In the wake of quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss getting fired from Michigan for something having to do with computers, Michigan hired Kirk Campbell to be the quarterbacks coach. Campbell spent the 2022 season as an offensive analyst for the Wolverines.
Here's a brief timeline of Campbell's career:
2009-2010: WR/TE graduate assistant at West Virginia Wesleyan
2011: WR/TE coach at Tiffin
2012-2016: OC at Alderson-Broaddus
2017-2019: Offensive analyst at Penn State
2020-2021: OC/QB coach at Old Dominion
2022: Offensive analyst at Michigan
One of my former players played offense for Campbell in college and had great things to say about him, even going on to become a high school and college coach himself. (Not that Campbell was the sole reason for that, but at least he didn't make this kid hate football.)
Overall, it's tough to glean much from Campbell's coaching career, considering he's been an analyst and coaching at smaller schools. It says something that he was reportedly the #1 choice for starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. It also helps that he has spent seven seasons as a play caller. Even though he likely won't be calling plays on Saturdays in the Big House, he's at least qualified to be coaching the quarterback position itself if he can understand how to install and implement an entire offense.
Quarterback coaches under Jim Harbaugh have included Jedd Fisch in 2015-2016 (now head coach at Arizona), Pep Hamilton in 2017-2018 (now offensive coordinator for Houston Texans), Ben McDaniels (now passing game coordinator for Houston Texans), and Weiss. There are mixed reviews for some of those guys, but considering everyone but Weiss has moved up in the world, it's probably safe to say that Jim Harbaugh can be trusted to find talented quarterback coaches.
Do you have a sense for what sorts of things a QB coach tries to teach to the QB room at a school like Michigan? It's a serious question. Is it mostly technique -- footwork, accuracy, pocket presence -- or is it mostly teaching the plays and helping the QBs get better at reading defenses?
ReplyDeleteWould a QB coach spend more time teaching the QB room as a group, or is it more individual one-on-one coaching?
It's all of the above - footwork, accuracy, pocket presence, teaching plays, reading defenses, etc. However, it's not like what you see from some of the QB gurus who train these high school (and college and NFL quarterbacks). Ultimately, coaches are limited with how much time they can spend with the players. So coaches end up teaching those guys as a group, because there's no time to work with them individually.
DeleteIn my own experience as a coach (I've spent about half my coaching career working with QBs, albeit on the high school level), the off-season - including the spring - is much more about footwork and mechanics. Once you get into the season, it's about practicing the plays, reading defenses, watching film, correcting mistakes, etc.
Correcting mistakes is the big one. Asking the QB what he's seeing, and filling/clarifying based off coaches view/perspective and scouting happens during those calls to the booth or sideline chats
DeletePep Hamilton remains very underrated by this fanbase IMO.
ReplyDelete