After Tashard Choice wrapped up his playing career in 2014, becoming a coach wasn’t his primary focus. Instead, he attempted to start with broadcasting initially.
Choice discovered his passion for coaching only after one of his mentors, former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, invited him to coach a 7-on-7 team. On his initial day, Choice offered a player some guidance—select one element of their game to concentrate on each day.
“The following week, Kitna expressed, ‘the children adored you, they enjoyed having you there; can you come back next week?'” I emerged the following week, and that kid spotted me immediately when I arrived at the field, saying, ‘Coach, I’m going to focus on catching the ball completely in,'” Choice shared with reporters last week at the Meijer Performance Center.
The player in question was Jalen Reagor, a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers, who was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft.
“Being a servant to children and beginning in high school while working for no pay, to truly assess if you genuinely wish to foster and need to nurture kids to execute plays a certain way or pass off correctly, it impacted me, and from that moment, I was captivated,” Choice stated.
After eight seasons in college football, the Lions brought on Choice this offseason to manage the running back group, which includes Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds, and more. It’s a reunion for Choice, as he previously coached Gibbs at Georgia Tech and played alongside defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard in the NFL.
Choice praised former running backs coach Scottie Montgomery, currently coaching the receivers, for the outstanding performance of the unit. In 2024, the team achieved 2,362 rushing yards and scored 28 touchdowns. The squad achieved over 100 rushing yards and scored a touchdown in 15 matches. Gibbs and Montgomery topped all NFL backfields with a total of 32 scrimmage touchdowns combined.
“When you take over a room that Scottie Montgomery has organized in terms of consistency, the members have the standard and expectation to perform well, making it straightforward,” Choice stated.
“It’s simply a moment when the team is so strong that I’m scrutinizing every minor detail, every small trinket.” For them to listen without getting angry, or to hear it and remain receptive, but to truly be open to coaching and striving to perform on the football field has been remarkable.