Spring game Q&A with SMU OC Casey Woods
SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods spoke ahead of Friday night’s spring game. Here’s what he had to say.
On spring game expectations
“Honest to goodness, we’ve got a lot of the hay in the barn right now. We’ve done a lot of good work this spring. I want the enjoyment of them being out there. It’s a great atmosphere. We get an opportunity to go over here into the neighborhood and be part of the Highland Park community, which is awesome, and just have a chance for them to experience that. The stadium’s great, has a good feel as you get in there.
“From an execution standpoint, we’re dividing up teams, we’re going to have a little, there’ll be some starters with backups. So there’s kind of a mixture of what’s going on. I think at the end of the day, we want to come out of it healthy is the most important thing. We want them to compete, is the biggest thing. I think the No. 1 thing that we’ll grade, and we always grade but really emphasize it in this one, is having great effort and finishing it the right way from that standpoint. Then there’s mixing and match, I mean there’s some mismatch with the execution piece, so I’ve got to do a good job of making sure we call plays that everybody can execute and do a good job with that.
“I think that we’ve done a whole lot for our offense up until now and I’m really confident with where we’re headed headed into summer. I want to make sure that we’re smart Friday night and look crisp and look good in our uniforms and do the things that we need to do and get in and out of there, let everybody contribute and be part of this thing on a fun Friday night.”
On what impressed him this spring
“I think that we’re more athletic right now on the offensive line than at any time since I’ve been here. Really, really excited about the development of our two tackles, Savion Byrd and PJ Williams, those guys. I think Justin Osborn is a potential Remington candidate at that center position. Really, really excited about that unit as a whole. We’ve got to support it with some depth and make sure we do a good job this off season just developing, they haven’t played a ton of games. but getting them in position to do that and really excited about their development.
“I think Kevin Jennings has done a nice job trying to lead our team and doing that. I think we’ve got talented receivers and talented running backs and RJ (Maryland)’s continuing to get better and better every year. Really excited about the potential where this offense can land here in six months from now. We’ve got a lot to do to be able to compete in this league, but I do think that we’ve got a good framework and we’ve got a good group of resources to try to build this thing out.”
On Preston Stone
“I think when we first started this thing and he was first getting through all the rehab piece, he’s right on schedule exactly where he needs to be. So there’s no reason to force or push that situation particularly where we’re combining units. There’s no reason to push that faster than we need to.”
On Jordan Hudson
“I hope we get it to him a lot. He’s a stud man. Jordan is a guy that is maturing. He’s obviously got a skill set that’s incredibly similar to recent NFL players that we’ve had here at that position. I think that he’s a guy that, as he continues to develop in all facets of his life, both off the field and on the field, then I think that he really does have a unique skill set that willl be fun to watch him continue to grow. It certainly makes me feel better to look up and he’s in the game and we’ve got an opportunity to get a ball to him.”
On Roderick Daniels Jr.
“Junior’s been awesome. It’s not going to change radically from what it was last year. I think that he’s a guy that is an incredibly versatile player that lined up at four different positions for us last year on offense and he was our returner. You can see he’s flipped a switch in professionalism, in my opinion, over the course of the last six months. That’s a hard thing to do, so it’s not an everyday thing, but I mean, I really think that he’s tried to take a leadership standpoint on our team.
“He’s tried to commit himself in the weight room, in the places that we have set up for him to make sure he develops the right way. But he’s a touch guy, so we’ve got to put him in different positions to make sure to ensure that he gets a chance to get the ball. He’s also one of our best perimeter blockers, he’s a competitor, he’s just a natural football mind and so having a unique tool like him, that versatility is really helpful for our offense.”
On the whole returning group of receivers
“Coach (Rob) Likens has done an outstanding job in that room. Obviously, we’ve got a pool of really good talent. I mean, I think we’ve got six guys that for sure could start at any (school). I don’t know what the rest of our league looks like, but I would imagine them being guys that could start at those places. They’ve done a great job pushing each other. They’ve done a great job supporting each other. Coach Likens has done a great job fostering that culture in there to make sure that they stay competitive and try to improve themselves.
“Competition is the best thing that you can possibly do for your team. That’s what makes everybody better, puts you in position to be as competitive as you can be on game day. So having those guys and their professional approach to having other guys in that room is really earned. We’ve got six starting receivers if you want to frame it like that. It’s certainly something that I tip my hat to Coach Likens and those guys for the way that they’ve handled it.”
