Coach and Coordinator Podcast

Today’s episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is the first in our new “Best Of” series. We went back to past interviews and picked out some of the best ideas shared by our great lineup of coaches. This episode focuses on the idea of quarterback development. Show Notes 6:23 Terry Shea: Developing relationships with Quarterbacks 8:31 Darin Slack: Developing QB confidence 13:04 Dub Maddox: Understanding why 14:26 Will Hewlett: My training is driven by the law of specificity 17:35 Will Hewlett: Most high school QBs operate on 70 percent potential 20:37 Will Hewlett: Pre-pass position 24:45 Hal Mumme: What to look for in a QB 27:11 Terry Shea: How to keep QBs healthy 28:41 John Bond: Importance of footwork 34:50 Dan Gonzalez: QB rhythm 36:41 Craig Yeast: Preparing for game day 40:40 Chris Kappas: Allowing your QB to change plays 41:46 Tom Lombardo: Allowing QB to call plays in practice 44:46 Andrew Coverdale: QB like it, love it 47:58 Dan Gonzalez: unmasking coverage 50:54 Will Hewlett: Breaking out of everyday drill mentality 53:01 Will Hewlett: Practice routine 57:41 Dub Maddox: Practice progression 58:54 Nick Restifo: RPO film session 1:03:29 Nick Restifo: Practicing RPOs 1:04:32 Joe Osovet: Game planning based on QB experience 1:05:51 Matt Drinkall: Tackling QB during practice 1:07:33 Austin James Smith: Virtual reality technology 1:14:51 Craig Candeto: Technology

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is DaLawn Parrish, head coach at Dr. Henry A. Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Parrish is in his 12th season as head coach at Wise and has accumulated a 120-30 record, six conference titles, seven regional titles, and four state titles, including the last three in a row. On today’s episode, Parrish and host Keith Grabowski talk about the culture at Wise High School and creating a great coaching staff. Show Notes 1:36 Coach Parrish’s background 2:45 Decision to pursue the high school route 3:48 Emphasizing the importance of academics to players 4:50 Culture at Wise 7:08 Having a diverse coaching staff 9:38 Continuing to learn as a coach 10:41 Being a physical team 11:43 Problems facing football in the state of Maryland 13:17 How safety has evolved in the game 15:59 Challenges in the upcoming 2018 season 18:40 Building men 19:32 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the USA Football podcast is Phil Lite, head football coach at Staley High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Coach Lite was a Don Shula Coach of the Year Nominee and led Staley to win the 2017 State Championship with a gutsy 2-point conversion call to win the game in the final seconds. On today’s episode Coach Lite and host Keith Grabowski talk about the importance of culture at Staley High School. Show Notes 1:42 Reflecting on the 2017 State Championship game 5:44 What inspired Lite to pursue coaching 7:40 A mistake that Coach Lite has learned from 8:41 Lessons that have stuck with Coach Lite throughout his career 11:31 Core culture elements implemented at Staley HS 16:36 Building culture 21:06 Success with power o and RPO’s 23:32 Teaching the game to players 26:12 Practice structure at Staley 30:26 The winning edge Subscribe to the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast on iTunes. Coach’s contact information: Phil.lite@nkcschools.org Twitter: @Coach_Lite

Today’s guest on the USA football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Gary Roberts, head football coach at Cottage Grove High School (Oregon). This past season, Roberts, the winningest coach in Cottage Grove history, led the Lions to the 4A state Championship. On today’s episode, Roberts and host Keith Grabowski talk about building a program, the team's success in the classroom and preparing players off the field. Show Notes 2:16 Roberts’ background 4:36 Building the program 7:18 Culture at Cottage Grove 13:50 Preparing players off the field 17:19 Communicating the “why” and “how” to players 21:05 Rugby punt 23:24 Offensive schemes 25:40 A key play throughout the season 27:11 Takeaways from the 2017 season 28:25 The winning edge

Today’s guest on this “NCAA Leaders” edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Joe Beschorner, offensive coordinator at Minnesota State University. This past season, the Mavericks finished No. 3 in all of Division II in rushing yards (288 yards per game) and No. 16 in total offense. On today’s episode, Beschorner and host Keith Grabowski talk about attitude, effort, and the RPO. Show Notes 1:30 Beschorner’s background 2:50 Coaching different positions 3:40 Advice to young coaches 5:20 Mistakes Beschorner has learned from 6:15 Minnesota State’s culture 7:25 Foundation of the offensive unit 9:17 Coaching at smaller schools 10:35 Having a system that can adapt 11:53 Offensive schemes 16:05 Game planning 17:37 Amount of reps per player 18:35 Attitude and effort 20:05 Type of QB the coach looks for 21:11 Coaching the RPO 30:05 Boot RPO 33:40 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Strait Herron, head coach at South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Herron is a five-time state champion coach and has won four consecutive state titles. Herron has accumulated a 92-11 record in seven seasons at South Pointe. On today’s episode, Herron and host Keith Grabowski talk about the importance of education and stopping the RPO. Show Notes 1:55 Herron’s background 3:55 Developing yourself as a coach 6:53 A mistake Herron has learned from 9:00 Advice to young coaches 11:53 Success at South Pointe 15:18 Building culture 20:00 Thoughts on the USA Football National Conference 21:35 Preparing players off the field 29:45 Character development 34:40 Defensive scheme 37:04 Stopping the RPO 40:40 The winning edge Follow Coach Herron on Twitter at @CoachHerron

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jason Negro, head football coach at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. Coach Negro is in his ninth year at St John Bosco and has created an elite program. In 2013, St. John Bosco won a state championship and finished as the No. 1 team in the nation. In 2016, Bosco won another state championship and finished No. 2 in the nation. This past season, it finished No. 3 in the nation. St. John Bosco is the first program to appear in five straight CIF championship games. Show Notes 2:40 Importance of a supportive administration 4:10 Learning from other programs 5:25 A mistake Coach Negro has learned from 7:30 Expectations of the coaching staff 8:55 What Negro looks for in a coach 11:15 Building culture 13:03 Coaches that have influenced Negro 16:00 Importance of finding a mentor 17:36 Proposed ban on youth tackle football 21:34 Stressing the importance of safety 26:00 Takeaways from the 2017 season 28:50 Keeping things in perspective 30:53 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is John Perry, head coach at Pearl (Mississippi) High School. Last season, Perry led Pearl to win the 6A Mississippi state championship. On today’s episode, Perry and host Keith Grabowski talk about alignment with administration and 7 things Perry’s players should know. Show Notes 1:20 Coach Perry’s background 4:45 Lessons learned throughout Perry’s career 7:34 Getting players to buy in 9:25 7 things players should do 15:50 Creating a game plan 21:05 Teaching players 25:05 Offseason preparation 28:55 The winning edge 33:05 Alignment in the program 35:55 Advice to getting your program aligned with administration

Today’s guest on this “NCAA Leaders” edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Mike Fox, defensive coordinator at the College of Brockport (New York). This past season, Brockport was at the top of NCAA Division III on the defensive side of the ball. Brockport finished No. 1 in sacks, No. 2 in interceptions, No. 3 in rushing defense, No. 4 in turnovers gained and No. 5 in defensive touchdowns. On today’s episode, Fox and host Keith Grabowski talk about leadership and applying pressure on the offense. Show Notes 2:35 Fox’s start in coaching 5:40 Advice to young coaches 8:15 Importance of learning from other coaches 10:10 Lessons learned throughout Fox’s career 15::36 Helping players learn 17:55 Dividing up work for coaches 23:10 Building leadership and culture 27:05 Base defense 28:35 Creating sacks 30:50 Creating interceptions 32:45 Defensive touchdowns 36:50 Red zone defense 39:30 The winning edge Subscribe to the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast on iTunes.

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is David Mastroianni, head coach at Daniel Hand High School (Connecticut). This past season Coach Mastroianni led his team to win the 2017 State Championship in his first year as head coach. On today’s episode Coach Mastroianni and host Keith Grabowski talk about developing leadership and RPO’s Show Notes 0:50 Key takeaways from the 2017 season 2:35 Building leadership 4:40 Leadership course 7:00 Earning your stripes 9:00 Changes made this past season 11:20 Getting involved in the offense 13:15 Advantages of coaching on both sides of the ball 15:00 RPO’s 17:30 Practicing RPO’s 19:05 Challenges getting back to the state championship 20:55 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Aaron Ingram, Senior Manager of USA Football National Teams and former college coach. On today’s episode Coach Ingram and host Keith Grabowski talk about the recent USA Football International Bowl and everything that goes into putting on the event. Show Notes 1:30 Overview of the USA Football International Bowl 2:55 Determining national team rosters 4:15 Community outreach from the national team 6:35 Players committing to the team 8:25 Uniform design 11:05 Players revealing college selections 12:10 Former USA Football players that go on to the NFL 13:25 Stand out national team coaches 16:20 Jet sweeps 18:50 Under center or in the gun 20:00 RPO’s 23:50 Trick plays 25:45 Getting involved in USA Football national teams

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator Podcast is John Bond, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Northern Iowa. This past season, the Panthers led the FCS in red zone offense. Coach Bond also wrote a book, “Developing a Championship Quarterback.” On today’s episode, Bond and host Keith Grabowski talk about how to have an efficient red zone offense. Show Notes 1:00 Bond’s coaching background 5:10 Lessons from past coaches 6:40 Success at different programs 9:20 “Scratch where it itches” 12:30 Importance of being adaptable 16:10 Base offense 17:55 Excelling in the red zone 19:50 Practicing red zone offense 21:20 Importance of QB footwork 24:50 Coach Bond’s book

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator Podcast is Scott Pingel, head football coach at Christian Brothers College High School (CBC) in St. Louis. Coach Pingel helped propel CBC to win a 2017 state championship, his second at CBC. On today’s episode, Pingel and host Keith Grabowski talk about building a strong culture and CBC’s offense and defense. Show Notes 1:10 Pingel’s coaching background 2:15 Playing football while also coaching 4:10 Developing yourself as a coach 5:05 Transitioning from offensive coordinator to head coach 6:45 Continuing to have a strong culture 9:55 “Tell them, show them, demonstrate” 11:15 Allowing players to run practice 14:50 Offensive and defensive schemes 17:05 Takeaways from the 2017 season 20:40 One back power 22:45 Practicing the RPO 30:30 Biggest challenge of getting back to the state championship 31:25 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Brennon Marion, offensive coordinator at Howard University. This past season Howard University ranked #2 in yards per completion. On today’s episode Coach Marion and host Keith Grabowski talk about Howard’s fast paced offense. Show Notes 0:55 Coach Marion’s coaching background 8:05 Building culture 10:05 Philosophy behind the offense 11:35 Maintaining a fast-paced offense 12:50 Keeping it simple 16:35 5 receivers lined up on the sideline 18:00 Excelling in average per completion 19:50 Double post 21:05 QB’s focus 23:00 Using undersized lineman 24:20 The winning edge

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Loren Johnson, head coach at Highland Springs High School (Virginia). Coach Johnson has led Highland Springs to three consecutive state championships, (2015 through 2017). On today’s episode, Johnson and host Keith Grabowski talk about building culture and Highland Springs’ success over the past three years. Show Notes 1:20 Johnson’s coaching background 4:15 A mistake Johnson has learned from 6:50 Important lessons learned through the game of football 10:25 Building culture 15:50 Preparing players off the field 19:05 Offensive and defensive formations 23:25 Success these past three years 25:35 Biggest challenge in getting back to the state championship 28:35 Multisport athletes 30:15 Playing longer seasons 32:30 The winning edge