Tosh Lupoi Reveals Fascinating Details of His Coaching Interviews During Oregon's Season

Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein made it clear during his College Football Playoff first-round media appearance that an early exit from the Ducks to start his new coaching role was never in the cards. Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi echoed Stein’s feelings on Tuesday.

Lupoi spoke about his trust in coach Dan Lanning during his recent press conference and why he didn’t think twice about staying through the Ducks’ College Football Playoff run.

What Tosh Lupoi Said

oregon ducks tosh lupoi defensive coordinator college football playoff dan lanning california golden bears james madison nfl — Oregon Defensive Coordinator Tosh Lupoi runs a warmup drill with his team before the game against Oklahoma State at Autzen. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Decision to Stay Through the Playoff Run:

“I made it clear, because of this team, because of this university, the elite players I've been fortunate to coach and be a part of the staff. This was one of a few opportunities this go around, and I made it clear on every one of those Thursday night interviews that I will not participate or even consider the job without finishing through our season. So ultimately, that was a bit of a dealbreaker for another place, and that's fine,” Lupoi said.

“I respect their process, but that was very clear. People have asked me as well with coach Lanning how that went about, or how that conversation was, and I honestly don't even think we had a single conversation, and it was just a realized expectation of exactly what would be asked of me and what I would want to do,” he continued.

“So, I made it very clear over my dead body would I ever leave the individuals here. That, one, they have put myself and my family in this position, and two, I want to finish what we started here. Been an amazing year to be a part of. In this group, what they've accomplished and how they've played as a whole team, but certainly for myself on the defensive side of the ball, it's something that we're all really proud of. And we got a really cool opportunity here to keep it rolling.”

The Difference Between Coaching Under an Experienced Coach Like Nick Saban and a New Coach Like Dan Lanning:

“I think this profession, a lot to do is who you believe in. And ultimately, I believe in Dan Lanning. So, Dan Lanning, we had a good relationship. Dan was my GA at Alabama, and was very evident his drive, his commitment, the ball coach that he was going to become, and what he is today, the search for growth to constantly improve,” he said.

“And so, there was a reason when I went off to the NFL, we stayed in close contact. And constantly did Zooms and bounced ideas off of each other. And then when that moment occurred, this is something I believed in. So, I think a lot of it is just rolling with the people you believe in, ultimately, and that's extremely important.”

“So, when you believe in someone, like I do with coach Lanning, and he believed in me. We knew, regardless of how much work it was going to take or some of these stats were literally in the 127th as far as defense. It's about rolling our sleeves up, going on the attack, and making this better every day. And here we are,” he continued.

“What was really evident and impressive to me coming aboard was how much he advanced from an offensive knowledge standpoint and special teams, just like he does here, he oversees special teams, offense and defense. So that was something evident in year one, of this is something I want to improve on. I want to just, not just necessarily see it from a defensive perspective.”

“So, four years later here, ultimately, I've gained a lot of confidence in those categories as well, and still to this day, don't have all the answers. And that's why I love this profession so much. Is the constant grind to grow in all those categories," said Lupoi.

“We'd see some concepts, and, man, this is like an issue right here. I've been spending 30 minutes I'm trying to figure out the answer to this, or how we pattern match this bunch root, or whatever it be. So, and we'll doing the same thing. So that's what ultimately this environment is all about, this culture is all about, and some I'm really fortunate to be a part of.”

How He’s Managing His Time Between Two Jobs:

“It just gets later. But I think what's really important is devoting the proper time and commitment to a really good opponent, and making sure you commit to that and not interrupt that. And then you separate yourself when you feel like you've accomplished your duties for the day. And this opponent is demanding a lot of respect from us. They do a really good job,” Lupoi said.

“So not going to cut that short of any focus or attention to detail. They just had a great practice. And that's the approach. So, I mean, ultimately, I even get to the point where when we're doing our game plan, I'll put my phone in the cabinet, and my wife knows if there's any emergency to let Kodi or Matt know,” he continued.

“And I think that's the only way to do it, and just lock in and focus. And then when we feel like we've got to the point where we get to the position meetings at night, and we've wrapped some things up and debriefed the practice. Then, of course, there's been some late nights, no doubt.”

If His Excitement to Coach Inside Autzen Stadium Elevated After Taking the Coaching Job at California:

“No, it hasn't. It's been an awesome experience, amazing place. We've had an amazing four years here. And truly, the outside elements have nothing to do with it for me. Whether we're playing in a backyard or in Autzen, we're gonna approach of the exact same. Prepare the exact same and try to compete to a high standard.”

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What He Wants His Legacy at Oregon to Be:

“Well, first off, it's not me making the substantial impact, it's us supported by an amazing staff. Fortunately, now, the way we work in recruiting and the way our talent acquisition has increased and improved that all goes into it. So, it's because of the players I'm blessed to coach, because of the leadership under coach Lanning and Phil Knight and Rob Mullens, that's put us in this position, quite frankly,” he said.

“So, moving forward, absolutely, I think there's a standard that's been set here that we've changed that narrative, as you mentioned. I agree with you what this place kind of known for, maybe two decades or so, and we're really proud of that to how we finished and relinquished the least amount of points since 1966 and where our defense has grown to.”

“That was the goal, ultimately, and we knew coming into this thing, how much work it would require. And again, when you're blessed to coach the young men that I get to here, it makes a whole lot of fun.”

What He’s Learned About Himself Through Splitting Time Between Two Jobs:

“Well, I'm trying to grow every day. I think I gave that example earlier of compartmentalizing your time is really important. So, it's enormous for me, of writing things down and making sure I accomplish those things. So sticking to that and by doing that, you're going to hurt some people's feelings, not texting them back or not calling them back.”

“And I look at it as every 10 seconds, every 20 seconds of conversations or text messages, that ultimately adds up, and I might have two hours away from the priority at hand, and that's giving everything I can to this group and putting us in the best position to go play a great defensive game and win this so, attempting to fight that urge or respond back, and having that important time to devoting it the right way.”

How He Approaches the Stakes of the Game with His Defense:

“I think it's extremely important to just focus mainly on the execution and not on the emotion. So, we know those emotions will be high, so it's also being able to recognize that and accept that there's nothing wrong with that. But the more, the more we focus on the end result. We're taking away from something we can improve on right now. And that's really the goal.”

“So, I think the first thing is this opponent that we haven't been familiar with so early on is showing them, there's a real team, there's a real opponent. They're here for a reason. It does not take too long to prove that based off of their explosives being the number one rushing offense in their conference, number six rushing offense in the country, the players that we've highlighted and showed so I don't think there's a big buy in, as far as trying to convince these guys, but more so just directing the focus on what we need to do to go win.”

“And that's what we just did for two hours or so out there on the field. How these morning meetings start, how our walk-through went. That's what I'm constantly challenging them this week, is supposedly, where we are from a statistic standpoint, defense, where we are in the nation. How's the best defense operate? How do they do a walk-through? How they do a meeting? What's their approach? How do we transition on the field going in and out, and how do we substitute every single detail, putting the focus towards that.”

What He Learned From Coordinators Balancing Two Jobs When He Was at Alabama:

“I think it's been fortunate and advantage to go through that a little bit and see how Kirby Smart operated at that time, Jeremy Pruitt, and then be involved with this process with Dan Lanning. So hopefully, we have been able to benefit.”

“And again, just try to balance as best as possible, and put the commitment at the right time. So once again, all attention to detail and focus, giving these players in this organization everything I got in the approach, and then having a few energy drinks and a coffee at night, resetting and getting involved,” he said.

“I had a long thorough Zoom last night with the academic department checking up on all our academics and making sure we're being accountable at the other place before their opportunity to go with Coach Rolovich over there to Hawaii. So, that's the approach. I'm gonna do it as best as possible, and we'll see how it goes.”

What Makes JMU’s Run Game Hard to Stop:

“Well, it starts with Wayne Knight and Alonza Barnett, number three and number 14. They are legitimate. Wayne Knight is an NFL player, running back. He could play at any conference, at any team, I promise you that. And the quarterback's the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year for a reason. He's thrown for four touchdowns in a game. He's rushed for four touchdowns in a game,” Lupoi said.

“And then it's complemented by a really good scheme. It reminds me when we game plan on opponent. We look at early what their identity is and that's one of our goals, is to take away their identity what they do best. So, when you look at a team, you want to defeat the run, okay? And then you dive into the things.”

“They have split zone and zone scheme inside hat, counter GT, they run with the quarterback. They give you a lot of variety. Very similar our offense, there are multiple and they've got good players there, ultimately. So, I think what's, what's critical is when you start to hang your hat on stopping one thing, they can hurt you another way,” he continued.

“So just the attention to detail has been huge on our fundamentals and technique. Being elite, taking aggressive angles in the tackling approach is going to be very important this game. Our goal of generating takeaways as we did these last few weeks and in Seattle, ultimately helping for our success. So, but this isn't a team you can load up the box and try to stop the run. It's a quarterback that's he's going to have some NFL opportunities. He's ran a 21.5 on his catapult MPH, and he can hurt you with his legs, and he can throw the ball.”

How Impressed He is With JMU’s Ability to Rebuild Its Rosters Through Personnel Changes:

“Of course, very much. So, in these, they've done a great job there. There's a reason they're in the position they are. So absolutely. I think there's probably some history and culture there to recognize as well, knowing and watching the TV copies. I mean, it's a sold-out stadium. They're fired up, rocking in there, obviously, the success of who was there before them, and moving on and having the success he has. So, I think it's important to recognize the culture that's been established there and embraced, and they've done a great job.”

What He’s Seen From JMU Wide Receivers Nick DeGennaro and Landon Ellis:

“I think there's 13, zero, 10 and 11 that jump out, and they all got different skill sets. There's an individual that's got the longest average depth of target, double move guy love run downfield shots to big part of their offense. The slots of zero and 10, they're elusive. Shifty. Do a great job,” Lupoi said.

“So again, that's what I mentioned earlier, is you could have the approach of, we got to go stop this, run and do it, and load the box, and as soon as you start do that. This is an advanced system. They know exactly how to deal with it. Like I said, it's very similar to our system,” he continued.

“So, when you put your defense in that position, they're going to try to make you pay in other ways. And they've got a great variety of formations in the unbalanced quads, quads, diamond bunch. There's multiplicity of this offense. So, they make you prepare and then I respect it.”