- May 16, 2024
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New Seabreeze coach Mike Klein huddles up with his players on the first day of spring practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze coach Mike Klein introduced himself days before. Now he is introducing his defensive philosophies to his new players on the first day of spring practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Offensive tackle Luke Cloer is expected to be part of a strong senior group in Mike Klein's first season with the Sandcrabs. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze quarterback Hayden Hayes throws a pass to a receiver in a non-contact drill on the first day of spring practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze offensive tackle Luke Cloer (75) had been working with other players to prepare for spring practice, even though the team didn't yet have a head coach. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Rising sophomore Sam Brown (64) takes his turn on the blocking sled. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Blake Hillman played football at Seabreeze and is in his second stint as an assistant coach at the school. This fall, his son will be a freshman with the Sandcrabs. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze rising junior Drew McNerney boots field goals by himself as his teammates break into position groups. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze kicker Drew McNerney kicks field goals on the first day of spring practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze quarterback Hayden Hayes is beginning his third straight season with a new head coach. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze assistant coach Pepper Johnson is one of several assistants with deep roots in the program. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Aiden Boyer (center) and Seabreeze's other offensive linemen listen to assistant coach Blake Hillman on the first day of spring football practice. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze offensive lineman Luke Cloer has been through this before. Three springs, three head football coaches. Mike Klein is the third coach in three years the rising seniors have been introduced to.
But this time, it’s a little different. Klein, the former defensive coordinator at DeLand High school, was hired by the Sandcrabs on April 22. One week later, he was on the field running non-contact drills on the first day of spring practice.
“The timing is terrible, but the opportunity is fantastic.”
— MIKE KLEIN, Seabreeze football coach
“The timing is terrible, but the opportunity is fantastic,” said Klein, 32, who has been a defensive coordinator for almost 10 years but has never been a head coach.
Klein takes over for Lester Davis, who resigned on April 3 after one season with the Sandcrabs to join former Mainland coach Travis Roland at Camden County High School in Georgia.
Klein met his players just five days before their first practice. On Monday, April 29, his assistant coaches ran the pre-practice meetings, while Klein, who is teaching at DeLand through the end of the school year, rushed across the county to arrive at Seabreeze by 4:30 p.m. when the players hit the practice field.
“You know, last year was kind of the same way,” Cloer said, noting the players didn’t know much about Davis when he replaced the departing Pat Brown. “But, I feel like last year when Brown left and then Davis came in, we didn't really have the same type of strong player base. I feel like this year, the upcoming seniors like me, Hayden (Hayes), Brogan (Kelly), Brody (Boda), we all made sure that everyone was working even though we were without a coach. So, Coach Klein, I feel like he's going to be a great leader, but I feel like we already mentally prepared ourselves, even if we were going into spring without a coach.”
Klein said he is not trying to reinvent the wheel. He is relying on strong leadership from his seniors, and he has no plans to bring in new guys to the coaching staff. He knows Seabreeze has a veteran staff with strong ties to the school. And he doesn’t want to make a single change.
“All the coaches on the staff are there for the kids,” Klein said. “Half of them are alumni and Seabreeze football means a lot to them. Those are the guys I want on the staff.”
Assistant coaches Blake Hillman, Pepper Johnson and A.J. McNerney all played for the Sandcrabs. They all played for Kerry Kramer, when he was their defensive coordinator in the 80’s and early 90’s or when he was head coach from 1995 to 2000. Kramer returned from retirement a few years ago, and he was in his usual place, coaching defensive linemen, on Klein’s first day.
Seabreeze’s coaches are all familiar with Klein, who played at New Smyrna Beach for former Seabreeze coach Rocky Yocam, Kramer’s cousin. Klein has been DeLand’s defensive coordinator for the past two years and Spruce Creek’s defensive coordinator for three years before that.
He’s familiar with the coaches and players in the area, and they are familiar with him.
“I’ve know Mike since he played at New Smyrna Beach,” Hillman said. “He’s going to do a great job here.”
Klein played linebacker at Jacksonville University from 2010 to 2014. He was the Pioneer League’s Defensive Freshman of the Year his first season. He received a degree in economics but he says he majored in football, which may sound like a tragic story of an athlete not preparing for the rest of his life, but that wasn’t the case with Klein.
“I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I soaked up everything. I wanted to play, but I knew I wanted to be a coach. I wanted to stay around the game as long as I could. It’s the best game in the world, a big piece of my life.”
After coaching at his high school alma mater for a couple of seasons, he joined his college defensive coordinator, Jerry Odom, at Tusculum University for three seasons. He became Tusculum's defensive coordinator and head of strength and conditioning for the entire athletic program. But he missed high school coaching, so he and his family moved back to Volusia County in 2019.
“College football is a lot of fun, but it’s all business,” he said. “My passion in coaching is the development of young men. I know I had some coaches who helped mentor me become the man I am today.”
Cloer believes Klein is going to restore Seabreeze into the powerhouse football program it used to be.
“I think he’s the type of coach that’s win now, reload, win now, reload,” Cloer said. “I’m Christian faith and I know he is too. I feel the most dangerous athlete is heavy in faith, and I think the most dangerous coach is heavy in faith too.”
Klein said it’s been a whirlwind since he was hired, which is just fine with him.
“Right now we're prioritizing what needs to be done,” he said. “Sometimes God opens doors when they need to be opened. We’ve had a late start, but it’s not going to be a slow start.”
