Photo by: Alexander Bohlen
Mustang Head Coach Update: Beau Baldwin (Football)
9/7/2020 1:41:00 PM | Football
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Beau Baldwin was hired as Cal Poly's head football coach on Dec. 11. Nearly nine months later, he has yet to conduct a practice with helmets and shoulder pads.
Today, in the inaugural edition of the Mustang Head Coach Update presented by American Riviera Bank, which runs on Mondays through the fall (see schedule below), Baldwin offers an update on the Mustang football program.
Cal Poly football, as well as most other sports programs across the country, was put on hold last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the exception of some voluntary workouts and a plethora of Zoom meetings, not much has been allowed in the office or on the practice field.
The Mustangs were to open their 2020 season last Saturday against ULM in Monroe, Louisiana. Instead, in August, the Big Sky Conference postponed the 2020 fall season to the spring with the hope of a full schedule, or at least an eight-game conference slate, plus a scaled-down version of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in the spring.
The NCAA is expected to announce spring practice dates, a playing schedule and a playoff structure by Sept. 16.
Cal Poly was one of seven teams in the 13-team Big Sky unable to hold Spring Camp at all. Five others were in the midst of spring drills while UC Davis completed its spring camp six days before everything came to a halt.
Baldwin's Q&A:
Take us back to March when football's spring was halted by the Big Sky Conference. What was your program doing at that time and how did the abrupt halt to everything affect you and your staff?
We ended up going into where we would Zoom a minimum of two times a week, sometimes three, with each position group. Basically we were able to go through the installation of the offense and defense like we would have in spring ball, but without the practice and obviously the film to study.
Within those weekly meetings, we had academic checkups as well, and that's outside of what they were already doing with the tutoring, the academic coaches, etc. We were doing that as well as coaching.
We also were trying to stay connected with the guys. (Strength and conditioning coaches) Jordan (Davis) and Sara (MacKenzie) were doing a great job giving the players lifting plans and what they could be doing on their own if they had access. A lot of our players got quite creative finding access, using body weights and doing different things like that.
Once we got through with the installs, we got creative with them by bringing in ex-players who played for one of our coaches and tell their story, or ex-Cal Poly Mustangs to come back and talk to a position group. The meetings were almost all position group stuff. Some offense and defense. Very few full team meetings, which is almost too many guys in a Zoom meeting in my opinion.
You were preparing for Spring Camp starting April 2. What were you able to do throughout Spring Quarter to overcome the loss of spring ball?
We tried to do as many Zoom meetings as we could to treat spring like we were actually going through the practice and installs at the times we would have done it. We showed old clips, whether from the Cal offense, anything. We've got coaches from Boise State, San Jose State, Sacramento State, bringing in clips that show the players examples of what we're teaching them in terms of installing offense and defense.
Also just trying to stay on top of them, stay connected socially, academically and weight room duties. A lot of them quite frankly didn't have access. Some were more fortunate than others, but the ones who didn't have access tried to get creative in what they could do weight room wise.
In June, voluntary workout periods were established by the NCAA, initially without coaches. What was your team allowed to do at that time?
As coaches, we weren't able to get going until July. The kids were able to go with the strength coaches for part of June and we were able to be around them during a big chunk of July. They got a good leg up, but the problem was, without actually being in the weight room, there was limited stuff they could do. They did everything they could and there were a lot of guys here during the summer. It was all voluntary, so they couldn't report exact numbers to their coaches, but we felt the good energy. When the coaches got out there and were actually able to be around them on July 13, there were some very large numbers. They were doing everything they could, given the situation of practicing social distancing, not being able to get into the locker room, not being able to get into the weight room. They were still staying creative and staying active.
Your coaching staff was allowed by the NCAA to conduct walk-throughs and team and individual meetings for two weeks, starting July 24.
Didn't really happen. The NCAA is irrelevant is the way I can say it. The NCAA is setting rules we can't reach because of where our county and state guidelines are. That's just where we are right now. We stayed with voluntary stuff, very similar to the way we started the summer. That's the way we're ending it.
August 7 was to be your first day of Fall Camp as the team prepared for its season opener at Louisiana-Monroe. Instead, the Big Sky Conference announced that day that the 2020 season would be moved to the spring. What were your thoughts on that day?
I thought it was a smart move at that point. You couldn't see anything in the near future that we were going to be able to operate in the fall, especially in a couple of the hotspot states where some Big Sky schools are located. Maybe some of the schools could, but some couldn't, so you definitely weren't going to be able to go league wide and play a fall schedule, based on state guidelines and county guidelines that some of us were in. My feeling is that I think it was the right decision to say we want to do everything we can to play, and in order to do everything we can to play, the thing that made the most sense to me was moving it to the spring.
The NCAA has allowed 12 hours per week of practice and film study from August 24 through October 4. Please share with us, if you know, what the team will be able to do this fall, particularly after Fall Quarter begins next week.
Unknown. We're going to prepare to where we can do some things to take advantage of our 12 hours per week up until Oct. 4, but if you were asking me if we could be doing that today, we couldn't. It's all based on where our numbers are, what color our county is in and just figure out where we're at. The NCAA could establish another practice period from Oct. 4 through Thanksgiving, but until then, we just don't know.
What have you and your staff been allowed to do as far as recruiting? With the high school football season pushed back to the winter, how does that impact your recruiting?
That's one area where things were bumped up to some extent because you have so much more time. There's nothing in person, so everything is a Zoom call with a coach, a Zoom call with one side of the staff, texting, talking to them on the phone, trying to do the best you can to build a relationship without ever being in person. Watch a lot of film, evaluate them and put together your boards. We never got to see them in spring workouts, didn't see them in the summer, they couldn't come to our camp.
I feel for the high school seniors, more than anything. I really do. They're in a weird spot, especially a lot of those tweeners. It would have been nice for them to get into some camps, or they could have made big jumps as a senior. They may not be able to do that before the signing days approach this year (Dec. 16 and Feb. 3). We're just going to have to base a lot off of junior film. You have to take that approach and go with that.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Our student-athletes, considering it's been voluntary stuff, have stayed around. They want to still be around to do this voluntary stuff and they want to stay very safe during this time when you're seeing huge outbreaks all over the country. Our guys have handled this very well. I am really proud of the maturity, what they have showed, how they have handled voluntary workouts, fighting and scrapping.
They're not receiving any scholarship money this summer and, on top of that, they're staying safe and smart based on the results of COVID-19 testing so far. I've been very pleased with our group for that and I think that will pay dividends when we're finally able to come back with the makeup, maturity and attitude of the guys.
Future Mustang Head Coach Update Schedule
Sept. 14 -- Alex Crozier (Women's Soccer)
Sept. 21 -- Caroline Walters (Women's Volleyball)
Sept. 28 -- Steve Sampson (Men's Soccer)
Oct. 5 -- Mark Conover (Men's Cross Country)
Oct. 12 -- Phil Rowe (Men's Golf)
Oct. 19 -- Priscilla Bayley (Women's Cross Country)
Oct. 26 -- Sofie Aagaard (Women's Golf)
Today, in the inaugural edition of the Mustang Head Coach Update presented by American Riviera Bank, which runs on Mondays through the fall (see schedule below), Baldwin offers an update on the Mustang football program.
Cal Poly football, as well as most other sports programs across the country, was put on hold last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the exception of some voluntary workouts and a plethora of Zoom meetings, not much has been allowed in the office or on the practice field.
The Mustangs were to open their 2020 season last Saturday against ULM in Monroe, Louisiana. Instead, in August, the Big Sky Conference postponed the 2020 fall season to the spring with the hope of a full schedule, or at least an eight-game conference slate, plus a scaled-down version of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in the spring.
The NCAA is expected to announce spring practice dates, a playing schedule and a playoff structure by Sept. 16.
Cal Poly was one of seven teams in the 13-team Big Sky unable to hold Spring Camp at all. Five others were in the midst of spring drills while UC Davis completed its spring camp six days before everything came to a halt.
Baldwin's Q&A:
Take us back to March when football's spring was halted by the Big Sky Conference. What was your program doing at that time and how did the abrupt halt to everything affect you and your staff?
We ended up going into where we would Zoom a minimum of two times a week, sometimes three, with each position group. Basically we were able to go through the installation of the offense and defense like we would have in spring ball, but without the practice and obviously the film to study.
Within those weekly meetings, we had academic checkups as well, and that's outside of what they were already doing with the tutoring, the academic coaches, etc. We were doing that as well as coaching.
We also were trying to stay connected with the guys. (Strength and conditioning coaches) Jordan (Davis) and Sara (MacKenzie) were doing a great job giving the players lifting plans and what they could be doing on their own if they had access. A lot of our players got quite creative finding access, using body weights and doing different things like that.
Once we got through with the installs, we got creative with them by bringing in ex-players who played for one of our coaches and tell their story, or ex-Cal Poly Mustangs to come back and talk to a position group. The meetings were almost all position group stuff. Some offense and defense. Very few full team meetings, which is almost too many guys in a Zoom meeting in my opinion.
You were preparing for Spring Camp starting April 2. What were you able to do throughout Spring Quarter to overcome the loss of spring ball?
We tried to do as many Zoom meetings as we could to treat spring like we were actually going through the practice and installs at the times we would have done it. We showed old clips, whether from the Cal offense, anything. We've got coaches from Boise State, San Jose State, Sacramento State, bringing in clips that show the players examples of what we're teaching them in terms of installing offense and defense.
Also just trying to stay on top of them, stay connected socially, academically and weight room duties. A lot of them quite frankly didn't have access. Some were more fortunate than others, but the ones who didn't have access tried to get creative in what they could do weight room wise.
In June, voluntary workout periods were established by the NCAA, initially without coaches. What was your team allowed to do at that time?
As coaches, we weren't able to get going until July. The kids were able to go with the strength coaches for part of June and we were able to be around them during a big chunk of July. They got a good leg up, but the problem was, without actually being in the weight room, there was limited stuff they could do. They did everything they could and there were a lot of guys here during the summer. It was all voluntary, so they couldn't report exact numbers to their coaches, but we felt the good energy. When the coaches got out there and were actually able to be around them on July 13, there were some very large numbers. They were doing everything they could, given the situation of practicing social distancing, not being able to get into the locker room, not being able to get into the weight room. They were still staying creative and staying active.
Your coaching staff was allowed by the NCAA to conduct walk-throughs and team and individual meetings for two weeks, starting July 24.
Didn't really happen. The NCAA is irrelevant is the way I can say it. The NCAA is setting rules we can't reach because of where our county and state guidelines are. That's just where we are right now. We stayed with voluntary stuff, very similar to the way we started the summer. That's the way we're ending it.
August 7 was to be your first day of Fall Camp as the team prepared for its season opener at Louisiana-Monroe. Instead, the Big Sky Conference announced that day that the 2020 season would be moved to the spring. What were your thoughts on that day?
I thought it was a smart move at that point. You couldn't see anything in the near future that we were going to be able to operate in the fall, especially in a couple of the hotspot states where some Big Sky schools are located. Maybe some of the schools could, but some couldn't, so you definitely weren't going to be able to go league wide and play a fall schedule, based on state guidelines and county guidelines that some of us were in. My feeling is that I think it was the right decision to say we want to do everything we can to play, and in order to do everything we can to play, the thing that made the most sense to me was moving it to the spring.
The NCAA has allowed 12 hours per week of practice and film study from August 24 through October 4. Please share with us, if you know, what the team will be able to do this fall, particularly after Fall Quarter begins next week.
Unknown. We're going to prepare to where we can do some things to take advantage of our 12 hours per week up until Oct. 4, but if you were asking me if we could be doing that today, we couldn't. It's all based on where our numbers are, what color our county is in and just figure out where we're at. The NCAA could establish another practice period from Oct. 4 through Thanksgiving, but until then, we just don't know.
What have you and your staff been allowed to do as far as recruiting? With the high school football season pushed back to the winter, how does that impact your recruiting?
That's one area where things were bumped up to some extent because you have so much more time. There's nothing in person, so everything is a Zoom call with a coach, a Zoom call with one side of the staff, texting, talking to them on the phone, trying to do the best you can to build a relationship without ever being in person. Watch a lot of film, evaluate them and put together your boards. We never got to see them in spring workouts, didn't see them in the summer, they couldn't come to our camp.
I feel for the high school seniors, more than anything. I really do. They're in a weird spot, especially a lot of those tweeners. It would have been nice for them to get into some camps, or they could have made big jumps as a senior. They may not be able to do that before the signing days approach this year (Dec. 16 and Feb. 3). We're just going to have to base a lot off of junior film. You have to take that approach and go with that.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Our student-athletes, considering it's been voluntary stuff, have stayed around. They want to still be around to do this voluntary stuff and they want to stay very safe during this time when you're seeing huge outbreaks all over the country. Our guys have handled this very well. I am really proud of the maturity, what they have showed, how they have handled voluntary workouts, fighting and scrapping.
They're not receiving any scholarship money this summer and, on top of that, they're staying safe and smart based on the results of COVID-19 testing so far. I've been very pleased with our group for that and I think that will pay dividends when we're finally able to come back with the makeup, maturity and attitude of the guys.
Future Mustang Head Coach Update Schedule
Sept. 14 -- Alex Crozier (Women's Soccer)
Sept. 21 -- Caroline Walters (Women's Volleyball)
Sept. 28 -- Steve Sampson (Men's Soccer)
Oct. 5 -- Mark Conover (Men's Cross Country)
Oct. 12 -- Phil Rowe (Men's Golf)
Oct. 19 -- Priscilla Bayley (Women's Cross Country)
Oct. 26 -- Sofie Aagaard (Women's Golf)
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