Coach Walsh addresses his team after the spring scrimmage

How has fall camp has gone so far?

Fall camp has been good.  A grind as usual, but productive.

How has the Cal Poly football program changed since your first season?

Well, I think we are evolving offensively to be a bit more multiple in our play selection and philosophy.   Our kicking game is more solid than ever.  Defensively, we have lost a lot solid veterans from the past, so we are fairly young there but hopefully deeper.  We have a new Director of Athletics who has a good vision for where he wants Cal Poly athletics to be in the future.  And lastly, The Big Sky, a new conference, that is probably the best in FCS football.  

What has surprised you during fall camp while preparing for your first game?

Probably the skill level we have on offense. It’s the best since I have been here, and hopefully that will make for more exciting big plays and not make us rely so much on 14 play drives for touchdowns.

Please tell us about the freshmen.  Will any of these young players compete for playing time?

Probably not.  BJ Nard, a freshman safety from Bakersfield is in the mix, but we will have to wait and see.  We feel this is our best and deepest talent level class we have brought in.  However, we would like to redshirt them all and let them grow as student athletes their first year.  You never know though…

Andre Broadous is returning as the starting quarterback for his senior year. How important will his leadership and experience be this season?

Andre is extremely confident and has a great understanding of our offense.  He is as comfortable a QB as I have had, and I believe he is ready for all the challenges that go with being a senior quarterback and team Captain.  Expecting big things from Andre!!

Since there are so many different styles of offense, which are you going to run…and why?

We are still a triple option offense that has added some shotgun schemes to it to fit our personnel.  It is who we are….not the biggest, but hopefully very athletic in front guys.

On the offensive side of the ball, who do you think will be some of Andre’s go-to receivers?

Willie Tucker, Lance Castenada, and Brandon Michalkawicz are our top threats, but we will always rely on the steady Ryan Taylor and the up and coming Jordan Hines.

What type of defensive alignment will you be running this season…and why?

We are a 4-3 team, and that is what our personnel fits.  We think we have 8 to 9 defensive lineman , 7 linebackers, and 8 in the secondary that can play at a championship level.  With that said, we are inexperienced almost everywhere except linebacker so we will have to grow up in a hurry.

Senior linebacker, Kennith Jackson and junior defensive tackle, Sullivan Grosz have earned pre-season honors. How do you think these players will impact the team in the coming season?

Well deserved honors.  We need them to play at a All-American level.  They are very good players that have high expectations.

Many people think that Cal Poly’s linebacking corps may be the best in the Big Sky this season. What type of impact do you see them having? 

Well Johnny Millard and Kenny Jackson have lots of experience.  Add Nick Dzubnar, who is an outstanding football player with great instincts who played well in a backup role last year, and Cameron Ontko a trasfer from Wisconsin who has great speed and strength.  Linebacker should be the real strong point of who we are on defense.

You lost a great player in Asa Jackson, as both a cornerback and a punt returner. With giant shoes to fill, who is going to replace him this year? 

With Bijon Samodi out with a hip injury, we expect senior Niko Molino, and junior Vante Smith Johnson, who both have started several games for us, to play a key role in the secondary.  Their backups will be Karlton Dennis and Jordan Williams.  Even though we lost Asa, we should be solid here.

Stephen Pyle from Austin, Texas has made the transition from being a Mustang soccer player to a kicker on the football team. What does the competition look like for Stephen and the other kickers and punters this season? 

Unfortunately, for Stephen, he has been injured the past week, which has given Bobby Zalud, a transfer from Arkansas State, an opportunity.  He has done well.  Both were kicking well early, but with the injury, Bobby has taken a slight lead on the battle.  He will probably go into the year as the kicker with the first opportunity.

Former linebacker Brandon Howe will be playing fullback this season. How is he looking at his new position? 

Brandon is in a back up role behind the talented Gabe Umoh.  He is progressing well and using his old experience as a running back in high school.  He will improve with each game.

Have any other players moved to new positions? 

Chris Judge–linebacker to a defensive end.  He will make an impact for us there immediately.  His speed and instincts for the ball will make him a force at defensive end.

This season there are two sets of brothers playing on the team…Nick and Colin Dzubnar, and Lefi and Josh Letuligasenoa. In recent years, you’ve also coached the Mohamed brothers. What is it like to coach siblings? 

Having brothers adds to their knowledge of the traditions of Cal Poly Football.  All the older brothers in these families are successful, and I have no doubt Colin and Josh will follow in their brothers footsteps!

Who are some of the players you expect to lead this team on and off the field? 

Doug Shumway is the man.  He is an excellent athlete that has played behind Andre for the past two years and accepted his role.  This year, we are giving him some time as a slot back, and he is doing very well. Ryan Taylor is another who has several roles and will do whatever necessary for us to be successful.  Both are seniors: Doug majors in Ag Business and Ryan is a business major who will graduate this year.  They are the total package as Cal Poly student athletes!!!

With transfers coming in from UCLA and Wisconsin, how do you think their experience playing in the PAC-12 and Big 10 Conferences will affect the program? 

Well as good as we think the young transfers are, they are all just sophomores and will earn their time.  I have mentioned Cameron Ontko before regarding linebacker play.  Fellow Wisconsin transfer, Jake Irwin, has done very well and is pushing to start.  Wes Flowers from UCLA definitely looks the part, and he is only going to get better each day.  He probably can be as good as he wants to become…huge upside.

Now that Cal Poly’s football program is in the Big Sky Conference, will you recruit more players nationally than you have in past seasons? 

No.  We feel California high school football is as good as it gets.  We will only leave the state if we think we have found a true difference maker.  So the majority, 95% or so, will be Californians.

I know the team has been working hard in the weight room this summer. What has strength and conditioning coach Dave Wood been focusing on throughout the summer? 

Because of the pace we want to play at, we train hard for the ability to use maximum strength and speed every 30 seconds.  Explosive movements rather than bulk movements.  Dave has done an outstanding job for us this off season.

How has this year’s fall camp been different than previous years as you make the transition into the Big Sky?

Well with our inexperience we have demanded more physical practices and classroom work to get the up to a level needed to compete at the championship Big Sky level.

Nick Dzubnar sign his National Letter of Intent at his high school last year

Cal Poly’s high academic standards definitely affect the recruiting process.  It limits the group of athletes who they recruit.  “We’re not a football factory.  This is a place where high academic standards have been set,” said Thompson.  If a BCS school is also recruiting a Cal Poly prospect, then the coaches try to show the recruit what separates Cal Poly from all other academic institutions.  They can still play for a national championship here and the player will have a plethora of opportunities after they graduate with a Cal Poly degree.

Cal Poly Football encourages the player’s parents to participate in the recruiting process, since their opinion will help the player make a final decision.  “Because we spend so much time with their kids, we want them to understand the type of coaches we are and the program we represent,” said Thompson.

Cal Poly after the win against Montana

Most recruits accept that they will redshirt their freshman year, and that they have an important role in helping the team be successful.  However, this is not always the case.  “The best players are going to play, regardless of what year they are in school,” said Thompson.  The recruitment process for non-scholarship players is usually a little different.  Sometimes the coaches hear from prospective players who would like to join the team and are currently students at the school.  Then they are evaluated to determine if they would be a good match for the program.

Playing in the Big Sky Conference next year will have a positive impact on Cal Poly’s recruiting.  It will make the Mustangs even more appealing to prospective recruits.  Recruits will know that winning the Big Sky championship will guaranty the Mustangs a bid to the NCAA Division 1 FCS playoffs.  This is a real incentive for prospective players.

Its always exciting being a Cal Poly Football player

Cal Poly is a special place and any recruit would love to play for Coach Walsh and his staff.  There are many reasons why a prospective player should sign with Cal Poly. Becoming a Mustang would be a good idea if the athlete could see himself living here after graduating from college.  San Luis Obispo is a unique place that becomes home.  All who live here love the atmosphere of the central coast.  Signing with Cal Poly guarantees every student-athlete the opportunity to receive an incredible education that is considered one of the best in the country.  In addition, athletes will have the opportunity to play football for a great head coach who has won over one hundred Division 1 games.

The future of Cal Poly Football is really exciting.  It’s a great time to be a Mustang!

Then again, most non-athletes not do fully understand what redshirting really means.

So, what is a redshirt?

A redshirt is an athlete who delays participation in competition in order to lengthen their period of eligibility.  Every athlete is given five academic years to complete four years of athletic eligibility.  If an athlete redshirts, they still attend classes, practice with the team, and can even dress out for games, but they are not allowed to participate in competition.  If an athlete goes onto the playing field for one play, they have officially lost that redshirt year.  It’s very common for football players to redshirt during their freshman year, since it gives them the opportunity to get bigger, stronger, and faster while they acclimate to being a collegiate student-athlete.

Cal Poly’s entire freshman class is redshirting this season with the exceptions of Lefi Letuligasenoa, Dave Douglas, James Langford, and Vante Johnson who have all competed in games this season.

This season Cal Poly has three redshirt players who have played in the same high school conference together.  Down in south Orange County, the South Coast League is known as one of the dominant leagues in CIF Southern Section Football.

Trevor Weis, Nick Dzubnar, and Brandon Howe are all former rivals and big name players from the O.C.

Weis, a former Titan from Tesoro High School, was team captain and MVP his senior year.  The 6’0”, 195 pound freshman played both ways in high school, and was First Team All-South Coast League his senior year.

Dzubnar, a 6’2”, 220 pound linebacker earned All-Orange County and All-CIF Southern Section honors.  As the captain of his team, he also helped lead the Mission Viejo Diablos to the semi-finals of the Pac-5 Conference Playoffs his senior year.  He was MVP of his team, as well as MVP of the South Coast League.

Howe, is a 6’2”, 215 pound linebacker.  He was team captain and team MVP of the Dana Hills Dolphins.  He was First Team All-South Coast League and Second Team All-Orange County as a defensive back.

I had the opportunity to speak with these three redshirts and discuss their time here at Cal Poly so far.

Trevor Weis

Trevor Weis at graduation

 

Why did you choose Cal Poly?

I chose Cal Poly because it is an amazing academic school and I also had the opportunity to continue playing football.

Tesoro is one of the most prominent high school teams in Southern California.  Your junior year, Tesoro was ranked the number one high school team in California and was one of the top ten teams in the nation.  How hard is the transition from a highly skilled high school program to a college program?

The transition from high school to college football is much different, no matter where you come from. There are many more responsibilities that each player holds.

Your junior year you had the opportunity to play at Angel Stadium in the CIF Pac-5  Championship game.  What was that experience like?

Playing at Angel Stadium was a crazy experience that I will never forget. It really made me never want to lose the feeling of playing in big games.

With Tesoro and Mission being intense high school rivals, what was it like hearing that you would be future teammates with someone from Mission?

I thought it was cool that I could be teammates with a high school rival in college. It’s funny because of how different we were in the beginning, but now we are very close.

Trevor Weis, number 23, makes the tackle for Tesoro High School

 

Which player(s) on the team have inspired you the most and why?

Jordan Yocum, Jake Romanelli, Matt Singletary, and Brandon Roberts have shown me what a Cal Poly football player stands for.

How does the Cal Poly strength training program compare with your high school program?

Strength training here at Cal Poly is ten times more serious and effective than it was in high school.

Favorite music artist?

Toby Keith

Favorite movie?

Gladiator

What are the things you enjoy the most about living in San Luis Obispo?

I enjoy downtown San Luis Obispo the most because it reminds me of the beach towns I grew up near.

Nick Dzubnar

Nick Dzubnar at graduation

 

Historically, Mission has been known as a powerhouse of football with legendary players like Mark Sanchez, Jordan Palmer, Ryan Powdrell, and Allan Bridgford. What was it like playing for that kind of program?

It was very nice. I had the opportunity to be coached by ex NFL players and got to learn and hang out with current NFL players. A lot is expected there, but it made me the player I am today.

What made you choose Cal Poly?

Cal Poly is my dad’s alma mater, and my grandparents retired in Atascadero. I grew up coming here, so it was an easy decision.

Mission and Tesoro are huge high school rivals. What was it like finding out that one of your future teammates was going to be from a school that is your high school team’s biggest rival?

I was really excited when I found out Trevor was coming to Cal Poly because we have competed and known each other all throughout high school.

Nick Dzubnar, number 30, gets ready to destroy some people on the field.

 

Have you seen any dramatic changes between being a high school athlete and a student-athlete in college?

College athletes are bigger and faster and smarter.

How does the Cal Poly strength-training program compare with your high school program?

High school has its main lifts, and here, the strength coach breaks down workouts and isolates certain muscles. He was hired to do only one thing, and that is to make us big.

Favorite movie?

Four Brothers

What are the things you enjoy the most about living in San Luis Obispo?

I enjoy visiting my grandparents, going to the beach, and I really like the weather.

Brandon Howe

Brandon Howe at graduation

 

Your senior year, you helped lead your team to a very successful season, and you almost won the South Coast League Championship. Describe that experience.

It was a great experience almost winning the South Coast League and setting a school record for the best overall record ever. I had a good season that got me to Cal Poly.

Why did you choose Cal Poly?

I chose Cal Poly because I believe I will be able to play at this level of football and really contribute and be a good player for the Mustangs.

Which player(s) on the team have inspired you the most and why?

Marty and Kyle Mohamed and Johnny Millard have really stepped up and helped me transition to linebacker and inspired me.

Coming from a beach school that is primarily known as a boys and girls volleyball powerhouse, what motivated you to become one of the greatest football players in the South Coast League?

I love football and always have.  That was a goal of mine before the season to be one of the best players in the South Coast League.

Brandon Howe, number 21, makes the tackle for Dana Hills

 

How does the Cal Poly strength training program compare with your high school program?

It has its similarities, but the strength program here is of course a step up and more intense to put on that extra weight and muscle.

Favorite music artist?

Tupac

Favorite Movie?

Wedding Crashers

What are the things you enjoy the most about living in San Luis Obispo?

I enjoy the college town and the fun environment downtown.  It’s similar to home.

Do you have any advice for the Cal Poly coaches regarding how they could recruit more players from Orange County to come play for our great program?

I believe they do a great job recruiting. My freshman class is loaded with athletes, but Orange County is definitely filled with athletes all over the board.