BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter sat down with head coach Gary Andersen. This is part one of the two part Q and A with the Beavers' head man.
In this edition, Andersen talks about the early spring session, position changes, impactful 2017 recruits, and much more. Come back on Wednesday to read part II of our interview with Andersen.
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How did you feel having the early spring session went for you and the team?
Andersen: “It was really because of the quarter (academic) system. I thought it was good; I liked it and I don’t see it really changing. Maybe tweak a bit, but going earlier is a big positive for us and I like what it is doing for us today. We are in week three of the winter/spring conditioning program and it’s will allowing us to build strength. This year it was good, and moving forward staying similar to where we were this year allows us to use the quarter system to our advantage.”
Can you speak on Joah Robinett’s position change and what went into that decision?
Andersen: “We recruited seven of those outside linebacker type bodies in the 2016 recruiting class, and we knew there would be a potential for a guy moving. Several kids had to come in and play last year unexpectedly, and (Robinett) was one of those. His ability to be able to grow and develop at a position of need (tight end) is big. The key thing is when you communicate with a young man is does he want to do it? It’s one thing for you to tell a kid to be a tight end and it’s another thing for him to accept and be excited about. He has gone through the process and realized this is a place where he can be productive. We need a guy at that position. We have three guys at the end of spring, and we don’t have a guy coming in that is going to be able to help us next year, and (Robinett) could be that guy potentially. He is very smart, intelligent, has good hands, is physical, and plays much stronger than he is right now. His mind is so sharp and so clear that he sees things on the field very quickly. I suspect it’s a move that is going to turn out well for the both of us.”
Can you speak on Mason Moran’s position change and what went into that decision?
Andersen: “We recruited (Moran) as a quarterback and you re-evaluate. What we always try to be honest with kids and let them know exactly what we think. The key spot to that is the buy in factor. What does the young man want to do? I don’t want kids walking into my office a year later and saying coach I wished you’d told me that a year ago. We gave him our true opinions of exactly what we think and where he’d be best utilized on our football team. The great thing for (Moran) in this situation is that he is all in. He was very excited about the opportunity.”
Of the 2017 recruits not named Isaiah Hodgins, who do you think can step in and make an impact?
Andersen: “If we look at the kids who are incoming, Kolby (Taylor) is a guy who’s been here through the spring and he’s healthy. We recruited him to come in and contest right away. We need couple of those receivers and he should have a hand up on them because he was here for spring. Austin Hudson should come in here and compete for a spot. He knows the system and understands the defense fairly well at safety and that could be a position where he comes in and contends, that is why we brought him here. The young receivers as a whole as well. We need those guys to step up and play, and it will make us all better. The JC offensive lineman too. Justin Sattelmaier is in school now and Clay Cordasco is coming in the summer. We need depth on the offensive line and potential starters on the offensive line. Onesimus Lutu-Clarke has proven to be very mature for his age as well. Trevorris Johnson is another guy who is coming in for a reason, because we need three really good running backs to be where we want to be.”
What are your thoughts on Craig Evans and can you give us some insight on your role in his recruitment?
Andersen: "Craig was someone that we recruited at Wisconsin, and he went through a tough process there. He went through the recruiting scenario and had to end up going to Michigan State and we thought we had him, and did have him, but it didn’t work out. We kept a relationship and when I found out he was at Arizona Western; I was excited. I reached out to him and his words were maybe things are just meant to be. He wanted to be here and wanted to be a part of this. I think it was great that I had the opportunity to help Craig along and hopefully it all works out in a positive scenario. I told him we’d be here for him, and had a chance to help him and so I felt like I needed to help him and did help him. It’s not like he’s a charity case. He’s a great player and was recruited by everyone in the country.”
Can you provide an update on Seth Collins?
Andersen: “Seth is doing great. The key thing with him is that we want him to be a great player when he gets back on the field. He’s in a very good spot right now. He’s a wide receiver who hasn’t played wide receiver; he’s a quarterback, obviously. He is completely bought in and excited and is showing the same energy and juice that he showed as quarterback for the wide receiver position. Now we are talking about transitioning to allow Seth to be a big time player. That timeframe we will see as it goes. Seth is the most important part of this puzzle and I want him to be a great student, a great player, and I expect him to continue to grow and develop to be both of those. He is a key part of this team and will be for years to come. Would it the best situation for Seth Collins to redshirt this season, absolutely.”
What is your take on the quarterback battle? What will one of the quarterbacks have to do in order to emerge as THE guy?
Andersen: “I think you said it best. Managing the game is vital. It’s a very solid spot to be in, to have three guys that you know can manage a football game at this level. Marcus McMaryion has done it here, Darell Garretson has done it here, so we will see how it all works out. They are all solid football players. Between the three guys there has to be a difference maker. When I say difference maker, it’s going to be the ability to make special plays. We went out and recruited a JC quarterback [Jake Luton] and recruited him for a reason. He has the opportunity to come in and start and play. That’s the same thing as Austin Hudson. We expect him to come in and contribute and to have an opportunity to play. It’s doesn’t mean he is going to play, but he is going to be given the opportunity to make some plays. I think all three handled spring well, but we have to have a quarterback in this league who can make special plays for you. That is going to be the true factor. I don’t expect them to be [Tom] Brady out there, but I do think we have to be able to get the ball out quickly. If you hold the ball for 2.5 seconds consistently, you’re probably holding it too long. Things could be a lot worse. We could have three guys who we don’t feel good about any of them and we could have a real problem. No doubt we have guys who have been here and played and have handled the situation. While Jake Luton hasn’t handled it here in this stadium, he’s played in some big time games against big time opponents with good football teams.”
Note: I didn’t ask Andersen directly about quarterback Conor Blount, but he mentioned Blount will hopefully redshirt this season to preserve depth for the future seasons.
"We would hopefully like to redshirt Conor (Blount)," Andersen said.
