Today's guest is Eric Kasperowicz, the head coach of Pine-Richlands High School (Gibsonia, Pa.), a top program in Western Pennsylvania. He joins the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast to discuss why his varsity coaches will directly coach players for all four years of their high school career, the importance of outreach to local youth and middle school programs and why his teams won't practice in full pads after Week 2.

Show notes

:57 Coaching start

2:35 Lessons learned as a young coach

3:15 Pine-Richland and the relationship between support and success

4:35 Program philosophy is easy: Family

6:08 Methods for building culture

7:26 The beauty of simplicity

9:02 Why all players in Kasperowicz's program will get four years of coaching from a varsity coach

11:55 Leveraging technology

13:24 When it comes to practice, more is not always better

15:40 The "Look cadence" and building in answers to schematic problems before they occur

17:30 The red zone begins whenever the defense changes

20:35 Book reccommendation

21:12 The PB&J bar (with chocolate milk)

22:59 Learning as much as you can about the other side of the ball

24:32 Why coaches need to understand that the drills they did as players don't work

26:08 Educating middle school feeder programs

27:30 Advice to a young coach

30:58 Two-minute drill

32:41 The winning edge

Today's guest is Rick Streiff, head coach of Cathedral (Indianapolis), one of the top high school programs in the state of Indiana. From 2008 to 2014, Streiff led Cathedral to six state titles in seven seasons. In today's show Streiff hits on how he utilizes the free safety in the run game, how he molds his scheme to fit his personnel and why it's important for players to witness the coaching staff as parents.

Show notes

:50 Start as a football coach

2:13 Lessons learned early on

3:16 "Take care of your buddy and do your job"

4:10 Establishing the culture at Cathedral

5:10 Turning over play calling to a coordinator

6:15 Defensive philosophy and the molding scheme to fit personnel

8:18 Defensive game planning during the week

9:27 Utilizing the free safety in the run game

10:24 Coaching as teaching

11:10 Coaching technology

13:35 Why coaches don’t need to yell

15:00 Best coaching advice received

15:42 Book recommendation

17:15 Lessons big and small from clinics

18:42 Offseason learning

19:13 Concerns for future of the game

21:02 Young coaches need to put their time in

22:41 The value in players seeing coaches parenting

24:47 Two-minute drill

25:49 The winning edge

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Jerry Gordon sits down with Keith in this episode of the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Gordon, a former walk-on at UMass, is a coaching veteran, having spent time coaching in the USFL, at the college ranks and in high school football. Currently the defensive coordinator at Broad Run High School (Ashburn, Va.), Gordon dives into his Under Front defense, using timeouts strategically and why it’s important to make assistant coaches feel valued.

1:21 Starting as a football coach

2:58 Lessons learned in the USFL

4:14 Key takeaways throughout his career

5:12 Impact on coaching philosophy--and focusing on yourself, not the opponent

6:25 Sideline video...as a disadvantage?

7:20 The Under Front defense

9:23 Culture building

10:23 Want a sound defense? Start with relationships and stamina

12:36 The importance of knowing how to fix your scheme when it breaks

13:36 Google Forms as a teaching tool

14:41 Making the grind fun

15:45 Simplicity is key

17:11 Knowing when to call timeout

18:09 Why every player has a "problem"

20:16 "The best coaches made me feel good about myself"

22:21 Coaching technology

23:04 Lessons learned from coaching clinics

24:31 Concerns for future of the game

26:40 Advice to a young coach

27:57 Maintaining balance

29:59 Merritt Hale and the power of dedication

31:08 Two-minute drill

Jason Mohns is today’s guest on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast. Mohns is the head coach of Saguaro High School (Scottsdale, Ari.), a program he’s guided to four-consecutive state titles. Mohns is a USA Football Master Trainer and also helped lead the U.S. Under-16 National Team to a victory in International Bowl VIII in January. He discusses the importance of being yourself as a head coach, the value of assistant coaches and what to do if your roster lacks talent.

Show notes

1:03 Start of coaching journey

2:51 Lessons learned as a young coach

4:10 Coaching = relationships

5:48 Building culture

7:31 Translating culture and learning to the field

9:00 Injecting fun into the grind

10:55 The versatility of 11 personnel

12:46 Practicing something all year--and finally getting to use it in Week 12

14:47 Be yourself as a coach--and don't micromanage

16:48 The importance of talent

17:51 Don't have talented players? Here's what to do

19:05 Book recommendation

19:32 Coaching technology

20:12 Lessons from the clinic circuit

22:15 Concerns for future of the game

23:17 Advice to a young coach

24:05 Creating balance

25:05 Two-minute drill

27:36 The winning edge

Mark Solis - Olentangy High School by USA Football

State Champion: Steve Czerwon - Muskegon Catholic Central (Mich.) by USA Football

Steve Czerwon - Muskegon Central Catholic (Mich.) by USA Football

Bo Hanson - Director, Athlete Assessments by USA Football

Bo Hanson - Director, Athlete Assessment by USA Football

One of the sport’s most widely respected running backs coaches, Tim Horton, sits down with Keith in this week’s episode of the Coach and Coordinator podcast. Horton, who currently serves as running backs coach at Auburn, has coached a host of future NFL players, including Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis and Knile Davis. He gives Keith the inside scoop on what he focuses on when instructing running backs, why so many talented running backs are deficient in pass protection and why coaches need to take their time in evaluating players.

SHOW NOTES

1:09 Coaching in his blood

2:16 Lessons learned as a young coach

3:46 Building relationships with players

5:51 Keys to coaching the running back position

7:46 How Horton makes the most of his individual sessions with running backs

11:16 Coaching points for winning the block in pass protection

13:28 Approach to coaching running backs in the classroom setting and the value of active learning

15:06 Making the grind fun for players

16:50 Favorite run play

18:05 Teaching points for RBs in Power play

21:32 Why good outfielders make good punt returners

23:47 Key traits Horton looks for on recruiting trail

26:05 Why coaches should not pass judgment too quickly on players

27:15 Best coaching advice received

27:51 Book recommendation

29:59 Learning RPO

31:01 Favorite piece of coaching technology

33:06 Concerns for future of the game

34:39 Advice to a young coach

36:10 Two-minute drill

37:55 The winning edge