Perfect Fit
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On the potential NFL talent he’s working with at Clemson:
"Well, you know, I felt really good. We were very talented and I talked to Dabo when we were talking about having this opportunity to take this job, and he told me, he's like, 'Coach, you're gonna have the number one defensive line in the country.' So, I've seen that thus far. This spring guys are working really hard, and we don't even have Bresee out there or Tre Williams. I'm gonna be feeling good about myself, if I can keep them all healthy. I might be up for the defensive line Coach of the Year."
On putting on cleats and getting out on the field and doing drills:
"Yeah, well, Ruke doesn't know that I actually put on 80 pounds since last summer-- so I started a juice cleanse today, and I'm going to go vegan. So probably the biggest vegan in Clemson. But yeah, I'm gonna lose some weight. It's coming though. I'm going to put the cleats on. I can do a little movement, just not as much as I've done in the past, but I'm looking forward to it. It's funny that he [Ruke] would say that, of course. But yeah, I like to put cleats on out there and demonstrate. I'll do some little activation period, maybe some agiles, and some ladders. I may have like, one or two plays in me-- maybe run plays in between hashes-- and that'd be it."
On his plan after he arrived at Clemson:
"I spent the first month or so just getting to know my players. As a new coach, even though I'm a Clemson alumni, and these guys have heard my name before. It's really important that they get to know me as a person -- I get to know them as a person. That's where it starts. That foundation has to be built off of that person's relationship of love.”
“You spend about a month of doing that and then you can coach them hard. But if they don't have a level of respect, or have a personal relationship with you, then that can become tough if you come here trying to lay down the hammer. I just spent the first couple of months just really getting to know the guys. I ask them about their family life, where they're from, and those things are important, and it starts there-- just building that relationship. The guys are responding really well-- working really hard. I've challenged them in a lot of ways just to get technique and fundamentally sound."
On simplifying the defense to play faster-attacking football:
"The defense as a whole, I think Wes (Goodwin) and Mickey (Conn) have done a really good job of just kind of simplifying things that guys can play faster, just not putting too much on their plate. This defense is very complex, with a lot of different looks and so that's why they've been really successful over the years. I thought Brent did a really good job while he was here, but Wes is phenomenal. He's really, really smart.”
“I didn't know Wes. I've heard of him just because he spent some time in the NFL, so there are some guys who I know that I played with at Pittsburgh, and I've coached around that knew Wes, but when I got here, I was really just, you know, blown away. Great, great person, couldn't find a better person, but he is really smart. He knows this defense in and out. So, I have a lot of respect for him and he gained that respect from me in a matter of a couple of days -- just sitting in the meeting room with him and being able to observe and absorb some of the knowledge that he has, man, it's out of this world. It's outstanding."
On his decision to coach in college:
"What a transition coming from the pros and stepping into the college ranks, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity I had under Coach [Charlie] Harbison, and Coach Derek Mason gave me an opportunity to come to Auburn. I had some other NFL opportunities that were present at the time, and I had a really good relationship with Coach Mason. I met him when I was at the Tennessee Titans when he was a head coach at Vanderbilt.”
“Got into the college ranks and people warning me, guys that were in college and we're trying to get out of college comes to the pros, like, 'hey, man, you know, that recruiting is something else. 'I'm like I'm from a small town-- 62 people-- I have a lot of random conversations with people at Piggly Wiggly and IGA,’ so it can't be any different than that so I've adjusted to a really well.”
“The recruiting piece, I love talking to people and just trying to be my authentic self. I don't put on a front or show. I just like to show people who I really am and to know them as well and hear their stories. Because I've experienced so much in life, I thought I'll be the perfect coach because I've dealt with it all. You know, I didn't grow up in a household with two parents, and I experienced a lot of adversity. I lost my mom. I lost my grandmother-- all my parents are actually deceased. I lost my grandmother last year-- over the summer. So, I've experienced a lot here at Clemson -- my experience here [and] my experience in the pros -- as a player, and as a coach, and I felt it would be a great fit for me. I really gained the hearts of the players that I coached at Auburn, and they were so close to me that I had a conversation with them before I took this job to make sure they were going to be okay with me leaving. It was a really exciting opportunity for me, but in this business, man, you become not just a coach, but you become like these kids' parents or a very important person and part of their life. For me, it's been an easy transition and I'm loving it."
