2023 Interview with Kyle Stout Offensive Coordinator Gahanna Lincoln HS

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2023 Interview with Kyle Stout Offensive Coordinator Gahanna Lincoln HS

Post by LICKING COUNTY FAN »

Name: Kyle Stout

School: Gahanna Lincoln HS

Position: Offensive Coordinator

To kick this off, would you be kind enough to give the readers your coaching background? Where you have coached and the position you held.
My coaching career started when I was a GA at Ashland University after my final season. I then went on to become the Head Coach of Crestline HS. Following that I went to Wadsworth High School where I served as Special Teams Coordinator and Co-OC. I then went to Westerville South High School where I was the Head Football Coach. From there I went to Gahanna Lincoln as a Co-OC, then to Pickerington North for three years in the same capacity, and finally now Offensive Coordinator at Gahanna Lincoln HS.

What are your thoughts on multi-sport athletes?
I think multi-sport athletes are very important and it is crucial to the development of the student-athlete. If you look at players who are going on to play at the next level or even make it to the NFL, a majority of them are multi-sport athletes. I believe that multi-sport athletes help each team and the culture of the school. You see it all the time, where a class of student-athletes have success on one team and that carries over to the others. Take Gahanna this year for instance. The sports teams have won multiple championships and there are athletes who play on multiple teams.

Gahanna had a very, very good season in 2022, going 13-2. What will you most remember from that season?
I will always remember the journey of how we got there. The winter before the season we created this vision called "The Mountain." We made this image of a large mountain and 6 steps it was going to take to get to the top of that mountain which read OCC Champs 21 years. We put a lot of thought into these steps and the story we were building. We rolled it out to our kids at our team camp, and then every week from there we were always referring to it and tying into where we were on that journey. As we started to have success it took on a life of its own and our kids became committed to one another to finish the climb. I will also remember just how resilient our team was against all odds that year with losing our stadium, hectic practice conditions, and life on the road for 13 weeks. In the end, our team was determined to overcome it all and win.

Looking back from day one as a coach up to the present, what have been the lows and highs of your coaching career?
It is easy to point out that the lows for me were not having the success I wanted as a young head coach. Although those years I grew a lot individually as a coach. The highs for me have just been all the relationships and moments with great players over the years. This past season with winning a conference and regional championship would also be a high.

Looking ahead to this season, what are your biggest concerns with the team?
I think our biggest concern this year is replacing the Seniors from last year. It was a very good class that had playmakers all over the field. A big focus for us this offseason has been on personnel and development.

What are your thoughts on playing out-of-state teams, and will we see Gahanna play any team from out-of-state?
I think to be the best you have to play the best. I think a harder schedule develops and prepares your team for big games late in the season and in the playoffs. That being said we do not have any games scheduled with out-of-state opponents. Anytime we do have an opening it always feels like we are in talks with premier Ohio schools as it is.

As a player or as a coach, who is the best player you have ever gone up against?
If we are sticking to strictly going up against, I will keep it in the HS realm and say Jack Sawyer from Pickerington North. He just was so dominant and had the skills, motor, and toughness to be a handful every play. You always had to know where he was, and you had to try and minimize the effect he could have on the game.

Can you share some of the things you do as a coach to help get your players recruited?
Lately here in Ohio, spring showcases have really gained a lot of traction and gets our players in front of a lot of college coaches from all levels. We do the normal recruiting nights, talk with coaches who come into the school, reach out to coaches who we think a player might be a good fit for, and lastly utilize social media to spread our kids highlights and create little recruiting bios for them.

Which team in 2022 was the toughest to prepare for? Why?
Lakewood Saint Ed's. They have elite talent and elite coaching and as you prepare for the game it is hard to find many weaknesses to exploit.

How difficult was it to play most of your games on the road, and how was Whitehall chosen as your home away from home?
I think the difficult part was seeing our Seniors lose out on the opportunity to play on their home field that they sacrificed so much for in their career. The environment we had weeks one and two with the stadium packed and all the whole student body there is tough to replicate on the road. So we lost a little of that home-field advantage. The daily travel for practice was even a larger issue. Over time the road games just became a routine we all fell into. Whitehall was chosen because it is close to Gahanna which would allow for easier travel for our team and community. Also, Whitehall was an amazing host to us and allowed us to get over there for some practices as well.

What are your thoughts on high school games being played on Thursday and/or Saturday?
I used to really like the Thursday Night Lights that was on TV. It felt like the start of "Football Friday Night.: Turning on that game was a great way to see other teams and players, which we as coaches do not get to do often. I am not a fan of Saturday games. Here in Columbus, we are up against too much. There is College Football and everything else this city has to offer and the environment suffers greatly. There is nothing that beats a prime-time Friday night game in Ohio.

What are your goals for the team this season?
Our goals for this season are to prepare ourselves to climb a new mountain and keep elevating our program to an Elite status.

What is the best part of coaching at Gahanna?
The best part of coaching in Gahanna is getting to coach in my community and what that offers. Also, I get to work for a great Head Coach and friend Bruce Ward. It also helps me be around the program more in the off-season and my wife and kids get to be involved.

If you could change one thing about Ohio high school football, what would it be and why?
Let Ohio High School Football have the same opportunities and rules as other states so our players do not miss out on developing their skills or scholarships.

How much input do you have as far as scheduling your non-league games?
It is not as easy as one may think. Schedules are made way in advance and being at a large school we typically may have 1-3 schools to choose from and then we are talking your Saint Ex., Elder, Centerville, Wayne, etc. So Coach Ward will see what is available and then as Coordinators we will talk it over together with him and rank the games we would like to see.

What are your thoughts on 16 teams in each region making the state playoffs?
I personally am not a fan of it for every region. I think there is a way that for each region they can have a set number of teams that expands possibilities but still keeps it competitive. 16 in each Region for D1 is too much. When we were at 8 teams there were games and environments that mattered week 10. It also was an achievement to get into the playoffs.

Do online ticket sales hurt or help game attendance? Explain.
Personally, I have not seen a difference in attendance as a result.

Can you tell us which seniors from last season will be moving on to play college ball and list the colleges too?
Isaac Perkins: Colgate
Jaden Yates: Marshall
Kamari Burns: Cincinatti
Makai Shahid: Youngstown State
Isaiah Wills-Jackson: Notre Dame College
Romearo Wells: Notre Dame College
Ty Staples: Limestone
Brayden Sanders: Ohio Dominican
Josh Goldman: Ashland University
Dallas Gerhart: Ohio Wesleyan University


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Re: 2023 Interview with Kyle Stout Offensive Coordinator Gahanna Lincoln HS

Post by VetteMan »

I admire Kyle for being humble enough to give an honest answer in as much as possible, as to why he didn't have as much success as a head coach when he first started his coaching career. Was there a particular reason as to why Gahanna Lincoln was unable to use their own stadium for the majority of the season? GL did have a very successful season, it shows even more just by how many kids are going on to play at the next level. Good interview.


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Re: 2023 Interview with Kyle Stout Offensive Coordinator Gahanna Lincoln HS

Post by LICKING COUNTY FAN »

They are getting it completely redone. From what I was told it will be ready by week three. I was also told that they are not going with the newer type of lights because of finances.
The coach has a really good podcast with two other coaches.
https://www.youtube.com/@614Headsets


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Re: 2023 Interview with Kyle Stout Offensive Coordinator Gahanna Lincoln HS

Post by VetteMan »

LICKING COUNTY FAN wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 5:45 pm They are getting it completely redone. From what I was told it will be ready by week three. I was also told that they are not going with the newer type of lights because of finances.
The coach has a really good podcast with two other coaches.
https://www.youtube.com/@614Headsets
Thank you. Whitehall to the recue. That could very well have been a scheduling nightmare for both Gahanna Lincoln and Whitehall.


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