The Gridiron Warrior Podcast

Scott Leech
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Football
  • Updated Weekly

The Gridiron Warrior Podcast gives football coaches real-world strength & conditioning strategies that win games. Hosted by Division 1 coach Scott Leech, each episode delivers blunt, practical lessons from the weight room to the sideline—no fluff, just proven systems with coaches who live it every day.

  1. 1d ago

    Gridiron Warrior Podcast - Chris Murdock

    The Gridiron Warrior Podcast | "Building a Football Culture from Scratch" with Coach Chris Murdock In this episode, I sit down with Chris Murdock, Head Football Coach at Billings Senior High School in Montana. Coach Murdock is the very first "Gridiron Warrior School," meaning he fully outsources his strength and conditioning programming to the Gridiron Warrior system. We dive deep into the logistics of running a high school weight room with limited space, time constraints (50-minute blocks!), and how to get buy-in from administration, other PE teachers, and parents. Chris shares how shifting from a "lifting weights" mindset to an "athletic development" mindset has transformed his program—from the middle school feeder system all the way to varsity Friday nights. If you are a head coach wearing too many hats (teacher, DC, husband, father), this episode is a blueprint for how to get elite S&C results without having to write every single workout yourself. 👇 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Train Heroic & Plyomat 03:03 – Who is Chris Murdock? Football in Billings, Montana 06:26 – Why Billings Senior became the first "Gridiron Warrior School" 08:05 – The "Head Coach Reality": Wearing too many hats 10:00 – Managing a crowded weight room (16 platforms, 50-minute classes) 12:15 – Implementing the "Zero Period" football class 14:30 – The shift from "lifting weights" to "athletic development" 17:00 – Using weight room drills to teach tackling & block destruction 19:30 – Logistics: How to run a warm-up and lift in a tight time window 23:30 – Using technology (Projectors & Train Heroic) to streamline the flow 26:00 – Creating competition and leadership in the weight room 29:30 – The Middle School Feeder Program: Building the future 33:50 – The pitch to coaches: Why you should outsource your programming 37:20 – Why we coach: Relationships & the love of the game 39:10 – Where to find Billings Senior Football 40:24 – Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders 🔗 Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders Weekly film studies, live Q&As, unreleased podcasts, discounts, and a private community of coaches leveling up together. 👉 ScottLeechTraining.com Keep the Fire Burning. 🔥

    42 min

  2. 6d ago

    Gridiron Warrior Podcast - Jack Dustin

    utrition with NSF-certified protein in a preloaded FlipTech bottle. Trusted by 150+ college and pro teams. Reach out for team pricing. Chapters 00:00 Cold open 00:33 Sponsor: TrainHeroic 01:32 Sponsor: Plyomat 03:08 Why Dustin is on the show + Summer Summit preview 04:05 Welcome Coach Jack Dustin 04:30 From Compete S&C to Coastal Carolina under Joe Moglia 07:45 Why he chose strength over football coaching at Assumption 09:30 Becoming the first head strength coach at Endicott 10:00 Endicott's run of athletic success across every sport 12:30 Building a culture of competition in the weight room 13:45 The off-season program structure and periodization 15:30 Programming competition vs spontaneous competition 17:30 The "money in the bank" idea Dustin is stealing from Gilfedder 21:00 Why the Summer Summit is hands-on, not PowerPoint 22:00 The visual learner assessment from Coastal 22:45 The 77-hour warm-up math 23:30 The four-day theme system: vertical, lateral, multi-directional 24:00 Day 1 vertical breakdown: jumps, throws, fly 10s 26:00 Day 2 lateral: skater hops, hip tosses, reactive acceleration 27:30 Med ball variations and the violence of the throw 28:30 Sponsor: Enduraphin 29:30 Adding warm-up wrinkles on the practice field 32:00 The med ball over the field goal post competition 33:45 In-season warm-ups extend to 25 minutes 35:30 Why Scott cuts accessory work before he cuts athletic work 37:15 The travel game primer protocol for road games 38:30 The Summer Summit speaker lineup 40:00 "What a privilege it is to be tired from what you once prayed for" 43:30 Where to find Coach Dustin 44:30 Outro Connect with Coach Jack Dustin Instagram: @dustinsportsperformance Personal: @coach_jack_d Email: jdustin@endicott.edu Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders Weekly Film Study, Wildcat Webinars, unreleased podcasts, equipment discounts, and 50+ coaches sharing real questions and real answers.  https://scottleechtraining.com/insiders/ Keep the Fire Burning, Leech

    47 min

  3. May 19

    Gridiron Warrior Podcast - Nick DiMarco

    Nick DiMarco, Assistant AD for Peak Performance at Elon, just released "The Director's Manual." It is the book every assistant should read before they take the head job, and every director should read after they take it. We get into hiring, system building, managing up to your AD, getting admin to fund your vision, and why most strength coaches burn out trying to do everything themselves. If you want to run a department instead of just lift weights, this one is for you. Pick up The Director's Manual on Amazon. 0:00 Intro 3:00 Nick's path from William Penn to NFL to Iowa to Elon 14:00 Why he wrote The Director's Manual 17:00 Autonomy inside a system, not outside of it 20:00 Hiring: the internship pipeline, the trusted network, the open posting 28:00 Patrick Lencioni - humble, hungry, smart 32:00 Aggressive patience and getting admin to fund the vision 37:00 Eliminating the negatives going upstairs 40:00 Building outside projects without burning out 43:00 Unlimited hours - what would you actually do 47:00 Where to find Nick

    50 min

  4. May 12

    Gridiron Warrior Podcast - George Adams

    The Gridiron Warrior Podcast | "Game Speed, Conditioning & Identity" with Coach George Adams In this episode, I sit down with George Adams, Head Athletic Performance Coach at Madison Ridgeland Academy in Mississippi. We dive into the difference between track speed and game speed. We talk about why running cone drills often doesn't transfer to Friday nights and how to actually fix it. Coach Adams shares his approach to the conditioning debate. He explains why he sits in the middle ground between high-volume tempo runs and the "sprint only" crowd. We also break down how MRA uses shared struggle to build team identity and leadership in a program that constantly plays bigger schools. If you’re tired of athletes looking great in drills but slow on the field, or you’re looking for a better way to structure your conditioning, this one hits home. 👇 Timestamps 00:00 – What the Gridiron Warrior Podcast is about  01:50 – Coach Adams’ journey to MRA  05:30 – Why we stay in Strength & Conditioning  09:50 – Mississippi private school football is different  15:40 – Game speed vs. track speed  19:00 – Why cone drills don't always transfer  22:00 – Skipping robotic arm drills and using constraints  27:50 – How MRA structures the training week  35:00 – The conditioning debate: Tempo vs. Sprints  41:00 – Using GPS to backfill conditioning volume  43:00 – Conditioning for Linemen vs. Skill positions  49:00 – Building identity through shared struggle  52:00 – Decision making under fatigue  57:30 – Where to find Coach Adams  58:45 – Gridiron Warrior Insiders community  🔗 Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders Weekly film studies, live Q&As, unreleased podcasts, discounts, and a private community of coaches leveling up together. 👉 ScottLeechTraining.com Keep the Fire Burning. 🔥

    1h 2m

  5. Apr 20

    Gridiron Warrior Podcast - Mike Serricchio

    The Gridiron Warrior Podcast | "Resurrecting a Program & The Single Wing" with Coach Mike Serricchio In this episode, I sit down with my good friend and former teammate Mike Serricchio, Head Football Coach at Ledyard High School in Connecticut. Mike took over a program that was stuck in the "dark ages"—winning only a handful of games in four years—and has rebuilt it into a perennial playoff contender. We dive into the reality of coaching at a small school where you have to wear every hat. Mike shares how he uses the Gridiron Warrior system to outsource his strength & conditioning so he can focus on being a head coach. We also geek out on the Single Wing offense (and why it destroys the 7-on-7 culture), the non-negotiable value of multi-sport athletes, and how to build a team that nobody wants to play against. If you’re a coach trying to punch above your weight class or rebuild a struggling program, this episode is for you. 👇 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Train Heroic & Plyomat 03:04 – Mike Serricchio’s journey: From Springfield College to Head Coach at 27 06:05 – The "Why": Teaching delayed gratification in an instant-gratification world 11:50 – The Ledyard Rebuild: Turning around a program after the "Dark Ages" 15:00 – Why Mike outsources his S&C programming to Gridiron Warrior 17:48 – Structuring the High School Off-Season (Winter, Spring, Summer) 21:10 – The "Big Bang" Drills: Why kids love Contact Prep & Scores and Stops 24:48 – Small School Mentality: How to beat teams with double your enrollment 28:00 – Building a "Nobody Wants to Play Us" Culture 31:38 – The Multi-Sport Argument: Why every football player should wrestle or play lacrosse 38:25 – The value of being coached by someone other than your position coach 41:02 – The Single Wing Offense: Flipping the script on 7-on-7 culture 45:00 – The New England Summer Summit & Dante Scarnecchia 47:34 – Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders 🔗 Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders Weekly film studies, live Q&As, unreleased podcasts, discounts, and a private community of coaches leveling up together. 👉 ScottLeechTraining.com Keep the Fire Burning. 🔥

    49 min

  6. Mar 28

    Gridiron Warrior Podcast - Mike Niklos

    The Gridiron Warrior Podcast | "FASTT: Fixing Broken Drills & Building Reactive Speed" with Coach Mike Niklos In this episode, I sit down with Mike Niklos, Director of Athletic Development at Acceleration Sports Performance. We dig into his "FASTT" philosophy (Football, Agility, Speed, Technical, Tactical) and why so many traditional football drills—like the W Drill—are failing to prepare athletes for the demands of the game. Mike breaks down his three-stage progression for developing elite game speed: Confidence, Consistency, and Chaos. We discuss how to take robotic, pre-planned drills and turn them into reactive, decision-making crucibles. We also tackle the "soft" skill player problem, sharing how to build physicality in WRs and DBs through "Walk Ball" and controlled roughhousing. If you’re still running drills just to fill time, or your athletes look great in cones but slow on Friday nights, this episode is the fix. 👇 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Train Heroic & Plyomat 03:56 – Who is Mike Niklos? From Robert Morris to Private Sector 09:20 – The "FASTT" Philosophy (Football, Agility, Speed, Technical, Tactical) 11:40 – The "Aha Moment": Why playing the sport isn't enough to get faster 18:30 – Why the "W Drill" is broken (Too slow, non-reactive, no context) 21:20 – The 3-Stage Drill Progression: Confidence, Consistency, Chaos 24:50 – The "Chaos Phase": Forcing decisions at high speeds 31:30 – Training Vision & Decision Making for Defensive Players 36:00 – "1v1 in the Box" and adding eye-wash to drills 39:00 – Bridging the gap: How S&C and Sport Coaches can work together 42:30 – Building Physicality: "Walk Ball" and controlled roughhousing for skill guys 48:30 – Why Pickup Basketball is banned in the off-season 49:30 – Glazer Clinics & Connecting with Coach Niklos 52:18 – Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders 🔗 Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders Weekly film studies, live Q&As, unreleased podcasts, discounts, and a private community of coaches leveling up together. 👉 ScottLeechTraining.com Keep the Fire Burning. 🔥

    54 min

  7. Mar 16

    Gridiron Warrior Podcast - Nolan Cooney

    The Gridiron Warrior Podcast | "From Cancer Survivor to NFL Punter" with Nolan Cooney In this episode, I sit down with Nolan Cooney, a former NFL punter for the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints. Nolan has one of the most unique journeys to the league you will ever hear—he didn't kick a single football in high school. Instead, he was a three-sport athlete (soccer, basketball, baseball) who battled and survived testicular cancer during his junior year.  We dive into how he went from a novice at a post-grad prep school to an NFL starter, and more importantly, how coaches should be managing their specialists. Nolan breaks down the biggest mistakes high school coaches make (like sending kickers to the side field with no plan), how to structure a kicking week to maximize freshness for game day, and why young kickers need to "train like athletes" in the weight room rather than specializing too early.  If you have a kicker on your roster and don't know what to do with them during practice, this episode is the blueprint.  👇 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Train Heroic & Plyomat 03:17 – Nolan Cooney: From Cancer Survivor to the NFL 05:54 – The "Gap Year": Learning to kick at Bridgton Academy 09:24 – NFL Practice Reality: Every rep is a Super Bowl 12:00 – Why the kicking position is so under-coached 15:40 – How to structure a Kicker’s practice week (HS vs. College) 18:43 – Managing reps: Using specialists for scout team & situations 21:54 – Drills for downtime: Bad snaps and Jugs machine work 25:00 – Strength & Conditioning: Why kickers must train like athletes 29:30 – The Mental Game: "One thought" and handling pressure 34:20 – Where to find Nolan Cooney 35:28 – Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders  🔗 Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders Weekly film studies, live Q&As, unreleased podcasts, discounts, and a private community of coaches leveling up together.  👉 ScottLeechTraining.com Keep the Fire Burning. 🔥

    37 min

  8. Feb 26

    Gridiron Warrior Podcast - Chris Gray

    The Gridiron Warrior Podcast | "The Jump from College to High School S&C" with Coach Chris Gray In this episode, I sit down with Chris Gray, Director of Sports Performance at Archbishop Moeller High School in Ohio. We dive into what it really looks like to run a high-level high school program. Not just training, but culture, standards, fundraising, competitions, and community buy-in. Chris shares his journey from college strength coaching to one of the most tradition-rich high school programs in the country, and breaks down the systems they use to create structure, discipline, and momentum year-round. If you’re a high school coach trying to raise the standard of your program without burning kids out, this one hits home. 👇 Timestamps 00:00 – What the Gridiron Warrior Podcast is about 03:00 – Introducing Coach Chris Gray and his coaching background 05:30 – College vs high school coaching: more similar than you think 08:45 – Why Moeller is a national powerhouse and what makes it different 11:50 – Culture standards: posture, presence, and daily accountability 15:00 – Adjusting expectations for high school realities (parents, travel, schedules) 18:00 – Planning the entire year in advance to eliminate confusion 22:00 – How Moeller structures training year-round 26:00 – Teaching fundamentals and decision-making in the weight room 32:00 – Fundraising done right: lift-a-thons, events, and community support 38:00 – Using competitions to drive offseason attendance and energy 44:00 – Making lifting fun without losing standards 48:00 – Where to find Coach Gray and Moeller Sports Performance 49:30 – Gridiron Warrior Insiders community 🔗 Join the Gridiron Warrior Insiders Weekly film studies, live Q&As, unreleased podcasts, discounts, and a private community of coaches leveling up together. 👉 ScottLeechTraining.com Keep the Fire Burning. 🔥

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

The Gridiron Warrior Podcast gives football coaches real-world strength & conditioning strategies that win games. Hosted by Division 1 coach Scott Leech, each episode delivers blunt, practical lessons from the weight room to the sideline—no fluff, just proven systems with coaches who live it every day.

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Leech
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Scott Leech Training All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Gridiron Warrior Podcast

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