Kitchings: "You See The Things That You Recruited"
NC State running backs coach Des Kitchings fields questions from the media on his position group.
On how the young running backs have looked this spring:
Practice number eight, it’s going pretty good. To see the progression of Nakia [Robinson], Damontay [Rhem], and Erin Collins.
Ricky [Person] is still kind of nursing his wrist, but he gets to get some work, non-contact drills. He’s picking up and learning the offense.
On Ricky Person’s wrist injury:
It happened to him during the playoffs. It was good for him to get in a semester early, have our doctors evaluate and see the progress of the healing bone.
On Reggie Gallaspy:
He’s the old guy. We monitor him. He had an offseason cleanup with his knee, just nursing him, get him back into the groove of things, get some work early in practice and allow some of the young guys to get team reps.
On if Gallaspy having limited reps is a blessing in disguise:
It is. Especially with two guys that redshirted, now to get to see them running with the one offense and see how they handle the offense, how they progress, how they pick up protections, because our defense is going to blitz. Reggie has been like a coach on the sidelines and in the meeting rooms, so it’s been good to have that too.
On how the young guys have looked after redshirting:
You see the things that you recruited. Speed and athleticism, making big plays. They catch the ball well. They’ve been in the weight room with Dantonio so we’ve seen their bodies start to change. They’ll hold up physically and we still have to keep working in that department.
On how Reggie compares to previous backs:
I have. Reggie knows who he is. He’s a big body, he’s not a Cadillac, not a Porsche that can maneuver. He does a good job of playing behind his pads and finishing runs and also in pass protections. Reggie is a quiet guy but he’s become more of a vocal leader in the room, taking some ownership and leadership, so that’s been good.
On Nakia Robinson:
He’s a shifty guy with some good speed. He’s more like a porsche than Reggie, so that’s good to have.
On Reggie getting a chance to shine:
It is. He’s driven, he’s got a goal and I hope he achieves it, to be the third consecutive 1,000 yard rusher. Getting him healthy this offseason and ready to go.
On how back-to-back 1,000 yard rushers has helped recruiting:
In the grand scheme of things, with the games we had last year, national notoriety we received, getting a bowl game, the Sun Bowl was the only one televised at the time. Having that type of a win, what transpired this week, with the pro day and combine and all that information was going on. That was good for our program, but we have to continue moving forward with what we have here. Keep that momentum going on the field and in recruiting.
On if Reggie can be a 15-20 carries per game guy:
We’ll see. That’s to be determined. Can he do it? Yes he can. But these other guys are talented too. It’s good to have competition and see who rises to the top.
On if he was surprised that Hines went pro:
If you had asked me at the start of the season, I would have said yes, but as the season went on, around the bowl game, we had some conversations, so I knew what he was thinking. Knowing what he was thinking, no I was not surprised.
On the offense changing without Nyheim and Jaylen:
Offense hasn’t changed, that’s why we have spring practice to see who’s going to step into those roles. In the season, you prepare with Jaysam, Nyheim and Reggie, two of those three go down, it does impact the flow of your offense. Now we get a chance to evaluate the talent we have and these guys are all capable of filling in and playing. Can they play at the level those guys did as seniors? That’d be great. They’re freshman, Reggie is a senior. That’s our plan is to get those guys playing at that level so we can sustain what we’re doing on offense.
On if he talked to Reggie after Nyheim made his decision:
No, we always had open conversations. I think those two may have talked. Nyheim talked to Matt Dayes about some stuff so that’s the group. Those guys always have a great relationship. So no, I didn’t call Reggie. He knows, there’s nothing to be said.
On who is going to run the jet weep with Samuels gone:
We still have candidates for that. Emeka Emezie can do that. Jakobi Meyers, Erin Collins, Nakia Robinson. Giving those guys reps, seeing how they handle it, how they make plays out there against our defense.
On the feedback Nyheim has received:
He did a great job in the interviews, at the combine, different things like that. Obviously he’s a fast guy but people like the way he plays big, tough. There’s been a lot of good feedback. His versatility, obviously as a returner, different things like that.