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The head coach in football is the person in charge of a football team. Head coaches are responsible for choosing the players that start on game days, picking play calls, leading practices, and directing assistant coaches, among many other decisions. The head coach will also trust his coordinators to run day-to-day operations for the offense, defense, and special teams.

Head Coach Roles and Responsibilities

As a head coach, the main responsibility is leading the team week-in and week-out, and that starts with delegation. With a football team being so big, it is not possible for the head coach to do everything at once, and that is where the coordinators come in. The offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator are all responsible for their respective units. This allows the head coach to prepare the overall game plan. Head coaches also end up making the big time decisions. At the end of the day, head coaches either get credit if something goes right, or end up receiving criticism if something goes wrong.

The roles and responsibilities of head coaches differ slightly at each level. Youth coaches are charged with teaching the basics to kids, while professional coaches deal with building a team filled with the best players in the world. Read on to learn more about head coaches at each level of football.

Youth Coaches

Youth coaches guide and instruct players when they are below high school age. The primary objectives of youth coaches are to teach the fundamentals of football to kids and encourage them to have fun. A good youth coach will teach safe tackling techniques and how to avoid injuries.

High School Coaches

High school is when the competitive aspect of football becomes much higher than in youth football. Coaches implement more complicated systems in high school to prepare players for college. Since high school football is much more intense than youth football, it is just as important to teach safe playing habits as it is to develop new techniques. Many high school football coaches are also teachers at the school they coach for, and thus, they will often have a deeper bond with their players, teaching them not only on the field, but in the classroom.

College Coaches

Head coaches in college football differ from their professional counterparts. In college, athletes are brought to a school through recruiting. This means college head coaches have a major role in recruiting and in the media. They want to make themselves and the institution they represent come across as appealing to potential players.

Professional Coaches

Head football coaches in leagues like the NFL don’t have to worry about recruiting players to play for them like their college counterparts. Although some head coaches are involved in player personnel decisions with the general manager, most have less say in the players they get than at the college level. This allows for them to spend most of their time on preparing for the season and for the games every week.

Head Coach Salary

The salary of a head football coach is the highest of any coach on the team, as they bear the most responsibility when it comes to performance. The highest paid head coach in the NFL is Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, who makes $15-18 million a year, depending on performance. Meanwhile, the lowest paid coaches make considerably less, some below $3.5 million.

College football head coach salaries see even more variance compared to the NFL head coaches. The highest paid college head coach is Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers, who receives a $10.5 million annual salary. Meanwhile, the lowest paid coach in NCAA FBS as of 2021 is Terry Bowden of UL Monroe, who makes $430,000 annually.

Notable NFL Head Coaches

• Vince Lombardi (Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins)
• John Madden (Oakland Raiders)
• Bill Belichick (Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots)
• Bill Walsh (San Francisco 49ers)
• Paul Brown (Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals)
• Bill Parcells (New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys)
• Andy Reid (Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs)
• Tony Dungy (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts)
• Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Jim Harbaugh (Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers)
• John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)

FAQWhat does a head coach do in football?

A head coach in football is responsible for managing the roster, implementing systems, and calling plays. They will be in charge of setting the lineup before the game and developing strategies to use in games. Head coaches have a large team of assistant coaches, who micromanage each positional group.

How do you become an NFL head coach?

Most NFL head coaches do not begin their careers as head coaches at the professional level. The vast majority of coaches currently running NFL teams started out at lower levels of coaching, either as high school or college coaches, or in positions as offensive or defensive coordinators for other football teams. Many NFL head coaches also got started in football as players, choosing to transition to coaching after retiring from the game.

Who is the highest-paid head coach in the NFL?

Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams is currently the highest-paid NFL head coach, earning a salary of approximately $15-18 million. McVay’s previous contract of $8.5 million was reportedly doubled after the Rams’ victory in Super Bowl LVI on February 13th, 2022. The previous highest-paid head coach of the league was New England’s Bill Belichick, who is reported to make approximately $12.5 million each year.