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Opening statement:
"Okay, all right, first practice in our newly named Wayne Dench practice complex, an extra field out there. It feels really good to be back on the field with our players. You know, good idea where we're at after day one.
"We've got to get in better shape. Our guys knew that. We actually gave them the July 4th week off and then, of course, a week before we start fall camp like you always do. So, we've got to get in better shape.
"I just challenged our guys. We've got to improve from day one to day two more than any other time, just expectations.
"We've got a bunch of new players. It was our first rodeo out there with expectations, the standard and everything. With that, I thought our guys responded, but it's just the first day. Looking forward to practice two and improving."
Coach, first summer with a new strength coach, Coach (Anthony) Kincy. What were the main differences you saw from him and what did you see on the field?
"I think more than anything, just the everyday grind and the expectations, the standard. He's done a really good job up to this point as far as accountability, trusting each other, which is real big to team building. I've said that before, not just us, but every team in America with as many new players everybody has. It's going to be about team bonding. It's going to be about being able to count on each other, trust each other.
"I told our guys to buckle up. This fall camp is going to be a grind. It's going to be very similar to the very first year we were here. We're going to be very demanding on our players. We were today. We just need to keep improving. And once we get in pads, we're going to be physical and we're going to be getting after it and get that hard-nosed edge back to us."
Gus, you talked a lot about the team bonding, obviously, with 40-something new players being in here. What did you see from these guys over the summer? Were they able to kind of get together and maybe do some things together that helps them out?
"Yeah, we've done some team bonding with Coach Kincy and accountability. We're in a good spot, but there's nothing like practice. I mean, you go out there and practice, everything's real. Everything's in front of each other, the offense, defense, the coaches. The accountability is really a different deal. Being able to develop that trust, and that's really our focus, trust each other and get our coaches where we can count on them and they can count on each other and they can count on us.
"So, it was just the first day. Like I said, the new guys, they understand the standard now and the expectations, and we should improve practice too."
Coach, you talk about improving and expectations. It's obviously something we talk about every season, but is this year a little different? Second year in the Big 12, is that kind of looming over how much you guys want to improve from last year? How much is that in conversation?
"Yeah, we know the areas we need to improve on. The quality depth, the physicality. We lost close games. Accountability, everything that goes with that.
"Like I said, the big challenge is we've got 40 new guys coming in with the guys we had last year. But just after one day, I'll tell you, we do have quality depth. You can tell the experience.
"That's probably what stands out to me compared to last year. We've got experienced guys running around everywhere, and that's really good. It's just a matter of everybody coming together, everybody understanding that expectation."
Schematically, will you implement a similar defense to last year?
"Ted's got his own flavor. He's a real aggressive guy, always has been. He did a lot of the pressure things in the spring and carried over today. That's his identity, and he does a good job of mixing things up."
Coach, last year you added two centers during fall camp. This year you've had all of your centers through spring and fall. What have you noticed the differences between last year and this year at that position?
"I'll be able to tell you more once we get in pads, but just more than anything, it sounds simple, but being able to snap it in that square box where a quarterback can actually run the offense without anything extra. We're a read zone team. At our core, it's very important, the snaps, but I think that's the No. 1 thing we've improved on from the past.
"As far as executing, when we get in pads, I'll be able to tell you more."
Yesterday you announced the captains and Ethan Barr being one of them, the newcomer from the winter. What's he kind of brought to the group, and what made him stand out from the leadership perspective?
"Maturity, accountability, he's earned that. He just showed up. He was a team captain at the last place he was at. It doesn't surprise me at all. He's got the respect of offense, defense, special teams, coaches, and he's earned that. He's been very consistent. His leadership, it'll be really good to have on defense."
With so many new guys, how long does it take before you say, I've got what I need for this year or this is going to be a struggle? How long does it take to identify?
"You've got to go through scrimmages. There's nothing like when you go out and you put the ball down and they make the coaches go on the sideline and it's theirs.
"That's when you learn. We're going to have two big-time quality scrimmages, possibly three. But once we get through that, we should have a really good idea of where we're at and what we have, what we don't have. And really, the biggest thing is once you identify, you build around your strengths. So that's our plan."
How difficult is it to just identify early? You've got so many new faces, half the team.
"Every practice. Earn everything you get. It doesn't matter if you've been here. I told the guys, if you've been here a long time, you've been playing every day, you earn it. It's a new day. It's a new team. You're earning the respect.
"We won six games. We lost seven. That wasn't good enough. So it is every day you compete. And the good thing is we've got some experience. We've got some quality depth. And depth in competing, it brings out the best in everybody.
"So as a coaching staff, every day, that depth chart is fluid and moving, which I think is really good."
You mentioned all the newcomers to UCF. You also mentioned there's a lot of guys with playing experience coming in as well. How does that translate, especially as you guys are establishing your standard at UCF? How does that translate as practice?
"I think any time you know you have experience and you know what they've had, now they've got to figure out a way to get better. That's what I've been telling these guys.
"Some of them guys, I don't care if they're this and that and the media picks them, this team, that team. No, no. It's about getting better. And that's what our coaches, that's our responsibility. So even though we've got experience, those guys need to get better. And now that we've got more competition, I think that helps everybody."
Your team looks a little bit different. You added a lot of pieces after the spring. So for you, what is the biggest question that you want to see answered position-wise this camp?
"I don't know if there's one position. It's more of collective on both sides of the football. Like I said, we tried to bring in some playmakers on defense that we've seen on film that they've had the ability to be playmakers. So we brought in that. We addressed that.
"Obviously, we've got new quarterbacks. Just trying to evaluate those guys, build around those strengths, what they can do, what they're not ready to do, and then getting prepared for the season."
On that note, on the quarterbacks, Jacurri Brown was one of those new spring additions. What have you seen from him?
"He wants to be good. I mean, he's learning the offense. It's important to him. That's the No. 1 thing for me. I mean, every day it's a learning experience, and you've got to improve every day."
Speaking on quarterbacks, K.J. Jefferson, one of the main things this season was to get comfortable running the offense. The offense probably catering to him. How do you see his comfortability in learning the team and just meshing with the guys?
"Well, when he's been successful, it's been a similar offense to what we already do. We learned about the spring, fall camp. Your installs are all pretty basic, the first three, four, five days, and then we're still in the process of identifying his strengths, what he likes, what he doesn't, what he's good at and all that, and we'll start kind of tailoring that to him.
"We already have a good idea, but there's nothing like fall camp, especially with the new players we have."
Coach, in the spring it's been pretty clear your target on defense was to try to stop the run. Offensively, the question I would have is, is the biggest challenge, again, for the third year, turning over a patchwork offensive line and getting a group of guys to kind of mesh and meld once more time? Do you think that's the biggest challenge to build the offense?
"I mean, I don't know. What were we two years ago? Number 15 offense in the country. Last year, either seven or eight. We're going to be in that same category again. Our offensive line, we've got experience. We feel good about them. I think we've got a little bit of depth right there.
"You know, my big deal offensively is we were undisciplined as crap last year, and that's coaching. We've got to do a better job of the penalties. We've got to do a better job of protecting the football. We've got talent, but we've got to do the things to help win games."
Gus, you mentioned when you first came here that you guys were going to make this a difficult fall camp, like it was the first year you guys got here. Is that a symptom of what happened last year? I mean, is you guys just turning things up a little bit to try to apply a little more pressure to these guys?
"Yeah, like I said before, we won six games. That's not good enough. We're going to make sure that we do everything we can as coaches to give these guys the best chance of being successful. And the fact that we've got the new guys coming in, they came from different standards, man, different programs, different expectations.
"We're going to put the ball down. We're going to flat get after it in our scrimmages, and we're going to see who's who and who's ready and who's not."
Obviously, RJ's been a leader on the team before. What's it like now that he has the captain patch on his chest?
"Yeah, he's earned it. He's earned it. You know, he's one of those guys, everybody's got him up here. He's earned that. But he hasn't flinched. He's actually started working harder. And just that respect. He doesn't say a lot, but the respect that he has from his teammates, every day he shows up.
"If you just lined our guys up and be around them for 10 minutes, you'd think the top guys, they'd have like an ego and look at me, he's completely different. He's just like everybody else. That's really one of his strengths, if not his biggest strength."
Going into your fourth season with UCF, where are you different as a head coach?
"I think for me it's just getting back to me. I told our team last night, just getting back to my roots of who I am as a coach. The team taking on my personality, not a coordinator's personality or somebody else's personality. And that's really the big thing.
"I told you before, I did self-evaluation. Any time you lay an egg like we did last year, it starts with a darn head coach. And just self-evaluation, get back to doing what I know to do, how I know to do it, and really approach each practice and each game with a chip on my shoulder."
What's the health status of everyone coming into camp? Demari Henderson, it didn't look like he was practicing?
"No, he's the only one that still is a little bit away. He had a knee issue. We will have him back this season. I can't tell you exactly when that is, but everybody else was out there ready to go, so that's always good. And I don't think we've been able to say that any time we've been here so far."
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