A Q&A with FIU coach Willie Simmons, part 3: Play-caller, legacy-maker, relationship-builder
The Herald recently spoke to new FIU football coach Willie Simmons for nearly an hour.
This is the third and final part of the series:
Will you call the offensive plays this year?
Yes, I will be the primary play-caller, and Nick Coleman – our offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach – will have a huge hand in it. There may be certain situations – third down, red zone – where he will call the plays.
I’ve always called plays as the head coach, and, at least for this year, I will continue that.
How many days per week do you and your staff work and how many hours?
We typically in the offseason work on a six-day-work cycle through spring ball. We meet Monday through Friday as a staff. We practice Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and we are off on Sunday.
Once spring ball ends, we meet Monday through Friday.
The summers are very busy, often seven days a week due to us holding camps. July not so much because it’s a dead period – you can’t hold camps.
Once August starts, it’s training camp, and we are seven days a week. There are no days off for the rest of the season unless you have a bye week.
In terms of hours, it’s sun-up until sundown. We’re at the facility sometimes at 6 a.m. A lot of coaches will make recruiting calls from their office, and often we don’t get home until 9 p.m.
It’s a demanding profession. You definitely need a strong partner at home who understands that.
But it never feels like work. That’s the blessing. It’s our calling, and we see the impact we have on kids every day. I wake up every day with a smile on my face because I get to coach the best game known to mankind.
Are people surprised when they find out how many hours you guys work?
They definitely are. They read about the big contracts some coaches get. But for the vast majority of coaches, we’re working basically minimum wage when you consider all the hours we work.
You do this for the love. A lot of sacrifices are made in regards to our families, but it’s also one of the most rewarding jobs ever.
Do you feel pressure to win right away?
Outside pressure, no. But I do place a high standard of excellence on myself. One thing we told the team is that we’re going to be a team that chases excellence.
The outside world looks at success, and they judge that based on wins and losses. We’re going to judge excellence in how we do things.
Obviously, how long I’m here will be judged by wins and losses because that’s the nature of the beast. But that’s never what’s driven me. What drives me is what do our players do to impact this university, this community and their families.
Do you like the new NIL Era?
I think there are pros and cons. I think the idea is great. It’s long overdue that athletes benefit from their name, image and likeness. I would’ve loved when I was in college to get paid for signing autographs or doing a speaking engagement.
But the idea of paying players as if they are professionals comes with its own set of issues. There needs to be some type of regulation behind it. The application needs to be studied and tweaked to keep the integrity of the game.
How would you like to be known as a coach?
As a person who has changed the lives of the people I’ve coached for the better. At the end of the day, that’s all I care about – that I was genuine, authentic, impactful, and that I made a difference.
If that’s what’s said about me then I have fulfilled God’s calling for me.
What is your style as a recruiter?
I don’t consider myself a recruiter. I’m a relationship-builder.
I don’t feel the need to sell FIU per se. I feel the need to build a great relationship with the prospective student-athlete and his family so that it makes them want to see the place where I coach because he wants to be around people like me.