On 1/15/2026 at 7:48 PM, Breds82 said:

I’d like to think, while there has always been long term coaches (Mr Schneider) that people loved/tolerated. The players of those coaches are part of the microwave society that wants results in the first season.

To add to my take. When I was young guy, all I ever wanted to do was play football for Newport Catholic. My dad would take myself and 3 brothers to the majority of the home games. We would park at my grandparents house and walk the 4 blocks to Newport Stadium. My parents could've paid the out district tuition to go to Newport or Highlands (if excepting out of district students) but that wasn't even on our radar. We'd lean over the tunnel to smack helmets and get high fives from our favorite Breds.

By time I got to high school my first 2 years (freshman were given the privilege to practice with the varsity) were brutal in practice. Every day was like the scene in Rudy when he's trying to make the Notre Dame football team, and my older brother took delight in taking it to me. Every evening I'd come home and my dad would ask "How'd practice go today?" and I'd say , "Same stuff different day, got my butt kicked again". He would always respond "Keep working hard, your time will come".

My point being having a positive influence at home that can help reign in the expectations of younger players and help them realize sometimes you as a player are going to have to bide your time before you can touch the field, can also help keeping Head Coaches employed and wanting to stay for a long time.

1. ADs/Superintendents that are too controlling and/or have the wrong people in their ears.

2. Out of touch expectations of winning where Nick Saban couldn't coach the team that's on the field and meet those expectations. 

Great topic.  I posted part of this in the Campbell County coaching thread, but there is much, much more to it and many of the posts have already gotten to it.  So, pardon the novel I've written, but here we go.

1. Pay.  Like previously mentioned, the pay sucks for teachers and coaches, especially just starting out for young guys.  Now, like previously mentioned, people don't get into teaching and coaching to become independently wealthy.  But, they definitely want the ability to buy a modest home at bare minimum and be able to afford to clothe and feed their kids.  They can't be putting all these hours of work in to build up everyone else's kids while yours do without.

2. The hours.  The part I wrote in the CC thread was already mentioned on here about the expectations that are placed on teachers nowadays is crazy.  The expecatations on coaches are even more crazy.  There simply are not enough hours in the day to be a good teacher, good coach, and good father/husband.  That's the reality.  So something has to give.   And the fact that you can't do everyhing well means you are having conflict at home, conflict with your principal, or conflict with your AD.

3. Parents.  Holy cow are parents absolutely insane anymore. I like that term drone parent mentioned before.  They are indeed invasive.  Most parents don't parent anymore.  They want to hang out with their kids and be their friend.  I hear all the time, "My kid is my best friend."  Well, not to be a jerk, but if your kid is your best friend, you are doing it way wrong.  Your job is parent them, guide them, help them, and show them proper boundaries, especially with regards to social norms.  Your job as a parent isn't to be BFF's with your kid, removing every obstacle in their way, giving them unrestricted access to every one of their whims, and make them the center of the universe.  I have seen parents cussing out teachers, principals, coaches, and anyone else in their child's life that essentially told the child no.  I have seen parents fight other parents, and the aforementioned groups.  I tell people all the time, kids today are the same they have always been, we don't have a kid problem in society, we have a grown up problem.  Our society is full of adults who act like spoiled 4 year olds.

4. Unrealistic expecations.  Again, there are completely unrealistic expecations on coaches and teams.  Players, parents, community members, boosters, school faculty, all have unreal expectations.  They expect results year 1.  People don't realize that programs have ebbs and flows.  Even with the perennial powers, the KY Bluebood programs, people's expectations are out of control.  Hey, you lost a game, fire that coach.  OR, you only beat such and such team by 14, you should have won by 40.  OR, We won state last year, this year you lost in the semifinals.  Clearly, this coach doesn't know what he's doing.  It's ridiculous.  

5. Unrealistic expecations part 2.  Why isn't so and so getting recruited?  Why isn't little Timmy going D1?  People don't realize that 90% of college recruiting is all about your size and speed.  Height, weight, 40 time.  Not what you do on the field.  You may have a defensive player of the year that fills like a freight train and runs sideline to sideline like a gazelle, but if he's 5'5", he's not going D1. 

6. Unrealistic expectations part 3.  Playing time.  Why isn't Billy starting on Friday nights?  Well, he's a 145lb and plays OL.  Or he's a receiver that can't catch a cold. Or he's can't remember a single play.  Or he's a cancer to the team.  Or he's a disaster in the classroom.  Pick one of many reasons.  Now, I think you get as many kids in games as possible at the Freshman and JV level, ideally every kid for development purposes; but Friday night is for the best of the best.  

7. Pressure.  Not everyone can handle the constant pressure associated with coaching, especially if you are the head coach.  Some people just aren't cut for that.  I've seen it take a big toll on guys' health....physically, emotionally, and mentally.  Heavy is the head the wears the crown, in good times and in not so good.  Always wondering when will the time come when I am asked to resign?  It will come, unless you are the 0.1%.

8. Lack of resources.  It is really hard to say, "Coach we want you to be successful, but we won't give you the tools to do so.  Whatever your sport needs, you and your team need to go fundraise for it."  What?  How does that make any sense? 

9. Lack of upward mobility.  Once you have become a high school head coach, what's next?  You've essentially peaked in your profession.  Sure, you could maybe move up to coaching college, but that move will typically involve uprooting your family, pay less money, involve more hours of work, and then add in countless days of travel for recruiting.  Making that kind of move doesn't make sense for a lot of guys.  People want to "climb the ladder" so to speak, and the ladder is really short in high school athletics and honestly isn't that attractive for most people. 

10. Kids not buying in.  There's a lot to this.  Kids have more choices than ever before when it comes to choosing sports or activities.  Why choose football?  It requires by far the most hours and commitment, and for bigger football schools/programs, 75% of the team doesn't play in the games.  When you really think about it, that's a REALLY tough ask for a high school kid.  Why would you expect them to give up so much time to not even get to participate in the games?  For so many kids, they have found that their time is better spent doing other sports, working, hobbies, pursuing academics, or something with the arts.  It's simply not worth it to them.  So, it's even harder find adults to become head coaches to try to keep kids on the team who may never even sniff the field on a Friday night over the course of 4 years.  You don't see too many successful programs with tiny rosters, numbers are an important part of football success.

 

So, in short, there are so many open HC jobs open in KY because it simply isn't worth it for the overwhelming majority of coaches.  There's not enough hours in the day, not enough pay, and too many hats to wear to justify the immense sacrifice you will put yourself and your family through.  Only to be told to resign at some point in the future and unlikeley to be given such a chance again.  The culture must change drastically in order to solve this problem.  Otherwise, rinse and repeat each and every year and keep asking the same question and wondering why nobody stays in the head football coach job for very long.

On 1/19/2026 at 6:26 PM, ChiefSmoke said:

The demands on core content teachers is much different than when I got into teaching in 1988. It would be really tough to teach a full load of core content and be the head coach right now. I would do it if I had to, but I think I would hit the wall much quicker and run out of gas. 

I am not a head coach, but even as just an assistant, the load isn't fun. I cannot imagine being an HC with core content responsibility. 

The episode comes out tonight. Lots of what has been posted here made it into our answer. Appreciate you guys and BGPreps! 

On 1/19/2026 at 7:24 PM, ChiefSmoke said:

Dang. Drone parents. Whole other level. Lol.  So far, I've been fortunate over the 33 years. Most of the parents have been super. It has been nice to get to brag on the parents at the banquet every year. 

But, I hear some bad stuff. And, my assistants this fall had some crazy stories about stuff going on with our opponent's head coach and their fans/parents. Not good at all. 

Social media allows and almost encourages people to make disparaging and libelous comments about coaches. Eventually we will see a coach file suit against someone for posting comments that are blatantly false and damaging to their family and career. 

In my opinion Its the head coaches and the coaches themselves. Lose respect for the game and forget to hone their craft and keep learning/keep developing the young coaches. Too many of them learning someone else's playbook and knowing "plays" and not concepts. More than not today people think if you win games, you will learn to be a good person. We've lost sight of the fact that WINNING happens after becoming a good person.