New head football coach /*Tim DeRuyter*/ came to Fresno State last week promising change on and off the football field. These days DeRuyter prepares with the Aggies in the mornings and concentrates on the Bulldogs in the afternoon.
"I've two different bags that I bring into work," said DeRuyter. "One is an A&M bag. And another one is a Fresno State bag. So I put one bag down, pick the other one up and start hard charging as far as looking at recruiting tape and putting stuff together."
Even though DeRuyter is 17-hundred miles away in Texas -- Fresno State stays in contact with him daily.
"The transition has been fine," said Fresno States Athletics Director, Paul Ladwig. "We know the times we have to talk to him and work on the things we have to work on. And those things are moving forward. Like I said I'm just not sure when the man's sleeping."
The Fresno State ticket office received an initial surge in interest, getting 20-30 calls a day right after coach DeRuyter was hired. And while those numbers are nowhere near staggering. The athletic department expects a nice influx in ticket sales after the New Year.
DeRuyter comes to the Valley as an unknown commodity. Men's head basketball coach Rodney Terry arrived in similar fashion back in the spring. Both long-time assistants aren't household names to the Red Wave in the Valley. But none of that seemed to matter to Fresno State fans buying Bulldog gear Tuesday.
"Well they both came from quality programs. And they both were top assistants," said Bulldog fan, Bernie Vinoverski. "I believe they bring those qualities of being around a big time program and they're ready for an opportunity. So we will see."
The Bulldog Shop near Fresno State says sales have picked up in recent weeks with the all the buzz surrounding its new "no-name" coaches.
Tim DeRuyter will assume full coaching duties after the New Year. He will be on the road all month long, promoting Bulldog football before national signing day in February.
