The Gridiron Warrior Podcast “Building a Middle School Feeder System That Transforms Your High School Program” with Coach Mike Morgan

In this episode, I sit down with Coach Mike Morgan of Jefferson High School in Georgia — one of the best in the business when it comes to building a true middle school to high school strength pipeline. We talk structure, expectations, buy-in, PE integration, culture, lifting progressions, organization, and the hidden details that make a feeder system work.

👇 Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Welcome back to the Gridiron Warrior Podcast

00:29 – TrainHeroic partnership + 90-day trial + two 12-week programs

01:12 – Why I train with TrainHeroic and recommend it for all coaches

01:56 – Partner highlight: The Plyomat and why it’s a difference-maker

03:03 – Introducing Coach Mike Morgan

03:29 – Mike’s story: URI → Springfield → Citadel → Jefferson High School

04:22 – What Jefferson football looks like in Georgia

04:55 – School size, out-of-district rules, and competing at higher classifications

05:14 – State titles, Final Four runs, and building a winning athletic department

05:36 – Why Mike loves strength & conditioning and high school coaching

06:01 – Impact, community, and living where you coach

06:37 – Seeing athletes from age 10 to graduation

07:02 – Why coaches need help with S&C and structure

07:45 – The power of a middle school feeder program

08:01 – Georgia PE integration and how weight training works in-school

08:16 – 6th, 7th, and 8th grade differences in schedule and exposure

08:42 – Year-round 8th grade model and alternating health/weights

09:01 – Two middle school coaches running the program

09:18 – How Mike checks in with each grade weekly

09:40 – Before-school lifting at the high school

10:05 – Baseball team model and academic schedule flexibility

10:27 – Summer camp for Grades 4–7 and early buy-in

10:54 – How strong high school programs create middle school demand

11:12 – Parent buy-in and eliminating “lifting too young” myths

11:38 – Administrators, communication, and keeping everything smooth

12:14 – Older sibling influence and competitiveness

12:32 – The progression: 8th → 7th → 6th grades

13:01 – What 8th graders must know before high school

13:43 – Teaching front squat, power clean, bench, row, and warmups

14:00 – Why Mike flipped his philosophy: teach lifting first, movement later

14:37 – Cutting speed days and going 4 lifting days + 1 movement

15:14 – 6th grade: goblet squats, training bar cleans, learning basics

15:37 – Why bench press is now introduced earlier

16:02 – Movement training: speed, plyos, pogo hops, broad jumps

16:46 – Using tennis courts, hurdles, lasers, and jump mats

17:18 – Why broad jumps have huge ROI at these ages

17:54 – SAQ setups and rotating stations for large groups

18:18 – Gen-pop students: how they train and why it works

18:58 – Why athletic-style training benefits every kid

19:29 – The rise of functional fitness, CrossFit, Hyrox, and why training like an athlete matters

20:38 – Developing maturity at the middle and high school level

21:05 – Why everything must be structured and coached on cadence

21:26 – Calling every warmup set by whistle

22:05 – Keeping middle schoolers focused with rigid organization

22:52 – Accessory work at the rack only

23:31 – Matching circuits to cadence and limiting chaos

24:01 – Why simplicity increases quality

24:57 – The phone problem and the phone bin solution

25:37 – Why paper programs still dominate at the high school level

26:32 – Cubbies, safety, and keeping backpacks out

27:15 – Microplates, female athletes, and smarter progressions

28:34 – Advice for coaches starting a program from scratch

29:09 – Reduce injury, increase performance, simplify everything

29:36 – Why 3 days per week is the minimum effective dose

29:57 – Start with 8th graders in the spring if resources are limited

30:26 – Summer as the accelerator for new programs

31:18 – How Mike collaborates weekly with the middle school staff

31:44 – A-group vs B-group programming differences

32:29 – Transitioning seniors to college programs

33:03 – Freshman college programs vs high school training realities

33:49 – Guiding athletes who also have private trainers

34:07 – Summer open hours and self-guided lifting

34:49 – Winter break policies and protecting family time

35:16 – Being a father vs being always available

35:30 – How to contact Coach Morgan

36:11 – Final message + Insiders community pitch

36:38 – What’s inside the Insiders: film study, webinars, early podcasts, discounts, community

37:31 – Closing

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