ODUSports.com is working on a variety of ways to continue to give Monarch Nation informative and creative content during the fall. The latest is a series of Q&A's with the football coaching staff. Today's Q&A is with tight ends coach, Jonathan Decoster.
Q: What has your time been like in Virginia so far?
JD: Louisiana is different and unique. It's the south and they have their own thing going on with the Cajun and the creole. The transition to Virginia has been great. I love the Hampton Roads area. There's a lot more to do in the area and I look forward to doing that when everything gets back open.
Q: What was the 2019 season like for you at LSU?
JD: It was a heck of a ride. I was there the past three years and there were some dark times. We went from losing at Troy to winning the national championship. I've seen the ups and downs and being a part of the offense and that team, it's crazy to think about. Seeing that offense come together from the spring when we installed it and heading into the fall, seeing the success we had was amazing. I knew we were going to be good, I just didn't think we would be that good, pretty much breaking every record out there. Being a part of the national championship team taught me was you have to have a system to fit your players, and to make sure to put your players in the best position to win. That's what we did last year at LSU, is put our offensive players in the best position to win.
Q: July 16 was your anniversary. Tell us about your family?
A: My wife is a Louisiana native, we have a daughter that just turned two, Aria. We named her after Game of Thrones. We're big Game of Thrones fans. We have a son coming our way in November.
Q: What is your recruiting philosophy?
JD: You have to be genuine. Building genuine relationships with players and their families, and the champion in their family. The champion in the family is the person they lean on when it's time to make a decision. I think that's the biggest key. Every school has a weight room and locker room, but it's the people that make the difference and set programs apart.
Q: What were the previous several months like. Coaching these guys mostly via zoom?
JD: The last few months went as well as it could have. We did have a couple months with the guys before everything shut down. You have to make sure you talk to your players offline as well as Zoom. Their focus has been pretty good this whole time. Kids learn in different ways so we were kind of restricted to one learning avenue but the guys have responded well. We tried to mix it up and have some of my former players speak in meetings.
Q: You've coached Thaddeus Moss and Foster Moreau, two tight ends now in the NFL. What was it like coaching and developing them?
JD: My first year taking over tight ends, Foster was already an established player. He was already known as one of the best players on the team. My job was, one, make sure I don't mess this guy up, but my job was to pick up where the previous coach left off in Foster's development and help him get to the next level, especially run and pass blocking. In 2019 Thad pretty much played his first full year of college ball because of injuries. It was awesome coaching him. The biggest thing with those two is they're really sharp football players, they have a great football IQ.
Q: After you coach guys like that is that something you use on the recruiting trail?
JD: The experience that we have coaching tight ends between myself and Coach Rahne, I think that speaks volumes to recruits. I think it brings instant credibility to me with recruits, especially being the tight ends were not a big part of the passing game in previous years (at ODU). We have nothing to go off of as far as spring ball, so when I'm recruiting these guys, the experience I've had had with Foster and Thad gives me credibility.
Q: You were an offensive lineman at Louisiana Lafayette and early in your coaching career. Was it a difficult transition to tight ends?
JD: It wasn't too bad because I already knew half of it. I had to expand my knowledge in the pass game. I learned the pass game with one of the best pass offenses in college football history. I started to learn it my first year of coaching but the tight ends weren't heavy in the pass game and the second year it was wide open, went to a spread offense and I dug deeper into the pass game, learning the in's and out's of it. I really grew with it this past year. The biggest hurdle for me was the pass game. The blocking part was pretty easy.
Q: What was your time like at West Virginia State?
JD: It was good. At Division II you wear a lot of hats. I was the offensive line coach but I was also the recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator and strength coach. It gives you a better understanding of a football program and a bit of perspective and a more well-rounded coach.
Q: The head coach at West Virginia State took the head job at Sioux Falls in South Dakota and took you with as the offensive line coach. You were only there a short time but how was your time in South Dakota?
JD: I was only there for three months before I went to LSU, but it's a really good Division II program and they have great facilities. It was extremely cold, it was 15 below the first night I landed there in January.
Q: You were a four-year starter at right tackle at Louisiana Lafayette. Tell us about your college playing career?
JD: I had a great time in college, they were best four years of my life. I met my wife there. South Louisiana, if you have never been I recommend you go there, it's such a unique part of the country. The south is very distinct with its own culture and food but it gets even more unique there. Ricky Bustle was my head coach, he was the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech when they had Mike Vick. I was part of a really good offensive line when I was there and we led the nation in rushing. A fun fact is we actually played against Coach Rahne and Coach Seiler at Kansas State and we lost (2008), but Kansas State came back the following year and we beat them that year (2009). It was a good four years and I played on some really good teams and played with some of the best players in school history. I was part of a great offensive line and rushing attack.
From the Sidelines: Jonathan Decoster Q&A
