Acquiring Relentless Effort in College Football

There is a positive correlation between effort put forth and the level of success attained in just about everything we do in life, college football is no exception. In many circumstances the talent levels between college football teams squaring off on a given Saturday differs only slightly.  The outcome of many games is determined by which team puts forth the greatest effort during preparation and in competition.  This blog validates, through example, the value of effort in the game of college football and discusses how best to achieve great effort from individual players.

The Ohio State Buckeyes know what is expected of each

and every member of that program, Relentless Effort2

It’s hard to argue against success. It’s certainly hard to argue against the success the Ohio State Buckeyes football program has had over the recent years.  Since the 2013 season, the Urban Meyer coached Buckeyes have won at the rate of 91%, including a fourteen win 2014 National Championship campaign. It’s safe to say that Urban Meyer and his staff know what it takes to be successful at the highest level of collegiate football competition.  The Ohio State football program has established a culture that begins with Relentless Effort, which Urban Meyer defines as “going as hard as you can, on every play, in every rep, all the time.”2 Coach Meyer adds that, “great effort can overcome poor execution, but great execution will not overcome poor effort.”2 Myers insists that the byproduct of relentless effort is that his team is tougher than any situation or opponent they face. In February of 2014, as the Buckeye program began their off season workouts that eventually lead to a National Championship season, Urban Meyer told his team this, “We will practice and play with relentless effort….This is the culture of Ohio State football….Accept nothing less from yourself. Accept nothing less from your teammates.”2

Coach Michael Ghobrial mentors the Tarleton State University pass rush which is currently ranked sixth in the nation in sacks. Prior to his arrival at Tarleton State Coach Ghobrial made coaching stops at UCLA, Syracuse and Colorado Mesa University. Coach Ghobrial agrees that effort is a significant contributor to team success and offers the following, "If you want something you’ve never had before, you have to be willing to do things you’ve never done before, that involves redefining the grind with relentless pursuit and maintaining a pure mind throughout the process.”1

Acquiring and maintaining relentless effort from players is easier said than done, but key to the effort is clearly communicating the expectation and holding players accountable. This message must be initially communicated by the head coach, like Coach Meyer did in 2014 at Ohio State.  The message must then be reinforced daily in the meeting rooms and on the practice field. Assistant coaches must exhibit relentless effort of their own and provide constant positive reinforcement when players demonstrate the expected level of effort. Conversely, when a player fails to meet effort expectations, assistant coaches must hold the individual accountable by administering extra drills at the most inconvenient of times, typically in the very early morning hours. If this extra motivation fails to achieve the desired level of effort coaches can elevate their response by either reducing playing time or holding the entire position group accountable to generate peer-pressure.

There is nothing easy about winning a college football game. While talent discrepancies and scheme play a role in determining the outcome of a game it is often the team that puts forth the greatest effort that enjoys victory.  Many very successful football coaches, including Coach Meyer and Coach Ghobrial, recognize the importance of great effort and they embrace the challenge to obtain the greatest effort possible from the players they coach.  When successful in this endeavor they enjoy success on the gridiron.

References:

1Ghobrial, M (personal communication, September 29, 2016)

2Meyer, U. (2015). Above The Line. New York, NY: Penguin Press