Transcript: Jeff Brohm, Louisville Players at 2024 ACC Football Kickoff

Quarterback Tyler Shough, defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley accompanied the head coach of the Cardinals at the ACC Football Kickoff.

Louisville football head coach Jeff Brohm / Atlantic Coast Conference Pool Photo

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As part of the 2024 ACC Football Kickoff, the Louisville football program sent head coach Jeff Brohm, quarterback Tyler Shough, defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley as their representatives.

Below is the transcript from all four as part of their formal press conference:

Head Coach Jeff Brohm

Q. Just looking back on your history, Howard Schnellenberger, your head coach that you had when you were at Louisville, those words of wisdom that you can take with you, do you ever reach back to anything in the toolbox that he gave you?

JEFF BROHM: I was fortunate enough to play for Howard Schnellenberger. He had a tremendous history and past of the only undefeated Super Bowl team in Miami Dolphin history. Took Miami to the national championship. Built programs at Louisville, Florida Atlantic.

When I played for him, he was known as a quarterback guru. Coached quarterbacks at Alabama with Bear Bryant. Even the Miami Dolphins.

The thing I took from him the most is he was a master motivator. He got his teams to believe that they could beat anybody with they stepped on the field. He said outlandish to the media like, "We're on a collision course with the national championship. The only variable is time." He wasn't scared to say those things. Because his team believed they could win, and while I may not be as braggadocios as that, we want our team to take the field and expect to win every time they go out there.

Definitely learned a great deal from him, and he achieved a lot. Even though he's not with us now, I'll never forget all those moments.

Q. You made it to the ACC championship last year. What steps in practice and training camp have you and your team taken to get there again?

JEFF BROHM: I think you build a team that likes to compete, that loves football, that loves to work hard and win at a high level. We want to provide that atmosphere and that environment for our guys that they want to come to the building and put the work in.

I think we have a group of guys that do that every day. While we had some good success last year, 10-1 at one point, we lost our last three games. I think because of that, there's a lot of things to learn, a lot of areas to improve. I think it's caused the hunger to get back in right away and understand if you want to be really good, you have to beat big-time opponents and find a way to win close games.

These guys we have with us here today, the entire football team, worked hard, grit off-season. They understand we have good challenges ahead of us this year.

This is a competitive league with a lot of parity and a lot of good football coaches and players. If you don't expect and bring your A game, play your very best, you're not going to win.

We definitely accept that challenge and we're looking forward to getting the season underway. Our guys have worked really hard.

Q. What does 'accomplish greatness' mean to you?

JEFF BROHM: I think it means setting goals and working extremely hard to achieve those. I think simply put, you can't put a level to that. You've got to expect to achieve all your dreams, not be scared to take on that challenge.

Being great in this conference means beating great opponents every week and raising your level of play and stepping up to the challenge. We definitely will have those challenges this year.

Q. Bringing in Tyler at quarterback, what can you say, what you saw from him at Texas Tech, why he was the right fit for your offense?

JEFF BROHM: Well, we're excited about Tyler and what he brings to the table. Any time you can bring in a veteran quarterback that's been there and done that, handled adversity, had ups and downs, been able to experience that, has had great success but also a few failures along the way. He's battle-tested. We're excited about it.

To this point he's come in and been a great leader, put in the work. He's gained the respect of his teammates by working hard with them, studying football with them, arranging that, making sure our other players are doing it.

He's come here with a purpose. He has one year to play college football and he wants to go out with a bang. I think if we can play well around him and continue to improve our football team, he will definitely play at a high level.

We're excited about what he brings to the table. We want him to have the best year he possibly can. It's up to us as coaches to put him in the best position to do that. But we're going to work really hard at it.

Q. You talk about Tyler. You brought in a nice wide receiver in Caullin Lacy as well. What impressed you about him during that recruiting process?

JEFF BROHM: Caullin brings a ton of experience to the table. He's played a lot of football, as well. But he's strong, he's fast, he's tough. He's made great strides even the little bit we've had him. He works really hard.

Without question, putting the ball in his hands, making sure he has touches is important for our success.

He's one of numerous guys that we've added to the mix that have had very good off-seasons that we expect to play well.

Q. You brought in a healthy amount of transfers last year and this off-season.

JEFF BROHM: Our philosophy is we want to win now. We want to win this year. Yes, you can build for the future and get your young players ready to play, which is great. But you want to win now.

Not only do our fans want that, but your own team wants that. Whether it comes to building a roster, we have some really good guys coming back that have done a great job for us.

You know what? I think they want to win. It's up to us as coaches to build the best team and surround them with the best teammates. Football is a team sport, it takes 11 guys and special teams to get it done. It doesn't matter strictly how good you are, but you have to have good guys around you.

We're not scared to change the roster, improve our football team, whether they're starters or they provide great competition, they play a role.

Everybody we brought in has been with a purpose, quite a bit. Sometimes they're older, veteran guys that have played at any level of football, but have definitely stepped on the field and shown on video what they can do.

To this point, we've liked what we've seen. All spring and all summer... I think all of our veterans on our team have liked what they've seen as well. They know if we continue to improve and work really hard and do the small things right, we're going to have a chance to win.

That's what we believe in. Sure, we're always going to take high school prospects and continue to do that. With this transfer portal, having two different portals, people can leave and go when they want. There's nothing wrong with that. Some guys leave to get more playing time, other guys leave for other reasons. You have to be able to adapt and adjust. I think we've done a pretty good job of that.

Q. How do you instill culture given the number of transfers every year?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I think instilling culture is providing an atmosphere and environment where your guys want to work hard at football. They feel comfortable putting in work, extra work. They understand the importance of getting that done.

We want to make sure our players are there for the players at any point during the day, early morning, late at night, whenever they want help to get better.

I think if you want to be a great football team, a great player, you've got to put in the extra work. In order to be great, in my opinion, you've got to do more when people aren't watching. That's important that all of our guys and coaches do that. When you have free time, have the ability to improve yourself, you got to do it.

I just think we try to do that. Whether you've had a great day of practice or great game or maybe you struggled a little bit, we want to make sure the next day you can come over and do the same thing, get right back at it and work.

We've got a great group of coaches on our staff that are really good people, that do things for the right reason, in my opinion. They're willing to help our players to work hard to achieve success. We have a lot of guys on our team that put extra time in. The more guys you have doing that, the more they put into it, the better chance you're going to have to win.

Q. This off-season I saw a clip of you from the XFL days. Do I or do I not have a pulse, let's play football. How often do you see that clip and has the locker room given you any flack for that one?

JEFF BROHM: Well, years ago it got on the Internet there. Believe it or not, you just can't take it off. It's always going to be there. Back when life was really fun, I enjoyed playing the game...

In the end it's about do you really love to play the game? I think our players do. I think they know I love competing. While I can't play anymore, I love coaching and trying to help our team win.

But you also want to make the game fun for 'em. That was a day when the game was fun. You could talk a little bit more than you probably should. You had a little fun with it.

Our players have fun, too. All our guys, they have different personalities, makeups, but we want them to play with that personality. In order to play at a high level in football, you have to be competitive on the game field. If that means you got to talk a little bit more so than others, that's fine. If that means you're quiet and competitive that way, that's fine, too.

It is a physical, tough, demanding sport that you got to allow your players to take on the persona that they need in order to play at a high level.

Q. Both this off-season and last you placed a really heavy emphasis on the transfer portal. For this upcoming season, how crucial would you say it is to show people that placing a heavy reliance on the portal as a means to build up your team is something that can be relied upon, and that last year's success wasn't an outlier?

JEFF BROHM: I don't think we set a number on, hey, we need to bring in this many transfer portal young men and add them to our team. Every year is going to be different. Every year is going to be unique.

Can't really predict it now. It's a different time and a different era where rosters are going to change. If one year a roster didn't change much, I'm fine with that, if that works. Sometimes it just doesn't fit.

In order to be prepared, I think you just have to prepare to have answers when things come about so you can improve your football team. If a lot of guys didn't leave, we wouldn't bring as many guys in. If we have guys that graduate, others that want to transfer, you have to be ready. You've got to go out and find a way to get it done.

The best players on your team are going to want, they're going to want you to find the best teammates for them that are going to help them play at a high level and win. I think we've done a pretty decent job at this point. Obviously you have to prove it every year.

Just like everyone at this time of year, we think we've prepared really hard and really well. We think we have a chance.

Defensive End Ashton Gillotte

Q. We all know how great Louisville's defense was last year. What would you say Mark Hagen and Ron English bring as head coaches for this defense?

ASHTON GILLOTTE: I think they're both tacticians. To me they broke down the sport in a way that I never looked at before. Ron English obviously has a lot of ways that he attacks different offenses and different looks that we can give them so we put ourselves in better positions. They're also really good at analyzing what we have. They'll take full advantage of the player so we can get more wins and more stops. I think that's kind of what they brought.

They brought, like, a higher form of football, higher thought process.

Q. We know that the theme for you is beware of the hair. How do you embody that on the field, in practice and games?

ASHTON GILLOTTE: I just try to play as tenaciously as I can. I try to be around the ball as much as I can, try to harass quarterbacks. Obviously my hair comes out of the back of the helmet, that's kind of where the hair come from.

I just try to give my best effort every play. Try to be around the ball, be disruptive, do what I can for my teammates.

Q. You had three offers from Florida schools. What was it about Louisville that spoke to you to draw you out of your home state?

ASHTON GILLOTTE: Obviously just the fan base and just being around a lot of good -- it's a good business hub, a nice city. Just being around a lot of the fans and just hearing the love and support that I got from them in the recruiting process made me want to take that leap and call Louisville home.

I think, especially since I've been here, they've continued to love and pour onto this team. I think it's present more than ever now.

Q. Your stats are amazing. Is there anything you haven't done on defense yet that you hope to accomplish this year?

ASHTON GILLOTTE: Talking about stats?

Q. Yes. Stats-wise or an accomplishment, personal accomplishment.

ASHTON GILLOTTE: I'd like to get a pick if I can. Obviously the team comes first. Just doing my job every time, that's the best I can do, so...

Q. Last year you were ACC All Academic team. You're also named nationally to the CSC Academic All-Americans. How do you balance the two, athletics and academics?

ASHTON GILLOTTE: Obviously football takes a lot of time. So does education. But just finding time to set aside to just study. We're in the building all the time. Whether it's like two hours here and there, like a quick little block of 30 minutes, just finding little bits of time to do school, just time management.

Q. You have some accolades last year for your play, pre-season accolades. How to you put that out of your mind and continue on the projection that you've been on the field lately?

ASHTON GILLOTTE: Obviously I try not to pay too much attention to social media, accolades, especially pre-season, 'cause what really matters is the end of the season, what are we doing that will get us there at the end of the season.

It's nice and all, but I've never been too big on awards like that. I just kind of stay off social media, stay off Twitter. Obviously people praise people, people are going to diss you. Removing yourself from those environments, finding the time to focus on what we're doing here, what's inside the building.

Cornerback Quincy Riley

Q. I notice that you debated declaring for the NFL Draft but opted to come back. What went into that decision for you?

QUINCY RILEY: What really went into the decision for me to come back to college football was my coaches, the fans and my teammates. Really where can I see myself being next year if I come back again and believe in my staff.

Q. What is it like being on an island against you for a wide receiver?

QUINCY RILEY: Kind of scary. When you going to get the ball, you may not get the ball for the whole game. You just don't know what you going to get. You just know that it's going to be hard. That's all I can say.

Q. In high school you won the South Carolina AAAA 100 and the 200 meters. You earned All State and All Region in track. You were named the team's MVP. You were named to the South Carolina Boys AAAA Track Player of the Year in 2019. With all that running, why did you not aspire to be a running back in football?

QUINCY RILEY: Really don't want to get hit. I was small (laughter).

Running was fun for me. I just switched over to DB. I thought it was funner. New technique, a hard position to learn. I feel like it's a challenge for me.

Q. How do you feel track and field helped you for your position as well as other football players who do track in order to prepare for the football season?

QUINCY RILEY: First, for me, track keeps you in shape. It will also help you learn real running form. When I'm playing football, you hardly ever see my strain and show my real speed because I feel like I have good running form where I can just really, like, feel like a job but know how to run, keep up, play at a different type of speed than a normal player that didn't run track and know how to run. You see him probably straining when he don't have to just because he don't know the running form for real.

Q. You mentioned the coaches as a reason why you came back to Louisville. Is college football in a place right now where guys in your situation feel a little more comfortable coming back and not necessarily feeling like they have to make the jump right away to the NFL?

QUINCY RILEY: As in NIL aspect?

Q. NIL, coaches...

QUINCY RILEY: Like I said, it's never about the NIL. It's more so about the coaches, what I can gain from coming back from those coaches.

Like I said, that was the main aspect, the coaches. Playing under Jeff Brohm, Ron English and Steve Ellis, I feel like I can gain the most I ever did playing college football than jumping right into the next level and being under-coached.

Quarterback Tyler Shough

Q. As coach said, you have one more season. Obviously you want to end on a high note. Why Louisville? Why was that the fit that made sense after Texas Tech?

TYLER SHOUGH: I think for me it was being able to play under coach Jeff Brohm, Brian Brohm, their pedigree with quarterbacks in the past, and being able to put them in the league and keep them in the league. Their offensive system being a little more complex, putting a lot on my plate. We run a lot of different formations, personnel groups. I think that was really attractive to me to come in there and contribute to the team with a high standard.

There was no doubt in my mind this was the place to be.

Q. From Oregon to Texas Tech and now to Louisville, what has been the differences of culture between the three schools?

TYLER SHOUGH: I think for Louisville, especially the whole city, I think there's just a lot of avenues that you can grow, the community is so vast, a lot of really good people. I think Lubbock, Eugene, smaller college towns, have its own benefits.

Here the networking opportunities on the coaching staff, they're all from here, have a lot of pride in this place, what they bring to the table. I think there's a lot of pride in the whole city. You want to go out there and play well for them and do everything that you can.

So far it's been great. We've loved living here. There's a lot of good things to do, good food spots, places to go out and spend time with your teammates.

I have no complaints so far.

Q. Can we talk about Jack Plummer? You grow up playing 10 miles from each other. A lot of the coaches that fly out to see you are flying out to see him as well. You spent time in the Pac-12, middle of the country, now you're following him at Louisville. Is this a coincidence?

TYLER SHOUGH: Yeah, we've developed a relationship over the years just through quarterback play, obviously being from Arizona, then transferring as well. He was a big part of my process for me coming here, just knowing about the team, knowing about the coaches. Him and Jawhar. It's kind of a full-circle moment being able to come here and trying to recruit Jawhar back, being able to come play for the same team they were on, with a lot of the same guys.

He did such a great job last year putting them in positions to be successful. Obviously they wanted to finish the year stronger. Watching him on tape, what they were able to do, it's helped me develop in this offense, see how we can grow and continue to get better. Obviously wish him nothing but the best going forward in his NFL career. He's going to do really well because of the coaching he's had and who he is.

Q. You've had some injury issues in the past. Frustrating. What do you learn about yourself as a player when you're out from time to time?

TYLER SHOUGH: Yeah, I think it develops your character, really what you're playing the game for. For me, I wouldn't change anything because it's put a chip on my shoulder, want to go out there and prove myself, what I can do. It's part of the game. I don't think anybody is immune to a season-ending injury. It's how do you respond from that.

A player that has had success throughout their whole career, how long does that last, what are you going to do when something bad happens, and how do you bounce back from that, and prove to NFL GMs and your coaches that you are going to be the main guy, you are going to be in there every single day no matter what is happening, how you are going to lead the team and go forward from there.

I've taken that as a growing opportunity. It's a blessing in disguise to come here for my last year, put out all out on the field. I couldn't be more excited to silence that and prove myself right just because I know what I can do, what this team can do. With the amount of talent, coaches and players that we have, it's going to be a lot of fun.

Q. From multiple different schools to now ending the journey in Louisville, what do you want to see from yourself, to deem this a successful last season?

TYLER SHOUGH: I think for me team success brings individual success. If we can go out there and win an ACC championship, get in the Playoff, win a national championship, like Coach Brohm was saying, having those high standards of goals, I think that's going to hopefully bring some individual success as well.

I think for me staying healthy and being able to be there for my teammates every single day has been a goal of mine. I think everything else is going to take care of itself and it's all going to work out the way it's supposed to.

Q. I understand that you grew up with Cody Bellinger and his brother.

TYLER SHOUGH: He's obviously doing his own thing, Instagram. He has his own family. He's killing it so far.

There's some times where I wish I would be still be playing baseball, trying to play multiple sports. Yeah, they're obviously killing it, doing everything they can.

Q. We've talked about your relationship with Jeff Brohm, his experience working with quarterbacks. What is it like learning from him?

TYLER SHOUGH: They've been some of my favorite coaches because they played the position, been behind the facemask. When we're watching film, it's not like, You should have done this better, this is the look. It's like, I would have thrown this, I see this coverage as this. They offer a unique perspective to where they played it, they've done it at a high level in college and the NFL.

They can offer insight to maybe, This could be a better way to do it, this drop would be better with this concept, but maybe you like this better.

They offer just a lot of really good tidbits. For me just being able to continue to learn from them and grow is why I wanted to come here and why I want to continue to get better under them.

(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Atlantic Coast Conference Pool Photo)

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