Keep Your Pads Down!

Author, mentor, and mental training and leadership expert Lucas Jadin joins KYPD to discuss his recent book "Win in the Dark," a book that identifies the barriers to success and how we can overcome them. Lucas discusses how to defeat the "twin thieves," take ownership of your "little man voice," and the importance of putting in the work "in the dark" so that you can "shine under the lights." Our conversation today is a MUST listen for anyone wanting to improve their mental toughness and become a better leader.

We kick off Season 3 by sitting down with legendary defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski! Coach Kool currently serves as Co-Defensive Coordinator and Outside Linebackers Coach at Toledo but has developed elite defensive lines at Missouri, Miami (FL), and Alabama as well. Today, we talk about Coach Kool's journey through the coaching ranks, including the difference between coaching defensive line at Missouri and Alabama. We then get into Coach Kool's pass rush philosophy which helped develop elite pass rushers like Aldon Smith, Kony Ealy, Michael Sam, and Shane Ray at Missouri, and Quinnen Williams and Raekwon Davis at Alabama. We wrap up with Coach Kool telling us who he's taking in the 2021 National Championship between Ohio State and Alabama.

In the final episode of Season 2 of KYPD, we talk with Eastern Kentucky Defensive Line Coach Jeremy Hawkins. We discuss his journey through the coaching ranks, building relationships with players, Coach's insights on recruiting, and his favorite aspect of defensive line play to coach.

For episode #86 of KYPD, we are joined by Texas State Defensive Line Coach Jacori Greer. Coach Greer talks about how the Bobcats transition from a 3 down to a 4 down front, how he coaches twists and movements with his defensive line, and rushing mobile Quarterbacks. We then finish up our conversation debating the merits of cranberry sauce and giblet gravy.

Lincoln College Defensive Line Coach Vince Bordelon joins KYPD for episode 85 to discuss his journey through the coaching ranks of California JUCO ball, appearing on season 5 of "Last Chance U" as a member of the Laney College coaching staff, and his favorite coaching cues when teaching pass rush. There is a TON of other great stuff in here as well, including Coach Vince's favorite food spots in Oak Town, and which Oakland native running back he thinks is better: Maurice Jones-Drew or Marshawn Lynch.

Northwestern State Defensive Line Coach LeDell Love joins KYPD to talk about the Demons' unique situation of preparing for a spring football season. A former all Southland Conference defensive lineman for the Demons, Coach Love goes into detail about NSU's three down front and how they coach up both their tackles and nose.

Hueytown, Alabama High School Defensive Line Coach Zac Williams joins KYPD for Episode 83 to talk about his journey from Mississippi junior college ball to the University of Alabama Birmingham where he helped the Blazers to a Conference USA championship. We also get into the advantages and challenges of being a young coach and how to relate to today's athlete. We then finish up by talking about how Coach Williams started "Trench Mob Training," his comprehensive training program for defensive lineman of all skill levels.

Ouachita High School Head Football Coach Jeff Fitzgerald joins KYPD to discuss his faith and how that faith dictates how he interacts with his players and builds his program in Monroe, Louisiana. Coach then offers his insights on hiring assistant coaches, the first thing coaches should do when taking over a program, and how to create buy-in within a program. We then close out with Coach Fitzgerald coaching Coach Taylor up on the fundamentals of defensive line play.

Coach Raleigh Jackson, Defensive Line Coach at Henderson State University, joins KYPD to discuss how he coaches stopping the run and then his philosophy for getting after the quarterback. We get into some of the Reddies' everyday drills, discuss their three down front, and finish up with our "Rapid Fire" segment where we ask the South Carolina native who has the best BBQ? Arkansas or Carolina?

In the latest edition of KYPD "Inside Drill" Coach Taylor discusses the importance of simple, effective coaching cues which improve the efficiency of communication both in practice and games. Additionally, Coach discusses how strong coaching cues also lead to greater retention of concepts by your players and increase player buy in when learning specific techniques.