Driskell returns to football in coaching role

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Jaden Driskell never played football again after suffering a torn ACL and having knee surgery early in his sophomore year at Creston Community High School.

Yet, on Saturday he’ll be on the sidelines for Northwest Missouri State University, working for the offensive coaching staff in the quarterfinals of the 2021 NCAA Division II playoffs.

It’s been a quest to find a place in a sport he chose to leave as a player, yet one that always intrigued him from a coaching standpoint. Opportunity knocked when Northwest hired an offensive coordinator, Todd Sturdy, whose extensive coaching background included a stint at Iowa State.

Former Creston player and coach Ryan McKim had also worked on the staffs at Iowa State and the University of Oklahoma — he’s now an assistant coach at Class 5A semifinalist Iowa City High — and was familiar with Sturdy from their time at Iowa State. That Creston connection opened the door for Driskell, who is now in his second year as a student assistant coach for the Bearcats.

“I had always thought about working with the football team here,” said Driskell, a 2018 Creston graduate. “When coach Sturdy was hired here in January of 2020, I reached out to Ryan McKim when I was made aware they knew each other from Iowa State. I heard from coach Sturdy and he offered me a position.”

Driskell, who concentrated on baseball and basketball after his high school knee injury, remained interested in football. The son of Scott and Melissa Driskell grew up in a football household. Scott was an all-state quarterback at Creston before playing at St. Ambrose (where Sturdy was once head coach) and Simpson College. He coached football at East Union and Earlham before joining the Creston administrative staff in 2011.

Jaden Driskell was no stranger to the coaching profession himself before being hired by the Bearcats. He was a baseball assistant coach for Creston head coach Steve Birchard for three summers after graduating, including a stint as interim head coach last summer when Birchard’s retirement became effective on July 1.

Film study

Driskell’s early duties for Northwest included breaking down video segments of other collegiate and NFL teams. He even did that at home when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he became an online student in the spring of 2020.

“We were looking at formations and play types, watching what other teams were doing offensively,” Driskell said. “Everyone does a lot of the same things, but it’s how they do it that’s different. Sometimes you find stuff that you can incorporate into what we’re doing offensively.”

Once practices began, Driskell helped in drills with Sturdy and wide receivers coach Zach Martin. Over the winter, he also became involved in recruiting visits on campus in organizing the schedule and giving athletic facility tours.

This was Driskell’s first season of helping on the sidelines at games, as there was no fall season in 2020 in NCAA Division II. It’s been another season of championship contention for the Bearcats, who enter the Super Region Three title game at Ferris State Saturday with an 11-1 record and MIAA conference championship.

Game time is noon at Big Rapids, Michigan. Saturday’s winners will be in the Final Four of NCAA Division II football. Northwest is in its 25th season of qualifying for the NCAA Division II playoffs — an NCAA record. Ferris State and Northwest are the only D-II programs to make the playoffs each of the past seven seasons.

Northwest has captured six NCAA Division II championships in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016. Former Creston linemen Dane Wardenburg and Collin Bevins were involved in Bearcat championships. Now, Driskell has an opportunity from the sidelines.

“I help with the offense during games,” Driskell said. “I help signal in the plays. There are four of us, usually. Early on I didn’t know if my responsibilities would be up in the box or on the field. I’m glad to be signalling on the field and be able to experience the game from that standpoint. It’s been really fun to be a part of this for the best Division II program in the country.”

Future plans

Driskell will graduate with a bachelor’s degree next week and then faces a big decision. He could stay at Northwest Missouri State and possibly work for the team as a graduate assistant, or pursue his master’s degree in sports management at the University of Iowa, where he has been accepted. His degree at Northwest is in public relations with a minor in sports management.

Driskell said if he stays in the coaching profession it would most likely be at the collegiate level as a full-time job, rather than getting an education degree to teach and coach at a high school.

“Being a part of this program has been really special and certainly it’s been a chance to learn from the best at this level,” Driskell said. “I know I have some big decisions to make and it’s coming up fast. No matter what I do, I know I have some really good people here at Northwest who are in my corner and willing to help.

“Hopefully we can be successful Saturday and be able to host a semifinal game here in Maryville,” Driskell added. “There’s nothing in Division II like our home stadium. It’s loud! People here love Bearcat football. It’s a really neat atmosphere to work in.”