Colorado State University Athletics
Guiton Brings QB Vision to Wide Receiver Room
5/8/2020 12:00:00 PM | Football, RamWire
His background adds a layer to his teaching
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – As a quarterback at Ohio State, Kenny Guiton was able to anticipate how a play would unfold in front of him after taking the snap.
As Colorado State's wide receivers coach, his goal is to bring the same understanding to his position group, aiding their personal growth and that of the Rams' offense in one bold stroke.
"I think that's the biggest part I can bring to the table, showing those guys exactly what that quarterback is looking at, what he has to deal with in the pocket and what he has to deal with in an offense," Guiton said. "At times, wideouts can get in their own box."
This will be Guiton's second season as a fulltime coach, coming to the program from Louisiana Tech. There he guided a group which produced five receivers who had at least 30 catches each, four of them surpassing 400 yards in production. That impressed CSU head coach Steve Addazio, and he received rave reviews from both Ohio State and La Tech as to the type of person and coach Guiton is becoming.
"He's phenomenal," Addazio said. "I think he's really a bright young guy who has a great future ahead of him."
Guiton has enjoyed his early interactions with the rest of the offensive staff, especially when it comes to the run-game dynamics. That's an area he already stresses in his meeting room, as he understands how their down-field blocking completes the task. He saw it first hand as a quarterback who could chew up yardage with his legs, and he expects CSU wideouts to be an extension of the offensive line. In his eyes, the guys up front may be blocking to produce a 10-yard gain, but his group can pop it for an extra 40.
Yet before he jumps into assignments each day, he wants to delve into his players as people.
"One thing they're going to know about me is I love them. I love them, and I want to dive into their lives," Guiton said. "I always think with the relationship, it's different, but me and my wife, I'm going to give my wife every bit of me. That's the person I have the biggest relationship in the world with. The same thing with my wideouts. If I have a relationship with those guys, they'll do anything that I ask them to do and they'll do it with 100-percent effort.
"I love to have fun, and our wideout group, we're going to be guys that love to have fun. We're going to have fun, but at the end of the day, when it's time to work, we're going to work. I think they got a feel for it. When I come in, I don't start with football. I ask guys how they're doing, what did you learn today, to open up the room and come with communication."
Guiton didn't have to be on campus long to see film. It didn't take many meetings with his players to understand what they can bring to the table. Just seven spring practices ingrained his beliefs even further. He's impressed, and for a young coach, there alone is reason enough to want to come to work.
From his playing days, he knows what a good receiver looks like, the attributes he possess. And yes, he would have loved to have thrown to Warren Jackson in his career, noting height and catch radius can't be coached, just like some of the other factors Jackson contributes.
Talent is great. Guiton knows talent can be cultivated.
"It's a talented group. I think they have talent, and I think they want to be good," Guiton said. "I think they want to be coached. That's something when I sit back and look at it, I love it. It's something I can come in every day and be excited about coming into work. With the talent, now has to come the work. First and foremost, we have to know what we're doing, then we have to work. Talent is not enough.
"I'm very excited. It's a talented group, so I can't wait to work with those guys and show them what work is. Everybody has a sense of work, but my job as a coach is to take what that sense and make it even higher. I want them to think this is the work that's going to make me the best player I can be."
And with a quarterback's view a vital part of his teaching, his goal is a big-picture approach will lead to eye-popping results.
As Colorado State's wide receivers coach, his goal is to bring the same understanding to his position group, aiding their personal growth and that of the Rams' offense in one bold stroke.
"I think that's the biggest part I can bring to the table, showing those guys exactly what that quarterback is looking at, what he has to deal with in the pocket and what he has to deal with in an offense," Guiton said. "At times, wideouts can get in their own box."
This will be Guiton's second season as a fulltime coach, coming to the program from Louisiana Tech. There he guided a group which produced five receivers who had at least 30 catches each, four of them surpassing 400 yards in production. That impressed CSU head coach Steve Addazio, and he received rave reviews from both Ohio State and La Tech as to the type of person and coach Guiton is becoming.
"He's phenomenal," Addazio said. "I think he's really a bright young guy who has a great future ahead of him."
Guiton has enjoyed his early interactions with the rest of the offensive staff, especially when it comes to the run-game dynamics. That's an area he already stresses in his meeting room, as he understands how their down-field blocking completes the task. He saw it first hand as a quarterback who could chew up yardage with his legs, and he expects CSU wideouts to be an extension of the offensive line. In his eyes, the guys up front may be blocking to produce a 10-yard gain, but his group can pop it for an extra 40.
Yet before he jumps into assignments each day, he wants to delve into his players as people.
"One thing they're going to know about me is I love them. I love them, and I want to dive into their lives," Guiton said. "I always think with the relationship, it's different, but me and my wife, I'm going to give my wife every bit of me. That's the person I have the biggest relationship in the world with. The same thing with my wideouts. If I have a relationship with those guys, they'll do anything that I ask them to do and they'll do it with 100-percent effort.
"I love to have fun, and our wideout group, we're going to be guys that love to have fun. We're going to have fun, but at the end of the day, when it's time to work, we're going to work. I think they got a feel for it. When I come in, I don't start with football. I ask guys how they're doing, what did you learn today, to open up the room and come with communication."
Guiton didn't have to be on campus long to see film. It didn't take many meetings with his players to understand what they can bring to the table. Just seven spring practices ingrained his beliefs even further. He's impressed, and for a young coach, there alone is reason enough to want to come to work.
From his playing days, he knows what a good receiver looks like, the attributes he possess. And yes, he would have loved to have thrown to Warren Jackson in his career, noting height and catch radius can't be coached, just like some of the other factors Jackson contributes.
Talent is great. Guiton knows talent can be cultivated.
"It's a talented group. I think they have talent, and I think they want to be good," Guiton said. "I think they want to be coached. That's something when I sit back and look at it, I love it. It's something I can come in every day and be excited about coming into work. With the talent, now has to come the work. First and foremost, we have to know what we're doing, then we have to work. Talent is not enough.
"I'm very excited. It's a talented group, so I can't wait to work with those guys and show them what work is. Everybody has a sense of work, but my job as a coach is to take what that sense and make it even higher. I want them to think this is the work that's going to make me the best player I can be."
And with a quarterback's view a vital part of his teaching, his goal is a big-picture approach will lead to eye-popping results.
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