The She Plays Flag Podcast

Zack Desmarais has experienced nearly every side of flag football.

A two-time national collegiate champion at Kennesaw State, Zack went from discovering the game through intramurals to becoming one of Georgia's most respected coaches. After helping launch McEachern High School's girls flag football program, he now leads the women's flag football program at Life University.

In this episode, Zack shares:

•  How his flag football journey unexpectedly began in college 
•  What he learned competing at the highest levels of the game 
•  The transition from player to coach and program builder 
•  The challenges and opportunities of coaching girls flag football 
•  Building culture, developing athletes, and preparing players for the college game 
•  The continued growth and future of women's flag football 

This episode is for coaches and players alike and Zack offers practical insight into what it takes to build successful programs while helping grow one of the fastest-rising sports in America.

Music in this program licensed through Soundstripe.

Code: VPWIPDE2GMCHATRX 

What happens when you say "yes" to an opportunity you never expected?

In Episode 16 of the She Plays Flag Podcast, I sit down with Breana Sumpter, Head Women's Flag Football Coach at LaGrange College. Coach Sumpter shares her unconventional journey from teaching Spanish and working in mental and behavioral health to leading one of Georgia's growing collegiate flag football programs.

She reflects on starting as a volunteer high school assistant simply because girls deserved the opportunity to play, the mentors who shaped her coaching philosophy, and why understanding people is just as important as understanding football. Along the way, we discuss leadership, player development, building a culture from the ground up, and what it takes to coach female athletes in one of America's fastest-growing sports.

This episode is for coaches, players, and families and offers an inspiring reminder that sometimes the best careers begin with a simple "I'll help."

Topics include:
• Building a coaching career by accident
• Transitioning from teaching to collegiate coaching
• Coaching through a mental health lens
• Leadership and communication
• Mentorship and learning from veteran coaches
• Growing women's flag football
• Building culture and developing athletes

In Episode 15 of The She Plays Flag Podcast, I sit down with Sheldon Miller, head women's flag football coach at Brewton-Parker Christian University in Mount Vernon, Georgia. As one of the newer NAIA programs, Brewton-Parker may not be on every recruit's radar, but Coach Miller explains why schools like his deserve a closer look.

After spending years coaching high school tackle football, Coach Miller embraced the challenge of building a collegiate flag program from the ground up. He shares what it was like learning a new game, leaning on experienced high school and college coaches, and creating a program culture centered on honesty, relationships, and finding the right fit.

The conversation also explores the realities of recruiting young women, earning the trust of parents, and navigating the challenges of an inaugural season with an all-freshman roster and no true quarterback. Coach Miller discusses the adjustments he made, the lessons learned, and how those experiences shaped the future of the program.

Whether you're a player, a parent, or a coach, this episode offers an inside look at what life is really like at an emerging college flag football program.

Topics include:

• Building a college flag football program from the ground up
• Transitioning from tackle football to flag football
• Recruiting with honesty and integrity
• Creating a culture built on relationships and trust
• Lessons from a challenging first season
• Helping athletes gain exposure through film and recruiting platforms
• Why smaller colleges can be a great fit for the right student-athlete

High school flag coaches, players, and families - This is the episode you've been waiting on!

In this special Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) recruiting roundtable, I joined five college flag football coaches to discuss what flag football recruiting really looks like, what coaches are actually evaluating, and how athletes can improve their chances of finding the right college fit.

Featuring:

• Seth Berkebile – Wesleyan College
• Emerson Joseph – Reinhardt University
• Zack Desmarais – Life University
• Sheldon Miller – Brewton-Parker Christian College
• Shaka Long – Point University

Topics include:

• How the college recruiting process works
• When athletes should begin communicating with coaches
• ID camps, showcases, and recruiting events
• Highlight film mistakes and best practices
• What coaches look for beyond athletic ability
• The importance of character, culture, and coachability
• Scholarship realities and choosing the right school
• Advice for athletes and parents navigating recruitment

This episode provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of the fastest-growing opportunities in women's sports.

She Plays Flag exists to educate, advocate, and grow girls flag football by connecting athletes, coaches, and leaders across the game.

In this episode of She Plays Flag, I sit down with Kelley Palfrey, assistant girls flag coach at East Paulding High School.

As a first-year coach in the sport, Kelley shares what it was like stepping into girls flag football, organizing tryouts, building team culture, and learning the game alongside her players. The conversation dives into player-led learning, early program challenges, developing confidence in female athletes, and how new coaches can approach the sport without needing years of flag experience beforehand.

This episode is a great listen for:

•  new girls flag football coaches 
•  athletic directors considering starting programs 
•  coaches transitioning from other sports 
•  anyone interested in the growth of girls flag football 

Topics include:

•  building a first-year program 
•  conditioning and tryout structure 
•  culture development 
•  coaching while learning 
•  empowering athletes 
•  teaching beginners 

Coach Brandon Harwell of Blessed Trinity joins the She Plays Flag Podcast to talk about building one of Georgia’s top girls flag football programs and the coaching philosophy behind sustained success.

Coach Harwell shares his journey from coaching baseball and freshman tackle football into girls flag football, how coaching every position shaped the way he teaches the game, and why communication, efficiency, and adaptability matter so much in a growing sport.

We also discuss:

•  Building culture in a championship-level program 
•  Coaching female athletes 
•  Managing small coaching staffs 
•  Translating tackle football concepts into flag football 
•  Multi-sport athlete development 
•  Practice organization and efficiency 
•  The rapid growth of girls flag football in Georgia 
•  Lessons learned from coaching multiple sports 
•  Creating buy-in and accountability 

This episode is packed with insight from one of the most respected coaches in the Georgia flag football community.

What does it actually take to build a successful girls flag football program?

In this episode of She Plays Flag, I sit down with Jordan Davis, Head Coach Girls at Allatoona HS in Georgia, to break down the realities of coaching, building culture, and running a program from the ground up.

Jordan shares his journey from multi-sport coaching into girls flag football, including how early experiences coaching his own kids shaped his understanding of the game and its unique strategy.

The conversation dives into:

•  What a strong program culture looks like 
•  The gap between “ideal” programs and real-world challenges 
•  How to structure practices and manage game day 
•  Coaching philosophy vs. execution 
•  Lessons learned from coaching multiple sports 

This episode is especially valuable for:

•  New coaches entering girls flag football 
•  Programs trying to build consistency and accountability 
•  Anyone looking to understand how successful teams are actually run 

As girls flag football continues to grow across the country, conversations like this highlight what it takes behind the scenes to build something sustainable.

In this episode of the She Plays Flag Podcast, I sit down with Kelly Bendall, assistant girls flag coach at Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Kelly didn’t come into flag football with a background in the sport. She came in as a coach.

With years of experience in soccer and a deep understanding of how to lead and connect with female athletes, she stepped into a brand new game, learned it in real time, and helped build one of the most respected programs in the state.

This episode focuses on what matters when you’re starting out in flag football:

• How to coach when you don’t know the sport yet
• Why relationships come before schemes
• How girls teams build culture differently
• What new coaches should focus on first
• Why female coaches are essential in this space
• What the growth of college flag football means for today’s players

Kelly shares incredible insights into coaching female athletes and leaves us with a clear message:

You don’t need to be an expert in flag football to get started.
You need to be willing to step inside the fence.

Dakota Hughes has lived nearly every chapter of the women’s flag football story.

From a childhood spent throwing the football in the backyard to becoming the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Steam, Dakota’s path eventually led her into coaching and developing the next generation of players.

In this episode, she shares the lessons she learned stepping into leadership at a young age, why adversity and failure are essential parts of growth, and how sports can shape confidence, resilience, and character.

Dakota also discusses the rapid rise of girls flag football and the responsibility coaches carry to lead athletes not just on the field, but in life.

This episode gives us a look at the mindset, leadership, and purpose that continue to shape the game as it grows.

In this episode, I sit down with Clark Nixon, head coach of the Milton High School girls flag football team in Georgia. Clark didn’t come from the flag world. He was a math teacher, basketball coach, and tennis coach who simply loved football and saw an opportunity to create something meaningful for girls in his school.

Starting with just a handful of players and no prior flag experience, Clark and his staff built a program that now competes at the highest level in Georgia.

We talk about what those early days really looked like: recruiting athletes, teaching football from scratch, navigating multi-sport participation, and building a culture that lasts beyond one season.

Clark also shares what it means to coach a sport that is growing rapidly across the country, and why the girls playing today are truly trailblazers for the future of football.

This conversation is a blueprint for coaches, athletic directors, and communities who are thinking about starting girls flag football programs of their own.