Spring ball preview (Part 4) - Interview with Jonathan DiBiaso

On Saturday afternoon, Boston College coaches Matt Thurin, Jonathan DiBiaso and Kurt Anderson all presented at the MHSFCA Coaches Clinic inside Gillette Stadium.

With spring ball rapidly approaching in 10 days, I had a chance to chat with both Thurin and DiBiaso for about 6-7 minutes each in-between their hour-long presentations.

Here’s what DiBiaso had to say during an interview for my New England Football Journal site (John conducted the standup interview, video should be up tomorrow, I just hit record on the Ipad)

On it being a busy winter for the program

“Busy winter. A lot of new faces in the office. Players and coaches. It’s been a busy time, but our guys are working hard. So, can’t complain.”

On what he’s most looking forward to about spring ball

“We just had a really good offseason winter program, which our guys got done with workouts, mat drills and walkthroughs put together for the offense and defense for a lot of new transfers. Just excited to see the guys compete. They put a lot of weight in getting bigger and stronger. Putting a lot of time in the classroom learning the offense. Just excited to see a lot of new faces and guys coming back and competing. Really, a brand new team than we’ve had over the past few years. I’m excited.”

On how both he & the staff have to adjust coaching in the era of constant roster movement

“The biggest thing that separates – I think – where I’m at and where BC is at from other schools, is one, you choose a place like BC because you’re going to get a great education. They’re going to play in the ACC. They’re going to get a great education. They’re going to live in Boston, that comes into play, as well as our coaches. And we’re going to build real relationships with our guys and it’s a lot more than just football. You’ve got to build relationships with their families, they got a girlfriend or a friend, so that hey, this time next year, they’re going to say ‘I want to stay at BC for four years. I don’t want to see what else is out there. I’ve got everything I need right here in Chestnut Hill.’

“I believe we brought in a lot of guys that do value that and understand the bigger picture at BC. I know our whole staff – and it starts with Coach O’Brien – is doing a great job of building those real relationships with the guys that are in our program.”

On adapting and structuring spring ball to develop players while also keeping them in the program

“The biggest thing – I believe – is, one, every guy’s going to get a chance. So, spring practice, we’re six months removed from training camp, that you’re able to give every guy that’s been working their butts off in the weight room or classroom a chance to compete, a chance to show the staff, ‘hey, look what I can do.’ I think that’s where it all starts. Then, from spring ball, once we get done we’ll get going into summer workouts and the players really gotta run the show. It gives them some ownership of it. It’s great that, hey, one, we’ve got a lot of new faces, a brand new team. We get 15 practices to start to write our own story. That’s what we’re really preaching in our building now. Just take it one day at a time. Our guys focus one day at a time through winter workouts, then one day at a time through spring workouts and then through summer workouts.

“When training camp comes around, you’re going to have a positive nine months of damn good work and have more of a chance to build our own story. We’ve got to do it on the field, but just every day, working with those guys focusing on one day at a time.”

On working with a lot of new faces on staff & the daily experience so far

“It’s been a blessing. I want to say we’ve got seven new assistant coaches on staff and Coach O’Brien was very thorough with the process. He hired a lot of coaches with great experiences at the college level, at the NFL level, but even more important, he hired great people. That’s been fun to see every day, just guys, players coming up to the office at night time, outside of class to spend time with their coaches…we’re excited. We’ve got a lot of new faces on offense, on our staff. Kurt who just spoke (at the clinic) is coming to us from UMass, but he has experience at Northwestern and in the NFL. We just hired Mike Hart. Everyone knows who Mike Hart is. That’s someone who’s done it as a coach. He won a national championship as a coach and has done it as a player. As well as, we just hired Joe Dailey, who I know very well.

“Speaking on our side of the ball, it’s been fun to work with guys who’ve got great energy in the building every day, that are mentoring their players and buying in on what Coach is preaching, what Coach is trying to build.”

On why he enjoys doing so many clinics this time of year

“It’s fun for me because I grew up coming to these clinics. My dad was a high school coach way back when, when they didn’t have computers. They had white boards and they had projectors. We had the clear…whatever they put on (the projector)…I was the guy wiping it down. I was the guy changing the pictures for my dad. So, i grew up coming to these. So, for me now, one, it’s a great opportunity to give back. Two, it’s an opportunity to show all these great high school coaches just exactly what Coach O’Brien is trying to build.

“I love it because I want to help these guys and let them know that Boston College is here for them. Right now as a college coach I get the privilege to travel the across the country. You see people in Texas and Florida and California. Hey, here’s an opportunity for us as college coaches to help out local coaches that can help out the players.

“So, whether it’s talking scheme or whether it’s talking offseason workout programs, or hey, it’s getting guys over to be around a college program, it’s just an opportunity for me to be around people that I’ve known my whole life, but it’s an opportunity for them to know that Boston College is there for them. Every opportunity I get, whether it’s Newport, the Glazier Clinic or here at the Massachusetts High School Football Clinic today, BC’s going to be represented. They (HS coaches) know they’ve got a head coach in Bill O’Brien that is always going to be there to help the local guys out.”