There seem to be several new coaches in Kentucky this year, they will have to fill out their coaching staffs. What are some of the qualities that head coaches should look for in hiring their assistants.

I think possession of a great amount of football knowledge goes without saying, so I will leave that out of my answer.

 

I would say trust would have to be at the top of the list of qualities. Nothing can separate a coaching staff faster then an assistant coach is obviously jockeying for the head coach position. Plus, a head coach has to be able to trust an assistant to work alone with players without the head coach standing over them.

 

I have observed several coaching staffs that appear to have three or four head coaches on staff. I'm not saying that in a bad way, although it can be. Not four people trying to be head coach, but four people working their part of the program as if they were head coach of that particular part. For example: you have the head coach, then you have an assistant that is the OC that appears as if he is the head coach of the offense and can do pretty much what he wants. Then you have the DC who appears to be the head coach of the defense and can do what ever he wants. And maybe a few other sub sets where one coach appears to be the head coach of that part of the program. It goes back to the trust issue, but the head coach has to be able to trust those people to what they do without intervention. So, I would say that some "head coaching" qualities need to be in the mix when hiring an assistant.

 

Work ethic. The coaching staff puts in an absurd amount of time, and you have to have a staff of coaches who have a good work ethic to fulfill all the obligations of the staff.

 

That's a start.

Loyalty - Without this none of the others matter! The most important!

Work Ethic - Dedication

Knowledge of the Game - While important if the right assistant is under the proper head coach who is willing to help his assistants grow the assistants don't have to know all. More importantly they need to know that the don't know all!

Willingness to Learn - Check your Ego at the door