Fall Camp Day #4: Sumlin, Wallerstedt, Porter, Stewart

Kevin Sumlin

On being moved inside for the first part of practice…

“Well, we had lightning at first, and even though the sun was out, we couldn’t get outside for the first part. We stretched, usually we split special teams, but we did 20 minutes of special teams and their individuals period (all indoors). We were inside for about 55 minutes to an hour, and then we went outside and did the rest of practice.

“We talked to our guys about transition and getting out of a routine, and sometimes it’s good to just get guys out of a routine and have them create the same energy. I just talked to them about it being like a road trip. We’re not in the same comfortable environment. We’re not going from this drill to this drill, and we were moving them from indoors to outdoors. I thought they handled it well.”

On the consistency level of the team…

“Not where we would like for it to be. After four days, we have to be a more consistent team and that’s hard to do. The new guys have had four practices and the old guys have had fifteen. We’re starting to infuse some new talent in there, not just freshmen but the guys who were hurt as well. The guys who were hurt, which is a considerable amount of guys, did not go through spring football. These are really their first four practices in the offensive and defensive scheme.

“I’ve been really pleased with their progress so far. Obviously, all of these practices are critical for all of those young guys and the veterans who missed the spring, but really the whole team. Like I said, you can’t think of it as one guy here or one guy there. It’s two or three guys that are new who are not independent players. Football is a team sport and guys work together out there.”

On the freshmen defensive line players…

“They’re working hard. We’ve got some explosive guys, and we’ve got some guys that I think can help us. It’s a matter of who. Ideally, you wouldn’t want to play them all, but because of our depth situation, some guys have come in and shown an energy level. Polo Manukainiu, Tyrone Taylor, and Julien Obioha have come in and really juiced practice up a little bit from an energy perspective.

“Now, do they know what they’re doing? Not a whole lot, but they are getting better. Since Alonzo Williams has been out there, it’s been pretty good, too. It’s really like having a whole different defensive line now that we have Jonathan Mathis back, too. We have a bunch of guys playing out there right now that we never saw before, until last week. Coach Price is really happy about that.”

On having the defensive line go up against the solid A&M offensive line…

“It’s helped a bunch. You had some young guys who were showing flashes against the second line and jumped in there against the ones, and had somewhat of a baptism by fire so to speak. That’s good. That’s good for them and that’s good for all of our guys. Their energy and their ability to play with a lot of effort has really brought the energy level up on our defensive line. Guys know that if they continue to get better, they can get into the rotation and help us win.”

On the ongoing quarterback battle…

“There is no doubt that the two biggest things are Jameill’s extremely strong arm, extremely quick release and ability to throw balls into tight coverage. He’s got a cannon. He still has the ability to move around, and he’s strong. What is he, 215 pounds or something like that? Johnny is a guy who is a creator. He can throw it. I think he’s become a better passer in the last six or seven months. Since spring, he’s worked on his motion. He’s able to move around and extend plays to create some other offense. In the spring, that got him in trouble some, too. I think what he’s worked on is his ability to sit in there a little more and make good decisions.

“The key between those two guys will be decision making. Matt Joeckel has probably thrown some of the best deep balls of anyone in camp. He’s more of a pocket guy and he knows that. He’s a bigger guy and not a runaround guy who plays to his strengths. That’s probably why he’s such a great deep ball thrower, because he can sit in there and let it rip. All of them have their positives. Matt Davis is just young. A lot of things are happening for him. As a passer, he’s not where he needs to be, but as an athlete, he’s probably better than all of them. That’s saying a lot because those first two guys are pretty good athletes. His strong suit is that if it’s not there, he’s going to take off and make something happen. That’s a blessing and a curse for those guys.

“We’re happy that they are all here. They’re competing and helping each other and like I said, it will shake itself out here in the next week or so.”

Matt Wallerstedt

* He’s very pleased with the progression of his linebacker unit. They had a good summer. The guys are gaining more knowledge going through the system for the second time. More leadership and field awareness is also being developed. They know what the staff expects out of them now which has really helped them.

* The influx of new players has made the numbers at the linebacker spot much better. There are guys battling for positions with the young guys in the fold. The staff is taking a look at everybody, and everybody has a shot to get in the depth chart and help the team once the season begins.

* Sean Porter has done a great job all summer of pulling the new guys along and focusing on making the unit better as a whole. Jonathan Stewart is doing a nice job, and all of the guys who have been around for a little bit are as well. Steven Jenkins knows the system well and is a very smart football player. They are really helping the young guys which is pretty good thing.

* Donnie Baggs is off to a good start. His biggest place that needs work is just being consistent. He’s had some moments, but then he’ll fade a little bit. It’s just been kind of an up-and-down rollercoaster with him. He’s done some good things in camp and had a good summer. He came into camp in shape, so if he can continue to push forward and have a good camp then he is a guy that they are hoping will be in the mix once the season starts.

* There are some guys on the offensive side of the ball that can run out there. The offensive line is going to be very good. The defense is getting tested with the tempo as well as having to deal with some really good running backs and receivers. They are having to defend a bunch of different formations and situations.

* Sean Porter has put a lot on himself and has really stepped up. He knows that this is his last run and the light bulb has definitely come on. He stayed at A&M for a reason and wants to perform against the best competition in the country in order to get A&M jumpstarted in the SEC. He’s the one that has really been driving the entire defense and has been pushing everyone both on and off the field.

* He likes what he has seen so far from Jordan Richmond and Michael Richardson. Tyrell Taylor has some athleticism and some speed, and will continue to be evaluated by the coaching staff. He really likes the young guys and is looking forward to watching them progress as camp moves along.

Sean Porter

* Today I just got back into the swing of things. I've had a little nick in my hamstring. I've progressed a lot. I had a good day out there. We had some good energy on defense and we're having fun. I'm really getting used to the defense. I've been with Mark Snyder during the summertime, sat in on a few coaches' meetings with him and really got to get inside his head. It was good for me and I think I've got the defense down pretty well. Me and Jonathan Stewart out there together, it's good because we let everyone else know what's going on, and if they know then we're set already. It's good.

* It's fun to watch the youngsters. Like those guys. De'Vante Harris and Michael Richardson are fun to watch. Richardson is playing SAM behind me and he's really learned how to be a linebacker this fall camp. He's aggressive, he's an athlete and we can do something with him.

* The offense is getting better. Same thing I said with J-Stew and the defense, time more than anything will make it better. In the spring we were just learning the new systems more than anything. As we've learned and grown over the summer we've gotten through our playbook. The offensive guys have done a great job and Jameill Showers has done a good job as a leader over there. They'll be ready to go.

* It's very athletic in the linebacker room. I thought I was a good athlete but some of those guys can outmatch me. It's a good problem to have. There's a bunch of athletes like Shaun Ward, who's come into his own after some problems last year. He's playing well. Michael Richardson, Tyrell Taylor, Steven Jenkins is a great athlete, and Jonathan Stewart. We'll be good in that area.

Jonathan Stewart

* Very motivated. It's the last go around for the whole senior class. One good season and two mediocre ones, so it'd be great to win games in the first year of the SEC and get this program started off the way it needs to be.

* Bittersweet to start in Shreveport because it'd be better to start off in Kyle Field, but it's going to be a great opportunity for the whole team, playing on ESPNU and getting national exposure on a Thursday night. It'll be a great opportunity to play a good team. Tough test, but great opportunity.

* LA Tech will look like a Big 12 team, but not all SEC teams are straight power teams like Alabama and LSU. Florida opens it up a bit, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Ole Miss. Not every team is straight two-back, iso, power football. They'll spread you out. So going against that type of offense, like we go against every day, it won't be too tough against those types of teams.

* Behind me I see Shaun Ward. He's working real hard, trying to get better every single day. He's been improving every day. And Jordan Richmond. He's a young guy and getting a lot thrown at him every day, but he's starting to understand the defense. And Justin Bass is a smaller guy but he's real smart and he uses his football IQ and his intelligence to get there and make plays when he needs to.