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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Meet New Assistant Football Coach Gunter Brewer
1/26/2011 | Football
Jan. 26, 2011
"Voice of the Rebels" David Kellum sits down with new Ole Miss passing game coordinator/ wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer to discuss his return to Ole Miss. Return to OleMissSports.com later this week for an interview with new secondary coach Keith Burns.
Upon the announcement of his hire last week, Brewer took part in a media teleconference. The following is the transcript of that event.
Openings Comments
I just want to thank Houston and the whole Ole Miss family for allowing myself to be a part of something so special. From the Chancellor to the A.D., everyone has been wonderful and it's good to be coming home, so I'm looking forward to the journey. We've done some outstanding things at Oklahoma State and hope to carry that over to Ole Miss and just expand on that. I'm looking forward to working with the staff and in particular David Lee and all his offensive expertise, so I'm looking forward to gaining some knowledge there and bringing some things that we've done to Oxford.
Q: What is your past association with David Lee and Houston, any connection there?
Just knowing David from a long time ago when he was on coach Sloan's staff obviously dad followed them and knowing the expertise that he has with quarterbacks and offensive from the different spots he's been in from the option game to the throwing game to the pro game and speaking with Chad Pennington who he played for and Nat Baker who is there now who played for the Cowboys a little bit did a lot of research talking to various people who had been with him and it was a resounding factor of him having such a great relationship and as a leader building those quarterbacks and of course they lead your team and having such a knowledge of different aspects from the wild rebel if they put it in he was one of the guys that came up with that and put it in the pro game too you kind of see an innovator there so I'm looking forward to joining him with some of things we've done no huddle and the things we've been able to accomplish.
Q: Give us a walk thru of the time frame of your hire.
I've always been interested obviously in coming back home and being a part of what coach Nutt and his staff has been able to do there since my time there as a graduate assistant. Obviously the whole dynamics have changed in the Ole Miss family with respect to facilities and competing for championships and all the coaches that have been there since that point. Oxford has changed so much for the better, so anytime something came about, I always tried to stay in touch and let (Coach Nutt) know what I was doing as a recruiter and as a coach. When an opportunity arose, he asked if I might be interested. He was wanting to look at some things offensively that we've had success with at Oklahoma State and other places. With Pat Jones, we've got some natural ties to each other's people that have been in the coaching profession, so I think things just happened. As he made a change in his staff, he reached out also.
Q: Talk about the timing with our mother's passing in December.
I think God opens certain doors at certain times in people's lives to take those doors and either walk through or look at them. I think that's what he's allowed at this point with Kay passing and then this coming open. It's almost a blessing or a message saying this is an opportunity not only allowing me to come home but my wife is right there in your back door in Horn Lake. We both went to Northwest Mississippi Community College, and her dad, her brother and all her family lives up there. My son is an Ole Miss senior rising if I can ever get him out of college, he may be a senior for another six years now, who knows. Those things with dad and other family members being close, it's a natural for me having those ties not only in the recruiting area but family ties.
Q: Talk about being close to your father, Billy.
(Jokingly) He's already got my room ready, and I told him there is no way I'm going to live with him the rest of my life. I've already spent my due diligence and spent my time with him, but he's got the room ready and he's fired up and digging out old memorabilia and clothes. He's excited and thrilled that I'm coming back at this time when there is still mourning and to help him with some other issues that are personal. It's going to be a God blessing for all of us.
Q: Is your father's past with the university a concern?
No not at all, and I was hoping that it wouldn't be a topic for them also. Each person is their own individual, and as you go back and follow my comments when things were going on with administration and things were taking place, I always took the high road on certain things. And things come out in the wash years later that's a business thing. And that's one of those things that you go through and you try not to make it personal, and for me, it's something that's way in the past and it's been buried for a long time and I'm glad it left. You learn from things that happen, and hopefully everyone will accept Dad back in the family. I know most people have. I know he's excited about the opportunity to rejoin in particular ways to some things.
Q: What do you feel like you bring to the passing game from Oklahoma State?
I think as a staff you join together and blend certain things that fit personalities, but I think one of the things that we've been able to do over the past several years is play with a lot of tempo and a lot of speed, which has enabled us to move the ball vertically down the field in the passing game and not necessarily catch people off guard but always have them on their toes or on their heels. Just one of the things that you see with the Indianapolis Colts is you see more people in two-minute offense. Why can't you run the two-minute offense the whole game? And that's what we kind of morphed into this year for us.
Q: Talk about going vertical in the offense.
I think a lot of people build everything off a vertical passing game. It really stretches the field. Obviously you've got to have someone that can do that and that's where recruiting comes in you have to tailor to what you have. Obviously huge plays come by pushing the ball down the field. It opens up things underneath. Different people have different philosophies in that whether they want to go underneath or open up and spread the ball down the field. Personally I like the larger areas that are behind the linebackers and in between the safeties. With that 18 to 22 throw, we had a tremendous amount of deep throws this year. Of course we had the best receiver in the nation. That doesn't hurt. Plus a pretty good quarterback so that combination always lends itself, but I would like to be a part of someone wanting to push the ball down the field if it allows itself to.
Q: How tough was it to leave with those guys coming back?
It is difficult with the personal relationships I built with players, family members, people in the community and administration. It was process of over six years from 2005 to now to watch this program grow into a championship caliber program. To get a piece of it this year and everybody returning on offense, which is even more so difficult, but I think it's a case for me coming home and professionally for Coach Nutt to give me the opportunity to be in a leadership role and have responsibility for certain things with the staff where everybody pitches in. Ownership is the key to anything, and you're going to get a lot more out of people when they feel like they have more responsibility and have ownership into something. Coach Nutt has the unique ability to get that out of his coaches, and I think they get that out of their players. But I expect Oklahoma State with what we have to come back to challenge if not win the Big 12 South and put itself in position. People look back and ask why are you leaving a program that's 11-1 and everybody returning to a program that didn't have a very good year this past year, but that's a challenge coaches take obviously. There are positive things there in Oxford that lend itself to believe they can return and compete for a championship and that's what I want to be there for.
