I think you guys are really going to like Vic So'oto. If there's any singular takeaway, it's that he absolutely can't stand anything he deems to be soft play. His go-to phrase is "violent" and I'm just saying I think it's more than lip service.
VIC SO'OTO
Opening comments ...
"Excited to be here. USC has been a dream of mine -- my wife and I -- and when this opportunity came, it took a little bit, but it really was a no-brainer for us to come out here and become a Trojan. So we're excited. Spring ball's coming up, defensive line are my guys and I told my wife they're going to hate me before they like me, and right now they're kind of going through that whole process, but we're excited."
On the hiring process ...
"I came out here on our interview with my wife, I bring her because she can see things from different angles, and Clay Helton to his credit was the guy who kind of tipped us over as far as a boss that you can get behind and fight for. Coach Orlando's been awesome. He's cut from the same cloth, so to speak. I think the three other guys that you guys have seen earlier today, we're all kind of cut from the same cloth. We [believe] in playing football a certain way. And then talking to my parents, with them being an hour and a half away in Oceanside, Carlsbad area, they were 'Bring the babies home' basically. I have five kids, and so they were ready for their grandchildren to come to the west coast."
On what struck him about Clay Helton ...
"Just being real and honest, and then he's a faith-based coach and our faith is big to us. So, you know, what he was able to bring as far as far as conversations and feelings, we were just fired up and ready to go."
On what he took from Bronco Mendenhall's coaching style ...
"Oh man, the list could go on and on. But most importantly I would say, there's a right way to do things, there's a standard of doing things and every day it's got to be to that standard and you've got to hold your players to that standard. And so the whole idea of having violent practices and physical practices, it's not mine. It's just the way that I've known football from pushing the limit and every day's going to take you to that dark point that Orlando talks a lot about, and then we're going to see who can stay there. Really, that's where the championships are. The greatest players I've been around are the hardest workers. I told the story about Charles Woodson being the last guy in Green Bay to give me a ride back as an undrafted rookie free agent at 11 o'clock at night during the training camp. That's the kind of mindset and what I bring as far as the standards of our room. You've got to love football. You've got to love football, and football will love you back."
On the influence of Junior Seau ...
"Absolutely, I think anybody that's grown up Polynesian, there's a Mount Rushmore of Polynesian football players -- a lot of the guys went here. I wasn't allowed to watch TV on Sundays unless there was a family member on TV, so I watched a lot of San Diego Charger games and that was always the excuse -- 'Junior's playing.' And then post football, seeing him mentor and bring others along, and same with Troy -- I played with Troy for a little bit in Pittsburgh -- and seeing his aspect as far as what he's trying to do has had a huge impact on me. And this obviously this place because this basically the pinnacle or the mecca of Polynesian sports is to play at USC."
On his approach to recruiting ...
"Just being honest and upfront. We kind of went through as coaches the same sort process with getting hired, deciding whether or not USC was the place to be, and my whole thought process in recruiting is be honest, be upfront and develop relationships but then get after it. Just tell them, 'You're going to be pushed hard, you're going to be pushed, I'm going to be honest with you, but at the end of the day you're going to know my kids' names, they're going to wear your jerseys, we're going to be family and it's going to go on past playing.' My recruiting philosophy is really, really simple -- be honest, up front and just tell them really what it is. I think a lot of times in this recruiting process, you can see or hear different things from different coaches, but when you talk to players that are there it's something completely different. That's not me. I wear my heart on my sleeve and just go after it."
On players hating him at the beginning and loving him later ...
"I think it's just being uncomfortable. Every day for me is to make them be uncomfortable -- but not uncomfortable in a bad way. It's uncomfortable [in that] this is what the greats do. If you want to take your game to the next level, this is where you gotta go every single day and it's something that just doesn't relent. There's some hatred, so to speak, or pushback, but once they buy in and they see what happens on Saturdays in April and then on Saturdays in September, it's like, 'Oh, I get it. It all makes sense.' That's where the bonds are really built, when you take them through that process over and over and over every day."
On a specific example ...
"Specific example, one of the first guys I sat down with was Jay Tufele. He had some issues academically, and we had worked through that and pushed him every day. I text the guys every day -- every morning I wake up I text them. We have this group thread and I send them messages of the topic of the day or things we've got to get through throughout the day. But then it's hearing it every single time we talk, it's hearing it from every aspect, it's hearing about academics. When he's working out and running and conditioning drills and all that, he's hearing it, and to his credit he's bought in quickly and he's just taken off. He's done a complete 180."
On his recruiting pitch to an east coast guy ...
"I tell him, one, come and see it. This is unbelievable. Two, you won't need any coats anymore, leave all your coats in Maryland. But then the type of people we have around here and I think the product that we're going to put on the field in the fall is going to be unbelievable. It's going to be violent, physical. And then the opportunity to come in and play at my position because a lot of guys are going to the NFL and graduating. This place is unique as far as being the second-largest media place in the world and a place that everybody comes to and flocks to because of different things. Just being around here and seeing it, first and foremost just coming here and seeing this place -- it's completely different than anything they'll experience."
On whether he expects his players to be 'violent and physical' right away next season ...
"Absolutely. You look at Virginia, we were 2-10 four years ago and we go to the Orange Bowl, and leaving there the strongest unit on the team was the defensive line. And it wasn't guys that were the big -- it wasn't the Caleb Tremblays, it wasn't the Jay Tufeles, Marlon [Tuipulotu], it wasn't those guys. It was just guys that bought in. As far as size and who it is, it's more so a mindset, because everybody in this room can be violent and physical if they wanted to and run through a guy's face and [get] the quarterback. It's just guys having to do it over and over and over and over and over again getting to that place. That's why it's so important these practices coming up."
On Todd Orlando's defense ...
"It's very similar to the unit I just left, the type of defense I just left. More so, the mindset of attacking and getting after it. I think kind of the general theme of these past three or four interviews is we're going to get after it. And he brings an energy, and Craig brings an energy, and Donte brings an energy. This defense is just going to be so much fun. Once these guys get playing where they don't have to think or they can just go around and smack dudes, that's when it's really going to be fun."
VIC SO'OTO
Opening comments ...
"Excited to be here. USC has been a dream of mine -- my wife and I -- and when this opportunity came, it took a little bit, but it really was a no-brainer for us to come out here and become a Trojan. So we're excited. Spring ball's coming up, defensive line are my guys and I told my wife they're going to hate me before they like me, and right now they're kind of going through that whole process, but we're excited."
On the hiring process ...
"I came out here on our interview with my wife, I bring her because she can see things from different angles, and Clay Helton to his credit was the guy who kind of tipped us over as far as a boss that you can get behind and fight for. Coach Orlando's been awesome. He's cut from the same cloth, so to speak. I think the three other guys that you guys have seen earlier today, we're all kind of cut from the same cloth. We [believe] in playing football a certain way. And then talking to my parents, with them being an hour and a half away in Oceanside, Carlsbad area, they were 'Bring the babies home' basically. I have five kids, and so they were ready for their grandchildren to come to the west coast."
On what struck him about Clay Helton ...
"Just being real and honest, and then he's a faith-based coach and our faith is big to us. So, you know, what he was able to bring as far as far as conversations and feelings, we were just fired up and ready to go."
On what he took from Bronco Mendenhall's coaching style ...
"Oh man, the list could go on and on. But most importantly I would say, there's a right way to do things, there's a standard of doing things and every day it's got to be to that standard and you've got to hold your players to that standard. And so the whole idea of having violent practices and physical practices, it's not mine. It's just the way that I've known football from pushing the limit and every day's going to take you to that dark point that Orlando talks a lot about, and then we're going to see who can stay there. Really, that's where the championships are. The greatest players I've been around are the hardest workers. I told the story about Charles Woodson being the last guy in Green Bay to give me a ride back as an undrafted rookie free agent at 11 o'clock at night during the training camp. That's the kind of mindset and what I bring as far as the standards of our room. You've got to love football. You've got to love football, and football will love you back."
On the influence of Junior Seau ...
"Absolutely, I think anybody that's grown up Polynesian, there's a Mount Rushmore of Polynesian football players -- a lot of the guys went here. I wasn't allowed to watch TV on Sundays unless there was a family member on TV, so I watched a lot of San Diego Charger games and that was always the excuse -- 'Junior's playing.' And then post football, seeing him mentor and bring others along, and same with Troy -- I played with Troy for a little bit in Pittsburgh -- and seeing his aspect as far as what he's trying to do has had a huge impact on me. And this obviously this place because this basically the pinnacle or the mecca of Polynesian sports is to play at USC."
On his approach to recruiting ...
"Just being honest and upfront. We kind of went through as coaches the same sort process with getting hired, deciding whether or not USC was the place to be, and my whole thought process in recruiting is be honest, be upfront and develop relationships but then get after it. Just tell them, 'You're going to be pushed hard, you're going to be pushed, I'm going to be honest with you, but at the end of the day you're going to know my kids' names, they're going to wear your jerseys, we're going to be family and it's going to go on past playing.' My recruiting philosophy is really, really simple -- be honest, up front and just tell them really what it is. I think a lot of times in this recruiting process, you can see or hear different things from different coaches, but when you talk to players that are there it's something completely different. That's not me. I wear my heart on my sleeve and just go after it."
On players hating him at the beginning and loving him later ...
"I think it's just being uncomfortable. Every day for me is to make them be uncomfortable -- but not uncomfortable in a bad way. It's uncomfortable [in that] this is what the greats do. If you want to take your game to the next level, this is where you gotta go every single day and it's something that just doesn't relent. There's some hatred, so to speak, or pushback, but once they buy in and they see what happens on Saturdays in April and then on Saturdays in September, it's like, 'Oh, I get it. It all makes sense.' That's where the bonds are really built, when you take them through that process over and over and over every day."
On a specific example ...
"Specific example, one of the first guys I sat down with was Jay Tufele. He had some issues academically, and we had worked through that and pushed him every day. I text the guys every day -- every morning I wake up I text them. We have this group thread and I send them messages of the topic of the day or things we've got to get through throughout the day. But then it's hearing it every single time we talk, it's hearing it from every aspect, it's hearing about academics. When he's working out and running and conditioning drills and all that, he's hearing it, and to his credit he's bought in quickly and he's just taken off. He's done a complete 180."
On his recruiting pitch to an east coast guy ...
"I tell him, one, come and see it. This is unbelievable. Two, you won't need any coats anymore, leave all your coats in Maryland. But then the type of people we have around here and I think the product that we're going to put on the field in the fall is going to be unbelievable. It's going to be violent, physical. And then the opportunity to come in and play at my position because a lot of guys are going to the NFL and graduating. This place is unique as far as being the second-largest media place in the world and a place that everybody comes to and flocks to because of different things. Just being around here and seeing it, first and foremost just coming here and seeing this place -- it's completely different than anything they'll experience."
On whether he expects his players to be 'violent and physical' right away next season ...
"Absolutely. You look at Virginia, we were 2-10 four years ago and we go to the Orange Bowl, and leaving there the strongest unit on the team was the defensive line. And it wasn't guys that were the big -- it wasn't the Caleb Tremblays, it wasn't the Jay Tufeles, Marlon [Tuipulotu], it wasn't those guys. It was just guys that bought in. As far as size and who it is, it's more so a mindset, because everybody in this room can be violent and physical if they wanted to and run through a guy's face and [get] the quarterback. It's just guys having to do it over and over and over and over and over again getting to that place. That's why it's so important these practices coming up."
On Todd Orlando's defense ...
"It's very similar to the unit I just left, the type of defense I just left. More so, the mindset of attacking and getting after it. I think kind of the general theme of these past three or four interviews is we're going to get after it. And he brings an energy, and Craig brings an energy, and Donte brings an energy. This defense is just going to be so much fun. Once these guys get playing where they don't have to think or they can just go around and smack dudes, that's when it's really going to be fun."
