BY MATT VINES, DeSoto Parish Journal
STONEWALL – High school head football coaches, much like business owners, tend to hire who they know when filling out their coaching staffs.
One local football coach is championing the idea of widening those coaching circles through a freer flow of information.
North DeSoto offensive line coach Christopher Wilson started a Louisiana Football Coaches Free Agent Pool in an attempt to connect interested assistant coaches with head coaches looking to fill staff positions.
Assistant coaches, or anybody trying to break into coaching, can sign up to be in the free agent pool here.
Interested assistants names are protected from the general public with only participating head coaches able to see who has entered this coaching portal.
“The reason why is the apprehension,” said Wilson, who has been an assistant coach at various schools in the area and a head coach at Plain Dealing High in Bossier Parish. “There are a lot of jobs getting recycled among the same people, so my goal is to let people know that there are other guys out here that are interested.
“An assistant coach may not know head coaches in the area well enough to go up to them or give them a call. This is a portal that pairs interested assistant coaches with head coaches looking for staff.”
Wilson said 35 assistant coaches have entered the portal as of Saturday, which means they’ve submitted their names on Wilson’s Google Sheet along with basic information such as coaching experience and where in the state they are located.
Fifteen head coaches have signed up for access to the portal information.
He added that another 10-15 assistants didn’t want to sign up formally but wanted to be kept abreast of openings.
That’s just in the first two weeks of the portal being in operation. No actual hirings through the portal have occurred yet, but Wilson said he’s encouraging participants to inform him of hirings.
Wilson said that he’s received interest from all areas of the state with the fewest number of applicants coming from his own corner in northwest Louisiana.
“I’ve been an assistant coach looking for a job, so I just want to help others,” Wilson said. “Last year I connected three different coaches with new jobs through an informal process, and it ended up working out for them.
“This way is more accessible to a larger group of coaches from all over the state.”
Wilson said he got the idea from an ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) account called “Missouri Scoop.”
“This account tracks hirings and firings of open high school positions,” Wilson said. “Nothing like that has been done in Louisiana, and I thought it was a great idea.”
Outside of the traditional coaching circles and relationships, high school coaches could meet each other and form relationships at the annual coaching convention in July.
But many high school head coaches are hired in the winter and spring months following the end of football season, and waiting to identify and hire assistant coaches outside of one’s typical circle is often too late in the coaching cycle, particularly for coaches who would need to relocate.
Now those connections can be made year-round, connecting head and assistant coaches based on mutual interest.
It’s just one part of Wilson’s coaching platform, Mr. CoachWilson Sports, an entity seeking to help coaches by sharing insight and commentary into the Louisiana high school coaching world.
Wilson has made appearances on local television Friday Night football highlight shows as well as live-streaming games throughout this past football season.
“I’m just a regular coach trying to help other coaches be better coaches,” Wilson said. “A former Byrd teammate of mine Chad Lewis (former Green Oaks head coach) and I hosted an in-person clinic last summer and held a virtual clinic this past Sunday, and those are things we want to keep doing.
“This is a platform to educate and enlighten coaches and keep the public abreast of what’s going on in the coaching world.”