As an AD, I remind our coaches that no one person is bigger than the program. The most talented player on the team can sometimes cause more harm than good if standards are compromised for them. Culture must always come before talent. When athletes believe different rules apply to certain people, trust in the program disappears. Everyone has value, but everyone is also replaceable. Strong programs are built on accountability, discipline, and team-first mentality, not on one individual.
As an AD, one of the biggest challenges is understanding what athletes and parents truly want. Everyone says they want to win, but too often the communication I receive is centered around why practice is being missed, why workouts can’t happen, or why the commitment isn’t possible.
Winning is rarely about what happens on game day, it’s built in the unseen hours of preparation, consistency, and sacrifice. You cannot claim to want success while consistently avoiding the work required to achieve it.
Too often, “we want to win” really means “we want the rewards of winning without the discomfort of earning it.” When that gap exists, the blame often shifts to the coach instead of the habits.
Great programs are built when athletes, parents, and coaches all align in understanding that commitment comes before results. Wanting to win and being willing to do what it takes to win are two very different things.
As a high school athlete, if you’re not taking the weight room and 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 seriously, you are giving a huge advantage to athletes in your region who are. That gets exposed fast in season, especially if your offseason was spent playing a thousand travel games instead of developing/improving.
What if I told you EVERYTHING you need to do to train as an athlete?
& it’s all tied to a system that was created FIFTY+ years ago?
🌽 I’ve discussed “Husker Power,” before
But their 10 principles can be the BIBLE for your training
🧵 Here are 10 keys to THRIVE as an athlete
Penn State's offensive line coach showed up to spring practice in a black cutoff shirt with the word "Dogs" on it.
His hat said "Dogs. Offensive Line."
His office door has a sticker that says "Beware of Dog."
This is not a bit. This is Ryan Clanton. And most Penn State fans have no idea who he actually is.
Clanton did not start playing football until his junior year of high school in Bakersfield, California. He went completely unrecruited. Ended up at City College of San Francisco — where he lived in a garage for two years — and became a junior college All-American.
That earned him a scholarship to Oregon. He became a captain under Chip Kelly. Won the Rose Bowl. Won the Fiesta Bowl. Went 36-4 as a player. Got invited to NFL training camps with Tampa Bay and Green Bay.
Then he coached his way from his high school alma mater to Ventura College to Northern Iowa to Iowa State and now to Penn State.
Every single stop earned on merit. Nothing handed to him.
At Iowa State his offensive line went from 108 rushing yards per game to 174.5 in three seasons. His linemen got drafted. He turned Campbell's run game into one of the most physical in the Big 12.
Now he is standing in Holuba Hall telling Penn State players they are either a human shield or a hammer.
"You have to be violent. You have to want to be violent. You have to want to run through somebody's face."
Last week during a drill a 331-pound tackle named Malachi Goodman punched him in the chest so hard he felt it in his back.
Clanton's response: "That's exactly what I'm looking for."
Penn State's offensive line has been soft for years. The standard has been to protect. To absorb. To survive.
That standard just changed.
Dogs only.
We Are. 🦁
Why do I believe in a clean weight room ?
I believe in controlling the controllable.
Small wins daily , it helps practice discipline , and helps teach practicing good habits.
Looks and feels good also . Teach pride and ownership .
*A former high school sprinter in my class today*
S -"Why did my coach have us warm up with a mile and a half jog everyday?"
Me - "They needed to kill 20 minuets..."
S - "Dang..."
Don't waste your athletes time.