By Mick McGrane, GoAztecs.com Senior Writer
(@MickOnTheMesa)
While you'll never unearth video of the gathering, first-hand accounts included awe, bewilderment, inspiration and even a measure of resentment.
Brady Hoke had just addressed his new charges after being named head coach at San Diego State, in 2008, and whatever had passed for acceptable decorum as a member of the football team had just been squashed like a bug.
The message: Get on board, get with the program, get your head straight or get out.
So it came as little surprise when current Aztec defensive end Myles Cheatum introduced himself to Hoke, who returned as SDSU's defensive line coach in February, that the veteran coach went right to work.
Or, at least Myles Cheatum did.
"I said, 'Hello, Coach Hoke, I'm Myles Cheatum,' " said the Aztecs' senior defensive lineman. "He said, 'Hi, Myles, nice to meet you. Come with me.' "
Hoke led Cheatum to the meeting room used by the team's defensive linemen, where he proceeded to give Cheatum a lesson in self-worth...and the effectiveness of elbow grease.
Recalled Cheatum: "He had me vacuum the floors, throw all of the trash away, all the papers on the floor, all of the things that people had left laying around, and he was over there cleaning the white boards.
"But that's one of the things he preaches, and that's taking ownership in everything you have and everything you do. One of the things that we've learned from him as a defensive line is you're going to play with pride and you're going to be responsible for everything you do."
Cheatum had a smattering of knowledge about Hoke's brief tenure at SDSU, but it wasn't until head coach Rocky Long called to inform him of Hoke's official hiring six months ago that Cheatum began doing some research of his own.
"He's a very highly-decorated coach," Cheatum said. "When you sit down with him in our meeting room, his football IQ is through the roof. But the thing about him is that he makes the game really simple. He makes everything relatable to everybody in the room."
Which, in the case of SDSU's defensive line this season, might be the best of all possible approaches.
Of the 16 defensive linemen currently on the roster, Cheatum is the sole senior, the only holdover from a group that lost all three of its starters — Chibu Onyeukwu, Noble Hall and Anthony Luke — to graduation last season. In fact, only three of SDSU's defensive linemen are juniors, leaving Hoke with 12 sophomores or freshmen.
"I told him they were really young when he decided to take the job, and he said, 'OK, that's fine,' " Long said.
That was before Hoke got a chance to size up his pupils.
"He said, 'You know, we've got a long way to go.' I said, 'I told you that when I hired you.' With all those young guys, I figured they needed an old coach."
A coach one season removed from coaching the defensive line of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. One who has been a defensive line coach seven times in his previous 13 collegiate coaching stops. One defined by the sacrifice of self for the betterment of all. Being the big man on campus has never meant squat to Hoke, who is more interested in your willingness to rally 'round your teammates than your reputation.
"Because he was here before, I think he kind of came back here with that same Aztec mentality," Cheatum said. "He wants effort, he wants to see us getting to the ball, playing with good technique, playing with good pad level, all of those things that are going to make us better.
"And because he was here before, and knows Coach Long's approach on defense, he's really able to simplify things. This can be a pretty complicated defense, especially for the young guys, because there are so many working parts to this defense. For example, even as a defensive end, I have to know what the safeties are doing. That's something that can affect me on any given play. He's able to help everybody understand the whole philosophy of the defense."
The "everybody" referred to by Cheatum currently includes no fewer than nine true or redshirt freshmen defensive linemen.
"I love the mentality of (defensive linemen)," Hoke said. "I've always loved being around those kind of guys and I've loved coaching them. With the guys we have here, we've got to get better with everything we're doing. They've got to show up everyday and be ready to go to work. I'm excited about what they're doing, but we're a long way away from being the defensive line that we want to be. We've got a lot of young guys who are going to have to help us, and we've got to be able to develop them."
In the interim, the Aztecs will rely on Cheatum and sophomore Keshawn Banks at the end spots, while redshirt freshman Cameron Thomas, whose older brother, Zachary, is a junior offensive lineman, is expected to start at nose tackle when the team opens the season at home against Weber State on Saturday.
Cheatum played in all 13 games last season, starting three, while Banks also saw action in 12 contests, missing the Nevada game with an injury.
"I'm not going to say that we're any more important than any other position on the field, but for us to be successful this year, it's going to be critical that (the defensive line) plays well," Cheatum said. "And as the only senior in the room, I take it upon myself to be accountable for the way we play.
"But I look forward to the challenge and, honestly, I love those kinds of challenges. And Coach Hoke is teaching me about how a leader carries himself. He gave me a book called Habitudes that talks about what you have to do every single day to be a leader, and I've been reading it throughout camp. A lot of people think you lead from the front, but sometimes you have to lead from behind to help push guys along. It's easier to push than to pull. You also have to be able to know the difference between when it's time to have fun and when it's time to go to work. And guys are learning from Coach Hoke that to be successful you've got to show up ready to go to work everyday."
Even on days when the task calls for a vacuum.