In this episode of LFG Game Planning Tips, three coaches share practical ways to prepare players for what comes next on offense, defense, and special teams.

Derron Gatewood, Senior Offensive Line Analyst at Texas, breaks down the Longhorns’ offensive line pull circuit. Gatewood explains how Texas trains trap pulls, skip pulls, perimeter pulls, and play-action pulls while emphasizing physicality, same-foot/same-shoulder contact, and the ability to react to different defensive responses. The circuit gives offensive linemen repeated opportunities to recognize power squeeze, spill, and mesh-charge reactions while maintaining their technique.

On defense, Jacob Craig, Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach at St. Francis, explains their 4LOCO pressure coverage. As a high-pressure defense that traditionally relied heavily on one-high fire-zone structures, St. Francis needed another way to attack protections without continually presenting the same picture. Craig details their two-under, four-deep structure, how it allows them to pressure from a two-high shell, and how route distribution can transform the coverage after the snap.

Finally, Sean Saturnio, Special Teams Coordinator at Army, shares how the Black Knights structure their special teams meetings to prepare players mentally as well as physically. Through “Daily Seasoning,” intentional meeting openers, and energetic closers, Saturnio creates an environment designed to engage players, reinforce leadership lessons, and get them ready to learn after demanding days at West Point.
Sean Saturnio- Creating a "Get To!" Culture

In This Episode:

Learn more from coaches across offense, defense, special teams, and every position at LFGClinic.com. Every purchase supports the mission of Lauren’s First and Goal and its continued fight against pediatric brain cancer.

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In this episode of D3 Hansen Ratings Coach and Coordinators of the Week , host Keith Grabowski talks with three top Division III football coaches about offensive performance, defensive identity, and building a strong program culture. The show features Washington University Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Aaron Keen, Gustavus Adolphus Defensive Coordinator Landon Rauen, and UW-Whitewater Head Coach Jace Rindahl.

Coach Aaron Keen explains how WashU runs a high-efficiency offense, focusing on RPO decisions, using quick passes instead of running plays, and managing player workload without relying on wearable tech. Then, Defensive Coordinator Landon Rauen describes Gustavus Adolphus’ defensive approach, highlighting daily tackling drills, takeaway circuits, and ways to help players take ownership. Finally, UW-Whitewater Head Coach Jace Rindahl talks about how his staff keeps the program strong over time by staying consistent, developing character, and promoting their well-known “Pound the Rock” mindset.

Chapters

Connect on X:

Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski

Logan Hansen: @LogHanRatings

Aaron Keen: @CoachAaronKeen

Landon Rauen: @CoachRauen

Jace Rindahl: @CoachRindahl

Check out this years Hansen Ratings here - Hansen Ratings

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On this episode of National Coach of the Week, presented by Modern Football, host Keith Grabowski sits down with Paul Doherty, head coach at California powerhouse Folsom High School. Part of the Coach and Coordinator Network, this conversation breaks down the blueprint for sustaining a nationally recognized elite high school program year after year.

Coach Doherty shares his strategy for building a unified K-12 program, underscoring the essential role of youth weightlifting, foundational strength training, and early quarterback development in long-term success. The discussion analyzes how Folsom structures its offense around what the quarterback does best, simplifying the scheme to emphasize core concepts and technical execution. From assembling a cohesive coaching staff to aligning with the community, this interview offers practical insights on program building and athlete development.

Chapters

Presented by Modern Football:

Modern Football helps coaches chart and tag in real time, delivers sideline reports to keep the booth and sideline aligned, and makes self-scout faster with on-demand reports.

Visit ⁠modernfootball.com⁠ for more information.

Connect on X:

Keith Grabowski:⁠ @CoachKGrabowski⁠

Paul Doherty: ⁠@Passing_Academy⁠

Jordan Irsik: ⁠@CoachIrsik1⁠

Folsom Football: ⁠@FolsomBulldogFB⁠

Modern Football: ⁠@modernFB

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Winning close games often comes down to situations you can prepare for long before they happen.

In this episode of Game Planning Tips from Lauren’s First and Goal, three coaches share how they prepare their teams for critical moments on offense, defense, and special teams.

Chris Reisert, Offensive Coordinator at the University of Toledo, breaks down four-minute offense and the decisions that go into finishing a game with the ball. He discusses ball security, managing risk, communicating whether a ball carrier should score or get down, controlling the clock, and preparing answers for the pressure looks defenses will bring late in the game.

Phil Kleckler, Head Coach at Lindsey Wilson University, explains the development of the Rabbit Package, a third-down defensive system designed to give players familiarity while allowing the staff to customize the plan each week. Kleckler shares how Lindsey Wilson uses personnel, coverage, line games, and simple terminology to attack specific protections without rebuilding the third-down defense every week.
Todd Goebbel, Running Backs Coach and Special Teams Coordinator at NC State, details how his special teams fundamental circuit prepares every player for squib kicks, sky kicks, onsides, and sideline decisions. His approach emphasizes feet, eyes, hands, ball security, and coaching the uncommon situations before they become game-changing moments.
The common thread across all three phases: if a situation can decide the game, it deserves to be part of the game plan.

Find complete presentations from these coaches and hundreds more at LFGClinic.com/store. Every purchase supports the mission of Lauren’s First and Goal and helps fund pediatric brain tumor research and cancer services.

Story of the Season's Recruiting Profiles - Give your players better college exposure with Story of the Season's new web-based recruiting profiles. You can build a custom team recruiting page with interactive player profiles, highlights, headshots, stats, academic info, Hudl links, coach comments, and more. Set up is quick, easy, and free to try until 2027 at ⁠⁠https://recruiting.storyoftheseason.com/

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On this episode of National Coach of the Week, presented by Modern Football Technology. Keith Grabowski sits down with Broomfield Head Coach Chris Helbig to explore his path from playing football overseas to building a high-performing high school program. Part of the Coach and Coordinator Network, this conversation breaks down how foundational execution and intentional leadership lead to game-day success.

Coach Helbig shares his core coaching philosophy and details how he structures high-speed practice sessions that stress fundamentals, attention to detail, and rapid tempo. The discussion covers practical methods for establishing trust within a team, maintaining culture through adversity, and making critical in-game adjustments on Friday nights. From lessons learned through global football experiences to honing the micro-details of the practice field, this interview delivers a practical guide for coaches striving to improve program execution.

Chapters

Presented by Modern Football:

Modern Football helps coaches chart and tag in real time, delivers sideline reports to keep the booth and sideline aligned, and makes self-scout faster with on-demand reports.

Visit Modernfootball.com for more information.

Connect on X:

Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski

Chris Helbig: @ChrisHelbig3

Modern Football: @modernFB

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On this episode of The Passing Lab, host Josh Herring sits down with head coach and offensive expert Jonathan Thompson to discuss dynamic system design and effective play-calling. As part of the Coach and Coordinator Network, the conversation provides insight into how Coach Thompson consistently develops top-performing offenses in varied high school settings and with always shifting rosters.

Coach Thompson outlines his core offensive philosophy, explaining how he builds around his personnel while continuing a strong run-game foundation. He provides practical knowledge of executing deep choice concepts, integrating RPOs, and using formations, motion, and tempo to create defensive mismatches.

The episode also addresses the operational differences between metro and rural programs and spotlights the importance of building staff credibility through detailed preparation. It functions as a comprehensive guide for modern offensive coordinators.

Chapters

Story of the Season's Recruiting Profiles - Give your players better college exposure with Story of the Season's new web-based recruiting profiles. You can build a custom team recruiting page with interactive player profiles, highlights, headshots, stats, academic info, Hudl links, coach comments, and more. Set up is quick, easy, and free to try until 2027 at ⁠https://recruiting.storyoftheseason.com/

Connect on X:

Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski

Josh Herring: @joshherring1

Jonathan Thompson: @CoachThompson05

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In this in-season quick hitter, Stanford offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Terry Heffernan shares a question every offensive line coach and offensive coordinator should be asking: How are you helping your protection?

Heffernan explains why offenses should have answers built before they face an elite pass rusher on game week. Rather than leaving tackles isolated in critical passing situations, he details ways coaches can use formations, tight end alignments, chips, nudges, running backs, and receivers to reduce space and give offensive linemen an advantage.

He also emphasizes the importance of developing the terminology and practicing these tools before they become an emergency. If a difficult edge rusher is on the schedule, the solution should already be part of the offense rather than something installed for the first time on Wednesday.

Topics include:

Watch the video version on Spotify to see the examples Coach Heffernan uses throughout the presentation.

Coach Heffernan’s complete presentation is available in the COOL Clinic Store, along with every presentation from the 2026 C.O.O.L. Clinic and presentations from past clinics.

Access Coach Heffernan's course here

This episode is presented with support from Mushroom Society, a community built for coaches committed to learning, sharing ideas, and continuing to improve.

Story of the Season's Recruiting Profiles - Give your players better college exposure with Story of the Season's new web-based recruiting profiles. You can build a custom team recruiting page with interactive player profiles, highlights, headshots, stats, academic info, Hudl links, coach comments, and more. Set up is quick, easy, and free to try until 2027 at ⁠⁠https://recruiting.storyoftheseason.com/

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In memory of Lauren Loose, February 15, 1997 - August 12, 2026

Season 2 of LFG Game Planning Tips opens with a look at how coaches can turn a game plan into something players can recognize, communicate, and execute under pressure.

Jarryd Baines, offensive coordinator of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, explains why preparation has to be deliberate. From coaching quarterback footwork and reads during walkthroughs to scripting early opportunities for completions, building protection answers, and using self-scout to anticipate how defenses may attack, Baines shows how details throughout the week help quarterbacks play with rhythm on game day.
Shea Campbell, defensive coordinator at Benedict College, shares how his staff builds communication into every part of preparation. Campbell explains why players must communicate in the meeting room, why the entire defensive staff needs to speak the same language, and how high-pressure practice situations can prepare a defense to execute when critical situations arise on Saturday.

Penn State special teams coordinator Justin Lustig closes the episode with his approach to retention and deliberate practice. Lustig explains how quizzes create accountability at the end of meetings and why simply accumulating repetitions is not enough. Players and coaches have to understand why they are practicing something, correct mistakes, reinforce successful execution, and approach every drill with intention.

In this episode:

Find more coaching presentations, clinic bundles, and football resources at LFGClinic.com. Lauren’s First and Goal continues to bring the football community together in support of pediatric brain tumor research and services for families affected by childhood cancer.

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On this episode of National Coach of the Week, presented by Modern Football Technology, host Keith Grabowski sits down with Coach Josh Floyd to explain how his staff built a resilient, winning culture with a young roster. This discussion offers implementable strategies for developing the right team mindset, maintaining high competitive standards, and adapting schemes to match players' strengths.

Coach Floyd shares his approach to controlling game tempo through sugar huddles and rapid pace changes that keep defensive coordinators off balance. The conversation explores how to structure practice with competitive good-on-good drills simulating game-speed pressure and how to instill unshakeable trust in high-stakes fourth-down situations. Coach Floyd also explains how Modern Football provides real-time evidence to support smarter game planning, personnel adjustments, and long-term player development.

Chapters

Presented by Modern Football:

Modern Football helps coaches chart and tag in real time, delivers sideline reports to keep the booth and sideline aligned, and makes self-scout faster with on-demand reports.

Visit ModernFootball.com for more information.

Connect on X:

Keith Grabowski: ⁠@CoachKGrabowski⁠

Josh Floyd: ⁠@joshfloydHT⁠

Modern Football: ⁠@modernFB

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Game day is the final exam, but even the best preparation cannot account for everything a coach will see once the ball is kicked off.

In this episode, we share a segment from legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia’s presentation at the 2024 C.O.O.L. Clinic. Dante starts by looking back at his first year on the sideline and how much he still had to learn despite knowing the offense. Nearly five decades later, his perspective is simple: becoming a better game-day coach comes from experience, preparation, observation, communication, and learning how to solve problems as they appear.

Dante explains why game day is different from every other part of the week and why coaches must be ready for the unexpected. Injuries change personnel plans. Matchups may look different than they did on film. Weather and field conditions can alter what an offense is capable of doing. Crowd noise can change communication and require answers such as the silent count.
He then gets to the heart of the position coach's responsibility on the sideline: identify problems and provide solutions. That means seeing what changed from the plan, gathering information from players, communicating with the coordinator, watching the right things on every snap, and using the time between series to make players better before they take the field again.

In this episode:

This segment is only a small piece of Dante's complete C.O.O.L. Clinic presentation.

Inside The Mushroom Society, offensive line coaches can access the full presentation along with drills, techniques, coaching points, preparation ideas, and wisdom from some of the best offensive line coaches to have coached the game.

Use The Mushroom Society throughout the season as a resource for the problems that show up in your room each week.

https://mushroom-society.com/

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