ODUSports.com is working on a variety of ways to continue to give Monarch Nation informative and creative content during the fall. The latest is a series of Q&A's with the football coaching staff. Today's Q&A is with cornerbacks coach, Leon Wright.
Q: How is it going right now? How did the announcement that ODU cancelled sports in the fall change so much of what you've known?
A: I think it's been going well. The hardest part is keeping the kids engaged and not letting them relax. Which it's tough under the circumstances, with school mostly being online. Not being able to play, we need to be creative in keeping them engaged. It's something that is very unfamiliar, so it's easy to relax. It's a big thing for us to make sure they stay on top of their stuff, especially their school work. We've been able to work on some technique things that will help us in the long run.
Q: You were able to get a few practices in before the announcement. Were you able to learn anything from those practices about the team?
LW: Yes. We have a good team that's eager to learn. They brought us in with open arms and they are hungry to get back on top, which is well-received by us because we're trying to get them there. That's been beneficial, knowing our guys have that will and drive to be great. We have some guys that are talented, but there's still a lot of work to be done. It was good to see it and hopefully we can address some things going forward.
Q: There were three practices a day when we first started. How difficult was it being out there basically all day?
LW: It was a grind. During individual drills I like to run around. I like to run routes versus my guys, so I can give them the look I want them to see. Doing that three times in a row I got tired. There was a little wear and tear, but it was great being out there with the guys. It took me back to some of the old LSU days with Coach Miles.
Q: Why did you get into coaching?
LW: I really never imagined it would happen, coming out of college it wasn't something I anticipated that would happen. I had the opportunity to kind of test the waters into coaching. I was blessed with the opportunity from my position coach, Derek Jones and head coach David Cutcliffe. They opened the door for me to try out coaching once I was done with my career. Once I got to experience coaching and what it is and how far I can take it, I fell in love with it. From there, my goal was to give back to the game of football to what it gave me. I'm in coaching to give back, to teach life lessons through football and help young men develop both on and off the field.
Q: You spent time in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars on the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship. What was your time in the NFL like?
LW: It was great. It was probably one of the best things I've done to get insight on my coaching career. It helped me realize and understand the work that goes into this profession. I got to see how those guys work in that league and gave me some insight into possibly transition into the NFL. To see that I can do the same job they're doing at the highest level.
Q: You've coached wide receivers in the past, did that help you at all now that you're back to coaching cornerbacks?
LW: It did. You don't realize what's being taught on the other side of the ball. When you're actually teaching it, you get to put yourself in the other guys shoes. Now being back on the defensive side I can apply what I taught to the receivers and tell the guys he takes a certain step you can anticipate certain things. It helped me understand how the offensive guys are trying to attack the defense. It helped give me insight to both sides of the ball.
Q: What is your recruiting philosophy?
LW: My approach is, trust, commitment and care. I believe you have to establish trust, that's the foundation. You have to establish that trust and once you do that, there's a form of commitment that happens and that's usually when you get your commitments. Now it's about knowing that we care about one another. When they know I care about them, the sky is the limit.
Q: Why did you attend Duke?
LW: Honestly, it was the biggest school that I had an offer from. But when you look back at my recruiting process, I had some mid-level schools look at me, I didn't know anything about Duke. Duke came along and started recruiting me, I was a really good academic student. I did my research and saw the type of school it was. I knew that a scholarship was my chance to go to college and having a scholarship and a degree from that caliber a school was a no-brainer for me. I'm a guy that loves the challenge and like the underdog mentality. Knowing that we were walking into a program that needed to be rebuilt was exciting for me.
Q: What was your time at Duke like?
LW: I really enjoyed it. I love the area. I had great teammates and played for great coaches and communicate with a lot of them to this day. I try to get back there as much as I can when time allows. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I had everything I needed at Duke, great support staff and academic support staff.
From the Sidelines: Leon Wright Q&A
