“Start with your best players. Build around them. Win.”
It’s a mantra that resonates with every high school coach trying to put points on the board with limited resources. Josh Thacker, veteran coach and founder of One QB Academy, has lived that reality across multiple programs in Alabama. In a world where recruiting isn’t an option and rosters change year to year, designing offense from the outside-in gives coaches a roadmap to maximize the weapons they have — not the ones they wish they had.
“It always started on the outside for us.” (09:26)
This simple but powerful idea anchors Thacker’s entire offensive system. Whether his team had burners on the perimeter or interior route runners in the slot, he adapted his scheme to spotlight his best matchups, year in and year out.
Evaluating Talent from the Outside-In
Most coaches begin game planning with a scheme in mind and force their players to fit it. Thacker flips that script. He starts by evaluating talent at wide receiver.
“If we’re really good on the outside, let’s live in DC. Let’s live in the double post. Let’s live in the dagger world.” (09:26)
Rather than force-feed plays from a static playbook, he builds modular packages that highlight his outside weapons first. If those receivers can win one-on-ones or threaten deep, his offense leans into concepts like Deep Choice, Double Post, and Dagger — each designed to stress secondaries vertically and create chunk plays.
However, if perimeter talent is thin, Thacker doesn’t panic — he pivots.
“If we were just better on the interior, then we got more into the slot choice world… A lot of Poco looks, just trying to single out somebody.” (10:15)
In those years, the system shifted toward more slot-driven concepts, using space, option routes, and middle-of-field leverage to generate explosive plays.
Building a Flexible, Modular Offense
By designing offense from the outside-in, Thacker developed a highly adaptable structure. His system doesn’t live or die by any one concept. Instead, it functions like a toolbox — choosing the right tool for the right job, depending on the season’s personnel.
He leaned on formations like 11 and 10 personnel to manipulate matchups. If he had true threats outside, he built around them. If not, he loaded the slot and leveraged RPOs, mesh reads, and bend routes to win inside.
This approach also impacted installation. Thacker organized installs in a way that allowed him to test and showcase different talent sets during the early phase of the season — quickly identifying which packages to feature.
Teaching QBs Within the System
Importantly, this philosophy didn’t just help receivers. It helped quarterbacks by simplifying reads and reducing pressure. Instead of expecting high school QBs to work through five-man progressions, Thacker gave them streamlined reads based on matchups — always framed by the offense’s featured players.
This method promotes quarterback confidence, improves timing, and ensures that the ball ends up in the hands of the right guy — fast.
Conclusion: Adaptability Wins
Designing offense from the outside-in gives coaches a clear, flexible framework. It eliminates guesswork, prioritizes playmakers, and aligns offensive identity with personnel — not the other way around.
In today’s high school game, adaptability is a competitive advantage. And as Josh Thacker’s career shows, it all starts by answering one key question: How good are we on the outside?
Related:
The Think Tank- Creating the Structure- Dan Gonzalez, Josh Herring, Dub Maddox
The Assumption Trap: Why Talent Doesn’t Always Mean Readiness