Putting the wraps on spring practice with Saturday's spring game, UCF head coach Gus Malzahn says he has a great feeling about his team heading into the summer. Offensively, he likes both his quarterbacks - Mikey Keene and John Rhys Plumlee - and feels they can win a lot of games with either as a starter. Here's everything he had to say in his post-spring game press conference.
Opening statement:
"First of all, very successful spring. Real happy with the guys, went out there and made some plays. It was really neat. Appreciate our crowd. It was a great crowd. Our guys responded well. I think we ran 101 plays. Offensively, we were able to push the ball down the field a little bit. Proud of the guys for making plays down the field. Mixing in the run. Johnny Richardson had a great spring. We held Isaiah Bowser out. That was by design. We know exactly what we're going to get from him. He had a great spring also.
"Defensively, did some really good things. The interception. Francois, I think he has a little hamstring. I think he would have housed that thing if he didn't have that. Landon Woodson had three sacks. We really focused on rushing the passer this spring. There were more sacks besides those three. I thought that was a real plus.
"I think both quarterbacks did some good things. There's nothing like getting out there in front of a crowd. It's different. You can have a scrimmage and you learn a lot, but when you get in front a crowd it's different. I thought both guys responded well. There were a couple things both of them could do better. It was good. It was good to get our young one in there and let him play some too.
"There were a few guys that went down and it doesn't look like anything serious, which is a blessing. You always stress about that, being the last spring. Looking at this time last year, we're in a completely different spot. I told the guys we're in a super spot going into the summer. Got a real chance."
Were you overall pleased with how things have gone this spring and where you are at?
"There's no doubt about that. Offensively, the expectation is a lot higher than they were at this time last year. They should be. We worked extremely hard on pushing the ball down the field. I believe we're going to be able to run the football against anybody which is great. We're just trying to put our quarterbacks in different situations too. Mikey is a veteran guy. You can just tell. His command. He's different than he was last year and he should be. John Rhys, each practice he's gotten more comfortable. Keep in mind, he hadn't played quarterback for a year. Each practice he's gotten better too. I think we're in a good spot at the quarterback position.
"Defensively, like I said earlier, it's about putting pressure on the quarterback. I feel like we improved in that area as spring went on."
What did you make the competition this spring between Mikey and John Rhys and where did you leave it heading into the summer?
"We gave them equal reps with the ones and twos. I know John Rhys was the first one out. We actually flipped a coin, who was going to be the first one out. It wasn't anything bigger than that. We're not in a position right now that we're going to name a starter tomorrow or anything. I think we're in a super spot going into next season. Competition brings out the best in everyone. A lot of times you look to see how teammates respond. Both of them are highly respected because of their character and the talent they have."
Kobe Hudson had a pretty good afternoon. How did he mixed in with the wide receivers?
"Kobe (Hudson) is a veteran guy. He led his team in receiving before he transferred in. There's high expectations. Jaylon Griffin, I know he didn't catch a touchdown, but he had a very good spring too. It was good to see those receivers make plays. It was good to see a healthy J-Flash. Ryan O'Keefe is always going to make plays. Amari Johnson made some plays. He's improved his down the field thing. Receivers did a solid job this spring."
I think a lot of people thought John Rhys is just a runner, but with the way he threw the ball today people might be discounting Mikey's chances?
"I think both of those are legit. John Rhys has got a big-time arm. You're talking about a guy that hadn't played quarterback. When he was a true freshman, their offense (at Ole Miss) was designed to run the football. They didn't ask him to throw. I recruited him hard out of high school. I knew exactly what we were gonna get. He can flat out throw it. He throws the deep ball very well. And then Mikey. Mikey has got a chip on his shoulder now. Mikey is not the same Mikey he was last year. Keep in mind, he led us to nine wins. We had a big bowl victory that he led us too. We're in really good shape at the quarterback position. I think nowadays you have to have two. Right now leaving spring, we can win both these guys. We can win a lot of games with both of them so it's a good feeling right now."
What did you see from the offensive line?
"I think the biggest thing is we pass the eye test this year. We look the part. We played the part. We're deep. The additions that we had, we've hit on every one of those guys we brought in. Coach Hand has really rotated those guys and gave them different opportunities to play different positions. Obviously Sam Jackson is a veteran guy and we strategically limited him somewhat this spring. Coach Dawson has done a great job in the weight room. The difference between this time this year from last year is night and day. We've got a chance to be what I would say is really good on the offensive line."
How do you feel about your depth overall? What did this spring show you?
"That's something you're always looking for in spring. Give everybody an opportunity. I always think there's a difference between depth and there's quality depth. We're always talking about quality depth. Quality depth is like they're another starter. You're always concerned about up front. There's where depth shows in college football, offensive line and defensive line, and I think we have quality depth in both those areas. That will be big if we get injuries."
What's different from last year?
"It's a player-led team. Last year, the players were trying to figure out us. They know the expectations. They know the standard. It's their team. We've got great leaders. They're leading the way. If you watch our practice, you'll hear the leaders just as much as the coaches. Once we get to Saturdays, they don't let the coaches on the field. Championship teams are player led. We're in really good hands with that."
There were a lot of recruits at the game. What was the buzz this spring?
"Really good. Ever since the bowl win, it's been different. We're in the game with some guys that we may not have been in the game with before. I think the combination of the bowl win and going to the Big 12. It's just something about you can feel when you're here that we're about to do something special. You feel it. Recruits feel it. They feel it from our players. They feel it from our coaches. Just everybody around. Everybody wants to dream and be a part of something special. We're well on our way."
What did you think about the uniform and where did that come from?
"First of all, I'll take you back to last year and the Twitter handles on the back of jerseys. That was Coach Hand. Coach Hand is one of those smart guys. He thinks about a bunch of stuff that I don't think about. He's on Twitter and all that stuff. This year it was S.J. Tuohy. He's in that world. He's family is in that world. He said, 'Hey, how 'bout a bar code?' You talking about that deal when you scan your menu at the restaurant? He said yeah. The more we thought about it, we're a school that's going to embrace the NIL. That's just one more thing. Just trying to stay on the cutting edge.
"A lot of these schools with different philosophies. We're going to promote our players. This place is going to be really the place to be in the future. You're talking about 72,000 students. Average age of our alumni is 36. More social media driven. You think about Orlando. 2.5 million people. There's not an NFL team. What we've got to do is engage the rest of Orlando. They can be fans of another team. But there's nothing like the hometown team. We've got to win. Everybody wants to be a part of winning. Everybody wants to be a part of something special. But I really believe everything is coming together. I think next year is a huge key in the big picture. If we can fast forward. If we can get to that point where we win the National Championship and do all that stuff, it's going to really start next year on the field. That's what we're trying to do. That was just one thing. S.J. had a great idea. I know our players loved it. If our players love it, I love it. It was a little bit weird for me having that thing on there. If they like it, I like it."
You reduced the workload of some players, like Isaiah Bowser. Is that something you've always done?
"We had a handful of guys who were trying to decide do I go to the NFL or come back. If guys are like that, we're going to treat like them pros. We're not going to beat them up. They've been here for four or five years of the grind and all that. We're going to treat them like pros. They're not going to have as many reps. We're going to take care of their body. We're going to do more nutrition wise, a little bit more yoga wise. Treat like them pros. That's what we did with a handful of guys. My experience is if you follow through with that and they're healthier and better than they've ever been and helps their draft status. The next time a guy is trying to figure out do I go to the NFL or come back, it'll be better for the future. I've done that before. It's been successful so far."
Last year when Mikey Keene took over at quarterback, how much of your offense did you have to pull back because he was a true freshman? How much more of your offense will we see this year?
"It was quite a bit. With Dillon, we were rolling. We were in a good spot. I think we were top 10 in the country in offense. Then a true freshman, 18 years old, we've got to go on the road. We were learning him as we went. We added a little bit. We tried to build around him. As the season went on and he had his best game in the bowl game, we talked to him about we need you to make some plays with your feet on third and medium. That's a big thing. And he's done that this spring. He's bigger. He's stronger. He's more confident. He's made plays with his feet. We let our quarterbacks go live last scrimmage. Every one of them. It was really eye opening. We found out a lot about our guys. When you go live with your quarterbacks, you find out about your defense too. It was real football. Mikey has done a good job in that area."
When did Jaylon Robinson start to look like himself again? Amari Johnson, will he have an expanded role?
"Are you talking about Flash? He looked 100 percent to me. Did he to y'all? He took care of his body. Our medical team did a really good job. At the beginning of spring he was feeling himself through. All of a sudden he got confidence. He's had a great spring. He's practiced hard. He's done a super job with that. Amari is a guy who was really good in the scrimmage. We were working on down the field and he really did a good job in that area. O'Keefe, he's one of the best players in college football with the ball in his hand. We know what we're gonna get. We could have gotten him the ball and some other things, but we know what we've got. We've got some true weapons at the wide receiver position."
About John Rhys, he hadn't played quarterback for 18 months and coming into a new system, when did things click for him?
"Every day you saw him getting better. He's the type that if he didn't do great one practice, he'd stay after practice. He's hard on himself. If you talk to him, he'll be talking about what he needs to improve on. That's a good thing. He made some really good throws today. If we'd have let him go live, it's hard to grab his flag sometimes."
