To give you an idea of how long I've been doing this, the first Pac-12 Media Day that I attended was David Shaw's first and Andrew Luck's last. There were only ten conference teams back then, and that season would mark the first conference championship game.
Everything is different now. Troy Taylor is Stanford's head coach, no one knows who will be the starting quarterback, and there are twelve conference teams -- for now. USC and UCLA will move to the Big Ten next season, and this week we've learned that Colorado will follow them out the door to the Big 12, meaning that there are big changes coming. Will the conference act quickly (when has this conference ever acted quickly?) to add a team or three? Or will things completely dissolve? Only time will tell.
Pac-12 Media Day is a relatively sedate affair. Aside from the sidewalks outside, there wasn't much sizzle surrounding the event. The only marquee name on the program was USC's Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, but he didn't seem overly excited to be there (he's been on much bigger stages), and he was hardly noticed as he walked through the hotel lobby after the event. Unnoticed in that same lobby were the league's three most recognizable coaches -- Utah's Kyle Whittingham, sitting at a table with his wife; UCLA's Chip Kelly, standing around waiting for a ride; and USC's Lincoln Riley, briskly striding out into the desert heat with a garment bag slung over his shoulder.
This was an event that would have been helped tremendously if Colorado's new head coach had been able to attend, and there was no shortage of conversation about that, specifically about whether or not Deion should be referred to as Coach Sanders or Coach Prime. Regardless, he would've given the day the electricity that it lacked, and for a conference that seems to be on life support, it would have been a welcome jolt.
The Pac-12 has experimented with different media day formats over the years, and although I was initially skeptical of this year's configuration, it grew on me over the course of the day. One by one each coach would come to the stage for a sit down interview with the Pac-12 Network's Ashley Adamson and Yogi Roth, and questions from the two hosts would be balanced with questions from the media. Adamson and Roth were brilliant all day long -- welcoming twelve programs to the stage over the course of eight hours -- and there were more than enough opportunities for the media to ask their questions. After ten minutes of this, the school's two player representatives came up for more of the same. The added benefit was that all of this was broadcast by the Pac-12 Network, so I'm sure there were dozens of fans up and down the conference who were able to watch live. (I'm obviously kidding. I'm sure there were at least a thousand viewers.)
Beyond the events on the main stage, Media Day is a gathering of all the people who cover football in the conference, but it was interesting that there seemed to be more of a national presence, something that's been lacking for the past few years, and not just because of Covid. Bruce Feldman from the Athletic was walking around, and I had a nice conversation with ESPN's Heather Dinich, who couldn't have been nicer. I'd like to think they were drawn by Caleb Williams, but it's probably more like when a house catches fire in the middle the night and everyone in the neighborhood comes out in their pajamas to watch it burn. #Pac12AfterDark, indeed.
All of that is really just background. My reason for heading out to media day this year was to meet Stanford's new coach, Troy Taylor, and try t0 gauge the current state of the program. I was also able to speak to Stanford's two player representatives, wide receiver John Humphreys and inside linebacker Tristan Sinclair. Take a look at the bullet points below summarizing what I learned from my conversations with the two players, and click this link to read my interview with Coach Taylor. Much of what I'll write here is paraphrasing of things they said to me, but when you see quotation marks it's from something that I wrote down word for word. Read on...
John Humphreys, Senior Wide Receiver
- Not surprisingly, there was constant talk about what's new around the Stanford program. These players aren't dwelling on the past but looking towards the future. Humphreys spoke about the transition to a radically new offensive scheme, specifically the increase in tempo. While Coach Taylor was on stage with Adamson and Roth he said, "We'll huddle sometimes." Sometimes. Gone are the days when the Stanford offense will be playing in slow motion, and Humphreys appreciates the new emphasis. He explained that the new offense is "a wide receiver's dream," and sees himself as being more versatile. There will be times when he's outside, but it seems like he'll be in the slot more than he was in the past.
- With increased tempo, there's a demand for increased conditioning. The previous staff did lots of coaching and teaching during practice, so there would often be as much as a full minute in between plays, but not anymore. Humphreys talked about being out of breath at the line of scrimmage during practice as they're ramping up to what will be necessary during games.
- With huddling a thing of the past, receivers will have to make more pre- and post-snap reads than in a more structured offense. Humphreys also looks forward to this, and while he expects there will be times when he'll be schemed open, he also enjoys the challenge of beating his man one-on-one.
- Humphreys expects big things this season from senior Bryce Farrell, senior Silas Starr, and freshman Tiger Bachmeier.
- The quarterback battle obviously hadn't yet begun, but I asked Humphreys to give me his take on each contender's strengths. He likes Ari Patu's arm strength, and he pointed out Ashton Daniels's feel for the game and explosive athleticism. True freshman Jackson Myles had only been on campus for a few weeks, but Humphreys is already impressed with his "freaky arm."
- An interesting difference that Humphreys mentioned is how they do film study. In the past he had always looked at film exclusively with the wide receivers coach and the other receivers. With this new staff, the entire offense looks at film together, and Humphreys explained the benefits. It helps him to understand what the entire offense is doing, and it also helps to get input from the entire staff of offensive coaches, from Coach Taylor on down. Having more conversations about what the quarterback saw in a certain situation or what he expected to see from his receiver has helped Humphreys and others as they're learning Taylor's scheme.
- My favorite question for the players at media day is always this: If Stanford football is putting together a 4x100 relay team, who's on that squad? After consulting with Tristan Sinclair, here's the team Humpheys gave me: Tiger Bachmeier, Bryce Farrell, sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, and sophomore cornerback Collin Wright. When asked which player would be most upset to have been left off the squad, Humpheys and Sinclair immediately named sophomore defensive end David Bailey. No consultation needed.
- I asked Humphreys about why he chose Stanford in the first place, and he admitted it had always been his dream school. He comes from a Stanford family. His father Brad was on the football team from 1985-87, and his mother Wendy was on the volleyball team from 1984-87 and was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. But that's not all! His sister Kelsey also played volleyball at Stanford and won a national championship in 2016. Humpheys grew up attending Stanford games, and one of his favorite memories as a fan is the 2015 Rose Bowl. "Christian McCaffrey is the GOAT," he said. And who could argue with that?
Tristan Sinclair, 5th year Inside Linebacker
- Sinclair is also a product of a Stanford family. His father Andy played football for the Cardinal from 1985-88. Sinclair's mother and two of his aunts went to Cal, so Tristan grew up going to games on both campuses. Winning Big Game in Cal's Memorial Stadium in 2020 was especially meaningful for Sinclair, and even though the stadium was empty, he remembers looking up from the field and finding the section where he and his family would usually sit.
- Sinclair remembers something that once defined Stanford football during the glory days: "As a kid, Stanford was all about the Party in the Backfield, and we're excited to get back to that." Indeed.
- The offense's increased tempo also has a positive effect on the defense. Basically, if you've got thirty to sixty seconds between every play during a week of practice, you can't be physically or even mentally ready to defend every fifteen seconds on Saturday. Sinclair stressed how much he loves facing tempo in practice, and he's looking forward to seeing the results of that preparation once the season starts.
- When asked about which unknown defensive players he expects to impress this season, he listed these young men: senior safety Alaka'i Gilman, fifth year cornerback Zahran Manley, sophomore cornerback Collin Wright, junior safety Jimmy Wyrick, and sophomore defensive lineman Jaxson Moi.
- Sinclair could not stop talking about his position coach, Mark D'Onofrio. He described him multiple times as being "all about ball," and said that he's constantly in touch with all the inside linebackers. He described a game the coach plays through a group chat with all of them. He'll send game situations at any hour of the day, and players earn points based on how quickly they respond with the correct interpretations.
- Coach D'Onofrio emphasizes technique to an extreme. Something I found interesting is that for every drill they do -- and there are lots -- Coach D'Onofrio will first teach the drill, showing film of players executing it in practice, and then he'll show film of players using that skill in a game situation. The repetition is seen as critical to success. Sinclair shared a quote from D'Onofrio: "You don't rise to the occasion, you fall back on your training." I definitely got a sense that D'Onofrio is building a highly connected group.
- Sinclair also praised defensive coordinator Bobby April and reminded several different reporters that Coach April had been coaching for 12 years and schemed more than 180 games. "Top to bottom, the defensive staff is crazy."
My overall takeaway from my time spent with the two of them is that players on the team are incredibly excited not just to get to work but to start playing games. If last season was difficult for fans to watch, that doesn't compare to what it was for these young men. They can't wait to wash that taste out of their mouths, and both of them shared two reasons why they chose to return after so many of their teammates departed. First, they want to finish what they started, and second, they want to be part of the rebuilding of Stanford football.
I can't wait to watch what happens.
