By Jim Johnson
SouthernPigskin.com

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Usually, a rebuild, within the context of football, is in regards to replacing talent or developing inexperienced athletes. Scott Satterfield is rebuilding people.

Prior to 2018, Louisville had gone bowling eight years in a row, and won at least nine games four of the last six years. They were a year removed from trotting out a Heisman Trophy winner — the best player in program history, and arguably the best in college football history.

With the sort of momentum thats almost harder not to capitalize on, this was a team poised to cement itself as a perennial ACC power for years to come. Two wins, ten losses, and sixteen transfers later, the opposite is true.

It was a sad state of affairs when Scott Satterfield was hired. Not long after winning the inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game, firmly placing the transition he oversaw from the FCS to the FBS, at App State, among the most impressive of all-time — right alongside that of Marshall and Boise States, respectively — the new Cardinal-in-charge was announced.

After leading what was among the best G5 teams in the nation in 2018, he entered the new year as the head coach of what had been perhaps the worst P5 team.

The first thing on his agenda wasnt to sell himself to the fans. It wasnt to upgrade the facilities. It wasnt to focus on the quarterback battle, or the workout regimen, or the meal plan. It was to reinvigorate a team that had been through heckuva a lot. To turn a collection of beleaguered players into a family. To install a new set of leaders that shared those goals and values. To make football fun.

x9cIt was sad, really,x9d Satterfield began. x9cWe just said, x98you know, guys, weve got a clean slate. Whatever happened in the past, forget about it. Everything moving forward is what were judging you on — how hard you come in here and work. Thats what were looking at. It doesnt matter about talent. I want to have a great attitude and work ethic. So, x98Attitude and Effort weve got in every meeting room in our building. We just kind of loved on them and put our arms around themxa6 Some guys left, but the ones that are here have done everything weve asked and worked really hard on a daily basis. Thats how you build confidence: working hard together.x9d

Usually, a rebuild, within the context of football, is in regards to replacing talent or developing inexperienced athletes. Scott Satterfield is rebuilding people. The previous regime left some guys in bad shape. Less physical than mental, psychological was Satterfields task.

x9cHe invited us to his house. In the four years that Ive been here, I had never been to a coachs house before,x9d senior wide receiver Seth Dawkins relayed. x9cCoach Satt invited us a few times, just within the first couple of months after he was hired. He opened his home to us, his family to us. That meant a lot. He may not realize that, but it means a lot, especially to us older players. We just realized that we never had that sort of compassion from a coach before.x9d

x9cYeah, that hadnt happened since Ive been in college,x9d linebacker Dorian Etheridge confirmed. x9cIve been over there are few times already. People dont really think that stuff like that matters, but players, we all take notice of that.x9d

Etheridge continued, x9cWeve had a lot of team events. Usually when you have a new staff coming in, its going to be like, x98Oh, God, a whole bunch of work, weve got to get better, weve got to get better, weve got to get better, but they made sure that we had fun.x9d

Its the little things. Even Satterfield, himself, was taken aback by how much such a seemingly small gesture meant.

x9cThat is surprising, because thats all Ive ever been a part of,x9d Satterfield stated. x9cIve always had players over to my house. Most of the coaches Ive coached with have done the same thing with their position group. Theyre an extension of our family. Im around those guys more than Im around my kids. So, obviously, I want to bring them to my house, get them around my family. Thats part of it. Thats part of this family atmosphere that were creating. I think they like that. They like being a part of that.x9d

It doesnt stop with the players, either. A family has to be a family from the top down.

x9cWe play noon hoops. Our staff went on a retreat to the lake. I took 30 of them down to the lake. When you do things like that, outside of football, when its crunch time in a football game, everybodys got everybodys back. We know nobodys backstabbing anybody else. Were all in this thing together. So when its fourth down, we decide to go for it, and we dont get it, the defense doesnt get mad. They just go stop them. Thats just how it works,x9d he explained. x9cWeve always done that, and its been a big part of why our teams have had success.

x9cWhen I first got the job, the players had never been upstairs to the coaches offices. That blows my mind. So, the fact that were having them over to our house and hanging out in our offices, that means a lot. Were with these guys everyday for a long period of time. If we want them to trust us, weve got to trust them. You do that by having relationships. Thats what its all about.x9d

And he made sure to bring in coordinators with whom he knew he could build the program that he sought to build.

To lead the offense, Dwayne Ledford, lured away from NC State where he developed some the ACCs best offensive linemen in recent memory, including the 2018 Rimington Trophy winner, Garrett Bradbury.

Satterfield recalled, x9cCoach Led was at App for four years with me when I first got back as the Head Coach. Then he moved on, and he actually turned down about five jobs before he took the one in Raleigh. He did a great job there. He was one of the guys I reached out to early on and said, x98Hey, listen. Id love for you to come on and be my O-Line coach. He had some other opportunities, but Im glad he came on. We had a great working relationship and he does a phenomenal job with offensive linemen. He knows exactly want we want to do. What we want to do offensively is exactly what he wants to do and it meshes very well.x9d

On the other side of the ball, he brought Bryan Brown with him from Boone. A wizard with defensive backs, the Mountaineers finished in the national top 15 in interceptions each of the last four years.

x9cCoach Brown is out there just like we are. His presence is felt on every play, from the sideline. Hell run down the field with us if its a deep ball. Hell come chase you down if he sees you walking. Thats just the mentality he takes,x9d grinned Etheridge. x9cAnd Coach Jones, our linebackers coach, hes a great mind. Hes been around football longer than Ive been alive, so he has so much wisdom, and just teaches us everyday.x9d

Still, it all starts with Satterfields example. Stylistically different from Petrino in more ways than one, the players have already responded to his changes.

x9cCoach Satterfield is more laid back,x9d said Dawkins. x9cHe doesnt yell as much as Coach P did. He demands greatness, but hes not going to yell it out of you. Youre either motivated or youre not, but were all motivated.

x9cTheres more of an even-keeled, chill vibe throughout the program. Not in a bad way, either. Were still working hard. Everyone just feels more comfortable.x9d

Etheridge added, x9cHes a lot more approachable — I think that would be the appropriate word for it. Coach Petrino recruited me out of high school, and me and Coach Satt are probably closer already, even though its only been about six months.

x9cWere all bought in. Some of the guys were kind of on the edge about it, but the other players really helped them come in. Once that happened, a lot of thexa6 I wouldnt say hostility, but feelings toward each other changed. Once we all knew we wanted the same common goal, it made everything so much easier.x9d

Theres not one right away to motivate people, no singular best practice to succeed as a coach. Satterfield is simply doing what comes naturally to him.

x9cYouve got to be who you are, whatever that is,x9d Satterfield concluded. x9cCoach Saban is probably more in your face and hes won a lot of games. Coach Swinney is a great guy to play for and hes won a lot of games. Different styles, right? You just have to be who you are. Dont try to be fake, and thats how you have success.x9d

Perhaps that authenticity, more so than anything else, is what the people within the program are responding to.

x9cEveryone is so passionate,x9d Etheridge beamed. x9cDown to the ball boys, everybody is making sure that theyre on top of their stuff. They just put us in a position to do great things.x9d

Theres a lot of work to be done before Louisville can once more compete with the Clemsons of the world. The magic of Lamar Jackson had masked how bad things had truly gotten under the prior staff. When he left, there was nowhere to hide.

It sounds cheesy, but the Louisville Cardinals wont measure the success of their 2019 season in wins and losses. For now, its about rebuilding what once felt like irreparable damage. Its about making a team a family.

All Satterfield has done his entire career is win. Thatll come with time.

For now, its about making football fun, like its supposed to be.