HEAD COACH MATT VIATOR
It’s very rare in sports to have a successful championship coach leave for greener pastures (more money) and other jobs and then have that coach come back for an encore.
Matt Viator’s return to his alma mater, his McNeese and his old job as the Cowboys head football coach after a nine year span was surprising under any circumstances but he joined that short list of coaches for a second act.
Spring practice that recently concluded officially put Coach V back on the field with his beloved Pokes and it was good to see his familiar whistle twirling move as he kept a keen eye on drills.
It’s been nearly a decade since Viator ran any kind of football practice for McNeese and a few years since his last spring workout as a head coach at UL-Monroe. But he’s a ball coach and he didn’t miss a beat overseeing his patented well timed and orchestrated structured workouts.
McNeese’s three weeks of practice ended with the spring game that resembled the few scrimmages that preceded it. I couldn’t help but notice Viator would remove his hat and scratch his head. I got the sense of his frustration over just the nature of spring scrimmages. The slower, more measured pace of these sessions vs real, live game action.
“A lot of spring ball is scrimmage mode I call it. When you are in scrimmage mode you are not in tempo mode. The offense waits for the defense to get lined up, you wait for everybody, you are in that scrimmage mode. It takes some time in August to transition from scrimmage mode to that actual game tempo. Take the ball, take the line of scrimmage, make the call you know what I’m saying?,” Viator asked rhetorically.
I heard him loud and clear. I think Viator is anxious to start prepping for game one of the season already. “I just get frustrated because that scrimmage mode frustrates me I guess.”
Don’t misunderstand his dismay. It’s not aimed at the players in anyway. Viator has said time and again since they hit the field over 3 weeks ago that the young men have responded well to him, the newly assembled coaching staff and all the changes. “They’ve been phenomenal in terms of their attitude and their effort. The kids have been really good and I’ve told them that and we really appreciate their effort, their attitude. We just have to get better but it’s not because of a bad attitude or effort. These young guys have been phenomenal,” Viator repeated
First objective was getting the players to buy in and commit to Viator and the staff’s mission and teachings. So far so good. “We haven’t had one kid quit. We haven’t had a kid that I’ve had to remove from the team, or quit or missed practice or did something whatever. The kids have been really good.”
These are important baby steps to building Viator’s culture, a team first mindset and a solid locker room. That elusive team chemistry, camaraderie and foxhole attitude will make great strides in their off season workouts and through tough August preseason camp.
The first order of spring business was fundamentals, repetition, installing bits and pieces of the new offensive playbook and getting an early peak of the talent level by position. “I keep telling the kids we have talent in the room but if you are good you can do it everyday. If you are just talented you just talented. Good players can repeat talent everday and that’s what we are trying to get out of them. We are looking to develop good players that are here week in and week out and do what they are suppose to do week in and week out. That’s a work in progress,” Viator said after the recent final spring scrimmage.
From my vantage point this revamped defensive secondary has some players that can play man coverage and defend passes. The revolving front seven has allowed some big plays in the rushing game but has pressured the quarterbacks at times.
QB ALEX FLORES
The offensive line, that has a good mix of returning starters with a few high hope transfers, has opened up some running lanes and allowed the quarterbacks time to look downfield. I saw first hand some nifty catches by a deep and experienced receiver corp including Jesse Campbell, Jonathan Harris and Cory O’Bryant to name three.
On the surface the running backs have been impressive. Senior speedster Bryce Strong has broken some big gainers, Junior Tre’Vonte Citizen is finally healthy and showing his full potential after being slow by knee and leg injuries. Another senior Colby Hamm is a weapon on the ground and short yardage passing.
“Overall pleased”, Viator said of the running backs. “Bryce Strong we are pleased with. Really like Colby Hamm. Of course T.C. (Citizen-the transfer from Miami) is a really talented young man. He was chomping at the bit to get out here (final spring scrimmage) to get something done. It was good to see him running today and he ran with a little authority too.”
QB JAKE STRONG
Viator added that junior RB Jaylen Thompson, a Jr Co transfer, will add needed depth to the backfield which is critical for a 12 game season. “That’s just the nature of running backs. You have to be deep and we need to see how deep we were moving forward.”
And speaking of depth the final scrimmage was an opportunity for Viator and offensive coordinator/QB coach Tyler Bolfing to get a longer look at reserve Devin Lippold, who has seen very limited snaps because the bulk of the reps all spring went to Texas Tech transfer Jake Strong and returning sophomore QB Alex Flores.
We got glimpses of Lippold last season when he was inserted in short yardage, obvious QB run plays inside the 5 yard line. At 6’3” 240 pounds Lippold is a definite run threat with power and does possess some pop in his arm. “He’s come on. He has a lot of talent and he’s a big kid that gets on top of the ball and can throw it. He’s also a run threat. He has another dimensional there too. We needed to get Devin some snaps with the ones and twos and kind of see how he handled it. You gotta have guys. That’s just the way it works,” Viator added.
RB TRE’VONTE CITIZEN
The 6’2” 220 pound Strong was the key transfer signee early on and the presumed starting QB. But a legitimate quarterback competition ensured over spring between Strong and Flores, both sophmores. Viator says Strong “has come as advertised” and Flores has been steady and impressive in practice.
“Jake is exactly who we thought he was. I’m really, really impressed with Alex Flores. Impressed with his attitude. Impressed with his desire to learn the offense and do all the things we want him to do. I am very pleased with what they are doing.”
If he follows his past protocol Viator is not one to have an unsettled QB position. He will no doubt tab a starter by mid August camp to begin preparations for the season opener with his QB 1 at the helm. The transfer portal is still an option for possibly adding another quarterback to the mix as Viator said they will determine that in short order. The portal opened April 16th and will close April 25th. A short 10 day period for those critical decisions for both players and coaches.
The offense began to click a bit better in the latter stages of spring work according to Viator but consistency was an elusive objective. “I thought we were a little cleaner it looked like here toward the end but I will never be satisfied. Starting to have a little bit of rhythm, little bit of pace to the offense. It takes some time unfortunately.”
I tend to view spring drills as a coming out party for prospective playmakers ahead of preseason camp. Viator says he got to see more plays being made by the defense compared to offense over those 15 spring workouts for one obvious reason. “I think I’ve seen more defensively because they are playing faster. It’s the same defense other than a handful of transfer guys. It’s the same defense, same calls. Some different coaches but it’s still Pec’s defense (Defensive Coordinator Tony Pecararo). I think we have made some progress offensively.”
Viator 2.0 is in place with the expectation he can bring back his championship mojo from a decade ago. Some returning talent will help. This is Coach V’s first head coaching job with the transfer portal at his disposal so that too will be a plus for a possible expedited turnaround.
A healthy dose of patience will be needed for this football program. Viator said it himself. “How talented we are I don’t know.”
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