Everything Boston College Offensive Tackle Ozzy Trapilo Said After First Day of Fall Camp
The Boston College football program kicked off its fall practice on Saturday as the team gets ready for its season opener on Sept. 2 against Florida State.
Eagles offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo was one of two players to speak to the media after practice.
Below is a full transcript of what Trapilo said.
TRAPILO: I think the tempo is really good. He said [that] we’re not gonna be out there for three plus hours, we’re gonna be out there two hours and get a lot in. Have a productive day, so that was something we really focused on. It felt like you were never standing still and we accomplished that today forsure. It was humid, we got a lot of good work, ready for tomorrow.
Q: Offense and defense got into it a bit which is obviously kind of fun, doesn’t mean much, but what is it like to have that competitiveness?
TRAPILO: Oh it’s awesome. When we get back to the locker room, we’re teammates, we love each other, but on the field it’s a different story. You want to win, we all got that competitive edge, so it’s a lot of fun when we’re out there battling. We’ve been eager, camp day one, you’ve been wanting to hit the guy for the whole summer so it’s good to get out there and have a little scuffle now and again.
Q: Talk a little about Jude Bowry, first year as a starter every week. What’s he been like out there and what do you see out of him as another tackle?
TRAPILO: He’s awesome. We knew from the moment he got here he was a special athlete. He just needed an opening. He got that opening and he’s been like a sponge. We got a lot of older guys now, a lot of veteran players. He’s gotten snaps in the past, and yeah, he’s just really done his best to soak in everything he can, really work every day just as hard as the other guys, harder. He’s a young dude but he’s really talented and I think he’s going to show that this year. So exciting.
Q: To a certain extent up front, this is your team and Drew’s team now. Does it kind of feel that way? Does it feel like it’s time for you guys to step up as leaders?
TRAPILO: As we get older, take more game reps, you kind of assume that position naturally. It does feel like I’m going into my fifth year. It feels like it’s that time in my career and then I’m going to go onto the next thing and other guys, younger guys, are going to step up and do the same thing. It is cool to finally be there at that point in my career and emerge as one of the leaders on the O-Line.
Q: How would you describe coach O’Brien’s style?
TRAPILO: Fast-paced, I would say, productive. Like I mentioned earlier, we get a lot in in that time period of practice. Never standing still. Again, it’s really efficient, I think is something that he emphasizes on a lot in the team meetings and then we come out here and we all stick to the plan and we get a lot in. Productive days forsure.
Q: Watching coach Applebaum work with you guys, it seems like he has a lot of attention to detail. Can you talk a little about him as an offensive line coach and what you pick up from him every day?
TRAPILO: Super attentive to detail, especially with the older guys. The young guys, they just got here, they have to work on basic stuff. He’s really able to flip the switch when he’s working with a young guy to basic stance work, first step, and then he gets to the older guys. We can have more elaborate talks. I think he can seamlessly transition between that during practice. He keeps the flow going to the O-Line. He knows all the guys really well. We have a great bond with him, really easy to talk to but also demanding in the same way. He has high expectations for us and so do we. We’re just out there working every day.
Q: And also, Craig Fitzgerald is your new strength and conditioning coach. How was it working with him this summer and what did he put you guys through?
TRAPILO: It was awesome. We got some good conditioning in, I think I’m really well conditioned right now. It was a hot one today, it was a tester, but a lot stronger, bigger. Naturally with age that happens as well, but coach Fitz has done a really good job with the guys throughout the summer, we all love him.
Q: Last year, Tommy came in and kind of learned on the fly. Just about his confidence and comfort level, what have you seen that’s different from last year?
TRAPILO: He’s taken huge strides. Really exciting for the team. Like you said, last year got kind of thrown in there, [he] did well. He’s had the whole offseason to work as the guy, so he’s really assumed that position and taken a lot of strides in terms of the playbook, general understanding of everything that’s going on. He’s done a great job, we’re excited about that. It’s nice to have that as an O-Line.
