Nathan White

(Long post alert) I'm going to preach for a minute... I quit coaching football after the 2018 season ended. I had no idea that major changes were on the horizon for the profession. The Head Coach of 2023 has so many different issues that I did not deal with in my many years as a Head Coach. Here are a few..... 1. COVID - I had no idea what this was when I coached. Everything on this list has been impacted (mostly in a negative way) because of COVID. It started a process where everything changed. 2. Transfers - players have always transferred, but the last 5 years have been worse than the 100 years before. It is insane how quickly and how young players are giving up on their home school and moving. It makes it very discouraging to coach at a place that doesn't get the players "showing up". 3. Recruiting - The "transfer portal", "covid year", and "NIL" have completely changed recruiting to something that I can't even recognize from 5 years ago. None of this has helped the HS coach who is getting pressure from parents for unrealistic expectations of scholarships. The parent dynamic has always been tough, but now there are less opportunities. 4. Coach Entitlement - every generation says "the young guys" are not as committed, not as tough, etc...but it feels like it's true. Coaches on their phone at practice, thinking they should be calling plays after they worked 2 weeks, etc. No one wants to learn technique and take pride in being a good position coach. That's the best path to being a coordinator and later a head coach. 5. Parent Entitlement - parents have always been a struggle, but the parent behavior has gotten worse and worse each year. It's worse than it's ever been now. Many admin are scared to deal with it early and it grows and grows. Parents forget the coach is a person and attack them publicly, in-person, behind-their-back, on social media, and anywhere else. It is way too easy and too normal to attack coaches for playing time issues. 6. Impatience - this could be #1. No coach wants to wait for a promotion. No player wants to play on the JV and develop. No parent wants to wait to be the booster club president after they learn from the previous person for a year. Social media was around in 2018, but after everyone sat at home with COVID, it seems to have dominated people's minds and everything is about attention and instant gratification. There is no instant gratification in a successful athletic program. 7. Lack of work from coaches - About 15 years ago, you really started seeing coaches talking about "working smarter" and "no points for working the longest", etc. I think now some people are really taking that to heart and using it as an excuse to not work hard. It takes what it takes and the best staffs are still working a lot of hours and staying late. Just not as late as we had to "back in the day". There is a balance, but many coaches do not want to put the time in now. 8. Lack of respect - this was on the way down in 2018, but it seems to have ramped up worse in past 5 years. All asst coaches should always keep the boss in the loop and they should ask the head coach, "Do you need anything else" before leaving. They should be on time, show up, sit in the front, be a part of the school, care about the place, etc. These were all common years ago, but now can set you apart. 9. Hurt feelings - there is no tolerance for disagreement. Everything seems personal. It's very difficult to be a coach and keep score when EVERYTHING is sensitive and personal. There must be healthy debates, disagreements, and conflicts to achieve success. It is harder in the current climate than it has ever been. People always ask me, "do you miss it?". Of course, the answer is "YES". But I don't miss these things that my friends and colleagues are dealing with daily. I sometimes feel jealous of them but most of the time feel guilty that I got out before I had to deal with it with them. I'll end with this.... I feel real bad that so many really, really, really good young coaches out there now never got to be around in the "good ol' days". I was coming in at the end of them, but I really cherished the old timers I knew that taught me football. I hope all you guys find that rare mentor that can teach you. Coaching is an amazing profession and it is worth saving.