Dino Babers on Coaching Principles, Program Building and Collegiate NIL impact

Dino Babers, Head Football Coach at Syracuse University, joins Greg for a deep dive into his principles of coaching (17:39), and what goes into building a competitive football program (34:00). Plus Dino gives a coach's perspective on the collegiate NIL space (45:47).

Greg also answers listener questions (1:00:30). Rate, review, subscribe and submit your questions on social to @YouthInc.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Dad. Thanks for coming on.

(00:01):
I'm going to hop off. You got no, no no no, no coach
before we dive in while Tasha's here.
What's up everybody? Welcome back to another episode
here on. You think presented by Audio
Rama promised you guys a big update on last week's show.

(00:21):
I told you that I would have an update over last weekend's Pop
Warner Regional Championship game that I coach of my oldest
son and I am happy to sit here and record this podcast as a
proud Regional Champion assistant coach of the pop
warner South Charlotte Patriots.Thank you for the Applause.

(00:46):
I thought to myself, it was a blast, we played a really good
team out of Raleigh, they hadn'tlost in years.
They won the championship last year.
They are a really good program. They had a team from their
program, so there's nine. U10 u11, u12 U13 use, so there's
five age groups. They represented the Regional
Championship, what, what they call the Mid-South, which is us

(01:09):
here in North Carolina, they represented their team from
their organization was represented.
All five age groups. So it gives you a little idea of
that. This this is a pretty good
program. So we knew it was going to be
hard. They hadn't lost.
They had beaten everybody all year.
They won this last year and we won.
It was a nail-biter, we 17. Nothing.

(01:31):
We had three drives that ended inside their 5-yard line.
We only scored on one of them, so that was disappointing.
We feel like we pretty much dominated the game.
They were really no threat to score on us and we move the
ball. They were big.
They were Physical. They're very well-coached.
So we were very happy and now itqualifies us to go to the Pop

(01:52):
Warner Super Bowl which is like the national championship or all
eight regions of the country arerepresented.
The winners come now down to Orlando for a week of more, 11
year old tackle football, so that will be an entirely
different report back. I will keep you guys a break,
you know, up to speed on what that experience, looks like all

(02:12):
the parents and the moms are going crazy booking.
Rooms in, it is very almost feellike I need to bring back on our
guy from Pop Warner again and like, have him tell us how to go
about this. Because the amount of red tape
and booking of rooms and had to put, oh my God, it is like
getting ready to go to the actual Super Bowl as far as
Logistics, but the kids are fired up.
The families are fired up. If you would have told us that

(02:34):
we'd be going down to the national championship of one of
eight teams in our age group, I would have said you're crazy,
but nonetheless, here we are. So I will have more updates to
come. Um, I would also my daughter
will kill me. If I didn't tell you that, she
also finished her soccer season and they won the championship as
well. So she would kill me if I didn't

(02:54):
throw that in there and I talkedtoo much about the boys.
So I love her. So that's an update.
We are taking this week off for Thanksgiving.
We are heading to Dallas. I'm calling the Dallas Cowboys.
New York Giants game on Thursday.
Thanksgiving Day. My entire family is coming.
We're going to spend the week inDallas, and then I'm going to
fly from Dallas to Kansas City to call the His game of the week

(03:16):
on Sunday between the Chiefs andthe ram.
So, big week busy week, so let'sget into it.
So, today's guest is, I can giveyou a lot of, you know,
qualifications and job descriptions.
He's the current head coach of Syracuse University, former
running back and University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He's been offensive coordinatorsat Arizona.

(03:38):
Texas A&M head coach at Bowling Green, a very accomplished,
coach, Dino babers but more importantly He is the father of
your favorite part of the show. My producer Tasha is Dino,
babers daughter. So I had an in of getting Dino.
It was really cool to have him come talk a little bit, not only

(03:58):
about Syracuse and their programand what he's trying to build
their but just his journey his journey through Athletics both
as a coach as a father, as a husband.
So it was a really cool conversation.
I appreciate Tasha for setting it up.
So, without further Ado, I hope you guys enjoy this.
Ation with not only head football, coach of Syracuse

(04:19):
University but Tasha's father Dino babers.
It's nice to set a conversation on a, on a point of a
relationship, right? There's always, it's a good way
to start a conversation. Tasha.
Yeah, well, hey, Dad, thanks forcoming on.
I'm going to hop off you guys. No no no no no coach.

(04:42):
Before we dive in while Tasha's here.
I need. We've heard a lot of other
people's Youth Sports stories. Obviously since I know you're a
huge fan of the show, you know what we talk about here?
I need to know growing up in TheBeiber's household what again,
to whatever degree it was? I want to hear a Tasha, a young

(05:02):
Tasha, Sports story that you think our fans would love.
This is easy. She loved it.
I think she knows exactly where I'm going to go to on this.
I know it's an embarrassing so it's even better.
First of all, all the girls played Sports.
Okay, so all those young ladies play sports went in the, I can't
give you that because you guys will get mad.

(05:23):
I'll say it. Anyway, One day, one of the
girls wanted to come and be a cheerleader and we sure babies
there's no cheerleaders in our family, we don't cheer we play
that was me. But Tasha we always said she
would be good in track. We always said she'd be a good
and drag so we finally got her to get on a track team and she

(05:48):
had and I may get this story wrong but she was running track
up in Castaic California when I was Was at UCLA and she
qualified. I want to say in seven different
events for the national championships in Philadelphia.
So I want to say she qualified for like 800 like this.

(06:12):
It's just boring getting draggedon the 200.
I don't know if it was the 100 or not the long.
Jump the triple jump the high jump and it was one more thing
was either shotput or 100. Remember she had seven events
that she qualified for for us toin California Champion to go all
the way to Philadelphia to see if she was a national champion

(06:35):
and then after she qualified forthe national championships, she
basically said something to the effect that I just did that for
you because you liked it or no. I just did it now that I'm
qualified. I really don't want to go to
Philadelphia. I really want to do something
else and that's what she has. I had a soccer tournament.
The day of the and I was like, Ican't leave my team, but it felt

(06:58):
nice to qualify. There you go, everybody wins.
Yeah, you would have wanted. You would have won the
championship. Anyway, if you went obviously, I
thought I thought you were goingto tell the story of when I
played powder puff and Texas. And this girl just laid me out,
I like blacked out and you weren't supposed to hit people
and great is embarrassing because Texas.

(07:18):
It's like the whole stadium is full and everyone's like, oh and
I'll good were you how good was Tasha powder?
Football, Greg, I got it. I got in trouble by my head
coach our trials. We would wait.
She comes this. First of all you're in Texas.
Doesn't happen in any other state, IND.
Of course we happens in Texas. So it's the Powderpuff game and

(07:39):
she runs down on the opening kickoff all, you know, I'm
there. There's other coaches, they're
watching their daughters and sheruns down on the opening
kickoff, and this was it an older girl, a girl off your
soccer team. She was older, and it's on my
soccer team. So, you wouldn't play Night
Under One great under. Yeah, and I mean great and I'm
this is not a joke, this is I'm talking to an NFL guy, okay.

(08:02):
And you're talking to a college.Hey coach, I'm telling you, she
got depleted, like she was in the NFL and her head wasn't on a
swivel. I am.
Not kidding. You just think about the most
violent thing you've ever seen where I jumped up going?
Oh my God. She this might be a concussion
or something. I mean feet overhead head
bouncing the ground. Okay.

(08:23):
Boom boom boom. And I'm like, oh my God.
Texas Powder. Puff football is real.
So that our current that other girl, I don't, I don't know if I
don't know if she bounced up to X or where they cleared, I can't
remember because she got hit so hard.
All I know is she didn't come out of the game and the rest of

(08:44):
the game was like just thinking about Dick Butkus and Lawrence
Taylor together, because it was nothing, but violence coming.
I was pissed. Did you just take the game over?
Did you just dominate the game? Tasha.
I got three interceptions that game like I was like, fine hit
me. How proud are you?
It is the worst. Oh my God, I was so proud that I

(09:05):
went back the next day and I'm telling all the coaches meeting
room. And then finally finally the
head coach coach, Brian said, Dino it's powder pro football.
I'm like, are you did see there is nothing better than telling
other people's stories and What's the time?
They don't care but when you're telling stories of your kids

(09:27):
events, it's like you're rehashing.
The Super Bowl. Oh yeah, I caught, I was on a
production called this week with, with Matt, Le Flore, and I
was telling him I had stolen a play off one of their games,
early in the year for my Pop Warner football team that I
coach my kid on, right? And we I was a pretty good.
We ran it in the game last week and we got pretty good success.
I'm holding my phone up to the zoom camera like coach look,

(09:50):
look at the play and like and then I stopped to think after
the calm like that I really justshow Matt with for eleven year
old football play and I was I was like, yeah.
And he really cared and monsters, he loved it, he loved
it. He loved it.
I can't see the whole thing. Exactly.
What are you doing with the split there?
By your by your split end. Why?
I like our kids don't understand2.
Plus the numbers yet Coach we'reworking on it.

(10:14):
All right. I know you're in the middle of
your season. I want to talk about, you know,
this year at Syracuse again. We recap every week.
You guys got off to a 6 and 0 start.
You guys are wrong. Rolling.
We're going to get to that in a second but I wanted you to just
take us back. I know you got your start went
to school out in Hawaii started there I think coaching unbiased.
My father was a long time. High school football coach, I'm

(10:36):
biased. I think coaches make as much
impact on young kids lives as any profession but I always love
to know like what inspired people.
I feel like it's a calling, I feel like it takes a very
special person especially to getto the levels, you have in the
coaching ranks, so just take us back to being you know starting
as a ga in Hawaii like What madeyou want to set forth this
career in this long career that you've had kind of going

(10:59):
climbing the ranks and serving all these kids?
So many of them you mentioned, at the start of the show.
You know, it's funny that you would you would mention that
because this started with me wasa spiritual movement.
I mean, I used to be a short fatmomma's boy, that wouldn't come
out the house and wouldn't play any sports.
I had an older brother younger brother.
My dad was a semi-pro football player which meant that he was a

(11:21):
military guy that balanced it, bounced military bases.
Has because they had sports teams Army Navy, Marines.
Yes, I'd universities they had base teams and I was just a fat
Momma's Boy, wouldn't come out of the house and kept praying to
God what he wanted me to be. And then one day, I think I was
seven or eight, he gave me the word coach.

(11:43):
And at the time I didn't go outside and play sports so he
didn't say football coach. He just said the word coach to
me. So then I had to start learning
about sports because I really wasn't into it and In Cincy,
since he did, it was a very specific I started playing all
kinds of sports. I played, I played baseball and
played basketball played football.
I ran track, I just did everything in sports so I could

(12:06):
find out what sport he wanted meto coach.
And to make a long story short, I just ended up being the best
at football and got an opportunity to get a
scholarship. Go to the University of Hawaii
and that's when I knew I got a short.
Dent in the Canadian Football League at the BC Lions got.

(12:27):
Let go. And instead of keep trying, and
trying and trying on NFL practice squads and all that
other kind of stuff. I said, he wants me to be a
coach. I'll just start my coaching
career there and that's where I started Hawaii.
Two years at Arizona. State went to Rose, bullet,
Arizona, state with John Cooper and then got started at Eastern
Illinois. The same University were Jimmy

(12:51):
garoppolo's from Sean Payton. Payton is fromö Romo, mourners
Romo. Yeah.
And and then the Shanahan's of the holder Shanahan actually
started there with that with that University.
So it's had a great tradition. Then I bounced around to a whole
bunch of big 10 and Pac-12 schools never been in the SEC

(13:14):
with Baylor and Baylor in the Big 12 never coach in the SEC
yet and Is it has been my thing ever, since it's never been
about money. My first job as a full-time
coach about to get married and Iwas making 18-5 and I bought a
Cutlass. A two-door, you're rich.
You are rich for twelve. Five six thousand dollars to

(13:35):
live off of and get married. Good decision.
I was rich new hand and it's just started from there, but
it's always been. I talked about this earlier this
week with someone, you know, it's my 34th year.
And I've never gone to work. I've never gone to work, you

(13:55):
mentioned that it, I don't have a job.
I have a career, I don't have a job.
So I've never worked a job. I've always worked a career and
hopefully I've given those youngmen as much as they've given me.
You mentioned that it was a calling and it started as a
spiritual calling, you know, looking back on 34 years, still
with a lot to accomplish ahead of you.

(14:17):
Not the wins and losses. Just what is the most satisfying
aspect of being a coach to You're going to love this
tissue. Coaching your son's pop warner
team. It's when the, when the young
men come back or they call you and go.
I'm one of the best calls I evergot.
Was to buy players from Arizona,were in a random, Barbershop

(14:41):
they bumped into each other withtheir sons, their and they're
taking their sons to get their hair cut and then they bring me
up and they start talking about how they're doing things with
their sons that we did on our football teams.
And then the one guy said, I wish I could call and thank
coach Beiber's, you know, I never knew all the things he
was, teaching me how it was going to carry and then the
other guy says I got coach babers number and then they

(15:03):
called me right there and we getto hear, we put it on speaker,
we've got this interaction goingon while both of their sons are
in barber chairs, getting their hair cut that's all and it's one
of the greatest moments is, whatare those memories?
That will always stay with me and hopefully be with me forever
and along those lines? You know, again, as I said, My

(15:23):
dad was a longtime coach never at the college level, but the
high school level and I grew up around it.
I grew up watching his coaching style and so much of his
coaching style was very similar to his parenting style.
We joked about, you know, Tasha and her sisters and the kids
there, you know, upbringing in sports.
How would you compare now? You're 34 years of style of

(15:44):
coaching versus, maybe how you approached it when they were
small, both through their Sportsand then also at home, like
juicy yourself as a parent and as a coach, coach kind of in the
same mold, you know, it's interesting you, it's First of
all, when you become a parent, there's no book, right?
You don't tell the kids that youknow, so you either do the

(16:06):
things that your mom and dad didgood.
You carry into that marriage instead of and so does your
spouse and maybe some of the things that your mom and dad did
bad say okay well I'm not going to do that.
I didn't like them doing that soI'm not going to do that to my
kid so you don't carry it into your into your, into your
family. But the bottom line is, there is
no book and you two have to worktogether and I remember Ever.

(16:30):
Yo, there's, there's there's times when your life, gotta
these kids getting, it is the household.
Really? Moving in the right, watch this,
you talk about is the team really moving in the right
direction. Yeah.
Is the household? Really moving in, the right
direction, is the brothers and the sisters of the older
brother. Helping the younger brother of
older sister helping younger sister?
Are they moving the right direction?
And you try to my big thing in the beginning was, to try to

(16:51):
keep teen and family separated. That's two different things.
I found out that I became a better, a better parent When I
finally said, they're not two different things.
They're really the same thing because I there's no doubt.
It's God, family football in that order, but there's such a
thin line between family and football and I love both so much

(17:15):
and my kids that they love me, they know how much I love them
and don't find the same love forthat family and that football as
well. So, in essence by, if you're
asking me, how did we ended up when I thought the family was?
Will it be In raised, the correct way is when I started
raising them more like I would treat a team and the things I

(17:35):
expected from them is no different than the things I
expect from my team or members of my team, which I call my
family lot, my La Familia, my Ohana.
Now, I want to hear what are those principles.
If I ask those former players when you were having that call
into speakerphone, is their kidsare getting haircuts and I said,
hey guys, what was Dino? Babers like to play for all

(17:57):
those years ago. Or now, if I ask the kid right
now, currently playing for you, at Syracuse, what is your style?
Well, first of all, you got precursor and post Custer.
Okay, okay. I want to hear about Pre-K, I
want to hear pre-cut sir. Okay, well first of all, like,
when I started off here everybody, I was too.
Nice everybody said you know youyou're too nice.

(18:18):
You like people too much you know you gotta you gotta get
after them or you got to cut some more.
You got to give them that tough love and I end there was a there
was a lot of there was a lot of other people on the plate and
not me now I was still getting guys to get better because maybe
they could see through all the language and stuff like that,

(18:38):
but it really wasn't my personality, my personality is
more anti cuss or no cuz you know, I I can, I'll yell, but it
has to be something that you've done over and over again, which
means you're not listening, right?
Okay. If you're going to listen to me,
I'll coach you up in a normal town.
If you're not going to listen, and I'm going to get after you,
and then after that, I'm gonna leave you alone because you

(18:59):
don't want to accept coach, and then you're not going to get it
because I think I have a value and you're not taking that with
you. But I the biggest thing was, I
think that But the people, if you, if you treat people the way
you want to be treated, they'll they'll accept it.
And I just thought character integrity, don't steal from me.

(19:25):
Yeah, I used to what other things I used to test.
My players is I used to tell them exactly where my wallet was
in my office as an assistant. You guys, this is where I keep
my wallet. My door is always open.
Okay, reason why I'm telling youthis because no one's ever
stolen from me. You don't have to steal from.
If you asked, I'll probably giveit to you this legal.
I said you're not to steal from and in 34 years I've only had my

(19:47):
wallet stolen one time. Wow.
That command mean talk about putting it out there putting it
out there. I mean they know exactly where
it is. I'm not done yet you said three
things. The second thing is lying.
I'm like you've got to be able to tell me the truth.
I'm on your side. You can't tell me something, I
haven't heard. And if you do I'll go.
Wow. I've never heard that before.

(20:09):
Okay let me try to get some information on that subject,
blah blah blah. Let's see how we can work with
this together. So but if we're going to be in a
coach, Play a relationship. We've got to have truth between
ensure. There's no way we can get
better. Last thing is to me players,
okay? And family members, you know,

(20:30):
they got to have CS k. I love, I love book smarts.
Okay, I've got daughters with undergraduate degrees and
master's degrees, my wife's got a, my God, okay, I love
bookstores, but to me, there's nothing more important, the
street smarts, if you got Streetsmarts and Now, you got book
smarts, you got the whole world at your feet, okay?

(20:54):
You've got the whole world at your feet and that ties in with
the last thing that you have to be, to be a family member on the
team or a family member in our family is you got to have some
CS + CS is an abbreviation. It's an acronym for, can you
guess Common Sense? Absolutely one hand.
Not very common, it's not very common.

(21:15):
As if you're gonna be you're gonna be my family, you better
have some common sense and if you're going to My team, you
better have some common sense because Common Sense tells you
that you're doing wrong and you need to go do, right?
Or common sense, says I don't like what's about to happen in
this car. You guys need to stop and let me
get out and you're going on yourown or common sense is Greg.
You're not going to do that and you're sitting there going

(21:36):
Beiber's, all go right through. You have played in the NFL, you
never made in the NFL. I said well Greg you may go
right through me. But you're going to have to go
through me because I'm not goingto allow you to do that, because
you're my guy and you're not going to do that.
And we need to have that. Not only on football teams but
we got to have that in family members as well.
I'm off my Podium, I love it. I want to hear more about who

(21:56):
was the who were those people that were influencing you you
mentioned early on, you felt like maybe you were coaching
according to how other people wanted you to interact with the
players and wanted you to perceive like be perceived and
then you've kind of transition where you're saying no I'm gonna
do it my way like who were thoseearly influences both good?
Like who were the early influences that have shaped your
coaching career and maybe what were some of those voices?

(22:19):
That you've had to kind of get away from and say, no.
I need to be true to myself withhow I approach, you know,
building the culture of this team.
Well, I'm going to stay more with the good and the bad.
But yeah, just like your long 14-year career.
No, I've got some names to go with starting with my high
school coach. John chocolate, first thing he
did was, you know, he basically degraded me.

(22:44):
Okay. It's an interesting approach.
I walked in high school. I was one of those guys were
three, three or four different Current high schools wanted me
and all that kind of stuff and and out of the out of the four
schools, they'd all made their pitches.
And then this one school had made their pitch yet.
Morris High School in San Diego and I walk in the Moors high
school and there's the high school coach.

(23:04):
They told me what he looked like.
He goes, I go he says goes. Hi.
Can I help you? And I go.
Hi, I'm Dino babers and he goes.I know who in the hell?
You are. I'm with another guy.
Okay, the other guy's name was Mark, Kennedy, he goes, I know
who in the hell? You guys are.
And I know you guys have been taking the tours and everybody
wants, you guys to go to your goto this school.

(23:25):
I'm going to tell you right now.We're not going to kiss, your a
SS. If you want to come to school
here, come to school here. And if you doubt don't, now if
you want to ask me any questionsabout our program, I'll be glad
to answer those Pro those questions, but you're not
getting any better than I do to both of us.
Okay, we both said, we're going to this.

(23:47):
I love it. That's I mean, I mean it's like
when you go on a recruiting visit the people that over
recruit and they have to like, sell you this pipe dream.
I always felt like they were covering for something you're
covering for something. That's exactly right.
So, that's John Shaq, would be the first one dick tomey, like,
Allegiant, coach, that passed away a year or two ago of

(24:10):
cancer, I got an opportunity to speak at His funeral when they
took it to the University of Arizona used to coach their head
coach at Hawaii head coach at San Jose State, great man of
God. Again, just, I was 18 to 21 year
college coach has a lot of influence on you and I was
already into that coaching thingbased off of what I told you to

(24:30):
happen earlier in life. So I really copied a lot from
him and then the whole, why, andliving in Hawaii for 45 years
that was different. You know, I came from a school
that I'm, you know, family didn't show a lot of The
displays of affection and in Hawaii, you come off the plane.
You got some strange strange female giving you a kiss because
you put flowers around your neck.
I'm like, what is going on here?Is this legal, you know, and

(24:55):
just letting there and being changed your ways on how on what
a low Hall is all about. Hello, Goodbye and love what
it's all about and how they dealwith their aunties and uncles
and extended families. Getting older really left a big
impression on me. The getting to Arizona State and
watching John Cooper, who ended up at Ohio State operate and

(25:17):
move that program to a Rose Bowlin. 1987, there's a plaque
outside the stadium. Still got my name on it.
I think that that was absolutelyamazing and one of the sleeping
Giants in the Pac-12, there's nodoubt about it.
That's, that's a fantastic program.
When I got to Eastern, Illinois was really extreme really
different because I was working for a guy by the name of Bob

(25:40):
spoon and Bob spoo was like a 24-year experienced quarterback
guy from Purdue. He had all the great
quarterbacks greasy and da, da da.
All these great quarterbacks were all coached by him and he
had just had a bad experience ofbeing let go.
And he just said, you know what?I never want to go Division 1
football again. I want to stay at this school
for as long as I can. So he gave me my first job in

(26:03):
Teen 87, he coached there for 25years. 25 years, and when he
retired They hired me, and I mean, if that's amazing.
So I told you. I told my family.
Hey, we're about to stay here. 25 years, just like Bob spoo and

(26:24):
things. Didn't work out, things happen
and we started winning a lot. Some guy by the name of Jimmy
Garoppolo, who they thought was no good, all of a sudden, got a
lot better and things kind of took off, but still a very
special place in my heart and Bob spoon.
Another, another coach of passedaway during the covid-19.
That thing from cancer. And then after that, kind of

(26:47):
bounced around Walt Harris at Pittsburgh, Jim cleto at Purdue
June Jones was my offensive coordinator in Hawaii, which
really gave me some Innovative looks.
So you, when you put that with art briles with the stuff that
he was doing at Baylor, that wasCutting Edge at the time, along
with the Carl Darrell's at UCLA and it was just a, you know, and

(27:12):
when you talk about, UCLA. You got always talk about,
probably one of the guys are mr.UCLA Homer, Smith and Homer
Smith was a long time. Offensive coordinator, UCL a
long time. Offensive coordinator at
Alabama, that I got the opportunity to work with at the
University of Arizona. When we kind of took off with
Lance Briggs and Dennis Northcutt, and trunk candidate,

(27:35):
and it would move Apollo and Hosea, Portilla.
And I mean, there was just numerous, numerous numerous
Antonia brick, I mean, Antonio Pierce.
All these fabulous players was was there and and Homer Smith
made a huge huge impression on me on how to attack defense has,
and how to install offenses and doing Inspire young people, you

(27:58):
know, to want to do more. So I've been around long time
I'll get off the subject so you can ask me another question.
But there's those are their personalities that are within,
with inside of me when I take the, when I take the coaching
field, I tell I tell Young people that this is what I say
and I'll close. I said I'm gonna be the hardest
head coach you ever played for and they kind of look at me like

(28:21):
coach. I don't feel that way.
I said here here's the reason why I said I really like people.
I really enjoy people. I'm not going to cuss at you.
I'm not going to put hands on. I'm not going to do that.
I said, but I said I'm going to be hard for you because when I
tell you something you're going to think I'm playing and I'm
not. So I have this line, I said hey
I'm serious and when I say that to you, you need to take it as

(28:42):
gospel. Don't don't.
Look at. I say, when I tell you, I'm
serious about something great. Okay.
If you don't, if you don't change your ways.
Mr. Olson. If you don't change your ways,
I'm serious. You'll never play it down here
again. Oh, come on, come on.
I'm like, if I give you that line.
Yeah, you're not, it's not just a throwaway.

(29:03):
It's not a throwaway line. Meant to scare you.
And intimidate. You and then tomorrow's fine.
Well, it means you brought me tothe end of it and I'm lighting
the edge and it's about to blow up in your face.
Oh, Here's the tag word. Yeah, everybody in the family
knows. He but I think as a player I
think back to all the coaches I had.
I think all especially good players people, you know,
players that want to have success.

(29:24):
They all they want is they want honest feedback whether they're
10 years, old or 35 years old inthe NFL.
And everybody in between I wanted to know where I stood.
I did not want to coach to tell me.
Hey, you played well, you playedwell, good job, good job.
But then upstairs, they're trying to get rid of me because
they don't, they are like, I always want.
I always felt in the best Coaches that I've ever had.

(29:44):
Were the ones? That always told me where I
stood, I might not have always liked it.
I might not have always liked the feedback but I knew when
they told me I played well it's because I played well because if
I didn't play well, they were going to tell me.
And I, I feel like in today's world, we see it with a lot of
the young kids coaches, where everybody's so scared to tell
people the truth. That so many of these kids now

(30:04):
and I'm sure you see it, we're going, we're going to get to
this here in a minute. I'm sure you see it where these
kids go, their whole lives and until maybe they get too late in
high school. You're definitely in college,
it's the first time ever one's ever told them.
Hey, that's not good enough or you need to improve here if you
want to play or whatever the case may be, nobody ever tells
kids the truth anymore and we know do they look at you?

(30:25):
Like you're crazy, it's your ruin your, you know, there's so
many people that are involved with the athletes nowadays and
they want to be, they want to talk about the nice stuff that
they don't want to talk about the stuff that's, that's not so
nice. And The kids are all worried
about their branding and their social following on the

(30:48):
internet. So they don't want to say,
babers, doesn't want to say anything bad about ulsan because
then ulsan will say something bad about babers and then
that'll mess up how many followers we have or that could
mess up our branding so you don't mess up.
Mine, I don't mess up yours. Let's talk about the positives
or not, say anything at all. And then when it comes down to
coaching, I can't coach you. If, if you do Not receive much

(31:13):
this receive what I'm saying I can you know I can give you
knowledge but if you don't receive it you can't you don't
retain it and you can't apply it.
Then it's no good. It's no good.
It doesn't matter how good of a coach you are anymore, if I
don't absorb it. That's exactly right.
So the relationship to me is everything.
Now you can like country and I can like Motown has nothing to

(31:36):
do with it, but our relationshiphas to be pure and I tell, I
tell young men all the time likehey I have knowledge, all right?
You want to take it? Steal it and use it as yours but
you can't use it or you can't even reject it if you don't
receive it. You got us.

(31:57):
Receive it. And I said, you can't hear me.
You and I were talking right now, we're not hearing each
other. No we're not.
You got some guy. Go.
What are they talking about? He's talking about, we're
listening to each other. When you hear something, you can
go one year and go out to them. When you're listening, it goes
at an ear and tumbles around in the dryer for a while and you

(32:19):
savor it, you taste it. And it and you can, you can
throw it out, but it set there for a while or you can swallow
it and make it part of what you're doing.
And my whole thing is, you need to listen, okay.
And I tell my players all the time like, hey, they think I
like to talk. I can't stand talking.
Oh, I see her. Stuff on the internet.
You're great Public's. Can't stand talking.

(32:42):
I love. Listen, I love it.
That's awesome. I have it along those lines.
A little different. But similar, I have a thing with
my kids were sometimes, as we all know, talking to your kids,
I said right now, I said, let mesee.
Me, are you are you listening tome right now or are you just
waiting to talk, right? There's your quiet and I'm
speaking but I feel like you're just thinking in your mind, what

(33:05):
your response back to me is going to be.
And while you're waiting to talk, You haven't heard a damn
thing I've said, so I get it andagain, that's where that's why I
started out with the whole parenting coaching thing because
man at oftentimes, it's the exact same thing.
Oh yeah, but I want to eat, you mentioned your time.
I want to change gears, but I want to stick on the your time

(33:25):
and Eastern Illinois. You mentioned your time.
There you go from Eastern Illinois.
Proven winner, you guys win fast.
You mentioned Garoppolo you. Then go to Bowling Green.
You take over for Dave Clausen? Who I have gotten to know pretty
well, here it is. I'm in Wake Forest, his, his
sister is in husband or a dear friends of ours, they live here
in Charlotte. So you take over Bowling Green,

(33:46):
all you do is win. So in your head coaching, you
know, your last couple stops a head coaching all you've done
you a couple years ago. You guys win 10 games at
Syracuse this year. Top 25 team through the first
six, get weeks. Like you're a proven winner like
what about program building and and establishing culture?
What has allowed you to have that track record of success

(34:07):
from Eastern Illinois, Annoy, carrying that over.
Now to Bowling Green sustaining that success after Dave leaves.
Now, coming to Syracuse rebuilding, that program when I
was coming out of high school. Paul, Pascal, Oni and George de
Lyon. Syracuse was a big deal.
Late 99 2000, 2001 circus being recruited by them was a big
deal. You've built them back up to
that level. Like what about the the job of

(34:30):
program building appeals to you I think the biggest thing is
changing, the can change in the community change, in the eyes of
the university and then changingthe players how they play.
You know, if you want to improvethe player on the football
field, improve the player off the football field, it's to me
it's a people thing, some watch this.

(34:52):
And it's interesting that you brought this up Greg because
some coaches want no part of that.
They're like no no no. I'm going to go from this top
school to this top school. And I'm not going to leave until
I get one of these schools because I want nothing to do
with rebuilding where I look at it.
I had an opportunity to not to go to a rebuilding school and

(35:14):
that's what Syracuse was. And I'm like, no, no, no, no.
That's I want an opportunity, that's an opportunity to bring a
true to me a school that had a, that had a proud football
tradition. Proud, Jimmy Brown.
Ernie Davis. First African-American win the
Heisman Trophy. Floyd little Larry's.

(35:35):
Anka I can keep going, Dwight Freeney, I can keep going
forever. Okay?
John Mackey the best. I did you go John Mack?
Yeah. Sarah, can you go?
But had an unbelievable footballtradition.
Okay. Then it kind of went on, pause
for a little, don't get mad at me, alumni to an unbelievable.

(35:57):
All tradition and I have all, I've always saw Syracuse, kind
of the way that I look at UCLA that.
Yeah, they can Win Basketball Championships but they also have
the ability to win a football championship as well, or, or
LaCrosse, or stores softball or,you know, there's a, some of

(36:17):
those schools or just different and I look at the look at the S
on our chest. I look at that as there's two
s's that Everybody recognize ones east of the Mississippi
ones, west of the Mississippi. Okay?
Who won west of the Mississippi is Stanford.
Okay. The one east of the Mississippi

(36:38):
to Syracuse, both of them are National Brands and both of them
are international Brands when I'm in Europe.
There's people that come up and go, hey, you got a sec, they
know? Okay, you go, you go to London.
There's a Syracuse of London. Okay.
I mean just like there's Syracuse's I mean, this
unbelievable is in different countries and stuff.

(37:01):
This is a big brand and have theopportunity, okay?
To bring something like that back, was just a challenge that
I that I had to accept. Yeah, and I want to talk about
your time now. It's Syracuse because you know,
you guys again a couple years ago, right?
Before covid. You guys win ten games.
I think it's 2019 18 or 19. You guys win 10 games.

(37:21):
I know the covid year, 2020. We all went through struggles.
The world was upside down. Can only imagine what it was
like trying to Corral a bunch ofcollege kids and testing.
I can't imagine what that was like.
Now, you fast forward to this year, 2022 you guys start 62
know, you get into some tough games, you guys go, you have
Clemson right there at the end, just fall short, you Notre Dame?

(37:43):
I mean you guys are playing again.
Top top level Wake Forest talk alittle bit about now just where
you feel. The program is that the steady
ground that you've built, what you see the future and what you
see the challenges here just forthe rest of this year.
And trying to reach, you know, bowl game continued to compete
in the SEC. Just where do you see things as
you stand today? Launching pad.

(38:05):
Mmm, launching pad, our foots, on the brake are puts on the
gas. It's we are exactly where we
want to be and it's time to it'stime to take the foot off.
Now, no we started off hot 6 and0 and we're in the top, 20 and
all that stuff. And it's, you know, we're like
any other team when you roll it along taking Some chinks in the

(38:28):
armor, you're getting beat up, and then you start playing
against some competition, that'sup there.
And it gets difficult, it gets difficult and we've taken three
on the chin. Okay, now we're six and three
and now it's time to rebound andwe got a tough opponent this
week. No.
With Florida state will have a tough opponent after that and I
won't talk about the others opponents because we take them

(38:49):
one at a time, but I like this team and I think as we start to
get people coming back, we're going to be fine.
This thing is going to it's about to take off.
And I really believe that we built up to the ten win season.
We had the covid thing which took us down like a roller
coaster, but I think we're rightnow that we're going to be one
of those teams that stay around.No we've already qualified for a

(39:10):
Bowl this year. We're going to be one of those
teams that stay around and with the right rebuilding which we're
right there about to do. I think we're going to reload
and we're going to slowly build this thing back to what
everybody anticipated was going to be and it's going to be that
way for a long time and and correct me if I'm wrong.
But again, I've Stood in front of the room as the head coach,
at any significant level, but I always felt the head coach's job

(39:33):
to come in and address the team.When you're 6 and 0 is
oftentimes a lot harder than maybe after you've lost a few
games, right? So, because when you come in at
62, no, especially college, guys.
I remember we were there. Like, you got all the answers
coach, you can't tell me anything.
We're just going to keep doing what we're doing.
All of a sudden now, you get kicked in the chin a little bit.
Your humbled, I may be a little more eager to listen, Maybe, I

(39:56):
don't quite have all the Sirs, Ithought I did.
So you guys have experienced thesix-game win streak and now a
three-game losing streak. So, talk a little bit about that
approach. Maybe not necessarily just at
Syracuse, but I think there's somany young coaches that listen
to this show. And I think that's such a
valuable lesson, is the hardest thing to do in all the sports is
handle success. I've always believed that I

(40:18):
teach my kids that every day. I said, yeah.
You you should be able to come back to a great practice after
you have a bad game on Saturday.But can you come back and have
your Or best practice of the year after you were the MVP to
me that's the challenge. I'm going to take I'm going to
take you to places with this because I think a question is
great. You're absolutely right when
you're in front of a 6 and 0 team and you're talking about

(40:41):
the things they're doing wrong, they're saying our code, you're
just saying that because you don't have anything.
We did so much stuff right? That you got a Nick pick and
find something that we're doing wrong.
It's really not that bad. And you're sitting on again, it
has to do with the relationship.That I have with you and you
have with me where I'm going, wait a minute, guys, I'm

(41:01):
serious. Okay.
If we don't change these things it's going to bite Us in the
butt. We're going to lose a football
game. If we don't change these things
and I don't want to have to losea football game for you to
receive when I'm trying to give you right now.
If we can receive it and swallowit and lesson, don't hear listen
to what I'm saying, we can stop this from happening.

(41:23):
We can have a fantastic year. I really I think that was the
case with my team this year. I really believe that we had
some substantial injuries like everyone else that affects our
play on the field. And then the next thing, people
say, well what about your backups?
What about you with the name image and likeness and the
transfer portals backups have changed and Greg II?

(41:46):
I saw the amazing things that you did and you're saying hey
they brought someone so in to take your job.
Well, you probably have a biggerpaycheck and so, and so, and now
you had Not more of the grand amount, not more than Brandon,
not more than Brandon, Brandon more than me, just for the
record, just for the record. I can tell you a story about
Brandon after this too, but you know, you've got to find a way.

(42:10):
You've got to find a way to makethe guys believe, okay, I'm
gonna give you a side bar and we'll come back to this topic.
This is a sidebar log. You know, the lawyers come up
side of it. That's the judge talking Brandon
Manning, my Luna coach, I'm Gonna Catch the football,
Brandon, you're six feet and you're like 285 pounds.
Coach, I have the best hands on the team, watch this at.
You didn't have the best hands on the team, but you had the

(42:32):
best hands I've ever seen on a guy.
That was six foot 285 pounds. This is, this is a conversation
between Brandon and I and he goes, well coach, I need to
catch the ball more, I'm callingthe plays and the office
coordinator. Go Brandon, I'll get you the
ball as much as I can, but I gota first-round pick at tailback,
which I had. I've got a fullback that was a
free agent to went to the Indianapolis Colts.

(42:53):
I got a wide receiver, went to the Buffalo Bills.
The other wide receiver went to the The Oakland Raiders.
That's how old I am. Okay, and the other tied in, not
Brandon the other tied in got, drafted by the Dallas Cowboys
and played the Dallas Cowboys. So I'm like bring there's a lot
of guys on here, they can get the ball.
Now, let me tell you something, because Brandon his mom, I loved
his mom. Loved his mom.

(43:13):
I said, Brandon love your mom and you love your sister more.
Take care of him. It's cool.
I said, so listen, I said Eagle Scout, Brandon was an eagle
scout man. His freshman year, he was so
young, he had to miss practice to go back.
Take the test, become an eagle scout while he was in college
and he went back and took the test because he didn't want to
because he always told his mom and make the test, I'm giving up

(43:34):
all of the stuff. So the bottom line, I told him
that I said Brandon, if I teach you how to block and you block
the right way, you'll play in the league continues.
I said, they'll always, I said the league always will get past
catcher and he'll always make more money than you, but if you
know how to block, you'll hang around long enough that you'll
make more money than all the pass catchers.

(43:56):
True story. Yeah, that's true story.
Not done. Okay, now flip back to the team.
So you've got to find a way to get those guys to really believe
you, okay? Really believe you when you're
talking to him in those situations last thing this is
the second thing I'm going to say, this is what I miss.
I told this to my staff. This is why I want to tell you,
too young coach. Okay?

(44:16):
Coach your son's popcorn team. I said this to my staff, I said,
good coaches. Know, when they have a good
team. Coming back, this is before the
season starts, you know, the teams are teams.
But then, you know, when you've got a team that special, you
know, when you got, amen. This is the team we got
everything lined up. This is the team.

(44:38):
I said, I've never failed that team.
This is what I told my coaches. I have never failed that to you.
Don't you guys feel this? You got that team and you got
the stuff. You know what I mean?
Have you got a, you got to bend you gotta burn the light at both
ends, and you got to bring that energy.
You can't let this team down because this day will never come

(44:58):
again. The seasonal never come again.
You can't look back and go. Hey these guys went eight and
blah blah blah but I really thought they had the ability to
go tan or Letterman's. When you go to me, my thing is
always been double digits. In college you go.
Double digits. You've done something.
Yeah. If you got a double-digit team
you got to get it done. That's the pride that's inside
the coaches that's kind of carryon down to the players go.

(45:20):
I'm done. I love it.
Well I think that's I think that's so important and you
alluded to the last topic that Iwanted to discuss with you and
again, you're being very generous on your time.
You guys got a huge game this weekend against Florida State,
who just kicked the living crap out of my Miami Hurricanes.
So, hopefully you guys have better luck.
So I want to talk more about theni L and just more in general,

(45:40):
just the current College landscape.
We've done a bunch of shows, a bunch of different, you know,
perspectives with different families and kids and students.
But from the coach's perspectiveyou've seen, you've been around
35 years. So you've seen the NCAA that I
play in and the From way before that to today, and it's very
different today with the kids ability to transfer the kids

(46:00):
ability to make money through the ni L like what are the
challenges that you face maintaining your roster?
Maintaining recruiting recruiting high school kids like
just give give our audience a sense of what that looks like in
real time that you're doing on adaily basis as you continue to
build this program, well, it's you're turning into a general

(46:22):
manager of a National Football League team.
Team without contracts. Yeah, that's the part people
don't realize without contracts and it's entirely entirely
different. It's entirely entirely new and
you need to be green and growingnot read and rotten.
And you need to bend like an AR ee, D in the wind and adjust an

(46:45):
improvised or you're going to get passed by.
You'll become the dinosaur and I'm all I'm all for name, image
or likeness. I think the guys to get some
change in their pockets. I It's fine, I really do.
And, you know, some guys are demanding.
I've seen heard about some amazing numbers, they're out

(47:06):
there for certain individuals and transfers and stuff, okay, I
get all that, but I just think that football is so much
different than so many other teams that if, you know, if you
give the one guy this, what do you give the left tackle?
What do you give the center? Will you give the full-back that
blocks for the tailback? What about the holder for the
placekicker? I mean, it's the whole thing

(47:27):
about football. Ball is being unselfish and
transparent and everybody dropping the e in ego so that we
can all go to where we want to get to, which is normally a
championship or or a team goal, that brings along the individual
goals. You're an All-American because
we're undefeated, or you're an All-American because we won

(47:48):
double-digit games and now Greg Olsen gets to get drafted high.
So it's a thing that's very, youhave to very carefully balanced
And I think that it's still growing.
I don't think everyone has the answers yet in the dust is going
to settle two or three years down the road and then whatever
that is, I think that's going tobe the new college football and

(48:10):
the new nc2. A because it is different than
when it all started. When I started this thing, I
think was different when you played as well.
It was, it was very different even just when I played.
But how do you manage that in the locker room?
I think that's such a great point.
I think everyone here is about the especially some of these
kids coming out of high school. They were getting these
guarantees these Eating Collective deals and, you know,
for millions of dollars or and whether the numbers are real or

(48:32):
not is really not the point. But then how do you not get
division within the locker room between the Haves and the Have
Nots? We're all doing the same amount
of work but I might not play quarterback.
Like you said, I might be the middle linebacker, I might be
the defensive tackle. I might be, but I'm still doing
the same workouts. I'm still contributing to the
team's success, but I'm getting nothing like how ya crazy thing

(48:53):
is. The head coaches have nothing to
do with it. It's alright, sigh, it's all
outside. Groups are saying, hey, I like
this guy. I like this guy.
I like that guy like that guy, so that saves the head coach is
a lot, but I think the biggest thing is is that The guys, the
guys have to understand that, you know, we're not pushing one

(49:14):
other person. It's other what other people
perceive on the outside more? So than what we perceive on the
inside and as long as the team moves forward, you would like to
think there's enough for everybody.
I don't think the thing that people need to remember is for
99% of the guys. You're not making NFL money in
college, that's that's not happening.

(49:35):
Okay, can't afford it, but I do think that there's some guys
that are totally different that can drive TV ratings and stuff
based off of what they've done in college but they're few and
far between in the rest of the guys need to be, you know,
they'll get you what they can what they can.

(49:57):
But they need to think, keep thinking about the team and this
is not where you're going to make your money.
This is going to just make you love a little bit better.
While you're in college, your goal is to get your college
degree or to go to the National Football.
League and play 14 years and then get your own podcast and
sit back and have exactly. It's producer.
Have it on your lievable producer.
That's my life. My life's dream was to have an

(50:18):
unbelievable producer, and thanks.
Thanks to you. I have one, I have to actually
but you're only the father of one so I don't want to leave
Paige out. Well, I'll tell you what, you
still had to choose page and that other one that we won't say
her name. So, once again, you're you're
wonderful ways in and you're both wonderful discernment is

(50:38):
extremely strong. They're both wonderful.
I remember when coaches used to come sit, my family room and
recruit me and my brothers, I had an older brother.
The class ahead of me, they wentto Notre Dame out of high school
and then I had a brother who was10 years younger than me.
So watching him Mmmmm go throughit, just Ten Years After me was
very, very different and they'recreating scene, but just
thinking back to when I was being recruited and coaches

(50:58):
would come to the house and my mom would cook dinner and we'd
sit around the entire conversation, of course, was
football-related. Do you produce NFL players your
position to coaches? Of course, but then it was
academics, your degree. Here's what our school can
offer. You are those the same
conversations now happening in the homes of high school
recruits in today's day and age?I would say less and less and

(51:20):
less but not here at Ricky's because our academic brand is so
strong. That's why, you know, I gave a
little shout out to that other school west of the Mississippi
to when you've got those asses may know that our academics are
real. They know that if you get a
degree from Syracuse University,whether that's an undergraduate
degree or a master's degree, okay?

(51:43):
That's going to talk, I mean we can say what we want but that's
that's going to talk for you, okay?
That's your brain. Rand and it has a lot of juice.
Okay. So those conversations still go
on in our living rooms? I'm not I can't vouch for the

(52:04):
other. The other schools that don't
have a brand like that. I think that the conversations
have changed and that's unfortunate.
Yeah. And the last thing I got one
more question, I'm going to let you go and get you back to game
plan and go out and play FloridaState this weekend.
What would you say to all the families that are listening
Owing to our show. A lot of them have children that
are entering the high school, you know, High School ranks, and

(52:26):
they're starting to think about college and hopefully they have
a chance to play sports in college male or female.
You had one with all your years of experience both as a parent
and obviously, now is a coach, like, if you had one piece of
advice to help a parent guide, their child, son, or daughter on
this path that ultimately could potentially lead from high
school to an opportunity in college.

(52:47):
What would you want them to know?
Okay, I'm going to, I'm going totry to answer it with a story.
Love that. My dad would not allow me to
play Pop Warner football. And I mean, I know you're
coaching Pop Warner, just stay with me for a second.
And, you know, it's kindergartenand first grade and second grade

(53:09):
is third grade. He won't let us play.
Fourth grade, fifth grade, sixthgrade, he wouldn't.
Let us play. And we're constantly asking
begging. Seeing him to let us play.
We go to the games. Every Saturday, we watch our
friends play, we play in the streets, and the parks with our
friends. We know, we're better than them
yet. He would not let us play and it

(53:31):
drove us to a point where we were getting angry about it, and
I think then he finally allowed us to play.
And I asked him now, that's passed away.
Now he's buried the national cemetery in Houston next to his
brother, but I It. Why won't you let us play?

(53:52):
He said first of all you guys don't need to play.
I'm watching you guys. I know how good you guys are.
He says I've seen now this is for you.
Greg I've seen some of those other coaches and all they do is
end up playing their sons and just ruining kids.
Now I'm not saying all coaches are like that because that's I
know what this show is. What I'm saying is you need to
go down and watch the coaches and see if those coaches are

(54:16):
mentoring, those young men in the way.
That you would like your son to be mentored.
And if that's the case, then go for it.
But where we were and in those situations and what those
coaches were doing with my dad, having experience, he said, no
and he said, I bet he bet on it and he was right.

(54:37):
He says, I'll get, i'll let you guys play.
He let me play the eighth grade.You know, my other brother
played in Sixth Grade. I don't even know how to put on
a uniform. High school started in the 10th
grade where I was at in eighth grade I did eighth.
Grade was the first you ever played put on him.
And two years later, I was the first person in the history of
the school with my friend was two of us.

(54:58):
Oh, the guy, I told you about myhigh school coach.
Yeah, Mark, Kennedy me at Mark Kennedy and I was the first two
guys in the history of the school just to make Varsity is
10th graders and we only have the uniform on 42.
But so he but he knew. So he really knew you know, he
could watch us and he knew he liked know, you're better than
that. I don't want you guys to get all
that information. I just want you to get

(55:19):
information from one guy and youguys, Guys, will be able to make
it and he was, right. I was able to get a college
scholarship, only having gear onfor five years.
So he rolled the dice right withme, but I think the biggest
thing I would share is just to make sure that the Young The
Young coaches are, you know, coaching those young men in a
way that you feel is appropriateand go to practices and watch.

(55:42):
And if you have questions, ask the coaches and because I think
there are fantastic young coaches out there, fantastic pop
Coaches. Just got to be careful sometimes
with the drills and I know with you, with all your NFL
experience. You'd be perfect where this
drill is realistic. And this drill is not realistic.
And the more, I think that guy, share that college share with

(56:05):
high school, guys. High School, guys, share with
pop warner, guys, coaches. I mean, to make sure that that
experience is favorable because we want as many got young, men
to love the game to play the game the right way.
And I still say, you know, I have basketball.
Men's Basketball Coaches. I bet.
Okay, I still say there's no other sport like football in

(56:28):
making young men, better fathersbetter Sons better.
Husbands, they are not going to get any argument from me there.
I grew up in a football house. Coach was a.
Dad was a coach, all my brothers.
We you're not going to get any arguments for me, but that last
story you told is so true. I never let while I was still
playing my, I never let my son play football because my thought

(56:51):
was On the lines of your dad. Was, you have a bad, baseball
coach. All right, you don't learn how
to field, you don't learn the hit.
OK, we'll fix it next year. You get a bad basketball coach.
You don't learn to shoot a leftylayup, fine.
You get a bad football coach, you could get hurt.
You can get scarred. You can never want to show up.
Again, to a practice, there are so many negative consequences

(57:11):
that come with having poor football, foundational coaching
and to me, that's what it's all about.
It's about laying the foundationthat you can go to middle
school, high school and hopefully Beyond on that.
Ernie. So that resonates very, very
true to me because I just believe us young, you know,
Youth Level coaches, have such aresponsibility for kind of
teaching the kids, the right wayso that they can grow up one day

(57:33):
to be recruited by you and come help.
You make siracusa Powerhouse. Let's go, let's go, baby go,
let's go love it, God. Alright Greg that was hey come
out for a game. You got to bring page and that
other that other producer that other producers fantastic as is
page but coach and all This. Thank you so much.
You're awesome. It's been awesome.

(57:55):
Getting to know your daughter through this show.
She's fantastic. Thank you for joining us.
At know. You have a game.
I know you guys are getting ready to play Florida State,
good luck. We always have an orange segment
on you think and we're big fans of you and really respect and
appreciate everything you've done and thank you for your
time. Great, thank you so much.
I got one question for you. Yeah it'll be my second

(58:16):
question. Yeah, all those names I read off
to you. Yep.
You have any of their telephone numbers, right?
Now. I might have Lance Briggs, I
might have Lance, but the other ones now I don't.
So watch this, you met you you've left great residue with
all those people. Okay.

(58:36):
And, you know, so many people I know, like, I do so many people,
but you know what, I've got those those telephone things,
they just put in that contact and just leave it in there.
Leave it in there and leave it in there to be one.
Every once in a while to sit outin the backyard and you're done
with the kids and they're all put to bed and you.
Got a you got a colorful ice teaand just to go back and call one

(58:57):
of those guys. And ask them about a coach.
Baber story for me. See it resonate with you done,
that's a done deal. I look forward to it, I'm sure
there's some good ones out there.
All right buddy, I appreciate your coach.
Good luck. Thank you.
I hope you guys enjoyed that conversation with Dino.

(59:19):
Babers head football coach Syracuse University Tasha's.
Father, more importantly just really cool here in his Insight,
his energy. He's got such a great
personality and a passion for life and influencing these young
kids, and he's obviously been inthat for a long time.
Now, serving these kids at all, different, stops along the road,
and all different. Both as coordinators assistant,

(59:39):
coaches as head coaches at multiple spots.
So it's, it's really a Big breath of experience and
knowledge and and just just whata great guy just enjoy talking.
I said, geez, Tasha and your dad's a great like amazing.
She's like, yeah, you know, yourown dad's never as cool as he is
to everybody else but he was awesome.
So appreciate that. And now we will bring in on the

(01:00:00):
day, we're filming this. Not the day you're listening to
it, is Tasha's birthday. So a huge day for Tasha.
She's got her father, she's got her birthday.
She told us her boyfriend's, taking her to a matinee.
We had a teacher, what that was Oh my goodness, so we're good.
We're covering a lot here on youthink but Tasha, what do you got
for us today birthday girl. I've just never seen movies

(01:00:22):
during the day, okay, I thought matinee was just a fancy way of
saying movie like this Altima. Nope.
Okay, great day, tiny things. Have more questions about that.
You could send the men, but one of our first fan questions is
from Instagram. They say Greg, I'm a seventh
grader and I'm a tight end, justlike you were any advice on how
to get more exposure as a tight end?

(01:00:44):
Yeah, you know, so I think, first and foremost I think right
now is the seventh grader I think exposure needs to be the
least of your concerns. You're not getting a college
scholarship at 7th grade, your note you're not a finished
product that seventh grade, you know, you're not even ready to
play freshman football yet. So I think my biggest advice to
you would be continued to develop great work, ethic

(01:01:04):
continue to Great, develop greathabits, right?
Whether that's your daily habitsof how you prepare for school,
your daily habits of how you prepare in season.
Four games, studying your game plans, whatever your coach is
asking to do and then in the offseason when you're not
playing games, how do you take care of your body?
How do you, how do you get a strength and conditioning
program? How do you continue to
fine-tune? Ders, got to be based on where

(01:01:25):
you live in today's day and age,especially with social media.
It's easy to find coaches, it's easy to find trainers.
It's easy to find advice online that you can go do on your own
like continue to find ways to develop a routine, habits and
work ethic the exposure, all that stuff will come.
Don't worry about any of that stuff, right?
With this age this time Middle School.

(01:01:45):
Getting you ready for high school is all about the
foundational component of sports, whether it's football or
baseball basketball soccer, whatever it is, build the habits
that now, you can build on as you hit puberty and you mature
and you grow and develop physically, are you going to be
able to layer all those things on top of a really strong
Foundation? Or is it just a foundation
that's just chasing, you know, Instagram clips and likes and

(01:02:09):
highlight reels like we live in such a highlight Society but
sometimes those highlights are built on faulty foundation.
So I would say, don't worry about exposure, don't worry
about who's ranking? You wear and what?
As crazy as that sounds? It's happening now, younger and
younger just develop habits that.
As you continue to get older, you can continue to build upon
and that's every single day. How you eat, how you sleep, how

(01:02:32):
you prepare, and do your schoolwork, how you train do you
condition? Do you run all these things that
you can do that? Are in your control that at
seventh-grader appropriate to do.
And then by the time you get thehigh school, the rest, That
stuff will take care of itself, based on how good you are, you
know, some of your qualifications or whatnot.
But that would be my biggest advice.
I don't love when young kids areso worried about recognition and

(01:02:53):
exposure, and rankings and awards, and all that, because
the reality is no one ever says,well, he was the best 7th
grader, he was the best 9th grader know it's who's the best
when it matters and typically that's when you get, you know,
to the upper you know the you know the upper school, high
school whatever you call it you know, 9th 10th 11th grade 12th
grade, that's really when it starts mattering.

(01:03:14):
It's wild that in seventh grade,they're starting to think about
exposure, instead of just like, I know how to play the game and
passing science. I hate it.
That's wild, but they see it online.
So it makes sense. Of course, I think like that.
Our next one is from James. He says how has the NFL changed
since when you first got in the league?
I think it's changed quite a bitand I think you know there's

(01:03:36):
this is probably a longer answerthan this then this will you
know, be able to suffice so I think it's changed in just
philosophy. I think it's changed in the
manner in which teams play. I think a lot of that has to do
with the way, the rules have been changed to both increase
player safety. You know, you don't see guys
getting blown up and hit and taking their legs out and
quarterback. So there is an aspect that has

(01:03:57):
protected players that I think is for the best.
I also think there's a philosophical change where how
people view offense And it's more of a passing lie.
When I came into the, into the league, there was the, you know,
there was still the Mannings in the Bradys and those guys, but
it was run the football and playgreat defense and all that.
And then it went through a really pretty seismic shift
where people realize you know the passing game is so valuable

(01:04:18):
defending the run is not quite as valuable like it started to
become a little more analytical.And people start to say, okay
what aspects of of football actually lead to winning and
lead to scoring points? I think there's been a
philosophical change. I think there's been a change in
the play. Layers.
And I don't mean that in a bad way I think a lot of it has been
for positive. I think guys are very aware now
of their image. Guys are very aware of how

(01:04:40):
they're perceived in society it's easier and easier to engage
with fans. It's very easy to hear feedback,
whether it's negative or positive guys are aware of that.
So I think it's changed in a lotof ways.
I think it's changing the way they treat players practice
schedules and we don't practice.They don't practice as hard and
own practice as long. They're much more in tune with

(01:05:01):
sports science, and Recovery. And so I mean there's this game
from the 15 years ago when I gotinto it to the game is today
there's a million changes and I would argue a lot of them are
for the better. You know.
Some of them will see if you know, he comes back full circle
and the Pendulum kind of readjust.
But yeah, I think the game is constantly evolving and I think

(01:05:24):
the best teams do a good job of evolving with it.
Let's get the next question. You kind of alluded to in past
episodes, but I think they askedit more direct.
It's from Sarah, from Instagram.She just says, would you ever
consider coaching in the NFL perhaps with Luke and Carolina
one day? Well, I mean, if anyone's seen
our Pop Warner success, I'm the fact that me we haven't gotten

(01:05:44):
offense to coaches. Kind of a, it's kind of a
mystery like, you know, in my heart of hearts do I think I
could be a good coach, and do I think I would enjoy it.
Absolutely. I don't have a doubt in my mind
that I could do it. It and would like to do it.
And frankly, I think I would be good at it.
I do I have I will never do it. It's not a lifestyle that I

(01:06:04):
want. It's not something after all
these years that I'm willing to pour the time and the effort to
do it, right? You have to be obsessive, you
have to has to be everything to you.
You have to, and I'm just not willing to do that.
I have too many other things with my family and my kids and
and other interests that I have that you know I just don't have
the time or the energy or the, the willingness to Sacrifice to

(01:06:27):
put coaching and do it through the way.
If you're going to do it, you have to do it.
So, it's not something I'm considering right now, or
something. I really ever see myself
considering, but there are days when I'm standing there and I'm,
like, man, I could do this and Ithink I could do it really well,
but I probably will never get a chance to find out whether
that's true or not. So, in my mind, I'm a great

(01:06:48):
coach. I just don't I get to do it in
the pop warner ranks. That's good.
Well, not a fan question, but I'm wondering since it is
Thanksgiving week. What's Or what's your
Thanksgiving meal? Go to, I love stuffing.
So I love Thanksgiving stuffing with some gravy, obviously the
turkeys and all the normal stuff, but I love stuffing.
So that is what I look forward to the most.

(01:07:09):
Like I said, we're going to be in Dallas.
I called the afternoon game on Thanksgiving Day in Dallas.
And we're going to do like a crew Thanksgiving dinner at the
hotel. So, I don't know what the spread
will be, so we'll just make the best of it, but it's gonna be
fun. They better make stuffing around
my calling the game of them. That's your tradition.
I know it's gonna be a fun a busy week.

(01:07:30):
Do we got I got I just called the game yesterday.
Flew home last night from New York back to Dallas tomorrow
which would be Tuesday, I'm filming this as I'm saying this,
it's Monday. So filming, I would fly there on
Tuesday, call the game. Thursday fly from Dallas to
Kansas City Saturday morning, call that game.
So we got a, we got a big week ahead of us.
So lots of prep and holiday, andall that good stuff, that's

(01:07:52):
good. Well, that's all the fan
questions for today. Submit them at Greg Olson, or at
you think? Con Tick-Tock, Instagram or
Twitter? Well, I appreciate you guys,
Tasha. Thank you, Happy Birthday.
Enjoy that matinee, and thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Enjoy it. And thank you all so much.
Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to allof our listeners.
Thanks for following along. This has been a fun first year

(01:08:13):
here on you think, please continue to rate review.
Subscribe wherever you guys get your podcasts and hope everyone
has a great holiday, Happy Thanksgiving.
And we will see you next week. Con Tick-Tock, Instagram or
Twitter? Well, I appreciate you guys,
Tasha. Thank you, Happy Birthday.
Enjoy that matinee, and thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Enjoy it. And thank you all so much.
Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to allof our listeners.
Thanks for following along. This has been a fun first year
here on you think, please continue to rate review.
Subscribe wherever you guys get your podcasts and hope everyone
has a great holiday, Happy Thanksgiving.
And we will see you next week.