the piggy back off that food Point have you picked uh have you picked a favorite spot since coming back so I I can't I'm not willing to declaim a favorite because that rules out all others that could be my favorite so right now it's a it's a work in progress the playoff pool has not been selected yet we're we're taking all qualifiers in terms of uh actual football uh you guys set for a July 24th start for fall Camp uh have you ever started a fall Camp earlier than that no I haven't and actually yeah just to be declared not a fan of starting that early the season is long uh coaches lifestyle limited vacations not very long so that cuts into it however when you look at broader picture for the Mountain West Conference and possibly for our program exposure does matter and yeah so there's trade-offs sometimes that you make I think you guys were all back after the end of semester on June 2nd right and then that was was that 3 weeks or or a little less than that a little less a little less um so you did that you guys the players you guys did get a little bit of time off players got time off coaches got five days five days really M okay um there's 10 names I think we hadn't seen on the roster uh in the new roster the updated one there's one name in particular I'm pretty intrigued by Colby Brewer he's 29 he was a Navy uh explosives tech for a little bit how did he kind of come into the full great great question um yeah so Colby is Special Forces um was trying to find a place in college football that would let him walk on uh tried a number of places we heard about his story through um one of our existing strength staff members who was a former player of mine Ben hog who went out to San Diego to do some training lived with basically his former friend that's how we got word of him looking to walk on before we could even invite him he was in his car on his way and yeah he is uh he's in impressive as a human being capable and humble at the same time and learning or relearning to play the game we don't have any idea what role he'll play yet but I am compelled by the story and love the idea of someone regardless of age chasing their dream and could not not provide an opportunity for him to do that and so it's fun it's unfolding still don't know how good a football player but know um the type of person and the type of work ethic and man kind of any challenge that we put in front of him it's fun to watch what he does to that those 10 new names a lot of uh incoming freshman like you know kby and stuff like that some Junior College transfers you guys added another quarterback I think that's five in the room now James lobstein what did you kind of see out of him and what was kind of the rationale behind adding another quarterback yeah um so if you number one if you have a quarterback you have a chance succession planning a quarterback determines longevity and quite frankly if you can build a program so one quarterback especially if he's Dynamic chance for injury relatively high is it still on the table that your second quarterback could also get hurt if he's Dynamic also um so what we found is three is usually minimum um we got two back from injury that were heard in the spring Isaiah and Chavez and Justin holiday and so I like the depth I like the competitive nature and I think within that by the end of fall Camp man we'll have three qu players at that spot which bodess well for a chance for us to be consistent this year I know you you prefer to not talk about specific injuries and all that but I guess in general across the board how healthy are you guys right now we're healthy uh injury report coming into fall Camp could be as little as one um as as of yesterday you've been very successful throughout the year 17 years of coaching uh two questions for you here uh been a veteran coach 17 years of coaching what has been the key to your success and you know you're well familiar with New Mexico you haven't been back here since 2002 so so then response to the first question uh yeah I've been a head coach 17 years this will be my 18th uh 16 of those teams have been postseason eligible um and the reason quite frankly is I have really high expectations um and what I found is when young people are asked to meet really high expectations and they know that you care but also that you'll hold them accountable every time um they're anxious to meet those expectations they normally do so I'm not a perfect coach nor is it a perfect record nor there are tons of championships but we're usually playing in the off season and uh that's into Christmas so that's been really fun but I love the development process and so young people that will try harder longer is a great predictor of their success in life it's just also helped us win for a long time here in Mexico um just you are just looking around and okay Meo what was your decision behind me coming back this time yeah way way deeper and and more thought out than just wandering around and say in New Mexico but uh I like a challenge I like transforming people as well as programs I love making a difference I love um seeing communities become vibrant and alive college football is a cool way to do that and um New Mexico seemed like a great place to do all of that CU you part of West CO football for a long time when you look at just the landscape splin P 12 or otherwise what's kind of your reaction that and sort of how that has changed maybe in the C career yeah I think it's changed significantly um to think that the Pack 12 might not have been in existence um would have been really hard to Fathom a number of years ago um but I think if you if you consider the the trend right so it started with I would say head coaches maybe leaving an institution to go take another job and they started doing that even before bowl games right so there started to be some boundaries that started to blur then of when a coach would leave um assistant coaches um certainly it's transient part of the job and leaving for new and better places so that was happening both of those things by volume I think started to influence players wanting to leave Andor being held out of bowl games on their own in terms of just a shift in philosophy then if you're saying okay where did that lead basically now schools are transferring conferences right so entering the portal um once that started uh and the finances became more relevant it's not surprising that Oregon now is playing in a non-regional area really for the same motives that maybe a head coach assistant coach or player would which would be opportunity and or pay so now entire schools have done that I'm tracing it back to where it might have started but over time it's escalated and we haven't seen the end of it and so there's there's certainly realignment coming again there's certainly divisions coming again we're in a tenuous position um the Mountain West Conference might be the most stable uh of any especially at the uh the group of five level um um and the parity that exists makes it intriguing and quite frankly more Purity within the college game I think exists and so I'm intrigued by all of that um could there still be changes even in this league certainly um the idea of student athlete um isn't mentioned much in the terms of realignment in nil and and the portal and I'm an advocate of student athlete and um one of the reasons I'm back is to continue to emphasize that you mentioned the M West and the stability in this league and with the Pack 12 being what it is lack of ENT return maybe the void there in West Coast Football in a premier league maybe not being quite the same capacity do you feel like there's an opening for the M West as a league to to take some of that and and be maybe gain some more exposure and be in the middle of that conversation yeah I think the Mountain West has already claimed that spot and I think the interest um the quality of games that we're playing um has already demonstrated that I think gosh the seven new coaches but also um maybe the quality of coaching returning to the league is REM manifesting in maybe a different and profound way and so huge opportunity for the Mountain West Conference and the teams within it I think coach you mentioned the parody of this league and also the seven new coaches how does that uh influence your outlook on what the season looks like with that all that newness opportunity and so if if there are coaches with experience with parody and an exist model that's proven to work the chance that that program is up and running faster and the discovery process shorter um becomes likely and so with seven new coaches the league is more open than ever um to advancement and so it's a race and for all of us as new coaches um to claim the void open by change and then there becomes repositioning which we're all after and how exciting is that for you and is that something you even maybe talk about your players to really seize the opportunity certainly it's exciting certainly it's talked about because it's real and yeah we intend to advance and move forward I wasn't hired for New Mexico to be the same and the expectation is I help us become better and sooner rather than later coach you said it's kind of like it's a race it is a race yeah you uh obviously have the spring going fall you think you guys are you like I I like where we are with acknowledging how far away we are and how fast we have to go to get results and so it's going to take everything um the longest it's taken to return to postseason in either of the two previous jobs I've had as a head coach is year two um I prefer year one and so we have a lot to do 60 new players we've added to our roster spring practice is over we have a healthy team coming in to week zero but it's a long season three buys challenging schedule and a lot of unknown still so I'm realis istic but also um hopeful and believe what we can do and so yeah I I I don't put any limits on what's possible but I do acknowledge we have a lot to do in a short amount of time and the players know that have you seen much of a chang to the whole landscape of college football and I know you've had your feet wet now a little bit is there is there a difference when when you last go it's it is not the same job so I'll try to frame that more accurately it's the same job with a completely new element and that's being someone responsible for financing as well and so the fundraising and the financial management and the nil structure and quite frankly the 247 recruiting year around is is unlike anything that I've seen so the roster management and the financial management those two things are taking more of my time than probably the rest of my career combined had in those two areas um that's in addition to doing the regular head coaching job so that's not a complaint that's just has the has it changed it has the roster management and the financial management of the program is significantly different young people are amazing impact is awesome the game is really cool college football it's compelling um and yeah amateur Sport and student athlete um being being remembered along the way that these kids are learning and growing and becoming hopefully in addition to playing the sport and I don't hear that much but that I view as one of my my biggest jobs and um uh that's that's something that um I think will add significant value to their lives while we're playing good football not in place of that but while we're doing that and that's an additional part of the job that I like to do um but is becoming harder to do because of what's being pulled elsewhere Jerry kill used to talk to us a little bit about the almost inordinate amount of time he we spent on financial management with that in a relatively small sample size I mean are you able to kind of put a percentage of how much time you do spend on that um yeah the the percentage I haven't broken it down by percentage but what I will say that I've I've done more of that in my short time at New Mexico than I had done at both briam young and University of Virginia combined in my career and that's that's that number that amount of time has already been exceeded here either by thought or action and so yeah I don't know the percentage yet um but significant and and necessary that's there's the other part and necessary a chance to see the over shock the NFL gets four still pictures in between series and how college football is going to have all 22 TV and live video does this change how you construct the coaching staff I mean not specifics but how do you cor for having all that technology available between series yes we have a saying in our program that feedback is a gift and with feedback you can adjust and correct in real time and that um capturing that process designing that process with the right process owners to yield real feedback in real time that means between series um if your team isn't advancing and improving as the game goes then you know that process is flawed and so with this availability man um again there's a race to designing a compelling organizational system to use that feedback and get it applied and communicated um additional helmet communication exact and helmet communication with now addition coaches and so more isn't always better so now it's making sure the application of and who are the owners of each process and the communication lines and the application lines are clear and effective with the right people in each of those spots because you can have too much so uh really cool that we get a chance to experiment with at least one scrimmage but that's on my mind a lot so the right if you go to the book good to Great the right people on the bus the wrong ones off but the right people in the right seats these are new seats on a new bus at a new time in a new direction of college football that one little piece that might be the difference of one two or three wins um in the league full of parody Do Do You Believe benefit an offense or defense or maybe is it equal as far as disgu and coverages or motion I I think it's equal and so all the things that we do prior to the game are still on point and very very effective but could there be an explanation for the outcome of a play that you miss real time and then oh wait oh and then adjust because sometimes we're wrong what we think we see we don't see I'm anxious to apply it and I think this would probably cut out the whole chatter about stealing SS it seems so um it should and um I'm not sure how much even though there has been it seems some NFL controversies about stealing signals um but not nearly as much as college football with the tarps and people moving and five different guys signaling and different um nonsense right but so yes it should fix that um could we possibly mess that up somehow too as grown men in a competitive environment I I don't see a way yet but um I'm anxious for the rest of that to go away that we've been experiencing we're fall Camp just nearly two weeks away how do you approach that your first year here but also are you uh confident with all the players that you do have that they'll be able to make it through or do you think there could be some players maybe who don't the program is really our program is really demanding it's very challenging so the players that have come since spring practice ended they're struggling to keep up with the players that have come and arrived in um January and so um the answer to the question is mixed everyone that's here now is committed to be here and choosing to be here under the current circumstances um some haven't had a big enough sample size yet they didn't have an offseason they've had maybe 3 weeks and then they haven't practiced with it yet with us yet to seen the demands of practice could that be challenging for them um that answer is yes will it be that answer will be yes um could their roles not be quite what they have wanted and could that be discouraging that answer is yes so um there's a chance there could be roster changes through fall Camp um I don't anticipate many if any but could it happen yeah um I like our team I like the resolve I like their determination I think they're gritty I think they're tough and I think they know what they signed up for and even in the short weeks of the newcomers they basically said you told us this is what it would be and this is more than what we thought but it is what you said and we're still glad we're here um so practice will come and then yeah it always helps when you have success on the field that seems to generate credibility in my case because I've coached for so long and had success that isn't remaining such an issue but success and wins certainly help with momentum and they help with retention and so tough schedule uh and that's that'll be a play with a lot of programs especially as they start um but again I I think our team is resilient and I think they're sticky they they want to be here this year marks 40 years since BYU last won the national title it's somebody who coached there for a lot of years they were in the Mountain West and now coaching in the Mountain West yourself I'm curious if you think an underdog team like 1984 BYU can still win a title in today's college I I have to believe they can I and I would love to see with a 12 team playoff for an underdog is team to get in and pull it off is it possible it has to be possible there'll be plenty to argue the other way that resources prevent that and there's no chance I'm I don't think so I think I have to believe believe it's possible do believe it's possible and I think it'd be great for college football for it to be demonstrated that it is possible and maybe we might rebalance in some way of a college football maybe a better version of college football a little bit on that note but from the last time you were in the Mountain West with BYU and even on staff of New Mexico and whatnot how is this league different to what you're facing now as first your head coach at UNM yeah I'm not I'm not sure yet um when I was in the Mountain West before when it started gosh with TCU and Utah and BYU and the quality of teams man it that was it was a great League really tough I remember when Utah TCU left BYU went independent that there was a significant shift there um but that void was filled with new teams and the Mountain West has been strong and consistent for a long time I see it being strong and consistent now um but gosh with seven new coaches that's that's a ton right um I don't think that reflects on the league ility I think it reflects on college football and it's a very unique time but I I think the league is is if not the most stable one of the most stable at any level and I love the parody I love the type of towns that the Mountain West has and it just feels more true college football is to me and my my idealism so I I like it a lot of those new coaches too are also they've got like yourself they've got power conference experience now as well it it does that also kind of speak to the league a little bit and and I guess you can kind of speak to it from you personally to to making it a little bit more attractive to not just like moving quote unquote up that ladder anymore but actually finding a place where you can be right yeah sometimes up the ladder is down the ladder it might be perceived by the outside world that you're going up but possibly morally and for your family or for your values you're going down um so up isn't always up um by perception I think the league right there's there's young up and cominging coaches gosh when I got to be the head coach of BYU I was I don't know I was young so there's some young coaches in this league I look at and say yeah he's going to be really good and now there's some older more season myself and Kenny and Troy and Jeff that have kind of seen the other part and like where we are and I like that mix I think it's pretty cool and and not very typical that sounds like wisdom learned from a lot of fresh Montana air over the last year is that there is something about Montana that I recommend to all of you that doesn't mean you can come stay at my place but it means to come visit you know the they call Montana the last best place and I I think I've just shared with distance has come Clarity and I'm clear as to what I want to do why I want to do it and where and um sometimes we can take ourselves too seriously in the world of college football and Montana helped me see that on the note of more isn't always better and maybe like too many cooks in the kitchen I mean in terms of you know analyst being able to coach onfield how are you how are you approaching that with this staff in particular so I prefer um a Seal Team more than infantry like I like fewer I'm at a place that that is able to fund fewer so that's a good alignment but we have an offensive analyst that I think is exceptional that's one we have one defensive analyst that's exceptional one we have one special teams analyst that's exceptional so we'd be adding three people and man we can use them we have roles for them already still working back to the question question of um the tablets Etc um and how they fit into that but we just added three coaches to our staff as well as the analytics role they play possibly the anex analytics role between series um is going to be I think really fast and effective because that's already what that group is doing and so um I have a pretty good idea not a perfect idea yet how we're going to implement it but it won't be where we're overrun by coaches because but possibly our three analysts are are um included and we'd stop at that piggy back in kind of buff what Lauren and Jared were kind of asking too in terms of how hard things have been within the program in terms of you know the work ethic and getting after it and all that Luke told me yesterday he's on a red t-shirt now yeah which is the fourth tier uh I mean obviously I'm assuming all the new guys are in whites right now but I mean how have things kind of progressed in that regard yeah colors are moving um and there's rights of Passage where someone moves the color there's a ceremony for them it's it's a big deal not only for the individual but for our team and they basically the more color we have the better our team is going to be um so it's really fun that the players are supporting each other testing begins again this upcoming week um with the following the first two days of the following week being the finish of that and so that will set the colors going into fall Camp color or jerseys will be earned jersey numbers will be earned through fall Camp prior to the first game um that won't be the entire team but it'll be players that qualify and and so yeah I really like where we are and it matters to me when someone works hard enough to change colors and it just is a visible sign of progress so sometimes we think we're moving but when numbers validate it you have a tangible symbol to show for it seems to drive the culture at a higher level coach you guys have an early season test against Arizona how much more prepared do you guys think you'll be from having Montana State ahead of that game obviously a lot of new players before basic team that won 10 games last season yeah we'll be more prepared for sure I'll have a much better idea and I'm not really even talking about Arizona's preparation I'm just talking about my understanding of where our team is Montana state is a very good team regardless of what F C or FBS you put in front of them Montana State's a very good team us playing a game seeing our team perform will give us a much different reference point prior to Arizona than if we didn't play a game so we'll be more prepared for sure and then little bit of a niche question here you guys have a player uh Skyler cook of safety out of the San Diego El Central Area what have you seen from him in your short time here what kind of role could he carve out yeah Skyler uh trustworthy productive um fast learner and really competitive and so at the end of spring he was in our 2D we've added more secondary players and so could he be in the two deep yes could he be a special tees contributor yes is he going to have to battle for either or both of those totally but really liked what I've seen from him in one semester and one spring uh yeah he's trustworthy he's responsible and he's productive and we use three criteria um and how durable is a player usually means how consistent he is which then allows us to see if he's productive and so far he's been all three of those yeah coach I know there's a lot that goes into a reild and um obviously motivation being a big one talking to both gab and and uh Luke yesterday they just saying you're a great motivator and like it could even really describe like what you say but just the way you say it what's what is like kind of your message right now to to this team yeah I um I just don't accept limits on anybody and I expect a lot I expect a lot CU I believe in them and I'm not afraid to ask them for the work that will support that and I really care about these kids and gosh I caring I ask them to become and I support them in that and I'd love to see them be successful and so they've captured my heart in terms of um who they want to become and the place has captured me that's why I'm here and I just see a really compelling story developing at the University of New Mexico not only for the people on our team and in our program but the surrounding community and the institution itself and I can imagine great football in with the full state stadium and strong results for the Lobos and it's not a stretch for me to say and think that and I think the players believe the same I'm not guaranteeing anything other than I think it's possible and time frame will play out in front of everybody coach The Archives at KSL Sports are pretty deep uhoh uhoh College what what would this uh All-American candidate DB at Snow College think if you told him the journey that he'd be on that would lead you here today H that's a really good question um I think you'd be surprised and would wonder why you would travel that path um but I uh grateful what I would tell that person if I switched it that he would be grateful by by choosing and doing hard things that's what that's what I would tell that version of myself a long time ago and yeah thanks for pulling that up that it's a long time ago pretty good interview I remember yeah coach in regards to obviously all your experience don't you when you look at this team in particular you know we talk about identity how has it been easier to kind of just assess the character of the roster versus the identity you know before the Ki off I I don't know our identity I know our culture and I know the individuals I don't know the identity of the team yet and so how we're going to play football I'm not sure yet um yeah we'll play some form of offense and some form of defense and some form of complimentary style but until I see more managing the entire game that'll be playing out in front of all of us and um but I like I like what I see so far in terms of talent in terms of culture and in terms of preparation to this point but we're we're not a finished product yet n kind of look different everywhere but as far as New Mexico goes in because I was last like 70% of the athletes that um are in New Mexico they stay there the rest of their lives some crazy numbers so how do you kind of just factoring working with the community how they can help the program you know through un how the players can also get back much yes so we give back uh first and foremost uh Thursday Thursday's HERO program is it's really important to my wife and I and our foundation to make a difference in the community um we're I like to view us way more as givers than takers it was surprising to me when I was hired up New Mexico to see the number of former players that I coached here the first time still living in Albuquerque and that was startling to me and to your point um I didn't think they would stay and they have and they have families and they love it and so that's helped me frame New Mexico not just a place to play football but a place to live and a place to stay and raise families and that's been helpful to me and so I I don't know if the statistic is right at 70% or not but I know I've been surprised by the number of my former players from the first time that are still here and I like that perspective coach how much have you enjoyed you assem coaching stepan coming back coaching have former players that you coached and former coaches BYU in Virginia come back and work with you and how enjoyable has that been yeah we have the most um former players of a head coach in all of college football um so 14 is the number so of my 10 assistants and my entire football building is nothing but former players of mine and I love developing young people that's not only players that's young coaches as well these are people I know love and trust and I don't have time for onboarding or convincing someone this is the way that we're going to do it these guys I recruited them they played in my system they've coached in the system they know me intimately and vice versa so we're fast and we're aligned and we're loyal um we're not perfect but I love seeing them every day it's a cool place to work how was that chemistry help maybe going into year one to maybe potentially receive these expectations yeah I think it absolutely helps um I shared as uh a picture with um some of my staff members of a a kid that a young man that played for us at Virginia and he says I'm certain that Charlottesville West will exceed expectations that was his message to me UVA in Charlottesville h of his teammates are my coaches and they basically came by saying and what he shared with you transformed Our Lives that's why it will work you'll do the same there so that's coming from someone that's basically a teammate of the same guys that are my coaches that's what they believe the program will do I'm not guaranteeing that but I know they think the program changed their lives Chang their teammates lives and had success and so they think that will happen in New Mexico as well and I get to do it with the same guys which is it's amazing coach um you've had a long tenure before in the Mountain West and coming back to a new Mountain West a different Mountain West uh what do you think about some of the changes both in terms of membership but also just in terms of what the Mountain West is now versus that yeah I love the league I I love the coaching is in it the type of schools and again as I've said already today the parody um it looks to me like any team at any time has a great chance to to do well in this league and man if you're if you're a competitor that's that's exciting for much like the NFL right their their idea is if you finish low then you draft High to try to have everyone have a chance our league looks like it's designed where everyone's got a chance this year especially with seven new coaches what was the process to bring Jan Jordon on board and what's your relationship been like with him through the years yeah the process so I coached Jan at BYU um at that time alltime leading Mountain West Sack getter um then he went into professional fighting mixed martial arts and cage fighting and all that stuff um and then he became went into coaching uh a former coach of mine and player at BYU Kelly pinga who coaches at BYU was an analyst at BYU last year I took this job um and Kelly reached out as well as Jan um and so man he was exactly what I was looking for in terms of presence and having players capable of getting pressure on the quarterback and yeah there's not only how um his history of doing it himself his current presence of what he looks like and how he trains people with their hands um but also loyalty and friendship and that basically explains my whole staff and so again that staff was assembled in about little less than six hours is and he was one of those that just wanted an opportunity coach if I could just quickly ask what was it about New Mexico as a program and as an institution that attracted you back to yeah chance to make a difference um so I loved it my first time and would love to see New Mexico football return to consistency postseason and contending for Mountain West championships and it looks like it's needed and needed at a high level and I I like I like that framework sorry I apologize can you talk about you obviously is going to come down to face you guys you've obviously seen Wyoming a lot you know when youie IU you been around M West can you kind of talk about you know like for a pregame article what you expect to to see from Wyoming and uh what it's like to play against them and also what you expect to to throw W yeah it's been a long time since I've uh played against Wyoming but it seems like each time we play him it's the same team they're tough and they're physical um and they play um with a sense of Pride that is um I think deeper than most um and so I'd expect a very challenging and physical game and I don't expect it to be finesse and I don't expect it to be soft I expect to be a tough physical violent hardfought game all the way to the end and traditionally that's what Wyoming football's been known for