Jerod Mayo is best known as a former Super Bowl-winning LB for the New England Patriots. Mayo’s prowess as a player and leader of men carries over to his dynamic coaching abilities. The rising up-and-comer has already received head coaching interviews despite his youth and relative coaching inexperience.
Mayo is putting together quite the coaching resume now, and many in league circles believe he may be on the short list of assistant coaches to receive head coaching positions in the future. Before we dive into Mayo’s future, let’s rewind and review an amazing career that has gotten him to this point.
Jerod Mayo’s High School Career
Mayo broke into the national consciousness while playing running back and linebacker for Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Virginia. Scouts evaluated Mayo as a sideline-to-sideline defender with range. As a junior, Mayo recorded 68 tackles (22 for loss), garnering All-District, All-Area, and All-Region honors.
The versatile linebacker’s reputation grew as a senior when he recorded 110 tackles while rushing for 1,245 yards and 13 touchdowns as a running back. Mayo was destined for a college football career, and recruiting services such as Rivals evaluated him as a four-star recruit.
Several big-name colleges pursued the dual threat. Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, and Purdue recruited the future NFL standout. After his recruitment, the talented linebacker chose the Volunteers.
Mayo’s Tennessee Career
The four-star Hampton, Virginia product did not hit the ground running at Tennessee. Mayo’s Volunteers’ career got off to a slow start, as he redshirted his freshman season. During his redshirt freshman season, Mayo only made 13 tackles as a part-time player. The Tennessee LB saw more playing time as a sophomore, when he started 11 games, finishing third on the team in tackles.
Mayo had previously played on the weak side, but a position change during his junior season attached the rocket to his back. Tennessee moved Mayo to MLB, and he was named co-captain of the Volunteers defense. The future NFL star produced 140 tackles during his junior season, the most by a Volunteers defender in well over a decade.
Mayo was the unquestioned leader of the Volunteers defense, earning first-team All-SEC honors. The versatile defensive playmaker finished his collegiate career on a high note and declared for the 2008 NFL Draft.
Mayo’s Draft Prognosis
The NFL Draft community was high on Mayo, viewing him as a heat-seeking missile of a linebacker prospect. Many concluded that with his size (6’1, 242 lbs.) and speed (4.54 40-time), Mayo was the perfect fit in a 3-4 scheme.
The New England Patriots liked what they saw in Mayo so much that they selected the former Volunteer with the 10th overall selection in the 2008 NFL Draft as the second LB off the board. Head coach Bill Belichick knew his specific vision for his defense and wanted to bolster his unit with the speedy linebacker.
Mayo’s NFL Playing Career
Mayo may have gotten off to a slow start at Tennessee, but the rookie LB took off like a bat out of hell at the NFL level. The well-rounded tackling machine picked up where he left off from his junior collegiate campaign, making 128 total tackles during his first year in the league and earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
The talented linebacker entered his second season with great promise, but an injured knee took several games to heal, limiting him early on. Nonetheless, Mayo battled back and made 103 tackles in a shortened campaign.
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Entering his third season, Mayo was named defensive captain, a high honor for a Belichick-led defensive unit fueled by veteran leadership. Mayo more than lived up to the designation, leading the NFL in tackles with 175, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.
The Patriots’ tackling machine is most known for being one of the better tacklers in the league during his eight-year playing career, of which the highlight must have been a Super Bowl XLIX victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Mayo’s Coaching Career
Throughout his playing career, Mayo was known as a locker room leader — a first-one-in, last-one-to-leave type of guy. Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots knew firsthand what type of mind and leadership ability Mayo had as a player, and brought him on the coaching staff in 2019 as an inside linebackers coach.
Many in league circles believe Mayo could be a head coach in the NFL. In fact, there is some speculation that if Belichick leaves or is fired following the 2023 season, Mayo could be the heir apparent and take over the head coaching position for the New England Patriots.
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