Nick Mangold tackles new role as high school football coach in New Jersey

NEW YORK – Jets legend Nick Mangold is back on the field — now as the offensive line coach at the Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey — close to where he made a name for himself in the NFL

A cornerstone of the Jets’ offensive line after being drafted in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Mangold became one of the most respected centers in NFL history. 

The Jets Hall of Fame member and Ring of Honor recipient is bringing his extensive NFL experience to high school football.

“I like to give back,” Mangold explained. “When you’re in high school, you’ve got kids who are 13, 14 to 17, 18—that’s a big transition for young men. I had great high school coaches who were instrumental in shaping my life, not just in the game of football, but in life itself.”

The seed was planted when Mangold’s kids played in a flag football league on the weekends run by Delbarton’s Head Football Coach, Brian Bowers — who floated the idea of coaching to Mangold, but the final push came from Nick’s wife, Jennifer last winter, “I had a lot of fun coaching my son’s basketball team—and I don’t know anything about basketball,” Mangold recalled. “My wife looked at me and said, ‘You do know something about football. Maybe you want to investigate what you’ve always said you wanted to do.'”

Mangold then reached out to Bowers last spring to take him up on his offer.

“He’s a great coach, but he’s just a great person—very relatable to the kids. He’s got zero ego,” Bowers said. As a 21-year veteran coach, Bowers appreciates Mangold’s professional background, noting it’s Mangold’s first coaching experience.

Mangold acknowledges the difference between professional and high school football. “When you spend time in the NFL, you kind of get into the mode where it’s very businesslike and just a job,” he said. “But coming back to high school, I think this is the last pure form of football. You get to really enjoy just how much fun the game is—playing for your school.”

Senior left guard Lorenzo Petrucci has already benefited from Mangold’s expertise. “He’s a very calming presence for us,” Petrucci said. “He has basically infinite knowledge. He knows everything about the game. We strive for perfection—we won’t get there, but that’s his goal for us, and we’re definitely getting closer.”

For Mangold, the biggest challenge has been letting go of the player’s direct control. “As a player, you always have the ultimate final say,” he explained. “Now, I’m relying on someone else to do what needs to be done. It’s definitely a wild phenomenon, but it’s been a lot of fun.”

Mangold is now writing a new chapter in his football career, transforming the technical mastery that defined his NFL career into a coaching philosophy that extends beyond the field.