Galloway on getting better as a blocker: 'It's something that I'm attacking every day'

Braden Galloway

On the excitement for the tight ends to make more plays this season:

"I think with Coach Elliott coming over-- he's the one who's calling to plays. so I do think we'll have a little bit more of an opportunity. But I think the best thing about our group is that it's a bunch of selfless guys. We want everybody to be successful. If that's me making a play, Davis (Allen), making a play, Jae-Lay making a play-- really, we're just trying to do our job to the best of our ability. When other people are succeeding, we're happy for him. I think that's the biggest thing in our group."

On the big emphasis for him during the offseason:

"I'm playing it like 247. I was really just trying to get stronger overall, obviously, there was an emphasis on my lower body. I think just overall body strength was was something that I was really focused on during the offseason. During this break that we had in May, June, and July-- obviously, those are the biggest months-- a lot of it is voluntary-- just trying to try to focus on things that I know will make me a better player."

On being consistently committed to run blocking: 

"I'm definitely growing. That's definitely still the weakness in my game. I'm not naive enough to think that it's not. So it's something that I'm attacking every day, I'm trying to get better at. It doesn't really matter how strong you are if your technique is terrible, you're not gonna really be able to move anybody or get your job done. That's the biggest thing for me. Just the craft of it. It really just the art of how to strike. How to use effort throughout the play in finishing blocks and finish the play."

On facing Clemson’s defense and the schemes Brent Venables throws at them:

"I think you see the maturity growth through camp. I think going against our defense is what makes us one of the best offenses in the country. It's very rare that you get to practice against what we get to practice against. So when they bring crazy places, they bring crazy coverages and different formations and things like that, you're gonna get to the first game, and it's not gonna be anything that we haven't seen. So they give us pretty much anything that any team can run in 15 games, or throughout the course of the season. They give it to us in these two and a half weeks in camp. Not a lot of schools have that."

On where the offense is at this point:

"As far as judging where we are, I think a lot of it is just evaluating the individual person and not necessarily the whole offense. Obviously, all eleven guys have to be on the same page and doing their job that way. But like you said, I mean, when they're bringing different things, and they're in there scheming the offense, and we're kind of just installing on offense, not necessarily scheming the defense back-- it does get frustrating, but I think that frustration is what leads to the success that we have, whenever the season comes."

Jaelyn Lay

On getting better as a blocker:

"I spend a lot of time work just working on technique. I think that was my biggest issue is the technique to block. Of course, I'm strong, but it's all about using your fundamentals. That was the biggest thing that I wanted to work on."

On what specifically he needs to address:

"With blocking, it's a lot of aspects with it-- footwork technique, how you shoot your hands, your steps-- you can overstride. Going through these practices I have improved but I can also get better. I see myself always taking an overstride blocking, but it's just those things, where you shoot your hands and how you step."

On if the tight ends will be more dynamic this year:

"Oh, yes. I feel that this tight end group will be more than dynamic because we can do it all. There's no drop-off from whoever goes into the last person to go in so I think we will have a big effect this year. 

On the toughest guy that he’s had to block in practice:

"The toughest guy I think is Myles Murphy. He's long and once he shoots his arms out-- I got long arms too-- it's like we are just standing there almost. I'll say, Myles. Really you get a lot of good work with all the defensive ends."