SoonerofAlabama
6/13/2011, 11:22 AM
From the Oklahoman:
With Josh Heupel as quarterbacks coach, Oklahoma has enjoyed unsurpassed success in recent years — both on the field and in recruiting.
Heupel, whose role will expand to co-offensive coordinator next season, spoke with The Oklahoman during his Day of Champions youth football camp over the weekend about OU's quarterback success, his first season to call plays and Landry Jones:
Why do you do the Day of Champions camp?
I really enjoy it. The opportunity started a few years back. The opportunity to work with kids who might not have the opportunity to come to camps. This camp is a little bit different. We do a lot of the physical activity at the front end, teaching kids how to play positions. But we also talk about characteristics I think are important to being successful in life. Building principles of discipline, respect, trust and hard work. Those are the things we're trying to teach kids here.
What's been the key to having success recruiting the high-profile quarterbacks in recent years?
We've had some that are high-profile ones, some that aren't. The guys that are successful in our program share underlying traits with all of them. They're extremely competitive and passionate about what they do. They work harder than anybody, and not just the football team, but the country. They pay the price every single day. Those are a lot of things that make them successful.
In just a decade, how have you guys established a quarterback tradition that's become one of the best in the country?
I think that's a tribute to the young guys that are going through the recruiting process looking at us. Those are things that fans and the media pay attention to. Inside our program, the reason we've been successful and have the track record we've had is guys have kinda gone through the daily grind, day in, day out. The traits we look for, the traits we've found are guys that continue to do that.
DeMarco Murray says he's worried you're going to call too many pass plays this season. Your response?
Ha, we're going to run the football, too. In the bowl game, more than anything, that was more indicative of what they were, who they were personnel wise, and we felt like we could attack them that way. We're going to continue to do that week in, week out.
Is there anything you've done in the offseason to hone your play-calling and get ready for your first year of doing it regularly?
Yeah, the spring game gave me a chance to be in some competitive situations, going off the script in a gamelike situation.
How does Landry Jones stack up with the other quarterbacks that have come through OU?
He led us to a Big 12 Championship, developed well down the stretch. He's still young, he's going to get better. Ultimately, those are things he can't control or worry about. All he can do is push himself to get better every single day to give our team a chance to be successful.
He's getting a lot of buzz right now as being a future high first-round draft pick. What do you think about his pro potential?
First of all, the most important thing is we're just worried about him here, getting him to play as well as he can. Ultimately, those things, those guys in the NFL are going to make those decisions, but he has those skills and the traits that will allow him to be successful at the next level. It's just continuing to push to get better.
How has Sam Bradford's success in the NFL impacted the program?
It helps our program, because he's such a high-profile guy, the face of a franchise, and all the things that went on this year. It's certainly something that helps us. As much as anything, I think it speaks to him as a person, how he was molded here in the offense and what we do, and how that transitions to success at the next level in a pretty quick fashion. A lot of things that came out of here, he felt pretty comfortable, as far as speed of the game, what he did on a daily basis, those were schemes he was exposed to while he was here.
With Josh Heupel as quarterbacks coach, Oklahoma has enjoyed unsurpassed success in recent years — both on the field and in recruiting.
Heupel, whose role will expand to co-offensive coordinator next season, spoke with The Oklahoman during his Day of Champions youth football camp over the weekend about OU's quarterback success, his first season to call plays and Landry Jones:
Why do you do the Day of Champions camp?
I really enjoy it. The opportunity started a few years back. The opportunity to work with kids who might not have the opportunity to come to camps. This camp is a little bit different. We do a lot of the physical activity at the front end, teaching kids how to play positions. But we also talk about characteristics I think are important to being successful in life. Building principles of discipline, respect, trust and hard work. Those are the things we're trying to teach kids here.
What's been the key to having success recruiting the high-profile quarterbacks in recent years?
We've had some that are high-profile ones, some that aren't. The guys that are successful in our program share underlying traits with all of them. They're extremely competitive and passionate about what they do. They work harder than anybody, and not just the football team, but the country. They pay the price every single day. Those are a lot of things that make them successful.
In just a decade, how have you guys established a quarterback tradition that's become one of the best in the country?
I think that's a tribute to the young guys that are going through the recruiting process looking at us. Those are things that fans and the media pay attention to. Inside our program, the reason we've been successful and have the track record we've had is guys have kinda gone through the daily grind, day in, day out. The traits we look for, the traits we've found are guys that continue to do that.
DeMarco Murray says he's worried you're going to call too many pass plays this season. Your response?
Ha, we're going to run the football, too. In the bowl game, more than anything, that was more indicative of what they were, who they were personnel wise, and we felt like we could attack them that way. We're going to continue to do that week in, week out.
Is there anything you've done in the offseason to hone your play-calling and get ready for your first year of doing it regularly?
Yeah, the spring game gave me a chance to be in some competitive situations, going off the script in a gamelike situation.
How does Landry Jones stack up with the other quarterbacks that have come through OU?
He led us to a Big 12 Championship, developed well down the stretch. He's still young, he's going to get better. Ultimately, those are things he can't control or worry about. All he can do is push himself to get better every single day to give our team a chance to be successful.
He's getting a lot of buzz right now as being a future high first-round draft pick. What do you think about his pro potential?
First of all, the most important thing is we're just worried about him here, getting him to play as well as he can. Ultimately, those things, those guys in the NFL are going to make those decisions, but he has those skills and the traits that will allow him to be successful at the next level. It's just continuing to push to get better.
How has Sam Bradford's success in the NFL impacted the program?
It helps our program, because he's such a high-profile guy, the face of a franchise, and all the things that went on this year. It's certainly something that helps us. As much as anything, I think it speaks to him as a person, how he was molded here in the offense and what we do, and how that transitions to success at the next level in a pretty quick fashion. A lot of things that came out of here, he felt pretty comfortable, as far as speed of the game, what he did on a daily basis, those were schemes he was exposed to while he was here.