Here's everything Al Golden has to say to the print/web media. This is a different interview than the one seen on the video, though there may be some overlap in questions and answers.
In this transcript, questions may be paraphrased. Answers are verbatim.
What are your memories of Rick Lantz, who passed away on Sunday (a longtime college football assistant, who crossed paths with Al Golden at Virginia and who was a Notre Dame assistant in 1984-85 under Gerry Faust)?
“Every Christmas, Kelly and I always tried to send him something. Get emotional just thinking about it right now. What a great mentor, a great man. He didn’t know me, like he inherited me. George Welsh hired me. And then, (Lantz) took me in and taught me everything about football.
“I did all the grunt stuff (in ) Year 1. I just put my head down and worked like a dog. He noticed it. The next year, ‘I want you to run this meeting, I want you to run this drill. I want you to look at this on game day. I need you to be my signaler.’ And then by Year 3 at UVA, I was coaching the linebackers, and he walked around.
“I always try to do that with the young coaches, empower them, give them an opportunity to coach, maybe before some of them are ready. Give them an opportunity to coach and empower them to be the best version of them they can be. And that’s what Rick did for me. Really saddened to hear that (about his passing at age 85). Terry and the family, everybody is in our thoughts and prayers. It’s sad when that happens.
“He used to tell me all the stories about — him and Howard Schnellenberger were together for a long time. Rick was an unbelievable storyteller. He was so good and so poised with the players. A lot of guys ask me now why am I stoic on the sideline? That’s really the way Rick was. He didn’t move much. He wanted to see the game. He taught me where to stand and what to look at, and I’ve never forgotten it. Even to this day, if you guys watch me during a game, I end up going to a spot, back and away, where I can see the game. I attribute that all to him.”
Where do you stand and what do you look at during a game?
“I can’t give away secrets (smiles). No. Even today, I don’t look at the scoreboard. If they have a replay, I don’t look at the scoreboard. My opportunity to see it is when it’s run. Too many guys — especially young guys, ’cause that’s all they know — it’s, ‘Well, I look at it on tape.’ Well, you don’t have time to look at it on tape. And if you’re playing at USC, they’re not showing the replay for you. You just saw it. So, what happened? Did the guard pull? How did the ball get outside the end? That kind of thing, so he taught me how to pick a spot and see the whole thing. I can go on and on. Just really sad he (Lantz) is gone.”
This is the first time your seniors have had a returning coordinator and linebacker coach. Do you notice a difference?
“I do. I notice a huge difference. Last year was the confluence of a lot of different things meeting in spring ball. Myself, and the systems I’ve been part of, the personnel — that was here, and then Marcus’ system. And even to some extent, the guys who were here before Marcus — Mick (Mike Mickens) and CO (Chris O’Leary) — some of the things they brought from Clark (Lea).So, all of that came together last year. It was overwhelming st times trying to get it calmed down.
“That was the first order of priority for me this offseason was don’t just pick the plays you’re going to run in the spring. Look at the opponents first to see what we need to run. We probably practiced some things last spring that we didn’t need to, and as the season evolved, I needed X, Y, and Z. So now we’re practicing X, Y and Z, and these other things are gone.
“That has been awesome, just to be on a staff with Mick and CO and Wash (Al Washington), and obviously what Max (Bullough) brings coming from Alabama. He has brought so much in terms of experience. And it just really has been a good offseason in terms of that and, hopefully, the kids feel it.”
A little more schedule familiarity for you this year?
“Correct. Really, that was the impetus for our approach this offseason. I hadn’t seen all those offenses (before). I tried to catch up. It was really hard, because I got here so late. And I know the personnel better. So I know with the personnel what their strengths are and what they can do really well. Just to have those veteran guys. When you’re strong up the middle, you have a chance to be strong (overall). And right now our inside ’backers and safeties are all veterans, and they can solve problems on the field, which is great.”
You lost some really experienced veteran defensive linemen from last year’s group. What are you seeing up front there and how do you see that all shaking out?
“I see a collective approach right now, which is awesome. You have your veterans coming back with Rylie (Mills), Howard (Cross) and Gabe (Rubio), to an extent. Nana (Osafo-Mensah). (Javontae Jean-)Baptiste coming in helps a lot. Jordan (Botelho) and Junior (Tuihalamaka) coming back, and playing toward the end of the year helped us. Now we just need that next generation of guys to step up. Is it going to be (Jason) Onye? Is it going to be (Donovan) Hinish? Is it going to be (Josh) Burnham? Who’s it going to be? That’s what the spring is all about.
“We mix the starters every day. Every single day, we mix the starting unit every time we go on the field. And the guys don’t know who’s starting until we announce it that morning. It’s helping with our preparedness. It’s helping with our preparation. It’s a morale booster. You can’t hide what’s on tape. So, if a guy’s not quite ready for the 1s, it kind of plays out that way. If somebody is, on the other hand, doing well with their opportunity, then maybe they should get a little more reps.”
How you maximize Jordan Botelho? He’s always been a guy who’s been knocking on the door. Can he knock the door down at this point?
“It’s time for him to knock on the door. The way you knock on the door is play the system, play with poise and execute. That’s it. Because he’ll always bring the energy. He’ll always bring the fight. He will always bring the finish. So, that’s not the issue. The issue is prepare, eliminate MEs (mental errors), play with poise, and execute within the realm of the defense. If he does that, he’s going to do great things for us.”
Does he understand that now?
“That’s a question for him, but every one of our players is different. So, you ask me about him, that’s his challenge. So, it’s going to play out this spring whether or not he understands that. If we had another hour and lunch, I could go to the next guy. If we went to get a beer, I could go to the next guy. I just gave you his, but every kid has certain roles he has to fill this spring. And if you want a promotion, you have to execute your current role. It’s pretty simple.”
Prince Kollie mentioned last spring he was kind of swimming, trying to get all the checks in. What’s his role or what does he need to improve on this spring?
“I’m excited about PK. We’ve got to get him healthy. If we get him healthy and have a consistent run at things, he’s going to be really good. I love the kid, love the player. He works hard. He’s low maintenance. He’s in the mix. He was in the mix last year, and he’s right there. I expect a great challenge by the PKs, the (Zieglers), the Sneeds — all those guys challenging those older three guys for reps. Hopefully, over time, it’s just going to make us stronger.”
How much emphasis will there be on red-zone defense this spring as opposed to last year? And how do you improve it?
“You challenge. There’s no vertical throws in the low red. It’s all horizontal game, hold your ground. There’s definitely a renewed emphasis, starting with me. I’ve got to do a better job calling it down there. We took some things out and put some things in. From that standpoint, we just needed – if we had three stops to go with what we were doing up the field, like three or four more stops, because we were very good at not letting guys in the red (zone). So, if we can stay there and improve this, it’s really going to help us a lot.”
Is Junior Tuihalamaka now full time at vyper, and how is Tyson Ford progressing?
“Junior can still do both. The vyper is a hybrid position for us, so we ask a lot of those guys. But yes, he spends more time there than he does at linebacker.
“Tyson Ford is getting better. Again, play with low pads, play with knee bend, tight hands. For me, those are the fundamentals. I hear the coaches talk in the meeting room or tell Free, I’m the one making notes. So if I see him in the hallway, ‘Play with low pads, knee bend, play in a football position.’
“He’s strong. He’s a big man. Tyson is a big man. He has worked hard on his body. Now it’s time to actualize that. It’s really time to take his talent and make it into skill, cultivate it into skill. That’s what we need to see from him over the next couple weeks.”
In this transcript, questions may be paraphrased. Answers are verbatim.
What are your memories of Rick Lantz, who passed away on Sunday (a longtime college football assistant, who crossed paths with Al Golden at Virginia and who was a Notre Dame assistant in 1984-85 under Gerry Faust)?
“Every Christmas, Kelly and I always tried to send him something. Get emotional just thinking about it right now. What a great mentor, a great man. He didn’t know me, like he inherited me. George Welsh hired me. And then, (Lantz) took me in and taught me everything about football.
“I did all the grunt stuff (in ) Year 1. I just put my head down and worked like a dog. He noticed it. The next year, ‘I want you to run this meeting, I want you to run this drill. I want you to look at this on game day. I need you to be my signaler.’ And then by Year 3 at UVA, I was coaching the linebackers, and he walked around.
“I always try to do that with the young coaches, empower them, give them an opportunity to coach, maybe before some of them are ready. Give them an opportunity to coach and empower them to be the best version of them they can be. And that’s what Rick did for me. Really saddened to hear that (about his passing at age 85). Terry and the family, everybody is in our thoughts and prayers. It’s sad when that happens.
“He used to tell me all the stories about — him and Howard Schnellenberger were together for a long time. Rick was an unbelievable storyteller. He was so good and so poised with the players. A lot of guys ask me now why am I stoic on the sideline? That’s really the way Rick was. He didn’t move much. He wanted to see the game. He taught me where to stand and what to look at, and I’ve never forgotten it. Even to this day, if you guys watch me during a game, I end up going to a spot, back and away, where I can see the game. I attribute that all to him.”
Where do you stand and what do you look at during a game?
“I can’t give away secrets (smiles). No. Even today, I don’t look at the scoreboard. If they have a replay, I don’t look at the scoreboard. My opportunity to see it is when it’s run. Too many guys — especially young guys, ’cause that’s all they know — it’s, ‘Well, I look at it on tape.’ Well, you don’t have time to look at it on tape. And if you’re playing at USC, they’re not showing the replay for you. You just saw it. So, what happened? Did the guard pull? How did the ball get outside the end? That kind of thing, so he taught me how to pick a spot and see the whole thing. I can go on and on. Just really sad he (Lantz) is gone.”
This is the first time your seniors have had a returning coordinator and linebacker coach. Do you notice a difference?
“I do. I notice a huge difference. Last year was the confluence of a lot of different things meeting in spring ball. Myself, and the systems I’ve been part of, the personnel — that was here, and then Marcus’ system. And even to some extent, the guys who were here before Marcus — Mick (Mike Mickens) and CO (Chris O’Leary) — some of the things they brought from Clark (Lea).So, all of that came together last year. It was overwhelming st times trying to get it calmed down.
“That was the first order of priority for me this offseason was don’t just pick the plays you’re going to run in the spring. Look at the opponents first to see what we need to run. We probably practiced some things last spring that we didn’t need to, and as the season evolved, I needed X, Y, and Z. So now we’re practicing X, Y and Z, and these other things are gone.
“That has been awesome, just to be on a staff with Mick and CO and Wash (Al Washington), and obviously what Max (Bullough) brings coming from Alabama. He has brought so much in terms of experience. And it just really has been a good offseason in terms of that and, hopefully, the kids feel it.”
A little more schedule familiarity for you this year?
“Correct. Really, that was the impetus for our approach this offseason. I hadn’t seen all those offenses (before). I tried to catch up. It was really hard, because I got here so late. And I know the personnel better. So I know with the personnel what their strengths are and what they can do really well. Just to have those veteran guys. When you’re strong up the middle, you have a chance to be strong (overall). And right now our inside ’backers and safeties are all veterans, and they can solve problems on the field, which is great.”
You lost some really experienced veteran defensive linemen from last year’s group. What are you seeing up front there and how do you see that all shaking out?
“I see a collective approach right now, which is awesome. You have your veterans coming back with Rylie (Mills), Howard (Cross) and Gabe (Rubio), to an extent. Nana (Osafo-Mensah). (Javontae Jean-)Baptiste coming in helps a lot. Jordan (Botelho) and Junior (Tuihalamaka) coming back, and playing toward the end of the year helped us. Now we just need that next generation of guys to step up. Is it going to be (Jason) Onye? Is it going to be (Donovan) Hinish? Is it going to be (Josh) Burnham? Who’s it going to be? That’s what the spring is all about.
“We mix the starters every day. Every single day, we mix the starting unit every time we go on the field. And the guys don’t know who’s starting until we announce it that morning. It’s helping with our preparedness. It’s helping with our preparation. It’s a morale booster. You can’t hide what’s on tape. So, if a guy’s not quite ready for the 1s, it kind of plays out that way. If somebody is, on the other hand, doing well with their opportunity, then maybe they should get a little more reps.”
How you maximize Jordan Botelho? He’s always been a guy who’s been knocking on the door. Can he knock the door down at this point?
“It’s time for him to knock on the door. The way you knock on the door is play the system, play with poise and execute. That’s it. Because he’ll always bring the energy. He’ll always bring the fight. He will always bring the finish. So, that’s not the issue. The issue is prepare, eliminate MEs (mental errors), play with poise, and execute within the realm of the defense. If he does that, he’s going to do great things for us.”
Does he understand that now?
“That’s a question for him, but every one of our players is different. So, you ask me about him, that’s his challenge. So, it’s going to play out this spring whether or not he understands that. If we had another hour and lunch, I could go to the next guy. If we went to get a beer, I could go to the next guy. I just gave you his, but every kid has certain roles he has to fill this spring. And if you want a promotion, you have to execute your current role. It’s pretty simple.”
Prince Kollie mentioned last spring he was kind of swimming, trying to get all the checks in. What’s his role or what does he need to improve on this spring?
“I’m excited about PK. We’ve got to get him healthy. If we get him healthy and have a consistent run at things, he’s going to be really good. I love the kid, love the player. He works hard. He’s low maintenance. He’s in the mix. He was in the mix last year, and he’s right there. I expect a great challenge by the PKs, the (Zieglers), the Sneeds — all those guys challenging those older three guys for reps. Hopefully, over time, it’s just going to make us stronger.”
How much emphasis will there be on red-zone defense this spring as opposed to last year? And how do you improve it?
“You challenge. There’s no vertical throws in the low red. It’s all horizontal game, hold your ground. There’s definitely a renewed emphasis, starting with me. I’ve got to do a better job calling it down there. We took some things out and put some things in. From that standpoint, we just needed – if we had three stops to go with what we were doing up the field, like three or four more stops, because we were very good at not letting guys in the red (zone). So, if we can stay there and improve this, it’s really going to help us a lot.”
Is Junior Tuihalamaka now full time at vyper, and how is Tyson Ford progressing?
“Junior can still do both. The vyper is a hybrid position for us, so we ask a lot of those guys. But yes, he spends more time there than he does at linebacker.
“Tyson Ford is getting better. Again, play with low pads, play with knee bend, tight hands. For me, those are the fundamentals. I hear the coaches talk in the meeting room or tell Free, I’m the one making notes. So if I see him in the hallway, ‘Play with low pads, knee bend, play in a football position.’
“He’s strong. He’s a big man. Tyson is a big man. He has worked hard on his body. Now it’s time to actualize that. It’s really time to take his talent and make it into skill, cultivate it into skill. That’s what we need to see from him over the next couple weeks.”
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