Over the course of training camp, the media will have the opportunity to speak with all the on-field, position coaches for the Liberty Flames. Those press conferences began earlier this week when defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett and Co-DC/linebackers coach Josh Aldridge met with the media.

Here are a few of the main takeaways from those interview sessions:

  • A couple of injury notes to begin: LB Kaci Seegars is out until at least mid-season due to an Achilles’ injury, and true freshman LB Jordan Norwood is missing camp with a minor injury but should return to practice in late August. True freshman DL Miyon Conaway hasn’t been practicing as he is fighting through a hamstring injury.
  • Khristian Zachary spent much of his true freshman season working at both interior and edge of the defensive line. This year, he is entering the year focusing his time at defensive end.
  • Garrett on true freshman DE CJ Bazile, Jr.: “He only knows one speed – full speed. We have to slow him down. Sometimes he gets too close to the quarterback, Coach Freeze starts looking at me. I have to make sure he knows how to practice. I love his energy. I love his enthusiasm.”
  • With Elijah James, Ralfs Rusins, and Henry Chibueze all moving on, the Flames have to replace their top three interior defensive linemen. Some of the names to keep an eye out for here is Kendy Charles, Dennis Osagiede, Dre Butler, Jay Hardy, Chris Boti, and Bryce Dixon.
  • Garrett on his mantra for the defensive line: “Play fast, play physical, and play together. Those are three things I tell them all the time. Their tape is their resume. We see better than we hear. Don’t tell me, show me. So, when I turn on the tape, I want to ssee D-Linemen that are fast, physical, and play hard together.”
  • Aldridge on the defense as a whole: “We’ve got a lot of newcomers on defense. We do return a lot, but at the same time we have a lot of newcomers that I think we’re going to count on that are pushing those guys. It’s fun to see those guys move around because you can only do so much during the summer that it’s hard to evaluate them in terms of their athletic ability.”
  • Aldridge also spoke freely about the increased depth on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in the secondary. “We got an influx of talent in that DB room. We got a bunch of corners that I think can do a bunch of different things. We got safeties that can play all three positions. I think we have addressed the depth…the influx of talent, especially in that DB room, I think is going to be huge.”
  • One area that Liberty’s defense struggled in last year was in creating turnovers. That has been an emphasis early in camp. “When you start taking the ball away, you are directly affecting your offense. How many more possessions can we get those guys? That’s been an emphasis so far.”

Look for much more on the defensive line and linebackers in the coming days as our position previews begin. Also, keep an eye out for additional details from the other assistant coaches throughout camp.