Small-Town Recruiting: How to Get Noticed by D1 Coaches

Pre-game anxiety and physical attrition are the hidden taxes of college football that rarely make the highlight reels. With a new season approaching and the college athletics landscape shifting daily, understanding the true mental and physical cost of veteran leadership has never been more relevant for players and fans alike. Arkansas State Red Wolves veterans Mason Myers and Tyler Little join the show to share their hard-earned expertise on surviving and leading in the Division 1 trenches.

We sit down to trace their unconventional paths from small-town high schools and wing-tee offenses to the D1 stage, exploring how to navigate position changes and position coach turnovers without losing your edge. The conversation covers the mechanics of tight end route roulette, the reality of stepping into the starting lineup against UCA, and what it actually felt like to lift the trophy at the Xbox Bowl in Frisco. Along the way, Mason shares his foundational philosophy on why genuine family culture in the locker room is the ultimate competitive advantage when the grueling grind of fall camp sets in.

Behind the stadium lights and donor parties lies a daily routine defined by physical setbacks, high-stakes pressure, and the mental challenge of staying afloat when your body is failing you. Both players open up about the harder aspects of the sport, including playing through severe cramping, battling through shoulder and ankle rehab, and the intense game-day nerves that make eating a pre-game meal nearly impossible. You will walk away with a practical mindset shift on how to lead by example when you are thrown into the deep end, along with actionable tactics for managing performance anxiety when your number is called.

If you care about Division 1 recruiting realities, the psychology of sports performance, and the resilience required to build a winning culture, you will get a lot from this. Make sure to subscribe to the channel and share this episode with a teammate, coach, or fan who appreciates the real work that goes into college athletics. What is the biggest mental or physical hurdle you have had to push through to earn your spot on a team or in your career?

@arkansasstatemedianetwork.com.

0:00 Veteran Leadership and Finding Your Why
5:05 Small-Town Recruiting and the D1 Journey
13:24 Position Changes and Coaching Turnovers
17:55 Managing Game Day Anxiety and First Starts
21:59 Overcoming Injuries and Final Season Goals
23:55 Community Support and the Xbox Bowl Victory

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

We are Arkansas State Football. What's up, Red Wolf Nation? Welcome to another episode of Inside of Den with your host, Justin Parks. I'm here with two of our special guests, Mason Myers. And Tony Little. Uh these guys have been working extremely hard for us in the weight room. You know, he's one of our older veteran guys, you know, both of them senior citizens, you know, on their last leg. You know, the hourglass is definitely turned for you guys. But, you know, it's great to have you on the show today. So, you know, Mason, you know, coming in what, two years after I was here. When did you get here? 2000?

SPEAKER_01 0:37

I was here your junior year.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Yeah. Well, we're both here your junior yeah. Yeah, I'm saying, so it was you got here in 2023. Yes. So you was right at the Jimmy. So, you know, being here, you know, a couple years going on year three now, correct? Year four. Oh my God. Sing your time is flying, y'all boys. The ice is melting, bro. Ice is melting. You can see as they say. Ice is melting. No, so being, you know, a veteran guy, you know, in the weight room every day, you know, and getting in there, you know, being someone that the older guys look up to, you know what I'm saying? How does it feel, you know, just your whole experience of like it seemed like yesterday, you know, like you guys were just, you know, freshmen just trying to stay above water now, like you the guys are setting the example, you know, that's providing, you know, those younger guys a great experience. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

I would say it's just kind of like a one day at a time thing. Like three years ago, you get here and like you said, you're just trying to keep your head above the water. You get thrown into the deep end of the pool and you're told to swim and you don't know how to swim. And I mean, every day it just kind of gets you just kind of get a little bit more used to it, a little bit more used to it, and then new things come in. And I think if you just take everything one day at a time and be where your feet are and just attack the challenge that's in front of you, you're gonna be alright.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Yeah, for sure, for sure. Obviously, you know, Mason from the great state of Alabama, you know, 205, specifically the area code is real, you know, St. Clair County and Jefferson County right next to each other, so we'll we'll we'll allow him to be in the family, you know. Obviously, you're from Kansas, and he was just saying it's the best. The the best. Only thing I know about Kansas is basketball, but cornfields. Yeah, all that. That's it. Yeah. So how does it feel, you know, I guess get recruited out of Kansas, you know? You know, like normally known for basketball, you know, you go out being one of the top recruits and football, you know, coming here playing at a high level, you know, probably one of the better tight ends we've had in a long time. So like how does it feel, you know, being, you know, you're stepping into that new role of like, hey, I'm a veteran guy in the room now, even last year, but you know, you kinda had to battle through those injuries after that Arkansas game. How does it feel, you know, to be the guy that the young guys are looking up to every day on a daily basis?

SPEAKER_02 2:37

I mean, it feels good. It's a lot of pressure. I mean, but really it's just like take one day at a time, just um be calm and like cool and collective. It's just like I don't know, like whenever they're asking questions or whatnot, just lead, lead by example and like just take them through the waters like the and just like the deal the shallow end and just want to get to the deep end, just make sure you're there to leadership hard, y'all boy.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

But I know you come with a price every day, so I kind of you know had to deal through it as well though. So, like, you know, what what is your guys' why? Like, why do you do what you do? You know what I'm saying? Like you get up every day, you know, you probably go through one of the most hard schedules in the country, you know what I'm saying, just in terms of you know being a college athlete playing football specifically, that that's a demanding schedule in itself. Like, why do you guys do what you do?

SPEAKER_01 3:22

I would say my my why kind of has three parts. And the first part is like proving to myself I can do whatever I want to do in life. I'm one of those people that if I say I want to go to the moon, I'm gonna figure out how to go to the moon, right? So that so knowing I can go through hard things. Second part of my why would be uh proving to people that say you can't go to the moon, proving to them that hey, you're wrong. That that drives me. And then the third part would be um showing everybody else that supported you that they supported you for the right reason and that like their support helped you get to where you are.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

No, no doubt, no doubt.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

Uh really my way has changed over the years and whatnot. It like at first it was like I do it for my family, like I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. So like I want to like do it for them because if like really if it w if it wasn't for them to like push me through everything I've done, like I wouldn't be here. But then at the end of the day, it's like I trying to I want to prove something because like um I'm the only person from my hometown to like come and play division one football. Like there's nobody, nobody else, nobody really goes and plays football at all. But like it's just like I feel like a lot of people don't think I can do it. And I just like that's drives me and pushes me to make me like feel like I can go and do it and like I can be something big, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 4:42

Yeah, that chip on your shoulder will we'll do it. Yeah, make or break you, you know what I'm saying? So like you know tell tell us a little bit something about, you know, what I'm saying. I know we got into your wild little bit. Tell us a little more about you, you know, like the Mason Maya story, you know what I'm saying? Like what led you all up to this point, you know what I'm saying? There that people, the average person will know about you, other than you being like a good football player.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Where do we want to where are we starting at?

SPEAKER_00 5:08

We're talking about like our journey all the way up. We can go we can go middle school. I I think middle school is pretty fair. Elementary school, I don't even remember how half the having the elementary, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Maybe that's a CTE kicking there, but went to Moody High School, small town in uh about 20 minutes east of Birmingham, Alabama, went to Moody all 12, I guess 13 years of uh of school. Um come all the way up, get to like I didn't start playing football till the seventh grade. Start playing in the seventh grade, and like my coaches are like, yeah, like you know, you're good. I'm like, I'm good. What do you mean? This is my first time ever playing. I was just kind of naturally gifted at it. It was probably because I was bigger and taller than everybody else. But um kind of like fell in love with it because basketball used to always be my favorite sport, and then um I guess it would have been my my ninth grade year, my freshman year. I get uh the first game, right before the first game, the dude playing left tackle gets a concussion. He was like one of those concussion guys, you know what I mean? Yeah, and uh they're like, hey, you're gonna start this week. And I'm like, shoot, and I'm like every bit of 205 pounds, and we're gonna go play left tackle 5A football. All right, let's go. And I mean go out there and have I mean, I wouldn't say I had a great freshman season, but you know, we did all right. Um sophomore year, kind of same thing. It didn't really, nothing it didn't really football didn't really click for me until about my junior year, and that's kind of when I started like realizing how good I could actually be. And that's when I started actually working towards becoming a division one football player because it before that it was just like we're gonna go out there, we're gonna go practice, we're gonna go throw weights around, and then we're gonna go home. And then I kind of realized like, oh, there's like there's levels to this. You gotta take the the necessary steps to get to where you want to be. And after my junior year, have a really good junior year, um, put all my tape on, film, spring ball comes around, we get a new head football coach, and this dude is just known for recruiting, Jake Gannis, recruiting guy. He can uh he got all these coaches to come to spring practice that uh we've never had before at Moody. Like it was it wasn't wasn't really there. Like you'd have a couple pop in every now and then, but this dude had you know maybe 10 10 coaches at one practice. And you just kind of go out there and you just kind of ball. And that's kind of what I did. I we were just at practice and I was just having fun. And next thing I know, I'm getting offers left and right, and it all started with the Georgia Tech offer, and that's what kind of set me off. Once uh that happened, uh Coach Kwan called me, used to be the old line coach here, and he was like, Hey dude, you got an offer here, need you to come play, blah blah blah blah blah. And I fell in love with Kwan, Coach Jones, pretty much the whole staff that was here, and I think I committed like maybe not even a month later from when I got the offer from Arkansas State. I committed without even telling my parents either. I I just I called Kwan one morning, I was like, hey, I'm gonna come up here and play. I'm gonna commit. And he was he was so pumped. And uh I go home and I'm like, What do you think that what do you think would happen if I committed to Arkansas State? And he was like, Well, they had never came up here on a visit before. They were in Vegas when I took my first vic visit. So they're like, Well, you know, I I kind of want to go see what it's all about, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I uh I'm like, well, I kind of already did commit. He's like, Oh, really? Like, oh, that's a big step. All right. We end up taking the later that summer, my family, my whole family takes a visit up here, my little brother, mom and dad, and they're like, Mason, like, this is the best decision you've ever made to come here. Like, I like you did so good choosing to come here. And I was like, Yeah, I know, I make good decisions. Mom and dad. Yeah, come on now. Yeah. And then after that, you know, red shirt first season, Jacob goes down uh second season, fill in for a game, and then kind of play that backup role. Last season we start, uh, win the Xbox Bowl, and yeah, now we're here.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Now that's Jake is probably one of the best people I've met. You then you also had Cam as well. Yeah. Cam did a lot of my you know training from high school, then even did my pro day training as well. Shout out to Cam. Shout out to Jake, the GOAT. Um, but no, it's definitely, you know, good to it's definitely, I can definitely tell you that coaching has a lot to do, especially in high school, like the way you develop, you know what I'm saying. Then the connections that the coach has literally helps you a lot in recruiting. I don't think people understand that though. Like, you know, the coach can get coaches out there, but it's something to you. Like, if you need to make the deal, you're gonna perform to perform, you know, to take football seriously, you never would have been here. So they're attested to your hard work ethic, though, for sure. So, what about you, T Widdleman?

SPEAKER_02 9:33

Um really for me, it's like 12 person. If you fancy 13, yahoo. Uh for me, really, it's like I didn't know I was gonna come play football. Like when I was starting middle school, I was a big basketball guy. Like, that's what I wanted to go do. Uh the dream was to go to Kansas and play basketball. And I was like in seventh grade, I was already like 6'3 or something like that. So it's like, shoot, I'm gonna keep growing. I'm gonna be like 6'9 or something like that. Didn't pan out like that. But still, that the dream is lived on to about like my sophomore year, and I was like, I finally got my first offer. And then for football, and then I was like, maybe I need to take this other route, maybe I need to gain some weight, whatnot like that, because I was like 180, 85 pounds, 195 pounds, like going into my sophomore year, and I was like, I need to gain some weight if I'm gonna do this football thing. So really um went through the football season, started gaining more weight, got to junior year. Actually, to be honest, like my freshman year, I was playing tackle and I was like 185 pounds, and like got to my sophomore year, and they were like, maybe let's move you over to tight end, let's see what you can do there. So we moved me to tight end, I gained a little bit more weight, and kind of I was like, I fell in love with that spot, and I was like, Yeah, I like this stuff because I can do both, I can get the ball and I can still block. I mean, I like that and I can make plays. Got to my junior year and whatnot. Um, they started moving me around a little bit more. Like I was playing like running back and like quarterback and stuff like that. Hey, that's the small 3-8. Yeah, that's football type of stuff for you, man. It's like the wing tee options. Yes, yeah, like we're doing all that cover, just just running and stuff. And uh senior year, I was playing a lot more quarterback. I was like really just like uh the Tim Tebow package kind of. And um was like in contact with all these schools and whatnot. And um I had I've had like three coaches changes for like tight end. Um it was Lime Grover is the first guy who um was uh like in contact with me and whatnot, and uh came up here on my OV and he just uh told me that he was leaving that day. So then I got to meet the new guy, and it was um I can't think of his name. Coach Grimes? There was uh Kilgore, that was his name. Yeah, because he yeah, yeah, yeah. He was here for like two or three months or so, and then he went to League Denver.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Yeah, he went to NFL, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Yes. And then uh Coach Grimes finally came here in that spring. Um, I got here in that summer, was with uh Coach Grimes for I think two years, then he moved to O-line, and then um Alex came over and whatnot, and I just stuck with Alex and other than that, it's just Luckily Luckily you didn't have like uh a crazy change of like coaches coming in from like different schools.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

Everybody was pretty much familiar with the system. Yeah, that's what I think. That's the biggest thing, though, that that probably helped you out the most. I know it would have been a while to you have like a Denver coach every year. But yeah, that's tough, man. People don't realize, man, it's tough. You gotta learn how he coached, you know what I'm saying? You gotta learn that, all right, I can't take this personal because this is how he, you know, he's been coaching in the baths, but you're not used to that.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

So it's different. I also think it helped me like with uh Grimes and Alex both being my coaches, because Grimes really helped me with the run game. It just got me to like that point where I can get it down and like I'm understanding like from an offensive line point of view, and then with Alex like coming in and help me with my past game and stuff like the route roulette, like knowing what is like wrong and what is right. Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

But I don't know. Definitely helps. Oh yeah. So you guys are like obviously, you know, switching gears a little bit, obviously, you know, one of the higher athletes, one of the best athletes in the country, obviously, you and the elite group are playing college football, you know, playing at a high level. Most guys, you know, don't have the fortune to play four years like you guys are literally going to your fourth year now. So like if you wasn't doing this, what else would you be doing? Like, what other career would you pursue? You know what I'm saying? Like, if you wasn't playing football, what would you be doing right now? I'm like, talking about like athletic-wise, like it could be anything, like career-wise.

SPEAKER_02 13:24

To be honest, I'd probably be playing basketball somewhere else. Talking a lot. I would if I wasn't playing football, I'd be playing basketball.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

Yeah. So you didn't mean. So you like that in Hooper? Dude, I'm telling you. So we was having this discussion. We was like, which position group? You know, we was having this discussion.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

Oh, it's tight end 100%.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

And we was like, who will win and hooping? It wouldn't matter. Everybody said O line because nobody would stop Manasseh.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

No, oh my gosh, bro. I'd be I'd be the best point guard. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 13:51

It's like I could play point guard, and like, even if the none of the tight ends knew how to play basketball, we'd still win. Because I'm like a LeBron James, I'm not their facilitator.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

LeBron James. Yeah, you would strike me as a hooper, though. Are you for real? Yeah, I don't know. I don't know how well you can shoot. I don't know how well you can throw the three. No, he's not. Yes, he's not.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

On the stadium view rim. We got also a stadium. The stadium view rim, it goes out.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

Okay, it's like curry. That's what makes it. Hooping out there though. I ain't missing.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

I might miss like two or three shots. But stadium view, bro, it's like the three-point line is like a uh it's not even a middle school. I'm shooting from the other side of the uh so you're shooting it from the grass. That's the only way to go like seven feet. No, but uh so what would you be doing? He he's he's I would hoop.

SPEAKER_01 14:36

That's a way different route than that. I probably probably wouldn't have gone to college if I went to trade school, welder, something like that. Yeah. Something with my hands, it's not there in the field, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 14:47

That's not that's not bad though, bro. The world is basically coming at now, though. Trade, you know, you can make your own prices with anything. Hey, I can't take your job. That's move, you know. Huh? Hey, I can't take your job. Yeah, you can't. So we're talking about, you know, you know, kind of switching gears again. So talking through, you know, why A State, you know, why did you choose here over some of the other places?

SPEAKER_01 15:20

I just felt like the the real something Kirst Jones always preaches about is family. And when you come up here on a visit, you can really feel it. Like, I remember my my first visit, I meet you, and me, me and you had no idea, like you had no idea who I was, I had no idea who you were. And you're like, You from Birmingham, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm from Birmingham. Oh, you know Cam. Yeah, I know Cam. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and then like it you kind of realize, because like as a family, nobody's really scared to talk to each other. You go to other places, and like some some people don't want to talk, some people don't want to like help recruit. And you never really get that like sense of family, sense of home. When you come here, you'll feel the sense of home. All the coaches will love love on you, all the players will love on you, and it just feels like a good place to be, like it's just a spot where you want to be.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. That anime, look, once I I look through those OV things, even when I was a player, man. I was like, oh, he's from Birmingham? Oh, yeah, I want to like I gotta meet him. You know what I'm saying? It's like it's really it's real deal as a family, though. Cause like at the end of the day, I'm gonna end up crossing paths with you at one point. You know what I'm saying? You come here. I don't, I hate the strange interaction. I'm gonna make it my business, like to, hey, this guy's from my area. It don't matter if he plays he's from my area or he plays my position, it doesn't matter. I'm gonna meet him because at the end of the day, I'm gonna need you one day. You know what I'm saying? So I really, you know, it's good, it's cool to hear that that you remember that though. It's like I always, you know, made it my business man to get around and just meet people, though. That's just kind of like the person that I am, though. So why why why he stay for you? Really, like the family thing.

SPEAKER_02 16:47

Um, I'm a big quiet person. Like, I don't like to go out of my show and like talking to people and stuff like that. But like, that's how it was on my other visits. It's like I didn't really get out of my shell. But like when I got here and when I like saw myself doing like karaoke at Butch's house on my visit, and I was like, what am I doing? Yeah, yeah. Like, am I I'm that comfortable right now, like doing karaoke and stuff, and it's like I've I've like I opened out of my shell and I was like, man, I I should be here. Yeah. And that's really just that's it. That and like Butch, I I love Butch. Butch is a great guy, whatnot, and he's gonna like try to do what's best for you and like get you to the spot to where you need to be.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Yeah, that's amazing, dude. That's amazing. So, you know, now we're going to like plan. So, like, you know, I I know how I felt, you know, getting my first start, you know, the my heart was pumping, never forget it, South Al, my sophomore year, you know. Like, I played quite a bit. I rotated with just getting that first start, you know, like playing the majority of the game. So, how was it for you guys, you know, getting that first start? I was, I think off the top of my head, I remember your first start had to be the UCA game a couple years ago. Your start, you started a lot sooner because we went like tight ends, like you were better than most. So I put a little bit of my freshman year. Freshman year, yeah. So how was like, you know, getting that first green light, you know, that first start, man?

SPEAKER_01 18:02

Like it was crazy for me because I go from a guy that's not traveling my freshman year to maybe four or five practices in the spring, being like, hey dude, like you're gonna start the first game. And it was like eye-opening, it was like, whoa, like whoa, we got a lot, we got a lot to learn in a little bit of time. Like so it that was probably the hardest I've ever worked is just trying to figure everything out. And thank God I had you know great a great group of four guys beside me to help me, and they wanted me to to succeed. It wasn't like I was screw mason, blah blah blah blah. They wanted to help me because they wanted to help the team. But I remember talking to uh Jeff Jones, it was like uh a week or two before our uh our first game. He's like, Are you nervous? Like, hey, how you feeling? I'm like, Hell yeah, I'm nervous, coach. Like, what do you what do you mean? It's like nervousness is uh your body's reaction to telling you you're about to go do something big. And I was like, that's pretty cool. So I kind of kept that with me. And then um, yeah, we start playing UCA, and uh comes down to that double pass, they hit it. We go down, thank you, Corey Rucker. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Oh yeah, that that would have been bad, boys. That that's uh I talk about that all the time, man. I was real that crazy. Uh I cramped up that game. Yeah, it was pretty bad. Locked up. You don't cramp, dude. Yeah, yeah. I wasn't a high achiever there. So, yeah, got to better take care of your body. Um, I did hydrate, I I didn't eat. I get I don't know. I it's something about me before games, bro. Like, kind of like you say, like I could I'd be prepared, bro. I'd be in there watching a film when I play it like to 11, 12 o'clock at night. I just still get so much anxiety I couldn't eat, bro. Like I couldn't eat much. I may ate like half a chicken breast, a couple scoops of rice, and that was it for game day. And that was like what pre-game meal was three hours, four hours before the game. Like, dude, you told me the best advice I've ever had when I was on when I was trying to gain weight.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

Right when I was little, you said you said close your eyes and chew. Oh yeah, close, bro, literally.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Like, you know, it ain't gonna always be great. Uh but you gotta eat it. Close your eyes and chew. You gotta eat it. Like the other say you can't if you just start to taste it, you know, guys. Don't eat fatigue, don't eat for tea for performance. That's right. You gotta make yourself uncomfortable. I'm telling you, man. I do that guys all the time. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 20:21

So what why are they here? Uh my first starting, really mine was like you said, because like my freshman year, I already never like got to start, but I cut got to come in and stuff like that and like play. And like, I mean, I was nervous. I was a little freshman and whatnot going out there, and I was like, Is there grown men out here? It's like I'm 18 years old, and it's like, am I really ready for this? And but I kind of held my own and whatnot, and just really just go out there and just stick your face in the fan. Be fine.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

I think it's so cool how you guys are able to be real with yourselves, though, and be like kind of like open up and be like, hey, like I was nervous, like, you know, during that process. A lot of people lie and be like, I ain't scared, like, you know, doing all that. But it's you're not nervous, you're a psychopath. Yeah, like real deal. But it shows that you have like a level of care about, you know, like, hey, I can't let my brothers down. That was my main reason. That's why I like watch film late at night, bro. Cause it's like, I I like we all played together, so it was like I couldn't let y'all boys down. Like, I remember, I don't think if you remember, you know, we're going back on memories. I don't think you remember when I told you, man, like at the bowl game, I appreciate you for sacrificing, like, because I thought you was going through uh, it was either your ankle, you come back from your ankle or your shoulder. And I'm like, man, like I appreciate you coming back. Cause like you helped us win the game. Like, you know, we don't have you in there, we ain't running the ball as effective. You get what I'm saying? So it's like those memories LI me to go so much, you know, harder for y'all boys, man. Like, prepare so much, you know, like because the nerves came from like, man, I want to see us succeed because the blood, sweat, and tears there. You know, we all share it. So it was, you know, it was definitely, you know, cool. So so some goals and you know, going to this final year, you know what I'm saying? Y'all might get two more years, three more years, how the NCAA going right now. So, you know, college.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

career ain't over yeah yeah 10 more like joint this fourth year so like what are you guys you know what are some expectations for you guys you know what I'm saying and then also for the team as well because you gotta have you gotta have both you know what I'm saying one for the team and then like what's gonna keep you going your why you know what I'm saying you go is your personal you know goals say team goals of course to win a championship right so we've been here for too long not to we gotta we gotta bust that door down soon and I mean personal goal just do your best like your best is enough but if you're not giving 100% effort on every play you ain't gonna it ain't enough. Yeah so if you if I can go out there and play my best for 12 games straight and then whatever we got for postseason and the four guys around me can play their best for 12 games straight and then the receivers and the defense and tight ends running backs quarterbacks can do it we'll be alright.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Oh yeah for sure really like team goal championship but like for me it's just like I haven't had a healthy season yet so like just stay healthy. That's like the my main goal is just stay healthy and like all the other stuff will just come to you.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

Yeah. I say I keep fighting man those injuries either make or break you man like keep responding keep fighting back man don't don't let it take you down. So I'm I'm a byproduct of it byproduct of it and then like I said you came back like you could easily die I'm really trying like or I'm just tired but you know you keep fighting back because the love for the game is oh yeah you know I know how it is but you just gotta keep fighting man it's always going you know this I'm gonna always come up the next day so just keep fighting. So the you know one of the biggest things you know when I was here is just the community like you know being around good people you know what I'm saying these events like golf tournaments you know they come into the facility have parties at a facility the kickoff party donor party so like how big you know has seen like you know the impact you know this is a football community a football town like how big has the impact been just seeing the fans you know support us you know what I'm saying and you know take care of us and then just also just being around you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 24:01

It's huge. Like we did a a golf tournament I guess it would have been last spring, two springs ago and the people me and Will Saxon are playing with are from like Michigan or somewhere crazy. Yeah. And we're like yo are A State fans from Michigan like of course we are and I feel like every one of those donor parties or kickoff parties you go to I feel like every year there's more and more seats. Every year there's more and more people coming and wanting to support. So I mean that support is just huge and it it really helps us out. Yeah for sure that's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Hey you can even think about like the our bowl games and what like from the very first year from the second year to even like this Xbox bowl like the like our side was just like packed. Yeah like they're all coming all the way from Jonesboro to Frisco Texas to watch us play. It's like oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

It's definitely a difference every every other team we played I remember the one Montgomery vividly like we lost the game that was like probably one of the worst losses I ever like taking because it was like first bowl game back work so hard to get in there we the the adversity we faced earlier in the year, you know, having to get losing like we were losing and then you know being able to make the bowl game but uh like I remember Montgomery our whole sideline is packed it felt like a home game we went to mobile we had a lot of home fans we had a lot of fans uh when we played bowl and green and like this past year like you said we had Frisco and like fans all the way up there. It got loud in there. Yeah it got loud in there. Alright that was like I don't think people talk about it enough that was probably one even though that was the last one is going to be played the one and only Xbox Bowl one and none you know I thought they should have kept that going. That was my first opinion that was better than Bahamas bowl like I would have loved to go to Bahamas too but the that was like cool you know being in the Cowboys facility then I don't know that uh what do they call it Master Chief getting all like I never played that game but it was cool just see how that guy like that trophy heavy bro you said he uh picked up that trophy in one hand plug it in gave it the push I'm like yeah you know Grimes almost broke the trophy so I never was gonna tell his story so we'll see so we're the um we we finna eat when the night we get there so we have like the dinner you know I think it was at the Astro um dome yeah you know and you know we go up there looking at a trophy Grimes you know ground's playing with the control and then they snapped off and we oh my god I'm like uh I was like yeah it's gonna be bad and he's just somehow snap out together yes so I'd go coach yeah he would be he would be like if anybody were to be break me it would be for sure so you know just what's some what's the message that you have for the fans this year you know come fill the stadium up stay in your seats stand up actually don't sit in them stand up loud third third down I don't I don't know what song we're gonna play this year but it's gonna be a good one it's gonna be a good one I'm gonna control that one so it's all measy's gonna have his phone in his pocket playing the music all all night it's gonna be a good time it's gonna be a good time somehow I'm gonna be connected to Bluetooth somehow really just come support just come be loud and just uh be there for like not even us just like everybody else that's there and just it's really about it.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Yeah I'll say this too when you get off that bus for the Red Wolf walk and you see all those fans around smoking barbecue and then they all like kind of line up on the sidewalk that's so cool dude yeah it's so cool watching that.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Yeah the Red Wolf Walker is probably like second you get a chance to see the kids smiling. It's always good to have the recruits there too. Oh yeah they get to see that. So well I appreciate y'all boys being here man and uh you know hope nothing but success for y'all boys just personally this year and then you know we're gonna have success as a team so that's not a doubt. But you know now wrap up another episode of Inside the Den with Justin Parks man I want to thank our two guests Mason and Tyler being here man. They're gonna have a great year you know and um also like and subscribe and follow Arkansas State Media Network on all social media platforms and YouTube and Apple Music as well. So I appreciate these guys being here man was up.