Keith Pogue returns to the Mahomet-Seymour Football team as Assistant Coach

By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

There’s a familiar face working with Mahomet-Seymour High School football players once again.

Former head coach Keith Pogue – who won nearly two-thirds of his games during an 11-year stint as head coach – has returned to the staff as an assistant.

He is working with quarterbacks and special teams.

It was a mutual decision between Pogue and the person who replaced him in 2019, Jon Adkins.

“I tried to get him back last year,” Adkins said.

Pogue didn’t see that as a wise decision.

“He didn’t need me around,” Pogue said. “He needed to establish his way of doing things.”

Adkins left the door open for Pogue’s return and learned during the off-season about the veteran’s desire to get back in the game.

All along, Pogue’s plan was to take a year off from coaching and then see if he had the desire to return.

He didn’t need the full year.

“As the year went on, and I watched the season go by, I decided to get back into it,” Pogue said. “I didn’t know 100 percent it would be at Mahomet.

“I mentioned to him (Adkins) that I was interested and he was very enthusiastic.”

Adkins said the decision didn’t require much thought.

“Keith is a fantastic person, and I’d bounced ideas off of him in the past (at previous coaching stops),” Adkins said. “Any time you have a chance to get a guy with his expertise and knowledge – and who is a teacher in the building – it is huge.”

Last year, when the Bulldogs finished with a 4-5 varsity season record, Mike Burner was the lone assistant who was also a teacher at the high school.

Adkins rearranged staff assignments to make room for Pogue.

“I shuffled things and asked what he’d be comfortable with,” Adkins said.

According to Pogue, there were plenty of options.

“I’ve coached every position, so I was pretty wide open,” Pogue said.

Adkins’ said Pogue’s dual role allows him to return, but without the time commitment that some might find daunting.

“Being an assistant, I don’t expect him to put in the crazy hours that the head coach or coordinators do,” Adkins said.

Pogue is looking forward to his duties on the offensive end as many of those other coaches are ones who were assistants during his previous tenure.

He is glad, however, he took the year off. It was a year where he attended every home football game and saw all of the away games, either in person or on film.

“It’s not that I can’t live without it,” he said, “but I enjoyed things more when I was coaching.

“I’m glad I found that out about myself.”

Counting his years as an assistant at M-S, Pogue’s commitment to the school has covered 25 football seasons. Before that, he coached eighth-grade youth football at St. Joseph-Ogden for three years.

He doesn’t anticipate any difficulties in someone else being in charge of a football program he guided to the playoffs in nine of his 11 seasons in charge.

“Jon and I have pretty similar philosophies and we want coaches to make lots of suggestions,” Pogue said, “but not having to make that final decision is easier.

“I’m looking forward to doing some football things.”

Even before Adkins was hired by M-S, he had reached out to Pogue, whom he had known for years through coaching clinics.

“He emailed me (asking about the position), and I said it needed new energy and a new vision,” Pogue said.

Pogue has been with squad members during the past two weeks while M-S has participated in weightlifting and conditioning.

That has whetted his appetite for more.

“It’s nice to be involved with staff meetings, even if they were virtual, and the X’s and O’s,” Pogue said.

Adkins likes what he has seen thus far.

“He hit the ground running,” Adkins said. “I’m glad he has the fire.”

Adkins sees it as a win-win to have Pogue back on staff.

“Everyone knows Coach Pogue,” Adkins said. “Kids grew up watching him be involved and now a lot have him in (history) class.”

The current juniors and seniors would have been freshmen and sophomore during Pogue’s final season as the varsity football head coach in 2018.

“They’ve all been positive towards me, and welcoming,” he said. “I haven’t heard anything negatively at all.”

Pogue, who has his law degree, has tried to stay on top of estate planning. Following his hiatus, he has a clearer vision for his future.

“I needed to take a year off to figure out what I wanted to do,” Pogue said. “I would say I am much more likely to stay with football than to get back into law work.”

He understands that some head coaches might have misgivings about inviting a former head coach to return to the staff, and he is appreciative of Adkins’ gesture.

“It takes someone with a little courage to invite someone back into a program,” said Pogue, who will make certain not to overstep the boundaries.

“I hope to defer to him and make it clear he is the man in charge.”

Adkins said about 75 prospects from all four grade levels have participated in the workouts during the past two weeks.

“The kids are excited and the staff is excited,” Adkins said. “The kids knew that they couldn’t do anything football-specific (until the state reaches Phase 4 in its recovery from the coronavirus).”

Once the state permits expanded participation, Adkins said he plans to keep a similar schedule – workouts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – out of respect to parents who had made plans after learning months ago how the program’s summer schedule would be organized.

Adkins has no shortage of team leaders.

Fifteen squad members met all of the criteria to be recognized as a captain – or team leader – for the upcoming 2020 season. Each one was accepted and welcomed.

“One of my jobs is to create as many leaders as I possibly can,” Adkins said. “I’m going to embrace them and give them the tools to better themselves and try to develop overall leadership skills.”

To qualify, football players had to attend at least 75 percent of the leadership academy meetings and then submit a resume that included references and a letter of application, before completing the process with an interview.

Athletes from each level made the grade and none were captains last year when four seniors were at the program’s helm.

Current captains are:

Seniors – Braden Finch, Clay Hubble, Hayden Nelson, Zach Travis.

Juniors – Mitchell Gallier, Nolan Nierenhausen, Tyler Uken.

Sophomores – Wyatt Bohm, Dayten Eisenmann, Nick Golden, Braden Houchin, Ryan Koller, Valient Walsh.

Freshmen – Jack Gallier, Ryken Kirby.

“The more leaders we can create,” Adkins added, “the better the program will be as far as holding kids accountable.”

The schedule calls for the first varsity football game to be played on Aug. 28, at Marion, if IHSA-sponsored activities have resumed by that time.

“I’m crossing my fingers,” Adkins said.