Veteran UCF assistant Pete Alamar preaches opportunities on special teams

When Pete Alamar began coaching in 1985, his current boss, Scott Frost , was just 10 years old.

Alamar has amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge throughout his nearly four decades of coaching.

Along the way, hes guided countless players, many of whom have transitioned into successful NFL careers, showcasing his ability to nurture talent.

For the Arizona native, its always been about bringing out the greatness in others.

I tell guys, never settle for good when great is an option and great is always an option, Alamar said recently during the teams media availability.

What are you willing to do? What are you willing to give up? How hard are you willing to work to make that step? Thats where things change.

Alamar, 64, joined Frosts coaching staff at UCF in December and is now the Knights special-teams coordinator.

He has honed this role at various schools, including Arizona, California, Fresno State, Stanford and Rice.

While special teams may lack the glamor of starting on offense or defense, its still a vital part of success for a football team.

Its also the perfect way for a young player to make his way onto the field.

Christian McCaffreys first play in college was covering a kickoff, said Alamar.

Marshawn Lynchs first play was playing special teams.

What youre trying to do is take that young player and make them understand you have to earn your way into the unit.

You have to be good enough to be great.

For UCF secondary coach Brandon Harris, football and family go together McCaffrey, who played for Alamar at Stanford, led the Pac-12 in kickoff returns his sophomore season (2015), totaling a league-best 1,070 yards on 37 returns for a 28.9 yards per return average.

He would go on to be drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2017 before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers, eventually being named NFLs Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.

Lynch returned kicks all three seasons at California, including his junior year when he led the Pac-12 in rushing with 1,356 yards.

While at Cal, Alamar also coached DeSean Jackson, who led the country in return yards in 2006.

He also developed a litany of all-conference kickers and punters throughout his career, including punters Bryan Anger (Cal) and Jake Bailey (Stanford) and kicker Joshua Karty (Stanford), who were among the best in the country.

Alamar emphasizes the importance of participating in special teams at every level.

From incoming freshmen to redshirt seniors, involvement in special teams can increase playing time and provide opportunities in the NFL.

When youre young, Im your best friend because you want to get on the field, said Alamar.

Im your best friend because you want to get on the plane and travel.

Everybody becomes my best friend on a football team in about Week 2 of fall camp.

Theyll all be in the meetings and then realize that maybe theyre a little further down the depth chart and might not travel.

They want to get on the bus.

So people go, Hey, we get on special teams, thats going to get you on the bus.

Its a similar philosophy to his approach toward upperclassmen, particularly seniors, with an eye toward the NFL.

You have to understand unless youre a quarterback or a freaking top 10, top 15 pick [in the NFL draft], youre gonna play on special teams, just if nothing else, for the pure economics of it, Alamar explained.

Alex Grinch gets chance to revive career as UCF defensive coordinator You could be a first-round pick at corner.

Theyre [NFL teams] still going to run you down as a gunner on punts versus the eight-year wide receiver because youre still on a rookie contract.

One, youve got 22-year-old legs; this guys got 29-year-old legs, and I got to play for 18 weeks.

The other thing is: his legs cost me $12 million.

Youre costing me $875,000 a season right now.

UCFs special teams have struggled for the most part since moving to the Big 12 in 2023.

The Knights did not finish higher than 6th in the conference last season in punting, field goals, punt returns or kickoff returns.

The year prior, the team didnt finish higher than 7th except for kickoff returns, where UCF finished third.

Alamar jumped at the chance to work with Frost, who he believes will do great things with the Knights his second time.

He takes special teams seriously and understands the role and its importance, said Alamar.

He talks about special teams and how important they are and then dedicates the meeting time and the practice time to allow yourself to put these players in a position to be successful, maximize their ability, and maximize their performance.

Thats always important when youre a special-teams coordinator.

Matt Murschel can be reached at [email protected].

This article has been shared from the original article on sun_sentinel, here is the link to the original article.