From the Sidelines: Kirk Campbell Q&A

ODUSports.com is working on a variety of ways to continue to give Monarch Nation informative and creative content throughout this pandemic. The latest is a series of Q&A's with the football coaching staff. Today's Q&A is with offensive coordinator, Kirk Campbell.

Q: What is it like right now trying to install an offense and coach the team?
A: It's different. But I think all great coaches and leaders find ways to adapt and overcome adversity. We're not going to let this adversity define us negatively. I tell the quarterbacks when I meet with them, you have to prepare like tomorrow is the day we're allowed to go back at it. 
 
Q: How do you try and build upon the work you did with the offense in January and February?
KC: For us it's not much different because of the system and how we do our installations. We do a lot of teaching, as far as visualization, so we have our installation tapes for install one all the way to install seven. To me it's not much, the only difference is we're doing it on video camera and not in person. 
 
Q: ODU had three quarterbacks play last year, and a fourth, Steven Williams, that played the position before. What are you trying to get through to them?
KC: Leadership qualities. With the situation last year with three of them playing, and then a fourth with Steven playing in the past and now he's back in the room, I felt like they had it. They wanted to be leaders, but they didn't know. There was so much speculation last year who the guy was. I told them they all have to prepare like they're the No. 1 and act like the No. 1 and have great leadership qualities. Towards the end of workouts, I was able to get that out of them. They always led by example, but added that vocal leadership. 
 
Q: When you got hired, how much film of last year's team did you watch?
KC: I went and watched all 12 games. That's the first thing I did. I wanted to see schematically what they were doing. Not get any preconceived notions of the players, but I wanted to see who was playing and what we had. I was excited with the talent level of the team at various positions. We just have to be able to put them in the right situations to succeed. 
 
Q: You were the offensive quality control coach at Penn State. What were your responsibilities?
KC: Every single situation is different and there are stipulations based on NCAA rules. For me, I was heavily involved in the game planning with Coach Rahne and the rest of the coaching staff. I was heavily involved in the game breakdowns with the graduate assistants, so I was basically a middle man between the GA's and the full-time coaches with the game-planning and in-game adjustments. There are many different hats you wear as a quality control coach. 
 
Q: You were at Alderson Broaddus as the offensive coordinator and were promoted to head coach before leaving to go to Penn State. How tough was it to leave that opportunity to go to Penn State?
KC: To me it's always about expanding your knowledge and not pigeonholing yourself. For me the experience to be in a room at Penn State with Coach Rahne, Joe Moorhead, Josh Gattis, there are so many great people. To learn how to be a head coach from James Franklin, one of the best coaches in college football. The decision for me was pretty easy because I wanted to grow, but I understood the big picture and I wanted to coach at the highest level and be the best coach I could be. The opportunity to learn and grow as a young coach was important for me and that's why the decision was made.
 
Q: What was it like to start the Alderson Broaddus program from scratch?
KC: It was probably the most unique experience that I've ever had in my entire life. We had to make sure we had every chin strap, every mouth piece, knee pads. It was just unique. At a small school you're a part of all that. I was the academic coordinator, assistant equipment manager, offensive coordinator, leadership council president, stuff like that. It taught me a ton of leadership qualities that really formed me into the coach I am today.
 
Q: You played and coached in Division II, and have coached in Division I. What kind of differences and similarities did you see in your time at Division I and Division II?
KC: To be honest the biggest difference is the talent level of the players. The similarities are there are really good coaches at both levels. The funding for the programs and all that, but the talent level is the biggest difference. Not to say Division II doesn't have great talent, but you can tell with the guys going to the NFL. There are really good coaches in Division II. Every week you have coaches who are going to put together a great scouting report and game plan so you have to be ready to answer the bell. The opportunity for me to coordinate for five years at such a young age against great coaches really shaped me to who I am.
 
Q: You played at Mercyhurst (PA). What was your college career like there?
KC: I came in as a wide receiver and I redshirted as a freshman. My redshirt freshman year I became the holder, and that's how I made the travel squad. The starting holder was the running back and he broke his leg and that's how I became the holder. The next thing you know a receiver gets dinged up and I get some playing time, the next year I play more and then I became a two-year starter. It's interesting how it all worked out. To me, my whole goal was to find a way to make the travel squad.
 
Q: You played at West Allegheny High School. A perennial power in Pennsylvania high school football. What was your high school experience like?
KC: It was fabulous. I had the opportunity to play for Bob Palko, who is a legendary coach in PA, he's won more district championships than anyone in Western Pennsylvania (WPIAL). It's the biggest district in Pennsylvania. The championship was always played in Pittsburgh, now at Heinz Field, it was always a big deal to make it there. Playing for Coach Palko was really the reason why I coach football. I saw how you can positively impact young men and lead them to be great leaders of this country, not only on the field but in the classroom, and that's really why I got into coaching. 
 
Q: I know you haven't been in Norfolk a long time but what are your initial thoughts of the area?
KC: It's beautiful. My wife and I couldn't be happier. To be able to be in a town with so much shoreline and a beautiful, vibrant city, and a campus like Old Dominion, we're super excited and proud to be here. The fan support is unbelievable. I've met more people that are excited about the new staff. It's a very exciting time for us.
 
Q: You ran the virtual Shamrock Race a few weeks ago. How did you become a runner?
KC: I've always been a runner since I got done with school. I wanted to stay in shape so I started running. My mom works for Dick's Sporting Good's and they sponsor the Pittsburgh Marathon. I called her and asked her to sign me up for the half marathon. So, I ran my first one in 2010, and since then I've run every single Pittsburgh half Marathon or Marathon. I've run seven marathons and countless half marathons. We had about a two-month window and the Shamrock was the perfect race. I had an opportunity to meet Jerry and Amy Frostick (J&A Racing) and I was excited to run it. I ran it virtually to help support them and bring awareness that you can still be active at this point in time. Running is a large part of my life, I run six days a week and I'm currently training to try and qualify for the Boston Marathon. I love running and I come up with more football plays when I run than I do with anything else. I would run at lunch time at Penn State and Ricky would be like, alright, what do you think now.