With the upcoming football season right around the corner, Govs fans are anxious to hear more about the man running the show at Fortera stadium. Coach Mark Hudspeth was hired on as the new head football coach for the Governors back in December. Since then, Govs fans have been on the edge of their seats wondering how the team will perform under the leadership of coach Hudspeth. Hudspeth answered a few questions regarding the 2019-20 football season, standout APSU players and gave a little insight on himself.
Q: What are you most excited for in this upcoming season?
“Well, a lot of things. One, to see where this team can go. That is always one thing we’re striving to do is to see how far a team can go and what this team can accomplish. This team has worked awfully hard and bought into our program and I’m excited about getting started and seeing where this season can take us.”
Q: How has it been adjusting to a new team?
“It’s been great for me because I really love what I do and I’m really thankful that President White and Gerald Harrison gave me this opportunity and I’m excited to be here at Austin Peay. I’ve really enjoyed working with this group of guys. They are not only good players, but they’re some great kids. That makes coming to work a lot of fun each day when you’ve got a bunch of good kids that are willing to listen, learn, and take instruction.”
Q: Are there any star players gov fans should look out for this season?
“Well, I think one is our quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall. Everybody sort of knows JO, from Brentwood. I think he’s got a chance to really have a break out season. He’s started before and he’s been a really great player but I think right now he’s playing at a pretty high level. Another one would be Kentel Williams, our second team All American running back. I think he is an exceptional player. I’m hoping if he has the season, he’s a young man that has the chance to play at the next level.
Q: What is your biggest piece of advice to your players?
“For us, it’s a process. We just want to take it one game at a time. We also have a next play mentality. You know you’re not going to win the lottery every day or score a touchdown every play. It’s the next play. You just have to put what just happened behind you and move on to the next play. Take it one game at a time and if you follow that process, you’ll be okay.”
Q: What made you want to coach?
“You know, I’ve always loved athletics. I’ve always loved football. Really, I guess I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else. As my playing career started to wind down, I started to think about the future and I wasn’t very good at doing anything else. I just didn’t know what I was going to do if I wasn’t able to get up and go to practice every day, or if I wasn’t able to get up and go to the football office every day to train or watch film. I was, like, “Man, that’s going to be a hard transition,” so I thought why not just keep doing it, but now do it as a coach.
Q: What exactly does #cutdifferent mean to you?
“One thing is with the way we train and with the expectations we have of our players. I think our expectations are a little bit higher than other programs. I think that our work ethic is maybe a bit better than other programs and our attention to detail, we hope, is just a little better. I think that if that is the case, then you are cut a little bit different. That is what we are trying to sell to our kids is let’s be a little bit different. Let’s work a little bit harder and do things a little bit better.”
