Inside the Headset with the AFCA

This week on Inside the Headset we speak with Travis Niekamp, Defensive Coordinator for Illinois State University. We discuss the transformation of the Illinois State football program, his development as a coach on both sides of the ball, and how he strives to prioritize his family while also being a coach.

After getting his start as a coach at the middle school level in Texas, Coach Price quickly rose to be named the co-defensive coordinator at Dunbar HS (TX) in 2005. Two seasons later, he joined the staff at Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) (2007-2010). In 2011, he served as the defensive coordinator at Mexia HS (TX), and also served as the DC at Boerne HS (TX) (2012). Price was the defensive coordinator at Keller HS (TX) from 2013-18, and in 2019, he was named Head Coach of Leander HS (TX).

This week on Inside the Headset we're joined by three-time national champion Head Coach Urban Meyer. We discuss his coaching career, the "Real Life Wednesdays" program he instituted with his teams, and what he would change about college football.

This week on Inside the Headset we sit down with Jeremy Hawkins, defensive line coach at Mercer University. We discuss his journey through the coaching profession, which includes experiences at the high school, NAIA, Division II, FCS, and FBS levels.

This week on Inside the Headset we sit down with Adam Cushing, Head Coach for Eastern Illinois University. As he enters his first season leading EIU, we discuss how he prepared himself to become a head coach, building trust with his new players, and his recruiting philosophy.

This week on Inside the Headset we sit down with Todd Berry, Executive Director of the AFCA. We discuss the process of taking over a new team as the head coach and everything that goes along with it: establishing culture, developing player buy-in, identifying team leaders, and inspiring hope.

This week on Inside the Headset we speak with Nick Rolovich, Head Coach for the University of Hawaii. We discuss his coaching philosophy, bringing the run-and-shoot offense back to the Rainbow Warriors, and the unique mindset he and his staff use to prepare their players for travel.

This week on Inside the Headset we are featuring Dana Holgorsen’s general session from the 2019 AFCA Convention. Mario Price served as the moderator for the conversation, and audience members were able to submit their questions for Coach Holgo. We discuss some of his coaching mentors, the importance of developing relationships with players, and his transition to becoming the head coach for the University of Houston.

This week on Inside the Headset we speak with Chris Marve, defensive run game coordinator and linebacker coach for Mississippi State University. We discuss building credibility as a coach, his philosophy on recruiting and coaching linebackers, and how he works to develop his players on and off the field.

This week on Inside the Headset we speak with Chili Davis, inside wide receivers coach and special teams assistant for New Mexico State University. We discuss his coaching background, what he's looking for in student-athletes during the recruiting process, and the uniqueness of coaching an FBS independent team.

This week on Inside the Headset we speak with Rob Everett, who most recently coached tight ends and was a defensive assistant for the Memphis Express in the AAF. We discuss how he has incorporated technology to more efficiently coach and teach players at the high school, college, and professional levels. The best part? All the technology he uses is free.

This week on Inside the Headset we speak with Danny Dudgeon and Johnathon Haddock, Co-Offensive Coordinators at Abilene Cooper HS (TX). We discuss how they are able to successfully collaborate from game planning to calling plays on Friday nights, they share their offensive philosophy, and we get a unique approach to gettin players a ton of reps during spring ball.

This week on Inside the Headset we speak with Cedric Whitaker, Cornerbacks Coach at Houston Baptist University. We focus on his time as a restricted earnings coach at the Division III level, and his time as a defensive graduate assistant at Baylor. He shares some terrific insights that he gained through his experiences, and some of the major lessons he's learned along the way.

This week on Inside the Headset we speak with Bryan Nardo, Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach for Emporia State University. We dive in to his coordinator philosophy, and he gives us the details on how he and the rest of the defensive staff approach each day of a typical game week.

This week on Inside the Headset, we speak with Mike Dovenberg from College of San Mateo. We discuss his coaching background, including how he went on to become a junior college head coach at the age of 25. Coach Dovenberg was diagnosed with Leukemia in June of 2018--he fills us in on his fight with cancer, and he shares how he managed to coach last fall while undergoing chemo-therapy treatments.