Triple Option and Coaching Youth Football.
It is amazing to watch a triple-option team execute well. It is almost poetry in motion if you’re like me. Because of how they manage the triple so well, I am a huge fan of Navy and Georgia Tech. Nebraska is my home state and I am a huge fan of option football. In fact, I played it in High School. When I was offered my first coaching job in youth football, it was 1986. I decided to return to the game I loved and know, option football.
Many people are unaware that youth football and college football are two different things. Although they both use the same ball and are played on the same field, there are many differences between the two that can significantly affect the ability of the College game to be reproduced on the youth field. We won’t even discuss the difference between the NCAA rules giving option teams and the NFHS rules that 48 of the 50 US states use for their youth football rules. This includes both Pop Warner as well as AYF.
Many of the options they see on College football fields are not triple option football. This is despite what so-called TV “analysts” tell you. Did you know that the highly regarded option guru Tom Osborne never led the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the triple option? You can read Tom Osborne’s book. Everything they did was called a double option. There wasn’t a true triple. Osborne did not coach the triple because he didn’t have enough practice time. This was with 18-22-year-old young men who practiced six days a week, played seven games, and had spring practices. However, youth teams practice three times per week, which is half the time that college students spend. Add in spring practices, film, and classroom sessions, and the youth player will be practicing 20% of what a College player does.
Not all option plays that you see on Saturday are triple option plays. They may appear like triple option plays, but when was it the last time you saw an inside Veer pitch? Many of the Saturday and Friday options we see are double options. This is similar to what Nebraska did during their option heydays, when they won 3 National Titles within a four year period.
You should also remember that college football only has offensive players. The Navy’s and Georgia Tech’s option Quarterbacks are not starting at Linebacker or Corner like the youth football players. These great Running Backs and Quarterbacks are not returning kicks or kicking punt’s like your kids.
There aren’t enough two-way players and very few starters play on special teams. All your youth players will have to play on offense, defense, and, in most cases, special teams. College football is a game where the majority of offensive players, particularly the skill players, practice on the offensive side of things 90% of the time. These skill position players at the youth level are your best players. They will play on both sides and on special teams. These kids practice offense, defense, and special teams. They have less specialization than College players. This means that the youth skill position player is getting between 7-10% and 12% of the offensive preparation than the College player. This is done by multiplying the 20% rate times the average youth practice time, which would be between 35-50%.
All players at the College level have played the game and most have decent fundamentals. Fundamentals are important at all levels of football. However, College players have a high level of competence and can overcome their fear of contact. This is not the case in youth football. For most programs, there are no minimum play requirements, goals, or standards at the College level. We spend a lot of time at the youth level teaching basics and how to play the game. The College coach doesn’t have to worry about youth. We are required to spend time at the youth level.
The youth football teams can range in size from 17-30 players. College football teams can range in size from 105 to 180 players. You can expect to have a reliable Quarterback and Running back as well as two or three competent backups in youth football. Most teams have 5-10 scholarship running backs and 5-10 scholarship quarterbacks in College football. These players were most likely the stars of their High School teams. Most teams have a backup to take over if one player is injured.
We simply can’t afford that luxury in youth football, especially with small teams. Even with excellent coaching, the differences in talent between a first-team Quarterback and Running back are often quite dramatic when compared to their replacement. If you want to play youth football, you need at least two very strong and reliable Quarterbacks. The same goes for your Running Back and Fullback.
I was a coach for option football in the I Formation and Veer for seven seasons. If you want to be very good at this sport, even running just the midline or double option options is a huge investment of time. We had great seasons when we had good Quarterbacks, a solid Fullback, and a stud Running back. And we were injury-free. We didn’t have a stud Quarterback, solid Fullback, or a stud Running Back so we didn’t have great seasons. My teams ran double options instead of triples.
My Quarterbacks only made one read and not two in a span of about 2 seconds. Tom Osborne says that’s too much to expect from a College Quarterback. The triple option is viewed as an equalizer offense at the College level, but it is not at the Youth and High School levels. These are two completely different sets of equations that have different boundaries.
Do you love the idea of running the Triple Option at the Youth Level? Before you decide to do it, consider all these things. Consider your limitations and how you will spend the practice time to become proficient in the option game. Also consider the impact on your team. It was a lesson I learned the hard way, and I didn’t want my seasons dependent on whether God sent me some great skill-position players that season
