Blue Hose football enters the spring with hopeful expectations after a historic 10-2 fall season and previous offensive coordinator Matt Rahl’s recent promotion to head coach. Despite this major change on the sidelines, players and coaches say the goals, expectations, and culture of this team remain the same.
Coach Rahl says that the success of this team hasn’t changed and will not change. Despite last fall’s historic season, to the coaches and players, the job wasn’t finished. The goal remains to win the Pioneer Football League.
“Success, in general, to me, looks like a conference championship. Our goals are to win the PFL every single year,” Coach Rahl says.
When asked how he plans to keep this program moving forward, Coach Rahl emphasized that it was all about his players.
He describes his biggest focus as being “Everything about the players. Continue to recruit, retain, and develop. Everything is all about the players.”
Rahl’s previous relationships with this football team will no doubt contribute to the future of the program. As the previous offensive coordinator, he expresses his excitement about being able to lead the entire team.
“I’m excited to be able to take the full leadership role for the entire team and players, the coaches, and everyone involved. My previous relationships, I certainly think, will help because I’m not having to or they’re not having to build entirely new relationships with someone that’s unknown. I think that right now they know who I am and what I’m about,” Rahl explains.
Despite the major coaching changes that have occurred this offseason, the players remain confident and express that the values of the team have not changed.
Ryan Largin, a sophomore on the Blue Hose football team, who will be returning this coming fall, describes a comfort in the familiarity of Matt Rahl as the new head coach. The leadership style that Coach Rahl brings to the team translates to the atmosphere of the locker room.
“I feel great about the coaching change. Coach Rahl genuinely cares about his players as people, not just football players,” Largin says.
Largin says the success of last season doesn’t bring new pressure, just higher expectations, which only makes the team better. There is always more building to be done.
Largin describes, “I personally don’t think there’s pressure. I believe this program is just turning around for the better.”
Coach Rahl discussed a number of fifth years and seniors who would be graduating, but a multitude of transfers and freshmen coming in. From a player perspective, Largin says the roster turnover hasn’t changed anything about the standard this team has.
“The standard is the standard, and we all have the same goal, which is a ring.”
Returning players or newcomers, the idea stays the same. There is a standard to be held, and there is confidence to be had. Redshirt freshman Tez Jones, who recently transferred to Presbyterian College for the football program, says the coaching change doesn’t affect his mindset about football.
“Personally, who is coaching me doesn’t change the way I approach the game. I just see it as a new opportunity and a clean slate.”
Despite being a new face among new faces, Jones describes the expectations of the football program as more motivating than anything else.
“Pressure is a privilege. I like pressure. It shows me everything we are fighting for.”
The culture of this program is a factor highlighted by no matter who you ask, whether the coach, returners, or newcomers.
Jones, in regard to the differences between his old program and Presbyterian’s, says, “One big difference I see here is the culture is way better. You can tell everyone is serious about what we’re fighting toward.”
As the Blue Hose look to build off this historic season, carrying this momentum with them, they look to new head coach Matt Rahl to maintain the culture of this program while leading the team to their goal of a conference championship.
