Former Georgia Tech RB Coach Tashard Choice Reunited With Jahmyr Gibbs

During his career with the Yellow Jackets, Gibbs finished with 1,979 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns before he transferred to Alabama. He had a career year during his sophomore year as he rushed for 746 yards and four touchdowns with the Yellow Jackets. During that span, he was coached by former Georgia Tech RB Coach Tashard Choice, who established himself as one of the best position coaches. He is now in the NFL coaching running backs for the Detroit Lions.

"It means a lot. We've been close since I was 16 or 17. It's crazy because I'm 23 now and we just ended up together," Gibbs told ESPN. "It's really great having a familiar face. Usually, when you get new coaches, it's somebody you don't know, so I didn't want to have to relearn that dude, so having him, everybody loves him in the building. He just gives off energy and great vibes.

Gibbs has established himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL in just two short seasons. He had a career year in 2024, rushing for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns. Gibbs was an ever bigger threat receiving the ball out of the backfield. He finished with 52 catches for 517 yards and four touchdowns.

It isn’t just football with Coach Choice, but he resonates with players at a deeper level. He uses faith and various elements to truly be there for his players and connect at that level. The Lions already have a formidable duo in Gibbs and David Montgomery, but with the addition of Choice could reach new heights in an already potent Lions offense.  

Choice was also just at Georgia Tech, talking to this group of Yellow Jackets about the impact of former Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas:

“When is the last time you called one of your teammates and asked him what he is really going through. When was the last time you spoke to one of your teammates you don’t speak to regularly? That’s the type of people he was (Demaryius Thomas). That is who he stood for. As an athlete, he could go out there 360 and dunk. We would be in intramurals, and he would be one of the most skillful athletic dudes you would be around. He was so low and humble to the ground,” said Choice.

“He cared about us. How do you treat the people when you are in the equipment room? How do you treat the people in the video department? How you treat everybody, from the head coach to the water girl, to the ball boy, everybody matters.”

Choice also brought up the point of how selfless he was as a teammate, which allowed him to connect with anybody. It is the reason his name is still being brought up today, years after he passed, because of his impact.

“What I am saying to y’all is this. What matters? When you watch somebody y’all never met before, why is it so significant? It’s because of who he was as a person. Football wasn’t his main thing. How he treated people, how he cared about others more than himself, that is what makes people who they are. I got a chance to coach a lot of good players and be around a lot of good people. I tell you Megatron, Bijan, Jahmyr, Demaryius Thomas, they all had one quality: they were selfless people. They wanted to be great teammates first. Strive to do that.”