*Thank you to the KSO Sports Information Department for providing the following quotes*

SCOTTIE HAZELTON, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

On the linebackers…

“They all have different skill sets that you kind of like. They all have some things to work on, like everybody on the team. Justin Hughes is a guy that is extremely sharp - a good natural and instinctual linebacker, really good kid that understands the whole concept of everything. He is sharp like that, and he can do it on the field. He can take things from the classroom onto the field and it is great to have a guy like that on there. He can also coach the guys when you are not around. He is a leader in the room, gets them together and watches tape and all that stuff. It is nice to have him. Eli [Sullivan] is a young man who is very gifted athletically. He really fits in with what we are trying to do. He is explosive, he can run, he has really good range, he understands the game and he is a good, natural, instinctual linebacker. I like the kid a bunch. You can see Da’Quan (Patton) when he has an ability to use his athleticism, he is going to be a good player. We are really happy with those three guys right now. Da’Quan is a rep guy. If you watched him on the first day of spring ball, you would say he was solid but every day he plays he gets better because he is a guy that needs to see pictures, and he is doing a really good job at it. There are a couple other guys that are pushing for spots. Cody (Fletcher) has been playing Mike and Will and doing a job at both. I am leaning a little bit towards Mike right now, but he is doing a great job keeping up. It is really a battle between those two guys, him and Deuce (Daniel Green), for that fourth and fifth spot. He is a good, young guy that understands the game and is also sharp. It is good to have that. If you can get five or six guys, you hope that some of them mix in on special teams. It gives you quality depth, and I kind of like where we are at.”

On the install of the new defensive system…

“We tend to go slow on defense, slower than I suppose offenses would. We really installed one coverage a day for the first four days and kind of let that ride. We might tweak some things and put in a pressure here or there, but really we are just trying to get down to base fundamentals. The hardest part for us is that our offense gives us so many variables because they are so multiple in all the things they do, which is really good for us. It makes us use our base fundamentals, just to be able to align with those guys, with all the movement and shifting and all the things that they are doing, just for us to be able to get through. It makes us communicate, which has helped us. We are very slow and very methodical. You hope that there is carry over from one to the next. We have not gotten off our plan at all. We have kind of just stayed the course. It is probably not much different than what we will do in the fall or next spring. It is kind of that same, methodical thing - teach the base stuff. The thing we teach first, you are going to use those fundamentals the most. That is kind of how we try to install it.”

On installing the system here compared to at Wyoming…

“The good news at both places is that it is not much different overall. For some of the guys, there is no difference. For some of the guys, there are some differences in there. How we teach and the language we use is a little bit different, so that is kind of the learning curve that they have to go through. We use that as a plan, kind of a model. Very similar install.”

On the nickelback position…

“With everybody that is doing things now, I think you need a guy that is more like a corner to play that spot. To be able to play man-to-man and do all of that stuff is very important to match up with the slots in this league. I think that that is a huge deal, so you need a corner-type body. Through motions, or whatever the case is, he could end up playing and do some of the similar things as a linebacker. You would like a kid that is fairly physical and can handle those things. We just like to keep him in our room because it is a deal where he can learn those fits. When am I in the box, when am I not? When am I in a run-fit, when am I not? Then, if someone gets him in that situation, at least he knows what is going on. That is kind of how we lean to it. We still split them up. They will do drills with the corners and then go with the linebackers and do some key drills. They are kind of all over the place. They are kind of their own little position. If you had a sixth full-time coach, that is definitely a guy that you would just say, ‘Take those guys.’ It is kind of its own position nowadays.”

On switching defensive ends to defensive tackles on third down…

“You would like to not have to. That all goes down to a question of how well your D-tackles rush. Trey (Dishon) and Joe (Davies) have done a pretty good job of rushing right now. I think that hopefully we can use them in different facets. Maybe they just rush as a different style. Going through the new Texas Tech staff - they are not going to let you sub. So you have to be able to work those guys. We have not done any of that yet. We said, ‘Listen, we are going to try to stay the course and teach what we teach.’ If it needs to be and you get situations and you have those opportunities - yes, we definitely would. I do not know how many times we are going to have that. Whether it is getting your sub-package in on third down or, really the biggest thing, getting your sub-package off the field if they get a first down. That is the harder one because now they are going to run the ball fast and you have four D-ends in. You are not usually as stout as you would like to be. Grand scheme of things, you would like everybody to be able to rush but personnel matters. We will look at doing that in the fall, depending on how we continue the spring here."

On Walter Neil Jr.…

“He is great kid, man. First of all, he is a very good person, has a great personality and keeps the room up. He does a great job with that. Football here is very important to him and the family atmosphere is very important to him, so he wants to do the best he can for those guys. Second of all, he has a ton of experience. He is physical and he has good feet. He is guy that could play a lot of different spots for you. I guess I am being selfish keeping him at nickel because he is a good nickel but he could also move. He could play corner if we had to get in the pinch or something like that or we needed a little more depth outside. He could go do that. He has that ability. He could be a guy that is a free (safety) just because he is a natural ball player. You like his athleticism and you like his dedication to the game. You love his personality because he is a little bit of a trash-talker and has a good time out there. He keeps practice light and energetic, so you appreciate all those things about him.”

On tailoring the defense against the Big 12…

“That is one of the first things we did when we got here. We took the league over the last few years, the guys who were still around. We took games from Princeton and Utah State and the people we know moved in, and then looked at a cross-section. There were five guys in that room that have coached all different places and have tremendous ideas. You can use all of their brains. We said, ‘Here is all the stuff that we all feel comfortable teaching and can make adjustments. Of all that stuff, how are we going to whittle it down?’ That is kind of what we did, to try to make it so it fits together. You have enough bullets in your gun, whether it is playing quarters and getting their quarterback run game calmed down or if it’s pressure or whatever it is. We whittled that down and said, ‘Listen, this is what is good for this conference.’ That is our plan going into it and that is what we have been working. Sometimes it is hard against our offense. We are out there, Walter Neil is standing there and they are in 21 personnel and run a power at him. ‘Do not worry, you are not going to do that stuff, buddy.’ But that is how it is right now. We are working through those things and just trying to teach the fundamentals of it all.”

On Justin Hughes being a fast learner…

“I don’t know if there is anything he said. It is more his ability to say, ‘Hey, we are going to walk on the field tomorrow, we are going to go through this stuff. This how you have to fit it, this is where you align. You are going to have to shift to this and you have to align here.’ He would be helping direct people around. He knew the placement, and he understands the game as a puzzle. He can look at it and say, ‘I know I am going to fit here so I know he should be here, so come over here and help me.’ Some guys can talk and some guys can see it on the board but he can do it. His actions are right, right away. That is impressive to me.”

On where Justin Hughes stands now and where he can still grow...

“I think that his ability to learn and his ability to see football in a conceptual way - this formation might be the same as this formation and this formation because they are condensed. He can look at things in a very conceptual way that helps him. That is a very high thing a very high IQ. He still needs to work on some of his movement skills and sharpen up his technique. Being able to flip his hip when he blitzes. We are still in the phase of, ‘What are we supposed to do.’ I think that with him, he is at a position where he can really take on the next step, ‘How do you want me to do this and how do you want me to do that?’ We are trying to get to that phase but it is different depending on the guy. You are trying to keep him pushing along because I think he needs that kind of work, the ‘How do I do all of those things?’ He understands what to do and what the offense is giving him. We are just missing the phase a little bit because we are still trying to bring other guys along and trying to teach them what to do. His movement skills can improve and we can help that. We just need to get to that phase, which hopefully the second half of spring ball and all of fall camp will help him get there.”

On cornerbacks coach Van Malone…

“He is a people person. He is guy that when you ask him a question he would be like, ‘Hey, this is one of my favorite things to do.’ He is one of those guys that loves being around the guys. He loves interacting with them and loves getting on them, talking trash to them or staying in their hip. He is a great positive energy guy and you need those guys on staff. Where they are just connected to those guys and understand how the guys think and celebrate with them. And also push them when they are not doing right. He is a great guy and great personality to be around. I think that takes all types on every staff and on every team. You get your grumpy guys and you get your guys who are super high all the time. I think there is a great balance in our room, and he is one of those guys who is always excited, happy and energetic. He is wonderful to be around. He keeps everything positive.”

On defensive end Reggie Walker…

“Reggie is a talented dude. The finer details of things is what he really needs to keep looking at. He does a good job with his pass rush. He understands where he is supposed to fit in most things. It is the little things that we talk about that we tweaked from what he did in the past. ‘Here is your opportunity to get a two-way go on a pass rush. Here is your opportunity as you are setting an edge.’ Those little detail things are really going to clean up his game. He has been productive here in the past. He is a good football player, and I think that as we get into it, when he can take shots and be more productive. What we are trying to allow him to do, he falls back in, especially when he gets tired, too. ‘Hey, I am going to play it like this because this is how I have always done it.’ Well, there is chance where you can come inside here. There is a chance where you can have a two-way go and a tackle instead of being an outside right. All of those little things, I think he can improve in his game that way.”

On his impression of the defensive line…

“I think that up front, our D-tackles, with the quality guys that we have there, they are very good run defenders. I think that they have done a good job of holding point. Our offensive line, you know we’ve got four returning starters back that have played a lot of ball here, and those guys are holding up their end and doing a good job matching up and being disruptive, which is exciting. The pass rush game, they can improve on, it’s probably flipped a little bit for the defensive ends. We’re very athletic there, which is what we need to be at defensive end. I think that might be one of the most quality positions that we have overall on the defensive unit, just with the depth and the guys there and the guys that we have. They’re very disruptive, and they can rush the passer. Now, maybe they can be a little more physical, but I don’t know that it’s going to be a deal where they’re going to see that much of that. It’s not even with our league. I mean, we’re doing some things on offense that the rest of our league doesn’t do so, do you worry about it as much? No, I’d rather see them pass rush, I’d rather see the athletes all the time. So maybe that’s kind of where we are, but overall, the front four as a whole position, they’re pretty stout in there. They’re stout against the run, our defensive ends are good pass rushers, we need a little bit more out of the inside guys.”

On who is the leader of the defense…

“I think it’s split up by room a little bit right now. I know that if you were to walk into the corners room and say, ‘Hey, who’s the guy here?’ They’d say AJ (Parker). If you were to walk into the safety room, you would get a split. Some would say Denzel (Goolsby) just because he’s played a lot and they want to see what he’s doing and he’s focused on getting his technique right. But you would say Wayne Jones is a guy that’s come along and they say, ‘Wow, look at him,’ and he’s talking. Even though [Jahron McPherson] is not really around, he’s in there talking and learning with them so it’s a good mix in that room. In the linebacker room, it’s definitely Justin (Hughes), he’s the guy that leads that group with a mix of some other guys. Trey (Dishon) is a guy up front, Wyatt (Hubert) is a guy up front, those are the guys that set the bar. As for the defense, I don’t know that we have one guy that stands above the rest over all of them yet. I think that different guys have spoken at different times but you also have to understand that sometimes it’s hard to lead the big group when you’re still trying to figure out what you’re doing. I think that sometimes you get your best leaders in a position that when they’re learning, they’re not as comfortable stepping out because they’re still wondering, ‘What am I supposed to do?’ Hopefully that will continue to develop. But I think that in each room, we have some tremendous leaders in the rooms. As an overall guy, I don’t know who that guy is yet.”

On the defense facing quarterback Skylar Thompson in practice…

“He’s a guys that, first of all, you can tell that he understands the game. We’re trying to throw some different things at him and he generally has an ability to diagnose what you’re in. You can try to trick him sometimes and he can figure it out, so that’s impressive. I think his movement skills in the pocket are very good. You can tell that he understands the rushes and he can step away from our pressure. He does a good job of keeping plays alive, which is nice. And he’s got a good arm. You look at him and think, ‘That guy can sling it.’ He’s a smart dude who can move around and throw the ball. I think he’s got a lot of good attributes.”

ADAM HOLTORF, SENIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

On the transition from last season…

“We’re at the halfway point right now, so at least for me, all the offense is in. So the transition now from learning the offense to perfecting some technique things, I think that I’ve started to notice that transition.”

On the other offensive linemen being interchangeable...

“I think there is a lot of guys that can play guard and tackle, guard and center. That’s the nice thing about spring ball - with the new coaching staff there is a clean slate, so to speak. There are a lot of guys working a lot of positions. We’re just trying to create that depth at this point, not really worried about who’s at one or two at this point.”

On who has impressed him on the offensive line….

“I think some guys that have stepped up, Nick (Kaltmayer) has done a great job of stepping up and filling in Dalton (Risner)’s spot, Evan Curl is working real good at center and guard, and then Noah Johnson is a younger kid that joined the team at semester that has really done a good job of coming in and grasping the whole new offense. He has been working really well. Ben Adler has been making some strides at guard too.”

On Coach Conor Riley…

“He has done a great job of coming in and trying to understand what we are used to in terms of techniques and calls and things like that and trying to match up as much of his new stuff that he is bringing in that is the same. Then realizing where some things and technique are different, say ‘I know you guys are used to doing this, but let’s work towards this that I want to see.’ He has helped us a lot just make that transition smoother.”

WALTER NEIL JR., JUNIOR DEFENSIVE BACK

On the progress he has made over the past year…

“It has been a blessing. Sometimes it feels surreal knowing that you walked on, you are undersized, but the hard work over time has just been phenomenal. Coach (Scottie) Hazelton was one of the first guys that said, ‘Hey, you got some talent.’ It was just a fresh slate, he didn’t recruit anybody, so whoever balled out got to play. I just have to take the opportunity and keep going.”

On having a big personality as a walk-on…

“Since day one I was like, ‘I am going to have fun and work hard.’ People like D.J. Reed, for instance, we came in at the same time, he was like, ‘I walked on at first,’ and I was like, ‘What, you walked on and you are that good?’ He said, ‘Yeah, bro if you work hard and believe in yourself you can do it.’”

On playing against a different offense in practice than what is played in the Big 12….

“Sometimes is frustrating. You line up in a formation and they motion over, but it has prepared us because it is forcing us to think. So I feel like when we get into Big 12 play and you just come out in this formation, it is like, ‘Alright, I am here, I got this.’ At practice sometimes I am like, ‘Why are they moving so much?’ They are coming out in formations I have never really seen before, so it is complicated.”

HARRY TROTTER, JUNIOR RUNNING BACK

On how the transition has been with the new coaching staff…

“Every day we are just trying to learn more of the offensive stuff. I think during yesterday’s practice, things started slowing down, I’m able to play a little bit faster, able to play with more confidence. We’re just getting the offense down, but it’s definitely slower.”

On keeping energy in practice up halfway through spring practice…

“Definitely, the coaches have a lot of energy and that helps us feed off them. But yeah, we are at a good spot energy level-wise, so we are all having fun. The energy levels are high, for sure.”

On running backs coach Brian Anderson…

“He means a lot, every day he works with us and he is a real personal coach. He cares about you a lot and wants a lot out of you, but we work hard for him because he works hard for us. He is a great dude, great guy but also a great coach and knows a lot. So I’m just excited to work with him.”

On his experience at Louisville….

“I got out there last summer and worked my way on to every special teams, started on special teams every game and got carries in four games and then just thought that I could have a bigger impact somewhere else. I knew the opening was here. Being in the home state, I just felt like I could have an impact here, so I am pretty excited.”

JAMES GILBERT, SENIOR RUNNING BACK

On junior running back Harry Trotter...

“Harry’s a smart football player. He knows a lot, he knows what’s going on, so that surprised me a lot when I first got here. He knows a lot about football.”

On the running back competition…

“We’re best friends. He helps me out, like if I miss a cut then he’ll be like, ‘Hey, you probably should’ve bounced it,’ or ‘You should’ve cut back.’ Or vice versa, where he’ll come my way. So, just helping each other out day by day and getting each other better.”

On the defense…

“I’ve never seen a defense like this before, so it’s giving us all kinds of looks as the offense prepares for the season. I like the defense, and I like what they’re doing. It’s just making us a better offense as a whole.”

JUSTIN HUGHES, SENIOR LINEBACKER

On the defense being one of the best in the Big 12…

“For sure, we’ve have the talent on the defensive end. We’ve got Wyatt (Hubert), Reggie (Walker), guys like that. We’ve have a front seven that’s dominant. Guys that have experience and talent, and so we’ve got to get those young DB’s in shape. Once we get those guys in shape, there’s no telling what we can do in the Big 12 because I see us being one of the most prolific defenses. We had a great defense last year, just with the personnel that we had last year, and so once we get this defense down pat, we can have an even better defense. We’ll fly around to the ball and just be one of those mob-type mentalities, and just go out there and play ball.”

On his change the last couple of years…

“Just me taking on that leadership role. Like I was saying, I’ve been taking on a leadership role within the past year or so. So some of the guys have really latched on to me, and me being an outspoken person has been helpful to me and some of those guys have really taken on. I’ve taken them under my wing and I feel like that’s the job that I have to do and that’s my responsibility to get guys in the direction that I’m going. Guys have seen what I’ve gone through in the past and they’ve seen how far I’ve fought to get to this point. I think they respect that, and I respect them for respecting me for it. I just thank those guys for believing in me. I just want to keep pushing and keep going and do something special this year.”

On how he relates to the younger guys…

“I try to talk to my young guys all the time. Just like, ‘Keep pushing because it could be much worse.’ I’ve been through many situations where it’s been worse than whatever they’re going through. I try to let them know, ‘Just keep your head up, you’ve gotta keep pushing, just keep having faith.’ Stay close to God is one of my biggest things. My mom always tells me, ‘Stay close to God, keep praying, stay prayed up,’ and all of these kind of things. Without your faith, you’re nothing and you can break down easily at any time. When times get tough, you just have to keep praying and keep staying focused. It’s just one thing that I would say.”