Knight says, “times have changed”

NEWBERRY — Todd Knight (Newberry College head football coach) stressed how “times have changed” during the Newberry County Touchdown Club’s first meeting of the 2021 football season.

“Times have changed, obviously. A year ago we didn’t play football, I’ve never seen it where a college team didn’t have a season, times have changed. Six months ago we were playing a schedule in the spring, my whole life I’ve never seen a college team play a spring schedule, times have changed,” Knight said. “A year ago, I didn’t know what one of these things (neck gaiter) was and I still don’t know why we call them a neck gaiter, but I don’t go anywhere without this thing anymore, times have changed.”

In some ways, Knight said, coming from the spring taught them a lot about COVID-19 and how to deal with the virus; however, Knight said at times it is a little tougher now than it was in the spring.

“In the spring, we didn’t have a vaccine, I treated everyone on the team the same way, everyone got tested once a week, twice a week, three times a week if needed, everyone,” Knight said. “Now, you’ve got vaccinated kids, non-vaccinated kids, kids that had it — if you’re vaccinated you don’t have to get tested, but everyone else does. In the field room, I’ve got vaccinated kids sitting over here, non-vaccinated kids sitting over here. I have to have a seating chart so if someone gets sick, who was he sitting with. On the bus, vaccinated kids on one bus, non-vaccinated on the other, and a seating chart on the bus. Times have changed.”

Knight continued by saying if they stay the night in a motel, he has to put vaccinated kids together on one floor and non-vaccinated on another.

“If someone gets sick, this guys out, that guys out, it’s crazy. Times have changed,” he said.

Knight also said motivational teaching techniques have changed, he said he is finding out that he is getting a lot of mileage out of something as simple as a T-shirt.

“Several years back, when I played, you didn’t get a bunch of T-shirts, you got one shimmel, a half shirt that goes up over your shoulder pads,” Knight said. “I don’t know if anyone sells those anymore, times have changed. On game days, the officials are always having our kids tuck their shirts in to play football, we didn’t use to tuck our shirts in, they were half a shirt.”

When it comes to T-shirts, Knight said they are trying to teach their players and motivate them using T-shirts.

“One I broke out this year called “feed the good wolf.” An old Native American story, chief is talking to a young brave and says, “inside every person there is a good wolf and a bad wolf. The bad wolf is selfish and doesn’t help anyone, only cares about himself and things that help him, that’s all he cares about. Good wolf does things the right way, helps others, always positive,’” Knight said. “The young brave says, “who wins between the two in the end?” The chief says, “the one you feed the most.’”

In that regard, Knight started off with looking for random acts of kindness on campus and in the community. He said the first week he started this he handed out one shirt, one player did something positive. The next week, three shirts, the next week seven shirts.

“Random acts of kindness are spreading, times have changed,” Knight said. “Our kids are doing the right thing, I get emails from professors all the time, I’m proud of our young men.”

This year, Knight let each position come up with their own saying, to get them motivated. The inside linebackers came up with “Jackboys,” the offensive line came up with “Run the Yard,” and the tight ends came up with “Krispy Kreme Gang.”

“It’s motivational, teaching to give great effort, have a great attitude, be the best version of you that you can be,” Knight said.

Knight also said that how you deal with players, interacting with them, has changed.

“You’d think that everyone has what they need, even basic essentials. I keep a box outside of my door, call it a care box, has deodorant, toothbrush, shampoo, razors, shaving cream, basic essentials that you’d think everyone has, they don’t,” Knight said. “I can think back to my college coach, if I walked into his office and asked for deodorant, after he stopped cussing me, he’d run me out of his office.”

Knight said that times have changed, “kids need help, they really do. It may not be all of them, but the box sits there every day.”

Something else Knight says they do differently is on Friday nights, when his staff is usually out recruiting, Knight stays with the team.

“Back in my day, coach had a VCR, he’d go down to the store and get a tape, jam us all in a room and we’d have to watch a video we didn’t even like, he wasn’t even in the room with us,” Knight said.

For the Wolves, Friday night is game night. The team will play games and have snacks.

Another way times have changed comes via the NCAA recruiting exam. Knight said every coach has to pass that test before they can represent their campus.

“There is a section in that that came up last year for the first time ever in the NCAA, it’s a mental section — nothing to do with recruiting,” he said.

One question, Knight said, asks if a player comes up you during practice and says, “coach I didn’t sleep well last night and feel drowsy, can I take the day off?”

Knight explained the options were: A) Go get something to eat and you’ll feel better and come back and let’s go to practice. B) Get your butt in the weight room and go to bed early tonight. C) Here’s a pillow, go take a nap and come back tomorrow and we’ll start again.

“Times have changed, the answer is C,” Knight said.

Knight then joked and said none of his guys have come up asking for a nap.

“I can honestly say this, in my college career I never heard my college coach tell me he loves me, never. I do get upset, but I tell these guys I love them, because I do,” Knight said. “They need to know they are a part of a family and that’s what we are, family.”

While “times have changed” Knight said some of the important aspects of football has not changed.

“The way our young men approach practice and the way we compete against each other every day has not changed. Great effort every day and the desire to win on game day and be successful, that, I’m happy to say, has not changed,” he said.