So you’ve basically moved coast to coast, from West Virginia to California and places in between. Are you used to it by now or is it still a big adjustment?
“I’ve actually gotten used to it. My wife does an unbelievable job at the moving process of it all and, you know, football coaches have habits and routines, and I have programmed myself where I kind of have that mapped out and make sure we keep operating at a high level. But, I mean, I was laughing the other day because this July I just started unpacking, so I’m far behind there. But other than that, you get to a point where you can live efficiently, at home and in the office and over time it works itself out. There’s different battles and different cultures everywhere you go, but the biggest thing is finding out from a football standpoint how the university works, how they do academics, certain events and holidays, and just keeping the same philosophy intact overall.”
And how do you feel about moving to Texas State and San Marcos specifically?
“I actually love living here. When you have a day off, there’s just so many options for your family and friends to go and have a good time. I’ve always loved the Hill Country and that was one of the things that drew me here, so I’ve been enjoying every single moment I’ve been out here.”
So it seems like family is important for you, and your brother Zac is also working for the program. How is that so far?
“Do you think that Zac’s been a huge asset to this university, he’s well respected throughout the state which is great for me because he keeps it very professional, there’s a time when he’s my brother but once we step into the office he knows it’s all business from there. Zac’s done so many different schools, and he understands how this position works and how the alignment has to be correct at all angles of the program so I couldn’t be more pleased.”
So it seems like family is important for you, and your brother Zac is also working for the program. How is that so far?
“Do you think that Zac’s been a huge asset to this university, he’s well respected throughout the state which is great for me because he keeps it very professional, there’s a time when he’s my brother but once we step into the office he knows it’s all business from there. Zac’s done so many different schools, and he understands how this position works and how the alignment has to be correct at all angles of the program so I couldn’t be more pleased.”
Did your father being a head coach leave an impression on you?
“It started off with my grandfather who was in the NFL and a coach himself, and that kind of inspired my father to get into it and then finally myself. When you’re raised, you pretty much want to be your father, and really now I can’t picture myself doing something else. I just love the competitive fire of developing a program and constantly trying to work and improve and recruit and every day trying to make your team better to compete at a high level.”
Head coaching is also new for you. How has it been filling those shoes?
“It’s more organizational. It’s kind of just making sure that everything runs the course. You kind of take on new adventures, new challenges and see where you can put yourself to work to be most beneficial for this team. And that to me is making sure we’ve got everything from our nutrition going right to making sure our daily operation is being maximized and these kids are getting as many resources as possible to make them the best version of themselves. I have a great coaching staff, so I feel comfortable with letting them do their jobs, which allows me to go work at the deficiencies we have within this program. You can’t really get experience as a head coach until you are one, and so you’ve got to just keep getting better at it.”
We’ve had a lull in Texas State sports, but obviously the team has still been working. What’s your game plan been for the summer?
“College student athletes are off for the month of May, so our team got back in June, and we got four weeks of summer conditioning before I gave them the Fourth of July week off. Then they have three more weeks of conditioning and then we report for fall camp on July 30, so it’s coming up around the corner.”
You’ve probably answered this a million times, but what are your plans for the upcoming season?
“I just talked to the team about this, actually. I told them there’s a lot of unknowns about us and obviously we haven’t won here in the past and that’s the expectation that a lot of people have for us throughout the country. It really doesn’t matter what anybody thinks about us as long as every day we continue to improve, be the best versions of ourselves and get better as a team and that’s all I’ve been asking is for progress every single day. Where we were at six months ago to where we are now is night and day, and now we have to keep building off of that and we have to play together. I look at what they were last year, losing four games within a touchdown and that comes down to playing together and playing smart football. If we want to change our results of what has happened in the past, then we have to do things differently than we’ve ever done before. That’s what I challenge them to do every day.”