Private Coaching Industry Growing Even More During Pandemic: Part One

High school and college football players are turning to private coaches more and more these days, and that was before the pandemic shut down spring practice and took players away from direct contact with their coaches.

Last week Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger took a look into the world of private coaches. The latter had been a growing industry before the COVID-19 pandemic but has seen demand for their services grow while high school and college players are on lockdown away from their schools and coaches.   

Dellenger spoke with multiple private coaches and shared thoughts and comments on their work.   

"In Atlanta, Ron Veal, the private quarterback coach for college stars Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, lathers footballs in disinfectant between training sessions, and in Los Angeles, Danny Hernandez finds himself coaching more through FaceTime calls than face-to-face meetings."

"But there are no complaints among these guys. While the coronavirus pandemic has slowed much of the sports world, the private coaching industry is, for many involved, booming. Their team activities suspended and campus facilities closed, football players from all levels—NFL, college, high school, and middle school—are spending their free time with private coaches, often back near their hometowns, filling the athletic void in their lives while creating, as one trainer put it, more demand than supply. There aren’t enough coaches for athletes. “It’s to the point where I’ve actually had to turn away some business,” says Hernandez. “There’s only so many hours in the day.”

Like the rest of his Commodore teammates, freshman quarterback Ken Seals is back home in Texas, away from head coach Derek Mason and offensive coordinator Todd Finch. Seals and fellow quarterback Jeremy Mussa were both on campus and working through spring drills when the virus forced stoppage and closure of both practice and school. 

Seals has stated he intends to be the starting quarterback for the Commodores in their season opener versus Mercer- when and if it happens- and is spending part of his time back home working with his own quarterback's coach. 

Ryan Roberts, the owner of RRQB Training, Elite Football Instruction, has been working with Seals for several years and has played a role in the young signal-callers development. 

"Ryan is the best example of a Christian role model and QB Coach we could ever hope to find," said Robert Seals, Ken's father. "Ken started with Ryan early in Ryan’s QB training days, and now Ryan has several D1 QBs and some of the very best high school QBs in Texas...he’s an incredible guy." 

It's not the coaching Seals would receive from Finch and Mason. Still, he is working with a coach who can place him in situations similar to the ones in the Commodores offense where he can work on he footwork and accuracy; both are good things for his development as a player. 

Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven