NORFOLK, Va. — The one thing you notice about a Norfolk State football practice this season comes in the form of cohesiveness. They clap as one and they speak as one. All of that comes from the top under new head coach, Dawson Odums who comes from Southern University in Louisiana. In his nine years there, he only had one losing season. The Boiling Springs, North Carolina native is all about consistency in the message to his players. "I have a gift of reading the room", he says. "I have a good understanding of when to be hard on them. When to be light on them. I think that mixture you have to have as a coach if you want to be a successful coach."
Some media members have picked Norfolk State to finish 2nd in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference behind South Carolina State. Spartan players like defensive back, Stuart Anderson, Jr. have bought in. "The discipline from day one was key", says the redshirt junior from Mathews, Virginia. "It's about business. It was a Fortune 500 company that we were building and being a Fortune 500 company comes with a lot of things."
NSU will be led by redshirt senior quarterback, Juwan Carter who was tabbed the preseason Player Of The Year in the MEAC. "Last year we lost games by three to ten points and it's just that little bit of effort", he says.
Odums feels if all goes according to plan, the Spartan faithful will have something to look forward to this season. "I think they'll see a team that competes at a high level. Play with great energy and effort."