University of Louisville co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Cort Dennison met with the media on Monday afternoon, along with redshirt-junior outside linebacker Nick Okeke. A handful of topics were discussed such as initial fall camp thoughts, offseason tidbits, etc. Here are the full press conference takeaways (quotes).
Nick Okeke
Cort Dennison on a duo of Nick Okeke and Yasir Abdullah: “it creates a whole bunch of versatility. They’re both athletic enough to play in space and in coverage. It’s definitely something that we are going to use to our advantage.”
Cort Dennison: “Nick Okeke is too good to keep of the field. He’s too smart to keep off the field, and he’s one of the leaders on our team.”
Nick Okeke on what he’s worked on the most in the offseason: “I always want to get bigger, better, faster, stronger. It’s been a lot of honing in on football skills.:
I asked Louisville outside linebacker Nick Okeke what he’s worked on the most in the offseason: I always want to get bigger, better, faster, stronger. It’s been a lot of honing in on football skills @CardSportZone
— Dalton Pence (@dpence_) August 16, 2021
Nick Okeke: “today was the first day playing inside linebacker. The adjustment has been a lot, but I’ve been learning the playbook so it’s been good.”
Nick Okeke: “there’s going to be a lot of opportunities for me to be on the field so I’m very excited.”
Yasir Abdullah
Cort Dennison: “On the field, Yasir (Abdullah) can do anything. He’s one of the most talented players that I’ve ever been around.”
Cort Dennison: “I challenged Yasir Abdullah to be a better leader and he has stepped up to the challenge. He’s grown up tremendously. If you look at him, you can tell that he’s on a mission.”
Jack Fagot and Marvin Dallas
Cort Dennison: “Marvin Dallas is one of the most athletic players on the field. The more he continues to grow mentally, it will be hard to keep him off the field.”
Cort Dennison on Jack Fagot switching to LB: “he’s more comfortable the closer he gets to the ball. He’s an outstanding athlete with great physical measureables. He’s comfortable playing out in open space.”
Nick Okeke on Marvin Dallas and Jack Fagot: “I’m seeing a whole lot from Jack. He’s stepping up and making a lot of plays. Marvin has a crazy amount of ability and he can do anything he wants to.”
Nick Okeke on Marvin Dallas: “his football IQ has been raised. He’s put in the extra hours and it shows on the field.”
Collective Defensive Tidbits
Cort Dennison: “the thing that sticks out is quality of depth. Right now the first group with Yasir (Abdullah) and Jack (Fagot) is doing great.”
Nick Okeke on the defense as a whole: “confident with swagger. I feel like everyone is in their zone and can execute at a very high level.”
