As both head coach Rich Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Zac Alley take the field as coaches together next week, there likely won't be any confusion between the two on their expectations.
Alley and Rodriguez worked together at both Jacksonville State and Louisiana-Monroe, and now they are back together at WVU.
"Obviously, I have a history with Coach Rodriguez between Monroe when I was the defense coordinator, he was the offensive coordinator, and when he took me to Jacksonville State with him afterward. And we had some success there for two years and I love him, I love him to death. I love working for him, I appreciate how he treats us and treats our players. And we're demanding, but we love our guys even harder. And we say all the time, man, you'll work harder here than anywhere else in the country, but you'll be treated better here than anywhere else in the country," Alley said.
Alley was the co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma last season, helping the Sooners be one of the top units in the SEC. Now, Alley will bring that experience to the Mountaineers, while combining that with his history with Rodriguez.
"I think a mentality would probably be the number one thing. The standard of performance that we set for our players is incredibly high," Alley said.
West Virginia begins spring practice next week and Alley will begin to create the standard of what he expects from his unit on defense.
"I think we demand it every day. I think they can feel the strain, the stress. What I talk about, what I preach about with them, is the truth, and that helps. We tell it all the time, man, I'm going to tell my guys the truth. And when you do that, they have an expectation level set and if they don't meet that expectation level, then there's an issue. And I think that's the key.
"We're always talking about trying to play to a standard. Every single day, we play to a standard. Every workout, we perform to a standard. When we take the field, there's a standard of how we operate when we're practicing that it's going to translate to the standard we play with on game day. And nothing short of that standard is ever acceptable. And so our guys know that that's the mindset we're going to have, and every single day, we're trying to build them up into that mold and that model," Alley said.
In his last season at Jacksonville State, Alley and Rodriguez were able to build one of the better defenses in Conference USA. The Gamecocks ranked first or second in the conference in points per game, yards per game, rush yards per game, sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, and third and fourth down conversion percentage.
Alley's standard consists of working hard and sticking together as one unit. He believes if his group can put in the work, they will see the results, and that work will begin soon at the start of spring practice.
"Our guys, I want them to believe at the end of the day. I want to create belief in who we are, who the program is, that we can win, that we can outwork people, we can outthink people. We can out-execute people. And that comes from the work. The confidence and the belief comes from the work. And when you think the right way, ultimately, that'll become who you are. And so every single day, we're working on our mindset and trying to create that kind of culture on this side of the ball," Alley said.
Overall, Alley knows Rodriguez has helped him get to this point in his career and he hopes to help Rodriguez in return by rebuilding the West Virginia defense. Alley said if he's fortunate to become a head coach one day it will be because of the things Rodriguez has instilled in him as a coach.
"I've always appreciated Coach Rodriguez because I think he's always prepared me to be a head coach one day. I think he has that same kind of mindset and goal for me as well as I do for myself. And for me, the title (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator) was great, but I've been doing a lot of that for a while and I just want to help him in any way I can.
"If I can take something off the plate, whatever that looks like, maybe he just don't want to do it, and I can go do it for him. I'm always looking for that because that's how I believe you bring value for yourself. You learn, you grow. If you're not constantly challenged, then you stay the same. And so it's something I really appreciate about Coach Rod is just his consistent efforts to try and help me grow and develop as a coach as well."
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