Catching Up With QB Velocity Coach Jake Mola

Recently we were able to chat with QB Velocity coach Jake Mola!

Jake has been a valuable asset to the team since this September. He has been involved with training sessions, social media posts, blog writing and more!

Jake is originally from Milford, Connecticut. He graduated from Law High School in 2017. He was a multiple sport athlete and his senior year he was a team captain and exceled at the linebacker position.

Jake is currently a senior at Nichols College, where he majors in General Business with a minor in Criminal Justice . He also has been a member of the golf team for all 4 years

1.What was it like growing up in Milford, Connecticut?

"It was good, Milford was always good to me and I met so many people from here that I’m going to be in contact with for a long time and I’m grateful for that. The thing is Milford is the town is divided by high schools, you have one side and the other. Foran Vs Jonathan law and you were basically born on one side and that’s usually where you stayed. To say the least it was a football town, you were told to hate someone or a certain high school just because that’s how it’s always been.

People take pride in what side of the town they were from and that bond carries throughout every sport. But my childhood was a good time, I used to skate around my town and bike with all my friends. Milford has a really nice downtown and we would always go hang out there In the summer or when it was nice. Milford has many festivals and live music where they shut down the whole downtown area and it’s a blast. "

2. What Sports did you play growing up?

"Growing up I was born into golfing and bowling. My father has played golf his whole life and bowled since he was in his early 20’s. Then I found another sport to add and it was football. "

3. How was your football experience in high school?

"My experience in high school football was different than most people. I had 3 different head coaches through 4 years of school and didn’t win a game till my senior year. My freshman team, JV team and varsity lost basically every game till my senior year. When I was a freshman our varsity won 1 game but I didn’t play or do anything so I never really counted that. But the longest coach I had was from my sophomore and junior year and he basically got kicked out by parents for not winning.

So for my senior year the 4 captains and I interviewed coaches and had a huge say in who we felt was right for the job. We ended up choosing a coach from Bacon Academy where he helped them go from 1-9 to 7-3 for the first time ever I think.

After losing for so long we finally won our first home game in like 3 and half seasons, it was on a 2 minute drill from the 50 and ended on a touchdown pass with 15 seconds left. That moment of finally winning a game after all the stuff we had to deal with as seniors and as a team was something I’ll never forget. Also the whole student section stormed the field after and honestly we just one a game but it was a turning point in the football program. After I graduated the very next season my high school went 6-4 and made the playoffs for the first time in School history. So we made the right choice."

4. What position(s) did you play and what were some of your stats?

"I always played defense, I just understood it more than offense. I played mostly Linebacker both outside and inside. I played a little safety but I was good at stopping the run. On offense I was a slot WR and running back but always paid more attention to defense. Also I was a kick returner and that was very fun. My best stat in Highschool was my senior year I had 105 tackles and made All conference which was really cool."

5. How has playing football benefited you?

"It has taught me to be resilient, you never know what’s going to happen in life or football. The same philosophies apply to both sides. Without football i don’t think I would be the same person or have the friends I have today. From playing football it taught me how hard you have to work to achieve your goals no matter what they are.

Also even if you do everything right you still can get bad breaks but football taught me how to think on my feet quickly. Playing linebacker you need to adjust and conquer what they are doing just like in life. "

6. What advice would you have for a young Linebacker?

"I would say to learn as much as you can about your position and every position on the defensive side. I found knowing what everyone is doing helps you because you can start to figure out how a team will react to a certain Formation. Also you know where you have help and where you don’t so that helps from giving up big plays. I would always say watch the linemen and watch their footwork, learn how linemen move and block that’s what I did before my senior year and it helped so much.

Especially in high school, I watched the guards more than anything bc where they pulled was most likely where the ball went. Lastly I would say use your size to your advantage, I was always smaller being able to be faster than the linemen that were coming to block you was very important plus MOVE AROUND don’t stand in the same spot keep the offense on its toes so they have to guess what your going to do."

7. What’s it like to be a college golf athlete?

"It’s a lot of work on your own, you have to put the time I. To practice. It’s not like other sports where you have a schedule and a practice routine. We have a schedule of what times we play a week but the thing with golf you need hours of repetition that don’t come with just playing. My teammates and I would spend hours at Dudley hill just trying to improve a little. Also what makes college golf so different is that only the top 5 guys on the squad will play in tournaments so there’s time’s where you're not playing in a tournament for a while and it could get discouraging.

But regardless you keep practicing and eventually you’ll get your shot. Since we don’t have anywhere to hit balls we usually go down to Raceway to pay to hit balls so a lot of practice for a college athlete at least at this level costs the players money. We have a close team because it’s a very select group of guys who can play golf in college regardless of the level."

8. What made you choose to attend Nichols College? What should high schools students be looking for in a school when they are deciding?

"I chose Nichols because it was the best for me and my situation. All my friends went to big schools with the parties and the huge sports games but I knew I had to focus. Nichols offered a small class size, one on one advising and I was able to golf here. I knew that if I went to school somewhere big I would not do anything and just party or whatever. Yes I would have loved to go to a big school like LSU or Coastal Carolina like my friends but I knew I had to focus.

That’s what I feel high school students should think about, like yes the social aspect of college is important but you need to see where you will succeed no matter what anymore says. College is setting you up for the rest of your life and you're paying all this money might as well get a good degree with it. But look at yourself and be honest with yourself, I had to realize I couldn’t handle certain schools because if I was 1 of 200 I wouldn’t go to class but Nichols attendance matters.

9. What made you want to become a part of QBV?

I wanted to get back Into the football world. I have missed it since I stopped playing and being able to help train athletes and create social media posts about athletes for athletes is really cool. I wanted to learn as much as I can and QBV was a perfect fit for me to enhance my skills as a marketer and as a coach. I saw it as an opportunity to meet people in the football world while learning how to post on social media, write blogs, and be on a podcast. Also my good friend Brandon Slade was already a part of QBV and told me everything he was doing and I wanted to be apart.

10. What inspires you?

To not disappoint my family, they have done so much for me and I just don’t want to let them down.

11. What do you ultimately want to do with your career?

Ultimately I want to do social media work for a Division 1 sports team, and eventually join an NFL marketing team to work with some of the best players in the world.

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