Coach ,

A coach I met at the 2019 NYSHSFCA Clinic and had the opportunity to sit down and talk ball with was Garrett McLaughlin. At the time he was at Bates College (D3). It has been fun to follow him on his coaching journey. He is now in his third year at New Hampshire as the defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator.

New Hampshire is off to a 2-0 start, and there’s been some big plays for the Wildcats in the early season including a blocked punt, a blocked kick, and a punt return for a touchdown.

I know that the hard work of Coach McLaughlin and staff are behind this because he works tirelessly at the details.

He has shared those at the Virtual Football Summit at the onset of the pandemic and then twice in Lauren’s First and Goal.  

For Coach McLaughlin, it starts with making teams fun for the players to be a part of.  He makes sure that he gives the message in different ways so he can reach all his learners. He talks about how he taught the quirky rules that come up in special teams along with other ways he “gets weird” here:

Video: Make teams fun

Measuring success on special teams must go beyond the box score.  Coach McLaughlin talks about the numbers he uses, especially the hidden yardage of special teams here:

Video: Quantitate it

Coach McLaughlin believes that you must prepare teams by competing daily on special teams.  It allows him to evaluate who should be on the field.  Energy and enthusiasm show through in these drills. He explains the importance here:

Video: Compete drills

These are just a few examples of the passion and detail Coach McLaughlin brings to his work with teams.

All three of his clinic presentations are available here.  You can also listen to him talk about his use of self scout for actionable improvement.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski