Coach Q&A: Meet SMU CBs coach Kevin Curtis

Before he was the cornerbacks coach at SMU, Kevin Curtis built a nice resume as a defensive back at the highest level. He was picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft and spent three seasons with the Niners.

A former Texas Tech standout and two-time All-American, Curtis also spent time with the Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans. If anyone knows the proper steps to make it to football's professional pinnacle, it's Curtis.

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Here is Curtis' bio, courtesy of SMU Football. As he prepares for his third season on SMU's coaching staff, Curtis is tasked with producing the best cornerbacks the American Athletic Conference has to offer.

It's a challenge he accepts with open arms, and he spent with a few minutes with The HillTopics to discuss everything from the upcoming season to how he's spending the days away from the office because of the current global conditions.

With everything on hiatus, what are you doing now? How are you staying busy?

Right now, because of not having to go to office and not being able to do the normal things, everybody's trying to spend more time with their families. With my wife being a teacher and my 2-year-old son, I'm spending as much time I possibly can with my family. Our schedules are tough and you don't get a lot of family time. Just spending time with family is what I'm doing -- a lot now.

We've got coaches who are doing a little bit of everything. Some are grill chefs. Some are video game masters. Is there anything you're starting to master now?

Just trying to master being a good dad. I've been focused on that.

SMU football really was trending the first three days of spring practice. What did you see in those practices that had you excited to return?

The three practices left a good taste in my mouth. I can say every one of my guys was better at that point than they were during the season. The little things we were talking about that they worked on during the offseason when they were with Coach Kaz [Kazadi], and just the focus they had with us and the tweaks we did with the scheme, I think it was moving in the right direction. We're excited about that progress, and we'll be excited when we get back on the field.

You mentioned Coach Kaz. From a cornerback's perspective, how important is a guy like him?

For him, the most important thing is he wants to create a better football player. He's not worried about creating this weight-room beast that doesn't transfer on the football field. Also, he wants guys who can be on the field. We want the best athlete that you're trying to create, but also the guy that can be durable on the football field. I think that's what he focuses on. It's been good for our guys to just work on that and staying healthy.

What is the thing about Sonny Dykes that makes everybody go to bat for him?

One thing you always hear from any of the coaches and the people who come in contact with him is that he's a genuine person. They can sit down, and no matter who they are -- whether it's a head coach or just a guy in the building, it doesn't matter -- everybody is treated with respect. He's never big-timed anybody. I think it goes a long way. I know we respect that about him; he's a good guy. That's the best compliment you can say about him. There are a lot of guys who are good head coaches, but when you start saying "good people," I think you start weeding a lot of people out.

This is an SMU team that scored a lot but also a team that gave up a lot of points. As a DBs coach, what have you been saying to your unit to where what happened in 2019 doesn't happen in 2020?

I think the one thing you always want to eliminate is the bust. You always want to make sure we're executing the defense the right way. That's first. Then, you want to eliminate missed tackles. You want to make sure you have the proper angles, that you're playing to your help, and that you're wrapping up as you shoot your shot and being aggressive. The next thing is winning those one-on-one battles. You're going to lose some, and you're going to win some, but we've got to be better at winning those one-on-one battles.

I think if you can make sure that we're all where we're supposed to be and if you're in position to make the tackles, we'll cut those big plays down. It's definitely a point of emphasis. I know offensively, people are trying to create big plays, while defensively, we're trying to prevent them. That's your focus every year. When we pick back up, we know we've got to cut down on the big plays.

TRACKING THE HILLTOPICS' COACH Q&A SERIES

Feb. 16: Co-offensive coordinator/OLs coach AJ Ricker

Feb. 23: Co-offensive coordinator/QBs coach Garrett Riley

March 1: Defensive coordinator/LBs coach Kevin Kane

March 8: DLs coach Randall Joyner

March 15: TEs coach Josh Martin

March 22: WRs coach David Gru

March 29: Safeties coach Trey Haverty

April 5: RBs coach Ra'Shaad Samples

Today: CBs Kevin Curtis