Coach Strong’s Expectations and Culture Changes at Texas

Over his coaching career, one thing that players and coaches have come to learn (sometimes the hard way) is that Charlie Strong wants things done the right way, and that is non-negotiable. With the kind of success he has had it’s clear his approach works.

For Coach Strong, it starts and ends with the word “team”. Every action, every thought, every process comes from a “team first” philosophy. Any deviation from this plan will be[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] corrected and followed up upon. To put it simple … players are going to be held to a high level of accountability. Players will not be allowed to get away with things many other programs tolerate, or go unchallenged. Charlie Strong is a different kind of leader.

According to an article by Barking Carnival’s Scipio Tex, Coach Strong has begun the process of outlining expectations for his coaches and his team.

[su_box title=”From Barking Carnival Article: Culture Change at Texas” radius=”12″]”It (referring to Coach Strong’s first official team meeting) was “very intense”, but there was no yelling or drill sergeant act. No theater. Just a detailing of how things are going to be from now on. No one was thanked for being there. No one was patted on the back for being at Texas.”[/su_box]

Charlie Strong gives a lot to his team, and he expects the same of every player. He wants Texas to be great again, and he wants this turn-around to happen immediately. So while a football team’s success is measured by what happens on the field, the seeds of success are planted off the field. It starts in the class room, weight room, in team activities and with an understanding that even the most talented player is not bigger than the team.

If a player wants to play football at The University of Texas, he must understand that he is going to do things the right way, and that starts from day one. Some of Coach Strong’s new rules include things like; no headphones in class, no texting in class, and players are expected to sit in the front two rows and take notes.

[su_box title=”From Barking Carnival Article: Culture Change at Texas “]”If a player misses a class, he runs until it hurts. If he misses two classes, his entire position unit runs. If he misses three, the position coach runs. The position coaches don’t want to run.”[/su_box]

Above all else, Coach Strong wants to change the football culture at Texas. Players will no longer be able to live off campus (unless they’re a senior who hits certain academic standards). The team will all live together, eat together, suffer together, and hang out together.  They will become a true team and learn to impose accountability on each other.  Special treatment, cliques and excuses are not likely tolerated. This is an era of expectation and performance, and make no mistake … the bar is set high.

It’s very clear who is in charge and even more clear that this program is in for a complete change to it’s culture … if you ask me, Coach Strong is exactly what this program needed.

(Source: Barking Carnival – SB Nation)

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