The Bobcat Nation

From MSU

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Jeff Choate reached into his past Friday to fill another spot on his first Montana State coaching staff. Former Bronco Gerald Alexander, who also played five seasons in the NFL, joins the program as secondary coach.

Alexander spent 2015 as the secondary coach at Indiana State and mentored 2nd Team All-Missouri Valley defensive back Travis Starks. He served as a defensive graduate assistant at Washington under his former BSU coach Chris Peterson in 2014, and the year prior was a defensive graduate assistant at Arkansas State. His coaching career began with a season as a volunteer coach at his former high school, Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) HS, in 2012.

Alexander played at Boise State from 2002-06, starting the final three of those seasons, before being drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft by Detroit. He spent two seasons with the Lions, and played for Jacksonville (2009-10), Carolina (2010), Miami (2011) and the Jets (2011). He appeared in 44 NFL games, starting 30 during his professional career.

“Gerald was an important part of the Boise State’s first Fiesta Bowl team,” Choate said. “He was a team captain and a leader. He was drafted by the Lions and had a very good NFL career cut short by an injury. I worked with Gerald at Washington in 2014 and it became obvious to me then that he’s going to become a superstar in the coaching profession. His energy and knowledge and enthusiasm are second to none.”


2016 Montana State Coaching Staff
as of December 11, 2015

HEAD COACH: Jeff Choate
Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers: Kane Ioane
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: TBA
Defensive Coordinator: TBA
Offensive Line: Brian Armstrong
Running Backs: Michael Pitre
Receivers: Matt Miller
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Bo Beck
Defensive Line: Byron Hout
Secondary: Gerald Alexander

Don't know anything about him other than what's written but I like what it says. I'm excited.

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lutecat wrote:Don't know anything about him other than what's written but I like what it says. I'm excited.

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What a refreshing comment.

Seems to be a good hire, I think Choate is certainly taking us in the right direction.

Love hires like this. Just like Miller, this guy has played the position he will be coaching at the highest level. There is no doubt that with that experience comes a vast amount of knowledge. The only hurdle left for a guy like this is the ability to teach what he knows to a young player. A lot of knowledgeable people can't teach but based on Coach's comments sounds like that isn't the case here. I think our secondary needs the most work of any unit defensively so this could well be the most important staff hire this offseason.

I like the hire.

Choate seems to be putting together a staff of guys he knows and believes in. Three of the guys played on the dominant Boise State teams so they know what it takes to become an elite program.

Being a past pro can't hurt recruiting. Looking forward to seeing who he is able to encourage coming to Bozeman.


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TomCat88 wrote:HEAD COACH: Jeff Choate
Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers: Kane Ioane
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: TBA
Defensive Coordinator: TBA
Offensive Line: Brian Armstrong
Running Backs: Michael Pitre
Receivers: Matt Miller
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Bo Beck
Defensive Line: Byron Hout
Secondary: Gerald Alexander

This list from MSU makes it sound like we are only looking to hire two more coaches which would give us 10, but I'm pretty sure FCS is allowed to have 11 coaches. Does anyone else have insight to this?

wbtfg wrote:

TomCat88 wrote:HEAD COACH: Jeff Choate
Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers: Kane Ioane
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: TBA
Defensive Coordinator: TBA
Offensive Line: Brian Armstrong
Running Backs: Michael Pitre
Receivers: Matt Miller
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Bo Beck
Defensive Line: Byron Hout
Secondary: Gerald Alexander

This list from MSU makes it sound like we are only looking to hire two more coaches which would give us 10, but I'm pretty sure FCS is allowed to have 11 coaches. Does anyone else have insight to this?

Think it depends on if Choate coaches special teams? Sounded like he was in one of his interviews or maybe it was the press conference but pretty sure he addressed this somewhere.

wbtfg wrote:

TomCat88 wrote:HEAD COACH: Jeff Choate
Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers: Kane Ioane
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: TBA
Defensive Coordinator: TBA
Offensive Line: Brian Armstrong
Running Backs: Michael Pitre
Receivers: Matt Miller
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Bo Beck
Defensive Line: Byron Hout
Secondary: Gerald Alexander

This list from MSU makes it sound like we are only looking to hire two more coaches which would give us 10, but I'm pretty sure FCS is allowed to have 11 coaches. Does anyone else have insight to this?

I think Choate already said he'll coach special teams and that'll free up money for the other assistants.

wbtfg wrote:

TomCat88 wrote:HEAD COACH: Jeff Choate
Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers: Kane Ioane
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: TBA
Defensive Coordinator: TBA
Offensive Line: Brian Armstrong
Running Backs: Michael Pitre
Receivers: Matt Miller
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Bo Beck
Defensive Line: Byron Hout
Secondary: Gerald Alexander

This list from MSU makes it sound like we are only looking to hire two more coaches which would give us 10, but I'm pretty sure FCS is allowed to have 11 coaches. Does anyone else have insight to this?

The way I am reading the rule it says a max of 11 coaches of any type in FCS. It doesn't split out by head coach, assistants and grad assistants. So perhaps that 11th coach will be a grad assistant?

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If I remember right, Coach Ash said that grad assistants are very limited as to what they can do. They are no where near a regular assistant coach.

But can he teach the kids to turn their heads and see the ball?

utucats wrote:

wbtfg wrote:

TomCat88 wrote:HEAD COACH: Jeff Choate
Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers: Kane Ioane
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: TBA
Defensive Coordinator: TBA
Offensive Line: Brian Armstrong
Running Backs: Michael Pitre
Receivers: Matt Miller
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Bo Beck
Defensive Line: Byron Hout
Secondary: Gerald Alexander

This list from MSU makes it sound like we are only looking to hire two more coaches which would give us 10, but I'm pretty sure FCS is allowed to have 11 coaches. Does anyone else have insight to this?

Think it depends on if Choate coaches special teams? Sounded like he was in one of his interviews or maybe it was the press conference but pretty sure he addressed this somewhere.

Coach Choate did say that he would be coaching the special teams as it allows the team to see him as a "coach"!

wbtfg wrote:

TomCat88 wrote:HEAD COACH: Jeff Choate
Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers: Kane Ioane
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: TBA
Defensive Coordinator: TBA
Offensive Line: Brian Armstrong
Running Backs: Michael Pitre
Receivers: Matt Miller
Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator: Bo Beck
Defensive Line: Byron Hout
Secondary: Gerald Alexander

This list from MSU makes it sound like we are only looking to hire two more coaches which would give us 10, but I'm pretty sure FCS is allowed to have 11 coaches. Does anyone else have insight to this?

For some reason everyone was assuming that cornerbacks and safeties would have their own separate coach, but that the offensive coordinator wouldn't be a separate coach. That is completely bass-ackwards from the traditional hiring model. The Cats just ended up doing that last year because Cramsey is a good coach and Marshall was a lousy one. There's no particular reason to assume the Cats would do it this year when they have no particular reason to want their secondary coach to do as little coaching as possible. In all likelihood, the Cats will hire two coordinators and a QB coach, bringing their total of coaches to 11.

I think this will greatly help our db's. I have heard things like we didn't practice tackling in practice and that the db's were coached not to look back for the ball. The announcers that did the NAU game talked about that. I never understood that. Hope this guy will not only teach these kids, but will help them and motivate them. Good hire. Now OC and DC......

Sounds like you could benefit from the BQC gocats18. Join up!

GoCats18 wrote:I think this will greatly help our db's. I have heard things like we didn't practice tackling in practice and that the db's were coached not to look back for the ball. The announcers that did the NAU game talked about that. I never understood that. Hope this guy will not only teach these kids, but will help them and motivate them. Good hire. Now OC and DC......

A lot of teams coach that way... limit contact in practice to keep players healthy, and coach to play the player rather than the ball in certain cases.

Both seemed to have worked.


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And how do those teams end up playing...?


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