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Inside the Den
Inside the Den provides a high-access look at the daily grind and academic growth of Arkansas State student-athletes. The series demonstrates the direct link between the Red Wolves Foundation and the resources that drive player success. This is a transparent look at how your support provides the scholarships and professional tools necessary to build a championship culture in Jonesboro.
Inside the Den
Culture of Competition: Why A-State Wins
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No shortcuts, no excuses, and no pretending the grind is glamorous, this is Arkansas State football told by the guys living it. We sit down with Brandon Barnes, Ethan Crawford, and Donquarius Parker for a locker-room real conversation about identity, discipline, and how you keep your edge when everyone around you is talented. From being an “old soul” to tuning out social media pressure, we talk about staying true to yourself while still leveling up in a competitive college football environment.
We also get into adversity and the mental side of the game. Ethan breaks down what it takes to come back from an ACL injury, why mindset and self-talk matter, and how support systems, prayer, and purpose can keep you moving when your future feels uncertain. Donquarius shares a nontraditional journey through multiple programs and the transfer portal, what it taught him about leadership, and how asking “what value do I bring today?” can change everything.
Then we zoom out to the bigger picture: Arkansas State facilities, strength and conditioning, the culture of constant improvement, and the boosters and fans who help make it possible. We talk community service in Jonesboro, including a powerful moment with a young student that turns into a lesson on giving first, and we close on “CEO quarterback” habits, preparation, and what it really means to represent the logo.
Subscribe, share this with a Red Wolves fan, and leave a review with the one takeaway you’re applying this week. @Arkansasstatemedianetwork.com.
0:00 Episode Kickoff
0:21 Old Soul Energy and Identity
2:58 Competing Roots and Family Support
4:22 Bouncing Back From An ACL
7:48 From Few Offers to A-State
9:17 A Winding Road Through the Portal
14:59 Facilities and the Competitive Edge
20:23 Serving Jonesboro and Learning to Give
24:24 CEO Quarterback Habits and Film Work
32:03 Best Eats for Jonesboro Days
34:36 Welcome to College Football Moments
38:48 Representing the Logo and Closing
Episode Kickoff
SPEAKER_02We are Arkansas State Football. All right, what's up, everybody? This is your third episode of Inside of Damn with Justin Parks. I'm here with Brandon Barnes, Ethan Crawford, and Daquarius Parker. How y'all feelas doing today?
SPEAKER_00Doing great.
SPEAKER_02Outstanding. Outstanding. Outstanding. So
Old Soul Energy And Identity
SPEAKER_02obviously BB, you know, coming off of a strong year last year, you know, everything like that. So could you just, you know, tell us everything, a little something about yourself for the fans to know about?
SPEAKER_01Um, so my name's Brandon Barnes Jr. Um from Dallas, Texas, going into my junior year this year. Uh, I say just a little bit about me. Like I'm an old soul, so a lot of things that I do, I don't do like everybody else. Yeah. My teammates miss with me a lot for it, but it's okay. You know what I'm saying? Because I feel like that's that's that's what we kind of need. And that's what I feel like a lot of people like that about me.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, yeah. So you like like Don, huh? They say Don.
SPEAKER_00Nah, nah, Don old is what he's more old school. He's old school. He got some old wisdom in him, but he's still younger, right? Still younger.
SPEAKER_02I be listening to a little Isley brothers sometimes, a little R. Kelly. You know what I'm saying? Well, um, so Don, tell us something about you.
SPEAKER_03Uh, I mean, coming out of North Carolina, uh, attended North Carolina Central, went ahead and finished up there. My bachelor's degree. Uh, did two years at a school called Bucknell, Pennsylvania, ended up transferring to a JUCO for a semester, ended up at North Carolina Central. Now I'm here. So um, you know, that's just a little bit about the journey. Uh, just a little bit. Come from a humble, you know, background into my old soul and stuff like that. Had to grow up fast. So, I mean, it'll force you to, you know, have to learn some things and you know, all those sort of things, man. But happy to be here, man. Most definitely.
SPEAKER_02Craziest thing, right? So we in D staff one day, and we was just like, man, I wonder when everybody got their first phone. So Timothy, man, he said, yeah, man, he said, we had done when you get your first phone. This man said, 18. He said, oh, 18. They said, oh, it might have been 19. That meant 19 years old. Like, I thought I was looking at my first phone. I give my first phone to like what, seventh grade, eighth grade, just because I had to do the after school sports. That's the only reason I had one. But this man, night, like half a high majority of high school with no phone. Like, what?
SPEAKER_00You better go to college. You don't have no phone.
SPEAKER_03Break household, man. Break household. I mean, yeah, that it helped me find some other things to do for sure. No, for sure. Yeah, it did.
SPEAKER_02It needs some structure. I feel like a lot of kids need should go through that process, to be honest with you. But we live in a day now that electronics basically control everything.
SPEAKER_03Social media is so crazy now, man. Like, it's trickling down to, I mean, you got your middle schools and all that, like, they just focus on what people think about them. Yeah. I mean, that I think that's that's a big part of what this society or a young generation is driven off of. Just people's opinion, how they can change themselves to please people, you know.
SPEAKER_02So you never sacrifice who you are for somebody else. You always, you know, be you.
Competing Roots And Family Support
SPEAKER_02So Ethan, you know what I'm saying? Tusk Louis, Alabama, you know what I'm saying? 205. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. Bama Boys, Bama Boy, uh, yeah. Hey, you ain't trying to hear that. We step out of the Dallas. We're competitive in everything we do, man. Come on down, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Because it's it's a it's a product of your environment. You you gotta get with it or get left behind. So where I'm from, just growing up early, just bro, just trying to learn wisdom, get wisdom from the older people around me, being 10 minutes away from the University of Alabama, and just being able to jail with some of those guys and learn from some of those boys, that really structured me into who I am as a football player. But my mom just being my backbone, just her showing me the road to life for real, just showing me how to get up and do it on your hard days is really what made me who I am. So big shout out to my mom for sure. But just that just that growing up in that city and that state of Alabama is just it's competitive in everything we do to the way you dress, to the way you uh talk is uh it's something that you brag about. So it's just uh always been inside me to compete wherever I'm at. Uh I got out of high school, tore my ACL, went to Southern Mist, had some ups and downs, learned some things. Still just thankful for the for just the opportunity to do what I did, and uh now I'm glad to be here with Coach Jones and ready to get to it.
Bouncing Back From An ACL
SPEAKER_02Right. So just I guess since you said ACL, let's get on that topic a little bit, like adversity and things like that. So, how did you like you know bounce back from the injury? You know, that's one of the things I feel like in college, and I would just previously talk about this, is just the fact of somebody gets injured, right? And then that can go either two ways. They could, you know, this could be a story for them, how they respond. It can also be another story about excuses, you fall into the trap of excuses, you know what I'm saying. If I would have done this, if I didn't get hurt, you know, when you're getting in the recovery process, you're not attacking it like you should, you know, you're letting the injury basically, you know, define who you are. Like, how did you like because that's one of the most hardest injuries to ever come back from? I remember watching movies and seeing people ACO in somebody's basically athletic career. So, like, how did you respond?
SPEAKER_00When I was 18, bro, you could have never told me that I would have had a career in the season in the injury, just because I've just played the game with so much love and passion, never thought about an injury or getting hurt that I couldn't even have that in my mind. So, definitely just say my support system, everybody around me, it was never a dull moment or it was never a bad day. And uh I it was always a day to get better and get myself back to where I want needed to be. Uh, but when it got hard, I just say I definitely lean on the people around me, just my teammates, my mom, my family, just being there for me. And when I got to school, it was nobody that I could really lean on. I had to really wake up and every day want to be different and get back to where I needed to be. So uh I just say bro, prayer and just what you put in, what you tell yourself, really, just what's your mental mindset, what's your mental makeup, uh-huh, and what makes you go every day, what's your purpose? Right. That really just kept me going, bro. Just seeing my teammates stay excited, never uh let me be down on myself. Those guys really helped me as something missing. Coming out of high school, being an 18-year-old kid, going to school on a one leg and just battling, like you said, adversity, and just never, never letting results of the day dictate my feelings or my actions for that day. So just try to keep a positive mindset and just make everybody around me feel like they were doing something to make their self better.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I really tell people all the time, like it's you know, it's kind of powerful to hear that, though. You kind of got to be a little, you know, delusional because you're going through this process, like you know, you you're injured, you know what I'm saying? You can't do nothing, you know. Everything, like football, especially for me. I know how y'all boys feel about it, but y'all can probably test to it. It's just like football gave me like an hour on everything. Like if something going bad the other day in school, you know, I can go out there and play football and just you know hit somebody for, you know what I'm saying? Kind of like, you know, it kept me going, got me had football had me something to get ready for every day. I knew if my day was going wrong, I can I'm gonna end up doing something that I love. So I know to lose that, you know what I'm saying? You you lose, feel like you lose all hope. I feel like you know, it's that's a good outlook. You just kind of gotta tell yourself, you know, what you put in your mind, what you feed the most of this high the situation is really, really crazy to like not know your future, but like, you know, your right now is telling you like, dang, I'm messed up.
SPEAKER_03You know what I'm saying? The delusional part of it's like, bro, you can still make something yourself, you can still be successful, get out that whole show.
SPEAKER_00100%.
SPEAKER_03That's that's
From Few Offers To A State
SPEAKER_03real.
SPEAKER_02So tell me about your little uh Dallas, Dallas, Texas football journey, man. How how'd you you know, you know, being a divisional athlete, which people don't understand the value in that, that you don't have to pay for school, right? That you took a load off your parents, you're still doing the thing that could go. So, what brought you from this journey? It could be all the way back from little league, I don't care, to here today at A State.
SPEAKER_01So, I mean, I think a lot of us can attest, like, if we doing a sport, you've been doing it since you was a little kid before you can remember, before you just did it because you love to do it, and it's something that you've always done. And then over time you start to build that connection, you start to realize that it's more, it's it's still about the love, but it's more so about the business. And like you realize that it's not easy going from high school, going through all of that stuff and trying to get to college, especially nowadays and recruiting and stuff like that, it's not easy. So, like with me, I didn't have many offers coming out of school. Like I had four offers coming out of school, and I knew Arkansas State, like here with Coach Jones and stuff like that. He he actually wanted me to be the guy, you know. When I came up here from my um my camp and my visit, you know, they showed elite hospitality and things of that nature, and just even through high school, like it was just it was a rough journey, you know what I'm saying? Like, especially with the winning part of it, I didn't know what that felt like. You know what I'm saying? So, and just being able to come along and then having guys like you and then uh Webbs, um, Trey T, like all of y'all guys, like when I came in and y'all showed me the ropes and how things was supposed to go, I think that set the trajectory of what is now today. You know, so I I'll say that that'll be it for me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. I say like that's one thing I felt like you know, that was missing at least when I first got here. It's just uh, you know, like you get to college, you just like bro, you just barely flowing right now. It's a lot different. You're away from home, you know what I'm saying? The intensity, like a practice in college is way more physical than the game in high school, every man. Like, so I feel like you know, it was good, you know. I pride myself because I know what I wanted when I first got here, and I didn't really get that, you know what I'm saying. Nobody just uh helped me. I kind of had to help myself, so it was good just seeing that impact that it had on you, obviously. So I just say, man, you gotta just keep passing along down the generations, the Paul Rispers, the guys like that, just keep passing, you know, that standard down, bro. And you're gonna really like you're gonna really enjoy the benefits of that one day for sure. So tell me something about your journey, man. I know
A Winding Road Through The Portal
SPEAKER_02you all they I don't know how you did Pennsylvania to be honest with you. I never I heard a buck nail, but I don't know how you did that one, man.
SPEAKER_03So I mean, I ain't had a traditional uh start to football. I say, you know, I wanted to be next to bruh. You know, I'm in the backyard, like, Ma, give me five more minutes. I'm out there dribbling. I'm dribbling, doing all that, but I won't shoot for real. So, you know, I try to make the team like I think ninth grade or eighth grade actually, placement AAU before that, but try to make the team, you know, didn't make you know basketballs before football. So I ain't make it. I'm like, dang, let me go like do something else. Because I was really just a hard worker, you know. So I'm just like, you know, I swam, ran track, uh, basketball, and I was like, dang, let me try to prepare for this uh basketball season, uh, the football season, sorry, uh, next go-round. So I didn't make the team. Uh, then I ended up playing football. I didn't know what I was doing out there. They try to put me at linebacker. I'm a little tweener out there, so they ended up putting me at DN, all those sort of things, move back to linebacker. Um, just really going through, probably not playing a lot, uh, just not seeing the results I wanted early along and just continue to push through. Uh, like I said, I kept myself busy, uh swimming, running track. Uh, ended up getting an offer through a connection. Um, but obviously then I'm seeing something on film that, you know, wanted me to come into the program. So um, man, you're talking about an opportunity to go get a great education. Like, you know, that was probably what sold me was like knowing that, but like probably the facilities. Like, I'm young, you know what I'm saying? I'm impressionable. I knew that I could, you know, you're talking about leaving home, you know. I left home and tried to, you know, really establish myself. Uh, and I realized like that I got to take ownership of my life and a trajectory of wherever it goes at that point, you know, once you turn 18, man, like you got to really figure it out. You know, your mom and parents can tell you a lot and you appreciate them, you know, but like that's your life, you know what I'm saying? So I had to figure that out early, really. So um, like I said, I took that chance and risk and I I learned a lot from. I don't regret it at all. You know what I'm saying? It was a different environment from what I was used to. I mean, you're talking about from the project, like just probably not even seeing certain people a lot, you know what I'm saying? And now you're in an environment where you're around them and you, you know, you had to learn the code switches and all these certain things. You know, you learn a lot from how to present yourself, maybe, and still be yourself within that. Um, but I wasn't necessarily able to do that to the fullest extent. So that's how I ended up moving around maybe a little bit, figuring myself out, but still trying to, you know, find that purpose and passion through what I was doing. So, you know, uh, you know, you go through it as a freshman, like you come in there hungry, ready to go, you know what I'm saying? Then it hit you, bro. Like, you know, you went there for real, and it's like you ain't playing as much, you probably want to, or whatever. We ain't all Brandon Born, you know what I'm saying, coming there for, you know, so uh it's a blessing to be able to do those things, right? But it doesn't happen for everybody. So I had to really buckle down and figure out, like, dang, do I really want this? You know what I'm saying? And we probably all go through those moments still, even after that freshman year or segment, whatever it might be. But yeah, you know, so I I pushed through that segment. Um, I probably I was injured for a little bit because I uh just overworking probably in high school and stuff like that. I had like a sports hernia. Then that's why I didn't end up playing my freshman year and probably just skill-wise in general. So I sat out and you know, just not playing ball, being around the guys, you got to figure out coach talk about what value did you bring to the team, you know what I'm saying? I really had to ask myself that in that moment. Like, what am I doing here? Like, am I helping, am I adding? So, you know, I I found it through those winter workouts, like, dang, let me motivate my guys, let me, you know, still be consistent within myself, the work that I'm putting in outside of this, you know, are they, you know, am I proving it to myself that I can still show up to work, even though I'm not feeling, you know, up to par, whatever it might be. So, you know, just motivating guys, man. Like I get in there, I do weight, you're talking about doing certain weights and, you know, pushing yourself to limits that you didn't know you can do, and other people see that feed off of it. So, you know, I you talk about uh uh, I felt like that was the first steps of me probably becoming more of a leader, automatically being an older sibling and things of that nature, but that really helped me like figure out, okay, dang, if this doesn't show me being a leader, what else can I do, you know, to like help really add value where I'm at? So, you know, ended up moving from Bucknell though, uh went to the JUCO, didn't get the office I wanted, even coming out of high school. Man, I had like D2 offers, and then I ended up having that one FCS. So ended up uh at the JUCO, um, just didn't have the office I wanted. I'm from Durham. So, you know, I played there for a semester, like a spring semester, and then uh Central came through and picked me up. So it was a blessing, you know, to be back home, be with the family, um, you know, just not being around them as much and all those sort of things, and just them giving me an opportunity, man. It was a blessing. So I came through, had a coach to believe in me. I was able to produce and you know, put some some good things together, technique-wise, fundamental consistency, uh, really find that purpose and passion, man. It ended up here. So God be the first.
SPEAKER_02That show's a blessing. That whole portal thing was crazy, man. I know for a couple of days I ain't asleep, man. Recruiting from y'all boys, man, keeping me up late at night. But no, it was definitely, you know, a blessing. I feel like a lot of stories in the past, in terms of transfer portal, you know, just guys stuck at a school for four years, and you get those stories like guys being so great in high school, then you know, they ain't able to leave a school now. Like the portal still has the pros and cons. Some guys are not leaving for the right reason, obviously. But I feel like, you know, with the portal, just like anything like that, has pros and cons, but you get to see it for some of those stories that hey, I don't work out in this system, but if I come here, you see guys get to NFL, you know, they have a better future. So, you know, that's it's a life thing, unpredictable. Yeah, you never know what situation we're in, man. So
Facilities And The Competitive Edge
SPEAKER_02being here, being like, you know, all of y'all is being here, so like just in terms of how big of an advantage or like just really a blessing, because I know from my aspect, that weight room, just the weight room, the facility that we get to go to every day is just like probably one of the better ones in the country. You know, you have recruits constantly, you know, texting me about it. It's like like how big of an advantage is for y'all boys just having that, you know, having that 24-hour access as well, just by simply, you know, tapping in your phone.
SPEAKER_03I mean, maybe I I say a little bit. Just coming from a smaller level, um, you know, and and I feel like just the intention behind it, man. Like you talk about Coach Armor, Coach Ben Armor, his staff, man. Like, I feel like it's a lot of tension behind it. Uh, you talk about just elevating your game or athleticism, the triple extension. Like, we can get into the details, man, but all of that access, the treatment to the you know, the Saturdays where you got written up working out workouts, you know, for you to like go in there and take advantage of it. Like, just that that full-time access and full-time investment in us as athletes, you don't get that everywhere. So, I mean, you you talk about Coach Jones, man. I'm gonna be honest, that's probably the thing that sold me. Like, the way that he talks about developing the athlete, like, bro, it you gonna you're gonna buy it, bro. You know what I'm saying? He got the resume to match it. So, I mean, man, I think it's amazing, man. But you know, I it's definitely a blessing to have it, you know, at our advantage. So yeah, what you know it's one and none, bro.
SPEAKER_00When you we can we can say whatever conference we in is what dictate what uh what we look like, but uh, we're the top of the top when it comes down to what we have and what, like you said, we blessed with the people that's in the building, bro, are compared to none, just the the the true love that they do things with and passion that they do everything they uh that they do their job with. It's just I can't ask for better because where I'm coming from, bro. We play in the same conference, and just the just a different type of camaraderie that we have here is on a whole nother level. So it's hard to really compare them to anything and just like you said, really just be blessed for the hands-on attention to details on everything, and every player that we have in this program is just one to none because nobody puts that much attention on the top to the bottom of their team, and just what they do is just all out of love, so I can't be more thankful and blessed to be here.
SPEAKER_01Right. No, no, no. No, I was about to say, I'll say I ain't never been nowhere else. So I mean, it's kind of like this all I know. Yeah, yeah, you know, so I can't really compare it to nothing. I mean, obviously, it's a it's a blessing to be here. Um I really ain't got much more than that.
SPEAKER_03I'll tell you, well, I'll take the words for you, man. You talk about a competitive advantage, yeah. Like when coaches say that, bro, we take advantage of it, you know, just in comparison to any place I've been. So like like even just this week, yeah. Like we still in here working. You know what I'm saying? Everybody else at home, you know, they they you know, chilling in the bed, sleeping there until nine, we up getting it. So you know, we we definitely taking advantage of it, man.
SPEAKER_00They definitely get more out of you than you thought you had in yourself. So you can always appreciate that. Like they're never gonna be satisfied with just averageness or complacency. So they're always pushing you to get to that next step and a better you or better yourself. Because they're always trying to, like you said, look for a competitive advantage and just that's just our culture of what we do here. And uh we want to be number one in everything that we do, right? Real tough. We want to set a standard.
SPEAKER_02No doubt, no doubt. Now that's that's kind of how my whole outlook on it as well when I play here, man. Like I really enjoyed it, like literally be up there. If I want to use some DB working at a living, you know what I'm saying? Like it just that place just forces you to put the work in. I don't know why just something about being at the where I'm upstairs, you know, watching film late at night, you know, being the only car there, like just you know, grinding, you know what I'm saying, grinding for a better future, you know what I'm saying? So it's just something about that place that just make you want to, you know, blue collar just work even harder. But I think honestly, I don't think people talk about enough. It's just like, you know, being on both sides, now being on the coaching side, or even as a player, you know, you see things like in high school. I seen, like, you know, you have the booster club, whatever, like we're getting all these pregame meals in high school. Well, who's paying for the Buffalo Wildways? The boosters, you know what I'm saying? I really appreciate you know the boosters, like really just our fans in general by just like pouring in at us, you know, believing what we do, you know what I'm saying? Like I know we talk about all the time, especially like our guy Twan Lee, you know what I'm saying, take care of us on Thanksgiving, you know what I'm saying? Just any any booster, you know what I'm saying? The Davy Carters, anybody, like just appreciating like what they do pouring into that facility, resource-wise, because like without them, it'll be you know impossible to do. Most definitely.
SPEAKER_00It starts with them because we wouldn't have what we have if it wasn't for the people around us believing in us, supporting us. So, like you said, we appreciate them. Yeah, number one, that that don't that goes without saying.
SPEAKER_02Well, so like being here, you know, being here, obviously being here two years, but going on three, you get old, but you know, I was glad to uh then you obviously being here for a couple months, yeah, going on five months now. How
Serving Jonesboro And Learning To Give
SPEAKER_02has it, you know, being out in the community, doing like the community service, obviously, we be out around every almost every school around here?
SPEAKER_00Like how is that like little kids?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, no, I I feel the love though, man. Like even just the staff around these, you know, community service uh parts that we take into, uh like they just saw a lot of love, man. The kids they invested, obviously, like to be in a position where they could, you know, only hope to imagine to be in, maybe in the future, like and to be able to pour into them, man, like that means a lot. Um, they're invested in us and we're invested in them. So I think, you know, it's it's a it's a blessing to be able to go do that, you know, as much as like they they are you know welcoming us with open arms all the time. So I love that, man. We just ready to serve.
SPEAKER_01So I say it feels good to be able to inspire, you know what I'm saying, the youth and stuff like that. Um, it feels good to go places and people recognize your face, know who you are, things of that nature. Like, I remember we went to the elementary school, um, and we were reading to the kids and stuff like that. And this is one of the actually one of the greatest memories that I created so far here is uh it was it was a young girl that uh that she was she asked, she was like, Can I give you something? Basically, the whole topic of the matter was you have to give in order to receive. You know what I'm saying? Like make sure, yeah, make sure that you. That you giving, you know what I'm saying? Make sure that that's your first mind instead of asking or wanting for things of that nature, you know what I'm saying? Because God's gonna bless you. And so I said that, and she was like, Can I give you something that she wanted to give me her $10? Uh I guess for her lunch or something. Like, I'm like, nah, baby girl, keep your money. And in return, I gave her $20. Yeah and let her keep her $10. You know what I'm saying? Just things like that. And I feel like that's why you do what you do. Like that should that should be the reason why you get up and you work so hard every day, because you know it's somebody else out there that wanna be in that position one day that or that don't have what you have right now. And you have to be grateful enough to say, I'm not gonna waste this opportunity. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna feel sorry for myself. I'm gonna put in my work, I'm gonna do the extra, and I'm gonna inspire the youth, I may inspire my teammates, I'm gonna inspire the community. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_02I'll never forget that. I'll never forget that story because I was there and then I literally seen her like offer that. I'm like, oh my God, like this girl is what eight, nine years old. No, not even, not even, probably not even that, just like thinking about you know, how can I help somebody and then on her act of kindness, you know, she was received received something even better, you know what I'm saying? I felt like this that story right there is just powerful, and like, you know, it gives me more, you know, like assurance that like I gotta do better in my position, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, I can inspire more active in the world full of like, you know what I'm saying, hate, you know, things like that. I can inspire just that little active kindness now, you know what I'm saying? I'm creating relationships, but I'll create, you know, I'm inspiring good habits within the community, within our next generation, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_03So now that was yeah, I mean, and I say, like, you know, to go back and see the effects though, like I probably had this uh middle school, maybe high schooler, but to go follow up with them one time and see them and make an impact, whatever else, and then, you know, he said he might set a goal for us, so you might help him because we, you know, we're in a business of knowing how to set goals and achieve them and around, you know, younger men and people that can pour into us. So I say that the follow-up of seeing their progress, even when you go inspire and pour into them, man, like that's the same thing that you were testing to, like to really see it make an impact. Like, that just means so much. Yeah, no, truly, like it's inspiring. No doubt. Yes.
SPEAKER_02So obviously, yeah, now that, yeah. Doing that's why I have no problem doing the job I do. Like just seeing like all those impacts, all the relationships, you know what I'm saying? Like just having those relationships with just the teachers, the kids, you know, see them in the community. That doesn't make my job worth it. So it's definitely definitely easy. Easy getting up going work for me there. So, you know, shifting gears here a little bit. So,
CEO Quarterback Habits And Film Work
SPEAKER_02you know, because Jones always talks about like, you know, at the quarterback position, being a CEO quarterback. So like you kind of gotta have a different, really, any college athlete in general, you gotta go about your business a little different. Ain't high school no more. You're not the best athlete on the field right now. Like, we all still incredible athletes, but you got that guy, you got the best athlete from Tuscou to Alabama. Now you got the best athlete from the Dallas area, you got the best athlete from the Durham, the Birminghams, the Mobiles, the anywhere in the country. So how do you like, you know, as a quarterback, you gotta be wired different. How do you go about your business on a day-to-day basis where it's preparation, not only on the like within the film work, but just preparing your body for, you know, you know, the contact that you'll you'll get.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like you said, it's different, bro. The the position or it comes with the position. So it's a lifestyle. Uh, you just gotta know what's for you and what's not for you. Uh you also gotta just think for about your teammates, number one, because that's who I am. Think about my coaches, because at the end of the day, it's not just my name on the reputation. It's it's my it's the logo of the team, it's the culture of the brand and what we set. So I just I just gotta go about a different way. I don't have the same lifestyle that everybody can have. I can't do everything that my wide receivers or defenses out here doing. So I just gotta be different about the aspect and my outlook on life and on myself, because I gotta be myself's biggest critic. Right. Everything I do gotta be looked at with a glass eye. So I just gotta make sure I'm standing on top of my game, just being disciplined about my lifestyle. And just like you said, just CEO quarterback every day. Nothing can be shorter that it's fourth and one for the national championship every day that I wake up. So I just gotta live life, live life like that and follow those commandments of meet me being a CEO quarterback, staying in the training room early in the morning, being the last one to leave the building, uh, watching film all day, bringing in other guys to help them get better, just bringing them along, the younger guys, trying to get them on the same level to be ready when their name is called. So just always looking out for others, but also being the hardest on myself that I can be. Because nobody's gonna be working harder than me, and nobody's gonna out compete me. So I just gotta handle the things that I need to handle to make sure everything around me is right and my play is gonna take care of itself.
SPEAKER_02Right. Yeah, I feel like that position critical for it, man. Like I it's just being on the other side of being in the coach's side, seeing what y'all boys going through. Like, I remember just a couple weeks ago, you came in Coach McCarlin's office, you know, asking, you know, hey, like, what are y'all doing here? You know what I'm saying? Like, you just getting insight, you know what I'm saying? A lot of quarterbacks don't do that, yeah. But you getting insight on, like, hey, what do you think about me, Griff? You know what I'm saying? Oh, I can do this better. I ain't making this read properly, you know, I need to go through this progression. This is why y'all run this certain coverage against me, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00Like you said, just yeah, knowing my strengths, but also trying to wanting my weaknesses to become my strengths. So uh just always not so much focusing on my strengths, always trying to figure out a way to get better, a better way to do something or a better way to think about something, because it always comes down to your physical, mental, and emotional toughness at the end of the day. So it's all about what you're gonna do to build that. Yeah, and I try to, like you said, try to find every way to make myself better.
SPEAKER_02Right. Yeah, no, no doubt, no doubt. Nah, that's for you to do that though, that shows a lot, though. Everybody runs away from that, everybody runs away from the weakness, you know what I'm saying? They don't want to really hear that too much, you know what I'm saying. But for you to like actually, hey, this is what I need to do to get better, that's where you find the most success. The guys that don't do it, you're gonna have like you'll still have some success, but you're not gonna get reach your full potential if you're a competitor, which won't reach your full potential. So, like, you know, the safety position is like the same. You know, I played it in this system specifically. You got you're gonna have to know all those ticks. So, like, how do you like go about it on a day-to-day basis?
SPEAKER_01I feel like as a safety, knowing the defense inside and out, and I think that's that's what we've been able to do better these past couple days, is that we slowed everything down and we've learned not only your position and how to perfect your position, but knowing what somebody else's job is and knowing why you're doing your job the way you do it. Like it was it was very helpful these past couple days, just looking at film and seeing why we in the fit, why we're not in the fit, why certain things are happening on the field. And I feel like in that aspect, that gives you the ability to have um a leverage, like playing different positions. Like you can go from safety to star, safety, you might even go to corner, you know, just because you understand it all. So I feel like day in and day out, knowing that and just knowing your job and knowing everybody else's job around you will make you a better player.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, no doubt. You you have to at that position because if you don't, like it's touchdown, it ain't gonna matter. Like you done, if done miss a tackle, you know what I'm saying? The line of scripture would help you don't. I'm just saying, for instance, for hypothetically speaking, you miss a tackle, then they get to you, and you miss a tackle too, who you think they're gonna remember and miss a tackle? Me, you, because that you you're the last person they see. You so I feel like at that position, like I always think about it like it's killer be killed. I gotta think critical. Like, I gotta put myself in the worst possible scenario to prepare, like, hey, if I'm getting this, you know, formation, you know, against this certain blitz right here, how do I need, you know, what are the strengths and what are the weaknesses of this? Like, how can they get me? You know what I'm saying? I always it was funny, I always just look at old OCs, like going to the week, look at their like videos, you know, how they think what they think about our defense or what they done against our past and our defense. Like, it's crazy. You gotta play the game within the game. You know what I'm saying? Like, you you kind of gotta be a little crazy to be great, bro. So, like, that's one thing I always like shook myself out. Like, our because I wasn't the greatest athlete, bro. Like, I was just smart and I'm you know, I'm physical, I'm gonna hit like I don't care who you is, like you're gonna get hit. You know what I'm saying? So like I feel like you gotta like, you know, operate in that matter. Like, same way for DN. Like, it's money down, 30 down.
SPEAKER_03No, it is for sure. And and I say, I mean, the preparation of a guy like somebody that's undersized, truly, like, you gotta, you better prepare. Like, you better be in a like whatever, like I keep saying competitive advantage, bro, but like it's it's a real thing to like try to find any way you can to be better or prepare yourself for those money downs or whatever it is. And I've been learning honesty, is it that self-talk is important, like that self-talk, you know what I'm saying? Definitely when you know that you've proved it to yourself. But if you change what you're saying to yourself, that can kind of change your output sometimes. So, I mean, the preparation is all in like we're talking about the training room, film study. Um, if I'm watching indicators, like I'm a big guy on like demeanor, like I want to see my opponent's demeanor. I want to see what he what he does in certain positions, like when he's moving certain ways, his leverages and like it's it's a lot of details too. But like that film study we're talking about in there, working on your hands, your eyes, reaction time. Like, I mean, and these are things that like literally, if you're not getting better at it, you're gonna get worse at it. Like, truly, like your get off. Like, you're not keying in on that every time you do it, doing it the same way with the same intention and all those sort of things, bro. Like, you will get worse. So, you know, that's that's the trenches is a game of literally inches. Like, you know, like like we right there on the line, you know what I'm saying? So you have to literally be perfect. Um, and you gotta be physical, man. So that training room is real important, you know. So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So now shifting gears, obviously.
Best Eats For Jonesboro Days
SPEAKER_02So what you know, being in Jonesboro, y'all being here, obviously. What is y'all favorite restaurant, you know, in Jonesboro? Uh because there's plenty of them. Then they build in like two more. And that one they build in walk-ons. I'm gonna be there every day, be broke. I like every day.
SPEAKER_03So seven days a week. What you like? I brought I like a lot of stuff. I kind of um I actually just found a southern spot. I don't even, I forgot exactly what it's like southern, like barbecue or something. They got pork chop, you know, baked chicken. Where's by? It's uh is it towards the hot going towards the hospital, NEA?
SPEAKER_02Yes. Oh, Southern Hilltop Barbecue? There you go. Yeah, yeah, I've been slow. Hey, good. Hey dog.
SPEAKER_03Hey man, it's the truth. They got slap ribs, they got they got barbecue chicken, they got barbecue chicken, fish, bro. They got everything, bro.
SPEAKER_02Like, I need that. Yeah, they got uh they got everything in there. They had a soul food restaurant, and there was uh it was Kelly's. I love that they had ox tail in it, but something happened with the truck. Yeah, my brother Soul right there, man. Man just love Mr. Soul Food, man. Chili Birmingham.
SPEAKER_00Jesus know it. All of them.
SPEAKER_02That's the spot though. I got I got a good little top three depending on the week. So I love J Towns and JJ's. If I don't have chicken burger, anything like that. J Towns and JJ wings on Johnson. I love them too. It's Mexican, I'm going to Papitos every time. It's a lot of options. I'm busy. Mama Sain from my hibachi, I'm gonna go to Mama Sain. Mama Sain the one, you know, and that's all like really right by you know, university. What about Fuji? I've been to Fuji, I've been to Fuji a couple times. One time. I like Fuji's okay to me. It just like mama sane's closer than I like. I really like Mama Sane, like Fuji.
SPEAKER_00I heard a lot of people talking about Fuji though, but I have only tried Mama Sane.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna be honest. If it tastes good, I want it. TJ burgers. TJ, yeah, I'm not. Uh TJ's fine, man. I'm like I like I like Freddie's reading too. Okay. I like TJ's. I get why you like TJ's, yeah. So you like Freddy's the fries are like extremely small. Like small, like smaller than my dreads, man. Yeah. Smaller than my dream. I didn't know they had a Freddie Terra. All right, like Freddie. Yeah, no, I'm North Carolina. I'd say, man, yeah, it's like an East out here. No, it is.
SPEAKER_00It's a great city. Like football players for us speaking on like this, bro. If you want somewhere to school lock in and focus, this is the place to be. Yeah. Ain't got nothing to worry about but school and football.
SPEAKER_02So get some good food.
SPEAKER_00True place of a student athlete.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's really like just the community in general. Then you got, you know, your places like that, what you need. So like for us the cryo 2.0. So like yeah, cryo, take everybody. Yeah, I go to number case right after I get out. But size therapist, I might say can't beat it at all. Like just all that. Just the culture is there.
Welcome To College Football Moments
SPEAKER_02So, what was y'all's welcome to college football moment?
SPEAKER_00I say my I wanna say my sophomore year. Southern Miss, my second year of Southern Miss. First game I start, Mississippi State Bulldogs. Yeah. In Stark Vegas. Uh-huh. Yeah. Uh, I want to say, well, the first drive went pretty good. I think we scored in two plays through a threw a deep ball of about 60 yards, and we got in on the second play. The next drive, I must uh this one I really didn't understand uh whole world of protections and offensive line and defense scheming. Bubba Watson came off the edge, five men slide away. I'm looking to my left out of nowhere. I'm talking about like a train hitting me. That really just made me go harder. Just like you said, being on the size, you gotta put yourself at a whole nother advantage. And ever since that game, man, it's like a flip switch on me. Like, I gotta get this down back because this is what's gonna put me ahead of everybody and make me excel my dynamic running ability, but being able to throw the ball as well, just understanding where they're coming from, so I can know where to put the ball. And still just wanting to become get better and better and soak up more knowledge about the whole system and just the whole game of football itself.
SPEAKER_02You know that boy from right.
SPEAKER_01Built like that.
SPEAKER_03Built like Belma, too, huh?
SPEAKER_01Man, that's why that boy, that why you you traumatized while you stay running their football. Okay. I'm getting out of it. I ain't waiting. I'm not waiting, man.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, e3 we slid, boy.
SPEAKER_01No, I ain't gonna lie. I I don't think I well, I have, but it ain't never really been a moment.
SPEAKER_04I'm a different dog.
SPEAKER_01You differ? Nah, I'm saying it ain't never really been a moment where it was just like, welcome to college football. Because I say one of those things that I came into college with was a mindset. Like it was it was instilled in my pops, talked to me about it. He already told me what it was gonna be. I mean, you gotta experience it for yourself, obviously. But at the same time, I had already made up my mind that this is what it's gonna be. And if I don't do this, I'm gonna fall behind. So it was kind of like a panic or like a scared feeling of being left behind or not being good enough. So I think that's what kept me going to be like, that won't be me. Now, what I will tell you is Jeff Jones, and that's welcome to college food. Yeah, that's welcome.
SPEAKER_02I mean, that bike, that bike won no joke.
SPEAKER_01Suicide, yeah.
SPEAKER_02You already knew you're gonna get the proud of suicide on the uh first week of condition in the summer in the winter and that first Friday. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01That was coming, that's what was.
SPEAKER_02Legs tore up.
SPEAKER_01You knew what was coming.
SPEAKER_03Man, that's what it got. What about you? I mean, I'm gonna be, I don't remember like a it's definitely like I probably remember a play I wish I can get back, but I say first, like just going through different fall camps, or probably the first one, like they'll be them walking to college morning, bro. Like you in the summer, it's hot, like the day don't end, it don't never end, you know what I'm saying? Like that's that's probably the biggest one. I mean, I don't win against some guys, you know, they they probably got me, but like I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm trying to get them back too, you know. So um, you know, that's not happened throughout the career, but definitely probably a play like we played like JMU 2023 or something like that, man. Like something that probably made me realize like I need to like discipline, like one of them plays or stuff that happens that makes you realize, like, damn, I really need to be more disciplined, man. It's it's so simple, but a dude went probably like six yards. It won't simple then, you know what I'm saying? Like coming off trying to surf, like just all the fundamentals of the game, bro. Like, that was probably a moment where I like a play I wish I could get back, whereas man, he just took it to the crib, like yeah, you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So um the boy DQ bit in college 2000.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so bow wow. Bow wow proper. So
Representing The Logo And Closing
SPEAKER_02let's let's say, for example, you know, there's you know, a donor in here, listener, just somebody like, you know, that has like heavy influence around the university, department, AD, it could be really anybody. So like they don't know nothing about you, you know what I'm saying? Everyone can't step in the field, everyone can't step in the locker room. What would you tell them, you know, something that the average person wouldn't know about you, just whether it be work ethic, you know, like things in general, like how hard you work on the outside of life or just anything about you, like what would you tell them?
SPEAKER_03I'll go ahead and go. I mean, uh, I say the biggest thing about it all, like, even as being a part of this program, like I'm gonna like fully uh expound myself, like fully, literally do everything I can to be my best result for this community, for this team, and everything of that nature. I mean, and and just even like I'm pretty sure they would know Coach Jones. Like, I mean, he's gonna get it out of us too. So, I mean, just just relying on that and you're talking about a sense of security and knowing that literally we gonna we're gonna give it all if we are part of this. You know, we put on that jersey and and have that logo on us, man. So, I mean, that's that's probably the like I'm not average being a part of this program, but just just my life in general is not average. Like, I mean, you know, I'm disciplined, like any guy that they bring into this, like we are disciplined guys, guys that are literally like willing to give it our all to the community, whatever, you know, however that looks, you know, and whatever capacity. So I mean, that's literally what it is, man. Being great or being our best self every day we show up in whatever capacity it is for sure.
SPEAKER_00So I say uh, like he said, uh just being driven to represent the local the logo the right way, yeah. Wherever you are, so just really just holding what's what you're doing and the place that we're at, just Arkansas State is just bigger than myself, it's bigger than Ethan Crawford. So I have a much higher respect that I gotta operate on on a whole whole daily basis, and just come to work every day with a mind of that I'm trying to make this place better and everybody around me better, and just get back to what they're giving to me, because like you said, like it's bro, it's it's greater than none, like what they're doing for us. So I try to make every every day I can the best best day possible.
SPEAKER_01I'll say for me, and just and just everything that I do, I don't know how to do things halfway. Like, it don't really matter how small it is, like if I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna give up my hundred percent, I'm gonna put my all into it. And you know what I'm saying? I'm I'm very serious and passionate about what I do, you know, just being the best at it really, because that's just my self-standing and and whatever it is. So I say that for me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Well, I appreciate y'all boys coming through, you know what I'm saying, chopping up with me. And you know, so that was another episode of Inside the Dam with Justin Park. So um always like and subscribe to our Arkansas State Media page, it'll be at Arkansas State Media Network, and we'll see y'all on the next episode. I appreciate y'all boys.