Jon Heacock Discusses Iowa State's 2024 College Football Kickoff Preparations & Defenses Potential

the value I I guess I would I how would you describe your relationship with Coach rashed as guys who've been together a long time original staff members here and how that's helped that defensive line be so consistent yeah you know I think first and foremost I think she does a great job with his guys um you know takes great pride uh in that group um first and foremost um and when I first got to too first met coach um man definitely a group of that dline group was a tight neck group and he's developed that ever since and you learned to kind of get into that and understand it and and U but you know our relationship's grown over the years to to way past football so it's been a lot of fun um he's an excellent coach better person than coach um incredible human being and you know I respect that about him and he gets his guys to play really hard coach what makes a good game for your group on Saturday well you know I think you know this group's interesting that that you know um I think the group that we're playing is really mentally and physically tough when you watch them and I I give a lot of credit to coach I I don't personally know him obviously I coached in that conference so I understand um you know how how talented the conference is how tough it is um how tough you have to be to get through it um and I think that's what you see on video tape from this group um so I think it's going to be a great test for our guys uh physically and mentally because I think they're both of that I I think they play physically tough um The Backs run downhill the tight ends are I mean they they try to smash you and um you know I just think that's how they play the game and then you know they play well into the fourth quarters and so they're mentally tough and so I think it's a great challenge for our guys and and I think you know for me to feel decent about it I think we're going to have to mental you we're going to have to match their mental and physical toughness and I think it's a great challenge for our guys um you know they they've done a great job there and a lot of respect for them how do you see mind mind set mood anything kind of shift for guys players from going from Camp into the preparation for week one um I mean you'd be silly to say that it doesn't change because you you practice for so many months and days to play 12 so it does shift a little bit you hope that it doesn't shift a lot you hope that preparation is um their purpose and their habits have you know since last January since the season was over you hope that you know all the habits and structure and everything they've been doing to get to this point lines them up to have a good week of preparation in order to play so you hope it doesn't change a lot but you also know no different than us and we only get 12 guarantees of this and you practice for 300 and however many days uh mentally and physically to do it so it does change a little bit it's exciting um you know it's football season it's here and um you know our guys are excited about it but I think deep down you hope that their process doesn't change and you know they just continue to keep trying to get better and better every day knowing that there is going to be that change even if it's not Monumental how do you try to use that to your advantage as a team or a coach uh W good question um you know I I just think that you you you have to still go do what it takes to have success I mean you you you have to get lined up on our side of the ball you you have to get lined up uh you know they run a lot of tempo and and we know we've had to study you know three different schools to try to figure out what we're going to get in this game and we we don't always know um you know we've gone as far back in Southern Illinois to you know wona state to you know what they're doing at North Dakota so um trying to understand a little bit so you have to have great principles um and and Concepts and fundamentals um and so I I think you just rely on all of that stuff uh in order to keep it simple enough that they can understand and you can fix problems that happen because there'll be stuff that we have not practiced um it happens every game actually uh and especially in the defense that we play and now that we're playing four down and some of that stuff there'll be some different things that happen to us out there that that you know are different you mentioned your experience coaching at this level in this conference if you put yourself in the shoes of maybe their head coach or their defensive coordinator when you get an Iowa State on the schedule what do you anticipate seeing out of a team like that well I I think those guys and I've been that team you know we had gone to Penn State we had played at Ohio State U we had played at pit um so I I think you know those guys um and and I guess again to me it goes back to who they are and I think that's where I think you see coach like coach Swagger's his his print is on that team like they're tough like they don't they're not going to be shocked come into I was like they're coming here to win and I think in the games that I've coached we went there to win too and you go do the things that you do best uh you rely on the same things that you always do and um you know I think all those guys will they'll come here and play just like you watched them play you know really since he's been the head coach there I think they're going to play hard and um you know again we're going to have to match all that stuff and then you know we're going to have to execute and play well three starting linebackers from the state of Iowa not sure that how many times that's happened that you've been in Ames but what does it mean to those guys like a an eel or a bacon or mofin to to be that yeah I I think it means a little extra it's home you know I think this is home I think anytime that um in any program I've ever been in um you know I think the hometown kids the home kids you know it just means more um and it doesn't mean it's not taking away from others but man you grew up here here um a lot of our guys grew up Cyclone fans and now they're getting a chance they grew up on the hill you know and they're getting a chance to to live dreams and uh it means the world to them and and they'll play like it and they they they have done that certainly they have some experience and skill positions they got a you know receiver who's a lot they think they're bleeding to rushers from last year but they've also got a quarterback who I think all the videotape you have the famous from one game what's the challenge of that with the new guy and what you've talked about the attitude these guys bring in game guy like that small town hasn't really ever been on this stage probably brings as much as anyone yeah I think you know I think they'll again you don't have 100% sure what's going to go on but um you know I think the white outs is good a guy that we play against I mean though that guy could play anywhere in the teams that we play um you know tremendous guy the running backs are very physical downhill uh again they look like guys we play against and the tight ends for sure are uh and they've got a whole whole group of them U very similar to our guys so um you'll see physical um UPF front you know I I just think you're going to see downhill game and um you know they been they run Tempo they they do all the different things that that force you to be um you know you have to be on it on Saturday and our guys are going to have to get lined up get lined up fast they're going to have to be aware of the quarterback he's a skilled guy he's athletic uh he's tough and um you know you just those guys present problems too they run the football they they run all the you know quarterback runs um you know and stuff we've prepped for and we've studied all summer and you know we're just trying to figure out the balance to to where it all is going to be but um you know I think it it creates some challenge because they do have have really skilled and good players hey coach so with us being the first season without players like TJ Tampa and Gary vau you know players who have been with this program for years now what has it been like for those players in that in those respective position groups to really step up for this season I I think it's been exciting for him they had great leaders you know they watched guys like TJ how they prep and they play and how they practiced and and then in turn you know what that what that led to and I think that's what's important you know sometimes you need to see it and believe it and and I think our guys have watched you know guys like TJ and you know even as far back as Jake hmel and um you know Gary vaugh I mean those guys were great preparation guys they practiced uh they prepared off the field they lived um this place and uh guys have had great examples to follow and it's fun to watch them you see a guy like Darren Porter and and tez and and Miles purchase him and you see those guys growing from from being around those guys so it's been awesome to to watch um B elected as a captain for the second time you're obious as defensive coordinator what makes him someone that you guys as a staff and his teammates believe in leading this group well you know I mean he he's he's been here played as a young guy got a lot of reps um but I think who he is in the building is probably um you know if you could say anything about him it's probably the most incredible part of him you know who he is around the rest of the team in the locker room in the meeting rooms in the back um tremendous leader U you know there's not a guy on the on the in the locker room or in the buildings that he doesn't talk to or communicate with or um you know I I think captains are guys leaders are guys that bring other people together and then they make everybody else better because of who they are and what they do and I think you know when you look at um really that whole group of captains they all do that they all bring people together they are uniters um they are together people the team is really important to them um and then they elevate everybody else's play as well as their own in Las Vegas at Big 12 media days um Coach Campbell called B an anchor and a warrior spirit for your defense how do you see him body those character traits um work ethic um emotion passion for the game a passion for people um you know he he he just is a passionate guy loves loves being around people he loves being around the locker room he loves being in the meetings he loves practicing he loves hard stuff um the harder it gets the better B plays and I think those are the things that that would say that man that you know when it gets really tough B plays his best and that's that's a warrior Spirit John from the defensive line what would you specifically like to see out of that group in this first game well we're going to play obviously you know with what we're doing up front we're going to play um large numbers of people um so we'll play groups there um we'll roll guys in and out throughout the process uh expect those guys again to you know again be physical up front it's going to be physical up there um also going to have to transend transition into some pass game you know with all the boots and nakeds and rolls and things uh so our guys are have to going to have to be on it and um you know I think just being able to to be assignment sound you know we're going to have to we're asking those guys to do a lot of different things and so they're going to have to be on it mentally and um you know eliminate the misassignments and the errors and those kind of things which will allow us all to play better Darien Porter miles purchase on an or line there at one of the cornerback spots is that more of kind of an indication of the camp that darans had instead of maybe necessarily a knock on miles yeah they they've played both of them have played really good football this Camp um you know and you know you look at a guy like DP who again was kind of behind TJ um and then all of a sudden now has gotten more opportunities and with more repetitions has improved and I I think it's been a great battle I think between all three of those Corners um you know those guys have man every single day you know they just play and play and compete and compete and I think they've all done a great job thank you coach appreciate it y appreciate y [Music]