UCF defensive coordinator Addison Williams talks about the recent scrimmage, the increasing depth at linebacker and mentions a few players that have had a standout preseason thus far.
It's a week and a half into the preseason, you just had a scrimmage on Sunday and a few practices since then. What's your biggest takeaway?
"The biggest takeaway so far is that you're starting to see a lot of unity. A lot of togetherness, which is something that we preach, especially among the defense and on both sides of the ball. The guys out there are competing extremely hard. Obviously, there's been some really hot weather but you've had guys definitely fight through, just building that team unity and coming together."
There's been a lot of talk about the depth on the offensive and defensive lines. How does that help you guys out, being able to rotate some guys in and out?
"It helps us in practice for the most part because we're able to get more team reps and the only way to get better at playing football is to play football. We're getting a whole lot more reps than what we've been able to get in the past. And then once you get into the season, when you got guys that you can roll, now at the end of games guys are still fresh. That goes into at the end of the season because you had guys like Josh Celiscar and Drop last year, they played so many snaps, they were beat up at the end of the season. But we're gonna take some snaps off those guys with the trust that we have in those guys behind them. That's going to be helpful for us on defense."
What group do you feel like their depth has increased the most significantly?
"I would say linebacker. That's the position going into spring ball after taking over as defensive coordinator, I knew that we needed to add some guys at that spot. We did not get any transfers in January, which in the end it worked out better because we had guys like Walter Yates and Kam Moore gets those live reps. Maybe 300-400 reps over the course of the spring.
"Now you add a guy like Rian Davis and Isaiah Paul that have played a lot of college football. Now instead of having one or two linebackers, all of a sudden you have five or six linebackers. So I think that's the spot where the depth has grown the most."
What have been your points of emphasis on defense since the scrimmage?
"It hasn't changed. The standard is the standard. We're going to uphold that. Like I said from day one, we're gonna be disciplined, we're gonna be accountable and we're gonna be a tough defense. Our approach to practice every day is all about effort and the intensity that they're going out with. And now that we're in pads, the physicality of the guys has been really impressive."
The defense had two turnovers in the scrimmage. How do you think they did?
"Defensively, the main thing we're gonna do is stop the run, we're gonna affect the quarterback and create turnovers. We did a pretty good job, especially with the first group in stopping the run. We've got to do a little better with the second group and stop some of the quarterback run stuff. Then obviously we've been preaching turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. We got a lot of explosive guys on offense and we think the offense has the ability to be pretty good. So as much as we can get those guys the ball back and be on the sideline, that's the best defense you can play."
There's been talk about a lot of close games in the Big 12 last year and that could be a big factor. On the defensive side of the ball, is that something you've focused on?
"Situational football is something we talk about all the time. At the end of the day, that's normally what it comes down to if you got two pretty comparable teams. Now, if you're just way more dominant than the other team, yeah, it may be a blowout or it may be a two or three possession game. But any time you got two teams that are pretty comparable, which we're gonna have an opportunity to compete in every game that we play this year, it's gonna come down to the end at some game.
"So we're always talking third down, red zone, turnovers, two-minute drill. That's something that we talk daily with our guys. Obviously at times, we can give them probably more information than what they can handle, but we're constantly hitting those situations. So when we end up in those situations, it won't be foreign to them."
How is Nikai Martinez fitting into your secondary? I know you like guys to learn multiple positions. Is he settling into one of those spots?
"Nikai is playing the field safety spot for us. He's a guy that's been in the program. He's a very smart guy, so he's played multiple spots for us since he's been here. He's gonna do the same this fall, but he's really focused on the field safety spot. Really, he's back there running the show. He's one of the smarter guys that we've got. We feel comfortable with him back there."
How does Decorian Patterson fit into your secondary?
"Obviously, he's a guy that can make plays on the ball. The biggest thing with him coming in the summer, obviously from a mental standpoint he's been a bit behind, but he's working his tail off to put himself in position. The biggest thing is just him continuing to learn the system. At that point, his athletic ability will be able to take over."
On recent recruiting successes:
"Taking this job, I knew Coach Malzahn prior to and I knew he was a big dreamer. In those initial conversations, he talked about his vision for the program. That's one of the things that drove me to come here. And once I got here, I kind of started to see that vision. We've been chipping away, chipping away, chipping away. Nikai Martinez is one of the guys that helped start this trend and so we'll just continue to build on it and you see each year is getting better and better and better.
"We'll continue to build those genuine relationships that we do with the guys and continue to recruit like our hair on fire as Coach Malzahn would say."
Who has had a good preseason? Maybe some younger guys or transfers that are catching your eye?
"Malachi Lawrence has done a really good job. Matthew Alexander has done a really good job. Walter Yates is another one that has flashed a lot. Then you got guys like Nikai, he played some last year, but he's having a good fall camp at the safety position. Cari and Mari (Henderson), we finally got both of those guys healthy. They're doing a good job.
"Really, it's a long list of guys to be honest with you. I'm really appreciative for the effort, the intensity and the focus that those guys come to work with every day has been pretty impressive."
How much have you grown as a coach over the last nine months? What stood out about taking over the defense?
"The biggest thing I would say is I'm a people person. I have a relationship with the guys in my room and I've always had relationships with the other guys on the team, but it was kind of surface level relationships. Having the opportunity to stand up in front of 40-50 young men, it's been pretty humbling to me, to be honest with you. It's just continuing to cultivate those relationships and just lead those guys in the way that I go about caring about my business. Hopefully it's something those guys can take from football and into their lives as they become husbands and fathers.
What are you looking for in the next scrimmage?
"Stopping the run, affecting the quarterback and creating turnovers. With that being said, just those guys continuing to play together. It's all 11. Not just the 11 on the field. The entire sideline. We're gonna be as strong as our weakest link. That's something that I tell them all the time. We got to bring everybody's level up to meet that standard as coach would say.
"That's the biggest thing, guys continuing to stay together, but keeping the main thing. The main thing is stopping the run. You stop the run, you have an opportunity to affect the quarterback. You affect the quarterback, that's when you get turnovers."
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