Everything tight ends coach Shawn Elliott said about South Carolina spring practice

South Carolina run game coordinator and tight ends coach Shawn Elliott spoke with the media on Monday afternoon, providing spring practice updates.

Here’s everything he had to say.

Opening statement

“Just talking a little bit about transition in spring practice. It seems that everything’s really moving smoothly. A lot of confidence, a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm with this group in spring practice. For the tight ends especially, I think we’ve got a good, solid group of some skill athletes that can play on the perimeter and then also some guys that can play in-line. So up to this point, they’ve done a really nice job and looking to finish out spring on a high note.”

It was kind of a weird season for you at the end there last year, switching back and forth between positions. So, what was it like just once they got the new hires, and it was like, ‘Okay, here you are and then concentrate on this,’ instead of switching back and forth?

“Yeah, last year certainly was a little bit awkward, but, you know, I’ve been put in some situations that are awkward before. But no, just coming in, knowing that I’m back in that tight end room with that group, able to really focus on just them specifically, without having any other, really, distractions, is awesome. Like I said, those guys in that room are fantastic. They’re easily coachable. They’re willing to doggone do anything you ask of them and play it out.”

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I guess the obvious next step for Mike Tyler since he got all those special teams reps is just more of a role on offense this year. How do you feel he’s kind of been doing?

“Yeah, I think so. You know, Mike in the first 6 practices has progressed. He’s been out there running, really right now, in second team reps, but he’s moving back and forth. We’ve got a tree they climb each and every day based off their practice the previous day. So, whether it’s missed assignments or played at a high level, didn’t have any. That’s how they move up and down the food chain, so to speak, but Mike’s really solid. He’s got a great mindset, a really skilled athlete, can catch the ball and run. He’s strong, plays with great hand placement, really good route runner. I see Mike taking a huge step this season and being a formidable force for us on offense.”

Where do you think the development can happen for (Maurice) Brown this year to take him to the next level?

“Yeah, the development has to really happen in the classroom, so to speak. The education part of the game. Mo has got extremely great athleticism. He can strike with the best of them, he can run with the ball in his hands. Sometimes he plays a little bit out of control. Sometimes he thinks a little bit out of control, which gets him in some situations that probably keeps him off the field a little bit more than it should. He understands that. I understand that.

“We’re working to make strides in that area, especially in the classroom. I won’t call it a problem, but he just gets so ramped up that sometimes his mind just goes so fast and I’m like, ‘Easy, slow down, slow down. You missed that.’ But, yeah, that’s his next step. If Mo can put that together, I think he’s a total package. You’ve seen Mo run and catch, and when he’s got that ball in his hands, he’s like a rocket. I mean, nobody, I don’t think there’s anybody who wants to tackle him. So that’s what he’s got to do.”

What would you say is the biggest change from last year to this year in terms of what your tight ends are going to be asked to do in Kendal (Briles’) offense?

“Oh, let’s just call them ‘The Adjusters.’ They make us right. The tight ends are going to make us right. They have a job to do, to put themselves in specific positions, to make the offense go, and to make it work, and to have us the ability to play with confidence in fast-paced.”

Just the initial impressions of Max Drag, now that you guys have been on the first for about 6 days or so.

“Yeah, Max Drag, when I saw Max, and I recruited Max out of high school, back at Georgia State, came down there and worked out as a defensive end. I remember him being a great athlete, he could and just a strong, tough-minded young man. And I remember at the end of that camp at Georgia State, I looked at him, and I think him and his mom was down there, and I said, ‘You’e going to be a tight end in college. Just so you know that,’ I said, ‘I’d love to have you play tight end here.’ You know, everyone wants to be the defensive lineman or defensive end coming out of high school. But Max is a thumper, you know, it’s the tough work I want Max to go in there and do. He’s got that mindset. He’s one of those guys you take to the bar fight and you have no issues with him because you know he’s going to be right there probably swinging first, which is always nice to have.”

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Max, obviously, was the only newcomer you brought into your room this year. Going into this offseason, did you feel like you guys only needed one, or were you trying to add a couple more and then it just ended up being Max? What was that process like?

“Well, there’s a lot of things that go into that scenario, you know? First, who’s available? Who do you want to bring in your room? What did you sign at the high school class that you have coming in? And we felt like, you know, having six, seven guys is going to be enough force. Certainly, if we could add a really nice, probably more of a perimeter athlete, we probably would have added, but it just didn’t work out.”

I’m not asking for starters or anything at this point, but what does it mean having an older guy like Brady (Hunt) back in your room, a guy who’s what, six, seven years of college in?

“I stop counting with guys in this day and age, I really don’t…you know, the name of the game, I think, is his experience. Brady is an exceptional young man. He’s one of the most intelligent guys we have on our team. He plays with great effort. Each and every rep is hard to keep him off the field. You know, Brady’s not a tremendous athlete, but he does have some of the best hands that we have on our football team. He can be an in-line guy. He can play on the perimeter, because he’s smart enough to put himself in position to be in the right place and make these blocks, and not have to utilize that athleticism to do it off his thinking. The thought process does it. He’s a tremendous asset to us. I mean, he’s a leader. I can’t say enough about him. He’s probably the forgotten guy. A lot of people just don’t bring up a lot of times, but Brady’s going to have a big, huge role for us.”

Caden Ramsey, obviously, isn’t here with you right now, but a year from now, what do you think you might be saying about him?

“Oh god. You know, you recruit these guys because you think a year from now, they’re going to be really, really good players. I know when you got out and you scout and you recruit, if I were going to go and scout and recruit a guy that looked like a, going to be a future big-time tight end, it would be him. I mean, 6-5, wingspan is out of this world, he can run, he can jump. I think he led the state in interceptions his junior year, can play cornerback, play wide receiver, play tight end. I saw him long snap, I saw him punt. Now he’s up to about 220 pounds. I can only imagine what he’s going to look like next year, probably a 250-type guy, that can still do all of those things.

“I think he’s one of those diamonds in the rough that, you know, South Carolina has those types of players. They’re just, you got to go seek them out and just because they’re not playing at, let’s just say, I don’t know, Dorman High School, doesn’t mean he’s not a great player. He’s playing at Cross High School. Yeah, it’s single-A, but shoot. Go watch him. Watch him work, watch him perform on the basketball court and practice, and then go watch him perform on Friday night. I think he’s going to be a solid, solid guy for us.”

Is there much difference for you and what you’re coaching under Kendal than previously? You know, Kendal Briles came in and said this is our office, didn’t look at the last playbook, what have you. Is there things that have radically changed for you?

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’m not going to touch on specifics, but there’s been some radical changes. There’s only so much you can do with the tight end, of course, and I think we’ve all seen it. We all watch football. But there are things, just like I said earlier, these tight ends are now the adjusters of the offense. They get to kind of put themselves in a position to make fantastic things work, which I think is fantastic. Really, really excited about that opportunity. It gives these guys the freedom to play loose and out of control while being in control.”

Lastly, for you, you named one guy you would take to the bar fight with you. Can you give us maybe two more and maybe a coach?

“Yeah, I’m taking Coach (Randy Clements). We’re going to go out there and run everybody out. But no, all those guys. I mean, God, look at Mo Brown. He looks like a prying spider, doesn’t he? I mean, you ever seen him? He loves to wrap that shirt up under those pads and he’s rocked up and he’s strong as heck and he can run fast. So after we go, they call the police, and we can get the hell out of there really quickly. All those guys are fighters, from Reno (Roehm) to Drag. I mean, you know, Mike Tyler, Brady Hunt. All of those guys, they’re fantastic guys and very fortunate to have them in that room.”

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