Stingers Up Podcast: Sac State Defense and Special Teams Season Preview

[Music] and welcome in we are back it is another edition of The Stingers up Sacramento State football podcast we've been off obviously for a while but that means football is back we are almost here and the start of the regular season just around the corner for the Hornets as they open up on the road against San Jose State I'm Jason Ross glad you're here thank you so much for all the you that have taken the time over the years to listen to the podcast episode one for the 2024 season is here just kind of laying out what we're going to do over the next two podcasts we are going to preview with each coach the offense the defense and special teams to help get you ready for this upcoming season on today's episode we will focus on the defense and special teams and so let's get you ready for what you can expect some conversations with those coaches about the returning players and new players to the Hornet program so we start our conversation with the guys up front on defense the defensive line coach Paulson Craig Paulson's been experienced been at the Hornets for a while now been a big part of the success here and I started by asking the coach does it feel like you're in year six already yeah I mean I don't know what the word is when you're winning you're having fun I guess time flies so in that aspect it's really I guess five CU we were the you know one of the co teams that didn't play fall or spring so yeah it's it's flown by good people and and success will make it happen like that what would you attribute to all the success this program has had I think it's obviously you know just the year round commitment the kids are great um I've been in a lot of different buildings I like our kids they're committed um I think our summer program our weight room people are special had two different groups of people running the weight room and they're special special and like I said the kids are here and and developing and hopefully we as coaches um are doing our part in it too but I think that's the recipe yeah but it it it definitely starts with with the kids and go from there well part of the cycle you're used to it's a reality you have to replace what you lost you're losing some significant Talent Tyler Hardman jet Stanley a lot of good football for you guys so let's look at the 24 Hornets what do you have as far as that dline group that Hornet fans should be excited about well U probably the most veteran guy is Brandon kn uh the intercome kid who's uh on his sixth year he's graduated because of co uh we're going to you know obviously we're going to count on him a ton um Mason brusso who's a Hanford kid who's who started to play last year and is's going to play a bunch for us Ben AIO kid from Fresno Hoover High and Fresno City and then uh Josh casola who's a standup kid who's was at University of San Diego but was at Fresno City as well for a year so that's the I guess the starting four and then the the the power of the dline is you got to have you got to have more people because of the what you're asking them to do but in order to say that the people have that are you know underneath them have to play well enough to earn the turn so it's one of those deals where if you got to play a lot of guys then a lot of guys got to be ready but the beauty is is they know when they come into that room that it's not like a room where there's only one guy getting on the field at a time so um it's a good environment because it's one of the funner groups to coach because you can play have the ability to play um a bigger number of kids and the right hand doesn't necessarily need to know what the left hand's doing like an old line spot um but once again it's all based on production and if if they're there and they're earning their turns um it's a really good opportunity to get your foot in the door like a Mason brusso did you get some turns the year before valuable turns but it's because you earned them and then the other piece if I say something you know about Tyler and Jet they're gone but their their biggest asset was you know giv back to the kids that were here you know you got an obligation to pass on your knowledge in a sense not not so much words but just their film every day and how they approach the game and being ready and being a you know being a pro about it so to speak um year round really helped that's the mark they left other than the obvious production points what's the value in being able to have I mean you guys do play 8 10 and 11 sometimes D linan um is that you know one you have quality depth but the pace like what what's kind of the logic behind plan so many guys in getting production yeah you just hit it right on the head right there it's a combination of the pace of the offense um one of the things about found over the years other than we talked about the motivation where you have that opportunity when you come in the room it's it's a lot of it has to do with injury prevention so if you're playing um you know guys heavy heavy rips in the first couple games knock on wood you never want injury but you just it's more like a chopping a tree rather than buzzing it with the chainsaw you just chop it you weaken it so um strategy wise like we if kids young we try not to play them in the critical spots on the field like red zone or fourth down but there's if you we're trying to stay on top of it where we get guys in and get them comfortable so we don't wait till somebody goes down which you don't want before they ever get on there but it's it's kind of unique to our position because not a lot of other positions can really do that yeah do you like to sub it seems like you sometimes will sub four or maybe one like how what's the thought behind all right we're bringing the next four in or just two here like kind of the thought process okay so if we got a group that's just got a like a singular rotation guy it'll be singular or double if the next best guys is a full wholesale for then we'll take them all out so it's really about who's the next best available and how many of them there are so that our formula could change hopefully does change where it's always for and does it change even by week or against the opposing offense can it change that way too for sure all the above so we try and do them both where you're going in yelling a name or we have just have a word for all four no and then the reality is is they got to learn to get off the field as they come on because they don't flag the kids that went on that for the 12th guy it's the guy that couldn't get off the field in time so then that's where we're using the sub arms you know we're watching the white hat and then we or it's a dead ball so it's yeah that's part it's it's it's kind of like hockey in that right where you're it's not just who you're putting in you got to really they're there're you can see they're kind of sitting over there that's why we're behind the offense if you notice us over there so cuz we don't want to get in the ref's way but like boom I'll either say go or not so there's we're trying to put a little strategy into where You' put your feet on the field no that we on the far hash it better be happening where that guy on the far side that last end can get off the field before they flag us how about um do you have goals particular goals for the defensive line for this season or is it by game or do you not want to put numbers on the guys uh yeah we I think you everything we're stressing is to get the result without sounding like um Dr Phil or whatever but it's really we don't want to talk about the numbers we want to talk about what it takes to get the numbers yeah so we're really into the I guess the word nowadays is the process of it of you've got a you've got a concept where these are your every you got to look over the sideline to get the call you got to know where to line up in the in that call you got to know what your responsibility is and then at the snap you got to use proper Tech so those are the things that we harp on yeah and if we do that right the the actual results should fall into knock on yeah knock on wood all right last thing for you then what would you as you're getting ready to start the season feel like the strength is of your group well I I would hope that it's that we got a good group of numbers but the reality is we're going to be as good as the top end of it it's just the fact um if if our goods are good enough to help us win games be good that's like I said I'm you have to have numbers but the reality is you can't just say yeah we got eight average guy or you know what I'm saying the top end's got to help pull the next group so it's always about who's holding up the top of the tent and mhm everybody's got to come to them would be it yeah that's exciting though you feel like you got those guys to do it yeah now it's it's the film won't lie right and so even in practice you you start to get indicators because we're we are going against a very very good offense our guys give us everything from different formations motions points of attack play so we can't say that we haven't seen there's I there's a possible formation that we haven't seen out there these are all positives compared to never seen seeing it and then you got to face it the first week so I mean we got to give a shout out to our offense cuz they they helped the cause hugely not only are they good it's not only who they are but what they do to stress you again that was coach Craig Paulson coaches the defensive line and one of the common themes you're going to hear from the coaches is how impressive the offense has looked in Camp now joining coach Paulson on that defensive front is coach Jason slowy he's back he kind of Co well they coach together but he coaches the edge rushers the guys that are versatile will get some pressure on the quarterback but they got to do a lot of different things so let's check in with Coach slowy who's now in year two and for him you know everything was new last year what's it like now in year two with the Hornets oh it's awesome I mean um new office we're not in the closet anymore so that's big time right there yeah how about that so no it's great um some new faces on the office and then the locker room but um still happy to be here a great place to work excited for the season so um so now you don't have to like adjust where am I going the living like is this all second you know secondhand for you now yeah I mean spent a whole year here was here almost the whole summer you know so kind of starting to feel like sack's a little more homey for sure and it's nice kind of know my way around stuff like that so it's awesome so tell us about your group you got the edge rushers six guys with your group um lost some players but you have some guys coming back what do you think is H the strength of the group you're bringing out there each week we got some really athletic guys on the edge really excited about him um the guy that's played the most for us coming back is going to be Josh casiola uh he's wearing number 19 this year um he played a lot last year um and his kind of the main guy coming back real athletic I'm really excited he's done a really good job leading our group he's kind of taking over that role on his own and um he'll be a junior for us and then we have fat paloka um right here from Sacramento um he was a nickel actually last year um moved down and plays rush for us now he's doing a great job he's got a really bright future he's going to be on the field a ton for us special teams defense and then um Riley Hernandez he's back from injury he was out last year with the injury um he's from Bakersfield he's doing a great job and then we've also added Caleb chenel um from College of seoa transfer he actually played with Mason brusso in high school um so they're kind of reunited that way they're both pretty excited about that but came in as a linebacker he's also played some Edge he's going to be a rushan for us and he brings some physic ity and effort to our group that kind of rounds out that group nicely and then um our two guys that we added that were um freshman coming out of high school we have Jordan Snowden from bonisha high school and then Josh Aguilar from Beller prep down in San Jose and they're both doing a great job really excited about them what in your mind makes a great defensive ENT or Edge rusher what what kind of things are you looking for from that group um you know quickness off the ball um you got to be kind of athletic but still have a strength component to that as well well and then um it's kind of just a misconception that you know we're not always just rushing the pass so there's a lot of um reads and reactions you have to be a real smart football player I mean we're dropping in coverage and we're kind of a part of every part of the defense that way so um kind of the total package but Relentless effort athleticism and um explosive strength you know so and you know based on what you said you've moved a couple linebackers that's kind of their in their skill set too is that what makes them a good kind of edge rush or to defensive van yeah a lot of times you know skill set linebacker and the rush can be real similar you like those Rush guys to have a little more length um because you know they're in one step contact with those big tackles and tight ends so you try to match up their frames more that way but yeah the way they move um speed the ball the way that they can change directions and stuff a lot similar to a linebacker how about the challenge you guys have which I think is a good thing but you would tell me better of going against your offense all all the time which I mean to me I see you know Pace Tempo spreading out tight form I mean you you see everything how helpful is that we're so lucky that way and yeah it doesn't feel like it at times for sure at practice but I mean just the we're going to see every different type of scheme um every week I mean we're going to see two back stuff we're going to see Power run under Center we're going to see vertical pass game mesh game screen I mean you name it we're going to see it so um it is really nice in the sense that you know when we're offseason mode and we're not game planning for something specifically we don't have to try to have our offense run something they haven't done before we get a really good look from those guys and the thing I appreciate most is our offensive line I mean I think we have a really solid group up front you know I played that position so I'm always kind of watching how they're playing and I'm so happy that the group that we have over there are the guys we get to practice against cuz I know that's going to prepare us for Saturday mhm uh last thing for you how about now that you've done one cycle through you've seen the Big Sky super competitive Hornet's a part of that um just looking around the league and the challenge of what this conference has every week yeah I mean you said it best I mean every week you're going to be in in a battle you know there's there's no easy game I mean no the rankings don't really mean much I mean every game's close we're watching every score um everyone does a great job of adjusting week to week um so I mean if you show something early that is a weakness you're going to see that the all way through and you know so it really challenges you as a coach challenges your players to adjust and know their rules and it's such a fun League to play in because it's some of the best competition in FCS football for sure all right actually one last thing shout out to your parents apparently they're faithful listeners to the uh to the podcast yeah my mom and dad uh Joe and Nancy slowy Metford Oregon this is their favorite podcast for sure they're big Hornets fans so I'm sure they're listening hey and how about that shout out thank you Joe and n see slowy we appreciate you listening tell a friend tell everyone else out there about the Hornet Stingers up Sacramento State football podcast all right new coach coaching the linebackers new to the program coach Mei tupe is uh new to the program comes over from Utah Tech has got a lot of experience and so I started by asking him what's it like in Sacramento now being with the Hornets man it's been great um it's a great opportunity you know and uh I'm loving every minute of it so you can't complain well how did it happen how did Coach Thompson get you oh shoot I guess uh you know the phone call away you know good conversation with him you know and just uh wed to uh to have me on board and so I was you know it was a blessing for me to be here and so you know I didn't turn down the the call and uh you know we made it happen and thanks to to the head man and and the administration here got got it going yeah um so just compare and contrast what like your last stop Utah Tech is compared to compared to Sacramento State shot I think uh there's a lot of good things that happen that's happening right now at Utah Tech you know and and that part of it is is growing you know I think being here is just seeing the development that's already been happening um it's already been in place and so we just right here for me it's made my job easier just to come in and you know continue to to build the kids and be able to build it within the program yeah so you've got you've got the linebackers that's your group you also overall helping the defense too what's uh what's your group like shoot I think my group can sum it up in you know hard workers and uh guys that you know take every day you know like like it's their last taking advantage of every opportunity and so that's what I'm grateful about this group coming in it's tough to it's rare I would say in the years I've done this to have someone that's new to a program like will Leota and be all conference already that says what he did with you at Utah Tech and kind of what what kind of player are the Hornets getting in him I think the player that he that the Hornets are going to get is someone who's just here to do his job you know not going to do anything fancy out there is someone that's going to be disciplined in doing his job someone that's that's hard worker um and that's that's what we instilled in him being you know at Utah Tech and you know bringing that here is pretty much going to help us you know be great football team together overall yeah there's a lot of new faces out there too who else do you expect to be contributing some some important Reps for you guys on Saturdays um shoot as as far as the guys who are going to contribute with the with the twos you know threes I see you know as of right now Mitchell wolf has been here he's got some reps before um Houston Derek Houston has done a great job and uh roacha Alex roacha those guys have you know have done a great job of elevating their game understanding the defense understanding the scheme and so those guys are doing a great job so far yeah right now um I always like to ask the position coaches this question like what makes a good linebacker so how would you define that what makes a good linebacker shoot I think what makes a good linebacker is someone who's instinctive um someone who's always look find them wherever the ball's at you know if it's if the ball is all the way out in the passing to the left you know he's there you know has a nose for the ball and so those those are the two things I'm always looking for um but the last part of it is to put everything together is the physicality part yeah you you know you got to be physical got to be instinctive and you got to be able to be around the ball wherever it's wherever the ball is MHM so and how is it for you fitting in joining a new staff I mean there's a couple other new coaches but a lot of a lot of the guys have been here how's the adjustment for you been sh the adjustment has been really good um they've welcomed me with open arms you know and uh and I know a couple guys here from you know from the coaching career but you know it's been great so far so it's been good and then last thing for you as far as um you know the Big Sky you Utah Tech would play a lot of teams you guys played the Hornets a couple times um now that you're here is different the same I mean kind of what was your perception of Sacramento State and then now now seeing it firsthand shoot I think to me football's football you know wherever you go you just get to put the pads on you get this helmet on I think it's just you know the type of player that you get you know and just that's just the speed of the game as well so I think those two things are just major factor you know from where we're at till we're right now within the Big Sky yeah it's fun I know you're excited to finally play someone else aren't you yeah oh we're really excited instead of playing against each other we get to hit somebody else with a different color yeah absolutely welcome to Sacramento okay thank you yeah I think his experience at this position in coaching against teams in the Big Sky will pay its dividends that's for sure all right coaching the Nickelback is the head coach Andy Thompson so we now kind of transition around here on the defense we'll hear from coach again next podcast on the offense and kind of a team overall view but just wanted to zero in on his room his group it's a smaller group with Coach Thompson the nickel backs and I asked him what he has in this group uh I think we've got some guys that are truly hybrid you know um that position you got to be able to cover like a DV and then you got to be able to step in and play in the box like a linebacker got to play underneath coverage Zone coverage so we ask those guys to do as much as anybody on our defense as far as having different skill sets I think that's what all five of those guys br is that they've got a good set of skill sets of they can cover and they are physical enough to play close to the box so Gavin Davis Smith is by far a guy in our defense that has as much or more experience of anybody this is going into his sixth year he's played a lot of football for us um he's you know adjusting to Nickel he played it the last couple games last year and then we had him all spring there and he been there all fall Camp so I really think he'll do a good job um as he settles in there right behind him is uh Molina molini Tia and he came from um um San Mato junor College which is a really good junior college and U I think the best thing about him is he plays with great anticipation he's also a guy that's been in college he actually played at Utah Tech had a medical red shirt long story this is his fifth year of college and he's only a junior so um experienced can Blitz knows how to cover so those two guys have done a good job and then daveon Ross somebody the Hornets haven't heard from for a couple years he's had a a knee injury two years ago and the last year he had an Achilles so he's coming back off of that and he's done a good job of staying with it and he started ball games as a freshman here way back in 2019 so pretty experienced group with age there and then a couple other guys Butler coming from Cal he's going to playing a lot of special teams and Deon Allen Who I Really think's got a bright future and coaching afterwards really smart so that's that's our group yeah as far as Gavin Davis Smith he has played a ton do you feel like he's the offense has so many guys coming back defense doesn't have as many but he feels like one of the the main pieces of your defense do you agree yeah he's he's put in a ton of time he's always out there he's always leading um leads by example not not real talkative um U maybe as much as some of the other guys we've had that are older but he does communicate he does anticipate really well what's coming and so um yeah it's it's been great um coaching him and I really think his best year is going to be this year what makes a good Nickelback in your system you know I think if you know Marte mapu pops into your brain of the skill set of guy that's physical enough to really impact the Run game and stop people against these big tight ends sometimes that we face and then quick enough and long enough to play a slot receiver on Third and five and play some man coverage um so that that combination is really difficult to fine uh that skill set of having a guy that's that aggressive in the Run game but can also cover so it's the hardest one I think to evaluate but I do think these guys all have those traits and I'm excited that they're all healthy and they're all playing this spot for longer than just two weeks because we we played Seven guys there last year and it was kind of a rotating door and it was it was difficult on the defense you know was point there at the end certainly health will be a key not only at his position but around the team I mean that's certainly par out to have success at any level keeping your players healthy all right another new coach to the Sacramento State football program he's not new to Sacramento uh joining the secondary uh coach Brandon Thompson he is a local Legend played a lot of good football here in high school then went on to college and the pros but he's done a lot of different things uh kind of asked him right off the sh right off the top if he's glad to be back home born and raised here um dad is from here mom's actually from the bay area but they both went to saak State both my parents are saak State graduates so grew up around the university my dad played football here so I mean I've been around Sacramento forever you're horn yeah basically you know like it just felt right so um you obviously more than aware of the school but how did you end up how did Coach Thompson get you uh man I mean uh we finished up Spring ball at calp and then I got a phone call at the end of spring call he asked me if I you know wanted to be a hornet and it was obvious yes you know being from here you know working with a lot of community and Grassroots stuff here and my family being here first and foremost most importantly my two young kids and my wife you know it only made sense yeah so I'm I'm thinking back to when you're in high school a star there playing you move on to college you move on to the NFL you do CFL you have training you're this is kind of your life your business did it ever feel like I'm going to end up back in like it just feels like this was meant to be yeah I mean it's weird right uh you kind of you do feel like that you feel like I feel like I've been fortunate you know I coached at Sacramento City Junior College my uncle used to be the head coach there so it's just weird being around there so much and then coaching there and then like I told you my dad played here you know grew up around here so it's just it's definitely very nostalgic to to be coaching here you know we practice on the practice track you know I have a little PTSD with that practice track cuz I remember having to do a bunch of track workouts on there and you know Fred Amy or Otis Amy that played here my dad trained him so I was like a little young pup you know know chasing behind him as he was doing 100 yard you know dumbbell lunges so it it's definitely every day I walk around campus pretty pretty nostalgic yeah all right how about your group the guys that you're going to have out there on Saturdays and trying to get as many wins for you guys what do you have in your uh in your room we got a lot of young hungry talented dudes man um I think first two dudes rolling out there you'll probably see is DJ Houston and LaMont uh Johnson Burell both of them two different body types bring a couple different things to the table I think DJ is Scrappy gritty um but also a technician and uh he's really the leader of the group and then Lamont man obviously you know he's got prototypical size I think he moves well for his size which is why he's unique you know he's a tall guy that can move like a small guy and I really think he's got an opportunity to do some great things if he really takes advantage of it so he's had a good camp you know his mind's in the right place he's done everything we're asking him to do so I'm excited for that kid uh we have behind them you know we got Dean we got zelar we got Elias you know all dudes that have been in the program and you know coach Key's done a great job with them they developed you know they know the system they know ball they're growing every day um so I like to think that we really have four or five starting caliber guys which is always an asset as you know in this great game of football we'd love to stay healthy the whole year but it rarely happens so when you go into the season feeling like you got four or five guys that can all go out there and and play at a you know good and high level that's always a plus um and then we got our two young Young Bucks are are two young freshman man we feel great about them we feel fortunate to get them in the recruiting cycle Adam Taylor and Phoenix Rose uh same thing man Adam is a great athlete flies around I think he was a 10A guy in high school and he plays like it he's got a lot of Pop uh to his game Phoenix cerebral kid also has really good ball skills and some some pop to his game as well so bright future with those two as well and then you know we got our two Walk-Ons and and Steve and Tim love Tim shout out to akan you know he's our Ohio guy in the room but love how he carries himself he's hungry Scrappy he's uh grateful for the opportunity same thing with Steve he's a local kid went to Capitol Christian you know uh humble as hell came from LS and Clark and he works every day the I look at you guys in practice so the offense has so many guys coming back a lot of names that fans know defensively is not the same but it doesn't mean those guys can't then become the dudes of the Hornets right so what's that challenge like that you have guys that have played but not the same amount of reps as some of the offensive guys I mean like said in my experience college is usually a teeter totter like that anyway right it's kind of like one year a lot of household notable names are back on one side of the ball and then there's a chance for the other side of the ball to create them then the following year it's flipped you know cuz we're a little older on offense you know next year those guys will graduate defense will be the group that has all the household names and then we'll be asking the same question for offense so I think it's a good thing because obviously they push us you know our our experience and our talent on offense is the main reason that I I think our defense has a chance to be really good yeah when you were at cow paully too I just curious what you thought obviously you played the Hornets just what you thought of of the program then and now that you're here I mean I think uh for me winning is all about systems I mean you could feel from day one walking in here why they went around here you know from from Troy to Andy how it was set up and you know all the different systems that they do whether it be you know how they do their pre-practice how the strength and pro uh conditioning program is run Nate does a great job with that the training staff how how we run our meetings you know how we go about our business I just think all those things add up to winning and as soon as I got here you could feel that MH yeah that's exciting and so for you your first season coming up how much fun how excited exciting is it for you to to know that you know you guys put in all this work but now The Season's here I mean I think it's always just full of energy you know me and Coach slowy were talking about that a couple weeks ago it's kind of like you know I think school starts tomorrow and camps ending and when you've been around football as long as us you know even though we're older you just always feel that energy when it comes football season you know we've been here kind of by ourselves grinding away and now as we get ready for season the the campus fills up and the excitement gathers and it's it's always a fun time of the year I look forward to the September and October for sure every year well welcome I guess back to Sacramento and welcome to the Hornets absolutely man looking forward to it I'm I'm excited to see what coach Thompson could do with this group uh his background uh from training to now coaching his you know Community sense I think he's going to be a nice addition to this team also part of the Sharks Cherokee Valeria he's been around for a long time now this program year six for him and I started by asking him about the success and what he attributes or what it's been like I should say to be a part of the success of the Hornet program I think each year is a little different you know each year we try to grow even through you know 2019 and establishing the culture then and going through 20 with the covid and 21 22 23 three you know and on to now 24 I think each year is unique um it's felt really nice um seeing the progression and even reaching back in talking to all the the young guys that were here in 19 and what they went through before we we got here and where they're at now and seeing where the program is continuing to grow and I know You' been in the conference before but to I mean I wouldn't say the Hornets weren't the laughing stock but now they're a team that's every year recognized top rankings and conference championships how's it feel like at least have that just elevated this whole program I think uh Sacramento has always been a team that we always even you know when in my previous Liv I used to say you know at different conferences yeah teams we've always were worried about Sacramento because they always had the talent level they always had the capability of coming into anywhere or playing at home really strong and losing a game so I wouldn't say that they were you know a subpar team they just never put it together consistently throughout the whole season they would have runs where they would do really good and they would have really good Seasons um to see it kind of change and and to produce more you know at a time in timeout manner has been something to be very proud of definitely and now that you've seen it why would if someone asked why how how did this work what would you say I see the biggest uh thing is the Players honestly um everyone wants to talk about the coaching staff came in and all that but the players and how they bonded in 19 and were together and was B in from day one um and continue to grow with all that U they they helped establish it and they helped set the temple on everybody else who came after that um you have players here right now with Prince Washington helping out with the with the team you know and Tyson um TP with what he's doing here so you have that constant connection of guys trying to help back and give back to the team let's talk about your group I know you got kind of all of the secondary but really focusing in the safeties um you lost some people but that's the part of the sport you know that you have to replace and move on to the next what are you looking at as uh kind of the strength of the 24 safeties of the 2024 safeties communication our strength is communication we got to be out there we got to set our ripl you know we got to talk to each other we got to set our components we got to understand what we're doing out there and we got to be the leaders on the defense um and without that you know uh behind them then uh we will fall apart so so our strength is our communication and they buy into that every day every day they're out there in walk through or or team settings they're trying to um develop a relationship with all the guys that are on the field um and develop that trust that they're going to be there they're going to set them in the right position they're going to tell them exactly where to be and what to do um and if we're all wrong then we're all right because we're all moving in the same direction yeah now you've got guys that have played whether it's here or in other programs um what are some of the names you're expecting to to really be important figures for you on Saturdays I think collectively all of them do a really good job together um obviously we have mvin that came in from Idaho um he brought in um a great leadership ability he adapted really well with the culture that we currently have here um and he's trying to push the guys in that communication standard as well um and we have other guys that have have transitioned in through the transfer portal or junior college ranks um and they've done uh the same thing I think the the biggest thing that uh they work on together is they they try to build that trust with one another and what they're doing yeah what makes a good safety besides overemphasizing the communication I think understanding offense and understanding the holistic approach of the defense and what we're trying to do what Andy's trying to do collectively when when he calls certain coverages and certain Concepts and the reasons why I think understanding the holistic approach of the defense makes him a really good um safety uh of course they got to be athletically gifted they got to be able to backpedal cover people in space you know come off the edge Blitz take on blockers tackle you know all that's all that's just that's but we could pull up a tape and see those type of qualities and make sure we're recruiting the right guys but the best safeties are guys that understand an offense understand a defense holistically and can be able to put the pieces together in order for us to be successful on Saturdays how about this conference too you know it well but it's load every week doesn't seem like there's any weekends off in its different looks formation spread Tempo um just for you as a defensive guy how difficult is it to prepare every week for a Big Sky Team I think that's one of the my most favorite pieces of this conference and coaching defense especially in the Big Sky is the fact that every week you're going to see something new you better have your rules in place you better understand how you're going to uh adapt um and overcome you better be able to change things on the sideline collectively in a quick mannerisms without guys having to step through it in a walkthrough setting you better have that all ready to go because this defense or this this conference is going to tear you apart if you don't and then lastly I like to ask the defensive guys about your offense you're going against it all the time uh they're that same kind of offense right they show you everything from power to spread to you know everything what what's it like going against your group it actually is a humbling experience because we will find out real quick if we don't have our stuff right so um I think they prepare us really well for what we're going to see during the season I told you that common theme Here In Coach Valeria there about the praise for the offense certainly continues and lastly let's go to special teams and hear from coach Jeremy lean we'll hear from him next episode as well when we talk about the offense and the tight ends but he coaches the Special Teams unit and talk about having a lot of returning players on that group of special teams uh Cal go has got a lot of experience returning uh been with us for for two years now and done a great job and and uh we were believe 10th in the country last year in net pun um so he was up there and with more experience obviously comes more production hopefully right and then Zack Shriner started off the year strong last year and then kind of tailed off at the end so um this offseason worked really hard and and uh he's kicking the ball better than ever playing with a lot of confidence stking the ball well good rotation on the ball uh you I feel good about him you know really 50 and in so um I think it should be a good year for him and then our Long Snapper we returning my Long Snapper who would be a junior who started every single game since he's been here for us and uh so whenever you have continuity like that with a holder a snapper a kicker for you know all three of those guys for a second year in a row you feel you feel pretty good about where you're at yeah and you have competition behind them which is is good there's some depth but what is the value of having the Reps at this level in Big Sky games on the road of these guys being kind of through those battles yeah it brings me a lot of comfort hopefully it brings our head coach a lot of comfort and the guys uh just in the locker room a whole lot of comfort that they can do it now if somebody else emerges uh through Camp uh through the season and you know they've got to prove that they're not only as good but but also better than uh than what we've had because uh hasn't been a whole lot of hiccups with those guys and so but yeah we do have a lot of competition behind them and the starters actually are are provid the veterans are providing a lot of leadership for those younger guys so showing them the ways the ropes and there's competition but there's also a lot of uh uh like big brother mentality where I'm like I'm going to show you the ropes I'm going to help elevate your game and you know the old saying goes you know uh High Tides raise raises all boats right so uh my guys have embraced that yeah the return game is equally important you've got some experience back there Anderson Grover's done it uh maybe some new names and weapons you might have out there this year how do you feel about whether it's punt return kick return going into the year yeah punt return Anderson Grover did a heck of a job for us last year um you know returning wise number wise he was like mid uh you know middle of the Big Sky but a lot of people don't see the the smart plays that he has made so um as far as balls hitting the ground and US losing those hidden yardage he minimized that we had less than six balls on the ground we lost only 45 yards on those which was a big emphasis for us um because in years's past we've had a couple more balls on the ground that had you know rolled negatively and helped out the opponent so um played really smart football um in that regard uh making Sound Decision no fumbles uh great decision maker and then kickoff returner you you always feel great about t toer back there um he's been a absolute stud for us for the past two years you'll see a couple new faces back there and but we got a lot of talent we got a lot of weapons on the offensive side the defensive side so might be a couple DBS back there a couple running backs and you know see see uh you know the cream rice at the top you know and and time will tell who who those guys are right practice it's one thing but in live reps when the bullets are flying who's got that that pass who's got that competitive spirit and who's mindful enough to you know hit the crease when they see it all right my thanks to the coaches coach Paulson coach slowy coach tupe coach Andy Thompson coach Brandon Thompson coach Valeria and Coach lean you'll hear from more coaches next week on the offensive side and also more of an extended season preview with head coach Andy Thompson in episode number two on our season preview but again the season is almost here here hornets and San Jose State on Thursday man looking forward to it looking forward to a big season ahead for the 2024 Sacramento State Hornet football program thanks again so much for listening I'm Jason Ross we'll talk to you again next week Stingers up