Wheatley, Hackett reunite at Syracuse
Just hearing Tyrone Wheatley’s name sent Nathaniel Hackett into a frenzy.
Despite growing up in NFL locker rooms as a coach’s son and being in the midst of famous personalities on a daily basis, Hackett was admittedly starstruck when Wheatley was introduced as a temporary member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ coaching staff in 2006.
‘When that happened, I’m like, ‘Excuse me?” said Hackett, Syracuse’s current quarterbacks coach, who was then serving as the Bucs’ quality control coordinator. ‘I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’ve gotta get this guy’s autograph! Guys, that’s Tyrone Wheatley!”
Hackett was a coach’s son, growing up around the likes of Joe Montana and Marcus Allen. Wheatley was an All-Big Ten running back at Michigan and a 10-year NFL veteran. After a solid pro career, Wheatley was brought to Tampa, Fla., as part of an NFL minority internship. Hackett was trying to break into the world of coaching, working his way up from the bottom.
That summer, Wheatley came in and immediately started working with the running backs. As the head of quality control, Hackett was Wheatley’s go-to guy if he ever needed anything. And over a short period of time, an eventual bond was formed between the guys Hackett refers to as ‘the low men on the totem pole.’
Through their constant interaction on the field and in team meetings, the pair developed a close friendship. One that would eventually pave the way for each of them to coach in the same offense at SU.
‘Once we got talking football, we really hit it off,’ Wheatley said. ‘I would give him perspective of a certain play as a player, and he would give it back to me as a coach. And that’s primarily how we learned from each other.’
Wheatley was there for that summer. The two swapped numbers and kept in touch, as Hackett went to Buffalo to work with the Bills and Wheatley moved onto Pittsburgh to work with the Steelers. The two briefly spoke on the sidelines in 2008, but that was it as far as face-to-face interaction.
From the experience in Tampa, Hackett knew he wanted to work with Wheatley again someday and would often say to himself, ‘If I ever have a chance to recommend anybody, he’s the first guy to come up.’
When SU’s running backs coach, Roger Harriott, abruptly left the coaching staff on Feb. 8, the opportunity for Hackett to do that arose. Despite only being on staff for a few months, Hackett jumped when Marrone asked his staff if anybody knew who could fill the position.
Hackett made the call to Wheatley telling him of the opening at Syracuse, and the former Michigan star thought it was a joke. When he found out it wasn’t, the response, as Hackett remembers, was a combination of silence and fumbling of words. He was speechless.
Wheatley was added to the coaching staff the following evening.
‘When you go to a place that is foreign and you don’t really know anybody, it’s always good to have somebody in the system who you know and trust,’ Wheatley said. ‘And I trust (Hackett’s) judgment. Bob Casullo is here as well, and he coached me with the Oakland Raiders, but (Hackett) really sealed the deal.’
After various stints since Tampa, both Wheatley and Hackett have been reunited as first-year offensive assistants at SU. Each has found his niche in the coaching ranks, with Wheatley serving as running backs coach and Hackett coaching the quarterbacks.
And the two are contributing to what already appears to be a much more explosive offense at Syracuse versus a year ago.
‘From what I’ve seen this spring, our offense is looking a lot better than last year,’ rising senior tight end Nick Provo said. ‘A lot better.’
Forged over the years, it’s that relationship, that chemistry between the two that has ultimately brought them together at SU. And they’re each hoping that this opportunity to work together in the same offensive scheme is as sweet as they had once imagined it would be.
Looking back at where it all started, Wheatley can’t help but smile. The two ‘low men on the totem pole’ are back on the same staff, trying finish what they started together.
‘It’s fun,’ Wheatley said. ‘The friendship that we share, that’s the real plus of the situation we have here. And that’s what is making this whole thing worthwhile.’
