Interview: Former Utah WR Cameron Gardner, New Drake Bulldogs RB Coach
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
Once football gets into your system, it becomes part of your life forever. A three-star high school career with California national powerhouse Mater Dei and collegiate ball with Utah and Montana State now has Cameron “Cam” Gardner coaching tailbacks for the Drake Bulldogs.
While with the Monarchs, Mater Dei was winning state championships. As a sophomore, Gardner was catching passes from five-star QB JT Daniels and closed out his senior season with future Heisman winner and first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft Bryce Young delivering the pigskin. Some of the guys catching passes alongside Gardner included names you’ve heard from the college and NFL ranks: Nikko Remigio, Bru McCoy, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Osiris St. Brown.
Seeing action with the Utes and Bobcats, when Gardner’s collegiate career was through, the internal call to stay on the gridiron came.
Coming off the heels of an 8-3, 7-1 Pioneer Football League, season, Gardner joins a winning program now under head coach Joe Woodley, offensive coordinator Kyle Kempt, and defensive coordinator Adam Cox.
Gardner sat down for a one-on-one interview to discuss his move into coaching.
Interview
Cam, what was your college experience like?
“My college experience was everything that you could ask for. I made a ton of great relationships and my experiences within college definitely prepared me for my next step in coaching. I had the blessing of attending the University of Utah out of high school, where I learned what it took to play Power 5 football. I played mostly special teams during my freshman season and got in late in games at wide receiver.
“My second season was during Covid, and my role expanded even more. During my second season I returned my first punt versus USC and started having packages created for me at receiver and started getting in games earlier. After that season, I wanted to make more of an impact on the field and so I decided to enter the transfer portal, where I would then land at Montana State University.
“That first season with MSU was great, I played more and ironically enough, scored my first ever collegiate touchdown versus Drake University. Following that season, we headed into spring ball where I unfortunately dislocated my shoulder and tore mostly everything in my shoulder. My playing career ended there but I could not be more thankful to both universities and the people that I met along the way while I was there.”
What got you into coaching?
“I got into coaching because of people. Both my high school and college coaches had such a big impact on me both on and off the field. I want to be able to mentor and guide young men on a journey that I experienced not so long ago. I believe the impact that I can make in a young man’s life off the field is far more fulfilling that what I can do for them on the field, and so I want to be able to do that for as many young men as possible.”
What running back drills do you use to get your squad ready for the season?
“I use a variety of drills when it comes to practice. We will always start our individual periods with “EDD’s” or everyday drills. Within those EDD’s, we will always work on footwork, route development, pass protection and ball security in some way, shape, or form.
“Once we are finished with EDD’s, we will then move on to drills that translate to whatever we are installing for practice. Whether it is a unique run scheme, pass protection, or if we are going to be more involved in the pass game, that is where the focus will go to. I want to make sure that the drills do not get monotonous and that they are getting the most out of their individual time with me before they go out and compete.”
You’ve seen a lot of them, what makes a great college running back?
“I think that there are many things that make a great college running back. The main tools in my opinion are speed, that running back’s ability to make someone miss in the open field, and the physical presence the back brings in pass protection.”
How does Drake analyze recruiting talent?
“I have only been here a short time, but we want to recruit guys that are the right fit. Making sure that they are a right fit academically, socially, and of course, the right fit for the culture that is being built here.”
What advice do you have for high school players wanting to play college football?
“The main advice I would give to high school players would be to trust the process and stay connected with the schools that are super interested in you. It is great to want to play somewhere, but you will get the best experience if you go and play somewhere where you are wanted.”