Head Football Coach Job Description

Football Coaches

Football coaches are often stereotyped as simple taskmasters, but their jobs are not. Football coaches have to deal with players, assistants, team or school officials, as well as provide a face for the team. There are some fundamental duties that all coaches must handle.

The head football coach is responsible for the team's overall offensive and defensive strategies. Football teams are usually large, with around 20 players at smaller high schools and more than 100 at major colleges, so head coaches delegate a lot of responsibility to their coordinators. With a week between most games, head football coaches sign off on any pre-game strategies they don't create themselves.

The head coach outlines what the team does during practice, even though the assistant coaches handle most of the instruction. Head coaches have final say on personnel matters, such as which players make the team and which become starters. The head coach sets the team's rules and consequences for breaking them.

In many ways, head football coaches act as CEOs, setting the tone for the team while others execute their plans. The CEO model can be used by coaches at huge prep programs. Head coaches often supervise areas such as weight training, break down video of future opponents and buy equipment.

They may also work with parents who don't like their sons playing time. High school coaches have to do more fundamental teaching than their higher level counterparts because they deal with less experienced players. The head football coach is the key to college football success.

Football Coaching Jobs in the United States

Football coaches are the leaders of their teams, acting as CEO, field general and spokesman. There are opportunities to teach youth players the basics of football and to teach elite players the most sophisticated strategies in football. All decisions for a team are made by the head coach's philosophy.

The head coach leads the analysis of game film and dictates strategies. Some coaches work with their teams and also have teaching responsibilities in fields related to their educations. A football coach has a lot of power in the team budget and media relations.

College and professional teams have head coaches who are involved in recruiting and the National Football League draft. College education standards for head coaches vary, with many requiring a bachelor's or master's degree, while youth leagues and high school teams have lower barriers to entry. A career as a head coach in the National Football League requires extensive knowledge of football, leadership and dedication to the game.

Most head coaches in the upper tiers of the sport are once successful football players. Football coaches have deep knowledge of the game when they play it. Career coaches must study the strategic innovations developed by their peers in order to remain competitive after the leadership skills are developed.

College and the NFL are the most lucrative places for head football coaches to work. Football coaching jobs are not always full-time. The lowest 10 percent of coaches earned less than $16,380 in May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The NFL Head Coach's Guide

The coach is supposed to hit the game tape after the game is over. An NFL head coach is trying to figure out what worked and what didn't while on airplanes taking the team back from away games Some owners and general managers will do whatever they want, but that's not a good way to run a team.

The owner of a team is setting up a failed team by imposing his will on them. The offensive and defensive coordinators are in charge of the schemes, but the head coach is in charge of the framework that they are working in. A defensive coach who loves to run a 3-4 isn't going to be brought in by a coach who believes in a 4-3.

An offensive coach who loves the ground and pound isn't getting hired by a coach who wants to use the spread or read-option. A coach who falls apart on the sideline is not usually going to get his team to rally around him for a late comeback. A coach who lets his players walk around him is not going to win the game.

The Oklahoma Sooners Football Team

The Oklahoma Sooners football team has been very consistent over the last two decades. Lincoln Riley and Bob Stoops keep that train moving. They haven't won a national championship since 2001, but they have played for several and are always in the conversation.

The job at USC is still a top draw despite the fact that they are almost two decades removed from their last national championship appearance. The right head coach is needed for the USC to be able to recruit with the top programs. It will be one head coaching job to keep an eye on as the season progresses, with the removal of Clay Helton just a few weeks ago.

The Florida program has a storied history that went to prominence in the 1990s. The team won their first national championship under Steve Spurrier. Urban Meyer won two more.

Dan Mullen is going to get them moving in that direction. It is a big draw for any head coach in the SEC East. The Ohio State University is one of the best universities to work for.

What are the best head coaching jobs in college football?

The firing of Clay Helton has made it a point to compare the job to the best in college football. I got to thinking about what the best head coaching jobs in college football are after the USC discussion. The move of Texas A&M to the SEC has helped the brand grow nationally.

Texas and Oklahoma will join the league before long, and playing in the same division as Alabama, LSU, and Auburn makes winning at the highest levels difficult. Texas A&M will outbid anyone to pay an entire staff, not just a head coach, a significant help to any head coach. How many programs have won national titles with their last three head coaches?

The Game of Football

Follow a plan. The players want to buy into the program, but they have to believe in it. It is important that all practice plans allow for maximum gains with 100% efficiency.

The players must know that the coach is not just winging it. Your assistant coaches should be on board with your organizational behavior if everything is written down and scripted. The coaches have to listen to their athletes' points of view and have faith in them.

Consistency in language among all levels will allow players to take ownership of plays or contributions. They know you are the boss, so don't be intimidated. Most head coaches don't just get into the head coach position.

The path usually has multiple stops with different experiences. You can learn from everyone. One coach may have a strong motivation while another may have a weakness.

The play calling is the most important aspect of the game, but the successful programs invest their time in all aspects of the game. There is no single formula for success, it depends on your interpretation of success. There are more than 14,000 high school football programs in the United States.