all right uh welcome back and thanks for joining us here at the 2024 CA kickoff uh presented by Sideline design uh we're here with lawtech head coach Sunny Cumby and student athletes Jack Turner and Jesse Evans uh we're going to start with an opening statement from coach before we jump to questions um those on Zoom raise your hands and we'll get to you if we uh have time here in the room all right coach welcome well I appreciate you guys having us um Conference USA and and commissioner McLoud have done a phenomenal job of putting on this media days for our student athletes um we're excited to be here in fris show at PGA of America I'm the headquarters here and and I think just uh you could probably ask these guys but just watching them over the last um 48 Hours the the student athlete experience that our conference has um given these two guys here and and then all the players that have came along with these other schools and these other coaches and everybody that's came along with us and our in our program um just EXC excited I mean it's been a great event it's been an unbelievable experience for these guys and so um looking forward to getting this season kicked off it's our third season um you know a lot of exciting things that have gone on and Russ and Louisiana Tech um really excited to be representing our school I'm representing you know our our president Dr Henderson um the the the the future and the vision that he has you know for our school you know Ryan Ivy our athletic director um you know I think is has done great things already and and looking forward to uh to to many more and so I think the two guys that I have chosen You Know Jack Turner I think and Jesse Evans both of these guys exemplify for me and for our program you know everything that we stand for in terms of our cornerstones and our football identity um you know you think about Jack Turner who's graduated already in his in his two and a half three years at Louisiana Tech I'm getting ready to be the starting quarterback for our football team Jesse Evans is going to graduate um at the end of this fall quarter and I think is getting ready to really impact our football team um on the field as well a defensive end but I think that their impact goes so much more than what they do on the field in our program in our community they're heavily involved in our community um they're heavily involved in our campus life um and they also happen to be able to Excel on the football field and so I think these two young men that represent our program that represent our players that represent the city of Russen and Louisiana Tech I could not pick two other guys that would exude um you know really what we stand for in our program um we've got a great schedule um I'm excited about our midweek contests um that we kick off a Thursday night um this year we have a Thursday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday so our schedule sets up really well um from the standpoint of the time in between our games um and then also our on and I think in our league um if you are a fan of football and if you're a fan of of of watching close games and watching great players um I think the midweek games have been great for our for our league um and in terms of the the close games that you've been able to see but also for our players to be able to Showcase what kind of talent they have on the field and the coaches in this league and the players of this league are are some of the best in the country and so we're excited to be here looking forward to embark on our third season as a staff and and very optimistic about the football football team that we have on and off the field and and so looking forward to getting this thing started August 31st with a home game against Nicholls State all right we'll jump to questions um and the back coach Tony Thomas uh college football dogs uh you played and coached got your start as a coach under the great Mike Leech how does he how has he um affected you as a coach in in the way you in your coaching style I think that you know as we look at the landscape of college football his coach Mike leech's fingerprints are all over college football offensively I think it's very obvious but I think from a defensive standpoint too and how the game has evolved on defense from the standpoint of having to defend the Air Raid Offense and how defense has changed their personnel how they recruited differently how they played players positionally in different positions on defense because of the evolution of Mike leech's Aid offense and so um I think his fingerprints are all over this game we know that his personality was was unbelievable it was uh it was a great uh educational course that that I was able to have as a player and then as a graduate assistant sitting in those meetings and and most of the conversation as you could imagine was was non-f football related and and so um we talked about um everything under the sun you know from Pirates um you talked about swinging your sword you talked about the weather and the patterns of the weather and and what to expect from that standpoint of this next wind storm that was about to blow in and so um coach leech was was unbelievable to listen to you listened a lot more than you talked to um because he was full of wisdom and he knew a lot and so one of the things that he always shared with us and and and it was clear mind fast legs and I think that we want to try to emulate that from the standpoint of of of having our players have clear minds and allow them to play really fast and what they do and so I think he had an unbelievable ability to keep the game simple um and I think that you try to take all of those things that you learn from other coaches you know whether it's Mike Leech whether it's Gary Patterson you know whether it's Matt Wells guys that you've been around um and and Implement them into your program and and fortunately for me I was able to be around Mike Leech and Gary Patterson for a long time and and I think it's very inter in because they're both brilliant on defense brilliant on offense and and you try to take things that worked well in those programs and Implement them and that fited these guys here um in our program and so I think Mike Leech has touched this game um in in a lot of different ways he's impacted me um I've been sitting here right now based off the influence and really the opportunity that Mike Leech gave me right we'll jump to the front down here coach Matt bson wrestling da leader I'm curious what are you what are your expectations for new defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson and just his getting his hands on this defensive unit this fall well I think that as we went through the process and making a change on defense really thought it was important that we listened to our players and and what were they looking for um from a new defensive staff and from a new defensive coordinator and and I think that from a schematic standpoint and hearing our players out I think that from a schematic standpoint I think those things are very important and and I'm really excited about the multiplicity of our scheme that we'll be able to do with Coach JJ and our staff but but the number one thing that I think that himself um you know coach Jeff Burrus keelen brookens Cortez Carter jakori Greer the number one thing that they've done this offseason I think is they've connected with our players and that's one of the cornerstones in our program is the connection piece and I think that what play we call on special teams defense or offense is is very very important but the ability to connect with these young men I think to engage their heart and mind I think is is the number one thing I think our players are looking for and so that's what we tried to get out go out and accomplish you know obviously just like when you recruit players you got to have a certain level of talent tent to be able to be recruited and and you also have to have a certain level of defense and and all right how do we stop the run all right how how do are we better in the Red Zone you know how how do we defend the pass um well and and how do we change up the looks for the quarterback and and and all of those things but ultimately coach Jeremiah Johnson and his staff I think have done a very good job of connecting with our kids I think he's been in a situation at Kent State where he went in in one year um dramatically changed defensively um just from a statistical standpoint and guys being able to play really good defense and and I think that we have the the pieces in place in terms of the Personnel that we have and I think that coach JJ and his defensive staff that we've assembled will get the most out of those kids you know from a relationship standpoint yes but also on the field questions all right I'll jump in with one uh Jack you know you merged as quarterback one down the stretch uh what do you kind of hope to build off from your success at the end of the year as you head into 2024 yeah I would say the biggest thing is uh personally is just consistency being able to go the whole season um playing at a high level um for myself but ultimately winning is big for us um that's something that we just a standard that we haven't met for ourselves in the past two years and um that's something that's incredibly important for us um so that's the big Focus this year uh just as a team is uh making sure that we win a little bit more um and Jesse you know you have the new defensive coordinator coming in um you know what have you kind of learned from him so far and how do you guys uh field going into the season um I feel like I learned a lot from coach JJ um as soon as he stepped foot in the the team room he kind of made a big impact once stand and I kind of got the whole defense ready to play for him I feel like we we're really excited for what's going to come up for the next fall um we all bought into it now like we really wanted to ride with Coach JJ he's just a great guy to have around um right here in the front hey coach Kevin BR from Sports Illustrated just now with smoke harrisan who are some of the receivers you're kind of hoping that will step up yeah I mean it's it's been exciting to see smoke play for the Hamilton Tiger Cats up in the CFL I think he's impacted the game I couldn't imagine uh defending him on a field that's wider and longer and having him going in Forward Motion especially on kick returns and punt returns and I think that's where he's impacted the game up there up north in the shortest amount of time that he's been there and it's great to see his success and and I think that he'll continue to do that and and I think that you know when you look at our roster you know the wide receiver position and the inside receiver position you know you're you're you're not going to have another smoke Harris from the standpoint of the plays that he made um you want to try to use the guys that you have and I think in the return game immediately you know dedric lulus is a guy's name that that comes to m in the punt return game I think you saw Demarcus Griffin Taylor emerge as our kick returner he did a phenomenal job from that standpoint so I think you manufacture it in different ways um it's not going to be as easy as hey let's just throw the ball to smoke and let him break about eight tackles and get a first down and and I think that you just play off the strengths of the other guys you know I think you know from the receiver room you know it's a different skill set than than what you all and I think lulas can do some of that you I think a guy like solo Lewis is is poised to have an impact on our team and so I think that um you find a different way whether it's a running back you know that that has a similar skill set to smoke but you find a different way um in terms of getting guys to football in space and allowing those guys to make people Miss but you know smoke I think the number six on our offense I think probably there's 11 I guess there's a bunch of other coaches in this this building right now they're glad that he's gone and and and we wish we had him but did a great job in our program but we're excited about the kids that we have and the players and the people we have to replace them head here on the front Jesse we've heard a lot about with Coach Johnson's defense you guys are playing a lot more free not thinking as much I'm curious like how do how do you feel like that'll benefit you guys when you get out there like how on a day-to-day basis what does that mean for you guys well on a day-to-day basis I feel like it means a lot to know that we don't have to think before we make a play we just got to go because coach our defense is basically we have a lot of great athletes out there so now to know that we could just go out there and play free and just make make plays I feel like that would make our defense way much better than what it was last year coach TP hammock with the AHS FHS uh heading into year three what uh what can you know fans and uh people outside the program what can they expect to see from the Bulldogs this year but I think when you're going into our third season you know as we are as a staff I I think that that the alignment within our program has never been greater um from top to bottom with coaches to players and I think that you know as we speak right now we're having a workout going on and and and I have very little heartburn about how that workout will go just because I know that our players um the intent of what they're going to show up with every single day um the intent that they show up in terms of the Improvement that they want to see and so the optimism that I have for this team our staff has for this team is the work that we've seen you know under the surface the last two years from the standpoint of of you have two guys here that represent um really the the 118 players that we have back and the number one thing that they represent is a group that's hungry to win and I think the group is determined to win and and to play um you know last year we had five games where we lost the football game on the last drive one score or less and so I think there's a lot of guys from this football team that have learned from those lessons and I think they're a determined group and so that's what I think that um these guys that represent our football team and and our staff as well um is we're hungry to win and and we're ready to to to finish games um that maybe we let slip away and then I think we're ready to do that on a daily basis and with the intent with how we show up and work every day all right uh I wrap up with one question right here Jack um you backed up Hank for most of the Season then obviously had to come in because of his injuries but what you learn from him and what can you take away now as the start of this season yeah Hank uh was a great leader to have in front of me um he exemplified just having like a light-heartedness towards the game um not making it more that than it was um I think kind of similar to what coach kumy does is just keeping it simple um and he taught me kind of just how to do that just go out and just play the game um play trust what you have been coached to do trust what you've been practicing to do what you've been training in the offseason to do so I would say that's one of the biggest things that he showed me is just kind of to to trust yourself and just to go out and play the game all right coach gentlemen thank you for your time we'll be back with Sam Houston in about five minutes