Mettenberger Takes a Pass at Coaching

It appears as if Zach Mettenberger has found another role in the football world.

This time around, he won’t be throwing a football. Instead, he will pass along what he has learned as a quarterback in the SEC and in several professional football leagues. The former Tennessee Titans quarterback is the new offensive coordinator at Hillsboro High School and, in the opinion of head coach Maurice Fitzgerald, is a natural.

"He's not coaching over their heads. He enjoys what he's doing. Really, it's like he's been here for a few years to be honest,” Fitzgerald told The Tennessean earlier this week.

Hillsboro finished 5-6 last season. According to Fitzgerald, Mettenberger will have a talented protégé in his first year calling plays. Jalen Macon threw for 1,055 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

"He's helped him 100 times more than what we would have been teaching him, that's for sure," Fitzgerald said.

The Titans drafted Mettenberger, who played at two SEC school (Georgia and LSU) as well as a junior college, in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He started six games as a rookie and four more in 2015. His results were mostly underwhelming. On top of losing all 10 starts, Mettenberger completed roughly 60 percent of his passes while throwing 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions (seven each season).

The Titans moved on from Mettenberger after the franchise changed their coach and general manager within a span of several months. He spent one offseason/preseason with the then-San Diego Chargers and one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he has not played in an NFL regular season game since leaving Tennessee.

Mettenberger went on to play in the Alliance of American Football (AAF). Both seasons (2018, 2020) were short-lived experiences.

Ftizgerald said Mettenberger approached Hillsboro about joining the coaching staff. When he did, it seemed to the head coach that Mettenberger sounded content to move away from playing the game and on to other endeavors within it.

"He talked like he was probably not going to keep pursuing that," Fitzgerald said. "He just asked, 'Can I just be involved?' It wasn't just being a coordinator. It has panned out. He's real, real good with the kids."

Perhaps this is Mettenberger’s true calling. It may also be his chance to make a name for himself in football again. The old adage, “you must start somewhere,” certainly applies in this case.