Media Day Press Conference: Student-Athlete Transcript
August 10, 2019 | Football
Offensive Student-Athletes
JaVonta Payton | WR | Jr.
Q: How has the process of adapting and adjusting to the new playbook been for you?
JP: It has been really good. We have meetings every day. We are going over everything three times a day or more. It is constantly being installed in our brains. The repetition on the field and going over it in the meetings room is really helping me with learning the plays. I am feeling pretty confident right now learning the playbook and all the other receivers, and I am feeling good.
Q: As you have been learning the offense as it has been taught, has the deep threat and everything else stood up to what you thought it would be?
JP: Yes sir. They have me doing everything they said they would have me doing before I got here. No coach has done less than what they said they were going to do. Every coach is helping out. Every coach here speaks to me every day. They try to help me out with the playbook, and I really love it here at Mississippi State. I am really glad I picked this school.
Tommy Stevens | QB | Sr.
Q: How have your first couple of days at camp been?
TS: Overall, it has been a really good experience, and I really like everything so far. I am really excited to evolve and get better every day.
Q: Are you playing the way you want to be playing in practice, and do you feel like you are up to your own standards?
TS: Yes. I feel like if you were to go by the numbers this is probably my best camp so far as far as completion percentage and things that involve throwing the football. Obviously, there have been mistakes made and things that I have been able to learn from with watching tape. There is always room to improve and all that. Overall, I think I have done a good job and the offense in general has been really good and explosive. Like I said, I am excited to continue to evolve and keep getting better every day.
Q: Do you think the quarterback competition has elevated the entire offense?
TS: Yes, I think saying that it is kind of difficult because I was not here before. I do feel like it has been upbeat. The offense has been clicking, and I think competition brings out the best in everybody. Obviously not just in the quarterback position, there is competition for every position. I really like the vibe the team is carrying right now, and we just have to continue to get better every day.
Q: Do you guys approach the game with the mentality of the quarterback shirts that say "We Over Me" as you guys are one team and one position?
TS: Yes, not just the quarterbacks were wearing the shirt, but everyone was. It has kind of been the mindset of the team. It is about us as the team. No one person can win or lose any game, it is going to take all of us. It is the mindset we approach everything with, and everyone is buying into it.
Keytaon Thompson | QB | Jr.
Q: How would you assess where the team is right now?
KT: I feel like the team is doing great right now. I really like where we are heading, and I think we are going to do special things this year. I feel like we have been getting closer each day and have been competing hard. I'm very happy with where the team is at right now.
Q: There has been a lot of talk about the new skills position players at wide receiver. What have you seen from the new guys like JaVonta Payton and Isaiah Zuber?
KT: Those guys are great. They have been working hard and have been making a lot of big plays. Other guys are stepping up with the new competition, so it's making everybody better. Like I said, those two have been really impressive.
Q: Coach mentioned the quarterback competition has ramped up the level of play form the entire team, and Kylin Hill said this is one of the deepest teams he has ever been around. What are you impressions so far?
KT: Both quarterbacks are playing well. We have been out there competing. Anytime the quarterback is doing well, I feel like the offense plays better as a whole, and that makes players on the other side of the ball better, as well.
Darryl Williams | OL | Sr.
Q: How are you feeling about where you are and where the other guys are at this far into camp?
DW: I'm feeling good about it. Today is our first scrimmage, so we are going to really see how we are locked in to the new plays. I am looking forward to seeing what Stewart Reese and Dareuan Parker do. I'm also excited about seeing where our new guys like Nick Pendley, Brandon Cunningham and Brevyn Jones are at with the playbook.
Q: Coach Johnson was saying that LaQuinston Sharp was a guy who had played junior college ball and has been able to step in and have more of an understanding. Have you seen this as well?
DW: Most definitely. He has a great understanding of the scheme that we are trying to run here, so I am looking forward to seeing where he is at with this first scrimmage that we are having.
Q: Coach Johnson was saying that he thinks you all can probably go seven, eight or nine deep. Are you seeing that too?
DW: Most definitely. We have guys that are ready, locked and loaded. They are ready to go in at any given time, especially if somebody gets hurt. I am looking forward to seeing that.
Q: You're making the transition to center. What has that been like so far?
DW: It's been pretty easy. Trying to make all the calls has been a little difficult, but I'm getting used to it now. I feel like I am way better now than where I was. It's starting to click. I'm making sure all of the calls are right when I make them so I know that my quarterback stays clean and protected.
Defensive Student-Athletes
Cameron Dantzler | CB | Jr.
Q: How is fall camp going after eight days?
CD: For the past eight days, we have really been getting after it on both sides of the ball. It is a back-and-forth practice, and that is the sign of a good football team. So far, everything has been going great for us.
Q: What are some things you have seen in the scheme? Are there any changes of approach with you guys with new faces?
CD: No, not at all. We have a standard. We had a standard before them and that was one of a championship defense. Kudos to the guys who left but that does not stop anything. We have one style of play and that is to be fast, physical and aggressive. I feel like we have not missed a beat at all.
Jaquarius Landrews | S | Sr.
Q: You and Brian Cole II competed against each other for the nickel spot last year. How different is it this year knowing that you guys will both be starting?
JL: It feels really good. Last year, we were close, but we still had that feeling that if the other was starting one of us would be behind them. We didn't like not starting, but it feels good now. We are getting closer each day, and we talk to each other out there on the field. We motivate each other. There's a closer bond now that we know both of us are starting at the same time. We are actually both on the same side. I'm playing strong safety and he's playing nickel. We have a closer bond now than we had last year.
Q: You have a unique perspective in practice defending the wide receiver group. How much better are they this year compared to last year with the additions of JaVonta Payton and Isaiah Zuber?
JL: Our receivers are very competitive. I love that because it makes us better in different areas. I feel like it's going to be a really good season for the offense this year. Every single day, they give us new challenges, and every single day, we give them new challenges. We motivate each other on the field. When we are playing hard, we get after them. When they are playing hard, they get on us. There's a lot of competition out there each and every day. I just know this is going to be a great season from the atmosphere.
Chauncey Rivers | DE | Sr.
Q: What has the fall practice been like for you guys so far?
CR: It has been very competitive on offense and defense. We just have been trying to get better every day as a defensive unit and as a defense line.
Q: How do you guys fill the void of losing several key players to the NFL and keep the intensity up every day?
CR: We come every day to work. It is going to be a lot of hard days full of work where you do not want to do it, but you have to go out there and compete and try to get better. We have a lot of guys who came out of that room who were leaders and just showed us the game and how to play the game. Every day, we go out there and try to set the expectations, and we try to raise the bar.
Erroll Thompson | LB | Jr.
Q: What nickname would you give for Chris Marve?
ET: I don't know if I have a nickname for him. He is just a ball of energy. He is always spewing out energy on everyone else, and the players feed off that.
Q: Before [Chris Marve] got here, did you know that is personality was like that?
ET: Before he got here, I did a little research on him myself just from former players that he had coached at Vanderbilt, so I had a heads up. It's different once he is here. Like I said, he is a ball of energy, and I feed of that.
Q: How does it help players when you have a coach like that?
ET: I love it. When a coach is giving off energy, everyone feeds off it. It gives everyone a mindset to attack and go get it.
JaVonta Payton | WR | Jr.
Q: How has the process of adapting and adjusting to the new playbook been for you?
JP: It has been really good. We have meetings every day. We are going over everything three times a day or more. It is constantly being installed in our brains. The repetition on the field and going over it in the meetings room is really helping me with learning the plays. I am feeling pretty confident right now learning the playbook and all the other receivers, and I am feeling good.
Q: As you have been learning the offense as it has been taught, has the deep threat and everything else stood up to what you thought it would be?
JP: Yes sir. They have me doing everything they said they would have me doing before I got here. No coach has done less than what they said they were going to do. Every coach is helping out. Every coach here speaks to me every day. They try to help me out with the playbook, and I really love it here at Mississippi State. I am really glad I picked this school.
Tommy Stevens | QB | Sr.
Q: How have your first couple of days at camp been?
TS: Overall, it has been a really good experience, and I really like everything so far. I am really excited to evolve and get better every day.
Q: Are you playing the way you want to be playing in practice, and do you feel like you are up to your own standards?
TS: Yes. I feel like if you were to go by the numbers this is probably my best camp so far as far as completion percentage and things that involve throwing the football. Obviously, there have been mistakes made and things that I have been able to learn from with watching tape. There is always room to improve and all that. Overall, I think I have done a good job and the offense in general has been really good and explosive. Like I said, I am excited to continue to evolve and keep getting better every day.
Q: Do you think the quarterback competition has elevated the entire offense?
TS: Yes, I think saying that it is kind of difficult because I was not here before. I do feel like it has been upbeat. The offense has been clicking, and I think competition brings out the best in everybody. Obviously not just in the quarterback position, there is competition for every position. I really like the vibe the team is carrying right now, and we just have to continue to get better every day.
Q: Do you guys approach the game with the mentality of the quarterback shirts that say "We Over Me" as you guys are one team and one position?
TS: Yes, not just the quarterbacks were wearing the shirt, but everyone was. It has kind of been the mindset of the team. It is about us as the team. No one person can win or lose any game, it is going to take all of us. It is the mindset we approach everything with, and everyone is buying into it.
Keytaon Thompson | QB | Jr.
Q: How would you assess where the team is right now?
KT: I feel like the team is doing great right now. I really like where we are heading, and I think we are going to do special things this year. I feel like we have been getting closer each day and have been competing hard. I'm very happy with where the team is at right now.
Q: There has been a lot of talk about the new skills position players at wide receiver. What have you seen from the new guys like JaVonta Payton and Isaiah Zuber?
KT: Those guys are great. They have been working hard and have been making a lot of big plays. Other guys are stepping up with the new competition, so it's making everybody better. Like I said, those two have been really impressive.
Q: Coach mentioned the quarterback competition has ramped up the level of play form the entire team, and Kylin Hill said this is one of the deepest teams he has ever been around. What are you impressions so far?
KT: Both quarterbacks are playing well. We have been out there competing. Anytime the quarterback is doing well, I feel like the offense plays better as a whole, and that makes players on the other side of the ball better, as well.
Darryl Williams | OL | Sr.
Q: How are you feeling about where you are and where the other guys are at this far into camp?
DW: I'm feeling good about it. Today is our first scrimmage, so we are going to really see how we are locked in to the new plays. I am looking forward to seeing what Stewart Reese and Dareuan Parker do. I'm also excited about seeing where our new guys like Nick Pendley, Brandon Cunningham and Brevyn Jones are at with the playbook.
Q: Coach Johnson was saying that LaQuinston Sharp was a guy who had played junior college ball and has been able to step in and have more of an understanding. Have you seen this as well?
DW: Most definitely. He has a great understanding of the scheme that we are trying to run here, so I am looking forward to seeing where he is at with this first scrimmage that we are having.
Q: Coach Johnson was saying that he thinks you all can probably go seven, eight or nine deep. Are you seeing that too?
DW: Most definitely. We have guys that are ready, locked and loaded. They are ready to go in at any given time, especially if somebody gets hurt. I am looking forward to seeing that.
Q: You're making the transition to center. What has that been like so far?
DW: It's been pretty easy. Trying to make all the calls has been a little difficult, but I'm getting used to it now. I feel like I am way better now than where I was. It's starting to click. I'm making sure all of the calls are right when I make them so I know that my quarterback stays clean and protected.
Defensive Student-Athletes
Cameron Dantzler | CB | Jr.
Q: How is fall camp going after eight days?
CD: For the past eight days, we have really been getting after it on both sides of the ball. It is a back-and-forth practice, and that is the sign of a good football team. So far, everything has been going great for us.
Q: What are some things you have seen in the scheme? Are there any changes of approach with you guys with new faces?
CD: No, not at all. We have a standard. We had a standard before them and that was one of a championship defense. Kudos to the guys who left but that does not stop anything. We have one style of play and that is to be fast, physical and aggressive. I feel like we have not missed a beat at all.
Jaquarius Landrews | S | Sr.
Q: You and Brian Cole II competed against each other for the nickel spot last year. How different is it this year knowing that you guys will both be starting?
JL: It feels really good. Last year, we were close, but we still had that feeling that if the other was starting one of us would be behind them. We didn't like not starting, but it feels good now. We are getting closer each day, and we talk to each other out there on the field. We motivate each other. There's a closer bond now that we know both of us are starting at the same time. We are actually both on the same side. I'm playing strong safety and he's playing nickel. We have a closer bond now than we had last year.
Q: You have a unique perspective in practice defending the wide receiver group. How much better are they this year compared to last year with the additions of JaVonta Payton and Isaiah Zuber?
JL: Our receivers are very competitive. I love that because it makes us better in different areas. I feel like it's going to be a really good season for the offense this year. Every single day, they give us new challenges, and every single day, we give them new challenges. We motivate each other on the field. When we are playing hard, we get after them. When they are playing hard, they get on us. There's a lot of competition out there each and every day. I just know this is going to be a great season from the atmosphere.
Chauncey Rivers | DE | Sr.
Q: What has the fall practice been like for you guys so far?
CR: It has been very competitive on offense and defense. We just have been trying to get better every day as a defensive unit and as a defense line.
Q: How do you guys fill the void of losing several key players to the NFL and keep the intensity up every day?
CR: We come every day to work. It is going to be a lot of hard days full of work where you do not want to do it, but you have to go out there and compete and try to get better. We have a lot of guys who came out of that room who were leaders and just showed us the game and how to play the game. Every day, we go out there and try to set the expectations, and we try to raise the bar.
Erroll Thompson | LB | Jr.
Q: What nickname would you give for Chris Marve?
ET: I don't know if I have a nickname for him. He is just a ball of energy. He is always spewing out energy on everyone else, and the players feed off that.
Q: Before [Chris Marve] got here, did you know that is personality was like that?
ET: Before he got here, I did a little research on him myself just from former players that he had coached at Vanderbilt, so I had a heads up. It's different once he is here. Like I said, he is a ball of energy, and I feed of that.
Q: How does it help players when you have a coach like that?
ET: I love it. When a coach is giving off energy, everyone feeds off it. It gives everyone a mindset to attack and go get it.
Players Mentioned
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LB
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QB
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