Jason Phillips: I went from QB that couldn’t throw to LB that couldn’t throw at TCU
Jason Phillips had a standout college career. He left TCU with the most tackles in the Gary Patterson era with 315 as he started all but one game over his four years (2005-08).
Not too shabby for a player who described his high school playing days at Waller as being “a quarterback that couldn’t throw.”
“I loved it. I loved every bit of it,” Phillips said of his college career. “Coach Patterson did a great job of recruiting me from a quarterback that couldn’t throw to a linebacker that couldn’t throw. We took that and we ran with it.”
Phillips made those comments as the school honored its 2018 Hall of Fame class on Thursday night. Phillips is part of it, along with Brashant Carter (’96, track and field/ football), Simpson Degrate (’72, men’s basketball), Virgil Hodge (’08, women’s track and field), Mike Keathley (’01, football) and Adrianne Ross (’08, women’s basketball).
Phillips went on to spend three years in the NFL and eventually returned to TCU as a graduate assistant. He coached linebackers alongside Patterson in 2016-17.
He couldn’t have been happier to see Travin Howard break his tackles record last season, and hopes Ty Summers sets a new record by the end of this season.
The Star-Telegram caught up with him during Thursday’s event.
What does this honor mean to you? “It’s humbling to see guys in there who have come before me and to be a part of that. I don’t want to say I don’t deserve it, but I can tell you this much – there’s a lot of great athletes and great people in there. It’s just a very humbling experience to come back to.”
What do you think when you see the program today? “When we beat OU that year in 2005, everybody thought it was a fluke. Now it’s just normal wear and tear of the year. We go play those games every week now. It’s not so much they’re there [raising hand] and we’re here [lowering hand]. It’s now we’re here, they’re here, let’s go at it. I was glad to be a part of us getting to that point.”
What other games standout other than the win at Oklahoma? “I’ll never forget the Utah game we lost [in 2008]. That would’ve put us right into the Orange Bowl. You’ve got to take the good with the bad. I’ve learned a lot from that. That’s why it’s fun to come back and watch guys like Travin do the same thing I did – compete, run the same defense, get the same butt chewing and all of that. Coaching was a lot of fun. I loved that.”
Do you plan to get back into coaching? “I bought a business down in my hometown, Waller, and it was something I couldn’t pass up. Hoping I can spend a few years, grow it, sell it, lease some land back and continue to make money off it and then get back into coaching.”
Finally, coach Patterson compared Garret Wallow to you. What’s your mindset between the lines? “Garret, I’ll give it to him, he does play like I did. Garret is more athletic. I may be a little bigger, but he’s more athletic. The reason I had to play like that is that was the only way I could compete. Guys like David Hawthorne were naturally really good. I had to go 100 mph all four quarters to have a chance. Those guys, not saying [Hawthorne] didn’t, in order for me to be successful I had to go 100 mph. Coach P had to pull me back a few times, but that was always my mindset.”