TKR TV: OC Kirk Ciarrocca and DC Joe Harasymiak talk 2023 Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers Football Offensive Coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and Defensive Coordinator Joe Harasymiak talk with the media ahead of the upcoming 2023 Pinstripe Bowl matchup versus Miami.
OC KIRK CIARROCCA....
Q. Just something that sticks out for you about this group from, let's say, the summertime to now that you've been able to appreciate.
KIRK CIARROCCA: I think their commitment and how accountable they are to each other. Every day they give me an honest day's work. Every day they come out and chop. So I mean, I feel blessed to have a chance. I told them before the last game that it's been a really fun year for me, and they're the reason. How hard they've worked and how they all want to be coached. It's great. It's a lot of fun.
Q. Congratulations on the contract extension. Wanted to ask you about that, your reaction, and what went into you wanting to be here for the long haul.
KIRK CIARROCCA: I think, first of all, thank you. Second of all, I am just enjoying myself. We have a great group of guys to work with. I love being around Coach. I've always enjoyed talking to him, and working with him and pulling in the same direction with him right now has been a lot of fun for me. And the players, the culture that he has developed here, I love being around those players. They're energizing to me the way they come out every day and just keep chopping. What does it mean to me? I don't know. I mean, it's great to be wanted, I guess, but at the end of the day we all have a job to do, and we know we get judged on how we perform on Saturdays, so I don't get caught up in all that other stuff. But I'm enjoying myself. Really having a great time and look forward to us getting this program where we all want it to be.
Q. Just talk more about the development of Kyle Monangai and the season he has had this year leading the Big Ten in rushing. Just your thoughts on his efforts this year.
KIRK CIARROCCA: He's really done a great job. I think that really developing, I think you have to give Coach Shaw a lot of credit, and then you have to give him the credit. Then if you are going to give somebody else the credit, you would talk about the offensive line and the tight ends blocking. He's really developed. He's always been a very intelligent player, but it's one thing to know information. It's another thing to be able to apply it to the particular play. He's done a great job with that. I think that he probably grew a lot from watching himself the year before and seeing what worked for him and what didn't, what allowed him to be at his best. He ran violently this year, and besides his intelligence and his vision and all that, I think that's something that he needs to make sure that he just keeps doing. He's worked really hard in the weight room. J.B. has done a great job there. But again, give him the credit. You have to do the work, and he's always willing to do the work. So super happy for him. He's a great kid, and all the accolades he is getting he deserves.
Q. You guys hosted a transfer portal quarterback this weekend on a visit. I know you can't speak specifically about the prospect, but the fact you guys are pursuing a quarterback out of the portal, what does that mean for Gavin Wimsatt?
KIRK CIARROCCA: I think that's something that you need to talk to Coach about. Obviously I can't comment on anybody that's not signed. Gavin is just going to keep working hard and keep getting better.
Q. Can you kind of just talk about what you saw fromthe offensive line throughout the course of the season? And kind of Coach Schiano talked a lot about being an incremental progress those guys made. Where do you feel like this unit can go next season and where do you feel like improvements need to be made for them to be successful and for your offense to be successful?
KIRK CIARROCCA: I think the improvement is like the offensive linemen are chasing the holy grail. You can always have lower pad level. You can always have better footwork, and you can always have better feet with everything you do. So you're always talking about they have to be lower, they have to have their hands inside better, strike better with it, but they did make tremendous improvement. The kids just kept working and working, and our run schemes, it's not a deal where you memorize who you're blocking. You've got to understand the concepts and what the reactions are to the defense. And I think when people first learn anything, they memorize it first, and then they start to understand it, and then they master it. Those guys definitely went from memorizing to understanding it, and that will help them play better. Now hopefully as we move forward they're going to be working on mastering it, which will allow them to play even a little bit better. But Coach Flats has done a great job. Again, you can be the greatest coach in the world, but if you don't have a willing pupil, it's hard. Those kids have done a great job. They've been eager from the first day we got here to learn and to learn how we want to do it here and how we want to play now. Again, the kids, I give them a lot of credit because they were kind of a group that was -- the perception of that group maybe when I got here wasn't the greatest, and they've battled through adversity. Every time they've been knocked down, they were able to get back up again and keep learning. So I'm super proud of them and glad to see that people are recognizing that we had the leading rusher in the Big Ten, and he can't do that by himself. But I'm also excited about where they can go in the future.
Q. I heard you say before earlier, obviously, you're ultimately judged by what you guys do on Saturday. Just wanted to hear your thoughts about your own assessment of how the offense went this season and how you would kind of grade yourself.
KIRK CIARROCCA: I think, first, you look at the season is not over yet, but what I always do every January is I sit down and as I start to watch the cut-ups, I think, did we get these guys to play to their ability level? To be honest with you, it's never been yes, 100%, but some teams are a little bit -- you get them a little closer to their ability level than other teams. That's really kind of my scoreboard, is how I try to look at things. I am going to be judged by my superiors based on how many points we score and how many games we win. I know that, but I'm not going to judge myself like that. So it's really going to be more in January. Did I come here to go 6-6? No. Okay? I'm not fully committed to anything that could be 6-6. I came here to win championships and to build an elite-level offense, and we're not there yet. Am I proud of the progress we made? Yes, I am. Am I proud of the way the kids have responded? Yeah, I definitely am. But I also know that there's a long way to go to get to where we want to be and where I plan on taking them when I came here. Better? Coach says it all the time. Better is a relevant term. So we have a long way to go, but I am proud of what they've accomplished. I'm proud of what we accomplished as a team and a program. But at the same time I think there's a lot of meat left on the bone, and I told the guys that after the Maryland game. I'm not -- I'm disappointed, but I'm not discouraged, and I'm excited about where we can go because I see what we can do, and you're going to go to your position meetings right now, and you're going to see it too, how we can get better. At the end of the day, that's really what chopping is all about, is making sure we get better every single day. That's what we control. And again, Coach has done a great job with the culture here. These kids believe that, and they put the action behind those words every day. So we'll get there when we get there. Look, I wanted -- I wanted it in the Northwestern game, you know, but it wasn't there. I've been doing this long enough that you see signs at different times that you're moving in the right direction, and there reaches a point where you know, you absolutely know you're moving in the right direction and it's going to happen. You don't know exactly when, though, but you know it's going to happen. It's not if. It's when. When they're ready, it happens.
Q. Can you assess the season performance of Gavin Wimsatt? And where do you think he is in his overall development as a quarterback?
KIRK CIARROCCA: I think Gavin is a guy that's come a long way since January. He has improved every day. I think Gavin, if he was sitting here right now, would tell you that he needs to be more consistent with it, but like any young quarterback, he had some highs, and we had some lows, and then we had where we were just kind of in between that with it. For me it's normal growing pains that you see in a young quarterback. The important thing is that he just keeps working hard and keeps learning from his mistakes and moving forward. He has a ton of ability. So we just need to see how he continues to grow.
Q. Kirk, Gavin had the lowest completion percentage among qualified FBS quarterbacks this season. Did his accuracy struggles impact you, what you can call, and just did it limit the offense?
KIRK CIARROCCA: I don't know. I don't think that's really relevant. I think what -- offensive football is the ultimate team game, and there's 11 guys that are totally interdependent upon each other. That's why when you see really good offensive football, it's a beautiful thing to watch, but one guy is a little off here or one guy is a little off there, I mean, it can be ugly to watch, hard to watch sometimes. So I wouldn't say anything is one particular player's fault that we played a certain way or how we did it. I think that as an offensive coordinator I think one of my strengths is I look at what the strengths and weaknesses are of the players that we have and try to mold things around their strengths and limit their weaknesses. Then you also try to think about what's the whole team? I think Coach is one of the best I've ever been around at being able to assess an opponent and have a picture for how he feels like the game needs to go. I always relate it to a boxing match. It's going to be a boxing match. How do you want the fight to go in order to give yourself the best chance to win that particular fight? Do you want to pin this guy against the ropes? Do you want to dance around the ring? I think Coach is as good as anybody I have ever, ever been around, and that was one of the things I learned being with him the first time is the whole idea is to win the game on Saturday. We don't get anything extra for having way more yards than somebody else or anything like that, but it's nice. Believe me, I'm not giving them back. But we have to score one more point than our opponent. And I wouldn't say it was -- every position, every area, everybody needs to grow for us to get to where we want to, including me and our coaching staff. We've got a great coaching staff, but we understand that. We're all learning every single day, and that's what's going to help us become the best we can be.
Q. You brought in a lot of wide receivers in this freshman class. We saw Ian Strong and a few guys a little bit, but having to work with them over the course of the season, what kind of role do you expect those guys to play next year in this wide receiver group?
KIRK CIARROCCA: I'm really excited about the young wide receivers we have in our program. I was just talking with Coach Brock the other day about it, and they're at a certain point right now, and they keep getting better and better, and you got to see a couple of them. A couple of them had some injuries as the year went on, or you would have seen them too. It's where can we get them by next September? That's what our mindset has -- we had a great seven practices, developmental practices leading up to now, and I saw growth there, but we're going to need to sit down in January and really put together a great plan for how can we get them to where we need them to be by September of next year. But I'm really excited about their talent, excited about their work ethic, and just see where they can go. I do think we have a chance to have some special players at that position. I'm sure of it. I just don't know when, but we need to be there by September.
DC JOE HARASYMIAK....
Q. Your thoughts as a young man who grew up in Waldwick to be coaching at Yankee Stadium. Your overall thoughts and excitement?
JOE HARASYMIAK: Yeah, I guess I have to start with I'm a Met fan. My grandfather was actually a ticket taker at Ebbets Field, so we're National League all the way. It will be cool, though. I used to go with my friends, were all Yankee fans. Certainly the history there and everything that's there, so it will be a lot of fun for sure.
Q. You had five defensive starters already announce they're coming back for next year. How big is that, and what kind of role did you play in talking to them kind of about their future to make that decision?
JOE HARASYMIAK: I think it's a huge just point for the program, where we're headed. I think when good things are going on, you have a great environment, everybody wants to come back. That's credit to Coach Schiano. I didn't really have anything to do with that. I certainly will answer questions if they ask and give them my opinion. But I think those guys are smart enough where it didn't really get to that point. They had conversations with Coach Schiano. And I'm certainly happy that they're coming back, and I think it bodes well for the future. I think it speaks volumes to what we have going on here with the kind of culture we have and everything kind of staying on the rise. I'm super excited about it.
Q. Just your thoughts about this unit overall this year, especially up front, defensive line. You guys have been, again, one of the top in the nation. Just your thoughts about how well this group has gelled this year. And what does it say about the development of these players this year, how they bought in?
JOE HARASYMIAK: I this I going from year one to year two, Coach talks about kind of like Game 1 to Game 2, that being your biggest stride. Certainly getting a lot of people back, a lot of experience came back. Especially up front. That allowed us just to kind of keep progressing and taking the next step. I think Big Ten football experiences is key. We had a lot of guys that had the thousandth snap club, which we kind of talk about. We have a lot of guys that are in that. When you get into those situations that we ran into this year, I think we're more experienced, and it doesn't surprise us as much as more on the field. I would say the experience helped us out. It always starts up front. I joke with everybody that's not the Little Ten. It's the Big Ten. Our D-line has paved the way for us stopping the run and creating opportunities in the pass game. It starts with them. Credit to the coaches that helped them with that. We have one more here that we have to get after the quarterback and get after the run game, so I'm looking forward to that.
Q. I'm glad you're moving on to some great teams in the Big Ten. Talk about Miami. What do you see in the Miami, their offense? I know they don't have a great quarterback. They had a transfer to Wisconsin. You'll probably see him next year. What do you see in their quarterbacks?
JOE HARASYMIAK: As an outfit they're extremely well-coached. I think the O-line is one of the better coached groups that we're going to go against. Then certainly they're extremely explosive. I think they're up there with -- of the teams we played, I think up close to Maryland in terms of explosive plays over the year. For the quarterback position, obviously the two guys that have been around and played this year aren't going to be there, but certainly the guy that is expected to start has a lot of talent. Reminds me of some of the guys that we played this year. So we're going to have to be ready. They're going to want to establish the run, and it always kind of ends up with establishing the run offensively and stopping the run defensively, and then the game plan kind of goes from there. They're extremely talented. We'll have a challenge on our hands, so.
Q. I know I mentioned back in the CAA back when you were a coach at Maine, what did you learn from that trip being a head coach to where you are today?
JOE HARASYMIAK: Probably the most just about managing people. In Maine you're hands-on everything. There's probably about ten Maine staffs here that make up one Rutgers staff. You have to have your hand on everything. That just taught me time management and the management of people. Because I think it always comes down to the people. That's probably what I learned most up there.
Q. A couple of things. Reportedly you were a finalist, a candidate for the James Madison head coaching job. Obviously you've since signed a contract extension with Rutgers. I'm wondering if, A, can you confirm if you interviewed with them, and, B, why did you ultimately decide to extend your contract with Rutgers?
JOE HARASYMIAK: I think the way I'll answer that is being a head coach was a great opportunity for me when I was young. I was 29, and I got that chance. But on the second part of your question, I think for me I believe in this place. I believe in the people that run it. Coach Schiano especially. I believe in the people we have. Every decision I've ever made in my coaching career when me and my wife started this whole adventure was we were going to make a decision based on the people, and if we do that, we should put ours in a good situation. I believe we have a great situation here. I'm excited that I was given the opportunity obviously to sign that, and I'm excited about this game and being where my feet are and doing those kinds of things. I'm just grateful that Coach Schiano gave me the opportunity.
Q. I was going to ask the same exact thing, but in a little different way. Similarly, can you just say that if you were a candidate for that James Madison job? I wasn't sure if you answered that directly.
JOE HARASYMIAK: Listen, I'm the defensive coordinator at Rutgers, and I'm really excited to be the defensive coordinator at Rutgers. My job is to stop Miami, so that's what we're going to do.
Q. Aaron Lewis said a couple of weeks ago that he felt like he didn't play up to his capability level this season, that he feels like there's more for him production-wise going into next year, and that really was a big reason why he decided to come back. What have you seen from him this season, and what steps do you want him to continue to take going into 2024?
JOE HARASYMIAK: You said A. Lew? Certainly I think we all have expectations, right, and anyone that's competitive you never live up to them. You always want to do better. That's him being probably a little bit harder on himself because everybody looks at production, but I actually watch the tape. I know that at times he wanted to play better, and I know there's a lot of things that offenses do because he's so productive, and we have to do a better job around him. I have to do a better job putting him in situations to be successful. I know we'll do that certainly now that we've had a little bit more time to self-scout and study over the first 12 games. I wouldn't expect him to think any differently. He's the heart and soul of what we do. When he plays hard, we play hard. When he is vocal and leading, everybody kind of follows. I'm super excited to have him back. He's a guy that could have went. A lot of guys could have went, but I think, again, everybody believes in this place, and that's powerful because you have to have a belief in what you do because if you don't, you don't have any shot. I'm proud of him. It hasn't been the easiest of years from many standpoints, and he kept fighting, and I know he is going to show up in the bowl game.
Q. As far as the impact of Mohamed Toure as well as Aaron Lewis, can you talk about the importance of those two guys on your defense, especially going into this bowl game? And from a personal standpoint, I hear you mention that you're a Mets fan. They've had their fair share of wins at Yankee Stadium. What are some of your favorite memories of Mets games at Yankee Stadium?
JOE HARASYMIAK: More important question. Mo and A. Lew, you feel them when they play. I tell the defense all the time they should be able to turn on the coach's tape and see how hard we play. When there's no noise, how hard do you look? Like today they were fresh. Our practice today was legit. They were getting after it. That was really good to see. We kind of -- your best players set the tone, and when they're kind of down or they're not feeling well, you feel it. The best way I can describe is I always feel them. I'm looking forward to that. You know, for me it would just be we used to have a couple of season tickets at Shea Stadium and used to sit in the left. My dad worked in the city, so we would rotate between my brothers who would go out and kind of meet him there on the subway at the 7 train. Just being there with my dad and just experiencing that and being fortunate enough to have that opportunity. Then I would probably say the greatest memory? I was at the Robin Ventura walk-off Braves grand, I guess, single in the rain when I was a younger kid. So probably something like that was pretty cool.
Q. Joe, you guys have improved each year as a defense since you've been here. To do it in year three to have so many guys back, how much of that compounding coaching of these guys all this time together, how much do you think that will help? I guess what do you see as the ceiling for this team, for this defense? How good could it be?
JOE HARASYMIAK: I think just looking at this year, like year one to year two, we have a lot of those same guys back. I also think it speaks to Coach Schiano about keeping the staff. I mean, I think that's incredibly hard nowadays in college football. Credit to him and credit to the administration for allowing us to do what we need to do to keep everybody here. Right now I'll get excited about your three after we go win a game. I've got to catch myself thinking about it for sure because I am excited because everybody is back, and everybody is posting every other day. I don't know why we just can't say we're back, and we have to do this, but I get it. I'm excited, man. I'm excited about right now them being back and being where my feet are and going to attack this game. Being back with them today really in our first bowl prep practice was awesome. Getting off to the road recruiting, it's not the same as coming back and forth and doing all this stuff, so I'm super excited about right now.
Q. What has stood out to you about this group since the summer and what they've done for you all year long?
JOE HARASYMIAK: I think probably not -- what I've noticed is just when you are on a good team, you have a good culture. And I think when I first got here, I was learning it. And anytime you take a new job, you feel your way through things, but fortunately for me, I came into a culture that I kind of had already been a part of because I worked for someone that worked for Coach. I kind of knew what that was all about, but the standard and the expectation that's here holds you to an even higher level. It's just says the buy-in is incredible. That's how I would answer that. It's just anything you ask them to do, they're going to do. That's not always like that everywhere. It's a credit to how Coach runs it, a credit to the belief they have in us as coaches. And, again, I think it goes back to when Coach talks about the pipeline, recruiting and the years that comes with that. When you get people in year four, year five that are in this building, they're all here for one reason. That's for each other. Then when that happens, that's when the wins start to happen and all the great things start to happen. So we're kind of in that ascension right now, and I truly believe in it. I think that's the biggest thing for me that I've seen in this maturation process. No one here doesn't believe in it. If there are, they're hiding it pretty well because it's pretty hard to hide in this culture. I'm just appreciative of all they do and how hard they work and, ultimately, that I get the opportunity to be with them every day
Q. You guys have had a lot of success in bringing transfers on the defense and them having immediate success at Rutgers developing. Guys like Flip Dixon, Mayan, and the list goes on. When you are recruiting guys now out of the portal, is that a benefit for you guys to say, hey, we've brought guys here, they've done really well, you could be the next guy to do that?
JOE HARASYMIAK: Yeah, I think that speaks to, first of all, with what you're saying. The recruiting department does a great job identifying talented players, but then what we do such a good job of here and it comes from, again, the top-down is we really invest in getting to know you. Coach talks about if you don't love football, this ain't the place for you. So those two guys just speaking about Eric and Flip, those are the two guys that have the biggest impact. They love football, like Isaiah Iton loves football. That was the number one thing we kind of look for. Whatever that ends up being in the future with whoever we end up recruiting, that's the number one thing for me. Do you love it? Because nowadays everything that goes into recruiting you kind of sometimes lose sight of that, and you can get caught off guard as a coach. I think that's what we really did a great job with last year is just coming together as a staff and identifying who loved it.
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