Dave McFarland, head coach of Lorain High School (Ohio), is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. McFarland, the 2016 Cleveland Browns Coach of the Year, discusses why changing a program’s culture begins off the field, how his Cover 3 defense remains effective and why coaches should not be so concerned with teaching schemes—at the expense of fundamentals.

Show notes

:28 Start as a football coach (and coaching basketball and track as well)

2:35 Coaching philosophy and keeping things simple

3:27 Changing culture starts off the field

5:13 Teaching players the basics

6:46 Breaking up the season-long grind

9:26 Defending the RPO

10:38 Rebounding from an 0-2 start to state quarterfinals

12:14 Mistakes made as a young coach

13:08 Surround yourself with good people

17:02 Advice to a young football coach

19:00 Two-minute drill

Former NFL receiver Craig Yeast is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Yeast is currently the offensive coordinator at Franklin College (Ind.) and also oversees the school’s intramural program. He discusses the five F’s of his offense, the importance of tempo and building off inside zone.

Show notes

0:45 Football start and the Yeast family name

3:30 Importance of teaching fundamentals to young players

5:00 The influence of Alvis Johnson 

7:00 The 5 F’s of Yeast’s offense

10:00 Teaching players the system

12:00 Offensive philosophy

14:00 Inside zone (plus bubble screen)

18:30 Looking at numbers, rather than tendencies, when calling plays

20:00 Play calling near the goal line

24:00 Mistakes made as a young coach

26:00 Be yourself—nobody knows you better than yourself

29:00 Book recommendation

31:00 Creating balance 

33:30 Two-minute drill

40:45: The winning edge

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

Boyden Hull/Rock Valley (Iowa) head coach Cory Brandt is today's guest of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Brandt discusses what it's like coaching a "shared program," which combines players from two different schools. He also shares his approach to maintaining a successful football program in an area more well-known for its basketball. 

Show Notes

1:02 Start as a football coach

2:34 Developing as a coach in a football family

4:24 Coach philosophy: Developing young men and focus on team

6:15 Developing culture in a shared program

8:24 "Fast-Break Offense: Attracting football players in a basketball mecca

10:30 Teaching players to understand the system (and the influence of Hal Mumme)

14:04 Building from Jet motion

18:14 Communication between coaches and taking advantage of what the defense gives

23:48 The highs should never be too high; the lows, never too low

27:13 Book recommendation

29:13 Try to take away one small thing from each coaching clinic

31:14 On the value of playground football

36:55 Two-minute drill

Nate Sanderson is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. He currently serves as the girls varsity basketball coach at Springville High School (Iowa). He also works to develop educational materials with Breakthrough Basketball. He discusses how to interact with parents, how to avoid coach-parent conflicts and what he does during his Mental Health Wednesdays.

Show notes

1:21 Current job

3:00 How to deal with parents

6:28 Creating culture with parents

9:20 Honoring players

12:30 Series of questions for parents

18:07 How to be a better coach for the parents

19:28 Recognizing all players

21:09 Parents can support each other

22:50 Coaching more effectively (communication)

25:40 Approaching difficult parents

26:41 Applying these lessons to a football team

28:31 How to include parents if they don’t attend meetings

29:10 Building culture

32:00 Practice failure

33:45 Mental health/culture training

36:14 Activities for building mental health

Scotty Walden sits down with host Keith Grabowski in today’s episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Walden was the youngest head coach in the NCAA last year when he led Division III East Texas Baptist University at the age of 26. This offseason, he accepted a job coaching tight ends and receivers at Southern Miss. He discusses the simple drills he likes to teach accountability and responsibility and why young coaches should seek out non-prestigious jobs.

Show notes

:30 Coaching philosophy

1:39 Start as a football coach

3:36 On being the youngest college head coach in America last season

5:45 Key learning moments early in career

8:33 Building culture

13:35 The 5 core values of Walden's program

16:45 Pat-and-Go and run-throughs, not walk-throughs

22:43 The versatility of Inside Zone

24:15 Maintaining tempo while using motion and changing personnel

27:15 Breaking down Walden's Y Cross

30:55 Approaching situational offense during the week

33:25 Keeping things simple (K.I.S.S.)

35:30 Advice to a young coach

39:15 Coaching technology

42:45 Two-minute drill

44:15 The winning edge

Trevor Stellman is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Stellman is the offensive coordinator at St. Thomas More College (Crestview Hills, Ky.). In 2015, he oversaw an offense that tallied 583 points and 6,019 total yards. He discusses his RPO scheme, how to attack man defenses and how he builds culture and identity in an offensive unit.

Show notes

:29: What made you want to be a football coach and transition from player to coach

3:33 Coaching philosophy and expertise

6:21 How do you develop culture (and identity) within an offense

9:34 Zone read from the pistol

11:13 Working on the timing of RPOs and encountering man coverage

13:20 How do you deal with man coverage to take care of RPOs

14:41 No huddle play call capabilities

19:35 Remembering that football is a game

23:42 Tweaking his outside zone play

24:32 Maintaining a run-first mentality in a pass-happy landscape

30:55 Advice for young coach

31:44 Creating balance

32:58 Two-minute drill

36:20 The winning edge

Trevor Stellman is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Stellman is the offensive coordinator at St. Thomas More College (Crestview Hills, Ky.). In 2015, he oversaw an offense that tallied 583 points and 6,019 total yards. He discusses his RPO scheme, how to attack man defenses and how he builds culture and identity in an offensive unit.

Show notes

:29: What made you want to be a football coach and transition from player to coach

3:33 Coaching philosophy and expertise

6:21 How do you develop culture (and identity) within an offense

9:34 Zone read from the pistol

11:13 Working on the timing of RPOs and encountering man coverage

13:20 How do you deal with man coverage to take care of RPOs

14:41 No huddle play call capabilities

19:35 Remembering that football is a game

23:42 Tweaking his outside zone play

24:32 Maintaining a run-first mentality in a pass-happy landscape

30:55 Advice for young coach

31:44 Creating balance

32:58 Two-minute drill

36:20 The winning edge

Aaron Chantler is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Chantler spent the past five seasons as head coach at Washington’s Gig Harbor High School, where he won two league titles and made the playoffs four times. He recently joined the coaching staff at Auburn High School, where he’ll coach under his father-in-law, Gordy EIlliott. Chantler dissects his jet action package as well as how he integrates jet sweep and mesh.

Show notes

:33 Start as a football coach

2:58 Key points in development and coaching philosophy

4:30 Key points in coaching philosophy

5:47 Building culture through community outreach

7:12 Spread (2x2, 3x1) pistol option offense

8:57 Helping players learn the system

10:25 Chantler's "jet package" and running inverted veer

16:06 Drills to time the jet sweep/mesh

18:37 "Game-winners" and "Two-point conversion" package

23:50 Mistakes made as a young coach

25:04 Best coaching advice received

26:30 The Energy Bus

29:11 Two-minute drill

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Today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast is Mark Bruns. Bruns is the defensive coordinator at Coldwater (Ohio), one of the top small-school programs in Ohio. In 2015, Coldwater finished 15-0, winning a state title and allowing just 99 points the entire season. Bruns discusses his base 4-4 defense, how success breeds more success and how young coaches can make themselves indispensable by mastering technology:

Show notes

1:17 Start as a football coach

2:42 Key lessons in development

4:10 Expectation of playing 15 games per season

5:53 Dealing with expectations as a coaching staff

7:36 How deep playoff runs can develop players (more games, more reps)

9:00 Keeping things fun during a 15-week season

10:42 A typical practice at Coldwater

14:58 Inside Coldwater's defense

17:11 Creating a defensive "system" and the need to make adjustments quickly

19:25 The value in scheduling a variety of teams in non-conference play

21:25 Technology (and how young coaches can embrace it)

23:21 Mistakes made as a young coach

24:20 Best coaching advice received

25:11 Advice to a young coach

26:13 Creating balance

29:35 Two-minute drill

31:04 The winning edge