Mak champions from a season ago the Howard University bison to my left coach Larry Scott Kenny gallab Jr and Darius Fox thanks so much for joining us now Jay I know this is a PO personal point of privilege you are very proud of your Howard University bison but America's black colle I'm GNA I'm going to put this on Coach Scott because this is an election year right and typically an incumbent is usually favored in an election year but the preseason poll says something a little bit different the polls can say one thing you've got to play it out on the field your thoughts on being predicted to finish second in the league um first of all U most important it it doesn't matter what other people think it's what we know right and it's what we're capable we know what we're capable of um and at the end end of the day um respect is one of those things that are earned right and so there's people entitled to their opinions and and those things and so in some eyes we maybe haven't earned that but that's okay you know sometimes you know it's more fuel for a burning fire and um I'm going to tell you something about Howard we're built to last we're going to be here we're going to be here a long time so um that's just more fuel for the five the bison are built to last fellas show off those Rings a little bit let me see what they look like man we got wow that's that's a lot of bling you got right there uh coach big question we talked about a couple times earlier quarterback you know you lost a lot of experience with Quinn Williams uh moving on uh how's it looking at that quarterback position and how do you make up for Q Williams yeah it's going to be it's going to be fun to watch right I think anytime you get that turnover and every program has that two three year turnover and you got to go to a new guy and those things but uh you want your quarterback to be the most competitive guy on the field you want him to want to win so to watch these guys um here over the next few weeks as we start training camp come to work every day and and and compete I think it's going to send that down through our whole football team and we're going to get a great camp out of it it's going to be fun to watch and somebody will emerge and that guy will be a competitor he'll be winner here and uh he'll Propel us forward and what's what's this offseason been like for you as a head coach you come to Howard you have a vision you want to try and compete win championships you become the me Champions outright a season ago what motivates you now and how do you keep it going uh just the process the process of the whole thing these guys were part of a nucleus U when I got to Howard that had to believe and we had to learn how to win if you watch through the years and how it's progressed and maturated for us um we've been in tough ones even last year I mean to lose by three to Northwestern uh to lose by 10 at Eastern Michigan and to lose a championship game by Four Points uh kind of shows where we still are and but where we're going uh is critical and I think these guys right here with the nucleus they've been and how solid they've been in our program um are going to take us where we need to go and I think it's going to be done this year um even with the new quarterback and all those things we're we're excited about what's coming and we asked this question to a player earlier I'm going to ask this question to you the Bison will return to Atlanta if we come together we got to come together come together we got a lot of little pieces now so we got to come together all right fellas that's on y'all sure so offensive lineman Darius Fox obviously yes you'll be protecting a new quarterback but you've got a stable of running backs and Playmakers in your backfield Jared Hunter Eden James along with Casey Hawthorne on the outside I mean you've got pieces uh on the offense that you know that you are responsible for protecting just how important important um is it for you all to do as coach said and come together it's extremely important the guys on the outside they real Playmakers and I it's hard to see them being tackled on the outside if everyone do does their one of 11 which in playing and play out is what our job is to do do our one of 11 so we can come together to have the ultimate goal being 111 and Ultimate Team success what's been the response like on the yard right because you earn the Mak Championship outright this year you shared it the season before okay you make it to the cricket celebration bowl like what's been the reception like on campus and then how has that you know evolved your mindset as well uh personally as a team we just know that we the guys that surround us are like our guys like people in the program are we know that we're going to go to war with every day and it's just a pleasure to go war with those guys and our main our main thought process this all season has been to finish everything we do in the classroom on the field drills conditioning all sorts of things just to finish and that's like that's been the main focus for the team this upcoming season you along with your teammate Kenny gallab Jr battle tested on the field and FCS All-American the anas Williams Award winner uh last season's M defensive player of the year with all of those accolades and obviously a lot of people are going to be targeting you you are now the hunted still very much this season um how do you manage those expectations um for me you know I know like you know people want the top spot um I always say that you know pressure bus fights would also meet diamonds so for me I just I like the task I like to compete I talk a lot of trash you know I work hard so I feel like I earn every Accolade so I'm just excited to see what everybody has how do you top though you know some of those accolades that I mentioned to you how do you top that this season or do you just carry on par with it oh I mean to be honest you know the goal is just to repeat that but also just to you know my dream is to play in a National Football League so that been the main goal so these are that's been the steps on the way to the journey but that that's the great you know the biggest goal so far we hear from a lot of coaches and Coach scottt you're no different about developing men and so gentlemen I'm going to ask you this question Kenny and dous about how you all have uh grown as men under coach Scott uh I'll take you first um I I I don't only look at coach Scott as a coach I look at him as a father figure away from my own parents um every day like it's it's about football but it's always about the bigger picture becoming a man and that's something he emphasizes day in and day out with us it's about everything outside of it like things when things go bad how you going to react as a man you got family to feed PE kids to feed how you going to react as a man it's like life lessons has been told in that room and I couldn't take anything from it from him pleasure to be pleasure to be um like a son to him I feel like and a player um well you know I first say you know coach got always you know preach about off the field things um you know certain things and things going bad in life we have like a little slogan we say it's good so you know anything bad happened to you just say good so now for me it just become a habit if I failed a test even though it's bad I say good you know I just work hard on the next one so it's more like that and you know just just building that kerie building the team chemistry building the Brotherhood the the the memories you know that's the thing that we preach on and that's the reason why I play so hard keny let me ask you this question in today's college football we talked about how changes everywhere young man had opportunity to go to different schools there what was the defining reason why you came back to Howard University um well first and foremost always you know know was trying to focus on graduating you know when I committed to Howard it was the 40-year decision instead of four so I wanted my that's what I'm talking about man stop right there man a 40-year decision instead of a four-year decision for sure like you know Howard you know it's a great you know it's a great school you know um a lot of connections so that's what I was focused on but then also you know like I said this a few seconds ago just the Brotherhood actually my blood brother play on the team so coming back another year to get a chance to play with him you know it was definitely going to be exciting for myself also my family make it the Tide Water Area with this a forsmith Virginia product Kenny Gallop Jr Darius Fox along with coach Larry Scott thank you so much for your time we appreciate you being here and uh good luck this season appreciate you hat you you appreciate you appreciate