Talk about a whirlwind of a weekend for Tim Albin.
Less than 48 hours after winning the biggest game of his head coaching career, the 2024 MAC Championship, Albin walked into Halton Arena as the newest head football coach of the Charlotte 49ers with three things: a smile on his face, some tears in his eyes, and a clear plan to bring a consistent winner to the Queen City.
Albin, a former wide receiver at Northwest Oklahoma State turned Group of Five offensive guru, opened up his remarks with three words that riled up the rowdy crowd that attended his press conference: "We're gonna win." The guy knows a thing or two about a thing or two when it comes to winning.
His Ohio Bobcats have won 10 games in each of the past three seasons, a feat only matched by Gerogia, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State in that same span, including victories in the 2023 Arizona Bowl and the 2024 Myrtle Beach Bowl. Many projected a downturn for Ohio in 2024 based on their lack of returning production (I mean look at this), but Albin found a way to continue the program's winning tradition even with an unheralded roster stocked with young players and portaled-in talent.
He'll need to do the same thing in Charlotte.
As it stands, 28 Niners players are in the transfer portal while their 129th ranked recruiting class (according to 247) only boasts a total of four players.
Turning the 49ers into an overnight success is not on the menu for Albin or his boss Mike Hill, but a sustained build resulting in future AAC Championships and potential runs to the College Football Playoff, are.
Tim Albin has a proven track record at turning programs around
The fourth full-time head coach in Charlotte history walked into a similar situation when he took over as the head coach of the Ohio Bobcats. In 2022, the first year Albin was in charge, Ohio went 3-9. Hunter Bailey of the Charlotte Observer asked Albin how they turned it around so quickly, and his answer shed a shred of light on what to expect over time in the Queen City.
"Belief. You ask Coach Solich, it's on the wall. He put it up on the wall, it's still on the wall. There's been some remodeling, but that stayed. My message today with the guys (Albin met with the players this morning), I used the word buy-in. It's going to take work. But that's how we got it turned, and I know that we can do that here."
Words like "belief" and "buy-in" are platitudes that market well on T-shirts, but the holistic message that Albin delivered on Monday afternoon is worth believing in and buying into.
Albin spoke at length about getting to know his players and staff on a personal level. "Every time you walk by one of them (your players) it can't be about a new pressure or a new this. It's got to be about 'How's your girlfriend? How's Macy doing?' You lead by action, you lead by example. I'm going to make a mistake. I'm not perfect. But they're going to see me own it. I just think that it goes beyond 'you're doing a great job', you know?..I want to help them.
"I think it's genuine. They appreciate it. And when you get back to the trust piece of this..once you have that established, on game day, you're hot, and you're challenging them and asking for a little bit more, they don't flinch. Because they know they're loved."
His accolades speak for themselves. His coaching acumen is easy to see for even the untrained football eye. But Albin's passion for his programs, his players, and the people around him was the true selling point for me.
However, a Ted Lasso-like mindset will solely win you press conferences, not games, so thankfully Albin talked a little ball too.
Albin's offensive philosophy
He was asked about his offensive philosophy, seeing as how he is an offensive minded coach, and he answered astutely. It's a long answer, but it's worth reading it in full.
"The big thing for us is going to be finding a way to run the football. Time of possession is huge. In this league, just from what I know about it, you look at Tulane, some of the other schools, you've got to find a way to run the football. It doesn't mean it has to be 200 rushing, 200 passing, which we had on Saturday (in the MAC Championship game)."
"Especially in the second half, as far as rush yards, it's a mindset. It's a program. Offensively you've got to get your best eleven on the field, but everything goes through the run game. Your play action, your shot plays, and then you've got to have some tempo, fast balls."
"Everything goes through the quarterback. Which we all know. We're going to start it with the offensive line, a big strong running back, and a really good, talented quarterback that can create with his feet. He's got to be able to move out of the way sometimes. And then you've got to have some designed things with him in the run game. You don't want your quarterback carrying the ball 20 times in a game. But you're on the road, you're in a tight one, and he gets 12 carries? He gets 12 carries."
"Again, it's about getting the best eleven. That's kind of been our formula and it's worked. We've been at Ohio for 20 years and that's kind of where it's at with philosophy."
Top of mind for fans when thinking about the offense is Deshawn Purdie. The freshman sensation is the pivotal piece that Albin needs to keep on campus, and he confirmed that he had a scheduled meeting with the signal caller this afternoon.
Today marks the dawn of a new era in Charlotte football. The upcoming days, months, and years will revel if it's successful, but fans of this program want one thing: wins. If Tim Albin can do what those before him have failed to do, win, today will be remembered forever. If he can't, and he flames out like his predecessors, today will become a distant memory like every introductory press conference of the past.
It's simple for Tim Albin - do what Al Davis said: Just win, baby.
