PAC-12 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY

July 21, 2023

John Humphreys

Tristan Sinclair

Stanford Cardinal

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are back with the Stanford players. Your coach was singing your praises.

Tristan, you said one of the most memorable moments you had when you called Coach. He was revisiting that conversation. Walk me through how you decided to stay at Stanford. You've been a Stanford guy since birth.

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: That conversation was really special. It went down just how he said it. I'll never forget what he said. He said, I'll never forget this.

That was special for me because it was just kind of a spark and a feeling that this is the right thing to do. To be in this program, to be a part of the rebuild was the right choice. I'm so grateful for him, the opportunity to be back. That was a really special moment for me.

Q. How did it go down when you saw some of the guys you came in with go to the NFL or other schools?

JOHN HUMPHREYS: I think in this day and age, it's almost easy and acceptable to walk away in the face of adversity. Initially it was a tough decision. I'm just so happy that I decided to stay.

At the end of the day, I just wanted to finish what I started with my guys. I'm excited. I think we realize the opportunity that we have to be the first steppingstone in this era. It's an incredible opportunity. I'm more than excited for that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You have the fun challenge being the vets in the room. You're also learning a new coaching staff. Talk about that fun challenge of being that middleman for the new coaching staff, also being the leaders in the locker room as well.

JOHN HUMPHREYS: Thanks for the question. It's been awesome to be a sponge and just learn from this new staff. It's a unique opportunity, one that's really been cool just to kind of learn the new styles. There's so many new coaching points, so much new that these great minds bring together. It's been really cool to just be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as possible.

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: I think tough at first. It's not easy being an old guy, you're expected to know what to do and how to play. With new coaches, new staff, new calls, it's definitely a challenge at first. You pick it up a little bit faster than the young guys, then try to set the tone for them.

Q. With the new style of play, what do you guys feel is going to be the biggest surprise this season?

JOHN HUMPHREYS: Yeah, I think first off, just of the standard of Stanford football has been set by so many great players and teams before us. That style of play is different than what Coach Taylor brings to the program, his style of offense.

It's been really fun to learn this and kind of just play in the new offense. I think the guys have really enjoyed adjusting to it. The more up-tempo pace, the new routes, it is a new style. It's been really fun.

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: Yeah, I think for the defense, growing up as a kid, it was all about the party in the back field, the defensive line, the pass-rush. I think we're going to get back to that. I think teams are not going to know what's coming. We're going to bring some pressure, so I'm excited for that.

Q. What life lessons have you learned from Coach Taylor and Coach Shaw that you take with you in everything that you do?

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: I think one of the big things that Coach Taylor preaches that I really can correlate or relate with is gratitude. Gratitude is something he talks about a ton, something we talk about a ton in my position group as well.

Just being grateful to be out there every single day is something I'm trying to do this season. I don't know what's going to happen after this year, what's going to happen with football. I think taking every day one day at a time and being super grateful to be out there and have the opportunity is something that he preaches and I really love.

JOHN HUMPHREYS: Yeah, Coach Taylor has come in and implemented a culture, really built the program around a culture of love. Understanding that when you build, it's a unique thing to do. When you're building that culture around love, it's not always going to be easy love. Love is not always sunshine and rainbows. It's tough love occasionally. But just learning when a coach gets on you or when you get on someone, that's coming out of a place of love.

When you really do love the guy next to you, it makes going out there on Saturday so much more rewarding when you're playing for more than just yourself. That's probably the biggest thing I've taken away from Coach Taylor.

Q. Coach Taylor has been talking about this culture of love. Could you expand, Tristan, what you're seeing within your position groups, on the defensive side of the ball? How do you expect that to manifest in what you're doing on the field?

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: Yeah, so my coach, Coach D’Onofrio, he's an awesome guy, ton of experience. Something that he talks about a lot is competitive but not combative. That's something that we've really bought into in our room. Guys are always trying to one-up each other in the drills, but it's not about being combative, it's really about trying to get better.

He pushes us to do that every single day. If he gets an atta-boy, I'm following him up, I want an atta-boy, too. It's next rep, best rep.

JOHN HUMPHREYS: On the field, you're going to see guys excited for each other. I think guys celebrating with each other, dapping each other up all the time. Guys really excited for the success of the guy next to him, probably more excited than they are for their own success. I think that's how you'll see that play out.

Q. Troy Taylor is known for having a great offensive mind. When he was describing the scheme, he said it's a receiver's dream to play in his system. Would you agree with that statement so far? What has it been like having this new offense implemented?

JOHN HUMPHREYS: It's an awesome offense to play in as a receiver. You get to run so many different routes, play up-tempo, be in so many different positions across the field. It really is a receivers dream.

You get so many plays and reps. We're up-tempo. It's fast. You make a mistake, you don't have time to really think about the last play because you're already moving on to the next play. There's another opportunity to make another play.

Yeah, it really has been awesome. It's been really fun to learn the new offense and just get acclimated to it.

Q. Is it true you went up to Richard Sherman and said postgame, It's my dream to play here at Stanford, and you were five or six years old when that happened?

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: I was young. Me and my brother, after games, my dad had season tickets, we'd go to a ton of home game, we would hang out in the parking lot, trying to get autographs, gloves from guys. I'm sure it wasn't just him. Richard Sherman told me to dream big and I could make it here. I was a little kid. Watching those guys play, it was a dream for me to be here, I'm so grateful and blessed to be here.

Q. Your dads were teammates at the same school that they're playing for. What does it mean to you since you were a little boy dreaming about being able to play for Stanford and now being there? Was there any other place, or was it always going to be Stanford? The gratitude piece, you wake up every day pinching yourself a little bit?

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: I was on the radio earlier talking about this. One of the best football moments for me was running out the tunnel for the first time. During recruiting there was other schools I looked at, too. I think I just found my way home. Stanford was always my home. That was kind of always where I was going to end up.

It is something I wake up every day and just feel grateful for.

Q. Every year we're on this stage here and the Stanford players have the best internships among any of the schools. What have you been doing this summer?

JOHN HUMPHREYS: This summer I've had the opportunity to work with a private equity company right in Palo Alto, a couple ex-Stanford players, Stanford people in that office. It's been a really cool, unique opportunity. We have so much time in the summer to kind of get the best of both worlds.

That's something that's so special about Stanford and what it brings to the table, is you can really do everything at Stanford. You have the opportunity to kind of go in in all aspects of life.

Yeah, I'm honored and blessed to have had the opportunity to have this internship this summer.

Q. On that point, true that you built a computer when you were in the sixth grade?

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: Yeah, I've always been into computers and technology. I built like a gaming PC when I was in sixth grade. Used to be super into that, yeah.

Q. Final words?

TRISTAN SINCLAIR: I'm excited. Whatever happens this year happens. I think we're going to be fast, aggressive. It's going to be a really fun year.

JOHN HUMPHREYS: It's a new era of Stanford football. You're going to see new styles of play. We're eager, we're motivated. You're going to see a lot of hungry guys out there just playing fast, physical and for the guy next to them. I think it's going to come out on Saturdays.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.