Virginia Football: Everything From Defensive Coordinator John Rudzinski After Monday's Practice

Fall Camp rolled on for the University of Virginia today and they are now less than four weeks away from their season opening game against Coastal Carolina. After practice on Monday, defensive coordinator John Rudzinski spoke to the media and here is everything that he had to say:

Opening Statement

"It's been fun to put a bunch of install in, load these guys up mentally, and at the same time making sure we're focusing on fundamentals. And if we'll be great with our eyes, our hands, and our feet, we'll play good defense. It's been fun to try to mix different pieces together. That's a little bit of the art of putting this together is identifying what our guys do really really well at the same time making together is identifying what our guys do really really well at the same time making sure that we have a system so that when the next guy's up he's ready to roll and it's, it's been a you know really fun group to work with so far there's been a good intensity a good passion for getting around the football and we're, we're excited we're at this point here in camp."

1. On what their main goal is in camp...

"I think the number one thing you've got to accomplish, you got to you got to build your system and what you've got to do is you've got to make sure that you're featuring the right guys at the right spots and I think that's what you do every every every fall campus, you're taking all the foundation that you put in, in spring ball, then you put them in the weight room and you got these big, strong physical athletes. And then now what we've got to do is we say, "Hey, how much complexity do we need to match our personnel?"

2. On how to balance and allocate snaps between all of the defensive backs...

"Yeah, I think what you do in camp, the great thing is camp's about competition, and so when you manage those reps, what you do is you're making sure that each guy's getting an opportunity to prove their abilities, and that's what you do. You rep a lot of guys, and you let those guys establish who they're gonna be, and you let the depth chart will figure itself out off of the snaps that they get."

3. On how important the communication with the linebackers is with so many newcomers in the secondary...

"That's what you're always gonna talk about, the our ability to communicate as a group and our ability to and it starts there at the linebackers. Golly, look at all three of the names that you mentioned that each bring a physicality and ability to communicate. And it's exciting that they've been in the system for a few years as well, so that you know what, to be able to pull along some younger guys, but then also to make sure that they hold each other and themselves to the standard of I was going to say, do they have a level of understanding of the defense where they can pre -snap, move a guy, you know, tug a defense of lineman in the right direction or point to somebody in a secondary to get them right? Yeah, I mean, there is no doubt as far as their abilities to get guys lined up is elite. And you know what? It's, they have the ability to go be really, really productive to go hunt down that ball carrier."

4. On Ethan Minter...

"Yep, the biggest area we've seen Ethan is his ability, you know physically his frankly what he's done in the weight room. He's made unbelievable strides as far as what he looks like, which again is a testament to the resources that he's been provided here. And then the biggest step that he's gonna have to make is just showing that he's gonna go make the play. That's what that's what we all have to do. And we shoot from a player's perspective, we're looking for guys that are gonna be productive. And I know he'll be one of those guys."

5. On the length and athleticism in the cornerback room...

"Yeah, that's what that's what you want in football. You want long big thick frames and those are the type of frames that you win with at the power four level."

6. On the depth up front and in the secondary...

"Yeah no it's been it's been fun to try to mix the different pieces to be able to you know look at ways that potentially for us to put different combinations on the field also too when you look at it and you know there's a part of it you want to minimize on the defensive unit, you want to minimize the times that your defensive scheme is seen by your opponent. That means you've got to get off the field, and at the same time, you want would have great competitive depth, so you minimize exposure for players so that they can play as fast as they can snap after snap, and then also so that when they can play as fast as they can snap after snap, and then also so that when again if somebody does go down you can reload and put somebody else in there that is ready to go."

7. On the pass rush...

"Yeah I think you know what you would always love to be able to generate four -man pass rush, you know what I just look at the combination of guys that we have, you know, and the guys of their ability to win one -on -ones, it's really good. And then, you know, shoot the expectations on myself as far as how do we find creative ways to make sure to feature those guys and create the right one -on -one matchups. And it's been really positive throughout spring ball and now in the fall camp to see that guys have that ability. It's somethingwe're going to have to continue to work at, but it'll be neat to see here in, you know, two weeks, three weeks, you know, these guys really getting amped up and ready to go play in a football game."

8. On Mitchell Melton...

"Yeah, he can rush the passer, you know, and so he's going to have to win a one -on -one on an offensive tackle and he's going to have to do a great job of setting a vertical edge and then there'll be some movement pieces that we'll be able to take advantage of with him but he's a really really good athlete he's got a really good get off and you know he's got natural leadership because his teammates have seen he's been productive in scrimmages that we've had both in spring ball and which, you know, I hope to see here in fall camp."

9. On the nickel spot...

"Yeah, that, you know what you'd love to do is you just you got to have somebody you got to be really good at your field overhang be it, you call it, you know, a spur or a sam linebacker or a nickel you've got to uh and that, that position you know it's got sam londback or a nickel you've got to uh and that that position you know it's got to do a great job of being able to set edges um they've got to also have you know really good range and the ability to get off blocks on the perimeter to stop screens and then there's opportunities for them to play man coverage as well and so it's a it's a versatile spot for us in what we do schematically and we're you know trying to identify as we go here with the with an influx of new guys of who's gonna be the who's gonna be the right person at that spot but it's been really competitive and you know we take pride in our guys doing multiple spots too and you saw that you know Sanker he played that spot as a sophomore and so goodness I and so, goodness, we got some good ones to pick from, to figure that out."

10. On who is working in the nickel spot...

"Yeah, you know, shoot, we've had, we've had (Corey) Costner, shoot Devin Neal could play this spot. So you just go down the list, as far as there's a bunch of different guys that could play that, and then too, some of the names that, maybe a corner, maybe a merge for us to work him in there."

11. On Corey Costner cracking the rotation as a young guy...

"Yeah, elite skill set. Corey is a young man that can run 22 miles an hour. He's got elite power for his size. And he's a young man that has a tremendous upside athletically, and then also as a worker. And then he's a physical football player. So, golly, I'm excited to see him, you know, scrimmage here this upcoming Saturday."

12. On the returning players on the defense...

"Yeah, I think, you know, anytime that you have experience in your organization, they end up bringing, you know, some of the cultural norms that you can't, you can't teach overnight. And so they do a great job as far as, you know, holding their teammates to the standards. And then also they end up being a great sounding board for, you know, the other players in the locker room that have come from different backgrounds to understand, you know the way we communicate the way we operate and they you know talk about a great group of young men to work with just day in day out."

13. On getting players out of the Mountain West...

"You know what, I think just collectively we want to go get the best players. And it turns out that, you know, we're fortunate to get two from the West Coast."