Spring Day 12: Sumlin wraps up with NFL Draft, Spring Game

On being on the NFL Network for the draft…

“Oh, you guys found out about that, huh? I think it’ll be interesting. I’ve never been. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Radio City Music Hall, to be honest with you. I walked by it. Just to be there and, in particular, be around really great players — but also a player that was a part of your program and a family — you feel like you’ve been through a lot of the same stuff together.

“Hopefully, it’ll be a great experience for everybody. Coach (B.J.) Anderson is going to be up there too. I think the Joeckels have asked him to come too. That’s really a special deal. Just to see what’s going to happen and to be there will be pretty exciting.”

On his trip being another way to get Texas A&M’s name out there on a national level…

“I don’t know what they’re going to ask me. I guarantee you we’ll talk about Texas A&M more than we talk about anybody else’s players. It’ll be interesting. I was really fortunate those guys called and wanted me to come up there. We’re just going to be there the first day. I think there’s three or four other coaches who will be there through the weekend, but I’m only going to be there the first day.”

On what it would mean to him if Joeckel were to go number one overall…

“It’ll be a big deal for him. All things point to: whatever happens, I don’t think I’m going to be sitting there all night Thursday night. I made a joke to him and Coach Anderson, I said, ‘Hey, let’s make this thing as early as possible, so we can go out and celebrate a little bit.’ That’s kind of the plan, but who knows. It’s not up to you.

“We talk all time in recruiting, when you’re recruiting a high school prospect, it really may be the last time you have the ability to pick the team you want to play for. That’s why it’s a big decision. Now, basically, you do the best you can, all the interviews will be done, all the visits. It’s out of your hands at this point. I think whatever happens, all things point to it’s going to be a happy time for him and his family. I’m just happy that we were invited to be part of it.”

On whether he will be surprised if Joeckel is not the first player taken…

“Nothing surprises me. It’s like anything else, there’s people we recruit that nobody else wants, and there’s people that everybody wants that we won’t recruit. It all has to do with your needs and everything else. I really don’t even know who the first pick is, so I better study that before I get there, huh? I have my own problems.

“After Saturday, I’ll look at it. It gets down to needs; it gets down to a lot of things. People get traded as the first pick. Pro football is a very, very different game. Some people draft for what they need, some people draft value, some people draft because they know they’re going to get rid of the pick. I couldn’t tell you what’s going to happen with the first pick in the draft.”

On being able to look at Joeckel and have a good idea what value he is…

“Yeah. I mean it all has to do with what’s out there. All the questions I’ve gotten, either from GMs, coaches, or anything like that, the phone conversations I’ve had is that you’re getting a really, really good, low maintenance player. Those are hard to find. Usually, the really, really good players come along with a little bit of attitude and everything else. He’s done a fine job. He’s still growing, he’s still maturing, he’s still going to get stronger.

“I don’t know that he even shaves yet. He’s been able to handle this league and play against some other players who are going to be in that green room with him, and they’ll either get called right with him or soon thereafter. I think what he’s done and what he’s accomplished over his career here, and in particular in the league we’ve played in, and who we played against, I think it’s solidified where he is and draft status. But like I said, nothing surprises me anymore.”

On what he gets out of a high draft pick in recruiting…

“More than a Heisman? Or more than a … let me just say this — there’s a lot of things that go along with a program, and as a program gets better, there are a lot of myths that are debunked. The fact that you could not win an Outland or a Heisman playing in this offense, that’s no longer the case. The fact that it’s going to be a first round ... just a matter of when. There are a lot of things that come along with certain activities and certain awards.

“People have asked me about our trajectory at this point. It’s not one single thing. There are a lot of factors that are helping our success right now in recruiting, and marketing, and a lot of things. Is it the change in what we’re doing offensively, defensively, the guys who bought into it? That’s part of it. Change to a new league? That’s part of it. Winning games in that league is a big part of it. Winning national awards is a big part of it. When you win, and you play in the league we play in, and you compete, and you can be a top-ten program.

“We talk all the time here that coaching matters, but players make a difference. To play at an elite level, you’ve got to have some really good players. Fortunately, a couple of guys are going to have an opportunity to be drafted, and, hopefully, that’s a trend we would like to see continue. That means that you got some good players. “

“I’m looking forward to Saturday. I bet the players are looking forward to it more than I’m looking forward to it, because it’s the end of spring practice. We’ve been at this for a while. The great thing about it is I think we’re going to have a large crowd, maybe as large a spring game crowd as we’ve ever had; with the addition of ESPN, they’re going to be here tomorrow, national television, it’ll be great for our guys.

“That’ll create enough energy in itself, instead of being just, ‘Hey, let’s roll the balls out and play a game.’ It’s hard to get guys motivated when it really doesn’t mean anything. For me, it’s one of the least stressful days because it’s a game I know we’re going to win, so I’m not real fired up about it. I’m just getting guys lined up.”

On whether they accomplished what they wanted to going into spring drills…

“I don’t know. We accomplished a lot. We got a lot of reps with some guys in the defensive front that we hadn’t gotten a lot. We had new players that we put in the mix. Ja'Quay Williams, I’m glad he got here early, because he needed it. The young linebackers out of high school, they were pushed into the fray. They’re going to play a bunch Saturday, so will Ja'Quay, so will Tommy (Sanders).

“Those are three guys, three linebackers, you might see on the field at the same time. Maybe not, because somebody’s got to get them lined up. They’re going to play a lot Saturday. That’s invaluable experience for them. Particularly, when we get Kirby and Julien and Jenkins back in the front. Mixing and matching the O-line has been pretty solid this spring, with moving Cedric to right tackle, and moving Germain as a redshirt freshman in at guard, and Mike Matthews.

“They’ve gotten a bunch of snaps together as a unit, which was a concern for a lot of people. Not as big as a concern for us, because those guys had practiced and prepared for games all last year. What we’ve got to do still coming in and going into the fall is: keep developing our front seven on defense, solidify our back end; we’ve got some talented guys that have moved to positions where we got more depth back there, find a backup offensive line, I think we’ve really found a starting five and have a couple of these young receivers come to the forefrontand figure out who’s going to be playing meaningful downs when they get here in June.

“The thing now is, with the summer bridge program, those guys will be here the first of June. That’s been a huge advantage, one of the biggest changes in college football. Those guys being able to be here June, July, strength and conditioning program, being around and being comfortable. The players organize 7-on-7’s and they’re around.

“When you get them in August, they’re in shape, they know what to expect, they’re not intimidated so much by the other guys because they’ve been around them, and they have some idea what to do because they’ve been out here hanging out with the quarterbacks and the other receivers. It’s been a huge advantage for a lot of people, but I think that’s why you see so many true freshmen playing now.”

On which player he thinks has made the biggest strides this spring…

“I don’t know. You've got to say Germain Ifedi because he didn’t play, then he’s had to be starting as of right now. It’s harder to make any bigger stride than not playing at all and starting. From a production standpoint, we’ve had guys make strides. He traveled all the time, but we redshirted him, didn’t use his redshirt last year, and he’s continued to get better every day. Here’s a guy who has cut his weight down to 315, which is what we’re talking about.

“Now, we've got a guy who is a very good athlete. Now, he’s learning, he’s growing up, he’s understanding where he can play to be athletic, that football is not just the biggest guy out there. My weight, my conditioning, my stamina, what I eat, my strength level is important. He’s growing up a bunch and he’s growing up very quickly, because I think he was able to be on the sidelines and see the intensity level that it takes to play football at this level, particularly in a line-of-scrimmage league, like the SEC.”

On the progress of Mike Matthews…

“Yeah, but you know, Mike played last year. We made the decision to travel and play him, so that he wouldn’t be a completely green center coming in. Mike was in games, he traveled, he was one snap away if something happened to Pat. The way the season played out last year, he played a lot. He’s a lot more comfortable starting off in the spring than Germain Ifedi was, who hadn’t played at all. Mike has continued to come one. The big thing about a center is, just like Pat, the biggest compliment you can give a center, which is a bad one, is you don’t notice them. If the snaps are good, and the protection is targeted good, and there’s no one running up the middle of the field, then your center is doing a heck of a job. That’s what I can say about Pat Lewis. Is Mike there yet? No, but he’s making the right… he’s on the right path, I’ll put it that way.”