Coach Bailey & TEs Talk Fall Camp
8/16/2023 1:00:00 PM | General, Football
On what he looks for when recruiting tight ends:
“I want to go find the best tight ends in the country out of high school. I want to bring them in. I want to develop the heck out of them and I want them on the field as fast as they can get on the field. That's my job. Now, you have to have a realistic expectation to handle all of the jobs at Ohio State because it’s very challenging. This is an NFL offense so just being honest with them up front during recruitment is important.”
Do you feel like you've got guys that are up to the challenge? Would you feel comfortable putting two or three guys on the field?
“Yeah, I do. I think we do these summer workouts and Coach Mick ranks guys as far as gold, which is the top tier. Those are guys that we want to hit all our goals. We need those guys to rely on and I have four in my room. So we've got guys I think I can rely on in all capacities.”
On how much Cade Stover played last year
“He averaged 58 snaps a game and thats with our blowout that he didn't play in the second half. That's an absurd number for a guy to go 4 to 6, A to B for 50 snaps a game. So if we can take a number of snaps and divvy that up then we've got enough depth that I could put guys out there to spell them. Cade deserves it and this team needs Cade at his best later in the year.”
On going against guys like Denzel Burke in practice everyday
“They’re good players. Any time you can go up against guys who are the best in the country at their position you always feel comfortable about what you can do on Saturdays.”
On fellow tight end and teammate Joe Royer
“Joe is the gel of the room. He always has a smile on his face, he's super happy, a really good culture guy, and a super good athlete too. He’ll be really good for us.”
On Coach Bailey helping him be comfortable being uncomfortable
“Coach Bailey does a really good job at making me feel there is stuff I’m good at and stuff I can do at a high rate and high consistency. I’m doing things I’ve never done before. I’m running way more one-on-one's with the safeties. Up until this year I had never done that before.”
On his relationship with Coach Bailey
“We spend more time with each other now. Before he was our coach I spent the most time with him outside this place. He's super smart and a super good guy. He's a guy you want to go to bat for no matter what and that’s definitely never going to change.”
On what he has done improve himself
“I took the mindset of approaching each day one at a time and winning that day. You can look back over time and say wow, I’ve really built something.”
On improving physically and mentally this summer
“The same way I’ve strengthened my mind as far as understanding the playbook and understanding the things that I do – The same way I’ve strengthened my faith…I’ve strengthened my body in the same way by showing up day in and day out. And the goal is to have them all become one.”
On recently graduating from Ohio State
“It might be different if I was done with school but I’m going to stay here and continue school. It’s a cool achievement, no one can ever take that away from me regardless of what happens.”
On how gaining weight this offseason has helped him as a blocker
“I never really realized how much 10 pounds could make a difference, but I feel it. I feel stronger in my legs being able to drive and move guys. It’s definitely helping.”
On teammate Cade Stover
“There’s not a better guy than Cade, not a better role model for younger guys and still me. I look up to him in many ways. He’s the hardest worker on the team, does everything right. If you want to have a chance of playing football and being successful, just look at what he does and try to mimic it.”
On playing in last year's College Football Playoff semifinal vs. Georgia
“It was a surreal moment. It was a lot of fun. I've been doing this ever since I was a little kid, so I necessarily don't get nervous when I'm playing football, but there were a couple of times where I was like, ‘all right, just calm down, get the signal, do your job as best as you can.’”
On how his background playing receiver has helped him as a tight end
“I basically played kind of what Marvin plays right now. I was always split out wide and I'd jump inside in the slot as well doing various things. It kind of gave me an advantage coming up here receiving wise because l've been doing it for years. Obviously I had to work on the blocking thing, but I feel like I can add value downfield making plays and stretching the field for our offense.”
