AFM Subscribers Ask...with Valdosta State\'s David Dean

© More from this issue

          
Last December Valdosta State’s Head Coach David Dean became the second coach to win the Division II National Championship in his first season. Dean replaced Chris Hatcher in January 2007 and then led VSU to a 13-1 record, culminating in a 25-20 win over Northwest Missouri State in the championship game. Dean served as Valdosta State’s Offensive Coordinator from 2000-2006 where the Blazers won another national championship in 2004. During that time VSU was a perennial leader in scoring offense, passing offense and total offense. Dean was named the Schutt Sports Division II Coach of the Year last fall. Prior to coming to VSU, he spent eight seasons at the University of West Georgia before becoming the school’s OC his last two seasons. As a player, Dean was a walk-on at Georgia Tech in 1982, earned a scholarship the following season and played wide receiver for the Yellow Jackets through the 1985 school year. He answers your questions….

Organizationally, after being named head coach, what were your priorities as it relates to forming a staff and the evaluation of returning players? John Thomas, Assistant Coach, Bethel High School (VA). AFM subscriber since 2005.

My first priority was finding a new Defensive Coordinator. We wanted to make sure it was the right fit for our kids and we didn’t want to change a whole lot of things. I had a number of offensive coaches in mind that would fit well in the transition. We also thought it best if we sat down as a staff and evaluated our athletes at each position. Because I was the OC for a number of years, I had a pretty good idea of our talent but I wanted our staff to be involved in the overall evaluation.

How did you deal with the demands on your time. Was the transition difficult from being OC to Head Coach at VSU? George Grand, Assistant Coach, Lakewood HS, OH. AFM subscriber since 2006.

I had to really organize my schedule with more media-related interviews, school events and functions on campus. There also were a lot of fund-raising activities as well. I had many meetings with the AD and administrators regarding new facilities at VSU and I wanted to keep involved in the detailed process of the new buildings for our team.

During the course of the season what types of defensive fronts gave you the most difficulty? Did you find you had to make many adjustments to odd or even fronts? Steve Hammond, Assistant Coach, Victory Christian Academy, Jacksonville, FL. AFM subscriber since 2007.

We’ve seen just about every defensive front imaginable. We try to teach our kids to play against multiple fronts so that they can make the proper adjustments. We also spend a lot of time looking at tape and then go through our opponents’ defensive looks in practice.

What were the major changes you had to make in your leadership style moving from the position of offensive coordinator to head coach? Matt Entz, Defensive Coordinator, Winona State University, MN. AFM subscriber since 2006.

In terms of leadership I still remained the Offensive Coordinator and continued to call the plays. I also continued to be involved as the Special Teams Coordinator but worked more with the defensive staff. My coaching style is to let the entire staff do their job so there really wasn’t a lot of change when I became head coach.

You have been very successful recruiting and developing QBs to fit your explosive offense. What is your offensive philosophy at Valdosta along with the type of QBs you are looking for to direct it? Jerry Mack, Jr., Wide Receivers Coach, Jackson State University. AFM subscriber since 2004.

We look for a quarterback who’s a good decision maker and can get the ball in and out of his hands quickly. We do a lot of evaluation of potential quarterbacks and try to determine, does he step back and throw or does he wait and is he afraid to throw the football? It’s almost like in basketball in the low post where you can’t hesitate in getting the ball in and out of your post player. We also believe in leadership and we expect our quarterbacks to do the right thing.

We also look at the level of competition when evaluating quarterbacks on film. We then ask again, does he make quick decisions? We also try to see a potential quarterback live and see how he is under pressure. I’ll stand in the end zone area and try to see how he reads the secondary and make an evaluation from there. Is he getting rid of the ball at the right time?

What adjustments and changes did you make relative to your normal practice schedule during your championship run in the playoffs? Did the structure change? Tom Singleton, Assistant Coach, Brookfield Academy, WI. AFM subscriber since 2004.

We really tried to keep everything the same during our playoff run. Our routine was similar to the first 10-12 weeks of the season and we kept everything the same in terms of practice time, watching game film, staff and player meetings. This changed somewhat during championship week because of travel, the media and additional obligations but we felt it important not to change our routine.

---

Coming Soon: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Head Coach Lance Leipold took over for his college coach, Bob Berezowitz, last fall. Leipold played quarterback for Berezowitz in the mid 80’s. In his first year as head coach for the Warhawks, Leipold and UW-W won the Division III National Championship upsetting Mount Union, 31-21, in the championship game and finishing with a 14-1 record. Next month Coach Leipold answers your questions. Go to AmericanFootballMonthly.com/askacoach or send your question to AFM’s Managing Editor Rex Lardner at rlardner@lcclark.com.

NEW BOOK!

Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach