Talked to Neal Neathery on National Signing Day. Here was the transcript.
Q: Y'all lost so many guys on both sides of the ball so, defensively, how important was it to find guys in this class that can come in and compete for two-deep spots?
A: It was real big. It can happen with freshmen but there is a lot to overcome, so the older JUCO kids we picked up are important. We wanted to get a linebacker, an interior defensive lineman and a defensive end and we got all three and got Vontrell (Williams) later. That was big, really big for us.
Q: You lost three out of the four top defensive tackles in the rotation. Are you seeing the other guys growing up and getting ready to contribute?
A: Kevin (Strong) we just had the fall with but I'm really excited to see what he does this spring. He was awesome at camp, really good. We were able to redshirt him, but he and Marcus Davenport at defensive end were really good for true freshmen and I'm excited to see both of them take that next step this spring.
Q: Drew Douglas has come such a long way over the past few seasons. What more do you need him to become on and off the field to really become the leader of this defense?
A: He needs to be a leader and he has earned that. He has worked on his craft for a while now and done a good job on Saturdays. People will follow him, so he needs to step up as a leader and continue to be become a better football player, which all our guys need to continue to do. I expect him to be a very good football player and a better leader than he has been in the past.
Q: Where do you see La'Kel Bass playing?
A: He'll be a Hawk for us. There isn't a whole lot of difference between the two positions as far as skill-set, a little more athleticism at the Hawk. If I have two guys, I'm going to put the more athletic player at Hawk and the more physical, in-the-box player at Mike, so there isn't a lot of difference skill wise. From a mental standpoint, particularly a guy we're trying to get ready in one semester, the mental carry over is hard to know both. There isn't a lot of kids that can do that, but particularly in a semester, so he'll play Hawk as long as we can keep them there.
Q: You have shown you like to get more speed on the field with certain packages, especially on third downs and passing situations. Has this class helped add more speed that can be utilized in that way?
A: It'll be interesting to see. It'll be so unproven that I won't know until we get them out there. Particularly, you're talking about our Dime package where we put out an extra corner or two and losing Starling and Crosby do we have that? I don't know yet. I'll know more after this spring and then in the fall if any of the young guys can come in and help us.
Q: Y'all lost so many guys on both sides of the ball so, defensively, how important was it to find guys in this class that can come in and compete for two-deep spots?
A: It was real big. It can happen with freshmen but there is a lot to overcome, so the older JUCO kids we picked up are important. We wanted to get a linebacker, an interior defensive lineman and a defensive end and we got all three and got Vontrell (Williams) later. That was big, really big for us.
Q: You lost three out of the four top defensive tackles in the rotation. Are you seeing the other guys growing up and getting ready to contribute?
A: Kevin (Strong) we just had the fall with but I'm really excited to see what he does this spring. He was awesome at camp, really good. We were able to redshirt him, but he and Marcus Davenport at defensive end were really good for true freshmen and I'm excited to see both of them take that next step this spring.
Q: Drew Douglas has come such a long way over the past few seasons. What more do you need him to become on and off the field to really become the leader of this defense?
A: He needs to be a leader and he has earned that. He has worked on his craft for a while now and done a good job on Saturdays. People will follow him, so he needs to step up as a leader and continue to be become a better football player, which all our guys need to continue to do. I expect him to be a very good football player and a better leader than he has been in the past.
Q: Where do you see La'Kel Bass playing?
A: He'll be a Hawk for us. There isn't a whole lot of difference between the two positions as far as skill-set, a little more athleticism at the Hawk. If I have two guys, I'm going to put the more athletic player at Hawk and the more physical, in-the-box player at Mike, so there isn't a lot of difference skill wise. From a mental standpoint, particularly a guy we're trying to get ready in one semester, the mental carry over is hard to know both. There isn't a lot of kids that can do that, but particularly in a semester, so he'll play Hawk as long as we can keep them there.
Q: You have shown you like to get more speed on the field with certain packages, especially on third downs and passing situations. Has this class helped add more speed that can be utilized in that way?
A: It'll be interesting to see. It'll be so unproven that I won't know until we get them out there. Particularly, you're talking about our Dime package where we put out an extra corner or two and losing Starling and Crosby do we have that? I don't know yet. I'll know more after this spring and then in the fall if any of the young guys can come in and help us.
