Big 12 Media Days: Coaches' Quotes Day One

Big 12 Media Days is underway here at AT&T Stadium, and everybody knows what that means. Football season is right around the corner. During the Big 12 Media Days, we hear from not just the commissioner of the Big 12, Brett Yormark, but also representatives of each team, including their coaches and players.

Each coach had an opening statement that lasted anywhere from 2-10 minutes, with the remaining time frame being opened up for questions. Below are some of the best and most impactful quotes from each coach besides Sonny Dykes during Day 1 of the Big 12 Media Day. For Sonny Dykes quotes from today click here.

DANA HOLGORSON- (Houston Head Coach)

Opening Statement: Well, it's exciting to be the new guy again. You can tell that I'm one of the new guys when I've got to follow the national Coach of the Year here with TCU and the run that they made last year. But we're personally excited to be back. This is a special deal. Been a part of the Big 12 Conference for 17 years and been a part of this for seven years. The last four years have been a little different for me, being in the American Conference, and it really makes you appreciate a conference like the Big 12 by now being back. The University of Houston has been looking forward to this day for a long, long time.

Q: Last year in non-conference play, you played Texas Tech and Kansas in back-to-back games. Do you use that two-game stretch as a barometer to see how prepared you are to face a Big 12 schedule on a week-to-week basis in this conference?

Holgorson: Well, every year is different. 42 spots on our roster this year are new, so every year is different, every team is different. I was very careful about talking too much Big 12 prior to January. I think we probably made a little bit too big of a deal playing Kansas after losing to Texas Tech, the way we lost to Texas Tech was just a hard way to lose, and we had another opportunity to play a Big 12 quality school in the University of Kansas who was playing lights out at the time, as good as anybody in the country I would argue when we played them.

Q: When you look at the Big 12 in general, you mentioned that this is the deepest conference. Last year, TCU was the seventh-best odds to win the Big 12. The year before, Baylor was the sixth-best odds to win the Big 12. Would you also consider this the most conference where there's always an opportunity for a team that isn't ranked inside the Top 5 to sneak into the conversation to make it to Arlington?

Dana Holgorson: Well, probably, but every year is different. I think Sark and the University of Texas would disagree with that assessment right now because they're picked to win it. They'll be pretty good. It's just a deep conference. There's never been more parity than there is right now in college football. This conference is crazy. Being a part of it for 17 years and then being on the outside looking in for the last four years, I watched every game and I followed it.

LANCE LEIPOLD- (Kansas Head Coach)

Opening Statement: Last year was an exciting year for us to take a big step forward as a program, getting off to a good start, getting bowl eligible for the first time in over a decade, and battling back in a highly competitive bowl game. It showed the resiliency of our team, and we're excited to take another step this year using that end of the season towards motivation, of course, to get us to be the consistent bowl team we want to be and find a way to turn that into victory.

Q: This is a league that can produce quick turnarounds. You guys a year ago, TCU, Baylor the year before that. For you to go from 2-10 to that first bowl game and making that step, what were the foundational elements for you guys a year ago?

Leipold: I just think finally we've been able to build some routine and trust, first of all, within our program, for us to be -- our young men had gone through a lot of transition. I think the daily process of getting better and holistic development has been key for us as a program. I think when we went on the road to Morgantown and then went down to Houston and battled back from deficits and found a way to win on the road, the confidence and belief started to really take even a larger step and kind of built on the momentum that we had early.

Q: You're bringing back not only Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal, but you're also bringing back your offensive coordinator in Andy Kotelnicki. How important was it for him to get the new contract extension at the end of the year, and what is the continuity of having him back in this offense do for the future of this program?

Leipold: Well, of course, it was important probably for Andy, but it was well-deserved, and other things, again, as we talked about, program commitment and facilities, I think also our university has made a commitment to our staff. With that -- and I'll answer your question on Andy. This is the first time in 20 years the University of Kansas had the same set of assistant coaches coming back, so our stability and continuity holistically are going to be in a good spot.

DAVE ARANDA- (Baylor Head Coach)

Opening Statement: So humbled to be here with you guys. I wanted to start this with really hard lessons from last year. I have to imagine, for those of you so inclined, what happened last year, it's one of the beautiful things about our sport is that personal comes out in the professional, and the faults of just me can -- it can happen there, too. Not only the positive things but the negative things. I look at the last year trying to save people, maybe trying to change people, and not having hard enough boundaries, and I look at the -- I don't know if it was hubris or what it was that made me think that I could, but I think people are ready to change or improve when they're ready to, when they're ready to do it on their own. I think that was a big factor last year. I think the other was not using the transfer portal and not embracing it.

Q: Baylor and Texas have been in the same conference for over a century. Baylor is the only school that has been both in the Southwest Conference and the Big 12 that gets to host Texas this year. You've talked about how important winning at McLane is. Do you expect to have a different environment when the Longhorns make their last trip ever to Waco?

Aranda: Appreciate the question. Have a great respect for Texas football, for their history, and for Coach Sark and what he's building and how he's recruiting, and their style of play. They're right on the forefront offensively and defensively of being creative and innovative, and a lot of their players I know about and am expecting a battle. A lot of it is we need to bring that battle to them, and so I think anything less with Baylor-Texas is not enough. I'm anticipating a great game there and appreciative of the opportunity.

MIKE GUNDY- (Oklahoma State Head Coach)

It was typical Mike Gundy behavior when the Oklahoma State Head Coach took the stage. Not only did we get good explanations about college football's clock management changes, but we also got blunt answers concerning the Bedlam game between OU and OSU. And no opening statement.

Q. You touched on the clock rules, and back in spring, we talked to you about some of the things you're doing with the run game to get that back on track like you had a few years back. Do those two things work together at all in terms of trying to improve your run game and have that ability late in a game?

Gundy: The clock rules play a factor in the ability to run, as you know, and I'm guessing most everybody realizes that at the end of the game, if you can't rush the ball and you have to throw passes and the pass is incomplete, the clock stops, if you're trying to run the clock out. The new rule allows us to effectively rush the ball and use the clock if we want to.

Q: You and the other coaches are here to promote not only your school's brand but the Big 12's brand. Is it a little awkward that two of the other schools are not going to be here next year, and are you coming to terms with the fact that you're going to face your longtime rival for the last time this year?

Gundy: Well, it's been talked about so much now, I don't really think that any of us pay much attention to it. I mean, I'm excited about the conference this year and what we have, the schedules that are being played. As I said earlier, I think that we have the most exciting conference right now because it wouldn't be fair for any of us to say that we actually know what's going to happen in Big 12 Conference play this year, based on the last two or three years and how the games have gone and the teams that have had success and the teams that haven't had success.

I'm excited about that. I'm a very traditionalist when it comes to conference rivalry games and such. I'm sure you're referring to the Bedlam game, this being the last one. The Bedlam game is over because Oklahoma chose to leave the Big 12, period. It's got nothing to do with Oklahoma State.

Q. Do you think Texas is and deserves to be the clear favorite in this league, and anybody else who impresses you on paper?

Gundy: Oh, are you basing that -- it depends on what we're basing that on. Are we basing that on history? Are we basing that on the last five years? Are we basing that on the last 50 years? I'm not sure how anybody really comes up with who's a favorite right now. I'm going to go back to what I said earlier. I think one of the fun things about the Big 12 is we don't really know who's going to win based on what's happening in the last few years.

STEVE SARKISIAN- (Texas Head Football Coach)

Opening Statement: I think first and foremost I want to thank all of y'all for coming. This is a great time of year for college football. I think anytime it's media days, it kind of signifies that college football is right around the corner. That's an exciting time. I think it's a great time for the Big 12. It's a tremendous opportunity. I really love our football team. I love their mindset. I love where they're at. I know there's been so much talk about the SEC and what's happening in 2024, but I think one thing that I love about this team that we have this year is their focus on 2023 and this opportunity we have here in the Big 12. It's going to be a heck of a season, great competition.

Q. Steve, talking about that SEC talk, do you expect this season at all to be awkward, just kind of going through it with the SEC talk and your exit?

Sarkisian: It won't be awkward for us. I can't speak for anybody else. It won't be awkward for us. We've got a roster full of players who, quite frankly came to the University of Texas to try to win a Big 12 Championship, and we've got one more opportunity to do that, and I think our guys are focused on that.

Q. Quinn went out of his way to tell us in the spring that he was not happy with how he played overall last season. What did that say about his leadership, and how is he handling all the expectations? He's projected already as a first-round pick next spring.

Sarkisian: Well, I think a couple of things about Quinn that stood out to me from last year as you go back and kind of assess last season. He came back for the OU game coming off the injury and had a really good football game. You go read about the quotes that he had after that game, all he did was praise his teammates for how well they played. Then we don't play great against Oklahoma State, and we suffer a loss, and he took all the blame. So I think right then, you found out the type of leader that he is.

Q. Alabama has lost once at home since 2016. What is the key for this roster? They only travel out of the state twice this year. What is the key for this roster to go in and win at Alabama?

Sarkisian: Well, like every game, I think we know this. I said this earlier. Everywhere we go, we have to recognize we're the University of Texas. We're going to get everybody's best shot. Alabama is no different. Coach Saban is going to have that team ready to play. We have to make sure they get our best shot. We have to prepare really well. We have to embrace the moment and understand what that moment is, and we've got to play good football.

KALANI SITAKE- (BYU Head Football Coach)

Opening Statement: I just want to take this time in my statement to express my gratitude and appreciation for being here at media days. This is a lot of fun. Being an independent, I wasn't able to experience this as a head coach, so this is my first time. I was actually getting some pointers and some trips from Kedon Slovis. He's been through more media days than I have. But looking forward to this opportunity to be here to speak in front of you.

Q. In terms of you guys building towards the Big 12, does it feel like a fulfillment of 50 years of football success paying off when you guys take the field in a couple of weeks?

Sitake: I mean, this is something that we've been dreaming of for a while, speaking as a fan. Now that we've been given this platform, I'm excited for the opportunities that we have.

This isn't going to be easy, and we know that. That's why independents, I told Tom, find as many as you can that people don't want to play; I want to play them all, with the thought that possibly this could be the goal.

Q. Can you talk about the hiring of Jay Hill coming in from Weber, one of the best FCS defensive schools? What is it we should expect from the BYU defense after everything that happened last year?

Sitake: Yeah, I've known Jay Hill forever. We coached a decade together at Utah. We speak the same language when it comes to defensive-minded football. I've really followed him he's my friend, so I've watched him in his career. He's taken Weber State to become an FCS powerhouse, and he's done it in a lot of different ways, developing his players and coaching them hard but also loving them. Everything that he's about fits right in with what we're trying to get done and the culture of BYU.

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