Danny Hernandez has been a quarterback coach for over two decades, coaching mainly at private high schools throughout his tenure.
However over the last 10 years, what started as just helping train his friends’ kids at the position, has become a booming business for the private coach.
“I was training quarterbacks but it wasn’t as big as it is now. About 10 years ago is when it really started picking up,” Hernandez said. “That’s when business kind of took off for me. I have kids from all over the country who come train with me, I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of guys playing at the college level and I have a lot of guys at the high school level who are doing big things.”
Hernandez works with his athletes on every little detail, from throwing motion to footwork to pass-drop technique.
He also breaks down film with his players, whether it’s watching their own film, an upcoming opponent’s film or tape of professionals demonstrating skills he is trying to teach his kids.
“I’m really big with doing video breakdowns with my guys. When you’re in the season coaches don’t have time to work on the mechanics, they are working on their offense,” Hernandez said. “It’s a lot of team stuff, a lot of these guys on the high school level might not even have a quarterback coach on the team, so they are kind of on their own. So I want to make sure I stay on top of those things.”
One of his biggest areas of focus doesn’t even have anything to do with the results on the field.
Hernandez assists his quarterbacks in the recruitment process, which can be an intimidating procedure.
“I work on stuff with them mechanically, work on footwork, work on stuff all the way from the recruitment process, helping them with their film, making sure we are putting the best product out there when we are sending out to coaches,” Hernandez said. “With recruiting it’s about having them understand the timing because there’s a science to the whole recruitment process and I feel I’ve had some pretty good luck and help the guys with that.”
What makes Hernandez stand out from other private quarterback coaches is the family atmosphere he’s built with all his players.
Hernandez will often work with four athletes at a time and brings in his former players who are now in college to work with some of his younger kids. His social media pages have the term La Familia spread across them, signifying the family dynamic he has built.
“He makes us all feel comfortable, having us communicate with each other,” said West Ranch starting quarterback Walker Eget. “There’s Q’s I never met and working with Danny one time, we’ve connected so much just with him helping us through everything.”
“A big thing for me with the guys is I want them to treat this as a family. Those guys that are playing college ball, to my high school guys those are their big brothers and I want them to be able to feel that they have that access with those guys to be able to contact them,” Hernandez said. “I create an environment and culture with my guys. They stick together at camps, rooting for one another through social media, when they get a chance they go out and see each other play and I love that.
“Everytime we break we say family on three. Through thick and thin, the ups and downs. we’ll look out for each other.”
Hernandez has worked with a plethora of quarterbacks over the years and currently has a large contingent of players he trains including high schoolers Bryce Young of Mater Dei, a USC commit he’s worked with since he was in the sixth grade, and rising juniors Jake Garcia of Narbonne and Miller Moss of Bishop Alemany.
He currently has 23 quarterbacks he’s worked with playing in college, including former West Ranch quarterbacks Wyatt and Weston Eget and Hart alumnus J.T. Shrout.
Hernandez is presently training over 20 high school quarterbacks including the youngest Eget brother Walker, who is entering his first year as the starting signal-caller for West Ranch.
“He’s taken me to the next level, he works on every single drill, he prepares me for every single game,” Eget said. “He prepares us for every event that might happen and most of the time it does happen, but we know how to do it because he works with us.”
“One of the things we worked on this summer is being a little more twitchy, A key little phrase that coaches like to use is suddenness, being very sudden, that was something I really tried to focus on with him during this offseason,” Hernandez said about his offseason workouts with Eget. “Spatial awareness in the pocket, quick twitch movements, I’ve challenged him with everything. Every session that I see him I feel like he is getting better every time.”
With Hernandez’s help, Wyatt and Weston are both playing at Division 1 colleges, with the former at the University of Tennessee at Martin and the latter at New Mexico State University.
He believes the youngest of the Eget brothers could develop into a highly-touted prospect that can go on to do big things in his career.
“His brothers were constantly pushing him, even though he’s a little bit younger than them,” Hernandez said. “We weren’t saying, ‘We’re going to go at this distance for Wyatt and Weston and we’re going at this distance for Walker,’ no. Walker is doing the exact same thing as they were doing. He’s got two Division 1 brothers, the pressure is on him to deliver and I think he’s going to be just fine.”
“He’s an amazing person, he connects with us so well, he helps me so much and has helped my brothers,” Eget said. “Every single Q he’s worked with he’s taken them to different levels.”
Prospective quarterbacks can reach Hernandez and find more information at his website, www.teamdimela.com.
