蜜柚直播

Sumlin enters Year 3 in 蜜柚直播 in need of a turnaround. He brings a 9-15 record and a seven-game losing streak into the 2020 season, which unofficially kicks off with the start of spring practice Monday evening.

Clearly aware that the program wasn鈥檛 trending in the right direction, Sumlin made significant changes in the offseason. He hired three new defensive assistants, including veteran coordinator Paul Rhoads. With a new running backs coach, AJ Steward, also aboard, nearly half of Sumlin鈥檚 primary staff will be different this season.

蜜柚直播 also will have a new quarterback. Khalil Tate, the starter for most of the past three seasons, is prepping for the NFL draft. Sophomore Grant Gunnell, who impressed in a platoon role last season, is Tate鈥檚 presumptive successor entering spring.

The Wildcats have plenty of returning experience elsewhere on offense, losing only one significant player from each position group (running back, receiver, offensive line). The defense is transitioning to a new scheme, but seniors should make up the bulk of the starting unit.

Personnel was the main topic when the Star caught up with Sumlin recently. The conversation has been lightly edited for context and clarity.

What are you looking forward to the most this week?

A: 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of energy in our workouts the last couple of weeks. I think that comes with change. We鈥檝e got three new defensive coaches and a new scheme. And then a new running backs coach. We鈥檝e got five midyear guys in. So a lot of new faces and a lot of new energy.

鈥淭he other workouts have gone well the last couple weeks, but now we get to play football and get to coach and get the helmets on the first couple days, the pads Thursday and Friday, and then go to spring break. Then we鈥檒l do some more evaluation. And then the big deal is getting the right people in the right place for the last three weeks of spring football.鈥�

Your interactions with the players are still somewhat limited during the offseason, but what has Grant Gunnell shown you from a leadership standpoint?

A: 鈥淗e鈥檚 been working at it since he鈥檚 been here. The quarterbacks are actually running the 7-on-7s. We鈥檙e not able to be out there for those things. (But) from a workout standpoint, in the weight room 鈥� he鈥檚 a vocal guy. We鈥檝e got several guys like that right now. Our 6:30 a.m. workout last Friday (Feb. 21) had about as much energy as any workout we鈥檝e ever had.鈥�

Will the quarterback reps be distributed equally throughout spring camp?

A: 鈥淚t鈥檒l change over the course of spring. We鈥檝e got all those guys here now. We鈥檝e got two guys that have played in games (Gunnell and Rhett Rodriguez). Kevin Doyle needs an opportunity to show what he can do. And (freshman) Will Plummer is on campus.

鈥淲e had a discussion on how we do that. Is it a little bit for everybody? Or do we rotate days with guys so that they get a lot of reps? We鈥檙e going to mix that up. But we certainly want to see them all. And we鈥檇 like to come out of spring with at least a two-deep at many positions, including聽quarterback.鈥�

You hired AJ Steward from BYU. What appealed to you the most about him?

A: 鈥淗e鈥檚 a really hard-working guy. He鈥檚 a guy I was going to hire as a GA at the University of Houston. I think everybody knows my relationship with David Bailiff, who ended up hiring him full time at Rice.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a guy that has been around the Houston area. His wife鈥檚 from Dallas. So he fills a void for us. He鈥檚 experienced, he鈥檚 young, he鈥檚 energetic. He鈥檚 been around really good programs and really good coaches being at Rice and BYU.鈥�

Do you expect Gary Brightwell to take on a J.J. Taylor-esque leadership role with the RB group?

A: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know. J.J. was a guy that really didn鈥檛 say much; he just played hard. Those guys have been around. The funny part is, we signed two of them this year, but all the other ones have played.

鈥淚 think everybody just assumes that Gary鈥檚 the guy. But people forget that the (Michael) Wiley and Bam Smith made plays, and (Nathan) Tilford. There鈥檚 more competition in that room right now than maybe any other position that we have.鈥�

How do you see things shaking out with the offensive line?

A: 鈥淭he other day I was talking to the donor base. I think it was eight games that I counted, eight or nine, where we started a different offensive line out of 12 games. So that鈥檚 the bad news. The good news is, we only lost one of those guys (Cody Creason) out of those combinations. And we were able to keep Josh Donovan from really playing a lot. (Donovan, a JC transfer, preserved his redshirt.) So we feel good about where those guys are. We鈥檝e got a center that鈥檚 returning for the third year (Josh McCauley).

鈥淏ut again, we want to come out of spring ball getting the right people in the right place. So the first week, we鈥檙e going to look at some combinations. And then we鈥檒l assess where we are over the break. And then really work those guys where we think their primary position is going to be for three weeks so that we can settle in on that. That鈥檚 what our goal is.

鈥淭he majority of our team will be here in spring football, unlike the last couple years, where we had guys showing up in the fall, like Trevon Mason, guys that were going to play a lot. We鈥檇 like to come out of spring football with a pretty good two-deep at 22 positions, and kicker and punter.鈥�

To what extent have you handed the defensive reins over to Paul Rhoads?

A: 鈥淧aul knows what he鈥檚 doing. That鈥檚 why we hired him. I鈥檝e competed against him as an assistant coach, competed against him as a coordinator, competed against him as the head coach. We鈥檝e known each other a long time. I have a lot of respect for how he does things.

鈥淚鈥檓 very familiar with his scheme, with what he wants to do. That鈥檚 one of the reasons he鈥檚 here. We鈥檝e talked more about personnel than scheme. I know what the scheme is. We had that conversation during the hiring process. I鈥檓 real comfortable with him and really our whole defensive staff now.鈥�

Why did you think it was necessary to hire an assistant coach, Andy Buh, specifically to work with the outside linebackers?

A: 鈥淧laying outside linebacker in the 3-4 is different than playing inside. Paul felt comfortable being in the middle of the defense coaching the inside linebackers; that gives him the ability to be in the back end and in the front end. Our outside guys are more rush-or-drop guys.

鈥淩ushing the passer is completely different than playing inside linebacker. One of those guys is probably going to rush, if not both of them, a lot. So coaching those guys fundamentally is different than coaching the inside linebackers.鈥�