Adapting the Up-Tempo Spread Offense To Today's Wing-T - Installation

Lew Johnston takes the up-tempo, spread offense that has swept through football and grafts it onto today's Wing-T. This first part of the series is the installation: the objectives, the general principles, the athletes it takes at each spot, and the formations the package lives in. Johnston points to Gus Malzahn's own Wing-T background as the reason the two systems fit together so naturally, and to his own goal line experiment, where the adapted offense scored a touchdown 97% of the time it was called.

What you'll learn

• How Johnston recognized Gus Malzahn's Wing-T background behind the up-tempo, no-huddle offense that succeeded at Auburn
• The goal line experiment with this offense that produced a touchdown 97% of the time it was used
• The three objectives of running this offense
• The general principles involved in executing it
• The personnel packages and formations that evolve out of the system
• The type of athlete needed at every position
• The "Wildcat" and "Tiger" formations, with position alignment for both
• Alignment for two additional formations, "Stack" and "Diamond"
• The critical importance of communication in play calling, and a step-by-step procedure for installing the whole offense

Who it's for

High school head coaches and offensive coordinators who run the Wing-T and want tempo without abandoning their run game, and spread coaches looking to add Wing-T misdirection and downhill power.

About the coach

Lew Johnston was head coach at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy in Virginia. He has coached the Wing-T throughout his career, compiling an overall winning percentage of 82%.

Part 1 of Coach Johnston's series on adapting the up-tempo spread offense to the Wing-T, covering installation, the running game, the passing game and attacking defenses.