Tommy Mellott previews fall camp for Montana State Bobcats

all right Tommy you know your last Ball Camp so what are the emotions going into this yeah um a lot of excitement um I think we've had a great summer um we have you know I think 23 seniors this year so a lot of guys have gone through a lot of football um I've been able to uh you know grow up with them um you know for the four five six years whatever it might be for some of the guys and so it's bittersweet but I think it's uh I'm very excited to to go back out there and uh take it day by day and Marcus take off that the Teel guys one and day what do that look like your eyes yeah I mean it's just not looking ahead um I think it's just looking at day in and day out just getting better um that's kind of what the obviously the model is going to be for this year as they talked about but I mean you just kind of put that into practice with with fall Camp right here and and just you know today just cherishing the time I got to be with some of my teammates and then tomorrow is just going out there and competing and get better and and just uh you know not looking ahead for anything more than that you know the summer within great yeah I'm excited to uh go back out there and and work with him a little bit more for in the fall camp in Fall Camp how do those workouts go what kind of activities do over the summer yeah I mean we have we have workouts every day and then the players put on some practices throughout the summer um we have throwing sessions outside of that um oneon-one seven on seven stuff like that still seemed like that was something you guys were doing at least couple times over the summer yeah we always go over there a couple times out of the year um in the summer always before the Fourth of July Break um and so another one of the last you know so it was a Bittersweet to be at the top of that again it's a you know it's a tough mentally challenged workout and uh you know we had a we had a good show out by the team on that on that morning so how do you describe your guys as top priorities as as a team this I mean top priorities I think it's you know it starts with just the relationships within the team um and I think that's like I talked about it you know we have all these older guys that have been together that have played so much football together that have you know endured so many Summers so many Winters together um and uh you know really just give anything for one another for their success for their you know for their senior year and then the younger guys you know coming along with that I mean just priorities is just you know the cat slogan the character accountability toughness in state I mean those things are you know what we what we uh cherish around here and that's what you have to be built upon to be able to accomplish the things that we want to accomplish you know last year there was so much talk coming out of the way South Dakota State Ended as an influence into last season how about the way last season ended how that influenced this possible yeah I mean I think that um obviously you got to learn a lot from a year that you you didn't live to the expectations you know so I think that you know we learned a lot from from um the last two years you know for sure uh you know going into a season with high hopes and with you know very high expectations and you know I think that obviously we're going back into another year just like that but I think that um the approach has been very different so I'm I'm excited for the mentality to kind of be shown here yourself and several other guys in your class you guys have kind of been leaders of the program for a long time now that you're a senior does it does it change your leadership style does it make it easier I mean how would you just describe what it's like being a senior leader now after being a leader since you're basically a fresh yeah I mean every every year you want to uh you know lead to try to win as many games as possible and um you know certainly always have that in the back of the Mind where it's like well I still have next year you know and this year for a lot of guys we don't and you know the only impact you can have on the team Beyond this year is um you know how you did lead those younger guys while you were there and to see what the program does once you leave you know that's a great indicator of of the leadership that was in the past and I think that you know certainly we've had we've had a lot of great leading classes and and you know that's kind of what the difference might be for me this year is just had that realization um of you know what's the Divens going to look like in the next few years after you know that my four my five years are up what's it like get going so early this year and then just playing a week zero game yeah we just wanted to get back to football as quickly as we could I'll be honest with you I think we have like I said we have a lot of guys that played a lot of football um you know we dominated up the winter we dominated the summer but we were really looking you know to get back into into playing football um we had a bitter taste in our mouth for a long time now and uh we're just excited to to flip that uh page and and get onto a new season what makes playing football at I mean I just grew up I wanted to go to Montana State my entire life I wanted to play in front of the fans of Montana um I wanted to have the you know crowd screaming as you go through the blue um wanted to be over in bosan and all those things you know it's it it's so special for me to you know reflect and obviously I I just had the hope that one day I'd be able to play when I committed to come over here you know it's few and far between as a Montana kid so um and then just being able to you know make a career out of it and and I'm excited to uh you know make a make a mark with this team in our senior year four QB coaches since this time last year just how have you kind of gone through that what's that been that experience in life with that changes at that yeah uh just a lot of opportunities to learn that's kind how I see it um you know each each coach you know just for however long they might have been with me um you know for three or four years down to a couple weeks there you know with Coach vegan just the end of fall camp or end of Spring ball um you know you get to learn from each of them individually and it's been impactful for meach number four class is so big a lot of you guys have been with time yeah he's just really invest into us uh you know obviously came here um the second semester of my freshman year and uh you know he's just invested into who we are as people um you know believed in us and given us a great opportunity you know he's pushed us he's pushed us hard uh practices are no joke um but I think guys are you know they you know bend over backwards for that guy he is uh you know through and through just a great guy and so um you know that's kind of that's how I see it Sean Chambers obviously not here what has been know the development of the guys behind you yeah um you know I think we had a really good spring like I said I think those guys have got they had a ton of reps um and and I think you know Jordan obviously had game reps um I mean all those guys though they they have the different skill set they have an ability to make a difference in our team um and I think that guys are going to be back in whoever might be um you know the backup the begin the year so I think that that's uh I I don't have any worries with those guys l a couple great players at tight end how important is that position to the offense what have you thought of some of the guys that are battling there yeah I mean s and pick it's it's going to be um different not seeing him out there running routes and blocking for us but you know we do have a lot of guys that are returning and you know Rohan just coming over from Maine uh he's been a great addition uh and just being you know that multitude guy we need in the tight end room um but I mean from top down you know we have four five six deep in that room that can go out there and play and they have a different skill set and and they can do you know all the things that Snell and P could do as well so have a foure starter at Center how much more comfortable is that you and what's that relationship like you yeah I know he's great um I mean I know you when you guys talk to him um but I'm just so proud of the guy you know obviously I saw him when I was in high school and and I saw that he committed MSU and I think just expectation for him to be over here was was very low you know and for him to be going into his fourth year and and starting however many it is now going to be like 45 or something like that you know it's it's crazy um uh just but he's just so dialed you know he knows everything he doesn't make mistakes uh you know he's physical he leads that group um you know he's just a he's a heart of that entire o line and so I'm excited for him yeah the Rivalry between bosan and you ever think you have a a Boseman Center for most of your college career no I really haven't thought about it much but I I mean um coach gray back in but you know he he'd always be uh given perk some grief here and there and you know he's just he's he's buddies with him and so I you know I really haven't any had any um thoughts as to that into college you know so have you done anything you coaches um done anything to tr to say heier for this season yeah I mean I think that our our strength staff you know every single year they do a great job in preparing us um for what the season is going to look like and and uh you know I we have um you know different PT different training staff here as well that you know is is going to be taking care of us differently and have been you know proactive in in some different things so I think that uh you know you can't obviously have perfect foresight into what injuries might come up but you just prepare yourself for whatever going to come and you know it's going to be a tough season and you're ready to you know there's going to be bumps and bruises there's going to be injuries that's how football's play and that's ultimately decides how far you're going to go is how what you're going to be able to play through so varus we were told over the weekend that chip on the shoulders back for the offensive L do you see that out of that group yeah I mean I think that those guys I really don't know when it wasn't on you know I and they've dominated every single year that they've been together and they have such chemistry it's you know it's so impressive to see you know Five Five Guys 300 pounds plus that are you know moving um in sync you know like it's it's really thing of beauty to watch it on film so um you know like I said they have so much chemistry um and uh you know I I I really don't know when they didn't have a chip on their shoulder it's been you know every single day I've seen it so coach had an interesting comment at the over the weekend he said some to the effect I don't know if you heard this or not he wanted you to be more ordinary than extraordinary this year you have a feel for what might yeah I mean I think that you know year in and year out out I've you know tried to adapt and and learn to to what that might look like I think that you know the easy thing for uh for myself is to try to make um every play um you know the biggest play I you know and try to score on every play and whatever that might look like and but there's you know obviously there's a lot of benefits to you know getting out of bounds instead of trying to get the extra two yards or uh you know taking a check down immediately instead of sitting in there to try to see if the next Read's going to be immediately open you know and and if it's not then you might be taking a shot so um you know I think that it's going to be more like chess and it has been like Checkers so that's kind of how I see it uh potential got a lot of work to do that's all I really take from it last year you guys had such a hard Road schedule now that it's been a while since the season's been already considered just how difficult it was if so how how much that you think about this yeah I mean um there is uh a lot of things that are out of your control as a player um but you obviously you can't you can't worry about those things but you know certainly through the through the three seasons that I've played you know you've seen some lucky situations go for you and against you and and it just you know Karma you know you really there's no there's no science behind it you know so you just have to go out there and play with passion and I think the football Gods take care of you when you you know love what you're doing and um you're going after it play after play and there's there's no uh taking anything for granted so