Jordan Pugh discusses linebackers and memorable games at A&M

Key quotes from Jordan Pugh interview

“(Texas A&M is) bringing in Maurice Clarett. You’re talking about somebody with a prime example of what to do and what not to do. When you look at the team last year and all of the guys getting in trouble and then what they’re doing now, it’s a big change. It’s one thing to have all these great athletes, but if nobody’s around to play, it’s useless. So I think it’s a great change, and it’s just developing young guys, taking boys and growing them into men.”

“It’s all about the relatability. When you’ve got a guy like Clarett, he’s a national champion – he’s been where you’re trying to go. When you listen to his story and listen to the mistakes that he’s made, it’s something that you resonate with and that you hold onto, because you know he’s been to the mountaintop – but he’s been to the valley as well. What can I do to avoid that? Especially if your goal is – really if it’s anything -- but really, we’re talking football. If that’s what you want and that’s what you want to do, you’ve got to pay attention to people who’ve experienced things, big-name guys, and guys that are older. You may not have heard of them, but they have the wisdom behind it to try to get where you’re trying to go.”

“You don’t know the whole story (about P. Diddy’s arrest). You don’t know all the facts. The fact is, he got arrested. He did something that spurred the arrest. From what I’ve heard – you hear all the different stories – it’s one of those things where they’re getting on his son. That’s part of it. If he’s out of shape, if he’s not doing what he’s supposed to do, then it’s part of getting disciplined. At the same time, when do you stand up for your child? It’s that balance. From the parent aspect, I get where he’s coming from, but you can push it too far as well. I think there’s a little bit of both.”

“That’s hard on a player. I understand that you have to support your dad. I get that. It’s always ‘family first’ and all that. At the same time, you’re putting your son or you’re putting that player in a position where – is there a burned bridge now? You also have teammates, and they can be like, ‘Your dad was wrong.’ It depends on how they see it. What level do you stop at? When do you go, ‘Okay, my son has to handle this on his own.’ Where do you go to the point where you can defend your kid? You’re putting him in a situation where he has to see that coach every day. You’re with the strength coach basically every day of the week. Then you’ve got your position coach and your head coach involved. It’s one of those positions where it’s almost a no-win situation at this point. You still have to go to class. You’ve still got to practice. It’s a fine line you’ve got to tread now, and that’s hard on a player.”

“I can pick two (games from my playing days that Texas A&M should put in it’s 24-hour SEC Network slot). My senior year when we played Texas Tech we just went up there and we just obliterated them, beat them like fifty-two to whatever. If you had to pick one of those games where your heart’s pounding and there’s intensity, I’d say my sophomore year when we played Oklahoma State. We were down 17-0 or 17-3 at halftime and we came back and won that game. That would be a good one to play too. There’s one sleeper game though. It’s the Fresno State game when we went to triple-overtime with them. That’s another one. I think that would be a good one too. It’s a toss-up between Oklahoma State and Fresno State.”

“It was so hot outside (during the Fresno State game) that I had two IV’s at halftime. My stomach was cramping it was so hot. That’s how hot it was. It got to a point where we were in that third overtime, and I was like, ‘Man, somebody just needs to win this game so I can go inside. This is ridiculous.’”

“There are so many games that you can go off of it’s crazy, but those two – I think that Oklahoma State and that Fresno State game, but really the Fresno State game, because it shows all aspects. It shows the triple overtime game, and it also shows the type of fans that we have with the way that they’re moving side-to-side when each overtime period came and all that. I think that would be a good one.”

“Josh (Walker) is one of my favorites. The thing I like about Josh is – he came in about halfway through the season. I really think he solidified his spot as a playmaker and somebody that really needs to be a starter on defense. He showed great athletic ability, great speed – a great sideline-to-sideline player. When you look at Walker and you look at (Claude) George, I think these are the two guys who are your typical SEC linebackers. With their size and the way they play, you see how physical they are. These are your SEC linebackers, your traditional SEC linebackers. Put it that way. Josh – when he had 27 tackles last year, the Auburn game is where he really broke out. Then he went down with that broken foot, but this is somebody who I think is really, really going to benefit from Chavis. I think he can utilize him real well in that defensive backfield.”

“The thing I liked about Josh Walker the most was when I saw him play, I saw the instinct. He was aggressive. He was an aggressively smart player. To be a true freshman playing at that level, I think the future’s bright. Now you have Chavis coming in, and he has three years to work with this guy. I think he’s going to be over-the-top when it’s all said and done. This is somebody who I believe is going to be a true playmaker in this defense.”

“He has to work on the mental side of the game. It’s one thing to work on the mental side of the game and still be practicing, but when you’re not really practicing and you don’t get to get those reps in, you’ve really got to be able to understand what you’re doing. When he gets back on the field, the athletic ability is going to take over. The instinct, all that – that’s just going to happen. When you talk about taking the next step for him, that’s going to be the mental side. The thing that he gained last year was the experience. He gained the experience in big games. You can use the Auburn game as an example. The thing that’s going to intrigue me is how he’s going to take over the controls of the position. I don’t think he’ll be the MIKE – I’m looking at more of a SAM ‘backer maybe. It’s about how he takes control of the position. I think that’s something that’s going to be vital for him, especially with Chavis. I think that out of all the linebackers, this is the guy that’s going to benefit the most from Chavis, because he has what Chavis is really looking for: the size, the speed, the ability to play in space, all of that. So I think the mental side for him is huge.”

“(Claude George) is a versatile guy too. This is somebody who can be an instant-impact. We’re looking at a JUCO guy. JUCO guys are always the tricky ones. Either they usually come in and play right away or they don’t pan out. I see him being an instant-impact guy, but I don’t know if he’s going to be a starter or not. That’s the one thing I don’t know. He fits Chavis’ system. He’s very aggressive. When you watch his kid’s film, his tape, his Junior College tape, he’s all over the place. He’s aggressive, will hit you, athletic, has great body control -- big hitter. He’s very good in open space. He’s a guy that I could see being a possible MIKE but also a WILL linebacker, a weak-side guy who plays more in space. That’s where I see him fitting. The only thing that I would question is his spacial awareness in that open space. When you talk about pass coverage, dropping into coverage, and you watch the film on him, he sometimes gets lost at times in that space where he has to be a flat defender, when he has to be a hook or curl guy. I would say that would be his only downfall, but when you watch him on tape he just jumps out. He jumps out. This is another SEC-type linebacker. This is another Chavis-style linebacker, so I’ll be interested to see how it plays out in fall camp.”

“With the linebacker position, on thing that I think they’re doing is that they want versatile guys. When you look at how they recruit and with what they’re doing moving guys to different positions, I think they need that versatility, because you saw what happened last year. You saw injuries happen. You saw guys not step up and make plays. You need guys to be able to play multiple roles. It’s one of those things where I think they’re preparing guys for multiple positions. When you look at this core group, you’ve got these six guys, all six guys. It’s really just -- what do you want? What kind of icing do you want to put on your cake? I think whoever picks up the MIKE position – whoever picks up the defense the fastest will be in that MIKE position. That’s what I truly believe with the Chavis-style system. All these guys can play the MIKE. All these guys can be the WILL, the SAM. Whoever can pick it up the fastest and whoever can control that front seven will be that MIKE. The versatility is something that I love, but at the same time, we’ve got to narrow down who’s the best at what position. I think that’s going to be the key in fall camp.”

“Dwaine Thomas (is the most likely to see the field as a true freshman). Hands-down, that’s my pick. This is the type of guy that has to see the field at some point. If it’s kickoff, if it’s punt coverage – something. He jumps out on the film. I’ve never seen anybody with more hits where helmets flew off, where guys were hurting. Dwaine Thomas – he’s the one I think is going to play right away out of the (true freshmen). He just jumps off, and he has the ability to make an impact.”