Tim Hester

8 things that have changed in the last 5 years I stopped coaching after the 2018 season. I had no idea major changes were on the horizon for the profession. The Head Coach of 2024 has different issues that I did not deal with as a Head Coach. Here are 8 things that have changed... 1. COVID. I had no idea what this was when I coached. Everything has been impacted (mostly in a negative way) because of the pandemic. 2. Transfers. Players have always transferred, but the last 5 years seem to have more than the 100 years before. It is insane how quickly young players are giving up on their home school and moving for sports. It makes it very discouraging to coach at a place that doesn't get the players showing up. 3. College 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 the same pressure from parents with unrealistic expectations of scholarships that are fewer and further between. 4. Coach Entitlement. Every generation says "the young guys" are not as committed, not as tough, etc. - so maybe this is just me doing the same. Coaches on their phone at practice, thinking they should be calling plays after they worked 1 year, etc. Few want to learn technique and take pride in being a good position coach. Few want to work the hours it takes to plan and organize. It takes what it takes. The best staffs are still not worried about titles and still working hard. There is a balance, but many coaches do not want to put the time in now. 5. Parent Entitlement. Some parents have always been a struggle, but the parent behavior seems worse and worse each year. Many admin are scared to deal with it early and it grows and grows. Parents forget the coach is a person and attack the coach publicly, in-person, behind-their-back, on social media, and anywhere else. Coaches aren't perfect, but it is way too easy and too normal for parents to attack coaches for playing time issues. 6. Impatience. This applies to coaches, players, and parents. Most coaches do not want to wait for a promotion. Most players don't want to play on the JV and develop. Most parents don't want to wait to be the booster club president. Social media has been around a while, but the last several years it seems to have dominated people's minds. Everything is about attention and instant gratification. There is no instant gratification in a successful athletic program. 7. Lack of respect. This has been on the way down for years, but it's gotten worse the past 5 years. Assistant 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. Players and parents struggle more now to respect the coach and give them the benefit of the doubt when issues arise. 8. 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'll end with this.... I feel bad that so many really, really, really good young coaches out there never got to be around in the "good old days". I started at the end of them, but I really cherished the old timers that taught me football. Older coaches, support the new guys. Young guys, I hope you find that rare mentor that can teach you. I didn't write any of this to be negative, but to shine a light on things that can improve. Coaching is still a great profession. Working with kids is still worth it. This is why I spend most of my free time trying to develop coaches. Let's work to reverse as many of these trends as possible.