Meet Mark Smith

Hoke's Hires - Mark Smith

Each week in the Hoke's Hires series, GoAztecs.com will be helping the Aztec faithful get to know the new football staff. Each week, GoAztecs.com will sit down with a new member of the Aztecs coaching staff for an exclusive interview.

GoAztecs.com welcomes Mark Smith to The Mesa as he will be San Diego State's new linebackers coach. Smith comes to SDSU from Ball State where he served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach beginning in 2003. Smith has been a defensive coordinator on the collegiate level for a total of eight years.

Prior to his stint with the Cardinals, Smith was an assistant coach for Indiana State for 15 years where he helped develop six All-Americans. The Purdue graduate's coaching career has included stops at Defiance High School, Bowling Green, Indiana State and Ball State.

Smith and his wife, Kim, have three children.

Smith recently sat down with GoAztecs.com to discuss his transition to becoming an Aztec and the future of San Diego State football.

Hoke's Hires: Mark Smith

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On whether he has enjoyed his time in Southern California:

It's been fine, obviously it's been a quick work in progress trying to get around and finishing the recruiting we had to do. It will be more interesting when I get a chance to get a feel for San Diego and get my family out here, and when they get a chance to experience all the good things about this area. It's been great.

On whether it was a tough decision to come to San Diego State from Ball State:

It was tough from the standpoint that I have lived my whole life in the Midwest, either in Indiana or Ohio. From the standpoint of who I wanted to work for, no. I've known Coach Hoke for 28 years, and I've never met a better man or someone that treats myself or my family as well as he does. That decision wasn't hard, but yes, from the standpoint that the rest of my family is in Indiana and my wife's family is in Ohio, yes that's a tough decision. One thing I know is that my wife likes warm weather, so it's going to be an easy one once I can get her out here.

On what he looks for in the players that he coaches:

Well first and foremost, every player we are going to look for in this program has to have great effort and play with toughness. That's one thing I know Brady builds the program on, those two aspects of the game. As you mentioned, the game has changed quite a bit; it's almost a fast-break basketball game. They try to get you out in the open spaces with three or four wide receivers and try to get better athletes out there. Granted you need to look for athletes who can run, who can change direction, get out there in the open spaces, but in the same light have that toughness so when its time to play in the box, they can do that. So, it's a much fast game than it used to be, and therefore you better find athletes that can move around a little bit.

On whether the willingness to get in and hit someone is paramount for the position of linebacker:

Yeah, I think it's paramount to play football. I don't know if it's just for the linebacker position, but I think football is one of those games, and in my opinion there is another game that may come close to it and that's hockey, but they are collision sports; they are not contact sports, they are collision sports. People better like that aspect of the game or they probably aren't going to be very successful at what they do, particularly if you're going to be a guy in a position that has to hit people as far as tackling or blocking. Other than kickers and punters, I don't think there is anybody who really doesn't do that on a regular basis. I think that is critical when you are recruiting; when you look at young players, whether or not they have that willingness to want to put their nose in there and be physical.

On whether you can see early on if a kid has the intangible of the ability to be willing to hit someone:

I think most times you can because no matter what they do, whether it be taking on a block or if they are trying to tackle somebody, they either want to keep their eyes down in it or pull their head out of there. It's something I look for quite heavily when I'm looking at recruits, whether or not they are willing to be a guy that wants to keep their eyes in everything they do.

On what his linebackers can expect from their coach:

Well they can expect that I will be prepared everyday when we get out there for practice or meetings, or whatever it might be. I'm going to give them the best opportunity to be successful. It's hard to make promises to anybody until you get a chance to really work with them, but one thing I have always prided myself in is the fact that my players will be as prepared as they need to be physically and mentally. They will have the chance to be successful as long as they do the extra to get them over the top.

On how his demeanor is on game days:

Game day I'm actually pretty calm because one thing I think is that players will react how you react. I think a lot of times if you're a guy that is just yelling and screaming, they get flustered then too. Believe me, if it's time to get a point across or somebody needs to get up in their face a little bit, I have no problem doing it. On a consistent basis, I think if you've done a good enough job during the week for practice, you shouldn't have to do a lot of (yelling) during the game. If you're doing a lot of that during the game, you're probably not having a very good game. It's a time I think that you let the players play, but if there's a time you need to set them down and talk to them, then do that. Maybe let them step back a couple plays and stay out and say, `Listen, this is what you've got to get straightened out, get it right in your mind, let me know when you're ready to go back in.' I think sometimes that positive encouragement, if you want to call it that, sometimes can be negative in that it compounds the problem and makes it worse.

On what he would say to the loyal Aztec football fans:

The message would be that we're going to work as hard as we can as coaches and players to make this program something that they're proud of and that they can go out and say that they're happy that they're a San Diego State football fan. To sit here and promise success or promise anything, we'll see that when it happens. The only thing we can tell the people out there is that we're going to work as hard as we can to make sure this program is respectable, and not just respectable, but championship-caliber football. That's why we're here - to win championships and graduate these kids.