Q. When they pitched the (indiscernible) position, they pitched that to you, how did you receive that and how has everything worked out for you?
JAYDON HILL: I looked at it more so as a team need, and with my skill set I feel like that I could come into that position and play pretty well.
Q. How has it worked out, do you think?
JAYDON HILL: I've embraced that role. I'm just still trying to fill it out. But I feel like I'm doing pretty decent at that position.
Q. What's the hardest part about transitioning?
JAYDON HILL: I would say things happen a lot faster as far as the urgency of getting lined up, urgency of getting a call to the cornerback, safety. It's not just you who has to call, you have to relay it to everybody. I feel that's the biggest, talking every play.
Q. What's the most satisfied or proud of what you've done so far?
JAYDON HILL: Probably just the position as a whole, just embracing the role because it's a lot more you have to deal with just besides covering a wideout. That's a lot easier said than done. But it's more so of just embracing the role as a whole. I feel that's probably the biggest thing.
Q. Making this move, has it improved your drafting, NFL Draft opportunities to show them you can play inside and you can play outside? Does that help your draft --
JAYDON HILL: Yes, sir, no doubt. I feel it shows more versatility. Like I said before, my skill set, I feel like I cannot just cover but I can do a lot more things. Yeah.
Q. Experience you did something (inaudible) Vanderbilt, speaking up ability to do that, is that something -- as much outside?
JAYDON HILL: I will say I feel like I always could get by screens and stuff like that, but it came with a lot of work, too. When I moved the position in spring, I struggled a lot. It kind of just came with reps. Repetition and I would say just out there with those wideouts every day just banging and defeating blocks. So it comes with just experience and reps.
Q. On that note, how much physicality does this position require. How do you feel you've done with that?
JAYDON HILL: You've got to take on blocks. I've got to take on linemen, pulling in linemen. It's not always fun. We don't always get the credit. But I make the gaps smaller for Shemar and Scooby to make the tackle. I love it. I love it for those guys.
Q. Alabama your best performance?
JAYDON HILL: I would say I played pretty decent. But I feel like I can play way a lot better. I feel like that was a decent game, I would say, for myself.
Q. You said you're still settling in there. What do you want to get comfortable with?
JAYDON HILL: Just being consistent at that position. I feel like that's like the biggest thing I've been harping on myself. Just being consistent throughout this whole year.
Q. The pass defense did a really good job against South Carolina. You were on the field last year with Rattler and anything you can take from that, model from that in terms of this...
JAYDON HILL: It's a totally different year. We gave them a good whipping last year in the Swamp. But totally different year, this year we're coming on the road, we're being tested. The statistics show that we haven't been that good on the road. So we have to put that behind us and come out and get this W.
Q. How do you feel the younger guys are developing in the secondary, start at freshman and safety, and Ja'Keem was out there, what kind of mentor are you trying to be to those guys?
JAYDON HILL: Like Bryce, Jordan, Ja'Keem, being out there with those guys, and I will say those guys are really mature. And they took that step as far as the urgency because that's the biggest thing we preach is urgency. As a freshman coming in, kind of laid back but you understand you're a play away from playing. Those guys are playing now and they were just in high school a couple months ago.
It's like the time is now and y'all are -- like, I'm a couple years older, but y'all are out on the same field as me playing on the same secondary, we have to be on the same page.
Q. (Question about quarterback sacks)
JAYDON HILL: Yes, sir.
Q. What's that been like?
JAYDON HILL: It's so fun. I really want me a sack so bad. I've come up short a couple times. That's another thing I've been trying to work, my pass rush moves, it's a lot different, blitzing.
Q. From that standpoint, we talked about you being fully healthy. How much faster do you feel you are, playing a position that requires you to be a little faster, how much faster do you feel you've gotten in the offseason?
JAYDON HILL: I would say explosive. I feel like I've gotten a bit more explosive as far as, like you said, just being healthy and having this full year of health and just working in the weight room with those guys -- Ed, Tiger, Coach Hocke -- just keep my body going.
Q. Is it getting low to the ground, your hips, what ways are you more explosive?
JAYDON HILL: Everything, as a DB we play knees bent the whole game. It's more so like every step, that twitch, it's like that's something we work on in the weight room, like in the off-times it's more so of just like -- like I said earlier, it comes with reps. It comes with you just keep doing it. Just explosive. It's really just that first step that's kind of like where I was like trying to catch back up on last year.
Q. Energy of defense and pressures and trying to get to quarterbacks. They have you blitzing from the slot and just the way that you guys put pressure on the quarterback. How much different is it than what you guys did last year?
JAYDON HILL: Coach Armstrong does a good job of scheming things up and putting us in the best position possible. And I would say it's a bit different. I feel like we pressure a little bit more this year. We have different ways of doing it. And it's fun to play in because anybody can blitz. He'll send corners. He'll send everybody.
Q. (Inaudible) coach you've ever been around?
JAYDON HILL: I would say Coach Armstrong (indiscernible) is one at all times -- probably on one right now.
Q. You said you embraced the role because of team need, but you came back from injury, you're starting last year at corner. Was there no hesitance whatsoever in your mind to kind of embrace this new challenge, and not look at it as a reset but maybe start new and embrace new challenge? There's no hesitance on your part whatsoever?
JAYDON HILL: No, no, because I look at it like star is different from corner, but you're still a defensive back. You know what I'm saying? For me personally, I feel I can play any position in the secondary. With this offer being offered to me to play star, it's like why not.
Q. (Indiscernible) some of these younger guys in the secondary just improve, everyone says in-game reps are so valuable. Now they have some experience. How much have you seen them grow?
JAYDON HILL: Night and day. I probably saw that big play Jock (phonetic) gave up, but then got the two big stops to get us off the field. That's grown-man football. That's that stuff we love to see.
With him being a young guy and not knowing, like, the impact he just had on that play, that's big. He don't even understand why we're so happy.
Q. Do you think it will click for him one day where he realizes maybe this is a turning point where it's indicative of how far he's come really?
JAYDON HILL: Oh, yes, most definitely he'll look back on this one day and, man, that was a big drive.
Q. Back to Armstrong, what's it like being coached by him on the sideline, because he's so fired up? But when it's time to break stuff down and get on the board, what do you feel like he does for you guys?
JAYDON HILL: I feel like Coach Armstrong, you're talking on the sidelines? One thing he does is he keeps us level headed. And I would say, he's big on one play, one drive. And he just -- he doesn't get too high, too low.
If you make a mistake on the field, how do we correct that, how can we make that not happen again. He makes sure everybody stays cool throughout and you still are like on your toes trying to make a play.
Q. Sounds like a couple guys would (indiscernible) say something to you guys if he doesn't like your energy or body language.
JAYDON HILL: Coach Armstrong does a good job of pushing buttons, I will say.
Q. How so?
JAYDON HILL: So for me, for instance, we were in walk-through before the game. He was like, let me know if you all don't want me to call man off on third down, if that's too much for you to cover. It's like, come on, Coach, that's something. He'll trigger you.
Q. Here's this guy, high energy and yet you're saying he's nice and calm, too. Kind of like a split personality?
JAYDON HILL: You've got to know him. You have to know Coach Armstrong. I will say he does a good job bringing energy. That's like the biggest thing as far as in our defense, he walks in the room, he is lighting it up instantly.
Q. You mentioned the obviously team's had trouble on the road, 1-7 since Billy came in. Has the approach changed much from, say, Utah to Kentucky to other games? Do you look back and say, I wish we would have done this or that to get more prepared? Can you pinpoint things that might have gone wrong in the preparation that might have contributed to these slow starts?
JAYDON HILL: I feel like it's not as big as we're making it seem as far as like what needs to be fixed. It comes down to us just executing and having the same passion and joy that we play with in the Swamp and taking it on the road and not coming out flat, coming out swinging instead of taking the hits. And I feel like that's probably the biggest thing.
It's not, we can say this, we can say that, but it's more so just us and just executing. I mean, it's a lot easier said than done, but we've got to do it.
Q. This is kind of a rubber match with Spencer for you. The Cotton Bowl, he was phenomenal in that game. Does that kind of show you his capability?
JAYDON HILL: Yes, Spencer Rattler, definitely, we came out the same year. Spencer definitely, he was one of the top players in our class. I've always known he was a good quarterback. He's very electric. He can get things going for his guys, and we've just got to do a good job staying disciplined doing our job as a defense.
Q. You were always number 23?
JAYDON HILL: Yes, sir.
Q. Do you have any familiarity with how Chauncey played the same position you are now?
JAYDON HILL: Yeah, yeah, when I was in high school coming out, Chauncey was a part of my recruitment. He used to hit me up a lot. I still talk to Chauncey still to this day.
Q. About this position at all?
JAYDON HILL: Yes. Sometimes. We talk ball.
Q. He made that move.
JAYDON HILL: But Chauncey was from safety to star?
Q. Cornerback to safety to star.
JAYDON HILL: Chauncey is really versatile. I feel like we kind of share some of the same traces as far as ability to cover, rush, do a lot of things. Chauncey, we talk ball a lot. He came down in spring, teaching me different things about the position and things like that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports