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Auburn HC Alex Golesh - Introductory Press Conference · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

0:21
We'll get started in just a moment. Some
0:22
comments from our athletic director,
0:24
John Cohen. First, just a reminder, if
0:26
you could please silence your cell
0:28
phones. Uh and uh after John speaks,
0:32
we'll have a photo opportunity with with
0:35
uh John and Coach Gooish up here in the
0:37
front. We'll follow up with some
0:39
comments from Coach Golish and then
0:41
we'll take questions. U questions will
0:43
be only from the media. Media members,
0:44
if you can raise your hands, we'll bring
0:46
you a microphone. Please for the benefit
0:47
of coach, identify yourself. Um and I'll
0:50
call on you moderate from the side and
0:52
we'll move through that. So thanks uh
0:54
again everybody being here. And with
0:55
that, I'll bring up athletic director
0:57
John Cohen. Get started.
1:05
>> War Eagle.
1:07
>> I'm still getting used to these things,
1:09
so I'm trying to do everything I can to
1:11
see. Good afternoon and welcome. It's a
1:15
great day for Auburn University for our
1:17
football program.
1:19
Like to take this moment and thank
1:20
somebody who's not here today.
1:23
Uh that's Quinton Rigggins. Quinton
1:25
Rigggins, former president of the board
1:27
of trustees and a former football player
1:29
here at Auburn. He he's somebody who sat
1:32
by my side and listened to interviews.
1:36
He was on planes, trains, and
1:38
automobiles with me and and really was
1:42
very very helpful throughout this entire
1:44
process. I I really appreciate him. I
1:47
also want to thank our board of trustee
1:48
members that are here today. Their
1:50
support means everything in the world to
1:52
us. I want to thank Dr. Roberts for his
1:55
insight and leadership. Um I I hope
1:58
everyone at Auburn University
2:00
understands
2:02
what a great leader we have in our
2:04
president.
2:12
And I want to thank
2:14
my wife Nell because this is probably
2:16
the the 20th Thanksgiving in a row that
2:18
I've ruined for her and our family. Love
2:21
you baby. Um, and I want to thank the
2:24
Auburn family and most notably our fans.
2:29
Uh, the passion and support of our fan
2:32
base is unlike anything I've ever seen
2:34
or experienced
2:36
throughout the country in college
2:38
athletics. When we began this search
2:40
four weeks ago, I was asked what
2:43
characteristics we're looking for in
2:44
Melbourne's next head football coach.
2:48
Somebody told me I used the word edge 11
2:51
times.
2:53
I think it was 13.
2:57
What does that mean? We're looking for
2:58
somebody who's highly competitive.
3:00
Somebody who has a bluecollar mentality,
3:01
somebody who's hard-nosed, somebody
3:03
who's intelligent, strategic, forward
3:06
thinking,
3:08
a devel developer of talent, a program
3:10
builder.
3:13
That describes our next football coach,
3:15
our new football coach to a team.
3:19
Early Sunday morning when we offered
3:20
Alex the position and this opportunity
3:23
to Auburn, he accepted immediately. And
3:25
during his first team meeting yesterday,
3:29
he looked into the eyes of our football
3:30
team and said, "This is a dream come
3:33
true to me at Auburn.
3:36
Winning organizations are built by those
3:39
who want
3:41
to be here.
3:44
Alex Golish wants to be at Auburn and
3:48
Auburn wants Alex Gouish to be here. His
3:53
resume and life experience lines up
3:55
perfectly
3:57
with the Auburn creed. He has a spirit
3:59
that's not afraid. He's not afraid to
4:01
compete at the highest level of college
4:03
football and not afraid of expectation.
4:06
He's not afraid to tackle one of the
4:09
most difficult schedules in college
4:12
football year in year out. He was not
4:14
afraid
4:16
to take on a massive rebuilding job at
4:19
South Florida and go on to succeed at a
4:22
high level. He took over a South Florida
4:25
program that won a combined four games
4:29
in three years,
4:33
including the year before Alex got there
4:36
when South Florida went 1 and 11. So
4:38
essentially, he took over a 1 and 11
4:40
football team before he got there. So
4:42
that's four wins in three years before
4:44
he got there and 23 wins the following
4:48
three years with a nine- win season this
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year that could easily be a 10- win
4:52
season if he was coaching in their bowl
4:55
game.
4:57
Alex Gooish believes in work, hard work.
5:00
The past 20 years, he's climbed the
5:02
ladder from student assistant to GA to
5:05
assistant coach to coordinator to head
5:08
coach. His story personifies the
5:13
American dream. Coming to our country as
5:15
a young boy, watching his parents start
5:17
over and sacrifice
5:19
to provide Alex and his brother with a
5:21
better life. Alex saw their work ethic
5:25
and he made it his own.
5:28
He's an elite recruiter with experience
5:30
coaching both sides of the ball. Both
5:34
sides of the football. He has SEC
5:38
experience. four years ago, his offense
5:40
in Tennessee is ranked number one in the
5:42
country. His quarterback this season
5:45
threw for 3,000 yards and rushed for a
5:48
thousand. To put that in perspective for
5:50
all of you, that's been done 12 times in
5:53
the history of college football.
5:57
And the 11 other guys is an all-star
5:59
list
6:01
of quarterbacks, many of whom went on to
6:03
play in the NFL. When you have success
6:05
like that, you earn other opportunities
6:09
to coach the highest levels.
6:12
And Alex said no to many of those
6:16
opportunities
6:18
so that he could say yes
6:20
to Auburn.
6:23
We said it last month, Auburn is the
6:25
best job out there. It's time for us to
6:28
make a jump. It's time for the football
6:30
program to give this fan base, which is
6:33
the best in the country, exactly what he
6:35
deserves. That starts today. It starts
6:38
right now. And it starts with Alex
6:40
Gooish, the 33 head football coach, 33rd
6:44
head football coach in Auburn history.
6:46
Please welcome Alex, his wife Alexis,
6:49
their children Corbin and Barrett to the
6:51
Auburn family. War Eagle
7:21
I'll take this.
7:29
War Eagle Eagle,
7:33
>> I am so humbled and so grateful to be
7:36
standing in front of you today. It's uh
7:38
it's been an a fascinating, let's call
7:41
it 35 hours,
7:45
been 24 hours on campus. So, I can't
7:49
tell you how how appreciative my family
7:51
is of the opportunity. I can't tell you
7:53
how grateful I am to be standing here
7:56
today. I want to thank Dr. Roberts for
8:00
the warm welcome and the opportunity. I
8:03
want to thank John
8:05
for his integrity through the search for
8:07
for him doing it the right way, for the
8:11
timing of it all to work out the right
8:13
way
8:15
and from the start to the beginning
8:17
doing it with the highest class and the
8:18
integrity that he promised from the
8:20
beginning he would do it with. And I'm
8:21
grateful for that. um
8:23
the board of trustees for how quickly
8:26
and and rapidly we were able to to go
8:29
through this process and and for
8:31
accepting me. I'm I'm grateful to that.
8:34
Leanne Horn and the administrative staff
8:37
that's that's worked for the last 24
8:39
hours. We took a little nap last night
8:42
for about an hour and then right back at
8:44
it. Everybody that was involved with the
8:46
search, thank you for choosing me and
8:51
this staff and my family to represent
8:55
one of the most storied programs in all
8:56
of college football.
9:00
The Auburn Creed. Work, hard work.
9:07
I believe in Auburn
9:09
and love it.
9:13
John tells the story of my family coming
9:16
to the US.
9:19
And I told the staff, I hate talking
9:21
about myself.
9:23
I don't ever want to stand up here and
9:25
talk about me. I want to stand up here
9:28
and talk about this program, Auburn
9:31
University, and more importantly, our
9:33
players.
9:36
For the next couple minutes, we'll go
9:39
through it and then from here on out,
9:41
it'll be about the program, the team,
9:44
and everything that Auburn University
9:46
stands for.
9:51
I want to thank
9:53
the most important person in in in my
9:56
life and and my rock and the one that
10:00
allows me to go to work and as she says,
10:04
hang out and do football with my
10:05
buddies.
10:08
But this young lady that I've dragged
10:10
all across the country for the last 16
10:12
years, she's never once complained,
10:16
never once said anything other than, "I
10:20
got it. I love you. You're going to go
10:23
be great. You're going to go win." And
10:25
my wife Alexis is
10:30
she's a rock star.
10:32
My kiddo Yeah.
10:39
my kiddos, Barrett and Corbin,
10:43
and all they keep talking about is they
10:46
can't wait to get up here and start
10:47
playing baseball, flag football,
10:49
cheering,
10:51
and entrench ourselves into this
10:52
community.
10:56
I don't know if this community is ready
10:57
for Barrett goals, but it'll be a hell
11:00
of a ride.
11:06
What you're going to get from me, from
11:09
our staff,
11:12
and as we get rolling, our players,
11:16
is the hardest working, toughest,
11:19
grittiest
11:21
program in the entire country.
11:25
We're going to work day in day out.
11:28
We're going to find wins in every single
11:30
margin we could find.
11:33
We're going to build a process-driven
11:35
program.
11:36
A processdriven
11:39
program where we wake up and we worry
11:41
about winning every single aspect of our
11:44
lives every single day. I truly believe
11:47
that if you buy into a process, a way of
11:51
doing things day in day out from the
11:54
moment you wake up to how you come in to
11:57
how you attack your relationships in a
11:59
building to how you attack the weight
12:02
room, sports medicine, nutrition, the
12:06
film room, the teaching, and then
12:09
certainly the work on the field.
12:12
If you buy into eating right, sleeping
12:14
right, hydrating right,
12:18
outworking people in the things that
12:20
nobody else sees,
12:22
the end result will happen. A lot of the
12:26
time, you don't control the end result.
12:28
You control your daily habits. You
12:30
control your daily process. And if you
12:32
keep pouring into that day in day out,
12:35
day in day out, us as a staff, the
12:38
student athletes, everybody that touches
12:40
our guys, at whatever point, the process
12:43
will pay you back.
12:48
We're also going to have a hell of a lot
12:49
of fun doing it.
12:51
We're going to be explosive on offense.
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We're going to play really fast. We're
12:55
going to challenge teams
12:58
in every imaginable way. We're going to
13:00
run the freaking ball. People
13:05
around here like running the football
13:08
and I can respect it.
13:11
We're going to be explosive. We're going
13:12
to play really fast and it's going to be
13:14
a brand of football that's going to be
13:16
fun to watch.
13:18
Defensively, we're going to be just as
13:21
fun to watch. We'll be aggressive,
13:23
create explosives, create negatives,
13:25
create turnovers.
13:29
We're going to be the most violent
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freaking team on the football field
13:32
every single Saturday.
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We're going to be different on special
13:36
teams. We're going to create explosives
13:38
on teams. It's going to be a huge
13:40
difference in why we win.
13:44
We're going to outwork, outthink, and
13:46
out process people
13:48
across the entire country.
13:51
I told the guys yesterday in our team
13:53
meeting that at whatever point we're
13:56
ready to be a playerdriven program.
14:01
Playerdriven.
14:03
I think in my time as I've gone through
14:05
this journey, I've been involved in
14:09
every aspect or every level of this
14:11
thing.
14:13
The one thing that remains the same is
14:15
when it's coach driven. When it's
14:17
driven, the culture, the standards of
14:21
everything in the program is driven by
14:22
the coaches, by the support staff, you
14:25
max out. Whatever that number of wins
14:27
is, you max out.
14:29
When the standards are upheld within
14:32
that locker room, within each position
14:34
meeting room,
14:36
in every aspect of their lives, when
14:39
it's driven by the players,
14:44
will bring a national championship here
14:45
to Auburn University.
14:55
Recruiting is exactly the same. We are
14:58
rolling up our sleeves. We've been here
15:00
for 24 hours
15:03
and we have gone to work. We're going to
15:06
recruit this 250 mi radius harder than
15:09
anybody in the entire country. The high
15:13
school football within these 250 miles
15:17
is nothing short of elite. I've been in
15:20
this part of the country for a long
15:22
time. I've recruited this part of the
15:23
country for a long time. Our staff, as
15:26
it all comes together, is going to have
15:29
a giant footprint in this 250 mile
15:32
radius around campus.
15:35
We're going to identify, we're going to
15:38
recruit, we're going to attack,
15:40
and we're going to bring those guys
15:42
right here to the planes, and we're
15:44
going to develop as hard as anybody ever
15:48
has. The investment that's been made
15:51
from the administration to go
15:54
and attack every single part of the
15:57
recruiting
15:59
is phenomenal. Nothing short of
16:01
phenomenal. We've got every resource
16:04
known to man right here to be able to go
16:07
attract, recruit, retain,
16:12
and develop the best talent there is in
16:15
the entire country.
16:21
22 straight sellouts here.
16:25
Jordan Harris Stadium.
16:27
Three straight years of sold out season
16:29
tickets.
16:32
The support is real.
16:35
You could feel it walking in here this
16:36
this morning.
16:43
We're in a race against ourselves to
16:46
give this elite fan base
16:50
to take these elite resources
16:54
and give what these Auburn fans deserve
16:57
in every imaginable way. We're in a race
17:01
against ourselves to do it as fast as we
17:03
can.
17:07
At the end of the day,
17:10
I can't wait
17:12
till the fall
17:14
88,043
17:19
to cheer on our guys
17:22
and give this fan base exactly what you
17:26
deserve.
17:28
I'm humbled. I'm honored. I'm so
17:30
grateful to be here. This is a dream
17:33
come true.
17:37
to be the head football coach at Auburn
17:39
University
17:41
to represent this fan base.
17:46
I'm beyond grateful
17:48
for you choosing me, John. I'm going to
17:51
pay it back 10fold, man. I will give
17:54
this fan base, the alumni base,
17:58
the former players,
18:01
and everybody involved with this
18:03
university. every single bit of
18:07
everything I got.
18:09
I'm grateful. I'm humbled. I appreciate
18:11
you. And war damn eagle. Let's
18:25
raise your hands. We'll go ahead and get
18:26
a microphone to you. We'll go ahead and
18:27
start. We'll start with Jason right here
18:28
in the front.
18:32
Jason Cwell, Auburn Undercover, Auburn
18:34
247. Alex, this when you talk about your
18:37
offense, you describe it a lot, but just
18:39
for for fans that haven't seen it,
18:41
couple words that when you come to mind
18:43
when you think about your offense and
18:45
what it what it does on the field, how
18:46
would you describe it?
18:48
>> Yeah, I would tell you
18:52
the foundation of it is everything
18:54
starts is everything starts with the
18:56
run.
18:58
We find ways to to run the football.
19:02
We find ways to create matchups in the
19:04
run game. Off of the run game, sets up
19:08
everything downfield and pass game. We
19:11
use the entire width of the field. We'll
19:13
condense it. We'll expand it. And we use
19:17
tempo to our advantage. Put this
19:20
defenses to a disadvantage. Try to
19:23
simplify what defenses can do. And we
19:26
try to create one-on-one matchups with
19:27
as much space as you imagine we can.
19:30
That's the offense.
19:32
Please identify yourself again.
19:33
>> Justin Fergus, you've talked in the past
19:36
about being aggressive in all three
19:38
phases, you know, offense, defense, and
19:40
special teams. Kind of walk through that
19:42
just how important it is for you to be a
19:44
team and have a team that does that in
19:47
every area, not just on the offensive
19:49
end.
19:50
>> Yeah, Dustin. I I think the most
19:51
important thing from from whether it's
19:55
offense, defense, or special teams, it
19:56
all has to complement each other. When
19:59
you talk about complimentary football,
20:00
it's got to match. And the culture you
20:03
build on all three sides of the ball, it
20:06
has to match. So, if we're going to do
20:10
be uber aggressive on offense, and by
20:12
aggressive means calculated, that
20:14
doesn't mean that you're doing things
20:15
that are irrational or don't make sense,
20:17
but if we're going to be uber
20:18
aggressive, we're going to make defenses
20:20
play on their heels. The defense has got
20:22
to match. You've got to create extra
20:24
possessions. You've got to create
20:26
explosives. You've got to get the ball
20:28
back to the offense and the special
20:30
teams have got to match it. If you're
20:32
going to be uber aggressive on offense
20:33
and uber aggressive on defense, then the
20:35
special teams got to match. Special
20:37
teams tie it all together. And as as you
20:41
look at what we've done throughout my
20:43
time, whether it be as an offensive
20:45
coordinator, special teams coordinator,
20:46
as a head coach, that's been the key.
20:49
And I think a as you as you tr as as you
20:52
build a culture within the program and
20:54
you go into offseason training and they
20:57
understand that the theme of what you do
20:59
is that you're going to be aggressive.
21:00
That's how you train in the offseason.
21:02
That's how you prepare in the offseason.
21:04
And everything you do within the program
21:06
is just that we're going to play fast on
21:07
offense, play fast on defense, play fast
21:09
on special teams. We're going to train
21:10
that way. And I think it's just truly
21:13
becomes your foundation. It becomes the
21:15
culture quote unquote of the program
21:18
that you're going to be aggressive.
21:20
>> Rosie,
21:21
>> hi coach. Rosie Langello with WSFA
21:23
Montgomery. How are you?
21:24
>> I'm doing great. Thank you.
21:25
>> You're in the process of building your
21:27
staff. You're adding people, adding Cody
21:29
Burns. Uh what is your plan on the
21:31
defensive side of the ball? Will you
21:32
keep DJ Durkin as the defensive
21:34
coordinator? Yeah. So, we've been here
21:36
for 24 hours, Rosine, and um and
21:40
obviously had a plan going in that we
21:42
presented and we're slowly but surely
21:44
executing the plan. Uh you mentioned
21:46
Cody Burns and u Cody got the phone call
21:50
at 2:00 in the morning. Um and man, you
21:54
talk about excited. All Cody's talked
21:56
about since the day that he joined our
21:59
staff would have been I guess six years
22:02
ago is how incredible this place is and
22:05
what Auburn University has meant to his
22:08
life. Um a lot of a lot of years of
22:11
stories of play here, play there, what
22:14
this stadium is like day in day out. So
22:18
Cody is going to be our associate head
22:20
coach and and Cody is has been by my
22:23
side for so long and is as incredible as
22:27
they come as a teammate for me, as a
22:30
teammate for our staff, but elite
22:33
teacher, elite man, and an elite
22:36
football coach. So jump on a guy that's
22:38
that's happy to be here. Um, I'm beyond
22:42
excited to bring be able to be a part of
22:44
bringing Cody back home and uh and he'll
22:47
have pointers for me forever. The answer
22:49
to the defensive side, I'm working
22:50
through it. Um, we've got a plan. We're
22:54
working through steps to to execute the
22:57
plan. My hope is that in the next call
23:00
it 24 48 hours that that it's finalized
23:03
and and we have some clarity with with
23:06
which direction we're going. But um but
23:09
we're working through it.
23:11
>> Nathan Johnny.
23:13
>> Hey, Nathan Kate Hopper undercover. Can
23:15
you talk about your philosophy, what you
23:17
learned with with Coach High at
23:19
Tennessee and how you approach that as a
23:20
play caller and then what maybe you
23:22
anticipate that looking like here at
23:24
Auburn?
23:25
>> Yeah. So,
23:28
I was with Josh at um at UCF prior to
23:31
that. And um and I think the biggest
23:33
thing from an offensive side when when
23:36
we went
23:39
to Tennessee was the fact that we had to
23:41
adjust. We had to change. This league is
23:43
different. The the defenses are
23:45
different. Certainly, the level of the
23:48
talent is different. The packages you
23:50
get are different. Third down looks like
23:52
a completely different world in this
23:54
league. And and Josh had been in it,
23:57
forced us to to change and evolve. And I
24:00
think that was probably the biggest
24:02
growth for me offensively that I made as
24:04
a play caller was just one understanding
24:07
that it's going to be different, but
24:08
forcing us to change and adjust. And the
24:12
same thing happened when we went to the
24:15
University of South Florida is that we
24:17
had to change and adjust. Different
24:18
brand of football, different
24:19
defensively, different different uh in
24:22
terms of what you're seeing. I think the
24:25
unique thing with with the offense
24:26
specifically is you have to continue to
24:30
evolve as people figure out exactly what
24:32
you're doing. And and I think that's
24:33
what's been awesome about the offensive
24:35
staff we're bringing in is with Cody
24:38
Burns and as as other names here come
24:41
out, guys that are elite at adjusting
24:45
and changing and evolving as as one time
24:49
goes, but two, who you're playing goes.
24:51
Uh in terms of the play calling, it's
24:54
going to continue to be what it has been
24:57
here the last couple years. Um with at
25:00
the University of South Florida, we got
25:01
an offensive staff that's going to be
25:04
absolutely elite. Um large chunk of
25:06
which is coming coming with and those
25:09
guys will will absolutely crushing. Our
25:11
offensive coordinator will call plays
25:14
and everybody else in that room will
25:17
have a ton of input. And I'll be honest
25:19
with you, even going back to to the
25:22
Tennessee time, it's always been a
25:24
collaborative effort. Our offensive line
25:25
coach is crazy involved, receiver coach
25:27
crazy involved, uh quarterback coach
25:30
crazy involved. We got young coaches
25:32
that are crazy involved. And when you
25:34
get into a game, there's so much
25:36
conversation in between drives. It's as
25:39
truly a collaborative effort as as you
25:42
could ever imagine. I have I have a two
25:45
cents at times. I we all kind of do and
25:49
ultimately the guy calling the plays,
25:51
it's on him to get us in the right
25:52
spots. But it's a constant
25:54
communication. It's a really cool way
25:56
that we we've done it. Collaborative up
25:59
until the offense coordinates call.
26:03
>> Hey, Alex. Johnny, ABC 1540 Sports in
26:06
Birmingham. Congratulations on the job.
26:08
The fabric of this conference is made up
26:11
of its rivalries and you got two big
26:12
ones in Alabama and Georgia. I'm
26:14
interested how excited you are to
26:16
compete against those two programs and
26:18
not just on the field but recruit
26:19
against them on the trail.
26:21
>> Yeah, I think as a as a competitor in
26:24
any way um you you thrive
26:28
for the competition to be elite.
26:31
This is the greatest conference in the
26:34
entire country.
26:36
The rivalries you just mentioned are the
26:38
greatest rivalries in college football.
26:43
hair on my arm just stood up thinking
26:44
about the Iron Bone.
26:47
I I absolutely
26:49
can't wait to be a part of to be back to
26:54
being a part of rivalries like that.
26:58
It's
27:00
said, man, goosebumps. That's what you
27:02
live for. You're any sort of competitor.
27:06
If you're in this game,
27:08
that's what you live for. And we'll be
27:11
ready to rock.
27:13
Dan Packy, ESPN 1067 and the Almer
27:16
podcast. Uh John Cohen mentioned your
27:19
experiences at Tennessee and South
27:21
Florida turning around programs that had
27:24
struggled before you arrived. What did
27:27
you learn from that and how does that
27:28
apply? What needs to go right over the
27:30
next few months to to do something
27:32
similar here?
27:33
>> Yeah, it's a great question. it. So, for
27:36
whatever reason, the good Lord's blessed
27:38
blessed me with being a part of staffs
27:40
that have come into situations going all
27:43
the way back uh to the University of
27:45
Toledo and my first full-time job, going
27:49
into situations that weren't great when
27:52
we got there and being a part of the
27:54
rebuilding. And when I tell you you
27:57
learn the good with the bad,
28:01
every aspect of those experiences is
28:03
what you build on that gives you the
28:05
confidence to go and do this at this
28:07
level.
28:10
What you learn is you have to have a
28:12
plan and you have to live by the plan,
28:15
stick to the plan, and more importantly
28:17
than having the plan, you better be able
28:19
to make corrections to the plan. I think
28:23
the experience is what what allows you
28:26
to be confident going into it. Um you
28:28
mentioned the last two places
28:31
drastically different drastically
28:32
different timing wise drastically
28:35
different errors in college football.
28:39
I think where where I gained confidence
28:43
from both of those experiences is
28:47
I was heavily involved in the in the
28:49
Tennessee one simply because obviously
28:53
being in the coordinator role but the
28:54
timing of it it was as unique of a
28:57
situation as you can imagine getting
28:58
there at the end of January the transfer
29:00
portal closed as crazy as you can
29:02
imagine and navigating that process and
29:05
then going to the University of South
29:06
Florida where the timing was was more
29:11
more right, I guess you could say, in
29:13
terms of having some getting there at
29:15
the beginning of December and working
29:16
through it. I think the one thing that
29:19
that doesn't change is this.
29:23
You have to be able to identify the
29:26
immediate roster
29:28
and figure out really, really quickly
29:31
who fits. And by fits, I don't mean
29:34
offensively, defensively, or special
29:36
teams, but truly who wants to be there,
29:40
who is who is at least got a chance to
29:43
buy in to what you're doing.
29:46
Understanding that when you come into a
29:47
situation where the success wasn't
29:51
flowing,
29:53
change has to be made. And I think
29:56
ultimately I told the guys yesterday
29:59
that the change is inevitable.
30:02
what they choose to do with the change
30:04
is their choice and identifying who
30:08
wants to be here. Making sure it matches
30:12
who who and what this program is truly
30:16
going to be about. And by that I mean
30:17
what the standards of this program are.
30:20
And then being able to bring your staff
30:23
in as quickly as you can, not too fast.
30:26
You want to make sure you get the right
30:28
people, but bringing in your staff as
30:30
fast as you can and immersing the
30:31
players with your staff. At the end of
30:35
the day, you have to you have to have
30:38
the plan coming in, be able to adjust
30:39
with it, and we're on hour
30:45
uh 23 of the plan right now.
30:49
>> Yeah, it's Justinports.com
30:52
sports. the last couple of years
30:54
offensive lost play a lot of games close
30:56
a lot of games in the fourth quarter
30:57
that they could have won and they lost
30:59
most of them and obviously you weren't
31:01
here the specifics of that but like
31:02
what's your perspective on what it takes
31:05
to get over the hump what it takes to
31:06
consistently make winning plays when it
31:08
matters and the difference of just being
31:10
close versus actually making those plays
31:12
consistently winning.
31:14
Yeah, I think the biggest thing
31:19
when you talk about closing out games,
31:22
finishing
31:25
is a mindset.
31:28
You train year round
31:31
in in our sport
31:33
for 12 guaranteed opportunities and you
31:36
fight your tail off for 13 and 14 and 15
31:39
and gosh darn 16.
31:44
The mindset that has to be built,
31:48
the level of accountability that trains
31:51
discipline within a program is what
31:54
prepares you for the fourth quarter. You
31:56
have to train it.
31:59
We're going to train the fourth quarter
32:01
part of what you do starting the very
32:03
first second that we start in January
32:06
with our guys. And it starts with winter
32:09
workouts into spring. certainly in the
32:12
summer and what that looks like in terms
32:14
of the training discipline day in day
32:17
out and then fall camp is the final
32:19
piece of that. But you train discipline
32:23
daily to be able to go finish in the
32:25
fourth quarter. That piece of it is is
32:27
simply who wants it more. There's
32:30
obviously a scheme part of it. There's
32:32
there's certain things in margins that
32:35
you've got to be able to go win.
32:37
Finishing in the fourth quarter is a
32:39
mindset. This game is still a one-on-one
32:41
game. You got to want him more than the
32:44
other guy and you got to train it and
32:46
we've got to train him better than
32:47
anybody in the country.
32:49
>> Scott, Bill, Jay, and David. We're
32:51
working our way back.
32:52
>> Scott Griffin, CBS 42 in Birmingham. Um,
32:55
I'm curious as to your recollection
32:58
recollections
32:59
of your dad, mom when they come here,
33:03
you know, and and build a life, do the
33:06
things you have to do, stake a claim, so
33:08
to speak, and how that impacted you and
33:12
what elements of that you take when you
33:14
go to a South Florida, coming to Auburn
33:17
and basically doing that kind of thing.
33:23
>> Yeah. You know, there there's so many
33:25
emotions I go through when when I think
33:28
about my parents who
33:31
who dropped everything
33:35
in 1991
33:38
to bring me and my brother here and give
33:40
us a better life.
33:43
What was going on at that time, they
33:45
didn't want us to to have anything to do
33:48
with it. And
33:51
we watched watched our parents
33:54
go to a a new country with no jobs, with
33:58
no promise of anything.
34:01
And
34:03
I was seven, my brother was 10. We
34:04
watched him work tirelessly.
34:09
We had an apartment, we had a roof over
34:12
our head, we always had everything we
34:14
needed.
34:16
And I think I learned at a really early
34:18
age really two things from from them.
34:21
one, you can still outwork people in
34:24
this life.
34:26
It's one thing about this country is you
34:28
can still outwork people. It's the same
34:30
in football as it is in the business
34:32
world, as it is in any aspect, in any
34:35
other industry.
34:38
But I think too
34:42
more than anything else,
34:46
the power of love,
34:50
the power of commitment,
34:53
and the power of sacrifice.
34:57
You resonates in every aspect of
35:00
society.
35:02
Just don't work people and you love on
35:05
people. give more of yourself than you
35:07
ever take,
35:09
you could change people's lives. And
35:11
ultimately, amongst all of the craziness
35:13
in college football, the one thing that
35:16
hasn't changed is these young guys still
35:17
want somebody to love them, help them
35:20
get better, help develop them, and know
35:23
that somebody cares.
35:25
Build a level of trust that they'll do
35:28
anything for you because they know you
35:30
do anything for them. And that's what I
35:32
learned from my parents.
35:35
Bill Cameron, ESPN 1067 here in Auburn.
35:38
Uh, you spoke to it a little bit, but
35:40
the calendar right now is is crazy. Talk
35:42
about prioritizing with staffing,
35:46
um, retaining players, preparing for the
35:48
transfer of Portland. Oh, by the way,
35:51
uh, signing period starts in less than
35:53
48 hours.
35:55
>> Is that it?
35:57
>> I don't know.
35:59
Probably.
36:01
And we'll eat after that.
36:05
Yeah. Again, I think the most critical
36:07
thing that was asked earlier is to have
36:09
a plan going in and and give John credit
36:12
and his search committee. We wanted to
36:14
know the plan
36:16
and and we've got we've got an
36:19
incredible support staff that that's
36:20
helped put this plan together, but but
36:23
when I tell you minute by minute,
36:27
we're getting close. Minute by minute,
36:30
we've got mapped out the entire six
36:32
months as we go forward. These first
36:37
really seven days are as critical as
36:39
anything else. You're right, hiring a
36:42
staff, recruiting for signing day
36:46
Wednesday. I think more important than
36:48
any of that is meeting with our current
36:51
players here. And truly a lot of these
36:55
guys we know a lot of these guys are in
36:57
the same footprint that we've been in it
36:59
been in for a long time. So a lot of
37:01
these guys in some capacity you know
37:03
somebody on our staff knows through the
37:05
recruiting process from the beginning
37:06
but some of them we don't. And so that
37:09
is the priorities our current players
37:11
here which is why the first thing we did
37:13
when we got literally when I got in was
37:15
went and talked to our players from
37:18
there. the class that's committed, the
37:21
class that's committed and maybe
37:23
wavering a little bit,
37:25
working through that part of it, working
37:28
through the guys that we had been
37:30
recruiting at the last place that are
37:32
maybe committed elsewhere, trying to
37:34
make sure that Wednesday is the very
37:35
best that it possibly can be. And then
37:38
lastly, as as you get a break in between
37:41
using the restroom and and trying to eat
37:43
a Dorito, you're trying to trying to
37:45
finalize hiring a staff and all of that.
37:49
You're you're truly bouncing back and
37:51
forth. But again, I think the most
37:53
important thing, and I can't say this
37:54
enough, is the current players that are
37:57
here because these are the guys that
37:59
that have the most immediate choice to
38:02
make right now is either I'm going to
38:04
stay here and keep with it and build
38:08
something really really special or man,
38:11
I don't know if I if this is for me, but
38:14
I think my most important priority is
38:17
our current players that to not to me,
38:20
but to whoever
38:21
said, "I'm coming to Auburn and I'm part
38:24
of this Auburn family and I want to do
38:26
this the right way here." So now
38:29
everything else comes after that. Um,
38:32
but that's pretty much it.
38:37
>> Uh, hey Alex, congratulations on the
38:39
job. Davis Baker, WSA Montgomery.
38:41
Quarterback plays been inconsistent here
38:43
at Auburn over the last couple years.
38:44
Why have you had so much success with
38:46
your quarterbacks and what do you make
38:47
of the room so far? Just your initial
38:49
thoughts. Yeah,
38:52
I think quarterback play is so much
38:55
about
38:57
putting a system together that fits the
39:00
quarterback. I think so much in in
39:04
college football is about we run a
39:06
system, this is what we do and this is
39:08
how we do it. I I think elite coaches
39:11
can say, man, this is the best
39:13
quarterback that we got and now let's
39:16
tailor a system to him. And it's truly
39:19
the same for every other position is is
39:21
making sure that you're fitting fitting
39:23
your system around the quarterback. I
39:25
think that's what's so unique about what
39:27
we do offensively. When you really study
39:29
us and you look at what we do, it's not
39:32
we talked about being able to adjust
39:34
earlier, but it's it's not plug and
39:36
play. What we do schematically changes
39:40
year to year. It grows as the year goes,
39:42
as the quarterback grows. It grows as
39:45
you have injuries potentially and you
39:47
got to be able to adjust personnel
39:48
settings. It's always going to be about
39:51
players, formations, plays offensively.
39:53
The quarterback is certainly the most
39:56
critical piece of that. We've been
39:58
fortunate to have high level high level
40:02
quarterbacks
40:04
the last 10 years or so um that have
40:08
played for our staff.
40:10
I think part of that is recruiting the
40:12
right guy. Part of that is elite
40:14
development at that position and and the
40:17
two guys that that are coming in to work
40:19
with the quarterbacks are the best I
40:20
have ever been around, which is why
40:22
they're coming to Auburn. And I think f
40:26
fitting a system around whoever ends up
40:30
being the one and then ultimately the
40:32
two and the three uh will be absolutely
40:34
critical to our success this fall.
40:37
You look at a room that's uber talented,
40:41
young in some ways, experienced in some
40:43
ways, and as we work through and
40:47
navigate truly who wants to be here, who
40:51
wants to continue in their development
40:53
under this coaching staff, I think we'll
40:56
have more clarity here in the next, I
40:58
would say, week, week and a half. In
40:59
terms of that, we've met with with a
41:02
majority of the guys that are here.
41:05
We're going to finish here this morning
41:07
and then really try to make some
41:09
decisions in terms of who wants to be
41:12
here, who truly
41:15
doesn't want to be here, and then we'll
41:17
figure out how to attack the room after
41:19
that.
41:20
>> Time for a couple more. We'll go Jay,
41:22
Philip, Joe,
41:24
>> Jay with Auburnports.com, Auburn on
41:26
three. My question to you is, do you
41:27
like to play golf?
41:31
>> So, it's a setup question.
41:34
been here long enough to know that. So,
41:37
my little man Barrett loves golf
41:41
and Corbin used to and she's now she's
41:45
now super into cheerleading and flag
41:47
football. So, she's just doing it as a
41:49
hobby now. And my wife
41:53
is an elite golfer. I I
41:59
might perform more than golf.
42:05
And I'm terrible.
42:10
>> Coach, Philip Marshall from Undercover,
42:14
the oldest guy in the room. Uh
42:17
uh
42:19
I know you said you don't like to talk
42:20
about yourself, but is this kind of like
42:24
is there a point where you can back and
42:27
reflect on
42:29
where you were when you were seven years
42:31
old to be where you are now? And
42:35
specifically, what was when did you say,
42:38
"Hey, this football is a pretty good
42:39
thing. I think I like it."
42:43
Yeah, I think if I heard your question
42:44
right, did I at seven think I'd be
42:47
standing here in front of you?
42:51
I I think
42:54
this moment standing here in front of
42:56
you for me is incredibly surreal. I've
42:59
dreamed of this moment.
43:02
I don't know if I did at seven. I think
43:04
at seven I was just hoping I could get a
43:06
new Nerf ball that I could play football
43:08
with. But but I think for me
43:14
I wanted to coach because I had
43:19
incredible coaches growing up. I wanted
43:21
I had elite examples of what men of
43:25
character that care about young people
43:28
that give more of themselves than they
43:30
ever take. I had some incredible
43:32
examples. some of them are going to be
43:34
on our staff.
43:36
And I think as I as I got into college
43:40
and and really started to think about
43:42
what I wanted to do, I wanted to coach
43:44
and ended up coaching high school
43:47
football to start. And then I realized
43:49
that the the 3 to 6 p.m. is what I was
43:53
really excited about. This the 7 to 3
43:55
p.m. or 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. I actually
43:58
didn't care for because all I did was
43:59
think about football the whole time. and
44:02
I had some incredible opportunities as
44:04
I've gone through this profession that
44:06
that I just continued to to immerse
44:10
myself in the game and and
44:13
here we are. We go Joe then Mike.
44:19
>> Um Joe live ale.com. I just wanted to
44:22
know how long it was going to take you
44:23
to be Alabama, but I'm gonna point to
44:25
our beat writer Peter so you can answer
44:27
questions
44:29
from al.com. When you were deciding
44:32
whether or not to take this job, how
44:34
much was what Auburn has on the current
44:36
roster? How much did that impact your
44:38
decision?
44:42
I think the biggest factors that go into
44:46
choosing a job is number one alignment.
44:52
If that's where it starts and I'm not
44:53
avoiding the question, but alignment
44:55
meaning is is who you're going to work
44:58
with going to lock arm arm in- arm with
45:01
you have the same vision that you do?
45:05
Is it aligned from the top where the
45:08
commitment that's being talked about is
45:12
elite?
45:13
And that was factor number one in terms
45:16
of making sure the situation we walk
45:18
into was aligned and there was a real
45:20
commitment to winning and not just kind
45:24
of winning but an elite commitment to
45:26
being the best in the country.
45:31
there wasn't anybody like this place in
45:33
terms of alignment and commitment.
45:36
Number two is is there support? Is there
45:40
real authentic support? And what I saw
45:45
Saturday night at the end of that on the
45:47
on the on the TV was
45:51
the greatest atmosphere in college
45:53
football.
45:54
When you combine that, you can win at a
45:57
high high level. The current roster is
46:00
certainly something that you look at. I
46:03
think as you evaluate it, it's important
46:07
to have a foundation, but I think it's
46:10
the third of of what was important, at
46:12
least to me and our staff and my family.
46:17
>> Last question. coach to get into Auburn.
46:20
You uh war Auburn. You talked a little
46:23
bit about quarterback earlier, but can
46:24
you talk about your approach to QB,
46:27
betting out the right QB, and then
46:29
making a decision about whether to go to
46:30
the portal to bring in a trigger man and
46:33
sort out who is the best guy to run your
46:36
offense this this next fall?
46:38
>> Yeah. Are you saying in general, what
46:40
are you looking for in a quarterback?
46:41
>> I'm saying how do you figure out who the
46:43
right guy is? I mean, you're inheriting
46:45
two night. You've got Ashton Daniels who
46:47
they say is red shirt. Um and but you
46:49
know you're always looking to bring in
46:51
competition. How do you vet that out
46:53
this spring and make sure you get your
46:55
guy as early as possible so you know
46:57
what you're working with going into the
46:59
fall? And you talked about tailoring an
47:01
offense around
47:03
the strengths of that guy. So you got
47:05
you got to pick that guy. How do you how
47:07
do you get to that guy as possible?
47:09
>> Yeah, I I think that's a great question.
47:11
You know, I've been in situations where
47:13
where you knew going into spring who the
47:16
who your one, two, and three were. We we
47:20
were in that boat a year ago. I've been
47:22
in situations,
47:24
shoot, more times than I can even think
47:26
of where it went all the way through
47:28
August.
47:30
I don't know if you can rush that part
47:32
of it. I do know this.
47:34
You want to have the best competition
47:37
you possibly can in a room
47:40
because if you do, you let these guys
47:43
compete. Give them every opportunity to
47:46
grow, develop within the base foundation
47:49
of what you are from a system
47:51
standpoint.
47:53
And then you you pick the guy that you
47:55
feel like gives you the best chance to
47:56
win. And and there's so many factors
47:58
that go into that. There's obviously the
48:00
mental side of it, but who can help proc
48:04
who can process it faster than anybody
48:07
else. There's obviously the physical
48:08
component to it. And I'm not telling you
48:10
anything you don't know, but I don't
48:11
think you can rush that part of it.
48:14
There's there's a talented talented
48:17
talented dude sitting in that room. They
48:20
have tape certainly at this level. We're
48:24
we're evaluating it like crazy. We
48:26
evaluated it coming in. I think the
48:29
biggest thing that we've got to figure
48:30
out right now is is
48:33
the competition part of that. Are you
48:36
are you going to add somebody else? Are
48:38
you going to add multiple people? And at
48:42
the end of the day, the competition will
48:43
take as long as it needs to. I think in
48:45
the perfect world, you'd love to know in
48:48
January. In our situation here, we
48:49
won't. and you probably won't till
48:52
August, I would imagine, unless spring
48:54
ball carries out in in such a fashion
48:57
that you'll know.
48:59
>> All right.