The Board Drill Podcast

Coach Kurt Hines joins Kyle and Matt for a wide-ranging conversation on program development, hiring, delegation, and what it really takes to build a culture that lasts. With 29 years on the sideline and head coaching stops in New Hampshire and at Coronado in California, Coach Hines breaks down why programs are built on people first and schemes second.We get into his interview process for assistant coaches (and why he sets a timer to talk about anything BUT football for the first 30 minutes), the failures that taught him how to delegate, the flight to Mississippi that flipped his perspective on empowering staff, and the discipline story from his first year at Coronado that defined who he was as a head coach. Coach Hines also shares the story behind one of his most viral videos and offers honest advice for coaches who just got let go.If you are trying to build something that outlasts the wins and losses, this one will hit.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Intro and welcoming Coach Kurt Hines02:32 Why program development is about people, not schemes07:11 The right way to hire assistant coaches17:48 Delegation and giving coaches skin in the game22:32 The flight to Mississippi that reshaped how Kurt leads26:49 Failure as the best teacher32:11 Building controlled chaos so players learn to fail36:14 The Coronado story and holding the line on discipline43:14 Going viral and using social media the right way52:14 Community service and the final question54:45 Advice for coaches who just got let go==========================SPONSOR: SIDELINE HQThis episode is brought to you by Sideline HQ, the equipment tracking app built for coaches. Tired of slow checkouts during spring ball and missing gear in the fall? Sideline HQ lets you manage your inventory and track your equipment right from your phone.Try it free for 30 days at sidelinehq.co.==========================Subscribe for more coach-to-coach content and find every episode at www.boarddrill.com.#BoardDrill #FootballCoaching #XsOs

Will Cockerill has gone 25-5 in two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Denton Ryan High School in Texas. His defense finished number one in scoring defense in the Dallas area at just over 12 points per game and has held a 70 percent third down stop rate back to back. The Sons of Ryan are not just a good defense. They are a program built on culture, structure, and a weekly process that leaves nothing to guesswork by Friday night.

In this episode, Coach Cockerill returns to the pod and walks through the full system. How he collects grades and sends a game summary to his head coach Saturday morning. How he uses position-specific Google Docs to structure his Sunday staff meeting before anyone walks in the room. How he sequences practice Monday through Thursday, buckets film by scheme instead of play name, and builds a call sheet that already has the answers to problems before they show up in a game.

This one goes well beyond X’s and O’s. It is a blueprint for how a coordinator runs a week.

0:00 Introduction and welcome back to Coach Will Cockerill, DC at Denton Ryan

2:00 16 years in Texas, a 25-5 record as DC, and the three keys to success at any program

5:30 Defensive metrics, stop rate, havoc rate, third down efficiency, and the Sons of Ryan identity

9:09 Game planning philosophy: target their best, attack their weakest lineman, make them go left-handed

12:00 The Friday night to Saturday routine: grading, player stats, and the game summary to the head coach

15:30 The defensive awards system: BGO, Honey Badger, Ball Hawk, and building the templates to save time

19:54 How the sideline trash can dunking tradition changed their takeaway numbers

21:00 Saturday scouting: bucketing run schemes as zone or gap and how that simplifies the whole week

26:00 The staff Google Doc: four position-specific questions that structure the Sunday meeting before anyone walks in

31:00 Sunday staff meeting, finalizing the scouting report, and getting it on Huddle and the facility TVs

34:00 Monday practice: helmet only, tackle circuits, bread and butter run scheme, and team tempo

39:00 Tuesday is third down day: scripting every situation with the opponent’s actual plays

44:00 Wednesday is red zone day: scripted from plus 20 to inside the five, and scouting next week starts now

48:30 Thursday: trick plays, situational football, and finalizing the call sheet

52:49 The WAR Cut-Up explained: Winners Are Relentless, a three to five game sample, and how film is shared in Huddle

57:57 Call sheet breakdown: fronts, movements, hash-based tendencies, and built-in answers before Friday

1:03:00 Why Coach Cockerill says process and teaching matter more than scheme

1:11:10 Unique program differentiators, short practices, giving players the answers all week

1:13:51 Community, purpose, and what it means to coach kids who need you

1:14:49 The pancake brigade and why nutrition is the next real competitive edge

This episode is brought to you by Sideline HQ, the easiest way to manage your program’s equipment. Stop losing gear and start tracking it from your phone. Check it out at sidelinehq.co!

Coach Josh Jones has been on the show before, and he earns every return trip.

Jones is the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Knoxville Catholic High School in Tennessee. He has been coaching football for over 30 years, and in this episode he sits down with Kyle and Matt to lay out two things that every offensive staff should have nailed down before fall: a structured spring install plan and a reliable menu of red zone concepts.

The spring install portion alone is worth the listen. Jones walks through how he staggers a 3-day install plan across six weeks of classroom sessions before spring practice ever begins, so that by the time players hit the field, they have already seen each install twice. He also talks through how he coordinates with his defensive staff, how he adjusts the playbook based on what his quarterback can actually do, and how he used Georgia Tech film this offseason as the foundation for building out a new offense around a mobile quarterback with college offers.

From there the episode shifts into red zone work. Jones covers the high red double under and the SOCK pre-snap read process, sprint snag as a low red staple, and boundary mesh as a concept he has run at multiple stops because it gives answers against every coverage structure. He also shares the quarterback coaching points he has been using for years, including the simple phrase that a former player rattled back to him word for word five years after leaving the program.

Clean. Practical. No wasted time.

This episode drops as spring ball is starting for programs across the country. If your install is still being pieced together, this one is the right listen at the right moment.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro, guest welcome, and sponsor read

1:17 Spring install overview: staff meetings and personnel evaluation

8:50 The 6-week pre-spring install schedule and repetition structure

13:05 Why repetition works: the walk-on quarterback story

13:16 Building the offense around your quarterback’s skillset

15:34 What Georgia Tech film taught Knoxville Catholic this offseason

18:38 Spring focal points: scheming for your league and early opponents

19:04 The 3-day install menu: run game, quick game, drop backs, and red zone

24:34 Why Jones practices red zone every single day of spring ball

27:14 Offensive and defensive coordination during spring practice

31:32 Red zone philosophy: run the football and QB critical factors

35:01 QB coaching points: KYP, KYS, and Jones-isms that stick five years later

37:03 High red zone: double under concept and pre-snap read process (SOCK)

43:01 Low red zone: sprint snag and reading the flat

46:57 Boundary mesh: a universal red zone concept that works against all coverages

59:52 What makes Knoxville Catholic different from every other program

This episode is brought to you by Sideline HQ. Sideline HQ is the easiest way to manage your program’s equipment. Stop losing gear and start tracking it. Built for coaches, by coaches. Visit www.sidelinehq.co to learn more.

Coach Jimmie Tyson is back. The DC at Dothan High School in Alabama returns just weeks after his first appearance because there was unfinished business: hot pressures. In this film-heavy session, Coach Tyson breaks down how he couples six and five-man pressure paths with hot coverage, why self-scouting data pushed him away from zero coverage, and how a modular system lets him run the same pressure with man, fire zone, or quarters behind it.This is a clinic. Coach Tyson pulls real film from games against some of the top programs in Florida and Alabama and walks through the concepts live. If you coach defense at any level, this one is for you.This episode is brought to you by Sideline HQ. Stop losing gear and start tracking your program's equipment all on your phone. Save time and money at sidelinehq.co.

TIMESTAMPS0:00 Welcome back and Sideline HQ sponsor read1:13 Coach Tyson returns: why hot pressures were left on the table2:56 Self-scouting data: why explosive plays killed their zero pressure game plan10:09 Run game fit with hot coverage and the eight-man box advantage10:58 Eye technique players: reads, alignment, and front shoulder keys13:00 Corner technique: catch and carry, seven to nine yards off14:33 Five-man pressures with two under four deep (quarters) behind them18:02 The Utah drill for teaching eye players43:09 The flinch effect: how hot coverage takes the quarterback off his spots44:10 Scrambling quarterbacks and plastering technique45:19 Adjusting hot pressure usage against athletic quarterbacks46:45 How hot coverage turns explosive plays into manageable gains51:38 Attacking bubble screens with everyone's eyes on the quarterback55:35 Stemming pre-snap to prevent protection checks57:06 Triple A-gap pressure paired with hot quarters coverage59:32 Corner pressure with hot coverage: bringing the boundary corner1:00:02 Bear front with nickel off the edge versus zone read1:01:20 Selling skeptical coaches on multiple-gap pressures1:05:17 The Flores/Minnesota blitz: seven-man pressure with pop technique1:08:27 Pop technique evolution and how they adapted it for high school1:17:05 Using the pressure in a playoff game to take empty off the table1:24:47 Situational usage: when to call hot pressure and when to stay away1:25:29 The Tango tag: four under two deep as another coverage option1:26:33 Coach Tyson's favorite blitz path1:29:34 Scripting the first 12 defensive plays to give offenses fits1:33:12 Building a Thursday exotic script to prepare for wrinkles you have never seen on tape1:36:21 Closing thoughtsSubscribe for more coaching content at www.boarddrill.com. We post new episodes weekly and have a growing video and article library built for coaches at every level.

In this episode of The Board Drill Podcast, Kyle and Matt sit down with Austin Herink, Senior Offensive Analyst at UCF, for a film-room-level breakdown of quarterback influence on third down success. Coach Herink shares the self-scout study he conducted after UCF finished 118th nationally in third down conversion rate, comparing the Knights' approach against the best and worst offenses in college football and the NFL. From distance-to-gain data, to QB archetypes, to play design principles from Indiana, Vanderbilt, Utah, and the Chicago Bears, this episode is a clinic on how to think about third down from the inside of a Power Five program.Whether you are a high school coach looking to improve your self-scout process or a coordinator rethinking your third down package, this one is built for you.Timestamps: 0:00 Welcome and introductions2:13 Why Herink ran this study and how he built the methodology5:30 UCF self-scout: 34% conversion rate, distance to gain, and what the data revealed10:04 Drop eight, run efficiency, and what third and long actually looks like for most offenses16:48 Best offenses compared: the full table, QB archetypes, and what Indiana, Vanderbilt, Utah, and the Bears did differently21:45 Short yardage principles: identity concepts, personnel, and planning around your weaknesses26:00 Third and medium film: Vanderbilt's run-pass marriage, Belly G lead, and plays on plays33:53 Condensed splits, stacks, and bunches: forcing defensive communication to create easy throws39:00 Indiana's deep ball philosophy, Fernando Mendoza throwing into the teeth of the defense, and trusting your reps44:50 Three level floods, Bird 3 screens, and how the best teams approached third and extra long50:38 Key takeaways: situation, personnel, and why first and second down decides third down53:01 Studying the worst offenses and what bad third down football looks like in reverse1:09:11 Identity in game planning, Mike McDonald's Seahawks, and coaching technique over assignment1:13:27 Mind Time at Washington: cross-unit connection and building the tightest roster possible1:15:45 Playing football in Vienna, Austria, closing thoughts, and sign-offSubscribe at www.boarddrill.com for episode releases, coaching articles, and more content from coaches at every level.

Cody Alexander ( @MatchQuarters ) joins Kyle and Matt to break down why the best defenses at every level are stripping things back to the basics. From NFL case studies to high school application, Cody explains why schematic bloat is killing defenses, how technique should drive your scheme, and what Mike McDonald's modular defense concept really looks like when you peel it apart. If you have ever felt pressure to add more to your playbook just to keep up, this episode is your permission slip to simplify.Visit www.boarddrill.com to subscribe and never miss an episode.0:00 Intro and Cody Alexander's impact on The Board Drill2:03 The trend toward defensive simplification at every level3:50 Why defenses bloated: disguise culture and mental load5:56 McDonald's modular defense and the Ravens 2.0 system7:46 How NFL technique translates to the high school level8:43 Super Bowl pressure breakdown and nothing new under the sun10:54 Vikings and Seahawks edge schemes and hash adjustments12:38 Half-field zones, condensed set checks, and palms pressures15:07 Where weak rotation Cover 3 and quarters overlap18:12 Using seven-on-seven as a sandbox for pressure development20:00 The whiteboard exercise: put all your calls up and face the truth22:34 Rewriting your playbook as a staff and clinicking each other25:13 The telephone game on your coaching staff and how to fix it28:44 Teaching the whole player, not just one piece32:45 Modular practice structure and half-line work from the flexbone34:38 Summer pods and structuring your 12 offseason sessions37:43 Why linebacker coaching is the weakest link in the chain40:18 Need vs. want: if it does not work by Wednesday, drop it42:54 The litmus test for schematic bloat and weekly self-scouting46:11 Three must-haves for any DC taking over a new program48:35 Unique thing: no-agenda team cookouts for culture building

The Board Drill Podcast | Coach Jimmie Tyson | Being Multiple, Changing the Picture, and Week-to-Week Pressure Variations

In this episode, host Kyle Bradburn sits down with Coach Jimmie Tyson, the new Defensive Coordinator at Dothan High School in Alabama. Coach Tyson brings over 20 years of coaching experience, including six years at Florida A&M University and nearly a decade as the Defensive Coordinator at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida, one of the most respected programs in the state. The conversation is packed with film, concepts, and practical teaching points for any coach looking to be more multiple on the defensive side of the ball.

Coach Tyson breaks down how a candid conversation with an offensive coordinator changed the way he thought about defense, how following Mike McDonald’s work at Baltimore and Seattle shaped his coverage matrix, and how his staff built a system that lets them run the same blitz path with multiple coverage tags using just one word. From traditional Tampa 2 to using the nickel as the hole runner, dropping ends into hooks, rolling safeties, disguising zero, and changing the picture week to week based on opponent tendencies, this episode covers a ton of ground with real film to back it up.

If you coach defense, this one is for you.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Welcome and Introduction

0:49 - Coach Tyson’s Background: FAMU, Godby High School, Lincoln High School, and Dothan High School

1:53 - What It Means to Be Multiple on Defense

2:00 - The Origin Story: How a Post-Practice Conversation with OC Grant Thompson Sparked a New Philosophy

3:40 - Scripting Defensive Plays Just Like an Offense Scripts Its First 12

4:10 - The Mike McDonald Connection: Following His Work at Baltimore and Seattle

5:47 - Building the Coverage Matrix: Putting X’s on the Board and Interchanging Roles

7:47 - Running Traditional Tampa 2: Film from 2019 and Coaching the Mike in the Hole

10:06 - Non-Traditional Tampa 2: Why the Nickel Makes a Better Hole Runner Than the Mike

11:33 - Disguising Tampa 2 as a Zero Pressure Look to Freeze the Quarterback

13:27 - Motion Rules Against Non-Traditional Tampa: Why Nothing Has to Change

15:14 - Hole Player Technique: Staying Top-Down, Climbing with Verticals, Reading QB Eyes

18:00 - Walling Tampa 2: Dropping Ends as Hook Players with Cross-A Gap Pressure

19:10 - Teaching the Ends to Drop: Running to the Hip of Number Two, Rules vs. the Tight End

22:33 - Making This Work with Undersized Ends

25:55 - Bears to Tampa: Tagging Ends to Drop Off a Bear Front

29:51 - Adjusting Coverage Assignments Week to Week Based on Opponent Threats

32:09 - Coverage Tags Off the Same Blitz Path: Zero, Pop (Cover 1), and Tampa

33:58 - Three-High Look with Tampa 2: How the Same Concept Wears a Different Mask Each Week

34:23 - Making Offensive Coordinators See Ghosts: Running Exotic Looks That Never Show Up on Game Day

35:19 - Player Buy-In and Ownership: If It Is Not Clean by Wednesday, It Does Not Go In

36:13 - Bringing Nickel and Dime to the A Gap While Dropping the Nose as the Hole Runner

39:22 - Four-Man Edge Pressure with Nickel and Dime, Walling Concepts, and the Triangle Over Two

43:19 - Transitioning to One-Word Calls: Simplifying Multi-Concept Pressures and Coverages

44:00 - Double A Gap Presentations Dropping Into Cover 3: Making Quarterbacks Throw Hot Into Coverage

47:16 - Cadence and Stem Work: Presentation Stems vs. Last-Second Stems and Communication Drills

49:51 - One-Word Calls in Action: Loading the Front and Bringing the End Down the B Gap

51:34 - Showing the Load Front, Stemming, and Dropping Mike and Will While Bringing the Nickel for a Sack

53:08 - The Big Takeaway: Crossover Technique and Why Everyone on the Defense Must Learn Every Role

54:23 - Coaching the Process: Getting Players to Think and Communicate Instead of Just React

55:47 - What Makes These Programs Unique: Staff Development Clinics and Dothan’s Team Competition System

59:19 - Final Thoughts from Coach Tyson: Why Defensive Coaches Need to Sit in Offensive Meetings

CONNECT WITH THE BOARD DRILL

Want more film breakdowns, scheme deep dives, and conversations with coaches at every level? Subscribe and head over to www.boarddrill.com for more content. New episodes drop weekly.

Subscribe now so you never miss an episode!

Coach Jimmy Nguyen (OC/QB, New Canaan HS, CT) hops on the Board Drill Podcast to break down unbalanced formations and how they’re using them to steal numbers in both the run game and pass game without turning the offense into a special package the kids cannot own.We talk tackle-over, WR unbalanced (X Over), jet/toss/boot sequencing, and how tempo plus presentation forces defenses to either over-rotate or play vanilla. If you want easy ways to stress rules and communication on Friday nights, this one’s a clinic.Chapters / Timestamps00:00 Intro + meet Coach Jimmy Nguyen01:03 Why unbalanced (run + pass) at New Canaan03:20 Using weekly formation variation to stress defenses04:16 Culture + players taking ownership of the program06:05 Types of unbalanced + how they label/call it07:25 Tackle-over math: extra gap advantage + what defenses waste09:00 Biggest pass-game advantage off unbalanced (confusion + hiding guys)10:16 Jet sweep/jet pass as an opener from tackle-over12:57 Tempo and sugar huddle to prevent defensive checks13:40 Formation into the boundary + tackle-over examples17:05 WR unbalanced: X Over + nasty/condensed splits20:01 Coaching the toss: RB landmarks + getting downhill fast22:58 Boot off toss: sequencing the over-rotation25:49 Under-center unbalanced with 4 on the LOS (how teams align)27:54 Bride & Groom tag: RB as #1 receiver + rule stress34:59 Building the screen game off unbalanced looks36:06 Play sequencing cut-ups (quads/diamond quick screen, years apart)45:56 Unique program piece: varsity giving back to the youth program48:58 Wrap-up + closing thoughtsQuick Takeaways1. Unbalanced is not trick. It is a weekly numbers tool if your tags stay simple.2. Defenses tend to over-commit to the gap problem, which opens up jet, screens, boot, and quick game.3. Pairing unbalanced with tempo and sugar huddle can force opponents into vanilla calls.

Board Drill Podcast | Coach Justin Roberts (Eagles Landing Christian Academy)In this episode of the Board Drill Podcast, Kyle and Matt sit down with Coach Justin Roberts, Head Football Coach at Eagles Landing Christian Academy.We kick things off by revisiting one of the wildest games we’ve ever been a part of (42–14 at half 👀), and then dive into what really matters — building a program, handling momentum swings, and the lessons you only learn the hard way.Coach Roberts shares insight on in-game adversity, player belief, program standards, and how perspective changes when you’ve been on both sides of a comeback. This one is loaded with practical takeaways for high school and college coaches alike.⚠️ Heads up: We had a little trouble with screen sharing throughout the episode, so you’ll notice that as a recurring theme. It makes a few segments a bit choppy — but the coaching content absolutely delivers.⏱️ Timestamps0:00 – Welcome back + Introducing Coach Justin Roberts1:45 – The 42–14 halftime story (and the comeback)5:30 – Momentum swings and “Superman can bleed” moments10:15 – Lessons learned from being on both sides of wild games15:40 – Building belief in players who don’t believe in themselves22:10 – Handling turnovers and sudden change situations29:30 – Coaching through adversity without flinching36:45 – Program culture: grit, accountability, and response44:20 – Perspective as a head coach vs. position coach51:00 – Film reflection years later — what you see differently58:10 – Final thoughts + advice for young coaches🎙️ Subscribe for weekly conversations focused on scheme, culture, and the details that actually win games.

In this episode of The Board Drill Podcast, we sit down with Coach Tim Foster, OL Coach at Hebron Christian in Georgia, to talk through his progression for developing dominant offensive linemen. He starts with stance and footwork, builds through board drills, and finishes with game application.Coach Foster walks through how he transitioned into coaching offensive line, how he built his individual progression, and why mastering solo blocks is the foundation for everything up front.If you are an offensive line coach looking for practical, install-ready drill work, this episode is for you.Timestamps:Coach Tim Foster Segment0:00 – Intro and meeting Coach Foster at Mount Bethel Clinic2:00 – Transitioning from tight ends and offensive coordinator to offensive line4:30 – Building an OL system from the ground up at Hebron Christian8:45 – Why solo blocks are the foundation of OL play12:30 – Board drill setup and teaching progression18:00 – Stance, first step, and creating repeatable movement23:15 – Pad level, hand placement, and creating force on contact30:40 – Using boards for down blocks, pulls, and drive blocks38:20 – From drill work to game film, bridging practice to Friday night45:10 – Putting offensive linemen at a disadvantage in drills to build game confidence52:30 – Coaching details that separate good from great up frontKyle and Matt Wrap-Up58:00 – Episode cut short and recapping Coach Foster’s key points1:00:15 – Why winning one-on-one blocks is everything1:03:30 – Bird Dog drill, freeze and fix technique1:07:45 – Creating disadvantage drills for better game performance1:12:10 – Board drill versus pan sled, teaching tools that matter1:16:30 – Final thoughts and future guest teaserKey Topics Covered-Offensive line individual development-Board drill progressions-Solo block mastery-Drill design with built-in disadvantage-Coaching footwork and pad level-Translating individual periods to game performance