Old Dominion Associate Head Football Coach Brian Scott is entering his ninth season with the Monarchs. Scott has been with Old Dominion since the restart of the program in 2009. ODUSports.com recently sat down with Scott to discuss his coaching career, the state of the Monarchs and more.
Q: How and why did you get into coaching?
A: Once I got out of college and finished playing I got out of football a little bit. I wanted to get into something and make a little money and headed out west to California and did the real world thing for a little while and realized this isn’t for me. I missed football, missed being with the guys, it only took me a year being out of football to realize I had to be involved in it.
Q: How have you transformed as a coach over the years?
A: When I was younger I was very intense. I’m a little more laid back now, a little more patient. I think when I first got here and became an offensive coordinator; I was very hands on and probably a pain to my assistants. I’m a lot more understanding, try and let the assistants coach more and step back now.
Q: ODU has had two very good quarterbacks in Thomas DeMarco and Taylor Heinicke. How does having two very capable quarterbacks effect play calling?
A: Those were two very different players and two very different personalities. As an offensive coordinator when your quarterback is good, things are a lot easier, but I think the key is figuring out what they do well and playing it around them. We will be in transition this year trying to figure out what Shuler does well. It’s going to be a process to figure things out.
Q: You played for Coach Wilder at Maine and have now coached with him here for nine years, how has that helped you?
A: I know what he wants and expects as far as what he wants his offense to look like and in recruiting what kind of kid he’s looking for. I know what he expects for me to call in the game, so we’re on the same page from that standpoint.
Q: There has been a lot of continuity on the staff, especially on offense. What is the key to that?
A: I think it’s one of the reasons for the success that we’ve had. We’ve been able to keep our coaches and you are able to develop a group and be on the same page with recruiting and develop kids. We are able to recruit the type of kids that fits our personality. If you are turning over coaches every year and each coach has a different personality, that doesn’t work. When you have coaches you’ve worked with for a long time they understand what you’re looking for. When they go on the road you trust they know what your looking for and then you get to work together and develop them and help each other out.
Q: What have been your favorite experiences from your coaching career?
A: This whole process at ODU has been the most unique and rewarding experience. Starting from where we were starting from, to now being a Division I Conference USA program and this year being the first year that we’re bowl eligible. Every year has topped the previous year; every year has been a great experience. It has been hard, challenging, but this has been the most rewarding nine years I have ever been a part of.
Q: Did you think in year seven you would be in the FBS and Conference USA?
A: No. I thought it was going to take four full years for us to compete in the CAA. I thought we’d just start to be a competitive team in the CAA. I thought we’d be in the bottom for two years, then two years being average and then start to be competitive about now. I never in a million years would have predicted this.
Q: Can you explain what Taylor did with this offense and how successful he was here?
A: He had a unique understanding of numbers, being an engineering major. He looked at the shapes and was able to understand where we were trying to run and throw the ball and why we were doing it. Something he never got credit for doing was how good he was calling protections, picking up blitzes and setting up protections. He had a unique feel for doing that and now transitioning to a new QB, it will be interesting to see that process start all over again. To me, that’s the last thing for a college quarterback. They can throw the ball, understand reads, it will be interesting to see how it goes now.
Q: Where is Shuler Bentley in his development right now?
A: He is way ahead mentally of any freshman, including Taylor, I’ve ever been around. He’s the son of a coach. Mentally he is so far ahead of where Taylor was at this time. It’s going to be a matter of playing time, experience and playing college football for him. Mentally he is right where he needs to be and physically he’s getting better every day as far as taking care of his body. To put it this way, the last position I’m worried about on our football team is starting quarterback. I think we have other things I’m a little more concerned with than quarterback.
Q: The offense lost just three starters, but they were very good productive players in Heinicke, Antonio Vaughan and Josh Mann. How do you replace players like that?
A: When you lose Josh Mann who has been a center and the experience he has is tough, but I think the deepest position on offense right now is the interior o-line. We have good depth there; we have a solid six guys at three positions and feel comfortable with it. Just by committee alone we can replace Josh, it will be hard to replace his experience but that will come with playing time. Antonio is going to be tough to replace because I don’t know if we have a speed guy right now. Once again that will be more committee based. We probably won’t have a guy step in and catch 80 passes. Obviously we lose Taylor, but its not going to be just Shuler stepping in. We need Ray Lawry to give us more, Jeremy Cox, we feel really good about him, Vince Lowe has to give us more. David Washington and Zach Pascal, we expect a big year from Melvin Vaughn. All those guys if we can just get a little bit more, if everyone chips in I feel very good about going into the season. I think the two biggest areas of concern on offense are tackle depth and quarterback depth. Every place else we feel good that we can replace those guys, not just with one person but by committee. This is as deep as an offense as we’ve ever had. Just those two areas hopefully we can develop some depth.
Q: What has the move to Conference USA and FBS done for the program?
A: It is just completely different. It used to be a regional school, when we would go out west to California for junior college recruiting, they would say you play in Virginia and those schools. Now when we go out there its national. People know who we are and they’re excited to come see us. They’ve seen us on TV and I think the future is so bright here; it’s just a matter of going through that process again like we did in the CAA.
Q: You’ve had other coaches come to you about other jobs, what have been the reasons that you have stayed at Old Dominion?
A: The biggest thing to me is we have an unbelievable president, an unbelievable athletic director and the administration is on board with everything that is going on. Obviously working with Coach Wilder, it’s very easy to work here as far as the support from the administration. That being said, the fan base is outstanding. They are passionate, they love Old Dominion. You combine that with the administration with as good as they are, with the fans as supportive as they are, this is just a dream come true to me. Why would you want to leave? And then you live in Hampton Roads, right by Virginia Beach, that’s just a bonus.