Below is a transcribed couple of Q/As with Colorado tight ends coach Taylor EMbree, who was introduced formally to myself and other local CU media the other day on a Zoom conference call. Here's what he had to say.
Q: What's it like being back at Colorado for your first Power Five job?
Embree: “For me, this was a unique opportunity. I told myself I wasn’t going to leave where I was with the San Francisco 49ers unless a perfect opportunity came along, and to me this is as perfect as it gets. I grew up a Buff, shoot, I knew the Fight Song since second grade. My dad played here, my uncle played here, so to me, this is a unique opportunity because this is home for me. There’s a lot of pride and a lot of tradition I’m familiar with with CU. There’s not a place I’d rather start my coaching career than here.”
Q: On the recruiting trail, kids often mention how you will liken aspects of their game to George Kittle. How much do you find that and your NFL experience with a top TE in the league resonates with recruits?
Embree: “Some kids are picking places because they’ve got cool helmets or old tradition but what I’ve found is that kids who do their research and they look up the coach and who they’ve been with — those are the kids that I think (my experience with George Kittle) resonates more with because they understand why they're working with and who they’re trying to be. I think it goes both ways. Sometimes, they’re like ‘wow, you helped develop George Kittle’ but some other kids, it doesn’t really stick to them or matter as much. Usually it’s the ones who do their homework and understand that tight ends are a unique position. You’ve got to be good at run game, pass game and pass protection. In my mind, you need to know how to read the defense better than the QB does. It’s one of those positions where you want guys who are ready to learn. You want guys that are eager to develop and understand that it’s a process in developing. Usually, those are the guys that think it’s cool that I worked with Kittle.”
Q: What are your thoughts on your TE room, in particular Brady Russell, as well as the walk-on reinforcements you were able to recently enlist?
Embree: "I’ll say this. Right now, Brady Russell is one of those guys that you want in your room and need in your room. I say that from the standpoint that he’s a true competitor, he’s a true leader and I think he’ll really come out of his shell this year as a leader for the team. I’m happy with what I got. I think there’s a bright future for Luke Stillwell. He can be elite in the pass game and he’s hungry to learn the run game. We’ve got a bunch of guys transferring in and they all have got a chip on their shoulder. I like our freshmen we’ve got coming in, too. Louis (Passarello) is going to be really good — he’s a true wide and is all about football. I think Caleb (Fauria), when he gets healthy, he’ll be a weapon in the pass game. But what we’ve got in our room is true competitors. We’ve got guys that want to win and who are hungry to learn. I can work with that any day of the week, especially with where we’re at. What we’re doing is setting a mindset of ‘we’re going to out-tough the Pac-12.’ I’ll say this right now — coming from the NFL, watching the Pac-12, how you can win this conference is running the ball and getting after guys every single play. I’ve been in a system where that’s what we did for the last three years — get after guys every play and it starts with the tight end. With me, it’s a mindset. You’re going to go out there and make them feel you every play. We can go out there and set the tone for the offense. That’s what we’re going to be doing in our room.”
Q: Your dad joked recently that he misses coaching at CU, but he doesn't miss recruiting. How have you enjoyed your first taste of recruiting so far?
Embree: "I’m excited about it because I’m young. Now that I’m actually in the fire of this recruiting stuff, I get it. Once I get to a certain age I know I won’t be wanting to do it either. But for me right now, I love it. It’s building relationships at the end of the day. Recruiting has changed so much since my dad was coach here, with social media and even just the mindset of kids nowadays. They think differently. But at the end of the day it's all about building relationships and all about being honest with guys. I can tell you right now — there’s not a coach in college football that will develop guys and prepare guys for the next level like I can. That’s what I’m telling guys. I’m in this to develop guys and get them ready to play on Sundays.”
FIN
I like what I'm hearing from a recruiting perspective — Embree seems to have known right where to begin in terms of resonating with prospects and it's interesting to hear him say that there is a certain kind of recruit that really appreciates his NFL resume and that some, frankly, don't care that much.
In terms of the TEs room itself, there's a lot of positives there. Brady Russell could be primed for a breakout year and the walk-on contingent I think will brew some serious competition there. I'm just excited to see what fish Embree reels in off the line when this 2021 class is all said and done. He's a young, intelligent coach and I think landing a four-star prospect is not out of his reach whatsoever.
Q: What's it like being back at Colorado for your first Power Five job?
Embree: “For me, this was a unique opportunity. I told myself I wasn’t going to leave where I was with the San Francisco 49ers unless a perfect opportunity came along, and to me this is as perfect as it gets. I grew up a Buff, shoot, I knew the Fight Song since second grade. My dad played here, my uncle played here, so to me, this is a unique opportunity because this is home for me. There’s a lot of pride and a lot of tradition I’m familiar with with CU. There’s not a place I’d rather start my coaching career than here.”
Q: On the recruiting trail, kids often mention how you will liken aspects of their game to George Kittle. How much do you find that and your NFL experience with a top TE in the league resonates with recruits?
Embree: “Some kids are picking places because they’ve got cool helmets or old tradition but what I’ve found is that kids who do their research and they look up the coach and who they’ve been with — those are the kids that I think (my experience with George Kittle) resonates more with because they understand why they're working with and who they’re trying to be. I think it goes both ways. Sometimes, they’re like ‘wow, you helped develop George Kittle’ but some other kids, it doesn’t really stick to them or matter as much. Usually it’s the ones who do their homework and understand that tight ends are a unique position. You’ve got to be good at run game, pass game and pass protection. In my mind, you need to know how to read the defense better than the QB does. It’s one of those positions where you want guys who are ready to learn. You want guys that are eager to develop and understand that it’s a process in developing. Usually, those are the guys that think it’s cool that I worked with Kittle.”
Q: What are your thoughts on your TE room, in particular Brady Russell, as well as the walk-on reinforcements you were able to recently enlist?
Embree: "I’ll say this. Right now, Brady Russell is one of those guys that you want in your room and need in your room. I say that from the standpoint that he’s a true competitor, he’s a true leader and I think he’ll really come out of his shell this year as a leader for the team. I’m happy with what I got. I think there’s a bright future for Luke Stillwell. He can be elite in the pass game and he’s hungry to learn the run game. We’ve got a bunch of guys transferring in and they all have got a chip on their shoulder. I like our freshmen we’ve got coming in, too. Louis (Passarello) is going to be really good — he’s a true wide and is all about football. I think Caleb (Fauria), when he gets healthy, he’ll be a weapon in the pass game. But what we’ve got in our room is true competitors. We’ve got guys that want to win and who are hungry to learn. I can work with that any day of the week, especially with where we’re at. What we’re doing is setting a mindset of ‘we’re going to out-tough the Pac-12.’ I’ll say this right now — coming from the NFL, watching the Pac-12, how you can win this conference is running the ball and getting after guys every single play. I’ve been in a system where that’s what we did for the last three years — get after guys every play and it starts with the tight end. With me, it’s a mindset. You’re going to go out there and make them feel you every play. We can go out there and set the tone for the offense. That’s what we’re going to be doing in our room.”
Q: Your dad joked recently that he misses coaching at CU, but he doesn't miss recruiting. How have you enjoyed your first taste of recruiting so far?
Embree: "I’m excited about it because I’m young. Now that I’m actually in the fire of this recruiting stuff, I get it. Once I get to a certain age I know I won’t be wanting to do it either. But for me right now, I love it. It’s building relationships at the end of the day. Recruiting has changed so much since my dad was coach here, with social media and even just the mindset of kids nowadays. They think differently. But at the end of the day it's all about building relationships and all about being honest with guys. I can tell you right now — there’s not a coach in college football that will develop guys and prepare guys for the next level like I can. That’s what I’m telling guys. I’m in this to develop guys and get them ready to play on Sundays.”
FIN
I like what I'm hearing from a recruiting perspective — Embree seems to have known right where to begin in terms of resonating with prospects and it's interesting to hear him say that there is a certain kind of recruit that really appreciates his NFL resume and that some, frankly, don't care that much.
In terms of the TEs room itself, there's a lot of positives there. Brady Russell could be primed for a breakout year and the walk-on contingent I think will brew some serious competition there. I'm just excited to see what fish Embree reels in off the line when this 2021 class is all said and done. He's a young, intelligent coach and I think landing a four-star prospect is not out of his reach whatsoever.
