Dominic Richardson
(What made you decide to transfer here)
Just the environment, man. Just the spread of love for the coaches and the players. I just felt like this was a great place (and a) great fit for me. (With) it being a Christian school as well, I'm a big Christian and I just feel like the offense is like my play style. That’s the biggest thing.
(What do you like about this offense and your role in it?)
Wide zone, I love (the) wide zone. So, I think that it fits my play style, especially with Coach Steward being the running back coach. He teaches every detail of the game, like going downhill with one cut, getting vertical, rubbing off your defenders. And just making that right mindset as a running back. So, I just love everything about the O-line and how they race up to their defenders and not just sitting back. It gives the running back more room to read. So, that's what I like about it.
(What’s allowed you to embrace coming into this situation, a committee, you could’ve been a bell cow back somewhere else)
Yes, sir. I just feel like I love competition. I love competing against the best. So, knowing Richard Reese was here and he had a big season last season, I know I had to come here and compete and also be a teammate and also learn from him because he got a lot of skills I don't have as well like the speed and all that.
I feel like he's really elite with his speed and vision and all that great stuff. So, just learning from him as a young running back and (me) being an older running back and setting examples for the younger running backs and the older running backs as. So, I just felt like I was ready to compete.
(What’s your role … new guy but an older guy)
My role is pretty much like being a leader, knowing what I'm supposed to do when I’m both on and off the field for the younger backs and even the older backs. I have to know what I'm talking about, not only (the) offense, (but) also the defense, so it'd be easier for me on the field. So, I think that's the main step for me.
(How do you become a leader in a new place … was it hard?)
It's pretty easy. I know a lot coming from OSU and I'm pretty laid back. I’m the shy guy pretty much, but I feel like I can step up and talk (about) football if needed. And I feel like (if) I grow a relationship now with my teammates and also my coach, so like, it makes it easier for me to be a leader.
(Is this the level of competition you’re excited to play in, having played in the Big 12?)
Oh, yes sir, I am. It's really competitive. So I'm gonna have to come out here and set my goals and just attack it every day.
(Impression of Dave Aranda and the program he operates)
He's a great coach. He's just very laid back and chill. Coming from a setting like OSU is very different, which I like. He also knows our standards need to be high. He doesn't – for a lack of words of – he’s like, ‘you should just chill out. It's OK.’ He's gonna be on our butts about things but it’s in a chill way. So, that's very different for me, but I really enjoy it.
(On person over player .. what does that mean to you)
It's a very great model. I mean, I feel like it should be person over player. I mean, he always checks up on us. We have a relationship with Coach Aranda. He's not like a coach that's gonna sit back and not talk to us. That's the big thing for us, when we feel that energy, we want to play better because we know he cares about us and we want to just build that relationship and just play good for him.
(Volume change from Mike Gundy from Dave Aranda)
Oh, yeah. Like I said, it's a big difference for sure. Coach Gundy is old school so, he's gonna put his foot down and yell at you, no matter what happens. But Coach Aranda, he’s kind of chill about it but he gets his point across. When he's upset he gets his point across. He tells you like, ‘you need to do better at this’ and ‘you need to set the tone on and off the field, even in the classroom.’ In the classroom, off the field and on the field. So, he does a great job with that.
(Feel like you’ve already learned a lot from Aranda’s leadership style?)
Yes, yes, ma’am for sure. I learned a lot. It's very different. Like, I enjoy it. I mean, I take it to heart. I feel like the coaches care about us, but they also aren’t saying things that are easy for us and we still need to be on top of our stuff.
Richard Reese
(Looking to improve on) This year, I'm just working on getting bigger in size and just focusing on getting better as a team and as a whole. And just working on the little things that matter.
(Group of running backs) We’re gonna be pretty good. I'm the smallest, but it is what it is and I feel like we’re gonna have a good outcome.
(Put on muscle, how was the offseason) It's been good, it made a big difference. I was in the weight room and [it] made me eat more than I usually eat. I believed in it so I just stuck with the process and it came out good.
(Coach Steward) He’s a good coach. He [is] teaching us the little things that matter in the plays and we’re just listening to him and he’s getting us better each day.
(What went wrong last year) I felt like we weren't together as a team, it was a team thing, and I feel like you should always play as a team. So I felt like that's what the problem was.
(Qualan and Dom) They’re gonna be pretty good. They’ve got
the size on our team. We're gonna be good. They’re gonna be good at running the ball, getting vertical and getting down hill.
(Dom) I see that he knows what he's doing. He doesn't take any reps off when he comes in and gets a chance to show the coach what he's got.
(Next step for you) The next step is just to get better than last year and just be better.
(How much of a toll was the workload, what did you learn) I just learned that no matter what happens, I just gotta keep pushing. I mean, I didn't know that I was gonna come in as a freshman and start like that. But in my head, I'm like, ‘I'm here, so I'm just gonna do it and stick with it because it's something that I love since I was little.’
(Musician) I grew up in the church since I was little, so I grew up playing the guitar. I got two older brothers, they’re twins, and we all played in the church. Me and my dad and my brothers, we all play instruments.
Qualan Jones
(What does each guy bring) Each of us brings in energy. If anybody's on the field and makes a bad play or whatever, we want to lift them up and keep them energized throughout the game. We don't really want [guys] being down and stuff like that. We’re gonna bring energy and we’re gonna lift people up on the field and we’re gonna grind together.
(Is there a certain style for each guy) I feel like we all have the same style. Whatever we get the ball, it's gonna be vertical, it's gonna be downhill. We're gonna handle the chains and just keep it going.
(Coach Steward) He's a great guy. We've been in meetings and he gives us drills to translate on the field. He talks about how the small things matter. That's what he has really liked coaching us on because if we get the small things down, it's gonna be easier for us. We're gonna get in the game and it's just gonna be good memory.
(Decision to come back) I just felt like this is a good organization. I wanted to come back, I have something else to prove. And
(Found a rhythm last year) I felt like I had to contribute to this team. They needed me in big times, like in pass protection. They counted on me to win in pass pro and I executed. I got a few runs here and there, and I made the most of it.
(O-line) They're doing good right now. It's just a couple days into the spring, so they’ve got a lot more work to do. But I see each one of them like grinding, they’re willing to work. They’re not giving up and they’re ready to grind.
(Richard) He’s gaining weight. I know y'all see that. He's been working and he’s been willing to learn. He's been getting downhill, putting his shoulder down. It's been good stuff coming from him.
(End of the year) I really felt like it was individuals playing, not really as a team. As a team you want to get your guys to play together because when everybody plays together you can count on each one and you'll get a win.
(Has that changed) We have worked on it and I have seen a big change. That's when people [are] down, we lift everybody up. It's just like a big change and I see everybody's working together. Everybody's trying to help each other out on the field. Everybody's working together and grinding together.
(Blake being a leader) He has stepped up. He has been talking more and trying to get people to bring energy. He said, ‘let's attack this,’ or if we mess up we’re still going full speed and he’s just bringing all the brothers together.
(Do you feel like you have to be a leader in the RB room) Yeah, being an older guy. I feel like I do have to be a leader. I feel like whatever I do, they're looking up to me. So, I gotta set an example and when I go on the field, I need to grind. Don’t take any plays off and just be that leader for them.
AJ Steward
(On Qualan and Dom, how they fit the scheme and what holes they can fill)
I always tell these guys ‘your difference is what gives you value.’ And so, we want to definitely carve out ‘hey coach, if you're talking (about) the best pass blockers in our room, I want to be No. 1 on that pass blocking depth chart.’ Or, ‘I want to be the No. 1 on a route running depth and not just like an overall umbrella term of a depth chart.’ And so, it's really good that those guys have their unique skill sets that separate them in different ways. And so, what we're trying to do right now is just clean up their games in those other areas where they may be second or third on the depth chart or fifth or sixth in certain specific areas of playing the running back position. And so, that's really the challenge right now. I'm not big on ‘hey, you're really good at that. So that’s just what you do. You're just a one trick pony. And so, we're just in the process of developing guys and so that this year, you're not just the pass blocker or you're not just the first down guy, or the screen guy. We want to for sure keep being a better screen guy or a better pass blocker, but let's not be just a one trick pony. And so, that's really what this spring and this whole offseason leading up to the season will be for both of those guys and really the whole room.
(How much do you like that wide zone)
(When) I wake up, one of the first things I think about (is) my wife, God and (the) wide zone. And it's not (called) outside zone. That's something Coach (Jeff) Grimes and I, we made a decision a long time ago; it’s wide zone. And that's a story for another day, but (I’m) really passionate about it. I’ve probably done 700 coaches clinics on it, talking on the topic. I’ve watched ungodly hours of film on (the) wide zone and so I'm all in with it. And so, that was another reason – just going into a system that I just truly believed in and have a lot of experience with and have had success with. And so, yeah, it means a lot to me and I believe in it for sure.
(What’s the order LOL)
God for sure No. 1.
JERRY HILL: Better put the wife up there.
AJ STEWARD: Oh yeah, wife’s above wide zone, but some days it’s close.
ERIC KELLY: Can she tell when you’re in your wide zone mentality?
AJ STEWARD: Nah, she can’t tell. She can’t tell.
(Your impression of Dave Aranda)
(He’s an) incredible leader. (He’s) very consistent. I think (with) leadership, that's the biggest thing is just whenever they show up, you know what to expect. You know what the standard is, clearly defined standards. And that's who he is. (He) does a great job. Very well mapped out. Everybody's on the same page. We're very well organized around here. And I think that's the first step when the players feel that, it always starts from the top. The vision, it's a trickle down effect, and if we (as coaches) understand it, then the players will understand it. And I think he just does a great job of not only creating the standard but like showing us what the standard should look like and allowing us to go out and push it with the players and in doubling down on a daily (basis). And so, I'm really excited to learn a lot from Coach Aranda and I have already in a short amount of time. And (I’ve) heard great things about him even before I got here and it's just been confirmed in just this couple of months that I've been here so far.
(On your hightops, are you an active coach?)
Well, they help my Achilles a lot. That's why I wear them for sure. I try to stay in shape. Don't look at pictures from 12 years ago when I first got into coaching, but I try to stay active. I want to look good for my wife. I don't really have too many other reasons to look good or to work out for anyway, but that's still the reason I'm hanging on to right now. So, I try to stay active. I try to run around on the field and let the players – I try to hold them to a high standard and so, I try to … I'm not as good as I once was so to speak, but I think the players respect when I hold them to (a standard that’s like) ‘hey, let's run from drill to drill’ (and) when I can do that with them and not just do as I say but do as I'm doing with you. I think they respond well to that. So, I try to stick in there as long as I can. It's getting harder and harder every year.
(On your shades)
Well, it's not necessarily about swagger. I honestly started it when I went to Oregon State and it kind of looks like how it did today every single day. And so, I just used to joke around with the players, like, everyday is Sunday and 80 degrees for me. Because it was a mindset thing for me. And then I wore it at night like one game where it started at daylight and then it got nighttime. And we were winning at halftime and Coach (was like) ‘you better keep those sunglasses on.’ And so, then I tried to put them away for night games and they're like, ‘No, you wear sunglasses.’ And so, there were multiple reasons why I do it. But it's become a thing now and I can't shake it. I haven't been able to yet.
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