University of Houston Athletics
Dana Dimel Chat Wrap
4/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 25, 2002
Brandon(Houston): Coach last year you redshirted most of your freshmen, howmany of the freshmen do you plan to redshirt from this years class
Dana Dimel: We're going in initially with our freshman this year to give them an opportunity to play. Then, my projection is that we'll redshirt about five. We'll have an injection of more Prop 48s and JCs than we had last year.
marc (temple, tx): I am very proud of the job both you and Coach McCallum are doing with the football and basketball programs. The basketball team had somewhat of a surprising breakthrough year and restored some respectability to the university this past season. Do you feel that after a couple of good recruiting classes this is the year that the football program can win 5 or 6 games and get back on track to become a winning program?
Dana Dimel: That is a reasonable goal for our program, and a lot of it depends on early season success in our first three ball games.Chuck , Houston: Coach, Any chance C.Robinson will be able to play this year?
Dana Dimel: Ideally, we would like Chris to get a sixth year through the NCAA. But if every attempt to get this is thwarted, we will aggressively attack getting Chris ready to play and it is possible. Pearland: What do you see as Anthony Evans role this season, will he get equal playing time to the other backs?
Dana Dimel: With the injury to Chris Robertson, Anthony's timeclock has accelerated. He will have many opportunities to showcase his skills this fall. Timothy (San Antonio): Do you think that Conference USA gets the respect that they deserve nationally?
Dana Dimel: I think any of the non-BCS conferences are underrated and will always struggle to get the recognition they deserve. I have been in two now, and the competition in these conferences are stout, just like it was when I was in the Big 12. Darrell, Sacramento: Coach Dimel, How has Nick Eddy looked in practice thus far? In what ways has he improved from last season
Dana Dimel: The first thing is that Nick started a couple games for us last year at the age of 17. Most of his progress has come from maturation from 17 to 18, becoming more physically stronger. We might have been one of the only schools in the nation to start a 17-year old quarterback. Temple: Conference USA is getting stronger every year. Who do you think will be our toughest competition in conference next year and who will be the team to beat?
Dana Dimel: Louisville returns a lot of defensive starters, and they should be the preseason favorite. Southern Miss is very talented and should be a frontrunner in 2002. Brian (Houston): Which 5 players look to be the standout players we need to get this program going in the right direction in 2002?
Also, what is your most anticipated matchup for this coming season with the Coogs?Dana Dimel: KeyKowa Bell, Joffrey Reynolds, Rex Hadnot, Hanik Milligan and Jesse Sowells first come to mind. I think early success in the season is our initial focus.
Captain Cougar: Coach, we all know the ship was a little un-tidy when you got here, how close are you to having the program where you want it?
Dana Dimel: I think the process of building a program comes through recruiting the type of players that fit your program. Now in our third year I think you'll start to see us move towards where I think this program is headed. Bill (Houston): Coach, how big an impact is Carlos Jones going to have this year?
Go Coogs!!Dana Dimel: Carlos Jones is one of our high profile recruits from the 2001 class that has definitely lived up to his abilities. He should be a heckuva player as the season wears on.
Matt (Colorado): Hello Coach. Do you plan to get the ground game more involved in your offense this year?
Dana Dimel: I think it is important for us to become more run-oriented for two reasons: one, to increase the toughness of our football team, and two, to help keep the defense off the field. Matt (Colorado): Coach, how much of your recruiting efforts are done outside the state of Texas? Is it hard to recruit in state with all the great Texas colleges?
Dana Dimel: Very little of our recruiting effort is out of the state of Texas. We've had great success within the state and we've reached into the upper tier of recruits in this state. Aaron(Houston): Do you think it is necessary to have three safety's instead of having three linebackers to improve the run defense?
Dana Dimel: Right now we employ three safeties in our scheme because the majority of the teams in the conference throw the football. We think with three safeties we add more speed to help in pass coverage, but we also think the one safety (strong safety) is as talented as a linebacker and can step up and be physical to stop the run. Seattle Coog: Coach Dimel: When do you expect the University of Houston to compete for number 1 in the country in the football rankings? Do you have a timetable, and if so, what is that timetable? Coach Bill Yeoman in 1962 stated that he expected to be competing for number 1 in the country in football, and although he didnt specify any particular time as I recall, he was true to his word within 6 years with the victory over Michigan State when that school was number 1 in the country. The U of H was number 2 in the AP football rankings after that victory, as I recall.
Here's hoping you do really well. Best wishes.Dana Dimel: I think within six years I think our country will be a national competitor. It takes six years to put your stamp on a program.
Brent (Florida): What is your current injury front and how will it affect this coming season?
Dana Dimel: Right now Chris Robertson's injury was the only major one coming out of spring. In the two previous fall camps we've had some major injuries in fall camp, so we are hoping this fall does not produce any of the same injuries and we can go into our first game injury-free. ryan (houston): out of all your recruiting classes here at UH which one do you feel will help the most to turn the program around?
Dana Dimel: The 2001 Class is very well balanced and has lived up to its expectations with their performances this spring. We have prop guys from that class that will make an impact on the 2002 season. Matt (Colorado): Coach, what does your non-conference schedule look like for this upcoming season?
Dana Dimel: Obviously we have our crosstown rival in Rice. This is a fun game for the city of Houston, and we're all in favor of playing this game. We also have the Texas game, which is fun for our fans to play an old Southwest Conference rival. Thirdly, then we have South Florida, who is going to be a conference member next season and who is a challenging team to play. Moderator: Thanks everyone for logging on to this chat. We'll catch up to Coach Dimel later this summer as fall camp approaches. Until then, Go Coogs!
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