Coach-

As the safeties coach for the University of Houston, Josh Christian-Young has a clear message when it comes to teaching Cover 2: understand the mindset, hit your landmarks, and drill with purpose. His system blends detail with simplicity, turning complex coverage into actionable teaching that shows up on Saturdays.

Two Cover 2 Mindsets: Trap vs. Tampa

Coach Christian-Young teaches two distinct mentalities within Cover 2:

• Trap Cover 2: A more aggressive style where the corner plays the run or RPO of #2 with conviction. Safeties must be ready for less predictable reroutes from corners.
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• Tampa 2: More zone eyes and a middle run-through player. Safeties can trust that corners will reroute #1 and work off that rhythm.
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“We teach it the same, but there are really two different mindsets,” he explains. “It’s about understanding who’s responsible for what—and how aggressive we can be.”

Understanding landmarks is essential to playing Cover 2 at a high level. In this next segment, Coach Josh Christian-Young breaks down how he teaches his safeties to align, pedal, and gain depth with precision—no wasted movement, no guesswork. You’ll see how he uses detailed coaching points and drill progressions to ensure his players consistently hit their landmarks and play with vision.

Let’s dive into how depth becomes your best friend in Cover 2:

⏯️ Watch below:

Landmark Discipline: Depth is Your Friend

Safeties in this system start with a base alignment of 12–14 yards, but Christian-Young emphasizes situational positioning. When the ball is on the hash, boundary safeties are taught not to get wider than the offensive tackle. Field safeties aim to stay inside the hash until it's time to expand and hit landmarks.

“We try to stay inside the hash as much as possible. Once we check the release of #1, then we expand and go get our depth.”

Landmarks aren’t just placeholders—they’re movement cues. Whether in Tampa or Trap, his safeties are taught to pedal with square shoulders, gain as much depth as possible, and adjust based on the release of #1:

• If #1 is in, the safety stays on his landmark and gets vertical.

• If #1 is wide, he adjusts slightly—but doesn’t overreact.

The Break Game: Angles and Eyes

One of the most impressive aspects of Christian-Young’s coaching is his obsession with break angles. Every coverage call is paired with specific break drills designed to improve reaction time and efficiency.

“We’re very particular about our breaks,” he says. “Downhill. 45 degrees. 90. There are only so many angles you can break at.”

Safeties practice:

• Plant foot, drive foot mechanics

• Eyes before feet—looking where they’re going before they break

• 45-degree breaks off the landmark without rounding

He uses condensed field drills with trash cans and simulated quarterback cues to mimic realistic scenarios like benders, seams, and deep outs.

Vision and Tips = Picks

While Christian-Young doesn’t ignore pattern matching, he builds his safeties to play with vision off the quarterback. Once the release of #1 is identified, eyes go back to the QB, giving the safety the best chance to anticipate and drive on throws.

“We’ve had a lot of picks in this coverage the last couple of years—because we coach our guys to get back to the quarterback and break with vision.”

This approach produces results. One of his top players had 5 interceptions and All-Big 12 honors last season. Another made every start in his first year at the FBS level. The key wasn’t just talent—it was daily detail in how Cover 2 was drilled.

From Drill to Game Day

Christian-Young makes a point that should resonate with any coach:

“There’s a skill in every call you have. You’ve got to find a drill to develop that skill—and it has to show up on tape.”



Whether it’s a three-can break drill, zone pedal work, or timing drills off trash cans and QB indicators, his drills are directly tied to game scenarios. And that’s what gives his safeties a chance to play fast, break with confidence, and make plays.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski