Everything John Rudzinski said after Wednesday practice

Virginia defensive coordinator John Rudzinski addressed the media after Wednesday's practice. Here's what he had to say:

JOHN RUDZINSKI: Okay, practice number seven in the books. Really excited about the group that we have. As we get into the first seven practices, the identity of this group is looking to have an unbelievable attitude, have a great belief in themselves and each other, and then ultimately we've got to be connected as a group. That's as a coaching staff, that's coaches and players, and ultimately as a football family. And so, really excited as far as the work that the young men have put in so far. Excited to see us be able to continue to build. As we go here in the weeks to come.

Q: Between (Daniel) Rickert and (Mitchell) Melton, you lost a lot of sacks from last season. How do you feel so far about your pass rush and anybody in particular among the new players impressing in that area?

JR: Yeah, we're blessed to have Fisher Camac, he's back, shoot Nana (Anyanwu) doing a great job.

We've got (Matthew) Fobbs White, goodness, Devon Baxter, Jewett Hayes, JT (Justin Townsend), and I'm probably bringing up the whole, everybody, I mean Evan (Ward), young guy, you go down that list and there's a bunch of guys that are going to be productive this fall. Our objective is to get as many guys ready as we can. We're really fortunate we had the opportunity to roll, four guys last year, and the identity of what we want to do is see how many guys we can play. And at that spot, it's going to be critical to be able to put guys out there that'll go be productive. But yeah, I think it's a little bit TBD. And what's fun now is we get to get a little bit more in our exotic packages, get to see what it looks like as far as our ability to put a package together and see if these guys can work together to get to the passer.

Q: Yeah, I want along those lines with Fisher (Camac), he had the big breakout game at Duke last season, multi sack game. How do you see him maybe doing that a little more often this season and where the areas he can grow in as a pass rusher?

JR: Yeah, naturally gifted athlete, one of those guys with NFL specs when it comes to his testing. What he'll do is he'll continue to really study his game, know himself really well, be introspective. And then ultimately he's a great student of the game and he'll do a great job of studying tackles in the ACC and he'll find a way to create a ton of pressure this fall.

Q: And where do you have (Donovan) Platt playing right now? I know you guys tried him at SPUR in the spring. Is he still there? Is he going back to corner?

JR: Platt can play multiple spots. You know, is it that spot, that nickel spot that we have out there? It's really a corner and you see that in the National Football League with guys like (Ahkello) Witherspoon.

I mean, where a corner jumps into that spot. So he has the ability to play both the nickel and the corner.

Q: Just kind of following up on the pass rush, Jewett Hayes is a guy that's been in the program for a while, been here, setting the foundation. How far has he grown, and what is next for him to be that pass rusher that you need?

JR: Yeah, Jewett's done an unbelievable job. Another one of those young men that, you know, has worked his tail off and also has NFL measurables when it comes to testing and athleticism.

And you know what? There's no young man that wants it more. There's no young man that's worked any harder. And it'll be neat to see all the things that he'll accomplish within the
defense, and then also, too, with the important role that each defender is going to have on special teams.

Q: What have you seen from him (Jewett Hayes)? What flashes have you seen when you see him out here at fall camp?

JR: Yeah, the ability to get to the quarterback, the ability to play with power, and then ultimately get off blocks and find the football.

Q: You mentioned several times last year that the key to your defensive success was depth. Are you deeper this fall than you were a year ago?

JR: Time will tell. I think at the end, well, I'll have a better idea, but I know that we've got a lot of really good pieces. I think that it's been really, really competitive, not only for our ones, but for our twos, and then also the ability to mix the different pieces. And guys, each day, guys are playing in different roles and different positions. And so I think we've got great competitive depth which will serve us really well throughout the season.

Q: I guess at this time last year, your secondary hadn't been here that long, a lot of them, and you mentioned about having communication issues. That's no longer a problem, but would you say that defense is further along now than you were?

JR: Yeah, I would hope so. And I think that's a product of the way the transfer portal fell in this cycle. With it, getting for the most part, most of our roster here in January, having the opportunity to have them with us for spring practice, it gives you an opportunity for them to get 15 practices before they even get into summer workouts and then into fall camp. And so, yeah, I've been really, really, happy with where we're at this point. A lot of work to do, It’s always going to fall back on our communication, how violent we can finish on the ball.

Q: On the linebacker room, I feel like this is the deepest linebacker room. You have a lot of experience as a veteran. What kind of stands out about that room and the athleticism and the length that you have?

JR: Yeah, I think what you see is you see great leadership, and you know what, really the culture of our defense will go be that glue that's in the linebacker room. It's their ability to communicate, and it's their ability to get lined up. And again, they're going to have to play with elite effort. Sometimes they've got to shove their face in a 330 pounder, and then other times they're going to have to cover a 180-pound running back.

And it takes a unique confidence, but then it also takes a unique preparation to do it at a high level. And there's a bunch of young men in that room that have played a ton for us.

Q: Darrion Henry-Young was at Ohio State, Kentucky and then Coastal Carolina. What are you seeing from him and does he have the size, the speed to be a problem on the interior of the defensive line?

JR: Oh heck yeah, we've seen it all. You saw it in spring ball, we've seen it in fall camp. His ability to get off of blocks, play long, he's got great energy, smart football player. Has been versatile, has played out on an edge, has played in the interior and so I'm excited to see him play his best football here at Virginia.

Q: He was a highly recruited player out of high school, big expectations at that time. What do you do as a coach to try to pull that out late in a career after a player has made multiple stops?

JR: Yeah, I think it's-- you know what, that's the great thing about being able to work with guys that have had these great experiences. And you I think it's meeting them where they're at. And it's the same thing for working with a freshman, and that it is somebody that's a transfer. You got to get to know them as a person, first and foremost. And then ultimately, you got to find out what they're really, really good at. And he's one that's got a lot of really, really good skill sets.

Q: When you guys scouted (Brandyn) Hillman on his Michigan tapes, what popped out about him?

JR: His physicality. And then his range, his ability to get from sideline to sideline. And he's done a bunch of that in fall camp. I mean, he's one of those safeties that those receivers and tight ends are like, all right, where is he? They want to know because he's going to come down and he's going to make sure he puts his face mask on you, square and legally.

Q: Just talk about his personality. What kind of kid is he?

JR: Yeah, you know what, I think he's one that's going to bring energy, he's going to bring an intensity, and he's got a fire to him as a competitor. He wants to win every single rep, and he frankly, he wants to go physically dominate the young man in front of him on the football field, and then at the same time can flip that switch and is the nicest, politest young man that you could be around. He's a young man that I'll tell you what, is fun to have dinner with.

Q: Last year, you guys had kind of a three-man rotation at corner. Is that the goal, or do you want to play more guys? How do you kind of see the cornerback spot, and what do you kind of have there?

JR: Yeah, you'd like to play as many as you can at that spot. You know, there is a flow of the game element that goes into it. And once a young man at that spot gets going and they have some confidence and they've seen route concepts, they've had opportunities to fit the run. But yeah, I would love to see if we couldn't get, shoot, three, four corners on the field every game because not only does it build you depth in that game, but it builds you depth down the road.

Q: When you just look at the D-line, we talked with Jason Hammond and Anthony Britton, and they were kind of talking about trying to take that next step in their leadership on the line and things that they learned from Jahmeer Carter. How have you just kind of seen them do that throughout fall camp now, but also like during the spring too?

JR: Yeah, I think they've embraced the challenge of finding ways to be themselves and be the type of leader that they are. You know, Jahmeer was a leader in his own way, and both the young men that you mentioned are guys that have been in the program since their freshman year, played as true freshmen, and it's neat to see them continue to take steps, not only as their development as football players, but their development as men, and you know what, shoot, as future graduates here at Virginia.

Q: Maddox Marcellus says he feels a lot more comfortable, he's got more of a voice in the leadership. Where have you seen him take the biggest stride and do you see him kind of take more ownership of, he said, more of the defensive leadership?

JR: Yeah, I think linebacker wise it's that whole room that there's a ton of leadership, but for him in particular, he's a young man that brings energy to the meeting room, the weight room. And ultimately when we show up on the I feel he finds the football and is reckless with his body and his teammates believe in him and I think that's what ultimately allows him to be a really, really good leader.

Q: Taylor (Lamb) said last week that there are certain calls that you can't make when you're scrimmaging against (Beau) Pribula because of his skill set. Can you elaborate on that a little bit?

JR: Yeah, I think it's anytime that you're playing against such a good athlete that has such a strong arm and such good command of what they're doing schematically, he does, he eliminates scheme just with, again, number one, his talent and athleticism, but then also his processing. And so, goodness, he's a lot to get ready for. I know, I tell you what, he makes us really, really good on defense because he'll stress us and he'll come into the meeting room or come on the chalkboard and go, hey, Rud, like, just FYI, your corner's doing this, your safety's doing this, and I know this call's coming. And that's good for me as a coordinator to know so that when we're getting ready for these other opponents, we'll make sure to try to fix some of those issues.

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