Zone Read: Kyle Vanden Bosch Unplugged

Since his time growing up in tiny Larchwood, Iowa, Kyle Vanden Bosch has always had football in his blood.

The former Nebraska All-American and three-time NFL Pro Bowl defensive end is now an assistant coach at Brophy Prep, as well as an analyst on the Arizona Cardinals Radio Network. 

“Zone Read” recently sat down with “KVB” to talk about a number of his interests both on, and off, the field, as well coaching his twins at BCP.

Toughest question first. Is Marvin Harrison, Jr. going to be the megastar everyone thinks he will be? “I don’t know how not. He seems to be the closest thing to a sure thing that I can see. I mean, I don’t sit and break down film but, just from what I’ve seen, I mean, you look at, one, his production, what he did in college, Two, you look at his work ethic. How he’s wired. Everything he’s done. His preparation and mental makeup, and, three, his bloodlines.

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THE moment pic.twitter.com/onsvMZAZX1

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 26, 2024

“You combine all of that, it would be hard to see him being anything but a success in the [NFL]. I’m excited about the pick. I think he’s going to open up a lot of things in this offense.”

This is a big picture question. Where do you feel the NFL has changed the most in the present day, compared to when you played 20 years ago? “Look at this draft. It’s offense. In the start of the draft, it went offense, offense, offense. It’s a quarterback/receiver-driven game. It’s a passing game. One of the reason why the running back has become de-valued is because it’s all about scoring points and being explosive on offense. Everyone’s trying to spread people out and take advantage of match ups on the outside. That’s where the emphasis has shifted. Outside of teams like Baltimore, it’s not four yards and a cloud of dust anymore. It’s not that type of league anymore. To me, that’s the biggest change. Then, you look at your priorities on defense. Where did inside linebackers get drafted [this year]? Where did run-stuffing 3-4 defensive tackles get drafted? It’s cornerbacks, edge rushers, even three-techniques that can get to the quarterback.”

Have you ever had, or do you feel you may have, a desire to coach in the NFL? “I don’t know. I’m not going to close that door. My d-line coach from Detroit actually reached out to me last year because his assistant d-line coach left and there was an opportunity there, but I’m happy where my feet are at right now. I’m really enjoying working with high school kids. I enjoy working with my staff here [at Brophy]. I enjoy working with my boys (BCP football sophomores, twins, Bastian and Case). So, in the immediate future, no. But I’m not going to say never.”

What do you enjoy more: analyzing a Cardinals’ game from the press box or coaching on the Brophy sideline in the fall? “Coaching. I love it. Easy answer. I get that excitement again. My blood starts to boil a little bit. Your competitive juices, even though you’re not on the field, you feel that excitement. You feel it from the boys. You ride their waves of highs and lows throughout the course of a game. I think one of the things that really helped me have success was I enjoyed every part of the game, and I don’t think everybody does.

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Last day of school before finals, after 12 days of spring ball and countless early mornings, a day of beautiful chaos and infectious energy in the weight room. This team is different. ⁦@FootballBrophy⁩ ⁦@BrophyAthletics⁩ ⁦@jason247scout⁩ pic.twitter.com/e6QdTO4g5I

— Kyle Vanden Bosch (@Kvandenbosch93) May 10, 2024

“I always enjoyed the weight lifting, the film study, the things that some people consider a grind. I get the benefit of being around these [Brophy] players through that grind. Since I’m also the strength coach, I get to see them all year round. I get to see their progress. Then, I get to see it all come to fruition on the football field…it’s fun for me to be a small part of that.”

Take us through what it was like growing up in Larchwood, Iowa. “Simple life. I grew up in a town of 700 people. Farm kid. My dad owned a small construction company. Everybody played four sports because that’s all there was. We didn’t have movie theaters. We didn’t have a stop light in our hometown. I still enjoy going back there. I enjoy taking [my kids] back. My parents don’t lock their front door. They don’t lock their car doors. Your kids can go out and play until the street lights come on. It’s grown a little bit. Maybe 1200-1500, I don’t know anymore. It’s just a simpler life. I loved it. For my boys, high school is a full-time job. From 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM, they’re doing something – whether it be school, or sports, or something. I look back and I don’t remember it like that. I had sports but it seemed like we’d go camping on weekends, or we’d travel in the summer. It was a much simpler time, for sure.”

When you were deciding on a college, was Nebraska an easy choice for you? “It was. So, LeVar Woods, he’s the Special Teams Coordinator at Iowa. He was a year older than me [at our high school] and he was recruited. He was the tailback, I was the fullback. I showed up on his film so I started getting recruited because he was being recruited. I wanted to commit pretty early. I went to Nebraska’s football camp and they had this testing thing and I was the top tester at their camp. So, I got offered by Tom Osborne. When I committed, Nebraska had won two-straight National Championships and they recruited me as a rush end which, at the time, was sort of their premiere position…it just really appealed to me.”

What do you take away, both on and off the field, from a legend like Coach Osborne? “The way he led with poise. He was always calm. College coaches always have things that come across their desk and situations that come up. But it always seemed like he knew what to do. Never lost his cool. We lost some tough games but he always knew the right thing to say. That what I’ve learned over all these years. Players sort of look to the head coach for how to respond in moments of pressure and stress. He just always remained calm, he always had answers. That’s one of the biggest things I took away from him. He was just a presence.”

What was it like for you going back to Lincoln for the spring game with the twins, knowing they both have offers from your alma mater? “It was great.”

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Had a great time in Lincoln today! Thank you to all the coaches and staff for the hospitality. #bst @Casevandenbosch @jason247scout @Kvandenbosch93 @FootballBrophy pic.twitter.com/22PIYEOjE9

— Bastian Vanden Bosch (@BastianVB_) April 28, 2024

Did you get ‘all the feels?’ “I did [laughing].”

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Enjoyed spending the day in Lincoln and watching the spring game. Thank you to all the coaches and staff 🌽 #GBR #BST @BastianVB_ @Kvandenbosch93 @jason247scout @FootballBrophy pic.twitter.com/QKuOWmzwvb

— Case Vanden Bosch (@Casevandenbosch) April 28, 2024

Explain. “Just proud. I’m proud of the young men they are. I don’t ever want them to be, ‘Kyle Vanden Bosch’s sons.’ At some point I want them to be Bastian Vanden Bosch and Case Vanden Bosch. They’re doing that. They’re good students. They’re good people. They’ve made good choices. They’ve worked extremely hard and they’re making a name for themselves. I think people are starting to take notice. So, that’s probably the main thing I’m proud of.”

Could you tell early on they were going to be good football players? “You know, they weren’t really interested in football at a young age. Case was a really good soccer player. Bastian really liked baseball. I held them out of tackle football until seventh grade. Knowing what I know, I didn’t see the need to put them in tackle football at a young age….they picked it up pretty quickly. When they turned that corner, then I could see they maybe had a future in football.”

Do they ever ask you what it was like being recruited 20 some-odd years ago? “No, not really. It was a whole different world back then without Twitter and hardly even having the internet. It was definitely different so, no, we don’t talk about it too much.”

When you’re at the dinner table, how much does football come up in conversation? I know that can be a delicate balance. “It is. It does come up because football is their life. That’s what they want to talk about. I care more about how they’re doing mentally with everything, emotionally with everything. Making sure it’s never too much [and] they’re taking everything in stride. I care more about them as people.”

Why was Brophy the right fit because I believe they were supposed to go to Desert Vista, correct? “So, they were in the DV feeder program that I coached because that’s where we lived down in Ahwatukee. I think the academics [at Brophy] is a huge piece. To me, I think a lot of what we do with the football program in June I think sets us apart. Almost everybody here does summer school and so they’re all here around each other in June. They do some football workouts and conditioning.

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Max out night! @BrophyStrength @FootballBrophy @jason247scout pic.twitter.com/LLcuquFhXM

— Kyle Vanden Bosch (@Kvandenbosch93) April 18, 2024

“The weight room we have [is great]…these kids work hard. They’re tough kids and they’ll do everything you ask them to do. The [twins] really wanted it…this is where they wanted to go.”

Last spring I did a feature on Devan Kennedy who is on his way to the University of Iowa on a full ride football scholarship. He came to BCP as a transfer, not even knowing the rules, or even how to line up on the defensive line. The former basketball player devoted himself, and his body, to the weight room and the details of football. Do you use him as sort of a poster child to the younger players here in the program? “Coach [Jason] Jewell still has his weight room before and after pictures in his office. Another kid, Jordan Cunningham, sort of the same thing. He played basketball his entire life and then decided football was the way he wanted to go and he’s put on a lot weight and a lot of strength in the last year, and now he’s starting to get some offers.

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Good teams do all that is asked of them, are on time and finish every rep. Great teams do extra reps, are player led and challenge each other to reach heights that aren’t possible to reach alone. ⁦@FootballBrophy⁩ ⁦@BrophyStrength⁩ ⁦@jason247scout⁩ pic.twitter.com/q3fQXTP6SH

— Kyle Vanden Bosch (@Kvandenbosch93) February 23, 2024

“These success stories kind of happen over and over again here.  A lot of it kids do the right thing every day. They’re accountable. They show up on time. They do what the coaches ask of them and by the time they’re seniors, they’ve had a lot of success. Devan is certainly one of them. He worked extremely hard.”

Coach Jewell brought in a number of extremely successful AZHS assistants this off-season (Mark Martinez, Bryant Westbrook, Nyles Outley, Aaron Weise). I know he’s really excited about them. What’s it been like working with those guys here in spring ball? “I think there’s something to be said for continuity and keeping a staff and building on that but to get a voice, and especially to bring in guys who have had a great level of success. They’ve been at the top and they know what it takes to win, and they’ve seen what little tweaks it takes to take that next step, and that’s kind of where we’re at…how do you get from good to great?”