March 31, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Opening Remarks:
"Hope you're all excited about our new facilities [in Gossett Team House] as we are. This [new dining hall] is where our players eat our evening meals together. Where we are in our development right now is working on our new auditorium, which will hopefully be finished in June. Outside will be a hall of fame area, we'll have a new entranceway, add three more meeting rooms and enlarge two others. Hopefully that will all be done by June for us to be able to use next season."
On the team's outlook:
"This season will probably be a difficult one-we're the youngest we've ever been since I've been here. We have 36 players out of 82 that have four years of eligibility left, counting redshirts and incoming freshmen. That's about 40 percent of the team. I'm very excited to work with this team, they've been unbelievable in the first part of our season. I couldn't ask any more than what these kids have done, they've had a tremendous preparation."
On the candidates for quarterback:
"All the kids we have possess the physical skills we need them to. Some of them are stronger in some areas than in others. A guy like Sam Hollenbach, his mobility has really improved. Joel Statham can do it all- he has a strong arm and a quick release and can run the ball pretty well. He'll have to learn to protect the ball a little better. The thing that impressed me with Ryan Mitch is his poise. He's very confident and sees himself as a star, and I like that in quarterbacks. He's quietly confident and I'm anxious to see what he can do."
On having new leadership at the start of the fall season:
"The sooner we can arrive at a choice for quarterback, the better I'll feel. But we might not know that until the first couple games. I'm very aware we open with Northern Illinois and Temple, and then to West Virginia, which will be interesting no matter who it is. It's good for any quarterback to get off to a good start and build their confidence."
On having freshmen players on campus during the spring semester:
"I think it's good for them and good for us, because they can get adjusted to college life and get accustomed to the way things work. But we never ask a high school senior to spend their spring here-it has to come from the kid. In the fall, they're in the case that they come early to play football before school starts and it can be a distraction. It's easier coming in the spring because they're a lot less busy with academics. Also the older kids have more time to show them the ropes in the spring than the fall. But, of course, we make sure they enjoy their senior year of high school, we let them go home for senior proms and graduations."
On the team's youth:
"Every year has its challenges. These kids are young and inexperienced, but the older kids in the program show them the way. I've had less class attendance issues this year, and not one kid was been late for morning workouts-in fact they were all early. I like what I see in this team, they're just young and we'll just have to be patient. But I know they're going to learn, they're very willing, and I just like them. I like being around them right now. I think if we can have another good recruiting year we're going to have a chance to be pretty good for a while."
