Eastern Washington, new head coach Aaron Best open fall football camp on Thursday

His first game as a college head coach is barely a month away, but Aaron Best is sleeping just fine these days.

And why not? Best is barely half a year into his dream job at Eastern Washington.

“Actually, it’s the 3-year-old who rolls into my bed that keeps me up at night, not the guys in the pads,” Best said last week.

“I’ve never had any trouble getting to sleep at night, knowing in my heart of hearts that we’re doing everything to put these guys in the right situation going forward,” said Best, who opens fall camp Thursday on the grass fields behind Reese Court.

Meanwhile, the other coaches in the Big Sky Conference figure to be losing more sleep as they try to conjure a game plan to stop the Eagles, who are picked for another banner season despite wholesale coaching changes and the departure of some superior talent on both sides of the ball.

For that, Best gives proper credit to athletic director Bill Chaves, former coach Beau Baldwin and the other departed assistants from last year’s 11-2 team that reached the FCS semifinals while putting up some impressive offensive numbers.

Now that the torch has been passed, Best figures to run with it – figuratively and literally. The playoff loss to Youngstown State was eight months ago, but it’s ever-present in Best’s mind.

“They outphysicalled us,” said Best, who’s committed to running the ball and keeping the pressure off All-American quarterback Gage Gubrud and a new generation of wide receivers.

“We have to think physical and be physical in everything we do,” Best said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to run the Oklahoma drill every day of practice, but our physicality will be tested in Lubbock.”

That would be on Sept. 2, when the Eagles open the season against a Texas Tech squad that’s looks eminently beatable. The Red Raiders are coming off a 5-7 season, just lost a record-setting quarterback to the NFL and had the worst defense (554 yards per game) in the FBS last year.

“And it’s not just the offensive guys,” Best said of the Eagles. “We have to put ourselves in position on both sides of the ball.”

There’s hard work ahead, even more so because most practices will begin at 3:30 p.m. The afternoon heat should build more toughness, Best reasons.

The goals begin with off-the field challenges and temptations, especially for the incoming freshmen.

“We expect them to make grown-man decisions,” Best said.

Noting that the Eagles go six weeks before the start of fall semester, he added that “it’s always a challenge with those freshmen – you’re in Cheney, all you’re doing is football and you’re not getting a ton of reps.”

On the field, Best’s biggest tasks will be solidifying the running game while meshing a new offensive staff that includes new offensive coordinator Bodie Reeder.

He also needs to identify which wide receivers will fill the void left by the departure of Cooper Kupp, Kendrick Bourne and Shaq Hill.

On defense, the Eagles will need to find a way to pressure the quarterback despite the graduation of Samson Ebukam.