By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Jason Manson remembers the day his dream of playing professional football ended.

He had just completed his college career at Iowa and was an unemployed father-to-be waiting for an opportunity.

“My wife would probably kill me if I told the story,” Manson said. “We were boyfriend and girlfriend at the time. I was still waiting for calls and trying to figure out if an agent is doing his job, stuff like that. We had a kid on the way and I wasn’t working, I was kind of just training. Long story short, a TV got broken and I ended up working.”

Manson has worked for Verizon and coached high school, prep school and college football, and at different intervals applied for jobs at Iowa to no avail.

Manson said Tuesday that he applied and was interviewed for a position in 2018, but did not get it.

“This time I think I was a lot more comfortable,” Manson said. “The first time was a little intense. This was still intense, but I felt like I was a little more comfortable and ready this time around.”

Most recently, he served two years as assistant dean of students and head football coach at St. Thomas More School in Connecticut.

In May, the Bloomfield, Conn., native was hired as Iowa’s new director of player development, which serves as a guide for student-athletes as they transition from high school to college.

“You’re kind of like a horse with blinders,” Manson said. “Your goal was to come through here, graduate and make it to the NFL. And if that doesn’t happen, what’s next? You kind of just fall off a cliff. But with the structure that’s in place, you utilize those the right way and build a network, you’ll be fine. Most employers like the worth ethic and the discipline and those things that come with being a student-athlete. You just have to figure out how to use that different element.”

Manson came to Iowa as a quarterback, but eventually switched to receiver after spending most of his career as a backup.

Perhaps Manson’s crowning achievement as a player is leading Iowa to a double-overtime win at Syracuse in 2006 that also featured a goal line stand in his lone career start.

His career totals include completing 42-of-85 pass attempts for 442 yards and one touchdown. He had 22 career rushing attempts for 93 yards and three pass receptions for 22 yards.

Manson said he hopes to use his experience with life after football and as a student-athlete to help provide perspective to Iowa’s current players.

“My experience wasn’t a glorified one I would say,” Manson said. “Especially from a playing perspective. Nevertheless, I had a good college experience. Being able to give that to kids in the program is definitely something I can add. What I want to add is the after-football-is-over element to it. It was a little bit of a struggle in there immediately after, the first year or two years after, and then things got going after that. I’m trying to add that perspective from being a player in the program and then figuring life out after.”

NFL or not, Manson is back where he wanted to be when he first started coaching.

“I’ve always thought I could come back here and add value to the guys in the program just because my time in the program wasn’t as glorious as others,” Manson said. “I didn’t have an NFL career after and things like that.”