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Speaker 1: M hey, well, welcome in im Doug Gili. This is

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Speaker 1: a ball um. This is part three and if you

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Speaker 1: haven't heard part one part two, shame on you. Justin

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Speaker 1: plente I thought really open with us what happened at

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Speaker 1: Virginia Tech. As part of part three, how do you

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Speaker 1: was Frank Biemer secretly working behind the scenes? What was

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Speaker 1: Bud Foster like to work with? And what are the

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Speaker 1: coaching lessons like your ball coach basketball coach? Are the

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Speaker 1: coaching lessons we can take? And what's he doing now?

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Speaker 1: What's he gonna do in the future. That's all part

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Speaker 1: of part three. Let's take a listen. There's part three

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Speaker 1: of my talk with Justin Plentee. I think that it's

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Speaker 1: fascinating how you have to put everything together. Again, a

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Speaker 1: lot of this is informing people of things they have

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Speaker 1: no concept of. So you decide to take the Memphis job,

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Speaker 1: and you you told me before your wife said she

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Speaker 1: was all for it. So okay, So what happens you

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Speaker 1: take the Memphis job? How do you decide who you

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Speaker 1: bring with you? Yeah? So, I mean it's something I

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Speaker 1: had already put thought into. But you know, the the

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Speaker 1: question of who can you hire or who who do

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Speaker 1: you want to hire? Essentially revolves around how much do

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Speaker 1: I get to pay? Right? Like what like what are

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Speaker 1: the parameters with which what's my budget? So you know

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Speaker 1: that's always kind of like an interview question, but it's

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Speaker 1: it's usually answered with another question like, well, I don't know,

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Speaker 1: like you know, what's what's my budget? And um I

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Speaker 1: And this kind of speaks to the bigger picture. At Memphis,

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Speaker 1: they had not been very good. Okay, Like Tommy West

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Speaker 1: had one there and you know, it was it was

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Speaker 1: give or take about the round of the time cal

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Speaker 1: was there and basketball was blowing up, and you know,

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Speaker 1: they didn't fund football very well. And you know Tommy

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Speaker 1: you know, had health issues and was you know, basically

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Speaker 1: pounding his head into the wall trying to get money

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Speaker 1: for football. Then they brought in coach Porter for two years,

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Speaker 1: and you know, it just hadn't been very good and

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Speaker 1: hadn't been very well funded. And in my mind, like

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Speaker 1: sometimes you gotta hit rock bottom before you make a

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Speaker 1: commitment to getting better. And that's kind of how I

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Speaker 1: viewed the people involved in the program in terms of

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Speaker 1: their commitment to trying to to get this thing up

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Speaker 1: and running. It was like we need to either go

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Speaker 1: get this thing going or quit trying. Basically, it was like,

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Speaker 1: let's let's go, like we've hit rock bottom, like coach,

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Speaker 1: we want to give you resources, tell us what to do,

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Speaker 1: you know, like this has been so bad for so long.

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Speaker 1: They do they do that because because like again the

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Speaker 1: way you, the way you. I talked about taking a job.

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Speaker 1: And here's what's always interesting, Right, you want the job,

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Speaker 1: and really how much you made, you personally made, wasn't

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Speaker 1: all that important, right, you know, it's about you know,

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Speaker 1: it's about a million dollars give or take. But like,

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Speaker 1: during this process I've wanted to take the job, would

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Speaker 1: you be able to say, hey, what's the salary pool

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Speaker 1: for the assistance or as you already taking it? And

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Speaker 1: then afterwards, So the greatest thing ever was yes, in

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Speaker 1: the interview process, I asked about the salary pool and

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Speaker 1: I was given a number and I can't remember what

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Speaker 1: it was, but I was given a number and it

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Speaker 1: was a good number. Right at the time, you had

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Speaker 1: nine assistant coaches. Now you're up to ten. But it

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Speaker 1: was a good it was a good number. Like I

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Speaker 1: was like, Okay, that's that's how we can work with

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Speaker 1: that and and then I remember the very first day

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Speaker 1: I was on the job. Um, I mean we had

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Speaker 1: like from six in the morning until ten o'clock at night.

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Speaker 1: It was all meet and greet. Like I had a

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Speaker 1: list of all these things I need to get done,

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Speaker 1: and like I never got I couldn't get to any

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Speaker 1: of them. It's the same old thing, Like it's just

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Speaker 1: my own ignorance of of what it was gonna look like,

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Speaker 1: kind of like when I asked, but I I honestly coach.

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Speaker 1: I honestly think in most people's ignorance. Yeah, I mean

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Speaker 1: obviously in the profession, but like we think. I think

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Speaker 1: people think you get the job, you go to school,

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Speaker 1: and some of these schools are like it, you do

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Speaker 1: the press conference, then you just go to truit players.

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Speaker 1: Everybody's like it's like a symphony. Everybody's working for you.

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Speaker 1: You're not doing ship. You're just shaking hands, kissing babies,

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Speaker 1: and like there's a lot of stuff, you know, and

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Speaker 1: your phone is swinging NonStop, so like every moment that

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Speaker 1: you're not addressing whatever the issues are, you know, then

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Speaker 1: those issues are piling up, like you can feel it

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Speaker 1: in your pocket, like you can you can feel your

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Speaker 1: phone buzz and that's one more issue, that's one more

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Speaker 1: phone call, that's one more thing that you've gotta you've

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Speaker 1: gotta get done. So or I was doing with this.

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Speaker 1: At the end of the night, I was talking to

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Speaker 1: Dr Raines, Dr Shirley Raines, who was a president at

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Speaker 1: Memphis at the time. And it was a weird situation

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Speaker 1: because um R. C. Johnson was the A D. But

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Speaker 1: he was leaving. It had already been announced that he

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Speaker 1: was retiring. So he was the A D. But he was,

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Speaker 1: you know, for lack of a better term, to lane duck,

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Speaker 1: a D. He was not involved in the hiring process,

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Speaker 1: but Dr Raines was. And so I asked Dr Raines

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Speaker 1: about the salary for the assistant coaches and I and

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Speaker 1: and she I asked her, you know, like does that

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Speaker 1: count the off the field spots? You know, like that

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Speaker 1: does that? Does that? Is that divided by nine people?

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Speaker 1: Or is that divided by fifteen people? And she looked

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Speaker 1: at me and said, how about this? And she gave

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Speaker 1: me another number that was higher than what they had

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Speaker 1: told me. In in the end you and I was like,

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Speaker 1: you bet, like let's go. And so right then I

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Speaker 1: had even more immunition than when I took the job

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Speaker 1: of going out and trying to hire hire people, and

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Speaker 1: the first thing I needed was a defensive coordinator, you know, like, um,

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Speaker 1: it was a little fratuitous because Old Miss had gotten

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Speaker 1: fired at the same time, and there was two guys

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Speaker 1: on that staff at Old Miss, one um that I

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Speaker 1: had played with at Murray State and Chris Vaughan, and

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Speaker 1: the other I knew was James she Best and they

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Speaker 1: both they got letting go and both needed jobs, and um,

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Speaker 1: it worked out that we were paying enough that we

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Speaker 1: could keep them away from some other jobs and and

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Speaker 1: and hire those two really really good guys. And then

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Speaker 1: I needed to work on on finding the two things

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Speaker 1: I knew I needed were I really obviously needed somebody

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Speaker 1: to run the defense, and I needed I really wanted

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Speaker 1: a former head coach on the staff. I were really

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Speaker 1: wanted somebody that had been there and done that. And

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Speaker 1: I went about trying to put it all together. Who's

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Speaker 1: who's advising you, Who's who's the person that you called on?

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Speaker 1: What do you think Nobody like at this point, Like

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Speaker 1: I'm I'm just going like I've at this point, I'm

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Speaker 1: still in the realm of what I've prepared for that

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Speaker 1: makes sense. Like I'm still in this in the in

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Speaker 1: the in the box of okay, Like I know what

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Speaker 1: I need to do starting out now. It didn't take

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Speaker 1: very long for me to get out of a box.

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Speaker 1: You know. It's like when I became the head coach,

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Speaker 1: I'm like I I felt to myself again ignorance, like

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Speaker 1: I couldn't. I will never be more prepared for this

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Speaker 1: job than I am right now, right Like, I know

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Speaker 1: exactly how I want to practice, I know exactly I

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Speaker 1: want to study all, I know exactly who I want

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Speaker 1: to hire, I know exactly what I want this to

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Speaker 1: look like this look And two days on the job,

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Speaker 1: I'm sitting in there going I know nothing, Like there's

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Speaker 1: been fifty things come up that I never even thought

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Speaker 1: about in the first two days, and um, but slowly

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Speaker 1: went around. I'm a list guy, just started making lists

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Speaker 1: and started you know, the first thing I needed to

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Speaker 1: do was meet. But I met with each member of

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Speaker 1: the former staff, and um, we had a team. How

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Speaker 1: did you handle that? How did you handle that? Because

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Speaker 1: because you know, like I know people who you're on

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Speaker 1: a former staff, and sometimes the coach doesn't let you

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Speaker 1: go immediately. Kind of wants to see what you can

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Speaker 1: do sort of thing. But you also you need loyalty

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Speaker 1: and need people that you know and that you trust.

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Speaker 1: So there is a reality to being one of your guys.

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Speaker 1: How did you handle them? Well, there was one guy

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Speaker 1: on the staff that um that I knew I was

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Speaker 1: going to keep, that I had worked with in Illinois State,

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Speaker 1: so I knew I know he was gonna stay, like

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Speaker 1: I had known him. Did you tell him or do

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Speaker 1: you think I told him? I said, you're you're staying.

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Speaker 1: We'll figure out the position. I think you're gonna be

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Speaker 1: the linebacker coach. We'll worry about it, but don't worry

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Speaker 1: about anything. And and then I went about and just

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Speaker 1: talking to other ones. It was a weird balancing act

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Speaker 1: because most of them I knew we were going in

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Speaker 1: a different direction, and many of them I could tell that,

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Speaker 1: you know. But there was a few that I'm like,

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Speaker 1: I don't I'm not sure who I can hire, you know,

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Speaker 1: Like I've got three people that I really want to

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Speaker 1: hire in this spot, but then they all tell me no.

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Speaker 1: So there was a couple that I told, you know,

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Speaker 1: most likely this is what's going to happen. Most likely

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Speaker 1: were I mean, I'm going to go in a different

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Speaker 1: direction with these couple of people, but I may not

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Speaker 1: be able to hire me, and if not, that we

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Speaker 1: need to have a conversation. And there was a couple

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Speaker 1: of them that I that I had to kind of

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Speaker 1: put in that category for lack of a better term,

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Speaker 1: and they all understood it, you know, like they get it.

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Speaker 1: You know, they totally they totally get it. Um. I

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Speaker 1: made a huge mistake. And this was not a add

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Speaker 1: person at all. I kept the strength coach for one

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Speaker 1: semester and it had nothing to do with him being

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Speaker 1: good or about at his job. But it was a

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Speaker 1: really rookie mistake by myself and the fact that I

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Speaker 1: felt like I could teach him how I wanted it

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Speaker 1: to look and that he could go put it into action.

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Speaker 1: But what I came to learn over that first semester

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Speaker 1: was like, yeah, I had time to give the big picture,

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Speaker 1: but I could have changed that thing myself. Like my

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Speaker 1: ego was like I can get in there and change it.

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Speaker 1: And he was a good coach, don't get me wrong,

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Speaker 1: But I messed up like we should have. We should

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Speaker 1: have just switch that whole thing over right from the start.

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Speaker 1: So I was a semester behind and changing the strength

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Speaker 1: the strength staff right, and I don't And I think

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Speaker 1: I think people have started to understand strength coaches, but

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Speaker 1: I'm not sure they totally get it right. Like the

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Speaker 1: strength coach, they're the connective tissue. They see those kids

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Speaker 1: more than anybody else, Like they were literally around them

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Speaker 1: more than anybody else. So you have to have somebody

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Speaker 1: who is echo to your voice that that is aligned

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Speaker 1: with your vision. Um. That's a that's an interesting one. Um,

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Speaker 1: what about the roster? How long did it take you

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Speaker 1: to kind of go through the roster what you had? Oh,

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Speaker 1: it was sad, it was bad. Like so we had

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Speaker 1: a team meeting and it was right before break so

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Speaker 1: like I don't remember how it all worked out with

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Speaker 1: the calendar, but basically I had a really quick team

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Speaker 1: meeting and and then let those guys go. They they

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Speaker 1: finished finals and went home and then came back. So

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Speaker 1: I didn't have to do much with the current team.

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Speaker 1: There wasn't much to do. That wasn't positive because um,

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Speaker 1: because I could kind of set that they were at home,

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Speaker 1: nothing was going on, Like I couldn't see him. We

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Speaker 1: had other stuff we needed to get done. So you know,

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Speaker 1: it was kind of like one thing kind off my

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Speaker 1: plate and to preparation and just in soul preparation for

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Speaker 1: their return. But our numbers were terrible. Um for a

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Speaker 1: really affordable school, our walk on numbers were terrible. Um.

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Speaker 1: They had run through a bunch of players in terms

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Speaker 1: of um, just attrition and UM. You know, when they

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Speaker 1: came back, it didn't take me very long to realize

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Speaker 1: that all of the all of the qualities that you

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Speaker 1: have that you would associate with the team, from caring

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Speaker 1: about each other to accountability, to unity, to work ethic,

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Speaker 1: we had none of those. Um. We just we really

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Speaker 1: didn't and and we focused on one thing. So I

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Speaker 1: made this list, this terrifying list of all the things

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Speaker 1: we needed to do, and it was just I mean,

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Speaker 1: I don't know how long it was, but it was long.

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Speaker 1: And I said, I cannot walk into this meeting with

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Speaker 1: these kids returning and give them this list. I mean,

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Speaker 1: it's just ridiculous to think that we could accomplish or

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Speaker 1: we could address all of these issues. And so we've

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Speaker 1: boiled it down to one thing, and that was individual accountability.

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Speaker 1: Like and that was the way we started with with

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Speaker 1: this is going to be the most cut and dry

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Speaker 1: thing you've ever seen. You're either here on time or

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Speaker 1: you're not. Okay, you're either where you're supposed to be,

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Speaker 1: doing what you're supposed to be doing when you're supposed

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Speaker 1: to be doing it, or you're not. Period. There's no

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Speaker 1: discutt like it's and we tried to just boil it

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Speaker 1: down to that and see how could we build upon

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Speaker 1: being accountable And that's kind of where we started. That

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Speaker 1: was kind of day zero. Um, this is one that

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Speaker 1: always interests me. You got to find a place to live, Okay,

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Speaker 1: and now you're a head coach. Right, Remember this is

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Speaker 1: a couple of years ago, and this is probably six

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Speaker 1: years ago. Whatever you had found about your first house

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Speaker 1: in Fort Worth undern eight thousand dollars, Now you're head coach.

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Speaker 1: So obviously your wife it's kind of her thing. But

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Speaker 1: do you where you did you go house hunting with her?

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Speaker 1: Did you get specific instructions? Was there a dollar limit?

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Speaker 1: That did Memphis people like this is this is where

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Speaker 1: you need to live right here? You know, like, how

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Speaker 1: does it? How does it work? Well? So, um no,

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Speaker 1: I didn't do hardly any of it. Um Jen went

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Speaker 1: out and spent one or two days with the realtor

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Speaker 1: and then narrowed it down the three houses. Took me

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Speaker 1: to those three houses. You know, I signed off on

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Speaker 1: two of the three and she picked the ones she wanted. Basically,

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Speaker 1: how it went, um living in Memphis, you know, basically

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Speaker 1: for us at least not for everybody was um. You could.

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Speaker 1: Most of our staff lived out like outside the loop,

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Speaker 1: like east of Memphis. We lived two miles from the campus,

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Speaker 1: and I think that was you know, we we sacrificed

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Speaker 1: a little bit a house for that, meaning you know,

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Speaker 1: we couldn't get as much house for our dollar living

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Speaker 1: in the older, kind of older nice part of town

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Speaker 1: as we could have if we'd have lived out. But

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Speaker 1: to be two miles from campus was incredible for my

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Speaker 1: ability to be available at work and our my family,

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Speaker 1: my young family's available ability to be available at work. Um.

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Speaker 1: And then in terms of it as a new town,

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Speaker 1: you're working so much, you have all of this stuff

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Speaker 1: going on. I know that you get asked to meet,

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Speaker 1: greet stuff, but what is it like to how long

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Speaker 1: does it take for you to feel like okay, you

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Speaker 1: know where you're going, you know, places other than just

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Speaker 1: the loop. You could wear out between your house and

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Speaker 1: the office your house, the office your house. And yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's interesting you bring that up driving in town because like,

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Speaker 1: I mean, we were there for were years and I

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Speaker 1: would and my wife would be in the car with me,

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Speaker 1: and I'm like, do I take a right here? I like,

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Speaker 1: and I'm like, I've got decent navigational sense, but like

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Speaker 1: I just strove to work at home. You know, it

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Speaker 1: was dark both ways, and you know, like you know,

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Speaker 1: I just I just I don't I honestly, I truthly, Lise,

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Speaker 1: and I'm not. This is not me kissing up. Like

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Speaker 1: I understand people who work, they work. I don't think

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Speaker 1: I just don't think people have a healthy understanding of

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Speaker 1: I had football coaches in charge of eighty five scholarship players,

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Speaker 1: everybody in your staff, all the ancillary staff, right, and

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Speaker 1: you're you're trying to it's your first job, so you

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Speaker 1: probably micro managing a little bit more than you you

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Speaker 1: want to, because you you gotta get it right, right,

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Speaker 1: because if you have two really bad years, like that's it,

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Speaker 1: it's over. They don't call you back, right, So it's

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Speaker 1: a it's an all encompassing thing. What about your relationship,

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Speaker 1: will you're kids with your wife? How was that it

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Speaker 1: was good. My wife was incredible. There is still incredible

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Speaker 1: when it comes to all of that. Like never once

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Speaker 1: We've been married since two thousand and five, and never

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Speaker 1: once have I gone to work and she said, you know,

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Speaker 1: when are you going to be home? You know, like

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Speaker 1: never once, and she put that a little bit of pressure,

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Speaker 1: just that little bit of pressure of you know, get

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Speaker 1: get back home now. She also knows that I'm coming

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Speaker 1: home as soon as I possibly can, you know, Like

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Speaker 1: she also knows I think in her heart that I'm

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Speaker 1: not stopping anywhere. I'm not detouring anywhere, Like I'm going

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Speaker 1: to work and I'm and I'm coming home and I

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Speaker 1: want to be here, you know. And I think that

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Speaker 1: helps alleviate a little bit of that pressure when she knows,

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Speaker 1: I think in her heart that there's only one other

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Speaker 1: place that I want to be now. Also, I love

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Speaker 1: work because I mean it's there's a lot of people

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Speaker 1: that wake up this morning and they have to go

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Speaker 1: swing a sledge hammer, right Like I'm not working, okay

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Speaker 1: like this, right Like I'm hanging around with great athletes

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Speaker 1: and really smart people and young people and you know,

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Speaker 1: like you think about going to college and there's all

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Speaker 1: these people that their sole job is to help you

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Speaker 1: be successful, right, Like, there's never another time in your

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Speaker 1: entire life when you're surrounded by this many people that

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Speaker 1: their whole mission in life is to help you either

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Speaker 1: be healthy or eat better, or be stronger, or make

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Speaker 1: better grades or get a better job, whatever it is,

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Speaker 1: that's their whole mission. And that's a pretty cool thing,

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Speaker 1: you know. And so you know, work is a loose term,

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Speaker 1: you know, like it's a lot of fun, and you

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Speaker 1: know it's it takes a lot of hours and there's

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Speaker 1: a lot of sacrifices everybody makes. But I tried to

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Speaker 1: incorporate our families into all of it. I had been

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Speaker 1: places where, you know, that wasn't the case, and that

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Speaker 1: was fine, that's the head coaches prerogative, um, But that

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Speaker 1: was not the way I was going to do it.

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Speaker 1: Like I really believed that if if somebody's child sitting

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Speaker 1: on your lap in the middle of a staff meeting,

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Speaker 1: he's going to prevent us from doing our job, then

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Speaker 1: weren't messed up. So we got kids running around, you know,

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Speaker 1: like I want him to come to practice. So we

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Speaker 1: tried to incorporate them, and we had a younger staff.

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Speaker 1: Some of them had younger kids that they knew, Like

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Speaker 1: I had a meeting with the wives every year where

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Speaker 1: I just said, like, you need to know that you

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Speaker 1: are welcome up here all of the time. Like you

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Speaker 1: need to know that you don't need permission from me

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Speaker 1: to bring your kids up here to come see their

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Speaker 1: dad on a Wednesday night because he's working late, Like,

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Speaker 1: come on. And I think that helps a little bit.

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Speaker 1: Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in

355
00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:50,040
Speaker 1: the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox Sports

356
00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:53,240
Speaker 1: Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app

357
00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:57,120
Speaker 1: search f s R to listen live. First time you

358
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Speaker 1: you saw pac The first time I saw him was

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Speaker 1: on his recruiting visit. But the first time I saw

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Speaker 1: him throw the ball he was enrolled at Memphis. I've

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Speaker 1: never seen him throw a ball. And uh, we're not

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Speaker 1: really supposed to be out there in the summertime or

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Speaker 1: not not We're not really we are not supposed to

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Speaker 1: be out there in the summertime. And I did not

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Speaker 1: go out she just happened. Just happened. I did not

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Speaker 1: go out there, but I did stand in the weight

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Speaker 1: room and watch him, uh throw the ball in his

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Speaker 1: first day out there, and I can tell you this. Okay,

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Speaker 1: so before we get to that. Okay, So before him,

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Speaker 1: some guys have this thing like I don't like supertall quarterbacks.

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Speaker 1: I don't like super little quarterbacks. I don't like left

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Speaker 1: handed quarterbacks. Now I gotta switch my whole thing up.

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Speaker 1: Before you had him as your quarterback, what was your

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Speaker 1: prototype for your offense? Yeah, so I'm I mean, first

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Speaker 1: of all, we weren't aid be very picky, uh but

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Speaker 1: like given the yeah, yeah, you know, um, like we

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Speaker 1: recruited Trayvon boy Can at uh TCU and he was

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Speaker 1: athletic and smart and could could really whip the ball.

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Speaker 1: You know, Andy was an exception of the royal. He's

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Speaker 1: such a great player, but he was athletic enough and

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Speaker 1: could really sew the ball. So I didn't really care.

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Speaker 1: Like the game is evolved enough that you know, how

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Speaker 1: tall they are is was not a huge It used

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Speaker 1: to be a big deal, but it didn't bother me.

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Speaker 1: I'm just saying it has been some people. It's like,

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Speaker 1: how bigger short wasn't that big a deal. It's like

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Speaker 1: there's some element of stuff in there that you can't

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Speaker 1: measure that I don't know how you can figure out.

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Speaker 1: That's why you know the NFL ways millions of dollars

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Speaker 1: on quarterbacks. You can't play every single year. If you

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Speaker 1: could figure that out, you'd you'd be in great shape.

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Speaker 1: But um, you know, I didn't have a single thing,

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Speaker 1: but I did believe that if you had a decent athlete,

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Speaker 1: it gave you more room for error. You know. So okay,

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Speaker 1: so you're in the weight room and you knew you

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Speaker 1: had signed him, and you watched him throwing what relief?

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Speaker 1: This relief came over and I wasn't I wasn't like

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Speaker 1: super giddy excited, but I was like worried because I

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Speaker 1: hadn't seen it with my own eyes, Like is this

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Speaker 1: kid going to pick up the ball and you know,

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Speaker 1: like throw it into the dirt or like dropped the

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Speaker 1: ball all the way down to it. Not I've seen

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Speaker 1: it on film, but like I don't know, And he

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00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,760
Speaker 1: just pulled it back and zipped it. I was immediately

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Speaker 1: I felt relief that that yeah, said he had some talent,

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Speaker 1: that that we were all right. Um, okay, so you're

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Speaker 1: getting ready for your first day of spring and this

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Speaker 1: is kind of you prepared your whole life for it.

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Speaker 1: You know, how did you how did you handle spring practice?

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Speaker 1: How did you in terms of in terms of it

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Speaker 1: looking like yeah, so, I mean everything that I wanted

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Speaker 1: to do in the off season and leading into football,

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Speaker 1: and the way we practice was from Gary Patterson at TC,

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Speaker 1: every single bit of it, like almost to exactly how

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Speaker 1: we were going to practice, exactly how offseas are looking around.

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Speaker 1: So if you go back to the first day of

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Speaker 1: off season and we have our circuit set up, and

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Speaker 1: I basically tell the coaches I got this, Okay, you

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Speaker 1: be there too, but like they don't know it. I

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Speaker 1: review it and and talk about what we're gonna do.

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Speaker 1: But basically I'm running the whole thing. And the kids

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Speaker 1: are in like three different groups, like one group comes

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Speaker 1: and then they leave, and then the next group comes.

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Speaker 1: So I mean we have in our in our circuit,

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Speaker 1: we have like six or seven stations that we have

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Speaker 1: to that we have to go through, and it takes

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Speaker 1: fourteen minutes and it's not very fun. But it's not

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Speaker 1: the to the world, and it's not it's not a

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00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:06,280
Speaker 1: two hour drudge best you know, it's we get in

430
00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:10,240
Speaker 1: there and we go and and and like I said,

431
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,640
Speaker 1: there's six or seven stations and we made it through

432
00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:17,159
Speaker 1: two before we did. I mean, it was the worst

433
00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:21,199
Speaker 1: condition the group of people I've ever seen, and the

434
00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:25,359
Speaker 1: looks on their faces, which was, we're really terrifying in

435
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,960
Speaker 1: terms of like, this is a group of of young

436
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:33,480
Speaker 1: people that really does not care about anybody else on

437
00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,800
Speaker 1: the team. Like that was the two things that were

438
00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:41,000
Speaker 1: so obvious to me, Like they don't care, Like the

439
00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:45,159
Speaker 1: looks were so blank, and there was not one sense

440
00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:49,679
Speaker 1: of communication between any of the kids or anything. And

441
00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:51,520
Speaker 1: it was terrifying. Like I remember walking into the locker

442
00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:54,520
Speaker 1: room afterwards and looking at all the assistant coaches and thinking,

443
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,280
Speaker 1: every one of these city coaches gonna call and ask

444
00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:01,000
Speaker 1: the road job back, you know, like it this is,

445
00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:04,560
Speaker 1: this is even worse than I thought. So we get

446
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,480
Speaker 1: into spring ball and we wait, so when you but

447
00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:10,520
Speaker 1: before you get that, So when you did meet with

448
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:14,000
Speaker 1: your coaches after that, what was their feedback? Oh, they

449
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:18,560
Speaker 1: were terrified. Now they're like, I've never seen anything that bad.

450
00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,959
Speaker 1: I'm like, I know, like we made it through two drills,

451
00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,080
Speaker 1: and so you know, we got our work cut at

452
00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:28,040
Speaker 1: for us. Guys, Like first of all, they've never worked

453
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:30,840
Speaker 1: and they've never had anybody care about And I don't

454
00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:33,000
Speaker 1: mean that bad about anybody that's there, but that was

455
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,960
Speaker 1: that was that was what I saw, you know, that

456
00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:38,520
Speaker 1: was my evaluation because they don't know how to work,

457
00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:42,280
Speaker 1: they don't and they don't care about this program, you know. So,

458
00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,560
Speaker 1: um you know, we went about trying to build relationships

459
00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:49,560
Speaker 1: with them, and it was hard because at the time

460
00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,639
Speaker 1: and they fixed us now, but our offices were on

461
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 1: campus and all the practice facility, weight room and stuff

462
00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,680
Speaker 1: was at South Campus, which is about a mile from there,

463
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:02,919
Speaker 1: so it was hard to My big deal was I

464
00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:05,919
Speaker 1: want to see the kids. It was just hard, like

465
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:08,399
Speaker 1: we had to because they would they would go to

466
00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,040
Speaker 1: school over here our offices where there's really no reason

467
00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:12,840
Speaker 1: for them to come to our office because they're not

468
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:14,760
Speaker 1: going to the training room, they're not going to the

469
00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,600
Speaker 1: weight room. There's there was no real reason for them

470
00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,040
Speaker 1: to come by there. When they finished school, they'd go

471
00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,280
Speaker 1: to South Campus. So every day at noon we just

472
00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:26,200
Speaker 1: go to South Campus and be there to see them,

473
00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:31,200
Speaker 1: you know. So. Um So then we we started spring ball,

474
00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:35,239
Speaker 1: and that's where I made more idiotic decisions, right, you know,

475
00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:39,240
Speaker 1: I was going to run the offense and again, I've

476
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,560
Speaker 1: seen all these plays work at TCU. I know how

477
00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:45,119
Speaker 1: we did things that TCU. We'll just do them the

478
00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,960
Speaker 1: same here. And we go out there and I mean

479
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:57,960
Speaker 1: it's it's awful. Okay, so bad, it's so bad. Um,

480
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,760
Speaker 1: So you line up against Duke? Is your first home game?

481
00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:06,399
Speaker 1: The running out there? What do you remember? Well, our

482
00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:12,200
Speaker 1: first home game was you T. Martin my first year,

483
00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,640
Speaker 1: the second year was Duke. Okay, okay, so you got

484
00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:19,439
Speaker 1: to play you T. Markin. Yeah, and we lose, and

485
00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:23,119
Speaker 1: we lose because they're better than we are. Okay but

486
00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:26,439
Speaker 1: wait so but but that that feeling, yeah, you know

487
00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,520
Speaker 1: you you've done this a long time, but now it's

488
00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,439
Speaker 1: your team. You go running out there, you remember like

489
00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,879
Speaker 1: how many people are there? So there was about a

490
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:42,440
Speaker 1: two hour rain delay and we were up by seven Martin. Yeah,

491
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:44,560
Speaker 1: it's like, I don't know. It's in the third quarter.

492
00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:47,280
Speaker 1: There's a two hour rain delay and we're up by seven.

493
00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:52,720
Speaker 1: The officials called us and they're basically like, do you

494
00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:56,439
Speaker 1: guys want to finish this or not? And I'm just

495
00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,280
Speaker 1: praying that the head coach that Martin says no, and

496
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:02,720
Speaker 1: I don't blame him either. He's like, well, we're down

497
00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:05,040
Speaker 1: by seven with a quarter and a half to play,

498
00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:09,200
Speaker 1: like we're gonna finish this. So we wait for two

499
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,760
Speaker 1: hours and we come out there and kid you not,

500
00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:18,359
Speaker 1: the game is tied. They have the ball, your first

501
00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:21,720
Speaker 1: head coaching first head coaching analyst. They have the ball,

502
00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:28,960
Speaker 1: and we stop him and there's like thirty seconds left,

503
00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:33,000
Speaker 1: maybe forty five seconds left. We stop him on third

504
00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:36,840
Speaker 1: down and I take a time out, and I'm like,

505
00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:40,200
Speaker 1: we're gonna make him pump the ball and then, you know,

506
00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,400
Speaker 1: maybe depending on what happens, maybe we'll just play for

507
00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:45,320
Speaker 1: over time or maybe we'll try and go score. I

508
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:47,440
Speaker 1: don't know, but there wasn't a lot of time left,

509
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,760
Speaker 1: less than a minute, so we take the time out.

510
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:53,440
Speaker 1: They were, They trot their punt team out. They pun

511
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,560
Speaker 1: it to Keyuan Malone, who ended up being a really

512
00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:00,920
Speaker 1: good player for us. He gets to cold and fumbles,

513
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:05,360
Speaker 1: They recover it, They take a knee, and then kick

514
00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:07,800
Speaker 1: a field goal on the like essentially the last play

515
00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:11,600
Speaker 1: of the game to beat us. So there's your welcome

516
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:18,760
Speaker 1: to being a head coach moment. Yea um, but I yeah,

517
00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:21,680
Speaker 1: and it happens really fast too, right, Yeah, I'm like,

518
00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,560
Speaker 1: why would I even try that? We're not even good

519
00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:25,360
Speaker 1: enough to take that time out. And this is what

520
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,600
Speaker 1: I'm thinking all the way home. I'm like, how stupid

521
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,560
Speaker 1: am I? Like, I shouldn't just been happy with overtime

522
00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:33,000
Speaker 1: and see what happens in overtime. But no, you gotta

523
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:36,880
Speaker 1: take a time out. You gotta you know well, but

524
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,400
Speaker 1: you also you know, like I would say later on,

525
00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:42,760
Speaker 1: if you didn't take the time out, people would say

526
00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:46,200
Speaker 1: you didn't have confidence, you're playing for overtime whatever you

527
00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,240
Speaker 1: know not you know, not understanding like we can fumble

528
00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:53,120
Speaker 1: that that you a really good player for us and

529
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,440
Speaker 1: made a whole bunch of players and our team that

530
00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:58,280
Speaker 1: that that won the conference championship. He was a huge player.

531
00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:00,800
Speaker 1: But let's just say that not a lot of people

532
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:02,600
Speaker 1: there are not a lot of witnesses to that game

533
00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:04,440
Speaker 1: because not a lot of people stuck it out through

534
00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:07,920
Speaker 1: the two hour rain delay to watch. I can't imagine

535
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:14,240
Speaker 1: come back at it rain delay your poor life. So

536
00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,280
Speaker 1: there's no covering in that stadium too, if I don't know, right,

537
00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:23,320
Speaker 1: there's it's not like now you sit there like, yeah, um,

538
00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:26,240
Speaker 1: you mentioned how you're trying to run the offense like TCU.

539
00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:28,880
Speaker 1: So as it evolved, were you still were you calling

540
00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:33,760
Speaker 1: the place? And my plan was My plan was to

541
00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:39,800
Speaker 1: UM two. I knew we were going to be bad,

542
00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:42,880
Speaker 1: so my thought was like, listen, I'm gonna call it.

543
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,800
Speaker 1: I'm gonna run it all and get it how I wanted.

544
00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,160
Speaker 1: And as we get better than I'll be able to

545
00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:50,360
Speaker 1: step further and further back. First of all, I can

546
00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:53,440
Speaker 1: shelter the offensive coordinator because I can just take the

547
00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:57,160
Speaker 1: brunt of us not being very good. And so I

548
00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:00,320
Speaker 1: called it for three years and then my last year

549
00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:04,800
Speaker 1: I turned it over to our offensive coordinator. UM I

550
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 1: had a really good setup because Daryld Dickey, who had

551
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:09,840
Speaker 1: been the head coach at North Texas for a long time.

552
00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:13,640
Speaker 1: He's at Texas A and M now was huge for

553
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:18,040
Speaker 1: our program both in the city of Memphis and for

554
00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:20,440
Speaker 1: me as the former head coach. And he was a

555
00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:23,800
Speaker 1: running back coach and he had titled at one point

556
00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,600
Speaker 1: he was the offensive coordinator and then but basically he

557
00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:29,960
Speaker 1: was the assistant coach and he was that wasn't That

558
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:35,400
Speaker 1: wasn't a ceremonial, Yeah, that was. He really was like

559
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,880
Speaker 1: the person that I leaned on a lot when it

560
00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:46,000
Speaker 1: came to trying to make decisions and trying to handle situations. Um,

561
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:50,000
Speaker 1: what was the game that turned it? Was it Cincinnati?

562
00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:52,880
Speaker 1: You're two? I think, I mean, now you beat South Florida.

563
00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:55,560
Speaker 1: I think you're alone with your one conference wind. What

564
00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:59,239
Speaker 1: was that? That something they need something? Yea. So it

565
00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:02,360
Speaker 1: was kind of in her because, Um, part of the

566
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:06,120
Speaker 1: reason I took the job was it was a comfort

567
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:11,360
Speaker 1: to us A school and I felt like I could

568
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:14,640
Speaker 1: see I had seen Conference USA with s m U

569
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,360
Speaker 1: when I was at TCU, and I felt like, you know,

570
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,400
Speaker 1: we can we can build a team that wins six

571
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:23,600
Speaker 1: games and comfort us A. You know what I mean? Like,

572
00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:27,280
Speaker 1: that's kind of like what I was thinking. Well, after

573
00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:30,240
Speaker 1: a year, we moved to the to the Big East,

574
00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,520
Speaker 1: which eventually became the American Conference. So we trade like

575
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:43,440
Speaker 1: Southern Myths for Louisville. We trade uh, like two lane

576
00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:46,880
Speaker 1: for like Yukon, which at the time was much better

577
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:53,640
Speaker 1: than so. Um. My first year, we we win our

578
00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:57,680
Speaker 1: last three games. We beat U A B which is

579
00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,960
Speaker 1: about to drop the program, to beat Southern miss and

580
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:03,720
Speaker 1: I I think we beat too A and I don't remember,

581
00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:05,360
Speaker 1: but we beat the one last three games to win

582
00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:10,120
Speaker 1: four games, and I got a contract extension after winning

583
00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:12,880
Speaker 1: four games, if that tells you where we were at.

584
00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:16,720
Speaker 1: So we won four game, but we win our last three.

585
00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:24,000
Speaker 1: And we have a quarterback named Jacob Carrom, great human

586
00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:29,600
Speaker 1: being that was a transfer from Houston. Well, Paxton is

587
00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:33,520
Speaker 1: red shirting. Well, the next year we take a step

588
00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:35,880
Speaker 1: up and have to go play Louisville and all these people,

589
00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:40,280
Speaker 1: and we're pretty good on defense, and we're not very

590
00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,360
Speaker 1: good on offense because all of our guys are young guys.

591
00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:48,200
Speaker 1: And I benched Jacob Carrom and played Paxton and we

592
00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:52,360
Speaker 1: only win three games. So I go from contract extension

593
00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:55,880
Speaker 1: and four games to idiot in three games playing the

594
00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:58,600
Speaker 1: wrong quarterback because Jacob Caram was back, he was going

595
00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:03,320
Speaker 1: to be a senior and playing this freshman, tall, skinny freshman,

596
00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,200
Speaker 1: and we weren't very like all of our skill players

597
00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:10,200
Speaker 1: were freshman too, so we weren't very good on office.

598
00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:12,200
Speaker 1: But like our defense took a big step up, like

599
00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:15,480
Speaker 1: we were pretty tent. We were way ahead defensively than

600
00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:17,440
Speaker 1: we were office. So there's kind of those are the

601
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,360
Speaker 1: first two years. Well, the third year, like we have

602
00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:27,640
Speaker 1: to play um and I'm like, this is not a

603
00:34:27,719 --> 00:34:31,680
Speaker 1: good schedule for a team that's trying to make it smart.

604
00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:34,759
Speaker 1: Was that scheduled preset or did you Yeah? That was

605
00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:39,640
Speaker 1: our a D was from It was a California guy

606
00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:40,920
Speaker 1: and he wanted to play U c l A for

607
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:48,000
Speaker 1: some reason whatever, so that the first play of the

608
00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:52,400
Speaker 1: U c l A game was when I was like, okay,

609
00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:57,279
Speaker 1: we got shot. Like it was like an RPO with

610
00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:01,040
Speaker 1: a slant flat and it was like insides own and

611
00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:04,120
Speaker 1: like I'm standing on the sidelines and it's the first

612
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:06,239
Speaker 1: time I thought we had a real football team, Like

613
00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:10,319
Speaker 1: the way it will and Paxton pulls it and hits

614
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:14,040
Speaker 1: the receiver like right in the chest and like it

615
00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:16,480
Speaker 1: happened fast. But the way I talked a little bit

616
00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:20,640
Speaker 1: about how like sometimes Andy would would would like ride

617
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:22,360
Speaker 1: and throw the ball and I'd be in the box

618
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:24,440
Speaker 1: on the ball already be gone by the time, you

619
00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:26,480
Speaker 1: know what I mean. It was like and that was

620
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:30,560
Speaker 1: the first player I was like, oh, like I hadn't

621
00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:33,040
Speaker 1: seen it. I hadn't like I've just been lost in it.

622
00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:36,280
Speaker 1: And it was like, okay, get your next call ready,

623
00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:38,960
Speaker 1: justin but by the way, like we got something here.

624
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,920
Speaker 1: You mentioned it in your next call ready? Um? How

625
00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:49,920
Speaker 1: your your place your call sheet? Um? Do you do

626
00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:52,520
Speaker 1: do you do you script them out? Is it? Are you?

627
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:55,440
Speaker 1: Are you calling him as you go? Like how do

628
00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:57,799
Speaker 1: you how do you as a play caller? How do

629
00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:00,719
Speaker 1: you up right? And I think it's important that all

630
00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:05,600
Speaker 1: it's all young play callers understand that it's up to you, right,

631
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:09,200
Speaker 1: it's how you work. Like like Garry Patterson calls the

632
00:36:09,239 --> 00:36:13,200
Speaker 1: defense and he's like furious when he's calling it. That's

633
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:15,960
Speaker 1: how his mind works. Like he likes me when I'm

634
00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,040
Speaker 1: calling it, I feel like I'm I'm like taking the

635
00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:21,320
Speaker 1: A C T right, Like I wanted to be as

636
00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:25,040
Speaker 1: as quiet and as focused and and paying attention to

637
00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:29,000
Speaker 1: what's going on. So I changed when I was at Memphis,

638
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:31,319
Speaker 1: and it was it was a really good change for me.

639
00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:37,799
Speaker 1: Was at TCU. We carried way too many plays, way

640
00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,600
Speaker 1: too big a call sheet, way too many reps. Like

641
00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:42,919
Speaker 1: it was just really huge. And that's what I tried

642
00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:46,399
Speaker 1: to do at Memphis, and it was awful personally because

643
00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:48,600
Speaker 1: we weren't very good, but personally because it's just too much.

644
00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:52,200
Speaker 1: The best thing we did is we put a cap

645
00:36:52,239 --> 00:36:54,600
Speaker 1: on the number of plays that we could use. We

646
00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:58,640
Speaker 1: grouped them by category, meaning we're gonna go into this

647
00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:03,840
Speaker 1: game with three ways to run the outside zone and

648
00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:06,840
Speaker 1: that's it. Two ways to get the ball into the

649
00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:10,360
Speaker 1: perimeter and that's it, four ways to run the ball inside,

650
00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:13,080
Speaker 1: so on and so forth, like three dropback passes, four

651
00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:15,000
Speaker 1: quick game, whatever it is. Then you get the r

652
00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:17,120
Speaker 1: P O game in it. But anyway, it's can only

653
00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:20,759
Speaker 1: total whatever that number is, sixty seven or seventy one

654
00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:25,000
Speaker 1: or whatever, whatever whatever your number is. And my third

655
00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:29,319
Speaker 1: year we did that and carried less plays then we'd

656
00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:33,680
Speaker 1: ever carried, and as the year went along, became more successful,

657
00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:37,879
Speaker 1: very successful, led the league in Russian. So how's it organized? Yes,

658
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,640
Speaker 1: I have starters I had when I called it starters,

659
00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:45,760
Speaker 1: ten plays, normal down and distance. These are the formations

660
00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:47,920
Speaker 1: I want to see. This is the place I want

661
00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:49,839
Speaker 1: to run. These are the tempos I want to get

662
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:53,319
Speaker 1: to really really quickly. And then the rest of it.

663
00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:57,560
Speaker 1: I have it divided by situational football. Like you know,

664
00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:01,040
Speaker 1: I have eight calls for second and long. I have uh,

665
00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:03,759
Speaker 1: six calls for second and short. Two of them are,

666
00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:05,560
Speaker 1: three of them are shots, and three of them are

667
00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:08,239
Speaker 1: just get the first down, you know, so on and

668
00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:14,680
Speaker 1: so forth, so that it's uh, there's both um positions

669
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:17,799
Speaker 1: on the field, like I think that everybody should. If

670
00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:19,520
Speaker 1: you get the ball in the minus one yard line,

671
00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:21,440
Speaker 1: your whole football team should know what the play is

672
00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:24,719
Speaker 1: gonna be like without you even calling it, because you

673
00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:27,840
Speaker 1: should have ingrained in them what your philosophy is and

674
00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:30,759
Speaker 1: what it's gonna look like right there, you know, just

675
00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:32,879
Speaker 1: like the first player on the goal line, the balls

676
00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:34,640
Speaker 1: on the plus two yard line, they should all know,

677
00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:37,239
Speaker 1: like you should have covered it. It should be it

678
00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:41,440
Speaker 1: should be not easy, but it should be reactionary almost

679
00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:47,799
Speaker 1: best correct. Um. So, anyway, then there's situational and then

680
00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:53,520
Speaker 1: and then basically areas of field. Um what's that feeling

681
00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:59,080
Speaker 1: like of seeing some one tape putting it into a

682
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:02,280
Speaker 1: shot and then it plays out? I can only relate

683
00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:07,680
Speaker 1: in that in basketball. Um. I I go sometimes when

684
00:39:07,719 --> 00:39:09,920
Speaker 1: I speak to coaches or speak to a room full

685
00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:11,919
Speaker 1: of people, you say, you know, what's the best part

686
00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:14,520
Speaker 1: of coach? Yes, what's the best part of coaching everybody?

687
00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:18,279
Speaker 1: And I truly believe that the relationships are incredible, right that,

688
00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:21,080
Speaker 1: especially in college where a kid comes in the first

689
00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:23,640
Speaker 1: time you meet him, he's like sixteen seventeen. The last

690
00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:27,160
Speaker 1: time you see him, he's like he's a grown man, Scott,

691
00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:29,920
Speaker 1: maybe a wife, maybe a kid, whatever, a degree like

692
00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:33,000
Speaker 1: completely different. Like that is great, But the actual coaching part,

693
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:36,719
Speaker 1: let's be honest, the best part is when you tell

694
00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:39,880
Speaker 1: him what to do, when to do it, how to

695
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,000
Speaker 1: do it. Then they do it and they score a touchdown,

696
00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,840
Speaker 1: they hit a hit a bucket right like I there's

697
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:51,560
Speaker 1: a um. There's a style of plays called hammer and basketball.

698
00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:55,080
Speaker 1: It's really European, but the Spurs brought it over. And

699
00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:58,600
Speaker 1: the idea that the hammer screen is because defenses are

700
00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:01,480
Speaker 1: all taught, especially in college pense now to be in

701
00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:04,080
Speaker 1: the lane when the ball is on one side it

702
00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:07,520
Speaker 1: actually packed screens those guys player screen or whatever, but

703
00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:10,200
Speaker 1: to the week side corner. And so you're watching basketball,

704
00:40:10,239 --> 00:40:11,799
Speaker 1: guys drive the base on and they throw the week's

705
00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:13,640
Speaker 1: side corner and how the hell's that guy wide open? Well,

706
00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:16,680
Speaker 1: there's a hammer screen that takes place because the natural

707
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:20,439
Speaker 1: defensive position, like we taught we were kids, right ball,

708
00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,160
Speaker 1: you man, you you make the guys pay for what

709
00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:25,880
Speaker 1: they're up to. Talk. So I have a I have

710
00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:29,359
Speaker 1: a play it we've hammer and I remember we're in

711
00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:33,279
Speaker 1: Israel and it was an exhibition game. When when going

712
00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:35,640
Speaker 1: so good, and we changed some things start going and

713
00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:37,319
Speaker 1: then we call the we've hammer, but we had run

714
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:39,440
Speaker 1: at end of quarter. Hey, we're gonna run it with

715
00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:43,200
Speaker 1: seven seconds, Okay, hold the ball. When I get to seven,

716
00:40:43,239 --> 00:40:45,120
Speaker 1: I give you the signal we go, and we'll hit

717
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:48,040
Speaker 1: the shot at one right and see you dial it

718
00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:50,160
Speaker 1: all up. They do it. They hit the shot and

719
00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:52,600
Speaker 1: everybody looks at you like you're the world's smartest man.

720
00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:56,200
Speaker 1: It may only last for about fifteen seconds, but to me,

721
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:58,719
Speaker 1: that's the coolest part is like now they think you're God.

722
00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:02,719
Speaker 1: You're like, holy shit, do that again, coach, Um, do

723
00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:07,880
Speaker 1: you have a favorite Memphis especially year three memory of

724
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:11,239
Speaker 1: dolling one up? When you're like, oh, I got this one.

725
00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:15,040
Speaker 1: Then it works and then everybody is all in on

726
00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:19,400
Speaker 1: whatever coach calls. Yeah, you know you're right, Like, um,

727
00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:24,120
Speaker 1: there's something inherently personal that makes it different when you

728
00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:27,359
Speaker 1: call it as opposed to somebody else. Like I've seen

729
00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:31,560
Speaker 1: guys over the years that are very mild mannered. Uh.

730
00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:35,239
Speaker 1: And then like you let them call a plays in

731
00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:39,480
Speaker 1: the scrimmage, okay, and they call the first plane, it

732
00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:42,360
Speaker 1: gets stuffed because the right tackle goes the wrong way.

733
00:41:42,719 --> 00:41:46,120
Speaker 1: And they are livid at the right tackle now, Like

734
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:47,920
Speaker 1: they haven't said a word to the right tackle in

735
00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:50,319
Speaker 1: the three years they coached there. But like there's something,

736
00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:53,200
Speaker 1: it's like you put a little piece of yourself out there, right,

737
00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:56,400
Speaker 1: it's just a little so it's a little more personal.

738
00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:59,239
Speaker 1: And then when it hits you know, it's even it's

739
00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:04,000
Speaker 1: even more more personally, you know, like, um, I don't know,

740
00:42:04,239 --> 00:42:09,040
Speaker 1: I can't remember one play for me personally. Um you

741
00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:13,360
Speaker 1: know that that I felt like that I do remember,

742
00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:17,279
Speaker 1: you know, walkthrough taking the guys over there, and again

743
00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:19,960
Speaker 1: you gotta remember, like these guys have bought in. What

744
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:23,080
Speaker 1: we did have was an awesome core group of kids

745
00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:25,960
Speaker 1: that we inherited. And it wasn't very many of them

746
00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:29,239
Speaker 1: only about ken But how did you flip them from

747
00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:32,160
Speaker 1: from hey couldn't get through two drills? Yeah, they were

748
00:42:32,719 --> 00:42:35,000
Speaker 1: you know, they wanted to be like they if it

749
00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:37,239
Speaker 1: had been nowadays, they would have transferred to heartbeat. Not

750
00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,239
Speaker 1: some of them were okay, but but like there was

751
00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:45,080
Speaker 1: like eight okay, I'm talking about the younger guys. There

752
00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:46,600
Speaker 1: was a couple of older guys on the team that

753
00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:48,840
Speaker 1: were awesome. But there was a couple of handful of

754
00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:52,760
Speaker 1: younger guys that that were coming that we had totally

755
00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:57,560
Speaker 1: inherited that we're just awesome human beings and pretty good

756
00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,640
Speaker 1: football players, and they were the core. All we did

757
00:43:01,239 --> 00:43:03,680
Speaker 1: was cut out all the crap around it and add

758
00:43:03,719 --> 00:43:06,960
Speaker 1: to that core. That's that's what we did. And I

759
00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:10,080
Speaker 1: remember there was a time in the walkthrough where I'm

760
00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:14,640
Speaker 1: like Sam Craft. So Sam Craft is from Memphis. He's

761
00:43:14,719 --> 00:43:17,200
Speaker 1: the first player we signed that could have actually gone

762
00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:23,800
Speaker 1: to another school basically like a prep school legends in Memphis.

763
00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:28,800
Speaker 1: Played basketball, also from Memphis a little bit and played football.

764
00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:33,080
Speaker 1: Great mom, dad, incredible family. But Sam stayed at home

765
00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:36,960
Speaker 1: to go to Memphis. And we're in a walkthrough and

766
00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:40,560
Speaker 1: I'm like, listen, like the first time I'd really talked

767
00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:45,560
Speaker 1: to them about bigger, bigger picture, Like we're going to scrimmage, guys,

768
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:50,279
Speaker 1: and we're in this condensed formation. Dam Krafft, you played.

769
00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:52,279
Speaker 1: Tellback what are the three players we're gonna run here?

770
00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:57,520
Speaker 1: And he has no idea, Like he doesn't know. I'm like,

771
00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:01,160
Speaker 1: we're gonna run this this in this those are the

772
00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:04,160
Speaker 1: only three plays I'm calling today in this formation. That's it.

773
00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:07,800
Speaker 1: There's no reason for anybody to make a single mistake

774
00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:09,560
Speaker 1: if we're in this formation, you know, it's one of

775
00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:14,480
Speaker 1: those three plays. And they're like really, I'm like, I

776
00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:17,719
Speaker 1: promise we're gonna run a home post today. Okay, we're

777
00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:20,560
Speaker 1: in this now. Wait, let's go to this formation. Now

778
00:44:20,560 --> 00:44:22,879
Speaker 1: the quarterbacks know all this stuff. They're looking at me like, coach,

779
00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:25,120
Speaker 1: what are you talking about? Bout everybody else? It was

780
00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:28,040
Speaker 1: like all of a sudden, there was this this bigger

781
00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:32,880
Speaker 1: picture revelation of what was what was going on, and

782
00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:35,160
Speaker 1: like it was like they've been included in it for

783
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:39,440
Speaker 1: the first time. You know. It was like damn dag, coach,

784
00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:42,200
Speaker 1: that's that's pretty cool. Like, yeah, so we're in this formation,

785
00:44:42,320 --> 00:44:45,040
Speaker 1: this this spread set. You know, we got four plays.

786
00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:46,880
Speaker 1: That's it. So if you don't get the signal, you

787
00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:50,160
Speaker 1: know what's one of four? Right, that's it. Like in

788
00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:51,920
Speaker 1: any way, they had a good scrimmage and it was

789
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:55,480
Speaker 1: kind of like, man, this you know, we don't have

790
00:44:55,520 --> 00:45:01,120
Speaker 1: a chance. Um, you did lose the Memphis How do

791
00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:04,600
Speaker 1: you at that level? How do you like you saw

792
00:45:04,680 --> 00:45:07,360
Speaker 1: them the game as a close game. You lost Empis

793
00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:14,839
Speaker 1: game wasn't as close. She struggled offensively, right, So so

794
00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:17,680
Speaker 1: how do you But how do you? What's what's the

795
00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:22,320
Speaker 1: secret to keeping that level of team confident? Yeah, well

796
00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:25,480
Speaker 1: I don't think they were. Um no, we lost the

797
00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:28,160
Speaker 1: Old Miss and I'm plenty like it was dangerous to

798
00:45:28,200 --> 00:45:31,080
Speaker 1: be on the field merchants that defense, Like that's how

799
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:34,440
Speaker 1: good they were, Like watching the film, I'm like, I

800
00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:37,960
Speaker 1: mean they are they are just I mean their secondary

801
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:40,120
Speaker 1: is good there, d line is good, and I mean

802
00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,200
Speaker 1: in our defensive played their butt off. We played them

803
00:45:42,200 --> 00:45:46,160
Speaker 1: down there, and but I mean it was there was rough.

804
00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:50,800
Speaker 1: It was dangerous, like they were that good. And um,

805
00:45:50,880 --> 00:45:53,880
Speaker 1: if I'm not mistaken, which I wish I had this

806
00:45:53,960 --> 00:45:57,720
Speaker 1: giggle in from you. But we're basically three and three.

807
00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:00,440
Speaker 1: Maybe at the bye week or something like that, we

808
00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:05,720
Speaker 1: we lose. We've lost. We lost Houston, but we've beat

809
00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:08,200
Speaker 1: U T. Martin, I mean, excuse me, we beat the

810
00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:11,880
Speaker 1: one double A, we beat uh Astin p. Yeah, we

811
00:46:11,960 --> 00:46:16,840
Speaker 1: beat Austin Pe, we beat Middle Tennessee, and we beat

812
00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:23,040
Speaker 1: somebody else I can't remember, Oh, Cincinnati, so Cincinnati. So yeah,

813
00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:26,200
Speaker 1: we played Cincinnati then then Houston and by week maybe

814
00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:32,640
Speaker 1: I'm sure, but so we my whole deal, like off

815
00:46:32,680 --> 00:46:35,400
Speaker 1: the record, like not from not in front of the kids,

816
00:46:35,719 --> 00:46:40,200
Speaker 1: but guys like like, we have to beat Middle Tennessee State,

817
00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:44,759
Speaker 1: Like we're gonna beat Yes, we're gonna be Austin Pe

818
00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:48,439
Speaker 1: and you know, we'll take our shots at the big

819
00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,040
Speaker 1: boys with U. C. L A And Old Miss, but

820
00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:54,800
Speaker 1: we have to beat Middle Tennessee State. That is the game.

821
00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:59,640
Speaker 1: This is what the staff and when we did that,

822
00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:01,200
Speaker 1: that was that was a check in the in the

823
00:47:01,280 --> 00:47:05,279
Speaker 1: right column. And I remember saying too, we're getting ready

824
00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:08,279
Speaker 1: to go play Cincinnati at Cincinnati, and I made a

825
00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:12,239
Speaker 1: big deal about this game with the team, like it

826
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:16,239
Speaker 1: was our plant the flag game, like in in in

827
00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:22,600
Speaker 1: like very clear somewhat vogar vulgar turns. I made clear

828
00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:25,840
Speaker 1: to our team that we are going to go put

829
00:47:25,880 --> 00:47:30,600
Speaker 1: the American Conference on notice with this game, like we're

830
00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:33,440
Speaker 1: going to go into their house, which we're actually playing

831
00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:36,200
Speaker 1: where the Bengals were playing, but we're gonna go beat them,

832
00:47:36,200 --> 00:47:38,600
Speaker 1: and we're gonna take the Memphis like literally the Memphis

833
00:47:38,640 --> 00:47:41,920
Speaker 1: flag and slam it in the in the fifty yard line. Now,

834
00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:44,800
Speaker 1: I wasn't work. This is before Baker Mayfield and stuff,

835
00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:47,040
Speaker 1: so I wasn't really worried about them actually doing it,

836
00:47:47,080 --> 00:47:50,880
Speaker 1: but that was the metaphor. I mean, I had videos

837
00:47:50,960 --> 00:47:54,960
Speaker 1: of uh all the old the Patriot, you know mel

838
00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:57,600
Speaker 1: gets in movie where they they're rushing the hill with

839
00:47:57,640 --> 00:47:59,799
Speaker 1: the American flag, Like that was the whole deal. And

840
00:47:59,800 --> 00:48:03,080
Speaker 1: it was like, this is exactly what we're gonna do.

841
00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:08,120
Speaker 1: And on the first play of the game, Um Cincinnati

842
00:48:08,120 --> 00:48:11,680
Speaker 1: throws in a touchdown pass and I'm like, that's our

843
00:48:11,680 --> 00:48:16,480
Speaker 1: point time we were here and our guys are lost,

844
00:48:16,520 --> 00:48:18,839
Speaker 1: as responded, went down there and we got after him

845
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:21,240
Speaker 1: and beat them, and it was like our guys believed

846
00:48:21,239 --> 00:48:23,600
Speaker 1: we were pretty good, you know, like they believe they

847
00:48:23,600 --> 00:48:24,959
Speaker 1: had a chance to be good. And then we lost

848
00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:28,560
Speaker 1: to Houston and that was a crushing loss because we

849
00:48:28,600 --> 00:48:32,160
Speaker 1: didn't really like Houston. Houston didn't really like most of

850
00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:33,680
Speaker 1: our coaches kind of had a little bit of a

851
00:48:33,719 --> 00:48:36,880
Speaker 1: Texas flavor to whom we were trying to create. A Right,

852
00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:39,839
Speaker 1: We're trying to give our guys some rivalry, right, I

853
00:48:39,840 --> 00:48:42,759
Speaker 1: think that's a pretty good rivalry now. And we didn't

854
00:48:42,800 --> 00:48:45,880
Speaker 1: beat Houston when I was there, but you know, it

855
00:48:46,239 --> 00:48:49,879
Speaker 1: was the beginning of it being being pretty close. And

856
00:48:50,920 --> 00:48:54,719
Speaker 1: we went to the bye week and seriously, I looked

857
00:48:54,719 --> 00:48:59,520
Speaker 1: at our schedule and I was like, let's get the

858
00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:02,400
Speaker 1: six win. And you know, I thought about when the

859
00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:05,560
Speaker 1: kids came back from the bye week, just being about

860
00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:09,759
Speaker 1: getting Bold eligible. But then I thought, you know, that's

861
00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:14,800
Speaker 1: maybe selling them a little short. And I also thought,

862
00:49:14,960 --> 00:49:18,680
Speaker 1: you know, um, if we do get to six wins,

863
00:49:18,719 --> 00:49:23,000
Speaker 1: I don't want him to stop, you know, like I

864
00:49:23,040 --> 00:49:26,400
Speaker 1: don't want him to relax. So that's when we just

865
00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:30,239
Speaker 1: started with one and though and that was that was

866
00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:32,520
Speaker 1: the whole thing. When the kids came back from brake,

867
00:49:32,640 --> 00:49:35,479
Speaker 1: it was we're just gonna we're trying to win one game,

868
00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:39,080
Speaker 1: and it's everybody talks about it now and I certainly

869
00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:42,160
Speaker 1: didn't invent it, but I mean that was literally our deal.

870
00:49:42,239 --> 00:49:49,480
Speaker 1: And literally we played, um we played the Yukon to

871
00:49:49,560 --> 00:49:54,759
Speaker 1: kind of clinch the championship, and like that week, I

872
00:49:54,840 --> 00:49:56,719
Speaker 1: finally told the guys, if you win this, you get

873
00:49:56,719 --> 00:49:59,359
Speaker 1: a trophy, Like we already talked about it one time,

874
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:02,200
Speaker 1: but I'm like, you go wanted all this week, you

875
00:50:02,280 --> 00:50:03,759
Speaker 1: get a trophy at the end of the game, and

876
00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:06,680
Speaker 1: you'll win a conference championship. Like the very first time

877
00:50:06,719 --> 00:50:08,480
Speaker 1: I was ever mentioned, and I said, and I don't

878
00:50:08,480 --> 00:50:10,839
Speaker 1: hear know the word about it, you know, from here

879
00:50:10,880 --> 00:50:14,000
Speaker 1: on out, but you need to know that, you know,

880
00:50:14,239 --> 00:50:16,200
Speaker 1: we get we're gonna do something that nobody's ever done

881
00:50:16,239 --> 00:50:18,239
Speaker 1: here if we go want to know, And that was

882
00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:20,320
Speaker 1: all we worried about, was one ft in front of

883
00:50:20,320 --> 00:50:28,680
Speaker 1: the other. Um, just so passion. What was your honest

884
00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:31,040
Speaker 1: eval of him at the time he was going to

885
00:50:31,160 --> 00:50:35,640
Speaker 1: be really be just becoming really really good, like it

886
00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:39,719
Speaker 1: was obviously was getting better. He wasn't making repeated mistakes.

887
00:50:40,560 --> 00:50:43,200
Speaker 1: We were more importantly, we were getting better around it,

888
00:50:43,800 --> 00:50:47,640
Speaker 1: you know, like his red shirt freshman year, and he

889
00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:51,080
Speaker 1: could have played better, but we didn't have people around

890
00:50:51,160 --> 00:50:53,880
Speaker 1: him to help to help him. Like we weren't. We

891
00:50:53,880 --> 00:50:57,080
Speaker 1: weren't mature enough, and we weren't developed enough from a

892
00:50:57,120 --> 00:50:59,880
Speaker 1: skill position wise. We were basically the same on the

893
00:51:00,000 --> 00:51:05,279
Speaker 1: offensive line all our ears there, you know, decent, you know,

894
00:51:05,640 --> 00:51:10,000
Speaker 1: but where we made huge improvements were in the skill positions.

895
00:51:10,080 --> 00:51:14,200
Speaker 1: And we've gotten better around him, and he continued to improve,

896
00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:19,560
Speaker 1: you know, like he was just continuing to steadily get

897
00:51:19,600 --> 00:51:23,600
Speaker 1: better and better and better. Mm hmm. Well what what

898
00:51:23,640 --> 00:51:27,040
Speaker 1: was it about him that you you know, just a

899
00:51:27,560 --> 00:51:32,239
Speaker 1: crazy arm Yeah, and like he's physically talented, Like he's

900
00:51:32,520 --> 00:51:36,960
Speaker 1: as good athletes, especially for a guy that long as

901
00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:40,239
Speaker 1: I've seen, you know, I mean, he's just I mean

902
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:43,839
Speaker 1: his hands are this big, and he can he can

903
00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:49,080
Speaker 1: run and jump and and he's I mean he looks

904
00:51:49,120 --> 00:51:52,000
Speaker 1: like a basketball players. He look he looked like he

905
00:51:52,040 --> 00:51:54,319
Speaker 1: could go hang out with the Memphis basketball team and

906
00:51:54,320 --> 00:51:56,400
Speaker 1: he didn't look like a football player in there. You know,

907
00:51:56,480 --> 00:52:02,640
Speaker 1: he's just so long and athletic and um just continue

908
00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:05,360
Speaker 1: to get better and like how the desire to improve.

909
00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:09,359
Speaker 1: And Cornell, Brad Cornelson did a great job with him,

910
00:52:09,440 --> 00:52:13,520
Speaker 1: like keeping it like I tend to get to, you know,

911
00:52:13,680 --> 00:52:16,120
Speaker 1: to making it more complicated than it is, and Brad

912
00:52:16,160 --> 00:52:19,040
Speaker 1: does a great job trimming all that out so that

913
00:52:19,040 --> 00:52:23,360
Speaker 1: it's a digestible. And he just I mean, certainly he

914
00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:25,680
Speaker 1: could throw the ball. I mean, he threw a ball

915
00:52:25,840 --> 00:52:29,040
Speaker 1: his last year at Memphis that I'll never forget off,

916
00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:31,799
Speaker 1: like a trick play against Bowling Green. It's like a

917
00:52:31,840 --> 00:52:35,239
Speaker 1: double reverse pass. I don't know how far he threw it,

918
00:52:35,280 --> 00:52:37,279
Speaker 1: but I mean our guy catches it in the back

919
00:52:37,280 --> 00:52:38,880
Speaker 1: of the end zone of one foot in and it

920
00:52:39,120 --> 00:52:41,680
Speaker 1: like I mean, I can close my eyes at night

921
00:52:41,719 --> 00:52:44,200
Speaker 1: and see that ball traveling through the airs like something

922
00:52:44,239 --> 00:52:48,719
Speaker 1: out of the movies. You know, it's incredible. Yeah, I

923
00:52:48,760 --> 00:52:53,759
Speaker 1: like it right the first day, you know, even when

924
00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:56,319
Speaker 1: he's a freshman and you know we're out there and

925
00:52:56,360 --> 00:52:59,840
Speaker 1: he's throwing the ball across the field. It's like, you know,

926
00:53:00,520 --> 00:53:04,719
Speaker 1: like starting out he made run naked and throw the

927
00:53:04,719 --> 00:53:07,680
Speaker 1: ball four yards and throw it in the ground. But

928
00:53:07,760 --> 00:53:10,480
Speaker 1: on the next play, you know, he's throwing the comeback

929
00:53:10,520 --> 00:53:16,040
Speaker 1: across the field and it's like nobody else can do that. Um, okay,

930
00:53:16,040 --> 00:53:18,600
Speaker 1: So you win the league and then without any question

931
00:53:18,760 --> 00:53:23,960
Speaker 1: people are calling about you're leaving. So you know, all

932
00:53:24,000 --> 00:53:25,719
Speaker 1: you want to be was the head coach. Now you've

933
00:53:25,719 --> 00:53:28,879
Speaker 1: got to figure out what job do I take another job?

934
00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:32,880
Speaker 1: This is the conference championship year. What was it like

935
00:53:32,960 --> 00:53:34,879
Speaker 1: to decide to stay man, Yeah, it wasn't that big

936
00:53:34,880 --> 00:53:37,000
Speaker 1: a deal. Like there really wasn't that much going on

937
00:53:37,280 --> 00:53:40,000
Speaker 1: that people were interested in me on you know, like

938
00:53:40,120 --> 00:53:41,960
Speaker 1: Kansas had an opening and I knew the a d

939
00:53:42,080 --> 00:53:47,000
Speaker 1: there really well, but it wasn't It wasn't something that

940
00:53:48,680 --> 00:53:50,600
Speaker 1: we were going to go down the road on and

941
00:53:51,080 --> 00:53:54,120
Speaker 1: like that first year, they just it really wasn't And

942
00:53:54,280 --> 00:53:56,480
Speaker 1: I'll tell you honestly, Like I didn't talk to hardly

943
00:53:56,520 --> 00:54:00,640
Speaker 1: anybody about any jobs. I've never been that person, you know.

944
00:54:00,719 --> 00:54:03,600
Speaker 1: I've never been that guy that that wanted to move

945
00:54:03,800 --> 00:54:07,000
Speaker 1: or that was always looking for the for the other thing.

946
00:54:07,120 --> 00:54:14,600
Speaker 1: I just I never Um, that's that year, certainly, there

947
00:54:14,640 --> 00:54:16,959
Speaker 1: wasn't much. And in my entire time there, I only

948
00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:20,239
Speaker 1: talked to one school and that was Virginia Tech. Like

949
00:54:20,320 --> 00:54:23,279
Speaker 1: I never had I never had a conversation with a

950
00:54:23,480 --> 00:54:26,440
Speaker 1: with another school. You know. Yeah, I'll go through your

951
00:54:26,480 --> 00:54:29,560
Speaker 1: tent and they you know, there's people that have interests

952
00:54:29,680 --> 00:54:31,759
Speaker 1: or whatever. And then your agent calls you says do

953
00:54:31,800 --> 00:54:34,799
Speaker 1: you have any interests? And you say maybe or no

954
00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:37,200
Speaker 1: or whatever. You know how all that goes and then

955
00:54:37,840 --> 00:54:40,520
Speaker 1: and then you you know, you know, if there is

956
00:54:40,560 --> 00:54:43,720
Speaker 1: a conversation to be had, you you know, you let

957
00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:46,560
Speaker 1: your bosses know, and you know, you have a little conversation.

958
00:54:48,239 --> 00:54:52,600
Speaker 1: So to take me through how Virginia Tech happened, Um,

959
00:54:52,680 --> 00:54:57,440
Speaker 1: so it was kind of crazy. So the next year, um,

960
00:54:57,520 --> 00:55:00,000
Speaker 1: between the between our third year and our fourth year

961
00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:05,920
Speaker 1: at Memphis, we won fifteen straight games. And our last

962
00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:09,160
Speaker 1: year there, we beat Old miss in the Liberty Ball

963
00:55:09,320 --> 00:55:12,560
Speaker 1: and that was an awesome day. And how many people

964
00:55:12,600 --> 00:55:15,560
Speaker 1: were there for that, all of them. I mean, it

965
00:55:15,680 --> 00:55:18,720
Speaker 1: was a lot different than the friends and family, friends

966
00:55:18,719 --> 00:55:21,120
Speaker 1: and family from the from the first game and the

967
00:55:21,200 --> 00:55:24,080
Speaker 1: rain delay against Marcus, where you wanted that game called

968
00:55:24,200 --> 00:55:26,719
Speaker 1: now there's now now you have to turn down people

969
00:55:26,719 --> 00:55:29,600
Speaker 1: who want to it. It was pretty cool day, you know,

970
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:34,440
Speaker 1: like the day I'll never forget. Um. You know the

971
00:55:34,520 --> 00:55:37,760
Speaker 1: thing that that I didn't like about that day was

972
00:55:38,400 --> 00:55:42,399
Speaker 1: I remember driving home. I mean, people are just going

973
00:55:42,440 --> 00:55:46,400
Speaker 1: to manners right their entire lane. Our players are entiger

974
00:55:46,480 --> 00:55:49,840
Speaker 1: lane doing who knows what, you know. And I really

975
00:55:49,880 --> 00:55:51,279
Speaker 1: it was an early game. I really just wanted to

976
00:55:51,320 --> 00:55:55,880
Speaker 1: go home. I was pretty tired and and you know,

977
00:55:55,920 --> 00:55:57,480
Speaker 1: it's part of me that wishes I had enjoyed it

978
00:55:57,520 --> 00:55:59,839
Speaker 1: a little bit more. But we had a Friday game

979
00:56:00,080 --> 00:56:06,200
Speaker 1: next week at Tulsa, my hometown, and I remember driving home,

980
00:56:06,280 --> 00:56:08,279
Speaker 1: like almost getting sick to my stomach, thinking there's no

981
00:56:08,320 --> 00:56:10,640
Speaker 1: way I can get these players ready to player on

982
00:56:10,680 --> 00:56:14,120
Speaker 1: Friday against Tulsa, you know, like and Tulsa was scoring

983
00:56:14,160 --> 00:56:16,520
Speaker 1: like fifty points a game. They weren't very good on defense,

984
00:56:16,640 --> 00:56:20,480
Speaker 1: but um, I just I don't know, like I wish

985
00:56:20,520 --> 00:56:23,480
Speaker 1: I didn'tured I wish I had. In retrospect, I shouldn't

986
00:56:23,480 --> 00:56:25,359
Speaker 1: have been worried about that right then, but I was,

987
00:56:25,800 --> 00:56:29,960
Speaker 1: you know. Um, But anyway, so we won fifteen straight

988
00:56:30,000 --> 00:56:33,960
Speaker 1: games and then what what was hold on for was

989
00:56:33,960 --> 00:56:38,280
Speaker 1: was Blanketship still Tulsa. No, Philip Montgomery was at Tulsa.

990
00:56:38,640 --> 00:56:41,960
Speaker 1: Blanketship was with us that year. I got the higher

991
00:56:42,000 --> 00:56:49,360
Speaker 1: coach become my last year at was on salary. No,

992
00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:52,920
Speaker 1: he just needed insurance. He's like, I'm good on the salary.

993
00:56:52,960 --> 00:56:56,239
Speaker 1: He's like, I just need benefits. I'm taking to the

994
00:56:56,239 --> 00:56:57,799
Speaker 1: A D because I would love to get you here.

995
00:56:57,960 --> 00:57:00,520
Speaker 1: And he came and it was it was really cool

996
00:57:00,560 --> 00:57:04,040
Speaker 1: to spend that year with him. That is really cool.

997
00:57:04,080 --> 00:57:07,799
Speaker 1: What is it like to coach at Tulsa, Well, it

998
00:57:07,960 --> 00:57:11,719
Speaker 1: was terrifying. Um, you know what was really crazy was

999
00:57:11,760 --> 00:57:14,960
Speaker 1: the year before Blankee Tip was at Tulsa and we'd

1000
00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:17,000
Speaker 1: be um and like now you feel like you've got

1001
00:57:17,000 --> 00:57:20,280
Speaker 1: a hand, and you know, like there's always mixed emotions

1002
00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:27,040
Speaker 1: about all of it, you know. But anyway, so we

1003
00:57:27,160 --> 00:57:31,280
Speaker 1: go play at Tulsa and um, you know, we are

1004
00:57:31,360 --> 00:57:33,320
Speaker 1: the toast of the town. Like I don't know what

1005
00:57:33,320 --> 00:57:35,600
Speaker 1: our record is we're undefeated and we're ranked and like

1006
00:57:35,640 --> 00:57:38,760
Speaker 1: I said, we won our last I think it was

1007
00:57:38,800 --> 00:57:41,280
Speaker 1: our last seven games the year before and that year

1008
00:57:41,320 --> 00:57:44,840
Speaker 1: we won our first eight. So like we're pretty good,

1009
00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:48,000
Speaker 1: and it's pretty cool to be a Memphis Tiger, you know,

1010
00:57:48,240 --> 00:57:51,120
Speaker 1: like for the for the first time a long time. So,

1011
00:57:52,320 --> 00:57:54,400
Speaker 1: I mean, we go there and I'm terrified because they

1012
00:57:54,440 --> 00:57:58,440
Speaker 1: are Philips has got the Baylor deal and they are

1013
00:57:59,160 --> 00:58:00,919
Speaker 1: They're going a million halls an hour and they won't

1014
00:58:01,000 --> 00:58:04,520
Speaker 1: let up. You know, they're like a basketball you know,

1015
00:58:04,640 --> 00:58:06,960
Speaker 1: shoot the Billy Tudson is Ou teams when I was

1016
00:58:06,960 --> 00:58:11,120
Speaker 1: a kid, Like, I mean, it's just NonStop like this

1017
00:58:11,440 --> 00:58:15,760
Speaker 1: the game last six hours. You can't relax and trying

1018
00:58:15,760 --> 00:58:17,800
Speaker 1: to get that point across. But it was nice. My

1019
00:58:17,800 --> 00:58:19,960
Speaker 1: my parents went to the game and got to you know,

1020
00:58:20,600 --> 00:58:22,320
Speaker 1: go back home and sleep in their own bed, which

1021
00:58:22,400 --> 00:58:25,240
Speaker 1: was which kind of cool. But um, I was happy

1022
00:58:25,280 --> 00:58:27,520
Speaker 1: to get to win because that was that was worried

1023
00:58:28,440 --> 00:58:32,880
Speaker 1: big time. Okay, So oh yeah, so you y're y're four,

1024
00:58:33,040 --> 00:58:36,640
Speaker 1: you beat you beat Old miss You guys are rolling.

1025
00:58:37,560 --> 00:58:41,600
Speaker 1: And then and then we we played Navy at our place,

1026
00:58:42,600 --> 00:58:47,600
Speaker 1: and Navy beat us and we could have played all night.

1027
00:58:49,240 --> 00:58:51,360
Speaker 1: I didn't matter. They were gonna kick, They're gonna beat us,

1028
00:58:51,360 --> 00:58:56,280
Speaker 1: like we couldn't stop them, and you know we yes,

1029
00:58:56,680 --> 00:58:59,680
Speaker 1: and we I knew we were in trouble. They turned

1030
00:58:59,720 --> 00:59:03,520
Speaker 1: and rand the pitch and like the wing back for Navy,

1031
00:59:03,600 --> 00:59:07,080
Speaker 1: who's supposed to be slow, you know, like beat all

1032
00:59:07,120 --> 00:59:10,880
Speaker 1: of our guys around the corner. You know, like they

1033
00:59:10,920 --> 00:59:14,960
Speaker 1: were good. That you're really good. And um, I think

1034
00:59:15,000 --> 00:59:17,560
Speaker 1: we made him pump once or twice. But and we

1035
00:59:17,640 --> 00:59:19,720
Speaker 1: needed to score sixty in that game to win the game,

1036
00:59:19,760 --> 00:59:21,600
Speaker 1: and we didn't. You know, I don't remember what the scores.

1037
00:59:21,760 --> 00:59:24,400
Speaker 1: Well plus you go, you can, but you don't have

1038
00:59:24,400 --> 00:59:28,240
Speaker 1: the ball. Yeah, so we lose. So what we have

1039
00:59:28,720 --> 00:59:33,840
Speaker 1: coming down the pipe is the league is really good

1040
00:59:33,920 --> 00:59:42,880
Speaker 1: this year it's Navy Houston. This is the year Houston. Um,

1041
00:59:42,920 --> 00:59:45,800
Speaker 1: I think beat Florida State and one of the big balls,

1042
00:59:46,480 --> 00:59:50,360
Speaker 1: Houston Temple with Matt Rule, who's real good and s

1043
00:59:50,480 --> 00:59:56,440
Speaker 1: m u. I think, well, like we we loose the

1044
00:59:56,560 --> 01:00:00,280
Speaker 1: Navy and we go play Houston again, the rival read

1045
01:00:00,320 --> 01:00:03,920
Speaker 1: that we've been we've been building trying to build in

1046
01:00:03,960 --> 01:00:10,960
Speaker 1: our program with Houston, and we are kicking their butt

1047
01:00:11,960 --> 01:00:15,000
Speaker 1: and their quarterback gets hurt and they bring in their

1048
01:00:15,040 --> 01:00:18,880
Speaker 1: backup and we're up I don't know what, to score

1049
01:00:20,120 --> 01:00:24,720
Speaker 1: seven or something like that. And we get into the

1050
01:00:24,720 --> 01:00:28,080
Speaker 1: fourth quarter. We score a touchdown on the first play

1051
01:00:28,080 --> 01:00:33,280
Speaker 1: of the first quarter to go up twenty or to

1052
01:00:33,320 --> 01:00:36,200
Speaker 1: go up nineteen, I guess. And I don't know for

1053
01:00:36,280 --> 01:00:40,800
Speaker 1: two because it's so early in the Like if it

1054
01:00:40,800 --> 01:00:42,840
Speaker 1: had been a little bit later in the fourth quarter,

1055
01:00:42,880 --> 01:00:45,120
Speaker 1: I definitely would have. But they say in the fourth

1056
01:00:45,160 --> 01:00:48,840
Speaker 1: quarter you should go for to in this position, and

1057
01:00:48,880 --> 01:00:51,360
Speaker 1: I did it. We kicked extra point to go up twenty,

1058
01:00:52,160 --> 01:00:55,280
Speaker 1: and uh, first of all, I thought we would be

1059
01:00:55,320 --> 01:00:57,120
Speaker 1: down there again like it was. I don't remember what

1060
01:00:57,160 --> 01:00:59,440
Speaker 1: the score was, but it was fairly high scoring. Well,

1061
01:00:59,520 --> 01:01:02,040
Speaker 1: long story as short, we don't make it down there

1062
01:01:02,040 --> 01:01:05,400
Speaker 1: again and they're going to run. We get the ball,

1063
01:01:05,640 --> 01:01:09,680
Speaker 1: we drive down. We're down by one, and Jake Elliott,

1064
01:01:09,680 --> 01:01:11,440
Speaker 1: who was one of the best kickers I've ever met

1065
01:01:11,440 --> 01:01:13,479
Speaker 1: in my life, he's kicked to the Eagles right now,

1066
01:01:13,640 --> 01:01:16,640
Speaker 1: has got like a fifty yard field goal to win

1067
01:01:16,720 --> 01:01:20,280
Speaker 1: the game, and he misses it and we lose. And

1068
01:01:20,760 --> 01:01:23,680
Speaker 1: one of the one of the one of the if

1069
01:01:23,680 --> 01:01:25,960
Speaker 1: not the worst locker room I've ever been in I

1070
01:01:26,000 --> 01:01:33,880
Speaker 1: mean just I mean guys like laying on the ground, sobbing.

1071
01:01:35,680 --> 01:01:42,840
Speaker 1: Just brutal, absolutely a brutal into the game and like,

1072
01:01:43,680 --> 01:01:46,120
Speaker 1: I mean, so many things happened that game by Anthony Miller,

1073
01:01:46,320 --> 01:01:48,480
Speaker 1: who's ends up being a second round draft pick wide

1074
01:01:48,480 --> 01:01:53,080
Speaker 1: receiver for us UM. He goes through warm ups and

1075
01:01:53,120 --> 01:01:55,480
Speaker 1: like he's like coming into his own. He went off

1076
01:01:55,520 --> 01:01:59,200
Speaker 1: against old Miss. He's standing next to me as we

1077
01:01:59,400 --> 01:02:02,840
Speaker 1: run out of the une. Okay, we get the ball

1078
01:02:02,920 --> 01:02:05,120
Speaker 1: to start the deal and Anthony is not out there,

1079
01:02:06,880 --> 01:02:11,120
Speaker 1: and I'm like, where is Auntie? Where is Anti? And

1080
01:02:11,720 --> 01:02:13,840
Speaker 1: like get Darrel, get the trainer over here, and Daryl

1081
01:02:13,920 --> 01:02:17,880
Speaker 1: was like coach, he pulled his hamstring. I'm like what

1082
01:02:18,920 --> 01:02:20,880
Speaker 1: he was standing next to me in the tunnel when

1083
01:02:20,880 --> 01:02:22,480
Speaker 1: we came when we came out, and he's like, I

1084
01:02:22,520 --> 01:02:24,480
Speaker 1: know he was over here stretching and he pulled his

1085
01:02:24,520 --> 01:02:27,320
Speaker 1: answer and he's done like things like that where you're like,

1086
01:02:27,760 --> 01:02:30,640
Speaker 1: how does this happen? Like the guy's funny, don't way.

1087
01:02:30,640 --> 01:02:33,480
Speaker 1: We lost that game. So now all those things are

1088
01:02:33,480 --> 01:02:37,880
Speaker 1: starting to go on about other jobs, Okay, Like things

1089
01:02:37,920 --> 01:02:41,240
Speaker 1: are getting crazy, and I'm worried about a football team

1090
01:02:41,400 --> 01:02:45,400
Speaker 1: because Paxton are I mean, our guys just got I mean,

1091
01:02:45,400 --> 01:02:49,720
Speaker 1: they're just smoked after that one. And Paxton can hardly

1092
01:02:49,800 --> 01:02:52,920
Speaker 1: walk all week, and we gotta go play Temple with

1093
01:02:52,960 --> 01:02:56,120
Speaker 1: Matt Rule, who's really good, and we've got guys that

1094
01:02:56,160 --> 01:02:59,160
Speaker 1: are hurt, and we've lost two in a row, and

1095
01:02:59,200 --> 01:03:03,680
Speaker 1: it's it's like rough. I'm like, so then there's so

1096
01:03:03,720 --> 01:03:05,800
Speaker 1: our kids are dealing with the fact that they just

1097
01:03:05,880 --> 01:03:11,640
Speaker 1: had their hearts tripped out and the fact that, um,

1098
01:03:11,760 --> 01:03:15,920
Speaker 1: there's all this stuff about us going on and I

1099
01:03:16,000 --> 01:03:19,360
Speaker 1: haven't we haven't gone down that road, like I haven't,

1100
01:03:20,280 --> 01:03:24,200
Speaker 1: but it's like getting to the point where like we

1101
01:03:24,320 --> 01:03:26,680
Speaker 1: need to we need that we need to either have

1102
01:03:26,760 --> 01:03:28,800
Speaker 1: a discussion or not, you know what I mean. Like

1103
01:03:28,880 --> 01:03:34,320
Speaker 1: it's getting to that point with other job stuff. So basically,

1104
01:03:34,360 --> 01:03:37,160
Speaker 1: they asked for permission, and I talked to Tom and

1105
01:03:37,800 --> 01:03:44,880
Speaker 1: we had a discussion about the job, and um, you know,

1106
01:03:44,960 --> 01:03:47,000
Speaker 1: try to figure out if that's that's what we wanted.

1107
01:03:47,040 --> 01:03:50,160
Speaker 1: I told him I wanted to talk to Bud in

1108
01:03:50,280 --> 01:03:52,560
Speaker 1: order to you know, like I wanted to talk to Bud.

1109
01:03:53,280 --> 01:03:57,640
Speaker 1: And so they arranged for that and and then we

1110
01:03:57,760 --> 01:04:04,200
Speaker 1: go to Temple and News and now our players are like,

1111
01:04:05,240 --> 01:04:08,880
Speaker 1: what's really like they're upset because we've lost three in

1112
01:04:08,920 --> 01:04:12,480
Speaker 1: a row, the three really good teams and our teams

1113
01:04:12,520 --> 01:04:15,440
Speaker 1: beat the crap and we want we were you know,

1114
01:04:15,480 --> 01:04:17,880
Speaker 1: we were ranked like whatever it was twealth in the country.

1115
01:04:17,920 --> 01:04:21,000
Speaker 1: Now we've we've gotten our heart ripped out and guys

1116
01:04:21,040 --> 01:04:23,440
Speaker 1: are beat up and they're hearing their coaches leaving and

1117
01:04:23,480 --> 01:04:25,640
Speaker 1: I'm not And I'm telling our guys. I'm like, guys,

1118
01:04:26,480 --> 01:04:29,200
Speaker 1: like if I hadn't made that decision, like I would

1119
01:04:29,240 --> 01:04:32,680
Speaker 1: tell you, but we haven't made those decisions. Nothing has

1120
01:04:32,720 --> 01:04:35,840
Speaker 1: been decided. We're still which is the truth, you know.

1121
01:04:35,960 --> 01:04:37,880
Speaker 1: I'm trying to figure all this stuff out, just like

1122
01:04:37,960 --> 01:04:41,800
Speaker 1: you guys are, you know. And then so we gotta

1123
01:04:41,800 --> 01:04:46,160
Speaker 1: get ready for S and U and like, our guys

1124
01:04:46,280 --> 01:04:51,280
Speaker 1: have hit the wall right all week at practice. I'm scared.

1125
01:04:52,080 --> 01:04:55,640
Speaker 1: I'm like, are these guys are gonna go play or not?

1126
01:04:56,160 --> 01:04:58,480
Speaker 1: I'm worried because there's a lot of stuff about the

1127
01:04:58,560 --> 01:05:01,400
Speaker 1: job stuff. There's a lot of and uh. We go

1128
01:05:01,480 --> 01:05:06,120
Speaker 1: through our entire week of practice and in our pregame meal,

1129
01:05:06,480 --> 01:05:09,520
Speaker 1: we usually have one coach from each side get up

1130
01:05:09,520 --> 01:05:12,440
Speaker 1: and talk. We have tipsummer it turns into kind of

1131
01:05:12,440 --> 01:05:19,720
Speaker 1: a meeting after we eat, and um, I got up

1132
01:05:19,760 --> 01:05:22,400
Speaker 1: at the pregame meal. I mean, I'm worried, like I

1133
01:05:22,440 --> 01:05:25,600
Speaker 1: don't know, Like our guys are are willful, and they're

1134
01:05:25,640 --> 01:05:27,800
Speaker 1: strong and they're powerful kids, you know what I mean.

1135
01:05:28,360 --> 01:05:32,080
Speaker 1: And I'm worried. And I stand up and said, guys,

1136
01:05:32,160 --> 01:05:34,920
Speaker 1: we're not gonna have guest speakers today. I mean, we're

1137
01:05:34,960 --> 01:05:38,800
Speaker 1: not gonna have the assistant coaches talk. Okay, I've talked

1138
01:05:38,840 --> 01:05:43,720
Speaker 1: to our captains okay, uh, and some of our seniors

1139
01:05:43,760 --> 01:05:45,760
Speaker 1: they want to talk to you guys, And I'll tell

1140
01:05:45,760 --> 01:05:48,560
Speaker 1: you what. We're gonna leave. So the coaches are gonna

1141
01:05:48,560 --> 01:05:51,320
Speaker 1: get up. We're gonna go get on the bus, okay.

1142
01:05:51,360 --> 01:05:53,480
Speaker 1: And if you want to get on the bus to

1143
01:05:53,600 --> 01:05:55,760
Speaker 1: go kick sm use ass and get on the bus

1144
01:05:55,760 --> 01:05:58,880
Speaker 1: with us, like I just let it. I just let

1145
01:05:58,960 --> 01:06:02,280
Speaker 1: him happen. Like you guys, you guys are driving the bus.

1146
01:06:03,000 --> 01:06:05,480
Speaker 1: How do you want to be remembered? And I don't

1147
01:06:05,480 --> 01:06:09,360
Speaker 1: know what happened in the meeting. I have no clue. Uh,

1148
01:06:09,640 --> 01:06:12,000
Speaker 1: I've never asked anybody. I don't know anybody that wasn't

1149
01:06:12,000 --> 01:06:13,760
Speaker 1: a player that was in the meeting. I made everybody

1150
01:06:13,840 --> 01:06:17,040
Speaker 1: get out, and I mean, I'm scared to death, Like

1151
01:06:17,080 --> 01:06:18,520
Speaker 1: I don't know if they're gonna get on the bus.

1152
01:06:18,560 --> 01:06:21,800
Speaker 1: Like our guys been strong enough to like say, you know,

1153
01:06:23,040 --> 01:06:26,240
Speaker 1: now we ain't going Yeah, And they get on the

1154
01:06:26,320 --> 01:06:31,320
Speaker 1: bus and we go and they beat the fire at

1155
01:06:31,520 --> 01:06:33,120
Speaker 1: s you I don remember what the foul score is,

1156
01:06:33,160 --> 01:06:35,560
Speaker 1: like sixty nine and nothing or something like that. I

1157
01:06:35,560 --> 01:06:39,480
Speaker 1: mean sixty three and nothing, and and you know, the

1158
01:06:39,560 --> 01:06:43,120
Speaker 1: next day, you know, I decided to take the beginning

1159
01:06:43,120 --> 01:06:48,120
Speaker 1: to take time. Um, okay, So when you're you're getting

1160
01:06:48,120 --> 01:06:53,840
Speaker 1: ready to replace a legend, it's really hard, right, and

1161
01:06:53,840 --> 01:06:56,120
Speaker 1: what people there's there's so many things. And that's that's

1162
01:06:56,120 --> 01:06:57,480
Speaker 1: why I want to have a start. There's so many

1163
01:06:57,480 --> 01:07:00,040
Speaker 1: things about that job. It's like it's like the of

1164
01:07:00,160 --> 01:07:02,320
Speaker 1: this job. Right the first year you're in the league,

1165
01:07:02,440 --> 01:07:05,720
Speaker 1: you're in KISA, you know, and you could be You're like, oh,

1166
01:07:05,760 --> 01:07:09,040
Speaker 1: we could do this. Next year you're in American Okay.

1167
01:07:09,280 --> 01:07:12,120
Speaker 1: Virginia Tech was Virginia Tech when they were in the

1168
01:07:12,160 --> 01:07:15,640
Speaker 1: old Big East. They play on Thursday night under the

1169
01:07:15,720 --> 01:07:18,960
Speaker 1: Lights Lane Stadium. They had their kind of unique niche.

1170
01:07:19,400 --> 01:07:22,240
Speaker 1: You know, you get there there in the A C. C.

1171
01:07:22,480 --> 01:07:26,800
Speaker 1: But I guarantee. You called other people in coaching and

1172
01:07:26,880 --> 01:07:30,160
Speaker 1: said what do you think? What was the What did

1173
01:07:30,200 --> 01:07:31,680
Speaker 1: people say when you said what do you think about

1174
01:07:31,720 --> 01:07:41,080
Speaker 1: Virginia Tech? Um? Everybody was positive, you know, Like, um,

1175
01:07:41,200 --> 01:07:46,400
Speaker 1: they were positive about coach Biemer. Um. The ones that

1176
01:07:46,480 --> 01:07:53,919
Speaker 1: had any idea about the administration, they were all positive. Um.

1177
01:07:54,000 --> 01:07:56,240
Speaker 1: You know, I think there was a pretty good consensus

1178
01:07:56,280 --> 01:08:00,680
Speaker 1: that they were probably behind. We're not probably they run

1179
01:08:01,480 --> 01:08:04,240
Speaker 1: from a developmental standpoint in terms of facilities and that

1180
01:08:04,280 --> 01:08:06,200
Speaker 1: sort of stuff, like they hadn't done as much as

1181
01:08:06,240 --> 01:08:10,280
Speaker 1: other people had, and behind from a staffing standpoint. But

1182
01:08:11,480 --> 01:08:15,200
Speaker 1: you know, it was a place that valued football. Um,

1183
01:08:15,240 --> 01:08:18,839
Speaker 1: that's what I liked, you know, Like in Memphis studied

1184
01:08:18,840 --> 01:08:21,400
Speaker 1: football too, don't get me wrong, but like it was

1185
01:08:21,439 --> 01:08:26,040
Speaker 1: a place that, um, that that was really really important,

1186
01:08:26,439 --> 01:08:30,040
Speaker 1: and UM, I viewed it as the plans to move

1187
01:08:30,080 --> 01:08:33,599
Speaker 1: to a small college town and raise my kids and

1188
01:08:33,800 --> 01:08:37,400
Speaker 1: have a chance to coach big time college football while

1189
01:08:37,439 --> 01:08:40,519
Speaker 1: still living somewhat of a normal life, and that that

1190
01:08:40,600 --> 01:08:45,040
Speaker 1: was really the centerpiece for me. Like, UM, I never

1191
01:08:45,120 --> 01:08:49,080
Speaker 1: really had any interest in many of the other places

1192
01:08:50,080 --> 01:08:53,599
Speaker 1: that provided a different type of lifestyle. And that's just

1193
01:08:53,720 --> 01:08:57,720
Speaker 1: me and UM, it's right or wrong or indifferent. It's

1194
01:08:57,760 --> 01:09:00,799
Speaker 1: just how I've always wanted to live lived my life.

1195
01:09:00,880 --> 01:09:04,439
Speaker 1: And I've never been there the guy that was out

1196
01:09:04,479 --> 01:09:09,479
Speaker 1: searching for attention or spotlighter or any of that sort

1197
01:09:09,479 --> 01:09:13,439
Speaker 1: of stuff. So I understood that there's responsibilities with with

1198
01:09:13,520 --> 01:09:15,880
Speaker 1: being the head coach that were that required to give

1199
01:09:15,960 --> 01:09:18,400
Speaker 1: up some of your personal life. I understood that, But

1200
01:09:19,280 --> 01:09:21,360
Speaker 1: I mean, I felt like this was an opportunity to

1201
01:09:21,439 --> 01:09:24,040
Speaker 1: me to coach big time college football and still maintain

1202
01:09:24,240 --> 01:09:28,600
Speaker 1: some semblance of normalcy for my children, and that that

1203
01:09:28,760 --> 01:09:33,680
Speaker 1: got me pretty excited. Um, Okay, now you know what

1204
01:09:33,720 --> 01:09:37,680
Speaker 1: you're doing because you failed and succeeded the Memphis so

1205
01:09:37,800 --> 01:09:42,519
Speaker 1: second time around and you get the job. Every I'm

1206
01:09:42,520 --> 01:09:44,640
Speaker 1: sure everybody Memphis thought there going with you, and not

1207
01:09:44,760 --> 01:09:47,080
Speaker 1: everybody gets did you? Did you? Did you do this?

1208
01:09:47,200 --> 01:09:50,000
Speaker 1: Sabing Hey, planes waiting you get on it, like, how

1209
01:09:50,000 --> 01:09:51,679
Speaker 1: did how did you hand first? How do you handle

1210
01:09:51,760 --> 01:09:57,320
Speaker 1: your current staff in terms of gontech? I told the

1211
01:09:57,360 --> 01:10:01,080
Speaker 1: staff that Sunday that that's what I was gonna do.

1212
01:10:02,080 --> 01:10:05,360
Speaker 1: I told and I'm talking about the coaches. I told

1213
01:10:05,360 --> 01:10:09,400
Speaker 1: the coaches. I said, I will tell you exactly where

1214
01:10:09,439 --> 01:10:13,840
Speaker 1: you stand with another job, Like there will not be

1215
01:10:13,920 --> 01:10:18,040
Speaker 1: any of this. I disappear and you won't return your

1216
01:10:18,080 --> 01:10:24,600
Speaker 1: phone calls. Okay, Like I have a decent idea of

1217
01:10:24,600 --> 01:10:27,960
Speaker 1: of what I want to do. Not everybody's going to

1218
01:10:28,040 --> 01:10:31,479
Speaker 1: get to go, but everybody's gonna hear it from me. No,

1219
01:10:31,600 --> 01:10:34,400
Speaker 1: but nobody's gonna hear it from somebody else. And then

1220
01:10:34,920 --> 01:10:37,479
Speaker 1: we dismissed the meeting and everybody went to their offices

1221
01:10:37,520 --> 01:10:40,760
Speaker 1: and I just went office to office and told and

1222
01:10:40,800 --> 01:10:44,800
Speaker 1: told him face to face. Um, there's one guy didn't

1223
01:10:44,800 --> 01:10:47,440
Speaker 1: get to He wasn't a coach, he was an administrative

1224
01:10:47,479 --> 01:10:50,040
Speaker 1: guy because he wasn't in his office. He was doing

1225
01:10:50,080 --> 01:10:52,920
Speaker 1: something else, and I didn't have something but the football coaches,

1226
01:10:53,120 --> 01:10:56,479
Speaker 1: I went office to office and said, I want to

1227
01:10:56,479 --> 01:10:59,160
Speaker 1: bring you like I'm not sure what the salary is,

1228
01:10:59,200 --> 01:11:00,439
Speaker 1: but I want you to know you've got a job.

1229
01:11:00,760 --> 01:11:05,360
Speaker 1: And Um, there's also an element of leaving some guys behind,

1230
01:11:06,560 --> 01:11:09,760
Speaker 1: um that you're gonna bring so that they have a

1231
01:11:09,840 --> 01:11:12,000
Speaker 1: chance to win the bowl game. So there was a

1232
01:11:12,000 --> 01:11:14,439
Speaker 1: little bit of that element too, But I just went

1233
01:11:14,520 --> 01:11:19,439
Speaker 1: personal person and told him um. And I think best

1234
01:11:19,439 --> 01:11:23,840
Speaker 1: in my recollection, everyone was definitive in terms of yes

1235
01:11:24,040 --> 01:11:25,760
Speaker 1: or no. I don't think there was anybody that was

1236
01:11:25,880 --> 01:11:31,160
Speaker 1: left in the lurch. I don't think, um, but I

1237
01:11:31,200 --> 01:11:32,840
Speaker 1: know I talked to everyone of him face to face.

1238
01:11:32,920 --> 01:11:35,400
Speaker 1: Now there was one that didn't come. Darryl Dickey didn't come.

1239
01:11:35,439 --> 01:11:39,000
Speaker 1: He stayed. His daughter was I think his either junior

1240
01:11:39,040 --> 01:11:42,360
Speaker 1: senior in high school and and Mike Norvell hired him

1241
01:11:42,360 --> 01:11:46,080
Speaker 1: on to stay, and which was great for him. But

1242
01:11:46,840 --> 01:11:49,280
Speaker 1: that's how I handled that, and then you handle it.

1243
01:11:51,240 --> 01:11:54,360
Speaker 1: It was the hardest meeting I've ever been in. Um.

1244
01:11:54,439 --> 01:11:56,559
Speaker 1: I walked into the team meeting, I said, at the

1245
01:11:56,560 --> 01:11:59,320
Speaker 1: front of the door room, and I mean I couldn't

1246
01:11:59,360 --> 01:12:04,120
Speaker 1: get the worst already know he's already out. UM. I

1247
01:12:04,160 --> 01:12:06,800
Speaker 1: would imagine they knew and I had to go shoot them.

1248
01:12:07,320 --> 01:12:10,240
Speaker 1: I had to go shoot the TV show that morning too,

1249
01:12:10,520 --> 01:12:12,280
Speaker 1: So I had to go shoot the TV show and

1250
01:12:12,320 --> 01:12:15,160
Speaker 1: then come into the staff meeting, and then we had

1251
01:12:15,200 --> 01:12:17,760
Speaker 1: a team meeting. I don't know if they only were

1252
01:12:17,760 --> 01:12:19,760
Speaker 1: and I can't remember how it all played out. I

1253
01:12:19,800 --> 01:12:23,120
Speaker 1: just remember standing in front of him, not being able

1254
01:12:23,200 --> 01:12:26,360
Speaker 1: to have a hard time talking, you know, and like

1255
01:12:27,560 --> 01:12:33,200
Speaker 1: trying my eyes out, and um, you know, but I

1256
01:12:33,240 --> 01:12:35,639
Speaker 1: didn't want him to hear it from anybody other than me,

1257
01:12:35,880 --> 01:12:38,160
Speaker 1: and I wanted to do it face to face and

1258
01:12:38,200 --> 01:12:41,880
Speaker 1: I wanted to thank them, and UM, try my best

1259
01:12:41,920 --> 01:12:47,200
Speaker 1: to convey, you know, some message and of appreciation and

1260
01:12:47,320 --> 01:12:53,960
Speaker 1: love and give them some reasonings and you know, do

1261
01:12:54,040 --> 01:12:58,160
Speaker 1: the best I could with it, you know, I think Again,

1262
01:12:58,560 --> 01:13:01,000
Speaker 1: I don't think real people who listen to this. I

1263
01:13:01,120 --> 01:13:03,320
Speaker 1: think that, but I think there's a good portion population

1264
01:13:03,360 --> 01:13:07,680
Speaker 1: to think. You guys don't care, You're just going to yeah,

1265
01:13:08,880 --> 01:13:10,960
Speaker 1: And it's a shame. It's like that, dude, you don't care,

1266
01:13:11,040 --> 01:13:15,000
Speaker 1: You're just going to get a bigger chat. Yeah, I know,

1267
01:13:15,400 --> 01:13:18,559
Speaker 1: And that's a shame. And like if we said before,

1268
01:13:18,640 --> 01:13:20,840
Speaker 1: some of that is coaches have brought that upon themselves,

1269
01:13:20,880 --> 01:13:26,320
Speaker 1: but I would I would argue against that what you said.

1270
01:13:26,320 --> 01:13:28,599
Speaker 1: So I guess here's my question. How do coaches get

1271
01:13:28,600 --> 01:13:33,040
Speaker 1: their voice back? I don't know, Like, I mean, there

1272
01:13:33,080 --> 01:13:39,040
Speaker 1: are like what frustrates me is the people that I

1273
01:13:39,080 --> 01:13:41,400
Speaker 1: really respect what they have to say and I agree

1274
01:13:41,400 --> 01:13:47,519
Speaker 1: with it all. But like I like David Shaw, Like

1275
01:13:49,400 --> 01:13:55,280
Speaker 1: I don't know, but I find him fascinating and highly

1276
01:13:56,439 --> 01:14:02,040
Speaker 1: insightful and really in it for the right respect. And

1277
01:14:02,160 --> 01:14:06,040
Speaker 1: I think, um, I'm not saying people ignore what David

1278
01:14:06,040 --> 01:14:09,439
Speaker 1: Shaw has to say, but I think we should take more.

1279
01:14:09,960 --> 01:14:11,840
Speaker 1: I think we should. I think I think you would

1280
01:14:11,840 --> 01:14:15,240
Speaker 1: carry more weight. And to be honest with you, you know,

1281
01:14:15,360 --> 01:14:21,880
Speaker 1: Dabbo catches hell from everybody, and um, you know, like

1282
01:14:23,000 --> 01:14:25,479
Speaker 1: you may not agree with everything he says, but I

1283
01:14:25,520 --> 01:14:27,879
Speaker 1: really think it comes from a really good place personally.

1284
01:14:28,000 --> 01:14:31,639
Speaker 1: Well that's that's the I think dar Ana lies the issue, right, Okay,

1285
01:14:31,680 --> 01:14:34,400
Speaker 1: so David Shaw, right, So here, here's what the here's

1286
01:14:34,400 --> 01:14:38,000
Speaker 1: what the cynic says. Even the sports talk show host says, right,

1287
01:14:38,040 --> 01:14:40,800
Speaker 1: and I agree with you. On David shows brilliant. Okay,

1288
01:14:40,880 --> 01:14:42,760
Speaker 1: he found a niche and they wanted time to cook

1289
01:14:42,760 --> 01:14:45,400
Speaker 1: football games. They're like, well they're not even winning now,

1290
01:14:45,600 --> 01:14:49,559
Speaker 1: so you know, yeah, okay, do you know how hard

1291
01:14:49,600 --> 01:14:53,840
Speaker 1: it is Stamford? You know, just just so Stanford and

1292
01:14:53,920 --> 01:14:56,160
Speaker 1: I do that show yesterday. Stamford went to ten straight

1293
01:14:56,240 --> 01:14:58,920
Speaker 1: n c A tournaments under Mike Montgomery. They've gone to

1294
01:14:59,000 --> 01:15:02,639
Speaker 1: one and like four teen years, okay, football was rolling.

1295
01:15:02,680 --> 01:15:05,559
Speaker 1: Now it's not these two things. And you don't have

1296
01:15:05,600 --> 01:15:08,120
Speaker 1: bad coaches. Jared Hawk is a very good coach. David

1297
01:15:08,160 --> 01:15:11,080
Speaker 1: Shah is very good coach. Maybe the landscape we're in,

1298
01:15:11,640 --> 01:15:14,840
Speaker 1: you know, makes it really really really hard. And oh yeah,

1299
01:15:14,880 --> 01:15:16,840
Speaker 1: by the way, everybody else is trying to work. But

1300
01:15:16,960 --> 01:15:19,200
Speaker 1: the cynic says, well, David Shaw is not winning. And

1301
01:15:19,200 --> 01:15:22,320
Speaker 1: then the cynic says with Debbo, well he's making eight

1302
01:15:22,320 --> 01:15:29,280
Speaker 1: million dollars, you know, right, and and that's crap. It

1303
01:15:29,320 --> 01:15:33,200
Speaker 1: shouldn't discount what he has to say because the market

1304
01:15:33,320 --> 01:15:36,840
Speaker 1: says we're gonna pay coaches way too much money, Like

1305
01:15:36,960 --> 01:15:39,559
Speaker 1: you should care cancer to make that much money, right.

1306
01:15:39,840 --> 01:15:42,519
Speaker 1: I agree with all of this, like I don't disagree

1307
01:15:42,560 --> 01:15:45,640
Speaker 1: with any of it. It's absurd, But what do you

1308
01:15:45,680 --> 01:15:49,680
Speaker 1: want the guy to do? You know? I just I

1309
01:15:49,720 --> 01:15:51,479
Speaker 1: don't know how they went it back. I don't know.

1310
01:15:51,520 --> 01:15:54,160
Speaker 1: I wish I knew, you know, like I really do

1311
01:15:54,240 --> 01:15:57,400
Speaker 1: wish I wish I know. But it's just because you're

1312
01:15:57,439 --> 01:16:01,200
Speaker 1: so as you point out, it doesn't happened today, and

1313
01:16:01,280 --> 01:16:04,320
Speaker 1: this this is not that long ago. We're talking. We're

1314
01:16:04,320 --> 01:16:07,960
Speaker 1: talking ten years ago, Max, And it doesn't happen now.

1315
01:16:08,280 --> 01:16:11,320
Speaker 1: If now it happens, you have a completely new team,

1316
01:16:11,360 --> 01:16:14,320
Speaker 1: that entire team leaves, you have a completed team, and

1317
01:16:14,560 --> 01:16:17,320
Speaker 1: you're not recruiting high school kids you're going off somebody

1318
01:16:17,320 --> 01:16:21,679
Speaker 1: else's roster. The whole thing has changed, and the kids

1319
01:16:21,720 --> 01:16:25,479
Speaker 1: aren't coming necessarily. Some are did not coming necessarily because

1320
01:16:25,520 --> 01:16:28,200
Speaker 1: of your school to come up because your school provides

1321
01:16:28,280 --> 01:16:31,640
Speaker 1: them some n I L check you know which we

1322
01:16:31,760 --> 01:16:35,720
Speaker 1: have We we have the emphasized the long term game

1323
01:16:35,760 --> 01:16:38,360
Speaker 1: of this whole, long term gain of this whole thing,

1324
01:16:39,360 --> 01:16:44,519
Speaker 1: and and and re emphasized short term gain. And I

1325
01:16:44,560 --> 01:16:46,800
Speaker 1: think there's gotta be a way to do both. There is,

1326
01:16:47,040 --> 01:16:49,120
Speaker 1: there's gotta be a way to get guys to get

1327
01:16:49,160 --> 01:16:53,800
Speaker 1: a little, to get there's right while still moving this

1328
01:16:53,880 --> 01:16:58,400
Speaker 1: thing towards um you know, whether you want to call

1329
01:16:58,439 --> 01:17:02,719
Speaker 1: it um, amateurism or whatever, I don't care, but towards

1330
01:17:02,720 --> 01:17:07,559
Speaker 1: an education, right, Like I don't know. Like for me personally,

1331
01:17:07,680 --> 01:17:13,400
Speaker 1: it's it's it's family, church and education. Those three things

1332
01:17:13,920 --> 01:17:16,640
Speaker 1: I think are really important. That's just me, Okay, I

1333
01:17:16,680 --> 01:17:19,559
Speaker 1: think they. I wouldn't tell anybody else what they think.

1334
01:17:19,880 --> 01:17:21,880
Speaker 1: You know that that they should make it more important

1335
01:17:21,920 --> 01:17:23,519
Speaker 1: in their life. That's something for me to do. But

1336
01:17:23,600 --> 01:17:27,200
Speaker 1: that's what I think we should focus on. And you know,

1337
01:17:27,240 --> 01:17:29,240
Speaker 1: if you're a public institution, you don't get to focus

1338
01:17:29,240 --> 01:17:31,840
Speaker 1: on church. That's fine, Okay, that's up to you as

1339
01:17:31,840 --> 01:17:34,559
Speaker 1: an individual. I'm gonna provide you the ways that you

1340
01:17:34,560 --> 01:17:36,760
Speaker 1: can develop in that way. And that's okay, I'm I'm

1341
01:17:36,840 --> 01:17:40,400
Speaker 1: good with it. But these other two family and school,

1342
01:17:40,920 --> 01:17:45,800
Speaker 1: like they're really important, and I just we're de emphasizing.

1343
01:17:46,320 --> 01:17:50,760
Speaker 1: It's and and we're and it's It's interesting because that

1344
01:17:51,120 --> 01:17:53,880
Speaker 1: the whole reason the scholarship was provided was to try

1345
01:17:53,960 --> 01:17:57,240
Speaker 1: and even the playing field right, so that more people

1346
01:17:57,280 --> 01:17:59,519
Speaker 1: from diverse backgrounds got an opportunity to get a college

1347
01:17:59,560 --> 01:18:03,360
Speaker 1: education in which you know, previously only a select you

1348
01:18:03,400 --> 01:18:07,000
Speaker 1: would get. And those opportunities are greater and greater. And

1349
01:18:07,080 --> 01:18:09,280
Speaker 1: yet now you have you have you have people I

1350
01:18:09,280 --> 01:18:10,960
Speaker 1: don't think all people. We have a lot of people that,

1351
01:18:11,240 --> 01:18:14,360
Speaker 1: like you said, the emphasize it. They don't realize how

1352
01:18:14,360 --> 01:18:17,479
Speaker 1: it opens doors. They don't realize that there's a direct

1353
01:18:17,479 --> 01:18:20,720
Speaker 1: correlation between your level of education and any amount of

1354
01:18:20,720 --> 01:18:23,160
Speaker 1: money you're gonna make the rest of your life period stop,

1355
01:18:23,800 --> 01:18:27,120
Speaker 1: you know, no doubt, Like I mean, the examples are

1356
01:18:27,120 --> 01:18:30,160
Speaker 1: infinite and are their sisters of the rule always. But

1357
01:18:30,320 --> 01:18:33,880
Speaker 1: I had this woman that worked in our office at Memphis.

1358
01:18:33,920 --> 01:18:36,080
Speaker 1: Every year I went in to get her a raise

1359
01:18:36,400 --> 01:18:39,280
Speaker 1: every year. Every year. They said, she doesn't have a degree,

1360
01:18:39,400 --> 01:18:43,040
Speaker 1: can't give her a raise. Well, that's stupid. She runs

1361
01:18:43,040 --> 01:18:45,400
Speaker 1: the whole She does an incredible job. You know, she's

1362
01:18:45,479 --> 01:18:49,160
Speaker 1: awesome with everybody. She just runs the whole thing. Not well,

1363
01:18:51,200 --> 01:18:54,559
Speaker 1: it doesn't mean it's fair. It's just the way it is, actually,

1364
01:18:54,960 --> 01:18:57,519
Speaker 1: you know, Like, it doesn't mean that because I have

1365
01:18:57,560 --> 01:19:01,280
Speaker 1: a degree, that I'm any smart than the guy that doesn't.

1366
01:19:01,920 --> 01:19:04,720
Speaker 1: It just means I was willing to do work, right,

1367
01:19:04,800 --> 01:19:06,960
Speaker 1: Like that's what that sheet of paper is like, you'll

1368
01:19:07,000 --> 01:19:10,360
Speaker 1: do things you don't want to do, okay, well, okay, fine,

1369
01:19:10,360 --> 01:19:12,080
Speaker 1: And it's and you know, it's a great way putting.

1370
01:19:12,160 --> 01:19:14,160
Speaker 1: I think it's the reason that people generally like to

1371
01:19:14,240 --> 01:19:19,040
Speaker 1: hire athletes, you know, is because they know, whether they're

1372
01:19:19,080 --> 01:19:21,080
Speaker 1: the smartest or the best, they had to do a

1373
01:19:21,080 --> 01:19:24,360
Speaker 1: little bit something above what somebody else is willing to do.

1374
01:19:25,000 --> 01:19:27,720
Speaker 1: You know, that's right. Like, I don't know, it's just

1375
01:19:28,400 --> 01:19:30,920
Speaker 1: I see this beautiful thing, and I don't know. There's

1376
01:19:30,920 --> 01:19:33,559
Speaker 1: a lot of it. I don't understand a full disclosure.

1377
01:19:33,600 --> 01:19:36,720
Speaker 1: I understand how in America you can tell somebody they

1378
01:19:36,760 --> 01:19:40,280
Speaker 1: can't turn professional. That doesn't make a lot of sense

1379
01:19:40,320 --> 01:19:43,360
Speaker 1: to me, like I don't understand why I can't graduate

1380
01:19:43,360 --> 01:19:45,040
Speaker 1: from high school and said I don't want to be

1381
01:19:45,040 --> 01:19:47,360
Speaker 1: a professional football player. I don't. I don't understand that.

1382
01:19:48,040 --> 01:19:50,200
Speaker 1: Now the market may say I'm not good enough to

1383
01:19:50,240 --> 01:19:53,160
Speaker 1: do it, but I don't understand how we can tell them,

1384
01:19:53,160 --> 01:19:56,400
Speaker 1: Like why can't we give kids a choice when they graduate?

1385
01:19:56,439 --> 01:19:59,120
Speaker 1: How you can become a professional or you can be

1386
01:19:59,200 --> 01:20:02,439
Speaker 1: an amateur. You know, and you can turn professional whenever

1387
01:20:02,479 --> 01:20:05,000
Speaker 1: you want, after your first year, after your second year,

1388
01:20:05,439 --> 01:20:07,360
Speaker 1: whatever you want, but you can you can go be

1389
01:20:07,360 --> 01:20:11,839
Speaker 1: an amateur because the NFL this got it good, okay,

1390
01:20:11,960 --> 01:20:14,240
Speaker 1: Like they don't have to pay for the developmental league

1391
01:20:14,920 --> 01:20:17,920
Speaker 1: like Minor League Baseball or like basketball is doing like

1392
01:20:18,000 --> 01:20:22,720
Speaker 1: we're doing it for them. Okay, Well, like if they

1393
01:20:22,760 --> 01:20:24,599
Speaker 1: want to, if they want to take eighteen year olds

1394
01:20:24,600 --> 01:20:26,439
Speaker 1: out of high school, let them take them and let

1395
01:20:26,479 --> 01:20:30,120
Speaker 1: them go devlop. Okay, but your choices are you can

1396
01:20:30,160 --> 01:20:32,559
Speaker 1: go be a pro where you can be an amateur.

1397
01:20:33,160 --> 01:20:36,000
Speaker 1: And I don't know, I don't understand. I know there's

1398
01:20:36,080 --> 01:20:40,840
Speaker 1: reasons that that that won't work, but I don't sure understand. Well,

1399
01:20:40,880 --> 01:20:44,120
Speaker 1: I mean, I think you know the obvious is none

1400
01:20:44,120 --> 01:20:47,760
Speaker 1: of them ready to play, you know you have, and

1401
01:20:47,760 --> 01:20:52,160
Speaker 1: and it's too expensive to develop them, and it's to

1402
01:20:52,680 --> 01:20:58,200
Speaker 1: hit or miss, you know, right, right, And ultimately that's

1403
01:20:58,680 --> 01:21:00,800
Speaker 1: the first problem is the reason why nobody else, No,

1404
01:21:01,240 --> 01:21:03,639
Speaker 1: one of the reasons why I know other countries really

1405
01:21:03,640 --> 01:21:07,120
Speaker 1: play football has expense. I mean, it costs a lot

1406
01:21:07,160 --> 01:21:09,439
Speaker 1: of money to play. That's that. There's there's a there's

1407
01:21:09,479 --> 01:21:10,920
Speaker 1: a part of that. By the way, there's there's one

1408
01:21:11,000 --> 01:21:13,439
Speaker 1: last part to the why they aren't a lot. It's

1409
01:21:13,439 --> 01:21:17,479
Speaker 1: because it's collectively bargain because NFL players don't want more

1410
01:21:17,520 --> 01:21:20,640
Speaker 1: young guys. They don't want to be taking their job right.

1411
01:21:21,080 --> 01:21:24,400
Speaker 1: But instead we were stuck with this deal. In the

1412
01:21:24,520 --> 01:21:28,160
Speaker 1: college football's in wind ball like it's not a professional

1413
01:21:28,200 --> 01:21:30,800
Speaker 1: league and it's not an amateur league. It has a

1414
01:21:30,800 --> 01:21:34,040
Speaker 1: playoff and it has a bowl system. Like it's totally

1415
01:21:34,040 --> 01:21:37,080
Speaker 1: screwed up because it's right down the middle. Like you

1416
01:21:37,560 --> 01:21:39,960
Speaker 1: you can either be you can have the bowl system

1417
01:21:40,000 --> 01:21:43,000
Speaker 1: where you can go have a playoff. Having both makes no.

1418
01:21:43,280 --> 01:21:45,120
Speaker 1: I don't want to ask you this. I've never asked

1419
01:21:45,160 --> 01:21:49,000
Speaker 1: anybuddy on the record, and I haven't preempted uh, you know,

1420
01:21:49,000 --> 01:21:53,000
Speaker 1: I haven't told you about this Um, A lot of

1421
01:21:53,000 --> 01:21:56,800
Speaker 1: people hate bowls, right, I think bowls are wasted time.

1422
01:21:57,040 --> 01:22:00,880
Speaker 1: Players are now opting out of bowls to themselves the NFL.

1423
01:22:01,600 --> 01:22:04,760
Speaker 1: You've played in bowl game, you've played bowl games. What

1424
01:22:04,920 --> 01:22:07,160
Speaker 1: is there about? What? What? I have my own bullief,

1425
01:22:07,240 --> 01:22:09,160
Speaker 1: like my belief in value. I'll just tell you is

1426
01:22:10,080 --> 01:22:13,639
Speaker 1: like half the teams end up winning their last game.

1427
01:22:13,680 --> 01:22:18,240
Speaker 1: It's a big thing. Plus it's reward. You bring all

1428
01:22:18,280 --> 01:22:21,599
Speaker 1: the boosters down there, you raise money as well, and

1429
01:22:22,000 --> 01:22:25,080
Speaker 1: I think it has a value. I don't know if

1430
01:22:25,080 --> 01:22:30,120
Speaker 1: it feels as valuable to you having coached in them. Um,

1431
01:22:30,520 --> 01:22:35,559
Speaker 1: do what what are your feelings on bowls? He love them?

1432
01:22:35,600 --> 01:22:39,160
Speaker 1: I mean I think they're fun. I mean I don't know,

1433
01:22:39,400 --> 01:22:42,160
Speaker 1: like they usually have some activity that you never get

1434
01:22:42,160 --> 01:22:45,160
Speaker 1: to do in a millionaires. Right. You take some kids

1435
01:22:45,200 --> 01:22:49,280
Speaker 1: from UH to the Bulk Bowl in Charlotte and they

1436
01:22:49,320 --> 01:22:51,479
Speaker 1: put him in a freaking race car and driving around

1437
01:22:51,520 --> 01:22:54,160
Speaker 1: the track at a hunder and whatever. Malls. That's kind

1438
01:22:54,160 --> 01:22:58,479
Speaker 1: of it's really it's really like I mean like there

1439
01:22:58,560 --> 01:23:00,680
Speaker 1: and and on down the road like you have that.

1440
01:23:01,080 --> 01:23:05,200
Speaker 1: You know, obviously you have historical bowls like that that

1441
01:23:05,320 --> 01:23:08,200
Speaker 1: even just being there means the Rose just being there.

1442
01:23:08,520 --> 01:23:10,800
Speaker 1: They don't have to drive you around a track, right that,

1443
01:23:10,880 --> 01:23:12,479
Speaker 1: you don't have to drop you out of airplane. Just

1444
01:23:12,520 --> 01:23:14,479
Speaker 1: going to it's pretty cool, okay. And then you have

1445
01:23:14,560 --> 01:23:17,520
Speaker 1: the other ones that maybe just they don't have that prestige,

1446
01:23:17,600 --> 01:23:20,080
Speaker 1: but you know, have activities or things are you know,

1447
01:23:20,120 --> 01:23:22,439
Speaker 1: a small little reward of vacation. Maybe a kid gets

1448
01:23:22,479 --> 01:23:26,840
Speaker 1: to go somewhere that he's never gone before. I enjoy it.

1449
01:23:27,120 --> 01:23:29,880
Speaker 1: I've never been to a battle. I've never been to one.

1450
01:23:30,040 --> 01:23:32,040
Speaker 1: It's always better if you win the game, but I've

1451
01:23:32,040 --> 01:23:34,320
Speaker 1: never been to one where I said this place sucks,

1452
01:23:34,720 --> 01:23:38,120
Speaker 1: you know, like that there. I think they're good, but

1453
01:23:38,240 --> 01:23:41,320
Speaker 1: I do understand fifty of them is a lot or

1454
01:23:41,600 --> 01:23:45,439
Speaker 1: whatever the numbers, and like I understand that they have

1455
01:23:45,640 --> 01:23:49,760
Speaker 1: to be valued. The playoff inherently the values the Bowl game,

1456
01:23:50,240 --> 01:23:54,200
Speaker 1: Like there's no getting around that. And we all knew

1457
01:23:54,240 --> 01:23:56,880
Speaker 1: that was going to happen the day that they wanted

1458
01:23:56,880 --> 01:24:00,760
Speaker 1: a plus one. It was gonna devalue the the bull games.

1459
01:24:00,840 --> 01:24:03,360
Speaker 1: It's just now that we're stuck in this, I mean,

1460
01:24:03,400 --> 01:24:05,400
Speaker 1: we all know what whats gonna expand why are they

1461
01:24:05,439 --> 01:24:07,759
Speaker 1: gonna ask our opinion? Like that's the way the coaches

1462
01:24:07,800 --> 01:24:10,160
Speaker 1: feel like we're in a SEC meetings, Like do you

1463
01:24:10,200 --> 01:24:12,479
Speaker 1: guys pretend like you're asking us, like you care, Like

1464
01:24:12,520 --> 01:24:16,240
Speaker 1: we all know that money is gonna I think the issue,

1465
01:24:16,320 --> 01:24:19,040
Speaker 1: my issue with the with the expansion of the playoffs

1466
01:24:19,160 --> 01:24:23,559
Speaker 1: and with some of these things is we're doing every year,

1467
01:24:23,600 --> 01:24:29,280
Speaker 1: we're doing something to take away from UH traditions. You know.

1468
01:24:30,200 --> 01:24:35,599
Speaker 1: It's like we've Memphis, excuse me, Missouri in Kansas. It's

1469
01:24:35,600 --> 01:24:39,160
Speaker 1: a rivalry that goes back to the Civil War. Right,

1470
01:24:39,680 --> 01:24:43,040
Speaker 1: Missouri was a border state, Kansas was a free day

1471
01:24:43,520 --> 01:24:47,439
Speaker 1: and under cover of darkness, Missourians went into Lawrence and

1472
01:24:47,520 --> 01:24:51,719
Speaker 1: burned the town down. Like that's a rivalry. Okay, you're

1473
01:24:51,720 --> 01:24:55,240
Speaker 1: talking Kansas, Kansas State hundred years now Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

1474
01:24:55,479 --> 01:24:59,920
Speaker 1: they played uninterrupted for over a hundred years. And because

1475
01:25:00,120 --> 01:25:03,559
Speaker 1: and it's a big check okay. And there's other issues

1476
01:25:03,600 --> 01:25:06,120
Speaker 1: like nobody talks about Oklahoma, a lot of money issues

1477
01:25:06,160 --> 01:25:09,640
Speaker 1: within the university whatever, whatever. And I don't know if

1478
01:25:09,680 --> 01:25:12,000
Speaker 1: I could turn that down, but to just hey, being

1479
01:25:12,040 --> 01:25:14,800
Speaker 1: a meeting one day with the Big twelve and then

1480
01:25:15,200 --> 01:25:18,000
Speaker 1: behind the scenes they were off to the SEC and

1481
01:25:18,040 --> 01:25:19,679
Speaker 1: no one says anything. He's like, well, it's a bunch

1482
01:25:19,680 --> 01:25:22,360
Speaker 1: of money. Like, yeah, they played for a hundred years.

1483
01:25:22,920 --> 01:25:27,080
Speaker 1: They're the same system, you know with Oaklahoma, Okahma State.

1484
01:25:27,080 --> 01:25:29,280
Speaker 1: They're supposed to be brother and sisters schools Like this

1485
01:25:29,320 --> 01:25:31,760
Speaker 1: ain't how it works. But we I mean, even with

1486
01:25:31,840 --> 01:25:33,920
Speaker 1: the with U C, l A and USC leaving the

1487
01:25:33,920 --> 01:25:36,720
Speaker 1: Pac twelve, has anybody stopped to go like, I know

1488
01:25:36,760 --> 01:25:38,719
Speaker 1: they're still gonna have a game in the Rose Bowl.

1489
01:25:39,160 --> 01:25:42,280
Speaker 1: But the Rose Bowl died that day, like the Rose

1490
01:25:42,320 --> 01:25:46,599
Speaker 1: Bowl died, Big ten PAC ten died and like no

1491
01:25:46,600 --> 01:25:51,280
Speaker 1: one had a funeral. It's crazy. And as much as

1492
01:25:51,439 --> 01:25:53,720
Speaker 1: you would say, like well you're freaking out because it's

1493
01:25:53,720 --> 01:25:56,559
Speaker 1: your school or whatever, like no, no, I told you

1494
01:25:56,560 --> 01:25:58,559
Speaker 1: with Missouri in cancer would happened? Now? Is this like

1495
01:25:58,640 --> 01:26:01,800
Speaker 1: can you imagine if Michigan State in play? Thank you

1496
01:26:01,840 --> 01:26:04,960
Speaker 1: imagine or Michigan Michigan State in play? Right for one second?

1497
01:26:05,000 --> 01:26:07,360
Speaker 1: Of course you could imagine. No chance that that's what's

1498
01:26:07,400 --> 01:26:11,760
Speaker 1: actually happening. So part of it is our we just

1499
01:26:11,800 --> 01:26:15,840
Speaker 1: don't give a crap about anything historic. And I think,

1500
01:26:15,960 --> 01:26:18,240
Speaker 1: and this is again this is me my soapbox, is

1501
01:26:19,080 --> 01:26:21,120
Speaker 1: we haven't stopped to ask why people care and watch

1502
01:26:21,240 --> 01:26:25,439
Speaker 1: college football you know, we we just we're chasing We

1503
01:26:25,479 --> 01:26:27,519
Speaker 1: have people to chasing the dollar. Chasing the dollar. Everything

1504
01:26:27,560 --> 01:26:29,679
Speaker 1: is more expensive. We gotta make more money chasing the dollar.

1505
01:26:30,200 --> 01:26:32,360
Speaker 1: But why do people actually sit down and watch a game?

1506
01:26:32,960 --> 01:26:35,600
Speaker 1: Why did why do you watch game? Why do you

1507
01:26:35,600 --> 01:26:38,960
Speaker 1: why would you go to a game? And yeah, I

1508
01:26:39,040 --> 01:26:41,000
Speaker 1: get like I talked to the guys to Texas that

1509
01:26:41,040 --> 01:26:43,800
Speaker 1: I look, we gotta fill up dearyl Guay Royal Stadium.

1510
01:26:43,880 --> 01:26:46,120
Speaker 1: It's hard with Iowa State. It's not hard with l

1511
01:26:46,200 --> 01:26:49,559
Speaker 1: s U, with Arkansas, with Florida. I get that, okay,

1512
01:26:49,640 --> 01:26:53,479
Speaker 1: but there's a lot of people that you know, you've

1513
01:26:53,479 --> 01:26:55,720
Speaker 1: watched these teams played for years. All the kids are

1514
01:26:55,720 --> 01:26:58,439
Speaker 1: from about the same area. You compete against the same guys,

1515
01:26:58,720 --> 01:27:00,400
Speaker 1: and now we're not doing it. Now we're on your

1516
01:27:01,000 --> 01:27:04,800
Speaker 1: like doing college basketball. I just did a previews show

1517
01:27:04,840 --> 01:27:07,360
Speaker 1: for the fact. Well, you don't even worry about what

1518
01:27:07,400 --> 01:27:09,000
Speaker 1: high school they went to because they went to multiple

1519
01:27:09,040 --> 01:27:11,040
Speaker 1: high schools and went to prep schools, then they went

1520
01:27:11,080 --> 01:27:13,160
Speaker 1: to a college, then they went to another college. Now

1521
01:27:13,160 --> 01:27:16,160
Speaker 1: they landed the college. Like, it's crazy that we have

1522
01:27:16,280 --> 01:27:20,479
Speaker 1: no nothing historically has any sort of effect on people.

1523
01:27:20,520 --> 01:27:23,559
Speaker 1: It's just how can everybody make the most money the

1524
01:27:23,600 --> 01:27:29,920
Speaker 1: quick as possible. I mean, what are we doing? I mean, like,

1525
01:27:30,000 --> 01:27:32,679
Speaker 1: you're right, it's like in the in part of the promise,

1526
01:27:32,720 --> 01:27:35,840
Speaker 1: there's nobody in charge. There really is nobody in charge. Okay,

1527
01:27:35,880 --> 01:27:40,240
Speaker 1: Like and I ye know, the commissioner of the NFL

1528
01:27:41,840 --> 01:27:44,800
Speaker 1: gets paid Roger Goodell gets paid a lot of money

1529
01:27:45,160 --> 01:27:50,800
Speaker 1: right to basically make unpopular season, right to tell people know.

1530
01:27:51,720 --> 01:27:54,760
Speaker 1: He gets booed every year at the draft, Right, they

1531
01:27:54,800 --> 01:27:58,879
Speaker 1: just booze bright and he just takes it. And because

1532
01:27:58,960 --> 01:28:01,960
Speaker 1: he has to go make unpopular decisions, he has to

1533
01:28:02,000 --> 01:28:05,920
Speaker 1: go tell people know. He has to go um, suspend

1534
01:28:06,000 --> 01:28:07,880
Speaker 1: people or whatever, you know, all the things to go.

1535
01:28:08,160 --> 01:28:11,320
Speaker 1: But he runs a leak and he shoulders that. And

1536
01:28:11,479 --> 01:28:15,439
Speaker 1: there's nobody in college athletics or college football at least

1537
01:28:16,160 --> 01:28:20,320
Speaker 1: that where's that hat? Right, the n A isn't capable

1538
01:28:21,280 --> 01:28:27,919
Speaker 1: and outdated and hanging on for relevance, and there's nobody

1539
01:28:28,000 --> 01:28:30,559
Speaker 1: that can you know, they've been the punching bag for years.

1540
01:28:30,600 --> 01:28:33,920
Speaker 1: And I'm in favor of the collegiate model, but they've

1541
01:28:33,960 --> 01:28:35,920
Speaker 1: been the punching back for years. But there's nobody in

1542
01:28:36,040 --> 01:28:38,200
Speaker 1: charge to to wrap their arms around the whole thing

1543
01:28:38,280 --> 01:28:41,080
Speaker 1: and say, you know, this is how we're gonna do it.

1544
01:28:41,200 --> 01:28:44,719
Speaker 1: And so we just float from money grab the money

1545
01:28:44,720 --> 01:28:47,720
Speaker 1: grabbed from idea, the idea, to let him do this,

1546
01:28:47,760 --> 01:28:49,120
Speaker 1: to let him do that, to let him do that

1547
01:28:49,280 --> 01:28:51,800
Speaker 1: with no no consequences, and were like, what is this

1548
01:28:51,880 --> 01:28:54,840
Speaker 1: actually gonna look like? And you're right, nobody has ever

1549
01:28:54,840 --> 01:28:57,280
Speaker 1: stopping said why is this even popular in the first place?

1550
01:28:58,400 --> 01:29:01,879
Speaker 1: And then but then and then, and I've been defender

1551
01:29:01,960 --> 01:29:04,200
Speaker 1: of some of the amateurs the model, but then they

1552
01:29:04,240 --> 01:29:07,800
Speaker 1: do stupid ship that we were just like, huh, you know,

1553
01:29:08,640 --> 01:29:12,320
Speaker 1: like what, well, you can't bring you can't bring middle

1554
01:29:12,320 --> 01:29:15,080
Speaker 1: school kids on the campus because of recruitable student athlete.

1555
01:29:16,080 --> 01:29:17,920
Speaker 1: Do you think a kid in eighth grade is going

1556
01:29:18,000 --> 01:29:20,280
Speaker 1: to choose a school because when they were in eighth

1557
01:29:20,320 --> 01:29:23,000
Speaker 1: grade they got to throw a football around on the

1558
01:29:23,000 --> 01:29:24,840
Speaker 1: football field, Like what are we what are we doing?

1559
01:29:25,280 --> 01:29:28,040
Speaker 1: Who gives this ship? Who can? All? Right, so let's

1560
01:29:28,040 --> 01:29:32,040
Speaker 1: get back. You're taking Virginia. And they told you you

1561
01:29:32,040 --> 01:29:36,840
Speaker 1: gotta keep Bud Foster. Right, No they didn't, No, they didn't,

1562
01:29:37,520 --> 01:29:39,679
Speaker 1: you know they they so you can make the choice,

1563
01:29:39,680 --> 01:29:43,320
Speaker 1: and I mean I wanted to keep Bud Like this wasn't.

1564
01:29:43,439 --> 01:29:46,559
Speaker 1: It wasn't forced on me by any means. But also

1565
01:29:46,880 --> 01:29:51,240
Speaker 1: like there's a little bit of understanding, Like, Okay, I mean,

1566
01:29:51,280 --> 01:29:53,200
Speaker 1: if you want your first act to be to let

1567
01:29:53,240 --> 01:29:56,559
Speaker 1: Bud foster gentleman, you can go do that if you like,

1568
01:29:57,080 --> 01:30:00,600
Speaker 1: but you better stop people. And I viewed it. I

1569
01:30:00,640 --> 01:30:03,120
Speaker 1: didn't even view it like that. I viewed it as

1570
01:30:03,120 --> 01:30:08,280
Speaker 1: a positive. I viewed it as the opportunity to coach,

1571
01:30:08,560 --> 01:30:12,760
Speaker 1: you know, with Bud, and and like it was a

1572
01:30:12,760 --> 01:30:15,040
Speaker 1: benefit as long as I felt like we could get along,

1573
01:30:15,479 --> 01:30:17,400
Speaker 1: you know, Like that's why I wanted to talk to him,

1574
01:30:17,960 --> 01:30:21,840
Speaker 1: because I felt like, you know, as long as we

1575
01:30:21,880 --> 01:30:24,479
Speaker 1: don't have to be exactly on the same page. But

1576
01:30:24,600 --> 01:30:27,600
Speaker 1: this couldn't be an issue, right, This couldn't be a

1577
01:30:28,439 --> 01:30:31,160
Speaker 1: you know, a divisive issue. As long as I felt

1578
01:30:31,200 --> 01:30:33,360
Speaker 1: like it was gonna be a divisive issue, I thought

1579
01:30:33,400 --> 01:30:37,080
Speaker 1: it was a bonus. So you get there, do the

1580
01:30:37,080 --> 01:30:41,120
Speaker 1: press conference? Uh. What what was the place like in

1581
01:30:41,160 --> 01:30:45,400
Speaker 1: comparison to TCU, Uh, in comparison to what you thought

1582
01:30:45,520 --> 01:30:51,439
Speaker 1: it would be? Like? Um, I had a beautiful, beautiful

1583
01:30:51,479 --> 01:31:00,960
Speaker 1: indoor and um, really nice, beautiful stadium in a beautiful

1584
01:31:01,040 --> 01:31:04,760
Speaker 1: part of the country. I mean by far, of course

1585
01:31:04,800 --> 01:31:09,400
Speaker 1: I'm a flat lander, but by far the most beautiful

1586
01:31:09,400 --> 01:31:15,080
Speaker 1: place I've ever it's still water with like hills and freeze.

1587
01:31:15,439 --> 01:31:21,559
Speaker 1: And because when it's i mean every the campuses in immaculate, right, yes,

1588
01:31:21,880 --> 01:31:24,840
Speaker 1: and when and it all looks the same. And when

1589
01:31:24,880 --> 01:31:29,280
Speaker 1: it snows it's a blast. You know, it snows twice

1590
01:31:29,280 --> 01:31:32,639
Speaker 1: a year and there's hills everywhere. People are sledding all

1591
01:31:32,640 --> 01:31:35,160
Speaker 1: over the place. I mean it's really it doesn't get hot,

1592
01:31:36,160 --> 01:31:40,400
Speaker 1: Like the climate is incredible. Like it's just really in

1593
01:31:40,479 --> 01:31:44,080
Speaker 1: a really neat place. Um, but we were we were

1594
01:31:44,120 --> 01:31:49,240
Speaker 1: behind facilities wise, and we're behind staffing. Um, pretty dramatical.

1595
01:31:49,320 --> 01:31:54,000
Speaker 1: Why like Saban has this incredible staff right and and

1596
01:31:54,040 --> 01:31:58,639
Speaker 1: that's like the model for everybody again outside are looking

1597
01:31:58,640 --> 01:32:03,040
Speaker 1: at why do you need the numbers the volume of staffers?

1598
01:32:03,200 --> 01:32:05,960
Speaker 1: What is that? How does that benefit that? Yeah? Well,

1599
01:32:06,000 --> 01:32:10,360
Speaker 1: I mean I've never been one that's wanted quite what

1600
01:32:10,520 --> 01:32:13,840
Speaker 1: they've got. I don't know how you keep tracking at all.

1601
01:32:13,960 --> 01:32:18,679
Speaker 1: But um, you know there's an element to basically people

1602
01:32:18,720 --> 01:32:24,280
Speaker 1: that can handle recruiting that's both handling UM prospects on campus.

1603
01:32:24,280 --> 01:32:25,880
Speaker 1: Do you think about a big game. You've got hard

1604
01:32:25,920 --> 01:32:28,400
Speaker 1: fitting kids in the campus with their families. I mean,

1605
01:32:28,880 --> 01:32:31,080
Speaker 1: it takes a big staff to handle that sort of stuff.

1606
01:32:31,080 --> 01:32:34,439
Speaker 1: The other part of it is disseminating information. You have

1607
01:32:34,520 --> 01:32:38,280
Speaker 1: the transfer, you basically have free agency in high school

1608
01:32:38,800 --> 01:32:43,400
Speaker 1: um evaluation. So you have two arms. It's like the NFL.

1609
01:32:43,520 --> 01:32:45,960
Speaker 1: You have two arms of the scouting department now that

1610
01:32:46,200 --> 01:32:50,400
Speaker 1: you need to evaluate, you know, not exactly twice as

1611
01:32:50,439 --> 01:32:52,640
Speaker 1: many kids, but at least a lot more with the

1612
01:32:52,720 --> 01:32:54,920
Speaker 1: portal in the high school day. And the other part

1613
01:32:54,960 --> 01:32:58,240
Speaker 1: of the high school evaluation is it you know, before

1614
01:33:00,120 --> 01:33:04,840
Speaker 1: the Internet, it was basically regional, but now you go,

1615
01:33:05,080 --> 01:33:07,599
Speaker 1: you're a pretty kid from anywhere. You know, you can

1616
01:33:07,640 --> 01:33:11,240
Speaker 1: access this film, you can talk to him. Like, I'm

1617
01:33:11,320 --> 01:33:13,839
Speaker 1: not saying you should recruit kids all over the country,

1618
01:33:13,880 --> 01:33:16,639
Speaker 1: but you can certainly evaluate and see kids from from

1619
01:33:16,680 --> 01:33:18,160
Speaker 1: all of it. So it takes a lot of people

1620
01:33:18,200 --> 01:33:22,040
Speaker 1: that disseminate that information. And then you know, with what

1621
01:33:22,160 --> 01:33:26,559
Speaker 1: Nick's got or coach Sabans got on the coaching side

1622
01:33:26,680 --> 01:33:29,120
Speaker 1: of off the field, I mean, he basically got a

1623
01:33:29,120 --> 01:33:33,320
Speaker 1: whole nother department there that scouts ahead of time, that

1624
01:33:33,320 --> 01:33:37,400
Speaker 1: that works on the future opponents that you know, does

1625
01:33:37,439 --> 01:33:39,479
Speaker 1: a tremendous amount of work. So what did you have

1626
01:33:39,640 --> 01:33:41,240
Speaker 1: for the coaches ahead of what did you have to

1627
01:33:41,280 --> 01:33:44,200
Speaker 1: add that you didn't have? Well, we had two recruiting

1628
01:33:44,240 --> 01:33:52,160
Speaker 1: people and then like my whole deal was let's slowly

1629
01:33:52,200 --> 01:33:56,960
Speaker 1: add these add these pieces, you know, But it became

1630
01:33:56,960 --> 01:34:00,360
Speaker 1: pretty apparent after I was there for the a couple

1631
01:34:00,360 --> 01:34:02,680
Speaker 1: of years that we needed to fire. We had to

1632
01:34:02,680 --> 01:34:06,360
Speaker 1: fight the front on two two on two fronts. We

1633
01:34:06,400 --> 01:34:08,800
Speaker 1: had to fight the facilities front and the staff in front.

1634
01:34:09,640 --> 01:34:11,640
Speaker 1: It wasn't like we just had to do one or

1635
01:34:11,680 --> 01:34:16,720
Speaker 1: the other. We started off with the facility peace and

1636
01:34:16,760 --> 01:34:21,640
Speaker 1: tried to slowly add the staffing piece. And then my

1637
01:34:21,720 --> 01:34:24,439
Speaker 1: last couple of years there, we were really trying to

1638
01:34:24,520 --> 01:34:31,040
Speaker 1: rapidly excrode grow the staffing. What was wrong with facilities, Well,

1639
01:34:31,080 --> 01:34:35,080
Speaker 1: they were just outdated. They were redoing the lobby um.

1640
01:34:35,200 --> 01:34:38,599
Speaker 1: But in our time there, we redid the team room.

1641
01:34:38,600 --> 01:34:42,439
Speaker 1: When you did the position meeting rooms, we didn't redid

1642
01:34:42,479 --> 01:34:46,240
Speaker 1: the weight room. Um. You know, next they'll do the

1643
01:34:46,320 --> 01:34:49,920
Speaker 1: locker room. We read the player's lounge. I mean, all

1644
01:34:49,960 --> 01:34:52,880
Speaker 1: of those things needed to be done. You know. As

1645
01:34:52,880 --> 01:34:55,000
Speaker 1: soon as we got that we have brand new dorm

1646
01:34:55,360 --> 01:34:59,800
Speaker 1: um that we needed that you know was severely outdated.

1647
01:35:00,880 --> 01:35:04,559
Speaker 1: So you get there with its team like the team

1648
01:35:04,600 --> 01:35:07,120
Speaker 1: was awesome. I'll tell you what it was in a nutshell.

1649
01:35:07,240 --> 01:35:11,080
Speaker 1: We had a lot of really good older players the

1650
01:35:11,160 --> 01:35:15,679
Speaker 1: younger The younger players on our team we're not we're

1651
01:35:15,760 --> 01:35:19,519
Speaker 1: not very talented and mostly of low character. But the

1652
01:35:19,560 --> 01:35:28,400
Speaker 1: older players were studs. I mean talented, um, hard working,

1653
01:35:28,720 --> 01:35:32,160
Speaker 1: high character. I mean they were. They were really awesome.

1654
01:35:32,160 --> 01:35:35,400
Speaker 1: But the last couple of classes were not. They're good.

1655
01:35:35,920 --> 01:35:38,760
Speaker 1: So so you walk in the door, okay, and now

1656
01:35:39,439 --> 01:35:42,280
Speaker 1: remember the first time around, you want to do everything

1657
01:35:42,640 --> 01:35:45,160
Speaker 1: just like Gary did it at TCU, and you want

1658
01:35:45,200 --> 01:35:47,479
Speaker 1: to do it yourself. And I got it, and you

1659
01:35:47,520 --> 01:35:50,080
Speaker 1: guys just follow my lead I got second time around,

1660
01:35:50,080 --> 01:35:58,799
Speaker 1: How were you all similar? Probably? You know, like, um,

1661
01:35:58,840 --> 01:36:02,280
Speaker 1: you know, I you know, I thought the team after

1662
01:36:02,560 --> 01:36:05,559
Speaker 1: you know, seeing the team I met individually with each player,

1663
01:36:06,400 --> 01:36:08,800
Speaker 1: I got sort of a feel for for where they

1664
01:36:08,840 --> 01:36:12,200
Speaker 1: were at, and um, you know what we needed to

1665
01:36:12,280 --> 01:36:15,800
Speaker 1: do messaging, you know, down the line. You know, when

1666
01:36:15,840 --> 01:36:19,000
Speaker 1: they came back from Christmas break, you know, Frank was

1667
01:36:19,040 --> 01:36:21,519
Speaker 1: still there. They were preparing for the bull game when

1668
01:36:21,520 --> 01:36:23,479
Speaker 1: I was there, so I was basically just trying to

1669
01:36:23,520 --> 01:36:27,320
Speaker 1: stay out of the way. Um, and you know, get

1670
01:36:27,320 --> 01:36:29,559
Speaker 1: a chance to watch practice and meet with the kids

1671
01:36:29,720 --> 01:36:35,160
Speaker 1: a little bit. What's that like, Oh, it's weird. You know.

1672
01:36:35,479 --> 01:36:38,360
Speaker 1: Like I had a team meeting and it lasted like

1673
01:36:38,720 --> 01:36:43,200
Speaker 1: three minutes. I was like, your focus needs to be twofold.

1674
01:36:43,240 --> 01:36:47,120
Speaker 1: You need to you need to finish to see this

1675
01:36:47,200 --> 01:36:49,800
Speaker 1: semester academically the best that you can. And you need

1676
01:36:49,840 --> 01:36:52,320
Speaker 1: to send coach Beam around here with a win. Those

1677
01:36:52,320 --> 01:36:54,599
Speaker 1: are the two things you need. Like, don't worry about

1678
01:36:54,600 --> 01:36:56,599
Speaker 1: the new head coach, Like, you need to go get

1679
01:36:56,600 --> 01:36:59,559
Speaker 1: those things done. We'll meet individually and then you go

1680
01:36:59,600 --> 01:37:01,400
Speaker 1: home over break and then when we come back, you

1681
01:37:01,479 --> 01:37:04,800
Speaker 1: need your aid to work basically. So it was it

1682
01:37:04,840 --> 01:37:06,519
Speaker 1: was cool to get to watch a little bit of

1683
01:37:06,520 --> 01:37:08,840
Speaker 1: practice and that sort of stuff. It was miserable to

1684
01:37:08,920 --> 01:37:12,000
Speaker 1: watch the Memphis team playing the bowl game. That was

1685
01:37:12,120 --> 01:37:14,679
Speaker 1: where my heart was still, you know, with those guys,

1686
01:37:14,720 --> 01:37:22,040
Speaker 1: and that was an excruciating experience watching that. But um, yeah,

1687
01:37:22,040 --> 01:37:23,920
Speaker 1: so we went about trying to recruit, get a handle

1688
01:37:23,960 --> 01:37:28,880
Speaker 1: on recruiting, Like it's just there's just so much, so

1689
01:37:28,960 --> 01:37:33,599
Speaker 1: much stuff, Like it was just to change regions that

1690
01:37:33,600 --> 01:37:36,240
Speaker 1: that dress, it's brutal it's really hard to start with,

1691
01:37:36,720 --> 01:37:40,439
Speaker 1: you know, like it's really really hard, and you need

1692
01:37:40,479 --> 01:37:43,439
Speaker 1: to hire some guys with good with good connections in

1693
01:37:43,479 --> 01:37:46,080
Speaker 1: the region, but you don't need to hire them just

1694
01:37:46,120 --> 01:37:49,840
Speaker 1: because they're regional guys like you know, and I made

1695
01:37:49,840 --> 01:37:53,080
Speaker 1: plenty of mistakes staffing wise, but just because the guys

1696
01:37:53,120 --> 01:37:55,040
Speaker 1: from a region doesn't mean he should he's a good

1697
01:37:55,080 --> 01:37:59,479
Speaker 1: coach and um, but it's hard to get your hand

1698
01:37:59,520 --> 01:38:01,479
Speaker 1: on because you know, none of the guys are currently

1699
01:38:01,640 --> 01:38:05,000
Speaker 1: pretty you know. It's one thing. It happened to me

1700
01:38:05,040 --> 01:38:07,360
Speaker 1: really twice, Like when I went to Memphis, I didn't

1701
01:38:07,360 --> 01:38:09,400
Speaker 1: know any of the guys because there weren't any kids

1702
01:38:09,400 --> 01:38:12,679
Speaker 1: from Texas there. When I went to to Virginia Tech,

1703
01:38:12,760 --> 01:38:17,080
Speaker 1: there were no kids from Mississippi, Alabama, you know that

1704
01:38:17,160 --> 01:38:21,320
Speaker 1: sort of stuff. Um, you know what surprised me was

1705
01:38:21,439 --> 01:38:26,200
Speaker 1: Virginia Tech was a little bit uh closer to a

1706
01:38:26,320 --> 01:38:29,600
Speaker 1: northern school than I thought. I don't know if that

1707
01:38:29,640 --> 01:38:33,479
Speaker 1: makes sense, but like they're in my mind it was.

1708
01:38:34,240 --> 01:38:37,840
Speaker 1: I know this sounds like oversimplifying things, but it was

1709
01:38:37,880 --> 01:38:44,360
Speaker 1: a southern school. It's it is Tia, but I mean

1710
01:38:44,360 --> 01:38:49,040
Speaker 1: there's a lot of kids from Pittsburgh and you know

1711
01:38:49,080 --> 01:38:53,719
Speaker 1: New Jersey and you know Maryland, you know, a little

1712
01:38:53,720 --> 01:38:56,920
Speaker 1: bit different part of the country than I kind of

1713
01:38:56,960 --> 01:39:02,280
Speaker 1: associated it within my mind with Atlanta, with you know,

1714
01:39:02,479 --> 01:39:06,160
Speaker 1: getting to Charlotte Atlanta. Yes, like that was kind of

1715
01:39:06,160 --> 01:39:09,960
Speaker 1: my association with it. And it's really a good location

1716
01:39:10,000 --> 01:39:11,800
Speaker 1: and that you can't do both. It's kind of in

1717
01:39:11,800 --> 01:39:15,960
Speaker 1: the middle, but it was different to it where it's

1718
01:39:16,040 --> 01:39:20,439
Speaker 1: it's not you can't it's not South, it's not the North,

1719
01:39:20,760 --> 01:39:24,679
Speaker 1: it's not the Midwest. It's yeah, it's kind of yeah.

1720
01:39:25,200 --> 01:39:29,920
Speaker 1: Um your first game Bait Liberty, which was for now

1721
01:39:30,200 --> 01:39:32,439
Speaker 1: Liberty is not what it is now. But they're all

1722
01:39:32,479 --> 01:39:37,000
Speaker 1: there's They're like thirty minutes away, Um Lane Stadium. I've

1723
01:39:37,000 --> 01:39:41,160
Speaker 1: been there for understand man, your first time a little

1724
01:39:41,200 --> 01:39:43,000
Speaker 1: a little different walking out. But you're the guy who

1725
01:39:43,080 --> 01:39:46,800
Speaker 1: replaces Frank Beamer. You're the first coach outside of Frank

1726
01:39:46,800 --> 01:39:49,519
Speaker 1: Beamer to be on that sideline. What do you remember

1727
01:39:49,640 --> 01:39:53,160
Speaker 1: was that? Like what was really cool? I mean I

1728
01:39:53,280 --> 01:39:57,120
Speaker 1: got a great a great fan base, a fan base

1729
01:39:57,720 --> 01:40:02,280
Speaker 1: understands football. My fan base and supportive, A fan base

1730
01:40:02,360 --> 01:40:07,040
Speaker 1: that shows up to the game. You know, some teams

1731
01:40:07,160 --> 01:40:11,160
Speaker 1: fans show up to the game to be entertained. Right, Okay,

1732
01:40:11,200 --> 01:40:15,360
Speaker 1: show me something, all right, now, that's all right. That's

1733
01:40:15,400 --> 01:40:19,000
Speaker 1: these people show up to say how can we help

1734
01:40:19,040 --> 01:40:23,960
Speaker 1: you win? Right? Like they're there to actively participate in

1735
01:40:24,000 --> 01:40:29,120
Speaker 1: the football game. And it's really cool. And um, that

1736
01:40:29,240 --> 01:40:33,080
Speaker 1: was awesome, you know. And and coach was great coaches

1737
01:40:33,160 --> 01:40:38,040
Speaker 1: in our neighborhoods, you know, like his wife was fantastic,

1738
01:40:38,360 --> 01:40:43,000
Speaker 1: And um, replacing him has nothing to do with him,

1739
01:40:43,080 --> 01:40:45,280
Speaker 1: you know, It's got to do with all the other

1740
01:40:46,479 --> 01:40:51,640
Speaker 1: either people or things or operandi that that need to

1741
01:40:51,680 --> 01:40:56,639
Speaker 1: be massaged or moved around. But um, it was an honor.

1742
01:40:56,720 --> 01:40:59,599
Speaker 1: That's how I felt. You know, I still feel that way.

1743
01:40:59,760 --> 01:41:03,559
Speaker 1: You know, your second game, I believe you're a game.

1744
01:41:03,880 --> 01:41:07,439
Speaker 1: You did that Bristol Motor Speedway deal right that Tennessee game,

1745
01:41:08,080 --> 01:41:11,120
Speaker 1: and it's the weirdest set up. There's a race card track.

1746
01:41:11,439 --> 01:41:13,799
Speaker 1: You know, you got like a hundred and fifty thousand

1747
01:41:13,880 --> 01:41:18,679
Speaker 1: people at the game. Um, what what? And obviously lost

1748
01:41:18,680 --> 01:41:20,080
Speaker 1: the game? So I'm sorry to bring up a game

1749
01:41:20,120 --> 01:41:25,040
Speaker 1: which you know, the second quarter. I'm sure halftime was fun, um,

1750
01:41:25,880 --> 01:41:29,200
Speaker 1: but what what was there? React? You know, because again,

1751
01:41:29,439 --> 01:41:31,880
Speaker 1: like you said, replacing frame Biemer, it's not the hardest

1752
01:41:31,920 --> 01:41:34,719
Speaker 1: far as were coach. But and they hadn't been great

1753
01:41:35,080 --> 01:41:37,280
Speaker 1: in a while, right, it had been five or six

1754
01:41:37,360 --> 01:41:41,160
Speaker 1: years since they had double digit wins. Um, But it's

1755
01:41:41,160 --> 01:41:43,400
Speaker 1: the first time you'll lose a game, and it's a

1756
01:41:43,439 --> 01:41:48,840
Speaker 1: game that everybody's watching. How did you handle critique of

1757
01:41:49,560 --> 01:41:51,559
Speaker 1: you know, because when you lost earlier Memphis, nobody gave

1758
01:41:51,600 --> 01:41:54,120
Speaker 1: a ship. Now you lose earlier for gene Tech, even

1759
01:41:54,120 --> 01:41:58,200
Speaker 1: though they hadn't been winning, there's still the you lost

1760
01:41:58,240 --> 01:42:01,479
Speaker 1: the Tennessee in front of a hundred fifty peop. Yeah,

1761
01:42:01,479 --> 01:42:07,720
Speaker 1: it was the weirdest game I've ever been a part of. Like, um,

1762
01:42:07,720 --> 01:42:11,240
Speaker 1: like it was like too big for everybody, you know

1763
01:42:11,240 --> 01:42:14,280
Speaker 1: what I mean. It was just like even our equipment

1764
01:42:14,320 --> 01:42:17,320
Speaker 1: guys had our Friday workout gear all screwed up, Like

1765
01:42:17,360 --> 01:42:20,719
Speaker 1: it was just like too big for Like it was weird.

1766
01:42:20,760 --> 01:42:23,200
Speaker 1: Like I remember standing on the sidelines, like looking into

1767
01:42:23,240 --> 01:42:26,320
Speaker 1: the stands and not being able to tell if there

1768
01:42:26,320 --> 01:42:28,240
Speaker 1: was an actual person in that seat or not. I

1769
01:42:28,280 --> 01:42:31,920
Speaker 1: couldn't tell, like that's a far away they were like

1770
01:42:32,360 --> 01:42:38,240
Speaker 1: it was just a blob and um, we I mean

1771
01:42:38,240 --> 01:42:40,879
Speaker 1: we jumped out on them and then we like panicked.

1772
01:42:41,680 --> 01:42:44,800
Speaker 1: It was like I was shocked at how because we

1773
01:42:44,880 --> 01:42:47,559
Speaker 1: had a good squad, like Frank left us that upper

1774
01:42:47,600 --> 01:42:54,960
Speaker 1: class deal. They were good players. Um, I'm like, I'm

1775
01:42:55,000 --> 01:42:57,840
Speaker 1: just kind of shocked at like how we panicked and

1776
01:42:57,920 --> 01:43:00,840
Speaker 1: like it's like we've we felt we were freaked out

1777
01:43:00,880 --> 01:43:04,360
Speaker 1: that we were winning, and then we committed a bunch

1778
01:43:04,360 --> 01:43:07,280
Speaker 1: of penalties and we turned the ball over and we

1779
01:43:07,439 --> 01:43:11,759
Speaker 1: acted like an emotionally insecure team and a selfish team.

1780
01:43:12,880 --> 01:43:16,320
Speaker 1: And I was shocked, like that's not who I thought

1781
01:43:16,360 --> 01:43:21,800
Speaker 1: that we were, you know, like I really, Um, I

1782
01:43:21,880 --> 01:43:25,960
Speaker 1: was mad at myself that I hadn't seen that beforehand,

1783
01:43:26,320 --> 01:43:28,640
Speaker 1: you know, that I hadn't seen that, and we had

1784
01:43:28,680 --> 01:43:32,439
Speaker 1: a rough Sunday afterwards. I mean it was pretty clear,

1785
01:43:32,520 --> 01:43:35,599
Speaker 1: like I mean, we took penalties, we did we played

1786
01:43:35,600 --> 01:43:41,880
Speaker 1: selfishly and panicked, and um, I was really disappointed. First

1787
01:43:41,920 --> 01:43:44,759
Speaker 1: of all it myself that I hadn't seen that ahead

1788
01:43:44,760 --> 01:43:48,160
Speaker 1: of the time. And then so like whatever people thought

1789
01:43:48,280 --> 01:43:50,240
Speaker 1: or said, I don't really care, like I'm in the

1790
01:43:50,240 --> 01:43:54,200
Speaker 1: middle of doing this work, you know, And um, for me,

1791
01:43:54,240 --> 01:43:56,240
Speaker 1: it was like, how do we diagnose the team to

1792
01:43:56,320 --> 01:43:59,320
Speaker 1: get this out of them? Because that's not winning, that's

1793
01:44:00,000 --> 01:44:02,439
Speaker 1: a real thing. So when when a coach says like, hey,

1794
01:44:02,479 --> 01:44:06,040
Speaker 1: I don't pay attention to that stuff, right, that's that's

1795
01:44:06,040 --> 01:44:09,880
Speaker 1: a that's a real thing. I don't know how you can.

1796
01:44:10,520 --> 01:44:13,720
Speaker 1: Like I do think there is an element of being

1797
01:44:13,760 --> 01:44:16,000
Speaker 1: aware of what's going on that you need to have

1798
01:44:17,080 --> 01:44:21,200
Speaker 1: right like it. I mean, I'm sure there are coaches

1799
01:44:21,320 --> 01:44:25,559
Speaker 1: that that do it like both ways. But I've known

1800
01:44:25,640 --> 01:44:28,880
Speaker 1: coaches in basketball or in football that read everything and

1801
01:44:28,920 --> 01:44:32,120
Speaker 1: it drives them knots. I'm like, dude, what are you

1802
01:44:32,160 --> 01:44:36,040
Speaker 1: doing to yourself? You know? Like you but there there,

1803
01:44:36,080 --> 01:44:38,640
Speaker 1: you know. And then there's the the Bill Snyder that

1804
01:44:38,680 --> 01:44:41,120
Speaker 1: says he didn't even know it was Halloween or whatever.

1805
01:44:41,160 --> 01:44:43,040
Speaker 1: You know, he's been in there working so hard he

1806
01:44:43,080 --> 01:44:46,080
Speaker 1: doesn't even know, you know. I think there's an element

1807
01:44:46,120 --> 01:44:49,640
Speaker 1: of understanding, like somebody needs to tell you what's a

1808
01:44:49,720 --> 01:44:54,040
Speaker 1: little bit going on. But getting in the middle of

1809
01:44:54,080 --> 01:44:59,160
Speaker 1: all that stuff is kind of productive. It your tenure.

1810
01:44:59,200 --> 01:45:02,400
Speaker 1: There's interest because it's not like it was ever bad

1811
01:45:03,000 --> 01:45:06,000
Speaker 1: like you had the third year you had you had

1812
01:45:06,000 --> 01:45:09,640
Speaker 1: a strategy lost Quarterer up right, That's when it it

1813
01:45:10,360 --> 01:45:12,920
Speaker 1: spiled in a little bit, But it wasn't like it

1814
01:45:12,960 --> 01:45:15,719
Speaker 1: wasn't like you were like two and nine. It wasn't

1815
01:45:15,760 --> 01:45:18,799
Speaker 1: like there were all kinds of off the field issues.

1816
01:45:18,920 --> 01:45:23,080
Speaker 1: There was no It's just you couldn't turn the corner right,

1817
01:45:23,200 --> 01:45:29,360
Speaker 1: you couldn't. Um. So here's what happened. Right. So, like

1818
01:45:29,400 --> 01:45:31,519
Speaker 1: I said, our first two years we were pretty good.

1819
01:45:31,560 --> 01:45:35,240
Speaker 1: Now our second year, you know, we had two receivers

1820
01:45:35,280 --> 01:45:38,759
Speaker 1: that leave for the NFL Draft early, and the quarterback

1821
01:45:38,880 --> 01:45:43,040
Speaker 1: leave for the NFL. Like um who had an incredible

1822
01:45:43,720 --> 01:45:47,000
Speaker 1: first year, Garon Evans. If you look up best quarterback

1823
01:45:47,120 --> 01:45:49,760
Speaker 1: year in the history of Virginia techas Girond Evans, it's

1824
01:45:49,800 --> 01:45:53,120
Speaker 1: not it's not Tyrod Taylor. It's not like vic draw.

1825
01:45:53,320 --> 01:45:57,240
Speaker 1: I mean, he was incredible and he turned pro and

1826
01:45:57,280 --> 01:46:00,599
Speaker 1: the two receivers turned pro with them. And the next

1827
01:46:00,680 --> 01:46:04,240
Speaker 1: year we still had all those guys from Frank on

1828
01:46:04,400 --> 01:46:07,160
Speaker 1: defense and we were loaded on defense, and we were

1829
01:46:07,200 --> 01:46:12,160
Speaker 1: not very good on offense. And UM, I remember meeting

1830
01:46:12,200 --> 01:46:14,759
Speaker 1: with the a D and saying, like, listen, our program

1831
01:46:14,800 --> 01:46:18,280
Speaker 1: is not in very good shape. Like we've won nineteen

1832
01:46:18,280 --> 01:46:20,720
Speaker 1: games in two years, and people want me to take

1833
01:46:20,720 --> 01:46:24,320
Speaker 1: other jobs. And you know, we we were partly popular

1834
01:46:24,439 --> 01:46:27,400
Speaker 1: right now, But I'm just gonna tell you, like I

1835
01:46:28,040 --> 01:46:30,200
Speaker 1: what the way this affords me to live my life.

1836
01:46:30,200 --> 01:46:32,519
Speaker 1: I'm interested in staying. I'm not interested in going to

1837
01:46:32,560 --> 01:46:36,840
Speaker 1: these other places. But I'm worried because our facilities aren't

1838
01:46:36,920 --> 01:46:38,920
Speaker 1: very good. In our staff, thing is not very good.

1839
01:46:39,240 --> 01:46:42,240
Speaker 1: And by the time we get all of that fixed,

1840
01:46:42,800 --> 01:46:45,679
Speaker 1: people are gonna be tired of hearing from me. Because

1841
01:46:45,720 --> 01:46:48,200
Speaker 1: I said, because our program are young people in our

1842
01:46:48,200 --> 01:46:51,760
Speaker 1: program are We're like, we don't. We've got a real

1843
01:46:51,840 --> 01:46:55,519
Speaker 1: issue coming down. My exact words were, you didn't hire

1844
01:46:55,560 --> 01:46:57,720
Speaker 1: me for the last two years. You hired me to

1845
01:46:57,760 --> 01:47:00,960
Speaker 1: get you through what's about to happen, because it's about

1846
01:47:01,000 --> 01:47:04,760
Speaker 1: to be rough. And so that next year, that third year,

1847
01:47:04,840 --> 01:47:06,639
Speaker 1: we played a bunch of young people. We were very

1848
01:47:06,680 --> 01:47:15,600
Speaker 1: we're very good, and and then um, then nineteen hits okay,

1849
01:47:15,920 --> 01:47:20,519
Speaker 1: and it's it's Blood's last year, and we're pretty good again. Okay,

1850
01:47:20,560 --> 01:47:23,320
Speaker 1: we end up eight and five, and I'll give you

1851
01:47:23,400 --> 01:47:29,639
Speaker 1: the worst word in English dictionary, but we we lose

1852
01:47:29,840 --> 01:47:34,200
Speaker 1: to Virginia. You know, essentially the last play of the game.

1853
01:47:34,200 --> 01:47:36,960
Speaker 1: They have a really dynamic quarterback that gave us a

1854
01:47:36,960 --> 01:47:40,880
Speaker 1: lot of problems we have. We lose on essentially the

1855
01:47:40,960 --> 01:47:42,959
Speaker 1: last player of the game in the Bowl game against

1856
01:47:43,320 --> 01:47:46,400
Speaker 1: against Kentucky, they hold the ball for eight and a

1857
01:47:46,439 --> 01:47:50,920
Speaker 1: half minutes in the fourth quarter to score on essentially

1858
01:47:51,000 --> 01:47:52,720
Speaker 1: the last player of the game to beat us in

1859
01:47:52,760 --> 01:47:58,800
Speaker 1: blud Foster's final game with a receiver playing quarterback. But

1860
01:47:58,960 --> 01:48:03,880
Speaker 1: we are better. Yeah, Handon Hooker is playing quarterback. Okay,

1861
01:48:03,920 --> 01:48:07,040
Speaker 1: Like we benched the guy that started. We put Hindon

1862
01:48:07,120 --> 01:48:10,760
Speaker 1: in and Handing is the savior of the football team.

1863
01:48:10,960 --> 01:48:15,720
Speaker 1: And he's talented, he's smart, he's handsome like he is,

1864
01:48:16,560 --> 01:48:23,439
Speaker 1: he is the guy. Okay, and then uh, COVID hits

1865
01:48:24,800 --> 01:48:30,320
Speaker 1: and it was it was like we had everybody coming back.

1866
01:48:30,479 --> 01:48:34,000
Speaker 1: Our program was now in good shape. Okay, I turned

1867
01:48:34,120 --> 01:48:36,839
Speaker 1: you know, Baylor wants to talk, which I made mistakes

1868
01:48:36,840 --> 01:48:40,200
Speaker 1: with all that, but um I made I made more

1869
01:48:40,240 --> 01:48:43,120
Speaker 1: than my share mistakes going around. But like we're starting

1870
01:48:43,160 --> 01:48:45,439
Speaker 1: to get facilities built, we're starting to get staffed it.

1871
01:48:45,600 --> 01:48:49,400
Speaker 1: We have the entire football team back, and I'm fired up.

1872
01:48:50,560 --> 01:48:57,600
Speaker 1: And then COVID and it was it just we couldn't Yeah,

1873
01:48:57,880 --> 01:49:00,920
Speaker 1: we just we couldn't handle it. I don't know if

1874
01:49:00,960 --> 01:49:03,000
Speaker 1: anybody's built to handle that thing. You know, it's just

1875
01:49:04,040 --> 01:49:09,120
Speaker 1: well like administered, like from a university standpoint, it was

1876
01:49:09,760 --> 01:49:13,000
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that we failed anybody, and nobody died,

1877
01:49:14,000 --> 01:49:18,080
Speaker 1: but it wasn't set up to succeed, and we had

1878
01:49:18,160 --> 01:49:21,880
Speaker 1: very little help. And our medical people were incredible. They

1879
01:49:21,920 --> 01:49:26,240
Speaker 1: worked their fingers to the bone during that deal. But um,

1880
01:49:26,400 --> 01:49:28,880
Speaker 1: some of our some of our players that we loved

1881
01:49:28,920 --> 01:49:32,960
Speaker 1: and cherished, and like, some of their attitudes changed. You know,

1882
01:49:33,040 --> 01:49:36,840
Speaker 1: things were happening across the country and some of their

1883
01:49:37,080 --> 01:49:40,760
Speaker 1: demeanor and attitude towards what we were doing changed, some

1884
01:49:40,920 --> 01:49:44,320
Speaker 1: of them. It was just like and then we struggled

1885
01:49:45,040 --> 01:49:48,200
Speaker 1: a little bit, and you know, we played some games

1886
01:49:48,280 --> 01:49:51,320
Speaker 1: quite honestly, Doug, that we shouldn't have played. I mean,

1887
01:49:51,360 --> 01:49:54,680
Speaker 1: we trieded teams out there that had no business, Like

1888
01:49:54,800 --> 01:49:57,000
Speaker 1: we were too thin. COVID was by the end of

1889
01:49:57,000 --> 01:49:58,640
Speaker 1: the year. By the first of the year, it was

1890
01:49:58,680 --> 01:50:00,680
Speaker 1: like we got to find a way to play. By

1891
01:50:00,680 --> 01:50:03,439
Speaker 1: the end of the year, everybody, somebody had sniffles. People

1892
01:50:03,439 --> 01:50:07,160
Speaker 1: are canceling games right like they were just trying to

1893
01:50:07,160 --> 01:50:09,920
Speaker 1: get through the season. But not us. We sold her

1894
01:50:09,960 --> 01:50:14,639
Speaker 1: down and it hurt us. Like they're gonna keep score

1895
01:50:14,880 --> 01:50:18,400
Speaker 1: and those those games are gonna count, so you know,

1896
01:50:18,880 --> 01:50:21,719
Speaker 1: you better better not take the field unless you're fully ready.

1897
01:50:21,720 --> 01:50:24,960
Speaker 1: And we took the field when we shouldn't have. Um, okay,

1898
01:50:25,080 --> 01:50:27,719
Speaker 1: if you could do it. You mentioned the mistakes. What's

1899
01:50:27,760 --> 01:50:31,000
Speaker 1: the mistake you wish you had back? Oh? I made

1900
01:50:31,000 --> 01:50:37,640
Speaker 1: a lot of staffing mistakes. I really did. Um, you know,

1901
01:50:38,920 --> 01:50:44,559
Speaker 1: I just I am not talking for anybody that cares.

1902
01:50:44,920 --> 01:50:49,519
Speaker 1: I am not talking about Bud Foster. Okay, that's the

1903
01:50:49,640 --> 01:50:53,040
Speaker 1: least the last thing that I'm talking about. But there

1904
01:50:53,120 --> 01:50:55,840
Speaker 1: was a lot of things I could have done to

1905
01:50:55,920 --> 01:50:58,800
Speaker 1: help us recruiting that I didn't do until it was

1906
01:50:58,840 --> 01:51:03,519
Speaker 1: too late. That um, that would have really really helped

1907
01:51:03,600 --> 01:51:07,000
Speaker 1: us out, that I sat on or didn't make decisions

1908
01:51:07,080 --> 01:51:11,439
Speaker 1: on or just you know, for whatever reason, was afraid

1909
01:51:11,479 --> 01:51:15,840
Speaker 1: to to really to make those decisions because of other

1910
01:51:15,960 --> 01:51:20,840
Speaker 1: pressures that I either real or manufactured that I yeah,

1911
01:51:20,840 --> 01:51:23,640
Speaker 1: I should have just I should have just done it.

1912
01:51:24,080 --> 01:51:31,880
Speaker 1: You know. Um, what's it like to get let go? Oh?

1913
01:51:32,000 --> 01:51:34,760
Speaker 1: It's no fun, like you know, but you know how

1914
01:51:34,760 --> 01:51:39,120
Speaker 1: it is to like, at least for me, like I

1915
01:51:39,160 --> 01:51:43,760
Speaker 1: still have this romantic view of my home and my

1916
01:51:43,920 --> 01:51:46,439
Speaker 1: wife and my three girls, and and that I'm just

1917
01:51:46,600 --> 01:51:52,559
Speaker 1: like protector of them, you know. And uh, you know

1918
01:51:52,680 --> 01:51:58,200
Speaker 1: that's the part that I mean, it sucks. But um,

1919
01:51:58,280 --> 01:52:01,120
Speaker 1: you know, you probably go through all the emotions of

1920
01:52:01,320 --> 01:52:05,439
Speaker 1: being angry and whatever. And you know, for me, I've

1921
01:52:05,520 --> 01:52:09,880
Speaker 1: used this time to think about what I did wrong,

1922
01:52:10,360 --> 01:52:12,800
Speaker 1: you know, like I didn't I could have handled the

1923
01:52:12,840 --> 01:52:15,160
Speaker 1: media in a better way, you know what I mean.

1924
01:52:15,200 --> 01:52:17,000
Speaker 1: I could have let people see who I really was.

1925
01:52:17,080 --> 01:52:20,120
Speaker 1: I should have had somebody there. Why didn't you? Actually,

1926
01:52:20,160 --> 01:52:23,080
Speaker 1: why didn't you? I I don't know. I became pretty

1927
01:52:24,080 --> 01:52:29,200
Speaker 1: um reserved and extremely neutral and a little bit shut off.

1928
01:52:29,640 --> 01:52:32,840
Speaker 1: Part of it was my own fault, like I had

1929
01:52:33,000 --> 01:52:36,640
Speaker 1: there's some people I really didn't like, and that's my

1930
01:52:36,880 --> 01:52:39,160
Speaker 1: that's on me. That's not the you know, that's on

1931
01:52:39,400 --> 01:52:42,120
Speaker 1: That's on me. And but how how could you don't know?

1932
01:52:42,320 --> 01:52:44,639
Speaker 1: How would you handle differently? Would you tell them? Would

1933
01:52:44,640 --> 01:52:47,360
Speaker 1: you make sure they went part of around the program? Like, yeah,

1934
01:52:47,400 --> 01:52:50,000
Speaker 1: I think I should. You know, I think there's there's

1935
01:52:50,160 --> 01:52:53,120
Speaker 1: a couple of things. There's you know, there's leadership up

1936
01:52:53,160 --> 01:52:54,800
Speaker 1: the chain of command that I should have done a

1937
01:52:54,840 --> 01:52:58,439
Speaker 1: better job of. You know, um, managing up as hard.

1938
01:52:58,479 --> 01:53:01,040
Speaker 1: They don't teach you how to manage up, I think,

1939
01:53:02,880 --> 01:53:06,120
Speaker 1: really well, managing up is not something that that that

1940
01:53:06,320 --> 01:53:09,200
Speaker 1: that that takes a while to figure out and I

1941
01:53:09,240 --> 01:53:13,040
Speaker 1: don't and it's time consuming and energy draining, and you know,

1942
01:53:13,280 --> 01:53:14,920
Speaker 1: I got to the point where I don't want to

1943
01:53:14,920 --> 01:53:18,960
Speaker 1: do it, and um, you can do that. You just

1944
01:53:19,000 --> 01:53:21,599
Speaker 1: gotta win a lot of games. I don't no doubt

1945
01:53:21,920 --> 01:53:24,720
Speaker 1: I and I got tired. There were some changes on

1946
01:53:24,800 --> 01:53:28,200
Speaker 1: the staff you know above us that in my opinion,

1947
01:53:28,360 --> 01:53:33,600
Speaker 1: hurt hurt us, and um, without getting all all the

1948
01:53:33,640 --> 01:53:36,200
Speaker 1: way into it, you know, there were some relationships there

1949
01:53:36,240 --> 01:53:39,599
Speaker 1: that we're kind of productive. Um, I don't know, how

1950
01:53:39,680 --> 01:53:43,120
Speaker 1: can it change those? Um? I'm interested in being aligned

1951
01:53:43,120 --> 01:53:45,599
Speaker 1: with people of similar values that I have and if

1952
01:53:46,280 --> 01:53:48,160
Speaker 1: they don't have it, it's kind of hard for me.

1953
01:53:48,479 --> 01:53:52,000
Speaker 1: But um, I should have done a better job externally,

1954
01:53:52,560 --> 01:53:57,080
Speaker 1: no question. And you know, like I'm not one that's

1955
01:53:57,120 --> 01:54:02,040
Speaker 1: ever wanted to tell people what I was doing or whatever,

1956
01:54:02,200 --> 01:54:04,280
Speaker 1: but we should have had somebody there to tell a

1957
01:54:04,320 --> 01:54:07,639
Speaker 1: story a little better. And this is like if I could,

1958
01:54:07,920 --> 01:54:12,040
Speaker 1: if I could have grabbed you then you know, uh

1959
01:54:12,120 --> 01:54:14,800
Speaker 1: it and told you all this stuff. It's like the

1960
01:54:14,840 --> 01:54:17,960
Speaker 1: reason I coaches you this all the time. They get

1961
01:54:18,000 --> 01:54:21,280
Speaker 1: into a spot where they're not comfortable whether it's location

1962
01:54:21,520 --> 01:54:23,800
Speaker 1: or whether the program is whatever, and they do. They

1963
01:54:23,880 --> 01:54:27,439
Speaker 1: kind of become they don't want to offend anybody. They don't.

1964
01:54:27,720 --> 01:54:30,479
Speaker 1: But the reason, one of the reasons for your rise

1965
01:54:30,760 --> 01:54:33,280
Speaker 1: and the reason you're only good in coaching if you

1966
01:54:33,320 --> 01:54:36,480
Speaker 1: have a great personality. None of these guys are any good.

1967
01:54:37,160 --> 01:54:39,800
Speaker 1: It's just getting to it. It's the same thing. Honestly,

1968
01:54:39,840 --> 01:54:43,160
Speaker 1: it's the same thing. There's a friend of mine, Dave Revston,

1969
01:54:43,200 --> 01:54:44,560
Speaker 1: works with the Big ten Network. We used to have

1970
01:54:44,560 --> 01:54:46,760
Speaker 1: this guy who worked with this ESPN. We used to

1971
01:54:46,760 --> 01:54:49,000
Speaker 1: mess with them, say, hey, man, you gotta held of personality.

1972
01:54:49,160 --> 01:54:51,240
Speaker 1: You should bring it out on television every now and again,

1973
01:54:51,360 --> 01:54:54,880
Speaker 1: right right, Like guys in television, they get on television

1974
01:54:54,960 --> 01:54:58,760
Speaker 1: and then they become some caricature of what they really were.

1975
01:54:58,800 --> 01:55:01,240
Speaker 1: Were like, dude, you got the job not because you're

1976
01:55:01,320 --> 01:55:03,320
Speaker 1: on their tape. You got the job because you sat

1977
01:55:03,320 --> 01:55:05,040
Speaker 1: in the room. And they're like, I like this guy.

1978
01:55:05,080 --> 01:55:06,840
Speaker 1: I want to hire this guy. The reason that you're

1979
01:55:06,840 --> 01:55:08,560
Speaker 1: in football is because you can hang out around a

1980
01:55:08,600 --> 01:55:10,640
Speaker 1: bunch of football. Yes, you know more than other people,

1981
01:55:11,080 --> 01:55:12,920
Speaker 1: but you get it because your personality. We're on the

1982
01:55:12,920 --> 01:55:16,280
Speaker 1: people business, and it's interesting that a lot of coaches

1983
01:55:17,120 --> 01:55:20,400
Speaker 1: that maybe if they don't trust their surroundings or they're

1984
01:55:20,480 --> 01:55:24,000
Speaker 1: afraid of their words being parsed, but until they get

1985
01:55:24,000 --> 01:55:27,040
Speaker 1: to that Spurrier level right where you can say whatever

1986
01:55:27,120 --> 01:55:28,920
Speaker 1: the hell you want. Whatever the hell you want is

1987
01:55:28,960 --> 01:55:31,800
Speaker 1: you won so much football games whatever. It's hard to

1988
01:55:31,880 --> 01:55:33,880
Speaker 1: let people in. But if you let people in and

1989
01:55:33,920 --> 01:55:36,440
Speaker 1: they feel like they know your dog's name, your kids

1990
01:55:36,840 --> 01:55:39,680
Speaker 1: and what makes you tick and Murray State and all

1991
01:55:39,680 --> 01:55:44,200
Speaker 1: this other stuff that you become, you become a more

1992
01:55:44,240 --> 01:55:48,320
Speaker 1: tangible person that it's harder to it's harder to care

1993
01:55:48,360 --> 01:55:50,840
Speaker 1: about not converting a third and two you know what

1994
01:55:50,880 --> 01:55:55,120
Speaker 1: I mean when you know somebody, yeah I know, and

1995
01:55:55,120 --> 01:55:59,160
Speaker 1: it totally And the more when the more withdrawn I

1996
01:55:59,200 --> 01:56:03,440
Speaker 1: really became. And it wasn't because I didn't like people,

1997
01:56:04,000 --> 01:56:07,480
Speaker 1: you know, it was just like you become so concerned

1998
01:56:07,480 --> 01:56:10,560
Speaker 1: with everything that you do, say like how is this

1999
01:56:10,640 --> 01:56:13,280
Speaker 1: going to be? In term? Like I just like you're

2000
01:56:13,440 --> 01:56:17,600
Speaker 1: so measured on everything that you're really going your whole

2001
01:56:17,760 --> 01:56:21,440
Speaker 1: year and not saying anything. And it's like like those

2002
01:56:21,440 --> 01:56:22,720
Speaker 1: guys would come up to me and they'll be like,

2003
01:56:22,720 --> 01:56:24,920
Speaker 1: man at the A c C meetings, when you sit

2004
01:56:25,000 --> 01:56:28,040
Speaker 1: down with with all of us. You're so relaxed and

2005
01:56:28,040 --> 01:56:30,720
Speaker 1: and and fun to be around him, Like, you know,

2006
01:56:31,080 --> 01:56:32,800
Speaker 1: I don't know if they say it's fun, but you know,

2007
01:56:32,880 --> 01:56:35,920
Speaker 1: you're relaxed and you know, you're kind of yourself and

2008
01:56:36,080 --> 01:56:38,000
Speaker 1: you know, not like that the rest of the rest

2009
01:56:38,000 --> 01:56:41,920
Speaker 1: of the time. And I'm like, well, yeah, I know, guys,

2010
01:56:41,960 --> 01:56:44,200
Speaker 1: but it's like it was just hard for me to

2011
01:56:44,240 --> 01:56:46,400
Speaker 1: take that leap if I had. If I ever do

2012
01:56:46,440 --> 01:56:48,600
Speaker 1: it again, or I do it again, I'm not gonna

2013
01:56:48,600 --> 01:56:52,080
Speaker 1: worry about it, you know, like I'm gonna I'm gonna

2014
01:56:52,400 --> 01:56:55,000
Speaker 1: I'm gonna be myself, Like I'm not gonna adult into

2015
01:56:55,000 --> 01:56:58,480
Speaker 1: the you know, I'm not gonna go into politics on

2016
01:56:58,480 --> 01:57:05,120
Speaker 1: a Tuesday. But like I was that way with the

2017
01:57:05,240 --> 01:57:08,760
Speaker 1: team to like if you if like I had a

2018
01:57:08,760 --> 01:57:11,440
Speaker 1: couple of kids from Memphis come to our practices at

2019
01:57:11,560 --> 01:57:13,600
Speaker 1: Virginia Tech and they're like, what are you doing. I'm like,

2020
01:57:13,760 --> 01:57:16,880
Speaker 1: I can't be like that anymore, you know, like because

2021
01:57:16,960 --> 01:57:21,080
Speaker 1: I mean I mean Memphis, Like if you ever talked

2022
01:57:21,120 --> 01:57:23,680
Speaker 1: to any of the kids that fight first, and I

2023
01:57:23,680 --> 01:57:26,320
Speaker 1: mean we stepped on the field and it was but

2024
01:57:26,320 --> 01:57:32,640
Speaker 1: but the kids were tough ass kids there, and like

2025
01:57:33,520 --> 01:57:37,400
Speaker 1: it was totally different at Virginia Tech. Like just it

2026
01:57:37,520 --> 01:57:41,440
Speaker 1: just was and I lost my identity as a coach.

2027
01:57:41,480 --> 01:57:43,480
Speaker 1: I lost what I got, what I was good at.

2028
01:57:44,240 --> 01:57:47,920
Speaker 1: And you know, we weren't. We weren't as good as

2029
01:57:48,000 --> 01:57:51,240
Speaker 1: we could have been. Like our people and say whatever

2030
01:57:51,280 --> 01:57:54,040
Speaker 1: they want. Our program the last couple of years was

2031
01:57:54,080 --> 01:57:56,800
Speaker 1: in good shape. We should have won more games and

2032
01:57:56,880 --> 01:58:00,120
Speaker 1: we did it. And you know, part of it was

2033
01:58:00,200 --> 01:58:02,880
Speaker 1: quarterback play, and part of it was recruiting, and part

2034
01:58:02,880 --> 01:58:04,480
Speaker 1: of it was all kinds of different things, part of

2035
01:58:04,520 --> 01:58:09,520
Speaker 1: his mentality. But we had you know, the last couple

2036
01:58:09,520 --> 01:58:12,080
Speaker 1: of years, part of it was COVID or whatever. I'm

2037
01:58:12,120 --> 01:58:14,000
Speaker 1: not going to use this, but the last three years,

2038
01:58:14,560 --> 01:58:19,800
Speaker 1: like we were. We were in a much healthier spot

2039
01:58:20,720 --> 01:58:27,000
Speaker 1: than our than our records. All right, last thing, last thing, UM,

2040
01:58:27,200 --> 01:58:30,200
Speaker 1: give me the if if you could close your eyes

2041
01:58:30,240 --> 01:58:32,680
Speaker 1: said in five years, this is what I'm doing, this

2042
01:58:32,760 --> 01:58:41,000
Speaker 1: is how I'm doing it. In five years, I don't know, UM,

2043
01:58:41,040 --> 01:58:44,560
Speaker 1: I in five years, i'd like to be involved in

2044
01:58:44,560 --> 01:58:48,880
Speaker 1: in sports somewhere. And I don't know if that's UM.

2045
01:58:49,400 --> 01:58:51,839
Speaker 1: I don't know if in five years that's still coaching

2046
01:58:52,840 --> 01:58:57,920
Speaker 1: or if that's UM. If that's if that's helping a

2047
01:58:58,000 --> 01:59:02,040
Speaker 1: program some way, or if that's helping young people in

2048
01:59:02,120 --> 01:59:05,120
Speaker 1: some way, like I think there's this void of education

2049
01:59:06,000 --> 01:59:08,400
Speaker 1: that we have an opportunity to influence young people with

2050
01:59:08,520 --> 01:59:11,720
Speaker 1: that we can use sports. It's like, you know, Hoosiers

2051
01:59:11,800 --> 01:59:15,880
Speaker 1: is not actually about basketball, right, It's you know, Rudy

2052
01:59:16,040 --> 01:59:19,080
Speaker 1: is not exactly is not actually about football. It's about

2053
01:59:19,080 --> 01:59:22,560
Speaker 1: all these lessons you learned. And um, so you know,

2054
01:59:22,680 --> 01:59:25,560
Speaker 1: I hope that I'm finding a way, either as a

2055
01:59:25,680 --> 01:59:29,160
Speaker 1: coach or as a mentor or a teacher or whatever

2056
01:59:29,200 --> 01:59:33,000
Speaker 1: the label is, to help some group of young people

2057
01:59:33,920 --> 01:59:37,640
Speaker 1: understand and value the things that I think, through forty

2058
01:59:37,720 --> 01:59:42,520
Speaker 1: six years, um, are actually important. Not that Twitter tells

2059
01:59:42,560 --> 01:59:45,520
Speaker 1: you're important, but that I think are actually important. And

2060
01:59:45,560 --> 01:59:50,200
Speaker 1: hopefully it you know, you see that those things eventually

2061
01:59:50,280 --> 01:59:55,120
Speaker 1: are important. Um okay, but you you didn't. You don't

2062
01:59:55,160 --> 01:59:57,320
Speaker 1: seem like you're dying to get back in coaching. I

2063
01:59:57,360 --> 01:59:59,160
Speaker 1: guarantee we lost your job. Is plenty of people have

2064
01:59:59,200 --> 02:00:01,880
Speaker 1: reached out, want to run my offense? Hey you want

2065
02:00:01,880 --> 02:00:04,800
Speaker 1: to work my Yeah, well why take this time to

2066
02:00:04,880 --> 02:00:10,200
Speaker 1: step away? Man? Instance, First of all, Alas who emotionally

2067
02:00:10,320 --> 02:00:13,920
Speaker 1: wasn't ready like I mean, I don't. I'm not really

2068
02:00:14,000 --> 02:00:18,160
Speaker 1: like a sweet and cuddly guy, but I'm just being honest. Like, emotionally,

2069
02:00:18,720 --> 02:00:20,480
Speaker 1: I was not ready to get get back and I

2070
02:00:20,600 --> 02:00:24,360
Speaker 1: had some conversations with people, and you know, they were

2071
02:00:24,400 --> 02:00:28,600
Speaker 1: ready to move on on some head coaching jobs and

2072
02:00:28,600 --> 02:00:31,120
Speaker 1: and I just told him, I said, I can't. I

2073
02:00:31,160 --> 02:00:35,440
Speaker 1: can't be ready to do that next week. And there's

2074
02:00:35,520 --> 02:00:38,240
Speaker 1: just a process I needed to go through. It's been

2075
02:00:38,240 --> 02:00:41,080
Speaker 1: great for me that my team is no longer the

2076
02:00:41,160 --> 02:00:45,760
Speaker 1: number one team in this house. That it's uh, you know,

2077
02:00:46,000 --> 02:00:50,120
Speaker 1: my fifth grade daughter's Lady Diva basketball team or my

2078
02:00:50,360 --> 02:00:54,920
Speaker 1: fourteen year old club volleyball can you or my or

2079
02:00:55,000 --> 02:00:58,720
Speaker 1: my third graders wreck volleyball team, like those are the

2080
02:00:58,720 --> 02:01:01,720
Speaker 1: most important teams and that's the US. And if you

2081
02:01:01,760 --> 02:01:04,160
Speaker 1: ask my kids, they'll tell you they miss Heaven and

2082
02:01:04,280 --> 02:01:08,720
Speaker 1: they miss my team. But um, I'm enjoying being a

2083
02:01:08,760 --> 02:01:13,840
Speaker 1: part of their team. And um, you know, I if

2084
02:01:13,880 --> 02:01:18,440
Speaker 1: the right people that I'm aligned with come along, I'm

2085
02:01:18,440 --> 02:01:23,080
Speaker 1: talking about that we have similar values and um, it's

2086
02:01:23,080 --> 02:01:25,760
Speaker 1: in the right you know, look, all the things kind

2087
02:01:25,760 --> 02:01:28,640
Speaker 1: of line up. I'm more concerned with who I'm paired

2088
02:01:28,680 --> 02:01:30,320
Speaker 1: with and who I'm teamed with and I am the

2089
02:01:30,400 --> 02:01:33,640
Speaker 1: size of the waper and if those things come along,

2090
02:01:34,240 --> 02:01:37,080
Speaker 1: then I'll be darned interested to go down the road

2091
02:01:37,400 --> 02:01:41,560
Speaker 1: in that in that direction. Um, just to see see

2092
02:01:41,560 --> 02:01:45,200
Speaker 1: if I'm getting back in the give me one kid.

2093
02:01:45,480 --> 02:01:50,160
Speaker 1: We're gonna wrap this in one kid who because I

2094
02:01:50,160 --> 02:01:54,320
Speaker 1: do think that the whole process is what's important to you, right,

2095
02:01:55,760 --> 02:01:57,680
Speaker 1: one player like this. This is the guy who I

2096
02:01:57,720 --> 02:02:03,080
Speaker 1: brought in Memphis TCU. Even go back to Illinois State

2097
02:02:03,760 --> 02:02:07,920
Speaker 1: or DT and you should see what he is now.

2098
02:02:08,600 --> 02:02:10,880
Speaker 1: And it may not be because of what you did,

2099
02:02:10,960 --> 02:02:13,240
Speaker 1: but because of the person that you saw and the

2100
02:02:13,280 --> 02:02:18,920
Speaker 1: process that he went through. Yeah, I mean that's you know.

2101
02:02:19,160 --> 02:02:21,920
Speaker 1: For me, the first one that comes to my mind

2102
02:02:22,040 --> 02:02:26,040
Speaker 1: is Joseph Turner. Joseph Turner played telec for US at TCU.

2103
02:02:26,240 --> 02:02:29,240
Speaker 1: I was the running back coach and then became the coordinator.

2104
02:02:30,040 --> 02:02:34,040
Speaker 1: And I think it was because Joseph he's a head

2105
02:02:34,040 --> 02:02:38,080
Speaker 1: coach over in Fort Worth now. Actually, I we signed

2106
02:02:38,160 --> 02:02:41,000
Speaker 1: one of his players at Virginia Tech. He's playing at

2107
02:02:41,080 --> 02:02:43,840
Speaker 1: Virginia Tech now, and I'm just telling you he came

2108
02:02:43,840 --> 02:02:46,840
Speaker 1: to Virginia Tech because Joseph went in there and said

2109
02:02:47,120 --> 02:02:51,480
Speaker 1: coach Flinte cares about what's right, and for me it

2110
02:02:51,640 --> 02:02:53,919
Speaker 1: was I don't know that I helped Joseph do anything

2111
02:02:54,960 --> 02:02:59,160
Speaker 1: other than I listened, and Joseph had so many things.

2112
02:02:59,760 --> 02:03:03,280
Speaker 1: You emotional he was. He was never on a list,

2113
02:03:03,280 --> 02:03:07,040
Speaker 1: He was never in trouble. But you know he always

2114
02:03:07,120 --> 02:03:08,920
Speaker 1: kind of in his heart wanted to go back home.

2115
02:03:09,800 --> 02:03:12,280
Speaker 1: You know, he was always homesick, or he was always

2116
02:03:12,280 --> 02:03:15,200
Speaker 1: didn't like store, or he didn't like whatever. And like

2117
02:03:15,520 --> 02:03:18,440
Speaker 1: he's coaching other young people now right Like he's got

2118
02:03:18,480 --> 02:03:21,520
Speaker 1: somebody in his office right now saying I want to quit,

2119
02:03:21,840 --> 02:03:24,240
Speaker 1: or I want to go home, or or this is

2120
02:03:24,280 --> 02:03:27,120
Speaker 1: too hard, or this stinks, or my mom's not doing

2121
02:03:27,120 --> 02:03:30,520
Speaker 1: well or whatever it is. And I hope that there's

2122
02:03:31,040 --> 02:03:33,440
Speaker 1: was one second of that interaction that he thinks of

2123
02:03:33,720 --> 02:03:36,640
Speaker 1: all those conversations that we had, you know, that help

2124
02:03:36,720 --> 02:03:40,000
Speaker 1: him with the next generation of kids, that that struggle

2125
02:03:40,080 --> 02:03:44,760
Speaker 1: with whatever it is it's out there. If if Hennon

2126
02:03:44,800 --> 02:03:49,200
Speaker 1: wins the High Smool Trophy, well, well what would you

2127
02:03:49,240 --> 02:03:52,400
Speaker 1: feel emotionally? I'll be happy for him. There's not a

2128
02:03:52,400 --> 02:03:56,720
Speaker 1: better family out there. His mom is daddy, brother, sister,

2129
02:03:57,760 --> 02:04:00,920
Speaker 1: and he's a good kid. Well, I'm telling you, and

2130
02:04:00,960 --> 02:04:04,720
Speaker 1: he is talented and it was never about that. There

2131
02:04:04,720 --> 02:04:07,080
Speaker 1: were some things that happened in his time there that

2132
02:04:07,200 --> 02:04:09,560
Speaker 1: I think he's you know where. I hope that he's

2133
02:04:10,320 --> 02:04:14,200
Speaker 1: um gotten even down. It feels good about and Josh

2134
02:04:14,280 --> 02:04:17,280
Speaker 1: hypeldersners a tremendous amount of credit for what he's done.

2135
02:04:17,320 --> 02:04:19,000
Speaker 1: It's kind of an interesting deal. I was thinking about.

2136
02:04:19,040 --> 02:04:23,000
Speaker 1: This is like Josh hyperl Winston National Championship as a

2137
02:04:23,040 --> 02:04:26,720
Speaker 1: transfer quarterback, Like, but John Blake had been there and

2138
02:04:26,720 --> 02:04:29,480
Speaker 1: recruited some really good players and then stoops after two

2139
02:04:29,520 --> 02:04:33,040
Speaker 1: years when I said, hypool is gonna transfer quarterback? But

2140
02:04:33,080 --> 02:04:36,160
Speaker 1: the previous coach had recruited some good players, and now

2141
02:04:36,240 --> 02:04:38,760
Speaker 1: he's like, is it gonna repeat itself? It looks like

2142
02:04:38,840 --> 02:04:42,080
Speaker 1: a mine because there's no slowing them down right now.

2143
02:04:42,120 --> 02:04:44,920
Speaker 1: But um, that's a long way of me saying I'll

2144
02:04:44,920 --> 02:04:49,200
Speaker 1: be I would be thrilled for him and his family,

2145
02:04:49,240 --> 02:04:53,600
Speaker 1: and I'm happy that he's found the balance and what

2146
02:04:53,640 --> 02:04:56,520
Speaker 1: it is that he's that he's looking for and ultimately

2147
02:04:56,560 --> 02:05:01,720
Speaker 1: having great success. If people ask how you are right,

2148
02:05:02,280 --> 02:05:06,040
Speaker 1: and you know, Eric, you know, and and like you said,

2149
02:05:06,080 --> 02:05:11,360
Speaker 1: there's different stages of it. How would you characterize if

2150
02:05:11,400 --> 02:05:14,200
Speaker 1: you're being honest with people and you run walk into

2151
02:05:14,400 --> 02:05:16,520
Speaker 1: a football guy, you know, you have a volleyball game

2152
02:05:16,560 --> 02:05:19,480
Speaker 1: and you see, you know, one of the TCU s

2153
02:05:19,600 --> 02:05:21,920
Speaker 1: MU coaches they got a daughter that's in volleyball and

2154
02:05:21,960 --> 02:05:25,600
Speaker 1: they go, hey, man, how are you doing? What's your ound? Stansford? Yeah,

2155
02:05:25,720 --> 02:05:30,880
Speaker 1: I'm great, and um, I'm excited about whatever comes next.

2156
02:05:30,920 --> 02:05:34,600
Speaker 1: I don't really know what it's going to be, right, Um,

2157
02:05:34,640 --> 02:05:37,040
Speaker 1: it'll be it'll be something, but it doesn't have to

2158
02:05:37,080 --> 02:05:42,680
Speaker 1: be anything, which is kind of cool. Um, but I'm

2159
02:05:42,720 --> 02:05:47,120
Speaker 1: really happy right Like, my kids are really important to

2160
02:05:47,160 --> 02:05:51,920
Speaker 1: me and they have sacrificed a lot um because of

2161
02:05:51,960 --> 02:05:54,720
Speaker 1: my profession. They've got to do some cool things too,

2162
02:05:55,040 --> 02:05:57,280
Speaker 1: but they but they but they've sacrificed a lot and

2163
02:05:57,320 --> 02:06:01,080
Speaker 1: for me to be a part of it and is

2164
02:06:01,080 --> 02:06:04,600
Speaker 1: pretty rewarding for me. And we'll see how it goes

2165
02:06:04,680 --> 02:06:08,320
Speaker 1: and will adapt and adjust with whatever happens in the future.

2166
02:06:08,360 --> 02:06:11,640
Speaker 1: But I'm I'm awesome. I cannot tell you how much

2167
02:06:11,640 --> 02:06:13,960
Speaker 1: I appreciate all this time and the the insight that

2168
02:06:14,520 --> 02:06:17,680
Speaker 1: so fewer will ever provide. And I would tell you

2169
02:06:17,720 --> 02:06:21,360
Speaker 1: that when you get that opportunity again, like if you

2170
02:06:21,480 --> 02:06:29,160
Speaker 1: just open, if you just you like help. No, that's

2171
02:06:29,200 --> 02:06:31,600
Speaker 1: the whole thing, right, It's finding a place. It's no

2172
02:06:31,680 --> 02:06:33,440
Speaker 1: different to my job. Right, finding a place where you

2173
02:06:33,480 --> 02:06:35,880
Speaker 1: can be yourself. And like you said, the alignment with

2174
02:06:35,880 --> 02:06:38,440
Speaker 1: with people who are aligned think the way you think.

2175
02:06:38,560 --> 02:06:42,320
Speaker 1: Like that's the whole deal. And but there's no doubt

2176
02:06:42,400 --> 02:06:45,000
Speaker 1: in my mind that that's one of the elements that

2177
02:06:45,120 --> 02:06:50,080
Speaker 1: was probably missing at times of Virginia Tech because this

2178
02:06:50,120 --> 02:06:53,320
Speaker 1: is who we are, and you know that's that's what

2179
02:06:53,440 --> 02:06:57,880
Speaker 1: wins people as what winds. Anyway, I really appreciate it.

2180
02:06:57,960 --> 02:06:59,760
Speaker 1: I'm gonna hit you up when I get to Dallas

2181
02:07:00,240 --> 02:07:03,560
Speaker 1: and we'll break bread and pro awesome. Please, dude, I

2182
02:07:03,600 --> 02:07:07,600
Speaker 1: appreciate you asking. It's my pleasure. And if you come

2183
02:07:07,640 --> 02:07:09,600
Speaker 1: to Dallas and don't hit me up, I'll be paid.

2184
02:07:09,640 --> 02:07:11,840
Speaker 1: I will. I will. I will make sure because it's

2185
02:07:11,840 --> 02:07:13,560
Speaker 1: your talents that means you by the meal. That's the

2186
02:07:13,560 --> 02:07:23,440
Speaker 1: way it works. That sounds good. Thanks. I know, Look,

2187
02:07:23,440 --> 02:07:27,640
Speaker 1: I know that was a lot, but man, I can't think.

2188
02:07:27,680 --> 02:07:32,120
Speaker 1: I can't think Coach Wente enough. And we're not like boys.

2189
02:07:32,160 --> 02:07:34,880
Speaker 1: We just become friends and we I think some of

2190
02:07:34,920 --> 02:07:37,839
Speaker 1: the things in life and coaching and sports were aligned

2191
02:07:37,840 --> 02:07:40,120
Speaker 1: on and you know, it's one of those people you

2192
02:07:40,120 --> 02:07:42,880
Speaker 1: meet along your path and you I like and I

2193
02:07:42,920 --> 02:07:46,200
Speaker 1: respect him. Now, of course I called my friend. I

2194
02:07:46,360 --> 02:07:48,880
Speaker 1: really like and respect him, and I think you do too.

2195
02:07:49,080 --> 02:07:51,240
Speaker 1: I wonder when he'll and where he'll be on the sideline,

2196
02:07:51,240 --> 02:07:53,520
Speaker 1: but I'm glad he's found balance on time with his

2197
02:07:53,640 --> 02:07:57,560
Speaker 1: kids during his at least year away from coaching. So

2198
02:07:57,600 --> 02:07:59,960
Speaker 1: my thanks to Justin point reminded the Doug Otlip Show

2199
02:08:00,080 --> 02:08:02,880
Speaker 1: daily three to five Eastern. There's the in the Bonus podcast,

2200
02:08:02,920 --> 02:08:06,440
Speaker 1: which is unfiltered one hour of sports talk that drops

2201
02:08:06,480 --> 02:08:09,840
Speaker 1: every day for the third hour that's between five and six,

2202
02:08:09,840 --> 02:08:12,320
Speaker 1: but you can always pick it up on your I

2203
02:08:12,400 --> 02:08:14,960
Speaker 1: Heart radio app or Fox Sports treat dot com or

2204
02:08:14,960 --> 02:08:18,360
Speaker 1: wherever you download this podcast. Um, a little more hoops

2205
02:08:18,480 --> 02:08:21,680
Speaker 1: on your way coming. But if you like it, make

2206
02:08:21,720 --> 02:08:24,320
Speaker 1: sure you tweet it out, put it out on Facebook,

2207
02:08:24,480 --> 02:08:29,480
Speaker 1: on Instagram, whatever. Be sure to review it, subscribe, rate, review, downloaded,

2208
02:08:30,320 --> 02:08:31,920
Speaker 1: just make it part of your day. My thanks to

2209
02:08:31,920 --> 02:08:34,040
Speaker 1: you for listening. My thanks to coach Monday for joining me.

2210
02:08:34,640 --> 02:08:36,800
Speaker 1: That was really good. Three parts. You learned a lot

2211
02:08:36,840 --> 02:08:40,280
Speaker 1: about a man, a lot about uh college football, and

2212
02:08:40,400 --> 02:08:45,120
Speaker 1: about how things actually happened even if they're not reported fully,

2213
02:08:45,200 --> 02:08:49,080
Speaker 1: and how they happen right. It was fascinating stuff. Thanks

2214
02:08:49,080 --> 02:09:07,720
Speaker 1: for listening. I'm Doug Gotlie. This is all the number, temper, temper, temper, temper,