5 months ago
The Gator Bowl hosted a fireside chat Friday greeting pinch Eli Drinkwitz and Virginia caput coach Tony Elliott, opening pinch a talk betwixt nan 2 and a moderator earlier opening up to questions from nan press.
Here’s what Drinkwitz said astir nan matchup, who would play for nan Tigers against nan Cavaliers, and more:
- On what it intends to play successful nan Gator Bowl: “Last clip we were present was nan past clip that we hit Alabama, truthful it’s a important portion of our history and immoderate of nan accomplishments that we’ve had. Any clip you get an opportunity to play successful a vessel game, I deliberation it’s a really typical event. I said this connected nan property conference, vessel games are really defined by 2 things: nan location, number one, and evidently spending Christmas successful Jacksonville, I was astatine nan formation yesterday for nan first clip successful my life connected Christmas Day, and I thought, what an awesome acquisition that has been.”
- Continued: “And past nan 2nd 1 is simply a value opponent, and [Mizzou has] an opportunity to play against a really, really bully Virginia squad led by coach [Tony] Elliott; I mean, ACC Coach of nan Year, and they’re 1 thrust away, and I cognize he’s astir apt stewing complete that, but 1 thrust distant from being successful nan College Football Playoff. So it’s arsenic bully of an force arsenic you tin have. Our guys cognize that it’s going to return a batch to compete successful this game, and I deliberation immoderate clip you’re a competitor, you want to person a value opponent, truthful our guys are fresh and prepared.”
- Drinkwitz announced that Zion Young will play successful nan Gator Bowl. He besides said that nan remainder of nan team’s patient and disposable starters (which should see Cayden Green and Damon Wilson) should beryllium bully to play.
- Previewing nan matchup: “Obviously, pinch [Beau Pribula] who was penciled successful to beryllium nan starting backmost for america leaving, an opportunity for [Matt Zollers] to measurement up. That will beryllium a small spot of a situation for us, to spot really tin he acclimate. They do a tremendous occupation connected nan protect broadside of nan shot and nan backmost extremity pinch their secondary. It’s for illustration this violative feline told them to operation up each these coverages (seemingly alluding to Elliott); you’ve sewage nary thought what they’re doing successful nan backmost end. But it’s really going to beryllium spot connected spot for us; I deliberation their defense and our defense are astir apt nan point that we some thin on.”
- Continued: “And past offensively, some of america power nan timepiece and effort to move nan shot down nan section and return our shots erstwhile we can. We’re going to really person to trust connected Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy, those are our 2 moving backs, and past we’ve had immoderate wide receivers measurement distant too, truthful that gives an opportunity for Kevin Coleman and Donovan Olugbode to measurement up. It wouldn’t astonishment maine if it comes down to nan kicking game, because it’s specified an moreover matchup pinch discourtesy and defense.”
- Drinkwitz said nan squad prepped past week for illustration it was a normal crippled week earlier giving his players 3 days disconnected to spell home, past reunited successful Jacksonville for nan existent crippled week.
- On nan challenges of guiding players successful nan caller era: “These guys are still processing and maturing, and moreover though we’re paying them for illustration professionals, they’re not rather location yet. So we’ve sewage to locomotion them done those difficult things successful life.”
- Continued: “They’re each still making decisions, and because of nan spotlights, because of nan ESPN’s and each that, we can’t judge them excessively harshly. We person to correct them, and we’ve sewage to mold them, we’ve sewage to usage discipline; but we’ve sewage to support helping them move on and make judge that these choices don’t person to specify them forever. And I deliberation that’s really been thing successful nan past 3 years for us, is that arsenic nan shape and nan lights and nan money’s gotten bigger, nan improvement of these young men is still a priority. That’s really what we sewage into for, and it has turned into a business model, but we can’t beryllium truthful business-minded that we hide astir that.”
- On nan opportunities provided by having immoderate players out: “With nan redshirt norm not applying, you’re going to get to see, for us, immoderate freshman tally down connected kickoffs and connected typical teams, and get an opportunity to play and create nan bottommost half of your roster. And that’s really what these practices person been each astir for us, truthful it’s a awesome situation. We wish those guys good that moved on, but really it’s astir our squad now moving forward. And that’s what we’re focused on.”
- On his players utilizing NIL to springiness backmost to nan community: “There’s a batch of really bully stories pinch NIL. A batch of car dealers person gotten rich | disconnected trading cars, and past we’ve been capable to springiness backmost to nan community. So it’s nan gift that keeps connected giving twelvemonth round.
- On nan team’s leader that doesn’t get talked astir enough: “Probably for us, Jalen Catalon. He was a transportation from UNLV, plays information for us, has rotated rather a spot successful nan secondary but is conscionable a steady, accordant hand. Carries nan connection of nan coaching unit from nan squad room to nan locker room, which I deliberation is very important, and he’s conscionable been consistent. Even done nan transitions of nan vessel crippled and players playing, not playing, he’s been consistent: rallying nan troops, making judge we person nan correct benignant of tone and power astatine practice.”
- On nan thought of a “developmental fee” paid to smaller schools erstwhile a powerfulness convention squad gets a transfer: “There would beryllium nary NFL if location wasn’t assemblage football, truthful arsenic soon arsenic they commencement paying us, past I deliberation that’s thing that would happen. But it’s gonna person to commencement astatine nan top-down.”
