New Humboldt State football head coach Rob Smith spoke of his vision for Jacks football Thursday afternoon on his first day on the job.

Smith, who was officially hired as a successor to Doug Adkins last week, drove down from Washington on Wednesday just in time to catch the Jacks men’s basketball game in a packed East Gym that night.

The game opened his eyes to the possibilities he sees in his new position.

“It’s fun to walk in and see the East Gym,” Smith said. “The atmosphere created there is something special, and we need to transfer that out to the Redwood Bowl.

“If we can give the university a winner, and if we can give the community a winner, this place will light up. And it’s been proven you can win here at Humboldt. Look at men’s basketball. Look at softball.”

Smith, who turned around the fortunes of a struggling Western Washington program in his 17 years there and made the Vikings a West Coast powerhouse, met with his players Thursday, first in the morning in the weight room and in the afternoon at a team meeting.

“The most important thing I’m going to do right now is getting together with the players,” he said. “They’ve been without a coach for too long and my attention is going to be on them right now.”

In addition, Smith will be hiring an entire new coaching staff, with a national search ongoing to replace three full-time assistants. Defensive coordinator Shay McClure remains on campus for now and has been helping
Smith become acquainted with the current roster with player evaluations. He is expected to be retained as defensive coordinator when the national search is complete.

Smith’s hiring, however, means the end of the road for offensive coordinator Brian Harris and offensive line coach Jason White, the later of whom had been with the program for the past five years.

Smith thanked all three for their efforts during the past two months since Adkins resigned, but suggested he would like closer control of the offense.

“I’ve been an offensive coordinator since 1992. I’ve called all my own plays,” Smith said. “It’s a difficult thing when there’s a change made at the head coaching position. It affects the assistants and their families.”

One of Smith’s immediate priorities will be recruiting, with the national letter of intent day two days ago.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal,” he said of the timing. “Have we lost players? Yes. Is it impossible? Absolutely not. There are still players available. It’s not ideal, but the situation is what the situation is.”

Key to the program’s success, according to the new coach, will be the type of players the Jacks bring in and spending wisely with the limited scholarship dollars the team has available. (HSU is expected to have 11-to-12 full scholarships next year compared to the 24 three of the four conference opponents will have.)

“We have to sell the young men we talk to on, ‘hey, come in and be a part of something special, and be a part of turning something around’” Smith said. “You’ve got to get players to, No. 1, buy in and believe in your plan. You treat them right, set high goals and high expectations for everyone, and then you move forward. It’s really no magic formula.”

Smith said he sees several selling points for a school like Humboldt State, including a quality strength and conditioning program and top-notch facilities.

“The facilities here trump most Division-II schools around the country,” he said. “Where we may be behind in scholarships, we’re ahead in other areas.”