Pac-12 football coaches teleconference: Spring workouts conclude with five new head coaches in mix

The Pac-12 teams head into summer with some questions answered, some questions lingering, and a slew of new head coaches — five, to be exact — preparing for their first season in the Pac-12 Conference.

Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre

After losing Phillip Lindsay — the program’s career leading in all-purpose yards (5,760) and owner of 24 school records — to the NFL Draft, seemingly the biggest question for Colorado right now is at running back.

“I’ll always miss not having him out there,” Mike MacIntrye said on the call.

MacIntyre is still mulling whether to replace Lindsay with a feature back or a group of rushers.

“We’ll see how fall camp goes. If we have a hot guy running, I’ll run him as much as I can.”

MacIntyre said his focus for the spring was on increased physicality and in-game situations because the Buffs didn’t finish some games the way he would have liked last year.

“Even though it’s spring, I wanted that on their minds.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Mike MacIntyre's full session]

Utah’s Kyle Whittingham

A familiar face for Utah and Pac-12 fans returned to Salt Lake City at the start of 2018: Gary Andersen, who left Oregon State last season, is getting his feet wet as Utah’s defensive assistant. He’ll manage development of Utah’s young defensive tackles. “When Gary became available and expressed interest, it was a very easy process,” Kyle Whittingham said. “I didn’t look any further than him … I didn’t have a lot of thinking to do. We haven’t missed a beat. He’s been a great addition.” That’s about the only staff change Whittingham has made, so it seems like no news is good news: “I think (this summer is) going to be business as usual. I don’t see anything changing.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Kyle Whittingham's full session]

Oregon’s Mario Cristobal

This is the third straight year Oregon is starting over with a new head coach, making it difficult to gain momentum with little continuity. But Mario Cristobal is pleased with how his first spring at the helm went, saying he struggled to find a position that did not improve. To make sure everyone got enough work in, for certain periods of spring practice the team broke out onto two separate fields. That way, no players saw fewer reps than others. “I think that’s something that’s really going to help us,” Cristobal said. He also cited three major focus points that were at the forefront of each day: discipline, culture and fundamentals. “From a cultural standpoint, we don’t want to tolerate anything less than our best.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Mario Cristobal's full session]

Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith

Though Jake Luton seems to be far and away the most qualified option on the roster for this season’s starting quarterback, Jonathan Smith will be watching how his QB group progresses into August and taking their body of work into account. “I don’t think there was a clear-cut guy that was flat-out above the others.” Smith said his biggest goal for spring as the new head coach was teaching the players how to practice well as far as the effort they should be putting forth and their attention to detail. “Setting the tone in practice, that’s the thing you get to do way more than playing games. At the end, we really felt awesome about it.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Jonathan Smith's full session]

Washington’s Chris Petersen

Petersen had a similar goal: going back to basics and teaching the players how to practice the way the staff wants them to practice. But the biggest moment of spring for Petersen didn’t come out on the practice field in Montlake. It was in Dallas at the NFL Draft, where he witnessed Vita Vea’s first-round selection to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “It’s really one of the highlights of why you coach, because it doesn’t happen all that often that you have kids go that high. Those are precious times and moments, so to be part of that with their families is so cool.

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Chris Petersen's full session]

Arizona’s Kevin Sumlin

Sumlin is one of the five new coaches in the league this year, which means there’s not only a steep learning curve for him as a newcomer, but for everyone in the Pac-12. “It’s a challenge for everybody, but ultimately football is football. Styles may change a little bit but guys who are in this league have been other places. And the assistant coaches, they’ve been other places, too. I think the difficult part is the video because film can only tell you so much. It’s really not till you’re on the field that you start to feel what the league is like and that won’t happen till we actually go out and play.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Kevin Sumlin's full session]

Cal’s Justin Wilcox

Ross Bowers took the majority of snaps at quarterback for the Golden Bears this spring, but Justin Wilcox says he will have to compete with Brandon McIlwain (a transfer from South Carolina), Chase Forrest (a senior) and Chase Garbers (a redshirt freshman) to get to the top of the depth chart. “We still have some very competitive positions on our  team. That’s always going to be a work in progress.” Wilcox wants to see physical strength and development improve across all positions, and so far he’s happy with the gains his players have made. “We won five games last year and that’s not good enough. I’m excited about the way guys are working.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Justin Wilcox's full session]

Stanford’s David Shaw

David Shaw didn’t say much about his own team’s spring efforts but did mention the Pac-12’s new head coaches, specifically in the Pac-12 South. “I think the added names in this conference are going to shine a light on this conference, particularly with Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA. I think there’s an excitement and energy around the conference. I hope things go well, particularly for us, but for everyone else as well.” Shaw was asked if those big names coming into the Pac-12 would affect his recruiting approach at all. “For us? We never think about who we recruit against, necessarily, because I think we’re the most national recruiter in college football. So we recruit against anybody.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of David Shaw's full session]

USC’s Clay Helton

Like Chris Petersen, Clay Helton was in the green room to watch one of his players take the next step in his football career at last week’s NFL Draft. Sam Darnold, USC’s star quarterback, went No. 3 overall to the New York Jets. “I was so proud of him. He’s just ready to get started. When you’ve known a man since he was 16 years old to a full-grown professional, and being able to share those emotions and that celebration with that family, that’s one of the unique experiences of my life and something I won’t forget.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Clay Helton's full session]

UCLA’s Chip Kelly

Chip Kelly is back in the Pac-12, much to the chagrin of those who dislike losing by 50. He returns to the conference after about five years away, which included stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. Kelly was asked how it feels to be back in the college game. “It’s been fun. The day-to-day, that’s what you miss. Meetings and studying film with a purpose, not just watching film to watch film.” He referenced a challenging non-conference schedule for 2018 — a lineup featuring Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Fresno State — and that he’s relishing the excitement of getting ready for those matchups.

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Chip Kelly's full session]

Washington State’s Mike Leach

The first (and only, I believe) name mentioned to Mike Leach was Cammon Cooper, the freshman quarterback who enrolled early to get a jump on his career with the Cougs. Cooper has a big reputation for his big arm and is considered by some to be the best recruit Leach has ever brought to Pullman. When asked about Cooper’s place in the quarterback competition, Leach said he’s not rushing to make any decisions. “We looked at him closely in the spring and we’ll see how good he gets in the fall. If he’s polished up enough to play, then we’ll play him."

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Mike Leach's full session]

Arizona State’s Herm Edwards

In addition to losing the Sun Devils’ top two running backs to the NFL, the program also lost its backup quarterback last week as Blake Barnett announced that he would be transferring out of Arizona State. Herm Edwards, in his first season with ASU, said he feels “very comfortable” with starting QB Manny Wilkins. But, should he go down with an injury, Barnett’s absence gives way to Dillon Sterling-Cole for the backup role. “We’re ready to do whatever we have to do to make Dillon successful at quarterback. I think the thing for him is settling him down on offense so he can flourish. I think, going forward, we understand his strengths and if he has to play, we’ll design an offense around his strengths.” Edwards also hasn’t coached in the college game since the late ‘80s, but he says it’s really not so different from coaching in the pros. “Well, the players are the same. They’re all seeking information and knowledge. The biggest adjustment is the time — if you have enough time with these guys. But nothing surprises me.”

[Right click and "Save Link As" to download audio of Herm Edwards' full session]