Quotes and Notes from Fall Camp Media Day

It’s that time of year again. Fall camp begins for the Tigers tomorrow and players reported back to campus today. The team held an open media session for players and coaches prior to camp.

Side Note: I made a point of trying to ask as many players as I could what overall they would want to be in the NCAA Football video game if it came out today (in actuality, the game comes out next summer). I gave them the option to say their perceived rating currently, or what they would want it to be by the end of the season. Their opinions are included.

Bush Hambdan | Quarterbacks Coach

• “Physically it hasn’t been much of a transition for him. Luther (Burden) came in college-ready.”
• “Jack (Abraham) is essentially 32. We always joke in the room that this is his ninth year in college.”
• “The game always comes down to decision-making, who’s gonna take the chances when they present themselves, who’s gonna avoid the mistakes. The intensity with a competition like that is so high right now, guys just need to remain authentic.” - Regarding the QB competition
• “Ja’arion Wayne put on 10-15 lbs. in the first couple weeks he’s been here and looks really good. Mekhi Miller is extremely mature and has great work ethic. He can come in and the lights not be too bright.” On newcomers that have stood out

Erik Link | Special Teams Coach

• “We look at three key areas when it comes to punters: efficient getting the ball out of his hands (catch to kick), putting the ball in the correct spot, and matching hang time and distance.”
• “With the return game, it really comes down the other 10 guys on the field to make anything happen. They’ve got to set things up.”

D.J. Smith | Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers

• “I think we had a great summer, defensively guys were training and guys were working hard. This is probably the best defensive unit that I’ve been around since I’ve been coaching. It’s very exciting.”
• “I think the bond of the unit is really strong. Guys are always at each others houses, they’re at our houses, they’re at coach Drink’s house.”
• “A lot of guys that are self-motivated, they’re first up in the line, always in the building.” On the newcomers within the defense
• “I have I have, he smiles a lot more. We’ve had a lot of time at his house with cookouts and such.” On seeing Coach Drink be more comfortable this season
• “When Coach Baker got hired, we all had a bunker mentality that we are going to build this thing inside out, and everybody took ownership.”

Tyler Macon | Quarterback | Redshirt Freshman

• “I really was uncomfortable with the playbook last season, so I worked on the playbook. Another thing was my pocket presence and my accuracy, your footwork can never be too good.” On what he worked on this offseason
• “Consistency over intensity. Try to have a good day everyday and stack good days, not getting too high or too low.” On the QB completion in fall camp

Tauskie Dove | Wide Receiver | Senior

• “We got a lot of options. A lot of talent and different skillsets. That’s what we’re excited about and how we can use that during the season.” On the depth of the WR room
• NCAA Self-Rating: “At least an 80”

Dominic Lovett | Wide Receiver | Sophomore

• “We constantly push each other in a competitive way, not necessarily against each other. Like we’ve got things in practice where we’ll just say ‘neither of us drop a ball, otherwise that’s 10 push-ups.’ We get out of practice and watch film together, we are competing with each other, not against each other. On his relationship with Luther Burden from high school to now
• “Everybody got their own type of sauce, their own type of swag. Having more options makes us so versatile.” On the WR room
• NCAA Self-Rating: “I gotta give me an 85, with at least a 92 speed.

Elijah Young | Running Back | Junior

• “I’m gonna do the same thing for them like Larry (Roundtree) and (Tyler) Badie did for me. I want to treat the younger backs the same way.” On biding his time and now being a leader of the RB room
• NCAA Self-Rating: “I ain’t really done nothing yet, but by the end of season I want a 92.”

Brady Cook | Quarterback | Sophomore

• “It’s loaded. I’m really excited to get going with these guys in fall camp. If we can put the ball in their hands and let them work then we’ll be fine.” On the WR corps
• “From the time he’s been here, he’s been a playmaker.” On Luther Burden
• “The mindset is really just to stay calm and trust myself, I’ve been in situations like this. I know what I need to do, just stay calm and get it done.”
• “I think the mental side of the game I’ve grown a lot. Film study, defensive ID, getting used to our playbook. I keyed in on my footwork as well, timing up my footwork with routes and getting through progressions.” On what he’s improved upon the most
• NCAA Self-Rating: “By the end of the year, I want to be a 100.”

Cody Schrader | Running Back | Senior

• “Kinda just growing up, I’ve never been that speedster. I’ve always been able to run downhill.” On his tough, aggressive running style
• “Seeing how they take care of their bodies and how they go about their business is what I’ll be watching.” On what he’s taking from older backs like Young and Peat
• “I just want to be accountable for my teammates. I want to earn a spot on special teams, to be a special teams guy right away was my goal coming in. If I can earn trust and respect from my teammates and coaches doing the dirty work, then hopefully that will give me more opportunities. Just enjoying the process cause this is a dream come true.” On his goals and expectations entering the season
• NCAA Self-Rating: “Maybe like a 75-80, something like that. I’ve still got a lot to prove.”

Barrett Banister | Wide Receiver | Senior

• “From a receiver, a guy that puts the ball in places it needs to be and performs in clutch situations.” What he would want to see from a starting quarterback
• “Obviously it’s hitting me that this is my last fall camp. Hopefully I’ve got more camps coming ahead. Camp is a nervous time but an exciting time, I’m just ready to get after it with these guys one more time.”
• “The biggest thing is the work that you have done has got you to this point. You know, don’t psych yourself out and make it a bigger deal than it is. Go out and make the plays, every route matters, and when the time comes and its clutch time, we have to be there to make the plays.” On words of advice he gives to the younger members of the WR core
• NCAA Self-Rating: “99 hands and cutting ability, that’s where I make my bread as a receiver.”

Nathaniel Peat | Running Back | Senior

• “I definitely think about that a lot. Having the people that are watching me actually know and talk to me, it’s something that’s nice to have and is comforting. You wanna show out for your hometown.” On being back in Columbia playing football
• NCAA Self-Rating: “Gotta be a 99 all-around.”

Ryan Hoerstkamp | Tight End | Sophomore

• “Our tight end group has done a really good job of forming a bond this summer and spring. I think this year the biggest thing is going to be making our own identity. I think it’s going in the right direction.”
• “I just wanted to adjust more to the SEC. Get bigger, faster, stronger. I’ve really dialed in on my weight and speed. There’s so many great players in the SEC, every week you’re playing a stud.” On what he’s worked on the most this offseason
• NCAA Self-Rating: “Going into the year, probably like a 72. If I have a good year, I can get into the 80s.”

Harrison Mevis | Kicker | Junior

• “Obviously 92% kicking is still unacceptable for me, I gotta go 100% this year.”
• “Kickoffs was one thing I really wanted to get better at this offseason. Tweaked a little bit of other stuff but nothing major.”
• Declined to rate himself, but he’s the one guy that could claim a 99 and it really be true.

Kris Abrams-Draine | Cornerback | Junior

• “The most I worked on was my technique. I wasn’t really a corner last season, so I just tried to learn everything about the corner position that I could.” On what he worked on this offseason
• NCAA Self-Rating: “I’d probably say like 85, I ain’t gonna say too high.”

Isaiah McGuire | Defensive Line | Senior

• “I can’t speak enough on how great of a teammate he is, a great leader for the young guys.” On the strengths of Trajan Jeffcoat
• “We already got chemistry, already got playing experience with each other. We have our own standard, and the guys coming in have matched that.” On playing with virtually the same D-line this year
• “Pressure is only pressure if you allow it to be. We know we want to be great as a unit, and we put ourselves to that standard each year.” On living up to the “D-line Zou” mantra
• NCAA Self-Rating: “97 by the end of the season”

Joseph Charleston | Safety | Junior

• “We knew each other in high school already. We hung out together in high school, we been talking about that since high school. When he was there, we went 1-1 against them.” Discussing Tyrone Hopper, who went to the rival high school of Charleston in Georgia and played against him. Charleston’s school was Milton, while Hopper went to Roswell.
• “Honing in on my technique at my position, getting more skilled and crafty.” On what he worked on this offseason
• “A guy named Nolan Turner was a few years older than me at Clemson and helped me a lot with how he prepared and his IQ of the game.” On what he’s taken from Clemson to Mizzou
• NCAA Self-Rating: “Today it would be like a high 70s, low 80s. By the end of the season, it’ll probably be like low-mid 90s.”

Travion Ford | Defensive End | Redshirt Freshman

• “We most excited about trying to be a brotherhood right now. I feel like the D-line, we’re going to do a lot of great things.” On the group as a whole
• “They're great leaders, they’ll get onto us for doing something wrong, and teach us so much” On the veteran leaders up front

Martez Manuel | Safety | Senior

• “There’s a lot of guys that have stepped up. Darius Robinson, Trajan Jeffcoat, Isaiah McGuire, a lot of those guys are taking their role and being a leader. I kinda sat back this summer and wanted to see who would lead, and I was impressed.” On who else has stepped up as a leader
• “I did get a dog. And I trained him to do a bunch of tricks and stuff. I taught him to roll over and stuff, he’s a Bernedoodle. His name is Fredo.” On fun things he did this summer
• “I talked to the defense like two weeks ago after seeing who else would lead this summer. I just kinda told them that we have a lot of experience this year and we just don’t have time for slow starts. It’s unacceptable. Starting tomorrow we have to dominate, we’ve worked too hard and done too much.”
• “I feel like our team cultures has improved. There’s better pride for the school, which is really hard with the transfer portal and stuff. Coach Drink has done a great job of building that pride back in.” On comparing last offseason to this one
• “I had never had injuries ever. That was an injury I even played through, so I feel like I could be out there. It takes you a low place when you have to sit in the film room and watch hours of film that you’re not in. It takes a lot of maturity and you have to be wise to learn from all that.” On how tough it was to sit out some of this offseason due to injury