ESPN College Football

Tim DeRuyter took the job as Mike Sherman's defensive coordinator in January, replacing Joe Kines, who retired after two seasons at Texas A&M. DeRuyter left a job as defensive coordinator at Air Force, his alma mater, to take on the task of shaping up the Big 12's worst defense in 2009.

Here's part one of what he had to say.

David Ubben: We’ll start simple. It’s De-ROOT-er, right?

Tim DeRuyter: Correct. DeRuyter, like “The Rooter.”

DU: Plenty of name butcherings since you got to College Station?

TD: Oh, yeah. It’s one of the hazards of having a name like mine, but I guess you get used to it.

DU: How much of a sense do you have about the fan excitement surrounding your arrival?

TD: Well, we’re undefeated and haven’t been scored on since I got here, so I guess everyone’s happy. People here have been awesome. I’d heard the reputation of the Aggie fans, and they’ve exceeded it. It’s really been something. It’s kind of hard for me to believe how over the top these guys are.

DU: Had any memorable run-ins with the Aggie fans since you got there?

TD: Not really, because I usually just go from the hotel to work and back. But when I first got here, I didn’t even know anyone knew I was coming out here to interview and on the way to a basketball game, some of the fans were like, ‘Hey, Coach, we want you to come here,’ and I didn’t think anybody even knew who I was. But I guess they did, and just the fact that they know about you is kind of impressive. They really over-the-top you.

DU: So your family hasn’t been able to follow you to College Station yet?

TD: No, actually they have. We’re still looking to get a place to stay. College Station’s not a real big town, but we wanted to get our kids into school, so we brought them right away and we’re looking for a temporary house fairly quickly.

DU: Care to give a shoutout to the hotel chain putting you up?

TD: Sure, the Hilton in College Station has been awesome. That’s where our team stays and they’ve really been super for us.

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