Where’s Fresno State headed under Matt Entz? Here’s what new coach says are priorities

Fresno State Matt Entz inherits a program that is 6-6, is bowl eligible. There is a lot of room on both sides of that record and some of the elements that will play large in whether the Bulldogs roll or regress are out of his hands, revenue generation for one.

Here are some of his thoughts on what he will control going forward, and his thoughts on the program and new home in the San Joaquin Valley of California.

Priority staff hires for Matt Entz at Fresno State

When Entz was at North Dakota State, his teams rushed the football on 70% of their plays from scrimmage — and could, because of stellar offensive line play and, before ever taking the football field, their work in the weight room.

That strength and conditioning coach is a priority hire.

“Extremely high priority for me,” Entz said. “That’s one of the priority hires that I would have in a new staff. To me, it would be defensive coordinator, offensive line coach, strength and conditioning, and offensive coordinator.

“They need to be your top four hires. They’re going to the ones that help set the environment for the program, in particular the strength coach. I want our team to have that environment set in the weight room. How we do anything is how we do everything. We need to make sure we have the right people in that facility.”

New coach’s first recollection of Bulldogs football

“I told this story to the team when I met with them,” Entz said. “My first recollection of really paying attention to Fresno football was probably the late ’90s, early 2000s. Pat Hill was the head football coach and there was a gentleman by the name of Dennis Wagner, who was the offensive line coach. I (was a graduate assistant) for Dennis Wagner, so I immediately became a fan of this program and what it looked like.

“It was a Saturday night game, and you have to see the energy of the crowd, the checkerboard end zones, and to this day it still resonates with me, and the mantra, ‘Anybody, Anywhere, Anytime.’ Those things stuck with me through my coaching career. I’ve never had a bad job. I’ve always met people I’ve enjoyed. It’s always been about the student-athletes. Truly, blessed to be here.”

Recruiting to in the Central Valley

North Dakota State this season has players from 20 states, recruiting not just in-state but Florida, Texas, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Nebraska. It was no different when Entz was there, winning two national championships. But the focus at Fresno State has been different, and Entz apparently is ready to embrace that.

“I’ve got to get out and meet with high school coaches,” Entz said “There’s always a coach or two or a high school that has had great success, and I need to get in front of those people and when I can, per NCAA rules, I need to be in their building. They don’t need to come see me. I need to be the one on the ground. I need to be out and shaking hands and talking, saying, ‘How do we become more appealing to local talent?’

“I know there’s plenty of kids in this region. Within a five-hour radius of Fresno, I think 80 or 90% of our team can be located here. We just need to do a great job of evaluation. Just because they’re from the Central Valley doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re right for Fresno State. We have to find the right young men that are good enough to play for this program and get us to the next level.”

Entz might not just introduce himself to valley football coaches, either. In line with a focus on strength and conditioning and offensive line play, he could be watching film of other sports looking for good fits.

“I guarantee you here in the Central Valley there’s a 6-5 , 250-pound basketball player running around somewhere that doesn’t know that he’s the next starting left tackle for Fresno State football. That’s what we did. We gave them to our strength coaches and in three years they came back and they were 310 pounds. They had shoulders that were ax-handle wide and they were ready to roll and they were ready to play.”

The year at USC

Entz came to Fresno State after he was the assistant head coach for defense and linebackers coach at USC. The experience gained there extended beyond the football field, which could prove beneficial at Fresno State as it prepares for a bevy of changes to college football from Name Image Likeness to revenue sharing and roster limits.

“Coach (Lincoln) Riley was tremendous to me there, allowed me to really dive in and kind of be involved in some of the head coaching day-to-day operations; being involved in conversations about revenue sharing, what that looks like, how does that impact things?” Entz said. “One of the unique things that’s coming around the curve is the roster limitations and how is that going to impact places? How does that impact a private school like USC compared to a public institution like Fresno State?

“My year there was outstanding. It was great to get back on the grass and be hands-on and coaching and working with young men. But the one thing I realized, I quickly missed being a head football coach and having the ability to influence an entire football team.”

Valley quote of the day

“I’m a farm kid from Iowa and so I probably fit in here probably a little bit better than I do in downtown Los Angeles, if I do say so,” Entz said.

On QB1

Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keene is headed to the NCAA transfer portal, leaving Joshua Wood and Jayden Mandal as the only scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.

Wood played 48 snaps this season, mainly in red zone and short-yardage situations. He rushed the football 26 times and scored five touchdowns, but attempted only five passes. Mandal played 17 snaps, attempting three passes.

Entz has yet to hire an offensive coordinator or a quarterbacks coach, but if those two remain at Fresno State they figure to continue to get a high level of tutoring. Two of the quarterbacks Entz recruited or coached at North Dakota State went on to be the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year and one, Trey Lance, is in the NFL.

“Quarterback play has to be at the forefront,” Entz said. “But one of the things with our quarterbacks, it comes down to completion percentage and accuracy and taking the throws that they give you. Throwing a hitch for five yards when they’re uncovered is a good play. Throwing bubble because we have leverage on the roll down safety or the slot area defender and it turns into eight yards, that’s a good play.

“We’re going to take advantage of what defenses give us. I do believe in putting a lot on a quarterback’s plate, in and out of plays, adjusting protections at the line of scrimmage. I think that’s one of the reasons why you’ve seen at NDSU a number of those quarterbacks have opportunities at the next level, because of the way they’ve prepared and the way they’ve trained.”