Like-Minded Coach: Aaron Vice brings offensive background to Newman, but realizes there’s much more

by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

One of the primary reasons Aaron Vice feels he’s the new football at Newman wasn’t because of his background for being able to complete passes, but for his ability to connect the dots between academics and athletics.

Vice has enjoyed a coaching background rooted in offense and molding quarterbacks. It’s also his experience and understanding of working at schools with high academic standards and how that translates to the overall mission of the school.

The 41-year-old Vice, a former offensive coordinator at University High, was recently hired at Newman to replace Nelson Stewart, who took a similar position at The Westminster School in Atlanta.

“My job’s to align our football program with the mission of the school,” said Vice, who begins his new job May 1. “The mission is not to win an athletic state championship, and I don’t believe it should be. I’ve been at places where we’ve chased the championship and that’s what was important. Then what do you hang your hat on when you don’t get it because a lot of things have to break your way to do it? 

“That’s not to say I want to be 6-4 and average,” Vice said. “You want to win one. We’re going to do all the other things first and if the chips fall right, and you have to catch some breaks for that to happen. We’re going to do the best with what we’ve got.” 

One of the byproducts of his coaching journey – a one-year stay at St. John’s School in Houston – showed up during Vice’s candidacy for the Newman job which Stewart previously held for 19 years.

Vice said the quarterback he tutored for a year, one that led his team to six wins, went on to play quarterback for Division III University of Chicago where he graduated from the prestigious school and wrote a letter of recommendation on the behalf of Vice to Newman’s search committee.

“He may be like the President or something one day,” Vice said. “He’s a phenomenal young man that never won a championship. That’s success. That’s more important to me at this point.”

Vice, a quarterback under former coach Sid Edwards at now-defunct Redemptorist in Baton Rouge, spent a total of 12 years as an assistant coach in both Louisiana and Texas. He served as a head coach (4-7) for a year at his alma mater, which was rapidly losing enrollment and closed two years later.

During his high school playing career under Edwards, who won two state championships at the school, he was part of a program with assistant coaches David Brewerton (four state titles, state runner-up at Zachary), Guy Mistretta (two state titles at Redemptorist and Livonia), Neil Weiner (2 state runner-up finishes at The Dunham School), Joey Sanchez (former head coach at St. Michael the Archangel) and Eric Held (former head coach at St. Michael).

“Those were awesome men that helped me in my career, and I wouldn’t be here without them,” Vice said.

Vice spent two years as a graduate assistant under then-LSU head coach Les Miles. He also worked with offensive assistants Steve Ensminger and the late Steve Kragthorpe.

He returned to high school for two years at Denham Springs with then head coach Dru Nettles, serving as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach before crossing the state line and heading to Texas to coach at a pair of private schools at Kinkaid and St. John’s.

Vice reunited with Edwards at Central in the same capacity for two years until leaving for U-High where the Cubs lost in the semifinal round in consecutive years to St. Charles Catholic and Dunham.

“All of the moves were for better jobs in my opinion,” Vice said. “I don’t get Newman if I don’t come back here (Louisiana). Those schools in Houston played a part in this. They interviewed people from all over the country, but being somewhat local helps. Understanding the culture of Louisiana and those connections. The journey has been at a bunch of different places, but they were really good places around really good people. I’ve been lucky to have great mentors over a long time.”

U-High’s sixth-year head coach Andy Martin was complimentary of the job Vice did during his time there.

“When I talked to Newman about him, I tried to explain that my coordinators are like mini-head coaches,” he said. “I don’t do anything with the offense. It was all him. Whether he’s putting in the offense or it was with his practice plans. I knew I had to make decisions on personnel and stuff like that. Everything else was 100% his and he’s ready for this challenge and he’s going to do a great job with it.  He’s got such a great personality for it. He knows the game of football so good. He’s worked with some good people that’s going to allow him to pull from them that will help him as a head coach.”

Vice said Newman was one of the few places he would have left U-High for.

“That was one of the bigger draws was the legacy deal, the school,” he said. “It’s not just football but athletics, the academics. It’s a real special place. I’m leaving a real special place in U-High. It was going to take something pretty good to raise the interest. When it happened, having the relationship with Nelson helped and he’s going to a great situation. It was a no-brainer to me once I knew had a chance at it.”

Stewart, a Newman alum, raised the level of the program during his nearly 20-year stay. The Greenies were 162-54 with seven district championships, advancing to the state semifinals six times and state quarterfinals six times. 

Newman developed a niche for being able to throw the football under Stewart, who had such standouts as Jay Tyler, Arch Manning, and Eli Friend, but Vice said his obvious strength as a playcaller and ability to develop quarterbacks were not prerequisites.

“I have to think it helped some, but it wasn’t mentioned in the interview,” he said. “Nelson’s leaving and he was an offensive guy, and it was an easier transition to hire an offensive guy. Am I going to call the plays, coach the QBs? Yes. I think that’s why I got the job because I’ve done a good job with that.”

Martin said among Vice’s strengths is his appetite for being an attention-to-detail kind of coach and to remain ahead of the current offensive trends.

“The things he does on offense are always cutting edge,” he said. “The biggest thing is he wants to see what’s out there. He wants to see what the newest things are and how they can be incorporated into the offensive plan. He’s always trying to educate himself on being better as a coach and I think that’s paid dividends the last couple of years.”

Vice was selected from a competitive field of candidates that included more than 50 applicants, a number that was whittled down to four finalists. 

“I told somebody my references and things like that are great,” Vice said. “They would be great for a lot of jobs, and they were perfect for this job. The guys I worked with in Houston where some of them are now athletic directors at big private schools. Neil Weiner was a big part of this at Dunham which is very (school) to Newman.

“Being at U-High, which is different than being at Newman, also carries a lot of weight academically and athletically,” Vice said. “I was very comfortable because I understand the school and the mission. It’s not just football, it’s not athletics first, it’s about relationships, it’s about helping to build young men that are going to be impactful in the future. Ten years ago, I may not have understood that, but I do now. I get Newman better than a lot of the other candidates might have.”