Bielema ReliaQuest Bowl Press Conference
December 29, 2022 | Football
NEWS
Opening statement:
"Very excited to be here. Just came from the practice field. We really enjoyed our time here. Came down on the 26th. Some great interaction. Today they're getting a chance to go to Busch Gardens, excited about that. This, for us, is Tuesday of game week, so we're locked into our preparation phase now. Still letting them bounce, a little bit of fun during the day, partaking of some of the things the bowl game has set up for us.
"Obviously had a chance to visit with (Mississippi State head coach) Zach Arnett at the press conference. From our fan base and university, obviously condolences for Mike (Leach), a very special coach. I know someone that's on our hearts and minds for him and his family but also Mississippi State.
"I think this game is about the reward for our guys that went through a tale of two different seasons. Start off a little disappointment with a Big Ten loss at Indiana, then a six-game winning streak, then three tough losses in a row, rivalry win against Northwestern.
"Coming here to Tampa, a bowl experience I've had with Jim and his organization as a coordinator, head coach also. Very excited to be here. Looking for an opportunity to play on the 2nd. Thank you."
On balancing bowl-game festivities while staying focused on the game:
"Unique experience for me this year. Bowl games, seven straight at Wisconsin, three of the five years at Arkansas, never had a player opt out of a game. That was the first challenge. We had three good players opt out. That's the first unique challenge.
"We actually had four practices before we knew our opponent. As soon as we came bowl eligible, I started an in-season, eight-week program that allowed our developmental crew to go on an eight-week window of strength and conditioning training. We had five practices devoted to them. We practiced about 40 to 50 guys.
"That was the biggest reward. It's really kind of almost like a mini spring conditioning for our younger players. Then even after we became aware obviously we were playing Mississippi State, a very good team, we really didn't transition to Mississippi State preparation until after three more practices where it was good on good. We got good at football again. Then the last 10 practices are all devoted to Mississippi State.
"The reward, just scheduled everything on the front end here, let them have an aquarium day, our guys hopped on a boat, saw dolphins. I didn't really join them, but they really seemed excited about it. Not a lot of dolphins in Illinois. Today, I could tell by the attitude walking in the door. I have a team meeting every day. I kind of start the day off with a schedule, what's going to go on. Earliest morning we've gotten guys up. 11:00 game, I wanted to transition into that. The mood wasn't there.
"I have a freshmen talent show pool, without hazing them, they're showing their talents, they get a chance to come up. Joey Okla did a Conor McGregor impersonation that was to die for the other day. Today, Elijah Mc-Cantos and Gabe Jacas had a dance-off that was pretty entertaining. We kind of sprinkle that in."
On players stepping up:
"As you guys know, we really got banged up in the secondary at the end of the year this last season. Obviously Spoon and Syd were huge parts of our back end, our success."
"We have been able, the last two or three games, to get Xavier Scott. Had a tremendous role, really from the Michigan game on, played a lot of football for us. Josh McCray, the opposite side of the ball with Chase. Josh has been 100% involved in bowl practice. He actually did the devo practices. He was cleared to play at that point. He's basically a guy we were counting on big things since he ever started. He's never been full strength since Indiana. Almost ran over me today. He looks pretty good.
"A guy, Tyler Strain, really had a nice couple games there at the end. Got knocked out of the Purdue game with a concussion. Came in and done a nice job. Obviously the way these guys play offense, our secondary is going to have to be at its best. Coach Henry, new play-caller. He literally play calls all year during practices, scrimmages. This is something that is new because it's new, but not really new to our guys. I haven't seen any hiccup in what they've done."
On addressing assistant coaching departures:
"I'll actually name a DB coach in the next days. Literally the day I made the transition, I knew who I was going to hire. It's actually somebody I interviewed before in the original process that I didn't get to. That one kind of has been sitting on ready. When he joins us, he'll be more of an analyst, eyes in the sky on game day.
"On-the-field positions have been filled for the bowl game within our staff, with quality control assistants. On defense, Ryan Simerson and Alex Panos, student assistants for us, let them step into the role as GAs, helping defensively what kind of we laid it out here. Henry is taking the back end overall.
"Coach Buh is taking the linebackers inside and outside with Preston helping him. Then Jamo is taking the defensive line. Danny Cameron, who has been with us all year as an offensive analyst, he worked in the running back room, videos, tips, all that stuff. He's been doing that all year. Easy transition to put him into the running back room.
"Like I said, I'll fill the defensive back position very quickly, but I'm going to wait to hire my running back and my outside linebacker job until after the bowl game. There's some NFL people involved as well, so I may wait actually until later January until the NFL season is done."
On the transfer portal:
"When I took the job two years ago, I told Josh, coming out of COVID, entering the portal, it's really allowed you for a coach taking over a program, allows you to flip your roster pretty quickly into your skill sets. Not good, bad, indifferent. We were going to definitely do things different offensively and defensively than they recruited.
"I didn't realize, I had a personnel meeting yesterday, and it was brought to my attention we are one of the top five or tied for second, whatever it was, in fewest guys in the portal. I didn't really know that. I don't really count it. I didn't track it. I've been listening to some of these bowl games. I heard as high as 20 guys in the portal. To me, that's crazy.
"Everybody runs their program a little bit different. We're a development-type program. There's been guys that came in, Tommy DeVito, we're a different football team because of the quarterback. That was an immediate one.
"Right now, we have some portal guys we haven't been able to talk about yet. The portal thing is very frustrating because you can't sign them to anything. You can sign them to an NLI, if you want to burn it. It's not binding. They can literally take the scholarship and then go. There's no repercussions on them, it's just on the school.
"We don't sign our guys. They're not literally going to be committed 100% to our program until the first day of class, for us, 17th of January, after Martin Luther King Day.
"The NCAA is trying to catch up to it. The 85-rule scholarship has helped. I think it's a necessarily evil in the world we're in right now."
On injuries and the team's health:
"We're actually 100%. The only guy, Josh Gesky, who is a backup lineman, he got injured in bowl practice before we left. I don't know if he'll play. He's a backup lineman on field goal.
"Otherwise, everybody other than guys you know about, the guys that have missed the season all year, but should be good to go."
On Aaron Henry's transition to defensive coordinator:
"Yeah, unfortunately because of the timing of the whole thing, I believe Tuesday morning I knew that Ryan was going to get the job. I was with Aaron. That's when I told him.
"We were at home that week. Of course, that was the last week of live recruiting. I was telling people in the homes, everyone wants to know who is going to be the DB coordinator. They thought I was talking about me.
"I really want to keep it under wraps for one reason. I think it's great telling your players first. It was the way it played out, I knew that wasn't going to be possible. Literally Taz called Aaron and I in the car. I told Aaron I was going to name him coordinator about an hour earlier. We were driving to a recruit's home. Taz called, and he thought he was going to be leaving. Aaron started to tell a few guys what was happening as well.
"The reaction has been awesome. At practice, there's a game plan involved with Mississippi State. We'll do a lot of things that we've done, but we'll also change up some things.
"I'm excited for the off-season. Whoever I bring in in the outside linebacker room, I know exactly what I'm looking for there. I got a pool of five or six guys. I'll kind of sort through that with Aaron and the rest of the staff. I'm kind of elevating Jamo as well to a title that I think those two guys.
"You can do that when you have guys that know each other. Heck, those guys played together. I think it's exciting about what our defense has been and maybe possibly where it can go."
On addressing player concerns following coaching changes:
"What's kind of been new to these guys I think is they've been around a staff that they love. I cried when Ryan called. He and I got emotional. We had conversations. It's kind of cool to see that. You got to teach your kids how to build relationships and how to feel bad when someone leaves because they've impacted your life.
"I remember when I was a young player, my outside linebacker coach left to take a job at Wisconsin when I was at Iowa. I remember going through a lot of emotions back then.
"I think it's been awesome. I think I did kind of in my own way tell my guys, 'Listen, the guy that hired those other guys is still here.' I'm probably going to do it again.
"Any time I replace an assistant, I try to build on what we've already done. I try to bring in not an opposite, but a different way of doing things.
"In the outside linebacker room, I'd really like to bring something that brings a lot of pass-rush value. Outside linebacker room might be one of the most talented groups I've ever been around in pure numbers and quality of players.
"Obviously running back, with Chase leaving, one of the best in the country. But I feel pretty good about some of these other guys we recruited.
"It's been overwhelmingly amazing to me about how many people have reached out to me about these jobs. DB got out in the community quick about what I was going to do. That hasn't been a big one. Outside back and running back, it's going to be fun to see who I go with."
