BOB SHOOP
Jatorian Hansford is like signing a veteran DE like the Tampa Bucs, he has SEC experience, and he is a pro and he is hard on himself and he is everything we’ve hoped for, he is a tremendous asset for us and been a leader by example.
Aamaris Bown has been one of our most consistent performers, he has played CB and NB and he is a good blitzer, cover and tacklers and he plays with good technique and fundamentals. He comes from K-State and is a local guy and he brings a maturity to us and the passion he brings every day is great, he has improved us at CB.
DJ is a monster, if you haven’t met him, he looks like a pro football player, he played on a top 10 defense at Minnesota, him Boyles and Grier give us a formidable group at LB and Ernie is bringing him along. He is see ball, get ball and hit. The football strategy and being a MIKE LB setting things up is still coming to him. Several of the guys, we have upper-level AAC LB play.
I read Smoke’s thing to say where we need to play aggressive, when we are communicating and playing clean we can be a problem. I put on the film from last year, if wouldn’t think it was as bad as it was. We have some talent and some guys who are really good football players and ppl need to understand that. When we get aligned and play and hunt we can be really good. When we get tired we get a little sloppy and when we do that we look really bad, we need to minimize that, play clean. The aggressiveness is on me calling the game, having been 10 days into spring ball I’m amazed at how they’ve worked hard and learned the package. We’ve learned a lot in 10 practices and I’m impressed with the Covid Srs, they’ve provided a lot of leadership for us.
When I got the job I had a 30 minute meeting with each player and hear their journey and how they became a USF Bull, their process and how they end up here, it is a fresh start and clean slate. For some guys it is a fresh start, if you are a 5th year or a walk-on, it doesn’t matter Football is a Meritocracy the best play. The work D’Quan has done up front, the work Ernie does at LB and the work in the secondary with George and what we are doing.
A school like USF with a great head coach in Jeff Scott, great facilities and great leadership and location, this is a school that can really use the portal to its advantage. DJ is a kid who went away and realized he made a mistake, Pinder, Aamaris Brown, go down the line, we’ve used it to our advantage. Five years ago a kid in the portal you call their coach to find out if they are a bad apple, now kids have an avenue if they are not happy with the school, their role a coaching change, they have a course of action. We need to take advantage of that, I don’t like particularly but it is something we have to use.
On Byron Matos, It is one of those things we joked he has to get off the bus first, he has handled whatever happened with the basketball program the right way, when he is out on the field and one of us, we are starting with a novice and has a skill set that demonstrates he could be good at this, he has the want to. Through three practices he has been extremely focused and worked hard, the amount of football we have in and how much he can execute, we don’t have to have him game ready, if he can give us 5-10 snaps and we line him up to block FGs, we might have something. If he works at it, he has a chance, but he is trying on a helmet and pads for the first time last week in his life.
We are building, to me we need to be the total of small little gains, we don’t need to make huge gains every day, just a little better every day. I’ve talked to our guys about core values and defensive unit, integrity, passion, toughness required to play football and live right and lastly team first mindset, understand your role and responsibilities. We have a DL coach and LB coach that played a combined 15 years in the NFL and a coach like George with his experience and QCs and staff that have bought in to the one voice concept, we have a long way to go and we are on schedule.
I’m amazed at the football IQ of the players and we are demanding a great deal from them and every step of the way they’ve been up to the challenge, there have been some letdowns, but we are throwing a lot of football to them, we’ve had two solid scrimmages and then one more this weekend and then the spring game. I’ve been doing this a long time, last Saturday’s scrimmage was as competitive a scrimmage as I’ve been a part of him. If you closed your eyes you’d hear the pads popping. Coach jumped us after practice, they left everything they had on the field on Saturday, this is a tough game, with that type of intensity that is why you play once a week. We couldn’t replicate it today in practice, that vision of coach Scott and Travis’ work with the offense there is a bright future.
Installing, we’ve installed the majority of the package, getting them comfortable with how to do it is different, each day is a different install we put in man-free blitzes or zone blitzes and the next day you install something else so you have to review that and install the new things. Our guys are grasping the concepts and recognizing the plays and concepts and from the offense as well. The execution isn’t there yet, I get frustrated at a times, but we don’t have to be game ready until Sept. 4th and I have to temper my expectations at times because they are learning something new. The leadership of the older players is off the charts.
JATORIAN HANSFORD
They were pushing to get me down here and no other team was trying to do that. It is beautiful weather it is my habitat.
Football is football, I’m not the guy coming not willing to learn, I can learn from my teammates as well. So that is how I’m approaching that.
I’m kind of more aggressive off the line, I would say I’m like a pass rusher, but I’m willing to do anything play inside or four-tech, but I’m really a DE, if I have to remind myself of the type of player I’m Khalil Mack-type.
I honestly try to lead by example, I use my words as well, but I lead by example and be the best version of me, I compete with my teammates and I compete with myself. I watch film every day to get better.
I feel like coach Shoop has the defense running he is putting me in the best position to be successful and help the team, this is my 4th or 5th year, I have a little experience, but he is putting me in the right position to be in.
AAMARIS BROWN
My main goal was to be close to my mom, in Kansas, I was not close enough to my loved ones so that is why I decided to come back home.
What I expected was like HS but different and when I got to K-State, it was a lot more than being an athlete and there was a lot off the field I had to do. Coming here, I realized I needed to be more mature and I was not as mature as I am now, I made some bad decisions at K-State. The transition, it was pretty smooth, I had a lot to get used to, the different the organization was run differently than here.
Shoop is my guy and he understood why I left K-State and why I came here and he knows that type of ability I have, it started from there and grew
I like playing CB, NB or S, I like how things are going and being at CB, before I left K-State I moved to CB due to an injury at CB, I just started where I left off, I love what coach Shoop is doing and when we put in third-down packages I play some NB, I told him I am willing to and can.
DJ GORDON
I decided to come back home because I liked what coach Scott has going on and I love the warm weather so that is why I decided to come home. My mindset to go to Minnesota was to start fresh where no LBs are known and go somewhere I’ve never been far from home, things we not what they said it would be and coach Scott and coach Sims haven’t lied to me yet and that is great.
I’m playing MIKE and I’m very aggressive and fast and I control things on D.
I like playing I’ve played MIKE since I got to college and I love setting things up for my teammates.
The bonding has been great and the chemistry has been building more and more and the coaches are adding more on to that.
I’m excited to put on for my city and I know a lot of these guys from HS and playing with boys I love and putting it on for our city, it has been a lot of fun.
I don’t Minnesota weather, if you want to experience the cold, if you are not into cold don’t go there or stay there.
It has been good learning the defense, it is a keep grinding, you have to keep your faith and keep pushing every day, you ask coach any questions and play as fast as you know how.
DJ stands for Dank Jr. my dad’s nickname was Dank and I’m Dank Jr. that is what DJ stands for.
I am very aggressive in the things I do and I like hitting, off the field I’m a calm chill guy, but on the field I tap into a different me.
Jatorian Hansford is like signing a veteran DE like the Tampa Bucs, he has SEC experience, and he is a pro and he is hard on himself and he is everything we’ve hoped for, he is a tremendous asset for us and been a leader by example.
Aamaris Bown has been one of our most consistent performers, he has played CB and NB and he is a good blitzer, cover and tacklers and he plays with good technique and fundamentals. He comes from K-State and is a local guy and he brings a maturity to us and the passion he brings every day is great, he has improved us at CB.
DJ is a monster, if you haven’t met him, he looks like a pro football player, he played on a top 10 defense at Minnesota, him Boyles and Grier give us a formidable group at LB and Ernie is bringing him along. He is see ball, get ball and hit. The football strategy and being a MIKE LB setting things up is still coming to him. Several of the guys, we have upper-level AAC LB play.
I read Smoke’s thing to say where we need to play aggressive, when we are communicating and playing clean we can be a problem. I put on the film from last year, if wouldn’t think it was as bad as it was. We have some talent and some guys who are really good football players and ppl need to understand that. When we get aligned and play and hunt we can be really good. When we get tired we get a little sloppy and when we do that we look really bad, we need to minimize that, play clean. The aggressiveness is on me calling the game, having been 10 days into spring ball I’m amazed at how they’ve worked hard and learned the package. We’ve learned a lot in 10 practices and I’m impressed with the Covid Srs, they’ve provided a lot of leadership for us.
When I got the job I had a 30 minute meeting with each player and hear their journey and how they became a USF Bull, their process and how they end up here, it is a fresh start and clean slate. For some guys it is a fresh start, if you are a 5th year or a walk-on, it doesn’t matter Football is a Meritocracy the best play. The work D’Quan has done up front, the work Ernie does at LB and the work in the secondary with George and what we are doing.
A school like USF with a great head coach in Jeff Scott, great facilities and great leadership and location, this is a school that can really use the portal to its advantage. DJ is a kid who went away and realized he made a mistake, Pinder, Aamaris Brown, go down the line, we’ve used it to our advantage. Five years ago a kid in the portal you call their coach to find out if they are a bad apple, now kids have an avenue if they are not happy with the school, their role a coaching change, they have a course of action. We need to take advantage of that, I don’t like particularly but it is something we have to use.
On Byron Matos, It is one of those things we joked he has to get off the bus first, he has handled whatever happened with the basketball program the right way, when he is out on the field and one of us, we are starting with a novice and has a skill set that demonstrates he could be good at this, he has the want to. Through three practices he has been extremely focused and worked hard, the amount of football we have in and how much he can execute, we don’t have to have him game ready, if he can give us 5-10 snaps and we line him up to block FGs, we might have something. If he works at it, he has a chance, but he is trying on a helmet and pads for the first time last week in his life.
We are building, to me we need to be the total of small little gains, we don’t need to make huge gains every day, just a little better every day. I’ve talked to our guys about core values and defensive unit, integrity, passion, toughness required to play football and live right and lastly team first mindset, understand your role and responsibilities. We have a DL coach and LB coach that played a combined 15 years in the NFL and a coach like George with his experience and QCs and staff that have bought in to the one voice concept, we have a long way to go and we are on schedule.
I’m amazed at the football IQ of the players and we are demanding a great deal from them and every step of the way they’ve been up to the challenge, there have been some letdowns, but we are throwing a lot of football to them, we’ve had two solid scrimmages and then one more this weekend and then the spring game. I’ve been doing this a long time, last Saturday’s scrimmage was as competitive a scrimmage as I’ve been a part of him. If you closed your eyes you’d hear the pads popping. Coach jumped us after practice, they left everything they had on the field on Saturday, this is a tough game, with that type of intensity that is why you play once a week. We couldn’t replicate it today in practice, that vision of coach Scott and Travis’ work with the offense there is a bright future.
Installing, we’ve installed the majority of the package, getting them comfortable with how to do it is different, each day is a different install we put in man-free blitzes or zone blitzes and the next day you install something else so you have to review that and install the new things. Our guys are grasping the concepts and recognizing the plays and concepts and from the offense as well. The execution isn’t there yet, I get frustrated at a times, but we don’t have to be game ready until Sept. 4th and I have to temper my expectations at times because they are learning something new. The leadership of the older players is off the charts.
JATORIAN HANSFORD
They were pushing to get me down here and no other team was trying to do that. It is beautiful weather it is my habitat.
Football is football, I’m not the guy coming not willing to learn, I can learn from my teammates as well. So that is how I’m approaching that.
I’m kind of more aggressive off the line, I would say I’m like a pass rusher, but I’m willing to do anything play inside or four-tech, but I’m really a DE, if I have to remind myself of the type of player I’m Khalil Mack-type.
I honestly try to lead by example, I use my words as well, but I lead by example and be the best version of me, I compete with my teammates and I compete with myself. I watch film every day to get better.
I feel like coach Shoop has the defense running he is putting me in the best position to be successful and help the team, this is my 4th or 5th year, I have a little experience, but he is putting me in the right position to be in.
AAMARIS BROWN
My main goal was to be close to my mom, in Kansas, I was not close enough to my loved ones so that is why I decided to come back home.
What I expected was like HS but different and when I got to K-State, it was a lot more than being an athlete and there was a lot off the field I had to do. Coming here, I realized I needed to be more mature and I was not as mature as I am now, I made some bad decisions at K-State. The transition, it was pretty smooth, I had a lot to get used to, the different the organization was run differently than here.
Shoop is my guy and he understood why I left K-State and why I came here and he knows that type of ability I have, it started from there and grew
I like playing CB, NB or S, I like how things are going and being at CB, before I left K-State I moved to CB due to an injury at CB, I just started where I left off, I love what coach Shoop is doing and when we put in third-down packages I play some NB, I told him I am willing to and can.
DJ GORDON
I decided to come back home because I liked what coach Scott has going on and I love the warm weather so that is why I decided to come home. My mindset to go to Minnesota was to start fresh where no LBs are known and go somewhere I’ve never been far from home, things we not what they said it would be and coach Scott and coach Sims haven’t lied to me yet and that is great.
I’m playing MIKE and I’m very aggressive and fast and I control things on D.
I like playing I’ve played MIKE since I got to college and I love setting things up for my teammates.
The bonding has been great and the chemistry has been building more and more and the coaches are adding more on to that.
I’m excited to put on for my city and I know a lot of these guys from HS and playing with boys I love and putting it on for our city, it has been a lot of fun.
I don’t Minnesota weather, if you want to experience the cold, if you are not into cold don’t go there or stay there.
It has been good learning the defense, it is a keep grinding, you have to keep your faith and keep pushing every day, you ask coach any questions and play as fast as you know how.
DJ stands for Dank Jr. my dad’s nickname was Dank and I’m Dank Jr. that is what DJ stands for.
I am very aggressive in the things I do and I like hitting, off the field I’m a calm chill guy, but on the field I tap into a different me.
