Coaches Scoop

  Photo Courtesy of Gavin Liddell - Denver Broncos By Nate McCray The Denver Broncos are not a defense you beat with isolated brilliance, or one perfectly dialed-up call. They are a defense you beat with discipline, structure, and sustained strain. Under Vance Joseph, Denver has built an aggressive, disguise-heavy system designed to force hesitation, distort run fits, and pressure quarterbacks into reactionary football. The trap is clear: chase ghosts, hold the ball, abandon patience. That approach plays directly into their hands. The antidote is clarity. The teams that consistently stress Denver are the ones that dictate leverage, control pace, and force defenders to declare early. This is not about trickery; it is about sequencing. Motion to remove disguise. Runs to force rotation. Pass concepts layered to punish aggressive fits. When executed with conviction, Denver’s structure begins to bend, then crack. Joseph’s defenses are built on controlled chaos. Multiple fronts, 4–...

  Photo Courtesy of Brevin Townsell - Los Angeles Rams By Nate McCray The Los Angeles Rams defense under defensive coordinator, Chris Shula is not built on overwhelming individual dominance, it is built on movement, disguise, and forced hesitation. The structure is designed to distort offensive reads, muddy run fits, and pressure quarterbacks into indecision by changing the picture late. For unprepared offenses, that hesitation is deadly. For disciplined, intentional offenses, it becomes exploitable. This is not a defense that collapses because of one explosive play. It bends only after its rules are stressed, its leverage manipulated, and its pursuit turned against itself. The Rams want offenses to react. The answer is to dictate. Shula’s system leans heavily on hybrid fronts, Mint/Tite alignments, 4–2–5 variations, and occasional Bear looks, paired with simulated pressures and zone-match coverages behind it. The Rams prioritize post-snap movement over static dominance, using ...

  Photo Courtesy of USC Athletics By Nate McCray The Transfer Portal has become college football’s most disruptive and indispensable mechanism for roster construction, forcing Division I programs, whether Power Five, Group of Five, or FCS, to operate with professional-level precision. Successful programs no longer “dabble” in the portal; they run full-scale personnel departments with infrastructure mirroring NFL free-agency models. At the core of this evolution is the Transfer Portal Targets Board, a living, data-driven command center that organizes talent acquisition in real time. Built for speed, accuracy, and compliance, it allows staff to manage hundreds of available players while maintaining discipline around NIL budgets, evaluation rubrics, and risk assessments. For programs at all levels, the portal is no longer simply a place to find immediate contributors, it is a competitive battleground where preparation, process, and alignment dictate success. A modern Targets Board b...

  Photo Courtesy of Clemson University Athletics By Nate McCray — Player Personnel Strategist & Football Operations Architect If I were the Director of Player Personnel for the Clemson Tigers, my first priority would be redefining what roster sustainability truly looks like in today’s game. We’re living in an era where championship teams aren’t built solely on tradition, they’re built on adaptability, structure, and execution. My 36-month plan wouldn’t be a guessing game. It would be a strategic roster overhaul rooted in analytics, cultural fit, and forward-looking evaluation models, all tailored to keep Clemson elite in the NIL and Transfer Portal age without compromising the program’s championship DNA.   Here’s what I would implement to engineer long-term success in Tiger Town. “Every roster reset starts with an honest audit.”   My first move would be a top-down roster evaluation: Who is contributing? Who is close to graduating or transferring? Who ...

  Photo Courtesy of the University of Florida Athletics By Nate McCray If I Were the Incoming Head Coach at Florida If I were the newly hired head coach of the University of Florida football program, my first priority would be to rebuild the foundation of what has made Gator football one of the most iconic brands in college sports history. Florida has every ingredient, elite resources, passionate fan support, and access to world-class talent, yet the program’s recent inconsistency shows the need for a stronger internal structure. My approach would be grounded in a 36-month strategic plan designed to stabilize, rebuild, and ultimately sustain championship-level success. This plan wouldn’t just focus on wins; it would focus on systems, recruiting, roster management, NIL integration, player development, and cultural alignment.  The goal would be to restore The Swamp to what it once was, a place defined by speed, toughness, and relentless competitive pride. Year One: Stabili...

  By Nate McCray I recently went back to revisiting the film from my days as the Running Backs Coach at Carthage College in 2022.  I approached it with the eye of both a teacher and a strategist, searching for more than just the highlight runs or the box score production.   I wanted to study the nuances, the footwork at the mesh point, the patience behind double teams, the discipline in pressing the line of scrimmage before making a cut, and the resilience in finishing runs with forward lean.  I also wanted to know where  were areas of improvement to focus on. That season was more than a collection of carries; it was a lesson in how to build a room of backs who embodied toughness, vision, and reliability.   By breaking down each snap, I was able to measure how consistently we turned contact into hidden yardage, how our backs adapted to protection responsibilities, and how they developed over the course of the year into multi-dimensional players.   Wa...

  Photo Courtesy of University of South Florida Athletics By Nate McCray If I were the offensive play-caller for the University of South Florida Bulls, my strategy for the matchup against the Miami Hurricanes would be to built around balance, adaptability, and efficiency. To maximize our chances of victory, we must dictate the tempo, sustain drives, and force Miami’s defense to defend every blade of grass . Establishing the Offensive Identity The foundation of our approach would be to establish the run early through inside zone and power concepts, compelling Miami’s linebackers to respect the ground game and setting up explosive play-action and read-option opportunities. Protecting the quarterback will be a top priority, as Miami’s pass rush is one of their greatest strengths; we would utilize heavy 12-personnel packages, max protection looks, rollouts, and quick-hitting passes to neutralize their edge threats. Pre-snap motion, misdirection, and varied formations will be used con...