EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is featured in the Winter 2026 edition of The Tartan magazine. Read more from The Tartan at alma.edu/tartan.
From the classroom to the football field — and now through the next generation — Jason and Becca Couch are proving that being a Scot truly runs in the family.
If you ask Jason and Becca Couch how they keep up with their busy household, they’ll laugh — the kind of laugh that comes from shared chaos, mutual understanding, and a deep love for Alma College.
Between Jason’s role as head football coach, Becca’s position as an instructor of education, and their three sons — JB, Cooper, and Sam — all studying and playing sports at Alma, the Couch family’s lives are woven into the fabric of the college.
“Alma has always been about family,” Jason Couch said. “And we’re just lucky enough to live that out every day.”
Shaping young minds
For Jason, being back on Alma’s sidelines is more than just a job. It’s a return home.
A 1997 graduate of the college, Couch was a standout lineman during his student days and built a coaching career that included successful stops at several programs before returning to his alma mater in 2018 to lead the Scots. Since then, his teams have set new standards for success — earning MIAA championships, playoff berths, and national recognition. But the wins tell only part of the story.
“It was actually a difficult decision for me to come back. I was very safe and secure in the role that I had prior to this one—and I said at the time, ‘The Alma College head coaching job is the only one I would consider besides the one I had,’” Couch said. “Ultimately, this is the place that shaped who I am.”
Becca, meanwhile, is shaping students of her own. An instructor in the education department, she brings both classroom expertise and real-world insight to her teaching. Her passion lies in preparing future teachers not only with strong instructional practices but also with empathy and adaptability — qualities she lives out daily at home.
“Working with college students, you get to see their confidence grow,” she said. “It’s the same kind of joy you feel as a parent. You watch them figure out who they are, what they love, and how they can make an impact.”
Scots in the making
The Couches’ three sons — JB, Cooper, and Sam — don’t have to look far for role models. With JB and Sam on the Scots football roster and Cooper competing on the men’s golf and dive teams, athletics have become a natural extension of family life — a shared language built, Jason said, on lessons rather than expectations.
That shared language is woven into the place they live as well. The Couch family’s home was built in 1906 by the Bahlkes, the same family that donated the grounds for what is now Bahlke Field, where the Scots compete on fall Saturdays. It’s a setting that makes the connection between family and campus feel almost inevitable.
“We typically have more than 50 students on the football team come to our house at Thanksgiving. We’ve had football players come over in the summertime and hang out at the pool. As coaches, we try to teach our players the value of kinship, and as a family, Becca and I value the opportunities to live that lesson out, throughout the year,” Couch said.
For JB, the oldest, playing for his dad is both a privilege and a challenge.
“It’s definitely unique,” he said. “I get to see the amount of work he puts in, and I want to match that. He always tells us to represent Alma the right way — on the field, in the classroom, and around campus. That’s something I take seriously.”
Youngest brother Cooper, who competes for the men’s golf and dive teams, appreciates that same sense of accountability in a different setting.
“Golf and diving are such individual sports, but being part of a college team still gives you that brotherhood,” he said. “We all push each other to get better, just like we do at home. And being at Alma — where Mom and Dad are so involved — it really does feel like everything connects.”
Sam, the middle brother, said being a Scot has always felt inevitable — and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I grew up watching Dad coach here,” he said. “When it was my turn to come to Alma, it just felt right. There’s something about this place — everyone knows you, everyone supports you.”
Living the values of Alma
Jason agrees that Alma has given his family a rare opportunity — to live, work, and grow together in a place that values connection.
“I tell my players all the time—this place is about relationships,” he said. “It’s about people who care about you and challenge you to be your best. That’s what makes Alma special.”
The Couch family has become a visible embodiment of that philosophy. Whether in the classroom, on the field, or around town, their presence reinforces the college’s values of community, hard work, and lifelong learning. They are, in many ways, a modern Alma success story — one that spans generations and roles, but always comes back to a shared sense of purpose.
“This is home,” Becca said. “We get to work with amazing students, coach incredible athletes, and watch our kids grow in the same environment that shaped us. There’s nothing better than that.”