A right-arm fast-medium bowler, Coad bulldozed his way into the Yorkshire first eleven after a series of commanding performances for the second XI. Accurate in his ways, Coad had the ability to nip the ball off a good length, often hurrying the batsmen into indecisive prods and edges, it was this ability which saw him grab fifty championship wickets in his very first full-season with Yorkshire. Coad took six wickets in the season opener against Hampshire and he soon graduated into the lead bowler for Yorkshire. Coad's growth was in line with several other academy products in Yorkshire. He featured at the Under-15 and Under-17 age-group level before being part of the second XI. He also featured in a training program as a junior professional at the Darren Lehmann Academy in Adelaide, as part of his preparations ahead of the 2015 season. Coad made an immediate impression upon List 'A' debut in June, 2016 and the progression into red-ball cricket wasn't too far away.