Here are a few random notes from NU Media Day today. Fitz held a half-hour press conference, and then several players were made available for interviews.
Fitz
On Marcus McShepard's move to wide receiver: It's only been 17 practices since he moved from cornerback to wide receiver in the spring. "He's just learning, so every day is something new," he said. "Athleticism and want-to" is what he sees in McShepard. Solomon Vault, he said, is obviously further long, having made an easier transition to running back.
On Clayton Thorson's development: Fitz stuck to his talking points that Thorson won 10 games last season. "He had remarkable success for a redshirt freshman" and "that's how a quarterback should be judged." He also went out of his way to say how impressed he has been with Matt Alviti, who had "two really good days" of practice after missing spring ball with surgery and he fully expects him to push Thorson. "He won't be satisfied (as the backup)." Fitz said history shows that they will use two QBs this season, anyway, though later he didn't speculate whether they would rotate them like they did a couple years ago with Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian. He feels Thorson made strides in footwark, timing, ball placement, drops -- all of his fundamentals. The bottom line, according to Fitz, is that the offense has "gotta have more balance and more explosive plays. Everyone in the stadium, including my 7-year-old son, knew we were going to run the ball last year," he said, later adding that "four yards and a cloud of dust were generous" in describing his offense a season ago.
On Justin Jackson's workload: Fitz thinks that fewer carries and a more balanced offense will help his production. He added that he has more confidence in his running back room, especially Warren Long, whom he felt didn't get the ball as much as he deserved last season. He said, as he did at Big Ten Media Days, that Jackson has a lot of the qualities that NU's best backs displayed -- Darnell Autry's elusiveness, Jason Wright's pass-catching ability, etc. He joked that he would leave Damien Anderson and Venric Mark out of the comparisons -- obviously because they were much faster than JJ.
On expectations for Godwin Igwebuike (my question): Fitz said that Godwin has had a tremendous education as a safety, learning from first Ibraheim Campbell and then Traveon Henry, "two of the best that have played here." Now "it's his turn...he's that guy now." He's noticed that Godwin has become more vocal, offering encouragement and holding people accountable, something that didn't come naturally to him as a relatively quiet kid. "He's the quarterback of the defense and a complete leader," said Fitz. I interviewed Godwin and will have a story on him soon.
On replacing Lowry and Gibson at defensive end: He feels confident in Ifeadi Odenigbo and Xavier Washington as the starters. "Both guys are ready to fill in. That's the easy answer. Now it's who's next," he said, referring to redshirt freshmen DEs Joe Gaziano and Trent Goens. Odenigbo, he said, is stronger than ever; his issue has always been consistency. (I interviewed Odenigbo and got some good stuff about how he views his career. The bottom line: he isn't satisfied with what he's done so far, though he can live with it, and knows that this year is his last shot at redemption. Look for a story soon.) He also said he has to think about what to do with all of the true freshman defensive linemen (Jake Saunders, Alex Miller, Mark Gooden and Tommy Carnifax). "Strength-wise and athletically, I think they can all compete."
On the wide receivers: Once again, he reiterated the better competitive depth there and named everyone on the roster. He said that they have looked good in 7-on-7, but "blocking comes into play today," adding "let's see who's going to be complete football players."
On Lovie Smith's claims that Illinois is Chicago's Big Ten team: Fitz said that they tweeted out yesterday pictures of their practice field with the Chicago skyline in the background. "I'll let that speak for itself," he said with a smile.
On Anthony Walker: "He won the genetic lottery," said Fitz. He said that several NFL scouts have been out already and that Walker "looks like they look," meaning NFL linebackers. He said that Walker was 195 pounds as a junior and then worked out like a mad man and got too big, too fast. He was too stiff. So he worked with Jay Hooten and the strength staff to take that weight off, increase his flexibility, and then build it back up.
Fitz
On Marcus McShepard's move to wide receiver: It's only been 17 practices since he moved from cornerback to wide receiver in the spring. "He's just learning, so every day is something new," he said. "Athleticism and want-to" is what he sees in McShepard. Solomon Vault, he said, is obviously further long, having made an easier transition to running back.
On Clayton Thorson's development: Fitz stuck to his talking points that Thorson won 10 games last season. "He had remarkable success for a redshirt freshman" and "that's how a quarterback should be judged." He also went out of his way to say how impressed he has been with Matt Alviti, who had "two really good days" of practice after missing spring ball with surgery and he fully expects him to push Thorson. "He won't be satisfied (as the backup)." Fitz said history shows that they will use two QBs this season, anyway, though later he didn't speculate whether they would rotate them like they did a couple years ago with Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian. He feels Thorson made strides in footwark, timing, ball placement, drops -- all of his fundamentals. The bottom line, according to Fitz, is that the offense has "gotta have more balance and more explosive plays. Everyone in the stadium, including my 7-year-old son, knew we were going to run the ball last year," he said, later adding that "four yards and a cloud of dust were generous" in describing his offense a season ago.
On Justin Jackson's workload: Fitz thinks that fewer carries and a more balanced offense will help his production. He added that he has more confidence in his running back room, especially Warren Long, whom he felt didn't get the ball as much as he deserved last season. He said, as he did at Big Ten Media Days, that Jackson has a lot of the qualities that NU's best backs displayed -- Darnell Autry's elusiveness, Jason Wright's pass-catching ability, etc. He joked that he would leave Damien Anderson and Venric Mark out of the comparisons -- obviously because they were much faster than JJ.
On expectations for Godwin Igwebuike (my question): Fitz said that Godwin has had a tremendous education as a safety, learning from first Ibraheim Campbell and then Traveon Henry, "two of the best that have played here." Now "it's his turn...he's that guy now." He's noticed that Godwin has become more vocal, offering encouragement and holding people accountable, something that didn't come naturally to him as a relatively quiet kid. "He's the quarterback of the defense and a complete leader," said Fitz. I interviewed Godwin and will have a story on him soon.
On replacing Lowry and Gibson at defensive end: He feels confident in Ifeadi Odenigbo and Xavier Washington as the starters. "Both guys are ready to fill in. That's the easy answer. Now it's who's next," he said, referring to redshirt freshmen DEs Joe Gaziano and Trent Goens. Odenigbo, he said, is stronger than ever; his issue has always been consistency. (I interviewed Odenigbo and got some good stuff about how he views his career. The bottom line: he isn't satisfied with what he's done so far, though he can live with it, and knows that this year is his last shot at redemption. Look for a story soon.) He also said he has to think about what to do with all of the true freshman defensive linemen (Jake Saunders, Alex Miller, Mark Gooden and Tommy Carnifax). "Strength-wise and athletically, I think they can all compete."
On the wide receivers: Once again, he reiterated the better competitive depth there and named everyone on the roster. He said that they have looked good in 7-on-7, but "blocking comes into play today," adding "let's see who's going to be complete football players."
On Lovie Smith's claims that Illinois is Chicago's Big Ten team: Fitz said that they tweeted out yesterday pictures of their practice field with the Chicago skyline in the background. "I'll let that speak for itself," he said with a smile.
On Anthony Walker: "He won the genetic lottery," said Fitz. He said that several NFL scouts have been out already and that Walker "looks like they look," meaning NFL linebackers. He said that Walker was 195 pounds as a junior and then worked out like a mad man and got too big, too fast. He was too stiff. So he worked with Jay Hooten and the strength staff to take that weight off, increase his flexibility, and then build it back up.
