2024 UCF Football Weekly Presser vs New Hampshire: QB KJ Jefferson

was here you've been working for this season opener for the last eight months or so just how excited are you to go out there and and begin your final season of college football I'm looking forward to it uh just the main thing just make sure I'm being consistent um through our practice through our game week uh just make sure I'm bringing a sense of urgency to the team uh so make sure that we are we prepared and uh when that time comes on Thursday that we'll be ready to uh showcase our talent where we've been working so hard seon for you personally how how excited are you about hitting the field again being you know your sideline for a couple months you know with with your offseason workouts how excited you get back on the field I'm extremely excited I know it's going to be an elite atmosphere uh in the bounce out so I'm looking forward to that and also just looking forward to just being out there and uh getting hit again you know just uh All Season not getting hit Spring not getting hit far Camp not getting hit so it's really really to uh get tackle uh get that feeling back and just mean football's back so great just talking to you KJ obvious the excitement's obvious nobody's fooled that you're excited or anything like that but going into this opening week trying to eliminate mental error is a big part of what the coach has been saying how do you uh keep that in line going into week one and keep from getting too hype getting in uh just main thing is just uh leadership at the quarterback position just making sure that uh guys understand what we're trying to accomplish on the offens side of the ball and just also knowing just being dialed in I mean the main thing come down to focus uh just make sure that we're locked in and dialed in each play uh starting from the sideline getting the signal make sure everybody's getting the signal we alert uh the main thing with take care of just being urgent I mean the main we be urgent more urgent than our opponent I feel like that'll just help with us being more downed and more focused so we can eliminate all those Minal mistakes is there anything special you do for yourself to find that focus in a game oh I mean really just be in the mode really I'm just in a different mindset of just making sure that I'm being uh extensive coach on the field so I mean that plays a part in just me knowing that just doubting what the coach is going to C in certain situations or down the distance I'm already aware of the play that he may be potentially going to call so I can just also with that being just help guys get lined up faster as well is is there something you feel you have to prove this season uh to myself I mean that's the main thing I want to prove to myself that uh I belong uh that uh just just upcoming years is big for me just setting up for me being at the next level and just showcasing my talents and what I've been working on and perfecting my craft and making focus and Heen on those weaknesses that I do have that I do need to get better at that U I've been working on offse and things like that so just me proving to myself uh is the main thing this upcoming year for me what are you trying to work on you said improve upon weaknesses uh just becoming a student of the game I mean just I mean I have the physical uh attributes and mental just making sure I'm taking the next step in being a student whether that's more F room more uh game plan with Coach uh just doing different things like that that quarterback position that you need so when it's game time I'm prepared I I know what the defense is going to do I know they're trying to disguise him I know what they're trying to bring I'm already two steps ahead basically so just make sure that I'm becoming more of a student of the game rather than just going up there playing on athleticism and T speaking of the film room and game planning what have you noticed from the New Hampshire defense uh they fly around um um all 11 heads to the ball I mean they play extremely hard they got some great guys on on this side of the ball so it's going to come down to us being uh the most disciplined team more physical as well but those guys they play extremely hard after about ath practi Serv how would you evaluate the rhyth uh the way the tempo you guys are playing with offensively what level of sharpness you think you're out uh we're um I say that we we on the right track I don't want to say that we're 100% there yet I want to say that we're building to that 100% uh so each and every day we come out we just trying to get 1% better I mean we take it one play at a time we don't try to get too far ahead of ourselves we just take one play at a time just make sure that we're building a foundation and make sure that we're heading in the right direction uh building those blocks to make sure we have a 30 Foundation hey what are some aspects of your game you feel like has improved under your first season so far with Coach mil I know you mentioned coming out of high school was a coach that you were looking to play for didn't get that opportunity but now that you're here what are some things that coach has done for you to help your game to kind of get you ready for not only this season but the next level as well I would say uh just timing and anticipation on different routes uh different concepts uh just me being able to get through my reads and progressions a lot quicker than uh I have in the past so I think that's helped me a whole lot and help set me up for nature uh at the next level as well just being able to just get through reads and uh ant work on anticipation would you say that's more coach M on or coach hsh I would say uh it's it's a little bit of both uh coach hsh I mean being here he's a quarterback here and played at the next level so he know what it looked like as well and Coach mil that coach gu that had the opportunity to play at the next level so it's a little bit of both U all three of us we we work in unison just to make sure that we all just coming together and make sure they're they're putting their their wisdom into me and that I'm going out there and execute at a very high level you talked about wanting to prove something to yourself but obviously there's a lot of noise surrounding this team what's your guys' message in the lock TR do you want to prove something to the college football landscape and show you guys are one of the top teams in the country uh just I mean to answer your question I mean just how out of just TNT just toughness in together I mean I mean just us just being able to just come in and bond uh just have that chemistry like talked about that chemistry when we out there on the feel that I mean we out there all fighting for the same thing and that we heading in the right direction that no one get scared away or negativity comes into the locker room or on the sideline we just want to keep positive vibes and make sure that we're heading and trending in the right direction it can be a big adjustment coming to a new team your last season so who who and what other people have me to you that helped you grow and get comfortable here uh I say my teammates for sure uh me being a transfer guy uh coming in and trying to establish myself first and foremost and just my teammates just being able to just be there for me and uh when things are not going good at practice where uh things may happen and they're the first ones over to uh uh help up mil me make sure that I'm keeping my mindset of my body language uh up to the standard cuz I mean as a quarterback position everybody looks to you so just make sure I'm having great body language uh make sure I'm encouraging guys cuz I mean encouragement can go a long way cuz you never know what a person is going through and what adversity they fac with at practice so just make sure I'm encouraging guys and make sure I'm being vocal in their leadership role you mentioned physicality few timesday how important is that to is that the identity that you want this team have how important is it to kind of establish your phys your physicality physicality uh for sure I mean physicality I mean you film and you see a team that's extremely physical it kind of uh it kind of put fear in in the other in the opponent just uh see that guys is being physical they're desperate uh desperate to win desperate to win one onone so just having a team like we have that's desperate and we've been focus on it so much is being physical being physical I mean that's the main thing we want to go out there and just uh just prove that we're a dominant football team you and trun have both talked about a bond between each other with the state of Mississippi he obviously got named as starter today how happy does that make you and what's he going to bring to this team who you say now uh Trent what okay yeah uh oh yeah Trent I mean SV guy me we call him a seven veteran uh just with Trent I mean he just he's he's always in the right place at the right time he uh has a great sense of football IQ uh so we always connecting and talking out the plays or a rap that he ran and things that we always connecting like hey he hey I'm going run like this so mean he just a guy that always just in the right place at the right time the guys look up to train as well uh just having train who I call him a humble Beast I mean cuz he's extremely humble passionate but also got their their fire to him as well coach mentioned that earlier that he's looking for the defense to make some hits to make the crowd you want to bring some of that to the off uh I'm going try to get down this year man I I I mean I'm going bring a little physical uh me just just just how I play at the quarterback position cuz I mean a lot of guys don't expect it from quarterback position bring just that physicality but uh I'm trying to be smart this year um not take unnecessary hits uh just getting out of bounds being smart with my body I mean we got a long season ahead so not being able to just go out there and just throw my body around just so just being smart and making sure that I'm doing what I and in times and situations where I need to get a first down and we it'll change the whole momentum of the game the whole so I mean I do that but other than that just being smart and make sure that I'm getting KJ how is like the bonding going with so many different running backs so many different wide receivers coming from this school that school some guys that been here how do you feel like the bonding is coming with the offensive weapon that this team has on it already uh just things that we do off the field I mean we always together we're hanging out uh doing cook off doing different thing having NCAA tournaments just make sure that we all together just not on the field but off the field as well so just uh establish each other knowing each other's why uh cuz I mean once you get into battle get into war you want to know why that person go so hard for you and you want to know why what's what's motivating what's driving them so just being able to have those type of bonds and those type of relationships and activities that we do outside of football then then when it do get when it's grind time we on the field we knows what what what's get them going so just different things of that nature KJ what would be a successful performance for you on Thursday uh just getting into for my for myself or a team for yourself uh just getting in the Rhythm early uh establishing myself early getting in the Rhythm early uh keep the momentum on ourside and uh make sure that I connect on uh uh shots and things of that nature so just making sure that we I'm just make sure that I'm being more um vocal and leading in the right direction and just coming out and star fast and make sure I have that sense of urgency that I need to have that'll trip it down to the team yeah um uh first of all I hope I have the right tie for the student of the game as you were talking about that earlier but um with all that in mind um heading into this um heading into the game and doing all of that heading into the season this is the first year year with the extended college football playoff I know your focus is on New Hampshire and rightly so but how much have you and your uh your fellow teammates been talking about that at all in the offseason leading into this game is that something you guys are thinking about well it was I mean we looked at it uh from Georgia uh T and Florida State game they just kept showing it different so it just shows that we have a shot I mean we just have a shot we just got to go out there and um don't overlook no opponent uh going into each and every game with the perfect mind and prepare the right way and then just come out there and just play UCF brand football and we'll come out on top coach said you guys will follow in Lake Mary for somebody that's new to the community to see how everybody is wrapped around that is it kind of motivating that you guys are you set be the community to on you guys that's a big deal uh shouts out the lake mayor and the L leag team uh that's a huge honor as well for those guys to set out a a goal and to accomplish their goal and like you said for the community to Rally around those guys and for our upcoming season we want the same thing for the community to Rally around us as well just leading up to the uh Thursday and on from being on on the Saturday and just make sure that we're coming out and playing UCL brand football and just getting up getting established first and then make sure that we get the community to Rally around us as well as we go on our journey to accomplish our go as well