This comes in from Riley Morningstar.
(Unedited)
Q: Did you expect Chad Smith to play a bigger role at linebacker after being a terror on special teams last year?
"I'm hopeful that he does and keeps coming along, he's had a good spring and now we need to have a good out of season and summer but now he's really been a lot more consistent and proven in a lot of different ways and I expect continued growth there too."
Q: Are you expecting Van to step even more into his own this year?
"I'm hopeful. He had an excellent spring and has got great coverage skills outside and is really smooth. He's in a very comfortable position flying around and making plays on the ball, striking people and coming down in nice run support. He's got a great feel for all the guys around him and I think you're starting to see a maturation taking another step for him."
Q: Did anybody jump out to you today?
"I don't know. It's been good though this spring. Isaiah Simmons, Tanner Muse, those are a couple guys that have come on for us and Nyles Pinckney and there's a bunch of them that had good solid springs and some more so than others but those guys in particular really jumped out and had a good spring."
Q: What's it like having so much talent coming back?
"I don't really look at it that way. Every year, I don't care if you have experience or not or are a starter or not, I don't ever look at it that way. I know we've got enough guys to be good and how good we'll be, we'll see. But if we don't have good leadership or guys are going to be selfish or guys that aren't willing to put in the work or be consistent about going to class and doing all the little things the right way then we won't be worth a flip so there's a lot still in front of us before you can make any guess-timations or predictions of that nature so I'm anxious to see though but I think it's a good group of guys that like to work and seem to have a pretty good chemistry and I think we have guys that are capable of being good leaders so hopefully they'll flourish in the fall."
(Unedited)
Q: Did you expect Chad Smith to play a bigger role at linebacker after being a terror on special teams last year?
"I'm hopeful that he does and keeps coming along, he's had a good spring and now we need to have a good out of season and summer but now he's really been a lot more consistent and proven in a lot of different ways and I expect continued growth there too."
Q: Are you expecting Van to step even more into his own this year?
"I'm hopeful. He had an excellent spring and has got great coverage skills outside and is really smooth. He's in a very comfortable position flying around and making plays on the ball, striking people and coming down in nice run support. He's got a great feel for all the guys around him and I think you're starting to see a maturation taking another step for him."
Q: Did anybody jump out to you today?
"I don't know. It's been good though this spring. Isaiah Simmons, Tanner Muse, those are a couple guys that have come on for us and Nyles Pinckney and there's a bunch of them that had good solid springs and some more so than others but those guys in particular really jumped out and had a good spring."
Q: What's it like having so much talent coming back?
"I don't really look at it that way. Every year, I don't care if you have experience or not or are a starter or not, I don't ever look at it that way. I know we've got enough guys to be good and how good we'll be, we'll see. But if we don't have good leadership or guys are going to be selfish or guys that aren't willing to put in the work or be consistent about going to class and doing all the little things the right way then we won't be worth a flip so there's a lot still in front of us before you can make any guess-timations or predictions of that nature so I'm anxious to see though but I think it's a good group of guys that like to work and seem to have a pretty good chemistry and I think we have guys that are capable of being good leaders so hopefully they'll flourish in the fall."
