The culture Dan Quinn has established with the Washington Commanders is not just about getting the most out of players; it's also about making coaches the best they can be. During the Bill Walsh fellowship each June, a small group of carefully selected collegiate coaches get a powerful, concentrated dose of that approach for a few weeks.
"He's giving us opportunities to grow," said 2025 Bill Walsh fellow Dino Waites. "We get to do these presentations that we don't normally get to do. They haven't really held us out of anything. I mean, I'm at practice, running routes, doing drills, talking about Indy, all this kind of stuff. So, it's fully immersive … They give you a chance to grow as a coach, an opportunity to see if you can do it on this level."
From selling insurance to a stint in medical school or never even having coaching as a career on the radar, the 2025 Bill Walsh fellows come from unique backgrounds. They all made it through a rigorous application process spearheaded by Commanders coaching chief of staff Sarah Hogan, run game coordinator/running backs coach Anthony Lynn and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard. Upon their arrival in Washington, members of the cohort, empowered by where they've been and committed to bettering themselves as teachers, made the most of an intensive coaching experience during OTAs.
Each Bill Walsh fellow is matched with a position group, and this year the Commanders' running backs, quarterbacks, defensive backs and special teams unit benefited from the presence of these temporary coaches.
Running backs coach fellow Rachid Ibrahim can count the years he's been in the profession on one hand. The former Pittsburgh and Wisconsin standout had professional football aspirations that were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a year working in the corporate world selling insurance, he felt a pull to get into coaching. Stops at Wisconsin and Virginia Tech eventually led to his current role as running backs coach at the University of Richmond.
Being early on in his coaching career makes Ibrahim "eager to learn and grow in the space." He knew that the Bill Walsh fellowship would expose him to many different facets of the NFL coaching experience, and he didn't want any opportunity to become better to pass him by during his time with the Burgundy & Gold.
"It's just trying to pick up these little nuggets," Ibrahim said. "It may not even have to do with football; it may just be an organizational skill; it may be learning about some culture-building things that I can incorporate into my room or suggest to our staff to help us continue to be a closer unit."
Meanwhile, Reid Sanders has been through the Bill Walsh fellowship experience before...Well, a version of it at least. His time with the Cleveland Browns took place during the height of the COVID-pandemic. Sanders said having to "not just be behind the computer screen" and "having full access to everything" has come with extra gratitude during this second rotation.
The University of West Georgia quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator got into coaching after turning the hardship of multiple injuries as a college athlete into new purpose.
"When I was hurt, my job was to be the best teammate I could," he said. "My saving grace was my brain. I wasn't the tallest or the biggest, but I was able to compete because of my brain. As I was helping them, I started to enjoy it."
Sanders' first formal role was in 2012, and he has been coaching ever since. Working with Washington's quarterbacks room during OTAs provided invaluable knowledge he knows will help him on the path to reaching his goals.
"It's eight people that have a lot of experience, either playing the position [or] coaching the position," Sanders said. "It's been great just being able to sit in meetings, pick their brains, ask questions, just learn as much as I can."
Also in the coaching game since 2012 is Bill Walsh fellow Dino Waites. A standout safety at Carson-Newman University, Waites has been a difference-maker as a coach, earning honors such as AFCA Coach of the Year and helping Liberty University reached unprecedent heights last season. A disciplined, focused attitude around work has been key to every success in the eyes of Waits.
"We call it 'strike the stone' at Liberty," Waites said. "Just, 'Hey, keep going, man,' because it's gonna work out for you if you keep striking."
Striking the stone during his fellowship has equipped him with tons of tips -- like coaching cues, team building and techniques -- that he is excited to take back to Liberty.
Rounding out the 2025 bunch is Lafeyette College cornerbacks coach Jeffrey Sejour. There was a time when the sports expression "in the lab" was quite literal for the coach. His pivot to coaching came after the grant that was paying him to do breast cancer research at Georgetown was cut off. Coaching was supposed to be a chance to make some extra money, but he "just fell in love with it."
The qualities that made him excel in the sciences have helped him succeed now as a full-time coach.
"I'm a big nerd," Sejour said with a laugh. "I read excessively. I'm watching film all the time."
Sejour enjoys intense experiences like the Commanders Bill Walsh fellowship because they force questions to be asked of what someone really wants.
"It's one of those things, similar to med school where they make it really hard for a reason," Sejour said. "It's a, 'You really want to do this?' sort of thing. If you get through it and if you're still hungry, you still want this, let's dive in and find a way to continue to grow."
The couple of weeks with the Commanders provided fellows with a mix of opportunities to observe, jump in, take the lead on presentations and much more. Through it all, they spend hours interfacing and sharing with NFL coaches, the advantages of which can ripple in transformative ways. Perhaps one day, someone from this group could be the next William Gay, Darnell Stapleton, Pritchard or another fellow-turned-NFL coach?
"The opportunity to connect really I think has been the greatest thing ever," Waites said. "And I feel like coach does it all the right way."
