UCF wide receivers coach Grant Heard, a newcomer to the coaching staff this season, has a bevy of talent to work with. The headliner is Ryan O'Keefe, who has established himself as one of the nation's top playmakers. There are also a pair of incoming SEC transfers who are drawing rave reviews, Javon Baker and Kobe Hudson.
UCFSports.com caught up with Heard at the recent media day.
You were new here in spring, learning your players. How has it been jumping back into it? You've got a lot of talent at your disposal to work with.
"It's been awesome. It's been great to see the energy and the excitement for fall camp. It's great to see them back together competing."
Ryan O'Keefe, what does he provide? An experienced player who was a playmaker last year.
"He's a steady guy, doesn't say a whole bunch. Shows how important he is through his work ethic. He sets the tempo of how you're supposed to work. It seems like that guy never gets tired. It's great to have him out there leading by example."
Kobe Hudson. I just talked to him a few minutes ago. He said you're his favorite coach that he's ever had. That's a nice compliment for you. You've already worked with him in the spring. How has he been doing?
"Like all of them, they still have things they have to get better at. We have to keep improving. He's working hard. For him to say I'm his favorite coach, he's only had one other college coach. I don't know if I'm the best or the worst. I love being around Kobe. He's fun to be around. He keeps me on my toes. He's out there working hard and competing."
Javon Baker, we've heard a little bit about him. We saw some social media clips, he went up and pulled down a 50-50. I think Mikey Keene was the one who said they're not really 50-50 balls with him, more like 75-25. Javon, what have you seen in the early going?
"New system. Hasn't really been here very long. There's still that little not sure about stuff. I will say this. The kid loves to compete. He might do something wrong, but he's going to do it hard and go compete. As long as he keeps that mindset and that attitude, we can get better. We get the plays down, it's only the third day. Training camp, we dump a lot on them. He's picking it up well. As long as he brings the energy and the attitude, he'll be awesome."
What kind of competitions are you seeing within your group? Ryan O'Keefe has been around. Amari Johnson has been here, but a lot of these guys have yet to play for UCF.
"It's been awesome. When somebody does something good, they're excited, but they don't to let anybody out-dude me. It's been great because iron sharpens iron. To see the guys competing against the defense, but also competing within our room. Drops are not acceptable. They hold each other accountable. It's been great because I don't have to do as much, coaching the bad stuff. I can coach the good stuff."
You've got a couple freshman, one of them being Quan Lee. I know he's got to come in and learn. What have you seen early?
"He's young, learning. We'll see what happens by the end of camp."
Tyler Griffin?
"Same way."
What's the objective of camp? Are you trying to identify a travel roster? A top six or seven?
"By the end of camp. Right now, making sure we're doing what we're supposed to do to make the offense successful. Who can take from the meeting room to the practice field. Who can learn. Football on Saturdays, there's a lot of adjustments that have to happen. Who can take information and process it. Who can do the little things right. That's what I'm looking for right now. As we get later in camp, figuring out who gives us the best chance to win."
As a guy who's been on the same field as Daunte Culpepper, what was it like having him come back and talk to the team?
(Grant Heard played at Ole Miss and faced UCF in the 1997 season opener).
"It was cool. I got to talk to him a little bit before he spoke to the team. I asked him if he remembered that '97 game. He did. I remember it because we should have probably lost to UCF. I didn't realize how big he was until he stepped on the field. They were awesome. He's a great human being. I'm glad he got to come speak. I hope our kids listened to him because he had a bunch of words of wisdom."
You went to Ole Miss. What was your recruitment like? Were you doing hat ceremonies?
"I'm old. Nobody knew who was in the recruiting class. I had a small clip in my town's newspaper. That was it. Until you reported, you didn't know who was going to show up."
Where are you from originally?
"Lake Jackson, Texas. 45 minutes south of Houston."
Did Ole Miss find you?
"I had a brother that was a year older. He went to Ole Miss. I wanted to go to Vandy, but I didn't really like Nashville at the time. I like Nashville now. I didn't like it then."
What's it been like recruiting with this staff? UCF has had a lot of success this summer. Going to the Big 12 in a year. It's been a good response from the recruits you've been talking to?
"Wideouts, as everybody knows, they commit and they decommit. There's a bunch of good ones out there. Trying to make sure we get the rights ones that fit our program and fit the goals we're trying to achieve. We'll get the right ones here at the right time."
