Date: July 20, 2023
Would Recommend
Tags
If your have read the book "Moneyball" or seen the movie then you can easily spot Coach Hoffman's incredible ability as a football coordinator and coach. He may not have a flashy Superbowl ring from his playing career but has put up impressive numbers as a run game coordinator at a football program that faces unique and very difficult challenges when it comes to recruiting compared to other schools in the conference. In 2019, our team was 4-6 and performed poorly in every team statistical category expect one. Which was Rushing Yards/Attempt our team averaged 4.6 Yrds/Att which was 2nd in the conference. It was the only statistical category that we were competitive with the other schools in our conference and this was the only stat that Coach Hoffman held complete responsibility for. This was accomplished while constantly having to replace linemen, tightends and H-backs with young freshman that hadn't had the time to develop mentally or physically to the college game. Coach Hoffman was excellent at teaching young inexperienced players how to execute their assignments to the best of their current physical ability. These are the attributes that I noticed about Coach Hoffman that impressed me and made me appreciate the opportunity I had to play for him. •KNOWLEDGE OF THE GAME What sets Coach Hoffman apart from other coaches is that he knows schematics cold. There is a deference between being able to draw some plays on the board in a meeting, when you can erase and re-draw if needed, and a difference when the bullets are live, the play clock is ticking, other coaches are loosing their cool, and as the coordinator you have to use your preparation and engrained knowledge to put your players in a advantageous position when the game is on the line. When it is 3rd & 5 in the 4th quarter and you must convert to keep the drive alive, this difference could be subtle as running Outside Zone out of Trey instead of Trips. It takes intensive knowledge to be able to execute play calls with such subtleness under pressure. Coach Hoffman is the type of coach, other coaches defer too, to call the play so that they would have a numbers and leverage advantage on a crucial down that would greatly influence the outcome of the game. I have seen this with my own eyes. What happens in the press box is often hidden from players and spectators but some much of the game is won and lost through the headsets. Some coaches freeze up under pressure, not Coach Hoff. Coach Hoffman is there when it gets real. • INVESTS IN PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Having a lot of knowledge is a good thing, but being able to teach it so that player can understand is another, and being able to teach it to your players so that they can understand AND execute it on the field is another. I have seen him take baby freshmen (H-backs and Tightends) on Day 1 of camp and have them prepared to start in the season opener. Coach Hoffman has the ability to a young player's knowledge of football from a very elementary level to a college starter extremely quickly. I've seen this first hand with 3 different players, about whom I thought would be written off until an adequate offseason program (or bring in new players). But, sure enough, Coach Hoffman was able to get them to a level where they could contribute to our offense. Personally, one thing that I will forever appreciate Coach Hoffman for is the time he took to teach me about the game. An example of this, during COVID we watched game film of other colleges in his home, and we walked through every single play. These films sessions lasted hours and I was grateful for the patience and time he took to teach me. I owe a lot of my higher-level understanding of football to Coach Hoffman. • CARES FOR PLAYERS Coach Hoffman defiantly cares for his players. He invest in their player development but also their academic development and also is always willing to help players with any other difficulties that life may throw at them. Coach Hoffman has a growth mindset for his players, I never saw Coach Hoffman give up on one of his players. If mistakes were made on the field or off the field, it was always approached with the mindset of "Lets learn from it, fix it, and improve going forward." I always heard Coach Hoffman asking players how their families were and how they were doing. Personal Example of this, after I had graduated I continued playing football in Europe, and Coach Hoffman took that time to analyze game-film with me of my games in Europe, to help me game plan, and fix errors that our team was making. Many coaches say, "I care about you guys," few coaches take hours out of their week to help a former-player who has already graduated. Coach Hoffman is a Football Coach. If you're willing to work extremely hard at football technique and knowledge, in the weight room, and compete in the classroom and have the goal of being a great college football player then Coach Hoffman is a Coach you should fight to play for. Other coaches may laugh and hangout with you, or crack jokes about life and what not. While Coach Hoffman can also fraternize with his players, he will coach you. Coach Hoffman is a great football coach and I am excited for him to be given more responsibility in his career in the future.