Today’s guest on the Coach and Coordinator podcast is Dave Cisar, founder of Winning Youth Football and the Screaming Eagles Youth Football Organization in Omaha, Nebraska. Cisar has worked as a consultant for youth football since 1998. He started the Screaming Eagles program to assist at-risk youth, completely free of charge for kids ages 6-14, with focuses on academics, character development and football.

Cisar participates in coaching clinics across the globe, and hosts his own with Winning Youth Football. In 2014, he got into reality TV with the show “Worst to First,” where he turned a struggling youth football team into a champion.

On today’s show, Cisar and host Keith Grabowski discuss how Cisar runs his youth football program and markets it to the community to build retention.

Show Notes

0:49 Recruiting in youth football

2:00 Status of youth football in terms of numbers

3:13 How advertising youth football has changed

3:56 Breaking down mission and brand statement

6:58 Key points in what to include in your mission

8:32 Similarities in successful programs

10:06 How to start a youth football program

11:21 New ways to advertise outside of newspapers/flyers

16:18 Utilizing Facebook ads effectively

17:53 Using in-season recruiting for your program

23:07 Integrating players in a timely manner

24:18 Getting people to buy into the marketing model

26:08 Tips for high school coaches building football in their community

Today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast continues the Home Team series with guest host Joel Nellis. This week, the guest on the show is Brian White, running backs coach at Boston College. White is in his fourth season with the Eagles, his third coaching the running backs. Last season, White helped running back AJ Dillon win ACC Rookie of the Year, and Dillon was top 10 in the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns. Dillon was also named All-ACC with four games of 190+ rushing yards.

White has been in coaching for 32 years and has coached in 19 bowl games and won a national championship. His coaching stops include Florida from 2009-14, Washington in 2008, Syracuse 2006-07, Wisconsin from 1995-2006, Nevada in 1993 and UNLV from 1990-92 and one season in 1994. White was also a graduate assistant in Fordham and Notre Dame each for two seasons. Throughout his career, White has coached running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks and tight ends. At Wisconsin, White was named the American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2004. White graduated from Harvard University in 1986 and played quarterback for four years.

On today’s show, White and host Joel Nellis talk about the impact White’s family has had on his coaching career and how that has inspired his children to get into football.

Show Notes

0:15 Meeting his wife while in coaching

1:18 Moving, getting married and having children

2:07 Invaluable traits about his wife

2:58 Interests and aspirations of their children

5:11 Helping his son while he played football

6:52 Separating from being a coach and being a dad

8:45 Working with his wife during moves as a coach

12:25 His kids being prepared for college from moving when they were younger

14:25 Making career decisions as a family

16:10 Finding the right time to have children

17:24 Managing time in coaching with family time

20:53 Carving out time to spend with his family during the season

21:38 Ways he made his kids a part of the program

23:45 Players and coaches impacting his family

25:38 Overcoming family struggles during coaching

27:38 His players being impacted by how he is with his family

29:34 Coaching players “outside of the white lines”

31:27 How his kids help him keep perspective in adversity

34:42 Using a “less is more” technique to managing work-life balance

35:54 Legacy he is creating with his family in coaching

37:08 Coaching with passion and the value of the locker room

Today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast continues the Home Team series with guest host Joel Nellis. This week, the guest on the show is Brian White, running backs coach at Boston College. White is in his fourth season with the Eagles, his third coaching the running backs. Last season, White helped running back AJ Dillon win ACC Rookie of the Year, and Dillon was top 10 in the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns. Dillon was also named All-ACC with four games of 190+ rushing yards.

White has been in coaching for 32 years and has coached in 19 bowl games and won a national championship. His coaching stops include Florida from 2009-14, Washington in 2008, Syracuse 2006-07, Wisconsin from 1995-2006, Nevada in 1993 and UNLV from 1990-92 and one season in 1994. White was also a graduate assistant in Fordham and Notre Dame each for two seasons. Throughout his career, White has coached running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks and tight ends. At Wisconsin, White was named the American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2004. White graduated from Harvard University in 1986 and played quarterback for four years.

On today’s show, White and host Joel Nellis talk about the impact White’s family has had on his coaching career and how that has inspired his children to get into football.

Show Notes

0:15 Meeting his wife while in coaching

1:18 Moving, getting married and having children

2:07 Invaluable traits about his wife

2:58 Interests and aspirations of their children

5:11 Helping his son while he played football

6:52 Separating from being a coach and being a dad

8:45 Working with his wife during moves as a coach

12:25 His kids being prepared for college from moving when they were younger

14:25 Making career decisions as a family

16:10 Finding the right time to have children

17:24 Managing time in coaching with family time

20:53 Carving out time to spend with his family during the season

21:38 Ways he made his kids a part of the program

23:45 Players and coaches impacting his family

25:38 Overcoming family struggles during coaching

27:38 His players being impacted by how he is with his family

29:34 Coaching players “outside of the white lines”

31:27 How his kids help him keep perspective in adversity

34:42 Using a “less is more” technique to managing work-life balance

35:54 Legacy he is creating with his family in coaching

37:08 Coaching with passion and the value of the locker room

The guest on today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast is Robert Pomazak, head coach at St. Charles North High School (Illinois). Pomazak is in his fifth season as the head coach at St. Charles. While at St. Charles, Pomazak has amassed a 33-10 record with every season eclipsing the seven-win mark. This also includes four straight trips to the state playoffs. Last season, Pomazak led St. Charles to a 9-2 record and a perfect 6-0 record in conference play.

Prior to coming to St. Charles, Pomazak spent 10 seasons at Elk Gove High School (Illinois) where he ended as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. He also was a baseball coach while at Elk Grove. Before coaching, Pomazak played football and baseball in high school and college. He graduated from Rolling Meadows High School and continued his education to Iowa State and North Central College. Pomazak played baseball at Iowa State and finished his bachelor’s degree at North Central College.

On today’s podcast, Pomazak and host Keith Grabowski talk about bringing fun to camp and using friendly competition to motivate players.

Show Notes

2:12 Bringing fun into pre-season camp

4:16 Creating competition within practice

9:10 Using a player draft to see the value of fellow teammates

11:19 Drafting a coach with their practice platoon

13:04 Finding the best size for the platoon at practice

15:20 Having set outcomes at the end of every week

17:47 Getting score keeping form out to the players

19:58 Best fun activities to use during camp

27:15 Creating fun organically to motivate the players

31:14 Managing playing music at practice

32:58 Extending the football program to different parts of the school

35:19 Rewarding players for selfless acts in the community

38:04 Tip for interjecting fun into camp

The guest on today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast is Robert Pomazak, head coach at St. Charles North High School (Illinois). Pomazak is in his fifth season as the head coach at St. Charles. While at St. Charles, Pomazak has amassed a 33-10 record with every season eclipsing the seven-win mark. This also includes four straight trips to the state playoffs. Last season, Pomazak led St. Charles to a 9-2 record and a perfect 6-0 record in conference play.

Prior to coming to St. Charles, Pomazak spent 10 seasons at Elk Gove High School (Illinois) where he ended as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. He also was a baseball coach while at Elk Grove. Before coaching, Pomazak played football and baseball in high school and college. He graduated from Rolling Meadows High School and continued his education to Iowa State and North Central College. Pomazak played baseball at Iowa State and finished his bachelor’s degree at North Central College.

On today’s podcast, Pomazak and host Keith Grabowski talk about bringing fun to camp and using friendly competition to motivate players.

Show Notes

2:12 Bringing fun into pre-season camp

4:16 Creating competition within practice

9:10 Using a player draft to see the value of fellow teammates

11:19 Drafting a coach with their practice platoon

13:04 Finding the best size for the platoon at practice

15:20 Having set outcomes at the end of every week

17:47 Getting score keeping form out to the players

19:58 Best fun activities to use during camp

27:15 Creating fun organically to motivate the players

31:14 Managing playing music at practice

32:58 Extending the football program to different parts of the school

35:19 Rewarding players for selfless acts in the community

38:04 Tip for interjecting fun into camp

On today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, we continue the conversation talking about install in the “Your Call” series. Today, the topic turns to the defensive install. Defensive coaches across the nation responded on Twitter and shared their thoughts on the time it takes to install their defenses. The majority of respondents voted for having a six-or-more-day install defensively. The full poll can be found below. Here are the coaches featured on today’s podcast.

Cody Alexander – Secondary Coach, Midlothian High School (Texas) – Twitter: @The_Coach_A

Ian O’Malley – Defensive Coordinator, Johnson & Wales University (Providence, Rhode Island) – Twitter: @IanGuru13

Jerry Gordon – Defensive Coordinator, Broad Run High School (Ashburn, Virginia) – Twitter: @JerryGordonFB

Mike Judy – Head Coach, Smyrna High School (Delaware) – Twitter: @coachmikejudy

Todd Drury – Defensive Coordinator, Missouri S & T University – Twitter: @ToddDrury

In today’s show, the coaches and host Keith Grabowski talk about their defensive installation plan and how they coordinate their practice schedules.

Show Notes

0:18 Intro about defensive install

3:33 Cody Alexander shares what offense he installs against

4:17 CA: Reasoning behind the four-day install

10:35 CA: Overcoming adversity in installation

13:58 CA: Preparing for specialty type offensive formations

17:20 Jerry Gordon talks about how he sets up his four-day install

18:23 JG: Setting up different fronts in the install

20:14 JG: Benefits to installing without pads

21:34 JG: Focusing on the mental part of football

24:30 Mike Judy discusses his six-day install of his defense

27:29 MJ: Keeping the install interesting to the defensive line

31:17 MJ: Improving players with their “hierarchy of skills”

34:42 Ian O’Malley gives his reason for having a longer install period

36:13 IO: Coordinating with staff to determine what’s next in the process

37:06 IO: Knowing when to move on and when to fine-tune an install

40:09 Todd Drury’s philosophy behind the nine-day install

44:36 TD: Working with the scout team to prepare for opposing teams

46:03 TD: Preparing every position group with flipped teaching

49:06 TD: Using technology to speed up the install process

On today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, we continue the conversation talking about install in the “Your Call” series. Today, the topic turns to the defensive install. Defensive coaches across the nation responded on Twitter and shared their thoughts on the time it takes to install their defenses. The majority of respondents voted for having a six-or-more-day install defensively. The full poll can be found below. Here are the coaches featured on today’s podcast.

Cody Alexander – Secondary Coach, Midlothian High School (Texas) – Twitter: @The_Coach_A

Ian O’Malley – Defensive Coordinator, Johnson & Wales University (Providence, Rhode Island) – Twitter: @IanGuru13

Jerry Gordon – Defensive Coordinator, Broad Run High School (Ashburn, Virginia) – Twitter: @JerryGordonFB

Mike Judy – Head Coach, Smyrna High School (Delaware) – Twitter: @coachmikejudy

Todd Drury – Defensive Coordinator, Missouri S & T University – Twitter: @ToddDrury

In today’s show, the coaches and host Keith Grabowski talk about their defensive installation plan and how they coordinate their practice schedules.

Show Notes

0:18 Intro about defensive install

3:33 Cody Alexander shares what offense he installs against

4:17 CA: Reasoning behind the four-day install

10:35 CA: Overcoming adversity in installation

13:58 CA: Preparing for specialty type offensive formations

17:20 Jerry Gordon talks about how he sets up his four-day install

18:23 JG: Setting up different fronts in the install

20:14 JG: Benefits to installing without pads

21:34 JG: Focusing on the mental part of football

24:30 Mike Judy discusses his six-day install of his defense

27:29 MJ: Keeping the install interesting to the defensive line

31:17 MJ: Improving players with their “hierarchy of skills”

34:42 Ian O’Malley gives his reason for having a longer install period

36:13 IO: Coordinating with staff to determine what’s next in the process

37:06 IO: Knowing when to move on and when to fine-tune an install

40:09 Todd Drury’s philosophy behind the nine-day install

44:36 TD: Working with the scout team to prepare for opposing teams

46:03 TD: Preparing every position group with flipped teaching

49:06 TD: Using technology to speed up the install process

On today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, it is another installment of “Your Call,” where we share responses on social media from high school and college coaches. The topic for today’s show is how long it takes to install the offensive game plan.

We received several different responses and had respondents on Twitter vote for either a three-day, four-day, five-day or six plus day install. The leading vote getter was a three-day install, with 32 percent voting for it. On the show, we have five coaches from across the country weighing in on how they install their offense. Their names, titles and social media info can be found below.

The website Smart Football recently published an article that discusses this debate. In it, it references college football coaches like West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, Washington State coach Mike Leach and Jackson State offensive coordinator Hal Mumme, who have different approaches to installing offense.

Bobby Acosta – offensive coordinator, Bucknell University – Twitter: @CoachBA1010

Brett Dudley – offensive coordinator, Antioch High School (Concord, California) – Twitter: @CoachBDud

Terrance Banks – head coach, Newton High School (Covington, Georgia) – Twitter: @tbanks1906

Scott Morrison – head coach, Santiago High School (Corona, California) – Twitter: @ScottWMorrison

Dale Carlson – former college football coach – Twitter: @DaleCarlson63

In today’s show, the guests and host Keith Grabowski discuss different ways and timings of installing their offense and how to help players get the most understanding out of it.

Show Notes

0:18 Intro about offensive install

4:38 Bobby Acosta shares his thoughts about three-day install

6:29 BA: How a three-day install is beneficial to player learning

10:01 BA: Building variety in the install process

17:00 Brett Dudley talks about his “rule of four” install

20:04 BD: Building on the install from day to day

22:37 BD: Bringing the “rule of four” install to the season

25:40 Terrance Banks on using the three-day install

27:22 TB: Implementing situational practice to install

33:39 TB: Stage when players start to understand the game plan

37:03 Scott Morrison discusses the philosophy on his three-day install

40:40 SM: Install changes to a focus on situational practice

43:43 SM: Preparing for the defenses the team may see

45:26 Dale Carlson finishes the show with his four-day install

49:51 DC: Making considerations for the offensive line

52:18 DC: Ensuring the staff is being efficient with its time.

On today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, it is another installment of “Your Call,” where we share responses on social media from high school and college coaches. The topic for today’s show is how long it takes to install the offensive game plan.

We received several different responses and had respondents on Twitter vote for either a three-day, four-day, five-day or six plus day install. The leading vote getter was a three-day install, with 32 percent voting for it. On the show, we have five coaches from across the country weighing in on how they install their offense. Their names, titles and social media info can be found below.

The website Smart Football recently published an article that discusses this debate. In it, it references college football coaches like West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, Washington State coach Mike Leach and Jackson State offensive coordinator Hal Mumme, who have different approaches to installing offense.

Bobby Acosta – offensive coordinator, Bucknell University – Twitter: @CoachBA1010

Brett Dudley – offensive coordinator, Antioch High School (Concord, California) – Twitter: @CoachBDud

Terrance Banks – head coach, Newton High School (Covington, Georgia) – Twitter: @tbanks1906

Scott Morrison – head coach, Santiago High School (Corona, California) – Twitter: @ScottWMorrison

Dale Carlson – former college football coach – Twitter: @DaleCarlson63

In today’s show, the guests and host Keith Grabowski discuss different ways and timings of installing their offense and how to help players get the most understanding out of it.

Show Notes

0:18 Intro about offensive install

4:38 Bobby Acosta shares his thoughts about three-day install

6:29 BA: How a three-day install is beneficial to player learning

10:01 BA: Building variety in the install process

17:00 Brett Dudley talks about his “rule of four” install

20:04 BD: Building on the install from day to day

22:37 BD: Bringing the “rule of four” install to the season

25:40 Terrance Banks on using the three-day install

27:22 TB: Implementing situational practice to install

33:39 TB: Stage when players start to understand the game plan

37:03 Scott Morrison discusses the philosophy on his three-day install

40:40 SM: Install changes to a focus on situational practice

43:43 SM: Preparing for the defenses the team may see

45:26 Dale Carlson finishes the show with his four-day install

49:51 DC: Making considerations for the offensive line

52:18 DC: Ensuring the staff is being efficient with its time.

On today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast, we continue the “Your Call” series, allowing coaches and professionals to respond on social media and air their thoughts and opinions on various matters. This time, we look at how technology plays a factor in teaching players the game plan in the install phase. When it comes to having your players learn in the offseason, delivering that message in the right way is everything. Three professionals in football technology contributed to our conversation on social media and join today’s show.

Rob Everett – defensive coordinator at Bridgewater College (Virginia) – Twitter: @NineintheBox

Everett is in his third season as the defensive coordinator at Bridgewater. He coached four all-conference players and the state defensive rookie of the year last season. Before coming to Bridgewater, Everett coached five seasons in the same role at Westfield High School (Virginia). Westfield won the 6A state championship in 2015 and his defense held teams to 7.9 points per game. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Robert E. Lee High School (Virginia) from 2006-10. Everett also was an advisor at HigherEchelon and helped develop the GoArmy Edge Football App.

Austin Barone – Founder/CEO at Just Play Sports Solutions (justplaysolutions.com) – Twitter: @austin_barone

Barone founded Just Play Sports Solutions in 2014. Just Play helps coaches with delivering playbooks and teaching tools to their players in a way they can understand best. He came up with the idea while he was a football player at the University of Kansas from 2012-15. Barone co-founded Just Play with Andy Wachter, a former college basketball player at Wichita State University and Pittsburg State University. Barone developed the beta version of the Just Play system in his last season at Kansas, while he learned how coaches worked and interacted in the press box.

Mike Rolih – Co-Founder/CEO at GoRout (gorout.com) – Twitter: @mikerolih

Rolih founded GoRout in 2014. It is a wearable technology that allows players to digitally retrieve plays being called from coaches on the sidelines. This technology can be fitted as a wristband as well as in the player’s helmet visor. The technology makes calling plays and having players understand them seamless for coaches. Rolih is a former high school football coach and all-state quarterback.

In today’s show, host Keith Grabowski talks with three guests about their technological improvements to installing game plan in the offseason.

Show Notes

2:02 Rob Everett talks about the best method for installation

4:55 RE: Keeping players engaged during install

7:01 RE: Being efficient with practice/classroom time

8:30 RE: Using GoArmy Edge for install

12:51 RE: Making it easy on the players to consume the information

16:02 RE: Using Google Forms to quiz players before practice

22:22 Austin Barone discusses how Just Play Solutions helps install sessions

24:50 AB: Coaches able to hold players accountable

27:33 AB: Types of quizzes in the Just Play Solutions playbooks

29:48 AB: Tips for preseason install

32:02 AB: How coaches are using the Just Play Solutions technology

35:38 AB: Creating a realistic environment without being in-season

37:52 Mike Rolih explains how GoRout technology improves install

41:59 MR: Accompanying to learning in the digital age

44:33 MR: Technology promoting memorization in players

47:54 MR: Linking learning in the classroom to applying on the field

50:49 MR: Installing within the flow of practice

53:25 MR: Catering game plan notes to each player

55:03 MR: Technology integrating the coaching staff in the install

59:34 MR: Adapting teaching styles to the change in technology