November 2021

As you move up throughout your career you will need allies in the front office, not just in coaching circles. If you eventually aspire to be a head coach– next year or 10 years from now– you need to invest some time building relationships with the Assistant ADs in the Athletic Department, and make a good impression with the Athletic …

A trust test of a great head coach is not only their ability to put together a great coaching staff, but to manage one that can work together effectively. Whether you are a head coach or an assistant coach, you will be dealing with staff issues. As you preach to your players the value of teamwork and expecting them to …

Simply put– your network and relationships with prep coaches will #1- be the key to signing recruits and #2- be the key to getting future jobs. The best philosophy is this: you need to treat every prep coach as if they have a top prospect on their team now. You are recruiting for the long-term and building your career, and …

Before you even make your first call, always keep in mind that Mom and Dad often hold the veto card. As this is the first major decision most players are making– no matter how independent or tough they seem — recruits often go to their parents for approval and advice before making their final decision. Too many times, I’ve seen …

Throughout your career, you will occasionally have great players fall into your lap with little or no work at all—signed, sealed and delivered with no stress. You will also have other players change their mind and sign elsewhere at the last minute after years of recruitment, travel and time invested. Players are going to change their minds, sometimes at the …

Your first few months on a new campus will be a blur—be sure to have a well-thought out plan for your first few days, weeks and months of what is of the utmost importance! TIPS: Eliminate the unnecessary from your schedule. A few minutes here and there add up over the day and week. When you take over a program …

A common philosophy that many great coaches have is to primarily recruit players who have a high likelihood of graduating from the University. If not, it’s a stressful life working with a roster full of players who are borderline-eligible every semester. The stress is often not worth it! Ultimately, you want to be able to recruit players who will transition …

Similar to showing that your players improve on-field, it’s important to track their academic and off-field improvements as well. Are their GPA’s improving? Can you show position GPA increases and team GPA increases semester-to-semester or year-to-year? Can you increase your number of Athletic Department or Conference Academic Honor Roll honorees? Track and improve these academic numbers for added recruiting power, …

Stats, measurables and video can tell you a lot—but the ultimate difference-maker when evaluating players is understanding and confirming intangibles. Every championship-caliber player and coach that I’ve worked for has had strong intangibles. Discuss as a staff the top 5-10 characteristics you would like for your team to play with. Great qualities to look for beyond position skill, size and …