From Making Plays To Calling The Shots: Eastside’s Harold ‘Gator’ Hoskins

By Kathryn Ross and Emily Paraiso

Harold Hoskins received the nickname “Gator” from his dad. 

“Where he lives, he said that it means “go get ‘er,” Hoskins said. “He felt like when I was born I was gonna be a “go get ‘er.”

Hoskins began his football career at Eastside High School as a quarterback and safety before graduating in 2010. Hoskins played college football at Marshall where he transitioned into a tight end. Hoskins ended his college career with 99 receptions for 1,318 yards and 28 touchdowns. 

In 2014, Hoskins took his talents to the next level when he signed a contract with the Miami Dolphins. At the end of that year, Hoskins’ playing career ended. 

An Experienced Leader

Hoskins’ journey exposed him to a vast amount of people who he looked up to and learned valuable lessons from. Whether it was his coaches, family members or just people he had come into contact with. He finds these experiences to be helpful in his current role as a coach:

“I just try to take the things I’ve learned from those guys some of the experiences I’ve learned and bring them back to the guys. These kids nowadays, there’s exposure they don’t get with guys that did play on that next level and did get that experience.”

Hoskins said he thinks this gives him a leg up in coaching young adults as athletes and as human beings.

When talking about the values and mottos he brings to his team, he takes one from his Dad: “Work now and play later.” He says he encourages his players to not only take this mindset to the field but also to the classroom.

Regarding his role and responsibilities as a coach, he said it extends far beyond just the field. He values any way he can develop his team in the sport of football and their character outside of it.

“Number one, you want to be a good human being. You want to work hard,” he said. “The biggest thing I would say is to be a great person, everything else will fall into place. If you’re doing that right there, that will take care of everything.”

He believes when working on your overall character, “Good energy will come to you.”

In Pursuit of Victory

Given that Hoskins was once in his players’ shoes at the same high school, he said he enjoys the role.

“I’m blessed with the opportunity to coach back at my old school. It’s amazing, I love it!”

Eastside’s football team ended the 2023 season with an 8-4 record and into the second round of the state playoffs before falling short. The Rams did find success in repeating as district champions. Defeat in the playoffs did not leave this team discouraged, however. Instead, it made a hungrier, more motivated group which longs for a future title of “state champions.” 

“We want to win,” Hoskins said. “Everybody wants to be a winner.”

Looking back on the 2023 season, he said the team left off on a good note. He expressed how proud he was of his seniors and “the way they fought, especially the last game of the season. They fought, they didn’t give up.”

Going into next season, he knows success will not come without hard work and a good attitude. Hoskins said how important it was for the younger players to see their potential of what they could be.

He said “getting stronger in the weight room and keeping the same mentality we had toward the end of the season” will be aspects to work on in the offseason.

Future Aspirations

While his focus is on his Rams, Hoskins said one of his future goals is coaching at the college level. 

“Right now I’m here and I’m thankful for this opportunity,” Hoskins said. “But, that’s definitely one of my goals.”