 
Bo Davis press conference transcript: Jan. 5
Jan. 5, 2011
On the interview process: It was very thorough and kind of surprising. Coach Mack [Brown] asked a lot of questions - which were good questions - because they check your character out and see what kind of person you're getting to come work with your kids, and I think that's very important. It was very thorough. On what was surprising: Just the fact that it's Texas. I've been in the SEC all my life and I never thought about venturing out of the SEC. I had opportunities to stay in the SEC but having the opportunity to come to Texas was very surprising, and I thought it was a great opportunity. On the time spent at North Shore High School playing a part in coming back to Texas: I always tell people when I was at LSU and went back to LSU and Alabama - we always talked about how unique football was in Texas. I told them, "Boys, ya'll have never been anywhere where football is the king and in the state of Texas, football is the king. If you're looking for a job, go to Texas because that's where football is king." That played a big role with me because of the coaching that these kids get here and the way football is considered over here. That was one of the things that was important to me. On his teaching style: I'll go back to how old coach used to teach me. I like teaching in the classroom. I want my kids to learn what they're doing, and I'm a teacher. I'm going to teach kids good technique. I'm going to teach them how to play good fundamental football and understand what the game of football is because it's very important. When guys can see and understand what they're getting that makes them play faster, and when guys have to think they don't play fast. I'm a teacher, and I believe in teaching guys to understand what they're getting and what they see. On if it was tough leaving the SEC: It's not tough. When you got an opportunity, like me for instance - and I feel blessed - I've been at LSU, I've been at Alabama and now I'm at the University of Texas. If you look at it, these probably are the top three universities in the country and to have an opportunity to come here and work with coach Brown was a tremendous opportunity for me. It wasn't a thing of how hard was it for me to leave the SEC, it was the fact that I get an opportunity to work with one of the best coaches in America, and I think that's a no-brainer. I leave one great coach and come to work for another great coach. I think that was one of the things that was intriguing to me.
On having any questions for Mack Brown during the interview process: I really don't even get into that. You know why, because this place has enough tradition that I know coach Brown is going to do what he needs to do for his staff and he's going to get the best coaches that he needs to get. To me, it's an opportunity, and I know he's going to do the best job that he can do in doing that. I really don't have a lot of questions. When I come in I look at the kids, I look at the facilities - which are great here - and I think that's what played an important role with me. Plus my wife's from Houston so I'm not that far from her family. So those are the things I look at. On his relationship with Texas high school football coaches: I have a great relationship. I recruited over here and even when I was coaching here at North Shore, I built a lot of great relationships with a lot of coaches. I have a lot of friends that I've coached with who were at North Shore with me that are either head coaches now or are coordinators in the high school rankings, and we've stayed in touch over the years. They've come to camps wherever I was, and I have a great relationship with a lot of coaches here. On what area he will be recruiting: I really don't know yet, but I'm pretty sure it will be the Houston area. I'll just give you my areas when I was at Alabama. I recruited all of east Texas, all the way down to Houston. So wherever coach Brown feels the need to put me, I have a lot of roots here so that's not a problem for me. On the defensive tackles he will be coaching: A lot of great ability. They have all the potential, and you work with them and get them better than they are. One of the things you do with players is you get players and you take them, no matter how they are, and you take good players and you make them great. That goes back to my teaching philosophy. I'm going to teach you to be the best that you can be. That's my philosophy. On the difference between coaching at Alabama and coaching at Texas: To me football is football. So it doesn't really matter what level or what conference you're in - it's football. The thing I believe in is going out and dominating your opponent and playing for 60 minutes. On any concerns about how long Coach Brown might coach in the future: To me - and he kind of talked a little bit about that to me - I don't even worry about stuff like that. I sit and tell people all the time [that] I'm a very simple person. Even when we talked about contracts and all that, I said, "Coach, me personally, they don't even have to have a contract with me. You can walk up and shake my hand. I'm an old country boy. You shake my hand and give me your word, that's what I go on." I don't get into how long are you going to be here and is this going to determine my fate if I come here. I don't get into that. To me that's not important. The opportunity you have to come to a great university like the University of Texas - that's what I care about. And getting a chance to coach some young, great players you guys have here. That's what I like to do. On what kind of defense he coached at Alabama: Everybody thinks that Alabama ran a 3-4. We didn't run a 3-4. We ran multiple fronts. We ran 3-4, we ran 4-3, we ran under, we ran every front. It was a pro-style defense, that's what we played. You never knew what you were going to get. It was like Forrest Gump. When you played us, you never knew what you were going to get. Life was a box of chocolates. When you played us, it was like what front were they going to be in today? You didn't know. On his personality and passion carrying over to his players: The thing about it is just being you. It's nothing that you have a magical potion that you can give someone and say, "Hey, I'm going to give you this and you're going to have an edge." I think as a coach you have to bring that with you, and your players have to see that within you. What are you doing? How is my coach? Do I trust my coach? Do I believe in my coach? That's what the players see. Here's a coach that wants me to be this kind of player, and that's what I want to form myself into being. On his plan for the next few weeks: My main thing is getting on the road, getting out here and getting to see a lot of these recruits and getting them sealed and getting them home. That's my main priority, and that's what I want to do. |
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