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By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Brad Welborn, NSU Sports Information
SAN ANTONIO – “It’s football season. When you come here, you know it’s time to go.”
Those were the words second-year Northwestern State head football coach Blaine McCorkle used to punctuate his opening statement at Monday’s Southland Conference Opening Drive event at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
McCorkle was joined by redshirt senior center Caleb Billiot and redshirt senior defensive end Cam George as Northwetern’s representatives at the event, which brought together representatives from all 10 of the league’s football-playing teams.
The message from McCorkle’s first media day appearance a season ago was belief. In his second turn at the Southland dais, his focus was on the culture.
“Coach McCorkle says it all the time – it’s a night and day difference,” Billiot said of the team’s culture. “These guys are way more bought in. We do a lot more things outside the facility. We take care of each other. Even the new guys who just got here, we try to bring them in and show them our culture and show them what we’re all about here.”
While Billiot and George combined for 22 starts a season ago, McCorkle acknowledged the relative youthfulness for a Northwestern team that was picked to finish ninth in the league’s annual preseason poll of conference coaches and sports information directors.
The Demons will carry 50 total freshman – including redshirts – and another 22 sophomores into the 2025 season, placing an even greater leadership emphasis on experienced players like Billiot and George.
“The biggest thing is leading by example,” said George, who was recognized among the best-dressed players at the event. “You want to put yourself at the forefront, because it’s the right way to do things, the right way to carry yourself and, overall, just to be a good player as well as a good person.”
That change and forward movement in leadership has resonated with McCorkle.
“My son (Sammy) is a high school football player, and he works out in the mornings,” McCorkle said. “Every morning, I drop him off and hit the gas as fast as I can to come watch these guys work out. I think I only missed two workouts because of other obligations this summer, because I just want to be around my team. I enjoy them. They’re fun to be around, and it’s fun to watch them get close to each other.”
That closeness will return to a full-scale level in a week when the Demons report July 28 for fall camp, one month ahead of the Turpin Stadium opener against Alcorn State.
“We’re having a great time out here, and it’s been fun, but I was talking to Cam earlier and said, ‘This means we’re one step closer to football season,” Billiot said. “That means we have to get after it really fast, because the days are counting down.”
