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IllustrateD volume 24, issue 5 19 f Sam linebacker, that suits him well. So now you've got to look at those two young guys (Gelen Robinson and Ja'Whaun Bentley) that we signed and say 'How do they fit into the equation?' Six-foot-2, 250 and 6-1, 240, how can we get those guys into the equation quickly? And I think Andy Garcia has value as a back- up and those other guys, they have some worth." Q. So how do they fit into the equation? Hazell: "I don't know yet." Q. As you look at your recruiting class coming in and what you saw in the spring, is there any- where else, besides at linebacker, that you feel like there's somebody or a group that could come in and play right away? Hazell: "I think you have to get those young cor- ners involved pretty quickly. They're big guys, they run well, and I think if you can put those guys in the two deep pretty quickly, then they'll play a lot for you. I really do. Because those guys are taking 115 reps per game because they are on all the special teams. You're going to need those other young corners." Q. And the specialist, Austin McGehee, proba- bly is one who might play early? Hazell: "It would be hard to beat out (Thomas) Meadows as a punter. I think he's done a nice job. I really do. "The kicking is something that we need to improve upon, a lot ... kickoffs as well as field goals. That's an area of a little bit of concern right now." Q. Can Meadows kick field goals? You have had him as your No. 1? Hazell: "He's kicking. He's got to get his speed up a little bit. His times are a little bit slower, which is a concern." Q. Is he the No. 1 kicker coming out of spring or is Paul Griggs? Hazell: "Neither. No. Neither one right now." Q. How will you define success in 2014? Hazell: "Do I have to answer that today?" Q. You don't have to. Is it as easy as wins and losses, or something you see? Hazell: "You know you're measured on wins and losses. You can say all you want all the good things that we're doing as a staff, but I'm no dummy. People look at one thing at the end of the day. We'll keep working the process." Q. A follow-up, how would you measure prog- ress then? Hazell: "We've made significant progress. The locker room is a much better locker room right now. You go in there and guys are hanging out, which is what you want to see, and having fun. It's not uptight. We've made progress in every area. I went through our academic watch guys (April 17) and recalculated where they are with 12 days of school left. Of the guys you have to keep an eye on, 14 of the 36 have 3.0 or better. Those are the guys you're concerned about. That's not even talking about the rest of the team. It'll be interesting to see if we hit the 50 mark of 3.0 guys. So we've made improvements in that area. You look at who's attending the study halls. The list used to be so long. You were just laboring all the time, calling this guy, calling that guy. All those things have gotten so much better. "But back to your point: What are we judged on? I know what we're judged on." Q. You've been here more than a year now, where is the area that the program needs to make more progress, a tangible thing, intangible, whatever. Is there a spot? Hazell: "There is." Q. Do you want to share that with us? Hazell: "Not publicly. I don't. No." Q. Do you have everything you need here? Hazell: "We're working on getting everything we need." Q. You'll go out this summer to talk to fans. What do you say to galvanize them, sell them on Purdue? Alumni, casual fans, the students … Hazell: "The big thing is 'we need you,' more so than anything else. We need our fans, the people who love Purdue and want to support our players for all they do. We need you. We understand that you want to see something special on the field and we'll give you something special. I believe that, I really do. I think our guys are going to play harder than they played last year. I think they're going to play smarter, and I think our execution will be way better. "I know it will be way better than what it was." j