Garret Riley Press Conference | Clemson Football Offensive Coordinator | 3/27/24

I guess we'll start with the the scrimmage today obviously it's kind of the the last scrimmage before the spring game thoughts on on what you saw today uh we had the the best positive we had I felt like we had a lot of guys different people make some big plays um whether it be a first down conversion a Long play a touchdown whatever it may be you know running backs um some of the tight ends receivers quarterbacks made a couple plays with their legs which was good to see so that that was one of the biggest takeway way as I kind of felt from the day is uh we kind of had some Playmakers emerge and that's what you're going to have I heard from Antonio on Monday that tank had been working with the first team summon looking good what have you seen from him this spring from Tink yeah yeah tink's kind of come on uh really this back half of our spring I felt like he's kind of settled in and gained a little confidence and uh you know he's definitely shown up in some of our scrimmage um last two for sure you know so he's he's one of those guys that's kind of a unique weapon what has Brian Wesco added to the wide receiver and the offense as a whole yeah Brian's done a nice job I mean anytime as a freshman the whole thing is just can you hand handle uh mentally and then just the the the grind the the speed of the game transitioning at his position at receiver and once you transition to the college speed you know he's been able to mentally handle things and I think he's a guy that's transitioned really well with the speed of the game you know he's a kid that just doesn't um you know the moment's not too big for him you know he just kind of feels like like that type of player to me so I'm very pleased with this start what were you looking for today and then did some of those things you were looking for get accomplished out there yeah we kind of mixed up you know who was going against who today and kind of mixed the match a little bit more in this scrimmage um so you kind of put some guys in some advantageous situations or not advantageous um so I I felt like really every group there was there was some growth you know some of our truly young guys um emerg you know Keith Adams had a big day to today and uh didn't didn't play Phil mafa as much today kind of held him a little bit so Keith kind of had a huge opportunity for himself and and he capitalized he had a huge day for us and the quarterbacks quarterbacks yeah Kate Kate had a really nice day he was consistent uh made really sparked the whole day with the play he made with his feet and uh he found Wes go for a pretty nice one a big play and that just kind of sparked the whole day um so I was happy with K and uh how he kind of bounced back from last scrimmage um CV CV is doing a lot of really good things I mean he's improving he's getting reps you can tell he's becoming more confident um every single day but he he kind of had a bad play and the great thing you see in these scrimmages he had a bad play today and then he bounced back and had a great play um after that so that's always a good sign uh that you see from a quarterback has he been able to to push Kate at all or is it just a merely a thing of Kate's getting better and CV's getting better no I mean that there's competition there that's what's good I mean you get a guy that's gonna put the ball in play and and I don't care what team if it's ones twos threes whoever and whatever group he's in if he's leading and we're we're driving the ball and scoring and creating touchdowns like that's just going to naturally kind of create that competition so that's just kind of what we're seeing right now where has this offense made the most strives this spring uh I I I think really I think just our maturity level I mean overall I mean that's kind of what I expected coming off last season second year the same offense you got a quarterback that's played you got o line that's coming back that's played a lot of snaps together you know just felt like kind of our our maturity just overall would emerge and I think we've seen that um I think we're starting to see that you know and I think collectively up front we've we've done some really good things you know whether it's pass protection or some of the Run game like I I've seen a lot of growth that road with the wide receivers um now you got a couple practices left are you where you wanted to be with that group and being that this year you've had more of them than you've had last year at this time yeah no question um you know we got some guys that are a little dinged up or whatever right now but you know overall we're just so much further ahead you know just knowing what to do and how to do it um we've got a a nice group of guys in there like I said they're starting to create some plays for themselves some these one-on one situations and they just got to make a play and we're making some of those so um I like where we're at with that group right now for sure now that you've had some healthier guys and there's consistency up front is this going to look a little bit more like you want your offense to look than maybe at times last year because of of injuries and different things happening yeah I mean again it's always going to be a a derived off of what personnel we have and what those guys can do um you know but I think again the biggest thing that I'm seeing right now is just we got an older group we got an older group that's played year or two of the same offense and guys are just really have belief in one another not belief necessarily in the system I'm not really talking about that but belief in one another that guys are going to make plays that's what I'm starting to see right now what's the competition been like at Center and what guys are really standing out taking over that role yeah it's been it's been a good competition for us I mean obviously big big shoes to fill with putham a guy that's had a million snaps I mean butam still he's probably older than I am um you know but TR and Ryan lycom and Harris I mean all three of those guys getting rotated pretty good and um you know I like I like that competition right there those guys have have definitely improved through 13 practices so you mentioned Keith Adams has anybody kind of separated themselves at that number two running back spot is it is it Keith and maybe everybody else or yeah Keith Keith definitely made a nice push today there's no question about it then Jarvis Green made some really good plays um as well they had a couple really big plays um I think one pass two runs and then did some nice stuff down there at the goal line so you know Jarvis screen is a guy that's done some really good things for us here as late you moved Antonio to the to the outside and obviously everybody's going to play different spots but how has he kind of attacked that that change yeah he's had a great spring he really has I mean he's been consistent I mean we all know he's a he's a playmaker and he's one of those guys we're going to bank on to make plays but he's a guy that's versatile you can move him around but he's he's a smart football player you know but the biggest thing for him is just challenging him to kind of take the next step as a leader as a guy that he can really put his arm around the rest of the receiving core and and a guy that's kind of practice consistently like he's done that this spring so I've been pleased with him have there been any exciting surprises that you weren't necessarily expecting to see this spring um one one of the younger guys from last year that I think's made a huge jump is uh Marcus Dixon tight end you know he's a guy coming from his high school and getting here was all sort of new to him and just the transition of the speed of the game but I I've been really really pleased with his growth you know in the last six months call it um but he's a guy that that has stood out for sure in terms of a big jump with with Kade is it have you seen more maturity out of him and a more settled player you keep talking about maturity everybody's year has he shown that maturity yeah no question guys play a lot of snaps now and and uh again just being comfortable year or two the same language same system the same guys that are around him and then some of the additions um you know he's he's a guy that's that's uh you know mentally is is kind of what you wanted to see thus far you know through 13 I mean the the expectation of of not having to try to feel like you got to make too much happen and just those sort of things that it's when you're a when you're a high school quarterback and you made plays all your life and you get away with making some of those plays and you don't this level you know sometimes you just got to learn and go through it you know and so that that's what I'm starting to see with them spr people say bowl games don't matter but everybody the players have been saying that that that last Drive did so much for Kate's confidence do you believe that oh yeah I mean you get a two-minute drive and play a bowl game against that that opponent and kind of the the crazy day that was anyway just the crazy game it was and to cap it off the way we did I mean that a that's a huge confidence booster you know not just for him but for everybody for your entire team