Line of Scrimmage Podcast – Episode 3

Hello, this is the line of scrimmage where we go each week. One on one with the issues facing football today. Hello, I’m Greg quick and we’re powered by offense defense sports camps. Today. We’re going to talk about recruiting. This is part two of a two part series, and today I really want to talk about the things that we can control and how we gain exposure and recruiting. We really it’s. It’s so important that we take charge of this, especially in the challenging times we’re in right now. It doesn’t matter whether you’re youth player looking to move onto a, uh, a state team, or you’re a junior high player moving to high school or a high school player looking to play in college or a college player looking to play professional is very important to you. Take charge of your exposure and the opportunities that you have that you maximize those opportunities.

Speaker 2 (01:16):

Let me share with you a story. There was a farmer who had a son who lost his temper all the time, and he was really concerned about his son continued and he knew he had to learn to take control of his temper. So he called his son into the barn and he handed him a bucket full of nails and said, every time you lose your temper, I want you to pound a nail into the fence, to the farmer’s set the boy out to do his chores and every day, another nail, a second nail, a third nail, the first day 37 nails. When that fence he lost his temper 37 times it over the coming weeks and days. And even the next month, the number of nails going into the fence became less and less and less young man figured out that it was far easier to control his temper to pound nails into the fence.

Speaker 2 (02:05):

Finally, he went a day without hammering a nail in. He didn’t lose his temper one set day. So we went to his father and said, dad, no nails today. I didn’t lose my temper once. And he had said, I’m proud of you son, but now what I want you to do is every time every day you go without losing your temper. I want you to pull a nail out of the fence. And his son looked at that long line of nails that were nailed into the fence. And he knew that this was going to be quite a chore. And he was going to have to take charge and can take control of his life to be able to pull all those nails out of the fence. So that day he pulled one nail out and the next to the next. So on every day he was able to control his temporary, pulled the nail out.

Speaker 2 (02:48):

And finally, he got to the day when that last nail was there. And he was so proud when he pulled that last nail out, he went running out into the field where his father was working and he said, father, look, all the nails are gone. And the farmer took his son by the hand and he walked him back to the fence and he showed him. He said, look, I’m really proud of you for controlling your temper and learning to take charge of your own life and take control of things that you have control of. But look in that fence are still all those holes. You’re responsible for that. They don’t go away that when you make a mistake, it’s lasting, it leaves a scar leaves a Mark. So you, for sure want to make sure that you take charge and the things that you can in your life to minimize the number of mistakes, the number of scars that you leave behind.

Speaker 2 (03:39):

Well, I think recruiting is similar in this regard, and that is really important that we take charge of what happens to us. We take charge of maximizing our opportunities. We’ve made sure that we do the right things every day. Let’s not leave holes in the fence. Let’s make sure that every single day we avoid leaving a scar, leaving a Mark. That’s going to affect the opportunity that we have as we move forward. Again, it doesn’t matter if we’re moving from being a youth player to high school, high school, to college, college, to professional level, we have to maximize opportunities and that’s by taking charge and making sure that we’re not leaving marks behind. So let’s talk about those things that we can control first. You know, social media is so important today. Almost every college coach has a Twitter handle and your exposure and social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, all social media is so important that you have a positive, positive, uh, exposure in social media.

Speaker 2 (04:42):

It’s your brand. It’s, it’s your promise statement. It’s what makes you unique and distinguishes you from other people you need, as you use your social media to your advantage, don’t allow it to be like one of those holes in the fence. Take charge, take control of your social media brand. Yourself. Think about each thing you post. If you really want to use social media to extend your brand, it’s going to be important, not to leave holes in offense, make sure that the right things are going on there and they’re using social media to maximize your opportunity. The second is it’s very important to establish certified metrics. What do I mean by certified metric in the game of football today in sport, in general, across the world, your metrics, your times, the time you run the distance you jump, the number of reps have a bench, press.

Speaker 2 (05:33):

Those things are all important components in maximizing your opportunities. You need to make sure that you have certified metrics, not just a hand time or comes off, you’re off your phone. You have your uncle take you out in the backyard and time me in a 40, you need to get certified in metrics, whether it’s working with your high school coach or attending events and allow you to get a certified time distance so that when you interact and as you post your metrics, that your times that your distances, that your strength is all certified, that those are good times. They’re legit. The third thing I want to talk about, and this is really important because this is really your calling card. It’s your video, the video that you use to extend your brand, the video you’re going to use to maximize your opportunity. You have to make sure that this video isn’t leaving holes behind.

Speaker 2 (06:25):

This has to be you. This may be the one time chance. You may only get one shot at a coach looking at your video, and you want that one shot to maximize your opportunity. First, I think a highlight film is really important, but really your highlight films should talk about just as we talked last week, about what distinguishes you, what makes you different? What is your promise statement to coaches? How can you show what makes you unique? Again, this is like your business card. So as you develop that highlight tape, make sure that it highlights the things that distinguishes you, makes you different from others. If you play with great effort, show great effort. If you’re a great tackler show tackle after tackle, make it a dynamic in Epic piece. The music in all the window dressing is not important. All those are distractions. And sometimes the music in all the window dressings can leave a hole behind.

Speaker 2 (07:26):

What’s important is the content, the video label, the video with your name, your contact information, any certified metrics you have, and then get into the video show. What distinguishes you? What makes you special? What can you do on a consistent basis? This is all really, really important. So make a short video that can be used to establish your brand, and then also identify your best full game. Some coaches are going to want to see a good game. They’re going to want to see the things you do well, as well as the things that challenge you. And also it allows you to talk about those things that you’ve identified, the challenge you, what you’re doing to improve your craft. The fourth thing I’d like to talk about are the intangibles character. You know, we talked a lot about character last week. You know, those you unique traits that differentiate you from other people, make sure that you have those intangibles that you speak to those intangibles.

Speaker 2 (08:25):

And one of the ways you do that are through groups like offense, defense, football camps, we’re powered by offense, defense football can maximize your ability, maximize your opportunities. Attended elite camp. This fall, go to a bowl game. This winter go to a developmental camp in the spring, attend to showcase in the summer, take responsibility, make sure you’re not leaving marks behind. Instead, put out the positive things, take control of your life. Attending one of those events with offense, defense football camps is important and exposure and maximizing your opportunities. Take responsibility for your future at every single level, whether you’re moving from youth to the next level, to junior high, to high school, high school, to college college, to professional football, take responsibility. If you’re looking to move on to college and create opportunities, it’s never too early. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a sixth grader, a set you’re starting to develop your brand, but especially if you’re a ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th grader, it’s time to start visiting campuses.

Speaker 2 (09:33):

You may be invited to visit by a coach, but then you can make unofficial visits to as many campuses as you like reach out, go visit campuses, establish the schools that you have an interest in, or that maybe have shown an interest in you and make it an unofficial visit. Let the coaching staff know that you’re going to be on campus. You know, set an appointment to stop by and visit with somebody on the staff. So you can start to establish your brand. Maybe you can leave a link to your video. Very important. They start to see the intangibles. They start to understand you. They start to see what makes you different. So campus visits are really important. Get in front, get in front of the right eyes, the right places, the right schools. You need to do an honest assessment of yourself. What are your strengths?

Speaker 2 (10:18):

What are your weaknesses? You don’t less than less than 20% of the opportunities to play college football or in division one. The greatest majority aren’t division one institutions. They’re in one AA and division two and division three and NAI and junior college, hundreds, and thousands of opportunities to play college football did take your game to the next level, to maximize your opportunities. So really honestly assess at what level you should play at establish maybe a couple reach schools, establish a couple of schools that are you comfortable, that you can play at and establish a couple of schools that you know, you can play at and begin the process of maximizing your opportunity to each of those schools. So very, very important. And remember that attending events like the ones offered by offense, defense sport camps are so important. So make sure that you check out o-d.com on the web.

Speaker 2 (11:16):

Find one of those events. That’s close to you and start to maximize your opportunities. Start to continue to develop your abilities and your craft maximize your ability, maximize your opportunities. Another thing that’s really, really important is you establishing a positive academic curve. We can’t do anything about the past. If your academic experience in the past, hasn’t been as positive. You like if you want some hole, if you have holes in offense in your academics. And one way that we can make up for that is just show a positive academic curve. And right now, with this pause, that’s happening due to the pandemic. It’s important that we maximize our academics show up positive curves show that you’re improving no matter where you were at yesterday, make sure today you were better than yesterday. If you put a nail in defense yesterday, let’s pull it out today.

Speaker 2 (12:08):

So important show, a positive academic curve as you’re moving forward, you never know who’s looking. You never know. And it’s really, really important to be who you want to be consistently and be establishing your brand and maximizing opportunity. Cause again, you don’t want to be leaving holes behind. You never know. Who’s looking, you don’t know who’s at your game. You don’t know who’s on the sideline. You don’t know who might pull your video off of online or through social media. So utilize YouTube and Instagram, utilize Twitter, utilize all the social media, make sure you’re getting certified metrics that coaches can believe put together. Video that sells what makes you unique and what makes you different. This is really your resume. Make it succinct. Make sure that that highlight video shows what makes you unique and who you are and sells your brand. Don’t worry about the music.

Speaker 2 (13:03):

Don’t worry about all the window dressing what’s going to sell is what you do on that. Film include a full length video as well, make it available to the coaches, the easier it is for them to access you. The more likely they’re going to turn it on, take a chance and watch that video. And it’s going to maximize your opportunities. You don’t make sure that you display your intangibles, make sure that you show what makes you unique. Show that you’ve got strong principles work with those around you to make campus visits. Don’t always wait for someone to reach out to you. You reach out to them, get on their campus, let them know you’re going to be there. You take charge of your life. You make sure that you’re not putting holes in fence and the nails that are in the fence. You’re making sure you’re pulling them out career.

Speaker 2 (13:47):

You create the opportunity for yourself and again, make sure you’re working out a positive academic curve. Make sure things are going in a positive direction. If you’ve been strong, continue to be strong and show that you’re going to get better. You’re not resting on your laurels. You’re continuing to get better and then make sure you get in front of the right people. Let me tell you a quick story. When my son was being recruited, I had always told the kids, it’s going to be important that your position coach, the head coach, the recruiting coordinator, that those people are talking to you on a regular basis. So I asked one of my assistant coaches to start recruiting my son. And he went, he called, he visited the high school and he came back to the meeting room and I said, all right, if you talked to my son and he said, coach, he has an answer to phone call.

Speaker 2 (14:35):

He avoided me when I was in the school, I don’t know what’s going on. So I went home at dinner that night, we sat down at the table and I said, Hey Bubba. I said, how come you’re being disrespectful to coach? He says, dad, you told me it was always important that I speak to the head coach and the head coach hasn’t talked to me yet. So don’t take it for granted that the coach knows that you’re there reach out. Cause I knew my son was there, but I didn’t make the effort as the head coach to reach out to him. So sometimes it may not be the head coach. You have to wait for the recruiting coordinator. The position coach is important to you. Take charge. And if you have an interest in a school, if you have an interest in their academics and their football program, if you truly believe it’s a place that you could have a great experience and you can maximize the opportunity you take charge, you make sure you have the opportunity to be looked at at that school.

Speaker 2 (15:32):

Very important. It’s important that you get out and compete. One of the most important attributes of a successful player. When I look at and I evaluate when college coaches evaluate and high school coaches and professional coaches evaluate is your competitive nature. Do you compete when you’re in a drill, do you compete? Where, when you’re on the field, you compete, you play with a high mortar motor. What is your competitive nature or the most important things? So things like offense, defense football camps are really important. Get to an elite camp. This fall, get to a bowl game. This winter, get to a developmental camp and a sprain. Get to a showcase next summer. Cause it’s going to give you a chance to show your competitive nature. It’s one of those intangibles that may not always show up on a video, but let’s make sure there’s no holes in that fence.

Speaker 2 (16:30):

Every step you take, every practice you go, every training session you have, make sure you’re moving forward. Take advantage, maximize the opportunity, maximize your abilities by continuing to develop, maximize your exposure through maximizing the opportunities through the things that we talked about today. I wish you a lot of luck in moving to the next level. We each want to leave a footprint, leave behind a lineage, leave behind an epitaph, leave behind a footprint that tells people that we’ve been there, but let’s make sure that we maximize that opportunity. Let’s maximize our ability that our craft persist and play strong. As I said a week ago, we are stronger together. Use your social media, send out the message stronger together. We’re powered by offense defense football camps. And they’ve demonstrated in the last year that we are stronger together rather than shy away. They’ve become stronger during these challenging times. And you challenge yourself to be stronger too. We are stronger together. Thank you for listening.