On the return of Cedric Tillman for next season
“He’s a guy that, from the time we’ve gotten here, has just continued to get better in every phase, offseason, spring ball, during the summer. He continued to gain confidence because of his work habits, what he’s done throughout the course of the season; just continuing to get better and better. I think he’s got a much higher ceiling than even how he’s played at the end of this year. We’re excited to have him back. He’s a mature competitor becoming a great leader inside of the wide receiver room, in particular. It’s a huge pickup for us as a program to get him back.”
On Cedric Tillman representing the coaching growth players can have
“He’s a great representation of continuing to put your head down, continuing to work. The more you put into it, the more you’re going to get out of it. It doesn’t always happen for everybody the first day you step on campus. For some it does. You’re going to face adversity. You’ve got to continue to compete as you go through your career. That’s on this level, that’s at the next level if you’re able to get to that point. It’s a great example of continuing to work and compete. He’s a young man that has played really well, but has a bright, bright future inside this game. He’s only going to continue to get better.”
On if there is another level to Hendon Hooker’s game
“Sure, I was just talking about Ced, Hendon is an example of those exact same things. It didn’t go perfect for him early in the year. Man, he continued to put his nose down and only competed and worked harder. You look at how he’s played throughout the season – he’s a young player, I know he’s coming back for his last year, but he’s continuing to get better in everything he’s doing throughout the course of the season. For him, in offseason, being comfortable in what we’re doing, but being able to just go through quarterback school with us, understand the game of football better and get better fundamentally. It’s things that, when he gets back in January, we’ve already pinpointed what he can get better at. It’s just a constant growth and evolution of who you are as a player.”
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