The Florida Football Insiders podcast is presented by BFO Brady's Here in Tampa located at
the corner of Bush Boulevard and Himes Avenue, as well as host Slice Pizza
Company and Hanks Barbecue. Enjoy the podcast a look at college football news,
analysis and insight from around the Sunshine State. This is Florida Football Insiders,
a part of the College Gridiron Coast to Coast podcast sor and here's your host,
Jason Collers. Welcome into the Florida Football Insiders Podcast, presented by BFO
Brady's Here in Tampa BEFO bays on the corner of location in the corner of
Bush Boulevard and Himes Avenue. Appreciate you finding us this week. We have
gotten our Championship week, champions have been crowned, and all of our major
Power five conferences we know what the playoff brackets look like. Now. We've
got Georgia and Ohio State in one semifinal and we've got TCU in Michigan and
the other semifinal. So we're gonna have a good episode for you today.
Before we get to coach, We're gonna talk to Coach Levitt one more time,
and we're also going to talk to Vince Ferrara from ninety nine point one
s The Sports Animal in Knoxville, Tennessee, concerning the USF hiring of head
coach Alex Glesh, the Tennessee offensive coordinator under Josh Hypel takes over the USF
program. So we're gonna have a good, in depth talk about coach Glesh
and his philosophies and all that kind of good stuff as he comes to Tampa
to take over the struggling USF program. Other news around the state, yet
FAU hired Tom Herman, the former Texas coach, to be their new head
coach. They let go to Willie Taggart at the end of the year.
There is some speculation that Willie Taggart might be involved with Dion Sanders's staff out
at Colorado since as he as he was taking that job out in Boulder,
So we'll stay tuned on that. You know, there's some transfer portal news
that there's transfer portal has opened up this week and lots of players from the
state of Florida involved in that. I know a lot of USF guys are
involved or have entered the transfer portal. Numerous guys out of Florida have entered
the transfer portal. You will probably see a couple of guys from Florida State
trickle into the portal here as he gets going. So plenty and plenty of
Transfer Portal news to come here in the coming days and weeks, as as
kids enter the portal and then commit to new places, so we will have
some updates for you as we move along. We will have one more episode
of the Florida Football Insiders podcast. We remember we're part of the College Gridiron
Coast to Coast podcast network. We'll have one more episode leading into the into
the college football Playoffs semifinals. So between the week of Christmas and New Year's
we will release another episode previewing the semifinal games and a couple of bowl games
and such, and I'm sure there will be some other coaching news and such,
and will have Coach Levin on one more time during that during that podcast
as well, and we'll have some good guests for you as well previewing the
semifinal matchup. So we're going to take a couple of weeks off after this
episode concludes for the Christmas holidays, but again we will have another episode coming
out between Christmas and New Year's because remember the college football playoffs are on New
Year's Eve on the thirty first, so there'll be plenty of bowl games throughout.
I know Florida and Florida State will play. Florida plays in mid December,
I believe, and I'll die of the double check when Florida State plays
their bowl game. It's probably closer to New Year's Day than it is in
the middle of December. But I just want to give a shout out to
Steve Carney again one more time. He's kind of been our quarterback here of
the podcast network that we're part of. Thanks for all the hard work with
Steve putting together the podcast and getting them posted every week. So thank you
Steve again. Shout out to coach Levitt for being such a tremendous guest for
us and for you the audience. Throughout these fourteen weeks, Hopefully you've gathered
some inside knowledge and some more details of what it's like to be a head
coach, what coaches are thinking in certain situations, how coaches handle all the
different things that go into being a head football coach throughout the year. So
you're gonna get one more great episode with coach level. We're gonna have a
good We had a rate chat and then you're gonna hear from Vince Ferrara ninety
nine point one in Knoxville about Alex galesh new head coach of the USF Bowl.
So we'll be back in just a minute or two with coach Jim Levitt.
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Welcome back coaching the Kicker Segment Coach Jim Levitts. We have wrapped up
championship. We finally know who's in the playoff. It's Georgia one, Michigan
two, TCU three, even after losing a heartbreaker and overtime, and number
four Ohio State slips in the back door thanks to USC going down on Friday
night in Las Vegas. Coach, welcome back. It could be back,
Boris. It's uh, is this our last last one? Well, we're
gonna do one more before the playoff. I mean you're I'm gonna give you
a couple of weeks off and we're gonna do one more before the playoff.
All right, But yes, you've been awesome this year been It's been a
real pleasure getting on and again you've you've provided such great insight on all the
different aspects of coaching in the college football world. All right, let's get
right, I get all the Colorado stuff, fun, the honor d On
I was gonna say, you're not going to da are you? You're not
going out to Boulder now with d on our Oh no, I did my
You know, we won ten games. They're the one yards there years the
one first year we only won four, then we won ten and that's where
I won. Of the season they've had about twenty years. I think he
swears they're gonna win out there. He'll he'll bring some juice out there though
with some He'll get some kids and he'll bring some juice out to Boulder.
Yeah, it would be fun see what happens. All right, let's get
to the playoffs. Any any just overbearing thoughts on obviously the dramatic game in
Dallas with TCU. In Kansas State you talked about, we talked Kansas State
was a live team last week. You really liked what you saw at of
Kansas State. TCU goold, come back, they get stopped on the goal
line and overtime on the one yard line, and then keep TCU goes down,
it kicks the game winning field goal. And then obviously USC and Utah
Friday night, Uh, you know, Utah just the we again. We
talked about Utah. The greedy, guttiness, the toughness of Utah just overwhelmed
USC. You know, Utah's interesting program because in some ways I'm not so
sure they're not one of the top programs in the country. It's you know,
I mean, they beat uh, the USC twice, right, I
mean that's pretty good. And they lost a game in Florida. I thought
you talk was a better team and that the only other lost that was Oregon,
I blake, and you know Oregon had a good team as well.
So you talk, you taught a very good team this year. And uh,
you know it's um. You know Ohio State. I think a lot
of people kind of joy seeing them in it because they were date. You
know, they they just dominated everybody all year long till the end, and
they lost to Michigan. Michigan did a great job that one game. And
it's gonna be interesting now House Safe back in there, and well those Ohio
Safe people are excited, and you know, I was wish Sunny Dike said
it's of you. You know, so TCU, what a great job he
and his staff have done there this year to get the playoffs, and you
know, and they were so explosive, uh offensively and they've played um good
enough defense to get him there. And then Georgia is just man, they
seem like the team certainly to be uh and then miss Kim you know,
so I don't know it's gonna be um, it's gonna be fun to watch
and we'll talk, like I said, we'll have one more uh coaching the
kicker sitting in here in a couple of weeks preview in the championship games,
We'll really get into the coach and I'll really get into the xs and o's
of each of these matchups. For the for the playoff games here in a
couple of weeks, talk about, um, you know a lot of people
would you know, questioning should Ohio Steak getting should Alabama get in? Now?
Obviously heard Nick Saban. Over the weekend we lose two games by four
points on the last play of the game, as opposed to a house Steak
getting blown out at home. Any thoughts of Alabama getting in over Ohio State?
Are you okay with that? No? You know, it's it's um.
I think Saban's got uh, he's gonna do it. He's you know,
he's head coach that program. Yeah, and I'm not so sure that
Alabama is not one of the shouldn't be in there, But you know,
you just you can't. You can't do it. The president with two losses,
you know, and Tennessee was one of them, and you know it's
just gonna be hard. It would be hard to take Alabama. And then
you know, I could see people arguing in debating it. I'm not so
sure that they're not right, and that's why people want to expand it from
Florida, you know, just six or twelve or whatever. You know,
are you excited that it got expanded to twelve? Basically they came to an
agreement last week those Bowl to go to twelve. A you're excited? You
like twelve as a number? Oh, I don't know. You know,
I haven't thought a lot about it. You know, it's just you know,
more money, more TV, you know, more teams getting in probably
helps. You know. I'm such a whole school guy. I kind of
liked it when they all the Bowl games meant a lot and they didn't just
name it, know, team that was the best team in the country,
and that seemed to work forever until they changed it. And so I know
people would probably criticize me because they you know, you know, because all
the Division two, Division three had you know, playoffs, right, so
they're probably going more towards that format. Uh So, you know, it's
one thing, yeah, one one thing. I'm not I'm surprised I've not
heard anybody talk about that a playoff team could potentially have to play four more
games seventeen games you could potentially have to play in a college football if you
were the twelve seed and let's say you went to a championship game and loss.
That's that's thirteen games right there. Four more games in the playoffs.
Are these kids gonna Do you think that these kids ought to get a little
bit of a stipe in each playoff round they go to Financially with as much
money that's going into these games from the TV networks, I haven't already may
talk about do you pay these kids a couple of thousand bucks per game for
every team that makes it? What your thoughts on that? Well, you
know, college football has changed so much, and I'm not so sure for
the better, you know, personally, it's just it's just different, and
there's so many variables out there and things to talk about. It's it's difficult,
you know. The TV. Yeah, they're making all this money,
and I certainly see the argument for papal arms, I really do um And
but you know, we we've we've missed the boat somewhere, you know,
the nil the transfer portal. I don't like it at all. I think
it's much and I don't think it's a good thing for college football. I
think it's a very bad thing and uh um, you know, I think
it's sad. To be honest with you, the direction of college football is
going. Uh you know, it's you know, it's supposed to be an
amateur athlete. The education meant so much. I remember when I got a
scholarship University of Missouri, and I thought that was the greatest thing in the
world. But times change, TV market is different, everything's different. But
it's I think it's gotten to be out of control and I don't I don't
like it, you know personally. Now you know how many games to the
Division two and Division three? Uh you know it used to be all one
double a's right games A play? How to uh you know they do?
They have to play that many games. People are gonna make the argument,
well they can't. I don't know why anybody can't, but it seems too
much. Yes, you know, you know when when I was in the
NFL, we went to the NFC championship game, uh three times, playing
Super Bowl once. You know, it was twenty three or twenty four games.
As a lot of football bros. But they don't have it, they
don't have school that it's different and it's a long season for them. Of
course, your top don't play those four games, those preseason games much,
but it was, it was. It was a lot of football, it
is. That's a lot of balls, a lot of a lot of ball,
for sure. All right, let's let's um, you know, let's
transition to some of the coaching hires. Over the weekend. Several jobs got
filled. We have some breaking news Monday morning, and we'll talk about here
in a second. FAU fills their job. Willie Taggert let go, Tom
Herman, the former Texas coach, brought in us Let's obviously Jeff Scott was
let go several weeks ago. Alex galesh who's the off co offensive coordinator at
Tennessee with Josh hypel Is brought in to be the new USF coach. Colorado
hires Dion Sanders. Liberty hires Jamie Chadwell, who went from Coastal Carolina to
Liberty to Liberty to fill the job where Hugh Freeze left. And then breaking
news on Monday morning, the Louisville coach, somebody I know, you know,
Scott Satterfield leaves Louisville to go to right up the road to Cincinnati,
which is kind of a you know in that part of the world that that'll
get a lot of attention. So any of those names strike you as somebody
that you really think is gonna do a really good job where they're going.
Well, I like Shatterfield, I said, you know, I know him,
and it was interesting Louisville when I was at SMU was the interim head
coach before we were supposed to play Virginia and in the bowl game, they're
in uh, you know in Ah, I guess Yankee Stadium up there.
We Uh, they came and practiced on our fields and I but I've known
him and I've always watched him, you know. When I was at Florida
State, we ended up beating them in a really good game. I like
him. I think he's very good coach. You know, you gotta wonder
um the motivation and why he's doing whether it was kind of just time to
leave Louisville and a lot of pressure, and I don't know, but I
think he's really good coach. The new guy at South Florida, I don't
really know him. Uh. Tennessee's certainly had a really good year. Uh
So you know, you just don't know. You know, you really don't
know till you know after they play and you know, and you know,
it's it's certainly not about the press conference, even though everybody wants it to
be. Uh, it's it's a body of work, and we won't know
how good these moves are till you know years later. I mean, Jeff
Scott took the job at South Florida, I'm sure to feel pretty excited coming
from Clemson co offensive coordinator from Florida. A great guy. Um dad was
was a you know, had lots of coaching. Yea. You know,
the program was down and you know, struggled. So you know, in
time you may may be a great hug. You just don't know, it
may not be. And there's so many other things that are involved. Um,
you know. So the Liberty, I don't know, he's done a
great job at Coastal Carolina. I don't really know him. Yeah, Oh
he's done. They've done great there, so uh you know Liberty. It's
interesting Liberty's gotten some pop some money into that program, man, and they're
paying their coach and they are pumping some money into their resources. I guess
four million a year. They're talking about paying him. That's a lot of
money. Uh So it's it's um, you just don't know. You know,
you've fres going to Auburn. I think that's I think you Freeze a
heck of a coach. I think he does a great job. You know,
people are gonna get involved in all the different off field things. But
you know, Hugh Freeze and I met, you know about the old miss
defensive coordinator job, and you know Hugh Freeze. Um, you know,
I was set to go there, and then I interviewed for the head job
at Kansas State and that kind of and then I ended up going to going
to Oregon. So it was crazy. They obviously hired a really good guy
at Kansas State. What's the first order of business when you take a new
job like this head coaching job. I don't care if it's in a big
school, little school, whatever. What is the first couple of days?
Well, I mean obviously you probably are making calls about his staff and all
that stuff. What is the first I mean, when you get there,
you don't have a place to live, I mean, do you find what
are you trying to find a place to live? What's the first day or
two like at a new job of actually doing work, and what are you
doing. Well, if I'm going it's a job, I'm gonna find my
quarterbacks good, I'm gonna go find him right away. And I think you
gotta get your players immediately, like right away, and you guys started having
meetings with your players. You're gonna have uh, you know, you're gonna
multitask. You're gonna have a lot of things going on at the same time.
You gotta hire staff, you gotta get recruiting, you got the transfer
portal involved, You've got you've got a million things going on at one time,
and you gotta go handle all of it at the same time. You
know. So, but you better see your players, and you better get
one on one with your players. You know, you can have that team
meeting, and then you better start setting up a schedule with with you know,
your assistant. You better start putting a schedule there to meet with your
players one on one. So when you're hiring a staff, obviously on the
day you hire, you get the I mean there's some of these jobs you
may not. I mean a guy like Alex Kleshman, I'd have known he
was getting the job. Bill Saturday nine who knows you already got you already
have that list together of guys you're gonna call before Saturday. This these couple
guys in every position, How do you As far as putting together staff,
that can't be a one phone call and it's done. It probably takes some
time to put put together a ten or fifteen person staff, right, yeah,
it will, it will. It's like could be easy, you know,
because the most important things you better get a great strength coaches best number
one, right, you're good in that area. And then your coordinators.
You know, you got to get those because a lot of times coordinators are
gonna want to bring their own people with them anymore the way it is now,
So you'll lean on your coordinators quite a bit. But you gotta gives
strengths because the players off final exams, they'll go home, but they'll come
back and done and and started hitting the weight run. You know. So
you want to get you want to get that that position. You want to
make sure that position is really good, you know, it just it just
takes time. You're gonna do it, and and you don't have time,
you know. So when it comes to recruiting lists and stuff like that,
does the does the place you're going to do they provide you that information or
is that something you gotta bring with you. I mean, you're going from
like Dion Sanders, from Mississippi to Colorado. You're not gonnasily know all the
kids out west? Where do you get that information from? If you're a
guy like Deon Sanders, well, you're gonna lean on the recruiting coordinator that
was there, you know a little bit. But if they're gone here you've
already been recruiting at Jackson State, You're certainly going to recruit different guys right
about the people you know? You know? I mean you you know he
Dion probably has this staff all set maybe you know, and and those guys
will just start working it. They got to get into La. They know
they're in the Pac twelve. They've got to get out there. And they
got to go to Texas because they've been going to Texas quite a bit because
it's about eight hour drive from Dallas to to Boulder, Okay, So you
know they'll probably work that angle. But Dean's gonna work National. You'll work
all the transfer portal. But then you gotta evaluateate your team. You gotta
evaluate for what your scheme are offensively defensively, and you've got to look at
the players you have and that that takes time though, right, that just
takes time and watching film, right right, Yeah, you gotta do it.
You're not gonna sleep, You're just not you know, you're gonna get
three four hours of sleep at night, that's it. But you're so excited
about the job that you don't need any more than four hours a night,
and you're just gonna crank it out, you know. You know in the
nighttime, after ten eleven at night, you can do a lot of work
till two or three in the morning, you know, do a lot of
that film work and evaluate, you know, and you'll talk to the coaches
that are there. You know, they all want to stay on, they
want a job. They're gonna give you as much information as they can.
But it's it's, uh, you know, you're so excited about the job.
You know, you're excited about being hired. So you're just going on
adrenaline and you just you just do the best you can. But you gotta
see your players. Got to hold off players and going to transfer bort at
least two or three for that. You really want to keep and do the
best job you can there. You know, So when you when you're going
to hire a staff, does the athletics director does he tell you, hey,
coach, you got X number of dollars in total to hire your assistant?
Or does he does he give you a specific number for each coach?
How does? How does kind of nego? Because you know, obviously these
guys all want to make as much money as they can as assistance. But
do you tell the assistant, hey, coach, I got I got X
number of dollars to pay you as the running backs coach, I got I
could pay you. Is that? Is that determined by the athletics director or
do you have any wiggle room in that as the head coach? The athletic
director is gonna tell your this is done before you're hired. Okay, what
you're sarry pool is if you don't, he won't care how you're gonna dib
you it up? Okay? Or should he? You know, but he's
gonna say, hey, here's here's the pool of money that you have.
Work with it, you know. I mean that was when I interviewed for
a number of different jobs Alabama or UH Kansas State or Texas Tech or Klas
State, those that was told me what the pool money was going to be.
Okay, you know, you know, so that was that was all
there. You know, so you knew going in what you were going to
have. And then you know you're right if you if you if you're you
need a little bit more, maybe one hundred thousand more here or there.
You feel like this this guy is that good? You go to your A
D and work it out. Find a way. How fast will this?
How fast that these new places? Will the staff all be in whatever city
there? And are they all there? If the guy gets hired, you
know, if the coach gets hired Saturday, are they are they there by
the end of this week? Everybody's gonna be in in that new city.
How does that work? Well, if he's hired saterity, he might be
there Saturday night. You'll go fast. You know. He's like most of
these guys getting these head jobs, they've heard a gout relationships. They already
know who they probably want to hire. Okay, and and you know for
about four or five six physicians, they're they're they're already set. And sometimes
you will there are sometimes you want assistant coach and that courtinator may not want
that assistant coach, but you're gonna hire them because that's who you want.
And um for recruiting or for whatever purposes you want. And huh, you're
you're moving fast, really fast, you know. I mean, it's it's
and you know what's gonna happen. Also, some of these heading coaches are
gonna hire somebody and they're gonna and they're gonna be there and then they're gonna
go to another job in like three weeks a better opportunity, Like the guy
that just got hires South Florida. You may hire a staff and they might
end up at US Sincenati, right, they end up at Colorado in a
number of weeks. That's and that's not unrealistic. That's happened. That was
happening a number of times. No, we don't ever hear about We hear
about all the head coach and stuff in the media. We don't hear about
these about the running back coach and the special team's coordinators and I like that
and jumping ship and all that kind of good stuff. That's just part of
that business, as you well know. Yeah, um, all right,
I want to hit you a couple of things before we let you go Army
Navy this week? What what what a trip? What rivalry? What a
game just for the country and for those kids. Just talk about the spectacle
that is an Army Navy game. Well, I'd really like to go to
this this game sometimes in my life. I really would. Um, I
can't imagine more fun game to go to. And uh this year, boy,
I don't know where the line is on this game because Army has had
struggled, but then they've won some other big games. Navy struggled early,
but then look at some of the teams they beat. This game. I
think it's gonna go down to the wire, and I don't I would It's
a flip of the coin. He's gonna win this one those pageantry rivalry games.
It doesn't matter what the records are. You know, most years the
game is very competitive. I mean most years it's a one score game,
going to the fourth quarter kind of game game. And just the pageantry of
the game, of all the tradition and all the kids that are in the
stadium, all the military paraphernalia. Obviously we all know people that have got
military background. Just I'm with you. I think that's a bucket list.
I'd like to take my dad to that game one of these years. And
uh, you know, whether it's Philadelphia or I know they rotate the location
where they play, but it's typically in the Northeast. But just what a
pageantry game. Have you ever been in a military kind of game like that?
Well? No, I mean we played Army and maybe you know I've
done that a few times, so you know I've I've faced the Air Force
at Colorado. When you were at Colorado, you guys play air Force?
Oh we never I've never lined up against Airforce. Okay, they're all that
offense. You know. When I was at SMU when I was interim head
coach, the decision was between Virginia and air Force, two of the most
prolific offenses in the country last year, I didn't know who I'd rather go
up against. There was there neither there both both the challenge so but never
never lined up against their force. I really liked their head coach. I
think he's a really good guy, knowing him for a long time and done
a great job there. All right, Heisman Trophy, they're going to announce
that in a couple of weeks. Here probably a couple of names. You
got the kid from USC Caleb Williams, you got the kid from You got
the kid from TCU, Dougging, you got c. J. Stroup potentially
from Ohio State. Who do you like in the Heisman Trophy? I don't
know. I haven't followed it like that. You know, with specific players,
you know who's done the best for their team. You gotta look at
quarterback. I know Duggins. I mean, you look at TCU. I
mean, Dougas wasn't even really the starter at the beginning of the year.
They had kind of going back and forth, and then Douggan's got in there.
I don't know if the other guy got hurt or what happened, but
Duggants got in there and then just took over the quarterback at USC is.
He is unbelievable. He is a great alb and uh but they all are.
You know who has done the most, impacted the team the most,
probably USC guy because they got no defense out there. Yeah, but look
at Tcuhan It's true. I don't know. I don't know, because you
know, nobody expect to TCU be in a final four. That's right,
They're They're not USC so that's right. And then he had the kid from
Michigan who hurt his knee or he would have been there a quorum, the
running back who had an unbelievable year from Michigan. Yeah, it's you know,
I don't know, boy, I don't know. I don't I don't
know this year, who's gonna be That's good question? All right, last
thing I'll get you out of here. Talk about the momentum of a big
winning like a team like Kansas State. What is this momentum of a huge,
big, twelveth championship in a you know, year that you weren't supposed
to win? It a lot to be why other people winning it? How
does that momentum go give you such a bounce into the offseason, both just
from your own program and recruiting. How to talk about how how that being
on the national spotlight of beating a team like TCU for a conference title is
such a boom to your program? Well, you know, I don't even
I think how do I put this in the right way? You know,
one of your goals is to win the conference. So have you've established that?
So whether it is momentum for the future or helps your recruiting or makes
everybody whatever. I mean, the moment in itself is is what you're what
you you know what you're you're coaching, and you're working your winter conditioning and
your spring ball and summer workouts and for years and years and years for that
one moment, you know, and you take that in as long as you
can, you know, because the next day's recruiting. It's the props starting
all over again, you know. Uh, And it's just that moment.
It's just like when we know it's not the same. I know, when
you want a conference champions like that, that's a big tea on the way
they want it. Yeah, yes, it's gonna be great for him.
But my point is this, Like we beat West Virginia that one Friday night,
I'll never get walking back out in the field with the police officers,
the guys that were already hanging out with me. And I told him,
I said, you know, I always like walking out in this field right
now after everything's you know, everybody's picking up a little calm just for the
moment. I said, just to pause right now, to take this in
because when we leave this field right now and I'm talking to those those guys,
I said, then it's onto the next game, onto the next recruit,
onto the next whatever. And for Kansas State, when you win a
conference championship is different because it's you know, the you know what you're trying
to get done. It's the epitome of everything. You know, it's you
know, so sure it's gonna help. It's it's gonna help everybody because that's
such a huge goal for you, you know. And on the flip side,
what about the fuel of a huge loss a team like USC that knows
they would have been in the playoff. You're no longer in the playoffs because
you lose the conference title game. From the players perspective and the coaching perspective,
obviously, the coaches are always gonna that's gonna be a new thing.
Oh, we gotta get better on defense and all that. I get it.
But just the emotional, like you said, the emotional letdown of damn,
we were one. You know, we're one half of a way or
one bad quarter away from being in the college football playoff to win a national
title. Yeah, it's it's hard. It's it's it's hard. You never
get over those games when you lose. And that was part of the thing
I told the team, Um, you know when I was, when I
was, when I was in South Florida or other places, I used to
tell players this whole the time. I said, what's gonna get me out
of coaching? As losses? I cannot know. I don't know how to
deal with them. I have a hard time of losses. And because it's
just because I always felt like it was my fault, right. I never
felt like it was the offensive coordinator or defense coordinator or any assistant coaches.
I never felt like it was the players. I always felt like it was
me. And to take that on yourself is hard. And you know,
fortunately we didn't. We won a lot more games and we lost and it's
been throughout my career. But losses are so devastating and so difficult. It's
really really it's a real it was a real challenge for me to get over
losses, which it's really really hard. So, um, you know they'll
bounce back, you know. Every day that happens is you know, you
breathe a little bit better, and they don't have time. You know,
they got a bowl game, it gets a really good team. You know,
you embrace that you've had a great season. You lost to one team
twice. Yeah, but you had a great season, and you know,
you try to try to talk about the positives and every way you can.
You know, you certainly don't want to show your sadness or depression the people.
You know, Um, you had a great season, a great year,
you know, and you know, onto recruiting, be positive. Now
for the four teams that are still playing, you're gonna give them this week
off pretty much. Let them recruit, recover, let them get their obviously,
most of those kids got final exams coming to the next probably week,
week and a half to get out of school. You're gonna let You're gonna
let that this next nine or ten days. Really let light on the football
and let them take care of their academics and all in recovery. Yeah,
absolutely, I tell him get away from football, you know, do everything
but football. You know, goes. See your families get your fire exams
done, you know, see your families get some to take some time off.
I wouldn't you want them in to wait fro them, be honest,
right, want to, but I I'd let your stramp coaches get away too,
you know. Right now, of course you got recruiting, so you
know you're gonna keep them around. But um, absolutely, because it's it's
it's the timing on building for these these these games are are big and you're
preparing to win it all, so you're not talking about one game but two.
So yeah, absolutely, Well, coach, great job. I know
you're you're heading. You're heading to Monday Night football on Monday Night the Bucks
in the Saints. I'll be there. Yep, yep. It should be
a good atmosphere in Raymond James Stadium. Appreciate the time. We will,
Like I said, uh fans, we will have coach back the week of
the championship of the semi final games, which I believe is right before New
Year. So we'll have one more episode Coaching the Kickers part of the Florida
Football Insiders podcasts. That week of we'll do a little break We'll do a
little XS and O's breakdown of each game, maybe a couple of the big
Bowl games and all that such. But but coach, great work. When
I'm giving you a couple of weeks off, now you can go recover.
You can got no no recruiting now, no recruiting. I don't want you
on the recruiting trail I was at. I was Friday night. I'll tell
you this. I was refereeing Friday at the state semifinal in Venice. It
was Venice High School, which I know, you know, against Gainesville Buckholtz,
and there were some there were a lot of coaches on the sidelines.
I saw Ohio State coach there recruiting. So, I mean, you're what
you say is right on, man. These guys are always recruiting. Um.
So I was fortunate enough to referee the game. It was a great
game, forty two thirty five. Venice wins, great game. Venice goes
to the state championship coming up in a week or so. But your your
point is well taken. These guys don't ever really take much time off.
These coaches. They're freaking A guy from the Ohio State coach was right there
on the sidelines in Venice floor to Friday night. Yeah, oh, no
doubt. You know. I used to as a head coach, I used
to give them a week off after signed date in Fibruary because you don't have
time. You got to grind right through Christmas. And it's just the way
it is. Now they've changing your calendar a little bit, so they do
give us a little bit more time and Christmas. But you know, yeah,
it's it's on, It is on for sure. We'll enjoy the Bucks
win. Let's get the Bucks to the finish line Monday night with Old Tom.
We want we want you to get some playoff tickets. Man, we
gotta win the game to get to wrap up the South here. That's right,
all right, have a great week. We'll talk in a couple of
weeks, coach, all right, we'll see you. Florida Football Insiders podcast
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Reach out to Jason Powers two zero five seven nine zero one four zero four
All right, come back Florida Football Insiders podcast. Everybody wants to know who
is Alex Golish, the new coach at the University of South Florida. Everybody
and nobody really knew who he was when he was hired. Kind of a
surprise name that was announced on Saturday Night. A lot of people thought Dion
Sanders a lot of people thought maybe a couple other names that were in the
mix, but no. Alex Golish, the offensive co offensive coordinator at the
University of Tennessee, is hired to replace Jeff Scott. Kind of a similar
boat as Jeff Scott comes in with a lot of offensive pedigree coming from the
Josh hypeol system. Was been with Josh for a couple of years now,
one year at UCF than two years at Tennessee. And no better person to
talk about all things Alex Golesh who's covered him for two years in Knoxville.
He's at University of South Florida graduate, so I know he has some vested
interests in this higher as well. Vince ferrar a ninety nine point one,
the sports animal in Knoxville, he's covered him for two years. Talk to
him. I'm sure a bunch we're gonna talk to to Vince about all the
things about Alex Golish to getting the job here at USF. So welcome back,
Vince Man. Great to be whether Jason as always. Yeah, all
right, let's let's get right to it. Co offensive coordinator. I know,
I know you've told me and you've been on this podcast several times,
talking about the access that Hypel's allowed the coordinators to talk to the media over
the years. Just talk about his media presence, talking to you guys in
the media. How is Alex done handling the media and just interaction you guys
have had the last couple of years. Yeah, you're absolutely right. Well,
you've had a chance to talk to him even during the season that they
would make in a rotating assistance, two of them available on game weeks and
he was in a Heman DC Tim Banksman a regular rotation. So I'd say
we've talked to him, gosh, since he's been here, you know,
fifteen twenty different times, which is which is cool. He is he's a
different personality. He's very thoughtful in his answers. He is very energetic.
He's one that I think thinks through everything. But he'll give you some honest
answers. Also like if a guy it's like, look, you know,
just needs to mature some for example, things like that. Or we think
our standard here at Tennessee is we expect to be the number one offense in
the country. And he said that earlier before the season ever started, or
maybe very early in September and that's what ended up happening. For a good
part of the year they had the number one offense. So he'll give you
some stuff. He's not just all coach speak. He's a you know,
young, younger guy at thirty eight. So there's not the long list of
NFL guys his coach I think going into this upcoming draft, I think it's
five guys, including Velis Jones, who's who's a rookie in the NFL some
of those guys. But I think he's impressive. To me, he comes
with a little bit more overall juice than what Jeff Scott did. I still
expected more from Jeff Scott at USF, honestly, I think a lot of
people did. But I think Alex Golish, with how great the offenses have
been that he's been a part of, I think he's an excellent hire.
He knows what has worked under Josh Hypel at his two stops, And the
big thing for USF is he's a relentless competitor and recruiter. I think USF
needs both of those things. What position, what's his position specialty as far
as before you know what what if he coached or kind of grown up in
the business. Coaching tight ends is what he has done. That's his baby.
Now, they have not had an elite athlete. They haven't had any
brock Bowers or Washington or any of those kind of talents there, but they've
improved their tight ends that they've had there under him. It's been Jacob Warren
and Princeton Fan guys that he inherited, and other than that, they've had
a couple of freshmen either depart or just now hit the transfer Portally, they
haven't had that elite athlete. Now they do in this upcoming signing class,
but they haven't had it yet, so we really haven't seen him utilize the
position that he coaches to the maximum of what they'd like to. They'd like
to have stud tight ends to where they can use both guys at the same
time and not be a personnel a specific and based on who they have and
just really have multiple threats on the field at the same time. So expect
that to be addressed in recruiting. When we see them on the practice field,
which was before the season and in the spring. He's so detail oriented
and the way he coaches guys, he will compliment them, but he will
get after them as well when we when we're in the press box and there's
some angst, let's say, coming from the press box to the coach's box,
a lot of times is Alex Golish. So he that's another thing,
is he's been in the press boxes. There will be a different deal for
him to be on the sideline. So he's a really high energy, super
detailed guy that has focused on the tight ends, but he's been involved in
the game planning and play calling as well, even though Hypel has handled the
day to day stuff. That was gonna be my next question, is he
here a lot of these coaches, whether it's NFL College, Hypel, Sarkisi
and guys like Andy Read the NFL, they've got a coordinator that's got a
title, was Alex Golish calling plays And that's you know, obviously you got
the title as those ce But what's he given the opportunity to call plays periodically
throughout the year. What was kind of that relationship of who called the plays
with this high prolific offense. Well, he was involved, but I mean
clearly you can see Hypol call him in the plays and you know, covering
up and things like that. So I think Alex Golis was involved. I
think there's times where Alex Golish would say, hey, look we need to
do this, let's do this, and maybe Josh was the one to execute
it. I think it was a shared deal in the game planning also,
and frankly, quarterbacks coach Joey Halseley was probably the lead candidate to be the
new OC to take his place. They were all involved in all those things
and would contribute input. But and it's it's it's weird. It was never
really truly answered by anyone. But in the preseason his bio Josh Hype not
Josh Appele. Alex Golis's bio changed and somebody found it to where it said
he's a play caller, and everybody's like, wait, how is that?
How was he the play caller? But I think it was a strategic move
to help him in terms of getting a future head coaching job. And so
there there's some technicality to where yeah, he was involved in calling plays,
but I don't think that was a down end, down out thing. I
do think it was hypel his offense and then kind of some shared duties to
where you could technically say he did contribute in that area. Do you expect
him to bring this exact Saint Tennessee offense? You know, fans, if
you don't, if you didn't watch about Tennessee this year. A different offensive
formational thing that most people don't run a lot of wide receivers, really wide
splits with the wide receivers opening up the middle of that field for the runners
in the short passing game. Do you anticipate in bringing that same exact system
of USF I do? And there's a lot of aspects to it. You
hit on some of the key ones, Jason. The wide splits of the
receivers, forcing teams to have to cover sideline the sideline, which puts you
in conflict in where you're gonna go if you're in zone coverage. It also
forces teams to declare when they motion guys because you can't get out and change
and do a lot of switching unless they do a bunch set. And they
would take advantage bunch to the boundary and switch guys a lie to where now
you can get a linebacker on Jalen Hyatt. And they did that a bunch
during the season. So it's it's a very smart offense. Another thing that's
a part of it is clearly the tempo to see not only had the number
one offense in the country, but they were one and two all the whole
time. Hypol has been here in plays per minute. Yeah, and then
and then the team Bowl. It's just crazy. Another aspect of these of
the power running game, they still run on the football. They all running
on the football, sometimes more than the throw of the football. It's running
and shoot offense. Because they have this tambo. They still want to run
on the football. And I bet that they will work to have to always
have a quarterback that they kick ball in the run game and as well and
not just have a station pocket quarterback. So um, all of those things
still be bounced offense. That the tambo, the fourth seams of the player
the wise to really put a lot of teams as a difficult season coverage and
um, and then teams have to they can't something to either, right,
So it gives you a lot of advantages. Maybe some transition there, uh,
based on the personally have but man, it really work. There had
been a ton of offenses unless you have to like lee corners right or your
team is ready to play like behind the game. Um, it's harder to
beat them with a Do you anticipate him bringing some Tennessee guys with him,
you know, whether it's the strength guy or maybe some analysts who have been
or some GA potential kind of guys, A couple of those kind of guys
to fill in part of his staff. I do. I don't have him
inside on those guys. It's hard to be honest with you, but it
is something that we talked about wondered air and and you know, elevating guys
with their roles. You mentioned analysts and then gas and maybe a position coach
people who's been sort of a young ross was eating in his first year as
a wild coach after the Saint as a wild reach, so you know,
may either there was a recruiting title or a guy like him there's money.
Another aspect of it is is what did his Tennessee to do in response and
trying to heat those guys? Right, they have all Tennesse. He already
had those discussions the look we we will recruity that assistant in pool. Trying
to heap some guys. I bet he's wise at least with with some guys
because there was so much familiar Also, the entire offen the side of all
those guys they came with them from Ucah other than that wilde receiver positions,
so um, I bet you want some comfortable pieces and then build around the
base. He's available, so he'll try. Whether he's able to do it,
Uh, not sure, but I would think it at least a couple
of those guys with in your organization gether, we'll go with him. And
obviously the last part of this is kind of the lifeblood of any good program
is recruiting. What what kind of reputation does they have as a recruiter,
both from at the high school of I know you call high school games the
big prominent games in that Knoxville area. It would see a guy that you
would see at a game every once in a while, that kind of stuff,
and more and just as important the ability of recruit guys from other places
through the portal. You know, there's gonna be guys maybe a Tennessee that
maybe want some more playing time whatever their situation is, or around the Southeastern
Conference. Do you think he'll do a good job being able to foster those
relationships with the high school coaches and other guys that are in the potentially in
the portal. Yeah. The first part of it, he's an all recruiter.
Um. You know, there's there's different different recruiting sites of different rankings,
so he's not always those ranking one guy ends up, but as a
lot of different guys. So, um, I think it will be an
excellent encloser. I think he'll do well in the area. Uh As,
he probably won't be able to do a lot of the day to day as
much just be running a program, but his relationship will will help him.
And that's the second part of it is that he's already has a term of
relationships in the state of Lord when he was he was recruited that state before,
so I think that will give him a job to be able to continue
to transition. And I'm sure he's had some of those responsibilities in a Tennessee
to are already, so I don't give it will be his biggest transition.
But um, he is relentless in the and in the terms of Josh people,
a relentless recruiter and he's been in all of them a lot of guys,
and I think maybe the biggest we have because he has him around that
the biggest pay this was probably in this current class, right guys. Right
now, he's not going to get a chance to coach. So it's just
kind of a weird situation. From that standpoint where they got out to tie
ends, they got at the quarterback. Um. So yeah, but I
think one of the best things is about goal. It's just gonna be on
the player to development mentioned the tie ends, the offensive line, I made
it a drastic improve man the wide receivers. He's involved in all those things,
and so that will buy him to the time and to be able to
continue to improve and and a relationships and implorided and recruiting with the high school
players and then yeah, to transfer for World two. Super aggressive from that
standpoint and the name they've hit on some some but that's kind of the world
for everybody and up right now, which as you know, setting records and
the non numbers that are out there. Yeah, like to me, one
of the big jobs down here is usf offensively was okay, it's their defense
has really struggled under coach Scott the last several years. And whether that's a
recruiting, an element of recruiting, lack of recruiting, scheme, coaching,
and he's bringing in Todd Orlando to be the defensive coordinator when Orlando's got some
experience at some other places, but that's to me where he's really got to.
It's great if you score a bunch of points, as you saw in
Tennessee, but in crunch time, when it's time to win, you got
to stop some people. I know, you know, obviously Tennessee had the
issue there at the South Carolina game at the end. And I know he's
not a defensive coordinator guy, but still you're now the head coach of the
program. You got to spend some time on the defense as well. Yes,
and then a lot of that is a higher and then that's you know,
when people the Tennessee team at the time last year on the Bible and
then when they lost, the people come out of when they were were to
be found before that. Right. But one of the things that the people
kind of wonder about long term is that that offense goes so fast and gets
off the field, so minute two eighteen a lot of that, and then
to put their defense back on the field and down then you have some room
march there there, and then you had at the end of the game you
slow down to get to the finish sign, you go three and out,
Yes, and you knew that then that's where it's a problem. Tendenty in
the first year and third their defense right back out on the field tenendents.
He had improvements as a run on defense this year, but also the tendent
the offenses was better on the third down, so they were able to move
to the change and leanings vibe. Their d defense is a literally more time
they were as bad short of the South Carlin day forward, but other times
the defense was was pretty good. It is just hit the ball games.
But that would be something to watch. Is that pays putting the defense back
out You can't keep the change and that boy on that side of ball.
And obviously this is a minor thing, but it's still a factor, especially
here in Tampa. The heat can the conditions of the weather when it's so
hot down here. Obviously, when those guys are on the field and you
don't have as much depth as you need, you get exposed in a hurry
on defense when you don't have those guys at depth, and then will be
some position not the defense offense too with the offensive line, and it took
those big boys on the offensive line for some time. They admitted they didn't
the last year there the then like hey, gas and line proved a lot,
but man, experition, those guys aren't that seed. Then you're not
gonna have much success. It's gonna be in for everybody to go everything.
The last year. I bet maybe able to alas get some guys to the
transition and and maybe at least keep it together progress And I agree. So
so in your opinion, you think Alex is ready for this role to be
the headman at a program like US if it's not Tennessee obviously, with the
demands and the expectations. But you can't. You can't roll two more years
where you win two or three games. You gotta show some progress pretty quick,
and there's some opportunity to do that with the transfer portal. Yeah,
I do. I've said I'm kind of a little bit by. He can
have to success there and I'm leading him, but the school's got to help
them. They got to help them from the minutment. They got to give
him the resources to be able to cry the last county. And we all
know there's a tough player there right in sane. But man, if you
gotta if you gotta till you'll give it a guy, then you gotta let
them do it. And so there resources there. Goal should have gotten some
sort of assurances that they're going to invest if they don't know of that element.
And and then here's thing and you can't. You can't just not participate
or we're just dabbling when everybody else altosort like it is everyone to get the
best deal colective uh relationships to help you from that, I see him the
point because everybody else is own. So if he has, I do think
he will, right, they'll understanding relationships Jo the culture is a big part
of the them turning so quickly is it'll be real to the guys. You
need to give a different process with the Jones Raman. They about those guys.
So I think he'll he'll do a lot of those things to give him
a base, and I do think it will be accessible with us album too.
All right, Convince, great work. Man. Really appreciate the time.
So there's some great analysis on coach out Scoalish tell Bray where they can
find out your great work online. Yeah, I really appreciate it. And
you want to see any Goals interviews. He would you like to go to
those really inpressive to stop from him. You can go to my YouTube channel
it's been in sports and give me a father to drive there and you scroll
through the fine goals to the bunch there or website. You can see on
the video nine channel dot com video podcasts bunch that my blogs and predictions.
And then I also on Twitter A been in Fort There as well. We
will be in Miami. I'll escape. I'll see you the example before after
we go the Tennessee game for ten weeks. Not a boy. We like
to hear that. We'd like to hear that awesome, awesome work. Vince,
you're you're the man again. He's he he's covered Alice goals for two
years. Knows this guy inside announced and he's giving you some great knowledge about
what to expect as the new head coach of the South Florida Bulls. And
Vince is a graduate two so I know he's super excited about the new hire
as well. So Vince, keep up the great work, man, appreciate
and go falls company. Is that a New Year's Day? That's New Year's
Day, December thirty game, So it game, so a lot of a
lot of attention will be down there, let me anything from there and go
hold him. Don't don't be getting caught on South Beach now, don't be
getting in the in the blogs down there on South Beach. No promises,
so you never know. All right, Bud, have a great week.
Thanks all right, thanks for listening to the Florida Football Insiders Podcast as part
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it next week on the Florida Football Insiders Podcast