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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
Two Different Paths to the Same Roster
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Falling behind in summer conditioning is a quick ticket to the sideline. As college football rosters become completely overhauled year after year through the transfer portal, establishing a new standard early is the only way to survive. Defensive tackle Tylen Coleman and freshman linebacker Rashem Turner share their distinct paths to the Arkansas State gridiron.
We sit down to break down the shock of D1 summer workouts and the massive jump in speed from Friday nights to Saturday afternoons. The conversation spans the nuances of JUCO transfers versus early high school enrollees, navigating the chaotic landscape of modern recruiting, and the mental shift required to balance defensive schemes with Canvas deadlines. The core takeaway is that raw athletic talent only gets you so far without a rigid routine that holds you accountable for the smallest daily habits.
The college lifestyle is incredibly demanding, and the sheer volume of early mornings, intense practices, and late-night study sessions can easily break a player who isn't adequately prepared. Listeners will walk away with a clear understanding of the sacrifices required at this level, learning why pacing yourself, staying ahead of academic deadlines, and relying on the brotherhood of your teammates are vital to staying above water.
If you care about college football recruiting, building a resilient mindset, and the day-to-day execution of a student-athlete, you’ll get a lot from this. Make sure to subscribe to the Arkansas State Media Network and share this episode with anyone looking to elevate their game. What small daily habit has been the most critical to your own success?
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0:00 - Summer Conditioning & Heat Check
1:04 - JUCO vs. High School Transitions
10:41 - The Recruiting Reality & Choosing A-State
16:09 - Brotherhood and the 4-for-1 Program
20:01 - NCAA Ratings & Mascot Mode
22:36 - The "Why" Behind the Grind
We are Arkansas State Football. What's up, Rare World Nation? This is Justin Parks here with another episode of Inside the Den. I'm here with Tyler Coleman, uh D tackle here, and Rasheem Turner, fresh and linebacker. So how y'all boys feeling today? Feeling good, man. Feeling good for sure. Feeling good, man. Going through the summer. Yeah. How the more how the normal workouts trim you? Body hurting. Get me right, though. He gave me right for sure. Definitely. Yeah, so y'all normally, so how was this pass, you know, Friday? Obviously getting the first like uh what summer conditioning session there, you know, kind of kept a little light on y'all, but how did it like, you know, feel, you know, just getting back moving around a little bit prior to spring ball? I was definitely, I was definitely a little overheated when I got to my bed.
SPEAKER_02Definitely a little overheated, but Coach Albert, he's definitely getting us right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00For sure that. Yeah, I I'll definitely say he just seeing where your preparation has been at, really. But like it's it's been smooth so far though. You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So obviously y'all got probably like two different stories, you know. Ty obviously coming, you know, JUCO product, you know, Sheen, you know, high school products. So like how has the change been, you know? So obviously you went JUCO, Ty, way from JUCO, obviously Florida State, and uh here, like how's the whole like process been for you? You know?
SPEAKER_02So the process has definitely been a bit of a roller coaster, I will say, but you know, just glad that I'm finally in a place and just ready to work, really.
SPEAKER_01Just not trying to get ready work, does it? So you coming here, like, so how was it, you know, having now you getting coached by Coach Pitt again, but also getting coached by him, you know, at Northwest. Like, how's that, you know, was was the decision, you know, easier for you, I guess, when you when it came down to it? Yeah, for sure, because Coach Pitt got me here, you know.
SPEAKER_02And um, he hit me up, said, Hey man, um, you know, Arkansas State. I said, You know what it is, Coach. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure. That's my dog there. Pip Pip right one of the funniest people on plan on the planet, but he's not even intentionally, he's not even doing it. He just yeah. It's just natural, bro. He he be trolling, right? Like he, I guess working with them guys and make everything easy. You know, them guys are a cracker joke, you know. You think coaches just all serious all day, but we be in there, you know, we get our business done, but we definitely like to have fun. So, like, Shame, obviously, you come from uh Seminole High School down there in Florida. Like, how you know, cause you is I guess you could say it's a roller coaster for you too, because like now you're competing not only against, you know, high school guys like kind of like how me and him did, you know, just you getting you top players in the country, you try to pick a school from a high school perspective, but you know, colleges now getting Portal guys, JUCO guys. So like how, like, you know.
SPEAKER_00I'll probably say, you know, it was it was also kind of a roller coaster, you know, because you just gotta you gotta realize coming out of high school, like the variety and number, how many people are trying to go to play college football out of high school, just like you. So, you know, it was it was just like a roller coaster, like I say, uh going between different schools, visiting like different states with my parents and stuff, and uh just overall ending up here and just and just meeting meeting Coach Griff, meeting, meeting all the coaches that recruited me and seven, and just making the decision. And then I always knew in my mind, like eventually, like when I figured out where I wanted to be at, it wasn't gonna be no like switching up, especially if I knew it was a place for me. So I just I felt like this is a place for me and made it happen.
SPEAKER_01So enrolling early, you know, like you did, you know, coming straight out of high school, probably I know you went to prom, but you basically missed like you cut off half of your senior, you know, getting ready for college, you know. I kind of had a similar, I had the exact same path actually, enrolling early. Like how, you know, going in here early, going from high school, waking up at like what 7:30 a.m., getting to high school, going throughout the day. Now you just like college, everything's like this. You probably ain't got teachers breathing down your back, your parents breathing down your back. Like, how's that change been for you?
SPEAKER_00Man, I say what's crazy is my my prom was on the day of our spring game. And so it wasn't a go on the problem. But uh it's it was a big stuff for sure. You know, my high school, uh, where I'm coming from, they always they done sent a lot of guys to the next level. So like they prepared us a certain way, but like it is still certain things I had to adjust to when I got here, like uh just managing my time and stuff. And then it's just like, man, you gotta just realize when you get here, like something gotta snap in you that you're around a bunch of people that got jobs on the line. So they gonna play like it. And it's like you either gonna, you either gonna really just rise or fall. Like, and it's they gonna, the people that's around you, they're gonna be pushing you every day. So like your standard is just gonna naturally rise. Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01I don't think nobody values, I think, like I valued it so much just getting there early. Like you said, allowing me to learn everything so much faster, you know, kind of have my welcome to college moment at that time too. It kind of got me mindset ready of like, hey, like this is what it's gonna be like. You know, you're going against the best players from each part of the United States from Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, even California, Missouri. Like, you know, you're gonna go against the best uh people everywhere you every day in practice, you know. You tell people all the time, tell the crew all the time, they'd be like, hey man, what's the like what's the difference between you know high school and college? And I'm like, man, like a high school game may be like just like a college practice, if not like a college practice might be way harder than a high school game. Like as college game days, like it's hard, but like them practices, like you know, you there's you banging out every day. So that's it.
SPEAKER_00I could definitely say that, but them them periods, like the periods and the period increase from high school, college is crazy. Like you gotta be, you gotta definitely be in shape and be able to run for sure. You're gonna you're gonna feel it at first, but you just gotta just stay at it and yeah, I'm over time.
SPEAKER_01So like um, when did you guys like start playing football? I played, I started playing football since second grade. Second grade, uh I wish. My mom, she put me in a program, so that's why I've been rolling with second grade, I've been playing football. Now, what'd you did you always play D-line? I know some guys' story be different. They'd be like quarterback, then D-line, running back, then gonna be. At first, I was a running back.
SPEAKER_02At the very start, I was running back. And then I was like, oh, I'm getting a little too big. They tried me everywhere on the line of them. And I was like, man, I like D-line. I was a DN in high school. And then uh I got the Northwest Gannico Pass. Yeah. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, that's where I'm at now. That's crazy, man. It is. I can just tell right now, like I can just just imagine you. I know you was probably like in Little League one, like our big running backs that you probably get chicken car, power back, hard to tackle. I can already see it in the dragons. Yeah, I already know. I can already see it now. It's so funny, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um, so uh I probably I probably started playing football like when I was around eight years old. And what's crazy is like we'll practice all week and our game will be on Saturday. Well, with my situation, I will only practice on Friday and play the next, yeah, next play the next day on Saturday. So, and then I eventually just started loving it. Uh, you know, my dad he just put his extra time into it with me and just teaching me all the little things while he was learning as well. And then I I started off playing uh defensive and running back before I eventually moved to linebacker like at 12 years old. And then I've been playing that position ever since.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. No, that's that's definitely like I kind of part of me wish I played Lil' League because it was so fun. Like you see, like all the guys, like I didn't start playing until seventh grade. So I was I thought I was gonna be a Hooper out. Like I thought I was gonna be LeBron. Yeah. Then I seen LeBron was 6'8, dribbling down the court, and I'm like, what, five, eleven, six foot? I'm like, yeah, I ain't going to the NBA. They they hurt me, it hurt me bad, but like I put my mindset in DV and then so I got here. But um it's definitely you know crazy. Everybody got this different story. You know, I know some guys that don't even play until they senior year, they hooping their whole time and then they go out to football and be a freak athlete. Tell me full style. They just came in last minute, then last minute, yes. And then they getting all bro, one of my homeboys, he played for the Pelicans, his name, uh Jalen Moore. He uh literally, in high school on the basketball team, he like what 6'5, 6'6, you know. He in the NBA right now, but he was like Kentucky came in there, you know, watched us hoop, and the offensive coordinator time, he literally told my head coach, he was like, Man, if he literally plays wide receiver this year, I would offer him on the spot right now. If he just literally tells you that he's gonna he's gonna play this year, I'll offer him on the spot right now. That's how crazy like it is. Yeah, I'm just saying, like, you just see people, you know, hooping, you know, you see the size, like you just like, oh yeah, he's gonna be a good receiver. Like, but you know, he's he chose basketball.
SPEAKER_00So but I ain't never had it hooping, I ain't gonna lie. I played one basketball game, so I was young. Fouled out. I played one basketball game. Like I'm young, so I'm just coming off of football. My first little football season, I played basketball. I done tackled somebody on the court. So then they done kicked me out again. I know my dad was like, you ain't gonna play. I was like, nope.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was the exact same way. I got all the exact same way. I could already I knew it. You're gonna go in there five fouls, foul out technical foul. But hey, those those blocks still foul. So, I mean, yeah. Which so now y'all got me thinking, which position group y'all feel like will probably win the basketball game? Like we had a tournament, every position, like at their team, like five on five. You can even do four on four. Which position group you think will win on this year's team? Coach that was just talking about this the other day. We just trying to I'm trying to see what y'all was thinking.
SPEAKER_02What she think? Uh honestly, I might give it to the DBs, man. I don't think somebody beating the DB. They got some pretty good hoopers on there. Really? I know AG can hoop a little bit. I play I played with him in the rig before. He's a he's a good hooper. That's really the only DB that I know that I know can play basketball. I haven't really, I'm not a basketball really guy at all, so but I know AG can hoop a little bit.
SPEAKER_01So you know we get somebody problems, bro, and it'll surprise y'all. I even know this until recently. Manase IT might be the best player on this team. Yeah, yeah. No, Manase. Yeah. Yeah, they say Manase IT might be the best. That boy played left tackle in this man. They say basketball play. They say like he like grew up, like always played basketball. I think the O line will probably win, though. I ain't gonna lie. O line's a tight end. Did they say Jaden Ham can hoop too? If we gotta go full court, the O line now winning. Yeah, yeah, like half court, he probably got it, but full through it, they finally got it.
SPEAKER_00Now say Kerano. Yeah, I'll probably have to give it to the DB, though, because them boys, like we done been to the wreck together. Like them boys, they hooping for sure. And then Joe, before he switched the line, I could Joe be hooping too for real.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he be posting his Instagram highlights. I'd be like, bruh, it's over. I just side up, like, bro, it's over, it's over. Glory days. So just you know, now we're switching gears a little bit. Now, you guys are here. Now, going back in the past, you know, what was like the deciding factor? You I I tell people all the time, portal is just like speed day. Like, it's like getting another luckily you knew Pitt, but like I remember times you just hitting up a guy at 3 a.m. and like hey, uh, need you on a visit tomorrow, you know what I'm saying? Like just getting it done. You know, you you obviously have relationships along the line of like, all right, I'm starting my junior year, you know, we hitting you up. You know, I know you probably you committed early as well. You committed before I started like coaching on staff. So, like, what was the deciding factor for y'all boys in choosing Arkansas State? Why Arkansas State?
SPEAKER_02Okay, I feel like my deciding factor was definitely Coach Pittman, a big factor in it. I said I I know coach, he knows me. You know, we've been through the JUCO days together, so you know, it's real, it's real connection there. And like I said, the staff's really good staff. Yeah. All the coaches, really good. A real family, you know. Yeah. And there haven't been a day where I had my head down, somebody was like, hey man, pick your head up, bro. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So it's real, real brotherhood, real family, like program. That's one thing I was really looking for. So that was a good deciding factor for me.
SPEAKER_00I'll probably say with me, and just like the biggest thing with my recruitment, like I like coaches that kept it real with me. Like just the just the realness behind it, like all the way from the point to where I was invited to camp, and then they offered me before I came to camp. And then when I got there and talked to, when I got there and met Griff and met Coach McDaniel when he was here, like they just they kept it honest with me and stuff, and then they they brought me out to the side after the camp and and just had like a real talk with me and stuff, and and you know, Griff just telling me like, I want you here and stuff, and then me just me just opening up to him too, like just about my process and like the coaches that I did deal with that were recruiting me and like where they act like they would keep it real with me, but then they didn't. And you know, I just I just liked that uh realness that they kept with me. And then um just the fact that he telling me like he gonna he's gonna push me, and I know that's that's something you need, like no matter what player you are, like you need somebody that's gonna push you past your limits to make you the player that you want to be. Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01Where did y'all boys grab? So I know you just graduated class. When did you graduate high school? I was class of 2023. Okay, you got man, you, bruh. Y'all boys lucky, blessed, all that. Y'all boys got to take OVs, y'all boys got to do camps, where 2021, that was like the craziest year. Like 2020, everybody say 2020 had it bad. Really, 2020, they got to do the only thing they missed out on was prom. That's about it. Like, we missed out on a whole year. Like, we over here playing games with Mac, everybody got mask on, like, you know, social distance. And it was, well, Alabama didn't follow the rules. So they're a football tour. So the games still be packed. But it's like, you know, couldn't take visits, you know, doing virtual zooms, man. That was like probably the craziest time. Y'all boys are probably like too young. Well, you you young. Me on that happened. I was like still, he was early in his little process. Yeah. He was just trying to keep his head above water for like 10 years in high school. Yeah, I remember, yeah, their high school, man. How how was it like, you know, being in school at that time of like just straight virtual learning? Cause I'm pretty sure y'all didn't go to school, right?
SPEAKER_02Y'all was just, I ain't gonna lie, I became a whole different person then that time. Like I started uh because I felt myself drifting off into doing different things and trying to do different stuff. And I shoot, I messed around and just became a whole new person, right? Like just find new things to do. You know what I'm saying? Find a way to ration my time to different things. Yeah. It definitely I feel like it helped me out a little bit. Yeah, find myself, who I really am as a person. I'm there.
SPEAKER_01You just went to Tokyo, right? So how was that? How was that whole experience? That's just when we went to Japan. I I wanted to go to Vietnam. Or to Japan, like out of there.
SPEAKER_02Tokyo is definitely, definitely a um place to be, man. Good people. I haven't I haven't ran into have a race situation yet. So a lot of people's like, oh, it's racist out there or whatever. I haven't ran into a person yet, and I go down the street, oh, cool chain, cool chain, or they'd be like, oh, cool clothes, or tall, tall.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they probably so like seeing you out there, it's probably like not like that big of a human out there. So they're just probably getting like stopped everywhere, huh?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, like I had a couple people come up to me and take a picture. They didn't know who I was. Like, I'd be like, I'm American football player. And they like, oh, yeah, you know, that's cool.
SPEAKER_01And this is definitely, definitely cool, cool experience, man. I definitely enjoy myself. Yeah, I see a lot of people do a lot of mission trips uh like you know what seemed normal to us, like, you know, over here on this in the United States, like you go abroad, like different countries do like, you know, mission trips. It's kind of like good, cool to see like people just like happy to see, like they not familiar with you, but they just like, oh, like this, yeah, like this guy and being on that new like scenery.
SPEAKER_02So it's cool. We need to give them back so many new people, so many new connections, just things to grow off of. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00So around that time, I was uh I think I was just getting ready to go into high school. So like I was I was online school, but like my dad, he had me like preparing a lot going into high school because he knew like that was gonna, that was gonna make or break me, like them four years, like how I invested in them four years, like coming out, like knowing that I wanted to go play college football, I needed to come in ready. So I was just grinding around that time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. So how like so you know, I know obviously four for one when I play here, like just the program, you know, get around my teammates, you know, you're hearing these different stories. Like how, you know, it's getting around the guys every Wednesday, your four for one group and just like talking and like hearing the interactions with the different people, you know, because it's like some guys I play, I'm like, oh, I did not know he'd been through that. Like I'm like, oh my God, I would have gave up, you know, but you know, he perseveres. So he kind of always gave me a deeper appreciation and kind of allowed me to go harder for the guy next to me. Like, how, you know, has been the four for one program been for you guys?
SPEAKER_00I'll probably say, you know, me, me, like I just always like when I walk around on my day-to-day basis, like when I just look at people, I'd be like, man, I wonder what they're going through. Or like I wonder what they're thinking or how their life is in their eyes. But like just around the guys that I play with every day and have to like go through hard things with every day, like just knowing what they go through, like it definitely, like, just hearing their stories, like allows me to feel like, okay, this is my brother. Like, he felt he felt comfortable enough to share this with us as a group. So, like, man, I'll do anything for him. Like, I'll I'll go through the hard ties with them and stuff. You know, it just gives you that real like team connection when you learn like the personal things that people call them. So absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, same here, man. It's just like getting to know new people and just getting to know your teammates, your brothers, the people you play beside every day. I feel like that's just a great program to get us all accommodated to each other, you know, especially with the craziness in college football and everybody coming from literally everywhere, bro. So, you know, I feel like that's a that's a good way to help us get to know each other as people as team outside of football and good as well.
SPEAKER_01For sure, for sure. Yeah, it's it's funny you bring that up, man. I tell people all the time, I'm like, man, you literally get like back in the day, same teammates four years, you may have this guy leave, you know, this guy may just stop playing football. Now you're just getting like 80 new teammates every year now. So it's like crazy. Like I it's just a whole different, but I think the Porter does do a good job of like, you know, you also had those guys that like, hey, I would never know this guy's story if he, you know, didn't transfer. You know, some guys don't fit in certain schemes in certain places, don't mean they're a bad player. They just, you know, it's just not the right fit. And then they go, you know, they just blossom somewhere else. So um I really think, especially like D2 guys have been so many D2 guys that like I would never know this man's story. Like end up winning a national championship just because like, you know, he just he was he was 170 pounds, said 195 pounds out of high school, and you know, write him off and then he come back and you know, he bounced back. So those stories always you know amaze me. Yeah, for sure. So, you know, switching gears a little bit. So how you know, getting out in the community, you know, I see you guys out quite a bit, like how like just being around Jonesboro, being around people where there's community service events or you know, just going out, donors with the boosters, you know, just mingling with people, you know, that obviously the party we had at the facility not too long ago, you know, some of you guys were around. Like, how you know, just being here a couple months, how impactful has the community been for y'all, you know?
SPEAKER_02Very Jones Boro, definitely a close knitted town. I feel like everybody knows who the football team is, or you know, you just go to somebody. Oh, you play football, don't you play football for A-State? Yeah, oh yeah, what's your name, man? Like it's real friendly. I ain't ran into I really ain't ran into no bad people yet, no sour faces, no community. Everybody happy to meet the football players, man. So that's good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'll probably say, even though getting here early, like, man, it still just all feels new to me. Cause like it's just it's such a blessing being here. And like uh just come coming from my town, like Jonesboro is bigger than from where I'm from. And but I would but I'll say like the people just on a day-to-day basis, like they it's some cool people out here. Like, it's they wouldn't just walk by you without saying something or saying, hey, but it's it's cool. Like, I like the people out here, I love the community too. And like I said, it just still feels all new to me, just being in college and like being in this situation. That's amazing, right?
SPEAKER_01So now we got this, uh, we got NCAA 27 coming out in uh a couple of weeks. You know, the they just released the the you know the cover, the cover athletes on the game. You know, I remember like what two years ago when that game was just first coming back, and the excitement, you know, I'm like, bro, I'm tired of playing Madden where the NCAA like having had NCAA since 2014, then like you know, I was just blessed to probably the first game be on the first game back, and then every day I'm looking trying to check what my ring is gonna be. Then some of my teammates are mad what their ring was when they first joined, had some 57, some 62s out there, man. You it's hard, it's hard to even post it. You like you trying to go take that picture on it and say, hey, I'm on the game, but you see that 60 on that, it's like ah, yeah. I'm posting it to my close friends. So, how like you know, what what do y'all guys think your ring gonna be on the game? They gotta leave me a 75. 75.
SPEAKER_00You take a 75. I take a 75. I don't know. I'm not expecting it to be too high because I'm coming in as a freshman. I still gotta like prove what I could do. But I what's like the usual like base rating like in the C.
SPEAKER_01They probably give you a 63. Yeah, but look, I done seen guys go from six, like you go out there and go crazy, like after all you get make them list, they'll bump you up like Tim what Tim was like so.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I ain't I ain't expecting it to be too high coming out the gate, but like I know I prove what I need to do, it'll go up later on.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, no, it's it's crazy, man. It was good to have that game back, man. I don't think that's the only game I have downloaded on my uh PS right now. It's the only game I love playing. Everybody was like, Can't wait to NCAA to come out, and then they stopped playing after like a week because like I feel they say the game's not realistic. I feel like it's realistic. I feel like you know, you if it's a three-down front, you're gonna run the ball. If you come out there and man, you can go out there and dime, and they can you can stop the run, they can just glitches in the game, but NCAA, you gotta be real skilled. Like, it takes a yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, I ain't gonna lie though. I ain't gonna lie, though. I had some crazy stuff happening on some of the yeah, yeah, it doesn't crazy. I I call to call it RNG, random number generation. Random numbers. So talk to me. So as I said, like when something bad happened to the game, I'd be like, oh, this is just the RNG. I got RNG'd. It's random number generated. Basically, like, you know, these games, they got an animation. And sometimes, sometimes you just get a lucky animation and you come down with the ball. Or even when I'm on 2K and somebody, somebody's like 10 feet away from me. Somebody jump at the mall and contest my shot. It's RNG'd.
SPEAKER_00Man, bro, I would still bring back the uh the mascot mode on NCAA. I think they're doing it this year. Man, bro, that's gonna be so funny. I remember I remember playing with that mode when I first played NCAA.
SPEAKER_01So again, switching gears again. So what is you is your guys' why? Like, you know, this probably one of the most far as experience a human can go through. I don't think people understand the dynamics of the situation that you guys are put in. You gotta be students of the game and not only students of the game, but students in real life when it comes to academics, you know, having the obligations that you have. You know, you're gonna have a what class from like what eight, you know, eight to one thirty or so, then you gotta practice for about four hours, then meetings, and then you know, you gotta study the film, you know, yourself. So, like, how do you what's your guys' why and how do you handle being a student athlete?
SPEAKER_02Uh so my why is definitely my mom and my family, you know, all them people over there, man. They uh they've been rude for me since I've been uh JUCO with nothing to my name. So how I handle it, like uh I just try to make healthy habits. Like getting up early on time, going to bed early, um, eating the right foods, just trying to keep myself accountable to the small things. I feel like if I can keep myself accountable to the small things, I can make big things happen. That's always something I try to live by every day. I try to, let's say I try to wake up on time, eat a good breakfast, eat a good lunch, get some snacks in between. So that's definitely one thing I try to do to keep myself, you know, afloat for sure.
SPEAKER_00I'll probably say my why is like also kind of like what he said, just like the people, the people that just made the sacrifices to get me in the situation I'm in, you know, obviously my my close family, but like just the people that's closely in my circle as well. I love y'all. But yeah, and then uh just also just knowing like every decision I make now on is for my future family, and just knowing that I gotta make the right decisions now and and put myself in the right places now for my future as well. And then uh I'll probably say how I handle being a student athlete, like just tying back to like stay on top of my stuff, like just staying on top of knowing when you gotta go to sleep, uh eat, just little things. Like it's a lot of the time it's just little things that tie in to bigger things that happen. Uh yeah, just standing on top of things or like setting alarms, uh, stand on top of my schoolwork, those type of things.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, sure. It's good. You hate to play catch up in college. Yo, you got guys that don't do it around the whole semester. That's Sunday, that's Sunday when they get that five-page and say do it at least. Nah. What? That 1159, man. That is helly. That thing, bro. College, it'll make or break you. It'll make or break you.
SPEAKER_02I'm trying to turn it into five pages.
SPEAKER_01So I'm gonna. Yeah, get them done. You gotta lock in. You gotta lock in. So I know how it be. Oh yeah. No, I think the best, the the guys that have the most success, they do the work early, then like let's say you do slack off, because there's a lot on your plate now. You slack off in the end at the end of the day, you want to go all out the whole time, but let's say you slack off, you got a little bit more leniency because you started good. But like when you wait the last minute, you know, and wait until left ignorant day, then you got a 57 in class, and now you try to get a 70 to pass. At the end of the semester, that's the stress that you don't need. So it's good that you kind of prioritize that. Cause I've seen I've seen that case a lot, and that ain't that ain't that ain't fine. Stomach, you know, you walking on the egg sheds, you checking that uh you're on canvas, checking them grades, making sure you should put in B or D. Trying to calculate it. Yeah, put in, put the future kind of hey when they that's hey. When they put that in, oh, they changed the game now. Oh, that changed the game. Yeah, yeah. Like believe graded. Yeah, oh we. Yeah, that that did it.
SPEAKER_00But like, I I think one of the I forget which older guy told me this when I first got up here, but he was like, bruh, you can't live like a regular college student, bruh. Like as a like playing football. And like I just feel like as the time went on, like I saw exactly what he was talking about. You can't mix the two lifestyles, you gotta like move a little different when it causes certain things.
SPEAKER_01You gotta sacrifice a lot, man. No, you gotta change plays for the for the good, man. It's good when you get that degree, you walk across that stage, it's like one of the best feelings ever, you know what I'm saying? And like I said, you are the captain of your fate, you know what I'm saying? So every day, like every decision on you. It's not nobody else's fault. It's your fault. That's how I see it. But definitely. So, you know, you guys going into, you know, this season, freshman season, well, it's gonna be senior year for you, right? Russian. So you got two years left. So what are you guys like expectations, you know, going into this year? Man, just do all I can for the team, man.
SPEAKER_02True. So just whatever the team needs me to do, that's what I want to do. Yeah. So that's one thing for me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I just going into this season, man. I just want to be like real, real process focused, like not really thinking about the results, just focusing on like my process leading up till then. And like, I feel like because everybody wanna come in and play as a freshman, but like you gotta like be willing to do all of the little stuff like leading up to it. And I just want to make sure like that I'm taking advantage of all of my time like this summer, and just like I say, just taking the right little steps leading up to it and just knowing that it'll eventually come on to y'all. So I'll probably say that.
SPEAKER_01Little little by little feels the bucket. So that's the biggest thing. Well, like I said, you know, I'm be, I'm probably helping y'all out as much as I can, you know what I'm saying? When it comes to leadership, you know, keeping y'all on tabs, man. Like y'all just keep, y'all got your head on straight, just keeping every day, little by little feels the bucket, just trusting the process every day, you know, get 1% better. You know, everybody says that, but if you truly live by that, though, you gonna you know see the benefits from that. So, but I definitely appreciate y'all boys starting in today, man. So it was good seeing y'all. And yeah, that wraps up another episode of Inside the Den. You know, please like and subscribe to at Arkansas State Media Network on all social media platforms and YouTube as well. So appreciate these guys coming in, man. What was up? What was up?