Indiana University Athletics
Summer Football Press Conference – Jordan Grier, Trent Howland, Jaquez Smith, & Aaron Steinfeldt
7/8/2021 2:00:00 PM | Football
Below are partial transcriptions of Zoom press conferences with defensive back Jordan Grier, running back Trent Howland, wide receiver Jaquez Smith and tight end Aaron Steinfeldt on Thursday, July 8.
DB Jordan Grier
Q. On the learning curve and what has been gained…
GRIER: I am gaining a lot of knowledge from the older guys. Guys like Monster [Devon Matthews], Bryson Bonds, and Raheem Layne. They are coaching me up and coaching me through the playbook where I am supposed to be and when I need to be there. What I gained so far is a lot of weight.
Q. On the biggest surprise so far…
GRIER: I didn't know anything coming into IU. I have never been to Indiana or Bloomington before. It was a big jump. A big leap taking on coach Tom Allen's word and believing in what he was saying. Everyone wants to be coached by a guy like Coach Allen. He has everything that I am looking for in a college coach.
RB Tent Howland
On staying in shape despite a unique senior season…
HOWLAND: It was not a big impact on me because I tore my ACL before my senior year. When I heard the news that our season was not going to happen, I felt for my fellow seniors because they were trying to get college exposure. My teammates wanted to get their names out there and there was not the opportunity to do so.
On rehab and fitting in with the running back room…
HOWLAND: I am about six months into my rehab. I am doing good. I am back to running. They are getting me into jumping. They have me on the field with the guys during team runs and still going through the motions of getting back to normal. Coming into the running back room I thought it was going to be hard, but those guys who have so much college experience have made it easier. Whenever I need help with going through plays, what the formation is, where to line up, they are there. The connection with coach Deland McCullough has been good. I never had a chance to meet him in person, but we spoke on the phone, and I just knew when we actually met in person we would have a great connection. Everything we talked about on the phone he is giving me now, so the relationship is good.
WR Jaquez Smith
On the learning curve and the tradition of the wide receiver position at Indiana…
SMITH: What I have learned is that we are all talented at the end of the day, but you have to know when to lock in and to stay in our playbook. You have to know what the main thing is. Our main goal is getting to the national championship. You have to lock in. What they are helping me with is just staying in the playbook.
On the biggest adjustments from high school weight training…
SMITH: Just hitting different muscles like I never had before. Hitting my lower body like I never have before because I am a big upper body guy. I have been working on my flexibility more than anything. The weight room is the best thing in this facility. That's all I can say.
TE Aaron Steinfeldt
On being a multi-sport athlete in high school…
STEINFELDT: For me it is the competitive drive. Every sport I did in high school I tried to be the best that I could be. I tried to outwork the other player, team, the other pitcher or the other person I was guarding in basketball. It also shows the ceiling I have when I commit to football 24/7. My ceiling is pretty high and that is what the coaches have talked about. In high school I had this competitive nature in me and now I can focus just on football. I can focus just on the task at hand and just get stronger, quicker, better. I can focus on learning the game, the speed in college, and be a step ahead in a lot of ways from a competitive standpoint. That is what high school athletics have taught me.
On being in Bloomington during COVID-19…
STEINFELDT: It has not been a big challenge being in Bloomington because I had seen all the facilities before. I had talked to the coaches in person before everything shut down. I have been able to see the campus, so I think I am a step ahead because I am familiar with everything. I have seen what Indiana is all about behind the scenes and have been able to talk with coach Allen, coach Kevin Wright, and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan in person. It has been nice being from here because I can see where everything is at, what to eat, what not to eat, and get inside scoop on how to be an Indiana student-athlete. Before I was a kid who was just playing high school sports in Bloomington, but now I am an Indiana student-athlete, so I have been shown behind the scenes and how to prepare for the school year.
DB Jordan Grier
Q. On the learning curve and what has been gained…
GRIER: I am gaining a lot of knowledge from the older guys. Guys like Monster [Devon Matthews], Bryson Bonds, and Raheem Layne. They are coaching me up and coaching me through the playbook where I am supposed to be and when I need to be there. What I gained so far is a lot of weight.
Q. On the biggest surprise so far…
GRIER: I didn't know anything coming into IU. I have never been to Indiana or Bloomington before. It was a big jump. A big leap taking on coach Tom Allen's word and believing in what he was saying. Everyone wants to be coached by a guy like Coach Allen. He has everything that I am looking for in a college coach.
RB Tent Howland
On staying in shape despite a unique senior season…
HOWLAND: It was not a big impact on me because I tore my ACL before my senior year. When I heard the news that our season was not going to happen, I felt for my fellow seniors because they were trying to get college exposure. My teammates wanted to get their names out there and there was not the opportunity to do so.
On rehab and fitting in with the running back room…
HOWLAND: I am about six months into my rehab. I am doing good. I am back to running. They are getting me into jumping. They have me on the field with the guys during team runs and still going through the motions of getting back to normal. Coming into the running back room I thought it was going to be hard, but those guys who have so much college experience have made it easier. Whenever I need help with going through plays, what the formation is, where to line up, they are there. The connection with coach Deland McCullough has been good. I never had a chance to meet him in person, but we spoke on the phone, and I just knew when we actually met in person we would have a great connection. Everything we talked about on the phone he is giving me now, so the relationship is good.
WR Jaquez Smith
On the learning curve and the tradition of the wide receiver position at Indiana…
SMITH: What I have learned is that we are all talented at the end of the day, but you have to know when to lock in and to stay in our playbook. You have to know what the main thing is. Our main goal is getting to the national championship. You have to lock in. What they are helping me with is just staying in the playbook.
On the biggest adjustments from high school weight training…
SMITH: Just hitting different muscles like I never had before. Hitting my lower body like I never have before because I am a big upper body guy. I have been working on my flexibility more than anything. The weight room is the best thing in this facility. That's all I can say.
TE Aaron Steinfeldt
On being a multi-sport athlete in high school…
STEINFELDT: For me it is the competitive drive. Every sport I did in high school I tried to be the best that I could be. I tried to outwork the other player, team, the other pitcher or the other person I was guarding in basketball. It also shows the ceiling I have when I commit to football 24/7. My ceiling is pretty high and that is what the coaches have talked about. In high school I had this competitive nature in me and now I can focus just on football. I can focus just on the task at hand and just get stronger, quicker, better. I can focus on learning the game, the speed in college, and be a step ahead in a lot of ways from a competitive standpoint. That is what high school athletics have taught me.
On being in Bloomington during COVID-19…
STEINFELDT: It has not been a big challenge being in Bloomington because I had seen all the facilities before. I had talked to the coaches in person before everything shut down. I have been able to see the campus, so I think I am a step ahead because I am familiar with everything. I have seen what Indiana is all about behind the scenes and have been able to talk with coach Allen, coach Kevin Wright, and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan in person. It has been nice being from here because I can see where everything is at, what to eat, what not to eat, and get inside scoop on how to be an Indiana student-athlete. Before I was a kid who was just playing high school sports in Bloomington, but now I am an Indiana student-athlete, so I have been shown behind the scenes and how to prepare for the school year.
Players Mentioned
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