I tweeted this earlier this week, and the more I sat with it, the more I realized how much it captured what I feel about coaching JV football:
“JV football is the last pure bastion of football in America. No championships. No prestige. No news reels. Just going out with your brothers and sisters, learning, playing, and loving the game the way it was intended.”
I didn’t write it to be poetic. I wrote it because it’s true.
In a football landscape that is increasingly driven by exposure, rankings, social media, and outcomes, JV football still exists in a space where the game is about growth. It’s about learning how to play. It’s about learning how to be part of something bigger than yourself. It’s about falling in love with football for the right reasons.
And that’s why I love coaching JV football.
Why I Love Coaching JV Football
JV football isn’t glamorous. There are rarely trophies handed out for JV championships. Kids are only starting to cut highlight tapes for recruiting. There are no reporters on the sideline. In most communities, people barely even know the score.
And that’s exactly why it’s special.
JV football is coaching in its purest form. You’re managing very few egos. You’re not navigating scholarship offers. You’re not selling anything. You’re teaching. You’re developing. You’re building.
At the JV level, kids show up because they want to be there—or they’re learning whether they want to be there. They’re figuring out if football is something they’re willing to commit to. That honesty creates an environment where coaching actually matters.
When a JV kid gets better, you see it immediately. When they struggle, you know exactly why. When they succeed, it’s because they earned it, not because they were more physically mature than everyone else.
JV football strips the game down to its core: teach, rep, improve, repeat.
The Purity of the Game at the JV Level
There’s something beautifully simple about JV football.
The goals are clear. Learn the game. Improve as players. Prepare for what’s next. That’s it.
There’s no external pressure to win at all costs. There’s no justification for sacrificing development for short-term success. When you coach JV football the right way, every decision runs through one question: Does this help this player get better?
Because JV football isn’t about the record. It’s about the process.
Kids aren’t playing for followers or attention. They’re playing because they like football. They like being around their teammates. They like learning how to do something difficult. They like earning reps and trust.
That purity is rare now. And once you coach in it long enough, you realize how valuable it is—not just for the players, but for the coaches too.
Players Driven by the Desire to Get Better
JV players are in a unique place mentally.
They’re no longer wide-eyed youth players just happy to wear pads. And they’re not varsity players yet, validated by playing time or recognition. They’re in between.
That “in between” creates something powerful: internal motivation.
JV players want to get better because they know improvement is the path forward. They know if they want to play on Friday nights, that path goes through JV. They know reps matter. They know technique matters. They know effort matters. The carrot is simple—earn your way to varsity.
That makes coaching honest.
You don’t have to sell effort. You don’t have to manufacture buy-in. You just have to show them the path. If you give JV players structure, clarity, and consistent teaching, they’ll meet you halfway every time.
They want to be coached. They want feedback. They want to know where they stand.
And when you encourage them, bring them along, and invest in their growth instead of tearing them down, they respond in ways that are incredibly rewarding.
JV as a Litmus Test for Varsity Players
JV football is the proving ground.
It’s where players show who they really are before the lights get brighter. It’s where habits form. It’s where attitudes reveal themselves. It’s where you learn who can handle coaching, adversity, and responsibility.
JV football tells you:
Who is coachable
Who shows up consistently
Who competes when things aren’t easy
Who can be trusted
Who loves football enough to work at it
Those things matter far more than raw ability.
A JV program that’s run the right way gives the varsity staff invaluable information. It’s not just about talent—it’s about readiness. Some kids may be physically gifted but not emotionally or mentally prepared. JV football exposes that, and it gives them time to grow before the jump becomes overwhelming.
JV as a Litmus Test for Concepts and Systems
JV football isn’t just a test for players—it’s a test for football ideas.
If a concept can’t be taught, repped, and executed by JV players, it’s probably too complex. If it requires endless explanations, exceptions, and adjustments, it’s probably not as clean as we think.
JV football forces honesty in scheme.
Rules-based systems thrive here. Simple blocking schemes thrive here. Clean coverage rules thrive here. If something works at the JV level, it’s usually because it’s fundamentally sound and teachable.
JV football exposes fluff. It rewards clarity.
That’s why JV is such an important bridge in a program’s identity. It helps define what the program actually believes in—not just what looks good on a whiteboard.
The Bridge Between Youth Football and Varsity
JV football is the most important bridge in the entire development pipeline.
Youth football teaches kids how to play. Varsity football asks them to perform. JV football teaches them how to prepare.
This is where players learn:
How to practice with purpose
How to take coaching
How to study film
How to be accountable
How to handle adversity
How to be part of a team
Without a strong JV program, that jump is brutal. Kids get overwhelmed. Confidence gets crushed. Talent goes to waste.
JV football gives players time. Time to grow physically. Time to mature mentally. Time to fall in love with the grind.
That bridge matters.
JV Is More Than “Varsity’s Scrubs”
One of the most damaging ideas in football culture is the notion that JV is just where varsity’s leftovers go.
That mindset kills programs.
JV football isn’t a dumping ground. It’s a development engine. It’s where programs are built, not parked.
Every varsity player was once a JV player. Every starter was once learning how to line up correctly. Every captain once struggled with technique and confidence.
When JV football is treated as an afterthought, the varsity program eventually pays the price.
But when JV football is respected—when it’s coached intentionally, aligned philosophically, and focused on growth—the entire program benefits.
JV isn’t lesser football. It’s foundational football.
Why JV Football Still Matters
In a world where football is increasingly transactional, JV football still feels human.
It’s kids learning something hard together. It’s coaches teaching because they care. It’s effort over outcome. It’s growth over glory.
It’s football without the noise.
That’s why I’ll keep coaching it. That’s why I’ll keep defending it. That’s why I believe JV football might just be the last place where the game still looks the way it was meant to.
No championships. No prestige. No news reels.
Just football.
Just teaching, repping, and building.
And honestly? That’s more than enough.
