Peter Dindinger – NMMI Sports Press
Chase Kyser has been blessed.
Since his playing days at Goddard High School to his time as a wide receiver at Eastern New Mexico University, Kyser has made the best of every opportunity he's been given.
He entered the collegiate coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at ENMU under former head coach Josh Lynn who served at the New Mexico Military Institute football staff for seven years.
Lynn is now the head football coach at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Kyser then got an opportunity to return home to Roswell to coach at NMMI in 2017 under current head coach Joe Forchtner.
For the last four seasons, Kyser has been living the dream serving as a receivers coach and offensive coordinator for the Broncos.
"It's been really good to be back in the hometown," said Kyser. "Coach Forchtner is the best head coach that I've ever worked for. I've learned a lot from him as well as the other guys on the staff.
"It's been a phenomenal experience. I'm just extremely grateful to coach Forchtner for giving me this opportunity to come back here and learn under him."
Playing at Goddard under former head coach Sam Jernigan, the Rockets captured the state title in 2008 after beating Aztec in a 49-45 barnburner.
The Rockets had appeared in the state championship game the previous two years, but they fell short to Artesia in 2006 and 2007.
Upon graduation in 2009, Kyser traveled to Portales during the summer of his freshman year. He was able to learn the ins and outs of the offense which ultimately led him to making 11 appearances for the Greyhounds his first year, tallying 417 yards on 49 receptions with four touchdowns.
Kyser finished with 1,602 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.
"I moved up there in mid-June just to learn the offense, get to know the guys, get acclimated with the quarterbacks," Kyser said. "So, when fall camp came around it wasn't really anything new to me. That's really what helped me play. That was a phenomenal experience for me."
For the first three years Kyser played under Mark Ribaudo who is now a defensive coordinator at Frenship High School in Wolfforth, Texas.
Coach Lynn then took over the program in 2012 as he switched the offense from air raid to the triple option.
During Kyser's freshman year, ENMU set a NCAA Division II record as the offense attempted 94 passes in a game against Southeastern Oklahoma on Sept. 12, 2009.
Kyser has used a lot of what he's learned from his former coaches at ENMU to help mold his own coaching style.
"It's kind of just a mix of all the teams I've been a part of and have seen. Just trying to do it the right way," Kyser added.
One of the biggest highlights for Kyser at NMMI was last season's run in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference playoffs.
The Broncos had upset third-ranked Kilgore College to land in the championship where they dropped a heartbreaker to Navarro College, 36-35.
It was the teams first-ever appearance in the conference championship.
"That's something we haven't done since we've been here. That was just unbelievable," Kyser said. "You talk about a group of guys that came together and just kind of leaned on each other, trusted each other, played for each other.
"You ultimately want your team to be player-led. I think that's why we were so successful last year. Those are the kind of things you look for as a coach."
A lot of coaches have various reasons for entering the profession.
For Kyser it's about being a positive influence on his players and steering them in the right direction.
"I just want to make a lasting impression on these guys when they leave here," he said.
The recent coronavirus pandemic has suspended or canceled a lot of sports at different levels.
It's still up in the air as to when and if football will be played this coming season. It's also still unclear as to how long the pandemic will last and when life will return to some type of normalcy.
Until then, stir crazy coaches across the nation, including Kyser, are hoping the game of football makes a quick return, but the number one priority is safety.
"Obviously, the sooner the better. I just hope we can get started on time," he said. "You pray that everybody's safe. I don't know what I'm gonna do. I'm already going stir crazy."
For now, Kyser, who has also helped recruit future cadets, is putting the finishing touches on the 2020 recruiting class which still has some spots to fill at various positions.
Kyser has recruited heavily in New Mexico along with Alabama and Georgia, but that doesn't stop NMMI from having a diverse roster as it had 17 different states including Washington D.C. represented on last year's team.
Last season's roster also had cadets from six different countries.
"If you want to be a college coach you have to be able to recruit," Kyser said. "Sell your school to kids and really sell it to their families. That's ultimately your job."
Keeping it local has been a theme for Bronco football when it comes to recruiting. This season the coaching staff landed its biggest class of New Mexico recruits.
"We want to keep a lot of guys local," Kyser said. "The team cohesiveness and team chemistry are good having a lot of local guys and I think a lot of that is because of the pride they take in playing for a state school and playing against a lot of Texas teams.
"You're kind of the stepbrother when you're next to Texas. We're trying to show them we can play with the big boys and we're doing it with a lot of local guys."