Today, I got to talk to offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Kirby Moore, running back coach Curtis Luper, offensive line coach Marcus Johnson, and tight end/special teams coach Eric Link.
Wide receiver coach Jacob Peeler was there but he left early. I’m working on getting a personal interview set up with him.
We also talked to LT Javon Foster, LG Xavier Delgado, WR Mekhi Miller and RB Cody Schrader.
Remember, the Q&A articles are coming (as soon as I publish this post I’ll get started on them). So, if you’re wondering about what one of these players or coaches said and I didn’t get to it. I will get to it in the Q&As.
Coach Moore
Moore is really happy with Luther Burden III in the slot. He believes LB3 is a bigger slot and believes he has a bigger catch radius than normal which is helpful and can benefit quarterbacks.
He said there’s been a lot of growth in the QB room through four practices in terms of learning the offense and what they can and can’t do.
I asked him about WR Jalen Cropper who had over 1300 yards at Fresno State. He was a slot guy for Kirby last year and Kirby said a lot of the offense is targeted to the slot (which means more targets for LB3). Kirby thinks Luther can have a big season and it’s not just because he’s in the slot.
Moore thinks quarterback Jake Garcia has done well getting the ball out of his hands quickly and he also said he’s elusive and can extend plays. For Garcia to be here six to seven weeks, Moore thinks Garcia is in a good spot.
He also alluded to the reps determining how advanced the scheme will be in year one understandably. For Blake Baker, everything was about keeping it simple in year one. If the offense can handle the reps more things will come. It helps that Drink is an offensive-minded coach and that the schemes are similar. It’s all about learning the terminology for the players right now is what I heard the most from the players I talked to today.
When I asked Moore about the TE group and what he and coach Link’s vision for them is, he said he’s still learning the personnel for all the position groupings. So, he doesn’t want to pigeonhole them into doing or being one thing.
Coach Luper
He said the RBs won’t be able to distinguish themselves really until live action (the spring game on March 18).
Luper said Tavorus Jones has a good skillset at 205 pounds. He also said he has great hands and is quick and the biggest thing for him is learning how to play college football and learning the offense.
Everyone I talked to said they have to be more explosive. All of them. So, that’s the offensive theme for 2023.
Luper wants the RB group to be better in yards after contact and find ways to get back to the line of scrimmage instead of trying to make a play behind the line of scrimmage when met by defenders.
He said Schrader really got on his radar last spring during the spring game and he believes he will be a 1,000-yard rusher this season.
I’ve got some stuff on him and his son WR Chance Luper, but I won’t spoil it because I’m sure I’ll be able to talk to Chance soon for a feature story separately. But he’s in positive spirits is what I can tell you.
Eric Link TE/ ST coach
He believes the TE group as a unit has done well collectively and that each player in their own way has improved on something. At the same time, no one is really too far ahead or behind someone else is what I gathered from this personally.
The big focus for the TE group is obviously to get more consistent and improve on the things they’re not good at individually.
He said Ryan Hoerstkamp is used to be a WR, so he just needs to learn to play inside more and learn the ins and outs of being on the line. He said he’s at about 245-ish pounds right now and doesn’t figure him to be a guy to bulk up to 260s.
He thinks K Blake Craig has been trending upward (not upward enough to push Harrison Mevis out of starting yet of course, but he’s doing well).
He said he’s trying to help LB3 with his decision-making. That’s what they believe is Burden’s biggest weakness. He said the No. 1 job of the return team is getting the offense the ball.
Coach Johnson
He said RT Marcellus Johnson is extremely athletic and twitchy, but since he’s never played on the right side he’s adjusting. He compares moving from LT to RT to trying to eat or write with your non-dominant hand because believe it or not playing on one side of the line isn’t the same as playing on the other side of the line.
OG EJ Ndoma-Ogar isn’t yet 100% but he’s getting there. He was impressed with how he played last season but he hates the fact that it was such a short stint of him playing. He’s hoping Ndoma-Ogar picks up from where he left off at.
Johnson said RT Armand Membou “is different,” for his ability to play and start as a true freshman. He says his combo of strength, athleticism, and twitch makes him unique and special. He referenced a play in practice where Membou got beat badly, but recovered on that same play. Basically saying Membou got himself in a bad spot but he was also able to get himself out of that bad spot on the same play instead of just losing the rep as a whole.
Having Javon Foster makes him sleep better at night he joked. But his leadership and play are definitely welcomed back and believes that Foster is a dominant player.
LT Javon Foster
His individual and team goals are to win the SEC East. That’s really his focus.
The theme for the O-Line, as Drink pointed out last week, is and will be physicality.
I asked him about his draft grade and he said it was cool to even get a draft grade and he had good emotions about it, but he felt he had unfinished business. When I asked him if would he like to share his grade he politely declined. Foster said he didn’t do as well as he hoped in 2022 and he wants to rectify that this season.
He’s really impressed with Membou. He called him a good player with a good work ethic.
From talking to players and coaches over the past few months it just seems from the outside looking in that Membou is a team favorite. Not that other players aren’t, but you can kind of tell everyone is high on him.
Foster is excited to be playing alongside one of his best friends again in LG Xavier Delgado, who he said “makes the game easier” for him.
The consensus theme about learning a new offense is the terminology and also learning it together with everyone else makes players feel more comfortable.
Foster really likes Kirby Moore and he’s already seeing the install for the explosive plays and he likes them.
RG Armand Membou
Membou said he doesn’t feel any pressure now that people know who he is and have expectations of him now. He said he’s just living his life.
He’s excited about the move to RG from RT. He said it was something the coaches knew he could do, so they moved them there.
He and coach Johnson believe the biggest difference between guard and tackle is the closer you are to the football the faster things go. DE’s (moving upfield) and OTs (moving outward and back) from the ball.
Membou just wants to be more consistent and play faster, stronger, and with better footwork and posture in pass protection.
His confidence is high because he played a lot of snaps at the end of the season and Drink has told him (and to us) he wished he played Membou more.
Xavier Delgado is one of his mentors so to say so Membou says that Delgado has been helping him adjust to the inside game.
Wide receiver coach Jacob Peeler was there but he left early. I’m working on getting a personal interview set up with him.
We also talked to LT Javon Foster, LG Xavier Delgado, WR Mekhi Miller and RB Cody Schrader.
Remember, the Q&A articles are coming (as soon as I publish this post I’ll get started on them). So, if you’re wondering about what one of these players or coaches said and I didn’t get to it. I will get to it in the Q&As.
Coach Moore
Moore is really happy with Luther Burden III in the slot. He believes LB3 is a bigger slot and believes he has a bigger catch radius than normal which is helpful and can benefit quarterbacks.
He said there’s been a lot of growth in the QB room through four practices in terms of learning the offense and what they can and can’t do.
I asked him about WR Jalen Cropper who had over 1300 yards at Fresno State. He was a slot guy for Kirby last year and Kirby said a lot of the offense is targeted to the slot (which means more targets for LB3). Kirby thinks Luther can have a big season and it’s not just because he’s in the slot.
Moore thinks quarterback Jake Garcia has done well getting the ball out of his hands quickly and he also said he’s elusive and can extend plays. For Garcia to be here six to seven weeks, Moore thinks Garcia is in a good spot.
He also alluded to the reps determining how advanced the scheme will be in year one understandably. For Blake Baker, everything was about keeping it simple in year one. If the offense can handle the reps more things will come. It helps that Drink is an offensive-minded coach and that the schemes are similar. It’s all about learning the terminology for the players right now is what I heard the most from the players I talked to today.
When I asked Moore about the TE group and what he and coach Link’s vision for them is, he said he’s still learning the personnel for all the position groupings. So, he doesn’t want to pigeonhole them into doing or being one thing.
Coach Luper
He said the RBs won’t be able to distinguish themselves really until live action (the spring game on March 18).
Luper said Tavorus Jones has a good skillset at 205 pounds. He also said he has great hands and is quick and the biggest thing for him is learning how to play college football and learning the offense.
Everyone I talked to said they have to be more explosive. All of them. So, that’s the offensive theme for 2023.
Luper wants the RB group to be better in yards after contact and find ways to get back to the line of scrimmage instead of trying to make a play behind the line of scrimmage when met by defenders.
He said Schrader really got on his radar last spring during the spring game and he believes he will be a 1,000-yard rusher this season.
I’ve got some stuff on him and his son WR Chance Luper, but I won’t spoil it because I’m sure I’ll be able to talk to Chance soon for a feature story separately. But he’s in positive spirits is what I can tell you.
Eric Link TE/ ST coach
He believes the TE group as a unit has done well collectively and that each player in their own way has improved on something. At the same time, no one is really too far ahead or behind someone else is what I gathered from this personally.
The big focus for the TE group is obviously to get more consistent and improve on the things they’re not good at individually.
He said Ryan Hoerstkamp is used to be a WR, so he just needs to learn to play inside more and learn the ins and outs of being on the line. He said he’s at about 245-ish pounds right now and doesn’t figure him to be a guy to bulk up to 260s.
He thinks K Blake Craig has been trending upward (not upward enough to push Harrison Mevis out of starting yet of course, but he’s doing well).
He said he’s trying to help LB3 with his decision-making. That’s what they believe is Burden’s biggest weakness. He said the No. 1 job of the return team is getting the offense the ball.
Coach Johnson
He said RT Marcellus Johnson is extremely athletic and twitchy, but since he’s never played on the right side he’s adjusting. He compares moving from LT to RT to trying to eat or write with your non-dominant hand because believe it or not playing on one side of the line isn’t the same as playing on the other side of the line.
OG EJ Ndoma-Ogar isn’t yet 100% but he’s getting there. He was impressed with how he played last season but he hates the fact that it was such a short stint of him playing. He’s hoping Ndoma-Ogar picks up from where he left off at.
Johnson said RT Armand Membou “is different,” for his ability to play and start as a true freshman. He says his combo of strength, athleticism, and twitch makes him unique and special. He referenced a play in practice where Membou got beat badly, but recovered on that same play. Basically saying Membou got himself in a bad spot but he was also able to get himself out of that bad spot on the same play instead of just losing the rep as a whole.
Having Javon Foster makes him sleep better at night he joked. But his leadership and play are definitely welcomed back and believes that Foster is a dominant player.
LT Javon Foster
His individual and team goals are to win the SEC East. That’s really his focus.
The theme for the O-Line, as Drink pointed out last week, is and will be physicality.
I asked him about his draft grade and he said it was cool to even get a draft grade and he had good emotions about it, but he felt he had unfinished business. When I asked him if would he like to share his grade he politely declined. Foster said he didn’t do as well as he hoped in 2022 and he wants to rectify that this season.
He’s really impressed with Membou. He called him a good player with a good work ethic.
From talking to players and coaches over the past few months it just seems from the outside looking in that Membou is a team favorite. Not that other players aren’t, but you can kind of tell everyone is high on him.
Foster is excited to be playing alongside one of his best friends again in LG Xavier Delgado, who he said “makes the game easier” for him.
The consensus theme about learning a new offense is the terminology and also learning it together with everyone else makes players feel more comfortable.
Foster really likes Kirby Moore and he’s already seeing the install for the explosive plays and he likes them.
RG Armand Membou
Membou said he doesn’t feel any pressure now that people know who he is and have expectations of him now. He said he’s just living his life.
He’s excited about the move to RG from RT. He said it was something the coaches knew he could do, so they moved them there.
He and coach Johnson believe the biggest difference between guard and tackle is the closer you are to the football the faster things go. DE’s (moving upfield) and OTs (moving outward and back) from the ball.
Membou just wants to be more consistent and play faster, stronger, and with better footwork and posture in pass protection.
His confidence is high because he played a lot of snaps at the end of the season and Drink has told him (and to us) he wished he played Membou more.
Xavier Delgado is one of his mentors so to say so Membou says that Delgado has been helping him adjust to the inside game.
