Name: Tyler N. Johnson

School: Shelby Valley High School

Position: Offensive Coordinator

Can you give us a summary of your coaching career? Where all you have coached, including the position you held at each stop.

My entire career has been spent at Shelby Valley. I started off when I was 21 being the head coach of our 5th and 6th grade team then moved up the next year to 7th and 8th grade head coach. After those 2 years, I moved up to high school and worked with QBs and OLBs, eventually moving to the offensive coordinator position in 2016.

What shocked you the most about the 2022 season?

Our communication up front on the offensive line and the speed at which they learned to communicate We had graduated our left tackle last year, and he was responsible for all of our line calls, so I feared there would be a communication void. Luckily, two of our linemen (Cade Howell and Kyler Click) stepped into a leadership position, which really allowed us to click early in the season offensively. We knew we had the skill guys returning to be special and knew there was talent up front, but Kyler and Cade’s leadership really allowed us to hit the ground running in Week 1.

What will you miss the most about the class of 2023?

We only graduate two starters on offense. However, those two kids left one last mark. Jayden Newsome ran for over 5000 yards in his career, and Caleb Lovins was one of the most unique centers in the state of Kentucky with his ability to pull and trap from center. Both Jayden and Caleb had blue-collar mentalities and would do whatever you asked of them. As to what I would miss the most about those players, it would be their mindsets. No matter how big the game or the situation, we always knew what we were going to get out of them, and they helped set the tone each and every Friday.

When playing in the Pike County bowl. Do you prefer to play a non-district game or a district game? As a fan, I love the non-district game.

Pike County Bowl: I prefer playing a non district game. It’s been many years since we’ve been asked to play a district game in the PCB, but it did create scheduling issues for us when that was the case. In a perfect world, we would like to bring in a team from Lexington, Louisville, or NKY for the PCB. The atmosphere of the PCB is second to none, and an early-season test against a quality opponent from those areas of the state will tell you exactly what you need to work on to be better prepared for the playoffs.

The Wildcats post a strong 10-3 record in 2022. What must you guys do to do as well if not better this coming season?

The biggest thing we need to improve on is continuing to build depth. The loss of the regional title to Beechwood hurt, and while we know what Beechwood brings year in and year out, not having Russ Osborne and 700-yard WR Jon Luke Fields available left us with question marks as to where we really stood offensively for the offseason. So as a focus in the off-season and during the season, we need to work more diligently to develop guys that can step in at different spots when needed and be productive, and I personally need to make sure that my backup QB (Brady Johnson) is more involved on a week-to-week basis with the gameplan and getting the reps he needs to step in and not be thrown to the wolves as he was against Beechwood.

As an offensive coordinator, what type of defense is the hardest to prepare for? Explain.

Oddly, for us, the hardest defense to prepare for is one that is undisciplined. We rely on Russ to read one or more defenders, and when the defense is undisciplined, it makes it difficult to know who we want to read on all our RPOs and zone reads. Typically, when we face a team like this, we live in the moment and try to force them to commit to playing man coverage to account for Russ’ ability to run.

What did you learn about yourself during the 2022 season that you can use to make you a better coach?

What did you learn in 2022 that made you a better coach: letting the players do their own thing. While that sounds crazy, last year we struggled offensively and just couldn’t find consistency, so after school I had all the offensive guys come to my room, and I told them to design the plays they wanted to run. After hours, we came to a consensus, and from that point on, we got way better offensively. Going into the 2022 season, we did the same thing but did it before Week 1, after we had our two scrimmages. We had a phenomenal year offensively, and I attribute that to the kids having ownership in the structure of the offense. In different games throughout the season, Russ’ would see something and call his own play, or I would have WRs change routes just based on how the defense was lined up. Watching them be able to do those things on the fly was awesome from a coaching perspective because it showed me that they not only understood the play concept but also understood what the defense was giving us and knew how to exploit it.

Which loss last season was the one that hurt the most?

The loss that hurts the most: You would think it would be the regional title game, but as I mentioned before, we went into that game banged up, so to me the loss that hurts the most was against LCC in Week 1. After having a 26-6 lead and eventually ending up with 700ish yards of offense, we lost 52-48. LCC was a very good team, however, and I just wish we would have finished that one off.

Can you tell us which seniors from last season will be moving on to play college ball and list the colleges too?

Seniors going to play college: As of now Lincoln Billiter is going to UK as a PWO and Jordan Ratliff is going to UPike. Both of those guys were predominantly defensive players for us. Fast forward to next spring offensively: Russ Osborne QB, Brady Bentley WR, Jon Luke Fields WR, Cade Howell OL, and Rafael Ascensio OL all have the abilities to play at the next level if they choose to.

What is the best part of coaching high school football?

Best part of coaching high school football : At a small 2A school the best part is watching the development of players. We usually know by the time their in 7th and 8th grade who is going to be the next big time guys for us, but it’s always great to see those players who stick with it, develop late, and blossom. For instance, Brady Bentley, who was honorable mention all-state at WR, and Jon Luke Fields, who had 700 yards receiving, didn’t start offense in middle school, but they stuck with it, worked incredibly hard with our WR Coach Dusty Hall (who is as good of a WR coach as you will find), and developed into tremendous playmakers. We have some other guys who currently fit that mold, but we’re just waiting on their breakout season, which hopefully comes this year.

Have you watched any of the XFL games? Your thoughts, if you have any.

XFL: I briefly watched 1 game. I did like their onside kick change to the 4th and 20, especially on the professional level. I’m a die-hard Steelers fan, so as far as watching football goes, I primarily just watch them. I’ll watch UK on Saturdays if I’m not busy and the Steelers on Sunday, but outside of that, I'm not glued to the TV watching ballgames.

I’m a big fan of Coach Johnson. I had the pleasure to meet him last season at Beechwood. Great guy. I think he will be a successful head coach when his time comes.