Schutt - FBS Coach of the Year

by: Mike Kuchar
Senior Writer, American Football Monthly
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“They pay coaches bigger salaries now, so you better not waste any time getting the job done. There is always someone else in waiting.”

Simply put, Brian Kelly knows how to win football games. And he can win them at any level. Just as a craftsman works his plan to the detail, Kelly has executed his formula for success at every level he’s been – from Division II Grand Valley State to mid-major Central Michigan to a former Big East doormat, the University of Cincinnati.
On his way to earning Schutt Sports Coach of The Year honors, Kelly led the Cincinnati Bearcats to an 11-2 record and a berth in the Orange Bowl – the first BCS bowl in Cincinnati history. His teams have always been known for their explosive, quick strike offenses – his no-huddle spread scheme has produced an average of 31.1 points and 395 yards per game in his last two years as head coach. It’s a plan that has succeeded every place he’s been and he was able to share some of those components with AFM.

Q: What was the biggest transition that you had to make going from a mid-major program like Central Michigan into a BCS conference team such as Cincinnati?

A: Every job has a different challenge, but the real importance lies in the things that must stay the same for a head coach when he makes the transition. The first thing is making sure you surround yourself with great people. Then, you have to try to learn how to best develop your players. There really wasn’t much of a transition from Central Michigan to Cincy because I was able to take the majority of my coaches and we had our plan in place already. The biggest transition was from Grand Valley, a Division II school, to Central Michigan because you go from having four assistants to nine assistants at that level. The caliber of players is also a lot different.

Q: You’ve been on both sides of the spectrum, inheriting a poor program when you first took over at Central Michigan (who only won four games in three seasons prior to your arrival) to taking over a Cincinnati team who was on the rise when you got there. What were the differences in objectives in taking both those jobs?

A: My main objective in taking these jobs was not listening to other people’s expectations of the program. That is the truth. When I first got to Central, people said that there is no possible way anyone could win there. When I first got on here (Cincy), everybody had that preconceived notion that this was a basketball school and nothing else. You can’t listen to that stuff. You have to set your own expectations and execute your own goals. But the reality is there is no longer a five-year plan; there is a five-minute plan. You have to do it right away – you don’t get the time anymore. They pay coaches bigger salaries now, so you better not waste any time getting the job done. There is always someone else in waiting. I think that is where I’ve been fortunate because I was lucky enough to win right away. When I first got the job here, we put in our offensive scheme, developed our personnel, and beat a respectable opponent like Western Michigan in a bowl game – all within 34 days of my hiring. So we had some momentum already building into that first full season.

Q: In addition to being a role model, what are some of the more tangible things you’ve done to create a culture of winning in your program?

A: You have to win and you need to win right away. It’s as simple as that. Anytime you take over a program you need to build your credibility and there is no substitute for winning. Like I had mentioned, I’ve been pretty fortunate here to get things done right away. It helped us build trust right out of the gate. At the end of the day, you need to win the games. Get some victories right away.

Q: We all know each program is different. What if things don’t go your way immediately? How do you get it moving in the right direction?

A: Then you got to work a little harder on the other things. You have to make it enjoyable for them to come to practice every day. You have to create an atmosphere where they are developing and they start to sense a building of morale. You need to work harder on building relationships with the players and that comes with the off-season program. Have your assistants lift with them. That kind of stuff goes a long way with them. I’ve always been a ‘hands-on’ type of coach. You can’t sit in your office all day.

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Q: You mentioned your assistants. Aside from loyalty, what do you look for when rounding out your coaching staff?

A: A clear and consistent method of teaching and communicating the vision of the program. You need to eliminate all confusion in a program. You must be clear and concise with your message or mission and it needs to be conveyed through all members of your staff. Today it’s so important that your message is clear. From your top assistant to your equipment manager, it must be consistent. They all have to row in the same direction. You can’t have them go astray, and if they do you need to make changes immediately because it will carry over to the kids. Everyone has to believe in the message. I’m a big believer in showing the plan to everybody. We have our mission statement and our ten commandments in our locker room so our kids see them every day. Its core to what we believe in. It’s in their face. I have no problem telling 18 to 22-year olds what direction they should be following. All kids want is someone to guide them in the right direction and it’s our job as a staff to do that.

Q: You’ve always been known as an innovative offensive coach. What is most important to having a productive offense?

A: I’ll give you the number one thing. First and foremost you need to score points. Within that principle, there are several sub principles. Don’t worry about yards gained or stats, whatever. We get so caught up in throwing for 300 yards a game – who cares? Find a way to put points on the board. The best way I’ve done that is to put players in a position that utilizes their talents. This obviously changes in each job. When I was at Grand Valley, we had to be uniquely different and think outside the box in order to score points because we didn’t have a ton of talent. You may have that 5’11 offensive guard that you may need to cover up. It’s all about disguising weaknesses when you lack the talent. You also have to conform to what your players do best. Don’t be ignorant and not adjust. Don’t tell me you’re a spread guy and you don’t have a QB who can manage that system. If you have a downhill type running back then you better run some I formation plays. If you got a smaller, weaker offensive line then you better run some more sprint out packages to get the ball on the perimeter. You have to monitor and adjust to what you have.

Q: Do you incorporate various tempos into your no-huddle system? What is the general line of communication when sending in a play?

A: Generally speaking, we work with a fairly quick tempo. The windfall for most no-huddle schemes now is that 40-second clock – defenses have to defend it right away when the ball is spotted. It’s tempo that put Oklahoma in a position to win the national championship game this year. In our system, we can go right away, we can operate with 10-15 seconds left on the play clock or we can scan the field and wait for the defense to tip their pressure. Our no-huddle may be a little different because we don’t change our personnel packages. Our tight end stays on the field the entire time. All defenses look to see whether that tight end is in the game or not so they can adjust their personnel. We take the guesswork right out of it. Whether it is a two-back, one-back or no-back set, he is on the field. One thing we try to do is always have numbers on the perimeter if they overload the box. When we spread the field, they have to defend it. We’re in a situation where I’ve been with my offensive coordinator (Jeff Quinn) for 17 years so we just have a mental library full of adjustments to what defenses are trying to do to us.

Q: What has been your most productive run scheme this year and what makes it work?

A: The outside zone or stretch scheme. What has helped it is our QB’s ability to throw the ball first. We have gotten some good numbers in throwing. Plus, the play allows you to run the ball effectively at our level without incorporating the zone read. We just didn’t want to run the zone read because of fear of injury. We went through two QB’s this year and we had to protect them. Whatever run scheme you have, the key is to use it in as many possible formations.

Q: What has been your most productive pass concept this year and what makes it work?

A: Number one concept we try to do every game is push the ball vertically by sending four. Regardless of the formation, send four at them right away and see how they adjust.

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