Longhorns EXCLUSIVE: 'I'm So Stoked!' New Texas Coach Tashard Choice Explains His Big Move
DALLAS - The Texas Longhorns coaching staff is replacing one premium assistant in coach Stan Drayton (hired as the head coach at Temple) with another in the form of Tashard Choice, a fast-rising name in coaching and a former Dallas Cowboys running back.
And in a one-on-one visit with CowboysSI.com and LonghornsCountry.com, Choice explains his reasoning.
"The potential is always there at Texas because of the rich tradition,'' Choice tells us. "It’s time to put in the work to win.''
Choice believes his experience as an NFL player, most notably with the Cowboys, is a key to his foundation as a coach.
"With all of my experiences as a player and now as a coach,'' Choice said, "I teach the guys so they can be successful and significant on and off the field.''
Choice is very much driven by his faith - "Your boy is comin' back to Texas,'' Choice wrote on social media. "God is good'' - but also by his intellectual approach to competition. He has battled his way from being an underdog as a player to now rising toward the top of the college coaching profession.
Choice, 37, is moving from the USC staff to take the job in Austin, where he will work under head coach Steve Sarkisian and where he will work with talent like Bijan Robinson, who figures to be a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2022.
Choice first entered the coaching ranks as an intern with the Cowboys in 2016 before becoming a graduate assistant at North Texas in 2017.
Following his stint as a grad assistant, Choice was then promoted to running backs coach for the Mean Green in 2018. In 2019, Choice then went on to be running backs coach at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
After two years with the Yellow Jackets, where he was highly-successful in helping the Tech recruiting efforts, the Georgia native Choice recently joined the USC Trojans coaching staff in 2021. With the hiring of Lincoln Riley, the USC staff is undergoing changes, prompting Choice's decision to come to Austin.
Choice spent six years in the NFL from 2008-2013, including four years with the Cowboys. While with the Cowboys, Choice appeared in 54 games, rushing 250 times for 1,139 yards and eight touchdowns, while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. During that time, he developed a reputation for leadership and character that has helped him in his post-playing career.
Said Choice in our visit: "I'm so stoked!''
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