Inside the Headset with the AFCA American Football Coaches Association

On this week’s episode of Inside the Headset – Presented by CoachComm, Scotty Walden, the head coach at Austin Peay, talks through his journey as a football coach. Coach Walden shares how he got his first opportunities in coaching, the learning curves he experienced throughout his career, and how he has grown into the coach he is now. Coach Walden, a member of the 2019 AFCA 35 Under 35 Class, led the Governors to a huge week 3 victory.  

Follow Coach Walden and Austin Peay Football on social media here: 

@APSUcoachSW & @GovsFB 

Show Notes: 

0:52 Introduction 

1:36 Experience as a transfer and with the transfer portal 

8:14 What was the moment that led you to wanting to be a football coach? 

10:35 Experience playing middle school football in Texas 

12:26 Starting out as a student assistant coach  

15:07 Transition to Offensive Coordinator in year two as a coach 

17:05 Delineating the line between being a former player and coach 

21:05 Learning curve of being a first-year coordinator 

24:47 Transition to ETBU and continuing to develop as a coach 

31:35 Where did you go to learn and grow your offensive system? 

34:33 Leading coaches who have more experience 

38:12 Transition to Head Coach at ETBU 

41:25 Biggest challenges in first year as a head coach  

43:11 Decision process behind the move to Southern Miss 

45:35 Serving as an interim head coach during 2020 season 

49:08 Opportunity to become head coach at Austin Peay 

52:27 Biggest difference in year 1 and year 2 at Austin Peay/Biggest place of growth in career 

57:27 Growth in the hiring process 

1:00:22 Conclusion 
For more information on CoachComm visit https://www.coachcomm.com/

On this week’s episode of Inside the Headset - Presented by CoachComm, the Head Coach of Southern Illinois, Nick Hill, dives into his career as a football coach. Coach Hill shares about his entry into the coaching profession, the process he uses to hire a staff that fits his program, and why he chooses to include his family in his work with the team. Coach Hill, a member of the 2019 AFCA 35 Under 35 class, has led the Salukis to two big victories to start their 2023 campaign.  

Follow Coach Hill and Southern Illinois Football on social media here: 

@17NickHill & @SIU_Football 

Show Notes: 

0:54 Introduction 

1:24 Love for Football and Basketball 

3:14 When did you decide you wanted to be a coach? 

4:00 Experience playing D1 Basketball and coming back to football 

8:06 Benefit of athletes playing multiple sports and how that impacts recruiting 

12:04 Your approach to athletes wanting to play multiple sports 

14:23 Starting out as a young coach 

18:03 Developing as a coach  

21:27 As you began as a coach, what was something you were unprepared for? 

25:19 Hiring a staff that fits your program 

28:14 Avoiding burnout and balancing work and family 

34:48 AFCA 35 Under 35 experience  

37:14 Conclusion 
For more information on CoachComm visit https://www.coachcomm.com/

On this week’s episode of Inside the Headset - Presented by CoachComm, Harland Bower, the defensive ends coach at Duke University takes us inside his career as a football coach. Coach Bower discusses the impact moving from job to job had on his family, the value of networking and having connections, and his experience participating in the AFCA 35 Under 35 Program. Coach Bower, fresh off an upset win versus Clemson, is in his second year with the Blue Devils, and was a member of the 2023 AFCA 35 Under 35 Class.  

Follow Coach Bower and the Duke Football on social media here:  

@Coach_Bower & @DukeFOOTBALL 

Show Notes:  

0:57 Introduction 

1:17 When did you know you wanted to be a football coach?  

3:17 Transition to life post-football  

5:10 Experience serving as a Strength Coach along with being a Position Coach 

7:34 Transition to Murray State University 

8:34 Review of coaching jobs in early career 

9:51 Strain of having to make many transitions as a coach  

13:43 Most influential stops early in your career 

16:58 What was something you were not prepared for in having your own room? 

18:28 Lessons learned as a position coach that you applied to your GA experience 

20:05 Most challenging stops early in your career 

22:47 Value of networking and connections  

28:26 Experience in interviews 

32:47 Experience as a Transfer Athlete  

35:14 Experience in the AFCA 35 Under 35 Program  

36:25 Conclusion 
For more information on CoachComm visit https://www.coachcomm.com/

This week on Inside the Headset, we are featuring Steve Steele, the Head Coach for T.F. Riggs High School in South Dakota. In this episode, Coach Steele shares about the adjustments that he made in his first few years of coaching, his unique way of repeating success, and his experience in AFCA 30 under 30 Program. Coach Steele has led T.F. Riggs to six consecutive South Dakota State Championships and was a 2016 AFCA 30 under 30 class member.  

Follow Coach Steele and T.F. Riggs HS Football on social media! 

@Steele_House & @pierre_football 

Show Notes:  

0:31 Introduction 

0:56 When did you know that you wanted to be a football coach? 

2:02 How did you go about getting your first job?  

3:29 Experience in interviews 

6:31 Adjustments that you made in your first 2 years coaching 

10:32 Where did you go to learn as a young coach?  

12:16 Becoming a first-time coordinator at a young age 

13:40 Adjusting from coaching one position to an entire offense 

15:42 Learning from film breakdown 

18:16 Growth as a young coach 

22:11 Applying and Interviewing to find the right fit at T.F. Riggs High School 

27:55 First year as a head coach at T.F. Riggs HS  

30:17 Repeating success  

33:04 Unique pieces to T.F. Riggs Program 

35:14 What keeps you motivated and coming back year after year?  

37:14 AFCA 30 Under 30 experience  

39:58 Conclusion  

This week on Inside the Headset, we are featuring Kevin May, the Defensive Coordinator at Seton Hill University.
In this episode, Coach May shares about his entry into the coaching profession, his experience as a GA and doing many roles within a program, and how he took advantage of the AFCA 35 Under 35 Program. Coach May will be entering into his fifth season at Seton Hill and was a member of the 2023 AFCA 35 Under 35 class.  

Follow Coach May and Seton Hill Football on social media. 

@CoachKevinMay & @SHU_FBALL 

Show Notes: 

0:34 Introduction 

1:00 When did you know you wanted to be a football coach?  

2:16 Transitioning from a player to a coach 

3:37 Separating yourself as a coach from teammates 

5:38 Juggling many roles as a young coach 

7:40 Using connections to learn how to coach new things 

9:13 Learning curve starting out as a coach  

12:06 Transition to Wyoming  

14:40 Surviving as a volunteer coach  

16:11 Working as a GA at Wyoming 

18:34 Transition to Texas A&M Kingsville 

21:37 Development of your own coaching style  

24:00 Differences in recruiting between different levels of football 

27:38 At what stop did you learn the most?  

29:23 Making the decision to move to Seton Hill  

31:42 What role has your wife played in the decision to move jobs and your development? 

34:40 Evolving as a coach throughout your career 

37:21 Experience with AFCA 35 Under 35 Program 

38:47 Conclusion 

This week on Inside the Headset, we are featuring Tremaine Jackson, the Head Coach at Valdosta State University. In this episode, Coach Jackson shares about coaching at many different levels, his rise to becoming a Head Coach, and what he learned from being a part of the AFCA 35 Under 35 Program. Coach Jackson is beginning his second season at Valdosta State and was a member of the 2018 AFCA 35 Under 35 Class. 
Follow Coach Jackson and Valdosta State Football on social media. 
@coachjack212 & @valdostastatefb 
Show Notes: 
0:32 Introduction 
1:10 When did you know you wanted to be a coach? 
2:25 How much has football changed since beginning in the profession?  
4:35 What types of offenses do you see now?  
6:13 Getting your first coaching opportunity 
9:10 Experience as a GA  
11:48 How do you use GA’s? 
14:19 Working through the lows of the profession 
16:13 Experiences while coaching at many different levels 
20:51 Transition to Sioux Falls  
24:33 Starting out as a Coordinator 
27:55 How have you grown as a Coordinator? 
29:58 Transition to Abilene Christian 
33:57 First FBS coaching opportunity 
35:37 Becoming the HC at Colorado Mesa 
41:30 What is something you learned in your first year as a HC? 
46:53 Becoming the HC at Valdosta State 
55:46 D.O.G. Mantra 
59:15 AFCA 35 Under 35 Experience  
1:02:47 Conclusion