PORT TOWNSEND — New East Jefferson Rivals head football coach Jake Busby has coached at private schools with future Division I athletes now populating the rosters of SEC schools and public school kids looking to win their first games, tailoring the offensive scheme to match particular skill sets and sizes.

“I’ve never been tied to a particular system, but tied to a physical style of football,” Busby said. “Teams I’ve had have run Air Raid, 13 personnel, pro style, pistol, wing-T and more, and we’ve been able to pile up yards and have fun. So, I think we’ll be pretty unique in what we are going to do in wanting to be the hardest opponent to prepare for in all three phases of the game.

“It’s a be-different-or-be-better mentality. We are going to play a fun brand of football. Not just going to line it up and run the same thing over and over. We’ll have some gadget plays, some strange formations. I’ve been known as a mad scientist,” he said.

“Work in the weight room and the ways we attack will be our trademark and, ultimately, we will be a tough, physical and disciplined team that will show you different things each week.”

Busby, 37, a Florida native with more than a decade of experience in coaching high school football in Florida and in Shelton, was announced last week by Rivals athletic director Shelby Box.

“Jake brings with him a proven record of success and a deep commitment to fostering both athletic excellence and personal growth among his players,” Box said. “His dedication to the game, combined with his ability to build strong, cohesive teams aligns perfectly with our vision for Rivals football.”

Coached all levels

Busby played the sport in high school in Florida before knee injuries curtailed his shot at playing in college. After earning a history degree and a minor in coaching at Central Florida, Busby found an assistant coaching position at Orlando, Fla., University High School, a 3,200-student school in the state’s largest classification.

“University didn’t have as many athletes as the teams we were playing, but we figured out a way to win,” Busby said.

Busby also has two stints as an assistant at Pensacola Catholic, one from 2015-2020.

“I was able to coach some talented young men. One is a reserve at Florida, another at Southern Cal and a cornerback is at Kansas,” Busby said. “We went undefeated in 2019 and made it to regional final and lost on a Hail Mary. That was a 650-student school with every background you can imagine.”

Busby also coached the 2021 COVID spring season at Shelton.

“Shelton was in a bad way. But that team broke the school scoring record in game six, set a school record for rushing TDs and beat rival North Mason for the first time in that senior class’ four years.”

Busby returned to Florida with his wife in 2022 and 2023, coaching again at Catholic, before he moved back to the West Coast and looked for his first head coaching gig.

The Rivals’ opportunity was too good to pass up.

“East Jefferson, when you look at the history of Port Townsend and Chimacum football, those 17 playoff appearances are more than any big school on the Peninsula,” Busby said. “People are proud of their success and proud of the football in Port Townsend and Chimacum, and we want to keep building on the program. I’ve had a chance to meet a few of the players the last couple of days, and I’m excited about what I see.”

Busby believes positivity helped set him apart from other applicants.

“I think it’s my positive energy,” Busby said. “I’m a football fanatic, loved and lived it my whole life. I know the game. If you talk to me for a few minutes about it and you’ll see I have the energy, enthusiasm and creativity to put kids in the right positions to be successful. I know my former coaches think highly of my Xs and Os.”

Busby’s plan is to be highly visible during the spring sports season. And he’s looking for assistant coaches and other volunteers to build his vision.

“My goal is to be present and available,” Busby said. “You’ll see me at soccer and baseball games, you’ll see me on campus having lunch, meeting with the folks who run the weight room after school. A head football coach needs to be around all the time and needs to be supporting other sports.

Busby is working as a paraprofessional in the classroom at a school in Kitsap County and will likely find a similar position in Jefferson County this fall.

“I know I’m not a local, I may still have a bit of an accent, but if you want to help EJ football as support staff, off the field, in any way, I welcome you,” Busby said. “The only way to get to where we want it is to have both communities all in and on the same team.”

________

Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@ peninsuladailynews.com.