I always hear coaches quote, “Good artists copy, but great artists steal.” What exactly does that mean? Coordinators seeing a play on social media is copying, but coordinators looking to a proven system and implementing core principles into their system is stealing. This is where the Buster Faulkner influence comes into play.
If you want to study gap schemes and counter schemes, there isn’t a better coordinator to study than Buster Faulkner. After studying Buster Faulkner’s 2025 offense and Charlie Weis Jr.’s 2025 offense, it is very evident how closely Charlie Weis Jr. watches Buster Faulkner’s offense, specifically his GH Counter concepts. Let’s look at three examples.
1. QB GH Counter Toss Bluff
On August 29, 2025, Buster Faulkner’s Georgia Tech offense opened the 2025 season on the road at Colorado. They were tied 20-20 with 1:07 left in the game, and GT had the ball on the Colorado 45. Buster Faulkner dials up a QB GH Counter Toss Bluff for Haynes King. The toss bluff widens the end man on the line of scrimmage, and the pulling guard and pulling TE work up to a LB. Haynes King squeezes through the hole and takes it 45 yards for a touchdown.
A day later on August 30, 2025, Charlie Weis Jr. and the Ole Miss offense open the season at home against Georgia State. Leading 7-0 in the second quarter, the Ole Miss offense faces a 3rd and 2 at the Georgia State 29. Charlie Weis Jr. brings in backup QB (at the time) Trinidad Chambliss to run QB GH Counter Toss Bluff. Chambliss runs for 5 yards and converts for a first down. Ole Miss ran this concept back in 2023 as well, but the influence is worth noting.
Even though it is possible that Charlie Weis Jr. was watching Georgia Tech the night before a game, it is probable that Charlie Weis Jr. was inspired by this from Georgia Tech’s 2024 offense. Georgia Tech had success with QB GH Counter Toss Bluff a number of times in 2024, notably against Syracuse and UGA.
2. PA QB GH Counter Toss Bluff Cross
On October 25, 2025, Georgia Tech is playing at home against Syracuse. Buster Faulkner dials up a wrinkle off the QB GH Counter Toss Bluff concept and adds a Play-Action pass to it. This is the second time in the season that Buster Faulkner runs this specific Play-Action, and the first time that he runs it with a Y-Cross with it.
A week later on November 1, 2025, Charlie Weis Jr. dials up the same exact concept. If you know anything about Lane Kiffin or Charlie Weis Jr., then you know that they love Y-Cross. Watching this QB GH Counter Play-Action Y-Cross concept is the perfect thing to steal for Ole Miss’ offense. Charlie Weis Jr. calls it on a pivotal 4th and 3 against South Carolina, and it is the perfect play call to move the chains. This would be the only time that Ole Miss ran this concept in the 2025 season.
3. PA GH Counter TE Slide
Lastly, we go to October 11, 2025. Georgia Tech is playing at home against Virginia Tech. Buster Faulkner is going to add a wrinkle to his GH Counter concept by leaking the pulling TE to the flat. This is the first time that Buster Faulkner dials up this play, and it goes for a 20-yard gain. He would go on to call it 8 more times in 2025.
A week later on October 18, 2025, Charlie Weis Jr. calls this play for the first time. They are playing on the road at UGA, and they bring this play out on the first play of the game. They set it up the same exact way that Georgia Tech did and gain 13 yards to start the game against a solid UGA defense. Charlie Weis Jr. would run this play 7 more times in 2025 and added some of his own wrinkles and variations to it.
Systems>Trends
Charlie Weis Jr. isn’t chasing trends; he is studying systems in order to make his own offensive system even stronger. This is a great lesson for all coordinators to steal or be influenced rather than copy when adding different elements to their own systems.
I would encourage you to study both the Buster Faulkner System and the Charlie Weis Jr. System if you want to steal key principles from their offenses that might fit into yours.