Should I feel Threatened?

If that's the whole story then I can see you being a bit miffed. There isn't much you can do about it other than gingerly poke at it to see if there's more going on, but you seem to have a case to be annoyed. Is there any other information we're missing? This guy is off the street, no experience?

After giving it some thought I have cooled off about the situation and am encouraged to help the guy out in the position he is in, I was wondering if I was justified at being upset originally. Honestly, I hope he does well in his position and I continue to have success in mine.

Its not about you Coach, its about the program.

I think you cant lose sight of that.

If your program is successful, you will move up the ladder because all of you are successful. Put the program first, good things will come.

Perhaps, and this is coming from a HC (me) the HC wants to make sure his JV is in good hands and he doesnt want to worry about that at all. He can keep an eye on the new staff member and make sure hes on board.

History tells me you are the pooch so to speak. Your problem is he is one of the guys coming home. It is also a sign that their is no real evaluation system in place for coaches.
I would go and seek to find out why. The reason is, and they will, if they blow smoke up your rear end, at least you know and you can say you asked, and they cant say they didn't know.

It might simply be that you are more valuable where you are....if it's not broken don't fix it. The HC may just be trying to get good people at every position ....and he's already got a good guy at your spot. If he's not a butthole i think you should level with him about your desire to move up the next time an opening occurs. If he is a butthole....start looking elsewhere. Good luck!

You said the new guy is fresh out of college. Did he play in college? If so, that might be your reason. The only other reason is you're being pigeon holed as a hard working JV coach. That's a bad place to be if you are wanting to move up. I'm seen it and experienced it. The coach knows he doesn't have to worry about the JV; and that helps him, so why would he mess that up.

Nobody here completely understands the situation. There's only one person who does- the HC. You need to talk to him. If there's something about your coaching that you need to improve you need to know so that you can work on it. If the HC wants to keep the JV program strong you need to let him know that you're hoping to move up eventually. Whatever the answer is you'll find it in your HC's office, not on a message board. 

If you're just posting to vent, join the club. I'm a member and so is pretty much everybody here who has posted more than a few times. 

dolphins wouldn't have fired him with 2 more losings seasons? bama wouldn't fire him if he had two losing seasons? How about the kid who transfers because he isn't going to play for bama? same for thought for him? cut the crap.

doesn't matter.

Its not about you- Its about the program
Make the big time where you are


If the head coach gets to put players in position and we expect them to accept it as best for the team, dont you think the assitant coaches should also be able to do this?

Just because youre an inhouse coach doesnt mean you are the best coach on a staff that brings in new guys from the outside. I brought in several news guys, every one is better than the holders in my opinion. And as a "typical head coach"- my opinion is all that matters right now as someone has to make the tough decisions.

I cant imagine the fray we would be in if the assistants got to decide their own role.

I completely agree here. and you are correct. My point was simply that sometimes in professions with a similar hierarchical structure, a "lower level" worker gets stuck there because of their competency

Regarding the Saban issue, I was referring to him demanding loyalty, but not giving it to individuals. To telling individuals one thing, making promises to those individuals, having those individuals make sacrifices, and then not "changing his mind" on those things promised. Not referring to him leaving jobs.

I dont feel the need to consult every assistant with new hires and where I put them. Can you imagine any business being run that way? I do not have the time to explain every single decision I made to every person on staff. It just doesnt work that way.

We do not know the situation or the reasoning behind the situation but Ill share something similar.

I have a freshman head coach. Hes young, hes enthusiastic but hes so inexperienced , he is exactly where he belongs. Hes outspoken and wants to have more responsibility yet he has missed three meetings since I have hired him. Hes still got a lot to prove. His issues are around trying to throw knowledge out to anyone who will hear him. He talks five times more than he listens. He makes wild assumptions, sounds like a Monday Night football color commentator - he should pipe down and say "Lets see the film"-hes not there yet.

I have a returning varsity coach who wants more responsibility, he wants to call plays for the JVs and be the JV head coach. Hes missed meetings and practices and even part of jv games in the past. His work schedule obviously interferes with the requirements of the job. Hes slow to return phone calls and is a poor communicator. Im telling you this because these are all part of the evaluation process when it comes time for promotions.

We had a DC opening. Those two were inquiring about it. When you think about it, their last season was their job application and interview. Not good enough. Show me you can handle the expectations you currently have and only then can we talk about doing more. Forget the titles, do the job.

So the search goes out for the right guy, feelings get hurt. You cant always promote from within- you need folks to meet expectations and earn trust before they can have more of a role. As leader for a program, you have to think of everyone involved including the kids. You dont make a decision to work for one person, it has to work for everyone as the program whole.

When I was a young coach I wanted to call plays, coordinate, anything other than just be an assistant coach responsible for a position or two. Looking back, it was purely ego. Little did I know that I could show my value by being the best position coach and having the most disciplined, best conditioning, most physicaly and mentally prepared unit in the state. Instead of focusing on ME I could have focused on the unit I was coaching.

I learned this later. I became a defensive line coach at a mediocre program. By the end of the year we were setting a new record for sacks and tackles for losses. We frustrated a few teams along the way. I was invited to coach in the all star game. The right people noticed because that led to a HC opportunity.

Agree w/ fantom, HC should always have the ultimate say b/c it's their job on the line but not have time to explain to a handful of guys comes down to respect. Ego plays a part in this all but too many coaches want to make sure you know that El Primo is in charge and you need to know your role.

Also, I have issue w/ people saying that playing shouldn't matter. I need that explained to me. Besides a handful of successful guys, one which i played for; there are not alot that hanven't played the game. You don't have to be a superstar but I do think it helps a whole lot to have been around the game. Not all ex players would be good coaches but you have to take the guys palying expereience into consideration.

One the best coaches I have ever worked with has never played a down of football in his life. He was our JV head coach and has lost a handful of games in the past decade. He is an excellent motivator and communicator. He is always mentioned when head coaching jobs in the area come open, but he is perfectly content where he is. The program is a state title contender every year, and the HC trusts him to run the JV program and leaves him alone. It doesn't come with all of the stress of being a HC.

As for the OP; worry about you and what you do. Not who is hired in. Speak little, listen lots, and good things will happen to you. Don't take this as a slap in the face or whatever. Maybe you're too valuable where you are, or you're just not ready. If you really need to know what the deal is, talk to your HC. I worked with a guy once who was our frosh HC but wanted to coach varsity. When a WR coach spot opened up, he wasn't really even considered because the HC had no idea he was even interested. The point? Speak up, let him know your ambitions. HCs are people too. They aren't mind readers. I shared my ambitions with mine this last offseason and now I am co-OC. It took some time of me just listening, learning, and being receptive to new ideas. I also worked my butt off and went above and beyond in everything that I was asked to do. This earned trust. I am hoping next year he will feel comfortable turning over the entire offense to me if I do a good job.