Enjoy playing together, they enjoy being around each other. And that's maybe one of the things that doesn't get calculated when we do a lot of the preseason predictions. And I think that was one of the things last year that we knew we had, we didn't know exactly what that would look like going into the season, but I think it played out really well. And then obviously having a lot of returning starters and really excited for what this program is and how we can elevate it in year two and hopefully go out there and find an even better product on the field as well. Coach to your left first row, a wake up call D dot com in that time period of coming to this team and seeing that change in a positive direction. What are some of those pillars that you came in and tried to build in your foundation and your culture that you saw had an immediate effect on this team and have success so quickly. I think one of the things that we built really quick and we talked about it, we built this acronym grind and within that there were a couple of things that we thought were really important. One was great, I think for us at Duke to be successful, we've got to be mentally tough. We've got to be able to overcome, we've got to be able to overachieve. That's something that's really important. One of the other ones that's in there is relentless effort. I think we felt like as a program, maybe we had gotten away from that a little bit in recent times. Something that we wanted to get back to that. We weren't just going to go out there and exhaust ourselves for each other and for this university. And I think those are some things that are intangibles and if you can build some really strong intangibles, then you can take the talent you have and allow it to shine. And I think those were some of the things that we were able to build through our off season program, through our summer development. And I think in year two, those things are even stronger coach to your right in the fourth row, green shirt, Kinton Gibbs were locked on AC C coach. You had a nine win season, which was the seventh in Duke program history, I believe. First time, uh a first year head coach has ever done that at Duke. The only uh first time head coach to have a better winning percentage in their first season than you was the person the stadium is named after Wallace Wade. How do you build on that momentum going into year two? Yeah, I think you just talk about elevating our, I think one of the things that we even see when we look back, we had a lot of success last year, we had a lot of positive results. But when you really look at the details, there's still a lot of areas we can get better. There really are. And first time as a head coach, first time in a system, first time building our program, there's a lot of things that we feel like we can get better at and we can do better. And so that was the emphasis. Everything this off season has just been about elevation and we didn't come in to have one good season. We didn't to have one positive moment and kind of let it all go away. We want to build a program and that goes over time. We know for us to be the program. We want to get the respect that we really want. This is something that has to happen year in and year out and we've got to be successful year in and year out and I don't think we're there. So we had a big off season. I think we worked really hard this off season. We're really excited for fall camp and I look forward to go out there this fall and showing that hopefully, we're a program that can sustain this level of success coach. The center aisle all the way to the back to the edge. Mike David Thiel with the Richmond Times. Dispatch. What were the key on the field components last season that led to the reversal? Was it the turnaround and turnover margin or the exponential defensive improvement that were key in your mind? Yeah, I think on the field, I have a point to probably two. I think one was turnover margin. I think we had gone from one of the worst over teams in the country to the second best turnover margin in the nation. And we did a really good job of forcing them and we did a really good job of protecting the football. And so when you look at how do you flip wins and losses, that's obviously the biggest indicator of success is how you do in the turnover margin. And so that I think strategically was one of the really big things that played in our favor. And I think we got stronger and so the way that we were able to run the football and the way that we were able to stop the run, I think allowed us to control game flow significantly better. And I think those two things play hand in hand because we weren't chasing games, we weren't getting behind early. We weren't having to force the issue, which I think allowed us to protect the football a lot more. Maybe force other teams to try to throw the football or expose the football a little bit more. I think all of those things kind of played hand in hand in last year, hands are shooting up all over the room. We're going to get to as many as we can. Coach left side towards the wall, orange salmon shirt, maybe from last word on sports. The AC C has become a conference that is very heavy in top end quarterbacks. Talk about how Riley fits into the conference and his level of play with regards to everybody else in the conference as well. Yeah, I think you hit it on the head. I think there's a lot of really talented quarterbacks in this league. I think it's one of the things that differentiates this league across the country. I think the volume of NFL quarterbacks that we see and we play against is really high and I think we're really happy to have the guy that we have. I think he's a phenomenal quarterback. He's a tremendous leader. He's an amazing young man and you know, we're really excited to see him elevate his game. He showed us last year, just he has a tremendous competitive spirit. He knows how to elevate his game at the right time. And in those critical moments, he's able to, the plays we need him to make for us to win football games. And I'm looking forward to seeing him as an established starter going into year two as a kid who's a lot more comfortable in our system going into year two, a stronger kid going into year two. I think his game can even take another step. And so I think he deserves to be in that conversation with the best quarterback in this league. No disrespect to anyone else's, but we've got a really talented one in Durham for sure. Coach swing hard. Right. Third row almost here to the wall. Coach Runin Jindal with Duke Chronicle. We talked about the returning starters, the most returning starters in the league. And that level of retention is really hard in college football nowadays. How much is that experience really going to help you guys build that chemistry in your second year and just what does that say about the program you're trying to build here? Yeah, I think the second part of that our ability to retain our best players speaks about what we're building. I think for us to make a statement that really good football players want to stay at Duke and want to be part of not only the program that we're building, but also the university and the degree that we're offering, that's what we hope to build and that's what we want this thing to be about. And that experience matters. We're going to a lot of really close football games this year. We know that the schedule is elevated, we know that we're going to play some really talented teams. And so we're going to get into some big moments in the fourth quarter where we're going to have to execute at a really high level and experience is going to matter. And we've got a lot of really experienced players and three guys on this stage with me that have played an awful lot of football at Duke. And so we're looking forward to those challenges to your left coach, fourth row blue shirt, Justin Jones, Carolina green dot com. Duke University launched the future initiative over the past year to help get team players prepare for the future. What kind of takeaways have you seen from this program as these players bring back to your locker room? Yeah, I think it's been something that we really wanted to do. You know, it's one thing to say, come to Duke, we've got a great education, but if we're not giving our players access to that and we're not preparing them for future and for life beyond the game and it's really an empty promise. And so Tarell Smith has kind of head up that program. He's done a great job of creating opportunities for our kids that range from learning how to deal with Microsoft Excel and powerpoint to resume building to how to dress for an interview. All the way to, we had 32 young men do internships this summer in the month of May for one week. All kind of given back to us by former new football players. So that we could get them some of that real life work experience. You know, Graham Barton projected high draft pick for us is going to start at left pack or did a summer internship, right? And that's what, Duke is. Duke is truly the best of both worlds and an opportunity to chase greatness in every aspect of your life. And so as that future program continues to build and continue to grow, we want to make sure that we understand that the college experience is still a little bit more than just what happens on the field. And I think that's something that we believe in very strongly coach to your right first row KTCFB nation. Uh coach Duke has forever been a blue blood basketball program. The football program was kind of an afterthought, but after last year that there is no more, you guys show that the football program is here and here to stay. Can you expand on that, please? Yeah, I think first of all, you know, we relish our success on basketball. I think one of the reasons why Duke was exciting me is because of the brand recognition and we're very thankful for everything that basketball has done and everything that basketball has been about and everything we've talked about has just been, there's room for both programs to be successful. You know, there's an dire fall that we're not doing anything with basketball and there's no reason why we can't invest resources into our program and be successful there too. And I think that's something that our athletic department has made a huge commitment to. Obviously, I think the extension that just got announced plays into that and we want to be great. That's what Duke has been about. It's been about this elite level of excellence in every area that it goes after. And I think now hopefully that's going to translate consistently to the football program as well. Coach, follow the center aisle all the way to the end to the back to the right head coach, Mike Barber from the Richmond Times dispatch, Jalen Calhoon is the guy who played a ton of football in this program. How valuable has he been to you just kind of as a veteran asset and then what makes him so effective as a wide receiver? Yeah, I mean, his value is he can get open consistently, you know, and when the game's on the line or we've got to make critical throws in the past game, it's nice to have a guy who has so much experience against the best in the AC C and finding ways to get open and make catches. And so he's a guy that we rely on heavily. He's a guy that we game playing around to try to move and find ways to get him into the match ups that are favorable for us. And, you know, it's really exciting to have him make the decision to come back this year and play another year with us. I think that gives us another weapon on offense that we can really utilize. And he's a tremendous player. He's a really elite athlete. I think he's had a phenomenal off season. I think you're going to even see a better version of him this fall. Keep your focus right there. Connor o'neill right next to him. Connor o'neill Devils Illustrated Mike last year At this time, we talked so much about you wanting competition, open competition for spots on the roster. Do you, do you thread a needle with so many guys coming back in established roles and theoretically, they wouldn't have to keep competing for their spots or do you want to just keep building on the competition even though there's so many guys in those roles that they of cemented for themselves? Yeah, I would say this, I would say no roles are cemented and I would be not be surprised if of the 17 returning starters. A couple of them are in really big challenges and battles this camp to keep their jobs. And that's the program that you want and that's what you want to build. You want to know that your youth and your young guys you're developing, that you're bringing new guys in the program to push the level of play and that there is open competition because I think competition is what makes everybody better and I think our kids embrace it. I really do. I think we have a locker room where within each position group, we're bringing the young guys along. We're teaching the young guys, we're trying to make everything better in our program. And I think that's the only way you go into season after season being successful. Last question, coach, very back of the room left side. See if we can do this in about 90 seconds. Hey, coach David Hood with Tiger net dot com. Building off of last season, you get a chance to show off your facilities, your stadium, your team on Labor Day night, you're the only game on TV. ESPN Clemson is coming to town. What kind of opportunity, win or lose is that for you and your program? Yeah, I mean, I think being on that national stage is what we want new football to be, you know, and obviously Clemson has been the gold standard in this conference. We've not shied away from that this entire off season that they have done so many things to kind of carry the AC C and be our representative for so long. But, you know, if we want to get our seat at the table and we want to get talked about in that light, those are the games that we're going to have to play. And so to be able to play that game in Durham in front of a packed house on Monday night with everybody watching. That's what you want. I think that's what our players want. That's what our kids want and that's what our program wants. And it's not to say that we don't have a ton of respect for who they are and what they do. But, you know, that's an opportunity that we're really looking forward to.