The Sam Siefkes File

There are a lot of myths about what the necessary qualities of a good coordinator hire are.

For instance: how valuable is experience? In 2024, at the Power Four level, the average defensive coordinator had five-and-a-half years of coordinating experience prior to being hired at their school. But that includes all levels. Over half of P4 coordinators had no prior experience at the P4 level, and nearly one quarter of them had no prior DC experience at all.

Moreover, there was no meaningful difference in performance between either group. This suggests not that experience is irrelevant, but that it has to be the right kind of experience.

In hiring defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes, Brent Pry has reasoned that going with the young up-and-comer over a Power Four retread is a gamble worth taking. Studying the numbers, Pry may have a point.

Who exactly is Siefkes? If you didn't know already, you've come to the right place.