Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Q&A with Tyrone Nix
7/28/2016 8:00:00 AM | Football
Defensive Coordinator set to begin 5th season
Q & A with defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix
Some things in Tyrone Nix's second year as Middle Tennessee's sole defensive coordinator are a little different than they were in his first.
Nix, who served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for his first three seasons at MTSU, enters this year without Tennessee Titans draftee Kevin Byard and 2015 team captain and leading tackler T.T. Barber, among other graduates. Nix is also coaching his son, Ty, a defensive tackle, for the first time this season.
A former Southern Miss linebacker and USM graduate, Nix spent the 2005 season on the same staff as MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill at the University of South Carolina. Before coming to MTSU, he spent four seasons (2008-2011) as defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Ole Miss. Nix also spent 10 seasons at his alma mater, where he became the youngest coordinator in the country when he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2001.
We got a chance to sit down with Nix to discuss the upcoming season, his relationship with Stockstill and a few other matters:
Does any one thing stand out about your group this year?
The thing I like most about them is they're unproven. There's low expectation on these guys, because people think potentially they may not be as strong as the group before. We take it as a challenge – each guy has their own individual chip, and we feel like we have something to prove. If you go out there with that mindset to prove it every day, you have something to live up to. I think that's something these guys have rallied around.
You lost a lot of talent from last year, especially in the secondary. How do you overcome that?
What happens is you go through recruiting phases, and year in and year out you're trying to upgrade the talent level with the kids you have on your team. Sometimes you hit and sometimes you miss. Maybe our front has to be stronger than our secondary to help compensate for some of those other position changes … but I think we'll have a solid secondary and I think overall we'll be a faster secondary than we were the year before.
What's it like having a son on the team?
It's really been good so far. Of course, we haven't played any games, but just being in the first defensive meeting and seeing him sit on the front row and seeing the alertness in his eyes, it just gave me the chills. What a dream come true, to be able to coach your own son.
What is it about coach Stockstill's philosophies or coaching styles that made you want to reunite with him?
I knew about coach Stock before we worked together at South Carolina. I knew the type of football coach he was, I had heard all of the great things about him as a recruiter, and when I had an opportunity to work with him side-by-side at South Carolina, he had a great knack for getting his guys to buy into what he wanted them to do. He didn't let a lot of things get under his skin – he took them in stride and showed a lot of intangibles it takes to be a head coach.
What's something about coach Stockstill that most people don't know?
I think a lot of people probably know coach Stock probably more as a guy that is quiet or a to-himself type of guy, but in reality he's an outgoing, outspoken, fun guy to be around. He really cares about family and cares about coaches.
In my experience, he has been true to his word about everything we've done and he tries to do what's best for this program and these players. In doing so, he's set a great example for us to follow.
What have you learned since being a first-time coordinator at Southern Miss in 2001?
There's no doubt I've learned a lot. Players make good coaches, and you have to recruit and recruit well. You have to surround yourself with good people and good kids, because ultimately at the end of the day, after the wins and losses, it's about the relationships you develop, and those are the things you are going to cherish most throughout your career. Every day I try to learn something new or get better at doing something I had never done before.
What would you do if you weren't a football coach?
Obviously, my passion is coaching. If I wasn't coaching, I don't know what Plan B would be, because Plan A was to coach.
My high school coach made such a huge impact in my life that I wanted to be as much like him as possible and help kids develop, help kids have a future, and help kids succeed. We talk every week to this day, and I've been truly blessed to have a tremendous coach like I did. My goal is to try to be as good as him or better, and that's something I strive for every day.
Was there any position you wanted to play in football that you never got a chance to?
Actually, I was a running back in high school. Ideally, those guys on offense get their name in the newspaper a whole lot and get a lot more attention, but I think with my skillset and some of the things I brought to the table allowed me to contribute quicker on the defensive side of the ball.
Some things in Tyrone Nix's second year as Middle Tennessee's sole defensive coordinator are a little different than they were in his first.
Nix, who served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for his first three seasons at MTSU, enters this year without Tennessee Titans draftee Kevin Byard and 2015 team captain and leading tackler T.T. Barber, among other graduates. Nix is also coaching his son, Ty, a defensive tackle, for the first time this season.
A former Southern Miss linebacker and USM graduate, Nix spent the 2005 season on the same staff as MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill at the University of South Carolina. Before coming to MTSU, he spent four seasons (2008-2011) as defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Ole Miss. Nix also spent 10 seasons at his alma mater, where he became the youngest coordinator in the country when he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2001.
We got a chance to sit down with Nix to discuss the upcoming season, his relationship with Stockstill and a few other matters:
Does any one thing stand out about your group this year?
The thing I like most about them is they're unproven. There's low expectation on these guys, because people think potentially they may not be as strong as the group before. We take it as a challenge – each guy has their own individual chip, and we feel like we have something to prove. If you go out there with that mindset to prove it every day, you have something to live up to. I think that's something these guys have rallied around.
You lost a lot of talent from last year, especially in the secondary. How do you overcome that?
What happens is you go through recruiting phases, and year in and year out you're trying to upgrade the talent level with the kids you have on your team. Sometimes you hit and sometimes you miss. Maybe our front has to be stronger than our secondary to help compensate for some of those other position changes … but I think we'll have a solid secondary and I think overall we'll be a faster secondary than we were the year before.
What's it like having a son on the team?
It's really been good so far. Of course, we haven't played any games, but just being in the first defensive meeting and seeing him sit on the front row and seeing the alertness in his eyes, it just gave me the chills. What a dream come true, to be able to coach your own son.
What is it about coach Stockstill's philosophies or coaching styles that made you want to reunite with him?
I knew about coach Stock before we worked together at South Carolina. I knew the type of football coach he was, I had heard all of the great things about him as a recruiter, and when I had an opportunity to work with him side-by-side at South Carolina, he had a great knack for getting his guys to buy into what he wanted them to do. He didn't let a lot of things get under his skin – he took them in stride and showed a lot of intangibles it takes to be a head coach.
What's something about coach Stockstill that most people don't know?
I think a lot of people probably know coach Stock probably more as a guy that is quiet or a to-himself type of guy, but in reality he's an outgoing, outspoken, fun guy to be around. He really cares about family and cares about coaches.
In my experience, he has been true to his word about everything we've done and he tries to do what's best for this program and these players. In doing so, he's set a great example for us to follow.
What have you learned since being a first-time coordinator at Southern Miss in 2001?
There's no doubt I've learned a lot. Players make good coaches, and you have to recruit and recruit well. You have to surround yourself with good people and good kids, because ultimately at the end of the day, after the wins and losses, it's about the relationships you develop, and those are the things you are going to cherish most throughout your career. Every day I try to learn something new or get better at doing something I had never done before.
What would you do if you weren't a football coach?
Obviously, my passion is coaching. If I wasn't coaching, I don't know what Plan B would be, because Plan A was to coach.
My high school coach made such a huge impact in my life that I wanted to be as much like him as possible and help kids develop, help kids have a future, and help kids succeed. We talk every week to this day, and I've been truly blessed to have a tremendous coach like I did. My goal is to try to be as good as him or better, and that's something I strive for every day.
Was there any position you wanted to play in football that you never got a chance to?
Actually, I was a running back in high school. Ideally, those guys on offense get their name in the newspaper a whole lot and get a lot more attention, but I think with my skillset and some of the things I brought to the table allowed me to contribute quicker on the defensive side of the ball.
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