How have you been able to hold on to these guys? Well, you know, a

couple of things.

I think the answers you have, obviously, you know, our revenue share is far below.

You know, our school is not even at the cap that all the schools in the SEC and Big Ten are doing a good job of finding a way to get over the cap.

In my opinion, what we got to do is we got to have guys who are having a great experience being a part of the program.

You know, they're really having fun.

You know, they're obviously playing a lot because you always risk that when you move up, you're going to play less.

pretty cool opportunities you played at the big house last year michigan played at the rose bowl now you're playing at oklahoma How do you treat these games differently? Do you treat them the same? How do the players approach it? Do they love these opportunities?

You've done it in multiple places, but what about your personal glow up? What has it been like to be you the last year or so?

Well, I think New Mexico, people in New Mexico are pretty excited about us turning around and, um, I think some people, when I talk to people about this job, some people said, be careful about that job.

I don't know if it's good.

They haven't won much.

It's a basketball school, but I kind of bank on just America as a football country.

You know, the NFL is the number one sport and college football is number two.

And, you know, I think a lot of those schools that have been basketball schools, you look at Indiana, you know, it's been like kind of a bandaid because you've been not been good at football.

And one, when did you decide I do want to be a head coach? And were there moments where you thought maybe this isn't going to happen for me?

When you talk to people in the community, what are they telling you?

Uh, I, I'm, I'm, I'm very thankful 'cause I, I have a lot of people who, um, who thank me, and they, you know, they thank me for, for staying.

They, you know, they think they were scarred a little bit by the last coach leaving after one year.

Uh, they thank me a lot for, you know, giving the community something to be proud of and, you know, helping instill that pride and...

You know, and I'm, I'm sure Hawaii's kind of the same way.

I think when you're, you know, when you're in a state that doesn't have, uh, an NFL team or an NBA team, you don't have a, uh, you know, a Big 10 or an SEC team in your, in your, uh, uh, place, you know, hey, the, you're the big show.

You know, you're the biggest school in the state, and, uh, a lot of people follow you.

Yeah

80

yard touchdown and things.

I mean, he was a guy, that we were able to get in the transfer portal for like a steal.

It was less than like $25,000.

And it was a steal.

It was a first-team all-conference player.

So, I mean, he was a great value.

that you give to those players? Well, I just,

He

came to us last year, had a great year, was all conference, and now he decided he wanted to go and move on to Cal.

So, you know, we embrace it.

You know, we embrace players moving up if that's what they want to do.

Embrace our, you know, we had some coaches who moved up and got bigger jobs.

Our assistants was happy for those guys.

You know, I think you just have to kind of adjust to the modern environment.

What kind of method do you guys – take in that approach and when you're evaluating players is it fit is it personality is it scheme obviously or is it you know is how big is the payday and when do you know if it's too much

This is what it evolved into." Did you always from day one in 1999 think, "Man, I'm gonna be a head coach"? Or was there, like, a, an inflection point where all of a sudden it became real for you? This, this may be a possibility, and it's something I could see myself doing.

I was not that way.

You know, I thought maybe being an offensive line coach trying to, you know, move up the ranks, be a power, Power Four, Power Five at that time.

Uh, to get to the NFL and be an offensive line coach, I think that was more of my goal earlier in my career.

Uh, Jim Huber, who I played for at Wisconsin, uh, you know, had a great career as an O-line coach.

Spent a little time with the NFL at the end of his career.

Uh, and then, uh, you know, John Stiegelmeier, who I worked for at South Dakota State, great head coach.

So I mean, how much of a player do you expect to be in this conference race this year? It's still spring, obviously, but how good can this team be this year?

What sticks out to you about how he's done what he's done in Bloomington?

Well, I think he's done a remarkable job, and I think he's the best coach in college football right now.

And, you know, I respect him a lot.

He worked his way up.

He had a lot of years as an assistant coach, and then he – You know, kind of crafted his game at the lower levels at, you know, I think Division II school in Pennsylvania.

I'm not even sure exactly what school it was.

And then Elon and James Madison, and now we got his chance at Indiana.

Is that good or bad, in your opinion, college football? The transfer portal is just nuts, man.