Wrapping Up Day 1 of the ACC Football Kickoff
Miami - Mark Richt
More on the turnover chain:
"I don't even think I touched it until the season was over. That thing is about six pounds. I mean, it is a thick, Cuban link chain with that big U. It is gaudy and it's beautiful. But like I've said all year long, or since the season ended, if we got three turnovers last year, it would have been mocked. It would have been laughed at. But when you get 31 turnovers or whatever it was, maybe there's something to it."
On the level of competition rising in the ACC:
"There's a lot of teams that got good coaches, and I think people are beginning to say, in order to be great in football, we've got to pour resources into all the things that it takes to develop a player, whether it's facilities or strength and conditioning or how you feed them or all those types of things, and you've also got to hire certain coaches and give them the ability to have a salary pool that will allow you to get a good staff that will stick with you without getting out-bidded every time you turn around. And I see that happening throughout the league, and I think we're seeing a lot of really good teams that can beat anybody across America on any given day."
The evolution of social media:
"Well, you just communicate with the guys the way they communicate. If it used to be Facebook, you use Facebook, you use Twitter, Snapchat. Whatever it is within the rules, that's how you communicate with these kids, and that's what they're used to."
"Recruiting hasn't changed much. It's about relationships and it's about trust, and it's about proving to the kid -- where does he fit into your program and how can he become the best he can possibly be in life."
Virginia - Bronco Mendenhall
Chris Peace represented the Cavaliers at today's ACC Kickoff and was asked what Coach Mendenhall has taught him. Mendenhall responded for him with this:
"Chris has taught me the power of work ethic and example. I would consider Chris Peace one of the best practice players in terms of day in and day out work that I've seen and been lucky enough to coach, and it's inspiring. I never have to wonder. He just works and he works and he works, and as you can tell, he doesn't want to say a lot, and I appreciate that.
"We have a saying, a guiding principle in our program, less drama, more work. He is that. I'm lucky to be at Virginia at this time with him, and he's been a huge part of providing a tangible example for me to point to, to the team, and say, this is what we're looking for."
Georgia Tech - Paul Johnson
Competing with Clemson in the "arms race" as far as facilities are concerned:
"You know, every school is different. Georgia Tech and Clemson are set up differently as far as the schools go. We have far less students. Our fan base is probably not as big. We're not going to have as many people at the game. So we're not going to win an arms race with Clemson. But what we've got to do is sell what we have that's positive."
"And if I look, they're our natural rival from the other side. I think we're 5-6 against Clemson. We'd like to be better. So certainly it's not impossible for us to win."
"I think the last time they came to Atlanta, they were ranked in the top 5, and I think we did win. But you know, I think that what Dan and Dabo have done at Clemson is remarkable. They've been really consistent, and the commitment that they have to their football program is certainly visible. You can see that, not only with facilities but with personnel, with whatever you would need."
North Carolina - Larry Fedora
On the quarterback battle:
"Well, we're looking for separation. That's the No. 1 thing, somebody that takes over the team, and then the team becomes theirs. They've got to be able to do it not only on the field but off the field. We obviously -- they've got to be able to run the plays, run the offense, take command of the offense, have a presence out there that all the guys relate to. They have to be an influencer. They've got to be able to influence the guys around them. They've got to be able to raise the level of the players around them. They do that, then they've got to do the same things off the field. And when somebody separates themselves from the others, then we'll make a call."
