FIU Quotes from Coach

[Brad]

Courtesy FIU and USF:

They are another great example of a school that built a program down here in the state of Florida. They are a team full of in-state players and Coach Leavitt does an unbelievable job. They are as strong and physical and I’d say even more explosive than any team we’ve faced so far. They are one of the best teams we’ve faced in the last two years and when you look at them on film they are definitely a top-15 football team right now. They get after the quarterback. They live in the backfield and disrupt the line of scrimmage. At the same time they have a back seven that can stay with anybody in the country. Their scheme is very complex at times. They will bring pressure from all parts on the football field. When they do they disguise it well and they hit it hard. They are complimented by a great special teams unit as well as great offensive play. Matt Grothe has really raised the bar for quarterback play at South Florida as well as the state of Florida itself. When things get hot and it looks like he’s going to go down he finds a way to get out of it. His receivers have a great feel for him and they find a way to get open. They find a way to consistently get big plays. Their offensive line is very athletic and very physical and when they get downhill in the running game they are very difficult to stop. They can also get the ball outside with some of their faster running backs and their receivers. They are a very impressive football team. You couldn’t pick a stronger football team to open our new stadium with. It’ll be a great environment, the stadium will be packed. The campus community is really excited about this and they should be. It’s the beginning of a new era. There was a lot of hard work by a lot of great people. The time has come to make something happen and this is the start of building a championship football program.

We’ll be getting one or two guys back which should help on offense and special teams as well. The time off has also helped us evaluate the freshmen a little bit more. You get those 15 or 20 days in camp and then they get out on the field and they aren’t ready so this definitely helped us evaluate some of them a little bit more. We’ve been able to bring them along this past week by emphasizing fundamentals. We’re making sure we play fast and physical and we’re coming along.

Playing them makes this Saturday that much more exciting. Those guys are really solid across the board at several positions. They are a great blueprint for us to use as well as far as building our program to where we want it to be. We’ve got a couple guys who are relatives with their players and another bunch that played with their guys and it really shows what this state is doing in terms of building good ball clubs. The intensity will be high but we’ve got to be smart and know that we’re playing a great opponent and there is no wiggle room for mistakes.

This is a big-time game and our players are very young. We’re in our infancy right now and everyday we’re just trying to create a culture. If they’re thrown into the fire they have to take that opportunity because it is one that will come once in a lifetime and our players realize that. They also realize how skilled South Florida is and they’ve been in the same regimen and same schemes for four or five years. You have to believe and you have to desire to excel to compete against teams like that. You have to desire to make it all about team as opposed to anything that’s selfish to make things successful on Saturday. Football changes lives. It changes attitudes and it brings people together and I think that’s what our players are going through right now.

I think anytime two teams in the state of Florida play each other, it automatically becomes a rivalry. We’re spread out all over the place and that state is not done in terms of building Division I football. Everybody’s trying to get a step up on everybody else and those who are already on top are trying to stay well ahead of the pack. This will be one of those knock down, drag out type games.

If I stop to think about what it’s going to be like walking into the stadium on Saturday, I’m taking away from the focus on the process. When I lay down at night does it trickle into the mind and keep me up another three or four hours? Absolutely. As long as anybody’s playing or coaching football it needs to be that way and if it’s not then you need to be in something else. There are some guys that the biggest environment they’ve ever played in was right down the street in front of a couple hundred people and now they’re playing in front of capacity crowds. This will be the first time they’re playing a home game and the support should be overwhelming. They should be proud about that. This is a home grown program with our guys and the community is going to come out and support them.

We’re going to have four or five hundred tickets gone for recruits. The coaches wives are not very happy with me right now because every opportunity we can we are out there recruiting and this business is all about the people you surround yourself with. We are recruiting high character guys and high ability guys with that championship mentality.

This field is all about competing and if I ever wanted the change a foe then I would need to get out of this field. Is their team further along than we are and more talented? I won’t deny it. Is there any hesitation in wanting to take the field and compete against them? Absolutely not.

[SpikeBull]

The editor must have modified the transcript.

He left out the part about how they are "awfully good" and USF worked on the punting game this week.

[TheBullies]

It's going to be a real barn burner.

[Kyle]

The editor must have modified the transcript.

He left out the part about how they are "awfully good" and USF worked on the punting game this week.

FIU's coach, not ours.

[KingBull]

Funny that you guys thought this was a Leavitt quote. 

Thats some really high praise from an opposing coach.

[BULL-IT]

Wow he had better things to say about USF than i would. He seems like a good coach.

He is right about recruiting, he gave Jr RB Tevin Drake an offer already.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=73106&sport=1

This is his sophomore film by the way.

[BULL-IT]

Oh and USF hasnt given him an offer yet, but he was at the spring game.

[1Bullsfan]

Is Bernard Clark their head coach? I met him last spring when I was an assistant coach at a local high school. I told him that I was a proud USF alum, and I couldn't wait till the season. I did mention how close the game was here, and he smiled. However, he told me their OOC schedule and it is brutal for such a young team. After us, I hope they have a successful season.

[Compute-a-bull]

That was so much praise that I stopped reading it.

What does he think we're going to do, love his remarks to much that we let him win?

LOL

[___ Eats It]

Is Bernard Clark their head coach? I met him last spring when I was an assistant coach at a local high school. I told him that I was a proud USF alum, and I couldn't wait till the season. I did mention how close the game was here, and he smiled. However, he told me their OOC schedule and it is brutal for such a young team. After us, I hope they have a successful season.

Mario Cristobal.