Players and recruits obviously can have adverse reactions to a coaching staff change. Especially for position coaches, who have to establish a rapport with guys who may have been used to the previous coach's style or work ethic, that seems like a potential tough task.

Outside linebackers coach Brian Michalowski entered his job at CU with experience in that department, which has served him well so far at Colorado.

“What’s really been very beneficial is that this is my seventh job and five of those seven jobs have been with first-year programs so I’ve actually been in this position a time or two before," he said.

A time or two before might be an understatement, but regardless, that history has provided a framework for him to more easily get to knowing his players.

"I think just having a genuine conversations with the guys when they first come in and letting them know that you care about not just them as a player, but how you can develop them and create a successful person after football and after the game ends — they respect that," Michalowski said. "Trust is built over time. It’s you being consistent and continuing to find out more about them and what makes them tick."

Michalowski of course has emphasized a better pass rush from CU's OLBs in 2019. Getting to that point has required efforts on multiple fronts involving attitude and action on the field.

"You want to win against CSU, Nebraska — you want to win every game day that you line up," he said. "But you really have to win every other day. Everybody wants to win 12 days out of the year. It’s the other 153 days that creates a winning culture, so just trying to find little things that you can compete and win in helps emphasize what it takes to win and that there’s a process to it. Just believe in that and let the results take care of itself on game day."

For things to take care of themselves on game day, the correct culture needs to be present in the meeting room and between player and coach. Michalowski has thus tried to do just that by appropriating Mel Tucker's brand of "RELENTLESS" to help foster a drive to get after the QB.

"You see a branding of RELENTLESS — with the OLBs, we have fun with it in our room," Michalowski said. "I want to put it out there initially: for us to be an effective position on defense, we’re going to be asked to make tackles and get off blocks. But when we’re really good as a position group, we’re getting after and affect the quarterback."

With Mustafa Johnson, 2018's sack leader, bound to receive more attention and likely double-teams this year, Michalowski's guys' ability to alleviate some of that pressure by applying a bit of their own onto opposing signal callers would no doubt be a big boost for Colorado in 2019.