Pop quiz: What running back is best at catching passes out of the backfield?

Assistant coach (defensive coordinator/linebackers) Tony Gibson

On how good of a problem it is to have backups that are capable of starting
It’s good. The kids are competing every day. They are pushing the guys that are starting. I tell the kids that they have to earn it every day. If a guy is down, whether it is due to injury or if he is loafing and not playing hard or up to our standards, he is going to be replaced. We have a lot of guys like that right now. (Senior cornerback) Ricky (Rick Rumph III) is obviously one of them. We treat (senior cornerback) Ricky (Rick Rumph III) like a starter. He reps a lot with the one’s, but there are a couple of guys at linebacker as well. (Redshirt sophomore linebacker) Hodari Christian has received as many reps this year than ever before. (Redshirt junior linebacker) Sean Walters is another one. These are some guys that are a little banged up and were sitting through some plays, but they are starting to look good and get a feel for it. I really like where they are at. The secondary is not loaded with depth, but (junior safety) Jeremy Tyler is a guy that is battling with (redshirt sophomore safety) Dravon (Askew-Henry). He is playing a little bit of spur, so we can do a lot of different things with him. He’s a guy that can start. We have a lot of guys, and I think 16 guys with starting experience. I am happy with the depth.

On having more a tough decision with the depth chart this season
It’s not only with the starting 11 players, but with the top 22 guys overall. Again, (redshirt junior linebacker) Sean Walters is a kid that came in third on the depth chart at his position, but he is playing pretty good right now. It’s going to be a tough decision on where he goes and what he does. He has to continue to keep getting better, so we can count on him.

Assistant coach (defensive line) Bruce Tall

On looking for different body types
You have certain parameters that you like. We all like the big and fast guys, and that is the problem. Everyone likes them big and fast, so we’re all going after the same guy. It’s just a matter of if you can get those guys. We have numbers that we like. (Redshirt senior defensive lineman) Kyle Rose is a perfect fit for a nose guard, but you don’t want to get so caught up in it. He has to have great length, because I’ve seen some pretty good 6-foot nose guards that are pretty active. You have to adjust to what you get.

On seeing your guys emerge with pads on
They’ve been a work in progress, and they have done a nice job. They really have been picking up the scheme, working hard, pushing through and understanding what they need to accomplish in order to be good upfront.

On any guys that have caught his eye or if they’re still a work in progress
They are still a work in progress. I’m pleased with the way that they’re working.  I evaluate them every single day, and they know it. I have to keep making sure that they understand that I am teaching them and coaching them. I want to develop their confidence too. I don’t want to keep breaking it down so much that they don’t develop their own confidence.

Assistant coach (safeties/special teams) Joe DeForest

On sophomore safety Dravon Askew-Henry’s progression throughout last season
(Sophomore safety) Dravon (Askew-Henry) was more comfortable with the speed of the game, the scheme of the defense and his confidence as the year went on. He eventually turned out to be a freshman All-American, and it didn’t look like that was going to happen, because he was timid. That happens though, if you throw a true freshman in a Big 12 game. There’s going to be some nerves. Even with (senior safety) Karl Joseph. I coached him four years ago as a true freshman. There were some mistakes and nerves that he (senior safety Karl Joseph) had to go through. He had to get over that hump in order to be comfortable in his role. I’m looking for (sophomore safety) Dravon (Askew-Henry) to capitalize on what he learned from last year and build off of it. He seems tremendously confident in both the communication phase, which is the most important, and athletically, he is a no-brainer. He can do whatever we ask him to do, but he has to be more disciplined in some things that he’s not. I have to work on making him have better eye discipline and not violate what he’s supposed to look at. That gets him in trouble at times, but that’s going to come with the learning curve.

On junior safety Jeremy Tyler having an increased role in games this season
No question, (junior safety) Jeremy (Tyler) is one of the guys I’m dual-training right now at the spur and free safety position. He is confident. He’s physical, and he has grown a lot. He was a bit timid at times last year at tackling, but he has shown this year in camp that he is confident, and that he is reliable. I look for big things out of him at those two positions.

On finding a punt returner that establishes confidence in the unit
We catch punts before practice for 20 minutes every day, and then we catch punts for 20 minutes during practice every day. It has been a point of emphasis for us, and there has obviously been a huge problem in that role. We are working really hard and diligent to try and identify two or three guys that can do it, because you need more than one. We think we have a bead on a couple of kids’ confidence wise that can do it. You have to have no fear in order to play that position. If you look across the country, there is a knack for it, and the guys that are the best at that position are fearless. They’ll sit in there and take the hit even though they know guys are barreling down the field at them. You have to have the ability to catch it, which is one of the hardest things to do in football, and you also have to have something in you in order to be fearless.

Assistant coach (wide receivers) Lonnie Galloway

On establishing solidified roles at the outside receiver position
We have (freshman wide receiver) Gary (Jennings), (freshman wide receiver) Jovon (Durante), (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) Ka’raun (White), (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) Shelton (Gibson), (redshirt junior wide receiver) Devonte Mathis, (redshirt junior wide receiver) Vernon Davis (Jr.) and (redshirt freshman wide receiver Ricky Rogers out there. We have enough numbers out there. Now, it’s about trying to figure out who’s in front and who needs to be behind him. Some of them are younger, and being able to have an older guy out there on one side with the younger players will help make a difference. The younger kids are not afraid. They are challenging, and they have been doing some good stuff.

On freshman wide receiver Gary Jennings, freshman wide receiver Jovon Durante and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ka’Raun White
I have been very impressed with them. They are three good looking kids. (Redshirt sophomore) Ka’Raun (White) is not young, but he’s new here. Those three were good finds, and it is too early to say how good of finds they were, but we are definitely glad we have them.

On having an experienced defensive secondary for receiver’s to practice against
It’s good that we have (junior cornerback) Daryl (Worley), (senior cornerback) Rick Rumph (III), (redshirt senior cornerback) Terrell Chestnut, (senior safety) Karl (Joseph), (sophomore safety) Dravon (Askew-Henry) and (senior safety) KJ (Dillon) for them to go against every day. Those guys are good defensive backs. They are so challenging. (Redshirt senior cornerback) Terrell Chestnut is a cover player, and if you give your route away you are do
ne against him. They are knowledgeable, and they have played a lot of football. If you stick (freshman wide receiver) Gary (Jennings) out there against a senior defensively, (redshirt senior cornerback) Chestnut will tell him what he is doing wrong. That helps me, because I don’t have to correct them all the time. (Redshirt senior cornerback Terrell) Chestnut is teaching them how to play at this level without giving away their routes.

Assistant coach (running backs) Ja’Juan Seider

On the best guy catching out of the back field right now that impresses him
That’s an easy one, right? (Redshirt junior running back) Rushel (Shell). You are always going to say (Junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood). (Redshirt junior running back) Rushel (Shell) has really good hands. He can catch anything you throw at him. I think all of those guys have a good feel. When you play in our offense as a running back or wide receiver, we strain you for five periods as individuals with padding and go routes. You’re going to get used to catching the ball. The prime example is Dreamius (Smith). Dreamius (Smith) couldn’t catch anything his first year. His last year he was catching everything down the field, which really helped him with his pro day, and helped him receive a shot in the league.

On what he’s seen from redshirt freshman running back Donte Thomas-Williams so far during camp and how he’s progressed from last year
He’s still inconsistent. He’ll have a good day, and then he’ll have a bad day. He’ll have two good days, and then he’ll go back to bad days. With young kids, in my opinion, they get caught up in the media. They are reading too much press clippings. (Redshirt freshman running back) Donte’s (Thomas-Williams) problem, in his mind, is that he thinks he should be the guy right now. He doesn’t want to work for it. Trying to get him to understand and say, ‘you’re not the guy right now, you better work for everything, because no one is going to give you anything.’ He needs to get off social media. He has to stop letting people pat him on the back. It’s football. It’s Big 12 football. You have to earn everything you get. He’s hearing that message from me. He’s hearing that message from (coach) Dana (Holgorsen). He’s hearing that message from (assistant head coach/receivers) Lonnie (Galloway). He’s hearing that message from everyone on the offense. We’ll win with you or without you, so you need to get on board. The kid, granted he’ll apologize, and he’ll do something right, but he has to be consistent. He’s young.

Assistant coach (offensive line) Ron Crook

On if the guys want to hit somebody else at this point in fall camp
We are getting to that point, but we keep selling them on the fact that we have too much to work on to worry about it.

On any concerns with the offensive line
The one concern is that if we do not continue to develop. That is always a concern. At this time of year, it is hard to anticipate and react to the blitzes that you see quick enough. They are improving on that every day, but it is always a concern. It’s a concern if they lose sight of fundamentals while worrying about too many other things, so we are constantly focusing on that. It is nothing that we don’t go through every year.

On what point does he start to slim down the depth chart
We hope to do that within the next few weeks. We still have a long time to go before game time, so we have a while before we have to start making decisions and start pushing people down, so to speak.

On redshirt freshman offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste
He’s put himself in the position to continue to play at that spot. At this point, he’s earned that right. Again, the issues you have with a young guy playing at that spot is hoping that he anticipates things quick enough. That’s what we spend most of our time talking about. He is really focused on improving every day, and he is focusing on his footwork as well. We hit him with fundamental things all the time, so hopefully he will continue to improve.