We’ve all been there. Some years you have a dual-threat QB who can tear a defense apart with his legs. Other years, your QB either lacks that mobility or is simply too valuable to the offense to risk taking unnecessary hits.
In my 20 years of coaching, I’ve lived through this cycle repeatedly. During the “non-running QB” years, we’ve had to get creative to diversify our ground game and share the workload.
Two years ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Coach Tim Salem (Current Senior Football Advisor at Georgia Tech and former Pitt TEs coach). I asked him about the specific shovel pass variations Pitt utilized during their legendary 2016 upset of #2 Clemson. If you remember that game, those shovels weren’t just a wrinkle—they were the backbone of the offensive game plan.
His explanation was simple: “We were trying to keep hits off the QB and find ways to put defensive players in conflict without having to block them.”
That conversation sent me down a rabbit hole. After diving into the film that summer, shovel variations became a staple of our offense. Now, we aim to carry two to four different variations on our call sheet every week.
*If you never seen the 2016 – Pitt v. Clemson Game & the Shovel Variations Used (Playlist Below)
Integrating the shovel pass offers several strategic advantages:
Safety Net: If the pitch isn’t handled, it’s an incomplete pass rather than a fumble.
Seamless Integration: You can simply add a new mesh to your existing base run schemes.
Conflict Coaching: It allows you to incorporate option elements and leave dangerous defenders unblocked.
Edge Stress: Can put the ‘DE’ into significant stress with multiple looks coming at them.
Horizontal Stretch: It uses the defense’s own momentum and movement against them.
Before you “dabble” in the shovel world, ask yourself these five questions:
Personnel: Who are the “studs” you need to get the ball to?
Read vs. Called: Do you want the QB to read a defender or is it a pre-determined shovel?
Investment: How much practice time can you realistically afford to install it?
Momentum: How can you use defensive flow against itself?
Scheme Fit: Which variation matches your current identity?
If you’re looking for ideas to “chew on,” consider how these fits might work within your system:
Power Flow Shovel Read
Power Speed Option Shovel
Sprint Out Shovel
Counter Shovel / Counter Flick
Opposite Inside Zone / Outside Zone
Sniffer Dart Shovel
2015 – Bowling Green – Power Option Y Shovel
2022 – UCLA – Counter Flick
2014 – Baylor – Empty Sniffer Dart Shovel
2025 – Arkansas – Power Flow Shovel Read
2024 – UC Davis – Unbalanced Shovel Counter
For more ideas on how to incorporate these looks, check out my eBook: #MakeShovelsGreatAgain
If you want to talk more about any of these variations or want more info – reach out on X/Twitter at @CoachCroyle, where I’m constantly posting film clips & shovel ideas. I do have a playlist of over 300+ shovels from the last few years in college football. Love trying to help other coaches!
