Rhett Lashlee Discusses Start of SMU Mustangs Training Camp, SMU's QB Preston Stone Potential

[Music] what's the biggest progress or development you've seen so far here oh so I think we're 10 practices in um we've been really physical it's been physical we've done a ton of Team reps and um you know today was our first full day going a lot of just move the ball Al tackle football um I think I think what we have we have a team that'll be physical we have a team that plays hard um I like our team unity you know I think there's a the perfect balance of chippy competitiveness with the offense and defense at the same time they're making each other better and we're not crossing the line um so I think that's good um there's a lot of battles going on for depth and starting rolles and and that's good I think that after a week and a half the things that stood out like today we had a ton of penalties you know we had a full ACC crew out here for us which was great way too many penalties on offense defense and even I think three on our special teams so we got to clean up the discipline aspect of it you know we we can be physical we can be edgy we can be aggressive and then we got to kind of reain that in though and you know keep it between the lines so we don't beat ourselves with turnovers and penalties so I think that's some stuff just across the the broad spectrum of 10 days that I like where we are in one aspect now we've got to tighten up the execution the discipline as well what's maybe the biggest difference of something you see at a practice like today where you do go more team than maybe some of the other practices yeah well we go a lot of team at all practices like today I think our ones and twos both got about 30 plus scrimmage reps or three's got about 20 um on an average practice we'll get 30 to 40 team reps they're just not Watchers um you know I think the thing you see today is you find out who can tackle who can make people Miss who can you know a lot of times gets blown dead when a defender's close when it's not live and then today did he tackling did he not you know could the guy get the extra yards on his own or is he getting tackled those things you learn I mean look it's hard to tackle in space in college football and so the more situations we can put our defense in the better and and then also the more situations we can put our off defensive Playmakers in the better so you see that that's probably the biggest difference on a day like today is you know it's not well did he get it did he not it's like well we know you know it's it's real football and that helps what have you seen from Preston and Kevin so far and where where's their kind of competition or where do they stand you know the first two days I didn't think we were great in helmets QB wise and there's a lot of things it could have been just the first few days excited press pressing you know it's hard to protect and stuff and no pads honestly I think since about day three they've both been great I think they've both done a lot of good things they both moved the team uh they both scored points they did that today um so I think both those guys are proven they are who who we thought they were from a year ago and and it's two guys that were a big part of why we won a championship I tell you who really has stood out and he had a great spring but cedrick Lester can play and um he got a lot more reps with the twos today not the threes by Design and I just think he has a calm demeanor about him so look my first two years here we've had to play three quarterbacks both years so um it's it's nice to know that we got three guys three High School guys from Texas from Dallas area that came to SMU and are are doing really well makes you feel good about you know coach King coach Hollander and our kind of our development there you spoke about the physicalness of these practices but is there such a thing where you say from the tackling standpoint just that in these in this environment we have to go all the way through or can you have to play play 90% of 50% or how do you have to balance that as you guys get ready for re going into that's always the hardest balance is as a coach how physical are you how much live do you do to make sure you don't you have a physical team like you can't be physical if you don't practice physical and and and hey I we're going to tackle well you know usually the first few weeks of the Season tackling Is Not Great anyways but how do we get enough tackling in to where we feel like we're ready to play a game and yet keep people healthy it's always a challenge um you know we got about another week from now to next Saturday you know coach Simons and I'll get together we'll probably find creative ways throughout the week to do enough of live tackling whether it's through drills or some team periods and then again next Saturday as much as we feel like we need to try to to get us ready cuz when you start getting two weeks out you you'd prefer not to to go live any more than you have to um so everybody deals with that challenge and it's it's just a fine line of trying to balance it preseason C being what they are but what was your reaction to being pick seventh in the ACC for you know I mean I would have figured we should be 15th 16th or 17th right I mean we're new in the league I mean on one hand you appreciate that there's some respect for our program and our school and what we've been able to accomplish recently and maybe the the roster we have now so that's great the same time they didn't they didn't pick us to win anything we didn't get a single first place vote which we shouldn't and um you know like I said I think we have a team that's going to compete what that looks like who knows and uh you know we're excited to see where we stand but we got to go earn anything we're going to get and our guys are excited for that challenge you've always talked about competition sorting things out in in practice and now you're what 10 practices in at this point how many positions are still wideopen competitions in your mind I think a lot and I think sometimes it's a difference between starter or guys still playing a lot you know hey you may know this guy's probably going to start at the end but there's two guys behind that are playing really well they're competing to see who gets 20 30 plays a game um and then who's that third guy like there's there's different levels to that competition so um and also like it's been a week and a half there's some consistency shown there but who can do it now week two Camp's not new anymore you're still 3 weeks away two three weeks away from playing so you're kind of like why you know who has the mental toughness to push through and improve consistency of performances there that's what you're looking for you know a lot of guys can Flash who's who can be the most consistent uh and and so I think that's why we got a good another week at least uh to let those guys no matter whether we think we know which way it's going to go like just you sometimes you think but you got to give it enough time to to try to be as pressure as you can be kind of in that vein when you're rotating so many players uh right now how do you kind of Judge the consistency of ability versus the consistency with other players it's a challenge it's hard on quarterbacks cuz different receivers all the time different running backs and you know whether it's guys being beat up or like we didn't have J take any reps today so like how do we do those in the line you're looking for continuity like same thing on the defensive side so um you got to take that into account as a coach you know you hope after 10 days you can t it up a little bit and then after next week year two weeks from playing we got to start at least putting guys in the position we think they've earned to this point and sometimes that changes a few weeks into the season but like to be as polished as we can be going into week one there's got to be some continuity are there any injuries you can update um we've got uh both Kamar and uh Andrew shamble banged up their knees um I don't think uh we don't quite know yet on Kamar the full extent how long he's out uh sham B is not serious he's out for a little bit but he should make a return not exactly sure when yet um other than that we've been pretty fortun a lot of bumps and bruises a lot of jam thumbs and hands and ankles and hamstring you know like Isa W Kobe's got a hamstring we don't think it's long-term critical um and then the other guys like hopefully I think we're about a week away from Logan par potentially being cleared which will be good so for 10 days in as physical as we've been you know for the most part we're in a decent place speaking of Isaiah back in 23 again for you guys this year just what went into that and kind of him earning it again yeah we well uh the cool thing is he wanted it but that's not how it works U but it's good that he wanted it um so normally we vote towards the end of camp and our guys you know now things are different you know niia and all that guys need to know their Jersey ahead of time man they got to get all their stuff their families got to get all the swag and they got a so we kind of made it more of a spring summer offseason deal um and we let the play vote um the last day of summer workouts and you know we had probably seven or eight guys get a good number of votes which is cool uh and there was an obvious top three but by a decent amount he was the top vote getter so his teammates picked him and that's why he's in it we talked about how how much talent you've added in the last couple of years both recruiting high school and obviously in the transfer portal does the increased depth alter the way you might uh consider using starters on special teams yes um it does I think a couple things the depth the better the depth is on your football team the better your special teams are going to be that's what we all know um especially look there's a lot of ways we can try to create an edge moving up in in the to the ACC you know obviously they stepped on the o line dline but better special teams play across the board like hey if we can hang in there offensively and defensively and maybe get some plays here there with our teams then that could that could change the outcome of the game and consequently can go the other way the other thing that I think is helpful this year we got a lot of older guys we got a lot of guys that are seniors this is it or guys that are Juniors or you know seniors that could come back that know this is it and special teams there's four or five scouts out here every day special teams is a big differentiator on where you get drafted if you get drafted or if you sign a deal and so that motivation helps them Buy in and and so far in our my first three years the the first 10 days our buying on teams has been the best from from has it play a lot of snaps what are you hoping is different this season versus last season if anything oh um well I mean we did lose three times so maybe we can do better than that um you know this is a new team so a lot of the good qualities last year's team had you know we want to have um but they have to be created new it's a new team um you know there's a lot of unknown we're again we're 10 of our 12 opponents are are power opponents you know um and until we start beating those guys people y still keep asking me hey why'd you go in three against them last year all that stuff so um you know I think can we continue to run the football we got better running the football last year we won a championship can we continue to stop the run we stopped it better last year and we were able to get after the passer but in the games we lost we didn't run it and stop it as well and we turned the ball over in those games so I mean that was kind of the difference and and a lot of our games are going to be close games like OU game like the BC game like can we can we make those critical plays in the second half have can we be able to run and stop the run to close out games can we not turn it over to let that be the difference in the game I think that's some areas we can improve a few of your coaches have said they've been pretty impressed with Brandon Booker any true freshman standing out to you so far yeah I think on defense I know I've noticed Brandon Booker um you I think he's going to really help us on teams this year and you hope he's a guy that middle of the year is picking up linebacker even better to where maybe he can be a factor there and uh but we're excited about his future I think speedy is getting a lot of work at corner where we have some need for depth um you know and and he can tackle too for a corner so I think that's that's really good stuff on the offensive side U I think I think Graham mutter is is going to be a really really good Center um he's still young and sometimes the Snaps are off a little bit but physically mentally he has everything you want um to be a really good Center he reminds you of a Branson Hickman but bigger um um so that's exciting I think King large has stepped in so your young linemen have have kind of stepped in and impressed you know Randy Reese showed up he he's now basically a freshman and and he flashes Derek McFall I like how he runs he has a natural instinct for running he has great patience for a young guy so I think there's plenty of guys that have stood out um you know and as you can see we're probably going to have bigger freshman classes in the future so hopefully we have more of those speaking to your point about the running game what are you seeing from that room right now I think really good consistency I think our our backs are being patient they're letting the you know they're understanding whether it's Gap scheme inside Zone stretch the things we're doing just the repetitions helping I think fundamentally we're clean um they've really worked hard and improved there um so I'd say just consistency uh We've held on the ball knock on wood I don't think we've had a ball on the ground with one of our top three backs and I think even C McFall in 10 days I don't think we've had a fumble from those four guys that's that's pretty good stuff um um but I think just consistency you know with that crowded room obviously you got three guys back who played a lot last year now you've add McFall um how do you and Coach Cooper and uh coach Woods divy up the carries I mean all these guys are competitive they want to get the ball a lot of them rely on developing a rhythm are there enough carries to go around with a crowded room it's hard with three to get enough carries if they're all true backs I mean typically you can do it with two in a course of a single game and you need to or can do it with two and a specialty guy um you know roles are still developing right now we got good confidence in those three guys to all be the every down back um it's a good question production plays so production will play especially at running back over the next two three weeks of Camp what are the biggest things you guys have to accomplish in your mind yeah you know we focus really hard on toughness and physicality this week we'll never stop focusing on that I think that's where a lot of it starts um you know I think now that we're into it I think we've really like I said at the beginning we got to clean up the discipline aspect you know we've been really disciplined the last two years this is a different team and you know there's a fine line there you love the aggression and you're going to have some aggressive penalties but the false starts the offsides the illegal motions illegal form like that stuff that's the stuff you can't have those are the undisciplined pre and post Snap penalties that beat you we got to clean that up and now you look at going into week two the install shouldn't be as much you can maybe get more situational so we got to be great in the situations and then we just got to tighten up the execution on both sides like it's not like it's the first or second day this defensive call or offensive call has been in now can we get the consistency of the execution to tighten up I think that's what this second week will be be really big for us um couple quite things before I leave so you know it's kind of cool they Chang the rule that allows more people to coach um which I think is a great rule it's great for developing younger coaches and we have some really really good young coaches here in the past people call them analysts quality controls what have you but they couldn't coach at practice now that's not the case so we we're title changing a lot six of our guys Sam Hollander has been with me for a long time does a excellent job he'll now be our assistant quarterback's coach and head coach analyst so he'll assist coach King and myself a lot Tyler Foster does a fantastic job he's our assistant running backs coach still has a title in recruiting Ryan Jenkins assistant wide receivers coach I think you start look at those guys they do a fantastic job developing relationships with the guys on a roster and helping in recruiting what time does that mean it is at the church it's 10:35 that's a weird time for reell uh ham Ori who has been an offensive line GA has moved he's our assistant linebackers coach now uh John Bonnie was with us my first year left went to Coastal came back he's our assistant safeties coach and then Casey horny came back with us he's now our assistant special teams coach and high school relations um been in state of Texas coaching College his whole career was a DC in high school just last year uh outside of Austin so I just think it's really cool that it's a little bit more of an NL model those guys get the title they deserve and they're able to come out here and Coach which helps us be better it helps their their develop so uh we're excited to have those six guys plus our gas those guys do a lot of job jobs that uh go unnoticed thanks guys thanks I mean the Bell told us it was [Music] oh [Music]