WEBVTT - S3 Episode 6: Digging In 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.040 Drafted is a production of Tree Fork Media, Clutch Sports Group, 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:09.560 and I Heart Radio. At this point, it's just crazy 0:00:09.640 --> 0:00:12.319 to look back, and you know, my dad always talks 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:14.560 about he had me thrown the ball at the age 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:21.119 of two. Welcome back to Drafted. I'm Steven Johnson and 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:25.440 in this sixth episode of season three, we're rejoining Kellen Matt, 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.720 the Texas A and M quarterback we got to know 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:32.240 last episode for his draft party in San Antonio, Texas. 0:00:32.240 --> 0:00:34.760 So it's just kind of amazing looking back at all 0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:37.240 the work that I've put in, and you know, nineteen 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:40.400 years of throwing the football, almost twenty and it's coming 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:43.840 down to a two thousand draft. You know, a couple 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:47.559 of days, Kellen is talking about how surreal it is 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:51.440 that the first round of the NFL Draft is finally 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:54.560 about to kick off after an entire lifetime of working 0:00:54.600 --> 0:00:59.800 to get to this day. In this episode, will also 0:00:59.840 --> 0:01:03.720 be following along with Louisville receiver Does Fitzpatrick as he 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:06.839 attempts to make that life changing jump from college player 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:10.759 to NFL professional And like Kelen, Des and his family 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:13.400 will be hosting their own draft party this weekend. And 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:16.160 like Kelln's father, does his dad will be playing a 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:19.560 leading role, starting with an early morning workout before the 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:27.400 draft festivities begin. My dad did tell me just now 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:30.280 when he woke me up, me and my little brother 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:33.280 are gonna have to work out later today, does His father. 0:01:33.319 --> 0:01:36.039 Greg wakes his two sons up and takes them to 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:39.360 a nearby field in Pontiac, Michigan, where this highly touted 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:45.720 receiver starts doing drills. All right, come on, all right, 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:49.760 next drill. M Let's make sure you're work at your 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:54.040 head and your shoulders and each heads. Okay. This is 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:57.760 Greg Fitzpatrick Des, his father and a former defensive back 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:00.640 and coach every Hence, I want you in now, but 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:03.440 I don't. I want you to keep your balance right, 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:07.320 nice white beast shoulders in head, okay, because that's what 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:10.840 I want you to work on, like super active shoulders 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:15.679 in head at the top of your route. Yeah, so 0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:21.119 it's gonna be okay. Greg has always played this role 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:24.040 for his two sons, Des and Christian, teaching them the 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:27.680 fine points of the receiver position while also constantly working 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:35.840 to make his boys mentally tough. Das explains the NFL coaches, 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:37.800 You know, when I was interviewing with teams and stuff 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:40.880 and asked about like, uh, you know, hard coaching. How 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:42.440 do you think hard coach? And I'm just like, I 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:44.760 don't think anybody gets worst of my dad, so I'm 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:48.359 gonna good with hard coach. He's always like, what am 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:54.600 I ever wrong? Days, and I'm just like, oh my gosh. 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:57.600 Although Greg did all of the coaching, des his mom, 0:02:57.840 --> 0:03:01.120 Wendy Thinkspatrick also played a very active role in her 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:05.160 son's life, but her position for Team Fitzpatrick was primarily 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:11.919 on defense. I was the parent who helped him get 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:14.280 out of some of the situations with his dad. I 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:17.160 was that parent. Those are palm trees blowing in the 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:20.440 wind behind Wendy because she now lives in Tampa Bay. 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:26.600 She relocated sometime after she and Gregg split up. And 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:30.079 Desmond as a mama's boy. Um, he will admit that, 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:35.120 and he his dad, UM just wanted the best for 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:37.840 him and saw his skills and knew that could be 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:40.640 a dream for him. But then Desmond sometimes, as being 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:43.120 a young kid, was lazy and didn't want to go 0:03:43.160 --> 0:03:46.840 to football practice. So here's mom making up excuses from 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:49.520 to keep him from going. When his extra homework tonight, 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.080 he can't go tonight All the time. I was that 0:03:52.200 --> 0:03:56.480 person who had to convince dad that he needs a 0:03:56.560 --> 0:04:00.840 break or he wants to do something other than football. 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:04.880 Desri calls one specific instance when he was a little kid. 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:09.560 I remember I was like nine or ten years old, 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:11.440 and that was the first time, you know, my legs 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:13.840 were hurting after the work, got like actually feeling sore. 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:16.880 And and you know, he grew up obviously in the 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:19.640 eighties playing football with the hard nose and stuff, and 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:22.880 the technology was completely different. So he was just like, okay, 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:25.599 well we can get into ice bath. And I didn't 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:29.520 know anything about it a for that obviously, I put 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:31.600 one ft in there. I was like, oh no, he 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:33.840 gotta made me get in there. I was crying, and 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.040 he's just like, don't you gotta do it, man, Hey, 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:38.200 little man, you gotta do to make your body feel better. 0:04:38.200 --> 0:04:39.760 And you know, it's just that kind of thing is 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:42.839 people would laugh, people think he's crazy, but you know, 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:46.560 that's probably why I love ice pass. Now, given the 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:50.000 intensity of Greg's predraft workout on the field today, Daz 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:52.320 will likely end up in an ice bath once again 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:58.880 before round one begins. Tonight. Don't get lazy I mean work, 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:02.920 work those calls. Huh drop drop it, yeah, drop your weight, 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:09.320 give me some hand and shoulders, hand shoulders, yeah, yeah, 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:17.640 right over ahead, huh. I gotta work on not looking 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.320 with my with my with my chin, with my chink. 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:24.000 That's gonna open up the shoulder. That's dead. Talking about 0:05:24.000 --> 0:05:26.839 the positioning of his chin while running a route. Moving 0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:29.400 the angle of his chin then causes his shoulder to 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:32.600 turn and open ever so slightly. This could slow him 0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:34.920 down or give away the route to the defensive back. 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:37.719 This is the level of detail he and his father 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.599 work on day after day. It wasn't always a willing 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:45.359 and collaborative effort, though. Here's des his mom Wendy again. 0:05:49.040 --> 0:05:51.880 Des Man fought, you know, against them. That's just being 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:56.520 a regular kid growing up. But I would honestly say 0:05:56.839 --> 0:06:00.440 high school, maybe say eleventh tefth grade, I think shorty 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:04.040 starts setting in. And Desmond finally realized that his dad 0:06:04.800 --> 0:06:07.599 just wanted the best for him and saw his skill 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:11.160 set and saw that he could be bigger than probably 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:15.640 what Desmond sometimes realized. Much like Kellen Mon's dad, Kevin 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:18.960 des his father also had an unshakable belief in his 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:22.080 son's potential from an early age, and so Greg did 0:06:22.160 --> 0:06:24.800 everything he could to help his son maximize that potential, 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:30.080 including coaching and training him. Here's Greg and why he's 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:36.120 been focused on giving his son the shot he never had. Desmond. 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:38.599 I don't never forget. Even when he's a baby, his 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:40.400 mom would have him in a turn scene. I have 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:43.520 a football in his hand, right and I call that 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:45.640 says his football in his hand, And I mind you 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:49.800 and everyone's thinking, Okay, he's that crazy, that's dad. But no, 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:52.840 he loved football. You know, he loved football at an 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:55.679 early age. He just took to it. And it wasn't 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:58.480 some master plan where I just said I didn't make it, 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:00.719 my kids gonna make it. No, no, no no, Now, he 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:05.120 loved the game so much that I just started coaching him. 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:07.800 And the first thing that came to my mind was, well, 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:10.120 you know, I'm coaching my receiver. He's gonna be tall 0:07:10.160 --> 0:07:12.920 and thin like I was, and you know he will 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.760 probably be splitting image of me. And by the time 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:17.600 he was nine years old, I saw a couple of 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:21.160 things balance wise and just how he can just see 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:24.240 things and anticipate things. And I just told myself at 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:27.840 that point, you know, what if I coached him and 0:07:27.880 --> 0:07:30.720 continuously coach him. By the time he hits high school, 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:33.680 he'll decide whether he wants it or not. Right, you 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:35.480 can't want it for him right when I get to 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:38.640 high school. And this kid is so much more athletic 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:41.400 than I am, and he's gonna be way better than 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:45.160 I if I support him wholeheartedly throughout his entire journey, 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:47.720 like the ups the downs, And if I commit myself 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:51.080 to where I committed myself to my own career, he's 0:07:51.120 --> 0:07:53.680 got a shot at making it because he's twice the 0:07:53.800 --> 0:08:01.960 athlete I ever could have been. Greg's own football career 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:04.280 got a late start, and he had to travel a 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:06.880 much more difficult road to reach any kind of success. 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:10.080 He walked on as a receiver in college and got 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.840 moved to defensive back after college ended. He didn't get 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:16.480 drafted and had to will his way to training camps. 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:20.640 I've got a shot for a couple of teams in Canada, 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.720 Cincinnati Bengals. Was in their camp for a little bit 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:26.240 and play a little bit in a reading football. Late. 0:08:26.480 --> 0:08:28.760 I wasn't that good and I was just a try 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:32.480 hard guy, you know, super athletic, and I worked really, 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:35.040 really hard because I'm an effort guy. Every walk on 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:37.800 is an effort guy. Right. My dad had a same 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.240 growing up when I was, you know, little and stuff, 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:44.800 that effort is free. Yeah. Effort is literally like the air, 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:48.360 like anybody can have it, anybody has access to it. 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:50.640 It doesn't matter what your skill level is. It doesn't 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:53.000 matter if you're tall, short, it doesn't matter if you're 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.680 black and white. You know, effort is free. And you 0:08:56.720 --> 0:08:59.920 know how how hard you work, how you know how 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:03.280 much efter you've put forth on something, That's what's gonna 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:06.920 determine success. I've always tried to pride myself in always 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:10.479 being the hardest worker on whatever organization I'm on and 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.280 everything from that's kind of just how I grew up. 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:17.280 Greg became obsessed with passing on the importance of effort 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:21.160 and focusing on developing skill and technique because he saw 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:24.360 these attributes firsthand from one of the greatest to ever 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:30.320 play at the sport. Here's Greg again. One of my 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:34.600 stops immediately when I came out of school was with 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:37.040 the San Francisco forty Niners. I got called into the 0:09:37.120 --> 0:09:40.000 mini camp that was the year after they won the 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:43.160 Super Bowl, and I just remember the very first day 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:45.800 at one on ones. I want to jump out there 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:48.600 and and and go go against Jerry Rice. And I 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.480 remember Tim McKay are grabbing me by the jersey. He goes, 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:53.920 oh no, rug no, no, no, no, no, you can't 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:56.600 go against that guy. It's like the hell you, man, 0:09:56.720 --> 0:09:59.040 I can't go against this guy. He goes down. No, no, no, 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:01.480 coaches don't want rook. He's going against Jerry. I go 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:04.160 why you know, why not? He goes, First of all, 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:06.080 I don't want anybody stepping out the back of Jerry's 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:09.440 foot and hurting Jerry's. Secondly, we all want your ego crushed. 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:14.600 And I'm thinking, I screw that man. I covered this guy. 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:20.040 Jerry Rice is widely regarded as the best wide receiver 0:10:20.200 --> 0:10:24.760 of all time. He holds about one NFL records. The 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:29.319 NFL Network named him the greatest football player in history, 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:38.160 and Greg intended to cover him one on one. We'll 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:53.080 be right back des His dad, Greg is lobbying to 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:56.600 cover Jerry Rice one on one at forty Niners training camp. 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:59.559 The coaching staff stays firm on their rule that no 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:03.400 rook can go up against him, partly to protect Jerry 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:06.800 and mainly to protect the rookies self esteem. Here's a 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:11.400 Greg again. Jerry Rice was I'll never forget, was off 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:15.840 coverage and Jerry ran a curl and I had never 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:21.520 seen a guy start and stopped so fast and run 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:24.720 his route, just a simple curl route, and he got 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:26.960 in and out of his break so fast. I was 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:31.079 just totally amazed. So I just started watching Jerry. Anytime 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:34.160 I didn't have a rep, I was watching Jerry, you know, 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:37.440 and I was just amazed at how good he was. 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:39.760 And I figured out because you know, I planned at 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:42.480 a small school, and you know, coaching was only so good, right, 0:11:42.800 --> 0:11:45.760 And I remember being in camp and saying myself, after 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:48.480 only four days of mini camp with the forty niners, damn, 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:50.280 if I want to know half the stuff that I 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:53.719 just learned in four days, I probably had twenty interceptions 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:58.040 at Central State University. And that made me realize how 0:11:58.080 --> 0:12:01.959 important coaching was and how important technique was. When it 0:12:02.040 --> 0:12:04.880 came to the skill position, right, they called him skilled 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:09.360 position for a reason, And watching Jerry, I instantly realized 0:12:09.440 --> 0:12:11.680 why he was so much better than everyone else. It 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:15.360 was basically his skill. You know, the guy wasn't bigger 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:20.240 more athletic, stronger, anything, faster. He was just way more 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:26.160 freaking skilled than everybody else on that field. Jerry Rice 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:28.880 played at six ft two two d pounds and read 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:32.360 a four point seven forty yard dash. On paper, those 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:35.719 are all average measurables or worse, and yet he ended 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:39.520 up with nearly one NFL records, three Super Bowl rings, 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:42.959 and two m v P Trophies. Greg took this lesson 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:45.280 from the all time great and as soon as he could, 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:48.800 tried to pass it down to death. Seven years old, 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:51.679 the first time ever playing organized tackle foot, I was 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:54.920 kind of taller than everybody else think and everybody else 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:57.640 at the age, and I wanted to be a running back, 0:12:57.720 --> 0:12:59.600 but you know, just my size, they put me out 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:02.360 tight end my first practice. I told my dad. I 0:13:02.400 --> 0:13:03.880 was like, they putting me a tight end. Like I 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:05.680 want to play running back. I want to play receiver. 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:09.120 He's like, Okay, well, we're gonna use this year as 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:12.240 You're gonna be the best blocker on the team and 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:14.040 I'm gonna teach you how to block and this is 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:17.439 the foundation of football. And you're kind of distressed, like 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:20.840 if you're not blocking for you the other ten then 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:23.200 once you're turning at the bar, you don't expect for 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:27.200 them to block for you. So Dad began learning the 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:30.800 craft and skill portion of plane wide receiver at an 0:13:30.800 --> 0:13:32.839 age when most kids were still learning how to put 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:36.439 on their paths. Greg began with the least glamorous part 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:43.120 of the job, blocking. I told him, I said, listen, man, 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:46.760 I want you to be the best blocker on the team. 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.079 He was like, Dad, but I've been running back. Why 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.640 can I play renny back? Everybody? I'm the best running dude. Listen, 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:55.480 You're not gonna play running back this year. So I 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:58.120 want you to be the best blocker on the team. 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:00.320 So I taught him how to block. I tell him 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:03.440 how to move his feet, shoot his hands, get underneath 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:08.480 the pads, leverage, and just that hustle part right block 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:11.080 your guy, get up to the next level. So he 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:15.440 just he learned how to block as seven. Most fans 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.280 only see the person making the big play in football, 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.840 like the long touchdown run or the amazing catch from 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:25.320 the receiver. Those highlights are only possible if the other 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:28.560 players on offense are blocking their defenders and doing that 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:31.400 job well enough to create time for the guy getting 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:34.640 the ball. Greg understood this on a deep level, and 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:38.160 so he decided this would become his son's calling card. 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:43.040 From seven years old all the way up through college. 0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:46.080 That's been one of the things that he's always known. 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:48.880 You don't block, you don't play at receiver. You don't block, 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:52.760 you don't play. Going into the NFL Draft, one of 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:55.120 the criticisms on Dez is that he's a jack of 0:14:55.120 --> 0:14:58.320 all trades and a master of none. He's a complete 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:02.160 player and arguably the best block receiver, good at everything 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:05.520 without being flashy. It's a similar critique to the one 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:08.440 we heard in the first few episodes about Alabama offensive 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:12.120 lineman Alex Leatherwood. That's one reason why his draft range 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:15.000 is hard to predict. Another reason is that his road 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:18.440 from highly sought after high school recruit to NFL prospect 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:22.640 took some precarious turns. Here's his mom, Wendy Fitzpatrick, again 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:28.880 on the challenges death face getting to draft day. Most 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:32.480 of his high school years he was being courted by 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:37.840 Louisville's scouts and the coaches, which was great. Built a 0:15:37.960 --> 0:15:42.160 great relationship early on, and they would text him and 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:47.080 encourage him, Hey, you have a high school game this Friday. 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:49.320 Good job you got this, I know you're gonna do well, 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.680 And they did that on a regular basis, weekly basis, 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:56.200 so over time they just built that strong relationship. And 0:15:56.320 --> 0:16:01.800 his first year when he arrived, like early on, they 0:16:02.000 --> 0:16:05.080 the coaching stand or the scouts that he really build 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:11.840 those relationships over those years, they all left, so he 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:15.040 really in his mind didn't know anyone else, so he 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:19.040 felt a little abandoned a little bit. I think with 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:26.000 that he kind of took that kind of hard des 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:28.480 arrived at Louisville only to find out that the coaches 0:16:28.520 --> 0:16:31.080 he'd grown closest with had moved on to other schools. 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:35.360 And unfortunately, this is a somewhat common occurrence in college football. 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:39.120 Coaches get offered a better career opportunity or more money 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:43.920 and then make a decision about their job. It's really malicious, however, 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:45.760 for the eighteen year olds who choose where to go 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.680 to college for four years, at least partially based on 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:51.160 the coaches they want to work with, they can't help 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:54.360 but feel somewhat betrayed. That's trying to put it behind 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:58.400 him though, and continue to work hard going into the season. Eventually, 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:01.760 this season, Opener arrived and his family drove into town 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:09.000 for the game. Here's Wendy once more. We were actually 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:11.760 there at the first game. They come out of the 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:17.760 tunnel and the family was there, and we didn't see 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:21.600 him come out, and so we're looking and looking for Desmond, 0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:24.560 not saying that he didn't know prior to, but I 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:27.480 think he was just so I don't know exactly when 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:31.959 he was told, and so it was just a devastating 0:17:32.040 --> 0:17:34.560 moment for him. And we didn't see him come out, 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:37.600 so we were just worried and oh my god, where's Desmond. 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:40.720 So we started calling him, why isn't he here? Uh? 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:43.080 And then we were told he answered his phone and 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:45.160 he told us he was red shirt. So I don't 0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:47.080 know if he knew, Honestly, I don't know if he 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:50.480 knew prior to, was embarrassed or just his feelings was heard, 0:17:51.280 --> 0:17:55.440 just the devastation, I'm not quite sure. At some point 0:17:55.640 --> 0:17:58.199 des was informed he wouldn't be an eligible player for 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:02.199 his freshman year and what after. Redshirt. This meant he 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:06.200 could practice but not compete in games. Players usually opt 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:08.960 for this option when they aren't ready for major college football. 0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:12.720 It preserves a year of eligibility while giving them extra 0:18:12.760 --> 0:18:15.679 time to get physically stronger and study the playbook and 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:19.240 offense for a whole year. This isn't exactly how does 0:18:19.320 --> 0:18:22.360 his experience occurred, though, at least according to his dad, 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:27.280 he didn't know he was going to be rest short 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:29.840 and they never told him. And you know, every coach 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:32.280 has their way of doing things, so I won't criticize 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:35.120 the coaches, coach and staff, but you know he had 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:38.440 to sit and watch and he was grinding his butt off. 0:18:38.680 --> 0:18:41.719 So his rast shot year was really tough on him. 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:43.359 And you know, I got admit I had to talk 0:18:43.480 --> 0:18:45.000 him off of the ledge a couple of times because 0:18:45.040 --> 0:18:48.600 he was just sad. Then the next season does finally 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:52.000 gets the opportunity to play, even though he still doesn't 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:55.199 get to start, he excels in an explosive offense with 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:59.360 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson as well as star offensive 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:02.840 tackle Mackay Beckton, who shined on the field, and in 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:07.560 season one of drafted, Dez puts up forty five receptions 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:12.320 for nearly seven yards and nine touchdowns, huge numbers first 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:15.240 first college season, especially since he wasn't one of the 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:19.639 starting receivers. Yet he had a great year and he 0:19:19.680 --> 0:19:22.119 was happy then Lamar left so that following year, I 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:25.280 think it was two thousand eighteen when things just didn't 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:28.240 go well, you know, and it was just a downward spiral. 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:32.720 Des and the team struggle. Soon to be NFL m 0:19:32.800 --> 0:19:36.080 v P. Lamar Jackson is no longer on offense and 0:19:36.160 --> 0:19:39.919 soon to be NFL probo cornerback JR. Alexander is no 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:43.280 longer on defense, and on top of that, Louisville's head 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:46.520 coach Bobby Petrino wrestles with the loss of his father, 0:19:46.920 --> 0:19:50.440 and most troubling for Dez, he's still not starting on offense. 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:55.239 That still wasn't a starting. He had to kind of 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:57.879 wait in line behind the guy, and I just told him, like, 0:19:57.960 --> 0:20:02.040 do lesson, suck it up, wait your turn. The grind 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:04.760 still doesn't stop. You love football and you don't want 0:20:04.800 --> 0:20:08.040 this to end anytime soon. So no matter how bad 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:11.080 things are going on around you, you still have football. 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:15.000 The team only wins two games that season, and then 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:20.840 coach Patrino is let go, here's Dez. I mean, obviously 0:20:20.840 --> 0:20:23.879 it kind of sucks that, you know, I like coaching training. 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:26.280 Obviously he's the one who recruited me hard going into 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:30.200 Lovell and all I know is that playbook and those 0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:33.440 coaches around me and everything, and I just wanted to 0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:36.480 the coach's staff are recruited me to be there. The 0:20:36.560 --> 0:20:39.600 new coaching staff comes in and Dez feels like he's 0:20:39.600 --> 0:20:43.240 starting over once again. Does his mom Wendy weighs in 0:20:43.440 --> 0:20:47.639 on the string of obstacles for her son. He felt 0:20:47.680 --> 0:20:52.680 that the rug was pulled from underneath him. And now 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:57.440 with then building a relationship with Katrino and now Patrino 0:20:57.640 --> 0:21:02.840 leaving him, he just felt that he was just there 0:21:02.880 --> 0:21:06.920 by himself initially. Now Daz has to learn a new 0:21:06.960 --> 0:21:09.760 playbook and a new system under a new coach he 0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:12.640 never signed up to play for. And on top of that, 0:21:12.920 --> 0:21:16.160 the offense will be built around running, not passing and receiving. 0:21:16.840 --> 0:21:20.040 Almost immediately, Greg knew he'd have to talk Daz off 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:24.840 the ledge once more. And then when a new coaching 0:21:24.920 --> 0:21:27.960 staff came in, that was tough because all of a sudden, 0:21:27.960 --> 0:21:31.760 that went from him planning on planning this sophisticated passing 0:21:31.800 --> 0:21:35.359 offense that Bobby Petrino had to the new coaching staff 0:21:35.359 --> 0:21:38.040 coming in, and the offense was pretty simple and it 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:40.679 kind of revolved around the running game and the slot receiver, 0:21:40.800 --> 0:21:43.320 and then Des is like, what the hell are you serious? 0:21:43.359 --> 0:21:45.480 So now you know I waited all this time for 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:48.440 my turn and now it's not my turn again. Right. 0:21:48.520 --> 0:21:51.320 But it's like, okay, well, Dick amber are You're gonna 0:21:51.320 --> 0:21:54.600 be doing a lot of blocking because you really don't 0:21:54.600 --> 0:21:56.280 have a choice, you know what I mean, You really 0:21:56.280 --> 0:21:59.359 don't have a choice. In a run heavy offense like 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:04.240 the new Louver system, wide receivers primarily block. So even 0:22:04.280 --> 0:22:07.000 though that isn't the fun or glamorous part of playing receiver, 0:22:07.720 --> 0:22:10.919 like catching touchdowns were making the big plays, it happens 0:22:10.960 --> 0:22:13.399 to be the skill DEAs has been practicing since he 0:22:13.480 --> 0:22:16.480 was seven years old. It's the first thing Greg ever 0:22:16.520 --> 0:22:19.520 taught him to do on the football field, and not surprisingly, 0:22:19.640 --> 0:22:23.240 Greg encouraged Deaz to accept his new role and excel 0:22:23.280 --> 0:22:28.600 at it. Here's Des. I was talking to my dad 0:22:28.640 --> 0:22:30.879 a lot about it, and he's just like, you know, 0:22:31.080 --> 0:22:33.160 all you can do is get with the program. Leave 0:22:33.400 --> 0:22:34.800 And he asked me if you want to leave, and 0:22:34.800 --> 0:22:36.800 I was like, no, I love Louisville and he said, okay, 0:22:36.840 --> 0:22:38.639 so then you know what you gotta do and I 0:22:38.680 --> 0:22:40.320 was like, yeah, I guess I just gotta get with 0:22:40.359 --> 0:22:44.680 the program, and uh, that was tough to just cut 0:22:44.680 --> 0:22:49.840 it out those last two years, knowing that his expectations 0:22:50.160 --> 0:22:53.439 for just football had kind of had kind of taken 0:22:53.440 --> 0:22:56.320 a sharp left, and he knew that all he could 0:22:56.320 --> 0:22:58.040 do is grin and barrett. But at the end of 0:22:58.040 --> 0:23:00.239 the day, it's all about football, and if you love 0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:03.520 the game, your work hard no matter what the situation is. 0:23:03.680 --> 0:23:06.879 My goal was just to make sure that he was 0:23:06.960 --> 0:23:12.439 mentally and emotionally tough enough to still believe that he 0:23:12.480 --> 0:23:17.760 was going to reach his goal. And so does recommits 0:23:17.800 --> 0:23:23.960 himself to Louisville and to his oldest friend blocking. He 0:23:24.040 --> 0:23:27.040 puts up forty three receptions for eight hundred and thirty 0:23:27.080 --> 0:23:30.600