WATCH: Gary Taylor’s Introductory Press Conference at Auburn

Auburn’s new head swimming coach Gary Taylor was formally introduced to media during a press conference on Tuesday in Auburn, where he spoke for about 15 minutes about his new position.

The appointment for Taylor is new territory, as he said he’s “never really been a part of the Auburn family,” but says that he’s familiar with the love and respect that Auburn people have for the university, because his wife is an Auburn alumni, who graduated in 2005. Taylor actually met his wife at Auburn while working with the late coaches Richard Quick and Jason Turcotte at a clinic on campus. He was an assistant with the Dynamo Swim Club at the time.

Among the other topics covered:

• Taylor says he’s looking for assistant coaches who are “enthusiastic,” “energetic,” and “in love with Auburn for all the same reasons that he is.” He says he’s speaking with people, and that his goal is to make all of his hires over the next 10 to 14 days.
• He says that “sprint relays” are really important, and that he understands the program’s history and lineage, but that he wants his team to be good in all aspects of the sport, including diving.
• He understands the pressure to win from athletes, alumni, and the administration, and says that he was excited about that.
• Taylor says that the Auburn family is around the country and around the world, and that while he’s going to of course recruit the Southeastern United States, that he’s going to look across the country and the world for swimmers.
• His official start day is May 7th, the one year anniversary of the death of his former boss Jason Turcotte, which he says is symbolic for him.
• He addresses the history of coaches at Auburn, and says that “if I try to be the best David Marsh that Gary Taylor can be, I’m in trouble” and that he’s going to focus on “being the best Gary Taylor” that he can be.
• He says that having swum for and worked for a lot of great coaches, he feels prepared to become a head coach even though he’s never been a head coach before.

Watch the full video below, courtesy Auburn Athletics (Pro Tip: use the gear in the lower right-hand corner to watch at a higher speed, it’s still easy to understand):