BOISE, Idaho — Demario Warren is new, but he is not inexperienced.
The Boise State cornerbacks coach is starting his first season with the team and draws on his 14 years of coaching experience as he approaches the year.
That experience shapes the values he brings to the game and works to teach his players. Warren said instilling those values in the athletes impacts their performance on the gridiron but also sticks with them off the field.
“I’ve always been about mentality," Warren said. "I feel like I’m only going to be in their lives for a short period of time. They’re going to be here for four or five years, then they’re going to move on. So if I can affect their lives by teaching them the tools to be successful — to me that’s mentality, that’s consistency, that’s working hard, doing things the right way for the right reasons."
Warren's cornerback group is deep. Most of the players have either started or played significant snaps at Boise State or other schools.
The experience level of the players allows Warren to lean on his players for help. He said players like Tyric LaBeauf and Markel Reed are like extensions of himself on the field. Reed, who has struggled with injuries in the last few years, has spent his time off the field developing his leadership skills.
“I had to step up and help lead those guys in the film room and off the field and help them break down defensive calls and plays like that," Reed said.
The defense and the secondary is headed into the season with big expectations. Last year, the team's defense led the Mountain West Conference, allowing only 19 points a game. The experience and closeness of the defense is something Warren makes them different.
“They’re hungry," Warren said. "Their standard is very very high. And if it’s not met every single day then we hold ourselves accountable. That’s with sacks, that’s with takeaways, that’s with assignments, that’s with communication. The standard is the standard, and our standard is higher than most people and we’re going to hold each other accountable to that. It’s fun to see that amount of guys care enough about it to hold each other accountable.”
