AFCA Magazine -June25 by WeAreAFCA

Do The Things You Need To Do.

Woody McCorvey

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IN THIS ISSUE:

AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION

100 Legends Lane, Waco, TX 76706

Phone: 254-754-9900

Fax: 254-754-7373

Email: info@afca.com

Clemson's Woody

PEAK Performance Lab Open

Shaw

AFCA STAFF

Craig Bohl Executive Director

Bobby Staub Deputy Director

Bob Nielson Director of Divisional Football

Adam Guess Chief Financial Officer

Amy Lain Director of Convention and Special Projects

Vince Thompson Director of Media Relations

Mario V. Price Director of Coaching Education

Genee Buchs Director of Divisional Affairs

Matt Braunscheidel Director of Content Development

Diane McPheeters........................... Director of Exhibits and Sales

Alan Dykens Director of Membership Development

Vanderbilt

Sara Schindler Financial Services

Rhonda Martindale Membership Services

Jenn Jung Receptionist/Staff Assistant

Madison Quiggle Coordinator of Convention and Assistant to the Executive Director

Josh Kuligowski Director of IT

Macy Martindale Membership Services

Sam Wilkinson Graduate Assistant

Laken Green Graduate Assistant

Clemson’s Woody McCorvey stresses the importance of annual physicals.

By: GREG MACAFEE, AFCA STAFF WRITER

Woody McCorvey has seen it all in college football.

The 2025 season will be his 48th as a coach or administrator. He’s worked for four members of the College Football Hall of Fame and has worked for four national championship coaches in Danny Ford, Phil Fulmer, Gene Stallings and is currently the chief of staff for Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.

However, despite all of his success over the past 48 years, there’s one thing McCorvey has learned and continues to stress to other coaches around the country, and that’s the importance of getting a yearly physical.

“I just encourage everybody, especially all the guys out there in the coaching profession that I've been a part of, to make sure that you do all the things from a preventative standpoint and get yourself checked out,” McCorvey said on a recent episode of the AFCA’s Inside the Headset podcast. “I've had some guys say that they don't want to go and do a physical because they might find something. But that's what you want them to do. Find it, and hopefully it's early enough where you can do something about it.”

McCorvey has the type of perspective that can hit home on a subject such as this. He’s a threetime cancer survivor after undergoing treatments for colon, kidney and prostate cancer throughout

his coaching career. Luckily enough, his yearly checkups were a big part of putting him in a position to fight those battles and still are to this day.

With June being Men’s Health month, McCorvey spoke about his experiences battling cancer and how annual physicals played a role in him being able to speak about his battles today. Because, when it comes down to it, they saved his life.

In 1998, McCorvey was preparing to become the running backs coach for Tennessee when he learned of his first cancer diagnosis. He had visited Dr. Lloyd Miller in Florence, South Carolina, for his yearly physical when Miller saw something that caused him enough concern to want to admit McCorvey into a nearby hospital.

Like any football coach might be known to do, McCorvey was insistent that he needed to get back on the road so he could return to Knoxville and get to work. After a quick back and forth, McCorvey said Miller stopped talking and started writing.

“He handed me a note and told me, ‘When you get back, you go see the team doctor,’ and he said, ‘If you don't do it, don’t ever come back and see me again,’ and he got up and left the room,” McCorvey said. “I knew he was serious because I had known Lloyd since 1984.”

When McCorvey returned to Knoxville, he went and spoke with the team doctor, who set him up with a colonoscopy and “Boom, it came back with colon cancer,” McCorvey described.

McCorvey said the diagnosis

season at Mississippi State, McCorvey was woken up in the middle of the night by a pain in his side after playing golf with former teammates in Auburn. He said that through his years of playing football, he never experienced a pain quite like it. He knew something was wrong, and he needed to get it checked out.

McCorvey traveled back to Starkville, Miss. that day and spoke with the team doctor at an event that night. They decided to meet at the hospital in the morning for an ultrasound to see what was going on. After returning from an afternoon walk, the team doctor confirmed that McCorvey had kidney cancer.

“He said we needed to do another test,” McCorvey said about that afternoon. “He said, ‘If it’s just water, it is just a cyst. If it's solid, it's probably cancer.’ We did another test, and it came back solid, and I said, ‘Here we go again.’”

The doctor immediately got on the phone with Miller and the doctor who had done McCorvey’s previous surgery. At that point, the decision was made to remove the kidney.

Instead of returning home or going elsewhere for his surgery, McCorvey stayed in Starkville alongside his wife, Ann, so he didn’t have to burden her or his family. He attacked this battle the same way he did his last and was able to return to the team by the time they traveled to Ruston, La., for their season opener against Louisiana Tech.

Situations like McCorvey’s are why coaches like Swinney stress the importance of getting annual physicals every year. The Clemson head coach came up under Stallings and wanted to create the same type of culture that Stallings did by making sure that his coaches took care of themselves.

They all gave me support, and I was able to get through it and thank God that I did,” McCorvey said. “But, taking the physical, that's one of the biggest reasons why I'm sitting here today.

“We actually had a couple of coaches, because of the staff physical, they had some things diagnosed that it was critical that they were diagnosed at the time that they did,” Swinney said. “Coach McCorvey is a perfect example of getting a physical every year because of some things that he found. So, I just think it was part of a culture that I was brought up in and again, it goes back to coach Stallings and all I did was just kinda keep it going. I just think it’s really good. It’s a very intense business, a lot of stress, you are working outside most of the time and just think it’s good for us to make sure that we stay on top of our health.”

After his stint at Mississippi State, McCorvey received the opportunity to return to Clemson as Swinney’s chief of staff in 2009. For 11 years, McCorvey was healthy as he went through yearly physicals and checkups and never had a problem. That was until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

Because of the pandemic, McCorvey couldn’t get a physical for the first time since 1984, due to restrictions surrounding the program with COVID-19 protocols. But when the team returned that spring, getting a physical was one of the first things that McCorvey did.

“When that next spring came up, I did my physical, and I asked him to make sure they do a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, and when that came back, boom, it was out of the roof compared to the previous one that I had,” McCorvey said.

Again, McCorvey battled through his recovery and after going through two different treatments already, despite them being for different types of cancer, the longtime coach and administrator was confident. After his surgery, McCorvey said he went through 37 radiation treatments that he would travel to Atlanta for throughout the week.

And like he had during his two other battles with cancer, McCorvey had the support of his players, fellow coaches and family that helped him get through another rigorous battle. But, still, to this day, McCorvey preaches the importance of yearly physicals. They’ve saved his life more than once and he’s hoping that by sharing his story, he’ll be able to help others.

“I just think you need to take heed and make sure you do the things you need to do, because we got a lot of people depending on us,” McCorvey said. “But the biggest person who is depending on us is us.”

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CHALK TALK

SPACE & TEMPO: BUILDING AN ADAPTIVE FOOTBALL OFFENSE

By: RYAN MAIURI, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE

The Foundation of Our Offensive Approach

In the ever-evolving landscape of football strategy, offensive coordinators are constantly searching for the perfect balance between personnel and scheme. While some programs are capable of fitting players into predetermined systems, I believe that the most successful offenses at our level are increasingly built around their personnel with an adaptive approach. Our personnel-centric (particularly quarterback) approach, focused on manipulating space and controlling tempo, represents an adaptive model that plays to our personnel’s strengths.

Being adaptable to the strengths of our personnel has been critical to our success in this offense over the years. This is exactly why we have built this system around the strengths of our QB each season. Our philosophy acknowledges the reality that quarterback skill sets vary dramatically, requiring our offense to be fluid rather than rigid in our approach.

The Twin Pillars: Space and Tempo

While many elements of this offense may change year to year based on our personnel’s abilities, two constants remain: the strategic use of tempo and maximizing available space on the field. These complementary concepts form the foundation upon which everything else is built.

Understanding Space Manipulation

Space manipulation in football goes beyond simply spreading receivers across the field. It involves strategic use of the entire width to create advantages:

1. Horizontal Stretch Alignments: Creating formations that stretch defenses horizontally, forcing them to defend the entire width of the fi eld (53 1/3 yards). Importantly, these a lignments maintain their effectiveness even i n confined red zone situations. While the field may condense vertically, the width of the field never changes.

College Dimensions - Diagram 1:

• Base Alignments – Outside wide receivers are f rom the Red Line to the Sideline tick marks, and

our Inside wide receivers are in the divide area (split the hash and numbers).

Diagram 2:

• Adjusted Alignments – Certain play concepts w ill create an automatic alignment adjustment. We will also have tags to formations that allow us the flexibility to m ove personnel in or out to change our spacing.

Diagram 3:

2 Clean Pictures: Spacing that creates clear, easily identifiable reads for both quarterbacks a nd receivers. When executed properly, these a lignments simplify complex defensive coverages into recognizable structures.

• D efined Half-Field Reads: Proper spacing a llows quarterbacks to isolate reads to one s ide of the field based on pre-snap alignment i ndicators.

• H igh-Low-Middle Combinations: Routes designed to attack multiple levels s imultaneously, giving quarterbacks clear p rogression reads regardless of coverage.

• O ption Routes Based on Defender: Allowing receivers to adjust routes based on defender positioning while maintaining spacing i ntegrity.

3. Conflict Defender Stress: Strategic alignment p laces specific defensive players in impossible "conflict" situations, forcing them to choose between multiple responsibilities and creating exploitation opportunities regardless of their decision.

• Apex Defender Manipulation: Targeting the defender responsible for both slot coverage and flat/alley run support through RPO concepts.

Diagram 4:

• Safety Manipulation: Using formation leverage to force single-high safeties to declare run/ pass responsibilities early.

Diagram :5

• Linebacker Isolation: Creating matchups that force linebackers to choose between run fits a nd coverage drops, particularly effective against pattern-matching defenses.

Diagram 6:

4 E nhanced Perimeter RPOs: Run-pass options become particularly effective when combined with proper spacing. The right a lignment creates natural running lanes w hile simultaneously establishing quick passing opportunities if defenders collapse on the run.

• Bubble/Quick Game Attachments: Simple screens and slants attached to base runs that attack over-aggressive run defenders. Our catch point is approximately 14 yards from the Q B, and the rally point is precisely 4 yards down field on the sideline.

Diagram 7:

• Split Zone/Glance RPOs: Combining split zone b locking with backside glance routes that attack vacated areas when linebackers or safeties that are second level fitters that commit to run action. We want to attack the space created/vacated.

Diagram 8:

• Dynamic Pre-Snap RPOs: Allowing q uarterbacks to choose between multiple p lay options based on defensive alignment before the snap utilizing our free access rules.

Diagram 9:

The Power of Tempo Control

While many teams employ some version of a hurry-up offense, true tempo control is more nuanced:

1. Defensive Conditioning Challenges: We a re not always able to get the size and speed we’d like in recruiting, but we can always control our conditioning and train our body a nd mind to compete in this way. Variable tempo forces opposing defenders to maintain heightened alertness continuously, accelerating physical and mental fatigue that they may not be prepared for.

• Strategic Tempo Changes: Alternating between hyper-fast pace and deliberately “pumping the brakes” to maximize defensive exhaustion.

• Conditioning Mismatches: Exploiting positional stamina differences, particularly targeting defensive linemen through repeated tempo se ries.

• 2nd Half/Fourth Quarter Advantage: Teams skilled in tempo manipulation often see dramatically increased efficiency in l ate-game situations as defensive execution deteriorates. We believe this when the playing fi eld gets evened out in terms of size and speed.

adjustment, often resulting in misalignments a nd coverage busts. Not necessarily focused on coach to player but player to player.

• Communication Systems: Defenses relying on complex signal systems face g reater communication. Defenses have had to find ways to adapt and play “tempodefense.” Sometimes this creates uncertainty for the players on the field.

• A ssignment Uncertainty: Even when defenders k now their assignments, tempo creates hesitation that slows reaction time by fractions of seconds. This can affect even the most p repared and talented teams. We want to challenge the player’s discipline.

• Check-with-Me Limitations: Defenses using s ideline checks are particularly vulnerable w hen tempo prevents adequate communication time.

3. Protection Simplification: In our offense, the q uarterback controls all of our protection calls. Tempo naturally limits defensive presnap disguises, allowing the quarterback to set more accurate protections with confidence.

• F ront Identification: Defenses have less time to disguise pressures, making protection calls m ore straight forward.

• Slide Protection Efficiency: Fast tempo particularly benefits slide protection schemes by forcing defensive fronts to declare their a lignment early, making slide direction decisions more accurate.

• F ive-Man Protection Opportunities: The p rotection simplification through tempo c reates more situations where five-man p rotection (keeping RB/TE in routes) becomes viable, increasing receiver options.

4. Limited Defensive Looks: Defenses under tempo pressure typically reduce their coverage and pressure package variety, c reating more predictable scenarios for q uarterback decision-making.

• Pattern Recognition: Defensive coordinators tend to default to base coverages under tempo stress, allowing quarterbacks to recognize familiar patterns more easily.

• Pressure Package Reduction: Complex blitz schemes become limited under tempo, t ypically reducing to a handful of core p ressure concepts.

2. Communication Disruption: Quick snaps can help prevent defensive signal-calling and

• Coverage Rotation Limitations: Fast tempo often forces defenses to play either exclusively s ingle-high or two-high safety looks, e liminating complex rotations.

5. O ptimal Play Sequencing: Perhaps most i mportantly, controlled tempo allows offenses to strategically chain plays together, setting up future calls based on defensive reactions to previous plays.

• Concept Building: Using early plays in a series to set up specific defensive responses that c reate opportunities later.

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• Response-Based Adjustments: Quarterbacks can make real-time adjustments based on i mmediate defensive reactions rather than waiting for sideline analysis.

• Tendency Breaking: Establishing patterns s pecifically to break them at critical moments, m ost effective under tempo pressure.

Implementation Strategy

We are in the early stages of developing our offense here at the University of Dubuque and this system requires patience and commitment. Rather than installing the entire system at once, we typically:

1. Start with Base Concepts: Establish core formations and plays that showcase our q uarterback’s strengths.

• I dentity Formation Package: Begin with 3 -4 formations that create the desired spacing advantages.

• Core Run Concepts: Install 2-3 base run plays that work consistently from these formations.

• Simple Pass Game Progression: Develop 5-7 pass concepts that create clear quarterback reads from the base formations.

2. E xpand Formation Variety: Once basics are mastered, introduce formation variations that maintain the same spatial principles, and also c reate new pictures with alignment ad justments.

• Motion Packages: Add pre-snap movement that creates new advantages while

maintaining spacing concepts.

• Personnel Grouping Diversity: Introduce formations that create similar spatial advantages from different personnel g roupings.

• Formation into Boundary/Field Adjustments: I nstall rules for adjusting base formations based on ball position.

• Bunch/Stack/Condensed Adjustments: Install formation tags to change pre-snap leverage a nd spacing.

3. D evelop Constraint Plays: Add counters to take advantage of defenses overplaying base concepts.

• Run-Pass Balance Constraints: Create complementary plays that specifically attack defenders that are favoring toward either run o r pass.

• Leverage-Based Constraints: Install plays that exploit defenders playing with improper l everage against base concepts.

• Coverage-Specific Constraints: Develop routes and combinations that specifically attack anticipated coverage adaptations.

4. Refine Situational Packages: Create specialized approaches for red zone, third downs, and two-minute situations.

• Compressed-Field Adaptations: Modify spacing concepts for red zone and goal-line s ituations.

• Critical Down Package: Develop high-

percentage options for third downs categorized by distance (short, medium, l ong).

• Clock Management System: Install two-minute package with specialized tempo controls and s ideline communication.

Challenges and Considerations

This approach isn't without difficulties. Coaching staffs must accept that:

1. System Evolution: The offense could/will l ook different year-to-year as personnel changes (particularly quarterback), requiring fl exible coaching methodology.

2. I nstallation Timeline: Teaching players to identify and exploit spatial advantages takes l onger than simply memorizing plays, extending initial implementation. It is necessary to take the time to teach the concept and its objective.

3. Practice Balance: Sessions must alternate between tempo work (game simulation) a nd segmented teaching periods (fundamental development).

4. Complexity Management: While creating complexity for defenses, the system must remain digestible for offensive players, particularly in communication systems. This is a continual evaluation process.

5. Skill Position Adaptability: Wide receivers, tight

ends and running backs must understand option routes and reading leverage, requiring h igher football IQ.

Adaptive Offensive Design

As defenses continue evolving, the space and tempo approach represents a necessary offensive adaptation. Rather than searching for the perfect scheme, we have chosen to build a flexible system around the most important position on the field. By focusing on what your quarterback does best, controlling the game's rhythm, and manipulating space to your advantage, this philosophy creates an offense capable of sustained success regardless of yearly personnel changes.

The emergence of pattern-matching defenses designed to counter traditional spread concepts makes this quarterback-centric approach even more valuable. When defenses can effectively pattern-match static formations, the combination of tempo pressure and space manipulation creates advantages that even sophisticated defensive systems can struggle to counter.

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Shaw Sports Turf Opens State-of-the-Art PEAK Performance Lab, Revolutionizing Turf Innovation

Shaw Sports Turf announced the opening of its state-of-the-art PEAK Performance Lab, a groundbreaking facility that redefines turf research and development. This cutting-edge innovation hub, located in Calhoun, GA, underscores Shaw Sports Turf’s commitment to putting athletes at the center of its R&D process, driving a new industry standard for performance, safety and playability.

The PEAK Performance Lab is built upon three critical pillars—Playability, Environment and Athlete Kinetics—with the aim of ensuring that every product developed is optimized for the demands of the sport, athlete performance, environmental responsibility and adaptability.

“The PEAK Performance Lab represents how Shaw Sports Turf continues to lead the industry and put customers at the center of innovation,” said Chuck McClurg, Vice President of Shaw’s Turf Division. “Most companies rely on the assumption that mechanical tests of surface performance simulate how athletes will interact with the surface. By shifting from this mechanical testing to an athlete-driven approach, we can better understand how surfaces impact real athletes in terms of their movement, risk factors for injury and performance. This facility allows us to quickly turn insights into value, delivering real benefits to athletes as well as our distributors, partners and end use customers.”

At the core of the PEAK Performance Lab is a state-of-the-art motion capture system, customdesigned to analyze how turf influences an athletic movement. This technology allows Shaw Sports Turf to move beyond conventional mechanical testing, which fails to capture the complexities of real athletes’ interactions with the surface.

The driving force and Director behind the PEAK performance lab and Shaw Sports Turf’s Research and innovation is Dr. Trey Brindle, PhD. Dr. Brindle received his PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at Drexel University’s Department of Physical Therapy and has expertise in Sports Biomechanics. Prior to

coming to Shaw Sports Turf, he was an Assistant Professor and Research Scientist at the United States Military Academy. While at West Point, Dr. Brindle taught and led multiple research projects in the Army – Baylor University D1 Sports Physical Therapy Fellowship. He also served as the founding Director of the West Point Advanced Return to Run Investigations and Orthopedics Research (WARRIOR) Motion Laboratory. Dr. Brindle’s research has been published in peer reviewed journals, presented at national conferences, and awarded funding by both the United States Department of Defense and the American Society of Biomechanics.

“At Shaw, we’re constantly pushing the boundaries of turf innovation to better serve athletes,” said Trey Brindle, Director of Research and innovation. “Our new PEAK Performance Lab is emblematic of Shaw’s drive to go beyond industry standards. Athlete testing turf surfaces in the product development phase provides us with invaluable information that far exceeds what we get with standardized mechanical tests.”

The PEAK Performance Lab is designed to turn real-time biomechanical insights into immediate product improvements, demonstrating Shaw’s commitment to develop turf systems that are optimized for not only the sport and environmental conditions, but also for the athletes playing on them.

The PEAK Performance Lab represents a major step forward in sports surface innovation—one that prioritizes athlete interaction, using cutting edge biomechanical testing methods. By solving biomechanical problems with a biomechanical approach, Shaw Sports Turf is setting a new benchmark for the industry and reinforcing its position as the leader in advanced turf technology.

With the launch of this facility, Shaw Sports Turf is not only shaping the future of synthetic turf but also changing the way the industry thinks about athlete-driven innovation.

For more information about the PEAK Performance Lab and Shaw Sports Turf’s ongoing advancements, visit www.shawsportsturf.com

CHALK TALK

THE LATEST FOOTBALL INNOVATION

By: BRANDON BUCHNER, SPECIAL TEAMS QUALITY CONTROL, ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Football, at all levels, has and always will be energized constantly by new trends, techniques, and technology. From the introduction of the forward pass to the rise of NIL and the transfer portal, this beautiful game that so many love will never stop innovating. This article has been created to teach yet another new innovation in the game of football: the “Jammer” Technique.

Offense scores points and defense wins championships—yes, even in 2025—but special teams need to serve as a difference maker. Special teams needs to create field position for both your offense and defense. There has been an increase in an unusual, but effective, technique more and more college or professional teams have been using on their punt return units. Ever see the “corners” or “anti-gunners” lined up in what looks like a receiver stance across the line of scrimmage from the gunners? This is what this article will be referring to as the Jammer Technique. This article will highlight the goals of Jammer Technique, explain how it can be coached, and the drill progression to get it taught.

One of the creators of the Jammer Technique is Minnesota Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels during his time working for the Dallas Cowboys. One of the initial benefits that will be noticed from this new technique is that it expands your personnel. Coaching staffs no longer have to rely on just the cornerback position and there is no need to have to force a wide receiver to learn how to play press-man like a defensive back. An athlete capable of fluidly man turning repeatedly and running with a gunner will work.

Stance & Alignment

The goal of the Jammer Technique is similar to that of traditional press or off-man technique: eliminate your gunner and allow the punt return to get a return started. The athlete will align in a staggered two-point stance similar to that of a wide receiver. The foot closest to the line of

scrimmage will be back and the athlete’s eyes should be fixed on the ball. Pre-snap alignment on the gunner should put your athlete in a position to cross the gunner’s face—or at worst, wash him down in some instances—at the snap. Your athlete’s foot that it furthest away from the line of scrimmage will be up with their knee even with the nearest shoulder or knee of the gunner they are competing against.

Initial Contact & First Steps

Once your athlete sees the ball is snapped, they will take their first initial step to cross the face of the gunner. Like coming out of a receiver stance or starting a sprint, they want to avoid false stepping. “Push the Earth behind you” and have your athlete’s weight transition forward. Through many occasions using the Jammer Technique, contact will be made and the first step is usually no exception. As the face of the gunner is crossed, your athlete will want to “stab” them in the chest or nearest central aiming point with the hand closest to the line of scrimmage and the gunner. As that first step (from the leg closest to the line of scrimmage) strikes the ground, your athlete will begin the first man-turn of Jammer Technique.

Down the Field

With your athlete aligned properly in a good stance, they successfully took that first step to cross the face of the gunner with a precise strike to their chest. Your athlete began turning back toward the gunner once that first step struck the ground. From this point on, it is a race down-field that your athlete is winning. The goal of Jammer Technique is to continuously man-turn to the gunner, “stab” them with the nearest arm then proceed to manturn again and again while staying on top, staying between the gunner and the punt returner they are trying to block for. At any point if your athlete begins to lose their lead position, they will simply transition to traditional trail technique trying to maintain inside leverage.

Varying factors such as punt distance and hang time or leverage between the gunner and your athlete will determine their next course of action. Other popular terms during punt return such as “scrape paint,” “run-by,” or “dominant finish” may be used as your athlete and the gunner approach the punt return to ensure the rest of the play results in what any staff desires: a big play. At the end of the day, if your athlete can make the gunner they are competing against swerve or change directions twice, that should result in successfully

eliminating that gunner from forcing a fair catch or making a tackle immediately.

Drills & Teaching Progression

Similar to any initial football positional teachings, it is a good idea to teach stance and start. Similar to many wide receiver drills, this will focus your athlete on proper stance and the initial explosion forward. As shown in the diagram below, a coach can easily place three or four small square bags behind three or four lines of athletes. They are to get in a proper stance and burst forward and not to false step (they should not feel themselves stepping backwards on to the bag).

The next progression in teaching the Jammer Technique will work the initial contact and the first man-turn. This is another drill that, if properly spaced out, can be done with multiple groups. Your athlete will work with a partner that serves as the gunner. This is a good opportunity to get comfortable the necessary alignments on an opponent as well as executing the first fundamentals of Jammer Technique. As shown in the diagram, your athlete will get in their proper stance and the partner will align in a jammer stance. At the snap of a ball or command by a coach, the “gunner” or partner will move forward as if releasing downfield in punt coverage. Your athlete should properly step with the back leg closest to the line of scrimmage while “stabbing” the gunner at their first initial intersecting point. As their foot strikes the ground, while crossing the face of the gunner, they should begin man turning back into the gunner in an effort to stay on top.

Finally, the third drill installing Jammer Technique combines the previous two and can add a level of competition. A similar set-up to the initial contact drill shown above, your athlete will work with a partner serving as the gunner. The fundamentals of Jammer Technique have been taught to your athlete pre-snap, at the initial contact and now moving down-field. After successfully taking the

first step, “stab,” and man-turn, your athlete should proceed down-field with the gunner. The goal should be to stay on top, “stab,” then man turn back towards the gunner over and over until the drill rep is either complete or the necessary of a “win” or “loss” set by the coach is met. The slower it takes the gunner to get down-field or the more times the gunner has to change directions or “swerve,” the more likely your athlete has won that rep.

From the beginning of football there have always been innovations in new trends, techniques, and technology. The Jammer Technique is the latest of these innovations. In an effort to create field position, this new strategy can expand your personnel and create a new wrinkle in how teams compete against yours. Quickly being added to more professional and college punt return units, the Jammer Technique looks like it is here to stay.

MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

As Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea stood in front of a crowd full of coaches at this year’s AFCA Convention in Charlotte, N.C., he highlighted different values that he’s instilled within his program since taking over in 2020.

By: GREG MACAFEE, AFCA STAFF WRITER

In one way or another, all of those values contributed to the Commodores’ success this past season in which can only be described through a series of program firsts. The Commodores captured their first win over the nation’s No. 1 team and their first win over an Associated Press Top 5 team. The program also earned its first win at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare stadium, beat Auburn and Alabama in the same season for the first time since 1955 and earned its first win over Alabama since 1984. But that’s not it.

During their 7-6 season, their first winning season since 2013, the Commodores went to their first bowl game since 2018 and earned their first bowl win since 2013. They also earned their first win over a Power 4 nonconference opponent since 2017. Despite the Commodores finishing 11th in the SEC with a conference record of 3-5, Lea was named the SEC Coach of the Year and the AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year as his program put together one of the best turnarounds in the nation

after finishing 0-8 in conference play and 2-10 overall in 2023.

“What did Vanderbilt learn in year three that allowed for the growth to happen?” Lea asked during his speech. “Don't be defeated and don't be judged. Make the choices you need to make. What I knew is we had foundational investment. I knew in those first three years, we'd done some things really well, and what I recognized was that Team 3 or 2023 was an inflection point. It was an opportunity for me to make some course changes that would allow for future success.”

Lea said one of the biggest things that he’s learned since taking over at his alma mater in 2020 is “embracing the full catastrophe.” During his first three years at the helm of the program, the Commodores recorded overall records of 2-10, 5-7 and 2-10. His first game at the helm? A 23-3 loss to East Tennessee State, a game the Commodores paid ETSU $415,000 to play.

But, through it all, Lea had embraced growing from the mistakes that were made during his first three years. He emphasized learning and building.

“The point is, are you learning and growing? Are you paying attention to the things that matter? For me, there are no guarantees, there are no promises. There are no must-be’s,” Lea said. “There's really, in my journey, there's no good and bad, and ultimately, all there is, is this experience. I get to go through this, and I don't get to pick and choose what part of the experience that I go through. I get to go through it all.”

Leading into this past season, Lea tried to implement what he had learned through his first three seasons and made changes that ultimately led to success. After seven different coaching stints as a linebackers coach and a two-year stint as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator before joining Vanderbilt, Lea took over the defense this past season.

Lea then made changes to the offense by hiring Tim Beck as his offensive coordinator and hiring Jerry Kill as chief consultant to the head coach and senior offensive advisor. He also hired Robert Stiner as director of football sports performance. On top of that, Lea added 50 new student-athletes to the roster, including quarterback Diego Pavia, the eventual SEC Newcomer of the Year and All-SEC tight end Eli Stowers.

To highlight these changes, Lea spoke of the growth that he had to go through as a coach when he first took over the program. As players and coaches left, he said, at first, he felt like it was an indictment of himself. But, as he grew as a coach and as he accepted the challenges in front of him, he finally understood that everybody, whether it was a coach or a player, was not meant for the mission that he had accepted.

“What I realized in time was that every departure, every person that left our program, there was an opportunity to strengthen,” Lea said. “So we had the chance, with the removal, to actually bring our program into a closer focus. That delivered, both on the field and in the staff, a team this season that more closely resembled the vision I've had for Vanderbilt football than any others that we fielded.”

While speaking of these types of changes, Lea highlighted a picture of Pavia and offensive lineman Steven Hubbard, two of the program’s key additions. The two were celebrating after a play this past season and were high-fiving as they left the field. Lea said that it perfectly encapsulated the “sense of belonging to our program.”

“They see all the good in what we've done and who we are and what we do and where we're located, where you know, people that occupied those seats prior only saw the blemishes, only saw the problems,” Lea said. “To me, when you change

the attitude of the people in the seats, it can become so beneficial to the growth of a healthy program. The lesson is - not everyone's meant for the mission. It's okay to lose people, and it's okay for people not to see the vision. What's most important is when you have the opportunity, you seize the opportunity to strengthen your operation.”

However, despite all the changes, Lea still had to make sure that his team was singularly focused and aligned. To describe this, Lea used a picture of a spear that has taken on their program’s identity over the last four years.

“The Spear has three tips. But to be effective, it has to move in one direction,” Lea said. “In one direction, to me, means one mission.”

That mission, over the last four years, has been winning and with Lea at the helm, the Commodores have been moving in the right direction to accomplish that goal.

CHALK TALK

MATCH 3 COVERAGE

By: BRANDON FRASE, ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH / DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR KENTUCKY WESLEYAN COLLEGE

AtKentucky Wesleyan College, we run a 1 high – match system with the ability to also play a 2 high quarters match scheme out of a 4-2-5. This system best fit our players and allows for them to play fast and free. In our meetings we often discuss brain capacity as a major factor when it comes to doing your job.

One of two things are going to take place on every down; Run or Pass, both of which have the ability to be a positive or negative play for the Offense. When we install, we use a mental checklist including the following abbreviation: ARKT

1. Alignment

2. Responsibility

3. Key

4. Technique – If needed

While every call we make defensively is important, our Match 3 coverage is our identity for early mix downs. We tell our defense that we want to stop the run at all cost and find ways to get an extra hat in the box, especially vs. 11 personnel teams. Match 3 allows us to do just that while still being sound vs. the Pass. We want to take away easy 1st level quick game throws, but still have Post and Low Hole help. Match 3 allows us to maintain numbers in the box and helps us leverage wide receivers with middle of the field closed principles, while also taking stress off our Linebackers who become Hook defenders.

Background

Before I dive in how we teach our progressions, I want to first give credit where it is due and that is to the masterminds behind this coverage; Nick Saban and Bill Belichick. Through my extensive research and learnings of the coverage, it was developed during/after the 1994 NFL season where they found themselves getting torched by 4 verticals in there middle of field closed coverages. They created it because of the mismatches in man coverage (Cover 1) and Cover 3 manipulation of the Middle of Field Safety. So, the coverage was created to allow them to play Cover 1 and Cover 3 at the same time, with the routes of the #2 wide receivers dictating their coverage.

Structure

The structure of our Match 3 coverage is primarily based out of a boundary/weak side

rotation vs. 2x2 formations because we are a 4-down defense. Starting with our Linebackers, they are Hook/Curl Match 3 defenders. Our Rover (Field Overhang) is a Rip/Liz defender on #2 to the Field, while our Bandit (Weak Side Boundary Rotating Safety) is a Rip/Liz defender on #2 to the boundary. Our Corners are both MES defenders meaning they have all of #1 except shallow. Finally, our FS is the Deep Middle Post defender.

Rip/Liz Progression

Our Rip/Liz defenders are taught they have #2 vertical and out. We teach a progression based on Match, Deliver. When we talk about Matching, their pre-snap thought is always going to be to initially Match #2 and we teach them to Match any outbreaking or vertical routes. Rip/Liz is a specific technique we teach that is crucial to maintain outside leverage. There is no help on the outside and you cannot be stacked. When we talk about Deliver, we teach them to Deliver any under/ shallow routes to the Hook defenders (LB) and either get ready to replace or zone off depending on what #3 does (to keep stuff simple we always have our Linebackers Match 3)

ARKT

1. 7x1 outside #2

2. Match #2 – MES

3. #2 – see through him to QB

4. Rip/Liz

a. Flat Foot, Scooch to Crossover Run (Everything based off the Low Shoulder of #2)

Hook/Curl – Match 3 Progression

Our Linebackers are taught to go through a Hook/Curl – Match progression. Their progression is going to be completely based off #3, who is the RB vs. 2x2 formations. When we install, we first talk about a Fast 3. If the Linebacker gets a Fast 3, he is going to Match that maintaining his leverage working through his Curl window. The Linebacker opposite of the Fast 3 is then taught to Melt to the Low Hole. Having a Low Hole defender is crucial when we talk about the Rip/Liz defenders. If there is no Fast 3 either way, we have our Linebackers Pack the Hooks. They will be inside help for the Rip/Liz defenders and they must have spacial awareness. I talk about spacial awareness because it is important the Linebackers know whether that ball is on the hash and if they are to the Field or

Boundary when they play the Hook zone. Finally, the Linebackers need to be aware of crossing routes. The Linebackers will always Match 3, so any “Under” call from the Rip/Liz defender is going to be Match by the opposite Linebacker.

ARKT

1. 3 0 – 5 yards

2. Match 3

3. Back to Blur

4. Pass Progression based of #3 (RB)

Corners – MES Progression

Our Corners have a very simple progression but have to be able to win 1v1 matchups on the perimeter. We have our Corners play majority of the time pressed to potentially eliminate quick game with our alignment. You can have them play off depending on what they do best. Our Corners

have MES on #1 (Man everything except shallow). Just like our Rip/Liz defenders, they are also taught to Deliver anything under then zone off or replace depending on what the next threat runs. So, if #1 runs anything vertical or out, they are Matching it.

ARKT

1. Press – Inside Shade

2. T ight 1/3 – MES on #1

3. #1 WR

4. Press Man

MOF Safety Progression

The Middle of Safety has got to be your smartest football player. He holds the ultimate trump card for us as far as making 3x1 checks and adjustments to our coverage. We teach him to always align in the MOF regardless of where the ball is downed, with the ability to Sugar (Disguise) if needed. We keep him around 12 yards deep and want him to be in position to challenge throws as well as be in position to play clean up in the box. We also teach him to be late vs. the Run rather than late vs. the Pass. We ask him to cover hash to hash and to break on balls downhill and laterally. Our read progression is to read the QB and we are looking for Low Ball vs. High Ball. Low Ball meaning it is a potential RPO or Run and High Ball meaning it is a Pass. Our most crucial coaching point is that we do not want to cover grass and maintain position to protect seam balls.

ARKT

1. 12 yards – MOF

2. D eep Middle Post

3. Q B – Low Ball / High Ball

4. Bounce

a. Key: QB Read – Kick to Hash (QB Eyes) Formation Checks

Within this coverage we do have specific formation checks that allow us to still adjust properly. We have two Trips (3x1) checks which are Buzz and Skate. Buzz is a Field Safety rotation, which has us playing Cover 3 to the Field with the Free Safety as the Hook Strong defender, Rover as the SCF (Seam, Curl, Flat) defender and Field Corner as the Deep 1/3 defender. Our Mike is a 3 back and thru player and our Will and Boundary Corner are M2M on #1 and #2 Wk. The Bandit Safety is

our MOF Defender. We do have a tag out of Buzz which is 3 Swap and allows our Rover and Free Safety to exchange responsibilities.

Skate is the same coverage to the Field and Boundary but we do have players with different responsibilities. In Skate, the Mike, Rover, and Field Corner are playing Cover 3 with the Mike as the Hook Strong defender. The Will then becomes the 3 Back and Thru defender, while the Free Safety is the MOF defender. Skate is a Boundary Safety rotation so our Bandit and Boundary Corner will be M2M on #1 and #2 Weak. We do have a tag out of Skate that helps us vs. four verticals. The tag is Bingo and it allows us to have the Will, who is a 3 Back and Thru defender, and Bandit, who is #2 Weak M2M defender exchange responsibilities.

The Process

With the install of this coverage it allows to have extra hats in the box and the ability defend against any route combinations. The formation we get will always be an indicator of how we adjust our fits and coverage. We do have specific checks vs. condense splits and TE in the core formations to maintain numbers and leverage. Sometimes less is better and this coverage allows us to play fast with the simple progression we teach. When it comes to the X's and O’s, there are plenty of adjustments you can make, but our progression keeps it simple for our guys across the board. At the end of the day, it allows us to remember less, react faster, stop the run and be aggressive on the back-end.

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