Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2020 25 to waste, Balis prioritized three ar- eas: acute focus on the fundamentals, team structures such as scheming and, fittingly for a strength coach, hitting. "All the key things I think were im- portant, he took care of," Foster said. The freshman team went unde- feated and won the conference. Balis earned a bump to varsity defensive coordinator the following season. What mattered more, though, was the natural unflinching response to the bad hand dealt to him. "He doesn't blink, so the players in- nately don't blink, don't do the whin- ing or complaining," Foster said. "It's, 'I'm used to this kind of stuff. Let's go. Let's make this adversity our friend.' "He runs to it because it's some- thing he knows that will take him to another level." Two years later, Wheaton North went to the Illinois state semifinals. Several of those freshmen Balis coached his first year were contribu- tors on the varsity team. Balis trained the entire team in the offseason, though it was more than strength building. He instilled trust by con- necting with each player on a per- sonal level and demanding more not out of aggression, but belief in them. "His energy and his heart lead the way," Foster said. "He has an ability to connect with people unlike I've ever seen." ESTABLISHED CULTURE A Google search of Balis' name turns up a 33-page slideshow docu- ment entitled, "Building a Culture Through Strength and Condition- ing." The mission statement says an effective strength program will make a team believe it is the mentally and physically strongest in America, and the work to get there should unite the players. Conditioning, it says, should be a reference point all season, noting "when challenges occur, we revert back to our training." Balis, now in his fourth offseason at Notre Dame, tries to implement his endless principles while toeing the line of demanding but not de- meaning. He hopes all players, espe- cially seniors, see a leader who will wake up early and grind with them instead of a tyrant. "He's a foxhole guy," Foster said. "He doesn't have a clock." Recent NFL Combines advertise his results. In 2019, wide receiver Miles Boykin ran a 4.42-second 40- yard dash with a 43.5-inch vertical at 6-4 and 220 pounds. He became a third-round draft pick. He's one example of Notre Dame players shin- ing at the combine the last two years. They all point back to Balis. "It doesn't matter what time in the morning it is, how late it is, he's al- ways ready," Boykin said in 2017, his first year under Balis. "I think he's starting to wear off on us now. I'm always ready to do something. Everything is a competition." Balis evokes competition with his Spring/Summer Workout Account- ability Teams (SWAT). This year, there are 10 leaders on nine teams. They stay together for the entire off- season and earn points each week for hitting a certain number of reps on an exercise, finishing a workout first, showing up on time for class, doing work in the community and much more. Points are lost by ditch- ing class, being late to meetings and other general infractions. Nearly all of Notre Dame's roster has worked out exclusively under Balis since arriving on campus. The players are accustomed to his require- ments, and all 10 SWAT leaders are in at least their fourth year on campus. Surprises are infrequent at this point. It makes sense, then, the two months of winter conditioning before Notre Dame's one spring practice March 5 earned the coach's praise. "One of the things you look out for as a strength coach is when you can sit back and watch the guys take over," Balis said. "That's what we saw." Therein lies the root of his optimism that players will push themselves without teammates, SWAT points or himself there as a spur. SWAT points still exist, but opportunities are limited. So are workout materials. At the start of the shutdown, however, Balis sent every player three resistance bands and accompanying workouts to do. They're entirely voluntary — by rule only. No one wants to fall behind. "The culture that had been set with the SWAT teams and leaders, we had the offseason to create that base," Balis said. "Those guys showed a ton of self-drive. They're great leaders and take it upon themselves to step up. So it was kind of already put in place." Added rising sophomore defen- sive end Isaiah Foskey: "All I need is myself, and to try and get ahead of everyone else." 'LIKE AUTOPILOT' Notre Dame players went on spring break after the March 5 prac- tice and never returned to campus. That week, even as practice was held, the uncertainty around the rest of the spring grew stronger. Head coach Brian Kelly and his staff met to dis- cuss contingencies. "Coach Kelly said, 'This is what's happening, and we're going to need to think outside the box and attempt to train our guys with them not on campus,'" Balis remembered. They settled on the band idea, and each player received bands with 25, 50 and 75 pounds of resistance. They installed an app to log workouts, though the coaching staff cannot view their progress. Once again, Balis' re- sponse was one of minimal concern. "When this came about," Foster said, "he just went into another mode. Like autopilot. It's, 'Here's what we have.'" Balis will be in the dark on play- ers' gains when the team reconvenes. Until he can get in the weight room with them, his interactions are limited to Zoom calls with SWAT teams and small groups. He has preached the im- portance of establishing a routine dur- ing quarantine. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time. Set aside a work- out time, study time, family time and down time. Notre Dame's nutritionist, Kari Oliver, helps with diet tips. "We talk about what motivates yourself, but how you motivate your teammates," Balis said. "A lot of it is talking about how our goals are out in front of us." It's a mindset straight from the PowerPoint: Faith through adversity. Balis is the first one to embody the message. If his past is any indication, he will have company — and likely some pleasant tales of productive quarantines. "He knows how to reach inside you, grab your heart and take you to places you've never been before," Foster said. "He has done that his whole career." A computer screen, then, should be no barrier for impact. ✦ "He doesn't blink, so the players innately don't blink, don't do the whining or complaining." MATT FOSTER, BALIS' CLOSE FRIEND AND FORMER BOSS AT WHEATON NORTH HIGH SCHOOL