Now that the start of fall football camp has begun, GoUSFBulls.com recently sat down with Ron McKeefery, Assistant Athletics Director and Head Strength Coach at USF, to talk about the commitment the team has made in the off-season. 

Talk about the importance of the guys being here over the summer and what that means heading into the season.
The summer program really defines a team. A combination of the winter program and the summer program that is the time you have to prepare. You have eight weeks with both, the winter and summer. Those weeks are critical. During the summer we find it is a combination of putting running and lifting together. We see how they are going to operate there, as well as the chemistry that forms, how they are going to come to together as team, how they are going to deal with some adversity, how they are going to handle the heat and the daily grind. It is very similar to two-a-days, as well, as the season. It is a grind.

How do you offset the heat?
Well you don't. Definitely, down in Florida, the heat is what it is. We want to attack it and use it as an advantage. We try to go after it because it is hot year around. With us training in it everyday, I believe it to be an advantage for us. Obviously, we incorporate water breaks and go mostly in the morning, but it's still 90 degrees so it really doesn't matter.

Talk about the attendance this summer, which was at an all-time high.
It's voluntary and we can't track attendance, but we had basically everyone here all summer long. We have a great group of seniors. This is probably one of the larger groups of seniors we've had. The accountability of them really dictates the attendance, so those guys really stepped up. We had more guys training here every day than we ever have had. I think that's a testament to the seniors and what they have done and their commitment level. These seniors have been to three straight bowl games, but they don't want to go to a small bowl. They want to go to a big bowl game. They want to go to a BCS Bowl. They want to win a conference championship and do something that hasn't been done here before.
 
Does that light go on for the seniors? Do you see a sense of urgency?
Well the maturity is a part of it. These kids have been playing football for a long time, some since they have been five or six years old. It's a very small percentage of guys that go on and play in the NFL. Look at some of the guys that we've had that haven't got drafted, that have been phenomenal players for us. They know that, they see that this is their last opportunity to leave their legacy. The message is the same with all those guys. They want to go out and do something at South Florida that hasn't been done, which is winning a conference championship. Because of that they come together. We use the winter to really bring the seniors together. It is not that difficult, most of the time, because they have grown up together. You got a guy like Tyrone McKenzie that came in as a transfer and other guys. You still have to develop that cohesion between them. If those guys aren't tight, then the leadership of our team falls apart. So we use the winter to do that and then during the summer, the next step is for them to take that leadership and apply it to their team. The biggest step is for them to be ahead of everyone else, for them to work much harder than everyone else so that a young guy can take a look at them and see how hard they are working and not question their loyalty. But then turn around and understand ?hey if that guy is willing to pay the price, well then I need to step up as well.'

What have been some of your most pleasant surprises?
There are a lot. You can't even mention them all. Obviously, we had a lot young players, step up and develop nicely. Sampson Genus and Terrell McLain inside are two young guys who didn't have a lot of experience that had to step up. I told them that at the beginning of the summer, that they couldn't do anything right and they would get abused all summer long and they did, but they responded well. We have lot of young offensive linemen that are improving. We have a lot of seniors right now, but developing those guys behind them is important. So if we have any depth issues over the next year, they are prepared. So a guy like Mike McGowan went up 55 pounds on his bench or a guy like (Joe) Herzhauser gained 20 pounds. Jake Sims gained 20 pounds of weight. Those guys developed. Senior Tyller Roberts and Jerome Murphy, they had to step into some big roles, so to challenge those two and the two behind them as well, (Tyson) Butler and (Quenton) Washington. Jerome Murphy went up 70 pounds on his bench. You want to talk about a guy that the light bulb went on and has a great opportunity to step up. He is a heck of an athlete and has a chance to be a star for us. Matt Grothe lost 10 pounds and is moving as good as he has ever moved. He increased his vertical by four-and-a-half inches. Aaron Harris is up to 270 pounds. He has gained 46 pounds since he has been here. A lot of guys have done some great things.

Talk about the leaders. Who are some of the leaders?
I point to all of the seniors, first. I think every one of those guys in their own right, either through example or more vocal, are leaders. I think all of those guys show the right desire and held each other accountable and held the team accountable. Tyrone McKenzie and Brouce Mompremier are unbelievable. They train extremely hard. (Mike) Ford, Carlton Williams, back at safety, really stepped. George Selvie has become more of a vocal leader and has done some really good things this summer. Matt Grothe is coming really into his own as the leader of the football team. Ben Williams is a guy that every guy on the team can point to him and say ?I want to work like that guy.' It is hard to see those guys working as hard as they do and then turn around and not give 100 percent effort. Taurus Johnson, Marcus Edwards and those guys really held their group in check and did some real positive things.

Talk about the guys who may have exceeded some expectations in setting some records. Players like Tyrone McKenzie, Grant Gregory and Ben Williams.
Those three guys you mentioned are some records. We are getting to a point at South Florida where our record board is extremely hard to get on. You're talking about removing guys like Kawika Mitchell, who just won a Super Bowl. We are knocking guys like that off the board. So it is pretty impressive to get a record. Tyrone McKenzie tied an all-time record (425 max bench press) that has been up there for eight years now. He, Grant Gregory, and Ben Williams set those records. Ben broke a record (415 max bench press) that has been up there for nine years. That is before I even got here. It was Otis Dixon's record that he broke and he was at practice today. It means something to these guys. It is a great honor. Grant Gregory tied the all-time quarterback record (20 bench reps at 225), Pat Julmiste set the record at 20 and Pat had 50 pounds on him. That's a heck of a job by him. Some places offensive linemen are only doing 20 reps, for a quarterback that's pretty good. It was a 35 pound increase for T-MAC (McKenzie). He went up in everything and did a heck of a job. Everyone did a heck of a job.

Talk about the relationship that you and your staff have with the players.
Bottom line, these guys know I care about them more than a football player. When the guys come in on the recruiting trip, I tell them three things: I want them to be a better husband, a better father and a better citizen. That is my goal as a coach. If they reach those three things they will be successful as a football player, but even more successful in life. Everything we do in the weight room is built around that. When they know I care about them it is easier to push. As a strength coach, I see them every day, so there is no hiding. No hiding of your emotions. They know how I feel about them. I know how they feel about me. They know we are in this together. Not just me, but the rest of the staff, as well. There are some times where they want to strangle me and I want to strangle them. But at the same time we set these goals, we sit down and we talk about them. My job is to hold them accountable to what they want to do for themselves. Sometimes I need to remind them that that is what they want. The satisfaction is why I got into coaching. I want to see guys be successful and have fun. There is nothing better than seeing Ben Williams go up to the BIG EAST Media Days, and seeing a guy who worked his tail off, came in as a walk-on, and be a guy who represent us. Taurus Johnson and Brouce Mompremier, a guy who doesn't say whole a lot, and to be a guy that goes up there is great. These seniors, Carlton Williams and Cedric Hill, this is why we do it. There is nothing better than to sit back and be part of this thing. It is a great place to be. The guys are tremendous guys and not just football players. They are good people.