Summary: Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Grant Caserta. Caserta is the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Husson University (Maine). He was a finalist for Football Scoop’s Division III Coordinator of the Year following a 2016 season in which his defense held opponents to under 200 yards per game. He dives into his defense, his philosophy of bringing pressure and the value of players with defensive instinct. Show notes 0:30 Start as a football coach and coaching philosophy 4:42 Building culture through accountability 6:05 The value of knowing how to deal with players with different personalities 7:14 A defensive identity focused on stopping the run 8:50 Caserta’s 4-2-5 defense 10:45 Cover 1 11:28 Game planning 13:28 Does a player have defensive instinct? 14:58 Utilizing playmakers at Rover 17:14 “If they beat us when we blitz, they deserve it.” 18:18 Mistakes as a young coach 19:54 Best coaching advice received 22:12 Book recommendation 23:30 Learning from coaching clinics 27:51 Creating balance 31:42 Two-minute drill
