THE FLATS – Georgia Tech running backs coach Tashard Choice is one of 59 nominees for the 2021 Broyles Award, the Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation announced on Monday. Named after Georgia Tech alumnus and longtime Arkansas head coach and athletics director Frank Broyles, the Broyles Award is presented annually to college football’s top assistant coach.
Choice, a Georgia Tech alumnus who also serves as the Yellow Jackets’ offensive recruiting coordinator, is in his third season as the Tech’s running backs coach. Under Choice’s tutelage, the Jackets’ top three running backs – Jahmyr Gibbs, Jordan Mason and Dontae Smith – have combined for a whopping 2,424 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games this season. Leading the way is Gibbs, an all-America candidate who ranks No. 2 nationally with 1,680 all-purpose yards.
In his first two seasons as running backs coach at his alma mater, Choice coached a freshman all-American (Gibbs – 2020) and two all-Atlantic Coast Conference honorees (Gibbs – 2020 and Mason – 2019). In his role as offensive recruiting coordinator, he was instrumental in helping put together consecutive highly ranked recruiting classes at Tech, including only the second top-25 class in program history in 2020 (a group that included Gibbs, who Choice recruited out of Dalton, Ga.).
Prior to returning to Georgia Tech in 2019, Choice spent two seasons at the University of North Texas, first as an offensive quality control assistant (2017), then as running backs coach (2018). In 2018, he was one of six finalists for FootballScoop’s Running Backs Coach of the Year award, joining a group that also included Oklahoma’s Jay Boulware and Clemson’s Tony Elliott. Choice began his coaching career as an intern with the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, where he helped spur running back Ezekiel Elliott to one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history.
Choice played running back at Georgia Tech from 2005-07 and was one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history. In just three seasons on The Flats, he ran for 3,365 yards and scored 28 touchdowns, marks that still rank fourth and sixth in school history, respectively. He went on to enjoy a six-year NFL career with the Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts.
The 59 nominees for the 2021 Broyles Award were selected from approximately 1,300 assistant coaches representing 130 NCAA Division I FBS programs across the country. A 43-member selection committee of distinguished former head coaches, broadcasters and Football Writers Association of America representatives will select 15 semifinalists, five finalists and an overall winner from the list of nominees.
Created in 1996, the Broyles Award recognizes Broyles’ legacy of selecting and developing great assistants during his hall-of-fame career. Broyles was a three-sport letterwinner at Georgia Tech from 1943-47 (baseball, basketball and football). After graduating from Tech with a degree in industrial management, he was an assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets from 1951-56 and helped lead the Jackets to their third national championship in 1952. His 30-year coaching career also included 20 years as a head coach – one at Missouri (1957) and 19 at Arkansas (1958-76), and was highlighted by Arkansas winning the 1964 national title. Additionally, he served as the Razorbacks’ athletics director for 34 years (1974-2007).
Choice and the Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday when they visit No. 6 Notre Dame. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on NBC.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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