Everything From Offensive Coordinator Des Kitchings After Wednesday's Practice

Fall Camp continued for the University of Virginia today, and the Cavaliers are nearly two weeks away from their season-opening game against Coastal Carolina. After Wednesday's practice, offensive coordinator Des Kitchings spoke with the media for the second time in camp and here is everything that he had to say:

1. On the biggest improvements this offense has made since the scrimmage on Saturday...

"Yeah, first thing we took care of the football on Saturday with no turnovers, right? So that was a big, big positive. And we played some guys that we were looking to see what type of growth they've made. Guys who haven't played a lot of ball due to injury or just being new around here. I was very pleased with where they were at that point. That was a positive. Monday was a little bit hotter for us and we needed that. We've been very fortunate with some of the weather and we've been praying for some heat just to cold mentally and physically. And Monday was a good test. And the defense responded, which is great for fall camp, a little back and forth, but it's been a good balance, a good competition. I like where we are mentally. I like, you know, it's fall camp, like being a better spot physically. I like where we are mentally as a group, you know, the camaraderie, the fellowship, the application of what we're doing on the field, taking the meeting room to the practice field. So So there's been a lot of growth."

2. On right tackle Wallace Unamba...

"First of all, he's a great kid. Like he's one of the kids, like a lot of my enjoy on the team, but he's hungry and he's humble, so he's very coachable. And he's got a lot of pride in himself to do things the right way. So it's making a very smooth transition for him. You know, just like anything, right? Just get acclimated to how we practice, like how we coach. And he's taken on that very well. And he's one of the guys who's been consistently, you know, improving each day."

3. On balancing players strengths while teaching them the playbook...

"Yeah, that's the balance. That's the key and the thing I'm enjoying about this group that we brought in with us is their background their foundation of football right have a lot of understanding and they're able to communicate it right so it makes it easy, easier in a transition speech piece because they can speak in terms of what they understand and what they don't and it's our job to find that middle ground of what we're trying to accomplish offensively through their talents without minimizing them or causing them not to be fully at their best. So that's been one of the fun parts about this camp as well, you know, and get the relationship growing with the quarterbacks, right? Spending time in the o-line room, I've been spending time with the wide receivers, you know, running backs and just our relationship and the communication of free -flowing, which I think is going to benefit us here in the fall."

4. On preparing to face new defensive coordinators...

"And we did you know because a lot of those hires obviously were made back in you know January or February whenever with the steps of Stanford that took place a little later. So you know our focus at that juncture was just on ourselves with spring ball. Got through spring ball started doing some opponent studies just trying to get a feel for you know who the d-coordinator is right?

Kind of because it comes from a different place the personnel is going to be different, because like our personnel will be different so you know not necessarily knowing we know who some guys that Coastal in our first game and brought in as transfers you try to look at some of the film from the previous institution and best guess how is it going to look with their their new staff but really just try to look to see what's the history of that coordinator, you know, is there something that consistently shows up over his tenure that the best leverage and opportunity you can for your guys.

But on top of that as well, it's really about us, you know, and that's got to be our mindset. Going into this first one, as we're still in the middle of camp, is improving UVA, right? Improving ourselves offensively. And then you know, whatever that game plan is, we know it's gonna be some adjustments, right? In that and just be ready to go when that time comes."

5. On adjusting to new coordinators that they face...

"Right because you know North Carolina State hired a new coordinator and you know, are they gonna still run the Tony Gibson 3 -3 stack or is they going to do what this know, the good thing about that is, you know, they play East Carolina the first one, so at least you have some visible, you know, data of a film kind of what they are And then the the opponents after that at least there'd be video, you know in this first with Coastal. There's no video of what that team looks like."

6. On what they can take from facing Coastal last year...

"That was last year's team, we're different, 'cause some of my personnel's different. Schematically, we're probably different in some things, but there'll be some things, core that'll be similar. One thing that is, I think, pretty well -documented is the D -coordinator has done a good job in his history, right? And he's very adamant about stopping the run. I mean, I think he's got a quote that there's three things guaranteed in life, right? Death, taxes, and stopping the run. So we know we'll be facing, you know, from that mindset of who Coastal wants to be on defense."

7. On the tight end room...

"Yeah, it's been good to have, you know, the number of guys we have. We have nine guys for practice and, you know, guys like a Sage Ennis to get out there and kind of just continue to add to his work volume as we're going through camp and and reestablishing his confidence, right? He missed, a good bit of the last two years with the torn ACL. So that's been pleasant, you know, John Rogers, you know, the freshman, Willem Thurber, he was another guy we've been trying to give him all opportunities and that's been my message, right? We have this unlimited, not unlimited, but this number of practices here, right? You're going to be given opportunities. It's your job, what you do with it, right? To earn the trust of not only the coaches, but your teammates that you can be accountable to go help them win games."

8. On Cam Ross...

"You know, and I agree with Coach Elliott on that, like Cam has just been a workman, right? He's been available to us every day, right? He has a trait, right? He has speed, he has quickness. He has a really good job of catching the football, and he's smart, right? He has a smart to him. He has like big picture football to sit down and talk with him football-wise. So just be able to have, you know, that speed, peace, and the experience, right? He's played a lot of football and he's had some production that help us help us not only offensively but in the Specialty game. I'm opening my mouth. If we can get a touchdown on Special Teams -Wise, it counts as offensive points, I'll take it, right? Either way, we can get 'em, you know? And I think he is a guy that can bring that to us from a Special Teams standpoint, and then, you know, give us the ability to push the ball down the field and try to attack defenses vertically."

9. On Chandler Morris and Daniel Kaelin...

"I don't know exactly a percentage but I mean a lot of football is similar some you know some of a lot of copycat of what some people do that's successful but you have your beliefs and certain things but the thing I enjoy about Chandler and Danny is their ability to communicate right their ability to communicate what they're seeing right their ability to communicate like what could be an adjustment, right, their ability to communicate what they're comfortable with, right? And sometimes guys feel like, they feel like they can't communicate that to the coach, or they don't know how to verbalize it.

And both of them are very well at doing that. And I think that's what's helped strengthen up our relationship as player-coach, coach of a player. And like, you know, I tell them, you're an extension of me, I on the field and the closer we are and the more similar we can kind of think together right and the better off we're going to be offensively and as a team and that's been a very enjoyable to have those two guys and you know Chandler has a lot more experiences than Danny does so Chandler can kind of is probably able to articulate more so like. Coach this like this is what I like, like you kno,w I've done this a thousand times, and you know at Oklahoma we actually tweaked and did it this way because we realized this was a little better or at TCU man we did this deal here that I really liked so okay it fits us it fits our personnel fits what we're trying to do then let's just find the best way to make that work because again, he's playing the game, right?

And if he's out there trying to execute something that he's not comfortable with, it's not good for trying to make him as comfortable as he can in the short window to be here and to play at his best."

10. On the offensive line and dealing with injuries...

"Yeah, you know, you always wanna be fully equipped, right? But just because we rotated a bunch in the early part of camp, just 'cause we're trying to get a better evaluation of some guys. And I felt like there have been some guys who have stepped up, right? Consistently gotten better. There's some guys who still need to take another step, you know, some of the younger kids that are just kind of learning how to do it. But as far as the new acquisitions that we've had for new additions, like I've been pleased with those guys, right? And more so pleased with how they've integrated with that group of office alignment, right? That's like a band of brothers, right? The tighter they are, the better they are. Communicate with each other, plan for each other, and work for each other. And that's and that's the strength of our team with that. We want to be strong through the middle, right? The o-line quarterbacks, running backs, right? Just the inside-out type approach of football. And that's not to minimize the skill guys, 'cause we need them too. But if we can be strong through the middle, then we feel like we have a good chance to be successful."