The offseason is when football gets quiet enough to actually see it.
In my recent Substack collaboration with Cody Alexander of Match Quarters, we didn’t just talk trends — we talked about the hidden language of defense, and why it’s still the hardest side of the ball for most people to truly understand. Offense has a few common dialects. Defense is a thousand little ones. The same concept can be taught five different ways, named five different things, and argued over like it’s personal.
That’s part of why Cody’s work matters: he’s built a space that translates complexity into clarity without dumbing it down.
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Cody’s story is also a reminder of how quickly the game can redirect a life and one I have deep regard for. A former college coach who left to chase his passion is a lane I can get down with on so many levels.
Coaching gave Cody the foundation, but instability — and the desire to protect time with his family — pushed him to create something sustainable. What began as writing on the internet turned into a full-time platform that now serves everyone from curious fans to coaches at the highest levels. He’s not just analyzing defense; he’s teaching it.
And it didn’t happen overnight.
So for the young coaches out there who are often whispering to me about life away from the office, this conversation may inspire you.
Also, as former coaches, we zoomed out to the sport itself and trends that are coming to college football.
The biggest takeaway: the NFL and college football are closer than they’ve ever been. As pro football fully embraced space, spread structures, and two-high solutions, defensive ideas that once felt “college” now live on Sundays — and NFL approaches are flowing back down into Saturdays.
We spent time on what teams like Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon and Ohio State represent: defenses that win with multiplicity, movement, and disguise without asking players to memorize a novel. It’s less about having one perfect call and more about building a system that can adjust at a premium level week to week.
We closed with something I loved — an idea bigger than scheme. When you know the game deeply, it’s easy to turn into a critic. But Cody still watches with joy. He studies hard, teaches relentlessly, and still loves the sport for what it is.
That’s the point of the offseason, too.
To learn. To see. And to come back to the game with more appreciation than noise.
Much love and so grateful for our community. Let’s stay steady folks, spring ball is right around the corner.
Yogi
