Coaching Strategies from the Pre Season Top Teams: Today #15-#11
Jun 23, 2022 1:06 pm
Coach ,
There’s a lot of excitement around the teams in this portion of the Top 25. They all look to build upon the success they had in 2021.
To do that they will have to pay attention to and coach up the smallest details. That’s what we share today in some clips from their clinic presentations.
#15.) South Carolina
Shane Beamer had a solid debut as an SEC rookie head coach the Gamecocks won seven games and beat rival North Carolina in the Mayo Bowl.
South Carolina benefitted from the transfer portal by attaining former Oklahoma starting QB Spencer Rattler. If they can protect him then they may have a chance to improve on 2021.
In the “teams” area, Pete Lembo is one of the most respected special teams coaches in college football. In this clinic, he shares his keys for effective special organization including fundamentals and drills to win on special teams.
For any coaching staff, the buy-in to teams starts with everyone sitting in the right seat on the bus. It’s about finding the right fit for the staff members so the units can be coached in the best way possible. Coach Lembo explains how he does that here (click on image for video):
Torrian Gray became the defensive backs coach for South Carolina in 2021. His secondary will need to step up big time in the SEC to stop some high-powered offenses and in this course, he shares the Tackling and Turnover drills and techniques that the Gamecocks use.
He starts by explaining the “Double Ball” drill in practice and how that converts to performance in-game (click on image for video):
#14.) Texas
Texas returns some serious talent on the offensive side of the ball but will have to step up on defense to show they are a top 25 team. An early-season game with Steve Sarkisian’s former team Alabama will show how much progress the Longhorns have made in the off season
He shares what that means and the pillars of their culture in this clinic “Texas Football Forever”. For Coach Sark, the mantra is All Gas. No Brakes. He explains what that looks like for the Longhorns here (click on image for video):
The defensive staff certainly has the talent. Defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach Terry Joseph believes in putting together a solid plan through their weekly process. He shares how they develop their weekly “Alerts” in this video (click image for video):
Offensive Coordinator and OL Coach Kyle Flood came over with Coach Sarkisian after winning a National Championship with Alabama. In this course from the COOL Clinic, he breaks down how you can perfect your inside zone play. He uses game and practice footage to show you how to coach inside zone combinations as well as the man-reach technique.
Coach Flood gives you an easy, simple drill, “Fit and Walk” his offensive line uses for
- Getting defensive lineman off the ball
- First step fundamentals
- Moving up to the second level (click on image for video)
Receivers Coach Brennan Marion made a name for himself at the FCS level running his Go-go offense. He certainly adds some expertise to the offensive staff room. In this course, he shares his “Duo” formation which presents challenges for defenses.
Coach Marion is certainly someone the offense benefits from having in the room. His creativity from when he was an offensive coordinator shows in how he utilizes an interesting two back formation. Coach Marion provides great example of his creativity in his Wide Zone Waggle (click on image of video):
# 13.) Pitt
For the defending ACC champions, QB Kenny Pickett is on to the NFL, but the transfer portal paid off in bringing former USC QB Kedon Slovis to the Panthers to compete for the starting job. The Panthers have some weapons returning on offense including Biletnikoff Award for wideout Jordan Addison.
Defensive Coordinator Randy Bates has done an outstanding job leading the defense. Pitt returns Six All-ACC selections to a unit that ranked second nationally in sacks (3.86 per game) and fourth-down defense (26.9 percent). Pittsburgh also ranked fourth in defensive touchdowns (five), sixth in run defense (89.3 yards), eighth in interceptions (16), and 39th in total defense (353.6 yards).
He shares his philosophy and approach to leading a defensive staff and unit in this video:
As staunch as the defense has been in the box, some of that can be attributed to the playmakers on the back end of the defense. Sacks happen because the QB has to go deeper in a progression. Defensive Backs Coach Archie Collins shares the key to making plays in this video (click on image for video):
The Panthers have a solid linebacker corps. The Panther's strong run defense can be traced to fundamentally strong linebacker play. For LB Coach Ryan Manalac, that all starts with a great collision base which he details her (click on image for video):
#12.) Arkansas
Head Coach Sam Pittman led the Razorbacks to nine wins, including a big one over Texas. They gave Alabama all they could handle, and beat Penn State by two TDs in the bowl game.
They will certainly not be flying under the radar in 2022. QB KJ Jefferson is back as the primary weapon— one of the SEC's top quarterbacks a year ago. And he will get some help from Oklahoma transfer WR Jadon Hazelwood, who had seven TDs and 736 yards in his career with the Sooners.
Coach Pittman shared the lessons he learned in coaching in a clinic he gave for the Kansas Football Coaches Association. You can get that entire talk for free here: Lessons Learned in Coachin
The Hogs will need their hogs to get it done upfront. Offensive Line Coach Cody Kennedy loves a downhill run game. One particular play he likes is Duo. It’s a play in which they utilize their gap scheme double teams “up” to the linebackers. They equate it to getting 600 pounds of offensive linemen on 300 pounds of a defensive lineman as he explains here (click on image for video):
Special Teams Coordinator Scott Fountain has done an excellent job in special teams wherever he's been and he is known especially for the return game. He certainly has some talent available to create some excitement on teams.
In teaching his units, he likes to break the entire play into phases. On punt return, he teaches four phases as he illustrates here (click on image for video):
#11.) Notre Dame
The Irish look to build on what Brian Kelly established in keeping consistency with staffer Marcus Freeman stepping in as the new head coach. They return an abundance of talent on both sides of the ball, and continuity in a good portion of the staff returning. They will be tested right off the bat against #2 Ohio State.
A place where the Irish can get an edge is special teams with former Cincinnati Bearcats Brian Mason bringing his “Chaos Kills” mentality to South Bend.
How many times do you see a punt rusher just miss a block twice with the defender running through with both hands extended for the ball.
Coach Mason, the new special teams coordinator at Notre Dame, likes teaching players to get long with one hand. The principle that one hand is longer than two applies here. This technique is something that Coach Mason drills the Irish on and he explains it here in their “block party” drill (click on image for video):
With as crazy as we have seen the college season get over the past couple of seasons, anyone in this group has a legitimate shot of getting into the College Football Playoff.
As we said earlier, it will come down to which teams do the little things. Hopefully, you picked up a useful coaching point or two which you can use to give your team an edge this fall.
Always be growing!
Coach Grabowski
P.S. The clinics highlighted here are 25% off this week.