Rob Vaka

Are coaches still getting $10 million?

Trump asks Charlie Baker if there’s a solution that is “as good as what we had before?” Baker: “the big thing we all have to remember here is that the way it was before…sports and media played a completely different role in our society…and the money part has to be part of the conversation and it’s gotta involve the student athletes.”

Early in my coaching career I had a talented player who was chronically five minutes late to everything. Not egregiously late. Just five minutes, every single time. I let it slide because he was good and I didn’t want the conflict. Within a month, half the team was showing up five minutes late. Nobody said a word. The standard just drifted. That’s when it hit me. You’re either actively maintaining your standards or you’re passively lowering them. There’s no neutral position. I’ve also learned that expectations and standards aren’t the same thing, and that distinction matters more than most people realize. Expectations are the vision. The why. In my programs they’ve always been simple. Have fun. Create great experiences and relationships. Learn and grow. That’s the emotional foundation everything else gets built on. Standards are the daily behaviors that actually get you there. Be on time. Be trustworthy. Have a growth mindset and work hard. Take responsibility for your actions. Encourage the people around you. Don’t make excuses. When those are clear and consistent something interesting happens. The standard becomes the authority, not the coach. I don’t have to lecture anyone. I just point to what we all agreed on. The conversation stays about the behavior, not the person. That’s where real accountability lives without anyone feeling attacked. What I’ve seen over 25 years is that the teams, families, and programs that define these things clearly and hold them consistently almost always outperform the ones with similar talent that don’t. It’s not magic. It’s just clarity. People do better when they know exactly where the lines are. Kids especially. They don’t struggle in high standard environments. They struggle in ambiguous ones. Whatever you walk past becomes your new standard. The good news is it works in both directions. Raise the bar and hold it, and the people around you will rise to meet it. Every time.

Underrated coaching truth: The best coaches aren’t obsessed with talent. They’re obsessed with effort. With attitude. With toughness. That’s what wins when it gets hard.

We’re excited to welcome Sean Weatherspoon as our NEW Defensive Coordinator for Alpharetta HS. Coach Weatherspoon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program, having played at both the college and NFL level. Welcome to Raider Nation, Coach Weatherspoon! 🏴‍☠️🏈

🚨CRAZIEST STAT EVER🚨 Legendary coaches Paul Brown, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, Nick Saban, Bo Schembechler, Lou Holtz, Bob Stoops, Les Miles, Ara Parseghian, Jim Tressel, Don James were all born or raised within this 315-mile area. 13 football icons 🤯