We just finished up last Friday with our spring gm. Since the day I walked in the door guys welcomed me with open arms and doing new things and gravitated towards it. We didn't put up bold statements, we just wanted to coach up our guys and set their hearts and minds up for our culture. Throughout the spring intensity and attention to detail was a bit new to them. We had a couple of injuries we lost a DL and our center in a scrimmage, but we used our spring ball to the fullest. We are trying to increase the expectations on an everyday basis. A competitive spirit in the classroom, in practice and on the field. I'm excited about it, the spring game last Friday was great.
Our guys had never had a spring game in Nippert. Our guys have sacrificed a lot and we wanted to give them some excitement from the crowd and we got that.
ON THINGS FROM OHIO STATE BRINGING INTO UC
Number one thing is increased expectations and the way you do business. Don't be satisfied with average or mediocre. We don't have a bad team, we have a lack of leadership and they demand everyone live up to a certain level, it became okay to squeak by and be mediocre. Playing a B1G and it is okay not to win, we have a different mindset. That expectation won't let you settle for anything else. We won't except losing, everyone thinks that is the scoreboard, but it is more than that. You become that loser mentality and that becomes a habit and we want to squash and kill it. It makes everyone have to rise up.
ON THE ATHLETES RESPOND TO NEW LEADERSHIP
They've been great and had great attitudes. The ability to sustain that is something we have to grow. We have been very honest about it and they want it. To sustain that on a daily basis, that has been a rollercoaster in practice 7 or practice 12 and that Monday after a big scrimmage, you see a lull, you have to grow through that. The end of spring not having three weeks off anymore. That's not the way we do it. True leadership has to come in and has to be from us, it has to come from me and the coaches as we develop the young men.
ON DEVELOPING THE UC IDENTITY AND IS IT BASED ON OHIO STATE
I think it is different. It is not about where I was in the past. I'm 125-miles from there and they don't want to be compared to them, but there are a lot of things I've learned and expectations and the staff and the 18-22 year olds need the mindset. We don't use Ohio State as a reference, we just need them to buy in what we are doing, they just have to buy into us. Then we can set the standard. Whether it is me or other coaches from other places, we don't do something because someone else does. Media will reference and ask is that what you did there? This is what we do here, this is how we will do thing and we know it is successful.
ON THE RELATIONSHIP WITH HS COACHES THRU RECRUITING
To be honest the local area I didn't recruit Cincinnati, in my 17 years of coaching. I've never had this area. To build some relationships. I have some back from playing to wrestling in the state and travelled through HS, I have some connections with schools to enhance them and be face to face and that is something the old staff didn't do here. That has been well-received and the relationships you already had allows you to do it faster.
Our guys had never had a spring game in Nippert. Our guys have sacrificed a lot and we wanted to give them some excitement from the crowd and we got that.
ON THINGS FROM OHIO STATE BRINGING INTO UC
Number one thing is increased expectations and the way you do business. Don't be satisfied with average or mediocre. We don't have a bad team, we have a lack of leadership and they demand everyone live up to a certain level, it became okay to squeak by and be mediocre. Playing a B1G and it is okay not to win, we have a different mindset. That expectation won't let you settle for anything else. We won't except losing, everyone thinks that is the scoreboard, but it is more than that. You become that loser mentality and that becomes a habit and we want to squash and kill it. It makes everyone have to rise up.
ON THE ATHLETES RESPOND TO NEW LEADERSHIP
They've been great and had great attitudes. The ability to sustain that is something we have to grow. We have been very honest about it and they want it. To sustain that on a daily basis, that has been a rollercoaster in practice 7 or practice 12 and that Monday after a big scrimmage, you see a lull, you have to grow through that. The end of spring not having three weeks off anymore. That's not the way we do it. True leadership has to come in and has to be from us, it has to come from me and the coaches as we develop the young men.
ON DEVELOPING THE UC IDENTITY AND IS IT BASED ON OHIO STATE
I think it is different. It is not about where I was in the past. I'm 125-miles from there and they don't want to be compared to them, but there are a lot of things I've learned and expectations and the staff and the 18-22 year olds need the mindset. We don't use Ohio State as a reference, we just need them to buy in what we are doing, they just have to buy into us. Then we can set the standard. Whether it is me or other coaches from other places, we don't do something because someone else does. Media will reference and ask is that what you did there? This is what we do here, this is how we will do thing and we know it is successful.
ON THE RELATIONSHIP WITH HS COACHES THRU RECRUITING
To be honest the local area I didn't recruit Cincinnati, in my 17 years of coaching. I've never had this area. To build some relationships. I have some back from playing to wrestling in the state and travelled through HS, I have some connections with schools to enhance them and be face to face and that is something the old staff didn't do here. That has been well-received and the relationships you already had allows you to do it faster.