University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt Football Spring Drills: Day 4 Recap
3/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi
On today's practice:
"Great No. 2 day in pads. Nothing live today, just a lot of thud. Really liked how our kids practiced today, they have a great attitude. Guys are getting better, they're flying around and very coachable. After four days, I really like where we are. Execution has got to be better and that'll take time, but a lot of great things today."
On defensive lineman Dewayne Hendrix:
"He really is doing a great job. He's making plays and it's fun to have him back out. He's a football player. He is big and athletic and he knows how to play the game. He can run and he's physical and he has a lot of tools. He got hurt early so we didn't get to see much of him last year and would have been amazing to have him for 13 games last season. So he does and he doesn't have a lot of experience. We have to keep him on the field."
On if there is enough competition on the defensive line:
"There is. I'll throw a name out there that you haven't heard much of: Shane Roy. I've seen major improvement in him from last fall to today. I saw him do some things that I haven't seen before, but there is a lot of competition and a lot of guys in there that are competing on the defensive line. I'd say there are a lot of guys that are playing hard and some guys out there that can play."
On defensive lineman Keyshon Camp:
"He's done really well. Keyshon has been--I don't want to say a pleasant surprise--because we saw a lot of great things out of him. He lacked a little bit of motor last fall, but the motor is not a problem anymore. He has his motor going and he is a really talented defensive tackle."
On defensive lineman Jeremiah Taleni:
"He is the new leader of that group. Last year, you had Ejuan Price; if I had to say there is a leader of the front four, I'd say Jeremiah is the leader at this point."
On new kicker Alex Kessman:
"Kessman has a leg. He's got to continue to put them through those yellow bars all the time. He's still inconsistent and he's still a baby, but he's got the role. He's the guy."
On new Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke visiting practice:
"It's good to have the AD in the house. It's been about three months. I think the whole athletic department can get going and get excited about a new direction and new leadership. She got out there and did some Pitt [jumping] jacks, which was really impressive and she talked about student-athletes and the privilege of playing here at Pitt."
Defensive Line Coach Charlie Partridge
On his first impressions of his positional group:
"I see a group that wants to be coached. I see a hungry group that wants to continue to fight for daily improvement, and I see talent. We have a long way to go until they reach their ceiling, but I love the way they take the practice field every day."
On what has stood out:
"I'm happy with the older guys. If you look at Rory Blair, he's a senior and he's been great since I walked in the door. Jeremiah Taleni has done a great job. Allen Edwards, again those three seniors are doing well. Some of the younger guys pop out. Keyshon Camp has really shown that his talent is starting to transition into becoming a football player. There are a number of other guys showing up as well, but those are the guys off the top of my head."
On the talent of the line:
"It's young and some of it is untapped at this point, but it's fun because the guys are approaching every meeting and every practice the right way. They're thirsty to get better and that's a fun thing to be a part of. We will see where we go each day. Coach [Narduzzi] talks about getting three percent better every day; if we can do that as a D-line, then I think we can be really competitive."
On the challenges of getting high-profile players to reach their potentials:
"It's a matter of putting in the work every day. That's talking about the film room and fundamentals. From a defensive line perspective, a lot of these men can get away without playing with fundamentals in high school. Up front, when things and contact happen right now, an inch for us up front for us is a mile. In other words, if you step a couple of inches out of place, you have a chance to get beat. As the talent equalizes, that becomes more and more true. That's what these guys are learning--steps and hands really matter. D-line has always been about fundamentals."
On Dewyane Hendrix:
"We watch film as cut-ups, so I didn't get to see a lot because he got hurt early in the season. I see two things: raw ability and someone who I only have to coach him on something once or twice. He works hard to apply the fundamentals, skills or whatever we are doing based on the call. He's very coachable and if you combine that with his talent, if he can stay healthy, he's got a chance to be a really productive guy for us."
On Keyshon Camp:
"He's a guy that is hungry to get better every single day. He's got raw talent and size. He's done some things where we redirect on a movement and he's shown that, for someone with his stature, he can really change directions and go make a play. That's fun to see because that opens up calls for us and gives us the ability to do things with a guy like that."
On the leadership of Jeremiah Taleni:
"He's a guy that can give me a pulse of the whole group by talking to him. He's acting, practicing and preparing the way you would expect to see him practice. I'm learning these guys just like they're learning me. I walk in and see a senior acting like a senior and for that, I am proud."
Special Teams Coordinator/RBs Coach Andre Powell
On new kicker Alex Kessman:
"He's a little erratic, too erratic. He's not where I hoped he would be. He has a strong leg and a smooth stroke but you need to hit it between those two big yellow crayons, otherwise it doesn't count."
On running back Qadree Ollison's improvement from last season:
"In the first couple days, he really made an improvement. He's shown some verbal leadership skills. I think [Chawntez] Moss caught up to him a little bit today, but he was ahead of Moss until today. I'm pleased with where he is physically and I'm pleased that he is showing some leadership skills."
On the running backs' mindset with high-profile freshmen coming in:
"They're aware. They've been made aware that we have talented guys coming in. We don't recruit backups. We don't recruit guys we don't think are good. We recruit guys that we think can come in and play and it makes everybody better."
On running back Darrin Hall working back from injury:
"The biggest thing is going to be mentally. Anytime a guy comes back from a leg injury or surgery, they need to feel comfortable sticking it in the ground and pushing off of it. That's the biggest hurdle."
Defensive Lineman Dewayne Hendrix
On his recovery from a season-ending injury:
"It was really tough. I feel like I put in a lot of work up until the first game and then it happened. I couldn't really do anything but learn from that. It taught me to be more patient. I'm still trying to get used to things, but I'm slowly getting it day in and day out. It's a process. I feel stronger now."
On defensive line coach Charlie Partridge:
"I love him. He's teaching me new things every day. We are still trying to get used to each other, but he's a great coach. I feel like he's the perfect fit, that missing piece that we needed."
On filling the hole left by Ejuan Price:
"I would love to be Ejuan Price, but I kind of want to grow into my own role. Anything that I can do to help the team would be good. If I can do some things that Ejuan did, that would be great. Ejuan was always that one leader; now there are three or four leaders. We are all trying to step up. It's a big spot to fill."
Placekicker Alex Kessman
On his new role as starting kicker:
"It's been good. I've been doing it since I was in seventh grade, so there is nothing different. I'm just blessed to be here and thankful to be here. I love the coaching staff, the city, the campus, everything about it, so I took the risk of coming here as a walk-on. I am extremely blessed to have received a scholarship, and I won't take it for granted."
On his relationship with former Pitt kicker Chris Blewitt:
"He's awesome. He has always been there for me. We were never competitive with each other. We are good friends, and he's a great kicker. Every kicker wants to make that game-winning field goal against Clemson on national television. It was awesome for him, and I would love to get that opportunity."
