of that. I know our fans are always excited about certain elements whether it has to be a school color or doesn't have to be a school color. But, yeah, the players have never expressed anything like that.

Q. Are for a minute last year, Reggie Daniels became a household name with that ridiculous interception and Sportscenter top 10. What do you expect from him this year?
COACH HELFRICH: To be better, to be more consistent. He's made a ton of plays for us. The plays he doesn't make, it's like missing a lay‑up. So much of that. And our deal is make the simple play. If you can make the simple play, 90‑plus percent of the time, the great plays kind of take care of themselves. Just being a physical guy, being a leader of lining up some fresh faces back there, guys that haven't played as much football. Then he's done a good job of being versatile and playing multiple positions.

Q. How do you feel about the idea of playing all non‑conference games with the Power Five?
COACH HELFRICH: Yeah, I don't know about that. I think the dream scenario, right, if we're going to have something called a playoff, is the uniformity of your schedule, and that's great. At the same time, I also think you need‑‑ those games are great for FCS schools, whatever the heck we're calling these now, sorry. For other divisions and other conferences for a lot of reasons. Whether it's a budget concern for those guys, a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity to play at such and such a stadium. I think that's great for college football. I also think, again, having whatever it is, an eight‑game schedule with a championship or nine‑game and a championship, whatever, it should be uniform. I think if we don't start from that standpoint, which that's hard.
It's easy to say‑‑ I mean, you could say tomorrow that it's going to be an eight‑team playoff, then that could probably get done quickly. The hard work where you have to get out some dynamite and blow up some leagues and television agreements and a lot of those things, that's a lot of work to be done.

Q. Coach, would you be in favor of an eight‑team playoff?
COACH HELFRICH: I would be in favor of everyone's schedule be the same or as similar as it can possibly be.

Q. On an eight-game playoff
COACH HELFRICH: I'm just saying people have brought up more teams in the playoff. But I think that's easy. The hard part is making everybody's schedule the same.

Q. Royce is here today. Is he the clear starter?
COACH HELFRICH: They'll compete their tails off. They're a perfect example of guys that coach each other during practice. Byron's in there. They know that they need each other, and we need all of them, especially at that position.
Those guys are going to get hit. I think tailbacks get hit more than anybody in the world realizes. That is a physical, tough position. When you look around the conference, a guy like Royce or Devontae Booker, those guys are tough, physical guys.

Q. Anything coming to you more easily as head coach or anything you're less anxious about?
COACH HELFRICH: It's all so ongoing. There is always something. I think that somebody asked me that earlier about Steve Spurrier or Bill Snyder or somebody that's been there that long, I can't imagine doing that. It's unbelievable how fresh you can stay or whatever. The unbelievably lucky part of my job is the staff that we have. The longest tenured staff in college football, and just a bunch of great guys that I have 100% trust in, and the group of leaders that we have, the same thing. That's where you can be more efficient in all those things. If I tell Gary Campbell to do something, I know it's going to happen. Or if Don Pellum is doing something, I know that's going to happen. That's important.

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