Exclusive Q&A: Meet new Mansfield Timberview football head coach Jacody Coleman
On Wednesday, March 26, Mansfield ISD Athletics announced the hiring of Mansfield Timberview High School’s next head football coach and athletic coordinator: Jacody Coleman.
Coleman, previously at Dallas Skyline, tallied a 6-24 overall record but showed great improvement in the 2024 season, leading the Raiders to a 4-6 record. Skyline was arguably in Texas’ toughest district alongside Duncanville and DeSoto.
Mansfield Timberview, in its past three seasons, has a solid 28-8 record. Coleman will take over a Wolves team that posted a 6-5 overall record in 2024 in one of Texas’ toughest Class 5A Division 2 districts.
The Star-Telegram caught up with Coleman for an exclusive question and answer.
What stood out about the Timberview job? Why did you think that was a good opportunity for you?
The Mansfield ISD district — It’s a great district. From the people I’ve met since I’ve been in Dallas. And then Timberview football, they’ve always been good. When I see people talk about Timberview, it’s always about the athletes and the school.
The administration, I thought, was good. And so, I thought it would be a good place for me when I looked more into it.
What are some of the challenges of taking over a program that has such high expectations and a history of success?
When you take a job that has a history of success, you want to, try to elevate it to even more consistent success. So to me, that’s really the challenge.
(Timberview) is always in the playoffs, and let’s take the next step. Let’s be one of the teams that they talk about having a chance in December to win it all. So, I’m trying to get the expectations high and get the kids to understand that we want to be consistent every year. We want to have a chance to play for it all and practice after Thanksgiving in December.
How would you describe your personal coaching style?
I’m a big relationship person. And people will also say my teams are disciplined. People will say they play hard and they play tough.
When coaches normally talk to me after a game, win or lose, they say, ‘Man, your kids really play hard, and they’re tough.’ I believe in playing a physical brand of football the same way I played when I played the game in college, so I really try to get my team to play the same way.
What are some of the core values that you’d like to instill in a program?
We have several core values. We say every day, “Team over me.” Love your brothers. Respect women, teachers and elders. We start with that.
The things that don’t take talent, we want to be good at all those. I think we’ll have plenty of talent. So, we want to be good at the things that don’t take talent. Hard work and discipline. And I think that’s how you win ball games in the playoffs.
During your time at Skyline, what were some of the most valuable lessons you learned while playing against some of Texas’ toughest competition?
Every year we got better, and you just kind of had to. Every week was a big game – we learned to take it one game at a time and find success in the little things. And having a chance to win games in the fourth quarter by putting yourself in position, even in a district like that while playing against the best competition in the state.
You go from one of the toughest districts in 6A to one of the toughest in 5A. How do you keep your teams ready every week for the next challenge?
It’s all about our preparation. . And this doesn’t start when we get to August. It’s really starting now. I feel like we’re behind, of course, because it’s April, but we’re not behind.
The kids have been working, and the preparation just starts now. You just take it one day at a time, and we are trying to be the best we can be every day. And then when it’s time to put on the pads, and it’s time to hit somebody coming against us, we’re prepared the right way every week – Schematically from a coaching standpoint, and then getting the kids to practice the right way to prepare to go win the game.
What do you want your players to take away from playing for you?
I want them to understand that I’m teaching them valuable life lessons that they gonna be able to use, not just in football but when they graduate, when they go to school, when they get married, when they have a family, when they take care of a child – things that they gonna be able to take with them off the field and on the field.
I want them to play the right way. I want to win, but I want to win the right way, and I want to play football as a unit and not as a whole bunch of individuals on a football field.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 11:00 PM.
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