A New Era of Playoffs - Insight from Playoff Coaches

Nov 19, 2024 4:23 pm

Coach -

The D3 Playoffs begin this weekend and end in Houston, Texas with the Stagg Bowl LI on January 4th.

This year presents a new format for NCAA Division III football playoffs which includes:

More teams: The number of teams in the playoffs increases from 32 to 40.
Automatic bids: 28 teams earn automatic bids by winning their conferences, with the exception of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
At-large bids: 12 teams receive at-large bids based on their records and resumes. The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is used to select these teams.
Bracket: The 40 teams are divided into four regions of 10 teams. First-round matchups are based on seed.

We have had 16 of the teams represented in our clinics with more to come in our 2025 D3 Clinic.

Let’s get some insight from the teams playing in round one.

Coe vs. Bethel (MN)

Coe DC Cody Baethke

We have coordinators from each side in this match-up. For Coe, Cody Baethke likes to blitz and replace the linebackers with safeties. It’s how he creates big plays on defense.

Dropping safeties into linebacker positions post-snap gives the defense versatility and strategic advantage, particularly in the run game. This approach enables dynamic stunts and movements, confusing offensive linemen and exploiting gaps.

Safeties bring speed and quickness, compensating for an undersized defensive line, generating tackles for loss, and disrupting blocking schemes. Dropping safeties also provides linebackers more freedom to read plays and adapt to zone concepts or pulling guards.

Additionally, safeties often avoid being blocked, allowing them to reset numbers and enhance run fits. This strategy creates opportunities for pressure and adaptability in both run and pass situations.

Baethke explains their main stunts here:

Video: Stunts

Bethel OC Colin Duling

Coe will have to limit explosives which is something that Bethel OC Colin Duling is intentional about.

Duling creates explosive plays in the Bethel offense by emphasizing the identification and utilization of explosive athletes. He prioritizes tailoring game plans around players who can turn opportunities into big gains, leveraging their unique skills to maximize impact.

Duling's process includes recruiting dynamic talent, identifying these athletes in practice, and refining their abilities daily. Additionally, he focuses on presentation strategies, such as formations, tempo, and play disguises, ensuring unpredictability against defenses. His thorough understanding of plays and how to teach them empowers players to execute confidently, leading to consistent on-field success and high-impact plays.

Video: 3-Step Plan

Endicott vs. Alfred State

Endicott DC Kevin Bracken

Endicott Defensive Coordinator Kevin Bracken's "Blood Stunt" technique is a defensive line strategy emphasizing precision, quickness, and effective gap control.

The stunt begins with a flat, 6-8 inch "blood step" perpendicular to the line of scrimmage, maintaining chest alignment and square shoulders. Players utilize the "GNN" (Gap, Nearest Number) rule to identify their gap and the nearest offensive lineman.

This ensures proper targeting, whether driving into the offensive player’s spine or sliding tightly off their body to close the gap. Bracken’s approach disrupts offensive schemes, creating clean fits and leveraging defensive speed to cancel gaps and force plays outside

Video: Blood

Berry vs. Maryville (TN)

Berry DC Joel Elliot

Berry DC Joel Elliot employs fire zones to maximize defensive effectiveness by combining pre- and post-snap movement with simplified, versatile coverage schemes. He uses fire zones to:

Move the Defensive Line: By creating unpredictability, linemen can disrupt blocking schemes and exploit offensive vulnerabilities, preventing the offensive line from easily targeting defenders.
Adapt to Personnel: Fire zones allow athletic but smaller linemen to excel without relying on overpowering size, increasing recruitment flexibility.
Leverage Coverage Crossover: Techniques like three-deep, three-under are simple to teach and provide significant coverage versatility.
Create Negative Plays: Stunts and pressures generate tackles for loss and sacks, putting offenses behind schedule and improving defensive success rates.

Video: Why we Fire Zone

John Carroll vs. Mount St. Joseph

John Carroll OC Travis James

To win in the playoffs, you need to run the ball. JCU OC Travis James believes that begins with some universal fundamentals:

Travis James outlines four universal keys to successful blocking:

Eyes as a Muscle: Players must focus on visual aiming points on defenders and leverage cues like stances and alignments. This sharpens awareness and facilitates effective communication.
Loaded Stances: Efficient movement starts with proper weight distribution, typically favoring a three-point stance for optimal power and precision.
Head, Hip, and Hand Leverage: Winning vertical and horizontal leverage—playing low with tight hand placement—ensures control over the defender.
Physicality: Blocks must puncture the aiming point, strain through contact, and finish aggressively. Fit low, strike tight, and drive through defenders to dominate run plays.

Video: Universal Keys to Win as a Blocker

Mount St. Joseph Head Coach Tyler Hopperton

Efficiency and attention to detail is important to Mt. St. Joseph Head Coach Tyler Hopperton, which is why he found a way to systematize the Lions’ special teams.

Hopperton simplifies special teams to maximize efficiency, flexibility, and player involvement. His approach focuses on crossover drills that apply similar techniques across units, such as shared concepts for punt and kickoff coverage or return units.

This reduces the learning curve, enabling faster installation and more practice reps. Hopperton uses universal language and consistent techniques to streamline communication and allow players to transition seamlessly between roles.

Simplification also helps young or less experienced players contribute effectively while keeping the workload manageable for starters. For coaches, a simpler system ensures easier collaboration and implementation, benefiting the entire team.

Video: Simplicity in Special Teams

A New Era

It’s a new era of D3 football with the expanded playoffs and it should prove to be an exciting post season. Be sure to check out the presentations of all of the D3 Playoff coaches we have had in our clinics (below). These presentations are owned by these coaches or were done to support organizations and charities. Please support these D3 coaches.

We will continue to highlight these programs throughout the playoffs.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski