Jay Norvell & More Discuss CSU Rams Football Training Camp

[Music] coach that'ss on day one uh just excited to get out here um we've had a great off seon uh guys are bigger faster than we've ever been I think we're an amazing shape and the guys were just excited to get out here and practice so they were bouncing around looks like Braden might have had his finger did he hit it on a helmet maybe yeah we the last uh week uh the last workout before we finished summer just he chipped his finger and he'll be okay it's not serious but we just want to be smart with him this week CU what are like you know Camp theme for you like what what's most important for you guys to get done between now and Texas well this is training camp so we're training our habits for the season so we're doing a lot of different new things uh we're training them uh how to use their day effectively uh to have uh Peak Performance and so there's a lot of lot of new ways that we're looking at how we go about our business on a daily basis so uh really doing that and we want to use this two weeks two and 1/2 weeks to get them in Rhythm for what we need to do this season so that's number one thing how big are these next couple of weeks in terms of getting used to the radio communications process especially for the players you know we've been using it so we used it all spring we were able to get it used in the spring and it's great you know there's a lot of opportunities with that um we can we can communicate a lot differently than we always have in the past and the quarterbacks are doing a nice job with it um but we're also U you know getting used to the rhythm of playing that way you know we've been signaling for years and um it's hard I still signaling even though even though I'm calling it I'm signaling it so there's some changes but the kids are getting used to it do you think that'll be a benefit for you just less to have to think about yeah I think it will be a benefit I think it will and there's some advantages you know we have the same communication system as the NFL but we're different than the NFL we play we play a different style of game in college and so there's different things we can do that that NFL guys really don't take advantage of broke down the Huddle before practice but if I paraphrase the theme was we have the team this is our time is there a sense here that that year three is the year we see this program take the next down that it was Henry Blackburn and yes we we got a lot of confidence in our team you know we were we were the young team for two years we had a bunch of freshmen out here bunch of kids that looked like Doogie Hower you know and um they're growing up now you know now we have more experience um you know I think 17 of our 22 starters have over a th000 snaps which is a lot a lot of snaps and and so we've got uh more experience uh we're wiser and we have a better plan day one just thoughts on what you guys have seen so far I told the guys we either get better we get worse we never stay the same yesterday I think practice was moving a little fast for some guys and then today I could say we did get better from yesterday now they're just getting a level of comfort comfort so now they can execute focus on alignment assignment technique but they got to understand we practice fast so even if you don't know where you're going just start moving fast obviously limited with kind of what you can take away before you get into full pads and full contact and all that but just looking at this group like you can see they pass the eye test physically like this this General size and athleticism is just not what it was a couple years ago how encouraging is that I told Coach rille yesterday in the hallway when I saw I said coach we've been working to build this room for the last 3 years and it's finally coming to fruition we've got young guys in the program that are trusting our development and we've got transfers that are buying into to what we're selling and now I wake up motivated every single day because I'm excited to see what this final product can be as a kind of a fun mix of you know a guy like Tori that's been your system for forever some young you know goody person who are you know kind of the youngster setep up the transfers obviously have physical Talent like do you like that mix of different I love it cuz you got a you got a veteran guy like Tori Donovan Olie right they have a ton of snaps under the belt then you've got guys like last year like Caleb goody got us beet wet now he should have an amazing year this year and then you got some freshman that we brought in some transfers I'm so excited to see what we can do come game one Tori Jay Jack Howell everybody out at media days made a point to highlight Jordan Ross and like this guy's the real deal just what have you seen from him and how's he adjusting he's got all the physical attributes that we want a receiver now we just got to understand how we practice and then just focusing it on On Assignment because stuff moves fast out there right there's shifts there's motions there's side adjustments in our routes so just to be able to process it all process that at the same time if he can just slow things down think less and play Fast he'll be a great player for this program have you seen Tori become more of a vocal leader because he's always led by example with his habits and and stuff like that but it seems like he's really taking it upon of himself to to be the you know true like guy that keeps everybody in line yeah I mean Tori he knows the offense he he knows everything on how we prepare how we are in the meeting room and how we practice every single day and so he's able to put his arm around some guys like hey you're okay take a deep breath focus on this focus on that everything's going to be okay I told Tori to talk to the group yesterday I said guys Tori was the once a freshman too he had a first day of fall Camp one time in his career he didn't know where to go at 2:00 right don't act like you know everything day one it's okay to ask questions do you think it connects more when it comes from the players at times just cuz you know like the coach player relationship it's always going to be different sometimes you're getting criticized and it's like all right L off without a doubt without a doubt I mean sometimes I'm I feel like I'm preaching to the choir but those guys like right guys just listen this what we do we're going to be okay take a deep breath we'll be all right is the message a little bit with your guys' room U you know kind of challenging you know raise the expectation like you say as you're you know further in the development of the program and the room of like okay guys like you know you're not young anymore it's time to you know Elevate is that sort of you know the challenge I guess for the group without a doubt I told our guys yesterday I said some guys are going to elevate and some guys are going to go down we've got as more Talent than we've had in the past few years and so those guys that are studying their playbooks being doing their active recovery those guys that are taking care of business off the field they're going to elevate in our program just because you have talent doesn't mean you can play you got to do all the little things right and if you can do that they'll have success in this program you say there's probably some good free like that year one you a lot of ways had to play who was there now it's like if he don't do the thing like we got someone else that'll take it it's totally different and so if a guy has a rough day I told you guys yesterday I said the opportunity you today might not be there tomorrow so when you have that opportunity you got to seize it because I can't promise you're going to get those reps tomorrow so whenever you're in whether it's three snaps five snaps you got to capitalize on those reps because if they're not there tomorrow so be it I know you can't comment on specific individuals or anything like that but just how are things going on the recruiting Trail and and how's this 2025 class coming together 2025 class is shaping up great we've got guys from all over the country from the west coast to the east coast um down in the South right now we've got a few guys too we're just excited we're evaluating every single day staying in contact with these guys um now we can contact our 26s that went live in in the middle of June so just continue to build relationships continue to evaluate and then come September we'll be back on the road watching high school games on Friday night couple days in what are your thoughts on on the quarterback so far well first of all really excited to be back at it you know I can't believe season 3 is already here and this is where our expectation of the offense is elevated you know I think we've got some guys that have grown up and they've got a good chance to have a big year but um you know probably still a lot of work to do just seeing the first two practices we're doing a few new Concepts in the Run game so we're trying to get down you know our checks and how we're going to execute those but you know obviously Braden's sitting out right now we're just protecting him a little bit so we're giving our backups a chance to get some reps which he really needed this is the fullest quarterback room you guys have had isn't it too as far as number of guys with darus coming in and yeah and I'm and I'm it's a great group too you know I mean I'm happy with where JB is you know he's in year two and I think he's he's ready to play if he needed if we needed him to you know and then Darius is a is a different kind of talent than what we've had in the room so it's you know you got a more athletic guy and he's shown that he can he can whip it out there pretty good too so you know excited to just keep moving these guys along to the next stage of their careers is it hard as a coach to kind of balance that when you have an individual like Darius who's got a little bit of different skill set and things you would want to kind of lean into but also like I don't know I just mean like he's got a little bit of different to the table like you want to embrace that but you also want him to do the offense the way it's intended no I totally agree I mean I've spent you know really the last two or three months since you know Darius has been here is really coaching all my guys differently because they are all unique and different ways so it's it's really fun to like you said to embrace the the abilities that they they all have and and what they're going to be as a final products I mean it it's it's a fun group to coach you know I'm really fortunate Chase H Brook's doing a really nice job with helping coach these guys and now we're allowed to have the analysts on the field and they can coach and they can talk to them so you know really having two of us in their ears with experience is is a big deal what is it that jumped out to you guys about Darius through the recruitment process obviously very successful at a big program put up big numbers but what was it about him that made you guys want to take a chance on him the bit you know coach was like hey he wanted to see a little more athleticism in in our room and the thing that I was not willing to give up was the accuracy and so when I saw Darius play I was like okay this kid can whip it out there and he's highly accurate with it is a good leader and so wasn't willing to give up our first things that we look at in a quarterback right for the the athletic ability it was just a bonus and so you know we were fortunate we got in the recruiting you know pool with him early and so we did aot a really good job of showing him you know why this was the right place for him and and uh you know he loved it his parents are amazing people and you know we beat out a few teams on him obviously like you say br's a little limited on the field but what are you seeing you know off the field in the room uh from him you know compared to you know not to always do the year ago thing but like his growth yeah I mean his attitude has been amazing because you know to to serve a kid like this hey you know we're going to hold you for the first week at camp and he's like are you kidding me but he's like you know came out here handled it well pulled for his teammates was a leader you know he's really kind of grown up and it's it's fun to sit there and talk about football in a different context cuz now we're on to the year three stage where he he's taking more ownership of what we do especially in the passing game and so his arm looks good you know and I'm not really worried about him as a player as much as as getting him to Saturdays yeah I want to ask you about Jackson Warren guy you had so you have at Quarterback Camp is that right back in the day Jackson Warren went to uh flower mount Marcus which is a school down in the DFW area and he was a kid that I recruited out of high school as a quarterback he came to my quarterback school one summer at Nevada and he was one of those guys that was just ah he was kind of you know in between do we offer do we not offer and we weren't going to we were going to Preferred walk on him but he didn't want to pay out of state to go to Nevada so I helped him get on in north Texas and I think Seth lell was still there and so he went there and then kind of didn't really produce as a as a quarterback so he went to Navaro JC was out at practice one day and coaches are like um you got really big hands you ever thought about being a tight in and and uh so the rest was history I mean this this young man went from when I was recruiting him as a quarterback he was 65 181 lbs at the Nevada camp now he's 67 and a half maybe pushing 68 and he weighs 145 and he runs well he catches the ball well he's a beast on the field but but he's you know he's a great young man and you know it just shows in this business you stay in the room build these relationships with these young men and their parents that no matter what they may end up coming back around to you that quarterback kind of History uh or you know I guess maybe mindset studying that he would have done through his younger career help as a tight end oh without a doubt because I mean let's be honest I mean Jax is thinking like a quarterback right so he knows and understands grass and space and how to get open and so that's a big deal I mean he caught he caught three or four balls yesterday and I don't know that he really had that many catches today but I think as he gets more confident within the system that he's going to be tough to stop you guys obviously had a really productive tight end last year and D Hulker but I got to imagine there are things that he can bring to the table physically that kind of open up this offense in a different way maybe like Cole Turner did just kind of throw it up and let him go get it yeah there's no doubt yesterday in practice he had a he had one of those perfectly and Skelly and and Braden did a nice job of just putting the ball in the area and he turned you know he turned his back back to it and caught it and so it was kind of like I'm watching it I'm seeing him up in the air and I'm like that's Cole Turner you know that's what it should look like you know so and the thing is is he's got three years left he's different than what D was D was a great player but very aged and experience where Jackson is just learning how to become a tight end so I think he's got a great opportunity in front of him does it feel more like Nevada with just the way that you guys have the size and athleticism at at the pass catching yeah you know I mean coach Savage has done a tremendous job J with our receiving group I mean we are way more you know have more depth in every spot at the receiver spot obviously we talked about our tight ends I mean I this is where you got to put it all together because you've got such an arsenal of guys and talent and different you know I mean of course we can sit here and talk forever about Tori but you know Armani Winfield a transfer from Baylor showed a good you know had a touchdown today I mean so it was good to see the ball get spread around to some other of these young guys just going back to BR real quick obviously it's been well documented kind of offers he got from other schools around around the country I mean does that kind of earn some respect in the room have you seen that where guys are just really respecting him now that he's decided to come back and has shown the loyalty to this program yeah I mean totally I mean I mean him and Tori are both guys that got flirted with and for them to stay humble and stay true and stay in you know again the relationship process true to coach Norville true to us I mean that's such a great Testament to those two young men and who they are and not only that like you said to show it to the rest of our team like guys you don't have to jump on the other side of the railroad track you know to be successful and so you know I'm looking forward to the the things that Tori and Bren are going to do this year