ORONO, Maine — There have been numerous changes since Joe Harasymiak took over as the head coach of the University of Maine football program, officially on Jan. 1.
Many have come within the coaching staff.
Harasymiak hired Liam Coen as the offensive coordinator and promoted Corey Hetherman to defensive coordinator. Assistants Nick Charlton (special teams coordinator/wide receivers), Matt Birkett (safeties), and Michael Ryan (inside linebackers) moved to different positions.
Meanwhile, Pat Denecke (tight ends) and Jared Keyte (outside linebackers/video coordinator) joined veterans Jeff Ambrosie (offensive line) and Roosevelt Boone (running backs) as staff members.
“You’ve got three coordinators and a head coach that are truly acting in their roles for the first time,” Harasymiak said. “There’s a lot going on.”
As the staff tries to develop a productive working relationship, Harasymiak has implemented a plan to help the motivate the players with spring practices underway.
The Black Bears are trying to retool the culture of the program and establish a new identity. UMaine wants its players to establish themselves as “hunters.”
“The three qualities for being hunters is we have to be hungry, skilled and determined. That’s Black Bear football,” Harasymiak said.
The hunger component is to pursue winning Colonial Athletic Association championships, which UMaine did in 2013 and in 2011.
“Everybody wants to eat, but few are willing to hunt,” Harasymiak continued, stressing that UMaine has Division I scholarship football players who are skilled, but must perfect their craft through practice and repetition.
Being determined is a critical aspect of being a hunter, because identifying and finding prey often requires persistence through the process.
“When you go out hunting, you might not get your kill in the first half-hour or an hour. You could be sitting there for hours at a time,” Harasymiak said.
He equated that dynamic to fighting hard on the field, despite facing a deficit in the third or fourth quarter.
The concept of “hunters” is designed to give the Black Bears a mantra around which to begin this new era in the program. It is the same kind of attitude that has enabled the UMaine defense to use its “Black Hole” nickname as a constant source of pride and motivation.
“We’ve got to take ownership of our culture and identity,” Harasymiak said. “I think to move forward you’ve got to know who you are and what you’re all about.”
Building that identity is likely to come with some challenges for the Black Bears. Harasymiak wants to make sure his players recognize that and not let obstacles keep them from reaching their eventual goals.
“The guys have to understand that failure’s going to happen. It’s not going to happen right away,” Harasymiak said of success. “I tell the guys, you’ve just got to trust it, embrace the grind. We’ve just got to keep battling.”