Head Coach Aaron Best – EWU Football – March 18, 2024

Eastern Washington head coach Aaron Best discusses starting spring practice early this year and how it impacts the team next fall.

Day one just what’s it like to be back in football AC no we’ve never done this before here starting uh practice get a couple in uh helmet wise before spring break and then we’ll uh we’ll hit it with full pads on Tuesday when we come back on the second so um just uh

Knocking the rust off a little bit early um sooner the better in this case we’ll see how it goes we’ll look back at it and kind of see but but the way the the counter works with us trying to practice lift practice Lift Every Other Day uh in

April L us to kind of pushing a couple of these practices in uh in March um to uh to kind of get everything we need um at that point and uh be able to uh take some time off in between and then get back at it so uh but first one’s always

Exciting one everybody’s out there an hour before um great weather um both hoop teams great Seasons I mean there’s a lot of good things going on in Chi so hopefully we can ride C of that wave uh into spring uh be productive stay healthy and uh get what we need out of

It with a ton of ton of new faces really that are going to uh be in the two deep and a couple new new coaches uh coach with those guys but we’re we’re excited we took major steps last year and look forward to taking major steps again this

Year you talked about a little bit there a bit of an odd schedule with the because you start early so I me you got these two practices at a break what what would in the decision making to be like hey let’s let’s get two and then we’ll

Take a break and then really hit the road running well I think some of it is just the way that the the April calendar works with us playing on the 26th um working back you know at that point whether it’s 13 or 14 practices up to

That point um you know trying to stay on that Tuesday Thursday Saturday schedule in April uh try not to go back toback practice days it’s just spring I I want and I think spring needs to be different than fall fall is day in and day out uh

Sunday off and it’s six days straight Sunday off six days straight so having the day between to be able to kind of Hit the hit the training room uh you know hit the film room uh and do some of the things that that are needed for the

Next practice instead of feeling like a fall pushed into an in April setting I think it’s tough a lot of these guys are coming off red shirts so all they were were were Scout teams last year so we want to give them the best opportunity to compete um in the spring and we

Thought you know with two helmets um practices before um get everything wrapped up finals week wise and then uh we’ll get uh get going here and come back in full pads and and uh you know get those guys you know on spring break kind of mindset wise know we’re going to

Hit full pads when we come back into town I was asking the guys about this you know Spring ball you kind think of it as a get in the shap get the feels how important is it because it does turn the page to the next season how

Important is it to come out I guess with the mentality that you’re looking for on day one yeah I think uh you you mentioned our buzz word mentality that’s kind of been the offseason theme for us um and and guys have done a great job up

To this point I think we turn the page on once the fall season’s done I think then there’s chapters written throughout the uh uh the January through you know really November December for the next you know book you’re you intend to write new new team uh new phases never going

To be the same locker room uh no matter what it is a lot of the same faces but uh some new ones so I I think you you you you turn the page after the season and look back on kind of what we wrote in the 23 season um there’s some really

Good things comparative to to the year before I think your growing is done from January to July um and I’m talking about you know like you mentioned mentality but mentally uh physically emotionally um and psychologically and I think we grown a ton uh you know spring is is

Fundamental I’ve I’ve said that from from the first year in 17 I think you got to focus on fundamentals in Spring it’s easy to get away from fundamentals in fall uh once you get past August now you’re in game prep mode and it’s always kind of the next thing in the next

Scheme and you know how do you break um you know uh break down teams and and what what are your strengths versus their weaknesses so on and so forth now it’s Eagles versus Eagles so truly seeing who is going to be probably in that to Deep

Um you know or look into getting into the 2D you know at the end of at the end of spring but really not finalizing that till August uh is big but uh hopefully the weather holds uh the next month that’s always the big thing uh being

Able to get to our practices in um not fighting the wind and the and the snow and the Sleep uh so uh that that’s a big part of the spring too because you want to have you want to have fun but you want to stay productive and and being

Able to do that uh with nearly 100 guys probably the most guys we’ve ever had in Spring uh is going to be good for us yeah talk to the guys about this too you said a lot of the returners today’s day and age of the transfer portal you you

Kept a lot your key names here just what do you think it was that were able to keep those guys like an Chism here I you know I I I think they saw what we were on the cusp of last year I know it wasn’t the marked improvement that we

All wanted um you know everybody gets uh gets so consumed with the left left column and the right column um as far as the wins and losses um I think you get too consumed I think that’s when you overlook some things I think those guys

Realized that we were on the the cusp on the edge of two or three one possession games that we we weren’t on the on the right side of things or the correct side of things last year um and uh we’re on the verge I think I think with kakoa

Coming in as as in year two I think that’s exciting for some guys uh I think just a new energy a new outlook on defense I I think we we’ve got a lot of things in our favor that we can build upon uh from last year and I think it’s

Ultimately their teammates I think it’s the the coaches and the teammates the support system they have in cheny I think those things are all variables as to why I guys want to finish their career in chating but it’s not going to happen every year every year it’s his

Own year um and we fortunate this year to to keep a lot of our guys intact and uh that’s that’s the way the rules are so we’ll play by the rules and and love who who’s here and and and you know give good luck to those that that aren’t here

And that’s just kind of how we’re going to roll so uh we got a fair amount of production coming back which is exciting uh as we head into day one uh you know I know obviously a new year means new coaches new players what is there something out there that eagle fans can

Maybe get excited about a specific player or something that you guys are like Hey we’re going to love this guy this year yeah I kind of stay away from players a little bit because if I mentioned one then 10 others come in my office and say you know it’s always the

Hey what freshman did to look out for I think there’s some young guys you have you haven’t heard of uh last year I’ll go back and Michael wor was probably a guy that never even uh nobody knew other than being a you know Junior College you know trans quarterback and all of a

Sudden he ends up uh being our kick returner a pretty darn good one at that um so he was he was kind of a guy that uh you know came out of nowhere uh but we tried to keep keep secret Secrets as long as we can I think there’s some some

Guys are going to play a lot of lot of football uh that are young uh I I think fans would be excited about two home games to start this season off I don’t know I haven’t looked at the the uh the schedule last 30 or 40 years I don’t

Know when that’s happened uh ever in chy back-to-back home games at start the season so that to me is exciting to be able to kind of defend the home field from the get-go um and not going on the road till week three we got a lot of

Work to do before then but I think when you look at the schedule it’s one of those pieces where it is nice to practice in cheny and then we got to be able to play in cheny for two games before we we exit cheny for game three

So um we we we we got some momentum uh we got to continue to capture some more momentum and and utilize the momentum but uh uh we made great strides in a few areas last year I think uh we’re we’re looking to build upon those this spring and this fall

First game beautiful yeah beautiful beautiful coach obviously Sanders over DC Ro how is that you know BR talk about how they just immediately trusted how is that sort of that seamless transition for you well you know I think nothing seamless but but I think you know having

A having somebody uh familiar uh back U but in a in a different seat is good uh they know what he expected from a positional standpoint um he is a uh he is a well versed football coach he’s been at a few different spots and and he

Knows the game inside and out I think his energy is is second to none uh I think he’s committed to not only the the the the the play but but also the players um he just you know he he he’s got great intentions he’ll he’ll he’ll be he’ll be they’ll be intent in

Everything he does from recruiting uh to installing to coaching and so uh it’ll be a different and we need that we need that energy standpoint uh every every team to me has got to be built you know from uh the energy on defense because that that stuff’s great contagious uh I

Think that stuff is is is second to none I think we we got to uh find some footing find some results and I think that’s going to be done through coach Sanders in his teachings this uh this spring and this fall thank you coach thank you