Some keynotes from our opportunity to speak with Marcel Yates, Malik Dunlap and Tyler Owens.
- Yates said as a group they’re growing as a whole. With a more experienced unit, he said some new guys getting better are Maurion Horn and Jalon Peoples.
- Yates said he’s not a guy that comes into a new place and talks about the past. He’s focused on what they want as a defense and what McGuire wants. Even though this secondary is experienced he harps more on how they do things. In terms of leadership everyone has their days. They’re vocal. Yates wants command on the field and said they have a whole week to get there.
- As far as the unit goes they’re pretty healthy, Yates said. There’s bumps and bruises but it’s about fighting through it.
- Yates was asked how excited he was for gameday. He said, “I gotta be honest with you, I’ve been doing this long enough that I understand that we need every day so I’m not excited yet … I think I’ll start getting excited when I start seeing the tailgaters, RVs come in.”
- Having a veteran group is key but preparing every day is crucial. They need every practice. As a coach, Yates said seeing them Thursday and Friday will show if they’re prepared. There’s always adjustments to be made though as time and plays go on.
- Yates explained that they can have fun off the field and enjoy being around everyone. But when it’s time to work it’s time to work. He said they know as players that this staff is going to be asking about family, friends, etc. to be personal with their players to grow relationships.
Notes from Dunlap and Owens:
- Owens said this staff is fun to play for because they let them play. They’ll be on you to work hard and make plays but they’re making it fun to play football again. Malik mentioned there’s a big difference from his first year to his second year now.
- Jerand Bradley and Jordan Brown have been the receivers giving them fits on the offense. Both agreed on that. Brown, or Lil JB, is crafty and speedy. In their own DB room it’s been Muddy Waters pushing them.
- Malik and Tyler said all three QBs are great but Tyler Shough’s experience and maturity gets the team together.
- Both are transfer players to Texas Tech. Malik transferred last year from NC State while Tyler is in his first season in Lubbock after spending time at Texas. Both have those two games circled on their calendar. Tyler said he has Texas circled for personal reasons. Malik is excited to play in front of family when they travel to Raleigh in week three. Malik said he was just asking for everyone’s tickets to that game for his family. He found out last year when Muddy Waters told him after the Iowa State game. They’re hungry, both said. They have bigger goals set.
- Devin Leary, the NC State QB, called Malik and talked some friendly mess to him. Malik said he’s one of the two Wolfpack players he has a good relationship with but here’s how that conversation went:
Leary: “I’m coming at you all game!”
Dunlap: “Leary, you coming at me then you’re going second round!”
- This team has spent a ton of time bonding and doing team activities. Malik said his favorite was the rap contest about a week ago. Both said they liked the Strap Up music video as well.
- For week one, they both feel like they’re where they need to be. However, they know as each week passes they’ll be improving throughout the year.
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