2019 is setting up to be a big season for linebacker Eriq Gilyard.
After spending his freshman year as the backup to senior Pat Jasinski, gaining valuable experience in games like Memphis and Navy, the Jacksonville native is looking to lock down the No. 1 middle linebacker spot when camp opens later this summer.
At the conclusion of spring practice, UCFSports.com caught up with Gilyard to talk about his journey thus far and his expectations for the season.
This is a big year for you. With Pat Jasinski graduating, you'll be looking to take on a bigger role I assume this year. How has it been during the spring, just trying to get ready, a year since you came in?
"A lot has changed in the year since I first got in. A lot of the young guys, the things I went through last year, I'm telling them the same things. Just giving them advice on college life, maturing and becoming the players that Coach wants us to be. I feel like it's been a great year. The past year has prepared me to become the player I am now and to play the role I'm going to play."
Looking back to a year ago, you came into college early and now you've gone through a season. What did you take away and learn from the past year?
"There's a lot of things over the year that guys helped me with. Just learning different things about college and football as a whole. Getting more football knowledge. I think coming in early benefited me a lot. I don't think I'd be where I am now without doing it. I'm very glad that I did."
Looking back on that season, do you look back at games like that Memphis game where you had to get in there and pretty much play the entire way after Pat went down? Do you look at games like that as games that helped matured you as a football player?
"You see the good and the bad. A lot of things to learn from. I kind of use that as a tool for the future, just to help me get through everything coming up."
For you personally, how did you try to improve this spring? Were there areas you tried to improve on looking towards your sophomore year?
"Being more of a vocal leader. Coach Shannon expressed to me, being able to control guys. It's kind of my defense. I've got to be able to talk to guys and put them in place. Have them respect me. Just being able to get to that aspect of my game."
Whether it was going to happen year one or year two, I know you came in with the expectation of trying to earn a starting job at mike linebacker. You have to be the quarterback of the defense.
"Pat, looking up to him last year, being able to be behind him and learn from him, that was a great player to learn from. That was one of the best things I got from last year, being able to watch him. That definitely helped me out."
How is that linebacker position looking? Nate Evans has been around. You played last year. Who else is in the mix in the rotation?
"We're working on building depth. You've got me, you've got Nate, Eric Mitchell, Shawn Burgess. We've got two new guys, a transfer that came in. Only thing now in the linebacker room is building depth and becoming comfortable with everybody, knowing the plays and ready to go in when your name is called."
Did anyone have a really good spring that turned some heads?
"It's a lot of players. Aaron Robinson, he's in there at the nickel back position. He did really good this spring. Cam Goode transferred in and I think he's been doing a real good job learning the plays. Mason Cholewa. He didn't play a big role this year, but he's been playing real good all spring. We've got some guys who will turn some heads this fall."
Talking about the fastest players on the team, everybody knows about AK, but I heard Tay Gowan has some speed too. Somebody said he ran somebody down in a scrimmage?
"Tay has got some unbelievable speed. We've got so many fast people on this team, I can't even count. I don't know who is the fastest. There's a lot of those guys."
Going into your second season with Coach Shannon, I know you've got to replace some defensive linemen, you return some linebackers, most of the DBs return. Overall, how is that unit looking?
"I think going into year two, a lot of us understand the playbook better so things are going a lot smoothly. A lot of the times last year, it was making mistakes and sometimes you don't know what you did wrong. This year, if a mistake is made, we know what we did wrong and we don't let it happen again. That's the biggest thing going into year two."
You kind of mentioned it before, but how are those two young guys doing at linebacker? Tatum Bethune and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, who like you, enrolled early.
"Jeremiah and Tatum have been doing real good. A lot of the things they're going through, I can see myself in them. It's a lot of the same things that happened to me last year. Just being able to be with them, sometimes just telling them not to get discouraged or saying, 'Good job.' I can understand where they're coming from."
What are your goals for this year? Have you thought about stuff like that, personally or team wise?
"Personally, I don't really have goals. Team wise, I want to be the best defense in our conference. If we can get there, I want to be the best defense in the country. Whatever my role is in helping us to get to that, I want to play my role and make sure everybody around me is doing the same thing."
Who were your favorite football players growing up?
"My favorite player growing up probably would be Luke Kuechly or Bobby Wagner.
