Get to know UW aides Haynes, Spalding
MADISON – Two more of Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell’s hires – cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes and running backs coach Devon Spalding – met with reporters Monday.
Haynes, a defensive back at Kent State from 1987-91, began his coaching career in 1993 at St. Francis DeSales High School in Ohio. He has coached 28 seasons in college, including the last three at Minnesota, and one year in the NFL (2001 with Jacksonville).
Spalding played running back/wide receiver at Central Michigan from 2014-18. He was a graduate assistant under Fickell at Cincinnati in 2019 and coached running backs at FCS Youngstown State for the last three seasons.
Here are selected comments from their interviews on Monday.
Q. Paul, coming from rival Minnesota were you tempted to try to bring back Paul Bunyan’s Axe or was that under lock and key?
Haynes: We’ll get the axe back the way we need to get the axe back, on the field. We’ll get it back on the field.
(In case you are wondering, UW and Minnesota are scheduled to meet Nov. 25 in Minneapolis next season.)
Q. Devon what did you learn about coaching running backs and what you want out of your players during your three seasons on the Youngstown State staff?
Spalding: I learned that you have to set a certain standard in your room. And the standard that we had set when I was at Youngstown and the standard we’re going to set here is we want to be the best unit in the country. We don’t want one guy that is the best in conference. When people talk about the running back room at Wisconsin, we want them to say that they have the best unit in the country.
Q. Devon, to follow up on that. A lot of teams have physically talented running backs. What separates Team A from Team B if they both have talent at that position?
Spalding: Two things. No. 1 is your mentality. No. 2 is your work ethic. If you have a great mentality and you want to be great every time you step on the football field, you’re going to find something to get better at daily. You’re going to put yourself in a good position. (And) if you have that work ethic and you’re willing to put the work in that is required to be the best, you’re going to have success.
Q. Paul, you moved from Minnesota to Wisconsin, bitter rivals. Is it a bit weird on the recruiting trail going into the same schools this year and recruiting for a new program?
Haynes: You just sell the product. I sold that product last year. Now I’m selling this product.