Following Friday’s practice, the media caught up with projected defensive starters Takari Hickle and Sailasa Vadrawale, along with secondary coach Rod Chance.
Secondary coach Rod Chance on how he feels about the defensive group’s progress compared to last season
“Last year obviously wasn’t the standard, and we’re lucky to have a head coach here to break down this defense, really pull it all back together again communication-wise, so that we can play defense the way that this place is designed to play.”
Rod Chance about the emphasis on communication
“Offenses don’t stay the same, they don’t stay static. So we like to win the pre-snap play, you know we’re going to anticipate what the offense is gonna do, rather than wait until it happens. I think we’ve taken a step forward in that, and I’m ready to see us take the next step forward in a real game.”
Chance on freshman DB Trey Glasper
“He’s a humble young man, but he carries himself with a lot of confidence. We target those guys in our program who have humility, maybe under the radar. In recruiting I was nervous every week, because he’s such a good defensive back but he’s also a really good receiver and he had offers at wide receiver as well, so we’re happy that he got here early, got an opportunity to get in the weight room, had an opportunity to really get into our system.”
Takari Hickle on how he would evaluate the room right now, after the pass rush was a big concern last season
“I think we’ve taken several steps. Last year and this year will be two completely different seasons, and I appreciate the growth I’ve seen from everybody around me.”
Sailasa Vadrawale on how getting a lot of experience last year as a freshman helps him coming into fall camp this season
“Being able to have those experiences helped me a lot, helps me go out and heal those wounds that I had last year. I did have young mistakes. So being able to play fast now that I know where I’m at, and being older now than I was a year prior, I think that it helped a lot.”
Vadrawale on the mentality required to play nickel-corner in this defense
“You’ve gotta believe you’re the best. A lot of times last year I struggled with having confidence. I’m growing every single day, and I think I’m in a way better position than I was last year.”
Vadrawale on depth with the defensive backs
“Depth is amazing. Having more guys we have trust in playing out there is a great thing, because once someone goes down, as you saw last year with me, somebody has to step up and play a role. So it’s a good thing that we have those options on the back end.”
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