Today’s “Lessons from 2017” edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast features Andrew Coverdale, offensive coordinator for high-powered Louisville (Kentucky) Trinity. The Shamrocks capped a 15-0 season with their second straight Kentucky Class 6A championship on Dec. 2, defeated St. Xavier, 38-21. Coverdale talks about in-season game planning adjustments, how he teaches and more.

Show notes

1:10 Halftime adjustments Trinity made in this year’s state championship game

4:40 Scripting everything beyond play-calling in state tournament games

6:55 What Coverdale learned about how to address problems as they evolve

9:10 Why it’s OK to have to remind kids of things repeatedly

11:25 Why Coverdale emphasizes having players write things down

14:50 The importance of building a big, flexible base into your game plan

19:20 How Coverdale found out what worked best for his team as the season progressed

20:50 Involving players in the game plan

21:20 The winning edge

26:00 A sneak peek about Coverdale’s National Conference presentation

Today’s guest on the “Lessons from 2017” USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jason Mohns, head coach at Saguaro High school in Scottsdale, Arizona. In five seasons as head coach of the Sabercats, Mohns has compiled a 73-9 record, including five straight state championships. They defeated Salpointe Catholic on Dec. 2 for their fifth straight state crown. In this podcast, Mohns discusses game scheduling, empowering assistant coaches, involving players in the game plan and more.

Show notes

1:15 Why Saguaro scheduled tough opponents this season

3:50 When to schedule tough opponents, and when not to

8:00 How Mohns incorporates special teams into limited practice time

11:10 Special teams drills Mohns uses

14:00 Empowering assistant coaches

17:20 Getting feedback from players on the game plan

18:45 Why Mohns took a more hands-on approach with this season’s squad

21:40 Using slogans to build team and community pride

23:30 Schemes Mohns will share when he speaks at the USA Football National Conference

25:00 Why the National Conference is worth attending

Tim Dougherty, Lessons From 2017 by USA Football

Today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast features two co-head coaches from Bartlett High School in Anchorage, Alaska. Daniel Esparza and John Jessen discuss sharing the head coach role in the podcast. They also describe how football in Alaska is different from other places in the United States.

1:02 Sharing the head coach role

3:10 Creating consistency

5:25 What makes Alaska football unique

7:37 Team culture

10:45 Wing-T offense

12:23 How they develop the coaching staff

16:36 Overcoming adversity

18:10 The winning edge

Rich Alercio, head coach at St. Johnsbury Academy (Vermont), joins today’s USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast with Keith Grabowski to discuss the recent state championship win. He also goes in-depth with some of the lessons he learned in 2017.

Show notes

1:45 Buy-in and commitment

4:40 Why he doesn’t schedule Friday practices

6:45 The importance of the senior class

9:32 Halftime at the state championship

11:45 The motto for the year

14:24 Lessons learned this year

16:55 Technical and tactical fundamentals in practice

18:45 Speaking at the USA Football National Conference

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Michael George, Director of Player Personnel at Texas State University. Before Texas State, George served on the Ohio University staff for six seasons. In the podcast, he discusses what he looks for in recruits.

Show notes

1:11  The director of player personal role

4:32  What he looks for in players

6:29  Looking at recruits’ social media

10:24  How to find recruits who fit into team culture

12:27  Why he signs in-state athletes

15:47  Thoughts on recruiting services

21:16  How to get noticed and advice for coaches

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Steve Steele, Riggs High School (Pierre, South Dakota) head coach, whose squad recently won the 11AA state championship. In the podcast, Steele discusses game analytics and tips for scouting opponents.

Show notes

1:20 Adding formations into the offense

5:28 Deciding what plays to call

7:00 Game analytics process

10:33 How to find student volunteers

12:10 Top tendencies to look for in an opponent

15:44 Play calling techniques

17:24 Making halftime adjustments

20:30 Discussing mixed-tempo

22:26 Practicing trick plays

26:08 The winning edge

Brian Kight and Keith Grabowski team up for this special Leadership Journey edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. This podcast will occur weekly throughout the season, focusing on issues that teams face during the season. Kight, the CEO of Focus3, discusses the future of the Leadership Journey podcast today.

Show notes

1:12 The future episodes for the Leadership Journey podcast

9:00 An overview of the performance pathway

14:10 Leadership is the base for a successful program

18:05 Why it takes two years to change a program

29:45 Look for immediate impacts

33:12 There are no shortcuts

39:23 USA Football and Focus 3 partnership

Brian Kight and Keith Grabowski team up for this special Leadership Journey edition of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. This podcast will occur weekly throughout the season, focusing on issues that teams face during the season. Kight, the CEO of Focus3, discusses accountability in today’s podcast.

Show notes

1:51 How much a team’s attitude can change from week to week

3:35 Leading men in battle and how it applies to football

5:45 How leadership skills are developed

7:30 How to create your own energy

10:20 Accountability never works in isolation

16:00 Why the right thing to do isn’t always clear

18:05 What accountability is

22:30 Why coaches should redefine accountability for their teams

25:00 Reward alignment and create discomfort for misalignment

29:15 How to utilize accountability properly

35:30 Reward based on what players like, not what you like

40:05 Social discomfort is the most effective form of discomfort

43:30 Kight’s National Conference speech and USA Football partnership

Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Jason Mohns, head coach at Saguaro High school in Scottsdale, Arizona. In five seasons as head coach of the Sabercats, Mohns has compiled a 72-9 record, including four straight state championships. They will compete for their fifth straight championship Dec. 2. In the podcast, he discusses leadership and the upcoming state championship game.

Show notes

1:04 How to force opponents to spend more time watching your film

3:41 Forming a leadership council with players

6:43 Breaking down Thursday practices

9:20 Why the team is successful

11:44 Preparing for the upcoming state championship

13:51 The winning edge