Signing Day Press Conference Transcript

Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan held a half-hour press conference Wednesday afternoon in Memorial Stadium to release the details of the Huskers' 28-man 2007 signing class. The following is a transcript of his meeting with the media.

 

Nebraska Football Press Conference
Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007
Memorial Stadium - Lincoln, Neb.
Signing Day 2007

 

Head Coach Bill Callahan

On Nebraska’s 2007 signing class

“Three years ago when we came here as a staff, it was our goal and intent to build a big, fast, strong, tough and disciplined football team that consistently competes for championships.  Today, the class that we signed is reflective of those traits and that philosophy.  We are extremely excited and eager for these guys to come to the University of Nebraska.   I think it’s a great group of kids.  I think that the fans are going to enjoy these players, love these kids and what they represent and reflect.  Not only what they can bring to the table this year in terms of their contribution, but in terms of their contribution for years to come.  We are very, very excited about this class. 

 

“Secondly, I just want to extend a thank you and an appreciation for all the support staff and faculty and the people that have been a part of this recruiting process this year.  Our staff did a tremendous job, and of course all the support people, the unsung heroes that are in the recruiting office, the people downstairs in the Hewitt (Center), Dennis LeBlanc and his staff, the people in the cafeteria, Art McWilliams and his staff, our recruiting office, Vince Guinta, Wince Morris, Sarah Boehler, all those people did an incredible job, and I’m indebted to those people for the fine performance they had this year.”

 

On the focus on recruiting defensive backs

“We went into it with the idea that we wanted to shore up two positions.  The positions that needed the most depth were the defensive line and the secondary.  We had seven sign. We had a decommitment today, which wasn’t unexpected in a lot of senses.  We knew that it was going to be a tough get to begin with.  Overall, we’re excited about the seven kids who are coming.  They all have excellent potential.  When I say seven, I include Eric Hagg and Prince Amukamara into that group.  Those players will start at that position as they come into training camp.  That’s a fine group of athletes who will give us the depth and the size to help us at that particular spot.”

 

On defensive back Larry Asante

“He’s a big guy.  He’s 210 pounds.  He’s fast, quick and physical.  He has all the attributes you look for in a big-time safety.  Interestingly enough, we started to compare his measurables to Daniel Bullocks, and they are pretty similar, except for the height.  But the weight, the size, the performance and what he does on the field are very good.  That’s what generates the excitement from our staff?the fact that he’s an impact hitter, a collision player, and that he has a lot of upside in terms of his intelligence, his savvy and his knack for the different roles that we can put him in.  That’s a good element for him to be part of, whether we can put him in the nickel, at the strong safety position, interchange him in some roles and really utilize and maximize his skills.”

 

On recruiting in Texas and Arizona

“As a head coach, I have to credit our staff.  I can’t sit up here and take this credit, because our staff deserves it.  Bill Busch did an outstanding job in the Arizona area.  To pull out five high school kids from that particular region of the country is a difficult task, especially when you’re competing against the likes of Arizona State, Arizona and USC.  That’s been an area we targeted early and an area in which Bill has a lot of connections.  There’s a lot of familiarity with a lot of Nebraskans down in that area, so that bodes well for us.  It’s an area where the population is increasing.  It’s one of those Sun Belt areas where everyone is gravitating to.  Construction and housing is booming all over the place.  There are high schools going up left and right out there in the Valley.  That will be an area of focus for us for years to come.  What a tremendous job Bill Busch did in that area, getting these kids, and they’re all great kids.”

 

On recruiting athletes from the Sun Belt

“I think, for the kids in this day and age, I don’t think it’s a factor for some.  I can’t say it’s a factor for all of them, but for a lot of them, it’s not.  The opportunity (to play at Nebraska) is more important than the weather, and they can see through that (the weather) in terms of what the university offers them from an academic standpoint, what we do from the program’s perspective and the particular people the players are going to be surrounded with is enticing enough.  Those are the factors and key factors when a young man is going to make a decision.  Fortunately, we’ve had a number of unofficial visits throughout the year.  Not just through the recruiting period in-season, but also prior to that, in the months of February, March and April.  A lot of those kids were on campus as far back as a year ago.  Jaivorio Burkes, for example, was on campus this summer.  He had an opportunity to tour the new facility, meet with the coaches, and I believe that really laid the groundwork for him establishing a relationship with this staff and with Coach Busch.  Those are some positives, and I think that word spreads as more players from that area begin to look at Nebraska and see its value and opportunity to play in a great program.”

 

On making the defensive line a priority this year in recruiting

“I think it’s huge, because of the fact that we lose (in effect) five defensive linemen.  I’ve always considered (Stewart) Bradley as the fifth defensive lineman, because he played on the line of scrimmage.  He was a stand-up SAM linebacker that played right there, off-tackle.  So, I really felt the urgency to add and build depth at that position.  You can never have enough good players, especially internally.  I look at (Ndamkakong) Suh, (Ty) Steinkuhler and all those guys coming back this fall, and with the departure of Ola (Dagunduro) and Barry Cryer, I felt it was crucial that we get a couple of big guys and run-stoppers inside that can help us continue our success against the run.  That’s where Kevin Dixon and Shukree Barfield come into play.  I thought we had to replace those pass rushers, Adam Carriker and Jay Moore, so we went after some great athletes like Will Yancy and Joseph Townsend.  Those players are outstanding players who you can’t pass up on.  They’re just too good to say we don’t want them in this class.  They were there, the need was there, and we just added a few more as we moved along.”

 

On running back Quentin Castille

“He’s a big, physical guy.  When I went down there and visited with his family, I couldn’t believe the size of the guy.  He was 245, 250 pounds and he looked like he was about 215.  He was a big, lean guy who was extremely productive and for his size. It’s uncanny the abilities he has, not only to run the ball inside but also the quickness and speed he has on the perimeter.  He has good hands.  This is just a tremendous back who will add to the needed depth as we go into spring ball.  Looking at the depth chart right now, we may have only one or two guys up for spring ball, as of today.  I hope that situation improves.  But Quentin, and also Roy Helu, will definitely add to the mix of backs, as will Marcus Mendoza.”

 

On the injury to NU running back Kenny Wilson

“Kenny was in the hospital for a short spell a week-and-a-half ago for an infection in his left knee.  That infection has been bothering him since the beginning of bowl practice.  Right after the Colorado game was when he started to have troubles with that.  It’s been a painful ordeal for him.  He’s lost considerable weight.  He should be up and moving, hopefully, sometime next week.  He’s been pretty much down, resting and recuperating from this infection.  We’re all concerned.  I’m sure that he’ll be happy to give you more insight into that as you get a chance to visit with him.  But we’re happy it’s nothing serious and we’re very optimistic that he’ll come back.  Whether or not he’ll be ready for spring is unknown.  That was a very big concern for all of us in the last month, coming off the bowl.  He practiced a little in Dallas and did well in a couple of spots in practice, but then had a relapse.  When he came back from the bowl and started school in the second semester, he had a total relapse.  I’m just glad he’s in good health, with us again and doing well.  I’m hopeful to see him next week.”

 

On defensive tackles Shukree Barfield and Kevin Dixon

“You can never have enough of the guys who can deal with the run, play physical inside in the one-gap and two-gap, and create a presence inside and problems for the center and guard in not allowing them to block linebackers.  We see power, size and explosiveness.  It’s exciting to see and we’re anxious to see get them on campus.  We’re especially excited about Dixon playing the three-technique.  Barfield can play nose tackle and the three-technique, as well.  We’re going to put Barfield at the nose and Dixon at the three-technique and bring them along from there.  Both these players have tremendous upside and a strong, physical presence about them.”

 

On the defensive emphasis of the Class of 2007

“Very early on, we identified the defense as the No. 1 area of concern for all of us as we looked at the board and looked at our depth as we studied that situation for years to come.  It was an area that we were going to place tremendous focus and emphasis on in the recruiting process.  That began last spring and worked its way through the fall.  We continued to look at that strongly, kept evaluating the best players in the country and continued to take our best shot at all of them.  This is an area where we went after it and targeted those needs and sold these kids on Nebraska.”

 

On who will come in at defensive back and play immediately

“I don’t know.  I really don’t.  It’s too early to say whether any of them can come in and play early.  We haven’t determined any roles yet, and I think in all fairness they need the opportunity to be coached, in terms of our system, and how they pick that up and how they develop and improve within the system.  So I don’t know.  I would like to tell you that they all could, but I don’t know.  I think they probably would have a better chance playing special teams first before they begin their role as a corner or safety.  As you look at Rickey Thenarse and Major Culbert and Corey Young, they all played special teams this year and I think it’s safe to say that we’ll need all those guys on special teams to improve those coverage units and return units.”

 

On whether the timing of losing recruit Travis Lewis (San Antonio Lee HS/San Antonio, Texas) cost Callahan the chance at going after someone else

“No, and we did offer a few, but there were no bites at that time.  What’s funny about the recruiting process is you throw your offer out there and you look to take a person’s word on a commitment and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.  The only thing I’ll tell you is that we’re going to maintain the integrity of what we do here at Nebraska, so for the very few that do elect to go in another direction, then that’s okay.  It doesn’t really bother us in that respect.  It’s disappointing, but I think overall I’m more pleased with the guys that are committed, that do make that commitment to come here and want to be a part of this than I am for the very few that elect to make a late, eleventh hour decision and go elsewhere.  And I respect that, and I understand that’s a part of the game in this day and age, but in all fairness we tried to go after a couple other kids but to no avail.  That’s not going to happen.  It’s hard to turn guys late, and come back in on guys when they are essentially committed or connected into a particular university.  It’s crazy.  Recruiting’s crazy this day and age; I have to tell you that.  It’s getting crazier.”

 

On what stood out about the instate recruit, Niles Paul (Omaha North HS/Omaha, Neb.)

“Everything about him.  You name it.  His character.  His athletic ability; his presence.  He is a great kid.  He’s very focused.  He wants to be the best.  What’s unique about Niles is that he knows exactly what he wants, and that shows tremendous focus for a young man.  For an individual to be that locked in to what he wants and where he wants to go in life, I have a lot of respect for that.  Niles’ upside is, you name it, he can do anything.  We’re going to start him at wide receiver.  He can be a return specialist for us.  He can do a lot of things, so it’s going to be interesting to see how he develops over the years.  But he has just tremendous upside, great lineage, outstanding character and as you talk to his father and you talk to his coach and the people around him up at Omaha North they have nothing but great things to say about him.  He’s just a class act.”

 

On whether Niles Paul chose Nebraska by default

“He always wanted Nebraska.  He always wanted to be here.  This is something he wanted to get over.  I’m sure this is an individual that could have gone anywhere around the country, he could have gone to any school and taken a trip, and I have great respect for a guy that knows exactly what he wants and where he wants to go in life.  And he didn’t confuse the issue, he didn’t make it kind of a dog and pony show, traveling all over the country, and he is a high profile player, but he’s a very humble guy in that regard.  He has a great upbringing, his dad did a wonderful job with him.  I’m just impressed, totally.  When you meet him he’s cheerful, he’s bright, he has a smile on his face, he’s upbeat, he has energy.  He’s the type of guy we want to be around and he’s the type of guy we want in this program because he’ll affect so many other guys positively.  So we’re looking for great things and we’re looking for great leadership out of Niles Paul.”

 

On whether Aaron Schulte (Norfolk Catholic HS/Norfolk, Neb.) joined the recruiting class only because of the loss of David Ross

“No he was always slated to be here.  We’re looking at the potential of grey shirting him, so this is a great opportunity for Aaron to come to Nebraska and be a part of this class and also to extend his eligibility as well.  We’ve had great discussions with his family in terms of how we want to treat his processes and there’s been great communication and dialogue since day one.  I’m very confident that he’ll do a great job.  He’s a good kid.  He’s one of those big statured Nebraska linemen that you look for and he’s complemented with those two other tackles as well Marcel Jones (Trevor Browne HS/Phoenix, Ariz.) and Jaivorio Burkes (Moon Valley HS/Phoenix, Ariz.), all three of these guys are what you look for in offensive linemen these days.”

 

On the amount of defensive players versus offensive players

“Well we always want to take great offensive linemen, and I really believe the three that we took show the qualities of what we look for.  But on the other side, let me reiterate, those defensive linemen that we went after, they’re quality players and they’re hard to find.  When you start recruiting and putting your board together, that’s the one postion that comes up that you can’t find enough of them.  Whether they are inside players or outside players, you can scour the country and there’s just not enough of them.  Those guys, they go off the board quicker and faster than any other position.  The quarterback position and the defensive tackle position, those guys fly off the board and those commitments happen quickly.  So any time you have a chance to grab one, and I’m talking about a good one, it just behooves you to grab them and sign them and get them on your board.”

 

On whether working in the NFL draft system allows Callahan to be more successful in the recruiting process

“Well we brought in that type of philosophy in terms of how we set our board, but to the coaches credit, this process begins way back, and the process today is really accelerated.  So I’m hopeful that the NCAA looks at an early signing date, especially here for us at Nebraska and that that would be a great advantage.  If they could ever get the early signing date for a high school player, boy we’d be enthralled with that because a lot of our visits occur during the in-season and as we all know, it is tough, and is getting tougher, to hold a commitment from day one all the way to Feb. 7.  It is becoming more difficult, more demanding and I just believe as a coach you want to be a little clearer in terms of commitment when they come to your school, when they make that commitment to your school, and you want an opportunity to sign them up if they’re that excited about it instead of waiting for an extended period of time.  I think it will happen because of the way the process has been accelerated.  I think the day’s coming where we’re going to see that.”

 

On the competitiveness at the quarterback position

“It’s going to be an interesting battle this spring.  Joe Ganz (junior, quarterback) has really worked incredibly hard over the last few years and we’re going to give him every shot to be the quarterback here at Nebraska.  Sam Keller (senior, quarterback) has made a definite commitment to be the quarterback here at Nebraska.  Unfortunately Zac Lee (San Francisco City College/San Francisco, Calif.)  is injured and probably will not partake in spring drills, but Beau Davis (junior, quarterback) of course and we’re fortunate to have our first high school quarterback enroll at midterm in Patrick Witt (Wylie HS/Wylie, Texas).  This is going to be an interesting battle.  It won’t be over until training camp, but we’re definitely anxious to see these guys on the field.  You know you can’t go down and watch them right now, you can’t go down and watch them workout when they’re throwing the football.  You can go watch them run and lift but the NCAA prevents you from going down and watching them throw so we just have to hold off our enthusiasm until spring ball starts.”

 

On Patrick Witt and Zac Lee

“Zac Lee’s lineage, as we all know, his dad played professional football and is just a wonderful guy and of course Zac is just a tremendous competitor.  In junior college, he led an outstanding, talented team at San Francisco City to a California championship.  He’s just a vicious competitor in every sense.  You watch him run with the ball and make plays with his legs and throw it, I think he has a rope for an arm.  He probably has one of the best releases I’ve seen in awhile, out of the guys that we’ve had.  He’s accurate, he’s played in the pass system and understands the passing game and understands how to manage a game from the quarterback position.  Patrick is eager, he’s smart, he’s intelligent, I look at his makeup and he reminds me a lot of (Zac) Taylor in that regard.  He’s smart, he’s tough and he’s dependable and we know what that’s down around here for the past few years.  He kind of exemplifies that, he exudes that in his personality and also in his performance.  I’m inspired by Witt because he’s a guy that is very intelligent and was in a program in Georgia, transferred to Wylie, Texas, played there and did just a phenomenal job of production and putting up numbers.  I think he threw for close to 1,700 or 1,800 yards and did an excellent job for a team that wanted to throw the football.  He plugged in as a senior and was accepted.  He had nothing but high marks and great comments from coaches there from a guy coming in from out of the blue.  So I have a lot of respect for him.  He is inspiring and he’s going to be an interesting guy to watch in years to come.”

 

On the LCL injury of Zac Lee

“He’s had surgery already. After his last game where he was injured, he had surgery about a week or so after. He just got off of crutches so this has not been a lot of fun for Zac Lee. He’s come here on crutches and trying to get around in this mess right now is pretty tough. He’s been great. He’s been by the office quite a few times and have shared some moments with him. He’s been doing good. He’s anxious. It’s tough to be hurt, especially at that position when you want to get out and compete. He’s watching all these other guys throw right now and he wants to get in the mix pretty badly.

 

“He’ll be here for training camp. He’ll be able to run somewhat I believe by spring but he won’t be ready for contact or competition.”

 

On kicker Adi Kunalic

“Adi’s an interesting guy. He’s interesting in every respect ? his nationality, where he’s come from, the hardships he’s endured ? what he’s overcome in his own personal life to get to where he’s at right now. He’s a strong-legged guy as a kicker. He loves to compete. He loves to practice. He loves the challenges. He’s a tough guy for a kicker. You don’t see guys like that. He’s competitive. He’s just fun to be around. I had a great visit in his home with his family and his brother. (They’re) just tremendous people. He comes from good stock, supportive family. He he wants to be the guy.

 

“He’s got some good competition, like all of these guys do. None of them have been promised a spot. None of them have been guaranteed a position. That’s what I love about these kids. They want to come in here and compete. And they want to earn their right and they want to earn their spot on this team. That again speaks well of the character of this class, which I’m really impressed with. As I look at this class as a whole, they’ve got tremendous character. There’s very few academic deficiencies in this group. They’re a smart bunch of guys. They’re tough guys. They’re competitive. And a lot of dependability and accountability in their own personal lives, which means a lot to us.”

 

On the size of this class

“The template and the profile that we’ve used over the years is the same one that we’re focusing on this year ? big-bodied wide receivers, fast, speed guys, big size on the defensive and offensive lines, especially in the offensive line. You look at Jaivorio Burkes and his size and stature ? he fits the mold. He’s long. He has length, as we say. He’s a long-armed, big hand guy. He’s strong. He’s athletic. He’s one of those wide bodies.

 

“The other guy down there in Phoenix, Marcel Jones, he’s a big body too, about 6-7 and he’s about 305 pounds and he looks like he’s 285. He’s so athletic. Great basketball player. I know our people over here were excited about him as a basketball prospect. That’s how good he is. He brings a lot of athleticism and size. That’s what we look for. You can’t have enough of those type of players, especially on the edges when you develop your offensive line. Burkes in the same way. Great basketball player. Powerful guy. Really powerful man. He makes it look easy. As you watch his highlight film, at times it’s just a joke. It’s not even fair. But he’ll have enough competition here, believe me. Just a great prospect with tremendous upside.”

 

On a Phoenix connection

“Bill (Busch) did such a good job with that group. He tied everybody together and linked everybody together. The one thing that stood out in my mind is that most of them played AAU basketball earlier in their high school careers. So they got to know each other and had some familiarity with one another. I don’t know if all five of them did but I know a few of them did. I think that helped. And of course Bill I think really orchestrated everybody, communicating with one another and exchanging thoughts about Nebraska. And before you knew it one was selling the other and the other one was selling the other. And that’s how it happens sometimes is by word of mouth. Normally your players here are great representatives and those players are great representatives now at Nebraska.

 

“But on that point, let me say this. Our players here did a tremendous job. And a lot of times that goes without being said. The players here at Nebraska have to host these kids after night games in the fall. And that’s tough duty to go out after a tough game and it’s 9, 10, 11 o’clock at night and your hosting a recruit at that point in time. It’s tough duty. Again I want to commend our players for doing a great job of taking care of recruits when they come onto this campus. Without them, you’re not going to get a class. I don’t care how good of coach you are or how good you think you are, players sell players. And our players believe in what we’re doing and they sell the product and they sell the program as good, if not better than a lot of people do.”

 

On the walk-ons

“I like their makeup. I like the fact that a lot of them have been recruited to go to other places, so there’s an unselfishness and selfishness with these guys. Of course, Coach Cassidy’s son Austin is coming here. He could have gone to the Ivy League, he could have gone to the military academy if he so desired and he has elected to come here and has made some tremendous sacrifices to be a part of this program. I truly appreciate that. Of course the Thomsen boy from Elkhorn. There’s a number of them. I think we’ve got 14 or 15. And I know there’s more coming but we couldn’t announce them because their papers haven’t been finalized yet. But I’m really thrilled about the excitement that they have generated about coming to Nebraska. I met with a lot of them throughout the fall. And of course we have our junior day and had our walk on day here a couple weeks ago. A lot of their families came up and I had an opportunity to visit their moms and dads and it was a great touch to let them know that we really want them here.”

 

On the speculation that this is his best recruiting class

“I’ll always feel the same way. I’ll wait and see how things go. I would say this ? I love the character and the make up of these kids. They’re profile across the board is real solid and real stable. I think we’re getting a real good student-athlete, a finished product so to speak in terms of character, goals and aspirations. They know what they want. They’re driven kids. And you’ve got to have that in this day and age because these next four to five years for these kids is going to be challenging. It’s going to be tough. And if they can develop the way we think they can, then I’ll be here four years from now answering that question.”

 

On if losing John Blake and Jay Norvell affects recruiting

“I think it does in some regard. I think John was an excellent coach and recruiter. He’s going to do tremendously well at North Carolina and he aspires to be a head coach, as does Jay. It’s a balancing act. But players understand there’s movement and when you want something for your coaches and you explain to them the fact that these are opportunities for a coach and their families to improve themselves, then kids look upon that and say, ?Yeah.’ They would want their coach to do well and move on and have some great things in their life. They accept that. There wasn’t any tremendous fallout because when all it’s all done and said Nebraska as a program is bigger than me, it’s bigger than them. It stands on its own merit. It still comes down to the product and the product is the University of Nebraska and the great tradition that we have here.”

 

On rumors of Coach Cosgrove leaving for the Vikings and if they have asked permission to speak to him

“No, not to my knowledge at all. In fact Coz said ?Did you see the stuff in the paper?’ I said ?No’ and he said ?They’re telling me that I’m going to the Vikings.’ No, there’s no truth to that that I know of.”

 

On the progress of replacing Jay Norvell

“We’re going to wait. We’ve gone through the university employment policy. We’re just waiting. We’ll wait for about two weeks before we close in on naming a recruiting coordinator and a tight end coach.”

 

On the 3:1 ratio of high school to junior college players

“I think we have less junior college players than in the four classes we’ve had here. We have six junior college players. I’m never going to close the door on that. We’re gravitating more toward high school players but I think junior college players in general is a good option to fill a void or a need or balance up a particular area, because a lot of things can happen in three to four years. You look at our defensive line ? we’ve been fortunate that we’ve had a lot of good players here and now we’re trying to reload and try to reposition ourselves to strengthen up that area. As I see it, it’s always a great option to have provided that you get the right guy. It’s important that you get the right guy in junior college recruiting and I think we’ve been really lucky and fortunate in that respect.”

 

On the television exposure helping recruiting this year

“I think it helped tremendously, especially in Texas. I think we were on television regionally or nationally in 10 out of the 14 games that we played, and all 10 were broadcasted in the state of Texas. That in itself is a selling point and a factor for a lot of players in the state of Texas. And also playing in the Big 12 Conference and having the opportunity to come back home and play in the state, or nearby, was appealing to a lot of the prospects in Texas. Again I mentioned to you earlier, I think the Cotton Bowl was a tremendous plus for us. Having the opportunity to put on a clinic for the Texas high school coaches went a long ways. When I got down there with the staff and visited with a lot of the coaches they were very appreciative of that. And the word in Texas gets out pretty quickly in that coaching association. They were very receptive and very appreciative of what we did down there.”

 

On if the new Tom and Nancy Osborne Complex helping recruiting

“I think so. I really do. I believe that. And I believe that all starts with Steve Pederson. I think that he’s done a tremendous job putting a facility up. I know that when our prospects come in they are in awe. In comparative value, when I speak to them I ask them where they’ve been and how things compare and they tell me that this blows it away in terms of competition. Steve has given us everything we need. Building a tremendous facility has really been a real bonus and a real factor in this whole process, especially with the early commits. The guys that did commit early, it made an impact on them. Of course with Curenski Gilleylen, I know it made an impact on him when he was here. I think it’s individual but I think collectively if I did my own little poll and survey, all these guys really enjoyed the facility. Not one guy had anything bad to say about it. They all thought it was like the Taj Mahal. They were all really excited.”