March 20, 2025 - Grupe, Leaf, Rattler & Hutmacher

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
All right, all right, all right, we're out here at
Radio row. I got Saints kicker plate.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Groupie said that, right right, super literate. Let's start off
at college ball. Actually, let's start pre college ball. I
know you played soccer in high school. At what point
do you say I played soccer in high school too.
At what point do you say, hey, I might be
pretty good.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
At this kicking thing.

Speaker 4 (00:23):
Yeah, pretty much the summer for my senior year.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
All throughout high school, I did both.

Speaker 4 (00:28):
Yeah, in Missouri, like some some states, it is different,
you know, whenever soccer and football are, but in Missouri
you're both in the fall. So I would oh wow,
really yeah, So I would play. It's not like I
didn't count out the week and all that. And then
I'd pretty much just show up on Fridays and kick kick.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
And so yeah, they had like, you know, they had
a girl before that, and then this German kid that
tried for a little bit that didn't work out so well,
and so next thing, you know, I go out there.
My dad was a soccer player in college and then
they actually cut the soccer program and so he walked
on the football team.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
Never played it down.

Speaker 4 (00:57):
But that's kind of got my you know, my little
starting there.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Crazy.

Speaker 4 (01:01):
I basically just show up on Fridays the first two
years and then kind of did a couple of camps.
Went to like a little Miszoo camp, won that, and
I was like, you know, some of these kids are
committed somewhere, maybe we might be able to do something here.
Uh you know, did that missed some football games? I
missed a game my senior year for a soccer tournament.
You know, so like by no means was football the priority?
I always doesn't go play college soccer. I had one
walk on offer and then I sat down one day

(01:23):
and I was like, you know, not many people care
about soccer. College soccer, and you know college football is
pretty big deal.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
So yeah, I took my one walk on offer to
Arkansas State and some belt and and uh you know
figured it out.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Were you there when Justin Rice was there? By chance?

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Oh yeah, I know, Jay Rice A.

Speaker 4 (01:38):
Rice got the president of state can actually yes, serves state,
Arkansas State, Utah State.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
And then he went somewhere else out of that, back
to Utah State.

Speaker 4 (01:47):
Back to Utah State. Okay, so he finished there. Oh no,
he went to the portal and then came back to
I don't know, bounced.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
He was with us for like three years.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
He was like the Mountain West defensive player of the year, Yeah,
something like that.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
He was a dog.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
And his older brother Jared played with us also. He
was a tight end with those guys you met earlier. Yeah, Jared, dude,
it was we got.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
We had some rowdy times with with those with ice brothers.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Imagine it is what it is.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
So you're you're at Arkansas State, eventually you make the
leap to Notre Dame.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
What was the what was the reasoning for that?

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (02:16):
So I did h five years. Uh you know COVID
year basically is that right year. So I did five
years at Arkansas State. Uh that included my undergrad and
my master's and uh started for years of walk on,
got put on scholarship, kind of climbed my way up there,
but basically wanted to go test myself. I stayed the
full of playing four years there. I wanted to break
some of their records in the conference and just little

(02:38):
stuff and honestly wasn't probably ready to go. Used my
last year to go to Notre Dame and and uh,
you know, I guess test myself on a bigger stage
for myself out there and kind of see where I
rank up right, and not to mention, who doesn't want
to go play big time college football like that.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
So of course one of the best programs of all time.

Speaker 4 (02:52):
Yeah, and so super fortunate to have the opportunity to
go there and and that was a that was a
wild year getting experienced with.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Everything different than Arkansas State for sure, very different.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, what is so when it comes time for you
to start the draft process, what's the mindset of a
kicker like you're There has been kickers that have gotten
drafted in the past. Obviously, It's it's a needle in
a haystack for the most part. Right, It's not like
a quarterback or receiver or running back like that. So
when you say, hey, it's time to declare and I'm

(03:23):
am I actually going to go out and try this thing,
they don't care about what your combine is.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Now what is your approach?

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (03:31):
So what's funny is, well, first of all, if you
get drafted, if you're if you're a kicker that gets drafted,
you're you know, you're you had a very good college career.
You're more likely a big guy, big leg. They see
obviously all the tangible things in there.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (03:43):
I mean personally, I almost didn't even try, which is
crazy to think about now.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
I didn't.

Speaker 4 (03:47):
I didn't get invited to the Combine. I didn't go
to the Senior Bowl. I didn't go to the Shrine Bowl. Hell,
I didn't even go to whatever the third and fourth
bowls were. You know, it just I almost didn't go.
Kind of settle for an agent who's not my agent anymore,
but settle for an agent there, and and moved and
we went to Buffalo, about five or six kickers, five
or six punters, five or six snappers, and we all
lived in one old kind of house in Buffalo, New York.

(04:11):
So we were there for about a month and a
half training and uh, we would basically stay up all
night and play FIFA and then sleep in the morning
and then go to the bills indoor like seven or
eight o'clock at night and kis kick. Yeah that was
the gig train and stuff. Yeah, so it's crazy, you know,
we'd been playing FIFA there in the day and then
kicking at night. And but I mean we trained it.
We did take it seriously. Obviously, if you're gonna do it,
you might as well do it the right way. But

(04:32):
uh so we were up there training and then went
to a combine in Arizona. That's kind of for guys
that didn't go to the combine and won it. And
I won the thing, and they didn't necessarily probably didn't
expect me to come in there win it, and uh,
you know, at that point, just kind of like you know,
leaving high school, I was like, you know what, maybe
I'm trending up a little bit, right. I was able
to go and find a better agency, Mike, and uh

(04:52):
my agent now and uh and so then kind of
from that point on, I guess is when I felt
like my trajectory changed a little bit. That's when I
and then I went to the pro day, did well
there and at the end of the day, all you
can do in that whole entire process leading up to
that pre draft stuff is to just do well enough
to get yourself.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
Into a camp right at the end of the day.

Speaker 4 (05:11):
Once you're there, they could care less if you won
the lou Gros Award in college. They could care less
if you're an All American, or hell, if you're like
a seventy percent. Guy, if you your foots in the
door and you're on that field, compete and they have
their GM, that head coach, that coordinators watching you, that's
all the chance you could ask, right, And so that's
what we were chasing, and that's what I was able
to find here in New Orleans. And and uh, it's
crazy now to think that you know, we're building into

(05:32):
year three now.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
That is I mean, that's that's awesome to hear.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
It's just like, really, at the end of the day,
and obviously we'll get into this story, but nothing matters
if you're a kicker besides making your kicks.

Speaker 4 (05:44):
It's so complex. Yeah, care less, they could care less.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
What would you say? So how'd you end up on
the Saints?

Speaker 4 (05:50):
So it was in between the Rams, Vikings Saints. Uh
had one work out with the Rams, had an interview
with the Vikings, you know, had some have some little
stuff here and there. But honestly, the Saints might have
been third on my list because I just heard the
least amount from them. Didn't expect it to come that way.
And and uh, just for the way the draft shook
out with with picks and when they went and UH

(06:11):
and you know, we chose New Orleans. One for for
an area that I felt like I would enjoy just
me personally, and another, you know, just for the opportunity
of being down here, playing in a lot of indoor games,
everything that kind of comes with just just I guess,
the benefits of being a Saints player, you know, and
being in the NFC in this in this location.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
So we chose here, and uh, at.

Speaker 4 (06:32):
The end of the day, it is kind of just
where he's worked out, doubt, but it just happened to
be the first one to come about. Minnesota kind of
backed off, the Rams ended up drafting some or they
didn't drafts, they took somebody else and and next thing,
you know, we're like, all right, We're we're headed to
New Orleans, you know. So uh, you know, now I'm
sitting here in Super Bowl week telling my story.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Congratulations, Happy to have you. Donna bring the juice.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
What about.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
You know you mentioned you played at Arkansas State, you
played at Notre Dame, you're now been on the Saints.
Can you describe the most high pressure situation you've been
in thus far as a kicker?

Speaker 4 (07:07):
Yeah, there's been. I feel like there's been a couple,
but like the first one that comes to mind when
I was a red shirt freshman, still a walk on
Arkansas State versus Nevada and the Arizona Bowl, you know,
big time ball here. Yeah, but I didn't have a
very good year and I knew that, and I remember
going out in my it was like first half it

(07:29):
was a forty seven yarder, which nowadays is like it's
just standard operations, right. I remember being a you know,
a red shirt freshman walk on and looking at that
forty seven yarder in my first bull game and being like,
this is a mile long. Yeah, I hit a duck.
Oh absolute duck. And so for that to happen with
everything that kind of gone on that year, and they
pretty much sat me down until say, three seconds left

(07:51):
in the game.

Speaker 3 (07:52):
We were running long. We were running like.

Speaker 4 (07:54):
A backdoor past or a left tackle instead of kicking
like a twenty something.

Speaker 3 (07:57):
Yard or yeah, bad deal.

Speaker 4 (08:00):
So but it ended up being like a thirty something
thirty some yarder to tie the game pushed into overtime,
and I think.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
That moment right there was.

Speaker 4 (08:07):
When I felt like, you know, I got over the hump,
got over that hump. Yeah, and uh and that's that
was that was probably the most nerve wracking. And you know,
coming from I guess the worst of hitting an absolute
stinker to then coming around and hitting my first kind
of game tying game type kick, I'd say that was
probably where I felt the most.

Speaker 1 (08:24):
What about in the league.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
In the league, the.

Speaker 4 (08:29):
First field goal, and my my rookie year, I had
some ups and downs. I missed a game winner in
green Bay. That was my first miskick in my career,
right at green Bay Week three forty It's forty six
yarder left hash. I mean, obviously I know that kind
of stuff. So yeah, so I mean that was kind
of my negative there, and then you know, you know,
two weeks later, we're in New England, I make like

(08:50):
two fifty plus yarders, get NFC Special Teams Player of
the Week, and you know, where's this flows flows and
ups and downs of a kicker totally but this you know,
So then pretty much that whole rest of the year,
I felt like, if I had one more bad game,
I might this might not work right. So I'm not
gonna say this is even one. That whole that's whole
second half of my rookie year, I really had to

(09:11):
lock in and work through some things, and and uh,
you know, I had to make it work or else
it wasn't gonna work. And of course I probably wouldn't
be here. It's a very short leash for kickers. It
feels like, unfortunately, there's a lot of good guys out there.

Speaker 3 (09:24):
It's just that's just the nature of the position.

Speaker 4 (09:25):
And and uh, you know, you just scratching a claw
time to do your thing leaked to week and because
you know, basically we all were week to week contractors.
I mean, each each guy doesn't make It doesn't matter
if you're on a two or three year deal. If you, uh,
you have one bad game, it's just so yeah, you
know that. But at the end of the day, you
act like it's your job and you keep your chin
up and just keep rolling.

Speaker 2 (09:46):
Obviously, you can't be as the fact that there's just
high there's high pressure situations.

Speaker 1 (09:51):
Like you said, there's.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
Game winners, there's game tires, there's playoff contentions on the line,
there's all that. It's different than you know, Week three,
second quarter missed forty five yarder compared to times expired
after this. This is to send us on whatever it
might be in those situations, the high pressure situations, what

(10:14):
do you do mentally? How do you train yourself to
stay cool, calm and collected across the board.

Speaker 4 (10:18):
What's funny is the worst part is when you're trying
to get into the net and trying to stay ready
and they freaking bring the Monday Night Football ESPN camera
right here, and he's just you know, zooming on and on,
and you know, it's like a portal to the world.
You know, if you're looking at it, everybody has watching
the TV's looking right at you. Uh So that's always like, dude,
get out of here, let me, you know, focus here.
But it's just kind of funny. The I usually resort

(10:41):
back to my routine, whether it's you know, kicking on
sticks in the endoor, going through your little routine of
a process and looking at the spot, looking at where
the ball's at, the in the snapper's hands, you know,
looking at you know, where the holder's at, giving a
nod and you know, almost like that one two three
step approach. Just doing that and mastering that when you're
on your own, you know, it gives you a little

(11:01):
bit of a bridge into those.

Speaker 3 (11:02):
High pressure situations. You have something to fall back on
for your routine.

Speaker 4 (11:06):
And and that's how you know, when you dive into
your routine, I guess you can kind of eliminate. It
helps eliminate a lot of those outside influences and external noise.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
When it comes to creating a routine, do you reference,
like do you.

Speaker 2 (11:19):
Have a favorite author, a pod, a quote, a role
model where you're like, I really like the you know,
I like what David Goggin says here, whatever it might be.

Speaker 4 (11:28):
Uh, you know, I wouldn't say there's you know, one
in particular, but I feel like I've developed my routine
through mistakes, like almost you know, you have a mistake
and you're like, you know, what could I have done
or what what could have helped me? Uh, you kind
of developed it's kind of a you know, a soft
routine where it's it's you always have the things you
need to do, but you know you got to kind
of be open to to uh, changing depending on the situation.

(11:50):
But now, there's been some coaches over the years that
have really helped me, you know, fine tune and and
keep me prepared, whether it's putting me in situations in
practice or stuff like that. But you know, my coach
at Notre Dame was was a big influence and helping
me dive in and helping create a routine. My assistant
coordinator Arkansas State, those are the first two that come
to mind and just kind of helping me develop and

(12:12):
helping me, you know, navigate my way through because I
mean I showed up to college, like I said, I was,
you know, kicking on Fridays.

Speaker 1 (12:18):
Raw.

Speaker 3 (12:18):
Yeah, you're raw, raw.

Speaker 4 (12:19):
So like, you know, literally the simple fact of practicing
was new to me. And I showed up at you know,
five eight, one hundred and thirty five pounds as a
walk on freshman.

Speaker 3 (12:27):
I mean like they looked at me like, why are
you even here? Right?

Speaker 4 (12:31):
I put on like ten fifteen pounds of muscle, and
like I think two months, you know, they put me
through the weight room.

Speaker 3 (12:36):
I never really liveded like that.

Speaker 4 (12:37):
Yeah, And so then I guess I got that, got
my body right first, and then I was able to
kind of work through everything and and you know, my
I feel like my whole process of had to mess
it up.

Speaker 3 (12:45):
First before I got it right.

Speaker 1 (12:46):
I think that's a lot of things though.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
That's that's that's not not that's that's that is normal.
My last question, how would you define chasing greatness?

Speaker 4 (12:56):
I mean, I would say greatness is just mastering, you know,
your craft, taking advantage of being put in those the
biggest situations. But you know, as a kicker, you know
you have to want to be that guy hitting the
game winner in the super Bowl. You know, if you're
scared of that moment, he ain't gonna make it. So
I would say, you know, chasing greatness is it's not

(13:17):
by accident. No, you gotta take care of just like
in a game week in the season, you got to
take care of business, taking care of your body on Monday, Tuesday.
You gotta go into Wednesday on practice making sure you're
you know, forms feeling right, everything's feeling good. And then
you got to be you know mentally on Friday, Saturday,
going into Sunday, you gotta be ready to go out
there and you know, put yourself out there because there's
there's no hiding. No I go on the field, there's

(13:38):
no hiding at all. You know, you can't drop a
pass and then hit the next one. The next play
you miss a kick, you're on the sideline. You know
they're letting you have it. That's just how it goes.
You know, you gotta take care of business and give
yourself an opportunity to go out there and take care
of it.

Speaker 1 (13:52):
Blake, you're spoken like a true pro bo. I appreciate
your time. Good luck this season.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
Grab a hat, sir, take care of bro. Thank you?

Speaker 1 (14:01):
All right?

Speaker 2 (14:01):
All right, all right, we're back here O Radio Road today.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
I am joined by quarterback Ryan Leaf.

Speaker 2 (14:06):
Ryan, Welcome to the grittiest sports podcast on both sides
of the Mississippi.

Speaker 1 (14:09):
Happy to have you here today.

Speaker 5 (14:10):
Bring the juice? Huh what's that?

Speaker 3 (14:12):
What's that?

Speaker 6 (14:12):
Imply?

Speaker 5 (14:13):
What does that mean?

Speaker 2 (14:13):
Bring the juice is waking up every day with the
same intensity, no matter whether.

Speaker 1 (14:18):
You're feeling a little sleepy or you're fired up, to
chase greatness.

Speaker 2 (14:20):
Be the best version of yourself you could ever you
could be every single day, and you don't have a
choice because you got to provide for your family.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
You gotta get better at your craft, whatever it might be.
Bring the juice.

Speaker 5 (14:29):
That's that's me, man, that's all day. My wife seems
to think it's it can't happen until she has her coffee, okay,
and uh, I don't buy that one bit.

Speaker 2 (14:38):
I didn't start drinking coffee. I had my first son
three months ago. I had my first cup of coffee.
And I'll tell you right now, I'm fruity a little
bit for it. I got it's it's iced. My wife
puts a little caramel in it. I'm like, this tastes
like crap.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
Man.

Speaker 5 (14:53):
But I've never had a cup of coffee in my life.

Speaker 2 (14:55):
I've had I probably under twenty. Yeah, but those first
couple week's got a little rough. And that got a
fourteen month old man like you going through it too.

Speaker 3 (15:04):
But I don't.

Speaker 5 (15:05):
I don't drink coffee, man.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
I just I just go like Ryan Leaf's got more
juice than me.

Speaker 5 (15:08):
These trips, these trips are are very I went to
bed at eight o'clock last night. I got my ten
hours feeling good.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
Let's go.

Speaker 1 (15:14):
Did you push ups?

Speaker 5 (15:15):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (15:16):
You got the juice, baby, Let's get it Ryan. One
thing before so, I'm a friend of state man. I
played ball there. I know you're a Washington state man.
Let's just talk PAC twelve real quick. What's your take?
Is the PAC twelve gonna make it out?

Speaker 1 (15:27):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (15:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (15:28):
I mean that what they were able to do this
last year I think is amazing. And just wait till
you see. I've had a couple looks at what some
of these numbers have been for what the media rights
deal is going to be, right, I think a lot
of people are gonna be surprised how much brand awareness
the PAC twelve still has and the fact that they
held on to it. I don't think for a second
Washington State or Oregon State wherever even considering going to

(15:49):
the Big twelve or the ACC or anything after the
fact after they got left. I think Teresa Gould, the
PAC twelve commissioner, was just all in on what this
brand can do if they build the conference back up
the way they want to, bringing Boise along Nice Gonzegas
through the basketball aspect of things. I mean, it's gonna
be a really talented basketball conference. In football wise, it's
gonna be incredibly competitive, and so we should be hearing those,

(16:10):
uh those NEGA negotiation numbers here really soon, and I
think that's gonna go along long ways.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
It's a hot take, but I definitely would love to
see Stanford and cal come back. I just feel like
there's such Obviously you could say the same thing about
UCLA and USC being blue bloods of the original pack,
but there. They seem like that their ship has sailed
for the most part. Stanford and cow would bring a
nice element of just it feels like.

Speaker 5 (16:33):
Home almost way they just can't, you know, they just
they are there, they are. They are so behind the
eight ball in terms of money now because of the
ACC deal that they just you know, it is what
it is, the good thing about it, you know.

Speaker 6 (16:44):
There.

Speaker 5 (16:45):
I do think there's gonna be another realignment. I think
that ultimately there's a college or a collegiate, a national
collegiate football league, right and you know, Stanford and Cal
aren't gonna be able to afford that. There's gonna be
a lot of those Pack twelve teams that left that
won't be able to afford it. They're going coming back.
And you know, ironically enough, Washington State and Oregon State, Uh,
they could be a little bit petty and decide who

(17:06):
they allowed back into the conference.

Speaker 2 (17:07):
Right fully, So right, finishing up your college career leading
up to the draft. I asked this because I got
a brother who's in this process right now. Where was
your head at? Obviously you and Peyton Manning were the
top of that class. Was it a what's gonna happen?
Where tell me that process. I'm interested.

Speaker 5 (17:25):
It's a it's a different process than anybody else gets
to go through. Because Peyton and I knew where we
were going, right, you know, we were either gonna be
the first or second pick in the draft. I mean,
that's that's really rare, right, And and we did so
we could kind of control what we did. We didn't
work out at the combine at all. You know, we
had our own private workout back at our at our
universities with our receivers. The familiarity of everything really allowed

(17:50):
for us to be really good in those moments. And
then you know it was for us, it was just
really getting ready, you know, for the big day. We
knew where it was gonna be. And that's that's like
I said, that is just rare. You don't have no
idea where you're gonna go. We did. We most likely
knew I was going to San Diego and he was
going to Dnneapolis. Got a little touch and go there
when Jim Mersey was still kind of toying around with
the idea of drafting me, and we were just like,

(18:12):
I don't know, I don't know if I if we
want that, you know, I wasn't thinking about the right things.
I wasn't thinking about the fact that they had Marshall
Fulk and Marvin Harrison at the time. I was thinking
about like the beach and the bay and money and
like football, Like I can go play football. That's what
I've been doing for twenty one years, you right, you
know I need the you know, the extracurricular activities that
need to be on point rrectly. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (18:33):
Did you and Peyton have a pretty good relationship throughout
that process where you guys got to talk it out.
And I mean i'd imagine, like you said that, it's
not like it's a group message.

Speaker 1 (18:40):
It's it's a it's a back and forth.

Speaker 5 (18:42):
I mean, it's him and I have known each other
since we were nineteen years old, and you know we're
still close. You know, he wrote to me while I
was in prison. I went to his Uh. I went
to his induction to the Hall of Fame.

Speaker 3 (18:56):
That's awesome.

Speaker 5 (18:57):
You know a lot of people ask me, why are
you going, And I'm like, there's like three hundred and
seventy guys ever to go to the Pro Football Hall
of Fame, right, Like, you know, this isn't a this
isn't like a you know, a Taylor Swift concert or
something like that, Like there's like nobody goes into this thing.
I want to go watch it and celebrate this. Of
course I tried to do what he did right and
I couldn't do it. And there's a lot of people
who can't do it. And so I went and celebrated

(19:18):
that and with him and his family, and so yeah,
I have been really and now we're all in the
same spot.

Speaker 1 (19:23):
Right.

Speaker 5 (19:24):
We're both forty eight, we got a boy and a
girl for kids, we both own our own production companies,
we do a ton of philanthropy, we're broadcasters. So I mean,
you know, it comes full circle though, Yeah, I mean
we're just we're right right where we wanted to be eventually.
You know, he had a Pro Football Hall of Fame career.

Speaker 3 (19:40):
I didn't.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
Yeah, what about let's not act like you didn't have
any career though. We'll tell me about your highest high
and your lowest lower your football career.

Speaker 5 (19:50):
Highest high, Apple Cup, Washington State, Washington great rivalry at
their house. We win it. We go to the Rose
Bowl first time sixty seven years. That's the high. The low,
I think is the you know, of course, like the
Kansas City game and my rookie year, it was I
was in the hospital all a week with a staff infection,

(20:11):
and then I tried to play and had the worst
game of my life. And it brained and a poured
and it's you know, it's it's considered one of the
worst games ever. But the worst part about it was
is how I dealt with it. Like if I would
have dealt with that in a healthy way, right, I
think it's a much different NFL career for me. But
because of how I dealt with it, Like my career

(20:32):
was over after three games and I had won two
of them.

Speaker 2 (20:35):
Right, that whole situation has rolled into a journey that
you're now at a certain point in your life out
of everything you've been through, and you're here today.

Speaker 1 (20:45):
How are you waking up and chasing greatness? Ah?

Speaker 5 (20:50):
I just want everybody to have what I have, and
so I think that's what it does for me. I
was so miserable. It was in such a place that
I I thought I would be better off if I
wasn't alive. And I can't even imagine that was something
I would even think about. You know, every life is
precious and it's important that everybody knows that. So, yeah,

(21:13):
my mission was when I walked out of that prison cell,
was to make it about other people. And as it
turns out, when you make it about other people, your
life gets better.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
On bringing the juice.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
As athletes, we've talked about and Kobe used to reference
this thing called the dark place, and I think it's
relevant when you're an athlete, but especially now when you're
outside of sports and you're trying to chase greatness, you
do reflect on that dark place. In that dark place,
you have to flip a switch, and you got to say,
no one's feeling sorry for me anymore. I need to

(21:43):
flip this switch and make a change. Right now, do
you remember the day you flipped a switch?

Speaker 5 (21:50):
I don't think. I think it's just I don't remember,
like a certain day. But when you're in it, you
never know what's happening. Right. It's a conscious shift. It's
one hundred and eighty degree lifestyle change. But I do
everything differently than I did before I walked into a
prison cell, completely different. Every day is different, Like you know,

(22:14):
the food that goes into my body is different. You know,
the way I I talk to my kids, is different
than I would have probably if I had been a
father before. All this also just the no suffering of
fools mentality, Like I don't like I've I've been right there,
you know where I was, you know, willing to take

(22:36):
my own life. I mean, like, there's nothing that you
can say or you can do at any moment that's
going to bring me back to that place where I'm
not an absolute utter success, you know. So uh yeah,
So I don't suffer any fools anymore. I speak my
mind because I know we could lose everything and we'll
be just fine.

Speaker 3 (22:55):
Right.

Speaker 2 (22:56):
Do you have any tools in your toolbox that you
still keep on you today that help you elevate each.

Speaker 5 (23:02):
And every day. I have my mugshot on my phone. Wow,
just look at it. Yeah, it's a it's a good
uh you know, uh cognitive behavior uh stopper, you know
once feelings that you're starting to have around resentment and
things like that. So it's a it's a quick reminder

(23:22):
for me to just take a look at it, like,
oh yeah, that's yeah, I'm not going back there, right,
you know, And so, uh yeah, I keep that on
my phone. Wow, that's a good little I mean that's
a switch. That's a good one.

Speaker 1 (23:34):
That's a switch. That's a switch.

Speaker 2 (23:37):
All that behind today. Now what's your main you know,
business plan?

Speaker 3 (23:45):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (23:45):
As you mentioned the company.

Speaker 5 (23:47):
Yeah, the companies. The company is great. You know, a
company started out it's just kind of really an escorp
to because I was speaking so much. And uh, and
it's actually become a company. It's become a production company,
it's become a consulting company. My wife is the c
She runs everything pretty much, you know, and I I
just go and do the work. I don't really think
too much about it.

Speaker 3 (24:07):
You know.

Speaker 5 (24:07):
When people ask for me to be a service, I
do it, you know. And that's what my sponsors always
told me. Just when when people ask you to be
of service, do it. And uh, and that's kind of
what the company is based in, is just we're going
to be of service to anybody and everybody. Ironically enough,
you know, I'll be in d I have to go
to DC tomorrow. I'm getting an award for my work
in uh mental health and Substance use disorderlations.

Speaker 3 (24:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (24:29):
So it's just I mean, it's just uh, it's crazy,
uh that this is ten years removed from from me
walking out of that prison cell. But a lot of
people have carried me, you know, work my tail off,
you know, every single day. It's it's a there's a
conscious effort to h to be different and to uh
and and to do something for somebody else. And so

(24:51):
you know, this is pretty cool to be able to
be here ten years later and still doing it.

Speaker 2 (24:55):
We're happy to have you on Bring the Juice obviously, uh,
tip of the hat just to you have the manhood
and all stuff.

Speaker 5 (25:03):
Do you do the show out of Fresno's that where
you live? Where you live?

Speaker 2 (25:05):
Yeah, I'm out of Fresdo, California. I farm Moneims full time.
I played ball at Fresno's. Guberman, I had Guy here
last year.

Speaker 3 (25:11):
Yeah did you? Yeah? Bro?

Speaker 5 (25:12):
Guy and I Guy and I've uh did our our
show on serious six M for like five years together.

Speaker 2 (25:18):
Why man, he calls Freso State. My brothers play at
Fresdo State right now. So he's he's always hitting me
up on what's what's the offense looking like tonight like that?
So it's a it's a good.

Speaker 5 (25:26):
Little bad hey, shout out guy, you watching to Bring
the Juice show?

Speaker 1 (25:30):
Yeah, he subscribes, He subscribes, good.

Speaker 2 (25:32):
We check out that data. He locked in. But hey,
his show earlier this year really oh man.

Speaker 5 (25:39):
You know he's a he's a you know, he's a uh,
he's a content machine.

Speaker 3 (25:43):
That guy.

Speaker 1 (25:44):
It's all about the content. Baby got to get the clicks.

Speaker 5 (25:46):
And his and his wife's like a like a world
renowned nutritionists.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
I need some nutrition in my life.

Speaker 5 (25:52):
Oh she hooked me up.

Speaker 1 (25:54):
I had.

Speaker 3 (25:54):
I'll tell you what.

Speaker 1 (25:55):
We had some Cajun food yesterday we're staying.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
We had with one of those airbnbs that the pictures
look really good, but.

Speaker 5 (26:00):
Your s it's kind of a.

Speaker 2 (26:01):
It's a it's a little on the sketchy side of things,
which hey, I can.

Speaker 5 (26:04):
Hissen, I'm I can hang. I'm staying in uh the pavilion,
which is an incredibly French quarter, uh hotel, gorgeous, all
these other things around it. And then you go in
and like you know, the Wi Fi don't work, the
shower waters either scalding hotter, yeah yeah, yeah, the toilet
seat won't stay up. The light flickers in the bathroom.

Speaker 1 (26:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:24):
So I can't find the right temperature in mine. And
our front door is to a busy street and it
doesn't quite.

Speaker 5 (26:31):
Look, but if you bring the juice in the morning,
none of that matters matter.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
We invite, we invite.

Speaker 5 (26:35):
You can't control that stuff, right, can't control usuff to
control the control only three things I'm teaching my kid
right now. Listen, people, you only can control your attitude, your behavior,
and your effort. That's it.

Speaker 1 (26:45):
It's all Ryan. I appreciate you, man, Best luck to.

Speaker 6 (26:48):
You the future.

Speaker 5 (26:49):
What you're doing, I love it.

Speaker 1 (26:50):
Yeah, snag a hat, godspeed brother. All right, all right,
we'll back to your radio role.

Speaker 7 (26:58):
I got my guy Spens rather be Spenser not shorting
into us Bourbon Street.

Speaker 3 (27:03):
It's a nice town.

Speaker 6 (27:05):
I like the area.

Speaker 1 (27:06):
I'm not good at.

Speaker 3 (27:07):
A little little spot out here.

Speaker 1 (27:10):
Let's dive right into it.

Speaker 8 (27:11):
Man.

Speaker 1 (27:12):
You know your journey the hype started early, peop. Don't
really talk about the mental side of that stuff.

Speaker 7 (27:18):
How was it having that pressure on you at such
a young age.

Speaker 6 (27:23):
Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 8 (27:25):
I enjoyed it, you know, I really enjoyed it. You know,
as a younger guy, highly recruited whatever. I think it
kind of prepared me for college and in the NFL, right,
you know, because now there's more pressure than anything. So
I think it's prepared me, and I thank God that
that I was in that position.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
Everything happens for a reason. You got your journey.

Speaker 2 (27:47):
When adversity strikes now in your life, how do you respond?

Speaker 8 (27:50):
Adversity has struck in my life, It's already happened, like
I've already gone through it. So football adversity is different
than life adversity. Like football adversity, you could deal with
that real life adversity. You think of somebody who's sick,
some you know, close family member. That's real stuff right there.
So the football stuff we can handle that. We'll chop
it up, move on to the next. That's kind of

(28:11):
how I go about things. And I am a firm
believer that God already has the plan written.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
I just gotta just follow it. Oh, execute, that's it.
The transition from Ou to South Carolina, yep, that was
I had.

Speaker 9 (28:24):
To be a.

Speaker 7 (28:24):
Roundtable decision when you talk to your folks like what's
the move here?

Speaker 1 (28:27):
Yeah, when was the When was the point where we're
like we need to go, we need to rip this
band aid off, we need to make a change.

Speaker 8 (28:32):
Yeah, I would say, you know, towards the end of
that season, you know, when everything went down at Oklahoma,
I just knew it was time for me to go,
you know, read the writing on the wall, and you know,
wanted a wanted a fresh opportunity somewhere, and South Carolina
happened to be the Spile. There was a lot of
other schools in the running, but I knew coach Biemer
had a lot of respect for him when he was
at OU, and I was happy I made that decision

(28:54):
to go there.

Speaker 7 (28:56):
Who's a competitor that you idolize and try to mimic
some some some tools that you could put it to
your toolbox from.

Speaker 8 (29:03):
Yeah, Oh, I mean there's a ton I you know,
love watching some of the great quarterbacks we play against,
you know, even this past year watching Matthew Stafford, watching
Mahomes play, watching you know, all these guys play. Yeah,
I got respect for all of them, you know, growing
up Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, guys like that.

Speaker 3 (29:20):
You try to just take a few few.

Speaker 8 (29:22):
Things from their game and implement it in your own
exactly a couple nuggets and try to improve your own game.
So I think that's fun. You just got a big win.
What are you doing after big win? Big win? Probably
going home, chilling with the fan tired hosts the Super
Bowl we're going to turn up.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
Would you consider yourself a gritty individual?

Speaker 3 (29:43):
Gritty?

Speaker 8 (29:45):
Not really, no, not like to you know, yeah, I'm
more smooth, chill, more smooth.

Speaker 3 (29:50):
You know what I mean?

Speaker 1 (29:51):
You read any books?

Speaker 3 (29:52):
When I need to bring the juice, I'll bring the too.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
Are you going to get you a hat? We'll get
you right on.

Speaker 3 (29:55):
That's right.

Speaker 1 (29:56):
You read any books, podcasts? People that you David Doggins.

Speaker 8 (29:59):
Man, what do you I'm not a Goggins guy, but man,
you watch some podcasts, you know, whatever pops up?

Speaker 3 (30:05):
Uh, bring the juice.

Speaker 8 (30:06):
I like history, I like learning about different things.

Speaker 1 (30:10):
And I actually am gonna start reading books here soon.

Speaker 3 (30:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (30:12):
Actually the book A. J. Brown was reading and I
ordered it in her excellence. You're gonna have to write
one someday too, Bro.

Speaker 1 (30:18):
I'm gonna write one one day. Hey, I appreciate you, bro.
Get you a hat? God speed?

Speaker 7 (30:22):
That's the look this year in the future, We'll get you,
right baby, appreciate your brother.

Speaker 10 (30:30):
All right? All right, all right, welcome back to Bringing
the Juice. I'm your host, Frank Zelena.

Speaker 2 (30:34):
We got Nebraska's own ash cuttmaker.

Speaker 10 (30:37):
He does make huts. And tackles.

Speaker 6 (30:41):
Yeah, in sacks. Yeah, so we appreciate you coming on
and bring the juice. Yeah, absolutely, hope to have you here.

Speaker 2 (30:47):
Let's just start off with My first fustball game ever
was against Nebraska.

Speaker 6 (30:52):
Oh okay at Nebraska.

Speaker 2 (30:54):
And we stayed in like forty five minutes away. There
was a Cabbella's next to the parking lot.

Speaker 6 (31:02):
Yeah, so you guys were in Omaha.

Speaker 3 (31:05):
Yah.

Speaker 2 (31:05):
It was the first time I ever seen a Cabella's
in real life, which was a big deal for me
because that was.

Speaker 10 (31:09):
Our magazine growing up.

Speaker 6 (31:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:12):
I remember we drove by the practice facility and I
was like, well, it's a cool stadium, and we drove
past it and then you walk in to the actual stadium.
You're like, hey man, this is some this is a
big piece of equipment.

Speaker 6 (31:25):
It's crazy.

Speaker 2 (31:27):
The passion it takes to play at a place like Nebraska,
the atmosphere, the sellouts. How was what was the process
that made you say I'm gonna go be a corn Husk.

Speaker 9 (31:38):
Yeah, so started getting recruited there. My first offer, actually
my first FBS offer got recruited went there.

Speaker 6 (31:46):
You know, you go to a game day down there,
it's freaking it's crazy. It's a madhouse.

Speaker 9 (31:50):
Like it's selled out every week, no matter who we're playing,
no matter how we're doing. Like the fans are there,
they're having a good time, they're tailgates, they're just crazy.

Speaker 6 (31:59):
I mean, it's it's madness.

Speaker 9 (32:00):
And Lincoln, my folks had a good time. Washington play, Yeah,
I can imagine. But yeah, you went there. Loved the staff,
you know, love the people. I was gonna be around
a lot like home from small town South Dakota. So
just five hour, quick, five hour drive down to Lincoln
just kind of kind of fell in love with it.

Speaker 6 (32:15):
Felt like home.

Speaker 9 (32:16):
And uh yeah, I love playing there. Would have rather
been nowhere else than Nebraska for the last five years.

Speaker 6 (32:22):
Just sick culture. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (32:24):
What about one thing I was always impressed by was
your spring game still sells out?

Speaker 9 (32:30):
Yeah, Like there's you know, it's like it's it gets unbelievable,
Like you watch other spring games on TV.

Speaker 6 (32:37):
They pan the crowd, there's like it's.

Speaker 10 (32:38):
Two thousand people.

Speaker 6 (32:39):
Yeah, like it's empty.

Speaker 9 (32:40):
And then you know they put tickets out to put
tickets on sale for our spring game and it's like
damn near sold out after like the next day, like everyone.

Speaker 6 (32:49):
Everyone just say.

Speaker 9 (32:50):
I mean, we don't have the we don't have the
pro team in Nebraska. There's no proteins around, you know,
Chiefs the closest one. So Nebraska football is what Husker
fans just have, like they love it. They show up
every single week, every all the time, like our fans
are insane when it comes to just showing up to
everything they sell.

Speaker 6 (33:06):
At the volleyball they.

Speaker 9 (33:07):
Just broke the attendance record for wrestling here last week
or the week before, like it's unbelievable.

Speaker 10 (33:13):
Who's okay, this is a good question.

Speaker 2 (33:15):
Would you rather have played college football this last season,
like this era or ten years ago?

Speaker 6 (33:20):
Uh? Ten years ago? Probably why?

Speaker 9 (33:25):
I just feel like, you know, the type of player
I am, gritty in the trenches, just taking things on.
I think that fit me better. But obviously I love
playing football. Any chance I'd get to play football. It
doesn't matter when I played for Twolve. I mean, yeah,
I would have played. I play I'm going to play
this game as long as I can. So it obviously
changes every year, different things, different wolves, whatever it is.

Speaker 6 (33:47):
But I just I just love playing football.

Speaker 2 (33:50):
I like football, guys. You like football, guys. That's why
we're getting along so well. I feel like, Yeah, is
there a player or a coach on your journey at
Nebraska that really elevated.

Speaker 1 (34:02):
You to that next level?

Speaker 9 (34:04):
Yeah, I would say, uh, coach t Night, Terrence knighton
pot Roast. You know, the guy played in the league forever,
one of the when he was playing, he was the
best or one of the best, if not the best knows.

Speaker 6 (34:15):
In the league. He was last two seasons he was
my position coach.

Speaker 9 (34:19):
And I mean that guy, that guy made me such
a better player, from teaching me the mindset, teaching me
how he played, what helped him, you know, all those things.
That guy definitely made me a lot better football player,
just elevated my game to a whole new level.

Speaker 1 (34:33):
Nowh do you have the juice?

Speaker 6 (34:36):
Yeah, I would say so.

Speaker 9 (34:37):
I mean, I'm not the kind of guy that's gonna
stay here and I'm not like when we're at doing whatever,
I'm not I'm not bringing the juice. But when I'm
out on that field, like the switch flips right, like
you get out there and then you just you you
wouldn't even you wouldn't recognize me when me and our
other d tackle Tyrob t Rob when we got rolling
like we were just we were playing with our heads

(34:59):
off out there. Man, We're just flying around.

Speaker 6 (35:02):
Yeah yeah.

Speaker 10 (35:04):
How would you define chasing greatness?

Speaker 9 (35:08):
I think it's just I think it becomes almost a
way of life, you know, how you look at things,
how you approach everything in your life, whether it's football practice,
whether it's schoolwork, whether it's waking up in the morning.
Like everything you do, you're doing it for that purpose.
Just become better and better and keep elevating yourself as
a player, but elevating yourself as a person as well.
Because every every I think everything ties together.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
The combine, pro day, the draft process, you're gonna get
asked some cuckoo questions different people. You're gonna be finding
angles on you. You've got a gauntlet of questions to
help prep you for that.

Speaker 6 (35:44):
All right, okay, all right, here we go.

Speaker 2 (35:47):
Let's start with the lasagna. One is I have one lasagna,
I put another lazagnia on top of it. How many
lasagnias is there?

Speaker 3 (35:55):
Now?

Speaker 6 (35:56):
A bigger lasagna?

Speaker 10 (35:59):
Okay? What is the biggest animal you can take on
in hand to hand combat?

Speaker 6 (36:06):
Mountain lion?

Speaker 1 (36:07):
Whoa why?

Speaker 6 (36:11):
I just I mean, you know, that's just what's your
strategy there?

Speaker 3 (36:15):
I don't know.

Speaker 9 (36:16):
I think, I mean, those things are they're fasting. I
think I could get it done. You know, I'm not
gonna be able to just run out the thing. It's
way faster than I am.

Speaker 6 (36:24):
You're gonna play defense, Yeah, you're gonna have to play defense.
You're gonna fly it. Make the first move.

Speaker 10 (36:28):
You're gonna take the coach.

Speaker 6 (36:30):
You're gonna have to catch him. He's gonna he's gonna
go for it. He's gonna miss it.

Speaker 10 (36:34):
You got you got it that first initial plan.

Speaker 6 (36:37):
Yeah, No, you're gonna have to take some shots in
this one, like clean. No, exactly. No, it's we're both
gonna be in rough shape afterwards.

Speaker 2 (36:44):
I respect that answer, all right. Last one, you're on
your way to the game. You have not had pregame
meal yet. Your coach gives you twenty dollars and says,
go get your pregame meal from seven eleven.

Speaker 10 (36:56):
What are you buying from seven eleven?

Speaker 3 (36:58):
Pre game meal? Probably?

Speaker 6 (37:03):
I mean probably just something.

Speaker 9 (37:07):
I'm probably going like a I might just get a
couple of roller dogs straight up, just glizzies.

Speaker 10 (37:15):
Walk into the be Like, how many glizzies can I get?

Speaker 6 (37:18):
For twenty dollars.

Speaker 9 (37:18):
Well, I'm gonna get something to drink. Probably get it
like get you know, get something to wash it all down.

Speaker 10 (37:24):
I forgot one thing. I just I remember this.

Speaker 1 (37:26):
Now you have a wrestling background, I do. You're a
dual sport.

Speaker 2 (37:30):
Uh?

Speaker 6 (37:30):
Yeah? For last year.

Speaker 3 (37:31):
I was.

Speaker 10 (37:34):
One of my best friends at Fresno State.

Speaker 6 (37:36):
His name is Josh Hokey.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
He was dual sport at Freslo State. He played fullback
for US and wrestling heavyweights. I think he made it
to SEMIS in the national tournament.

Speaker 10 (37:45):
He lost to one of the Penn State guys.

Speaker 6 (37:50):
Imagine that. Yeah, they're pretty good.

Speaker 1 (37:52):
Yeah, but.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
Just the mindset of having to flip the switch as
a two sport athlete at that level.

Speaker 10 (37:59):
How challenging.

Speaker 8 (38:00):
Ye?

Speaker 6 (38:00):
No, it's super challenging. You gotta you know.

Speaker 9 (38:02):
It's wake up in the morning, go to football lifts.
I was going to football lifts at going in there
at six you see, like six six thirty. After football list,
I'm heading straight over to wrestling practice.

Speaker 3 (38:14):
Wow.

Speaker 6 (38:14):
To go to wrestling practice at like eight thirty nine o'clock.

Speaker 9 (38:18):
Go in there, get rewarmed up and just roll, you know,
roll around the room for I don't know, depending on
the day, but long time, what seemed like a very
long time. Get done with that, go go back to
the football facility doing my recovery tubs, and then go
back in the afternoon.

Speaker 6 (38:35):
You know, I had to cut a lot of weight
for that obviously.

Speaker 9 (38:37):
Yeah, I went from three thirty to two eighty five,
wow to get down at So I'd go back in
the afternoon, hit a bike, work out for a hour
or so, burn a bunch of calories there. Then the
nutrition side of things, you had to really lock in
on that, watching what I'm eating, when I'm eating that,
doing all that. So it was it was definitely a
challenge at first. But once I got into my routine

(38:57):
and just started rolling, you know, went in wrestled, qualified
for the national tournament, hadn't wrestled for three years, just
decided to give it a shot and went out, got
six that Big ten tournament, qualified for nationals.

Speaker 6 (39:10):
So yeah, it was. It was so much fun.

Speaker 10 (39:12):
Is it harder when you're playing both to cut that
weight or to put it back on?

Speaker 6 (39:16):
Anythink cutting the wait for sure?

Speaker 9 (39:19):
For me, you know, I've always been able to put
weight on, but cutting the weight was definitely a bigger
challenge for me.

Speaker 10 (39:24):
Nash, I appreciate your time. Brother. We'll make sure to plu.
What's your Instagram? We're gonna do a click plug.

Speaker 6 (39:29):
The Polar Bear six o five?

Speaker 10 (39:30):
Where did the Polar Bear come about?

Speaker 9 (39:32):
Just a nickname I got kind of started in high school,
something like the wrestling parents just called me in. Then
when Husker fans heard about it, you can imagine they
just ran, just ran yeah. So I mean, yeah exactly,
So I just they were running with it, so I
just ran.

Speaker 6 (39:47):
With it too.

Speaker 10 (39:48):
Nash appreciates you. We'll be sure to plug you.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
Best of luck and blessings and safety on this journey
and good luck to speak.

Speaker 6 (39:55):
Yeah, thank you for sure