Tremaine Jackson has officially been the head football coach for Colorado Mesa University (CMU) for over a month now. Since he arrived in Grand Junction, the tides of a new attitude and culture have already hit the shores of the program.
“It’s been a fun first 30 days. I’ve had a chance to pull back some layers and figure out what we really need to attack first throughout the program so that we can get better and better and get ready to try and go win a championship,” Tremaine Jackson said. “There’s a lot of patience that goes on when you’re trying to get the staff here and things of that nature. As far as with the players, it’s been an immediate buy in.”
“Buying in” is what it’s going to take to reach success this upcoming season. With many new recruits, as well as some new faces on the coaching staff, every single person in that locker room is going to have to be on the same page when it comes to the direction of the program.
So what exactly is this new vision that Jackson is bringing in? We asked him that exact question.
“We’re selling a vision that is just different than what football is today. I think the vision we have is one [where] you can’t just come here and be a football player, it’s not going to happen… this program will be about going to school first,” Jackson said. “Second, you have to contribute to the cost of a championship and the cost of a championship is what it is and it costs what it costs […] Thirdly, we’ve got guys that are totally submitted to going to the community and doing community service.”
With National Signing Day happening this last week, Jackson’s hard work was revealed in the new Maverick football signees. From what the new man at the helm is saying, the incoming players have already “submitted” to the new vision before stepping foot on campus.
“We look for guys that, first of all, have great character […] Where I’m from and where I grew up in Texas with High School football, you go through the High School coach,” Jackson said. “I know there’s a lot of different third parties with people right now and football kind of being like the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball in some areas, we talk to every high school coach of every player that are recruiting.”
Recruiting is also going to be a big part of the process that’s going to take place here at CMU with many new players being added onto the roster this upcoming season.
Due to this, many returning players are going to have to adjust to the new vision set forth by Coach Jackson in order to help the program move forward and/or keep their current roles on the team.
“We were very up front with our recruits just like we were with our players,” Jackson said. “We basically put our recruits, when they came on campus, through the same team meeting that our players have been through and all we’ve simply done with this football team is ask them not to be committed but to be submitted to what we’re doing […]”
Which ever player submits to the process and buys in to what Coach Jackson has to offer will be the player you’ll see on the field. A culture of well classed, highly motivated athletes is what’s in store for the future ahead.
Buying in, submission and all-around good quality character is what it’s going to take to win a championship here at CMU. A championship is what Coach Tremaine Jackson has on his radar.
