Coach ,

Today we take a look at Penn State and focus on their special teams. In a highly competitive Big Ten, special teams can make the difference and Coach Kauffman gives some insight from Coach Stacy Collins.

-Coach Grabowski

Season Preview Capsule

If there was ever a year that Penn State needed to make a push toward Ohio State and Michigan many fans would likely say it is this year. Returning 14 starters is rare. Returning 14 starters and having many believe that you potentially upgraded at the QB and RB position is even more rare. Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen are some of the more touted underclassmen in the country and have those at State College excited. 

Defensively, Manny Diaz will have this unit ready and up to par. The high pressuring Nittany Lion defense will be back again and ready to hang toward the top of the conference in their respective categories. The question marks lie on the offense again. With excitement in the backfield the uncertainty lies on the edges. Who is going to catch the ball? Penn State faithful hope transfers Dante Cephas and Malik McClain can make an impact early. Regardless, OC/QB coach Mike Yurchich will be scheming this team for success and ready to give the Big Ten a run for their money. 

Culture

Ahhhh, a buzzword, everyone loves hearing a coach talk about culture. But in a small amount of time that you are around a program that really emphasizes special teams you will find that if that portion of a team has energy, emphasis and identity it trickles down to the rest of the units. See what culture OLB/ST Coach Stacy Collins incorporates at Penn State in this clinic which supports Lauren's First and Goal.

Video:  Punt Block/Return Philosophy

There is No Better Sound in Football

Blocking a punt really is largely one of the most game altering plays. Depending on the study you can increase your likelihood of winning a game to 88% or higher. Learning to emphasize the fundamentals of blocking a kick but also telling your athletes really how much impact they can have on a game significantly changes the stigma of being a special teams player. You will also learn there are guys that do and do not have a knack for this and it provides you some opportunity in special cases to really get some young guys involved. Bring the excitement and technical side of things to this unit and you will see your team improve tremendously see Coach Collins speak about it here. 

Video: Identity

Utilize Deception to Your Advantage

There is a variety of outlooks and strategies and schemes that you can utilize on special teams. Some people try fakes, laterals etc. but, when I say to emphasize deception think of complementary schemes like an offense. Maybe you want to be a block team so your counter is a return unit or vice versa. But, make these look similar, make it alignment one less thing the guys have to remember and they know based on the call it is a block or return. This also increases the likelihood of the other coordinator having uncertainty. This in return increases the likelihood that the opposing team will play it safe therefore already imposing your influence on their unit before the players even touch the field. Use the two videos and images below to see the consistency of alignment by the return and block units

Video: Stance

Video: ¼ Tilt

The Breakdown

All in all, there are many different strategies you can take heading into a special teams unit. Some play it safe and always return, some don’t even put return units back, and others try to block everything. Whatever your strategy may be, find a way to advance the identity of your team and promote the culture surrounding your program through the effort and importance of your various units. Know with whatever strategy you do choose to implore it is ⅓ of the game and there are more ways to score on ST than on O and D combined.

Strive to Succeed!

Coach Kauffman

Other Clinics from the Penn State Staff:

Building a Winning Culture - James Franklin, HC

Developing The Quarterback - James Franklin, HC

Penn State Football Culture - James Franklin, HC

QB Fundamentals and Drill Work - Mike Yurcich, OC/QB 

Nittany Lion Quick Game - Mike Yurcich, OC/QB

Intermediate Drop Back Passing Game - Mike Yurcich OC/QB

Penn State Leverage Tackling - Manny Diaz, DC

Penn State Defensive Circuit Drills - Terry Smith, CB

Defensive Back Fundamentals - Ola Adams, Analyst

Organized Chaos - Ola Adams, Analyst

*All of these clinics are 25% off until 7/25/23