Next Man Up: Coach Cobbs Calls the Play

How do you lead teenagers toward greatness—on and off the field? 👟📣

In this episode of Skip the Lines Podcast, Jonathan Mitchell sits down with longtime friend and Granite Hills High School head football coach, Kellan Cobbs. From growing up in East County to leading his alma mater to multiple championships, Kellan shares his journey from being a 23-year-old rookie coach to building one of the most dominant high school programs in Southern California.

Highlights

00:00 – 03:00 🏡 Roots, Family & Early Life

• Growing up in East County & Granite Hills alum
• Married to his high school sweetheart

03:00 – 06:40 🏈 Coaching Origins: From SDSU to Head Coach

• Coaching start at San Diego State
• Landing the Granite Hills head job at just 23

06:40 – 11:04 🗣️ Communication, Leadership & Player Trust

• Loud family lessons: volume ≠ leadership
• Reading kids’ backgrounds to coach them right

11:04 – 16:24 🏆 Culture, Program Building & Turning the Corner

• No playoff wins since 1988 before Cobbs
• Creating a long-term vision with school leadership

16:24 – 33:00 🎓 Recruiting, NIL & The New College Landscape

• Managing expectations: not everyone’s D1
• Colleges want transcripts first

33:00 – 42:02 🔥 Game Strategy, Career Wins & Community Impact

• Favorite offensive scheme: 2 TEs + mobile QB
• Trick plays & explosive scoring philosophy

Quotes:

"You got to know each kid’s story before you coach them." – Kellan Cobbs

"If I didn’t have the people around me, I wouldn’t be sitting here today." – Kellan Cobbs

"Sometimes the first time they hear accountability is in our program." – Kellan Cobbs

"Touch the fence—it's about doing the little things right every day." – Kellan Cobbs

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