Football
- Title:
- Cornerbacks
- Email:
- football@rice.edu
- Phone:
- 348-6900
Jeremy Modkins was named the Owls’ cornerback coach in March 2023, coming to South Main after spending the 2022 season with the Minnesota Vikings as a defensive analyst.
In 2024 Modkins was able to rely on the same starting corners for all 12 games (Sean Fresch and Max Ahoia) and both enjoyed career years. Fresch posted a career-high 52 tackles led the team with nine pass breakups and added an interception to tie for the team lead with 10 passes defended. Ahoia was credited with 37 tackles and was second on the team with eight pass breakups.
In his first season with the Owls, Modkins saw Fresch continue to develop into a leader in the defensive backfield while senior Tre’shon Devones became one of the highest-ranked corners in the AAC according to PFF.
A former TCU standout, Modkins coached the cornerbacks for the Horned Frogs from 2018-21 after serving as a defensive analyst the previous four seasons.
The 2020 campaign saw Modkins coach Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson into a first-team All-American and the nation's highest-graded cornerback in coverage. The previous year, in 2019, Jeff Gladney developed into a first-team All-Big 12 selection and a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings. The 2019 season also saw TCU finish first in the Big 12 in total defense with a pair of true freshmen (Hodges-Tomlinson and Kee'yon Stewart) making starts at cornerback.
In his first season with the cornerbacks, Modkins coached Gladney and Julius Lewis into one of the nation's top duos at the position. Gladney was a second-team All-Big 12 selection while teaming with Lewis to rank first and second, respectively, in the Big 12 in allowing the fewest receptions per coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus.
Modkins was a second-team all-conference selection and TCU's Defensive Most Valuable Player as a senior in 2005. He was a four-year letterman who made 35 career starts. He tied for third on the team his senior year with 67 tackles while adding three interceptions.
A Marlin, Texas, native, Modkins totaled a season-best 12 stops and a forced fumble in a 2005 victory over Utah to snap the Utes' 18-game winning streak. He closed his career with five tackles, including one for loss, while forcing a fumble and breaking up two passes in the 27-24 EV1.net Houston Bowl win over Iowa State.
After earning his TCU degree in communication studies in 2005, Modkins signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns. He also played with the Green Bay Packers.
Following his playing career, Modkins returned to TCU as a graduate assistant for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, earning a master's degree in liberal arts.
Modkins' brother, Curtis, was also a TCU standout (1989-92) and has been a longtime assistant coach in the NFL. He is now the Denver Broncos' running backs coach.
Modkins and his wife, Stephanie, have a daughter, Solvei.
