
How Denton Ryan Builds a Weekly Defensive Game Plan with Coach Will Cockerill
From The Board Drill Podcast by Kyle Bradburn, Matt Dixon
April 29, 2026 · 1h 15m · Season 3 · Episode 19
About this episode
Coach Will Cockerill discusses the process of building a weekly defensive game plan for Denton Ryan.
How Denton Ryan Builds a Defensive Game Plan with Coach Will Cockerill Denton Ryan DC Will Cockerill is back on the pod. In two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Ryan, he has gone 25-5, finished number one in scoring defense in the Dallas area at just over 12 points per game, and posted a 70 percent third down stop rate back to back. This episode is not about scheme. It is about the process of getting 16-year-olds to execute at a high level from one Friday night to the next. Coach Cockerill walks through his entire weekly system: the post-game summary he sends to his head coach Saturday morning, the position-specific Google Docs that structure his Sunday staff meeting, how he scripts and sequences practice Monday through Thursday, how he organizes film in Huddle for players and coaches, and how he builds a call sheet that leaves nothing to chance on game night. Kyle and Matt break it all down with him. If you are a coordinator trying to build a more organized weekly structure, this one is required listening. 0:00 Introduction and welcome back to Coach Will Cockerill, DC at Denton Ryan 2:00 16 years in Texas, a 25-5 record as DC, and the three keys to success at any program…
People in this episode
Hosts: Kyle Bradburn, Matt Dixon
Guest: Will Cockerill
Topics covered
- defensive game planning
- coaching strategies
- high school football
- team organization
- player development
Keywords
- defensive coordinator
- game plan
- Texas football
- third down efficiency
- player execution
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Denton Ryan
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