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VIDEO/TRANSCRIPT: Connor Shaw Introductory News Conference
Football  . 

VIDEO/TRANSCRIPT: Connor Shaw Introductory News Conference

Coach Muschamp Introduces New Director of Player Development

– [Will Muschamp] I’d like to introduce somebody that needs absolutely no introduction here in Columbia, South Carolina. Welcome him back to Columbia, his wife Molly, Mila, and Decker. Excited to have Connor on board. In this position, Marcus, when we hired him, he expressed to me his desire to further his education in psychology. He’s going to study abroad in Europe, and got a program that he’s really excited about. He expressed to me that in December that’s felt like he wanted to do it, at this time, and the first person that came into my mind was Connor Shaw, a guy that’s the winningest quarterback in South Carolina history, can relate with our players. We truly believe in outlets, here, for our players. I think we have as good a support off the field as anybody in the country. You talk in terms of Kristin Coggin and our nutrition program and then Paul Jackson talked about that the other day. You look at the story that Gene Frenette from the Jacksonville Newspaper that recently wrote about Hayden Hurst and our mental health department, as far as Tim Malone and Rachel Sharp and the fantastic job that our training staff does to support our players. Reverend Jackson is a part of that, and now Connor is a huge part of that in our Beyond Football program and our life skills and just being a mentor for our guys every day. Live the life here, we use Bright Stadium on this campus and really excited to have Connor join our family. And Connor, go ahead and open up for you.

– [Connor Shaw] Yeah, well first, really happy for Marcus and Miranda. I know that’s exciting for them. Anyone that knows Marcus understands the impact he’s had on this program and this state. And I know that many more people will deeply benefit from him earning his psychology degree. But, I’m really excited to be back. I’m thankful to Coach Muschamp. I’m thankful to Coach Tanner for offering me a chance to return to my alma mater. And really, it was kind of confirmed this past Sunday night in our first team meeting how much I really missed this type of environment. You know, Coach going through the goals and expectations, seeing guys take down notes, getting ready to work and compete. So, I can’t wait to be a part of their journey, but as excited as I am, this is not about me. Every guy in that locker room chose the University of South Carolina because they believed that they would be developed into outstanding football players, earn a great education, and leave here as mature and respectable men. So, when I look at my role, career building, mental health, life skills, mentorship, it certainly resonates with me. And to kind of dive deeper into that you’re looking at professional development, network, self-awareness, helping them with decisions that set them up for success and then developing a plan while they’re student athletes at South Carolina. And that includes football. You know, I wouldn’t want to compartmentalize football and everything else because we’re going to use football to accomplish what they want to accomplish outside of ball. And so, my first step is just to get to know the guys. The more I know them the more I can help them. I’m not going to pretend like I’m some know it all that has all the answers. But what I will offer is authentic feedback, open dialogue to whatever they feel like they need help with, and I do understand what they’re going through, how busy they are, what they’re navigating through, and I can certainly offer some experience that I’ve had as a student athlete and then the NFL and then learning how to be a professional outside of football. But, I’m really excited and open up to any questions.

– [Reporter] I guess Connor, what was sort of the process that kind of led you to this? What was the communication that kind of stuff from Coach Muschamp?

– [Connor Shaw] Yeah, Coach Muschamp reached out to me once he heard that Marcus was pursuing his education. And, heard from him and Coach Tanner, the opportunity came up and that I was on their mind and that obviously hit home for me. I think I always had aspirations to be back a part of this program in some sort of role and so I think that the timing really worked out and my wife and my two kids and myself are excited to be back a part of this program and ready to see how I can help.

– [Reporter] I have one question for each of you. Connor, what do you think is the best part of your story that you can share with kids? I know you do a lot of time speaking with kids. But, what is the one piece of advise or something from your story that you feel that kids can most benefit from?

– [Connor Shaw] Yeah, well my story, I mean shoot, it didn’t happen over night, you know. There was some adversity through injuries while I was a player here kind of feeling like an outcast sometimes when you’re not competing with everyone else. I know there’s a lot of guys that go throw that in the course of their career. And then that kind of transitional phase playing in the NFL, not getting a lot of playing time, and then finding out who I am outside of football. When I talked about developing that plan while they’re student athletes, that resonates with me because I feel like I did that in the backend of my career, almost after my playing days were over. And so, it kind of bounced around a little bit but it’s important for me to develop as a professional outside of football, help me develop a skillset that I needed, understanding how to be more financially responsible, navigating and understanding how to manage my time and schedule better, and then filtering through opportunities that are worth while or not. And so all of those attributes, all the things I’ve learned, I feel like I can kind of help guide, help mentor some of these players that are going through some of the same things.

– [Reporter] And Will, how important was it to you, you had a legendary figure here in Marcus and you’re able to replace him with another legendary figure but also someone who has a recent history here at South Carolina?

– [Will Muschamp] Well, I think it’s important. I mean, our players know who Connor is. They know his playing days here at the University of South Carolina, obviously what he accomplished on the field but what I’m excited about is what he’s going to bring them off the field. His experiences as being a Gamecock and then being one of the greats of all time that played here, and so I think that that’s a huge part of it but when you meet Connor you see how authentic and how real he is and you see what he’s going to be able to do as far as his mentorship to our student athletes.

– [Reporter] Kind of going off Rick’s question a little bit, how difficult a process was it for you to get to this point because you were a pretty driven guy here with football, you were intense when you talked to us about football, that’s for sure?

– [Connor Shaw] Yeah, I mean, I’m 28 years old and I feel like I’m the oldest 28 year old in the game. I mean, had two kids right out the gate and then going to Cleveland, going to Chicago, coming back to Greenville, having about seven, eight months at Furman, then getting into more of, some private business opportunities the past two years, so it’s been a bit of the road more traveled. But I couldn’t be more excited for this role in particular with this program and just learn from all the resources that Coach Muschamp talked about with Kristen, Paul, and Maria over at the Dodie Academic Center and I’m looking forward to what it leads to in the future. You know, I want to be here for a very, very long time. So, like I said, we’re just ready to get going.

– [Reporter] Connor, right here. Is there a particular issue you see student-athletes needing more help with now-a-days as compared to when you were a player?

– [Connor Shaw] I’m sure there’s a lot of similarities. I think some of the things that stick out to me if I go back and try to figure out what were the challenges that I faced and some of the challenges my teammates faced, was navigating the time. Football is very militant, scheduled to the very hour of each day, and so if they can be efficient in their time but also understand that there are so many educational programs and resources at their disposal, and so part of my job is just connect them with whatever’s relevant to their needs.

– [Reporter] Couple questions for you. One, what did you like about the plan that Marcus set up in this job and then how do you want to put your stamp on it?

– [Connor Shaw] Really appreciate what Marcus has done the past two years. You know, hearing him speak to the players on Sunday night, you can tell that he had developed a lot of relationships with those guys and it wasn’t easy for him to walk away. And I think he’ll still continue to contribute but he’ll be a resource for me. I look forward to continue picking Marcus’s brain and the great thing about it is there’s Dylan Thompson in Detroit, there’s Jack Easterby in Houston that I’ve already contacted and there’s a lot of different leadership seminars and outlets that I just want to be a sponge so I can come back and kind of make my stamp here.

– [Reporter] Connor, as a former player and coming back and seeing this facility and some of the other things that are happening around campus, are you jealous at all that some of this stuff weren’t in place when you were here or is it just kind of nice for the current guys?

– [Connor Shaw] No, it’s exciting for the players. I joke around and say our class helped fund this place but, it’s exciting to be a part of. It’s better than any professional facility I’ve ever been in. It’s a one stop shop. I mean there’s so many resources, you know, dining and academic tutors, and being around the coaching staff is probably the biggest thing that Coach Muschamp would probably attest to. I mean, when I was playing we would have to walk around the stadium to go meet with Coach Spurrier and our position coaches and we didn’t see ’em whole lot. So, forever everyone just to be here together and consolidated is a really big deal.

– [Reporter] In your playing days, were there any individuals who helped you in sort of the role that you’re going to be doing, is there anybody that you’d put back on that?

– [Connor Shaw] Yes, absolutely. The first name that comes to mind is Gloria. She was our sport psych in Chicago and to be honest, I wasn’t’ that type of person to go initiate those conversations with someone in that position, but I broke my tib/fib in 2016, was playing at a high level and then the next year I tore my hamstring and really didn’t know where to go from there. So, she helped me kind of navigate through a lot of that and she’s someone I’ve already connected with and kept all of her material that she gave me and PowerPoint presentations that I feel like will be beneficial in this role.

– [Reporter] Connor, you say you’re the oldest 28 year old in the game, for you, realizing that players are different now, student athletes are different, the coach different, and things of that nature, how important is it for you to be able to adapt to the new wave of student athletes?

– [Connor Shaw] I think again, step one is for me to just get to know them, understand who they are, where they’re from, what are they studying, what are their passions and hobbies, so we can feed that. But, like I said, the more I get to know them and more I get to understand the dynamic of a locker room and kind of that mediator between the coaching staff, someone that they can trust, that’s a position that I don’t take lightly. I take very seriously and look forward to developing those relationships.

– [Reporter] Connor, clearly you’ve got a responsibility for everybody in that locker room, but do you think you can bring something to the quarterbacks on the roster given your understanding of the spotlight and pressure on that position?

– [Connor Shaw] You know, they have a great coach in Mike Bobo and a great support staff here and they know what they’re doing from that standpoint. I think it’s going to be fun for me to just go sit in the offensive meeting room, the quarterback meeting room, get to know the quarterback room, maybe talk a little bit of football but my involvement with football is going to be being in sync with Coach Muschamp to see what’s a win for our guys on and off the field.

– [Reporter] But in terms of the off the field and the pressure, just because of the spotlight on the position.

– [Connor Shaw] Yeah, absolutely.

– [Reporter] Do you think you can relate to them because of that?

– [Connor Shaw] Yeah, I think a lot of it is blocking out the noise, understanding what’s important, how do I progress each day, whether it’s on the field, whether it’s in the meeting room, and in the weight room. And that’s what you have to focus on. There’s a lot of things, especially as a quarterback that present distractions for you. And, so it’s really just understanding what’s important and really hone in on that.

– [Reporter] Will, obviously you coached against Connor but what was the start of your guys personal relationship? How far back does that go and how did that kind of develop through the years?

– [Will Muschamp] Just when I got to Columbia, Connor was around a good bit and, obviously Coach Spurrier and I have a great relationship and he always talked about Connor’s leadership ability, the type of player he was, how he positively affected everybody around him, what kind of guy you want in the locker room, and then you come to Columbia and meet him and you realize that’s exactly who he is and that’s what he’s about. As far as those things are concerned, meeting him and getting to know him better and seeing how real and authentic he is and his passion for South Carolina and the University of South Carolina.

– [Reporter] Will, the follow-up on kind of what I was talking about Connor, from you’re playing days until now, how have you seen the outside pressure increase on these players, especially that position, at quarterback and what does somebody in this role do to mitigate that?

– [Will Muschamp] Well I think, I personally feel like he’ll be a tremendous asset for those guys at that position. ‘Cause it’s easier to talk through things if you’ve been there and done that and he certainly has at a high level. So, I don’t think there’s any question that’ll be a huge benefit to us moving forward. Because of social media, everybody has a platform, everybody has an opinion no matter how ignorant it might be, they do, and so, I think what he said is great. You can control the controllables, control the things that are important and someones opinion on Twitter is probably not very important to be honest with ya. So, let’s lock in on those things, but that’s hard when you’re dealing with 17, 18, 19, 20 years old because they’re concerned about the perception of things. They’re not totally focused in on the reality of what’s going on and how we need to improve and get better as an individual player, as a side of the ball as a football team or whatever the case may be. So, everyone has a platform now-a-days and that’s unfortunate but that’s the way it is.

– [Reporter] Connor, you kind of talked about the timing being right for this move, what about this made the timing right and kind of what excites you about kind of coming to this program when you are?

– [Connor Shaw] Well first, regardless of the timing, it’s an opportunity to come back to the University that I love and that I invested so much into and it invested in me. So, did I enjoy what I was doing before this? Sure, I think, again, I learned a lot, that was a great skillset that I think will be transferrable to this type of role. But, again, I had aspirations to be a part of this University and I love what they’re building here, it’s very special and the staff that he’s brought in and the guys that he’s recruiting. You know, I think the first conversation that we had was we don’t have a lot of bad guys, you know, character wise. These guys want to learn, they want to be sponges, and they want to work hard and those guys are easy to work with. So, for the timing, it could’ve been two months ago, it could’ve been two months from now and I would’ve been ride or die.

– [Reporter] Will, obviously between Connor and Marcus, two of the greatest players to play at this program, what is the benefit of having a former USC player in this role and especially one that the players know?

– [Will Muschamp] Well, someone that’s been on the campus, has been through the gauntlet of working here and playing here and understanding that part of it. Again, it’s no different then what Josh asked earlier about the quarterback position. He’s been there and done that at the highest level at our University so I think it’s a huge benefit to have somebody that’s walked the halls, that understands being a Gamecock.

– [Reporter] I’m just curious, being from Georgia, what’s your relationship like with Mike Bobo? Did he recruit you at all coming out of school or what was that process like.

– [Connor Shaw] Indirect relationship with him. So, his dad, George Bobo, trained me as a youngion in Rabun County, Georgia where my folks are at now and my brother’s the head coach there and so I’ve met Mike a couple of times through him but I know what he stands for, I know how real he is, and I know his knowledge of this game is going to be as a tremendous asset for..

– [Will Muschamp] He didn’t offer you?

– [Connor Shaw] No, he didn’t offer me.

– [Will Muschamp] That’s a bad deal.

– [Connor Shaw] I’ll say this though, even if he did..

– [Will Muschamp] You beat him.

– [Connor Shaw] Yup. I grew up a big Spurrier fan so my rooms were blue and orange growing up so, I know, maybe I just wanted to be different right outside of Athens, but, yeah. That’s kind of how I ended up here actually.

– [Reporter] Obviously, Coach Hutzler takes that role at Texas, I guess, what was your reaction watching that process and also what kind of a challenge to replace a guy who could both do the linebackers and do special teams like he did?

– [Will Muschamp] Well again, we’re going to make the best hire for the University of South Carolina. Appreciate Coleman and his contributions here. You know, that phone call came last week so that’s something that I’ve been working on and talked to several people over the weekend and a couple guys yesterday and another guy today. So we’ll make the best decision for South Carolina.

– [Reporter] With the hope to be able to have that in place before the next time you can get on the..

– [Will Muschamp] Whenever we can make the best decision for South Carolina is when we will, whether it’s tomorrow or two weeks from now. So, we’ll make that decision then.

– [Reporter] How comfortable are you guys, I think the recruiting period starts this weekend.

– [Will Muschamp] Friday.

– [Reporter] Friday, so how good do you guys feel about the ability to close this class strong and where you are in recruiting?

– [Will Muschamp] Well, we’ve got a good plan in place as far as the guys we feel like that we need to sign in February. So, I think we have a good plan in place at this time, but we’ll be back on the road on Friday. We got a big weekend this weekend with some good young players coming in town, unofficially.

– [Reporter] Will, do you know when you’re starting spring practice and the spring game?

– I believe it’s April 4 is the spring game. We’re starting February 27, I believe it’s that Wednesday, the last Wednesday in February. And we’ll have five practices before spring break like we’ve done before and come back and finish it up April 4.

– [Reporter] Would Coach Krantz be a candidate to move back on the field?

– [Will Muschamp] Yeah, he certainly is. Sure.