Trinity University’s football program is currently in the search to replace two major positions on their coaching staff. Brant McAdams, defensive coordinator and linebacker coach, left to be the head coach at Pacific Lutheran University, while Matt Uzzell, the offensive coordinator, was appointed head coach at his high school alma mater. Both coaches are Trinity alumni.
Jerheme Urban, head coach, and Bob King, athletic director, have been given the task of finding new coaches to fill the shoes of those that left. McAdams has coached seven overall seasons at Trinity, while Uzzell has coached four.
“The process has been moving along very smoothly. The university has been very supportive of this effort, and I am looking forward to making some final announcements in the near future,” Urban said. “These guys will be very smart men who have great football minds. They will be able to pick up our verbiage pretty quickly, and make a smooth transition.”
Urban detailed what he looks for when hiring coaches.
“The first two things that I look for in my coaches are: Do they care about the guys, and are they good teachers? This game is special because of the relationships that can be made through the hours, days, weeks and months that we all spend with one another,” Urban said.
Urban explained that while it is important to have game knowledge, it is also important to build relationships with the players.
“Football is going to end for every one of us at some point, so I want to make sure that I have coaches who care about our players and value relationships. I also need to make sure that our coaches know how to teach the concepts and drills that they want to run,” Urban said. “You can have all kinds of great ideas, but if you can’t teach them in a manner that your players can execute, then they do us no good on Saturday afternoons. I need coaches who can get to know their players, understand each of their learning styles and then teach them appropriately.”
The arrival and departure of coaches not only affects the head coach, but the players as well, such as junior linebacker Ben Millet, who trained closely with McAdams.
“I’ve built a strong relationship with coach McAdams and not having that presence is going to be different, but I’m here to win games and I can do that with whoever the coaches see fit to help me,” Millet said.
Junior offensive lineman Brady Blanton agreed with Millet.
“Oh yeah, I’m going to miss these coaches because i spent three years of my life getting to know both them and their families,” Blanton said. “At the end of the day adding new members of the coaching staff to replace the old doesn’t change much other than learning new techniques and philosophies.”
It is clear that strong bonds form between players and coaches, but at the end of the day, football is a business. And all programs are in the business of winning.
“Sad to see them go but glad to see that they will be heading their own programs. I’m confident each of them will find success in their new roles because I know where they came from and what they brought to the table from an assistant perspective,” Millet said.
Trinity’s current players have high expectations for their new coaches.
“I expect the coaches to come in and try and learn our culture. [Coach Urban] has spent a lot of time since he took over instilling what he wants this program to look like so I expect the new coaches to expand that and push it further,” Millet said.
Above all, Urban has high expectations for both the new season and the new coaches.
“My expectations for next fall are the same as every year — we want to be conference champions. I feel like we are in a very good football league, but our guys also know that they can compete week in and week out, and compete for that championship,” Urban said. “As hard as it was for me to see [Uzzell and McAdams] go as friends and colleagues, I am equally excited about the new coaches bringing their own fingerprints in here and helping us take the next steps as a program and earning a conference title.”
