New Whitney football coach brings lineman mentality

Whitney High School is turning to a young, hard-nosed coach with a lineman's mentality to reshape its football program. Brian Brickey, a former standout offensive tackle at Occidental College and assistant coach at Rio Americano, has been hired as the Wildcats' new head football coach. And from the outset, his message has been clear: Whitney is going to play fast, physical and finish. "In year one, the biggest goal is that we make ourselves competitive," Brickey said. "If teams walk away from playing us and don't want to see us again because of how physical the game was, that's a win in my book. That's where you start." Brickey comes to Whitney after three seasons on staff at Rio Americano, where he served as strength and conditioning coach and worked with the offensive and defensive lines. He helped oversee a program that found its footing after a one-win season in 2022. A Santa Maria native, Brickey played four years at Righetti High School, earning first-team all-league honors as a junior and senior lineman. He went on to start three seasons at offensive tackle at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He began coaching in 2022, stepping away during the 2024 season due to military deployment, and returned to the sidelines last fall. Now, he inherits a Whitney program that went 2-8 last season in the rugged Sierra Foothill League. While the Wildcats have found success in several other sports, football has struggled to gain consistent traction, but Brickey believes the pieces are there. "My first impression was that there are football players here," he said. "There's size. There's ability. Now it's about changing the mindset." That mindset centers on urgency and physicality. "We're going to go 100 miles an hour," Brickey said. "I don't care if it's in the wrong direction at first, we're going to play fast and we're going to hit somebody in the mouth. We're going to make teams match our tempo and physicality." Several returning players have already embraced that approach, including linebackers Cash Stevens, Landon Tarble and Jason Taormino, who started all 10 games last season. Brickey also pointed to several players emerging as leaders in the weight room, noting the culture around the program is positive so far. "They're fired up and ready to go," Brickey said. "There's a sense of urgency, and the players are buying into it." A major addition to the staff is offensive coordinator Travis Garabedian, who comes from Folsom and previously worked under Bulldogs head coach Paul Doherty. Brickey called landing Garabedian "huge," noting his creativity and quarterback development experience. "I'm an offensive lineman," Brickey said with a laugh. "My idea of preventing interceptions is to run the ball. So having Travis' offensive expertise has been a welcome addition." Brickey believes his offensive line background will help define Whitney's identity. He emphasizes precision, discipline and trust, traits he says are foundational to building a program. "As an offensive lineman, you have to move a man against his will," he said. "That takes a different switch in your brain. It's about effort, detail and fighting for every inch." Brickey also stresses the camaraderie that comes with playing offensive line and hopes it rubs off on the rest of the program as well. "Offensive line is the only position where you play with your back to the ball," Brickey said. "You have to trust your teammates completely. That's the mentality we want throughout the program." As Whitney looks ahead to the fall, Brickey's message to players, parents and the community is simple. "We're stripping away whatever Whitney football was in the past," he said. "Every day, we're going 1-0. Bring a great attitude, a great work ethic and compete every single day. If we do that, we'll build something that lasts."