Two OU Esports coaches received official certifications, paid for by the school, ahead of the 2024-2025 competitive season, marking a step forward in the growth of OU’s esports program.
Logan “SilentFoxx” Fox, Apex Legends coach, and John “Popcorn” Morgan, Valorant coach, completed the certification process on September 13. The eight-week course hosted by FITGMR saw the coaches hone their philosophy and strategy through coursework and practical analysis.
“One thing about the course that I really had to invest a lot of time in was understanding and defining the application of competitive gaming in real-world scenarios,” Fox said. “It wasn’t a quick process, but it was definitely worth it for the depth of knowledge and credentials I gained.”
As OU Esports continues to grow, the organization plans to get more coaches certified. According to Jacob “Oculus” Ross, OU Esports community and labs coordinator, they hope to have all OU Esports coaches certified within two years.
“It is one more step to getting out of the amateur or ‘passion’ stages of the business and into the more professional and well-respected realms,” Ross said. “Every industry builds their standards; this is one more standard we are building.”
In 2020, Cloud9 created the Cloud9 Training Grounds, which was acquired by FITGMR in 2022. The program teaches leadership, mental conditioning and lifestyle training, among other valuable coaching skills. Fox and Morgan attribute their respective teams’ strong player-coach bonds to the skills they learned in the FITGMR program.
“The knowledge and skills I gained have transformed how I structure tryouts and select players,” Morgan said. “Most importantly, the certification has enhanced my ability to develop players both inside and outside the game, allowing me to support their growth more effectively than ever before.”
Fox and Morgan are still seeing benefits from their participation in the training course, even post-certification. The coaches have access to advanced training opportunities and a large network of other certified coaches both at the collegiate and professional levels.
“This helps me bring more structured and evidence-based techniques to our team,” Fox said. “Also, the license validates our training programs and can instill more confidence in our players and potential sponsors.”
OU Apex Legends began playing in the Octane Collegiate Esports League on September 21. OU Valorant will begin play in the Power Esports Conference on Wednesday, September 25. Looking forward, Morgan hopes the new strategies and coaching philosophies he picked up during his training will help the Valorant team enjoy competitive play more.
“Last year, our intense focus on winning sometimes took away from enjoying the game and the value of our team’s friendships,” Morgan said. “This season, I want to ensure that everyone appreciates where we are, cherishes the moments, and understands that while winning is important, it’s not everything.”
For all things OU Esports, visit the Sooner Esports website. Go here to find out more about the FITGMR Coach Development Program.
