Blake Ware is hyped. His passion comes through over an iPhone.
The New Caney offensive coordinator has the coaching chops to take over a program in Dayton that could be a sleeping giant.
"It's Dayton," he said. "It's a one-horse town that has a football tradition. The community loves the Broncos. There is so much pride and it's going to be a privilege to be there."
Ware being officially named the Dayton head coach will be done on Tuesday as the hire is still pending board approval.
Dayton is 4-25 over the past three seasons, but it's only been 11 seasons since the Broncos were in the State Finals.
"When I talked to the athletic director Jeff Nations, his vision made sense," he said. "The vision of the superintendent made sense. The vision of the board made sense. When you have an administration that is perfectly aligned, it sets you up for something great."
Ware's coaching journey has been interesting. He began as the offensive coordinator at St. Pius X before heading to the Dallas private school ranks. He came back home when offered the St. Pius X head coaching job. He was there for three years before going the public school route. He became the OC at New Caney under coach Brady Pennington.
"So many of my coaching buddies said I was crazy to go to New Caney, but it was a God thing," he said. "Same with Dayton. I think in my 24 years of coaching that I've built a tool box that is a fit for Dayton."
In six years at New Caney, the Eagles were 48-19; four-time district champs and made the postseason five times. Before that, New Caney had only been to the postseason six times in school history. The school opened in 1938.
So, what are his pillars to success? What is Ware's plan to bring the mojo back to Dayton?
"I just can't wait to get in front of the kids," he said. "I want them to be coachable and to take pride in being coachable. Whether we are in the offseason, in games or practice, I want maximum effort and for them to leave whatever they are doing mentally and physically exhausted. Finally, we are going to have more fun than anyone else. I'm going to surround them with coaches who are going to love them up, but hold them accountable. We are going to do things the right way. I'm not guaranteeing wins, but we are going to do things the right way. Winning will be a by-product of that.
"I have seen a blueprint that worked at New Caney. My first job is to make sure that I put the right people in the right seats on the bus."