GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Calvin football is one of college football's newest programs. The Knights prepare for their inaugural game on Sept. 7, and do so under the leadership of Trent Figg.
"...the first couple words that come to mind are thankful, blessed and excited," said Figg, who joins the Knights from Oregon where he was an offensive analyst. "I'm really excited about our team. I'm excited about this university. I'm excited about Calvin Knight nation."
13 ON YOUR SIDE's Yaw Bonsu followed Figg around for a day of fall camp to explore his coaching style, staff and the culture he looks to build from scratch, literally.
He typically gets to the office around 6:15 a.m.
"I want to be the most prepared person in the building. I feel like if I'm going to drive the culture, I have to be the standard," said Figg. "When the staff shows up every day, they have to know the plan that's in place."
Figg later meets up with the team for breakfast at 7:30, where he greets every team member as they enter the breakfast hall.
"It's important for me to look into their eyes every morning...connection is our number one DNA trait in our program," said. Figg. "...if we can start the day touching somebody else...it lets them know, hey, I'm here for the day, I'm ready to roll."
Figg recited a Bible verse before practice as his faith is "the number one thing" in his life.
"My relationship with Jesus is what drives my life," said Figg. "He's the ultimate example of connection, grit, intention, and joy, when you look at every step of his life...that's what we've built our program on."
After breakfast, the team splits into position meetings before practice at 9:40, where things get intense out the gate. Loud chants, intense warm-ups and hard-hitting action characterize an average practice for the Knights.
Coach Figg later called it a lighter practice for the team, but the intensity is indicative of what he wants his culture to be.
"This is our first fall camp. If we can set that standard this year, that's the standard going forward."
"...we want to overemphasize this is how it's done at Calvin...if we show up and bring the juice. They know nothing else, right? They've never seen it done any other way here, and we want it to stay like that."
After Figg was hired, the next business order was to fill out his staff.
"These guys treat our players like they're their own sons," Figg said. "They want to teach. They want to develop, they want to build lifelong relationships."
"We're a transformational football program. To do that is a lot of work, and it takes a lot of time to build relationships, and our coaches are willing to do that."
Connection, grit, intention and joy are all pillars of this Trent Figg-led program. It is a standard partially taught at Oregon, where Figg was coaching under Dan Lanning, who was Figg's freshman-year roommate in college.
"Dan's the hardest working person I've ever been around. He's also the most loyal person that I've ever been around."
"...we've kind of held each other accountable in a lot of different ways, from a work ethic standpoint, to pushing each other. And we always used to say, don't talk about it. Be about it, right?"
After practice and some more meetings, the night—at least during fall camp—ends with one member of the coaching staff "introducing" themselves to the team with their background, career history, and anything they want to share with the team.
"I think it's so important that our players know who we are off the field," said Figg. "I got up the first night and I told him my story of faith, and I've told him my story of my family and what that looks like for me off the field. "
As our all-access clip shows, Figg and his coaching staff will not stop until they "get it right." As a first year program, there's no telling when success will come.
However, for Figg, when that time comes, it will be defined by more than championships.
"I coach to impact young men," said Figg. "And we can be so impressionable on these young men... I feel like I owe it to the game. I feel like I owe it to young men. I feel like this is what God has gifted me to do."