Rick Kravitz has been around the game of football for a long time.  He has coached on the big stage with experience at Western Michigan and North Carolina State, and also at South Florida where he helped a program jump to higher levels.  Coach Kravitz will serve as Defensive Coordinator under the new Eric Wolford regime that has the town buzzing.  I made the comment that Kravitz looks like the guy you could swear was on the opposing bocce team at the MVR for the last five years, he just looks like he has been in Youngstown.  I recently had a chance to speak with him about technology, food, and of course, YSU Football.

Paneech:  How has Youngstown been for you so far?

Kravitz:  I love the community.  Everywhere I go seems to have great food and I think I gained ten pounds since I got up here.  The people are really warm and already recognize us.  We will go to a restaurant to eat and people are coming up to me asking, ‘hey coach, how are we gonna do this year?‘  I have coached at some supposedly big colleges but have never seen the interest as this community shows in Youngstown toward the football program.

Paneech:  What kind of defense will you run as a base this season?

Kravitz:  We will run some variation of a four-man front.  We will change and use a three-man front sometimes.  We will be an aggressive, attacking defense that goes after people.  I don’t like sitting still and all of the movement we will use can make things happen.

Paneech:  Explain how football terminology has changed so much in the past twenty years and gets more complicated every season.  In the past, a defensive end in a 50 would have outside containment and Will, Mike, and Sam didn’t exist.  What is going on with all of these names?

Kravitz:  (laughing) When I first started, which seems now like pre-Civil War, it was the way you talked about it.  The end was a box guy and we would only see an I-backfield or an I-twin set.  If a team dropped to just one back it was really shocking.  Nowadays, with everything so wide open, you need a new category to put everything into.  As the offenses have evolved, we have been forced to come up with new terms.

Paneech:  Who is the greatest college coach you have worked with in the past?

Kravitz:  I have been lucky to have been around some really good people.  Ken Riley, who helped me get my start at Florida A & M, was a great influence.  He is a name that people in the South might know, he played for the Bengals.  I was fortunate to be with Chuck Amato at North Carolina State.  I don’t know who would be the greatest, but all of the guys I have worked with have left their mark on me.

Paneech:  Who is the best college football coach that you have never gotten a chance to work with?

Kravitz:  Oh boy, that’s tough because there are so many good ones.  I lived in Florida, so I have always admired Coach Spurrier and what he did at Florida.  In the same state, Jimmy Johnson at Miami and Bobby Bowden at Florida State were great ones. 

Paneech:  Walk me through a typical day right now, and how it may change in a month.

Kravitz:  I’ll get up around seven, which is pretty late for a football coach.  I get here around eight and we share some scripture before we head into an 8:30 staff meeting.  We are currently preparing scouting reports for our first four opponents.  After that we try to spend time focusing on recruits and how our guys are doing in classes.  I usually go for a run around noon, usually very slowly.  Then I will come back and grab a sandwich.  My wife did a great job making food this week, and a good sandwich is is what gets me to the finish line.  We then finish compiling everything and usually get out of here about 5:30.  In about a month, I will be getting here by six a.m. and getting out at God knows what time.  Wolf [Coach Wolford] is a family guy, so I don’t think time will be too ridiculous.

Paneech:  Spending all of that time in Florida, do you fear the shoveling of snow in about six months?

Kravitz:  I got a taste of it when I was in Michigan.  I was watching television one night, and these Winter weather advisories kept coming on the screen, and I just laughed.  I quit laughing when I looked outside and couldn’t see the ground anymore, they should just say blizzard.  To that point, I had never walked in it, never drove a car in it, and I still am not real fond of it.

Paneech:  Has technology ruined the athletic development of kids in America?

Kravitz:  Well, some kids still get out and do things, and those are the ones who will excel in sports.  My three year-old grandson is outside hitting balls every day.  You are right, there is an effect, but it will be more of a concern with high schools.  We still have the ability at this level to select the better athletes from high schools, but I can see it being a growing  problem at that level.

Paneech:  Having finished Spring workouts, who made a good impression on you.

Kravitz:  I was impressed with quite a few guys.  Deonta Tate is a guy that can bend his knees and make some plays.  Torrance Nicholson is going to do a great job for us up front.  Andre Elliott had a great Spring at Safety.  John Sasson also looked good.  When Coach Wolford came in here, he changed the rules.  We are trying to get back to good hard-nosed football by doing physical things and one-on-one drills.  These kids that I have mentioned have bought into the system.  I think the more we do, that more kids will also buy in.  We need to work on guys being better edge players and we need a little more depth up front.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal of The Day:  Dinner.

Best Album Ever Made:  Meet The Beatles.

Favorite Beverage:  Arnold Palmer Iced Tea.

Favorite TV Shows:  Two And A Half Men and Criminal Minds.

Toppings You Get On A Pizza:  I love meat, so sausage, pepperoni, hamburger, and some mushrooms.

Best Movie Ever Made:  The Godfather. (Told you he fit in).

Biggest Phobia:  Heights.

Favorite NFL Team:  Tamba Bay.

One Word To Describe Eric Wolford:  Intense.

Worst Habit:  Eating too much.