STATESBORO - The 2024 preseason football camp is underway and GSEagles.com is catching up with each of the 10 position coaches early in August to get their take on their position room. Up next is inside receivers/tight ends/pass game coordinator Clint Trickett.

Q: Who were some guys that stood out on the field for you and then have also turned around and really attacked the off-season?
CT: Honestly, I've been very impressed and pleased with both groups and rooms, especially with the leaders and the overall depth. Coming out of spring and going into summer, I didn't know exactly what kind of room we had talent-wise in both of those rooms. We've got so much competition in these rooms, and everyone feels it. The guys realize it's a talented room, and if they don't do right, then the next guy up. So I've been pleased with all of them. They've all attacked it the right way. We've got great leaders in both rooms. 

Tight end-wise, Beau Johnson has been here for a while, and then Tyler Fromm just came in. Those are the two seniors, and they've done a great job leading. Evan Lester Jr.'s now back from injury. He's done a phenomenal job in the short period that I've been able to work with him, and he seems fully healed. I'm glad to be able to use him finally. Elija Walton and JP Mikhael did some really good things in the spring, and then you get Khai Isaac, the new incoming freshman. So we've got a lot of tools there and a lot of different ranges on the spectrum as far as age group. But they've all done a great job of picking up the offense. 

In the inside receiver room, Dalen Cobb, Sam Kenerson and Josh Dallas have done a phenomenal job leading. You could throw Joshua Thompson and DeAndre Buchannon in there, as well. We've got a young freshman, Antavious Murphy, and then the transfer, Deuce Petty, who has done a phenomenal job. So we have really deep rooms, a lot of names, a lot of bodies, but that's what we need. No one throws it more than us, so we need to be able to cycle guys in, keep them fresh, and be able to hockey line change them out if that makes sense.

Q: What do you feel you bring to this offense with your experience within the Sun Belt at Marshall and as a coordinator and play caller? 
CT: It is a great staff, so I hope to bring what everyone else on the staff brings, which is great energy and enthusiasm for the kids. Hopefully, there will be some nuggets here and there that can help them develop and get better. It's probably the best staff I've ever been around on both sides of the ball. You've got a lot of future head coaches and coordinators, but right now, we're in the places we need to be, and I'm glad I'm with these guys.

Q: Let's start with the tight ends. You mentioned you have two sixth-year guys in Beau and Tyler. What do they bring that helps you from experience and leadership levels in that room?
CT: Both of them have played, which does matter. The speed of the games, knowing how fast it will happen, knowing how to eliminate external factors like crowds and all the other stuff that doesn't matter, and just going out and focusing on what does matter, which is the execution of the play. So, they have that mental capability, which sometimes can take a while to develop. Tyler has the size and the speed, so hopefully, in this conference, he'll be able to move some people around and do some things in the run game. But then, also in the passing game, he's a legitimate threat for us. Then, while Beau doesn't have the same height as Tyler, he makes up for with aggressiveness. I've been very pleased with their leadership, blocking abilities, route running and catching.

Q: Moving out to the receivers. You guys lose the all-time leading receiver in Khaleb Hood, but everyone I've talked to says that Dalen Cobb could be the best athlete on the team and that he will be a special player. What makes him so special and has everybody so excited?
CT: Dalen specifically, he's an interesting one because he played quarterback in high school, so he's still new to the receiver position. Coach Johnson has done a phenomenal job the last two years getting him ready and going through those growing pains as a receiver, and he's blossoming every day. You see it out there. What makes him special is that he's fast, but his ability to still break tackles, his compact body frame, his leg strength, and his ability to run through tackles and make people miss are top-level. A lot of fast guys can't break tackles. A lot of fast guys can make you miss and run fast, but a lot of fast guys can't break through arm tackles, which he can, so that's what makes him dynamic, and things seem to come naturally to him even though he is a guy that hasn't played the position for very long. You don't have to tell him things over and over. He gets it pretty much the first and second time, and he's got it down.

Q: Another name that keeps coming up is Josh Dallas, who moved from the outside and lost a little weight. He is one that people are excited about. What excites you about Josh? 
CT: So what I've seen from him is nothing shy of a spectacular player, and I'm very excited for him. He is kind of a do-it-all guy for us and, like Dalen, knows what to do. He doesn't have to be told too many times. He gets it and wants it to be used in as many different ways as possible. Athletically, he's another quick-twitch in a compact area. He has a great change of direction but also has a quick twitch and is strong. He can make people miss by breaking tackles, as well. He goes about football the right way, and it's not a coincidence that that's how he goes about life and goes about everything. That's why he will be successful no matter what he does, which will probably be football. But he's a terrific and intelligent player.

Q: Who are a couple of young guys at each position that Eagle Nation may not have seen much of that you're excited for them to see?
CT: We know what we have in Sam, Jalen, DeAndre, Josh, and those vets. I would then say after that, Antavious Murphy has been a pleasant surprise, to say the least, and I'm very, very pleased with him. He goes about things the right way. He's a Bainbridge kid, from the 229, so that doesn't surprise me. I'm very pleased with him. And Deuce Petty also was a pleasant surprise in the spring.

Tight end-wise, Fromm was the transfer. You got Khai Isaac as a freshman, and you've got Evan back. Evan's kind of like a transfer in my mind. I know he's played, but I didn't get to see it in the spring, so this is my first time seeing him move, interact, and remember stuff. I've been very pleased with him as well. Like many guys in that room, Khai has done some really good things. He has some time, but he will be a very good player down the road. And I'm excited to see what Elija and JP can do, as well. They played a little last year, but it's time to see what they can do.

Q: What are the top priorities or things you're working on in your two rooms to do to prepare for that opener against Boise?
CT: With us, we have a "never arrived" mindset, so it is literally a day-to-day process. Every day, it changes as far as the position's finer points are concerned, which puts us in a position to do our part in the offense to make this thing roll. We are very interchangeable this year. You'll see us do many different things with both the receivers and the tight ends. The way our room goes is the way the offense goes. We will throw a lot of looks and personnel packages at teams, so we need to accept the challenge this preseason and be ready to make some plays when our number's called.

Up Next: The Defensive Line