New Mentor, New Producers

He watched everything.

Game tape. Practice tape. Then he watched some more.

Chuka Ndulue, Colorado State's new defensive line coach, also watched workouts. In the weight room and during strength and conditioning drills. Everything he could take in he knew would be valuable.

"That's the fortunate part of not having children, I can sit up there all day and watch the whole film. I just watched a whole game tape, the whole season," Ndulue said of the process of learning the players in his room. "I had a chance to dive into that with the staff, then I watched individual drills. When we had time with them in the offseason, I came out and watched how each guy moved individually.

"I have my own personal drills I learned from people which helps me understand how each guy works. We don't waste time when we come out here. There's a purpose. It might be how to make a move, how they react, how they think. That helps me a lot. Watching tape, watching them do drills, watching them work with Coach (Jordon) Simmons helped me develop a profile of the type of player I might have in a room."

When spring camp began, Ndulue felt he had a rather good grasp of who he was working with, and more precisely, what he needed to work with them on improving. Not just as a group, but as individual players. Every one of them is different, owning their own strengths and weaknesses, so there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.

He learned this through the years as a standout at Oklahoma, where he first decided he wanted to be a coach. Even then, he was looking for ways to reach people. It continued through his professional career, which included stops in Denver and Los Angeles.

When it comes to replacing the production of last season's Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, Mohamed Kamara, he's not looking to find the next Kamara. He's looking to find the peak performance of each player in his room.

Just as important, returning defensive ends Nuer Gatkuoth and Mukendi Wa-Kalonji, realize they are not Kamara. That doesn't mean they can't be just as productive.

"If you see Mo, all three of us are completely different players, just the way we're built," Gatkuoth said. "I have longer legs, so I have to focus on what works for me and keep working that."

The Rams produced 33 sacks as a defense a season ago, 13 of those collected by Kamara. Returning players only account for only 12 of last year's figure, the majority of them coming from the second two levels, 3.5 each for linebackers and safeties.

The defensive line accounts for 5, and Gatkuoth and Wa-Kalonji combined for 1.5 of them. They're out to improve those numbers.

"Well, 13 plus 13 is 26," Gatkuoth said. "So, hey, 26 this year."

Kamara is gone from the roster, but his influence remains. Both youngsters still talk to him, and they still value his advice. They aren't just listening to what he had to say, but they're putting it into practice this spring.

They trust what he says, because they witnessed him doing exactly what he's telling them to do. Each spring, he'd work one move seeking perfection.

"He inspired us. We want to be just as good as him if not better," Wa-Kalonji said. "We've seen a lot of what he did, watched a lot of his film. There were two moves he really mastered, and that's what we've really got to do.

"I keep doing the same move out there every day. Even if it looks like I'm losing or failing at it, I know I'm trying to work it and trust the process. Once it starts working, I'm going to remember that feeling and I'm going to keep doing it over and over again."

For both of them, the process heavily involves footwork and the usage of their hands. Both now have experiences they can recall. Gatkuoth played for the first time last season, starting 10 of 12 games. He picked up his first half sack the final week of the season. Wa-Kalonji has played in the past 24 games as a backup end, collecting the first sack of his career in Week 2, against Colorado.
He also has a touchdown to his credit, returning a fumble for a score the season prior in the win against Nevada.

Ndulue has told them to be themselves, to find and work on their strengths, to understand and polish areas they lag. He's said the same to DeAndre Gill Jr., and Kennedy McDowell. While the focus of pass rush tends to fall on the outside rushers, Ndulue is quick to point out success is a deeper pursuit.

The whole can improve the sum.

"Everybody talks about Mo. Let's not forget those inside guys," Ndulue said. "If you're playing the four-down front, that's the most important. Cam (Bariteau), James (Mitchell), the younger guys coming up. My focus is we had a guy who was the defensive player of the year, but what about the rest of those guys? There are four guys who need to be blocked, so we can't just focus on one guy being the play maker, we need to make sure the whole unit is the play maker so the offense can't just sit on somebody."

Which is why they aren't sitting in the past, rather absorbing the lessons. Nor is Ndulue. For him, it is simply a launching point to move forward with a new set of students.

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