Everything Michigan RB coach Tony Alford said during his pre-New Mexico press conference

On whether there’s defined roles for Justice Hayes and Jordan Marshall

No, that’s a good question, but no. Both guys are adept at doing the entire offense, complete players. They’re both very talented dudes. So, yeah, but there’s no defined roles, like this guy’s going to do this, this guy’s going to do that. There’s some things that maybe you’re better at. You know, Jordan, I’ll say for, if you said I had to pick someone to go for short yardage, I’d probably go with him. He’s more rugged in between the tackles a little bit. But to sit there and say that Justice couldn’t go in short yardage, that’d be a falsehood whatsoever. They’re both capable of doing that. Yeah, I would say if I had to kind of cut it up a little bit, I’d say that Justice may have some more big play potential out on the perimeter and things like that. He’s probably a little more apt to take the ball out on the perimeter a little bit, more than Jordan is, as Jordan’s strict. I mean, he wants to go north and south, and he’s a banger that way. And it’s shown that he can do that. But he can also get you in the perimeter, just as Justice can get you interiorly. They both catch the ball well. I think Jordan’s probably a little more ahead right now in the pass protection scheme, as far as just the attributes of executing the block itself, not to where they fit in protection, but actually executing the block. They’re both good at it, but I’d say Jordan’s a little further ahead right now. But I would say, I think Jordan might get mad at this, but I’d say that Justice probably has a little more top-end speed. So those would be different. But they’re both capable of doing all those things. We’re going to go through practice. You heard the 1A, 1B, all those things. So we’re going to go through another day of practice, and we’ll decide. And quite frankly, I don’t care. Both of them are going to play an extensive amount. And they both know that. I’ve talked to them both about that, as far as the rotating and things. So they’re both fully aware of that’s going to be how it goes. But who gets the first carry, I don’t know. It really doesn’t matter.

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On Jasper Parker being RB3

Potentially. You know, Micah Ka’apana has really had a good couple weeks. You know, Kuszdahl’s done well. So, yeah, we’ll see how that works out, too, when he goes in that third slot.

On the improvement of the RBs in the pass game

Wow, you know, I think all of them actually caught the ball pretty well. I think the one guy who I think is very dynamic in space would be Micah Ka’apana. You know, he’s a little smaller. He has gotten bigger and gained some weight that he needed to do. But he is dynamic with the ball in hand, out in space. But they’ve all done a pretty good job of that.

On the first thing he noticed about Justice Haynes when he was recruiting him and where he’s grown

Yeah, I’d say he loves ball. I mean, like, loves ball. And the way he takes care of his body, his approach every single day. He’s in the film room a lot. He’s got a very, very high football IQ. And he studies the game. And that’s what I saw out of high school. And it’s just continued on even more. Obviously, I wasn’t with him those first couple years. But even more so now the kid watches film with me every night. After practice, he sits with me and watches the tape and goes over it. And he’s in this building an awful lot, watching a lot of tape. So he studies the game.

On what he sees from Haynes on a day-to-day basis

Like I said, his day-to-day, he’s a football guy. Now, granted, he’s got his degree, right, from the University of Alabama. So he’s got a little bit more time than maybe some of the other guys that spend in this building and watching film and studying. But the way he approaches his body and taking care of his body as far as nutrition, sleep, hydration, all of those things, it’s almost overboard, right, that he does such a great job with. And he’s brought that maturity. He’s very mature that way. He’s brought that into our room. So a lot of guys get to see that. I think it’s great for Jasper to be able to see and then Jordan for that matter as well, to be able to just see the mentality and approach that he has to his daily walk in football.

On how he’s going to decide on snaps for Haynes and Marshall

Again, we’re going to rotate. And what that rotation is, a two-series, I don’t know. That will play itself out. And I think a lot of game situation kind of takes place too. And you look at Jordan, if you remember in the bowl game, we go back, we go into the bowl game, and him and Ben Hall were kind of sharing carries and rotating. And then Jordan started kind of getting hot, and so we just went with the hot hand. So I’d assume we just continue to do it the same way.

On whether it makes his job easier to have multiple backs that can play multiple roles

Absolutely. I mean, let’s say it’s kind of like that kid who’s got all the toys, right? And the more you have, the better. So I think the more talented players you have, and I don’t want to say easier. I don’t know if that’s the right word. But, yeah, it’s good to have multiple guys that can go in and play. And the whole deal is we have to make sure that we’re playing a championship-level type football and winning football. And to have as many players you can be to do that is a benefit.

On Parker’s game and areas of improvement

Yeah, Jasper’s going to be a really outstanding player. I mean, extremely outstanding player. He’s a big, strong, physical kid. He’s got really good vision. I think one of the things, he’s a little taller than most of those guys in that room, but he has the ability to kind of sink his hips into contact and plays behind his pads really well. He’s elusive. He’s got really, really good vision. As far as where he needs to improve, it’s just improve on the details. I mean, where’s your hand placement in blocks? How are you carrying your hands before you approach a block? Just little things and just the details. But you’ve got to, in his defense, he’s played college football for what? I think we’ve had 23, 24 practices. June doesn’t count. July doesn’t count. He wasn’t here in the spring. So really, he’s only played football for 24, 25 days and the detail that we need to have. And so he’s continually getting better and better. He’s got an extremely bright future here.

On preparing for a team with a new coaching staff

Yeah, you can kind of, much like them, they’ve got to evaluate us, too. We’ve got a lot of new players, a new scheme, too, right? So I think a lot of it just cuts back to what do you do? And you’re kind of playing against a faceless opponent. How do you improve every day in what you’re doing, in your skill set, in the basis of what you run with your offense? And how do you improve every single day? And that’s really how you have to prepare. And you have an idea of what you think they’re going to do based on film study and guys that were previously where they came from, the best you can. And you try to keep it good and tight and keep it kind of simple. And here’s what we think we’re going to get, so let’s just make sure we’re very precise in what we’re doing that way. So that’s the best way to do it.

On what he can sell in recruiting that has been successful

Yeah, this place, this Block M is amazing. And it’s different. And it’s one thing to say it’s different, I know. And everyone’s going to say, every school you go to, the coaches say, we’re different, we’re different. I think that a young man and their family need to come here to really experience it. This place is different. I think the people are different. I think our staff is different. Our head coach, damn sure, is different. And I think when young people sit there, and especially with him, when they sit in a room with him, they walk out like, yeah, that guy’s a real one. There’s not the overbearing, there’s not the pretentiousness and the cliques. This place is just different. Our players, you know, I think when you sit with our players, some of the kids that I’ve had that have come in recently in recruiting, they speak volumes about our players. And those are the best recruiters we have. It’s not the coaches, it’s the players. And so we sit them down with them, and we have an amazing, amazing locker room to sell, if you will, or present. I think this community is, you know, how they’ve embraced this team and this culture has been unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been. And so this is just, it’s a different place. It’s just a different place. I hope that answers your question. You wanted me to say something really bad about that other place. I’ll say it, yeah, we’re better. There you go. All right, now I’m going to get crucified on that. It’s all right. I shouldn’t do all that, should I?

On what makes Sherrone Moore successful

Well, just his genuine approach. I mean, he truly, you know, a lot of people say they love the players. This guy truly loves every single player in that locker room. And his approach and the way he treats our players, the way he reacts to them, and more importantly, how they react to him. And he’s just such a genuine human being. And he wears that on his sleeve. And the players and parents and recruits’ families and coaches, they see that, and they see that, and I think people appreciate that about him. I know I certainly do.

On the staff’s reaction to big news on the trail and his favorite type of cigar

Any? Any cigar is my favorite? No. Yeah, I think, you know, when you get a big-time recruit to sign, it’s not just one coach. It’s a multitude of people that have worked with that, you know. You know, and I can say for the staff here and the people within this building, they’re all involved. There’s a lot of people that touch these players’ lives every single day. And the one thing that is continually said and preached about is how there’s a great alignment from the nutrition staff to the strength staff to the training staff to the coaching staff to recruiting. We’re all aligned in what we’re saying to these young people that come here, and you can’t fake that, right? You can’t fake that. And so everyone’s aligned, and I think that’s important. But, you know, when we get a big-time recruit to say they’re coming here and then eventually get them here, that’s a win for everybody because there’s a lot of people that were involved in that, and this started way back when. And so it’s, again, kudos to the culture. But, again, I believe it starts with the head coach and the culture that he’s building.

On what Bryce Underwood’s scramble abilities do for the run game

Yeah, you know, you’ve got to equate the run game with him. You have to equate it in meaning how many people you’re going to put in a box. So someone’s got to equate for him because he can pull it down and run it. And he’s athletic enough that he can hurt you with his feet. He can extend plays. So no play’s ever over, right? And so that helps. It helps everybody, obviously, right? It helps the run game. And, again, you’ve got to equate numbers in the run game when all of a sudden you put a quarterback like him with the ball in hand.

On whether he’s confident that his players will get more room to work upfront

I do. Yeah, that’s a good question. I do. I think our offensive line has improved immensely just from training camp. I think Grant’s done a great job. Obviously, Juan Castillo’s in there, and so we’ve had some guys that have come in there also helping out. But the players, eventually they have to go do it, right? And I think some leadership, Crippen has done a really good job. I think Gio’s an outstanding player. Link, all those guys, they’ve gotten better. The addition of Brady Norton’s helped. And, obviously, Sprague’s getting better and just more experienced because he was young. So, I do. I think we’re in a good place.

On where he sees the most growth in Parker’s game

You know, I wasn’t sure. I mean, I saw the film, right? But then when I went and watched him play live, I went down and they had a playoff game. And all of a sudden, quietly you look up and it’s almost 200 yards later. I didn’t realize just how physical he is. I mean, he’s a physical player. In the tape you can see it, but live in action it really shows itself. And he loves ball. You know, he really loves ball. In the film, you can’t see that on video, but when you’re around him every day and just how he wants to learn, and he is in the hip pocket of Jordan and Justice, like their little brother. He really wants to learn and do well, and he’s a pleaser by nature. So, he’s a joy to coach. And, again, I think the sky’s the limit. I think he’s going to be a really, really good player for us.

On John Volker

Yeah, John got banged up a little bit in training camp. Nothing too major, but he’ll get back in the fold here soon and get running around. But he’s great to have in the room, very mature kid. Obviously a Princeton grad, so, I mean, he’s smart. He’s as smart as they get, right? But great kid. He’s great for the room. Like I said, brings a lot of maturity, a lot of maturity to the room. So, I’m looking forward to watching him grow too.

On how he keeps every player happy with touches

Well, first of all, my job is not to keep them happy, right? So, I don’t know. And, you know, as a competitive player, I don’t know if you’re ever happy with the carries that you get or touches that you do or don’t get. But at the end of the day, we’re here to win games, right? And I think that when you have a culture in the room and a culture in the locker room that guys are selfless, they’re not really going to be caught up and worried about, hopefully they’re not caught up and worried about, well, how many touches did I get? How do you help the team win? And if that means you get five carries or 15 carries or what have you, it is what it is for that week. And it’s a long year. You know, it’s a long season. So, there’s a lot of things that can happen. You know, you got 12 games plus two open weeks before you even get to the championship game or playoffs. So, there’s a lot that can transpire in that frame of time. And so, just keeping guys locked in on the here and now and how do we just improve as a union, as a team, that’s really the main focus.

On what Max Bredeson brings to the RB room

Who, Breddy? Yeah. Toughness. I mean, that guy is rugged. I mean, rugged football player. And he is a consummate team player. He really is. You know, you talk about guys that have roles, right? And people have roles on the team. And he’s got an amazing role. He knows what it is. And he plays it to some degree. And great leader. He’s a great leader. Our players love him. I mean, every coach in the building, every player loves him. But the running backs adore the guy. Obviously, he’s kind of the fullback, if you will. But, I mean, he is a tough, tough dude. And he’s great to be around.

On how much work he envisions RB3 could get in a game

Yeah, that’s hard to say. You know, I mean, you know, yeah, some of those might be packages. That third guy might be a package situation where you’re putting him in in certain scenarios. It might be somebody, you know, a clip on their helmet goes out and they’ve got to kind of replace him real quick and come in. So, to say what that role is or how many plays is defined for that, I think that’s a week-by-week deal. And, yeah, so I don’t know if that would be able to fairly say it’s going to be this and put myself in a corner and say this is what it’s going to be and then all of a sudden I’m caught to be a liar, so, among other things. Especially after what I just said about here and there. It’s probably more about the other things, you know. What else?

On the touches he’d like to have for Haynes and Marshall

Yeah, just depending. No, you know, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know how many carries we’re going to get, right? So, like she talked about, you know, games being shortened, throwing the ball. You know, we’ve got some, you know, if let’s say you’re an RPO game, an RPO world, how many balls are – there’s a lot of times, you know, where plays are called to run and all of a sudden you’re spitting it. So, who’s to say how many carries are going to go? So, you know, I can’t answer that. I can’t answer that, you know, honestly.

On whether the offense will run more RPO this season

I don’t know. We’ll see. You know, I mean, just like we have – do we have that stuff? Yeah, of course. Everyone’s got it. So, how much do you run it? I don’t know. Time will tell and game situations and how many carries are going to go and how many balls are being thrown. It’s all game situation stuff.