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00:00and he's now Michigan's offensive line coach and we forgive him because he was Spencer Fano's
00:06offensive line coach for the entirety of his time at Utah Jim Harding joining us right now
00:11uh coach Harding welcome to the show thank you appreciate it well it's great sorry about that
00:17I uh I'm a little amped up here on a Friday it will happen from time to time um but
00:23I did I
00:23wanted to start here what are the Browns getting in Spencer Fano incredible human being uh obviously
00:32everything you see on film um you know I think that that that's obvious the athleticism uh play
00:39strength uh competitiveness but I think what the fan base will grow to know um I think you're getting
00:47a great person great family man somebody who's loyal um you know somebody that I think will
00:53represent the organization in a top-notch uh form and uh you know hopefully uh grows to be a fan
01:01favorite in this time there in Cleveland yeah tell us before we get into like a style of play and
01:05what
01:05you liked about him so much you mentioned like family man and some of the the character things
01:09that have really stood out to fans in the early process of getting to know Spencer what did you
01:13think of him as a just a person in general well the thing that you know I I hope uh
01:20people
01:20understand and believe all the you know his um passion his love for life frankly that is not a show
01:31whatsoever I mean this kid uh has a an incredible uh personality very engaging can control uh you know
01:41have have a room gravitate towards him but yet at the same time he can flip the switch and when
01:47it's time
01:47to be serious when it's time to sit down and and uh you know learn he can humble himself he
01:55you know
01:55I don't think this kid's going to come in with the ego I think he's going to be a a
01:59great addition to
02:00the room um somebody that you know veteran players are gonna you know as a first round draft pick I'm
02:08sure you know there are players out there that maybe come in with this uh notion that that they're
02:14you know the the greatest thing but I think Spence is is you know even though that personality is
02:20outgoing and and uh engaging he certainly uh like I said can can really read the room and understand
02:29that that he's got work to do and that you know frankly I think he he will I think he's
02:34going to be
02:34really successful coach Harding there was so much debate in the pre-draft process about whether
02:40Spencer can Spencer can stick at left tackle whether he should slide inside in the pros and
02:46and of course he did play left tackle as a freshman and then spent the rest of his career at
02:50Utah as a
02:51right tackle and there was he kind of got knocked by that but but from having to go from left
02:57tackle
02:57to right tackle by some of the draft community so can you walk us through the decision uh several years
03:03back after a you know sound freshman year of moving Spencer from left tackle to right tackle
03:09yeah and and I'm glad you asked this question because I I probably spent more time than I normally
03:15do with both he and Caleb I spent more time reading stuff on the mock drafts and and so I
03:21do um
03:22appreciate the question with the opportunity to kind of clear the air and really tell um you know
03:29your listening audience no different than what I told the scouts or GMs that that reached out on the
03:36process so yes he uh Spencer came in played uh played well started as a true freshman uh his first
03:43game in 2023 was at left tackle uh against the University of Florida at home um played you know
03:50no different than any freshman played with some growing pains and things like that but had every
03:56um you know intention that that was going to be where he ended up although in high school what
04:02he did play was uh right tackle and so uh we go into the 2023 bowl game and we had
04:10a um a right
04:11tackle opt out of the game uh somewhat last minute and um so I was gonna move um a kid
04:20by the name of
04:20Tanoa to right tackle and Tanoa just signed with the commanders but um and I said okay so that's how
04:28we're gonna go into this Vegas bowl and and uh that's that's how it's going to be and actually
04:32Spencer you know being a true freshman raised his hand in the meeting said coach rather than move
04:38Tanoa um what I played at least right tackle in high school it'll be easier for me to transition there
04:46um for this game than having him have to switch over and so um I really thought in the back
04:53of my mind
04:54okay well we have Caleb Blomu at this time being redshirted and he had only played left tackle in
05:00high school and I thought okay well this this yeah this will work for the bowl game and let's just
05:06see
05:06how it works out and so um you know there is no uh you know we had to move Spencer
05:14because Caleb's a
05:15better better left tackle or the the notion that um we had to move Spencer because Caleb wasn't
05:24able to play right tackle those two kids are interchangeable in my opinion uh I felt that
05:30it gave us the best opportunity to be successful both in the 24 and 25 seasons uh with Spencer at
05:37right uh Caleb at left but if you went back through our spring ball practices our fall camp
05:44they both cross-trained uh at both sides uh because of this very um you know this very situation where
05:53you know what there's a strong chance in my mind at that time that these two kids are really special
05:59they have an opportunity to go play at the next level um they you know I believe in cross-training
06:04kids as it is but um there's there's film of them playing opposite sides in one-on-one pass rush
06:11and
06:11team drills um through our camps but again I just felt the way that our uh offensive blinds were
06:21were comprised those these last two years that gave us the best chance to be successful and
06:26and we did play at a high level but it is in no way a reflection and this again what
06:32I told
06:33going back to what I said at the beginning I told scouts told GMs I think both of them can
06:38play both
06:38sides it's not a reflection that I have less confidence in one or the other it um it's completely
06:45just my gut feel on what allowed the University of Utah to be the most successful the past two seasons
06:51okay so that's interesting and when you say you you cross train uh obviously that just means you
06:55spend time with both of them going on each side but like how much time in any given season then
07:00would you have Spencer over on the left side doing some of this cross training
07:03and practices etc once we got into essentially breaking for game one prep we would no longer cross
07:13train uh so when I speak about that like spring ball practice those 15 practices maybe the first 10
07:20practice as a ball camp you would see you know the offensive line be a little bit shuffled just so
07:26if there was uh injuries throughout the course of the season there was at least a frame of reference
07:31that okay these kids at least have played another position to be able to put the best five players
07:37on the on the field at the at a given time if there were injuries so um but once we
07:42got closer to the
07:43first game and even into the season they would not flip once once that took place unless they jumped
07:51in both those kids they might jump in a one-on-one pass rush and take a rep on the
07:55other side but
07:56uh in a team setting once we broke essentially fall camp uh they were they were on their normal
08:03playing their normal positions former Utah O-line coach now Michigan's offensive line coach Jim
08:08Harding on the make it right call Kyle Wright hotline breaking down uh Spencer Fano the number
08:14nine pick in this year's draft by your Cleveland Browns so uh I guess we have to get into the
08:19arm
08:19length debate here and uh Spencer has said the Browns measured his arms uh that at least one other
08:27team did it came out 33 inches on the dot the scouting combine uh shorted him about seven-eighths
08:33of an inch here that's what was what's kind of as as somebody that coaches these guys every day what's
08:38your response to the arm length debate and the idea that Spencer might not have the appropriate arm
08:43length to play left tackle in the pros well um again I appreciate you asking me that question
08:50because that was something that I would have to talk about with with the scouts that would come through
08:55Salt Lake all I can say is um and I get the measurables uh are very important at that level
09:04I get it um but all I would ask is that they turn the film on and see what um
09:11the kid was able to
09:12accomplish and so I don't I honestly don't know what exactly his uh his arm length uh uh
09:20you know settled at or what the final verdict is or anything I just know the kid's a a dang
09:25good
09:26player um you know he has developed a a very consistent um ability to be able to get his hands
09:36inside and pass pro um through countless reps on film um and you know whether that's initially missing
09:46with the aiming point which is you know I don't want to get into my belief in technique nobody really
09:52wants to listen to that and so um but at the end of the day he consistently is able to
09:58get his hands
09:58inside and pass pro and so um you know that again to address the question um directly I just you
10:09look at
10:09the film I think the kid's a dominant player um and I I think that the kid all the the
10:16the intangibles
10:17that I think the city of Cleveland and Cleveland fans are getting you know to know this kid all those
10:25intangibles check the box and I think he's going to be a really good player uh for the organization
10:31I I firmly believe that is there anywhere on the line you wouldn't feel comfortable the Browns putting
10:36him out I know it I know at the um at the combine he was snapping and things like that
10:43that that would
10:44be the only thing because he's never done it again now he you sit on the uh the board you
10:50watch film
10:51he knows all the assignments but to actually for those players that have played that position at that
10:56level there is a learning curve there that's pretty steep that would be the only thing not because he
11:02couldn't do it it's just that he hasn't had a much uh that much experience at it so you know
11:08I have
11:09you know if Cleveland bumped him inside if that's what they decided to do or left them at left or
11:15I'm
11:15sorry left them at right or moved him I he'll he'll do really well the center thing would be
11:20things that he's just got to spend extra time on because the the skill to snap and then get your
11:28hands
11:28in the proper position as an offensive lineman from that unique uh skill set that takes a little
11:34bit of time can he do it yes is there enough patience and time for him to do it that's
11:40hard
11:40for me to answer not knowing exactly where Cleveland's at but in terms of their their room and things like
11:46that but I have no doubt he could eventually do it that would be the one thing like off the
11:50jump
11:51I'd be like uh he's gonna he's gonna have a little bit of a learning curve at that position more
11:55so
11:56than maybe one of the other ones coach Harding uh once upon a time the Browns had a pretty darn
12:01good
12:01offensive line and then age got to him injuries got to him in the last couple years we just haven't
12:08seen that that same offensive line that same level we're used to and as a matter of fact this this
12:12offseason they brought in about seven or eight new offensive linemen so as somebody who is I mean you
12:17weren't just at Utah the last couple years you you were at Utah for over a decade running the
12:21offensive line what's the key to getting the O-line right and being able to build that sustainably
12:28over multiple seasons well I I think in every position coach probably feels this way but you
12:36know having a continuity much amongst the line uh is is uh the number one thing that needs to take
12:45place once you can get those five guys uh identified and then thus working together um at a high level
12:53efficient level uh that's that's the key uh and I think once that takes place um you know kind of
13:01everything else falls into place and and I don't I don't know if uh you did the reason but I'm
13:07a huge
13:07like I'm a childhood Cleveland Browns fan so this is more of a uh a personal um uh even though
13:14you did
13:15take the shot earlier about being a Michigan O-line coach um I did hear that on the introduction but
13:20um I just think there you know I agree with you when uh when they had those things rolling
13:27there was a a continuity in that offensive line that they were fortunate enough to hit it right
13:33with some young players that that uh developed together uh had that cohesion and so you know a guy
13:42like Spencer going back to the reason why the the phone call I think he can be that guy that
13:48again
13:49he's he's going to come in with this mindset and I've I've said this to anyone that'll listen he's
13:54going to he's going to gravitate towards whomever those leaders are in that room and he's going to
13:59want to try to pick everything he can from them to make himself a better player and those are the
14:08type
14:08of kids in my opinion that can end up being a foundational piece for the offensive line and
14:14and you know him being a rookie he's gonna he's gonna have you know some growing pains just like
14:20every uh positional player that's a rookie but I do think that this kid is somebody that you know
14:27can build that that room back to being a dominant position for the organization just because of his work
14:35ethic certainly is his skill set but just the type of kid he is Jim I get the impression with
14:41the
14:41cross training and everything we've discussed that you you like to move people along the line and you
14:46like to be flexible with this uh whether the Andrew Barry has that philosophy he likes to move people
14:51all over and if he takes someone as a guard he'll move them in other spots as a right tackle
14:56he'll move
14:56to other spots you've been doing this for a million years and for a very long time do we as
15:01a public
15:01overrate the idea that if like let's say you're a right tackle you can just go and play left tackle
15:06over your left tackle you should just go and you can go and play right guard if needed do we
15:10over do
15:10we overrate how hard that is I think um it can be difficult for maybe certain people that in their
15:21mind
15:21hey I am the left tackle and they have conditioned themselves to almost not want to um be in another
15:31position and so I wouldn't say overrate it but and I don't I don't know Andrew Barry's philosophy I
15:39have not heard that but I do and like when I'm recruiting kids you know at this level I always
15:44talk about my job is to put the puzzle together I it is my job as the position coach to
15:50give you
15:51the tools to be successful that allows me to play the best five kids and even if that means that
15:56you
15:56might need to move I will help you be successful to allow the unit to be successful and so I
16:05think
16:05I wouldn't say it's overstated but um I don't think it's probably as difficult maybe some people feel
16:15so long as the players themselves are willing to buy into the concept that hey look we're moving you
16:22because this is what's best for the unit and you're going to be successful if not more successful
16:28in this you know positional uh change because it's going to make the team more successful and and you
16:34know notoriety all that sort of stuff um but it I wouldn't say it's overstated but I do feel it's
16:41it's a good philosophy to have to be able to to be interchangeable Jim we got about 45 seconds left
16:48here but since you shared you are a Browns fan uh give us your favorite Browns player in history
16:56Browns player favorite Browns player in history would probably be Webster Slaughter
17:03late mid 80s um I I don't want to bore the fan base with my fandom but uh let's just
17:10say those uh
17:12years back to back against Denver I didn't go to school the next day my dad didn't go to work
17:17the
17:18next day those were great times when when Cleveland was uh when they had it rolling back then it
17:24probably Webster Slaughter oh trust me I think uh they've just forgotten the fact you coached
17:29Michigan now coach great stuff we appreciate you appreciate your time and uh can't wait to see
17:34what Spencer can do here in Cleveland you bet thank you Jim Harding there Michigan offensive line coach
17:40former Utah offensive line coach
17:42you
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