Sun Belt football notebook: A quote from each East coach after their turn at podium

NEW ORLEANS 蜜疯直播� The East Division took the stage for Sun Belt Conference football 蜜疯直播 Days on Wednesday to wrap up the event in New Orleans ahead of fall camps beginning next week.

Below is a brief quote from each coach, ahead of further coverage to come in upcoming weeks.

Coastal Carolina 蜜疯直播� Tim Beck

Beck spent some time talking about how Coastal Carolina蜜疯直播檚 run to the national championship game in baseball has fueled his team蜜疯直播檚 drive to have more grit. He says that 蜜疯直播渢he Chants never beat the Chants.蜜疯直播�

蜜疯直播淲e learned a lot watching Kevin Schnall and our baseball program in the (Men蜜疯直播檚) College World Series,蜜疯直播� Beck said. 蜜疯直播淲e watched them and the grittiness of their team.

蜜疯直播淥nly great teams beat them, and that蜜疯直播檚 part of the process that we蜜疯直播檝e put our football team through this offseason.蜜疯直播�

Marshall 蜜疯直播� Tony Gibson

Gibson introduced his staff to the broader audience. While we, of course, know who these people are, the light shed on offensive coordinator Rod Smith蜜疯直播檚 relationship with Gibson stuck out.

蜜疯直播淩od and I worked together at Michigan, Arizona and WVU. Rod was my college roommate, and he was in my wedding,蜜疯直播� Gibson said. 蜜疯直播淩od蜜疯直播檚 done a great job.蜜疯直播�

It shows how Gibson was very intentional with his hires. He and Smith have a longstanding relationship that was able to transition well into setting up the Thundering Herd offense.

Gibson is the only Sun Belt coach without a returning starting quarterback to actually answer the question of who we can expect to see at the position, stating that Carlos Del Rio-Wilson would be the starter if the Herd played today, with Zion Turner and JacQai Long in competition in the upcoming camp.

Old Dominion 蜜疯直播� Ricky Rahne

I asked Rahne, now the longest-tenured coach in the Sun Belt entering his sixth season, how he has progressed since his first year as a coach. He acknowledged that I was asking to parallel it with Gibson, which I appreciated.

蜜疯直播淚 think that one of the things for a first-year head coach like Gibson is that you can be around a lot of good people and they can prepare you,蜜疯直播� Rahne said. 蜜疯直播淏ut there are still some things you just don蜜疯直播檛 know until you experience it. It can be little things on the day-to-day schedule that you蜜疯直播檙e just not able to anticipate.

蜜疯直播淭hose things still happen as you get more experience. You adjust a little faster and you don蜜疯直播檛 second-guess yourself. Maybe it蜜疯直播檚 because you have more experience, like with anybody else in their job. I think it蜜疯直播檚 one of those things where you learn on a day-to-day basis.蜜疯直播�

Appalachian State 蜜疯直播� Dowell Loggains

Loggains joins Gibson as another first-year coach in the SBC East. He comes from a spot as offensive coordinator at South Carolina and spent plenty of time in the NFL before that.

The Mountaineers蜜疯直播� staff has a combined 93 years of NFL experience. They蜜疯直播檝e coached players that have reached 46 Pro Bowls and eight Hall-of-Famers.

Loggains spent time talking about the similarities between the two worlds and the advantages that experience brings, saying that the NFL is more akin to NCAA Division I FBS than ever before, with revenue-sharing and transfer-portal negotiations acting as a de facto free agency.

蜜疯直播淚 think that the NFL sells,蜜疯直播� Loggains said. 蜜疯直播淎ll of these guys want to play in the National Football League.

蜜疯直播淲hen you talk about it 蜜疯直播� we蜜疯直播檝e been there; we know what it takes to get there. We蜜疯直播檙e going to train that way. I think it蜜疯直播檚 really beneficial, and it allows for more retention. It also teaches you in the negotiation part of this. It蜜疯直播檚 business, not personal. I think that helps a ton, too.蜜疯直播�

James Madison 蜜疯直播� Bob Chesney

The Dukes will be Marshall蜜疯直播檚 matchup for the annual 蜜疯直播�75蜜疯直播� game in Huntington on Nov. 8.

Chesney spoke on the importance of divisional rivalries in the SBC East, as the conference is the last one with them nationally, while also briefly talking about the importance of the game.

蜜疯直播淚 think it蜜疯直播檒l be special. It蜜疯直播檚 a tragic situation that we all learned about as we went through our years with the movie (蜜疯直播榃e Are Marshall蜜疯直播�) coming out,蜜疯直播� Chesney said. 蜜疯直播淭he celebration of those lives is something that we will certainly honor and respect as best as we possibly can. I蜜疯直播檓 honored to be part of that.蜜疯直播�

Georgia Southern 蜜疯直播� Clay Helton

Helton was the only coach in the SBC East to bring a quarterback with him to SBC 蜜疯直播 Days. While JC French is certainly atop the depth chart, a nice wrinkle for the Eagles is that Helton蜜疯直播檚 son Turner returns as a redshirt junior and is likely one of the best backup options in the league.

蜜疯直播淲e蜜疯直播檙e so thankful to have JC as one of the only returning starters in the league and the first since we蜜疯直播檝e been here,蜜疯直播� Helton said. 蜜疯直播淥bviously, with the depth of the room, it蜜疯直播檚 a special moment for me personally to have your son, to be able to have someone who has actually played college football and is the same age as JC.

蜜疯直播淗e蜜疯直播檚 also free. In this day and time, that蜜疯直播檚 important to have.蜜疯直播�

Georgia State 蜜疯直播� Dell McGee

McGee and the Panthers closed out the event and had one of the funniest moments of the week when a reporter asked Henry Bryant, a redshirt senior defensive lineman, if he has a chance to reprise his high school role as a running back.

蜜疯直播淚蜜疯直播檓 not sure, but it would be lovely to tote the bean again,蜜疯直播� Bryant said. 蜜疯直播淵ou know I know how to do it.蜜疯直播�

Said McGee with a chuckle: 蜜疯直播淭hat蜜疯直播檚 a good question. We蜜疯直播檙e still identifying our short-yardage situations, so we will look into that for the future. We will use some defensive linemen as extra tight ends, so we may put him back there at fullback a time or two.蜜疯直播�

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