Coach Adam Donnelly led Lake Mary High School to an incredible 2024 season, going 12-3 and winning their district with a perfect 3-0 record. They fought their way to the Class 7A Florida State Championship game, where Venice High School edged them out. As Lake Mary’s offensive coordinator, Donnelly made waves by bringing an explosive offensive concept to high school football: Deep Choice.
CLICK HERE to watch: Deep Choice at the High School Level- Intermediate
What Makes Deep Choice Special?
You might have seen Deep Choice lighting up defenses at UCF or Tennessee under Josh Heupel, or back in Art Briles’ days. The idea sounds simple: let your receivers run routes based on how defenders cover them, while your quarterback watches the receiver instead of trying to figure out the defense. But this simple idea creates huge plays.
“We can run this play against any defense because we don’t care what coverage they’re in,” Coach Donnelly explains. “The quarterback doesn’t need to read the defense – our receiver feels out his coverage and reacts to the defender right in front of him.”
CLICK HERE to watch: Deep Choice at the High School Level- Intermediate
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Lake Mary’s results tell the story: they averaged 12 yards every time they ran Deep Choice. Even better, they scored 16 touchdowns on just 86 attempts – that’s a touchdown every fifth time they ran the play!
Why Teams Love Deep Choice:
- It creates big plays consistently
- Quarterbacks only need to focus on one receiver
- The ball comes out fast (usually in 2.2 to 2.4 seconds), so your offensive line doesn’t have to block forever
What You Need to Make It Work:
- A quarterback with a strong arm (those wide throws need some zip!)
- At least one speedy receiver who can threaten deep
- Smart receivers who can read coverage and adjust on the fly
- Quick decision-making from your quarterback
The Tricky Parts
Coach Donnelly’s team completed about 50% of these passes in their first year. While that might sound low, remember these are mostly deep throws for big gains. They worked on fixing three main issues:
- Cutting down on dropped passes
- Making sure receivers adjust their routes when needed (instead of just running straight downfield)
- Getting quarterbacks and receivers to see the same thing and time it right
Should Your Team Try It?
Deep Choice works best if you have:
- A quarterback who can throw it deep
- Fast, smart receivers
- An offensive line that might struggle with long pass blocking
As Donnelly puts it: “You really need a quarterback with a big arm because all these routes start from wide splits. If you don’t have that arm strength, Deep Choice probably isn’t for you.”
But if you’ve got the right pieces, Deep Choice can transform your offense. Want to learn more? Coach Donnelly breaks down all the details in his new course “Deep Choice at the High School Level” on CoachTube.
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