Jason Scott

Through my position on the BAFCA (British American Football Coaches Association) Executive Board, I've helped arrange several of our Annual Conventions, planning the timetable of events, and working with the guest speakers who come to visit the UK to share their knowledge and passion for the game.

 

As a result, I've worked with some great coaches; Pat Ruel (formerly of USC, now the Seattle Seahawks), Mike Hankwitz (Northwestern), Shaun Watson (Texas), Jeff Reienbold (former Hawai'i and SMU), and Al Saunders (former Oakland Raiders), but it was with Geoff Collins who I really relished working with. Coach Collins had just been hired as the co-defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, and was eager to come over and speak to the British Coaches.

 

I was blown away by his energy, his passion and his drive - not just in helping develop the assembled British coaches - but also in becoming a better coach. He is a big fan of the English Premier League, and was a big fan of reading about managers like Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson, he was also keen to find out about American Football in England, and how we did things.

 

Myself and Coach Collins stayed in touch throughout my American adventure at Endicott, and when that came to an end, he offered me an opportunity to come to Mississippi State where he ran the defence.

 

Nothing could have prepared me for the football overload that waited for me in Starkville. I had already visited campus to work summer camps, and was impressed by the facility and the focus that went into running the program in the off-season, but to be part of a living, breathing SEC team in-season was a completely different beast. I was blown away by the level of detail the defensive coaching staff went into - not just on the field, but into the scouting of opponents and the preparation to perform.

 

My first three games were against LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn - games that Mississippi State were expected to lose - however this team wasn't ready to bow to expectations. A win on the road in Louisiana was followed up by back-to-back home wins against the Aggies and the Tigers, and before I knew it we were ranked #1 in the nations - where we would stay for five consecutive weeks.

I was given more and more responsibility as the season wore on - I was given more opportunity to contribute to the scout report, and had specific players, positions and situations to look at. Whether it was charting Amari Coopers touches, or how Arkansas used their Tight Ends, the pressure on me to get the coaches and coordinators the information they needed was increasing week by week.

 

Just being around the coaching staff was incredible, and to have an opportunity to learn from coaches who were at the peak of the powers was invaluable. Having the ability to sit in on every game planning meeting, every defensive meeting and every single one of Coach Collins' linebacker classroom sessions did wonders for my coaching knowledge. I began to question, and critically analyse schemes and concepts much better, as well as critiquing what I had previously believe in, and my own coaching style and demeanour.

The Bulldogs ended the season 10-3 and were rewarded with an invite to the Orange Bowl. The final ranking of #11 in the Nation and the 10 wins was a school record, and - as a result - the eyes of the nation turned to Starkville.