Lions Tried to Hire ‘Genius’ Tashard Choice Two Years Ago
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell had new running backs coach Tashard Choice on his radar a couple of years ago.
“He’s somebody that’s done a really good job developing backs wherever he’s been,” Campbell told reporters at the scouting combine. “Two years ago, I know that he was somebody that was on my radar and it didn’t work out. It was all good, but there again this is kind of the, everything comes back around and it just felt like this was right.
“So, I think he’s really good at what he does, he’s gifted, he’s played the position, he’s coached it in college so he understands our level of it,” Campbell continued. “And he understands Jahmyr Gibbs, he’s coached him, so that helps. I think he’s going to be great for David Montgomery as well, so that’s big. I just think he’s going to bring a lot to us.”
Texas running back Jaydon Blue indicated Choice not only helped him perform better on the field, but he was instrumental in his growth as a player away from the field.
“That’s my dog. He not only made me a better player off the field, but on the field,” Blue expressed Friday at the Indianapolis Convention Center. “He’s a guy anyone could go to whenever they’re going through something off the field, and he’s just a genius when it comes to the running back position.”
Choice was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys back in 2008 and was able to play six seasons prior to starting his coaching career.
The 40-year-old was a coaching intern with Dallas and then joined North Texas in 2017 as a quality control coach. He was promoted to running backs coach in 2018.
Georgia Tech was his next stop (2019-2021), prior to his last stint as the Texas Longhorns running backs coach (2022-2024).
“Based on my experience, in terms of coming up in the college draft space for so long, Tashard Choice, that’s been a name that’s held a lot of weight among college coaches,” said Holmes. “Obviously, he coached Jahmyr at Georgia Tech, which is huge. But he’s one of those ones that I would have never thought we’d be able to get, and we’re just so glad that we were able to land him.”
John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans,
