Middle Tennesee State University Athletics

Middle Tennessee Media Day Quotes
8/2/2016 5:00:00 PM | Football
Rick Stockstill, Head Coach
Opening Statement…
"I'd like to thank everybody for coming. I appreciate you guys giving time in your day to be with us. It's an exciting time for us. We are really looking forward to getting started tomorrow. We report tomorrow and our first practice is Thursday. Our guys have had a good summer program. I feel like we are in good shape as we report. I really believe in this team. We have some holes we need to fill. There are some question marks out there that we need to get answered here in August, but I'm really looking forward to this season getting started."
On confidence having a starting quarterback heading into fall camp…
"You always feel comfortable when you have a quarterback back or a quarterback you have a lot of confidence in. You can say that at every level, whether you are in high school, college or in the NFL. It is a comforting feeling. It gives us as a staff and our players a level of confidence. They have seen him play and they know what kind of player he is. We feel good about that position heading in to camp."
On defensive leadership after graduating Kevin Byard…
"I really feel good about the leadership on the offensive side of the ball. We have a lot of returning guys. That's one of the question marks I have on defense. Not only with KB, but T.T. Barber, Cavellis Luckett, Trey Wafford, Pat McNeil. We lost some really good football players and some really good leadership. We have some good leadership coming back. Steven Rhodes is a good leader. I think D.J. Sanders is a good leader. I think we have some young guys who are developing in a leadership role. They aren't quite there yet, but that's an area we have got to find out who we can depend on and who is going to play consistently on that side of the ball. We have to develop some leaders on defense. Losing KB, his performance as a player, obviously he is a good player. You aren't going to replace that guy in one year. We have some good players, and I feel good about those guys. They just have to grow up in a hurry."
For all quotes from today's Middle Tennessee Media Day, visit GoBlueRaiders.com/CampInsider16 or by clicking here!
Opening Statement…
"I'd like to thank everybody for coming. I appreciate you guys giving time in your day to be with us. It's an exciting time for us. We are really looking forward to getting started tomorrow. We report tomorrow and our first practice is Thursday. Our guys have had a good summer program. I feel like we are in good shape as we report. I really believe in this team. We have some holes we need to fill. There are some question marks out there that we need to get answered here in August, but I'm really looking forward to this season getting started."
On confidence having a starting quarterback heading into fall camp…
"You always feel comfortable when you have a quarterback back or a quarterback you have a lot of confidence in. You can say that at every level, whether you are in high school, college or in the NFL. It is a comforting feeling. It gives us as a staff and our players a level of confidence. They have seen him play and they know what kind of player he is. We feel good about that position heading in to camp."
On defensive leadership after graduating Kevin Byard…
"I really feel good about the leadership on the offensive side of the ball. We have a lot of returning guys. That's one of the question marks I have on defense. Not only with KB, but T.T. Barber, Cavellis Luckett, Trey Wafford, Pat McNeil. We lost some really good football players and some really good leadership. We have some good leadership coming back. Steven Rhodes is a good leader. I think D.J. Sanders is a good leader. I think we have some young guys who are developing in a leadership role. They aren't quite there yet, but that's an area we have got to find out who we can depend on and who is going to play consistently on that side of the ball. We have to develop some leaders on defense. Losing KB, his performance as a player, obviously he is a good player. You aren't going to replace that guy in one year. We have some good players, and I feel good about those guys. They just have to grow up in a hurry."
For all quotes from today's Middle Tennessee Media Day, visit GoBlueRaiders.com/CampInsider16 or by clicking here!
Players Mentioned
A look back: 1965 and 1985 Undefeated Blue Raider Football Teams
Wednesday, September 17
MTSU Football at Nevada cinematic recap – 9/13/25
Tuesday, September 16
Derek Mason LIVE: Presented by The Boulevard Bar & Grille Week 4 (Video)
Monday, September 15
MTSU Football Weekly Press Conference 9/15/25
Monday, September 15