Which coaching positions are hardest to staff?

O line

Offensive line and secondary.

OL & DB's = where we need our BEST!

I think most answers here are focusing on what they feel is the most important position on the staff, but I think there is a difference between most difficult to find someone, and by find someone I don't mean good- but just capable. For me its QB, or technically could be kicker once you see my reasons.

I am big on position coaches instructing mechanical fundamentals. For most positions mechanical fundamentals have a lot of crossover, and the intuitive focus on traditional athletic movements works (ie hands, feet, knee bend, etc). Along those lines, there can be carryover of skills between multiple positions: tackling, blocking, catching, block destruction, moving in space, etc. So much so that coaches who traditionally work with one position can readily transfer over skills to another.

Quarterback is different though, as the fundamental mechanical movements of throwing the ball are unique to the position relative to football. Anyone can talk through read progression with a player, but I need a QB coach who will implement and understand drills that ensure my QB is throwing the ball at his peak abilities. And as such QB is more difficult because the skill set is so unique.

Moreover, its a numbers game. There are far more people who play and understand every other position, as every other position has more players within that position, than QB. So while there maybe a ton of dads out there who think they can chalk up some plays and be a QB coach, I think they are rare.

Kickers' coaches are definitely hard to find. 

the o line coach here is 63 I think. Anyways, I am convinced my boss will be done when the ol-coach Decided to call it a day, either
Together or soon after

I'm 60 and I still get very excited each fall or I guess I better say spring this year.

If your 5th best at any other position sucks you are okay, if your 5th best OL sucks you are in trouble. Plus you are taking the most unathletic players and teaching them the most technical positions on the field. IMHO

Because every head coach knows it’s the most important position to get right but hardly any will coach it or know how to coach it so you have to find someone you trust to do it for you

OL and DB are the most important positions on the field.

But the hardest coaches to find are ones willing to embrace the GA/QC type role. Breaking down film, inputing data, making scout cards. It is such a great learning experience (and helps the coordinators so much) but I have never found such an assistant in 5 years as an OC. Like CQMiller said - everyone wants to coach on Friday. Everyone wants to create and call plays. But finding people willing to work in their role for the "greater good"... that's tough.

I haven't been a DC. The adventurer in me wants to give it a shot.

But I believe that being a DC is more difficult Saturday through Thursday. But being an OC might be more difficult on gameday. Or maybe we just tend to overthink or try to get cute and creative and we put that on ourselves.

But I also think lots of DCs overthink themselves during the week. Tendencies are great and all but we're usually just doing a few things but responding to how you line up and your personnel. And if you line up differently than our previous opponents and you have different players... then it's going to be a little different. Like I coached for a dude that was obsessive and drew and repped EVERYTHING. We played a team that ran weak toss from the I A TON against a 4 man over front with no overhang weak side. I'm like... dude... they're not going to do that against our 3-3 stack where we ALWAYS have an overhang. But we repped it in practice... the defense killed the scout O because they had stupid numbers... and then they never ran it in the game. Obviously. But we gave up 40+ points because they did all kinds of other stuff that was similar to what they already did but utilizing the numbers that were present against our defense that wasn't there against others.

Everyone thinks they can run an offense though. It is truly quite annoying. People can tell when your D is bad. But they rarely offer real, tangible football solutions (other than JUST BLITZ EM COACH! BRING PRESSURE!). But EVERYONE gives "solutions" on Offense. Even when there's no dang problem.

You are right on the money here with some of your points. 

DC's worry way too much. There is no doubt about it, but when a defense makes a mistake it is game changing and can be a TD. 

Some DCs get way too crazy with the tendencies and take time away from what matters most. I worked with a guy would want to practice against every play they ran. We were at a small school and we were getting 90 plays a week in group and team periods because every coach and every player worked both sides of the ball. To me you need to spend most of your time repping what they are going to run most of the time. 90% of our group and team periods in practice are going to be against their Top 3 runs and Top 3 Passes. The rest of the time is going to be against plays that can kill us. Wheels out of the backfield, switch routes, tricks, etc. and we will hope for the best when they run that QB draw they ran three weeks ago against a different front. 

I enjoy being a DC. But I think the biggest frustration is that people, too often offensive coaches, think you can just line up 11 dudes that have a little bit of athleticism and let them run. Defense is a skilled part of the game and the guys that say "just line up some fast dudes" worry me because when I coach the offensive line I want to know if the defense is trying to spill or box, but I have worked with offensive guys that don't know that stuff. A defensive end will squeeze a downblock and wrong arm a puller on counter and make a big play and a coach will say "wow that's what you can do when you have athletes." Well no that's what you can do when you have athletes that are well coached. When you just have athletes that dude gets kicked out or runs five yards past the play. 

Now to be fair to the offensive coordinators, there is not a job in the world that 99% of people think they can do better at than you. It's obnoxious and the dummies answer is always one of two things. Either the get the line to block or do opposite of what you just did. You just ran the ball and it didn't work so these morons assume passing it would work just because it is different. 

I would have to also add that even though it's been tough coaching oline and being a Dcord at the same time, it's probably the best thing to help my career. 

Having an understanding of what needs to happen up front helps on the defensive side in so many ways and vice versa. Blitz packages for the week have a lot to do with knowing what kind of protections we'll face and having a good idea of what kind of adjustments we might see if we're successful.   

I can also say that some may be surprised just how much some of the Oline drills and techniques actually carry over to DB's.