Spring Day 8: Sumlin talks new additions, latest results

On the impact of ST coach Jeff Banks in the kicking game…

“I know that anytime you change position coaches or coordinators, obviously there’s going to be a little bit of uneasiness with teams. But his energy, he’s one of the better guys. Losing Brian (Polian) to a head coaching position is one thing. We talked about replacing Brian with a guy who’s just as capable and Jeff is that.

“He’s got a wealth of experience, he’s a former kicker/punter and he knows he can be a technician, and can help our guys. I think he’s brought a different scheme in all four phases (of special teams), and he’s had the ability to get the player’s interest. Sometimes change is good.”
 

On technical changes with Taylor Bertolet and Drew Kaser…

“We’ve been out here, this is practice 9, just like QBs and receivers, they have the opportunity to continue their craft all summer. So, that will be an ongoing work, but I think definitely there’s been some improvement, we’re tickled with Taylor.”
 

On what LB coach Mark Hagen has brought to the program…

“I think he’s got a bunch of young guys. He’s got Donnie Baggs, who really has not played a whole lot of football here at Texas A&M. You’ve got two guys who should be going to the prom next month, and at linebacker with Brett Wade and Reggie, then he’s got junior college players who just transferred.

“You know, I don’t talk to him too much. He’s busy, his plate’s full, he’s running around meeting, chasing guys all over the place, and you throw Shaun Ward in there, and the guys who haven’t played a bunch, with Jenkins out, that gives a bunch of guys a lot of turns. Nate Askew, who we moved from wide receiver. He’s got a room full of guys, it’s good for a new coach because those guys aren’t used to doing a lot of things.

“He’s got a lot of energy and obviously those guys have made really good strides during the course of the spring.”
 

On Johnny Manziel’s progress as a passer compared to other QB’s he’s coached…

“It’s hard for me to compare guys. They’ve all been different from the beginning. What you see from (Johnny) is improvement from game one of last year, particularly the first four or five games, to the last five or six games during the year. Just like I was talking about Taylor (Bertolet), he has the opportunity to do as he did last summer and continue to get better mechanically, learn the offense.

“Practice will be over pretty quick. We’ve got six more, and that’s counting the two real scrimmages. So, we’ve really got four practices and two scrimmages. His continued progress will go through the summer, hopefully like it did last year.”
 

On what the players are supposed to do while they’re off this weekend…

“We have them do nothing. I’m a big believer — this is Easter weekend, and we’re letting guys get back with their families. We’ve got a lot of guys within 3-400 miles of here. We practiced tonight, we did a little bit of live work, and then we’ll meet in the morning and get them out of here before 11 so guys can get home. It’s Good Friday, it’s Easter weekend, and we’ll get back to work next Monday.”
 

On the development of Nate Askew at linebacker…

“It’s going good, some good, some bad. He’s been at linebacker for nine practices in pads. The great thing about it has been his attitude. How he’s approached the position, how he wants to get better. He hasn’t shied away from contact. And his ability, he’s one of the top four athletes on this whole team. So, he can really, really help us if he continues to get better the way he’s gotten better the last couple of weeks.”
 

On early recruiting…

“We’re in that boat. Obviously, that’s the way the game is played now. There’s so much information out there, there’s so much access, so many guys. Particularly when you’re in our location, in the state of Texas. Our location, where we are in proximity to Houston, Dallas, East Texas, Louisiana, guys drive over here. There are a lot of instances where you have really good older players and young guys on the same team that want to watch a game or practice and you start building relationships with those kids.

“The information that we have now is so much further ahead than it was five, six, seven years ago because of combine results, video, one-day camps, the ability to evaluate guys. You have so much more information. You run the risk of them not developing, sometimes, yeah.

“I was just talking to our staff the other day, there’s a top-100 2015 list out right now. Which I think is impossible to make. I think you can make a top ten, but I don’t know how you guys can figure out number 81 and number 52 as a sophomore. If that’s the case, you ought to be doing this job (laughs).”