TO: Parents or Guardians of aspiring Quarterbacks
RE: Skip Stitzell and his company the QB Edge
FROM: Will Kopp, father of Maddox Kopp current Freshman QB at The University of Houston
Dear parents,
I am a former Division 1 tennis player and my wife, and I have raised 4 boys who have all become Division 1 athletes. As an athlete myself and more importantly a father, I understand the importance that coaches play beyond coaching but also as mentors and role models.
I met Coach Skip through the father of a current starting D1 QB whom I trust and have known for many years. We were looking for someone to refine Maddox’s throwing motion but also wanted someone that would help him to see the finer points of his craft.
Coach Skip not only delivered but travelled to us, communicated directly with Maddox during the season and continues to be a part of his development. Coach Skip is not looking for status, recognition or fame. He works with Quarterbacks and looks at them as human beings that are skilled but also most importantly, he cares. He’s truthful, honest and tells the athlete not what he wants to hear but what he needs to do to get better. That’s what Maddox was looking for and that’s what we found in Coach Skip Stitzell.
I feel the time and resources spent have been more than worth it and hope that he will continue to support Maddox as Maddox continues to pursue God’s plan.
Respectfully and sincerely,
—— Will Kopp
Father of Maddox Kopp
Dear QB Parent,
If you are reading this you most likely have a son that either is a QB or has some talent or aspirations to be one. Let me first tell you that this journey will most likely be extremely difficult with many ups and downs, but if you see it through it will undoubtedly be one of the most fulfilling, memorable experiences that you will have with your son. It will also help to shape your son into a great leader both on and off the field.
Over the past few years the QB training field has gotten extremely crowded with so called trainers and experts, many of which are in it for the money without regard for your son or his future. While camps and showcases are fun to attend, in the grand scheme of things in my opinion do not pay dividends. I do however recommend that dads take a few weekends a year and attend them with their sons – mainly for the memories and to see where your son stacks up with the competition. Go with the attitude of having fun, not to get discovered – if it happens great. Where your son is going to get discovered is on the football field Friday night being a leader and helping his team win games.
One of the things that will be instrumental in your son’s development will be the training that he gets during the off season. Our sons have chosen the most difficult, competitive position in all of sports. This means that when he hits the field in a competitive program he needs to be ready – From understanding schemes, plays and routes to footwork, throwing motion and speed – he needs to hit the ground running. Most high school coaches do not have the time or in many cases the knowledge to teach your son how to be a D1 QB – and let’s face it, all of us ultimately want to watch our kids play on Saturdays and then just maybe if everything goes perfect and God shines on him, Sundays.
My son is a 6’5” pro-style QB. With big long kids they have a tendency to get long on their throwing motion. I knew that there was a specific way to fine tune his motion but had never met anyone that really understood the mechanics of throwing and how to teach it until I met Coach Skip Stitzell. I was introduced by another QB dad from Texas at the elite 11 who said we needed to meet with Skip. Immediately as we began to discuss mechanics I knew this guy was an expert on this subject, and had developed a training regimen to create the muscle memory to transfer it to the field. Skip also understood footwork and the importance of body positioning throughout the entire motion. To top it off skip knew how to take advantage of my son’s height by teaching him to release the ball at the peak of his motion, to release the ball high around 7’10”which is well above most of the defenders.
We have now been training with Coach Stitzell for going on 2 years and I have seen incredible improvement in my son’s entire game including throwing motion, ball velocity, footwork and the mental aspect of his game. Skip is genuinely interested in the future of my son and has helped him in all aspects of the game. I will warn you however that Skip is from the old school and will not sugarcoat things – he’s going to tell it like it is so be forewarned. This “old school” mentality really translates to his love for the kids and his desire to see them play at the next level.
This past December my son signed his NLI with Illinois State University to play Division 1 football on a full scholarship. I attribute much of his readiness and polished mechanics to the time he trained with Skip. He is continuing to train my son to ready him for next season. Skip can provide your son with the roadmap for success – but it will be imperative that the QB trains by himself and does the exercises daily.
If you as a parent commit to the training and the QB commits to the daily workouts, I am almost certain that Skip can help your son be the best that he can be. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to discuss my experiences with any parents (Skip can provide you with my number).
Regards,
—— Gary Baltz II
My son has had the opportunity to work with Coach Skip over the last two years. The knowledge and professionalism that Coach brings to their sessions together have had a huge impact on my son’s physical and mental preparation for the quarterback position. The one thing that our family truly appreciates about Coach is his perspective of the hard work it takes to be a good football player. Knowledge without repetition and hard work from the player will get you nowhere. Coach Skip constantly provides the expertise of the quarterback position with the reminders that the work and commitment needs to come from the player. The details need to be understood and practiced. There are no quick fixes or short cuts to having the opportunity to be successful. Coach Skip’s impact on my son will go beyond football and help shape who he will be as he grows into adulthood.
—— Mike Dailey
Not sure where to begin. You have been a God send for us. You took a tailback and turned him into a perfect, example of an elite Quarterback. We owe so much to you for the last 4 years. It doesn’t stop here. You will be with us every step of the journey. For me, the camaraderie has been the best part! You are family.
—— Chris Gunnell
(Grant Gunnell 2019 Arizona signee and 4 time state record holder in Texas)
We have now been training with Coach Stitzell for going on 2 years and I have seen incredible improvement in my son’s entire game including throwing motion, ball velocity, footwork and the mental aspect of his game. Skip is genuinely interested in the future of my son and has helped him in all aspects of the game. I will warn you however that Skip is from the old school and will not sugarcoat things – he’s going to tell it like it is so be forewarned. This “old school” mentality really translates to his love for
the kids and his desire to see them play at the next level.
This past December my son signed his NLI with Illinois State University to play Division 1 football on a full scholarship. I attribute much of his readiness and polished mechanics to the time he trained with Skip.
—— Gary Baltz II
(Father of Jack Baltz 2019 Illinois State University signee)
Coach Stitzell is a consummate professional and has immersed himself in understanding and teaching the fundamentals and leadership responsibilities of the QB position. I had the good fortune of meeting Coach while my son was in H.S and was grateful to have him work with him later in his H.S. career. His perspectives and approach on teaching QB fundamentals were fully complimentary with my own and I am incredibly thankful to have had him as a resource in my sons development in H.S. In my opinion, what is most impressive about Coach Stitzell is that he is genuinely interested and vested in the overall physical and mental development of each young man that he mentors and this absolutely remains his focus throughout the process
—— Erick Hackenberg
(Father of Christian Hackenberg)
Penn State/NFL
Having had our oldest son go thru the national recruiting process, we knew that we needed to provide our youngest son David with the best tools that we could find to make him the best QB that he could be as he aspires to play in college as well. We did a national search looking for the best QB coach that we could find for him and we found that coach in the state of Missouri in Skip Stitzell. After the first few sessions, our decision was confirmed as being the correct one as we saw noticeable improvements in mechanics, footwork, release, and confidence with our son. Coach Skip’s ability to connect with each of his kids is very evident as we saw it firsthand with our son. It is also very evident that he cares for each of his kids on a personal level as well as he calls to check in to see how he is doing, how football is going, etc. We would highly recommend Coach Skip to anyone looking for the best QB training available.
We started with Skip when Cade was in 8th grade and worked with him for 5 years. I was very impressed as I watched my son’s skills develop into an All State quarterback. He learned footwork, pocket presence and release points. He also gave a lot of good drills for him to work on at home. During the season Skip gave advice and encouragement and was very engaged in and off season in building Cade’s confidence and football IQ. When the time came, Skip helped tremendously in the recruitment process. Skip’s coaching was instrumental in Cade’s opportunity to play football at Lindenwood University. I highly recommend Skip at QB Edge for any young player that is serious about playing high school and college quarterback.
My son had just completed his freshman year at Moeller High School in Cincinnati. Moeller has won 5 national championships and there were 7 QBs vying for the starting spot. I started looking for a QB coach. A co-worker mentioned that when he lived in St. Louis he trained with Skip Stitzell and he was amazing. St. Louis is 350 miles from Cincinnati. I thought to myself, “no way” but one 45 minute phone call to Coach Skip was all it took. Thomas and I jumped in the car and traveled 700 miles roundtrip every other weekend for 2.5 years – culminating in a full ride to PITT!
I remember the first training session like it was yesterday. Skip had Thomas do footwork drills for 90 minutes. About 45 minutes in, I asked Coach– “when is he going to throw the ball?” His response, “when I like what he’s doing with his feet”. Little did I know, this is one of the qualities that separates Coach Skip from all the other QB coaches/”gurus” in the profession. He builds the QB from the ground up. The next session, after 45 mins of footwork drills, he threw to a stationary receiver. I asked Coach, “When are we going to run some patterns”. His response – “when his mechanics are dialed in and he can hit the receiver in the jaw 15 times in a row from 20 yards out”. It was then when I knew we had the right guy!
Skip has been the best QB coach we could ever ask for. He takes a personal interest in each athlete, relentlessly stresses the fundamentals, cares deeply about my son and he uses his vast network to provide opportunities for exposure and visibility. Our family considers him a dear friend and he will be a life-long mentor/coach to Thomas. The fundamentals Coach Skip developed in Thomas are what has set him apart from his competition and enabled him to be a record setting starter at Moeller, the 8th ranked QB in the country, his senior year and landed him a scholarship to PITT in the now football rich ACC.
The other thing we loved about Coach is that he is a straight shooter. I remember asking him how Thomas can catch the eye of college coaches – he said, “Get Better”. He wanted to know how deep the fire was burning inside Thomas to be the best he could be. He demanded excellence, demanded sacrifice and then he gave us everything he had to give. Simply put, He is the BEST!
Skip Stitzell with QB Edge has been a real difference maker for our son, Ross Trail. We learned about him the summer before Ross’ sophomore year from fellow quarterback dad, Jack Peavey, father of Arkansas quarterback, Rafe Peavey. Working with Skip not only greatly improved Ross’ quarterback skills, but a true friendship was formed with him and our family. Unlike many coaches, he truly cared about Ross’ future and always advised him well. He was an advocate and counselor for Ross during his recruiting process. Skip is well known with college coaches and his contacts proved to be essential. The recruiting process can be challenging at times and it was so comforting for Ross to have someone to talk to that had his best interest at heart. We have referred several other quarterbacks to Skip and will continue to do that in the future. We look forward to Ross’ college career at the University of Cincinnati and know that Skip will be there with us every step of the way.
I consider Coach Skip to be one of the top QB coaches in the country. He’s not only knowledgeable about the Quarterback position, but also he has the ability to teach the fundamentals and leadership required of the position. Tyler worked with Coach Skip an prior to attending Elite 11 and prior to playing in the US Army All American Bowl, Coach Skip identified issues with Tylers footwork and fixed them on the spot. Coach Skip is the axiom of teacher, coach, and mentor.
Please read how the QB EDGE has has impacted lives and improved games in the testimonials from previous years listed below.
Our two oldest sons have had the pleasure to work with Coach Skip for the past four years and each has improved their quarterback play significantly. Skip’s understanding and his ability to teach the all-important fundamentals of the quarterback position have been instrumental in their ongoing development both physically and mentally in playing this position. Coach Skip’s ability to analyze, break-down, correct and improve all facets of each of our son’s footwork, throwing motion, follow-through, and read/react skills is unequalled on a national level. Each was well prepared for this past football season, and the significant improvement was noted by not only their high school coaches, but college coaches as well. Skip’s thorough instruction also has prepared our sons to be competitive on a state-wide and national level, as each are pursuing a college career at the Division 1 level. Coach Skip is not only a tremendous teacher, but also a mentor, and most importantly a family friend.
Having spent some time as a quarterback in college and briefly in the NFL, I was lucky enough to get exposed to some of the brightest and best coaches and techniques. But, looking back, all the things I learned in total came from a technique here, a system there, this coach, that coach. With my son now playing the position, the opportunity to work with Skip Stitzell’s QB Edge is really unique. Rather than going to numerous places and working with numerous coaches, all of the technique, all of the drills, all of the knowledge of the fundamentals of the position are available to him from one source – thru Coach Skip. The basics of the position are pretty simple in concept, but the application is extremely difficult – Coach Skip breaks it down in a manner that works. I’m not sure Dylan really understands the significance of this, but his game and ability are reaching new levels because of it. We are extremely grateful to work with Coach Skip and excited to see where it takes Dylan in the coming years. I only wish I could have worked with Coach Skip.
I can not say enough about the improvements my son has made since beginning to work with Coach Skip. His knowledge of every aspect of the quarterback position is endless. My son’s footwork, throwing mechanics, development not only physically but mentally, and accuracy have greatly improved since he has been working with Coach Skip. More importantly the confidence he has built in him is tremendous. Coach Skip not only teaches about football but has taken an interest in my son as a young man, boosting his confidence, being a positive role model, positive reinforcement, and a sincere caring attitude. My son’s passion for the game and desire have grown because of the confidence that Coach Skip has instilled in him. I am sincerely grateful.
If you are looking for someone who understands how to coach quarterbacks, Coach Stitzell is an excellent choice. As the quarterbacks coach at MU I have had the opportunity to work with Coach Stitzell and observe his training methods first hand. I recommend him to any quarterback who is looking to gain an edge.
I have observed Coach Skip’s work with QBs from around the Midwest including all the QBs in our program. The first thing that jumps out is his interest in the players as individuals and how a player’s character comes first. His ability to connect with the players allows him to transfer his great knowledge of QB play. I could not be happier with his methods and his results. I am thrilled that St. Dominic football is part of the QB Edge team.