America's most daring high school coach has thoughts on kickoff ban talk: 'They are doing it all wrong in the NFL'


Kevin Kelley is the head football coach at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he has won seven state championships in the past 15 seasons, including the past four.

Part of how he accomplished that is by always kicking onside when the score is within three touchdowns.

“We attempt onside kicks 100 percent of the time,” Kelley said.

Kelley believes, and has data to back it up, that the “opportunity to create a turnover” via an onside kick is greater than the loss of field position from a failed kick. There’s more. His teams also never (or almost never) punt because the chance to run four downs worth of plays is seen as more valuable than field position (especially with high school punters). Pulaski also receives kicks with unusual formations, creating space and limiting penalties and injuries. It blitzes often because “sacks change the game” more than allowing a first down.