Justin Wilcox talks about ACC Travel: Sleeping in a suite on a gigantic plane
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox made two notable comments during ACC Media Day on Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, about the extensive travel his team will face in its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
—1. The University of California travels on huge planes equipped with “lying-down suites” for the players.
2. The road trip is “not that big of a deal” and “not an excuse for not playing well.”
The first factor suggests that UC players, at least some of them, would be comfortable on road trips from east to west, and coaches can’t lead their players to believe that traveling will be a disadvantage.
The Bears will travel more than 2,000 miles four times for a non-conference game at Auburn (2,098 miles from Berkeley), ACC games at Florida State (2,267 miles), Pittsburgh (2,256 miles) and Wake Forest (2,309 miles), plus a UC trip to SMU (1,461 miles).
Although neither of the UC trips are back-to-back weekends, Stanford faces the same situation on the road against Syracuse (Friday, Sept. 20) and Clemson (Saturday, Sept. 28).
But it was not surprising that the trip became a central topic of discussion as media quizzed Wilcox during his three news conferences on Tuesday.
Wilcox’s most detailed comments about UC’s travel plans came during a final panel discussion with several members of the ACC media. Wilcox had this to say about the travel issue:
“For us, a big part of the transition as a program was, ‘Okay, logistically, how do we do this?'” he said. “Big picture, we’re a morning practice team anyway, so we’re a morning practice team. Big picture, we leave a day early. We have enough food and water and Gatorade for the flight. And our administration has been super helpful. We got the biggest plane that Delta makes, and suites where you can lie down. A lot of the guys have really comfortable seats, more comfortable than the chairs they sit in at home.”
When asked which players have access to the reclining suite facilities, Wilcox said, “It’s a meritocracy.” In other words, Jayden Ott won’t feel cramped.
“It’ll be a little longer, but we’ll have food and water. The plane is big, so we’ll get home. We’ll be OK.”
When asked the same question during a question-and-answer session with various members of the media, Wilcox said of the trip:
“The logistics have been a long time coming. Our administration has been incredibly supportive, but from 10,000 feet up, we’re leaving a day early. We’re on a big plane, the biggest plane Delta makes, with big reclining suites so a lot of the players are going to be really comfortable. We, the coaches and administration, will sit in the back. We’ll make sure the players are well-fed, have Gatorade and water, and we’ll travel. We’ve got everything planned out for this week. We leave on Thursday, and when we get back, we’ll figure out what we need to do to make sure the players are healthy and fit.”
“The road trip is no excuse for not playing well.”
During his first meeting of the day with reporters, Wilcox sought to minimize the impact of the trip.
“We leave a day early, we have Gatorade, we have water, we have lots of food, we have a big plane,” Wilcox said. “We have tutors, we have study help. If there are tests we need to take, we have proctors. It’s all figured out, we’re not making 15 trips back and forth, so it’s not a big deal. We’re not making a big deal out of it. Will it be a longer flight? Sure. Will it be more mileage? Yeah. We’re not making a big deal out of it. Let’s play football. Let’s play a game.”
Wilcox’s goals for 2024:
“For us, our goal has always been to win the conference, and we know that playing meaningful games at the end of the year is essential to that. We also know that the conference is very competitive and has really good players, great coaches and a top-tier quarterback. What we need to do is have a great fall camp to accomplish one of those goals, and we’re looking forward to that. We have a good team returning and some talented players, so we’ve got to make the most of it.”
Wilcox talks about Jaden Ott
“Jayden’s a phenomenal athlete. He can really run. He’s made a lot of big plays for us. He can run, he can catch and he can return. We’re going to make sure he gets a lot of touches on the ball. He’s going to be a big part of our success, but I’m really proud of who he is on the field and off the field as well. He’s done a really great job.”
Wilcox talks about QBs Fernando Mendoza and Chandler Rodgers competing for starting spot
“I’m really confident in our quarterback staff. We’ve got Fernando coming in and he did a great job as a junior last year. We’ve got Chandler coming in, who’s an experienced quarterback, and although they have different styles, I’m really confident in what they’re going to do going forward. They’ve both grown and done a great job over the spring and summer, developing their skills and leading the team, which is really important at this position. We’re really excited about this team.”
Wilcox also commented on the use of a microphone attached to the quarterback’s helmet to call plays and the use of approved iPads, which he said the Bears plan to take full advantage of.
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