Thomas McGaughey joins the Jets after working with LSU on special teams.
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Kadron Boone might still be training for a shot at the NFL, but he sees something in new Jets special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey that makes him think the coach will be successful in the NFL.
McGaughey, hired by the Jets on Wednesday, leaves the same position at LSU where he helped turn the Tigers into one of the best special teams units in the nation. With time in the NFL McGaughey brought the professional mentality he developed as a special teams assistant with the Broncos and the Giants to LSU and revamped the unit.
Boone, who played on that unit and for McGaughey, thinks the coach will make a natural acclimation to the league.
“I wasn’t shocked about it when I heard they hired him. He’s the guy for the job. Football-wise, the knowledge that he has, he’s the right man for the job,” Boone told Metro New York. “With him having that knowledge, coming from the Giants, he had that aggressive NFL mindset that he brought to LSU. He changed things about what we did on special teams, [and] really got us to another level. He is the right man for the job. He’s a great coach. He coached us at an NFL level. You’d hear guys who come back to visit who were in the NFL and they’d say that he coached at that level.”
At LSU, Boone served as a blocker on the punt and kick return teams. He played in 53 games during his four years at LSU and is now training for the NFL Draft at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, N.J.
But beyond schematics, Boone also sees McGaughey as a natural fit in another area. Boone painted the picture of someone with a good balance to manage the different types of egos in an NFL locker room.
“He’s a great guy. From Day 1, there’s something about him that everyone liked,” Boone said. “He just came in and the stuff that he taught us, everyone latched onto to him. Not just as a coach, but there’s something off the field as well. He’s a great teacher. He has it all. He’s a friend but if you’re not taking care of what you’re supposed to, he will let you know.”
Boone had 44 receptions for 611 yards and eight touchdowns during his time at LSU.
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
