Prefer type of coach? An offensive, A defensive, or a middle guy?

If you want to argue that a guy that’s never coached an offensive position group shouldn’t be your offensive coordinator, or likewise with defense, sure.

But coaching a specific position group shouldn’t be a qualifier for the HC job, unless of course you’re hiring a coordinator/playcaller type HC.

If you’re not hiring a play-caller type, then all I need to know is this…

- Do you know the finer points of basic football like virtually everyone coaching at this level?

- Can you motivate a team full of lifelong alpha males, turn them into subordinates that will listen to your every word and have them excited to do their jobs?

- Can you hire the right supporting cast and manage them well while demanding excellence?

- Do you command respect and hold people accountable when not performing?

This is the “Leader of Men” model, and you indeed can be successful with this type of HC, and they don’t need to have coached a position group for a year to check those boxes.

Now, how good you can be at those things is what gets vetted out during the interview process; not everyone can be good at these things, so this is what you work at to find out when interviewing and speaking to references and such. But as far as initial qualifications, being a position coach for a year for a “Leader of Men” type shouldn’t be on it.

There are lifelong position coaches that will never even be considered for a coordinator or HC positions, ever. Position coach lifers…this isn’t some super-gifted qualifier that it is being made out to be.