LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- At the end of his first press conference as head coach, Charlie Strong was asked how he liked the weather.

He shot a look at one of his daughters, who made a face. It was about 30 degrees with 25 mph freezing wind gusts in Louisville on Wednesday, a far cry from the Florida sunshine where Strong had worked since 2003.

"I know this," he said as the crowd laughed, "I got up and ran in shorts and a T-shirt this morning."

Strong will have to adjust to more than just the weather now that he's leading the Cardinals. As Florida's defensive coordinator, he was used to working with some of the most talented players in the nation and a slew of future pros.

As for Louisville? Well, let's put it this way. The Big East announced its first- and second-team all-league honorees on Wednesday. There were 56 players honored. One of them was from Louisville: kick returner Trent Guy, who made the second team. And he's a senior.

No wonder, then, that Strong's message in his first, brief meeting with the players was this: "We're going to start over."

This is not an easy job right now. The Cardinals lack talent and depth. The fans are going to need to be patient, because even athletic director Tom Jurich said, "I'm not expecting anything to happen overnight." This is the lowest the program has been since Jurich hired John L. Smith to replace Ron Cooper after a 1-10 season in 1997.

"The difference is, we're not playing in Conference USA," Jurich said. "We've got a tough league now. All the teams are geared up -- even Syracuse is geared up -- and getting better. [Strong] knows he's got his work cut out for him."

The next few weeks figure to be incredibly hectic. Strong needs to hire a staff and particularly find a top-flight offensive coordinator. He said he has some names in mind but doesn't want to rush the process so he finds the best guys.

"It's amazing the number of phone calls you get from friends you never knew you had," he joked.

Strong said he's not necessarily married to the idea of a spread offense and that he wants a team that can be physical and run the ball. On defense, he wants "an aggressive and attacking" unit.

"I want to put a product on the field that's exciting and aggressive," he said.

Strong also plans to coach Florida's defense in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. If nothing else, he'll get a strong feel for Cincinnati -- the Gators' opponent in that game and the two-time defending Big East champs.

Most importantly, though, Strong needs to hit the recruiting trail. He said he wants to focus on places like Georgia and Ohio and of course Florida, a recruiting area which has been good to Louisville in the past but dried up a bit under Kragthorpe. Strong's long-held ties in that state should serve him well.

"What's great is, I know lot of high school coaches who have great players," he said. "So I'm able to pick up the phone and say, 'Hey look, I've recruited your school before and now you have an outstanding player. Is there any way we can get in the door?'"

Strong will need to get inside a lot of those doors. Because he's facing a major rebuilding challenge at his new home.