Leader of the Pack: Ganues impacting newest Coyotes

Josiah Ganues will appear as a junior safety on the University of South Dakota football roster next season but is a senior academically. With the extra season of eligibility granted for the COVID year, there continue to be athletes in every sport who have taken advantage of the NCAA’s ruling and continue on in pursuing their education while also getting the opportunity to compete.

No adult who has been around awhile would call any of these people “old” exactly but within their teams their roles inevitably evolve into “senior statesman” status.

Ganues will technically be a junior statesman when the Coyotes begin camp in August but the veteran role and label are appropriate. Ganues is sought out for his knowledge of the Coyotes’ defensive schemes and is making an impact as the kind of guy who gets people into the right spots as an opposing team comes to the line of scrimmage.

“Coaches have asked me to take on more of a leadership role,” said Ganues, one of three players in the secondary from Miramar High School in Miramar, Fla. “Whether it’s leading by being more vocal or leading by example I’m going to make sure everyone is going in the right direction.”

That applies in a strict sense to the Xs and Os but it can go well beyond that when the one taking on those responsibilities accompanies that assignment with the level of maturity Ganues brings to the program.

“We have a lot of new players right now,” he said. “Some are getting a chance to see the playbook for the first time. But it’s also about how things work off the field. They’re seeing how to stay disciplined in the weight room and how to stay disciplined in school – it’s about showing them the Coyote way.”

Ganues established himself as a player with a strong background in the fundamentals of football very quickly at USD, moving into a starting role at safety after beginning his time with the Coyotes as a cornerback.

“We moved him to safety about a week before we opened the season at Kansas two years ago,” said USD defensive coordinator Travis Johansen. “The way he adjusted to it so quickly said a lot about how smart he is on the field.”

Miramar High School is in south Florida near Miami. Johnny Depp went to school there, though he quit at age 16 to join a band. Miramar is also where Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith went to school and several other present or former NFL players. It was also home to three members of the USD secondary.

All-Missouri Valley cornerback Myles Harden was a Ganues teammate at Miramar. The pair will be joined this year by Timothy White, a defensive back who transferred to USD from Robert Morris.

Harden and Ganues are known talents as part of the Coyote secondary but White is not. If his level of production is anything like that of his high school teammates, fans can expect USD has landed a valuable addition to the defense.

“He had a 4.0 his first semester,” Johansen said of White. “He’s a real good kid who is showing us he’s a very good football player, too. He’s going to be playing sooner than later for us based on what we’ve seen so far.”

Though the coaching staff is watching White and the other new players closely during spring practice, at this point there may be no better sources than Ganues and Harden for knowing what kind of player is coming into the program.

“I’m really looking forward to having fun with those guys on the field this season,” Ganues said. “The coaches were familiar with (White) from his high school days so they know they’re getting a great kid and a great player.”

Ganues did his part to support the program by telling his friend why he was glad he picked USD a few years earlier.

“I told him he has a great opportunity not only to develop as a football player but to develop as a man,” Ganues said. “The coaches here take pride in treating us all very well. It’s a great environment to be around and learn the game of football. Coaches really do a good job of teaching us about the game and about discipline.”

Johansen understands it’s a little odd to have three guys from the same high school in the mix in the secondary but he sees it as a definite plus in this instance.

“These guys haven’t just gotten to know each other the last few years, they’ve been friends since they were just kids,” Johansen said. “I think it’s great for the rest of the team to see the kind of relationship they have with each other.”

Ganues, who wants to coach after he’s done playing, is not an extrovert by nature. The way he looks at it, improving communication can happen without turning up the volume.

“Maybe there will be times when I can be a little louder on the field and help us avoid confusion but being a leader doesn’t mean being the loudest person out there,” he said. “You can be a leader by example and by doing the right things. A team can always use more people doing the right thing and we have a lot of guys who are going to do that. That’s why I’m confident going into the spring and going through the summer into next fall with this team.”

Wise words from player Johansen says “has a little bit of ‘old soul’ to him.”

“Jojo is from a great family with great parents,” Johansen said. “He’s all business when he needs to be – he definitely doesn’t act like a typical college kid. I’d call him a fine young man.”