Presser
There are a couple of things to note here, in particular, Joseph Clark may not play for Texas Tech. Kingsbury talked about how Clark was having to work through some issues and said that his original injury was devastating. This would be disappointing because I sorta cheer for guys that are hurt to make it back. Kingsbury wasn’t clear about what would happen, but it doesn’t look good.
Kingsbury also addresses the quarterback issue and says that it is something that he will try to name a starter relatively eary.
Also asked about Mike Mitchell and his move to defensive end / outside linebacker, noting that anything could change and he could go back to a traditional linebacker spot.
Oh, and here’s a bit of behind-the-scenes video:
If you would like to see some additional video, make sure and check out KLBK and KCBD as they have some highlights from yesterday.
Notebook
Hays Recovering. LAJ’s Don Williams reports that offensive line coach Lee Hays had back surgery after spring practice this year and is still in a bit of recovery mode. Get better coach.
Mitchell’s Move. LAJ’s Daniel Paulling and Don Williams write that Mike Mitchell’s move to the outside linebacker spot isn’t that big of a deal and thankfully, defensive coordinator David Gibbs affirmed that he wasn’t moved to defensive end, but Mitchell is just standing up at the line of scrimmage:
“To say we moved him to end is not a true statement,” Gibbs said. “He’s still going to be standing up. He’s just going to be closer to the line of scrimmage, letting him rush the quarterback more.”
Williams and Paulling note that Mitchell played that outside linebacker spot during the Thursday night scrimmages, so he is used to playing that spot. Mitchell himself said that he’s excited about the move:
“I like it a lot,” said Mitchell, who also could play strong-side linebacker, an inside linebacker position. “I’m excited for it. Coach Smith, we talked about it ever since I’ve been here. He’s always wanted to have me in his room and coach me.”
Davis’ Punishment. Also from the article linked above, Reginald Davis was at the media day and said that he wasn’t sure what time he would miss as a result of his arrest for possession of marijuana (I believe it was less than 2 grams and it was possession, not under the influence) and said that the punishment hasn’t been decided and that the arrest made him appreciate what he has.
Improve on Losing Season. LAJ’s Don Williams writes that the team wants to improve upon the 4-8 record and QB Patrick Mahomes said that he and Davis Webb competed all summer:
“Me and Davis, we both competed all summer,” Mahomes said. “We worked together and watched film together. Just getting better for the team’s sake. Coach is going to put whoever he thinks is best for the team in there, so our job is to be ready.”
Oh, and Mahomes is up to 219 and Webb is up to 230.
Five Things. DMN’s Mike DuPont has a really terrific five things from media day and there’s too much there for me to blockquote, but you should take a visit. Here’s a summary:
* Webb said that the secondary has done a terrific job of turning the ball over this spring and fall and Gibbs has done a great job emphasizing that.
* Apparently Gary Moore is backing up Branden Jackson at defensive end, and pushed Jackson to the point that he moved ahead of Jackson. Jackson said that Moore is a special talent.
* Linebackers coach Trey Haverty said that Kris Williams is progressing after missing all of 2013 and most of last year, but isn’t sure where he’ll play and that Williams still has to prove himself.
* The right tackle spot is Justin Murphy’s to lose with the closest competition being Baylen Brown, who could flip out to tackle if necessary. In one of the articles linked above, Don Williams suggested either Paul Stawarz or Emeka Okafor as other possible options, but offensive line coach Lee Hays sai that Brown could certainly flip out to the right tackle spot and for me personally, that was not something I had considered.
Again, there’s quotes from all of the folks mentioned there, so go check it out.
Miscellaneous. If you like photos of a media event, you’re in luck . . . LAJ’s Don Williams wrote about five things to watch this fall camp . . .
Big 12 Things
. . . The Student Section’s Bart Doan with the top 7 Big 12 Heisman candidates . . . ESPN has their top 25 players list and this is players 16 through 20, including DeAndre Washington . . .