The Lesser Influence of the Head Football Coach

Being a former head high school football coach many years ago, I will tell you that this blog entry favors the head football coach. I am not going to change a reader's idea, nor do I care to.Plain and simple, the role of the head football coach as an advisor to his players is diminishing more and more. I have told high school football coaches that over and over for the last year. Last night, I received an email from a very promising football player. His last question was "Do you know how I can get in contact with college coaches?"

This young man has a ton of potential, and he is an underclassman. His parents are wonderful. If he continues to work hard and get bigger and stronger, he will be one of the tops in his class.I like him and will help him as I do with every player or parent who contacts me.

My first comment is always,"Go through your head coach." I have had parents tell me that the head coach will not help, that the head coach will not take the time, or that the head coach does not think that hmy son can play D-1A college ball. What parents do not realize is that I contact the head coach almost everytime. Of course, having been in this business for many years, I know many of the head coaches. Obviously, I am going to make contact with them.

Recently, a mother was concerned that her son was not "getting any love," on her son's visit to a college junior day. She alluded to the fact that she heard the head coach does not work hard on promoting his players. I just shook my head, because, if anything this head coach over-promotes sometimes. Excellent coach, by the way. Her son is a solid player who could be really good, if he concentrated on another position. Of course, they do not want to hear that advice.

A parent emailed me an article about how well Rivals rated his son who happens to be a quarterback. The son is a good quarterback, but not as good as Rivals implied. I receive links to Rivals, Scout.com, and other sights to read about a son and how high that he his rated by these services. Of course, people know that I feel the "Star" rating system is a joke. The "Star" rating system is about making money. The high school coach is never considered. They are rated sometimes by self annointed experts who have never seen a prospect play. Another story-another time.

Last summer, a player from a very well respected football program in Southwest Ohio was making plans to travel to Oregon to play with a 7on7 team. I called his high school coach, because the guy in charge of this venture was one of the AAU sponsors from Florida featured in SI as a cheater. The player's high school coach knew nothing about it. Problem was the young man did not understand the whole situation. He should have contacted his head coach first.

One high school head coach limited the exposure of his son who happened to be a very good quarterback prospect. The son, nor the dad would take calls. One creative internet media guy used Facebook to get through to the prospect. If you are a college prospect and this happens, share it with your head coach. He should advise you one way or another.

Whenever I talk to groups, I emphasize "going through your head coach." I could go on and on with situations that have come up. Being a parent of two boys who played sports, I understand the thinking of parents. Thankfully, I was able to realize the skill limits of my sons, which were average. My late wife, thank goodness, also understood their skill levels. However, one is now a CPA and the other is coaching college football. She realized their educational skill levels.

Whether it be Chuck Kyle at St Ignatius, Jim Place at Withrow, or Jake Moyer, here in Upper Sandusky, the head coach is losing his influence on his football players. Hopefully, this loss is only in football recruiting, and not the development of young men. The sad part is that the lack of influence of the head coach in recruiting is going to get worse, before it gets better. If you call John McCallister, his first words of advice will be, "First, go through your head football coach."