Photo by: Brett Rojo
Mouton Finds Second Family at TU
9/21/2018 11:45:00 AM | Football
By Jordan Korphage, Tulsa Athletic Media Relations
Myles Mouton's journey from Beaumont, Texas, and the Golden Triangle to Tulsa, Okla., and the Golden Hurricane was unexpected. Mouton himself would call it pure luck.
When Calvin Thibodeaux, then the defensive tackles coach under Bill Blankenship, went to Mouton's Ozen High School in east Texas, he was looking for a linebacker. What he found, however, was a sturdy defensive lineman who has since made 39 appearances and 10 starts in a Hurricane uniform.
It was Mouton's size that originally caught Thibodeaux's eye and the rest, as they say, is history.
"He (Thibodeaux) came in looking for a linebacker, but as soon as I walked into the locker room, he was talking to my coach and he saw me," Mouton said. "He was like, 'man, that's a big guy. Who is he?' They offered right there on the spot. It was right place, right time."
But an on-the-spot offer did not guarantee playing time right away and, like many freshmen, Mouton took a redshirt during the 2014 season. Mouton spent the season working hard on the scout team, watching the regulars intently and learning to prepare for his turn the following season.
"It (the redshirt season) was really humbling," Mouton said. "It makes you work even harder. I just had to embrace it. Derrick Alexander (fellow defensive end) was still here and he talked to me a lot about it because he had to redshirt."
Off the field, Mouton bonded with his fellow freshman class, living with a large group and planting the seeds for lifelong friendships. The group included Willie Wright, Justin Hobbs, Tyler Bowling, Chandler Miller, Jordan Mitchell and former student-athletes Petera Wilson, D'Angelo Brewer and Bishop Louie, to name a few.
"That was probably the best time here at school," Mouton said. "Everybody was together, and it was never a dull moment in our house. I remember we had one huge Nerf gun fight in the house and it was really memorable. It's one of the things that really made us bond together."
With his TU family behind him, Mouton has grown in many ways during his time on the football team. He understands that in his final season, he is counted on to be a team leader.
"Over the years, it has made me more mature in what I have to do to help the team," Mouton said. "Especially now as a senior, it's important for me to be more vocal as a leader. Freshman year, I probably didn't say much on the field. In workouts, I would still work hard, but I was quiet and didn't try to encourage anybody."
Like his peers, Mouton would like to go pro and play football at the next level. After his playing days are over, he would like to either be a coach or a general manager. Something to stay around the game that he loves.
"I would like to find a way to get into coaching," Mouton said. "My big career goal is to be a general manager, though. If not, I'll stay with coaching or be a personal trainer and focus on skill development."
No matter where he goes in life, one thing can be certain, his TU family will be with him.
"We lost a few people (from that freshman class), but we still connect with the ones who aren't here," Mouton said. "We all still talk, reminisce and all that. It's just a bond and we all connected really well."
Myles Mouton's journey from Beaumont, Texas, and the Golden Triangle to Tulsa, Okla., and the Golden Hurricane was unexpected. Mouton himself would call it pure luck.
When Calvin Thibodeaux, then the defensive tackles coach under Bill Blankenship, went to Mouton's Ozen High School in east Texas, he was looking for a linebacker. What he found, however, was a sturdy defensive lineman who has since made 39 appearances and 10 starts in a Hurricane uniform.
It was Mouton's size that originally caught Thibodeaux's eye and the rest, as they say, is history.
"He (Thibodeaux) came in looking for a linebacker, but as soon as I walked into the locker room, he was talking to my coach and he saw me," Mouton said. "He was like, 'man, that's a big guy. Who is he?' They offered right there on the spot. It was right place, right time."
But an on-the-spot offer did not guarantee playing time right away and, like many freshmen, Mouton took a redshirt during the 2014 season. Mouton spent the season working hard on the scout team, watching the regulars intently and learning to prepare for his turn the following season.
"It (the redshirt season) was really humbling," Mouton said. "It makes you work even harder. I just had to embrace it. Derrick Alexander (fellow defensive end) was still here and he talked to me a lot about it because he had to redshirt."
Off the field, Mouton bonded with his fellow freshman class, living with a large group and planting the seeds for lifelong friendships. The group included Willie Wright, Justin Hobbs, Tyler Bowling, Chandler Miller, Jordan Mitchell and former student-athletes Petera Wilson, D'Angelo Brewer and Bishop Louie, to name a few.
"That was probably the best time here at school," Mouton said. "Everybody was together, and it was never a dull moment in our house. I remember we had one huge Nerf gun fight in the house and it was really memorable. It's one of the things that really made us bond together."
With his TU family behind him, Mouton has grown in many ways during his time on the football team. He understands that in his final season, he is counted on to be a team leader.
"Over the years, it has made me more mature in what I have to do to help the team," Mouton said. "Especially now as a senior, it's important for me to be more vocal as a leader. Freshman year, I probably didn't say much on the field. In workouts, I would still work hard, but I was quiet and didn't try to encourage anybody."
Like his peers, Mouton would like to go pro and play football at the next level. After his playing days are over, he would like to either be a coach or a general manager. Something to stay around the game that he loves.
"I would like to find a way to get into coaching," Mouton said. "My big career goal is to be a general manager, though. If not, I'll stay with coaching or be a personal trainer and focus on skill development."
No matter where he goes in life, one thing can be certain, his TU family will be with him.
"We lost a few people (from that freshman class), but we still connect with the ones who aren't here," Mouton said. "We all still talk, reminisce and all that. It's just a bond and we all connected really well."
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