AUBURN, Ala. – On his recent visit to Orange County, California, Auburn secondary coach Zac Etheridge was five miles from the Pacific Ocean and 15 miles from Disneyland, but for the Tigers associate head coach, this was a business trip, not a vacation.
Etheridge spent the last week in July at the Los Angeles Chargers training camp in Costa Mesa as part of the NFL's Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
After sending his resume and cover letter, Etheridge was selected for the fellowship, which is designed to give coaches an opportunity to observe, participate, gain experience and potentially be a pipeline to full-time NFL coaching opportunities.
"I was interested in trying to find a way to grow my game, master my craft and continue to develop as a coach," Etheridge said.
The fellowship also afforded Etheridge an opportunity shadow one of his mentors, Chargers secondary coach Derrick Ansley, who played at Troy in Etheridge's hometown when Zac starred at Charles Henderson High School.
"Through my whole career, I've leaned on him for advice because he's been in it longer than I have," Etheridge said.
Zac Etheridge (right) with Chargers assistants and fellow Alabamians Derrick Foster (Goshen), and Derrick Ansley (Tallassee)
He also connected with Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill and head coach Brandon Staley, whom Etheridge refers to as a "defensive mastermind," while assisting in drills.
"To be able to add value to what they were doing in training camp," said Etheridge, who paid attention to how the Chargers structured each day for maximum efficiency.
"How do you tailor your meeting to make sure the players get as much as they can out of it, being detailed without wasting any time," said Etheridge, noting that Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin values the same quality. "Making sure you're efficient with your progression where they can grab the information to be able to execute."
The Chargers, Etheridge says, devoted practice time to mastering moments in which games are won and lost.
"Understanding down and distance, field zones, how offenses and defenses think, time management," he said. "That was an emphasis every single day. You win the game in critical situations. That's going to help us win this year."
While the fellowship provided Etheridge a dynamic opportunity for personal development, the captain of Auburn's 2010 national championship team sought to absorb information that would help the Tigers succeed in 2022.
"I wanted to go find things that can help us win this year," said Etheridge, thanking Harsin and defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding for the opportunity to be away from the program for a week before training camp.
Zac Etheridge (right) observes during the Los Angeles Chargers training camp
The attention to detail of Chargers stars Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack impressed Etheridge.
"Watching those guys sit in the room and take notes and ask questions," Etheridge said. "The great ones want to be coached. Watching Derwin James being vocal in meetings and making sure the young guys understood. Seeing that interaction with the players and how much they knew of the game, but they wanted the information, they wanted to be coached, just like our guys. They want to be developed to get to that level."
Watching the Chargers emphasize many of the same principles Auburn stresses was affirming for Etheridge, who returned to the Plains with examples of winning study and practice habits to share with the Tigers' defensive backs.
"Having that experience, sitting in that meeting room with those coaches and players, and seeing their interaction, we're doing the exact same thing here in terms of development and how Coach Harsin emphasizes guys taking notes and being prepared when you walk into a meeting room," he said.
"Being able to see that and take that back to our guys and having examples of what's done at that level. We do that every day, trying to make sure these guys understand what's going on. We emphasize being prepared.
"It was a great experience and I'm very grateful for the Chargers organization allowing me to come in and be a part of that because very few are selected."
Associate head coach Zac Etheridge with former Auburn teammate Josh Harris, the Chargers' long snapper
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer