Q: Reflect a little bit on camp the way that you saw the team kind of come together and get ready to play your version of Jack State football.
Charles Kelly: First of all, I think the players, and I've said this a few times, I think the players have worked very hard. I think they understand the importance of developing the right kind of habits, because habits are what you win with. It's not the way you want to play. It's the way you prepare to play, and that's what training camp is all about. Training camp is about building a tool box for what you need for an entire season. It's not necessarily a game plan for a specific team, you're trying to prepare to play the whole season. But I've been very, very pleased with our players on how they've gone about their business. We've had a lot of good days. We've had some days where we had to reassess some things. But that's part of growing up. And I think everybody knows, it's been noted that we have a lot of new players on our team. The one thing that I am proud of, I hear a lot of other coaches say, Well, you know, everybody in the locker room doesn't know everybody's name. That's not the case. I think our guys have done a good job of, you know, of getting to know each other and, you know, coming together as a team.
Q: You mentioned the number of new players that you have at 51 you're going against a roster of 70 new players kind of share the difficulties, or maybe the advantage of, kind of the unknown on both sides
Charles Kelly: I think in college football today, especially in the first game or two, that's usually what you know. It's just where we're at. You're going to have roster turnover. It wouldn't matter if I was the head coach, or Rich Rod was still here, there was still going to be a big turnover in the roster. Coach had a big turnover last year. You know it. You know it. There are some disadvantages, because you don't know exactly know what to expect. But then in the transfer portal world, we're all evaluating the same players. So, you know, we know a lot of the players that they got, we know what kind of players they are, what kind of talent they have, just from the evaluation side of it. From a schematic standpoint, I don't think it's a an advantage or disadvantage. I think coaches are pretty much creatures of nature. They are habit. They're going to do what they do. They're going to do what they've done to make themselves successful. So at the end of the day, you got to execute and play, and that's what it's going to be about.
Q: Could you go over what your quarterback picture looks like at this point?
Charles Kelly: Gavin has earned the starting spot, I will say that I'm very comfortable with all three quarterbacks, and I want to clarify that Gavin is our starting quarterback, but I feel comfortable with the three quarterbacks we have. I think our team is comfortable with that position. All of them have shown good leadership ability, the ability to move the team. But we feel like Gavin has done his part to earn the starting spot.
Q: Could you describe what kind of quarterback he is?
Charles Kelly: I think Gavin has a lot of attributes. He's a big guy, very athletic. Has a really strong arm. He can make every throw that you ask of him. He's also very athletic, very fast.]. So he is a threat to be able to take it down. He's a guy that you got to be able to honor, because when he gets rolling, he can move. But all those quarterbacks have escape ability in their own way. What I like about all of them is they bring us a little something different to the table,
Q: You've been in the business a long, long time, but this opener is a little bit different from any other for you. Have you had a chance to take a moment and think about the first game as a head coach?
Charles Kelly: I really haven't, because to me, this game is about the players. This game isn't about me. It's about two good programs playing each other. I mean, this is a huge challenge for us playing UCF. What Scott Frost has done in his career has has been, it speaks for itself, what he did at UCF the first time, and in my opinion, what he did at Nebraska. I mean, I've watched throughout the summer and all the way up until this point. I've watched about every game that Nebraska played. He was in some tight, tight games with Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin. I mean, he had that thing turned around and lost a bunch of games by single digits. So he's done an incredible job so that it's a huge challenge for us. And he's got a great coaching staff,I know a lot of the guys that are on his staff. Alex is a well known defensive coordinator, been very successful. Sean Clark is offensive line coach, one of the best head coaches at this level, at App State, and great offensive line coach. So it's a big challenge. So I'm thinking more about that than I am, you know, I'm trying to get our players prepared to play. That's my job. So that's kind of what I've been focusing on.
Q: These three guys--Why them and what have they meant to you getting started here in this program?
Charles Kelly: I mentioned Brock and Bubba, I think the first time I met with the team, and the first time I had a team meeting. I think those guys, they're kind of the heartbeat of what we wanted our team to look like what I just mentioned. They're fast, they're physical, they're tough, they're very disciplined, and they will compete. They will line up against anybody. So they kind of fit the mold of what we're looking for. I just believe that when you go out to get players, if that's what you want your team to look like, then you got to get people that are like that. I had opportunity to coach Trevor at Colorado. I think the most impressive thing that his teammates would tell about him, he didn't really get here until late spring, early summer, and didn't ask for anything. Didn't want anything special. He just came in here and played and they everybody on the team knows him and respects. He got voted on our Leadership Council this week. That wasn't me, that was the players, because I believe this the players, when it's a player run team, that's when you got a chance to be really good. I think these guys understand what it takes to win. They know the importance of it, and you know they they've been very good leaders. And you know better leadership you have the better team you're going to have.
Q: in just one year, gone from a freshman getting playing time to now, one of the veterans of your offensive line room kind of talk about the role that you've had in that room getting guys ready to play for Coach Trickett.
Bubba Grayson: I feel like everybody thinks or knows Trickett is a hard coach. It's just the mental aspect that you have to get all the guys on the same page and just push them and let them know, like if you do about what he says, and do the technique and things like that, then you'll be where you need to be, and you'll probably play for him. He keeps it real with you.
Q: Having been here so long and so familiar with this program, how easy was it for you to kind of move into that leadership role?
Brock Rechsteiner: I think it came naturally just being a senior and being a veteran in the group guys like me and pet being here for a while, you know, telling younger guys and the transfers just how it is, how you got to be and how to approach everything.
Q: Since you probably got some of the most experience. What is it like playing for Charles Kelly?
Trevor Woods: He's hard wired, he'll tell you exactly what he wants. If you do it, he's honest with you, you're gonna play, or you're not gonna play like you do what he says. And you'll have a chance.
