Sun Belt Media Day: ULM fueled to boost expectations and standard

New Orleans, LA. (KTVE/KARD) –Some call the surge of Media Days in the month of July “talking season” but no matter what nickname fans like to call it, all it means is that football is one day closer. Sun Belt Media days kicked off this week and when the University of Louisiana-Monroe hit the podium, they wanted to make sure everyone knew this season will not replicate the Warhawks of the past.

“The standard is the main thing. I think when coach [Bryant Vincent] got here to Monroe it was evident that he’s a big fan of a standard. I think we [should] just uphold that as much as we can and go to work every day,” said ULM offensive lineman Elijah Fisher.

Another useful trait that ULM Football head coach Bryant Vincent has implemented is making sure that everyone is pulling their own weight. ULM linebacker Carl Glass Jr. said that’s a major change from past years.

“Holding each other accountable, in the past we didn’t really have that. People would walk into practice late or when they wanted to, and now it’s not like that anymore,” said Glass Jr.

Winning will and should be at the forefront of every fan’s mind with Vincent taking over a team that’s coming off a 10-game losing streak going back to last year, but he’s looking to hit the ground running in year one.

“I tell the team that here’s what normally happens, year one there’s going to be an improvement. You might win three or four [games] and you’re 4-8 and people are happy with that. ‘Oh, it’s year one and they’ve shown improvement,'” said Vincent. ” I don’t want to wait until year two. We don’t want to wait until year two to take those steps, so we have to speed the process up. The discipline, toughness, mentality, and brotherhood, all those things have to be sped up if we want to have a shot to accomplish this year one.”

Wins and losses are one thing, but to present a better product on gameday, players have to trust each other to make plays during games. Vincent expressed that he is looking to push that agenda on his team by prioritizing chemistry.

” You got to have a team that will play for each other and that will play for the man that loves and cares for the man beside him and won’t let that man down. It’s not going to happen. The window is short, so we have to step outside the box to grow the camaraderie, brotherhood and build the bond that it’s going to take to win a big game,” said Vincent. You can’t do it with five, six, 11, 12, or 14 [players] you have to do it with everybody. Everybody has to be in it, and everybody has to have each other’s back, and everybody has to live to the standard and be willing to never waver.”

The first game for the Warhawks will kick off at 6 p.m. against Jackson State at Malone Stadium.