#44 Travon Walker | Junior | DL
On how practices are going so far this spring…
“So far, so good. Everybody is looking to come out there and improve as a great player and be a great teammate every day. Right now, everything is on the fast track to a great season.”
On the first-string offense…
“So far, so good. Everybody has something that they can improve on and come to practice every day and work on. Everybody has something to learn.”
On his focus in the offseason…
“Personally, trying to better my hands and my conditioning level, because I know that I am going to have to play a lot more snaps. My hands and eyes, I am trying to train them to be good, because that was one of my main goals that I was working to perfect.”
#54 Justin Shaffer | Senior | OL
On being a leader to the younger guys and the potential opportunity those players could have this season…
“I’ve just been standing with them during practice and trying to give them the confidence so they can be a one and do whatever it takes to help the team, because at the end of the day, it’s about the best starting five who come out there.”
On momentum going into spring and upcoming season…
“I feel like the momentum has shifted into the right place. I feel like it comes to the team bonding and everybody just being on the right page, and just connecting, to get us to go where we need.”
On whether he expected to be able to come back this season…
“Coming into last season, I was playing like it was my last, because you never know what’s going to happen, so I was trying to give it all I had and leave it all out there on the field.”
#70 Warren McClendon | Redshirt-Sophomore | OL
On whether the coaching staff still has him positioned at right tackle and whether there is a good defensive battle going on now during spring practice…
“Right now, yeah. I’m still playing at right tackle. Our defensive line is really good, so it’s a battle every day, but every day you go out there, and you get better.”
On the young players stepping up in practice, specifically freshman Amarius Mims and redshirt-freshman Broderick Jones, and whether players like this will get a chance to play more this season…
“Mims and Broderick are both really good players. It all comes down to who Coach [Smart] wants to play and who he thinks earned it, so I don’t know who will be there. But they are young, and they are good.”
On his personal goals for the winter workouts…
“Just gaining weight—getting back to my goal weight—and just getting bigger and stronger. I think I accomplished that, but I’m still working towards it, though.”