Transition HS to College Coaching (Redux)

To me this shows how hard it is to move from HS to college coaching. Only eight guys moved from HS to FBS and two of them have prior college experience. Of the six new guys I believe that all were HS HCs and I recognize the names of some of the schools as HS powers and fertile recruiting territories. 

That's the number of guys who moved to 'on the field' positions. I'm sure there were many guys who went from HS to become a GA, a 'quality control' assistant, or some that took other off the field positions in hopes of eventually becoming college position coaches.

Of course that's still a tiny percentage when compared to the number of hopefuls, no doubt.

Yeah but the point is that they have prior college experience. 

How common is it for a middle school position coach to move up to varsity coordinator or HC in your area?

My point is that it is rare for someone coming from a lower level of play to go into a major role of responsibility at a higher level. To me this is the reason you see so few go straight to D1, but several transition to lower levels of college football and work their way up. What is one reason for making a middle school position coach a varsity level coach? To get more players. That is the major reason guys go straight to D1. If you look at 1AA level Jacksonville State's new staff is comprised of several HS coaches. The defensive coordinator at South Alabama is about three years removed from being the DC at Hoover.

This happens a lot more than I believe you are realizing. Is it hard? Yes. Does it happen every year? Yes.

Here's the DC's info. Think having GA'ed at Bama helped?

The Sherrer File
Born: March 19, 1973, in Oneonta, Ala.
Education:
Alabama ’96, bachelor’s degree in physical education
Alabama ’00, master’s degree in higher education administration
Collegiate Playing Experience:
Three years, tight end, Alabama
Coaching Experience:
Tuscaloosa County (Ala.) High — assistant coach, 1996-97
Alabama — graduate assistant, 1998-00
Spain Park (Ala.) High — assistant coach, 2001-04
Hoover (Ala.) High — assistant coach, 2005-09
Alabama — director of player development, 2010-12
South Alabama — assistant coach, 2013-
Family: Wife, Carrie; Two sons, Kaleb (12) and Kyle (12)

So do you have to have qualifiers for proof? If you are saying you can't be an assistant at Podunk HS in Alaska and be the LB's coach at Penn State, you are right. But I also don't see many DC's hired in D1 football because of their GA experience over a decade prior.

The proof I issued was not quite good enough for your standard. I guess you win. It is impossible for a HS coach to make it college football. You are correct, except for all the people that got those jobs this year and the year prior and the year prior. I think it was probably a huge deal that South Alabama hired their DC because he was a GA for Mike Dubose over a decade prior to his hire. Then he proceeded to hire another HS coach to be an assistant. The QB's coach on the same staff came direct from the HS ranks. The HC was a long time HS head coach. That staff alone disproves your theory.

You are saying that someone who never played football and coaches safties at HS in nowheresville has a tough chance of making it to the college level, well no sh!t.

Can I ask you what other scenario is there where someone could possibly become a college coach? Also could you give specific proof and percentages to support your assertion.

Smith who went to Temple was a big name in PA coaching. Over 70 D1 kids in 10 years ( some would say he was already coaching in college with the way he "recruited" already). He was well known around the state had a few years in college and also had BCS level and NFL playing experience. So I would say he isn't the typical HS coach getting called up to the big leagues.

Also looking around I found that there are roughly 16,000 high school football teams in the country. Say an average staff is 6 coaches. 96,000 coaches in HS. 8 moved to D1. My calculator couldn't come up with a percentage for that. I agree that guys move in to college at lower levels all the time, just pointing out that jumping to D1 is a long shot.

How many current D1 coaches punched that lottery ticket and been at the D1 level for their entire career? It is just as unlikely that a D2 coach ever get a well-paid D1 or 1AA job.

To there being 96,000 HS coaches, would you consider all the coaches on your staff of the ability to be a D1 coach? I don't think is an unfair assessment.

I'm not saying it is easy. I'm not saying it is likely. I'm saying it happens more than you think.

Not everyone that gets a D1 GA job gets a D1,1AA,2,3,NAIA,JUCO job. Got a buddy that just left coaching altogether from being a quality control at an SEC program because he can't get a job.

Getting a D1 job that pays well is hard to get no matter what level you currently coach at. That would be my point. So because I GA ten years prior to any job doesn't mean it is the reason I get that job. So do I think GA at Alabama 10+ years ago got a DC job at South Alabama, no. Did it help him get that first of many HS jobs, yes.

I have been coaching 15 years. There are 2 hard core words in this profession that have stood, 1. This profession is about who you know. 2.Are you loyal and trust worthy.
And your football does matter and falls into those categories.

Travis Pearson has no coaching experience in college football. He was DFO, but this is definitely not a coaching position. His last job was as the defensive coordinator at Colquitt County GA.