What I Wish I Knew My First Year as an OC
The truth about surviving your first few years as a play-caller.
Being a young offensive coordinator can feel like an island.
Every decision is yours. Every mistake feels loud. And when the scoreboard isn’t moving, the silence in the headset is even louder.
I’m entering my 14th year as a play caller, but I remember those early seasons like they were yesterday. The doubt. The second-guessing. The desperate search for answers on Saturday mornings.
Since then, I’ve coached through blowouts, shutouts, and everything in between. I’ve called games where we couldn’t get a first down… and games where we couldn’t be stopped.
And looking back, there are a few lessons I wish someone would’ve handed me on Day 1.
If you’re just getting started, or even if you’ve been doing this a while, maybe these can save you a few years of frustration.
1. The Game Isn’t Played on a Whiteboard
Everything looks perfect against a 4–2 Cover 4 on paper. You’ve got the numbers, the angles, the leverage.
But that’s not how it plays out on Friday night.
You know what the defense should do, but they rarely do it.
The linebacker you thought the play fake would hold? He’s dropping right into the curl window. The end who chased on wide zone the last two plays? He just flew five yards upfield the moment you finally called boot.
Your Cover 2 beater? Dead on arrival because the corner sank and carried the vertical anyway.
Defenses will be unsound. They’ll be unpredictable.
They’re not robots, they’re high school kids. Don’t count on them being exactly where they’re “supposed” to be. Have answers. Stay adaptable. Trust what you see, not what you expected.
2. You Don’t Need to Fool the Defense
Early in my career, I’d burn way too much time each week chasing a new wrinkle. I thought I needed to “trick” the defense with something they hadn’t seen.
In reality, I was just stealing reps from what we actually needed to be good at.
That extra gadget play we barely practiced rarely worked, and even when it did, it wasn’t the difference in the game.
I’m not saying you can’t sprinkle in a new formation or shift midseason, but don’t over-invest.
Keep it simple. Keep it aligned with your system.
You’ll win more games by getting even better at what you already do well than by constantly adding.
Especially after a loss. That’s when the temptation to overhaul everything kicks in. You’ll want to install some shiny new scheme you saw on film.
Don’t do it.
Maximize what you’ve already built. Teach it better. Rep it cleaner. Build your edge through execution, not invention.
3. Your System Doesn’t Really Matter
I’ve seen Wing-T, Wishbone, Flexbone, Single Wing, Slot-T, I-Formation, and Spread all win championships.
The system itself isn’t what wins games.
What matters is simple:
Can you coach it?
Can your players master it?.
Can you consistently generate explosive plays?
That’s it.
Don’t chase what you saw on YouTube. Don’t install something just because it lit up the scoreboard in the state finals.
Build a system that fits your kids, your staff, and your weekly practice schedule.
Then commit to it like crazy.
4. Hash Marks Are Everything
Roughly 80% of high school football is played from the hashes, and that should dictate a lot of what you do.
Field spacing isn’t even. Some plays work better to the field. Some to the boundary. Some quarterbacks can only roll one way, or throw better a certain direction.
If you ignore that, you’ll waste plays.
Every rep you script in practice should include the ball's location. Your game plan and call sheet should be organized by hash, too.
It’s a small detail that makes a big difference. The sooner you build it into your process, the faster your offense will click.
5. Grinding Film is Overrated
I know this won’t be a popular take, but I think opponent film study is overrated.
There’s an out-work culture in football, and for some reason we think the more we do the better.
But the law of diminishing returns is a real thing.
Studying your opponent is an important part of the process. But I think we inflate its value more than we should.
This ties back to point #1: the game isn’t played on a whiteboard. No matter how much film you watch, you still won’t always know what a DC is going to do especially in high school.
You’ll find out quickly, the better you are, the less likely you are going to get your opponents base defense.
The key is to study with purpose. Hudl filters are your best friend.
I start by only looking at our most used formations.
Then I focus on situations:
1st and 2nd down from 20 to 20
3rd and short, medium, and long
Goal line and short yardage
I’m looking for base fronts, coverage tendencies, and alignment issues.
Then I’ll go back and filter by gain, specifically explosive plays they’ve given up. I’m not studying their structure here, and I’m not looking to steal plays, but to find patterns.
Is there a DB who keeps getting beat? A linebacker who over-pursues? A coverage they consistently bust?
Then I go to our system and figure out how we can attack that exact weakness.
This doesn’t take hours. It just takes intent.
At the end of the day, offense is about attacking, not reacting. Build your plan to stress what they struggle with, then live with it.
Once the game plan is in, move on. Focus your energy on watching your own practices and fine-tuning what you do best.
6. Winning Is Hard. Celebrate Every One.
I had the privilege of starting my career in a struggling program.
We won 2 of our first 3 games… then lost 24 straight over the next two and a half years.
It was brutal.
But I wouldn’t trade it. That stretch shaped me more than any successful season ever could.
One of the biggest lessons? Enjoy every win.
Our kids work too hard. We work too hard. Wins shouldn’t feel like a box to check, they should be moments to celebrate.
I’ve had really good teams since then. And I’ve still caught myself being negative after wins we “should’ve dominated.”
There’s always something to fix, win or lose. I’m not saying ignore your issues or get comfortable. But it’s okay to be proud. It’s okay to smile with your staff in the office. It’s okay to tell your kids they did something worth remembering.
Because half the teams in the country didn’t win that night.
Some senior out there gave everything he had and may not get the opportunity to win.
It’s about perspective.
Enjoy the highs. You never know when the next one’s coming.
Final Thoughts
If you’re just getting started, know this: you’ll grow faster than you think if you focus on the right things.
Master the fundamentals. Master your system. Don’t chase noise.
Be a lifelong learner. Every season, every game, every mistake has something to teach you.
And most importantly, remember what this is really about.
Serve your kids. Help them build something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
Wins, titles, and trophies come and go. The relationships you build with your players and your staff are what will last.
Good luck this season.