Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell met with the media on Wednesday morning as the Flames continue to prepare for the 2023 season. You can also watch the press conference on our YouTube channel, the video is also below. We will plan on live streaming each of Coach Chadwell’s press conferences this season.

Here is everything Coach Chadwell had to say, beginning with his opening statement.

“Camp, obviously, was unusual this year for different things, circumstances we went through. Our team went to the funeral there Saturday. It was good to meet with the family there and have a little closure there for our team. Then, school started Monday. So, we gave the players the day off so they could get acclimated to school and get back at it.”

“Today, we will begin prep for our first opponent. We have got our depth chart almost set. We still got some battles at certain positions but got our show team set and our depth chart set as we prepare for the first game and obviously the season.”

“It was a solid camp. It wasn’t what you would write down on paper on how it would go from that standpoint, but we adjusted and I thought our team handled the difficult circumstances relatively well. We are getting close.”

HAVE YOU NAMED A STARTING QB YET?

“We have. Internally, we know what it is. Our quarterbacks know who the order is right now. That’s not something we’re probably going to announce publicly for a while, but they have an idea who they are. We met with them and let them know. As we practice going forward, the guys know where our mindset is. I hope nobody puts that on social media in the next week and a half – A Sea of Red – so that we can try to keep that quiet.”

MAYBE WON’T ANNOUNCE THAT UNTIL GAME DAY?

“We will probably announce it, what time is kickoff, probably about 11:45. We’ve got three guys that have played college football. There’s three guys that people have to prepare for potentially. A little cat and mouse.”

HOW DO YOUR SAFETY AND CORNERS LOOK THROUGH CAMP?

“We are thin there a little bit at both areas just from some banged up injuries. I do think we have a talented group there, safeties and corners. We’ve got a decent mix of guys that have played and we’ve got some young guys that we think have a chance to be pretty good. I think the challenge there is how the young guys respond to actual playing time and bad situations that may happen. The older guys that have played they bring a good mindset everyday which is positive to help those young guys. I think it has a chance. I think that room between the safeties, our star which is our nickel position, our corners, I think that group has a chance to be a strength for us. Some talented individuals.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL THE WIDE RECEIVER ROOM IS RIGHT NOW WITH THE INJURIES?

“It’s been a challenge. We’ve had a group of receivers starting in the summer and then through camp. I don’t know if we’ve had maybe 17 practices, we’ve had maybe 4 practices where we’ve had everybody out there. It’s been very challenging. Guys have got some opportunities to learn how to lead. I wouldn’t say quite we have the leadership we’d like to have in there yet overall, but we would like to get there in the next week and half. We really need to get some of those guys back that are healthy so we have a chance to be productive out there. It’s been a hodge-podge, what I mean by hodge-podge, just trying to get guys in position. Maybe it’s not the position they would normally play just because of the injuries in order to practice. It’s been challenging there, but I do think once we get some guys back that have been injured, hopefully, they have played a decent amount of football here that they can get accomplished what we need for that room.”

ARE YOU GUYS LOOKING FOR ANY ADVANTAGE GOING INTO THIS FIRST OPPONENT OR ARE YOU TRYING TO SEE HOW YOUR TEAM RESPONDS IN A GAME DAY ENVIRONMENT?

“We need any advantage we can get right now. Yeah, that’s part of it. You’ve got to try to find a way to win a game no matter what you have, that’s what we’re trying to do and also get your team in all three phases prepared for next week. We are shooting for a 14-game season, that’s what we want to have. To do that, you have to prepare accordingly. It has been challenging with all the different things that have happened but that’s what we’re preparing for. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you, nobody is going to make excuses for you, we’re not going to make excuses. You want an opportunity. We are out looking for an opportunity to win games and be our best every time we kick it off. Everything that we’re doing now is to try and help us win that first game.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS SOME EXTRA JUICE AS YOU MAKE THE TRANSITION TO FOCUS ON A SPECIFIC TEAM?

“It is good. This camp felt like it was forever. It was the hardest camp as far as practice and all the different things, it felt like we were here four months, that’s why I had to get my hair cut I had so much grey. I do think once you get into school, then the players have a sense that something is coming. The urgency that is needed, it starts to pick up a little bit. From a coaching standpoint as well, all the game planning you are doing you are ready to see it in action. There’s always an excitement when you know it is getting closer.”

HEALTH-WISE, ANYTHING NEW THERE?

“We’ve been banged up quite a bit for whatever reason. If I brought the injury list in here we would be here an hour. We will get where we need to be. We still got 10 days, I guess. I told the team we had 12 days to play the game and we were like 20 days out, so my head is all messed up on that. We’ve got some positions that need to get healthy, some knicks and knacks, different things that you deal with. I’m hoping by next Wednesday, 7 days from now, we are going to hopefully have everybody back we need to have back that can come back. That’s the plan as long as everybody stays healthy. We’ve got some healing that needs to be done to be able to get everybody back between now and then.”

HOW UNUSUAL IS IT OF A FRESHMAN TO PLAY ON THE DL AND WHAT HAS TJ BUSH DONE TO MAKE YOU THINK HE IS READY?

“It is unusual for any freshman to come in and have a chance to play, let alone up there at that position because of the physicalness. The thing that makes him unique, one, he’s a talented individual, but he has great strength for a young person but also he understands the game of football. He has been coached really well. He knows technique. Typically a young person, they hit a wall and they don’t know how to push through that wall and he has a great maturity about him to push through. It has been impressive. He’s been running with the 1’s basically ever since spring. He’s done a fantastic job. He’s got a great mindset. He’s going to be really, really, really good for us.”

WITH CLASS STARTING, DOES YOUR MIND START THINKING ABOUT FILLING THAT STADIUM AND HOW EXCITING THAT WILL BE?

“Not yet. I just look at the injury report and don’t know if we will be able to show up. We know that’s coming. As a coach, you are so focused on are you getting ready for that. I think once we get closer to next week, we are still 10 days out, I think once as a coach you feel like you are ready for that then I will feel better about that. We are not ready for that yet so your whole mindset right now is thinking about what do we have to do to get ready for that. We will be. Once that happens, then I will feel good about it and then maybe start dreaming about that a little bit and looking forward to running out there and all those things. Right now, we are solely focused on this.”

HOW DEEP HAVE YOU GOTTEN INTO BOWLING GREEN AT THIS POINT?

“We did a spring and a summer plan for them, multiple teams, but today will be basically an introduction for them. We will have an introduction today. Then, every practice going forward will be geared towards them and getting ready for that. Also, still developing our team. We will have it mixed where we are still doing things against each other that we need to do to develop our players, but the rest of the stuff will be geared toward the game plan and trying to put our best foot forward.”

“I want to remind everybody that we do believe we have the best home field advantage in Conference USA. Tickets are going fast. We are hoping for a sellout. I would encourage everybody that is listening that cares about Liberty, that cares about college football, we are going to have a great opportunity here with this team and what we’re building. You have a great opportunity to be a part of history, being the first time we are part of a conference. I encourage you to go out and buy tickets. We are selling them fast, selling them like hotcakes. Don’t take anything I say, we are going to be really, really good. Come out and I would encourage you to buy as many tickets as you can. We need as many people there to support this team and to support our University.”