clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

What did Fresno State interim head coach Eric Kiesau learn while at Alabama?

The first press conference by Eric Kiesau discusses his plan for Fresno State.

Fresno State gets ready for its first game under interim coach Eric Kieasu against Air Force Friday night. Kieasu is in his first year as the Bulldogs offensive coordinator but prior to joining Fresno State he was on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama’s as an offensive analyst.

While at Alabama, Kiesau says he studied Saban’s every decision — which is a good move to learn from one of the best college football coaches ever.

“What I learned from him internally, how to run an organization, how to treat people and get the most out of people comes from him,” Kiesau said during Monday’s press conference. “From the day I got there, on my laptop, I was taking notes every day. I was studying him, watching him. I wasn’t in a coordinator role, wasn’t in a position coach role. I had the opportunity to sit back and watch and observe this guy and study him. That’s what I did for the whole year. I took as much as I could from him."

Kiesau won’t be able to try everything in five weeks, but he believes he has some smaller ideas to get this team on the right track.

“That’s why I sit here with confidence knowing there are some things he does internally that (we can do here short-term),” he said. “If you’re a head coach long-term, you can install a long-term plan. When it’s short-term, you have to pick those things to affect the team in a positive way.”

Also, the odds of him landing the job as all signs point toward former Cal head coach Jeff Tedford being the next head coach, so big changes are likely to not happen which is why his goals are short-term.

There is much more in Kiesau’s press conference as interim head coach.