UCF head coach Gus Malzahn, proudly wearing a t-shirt featuring star running back Isaiah Bowser, talks about his team's first three practices of spring. Saturday's workout was their first in full pads.
Opening statement:
"Just wrapped up our first week of practice. I just told the guys overall I'm very pleased. The first week is about learning to practice. It's getting coached. We talked about development. Getting each individual developed, our team, all three phases. We went very slow with our installs. That was by design, but our guys responded very well. I told them I'm proud of them. Today was the first day of pads. Learning to practice with that, staying up. Everybody was excited. Some pretty good collisions and all that. That's to be expected. We made it through the first week with very few injuries which is great. The good thing now is we're gonna be in pads the rest of the way for the most part. Get a chance to have some scrimmages. Overall, it's been very good.
"We've rotated five quarterbacks which is extremely hard. It's a challenge. We will be narrowing that thing down. We told the guys after this Saturday we'll narrow it down a little bit. I don't know exactly what that means, but I'll let you know the next time I visit with you. We've rotated three groups. That's a challenge too. We want to give everybody a chance. We'll kind of narrow things down in two groups moving forward."
You're giving all the quarterbacks opportunities with the first team? Is that what you mean?
"The older guys for the most part. Thomas (Castellanos) has went with the twos and threes. We'll eventually through the deal, and he's doing well. You can tell he's got a skill set. Exactly what we thought. But it's been mainly the older guys being able to rotate. We've been keeping him, he's probably been getting more reps than anybody else but a lot of it has been with the threes and some with the twos. But that's by design too."
Mikey Keene coming back as a sophomore, how has he looked early on?
"Night and day (since last year). He was here for a month and a half before we started spring ball (last year). He earned the No. 2 job. Of course y'all saw what he did. He does a lot of things right. He's stronger. He's bigger and he's faster than he was. His teammates have a lot of confidence in him."
What have some of the younger guys shown?
"They're all getting reps. It doesn't matter how talented you are or what star you are. There's a transition period of college football that you get used to the speed of the game. You get used to the new signals. The new plays. But all the guys, you've seen them each day improve. They are talented. I'll tell you this: I think we hit on all of them which is always good. It's a really good group."
You've got a young group at linebacker. What have you noticed from them early on?
"They're playing hard. With Coach T-Will, that's the only option they have. It's good for them to get reps. There's nothing like getting reps. Today was the first day in pads. To play linebacker, you need to feel exactly what it feels like up front with guys going full speed. Today was really the first day they were able to do that. There were some good things. The great thing is they're getting opportunities to improve and develop."
How are the running backs looking?
"We've got a real running back group. I'll tell you that. The great thing is it starts with Isaiah Bowser, our veteran. The rest of them, Johnny (Richardson), you can tell he's much improved from this time last year. He's really doing a super job and turning into a leader too. The rest of the group, Mark-Antony (Richards) is obviously different than he was at this time last year. It's a really good room. A lot of talent in there. You can see us even use two running backs on the field at the same time. That's how much depth we have in that room."
Players have been impressed Thomas Castellanos when we've asked about standouts. What are your impressions?
"He's a playmaker. That's the best way to put it. When things break down, he can make plays. He's shown he can do that. We saw that on film. It's not a surprise to us."
Talking about Isaiah Bowser, he was banged up at times last year. What would you like to see from him this spring?
"He's developing his overall game which is already at a high level. You saw us last year. When he was healthy we were a different offense. He's taking care of his body. We're being very strategic and very smart with him. We're treating him like a pro. He chose to come back. He could have left. He chose to come back, so we're gonna make sure he's doing a lot of extra stuff off the field. Yoga. Starting to act like a pro. He's like another quarterback on the field. He's really smart. Knows what's going on.
"Johnny, I can't believe too. I keep repeating. Man, he's a real guy too. He's had a good first week."
What about R.J. Harvey? Before he got hurt last year, he was in line to be a primary guy? I know he's still not 100 percent, but where does he fit in?
"Coach Harris has him out there doing everything but against the defense. He's running good. I think the other day he ran a 4.4 or 4.5 (forty). He is back running full speed. But we're just not going to have him do any contact. You're exactly right. After spring last year, he was right there. He's a big smart guy. He played quarterback in high school. He's tough to tackle."
Are you concerned guys get too amped on the first day of pads?
"It's always good to go whoa instead of telling them. We've got guys, yeah it was good. It was pretty intense early. It got better. It got better."
Any other young guys on offense standing out?
"Not really standing out. It's just giving them opportunities for reps. The game next week will slow down for them. It was fast. We knew it would be. It'll be good now. They'll have a weekend to rest their bodies. Rest their mind. Tuesday we'll get back after it again."
Who are you seeing becoming leaders?
"The two guys you're fixing to talk to (Isaiah Bowser and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste). I'd start with those guys. The great thing is we've got numerous leaders. I told them right after practice. It's time now that the leaders start taking charge of this team. Not the coaches. They know the standard. They know the expectations. My experienced is championship teams are player led and we've got leaders that can do that. They've done a good job the first week. I've heard more leadership than any time last year. It's their time."
I know spring is always developing players. A year ago you were just trying to get to know your players. This spring are you trying to install more?
"It's development, competition. We have installed a few more things probably in the passing game than we did last year. We've got a lot of veteran receivers back. We have some quarterbacks that are veteran people too. It's mixing and matching it. From a coach's standpoint this spring, it's knowing your strengths. We're identifying our strengths offensively and defensively. When we're through with spring, I'll sit down with Trav. What are our strengths? We're gonna play those strengths. Offensively, sit down with Chip. We're gonna play to them. Each year it's a little bit different."
Is there a play that stood out to you today?
"No. No. There wasn't anything that really stood out. I'm big picturing everything. I get in the film room. I'll usually pick out one or two I'll call 'wow plays' on offense or defense with great effort or mental toughness, something like that. But nothing stood out."
Incoming transfers Kobe Hudson and Kemore Gamble, how are they doing early on?
"Well, they're veteran guys. They make plays every day. They're both learning the offense, but both of them are extremely talented."
You talked about how this program has embraced the NIL era. You've obviously got your shirt on with Isaiah. What does that mean to showcase to your players and future players this is what we're about?
"If you remember this time last year it was a little bit of a gray era and we said we're gonna embrace it. This is the perfect place to do that. We're here for our players for everything we can do within the rules. I know a lot of teams probably don't understand the rules. But we're actually doing it within the rules. We'll do everything we can. That's part of it."
You've got kicker Colton Boomer on campus. You've seen him kicking for an entire week. What have you liked about his game?
"He's got a big-time leg. Got a little nervous. That's to be expected. Always like to put pressure on kickers. See how he responded. He responded pretty good."
How has the offensive line been looking?
"They looked good for the first three days. I'll be able to watch the film. First day we did one-on-one pass rush. I'm over there with the skill guys, so I'll watch that. We're starting to pass the eye test as far as eye test of what a real offensive line looks like. That's real exciting."
What do you want to see in the next week? Next Saturday when we talk to you, will that be after your first scrimmage?
"It will. We're gonna scrimmage and put the ball down. We'll see how can tackle, who can block, who can hold the ball, who can get the ball. Good football stuff. Yeah, looking forward to next Saturday."
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