Fall camp will officially get underway later this afternoon when the Maroon & White return to the Coolidge Practice Fields in preparation of the 2023 football season. Before their first August practice, Jimbo Fisher and Layden Robinson addressed the media.
The following are live, paraphrased notes from Jimbo Fisher’s Wednesday afternoon media availability:
- Very excited. Favorite time of the year. Excited to see the guys. It’s a great time to get the guys out on the practice field. We did a really good job in the summer. Hopefully, we will go out and have some good practices and play in a month.
- They have high hydration. Our monitors look at heart rate. We will make sure the guys are hydrated. Hopefully, we will be in the new facility by Friday.
- We will ease Reuben Fatheree back in. Trey Zuhn is good.
- Daymion Sanford and Taurean York did a good job in the spring. We have plenty of good depth there. I am excited about those guys.
- Walter Nolen’s role won’t change. He was 330 pounds when he recruited him. He lost all that weight last year.
- You get so many walk-throughs in the summer. They have worked all summer long. They all have experience.
- Everything you do in football is about execution. You practice things until you can’t do them wrong because they become habits. That’s why I have been so excited. We made progress in doing the little things. We will see it on the practice field.
- Hopefully, Conner Weigman’s decision-making will continue to grow. He had eight touchdowns without an interception. He made plays. When you know more, sometimes you can make mistakes. Weigman feels good. He gets it. There are safe zones on all throws. Hopefully, he will continue to grow in that. You have guys that can go get it.
- We have a very talented group with the running backs. Not a lot of experience. They have size and speed. They will evolve in those roles. They are a gifted group.
- The leaders set the disciplines of our team. You can punish and say things to guys, but as a leader, you are trying to change behavior. They are telling the guys the “Why.” Our leaders are explaining things. The team has accepted it better.
- The leadership of the offensive line, the mistakes, the questions and the execution have all been better. There are always communication issues. We had multiple guys mismatching. The offensive line is one of the most communicative positions, along with quarterbacks and the secondary. It’s being able to communicate in front of 100,000 people.
- I never have a date to decide on a quarterback. At the end of the day, the key is to move the football. Play with great consistency. That’s what football is. That’s what any sport is. That’s what greatness is. It’s your performance and how you execute.
- Is Bobby Petrino a calm coach? We’ll see how practice goes. All coaches are calm when things are going well.
- Other than Reuben Fatheree’s injury, everyone should be good to go.
- Ainias Smith has a leader’s personality. Some of the best leaders I have been around are not vocal guys. It’s by example. Ainias has both. The guys respect him. We have fourth and fifth-year guys on this team, which is rare now in college football.
