Football team looks to 2011 stocked with returning players

For Ed Carberry the start to the football season is bittersweet. On one hand, he is coaching a game that he loves. On the other hand he never knows what to expect.

"We lose 65-70 percent of our team every year," said Carberry. "I have a vague idea of the new season, but there's really no way of knowing. It's usually a completely new team."

Luckily this season will offer a bit more security for Carberry and his staff.
"Our linemen are sophomore returners and that makes a huge difference," said Carberry. "They already know what to do, and as a coach I can now coach them as opposed to teach them."

Like many seasons that have come before, the main goal is to be victorious and named state champions. Another goal that carries over from season-to-season is to keep the players in shape academically.

"The number one thing we tell these guys is that we could go to L.A. County Jail and pull 20 guys with talent," said Carberry. "Talent along with good grades is a rarity, and we want that."

Carberry and his assistant coaches want their players to be able to successfully compete athletically and academically at a higher level.

"We think of community college as punting," said Carberry. "Everyone thinks punting is bad. Punting just repositions you for future success. Just like community college."

Players are expected to take what they learn from Carberry and apply it wherever they transfer to.

"Expectations at a university level are so much higher," said Carberry. "The coaches are harder on players because if you lose, the coach gets fired."

When it comes to getting their players to the next level of competition, Carberry and his coaches are relentless.

"I was at a coaching conference in Florida and I was using my iPhone to show coaches at universities highlight reels of my players," said Carberry. "Instead of making the coaches wait to get a DVD in the mail, or a VHS tape if you're real old school, we put clips up on YouTube and send the link out. We make sure people are thinking about us. Our goal is to be the easiest school to recruit from."

All their hard work pays off. Carberry has sent players to top level schools such as Ohio State, Brigham Young, Lindenwood and UCLA, to name a few.

Carberry said recruiting is a never-ending process on both sides. He and his staff begin recruiting in July and keep recruiting until the day before the fall semester starts.

He pulls out all the stops when it comes to getting guys to put on Jaguar maroon and gold. He text messages, emails and his assistant coaches use Facebook.

"The other coaches are Facebook guys, but I refuse to join," he joked. "I'm a fiendish text messager. Guys never pick up their phones, but they always text back."

While many coaches recruit directly from high schools, much like his text messaging, Carberry takes a different approach.

"The guys that are the most fun to recruit are the ones who are a few years out of high school because they're fired up to play," he said.

His justification behind this is both refreshing and interesting. Although the four-year schools offer a certain cache, they often discriminate based on height and weight.

Carberry said that if the best quarterback in the nation is 5'9" a university would not consider him. This is where SWC comes in.

"We don't care how fast you are, how much you weigh or how tall you are," said Carberry. "We will let you prove yourself. You can be a little guy and still do it all."