Gerald Alexander, a former Boise State standout that Jeff Choate hired to coach the Montana State secondary last month, will take a similar position at his alma mater instead.
On Monday night, FootballScoop.com announced that Alexander would join Bryan Harsin’s staff in Boise. Choate, who was hired on December 4, announced Alexander’s hiring at MSU one week later.
Alexander, who played five NFL seasons, spent 2015 as the secondary coach at Indiana State and mentored second-team All-Missouri Valley defensive back Travis Starks. He served as a defensive graduate assistant at Washington under his former BSU coach Chris Peterson in 2014, and the year prior was a defensive graduate assistant at Arkansas State. His coaching career began with a season as a volunteer coach at his former high school, Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High, in 2012. Alexander coached with Choate at Washington in 2014. Harsin, a former Boise State player himself, was the head coach at Arkansas State during Alexander’s year in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Alexander played at Boise State from 2002 until 06, starting the final three of those seasons, before being drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft by Detroit. He spent two seasons with the Lions, and played for Jacksonville (2009-10), Carolina (2010), Miami (2011) and the Jets (2011). He appeared in 44 NFL games, starting 30 during his professional career.
“Gerald was an important part of the Boise State’s first Fiesta Bowl team,” Choate said in a press release last month. “He was a team captain and a leader. He was drafted by the Lions and had a very good NFL career cut short by an injury. I worked with Gerald at Washington in 2014 and it became obvious to me then that he’s going to become a superstar in the coaching profession. His energy and knowledge and enthusiasm are second to none.”
