Choice wrapped up his playing career in 2014, coaching wasn’t really on his radar. He actually tried to jump into broadcasting first.
But then his mentor, former NFL QB Jon Kitna, asked him to coach a 7-on-7 team—and that’s when Choice caught the coaching bug. On day one, he told a player to pick one thing to work on every day.
The next week, Kitna told him, “The kids loved you—can you come back?” Choice did, and that player ran up to him right away, saying, “Coach, I’m working on catching the ball all the way in.”
That player? None other than Jalen Reagor, now a wide receiver for the Chargers and a 2020 first-round pick.
Choice says starting out coaching high school kids for free really showed him the grind it takes to develop players—everything from how to catch to how to hand off properly. Since then, he’s been hooked.
After eight years coaching college ball, Choice got hired this offseason by the Lions to run the backfield, which includes Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds, and more. Fun fact: Choice coached Gibbs at Georgia Tech and even played alongside defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard in the NFL.
He gives big props to former running backs coach Scottie Montgomery—now coaching receivers—for building a killer group. In 2024, they racked up 2,362 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. The team hit 100+ rushing yards and a touchdown in 15 games. Gibbs and Montgomery combined for 32 scrimmage TDs, tops in the NFL.
Choice says, “When you take over a room Scottie Montgomery built with that kind of consistency, the guys already have high standards, so my job is easier.”
He’s all about nitpicking the details now, and the guys have been super coachable and ready to improve, which makes his job fun.
