can you just open up today um first practice sprinkling in of veterans and new players how did the uh first day of fall go yeah you you you do this long enough and uh you understand maybe what to put value in on day one and and what not so much you know um without any pads on you know one of the key foundations of our program is physicality so there's not a whole lot of of physicality going on out there uh but I told the team you're not going to win a job on day one but you can certainly make an impression uh one one way or the other right and it's about choosing to give maximum effort on every play and so yeah that's what I saw I saw what I normally see you know but um in a good way um having to correct a few mistakes here and there was very well received um by the players in terms of I think at times it other Seasons there there would have been some side talk and Palms up and excuses made and it was hey the old man's right let's get our crap together and let's get to work so um that felt really good you know and the biggest disappointment as again is usually day ones uh you know as hard as we train them in the in the summer they're out there an hour and 15 minutes you know Max and to go out there with helmet and you know some gear on and you know run some of our W you know 7 8,000 yards uh in 2 and 1/2 hours at 107 heat index that's going to take us whole on on some bodies and as hard as you train you just can't you can't simulate that uh throughout the course of the summer you just break your team down so uh as to be expected but again I think the the biggest positive and difference maybe just the way that they reacted to being corrected on some of the things that that weren't to our standards questions he Tom hey BL hi Tom hey Tom that's so easy uh so you've done this three times now with division one programs as a head coach what is the biggest difference going into year two in a in a in a program like in these programs as opposed to the yeah I mean you're you're drinking out of a fire hose and year one you know you're just trying like heck to to you know even be somewhat respectable you know getting out there and you're kind of you know without a a ass signing class or you know time to really kind of get your your feet under you you know you kind of your roster is kind of what it is uh that first year and so we you ask what the differences are like I mean what's the difference between night and day and black and white I mean um it's just so much more mature I think competition has helped that I mean we got a bunch of guys even you know guys we brought in as transfers you know bigname guys if you will like they're looking over their shoulder and that is a really really good thing to have around a team is competition you know I don't know that we uh last year's team had that had enough guys pushing the starters um and then just um and as I've said before we upgraded the talent but we also upgraded the people too and it's just um they want to be coached hard they they want to be held account they they want all of these things you're not forcing it on on most of them and and guys that don't stick out like a sore thumb where in previous years I think guys that aren't bought in guys that want to do things their own way had places to run and hide and um you know call it Circle bitching you know and those circles were real big and now I don't think you know there's no circles to run to anymore and so uh because the majority of our team is bought into the way we're doing things and it's it's very refreshing very refreshing coach one more for me if um you you returned all but one and that one was with the program last year as far as coaching staff how did that impact today's practice um oh like you wouldn't believe and and the the first person to thank is is Brian White and our Administration for giving us the support to to have a first class staff you know I I I would put our staff against most in in America um and we don't pay what most in or what some in America pay um so to have only one guy leave and to be able to then even at that point then configure the staff probably a little bit better you know we had three secondary coaches last year which was a bit much for the front uh for Coach magit to to handle and so yeah for Coach zini to be in in the building know the defense understand it and then the I was talking to my chief of staff Matt last night about like if I feel like I'm missing like what am I missing like why does this feel so like you mean I'm just going home at 6:00 the day before the the first practice like what what did I forget what and he's like coach it's your two like you know like we we kind of know the routine and we're never going to put take our foot off the gas by any stretch but there's a a sense of familiarity that that breeds um a peace of mind you know and and I think you see it the most with the players you know that same system same I mean I I I can't tell you how many QBs I've SE or shoot even transfer QBs over the year you know five coordinators in five years or what whatever you know three position coaches in four years it's like how do you how do you master or anything you know and and for us to be able to turn not only um the same system but as you said the same coaches you know 90% of the staff is the exact same um has allowed us probably to to go a little bit faster you know uh with some of these new guys to piggy back off that too it's an era which we we spoke about in the spring rosters are going to turn over now more and more than ever the the coaching continuity is that more important with the with the roster up he yeah and I I think because where it's going to play is because the guys that stay matter that much more right um because you you're you're going to always have to have a group of guys that have been around for two three four years uh that know the system that know the way we do things globally you know as a program that are always going to be the foundation of your program so with it turning over yeah close to 50% every year uh look out next year where where do you I mean now I don't know if enough people are writing about this but when Alabama and Ohio State and USC get 20 more Scholarships in Florida State and Florida and Miami get 20 more scholarships you know we got to find a way to keep our great players too and and have that that nucleus of guys that um the point is they're probably not going to sign 20 more high school kids uh those schools they're they've got a free agent waiver wire now every 6 months that that can be pretty appealing when your roster size goes up by 20% or 30% but um so yeah uh we've got to take care of the guys that are here and make sure that we we Stave that Mass Exodus especially this year uh but in years to come if you're competitive with the money that they have the ability to make they're playing they're contributing and they're winning um and believe in the future of winning then you know all that taken care of and and um you know making sure we keep the the good players around that kind of takes care of itself um so it is um it's a little nerve-wracking but I think if we you focus on the guys that um you know going to be here for two three years because your depth too is you know if if I'm a senior and my coach is honest with me and I'm a two coming out of Spring ball you know what I'm probably going to go find some place for my last year where I can be a one you know and so your depth just by default gets younger and younger too and so we've got to do a great job High School recruiting them we've got to do a great job of retaining our players on on all fronts whether it be salary whether it be um experience or or winning you know um and so with uh the wide receiver position this season we talked about this back at AAC media days tons of depth there but what are you kind of looking for over the next couple of weeks to kind of help decide you who's going to be your X Y and Z yeah I we're going to miss lante um you don't have the leading receiver in the country who commanded what he commanded on the open market um and not feel that but I don't think we're going to feel it maybe where others do I I think that room we got enough good for we'll find 112 receptions and 1,000 yards and nine touch like we'll find that in different pieces what I'm looking for is everybody body in America that had any idea about football knew when the game was on the line when it's third quarter when it's a Red Zone we throwing the ball to number one he knew it quarterback knew it the defense knew it the my grandma on the stands knew it and so there's a comfort as a coach as a play caller as a quarterback knowing that this guy's better than anybody else on the field and when it comes to you know what cut in time you know think players not plays and so we got to find that player that when it's that time of the game who we going to throw the ball to who is coach fry going where's that spot on his call sheet that says get the ball to so and so and cuz the production overall will will be okay never haven't been um when having replacing you know big numbered receivers if you will um it's the the crunch time moment so we we got to have a guy that commands the the ball not just with it words but with it play too and you mentioned that um you know transfers looking over there shoulders at all with the amount of receivers he brought in is there any worry that the guys who aren't starters day one are going to be have an issue with their role at all uh no for a couple reasons one we were very honest in recruiting um they knew that the job was wide open that you know we we had some some guys leave um one major one leave um which opened the door for a lot of catches right um so we were honest with them uh from from the jump and then I just you know that position when when you're deep enough you know should be rotating you know you should play six to seven guys um throughout the course of a game so I think there's enough reps to go around um when there's not a huge drop off from receiver one to receiver two if you will um so yeah I I I think we'll be okay Coach you often hear coaches use like the term the offense one the day or the defense one the day I know you said that there's only like a certain amount you can take away when you're only in helmets but in your opinion who won day today I don't know I mean until you know we keep score um we had good moments and regrettable moments on both side of the ball you know um it's just to say I would I may not be able to come to work tomorrow the kids May um you know tar and feather me or whatever however it go cuz ain't no winning in shorts and helmets you know it's you compete against yourself in days like that so my My Hope Is that each player won against his own best self you know um when we put the pads on and we're tackling and all that we'll we'll keep score a little bit more uh but right now it's it's about competing against yourself coach something that's really impressive with this team and with your staff is the power five Now power four experience throughout the building um being able to pull dudes from SEC and Big 10 um and ACC in from the portal and now that they're in the American can you talk about how that has really shaped um this team going into this year yeah one I I think you know when you go to East Lancing it won't be as big of a eye opener you know for for most of the team certainly not for the staff you know so so that certainly helps but I think it's a it goes back to more what Katrina said in terms about the the staff continuity like it's not maybe necessarily um where they these coaches came from or you know it's it's the players they produced The Players they've recruited the the offenses and defenses that they've produced the um quality of young men that they've produced uh and so I I do think you know you got a guy like Ed Warner that's coached I don't know how many first rounders and how many total draft picks um you know he's in a different stage in his career but the man didn't forget how to coach right and uh you know Joey gasio even our strength coach has won a national championship as a player uh with kayin D'Or up uh in South Dakota so I I think it's less about P4 or or or the the the logo on the on the hat for a coach it's it's more about the the pelts on the wall did you win cuz it's all relative right like if we played 12 weeks in the probably not going to do real well uh no matter how good a coach we are you know but we don't have to go8 no in the SEC we got to go 80 and American you know and and so we've got to be better than those players or than those teams and I think for the most part uh from a player standpoint uh you know we're getting as close as we've ever been to being competitive um in that realm and I would argue we've already been there uh from a coaching standpoint Edge defensive end is another position that you guys brought in a bunch of transfers was it kind of a focal point to increase the pass rush heading into this season and and it's only been one practice here so far but you feel like that's and that's improved you can tell a little bit on P you you can tell you know if a guy jumps off the ball or not you know the first few steps um yeah Chisum certainly displayed that um in the spring it's not you know Marlo is still not quite full but he he will be and he looks great going through drills uh salvani was was a guy that jumped off the ball today so we we we've got some dudes that got some twitch off the ball that that we didn't have last year at that position and it's I mean chm power clean like 395 you know for I mean he's he'll look at you and go is that good coach like yeah CH that's really good you know so uh he I'm excited to watch him you know and and sa you know those new guys and you know I feel a lot better about that position than than we have in the past coach you talk about retaining players and selling that future of winning when you're early in your 10 you're still building things set a program or within the context of a single season you know not having any games played yet especially for the newcoming guys how do you sell that future wi so early on or are you even selling that this early no I I I think you do I think young men recruits are really smart right and so they do the same math that I did when looking at jobs right does it have facilities you know check uh does it have a local recruiting base for a player why why would that be important can these guys go put players around me like ain't nobody won this game one on 11 right can these coaches you know put players around me do I like living there right and can I win and that's the that's the one that you got to sell right but I think that sell comes in the math that I T well if they have this they have this they have this and now you put coach Herman and his staff with their pelts on the wall into that mix I I think that is the cell similar like to me and my wife you know hey you know with the right guys you know this has the ingredients um if stirred and uh cooked right you know that uh has the makings of a championship and and I think recruits these days are hip to that you know they understand that and being an American was a huge step uh especially uh with the 12 team playoff coming right on the heels of our our entrance into that conference because again you win this conference you're going the playoffs and uh unlike any conference in the country every year there's going to be probably about 10 that legitimately can go in into this season depending on schedule and quarterback and things like that like you got a chance to to win the damn thing and and we're in that and so that cell like I said as long as we can stay competitive on the um Collective front and rev share front and all that then uh there's no reason for a young man not to want to come here and and play ball here thanks coach all right thanks guys