CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Ohio Valley Conference held its 2020-21 Football Virtual Media Day on Tuesday.

First-year Austin Peay head football coach Scotty Walden had a lot to say while he addressed the media during his portion of interviews.

“It’s just been awesome to get out in the community and see people’s passion for Austin Peay,” Walden said. “We’ve been able to get a lot of work in, in a short amount of time. Our kids are excited to play, our coaches are excited to play, and I’m really excited about the future.”

At just 31 years of age, Walden is currently the youngest active Division I collegiate football coach in the nation.

“It’s something that I don’t take for granted,” Walden said of the opportunity. “I think my biggest advantage when it comes to my age is that I can relate to my players. Just being able to kind of know and have a feel for some of the things that they’re going through because not too long ago, I was blessed to play college ball. Having that relationship and understanding that it’s more than football, I think is really important.

“I’ve always been a believer that age is just a number. I think what really matters is your experiences and the type of person you are. At the end of the day, your character, your integrity, what you stand for, how you do things and the culminations of all those things allow you to thrive in certain situations.”

1. Quick turnaround

With the 2021 season kicking off for the Governors on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Tennessee Tech, there is no practice rep, walkthrough or meeting to waste, according to Walden.

“Obviously we knew going into this, that a quick turnaround was going to happen,” Walden said. “We are going to have to get our offense, defense and special teams installed very fast. We are extremely pressed for time. We’re playing a great team in Cookeville, Tennessee very soon and we have to get ready to play.”

2. Hit the ground running

Coaches can be faced with many difficult decisions when it comes to assembling a staff, especially in year one with a new program.

“Taking chances on people you haven’t worked with,” Walden said of the biggest hardship. “It’s unbelievable the amount of references and phone calls you yield. … I’ve always had a running list of guys that I would look to hire if I were to get a job. I also took recommendations from people that I really trusted and a lot of these guys I’ve worked with before. Some of them I haven’t. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much ball they know. You just have to hire good people that are going to instill great values in your kids. That’s the number one thing for me.”

Austin Peay went 0-3 over the course of its fall slate of games in 2020 against some tough competition including Central Arkansas, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

Senior defensive back and 2019 NCAA Consensus FCS All-American Kordell Jackson shared what he as well as the team took away from the three losses.

“That 0-3 kind of left a bitter taste in our mouth,” Jackson said. “It was a learning experience the entire time. The main thing I learned is that you’re only as strong as your weakest link. With COVID, anyone may have to play at any given time and everyone has to be prepared and ready.”

3. Changes and implementations

Since first setting foot on campus in early November of 2020, Walden’s biggest implementation or change made as far as the football team is concerned has been about culture.

“I’m a firm believer in it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it,” Walden said. “That’s the one thing I wanted to get in place here at Austin Peay with our coaches and kids is understanding how we’re going to do things and what we’re going to be about. I think that was imperative to get done from the get-go.”

4. Clean slate

Walden made it abundantly clear Tuesday that every player and coach will begin 2021 with a clean slate.

“When I came in I didn’t know anybody,” Walden said. “I have a much better feel now of players since going through mat drills and going through some hard things with them. Still, I haven’t even been in a padded practice yet with these guys. Every job is going to be wide open. They’re going to have to prove to me what they can do and what they can retain. I’m excited to evaluate that from every position.”

The exit of Jeremiah Oatsvall from the program in the offseason paves the way for a bit of a quarterback controversy. Without much experience currently on the roster under center, only time will tell if returning signal callers such as Kam Williams or Bryce Robinson may see the starting nod.

Ironically enough, after Oatsvall transferred to Memphis University, Austin Peay landed a former Tiger quarterback of its own in Sheldon Layman. Odds are that Layman could also factor into the carousel that is the quarterback position currently for the Govs.

“I would say nobody has emerged as a frontrunner yet because I’m not going to make that call until I get a quarterback in full pads and he’s gotta feel that pass rush and make plays with three to five guys breathing down his neck,” Walden said. “That’s the true mark of a great quarterback. A guy that’s going to separate himself and not everyone can do that. … We’re nowhere near making a decision on that yet.”

5. Adaptation

In many aspects of life, those who can effectively operate in situations they are not accustomed to, have a significant leg up on those who cannot. Being able to adapt in today’s ever-changing climate that is college football is no different with inclement weather potentially playing a major factor early on in the spring.

“It did affect us before in the 2019 season during the FCS quarterfinal game,” Jackson said of the cold temperature. “I feel like if you want to go deep into the playoffs and be in a run for a national championship, that you’re going to have to put the weather to the side early on and not let it deter how you feel or how you play.”

Austin Peay’s home opener is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. in Fortera Stadium.