AAC Media Days: The Coaches

[Cerebus]

 

Temple coach Stan Drayton 

Excited by new teams coming into AAC. 

Seven new coaches in this conference. He respects the respects their experience. He doesn’t feel he has an edge since he is only in his second year. 

He has won a national championship in its Tom Herman at Ohio State. 
 

Biggest question for his players is “Do you love one another?” Players have to lead in an era of transfer portal. Have to get to know each other. Earn the right to hold each other accountable. 

 

 

[Cerebus]

Navy coach Brian Newberry 

How does NIL affect Navy?

NIL Doesn’t affect us as much. Truly a developmental program. Brotherhood and relationship is important. Advantage for naval academy. 

We can’t replace players from portal. 

What’s right with college football? (Zach Barnett)

It’s still CFB. Still develop young men.

 

North Texas plays at Navy on October 7th. 

[Cerebus]

 

Charlotte Coach Biff Poggi 

Excited to be in a new conference. 
 

We are a new team. “Not some Conference USA team”.  Team is improved.

NIL is the reality today. School and TV networks have been making a lot of money off these kids for a long time. Charlotte is a rich town. “We are in that game and we want to be.”

“Only three questions? Maybe that’s because you have us ranked last.”

 

[Cerebus]

Charlotte coach has been the most entertaining if nothing else. Clearly expects to do better than people are guessing. 

[Cerebus]

Memphis Coach Ryan Silverfield 

Team won’t talk about being picked 4th.  Tulane was picked 7th last year. 40% roster turnover in CFB every year. “Every year we line up with the goal to be the champions.”

Conference is stronger with new teams coming in.

Brought in immediate impacts in transfer portal.  Really excited about those brought in. Vets are important to team bonding with constant roster change. 
 
New excitement in conference. Talented teams coming in. Excited to go to new places. Exciting for players. 
 

North Texas plays Memphis on Oct 28th. 
 

 

[Cerebus]

FAU coach Tom Herman

Absolutely great to be back coaching CFB. Kept 4 coaches from old staff.  Could not be happier. So impressed with how tough players are at FAU.  They want to win. Reminds me of my first year at Houston. 

Have to act like a champion before you can  be a  champion.

Locked team out of locker room until they earned the right to go back in. 

NIL has changed recruiting. Spent first weeks on job trying to keep roster in place. Wanted to make sure really good players stayed at FAU. 

He is for NIL. Every human being has right to monetize their name, image and license. Has a problem with collectives.  “Let’s call a spade a spade.” Intention wasn’t to pay kids to do nothing. 
 

 

 

 

[Cerebus]

UAB Head Coach Trent Dilfer 

Never had aspiration to be college football coach. Greatest thing about football is the journey. 

Has an advantage over more experienced coaches.  He only knows this new world. He doesn’t want to hear about challenges of new college football. Football is hard at every level. 

“I don’t care what you think, or he thinks, or Tom Herman thinks, or Nick Saban is thinks.”  He only cares about his own tribe.  He’s know as “the worst QB who has ever won a Super Bowl.”  He just doesn’t care what people think. 
 

Freedom from it needing this job. Wife told him he needed a new challenge.

“How could I be a college head coach? I don’t know but I’m here.” 
 

Very open about coaches swaying players.  “To coerce a player off a roster is cheating.” Players entering portal is fair game. Don’t have a scouting department, which coerces players to enter portal. 
 

He has the text messages, he has the  WhatsApp. He’s meeting with the NCAA NIL folks. 
 

North Texas closes out the regular season playing UAB on November 25th. 

[Cerebus]

ECU Head Coach Mike Houston

All the coaches in the league are excited about new match ups and rivalry games. 

[Harry]

10 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

ECU Head Coach Mike Houston

All the coaches in the league are excited about new match ups and rivalry games. 

Houston said the running back group is one of the most talented they have.   It sounds like they are replacing a very experienced QB this year similar to us so that will be challenging.

[Harry]

Jeff  Traylor up next.

[Harry]

Traylor notes:

- Showed a lot of praise for Tulane coach Willie Fritz and what he has accomplished at Tulane

- Said they have won a lot of close ball games that could have easily gone the other way

- As a high school coach saw a lot of the AAC coaches coming through recruiting my high school teams

- AAC is a very deep league and many great coaches.

- Sang the praises of Frank Harris.  Says having Harris makes him the luckiest coach in the world.

[Cerebus]

UTSA Head Coach Jeff Traylor

Our NIL collectives have done a great job but we need to keep pushing. 

Spends most of his time recruiting players or recruiting boosters. 
 

A lot of respect for the league they are moving into. 
 

North Texas plays UTSA on November 4th.

 

[Harry]

- Facilities have been upgraded but still need to get covered practice facility

- Feels with the 12 team playoff there is a legitimate chance to get to the national championship for school in the AAC, definitely helping in recruiting.

[Cerebus]

Now that there is break I have to say Trent Dilfer took the most entertaining crown from Poggi. 
 

In five years either UAB is going to build him a statue or he’s their Dodge.  

[Cerebus]

USF Head Coach Alex Golesh

48 new players on the roster. Tried to fill gaps and add value. Wants to compete as fast as they can. 35 seniors. 
 

Confidence comes from work. Absolute joy to come into building. 
 

USF has spent more in the last 8 months than the first 25 years. 
 

Has talent, but questions, at every spot on the roster.  Only thing that is not a question is if the team will compete. 
 

 

 

[Tommy Gadberry]

[Cerebus]

Tulane Head Coach Willie Fritz

Team has to out last season behind them. Can’t look at past successes or failures. 
 

 

[Cerebus]

Tulsa Head Coach Kevin Wilson

QB Braylon Braxton has a high ceiling. Talent is there, has the ability to make some chicken salad.  QB friendly reminder program  tremendous young college talent . 

Coaches are now forced to communicate with their players and families  

Brought in 13 portal guys. Both players they brought to media days were in the portal and stayed. 
 

League has quality coaches and players. Very impressed meeting coaches and support staff. Camaraderie and support for each other. Conference is built by supporting each other. 
 

Conference needs to win OOC games.
 

 

North Texas plays at Tulsa on November 18th.

 

 

 

[Cerebus]

Rice Head Coach Mike Bloomgren 

AAC is in the upper echelon of college football. 
 

New league and schedule will challenge team. “Rice owls are ready to fly high in 2023.”

Several new coaches are from the Texas HS coaching ranks. 
 

Better skill players on both sides of the ball. 
 

First saw JT Daniels at a 9th grade camp.  Was able to discuss deep football concepts even then. Unbelievable that a 9th grader has a grasp on concepts that even some NFL QBs struggled with. 
 

Why does Rice play Texas? Not because it’s easy but because it’s hard. 
 

 

[Cerebus]

Coach Morris is up next. 

[MGNation92]

Cracking me up with all the owl teams and the coaches having to clarify which owls they're referring to when they say go owls.

[Cerebus]

North Texas Head Coach Eric Morris

Important for staff to embed in the community. 
 

Brought to linemen to media days.  Mazin Richard is a good story from the transfer portal.  Not recruited, developed himself into an impact player.

Jett Duncan is an incredible leader. 

Other impact players: 

offensive line has 4 returning starters. 

stable of “four damn good running backs” 

wr group has impact depth. 

lost 3 very good tight ends. 

QB is most important position. Still a positional battle. 

Logan Wilson is a force at safety.

Texada might be the best cover corner he’s seen. 

 

Was intrigued by discipline that SL was able to instill in program. 
 

Would rather not play on Fridays. Understands TV demands. 
 

On AAC: North Texas has been on an upward path for 20-25 years.  You want rivalry games. Loves to be able to go into places they recruit. 
 

 

[eternalmtg]

4 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

What happened to the side of his face? Pretty red over there.

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

Morris' press conferences have been such a breath of fresh air so far. Guy is definitely a players coach and there is depth to what he says rather than the same coach speak

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

2 minutes ago, eternalmtg said:

What happened to the side of his face? Pretty red over there.

He's always had it. Think it's a birth mark