Aug. 18, 2015

Harry Hiestand – Offensive Line Coach

On who the next guys in areââ’¬¦

“Hunter [Bivin]’s been steadily producing and improving at tackle; I really like his development. Alex at guard, Sam Mustipher has made great progress at center. I really like what he’s doing he got some first-tier reps in yesterday. He did a good job, didn’t panic as a first-year player. It’s nice to see a young player doing well. John Montelus and Colin McGovern and Mark Harrell and Tristen Hoge, the four of them are basically playing two positions at right guard and right tackle. I’m pleased with how the young guys are competing and growing. This is the deepest we’ve been in a long time.”

On the benefits of having a deep pool of talentââ’¬¦

“Three years ago, we had Nick [Martin]; Nick was everywhere. We actually had six guys at that time, and of those six guys in the last game, we had a couple walk-ons; it was amazing. We’ve come a long way and they’ve worked really hard to do this and they’re real supportive of each other and sometimes you just look like a bunch of guys, but they don’t see it that way. The young guys understand their role, and they’re working to get better and learn from the older guys, and they know their time will come.”

On Ronnie Stanley’s development in shifting positionsââ’¬¦

“Number one, he’s a very talented football player; he’s got size, he’s got strength, he’s got athletic ability. He’s got the length that you want as a tackle but I think more important than all of that, he embraces the physical part of the game. He’s not just looked at as an athlete, he’s that, but he’s also someone who will go after it and he enjoys playing football physical and hard and getting after people. That’s not typical. The guys that are great high school basketball players ââ’¬” the great athletes ââ’¬” they don’t tend to be as physical because they don’t have to be. You can get away with just ‘I got him’, and no one’s upset by that, but Ronnie’s embraced the idea of doing more than that, of playing harder than that and getting after his guy to try and knock him off the ball and finish him.”

On Mike McGlinchey’s smoothness as a linemanââ’¬¦

“Particularly in pass protection, you can’t be herky-jerky or you’ll be out of bounds; Mike just moves really effortlessly and he can change direction and go where he needs to go to get a rusher and still have power when he gets there.”

On Sam Mustipher’s growth since arriving on campusââ’¬¦

“Sam is just like a lot of young players; he has worked on consistency, and snapping the ball so we know the ball’s going to be there every time. He’s learning how to play the position and make the proper calls, that’s the big thing. He’s learning on the job and that’s what a backup does. He’ll be ready when his number’s called.”

On the progression of Hunter Bivin, and settling in at left tackleââ’¬¦

“That’s where we’ve kept him. I would expect him as we continue to practice to get some work at the other tackle too, but he’s been at left all spring and all camp, we haven’t moved him so he’s had a good steady dose of that spot. It’s helpful that he’s played center before, to have that flexibility because then you can get the best players on the field sooner. So if a guy’s just at one spot ââ’¬” say he’s behind Zack Martin ââ’¬” then he’s not going to see much time for awhile. But you want to put your guys in positions where they can compete and there’s openings, so it helps them to be mobile with positions.”