Media Spotlight: Interview With KC Keeler of Sam Houston

© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Conference USA held its annual Media Days on July 23 in Frisco, Texas. All 10 teams were represented by coaches and players and addressed the media car wash style, fast and furious, about their teams and the upcoming season.

Sam Houston coach KC Keeler was gracious with his time before his press conference. College Football Dawgs spent some time with Keeler talking about key players and his team's upcoming season.

KC Keeler Interview

Q: You won a national title at Delaware. How did you build a championship roster without the Transfer Portal that is so prevalent today?

Keeler: “Back then, you could transfer down, and we took a handful of transfers. And it was the right mix because I believe culture is so important and you need a strong locker room, especially when you go through those tough times. And I think if you take all those mercenaries, I really think it's hard to build a culture. And it is the same way at Sam Houston.

"We have the ability to take a lot of kids in the portal, but we are mainly focused on building it with high school players. And what we have found is, because of the transfer portal, there are better high school players for us. And so, when we take a transfer, our belief is you take a transfer because you have a need.

"If you are just stacking your locker room with players, when you have those hard times, which we all do through the course of the season, I think it is hard to keep them together. We have built this strategically with select transfers, but again our base is those high school guys we recruited like the two young men I have with us here today. Noah Smith out of the Houston area and KD out of Waco.

"Those guys are the fabric of the program guys. Noah is a super senior, been with us for six years. Those guys can handle a locker room because it is their team. I think when you bring in guys randomly, it becomes a struggle.”

Q: Last season, you had 5 losses of 7 points or less. In 4 of those games, the Bearkats were held scoreless in the fourth quarter. How do you get the message across to your team about having the ability to finish games and protect the ball?

Keeler: “So, it is a combination, we lost 5 games on 5 plays. Overtime, double-overtime, walk-off field goal, had the ball on the 8-yard line against Western Kentucky and dropped the ball in the end zone, had the ball on the 2-yard line against Liberty, and did not get in.

"And overall, we had 7 games that were 1-score games in the fourth quarter. BYU was a 1-score game. So that is my theme with the players. Where are we going to get those 5 plays? When are we going to learn to finish those seven games? It is the difference between 10-2 and 8-4, compared to being 3-9.

"And this is what the team sees as how close we are. We lost one star to the Transfer Portal, and we had the entire team come back. And I think they believe how close we are. So, I think we had a great summer conditioning-wise, and there has been a real emphasis on finishing those fourth-quarter games. We have challenged them with regard to the mental aspects during that conditioning to make sure we do not have busted assignments. So, strategically let’s find those 5 plays. And the players have responded.

"I’m really pleased with the summer, and the summer for me is a time where you build the character of the team. And you also find out who your leaders are. So, we are very hands-on in June and then we back off. And it is a time when the team figures out who is going to lead the team. We really feel good about where we are going.

"Our guys feel they can beat anybody because we were right there when we played BYU, Air Force and Liberty. I think the team feels good that we hung together, we found a way to win 3 of the last 4, no one ever panics and I feel they can take those experiences and move forward.”

Q: What is your favorite non-football thing to do?

Keeler: "Well, that’s one of the problems right now. My wife has identified that I have lost all my hobbies. And that’s where she is concerned that at my age, will I ever give this up because she’s asked, 'What are you going to do if you stop coaching football?' We have fishing and 27 holes of golf where we live."

"Because the game can consume you. Especially where recruiting has transformed and is now 24/7. You have a high school window and a transfer window and they all blend. So yeah, I don’t know. I like to kayak. I get this question a lot, I get this question from my wife a lot. I just signed an extension, and she was the 1 who encouraged me to sign a longer extension because she is a little concerned right now.”

Q: What would you say to talented graduate assistants who aspire to become a college football coach?

Keeler: “Wow! The game is always evolving. The game has changed. It is not the game we would have gotten involved with. I will be completely honest; I am sort of glad I am toward the end of this rather than the beginning of this. At the same time, I hope we figure this out. You know, just the constant movement, or the threat of movement, and that is why we focus so much on culture and the retention of players.

"Guys on a whim just decide to pick up and go, and it was a testament for us not to have that happen. And a lot of that is because we focus on our culture, and we take care of the guys in our program. We are very honest with our transfers. If we are taking you, there is a reason why we are taking you. That doesn’t mean you are going to be our starter.

"And our veteran players know that if we take a transfer, there is a reason why we are taking that transfer. It is not just to stack the locker room full of players. I don’t know if I would encourage my son to go in with where we are right now. And it is disappointing because this is the greatest game in the world and the challenges that we put on players grow them as men."

Keeler is a 2-time national championship-winning coach at Delaware and Sam Houston and has been a college coach for 30 years. The Bearkats kick off the 2024 season on the road at Rice on Aug. 31.