Relationships, Role Ownership, and Finding the Calls Your Players Believe In
Another week of Division III football brings another group of coaches and staffs worth recognizing in the Hansen Ratings D3 Coaches and Coordinators of the Week.
Logan Hansen joins Keith Grabowski to break down the Week 4 selections, beginning with St. John’s offensive coordinator Kole Heckendorf, whose offense produced 72 points on 72 plays against Augsburg.
The conversation then turns to Christopher Newport defensive coordinator Mario Byrd, whose defense delivered a shutout against Susquehanna while forcing six turnovers.
Byrd explains why his approach starts with relationships. As a Christopher Newport alum, he has lived many of the same experiences his players are going through now. He discusses earning trust, understanding that every player responds differently to coaching, and creating an environment where scout-team players understand the importance of their role.
Keith then visits with Ithaca head coach Brandon Maguire after the Bombers put together a complete performance in all three phases.
Maguire shares how Ithaca identifies its “settlers,” the calls players and coaches know they can execute when they need to regain rhythm and confidence. He explains why player feedback matters throughout the week, how the staff builds a quarterback’s “love it” list, and why sometimes the best adjustment a coach can make is simplifying the plan and letting players play fast.
In This Episode:
- Logan Hansen’s Week 4 D3 Coaches and Coordinators of the Week selections
- How Christopher Newport prepared to shut down the run against Susquehanna
- Mario Byrd’s philosophy that players play differently when they know a coach genuinely cares
- Why coaches need to adapt their coaching style to different personalities
- Creating ownership and pride within the scout team
- Why relationships can matter as much as scheme for young coaches
- Brandon Maguire’s concept of “settlers” on offense, defense, and special teams
- Using player feedback to identify what belongs in the game plan
- Building a quarterback’s “love it” list
- Why a play that has not been repped enough during the week may need to come off the call sheet
- Using openers without becoming handcuffed by a scripted sequence
- Knowing when to stop adding and simply let your best players play
- Giving players enough freedom to make adjustments within the system
Coaches Recognized:
Head Coach and Staff of the Week: Brandon Maguire and the Ithaca College coaching staff
Defensive Coordinator of the Week: Mario Byrd, Christopher Newport University
Offensive Coordinator of the Week: Kole Heckendorf, St. John’s
Connect on X:
Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski
Logan Hansen: @LogHanRatings
Kole Heckendorf: @kole_heckendorf
Mario Byrd: @CoachRio55
Brandon Maguire: @MaguireBrandon
Check out this years Hansen Ratings here – HansenRatings.com