Athletic Fortitude Show
Athletes all over the world endure countless mental physical and psychological adversities over the course of their careers. We are here to bring you the solutions to those adversities with some of the top professional athletes, coaches, and sport and performance psychologists around the world!
Athletic Fortitude Show
Princeton Coach Mike Weick: From Sleeping On Couches To Building Ivy League Champions
Inside linebackers coach Michael Weick and I revisit those electrifying moments from the football field and share how they've shaped both our careers and personal lives. Join us as we navigate the emotional highs and lows of balancing demanding professions with family milestones, like that first nerve-wracking parent-teacher conference. Our conversation is a heartfelt exploration of how sports instill resilience, gratitude, and lifelong learning, lessons that resonate far beyond the locker room.
Transitioning from the world of coaching to entrepreneurship, Michael and I discuss the challenges and rewards of such a journey, emphasizing the power of a positive outlook amidst setbacks. We highlight the unique, powerful bonds formed in sports, the kind that survive long after the final whistle. Discover how meditation has played a pivotal role in transforming us from hotheaded to composed, enhancing our coaching abilities and interactions. Through personal anecdotes, we also reflect on living with purpose and accountability, guided by concepts from a thought-provoking fictional book.
In an era dominated by digital distractions, maintaining focus and productivity is more crucial than ever. We share stories of how discipline, like the mantra "eat the elephant one bite at a time," boosts success. Explore how the world of recruiting is evolving, with technology reshaping the landscape and parents playing an ever-vital role. Michael shares insights from his experiences at Princeton, detailing how genuine relationships remain key, even as the transfer portal and NIL agreements redefine strategies. This episode is packed with personal stories and insights that underscore the importance of focus, discipline, and meaningful connections in both sports and life.
Welcome back to the show, everybody. On today's episode we have Michael White. He is the inside linebackers coach for the University of Princeton. He is my former coach and a dear good friend of mine. You'll absolutely love this episode and this episode is brought to you by All Black. Everything Performance Energy Drink, the official energy drink of the Athletic Fortitude Podcast, available in Walmart Meijer and select GNC franchise locations. And, on today's episode, coach Michael White. Athletic fortitude podcast, available in walmart meyer and select gnc franchise locations. And on today's episode, coach michael white. Yeah, but one thing I always say is you know, I'm loyal to to people, um, not places and things and you've always been a real one and I've always appreciated you and, um, you know it means a lot to me. I just wanted to make sure you knew that.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that too. Every time I see a pick six, I can't not think about you. That's just what it comes down to that interception to win a game with no offensive points, but they have two defensive scores and a walk-off in overtime. This is year 15 for me. I hope I do this for another 35 or 40. And you know my face is totally gray at that point. I'm catching up to it. Right now it's getting to that point. It's a little grayer than when I was with you at Bucknell. But at the end of the day, I don't know if there wheel on the first playoff time against Lafayette in 2017, going the distance. I remember the call. I remember Ben Richard getting close to the quarterback's arm, thinking it was going to be a pass breakup or, you know, a bat down. Next thing I know you're going the distance and then Coach Wicklund almost killing himself with the headset as it ranked around his legs, which was a fantastic moment for all of us. His legs, which was a fantastic moment for all of us.
Speaker 1:You know it's funny, because when you're a player and you know I make the play, it's like a million thoughts are going through your head Once you. Once the ball's in the air, you catch it and it's like you're numb. But the only thing that just kept going through my head was don't go down, don't go down. And then Abdullah got my way and on the film you could see me push him out of the way. But I was like, just get out of the way at this point, um, but that was, uh, and always will be, my best sports moment. Um, it's, it's tough to beat. Um, imagine being lafayette, not giving up an offensive touchdown. I don't think we crossed the 50 yard line. It was some crazy stat like that we missed a field goal.
Speaker 2:I know we missed a field goal in fourth quarter.
Speaker 2:I can't. Yeah, that part is a little fuzzy to me. I think it was probably somewhere in that 45-yard range. It wasn't a gimme field goal by any way, shape or form. But if you like offense, that was not the game for you, for anybody in the stands that day, but for us on defense. Again, you'd be hard-pressed to find a cooler moment. Drew Newcomb picked six in the first drive of the game. Colin Johnoff picks six to end the game on a walk-off win. The game 13-7. About as cool as it gets.
Speaker 1:I've got to get back to Bucknell-Lafayette game. Hopefully they make me a special captain. So if anyone from Bucknell is listening to this, you know I've been waiting for that reach out for like six years now but still haven't gotten it.
Speaker 2:I mean, they're absolutely crazy. It's branded. It was on ESPN the moments, the posters. I'm in. I'll be the first one to buy the poster for Kyle and John off day.
Speaker 1:I appreciate it. After this, I have my first parent-teacher conference. Can you believe it?
Speaker 2:See, I can't bring them. At the age now where I'm talking to players that I have decade-long relationships with telling me about parent-teacher conferences. That's where I'm starting to have that I'm approaching the fact that I could actually have a midlife crisis and I'm old enough for that to be a thing. That's a weird one. I can only imagine how you feel walking into first parent-teacher conference. What grade is it for?
Speaker 1:She's preschool. I don't know what to expect. I'm like what are we going to talk about how school? So it's? I don't know what to expect. I'm like what are we going to talk about how well she colors? But you know, when I put it on my calendar, I was like this is just one of those life realization moments that I'm getting old and I'm no longer 18 to 20, which I still feel like I am.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, that's the key right. You always want to feel like you're 18 to 20, with the energy and the enthusiasm, but then you just get a lot more responsibilities along the way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, responsibilities, holy smokes, dude. I saw a quote today. My wife sent it to me and it struck me hard because it was talking about having little girls in particular grow up. But it was like being in this constant state of gratitude and heartache. I was like not even just parenting, but athletics. The athletic world is that exact piece of constantly being grateful but that constant heartache when you're not winning or getting what you want every single time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think not losing the mentality of gratitude and finding some of those silver linings. That's the greatest challenge, I think, in life in general, whether it's sports or life and your day-to-day responsibilities. But the ability to move forward and being able to accept the things going on in front of you, I think, is an art and it's something that sports teach you. And, being in a highly competitive environment, you're never going to win. Every time, I mean, you prepare like crazy. The thrill of victory is such an exciting rush. It's that adrenaline that you feel like you're on top of the world. You legitimately feel like Superman. When you win that big game. I'm getting goosebumps.
Speaker 2:Going back to that 2017 thing, I can 100% visualize you going up the left sideline where I was in the booth. What the room smelled like me falling over a trash can and breaking my clipboard when I was running down in excitement to try to get down to celebrate with you guys. That feeling never leaves you, but when you're in the middle of a tough season, like I'm going through right now, it's the most beautiful sunny day. There's not a cloud in the sky, but in your brain. There's rain clouds everywhere, and then having to stand in front of the room and continue to move forward. That's something you have to work at, and I don't think no matter how old you are or how many experiences you've been through. You have to try to continue to move forward with great enthusiasm, because you owe it to the people around you too, and I think when you're lazy, it's disrespectful to the people who believe in you. Or if you blame and point fingers somewhere else before looking at the man in the glass, it's disrespectful to the people who believe in you. And I think, again, you're spot on with that part of it. When you think about your life. Bad stuff's going to happen all the time in different phases of your life. As a complete person, it's never going to be perfect, but your outlook has to be full of gratitude and your outlook has to be man.
Speaker 2:I get to do these types of things, or I get to overcome these types of things, and it can take you a long way, and I think, with some of the stuff you're doing with, you know your line of work and being able to see you giving public speeches to teams like that fires you up too, because you see guys that you've spoken to in the past now giving their own messages and providing their own creativity, and you're going out and you're meeting all these unbelievable people that you see on Twitter, that have a million followers, and they're personally connecting with you and listening to your message.
Speaker 2:To me, that's an opportunity now for me to learn from a guy who used to sit in a room where I spoke, but now I can take notes on the things you're saying. So you talk about gratitude, just being surrounded by guys like that, that you're seeing progress in their life. Now you're a father, now you're trying to launch your own company and move forward. Those are things I'm learning from you, right, even when you don't see it. You get a text or a phone call from me every once in a while, but it's a note that I'm taking or I'm sharing with the people that I work with, and I think again, just that mindset allows you to continue to be a lifelong learner.
Speaker 1:Oh, I appreciate the kind words and it's hard to explain to people who haven't experienced it, even in other sports. But that locker room, coach-player connection, player-player connection, coach-coach connection it's hard to get outside of the locker room. That's the hardest thing, to be honest, for me. Not being a coach, not being a player anymore, even starting my own company, that fills my cup in different ways, but not having that locker room connection where I can go knock on your door and have a life conversation with you. And that's the hardest thing All things sports.
Speaker 1:When you leave the game, that's the hardest thing and something you said it's a passion-driven sport. It's not about the financials, despite what people think. They see the contracts of the dabo swingies of the world, the kirby smarts, but what they don't see is the thousands, millions of hours put into the game, the times where you're sleeping on couches, where you're sleeping at the facility, where you're heartache. You know you're laying in bed, you're looking up at the ceiling thinking what more could I have done to help us win? Um, and that's like, like you said, it's it's. It's the beauty and the and the thrill of it, but it's also the struggle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think in anything too, it's the. The supply, you know way outweighs the demand of it all. Right, it's like there's so many people that want to do what I do and there's so many people that want to do what you do because it seems like a cool gig and everyone man, you coach football for a living. What do you do in the offseason? And that one makes me laugh every single time. It's like actually the offseason sometimes can be even busier, because you're hopping a flight from this city to that city to go to see this recruit for the fourth time and he's down to you and your rival and you're trying to see if your pitch in. Like I have this old school Princeton logo on my hat today.
Speaker 2:I grew up a half an hour from Princeton and I was a guy that had an 1120 on his SAT and was a B plus student. I was never going to play at Princeton, but the idea that for the last five years I get to coach at the number one school in the country and provide people that opportunity, that's a thrill and a dream in itself. But it took me until I was 30 years old to get to Division One football. So right before I met you. I coached at three colleges that you probably wouldn't know unless you were from that region or part of the country, and you wouldn't know a whole lot about it, other than maybe you had heard somebody talk about it or you saw their name in a box score somebody talk about it or you saw their name in a box score. And that first job I took I made $3,000. I got a place to sleep in a shared house with, I think, seven different people. It had a little kitchen in it but you didn't even have enough money to buy groceries, so you got free meals in the cafeteria and it was $133 every two weeks after taxes, and it got taxed at three grand too. So it's incredible to think about that. And that was 14 years ago, 14 and a half years ago. And I'm sitting there thinking, man, look at me. Today I live in the neighborhood I grew up in it's an awesome part of the country, in Bucks County, and I get a chance to go to the number one school and coach.
Speaker 2:These unbelievable guys and the alumni network come around and I think you learn about that journey and you learn about even in a year we're having right now it's not fun on a day-to-day basis and our Saturdays haven't been the type of success that we demand and really are expected out of us. But in the big picture of it all, it's like there were a lot of dark days when I was making $3,000, right, and your friends are buying houses when they turn 30 and you're renting a place in lewisburg, pennsylvania, for 600 bucks a month and it was not like I was saving. You know, it's not like I was, I was killing it. Um, and people kind of you said that they think dabbo sweeney. They see the 10 million dollar contracts.
Speaker 2:That's one percent of the profession and the other part of it I think you have to keep in mind too, and as you're getting into this athletic space, which is a really saturated market where you're trying to be genuine and stand out at the same time, which, without selling your soul, that can be hard to do. But I think, at the end of the day, if I was to leave my job tomorrow, there's a thousand people that would apply for it, and I try to keep that perspective as well, as if I was to move forward. I think it's a double-edged sword, right, if I was to move forward or they were to get rid of me, they'll have my job lined up ready to go. So I think you have to keep that in perspective when it comes to your family or the things that you prioritize your time to and who you allocate, and make sure you're paying attention to things outside of the profession, which I think people can get lost in that. But also on the flip side, on your toughest day, your saddest moment, your most disappointing frustration aspect of things, especially when you're not winning it's realizing, like man, I'm really, really fortunate there's, there's, you know, this opportunity that's in front of me and I owe it to build things back, to get back to the things that have made us successful, reflect, but also never lose sight that man, it's pretty freaking cool.
Speaker 2:Every single day, even on my worst day, I'm doing something that allows me to wake up with my hair on fire, and that's why I like surrounding myself with people like you, because I get a chance to end these forums or, you know, when you and I have conversations it reminds you why you do it. You know, because the guys you met eight years ago or 10 years ago, or I get a text from a guy who you know I was out with, actually last Friday night, before we played Yale, one of my former players from Susquehanna. His name is Trevor Turpening. He was my first ever all-conference player that I ever coached in my life and that was in 2011. And that guy wants to come have a beer with you the night before the game and he brought his two-year-old to our game.
Speaker 2:I mean to me, what profession and what other avenue could you make a connection with someone from 13 years ago that wants to come see you coach a game and bring their two-year-old and then spend time with you? And that's the things I think, regardless of where the wins and losses pile up, when you make those relationships and you hear from a Colin Johnoff, you hear from a Trevor Turpening two different phases of my life, guys that are important in my life and to hear them talk about their families and their children you step back and you go. How can I not have gratitude? How can I not be excited, even on my toughest day?
Speaker 1:How did you get to that point? Like you said, it is an art and a lot of people struggle with it and we all grow and get better at it as we move on in life, but you seem to have a pretty good grasp of it right now. How did you get to this point?
Speaker 2:Just like you, I think, probably where we bonded. We're both hotheads, you know, by trade. I'm sure if I brought some of your Bucknell teammates on here that you would probably be voted number one guy most likely to freak out and raise his voice and have his face turned on. If you were to grab my McDaniel College teammates, they would 100% do the same thing. So his heart's in the right place, but he's losing his bleep, you know, way too often. So I think for me, one of the things now being 37, right, your intensity and your fire never leaves you. But for me, meditation has been one of the biggest things that has been helpful to me.
Speaker 2:We had a former coach that I worked with who's now down at JMU, chris Sarkoski. Just a great guy. He sees the world in a little different approach than I do. He's like this super organized guy, a little bit more reserved personality, outgoing in his own way, but not quite as go, go, go in-your-face caffeine like I am all the time. And I think when you bond with people who have a little bit different approach one of the things you know during the uh, the COVID pandemic, I was really struggling because I felt like a hunting dog that was pent up all day, like I was like I need, I need to be around people, like I'm energized by being around people and seeing development and moving around. And he got me into meditation and I thought it was the craziest thing possible for me to sit with my eyes closed for five minutes with all these millions of thoughts running around my head. It was really freaking hard. And then I kind of looked at it as a challenge and I started with five minutes, worked up to 10. Then I was getting to the point where I could lay there or sit in a chair for 30 minutes and it just started to empty out my thoughts.
Speaker 2:And I like the guided meditations. I'm not a person that really it's probably more. I need stimulus, right, and I can hear somebody's voice talk to me through it. But that's something that it's part of my daily routine. Typically, when I first wake up in the morning, I set the alarm 15 or 20 minutes before I actually have to get out of bed. You know I go to the.
Speaker 2:Meditation allows me to start my day, you know, with something that's that's clearing out my mind so that I'm ready for the day's challenges. I'm a little bit calmer in my approach to it because it keeps you more level-headed and clear. I think that's been something that, as I've gotten a little bit older and, I guess, wiser, it's one of those deals where my thoughts are clear. I don't lose my temper like I used to. I think you give your power away when you lose your temper. You give your power away when you're not able to sit there and discuss things. That's certainly helped me keep my power, even in moments where you want to be elevated or you're intense, but you can do that in a more productive manner and I definitely think that's something that has made me a better coach. It's made me a better person interacting with the people around me, especially when I'm frustrated.
Speaker 1:It's perfect that this interview is coming right after my interview with a forensic and anger management psychologist who I openly told one of the things I used to really struggle with, and sometimes still do, is that temper.
Speaker 1:So thank you for confirming to my listeners I used to be a super hothead, but it's funny because meditation became a huge practice for me. First time I had read about it, honestly, was um from navall is um. I forget what his book is called, um, but that was one of the biggest life-changing books of my life, just in terms of work, life and how to be healthy. But that was the first time I heard of it and I was like this is foo-foo nonsense. And then I started doing it and I was like I have significantly more control over my thoughts, my actions, my behaviors, the way I communicate with myself. When somebody says something that bothers me, I'm able to kind of just brush it off now and I really can't tell you the last time I've snapped on someone. Sometimes I have to yell at my kids, but that's a little bit different. But it's real the power of meditation and how it really just forces you to think and control and understand really what's going through your mind.
Speaker 2:So you're hitting the nail on the head and you have to confront your own thoughts. And I think a lot of times when people flip out or you, like you said, you give your power away. You're distracting yourself from the root cause of where it's coming from. And when you stop every single day to either start your day or at some point in the middle of the day, or really winding down at the end of the evening, it forces you to process your own feelings and emotions. And when you can do that, you stay in control of how you react to things, because that's so much of life.
Speaker 2:There's so many things you can't control. It's a little cliche, right, you know control the controllables, but when you actually have to sit down and force yourself to do that, it's a skill that you have to practice, just like when you were a DB, you had to come in and out of your breaks If you were going to see a three-step hitch versus a hitch corner versus how you were going to play a wheel route. Those are things that take practice, the same way that how you're going to handle success, how you're going to handle conflict, how you're going to handle your child acting out, how you're going to handle your wife being mad at you while your child's acting out and having to do six podcasts in a day. That management part is something that you need to take time to collect those thoughts, to give your best effort forward, and I think you know you're, you're, you're spot on, and if two guys like you and I can do it, then certainly anybody can.
Speaker 1:And that's what I say, too is like, if I can do it, I know anyone can do it. The hard part, though, is getting people to get past those words of feelings and emotions, and the reality is, if you don't, like you said, control your emotions or learn to control them, you give your power to somebody else who can manipulate them. So, whether or not you think it is foo-foo or buzzwords or whatever fluffy, at the end of the day, if you don't actively take an approach to control your emotions, your emotions will always run you, and it's how do you get those guys, particularly football I mean, we're meatheads how do you maybe resonate with some of the players that you have?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the first thing I've really become a core value of mine is standards over circumstances, and what I mean by that is the circumstances are going to change every single day. They're going to change minute to minute, hour to hour. But when you have a standard of what is expected being on time, you know how you communicate, being able to look at the content and how you study the opponent, how you prepare yourself to have a great lift on a Tuesday in February, right, the standard of who you are and the expectations and bringing that to life has to be bigger than the moment. Because that motivation, that man, I want to be a champion, I want to be all American, I want to be an all-conference player, whatever it may be, whatever the goals may be out there. The motivation when you said that, that endorphin rush, that dopamine rush that hits you when you think about lofty goals and recognition, that's going to leave you when it's really cold out, it's rainy and you still have to get up at six o'clock in the morning. And now it's the seventh week of training and you know some for the players it's a test. Coming up with midterms it's, you know, getting hit from different angles. Something may happen in your family you may face some hardships, or an adult may face some financial hardships. How do you find a way to dig in in those moments? And I think it's having a clearly defined set of goals, and I think you know one of the things I was talking about.
Speaker 2:Yesterday I read this book called the Big Five for Life by John Sherlock. It was recommended to me by Pat Rooley. Pat was a longtime defensive coordinator at Susquehanna University, right down the road from us at Bucknell. We fostered a friendship. You know I was coaching at Bucknell, he was at Susquehanna. We've stayed really close friends. We talk all the time. Pat comes down to visit us at Princeton. We're talking football right, and I think one of the coolest parts about the profession not only is it what Pat likes from a blitz pressure against the run on early downs versus what I like and sharing ideas it's the ability of being around great leaders that are confident and are willing to share information with you. That resonates with them. So Pat recommends this book.
Speaker 2:Basically, the premise of the book is it's a man's on a. He takes a train to Chicago for work every single Monday and he meets this CEO. It's a fictional character, but it's based on all the mentors that he had in his life and this guy's mid-30s. So this was a great time for me to read this book. Right about the same time I was going through a major life change and on the bus or on the train he's really worked up every day. He's like man I hate this job, I don't want to do this, but the money's good. And he meets this man, thomas Durrell, and Thomas starts to have these weekly chats with him about life and what's called your PFE, your purpose for existence.
Speaker 2:And as the book goes through and I recommend anybody you know that they can get their hands on it to read it it's a pretty easy read, but it's incredibly powerful and it's every choice you make should be in alignment with your purpose for existence and that's something you got to really think about. It's really deep right. It's one of these like man, what is my purpose, what do I want to do and what do I want to accomplish? Then the aspect of the big five for life is, if you were to go on an African safari, there's five animals that you would want to see, five main animals. If you see two of those five, you'd rate it a two out of five. If you saw five of those animals, you'd rate it a five out of five. So it's everything you do in your life, making sure your life finishes rated a five out of five.
Speaker 2:And then the other concept that I love the most is the museum for life. So think about whether you're religious. You're not religious I think this goes for everybody. When you go, when you leave this world, think about yourself having to be the tour guide for your life, for eternity. What do you want people to see when they come see your museum for your life? And that was one of those like I took a step back and was like holy crap, like every decision you make, if it was recorded like this podcast and I had to tour you through that for the next whatever years it may be, and you'd have to walk someone through it.
Speaker 2:What do you want them to see? Do you want them to see you angry? Do you want them to see you yelling at people or being someone that's disloyal, or saying things, being that guy in the side room conversation? Or do you want them to see the person who had a smile on their face, had infectious energy about the way that they do things and is the person that really is someone you want to gravitate towards. And it's not a perfect world, but when you tour them through it, go, do the things that you want to do. Go book that trip when you have the free time. Go see your parents when they have some free time, finding ways to again enjoy the big moments of life, but also in the day-to-day process.
Speaker 2:Does it align with my purpose for existence and it really deep dives into companies as well having people that are aligned with the vision of what you're trying to do? So when you make every decision, does it help my purpose for existence? Does the person around me help with the existing things that I want to accomplish, that I want to put in my museum? And if they don't, you have to eliminate those people or you have to eliminate those concepts. And it was just this all striking thing where I was sitting there reading this literature and I've read the book four or five times now I gave it to our athletic director, he gave it to our department, I got a chance to meet the author, who spoke to us and all that aspect of it, you know. And every time I talk to Pat, you know he's like hey, man, are you making decisions towards your big five for life? Are you making decisions for your purpose for existence? And I thought it was an incredible thing.
Speaker 2:The other thing I also ask about talk about how you interact with people on a day-to-day basis. We're going back to the players, right? Somebody? You ask them where they're from, you know how they're doing that day and what do they say to you? You know, hey, hey Colin, how are you feeling today when you're a player I'm fine, coach, and I'm fine.
Speaker 2:I'm fine means a million different things. I'm fine, could be you're tired. You just woke up. I'm fine. Could be you just had a fight with your girlfriend. You're mad at the, you know. You're mad at the coverage we put you in and you just fail the test.
Speaker 2:Or, I'm fine, could be you're good, like you're hanging out, but how do you draw people out in conversations a little bit more? By asking more thought-provoking questions. So one of the things is and I'm not doing this on the street, but it's like if I walked up to you and you're a stranger and I just said what's your purpose for existence? Or if I said to you hey, you walk in the room. Hey, colin, did you make a decision this morning to check something off your big five for life?
Speaker 2:Did you make a decision today that's going to push us forward as a program? It's a little more thought provoking. You have to give a little bit more back. So I think long winded answer on that. But at the end of the day, pushing that with the kids and making sure that the players and the people around you feel that infectious enthusiasm it's something that on a day-to-day basis, you got to just continue to push at it and no matter how you feel, you know, no matter what the circumstances of that are just that genuine aspect of drawing things out of people. You got to have a passion for it and what we do and you got to be at a high level consistently. But I think that book was something that was unbelievable for me. It's something I would share with anybody and anybody that listens to this, you know. Read that book ASAP.
Speaker 1:How do you hold yourself accountable to align your purpose for excellence every single day? Existence excuse me.
Speaker 2:I'm not perfect, right. I think that's part of it. I think it's just. You know, I planned on getting up this morning and riding the Peloton. Before I did it and I hit the snooze button, you know. So I'm mad at myself, right? This is one of those rare mornings Friday morning and season where I get a little bit of time to myself and I hit the snooze button. So I'm going to get my workout in after I come home from practice today and I just am I going to be fired up to do that at 730 tonight on a Friday night? No, but it's got to be done, right?
Speaker 2:So I think part of it is just setting goals for yourself, putting in your writing. You know I have a set of goals, I have mine on a document, so it's there and it's something that I read and I'm talking about it with you tonight. I'm going to reread it tonight because it's probably been a couple of weeks and I think you just have to evolve with it and you have to be able to look at it and remind yourself as things go on, because it's so easy to get lost in the day to day aspect of things. There's so many things going on for everybody distractions and responsibilities, but I think it's just making sure I continue to remind myself what it is and your mood changes every time you read it. When I wrote it is a different time than when I'm going to read it tonight, but I think it's just the constant reminders and putting it on paper.
Speaker 2:Once you put something on paper, you can't hide from it and at the end of the day you can fool the whole world, but you can't fool yourself.
Speaker 2:And when you look in the mirror at the end of the day, to me, do I earn the right to hit my pillow at night and have a clear mind when I go to sleep? Am I proud of myself for the decisions I made and how I treated people that day? Did I give them my best effort? And when I hit the pillow at night, my goal every night is to say I did everything I could to be a good man and a positive influence and I think that's probably the biggest accountability is when I put my head down. If I don't feel good about that I don't think there's many nights that I don't feel good about at least the effort I put forward. Maybe the production's not always there, but at the end of the day, to me it's, I think, the clear set of goals or, if you get off track, getting yourself right back on so you don't miss multiple days or make it a habit of not living up to the standards that you set for yourself.
Speaker 1:A lot of the athletes I work with very similar to this conversation. It's your identity, because that's a lot of what I do, and what I talk about is comprised of just your actions, some of what you say, but majority of what you do, how you live your life, the decisions you make. So the more descriptive and definitive you can be in each area of your life in creating that standard for yourself that you want to embody, that you want to live up to, first you have to define it. Second, write it down. You have to write it down and hold yourself accountable. And when they're early on in the stages, I make them tape it to their mirror eye level.
Speaker 1:So every single night, like night, like you just said, when you look at yourself in the mirror right before you go to bed, it's are you who you say you are or are you full of shit? Right, and holding yourself to that and living that every day until you get to that point where, like you are, and where I would say where I am, I don't need to look at it, because looking at myself in the mirror is enough. I know if I did what I wanted to do. I know if I set out and needed to get done the tasks I needed to get done. And when you get to that point, it's very self-fulfilling because I know exactly what I need to do every single day and I know whether or not I can go to sleep happy or comfortable or satisfied with myself that day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love the eye level aspect of it. Right? I think you said you've got to look yourself. You're looking that goal directly in your eyes. That's pretty cool. And I think you said the goal is that you don't need it there anymore. At some point it's burned right into your brain and that when you look at yourself, eye level, you see that goal. It's creating a habit. I love that Clearly defining it.
Speaker 1:Cause I'll tell you when you don't. And you have to look at it and you're like I went over five today or whatever. It is Like I was not who I said I was supposed to be at all. If you, if you care, it cuts you. And you're like I can't, I can't feel this. And you never miss twice. That's the big thing, is I, at least for me, I learned I'm never missing twice because missing once is enough for me and I'm imperfect. I'll miss days here and there, but never miss the same thing. Back to back days, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, consistency is so critical, so critical.
Speaker 1:One thing I learned from one of my guests on here, brian Kite, which honestly was a massive shift for me too, even recently, was we look at consistency, and consistency can feel overwhelming at times because I think if I need to make a major change in my life, I think of where I am, where I need to get to. It's a big gap and I think of it's probably going to take years or months to get there. That can really restrict my ability to do something now. Well, super, mini, size it and just think what do I need to do today? Just live today. Don't worry about five years down the line, don't even worry about where I need to get to. Just worry about what I need to do today to get one step closer. And then you go to sleep, wake up, same mentality one day at a time, and then, before you know it, six months down the line, you have six months worth of work getting closer to where you need to be.
Speaker 2:He's the E plus R equals O guy right.
Speaker 1:He is.
Speaker 2:He's got some great content. He's one of those. Just like you, my Twitter feed probably looks similar to who you're following. I got about 10,000 high school football players as well, but at the end of the day, mike Daly, my college defensive coordinator, my senior year, is one of the best influences I ever had in my life. Coach Daly coach in the arena football league was you know, john Elway was the guy that ran the team. He's Colorado crush. I think coach Daly is like the fourth winningest coach in AFL history Lee crumbles. You know folds. He comes to McDaniel.
Speaker 2:My senior year becomes our defensive coordinator and he used to say, as you're talking about these, the consistency, overwhelming piece. The thing he used to say to us all the time and it's 100% in the core of who I am was eat the elephant one bite at a time. And he used to be like Coach, eat an elephant. What the hell are you talking about? Eat an elephant. Nobody eats elephant, but when you think about an elephant, it's a giant animal. Right, I guess I'm on an animal kick today with all these analogies, but Coach Daly, with these elephants and I have all these different caricatures that I print out I have them for the guys, and there's nothing cooler than when you hear a former player text you. We've got a guy playing a cow. He'll text me, he's got a pick to win a game. It's like he did it one bite at a time. He was overcoming some injuries.
Speaker 2:He's a grad transfer at Cal and I got a big smile on my face because it's Coach Daly who passed that on to me talking about every single day that elephant, that overwhelming aspect of the final goal or the final result, can really make you want to crawl up in bed and be like day-to-day operation, or really the minute-by-minute operation. Okay, here's the checklist of the 20 things I need to get done this week. Let's take a bite out of each of it and stay focused and then working while you're not distracted. I think that's something that's really become even more challenging in today's day and age, because in your pocket, this thing right here, this thing is the most distracting thing in the world. It can be for good use, but at the same time, four hours could go by and you got nothing done.
Speaker 2:Because you're scrolling and doing these things, can you do deep work that's uninterrupted, and being able to discipline yourself to do that? That allows you to help with the consistency, but, man, I love that ETL from one bite at a time. It's really one of those things that just sits in my brain. I can hear Coach Daly's voice saying that to me all the time, and I say that to the players too. You have so many things going on, but focus on one element of that, dominate that element of that, then move forward to the next bite.
Speaker 1:I had a coach at Pitt. When referencing the phone, he held up his phone because we had players texting during meetings. It was always mind-blowing to me that people couldn't put their phone away for 40 minutes, right, but nonetheless, and he he kind of like snapped because it had kept going on and on and he was like listen, he had his phone. He's like this is on, do not disturb. He was like for better, for worse, this next hour. He's like my wife could die, my kids could die and I won't know, because I'm here committing my time to you. He's like that's my commitment to you. And I asked the same back and I mean I was 23 so I was more mature at the time, but like that struck me. I was like that's real and so I apply that to my work to this day.
Speaker 1:Is when I need to get something done. It's phones on, do not disturb, I do not look at my phone. I'm engaged in writing. I'm engaged in podcasting, whatever the case. I'm engaged in writing. I'm engaged in podcasting, whatever the case is. I'm engaged in my email, sales calls, whatever it's. I'm going hard for X amount of time, no distractions. After that hour I'll get up, I'll take a walk, then I'll look at my phone and it's being able to create that environment of discipline for you, because if I leave my phone on, do not disturb, I will get a thousand pings and I will want to look at my phone every time it pings. So, whatever, whether it's your phone or something else, it's about creating that environment that's conducive of the work that you need to get done.
Speaker 2:I think it's another thing you need to control. It's a self-discipline that people don't really talk about. You talk about addictions and some people think about drugs or it's food and not eating healthy and getting heavy, and you see the deterioration of somebody who's maybe a drug addict or is obese or things of that nature. The phone's a real addiction and I think one of the really the most coveted things you can give someone and respectful things you can give someone is your attention, and when you don't give them your attention, you miss an opportunity to learn as well. And I think that's one of the biggest probably you know challenges. The greatest challenges that we face is gaining people's attention and doing it long enough for substance to come out of that. Because now you know, we're just so trained to be in these things and the slot machine aspect of social media. And one of the best things I did, I got rid of Instagram and Facebook in, I want to say 2020. I saw that documentary, the Social Dilemma, on Netflix. It scared the crap out of me. I gave myself a little social experiment. I logged out of my Instagram and I clicked and I just charted every time I clicked the button where it said log in and I did it 21 times in an hour and I just made a tally and I'm like, oh my God, I'm not even thinking about this. I'm clicking a button by design, because I trained myself to have a habit to check my Instagram. Who knows, maybe it was 200 times a day, and it's not even an understatement and I got rid of it. Cold turkey deleted it all. I don't miss it one bit. I still have Twitter because of recruiting and we need that, and I do think there's some informational things. I think there's ways to control your algorithms and do that, but the do not disturb aspect and making sure the alerts are off and the pings, like you said, are off is important. But also, I think being able to kind of not saying you need to get rid of Instagram or Facebook for people that do that, that's great. I know people find good uses in it, but I found it as a huge time suck for me. That was taking me away from other things.
Speaker 2:And then also there's the comparison aspect of it, like what you do, what you put on social media, is going to be your best front. It's going to be. You're going to put a picture of your children smiling and you and your wife happy. But that picture might've been taken right after you and your wife had to talk about a major bill or a loan that you're taking out. That's caused some stress. Or, for me, it could be after you know something had gone on at work, or you don't get a promotion that you wanted, or something on those lines.
Speaker 2:And now all of a sudden you know people are only seeing this portray of your perfect life, surrounded by everybody else's perfect life, and then you're sitting there on the couch looking at it all, going, oh, I don't have a life like Colin. I don't have a life like this person, man, that guy you know, colin's seven years younger than me and he's got a better life than I do in a nicer house. Well, why do I need to inundate myself with that? That's only going to take me away from my goals and take me away from my day-to-day ability to find happiness and joy. And that was something I thought was really big for me.
Speaker 2:Because, again, you owe people your attention, but you owe it to yourself to pay attention to people because you can grow, and if you're not listening, you're not going to get the full aspect or you're not going to be able to have the full appreciation for the human being that you're sharing your time with, because when you get to share time with people, that's the most valuable aspect of it. You can't buy more of it, right? Elon Musk is one of the richest men in the world and you got Twitter, tesla, all this stuff. Well, no matter what he's going to age and he's not going to be able to buy time, no matter how much money he makes, and that's why one of those things I think is the greatest gift out there is your appreciation, your time and how you maximize the things you find in that and minimizing the distractions in that process.
Speaker 1:I hate social media and I hate that I have to be so active on social media. My hope is one day I can just do all the creation piece right, the interviews, the writing, whatever and I can just pay someone hey, you go out, you post everything. If there's an interesting comment or someone reaches out or there's a good opportunity If there's an interesting comment or someone reaches out or there's a good opportunity, let me know. I don't want any of this because I agree there's so much. I always say social media can be the greatest thing ever because it allows us to put good messages out there. It allows us to connect with people that we care about, learn from people who we may admire or maybe we have never met, and provide an opportunity for us to meet them.
Speaker 1:But in the same breath, there's so much negativity and the comparison nonsense and you know just, I talk to my wife all the time about that exact point. It's like everybody puts their best out on Instagram. I do not care what someone else posts on Instagram because I know that's not their real life, right? Particularly when I know someone and I see something they're posting and I know that's not their real life, right? Particularly when I know someone and I see something they're posting and I know that's not in the line with how they're living behind closed doors and I would never say someone publicly. But I say to like my wife, like this is what I'm talking about. Like this is exactly what I'm talking about. You can't get wrapped up in that All we can do is what's best for us in the moment and keep trying to make our lives better. But it's but. If you don't learn how to control that area of your life, it can easily take you over, regardless of even from a work standpoint or production standpoint, but just from a wellbeing standpoint.
Speaker 2:You have to be a responsible consumer. If I go to the grocery store, I can grab a 12 pack of Coca-Cola, I can grab fried food, I can grab ice cream, and I can do that every single day. Well, it's no different than social media, right? Be a responsible consumer. What you consume you're responsible for, and you can always turn the TV off. I always laugh when people get themselves all riled up politics one way or the other, right? Well, you chose to put the TV on. Right, you chose to go to bed watching Fox News or CNN or MSNBC, however you feel politically whatever or you can choose to watch something more productive or educate yourself in a different light. If you choose to look at Instagram all day and compare your life in your I live in a condo right, if I compare my condo to the six-bedroom house that one of my friends who works in finance has, well, of course, I'm going to feel a certain way or they're going to have certain things, but you don't think about the choices that you make throughout the time. And, again, you have to be a responsible consumer. Choose not to take those things in, or choose to look at that perspective in a different light or the big picture of it and we definitely get lost in those things and then block certain things or make sure that your feed's only inundating you with things that you want to see. Positive aspects, motivational quotes I think I laugh because my Twitter is a bunch of motivational quotes and stories and videos.
Speaker 2:It's high school football, recruits, college football, and I occasionally still indulge in pro wrestling. That's where you get some of the creativity and the promos. You laugh, right, and puppies, right. I like dachshunds. You got dachshunds on the feet but make sure that you are not allowing yourself to see things that you don't want to see, that are going to elicit emotions that you don't want. You know it's something that, again, you're responsible. It's responsible. That's literally what responsibility means. You're responsible, so you'd be in charge of that. Don't complain about something else unless you're willing to change something. And if you don't have a solution, shut the bleep up about it. Go get it done, man. Go get it done and change your daily habits. Change the daily things that you see.
Speaker 1:I even try to take it a step further. It's are you a consumer or are you a creator? And if you wake up in the morning and the first thing that you do is check your phone for notifications, I would say you're a consumer, right, and that's not to say that if you're a creator, you're not going to consume things because you do. And I absolutely curate my Twitter feed. My Twitter feed consists of sarcasm, which I think is hilarious, and I have motivation, discipline, whatever positive quotes all throughout it, and then I get a little bit of sports right, but it's it the information I consume I try to use to create. When I learn, I try and pass on what I read, I try to share. That's why I put posts in my newsletter. That's why I frequently send posts to my friends. So it's not just there to to consume, but it's there to consume, influence and then create out in the future. And it's something I learned. I want to say it was actually Andrew Huberman, maybe not, regardless one of those really successful people. They conned that phrase and I was like. I was like that's another one that hit me. And so I start to try and implement those things into my daily life.
Speaker 1:But it's funny, I've never talked about politics and I'll never talk, maybe one day. But the night of the election my wife was like how are you asleep? It was like eight o'clock. I fell asleep on the couch and I was like I do not care who becomes president, because whoever becomes president will not impact my day-to-day life and my ability to be successful and take care of my family. Like you are two girls, our dog, our future kids are my priority, regardless of who's president is not going to impact my ability to be successful in achieving those things. And I it's what I I'm so glad that it's at least over so that social media can chill out, for from that aspect of it, I can stop getting political texts and phone calls, um, because I just don't involve my daily life in that stuff.
Speaker 2:I think there's a, there's a balance, right it's it's. You know, I think there's obviously an importance aspect to leadership and the leadership of the country and those types of things. But don't have a victim mindset. You know, like there's so many other things to like your day to day, I always kind of laugh as well too. It's like, well, your day is probably way more affected by your local government and then some of those types of things.
Speaker 1:But you're going to make me start getting political here. I say that all the time.
Speaker 2:I want to go down this rabbit hole. I think more of the core you know for our purpose, of our conversation, is how do you look at your day to day in your own life and how are you making those changes? Because that is going to affect your overall worldview much more than somebody who's in charge of 300 million people that doesn't know your name. Right, I'm not going to judge you fully because of someone who doesn't know my name, and that's not just the politic aspect, that's whoever you follow and it can't be this dogma Like I also I laugh too Like I'm a huge Zach Bryan music fan Like if you come in my office you're going to hear that. And now you know he's getting into it with Barstool Sports and I'm cracking up and our head coach knows I love both of those things. He's like you're torn, man, you got Dave Portnoy versus Zach Bryan. It's your two guys and I'm cracking up. And I'm like I still love reading Barstool Sports because I like sarcasm and I like all the things that are on there and that speaks to the things that I'm interested in down.
Speaker 2:I turned 80s Taylor Swift for middle-aged white dudes you know like, and I spent half and it's the truth. You know I'm sitting there and one of our other coaches loves them. We've been to concerts together and I turn into a. You know I'm a. You know the Swifties, I get it.
Speaker 2:When it comes to his music, well, what he does in his personal life to me, you know, I just I don't care about his relationships. I'm going to play his music, right, and I just you start to laugh a little bit of like, oh, I can't listen to him anymore. It's like well, great, and don't listen to him. But I'm going to still listen to the music because I enjoy the words of the music and how I, how I consume that aspect of it. And you know it just starts to make you laugh.
Speaker 2:It's like everybody's got to have a team or you can. You can only be this end of it or that end of it. Let's discuss it. But at the end of the day, if that makes or breaks your day, you're perpetuating In my mindset right at the end of the day. You know how those things work. It's certainly important to people, there's issues for people, but go be a champion of your issues and continue to work on those things. Don't post your complaints on social media, because most people don't care, and the people that do care probably are happy that you're complaining.
Speaker 1:How do conversations with recruits differ now from?
Speaker 2:when you were recruiting us and when you were at Bucknell. Yeah, I think there's a unique aspect of recruiting in the Ivy League because you're just dealing with such a small fraction of people, because not only do you have to be a top-level student, but you have to be a high individual player and there's a lot of Ivy League players that are NFL caliber guys. There's guys having tremendous careers in the NFL from all the different schools, including ours. One of our guys that played for us two years ago has four or five touchdown catches this year in his second year. It's awesome to see that. So you're trying to find this unique kid that can do both. Not that everybody's going to go to the NFL from our league, but at the end of the day, it's a unique niche and I think the conversations change based on what part of the country you're in, because I think different people have different worries. Number one if you're trying to bring a kid from two time zones over versus a kid from New Jersey, that conversation is a little bit different. The type of background that the family comes from is a little bit different. We deal with financial aid based on family income, so that's a different kind of element Each family is a little bit different story or what they're able to do to send their child here versus or showcasing that you can send your child here if you're not. Contrary to popular belief, most of our locker rooms are not families that are insanely wealthy across the board. But I think when you boil it down to the kid, the type of person you're talking to, they love attention more than ever.
Speaker 2:I think the graphics it's almost a lot of white noise and we certainly have a graphic department, we have a recruiting department, we have a personnel person. So I think the volume of staff has grown because the demands on the things you need to do in recruiting have grown. But I do think it still comes down to where it's the same as relationships. People want to know you care about them. People want to know you know and are a master of your content. People want to see the evidence of the development that you've had for the players both on the field and in the product that you offer academically and from an alumni standpoint. The players both on the field and then the product that you offer academically and from an alumni standpoint. But at the end of the day I'd say probably the greatest difference is the white noise that comes out with, like every week's a graphic and there's these, you know creative things. We come up with all these different. You know things we send to guys, personalized. Does it make a difference? I don't know. You know you see the branding and I'm being I'm being real like you see the branding everywhere and I think getting your brand out there is important. You know, we have a brand.
Speaker 2:I can't go in the airport wearing anything Princeton Like. I have to wear, you know, a Lulu hoodie if I don't want to talk to anybody. Fortunately, I'm like you, I'll talk to everybody for the most part, you know. So it's just there's so many things these kids get inundated with. You know, despite the phone calls, the text but I think it's as a coach, still building relationships has never, never changed and you have to be able to, you know, kind of weed through that.
Speaker 2:There's definitely more distractions and the transfer portal has changed everything. You know we don't, we don't portal. We've had one transfer in 37 years in our program. You know. So these other schools that are living in that part of it. It definitely makes our recruiting more challenging because if we lose a guy or we lose a guy late, that gets really tough to replace because of, again, the niche that we have to find from the academic side of it. But I think for kids now, if you go to a group of five program, your roster may change over by 50% by the time you're a junior or they may change you out. So trying to educate people on the fact that you come to Princeton it's stable, you know everything we do here. You're our guy for four years, whether we found the best recruit in the country or the guy ends up not being someone. That's quite a bit of fit athletically, as we thought, which it's an inexact science.
Speaker 2:But at the end of the day, recruiting has definitely changed with the portal. The Recruiting has definitely changed with the portal. The fact that now this will be the first year where there's no walk-ons at the FBS level how is that going to affect guys? In the past if a guy walked on at Stanford or something on those lines, that was a different part of recruiting for us to have to navigate those elements to it. So it's ever changing. I think also NIL has changed a lot of conversations. Now for us the NIL mentality is a little bit more of the alumni and the people you get access to because you're intelligent enough to go play at such a school. It's becoming much more of a business right in front of you. I think at the FBS level, at least with us, we still have a really strong sentiment of the student-athlete experience and going to class and being able to cater to that but also still being able to be a great player.
Speaker 2:So it's definitely ever-changing and changing and you got to evolve or die too. I mean, at the end of the day, you can't I can't necessarily just say hey. I want to go back to the good old days of this. It's ever changing and that's something that you know is big, but the social media aspect is relentless. I mean, it's nonstop Like it is. It is really a 24 element and I don't remember it quite being as much. And I'll say this too COVID changed everything because virtual recruiting.
Speaker 2:I had no freaking clue what a Zoom was. I barely FaceTimed in 2019. I would call you, we would text or I would DM a kid on Twitter. Then you got in this world where I was sitting in my apartment for all day long. You couldn't go out. I was working out in the parking lot of the apartment complex doing insanity workouts.
Speaker 2:It was the only thing I could literally do, or recruit, because you do all these video chats. Well, we never left that behind. So now you're doing all these video chats, but you're back to your in-office job, so there's a lot of times where you're running home. I got about a half hour commute and I got three Zoom calls to get on in the springtime and you're on Zooms until 11. Or the kids in California. You got to get on the Zoom at 10.30 because his family was available at 7.30 Pacific. So I think that's changed a lot of it, as well as the access to using things like Zoom or video chats. That was something that wasn't even a thought six, seven years ago, when I was coaching at Bucknell. It was something that wasn't even a thought six, seven years ago when I was coaching at Bucknell.
Speaker 1:What role do the parents play in the recruiting process? How involved are they?
Speaker 2:Or is it more kid to kid? Now we try to do a great job with the parents. I think part of that is when you're non-scholarship, you have to kind of explain the value, because mom and dad are going to be the ones that have to see the value in the long-term play of Princeton, especially if they're going to have to pay some tuition and make sacrifices with that. And you have to educate them on here's the long-term aspect of why you should pick us over. Insert whatever group of five scholarship school, so the parent piece is big with us. I can't speak for what they're doing at Ohio State, but at the end of the day I think parents are always heavily involved. I mean Ohio State, but at the end of the day I think parents are always heavily involved. I mean that's their prized possession. Right, you're a dad now too.
Speaker 2:At some point, 15, 16 years from now, you're going to want to be involved and know the place you're sending your daughter to go compete at and get her education and the environment and the culture. So I do think parents I heard that thing the other day. It was making me laugh there's no longer helicopter parents, there's snowplow parents. You know, they don't hover, they actually pave the way. But for us I want to know the parents too, because I want to know what type of background you come from, because if you have a snowplow parent, you know you're going to be really hard to coach. You know, because I don't want to pulling guard and you spilled counter when you're supposed to box it right. I need to trust that I can get on a guy, because I'm going to love the guys and I'm going to be the most passionate fan of their lives. But we're going to challenge your ass and when you play for us right, can you handle adversity at home? Like my mom and dad, most loving people ever? They got after my ass right. So when I was upset with a coach or something, I called my parents and said you go to his office, you talk and have a conversation, or what did you do to create that situation and scenario? It was the same way with my teachers growing up. Well, if you're recruiting a kid and you hear the parents, well, the coach didn't let Colin play running back and he's the best running back on the team, he's the best running back in Pittsburgh. And you, just you, have to weed through some of those things too.
Speaker 2:And I think for us, on the flip side of it, I want to know the parents too, because I want to know where the kid's coming from. And can I, can I overcome some of those things, or can I work with the type of mentality or can I shift his mindset to fit the culture? Because when a kid comes here Bucknell a fellow Bucknell alum like you, and I grew up in the same area where I'm from, and I remember Jay Wright saying that in the Bucknell speech where he goes, you don't become us, we become you. And that was where Villanova won national championships and I got that same mentality. So, knowing your parents, are you going to be open to change? Are you going to go through those growing pains with me? Are you going to tap out when times get hard? So I think the parents can be an indicator of that as well.
Speaker 1:What's next for you? Do you have aspirations to be a head coach someday? Dc? What do we got going on? What are your goals?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I want to be a head coach, but I think it's got to be. I know I want to be a head coach. I've known that. That's been always part of my goal. It's the number one thing in my big five for life. Right, it's being able to place to support you. But I also I think as you start to look at the big picture and shift, like I know, I'm also at a great place where we have unbelievable support. I get to coach great players and great kids and great athletes where we have great resources.
Speaker 2:I've had an opportunity to grow and get a lot more responsibilities over the last five years working for Bob Serais, who's our head coach, and Steve Verbin, our defensive coordinator, has been at Princeton for 40 years as an assistant coach. That's actually a unique thing and I've learned so much from Steve. He actually was college teammates with Coach Susan. Here I am working for a guy I day in and day out go to battle with, who saw Coach Susan from a totally different light and has known Coach Susan since they were 18 years old, back when the dinosaurs were walking around. So I like to tell Coach Susan start to laugh, but those guys are unbelievable mentors for me and being able to learn on the job every single day and grow and learn more about the ins and outs of alumni and the different things that you do that are non-football related, with the X's and O's. That's been something that I've been fortunate to get opportunities to be exposed to here, so to me it's got to be the right situation.
Speaker 2:I think so many guys try to check a box. Well, it's like, okay, well, I can check a box, but then if I get to that place and I'm not set up for success or I'm unhappy in that process or I don't believe in the place, all these sacrifices I've made for 15 years of my life to get to where I am, but also being happy where I am, I think you fight that battle of you don't want to ever become complacent, which I'm not. There's new opportunities every day in the same building, which is pretty cool. And then on the flip side of it, I definitely want to have an opportunity to put my own stamp on a culture and do those things when the time is right and it's the right institution. So I think for me the next step is just being better right.
Speaker 2:We got to grow from the season we were 40 and 10 over five years coming in. We're two and seven right now, and that's a whole other kind of unique aspect, and it's very different than when we were at Bucknell in 2018 and struggled because that was almost kind of the we had been there, right. We had never really been the 9-1 team that won the championship. We won a championship three years ago. Now you're on the other end of it, fighting for your life every day. I think there's growth in that. I'm excited for the ability to instill some new things in the offseason and get to a turnaround. For me, the next step is let's get this thing back on track, because Princeton should be at the top of the Ivy League. We will be at the top of the Ivy League and getting that back, so for me, I'm excited about that next challenge. That's really where my focus is at.
Speaker 1:When I said I'm loyal to people, not places or things, I meant it. I've been keeping up with Princeton. I probably haven't been as vocal of a fan as I am, but I'm always checking the box score and no room for you guys and know that you guys will dig yourself out of the two and seven hole you're in. Hopefully you get a win tomorrow and then get yourself back on track. But I can't thank you enough for coming on. It's always a pleasure to get to talk with you, and particularly in a longer form setting, so I appreciate it, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is great man. I think of you all the time. I was actually talking to our guys about you too. I was saying we thought you tore your ACL and I think that's something you talk about grit. I know we got to wrap this thing up, but you talk about grit. Here's a guy we thought we lost you in training camp. Fortunately it was a misdiagnosis or it was a more severe diagnosis than it ended up being. And then you know, flash forward, eight weeks later you're winning a game for us. You know on defense in overtime and you're on ESPN and you talk about grit and in the moment, or just how crappy you felt.
Speaker 2:And I remember that look in your eye versus the look in your eye being able to give you a hug after that Lafayette moment and now being able to see the guy that you are today as a dad that's chasing his dreams and putting those things like that's what it's all about, man. That's where, when you know you're never going to make everybody happy, you're always going to have a critic, you're always going to have somebody in the side room that rolls their eye but who cares if you stay steadfast? And you're the guy that keeps believing and you're a guy that can be in control of those emotions. You can be just like Colin Johnoff. Right, you're the type of guy that I can talk about to the players. You want to be a Colin Jonoff.
Speaker 2:So we find 22 Colin Jonoffs maybe not at your size, probably need some bigger bodies in the trench. I had to admit, you know you wouldn't necessarily say you're a prototypical size guy, but at the end of the day man take it from one vertically challenged fireball to another right. It's one of those deals where you get a bunch of Colin Jonoffs. You can win a lot of football games, but a bunch of Colin Jonoffs you can win a lot of football games but more importantly, you can build great relationships.
Speaker 1:So I'll take a guy like Colin Jonoff on my team and in front of the team any single day. Thank you, man. I appreciate it more than you know. If people want to get out to you. Kids want to reach out to you, dm you about recruiting and things of that nature where can people get at you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, my Twitter is coach Mike Weick, so W-E-I-C-K. That's probably the best way to do it. I think Twitter is really the main form for recruiting and have your transcripts ready and your huddle highlight tapes up to date. Make sure you spot chatter yourself on there so it's nice and easy to see it for our staff to evaluate you.
Speaker 1:Beautiful Guys go with Coach Weick. He's the man. I hope after this episode, you may come to that conclusion yourself. Thanks so much, man Listeners, thanks for tuning in. Make sure to like rate, download, Go, subscribe on YouTube. We have our YouTube channel up. Five stars only, baby. Thanks, Coach.
Speaker 2:Love you, buddy Go Tigers man. See you. Love you, buddy Go Tigers man.