Editor鈥檚 note: Over the next two weeks, the Star is profiling the four new 蜜柚直播 football assistants who haven鈥檛 met with the local media. Today: outside linebackers coach Andy Buh.
Andy Buh and his family have a pool for the first time, and as anyone who has endured a 蜜柚直播 summer knows, that can be a real game-changer.
But it鈥檚 far from Buh鈥檚 first go-round out West.
The first-year 蜜柚直播 Wildcats outside linebackers coach is from Escondido, California. He played linebacker at Nevada 鈥 where he was tutored by UA defensive line coach Stan Eggen 鈥 before coaching at his alma mater and four other FBS programs within the West Coast footprint.
蜜柚直播鈥檚 proximity to family, friends and recruiting contacts made the opportunity at the UA especially appealing for Buh, who spent the previous five seasons coaching in the SEC (Kentucky) and Big Ten (Maryland, Rutgers).
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鈥淭he Pac-12 Conference, man,鈥 Buh said. 鈥淲hen you grow up in Southern California, that鈥檚 the dream, right? I鈥檓 one of the blessed individuals.鈥
Buh previously coached at Cal (2000-01, 2013) and Stanford (2007-09). He has extensive experience recruiting the Western region, including Hawaii, which is one of the four territories he鈥檚 covering for the Wildcats. The others are in Southern California: Orange County, Riverside and San Diego. Buh鈥檚 primary task with the current Cats is to boost a pass rush that produced only 17 sacks last season. That total ranked last in the Pac-12 and tied for 111th in the nation.
Buh discussed the plan for the pass rush, working with defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, the current crop of outside linebackers and other topics in a recent video chat with the Star. The conversation has been lightly edited for context and clarity.
Are you looking forward to the day when you can actually fly to Hawaii to recruit?
A: 鈥淭hat鈥檒l come. You just kind of roll with it. This new, COVID-19 style of recruiting, it鈥檚 been fun. (We have) been able to connect with a lot of kids through these kinds of conversations, through Zoom. Because they lifted our restrictions on how many phone calls we can have, we鈥檝e actually been able to get to know these kids a lot better.
鈥淣ot being in the office with the day-to-day also gives us more opportunities to be available for these types of calls 鈥 with recruits and our own players. I don鈥檛 see it as negative. Obviously, we want to get back to normal as fast as we can. But there鈥檚 definitely some positives that are coming out of this.鈥
You knew coach Eggen. This is your first time working with coach Rhoads. What鈥檚 it been like?
A: 鈥淗e鈥檚 got incredible energy. He鈥檚 very detailed, which I love. He鈥檚 got a really broad scope of knowledge. He鈥檚 very comfortable with who he is and (isn鈥檛 hesitant) to ask for new ideas and to listen to different ways of doing things.
鈥淲e have a lot of experience in our room. It鈥檚 been fun to listen to other guys talk about how they鈥檝e done certain things and have discussions about those things. It鈥檚 made us all better.
鈥淭he strength of a coordinator lies in the strength of his staff. The way Paul does it, he鈥檚 getting every ounce of knowledge out of us to create the best possible product that we can for our players.鈥
You have extensive coordinator experience. In what ways do you feel like that could be an asset in your current role?
A: 鈥淚t鈥檚 just always good to be able to bounce something off of somebody. The more the merrier, I think, as long as it鈥檚 not a distraction.
鈥淲e have such a great room, with no egos. The conversations flow great. Paul orchestrates that with an open mind. It鈥檚 easy when you really love being around the guys that you鈥檙e around.鈥
What are the specific skills you鈥檙e teaching your group, as opposed to what coach Rhoads might be teaching the inside linebackers?
A: 鈥淭he outside linebackers, they鈥檙e a cross between a D-lineman and an outside 鈥檅acker, so there鈥檚 a lot of different things from playing on the line of scrimmage. I always tell our guys, our job鈥檚 not going to be very hard from a schematic standpoint. It gets harder more from a technical standpoint, because of the proximity to the blockers.
鈥淐oaching the inside 鈥檅ackers, there鈥檚 a lot more big picture for those guys. Now, I鈥檓 not saying that they don鈥檛 need to be technical, because it鈥檚 a highly technical position. But there鈥檚 a lot more fit-oriented things that they need to know. Whereas when you鈥檙e coaching an outside linebacker, we鈥檙e often on the line of scrimmage; we鈥檝e got more hand-to-hand combat than an inside 鈥檅acker would have.鈥
When you鈥檙e recruiting that position, what are the traits that you鈥檙e looking for?
A: 鈥淭he first thing that we鈥檙e looking for is pass-rush ability. If we鈥檙e doing it right and I鈥檓 coaching it right, that outside linebacker to the boundary will lead our team in sacks. We recruit that guy for that reason.
Andy Buh, UA outside linebackers coach
鈥淔rom there, it goes to measurables 鈥 length at the boundary-side 鈥檅acker position, speed at the field-side linebacker position. You鈥檙e going to look for a girthier guy to the boundary, a more linear guy to the field.
鈥淎nd then character and intelligence. Those things are really important. Their ability to communicate is really important, that they can grasp a concept and do the right things.鈥
What do you think you were able to accomplish during those first four practices before the shutdown?
A: 鈥淲e got a lot done. We didn鈥檛 waste any time in the meeting rooms. I installed on the field with them, for a particular reason: I know that this group gets better by doing it more so than hearing it.
鈥淢y goal was to spend all my time on the field in the spring to catch 鈥檈m up to what we want to do on the line of scrimmage, because the team hadn鈥檛 been a 3-4 team. I was transitioning some guys that had played with their hand in the ground and now they鈥檙e up on the feet.
鈥淎nd then my goal was, over the summer, to catch them up on the finer details of the scheme. We鈥檝e been able to do all of that.
鈥淥bviously, I鈥檓 itching to get them back on the field. That鈥檚 how we鈥檙e going to get better. We don鈥檛 get better by talking like this. Football players get better by playing football.鈥
Did you look at past film of the veteran players you inherited, or did everybody basically start from scratch?
A: 鈥淎 little bit of both. I never hold anything against someone, but I do like to watch film if there鈥檚 game tape on them 鈥 see what they鈥檝e been able to do and what they were asked to do. When I get with them, I don鈥檛 have any preconceived deals with them; I just let them play.鈥
Did anything in particular stand out in your film review of the veterans who鈥檝e played a lot of snaps?
A: 鈥(Anthony) Pandy is a playmaker. He plays with a lot of effort. He鈥檚 strong. He鈥檚 a powerful kid. Tackles really well.
鈥淎nd then Jalen (Harris), he鈥檚 just long. I think there鈥檚 a big upside with Jalen Harris. I think he鈥檚 going to have a monster year. I think you鈥檙e going to see the best football out of Jalen this year. He鈥檚 a big, powerful dude, and I hope we can tap all that potential out of him.鈥
The 蜜柚直播 Wildcats鈥 defense produced only 17 sacks last season. That total ranked last in the Pac-12 and tied for 111th in the nation.
Jalen seemed poised for a breakout last year, but it didn鈥檛 happen for whatever reason. Is it just a matter of unlocking his talent?
A: 鈥淚t鈥檚 different things for different reasons. I think he鈥檚 really focused on this year. I think some of the things that we鈥檙e going to do are going to help him.鈥
It鈥檚 commonplace these days for assistant coaches to move around a lot. You fall into that category. How hard is that for you and your family?
A: 鈥淲e certainly don鈥檛 want to move. But circumstances take over. I remember moving from Nevada to Wisconsin and winning the Big Ten Championship Game (in 2012). I鈥檓 out in L.A. recruiting, and coach (Bret) Bielema calls me and says he鈥檚 going to Arkansas.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 expect that, but you know it can happen. So win or lose, there鈥檚 always that possibility that a guy鈥檚 gonna leave. So you鈥檙e really not in control.
鈥淎s a family 鈥 it鈥檚 just part of the work. I鈥檓 not going to sit here and say it鈥檚 easy. It takes a toll when you have to (move) your family and change schools and friends and stuff like that. But we鈥檝e been pretty fortunate. We had a real late start with our family. Our kids are fairly young. (Sons Luke and Logan are 10 and 7; Buh is 47.)
鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy. I don鈥檛 think any coach out there would say that. But we embrace it as a family. We see it as an adventure.
鈥淲e certainly want to stay in places for longer than two or three years. That鈥檚 the goal.鈥
The Star is profiling Southern 蜜柚直播 high school athletes whose seasons were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Here's a look at the athletes who have been featured so far.
