Southeastern Conference Football Media Days Wednesday July 18, 2018 Joe Moorhead Mississippi State Revis, Ty Law, amongst others. And JOE MOORHEAD: Good morning. I appreciate everybody coming out today. And certainly the Coach Piroli came to us from the Arizona Cardinals. I coverage you provide for our team and our conference may be a little bit bias, but I feel he's the best is something that make this conference very special. strengthening conditioning coach in the country. So I thank you very much for your time and really appreciate it. His job is to make sure our team gets bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive, concentrating on functional I'm certainly humbled and honored to be here today football movements. He's done an unbelievable job in representing Mississippi State at SEC Media Day. You the weight room. And certainly as the strengthening look around at the event and the people that are here conditioning coach, he spends more time with our team and coverage and slogan that "It Just Means More" than any of the assistants. And we want to make sure really resonates. It's certainly an honor and privilege to that he's continuing to focus on building our culture and be a part of this. mental and physical toughness. Coach Piroli has done an unbelievable job there. Just three short years ago at this time of year, I was a head coach of Fordham University in the Patriot From there into our Spring Ball, where our goal League. Not to take away from Patriot League Media heading into Spring Ball, we are to develop our identity Day, which was held at Green Pond Country Club in and gain confidence. We want to make sure we Bethlehem, Pennsylvania certainly this is a little larger dominated situational football concentrating on in scope and significance. So certainly proud to be explosive play margin and turnover margin. We want part of the SEC Media Days. to make sure we competed and improved every practice. I think throughout those 15 opportunities, we I would like to thank the SEC communications took advantage of those. department. When I saw the list earlier in the spring and saw I was speaking on the same day as Coach It felt very, very good where we were coming out of Saban, I was a little worried I was going to have to go Spring Ball. As the saying goes, you can't expect a after him. It would be like taking the stage and harvest in the fall if you haven't planted in the spring. I performing after the Beatles and no one is going to be think we definitely planted seeds for success during in their seats and paying attention to what you're doing. Spring Ball. I am excited to be able to lead off today. I hope I can start the day off on the right foot. I promise I won't use Now we're in summer conditioning program, which is the words excited or opportunity too many times. really an extension of our winter workouts. Really it is a time of the year where it's player driven. Our team The past eight months have been incredibly busy and selected two excellent captains, Nick Fitzgerald and productive. When we got here, we were forged with Gerri Green. keeping our 2018 recruiting class together. I think we put together a very solid class. Part of that is getting We have great leadership all across the board in all out to the high schools in the state of Minneapolis and three phases. And certainly we want culture drivers the surrounding areas and establishing and cultivating during this time of the year, guys who understand what relationships with the players, with the coaches, with it takes from discipline, accountability, attention to detail the administrations and the fans. I thought that went standpoint to make sure things are done the right way very well for us. when the coaches aren't around.

From there, we transitioned to the winter workout From there, we will head to fall camp, which is really an program, which was led to Coach Piroli, another extension of our spring goals. I want to make sure northerner that I brought down with me on the staff when we get out of the 29 practice opportunities and hailing from the great football city of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett, Darrelle 3 scrimmages that we have a very good two deep in

Rev #1 by #206 at 2018-07-18 14:08:00 GMT page 1 of 5 place on offense, defense, and special teams. And championship standard every single day on the field, in certainly when you look at personnel starting on the the classroom and in the community. Our goal is to be defensive side of the ball, very excited of what we have the best Power Five team in the state, to be the best coming back under the direction of Coach Shoop. team in the SEC conference, and ultimately compete to be the best team in the country. You know, our front four has been talked about a lot and for good reason, you know, led by Montez Sweat We want to do that while graduating 100 percent of our and Jeffery Simmons, and we go two or three deep players with a meaningful degree and preparing them there at the defensive line, very talented and athletic at with the tools to become productive and responsible the linebacker position. Certainly a lot of depth and citizens and also while impacting Mississippi State, the experience at the safety position. city of Starkville and the state of Mississippi in a positive manner. On the offensive side of the ball, certainly very excited as well, nick Fitzgerald at the quarterback position, How are we going to get that done? I think because good stable running backs, big physical and aggressive we have the requisite talent on our roster to compete offensive line, and certainly a bunch of play makers at on a weekly basis in this conference, I think we have tight end and wide receiver position who are going to put a coaching staff in place that our experts at be given an opportunity during fall camp in the season fundamentals and technique that can motivate our kids to show what they can do. and that will put schemes in position that will put our guys in a place to make plays. And special teams, Coach Getsy, our offensive coordinator, and then on special teams lead by Coach Obviously, what I say up here and talking about it and Joey Jones. Jace Christmann returning as our kicker the excitement and all of those things, we want our and Kody Schexnayder and Tucker Day fighting it out actions to reflect our goals. So it's not about what I say for the punting duties. We will head from there into the we're going to do. It's about what we're going to do season. There is certainly a lot of excitement and because well done is better than well said. Certainly optimism abounding for the Mississippi State program, excited for the season, certainly proud and honored to very challenging and exciting nonconference schedule. be the head coach of Mississippi State and be a part of this fantastic conference. And I will open it up to There I did exciting again. If you are all keeping the questions. over/under on that, I might be hitting on the over on the exciting calls. Q. Can you just tell us what led you to hire Joey Jones? Is there a pre-existing relationship or how Certainly, of our non-conference schedule, the trip to did you get there? Manhattan, Kansas and the opportunity to play against JOE MOORHEAD: There actually wasn't a pre-existing Kansas State and the coaching icon like Coach Synder relationship. I got his name recommended to me by is an awesome opportunity. From there, you head into one on our staff. And I think in the process of the conference schedule. Certainly everybody knows comprising our assistant coaching staff, we wanted to here in the SEC, the margin of error is very razor thin. have a good combination of guys from the north and You have to be on top of your game every single week guys from the south. to have an opportunity. And certainly with coach's extensive recruiting Hopefully when things go well to be back here in experience being the head coach in the state of Atlanta, the first weekend in December competing for Alabama and certainly the head coach there for an the conference championship, and certainly the extended amount of time, we thought the combination opportunity to head into the College Football Playoff. of his head coaching experience, how well South Certainly as I talk about the margin of error, the last Alabama had done on special teams and certainly two years at Penn State, we were very close to the what coach brings to the table from a recruiting College Football Playoff. In 2016, won the conference, standpoint made him a great natural fit to bring him to but weren't selected. This past year, we were four Mississippi State. points from being undefeated. Lost to Ohio State by one and to Michigan State as time expired. Q. You alluded to coaching at Fordham, which I guess is in New York City in the Patriot League. Certainly as we go through the SEC schedule, and Now you're in Starkville, Mississippi in the SEC. particularly on the western side of the conference, you How do you compare and contrast those situations have to be on your game every week and very excited and what is it like being one of six new coaches in about the opportunity there. And then our goals for the the league and new places? What has been your season, certainly we want to perform at a

Rev #1 by #206 at 2018-07-18 14:08:00 GMT page 2 of 5 interaction with coaches at meetings and things acclimated to your coaching staff and what do you like that? expecting out of him this season?

JOE MOORHEAD: We have a bunch of sports people JOE MOORHEAD: Coach Shoop is a guy that grew up in the room here, so I'm assuming the reference in Pittsburgh in a town about 15 minutes from me, so I everybody is going to get, everybody seen the movie certainly know him. From a professional standpoint, Hoosiers, where Norman Dale takes the team before his time at the state championship against Muncie Central, and they are in Butler Fieldhouse. And he has strap William & Mary and his time as a head coach and shoulders, and they run the tape measure down from certainly what he did at Vanderbilt and Penn State and the hoop to the floor, and they see it's ten feet. That's his experience in the SEC. how I feel transitioning here from my time at Penn State and my time at Fordham into the SEC. You Coach has been a guy that's had top 10, top 15 know, the field is 53 and a third yards wide. It's 100 defenses in the majority of spots he's been. So I think yards long. When you're on the field, there's going to he was a good natural pick for us in terms of the be 11 people on the other side. They're big, fast, formation of the staff knowing each other, having strong athletic and very well coached. familiarity, and having experience. And certainly what he brings to the table knowing the SEC. And from the standpoint of it being a different brand of football or different style, we're certainly excited for the Erroll is a guy that plays our linebacker position. He challenge of coming into this conference. gets everybody lined up, makes all of the calls, very instinctive and intelligent football player. And a guy Q. Part of the new coaches? who can certainly stop the run and be a guy that is in JOE MOORHEAD: I think it's interesting. You know, six the right spot against the pass. new coaches and guys bringing new ideas and getting an opportunity to run a program. Certainly, coming Q. Joe, have you or our staff discussed how you from Penn State and going from the coordinators chair might utilize the new Redshirt Rule when it goes back to the head coaches chair, I think I learned a lot of into effect? things there. I am certainly excited to take over the JOE MOORHEAD: We kind of had some preliminary team. And like I said, optimism abounds and certainly discussions before we broke for the summer. And I excited for the upcoming season. think as much as people concentrate on the Redshirt Rule affecting the incoming freshman, we first started Q. Coach, over the last two years, Trace McSorley off with looking at our roster and seeing who are the developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the guys on the current roster and who had redshirted and country. Are there any similarities or differences in who hadn't. working with and experienced quarterback in Nick Fitzgerald? The guys who were non-first year players, who are the JOE MOORHEAD: I think there's a lot of similarities guys that are possibly playing them in four games, but from an intangible standpoint. Both guys are very still preserving a year of eligibility for those guys and intelligent. where that was feasible. From there, we looked the incoming freshman. I think really the decision that is They understand the game very well, incredibly going to be made, if you are going to play them above competitive. and beyond the four games that are permissible, will be how they progress in camp, where you are from a Trace, obviously from a measurable standpoint, a little depth chart and an injury standpoint. And really if you bit shorter. Nick's a 6'5" guy, 235 pound guy. Both are are going to use a year of eligibility, you know, how guys that can make all of the throws. Both guys can much above those four games are they going to be help win with their legs in the run game and can beat play and affect the game in a positive manner so it you in their arms with the pass game. I think there's a makes utilizing that year of eligibility a smart decision. lot of similarities with Trace and Nick. Q. Nick said earlier that he's kind of made some Q. I wanted to ask you about the decision to bring minor tweaks to his throwing motion. Were those Bob Shoop in as defensive coordinator. I know you something that you suggested or something he worked together at Penn State. He's very familiar picked up on the quarterback circuit over the with the SEC. And also one of your players from summer, and how involved were you in helping him my area in North Alabama, Erroll Thompson, I make those tweaks? really loved him in high school. How has he JOE MOORHEAD: I think it's a combination now with

Rev #1 by #206 at 2018-07-18 14:08:00 GMT page 3 of 5 quarterbacks in this day and age that you have your Championship and had a heck of a game there in the position coach, you have your head coach who played final. quarterback, and a lot of guys have guys that they go see in the offseason and work with. And certainly And ultimately that's our biggest challenge as a Coach Breiner and the things they've done with Nick program, is we're looking to elevate this program from and his mechanics have been more lower body good to great. And everything we want to do is to focused and upper body focused. operate at championship standard. What we do on the field, what we do in the classroom, what we do in the I think the things he did from an upper body mechanics community on a daily basis, it's never going to be at the standpoint were very sound and solid, a lot of working line. It's going to be above the line or below the line. with making sure his feet are aligned at the target and throwing off a rhythm and things like that. When you're chasing a great program like Alabama and your goal is to come to the SEC Championship, Q. Coach, have you had a "welcome to the South" you have to make sure that you're doing things on a moment yet? daily basis that are going to give you an opportunity to JOE MOORHEAD: "Welcome to the South" moment compete with a team of that caliber. yet. Um, I guess stepping out of your front door every day and being smacked in the face with the humidity, Q. How would you characterize the quality of the that's a pretty good "welcome to the South" moment. quarterback room you inherited, and what maybe And everything being wrapped in bacon in food, that's quality stands out among the group that Dan pretty good, too. Mullen left behind? JOE MOORHEAD: Certainly very excited about our Q. You're taking over for a team that ran the ball quarterback room. Leaving the situation like we were close to 65 percent of the time last year. Given at at Penn State and walking into this situation here your background, obviously, you like to throw it a with Nick and K.T. and the young guys that we have in bit more than that. Just how much are you our offense at that position, you want a guy who is able planning on throwing the ball, and how do you to beat you with his brains, beat you with his arms, and think the team is handling that adjustment? beat you with his legs. JOE MOORHEAD: I think a lot of it is you have your base scheme in place. And always as coaches you When you look at our top two guys with Nick and K.T., want to make sure that your scheme is fitting your they are two guys that understand the game, personnel; not your personnel fitting your scheme. understand our offense and are going to make the correct decisions the majority of the time and will Throughout the course of us running this offense, I continue to improve. don't think we've been ever over 55 percent one way or the other. So we could be a little bit more run heavy, if When their number is called in the run game by either that's what we do, and more effective in running the design or improvisation, they can create explosive ball and scoring points. If we end up being a team that plays with their feet. Certainly what we do in the pass can pass it a little more, we may gravitate more game, they have the arm to make all the throws, and towards that. we're continuing to work on their understanding of coverages and where to go with the ball and why. So I think for our offense to operate at its optimum level, certainly very excited amongst other positions on our we need to be able to run the ball successfully and team with the quarterback position. force people to commit numbers to the box by supported by pressure, and that is what creates one- Q. What was your introduction into the Ole Miss- on-one matchups on the perimeter and gives our wide Mississippi State rivalry, and how do you plan on receivers and tight ends an opportunity to make plays approaching that dynamic? down the field. JOE MOORHEAD: I'm certainly excited to be a part testify, coming from the Pitt-Penn State rivalry. I think Q. You're taking over a program that took Alabama the characteristics of a great rivalry are two schools to the wire last season. Just what do you think with a lot of tradition who were in close proximity to one about what Alabama has done? And when you see another and whose fan bases are incredibly passionate the type of game that you guys played last year, about the game. how much does that give you confidence that you guys can compete? I think that's something that is representative of the JOE MOORHEAD: Certainly Alabama is the standard Mississippi State-Ole Miss game. I've had an in our conference. They won the National opportunity to meet Coach Luke on the road recruiting

Rev #1 by #206 at 2018-07-18 14:08:00 GMT page 4 of 5 and at SEC meetings. It's something I'm very excited sides of the ball. That's something we talked about a to be a part of. It's important to our school, important bunch of times. to our city, and important to the state. November 22nd will be a heck of a game. I'm very excited about it. Q. You talked earlier about being a new coach in the SEC and obviously there are a few others. Do Q. Coach, is there any sense of urgency to have a you think the fact that there are a few other new really good season this year with such a talented coaches here in the SEC kind of alleviates some of returning quarterback in Nick Fitzgerald and then a the pressure that you might have felt if you were lot of talent around him? maybe the only one and what are some of those JOE MOORHEAD: Sense of urgency? pressures that you're feeling? JOE MOORHEAD: I don't necessarily think it alleviates Q. Yes. it. Relative to pressure, I think there's two ways to view JOE MOORHEAD: I think it goes back to really talking it. You either feel it or you apply it. I believe attitude about the expectation level and our ability to embrace reflects leadership. We are going to be a football that. And certainly you look at the preseason polls and program that is not concerned about the outside what people said about our team, because we have a expectations. We're going to be a team that is lot of starters returning and a lot of production coming constantly looking to apply pressure on the field. back, it's probably elevated the level of expectation for us, which is fine, because no one is going to have Six coaches have an opportunity. And certainly, you higher expectations than us. know, the one we have here at Mississippi State is, you know, one that we're expected to play very well this Certainly from a contextual standpoint, you have the season. So I think I can't speak for the other coaches, elevated expectation levels relative to who is coming but I know the opportunity we have here is one that's back. And you look at it, from what we've done in the very exciting. past, you walk into the building and the Egg Bowl trophy is not there, we've never won an SEC THE MODERATOR: Coach Moorhead, thank you for Championship, we've never competed for a National your time. Welcome to the SEC. Championship. JOE MOORHEAD: Thank you, guys. So part of our task as a staff is to elevate the program, which has a very solid foundation, from good to great. And for our ability to do that, we're embracing the expectation level. We feel no one rises to low expectations. So we talk about championship standard. I feel I was brought here to take a program that's really had one winning season in the SEC play in the last 15 years and make sure that we're competing in the conference play on a weekly basis and give ourselves a chance to win a conference championship.

Q. Just wondering, working with James Franklin, who obviously coached in the SEC at Vande, what advice did he have or what thoughts did he have for you coming into the conference? JOE MOORHEAD: You talk about Coach Franklin first and foremost, I'm incredibly indebted to him for the opportunity he gave me taking a chance on an FCS head coach to coming and running offense in the Big Ten. First and foremost, I'm very appreciative of him for that opportunity.

The thing we always talked about in my 2 years there relative to his experience in the SEC and Vanderbilt was he would always refer to it as line of scrimmage football league. He thought what separated the SEC from other conferences was the size, the speed, the athleticism and the physicality of the fronts on both

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