Football Media Day Videos + Will Muschamp Quotes

GAMECOCK TICKETS QUICK BUY

WILL MUSCHAMP MEDIA DAY QUOTES

Opening statement…
“How are we doing? It’s good to be here. Excited about the start of the year. We had a really good team meeting that kind of set the tone for training camp and our expectations, objectives and things we’ve got to get accomplished as a football team.

“At six o’clock tonight, we’ll have another team meeting, and on his first day on the job, the 29th President of the University of South Carolina, President Caslen, will address our football team. We’re really looking forward to that and him starting his tenure here at South Carolina.

“There are two really important factors, in my opinion, of the really good teams and the championship teams that I have been a part of. Number one, they’ve got really good, competitive and quality depth on their roster. That creates competition on your team, it creates a competitive atmosphere when a young man walks in a building every day, whether that is in the meeting room, the weight room or on the practice field, he’s got to compete. He’s got to compete and he’s got to bring it. That creates consistency and it drives performance. We have vastly improved ourselves in that department as we move in to this fall; with multiple good players in good positions to create more competition and that’s what you’ve got to have.

“The second thing is leadership. I think this senior class, number one, is always going to be very special to me in my tenure here at South Carolina. There were some guys that were here before that were under Coach Spurrier and his staff. You look at Joseph Charlton, A.J. Turner, Mon Denson and Kyle Markway, even though he is not a senior but I put him in this class. Daniel Fennell, all of those guys, Donell Stanley is going to end up being a four-year starter of guys that went through a coaching change. That’s always difficult. That’s always tough, but they bought in, to maybe a little different way of doing things, and different ways of working and certainly it improved our program from day one. I really appreciate them. Then the guys that trusted us coming in, with a coaching change, off a team that won three games and had a not so good outlook. Guys like Jake Bentley, Bryan Edwards, Chavis Dawkins and Sadarius Hutcherson, not a senior but I’ll throw him into that category. Javon Kinlaw and Eldridge Thompson, both junior college players, when they came in a year later but both guys that will be a part of this senior class. Kiel Pollard, Kobe Smith, Keir Thomas, Rico Dowdle, and D.J. Wonnum are all guys that have had really good careers going into their senior year. This is a senior class that has over 200 starts. I think there are eight guys that have over 20 starts, so guys that have played a lot of quality football at a high level. Really proud of these guys, really the ownership is a huge part of leadership. The ownership they have taken on our team, to hold themselves, first of all them but also their teammates accountable, to a championship standard. That’s what you’ve got to have to be successful. Those are two things I think we’ve vastly improved on.

“I divide the season into stages. We started the season back in January, in the offseason program. We’ve moved into spring ball, we had our summer program. Now we’re into training camp. Training camp mode, you’ve got to approach it number one, your mindset, with a positive attitude. It doesn’t guarantee you anything but a negative one does. Our guys understand that. You’ve got to come in every day wanting to get better and eager to improve. Every single day, as far as the things you do, we’ve got to come together as a team right here during training camp. There may be some new faces involved, but gaining the trust of your teammates and the communication and all the things you’ve got to do in order to be successful. Being the best conditioned team as we can when we start the season is also important, because the best conditioned team are the teams that are able to battle through the physical and mental barriers that you have to go to.

“By all accounts, we had a great summer, based on our players. Coach Dillman and his staff have had the best summer since we’ve been here. So again, that goes back to our leadership and the type of players we have in our program.

“Doing the things that take no talent. I talked with our players about it all the time, we call it the Gamecock Standard. The effort, the toughness and discipline. The team-first mentality and the competitive edge. None of those things take talent. You can show up and do those things every day, regardless of the talent level that you have. But the bottom line every day in that building is creating the best version of you. That’s really important and our guys understand that as we continue to move forward, especially when you are going on to a very difficult training camp and it will be difficult.

“Roster update, Jaquaze Sorrells is still working through some academic issues. I will update you when I know more. It could be two days, it could be 10.

“With that being said, our injury report. Obviously disappointed that Jaylin Dickerson, and the injury that he had, will put him out for the season. He’s rehabbing extremely well. Keir Thomas had a procedure on his ankle, he should be cleared in the first week or so. He will be limited at the start of camp and Kingsley Enagbare had a scope to clean up a meniscus on his knee, so he is fine, he will be cleared in the first week. Those guys will be limited starting out.

“People always want to talk about concerns, replacing a guy like Deebo Samuel. That guy is an outstanding football player. One missed tackle and he can score on you. He was also a gunner, he was also on kickoff return. He returned four in three years, so he was the best in the nation in that time in doing that. That’s not going to be filled by one person. I do think we have recruited well as far as receiver is concerned. Shi [Smith], Josh Vann has had a great summer. Randrecous Davis is healthy for the first time since his first year. We’ve got to find some guys that can return kicks and I think we’ve got some viable candidates, so that’s a concern.

“Sadarius Hutcherson moved to left tackle. A guy that I think is more than capable, but it is different than what he has played before. He’s got the athleticism to play the position, he showed that to us in the spring. I think he’s had a really good summer. Donell [Stanley], we think his best position is playing guard. So you move a guy that played, and started, at the center position for you, so you are always chancing that. That’s a critical position, with us being in the shotgun primarily. Hank Manos and Chandler Farrell are both guys, even could be Eric Douglas in there at times. Eric is kind of our putty guy, he can kind of play different spots because he’s extremely bright and athletic. We are going to have a new right guard, we are going to need a guy to step up there. We’ve got to continue to develop depth, and again the athleticism is there, at the tackle position. On the defense, we’ve got to be more consistent than we were a year ago. Whether it was misfits in the run, misalignment, things that just really hurt us to create explosive plays. We’ve got to play much better at the safety position. I am young somewhat, but I am an old fashion ‘you better be good down the middle’ and we just weren’t last year. Call it like it is. We weren’t very good in those two positions last year and we weren’t as productive as we needed to be. I think we will be better, we have some talented secondary players and there is some youth concern there, but I’d rather coach a really talented young guy than an old guy that can’t play.”

On one position that needs the most work…
“Well I think within our offensive line. The ability is there, and I’m excited about that. We are more athletic and more powerful than we’ve been, but we have got to find that best five and even that six, seven and eight. Where those guys end up, I am not really sure at this point. We’ll see how that plays out. The thing about it is that the offensive line is a lot like the secondary. Communication is key, you better be on the same page or you are going to have a bad day.”

On if he has met President Caslen and his thoughts…
“I certainly have, and I am very impressed with President Caslen. Obviosuly, my brother went to West Point, played football at West Point as he did in the 70s. His passion for athletics is obviously important to us and his passion for football. We are looking forward to him addressing our team tonight. His resume and background speaks for itself. He served our country for 43 years, numerous honors throughout our military. I’m really excited about his leadership here at the University.”

On how they will decide number two quarterback position…
“Production. Orchestrating our offense. Whoever is the most productive player at the position.”

On what group he has the most confidence in…
“Well there are unknowns across the board for me. There are some positions where we are going to rely on some young players. We’ve played more freshmen, I believe, in the country in the previous three years. So if you are good enough as a player, you’ll play, and if you are the best in your position, you’ll start. We’ve been proven to do that, we are not afraid to play a young player. Obviously having a senior quarterback that has played really well for us, and having quality guys like Ryan [Hilinski] and Dakereon [Joyner] that we think we have a lot of confidence in our quarterback position.”

On Bryan Edwards impact…
“Well he needs to play well and I know he will. I’m excited about Bryan going into his senior year. He’s had a great summer and he’s really attacked the summer. I’ve seen guys that will sometimes going into their senior year that will kind of coast. That’s not been Bryan. He’s worked extremely hard, and he told me he feels like he is in the best shape he’s been in since he’s been at Carolina. He’s as strong as he’s ever been. He’s just had a great summer of catching the football. We’re excited about him.”

On wide receiver group and finding depth…
“Well, we get OrTre Smith back, who played extremely well as a true freshman and really stepped up when Deebo [Samuel] got hurt. Shi Smith has been a very productive player for us. We had him outside in the spring, but we feel like we can play him in the slot as well. Randrecous [Davis], you go back to his first year, he was a very productive player for us. He just had a hard time with that groin the past two years. He’s as healthy as he’s been, but he’s a dynamic guy that we feel really good about. Josh Vann, we really challenged this summer to improve his strength. He’s certainly done that and has answered that call. Chad Terrell was injured last year, and tore his ACL in the spring, so was never really at full speed, but a guy that has shown some flashes for us. Chavis Dawkins has been a very dependable player through his career and a guy that made a huge catch against Texas A&M under duress. So again, I think there is some good depth in the position, I think we recruited well.”

On if he looks back on his journey with players that come through the program…
“Oh, absolutely. I think that why I enjoy coaching. I coached pro ball before, but that’s really why I enjoy coaching college football. Seeing the maturation process and coming into school and growing up and maturing and going through some ups and downs. All of these guys, and some of them have already got their diplomas, and most of them are going to get it in December. To see how they’ve transformed themselves as people, as create the best versions of them every day and get them ready for the rest of their life. That’s our job at South Carolina, and I think we do it as good as anyone as far as our Beyond Football program with Marcus Lattimore.”

On if Shi Smith is as close as you have on the roster to mimicking some of the things Deebo Samuel could do…
“I think Shi has tremendous ball skills at the end of a catch. He’s got really good catch radius to be able to finish plays. I don’t think he’s got the lower body Deebo has as far as being able to run through contact. Deebo was a lot like a running back in a lot of situations. Shi can stick his foot in the ground – he can make people miss in space. I think we’re expecting a big year from him.”

On what freakish things he’s seen Sadarius Hutcherson do…
“We recruited him out of Huntington, Tenn. – dead in between Memphis. I think we beat UT-Martin on him. He was about 240 when we recruited him. When he came on his visit, all the players asked him if he was a tight end. He’s just a guy that’s worked extremely hard and has completely bought in to the nutrition part of what you’ve got to do to be successful. I would say he’s up in the 320 (pound) range right now. I think he did 225 (pounds) 38 times (on the bench). He’s a guy that we stopped on the power clean and squat test because he’s bending the bar. But he’s completely bought in to the weight room and what it takes in order to be successful as a player. He’s extremely smart. We’re expecting a big year out of Hutch.”

On how important Donell Stanley’s leadership and experience is…
“It’s critical. He’s an outstanding example for our players every day with the way he goes about his business, the way he works, the way he approaches the game, the way he approaches practice, the weight room. He’s a great example for our young offensive linemen to see how you do things the right way.”

On his thoughts on Harris Pastides and what kind of impression has he made on him…
“We’ve been very fortunate how he and Patricia represented the University and how welcoming they were to Carol and I in coming to South Carolina. Nothing but positive support for athletics. Nothing but positive support for our football program, for our student-athletes. If I asked him to meet with a recruit, he was going to meet with a recruit. He was going to do anything he could do to help us be successful. He’ll be missed.”

On how important is it to have the trio of Israel Mukuamu, R.J. Roderick and Jaycee Horn in the secondary to build around…
“We kind of train in terms of concepts in the secondary. We’re not really just training a (certain) position. It’s more of a conceptual standpoint. There’s a lot of carry-over from nickel and safety. They’ll be taught. Israel and Jaycee both are guys that have excelled for us in the offseason and with how they handled spring ball and the summer. Excited about the progress they’ve made. J.T. Ibe and Jamyest Williams have made great strides at the safety position. Jamel Cook I thought has had a good summer. We’ve got some young players that we’re excited about. We’ll play those guys. We don’t worry about that.”

On if he sees a difference in Parker White now that he’s on scholarship…
“Not really, Parker has always been a calm, cool individual. He did have a shaky first year and a lot of that was on me. I put him in situations with some very difficult kicks in some situations where I probably shouldn’t have with a young player like that. But he went back in the offseason and worked extremely hard fundamentally on the things that he needed to work on. That’s why he had the year he had last year. He had a fantastic year last year. He’s hit two game-winners for us since he’s been here. I don’t blink at all if he’s lining up to kick the game-winner. I can tell you that.”

On Jake Bentley’s mindset going into his senior season and areas he’s focused on improving…
“The obvious things we have to do is take better care of the ball. Six interceptions in the red zone and 14 overall – they weren’t all Jake Bentley. We’ve got to take better care of the ball. We’re 6-0 when we won the turnover margin last year and 1-6 when we didn’t. It’s the most important stat there is. We’ve got to take better care of the football and understand those situations. That really comes down to decision making, throwing the ball to the right spots on time and different things. That goes not just to the quarterback position; it goes across the board offensively. I’m excited about the experience he has; I’m excited about his talent level; I’m excited about his competitive edge; I’m excited about his leadership ability; I’m excited about his senior year.”

On if offensive philosophy changes based on how a game starts…
“We’re always thinking in terms of what is it going to do to help us win the game. Philosophically, we would love to stay balanced offensively, we want to dictate the tempo of the game, we want to run the ball in critical situations – meaning short yardage, red zone, end of game situations – are the three things we talk about from my standpoint. But, I follow it up by saying, ‘If we need to throw it 50 times, let’s throw it 50 times.’ If we need to run it, we’ll run it 50 times. We’re going to do what it takes to win. At the end of the day, only one stat matters, and that’s winning.”

On what linebackers stepped up in the spring…
“I thought Ernest Jones did some really nice things from a communicating standpoint. We put a lot on our MIKE linebacker, and I thought Ernest did a really nice job of transitioning to be that guy. That was really good for him. Sherrod [Greene] made some strides athletically, which is what you want. A guy who worked extremely hard and was very consistent through the spring, which is something we really challenged him, was Damani Staley. He had a really good spring and has had an even better summer as far as working hard, being communicative and doing the things you have to do to be successful. Derek Boykins is a young player that we’re excited about coming along in our program. Eldridge Thompson was non-contact in the spring but a guy who athletically we’re excited about. Rosendo Louis has done some nice things for us; we’re going to start him out at SAM linebacker. He did some nice things for us at the end of the year for a true freshman. Jahmar Brown is a young player we’re excited about in the program. He’s a guy that, athletically, can do some things for us, definitely on special teams and we’ll see where he fits on defense.”

On importance of D.J. Wonnum to the defense…
“He’s a really good football player. He’s very instinctive. He’s very smart. D.J. is going to be the first one to walk in tomorrow morning. All the young players are going to walk in and see how you do things the right way. We missed that when he only played five games for us last year. It hurt us. A really good football player, and an even better person. He’s named a team captain, I think only the third one in school history as a sophomore – he and Jake Bentley and Hayden Hurst. So, he’s got the great respect of his teammates for how he goes about his business. We’re real excited to have him back, and he does look great.”