The lines between college and the NFL have blurred in recent years as run options and run/pass options (RPO) have become legitimate parts of NFL programs, but one of the things college and NFL coordinators must prepare for each week is There is still a gap between them. However, that hasn’t stopped teams from tapping into college teams to fill coordinator positions. In fact, all four coordinators hired this offseason are from the NCAA: Buccaneers OC Liam Cohen, Chargers DC Jesse Minter, Packers DC Jeff Hafley and Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb .
Is this recruiting cycle an anomaly or a sign of things to come? Understanding what NFL teams do and do not adopt in college systems, programs and procedures may provide clues to answering this question.
NFL teams are still more likely to hire college coaches with NFL backgrounds than coaches with primarily college experience. Of the four college coordinators, only Grubb has no NFL experience.
Minter spent four seasons as a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens before becoming defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt (one season) and Michigan (two seasons). He fielded one of the best defenses in the country and won a national championship last season before following Jim Harbaugh back to the NFL.
Minter on the microphone pic.twitter.com/0HEgFICzwB
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 23, 2024
Hafley served as a defensive assistant for several NFL teams from 2012 to 2018 before becoming the defensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes and then the head coach at Boston College.
Cohen spent most of his career as a college coach but recently went from being an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams to being the offensive coordinator at Kentucky for one season. He returned to the Rams as offensive coordinator, then returned to Kentucky for one season in the same position before finally joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason. Sean McVay served as play-caller during his one-year tenure as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, so this season will be Cohen’s first in the NFL (he played one-and-done for the Rams). directing the game).
While offensive schemes have come up more frequently than defensive schemes in recent years, the opportunity to call plays immediately in the league can be rare for a coach without NFL experience. Too many of these coaches struggle to make the transition. College offenses rely more on running the quarterback, breaks, rhythm and volume than in the NFL, where every play is orchestrated and more focused on trying to get into the “perfect” game.
NFL offensive coordinators certainly borrow creative play-calling from the college level, but the game-planning and play-calling requirements of the pros are more complex. Grubb appears to be a rare example where a coach with no NFL experience will be given the opportunity to jump straight to the next level as a caller.
However, Grubb’s offense in Washington looks like an NFL offense. The Huskies are split between center and shotgun, and they have a lot of ways to run the same concepts, and he’s done a creative job using motion and shifting. One issue college coaches commonly encounter in the league is protection. College protection schemes are often too simplistic, and when coaches like Chip Kelly come into the league, they don’t have the tools to handle some of the pressure schemes in the NFL. Grubb will have an advantage against Mike McDonald’s defense every day in practice — McDonald’s scheme tests the offense as much as any in the league — but that doesn’t mean he’ll have sophisticated protection Strategy.
The spread offense has been the dominant scheme in college football for years, but we’re starting to see the trickle-down effects of teams adopting the outside zone/play-action schemes that have been so successful around the league. Kentucky hired Cohen to implement McVay’s system, and he succeeded in doing so. The defense isn’t used to stopping this type of offense, and last season, Cohen’s team averaged 29.1 points per game despite being a constant underdog in terms of talent in the SEC. It will be interesting to see how his college experience impacts his understanding of the Buccaneers’ McVay system.
Liam Cohen worked with Baker Mayfield when Cohen was the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2022 after Mayfield was claimed by the Los Angeles Lakers midseason. He reunited with his quarterback in Tampa Bay. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)
I believe we will see more NFL assistant coaches go to the college level, gain play-calling experience at the big schools and translate that into opportunities in the league. The Ravens have successfully hired coaches who do just that. McDonald served as an NFL assistant coach for several years before heading to Michigan State for one season to coordinate. When he returned, the way he taught and implemented the system helped the Ravens become the league’s best defense last season. After just two seasons as defensive coordinator, he was hired as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Minter followed in McDonald’s footsteps and implemented a similar program in Michigan. Both ran pro-style schemes and applied lessons learned from their time in the league to college defense. They played a classic four-man defensive formation and used different performances to simulate pressure and raise offensive issues. Minter does a great job of situational play calling, which will serve him well at the next level.
For example, in the Geller Family Welfare Whiteboard Clinic, Minter gave a fascinating analysis of how he viewed the penultimate situation.
“The goal on second and seventh is to create third and sixth or more. The approach in the past was, ‘Hey, on second and eighth, let’s hold them to half the yardage. Up. Now you’re third and fourth,” Minter said. “If you look at the percentage of wins on third down, third down and sixth down or more is where you can make more decisions on D&D (Dress and Distance). We’re trying to really attack that low and distance. We’re There’s tight coverage going on and we’re trying not to give up a fast game and get back on track.
When talking to NFL coaches, they strongly believe that college defensive schemes won’t have much of an impact on NFL schemes. The current trend in college is for a “tite” front (three defensive linemen) with the backside covering the play to prevent spread.
One of the best defensive teams last year was the Arizona Wildcats.
This is a great example of how the Tite Front fits into Counter GY’s 3-high kit.
No. 5 will “travel” with the TE, No. 13 utilizes the kickout, and No. 44 handles the kickout. #ArtofX pic.twitter.com/TptVgiE2Oc
— Cody Alexander (@The_Coach_A) April 30, 2024
While NFL teams will dabble in these concepts, it’s much more difficult to base this type of defense on. Another key difference between NFL defenses and college defenses is that college defenses run more quarter-of-game coverage, with the defender’s eyes locked on the route rather than the quarterback like a spot-up defense. While NFL teams prefer to do quarterly coverage, this is a watered-down version.
“So I wouldn’t say it’s wholesale quarters, but you need to separate the safeties…it changes,” one NFL defensive coach told Competitor. “I don’t know if it’s just wholesale quarters. It could be a quarter, a quarter, a half of the border, or it could be a quarter, a quarter, a quarter of the court, which is Cover 8. You know, trying to limit explosive plays on the back end.
Essentially, the college game uses quarter formats and aggressive routes, while NFL teams will employ more zone techniques and soft coverage.
Since being hired, Hafley and Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur have made it clear they will be a spot-on team.
“Having more vision on the quarterback because he’s ultimately going to take you to where the ball is going to go,” LaFleur said. “It’s hard to do that when you’re playing with your back to the quarterback … not that we’re not going to do that. Of course, there are situations where you want to pick yourself up and make some plays. Coverage. I would say a big part of what we have to do, especially from a coverage standpoint, is have a vision for the quarterback.
deeper
New Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley gets rave reviews from former players
League sources said they expect Hafley’s defense to look more like the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets defenses, which are derived from Seattle’s Cover 3 system. Hafley was San Francisco’s defensive backs coach under then-coordinator Robert Saleh. He was used more as a one-deep safety than is typical in college, and he spoke out shortly before the Packers hired him “Next” Podcast Talk to Adam Breneman about how it became the basis of his system.
Ultimately, LaFleur will move away from the Vic Fangio system that has been popular in the league over the past few years and return to the Cover 3 system that has been popular around the league. The Packers struggled to defend the run under former defensive coordinator Joe Barry, and Hafley’s system will naturally put strong safeties in the box more, which should help shore up the Packers. Run defense.
Seattle’s system fell out of favor because it was predictable and required an elite four-pass rush to work. So how will Hafley complement Cover 3? What kind of coverage would he use? He could adopt some of the split-safety looks he used at Boston College, or maybe he’ll draw on his experience working with Mike Pettine, LaFleur’s first defensive coordinator with the Packers, and go with a more Much simulated pressure.
“We’re going to attack.” 😤
Jeff Hafley joins coaching staff heading into 2024 season.
One-on-one time with new people #packing worker Defensive Coordinator 🎥 pic.twitter.com/T8AZzS0lhQ
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 20, 2024
Likewise, NFL teams are more than willing to borrow bits and pieces from college programs, but coaches believe these are two different games. For example, a handful of NFL teams used some of the three-safety structures that were popular in college a few years ago to cover the pass, but they were never going to become the league’s foundational defense.
When asked what NFL coaches can learn from coaching in college, one NFL defensive coach said: “I don’t think they can take too much of a schematic approach, especially with relationships with young players and learning to be better teachers. “
McDonald seems to have streamlined his system to make it easier for players to learn, communicate and execute, in part because of his college experience. NFL game calls can be long, and communication can be difficult in college because of the pace of the offense.
“Talking to Mike (McDonald), that’s how people first really tried to attack him when he was in college,” Minter said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, he’s going to run this complex NFL system…The best way to combat that is to move forward quickly.'”
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McDonald had to simplify his system and the way he communicated play calls at Michigan, which helped him create a uniquely malleable system in the NFL. While his experience in college certainly made him a better coach, there are some things you learn in the league that aren’t emphasized in college.
For young assistant coaches around the league, going to college to call plays and gain coordination experience is invaluable, but in the NFL, there’s more emphasis on offensive matchups, manipulating protection schemes and situational game calling. Having these skills as a foundation is critical to being a successful coordinator in the league.
In the age of name, image and likeness, there will be plenty of college coaches clamoring to jump to the NFL as they look to shed increased recruiting responsibilities, but having four college coaches land coordinator jobs in this year’s recruiting cycle may be a bit of an anomaly.
(Top photo of Jeff Hafley, Ryan Grubb and Liam Cohen: Dan Powers/USA TODAY, Stephen Chambers and Cliff Welch/Getty Photo agency)
