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The University of Mississippi Athletics
2003 Ole Miss Signing Day Press Conference Transcript
2/5/2003 | Football
Feb. 5, 2003
HEAD COACH DAVID CUTCLIFFE
OPENING COMMENTS:
"For those of you who aren't here with us, Coach Vaught is here with us, and I got to spend signing day with him again as I usually do. I want to say how much I enjoy that and have enjoyed his visit today. Coach Vaught is so special to all of us. I look forward to this day for a lot of reasons, but thank you Coach Vaught for spending the day with us. We all appreciate that. It brings us good luck every year.
I want to thank all of our staff involved in the recruiting process and our players who do a great job of hosting the young men when they come to campus. If you think about it, we don't bring that many people to campus, and we signed half the men who came to campus. They did a tremendous job with what happens while they are here. I want to thank our fans out there and the people who support our program for the tremendous difference you make in supporting our program.
I'm excited about this class and have been for some time. I have been excited about who we brought on campus and the type of players we were recruiting. There are a lot of wars and battles at this time of year, and it's fun and competitive. The dust settles today. We've helped ourselves on both sides of the ball.
In the kicking game, I know there's no kicker or punter involved, but the type of athlete we have recruited are going to help us in the kicking game. We have helped our team immediately. Many of the players we have signed on both sides of the ball will have impact on next year's team. This is the most fun we have had recruiting defensively, handpicking players who fit our system and can impact us. It's fun to have a system and a plan, and we went into it with that plan and did a lot of evaluating to get players who can help us in our 4-2-5 system. Offensively all the parts of the puzzle really came into place at every position. I think this class will definitely make an impact.
As a group I think you will see a lot of players who will help this program immediately. I am also excited about the character and work ethic this group has displayed. Their work ethic on the practice field and on the game field is always important. Their character in the classroom is outstanding.
I think it's an outstanding group with a lot of ability and a lot of speed. This may be as fast a group overall as we've been around. There's a lot of strength and size in the right places to go along with it. It's another well balanced group that we are extremely excited about."
Q: Can you talk about a couple of the guys you picked up in the secondary and what they will bring to the table?
A: When you go to a 4-2-5 system, you have an extra secondary position to recruit toward. We knew we would sign a good number of young men to help us in the secondary. The safety position has a lot of versatility involved. You have Gelin and Clark and Bell who will impact those safety positions, although they could end up at corner as well. They are big guys with a lot of size and can get involved with stopping the run and have the speed to play the pass. Trumaine McBride and Kareem Moore are natural cover corners. They're going to impact us. We also signed Iroko Ayodele earlier who is another secondary type athlete. I think you'll see those guys not only help us in the secondary, but that's exactly the type athlete I am talking about with speed and explosiveness that can help you in the kicking game as well as in the secondary.
Q: Can you talk about Robert Lane?
A: He's somewhat of a surprise. I know there was a lot of talk about him. I'm not going to put a hat on someone and say they'll do this or that. I can tell you he's a tremendous prospect, someone who when we were evaluating quarterbacks early went right to the top of the list. He's a phenomenal athlete. We all know the story where he got involved and made a commitment, and for whatever reason we had the door open back up for us. We had a great visit late. I know that was publicized. We couldn't be more thrilled with the young man and the type of ability and person he is. He comes from a great family. I think he's the type quarterback who is that next level type player. He's what I have been fortunate to be around a lot in this profession. He is that type of player with those capabilities. We're excited about what he brings to the table.
Q: You went into Florida. Was that a conscious decision or did it just happen that most of the recruits you signed came from there?
A: We went into Florida consciously. We went in there last spring and clustered the state. We sent most of our coaches to evaluate and spend time there. It's an area that has been fruitful for a lot of teams. The number of people alone in the population lends itself to having great football players in numbers. We did that consciously. Our staff did a great job of finding players and recruiting them hard from start to finish. We were successful with five from the state of Florida. It was a great job by our staff. That's an excellent group from one state outside of Mississippi.
Q: Can you expound on what Patrick Willis from Bruceton, Tenn., means to what you have done today?
A: Patrick is a very versatile athlete. He's a big, fast athlete. Those of you who have seen him know the kind of impact he can have on a game. He's a tremendous athlete on both sides of the ball and is one of the biggest, fastest athletes we saw out there. He has tremendous size, speed and versatility. He's a tremendous young man who comes from a great program. He has a great support group around him. I think he's going to do well in college.
Q: Can you talk about the running backs you signed?
A: We are really pleased with the two backs we signed out of Florida. Dawan Woods is out of Fletcher High School in Jacksonville and Alan Abrams is out of Apopka High School in Orlando. Both have breakaway speed and size. They have good vision. They are competitive young men. Both are tremendous people with tremendous support groups around them. I am anxious to get them here and see what they can do.
Q:Are you concerned that Kareem Moore only played one year of football, or does that simply speak to the type of athlete he is?
A: He's a tremendous athlete. I'm not concerned. He took to football naturally whether it was offense, defense, the kicking game or returning. He's got great ball skills and is a natural football player. He's a tough one too.
Q: How important was it to get the numbers back up this year considering the attrition in last year's class?
A: There were some injuries last year, but that always happens. We got the numbers back up with this class, but it's always important to try to sign quality depth and quality people. A number of these young men are going to play and help this team next year. That was important and part of the mission. We felt we had a good nucleus coming back, but we signed some good people who can impact next year's football team.
Q: Can you talk about recruiting Clarksdale again with McBride, Cohen and Harris?
A: We couldn't be more pleased with having three tremendous players coming to us from Clarksdale. It's a tremendous program with great tradition. They've done a wonderful job. All three men have been great people and leaders. They have been outstanding leaders in that program. I expect they will come here and not only be outstanding players, but outstanding leaders as well.
Q: Can you talk about Thomas Eckers from West Point, Miss.?
A: Thomas Eckers is a football player. He's a very intense player. When you are looking at offensive linemen, you always want to find a player who can finish what he starts. That's about the best way I can describe him is that he'll finish what he starts. He's a very talented young man who loves to compete and play the game. He plays it very physically.
Q: Can you comment on Viciente DeLoach from the same area?
A: Viciente is a young man who had his senior year shortened, but is a talented youngster. He has good size and tremendous speed for his position. He is a quick, smart player who will only get better and better. He has tremendous raw athletic ability. He looks really great and his rehab has gone well. I know he's looking to get back out there and compete.
Q: Can you tell us what type of impact it had on the staff to lose Mike MacIntyre and David Saunders?
A: You can't ever measure that when you lose good people. It's tough to lose good people, but we're excited they were able to move on in directions that are exciting for their careers. To measure that would be hard. Mike MacIntyre has been a tremendous recruiter since he's been here. You hate to lose a guy like him. He could recruit 15 players at one time as well as anyone I have been around. I don't look back. I'm just glad he was here the time he was and did a tremendous job for us. David Saunders will do a great job at Milsaps and did a great job for us the time he was here.
Q: It seems like your strategy was to go after the very best. That has to be heartbreaking in a way doesn't it?
A: It can be heartbreaking. You get attached to young people and their families. You develop relationships over the short contact period, but you're doing this all along with note writing and phone calls. Those things become emotional and personal. It will always have that impact of being personally disappointing at times. But, I learned a long time ago to celebrate the ones you got. We'll miss some people and relationships that developed along the way. We wish them well as they move on in their own direction. These guys who signed here were handpicked for our system and what fits our needs. We had to work hard to get the ones we got, and I am proud they are now a part of our program. It's tough emotionally, but the emotion I feel most now is joy looking at the group who cast their lot with us here at Ole Miss.
Q: Can you comment on Terrance Houston and where he projects on offense or defense?
A: I really think Terrance is a natural center, which is hard to find in someone his size. We haven't signed a natural center in a while. We've had people playing center who weren't a natural center. I think he can have an impact. He looks good in there and is quick. He's 6-4 with a nice frame. I think he'll wind up being a really big guy. Some people can play on the offensive line with the ball in their hand, some guys it just throws off key. They can do well as a guard or tackle, but can't handle the center responsibilities. Terrance is a natural center so that's where we are initially planning on playing him. Like a lot of guys, he may like a shot on defense. We look at all of them both ways at one time or another, but I think he has a real shot at center.
Q: Do you see any sleepers in this class? Any guys who weren't highly publicized who could help you right away?
A: I think there are a number like that, but I really don't want to put an onus on anyone like that. There are a number of guys who weren't 'On everyone's list', but we think everyone of them is a player who has a chance to greatly impact our program. Until you get them on campus and see who adjusts to college life and the speed of the game, that's not always something having to do with ability. The maturity level of a youngster and all the things that allow a player to play as a true freshman you never know.
Q: What were the last few days like recruiting Robert Lane and is there concern with him playing baseball and if he'll get drafted high and play at Ole Miss at all?
A: It was very intense, but certainly fun to recruit a quarterback of that caliber. They are great people and worked well with us. I really enjoyed that part of it. It was fast and furious, but very rewarding. As far as baseball is concerned, I hope he does great in baseball and he'll certainly have the opportunity to play both here. I can't predict what will happen from a professional baseball standpoint. We'll just move on as we would with all our signees. I've been around that a lot in the past and you just let that fall where it may and move on.
Q: As a coach, how hard is it to get done what you want in the spring when your quarterback is playing baseball?
A: Well it depends on the situation. I've been around it all the way back to when Alan Cockrell was a quarterback at Tennessee who played baseball. Your other quarterbacks get a lot of work if it happens to be your starter. If it's a backup, that guy has to study the game, spend time to be sure to stay current. I guarantee with that type of athlete it's easy to do. Todd Helton didn't miss a lick from a football standpoint because he was a natural football player. He had great vision and intelligence and understood what we were trying to do. Spring practice has been reduced to 15 days and few of them are scrimmages. So it's not the spring practice of old.
Q: How has Seth Smith adapted to that?
A: Seth has done a very good job. He has a lot of those same qualities that Todd Helton had. He's very bright, studies the game and stays on top of it. A lot of what a young quarterback is having to do is through osmosis anyway. He has to watch and see what's going on and learn. If you take the time to watch tape and do those things, it's like watching a practice. It take effort, focus and a commitment on their part to stay current with what's going on, and Seth does a good job of that.
Q: In your mind, did you come up short in any area?
A: I don't think we came up short. As you see the list, we came up balanced. We had certain numbers, and I am a quota guy. I try to keep balance on our squad and don't like overloading at one position You can have a lot of problems with that. Everywhere we went we got into the quotas we had. We could have potentially gone over, and we knew that. You worry about what may happen later on. We got into the numbers we needed in areas as well.
Q: Can you comment on the Internet and negative recruiting this season? Is it worse or better?
A: I have a hard time commenting on it because I don't read it. I guess it's hearsay. The articles I have read say it's getting worse every year. That's a shame because this should be a great and positive process. It should be a great time in the lives of these young men and their families. It's an exciting time for a program when you bring in new blood and the new lifeline for years to come. There's far too much said and read about it in my opinion. Let's hope that it finds a way to level out and be positive for everybody, because it should be a great experience.
Q: You have 22 guys signed, are you looking to add any more or is this it?
A: I don't think you ever close it out. I don't have anything that's going to happen tonight or imminently that I know of, but I always have my eyes open for good football players. Under certain circumstances, guys come available. I wouldn't say no, but there's nothing I expect to happen immediately.
Q: Is this the most you have done in resources and putting coaches out in Florida since you have been at Ole Miss?
A: Yes it's the biggest move we've made into Florida. We talked about how there were people outside of Florida having a lot of success because of Florida. That's become more and more evident. We were playing Florida and there was some exposure in the state. We made an effort to evaluate a lot of players, viewed the tape and made some decisions about the people who met our needs. We went out and recruited hard.
Q: Can you comment on Kareem Moore and when he'll help and how he'll help?
A: He's a tremendous athlete. All of these players are, and I purposely never say who'll play next year because it's speculation. I think he's a tremendous athlete. This is the first year he's played football after playing for a state championship basketball team. He's a natural football player and he's tough. He's a good tackler and tough when he runs the football. He's a great athlete.
