Coach ,

At 27 years old, he’s the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS. Youth has not stopped Austin Armstrong from putting together a top 25 defense here in the early part of the 2021 season.

The Southern Miss Golden Eagle defense is #2 in the country in rushing defense (43.7 ypg) and #12 in total defense (248.3 ypg). They are also good in getting off the field ranking #24 in 3rd Down Defense at .304.

Coach Armstrong is not a surprise to the coaches that know him. Kirby Smart said of Armstrong, 

“Austin is one of the sharpest guys to come through our program. Kids relate to him and love playing for him. I have no doubt that he will get USM back to playing great defense like they have in the past.”

Baylor defensive coordinator Ron Roberts also thinks highly of Armstrong. Coach Roberts noted, 

“Austin is one of the next bright stars in this profession. He will do an amazing job at USM.”

So far, Coach Armstrong has lived up to the expectations of his mentors.

Having served under Coach Roberts at Lousiana, it’s no surprise that simulated pressures are part of Coach Armstrong’s defensive package.

For any concept, defining when it will be used helps create understanding for the players and streamlines the game planning process. Here is Coach Armstrong defining when he likes to use a simulated pressure (click image for video):

He likes taking a “same as” approach to teaching their sims to be sure that they have everything covered and aren’t exposing themselves somewhere. Here Coach Armstrongs illustrates the banjo technique that they utilize as part of their simulated pressures (click on image for video).

A huge test comes early in Coach Armstrong’s career as the Golden Eagles take on #1 Alabama this Saturday. The stat ranking may change, but Coach Armstrong knows that, in Nick Saban’s terms, it’s all part of the process.

Good luck to you and your team this weekend.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski

P.S. Save 50% on Coach Armstrong’s clinic on Simulated Pressures which supports the Alabama Football Coaches Association. The discount is available until Monday.