Brenden Jaimes Quotes - March 9, 2020

Brenden Jaimes
SENIOR | OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
 
On the offensive line as a whole
"There shouldn't be any excuses this year. Bringing back five starters, there should be absolutely no excuses for anything. With the depth that we have, competition should be through the roof as it is right now. Everybody should be competing as their spot is on the line everyday including me."
 
On if he can sense that competition
"I think there has always been competition. With everybody back and new guys stepping up here and there, everybody has to take it day by day."
 
On who is currently behind him in practice
"Brant Banks works behind me right now. I've helped him and taught him everything I can, so that if anything happens, he's ready to go. He's the next man."
 
On what it means to have Christian Gaylord back
"It's great. We love having Christian in the o-line room, and everyday he comes in with a smile on his face. For him to come back and play one more and be at this university for one more year, it's a cool thing."
 
On how much Christian wanted to get that extra year of eligibility
"He wanted it more than anything. That dude loves this program. He loves football, and that's why he does it. He's an inspiration to all of us."
 
On how much self-evaluation went into the offensive line
"We looked at ourselves and really dug deep into what we needed to do and did some soul searching. We found some things that we didn't know about each other and worked on them and grinded all offseason. We just need to take that onto the field."
 
On what they found out in the offseason
"We need to put everything that's happened in the past in the past. We don't need to worry about it. We need to move on and not bring it up again and move forward."
 
On if their better and stronger as a unit
"I don't think anybody was struggling with mentality. I think it was just technique and focusing on little things when we got tired. I think that's where we really fell apart last year. When things got hard, our technique wasn't as good as it should've been. Mentally I think we were all fine."
 
On the growth of Bryce Benhart
"Just like everyone else, he's grown physically and mentally. We just need to keep getting the playbook with him and keep grinding like everyone else."
 
On the all the offensive linemen that redshirted last year
"They put in work like everyone else. They were no different than I was. I was holding them accountable and kept having them stay with me and [Matt] Farniok after lifting weights and stuff. Everyone needs it."
 
On his impressions of Turner Corcoran
"He's good. He's working like everyone else is. He's not above anybody. He's not below anybody. Everyone is competing for a spot. He's doing good. He's got good feet. He needs to work on his strength, but other than that, I can't really complain about him."
 
On the adjustment and growth of having Cam Jurgens playing center last season
"I think with that, it was just confidence. Moving from the position that he was into the position he is now, it was a really big move. He took it the best he could and ran with it. Once he got a couple of games under his belt, he slowed it down and became more confident as the season went on. I don't that should be an issue anymore. Like I said, he's a returning starter."
 
On if he looked like a Big Ten center by the end of the year
"Yeah. He was quick. He was strong. Like everybody else, he needs to clean up technique, but he had the role as any other center I've seen."
 
On if he sees this spring as a new process with the offensive line
"Not really. We just need to do what we need to do. I think there's a lot of people that worry about other people. We just need to keep it in our circle and do our job, and everything will take care of itself."
 
On his early impressions of Brant Banks
"He's tall. He's physical. He's fast. He's strong. He's got all the traits that a Big Ten tackle has. Right now, if he's the guy behind me, I'm going to train as if he was the guy above me. If I go down or if something happens, he needs to be ready to step up. If he's not, that's on me."
 
On if Banks is a good listener
"Yes, absolutely."
 
On if it matters what quarterback is playing
"No, absolutely not. We just need to take care of the things that we can take care of, and whoever is back there, we're all confident he will get the job done. We just need to stick to our technique, and whoever is back there will be fine."
 
On finishing third in the Big Ten in rushing offense last season
"We left a lot on the field last year. Even finishing third in the Big Ten in rushing, we still left a lot out there on the field. We just have to improve everyday and clean up our technique, and everything else will take care of itself."
 
On if he feels the program is beginning to turn
"I think it's closer than people think. We just got to do what we got to do. I think that this program is turning around. I think Coach Frost is setting in a good plan. It just takes time. A lot of people don't realize that. He just needs to get the players he wants on the field, and once he does that, everything else will take off."
 
On what he thinks the outside perception is
"I don't know. That's not for me to say."

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