Coach ,

At 27 years old, he became the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS. He's a few years older now, but youth has not stopped Austin Armstrong from rising to the top of the profession. Now the Defensive Coordinator at Florida, there's a tall task ahead to bring the Gators offense to the top in 2024.

What is evident is that, as a student of the game, he knows it inside and out. He's received accolades from some of the best defensive coaches in the game.

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.”

Auburn's 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.”

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).

2024 will be a huge test in Coach Armstrong’s young career, but Coach Armstrong knows that, in Nick Saban’s terms, it’s all part of the process.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski

P.S. Save 50% on Coach Armstrong’s clinic on Simulated Pressures which supports the Alabama Football Coaches Association.