By Kyle Roberts
Ryan Gregory has seen plenty of talent in his day.
The head football coach for the historic Oak Grove Tigers, who just recently won his fourth state Non-Select, Division IV championship in five years, has without doubt coached top talent.
And for him, Ruston High’s newest offensive line coach Josh Mote stands above the crowd, literally and figuratively, having played for him from 2014-2017.
“The best word that sums him up is special,” Gregory said of Mote. “I mean, you don’t have a lot of kids that excel in every aspect of the game on the field and in the classroom; he just checked every box. I haven’t coached a kid that had a switch like him. In between reps, he’s fun to talk to and joke around with.
“And all of a sudden, even in practice, when the ball is snapped, it’s a different deal. You knew he was going to be special at that.”
Having already starred at Louisiana Tech on the offensive line, Mote is looking to bring that kind of energy to Ruston’s sideline — the kind of coach that is approachable and easy to be around, but also the kind of coach that will expect the absolute best out of his players.
And he knows the best way to get the best is to connect in a meaningful way as a coach with the player — and understanding that each player is a different person.
“I think first off, you have to care for the heart of the kid,” Mote said. “I believe when you engage with them in that way, everything else will fall into place. Essentially, that’s what high school football is support to be able. I do have a handful of guys who may go on to play college football, but at the end of the day it’s about teaching them how to live life the right way.”
If you didn’t know that you were talking to a 26-year-old, you’d think you were talking to a seasoned veteran with decades of experience. There’s a maturity that brings wisdom beyond his years — something that he directly points back to his faith in Jesus.
“Very few people can stand on faith as much as he does as far as walking the walk,” Gregory said. “He’s always been to type of kid that you never had to worry about.
In fact, the plan was originally for him to work full-time as an area representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an interdenominational organization with the vision to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.
“I started with FCA while I was training for Pro Day in March of 2023,” Mote said. “Shortly after that, (Ruston High Head Football Coach Jerrod) Baugh reached out and asked what I thought about coming to coach with him. Hearing what Coach Baugh had to say and how Ruston High runs the program — I was really impressed. It’s different from any other high school program; they do it the right way, almost like a college. It’s not much different than the way we did it at Tech, so I wanted to be a part of what he’s doing and be able to grow.
“I hopefully I have a lot of years coaching ahead of me. So I can take a lot of what I’ve learned here and use it in the future.”
For Baugh, hiring Mote was an easy decision, citing Baugh’s own relationship with Gregory.
“Usually, whenever I reach out to a person like (Gregory), whose opinion I respect, all it takes if one phone call to know it’s who I need to get,” Baugh said. “He told me “You have to get him.” Coach Gregory had even tried to get him to come move back to Oak Grove to coach with him. It was a no-brainer for me with that recommendation.”
Bearcat Offensive Lineman Sam Nations already sees Mote’s influence on the rest of his o-line squad and respects his coach’s previous involvement with FCA.
“He’s from a winning culture,” Nations said. “I think the intensity that Oak Grove has is similar to ours — it’s two really good football programs, so it’s nothing new to him. He’s a younger coach, and we can connect to that. But him being involved with FCA is a really big thing. I think our faith will grow — we pray and stuff and we’ve done Bible studies during the offseason. I want to work with Coach Mote to grow it. He’s the guy to do that.”
Mote is looking forward to the new challenges ahead, both on the field and off. Now engaged to Kate Thompson, a former Louisiana Tech Lady Techster who will be playing her final year of college basketball eligibility at Loyola in New Orleans, Mote will spend this season learning how to coach within a championship program — while also gleaning life advice from his fellow coaches.
“It’s good to be around these guys,” Mote said. “They do more than just come up here and coach — a lot of them have families at home, too. I’ll get to see how they treat their wives and how they are as parents. Hopefully, I can learn from them and grow from here.”
