EJ White, Assistant Football Coach at Monmouth College
Front Rush is excited to share stories from coaches across all divisions and sports. Every coach’s journey begins with the first six months.
Why did you start coaching?
After playing in college I knew that I wanted to continue to be involved with the game of football. Consulting with a few of my former coaches, I knew that I wanted to begin my career coaching at the college level.
In the beginning, what was the most challenging part of your job?
Beginning my coaching career discovering all the different ways to teach each of your players was probably the most difficult. Everybody does not learn at the same pace and with the same coaching methods. Understanding the best approaches to get the most out of your players through different critiquing/coaching methods was the most challenging.
What goals did you create when you got your first coaching job?
My initial goal, as a quarterbacks coach, was to increase the efficiency of my quarterbacks and continually enhance their knowledge in the game of football. During my first two seasons, both quarterbacks saw tremendous growth in terms of efficiency and I was very proud of the way they both matured in such a short time frame.
What’s the best AND worst advice you’ve gotten as a football coach?
The best advice that I have received since becoming a football coach is to constantly network. Adding the right coaches to your network gives you the ability to continue to enhance your knowledge of the game. Having coaches to bounce ideas off of or challenge you will allow you to constantly develop. Having a great network will also help with future job opportunities.
The worst advice I have probably received is being told not to add anything into our offense. While I believe in simple is better; adding wrinkles to your offense can go a long way in terms of breaking tendencies. Building off of current plays allows for your offense to not become so transparent.
Do you have advice for coaches just starting out?
Advice that I would have for a new coach just beginning his journey would be to constantly build relationships with your players. Going into meetings and teaching them football is great and our job, but if they do not trust you as an individual, they will not follow you on the football field. Engaging in conversations with them about aspects of life, other than football, will help grow your relationships with your players.
