As spring ball arrives for Quincy University football, the team has finished hiring its coaching staff for the upcoming season. While some schools find different coaches from other schools, Jason Killday, head coach of the Hawks, went for a candidate with Division I playing time, NFL and UFL leadership, and a family name deeply touted in football history. That man is Kade Warner.

Warner’s background does not only include time spent at the University of Nebraska and Kansas State University but he was also signed as an undrafted free agent to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spent time in the United Football League with the San Antonio Brahmas and the Houston Roughnecks. Also, his father is a 32,344-yard passer and is regarded by many as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Kurt Warner. These facts make players on the team very eager to start working with Warner.

Joey Bradley, a sophomore wide receiver on the football team, believes this opportunity for the Hawks will elevate the team to the next level.

“I’m excited for him to come in. I’m sure he will bring a new look to the offense with his background playing at two high Division I schools and his dad being Kurt Warner. He’s just bringing a new energy that will get everyone excited. As well as being a wide receiver in college, he’s playing the same way that I’ll probably end up playing, being that slot receiver, a more diminutive guy that’ll be in on third downs and try to pick up first downs,” Bradley said.

Not only are the team’s skill players excited, but the offensive linemen are as well. Chris Flachs, a freshman center and utility lineman, thinks Warner’s attention to detail will help the team excel.

“It feels pretty good knowing that you’re playing for the son of a quarterback in the Hall of Fame. You can tell, you know, I’m just working for a week, and my mental capacity with the game of football has grown astonishingly well, and you can see that he knows what he’s doing. We’re super organized. We’ll be tough to beat this season because of all the little things and mental stuff we’re doing. So I think it’ll turn out to be something that’ll be a blessing in disguise,” Flachs said.

With all of the excitement among the players, Warner is also excited to start a new legacy, and that all begins with rebuilding what the program already has.

“I think the first thing is culture, and both those places had a good culture, and you can see, especially at K State, the success that we had and what we’re able to do on the football field. I think it starts in this weight room and is top-down. That’s one thing I want to bring, but I also think it’s a synergetic football, like a way to play a game where everything helps each other out. The run game helps the play-action and passing games can spread the box out for the run game,” Warner said.

With Warner’s leadership now on the staff, the Hawks are on track to have one of the best seasons in years. The first game is on August 28th, when the Hawks take on Concordia University St. Paul at 6:00 p.m.