The 2024 preseason football camp is underway and GSEagles.com is catching up with each of the 10 position coaches early in August to get their take on their position room. Up next is linebackers coach Darius Eubanks.
Q: Who were some guys that stood out on the field this spring and then have also turned around and really attacked the off-season?
DE: I would start with Davon Gilmore. He's a guy who's transformed his body. We challenged him to get to a certain way. He didn't play a lot last year when you add his reps together, but he's coming to his own, and I'm continuing to push him as far as conditioning and consistency. He has been great and has become a leader this summer, just doing everything we ask of him. He's a guy that I'm anxious to see who's done well this off-season. Next would be Jacob Hammonds. Jacob's a guy who put on some weight. I think he's weighing in around 200 or just above that right now. He's a high-energy kid, and I love having him in the room. He does whatever you ask of him. He's a "Yes sir, No sir" guy and can run well in today's game. Even your linebackers need to be able to run sideline to sideline while still being able to plug the A gap, B gap, or whatnot. I'm excited to get to really continue to work with him during fall camp.
MJ Stroud is the last guy that comes to mind because it's been a transition for him. We moved him from our drop boundary end position to linebacker. That transition isn't easy, but he's taken to the coaching. One thing Coach Helton and our staff take pride in is developing guys. I think that's the type of program we are as a development program and trying to get the most out of our kids. So I'm really pleased with where MJ is from January to now. And I think he has a high ceiling, and my job is to help him reach his potential.
Q: Marques Watson-Trent didn't practice in the spring coming off the off-season surgery. You know what you have in him. First off, what does he bring to this team?
DE: With Mar returning back in a limited capacity for the last couple of weeks of spring, you noticed the vocal difference. But he can also show guys how to get it done. He did that even when he wasn't on the field during the spring. He was an extension of me as far as continuing to coach guys on the sideline. That's what you need in a leader. I'm excited to have him back. His name is on the wall; he's an All-American. But I'm still going to coach him up and continue to be strict with his technique. I know he can still take it to another level. At the end of the day, I want to help each guy in that room reach their full potential before they leave as graduates of Georgia Southern.
Q: And on the flip side, is it a blessing that Mar didn't practice in the spring because it allowed you to evaluate someone other players?
DE: You hit it on the head. It was a big blessing. And I say that because outside of Mar, if you look at that room, you'll see that there's not a lot of experience. So, I think we were able to really get guys going and challenge guys with the number of reps throughout spring that they typically wouldn't have gotten. I would've loved for him to be out there, don't get me wrong, but you know what you get with him. But guys like Gilmore, Reid Dedman, MJ, Davon Hicks and Jacob all got more reps and are better because of that. If Mar were out there, he would've gotten a lot of reps as well. So it was definitely a blessing for the spring, but we're excited he's back out here now.
Q: You made the position switch from the secondary to the linebackers as far as coaching. Is that more comfortable for you, and how did it go for you?
DE: Leading up to it, I told Coach Bailey that it would be a transition for me because I've never coached it. People will say I played it, but I also played safety, and playing and coaching are completely different. Using my resources, which included the people I know who have coached this position and doing an internship with the Dolphins, helped a lot. And I love this move. I enjoyed coaching safeties and nickles, and I've coached corners in my career, but I feel at home at linebacker. I believe that to be a good coach, you have to be a good teacher and put in the effort and time to try to simplify things for your guys so they can understand things easier and play faster. But I'm enjoying it.
Q: You mentioned a couple of guys earlier, but who are some other younger guys that some fans may not know about that you're excited about?
DE: I already talked about MJ, but he's a guy who has three years left and still has some time ahead after making a position change. I think his potential is off the charts. And then Jamari Whitehead is another guy. When you talk about the look test, he will pass it. He's 6-2 and about 225 pounds right now. He's a redshirt freshman this upcoming year, so we have four seasons to get all we can out of him and help him reach his potential. He, too, is a "Yes sir, No sir" kid who loves the game. He played for a really good program down in Jacksonville at Raines High School, so he's got some grit to him and I think he's a guy who's going to show up on game day on Saturday. You'll see 34 out there.
Q: Of the four defensive coaches, three of you either played or worked for Georgia Southern football as a student. How unique is that, and what kind of bond and pride do you have in all being Georgia Southern guys?
DE: It means a lot because we know the culture and the standard here. Certain things don't change as far as the Georgia Southern Way, no matter who the coach is. But then Coach Helton came in and put his culture and his standard in place, and we know we're headed back in the right direction. We had the great leadership, but we still talk about those days back at Eagle Creek. We were out there recently for the team run, and I forgot about all the gnats out there for a second. But you enjoy that. This place is blue collar and gritty; that's what we're about. We may not always be the most talented team on Saturdays, but we are the toughest physically and mentally on Saturdays.
Q: What are your thoughts on the communication piece coming to the college game with the coach-to-player communication, which will affect your linebackers the most?
DE: Linebackers are known in the general game of football as being the leaders of the defense. You must be the most vocal guy out there and speak confidently and with conviction. Even if you say the wrong thing, if all 11 guys are doing that wrong thing together, it's probably going to be alright at the end of the day. I think it'll be good for the game. The NFL is doing it, so I don't think it'll be bad for us college teams to be able to do it. It'll take some practice, and they'll have to learn a new skill, but our guys will adapt and thrive.
Q: Finally, what are the top priorities for the linebacker group this preseason?
DE: We have to learn obnoxious communication. When you communicate a lot of pre-snap and post-snap calls, and all 11 guys are on the same page, you play fast, and you play together. Your techniques and fundamentals are aligned. We have to focus on tackling, getting off of blocks, having clean eyes and having clean feet. It is really simple. People can complicate the game, but it is not complicated. I think it's as simple as communication, playing with great eyes and feet, being able to tackle well in space, and forcing turnovers. For us, as linebackers, I want to improve and continue to be elite. I texted the guys a few weeks ago and asked each of them one by one to text me two to three things they wanted to get better at. So I'm going to print it out for each guy, and I'm going to challenge them to do that as well. This group is hungry and ready for this upcoming season.
Up Next: The Offensive Line
