Gerald Alexander almost landed at his alma mater but instead ended up with an old mentor at Montana State.
MSU’s new defensive backs coach was a standout for Boise State, helping anchor the Broncos’ Fiesta Bowl championship team in 2006 before earning a second-round selection in the NFL Draft. After a five-year NFL career, he began a coaching odyssey that included graduate assistant stops at Arkansas State and Washington.
Last season, Alexander spent his first fall as a full-time coach and his first campaign in the FCS. He was the defensive backs coach at Indiana State, a Missouri Valley Conference power.
In December, Jeff Choate, a former Boise State assistant, was hired as the head coach at Montana State. A few weeks later, he announced Alexander’s hiring to coach the Bobcat secondary. But Alexander reportedly was a finalist for the same position at Boise State.
The second week of January, BSU hired Ashley Ambrose for the position and Alexander returned to Bozeman to serve on Choate’s staff.
On the first Monday of February, Alexander met with a collection of Montana media members for the first time to discuss his whirlwind few months and his hopes for the future.
Skyline Sports: Gerald, can you talk about these last couple of months and what they have been like for you with everything that has gone on and what led you back to Montana State?
Alexander: “It’s been sort of an emotional roller coaster in a sense. When you take another job opportunity, which when I talked to Coach Choate the first time, and then some things ended up kind of coming my way and some things I wanted to entertain. One thing that Coach was good about was for me to entertain some of the opportunities that came my way. Ultimately, things work themselves out for a reason. Me and my family are so ecstatic to be a part of what’s going on here. My few weeks I’ve been here, I’m really impressed with the support of the community, the energy around this program, the history of the football tradition here. It’s a great opportunity and I’m excited to get to work.”
Greg Rachac, Billings Gazette: And what were those other things you were entertaining exactly?
Alexander: “There were some things, some calls that came but I don’t want to get specific because that doesn’t matter right now. But there were some things that kind of came my way, things I listened to but ultimately things worked itself out and now I’m here with a guy I highly admire, highly respect. Just meeting the rest of the staff, I think we have great people around this program, a program that is really on the rise. One thing I say to guys and even recruits, this thing has a great tradition and foundation. We are just trying to come back in here and turn this flicker into a flame.”
Skyline Sports: Coach Choate, what do you expect working for him will be like?
Alexander: “I worked with him at the University of Washington and he was a coach on my senior team when I was a senior at Boise State. I anticipate a guy who is full of energy like myself, someone who is passionate. I think he’s surrounded himself with guys like himself. I think all of us are passionate about the game of football, teaching about the game of football and keeping these kids playing at championship standards and living that way on and off the field as well.
“I anticipate a great head coach who is understanding who knows that it’s like to be an assistant who is going to let his guys coach. Ultimately, he will lead us to where we need to get to.”
Parker Gabriel, Bozeman Daily Chronicle: The Big Sky Conference like so much football around the country has become so pass-happy. How do you go about starting to think about defending space?
Alexander: “Ultimately, my goal coming in is to really be able to establish a foundation of movement in the secondary regardless of what the schemes are, regardless of what we are doing schematically. There is an efficient way we need to move in the secondary. That’s one of the things that I have to get done first and foremost: to make sure all of our movements are efficient, explosive and effective and guys understand the why also.
“Once we get into the scheme, what we do, getting a clear understanding of what our responsibilities are, I will be able to have the entire secondary so they have to know the entire picture, not just what their personal responsibilities are. They have to understand where their help is, where they can be aggressive on certain things. They have to understand what the next guy in the secondary is expected to do and we have to be able to communicate and talk about different things. Once we have an understanding of what we do fundamentally, what we do defensively with our scheme, then we can start worrying about different offenses and the things they are trying to do to attack us. It is pass-happy. A lot of the schemes are the same.
“Football is universal, from the Big Sky to the NFL, a lot of teams are doing pretty much the same things when you talk about scheme and the passing game. It’s about building an understanding of our fundamental movement and then graduating that to trying to dictate offensively what those guys are trying to do to us and trying to take advantage of our weaknesses so we make that our strength.”
Gabriel: Understanding the big picture, do you like…last year, they had a coach coaching corners and one coach coaching safeties. Do you prefer to have them together?
Alexander: “I prefer they all be in the same room. I think after the experience I had in Washington and even as a player when I was playing at Boise State, I played in a system where you had a corners and safeties guy and I played in a system where you have a secondary guy. One thing I believe is that is a full unit. They have to be able to see the same picture, built the same chemistry from the classroom to on the field. To be able to see the same thing and hear the same coaching points and have the corners listen to the safeties coaching points and understanding, ‘Ok, that’s where my help is going to be’ and having the safeties understand what the corners fit is within the defensive scheme, I think that is important.
“Other people have different philosophies and that’s fine. It works in certain ways. Just how I see it, I see the secondary just as equal in playing in unison as the offensive line. I don’t think you have the tackles in one room and the guards and the centers in the other and expect them to play in unison. I think it makes perfect sense in the secondary where everyone has to see the big picture so guys know where to fit.”
Rachac: You were a second-round NFL Draft pick, right? Maybe just walk us through how it worked for you in the pros and the NFL and when you knew that you wanted to get into coaching.
Alexander: “That’s an interesting story. When I got drafted, I was a second-round draft pick and I was with the Detroit Lions. Just like anyone that was getting into the NFL, especially with the opportunity I had for a high-round draft pick, you want to play for a long time. You feel like you have a lot of time to develop different than guys that have taken a different rout, low round draft picks, undrafted guys.
“My second year in the league, I ended up suffering a big neck injury, herniated a disk, fractured a vertebrae. That really took the course of my career to a new direction. Once I got traded from that team. Once the coaching staff changed and then my last three years in the league, I bounced around, did the free agent thing, get signed, get cut, try to catch on with another team. It didn’t work itself out that way.
“When I knew I wanted to get into coaching is when I volunteered at my high school in Rancho Cucamunga, California. I wasn’t necessarily thinking this is something I wanted to do for a long time. The experience, at the same time, I was really trying to stay in shape and get on with a team. Interesting story: when I knew I wanted to coach was when I had a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys and I flew out there on a Thursday and the workout was on a Friday. We had a very important league game at Rancho Cucamunga on Friday night. Usually how that stuff goes is you go work out and if they are going to sign you, they are going to keep you there. The whole time after I’m working out and waiting through the whole process of if they were going to sign me or not, the only thing I kept thinking about was ‘what if this team comes out in trips and puts a receiver on the backside? How will we adjust?’ I’m not even thinking about getting signed at that point.
“When I’m on the plane coming back home, I end up going straight from the airport to the high school game and coach my butt off. We ended up getting the win. That was when I was like, ‘If I don’t get another call, this is exactly what I want to do.’ That’s when I got into pursuing graduate positions, ended up at Arkansas State, Washington and then at Indiana State. Now I’m in front of you guys today as the DBs coach at Montana State.”
Ryan Greene, KBZK: In terms of the position group, last year a big issue was lack of depth. In the recruiting process right now, are you in Coach Choate’s ear to try to get that resolved?
Alexander: “That’s been something we have identified through our recruiting is making sure we get some guys in the secondary, specifically guys who can cover. I think you have to have that if you want to be a good defense. You have to have guys who can cover some grass whether they are at corner or safety. If we want to put in more defensive backs at nickel, you have to have guys. We’ve identified that, we’ve targeted some guys. We have some guys we feel really good about if they want to make the decision to become Bobcats.”
Rob Jesselson, ABC/Fox: Just building off of that. The secondary is a group that went through tough stretches last year. As a coach, how do you start building confidence mentally with that group?
Alexander: “Ultimately like I said before, it becomes my responsibility to build the foundation of how we move. At that point, those guys will get a clear understanding of what it looks like to move efficiently in the secondary. Watching the little film I have watched, there has been a lot of things that are very fixable and it has to do with details and our fundamentals. That’s to nobody’s fault. It’s just a matter of continuing to coach it up, be consistent, hold them accountable, always make sure we are teaching in the finest details. Those are the things that will make a huge difference between a ball that is completed for a first down versus an incompletion or a pass breakup or a pass break up versus an interception. Those efficient movements, those guys understanding their body position, their foot work, what foot to plant off, what foot to drive off of, that’s one of the things I learned playing at the highest level. There is no room for mistakes. You have guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger and those guys are making very accurate throws and you have no chance to make an errant move because that ball is going to be right there on the money. Now I don’t anticipate playing those guys on Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. But ultimately, it comes down to building a foundation of movement and then as those guys are able to demonstrate the ability to do so, they gain the confidence they need to be able to play the position.”
Gabriel: You talked about your journey the last couple of months. The last few weeks recruiting since you’ve been here, can you tell us have you been in California? And then if that is where you are expected to be recruiting?
Alexander: “I don’t know exactly what our areas are going to be specifically. I think once we came in, I wouldn’t say we were scrambling because that sounds like such a bad word like we didn’t have a plan but we identified some guys, I identified some guys. I’m a West Coast guy from Rancho Cucamonga. I have ties in the Southern California area. I did go out there to go look for the things we need. I personally don’t care where they come from if they can play and help us win, I’m not necessarily solely just want guys out of my area. I want guys who are going to help us win. I don’t know where this is going to help us go but I know if we are in need of defensive backs, then I’m going to go identify defensive backs and go recruit.”
Skyline: Is it more difficult when you are in a transition with a new staff when you are out on the recruiting trail?
Alexander: “It’s a little bit different with us being a new staff and just being a part of a new situation. You are recruiting your own players you have here currently and at the same time, going to recruit other players who you want to be a part of your team. It does create some difficulty but once we get in the flow of things and once we are able to have a full year of being a staff and talking about these things when the next cycle goes around when we get to next year, it will make things a lot easier. I think everyone has done a great job of working hard and Coach Choate has put us in a great position to be able to identify some guys we feel really good about and really recruit them and get those guys to be Bobcats.”
Skyline: You mentioned your time at Washington and Arkansas State but you’ve been in the FCS recently. What do you think of the FCS level and what do you like about it?
Alexander: “I’m very impressed, coming from the University of Washington when I was at Indiana State last year, I was very impressed with the FCS quality of football. I didn’t know anything about it. I was just like somebody else. I played at Boise State in the FBS level. You always hear about certain guys coming through the draft or in the NFL who played at FCS schools who had a great amount of success in their careers whether it be collegiate or professionally.
“But being a part of it, actually being able to study it and prepare for it for a year, I was very impressed with the level of football that is here. It’s not just about guys who transfer down and play at this level. It’s about guys who were recruited at those schools who develop at those schools who make themselves big-time players and even big-time prospects in the NFL.
“One of the guys specifically that I was impressed with was (North Dakota State quarterback) Carson Wentz. I prepared for him when I was at Indiana State against North Dakota State. I was very impressed with that guy. Him being a top draft pick is not a surprise to me. I saw it. That’s a guy who was recruited at this level and developed at this level. That’s one thing I preach to guy on the recruiting trail because a lot of kids don’t look at it like that. They don’t look at the big picture. It doesn’t matter your path. It matters you getting with good coaches and being able to develop at those schools, those universities, those programs. If you want to achieve that dream and you have the opportunity to, you can do that at the FCS level as well. You look at (Coastal Carolina alum and Carolina Panthers CB) Josh Norman who is playing in the Super Bowl.”
Skyline: Do you think that you playing at a high level gives you more clout when you are coaching your guys?
Alexander: “I think naturally just the fact that I’m an NFL player, former NFL player rather, and a lot of those kids want to do the things I was able to accomplish. It does somewhat give me some instant credibility with those guys but that isn’t something that I really lean on. My job is to be a great teacher, a great coach, a guy who is supportive, a guy who cares more about them as a person than as a player. So there’s a lot of things need to do to continue to have that credibility and that respect amongst that room and that individual.
“Yes, I played in the NFL and when I come in a room, more than likely, they are going to listen. But they can tune me out if I don’t give them the tools to be success on the football field and off.”
Skyline: There is a heavy defensive influence on this staff, a former defensive coordinator (Kane Ioane) and a new one (Ty Gregorak) as well as Coach Choate having such a defensive background. How do you think that will meld together?
Alexander: “I think it’s going to be great. I think he’s done a great job putting together guys, good coaches who are passionate about the game, passionate about the things they have experienced and know. But very low ego guys. We are getting together for the first time this week after a long haul recruiting and really getting a feel for each other defensively.
“It’s a great deal because we get to start from scratch. We get to take all the things that we’ve know and we’ve experienced and get a feel for our personnel and the things we can do with our personnel and putting those guys into a situation to be successful. I think it’s going to be great. It’s something I’m continuing to look forward to every single day. And ultimately, it’s going to result in hopefully a positive product.”
Rachac: Wednesday is signing day. From a staff perspective, how important is that day and how big of a relief is it when those letters start coming in?
Alexander: “Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program. The guys that we have identified as guys who we feel really strongly about as far as bringing them into our program not just as players but as people, it’s very important, a very important day for every university because that’s your future that you are brining in. It’s a relief when it’s over. But it’s a never-ending cycle. You are going for 2017 already. This is something that is going to be ongoing for the most part. But the biggest relief is now we are off the road and we can get this done and we can be with our guys that are here, really put the focus on them, building that relationship, building that culture and obviously being able to prepare for spring ball and all the things going forward. It’s a very important time but it’s equally if not more important for us to be able to recruit our own players and be able to establish the things we need to be able to get done as a team.”
