Top Quotes from Friday's Kickoff Luncheon
SPRINGDALE – Arkansas held its annual Kickoff Luncheon at the Holiday Inn & Convention Center on Friday.
During the event, fans heard from athletics director Hunter Yurachek, head coach Chad Morris, offensive coordinator Joe Craddock and defensive coordinator John Chavis. All four men are going into their first football seasons with the Razorbacks.
Here are a few of the best quotes from the afternoon:
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“I’ve always been aggressive. I love taking shots. I love doing things when someone says you can’t do it, thinking outside the box. I like thinking outside of the box. So from that standpoint, from a defensive coordinator standpoint, I was looking at, ‘Who is that guy?’ I wanted someone that shared the same philosophies that I have and that was someone that was going to be aggressive, someone that took chances and someone that lived on the edge as far as the way they coached and as far as the way they pushed and motivated. That was one phone call. My very first phone call was to John Chavis and he’s sitting right here today.” – Chad Morris, on why he wanted John Chavis as the defensive coordinator
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“I think if you’d ask Coach Chavis if you knew the exact pace of play of a game, whether it’s full speed as fast as you can go the entire game or as slow as you can go the entire game, defensive coordinators would love that. What they don’t like is the ability to go really fast, really slow, changing the tempo throughout the course of the game.” – Chad Morris, on what makes his offense so difficult to defend
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“We’ve heard some teams (are going to) line up in an onside kick the majority of the night and then squib it and see how you’re playing it. That’ll be interesting. That’s something you just don’t know.” – Chad Morris, on how he thinks the new kickoff/fair catch rule will change things
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“Tomorrow will be a big day for all of them and all of us. We’ll come in tomorrow morning and we’ve got not quite as long of a scrimmage as we had the previous Saturday, but we’re going to be intense with it and get some good-on-good work and kind of start making the final pairings.” – Chad Morris, on Saturday’s scrimmage
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“It’s the passion and it’s the hunger. This state is so deserving, so deserving of something great to happen. And it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen by us all locking arms and one day at a time, being the absolute best Arkansas Razorback that we can be right here, right now. We’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. It’s all about being the best we can be today.” – Chad Morris, on what it’s been like to get around the state and meet the fans
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“We were talking as a family when the Arkansas job was open and I said, ‘Listen, I’ll walk backwards to Fayetteville if that’s what it takes.’” – Chad Morris, on the process leading up to his hiring
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“If we’re doing it the right way, they are going to leave here equipped with tools for life. They will be better husbands, better community leaders, better in society. And if we’re doing that, the winning takes care of itself.” – Chad Morris, on his coaching philosophy
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“Chad Morris has brought new life, a new energy and a new passion and quickly changed the culture of our program. He is leading our program with his positive words, attitude and behavior. He has an unbreakable belief in the success that this program can have and he displays an unconditional love for our student-athletes, his coaches, staff and all associated with his program. I promise you – I promise you – that great days lie ahead for the Razorback football program.” – Hunter Yurachek, on new head coach Chad Morris
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“We sell our players on the fact that, hey, we are a pressure defense. We’re going to bring pressure. If you want to know why that’s been part of my philosophy – I don’t know how you’re going to take this – but if you’re going to kill me, I want you to kill me quick. … Our kids take pride in that and to be honest with you, they love playing in an aggressive scheme.” – John Chavis, on his pressure defense
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“I think the biggest thing is toughness and leadership. You’ve got to do it by example. I think when we start talking about leadership, sometimes we miss the main point. You don’t have to be vocal to be a great leader. You have to be present and do it by example. Some of the best I’ve been able to coach have done that. They did it by example. They led well and they never really said a lot.” – John Chavis, on the common denominator among great defensive players
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“It’s the passion that the fans have. There’s no doubt in my mind, and…this is my fourth stop in the SEC, I’ve seen more passion and more people talking about and supporting this program right here in Fayetteville, Arkansas, than anywhere else I’ve been.” – John Chavis, on his thoughts of the fan base
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“They’ve got to be the first ones in the building and the last ones to leave. They’ve got to watch 10 times as much tape as any other position. We talk about that all the time in our room, about how I feel like at the quarterback position that you’re only as good of an offense as you are at that position.” – Joe Craddock, on what he asks of his quarterbacks
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“Sometimes it’s how the game is going. … We have a goal that we want to snap the ball at least 80 times a game. We’ve gotten up all the way to about 105 in some games. The game dictates some of that, but we want to go as fast as we can and snap the ball at least 80 times a game.” – Joe Craddock, on how fast he wants the offense to play