WEBVTT - CHASE GRIFFEN - Meat Ball'n 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:16.360 Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:18.800 I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have very 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:23.960 special guests. Former UCLA quarterback and Name, Image and Likeness 0:00:24.040 --> 0:00:27.880 Athlete of the Year Chase Griffin is in the building. 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:29.000 Thank you for having me. 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:32.440 Thank you. This is a very unique You're a very 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:34.760 unique guest, So I'm very honored to have you here. 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:37.440 We don't get a lot of athletes, okay, and we 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:39.559 definitely don't get a lot of athletes with a resume 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:40.280 like yours. 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:43.560 I appreciate that. Now I'm glad to be here cooking 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:44.240 some good food. 0:00:44.440 --> 0:00:47.680 Yes, yes, So before we get into your whole story 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:50.720 of who you are, can you tell me what you're 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:51.760 gonna have me eating today? 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:52.400 Absolutely? 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:55.400 So today we're gonna make some spaghetti and turkey meatboats. 0:00:55.960 --> 0:00:57.920 I was talking with my mother when I was figuring 0:00:57.960 --> 0:00:59.680 out what I wanted to cook, and she was like, 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:03.560 left spaghetti your whole life, And she sent me a 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:06.880 picture where it was a school assignment, probably like the 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:08.880 first or second grade, and I was talking about how 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:10.560 much I love spaghetti and meatballs. 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:12.800 Do you still wasn't most like the last time you 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:13.880 ate this dish? 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:14.800 Probably last week. 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:17.720 That's hilarious. So you really now when you sent the 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:20.560 dish over, you were talking about making the meatballs from scratch. 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:24.120 And of course, guys, I didn't even want to be 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:27.120 a hater. I just was a hater only because I 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:28.919 was just like, I didn't know if you could handle 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:33.560 that much cooking and talking. But I really wanted to 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:34.319 learn from you. 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:36.679 Yeah, I mean either way, I did. 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:38.880 The store boughs, so it'll be good, really because I 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:41.039 wanted to hear your story. All right, go ahead, and 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:43.399 you can start whipping up these turkey meatballs. And is 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:44.720 there a reason why it's turkey by. 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:47.600 The way, Yeah, I didn't really grow up eating pork, 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:51.840 but beef meatballs are good too, just just but turkey 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:53.040 was always sort of to go to. 0:01:53.440 --> 0:01:56.800 Yeah, yeah, and I did learn and I didn't look 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:58.920 at this back. But what I've noticed with a lot 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.760 of groceries now because I don't eat pork or beef really, 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:06.480 is that they be having a lot of hidden ingredients 0:02:06.480 --> 0:02:08.880 in the fine print. It'll say like turkey meatballs, but 0:02:08.919 --> 0:02:10.840 then it'll be like put some pork meat in the 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:15.160 very very tiny pit to tiny print, you know. So 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:19.399 I didn't check our bag. But hopefully we're good. Okay, 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:20.000 it's all good. 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:21.080 It's not the end of the world. 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:23.960 And then so go ahead, take me back to I 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:25.959 want to say, five year old youth. 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:29.840 Okay, Yeah, I was living in Texas. I was born 0:02:29.880 --> 0:02:33.760 actually at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital, So going back to UCLA. 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:34.600 Was like a homecoming for me. 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.520 My parents didn't want me growing up in La so 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:41.320 I had moved to Austin really round Rock when I 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:44.520 was four. At that time, I just started playing violin 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:49.040 and I just started playing soccer, which is still probably 0:02:49.120 --> 0:02:50.960 my favorite sport to watch nowadays. 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:54.440 Soccer. Yeah, but you ended up playing. 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:57.880 Football, definitely the other football. But I think I always 0:02:57.919 --> 0:02:59.919 had a lot of energy as a kid, even in soccer. 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:03.520 Was really aggressive and I liked, you know, that aggressive, 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:05.160 violent nature of football. 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:06.760 And that's one thing about me. 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:08.799 Even though I wasn't always the biggest player, I could 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:12.120 always take a hit and football has opened a lot 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:13.760 of doors from me. I'm always grateful for you. You 0:03:13.800 --> 0:03:17.720 have siblings, Yes, I'm the oldest of three. So yeah, 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:20.120 so at the time when it was when I was five, 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:21.440 it was just my sister and I. 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:22.840 She's two years younger than me. 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:26.280 She's a senior at Stanford right now, shoutout road, super 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:34.000 proud of her. Yeah, he's only eleven, so he's got 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:36.000 all the upside in the world and now he got 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:38.120 two extra helpers and my sister and. 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:40.160 I like how you positioned that. But as a young 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:44.040 and that's that's your your siblings. Did you watch the 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:49.120 Waynes interview? Yeah, your older siblings have a huge impact. 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:53.240 Yeah, I think that's always sort of informed how I've 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:56.600 seen my trajectory, like, not only how does it affect me, 0:03:56.720 --> 0:03:59.160 and you know, God will in my future family, but 0:03:59.240 --> 0:04:00.279 how does it affect. 0:04:00.600 --> 0:04:03.000 The immediate younger siblings. 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:07.120 Yeah, so we're gonna keep the pasta up. 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:10.800 Big big shoes whatever. You don't do that one put 0:04:10.840 --> 0:04:11.840 plastic on the stove. 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:14.920 Don't do that. 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:17.240 So the meat balls, I read the package for you, 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:19.080 just a case. They said, just put water in the 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:21.719 in the bottom of the pot. I put a bottle 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:24.240 of water over there, and I don't know. I guess 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:28.480 they turned brown. I haven't made these. I'm trusting you 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:29.279 defeat us today. 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:30.400 Yeah, No, that'd be good. 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:34.200 They just got it as long as they could. 0:04:33.279 --> 0:04:36.040 Ye, Like they're pre cooked. 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:38.360 You're just eating you just gotta heal man. 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:43.680 So you go back to the violin, because where does 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:47.560 this enter in the scene where you're playing about can 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:48.640 you currently play the violin? 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:50.760 I still can. I'm a little rusty. 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:52.680 I can't play the way I could when I was 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:55.560 growing up, and that's because I was playing every day, 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:57.640 like as a as a child, I was practicing all 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:00.880 the time. And then in middle school I played, you know, 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:04.680 in the Strings Project, which was University of Texas talent 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:08.240 development program, and then my chamber orchestra at my middle school, 0:05:08.360 --> 0:05:09.840 I'd say it was one of the best chamber of 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:11.440 orchestras in all the public. 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:15.479 Schools in Austin. So but I've always loved music, you know. 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:18.479 I was even going back last night listening to some 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:20.320 of the stuff I was listening to when I was 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:22.600 like five, six, seven, eight years old. 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:25.640 Like I remember there's a song called hell Yeah by 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:27.440 Jay Z and Dead Press that I. 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:29.400 Really loved, and you could play that on the violin. 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:32.000 No, no, no, but I could still wrap it word for word. 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:36.080 But I've just always had a love for music, yeah. 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:39.120 Even more than sport. That music is the thing that 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:39.719 I love. 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:43.159 And now I produce music, so you know, in my 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:47.000 spare time, whenever I'm not working on finance or not 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:51.320 not you know, working in media. That's that's where I 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:54.719 enjoy spending my time. It's both you know, productive, and 0:05:55.720 --> 0:05:57.839 it's good for the mental it's a creative space. 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:02.359 When you were younger, did you know that you want 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:05.360 Was there a particular field of interest that you felt 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:07.640 like you were going to lean towards when you got older. 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:09.320 Yeah, I wanted to go to the NFL. 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:11.719 I think the main thing was I was raising a 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:16.360 household of love and household where like potential was potential 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:21.080 was celebrated, so I never really felt like I wasn't 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:24.240 I didn't have the ability to be excellent and anything 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:26.800 that I put my mind to. My passion was sports, 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:29.080 and I liked violin. 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:31.039 I prefer music production, so I would. 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:34.080 Say my main passion was sports, but the school always 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:34.640 came first. 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:36.719 That was always the thing. 0:06:36.920 --> 0:06:40.840 I wanted to make sure, even if I didn't get 0:06:40.920 --> 0:06:43.080 the offer I wanted coming out of high school or 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:44.799 anything like that, I'd be able to get. 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:46.159 Into any school and walk on. 0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:49.479 Thankfully, I was a good enough player where that didn't 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:50.320 have to be the case. 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:52.200 But you were a straight a student in school. 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:54.920 Oh yeah, yeah, no debating that. 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:57.320 So take me back to your parents. What kind of 0:06:57.360 --> 0:07:01.960 home environment you know, get so UCLA and a Stanford. 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:03.000 Kid, definitely, Yeah. 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:05.040 I mean I was blessed to have both my parents 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:06.080 very present in my life. 0:07:06.600 --> 0:07:09.440 And I never doubted that I was I was well. 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:11.880 I never doubted that if I put my mind towards 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:14.440 something I couldn't grow in that. You know, we grew 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:18.600 up middle class in Texas, and you know, I will 0:07:18.640 --> 0:07:21.760 say like I think I had more privilege than some 0:07:21.840 --> 0:07:24.920 of my friends, especially at my high school, and that's 0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:27.720 always stuck with me because I understand what platform and 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:30.080 with the things you're blessed with, it's a blessing to 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:32.480 be a blessing to others. So whether it was you know, 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:36.400 giving rides or just spending time now, it's really about 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:40.320 sharing perspective with my friends. I've been blessed with a 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:43.480 wealth of knowledge through experience, I think for a twenty 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:46.400 four year old, and wherever I can help provide either 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:50.240 opportunity or guidance, you know that that's always big to 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:51.280 me to be able to do that. 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:54.600 Were your parents strict on who you could be friends with, 0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:55.560 I think it was. 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:58.760 More so, I think they trusted my discernment. I think 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:02.120 when raised the way that I was raised, you just 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:05.600 learned to go where your love, your godho where you 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:07.080 feel you know, at home. 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:11.160 And for me, I. 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:13.080 Think something good about me is I do see the 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:14.800 good and everyone like I'm a Christian. 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:15.880 First, and so I. 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:19.720 Just a regular word. 0:08:20.600 --> 0:08:22.720 Well, I just I can't look at anyone and not 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:27.200 see them as you know, a brother or sister, you know. 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:32.240 So as far as staying away from certain things, definitely, 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:35.440 But as far as staying away from people, like avoiding people, 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:37.440 I've never felt in me to do that, you know. 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:41.920 And I understand, like you know, depending on your self 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:44.520 confidence or depending on your ability to stay strong in 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:47.400 that you have to behave a different way. But for me, 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:50.080 you know, I always feel pretty secure and committed to 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:52.240 remaining myself no matter the environment. 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.600 Okay, what did your parents do for work? 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.880 So my father he's a consultant, you know, he's worked 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:01.600 in the media space, he's been an entrepreneur. 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:03.120 And then my mother is a teacher. 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:08.040 She actually she teaches first grade at the at the school. 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:14.600 Where my brother goes. Yeah, yeah, it was funny. No, 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:15.760 he loves it. He loves. 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:18.240 Your brother is gonna be strong. 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.360 Yeah, I'm really so excited for him. 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:24.559 You said he's eleven, Yeah, his fifth grade. That's a 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:26.240 big age gap. Your parents were like. 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:31.560 Yeah, I'm not even sure what they thought process was 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:32.640 on that, but that's a. 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:35.600 Big age gap. You were like a full teenager. Were 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:37.760 you excited when you're you're gonna have a little baby baby? 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:42.040 Think? I was in shock. I had to sit down. Well, 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:45.359 you know, like for the longest it was just my sister. 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.079 And I, and you know that that's sort of the identity, 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:49.000 like it's me and Rose, Me and Rose, me and Rose. 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:52.520 But you know, I had always prayed for a brother. 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:56.319 Funny enough, but you know, it's on God's time and 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:56.840 not mine. 0:09:57.480 --> 0:09:59.640 That stream. 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:02.880 If that's a lot of order, you could scoop it out, 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:06.640 maybe I don't know, Yeah, yeah it should be. Okay, 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:10.840 this is the This is what happens when you have 0:10:10.880 --> 0:10:13.960 a set win no sink. You gotta kind of make 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:15.360 it do what it do as. 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:19.240 Well as a plastic doubl I don't think so right. 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:24.679 You're doing good. So I had a feeling that there 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:27.760 was an entrepreneur in there, because the whole mindset of 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:30.200 I could do anything. I said my mind too. Sounds 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:35.360 like complete typical delusional entrepreneur. That's how you have to be. 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:37.840 I remember I was looking at a at an interview. 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:40.760 It was it buster Rhyme's like, it's not lousional if 0:10:40.760 --> 0:10:41.319 it happens. 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:43.560 But that's very true. 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:46.480 You know, they're you know what you The world sees 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:49.360 you as delusional until it happens, but you I think 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:54.120 every entrepreneur has to be. The signature ingredient of being 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:57.400 an entrepreneur is you just have to be the biggest 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:00.240 dreamer and you you really do have. You have to 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:02.280 look past your environment. Right, you're creating a world that 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:03.880 no one has seen before. 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:07.680 I mean the part of part of creativity, and the 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:09.200 most beautiful part of it. 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:10.400 Is it's two sided. 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:13.440 Like there's really nothing original, there's nothing new under the 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:16.760 sign but at the same time, there's always going to 0:11:16.800 --> 0:11:21.200 be innovation. That's what makes people people that we where 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:23.480 we come from a creator, so we have the ability 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:23.960 to create. 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:25.920 It's part of the reason why I love music so much. 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:29.920 You don't speak like a twenty four year old. I'm sorry, 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:34.760 I just don't. I know that sounds good. I don't 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:37.680 know if people tell you that, but you just seem 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:41.680 well beyond your years. Your parents could teach your parents 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:42.200 in class. 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:44.560 Yeah, No, they're they're the best parents in the world, 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:47.440 you know, I think, I think, I mean, we'll. 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:49.439 See how each one of us turns out. But i'd say. 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:52.640 To today today, right now, they're just looking good today, 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:55.640 they're they're excellent. And you know, I'll always be grateful 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:57.440 for the household, always raising. 0:11:57.840 --> 0:12:00.320 Yeah, to the point where your mom could say a 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:07.120 five year old picture of that's that's pretty impressive. Your 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:08.760 parents are still in Texas. 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:11.840 Yes, they're still there there. They'll probably raised my brother there. 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:12.520 I'm not sure. 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:14.880 I mean, my sister she's moving down. 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.760 She's about to graduate and so she's moving down to 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:21.440 Los Angeles and we'll see. We'll see if my parents 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:22.720 make a migration out here. 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.120 Yeah, because now two of their kids are out here right. 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:28.640 Exactly exactly, so we'll see. And you know, they've lived 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:31.199 here before. You know, both my sister and I were 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:32.000 both born here. 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:35.080 Do you think the chance is high because they like 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:35.720 to be by. 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:36.920 You guys, I think so. 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:40.520 But I definitely think for raising gage, you know, my 0:12:40.559 --> 0:12:43.320 little brother, I definitely think you know, it would make. 0:12:43.200 --> 0:12:44.600 Sense to stay in Texas. Yeah. 0:12:44.679 --> 0:12:47.680 Yeah, they know how to raise a child in Texas. 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:50.120 There's there's some different elements out here. 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.760 I feel like Las. Yeah, I feel like Texas is 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:56.840 definitely better homely family. 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:00.000 I'm always grateful that I came from where I came from, 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:02.800 that I was raised. You know, it's a little bit country, 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:08.200 you know, but it's quiet, and you know, I really 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:10.680 you were talking about not getting in in the wrong 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:13.040 crowd and all that. There's enough space for where you 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:15.640 can really choose, you know, who you spend time around. 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:18.160 Sometimes in cities you sort of get, you know, mixed 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:19.640 up into it and. 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:22.199 It's harder to avoid certain realities. 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:25.880 Okay, Well, now that I kind of got a good 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:30.120 idea that you grew up in a very good environment. 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:33.560 I love hearing that. Yeah, let's get into you decide 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:36.040 that you from a young young and that you want 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:39.559 to get into the NFL. So you start pursuing this path. 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:43.720 I'm guessing the parents like yours. They were like, heck, yeah, 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:44.880 you're gonna be in the NFL. 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:46.839 If we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it big 0:13:47.040 --> 0:13:49.960 as that's sort of regardless of what it is, and 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:52.080 you know that that really applies to every part of 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.240 my life, and it's why I think I'm not like 0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:59.520 extremely attached to, you know, any one thing. It's more 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:02.840 about just continuing to be my best self in whatever 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:03.240 it is. 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:11.440 The opportunity is, so you graduate high school, the first 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:13.760 school you get into, you choose UCLA. 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:18.080 Yeah, so my first offer was actually Yale, and the 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:20.440 way I got that offer was crazy. I was at 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:23.640 a camp called QB Collective and it was put on 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:27.880 by a guy named Richmond Flowers, and he's one of 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:31.280 the best agents when it comes to NFL coaches, and 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:34.280 so all of the coaches at the camp were NFL 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:36.000 coaches at the time. 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:38.280 There was a I think he was an analyst or. 0:14:38.200 --> 0:14:42.200 Maybe a past game coordinator, but his name was Mike McDaniel. 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:44.520 Mike McDaniel went. 0:14:44.360 --> 0:14:47.160 To Yale, saw me there and felt like I was 0:14:47.160 --> 0:14:50.120 one of the best quarterbacks at the camp. They all 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:52.520 had assumed based off my performance, I had a whole 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:55.560 bunch offers. This was coming after my sophomore year. I'd 0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:57.280 thrown for three thousand yards. I was one of the 0:14:57.280 --> 0:15:00.160 best sophomores in Texas and they assumed I had a 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:00.760 bunch officers. 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:02.480 They like, where do you have offers from? I said, 0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:03.720 I have zero offers. 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:07.120 Now I was I was probably five six, five seven 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:09.840 at the time, not ideal for a quarterback. 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:16.000 But regardless exactly exactly, they didn't care. They tenth grade. 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:17.480 They were asking where your offers were. 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:20.880 Well, football, you know their kids would offer seventh eighth 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:24.480 grade and it's probably getting earlier and earlier as training 0:15:24.480 --> 0:15:25.040 gets better. 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:27.920 But we were in a camp. So did your parents 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:29.560 pay for the camp or how did that work? 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:32.200 Yeah? So we were, we were invited. I forgot how 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:32.920 we got connected. 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:35.080 My father has always been so good as far as 0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:37.320 you know, going back to if we're. 0:15:37.160 --> 0:15:38.640 Going to do something, we're gonna do it the right way. 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:41.200 So yeah, me too. 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:46.000 I'm big fans, but when it comes to how you 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:48.600 how you do things, you have to seek out expertise. 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:50.960 And you know, he had he had heard about this camp. 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:53.720 He had seen this camp, and so you know, we 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:56.080 have we had reached out, got connected with Richmond, and 0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:58.520 then Richmond did some research on me and it was like, yeah, 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:02.080 come out. Well anyways, McDaniel, who's now head coach of 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:06.800 the Miami Dolphins, he's a Yale alum and he called 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:10.240 up the head coach at Yale and said, I want 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:12.360 you to pull up this guy's film. Pulled up the 0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:13.880 film offered me that day. 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:16.720 So that was how I got my first offer. And 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:22.720 then after that, oh, we returned beyond Billboard. 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:25.560 Now it's always been I think a dream of my 0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:31.080 father to have one of us go to Harvard, yeah school. 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:34.400 So when Yale was the first offer, you know, he 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:38.640 was ecstatic, but I'm sure, yeah, exactly what's up Harvor? 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:40.520 And you know, down down the line. 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:43.480 Harvard definitely became a viable option. I was actually going 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:45.800 to go the week that I committed the U c 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:47.480 l A. I think I went to u c l 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:50.120 A on a Tuesday. I was supposed to go to 0:16:50.120 --> 0:16:53.360 Harvard on Friday. And if Harvard would have offered me 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:57.000 that Friday, I might have committed, but UCLA got to 0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:04.280 me first, and I committed on spot. 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:07.959 What did your dad say when he found out on 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:09.200 Friday that Harvard? 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.440 I mean, I think I think part of good parenting 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:15.880 is you have to you have to realize, now, if 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:19.080 it was Harvard and then some other university that that 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:21.400 wasn't you know, prestigious or something like that. I think 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:23.200 he would have stepped in and been like, hey, let's 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:23.639 think about it. 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:24.920 Yeah, of course, but you. 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.240 Know U c l A when it comes to its 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:31.560 black history, as far as Jackie is running, Curtsey, Jackie Robinson, 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:35.040 Ralph Bunch, Like, there's just so many folks who've changed the. 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:37.480 World, who've come through there and been athletes. 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:39.880 And then you know, on the school side, number one 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:43.960 rank public institution in the country, it's in Los Angeles, 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.760 it's beautiful, weather is always good, and there's just so 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:48.880 many factors to where I think, yeah. 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:52.200 Boston would have been a little chili. 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:54.960 Permafrost for six months. 0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:58.520 Your parents are so proud. I'm sorry. We don't have 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:00.679 to do a you know what. You could play this 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:02.760 for them, you know what I'm saying. You can say, 0:18:02.800 --> 0:18:04.760 go listen to the episode. They're gonna be very they'll 0:18:04.760 --> 0:18:05.760 probably cry a little bit. 0:18:06.320 --> 0:18:09.879 I'm always very appreciative man. You know, like my father, 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:13.480 he's always dream big for his family. I think, you know, 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:16.040 whether he acknowledges or not, I really respect him for 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:19.280 the transformation he's done. And it's all about building upon 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:23.680 others work. Like my my Gigi, my my father's mother 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:26.200 did a lot of work to make sure that her 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:28.639 two kids, you know, went to college and went on 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:29.400 to be successful. 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:30.800 Did he come from a two parent household? 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:31.600 No he did not. 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:32.520 Wow. 0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:38.879 So he's done a lot of work to you know, 0:18:39.000 --> 0:18:41.320 progress his family and God willing, I'm able to do 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:43.680 the same thing when it's my time, you know, I 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:46.200