One heck of a good Guy
Utah Statesman: Who are some of the coaches you feel like you’ve learned a lot from in your career?
Brent Guy: I’d probably have to start with Jimmy Johnson. That’s where my defensive philosophy came from with the four-man front. I played for him at Oklahoma State and I learned a lot of my defensive philosophies from him.
As far as my head coaching, where I’ve probably molded myself the most was under Dirk Koetter, the guy at Arizona State. We were together at Boise State and Arizona State a total of seven years and I learned a lot of organizational stuff from him that I use today.
The defensive coordinator at Arkansas, a guy named Reggie Herring, was my position coach and so a lot of my mentality about football I learned from him. He had a big impact on my career.
US: How do you find Cache Valley as a place to live with your family?
BG: We love it. One of the reasons I moved here is because of Cache Valley. I like living in a small community, I grew up in a small community, it’s safe. My kids can ride the LTD down and go to the movies. My daughter is at Logan High and my son is at Wilson Elementary, so they’re really close to us so I can see them.
US: What other sports do you enjoy playing or watching?
BG: People talk about the cold, but I like to snow ski in the offseason. You’ll see me up at Beaver Mountain a lot; tell the students to say hi to me when they’re up there. I’m up there with my family skiing a lot. Skiing would be the one hobby I have.
US: What would you be doing if you hadn’t decided to become a football coach?
BG: I would probably be in some type of business. I would think sales or something like that. It would probably be along those lines. I do a lot of speaking and talking, you have to get up in front of people and talk to be a football coach.
US: What is your favorite part of your job?
BG: Probably my very favorite part of it is just seeing the kids grow up and get a degree. Then they go out and come back 10 years later and you see that they’re successful and they have families. Saturdays are great when you win, but the real winning in coaching is 10 years later when you see what kids have done with their lives and the opportunity they had when they came to college.
US: Do you feel like you’re hungrier for success as a first-time head coach than someone like Pat Hill or Dennis Erickson who has experienced a lot of success?
BG: I’m hungry for success at Utah State because I’ve been here when we’ve had success and so I know it can happen. I know history can repeat itself. The thing we have to do is build it and then maintain it. I’m really hungry not so much for myself as a head coach as I am to establish something at Utah State that I know can be done because I’ve been here and done it before.
US: What is it like for you to stand on the sidelines across from coaches in the WAC with NFL experience and gaudy lists of accomplishments in college ball and coach against them?
BG: You don’t really think about those types of things; all you really think about is what your team has to do to execute to beat them. I’ve met and known a lot of those guys and so it’s not as intimidating as you might think. Although you know you have to be prepared because they’re very good coaches and experienced coaches, like June Jones is – he does a good job and they’re always ready to play. But you’re more concerned about your team executing the game plan.
-graham@cc.usu.edu