Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Q&A with line coach Rick Mallory
6/8/2020 5:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Offensive Line Coach Rick Mallory enters his eighth season with the Blue Raider football program where he has paved the way for broken school records, produced all-conference linemen and mentored nationally ranked players.
Mallory served as the tackles/tight ends coach during his first three seasons at MT. He coached tight end Terry Pettis in 2015, who ranked No. 8 nationally in yards per reception, and later became the offensive line coach in 2016.
During the 2016 season alone, Mallory's offensive line ranked 11th nationally after allowing the fewest sacks in Conference USA. He also guided an offensive line that produced a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver for the first time in school history, while also setting 11 single-season records.
Mallory's 2019 group ranked third in C-USA in rushing (first in league games) and produced a 1,000-yard rushing quarterback in Asher O'Hara.
Check out this Q&A with Coach Mallory:
This has been a unique time for everyone, so how have you stayed in contact with your players? Have you mastered Zoom?
"We've maintained contact with our guys through personal telephone calls, texts, GroupMe and yes, Zoom. I know enough about Zoom to get a meeting going, share a screen and leave a meeting. That's as far as I can go. (Coach) Mike Polly is superior in his Zoom skills. We are diametrically on the opposite ends of Zoom Mastery."
What is a typical week for you?
"Mornings are set aside for staff Zoom meetings and recruiting i.e. note writing, messaging kids, evaluating 2021 kids and prepping for Zoom meetings with the offensive line. Once that's done, its family, or work on the house or in the yard in some form or fashion. It's never ending. I also get my workout in. I can usually coax my youngest daughter to join in."
You have six children and normally your schedule keeps you away a lot. How has this time at home been for you?
"The time with my family has been great. I've really enjoyed being with my wife, Shannon, and my daughters. We've also spent time with my sons and their families. My job does have time demands that have to be met. But, I also want to thank Coach (Rick) Stockstill, Coach (Tony) Franklin and Coach Polly for their support in letting me be a dad. There's been many times that right after practice I've rushed out to get to my daughters' softball games. Everybody else has gone up to the offices to watch practice while I'm cheering on my girls. That's just one example of many instances. By the way my children's ages are 38, 35, 32, 16, 13 & 9."
What is the one thing you think you have learned through this pandemic?
"Be grateful for the life I've been blessed with. Be grateful for the people in my life. Show gratitude by serving others."
Not having spring practice really hurt the evaluation process, but you have a strong group coming back. Assess your unit for 2020 and what you expect out of them?
"We really like this room of guys. They love to play the game and love to compete. They're tough and have great pride in the group. We have big personalities in that room too. It's been awhile since we've had that dynamic. The biggest expectation we have for this group is to lead. The only way to effective leadership is to be consistent in how they approach the day of work. They have to be productive every day. These guys move mountains and they work extremely hard. They push and compete against each other to be the best. We have high expectations of them and they have high expectations of themselves."
Former player Chandler Brewer was under your tutelage and he is currently with the Los Angeles Rams. How is he doing and what has he told you about the experience of competing in the NFL?
"Chandler is doing great. He was on the active roster most of the season. I've seen Chandler once during this off-season. We talked a little about the past year with the Rams. He's a great young man. I'm grateful that I had a chance to coach him. I expect Chandler will play a long time in the NFL."
You were drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where you played for five seasons. Tell us about your time in the NFL.
"During my time with the Bucs, I learned a lot. I learned how important the coach/player relationship is. I learned how to approach the game mentally. I learned that my responsibility to produce was directly on my shoulders. Excuses weren't allowed. I learned that being consistent in my work habits and mental preparation during the week directly affected my production on Sunday."
Mallory served as the tackles/tight ends coach during his first three seasons at MT. He coached tight end Terry Pettis in 2015, who ranked No. 8 nationally in yards per reception, and later became the offensive line coach in 2016.
During the 2016 season alone, Mallory's offensive line ranked 11th nationally after allowing the fewest sacks in Conference USA. He also guided an offensive line that produced a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver for the first time in school history, while also setting 11 single-season records.
Mallory's 2019 group ranked third in C-USA in rushing (first in league games) and produced a 1,000-yard rushing quarterback in Asher O'Hara.
Check out this Q&A with Coach Mallory:
This has been a unique time for everyone, so how have you stayed in contact with your players? Have you mastered Zoom?
"We've maintained contact with our guys through personal telephone calls, texts, GroupMe and yes, Zoom. I know enough about Zoom to get a meeting going, share a screen and leave a meeting. That's as far as I can go. (Coach) Mike Polly is superior in his Zoom skills. We are diametrically on the opposite ends of Zoom Mastery."
What is a typical week for you?
"Mornings are set aside for staff Zoom meetings and recruiting i.e. note writing, messaging kids, evaluating 2021 kids and prepping for Zoom meetings with the offensive line. Once that's done, its family, or work on the house or in the yard in some form or fashion. It's never ending. I also get my workout in. I can usually coax my youngest daughter to join in."
You have six children and normally your schedule keeps you away a lot. How has this time at home been for you?
"The time with my family has been great. I've really enjoyed being with my wife, Shannon, and my daughters. We've also spent time with my sons and their families. My job does have time demands that have to be met. But, I also want to thank Coach (Rick) Stockstill, Coach (Tony) Franklin and Coach Polly for their support in letting me be a dad. There's been many times that right after practice I've rushed out to get to my daughters' softball games. Everybody else has gone up to the offices to watch practice while I'm cheering on my girls. That's just one example of many instances. By the way my children's ages are 38, 35, 32, 16, 13 & 9."
What is the one thing you think you have learned through this pandemic?
"Be grateful for the life I've been blessed with. Be grateful for the people in my life. Show gratitude by serving others."
Not having spring practice really hurt the evaluation process, but you have a strong group coming back. Assess your unit for 2020 and what you expect out of them?
"We really like this room of guys. They love to play the game and love to compete. They're tough and have great pride in the group. We have big personalities in that room too. It's been awhile since we've had that dynamic. The biggest expectation we have for this group is to lead. The only way to effective leadership is to be consistent in how they approach the day of work. They have to be productive every day. These guys move mountains and they work extremely hard. They push and compete against each other to be the best. We have high expectations of them and they have high expectations of themselves."
Former player Chandler Brewer was under your tutelage and he is currently with the Los Angeles Rams. How is he doing and what has he told you about the experience of competing in the NFL?
"Chandler is doing great. He was on the active roster most of the season. I've seen Chandler once during this off-season. We talked a little about the past year with the Rams. He's a great young man. I'm grateful that I had a chance to coach him. I expect Chandler will play a long time in the NFL."
You were drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where you played for five seasons. Tell us about your time in the NFL.
"During my time with the Bucs, I learned a lot. I learned how important the coach/player relationship is. I learned how to approach the game mentally. I learned that my responsibility to produce was directly on my shoulders. Excuses weren't allowed. I learned that being consistent in my work habits and mental preparation during the week directly affected my production on Sunday."
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