Jake Rothschiller, the University of New Mexico linebackers coach, sits on a weight bench in the weight room of the Tow Diehm Athletic Facility on Friday. After four years as a graduate assistant, Rothschiller was recently promoted. (Mike Sandoval for the Journal)
As a graduate assistant for the University of New Mexico, Jake Rothschiller felt as if he were in limbo when then-coach Bob Davie was fired before the final week of the season in 2019.
A crossroads moment arose when, a month later, Danny Gonzales was hired as the head coach of the Lobos. Gonzales, a former player and assistant at UNM, met with the graduate assistants and challenged them during the Christmas break to show if they wanted the opportunity to stay on as a GA.
A lot of times, a new head coach will bring in his choice of assistants, including graduate assistants. It’s the nature of the business, Rothschiller said.
But after the break in 2019, Rothschiller, who was recently promoted to be the Lobos’ linebackers coach, was told he was still on staff.
“I had no idea if I was going to stay or if I was going to go,” Rothschiller, 27, a former UNM defensive back, said while in his office on Friday. “It was a worrisome time, but it all worked out for the best.”
For the past two years, Rothschiller worked as a graduate assistant, learning from some of the best defensive minds in the country, Gonzales and defensive coordinator Rocky Long, a former UNM head coach and quarterback.
“Jake stood out,” Gonzales said of what he saw from Rothschiller during that Christmas break shortly after being hired at his alma mater. “He was very aggressive in trying to be involved. He’s a former Lobo and has a commitment to the program.”
Rothschiller said he was blessed to break down film and scout teams with Long, who Rothschiller describes as a “defensive mastermind.”
After the 2021 season when then-running backs coach Jordan Somerville left to work at Oregon, Gonzales added the RB coaching duties to Jamie Christian, who is also the special teams coach. Gonzales promoted Rothschiller to linebackers coach, allowing Long to focus more on the defense and still have his hand with the linebackers as he had been the linebackers coach.
Rothschiller went from making about $1,300 a month as a graduate assistant to earning a one-year contract for $100,000. No more grunt work for Rothschiller. Among his many new duties, he’s out on the road recruiting for the Lobos.
On Saturday, he left for Orange County, California. He was able to be with his family for Easter as his hometown, Camarillo, is about a 90-minute drive from Orange County.
In addition, during this offseason, Rothschiller’s recruiting area includes the Inland Empire, where Alta Loma High is among the schools. Long graduated from Alta Loma in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
When Gonzales was a defensive assistant coach under Long (2006-2008), Gonzales also had the Inland Empire as a recruiting area.
“He’s been a role model for me,” Rothschiller said of Gonzales. “I want to follow in his footsteps, same with coach Long. They have truly been role models for me, mentors for me. I learn something new every single day. I know that you’re supposed to, but the amount of information that I learn from them every day, as small as it is or as big as it is, it’s truly a blessing. I’m so thankful for those two guys because without them I don’t know where I would be or what I would be doing.”
Gonzalez sees a great future for Rothschiller.
“He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty,” Gonzales said. “He’s not afraid to ask questions. Not everybody can gain respect from kids and still hold them accountable. He did a really good job with Long Coach and working with the linebackers the past two years, and he had a role with the special teams and the scout team. He’s very knowledgeable and he has a bright mind in football.”
Rothschiller is also grateful for his girlfriend, Paula Mortensen, who has seen him rise through the ranks over the past four years. They met when Rothschiller first became a graduate assistant at UNM in 2018.
Mortensen, who is from Gallup and also went to UNM, works for UNM Hospital as a project coordinator.
“She has helped me out tremendously,” said Rothschiller, who added the two have talked about marriage. “She knows that I’ll pop the question. It’s only a surprise when it will happen.”
*playing time*
Rothschiller went from walk-on redshirt to scholarship starter to team captain and team MVP during his playing days at UNM from 2014-2017. It might sound condescending to describe him as an overachiever, but how else to describe a guy listed at 5-foot-8, 189 pounds in his final season?
He’s modest about his playing days, only saying he was “OK” back then.
His story is similar to that of Gonzales, an Albuquerque native who also walked on at UNM and became a type of player known for his hard work and who gained respect from his teammates.
Rothschiller was known for his hard hits and for making big plays. Once, he returned an interception 91 yards for a touchdown. That is no. 6 in the program record book for the longest interception return.
When he arrived at UNM in 2014, he was a red shirt when the Lobos went 4-8. But they went 7-6 and 9-4 the following two seasons, along with two straight appearances in the New Mexico Bowl, with a win over UTSA in 2016.
In addition, he played with his identical twin brother, Kyle, who transferred to UNM from Nevada in 2015. The brothers played together while at Westlake Village High, then at Moorpark Community College. Kyle, who works in financial services, is expected to move back to Albuquerque for a new job in the coming months, Rothschiller said.
But things haven’t always been great while at UNM. The Lobos have gone 13-42 over the past five seasons since that last bowl win in 2016, never winning more than three games in a season.
“It hasn’t been the easiest,” Rothschiller said. “Obviously there have been some challenges. But this place is home. It’s my home. I want to see that it can be what coach Gonzales and coach Long talk about. We know this place can be special. It’s why we work so hard every day.”
Jake Rothschiller, a former University of New Mexico defensive back, returned an interception 91 yards for a touchdown against Abilene Christian on Sept. 2, 2017. (Courtesy of UNM Athletics)
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