LOGAN, Utah – An NFL pedigree, a decade of collegiate coaching experience and an affinity for helping players on and off the field. This is what LaMarcus Hicks brings to the Utah State coaching staff.
 
The former Detroit Lion has shown a knack for developing ball-hawking secondaries throughout the ranks of college football. Now, his goal is to help create a defensive unit in Logan rivaling the best, not just in the Mountain West, but in the nation.
 
Hicks comes to Utah State after spending the past two seasons as the cornerbacks coach at Eastern Michigan, including serving as the team's defensive recruiting coordinator this past year.
 
We recently caught up with Hicks for a Q&A.
 
Q: How has your first month on the job been?
 
Hicks: It's been good. I got here in early February and jumped right into recruiting my area and the position players that we were going after. I love the staff and I love the players here. It's a really good place. We've been getting settled in. My family moved in a couple weeks ago and they enjoy it. My boys are out here watching practice every day, so it's been fun.
 
Q: What did you know about Utah State before joining the program?
 
Hicks: I knew about coach (Blake) Anderson. I know some guys that worked for him before and they had nothing but great things to say about him and how he runs his program. I also knew about coach (Ephraim) Banda and his defense. We didn't cross paths, but we were with some similar guys, so I had some familiarity with a couple of guys on the staff. As far as the team, it's funny, I followed the team last year. The reason I did, was because I recruited a lot of the corners that ended up coming here, which is funny. So, I just wanted to keep up with those guys. I knew about Utah State and what they were about and what they were doing and I'm excited to be a part of it.
 
Q: Why was Utah State the right fit for you?
 
Hicks: It's all about people. I don't want to make it sound like I didn't leave great people. I left great people. But I knew that these people were great and doing some really good things here, exceeding expectations and stuff like that. I just felt like it was the perfect time to come out here and join this staff.
 
Q: Did you have any previous connections or relationships with anyone on the current staff?
 
Hicks: I worked with Scotty Conley. He was at North Texas when I was there back in the day. Tim Burmeister, who is helping us out on defense as a graduate assistant, was also there with us, so I had a connection with those guys. Like I said, I knew people that knew coach Anderson and knew coach Banda, so that was the connection that I had.
 
Q: How are you fitting in with the defensive staff?
 
Hicks: The beautiful thing about our staff is that I think we have great chemistry. Everyone's a little bit different, which is what you need. Everyone's coming from different places and they've got different backgrounds and ideas, but at the end of the day, we all come together. We agree on the same things and we agree to do things the same way. It's a good mixture of guys and it's a good group.
 
Q: What are the goals for your cornerbacks group this spring?
 
Hicks: One of the things I want to do is create a leader. That's always big for me, is to have one of my guys representing the team. Being a leader that does things the right way, that goes hard every single day, will compete every single day in every single thing they do. It's just the nature of the position. We're on a big stage and it's a magnified position. Everybody can see when you make a play and everybody can see when you don't make a play. We have to be a confident group that has leadership and goes out and competes all the time. We want to create an identity. I want people in this conference to look at our tape and say, "Hey, this is what we should be doing. We should look like these guys at Utah State in the secondary." That's the goal that I have for my guys. They've heard me preach that already, so we just want to put it on tape.
 
Q: How much did your time in the NFL help you become a better coach?
 
Hicks: I had a chance to be around some great coaches in the NFL. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. I realized that the game is very mental and that's my approach, to teach these guys as much as I can without them learning too much and staying within the scheme and within the system. I had the chance to taste different things from different coaches and kind of blend it all to become what I believe in today. It was a great experience. Everyone at that level is fast, everyone at the level is strong and everybody can run. What separates guys is their ability to play the game in their head before the snap and recognize formations and splits. That's important to me, that I teach that to my guys so they can understand the demeanor of guys across the ball from them, so that pre-snap, they can eliminate a lot of stuff and can play fast and make plays. When you tell them that you played in the NFL and that's the place they want to go, they quickly realize, "Well, that guy, he's seen it. He's done it, so he's got a chance to be able to help me do it." It definitely helps in recruiting.
 
Q: What should Aggie fans expect to see on gameday from the Aggie cornerbacks?
 
Hicks: Expect us to play hard, run to the ball hard every single play and finish every single play to the best of our abilities. The nature of it is that they may give up a catch, but we don't plan on giving up a lot of yards after the catch. We want to eliminate explosive plays. We don't want to give up big, deep balls on the outside. That's one of the first goals that I talked to them about in the meeting room. We don't want to give up the deep ball. We want to eliminate those plays and take that number down as much as we can.
 
Q: What got you into coaching and why do you enjoy it so much?
 
Hicks: I love the game, and I want to be around it as much as I can and as long as I can. The longer I am in it the more I want to help and give back. I love that part of it and that is the part I get the most out of. I love when a player calls me five, six, seven years later and he tells me about something that I helped him with in his life. That's really what I enjoy. The wins, I love that part, as well; I love competing. But at the end of the day, I love this game. I love being around it and I love being around those guys and helping them as much as I can.
 
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you are not coaching football?
 
Hicks: I thought I used to have some talents but now, I like spending time out on the lake. I'm not a fisherman and I don't fish, I just like relaxing and hanging out in the sun. I'm an outdoor person. The first time I hiked a mountain was last year and now that I'm out here and living here in the mountains, I'm looking forward to hiking and being up in the mountains. I'm an outdoor person. Anything outdoors, I enjoy.