Building a Defensive Identity and Winning Culture with Cody Gardner

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts116/v4/60/b2/97/60b297f9-a225-32f3-1bc8-426e8114946f/mza_16988533372634569534.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

The Board Drill Podcast

Kyle Bradburn, Matt Dixon

76 episodes

1 day ago

Join seasoned coaches Kyle Bradburn and Matt Dixon on The Board Drill Podcast, a dynamic journey into the intricate world of high school football. With a passion for the game that extends beyond the field, Kyle and Matt delve deep into the challenges facing coaches today. This podcast is more than just X's and O's; it's a guiding light for high school coaches nationwide, offering valuable resources and insights to empower them on their journey to becoming better, more effective leaders on and off the field. Tune is for engaging conversations on football with The Board Drill Podcast!

Football

Sports

RSS

All content for The Board Drill Podcast is the property of Kyle Bradburn, Matt Dixon and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Football

Sports

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/39891581/39891581-1702060826185-c0b7b6a08d79f.jpg

Building a Defensive Identity and Winning Culture with Cody Gardner

The Board Drill Podcast

1 hour 12 minutes 7 seconds

4 months ago

Building a Defensive Identity and Winning Culture with Cody Gardner

In this episode of the Board Drill Podcast, we catch up with Cody Gardner, the Defensive Coordinator at Corner Canyon High School (UT), to dive deep into what it really takes to build and sustain a defensive identity at the high school level.

We talk foundational philosophy, how to reset your structure when needed, and how Cody blends system, player personality, and coaching staff dynamics into a cohesive, flexible defense. Whether you're starting from scratch or evolving your current approach, this episode is a blueprint for aligning scheme, culture, and staff into one united vision.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

01:42 – Gardner’s program vision and year-round player development

08:30 – The role of aggression in defensive identity

14:05 – Building from a 3-4 base with 4-2-5 variation

21:12 – Handling RPO-heavy offenses and adjusting structure

29:45 – Evaluating staff: empowering young coaches and accountability

36:20 – Non-negotiables in team culture

41:58 – Offseason planning and “install backwards” philosophy

48:35 – Advice for young head coaches

55:00 – Final thoughts and closing

🔔 Subscribe to Board Drill for deep-dive conversations with coaches nationwide.

🧠 For more clinic content, resources, and strategy breakdowns, follow us at:

Instagram: @boarddrill

Twitter: @boarddrill

TikTok: @BoardDrill

Website: www.boarddrill.com

👍 Like, Share, and leave a comment below if you found this valuable!