Arkansas DL Eric Gregory and TE Luke Hasz speak ahead of Oklahoma State game

ready maybe not ready yeah hey Eric um yeah just wondering about um wondering about uh Colin Clay on the other side you came in with him back in 2019 I didn't know if you guys still keep in touch if you talked to Braun said to asked you about him so I don't know if you talked to Braun about him at all or what's the story no no I a't I haven't talked to braon about him and we we follow each other on social media we keep in contact uh here and he just got married recently I believe in uh the summer congratulate him on that but I mean yeah it's still my boy and I mean he know he's he came off injury like I believe two years ago so he was kind of like me coming in too man we were big DN playing and then you know injuries happen we gain a little weight and then we get thrown inside I mean so we kind of got the same we had the same mindset of just being physical and mean and playing through the whistle so I feel like this what he's going to bring when he come in and play yeah you think he's extra amped up for this one consider oh yeah yeah yeah for sure it go down for sure yeah Luke going back to your home state um sure Oklahoma State recruited you and stuff what are your thoughts about going into still water and uh playing in front of the your home state crowd I mean it's definitely exciting um I have a lot of uh former teammates on that team from high school and then uh just being able to go back to Oklahoma where my family's at and um just a lot of people I know it'll be exciting but I mean this past week it was exciting too but definitely excited to get down there and play in my home state thanks guys Bob yeah Luke did uh did Oklahoma State I assume they recruited you if they're not if they didn't they're pretty stupid did they recruit you or what was that like yes they were actually my first offer um in high school um no it was I mean it was good I mean it was early on so I wasn't I was just kind of still taking on the recruiting process um so that's pretty much it you remember like where your sophomore do you remember how old you were when they offered you yes I was uh the end of my sophomore year you take a visit or give much consideration or yes I went down there a couple times um like I said I have a bunch of teammates from uh my high school team who went down there um or who play there so um I go down there with them here and there I think you guys each player gets four tickets to V Road games if I'm not mistaken is is that still right yes so how many do you need and how many have you been able to acquire n that's that's a mom question for me I'm not really in charge of that stuff she kind of takes over with all the ticket stuff or do you have any idea how many of family and friends will be there for for you and Dylan uh I'd say probably around eight 10 maybe I better I better be more than that um and then you know the other night was your first time to play in a long time because you missed so many games obviously last year just how good what it feel like to be back uh on the field playing and obviously this game's you know higher Stakes how exciting is is it for this first really big one of the season um uh last week it felt good to get back out there especially just with uh our teammates and the new teammates too I mean it was just exciting it's really fun to play with the our offensive line and the tight ends um and our room uh we all compete and really want each other to succeed so I mean it was cool to see Tai out there uh get a nice touchdown thrown from taen who played amazing too and then I was just definitely really excited to get back out there and play an actual game instead of practice uh but this next one will be probably even more exciting and then Eric I think I read right Oklahoma state has five red shirt seniors on their offensive line some of those guys even might be sixe guys like like you are just what's your on our offensive line and playing a and they're all 300 something pounds I think what's your take on our offensive line with all that size and experience and everything I mean they're like you said they got a lot of experience they've been here probably just as long as I have been playing so I mean they got a lot of experience and then like you said they're big so I mean they're physical they're kind of like a sec o line o line you look at it I mean there's really no different so we got to come in we got to attack the same way we do each and every week and might have a couple more I'll turn back to Oliver thank than thanks thank you Tom go ahead hey Eric uh so a couple years ago you guys went to BYU and won the first game of a two game series big Marquee type game um but Arkansas had done that in the past against TCU and Texas Tech I wonder what like the mentality you take into a road game that you know there's going to be a lot of eyes on you uh to start a two game series like that I mean you just got to got go in and play football I mean it's football end of the day I mean the only difference really is is the crowd knows when you look at it I mean so once you eliminate that it's just football so this this a mindset we come in where we gonna go in there eliminate the crowd noise and we gonna We gonna play football um oie Gordon uh comes in as do Walker Award winner he breaks a lot of tackles what's your thoughts on about facing a running back of his caliber I mean yeah as you said he's a very very good back man he uh he's very patient and then he finds a hole he he hits it I mean so we got to put our bodies on them I mean we can't just go in there with arms cuz he's he's a big back he's going to run through those so we got to put a body on them we got to wrap up and we got to R to the ball yeah so Allan Bowman their quarterback's actually been going at it longer than you seven years yeah what's your what's your thought on him just just seeing that the way he operates in the system and you can tell he's been there for a minute the way he like knows in and out the calls stuff like that so I mean you can see the experience on film and I feel like this what he brings to he he knows the system in and out all right and Luke generally their defense uh what kind of things they like to do and uh I know Oliver is going to be a guy you you'll have to keep an eye out on yes um I mean you can tell it they they just play 100% all the time and they love to Rally to the ball and um they're going to play hard and they've got like you said they've got some really good people coming back who have experience um so I mean they're going to come out and play hard and play how they've been playing for a while so we just have to go out there and uh play like we've been practicing this week Bob Stevens you got hey guys uh Luke tell me about your visit to OSU and how emotional will it be for you to go there this week uh or is it more of a business trip is that going to be easy to keep it just business um I mean I wouldn't say it really won't it won't really be emotional because I mean I I wasn't really very interested in Oklahoma state but I mean I was grateful that they offered me but um no I'd say it's more of like a business trip just like any other game though like same as last week um we're going to go in there and um we've prepared for them um well this week and our coaches have a good game plan um with us watching film against them so I mean we're just going to go in there like it's a business trip like every other week I think you said you didn't really consider them uh were they ever on your top three um no not I mean not really I mean I really I really just wanted to come here at the end of the day did you have a top three or was it just a top one uh it's pretty much a top one if I'm being honest why why is that um with Coach Pitman being here um and then just the coaches that have been around here like when when they brought coach Turner in um just with his resume and then being here now and being coached by him just seeing like how grateful I am that I chose to come here because he's one of the he's probably the best tight end Coach in the country just with the way that he teaches us and um gets the really the room involved not just one person like we're all involved competing every day how are you better than when you first got here and what is it you still need to improve on the most um I'd say blocking and physicality and that's something still I can improve on but uh coach Sherer has done a great job like I said with our footwork and stuff he's been helping me a lot um without using my size to my advantage and then um I'd say having the guys come in like keys and Andreas and uh Ty he's been here but all them us pushing each other to be better each and every day are you trying to get bigger or just stronger uh I'm always trying to get bigger and stronger but um no I'm happy with the weight I'm at right now um just got to keep on doing working on footwork and stuff but um it's definitely paid off this offseason what did you work on the most besides healing after getting her last year and coming back in the I guess you were around in the spring forgive me if I'm wrong um I'd say for sure the biggest thing I've worked on is blocking and having confidence while I'm doing it for sure describe yourself as a route Runner um I like to say like I'm playing basketball out there like when I'm trying to get open I'm using basketball moves to get open at the top of my routes and stuff how good were you on the court did you played in high school ium um yeah I was pretty good I played my freshman year I got a chance to play on the varsity team our freshman year and then really once Co came around and they shut basketball down that's when um I transitioned to football just because I started gain a bunch of weight and my twin brother influenced me too okay why' you gain a bunch white were just maturing or were you eating the wrong stuff uh just lifting during Co we bought a weight rack we okay uh who used it more you or your brother uh we both used it same pretty much every day we could how important was it for the two of you you know because uh you're being twins you continually push each other I assume and what was what was that like uh I mean it's awesome having a twin especially with him uh being on the team with me um and still to this day we're pushing each other not only on the field but like also like in the classroom and uh stuff off the field so I mean it's great having him here with me were you always a tight end or when did you uh evolve into that um I started uh at wide receiver my sophomore year but my high school did a bunch of bubble blocking stuff and then that's when I really transitioned from uh wide receiver to doing some tight end stuff my into my Junior and Senior year you mentioned uh the classroom so what's do you have a favorite class right now and what what's your goal in the academically um I mean I like all my classes uh I'd say my goal is just to get a degree okay well wise answer in case any of your props are listening uh describe your onfield relationship with taen and uh are you guys in sync or do you still are you still working on that is it is it a work in progress um no I'd say uh tor's done a great job since we got here really getting all of us in sync with him and having chemistry um no but you you could tell uh last year or last game that he's getting everyone involved and he's just a great guy on and off the field what's your perception of him as a quarterback and how high his ceiling is do you think I think he has a chance to be the uh best in the country you can see his just his potential and the way he works and the way he studies the game and um just how he's a leader most of all Eric I say you nodd in your head at the first part of that answer you want to expound on that man yeah just seeing him in practice man he's uh he's a dual threat quarterback he can do it all man and throughout the season he's just going to progress as It Go I mean the cealing tie for him seemed like he progressed from uh the opening uh possession last week you know into of the second quarter was that just getting rid of jitters getting his feet on the ground do you think new school oh yeah yeah I think it did I mean he probably just had a little Jitters coming out I mean probably his first game you know J Juds he just wanted to be great I mean a lot of people have those and you see he come back and had a great game Eric tell me about luk cause what makes him so good the way he can he can block I mean we know he can catch the ball I mean so just him building on his blocking I mean that taking this game to another level uh Luke last last thing here and I'll turn it over somebody else uh how much has taen improved since you first lined up with him back in the spring and uh what he need to still do better this year to reach his potential um I think I mean each day just with practice like each each and every day like he's getting better at something and um whether that be with um Reeds and stuff which he's doing amazing at um no but I think um he just continues to grow so much and just his confidence um in our offense and you can tell just with how much time he spends with coach patrino coach Fishback uh watching film and then uh you can just all the extra work that he puts in after practice and before practice it's it's paying off and he's going to reach his full potential a lot of times it's tough the one of the toughest things for a college quarterback is your progressions you know in your reads and as you go from one through three or four or whatever uh how much better is he that now than when you first met him um you know I feel like he was always just right on and as soon as he got here um he just had something about him and he still does but he just continues to get better and that's just a truthfully and honest answer that he just continues to get better each and every day thank you both wrap it up please yeah um I w't quite as long there um hey for both of y'all this this obviously is a is a big game you know you're playing a big 12 team ranked team National TV all that just how big an opportunity is this for you guys through really put last year in the rearview mirror Eric maybe you can take that first yeah I think it's big man I think it's I mean we our first game throughout the season we had success but I mean this is a different team to be completely honest a different team we got to come in kind of with the same mindset there no really no different got come with the same mindset we gotta uh do what we do man we got to play ball we gota line up I mean know our assignment and and focus on the Small Things um I'd say it's just a great opportunity for us to um show all the work that we've done in the off season and how we've really came together as a team um on and off the field so I mean it's it'll be exciting for us let's go one more for Luke I know we talked in camp out I think you added about 10 pounds since last your by patrino said you got stronger how did you feel that uh translate into the game the other night uh I say my my body feels better when I'm out there playing and then uh just with blocking I feel like I have more force and power going in to people that last year okay I think I'm good appreciate you guys Eric L