The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
04.05.2016 | Football
A transcription of Texas Football head coach Charllie Strong's meeting with the media after Tuesday's practice.
Head coach Charlie Strong
Opening statement: Just completed number ten. We still have a ways to go. It is still about fundamentals and technique. It is about having daily movement each and every practice in each position. You look at it just offensively, it is the offensive line, we have to get better there and fill some holes. Right now it is a depth problem because we don't have enough bodies. The running back position is still very solid. The wide receivers, we have guys that are making plays, who need to make more. There is competition at the quarterback position. Tight-ends are doing very well. On the defensive side, when I speak about the offensive line, the defense has the same issue where you have to develop some players, and they have to come along. It is really solid at the line backers and the secondary. So just overall we know that we need to get better. Five days out we have our spring game, and going on our 15th practice. I am looking forward to that.
On knowing who your quarterback is by the end of spring: Well the competition is very good. I don't know anybody by the end of spring that there will be a guy, but you just like to battle right now. I know that Jerrod [Heard] is down, but [Shane] Buechele and [Tyrone] Swoopes, they are competing and doing a very good job of managing offense and moving the ball.
On the status of QB Jerrod Heard: Jerrod is doing well. We talked about that today. He is coming along very well. He just fell on his shoulder wrong, and had a sprain with it. He is going to be fine. We know that we only have a few more practices left, but if we were to go on longer, he would be back.
On his chances at starting at quarterback with the injury: It is not that he is getting it on the field, but he is getting it in the classroom. He is learning in the classroom. I think that helps also, but just physically he can't do what they are doing right now. Mentally, he can make sure that he is processing everything in the classroom.
On what it would take for QB Shane Buechele to getting the starting quarterback position as a true freshman: He needs to keep competing. He is doing a great job. He knows where to put the ball. He has been in a offense similar to what we are doing right now, and he is only going to get better. You look at Swoopes and you look at Buechele, they both are pushing one another. It is good competition.
On the quarterback situation: You have to allow them to compete and let it play its way out. If it takes that we have to go into the fall camp and then pick a guy, then that's what we will do.
On the performance of QB Shane Buechele: The knowledge of the offense. He is doing a really good job of it, just learning and picking it up. Shane is like a gym rat. He is always around, he is always learning, and is always willing to learn. When you get a player like that, it is only going to make the other two guys better because they see how hard he works. It drives them to work even harder. We would not be afraid to start him at all because I know that he would go out there and compete and do what we ask him to do.
On the performance of QB Kai Locksley: Kai has not gotten as many reps as the other guys have. He is doing a good job, but he is just working through some things right now. What we have to do with him is just make sure that he stays involved.
On the mentality and hungriness of the team in practice: The guys are practicing well. They are doing a good job and doing everything that we asked them to do. They want to improve and they want to get better.
On what kind of team he is seeing in practice: Well, I don't know if we're 13 and 0. We haven't been that yet, but the guys are practicing well and they're doing a good job and they're doing everything we're asking them to do. They want to improve and they want to get better.
On if QB Jerrod Heard is being shut down for the rest of the spring or if he will be playing in the spring game: No, Jerrod will be shut down for the rest of the spring.
On the progress of the installation of the new offense: Well, because Jerrod's down, we haven't stopped installing. We're going to continue to move on and he can get it in the classroom. He just can't perform out on the field. But you have two quarterbacks that you have to get ready to go play, so the installation process is continuing on. And it is going well on the field, and we're doing what we need to do.
On what stood out to him on the offensive and defensive lines: When you look at [Kent] Perk[ins], you look at Connor [Williams], you look at [Patrick] Vahe, and even with [Zach] Shackelford coming along and [Brandon] Hodges coming along. Those guys are competing very well. And then on the defensive side, [Paul] Boyette was down a day or two but he's back. Poona [Ford]'s looking really good, [Chris] Nelson's doing a good job, and we just have to continue to get guys with Bryce [Cottrell] and those guys just have to come on. Naashon [Hughes]. Just keep working. They all know they need to improve. We know they need to improve. But just the competition, when we go now, it's always good on good so you like the level of energy they have each and every day.
On what QB Tyrone Swoopes has done to prove that he's gotten better in the last few years: He's mature and much better now. He's going to get better. As you get older you have to get better. There's no need, you should. What we're asking him to do on offense, he's doing those things, so he'll get better and improve. It just comes with age.
On if Swoopes is a different guy from when Charlie got here: Oh, he's a lot different player and just a whole approach to the game. He's totally different.
On if WR Collin Johnson is as good as the reports have indicated: Collin, the thing he has, is he has height. He has speed. He can catch the football, does a really good job with his total body position. He makes those catches and he makes the tough catches.
On if Johnson is good enough to start: Well, he'll get every chance to. We have some guys out there. You still have [John] Burt and some guys that are competing well and Colin's one of them.
On what he needs for Tyrone to feel confident going into the season: It's all confidence, and so much plays into part. You have to have an offensive line that can protect him. He has to be confident in his offensive line. You have running backs right now that can run the ball. You have to have receivers that can make the catches. It all plays into one. We put so much into one position but it's not just one position. You have 11 guys out there on offense that have to play together. And just make sure that we manage the offense well enough where, not only if it's Tyrone, if it's [Shane] Buechele - whomever's in there, Jerrod - that they have to be able to move the football and make the right throws and put us in the right place.
On using satellite camps for spring: We haven't talked about it. I think it's going to be voted on here in the next week or so. We'll just see how it comes down and we can always take camps and do camps wherever we need to.
On the competition in the kicking game: Well, we have to find us a kicker and that's an issue right now. We have some guys that are lining up and they're kicking the ball, but we have to be more consistent. We're going to miss Nick Rose because the thing he could do was kick the ball out of the end zone, and so now I told our kickoff team they're going to have to cover. So we just have to find us a kicker there.
On if the starting kicker could be someone who is not currently at camp: I don't know who that would be because we have our guys here now. We didn't sign a kicker. We're going to generate one. Are we going to generate one somewhere?
On if P Michael Dickson was in spring ball last year: No, Dickson was not in spring ball last year. We generated him. Are we trying to generate a kicker now? (laughs) We're always looking for someone. If you find me a kicker, send him to me. I need him.
