Aug. 30, 2016 Parker Cothren | Jr. | Defensive Tackle
Q. As we look through the depth chart here, we've heard so much about Kevin since the spring. What have you seen from Kevin Givens and what kind of guy is he, what kind of player?
PC: Kevin is a really quiet person outside of football. But inside of football, he's just one big play after another. He has great explosiveness and is a great football player.
Q. Has [Kevin Givens] made a play during camp that kind of stood out to you or anything in particular?
PC: He's made plenty of big plays. It's hard to pinpoint one of them. But he's in the backfield all the time.
Q. When did you first start to feel like you were really getting comfortable in this leadership role, maybe a starting position on this interior line and also, what kinds of steps have you taken to kind of solidify that spot throughout camp?
PC: Well, it's been developing since AJ (Austin Johnson )and (Anthony) Zettel graduated and in camp, we've been working hard as a team and just progressed into the role that it is now.
Q. How excited are you guys to be transitioning from camp and running into the stadium and not hitting the same guys you have been for the past month and firing up against some new players in Kent State?
PC: We can't wait. It's all we've talked about for the past week and a half. Just ready to hit someone that's not wearing a Penn State jersey.
Q. How has camp been for you guys, and then prepping for this? What's the mentality of the team, what camp has been like transitioning to this point?
PC: Well, it's been a great camp. The team is in a great place right now. Everyone is at the top of their game and like I said, everyone's just really excited to get back in Beaver Stadium.
Q. You mentioned AJ and Zettel. Have you stayed in touch with them?
PC: I try to as much as I can without pestering them. I learned a lot from them, basically everything I know technique-wise. I've watched them every play for the last three years, basically.
I just try to pick up on little things that they do and they give me pointers on how to step, how to shoot my hands and how to just keep working to the ball, play to the whistle.
Q. Do you text them at all or do you let them go?
PC: I'm kind of letting them go right now. They are busy doing their own thing. I'm sure before the game I'll talk to both of them and they will give me a pep talk and all that.
Q. At the start of camp, Coach Franklin mentioned the D-Line and specifically D-tackle is a critical area for the team and yours is the first name that came out of his mouth as far as players he was looking to lead the team and the defense in that spot. What did that mean to you and how did that shape camp for you?
PC: It made me get my mind right. I worked harder this year than I probably have in the past, having everyone look to me when they have questions, trying to be that guy that AJ and Zettel were to me, to them; taking that leadership role.
Q. When Coach was up here a couple minutes ago, he said that Tyrell Chavis was a guy that you guys have all really started to like, getting to know him a little better. What can you tell us about him? We haven't had a chance to get to know him yet.
PC: He's a really funny guy. Everyone on the team loves him. He came in right at the start of camp and just fit right in with the guys. Great football player, too.
Q. This is your first time up here. What don't we know about you, and can you still dunk? Could you ever dunk? You lettered three times in basketball. Can you still do that?
PC: Yeah, I can still dunk. Probably not as good as I used to since I put on more weight.
Q. What was your signature dunk?
PC: Signature dunk? I could 360 back in the day. I don't know if I could still do that.
Q. Why do you wear 41? That's kind of an odd number for an inside guy. It's more of a safety number, I'd say.
PC: Yeah, I've worn 41 for basically my whole life in every sport. It actually started back in elementary school when my favorite channel on TV was 41. When asked what number I wanted to be, I said 41.
Q. What channel was that?
PC: Cartoon Network (Laughter).
Q. What are your hobbies outside of football? What music do you like?
PC: Music, I move around, I like everything from country to hip-hop, all that.
Play video games a lot. I like to hang out with my roommates and stuff. We play games together and all that.
Q. Garrett Sickels said you were the best Pokémon Go player on the team. Is that accurate?
PC: That's probably true. (Laughter)
DaeSean Hamilton | Jr. | Wide Receiver
Q. Some people have said that Kent State may have the best secondary in the MAC. I know it's kind of early in the week yet but what have you seen from them in their secondary?
DH: We see that they are a very aggressive secondary. Playing basically single-high man coverage the whole game or their corners are pressed up on the outside the whole game, so it's really just about matchups.
They are one of the more aggressive groups we've seen from the past, just looking at a couple days of film of them. And then we know that their safeties are very aggressive players, as well, they want to come up and play the run and also they are pretty good in coverage, as well. It will be a pretty good matchup for us this weekend.
Q. Parker Cothren says he used to be able to 360 dunk, have you ever witnessed that?
DH: Yeah, I've seen him do that before. We live at the same place in State College and we played basketball there. We've been playing all summer. Yeah, I have actually witnessed that.
Q. Camp is coming to an end. How excited are you to be running through the tunnel and not be hitting someone who is wearing a blue and white jersey?
DH: We're very excited. Finally camp is over. We don't have to practice against each other or wake up early in the morning just to do a two-a-day or anything like that. We're really looking forward to this weekend. It's been a long summer. It's been an even longer off-season with all the winter and summer workouts and things like that. So we're really looking forward to it.
Q. Trace McSorley is going to make his first college career start. Have you sensed any nerves from him at all this week?
DH: No. Just knowing Trace personally, he doesn't really come off as a guy that can be very emotional or show his emotions or anything like that. I haven't seen any nervousness from him. From the practices we've gone to, starting up a game plan for Kent State, he's been the same even-keeled guy and being able to lead the offense and things like that.
Ever since he was announced as starter, he took that role and ran with it. He's just ready to lead this team to the best of his capabilities.
Q. During our availabilities at camp, it's looked like you've been really comfortable in the slot and working through some of those schemes. What's that been like for you, and is there a play that you can specifically think of that you're really proud of that you made during fall camp?
DH: Yeah, being in the slot is really fun. I like it a lot. I didn't think it was going to be too much of a challenge for me because I had been in there in the previous two years I've been playing here.
So I really am looking forward to actually coming in and playing some games, but throughout camp and everything like that, it's been a really fun and easy adjustment.
Q. You added some weight in the off-season. Was the focus there to be able to beat press coverage more often with that added size?
DH: Well, it was just me being in the slot, I'm going against linebacker-type of guys and safeties. So those guys are the more aggressive type of people and the second level of the defense. So just adding up my muscle mass, I guess.
Just making my body adjust to things that I'm going to see, rather than just trying to beat the smaller corners, so that's not really my focal point anymore, being in the slot. So I'm going against those bigger kind of guys.
I'm still keeping my versatility up and things like that, but adding a little bit of muscle to it, as well, it will help me in the long run.
Q. We've seen a lot last year what Saquon Barkley can do, but you've been able to see him this off-season. How much more do you think he's capable of, and as a follow-up, are you tired yet of getting asked about Barkley?
DH: No, I don't really get asked that much about Saquon. Just seeing the things that he's done coming from last year and then building off of that success coming into this year, really the sky's the limit for him. I think he knows that. Everyone on the offense knows that. I'm just really proud of him taking a role as a leader, one of the vocal leaders on the offense.
That's really one of the only things his game was missing, being a young guy as a freshman, not talking and things like that, and now stepping into a leadership role, that's the only thing he's had to change or adjust to in college football. But everyone knows the sky is the limit for him and he can do a lot of great things.
Q. What have been some of the advantages for you moving to the slot position?
DH: Just going against guys that aren't really used to covering, people that have played wide receiver or that have played outside and are finally moving inside, going against safeties, they are the more aggressive guys that are looking to come in and stop the run, especially in the Big Ten which is a run-heavy conference.
Then going against linebackers, as well, being able to just definitely take advantage of that mishmash because they definitely don't cover a lot, especially against wide receivers. It's really just putting my advantages to everyone else's weaknesses, so it really has played out in my favor and it's been a good move.
Q. Going through the summer program with Christian Hackenberg as your starting quarterback versus Trace McSorley, how has that changed how you've gone through camp?
DH: Nothing's really changed. Only thing that's really changed is the offense. But Trace now being the starting quarterback, he's taken what he's learned from Hack as being a vocal leader as well as a person that's performing and doing all the right things on and off the field.
Nothing's really changed, especially from like the wide receivers standpoint or preparation or anything like that, especially for me, it just all seems the same. It's just another guy coming in and doing what they are supposed to be doing.