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.