Indiana University Athletics
Grant Heard, Kevin Wright & Khameron Taylor Zoom Press Conference Transcript & Video
5/27/2020 2:04:00 PM | Football
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Grant Heard
Q: On what the younger guys on the roster have to do to fill in for the graduated players…
HEARD: With not having spring ball that is a big issue, because it was their time to show everybody what they can do. But right now, they need to make sure they come back in shape. Learn as much as they can away from us, which is kind of difficult at times. Some of my guys are doers, they need to do it, read it in the playbook and see exactly what they need. They all want to be NFL players and this is what NFL players are doing right now. They are having to do it virtually and on their own, take a bunch of mental reps and try to learn in that way.
Q: On Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle…
HEARD: I haven't seen them in three months. I give them responsibilities to lead meetings sometimes, and I don't want to be a part of it because if I'm there and something isn't right, I know I'm going to take charge. I'm trying to give them freedom to do stuff, to get guys together, to do it on their own and develop them speaking out. Ty and Whop don't like to speak out a whole bunch. I know people think Whop's personality is outgoing, but he is really a shy person. Ty doesn't say a word. It's trying to get those guys to peak out and start being leaders on their own. Hopefully they've been doing it. They say its been going good. But to me it's not even about seniors, it's not about playing. It's about, you know what needs to be done. Whoever it is, somebody step up. Somebody step up and lead the room. I don't truly believe that just because you're a senior you're a leader. Leaders can be anybody. So hopefully somebody in that room, I would love for it to be Whop or Ty, but somebody needs to step up and fill those roles that Nick left and Donavan left.
Q: On how Whop Philyor can improve going into this year…
HEARD: For him, just to understand defenses more. I feel comfortable about him knowing our playbook and what we ask him to do from our end. Now I'm putting pressure on him to know more defenses. What they're trying to do to take him away, to take certain plays away, why we're calling certain stuff, just to open his mind up and become a more well-rounded football player. If I was playing against us right now, I'd say let's try to take Whop away, he's one of their main guys. He's probably one of our more explosive guys, as far as making explosive plays. I take it as a challenge like if they take him away, someone else has to step up. I think we have enough people in our room now and on this offense to take the load. David Ellis is doing awesome, Ty Fryfogle can go out there and make plays, so it gives other people an opportunity to go out there and take the touches that he might have gotten because they want to take him away, to come out of their shell and show everybody what they can do.
Q: On how he's been keeping on top of what preparation could look like once you do get back…
HEARD: Like I said before, this is an NFL type model here. When they're with us we have complete control over them. We can say you're working out at this time, running at this time and this and that. I've just been challenging them, if you all want to be NFL guys, NFL guys are not at their facilities this time of year anyway. If you want to start getting yourself into that lifestyle this is where it is. You need to do training yourself, you need to be self-motivated and it's going to show. They all say they've been running and doing this. I've been in their shoes and I know they may not be running at the intensity they need to be at. I don't know that, but time will tell and the cream is going to rise to the top and what you say you've been doing is going to be shown. We're all going to know the truth, you can't hide from it when you get here.
Q: On how much you can practice route running and dills from a distance…
HEARD: One thing I've done is I've gotten my drill tape up on the server where they can watch it. They can go out there and do drills. Now each kid was a little bit different because of the area that they are in. They might not be able to go out to the parks because of restrictions and what not. I said hey, if you have to, run driveway to driveway. Do something. For me it's more conditioning, making sure they're in shape. The older ones know the drills they need to work on, the Miles's, the Whop's, the Ty's. They know what it's like and what they need to get ready for in a game. The younger ones, they have not played and it's a little bit different. So mentally I just really want them to hone in on what we're doing, what we're doing offensively, and then the drills I put on tape for them to watch. It's not me standing there making sure they're running routes. They have to make sure they're doing it.
Tight Ends Coach Kevin Wright
Q: On his evaluation of the tight end room…
WRIGHT: Our big emphasis for spring was just to try to develop depth. You didn't have Peyton out there so it gave everybody the opportunity really to get equal reps. You got a chance to see a guy like TJ Ivy do some different things. He did play a little bit last year so I was able to watch him on tape, but not to see it up close and personal. I felt like TJ had a good spring. Another guy you mentioned, Gary Cooper. His skill set is probably totally different than anybody else in the room just because of the speed factor. In testing I think he was one of the top four or five guys on our team in regards to speed. He's not quite as big, but I think with quickness and speed, it helps make him a different type of player that we can plug and play with. Gary played some last year as well. Both TJ and Gary, it's not like they haven't played any downs, it's just been a little bit more limited. We had some guys in the room, Ryan Barnes being one that was a walk-on kid from Noblesville, Indiana, who I also thought had a good practice spring. Along with Matt Bjorson, those four guys, I was really concerned with spring because of the lack of depth that we'd have through 15 practices and get done what we wanted to get done. But they got a lot of quality reps and I felt like we came out of it having a good idea of where we're at. We're going to add Khameron Taylor to the mix. I think that provides more depth as well. So, I feel pretty good about where we're at going into the summer really and we'll see how it plays out once we're able to get pads on and get to practice.
Q: On what these last few months been like for him…
WRIGHT: That's a great question. I got hired in January and jumped on a plane, and I think two days later they sent me right back down to south Florida. I was down here recruiting for a couple of weeks and then recruiting ended. Then I settled into my apartment in Bloomington through the four spring practices to about mid-March while my family stayed and finished up school in Bradenton. I went home with a backpack in mid-March expecting to be back in a week and camp was closed down. So, I've actually been working remotely from down here in Bradenton, Florida. The sun shines a little more right now. I'm just really excited to get back on campus. As things open up and we're allowed to go back to our offices, we're moving the family, they're packing things, they're ready to go, finishing school and just excited to get going quite honestly. Excited to be back in Indiana.
Q: On who's impressed him the most remotely among your group…
WRIGHT: We're spending virtual meetings and I think sometimes the position coach probably talks too much quite honestly. But I think you see the older guys like Matt Bjorson who really stepped up during spring practice. He was thrust into the position of being THE guy. He's been stepping up from his home. I think he was in Florida for a while and then he went back to the Chicago area. Honestly, everybody's really been great. It's one of those things where you've had to put more on kids to be more disciplined. They've got to know to have that daily regiment and be locked in and focused. I feel really good about everybody in the room. They were all over the country quite honestly and some of them still are. Just their ability to buy in and get things done. What we're going to find out of course is what they did outside of the meeting rooms working out, doing those types of things on their own. That's one of those things where, we should gain an edge quite honestly. I think our guys really bought in. Whether you were working out in your garage doing body weight exercises or we sent guys resistance bands, sent them dumbbells, we've got a running program, all those things. I think we'll find out who really stepped up when we actually get a chance to get back together, and run a few wind sprints and do some things physically. Because at the end of the day, everybody looks good when we're in the virtual world in a Zoom meeting. But really been excited with the group and how they've responded just being on point. It's really easy when you're at home to be a couple of minutes late or sometimes forget because they were trying to do classwork. Everybody's home situation is different as well. To answer your question, I think Matt did a great job in Peyton's absence early, and that's carried over to the last few weeks here.
Q: On Khameron Taylor…
WRIGHT: We started to go down the road a little bit to try to provide some more depth for the room and knew we would have the opportunity to potentially bring somebody in. There's a lot of guys out there that jump in the transfer portal or that are in a situation where they could grad transfer. You're looking for a guy that's going to fit the needs. I think that what we've found in Kham was a guy that had predominately been a blocker in the offense he was in and also who is a really good athlete who has the potential I think to catch the football. You'll have to talk to him a little bit about that. I told him he's probably not going to block power very much like he did at his previous school. He's going to have to block. Don't get me wrong. I think you'll see some of the athleticism that when you watch the tape you see. I think as far as fitting into our room, he fits as the guy that has that hybrid ability. He's probably a little bit bigger than some of the guys in the room. I think you really can't replace experience. Quite honestly, you can't replace game-time experience and that's the advantage of bringing in someone like Kham, who's a grad transfer, who's played a lot of college football. I don't think the lights are going to be too bright for him. I think it's going to be a matter of coming in and learning the offense. He's been an on-point guy, too. He's been very responsible just in regards to the things we've asked him to do. He had a lot of school work he had to do to finish up just so he could get to IU, which is a complement to who he is, the type of kid that we're getting. So, that's all good things. I'm excited to meet him in person. He's great virtually, but I'm excited to meet him in person. I can see him on the call over here, too. I think he'll fit really well into the room.
TE Khameron Taylor
Q: On why you chose IU…
TAYLOR: I felt like things were gravitating toward IU. It would be weird. Maybe I see something about Indiana. I don't know. Maybe Coach would text me out of the blue. I'd be doing something else, working out. It was really weird. I just like everything about IU. I talked to Coach Allen. I liked everything he preached. I felt like he was a good guy. I feel like he got my best interest at heart. It was things like all the coaching staff was cool. I know Coach Wommack from South (Alabama). We had a pretty good relationship. I'm cool with him. He's a great genuine dude. I'm glad he's on staff. Just everything. Of course, facilities and everything. It just felt like everything was pointing in Indiana's direction. I just feel the coaching staff is right to develop me into a better player and reach for my future goals.
Q: On what you learned at South Alabama and how you evolved as a player…
TAYLOR: College, it was great. I can say I grew as a person. Of course, in high school, if you talk to Coach Wiles, he'll tell you he'd have to tell me to workout. I wouldn't be wanting to go. I was not like fully committed. When I got to college, I saw what I could really do and the player I could become and what I could become in the future, like provide for my family. It kind of pushed me. Pushed me to grow. It just made me think like, it's bigger than me. I got an opportunity to do something great so why not give it my all.
Q: On your overall fit in the system and as a player…
TAYLOR: As a player, I think I bring toughness and physicality. I'm prideful of my physicality and blocking. At South (Alabama) I kind of had a role of being a blocker in our offense so I take pride in it. I just wanted to win so it was like I'm going to give it my all for my teammates and stuff like that. I think I'm really good in the passing game. I think I'll get an opportunity to show it in this offense. Like Coach said, I was kind of a hybrid. I was bigger here. That kind of adapted to my role. I usually play around 255 and I feel good running routes. I think just overall, our physicality. I think I'm just going to lead by example and just try to buy in. Let all my teammates know I'm bought in. Like, I want to win. I'm here for you all. L-E-O. Like Coach said, LEO.
Q: On how you went through the recruiting process with the pandemic in place…
TAYLOR: It was tough. I couldn't travel. I couldn't visit there. It was tough. I had to do a lot of background research. I had a lot of questions for Coach Wright, Coach Allen. Asking them about coaching staffs, offense, how I fit, things like that. I just really want really what I wanted out of myself and what I picture myself doing and who would get the most out of me. I just felt like Indiana was that place that would do that for me.
Q: On the weight you want to play at and on how much you can improve at receiving…
TAYLOR: I think I just need the opportunity. I didn't at South (Alabama) get to run a lot of routes in games. Didn't get a lot of targets. I felt like I'm just going to make the most of the play when it comes my way. I feel comfortable at 255 today. I can play at 250. I can play at 270, but 255 is where I feel the fastest. I feel good.
Q: On what the younger guys on the roster have to do to fill in for the graduated players…
HEARD: With not having spring ball that is a big issue, because it was their time to show everybody what they can do. But right now, they need to make sure they come back in shape. Learn as much as they can away from us, which is kind of difficult at times. Some of my guys are doers, they need to do it, read it in the playbook and see exactly what they need. They all want to be NFL players and this is what NFL players are doing right now. They are having to do it virtually and on their own, take a bunch of mental reps and try to learn in that way.
Q: On Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle…
HEARD: I haven't seen them in three months. I give them responsibilities to lead meetings sometimes, and I don't want to be a part of it because if I'm there and something isn't right, I know I'm going to take charge. I'm trying to give them freedom to do stuff, to get guys together, to do it on their own and develop them speaking out. Ty and Whop don't like to speak out a whole bunch. I know people think Whop's personality is outgoing, but he is really a shy person. Ty doesn't say a word. It's trying to get those guys to peak out and start being leaders on their own. Hopefully they've been doing it. They say its been going good. But to me it's not even about seniors, it's not about playing. It's about, you know what needs to be done. Whoever it is, somebody step up. Somebody step up and lead the room. I don't truly believe that just because you're a senior you're a leader. Leaders can be anybody. So hopefully somebody in that room, I would love for it to be Whop or Ty, but somebody needs to step up and fill those roles that Nick left and Donavan left.
Q: On how Whop Philyor can improve going into this year…
HEARD: For him, just to understand defenses more. I feel comfortable about him knowing our playbook and what we ask him to do from our end. Now I'm putting pressure on him to know more defenses. What they're trying to do to take him away, to take certain plays away, why we're calling certain stuff, just to open his mind up and become a more well-rounded football player. If I was playing against us right now, I'd say let's try to take Whop away, he's one of their main guys. He's probably one of our more explosive guys, as far as making explosive plays. I take it as a challenge like if they take him away, someone else has to step up. I think we have enough people in our room now and on this offense to take the load. David Ellis is doing awesome, Ty Fryfogle can go out there and make plays, so it gives other people an opportunity to go out there and take the touches that he might have gotten because they want to take him away, to come out of their shell and show everybody what they can do.
Q: On how he's been keeping on top of what preparation could look like once you do get back…
HEARD: Like I said before, this is an NFL type model here. When they're with us we have complete control over them. We can say you're working out at this time, running at this time and this and that. I've just been challenging them, if you all want to be NFL guys, NFL guys are not at their facilities this time of year anyway. If you want to start getting yourself into that lifestyle this is where it is. You need to do training yourself, you need to be self-motivated and it's going to show. They all say they've been running and doing this. I've been in their shoes and I know they may not be running at the intensity they need to be at. I don't know that, but time will tell and the cream is going to rise to the top and what you say you've been doing is going to be shown. We're all going to know the truth, you can't hide from it when you get here.
Q: On how much you can practice route running and dills from a distance…
HEARD: One thing I've done is I've gotten my drill tape up on the server where they can watch it. They can go out there and do drills. Now each kid was a little bit different because of the area that they are in. They might not be able to go out to the parks because of restrictions and what not. I said hey, if you have to, run driveway to driveway. Do something. For me it's more conditioning, making sure they're in shape. The older ones know the drills they need to work on, the Miles's, the Whop's, the Ty's. They know what it's like and what they need to get ready for in a game. The younger ones, they have not played and it's a little bit different. So mentally I just really want them to hone in on what we're doing, what we're doing offensively, and then the drills I put on tape for them to watch. It's not me standing there making sure they're running routes. They have to make sure they're doing it.
Tight Ends Coach Kevin Wright
Q: On his evaluation of the tight end room…
WRIGHT: Our big emphasis for spring was just to try to develop depth. You didn't have Peyton out there so it gave everybody the opportunity really to get equal reps. You got a chance to see a guy like TJ Ivy do some different things. He did play a little bit last year so I was able to watch him on tape, but not to see it up close and personal. I felt like TJ had a good spring. Another guy you mentioned, Gary Cooper. His skill set is probably totally different than anybody else in the room just because of the speed factor. In testing I think he was one of the top four or five guys on our team in regards to speed. He's not quite as big, but I think with quickness and speed, it helps make him a different type of player that we can plug and play with. Gary played some last year as well. Both TJ and Gary, it's not like they haven't played any downs, it's just been a little bit more limited. We had some guys in the room, Ryan Barnes being one that was a walk-on kid from Noblesville, Indiana, who I also thought had a good practice spring. Along with Matt Bjorson, those four guys, I was really concerned with spring because of the lack of depth that we'd have through 15 practices and get done what we wanted to get done. But they got a lot of quality reps and I felt like we came out of it having a good idea of where we're at. We're going to add Khameron Taylor to the mix. I think that provides more depth as well. So, I feel pretty good about where we're at going into the summer really and we'll see how it plays out once we're able to get pads on and get to practice.
Q: On what these last few months been like for him…
WRIGHT: That's a great question. I got hired in January and jumped on a plane, and I think two days later they sent me right back down to south Florida. I was down here recruiting for a couple of weeks and then recruiting ended. Then I settled into my apartment in Bloomington through the four spring practices to about mid-March while my family stayed and finished up school in Bradenton. I went home with a backpack in mid-March expecting to be back in a week and camp was closed down. So, I've actually been working remotely from down here in Bradenton, Florida. The sun shines a little more right now. I'm just really excited to get back on campus. As things open up and we're allowed to go back to our offices, we're moving the family, they're packing things, they're ready to go, finishing school and just excited to get going quite honestly. Excited to be back in Indiana.
Q: On who's impressed him the most remotely among your group…
WRIGHT: We're spending virtual meetings and I think sometimes the position coach probably talks too much quite honestly. But I think you see the older guys like Matt Bjorson who really stepped up during spring practice. He was thrust into the position of being THE guy. He's been stepping up from his home. I think he was in Florida for a while and then he went back to the Chicago area. Honestly, everybody's really been great. It's one of those things where you've had to put more on kids to be more disciplined. They've got to know to have that daily regiment and be locked in and focused. I feel really good about everybody in the room. They were all over the country quite honestly and some of them still are. Just their ability to buy in and get things done. What we're going to find out of course is what they did outside of the meeting rooms working out, doing those types of things on their own. That's one of those things where, we should gain an edge quite honestly. I think our guys really bought in. Whether you were working out in your garage doing body weight exercises or we sent guys resistance bands, sent them dumbbells, we've got a running program, all those things. I think we'll find out who really stepped up when we actually get a chance to get back together, and run a few wind sprints and do some things physically. Because at the end of the day, everybody looks good when we're in the virtual world in a Zoom meeting. But really been excited with the group and how they've responded just being on point. It's really easy when you're at home to be a couple of minutes late or sometimes forget because they were trying to do classwork. Everybody's home situation is different as well. To answer your question, I think Matt did a great job in Peyton's absence early, and that's carried over to the last few weeks here.
Q: On Khameron Taylor…
WRIGHT: We started to go down the road a little bit to try to provide some more depth for the room and knew we would have the opportunity to potentially bring somebody in. There's a lot of guys out there that jump in the transfer portal or that are in a situation where they could grad transfer. You're looking for a guy that's going to fit the needs. I think that what we've found in Kham was a guy that had predominately been a blocker in the offense he was in and also who is a really good athlete who has the potential I think to catch the football. You'll have to talk to him a little bit about that. I told him he's probably not going to block power very much like he did at his previous school. He's going to have to block. Don't get me wrong. I think you'll see some of the athleticism that when you watch the tape you see. I think as far as fitting into our room, he fits as the guy that has that hybrid ability. He's probably a little bit bigger than some of the guys in the room. I think you really can't replace experience. Quite honestly, you can't replace game-time experience and that's the advantage of bringing in someone like Kham, who's a grad transfer, who's played a lot of college football. I don't think the lights are going to be too bright for him. I think it's going to be a matter of coming in and learning the offense. He's been an on-point guy, too. He's been very responsible just in regards to the things we've asked him to do. He had a lot of school work he had to do to finish up just so he could get to IU, which is a complement to who he is, the type of kid that we're getting. So, that's all good things. I'm excited to meet him in person. He's great virtually, but I'm excited to meet him in person. I can see him on the call over here, too. I think he'll fit really well into the room.
TE Khameron Taylor
Q: On why you chose IU…
TAYLOR: I felt like things were gravitating toward IU. It would be weird. Maybe I see something about Indiana. I don't know. Maybe Coach would text me out of the blue. I'd be doing something else, working out. It was really weird. I just like everything about IU. I talked to Coach Allen. I liked everything he preached. I felt like he was a good guy. I feel like he got my best interest at heart. It was things like all the coaching staff was cool. I know Coach Wommack from South (Alabama). We had a pretty good relationship. I'm cool with him. He's a great genuine dude. I'm glad he's on staff. Just everything. Of course, facilities and everything. It just felt like everything was pointing in Indiana's direction. I just feel the coaching staff is right to develop me into a better player and reach for my future goals.
Q: On what you learned at South Alabama and how you evolved as a player…
TAYLOR: College, it was great. I can say I grew as a person. Of course, in high school, if you talk to Coach Wiles, he'll tell you he'd have to tell me to workout. I wouldn't be wanting to go. I was not like fully committed. When I got to college, I saw what I could really do and the player I could become and what I could become in the future, like provide for my family. It kind of pushed me. Pushed me to grow. It just made me think like, it's bigger than me. I got an opportunity to do something great so why not give it my all.
Q: On your overall fit in the system and as a player…
TAYLOR: As a player, I think I bring toughness and physicality. I'm prideful of my physicality and blocking. At South (Alabama) I kind of had a role of being a blocker in our offense so I take pride in it. I just wanted to win so it was like I'm going to give it my all for my teammates and stuff like that. I think I'm really good in the passing game. I think I'll get an opportunity to show it in this offense. Like Coach said, I was kind of a hybrid. I was bigger here. That kind of adapted to my role. I usually play around 255 and I feel good running routes. I think just overall, our physicality. I think I'm just going to lead by example and just try to buy in. Let all my teammates know I'm bought in. Like, I want to win. I'm here for you all. L-E-O. Like Coach said, LEO.
Q: On how you went through the recruiting process with the pandemic in place…
TAYLOR: It was tough. I couldn't travel. I couldn't visit there. It was tough. I had to do a lot of background research. I had a lot of questions for Coach Wright, Coach Allen. Asking them about coaching staffs, offense, how I fit, things like that. I just really want really what I wanted out of myself and what I picture myself doing and who would get the most out of me. I just felt like Indiana was that place that would do that for me.
Q: On the weight you want to play at and on how much you can improve at receiving…
TAYLOR: I think I just need the opportunity. I didn't at South (Alabama) get to run a lot of routes in games. Didn't get a lot of targets. I felt like I'm just going to make the most of the play when it comes my way. I feel comfortable at 255 today. I can play at 250. I can play at 270, but 255 is where I feel the fastest. I feel good.
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