Telly Lockette, Destined for big things.

[Reliable Source]

I think we are watching the breakout of a great American CFB coach. I am proud to have been here to see it happen.

Background: The Rise of Telly Lockette

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by Matthew Manuri in 2013: The Taggart Takeover

When opportunity knocks, what will you do?

Telly Lockette decided to answer the call.

Having led Central’s football team to three state championship appearances – two championships – and a 60-10 record on the field, Lockette accepted an offer to become the running backs coach at the University of South Florida.

Lockette, 38, said that he received the call from Bulls head coach Wille Taggart this past Saturday – Lockette’s birthday.

“It was definitely like a birthday gift,†Lockette said. “I was in shock. At first I thought it was just for an interview. But he told me that it was to offer me the job and I was just so ecstatic. I had to pinch myself. This is such a great opportunity for me and for my family…this is such a blessing.â€

“I’ve been smiling from ear to ear since it happened. I’ve come from a long line of great coaches that taught me to be a good person and to do it the right way. And for all of this to happen, its so gratifying,†Lockette said.

Lockette’s name was floated around in recent days, linked to positions at the University of Miami and Florida State. But Lockette confirmed that both of those positions were not “on-the-field†positions that would make him a full-fledged college coach.

“I felt this was the best opportunity. To be able to on the field working with kids and have the ability to recruit; that was major for me,†Lockette said. “I did receive an offer from a college in 2010 after our first state championship, but my daughter was just being born and I didn’t want to make a move at that time.â€

Lockette became the head coach at Central in 2008, following his time as an assistant at Northwestern – his Alma mater. Lockette’s time at Northwestern was cut short as he was a part of the coaching staff that was let go in connection with the scandal involving former Bulls running back Antwain Easterling.

Lockette and all the other coaches involved – many of whom were on Lockette’s staff at Central – were absolved of any wrongdoing and granted the ability to coach football again.

Years removed from entire ordeal, Lockette said that everything has come full circle.

“To be fired on national television really, to be cleared of everything, then to get back to doing what I love and have success at it, to now being able to coach on the college level – it’s amazing how God works,†Lockette said.

Lockette’s resume as a high school head football coach is impressive.

He built a 60-10 record with the Rockets (though its acknowledged by the FHSAA as 47-23 as it stripped away 13 wins from the 2011 season because Central was found to be playing with an ineligible player) and won a pair of state championships (2010 and 2012).

Lockette also coached some of the best talent South Florida has had to offer in recent years. Current college standouts Devonta Freeman, Rakeem Cato, Jeff Godfrey,Tommy Shuler and others all played under Lockette. Even currently, with top division-one talents in running backs Joseph Yearby and Dalvin Cook and offensive lineman Trevor Darling, Lockette has gathered and developed talented players.

Most importantly to Rockets fan, Lockette completely changed the team’s fortunes against neighborhood rival Northwestern. Previously always playing second fiddle to the Bulls, Central began to dominate the match up – winning every match up since 2009, including being the team that ended the Bulls’ 20-season playoff appearance streak in 2011.

“I would like to think and hope that I left the program a lot better than I found it,†Lockette said.

Central principal Gregory Bethune, in his first year at the school, said that coaches like Lockette are hard to come by.

“Guys like coach Lockette are cut from a different cloth,†Bethune said. “He was well-respected on the field and in the [school]. His relationship with the kids was great because of the way he was able to relate to them – because he came from the same places they came from and been through the same stuff they’re going through.â€

“You can never truly replace a coach like Telly Lockette,†Bethune added.

That’s something that Lockette hopes will help him when he comes back to Miami-Dade county – as a recruiter. USF has typically done well in the area – including this year when they nabbed Northwestern running back Darius Tice and for Central kicker Emilio Nadelman.

Lockette hopes that his success serves as motivation and inspiration for not only his players but for fellow coaches in South Florida.

“This just proves that high school coaches from South Florida are good coaches and we can make it to the next level,†Lockette said. “I told my players to ‘never give up on your dreams’. And I hope that this lets the young coaches in the area know that hard work and doing things the right way pays off.â€

“I’m a Bull, once again.†Lockette said.â€

J.T. Wilcox, SFHSSports.com

link

[Skingraft]

Look forward to seeing what he can do

[CousinRicky]

Is this a big deal? Don't follow high school football much.

[Reliable Source]

Is this a big deal? Don't follow high school football much.

 

Miami Central is ranked No. 1 in the US. Kind of a big deal.

 

[Matt]

much better grab than Weiner would have been.  

[Triple B]

For some reason thought he was older ....

[KB]

Write up from March by Luther Campbell who is apparently big in the Miami high school football scene.

 

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2013/03/telly_lockette_leaving_miami_c.php

 

Telly Lockette Leaving Miami Central High for University of South Florida

 

By Luther Campbell Tue., Mar. 5 2013 at 10:00 AM

 

 

  Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. Today, Luke gives props to a high school coach making it to the NCAA big leagues.

I want to congratulate Telly Lockette. He's getting an opportunity that great high school football icons such as Walt Frazier and Billy Rolle were never afforded. Lockette is the first African-American coach from a Miami-area high school to land a job with a major college program. On Monday, University of South Florida Bulls head coach Willie Taggart added Lockette to his staff as running backs coach, according to CBS Sports reporter Bruce Feldman.

The 37-year-old Miami Northwestern alum has an impeccable football resumé. During his four-and-half-year run as the head coach at Miami Central Senior High, Lockette was the first coach in Miami-Dade history to take his team to three consecutive state title game appearances, winning two championships. No team from Miami-Dade or Broward has beaten Lockette's Rockets since 2009, when the Miami Northwestern Bulls beat Central.

Throughout his career, Lockette has coached some of the best running backs to come out of Miami-Dade, from Antwain Easterling to Devonta Freeman to Joseph Yearby and Dalvin Cook. During his tenure at Miami Central, roughly 70 of his players have signed scholarships to big-name programs, from Florida State to Oklahoma to Syracuse to Clemson.

I was hoping the University of Miami would hire Lockette following a long tradition of bringing in high school coaches that began under Howard Schnellenberger. In the 1980s, he hired Joe Brodsky, then-head coach at Hialeah-Miami Lakes, to be the running backs coach. Brodsky went on to coach the tailbacks for the Dallas Cowboys under Jimmy Johnson. Dennis Erickson continued the tradition by hiring Don Soldinger as running backs coach.

But, for whatever reason, the Hurricanes passed on Lockette, allowing Taggert to swoop in. No question, the USF coach made a big power move.

Lockette will recruit any kid from South Florida he wants. For instance, Lockette grew up with the parents of the student athletes who are playing high school football. That makes him valuable. And all the high school football head coaches will rally around Lockette. Seeing him land an NCAA coaching gig gives them hope other universities will come knocking on their doors.

A lot of high school coaches aspire to get to a college coaching job. But universities in Florida have a problem hiring high school coaches from Miami-Dade. It's not like Texas, a state that has established a tradition of elevating high school coaches to the collegiate level.

If Lockette succeeds in getting the top players from South Florida, he'll give the Bulls a leg up on every other college. That's why the high school coaches will want Lockette to do great.

I hope his success will get other universities in the Sunshine State, from FSU to UM, to jump on the high school head coaches bandwagon.

Follow Luke on Twitter: @unclelukereal1

[raptorcj]

 

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times.

 

Not sure that qualifies him to be a noteworthy information source...but Lockette does sound like a good fit and a good recruitment poster.

[Paisa el Toro]

 

 

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times.

 

Not sure that qualifies him to be a noteworthy information source...but Lockette does sound like a good fit and a good recruitment poster.

 

 

Believe it or not, Uncle Luke is pretty involved in the Miami-Dade football scene. He's donated a lot of time and money to various football programs in the area. He's got a lot of kids' ears, as a pseudo-father figure.

[Dogma]

 

 

 

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times.

 

Not sure that qualifies him to be a noteworthy information source...but Lockette does sound like a good fit and a good recruitment poster.

 

 

Believe it or not, Uncle Luke is pretty involved in the Miami-Dade football scene. He's donated a lot of time and money to various football programs in the area. He's got a lot of kids' ears, as a pseudo-father figure.

 

 

Very very true.  He's a big deal in the local football scene.