A conversation with Morehouse College head coach and former NFL wide receiver Terance Mathis

Terance Mathis is the first-year head coach at Morehouse College. Previously, he has been the offensive coordinator at Savannah State University and head coach at Pinecrest Academy in Georgia, among other coaching positions. 

Before joining the coaching ranks, Mathis was drafted by the New York Jets in 1990 — becoming the eighth player in NFL history to record a 100-catch season as a rookie. He played eight seasons with the Falcons, including the 1998 Super Bowl season when he caught 64 passes for 1,136 years and an incredible 17.8 yards per catch average. 

Off the field, Mathis’s contributions extend beyond the gridiron. In 1996, he founded the Terance Mathis Foundation, now known as the Terance Mathis Educational Institute, displaying his commitment to education and community service. His charitable outreach was recognized when he was selected as the Atlanta Falcons’ “Man of the Year” in 1998. 

With a history of using his prowess on the football field to help his community, Mathis is uniquely positioned to positively impact the lives of his student-athletes at Morehouse. 

Mathis sat down with Coach & Athletic Director to discuss his playing career, coaching style, and how he is molding the next generation of football players. Below is an excerpt from that conversation. 

Coach & A.D.: What made you want to get into coaching?

Terance Mathis: The story goes back to my last few years in the NFL, where basically I was coaching and playing at the same time. I’m teaching the young guys, we’re running meetings after meetings, making sure that we’re all on the same page.

And then after Year 12, I had my exit meeting with Dan Reeves. One of the first things he asked me was what your plans are when you’re done playing football. And I knew what he was getting at. I told him I wanted to play some more after this year. And I asked why. He said, ‘Because I think you would be a great coach on this staff.’ And I said [that] I want to play some more. So I got released by the Falcons, and then I went to Pittsburgh for a year. And then with my exit meeting with Bill Cowher, he asked the same thing. I said, ‘Coach, I want to play some more.’ And he told me, ‘I think you’ll be a great coach on this staff.’ Then one day an agent called me and said he wanted me to train one of his clients, Justin Gatlin, a world-class, gold medal sprinter who wanted to play football. And then I got bit by that bug. I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing. I am supposed to be teaching. I was supposed to be coaching.

And through that time, I’ve coached at every level. I’ve coached from little league to middle school to high school to college. The only place I haven’t coached is the NFL.

Coach & A.D.: It sounds like later in your career, you had good experience mentoring younger players on the team. From a coaching perspective, how important is it for veteran players to help bring along the younger ones?

Mathis: You rarely see a player who’s a starter who won’t help his backup or those behind him because he understands that if we’re all on the same page and playing at a high level, we’ll win. My philosophy is this: If you help the younger guy to develop, all you’re doing is sharpening your skills. So if you’re not doing that, you’re doing yourself an injustice. 

And from a coaching perspective, when I ask my wide receivers or the quarterbacks to do something I better darn well know how to do it myself. The biggest thing I tell them is I would never ask them to do something that I have never done before or I can’t do now.

So I may not do it at the level I did 30 years ago, but I can show you and demonstrate exactly what I want to see from it.  And I think that helps the players when they know that, my coach can demonstrate and he can articulate at the same time to help me to be successful. I think that’s really important.

Coach & A.D.: What is your mission as head coach at Morehouse College?

Mathis: I’ve been given the support and trust to lead this team, and my approach has always been different a bit unconventional — some might even say disruptive. That’s who I am as a competitor, athlete, and coach. I’ve been tasked with taking a new approach compared to what’s traditionally been done historically in our football program. This includes partnering with a company like PREGAME and using innovation to help our athletes be prepared, healthy, and pre-conditioned to perform at their maximum performance. We’re just getting started. The team and my wonderful staff are committed to excellence in every sense of the word. It’s really a privilege to be here at Morehouse with this team.

Coach & A.D.: Who influenced your coaching style?

Mathis: Pete Carroll was the defensive coordinator at the New York Jets when I was there, and his energy was just infectious. The way he went about things and I’ve watched him over the years. I’m that way at practice. And then I was coached by Reeves, who was more detail-oriented. He was a stickler for time like I am. And Cowher also influenced me. He was a no-nonsense type of guy. We were going to do things his way and not deviate from it. And when I played, I was physical. I played the game hard. 

So our team comes out with energy. We have fun. They love each other. They pay attention to details. And when I say we’re going to do something, we do it. There are no questions asked. And it’s working for us right now.

Coach & A.D.: Can you talk about the difference between coaching high school and college football, aside from simply coaching football?

Mathis: Well, one thing that hasn’t changed is you’re dealing with young men. You just have to make sure they go to class and they’re eligible to play because they’re in classes and you have enough [players] to practice and enough to play with.

But at the collegiate level, there’s a lot more to it. You got the compliance rules. You have the college rules. You have all these things that you got to stay up on. And I’m not at Division I where you have all these people and all these departments and all you have to do is worry about maintaining the cohesiveness with your staff and your players. 

At the end of the day, I serve 104 young men who are on this roster and the 10 or 11 coaches on this staff. That’s one of my biggest responsibilities. As well as to uphold the integrity of this college.

Coach & A.D.: In your opinion, what are some essential qualities of a successful coach? How can young coaches cultivate those qualities?

Mathis: You got to be consistent with who you are. If you’re going to be a jerk, be a jerk all the time. If you’re going to be loving, caring, and energetic, be that all the time. At the end of the day, these young men are going to figure out one way or another who you are. And the thing is, being consistent is more important to them than anything else. And then making sure they understand that you care. And it’s more than care for me because I tell them all the time I love them and always give them a statement. I say, ‘I love you and you can’t do anything about it. And they love that statement.

You have to be consistent in the words you say. You got to mean what you say and do what you say. And then you got to gauge where they are and then have that energy where they’re expecting it every day and they’re plugging into it every day. And I think for young coaches, you got to have your own niche.

Coach & A.D.: What would you say to young coaches who are looking to advance their careers? 

Mathis: Don’t give up. Don’t lose faith. From 2012 to 2024, I’ve inquired about maybe 200 jobs from every level and may have received less than a dozen replies, maybe three or four interviews in that time. And they all happened within the last 18 months.

» ALSO SEE: Q&A.D. with RIIL executive director Michael Lunney

And my wife would tell me all the time that it’s just not your time. Friends would say don’t give up. It’s going to happen. [Morehouse College] was the last job in the 2024 cycle that was open and I got the job. That’s why I come every day, happy, and excited, and giving God all the glory for giving me this opportunity. I suspect he built me for this. He prepared me for this.

You Might Also Like

Results from Coach & A.D.’s 14th annual athletic directors survey

Promoting transformational coaching in your athletic programs

Studies show social media use inhibits performance