Hanks introduces Jason Blair as new head football coach

Hanks High School held a pep rally Thursday afternoon to introduce Jason Blair as the school’s new head football coach and athletic coordinator.

Blair was most recently the offensive coordinator at the school but has 21 total years of experience coaching multiple sports in El Paso including softball, wrestling, soccer, and basketball.

He says he plans to bring immense success not just to the football program, but across the board.

“I’m a big, bold guy, so that’s the way it’s going to happen. We’re going to win big in all of our athletics, all of our sports,” said Blair.

The former UTEP tight end has been a part of coaching staffs that have earned six bi-district titles and one area championship.

He takes over the Hanks football program from Aaron Price, who led the team back to the postseason in 2018 in his second and final year with the team. Aaron Price is the son of former UTEP head football coach Mike Price and left Hanks to take a job as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Northern Arizona.

The Knights were 0-10 in 2016 before Price took over and led them to three wins in 2017 and then five wins in 2018.

Blair says he is looking to improve upon the success of last year’s team by instilling a new mindset.

“We’re bringing something big, something new. Its about hard work and work ethic that we’re really trying to establish here,” he said. “Offensively, in football, we have always been really good. Defensively, were going to bring the boom. You’re going to see some good hitting out there.”

As for where he learned to compete, Blair says it’s just something that runs in the family.

“My family is super competitive. I mean, we argue when we play checkers,” he said. “That’s just the way we are.”