Photo by: Maria Lysaker / Rice University
Rice Announces Football Coaching Changes
3/2/2021 1:14:00 PM | Football
HOUSTON - Dunlevie Family Head Football Coach Mike Bloomgren formally introduced of Marques Tuiasosopo as Rice's new offensive coordinator and Jim Jackson as the Owls' tight ends coach as well as the shift of Chris Monfiletto from tight ends coach to special teams coordinator.
Said Bloomgren, "It's my honor to introduce the new additions to our staff that I'm extremely excited about. First is our offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Marques Tuiasosopo. There were really three things that I thought were critical of the hire. The first was someone who sees the game the way I do. The second that I thought was imperative is somebody who had the capacity to plan and call the passing game. That's exactly what Marques is going to do with his West Coast background. The third is I needed somebody who could grow the quarterbacks. Build the quarterback room from the ground up. It became clear to me that Marques is the one to do that. I'm thrilled that we had a chance to bring him in. You already see it with him working with our kids. I'm couldn't be more excited about Marques running our offense."
Tuiasosopo joins the Owls after spending the last 12 seasons coaching on the offensive side of the ball in the Pac 12 Conference, including the last four years shaping the offensive attack for the California Golden Bears. Jackson comes to South Main two seasons as the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of Massachusetts.
A former collegiate and NFL quarterback, the hallmark of Tuiasosopo's offensive schemes has been offensive efficiency that have annually ranked among the top 20 in the country as well as the development of quarterbacks, including 2018 first round draft pick Josh Rosen while at UCLA.
Prior to his coaching career, Tuiasosopo played for eight seasons in the NFL with Oakland (2001-06, 2008) and the New York Jets (2007). He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Raiders following a brilliant four-year playing career for the Huskies (1997-2000).
Tuiasosopo finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting as a 2000 senior while also earning Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and Rose Bowl MVP honors. The two-time UW captain (1999-2000) established the school's career total offense record (7374) as he passed for 5879 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for another 1495 yards with 21 TDs. In a 1999 victory over Stanford during his 1999 junior season, he became the first NCAA Division I player to pass for at least 300 yards and rush for at least 200 yards in the same game as he combined for a school-record 509 total yards (302 pass, 207 rush). The Huskies also reached bowls in each of his first three seasons (1997 Aloha Bowl, 1998 Oahu Bowl, 1999 Holiday Bowl).
"I can't express how excited I am to be a part of this program," said Tuiasosopo. "It's an opportunity that was afford me by Coach Bloomgren. It's just a huge opportunity that my family and I couldn't pass up. The game of football has been a part of my life from the beginning. My father played in the NFL. I had the opportunity to learn and play at a high level and now to be able to coach it and express to the guys in that way. The passion that I have for this game. Ultimately to see them develop into who they want to be, and that's a championship level football player and a great, outstanding student-athlete."
Added Bloomgren, "The next hire is Coach Jim Jackson. Jim has coached tight ends at the Division I level. He has also coach offensive line at the Division I level and that was an important thing to me. I go back to times when I worked with him. I was at Stanford and he was at the University of San Diego. He would come up and work our camps every year. I got a chance to watch him develop young guys just over a two-day period every year and he's an outstanding technician. He also works the way we do. He fits."
A 2003 graduate of Cornell where lettered in both football and baseball, Jackson began his coaching career at Methodist College in North Carolina in 2004. He joined the staff at Minnesota in 2007 as assistant offensive line coach and took over as tight ends coach at Southern Illinois in 2010.
He moved west in 2014 to join d the staff at San Diego as offensive line coach and took over as the Toreros' co-offensive coordinator in 2018. In five seasons in San Diego, the Toreros reached the FCS playoffs each season.
"I'm really excited to be here," said Jackson. "When I got the call from Coach Bloomgren, the chance to get to come down here and coach with him, he's been a mentor of mine during my coaching career. He's somebody that I really look up to and it was a great opportunity. Being from Texas, I'm really excited to be here. This is a first-class organization. This is a great place. This is a special place."
Monfiletto joined the Owls staff in 2019 as an offensive assistant before taking over as tight ends coach in 2020.
Said Bloomgren, "It's my honor to introduce the new additions to our staff that I'm extremely excited about. First is our offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Marques Tuiasosopo. There were really three things that I thought were critical of the hire. The first was someone who sees the game the way I do. The second that I thought was imperative is somebody who had the capacity to plan and call the passing game. That's exactly what Marques is going to do with his West Coast background. The third is I needed somebody who could grow the quarterbacks. Build the quarterback room from the ground up. It became clear to me that Marques is the one to do that. I'm thrilled that we had a chance to bring him in. You already see it with him working with our kids. I'm couldn't be more excited about Marques running our offense."
Tuiasosopo joins the Owls after spending the last 12 seasons coaching on the offensive side of the ball in the Pac 12 Conference, including the last four years shaping the offensive attack for the California Golden Bears. Jackson comes to South Main two seasons as the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of Massachusetts.
A former collegiate and NFL quarterback, the hallmark of Tuiasosopo's offensive schemes has been offensive efficiency that have annually ranked among the top 20 in the country as well as the development of quarterbacks, including 2018 first round draft pick Josh Rosen while at UCLA.
Prior to his coaching career, Tuiasosopo played for eight seasons in the NFL with Oakland (2001-06, 2008) and the New York Jets (2007). He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Raiders following a brilliant four-year playing career for the Huskies (1997-2000).
Tuiasosopo finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting as a 2000 senior while also earning Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and Rose Bowl MVP honors. The two-time UW captain (1999-2000) established the school's career total offense record (7374) as he passed for 5879 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for another 1495 yards with 21 TDs. In a 1999 victory over Stanford during his 1999 junior season, he became the first NCAA Division I player to pass for at least 300 yards and rush for at least 200 yards in the same game as he combined for a school-record 509 total yards (302 pass, 207 rush). The Huskies also reached bowls in each of his first three seasons (1997 Aloha Bowl, 1998 Oahu Bowl, 1999 Holiday Bowl).
"I can't express how excited I am to be a part of this program," said Tuiasosopo. "It's an opportunity that was afford me by Coach Bloomgren. It's just a huge opportunity that my family and I couldn't pass up. The game of football has been a part of my life from the beginning. My father played in the NFL. I had the opportunity to learn and play at a high level and now to be able to coach it and express to the guys in that way. The passion that I have for this game. Ultimately to see them develop into who they want to be, and that's a championship level football player and a great, outstanding student-athlete."
Added Bloomgren, "The next hire is Coach Jim Jackson. Jim has coached tight ends at the Division I level. He has also coach offensive line at the Division I level and that was an important thing to me. I go back to times when I worked with him. I was at Stanford and he was at the University of San Diego. He would come up and work our camps every year. I got a chance to watch him develop young guys just over a two-day period every year and he's an outstanding technician. He also works the way we do. He fits."
A 2003 graduate of Cornell where lettered in both football and baseball, Jackson began his coaching career at Methodist College in North Carolina in 2004. He joined the staff at Minnesota in 2007 as assistant offensive line coach and took over as tight ends coach at Southern Illinois in 2010.
He moved west in 2014 to join d the staff at San Diego as offensive line coach and took over as the Toreros' co-offensive coordinator in 2018. In five seasons in San Diego, the Toreros reached the FCS playoffs each season.
"I'm really excited to be here," said Jackson. "When I got the call from Coach Bloomgren, the chance to get to come down here and coach with him, he's been a mentor of mine during my coaching career. He's somebody that I really look up to and it was a great opportunity. Being from Texas, I'm really excited to be here. This is a first-class organization. This is a great place. This is a special place."
Monfiletto joined the Owls staff in 2019 as an offensive assistant before taking over as tight ends coach in 2020.
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