Committed by DJ Foster: D1 Football Director, the NFL, and Running Your Own Race

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I had this incredible college career and I ended up going undrafted.
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I'm almost for gold going to the NFL.
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I'm a s extremely high value athlete at my institution, but the value does not always translate and correlate.
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This is a blessing.
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It's an honor to be in this space.
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You worked hard for this space, but don't let this journey control you.
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The NIL can give you a huge head start, but it also can hinder you if it's not managed properly.
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This game doesn't last forever.
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No matter what your arena is, no matter what sport you play, we all retire.
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We all are former something.
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Being a former something is harder than that.
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But you've been for 20-something years in your life.
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What does it really take to make it to the next level in the sports?
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And is it worth it?
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And it's quite good.
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But none of that can be me.
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And trust me, most of it was a good room.
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Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Committed Podcast.
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I'm your host, Kay Fitzgerald.
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And as always, we have another very, very special guest who's gonna get into everything for basically any listener today, which is always my favorite type of episode.
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In fact, we're gonna talk about the dream because the dream isn't always making it to Division I football or the NFL.
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The dream is becoming the kind of person who thrives long after the game ends.
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Today's guest has seen college athletics from just about every angle.
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DJ Foster was one of the nation's top football recruits, started at Arizona State, played in the NFL, and even won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots, which is just incredible.
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Today he's back at ASU, where he has developed student athletes through leadership, career preparation, and mental health initiatives.
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Through his work with Radical Hope, DJ is helping change the conversation around mental health by equipping athletes with the tools to build resilience both on and off the field.
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In this episode, we're talking about the reality of Digivis I football today, recruiting advice for the next generation, leadership, mental health, and preparing for life beyond sports.
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Please welcome DJ Foster.
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What an intro.
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That was smooth.
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Can't wait to talk about it.
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You got a long intro.
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I love it.
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No, I appreciate you having me.
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This is exciting.
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I love this platform and what you're doing and just bringing light to a lot of different topics.
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You know, we always talk about, you know, student athlete, and that is such a broad term now with so many resources and so many things that these student athletes can have, you know, have access to.
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But um, there's so many different things that are in between those stages of becoming the full student athlete that I think are important.
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So kudos to you.
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Thank you very much.
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Well, I appreciate that.
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But I'm excited to have you on because, like you said, student athlete means so many things nowadays.
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Yeah.
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And you know it from every angle, clearly from our introduction.
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But not only that, you know it from being a coach, being involved, but your own story.
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Because when someone introduces you today, as I just did, what's really the title that you think means the most to you?
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Is it athlete coach, director, or just none of the above?
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Oh, this sounds cliche, but I think, you know, husband and father first.
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You know, I think those are two titles that um mean everything to me.
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And I what I love too in these last couple years of my uh transition back into college athletics, I've gotten married, I've had children.
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So I'm also living this like part two of life in front of these guys.
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So it's special for me because we talk about, you know, being a student athlete and this game doesn't last forever.
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No matter what your arena is, no matter what sport you play, um, we all retire.
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We all are former something, former volleyball player, former football player.
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So getting them to understand that there are certain titles in life, being a father, husband, um, brother, sister, whatever it may be, like understanding like those are some hats you're gonna wear that are so important and that you'll carry with you for your throughout your whole journey.
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So I think those are important is like we're we want you to be the best student athlete you can be, but we also want to teach these guys to be good men, to be good husbands, to be good fathers.
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Some are actually already fathers.
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So helping them understand this, you know, of carrying these different titles and balancing all these different things that uh you are in this chapter of your life.
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So husband, father, and then I would say coach.
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I the guys don't call me coach, they just call me DJ.
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Um, I you know, I like to be very formal, not very formal with these guys.
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Like, hey, I'm I'm I'm one of you guys.
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I'm I've been in the locker room.
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Um, kind of big brother.
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They some college call me uncle.
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I hate that I'm the old guy now.
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So awesome, especially with the 18-year-olds coming in at high school.
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I know.
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They're like, what you have kids?
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I know, and I have to make these profiles for them and stuff, and I'll see like the date of birth, like 2006.
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I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm kidding.
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My little brother, he's going to college with me in 2007, and I was like, You should be doing it.
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This is wrong.
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I know.
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Well, that's awesome.
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I love that.
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It's very true, and that's very much a theme of this whole podcast.
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And one of the other themes is getting started.
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I like to give background on the guests, um, just for those listening to help share your story because obviously everyone has such a unique story.
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So, one of I mean, the many accomplishments I read, you were one of the most highly recruited players in the country during your time out of high school.
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Looking back, what was that experience really like?
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And how does that compare to maybe a highly recruit today?
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Yeah, it's incredible.
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I mean, it's such a blessing and an honor to be in that light.
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Um, and it happens fast.
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That's what I see now with a lot of kids and recruiting.
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And now with social media, the spotlight is on these young athletes so quick.
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Um, but for me, it was, you know, just playing the love of the game, playing with my friends at the park, you know, playing because I just love playing football.
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And then all of a sudden, within a year, it goes from, you know, just playing to just have fun to like, wow, I can actually have an avenue to take this to another level.
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So it happened fast.
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Um, it was incredible.
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You know, met so many people in that journey in high school.
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And then also just realizing just what you mean to the community.
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You know, you start off in just your your high school, you know, and just being somebody that is, you know, representing for your local school, your local school district, your city, your community, um, to be able to highlight that and be able to shine who I was and my skills and my talents, and then also the people that helped me get there.
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Um, being able to use that at the same time, I think it's important too.
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But yeah, these this new era of student athletes, it's tough.
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I mean, it's a great honor, but sometimes with that comes a lot of responsibility too.
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And you start to see these kids get recruited at such a young age, you know.
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So when I meet with parents and stuff, when we're recruiting them, I say, Hey, like you can control this journey.
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Like, this is a blessing, it's an honor to be in this space.
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You worked hard for this space, but don't let this journey control you, you know.
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Yeah.
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Well, that makes a lot of sense.
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And first of all, it's great that you're in the room giving that type of advice, not saying, Oh, just come here.
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We'll give you like give you money, we'll do this.
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Come here, we'll help you out.
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But like giving it to the kids.
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I mean, nowadays there are restrictions.
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Could you explain that a little bit on like what age you could talk to people, how that actually works in the world of like the legal recruitment?
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Yeah, yeah.
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I mean, once you get into high school, I mean, it's kind of all gas, no breaks.
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There's a lot of different periods where you know, coaches can call, can text you, um, you know, show up at your school, meet with you, pull you from classes.
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So I went through all those things, you know, and sometimes it can be a little bit overwhelming.
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You know, you're in the middle of a social studies class, and next thing you know, you know, head Kenny Coach Dillingham's waiting in the head coach's football office, wanting to meet with you, talk to you, see you, say hello.
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So just understanding that timeline, um, it's exciting, but I get why it can be a little intimidating.
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I remember going through it too, is where, you know, it happens so fast.
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And again, it could be intimidating where you're getting calls, you're getting text messages.
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But I think our coaches and a lot of coaches across the country are doing a good job at just making sure like they're getting to know you as a person.
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And I think that's a big thing for us at ASU is like when we recruit a student athlete, like we want to get to know you as a full individual, not just the football player, like you know, your mom, your dad, what's your upbringing, what's your household look like, what are your other interests in life?
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So I think that helps kind of make the the process of the recruiting journey a little bit better.
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And I know a lot of great coaches do that out there.
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You just said so many points that I wish I could touch on.
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Like you mentioned for a kid, because they also probably look cool to their friends, right?
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It's like, hey, like this looks good.
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You want to you want to bask in it, but it's also making the right decision for your future.
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And it's a little more maybe pressure when you're trying to get recruited to if the parent supports, if the parent doesn't support, you talked on that, how you want to get to know parents.
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I talk a lot about like social media different ways how a parent can actually really dictate an opportunity for a child.
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Can you talk on that a little bit more?
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Yeah, no, it's huge.
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I think um, I think to your point, like making sure the parents are involved in this.
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Parents have their own unique experience.
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They live life, they've gone through certain things.
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Some, you know, parents maybe played college athletics, some people, some parents may have not gotten past high school.
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So you have your parents' opinion, you know, about who they think their child is.
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Um, you have the outside sources of who they think their child is, of media, of local media.
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And it all happens so fast within two to three years.
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You know, you go from this just this unknown person to being put on this pedestal in this highlighted space.
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But yeah, I think parents pay such an intricate part in it.
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And I think for us is making sure the parent is comfortable in this journey too.
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It's like, hey, you're trusting us with your child too for the next four to five years that you have to be comfortable as well.
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So I think educating the parents as long as as well with the student athlete is is just as critical as anything.
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Um, because you're right, there's a lot of people pulling at you from different angles.
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You're competitive with social media.
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You know, how many stars are you?
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How many offers do you have?
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Now you're uh, you know, one of your teammates may have a couple more offers than you.
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So there's so many different things in this new era because of social media that has highlighted things.
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Um, that I think sometimes the main thing can get knocked off of like understanding to run your own race and not worrying about everyone else, everyone else's journey.
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Like your journey is your journey.
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It's specific to you.
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You can only choose one school, too.
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I don't care if you have 50 offers, you can choose one, you know, and making sure you're developing those relationships.
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Well, you just actually led directly into my next question.
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Okay, perfect.
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Because like you said, your journey is your own and knowing the main point, but not only like it's your own journey, but why are you actually going there?
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Is it for athletics, academics, is it for football?
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I just, you know, had a call with an athlete this morning who was like, Well, I want to study medicine.
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I'm like, well, maybe go D2, and you know, or like communicate that with your recruiting process.
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So when you were coming in, you had offers from programs across the country as well.
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And now you're talking with kids who have offers from programs across the country.
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You obviously chose to stay at home.
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Why did you choose that?
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Why was it the right decision?
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And what do you recommend maybe for people who are navigating that?
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Yeah, no, that's a great question.
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For me, I think ASU, I always, and this is what I tell our guys, and we'll get to this.
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I always say, what does life look like at 35, 45?
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And it takes a mature person, and it's very hard to ask in your 18-year-old self that, you know, what is my life gonna look like when I'm all done with this?
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What I want out of this college experience.
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But I'm glad that is one thing that I did when I was, you know, getting recruited.
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I said, you know, where do I want to start my family?
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Where do I want to see my phase two of life kind of unfold?
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And I thought about that, and I'm like, this community is awesome.
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I love the state of Arizona.
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I grew up here, um, going to high school here, and then also seeing the expansion of the valley.
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So I always saw there's gonna be so many opportunities here.
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And I always tell guys, like, you know, you make connections, you know, where you go to college, you make all these resources.
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And I've seen guys go to college to places where they may never go back to.
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Not saying that's wrong or right.
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Um, again, it's all about your unique experience and what you want out of the journey.
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But I always tell guys, like, think about where do you want to live?
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You know, you spend four years in a state in a city, you know, do you see yourself living there?
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Do you see yourself going back there to capitalize on some of these resources and connections you made?
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So I always had that in mind.
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Um, and of course, here I am in my 30s, living that phase two of life.
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And I'm really glad I made that decision because, like again, came full circle.
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I'm back here working at ASU.
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Um, and all these things that I get to enjoy in, you know, part two of my life of being a post-athlete and a former athlete, um, I get to reap those benefits now because I was able to engage with some of the relationships in this community.
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That's amazing.
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And that's very true.
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I think sometimes when you tell maybe an 18 to 21 year old, hey, where do I, you know, think about where you want to be at 35?
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I don't have to worry about that at all.
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Yeah.
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So when they come to you and say that, what do you say back?
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I I always make a make a pros and cons list.
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Like truly make a pros and cons list.
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You know, like you said, think about academics, think about um scheme, think about who your coaches is, who is a relationship.
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Um, think about what priorities and you know things that are important to you and your family.
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Are you hearing this from that coaching staff?
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You know, because these are the people that you're gonna be giving a lot of trust to for the next three to five years of your life, you know, making sure that you're on the same page with them.
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So I that's what's fun for me when I have recruits and we have recruits on campus.
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Like, I speak from experience.
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Like, of course, I want them all to come to ASU deep down, but I also want them to know the authenticity of like, hey, I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm gonna speak from my journey and my chapter.
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Um, but also the truth.
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And the truth is, like, not every place is for you.
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You have to understand what's important to you, but that takes time and that takes some, you know, looking yourself in the mirror and really having conversations with your parents, your family of like, okay, like, well, what is what matters most to me?
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And those are hard questions to ask an 18-year-old, you know.
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Yeah.
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But you have to ask that.
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You know, you have to sit there and think about that.
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Like, maybe you can't think of yourself at 35 years old, but like in that moment, like, what are some of the things that are important to you?
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And like, what do you want to see from that position coach, that head coach, all the outside support staff, your the teammates, the locker room, all those things.
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Like, go look.
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And it's also great advice for the parent to think about when they're guiding their kid through it.
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Like, if they're if you know, if the child's in a lucky enough situation where their parents are heavily involved in a positive way, like for that parent to say, oh, these are attributes or whatever we need to think of during their go ahead.
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No.
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No, I was gonna say, like, parents, you know, they know their child child better than most people, you know.
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Sometimes being young, like your parents know you better than you know yourself.
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So to your point, I think that's when parents can have um a great um influence on them to help them manage these thoughts.
00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:36.879
Cause like you said, it it's a lot to to navigate in such a quick amount of time, and parents can play a huge role in that of alleviating some of that stress and helping navigate those thoughts.
00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:43.840
Have you ever had a negative experience on the flip side where like a parent actually hurt a child by their involvement in a way?
00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:46.480
Yeah, I I think you see it, you see it quite often.
00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:58.639
I mean, uh and and it's funny now that I'm a parent, I think about all these things now when my children get older of like, I have my own opinions, my own beliefs, my own thoughts, especially being a former, you know, college and professional athlete.
00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:04.159
But I think sometimes parents have to remind, you know, themselves too, like this is your child's journey.
00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:11.360
They have to make mistakes, they have to ask questions, they have to venture out and figure out who they are in this new space.
00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:19.519
And again, I understand parents, they want to wrap them around their arms, keep them close to them, and making sure that, you know, no, there's no mistakes that happen.
00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:21.679
But well, as we know, that's part of being young.
00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:23.759
Um, you have to learn, you have to make mistakes.
00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:26.159
So I wouldn't say a necessary bad thing.
00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:38.159
I know it comes with a good heart and a good intention when parents kind of maybe consume sometimes the student athlete of just trying to not let them navigate the spaces the way they see it.
00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:39.600
And sometimes you have to let it go.
00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:40.960
Be next to them, be by their side.
00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:52.000
I'm not saying let them just run crazy and you know leave them out by themselves to figure out this journey, but it's okay to let them, you know, venture out and you know, see what they like, see what they don't like.
00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:54.639
Um, because they're entering a new phase of their life as well.
00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:58.720
Let them learn, let them fail, let them you know pick them up, but let them fall.
00:15:58.960 --> 00:15:59.919
Exactly, exactly.
00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:01.440
And and again, I get it.
00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:07.919
Uh, it's it's very hard as a parent now, like seeing the amount of resources and the amount of spotlight on these student athletes.
00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:08.320
It's crazy.
00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:13.440
I mean, you see kids in seventh grade getting recruited, getting put on you know, news articles.
00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:16.159
So I get I get the protection aspect of it.
00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:16.879
I really do.
00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:17.679
It's hard.
00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:23.759
It's crazy though, because there usually are guidelines around when a coach and an athlete can talk.
00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:26.559
So, how is that happening for a seventh grader?
00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:29.200
It's more just the social media aspect.
00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:43.279
Because now there's this whole nother avenue where, yeah, we may not be able to talk to the student athlete directly, but now the whole world knows a student athlete before maybe somebody can even contact them, before they even get into the space where they're at the recruitable age.
00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:49.039
But now they may have 50,000 followers on Instagram, and that comes with this amount of responsibility too.
00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:55.519
You have a following and you're in eighth grade because you're the next upcoming so-and-so in whatever respective sports.
00:16:55.600 --> 00:17:06.000
So, and especially football with the amount of seven-on-sevens, there's so many different avenues now where these kids are getting put on such a high spotlight at such an early age, which is great from a publicity standpoint.
00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:10.319
Um, it's great from a recruitable standpoint, but it also comes a lot of pressure too.
00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:15.440
Do you recommend that to a kid who's maybe like, or a parent who's listening, helping their kid get recruited?
00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:18.799
Like, I know we are gonna get into this a little later, but it's kind of not really fitting.
00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:24.720
Like, with recruitment, do you think that is a good like lane to take?
00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:27.200
Or how does how does recruitment work nowadays for you?
00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:28.960
Yeah, uh I think it's balanced.
00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:30.559
I think everything in life is balanced.
00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:36.240
I think the social media can be used for good, being able to, you know, promote your highlights, be able to get your name out there.
00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:40.880
Because you know, when I was 20 years ago, you almost had to rely on your high school coach to get you recruited.
00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:45.119
Well, who was your high school coach and what was his relationship to colleges and stuff?
00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:50.240
Now it's like, shoot, as a kid, like because of the you know, resources, you can promote yourself.
00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:53.680
But with that, you comes understanding of like how are you being promoted?
00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:54.960
What are you putting out there?
00:17:55.200 --> 00:18:06.720
Understanding your social media, like, okay, you may be posting your highlights, but also if I see you post, you know, you're out here doing crazy stuff, you know, being put on, you know, a live stream at a party doing stuff, it comes with responsibilities.
00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:08.319
Like everything is documented.
00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:26.160
So educating parents and players on that too, of like understanding like everything is being watched, um, and it can be used as a good way, but it also can you know hurt you and be a negative if you're not public publicizing yourself in a strategic manner, you know, and making sure that you know you want the world to see you who you truly are, not just a moment.
00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:32.880
Because get like we all know one moment gets caught on the screen, it gets caught on the film, and these cell phones, everyone has a cell phone.
00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:35.359
Um, it can all honestly hurt you in a negative way.
00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:48.319
Oh, yeah, I mean, I've seen people lose NIL deals and opportunities that posted a photo with sound that was like had an inappropriate sling in the song, or just even a cuss word, and then the brand was like, Can't do it.
00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:52.160
Sorry, and not even you take the post down, it was just like a hard no.
00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:53.440
So it's definitely a fact.
00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:55.839
To your point, things from 20 years ago.
00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:05.599
We see NFL guys, some things pop up on their Twitter that they posted when they were a sophomore in high school, and like sometimes it's hard is understanding like all these things can come back up.
00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:09.839
So, like, but I do think this younger generation is so much more aware of that.
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.319
For me in college, like Instagram, Twitter, all these things started started to kind of come about.
00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:15.680
It was just starting to happen.
00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:17.359
Now I think young, yeah.
00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:27.519
Now I think young people are taking it more of a professional approach where I think they're so aware of it because of how much they have to lose and the risk of posting the wrong thing or letting their guard down.
00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:29.599
Um, it can cost you in the the long run.
00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:34.160
And the well, talking about that in career is kind of twofold question for you.
00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:40.720
A little bit back more on yourself, like playing sports and throughout this whole conversation, it's clear a lot of life lessons are taught.
00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:48.960
Like recruitment not only teaches you know how to get recruited, all of that, but it also teaches life skills, how to sell yourself, how to go for a job, how to present yourself properly.
00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:58.880
Like, what is in your mind, like what is the lesson football taught you that still shapes how you lead today or your life today?
00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:02.319
I would say uh a big lesson is authenticity.
00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:06.319
Um, I think no matter what chapter of my life, always being true to yourself.
00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:12.880
Um, I think it's also important too, where we were talking about just young people now that I'm on the coaching end, they just know when you're BSing.
00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:14.160
They know when you're full of it.
00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:16.640
Um, I think they know when it's naturally not you.
00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:21.119
Um, and I think you always can win people over in the long run when you're being true to yourself.
00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:33.759
And I and especially in sport, even on the athlete side, whether you're an athlete or coaching, like there's situations that arise where it is very easy to try to act outside of who you truly are because the moment may call for that.
00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:40.000
But also if that's not truly who you are, I think people can can misjudge that, mislead it.
00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:41.440
It's like, ah, that's not really him.
00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:47.839
So it's important on the athlete side, but it's also important as a coach and somebody being around young people is to be your true self.
00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:51.440
And I think that benefits them in the long run because they got to see your vulnerability.
00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:53.759
They have to see you make mistakes too as a coach.
00:20:54.079 --> 00:21:00.559
They have to see you, you know, be accountable for things that, oh, coaches make mistakes too, teachers make mistakes, all those things.
00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:04.480
So I think being authentic to who I am always has helped me in each chapter.
00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:14.079
And I it may have not helped me to get to the destination right away where maybe I could have gotten to something quicker, but it always got to me, you know, how I wanted it to be.
00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:21.440
And then I think it it it happened more in the timeline of where it was more impactful to me by being true to myself.
00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:22.799
I completely agree.
00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:26.480
You know, and like you actually said, coaches, like it's vice versa.
00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:27.279
People can see.
00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:32.960
I know our team had problems often where we'd be like, Why you're clearly, you know, that doesn't make sense.
00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:33.680
Like what?
00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.079
You just kind of are there and then you lose respect.
00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:38.960
And that's what authenticity really brings is that respect.
00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:41.279
I know so many people where I'm like, you know what?
00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:45.920
S so and so is kind of a mean, but they like they know it, and that's just who they are.
00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:49.200
Not like they're just kind of that, they're like, Yeah, this is me.
00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:49.920
I agree.
00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:54.000
And I I even had I was I was closer to teammates where you're right.
00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:59.759
Like, I may have not agreed with you on a lot of things, and maybe you were a little blunt, but it's like I know who you are, I don't have to guess.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:00.400
Yes.
00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:01.519
I understand who you are.
00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:07.119
And at least I can I can deal with that and I can understand how to navigate that space because you're consistent with who you are.
00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:13.200
So I think that's important for any athlete and then anybody transitioning to the coaching, you know, space as well.
00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:13.839
Oh yeah.
00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:16.319
And you see it all the time in girls' sports, especially.
00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:17.519
That's a big thing.
00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:19.599
Yeah, your young daughter's one day.
00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:20.720
I know.
00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:22.400
That's that's lesson number one.
00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:23.440
Yeah, there you go.
00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:25.599
Well, you also talked about career.
00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:30.960
Um, and looking back, like what was something along those lines in the career that you didn't expect?
00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:45.279
Almost like if you could sit down with your 17-year-old self today and talk about kind of recruiting your career, what would you tell him and what would surprise him the most about like where college athletics is today and what happened in your life?
00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:46.640
Oh my goodness.
00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:49.039
Um, I just think running your own race.
00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:55.920
Like I would tell my 17-year-old self getting recruited to ASU, committing to ASU and starting my journey here, like, run your own race.
00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:59.759
Like college sports, sports in general, like it is a roller coaster.
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:02.480
College sports is a moving train, it will never stop.
00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:03.440
It just keeps going.
00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:06.880
And you're sometimes you're on the train, sometimes you get knocked off of it.
00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:14.640
Um, but just making sure you're just understanding the balance of your personal life and making sure that your personal life is balanced with your athletics.
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:20.799
Um, and I think that's just so important for young athletes to understand because sometimes sport won't love you back.
00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:26.799
We've all experienced it where it's like it can give you such amazing resources, such amazing opportunities.
00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:30.240
But just like any relationship, it's gonna go through its peaks and valleys.
00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:37.440
So making sure your personal life is balanced because when it does go through that dip, that's when you see these athletes, their identity gets so shaken.
00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:40.400
And they take it to such heart when the sport doesn't love you back.
00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:41.920
And it may be for a brief moment.
00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:46.000
You may not started that game, you may have gotten beat out, you may have gotten an injury.
00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:50.640
So it's like just be patient, be present in the moment, and just understand your own timeline.
00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:59.359
And I think that's the biggest thing, you know, for me in my career is like, you know, I had this incredible college career and I ended up going undrafted, you know.
00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:01.039
So I had to navigate that space too.
00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:05.279
I my senior year was my worst year out of my four years, which is almost reverse.
00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:09.039
You have this expectation to end your career at a high point.
00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:14.559
Mine was at a very low point where I almost, I almost for for go going to the NFL.
00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:17.359
My dad asked me, he was like, hey, like, do you still want to do this?
00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:28.559
He's like, I saw the the spark, the that light in your eye with football was kind of diminished because I had this traumatic senior year of various things that happened, you know, but that was my race.
00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:30.240
That was my journey and my story.
00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:32.799
And I said, it took me some while to figure that out.
00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:33.680
And of course I did it.
00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:37.839
And then six years later, I got to play in the NFL and make a great career and living.
00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:40.240
So not comparing my journey.
00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:43.200
Yeah, I mean, it was tough.
00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:44.000
It was tough.
00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:44.720
It really was.
00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:45.920
I made a position switch.
00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:49.599
So my senior year, I played a whole new position than I did the last three years.
00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:52.640
Learning a whole new playbook, learning a whole new language.
00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:54.559
Um, and I didn't have as much success.
00:24:54.720 --> 00:25:04.079
But what I learned in myself too, of just being a full athlete, of learning a new position, honestly, going through a lot of uh trials and error, going through a lot of hard times.
00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:19.440
I think once I got out of the like boohoo me and like kind of the sorrow of it, I realized I'm like, man, I'm more prepared for this journey than anything because I just went through such a hard time that I can prepare myself for this NFL and I'm I'm ready for it now.
00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:29.680
So it took me some time to talk to myself, and we'll go through some of the attributes I think that a lot of these guys and student athletes need um and things that we're teaching them with the radical health program.
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:32.160
Um, but just understanding who you are.
00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:34.880
What was it like?
00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:40.480
Just briefly touching on like how to actually get to the NFL, how did that work?
00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:42.000
Like, how was that connection?
00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:49.119
I know you know, for myself, outside of it, especially like beach volleyball is a whole different world if you're trying to play after college.
00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:51.759
So, what was it like for you?
00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:56.559
And like today, what advice do you give to maybe athlete who's like, okay, they're playing well senior year?
00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:57.519
Can you talk through that?
00:25:57.759 --> 00:25:58.000
Yeah.
00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:06.640
So to your point, I actually sit with all of our seniors and I kind of talk out like, hey, what this next five to six months looks like, taking this leap from college to the NFL.
00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:09.200
Um, for me, it's it, you know, it happens fast.
00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:12.559
You finish your last game, whether it's a bowl game, you find an agent.
00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:17.279
And now in this new era of college sports, these guys have agents already from the NIL perspective.
00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:19.839
So, how to pick an agent, I think that's a big one.
00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:23.759
And helping somebody, finding somebody credible to guide you in this next chapter.
00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:33.440
Um, and essentially you spend the next three months of training getting your body ready for either your pro day, um, your local pro day, or if you're blessed to get a combine invite, you get that as well.
00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:36.079
Um, so I had both had a combine invite for me.
00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:40.240
It was unique because I went to the combine as a receiver, even though I played running back.
00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:44.400
Um, so I had this unique, this unique kind of stamp on me.
00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:47.599
Like a lot of the NFL scouts didn't know what position I was.
00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:51.599
I was kind of this hybrid athlete where I played both.
00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:53.279
Um, I have film at both.
00:26:53.359 --> 00:26:55.119
So I was a unique situation.
00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:57.119
Long story short, the draft happens.
00:26:57.200 --> 00:26:58.480
I end up going undrafted.
00:26:58.559 --> 00:26:59.920
So there's seven rounds.
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:05.839
And then once that last uh pick is chosen, um, it kind of goes to the undrafted free agent chapter.
00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:07.599
So it happens right away.
00:27:07.839 --> 00:27:19.440
So within that, within 30 minutes of that last pick being called, I'm having conversations between my agent and any NFL team that kind of had me on their list of a priority free agent.
00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:25.680
So within 30 minutes, I had to decide between four different organizations to essentially try out for.
00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:29.519
Um, and when you're undrafted, not many people know this, you get to choose the team.
00:27:29.599 --> 00:27:31.519
When you're drafted, you're drafted.
00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:32.559
That team chose you.
00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:39.920
But when you go undrafted, say four teams have an interest in you, you actually get to decide which four which of those four teams you want to go to.
00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:41.759
So that's how I ended up at New England.
00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:44.000
Um, and then that was an incredible experience.
00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:44.319
Yeah.
00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:44.880
Yeah.
00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:47.440
So for undrafted is free agency, correct?
00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:49.279
Those are interchangeable.
00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:57.039
So they actually decide where I'm going, but you are, I mean, it was always explained to me like you could be dropped, traded, moved in like really quickly.
00:27:57.200 --> 00:27:58.400
Or how does that work?
00:27:58.720 --> 00:27:58.960
Yeah.
00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:07.359
So once you get into the space, so say you're undrafted, say you choose, like I chose New England Patriots, you go to a rookie mini camp and they can essentially release you after that.
00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:09.279
So you have about three phases of tryouts.
00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:10.960
You have like a rookie mini camp.
00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:18.880
If you make that, you get invited to the full mini camp and OTAs, off-season training activities with the whole team.
00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:21.279
Um, and then you essentially get a training camp invite.
00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:28.240
So once you get kind of through those three phases, the training camp invite's the big one where you actually have an opportunity to make the team.
00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:34.079
There's essentially a 90-man roster, and then those three to four weeks of training camp, it goes from 90 to 53.
00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:43.119
And that's when it gets a little bit um different logistics of there's practice squad, you know, you can get bumped, you can get released, and that gets to a whole nother space.
00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:50.319
But yeah, I mean, it's it's a long journey from, you know, the draft is, I believe, is in April, and then training camps in July, August.
00:28:50.480 --> 00:28:55.680
So you have this essentially six months of trying to try out and make a club.
00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:00.160
And while you're trying out for one team, you're also trying out for the rest of the teams as well.
00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:03.440
Um, because if you get cut, another team can pick you up as well.
00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:09.519
So that the the NFL chapter is very rigorous, it is very stressful too, if not handled properly.
00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:17.359
So, to your point, those are some of the things that I talk to our seniors about, like getting their mind prepped for like what this journey and this leap is about to come.
00:29:17.759 --> 00:29:24.799
And it's amazing because you just gave a great blueprint, but then once someone's in there, they have the resources and agents to help guide them.
00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:30.319
Um, but it's a great to understand that goal that maybe like a high school or college athlete's working towards.
00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:36.079
And you said something that's interesting now is that coming out of college, people have agents, and that's new.
00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:41.680
So I definitely want to touch a little bit because you do have insight on D1 football today.
00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:46.400
And as the assistant, basically AD for um player development, right?
00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:48.960
You just a little background for everyone listening.
00:29:49.119 --> 00:29:51.440
He helps student athletes transition into college.
00:29:51.599 --> 00:29:59.759
You incorporate the radical hope programming, we'll get to, but you focus on everything you just talked about resilience, emotional wellness, connection, and just like coming in.
00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:01.519
So you understand the ins and outs.
00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:05.599
Today you're developing athletes necessarily not competing anymore.
00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:12.640
So, how does your definition of leadership change when you're in this new world of academics and athletics?
00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:32.160
Yeah, uh I think, like you said, the whole kind of flow of my job is getting an 18-year-old freshman or maybe a transfer that's on its third institution, like getting them embraced and incorporated into the ASU community, getting them to understand skills and attributes, I think to be the best versions of themselves as a college student athlete.
00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:36.960
And then there's that chapter, and then getting them to essentially get ready for phase two of life.
00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:43.440
So I kind of have two jobs, and depending on where you're at in that system, as a young player or an older player getting ready to transition.
00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:46.400
Um, my leadership's very different for both of them.
00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:56.160
The attention a freshman may need of figuring out where his Calm 101 class is to a senior getting ready to like, hey, I've had three years of success.
00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:58.720
I have all these different people pulling from me.
00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:00.720
Um, how do you build your team?
00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:02.000
Like, what does your team look like?
00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:03.200
Like we talked about agents.
00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:05.680
You know, you had an agent maybe representing you for NIL.
00:31:05.920 --> 00:31:07.920
So, how does that agent translate?
00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:10.319
Is he is he NFL PA certified?
00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.160
Is he licensed with the NFL?
00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:13.839
Can he represent you in that light?
00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:20.079
So there's so many different people in each player's circle that I think is important to understanding.
00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:23.920
So I've spent a lot of time with more most of our older guys of understanding your circle.
00:31:24.079 --> 00:31:25.359
Who are these people in your life?
00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:26.160
What do they do?
00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:27.680
What are their responsibilities?
00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:29.519
And then making sure you understand your team.
00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:31.039
You have to understand your team.
00:31:31.359 --> 00:31:32.319
That's amazing.
00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:36.480
Do you have any concerns with all because what you just described is a lot.
00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:39.119
Like when it is a lot, we can talk so long.
00:31:39.599 --> 00:31:40.160
It's so much.
00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:43.839
And college athletics used to be, you know, come get your degree and play your software.
00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:47.519
You know, obviously, if you go pro, you could go pro, but it's changed.
00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:49.839
And there's NIL, there's the transfer portal.
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.319
What does that actually look like in a D1 program today?
00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:59.359
It's a lot, like you said, there's just so many avenues these student athletes can take it.
00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:01.759
Um, there's a lot more people pulling at you.
00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:18.480
So I think, you know, the first thing's the most important thing, keeping the main thing, what is you're being a student athlete, getting your degree, handling your business as a student, um, and then being the best player you can be, whether it's football or another sport, because all those other things don't matter if you're not handling those two things.
00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:27.680
So I think that's the first thing that I think, and we try to do a good job here of making sure that you understand that your first responsibility is being a student athlete.
00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:39.039
There's marketing, there's branding, and there's a lot of stuff that you've done a great job at as well, where you can add those things, and there's the extra, there's the other phases of being a student athlete can come and all the resources.
00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:42.160
But if you're not handling those two things, none of that other stuff matters.
00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:44.400
You're not putting yourself in position to be successful.
00:32:44.559 --> 00:32:49.599
So I think just educating them on that and making sure that they prioritize those two things.
00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:57.039
And then once they establish that, getting them to help, helping them navigate that the extracurricular things, um, and just helping build their brand.
00:32:57.119 --> 00:32:59.200
And what does that even mean, building your brand?
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:02.880
Um, which you've done a great job at, and you have a lot of insight on that as well.
00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:04.000
I definitely agree.
00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:09.920
And do you think that with all this, do you have concerns or have you noticed issues around mental health for the students?
00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:18.799
I think the disappointment and the drop-off is so much greater now because the expect the expectation is so high.
00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:26.160
Like for me, if I was when I was coming out, I was on scholarship, which is a tremendous honor and a blessing, but I was broke.
00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:29.279
If I didn't make it to the NFL, I didn't know any other way of life.
00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:30.079
I was broke.
00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:33.359
And I would have to go get a job and figure out the next phase of my life.
00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:41.359
But these guys are going 70 miles per hour in college and they have a certain taste and have acquired a certain taste of a lifestyle in college.
00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:49.440
Now that 80K start, that$75,000 starting job salary for a job, that may be a pay cut for them.
00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:59.920
So understanding like the real world in this, I don't want to call it fantasy because it is very real for these college athletes, but they live in this unique bubble that I think is so unique to them.
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:01.519
Um, but that's also all they know.
00:34:01.680 --> 00:34:07.839
So, as my job is as an adult that has experienced these different lanes of life, is like, hey, this is a unique opportunity.
00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:13.920
Like, life is not like this on the outside from a resource standpoint and an expectation standpoint.
00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:32.000
So I do worry from a mental health standpoint, and this is why I really essentially got into this industry because I saw how hard it is, and I see my teammates, guys that have played 10 to 12 years in the NFL, have every dollar they have in the bank account, but are still transitioning and taking it so hard because it's your identity.
00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:35.199
The longer you play, that's the longer you become that person.
00:34:35.599 --> 00:34:43.519
Um, so I think, and I worry, and this is why I I love programs like Radical Hope and Radical Health of what they're doing to help build these guys up.
00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:51.360
So when that day comes when you hang that cleat up or whatever, the basketball, whatever it is, you're prepared because you have an understanding of kind of the full spectrum of life.
00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:52.880
But yeah, to your point, I am.
00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:53.519
It's hard.
00:34:53.599 --> 00:34:55.679
It's hard, and you can plan for it all you want.
00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:56.639
And I did too.
00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:57.920
I'm like, oh, I understand.
00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:04.639
Like, I don't want to be the statistic of you know being one of these former athletes that goes broke, loses his mind, and all these things.
00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:07.440
And that still hit me hard, even though like I was prepared for it.
00:35:07.519 --> 00:35:16.639
I had a great community, the emotional trauma of having that breakup or something that you all you knew was that sport and all your relationships, your identity was in that.
00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:20.159
So helping them build in this chapter those other things.
00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:28.000
Well, also with identity, it's how you kind of rate yourself so much of sport, and now at a college level, everything's a statistic.
00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:30.559
From the followers you have, how do you play?
00:35:30.800 --> 00:35:32.719
Everything's tracked, everything's a statistic.
00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:42.400
You're graded at your schoolwork, you're graded on your involvement in extracurriculars and your involvement, how much money you make on NIL, like everything is, and then that immediately drops.
00:35:42.559 --> 00:35:45.199
Even myself, like you said, we bonded over this before.
00:35:45.360 --> 00:35:49.840
Where like I finished and I had all the resources, I was well aware of sport was ending.
00:35:49.920 --> 00:35:52.079
I was happy actually for my sport to end when I was done.
00:35:52.159 --> 00:35:52.719
I was done with it.
00:35:52.800 --> 00:35:54.079
I was like, you know, I'm ready for this.
00:35:54.480 --> 00:36:09.119
It was still so hard because that jersey's gone, and something about like the way people look at you, all these things change overnight, and nothing about you actually changed, other than like you're just out of eligibility, you just can't work anymore.
00:36:09.360 --> 00:36:12.960
I would, you know, most people would if they could, but it doesn't work that way.
00:36:13.119 --> 00:36:16.960
So the identity loss, and now kind of it sounds like through radical hope.
00:36:17.119 --> 00:36:27.280
I mean, you've worked with athletes to build that resilience before they reach the crisis for, and it sounds like proactive mental health is very important in sports from your mind.
00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:33.760
What are ways people can be proactive while they're an athlete to prevent maybe hitting that crisis or confusion?
00:36:33.920 --> 00:36:37.360
I mean, it will never go away, but what are it won't?
00:36:37.519 --> 00:36:38.719
I think that you said it exactly.
00:36:38.880 --> 00:36:39.599
It'll never go away.
00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:47.440
Like you said, you had an incredible career, had all these things that are going for you, and you still were sad because it's it's it's an adjustment, and that's okay.
00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:52.320
So, part of the thing I teach our seniors too is like I call it um, you have to mourn.
00:36:52.400 --> 00:36:54.000
You have to have a chapter of mourning.
00:36:54.239 --> 00:36:57.920
You can't stay in it too long, but you have to make peace with that sport.
00:36:58.159 --> 00:36:59.280
You have to make peace with that.
00:36:59.360 --> 00:37:08.239
Because what I see a lot of athletes do, they have this hatred in their heart, and it makes me so sad because they've gotten so many great memories from that sport, football, whatever it may be.
00:37:08.480 --> 00:37:15.760
But because it didn't end the way they wanted it to, or maybe how they envisioned it, it doesn't negate all the great things that it has given you.
00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:16.159
Right.
00:37:16.320 --> 00:37:19.440
So, like being able to mourn it, being able, again, it's a breakup.
00:37:19.519 --> 00:37:25.840
You have to be able to remember the good times, remember the bad times, and go through that mourning process to heal.
00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:26.559
Because it's hard.
00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:32.000
You don't want to just jump to the next chapter without, you know, kind of closing that chapter up and saying your goodbye to it.
00:37:32.079 --> 00:37:34.079
So there's a lot of different ways to do that.
00:37:34.159 --> 00:37:36.159
Um, and to your point, being proactive with it.
00:37:36.239 --> 00:37:43.199
And I think that's having real conversation in-house, you know, talking to you as a freshman, sophomore, junior about this is what life looks like.
00:37:43.280 --> 00:37:45.599
So when they do get to their senior year, it's not a surprise.
00:37:45.760 --> 00:37:55.199
So I think prepping them younger and having these real dialogues, having some of our seniors come back and having some of our alumni come back and talk to them of like, this is what it looks like to transition.
00:37:55.280 --> 00:37:56.159
This is what it felt like.
00:37:56.320 --> 00:37:58.239
This is some of the hard things that I went through.
00:37:58.400 --> 00:38:01.599
And for me, it's fun because I'm in this job, but I also lived it as well.
00:38:01.760 --> 00:38:08.239
So I get to share my own experience of it too, of going through the trials and errors of, you know, being a former something.
00:38:08.480 --> 00:38:12.880
Being a former something is hard when that's what you've been for 20 something years of your life.
00:38:13.119 --> 00:38:13.440
Right.
00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:15.119
Well, and it's pulling the lens out.
00:38:15.280 --> 00:38:16.400
I noticed that always helped.
00:38:16.480 --> 00:38:22.159
It's like pulling a lens out of, you know, even if you have a hard six months, hard year, you're still 22 years old.
00:38:22.800 --> 00:38:23.840
Yeah, 25 years old.
00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:30.159
Like that you in the long run, this six months of this year will prep you for whatever's next.
00:38:30.239 --> 00:38:36.480
Like, I even did that post-college, and where I thought I was going when I finished six months later, you know, completely pivoted.
00:38:36.639 --> 00:38:39.679
And so that's something that happens in turns.
00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:44.480
What is a conversation you wish every coach would have with their athlete?
00:38:44.639 --> 00:38:49.280
That's just kind of a one-question conversation around like helping that preparation.
00:38:49.440 --> 00:38:49.840
Yeah.
00:38:50.559 --> 00:38:54.960
I think the dialogue of, and our coaches do a great job of this, not to hype just ASU up.
00:38:55.039 --> 00:38:57.599
I think a lot of great coaches, a great coaches will do this.
00:38:57.840 --> 00:39:01.119
Find out who your athlete is outside of that sport.
00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:04.960
Having that di having come, how is your day?
00:39:05.119 --> 00:39:05.840
What are you doing?
00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:06.639
How's school?
00:39:06.800 --> 00:39:07.760
What are your interests?
00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:09.119
How's your girlfriend?
00:39:09.280 --> 00:39:10.159
How's your boyfriend?
00:39:10.320 --> 00:39:12.159
How are, you know, how's your parents?
00:39:12.320 --> 00:39:20.719
Like you develop this very authentic, um, very deep relationship in the recruitment process, but you can't lose that once they arrive on campus.
00:39:20.880 --> 00:39:29.920
You still have to have that dialogue because then that athlete knows, like, okay, you care about me as a person, you know, outside of whether I make that play on the field or I drop that pass.
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:44.480
I may have a hard game, I may have a bad practice, but if you continue to have those dialogues of like checking in on them as a human being and asking them how their day is going, how's all these other aspects of their life, I think that is a huge um way to do it.
00:39:44.559 --> 00:39:46.159
And again, it's just simple conversation.
00:39:46.239 --> 00:39:50.800
It's time, it's relationship, and it's just asking the right questions of who that person is.
00:39:50.880 --> 00:39:53.119
And you and they know their student athletes better than anybody.
00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:54.320
They spend the most time with them.
00:39:54.480 --> 00:40:07.199
So it's like, you know, unique questions, ask those questions, you know, if they're having a hard time, you know, and and I will say this I think college coaches are so much more aware of the mental health aspect because of just the pressure these student athletes are under.
00:40:07.280 --> 00:40:08.320
Um, it has grown.
00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:09.599
The spotlight is bigger.
00:40:09.679 --> 00:40:23.840
So I think our coaches have to wear kind of multiple hats where yes, you're their coach on the field, but you're also a huge, you know, mentor, a huge guiding person in their life to make sure that they're living a balanced life and that they're okay and you know that they're they can handle all these things as well.
00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:31.760
Well, and I think the culture around sports has changed compared to you know, get on the line, run, you suck, you know.
00:40:32.079 --> 00:40:35.360
So now it has to be more because people are just breaking down.
00:40:35.519 --> 00:40:37.039
I mean, so many people say different things.
00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:41.760
Obviously, you have people who gave feedback like people are soft now, tough enough, like differences.
00:40:42.079 --> 00:40:49.840
But I mean, it really is an 18-year-old coming in is having, like you said, social media pressure within the sports ball.
00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:55.519
$70,000 could be a pay cut, like that is very, very different to navigate.
00:40:55.679 --> 00:41:00.239
And not only that, I would even say a$75,000 job out of college is generous.
00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:01.199
Exactly.
00:41:01.679 --> 00:41:03.760
You know, like that, that's a generous start.
00:41:03.920 --> 00:41:07.760
I know many people who started at like forty to fifty thousand dollars out of college.
00:41:08.239 --> 00:41:35.920
So exactly like understanding that, and then also that transition into the real world of like this sounds so cliche, but out of college into like making your own food, like athletes are that is part of it that is very privileged and uh understood, you know, there's reasons for it, and it's wonderful, but it's all a transition and finding that identity to find joy in like doing laundry and making it a competition and accomplishment or whatever it may be helps there.
00:41:36.320 --> 00:41:38.719
Being self-sufficient, you gotta learn to be self-sufficient.
00:41:38.800 --> 00:41:48.719
I agree with you because you're right, they're getting food, they have meals all day, they have someone doing their laundry, so it's like now all of a sudden they're only they're dealing with the transition from sport, but like, how do I be a functioning adult?
00:41:48.880 --> 00:41:54.079
Yeah, I just came from a uh an environment where everything was kind of taken care of for me.
00:41:54.239 --> 00:42:04.480
So getting them to understand these things, you said it spot on, is just making sure that's realized and understood before they get to the end of the line of when they're like, oh, now I gotta jump into this.
00:42:04.559 --> 00:42:06.960
It's like kind of doesn't collapse all at once.
00:42:07.119 --> 00:42:08.880
Yes, yes, it's not one big blow.
00:42:09.199 --> 00:42:13.679
Do you think there's a difference between mentally tough and actually being mentally healthy?
00:42:14.079 --> 00:42:15.119
Yes, yes.
00:42:15.280 --> 00:42:21.199
I think there's some of there's so many athletes that I've played with too, and I've even had this conversation with myself.
00:42:21.440 --> 00:42:27.440
And I think mentally healthy, that that concept in itself, that is your balance of life.
00:42:27.519 --> 00:42:30.559
And I always go back to balance because I just think that's so important.
00:42:30.800 --> 00:42:44.639
Um, you can be mentally tough on the field, but if your personal life is in shambles and you're not keeping up with that, like mentally healthy is the full spectrum of all your lanes in life and making sure that you're taking care of all these different things.
00:42:44.719 --> 00:42:47.519
So like I tell our guys, like, hey, when's the last time you called your mom?
00:42:47.679 --> 00:42:49.039
Have you checked in on your family?
00:42:49.199 --> 00:42:50.400
Have you checked in on these people?
00:42:50.559 --> 00:43:02.159
Because you can get so consumed with sport and you think you're being mentally tough, and you may be on the football field and you know, you may be, like you said, have the stats, had a good game, but then all of a sudden you're like, Why am I feeling these emotions?
00:43:02.239 --> 00:43:03.039
I'm homesick.
00:43:03.199 --> 00:43:05.920
I miss my family, you know, excuse me.
00:43:06.079 --> 00:43:12.960
I miss, I miss being a young person because sometimes this level of football in sport requires you to grow up a little bit.
00:43:13.199 --> 00:43:22.559
So having those real conversations, and um, you know, I think implementing programs like Radical Hope um have helped us a tremendous amount of having this dialogue.
00:43:22.719 --> 00:43:26.800
It's all about dialogue, it's about creating a space to have these conversations.
00:43:26.880 --> 00:43:29.679
Um, and I think that's been the most beneficial for our student athletes.
00:43:29.920 --> 00:43:31.679
Do you want to share what radical hope is?
00:43:31.760 --> 00:43:36.000
So maybe someone listening who's interested in it could reach out or look into it.
00:43:36.320 --> 00:43:36.800
Absolutely.
00:43:36.880 --> 00:43:39.760
Um, and you can go to radical um radicalhope.com.
00:43:39.840 --> 00:43:47.119
It's a nonprofit essentially that has based their entire focus on mental health from the student perspective, young people.
00:43:47.199 --> 00:43:52.960
Um, and then we have crossed over as well into athletics because the student athlete is is a big thing right now.
00:43:53.039 --> 00:43:59.760
But essentially making sure that young people, no matter if you're in sport or if you're in just a student.
00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:04.239
And trying to navigate that space of life, just making sure you're equipped with the tools.
00:44:04.320 --> 00:44:08.639
I think a lot of people say mental health, but there has to be something that they can take with it.
00:44:08.719 --> 00:44:10.159
Like, okay, well, what is mental health?
00:44:10.239 --> 00:44:12.000
How can I work on my mental health?
00:44:12.159 --> 00:44:13.360
Like, what skills do I need?
00:44:13.440 --> 00:44:15.119
What are some exercises I can do?
00:44:15.280 --> 00:44:20.480
And I think Radical Hope has done an incredible job at that, has created an actual program.
00:44:20.559 --> 00:44:26.800
And what they do, they go around across the country to colleges, to small businesses and teach and implement this program.
00:44:26.880 --> 00:44:28.079
It's a four-week course.
00:44:28.400 --> 00:44:36.480
And it goes through some attributes of, you know, emotional intelligence, principles and priorities, how to deal with stress, and then having a game plan.
00:44:36.559 --> 00:44:39.199
So like those are kind of the four pillars of radical hope.
00:44:39.360 --> 00:44:40.719
And then we do that with our guys.
00:44:40.800 --> 00:44:46.320
Whenever we have a newcomer come into our team and organization, we put them through this process.
00:44:46.480 --> 00:45:04.159
So at least it catches them up to the foundation, kind of square one of like getting them to understand like you're going to go through a lot of challenges in this chapter, but now we're going to equip you with some skills and some tangible things where you can turn back to instead of just kind of being out there wondering, like, okay, I feel I don't feel right.
00:45:04.320 --> 00:45:07.519
I feel something's off, but what do I do from there?
00:45:07.679 --> 00:45:08.000
You know?
00:45:08.639 --> 00:45:09.280
That's amazing.
00:45:09.360 --> 00:45:21.679
And like you said, it sounds like the game plan, it helps translate in a language that maybe like a young athlete or young student can understand and less daunting, less like you know, less mental health daunting.
00:45:21.760 --> 00:45:24.400
Because it's the last go ahead.
00:45:24.960 --> 00:45:26.800
I was gonna say I'll add this to it too.
00:45:26.960 --> 00:45:34.800
What we do is all of our programs in small group settings, which is I which is something that I love because now you have a group of freshmen that just got here.
00:45:34.880 --> 00:45:35.920
You may have some transfers.
00:45:36.079 --> 00:45:44.000
So they get to have real dialogue um without the pressures of maybe, you know, coaches or outside people, like, hey, it's just them, myself in the room.
00:45:44.079 --> 00:45:46.480
It's very it's pure led, which is something that's fun.
00:45:46.559 --> 00:45:49.840
You can teach the programming and how to implement the curriculum to anybody.
00:45:49.920 --> 00:45:58.480
Um, it could be a GA, a graduate assistant, um, um an assistant coach, you know, somebody that can be with the players and help them go through this um program.
00:45:58.800 --> 00:46:05.840
And that's the biggest thing that I think is special about the radical hope program is like I get a chance to sit down with each of these student athletes right when they get here.
00:46:06.079 --> 00:46:07.519
We get to share real dialogue.
00:46:07.599 --> 00:46:09.199
They get to hear other stories.
00:46:09.280 --> 00:46:12.639
You know, we'll have a transfer that may have been out of this, maybe his third school.
00:46:12.800 --> 00:46:15.920
And you have an 18-year-old freshman that just got here who's been here for a week.
00:46:16.079 --> 00:46:19.360
So you get to have this dialogue with somebody that has experienced something.
00:46:19.440 --> 00:46:21.360
Um, you say, okay, I see it.
00:46:21.519 --> 00:46:22.960
I'm going through that right now.
00:46:23.039 --> 00:46:24.639
Um, and some things to be aware of.
00:46:24.719 --> 00:46:27.360
So it just creates good dialogue and a good environment for that.
00:46:27.599 --> 00:46:28.320
That's incredible.
00:46:28.480 --> 00:46:29.119
That's incredible.
00:46:29.280 --> 00:46:33.760
I, as an athlete and former athlete, agree that's like needed, it's necessary.
00:46:34.239 --> 00:46:34.719
Connection.
00:46:34.880 --> 00:46:38.559
And you actually made a good point that once again transitions into our next segment.
00:46:38.800 --> 00:46:48.000
But I want to call out is like the different atmospheres and being able to communicate on your team of like who did what and he's coming from here and that cultural like sharing.
00:46:48.239 --> 00:46:53.199
I mean, that's so important just in life, like to understand different backgrounds and different people.
00:46:53.440 --> 00:46:54.800
And it actually leads very well.
00:46:54.960 --> 00:46:59.920
The last section wanted to just ask you a few questions around is recruitment and then life after.
00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:02.239
So the before and after of college sports, right?
00:47:02.320 --> 00:47:03.840
We talked a little bit on recruitment.
00:47:04.559 --> 00:47:17.119
Question I wanted to ask is really the difference between transfer portal now versus without the transfer portal and how recruitment looks coming out of like kids out of high school versus recruiting out of the transfer portal.
00:47:17.360 --> 00:47:18.000
Yeah, yeah.
00:47:18.079 --> 00:47:22.639
You almost like you said, you have two different kinds of criteria of a young person.
00:47:22.719 --> 00:47:37.840
You know, you have an 18-year-old that's leaving mom and dad's house, and then you also have a newcomer that's just getting here that, like we talked about, maybe on his third school, who has maybe some scar tissue from a previous institution, may have a weird outlook on football of kind of where they belong.
00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:44.079
And then getting them both to get implemented to our culture as an Arizona State athlete and a football player.
00:47:44.239 --> 00:47:45.760
Um, that is the goal, right?
00:47:45.920 --> 00:47:48.079
Is getting them to understand, meet them in their space.
00:47:48.239 --> 00:47:51.360
And I think that goes back to relationships, understanding who they are.
00:47:51.519 --> 00:47:54.880
And this transfer portal, I mean, we have a spring transfer portal.
00:47:54.960 --> 00:47:58.719
We have one transfer portal after um in the first couple of weeks of January.
00:47:58.880 --> 00:48:00.480
It's almost like speed dating.
00:48:00.719 --> 00:48:05.440
So all these guys jump in the portal and you have maybe a week to get to know somebody.
00:48:05.679 --> 00:48:09.519
So it's very hard, it's very difficult to pick out the right people for your culture.
00:48:09.679 --> 00:48:12.880
And then once they do commit and get here, I mean, they've been here for two weeks.
00:48:12.960 --> 00:48:15.119
You got to get them into school, you got to get to know them.
00:48:15.360 --> 00:48:23.679
So I feel like that's where I can bring my value to of like helping them make this transition smoothly, um, helping them get caught up with like who we are.
00:48:23.840 --> 00:48:27.679
Like, cause they've been at two other schools, they may not know how we do things here.
00:48:27.840 --> 00:48:29.519
So yeah, it is very difficult.
00:48:29.599 --> 00:48:33.360
And I to your point, like the the transfer portal is is a very unique thing.
00:48:33.519 --> 00:48:35.840
It's amazing for these athletes to get another chance.
00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:38.239
I think that's awesome to get another opportunity.
00:48:38.480 --> 00:48:56.000
You only have so much time to play your respective sport, and you want to capitalize on that and make sure you, you know, live out your dreams and fulfill it, play as much as you can because you can't play forever, which we talked about previously, but also understanding how to navigate that space of entering a new environment, you know.
00:48:56.320 --> 00:49:11.599
Do you think there's any navigation where maybe it's not healthy to transfer three or four times and it's sometimes healthy to like you know, build resilience to get out, or like maybe your the coach is in the problem, it's just a bad game or something like that.
00:49:11.840 --> 00:49:12.320
Yeah, yeah.
00:49:12.400 --> 00:49:13.840
That's a million dollar question.
00:49:14.079 --> 00:49:16.159
Yeah, I know, I know, I didn't happy with that.
00:49:16.320 --> 00:49:17.360
I think you're spot on though.
00:49:17.440 --> 00:49:24.559
I think there's a fine line between running from your problems and figuring out why am I in this, why am I feeling this way?
00:49:24.719 --> 00:49:28.239
Um, and I keep going back to radical hope because these are some of the things we teach them.
00:49:28.320 --> 00:49:31.360
Like that emotional intelligence piece is so huge for life.
00:49:31.519 --> 00:49:40.559
And I tell our guys, like the lessons we teach, like take this throughout this chapter and wherever you go and navigate um in whatever space you're in, because you have to realize who you are.
00:49:40.719 --> 00:49:43.679
You know, if you don't understand, like you have to realize your emotions.
00:49:43.840 --> 00:49:46.719
Like something bad, a coach can yell at you one day.
00:49:46.800 --> 00:49:50.880
You know, you may be in a bad space with the coach and you're not getting the playing time you deserve.
00:49:50.960 --> 00:49:53.039
So it's like, okay, do I run away and transfer?
00:49:53.119 --> 00:49:55.599
Or do I try to figure out what I am doing wrong?
00:49:55.920 --> 00:49:57.840
Maybe I'm not doing something properly.
00:49:57.920 --> 00:50:00.639
How is he talking to my teammates and how is he talking to me?
00:50:00.800 --> 00:50:08.559
You know, there's so many different cues and things that you can, I think, realize as a student athlete or just an athlete in general, um, but you have to open up your blinders.
00:50:08.639 --> 00:50:18.639
If you stay narrow vision and just think that everything's uh out to get you, or like they're trying to put you down, there's lessons in all these different things, but you have to open your blinders.
00:50:18.800 --> 00:50:24.400
So those are some of the things we teach in the mental health aspect too of like, hey, like, where are you at in the situation?
00:50:24.480 --> 00:50:31.440
Okay, something bad or not, something you don't expect or not up to your plan of what you thought it was going to be.
00:50:31.679 --> 00:50:35.760
Let's navigate that first before running away and maybe shutting that chapter close.
00:50:36.079 --> 00:50:41.599
Then again, there's the flip side though, okay, too, of like, okay, you know, they brought in three new transfers.
00:50:41.760 --> 00:50:46.480
They they kind of have shown me that my value it may not long no longer be here.
00:50:46.719 --> 00:50:48.800
And you have to make those decisions as a young person.
00:50:48.880 --> 00:50:53.760
You have to navigate that and be like, there is more of a business aspect in college athletics now.
00:50:53.840 --> 00:51:00.880
And people can lie and they say it's still is still the student athlete experience, but there is a business aspect to it, and that is truth.
00:51:01.360 --> 00:51:01.920
Completely.
00:51:02.079 --> 00:51:06.239
I you said exactly what I mean I experienced and everyone experienced.
00:51:06.400 --> 00:51:16.320
Like, thank you for like the transparency on the business being there because it's there, you know, just like it's not in a sense, it's probably always been there a little bit, right?
00:51:16.719 --> 00:51:20.719
But it's more prominent and it's more clear now than it maybe used to be.
00:51:20.960 --> 00:51:23.119
And with the portal, like you, I agree.
00:51:23.280 --> 00:51:29.679
There was a time I wanted to enter it, and my parents were like, sorry, you can't, like, no, you know, with my life, it didn't make sense.
00:51:29.760 --> 00:51:32.639
I had opportunities at ASU outside of sport, yeah.
00:51:32.800 --> 00:51:42.239
And it taught me so much resiliency on like training when no one's watching, so many different things, and how sometimes it's just time, only time will get you to where you want to be.
00:51:42.400 --> 00:51:49.039
But I have other friends who transferred and it truly made a difference for them because they wanted to be closer to their family, they wanted XYZ.
00:51:49.280 --> 00:51:55.920
But you brought up an interesting point about value because that is something in college athletics.
00:51:56.000 --> 00:52:06.800
We've talked about being so valued, and that was a big trend life lesson for me transitioning out of sport, finding a job in a location and state where you're actually valued and you want to work hard.
00:52:07.440 --> 00:52:14.800
How is the business of sport changing in a way that actually maybe helps athletes better prepare for afterlife?
00:52:15.199 --> 00:52:16.960
Yeah, I'll use you as an example.
00:52:17.039 --> 00:52:25.119
I think you said it perfectly is okay, you had this thought of transferring, but you saw the value in all these other spaces of your life where like I see so many other values.
00:52:25.199 --> 00:52:27.599
So, like, there's one value with your sport, right?
00:52:27.760 --> 00:52:33.519
But there's one value in all these other things that you're developing and creating um in your uh extracurricular side of life.
00:52:33.679 --> 00:52:35.519
So I think that's an important point too.
00:52:35.599 --> 00:52:40.320
And I've talked to some of our guys, like that may have been that feeling of like, gosh, I should I transfer?
00:52:40.400 --> 00:52:45.360
But I love my school, I love my community, I love all the connections and resources I built.
00:52:45.519 --> 00:52:47.039
So not everything's monetarily.
00:52:47.119 --> 00:52:56.159
Like you may be saying, okay, this school may be paying you more, but look at the value that you've created and built in this community too, which can pay in the long run.
00:52:56.320 --> 00:52:58.320
So those are mature things to think about.
00:52:58.400 --> 00:53:03.360
You know, those are hard things for a 19, 21-year-old to think about, but that is the reality of it.
00:53:03.519 --> 00:53:05.599
Um, but yeah, I think so.
00:53:05.679 --> 00:53:07.039
I got off topic of your question.
00:53:07.119 --> 00:53:12.880
I was just going back to your point, though, of just thinking of like the value stamp piece, which is what you're talking about.
00:53:13.039 --> 00:53:21.280
Um, I think getting our guys to understand too, your value as a collegiate student athlete may be different than your value as a professional athlete.
00:53:21.440 --> 00:53:21.599
Yeah.
00:53:21.920 --> 00:53:31.679
That part is very hard for them, I think, to check because you may be high, you may be valued extremely high as college, but maybe the NFL doesn't value that that the same.
00:53:31.920 --> 00:53:35.599
So having that expectation is like, okay, well, I'm getting paid X amount.
00:53:35.679 --> 00:53:41.519
I'm an extremely high value athlete at my institution, but like myself, okay, you may go undrafted.
00:53:42.000 --> 00:53:44.880
Your the value does not always translate and correlate.
00:53:45.039 --> 00:53:52.079
So making sure you're very real and and honest with yourself, too, um, of where you're at, of the value of your sport.
00:53:52.320 --> 00:54:02.320
Well, then also a side of the sport for the transition after life is those that aren't playing professionally or maybe don't get the professional offer they want and no longer want to play professionally.
00:54:02.559 --> 00:54:06.719
I know, especially in football and especially like basketball, those larger sports.
00:54:06.880 --> 00:54:08.800
Yeah, how do you prepare those athletes?
00:54:08.960 --> 00:54:15.360
I think NIL is a great opportunity because it gives them now like internship networking opportunities that weren't there before to have a job.
00:54:15.519 --> 00:54:24.000
But how are you preparing an athlete into the world of like business, whatever medicine, whatever career they want to go to, but into a career while they're still playing?
00:54:24.320 --> 00:54:24.880
Absolutely.
00:54:24.960 --> 00:54:27.360
I think the first topic is financial literacy.
00:54:27.519 --> 00:54:29.119
How do you manage your finances?
00:54:29.280 --> 00:54:31.599
And again, we have guys on so many different scales.
00:54:31.840 --> 00:54:35.440
You could be maybe just on scholarship or you could be making millions of dollars.
00:54:35.519 --> 00:54:44.639
Like so wherever you are at in that spectrum of finances, understanding your financial habits and making sure you have mastered that piece of it.
00:54:44.800 --> 00:54:52.559
Because what it can do, like you said, NIL can give you a huge head start, but it also can, I think, hinder you if it's not managed properly.
00:54:52.800 --> 00:54:58.079
Because like you said, now it's like you go out and that$50,000 starting job, that may change your outlook.
00:54:58.159 --> 00:54:59.760
Like, oh, like that's that's poverty.
00:54:59.840 --> 00:55:01.679
Like, I can't take that$50,000 job.
00:55:01.760 --> 00:55:02.960
I just made$200,000.
00:55:03.360 --> 00:55:09.760
But if that's not handled properly, you know, your your scope of what is realistic is so off.
00:55:09.920 --> 00:55:12.239
You know, and I think that's where guys need to understand.
00:55:12.480 --> 00:55:16.159
And then also just making sure that it gives you options too.
00:55:16.320 --> 00:55:23.519
I think understanding why you're in college, like leveraging these relationships and leveraging your value in this community is very big.
00:55:23.760 --> 00:55:27.679
Where maybe your professional sport doesn't work out, but you also have a head start.
00:55:27.760 --> 00:55:32.559
Don't wait till you're senior, don't wait till you get cut by the NFL to say, oh, I need to start doing it.
00:55:32.639 --> 00:55:41.039
Start it as a freshman and a sophomore now, um, doing summer internships, which we were talking offline about of, you know, getting some guys to get involved in the community.
00:55:41.199 --> 00:55:43.760
We have guys, you know, that have the medical sales internships.
00:55:43.840 --> 00:55:45.760
I have a guy doing a real estate internship.
00:55:46.000 --> 00:55:54.079
Find your things that you have a passion for outside of sport and use your leverage and your popularity right now because people will pick up the phone for you.
00:55:54.159 --> 00:55:57.440
They'll answer your call because you're an Arizona State student athlete.
00:55:57.679 --> 00:56:03.599
And then that buzz starts to wear off the longer you get more distance from that athlete tag.
00:56:03.840 --> 00:56:06.000
But don't wait till that buzz is worn off.
00:56:06.159 --> 00:56:06.800
Use it now.
00:56:06.880 --> 00:56:13.039
So now when people say, Okay, hey, I tried a year and a half in the NFL, it didn't work out, got cut, it chewed me up and spit me out.
00:56:13.119 --> 00:56:16.159
But hey, I remember doing that internship with you three years ago.
00:56:16.400 --> 00:56:17.760
We maintained contact.
00:56:17.920 --> 00:56:20.639
You know, I I love what you were doing in your career and your business.
00:56:20.880 --> 00:56:21.679
How can I help?
00:56:21.760 --> 00:56:22.400
How can I join?
00:56:22.559 --> 00:56:27.039
You know, and then you'll the the resources and all the contacts kind of open up from then.
00:56:27.519 --> 00:56:28.960
That's so, yes, I agree.
00:56:29.039 --> 00:56:32.719
I mean, you people have talked about college sometimes, not just for the degree, it's for the network.
00:56:33.039 --> 00:56:41.679
Yeah, athletes have an elevated network, they do elevated opportunity at any level D1, D2, D3, JUCO, whatever level you're at, you have an elevated network.
00:56:41.760 --> 00:56:46.320
And the biggest thing you said is people will take your call now for an internship or whatever it may be.
00:56:46.559 --> 00:56:56.960
And I like that you also called out finding a way to still do an internship or something during an off season for a couple of weeks, whatever it may be, because like like we said, the jersey will come off.
00:56:57.360 --> 00:57:03.280
And that's really hard for an athlete who's trying to understand what they want to do for a career and job and everything.
00:57:03.519 --> 00:57:07.440
It sounds like you've created different programs like own the mic, math is money.
00:57:07.599 --> 00:57:11.519
You focus a lot on like communication, financial literacy, like we talked about.
00:57:12.400 --> 00:57:19.039
What do you teach in those skills to make sure they're just as important as performance on the field?
00:57:19.199 --> 00:57:21.360
Like, how do you get the athletes to understand that?
00:57:22.079 --> 00:57:22.800
Yeah, it's huge.
00:57:22.880 --> 00:57:26.639
And we talk about it's hard for athletes because they're so consumed by their sport.
00:57:26.719 --> 00:57:33.760
And we were talking about this as you transition to another career, it's such a new arena where you're like, gosh, like I have no experience in this.
00:57:33.840 --> 00:57:35.679
But I say, no, no, no, you do.
00:57:35.840 --> 00:57:52.880
What you've gained on the whatever the football field, whatever your arena is, like you've talked to media, you've been in front of the microphone, you've met people, you sat in these, these big, you know, conferences, these meetings, these big donor rooms, you've had these dialogue that maybe that student that is on campus, they haven't had that experience.
00:57:53.039 --> 00:58:04.400
They may be studying maybe in that major for a little bit longer than you have, and maybe had done a couple extra things in that, but you have a head start, but you just have to realize those traits and skills, how they translate.
00:58:04.559 --> 00:58:06.480
Um, so I think that's the biggest thing.
00:58:06.639 --> 00:58:08.559
So we talked about radical health.
00:58:08.639 --> 00:58:12.000
Um, that is the character mental health development that building.
00:58:12.079 --> 00:58:13.519
The owner mic has been awesome.
00:58:13.599 --> 00:58:17.280
It's more of a public speaking engagement, how to tell your story.
00:58:17.440 --> 00:58:18.719
How do you deliver your brand?
00:58:18.880 --> 00:58:20.000
So it's like, okay, I have a brand.
00:58:20.079 --> 00:58:20.800
Well, what does that mean?
00:58:20.880 --> 00:58:22.079
How do you tell that story?
00:58:22.320 --> 00:58:23.440
That's a big thing, too.
00:58:23.519 --> 00:58:34.000
Is like every time you get a chance to talk in front of a microphone, how you deliver who you are, your past, your history, like that's how you captivate and engage an audience by how you tell it.
00:58:34.159 --> 00:58:36.800
You know, so teaching them how to tell their story is big.
00:58:36.880 --> 00:58:39.840
And then the math is money is uh the financial literacy course.
00:58:40.000 --> 00:59:07.440
And again, I think those are the three pillars that are just so big to create the holistic approach to making sure that they have the skills as they go through college and then getting prepared to go out into the next chapter, um, making sure you understand who you are and your mental health and who you are as a person, you know, understanding how to tell that story of who you are and how to leverage your story and who where you come from, all these cool things about you, and making it to a point where you can monetarily benefit off that.
00:59:07.679 --> 00:59:15.599
And then also understanding how to manage this wealth, whether it's your scholarship check, whether it's a couple NIL checks, whether you're getting paid millions of dollars.
00:59:15.679 --> 00:59:16.800
It doesn't really matter for me.
00:59:16.880 --> 00:59:23.360
It's like they're all in the same boat because at the end of the day, you're gonna transition to another job where you need to have good financial habits.
00:59:23.519 --> 00:59:24.800
So it starts now.
00:59:24.960 --> 00:59:25.199
Yeah.
00:59:25.519 --> 00:59:27.440
Maybe you don't get relocation money for your job.
00:59:27.599 --> 00:59:30.880
Maybe whatever, maybe like that's what you know helped me in different things.
00:59:31.199 --> 00:59:39.360
My last kind of question for you before we get into our rapid fire round to close us out is we're talked, we've talked a lot about success for athletes.
00:59:39.599 --> 00:59:44.559
What do you think success looks like for an athlete 10 years after their playing career is over?
00:59:45.360 --> 00:59:47.039
Oh, that's a heavy one.
00:59:47.199 --> 00:59:48.400
That's a heavy one.
00:59:48.960 --> 00:59:53.840
I think success, and it's so funny you asked me that because that is the question I ask every one of our freshmen.
00:59:54.239 --> 00:59:55.440
It's one of the first things we do.
00:59:55.519 --> 00:59:57.840
I hand them a note card and we they they answer funny questions.
00:59:57.920 --> 01:00:01.599
And one of the questions is, What do you want life to look like at 45?
01:00:01.920 --> 01:00:04.960
And they all say a lot of the same things, you know.
01:00:05.039 --> 01:00:10.400
I want my family to be taken care of, I want my kids to be taken care of, I want to be retired.
01:00:10.559 --> 01:00:14.320
Some say that not really because 45 of mine is like 75, you know.
01:00:14.639 --> 01:00:16.719
Like you still may be working, and that's okay.
01:00:16.800 --> 01:00:18.320
Um, but they have all these things.
01:00:18.400 --> 01:00:20.480
They want to be settled, they want to be peaceful.
01:00:20.639 --> 01:00:26.400
And I say, okay, well, what you do in this next three to five years will dictate what that looks like at 45.
01:00:26.559 --> 01:00:35.039
So you tell me all these things of what you want life to look like at 45, but how that can happen is how you handle this business and how you handle this chapter of your life.
01:00:35.199 --> 01:00:39.519
So, I mean, I I think for me it's it's a foundation of community.
01:00:39.679 --> 01:00:41.920
It's a good understanding of yourself.
01:00:42.000 --> 01:00:52.400
Um, it's a good making peace with whatever your college career looked like or your professional career, whatever your sport is, um, making peace with that where you don't have a hatred like we talked about.
01:00:52.480 --> 01:00:56.239
You have a sense of, you have a sense of pride in what you're able to accomplish.
01:00:56.320 --> 01:00:59.199
And you kind of have to navigate that, and that takes time.
01:00:59.440 --> 01:01:10.239
But I think being in this a good, good light where you know there's a philanthropic side of it, you're giving back to a sport or a community that gave you so much, um, making sure you're investing that time in.
01:01:10.400 --> 01:01:18.480
So I think 10 years post-career, I think those are some of the things that I hope all of our student athletes have in mind, and I hope that they're living in their life too.
01:01:18.800 --> 01:01:19.519
That's amazing.
01:01:19.679 --> 01:01:20.239
I love it.
01:01:20.400 --> 01:01:24.960
One thing you talked about, would like I think what's in there is also like ego for a young kid.
01:01:25.360 --> 01:01:32.400
An athlete, especially a college athlete, like you gotta have a little level of something on your shoulders and a little head-high ego to make it to that.
01:01:32.639 --> 01:01:38.719
But it's you know, learning how to control that in the right way so you can actually be successful.
01:01:38.960 --> 01:01:45.920
No, I'm so glad you say that because as we talk about all these things of preparing for life after football, you have to have a little delusion.
01:01:46.079 --> 01:01:47.199
That's part of being young.
01:01:47.440 --> 01:01:50.079
You have to think yourself of being a first-round draft pick.
01:01:50.159 --> 01:01:57.760
You have to think these things because that gives you the confidence and that gives you the ability to go out there and do the crazy sport you're doing and make those plays.
01:01:58.000 --> 01:01:59.840
Um, but again, it's just about balance.
01:01:59.920 --> 01:02:08.960
It's about, you know, having that ego and that sense of confidence, but also understanding to be able to turn that off and say, okay, where are these other lanes and avenues of my life?
01:02:09.119 --> 01:02:12.960
Like, are they up to that same level of confidence too that I do have on the field?
01:02:13.119 --> 01:02:22.159
So again, it goes back to that balance because you're right, it hits you hard and it hits you fast, but it can, it the blow doesn't have to be as hard if you can prep and prepare for it.
01:02:22.239 --> 01:02:27.440
Um doesn't mean you need to think of yourself as anything less of what your dreams and aspirations are.
01:02:27.599 --> 01:02:37.039
You still have to have that childlike dream and um goals, but you have to also be realistic too and um understand who the person is in the mirror as you navigate it.
01:02:37.519 --> 01:02:38.000
I love it.
01:02:38.079 --> 01:02:38.480
I love it.
01:02:38.639 --> 01:02:45.519
Well, file we have our TMI section, too much insight, fast file kind of rapid round always to close us off.
01:02:45.599 --> 01:02:53.280
So I'll ask you questions, and first thing that comes to your mind for a quick answer getting into this is best leadership lesson you've ever learned.
01:02:53.599 --> 01:02:54.480
Authenticity.
01:02:54.800 --> 01:02:56.320
Authenticity, being true to yourself.
01:02:56.960 --> 01:02:58.400
One recruiting myth.
01:02:58.719 --> 01:03:02.400
You're on your own time, you don't have to do everything everyone else is saying.
01:03:02.559 --> 01:03:05.760
I think the recruiting process, like, okay, I have to do X, Y, and Z.
01:03:05.920 --> 01:03:08.480
I have to do all these things that is demanded of me.
01:03:08.719 --> 01:03:10.239
No, it's on your own time.
01:03:10.320 --> 01:03:11.039
You can control that.
01:03:11.119 --> 01:03:12.480
And that's what I tell players and parents.
01:03:12.719 --> 01:03:14.960
You control this journey of your life, enjoy it.
01:03:15.039 --> 01:03:17.119
If it's too fast, pump on the brakes.
01:03:17.280 --> 01:03:19.440
If it's going too slow, add more to it.
01:03:19.519 --> 01:03:21.039
So I think that's a big thing.
01:03:21.360 --> 01:03:22.079
I love that.
01:03:22.239 --> 01:03:23.519
I talked about, I love that.
01:03:24.000 --> 01:03:31.920
One quality every coach should have and value relationships, getting to know the people, whether that's your coworker, whether that's your player.
01:03:32.079 --> 01:03:36.639
And we talked about that, understanding uh and developing relationships beyond uh sport.
01:03:37.360 --> 01:03:40.880
One quality you think every coach looks for in an athlete?
01:03:41.519 --> 01:03:41.920
Passion.
01:03:42.559 --> 01:03:43.519
I think passion's big.
01:03:43.599 --> 01:03:45.039
You have there has to be a care level.
01:03:45.199 --> 01:03:46.320
There has to be a care level.
01:03:46.960 --> 01:03:51.119
Most underrated life skill athletes need and use, they don't realize.
01:03:51.679 --> 01:03:55.119
Emotional intelligence, understanding yourself.
01:03:55.760 --> 01:03:59.039
What is one thing every freshman should do when they get on campus?
01:03:59.599 --> 01:04:05.519
Create a plan, time management, create a schedule, create a plan, and understand your resources and who those people are.
01:04:06.079 --> 01:04:06.960
Okay, I love that.
01:04:07.119 --> 01:04:09.119
Um, your favorite NFL memory?
01:04:09.519 --> 01:04:10.320
I have two.
01:04:10.559 --> 01:04:11.840
First one's obvious.
01:04:11.920 --> 01:04:15.199
I think winning a Super Bowl, being a part of that is incredible.
01:04:15.599 --> 01:04:24.880
Um, but then also playing with some amazing and being coached by some amazing coaches, being around Larry Fitzgerald, being around Tom Brady, being around Adrian Peterson.
01:04:25.199 --> 01:04:26.639
Um, I think those are the biggest thing.
01:04:26.719 --> 01:04:34.480
And that's what helps me in this chapter is like I get to see some of these such elite athletes and these characters that they all have, they all share the same thing.
01:04:34.559 --> 01:04:44.079
Um, when it comes to competitiveness, um, emotional intelligence, all the things that we're talking about, those are my favorite memories is being around those people and getting to see it live and direct.
01:04:44.320 --> 01:04:45.039
That's amazing.
01:04:45.199 --> 01:04:47.119
What is your favorite ASU memory?
01:04:47.360 --> 01:04:55.360
I would say every Territorial Cup game playing against U of A, um, my sophomore year, the starting running back got hurt.
01:04:55.440 --> 01:04:57.199
I was able to go in as the starter.
01:04:57.360 --> 01:05:01.840
It was my first start against U of A, and I ended up winning uh Territorial Cup MVP.
01:05:01.920 --> 01:05:03.599
So that's probably that's a special one for me.
01:05:03.840 --> 01:05:05.039
That's an incredible memory.
01:05:05.119 --> 01:05:06.880
Yeah, not your set.
01:05:07.119 --> 01:05:09.920
You got like the football almost trifecta going on.
01:05:10.159 --> 01:05:11.039
Yeah, it was fun.
01:05:11.119 --> 01:05:16.400
It was fun to get my first start in that, and then being a local kid, half my friends went to U of A.
01:05:16.559 --> 01:05:19.199
So having that that bragging right was special.
01:05:19.440 --> 01:05:20.159
That's amazing.
01:05:20.320 --> 01:05:22.880
Okay, what is one book every athlete should read?
01:05:23.199 --> 01:05:24.480
That's a really good one.
01:05:24.960 --> 01:05:26.719
Oh, it's from it's from Jocko.
01:05:26.880 --> 01:05:28.880
Um extreme ownership.
01:05:29.280 --> 01:05:31.199
Okay, extreme ownership.
01:05:31.679 --> 01:05:33.039
Okay, I'll have to read that as well.
01:05:33.119 --> 01:05:35.440
What is one habit every young athlete should adopt?
01:05:35.840 --> 01:05:36.800
Time management.
01:05:37.280 --> 01:05:38.960
Yeah, time management is just so important.
01:05:39.199 --> 01:05:42.480
Being a college athlete, we talked about all these different things and resources.
01:05:42.719 --> 01:05:48.480
If you can't manage your time and understand how your day is structured, you'll go, you'll go crazy.
01:05:48.800 --> 01:05:50.320
And like a sense of self, like you said.
01:05:50.400 --> 01:05:50.559
Yeah.
01:05:50.960 --> 01:05:54.639
Okay, the final question I ask everyone is what does being committed mean to you?
01:05:55.360 --> 01:06:16.800
Being committed when no one's watching, when the cameras are off, doing those little things, being there, being committed for me in this role is when a student athlete is going through something traumatic, me being there with them, me being that empathetic person, meeting them in their struggle, in their trauma, and being there right there with them and feeling that with them and giving them that support.
01:06:16.960 --> 01:06:21.440
Um, and maybe some coaches, maybe nobody in this building, may know what a kid's going through.
01:06:21.599 --> 01:06:28.480
And if he entrusted me that he's willing to share these with me, um, being committed to him and helping him through that process.
01:06:28.719 --> 01:06:29.440
That's amazing.
01:06:29.599 --> 01:06:30.079
I love it.
01:06:30.239 --> 01:06:32.480
Well, thank you so much for taking the time to come on today.
01:06:32.719 --> 01:06:33.199
Absolutely.
01:06:33.280 --> 01:06:33.920
This is awesome.
01:06:34.000 --> 01:06:37.039
Uh, I I like I said, I love what you're doing in this platform.
01:06:37.199 --> 01:06:38.480
Um, this is incredible.
01:06:38.719 --> 01:06:39.119
Thank you.
01:06:39.199 --> 01:06:43.920
Well, if anyone wants to get a hold of you, I'll put your social media in like the description.
01:06:44.000 --> 01:06:46.960
Is there anything else away, like an email or anything?
01:06:47.199 --> 01:06:47.760
Social media.
01:06:48.559 --> 01:06:57.519
Yeah, uh, my Instagram is DJ Foster, and then I have a website called DJFoster.com, which um highlights some of the programming, which I did through GoDaddy.
01:06:57.760 --> 01:06:59.119
Um, shout out GoDaddy.
01:06:59.280 --> 01:07:00.159
But that was fun.
01:07:00.239 --> 01:07:01.199
You are a test subject.
01:07:01.360 --> 01:07:03.519
Yeah, I was, but it's been a good resource for me.
01:07:03.679 --> 01:07:11.920
So people that want to see kind of my role and what I'm doing, some of the programmings and stuff that we mentioned, and then uh um A state underscore a at Twitter.
01:07:12.079 --> 01:07:13.920
But yeah, anybody can reach out to me.
01:07:14.079 --> 01:07:15.519
Um I'm an open book.
01:07:15.840 --> 01:07:16.239
Amazing.
01:07:16.320 --> 01:07:18.159
I'll put it all in the description here.
01:07:18.320 --> 01:07:19.280
Um, thank you so much.
01:07:19.360 --> 01:07:20.400
Have a great rest of your day.
01:07:20.559 --> 01:07:21.119
Thank you, Kate.
01:07:21.280 --> 01:07:22.239
Appreciate you.