Gavin Byers
(Do you need to be a leader) Absolutely, we’re always going to need leadership positions. But I feel like having a lot of young guys that have been through this too, they don’t really need a lot of people telling them what to do. We mesh really well together, so there’s not a lot of that.
(Learning from older guys) Absolutely, coming in they showed me the ropes so I can pass that down to the younger guys.
(What do see from this group) I just say the way we work, we put our heads down and everything is full speed. Everyone’s going 100 percent.
(Moving from tackle to guard) I’ve actually enjoyed it a lot. I like playing with my hand in the dirt. I feel like I can come off the ball a lot faster and get to people better. I’ve enjoyed it and I feel like I can be successful at it.
(Can you tell the Barrington brothers are brothers) Oh yeah and we love having them. They’re a blessing to have on the offensive line. They’re fun, spirited, goofy. But when we play football you can tell they have some seriousness to them. They flip the switch whenever they get on the field and that’s cool to see.
(Going to West Virginia as a freshman, now older guy) It’s kind of flown by but it’s been a good transition coming into more of a leadership role and I’m enjoying it.
Tate Williams
(Chance to start) It’s been a lot of fun coming through the winter and this spring. I’m really just stepping into the shoes of those older guys last year, and really set an example for the younger guys. That’s something I’ve always enjoy is leading by example. I feel like I’ve been able to step into the shoes as somewhat of a leader and I’ve enjoyed it for the most part.
(This year’s O-line) I think the best part about it is that everybody’s so tight. Every single one of us is like we align on the same sense of humor and the same wavelength , I guess. I think that comes into when we’re playing as well. All the guys seem to connect really well and that’s the best part about it.
(Funniest guy in the room) I think Kaden Sieracki. He probably doesn’t mean to be but he is. He’s a freak athlete, love the kid to death. But he has some spacy thoughts now and then. He’ll have a comment and everybody will be like ‘What?’ But I love the kid to death, he’s awesome.
(Moving from tackle to guard) It’s a little bit of a transition. I’ve been working through a lot of different technique things and breaking old habits is tough. But the boys have my back and I’m working through it and I think I’m adapting well to it. I’ve got a future on the inside, I guess. You’ve got to get used to being in tight spaces inside where at tackle you’re more reacting to movement and space. It’s a little more physical on the inside, so that’s something you’ve got to get used to as well.
(Gavin also moving inside) Gavin actually lives with me. We’ll talk about stuff at the house and try to figure out what we need to fix. You can see a lot watching film, but I think we’re both adapting well and I think Gavin is going to be great inside. It’s been good living with him. We’ve become pretty good friends.
(Improving strength) Yes and I’ve gained a lot of weight as well. I was probably 270 pounds when I got here. I’ve been working to gain weight with the help of a lot of people here on the staff. I’ve finally got my weight and strength up and feel like I’m ready to compete at this level.
(What’s Coach Mateos like) Coach Mateos first year was my first year here, but I really enjoy having a coach like him because he really takes the time to care about his players. He wants to know how we’re feeling about certain things. It’s more of a democracy rather than a dictatorship. He’s not yelling at you all the time. He’s coaching you rather than cussing you. I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of it and the fact that he really knows ball. Everything about him screams I love football. He spends more time than anyone else watching film and understanding film, understanding defenses. It’s really awesome to have somebody like that on my side.
(What are Barrington brothers like around each other) Campbell is a little quieter, Clark speaks out more. They don’t really knock heads like you’d think brothers on a football team. I think they get along good and everybody in the room seems to love them. We’ve brought them in as one of our own. They live in the same apartment complex, but I don’t think they live in the same place.
Clark Barrington
(Transferring to Baylor) It’s been good. It can be a little different, but the boys have accepted me and I’ve been able to make a lot of new friends, so it’s been good.
(Relationship with Mateos) That played a role. I knew how I would be coached if I came here, so that was a big thing for me, just receiving that great coaching every day and learning and improving and getting better.
(New guy in the room) I’m really the new guy in the room which is weird. I’m here to do whatever the coaches ask me to do, and I’m here to prove it.
(Where did play at BYU) No center, my starts mostly came at left guard and some at right guard. It’s an easier transition than going from tackle to center.
(Brother here) It’s fun, another big reason why I decided to come down here was because he was coming down here too. It’s always good to know somebody when you’re headed somewhere new.
(What do you see from the O-line) Just like coach was saying, it’s a bunch of athletic freaks in the room. It’s a bunch of young guys who know what they’re doing and they’re able to do it. The ceiling for the O-line is sky high and we’ll see where we go.
(Welcome here after playing BU last two seasons) It was cool because I had played Baylor two years in a row, so I knew the whole D-line because I had studied them and played against them for two years. It was cool to be able to connect with those guys and be able to continue to make friends with other guys as well. It’s been good.
Eric Mateos
got a relatively young group, how’s it going) I think they’re doing good. Nine practices. We have some youth, but we have some older guys that have been in the system and have heard the language and heard the calls. They’ve been through nine practices, they’ve done a great job of playing together and learning. Just pleased so far.
(lot different than last year when you had so many fifth and sixth-year guys) Yeah, it’s different, it’s a new challenge. I like it because it forces you to go to the roots of your teaching, go to the base level and really just kind of rebuild it from the ground up. And that’s a fun thing as a coach. You’ve got guys that are either hungry or soaking it up. It’s been a lot of fun, I’ve enjoyed it.
(what’s the biggest way you can tell whether or not young guys get it) I think there’s multiple levels to it. Like the football IQ part, we talk a lot in our room about, the only way you know that you know it is if you could teach it. So, we really challenge our guys every day in meetings, do you know exactly what you’re doing, or are you just listening to somebody else? So, I think there’s a football IQ piece of just knowing the system, knowing the scheme, understanding, ‘Hey, they play this front, we make this call.’ ‘They rotate the safeties like this, we make this call.’ ‘They bump the linebackers on this shift, we’ve got to make this call.’ So, that’s heavy, and we demand a lot out of our guys when it comes to that. And then, I think physically, you’ve just got to see them put their face on somebody. Do they have contact courage or are they backing down? Are they backing down from veteran D-linemen? Are they in the fight? Are they face-turners, or are they putting their face on somebody? So, I think there’s two levels to it, because somebody might be ready mentally but not ready physically and vice versa. So, there are just different levels to it.
(your relationship with the Barrington brothers help in getting them here) I would say that’s probably the reason they’re here. I never coached Campbell at BYU, nor did I recruit him. But I coached Clark for two years. So, when Clark made the decision to play another season and go into the portal, I felt that was a no-brainer. And then, when Campbell got in the portal, knowing his dad and knowing the family, I think that was a huge help, obviously. I think their parents appreciated how I coached Clark when I was at BYU. I think that’s probably a big reason why they’re in Texas, and probably for some warmer weather, too, despite today.
(particularly with losing so many older guys, how big was it to get Clark) I think it’s big. The portal, for us, is to find guys that are a net positive, both on and off the field. It’s really important for me, if we’re going to bring in a guy from another program, he’s going to fit in the room. And it’s not just a skill level thing, it’s not just ‘Hey, is this guy a great player? It’s, is this guy going to fit? And I think just knowing their personalities, at least knowing Clark’s personality, I knew that he was going to be a great fit with the room that we had coming back. And they have been nothing but humble and hungry, and been all that we would hope they would be.
(telling Clark he’s got to come in and be the leader, even in a new room) Me and Clark had a lot of talks about how to go about this because you are a veteran with a lot of accolades and All-American stuff attached to your name. But at the end of the day, this is still a new room, and it’s like being a free agent in the NFL. You don’t just show up and pound your chest and act like the Alpha (dog) Day One. We talked a lot one-on-one just about, ‘Hey, you’ve got to come in here and you’ve got to earn respect first, earn trust, and then you can be a leader. And once people know what kind of worker and person you are, then you can find your way to lead.’ And we talk all the time in our room, everybody has their own way to lead. I don’t want anybody to try and be me, I want our guys to lead in their personalities, how they would lead. And that’s how our guys are doing it.
(who are some of the guys who have stepped into leadership roles) I would say Tate Williams has done a great job of being a leader. I would say Elijah (Ellis) has done a good job, Gavin (Byers) has done a good job, just guys that have been here and learned the language and gone through the offseasons. I feel like all of them do a really good job with that.
(having an experienced guy like Gavin coming back) It’s great. Gavin has been here and won and competed and won big-time ballgames. And he’s been on the field for big-time moments four our team. So, him having the experience and the skins on the wall, as we say in our room, he’s got skins on the wall. He’s been in the fight, he’s been in the grind. He’s battled against great players in this conference, and he’s whupped them. So, when you have a guy like that, you feel good about it.
(Clark play any center before) No, as far as I know. I never played him at center at BYU. And I don’t think he played any center there at all. So, a lot of it’s been new. But at the same time, me and Clark have been in a lot of wars together, too, and been in a lot of game preps and been in a lot of meetings. So, he’s heard the same language from me and the same coaching points for a long time. And he played with great centers there at BYU. So, he knows the position and has really done a good job.
(any young guys you’re looking at, that maybe need to take that next step) I mean, we’ve got a lot of young freaks in the room. You look out there, and you look out there and you look at our young players, they’re freaky. (look the part) They’re freaky. There are a lot of guys right now that have four years of eligibility that are going to make a lot of money playing football on Sundays. They’re coming along great. I’ve been super-impressed with them. And they’ve all taken huge steps. Every single guy has had a rep where you can say, ‘Wow, that looks like an NFL player!’ And he’s still got four years left. So, really excited about all the youth, the young talent in the room. It’s a good, talented room.
(that’s the redshirt freshmen) Yeah, all the boys that redshirted last year. We signed six players in that class, and they can all play.
(is that the thing that helps you sleep at night, the amount of talent in the room, even with the lack of experience) I sleep pretty good because I like our guys, I like our room. They’re good people, they work really hard, they care about the game, they like to play. A lot of people make a lot of hoopla about returning starts, how many starts you’ve got coming back on your O-line. I think that’s one of the silliest things to talk about. And the only reason they talk about it is because they don’t have any other stats for the offensive linemen. So, they’re like, this guy’s started this many games. Well, it doesn’t really mean anything. You don’t get your first start until you start your first game. And then, all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘you’re the man now,’ because you started a couple of games. And really, people don’t consider how you played. I think just the effort, the attention to detail, the eagerness that the guys are showing, how much they want to learn, how much they want to get better, that’s really the key, the drill. And you know, everybody’s going to get their first start and they’re going to get a little blood on their lip, and they’re going to have to spit the blood in the bucket, and have to go back in there and fight. And then, all of a sudden, they’re not a new guy anymore. Now, everybody will anoint them that they’re some great players because they started some games. That’s just now how the game works. We’ve got to prep for every game like it’s the most important thing, and so we’ll worry about Texas State. And whoever starts or gets their first start or gets their first action, they’ll have to play well and then there will be another (game).
