In this interview, Coach CJ (full name not given) discusses his football journey—from playing linebacker at the University of Iowa under Coach Kirk Ferentz, being drafted by the Green Bay Packers, and spending time with several NFL teams—to his current role coaching linebackers at the University of South Dakota (USD). He credits the mentorship of coaches like Norm Parker, Jeff Fitzgerald, and Winston Moss for shaping his coaching philosophy. CJ emphasizes translating pro‑level experiences into player development through biomechanics, individualized training plans, and a 360‑degree approach that prioritizes academic success, personal growth, and post‑football careers. He highlights USD’s strong alumni network, high graduation rates, accelerated degree pathways, and recent facility upgrades (strength & conditioning, weight room, classroom, dormitory, stadium renovations) as recruiting assets, especially for Florida prospects. The conversation also covers the importance of building trust and culture by getting to know players personally, leveraging his kinesiology background to communicate movement concepts with strength staff, and fostering a culture of commitment, hard work, and continuous improvement.
Chapters
CJ, you son of a gun.
Coach, I know that you, uh, you played at University of Iowa under Kirk Ferentz.
Yes.
I know you played in the NFL. I think you were drafted to Green Bay. So some great experiences. You played at a very elite level. I want to talk about how those experiences in your career and in your life, we're going to help you be a linebacker coach here at University of South Dakota and help, help out the defense. So thanks, thanks for coming on.
Appreciate it. Thanks for having me.
Thanks for having us too.
Nice. It's been a blessing. Coming out of high school, I selected to go to University of Iowa under Curt Ferentz leadership, which I tell people today has probably been one of the best decisions I ever made. Came out of 3 things. It came out of trust, opportunity— it was the opportunity there for me to play early. I played early in my career and had success doing so. And just being around great people. And schematically, it was a great fit. Culturally, it was a great fit. So just being on it, having that great leadership in terms of Coach Ferentz and all the things that they teach in terms of the importance of doing things right off the field and how that translates to doing things right on the field. To me is big. And then going on to Green Bay and being drafted there and, you know, seeing Ted Thompson put that team together and what that looked like and how he was able to put a group of guys in the locker room on the same vision. And guys that are hardworking and really come down to people. And then playing for several other teams. So when I look at it, coming back and coaching college football, it helps me because all the guys that I coach inspired to play at that level.
Awesome.
So they look up to a lot of the pro guys and professional athletes. And so for one, they think I'm cool to be able to have— to be able to coach them. But at the same time, it comes with high-level expectations. So, but it's been great. It's been fun. I've been able to really teach those guys a lot of different details and kind of the mindset that I've seen some of the pros do. And really what we're really trying to get those guys ready for is to be professional athletes outside of football. Outside of football.
Yeah.
Pro dads, you know, some of them are going to go on to be lawyers. Some of them are going to go on to be great fathers. So what I try to do is have more of a 360-degree effect and just try to make guys whole people.
So you guys really are— just looking at this facility and then seeing where it's headed, you guys aren't far off from, you know, some of these Power Five schools even, right?
Yeah.
So, I mean, and you coming from Florida, it seems like that helps with recruiting. You could kind of recruit some of these guys that you'd see ended up at a Power Five school, right?
Yeah. First and foremost, we got great alumni that graduated from the University of South Dakota that love South Dakota, committed to the longevity of the program, committed to the community, committed to the growth, and they love our student athletes. So education-wise, we're really great at education. Really high. A lot of our guys can graduate with coming in early and taking some school classes. They can graduate in 3 and a half years.
Wow, that's awesome.
That's awesome.
Some of our seniors have left here with master's degrees all paid for. So that's just commitment to education. In terms of facilities, uh, the investments are there. We have top-notch facilities in terms of the strength and conditioning, the weight room, our classroom, the dormitory. There's renovations going on right now in the stadium. And really, it's also performance-based as well too. Because they could be all sexy and nice, but our guys got to use them. And it feels good to be a former athlete on the collegiate level and also know that those guys are being taken care of. When they come over here. Because you want to see that. And it makes it easier for me to go out and to share this program with parents. South Florida. We got 16 guys on our team from Florida currently right now.
Awesome.
And we'll— and the reason they're coming here is not because of the bells and whistles, but because they're coming up to a lot of great resources, and parents know that we can take care of them once they get on campus.
Obviously you played at the highest level of football in NFL.
Yeah.
Drafted to the Green Bay Packers, and you know, in doing that, you know, years of training and just getting your body right.
Correct.
And just how you go about your technique. Talk to me about how those experiences are helping your player development with your linebackers this year?
Yeah, first and foremost, I played the position. I played linebacker my entire life, played at the collegiate level, and had the blessing to play it for 3 different teams in the NFL. And I've been able to be— have some really great coaches. I think that's what it came down to. Norm Parker was my position coach at the University of Iowa, Jeff Fitzgerald, which was an amazing coach. In Cincinnati, Winston Moss in Green Bay. So I've been around some really great coaches. And when I look at it is we have a staff of, we have a student, you know, our room maybe have a lot of linebackers. It comes down to being able to create an individualized plan for each student athlete. So when I, being a former athlete, I first and foremost put myself in their shoes first and just try to figure out how do I solve problems on and off the field. From a football perspective, biomechanics is huge in terms of teaching different techniques and, and getting things done. And really, I kind of filter what worked and didn't work based on my experience, because that coach, you think everything works, right? Yeah, but you got to kind of tailor that a little bit to, to, to each individual as well too. Yeah. Um, so my eyes and seeing things, I'm able to see things a lot smoother in terms of what guys need to work on, and also knowing that how the, the the strength and conditioning program correlates to the guys on the field. If a guy is struggling with something on the football field, I'll go have a conversation with our strength coach and see how, what movements that we're doing in the weight room, or techniques we teach in the weight room, what principles we teach in the weight room that may help that student athlete to be better on the football field.
You know, you talk about biomechanics, right? You talked about great coaches mentoring you. Those incoming recruits, those incoming freshmen, like, what is the protocol? Like, where do you want to start with this kind of clay that you want to start to mold for the next 4 to 5 years?
Well, the first thing is I try to do is teach them how to, teach them a little bit more about our university and the history of our university. Because I believe when you know the history, you know the people involved, you tend to appreciate it a lot more. So that's first and foremost. The second thing is letting them know that we're here for them. Like, we're here completely to develop them and to see that they accomplish their goals. And I think once they know that, that you have their best interest at heart, then they open up to you. Outside of that is creating a plan for each individual to grow on and off the field, to grow in the weight room, to grow from a football perspective. We have guys come in on different levels of, in terms of the experience, so we want to make sure that we are dedicated to each individual as well and coming up with a customized plan. And then on top of it, we want to make sure that guys are on track to graduate because that's what you come here for.
We walk in, there's renovations going on everywhere. You know, it really seems like South Dakota is committed to having in a first-class program?
I think it's the biggest thing more than anything is, you know, a lot of places build things and make things look good, but you know, when it comes down to being around people you feel like are really, really committed to not just winning, but putting out a product that's the best, not just, you know, I don't think anybody around here has the vision that we want it to be just acceptable or okay. They're really trying to be the best.
And I think those are the type of people you want to be around and you see it obviously in the obvious facility stuff, but when you actually meet the people, You're like, "Yeah, these people get it." You know, with those guys, you know, picking those right guys, you know, you're a first-year coach, and I know Coach Hodge is even a first-year guy, and you guys are going to have to build a certain relationship with these players and build some trust, you know, for this season. Talk about kind of, you know, how you guys are going about that a little bit.
Yeah, I think, you know, first of all, you got to remember they're people, and so it's not like— I think a lot of guys want to have a plan and a process and a step, this step, that step, and it's like, I just need to get to know that guy. You know what I mean? Where are you from? What's your family like? What makes you tick? Them get to know me on a personal level. So when it's time to really get down to coaching them hard, they know I know them. They know me. They know I care. Our overall body of experience is positive, regardless of if we have the negative moment here and there. So really, it's getting to know them, being around them, Being patient, you know, that, that takes time.
You have a kinesiology background, which I think that's awesome, like, for position coaches to have, you know, a love for the weight room, but let alone like an understanding of what's actually going on. Has that played a big role in your development?
Yeah, I mean, just having an understanding to a certain degree. It's been a long time since we've even have had that any application towards it. And I thought, you know, in a lot of small schools, a lot of times you get asked to do those sort of things. Luckily, I will— not luckily, but I just never had to. We had full-time strength guys ever have been lucky enough. And but I think when you start to look at recruiting and how to functionally get guys moving better, and really more than anything, just identifying how we want guys to move and operate and communicating that with strength staff, I think that's a really helpful tool to have, is just kind of some anatomy background.
Coach, let's talk about culture a little bit. You know, all the success you had at Grandview, I'd imagine a, you know, thriving culture is, you know, a big foundation of that. Talk about some of the culture that you want to bring from Grandview here to South Dakota for your defense here.
Yeah, I think, you know, one thing, we just had great leadership there too. You know, I think it starts from the top, and that was one of the things that excited me about here is Coach Nielsen. You know, his message to our team is right on line with a lot of things, I think. And so, you know, I don't think we ever don't see eye to eye when it comes to that message, you know, with our defense. And I just think teams in general, I take it out of my hands and our hands as a staff and say, hey, what are you guys trying to get out of this? You know, luckily enough for us, we've had a— we've got a lot of guys on staff that have won national titles, that have played in the NFL. We think as a collective group we have a really good idea what it takes in those scenarios to, to achieve their goals. And so what do you want to get out of this? You know, if they want to be a 5-5 team and coast it out and just enjoy FCS football and going to school, well, alright, we'll hold you to that standard. Obviously that's not the response we get, you know, and so, you know, guys want to win a league title, want to win a national title, here's what it takes. We're going to set the bar there and we're going to hold them accountable like that. And, you know, I think it's about players.
