Josh Conklin explains why he wanted to be Pat Narduzzi's defensive coordinator
Every off season a number of super successful coordinators get their first shot at a head coaching job, which means hiring guys they trust to take the reigns of the side of the ball they once had complete control over.
The past few months saw a number of guys on the offensive side make the jump to head coach including coaches like Tom Herman, Philip Montgomery, Chad Morris, and Neal Brown. This past off seaosn, only one defensive coordinator made the jump within the FBS ranks, and that man was Pat Narduzzi. Narduzzi moved quickly to fill his defensive coordinator role with FIU defensive coordinator Josh Conklin.
For Conklin, and guys filling the roles that their head coaches had last season, they enter a unique situation full of sky high expectations alongside a great opportunity to learn from one of the best coordinators in the country. Make no mistake though, results are demanded.
After practice yesterday, Conklin was asked what it's like to be trusted with the defense on Narduzzi's staff, and he shared an interesting perspective.
"It's intense, I'll tell you that." Conklin explained, to the surprise of no one that has seen Narduzzi in action.
"For me, to be honest, some people don't understand this, but I've always wanted to put myself in the most demanding place that I possibly could because that's where I feel like I function the best, as far as getting better. Who else would you rather do that under than coach Narduzzi?"
"It's a dream come true for me. I understand the pressure. I understand the expectation that he has and the demands that he has, because he's one of the best in the country at what he does. That drives me everyday, and it excites me, but I also have, what I believe is a friend, a mentor, a colleague and a boss that is trying to help develop me as well, and he had my best interests in mind."
"Its a great working relationship, and I've loved it so far."
