A strong secondary is key in a conference like the American Athletic Conference. There are a lot of offensive skill-position players who can give defenders fits, so it's important for cornerbacks and safeties to win battles on their respective islands.

SMU safeties coach Trey Haverty understands the task at hand each year. And he definitely understands the mission for SMU defensive backs in 2020. The Mustangs will have a brand new group of starting safeties for the upcoming year, as Rodney Clemons is preparing for the NFL Draft, while Trevor Denbow is moving to a linebacker position.

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The HillTopics continues its "Coach Q&A" series and chatted with Haverty, who will begin his third season as safeties coach for the Mustangs. Here is Haverty's bio, courtesy of SMU Football.

What are the expectations for the 2020 season? What are the expectations for tonight? Haverty answered those questions and many more.

What are you doing during these current times to keep yourself occupied?

Becoming a chef on the grill. I've been on the grill a lot and spending family time. With coaching, just like any driven profession, we get so caught up in the grind and trying to be the best. I think we'll all look back on this years from now and remember the special memories of spending a couple of months just with family. I've been enjoying it and trying to stay sane with two kids in the house. We're cooking almost every day and just having fun with family, mostly.

What's Chef Haverty's specialty on the grill?

I don't know if I've got one. I'm kind of a jack of all trades and a master at none. I'm just doing burgers [Sunday]. We're having bacon cheddar burgers. Let's see if I can't mess those up.

Before COVID-19, you guys were having a great spring. What did you get most out of spring practices?

More than anything, losing Rodney and having Denbow go to another position, we just wanted to get the new guys reps. Chace Cromartie and Chevin Calloway have played, and I trust them, but getting them all reps was important. We have a bunch of young guys in Donald Clay, Roderick Roberson, Karl Taylor ... and Karl didn't get to participate in anything other than individual drills. He was supposed to come back after spring break before COVID-19 hit.

More than anything, we're just working with those young guys and building the room up to see who's going to be what. Leadership is going to come over time. I like the group. We had our first padded practice, and I think those guys have a chance to be really good. It's been all about working with the new guys. Rodney was always a familiar face, and we're going to miss Rodney, but we wish him the best. Working with new guys has been kind of fun. We've got a lot of uncontested pups, but it'll be fun.

You mentioned Rodney Clemons. What was it like coaching him?

Awesome. He deserves everything he gets. In this profession, sometimes guys when they get a little street cred want to sit out Tuesdays or Wednesdays. You had to tell him to sit out individual reps just to rest his body. He'd play almost every play and get beat up because he was so physical. It was an honor to coach him. I've been talking to some scouts, and they like him. I don't know where he's going to end up getting drafted, because so much goes on your measurables, this and that, but in talking to those guys, they know he's versatile and can do a lot of things.

He's physical in the run game. Coverage wise, you can't really name any clips that he got beat on. I think he's got a real good chance. It was just an honor to coach him. He came to work every day, and he handled it like a professional. He made my job a lot easier.

You have a group now looking to be the next leader. What's the one piece of advice you can give them?

Take your ego out of it. The whole thing, especially in this day and age, you have to understand that while everybody can play, there's only going to be two starters. You have to take your ego out of it, and I think that's where everyone's done a good job. We had two guys who are now not there anymore, with Rodney gone and Denbow switching positions. You've got to take your egos out and pull for each other, and the whole group does that. They really pull for each other. That makes it a lot of fun for me as a coach.

You can win championships with your twos [backups], so all of the guys have to be ready. When you're not getting all the reps, it's easy to say "I'm getting screwed" or whatever. You have to show up to work, and I think that the group's done a good job of that. They love to work, and they know that good things happen to good people.

In a few short words, what's your recruiting philosophy?

There are enough good players. Just don't take the wrong one. Find kids who are tough and love to play the game. That's something you can't find on Hudl.

What have you learned most from Sonny Dykes?

I played for him and have known him for 20 years. The best thing with Sonny is these players and coaches know that you can cheer for them but also still hold them accountable. He's really a player's coach, and you see that. The players all like him; they know he cares for them. But at the same time, when guys don't play well or do something right, he'll hold them accountable.

[Strength and conditioning coach] Kaz [Kazadi] is Sonny's right-hand man, and he pushes the same message as Sonny. We're all on the same page. There can only be one leader, and Sonny does a great job of that without pushing an ego. He doesn't put pressure on people. With him, if you do your job, you're good.

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