July 15, 2026 • 28 mins
Falling behind in summer conditioning is a quick ticket to the sideline. As college football rosters become completely overhauled year after year through the transfer portal, establishing a new standard early is the only way to survive. Defensive tackle Tylen Coleman and freshman linebacker Rashem Turner share their distinct paths to the Arkansas State gridiron.
We sit down to break down the shock of D1 summer workouts and the massive jump in speed from Friday nights to Saturday afternoons. The conversation spans the nuances of JUCO transfers versus early high school enrollees, navigating the chaotic landscape of modern recruiting, and the mental shift required to balance defensive schemes with Canvas deadlines. The core takeaway is that raw athletic talent only gets you so far without a rigid routine that holds you accountable for the smallest daily habits.
The college lifestyle is incredibly demanding, and the sheer volume of early mornings, intense practices, and late-night study sessions can easily break a player who isn't adequately prepared. Listeners will walk away with a clear understanding of the sacrifices required at this level, learning why pacing yourself, staying ahead of academic deadlines, and relying on the brotherhood of your teammates are vital to staying above water.
If you care about college football recruiting, building a resilient mindset, and the day-to-day execution of a student-athlete, you’ll get a lot from this. Make sure to subscribe to the Arkansas State Media Network and share this episode with anyone looking to elevate their game. What small daily habit has been the most critical to your own success?
@arkansasstatemedianetwork.com
0:00 - Summer Conditioning & Heat Check
1:04 - JUCO vs. High School Transitions
10:41 - The Recruiting Reality & Choosing A-State
16:09 - Brotherhood and the 4-for-1 Program
20:01 - NCAA Ratings & Mascot Mode
22:36 - The "Why" Behind the Grind
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:07):
We are Arkansas State Football.
What's up, Rare World Nation?
This is Justin Parks here withanother episode of Inside the
Den.
I'm here with Tyler Coleman, uhD tackle here, and Rasheem
Turner, fresh and linebacker.
So how y'all boys feeling today?
Feeling good, man.
Feeling good for sure.
Feeling good, man.
Going through the summer.
Yeah.
How the more how the normalworkouts trim you?
(00:29):
Body hurting.
Get me right, though.
He gave me right for sure.
Definitely.
Yeah, so y'all normally, so howwas this pass, you know, Friday?
Obviously getting the first likeuh what summer conditioning
session there, you know, kind ofkept a little light on y'all,
but how did it like, you know,feel, you know, just getting
back moving around a little bitprior to spring ball?
I was definitely, I wasdefinitely a little overheated
(00:49):
when I got to my bed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:52):
Definitely a little overheated, but Coach Albert,
he's definitely getting usright.
SPEAKER_01 (00:55):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (00:55):
For sure that.
Yeah, I I'll definitely say hejust seeing where your
preparation has been at, really.
But like it's it's been smoothso far though.
You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:05):
So obviously y'all got probably like two different
stories, you know.
Ty obviously coming, you know,JUCO product, you know, Sheen,
you know, high school products.
So like how has the change been,you know?
So obviously you went JUCO, Ty,way from JUCO, obviously Florida
State, and uh here, like how'sthe whole like process been for
you?
You know?
SPEAKER_02 (01:20):
So the process has definitely been a bit of a
roller coaster, I will say, butyou know, just glad that I'm
finally in a place and justready to work, really.
SPEAKER_01 (01:28):
Just not trying to get ready work, does it?
So you coming here, like, so howwas it, you know, having now you
getting coached by Coach Pittagain, but also getting coached
by him, you know, at Northwest.
Like, how's that, you know, waswas the decision, you know,
easier for you, I guess, whenyou when it came down to it?
Yeah, for sure, because CoachPitt got me here, you know.
SPEAKER_02 (01:44):
And um, he hit me up, said, Hey man, um, you know,
Arkansas State.
I said, You know what it is,Coach.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:53):
Yeah, for sure.
That's my dog there.
Pip Pip right one of thefunniest people on plan on the
planet, but he's not evenintentionally, he's not even
doing it.
He just yeah.
It's just natural, bro.
He he be trolling, right?
Like he, I guess working withthem guys and make everything
easy.
You know, them guys are acracker joke, you know.
You think coaches just allserious all day, but we be in
there, you know, we get ourbusiness done, but we definitely
(02:14):
like to have fun.
So, like, Shame, obviously, youcome from uh Seminole High
School down there in Florida.
Like, how you know, cause you isI guess you could say it's a
roller coaster for you too,because like now you're
competing not only against, youknow, high school guys like kind
of like how me and him did, youknow, just you getting you top
players in the country, you tryto pick a school from a high
school perspective, but youknow, colleges now getting
(02:36):
Portal guys, JUCO guys.
So like how, like, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (02:40):
I'll probably say, you know, it was it was also
kind of a roller coaster, youknow, because you just gotta you
gotta realize coming out of highschool, like the variety and
number, how many people aretrying to go to play college
football out of high school,just like you.
So, you know, it was it was justlike a roller coaster, like I
say, uh going between differentschools, visiting like different
states with my parents andstuff, and uh just overall
(03:03):
ending up here and just and justmeeting meeting Coach Griff,
meeting, meeting all the coachesthat recruited me and seven, and
just making the decision.
And then I always knew in mymind, like eventually, like when
I figured out where I wanted tobe at, it wasn't gonna be no
like switching up, especially ifI knew it was a place for me.
So I just I felt like this is aplace for me and made it happen.
SPEAKER_01 (03:23):
So enrolling early, you know, like you did, you
know, coming straight out ofhigh school, probably I know you
went to prom, but you basicallymissed like you cut off half of
your senior, you know, gettingready for college, you know.
I kind of had a similar, I hadthe exact same path actually,
enrolling early.
Like how, you know, going inhere early, going from high
school, waking up at like what7:30 a.m., getting to high
school, going throughout theday.
(03:44):
Now you just like college,everything's like this.
You probably ain't got teachersbreathing down your back, your
parents breathing down yourback.
Like, how's that change been foryou?
SPEAKER_00 (03:51):
Man, I say what's crazy is my my prom was on the
day of our spring game.
And so it wasn't a go on theproblem.
But uh it's it was a big stufffor sure.
You know, my high school, uh,where I'm coming from, they
always they done sent a lot ofguys to the next level.
So like they prepared us acertain way, but like it is
still certain things I had toadjust to when I got here, like
(04:12):
uh just managing my time andstuff.
And then it's just like, man,you gotta just realize when you
get here, like something gottasnap in you that you're around a
bunch of people that got jobs onthe line.
So they gonna play like it.
And it's like you either gonna,you either gonna really just
rise or fall.
Like, and it's they gonna, thepeople that's around you,
they're gonna be pushing youevery day.
So like your standard is justgonna naturally rise.
(04:35):
Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (04:36):
I don't think nobody values, I think, like I valued
it so much just getting thereearly.
Like you said, allowing me tolearn everything so much faster,
you know, kind of have mywelcome to college moment at
that time too.
It kind of got me mindset readyof like, hey, like this is what
it's gonna be like.
You know, you're going againstthe best players from each part
of the United States fromAlabama, Mississippi, Georgia,
even California, Missouri.
Like, you know, you're gonna goagainst the best uh people
(04:58):
everywhere you every day inpractice, you know.
You tell people all the time,tell the crew all the time,
they'd be like, hey man, what'sthe like what's the difference
between you know high school andcollege?
And I'm like, man, like a highschool game may be like just
like a college practice, if notlike a college practice might be
way harder than a high schoolgame.
Like as college game days, likeit's hard, but like them
practices, like you know, youthere's you banging out every
(05:21):
day.
So that's it.
SPEAKER_00 (05:23):
I could definitely say that, but them them periods,
like the periods and the periodincrease from high school,
college is crazy.
Like you gotta be, you gottadefinitely be in shape and be
able to run for sure.
You're gonna you're gonna feelit at first, but you just gotta
just stay at it and yeah, I'mover time.
SPEAKER_01 (05:39):
So like um, when did you guys like start playing
football?
I played, I started playingfootball since second grade.
Second grade, uh I wish.
My mom, she put me in a program,so that's why I've been rolling
with second grade, I've beenplaying football.
Now, what'd you did you alwaysplay D-line?
I know some guys' story bedifferent.
They'd be like quarterback, thenD-line, running back, then gonna
be.
At first, I was a running back.
SPEAKER_02 (06:00):
At the very start, I was running back.
And then I was like, oh, I'mgetting a little too big.
They tried me everywhere on theline of them.
And I was like, man, I likeD-line.
I was a DN in high school.
And then uh I got the NorthwestGannico Pass.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:18):
So yeah, that's where I'm at now.
That's crazy, man.
It is.
I can just tell right now, likeI can just just imagine you.
I know you was probably like inLittle League one, like our big
running backs that you probablyget chicken car, power back,
hard to tackle.
I can already see it in thedragons.
Yeah, I already know.
I can already see it now.
It's so funny, right?
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
Yeah.
Um, so uh I probably I probablystarted playing football like
when I was around eight yearsold.
And what's crazy is like we'llpractice all week and our game
will be on Saturday.
Well, with my situation, I willonly practice on Friday and play
the next, yeah, next play thenext day on Saturday.
So, and then I eventually juststarted loving it.
(06:56):
Uh, you know, my dad he just puthis extra time into it with me
and just teaching me all thelittle things while he was
learning as well.
And then I I started off playinguh defensive and running back
before I eventually moved tolinebacker like at 12 years old.
And then I've been playing thatposition ever since.
SPEAKER_01 (07:14):
Yeah.
No, that's that's definitelylike I kind of part of me wish I
played Lil' League because itwas so fun.
Like you see, like all the guys,like I didn't start playing
until seventh grade.
So I was I thought I was gonnabe a Hooper out.
Like I thought I was gonna beLeBron.
Yeah.
Then I seen LeBron was 6'8,dribbling down the court, and
I'm like, what, five, eleven,six foot?
I'm like, yeah, I ain't going tothe NBA.
They they hurt me, it hurt mebad, but like I put my mindset
(07:37):
in DV and then so I got here.
But um it's definitely you knowcrazy.
Everybody got this differentstory.
You know, I know some guys thatdon't even play until they
senior year, they hooping theirwhole time and then they go out
to football and be a freakathlete.
Tell me full style.
They just came in last minute,then last minute, yes.
And then they getting all bro,one of my homeboys, he played
(07:59):
for the Pelicans, his name, uhJalen Moore.
He uh literally, in high schoolon the basketball team, he like
what 6'5, 6'6, you know.
He in the NBA right now, but hewas like Kentucky came in there,
you know, watched us hoop, andthe offensive coordinator time,
he literally told my head coach,he was like, Man, if he
literally plays wide receiverthis year, I would offer him on
(08:19):
the spot right now.
If he just literally tells youthat he's gonna he's gonna play
this year, I'll offer him on thespot right now.
That's how crazy like it is.
Yeah, I'm just saying, like, youjust see people, you know,
hooping, you know, you see thesize, like you just like, oh
yeah, he's gonna be a goodreceiver.
Like, but you know, he's hechose basketball.
SPEAKER_00 (08:34):
So but I ain't never had it hooping, I ain't gonna
lie.
I played one basketball game, soI was young.
Fouled out.
I played one basketball game.
Like I'm young, so I'm justcoming off of football.
My first little football season,I played basketball.
I done tackled somebody on thecourt.
So then they done kicked me outagain.
I know my dad was like, youain't gonna play.
I was like, nope.
SPEAKER_01 (08:54):
Yeah, it was the exact same way.
I got all the exact same way.
I could already I knew it.
You're gonna go in there fivefouls, foul out technical foul.
But hey, those those blocksstill foul.
So, I mean, yeah.
Which so now y'all got methinking, which position group
y'all feel like will probablywin the basketball game?
(09:14):
Like we had a tournament, everyposition, like at their team,
like five on five.
You can even do four on four.
Which position group you thinkwill win on this year's team?
Coach that was just talkingabout this the other day.
We just trying to I'm trying tosee what y'all was thinking.
SPEAKER_02 (09:26):
What she think?
Uh honestly, I might give it tothe DBs, man.
I don't think somebody beatingthe DB.
They got some pretty goodhoopers on there.
Really?
I know AG can hoop a little bit.
I play I played with him in therig before.
He's a he's a good hooper.
That's really the only DB that Iknow that I know can play
basketball.
I haven't really, I'm not abasketball really guy at all, so
(09:47):
but I know AG can hoop a littlebit.
SPEAKER_01 (09:49):
So you know we get somebody problems, bro, and
it'll surprise y'all.
I even know this until recently.
Manase IT might be the bestplayer on this team.
Yeah, yeah.
No, Manase.
Yeah.
Yeah, they say Manase IT mightbe the best.
That boy played left tackle inthis man.
They say basketball play.
They say like he like grew up,like always played basketball.
I think the O line will probablywin, though.
I ain't gonna lie.
O line's a tight end.
Did they say Jaden Ham can hooptoo?
(10:10):
If we gotta go full court, the Oline now winning.
Yeah, yeah, like half court, heprobably got it, but full
through it, they finally got it.
SPEAKER_00 (10:17):
Now say Kerano.
Yeah, I'll probably have to giveit to the DB, though, because
them boys, like we done been tothe wreck together.
Like them boys, they hooping forsure.
And then Joe, before he switchedthe line, I could Joe be hooping
too for real.
SPEAKER_01 (10:31):
Yeah, he be posting his Instagram highlights.
I'd be like, bruh, it's over.
I just side up, like, bro, it'sover, it's over.
Glory days.
So just you know, now we'reswitching gears a little bit.
Now, you guys are here.
Now, going back in the past, youknow, what was like the deciding
factor?
You I I tell people all thetime, portal is just like speed
(10:51):
day.
Like, it's like getting anotherluckily you knew Pitt, but like
I remember times you justhitting up a guy at 3 a.m.
and like hey, uh, need you on avisit tomorrow, you know what
I'm saying?
Like just getting it done.
You know, you you obviously haverelationships along the line of
like, all right, I'm starting myjunior year, you know, we
hitting you up.
You know, I know you probablyyou committed early as well.
You committed before I startedlike coaching on staff.
So, like, what was the decidingfactor for y'all boys in
(11:14):
choosing Arkansas State?
Why Arkansas State?
SPEAKER_02 (11:16):
Okay, I feel like my deciding factor was definitely
Coach Pittman, a big factor init.
I said I I know coach, he knowsme.
You know, we've been through theJUCO days together, so you know,
it's real, it's real connectionthere.
And like I said, the staff'sreally good staff.
Yeah.
All the coaches, really good.
A real family, you know.
Yeah.
And there haven't been a daywhere I had my head down,
(11:36):
somebody was like, hey man, pickyour head up, bro.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's real, real brotherhood,real family, like program.
That's one thing I was reallylooking for.
So that was a good decidingfactor for me.
SPEAKER_00 (11:48):
I'll probably say with me, and just like the
biggest thing with myrecruitment, like I like coaches
that kept it real with me.
Like just the just the realnessbehind it, like all the way from
the point to where I was invitedto camp, and then they offered
me before I came to camp.
And then when I got there andtalked to, when I got there and
met Griff and met Coach McDanielwhen he was here, like they just
(12:11):
they kept it honest with me andstuff, and then they they
brought me out to the side afterthe camp and and just had like a
real talk with me and stuff, andand you know, Griff just telling
me like, I want you here andstuff, and then me just me just
opening up to him too, like justabout my process and like the
coaches that I did deal withthat were recruiting me and like
where they act like they wouldkeep it real with me, but then
(12:32):
they didn't.
And you know, I just I justliked that uh realness that they
kept with me.
And then um just the fact thathe telling me like he gonna he's
gonna push me, and I know that'sthat's something you need, like
no matter what player you are,like you need somebody that's
gonna push you past your limitsto make you the player that you
want to be.
Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (12:50):
Where did y'all boys grab?
So I know you just graduatedclass.
When did you graduate highschool?
I was class of 2023.
Okay, you got man, you, bruh.
Y'all boys lucky, blessed, allthat.
Y'all boys got to take OVs,y'all boys got to do camps,
where 2021, that was like thecraziest year.
Like 2020, everybody say 2020had it bad.
(13:12):
Really, 2020, they got to do theonly thing they missed out on
was prom.
That's about it.
Like, we missed out on a wholeyear.
Like, we over here playing gameswith Mac, everybody got mask on,
like, you know, social distance.
And it was, well, Alabama didn'tfollow the rules.
So they're a football tour.
So the games still be packed.
But it's like, you know,couldn't take visits, you know,
(13:34):
doing virtual zooms, man.
That was like probably thecraziest time.
Y'all boys are probably like tooyoung.
Well, you you young.
Me on that happened.
I was like still, he was earlyin his little process.
Yeah.
He was just trying to keep hishead above water for like 10
years in high school.
Yeah, I remember, yeah, theirhigh school, man.
How how was it like, you know,being in school at that time of
(13:54):
like just straight virtuallearning?
Cause I'm pretty sure y'alldidn't go to school, right?
SPEAKER_02 (13:58):
Y'all was just, I ain't gonna lie, I became a
whole different person then thattime.
Like I started uh because I feltmyself drifting off into doing
different things and trying todo different stuff.
And I shoot, I messed around andjust became a whole new person,
right?
Like just find new things to do.
You know what I'm saying?
Find a way to ration my time todifferent things.
Yeah.
It definitely I feel like ithelped me out a little bit.
(14:19):
Yeah, find myself, who I reallyam as a person.
I'm there.
SPEAKER_01 (14:23):
You just went to Tokyo, right?
So how was that?
How was that whole experience?
That's just when we went toJapan.
I I wanted to go to Vietnam.
Or to Japan, like out of there.
SPEAKER_02 (14:32):
Tokyo is definitely, definitely a um place to be,
man.
Good people.
I haven't I haven't ran intohave a race situation yet.
So a lot of people's like, oh,it's racist out there or
whatever.
I haven't ran into a person yet,and I go down the street, oh,
cool chain, cool chain, orthey'd be like, oh, cool
clothes, or tall, tall.
SPEAKER_01 (14:50):
Yeah, they probably so like seeing you out there,
it's probably like not like thatbig of a human out there.
So they're just probably gettinglike stopped everywhere, huh?
SPEAKER_02 (14:57):
Yeah, I mean, like I had a couple people come up to
me and take a picture.
They didn't know who I was.
Like, I'd be like, I'm Americanfootball player.
And they like, oh, yeah, youknow, that's cool.
SPEAKER_01 (15:05):
And this is definitely, definitely cool,
cool experience, man.
I definitely enjoy myself.
Yeah, I see a lot of people do alot of mission trips uh like you
know what seemed normal to us,like, you know, over here on
this in the United States, likeyou go abroad, like different
countries do like, you know,mission trips.
It's kind of like good, cool tosee like people just like happy
to see, like they not familiarwith you, but they just like,
(15:26):
oh, like this, yeah, like thisguy and being on that new like
scenery.
SPEAKER_02 (15:31):
So it's cool.
We need to give them back somany new people, so many new
connections, just things to growoff of.
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (15:37):
So around that time, I was uh I think I was just
getting ready to go into highschool.
So like I was I was onlineschool, but like my dad, he had
me like preparing a lot goinginto high school because he knew
like that was gonna, that wasgonna make or break me, like
them four years, like how Iinvested in them four years,
like coming out, like knowingthat I wanted to go play college
(15:59):
football, I needed to come inready.
So I was just grinding aroundthat time.
SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.
So how like so you know, I knowobviously four for one when I
play here, like just theprogram, you know, get around my
teammates, you know, you'rehearing these different stories.
Like how, you know, it's gettingaround the guys every Wednesday,
your four for one group and justlike talking and like hearing
the interactions with thedifferent people, you know,
because it's like some guys Iplay, I'm like, oh, I did not
(16:24):
know he'd been through that.
Like I'm like, oh my God, Iwould have gave up, you know,
but you know, he perseveres.
So he kind of always gave me adeeper appreciation and kind of
allowed me to go harder for theguy next to me.
Like, how, you know, has beenthe four for one program been
for you guys?
SPEAKER_00 (16:36):
I'll probably say, you know, me, me, like I just
always like when I walk aroundon my day-to-day basis, like
when I just look at people, I'dbe like, man, I wonder what
they're going through.
Or like I wonder what they'rethinking or how their life is in
their eyes.
But like just around the guysthat I play with every day and
have to like go through hardthings with every day, like just
knowing what they go through,like it definitely, like, just
(16:58):
hearing their stories, likeallows me to feel like, okay,
this is my brother.
Like, he felt he feltcomfortable enough to share this
with us as a group.
So, like, man, I'll do anythingfor him.
Like, I'll I'll go through thehard ties with them and stuff.
You know, it just gives you thatreal like team connection when
you learn like the personalthings that people call them.
So absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (17:18):
Yeah, same here, man.
It's just like getting to knownew people and just getting to
know your teammates, yourbrothers, the people you play
beside every day.
I feel like that's just a greatprogram to get us all
accommodated to each other, youknow, especially with the
craziness in college footballand everybody coming from
literally everywhere, bro.
So, you know, I feel like that'sa that's a good way to help us
(17:39):
get to know each other as peopleas team outside of football and
good as well.
SPEAKER_01 (17:43):
For sure, for sure.
Yeah, it's it's funny you bringthat up, man.
I tell people all the time, I'mlike, man, you literally get
like back in the day, sameteammates four years, you may
have this guy leave, you know,this guy may just stop playing
football.
Now you're just getting like 80new teammates every year now.
So it's like crazy.
Like I it's just a wholedifferent, but I think the
Porter does do a good job oflike, you know, you also had
(18:05):
those guys that like, hey, Iwould never know this guy's
story if he, you know, didn'ttransfer.
You know, some guys don't fit incertain schemes in certain
places, don't mean they're a badplayer.
They just, you know, it's justnot the right fit.
And then they go, you know, theyjust blossom somewhere else.
So um I really think, especiallylike D2 guys have been so many
D2 guys that like I would neverknow this man's story.
Like end up winning a nationalchampionship just because like,
(18:27):
you know, he just he was he was170 pounds, said 195 pounds out
of high school, and you know,write him off and then he come
back and you know, he bouncedback.
So those stories always you knowamaze me.
Yeah, for sure.
So, you know, switching gears alittle bit.
So how you know, getting out inthe community, you know, I see
you guys out quite a bit, likehow like just being around
Jonesboro, being around peoplewhere there's community service
(18:50):
events or you know, just goingout, donors with the boosters,
you know, just mingling withpeople, you know, that obviously
the party we had at the facilitynot too long ago, you know, some
of you guys were around.
Like, how you know, just beinghere a couple months, how
impactful has the community beenfor y'all, you know?
SPEAKER_02 (19:05):
Very Jones Boro, definitely a close knitted town.
I feel like everybody knows whothe football team is, or you
know, you just go to somebody.
Oh, you play football, don't youplay football for A-State?
Yeah, oh yeah, what's your name,man?
Like it's real friendly.
I ain't ran into I really ain'tran into no bad people yet, no
sour faces, no community.
Everybody happy to meet thefootball players, man.
So that's good.
(19:25):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:26):
Yeah, I'll probably say, even though getting here
early, like, man, it still justall feels new to me.
Cause like it's just it's such ablessing being here.
And like uh just come comingfrom my town, like Jonesboro is
bigger than from where I'm from.
And but I would but I'll saylike the people just on a
day-to-day basis, like they it'ssome cool people out here.
(19:47):
Like, it's they wouldn't justwalk by you without saying
something or saying, hey, butit's it's cool.
Like, I like the people outhere, I love the community too.
And like I said, it just stillfeels all new to me, just being
in college and like being inthis situation.
That's amazing, right?
SPEAKER_01 (20:02):
So now we got this, uh, we got NCAA 27 coming out in
uh a couple of weeks.
You know, the they just releasedthe the you know the cover, the
cover athletes on the game.
You know, I remember like whattwo years ago when that game was
just first coming back, and theexcitement, you know, I'm like,
bro, I'm tired of playing Maddenwhere the NCAA like having had
NCAA since 2014, then like youknow, I was just blessed to
(20:25):
probably the first game be onthe first game back, and then
every day I'm looking trying tocheck what my ring is gonna be.
Then some of my teammates aremad what their ring was when
they first joined, had some 57,some 62s out there, man.
You it's hard, it's hard to evenpost it.
You like you trying to go takethat picture on it and say, hey,
I'm on the game, but you seethat 60 on that, it's like ah,
yeah.
I'm posting it to my closefriends.
(20:46):
So, how like you know, what whatdo y'all guys think your ring
gonna be on the game?
They gotta leave me a 75.
75.
SPEAKER_00 (20:53):
You take a 75.
I take a 75.
I don't know.
I'm not expecting it to be toohigh because I'm coming in as a
freshman.
I still gotta like prove what Icould do.
But I what's like the usual likebase rating like in the C.
SPEAKER_01 (21:04):
They probably give you a 63.
Yeah, but look, I done seen guysgo from six, like you go out
there and go crazy, like afterall you get make them list,
they'll bump you up like Timwhat Tim was like so.
SPEAKER_00 (21:14):
Yeah, so I ain't I ain't expecting it to be too
high coming out the gate, butlike I know I prove what I need
to do, it'll go up later on.
SPEAKER_01 (21:20):
So yeah, no, it's it's crazy, man.
It was good to have that gameback, man.
I don't think that's the onlygame I have downloaded on my uh
PS right now.
It's the only game I loveplaying.
Everybody was like, Can't waitto NCAA to come out, and then
they stopped playing after likea week because like I feel they
say the game's not realistic.
I feel like it's realistic.
I feel like you know, you ifit's a three-down front, you're
gonna run the ball.
(21:40):
If you come out there and man,you can go out there and dime,
and they can you can stop therun, they can just glitches in
the game, but NCAA, you gotta bereal skilled.
Like, it takes a yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (21:50):
No, I ain't gonna lie though.
I ain't gonna lie, though.
I had some crazy stuff happeningon some of the yeah, yeah, it
doesn't crazy.
I I call to call it RNG, randomnumber generation.
Random numbers.
So talk to me.
So as I said, like whensomething bad happened to the
game, I'd be like, oh, this isjust the RNG.
I got RNG'd.
It's random number generated.
Basically, like, you know, thesegames, they got an animation.
(22:13):
And sometimes, sometimes youjust get a lucky animation and
you come down with the ball.
Or even when I'm on 2K andsomebody, somebody's like 10
feet away from me.
Somebody jump at the mall andcontest my shot.
It's RNG'd.
SPEAKER_00 (22:23):
Man, bro, I would still bring back the uh the
mascot mode on NCAA.
I think they're doing it thisyear.
Man, bro, that's gonna be sofunny.
I remember I remember playingwith that mode when I first
played NCAA.
SPEAKER_01 (22:34):
So again, switching gears again.
So what is you is your guys'why?
Like, you know, this probablyone of the most far as
experience a human can gothrough.
I don't think people understandthe dynamics of the situation
that you guys are put in.
You gotta be students of thegame and not only students of
the game, but students in reallife when it comes to academics,
you know, having the obligationsthat you have.
(22:56):
You know, you're gonna have awhat class from like what eight,
you know, eight to one thirty orso, then you gotta practice for
about four hours, then meetings,and then you know, you gotta
study the film, you know,yourself.
So, like, how do you what's yourguys' why and how do you handle
being a student athlete?
SPEAKER_02 (23:13):
Uh so my why is definitely my mom and my family,
you know, all them people overthere, man.
They uh they've been rude for mesince I've been uh JUCO with
nothing to my name.
So how I handle it, like uh Ijust try to make healthy habits.
Like getting up early on time,going to bed early, um, eating
the right foods, just trying tokeep myself accountable to the
(23:36):
small things.
I feel like if I can keep myselfaccountable to the small things,
I can make big things happen.
That's always something I try tolive by every day.
I try to, let's say I try towake up on time, eat a good
breakfast, eat a good lunch, getsome snacks in between.
So that's definitely one thing Itry to do to keep myself, you
know, afloat for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (23:55):
I'll probably say my why is like also kind of like
what he said, just like thepeople, the people that just
made the sacrifices to get me inthe situation I'm in, you know,
obviously my my close family,but like just the people that's
closely in my circle as well.
I love y'all.
But yeah, and then uh just alsojust knowing like every decision
(24:18):
I make now on is for my futurefamily, and just knowing that I
gotta make the right decisionsnow and and put myself in the
right places now for my futureas well.
And then uh I'll probably sayhow I handle being a student
athlete, like just tying back tolike stay on top of my stuff,
like just staying on top ofknowing when you gotta go to
(24:39):
sleep, uh eat, just littlethings.
Like it's a lot of the time it'sjust little things that tie in
to bigger things that happen.
Uh yeah, just standing on top ofthings or like setting alarms,
uh, stand on top of myschoolwork, those type of
things.
SPEAKER_01 (24:53):
Yeah, sure.
It's good.
You hate to play catch up incollege.
Yo, you got guys that don't doit around the whole semester.
That's Sunday, that's Sundaywhen they get that five-page and
say do it at least.
Nah.
What?
That 1159, man.
That is helly.
That thing, bro.
College, it'll make or breakyou.
It'll make or break you.
SPEAKER_02 (25:12):
I'm trying to turn it into five pages.
SPEAKER_01 (25:14):
So I'm gonna.
Yeah, get them done.
You gotta lock in.
You gotta lock in.
So I know how it be.
Oh yeah.
No, I think the best, the theguys that have the most success,
they do the work early, thenlike let's say you do slack off,
because there's a lot on yourplate now.
You slack off in the end at theend of the day, you want to go
all out the whole time, butlet's say you slack off, you got
a little bit more leniencybecause you started good.
(25:35):
But like when you wait the lastminute, you know, and wait until
left ignorant day, then you gota 57 in class, and now you try
to get a 70 to pass.
At the end of the semester,that's the stress that you don't
need.
So it's good that you kind ofprioritize that.
Cause I've seen I've seen thatcase a lot, and that ain't that
ain't that ain't fine.
Stomach, you know, you walkingon the egg sheds, you checking
that uh you're on canvas,checking them grades, making
(25:56):
sure you should put in B or D.
Trying to calculate it.
Yeah, put in, put the futurekind of hey when they that's
hey.
When they put that in, oh, theychanged the game now.
Oh, that changed the game.
Yeah, yeah.
Like believe graded.
Yeah, oh we.
Yeah, that that did it.
SPEAKER_00 (26:13):
But like, I I think one of the I forget which older
guy told me this when I firstgot up here, but he was like,
bruh, you can't live like aregular college student, bruh.
Like as a like playing football.
And like I just feel like as thetime went on, like I saw exactly
what he was talking about.
You can't mix the twolifestyles, you gotta like move
a little different when itcauses certain things.
SPEAKER_01 (26:33):
You gotta sacrifice a lot, man.
No, you gotta change plays forthe for the good, man.
It's good when you get thatdegree, you walk across that
stage, it's like one of the bestfeelings ever, you know what I'm
saying?
And like I said, you are thecaptain of your fate, you know
what I'm saying?
So every day, like everydecision on you.
It's not nobody else's fault.
It's your fault.
That's how I see it.
But definitely.
So, you know, you guys goinginto, you know, this season,
(26:54):
freshman season, well, it'sgonna be senior year for you,
right?
Russian.
So you got two years left.
So what are you guys likeexpectations, you know, going
into this year?
Man, just do all I can for theteam, man.
SPEAKER_02 (27:06):
True.
So just whatever the team needsme to do, that's what I want to
do.
Yeah.
So that's one thing for me.
SPEAKER_00 (27:12):
Yeah, I just going into this season, man.
I just want to be like real,real process focused, like not
really thinking about theresults, just focusing on like
my process leading up till then.
And like, I feel like becauseeverybody wanna come in and play
as a freshman, but like yougotta like be willing to do all
of the little stuff like leadingup to it.
And I just want to make surelike that I'm taking advantage
(27:35):
of all of my time like thissummer, and just like I say,
just taking the right littlesteps leading up to it and just
knowing that it'll eventuallycome on to y'all.
So I'll probably say that.
SPEAKER_01 (27:45):
Little little by little feels the bucket.
So that's the biggest thing.
Well, like I said, you know, I'mbe, I'm probably helping y'all
out as much as I can, you knowwhat I'm saying?
When it comes to leadership, youknow, keeping y'all on tabs,
man.
Like y'all just keep, y'all gotyour head on straight, just
keeping every day, little bylittle feels the bucket, just
trusting the process every day,you know, get 1% better.
You know, everybody says that,but if you truly live by that,
(28:06):
though, you gonna you know seethe benefits from that.
So, but I definitely appreciatey'all boys starting in today,
man.
So it was good seeing y'all.
And yeah, that wraps up anotherepisode of Inside the Den.
You know, please like andsubscribe to at Arkansas State
Media Network on all socialmedia platforms and YouTube as
well.
So appreciate these guys comingin, man.
What was up?
(28:26):
What was up?
We are Arkansas State Football.
What's up, Rare World Nation?
This is Justin Parks here withanother episode of Inside the
Den.
I'm here with Tyler Coleman, uhD tackle here, and Rasheem
Turner, fresh and linebacker.
So how y'all boys feeling today?
Feeling good, man.
Feeling good for sure.
Feeling good, man.
Going through the summer.
Yeah.
How the more how the normalworkouts trim you?
(00:29):
Body hurting.
Get me right, though.
He gave me right for sure.
Definitely.
Yeah, so y'all normally, so howwas this pass, you know, Friday?
Obviously getting the first likeuh what summer conditioning
session there, you know, kind ofkept a little light on y'all,
but how did it like, you know,feel, you know, just getting
back moving around a little bitprior to spring ball?
I was definitely, I wasdefinitely a little overheated
(00:49):
when I got to my bed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:52):
Definitely a little overheated, but Coach Albert,
he's definitely getting usright.
SPEAKER_01 (00:55):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (00:55):
For sure that.
Yeah, I I'll definitely say hejust seeing where your
preparation has been at, really.
But like it's it's been smoothso far though.
You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:05):
So obviously y'all got probably like two different
stories, you know.
Ty obviously coming, you know,JUCO product, you know, Sheen,
you know, high school products.
So like how has the change been,you know?
So obviously you went JUCO, Ty,way from JUCO, obviously Florida
State, and uh here, like how'sthe whole like process been for
you?
You know?
SPEAKER_02 (01:20):
So the process has definitely been a bit of a
roller coaster, I will say, butyou know, just glad that I'm
finally in a place and justready to work, really.
SPEAKER_01 (01:28):
Just not trying to get ready work, does it?
So you coming here, like, so howwas it, you know, having now you
getting coached by Coach Pittagain, but also getting coached
by him, you know, at Northwest.
Like, how's that, you know, waswas the decision, you know,
easier for you, I guess, whenyou when it came down to it?
Yeah, for sure, because CoachPitt got me here, you know.
SPEAKER_02 (01:44):
And um, he hit me up, said, Hey man, um, you know,
Arkansas State.
I said, You know what it is,Coach.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:53):
Yeah, for sure.
That's my dog there.
Pip Pip right one of thefunniest people on plan on the
planet, but he's not evenintentionally, he's not even
doing it.
He just yeah.
It's just natural, bro.
He he be trolling, right?
Like he, I guess working withthem guys and make everything
easy.
You know, them guys are acracker joke, you know.
You think coaches just allserious all day, but we be in
there, you know, we get ourbusiness done, but we definitely
(02:14):
like to have fun.
So, like, Shame, obviously, youcome from uh Seminole High
School down there in Florida.
Like, how you know, cause you isI guess you could say it's a
roller coaster for you too,because like now you're
competing not only against, youknow, high school guys like kind
of like how me and him did, youknow, just you getting you top
players in the country, you tryto pick a school from a high
school perspective, but youknow, colleges now getting
(02:36):
Portal guys, JUCO guys.
So like how, like, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (02:40):
I'll probably say, you know, it was it was also
kind of a roller coaster, youknow, because you just gotta you
gotta realize coming out of highschool, like the variety and
number, how many people aretrying to go to play college
football out of high school,just like you.
So, you know, it was it was justlike a roller coaster, like I
say, uh going between differentschools, visiting like different
states with my parents andstuff, and uh just overall
(03:03):
ending up here and just and justmeeting meeting Coach Griff,
meeting, meeting all the coachesthat recruited me and seven, and
just making the decision.
And then I always knew in mymind, like eventually, like when
I figured out where I wanted tobe at, it wasn't gonna be no
like switching up, especially ifI knew it was a place for me.
So I just I felt like this is aplace for me and made it happen.
SPEAKER_01 (03:23):
So enrolling early, you know, like you did, you
know, coming straight out ofhigh school, probably I know you
went to prom, but you basicallymissed like you cut off half of
your senior, you know, gettingready for college, you know.
I kind of had a similar, I hadthe exact same path actually,
enrolling early.
Like how, you know, going inhere early, going from high
school, waking up at like what7:30 a.m., getting to high
school, going throughout theday.
(03:44):
Now you just like college,everything's like this.
You probably ain't got teachersbreathing down your back, your
parents breathing down yourback.
Like, how's that change been foryou?
SPEAKER_00 (03:51):
Man, I say what's crazy is my my prom was on the
day of our spring game.
And so it wasn't a go on theproblem.
But uh it's it was a big stufffor sure.
You know, my high school, uh,where I'm coming from, they
always they done sent a lot ofguys to the next level.
So like they prepared us acertain way, but like it is
still certain things I had toadjust to when I got here, like
(04:12):
uh just managing my time andstuff.
And then it's just like, man,you gotta just realize when you
get here, like something gottasnap in you that you're around a
bunch of people that got jobs onthe line.
So they gonna play like it.
And it's like you either gonna,you either gonna really just
rise or fall.
Like, and it's they gonna, thepeople that's around you,
they're gonna be pushing youevery day.
So like your standard is justgonna naturally rise.
(04:35):
Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (04:36):
I don't think nobody values, I think, like I valued
it so much just getting thereearly.
Like you said, allowing me tolearn everything so much faster,
you know, kind of have mywelcome to college moment at
that time too.
It kind of got me mindset readyof like, hey, like this is what
it's gonna be like.
You know, you're going againstthe best players from each part
of the United States fromAlabama, Mississippi, Georgia,
even California, Missouri.
Like, you know, you're gonna goagainst the best uh people
(04:58):
everywhere you every day inpractice, you know.
You tell people all the time,tell the crew all the time,
they'd be like, hey man, what'sthe like what's the difference
between you know high school andcollege?
And I'm like, man, like a highschool game may be like just
like a college practice, if notlike a college practice might be
way harder than a high schoolgame.
Like as college game days, likeit's hard, but like them
practices, like you know, youthere's you banging out every
(05:21):
day.
So that's it.
SPEAKER_00 (05:23):
I could definitely say that, but them them periods,
like the periods and the periodincrease from high school,
college is crazy.
Like you gotta be, you gottadefinitely be in shape and be
able to run for sure.
You're gonna you're gonna feelit at first, but you just gotta
just stay at it and yeah, I'mover time.
SPEAKER_01 (05:39):
So like um, when did you guys like start playing
football?
I played, I started playingfootball since second grade.
Second grade, uh I wish.
My mom, she put me in a program,so that's why I've been rolling
with second grade, I've beenplaying football.
Now, what'd you did you alwaysplay D-line?
I know some guys' story bedifferent.
They'd be like quarterback, thenD-line, running back, then gonna
be.
At first, I was a running back.
SPEAKER_02 (06:00):
At the very start, I was running back.
And then I was like, oh, I'mgetting a little too big.
They tried me everywhere on theline of them.
And I was like, man, I likeD-line.
I was a DN in high school.
And then uh I got the NorthwestGannico Pass.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:18):
So yeah, that's where I'm at now.
That's crazy, man.
It is.
I can just tell right now, likeI can just just imagine you.
I know you was probably like inLittle League one, like our big
running backs that you probablyget chicken car, power back,
hard to tackle.
I can already see it in thedragons.
Yeah, I already know.
I can already see it now.
It's so funny, right?
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
Yeah.
Um, so uh I probably I probablystarted playing football like
when I was around eight yearsold.
And what's crazy is like we'llpractice all week and our game
will be on Saturday.
Well, with my situation, I willonly practice on Friday and play
the next, yeah, next play thenext day on Saturday.
So, and then I eventually juststarted loving it.
(06:56):
Uh, you know, my dad he just puthis extra time into it with me
and just teaching me all thelittle things while he was
learning as well.
And then I I started off playinguh defensive and running back
before I eventually moved tolinebacker like at 12 years old.
And then I've been playing thatposition ever since.
SPEAKER_01 (07:14):
Yeah.
No, that's that's definitelylike I kind of part of me wish I
played Lil' League because itwas so fun.
Like you see, like all the guys,like I didn't start playing
until seventh grade.
So I was I thought I was gonnabe a Hooper out.
Like I thought I was gonna beLeBron.
Yeah.
Then I seen LeBron was 6'8,dribbling down the court, and
I'm like, what, five, eleven,six foot?
I'm like, yeah, I ain't going tothe NBA.
They they hurt me, it hurt mebad, but like I put my mindset
(07:37):
in DV and then so I got here.
But um it's definitely you knowcrazy.
Everybody got this differentstory.
You know, I know some guys thatdon't even play until they
senior year, they hooping theirwhole time and then they go out
to football and be a freakathlete.
Tell me full style.
They just came in last minute,then last minute, yes.
And then they getting all bro,one of my homeboys, he played
(07:59):
for the Pelicans, his name, uhJalen Moore.
He uh literally, in high schoolon the basketball team, he like
what 6'5, 6'6, you know.
He in the NBA right now, but hewas like Kentucky came in there,
you know, watched us hoop, andthe offensive coordinator time,
he literally told my head coach,he was like, Man, if he
literally plays wide receiverthis year, I would offer him on
(08:19):
the spot right now.
If he just literally tells youthat he's gonna he's gonna play
this year, I'll offer him on thespot right now.
That's how crazy like it is.
Yeah, I'm just saying, like, youjust see people, you know,
hooping, you know, you see thesize, like you just like, oh
yeah, he's gonna be a goodreceiver.
Like, but you know, he's hechose basketball.
SPEAKER_00 (08:34):
So but I ain't never had it hooping, I ain't gonna
lie.
I played one basketball game, soI was young.
Fouled out.
I played one basketball game.
Like I'm young, so I'm justcoming off of football.
My first little football season,I played basketball.
I done tackled somebody on thecourt.
So then they done kicked me outagain.
I know my dad was like, youain't gonna play.
I was like, nope.
SPEAKER_01 (08:54):
Yeah, it was the exact same way.
I got all the exact same way.
I could already I knew it.
You're gonna go in there fivefouls, foul out technical foul.
But hey, those those blocksstill foul.
So, I mean, yeah.
Which so now y'all got methinking, which position group
y'all feel like will probablywin the basketball game?
(09:14):
Like we had a tournament, everyposition, like at their team,
like five on five.
You can even do four on four.
Which position group you thinkwill win on this year's team?
Coach that was just talkingabout this the other day.
We just trying to I'm trying tosee what y'all was thinking.
SPEAKER_02 (09:26):
What she think?
Uh honestly, I might give it tothe DBs, man.
I don't think somebody beatingthe DB.
They got some pretty goodhoopers on there.
Really?
I know AG can hoop a little bit.
I play I played with him in therig before.
He's a he's a good hooper.
That's really the only DB that Iknow that I know can play
basketball.
I haven't really, I'm not abasketball really guy at all, so
(09:47):
but I know AG can hoop a littlebit.
SPEAKER_01 (09:49):
So you know we get somebody problems, bro, and
it'll surprise y'all.
I even know this until recently.
Manase IT might be the bestplayer on this team.
Yeah, yeah.
No, Manase.
Yeah.
Yeah, they say Manase IT mightbe the best.
That boy played left tackle inthis man.
They say basketball play.
They say like he like grew up,like always played basketball.
I think the O line will probablywin, though.
I ain't gonna lie.
O line's a tight end.
Did they say Jaden Ham can hooptoo?
(10:10):
If we gotta go full court, the Oline now winning.
Yeah, yeah, like half court, heprobably got it, but full
through it, they finally got it.
SPEAKER_00 (10:17):
Now say Kerano.
Yeah, I'll probably have to giveit to the DB, though, because
them boys, like we done been tothe wreck together.
Like them boys, they hooping forsure.
And then Joe, before he switchedthe line, I could Joe be hooping
too for real.
SPEAKER_01 (10:31):
Yeah, he be posting his Instagram highlights.
I'd be like, bruh, it's over.
I just side up, like, bro, it'sover, it's over.
Glory days.
So just you know, now we'reswitching gears a little bit.
Now, you guys are here.
Now, going back in the past, youknow, what was like the deciding
factor?
You I I tell people all thetime, portal is just like speed
(10:51):
day.
Like, it's like getting anotherluckily you knew Pitt, but like
I remember times you justhitting up a guy at 3 a.m.
and like hey, uh, need you on avisit tomorrow, you know what
I'm saying?
Like just getting it done.
You know, you you obviously haverelationships along the line of
like, all right, I'm starting myjunior year, you know, we
hitting you up.
You know, I know you probablyyou committed early as well.
You committed before I startedlike coaching on staff.
So, like, what was the decidingfactor for y'all boys in
(11:14):
choosing Arkansas State?
Why Arkansas State?
SPEAKER_02 (11:16):
Okay, I feel like my deciding factor was definitely
Coach Pittman, a big factor init.
I said I I know coach, he knowsme.
You know, we've been through theJUCO days together, so you know,
it's real, it's real connectionthere.
And like I said, the staff'sreally good staff.
Yeah.
All the coaches, really good.
A real family, you know.
Yeah.
And there haven't been a daywhere I had my head down,
(11:36):
somebody was like, hey man, pickyour head up, bro.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's real, real brotherhood,real family, like program.
That's one thing I was reallylooking for.
So that was a good decidingfactor for me.
SPEAKER_00 (11:48):
I'll probably say with me, and just like the
biggest thing with myrecruitment, like I like coaches
that kept it real with me.
Like just the just the realnessbehind it, like all the way from
the point to where I was invitedto camp, and then they offered
me before I came to camp.
And then when I got there andtalked to, when I got there and
met Griff and met Coach McDanielwhen he was here, like they just
(12:11):
they kept it honest with me andstuff, and then they they
brought me out to the side afterthe camp and and just had like a
real talk with me and stuff, andand you know, Griff just telling
me like, I want you here andstuff, and then me just me just
opening up to him too, like justabout my process and like the
coaches that I did deal withthat were recruiting me and like
where they act like they wouldkeep it real with me, but then
(12:32):
they didn't.
And you know, I just I justliked that uh realness that they
kept with me.
And then um just the fact thathe telling me like he gonna he's
gonna push me, and I know that'sthat's something you need, like
no matter what player you are,like you need somebody that's
gonna push you past your limitsto make you the player that you
want to be.
Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (12:50):
Where did y'all boys grab?
So I know you just graduatedclass.
When did you graduate highschool?
I was class of 2023.
Okay, you got man, you, bruh.
Y'all boys lucky, blessed, allthat.
Y'all boys got to take OVs,y'all boys got to do camps,
where 2021, that was like thecraziest year.
Like 2020, everybody say 2020had it bad.
(13:12):
Really, 2020, they got to do theonly thing they missed out on
was prom.
That's about it.
Like, we missed out on a wholeyear.
Like, we over here playing gameswith Mac, everybody got mask on,
like, you know, social distance.
And it was, well, Alabama didn'tfollow the rules.
So they're a football tour.
So the games still be packed.
But it's like, you know,couldn't take visits, you know,
(13:34):
doing virtual zooms, man.
That was like probably thecraziest time.
Y'all boys are probably like tooyoung.
Well, you you young.
Me on that happened.
I was like still, he was earlyin his little process.
Yeah.
He was just trying to keep hishead above water for like 10
years in high school.
Yeah, I remember, yeah, theirhigh school, man.
How how was it like, you know,being in school at that time of
(13:54):
like just straight virtuallearning?
Cause I'm pretty sure y'alldidn't go to school, right?
SPEAKER_02 (13:58):
Y'all was just, I ain't gonna lie, I became a
whole different person then thattime.
Like I started uh because I feltmyself drifting off into doing
different things and trying todo different stuff.
And I shoot, I messed around andjust became a whole new person,
right?
Like just find new things to do.
You know what I'm saying?
Find a way to ration my time todifferent things.
Yeah.
It definitely I feel like ithelped me out a little bit.
(14:19):
Yeah, find myself, who I reallyam as a person.
I'm there.
SPEAKER_01 (14:23):
You just went to Tokyo, right?
So how was that?
How was that whole experience?
That's just when we went toJapan.
I I wanted to go to Vietnam.
Or to Japan, like out of there.
SPEAKER_02 (14:32):
Tokyo is definitely, definitely a um place to be,
man.
Good people.
I haven't I haven't ran intohave a race situation yet.
So a lot of people's like, oh,it's racist out there or
whatever.
I haven't ran into a person yet,and I go down the street, oh,
cool chain, cool chain, orthey'd be like, oh, cool
clothes, or tall, tall.
SPEAKER_01 (14:50):
Yeah, they probably so like seeing you out there,
it's probably like not like thatbig of a human out there.
So they're just probably gettinglike stopped everywhere, huh?
SPEAKER_02 (14:57):
Yeah, I mean, like I had a couple people come up to
me and take a picture.
They didn't know who I was.
Like, I'd be like, I'm Americanfootball player.
And they like, oh, yeah, youknow, that's cool.
SPEAKER_01 (15:05):
And this is definitely, definitely cool,
cool experience, man.
I definitely enjoy myself.
Yeah, I see a lot of people do alot of mission trips uh like you
know what seemed normal to us,like, you know, over here on
this in the United States, likeyou go abroad, like different
countries do like, you know,mission trips.
It's kind of like good, cool tosee like people just like happy
to see, like they not familiarwith you, but they just like,
(15:26):
oh, like this, yeah, like thisguy and being on that new like
scenery.
SPEAKER_02 (15:31):
So it's cool.
We need to give them back somany new people, so many new
connections, just things to growoff of.
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (15:37):
So around that time, I was uh I think I was just
getting ready to go into highschool.
So like I was I was onlineschool, but like my dad, he had
me like preparing a lot goinginto high school because he knew
like that was gonna, that wasgonna make or break me, like
them four years, like how Iinvested in them four years,
like coming out, like knowingthat I wanted to go play college
(15:59):
football, I needed to come inready.
So I was just grinding aroundthat time.
SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.
So how like so you know, I knowobviously four for one when I
play here, like just theprogram, you know, get around my
teammates, you know, you'rehearing these different stories.
Like how, you know, it's gettingaround the guys every Wednesday,
your four for one group and justlike talking and like hearing
the interactions with thedifferent people, you know,
because it's like some guys Iplay, I'm like, oh, I did not
(16:24):
know he'd been through that.
Like I'm like, oh my God, Iwould have gave up, you know,
but you know, he perseveres.
So he kind of always gave me adeeper appreciation and kind of
allowed me to go harder for theguy next to me.
Like, how, you know, has beenthe four for one program been
for you guys?
SPEAKER_00 (16:36):
I'll probably say, you know, me, me, like I just
always like when I walk aroundon my day-to-day basis, like
when I just look at people, I'dbe like, man, I wonder what
they're going through.
Or like I wonder what they'rethinking or how their life is in
their eyes.
But like just around the guysthat I play with every day and
have to like go through hardthings with every day, like just
knowing what they go through,like it definitely, like, just
(16:58):
hearing their stories, likeallows me to feel like, okay,
this is my brother.
Like, he felt he feltcomfortable enough to share this
with us as a group.
So, like, man, I'll do anythingfor him.
Like, I'll I'll go through thehard ties with them and stuff.
You know, it just gives you thatreal like team connection when
you learn like the personalthings that people call them.
So absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (17:18):
Yeah, same here, man.
It's just like getting to knownew people and just getting to
know your teammates, yourbrothers, the people you play
beside every day.
I feel like that's just a greatprogram to get us all
accommodated to each other, youknow, especially with the
craziness in college footballand everybody coming from
literally everywhere, bro.
So, you know, I feel like that'sa that's a good way to help us
(17:39):
get to know each other as peopleas team outside of football and
good as well.
SPEAKER_01 (17:43):
For sure, for sure.
Yeah, it's it's funny you bringthat up, man.
I tell people all the time, I'mlike, man, you literally get
like back in the day, sameteammates four years, you may
have this guy leave, you know,this guy may just stop playing
football.
Now you're just getting like 80new teammates every year now.
So it's like crazy.
Like I it's just a wholedifferent, but I think the
Porter does do a good job oflike, you know, you also had
(18:05):
those guys that like, hey, Iwould never know this guy's
story if he, you know, didn'ttransfer.
You know, some guys don't fit incertain schemes in certain
places, don't mean they're a badplayer.
They just, you know, it's justnot the right fit.
And then they go, you know, theyjust blossom somewhere else.
So um I really think, especiallylike D2 guys have been so many
D2 guys that like I would neverknow this man's story.
Like end up winning a nationalchampionship just because like,
(18:27):
you know, he just he was he was170 pounds, said 195 pounds out
of high school, and you know,write him off and then he come
back and you know, he bouncedback.
So those stories always you knowamaze me.
Yeah, for sure.
So, you know, switching gears alittle bit.
So how you know, getting out inthe community, you know, I see
you guys out quite a bit, likehow like just being around
Jonesboro, being around peoplewhere there's community service
(18:50):
events or you know, just goingout, donors with the boosters,
you know, just mingling withpeople, you know, that obviously
the party we had at the facilitynot too long ago, you know, some
of you guys were around.
Like, how you know, just beinghere a couple months, how
impactful has the community beenfor y'all, you know?
SPEAKER_02 (19:05):
Very Jones Boro, definitely a close knitted town.
I feel like everybody knows whothe football team is, or you
know, you just go to somebody.
Oh, you play football, don't youplay football for A-State?
Yeah, oh yeah, what's your name,man?
Like it's real friendly.
I ain't ran into I really ain'tran into no bad people yet, no
sour faces, no community.
Everybody happy to meet thefootball players, man.
So that's good.
(19:25):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:26):
Yeah, I'll probably say, even though getting here
early, like, man, it still justall feels new to me.
Cause like it's just it's such ablessing being here.
And like uh just come comingfrom my town, like Jonesboro is
bigger than from where I'm from.
And but I would but I'll saylike the people just on a
day-to-day basis, like they it'ssome cool people out here.
(19:47):
Like, it's they wouldn't justwalk by you without saying
something or saying, hey, butit's it's cool.
Like, I like the people outhere, I love the community too.
And like I said, it just stillfeels all new to me, just being
in college and like being inthis situation.
That's amazing, right?
SPEAKER_01 (20:02):
So now we got this, uh, we got NCAA 27 coming out in
uh a couple of weeks.
You know, the they just releasedthe the you know the cover, the
cover athletes on the game.
You know, I remember like whattwo years ago when that game was
just first coming back, and theexcitement, you know, I'm like,
bro, I'm tired of playing Maddenwhere the NCAA like having had
NCAA since 2014, then like youknow, I was just blessed to
(20:25):
probably the first game be onthe first game back, and then
every day I'm looking trying tocheck what my ring is gonna be.
Then some of my teammates aremad what their ring was when
they first joined, had some 57,some 62s out there, man.
You it's hard, it's hard to evenpost it.
You like you trying to go takethat picture on it and say, hey,
I'm on the game, but you seethat 60 on that, it's like ah,
yeah.
I'm posting it to my closefriends.
(20:46):
So, how like you know, what whatdo y'all guys think your ring
gonna be on the game?
They gotta leave me a 75.
75.
SPEAKER_00 (20:53):
You take a 75.
I take a 75.
I don't know.
I'm not expecting it to be toohigh because I'm coming in as a
freshman.
I still gotta like prove what Icould do.
But I what's like the usual likebase rating like in the C.
SPEAKER_01 (21:04):
They probably give you a 63.
Yeah, but look, I done seen guysgo from six, like you go out
there and go crazy, like afterall you get make them list,
they'll bump you up like Timwhat Tim was like so.
SPEAKER_00 (21:14):
Yeah, so I ain't I ain't expecting it to be too
high coming out the gate, butlike I know I prove what I need
to do, it'll go up later on.
SPEAKER_01 (21:20):
So yeah, no, it's it's crazy, man.
It was good to have that gameback, man.
I don't think that's the onlygame I have downloaded on my uh
PS right now.
It's the only game I loveplaying.
Everybody was like, Can't waitto NCAA to come out, and then
they stopped playing after likea week because like I feel they
say the game's not realistic.
I feel like it's realistic.
I feel like you know, you ifit's a three-down front, you're
gonna run the ball.
(21:40):
If you come out there and man,you can go out there and dime,
and they can you can stop therun, they can just glitches in
the game, but NCAA, you gotta bereal skilled.
Like, it takes a yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (21:50):
No, I ain't gonna lie though.
I ain't gonna lie, though.
I had some crazy stuff happeningon some of the yeah, yeah, it
doesn't crazy.
I I call to call it RNG, randomnumber generation.
Random numbers.
So talk to me.
So as I said, like whensomething bad happened to the
game, I'd be like, oh, this isjust the RNG.
I got RNG'd.
It's random number generated.
Basically, like, you know, thesegames, they got an animation.
(22:13):
And sometimes, sometimes youjust get a lucky animation and
you come down with the ball.
Or even when I'm on 2K andsomebody, somebody's like 10
feet away from me.
Somebody jump at the mall andcontest my shot.
It's RNG'd.
SPEAKER_00 (22:23):
Man, bro, I would still bring back the uh the
mascot mode on NCAA.
I think they're doing it thisyear.
Man, bro, that's gonna be sofunny.
I remember I remember playingwith that mode when I first
played NCAA.
SPEAKER_01 (22:34):
So again, switching gears again.
So what is you is your guys'why?
Like, you know, this probablyone of the most far as
experience a human can gothrough.
I don't think people understandthe dynamics of the situation
that you guys are put in.
You gotta be students of thegame and not only students of
the game, but students in reallife when it comes to academics,
you know, having the obligationsthat you have.
(22:56):
You know, you're gonna have awhat class from like what eight,
you know, eight to one thirty orso, then you gotta practice for
about four hours, then meetings,and then you know, you gotta
study the film, you know,yourself.
So, like, how do you what's yourguys' why and how do you handle
being a student athlete?
SPEAKER_02 (23:13):
Uh so my why is definitely my mom and my family,
you know, all them people overthere, man.
They uh they've been rude for mesince I've been uh JUCO with
nothing to my name.
So how I handle it, like uh Ijust try to make healthy habits.
Like getting up early on time,going to bed early, um, eating
the right foods, just trying tokeep myself accountable to the
(23:36):
small things.
I feel like if I can keep myselfaccountable to the small things,
I can make big things happen.
That's always something I try tolive by every day.
I try to, let's say I try towake up on time, eat a good
breakfast, eat a good lunch, getsome snacks in between.
So that's definitely one thing Itry to do to keep myself, you
know, afloat for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (23:55):
I'll probably say my why is like also kind of like
what he said, just like thepeople, the people that just
made the sacrifices to get me inthe situation I'm in, you know,
obviously my my close family,but like just the people that's
closely in my circle as well.
I love y'all.
But yeah, and then uh just alsojust knowing like every decision
(24:18):
I make now on is for my futurefamily, and just knowing that I
gotta make the right decisionsnow and and put myself in the
right places now for my futureas well.
And then uh I'll probably sayhow I handle being a student
athlete, like just tying back tolike stay on top of my stuff,
like just staying on top ofknowing when you gotta go to
(24:39):
sleep, uh eat, just littlethings.
Like it's a lot of the time it'sjust little things that tie in
to bigger things that happen.
Uh yeah, just standing on top ofthings or like setting alarms,
uh, stand on top of myschoolwork, those type of
things.
SPEAKER_01 (24:53):
Yeah, sure.
It's good.
You hate to play catch up incollege.
Yo, you got guys that don't doit around the whole semester.
That's Sunday, that's Sundaywhen they get that five-page and
say do it at least.
Nah.
What?
That 1159, man.
That is helly.
That thing, bro.
College, it'll make or breakyou.
It'll make or break you.
SPEAKER_02 (25:12):
I'm trying to turn it into five pages.
SPEAKER_01 (25:14):
So I'm gonna.
Yeah, get them done.
You gotta lock in.
You gotta lock in.
So I know how it be.
Oh yeah.
No, I think the best, the theguys that have the most success,
they do the work early, thenlike let's say you do slack off,
because there's a lot on yourplate now.
You slack off in the end at theend of the day, you want to go
all out the whole time, butlet's say you slack off, you got
a little bit more leniencybecause you started good.
(25:35):
But like when you wait the lastminute, you know, and wait until
left ignorant day, then you gota 57 in class, and now you try
to get a 70 to pass.
At the end of the semester,that's the stress that you don't
need.
So it's good that you kind ofprioritize that.
Cause I've seen I've seen thatcase a lot, and that ain't that
ain't that ain't fine.
Stomach, you know, you walkingon the egg sheds, you checking
that uh you're on canvas,checking them grades, making
(25:56):
sure you should put in B or D.
Trying to calculate it.
Yeah, put in, put the futurekind of hey when they that's
hey.
When they put that in, oh, theychanged the game now.
Oh, that changed the game.
Yeah, yeah.
Like believe graded.
Yeah, oh we.
Yeah, that that did it.
SPEAKER_00 (26:13):
But like, I I think one of the I forget which older
guy told me this when I firstgot up here, but he was like,
bruh, you can't live like aregular college student, bruh.
Like as a like playing football.
And like I just feel like as thetime went on, like I saw exactly
what he was talking about.
You can't mix the twolifestyles, you gotta like move
a little different when itcauses certain things.
SPEAKER_01 (26:33):
You gotta sacrifice a lot, man.
No, you gotta change plays forthe for the good, man.
It's good when you get thatdegree, you walk across that
stage, it's like one of the bestfeelings ever, you know what I'm
saying?
And like I said, you are thecaptain of your fate, you know
what I'm saying?
So every day, like everydecision on you.
It's not nobody else's fault.
It's your fault.
That's how I see it.
But definitely.
So, you know, you guys goinginto, you know, this season,
(26:54):
freshman season, well, it'sgonna be senior year for you,
right?
Russian.
So you got two years left.
So what are you guys likeexpectations, you know, going
into this year?
Man, just do all I can for theteam, man.
SPEAKER_02 (27:06):
True.
So just whatever the team needsme to do, that's what I want to
do.
Yeah.
So that's one thing for me.
SPEAKER_00 (27:12):
Yeah, I just going into this season, man.
I just want to be like real,real process focused, like not
really thinking about theresults, just focusing on like
my process leading up till then.
And like, I feel like becauseeverybody wanna come in and play
as a freshman, but like yougotta like be willing to do all
of the little stuff like leadingup to it.
And I just want to make surelike that I'm taking advantage
(27:35):
of all of my time like thissummer, and just like I say,
just taking the right littlesteps leading up to it and just
knowing that it'll eventuallycome on to y'all.
So I'll probably say that.
SPEAKER_01 (27:45):
Little little by little feels the bucket.
So that's the biggest thing.
Well, like I said, you know, I'mbe, I'm probably helping y'all
out as much as I can, you knowwhat I'm saying?
When it comes to leadership, youknow, keeping y'all on tabs,
man.
Like y'all just keep, y'all gotyour head on straight, just
keeping every day, little bylittle feels the bucket, just
trusting the process every day,you know, get 1% better.
You know, everybody says that,but if you truly live by that,
(28:06):
though, you gonna you know seethe benefits from that.
So, but I definitely appreciatey'all boys starting in today,
man.
So it was good seeing y'all.
And yeah, that wraps up anotherepisode of Inside the Den.
You know, please like andsubscribe to at Arkansas State
Media Network on all socialmedia platforms and YouTube as
well.
So appreciate these guys comingin, man.
What was up?
(28:26):
What was up?
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