Coach Alumbaugh Q&A

[PrepGridiron]

Hi Everyone,

Coach Alumbaugh should be joining us in about 15 minutes

First, we'd like to welcome Coach Alumbaugh to Prepgridiron.com.

Coach Alumbaugh is the head coach at De La Salle (CA). Coach Alumbaugh was part of three undefeated teams as linebacker/tight end for the De La Salle program and was a member of the 1997 team that broke the then national record of 72 consecutive games without a loss held by Hudson, Michigan. Coach Alumbaugh took over the De La Salle program in 2013 succeeding legendary high school football coach, Bob Ladouceur. Since taking over the program, Coach Alumbaugh has posted a 63-6 record and five consecutive California Open Division State Championship appearances, winning two state championships in the process. In addition to his position as Head Coach, Coach Alumbaugh is a longtime educator and teaches multiple subjects at De La Salle.    

In collaboration with PrepGridiron Logistics, coach has been kind enough to give us some of his time and answer several questions posed by the members of this board. As we have done in the past, we will be asking coach the questions and he will be responding in the thread. We will be asking coach five questions and expect to open up the floor to members. Feel free to respond and ask questions, note, however, that it will be at Coach's discretion whether he responds further. Lastly, we ask that you keep your responses civil and on topic. The thread will be heavily moderated so that we can encourage other coaches to come on in the future. Thanks again, Coach, and everyone enjoy. 

The first question will be asked at 8PM EST.

[PrepGridiron]

Looks like Coach is here. Let's kick it off a little early!

Coach, first question:

Two part question: Many have said the 2017 MD team is one of the greatest HSFB ever assembled, in your opinion, which is the best team DLS has played? assuming, the answer is not the same as the first part, which is the best HSFB team you have ever seen?

[Coach Alumbaugh]

The 2017 Mater Dei team is rightfully mentioned as one of the greatest HSFB teams in history.  The collection of talent they had was something we have never seen before- even with the LBP teams of the early 2000’s.  Combine that with excellent coaching, and that team was an absolute nightmare to go against.  I hesitate to crown anyone “best team ever” though, solely because different eras had different teams that deserve credit.  But that MD team is certainly in the conversation of being the best we’ve seen.  The only other teams that come to mind on that level were 2013 St. John Bosco- who had incredible talent and coaching in their own right- and 2009 Don Bosco, who gave us, in my mind, the most demoralizing, physical beat-down I’ve ever been a part of.  Leaving that stadium was awful- I literally wanted to put a bag over my head.   2008 Corona Centennial, in my opinion, can definitely be put into that upper tier.  One team that wasn’t undefeated that deserves consideration was obviously 2001 LBP- it took a pretty monumental effort by a great DLS team to beat them.

[PrepGridiron]

Question 2 Coach:

The topic of rolling starts comes up a lot here and elsewhere; what is your take on it and how much do you deal with it game to game?

[Coach Alumbaugh]

This is a common question I get, and the answer is not one that people expect to hear.  As a coach, I absolutely despise when our linemen don’t come to a complete set before getting off of the ball. A lot of teams think we have our linemen starting in an up position so we can roll into a start; that is not the case.  They start up because our blocking relies on a counting system, so they get a better view of who to block from that position.  The reason why the rolling start aggravates me so much is it causes our linemen to lunge out of their stance.  What this means is they take a giant first step, which is the antithesis of what we teach.  We want a quick, powerful 6 inch first step.  When our line rolls into their footwork, our blocks are normally not sustained at all because they are lunging.  That being said, we train our line to be quick, fast, and aggressive with literally everything we do; because of that, our line (and our QB’s, for that matter) often get overly aggressive or anxious to get off the ball.

[PrepGridiron]

Don't tell the other members, but I'm geeking, coach. Number 3: 

Another topic that continually comes up on the forum is the idea that DLS hyper-improves as the season progresses and that the early season losses to OOS opponents can be attributed to just that, early season. Do you think there is something to the hyper improvement myth and is there a measure the team uses internally to quantify execution.

[Coach Alumbaugh]

I’m honestly not sure about a “hyper-improvement”, but I do know that it is very, very difficult to master what we expect as a coaching staff, especially offensively. The triple options requires mastery from the backfield and the offensive line to a higher degree than most offenses.  We are also very demanding about proper technique, which often results in a lot of seniors playing.  The younger guys we have often endure some pretty major growing pains.  The result is a typically a much better team at the end of the year than at the beginning, but most well coached teams can easily claim that as well.  I do know that every solid DLS team that we have is difficult to play at the end of the year; every elite DLS team we have had are difficult to play the entire year though.  A lot of that hinges on having returners who have a good basis in our system that also dedicate themselves to improving throughout the year.  The major measuring tool we use are our weekly commitment cards, which I’m happy to share about but is a pretty large, in depth topic.

 

As far as the OOS games- when we play top flight national teams, no matter the time of year, there is a greater likelihood of failure.  I definitely believe in our coaching staff and feel that we progress drastically during the year but, as I said earlier, a lot of teams get better. Just because we run the veer, there is no excuse for us not to be able to match the challenges we come across, whether it be week 1 in Texas or Week 18 in a state title game.

[PrepGridiron]

Question 4:

There is some excitement building around your young SO QB, what do you expect from him this year and do you think it will a) allow you to open up the playbook this year; and b) balance the offense to keep the defense honest?

[Coach Alumbaugh]

I was very impressed with Dorian from the moment he stepped on campus.  He’s grasped everything we wanted him to do, and more.  He’s also put on about 15 pounds in the off-season, which is huge in our offense.  The hope for the coming year is to be more dynamic than the past two years.  In 2015 we had Anthony Sweeney as a QB, but also had a mobile offensive line and guys like Antoine Custer, Devin Asiasi, John Harvey, and Drew Hernandez around him.  Because of that, our offense was able to be more diverse.  We have some similar athletes, we believe, coming in this year.  While running the triple option is the backbone of who we are, we are always open to change and trying new things out.  Look at when we had Matt Gutierrez, for example.  We felt very comfortable opening the playbook with returners like that.  If you get athletes like that, its our job as coaches to use their skills in the best way we can.

[noonereal]

1 minute ago, Coach Alumbaugh said:

 

As far as the OOS games- when we play top flight national teams, no matter the time of year, there is a greater likelihood of failure.  I definitely believe in our coaching staff and feel that we progress drastically during the year but, as I said earlier, a lot of teams get better. Just because we run the veer, there is no excuse for us not to be able to match the challenges we come across, whether it be week 1 in Texas or Week 18 in a state title game.

Thank you. i was waiting with great anticipation for this reply.

[PrepGridiron]

What has it been like following in the footsteps of a legend and what things do you think you have put in place to leave your mark on the program?

[Coach Alumbaugh]

Taking over for Lad obviously brought with it some pretty lofty expectations.  I certainly feel the weight of that, but Lad and Eidson did a great job easing me into the responsibility of the position.  I think the first conversation I had with them about eventually taking over was when I was 20 years old, so I had ample time to get my head around it.  And anyone who knows Lad understands how completely devoid of ego he is.  I think there is the assumption that because he is still on staff he is some looming football overlord; that couldn’t be further from the truth.  His desk is right next to mine, and we talk about football and developing kids all the time,  but there is never the sense of being told what to do- there is always just thoughtful reflection on what we do and what we can do better.  And he loves being on the field because he loves kids and loves the coaches- we’re his best friends.  As for what I’ve brought- you’d probably have to ask the assistants who have been with us both, but I do know I bring a unique perspective as an alum.  I understand what it took to be a student-athlete here, and I try keep that perspective when working with the boys.  Our practice is definitely different; things move more quickly and up-tempo- the guys that played for Lad back in the day can attest that some of those practices were a grind.  We still work our kids, just a little bit differently.  The use of HUDL, etc has expanded as well.  

[PrepGridiron]

Coach, thank you so much. Obviously those were all compound questions, so I appreciate you taking the time to answer them. If you have the time to stick around, I'd love to open it to the members. We are on your time though, so feel free to answer as much as you'd like. 

Thanks!

[Coach Alumbaugh]

My wife just picked the kid up from daycare and the boys just finished the workout, so I have some time

[Columbiafan]

I have two questions that I hope can be answered if you have the time to do so

 

 

I remember De La Salle played a few FL teams a while back,  any chance De La Salle makes another FL game happen?

 

Also what's the best state you have seen (excluding California)  in terms of talent? 

[LiberalDonaldTrump]

3 minutes ago, Coach Alumbaugh said:

Taking over for Lad obviously brought with it some pretty lofty expectations.  I certainly feel the weight of that, but Lad and Eidson did a great job easing me into the responsibility of the position.  I think the first conversation I had with them about eventually taking over was when I was 20 years old, so I had ample time to get my head around it.  And anyone who knows Lad understands how completely devoid of ego he is.  I think there is the assumption that because he is still on staff he is some looming football overlord; that couldn’t be further from the truth.  His desk is right next to mine, and we talk about football and developing kids all the time,  but there is never the sense of being told what to do- there is always just thoughtful reflection on what we do and what we can do better.  And he loves being on the field because he loves kids and loves the coaches- we’re his best friends.  As for what I’ve brought- you’d probably have to ask the assistants who have been with us both, but I do know I bring a unique perspective as an alum.  I understand what it took to be a student-athlete here, and I try keep that perspective when working with the boys.  Our practice is definitely different; things move more quickly and up-tempo- the guys that played for Lad back in the day can attest that some of those practices were a grind.  We still work our kids, just a little bit differently.  The use of HUDL, etc has expanded as well.  

Coach long time DLS fan ,... are you guys ever going to rematch DBP again or any north jersey team??

[Coach Alumbaugh]

We would absolutely love to play a FL team again.  Those were great experiences (despite the two losses).  Those were great teams we played, so we'd like to have the opportunity again.  We've been in talks over the years, but I'm confident it will get done.

As for talent- we spend most of our time in CA, so we naturally see more talent from exposure here. But the STA team was incredible, as was the Lakeland team.  Euless Trinity had great guys too.  Last years St. Johns team had one of the best collections of talent I've seen as well.  We've been so many places its hard to pinpoint one state, but the obvious ones of FL and Texas come to mind.  We haven't played every state so its a limited view.

[World Citizen]

Thanks for coming on Coach.  Will you be so kind as to play Bellvue again...and kick their buts.  My neighbor is an alum and it's annoying.  😋

What was your most satisfying win and disappointing loss?  

Good luck this coming year.

[Eddyr2]

2 minutes ago, Coach Alumbaugh said:

My wife just picked the kid up from daycare and the boys just finished the workout, so I have some time

Was a former Mater Dei player for the late 90’s and early 00’s, DJ Willaims still gives me nightmares. Is he the greatest player in DLS history?

[Coach Alumbaugh]

Coach Toal is one of my favorite humans I've ever spent time with.  I've had some great talks with him at the Nike Summit over the years in Portland.  We would definitely entertain a team from North Jersey- the logistics going cross country are harder than, say, Nevada, but we've gotten it done before and would love to again.

[World Citizen]

And was Prep and Glory great players or were they the greatest players?  Besides you of course...and me.  😎

 

 

[Coach Alumbaugh]

DJ is honestly the most impressive athlete I've ever seen in my life.  I actually played next to him when he was a sophomore and I was a senior.  First day of lifting this guy walks into the weight room and grabs the weight I was using and lifts it with such ease it was demoralizing.  And I was the strongest guy on the team.... until DJ came. 

With that- I have to say Kevin Simon goes down as the best "football" player I've coached.  Not as athletic as DJ, but that dude just oozed football player.  I had to hold him out of drills because of his physicality.

[LiberalDonaldTrump]

2 minutes ago, Coach Alumbaugh said:

Coach Toal is one of my favorite humans I've ever spent time with.  I've had some great talks with him at the Nike Summit over the years in Portland.  We would definitely entertain a team from North Jersey- the logistics going cross country are harder than, say, Nevada, but we've gotten it done before and would love to again.

Haha good to know.. I’d love to see SJR play in Concord.. they got my vote

[Coach Alumbaugh]

Classic.  I will say this- if I had 4 Glory's lining up in mid August on the defensive line against Folsom, I'd be a happy man.  Prep has a different claim though- I'm 0-1 hitting on him lifetime, which he reminds me of about every Sunday at morning hoops.

[Eddyr2]

1 minute ago, Coach Alumbaugh said:

DJ is honestly the most impressive athlete I've ever seen in my life.  I actually played next to him when he was a sophomore and I was a senior.  First day of lifting this guy walks into the weight room and grabs the weight I was using and lifts it with such ease it was demoralizing.  And I was the strongest guy on the team.... until DJ came. 

With that- I have to say Kevin Simon goes down as the best "football" player I've coached.  Not as athletic as DJ, but that dude just oozed football player.  I had to hold him out of drills because of his physicality.

Yeah...that 99 team something special...