Texas running backs coach Tashard Choice does it again

When Steve Sarkisian was constructing his staff in January 2021 someone reached out to me to say one of the better running back coaches in the nation was interested in working for Sark at Texas. I forwarded it to a well placed source and said, “not sure if this guy is serious or fishing for a raise.” In response, that source said they already had a direction they were exploring. I wasn’t given a name.

I knew of Tashard Choice as a player and then as a running backs coach. He became much more familiar to casual fans when Lincoln Riley hired him very briefly at USC. It turns out, that was Sark’s dude and the newly minted Texas head coach was able to “flip” the energetic Choice. We heard it boiled down to Choice preferring the state of Texas after enjoying his time there during his playing days as a Dallas Cowboy. 

In doing homework on Choice he sounded too good to be true. All those superlatives we heard then actually undersold him. His contagious energy, thorough evaluation, and relatability makes him an unstoppable force on the recruiting trail. He is still reaping the rewards from his time working in the South 2.5 years ago. That says a lot about him as a relationship builder.

On the heels of landing the most underrated running back in the country, Arizona’s Christian Clark, Choice returned to Florida yet again to land the most highly rated running back in the country. Last year it was Cedric Baxter, this year it’s Jerrick Gibson. We’re a long way from throwing up a prayer in the general direction of Dalvin Cook.

While running back recruiters don’t have the workload of coaches with larger position groups, I’ve heard of Choice doing important investigative work when he’s on the trail chasing his running backs. If he goes to see a running back in, say, Orlando, he’ll go across town to check out a linebacker or defensive back. He’s helped his fellow coaches on a number of occasions in this manner. 

Choice already has his sights set on a few elite 2025 running backs, notably Harlem Berry, Jordon Davison, and James Simon. Anyone want to bet against him doing it again next cycle?

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