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Zone Read: Jason Mohns Unplugged

Arizona Sports News online

After building Saguaro football into a nationally recognized brand, Jason Mohns decided to relocate his football office from Scottsdale to Tempe.

15 months ago, then new Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham hired Mohns as the Sun Devils’ tight ends coach and, as expected, he hit the ground running, on the field, as well as in his designated recruiting area.

“Zone Read” caught up with the Mohns for a deep dive into his first year-plus on the job at ASU.

You’re just over one year on the job. Give us a self-evaluation of how you think you’ve done transitioning from high school to college. “Oh, man. You know I’m always hyper-critical of myself and I know there’s areas where I can continue to grow and get better, and I feel like I have grown, just from year one now going into the second cycle. Now, everything I’ve been the doing the past couple months, is my second time through it. I think that helps from a confidence standpoint. You know what to expect. You know what it is. You know what the days look like. Last year I think I was flying blind. As much as you talk to other [coaches], you really don’t know what to expect until you go through it yourself. I think I did a solid job making my move up to college football.

“I know the trust I build in the tight end room and I feel really good about that…if my players believe in me and they feel like I made them a better player, and they trust me, that’s the number one area.”

What are a few of your short-term goals on Dillingham’s staff? “I think it’s just continuing to grow. I was excited about my first recruiting class and my ability to sign several players – not just a really good tight end, but several others and I know that’s a really big part of college football. As Coach Dillingham says, ‘College football is a talent acquisition business.’ You can be the best coach in the world, but if you can’t build relationships and recruit at a high level, then your value just diminishes. And so, that’s something I really want to take pride in is not just being a good X’s and O’s guy, but being a good recruiter.

“It’s hard to find guys that are both great coaches, and great recruiters, and I’m trying to be that in both of those areas.”

Is there one area that you enjoy more than you originally thought you would, coaching high-level Division I football? “Honestly, it’s the recruiting. You know, I think people look at college football and think, ‘Oh man, what a rough life. You have to travel, and you have to recruit, and you have to talk to kids and parents.’ I think part of that is what made me successful at Saguaro. It was my ability to build relationships, and connect with people, and connect with lots of different people from lots of different backgrounds. I genuinely enjoy doing that.

“I really like going on the road. I think my perspective, coming from being a high school coach, has allowed me to connect with high school coaches across the country. It’s been cool because a lot of what I did with coaching clinics, on-line clinic speaking, and all-stars games, it’s pretty cool to see how far my coaching connections span across the country. That’s been really cool.”

How has your time commitment changed going from the head coach at Saguaro to the tight ends coach at Arizona State? “People always say, ‘Oh, man. Has that been really hard on your family?’ And I was like, when I was head coach at Saguaro, I mean, that’s a college football job. When you look at the hours and the time you spend [on campus]. I mean, even when you are home, the things you have to manage as far as players, and parents, and recruiting, and administration, and fund raising, and booster clubs. It’s never-ending. I think the thing with being a position coach in college football, really my focus is more narrowed on what I’m responsible for, and what I have to handle. There are times where you almost feel like there is less in your plate coaching college football than being a high school head coach [laughing]. I tell high school coaches all the time. I’m like, ‘I appreciate all the work you put in.’ Everybody wants to feel sorry for college coaches and all we have to do. A head high school coach at a big-time program and the things those guys are in charge of…people don’t even know. I know guys who have made the jump from college back to high school head coaches and they’re like, ‘Man, I had no idea what I was getting back into and what it all entails.’

“I’ve enjoyed the narrow focus. It’s all ball all day long. I’ve enjoyed that aspect because it’s hard when you’re a teacher and a coach, and everything you have to handle.”

I’m not asking you to reveal the secret sauce but do you sit down before you get on a plane, or get in a car, and put together a recruiting plan before you meet and pitch a player on ASU? “No, and I think I got as good of an education on recruiting by sitting on the other side of it for so many years. I mean, every big-time program came through Saguaro at one point or another. Major big-time head coaches, coordinators, position coaches, and sat down across some big-time players who were really high recruits. I would sit in on a lot of recruiting pitches and then, after those coaches left, I got to sit with my players and talk to them about how they perceive that opportunity and that coach. I think the one thing that stood out to me, wasn’t any one particular way to recruit that was like, ‘This is fool proof. This is the way to do it.’ The only thing that really stood out was the people who were authentic in who they are. Those are the ones that I thought had the best success connecting with players. So, I think if you try and say, ‘Oh, this guy did this and he was successful. So I’m going to be that guy.’ Then it’s not authentic to who you are and it’s not going to work. I think, for me, obviously, you want to know the players you’re recruiting but sometimes you go in blind. Sometimes you go to a school in your area and you’re just trying to sort out who’s who and what’s what.

“It’s just a matter of being real, being authentic, and finding a way to connect with people…I’ve dealt with teenagers from the ages of 14-17 for the last 16 years of my life. So, if you can’t connect with those guys, you’re in the wrong business.” 

What was it like going back to Saguaro for the first time having to get a visitor badge? Was that cool? Unique? Sentimental? Maybe a little weird? “I’d say it was a little bit of all of that. It was mixed emotions. You know, I walk in through the front and they ask for my ID [laughing]. That was a little different. I think the thing is, when you go there, what makes a place special is the people. You go back there and you see…those people who have been there for a long time. The kids all come and go, but I spent 16 of the best years of my life with some really special people. That’s the hard part. You go there and it’s like, ‘Man, I miss seeing these faces day in and day out. But, it’s cool to look back and think about what we accomplished during that time.

“Especially to think about how I’ve grown, not just as a coach, but as a person since I started as a 25 year-old freshman coach there, and where I am now as a husband and a father and a professional. Saguaro will always be my foundation for my career and foundation as a person.”

ASU spring ball starts next week (March 26th). What are you looking to see from your tight end group to help propel them into the summer, and eventually fall camp? “It’s the next step with the scheme and what we’re really doing and really focusing in on the details. Being sharp and really understanding how we fit into the concepts. When you’re thinking, you play slow. Make sure that we’re really comfortable with alignments and assignments and things like that so we can line up and play fast where we’re not thinking a lot, we’re just lining up and playing ball…I’ve been fired up working with our new offensive coordinator, Marcus Arroyo, and the system we’re running. His organization and attention to detail is awesome. I feel like I’ve made a big step as a coach in his system and under his leadership.”

The Sun Devils open their season hosting Wyoming on August 31st.

 

 

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