The Unscripted Huddle

What is it like to spend half of your life playing or coaching for the same college? Join Joe and John as they connect with Head Coach Jay Long from Chadron State College and explore his program, experiences, and learnings from spending 20+ years as a part of their football team. Hosts: Joe Rafter & John Reagan For more about the podcast and video links, go to: NFA Website To see the video version of this episode, please go to YouTube

What is is like to spend half of your life playing or coaching for the same college? Join Joe and John as they conect with Head Coach Jay Long from Chadron State College and explore his program, experiences, and learnings from spending 20+ years as a part of their football team. Hosts: Joe Rafter & John Reagan For more about the podcast and video links, go to: NFA Website To see the video version of this episode, please go to YouTube

In this series, Joe & John connect with Coach Tony DeMeo, who has over 25 years of experience as a football head coach. Tony's stories are packed with the kind of wisdom that only comes from decades of experience, including topics such as the Triple Gun Offensive and Evaluating Performance. Tony has been with and learned from some legends. Join us, and you'll benefit from those experiences as well. Hosts: Joe Rafter & John Reagan For more about the podcast and video links, go to: NFA Website To see the video version of this episode, please go to YouTube

What is it like to play high school football, compete with elite coaches and players in D1, win a Super Bowl, and then return to your high school to coach football? Join Joe and John as they explore this circle of football with Coach Jack Cornell and his path from Quincy Notre Dame High School to the Baltimore Ravens and back. Great stories and character from a dedicated football coach.

Join us as we bring back our first repeat guest to the Unscripted Huddle. Coach Juwan Lewis has has another succesful year on and off the field at Alabama State. Joe and John catch up with Coach to hear how he is addressing the portal and recruiting iin addition to his culture building through drill work.

Join Joe & John as they debrief on the 2026 AFCA Convention, the Super Bowl, and the extraordinary coaching carousel in the NFL this year.

Joe and John are back for Season 2 of The Unscripted Huddle. This shows four downs cover what coming in season 2 and commentary on the 2025 NFL and College seasons to date. Join our guys as they pre-game Season 2!

Russ Yeager - Commissioner of the New Jersey Suburban Youth Football League. He's been in charge of one of the biggest youth leagues in the country and can speak to the modern culture of youth football. 

Join Joe and John as they listen to over 30 years of experience and wisdom from Steve Sell, an Athletic Director and Football Coach from the Central Coast of California.

Diron Tappin - president of the AZ Youth Football League. Two years ago, the state of youth football in AZ was chaotic with leagues falling apart. Diron Tappin stepped in and organized a new league that now supports 100 teams across the state. Listen to Joe, John, and Diron explore his journey to build a world-class youth league! 

Louis LeBlanc, Westminster Christian Academy, Huntsville, Alabama. Football is more than Xs and Os at Westminster Christian Academy under Coach LeBlanc's leadership. Join Joe and John as they hear Coach LeBlanc's insights on how he is helping men become better through football.

Join John and Joe as they check in with Coach Bill Best, OL Coach and Run Game Coordinator at Colorado State. Coach Best shares some of his most respected coaches in Offensive line play, and is collecting analytics on how these techniques have significantly improved his OL production as measured by 3rd party metrics. If you need your OLine to improve, you'll get value from this discussion!

Join Joe & John as they sit down with Erik Poldroo, Co-Founder of The Zone and Mental Health Advocate, to explore mental health in football from a player, parent, and coaches point of view. 

Join Joe & John as they sit down with Mike Guteliis, Head Coach, Catholic University, to explore recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL, program culture, and the dynamics of Division III football.

Beck Brydon - Director of Student Impact and Head Football Coach at Second Baptist HS (Houston). How did a golfer become a multi-year state championship winning Texas Private High School football coach? Join Joe and Joh to hear Coach Brydon's story and several of his philosphies on what makes a great high school football coach and player.

In this episode, Joe & John check in with High School Football in Silicon Valley, as Coach Dave DeGeronimo from Palo Alto high school joins the show. Join us to hear how Coach grew his career, what he learned from some of the best, and how he gets his team ready for the next season! 

Helmets are like mobile phones. The technology is improving so quickly that you want the newest and best available. Join Joe and John as they discuss the #1 rated helmet on the market today, according to VA Tech's ratings. LIGHT Helmet CEO, Nick Esayian, joins our show to share how he is disrupting the industry and making the game we love better.

What happens when MMA meets Football Linemen? Join Joe and John as they discuss the most cutting edge of line play with Mike Pollack, Director of Training with Tip of the Spear (TOS). Learn how the NFA is partnering with TOS to help you get reduced pricing access to the best football line techniques on the market. 

Join Joe & John as they welcome Mazi Moayed, Head Coach of Marin Catholic talking about creating a strong, winning, consistent football culture. Joe and Mazi also share working together as a youth and high school program, a key to strengthening both teams. 

Join Joe & John as they connect with Dr. Jillian Urban, Assistant Professor at Wake Forrest Medical Center, and co-creator of the NFA's research approach. Dr. Urban will share her insights and experiences working with youth football organizations to implement safety protocols and procedures.

Join Joe & John as they explore the position of Running Back, Coaching Legacies, and the question of "Why do we coach Football?" with Coach Juwan Lewis of Alabama State. We'll cover coaching tips for RBs and the bigger purpose behind football coaches from Coach Lewis' and the NFA's perspective.  

Join Joe & John as we connect with Lisa Ertz, Chief Engagement Officer for the National Football Alliance, Mom of 4 boys including Zach Ertz, and head of the Ertz Family Foundation. We'll talk about what it is like to be an NFL Mom, raising four boys who all played different sports, and why she volunteers for the National Football Alliance.

Join Joe & John as we connect with Dr. Alicia Trbovich, Chief Medical Officer for the National Football Alliance and Neuropsychologist for the Pittsburgh Steelers to explore the latest from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on neurology, being a Mom of 3 under the age of 5, and why she chooses to volunteer for the National Football Alliance.

Join Joe & John as they connect with Chris Fore, California High School Principal and  Former California Coaches Association President. We'll talk about the state of head coaching in SoCal, Chris's insights on the shield punt, and more!

Join us to hear our "four-down" perspective on the NVL MVP contest, how we evaluate players, our coaching philosophy on using player evaluations, the NCAA Football Playoff Bracket, and our plans to attend the 2025 AFCA Convention.

Join Joe & John as they recap their experiences, learnings, and insights into the American Football Coaching Association's 2025 Convention in Charlotte. John is a veteran of the convention while this was Joe's first convention. Hear why this event is now a standard annual experience for the NFA!

Join us and the dynamic Merril Hoge as we discuss his career, coaching insights, and his "Find A Way" life philosophy. Whether you are a coach or parent, you'll leave this discussion with a few nuggets of wisdom. 

In this episode, we are joined by Steve Famiano, one of the pivotal leaders of the Save Youth Football - California movement.    In this episode, we explore Steve and Joe's experiences defeating bills to ban youth football for over 6 years!   As always, we'll share some insights for parents, coaches, and administrators along the way! 

In a two-part show, join John and Joe for a factual discussion of the intersection of football and neurology with Dr. Peter Cummings, co-author of Brainwashed: The Bad Science Behind CTE and the Plot to Destroy Football. Through this show you will also hear the origins of the National Football Alliance and the work done to date to honor, improve, and advance the great sport of football. 

In a two-part show, join John and Joe for a factual discussion of the intersection of football and neurology with Dr. Peter Cummings, co-author of Brainwashed: The Bad Science Behind CTE and the Plot to Destroy Football. Through this show you will also hear the origins of the National Football Alliance and the work done to date to honor, improve, and advance the great sport of football. 

Join us to hear our "four-down" perspective on the NVL MVP contest, how we evaluate players, our coaching philosophy on using player evaluations, the NCAA Football Playoff Bracket, and our plans to attend the 2025 AFCA Convention.

Join us to hear our "four down" perspective on Developing a Youth Playbook, the intersection of football and principles of leadership, our take on conversations with parents and players, and our favorite moments from the holidays. We hope to meet you at the AFCA Convention January 12-14 in Charlotte, North Carolina.