Jay Guillermo is a young coach with an old-school mentality.
Navy’s new offensive line leader is not far removed from his own playing days. However, Guillermo has a coaching style and approach indicative of someone much older.
Guillermo would tell you that is because of his grandfather, Ron Green, one of the most influential figures in his life and a football coach at Burns High in Lawndale, North Carolina, for 27 years.
Guillermo lived with Green while growing up and saw the impact a coach can have on the lives of young people.
At Maryville High in Tennessee, Guillermo played for George Quarles — one of the most successful coaches in state history. Quarles amassed a 250-16 record with 15 state championship appearances in 18 seasons at Maryville.
Guillermo then played at Clemson for coach Dabo Swinney, who has led the Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse to 170 wins and two national championships in 17 seasons. Guillermo was a two-year starter at center for the Tigers and learned from legendary offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell.
Guillermo described Caldwell, who spent 44 seasons as a college coach, as an “old-school, hard-nosed kind of a guy.” Guillermo got into coaching as a graduate assistant at Georgia State under Shawn Elliott.
“I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a lot of great coaches in high school and college. I probably pull from Coach Caldwell the most. I’ve been told I sound exactly like him on the field,” Guillermo said. “Shawn Elliott showed me how to take the mentality of playing and transfer it to coaching.”
Considering that background, it was no surprise to see Guillermo getting into the grills of Navy offensive linemen during spring camp. He was loud, demonstrative and intimidating, and he was in your face.
Navy starting tackle Connor McMahon said Guillermo “corrects us in a very harsh manner.” However, McMahon made it clear that Guillermo has been an effective coach and noted the offensive line unit got demonstrably better during spring drills.
“Coach G definitely brings a crazy mindset to practice and gets after us, but we love it and we love him,” McMahon said. “We’ve all been getting coached hard our entire time here at the academy. I’ve been getting chewed out my whole life playing football, so it’s nothing new.”
Guillermo is dramatically different in the meeting room and has shown clearly how much he cares for all the Navy offensive linemen. McMahon said “morale is high” within the unit as players have enjoyed working with the 29-year-old.
“Coach G is somewhat similar in age to us so he kind of gets us a little more than an older coach would,” McMahon said. “He brings a lot of humor, a lot of laughter into our days, which we definitely appreciate. He’s definitely very approachable and listens well. He’s very easy to get along with.”
Guillermo has put considerable effort into building relationships with all the offensive linemen. He’s invited the unit to his house for dinner on several occasions, including on Easter.
“It’s important for them to know that you truly care about them. If that’s the case, they’ll play hard for you,” Guillermo said. “I see all these players as part of my family. If I tell you that I love you, well I’m going to show you that I love you. And if I tell you that you’re family, I need to show you that as well.”
Guillermo insists there is a method to his madness on the practice field. He learned from Caldwell that you need to stress players during practice to prepare them for the pressure of game day.
“I want these linemen to display the same intensity that I had as a player. Whenever you have Coach G breathing down your neck, there’s a stressor on you,” he said. “I’m always going to be loud and intense. I’m always trying to stress the guys as much as I can to show the sense of urgency that is needed.”
However, Guillermo has already learned during his five years as a college football coach when to press and when to back off, saying it can’t be that “fourth-and-1 mentality all the time.” He is different in the meeting room than he is on the practice field, turning into a patient professor.
“Whenever we’re in the meetings, that’s my classroom. You don’t grow up and know what a scoop is or how to get into combinations or block inside zone. You’re really teaching a foreign language,” Guillermo said. “In the meeting room, you pull back and ask who has questions. You take time to help guys understand concepts.”
From national champ to coach
Guillermo played in a pro-style offense at Clemson that emphasized power running and downfield passing. The Tigers primarily operated out of 11 personnel with a tight end and three wide receivers.
Guillermo appeared in 46 games with 29 starts, recording 69 knockdowns. He was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, earning first-team honors as a senior.
During Guillermo’s career, Clemson went 60-9 and captured a pair of ACC championships. He was voted captain of the 2016 squad that went 14-1 and beat Alabama in the national championship game.
Guillermo spent the 2021 season coaching at Carson-Newman, which employed a split-back veer offense, but he learned about triple-option concepts there. He spent the 2023 campaign at East Tennessee State and developed an offensive line that paved the way for one of the top rushing attacks in the Southern Conference.
Drew Cronic was so impressed with Guillermo that he hired him as offensive line coach at Mercer following the 2023 season. When Cronic resigned as Mercer’s coach to become Navy’s offensive coordinator, he brought Guillermo with him.
Now Guillermo, like all the Navy offensive assistants, is in the midst of a crash course on what Cronic describes as a “millennial version” of the Wing-T offense.
“Football is football, a down block is a down block. It’s more about learning some of the nuances of how things fit together and why they fit together,” Guillermo said. “Coach Cronic has done a phenomenal job of explaining the why and how everything ties together within his system. I’m growing within this offensive system just like the players.”
Guillermo said the primary differences between the triple-option and Wing-T are philosophical and involve technique. He’s been impressed by how quickly the Navy offensive linemen have adapted.
“It starts with stance. Their stance is a little more balanced because we’re going to be pass-blocking more,” Guillermo said. “We’re still firing off the ball and playing violent. We’re just not as forward-leaning. We’re going to drive people up rather than down.”
Athleticism, quickness and footwork are even more important in the Wing-T offense because the linemen are being asked to pull and reach more often. There will be subtle differences in technique based on whether the Navy quarterback is operating under center or in shotgun formation.
“We are still going to run the football and that always excites an offensive line coach. These guys need to have the intensity to come off the ball and move people,” Guillermo said.
Guillermo’s old-school style fits well at the Naval Academy, where everyone is expected to be tough, disciplined and have high character. He has been thrilled with the work ethic of the linemen with McMahon leading the way.
“I think the biggest thing for me is that those guys show up ready to work every day. Effort is non-negotiable and that has not been an issue since day one,” Guillermo said. “When you think about Navy football you think about smart guys, tough guys and disciplined guys. I think that’s what we have.”
Guillermo called Navy a dream job and feels very fortunate that coach Brian Newberry hired him based on Cronic’s recommendation.
“To be at this institution at this point in my career is very special and something I do not take lightly,” he said. “You get to work with the baddest dudes in the world. If you’re an offensive lineman at the Naval Academy, you’re just built different.”
