WEBVTT
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All right.
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Hello and welcome back to Recruitable.
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We are excited today.
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Today we have with us Coach Malone, who is the head coach of uh Hampton University, the Hampton Pirates.
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Coach Malone, thank you for being here.
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I know a coach's schedule, especially a college coach's schedule, is always super busy.
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So I really appreciate you being on with us today.
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Welcome to Recruitable.
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Well, um I'm excited to be here.
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And uh I I thank you.
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Yes, uh I do have a lot going on as you see me moving from one location to the other.
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Um, but I do have a lot going on.
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But you know what?
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Anytime we can jump on with you and have an opportunity to wanna share, then then uh I'm excited about that.
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Yeah, so just want to go through your bio.
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So you've seen every angle of football from player to coach.
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You are a former NFL player, 57th pick for the Detroit Lions, end up retiring with the Arizona Cardinals.
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You spent 18 years coaching on the Power Four level, and now you're the head coach of the Hampton Pirates.
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Take me just through this journey and how it goes into what you do, how you recruit and teach players today, considering your extensive background.
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Well, I tell you what you just exemplified is that I have a lot of stickers on my bag.
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You know what I mean?
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You used to you watch cartoons back in the day and you see that guy was traveling and he got stickers for every place that he'd been.
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But, you know, for me, it is exactly what you said is is some of the experiences that I've had the opportunity to have in my in my life, not just as a coach, but as a player, they they lead into who I am and how I operate as a coach, and and especially now how I operate as a head coach.
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I've I've had I've personally had the opportunity to be coached by some really great coaches as a player in my time with the w first of all, in in my time in high school, my time in high school, I had really good coaches, and those coaches always pushed the players, pushed myself and my teammates to be the best that we could be as individuals.
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But they also teet taught a team concept.
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So then I went on to college, and the same thing is that, you know, everybody wants to go to just like they do today, everybody wants to go to the NFL, so they're so they're driven by this individualized thinking.
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But but I had coaches in college that that talked about the fact that that we will accomplish more as a team than we will as individuals.
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And then I I go to the NFL.
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Well, that's the ultimate spot where people will think that there is a lot of selfishness going on because there's a lot of money behind the movements.
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Absolutely.
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But I was on a team, and I was on teams in Detroit and Arizona where where we really we had a a very strong team concept.
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And it was not as much through the player, uh, through the coaches as much as it was through the players.
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We had a lot of players on both of those teams with great character.
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And and so all my life as a player, I was around that.
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I was developed in that way, a way that that that the team always came first.
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So when I became a coach, it was easy to translate that to me to to be able to have my players understand the importance of forget about me, what can I do for the team.
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And uh, and so that's how we live our lives.
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We one of our core values at Hampton is selflessness.
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And so that's that's that's how we live our life.
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And and I think that it's it's a lead in, it's a key to the success that we will be able to eventually have at Hampton.
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Nice.
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You coached a little bit on the high school level too.
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Coaching high school and college, what did it teach you about developing talent?
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You know, I I have had the opportunity to coach at places.
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Well, I I've I've had I've coached at Texas AM, and you would say that Texas AM, you kind of get whatever talent you want.
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I've also had an opportunity to coach at Mississippi State, and because those teams are in one of the top leagues, you would say that those teams get whatever talent they want.
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Well, I've also coached at some schools who are not in that conference.
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I've coached in the MAT conference, coached in Conference USA, I've conferenced coached in the American Conference.
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And so when you coach in s in leagues that are not amongst the powers, then sometimes you have to get players who might need to be developed, who might not be there just yet.
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And I've had players even at Kansas State where we got the players that we wanted for the most part.
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Well, I've had to find and coach those players who might need a little bit more development, who might not have been ready, who who might not have gotten all the recruiting that somebody else did.
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And and so that's what they come there for, is they come because we, especially at Kansas State, we had a reputation of development.
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And so for me, I take great pride in in recruiting a young man and bringing him bringing him onto our team at one point and then watching him grow through our time working together to another point.
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And like I said earlier, everybody wants to go to the NFL.
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So that is that is the measuring stick for me is can I get a young man to be able to have an opportunity to play in the NFL?
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And that's how I measure, that's how I've measured myself as a coach.
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Yeah, of course I want to win and go to bowl games, win championships, I want to do that.
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But when it talks when it comes to my relationship with the players in my room, I take responsibility in allowing and helping them to be able to accomplish their goals.
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And most of the time, that is wanting to play in the NFL.
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That's an awesome philosophy because for a lot of young men, starting out at Pop Warner High School, that's what they see is going to the NFL.
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So just your concept of development and the ultimate goal, if you can get them there to the NFL, is amazing.
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Where do you see the future of football recruitment going in the NIL and transfer portal era right now?
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Well, I I think that first of all, I've always believed that, along with others, I've always believed that student athletes should be compensated.
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I've always believed that student athletes, not only when I was a student athlete, of course I wanted it then, but I've always believed that if there is a lot of money being made in college athletics.
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And for a student athlete in 1950, for example, in 1950, what did that student athlete got?
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He got a scholarship, and that was good enough, right?
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Because there wasn't a whole lot of money being made.
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Well, at that time, his coaches, assistant coaches and head coaches and athletic directors, athletic departments, guess what?
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They were not making any great deal of money.
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So the playing field was was pretty much even, right?
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Mm-hmm.
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Well, in today's game, there's a lot of money being made.
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Athletic departments make a lot of money, athletic directors, coaches make a lot of money.
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And so when you tell a student athlete in in in the in the era of 2000s, that, hey man, just go to school, just get you an education and that be enough.
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Guess what?
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That it educate, especially at some universities, that is a tremendous amount of money.
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But when you compare what's being made by the athletic department and what's being made by coaches, then there should be some compensation.
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There should be some sharing of the revenue.
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So I just believe that this, this model, this landscape that we're living in is only, it's only the beginning of it moving more to a professional model.
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Right.
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It's like college is the new, the new pro, you know.
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Right.
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And I don't even know what to say what the pro is now when when you hear about the amount of money that some of the football players are making in college now.
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Yeah, well, again, there it if they're getting a lot of money, there's a lot of money being made.
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But what what my proposal would be is that if if if you were a player and and you were this multi-million dollar player, I just want to make sure that you graduate, right?
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It's important to me that you graduate.
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So if if you were a$10 million player, then I think if you were to to receive a stipend, right?
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If you were to be able to get a stipend to to keep you, to sustain you, which it don't take a lot to sustain you, monthly, right?
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You were able to be sustained monthly with a stipend.
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I think that to to to have a young player experience that, and then the rest of that money, we put in a trust fund so that when you graduate, hey man, it's all yours, right?
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Nice.
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But but the but the focus is graduation, right?
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The focus is not is not to give you all the money while you are in college, right?
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The focus is to set you up for post-college, post uh graduation.
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Like that's what we are pushing for.
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That's what if before all the money was being passed around, that was the focus.
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The focus was to get this young man to graduate.
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And so that's still my focus is to graduate.
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But there's a carrot.
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I want to put a carrot at the end of it and say, listen, you got this stipend.
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And if you transfer six, seven, eight, ten times, you're just pushing yourself further away from your big payoff, right?
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And so now what we all start to do, everybody who's involved with this young man, they're starting to push him towards graduation, right?
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You got agents, they're gonna push him toward graduation because that's their big payoff.
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You got whoever, people who might be associated with him, negative or positive people, they're pushing him toward graduation so that they can get their big payoff.
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And so rather than, you know, student athletes moving here and moving here, chasing what we call chasing the bag, and and they're dropping trend, they're dropping credit hours along the way, moving further away from graduation.
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We want you to graduate.
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And so if you can graduate and and and get this big payoff, man, I'm I'm as ex I'm as excited as I can be for that whole process.
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Right.
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Especially if that NFL dream does not happen.
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Some of these student athletes, like you said, can really set themselves up or take a portion of this money, invest it, and and just kind of almost start their future while they're still playing college ball, if you're not gonna, you know, go to the NFL.
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Right.
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Well, and again, uh the NFL, we we everyone can have that dream, but the reality is that very few players are able to make that happen, right?
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And so does the fact that you are not an NFL player, with like you just said, with the amount of money that's being passed out, handed out, then there's an opportunity for a young man to be able to set himself and his family up in a very special way and not have to depend on an NFL career.
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Absolutely.
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What do you think about this new five and five rule?
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What recruitable is about?
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We did this podcast with the high school athlete in mind, because this is a very different era for young men who want to play sports like football, basketball, it is very hard to get recruited, especially as long as, you know, NCAA was extending eligibility.
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So you got high school students waiting on 25, 26 year olds to free up some room for them.
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Do you think this five and five rule will make it easier or harder for high school recruits?
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And then will we see that effect with the level of college football?
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Will it change?
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Will it continue to look the same if your players start becoming younger and younger?
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Well, I I actually think it's it's gonna it's going to move the opposite direction.
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It's going to force teams to have players on their roster who can produce now.
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And and you would think that a high school player, the overwhelming thought is that a high school player will not be ready to produce now.
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And so I think the elite level high school players, they're gonna always be right.
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Though those players who are the five, four-star dose players, they're gonna always be recruited.
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The special thing about college football over the course of time, over the years, has been that there's always the diamond in the roof.
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There's always that player that nobody knew about, and now all of a sudden he's discovered and he gets the opportunity.
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Well, that that player with with this new rule, that player is gonna be harder, it's gonna be more difficult to find.
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There's gonna be more risks taken.
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And I I just believe that you got five, and and you got five, and that's it.
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And and if we make mistakes on the five, then we got four.
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You know what I mean?
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And and so I see what you're saying.
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You you the college programs are gonna have to be more eagle-eyed, and they're gonna have to be more dead on with their choices when it comes to recruiting.
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There, there's not, there's not gonna be room.
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I'm not saying in our program, I'm just saying in the overall landscape, there's not gonna be room for the time to develop them.
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Coaches will be much more apprehensive about getting a developmental player, right?
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Again, those elite body, the every the one that everybody's recruiting, yeah, he's fine.
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Nothing will change for him.
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But the recruit who you had to go look for and dig down deep, that I gotta take a chance on.
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I don't because he has an opportunity red shirt.
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Well, that's that's kind of gone away, I believe.
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I see what you're saying.
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So now because you can't take a, say, a freshman out of high school that you see great potential in, but you kind of want to spend a year building them up, getting them physical, maybe he growing, gaining weight.
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Now you don't have that luxury because the the clock starts ticking as soon as they get as soon as they get there, as soon as they step foot on campus.
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Right.
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And so you're gonna send that that level of player, that player is gonna go to the lower levels of football, and then that's when the transfer portal starts to work, right?
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And so, so you'll see because you always you already see the remnants of that in that, you know, you you go in and get in the division two player, and everybody says, well, how how did that guy end how did this guy end up in division two?
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Well, he's division two, but now he's at so-and-so university.
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You know, he's at some power five, power four university, but he started in division two.
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And you'll see more of that happening, which I've always said to young players, man, just go play somewhere.
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Just go play somewhere.
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You you you love the game, just go play, right?
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Don't worry about the stars, don't worry about the hype.
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Yeah, I know there's money attached.
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So somebody said, Are you telling me, you telling me not to chase my dream?
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No, I'm just saying, just go play.
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You go play, find a place to play.
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You want to play the game, find a place to play, and and in this new landscape, you could be discovered.
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But but I want to caution.
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I have a a friend of our family.
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He he had no offers.
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He had no offers, and he had one school to offer him.
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Well, I heard him in a conversation, and he before he even got to the university, he he was already planning his exit.
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I heard him in the conversation say, Yeah, I'm gonna go get me a little femme, and then I'm gonna bounce.
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Well, I'm like, hey man, you had any first of all, you had no offers yesterday, right?
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And so now these people took a chance on you, and you're already planning your exit strategy.
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And I don't listen, everybody, go do your thing, go be you, go do all, maximize your reach, but you know, you can't be planning the exit before you even get to the place, right?
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Right.
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And not to mention, like I said, three days ago, you had no place.
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This is true.
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This is true.
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There's a small percentage of high school athletes that go on, I think it's like 3% that go on to play college sports.
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And that's on that's D1, D2, and D3.
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D2 and even D2 now, you're definitely gonna see some talent and you get there, and it's not like you gotta come in still fighting, still kind of what they call being a dog to even get a spot.
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Like you, you have to work to get that film you're talking about leading with.
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There's work to be done on every on every level.
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Yeah, and I I think again, just go and play, right?
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Right just go and play.
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And then and then understand that that everybody can't play in the SEC, right?
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Everybody can't be a first round pick.
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Everybody's not going to be so so wherever you are, and people always say this in in corporate America, you know, be where your feet, be where your feet are, right?
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Grow where you're playing it.
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And and I think that's important because when we learn that lesson as as players, when we learn that lesson as players, we find peace, we find happiness, we find a productive situation.
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And that, again, that that goes to coaches as well, right?
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I can't be at Hampton University looking over the fence at another university, looking over the fence, planning when I'm gonna leave this university, right?
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I have to lock in and be committed to to the task at hand here today, tomorrow, and the next day.
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How soon does the evaluation period start for football players?
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Is it when they start playing varsity?
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Is it freshman, sophomore year?
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What would you say that timeline is?
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Yeah, I think I think the honesty of it is, is, is once a young man, of course, you know the rules don't.
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Once once a person, once a young man or young woman is a high school age prospect or high school age person, then they become a recruitable student athlete, right?
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And so therefore all the rules begin to apply to them.
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But, you know, I know I've heard of supposedly people getting offered when they're in middle school.
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But but generally and truthfully, once you, once you begin to play on the varsity level, right, because if you're high school, if you were such a great player, then they would put you on the biggest stage, right?
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And so once you begin to play, no matter where you, if you're a freshman playing varsity, that's the biggest stage that we have.
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Then then you you get you, I think you're viable for for people to begin to look at you, right?
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To be able to determine where you might fit in their program.
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Uh it used to be back in the day, it used to be that, ah man, nobody's worried about you until you're a junior.
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But I I had the opportunity to play uh on the varsity level earlier in my career than that.
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And so if you're out there with the big guys, somebody's gonna take your name down, right?
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And so it's about it's about being productive wherever you might be.
00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:06.799
But but generally to answer that question, it it's once you start playing varsity football.
00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:07.359
Okay.
00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.400
Are two-way players getting more looks now?
00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:14.480
Or is specializing early still the way to go?
00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:18.240
Yeah, I I, you know, I'm from the old school, right?
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:25.279
And so I I just believe in, you know, when you talk about two-way, when you tell like as much as you can do, right?
00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:31.039
Because there many, many, many, many, many years ago, I played high school football.
00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:36.960
And I played, I was a defensive bat, I was an offensive, I was a quarterback, I was a running back.
00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:42.640
And so what I think is that when I see a two-way player, it's a mark of athleticism.
00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:51.039
And if your team needs you to be a two-way player for you guys to win the state championship, and you're gonna tell me, well, I'm thinking about me.
00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:55.920
I'm not worried about state championship, so I'm just gonna play defense or I'm just gonna play offense.
00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:00.880
When you're in high school, your your operation is to win the state championship.
00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:04.079
So whatever your team would need you to do, right?
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:10.880
And then, you know, even to that point, like of course I see guys who say, I, I, you know, I don't play any other sports.
00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:13.279
I'm totally focusing on football.
00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:14.960
And that's fine, right?
00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:24.240
But if you're if you run track, if you play basketball, if you play bait, if you play another sport, like that's a mark for me of athleticism.
00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:26.160
Not everybody can play basketball.
00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:27.920
So maybe you can't, right?
00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:28.480
Right?
00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:30.720
Not everybody's fast enough to run track.
00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:33.920
So always challenge guys and say, well, maybe you can't, right?
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:40.240
But if you can, if you can, I believe in the recruiting process, you set yourself apart.
00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:48.640
Whereas if you have a guy who only, he only plays wide receiver, and he never, he never, I never seen him on the track.
00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:50.960
He's not gonna get out there and compete, right?
00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:53.759
In a sports that's not, in a sport, that's not his sport.
00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:58.559
Let me just see what you'll do, though, when you line up with people who this is their sport.
00:21:58.640 --> 00:21:59.519
I'm not saying that.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:02.240
You gotta go out there and win the races, right?
00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:03.599
You're not a track guy.
00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:07.119
But to see you out there competing, I always look for that.
00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:12.319
And I think there's a few people, there are a few people who can do that.
00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:17.440
And I I think from an athleticism standpoint, they just set themselves apart.
00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:19.039
And I always would encourage it.
00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:20.079
Yeah, I agree.
00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:25.680
I it's great to hear about just a multi-sport, just an athlete, just the all-around athlete.
00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:27.599
They're not defined by one thing.
00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:31.519
Even in track and field, I've come to admire the field events.
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:39.119
So my son was a long jumper and a sprinter, which I think is it's like two different, it's it's the same sport, but two different skills.
00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:41.759
That definitely shows your athleticism.
00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:51.440
And again, your your willingness to compete in a in a space that you are not you that you don't master, but to to compete in another area.
00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:59.759
Again, that marks of athleticism and competitiveness, they shine through in a place where you're not you're not the number one guy.
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:01.039
Right, absolutely.
00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:06.400
What separates a prospect from those who actually get an offer?
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:07.279
You know what?
00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:24.480
From from the time uh for me as an assistant coach where I was an area coach and responsible for scouring an area and then taking back players who would fit our program from different positions, taking those guys back to a position coach.
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:31.759
And then me as a position coach receiving players from other areas that coaches had would pass to me.
00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:43.119
What I think is that when you pass these players, you have to make a determination as an area coach is does this guy fit who we are and what we do?
00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:45.680
For example, an offensive lineman.
00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.119
I've worked over the years.
00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:51.200
There's some offensive line coaches, they just like them big, right?
00:23:51.359 --> 00:24:00.960
They don't necessarily have to be great athletes, but if they're big, they can road grade, they can latch on to you, and they can just drive you out of there because they're bigger than you are.
00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:05.200
Well, then I've had other offensive line coaches, they like them big for sure.
00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:08.559
Everybody likes them big, but they want them to be athletic.
00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:14.319
They want them to be able to manage movement, right, on the line of scrimmage.
00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:28.960
And so if with the road grading offensive line coach, I go to my area and I have a smaller athletic, more athletic offensive lineman, he can be as athletic as he wants to be, but he doesn't fit what this coach wants.
00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:47.519
And so for us, as we move forward, to get closer to your question, for us, if he fits what we do athletically, if we, after evaluating him academically and socially, he fits us, then we want to it's we want to determine is this guy, does he have interest in Hampton?
00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:52.160
Well then if if all those things fit and we have a spot for him, then we offer him.
00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:53.119
That's an offer.
00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:53.680
Right.
00:24:53.920 --> 00:25:03.759
The other guy who who may not who may not fit yet as an athlete, okay, he is big, but he hadn't shown us the athleticism yet.
00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:05.279
He still needs to develop.
00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:18.559
Or he is a really good athlete, but his grades, he he needs, he's at a 2.75, and he's close enough that we need to get him the three-point, and he's shown the potential to be able to get to that place.
00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:22.559
So we need to challenge him to see if he can get to that place.
00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:32.240
Or, you know, this guy is uh he's smaller, but the coaches and our coaches, as they evaluate him, they say that he's going to be bigger.
00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:36.480
He has a his brother is six, seven, and his mom is really tall.
00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:38.480
He just hadn't gotten there yet.
00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:39.039
Yeah.
00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:41.920
So we're gonna watch him and wait on him.
00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:53.599
Neither one of those last two guys are offers yet, but but we have something, and I and I think it's important this is on the on the back side, and uh a prospect would never know about this.
00:25:53.759 --> 00:26:01.359
But on our staff, I think if you n if you wanna have him on the list, but you don't want to offer him, you gotta have a a day.
00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:02.559
You gotta have a time.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:04.319
There's a time limit, right?
00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:07.680
You can't just let him rot on your on your board, right?
00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:10.480
You gotta have a time limit to get him off your board.
00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:10.880
Right.
00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:12.559
Did he did he make the grade?
00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:15.759
We said we said by the second semester you gotta have this certain grade.
00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:16.720
Did he make the grade?
00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:17.599
No, he hasn't.
00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:19.680
Okay, well, we got to make a decision, right?
00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:24.400
That way the player, you can let the player, I think you have to be transparent.
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:27.519
You can let the player know, hey man, we're moving on.
00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:28.880
It's okay, right?
00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:31.839
It's okay if we don't like you for whatever reason.
00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:47.680
It's best that we tell you that so you can move on rather than we just keep on stringing you alone, keep on playing this music, keep on playing this music until we have no more data, we never got no more room on our hard drive, now we got to cut you off, right?
00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:49.920
Well, that's I think that's painful, right?
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:51.759
I'd rather be up front with people.
00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:53.279
I'd rather be transparent.
00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:54.079
And guess what?
00:26:54.240 --> 00:27:01.119
If I'm transparent and I tell you that you don't have the grades, and then you go get the grades, now we can have another discussion, right?
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:07.599
When I tell you we don't like you because you're not big enough, and all of a sudden something changes, well, of course it changed.
00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:08.880
So so it's different.
00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:12.799
And I but I'd rather have a transparent conversation.
00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:19.599
And if you do that with people, I just believe, no matter what the discussion was, you can always go back.
00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:24.079
And recruiting is one of those places where you always go back, right?
00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:30.160
The people you reject, you reject them on Tuesday, you find yourself chasing them on Thursday.
00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:35.200
They reject you on Wednesday, then all of a sudden they calling you back on Friday.
00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:36.319
It just happens.
00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:37.759
You can't take it personally.
00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:45.920
So therefore, I just believe you should always be up front, be transparent, and you know, keep it like the kids say, keep it 100.
00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:53.839
Yeah, and I think that's good advice for these young recruits that you can be on a board and you can be off a board and you can get back on a board.
00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:58.160
And with those real conversations, you're giving them goals to work towards.
00:27:58.319 --> 00:28:06.799
Like you said, if it's the GPA that's 2.7 and need to be three-point next semester, you need to get a 4.0 to bring it up to a three-point something.
00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:07.200
Right.
00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:08.880
Those are real conversations.
00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:11.359
Hey, we'd like to see you a little bit bigger.
00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:15.440
Those are realistic goals that they can work towards.
00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:22.400
And and I you can again, it it's my job to find the best players that we can for Hampton University.
00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:30.480
But as we go through that process, it's my purpose, is also to help young people get to where they get to their goals, right?
00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:32.960
And that's if they come to Hampton or not.
00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:37.839
And so being upfront, being transparent about where we are.
00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:38.720
And guess what?
00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:41.200
We're gonna lose some co we're gonna lose some players, right?
00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:41.839
We lose them.
00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:46.079
We lose if if we tell you the truth and we lose you, I'm okay with that, right?
00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:48.400
Uh because we're not gonna lie to get you.
00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:48.880
Right.
00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:54.559
And so, and so that's I would want somebody to do it for my for my kids.
00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:57.519
And so that's that's how we're gonna always operate.
00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:01.519
We don't have what we call non-committable offers, right?
00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:02.480
That's a term.
00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:11.440
And I think that goes to I hear I read a kid's X and he says, I'm committed, but my recruiting is 100% open.
00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:13.839
And how can you do that?
00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:17.839
Like, how can you be committed but want to be 100% recruited?
00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:18.319
Right.
00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:22.319
And and then we offer you, but we tell you you can't commit.
00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:35.119
Now, as I tell our staff, the only way you can offer someone and not take their commitment is if you explain to them, listen, we're offering you, but before you commit, you got to come to campus.
00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:38.880
Well, then that is a non-committable offer until he comes to campus.
00:29:39.119 --> 00:29:39.680
Right.
00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:46.319
We're offering you a scholarship based on you getting a 3.0 at the end of this semester.
00:29:46.480 --> 00:29:49.519
That means if you don't get a 3.0, you don't have an offer.
00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:55.440
And and if we, if it's clear, it's explained, and it's above the board, then I'm okay.
00:29:55.599 --> 00:29:58.880
But we don't just throw out offers so that you feel good.
00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:03.359
Like, cause it I I think the offer is a is a powerful thing.
00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:04.640
It's actually so powerful.
00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:09.039
We I I was listening, I was reading something, and a kid had a term, right?
00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:12.319
The kids have different terms for when they when they get an offer, right?
00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:17.359
They say like, yeah, got one from like it ain't even called an got offered.
00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:18.880
It's used to be blessed.
00:30:18.960 --> 00:30:19.759
We were blessed.
00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:20.640
Right, right.
00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:21.359
Blessed.
00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:22.799
Now we got some other terms.
00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:24.799
Yeah, got one from so and so.
00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:25.839
Got one, huh?
00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:27.039
Well, no, man.
00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:32.880
When you get a college scholarship offer, like that should mean something.
00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:38.559
It should mean something to us as we offered it to you, and it should mean something to you.
00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:40.880
It's not just another one, right?
00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:42.559
It's not just another one.
00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:52.160
It's it's saying that, man, there's a whole university that is pushing behind you and wants you to come be a part of their program, right?
00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:52.960
Absolutely.
00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:54.799
And that's the way we frame it.
00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:56.720
And it's not, we don't just throw them out there.
00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:01.519
Yeah, this is not just another like on one of your posts on X.
00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:04.000
Let's let's take it a little more serious.
00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:10.160
Tell us about the 2026 Pirates, like the identity and the culture that you're building there.
00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:11.920
What can we expect to see?
00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:20.400
Well, you know, I think when this is my I was about to say, you know, when you when you get to be a head coach, this is my very first time.
00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:31.440
But what what I believed, I've always believed this, is that when you go into a new environment, when you're the leader, you can't you can't be somebody else.
00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:34.240
Like I've had, I said earlier, I've had great coaches.
00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:36.799
Well, I can't be coach David McWilliams.
00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:39.039
I can't be Coach Wayne Font.
00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:42.240
I can't be Coach Mike Gundy, right?
00:31:42.319 --> 00:31:44.079
I I have to be me.
00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:54.079
And so when we talk about the culture that we're building, it first started with who I am, connected with what I thought Hampton University was all about.
00:31:54.319 --> 00:32:01.119
And so the the identity is, is one of one of our mantras is is is burn the ships.
00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:02.960
Like we have, we say that.
00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:20.559
And what that means to me is, and I'm I study history a little bit, but there were a group of pirates who would go into areas and they would say, hey man, we're about to take over this area and and we're gonna burn our ships, right?
00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:29.039
Because if we don't burn our ships, if we go in here and get our head kicked in, then we could jump back on those ships and we can leave.
00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:35.839
But if we burn our ships, again, I'm I'm ad-living here, but if we burn our ships, then there's no retreat.
00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:36.880
We can't retreat.
00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:38.559
We can't surrender, right?
00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:40.720
We gotta, we gotta take their ships.
00:32:40.880 --> 00:32:43.920
That's the only way we're moving forward is by taking their ships.
00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:46.640
And so that's one that's one thing that we say.
00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:48.400
And then, and that had nothing to do with me.
00:32:48.480 --> 00:33:00.240
I'm not a ship burner, but but but when I talk about me, I'm saying that, you know, throughout my life, I've I've prided myself on being an aggressive physical person.
00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:01.519
That's when I was a player.
00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:02.480
That was way back when.
00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:03.759
I can't do it anymore.
00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:10.480
But but that's what this team is is gonna be, this is the way this team will be built, is we're gonna outhit our opponents.
00:33:10.799 --> 00:33:14.880
And then the next thing that we talk about is this is Hampton University.
00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:17.920
And we got a lot of smart dudes at Hampton University.
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:25.359
And so then we say, hey man, just like some of the service academies, they take great pride in being more disciplined.
00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:29.839
They take great pride in being smarter than their opponent.
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:32.000
Well, that's the same thing I would say at Hampton.
00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:33.839
Listen, you guys are really smart.
00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:41.440
And so we're gonna outsmart our opponent, meaning we're not gonna be doing dumb things like in the game that cost you the game.
00:33:41.599 --> 00:33:44.319
A lot of teams do do dumb stuff, right?
00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:47.759
You do dumb things at the wrong time and it costs you.
00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:50.240
Well, we want to take pride in not doing that.
00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:55.759
We want to take pride in in being smarter than our opponent in in those ways.
00:33:55.920 --> 00:34:00.079
And then the third thing is that is that we want to outwork our opponent.
00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:11.440
That's that's like that word work, we we use it quite often in our in our building, and and our our players understand that every day we gotta be committed to going to work.
00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:17.440
And and when you play the game, like it's only 60 minutes guaranteed.
00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:23.199
And so you have a responsibility to fight, to work, to push.
00:34:23.360 --> 00:34:30.480
When I say work, I'm saying that when the offense comes to the sideline, we're trying to get things corrected that might have gone wrong.
00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:35.199
And there's not a moment throughout that 60 minutes where you can rest.
00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:44.960
I'm not saying you're actually physically exerting yourself throughout the 60 minutes, but every moment of the game, when you come to the sideline, you're trying to get things corrected.
00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:48.639
You're trying to make sure that you and your partner were on the same page.
00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:54.239
You're trying to make sure, hey, coach, do you know you call this play coach, you know they did this coach.
00:34:54.400 --> 00:34:57.920
There's not even much time to drink Gatorade.
00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:03.039
Because we're trying to make sure every detail is wrapped up, right?
00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:06.559
That when we go back out there, we're all on the same page.
00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:09.679
And that's offense as defense as special teams.
00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:11.519
I don't think all teams do that.
00:35:11.599 --> 00:35:13.440
I think the best teams do that.
00:35:13.599 --> 00:35:16.800
They take advantage of every minute in a game.
00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:19.519
Well, you gotta practice that way, right?
00:35:19.679 --> 00:35:28.480
You gotta practice that way where you pay attention to all the details so that when you get into the game, you you're able to operate in that way.
00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:32.719
And so those are the things that I that I would hope you would see week after week.
00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:33.360
Guess what?
00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:40.239
Hampton, since 2018, has not had the success that we're talking about, right?
00:35:40.880 --> 00:35:43.119
And so uh I I said it today.
00:35:43.280 --> 00:35:54.480
I don't know, I was maybe doing an interview today or yesterday, and I said, like, if you're if you're a Hampton fan and you think we're gonna put it in the microwave, this is not microwave cooking, right?
00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:58.880
This is going, when you rebuild a culture, then it takes time.
00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:05.679
And and we understand that on our staff, our players, man, they they understand to a certain degree.
00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:08.880
And and we would like for our fans to understand it.
00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:16.320
But we're gonna do the best we can every single day to build it to where there is sustained success, right?
00:36:16.480 --> 00:36:17.920
Will that happen immediately?
00:36:18.159 --> 00:36:19.360
I don't know, right?
00:36:19.519 --> 00:36:19.760
Yeah.
00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:25.280
We we're gonna do the things that it takes to to build it the right way for a long time.
00:36:25.599 --> 00:36:25.840
Nice.
00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:31.760
I know when I when I post this, I got several friends and associates that will be very excited.
00:36:31.840 --> 00:36:34.000
I know quite a few Hampton alumni.
00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:34.880
Good.
00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:37.519
And I haven't told anybody about this.
00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:40.000
Just kind of wanted it to be a surprise.
00:36:40.320 --> 00:36:44.480
And also, good news for you guys, you guys are building a new stadium.
00:36:44.800 --> 00:36:49.119
And so you won't be, so the first few games, you won't be at your home stadium.
00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:50.960
Can you can you tell me more about that?
00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:52.159
Well, you know what?
00:36:52.320 --> 00:36:57.760
We are, we are re we are replacing the field, replacing the track.
00:36:57.840 --> 00:36:59.199
And there are a lot of things.
00:36:59.360 --> 00:37:03.920
There are things that that uh that go into that that actually reach beyond football.
00:37:04.079 --> 00:37:10.159
We haven't had, we haven't had in many years an opportunity to have a home track meet, right?
00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:10.719
Okay.
00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:17.119
So as we as we recreate this facility, we're gonna be able to have a home track meet.
00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:21.679
Our soccer team has not been able to play at home in in some years.
00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:22.480
Guess what?
00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:25.039
We're gonna be able to have home soccer matches.
00:37:25.119 --> 00:37:31.119
And and and of course, to to get the football team a new feel, I'm I'm excited about that.
00:37:31.440 --> 00:37:49.199
But I'm I'm like truly gratified because of the fact that when we when we arrived at Hampton, what what my push was was for our staff and our community was to engage and our our coaches and our players was to engage with the community, right?
00:37:49.679 --> 00:38:06.559
Very important to me that that the people in the 757, the people in the seven cities in the Hampton Rose community, that they realize that, man, Hampton is not some exclusive place, that it's inclusive, that that we want to be a part of the community.
00:38:06.719 --> 00:38:22.880
So our players, they were out in the community, they visited schools, reading the kids, going to field days, two parts, so that they could be a part of the community for the community's sake, but so that they could understand they are a part of this bigger community for their sake.
00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:33.920
And I, the responses on both sides from the community and from our players who got a chance to go out and and meet young kids and get looked up to, right?
00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:37.039
And and to make friends at field days.
00:38:37.199 --> 00:38:43.599
Like that was a very cool experience for me as a head coach, being behind it, orchestrating it.
00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:50.239
Well, I couldn't, like I said, be more gratified when now we get to play games in the community, right?
00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:54.559
We get to play games away from our stadium in the community.
00:38:54.719 --> 00:39:17.280
And so it kind of, I didn't realize it would happen this way, but it kind of is all coming together for me to allow our players, and that's the way we're gonna frame it to them, is that, man, how how cool is it that the community, those people you met at the park, those people you met at the event that we went to, they're gonna get a chance, up close and personal.
00:39:17.440 --> 00:39:20.400
You're gonna play right around the corner from their house, right?
00:39:20.559 --> 00:39:22.719
And so I'm excited about that part of it.
00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:24.480
Oh, yeah, it'll be some adjustments.
00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:26.079
Yeah, it'll be a little different.
00:39:26.159 --> 00:39:27.599
And and uh guess what?
00:39:27.679 --> 00:39:30.320
The the opposing teams, they're gonna probably hate it.
00:39:30.480 --> 00:39:33.360
And I that that I like that even more.
00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:45.119
But we're we're gonna, like I said, we're taking steps forward with the remodeling of the fields, but then I think we're also taking steps forward in our engagement with the community.
00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:45.679
Nice.
00:39:45.840 --> 00:39:54.800
So last question is there any advice that you would give high school potential prospects, recruits right now?
00:39:55.039 --> 00:39:56.239
What should they be doing?
00:39:56.559 --> 00:40:01.119
So I always say this to young people when I have an opportunity to recruit them.
00:40:01.280 --> 00:40:17.840
When I have an opportunity really to speak to any young person who is a who was an at who was a student athlete, I try to make them get them to realize, you know, you you're playing, you play this week against Buckingham High School, and you know all the players on Buckingham's roster, right?
00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:21.440
You guys have been playing against each other for two or three years, whatever.
00:40:21.599 --> 00:40:28.000
But you need to realize when it comes to recruiting, the guy at Buckingham that you know all about, he's not your competition.
00:40:28.159 --> 00:40:30.400
Yeah, he's your competition this Saturday.
00:40:30.559 --> 00:40:40.159
But when it comes to recruiting, if you live in Florida, you need to realize you're competing against a guy in North Carolina for that scholarship spot.
00:40:40.320 --> 00:40:41.599
You don't even know him.
00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:46.079
You're competing against a guy in Dallas, Texas for that scholarship spot.
00:40:46.239 --> 00:40:48.880
You don't even know his team name, right?
00:40:49.360 --> 00:40:52.480
And you have to ask yourself, what is he doing right now?
00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:53.679
Is he watching film?
00:40:53.840 --> 00:40:55.679
What is his GPA right now?
00:40:56.800 --> 00:40:59.199
What is he doing to improve himself right now?
00:40:59.360 --> 00:41:00.960
Are you doing the same thing?
00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:06.159
Because you are in a heated competition for the same thing that he wants.
00:41:06.320 --> 00:41:08.880
And guess what his coach is doing right now to him?
00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:11.039
He's yelling at him, just like yours is.
00:41:11.199 --> 00:41:12.800
And guess what you did yesterday?
00:41:13.039 --> 00:41:14.079
You ran sprints.
00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:15.360
How many did you run?
00:41:15.519 --> 00:41:16.800
He ran them yesterday too.
00:41:16.960 --> 00:41:18.000
How many did he run?
00:41:18.159 --> 00:41:28.960
And so you you are in a constant competition, and sometimes what you do is you just see the players on your team, and you think, if I'm the best one on my team, I'm the man.
00:41:29.119 --> 00:41:34.239
And then you say, well, I'm better than everybody on the team that I played last week, I'm the man.
00:41:34.480 --> 00:41:39.920
You need to understand there's another 6'2, 215-pound running back in another state.
00:41:40.159 --> 00:41:45.199
There's another linebacker in another state who has three interceptions just like you do.
00:41:45.360 --> 00:41:47.440
And his team actually is undefeated.
00:41:47.519 --> 00:41:49.760
And they won the state championship last year.
00:41:49.920 --> 00:41:53.599
You're competing with him for whatever it is you want, right?
00:41:53.760 --> 00:41:57.679
And so knowing that, if you knew that, then how would you compete?
00:41:57.760 --> 00:41:59.920
How would you wake up every day if you knew that?
00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:08.880
And I say this to players in college is that you because you were all Big 12, that guy was all ACC, and that guy was all SEC.
00:42:09.039 --> 00:42:10.480
What makes you different than him?
00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:14.639
Like, like who who who is the bad who is it that the bads are gonna pick?
00:42:14.800 --> 00:42:15.519
You or him.
00:42:15.760 --> 00:42:16.480
You know what I mean?
00:42:16.719 --> 00:42:21.519
And so you're you're you're you're thinking that you got it made, so is he, you know.
00:42:21.920 --> 00:42:25.760
And so that's my advice is always be chasing the man that you can't see.
00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:31.280
I think that's probably some of the best advice that I've heard from a player, especially like locally.
00:42:31.519 --> 00:42:37.199
Rivalries get just so much attention, and rivalries are good for that night.
00:42:37.360 --> 00:42:46.000
But like you said, when this is over, I mean, and then usually a rivalry is against a school that's oh, you know, they ain't won no games.
00:42:46.159 --> 00:42:47.199
Y'all know y'all gonna win.
00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:50.079
Like, right who are you comparing yourself to?
00:42:50.239 --> 00:42:54.079
And it's some guy in Texas that's killing it every night, you know?
00:42:54.880 --> 00:42:56.320
He's playing against real dudes.
00:42:56.480 --> 00:42:56.800
Right.
00:42:57.039 --> 00:42:58.320
You might not be, you know.
00:42:58.559 --> 00:43:00.559
Thank you, coach, just for sharing.
00:43:00.800 --> 00:43:12.480
I can't wait to get this out um for the young people to see that's still working and and just encouraging them to continue to work even in this recruitment era that we're in.
00:43:12.639 --> 00:43:13.679
It's possible.
00:43:13.840 --> 00:43:16.880
And every day, think about how you're gonna separate yourself.
00:43:17.199 --> 00:43:17.360
Right.
00:43:17.440 --> 00:43:21.519
And you know, even even young people in the 2026 class, guess what?
00:43:21.679 --> 00:43:32.159
We had we we've had in the last week, we've had three young people that we didn't necessarily recruit for a long time, but but they are going to be a part of our team.
00:43:32.320 --> 00:43:34.480
They're gonna come in and fall camp.
00:43:34.639 --> 00:43:37.679
And so there is always opportunity out there.
00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:39.519
You you that's not your job, right?
00:43:39.599 --> 00:43:43.679
It's not your job to to say when the opportunity is gonna open.
00:43:43.840 --> 00:43:45.360
It's your job to be ready for.
00:43:45.760 --> 00:43:46.400
Absolutely.
00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:47.440
Absolutely.
00:43:47.599 --> 00:43:50.079
Well, listen, I'll be following Hampton.
00:43:50.159 --> 00:43:51.519
I'll be looking at the schedule.
00:43:51.599 --> 00:43:56.400
Maybe y'all are at a classic that's near near near Illinois or something.
00:43:56.639 --> 00:44:01.679
I know you've been here like years ago, but I yeah, I'll have to definitely look up that schedule.
00:44:01.840 --> 00:44:02.719
No doubt.
00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:13.039
All right.
00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:15.839
Hello and welcome back to Recruitable.
00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:17.519
We are excited today.
00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:26.239
Today we have with us Coach Malone, who is the head coach of uh Hampton University, the Hampton Pirates.
00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:29.280
Coach Malone, thank you for being here.
00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:34.799
I know a coach's schedule, especially a college coach's schedule, is always super busy.
00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:38.240
So I really appreciate you being on with us today.
00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:40.079
Welcome to Recruitable.
00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:42.479
Well, um I'm excited to be here.
00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:44.240
And uh I I thank you.
00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:48.799
Yes, uh I do have a lot going on as you see me moving from one location to the other.
00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:50.719
Um, but I do have a lot going on.
00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:51.520
But you know what?
00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:58.640
Anytime we can jump on with you and have an opportunity to wanna share, then then uh I'm excited about that.
00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:01.520
Yeah, so just want to go through your bio.
00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:06.959
So you've seen every angle of football from player to coach.
00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:15.920
You are a former NFL player, 57th pick for the Detroit Lions, end up retiring with the Arizona Cardinals.
00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:23.120
You spent 18 years coaching on the Power Four level, and now you're the head coach of the Hampton Pirates.
00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:36.079
Take me just through this journey and how it goes into what you do, how you recruit and teach players today, considering your extensive background.
00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:40.879
Well, I tell you what you just exemplified is that I have a lot of stickers on my bag.
00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:41.599
You know what I mean?
00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:48.959
You used to you watch cartoons back in the day and you see that guy was traveling and he got stickers for every place that he'd been.
00:01:49.120 --> 00:02:10.479
But, you know, for me, it is exactly what you said is is some of the experiences that I've had the opportunity to have in my in my life, not just as a coach, but as a player, they they lead into who I am and how I operate as a coach, and and especially now how I operate as a head coach.
00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:34.000
I've I've had I've personally had the opportunity to be coached by some really great coaches as a player in my time with the w first of all, in in my time in high school, my time in high school, I had really good coaches, and those coaches always pushed the players, pushed myself and my teammates to be the best that we could be as individuals.
00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:37.199
But they also teet taught a team concept.
00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:49.840
So then I went on to college, and the same thing is that, you know, everybody wants to go to just like they do today, everybody wants to go to the NFL, so they're so they're driven by this individualized thinking.
00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:58.479
But but I had coaches in college that that talked about the fact that that we will accomplish more as a team than we will as individuals.
00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:01.120
And then I I go to the NFL.
00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:08.479
Well, that's the ultimate spot where people will think that there is a lot of selfishness going on because there's a lot of money behind the movements.
00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:09.360
Absolutely.
00:03:09.759 --> 00:03:19.199
But I was on a team, and I was on teams in Detroit and Arizona where where we really we had a a very strong team concept.
00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:24.240
And it was not as much through the player, uh, through the coaches as much as it was through the players.
00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:28.319
We had a lot of players on both of those teams with great character.
00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:32.800
And and so all my life as a player, I was around that.
00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:37.680
I was developed in that way, a way that that that the team always came first.
00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:49.039
So when I became a coach, it was easy to translate that to me to to be able to have my players understand the importance of forget about me, what can I do for the team.
00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:51.360
And uh, and so that's how we live our lives.
00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:55.280
We one of our core values at Hampton is selflessness.
00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:58.879
And so that's that's that's how we live our life.
00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:06.719
And and I think that it's it's a lead in, it's a key to the success that we will be able to eventually have at Hampton.
00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:07.280
Nice.
00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:10.719
You coached a little bit on the high school level too.
00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:15.919
Coaching high school and college, what did it teach you about developing talent?
00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:19.680
You know, I I have had the opportunity to coach at places.
00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:26.959
Well, I I've I've had I've coached at Texas AM, and you would say that Texas AM, you kind of get whatever talent you want.
00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:37.920
I've also had an opportunity to coach at Mississippi State, and because those teams are in one of the top leagues, you would say that those teams get whatever talent they want.
00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:41.920
Well, I've also coached at some schools who are not in that conference.
00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:49.120
I've coached in the MAT conference, coached in Conference USA, I've conferenced coached in the American Conference.
00:04:49.199 --> 00:05:00.879
And so when you coach in s in leagues that are not amongst the powers, then sometimes you have to get players who might need to be developed, who might not be there just yet.
00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:06.639
And I've had players even at Kansas State where we got the players that we wanted for the most part.
00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:18.720
Well, I've had to find and coach those players who might need a little bit more development, who might not have been ready, who who might not have gotten all the recruiting that somebody else did.
00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:28.720
And and so that's what they come there for, is they come because we, especially at Kansas State, we had a reputation of development.
00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:44.319
And so for me, I take great pride in in recruiting a young man and bringing him bringing him onto our team at one point and then watching him grow through our time working together to another point.
00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:47.439
And like I said earlier, everybody wants to go to the NFL.
00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:57.040
So that is that is the measuring stick for me is can I get a young man to be able to have an opportunity to play in the NFL?
00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:01.279
And that's how I measure, that's how I've measured myself as a coach.
00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:05.920
Yeah, of course I want to win and go to bowl games, win championships, I want to do that.
00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:16.879
But when it talks when it comes to my relationship with the players in my room, I take responsibility in allowing and helping them to be able to accomplish their goals.
00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:20.079
And most of the time, that is wanting to play in the NFL.
00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:29.199
That's an awesome philosophy because for a lot of young men, starting out at Pop Warner High School, that's what they see is going to the NFL.
00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:35.199
So just your concept of development and the ultimate goal, if you can get them there to the NFL, is amazing.
00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:44.240
Where do you see the future of football recruitment going in the NIL and transfer portal era right now?
00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:54.879
Well, I I think that first of all, I've always believed that, along with others, I've always believed that student athletes should be compensated.
00:06:55.040 --> 00:07:08.319
I've always believed that student athletes, not only when I was a student athlete, of course I wanted it then, but I've always believed that if there is a lot of money being made in college athletics.
00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:15.600
And for a student athlete in 1950, for example, in 1950, what did that student athlete got?
00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:19.680
He got a scholarship, and that was good enough, right?
00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:22.319
Because there wasn't a whole lot of money being made.
00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:29.680
Well, at that time, his coaches, assistant coaches and head coaches and athletic directors, athletic departments, guess what?
00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:32.160
They were not making any great deal of money.
00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:35.600
So the playing field was was pretty much even, right?
00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:36.160
Mm-hmm.
00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:39.360
Well, in today's game, there's a lot of money being made.
00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:43.519
Athletic departments make a lot of money, athletic directors, coaches make a lot of money.
00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:53.199
And so when you tell a student athlete in in in the in the era of 2000s, that, hey man, just go to school, just get you an education and that be enough.
00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:53.839
Guess what?
00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:58.480
That it educate, especially at some universities, that is a tremendous amount of money.
00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:06.319
But when you compare what's being made by the athletic department and what's being made by coaches, then there should be some compensation.
00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.040
There should be some sharing of the revenue.
00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:20.959
So I just believe that this, this model, this landscape that we're living in is only, it's only the beginning of it moving more to a professional model.
00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:21.519
Right.
00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:25.519
It's like college is the new, the new pro, you know.
00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:26.399
Right.
00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:35.200
And I don't even know what to say what the pro is now when when you hear about the amount of money that some of the football players are making in college now.
00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:40.960
Yeah, well, again, there it if they're getting a lot of money, there's a lot of money being made.
00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:53.759
But what what my proposal would be is that if if if you were a player and and you were this multi-million dollar player, I just want to make sure that you graduate, right?
00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:56.480
It's important to me that you graduate.
00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:04.159
So if if you were a$10 million player, then I think if you were to to receive a stipend, right?
00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:13.039
If you were to be able to get a stipend to to keep you, to sustain you, which it don't take a lot to sustain you, monthly, right?
00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:15.679
You were able to be sustained monthly with a stipend.
00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:27.039
I think that to to to have a young player experience that, and then the rest of that money, we put in a trust fund so that when you graduate, hey man, it's all yours, right?
00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:27.600
Nice.
00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:31.679
But but the but the focus is graduation, right?
00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:37.840
The focus is not is not to give you all the money while you are in college, right?
00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:44.559
The focus is to set you up for post-college, post uh graduation.
00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:47.279
Like that's what we are pushing for.
00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:52.159
That's what if before all the money was being passed around, that was the focus.
00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:54.879
The focus was to get this young man to graduate.
00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:58.080
And so that's still my focus is to graduate.
00:09:58.240 --> 00:09:59.279
But there's a carrot.
00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:03.360
I want to put a carrot at the end of it and say, listen, you got this stipend.
00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:11.360
And if you transfer six, seven, eight, ten times, you're just pushing yourself further away from your big payoff, right?
00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:20.399
And so now what we all start to do, everybody who's involved with this young man, they're starting to push him towards graduation, right?
00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:24.720
You got agents, they're gonna push him toward graduation because that's their big payoff.
00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:35.200
You got whoever, people who might be associated with him, negative or positive people, they're pushing him toward graduation so that they can get their big payoff.
00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:50.240
And so rather than, you know, student athletes moving here and moving here, chasing what we call chasing the bag, and and they're dropping trend, they're dropping credit hours along the way, moving further away from graduation.
00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:51.600
We want you to graduate.
00:10:51.759 --> 00:11:01.039
And so if you can graduate and and and get this big payoff, man, I'm I'm as ex I'm as excited as I can be for that whole process.
00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:01.600
Right.
00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:05.519
Especially if that NFL dream does not happen.
00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:20.080
Some of these student athletes, like you said, can really set themselves up or take a portion of this money, invest it, and and just kind of almost start their future while they're still playing college ball, if you're not gonna, you know, go to the NFL.
00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:20.559
Right.
00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:31.759
Well, and again, uh the NFL, we we everyone can have that dream, but the reality is that very few players are able to make that happen, right?
00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:51.759
And so does the fact that you are not an NFL player, with like you just said, with the amount of money that's being passed out, handed out, then there's an opportunity for a young man to be able to set himself and his family up in a very special way and not have to depend on an NFL career.
00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:52.480
Absolutely.
00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:56.000
What do you think about this new five and five rule?
00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:57.759
What recruitable is about?
00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:15.679
We did this podcast with the high school athlete in mind, because this is a very different era for young men who want to play sports like football, basketball, it is very hard to get recruited, especially as long as, you know, NCAA was extending eligibility.
00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:22.399
So you got high school students waiting on 25, 26 year olds to free up some room for them.
00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:28.320
Do you think this five and five rule will make it easier or harder for high school recruits?
00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:33.120
And then will we see that effect with the level of college football?
00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:34.080
Will it change?
00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:39.360
Will it continue to look the same if your players start becoming younger and younger?
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:44.480
Well, I I actually think it's it's gonna it's going to move the opposite direction.
00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:50.879
It's going to force teams to have players on their roster who can produce now.
00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:59.679
And and you would think that a high school player, the overwhelming thought is that a high school player will not be ready to produce now.
00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:04.240
And so I think the elite level high school players, they're gonna always be right.
00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:10.480
Though those players who are the five, four-star dose players, they're gonna always be recruited.
00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:19.279
The special thing about college football over the course of time, over the years, has been that there's always the diamond in the roof.
00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:27.200
There's always that player that nobody knew about, and now all of a sudden he's discovered and he gets the opportunity.
00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:34.720
Well, that that player with with this new rule, that player is gonna be harder, it's gonna be more difficult to find.
00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:36.879
There's gonna be more risks taken.
00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:42.080
And I I just believe that you got five, and and you got five, and that's it.
00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:45.759
And and if we make mistakes on the five, then we got four.
00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:46.480
You know what I mean?
00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:48.639
And and so I see what you're saying.
00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:59.600
You you the college programs are gonna have to be more eagle-eyed, and they're gonna have to be more dead on with their choices when it comes to recruiting.
00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:02.080
There, there's not, there's not gonna be room.
00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:12.080
I'm not saying in our program, I'm just saying in the overall landscape, there's not gonna be room for the time to develop them.
00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:18.240
Coaches will be much more apprehensive about getting a developmental player, right?
00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:22.960
Again, those elite body, the every the one that everybody's recruiting, yeah, he's fine.
00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:24.639
Nothing will change for him.
00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:31.360
But the recruit who you had to go look for and dig down deep, that I gotta take a chance on.
00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:34.159
I don't because he has an opportunity red shirt.
00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:36.799
Well, that's that's kind of gone away, I believe.
00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:38.080
I see what you're saying.
00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:50.399
So now because you can't take a, say, a freshman out of high school that you see great potential in, but you kind of want to spend a year building them up, getting them physical, maybe he growing, gaining weight.
00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:58.799
Now you don't have that luxury because the the clock starts ticking as soon as they get as soon as they get there, as soon as they step foot on campus.
00:14:59.039 --> 00:14:59.200
Right.
00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:08.799
And so you're gonna send that that level of player, that player is gonna go to the lower levels of football, and then that's when the transfer portal starts to work, right?
00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:21.440
And so, so you'll see because you always you already see the remnants of that in that, you know, you you go in and get in the division two player, and everybody says, well, how how did that guy end how did this guy end up in division two?
00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:25.440
Well, he's division two, but now he's at so-and-so university.
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:30.799
You know, he's at some power five, power four university, but he started in division two.
00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:38.639
And you'll see more of that happening, which I've always said to young players, man, just go play somewhere.
00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:39.919
Just go play somewhere.
00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:43.200
You you you love the game, just go play, right?
00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:46.639
Don't worry about the stars, don't worry about the hype.
00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:49.120
Yeah, I know there's money attached.
00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:52.960
So somebody said, Are you telling me, you telling me not to chase my dream?
00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:55.279
No, I'm just saying, just go play.
00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:57.600
You go play, find a place to play.
00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:04.000
You want to play the game, find a place to play, and and in this new landscape, you could be discovered.
00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:05.840
But but I want to caution.
00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:08.559
I have a a friend of our family.
00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:10.399
He he had no offers.
00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:13.919
He had no offers, and he had one school to offer him.
00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:22.879
Well, I heard him in a conversation, and he before he even got to the university, he he was already planning his exit.
00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:27.759
I heard him in the conversation say, Yeah, I'm gonna go get me a little femme, and then I'm gonna bounce.
00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:32.720
Well, I'm like, hey man, you had any first of all, you had no offers yesterday, right?
00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:39.200
And so now these people took a chance on you, and you're already planning your exit strategy.
00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:50.480
And I don't listen, everybody, go do your thing, go be you, go do all, maximize your reach, but you know, you can't be planning the exit before you even get to the place, right?
00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:50.799
Right.
00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:55.279
And not to mention, like I said, three days ago, you had no place.
00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:56.080
This is true.
00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:56.799
This is true.
00:16:56.879 --> 00:17:04.160
There's a small percentage of high school athletes that go on, I think it's like 3% that go on to play college sports.
00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:06.720
And that's on that's D1, D2, and D3.
00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:18.240
D2 and even D2 now, you're definitely gonna see some talent and you get there, and it's not like you gotta come in still fighting, still kind of what they call being a dog to even get a spot.
00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:22.880
Like you, you have to work to get that film you're talking about leading with.
00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:25.680
There's work to be done on every on every level.
00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:28.880
Yeah, and I I think again, just go and play, right?
00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:30.319
Right just go and play.
00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:36.319
And then and then understand that that everybody can't play in the SEC, right?
00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:38.880
Everybody can't be a first round pick.
00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:48.240
Everybody's not going to be so so wherever you are, and people always say this in in corporate America, you know, be where your feet, be where your feet are, right?
00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:49.599
Grow where you're playing it.
00:17:49.680 --> 00:18:03.279
And and I think that's important because when we learn that lesson as as players, when we learn that lesson as players, we find peace, we find happiness, we find a productive situation.
00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.640
And that, again, that that goes to coaches as well, right?
00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:16.319
I can't be at Hampton University looking over the fence at another university, looking over the fence, planning when I'm gonna leave this university, right?
00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:25.279
I have to lock in and be committed to to the task at hand here today, tomorrow, and the next day.
00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.880
How soon does the evaluation period start for football players?
00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:33.359
Is it when they start playing varsity?
00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:35.839
Is it freshman, sophomore year?
00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:38.960
What would you say that timeline is?
00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:44.960
Yeah, I think I think the honesty of it is, is, is once a young man, of course, you know the rules don't.
00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:57.839
Once once a person, once a young man or young woman is a high school age prospect or high school age person, then they become a recruitable student athlete, right?
00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:02.000
And so therefore all the rules begin to apply to them.
00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:06.400
But, you know, I know I've heard of supposedly people getting offered when they're in middle school.
00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:21.519
But but generally and truthfully, once you, once you begin to play on the varsity level, right, because if you're high school, if you were such a great player, then they would put you on the biggest stage, right?
00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:27.839
And so once you begin to play, no matter where you, if you're a freshman playing varsity, that's the biggest stage that we have.
00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:34.240
Then then you you get you, I think you're viable for for people to begin to look at you, right?
00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:37.839
To be able to determine where you might fit in their program.
00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:44.799
Uh it used to be back in the day, it used to be that, ah man, nobody's worried about you until you're a junior.
00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:51.920
But I I had the opportunity to play uh on the varsity level earlier in my career than that.
00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:57.680
And so if you're out there with the big guys, somebody's gonna take your name down, right?
00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:02.000
And so it's about it's about being productive wherever you might be.
00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:06.799
But but generally to answer that question, it it's once you start playing varsity football.
00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:07.359
Okay.
00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.400
Are two-way players getting more looks now?
00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:14.480
Or is specializing early still the way to go?
00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:18.240
Yeah, I I, you know, I'm from the old school, right?
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:25.279
And so I I just believe in, you know, when you talk about two-way, when you tell like as much as you can do, right?
00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:31.039
Because there many, many, many, many, many years ago, I played high school football.
00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:36.960
And I played, I was a defensive bat, I was an offensive, I was a quarterback, I was a running back.
00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:42.640
And so what I think is that when I see a two-way player, it's a mark of athleticism.
00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:51.039
And if your team needs you to be a two-way player for you guys to win the state championship, and you're gonna tell me, well, I'm thinking about me.
00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:55.920
I'm not worried about state championship, so I'm just gonna play defense or I'm just gonna play offense.
00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:00.880
When you're in high school, your your operation is to win the state championship.
00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:04.079
So whatever your team would need you to do, right?
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:10.880
And then, you know, even to that point, like of course I see guys who say, I, I, you know, I don't play any other sports.
00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:13.279
I'm totally focusing on football.
00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:14.960
And that's fine, right?
00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:24.240
But if you're if you run track, if you play basketball, if you play bait, if you play another sport, like that's a mark for me of athleticism.
00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:26.160
Not everybody can play basketball.
00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:27.920
So maybe you can't, right?
00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:28.480
Right?
00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:30.720
Not everybody's fast enough to run track.
00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:33.920
So always challenge guys and say, well, maybe you can't, right?
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:40.240
But if you can, if you can, I believe in the recruiting process, you set yourself apart.
00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:48.640
Whereas if you have a guy who only, he only plays wide receiver, and he never, he never, I never seen him on the track.
00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:50.960
He's not gonna get out there and compete, right?
00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:53.759
In a sports that's not, in a sport, that's not his sport.
00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:58.559
Let me just see what you'll do, though, when you line up with people who this is their sport.
00:21:58.640 --> 00:21:59.519
I'm not saying that.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:02.240
You gotta go out there and win the races, right?
00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:03.599
You're not a track guy.
00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:07.119
But to see you out there competing, I always look for that.
00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:12.319
And I think there's a few people, there are a few people who can do that.
00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:17.440
And I I think from an athleticism standpoint, they just set themselves apart.
00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:19.039
And I always would encourage it.
00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:20.079
Yeah, I agree.
00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:25.680
I it's great to hear about just a multi-sport, just an athlete, just the all-around athlete.
00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:27.599
They're not defined by one thing.
00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:31.519
Even in track and field, I've come to admire the field events.
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:39.119
So my son was a long jumper and a sprinter, which I think is it's like two different, it's it's the same sport, but two different skills.
00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:41.759
That definitely shows your athleticism.
00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:51.440
And again, your your willingness to compete in a in a space that you are not you that you don't master, but to to compete in another area.
00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:59.759
Again, that marks of athleticism and competitiveness, they shine through in a place where you're not you're not the number one guy.
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:01.039
Right, absolutely.
00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:06.400
What separates a prospect from those who actually get an offer?
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:07.279
You know what?
00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:24.480
From from the time uh for me as an assistant coach where I was an area coach and responsible for scouring an area and then taking back players who would fit our program from different positions, taking those guys back to a position coach.
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:31.759
And then me as a position coach receiving players from other areas that coaches had would pass to me.
00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:43.119
What I think is that when you pass these players, you have to make a determination as an area coach is does this guy fit who we are and what we do?
00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:45.680
For example, an offensive lineman.
00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.119
I've worked over the years.
00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:51.200
There's some offensive line coaches, they just like them big, right?
00:23:51.359 --> 00:24:00.960
They don't necessarily have to be great athletes, but if they're big, they can road grade, they can latch on to you, and they can just drive you out of there because they're bigger than you are.
00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:05.200
Well, then I've had other offensive line coaches, they like them big for sure.
00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:08.559
Everybody likes them big, but they want them to be athletic.
00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:14.319
They want them to be able to manage movement, right, on the line of scrimmage.
00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:28.960
And so if with the road grading offensive line coach, I go to my area and I have a smaller athletic, more athletic offensive lineman, he can be as athletic as he wants to be, but he doesn't fit what this coach wants.
00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:47.519
And so for us, as we move forward, to get closer to your question, for us, if he fits what we do athletically, if we, after evaluating him academically and socially, he fits us, then we want to it's we want to determine is this guy, does he have interest in Hampton?
00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:52.160
Well then if if all those things fit and we have a spot for him, then we offer him.
00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:53.119
That's an offer.
00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:53.680
Right.
00:24:53.920 --> 00:25:03.759
The other guy who who may not who may not fit yet as an athlete, okay, he is big, but he hadn't shown us the athleticism yet.
00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:05.279
He still needs to develop.
00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:18.559
Or he is a really good athlete, but his grades, he he needs, he's at a 2.75, and he's close enough that we need to get him the three-point, and he's shown the potential to be able to get to that place.
00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:22.559
So we need to challenge him to see if he can get to that place.
00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:32.240
Or, you know, this guy is uh he's smaller, but the coaches and our coaches, as they evaluate him, they say that he's going to be bigger.
00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:36.480
He has a his brother is six, seven, and his mom is really tall.
00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:38.480
He just hadn't gotten there yet.
00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:39.039
Yeah.
00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:41.920
So we're gonna watch him and wait on him.
00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:53.599
Neither one of those last two guys are offers yet, but but we have something, and I and I think it's important this is on the on the back side, and uh a prospect would never know about this.
00:25:53.759 --> 00:26:01.359
But on our staff, I think if you n if you wanna have him on the list, but you don't want to offer him, you gotta have a a day.
00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:02.559
You gotta have a time.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:04.319
There's a time limit, right?
00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:07.680
You can't just let him rot on your on your board, right?
00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:10.480
You gotta have a time limit to get him off your board.
00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:10.880
Right.
00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:12.559
Did he did he make the grade?
00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:15.759
We said we said by the second semester you gotta have this certain grade.
00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:16.720
Did he make the grade?
00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:17.599
No, he hasn't.
00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:19.680
Okay, well, we got to make a decision, right?
00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:24.400
That way the player, you can let the player, I think you have to be transparent.
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:27.519
You can let the player know, hey man, we're moving on.
00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:28.880
It's okay, right?
00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:31.839
It's okay if we don't like you for whatever reason.
00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:47.680
It's best that we tell you that so you can move on rather than we just keep on stringing you alone, keep on playing this music, keep on playing this music until we have no more data, we never got no more room on our hard drive, now we got to cut you off, right?
00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:49.920
Well, that's I think that's painful, right?
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:51.759
I'd rather be up front with people.
00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:53.279
I'd rather be transparent.
00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:54.079
And guess what?
00:26:54.240 --> 00:27:01.119
If I'm transparent and I tell you that you don't have the grades, and then you go get the grades, now we can have another discussion, right?
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:07.599
When I tell you we don't like you because you're not big enough, and all of a sudden something changes, well, of course it changed.
00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:08.880
So so it's different.
00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:12.799
And I but I'd rather have a transparent conversation.
00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:19.599
And if you do that with people, I just believe, no matter what the discussion was, you can always go back.
00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:24.079
And recruiting is one of those places where you always go back, right?
00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:30.160
The people you reject, you reject them on Tuesday, you find yourself chasing them on Thursday.
00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:35.200
They reject you on Wednesday, then all of a sudden they calling you back on Friday.
00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:36.319
It just happens.
00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:37.759
You can't take it personally.
00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:45.920
So therefore, I just believe you should always be up front, be transparent, and you know, keep it like the kids say, keep it 100.
00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:53.839
Yeah, and I think that's good advice for these young recruits that you can be on a board and you can be off a board and you can get back on a board.
00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:58.160
And with those real conversations, you're giving them goals to work towards.
00:27:58.319 --> 00:28:06.799
Like you said, if it's the GPA that's 2.7 and need to be three-point next semester, you need to get a 4.0 to bring it up to a three-point something.
00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:07.200
Right.
00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:08.880
Those are real conversations.
00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:11.359
Hey, we'd like to see you a little bit bigger.
00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:15.440
Those are realistic goals that they can work towards.
00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:22.400
And and I you can again, it it's my job to find the best players that we can for Hampton University.
00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:30.480
But as we go through that process, it's my purpose, is also to help young people get to where they get to their goals, right?
00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:32.960
And that's if they come to Hampton or not.
00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:37.839
And so being upfront, being transparent about where we are.
00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:38.720
And guess what?
00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:41.200
We're gonna lose some co we're gonna lose some players, right?
00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:41.839
We lose them.
00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:46.079
We lose if if we tell you the truth and we lose you, I'm okay with that, right?
00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:48.400
Uh because we're not gonna lie to get you.
00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:48.880
Right.
00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:54.559
And so, and so that's I would want somebody to do it for my for my kids.
00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:57.519
And so that's that's how we're gonna always operate.
00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:01.519
We don't have what we call non-committable offers, right?
00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:02.480
That's a term.
00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:11.440
And I think that goes to I hear I read a kid's X and he says, I'm committed, but my recruiting is 100% open.
00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:13.839
And how can you do that?
00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:17.839
Like, how can you be committed but want to be 100% recruited?
00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:18.319
Right.
00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:22.319
And and then we offer you, but we tell you you can't commit.
00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:35.119
Now, as I tell our staff, the only way you can offer someone and not take their commitment is if you explain to them, listen, we're offering you, but before you commit, you got to come to campus.
00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:38.880
Well, then that is a non-committable offer until he comes to campus.
00:29:39.119 --> 00:29:39.680
Right.
00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:46.319
We're offering you a scholarship based on you getting a 3.0 at the end of this semester.
00:29:46.480 --> 00:29:49.519
That means if you don't get a 3.0, you don't have an offer.
00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:55.440
And and if we, if it's clear, it's explained, and it's above the board, then I'm okay.
00:29:55.599 --> 00:29:58.880
But we don't just throw out offers so that you feel good.
00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:03.359
Like, cause it I I think the offer is a is a powerful thing.
00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:04.640
It's actually so powerful.
00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:09.039
We I I was listening, I was reading something, and a kid had a term, right?
00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:12.319
The kids have different terms for when they when they get an offer, right?
00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:17.359
They say like, yeah, got one from like it ain't even called an got offered.
00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:18.880
It's used to be blessed.
00:30:18.960 --> 00:30:19.759
We were blessed.
00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:20.640
Right, right.
00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:21.359
Blessed.
00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:22.799
Now we got some other terms.
00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:24.799
Yeah, got one from so and so.
00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:25.839
Got one, huh?
00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:27.039
Well, no, man.
00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:32.880
When you get a college scholarship offer, like that should mean something.
00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:38.559
It should mean something to us as we offered it to you, and it should mean something to you.
00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:40.880
It's not just another one, right?
00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:42.559
It's not just another one.
00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:52.160
It's it's saying that, man, there's a whole university that is pushing behind you and wants you to come be a part of their program, right?
00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:52.960
Absolutely.
00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:54.799
And that's the way we frame it.
00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:56.720
And it's not, we don't just throw them out there.
00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:01.519
Yeah, this is not just another like on one of your posts on X.
00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:04.000
Let's let's take it a little more serious.
00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:10.160
Tell us about the 2026 Pirates, like the identity and the culture that you're building there.
00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:11.920
What can we expect to see?
00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:20.400
Well, you know, I think when this is my I was about to say, you know, when you when you get to be a head coach, this is my very first time.
00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:31.440
But what what I believed, I've always believed this, is that when you go into a new environment, when you're the leader, you can't you can't be somebody else.
00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:34.240
Like I've had, I said earlier, I've had great coaches.
00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:36.799
Well, I can't be coach David McWilliams.
00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:39.039
I can't be Coach Wayne Font.
00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:42.240
I can't be Coach Mike Gundy, right?
00:31:42.319 --> 00:31:44.079
I I have to be me.
00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:54.079
And so when we talk about the culture that we're building, it first started with who I am, connected with what I thought Hampton University was all about.
00:31:54.319 --> 00:32:01.119
And so the the identity is, is one of one of our mantras is is is burn the ships.
00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:02.960
Like we have, we say that.
00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:20.559
And what that means to me is, and I'm I study history a little bit, but there were a group of pirates who would go into areas and they would say, hey man, we're about to take over this area and and we're gonna burn our ships, right?
00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:29.039
Because if we don't burn our ships, if we go in here and get our head kicked in, then we could jump back on those ships and we can leave.
00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:35.839
But if we burn our ships, again, I'm I'm ad-living here, but if we burn our ships, then there's no retreat.
00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:36.880
We can't retreat.
00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:38.559
We can't surrender, right?
00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:40.720
We gotta, we gotta take their ships.
00:32:40.880 --> 00:32:43.920
That's the only way we're moving forward is by taking their ships.
00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:46.640
And so that's one that's one thing that we say.
00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:48.400
And then, and that had nothing to do with me.
00:32:48.480 --> 00:33:00.240
I'm not a ship burner, but but but when I talk about me, I'm saying that, you know, throughout my life, I've I've prided myself on being an aggressive physical person.
00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:01.519
That's when I was a player.
00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:02.480
That was way back when.
00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:03.759
I can't do it anymore.
00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:10.480
But but that's what this team is is gonna be, this is the way this team will be built, is we're gonna outhit our opponents.
00:33:10.799 --> 00:33:14.880
And then the next thing that we talk about is this is Hampton University.
00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:17.920
And we got a lot of smart dudes at Hampton University.
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:25.359
And so then we say, hey man, just like some of the service academies, they take great pride in being more disciplined.
00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:29.839
They take great pride in being smarter than their opponent.
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:32.000
Well, that's the same thing I would say at Hampton.
00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:33.839
Listen, you guys are really smart.
00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:41.440
And so we're gonna outsmart our opponent, meaning we're not gonna be doing dumb things like in the game that cost you the game.
00:33:41.599 --> 00:33:44.319
A lot of teams do do dumb stuff, right?
00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:47.759
You do dumb things at the wrong time and it costs you.
00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:50.240
Well, we want to take pride in not doing that.
00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:55.759
We want to take pride in in being smarter than our opponent in in those ways.
00:33:55.920 --> 00:34:00.079
And then the third thing is that is that we want to outwork our opponent.
00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:11.440
That's that's like that word work, we we use it quite often in our in our building, and and our our players understand that every day we gotta be committed to going to work.
00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:17.440
And and when you play the game, like it's only 60 minutes guaranteed.
00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:23.199
And so you have a responsibility to fight, to work, to push.
00:34:23.360 --> 00:34:30.480
When I say work, I'm saying that when the offense comes to the sideline, we're trying to get things corrected that might have gone wrong.
00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:35.199
And there's not a moment throughout that 60 minutes where you can rest.
00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:44.960
I'm not saying you're actually physically exerting yourself throughout the 60 minutes, but every moment of the game, when you come to the sideline, you're trying to get things corrected.
00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:48.639
You're trying to make sure that you and your partner were on the same page.
00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:54.239
You're trying to make sure, hey, coach, do you know you call this play coach, you know they did this coach.
00:34:54.400 --> 00:34:57.920
There's not even much time to drink Gatorade.
00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:03.039
Because we're trying to make sure every detail is wrapped up, right?
00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:06.559
That when we go back out there, we're all on the same page.
00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:09.679
And that's offense as defense as special teams.
00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:11.519
I don't think all teams do that.
00:35:11.599 --> 00:35:13.440
I think the best teams do that.
00:35:13.599 --> 00:35:16.800
They take advantage of every minute in a game.
00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:19.519
Well, you gotta practice that way, right?
00:35:19.679 --> 00:35:28.480
You gotta practice that way where you pay attention to all the details so that when you get into the game, you you're able to operate in that way.
00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:32.719
And so those are the things that I that I would hope you would see week after week.
00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:33.360
Guess what?
00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:40.239
Hampton, since 2018, has not had the success that we're talking about, right?
00:35:40.880 --> 00:35:43.119
And so uh I I said it today.
00:35:43.280 --> 00:35:54.480
I don't know, I was maybe doing an interview today or yesterday, and I said, like, if you're if you're a Hampton fan and you think we're gonna put it in the microwave, this is not microwave cooking, right?
00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:58.880
This is going, when you rebuild a culture, then it takes time.
00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:05.679
And and we understand that on our staff, our players, man, they they understand to a certain degree.
00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:08.880
And and we would like for our fans to understand it.
00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:16.320
But we're gonna do the best we can every single day to build it to where there is sustained success, right?
00:36:16.480 --> 00:36:17.920
Will that happen immediately?
00:36:18.159 --> 00:36:19.360
I don't know, right?
00:36:19.519 --> 00:36:19.760
Yeah.
00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:25.280
We we're gonna do the things that it takes to to build it the right way for a long time.
00:36:25.599 --> 00:36:25.840
Nice.
00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:31.760
I know when I when I post this, I got several friends and associates that will be very excited.
00:36:31.840 --> 00:36:34.000
I know quite a few Hampton alumni.
00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:34.880
Good.
00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:37.519
And I haven't told anybody about this.
00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:40.000
Just kind of wanted it to be a surprise.
00:36:40.320 --> 00:36:44.480
And also, good news for you guys, you guys are building a new stadium.
00:36:44.800 --> 00:36:49.119
And so you won't be, so the first few games, you won't be at your home stadium.
00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:50.960
Can you can you tell me more about that?
00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:52.159
Well, you know what?
00:36:52.320 --> 00:36:57.760
We are, we are re we are replacing the field, replacing the track.
00:36:57.840 --> 00:36:59.199
And there are a lot of things.
00:36:59.360 --> 00:37:03.920
There are things that that uh that go into that that actually reach beyond football.
00:37:04.079 --> 00:37:10.159
We haven't had, we haven't had in many years an opportunity to have a home track meet, right?
00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:10.719
Okay.
00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:17.119
So as we as we recreate this facility, we're gonna be able to have a home track meet.
00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:21.679
Our soccer team has not been able to play at home in in some years.
00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:22.480
Guess what?
00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:25.039
We're gonna be able to have home soccer matches.
00:37:25.119 --> 00:37:31.119
And and and of course, to to get the football team a new feel, I'm I'm excited about that.
00:37:31.440 --> 00:37:49.199
But I'm I'm like truly gratified because of the fact that when we when we arrived at Hampton, what what my push was was for our staff and our community was to engage and our our coaches and our players was to engage with the community, right?
00:37:49.679 --> 00:38:06.559
Very important to me that that the people in the 757, the people in the seven cities in the Hampton Rose community, that they realize that, man, Hampton is not some exclusive place, that it's inclusive, that that we want to be a part of the community.
00:38:06.719 --> 00:38:22.880
So our players, they were out in the community, they visited schools, reading the kids, going to field days, two parts, so that they could be a part of the community for the community's sake, but so that they could understand they are a part of this bigger community for their sake.
00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:33.920
And I, the responses on both sides from the community and from our players who got a chance to go out and and meet young kids and get looked up to, right?
00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:37.039
And and to make friends at field days.
00:38:37.199 --> 00:38:43.599
Like that was a very cool experience for me as a head coach, being behind it, orchestrating it.
00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:50.239
Well, I couldn't, like I said, be more gratified when now we get to play games in the community, right?
00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:54.559
We get to play games away from our stadium in the community.
00:38:54.719 --> 00:39:17.280
And so it kind of, I didn't realize it would happen this way, but it kind of is all coming together for me to allow our players, and that's the way we're gonna frame it to them, is that, man, how how cool is it that the community, those people you met at the park, those people you met at the event that we went to, they're gonna get a chance, up close and personal.
00:39:17.440 --> 00:39:20.400
You're gonna play right around the corner from their house, right?
00:39:20.559 --> 00:39:22.719
And so I'm excited about that part of it.
00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:24.480
Oh, yeah, it'll be some adjustments.
00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:26.079
Yeah, it'll be a little different.
00:39:26.159 --> 00:39:27.599
And and uh guess what?
00:39:27.679 --> 00:39:30.320
The the opposing teams, they're gonna probably hate it.
00:39:30.480 --> 00:39:33.360
And I that that I like that even more.
00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:45.119
But we're we're gonna, like I said, we're taking steps forward with the remodeling of the fields, but then I think we're also taking steps forward in our engagement with the community.
00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:45.679
Nice.
00:39:45.840 --> 00:39:54.800
So last question is there any advice that you would give high school potential prospects, recruits right now?
00:39:55.039 --> 00:39:56.239
What should they be doing?
00:39:56.559 --> 00:40:01.119
So I always say this to young people when I have an opportunity to recruit them.
00:40:01.280 --> 00:40:17.840
When I have an opportunity really to speak to any young person who is a who was an at who was a student athlete, I try to make them get them to realize, you know, you you're playing, you play this week against Buckingham High School, and you know all the players on Buckingham's roster, right?
00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:21.440
You guys have been playing against each other for two or three years, whatever.
00:40:21.599 --> 00:40:28.000
But you need to realize when it comes to recruiting, the guy at Buckingham that you know all about, he's not your competition.
00:40:28.159 --> 00:40:30.400
Yeah, he's your competition this Saturday.
00:40:30.559 --> 00:40:40.159
But when it comes to recruiting, if you live in Florida, you need to realize you're competing against a guy in North Carolina for that scholarship spot.
00:40:40.320 --> 00:40:41.599
You don't even know him.
00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:46.079
You're competing against a guy in Dallas, Texas for that scholarship spot.
00:40:46.239 --> 00:40:48.880
You don't even know his team name, right?
00:40:49.360 --> 00:40:52.480
And you have to ask yourself, what is he doing right now?
00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:53.679
Is he watching film?
00:40:53.840 --> 00:40:55.679
What is his GPA right now?
00:40:56.800 --> 00:40:59.199
What is he doing to improve himself right now?
00:40:59.360 --> 00:41:00.960
Are you doing the same thing?
00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:06.159
Because you are in a heated competition for the same thing that he wants.
00:41:06.320 --> 00:41:08.880
And guess what his coach is doing right now to him?
00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:11.039
He's yelling at him, just like yours is.
00:41:11.199 --> 00:41:12.800
And guess what you did yesterday?
00:41:13.039 --> 00:41:14.079
You ran sprints.
00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:15.360
How many did you run?
00:41:15.519 --> 00:41:16.800
He ran them yesterday too.
00:41:16.960 --> 00:41:18.000
How many did he run?
00:41:18.159 --> 00:41:28.960
And so you you are in a constant competition, and sometimes what you do is you just see the players on your team, and you think, if I'm the best one on my team, I'm the man.
00:41:29.119 --> 00:41:34.239
And then you say, well, I'm better than everybody on the team that I played last week, I'm the man.
00:41:34.480 --> 00:41:39.920
You need to understand there's another 6'2, 215-pound running back in another state.
00:41:40.159 --> 00:41:45.199
There's another linebacker in another state who has three interceptions just like you do.
00:41:45.360 --> 00:41:47.440
And his team actually is undefeated.
00:41:47.519 --> 00:41:49.760
And they won the state championship last year.
00:41:49.920 --> 00:41:53.599
You're competing with him for whatever it is you want, right?
00:41:53.760 --> 00:41:57.679
And so knowing that, if you knew that, then how would you compete?
00:41:57.760 --> 00:41:59.920
How would you wake up every day if you knew that?
00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:08.880
And I say this to players in college is that you because you were all Big 12, that guy was all ACC, and that guy was all SEC.
00:42:09.039 --> 00:42:10.480
What makes you different than him?
00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:14.639
Like, like who who who is the bad who is it that the bads are gonna pick?
00:42:14.800 --> 00:42:15.519
You or him.
00:42:15.760 --> 00:42:16.480
You know what I mean?
00:42:16.719 --> 00:42:21.519
And so you're you're you're you're thinking that you got it made, so is he, you know.
00:42:21.920 --> 00:42:25.760
And so that's my advice is always be chasing the man that you can't see.
00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:31.280
I think that's probably some of the best advice that I've heard from a player, especially like locally.
00:42:31.519 --> 00:42:37.199
Rivalries get just so much attention, and rivalries are good for that night.
00:42:37.360 --> 00:42:46.000
But like you said, when this is over, I mean, and then usually a rivalry is against a school that's oh, you know, they ain't won no games.
00:42:46.159 --> 00:42:47.199
Y'all know y'all gonna win.
00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:50.079
Like, right who are you comparing yourself to?
00:42:50.239 --> 00:42:54.079
And it's some guy in Texas that's killing it every night, you know?
00:42:54.880 --> 00:42:56.320
He's playing against real dudes.
00:42:56.480 --> 00:42:56.800
Right.
00:42:57.039 --> 00:42:58.320
You might not be, you know.
00:42:58.559 --> 00:43:00.559
Thank you, coach, just for sharing.
00:43:00.800 --> 00:43:12.480
I can't wait to get this out um for the young people to see that's still working and and just encouraging them to continue to work even in this recruitment era that we're in.
00:43:12.639 --> 00:43:13.679
It's possible.
00:43:13.840 --> 00:43:16.880
And every day, think about how you're gonna separate yourself.
00:43:17.199 --> 00:43:17.360
Right.
00:43:17.440 --> 00:43:21.519
And you know, even even young people in the 2026 class, guess what?
00:43:21.679 --> 00:43:32.159
We had we we've had in the last week, we've had three young people that we didn't necessarily recruit for a long time, but but they are going to be a part of our team.
00:43:32.320 --> 00:43:34.480
They're gonna come in and fall camp.
00:43:34.639 --> 00:43:37.679
And so there is always opportunity out there.
00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:39.519
You you that's not your job, right?
00:43:39.599 --> 00:43:43.679
It's not your job to to say when the opportunity is gonna open.
00:43:43.840 --> 00:43:45.360
It's your job to be ready for.
00:43:45.760 --> 00:43:46.400
Absolutely.
00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:47.440
Absolutely.
00:43:47.599 --> 00:43:50.079
Well, listen, I'll be following Hampton.
00:43:50.159 --> 00:43:51.519
I'll be looking at the schedule.
00:43:51.599 --> 00:43:56.400
Maybe y'all are at a classic that's near near near Illinois or something.
00:43:56.639 --> 00:44:01.679
I know you've been here like years ago, but I yeah, I'll have to definitely look up that schedule.
00:44:01.840 --> 00:44:02.719
No doubt.
