Buckeyes Speak to the Media Ahead of the Trip to Wisconsin
10/15/2025 10:14:00 AM | Football
On having an attitude on the field
“They’re gritty, they’re competitive, they’re edgy. I tell those guys all the time, you bring me up every day because you bring the juice. It’s our job to work off of each other in this building. Caleb is the kind of man who makes it all happen, we all see what Caleb does on the field but a big part of Caleb’s success is that we have his presence on the field, communicating, and getting everybody on the same page. We're building this confidence around him.”
On long runs in the game
“I think we are continually trying to figure out how to put our guys in positions to be successful in those moments. We’re not designing a ton of plays. They just create explosive plays because we feel like we can be efficient.”
On room for improvement at the halfway point
“You know what I’m going to say, everywhere. I think for us in a day and age when it’s all about what’s new, what’s flashy, what’s exciting, what's the new thing, It’s the mundane daily tasks that we have to embrace on a daily basis. The same things over and over again.Like playing with great effort. It's not exciting, but we have to embrace those things and get back to work.
On Quincy and Mylan are developing more playing time
“They definitely make plays out there on the field. It’s just a matter of understanding the playbook and continuing to show us that they’re capable of doing that. Later on in the season we’re going to need those guys to step up, whether a guy goes down or we are up so much on a team that they have to go play.”
On growing as a leader
“I take a lot of pride in this because at the end of the day, the room is a reflection of us. No matter who’s out there in the (wide receiver) room, whatever they go out there and put on film or go out there and say is a reflection of what’s going on within the program. We all can take pride in that.
On messages to other teammates for the upcoming game
“We just have to treat it like each and every other game we do.Prepare for them (Wisconsin) like they’re top talent. We know they are hungry for a win, and from then on it’s just college football.”
When asked to describe the season he’s having
“We’re just doing what we have to do. Our coaches expect us to make the plays in the positions we're in, so at the end of the day, we’re just doing what we’re told and just doing it to the best of our ability. I wouldn’t say anything all that flashy, but I just feel like we’re doing our jobs at a high level right now.”
When asked about depth at the tight end position
“You said it perfectly. I think we’re deep. We could throw any one of us out there, and we know what we’re doing. We can get the job done. At the end of the day, we could all get the job done and we got that something special about us.”
When asked about how he feels about watching plays where everybody got their guy and handled their business
“It’s awesome. It’s better than scoring a touchdown, I'm telling you. No one will ever see that but in our room it's the coolest thing because so much goes into that.
On his relationship with Coach Patricia
“The first day he was here I had a conversation with him and our relationships been growing ever since. I love him and he loves me back. He really connects with us, and I think I can speak for the defense as a whole that when someone like that has a good relationship with you, you want to play for them.
On changes from the first game
“In game one I felt comfortable but my confidence is going up. I’m seeing the field a little bit bigger, and the games are slowing down for me.
When asked about what it means for him to go back to Wisconsin
“I’m excited to go and play with a lot more confidence than I had back then. I have a lot more trust in what we've got going on right now as an O-Line group and I have a lot of trust in our backfield so I’m excited to make it happen.”
On when he started to gain confidence
“I wouldn't really say that there was a specific time or something like that. Over time building my confidence through repetitions and being consistent.Whether it's calls or actions that we do on the field that kind of builds that confidence especially doing it consistently over time. Being in the position where I'm at now I obviously have a lot of room to grow, a lot to learn, and a lot more confidence to continue to have.
On Wisconsin's defense
“I think their defensive front is one of the best we've seen this year in terms of, their strategy. The way they play is just different and we have to be ready for that. They're not a bad front by any means. I would say that's a huge strength to their team right now and that's going to be something where I have to deal with which I'm super excited for.”
On his play so far this season
“I think I’m having a pretty good season. I’m doing things that I wouldn’t say I don’t like but (in my role) i'm just sacrificing for the team. I’m a team player first so I think this year is going well but I would like to do other things. I’ve talked to Coach P about it and he’s open to it.”
When asked how much he’s learned from Coach Patricia this year
“His IQ is very high. He's a guy that came from the NFL. It's great for me and it’s great for the other guys too. Personally, I’ve learned a lot from him. My football IQ has tremendously increased.”
On being a part of the No.1 defense in football
“We're just trying to do our job. We go out there, play fast, play physical, and play Buckeye football.”
