August 3, 2016
Sparks participates in the SAC's Football Digital Media Day
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head football coach Ken Sparks took time from his preparations for C-N's upcoming fall camp to answer questions in the South Atlantic Conference's Digital Media Day.
VIDEO: Facebook Live Video of Ken Sparks participation in SAC Digital Media Day
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head football coach Ken Sparks took time from his preparations for C-N's upcoming fall camp to answer questions in the South Atlantic Conference's Digital Media Day.
You can watch a replay of a Facebook Live video of the proceedings and read his answers to questions below.
Up next we have Carson-Newman head coach Ken Sparks. Coach, thanks for being here.
Thanks very much, pleased to be here.
Coach sparks!... Still waiting on my dingy white autographed jersey! lol ... j/k. The Eagles made a run after the LR game what sparked the strong play to wrap up the season?
I think the L-R game got our attention last year. We got a pretty good kicking over there. It embarrassed all of us and made us realize that we weren't functioning on a very high level. Our kids responded like they were supposed to. We started a journey of improvement after that ball game.
GoodMorning Coach Sparks! With PlaceKicker Ben Ogle Graduating Who Will Backup Carson Wise Or Be Battle For The Postion This Season?
We're not sure yet. We've got a pair of freshmen in and a transfer. The proof will be when we get them lined up and under the gun. Carson has gotten bigger and stronger. But it would be nice to have someone compete with him.
Coach Sparks. You have to replace two wide receivers, your center, your primary running back and your quarterback. When was the last time you had so much turnover at key offensive positions?
Adam, I can't think past yesterday. I really can't remember that much loss. We do lose some talented playmakers in a number of positions. Especially at quarterback. You need to have a game changer there. We think we have one in Noah Suber who was De'Andre's backup for three years. He's a talented guy who has grown and developed in a way we're excited about.
Good morning, Coach Sparks: The Eagles' season opener against Humboldt has a lot of people in the D2 landscape excited. Is it difficult to draw comparisons to Humboldt's style of play when compared to other teams in the SAC?
They are a very capable football team. We've played teams from that league in the past in Western Oregon and Cal Davis back in the semifinals. Those teams were better than we thought they were after watching them on video. They delivered in person. Humboldt has the best returning player in the country. They are an impressive football team. It has a lot of national significance to it. They're preseason number seven in one poll. We'll have our hands full, but look forward to a ball game like that to start the season.
You have a new defensive coordinator this year? Will you be running a similar system, or will this be a new defensive scheme?
Coach Slade has a scheme that will look the same, but it'll have some new things to it as well. I'm just excited to have Larry as a person on our staff. He brings so much to the table. He's a strong believer and a strong Christian. And I think he'll definitely add some material on the field as well.
Do You Know Any Of The Names Of Those Freshman Or Transfers?
We've got to establish right off the bat the backup quarterback. There are several places where freshmen and transfers can be a factor. We have Joe Harris from Miles could be a factor on the line. We don't know until we get on the field who will be a football player and who won't. We're excited about our roster. But it's still a roster with question marks.
I think this is the third or fourth season your kids have voluntarily trained with the NAVY SEALS. Can you tell the difference in a young player after they've gone through a day of SEAL training?
SEALs training is pretty revealing. We've always said that your body will do most anything that your mind will let it. It's amazing how much we crack mentally. In the later parts of the day, we started to see some cracks in our thinking. It's amazing to watch corrections happen off that.
Is there a frontrunner at the center position? The last two you've had have set the bar pretty high.
Back-to-back Rimington Award winners are pretty tough to replace, but we have two that we think are competing very well for that position. Ben Clark has been a backup for two years and knows the offense. Then Jordan Seal a freshman from Morristown East has a great physical and mental package. We're excited to see those two compete for that position.
coach Sparks, talk about the experience of having Jerry Glanville work with CN and how did it come about?
Jerry and I renewed an old relationship that dates back to his coaching days with the Atlanta Falcons and we visited with him as a staff. When he moved to Knoxville, we got back together. In the spring we had him up a couple times. He's a storehouse of knowledge and experience. It's fun to be around a guy who is enthusiastic as he is and has unbelievable knowledge of the game. He's a learner and a teacher. And he's very fun to be around.
What's the theme or slogan of this year's camp?
Me 2 We 4 HE. That means that we need a bunch of us me guys to come together (we) and to do it for HE (our Lord). It's based on Philippians 1:27. I think that will do a good job to challenge us to walk hand in hand with the Gospel.
When Do Your Players Report To Camp?
And that will do it for Coach Sparks. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to talk with everyone. We appreciate you being here.
KenSparks_CN
Players move in the 10th. And thank you for having me!
