Q&A with Hagan: Back in the saddle

Last time I interviewed you, it had just been announced that you were going to be the running backs coach again. You were excited at the time. Is that excitement still there?

Coach Darian Hagan: "I hate it (laughing). No, I am excited. I work with a group of backs that are really passionate, they're fun to work with and they bring a different perspective. I like the challenge that is associated with preparation. It can be human nature to just assume they know it all but if you don't cover it and go over it, you get out on the football field and you get exposed. So when I go into my meetings, I make sure I cover everything. I don't take anything for granted. I make sure they know everything we've put in. I don't want to be surprised. But the guys are doing a really good job."

How does this group of backs compare to some of the previous groups of backs you coached during your previous stint as running backs coach? It seems like you might have more depth as compared to in the past when you had more of a feature back?

"Absolutely. I had Rodney Stewart, if you have that guy, you don't have to play anybody else. I had Darrell [Scott] and it just didn't work out for him. I had Demertrius Sumler. But with this group we have now, you can put anybody in there and you don't miss a beat. Phil [Lindsay] is an every day, steady guy. He is the toughest guy out there. Then you have Patrick Carr, who is seeing the field like you thought he would as a freshman but he didn't. But he is doing all that stuff now, playing fast. Donovan Lee has surprised me with how smart he is. He is really elusive. I really like his game. And then Donald Gordon is getting better. We have to get Michael Adkins up to speed. Mike is a little bit out of shape. But the overall experience, and overall talent level in that room is deep."

In a perfect world, would you have a feature back emerge from this group? Or would you be fine with going running back by committee like Klayton Adams had done?

"I think we have to be able to rotate guys because we are going to be playing so fast. Especially at the running back position, you want guys to be fresh. I like the idea of rotating guys, but you do want to have a guy that you can depend on in any situation."

DeAndre Washington had a lot of success running the ball in Texas Tech's offense the past couple years. Have you brought that up with your guys?

"I have shown them a lot of his clips. What they did a lot of, they played two tailbacks. When you look at it, they rotated a lot of guys, but he was the feature guy. He is a dynamic player. He is going to be playing on Sundays. But for us to be successful in the early stages of this offense, you have to be able to have multiple guys in there."

You told B.G. Brooks earlier this spring that one of your goals is to help Dino Gordon develop into a prolific running back at this University. I think some CU fans might have interpreted that as meaning he could be the top back this season, but was your statement more about the future and the fact that Dino Gordon has untapped potential?

"Absolutely, this guy is so raw. Donald Gordon is like a blank canvas. You don't know what you are going to get in terms of the finished product, after every practice, but my goal is to make sure that I work him and I work him and I work him. He is coming along. He has come a long way. He understands our pass protections now, he understands the run game. He didn't know what the heck he was doing last year. The thing about him is he is so raw that when he finally clicks and understands it, he is going to be unstoppable. Big, strong, fast, and that is what you want in a running back. So he has everything you want, but you have to coach him up to get what we want."

Michael Adkins has produced at a high level when healthy, but he has had a hard time staying on the field. How have you approached coaching him this spring?

"You have to challenge him. Sometimes he is here, sometimes he is not here. Sometimes he has glassy eyes, sometimes he is clear eyed. You can't wait on him. You have to keep pushing him. You have those other guys and those other guys can play. Eventually he'll get himself right, but right now he is out of shape. He is trying to get back in shape and in the swing of things. He is getting better at that but right now he is a step behind."

Have you ever coached a player like Phillip Lindsay? Is he a unique individual?

"He is actually a lot like Rodney Stewart. He is tough as nails. He is going to battle you, he is not going to back down from any challenge. He is Rodney Stewart all over again in terms of his mentality, Phil is just a little bit bigger and not quite as fast."

The media here loves Phillip Lindsay. He is a great quote. Is he as loud and personable in the meeting room as he is with us?

"Yes, he never shuts up, but that is what you want. He is a character and brings a lot of energy and passion to the room and the team."

Is Carr one of the fastest running backs you've coached here in terms of top-end speed?

"Yes, I would say him and Hugh Charles are right on par with each other. Hugh Charles was really fast. But Patrick is one of those guys where he just needs to stick his foot in the ground and go, where Hugh had to work his way up to it."

The last player I was going to ask you about is Beau Bisharat. As a four-star, top 250 prospect, he will come in here this summer with high expectations. I'd imagine it is a good problem to have in terms of figuring out how he is going to factor into the mix?

"Absolutely. The guy is really, really talented. He is going to be by far the biggest running back in the room. He is going to be the only one that I can't look eye-to-eye to, which is a good problem to have. But, yeah, he is very, very talented and smart. He is a guy that is going to push the competition and he will be able to do some things for us this year. Right now I think Patrick Carr and Donovan and Phil and Mike, those guys are all equally good and you can do a lot of two-back stuff. But I would like to have a bigger back so I think Beau Bisharat will have a great opportunity to do those things for us."