UCF head coach Gus Malzahn introduces his defensive coordinator, Travis Williams, who then answers questions from media. Williams, a former Auburn player and considered a rising star in coaching, had been part of Malzahn's staff at Auburn for most of the past decade.
Gus Malzahn came on first with a statement about hiring Travis Williams:
"I'm excited to our new defensive coordinator, Travis Williams. Travis is a guy that's been with me at Auburn for 10 years. He was our co-defensive coordinator the last two years. The linebackers coach the previous five years. He really deserves a lot of the credit for the success we had defensively, being a top-15 defense for numerous years. He's a big relationship guy. He's got great positive energy. One of the best recruiters in all of college football. Really, in my opinion, one of the best young defensive minds in all of college football. This guy is a rising star. We're real blessed to have him be our defensive coordinator here. It's going to be a lot of fun with his energy and his experience."
Opening statement from Travis Williams:
"I'm just so blessed to be here. Blessed for the opportunity. Blessed to be back wit Coach Malzahn, a guy that I really, really admire. A guy that's a mentor of mine. We have a great relationship. I'm blessed to be able to call the defense and call the plays here. It's just an awesome opportunity. Just to be able to be around the guys. What you're going to see on defense, we're going to get to the ball with relentless effort, like our hair is on fire. It's going to be the main thing you see. You're going to see us put a blanket over our defense and have 11 guys to the ball. We're going to have fun. We're going to have great energy. I'm just so fired up to be at UCF. To be able to call the plays. Be able to serve these young men. That's what it's all about. Being here for them. Just making sure their college education is a great experience on and off the field.
"Right now, we're talking to different people. Between Coach (Malzahn) and I, we're going to get a staff together that's made up of great men that will be here for the players and be great developers. We're big about relationships. Before we ask them to run to the ball, we have to know that they know we care about them.
"I'm so fired up to be here. I was in front of the defense earlier, getting to know them and talking to them. Meeting with them one-on-one and as a group. It was just awesome. The opportunity for the good Lord having me here. I'm just ready to roll."
On his meeting with the players and his message to them:
"It was awesome. It was awesome just to get around. I want to get to know them. We didn't talk any football or anything like that. I want to get to know them, build a relationship with them. College football is hard. We ask them to do hard things. You've got to go to class. Go to meetings. Go to tutors. You have to come to practice. Before we ask you to do the hard things, I want you know Coach T-Will cares about you. We're not going to talk about it. I'm going to show you I'm a relationship person. I'm here to serve them. That's what it's all about. We exchanged numbers. Guys are texting me. We're going to meet one-on-one, sit down and get to know them. Learn their background and what they're about."
On his prior familiarity of UCF:
"I'm very familiar. It's a national brand here. They've played great defense here. Hats off to Coach Shannon. We were just talking. They've played good defense. The unique thing about last year is you had COVID and opt-outs. Sometimes you don't have all your bullets in the chamber. That happens. I talked to them. They did a heck of a job, the whole defensive staff. What they went through, just balancing that. I was just talking to (Randy Shannon). He's an awesome guy. Before the opt-outs and different things, they really did play really good defense."
On what Gus Malzahn has meant to his career and Gus the person:
"He's meant the world. That's No. 1. He kept his word. Every step on the way. He grabbed me out of high school. I was at Creekside High School and I came as an analyst. He put me on the field and now he's giving me the opportunity to be the defensive coordinator. Being around him, this profession, you want to be around good people. I'm blessed to be around a great person that really cares about people and cares about his players. He's given me the opportunity and I'm very thankful to be working alongside him."
On how he believes Gus and himself will relate to the players:
"Everything is true. That's just the person he is. Guys will go over to his house and go fishing. It's not an occasional meal type of deal. Just come hang out. Be around the head coach. Be around Miss Kristi. You have a coach's wife that's very involved and really loves the guys. That's the same thing with me and my family. We'll have the guys over. Just loving on them. It's hard for these young men. They want to know their coach really cares. That's not just coach-speak. That's real talk. He's shown that. For me and the defense, we'll be the same way. It's how we were built. We're going to ask them to do hard things, but we're going to love them even harder."
On the youth of UCF's defense:
"Whoever is in the room, we're going to use what we've got to get what we want. Not going to make any excuses. Young guys, old guys. We're hear to develop them. Even the older guys have to develop. It's a developmental sport. We're in the profession of development. You definitely want veterans that have been there, done that. Been in the battles. Young guys, old guys. It doesn't matter. We're going to be ready to play some football."
On leaving Miami to join Gus at UCF:
"I want to thank Coach (Manny) Diaz for the opportunity, bringing me down to Miami and being around great guys, great coaches. When I talked to him about this opportunity, he said you've got to take that. It's a great opportunity. When Coach Malzahn got the job, he reached out to me. It piqued my interest. Absolutely? UCF? Yeah, coach. Where can I sign up? It was a no-brainer. When he called me and asked me. I was like, coach, absolutely, I want to be there with you to help you build this thing and win championships. If you heard the press conference, it's all about championships. Being around a guy that dreams big and able to see him win championships and do that. It was as no-brainer for me."
On recruiting:
"We have a lot to sell here and show here. This is the biggest college in the state. It's understanding that. The great weather, the great people, being able to play great football, being able to win championships, get a great education. All of those things. I look at your face and you want to sign up, right? I know everybody says that, but we're in Orlando. You're actually staying in Orlando. People come here for vacation. We actually stay here. You can't beat it. Being there and playing great offense, great defense, win championships. Play on a national stage. Being able to be in front of a national audience. Everything is here for us to take it to the next level."
More on recruiting and the local talent base in Florida:
"Orlando, it's a hotbed. People come here and try to get players. It's our job to put a fence around Orlando and get these guys to come to UCF. Even in the state of Florida, we're going to work our tail off to recruit the state of Florida. We're going to be in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina. Right here in Orlando, it's a hotbed. We have to really show them we can win championships here. We're going to have great coaches here. It's real important ofr us to keep the guys here."
On his preferred defensive scheme and philosophy:
"Multiple. We're going to be attacking. We're going to be mixing up different things. We really want to keep offenses off balance. We don't want to let them dictate to us. We want to dictate what we're doing to them by being aggressive, disguising different things. We're going to get a staff in here and talk ball from there. It's going to be attacking. It's going to be multiple and it's going to be fun to watch."
On the status of Randy Shannon and the other defensive coaches:
"We're meeting with those guys. That's the right thing to do. We'll get with Coach Malzahn and figure this whole staff out defensively. Keeping this thing together when the head coach was gone, that's hard to do. We'll meet with every one of them."
On his path to becoming a coach and mentors along the way:
"Coach Gene Chizik was one of my mentors. He told me, 'You're going to be a great coach.' He was always telling me that as a player. So when I finished with the Falcons I went back to my high school in Columbia, South Carolina. I volunteered. Wasn't getting paid anything. I wanted to see if that was it. I was out there, not even getting paid, but I could see this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The coaching bug bit me and I've been doing it ever since. I know the good Lord blessed me with the skill set to lead and develop young men."
