Kevin Sumlin checks in for pre-Fall Camp update

Key quotes from Kevin Sumlin interview

“I’m as excited as any year that I’ve coached. We have a lot of new things, first off our setting at Kyle Field. Just to open that up is a really exciting situation for our fans and players. For me to be the coach that is here, and able to do that, is a big deal. Obviously Coach Chavis being here and kicking things off at NRG, which is just a heck of a place to play too against a top 20 team, and all the hype in the SEC West is exciting as well.”

“It’s kind of funny, they had to pick teams one through seven, and a team that spent six or seven weeks at number one in the country was picked last in our division. I don’t think there is one coach or one team that doesn't think they can win the division. So we have a lot of exciting games coming up, and fortunately we have some pretty good young players that have been through this one time and are looking forward to getting this thing rolling.”

“The first thing that got me excited about this team was the lack of drama in the offseason. You cannot act like that is not part of it. These guys have seemed to be pretty focused on what they came here to do, and I think they are a closer bunch than what a lot of people think. That becomes interesting, because there’s a bunch of highly recruited guys on this team and sometime those kind of guys are looked at as prima donnas, or not wanting to work, or stand offish, but that has not happened with this group. The combination of how we approach the offseason, and the new rules from the NCAA, allowing us to meet with our players has helped college football in general. But the ability for our young guys to blend into the program, and guys that are now sophomores, of which we had a bunch play last year as true freshman, really understand that talent is one thing, but here is what you have to do to sustain that during a season in the SEC and be able pass that along, in a hurry, to the young guys has been a good thing to watch.”

“There are a lot of things about John Chavis that you might not know, because he doesn't say a whole lot. I don’t think he has ever talked to anybody pregame, he just stands down there and stares at people. Scowls at them. So there is a hell of a lot of things I have learned about him, just in conversation. The great thing is his ability to communicate with players and be genuine. I think that has sped up the buy-in with to what he is selling. Our guys are hungry for that and players can tell right off the bat if you are genuine, and if it is  about you or is it about us, and there has not been one time that it has been about him. That is why he has been a good fit for us, and we have been a good fit for him.

I think the communication, as practice goes on during the spring, was really good. Not just from coach to player, but from coach to coach. I think we have a lot of experience on this staff right now that can really help us, not just in game situations and adjustments, but also in preparation. We’re going to utilize it all, and fortunately we have one of the best in the business on defense. It’s been good.”

“You also have to throw Jake Hubenak into the quarterback conversation. He’ll be at the team meeting Sunday and practice Monday. Here is another guy who had a Florida offer and is an older, good player. We’re going to give these guys an opportunity to compete. We’ve been here before and we have a plan for that. We have a repetition plan for it. The good news about that, is that with those three guys and a couple other arms, they shouldn't get sore. We should be able to learn a bunch about them in the next few weeks with plenty of practices.

We get started with school a little late, since we don't get started till the week before Labor Day. So we have three weeks without any classes. Summer school finals are on Monday and Tuesday, so we will have their attention. We have meeting time, practice time and developmental time, as well as plenty of time on the field time. These guys, with the exception of Jake, have been coached throughout the summer. Kyler has, and Kyle has been here for two springs, a football season and a summer. Knowing Jake, he has spent time at Oklahoma State, who’s playbook is not a lot different from ours right now, from a terminology standpoint since Spav was there too, he understands where we are from a terminology standpoint. With all the new stuff involved in the run game, Kyle Allen has only had 15 practices with that, so we will hit the ground running with that. These guys are going to have an opportunity to compete every day.”

“The new run game stuff  started in the spring. The ability for us to utilize more gap scheme stuff and not just be a zone team, to be able to use some angles and really work on pulling some people ... As athletic as we are, we ought to be able to do that. Utilizing some more two back sets, I think you saw some more of that in the bowl game and a tight end, whether that is an H-back tight end or inline tight end, we have looked at how that can happen. Getting some more blocking surfaces, using more angles and pulling people, while utilizing our athleticism a bit more. Dave Christensen has shown he can do that. Anyone who watched Utah last year had to be impressed and he is bringing that to Aggieland.”

“The uniforms have been well received, but you know me by now, I don’t really care. Our fans have been great, and I know there was some concern when I got here, but we aren't going to do anything outrageous. I think our uniforms are as classic as anyone. They are distinctive with the two stripes on the shoulders, the matte maroon helmets, people love them. You know it is Texas A&M when we are playing. We try to keep that look and being in the state of Texas is important. Adidas has worked with us and we are one of their top programs now. Their R&D has come up with some wild stuff, trust me, and we have denied it. They have gotten the ‘no sir’ a couple of times. We try to keep it classy and reflective of A&M as possible, but we also like to recruit and create energy for our fans and players. This one, particularly, on Halloween night, I know Coach Spurrier will be fired up after last year, so we might want to kick it up a notch for this one.”