12 Mistakes High School Football Players Make That Keep Them Off Varsity

Every year, many talented high school football players get stuck on JV—or buried on the depth chart—not because they aren’t good enough, but because they’re making a few critical mistakes they don’t even realize. I’ve worked with countless high school athletes, and the pattern is always the same: hard work, wrong focus. In this blog post I will discuss the 12 Mistakes High School Football Players Make That Keep Them Off Varsity

If you’re serious about playing varsity football number one...you need to be working with PROformance, and number two...avoid these 12 mistakes that quietly hold players back.

1. Thinking “Working Hard” Automatically Equals Playing Time

Effort matters—but effective effort matters more.

Running extra sprints or lifting randomly won’t help if you’re not improving the traits your position coach actually evaluates: speed, technique, football IQ, and consistency.

Varsity players don’t just work harder—they work smarter.

2. Training Without Position-Specific Purpose

A linebacker and a wide receiver should not train the same way. Just as a quaterback or defense end should train or workout the same way.

Yet many players follow generic programs that don’t translate to game and positional performance. Coaches notice when and how an athlete moves, reacts, and plays like their position demands.

If your training doesn’t look like your position on film, it’s a problem.

3. Ignoring Speed and Explosiveness

Size helps. Strength helps.But football speed gets you on the field. There is a big difference between football speed and agility versus track speed and agility.

Many players wait too long to develop:

• First-step explosiveness

• Acceleration

• Change of direction

Varsity football is faster. If you can’t move at that speed, coaches won’t risk putting you in.

4. Being “Good in Shorts” but Average in Pads

Seven-on-seven stars disappear every season.

Why? Because football is still about:

• Physicality

• Tackling

• Blocking

• Playing through contact

• Positional Fundamentals and Performance

• Football IQ

Varsity coaches trust players who show toughness, execution, discipline and control when things get chaotic.

5. Not Understanding the Playbook

Athleticism gets you noticed. Reliability gets you promoted.

Players who don’t know assignments, checks, and adjustments or their job slow the entire unit down. Coaches will always choose a slightly less athletic player who knows exactly where to be.

Football IQ is a separator. You must know and DO YOUR JOB!

6. Letting Body Language Hurt Them

Coaches see everything!

Slumped shoulders. Eye rolls. Jogging back to the huddle. Cheating drills. Negative reactions after mistakes, wasting time in the weight room, etc.

Varsity coaches want players they can trust emotionally under pressure. Poor body language tells them you’re not ready yet. In fact, body language tells us everything we need to know.

7. Avoiding the Weight Room—or Using It Wrong

Some players avoid lifting. Others lift with no plan. Both are mistakes.

Strength should:

• Support your position

• Improve power and durability

• Transfer to the field

If your lifting doesn’t make you faster, stronger on the field, or more confident in contact, it’s not doing its job. Screwing around in the weight room with your team mates is a big problem coaches notice!

8. Waiting to Be “Discovered”

Coaches don’t guess who’s ready—you show them.

Too many players:

• Never ask questions

• Never ask for feedback

• Never ask what they need to improve

• Never ask how to move up on the depth chart or get more playing time - self advocacy!

Varsity players advocate for themselves respectfully and consistently.

9. Not Taking Recovery Seriously

Being sore all the time isn’t toughness—it’s mismanagement and dumb.

Players who don’t sleep enough, eat poorly, and ignore recovery end up:

• Injured

• Slower

• Mentally drained

Availability matters. Coaches can’t play you if you’re always beat up. Remember...next man up. You need to be the next man! Thats where opportunity arises.

10. Comparing Themselves to the Wrong Players

Stop comparing yourself to stars on Instagram.

Your real competition is:

• Yourself!

• The guy one spot above you on the depth chart

• The underclassman trying to take your reps

• The athlete who shows up prepared every day

• There is always someone else looking to take your spot.

Win your role first.

11. Playing Scared of Making Mistakes

JV is where players hesitate.Varsity is where players react.

Coaches know mistakes happen. What they don’t want is fear-based football—hesitation, half-speed effort, stop running or hitting the hole or playing not to mess up.

Controlled aggression wins reps.

12. Not Getting Outside Coaching or Honest Feedback

Your coaches have limited time and a lot of players.

The athletes who move up fastest usually get:

• Extra technical coaching

• Objective feedback

• A structured development plan

Not more reps—better reps.

Final Thought: Varsity Isn’t Earned by Accident

Varsity players don’t get there by hoping or grinding blindly.

They:

• Train with purpose

• Understand the game

• Develop position-specific skills

• Take ownership of their development

If you want to move up, stop doing what everyone else is doing—and start doing what actually translates on Friday nights.

Want Help Avoiding These Mistakes?

If you’re serious about earning varsity reps, and want to elevate your game, come work us! We build champions!

Coach David Frederick