Every athlete has a different performance gap, so I do not assume every confidence problem is actually a confidence problem.

Mental Performance Coaching

Areas we may work on include confidence and self-trust, preparation, focus, performing under pressure, responding after mistakes, hesitation and decision-making, accountability, leadership, pre-performance routines, and translating practice performance to competition.

Football Development

I primarily work with linebackers and defensive players on stance and starts, keys and reads, eye discipline, run fits, block destruction, leverage, pursuit, tackling approach, coverage fundamentals, football IQ, film study, recognition, and decision-making.

Sessions may also combine football and mental performance when both are contributing to the athlete’s performance.

Sessions are built around the athlete’s current needs rather than forcing every athlete through the same workout or conversation.

Mental performance sessions typically follow five steps: review what happened, diagnose the primary execution gap, coach the appropriate tool or process, rehearse its application to real competitive situations, and establish specific actions before the next session.

Football sessions typically include movement preparation, position-specific technique, reads and decision-making, reactive or competitive work, and clear takeaways the athlete can bring into practice and games.

I want athletes to understand what they are doing, why it matters, and how to execute it when the situation changes.

Each session ends with clear actions the athlete is responsible for applying before we meet again.

Playing Career

Ohio Dominican University Football

Walk-on to scholarship athlete

2013 GLIAC Champion

All-GLIAC Linebacker

First Team Academic All-District

Second Team Academic All-American

Three-time GLIAC Academic Excellence Award recipient

College Coaching Career, 2015-2021

Ohio Dominican University

Kent State University

Western Colorado University

Wheeling University

Arkansas State University

Coaching experience included linebackers, defensive backs, and special teams.

Player and unit development included All-Conference linebackers, conference Players of the Week, and nationally ranked special teams units.

Education

M.A. Sports Leadership

M.A. Sports & Recreation Management

B.S. Mathematics & Education

I now coach athletes and teams on the execution side of performance, including preparation, accountability, confidence, focus, response, and leadership.

I have been fortunate to learn from many great coaches throughout my playing and coaching career, so I would not identify only one.

Two who had a major impact on me were Ed Niper, my middle school football coach, and Kelly Cummings, my college defensive coordinator.

What stood out was that they coached the person, not just the player. They learned what motivated me, understood how to challenge me, held me accountable, and adapted their approach to get the best out of me.

That heavily influences how I coach today. Athletes need standards and accountability, but effective coaching also requires understanding the individual athlete in front of you.

I am not interested in providing motivation for an hour and sending an athlete home feeling good. Coaching has to produce action.

I expect athletes to communicate honestly, accept coaching, take ownership of their development, and apply what we work on outside of our sessions.

I will also be straightforward about what I see. If the problem is confidence, we will address confidence. If it is preparation, effort, football knowledge, technique, decision-making, or something else, I am not going to call everything a mindset problem.

For younger athletes, I believe parents should understand what we are working on and how they can support the process while still allowing the athlete to take ownership.

The goal is not dependency on a coach. The goal is helping athletes learn how to prepare, respond, adjust, and execute for themselves.