Just a heads-up. I’m going to go to the spring game, but it’s going to be a quick trip. Youssouf has 2 football games (just 7-on-7) on Friday night in Rockwall and he and I are going to get up early and then drive up on Saturday, stay the night, and then drive back on Sunday in time for a soccer game that starts at 2. I don’t have much of an agenda other than to go to the game. If you see myself and Yoyo, please say hello. And to clarify, Fitsum (my other child) was invited, but he has zero interest in sports and my wife promised him a trip to the Lego store at Northpark Mall, so that’s going to win over football every single time and him being himself is what makes me happy.

As you all know, these are non-transcripts, just me typing as fast as my hands will allow while the video plays. These are not direct quotes.

Quarterback Behren Morton

• First year, last year, was a lot, the new staff is great, coach Kittley is great, easy to transition to them.
• One of the youngest one in the room, Shough, is big time for me, mentor I look up to, he’s played in Pac-12 Championships before, taking bits and pieces from everyone.
• With the new offense, just diving in and the new playbook, last year was a transition from a 3A offense to a Power 5 offense, and learning from the transition last year, physically I’m making the plays, making the biggest strides mentally.
• We’ve worked really hard this spring at the end of the day we’re going to come out of the spring game slinging it and having fun.
• More zip comes with time, the timing and all of that work is going to pay off after multiple hours of work with those receivers.
• More complex, more things up front that we have to know, defense, learning coverages, and that’s been the biggest improvement from Cumbie’s offense, still slinging it a lot, but about knowing defenses and more checks.
• I think the chemistry is top notch, best in the country, we make each other better every day, we’re doing stuff on the weekends and the week, very thankful for this group.
• Everyone is getting a lot of reps, who ever is on the field and stuff off the field and all comes down to the reps you’re getting.
• It’s unbelievable, I love Lubbock and the people of Lubbock, couldn’t ask for a better community and getting to wear the uniform, nothing like it.

Quarterback Tyler Shough

• All of the time we spend together, we’ve gotten really close and had a lot of fun, have a lot of control over the offense.
• Ability to control and goes through us, we attack what we’re doing, theory that we’re never in a bad play, our job to find a good play. That’s the funnest part and true meaning of quarterback and Kittley gives us the keys.
• We have an arsenal in our brain and what is good in certain coverages and he’ll call a play and we can change it, he harps on us if we don’t change the play. In past offenses you just run with the call, he’s really flexible.
• Fairly quickly, lots of hours and watching film and Western Kentucky, similar to Cumbie, same family, he’s done a great job of teaching us, but have to spend the extra time watching.
• I think the fun part I got to learn so much of it, I put in so much work, it sucks when you get hurt, I came out every day knowing how much work I wanted to put in, and have invested in myself.
• It was tough, I was sad for a long time because you worked so hard, Drew [trainer] did a great job and the whole staff, I spent 8 straight weeks there, the whole staff was great and grateful to have my teammates and family.
• Just keep getting better, keep growing, super fun in the spring and slinging it around, it seems like very day I learn more.
• I think it has been easier because I take bits and pieces, how it is operated and how it is called is different and our ability to check in and out of plays and have grown a lot. Rather than worry about what play we’re doing worrying about what the defense is running.
• We all do a great job of respecting each other and am doing my best to put in the extra work and really thankful to go out there, have a new mindset to compete and whoever is out at receiver or under center.
• Just keep getting better every day, and have been doing my best to step up, keep progressing.
• [Asked about his academic situation] I have 2 bachelor degrees and have a masters in the fall. Honestly probably spend 10 to 15 minutes on homework, the biggest thing this offseason I’ve been fortunate to be further along in school and the masters classes are online, and can spend a lot of time at the football facility and can continue in the summer and will only have 1 class in the fall and can train like a pro.
• My goal is to get better every single day and get better and invest in myself and progressing, I have my own story and want to keep growing and my job is to win every game and we’re going to do everything we have together to get better an the more successful we are the more opportunities we’ll have.
• Its’ a fresh start for sure and see the whole offense grow tother, just diving into the playbook as much as we can and we’ve all learned it together.

Quarterback Donovan Smith

• It’s been really good, learning the new offense has had ups and downs, going through it, it was easier to go through it. Coach Kittley gives us the keys to the car, it has been an experience and we’ve learned a lot and great to see it all.
• I feel like we all run it like Kittley wants us to, we always check what we need to do.
• This spring I wanted to work on my decision making and consistency has been at the top of my list.
• Definitely excited and more motivation and also gets me going and allows me to stay humble, and the success and stay humble, just keep my head down and keep working and time to get back to work.
• Definitely feel like it was a confidence booster, just take what you learn from last year and the spring and apply it.
• Definitely we feel like the group is down, just us and taking control and just having everyone follow us.
• Spring game is just consistency and consistent ball and just scoring touchdowns is what I want to do.
• The whole receiving corps has stepped up big time, we have a lot of fire in our hearts and am excited about this year.
• It’s great, everything the defense is throwing at us, but definitely making practice hard and you get to see them in the practice and sound communication and makes us do our job really well and we have to be on top of our game.
• [Asked about his dad taking the NY Giants running back coach position] I was more shocked, it was definitely proud of him, he’s been coaching 25 years, just a dream for him, just proud of him. I think it all happened in a matter of 3 days, just all happened so fast, everyone is excited for him. We communicate almost every day, this spring has definitely been different, SaRodorick makes sure to yell at me and Coach Perry. We always say he’s big time, he’s a cool guy but he set that leadership role for me and my brother.

I was one of those people that was wanting a bit more from the interview with C.J. Ah You, the outside linebackers coach, and he definitely didn’t want to tip his hand regarding who was standing out, but it was nice to see his personality here.

And we also get the mic’d up version of inside linebackers coach Josh Bookbinder.

It is also my understanding that Texas Tech could get some interesting football transfer news at some point. I’m not going to be the one that breaks the news, but I’m certainly excited for it. McGuire had posted a Ric Flair GIF and Let’s Go! on Saturday and there hasn’t been a commit. I think that’s for this transfer, but we’ll see.