Q. Given the expectations that are going to be placed on your program to win, do you feel pressure to kind of have to succeed immediately?
Gene Chizik: When you get into this profession, there's pressure everywhere. I don't think there's any more pressure put on Auburn football than what I put on our kids and myself.
The pressure's gonna be there, no matter what school you're at. Hey, this league is as good as it gets. It's the best in the country. In this league comes pressure, and it's just kind of part of the deal. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to it. It's probably more self imposed than anything.
Q. Can you talk about hiring Gus Malzahn, how that went, how you brought him on? Talk about your quarterback situation going into this season.
Gene Chizik: When Gus and I talked about coming to Auburn, I wanted to make sure philosophically we were on the same page. Gus and I had a lot of long conversations about philosophically about what we both believe in. We want to run the football, but we also want to be able to have a very balanced passing attack, too. Everybody wants to have a balanced attack. We're on the same page. We want to create a physical brand of football, which over the years, that's what Auburn was built on.
Q. You mentioned earlier you thought the SEC was the best conference in the country. Wonder why you say that. Your time in the Big 12, if you could compare the two conferences.
Gene Chizik: Two great conferences. I mean, arguably the two best in the country. I think time has proven that. I think the Big 12 has made leaps and bounds, since I spent the last four years, since I left the SEC, in the Big 12, I think I can speak a little bit intelligently about it because I've freshly been in both.
The Big 12 is leaps and bounds better than it was, let's say, five years ago, in my opinion, top to bottom. So I think it's made some significant strides in being able to claim it as one of the best conferences in the country. And it certainly is.
But the SEC, when you travel stadium to stadium, the passion, the pride, all of the things that go with, you know, what make college football great, there's no greater league, in my opinion, than the SEC. Do I think this is the best conference in the country? I do.
Q. There's been a lot of publicity about some of the recruiting events you have hosted, "Big Cat" weekend, Tiger Prowl, whatever else. Have you received enough big time commitments to kind of keep that kind of momentum going? Has it been worth it if you had not?
Gene Chizik: If you look at the commitments that we've got, it's because they're the right guy for Auburn. So we don't really again, I'll go back to we don't really get validated by the outside world, what their opinion is on players. We're trying to recruit in what we think is the best way for Auburn. If a kid is recruited by Auburn and signed by Auburn, then we feel like he was the right guy for Auburn. What the outside world and outside opinion is about that player is really inconsequential to me.
Q. Last season Auburn was 2-6. Do you feel you're that far away from being able to contend in the West? How do you feel where you're situated going into your first year?
Gene Chizik: You know, the SEC West, it's tough, boy. Every week, as you know, it's a dogfight.
You know, our plan is to contend for a championship in everything that we do. We don't think that's out of the realm of possibility. We talk to it about our players, winning championships. That's what matters.
Again, we're going to start the season out. That's going to be the goal, to win the SEC West. I think that in this league, again, anything can happen. So it's not like the SEC West championships are a stranger to Auburn. So we'll work hard in that direction. I think our players feel very confident that we can be a very good football team. We'll just have to let it all play out on the field.
DE Antonio Coleman
On his expectations for the season:
"I guess you can they're high. The coaching staff, just a new vibe for Auburn football."
On the coaching change:
"Any time you have a coach for 10 years and then a new coaching staff comes in, there will be changes. With all the changes, it's been great for the university. Fortunately, one Auburn man dropped off he radar and the good Lord brought another Auburn man."
On the media preseason poll:
"It's not a big deal to us. I've talked to the guys and they expect me to be a leader. We don't buy inot the polls. First through sixth, at the end of the day, you still have to get o the field and prove it. It's all about us getting on the field and proving it day in and day out.
On his expectations:
"With all the work we've put in with the new coaching staff, the sky's the limit."
On returning for his senior year:
"Being an Auburn man and wanting to turn the program around, I didn't want a 5-7 hanging over my head. He (Chizik) recruited me before he left, and that, along with getting a chance to play with my little nephew starting in a few weeks, it'll be a blessing."
On the changes with Coach Chizik:
"I've been at Auburn for five years, and this has been the hardest summer of my life, getting up at 5:30 every morning for workouts. It's all going to be a blessing when we start Sept. 5."
On offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn:
"You have one of the best in the business running the offense. It's a different type of spread with running he ball first and getting the ball down the field. At the end of the spring, they started getting a hold of things. I think it'll be real fun and interesting to see how things turn out."
On the differences between last year and this year:
"The most important thing we lost is swagger (during last year) and I think we have it back. We got people hurt, people injured, and we didn't finish the way we wanted, but we can't harp on that, it was last year."
TE Tommy Trott
On offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn:
"The first impression's been great. We've been with him all through the spring and as much as possible since then because he can't be out there in the summer. He's a football nut, football 24/7. He's brought a successful offense here, and hopefully things will work well."
On the tight end's importance under Malzahn:
"The tight ends hopefully are going to play a big role for the offense. It's about not just being out there for passes but digging down and getting people off the line. There's also times when the tight end moves in motion into the backfield, so there's a lot to the role."
On last year's offense:
"Last year was a crazy year. As an offense, we never really found our identity. Hopefully with Coach Malzahn, we can establish an identity and figure out what we want to do as an offense. You look at what Coach Malzahn has done in his year at Arkansas and those years at Tulsa, and you know he's been successful everywhere he's been."
On the battle for starting quarterback:
"I'm sure the coaches will make a decision when they see them in the fall. I can tell you they're all looking good this summer. There's a whole lot of competition out there, and hopefully, it will help us in the fall."
On Antonio Coleman's comments about getting swagger back at Auburn:
"The easier answer (about how to get swagger back) is by being physical. That's something that maybe has been lost over the last five years. That's something Coach Chizik has been preaching. There was a lot more contact in drills in the spring than since I've been here. Antonio's right, we're going to try to get that swag back."
On being more physical:
"This offense gives us the ability to be physical because to be successful, we're going to have to run the football. Last year, you saw more horizontal running, more sideline to sideline. With this offense, the quarterback can turn around and give it to the back so there's hopefully more downhill running and an opportunity to move the line forward."
On Coach Chizik:
"He's brought an aura, an enthusiasm, because he's excited to be back at Auburn. He's been preaching physicality, and hopefully brought more discipline to the team, things like taking your hats off in the building and pulling your pants up."
On summer workouts:
"A lot of it is on us as a team when we can't see the coaches. During the summer, that's when one team separates itself from another I truly believe. In years past, we'd go out for 7-on-7 drills and call it quits after about 30 minutes. This year, we're out there for like 1 ½ hours sometimes. That's one good thing about being a senior is that you have more control over those types of things."
SEC Football
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