Colorado Buffaloes College Football Pregame Quote, 08/29/2023

On If He Has Any Pause Regarding The Offensive Line:

Define pause for me. I never feel pressure. We apply pressure. I would like to feel really good ‚Äì I feel good about protecting “2” [QB Shedeur Sanders]. You protect “2” [and] give him a clean pocket, there’s going to be some problems.

On His Impressions Of TCU:

First of all, great coaching. Great coaching. Great Staff. They did the unthinkable last year and I’m proud of them. You know residing there in Texas for quite some time. They lost a lot of men that really ‚Äì good football players. They replaced them with pretty good football players. One thing about that team and their Head Coach [Sonny Dykes], they will be prepared. They will be fundamentally sound. They will come emotional ‚Äì play with emotions. Trying to [set the] tone for last season the way that ended. But man, this team is a good football team. I’m happy with our opponent and I can’t wait to see how we stand up to the challenge.

On G Tyler Brown Being Ruled Ineligible By The NCAA:

Yeah, that hurt. That hurt tremendously. He’s a kid that is dear to me ‚Äì like a darn son to me. This is one of those moments where one side of me is saying ‘Shut up Coach’ and the other one [is] saying ‘Go get it.’. I’m gonna go get it.

Tyler Brown is a wonderful kid but he deals with a lot of issues inside and he’s seeing specialists and seeing people to really deal with these issues and calm these things down. I’m very privy to him. He was in my Thursday group that I spoke to ‚Äì every Thursday a group of young men were there at Jackson with me last year.

It doesn’t make sense. Some things just don’t make these. You say you really care about mental health but when you have someone really dealing with mental health, there’s a problem. And then, ostracizing him and not allowing him to do what he’s blessed and gifted to do and the thing that presents him peace. That’s trying for a young man. He’s not the only one [dealing with this]. There’s a plethora of people around the country [having this problem].

I think this was the year that they said no to darn near everybody. But Tyler Brown ‚Äì I wish they could review that and really understand that. I wish you could see ‚Äì I think he made a video that was sent to the NCAA. I want you guys to get that video. Please, do that for me. Watch it and tell me how you can say no to this kid. Did some of you see it? Okay. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? It’s like wow, do you really care or are you just saying you care? Do you [only] care when it’s convenient or profitable?

On The Heat In Texas:

It’s kind of hot here too a little bit. Heat is heat man. I think a lot of kids dealing with the altitude here has been tremendous as well. I think we’re going to be okay. I don’t think we’re gonna be okay ‚Äì we’re gonna be okay. We’re putting them in pressure situations. We’ve stopped practice midway through on a couple occasions and had them run several sprints [and] then continue practice to make sure they understand the fatigue level and don’t give into it mentally. Once you give into anything in life mentally, you are going to fail.

On Foolishness And The Tone Of The Lockerroom:

I don’t know what too tight or too loose means, but foolishness means ‚Äì jumping off sides, the stupid stuff. Just the self-inflicted type of wounds that teams deal with. Practice-wise, these guys have been getting after it. I’m proud of them. They’ve been working their butts off and they’ve challenged one another to do so as such. Our morning message this morning really wasn’t me talking at them but it was them telling me what they need to do to be dominate in this game. Everything they said we wrote on the board and we said ‘Okay go out to practice and do it.” Don’t wait until Saturday to do it, do it now. I’m happy with our young men, I really am.

On Alton McCaskill:

‚ÄúHe tried to fight me the other day to get that [non-contact] jersey off of him and he wants that jersey off of him. But he just started hitting it like he just started moving and cutting and the body lean and you can see a tremendous difference in week to week. I told him personally, we’re in it for the long haul, we’re not in it for the sprint although we like to win, win, win and we will win, win, win in due time. But we just want to make sure he’s okay and not just throw him out there in the fire and he’s not prepared because when he plays we want him to be the guy that he was.

On The Running Backs Room:

Sy’veon (Wilkerson) as well now. I mean, all these guys, I think Sy,veon had 1,000 last year Dylan’s the only one waiting to happen. Shoot, with that running back room I’m sleeping real well. I get a great night’s sleep when it’s concerning that room. That room is really talented and (Coach) Flea’s doing a great job coaching and leading that room.

On The Spotlight, The Moment:

Well, they came here because they wanted it. They came here because they wanted the light. They wanted the smoke. They wanted the attention. They wanted the focus. They wanted the love. But, also, you got to understand there’s the opposite of that as well that you got to be willing to accept when you want and desire those things. These kids are ready, we prepare them not just athletically, we prepare them mentally for things and challenges that are going to happen in life as well. So I like what I see on a daily basis. I really do. As a matter of fact, I love these kids. I really do.

On Coaching The WHOLE Student-Athlete:

Well, I’m not only coaching their mental, their physical as well as their spiritual, and just trying to guide them to their financials as well. So if you’re just coaching football, you’re missing it. If you’re just leading these kids down the football path, you’re gonna miss 98% of your locker room because it’s bigger than that. It’s bigger than that. And we tell these parents all the time, you send us a boy, we’re gonna send you back a man and that has nothing to do with football. It has everything to do with the mental, social, spiritual, economical, all these different facets of life. Educational as well, they just started school yesterday, we want them to be dominant in the classrooms as well.

On The Kickers:

It’s really good. We have three guys that, field goal wise, I think whatever way I feel. But you got to understand this guy may be better on this hash, this guy may be better on that hash, this guy may be better this distance, this guy may be better with this pressure. You know, you got to see that and feel that. Punting wise that’s a no brainer. Long snap wise, there have been battles that I think are in almost every position that we have. But these guys are really competing against one another. I’m happy with the specialists that we offer. I really am.

On His Mentality Ahead Of TCU:

I know it may seem like it, but it’s not about me. And you’re talking about a big stage. I got to play in the Super Bowl and the World Series. I’m good. I’m good. I’m straight. This is about the kids, man. I want them to go out there and maximize the moment and take advantage of the exposure and the light that they have. And I feel like they will 100%.

On Shedeur Sanders’ Protection:

I don’t know if you’ve ever watched him play, but the kid makes really good decisions. That’s one of the biggest assets that he has. He makes good decisions. He protects the ball. He does check the defense and gets us in the play that we need to run, he changes that. We have a tremendous offensive staff that’s going to make sure they signal in the right thing for him so he won’t have to make those adjustments but if he has to he will. But the kid makes plays. I don’t know if you watch practice, but we have some receivers that can really do it. We have some running backs that can really do it. We got an offense that I’m proud of. I’m not shy by any means. I’m proud of their potential.

On The Cornerback Position Opposite Travis Hunter:

We have a couple guys, (Omarion) Cooper and (Carter) Stoudemire guys who are going to be fighting. It’s going to go right down to the end. It may go down to see who gets off that bus first, that’s how tight it is right now. We are comfortable with both of their productions but just aren’t sure yet who is going to get the nod.

On The Star Position:

(Myles) Slusher should be that guy. He’s got experience, not shy by any means, he challenges his receivers and is physical in the run. Doesn’t make a lot of mental mistakes, the kid can play and he’s been playing well since he arrived.

On The Defensive Line:

I’m happy with what I see. We got some guys I feel will end up in double-digit sacks. Couple guys from the outside, the guys on the inside, Shane Cokes I feel is a pro. We have a distinct rotation on the inside that will keep them fresh and I think we have one of the best coaches in college football in Sal (Sunseri). We just happen to have a Hall of Famer drop in and deposit some nuggets when he’s getting treatment in the hot tub. He had a hot tub session yesterday with the D-line yesterday and it was unbelievable. Just hilarious to see Warren Sapp getting treatment and some of the guys saw him in October. So they wanted to join him and glean some of that Hall of Fame gold.

On Not Wearing The Boot On His Foot:

‚ÄúGreat insight, the boot was actually hurting me today. It was compressing me today and it hurt me, so I sent up for my shoe and actually felt better than the boot. I hope that’s God’s way of telling me to abandon the boot. I only wore the boot on the practice field so I could move around quicker. I pray so that’s the goal, that’s the goal to be able to lead those young men out there.

On Having NFL Hall of Famers At Practice:

I don’t man, I don’t talk to him about it, they’re elated. I checked a couple of them, because I’m old school. Like Mike Irvin and I were in the cafeteria and the receivers walked by and I said hold on, hold on you know who this is? You don’t walk by a Hall of Famer playing your position at receiver and don’t speak. I don’t know what this generation does but we don’t do that. Where I come from we don’t do that, there’s no way I would walk by some of those guys that made it possible for me to command the salary that I commanded. So they stopped and gave him his love and respect but the defensive linemen they had been ecstatic over Mr. Sapp just being here. They really were.

On Being A Florida State ‘Nole And Having Hall of Famers From Miami At Practice:

No, no, no, do you know where I graduated from? ‘Talledega College’ Yeah, she didn’t know that. I graduated from an HBCU, why do you keep calling me that (a ‘Nole)? I’m an HBCU grad. You got to understand that all of us grew up together. All of us played high school football together, all of us. We competed, me and playmaker competed against each other in college. We always had love for another, he was the reason I went to the Cowboys.

That’s the Florida boys. It’s the Florida connection, it’s unbelievable. The whole world had odds with Florida and Florida State. My best friend Richard Frank came here to speak to the whole team about finances, financial literacy and all of that. He went to the University of Florida, we played together in high school. He’s the one that nicknamed me Prime Time. So we’ve had more people than you reported on come and just pour into the young men. But great insight, Talledega, that’s where I graduated from.