Gabe Giardina era underway at ASU

ALBANY — The Gabe Giardina era is officially underway at Albany State University. The new head football coach was formally introduced to the campus and the community Monday afternoon in a news conference followed by a meet and greet.

Alumni and Ram faithful had the chance to pick the new coach’s brain how he will run the team and what his expectations are and each question was met with enthusiasm from Giardina. He was selected from a pool of more than 100 candidates. The four finalists were given tours of the school and had opportunities to meet with members of the selection committee, including student athletes.

During the news conference, linebacker Zane Fields expressed gratitude on behalf of the team for being allowed to have a say in the selection process. He noted how Giardina’s enthusiasm showed through.

“We actually got to sit down and eat with and question the final four candidates,” he said. “Coach G, man, he was full of energy as soon as we met him. He’s a great guy, down to earth.

“He shot it to us straight forward and didn’t just tell what we wanted to hear. He told us it was going to be hard. He comes from winning and that’s what we want to do.”

Giardina is a graduate of the University of Alabama and was a part of the Crimson Tide football team from 2000-03, earning Academic All-SEC honors in 2003. Giardina would work for Mike Shula and current Alabama head coach Nick Saban as a student and graduate assistant.

During his tenure at Charleston Southern University in Charleston, S.C., offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, CSU teams accumulated 36 wins in four seasons, the highest winning four years in the program’s history. The Buccaneers won back-to-back Big South Conference championships in 2015-16.

Led by Giardina’s multiple-option offense, CSU was able to pile up yards, averaging more than 400 total yards of offense per game.

Giardina says his goal is to bring some of those same offensive strategies to ASU.

“The plan is to kinda marry some of the things we’ve done here with some of the things we’ve done at CSU,” he said. “I don’t want people hear the word ‘option’ and think, ‘Oh we’re only going to throw it six times a game.’ That’s not what we do.

“We’re gonna throw it 18 to 25 times a game, try to make a bunch of big plays in the passing game and just make it hard on defenses by making them play their responsibilities. We’re gonna do it from the gun, so it’s a little different. I think it’s tough for people to prepare for and I think, more than anything, it’s fun to play in.”

Giardina cited ASU’s rich history as well as the passion and commitment from school officials and community members alike as what drew him to the position. Moving forward, he said, his top priority is not only to keep the wins coming, but to “be a bright light in the community that alums and community members will be proud of by the way our young men compete on the field and by the way they conduct themselves off the field.”