Coach Rhule Grills Fitz & Whit on Runzas, Hot Dog Cannons, and College Player Development | Ep. 9

Summary

House Rhules | Episode 9

Title: Coach Rhule Grills Fitz & Whit on Runzas, Hot Dog Cannons, and College Player Development
Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Matt Rhule (Nebraska Head Football Coach, referred to as Coach Scott Frost in transcript)
Co-hosts/Guests: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth, Kenneth Williams

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Episode Overview

This episode is a lively, candid conversation where Coach Matt Rhule is joined by former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth. The discussion spans from Nebraska football culture (with tales of Runza sandwiches and hot dog cannons) to deeper dives into player development, leadership, embracing media, and handling pressure on and off the field. Kenneth Williams, Nebraska’s 85-yard kickoff return hero, also makes a special appearance, sharing his personal journey and the emotions behind earning a scholarship. The tone mixes serious football insight with lighthearted storytelling, showcasing the personalities behind the jerseys and headsets.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

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I. Nebraska Football Culture: Food, Fun & Fan Traditions

• Special Appearances in Lincoln

  • Fitzpatrick and Whitworth talk about their recent bus tour, experiencing Lincoln on a game day, and their awe at Nebraska’s football atmosphere.
  • Notable moment: Whitworth’s first-ever visit to a stadium with 90,000+ fans, highlighting the sheer passion of Husker Nation.

• The Famous Runza Sandwich (10:05 - 11:06)

  • Fitzpatrick: "We were stuffed at this point. So we're at the game, we've had this huge breakfast and somebody's like, have you had a Runza sandwich? ... And it was unbelievable. And when something's good, when you're full, you know it's solid." (11:06)
  • Both marvel at how unique “Runza” is to Nebraska and share their surprise at loving it even after a massive meal.

• Hot Dog Cannon Caper (11:06 - 11:56)

  • Whitworth: “The guy that was manning the hot dog shooter...was wrapping up the hot dog in packing tape, like, making it really tight, and he's turning up the psi on the thing behind it...I'm worried about blasting out the windows in the press box.”
  • Fitzpatrick: “That sucker got shot out of the stadium, though.” (11:56)
  • The pair recount firing a hot dog clear out of Memorial Stadium, reveling in the wild and wacky side of college football.

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II. Kenneth Williams: Walk-On to Game-Changer

• Background & Path to Nebraska (05:38 - 06:02)

  • Williams details his journey from Michigan, transferring for his senior year, and running a standout 100m—catching Coach Rhule’s eye.

• Earning a Scholarship (06:33 - 07:17)

  • Kenneth Williams: “That feeling was the best ever. Especially just being able to finally get my scholarship and then being able to celebrate it with my brothers.” (07:08)
  • He highlights perseverance, trust in teammates, and the importance of grinding through adversity.

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III. Longevity, Development, & Modern Football

• Development of Offensive Linemen & Quarterbacks (19:13 - 26:44)

  • Whitworth & Fitzpatrick reflect on the shrinking pipeline for offensive linemen and how the lack of glory and changing youth football landscape discourages kids from playing the ‘big man’ positions.
  • New strategies for pass protection and more complex defensive schemes pose additional challenges for both college and NFL linemen.
  • Praise for the NFL’s new “Protector of the Year Award” as a way to inspire young athletes.
  • Fitzpatrick: “My hope is that inspires some young kid to dream about being that position…hopefully that'll grow the [number] of playing that position.” (22:31)
  • On quarterbacks, they discuss how 7-on-7 football helps develop skills early, but note the stark difference in huddling, cadence, and real “pro” systems—leaving QBs unprepared for NFL responsibilities.

• Coach Rhule's Take (24:25 - 30:22)

  • Shares personal stories of recruiting and developing raw talent—emphasizing the importance of athleticism and coachability over early specialization.
  • Advocates for patience: "Sometimes it just takes time, and I think that's an important thing that everybody's learning..."

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IV. Handling Pressure and Building Resilience in Pro Football

• Navigating Expectations and Pressure (30:50 - 34:53)
  • Both Fitzpatrick and Whitworth stress the value of mentorship—leaning on veterans who “get it,” and developing daily habits that outlast raw talent.
  • Fitzpatrick: “...in the NFL, you'll survive and last built off your habits...find the least talented guy on your team that plays and say, man, what are your habits every day?” (33:01)
  • Continual self-improvement, adaptability, and finding small ways to evolve are core to a long pro career.

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V. Embracing the Media: Why Go Public as a Coach?

• Breaking the Coaching Mold (37:22 - 40:32)

  • Fitzpatrick asks Coach Rhule why he opted for such authenticity and transparency with media, a rarity among coaches.
  • Coach Rhule: “What I realized was the guys I'm coaching, they've all grown up digitally. They've all grown up with content all the time. So I started to adjust a little bit… I want people to get to know the Nebraska football program. I want them to see me who I really am...” (38:51)
  • Rhule shares how his family and distant fans benefit from behind-the-scenes content and that vulnerability can connect and inspire.

• Podcasts as Family Bridges

  • Both Fitzpatrick and Whitworth share that their own kids now listen to and talk about their dads’ podcasts, showing media’s new role in families and fandom.

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VI. Lighthearted Stories: Bus Tours, Showers, Marriage Proposals

• On the Bus and Marriage Advice (12:25 - 15:53)

  • Stories of the cross-country Amazon Prime bus tour—visiting jazz arenas, re-enacting Fitzpatrick’s McDonald's proposal (in a gas station booth), and practical advice for young married athletes.
  • Whitworth: “Set expectations low...then I just, I've exceeded that bar every year, you know?”

• Showering Habits (18:44 - 19:04)

  • Whitworth: “I'm a twice a week guy.”
  • Fitzpatrick: “When you're on a bus with him, it doesn't feel like a waste of time. I kind of wish he showered more, Coach.”
  • Every episode needs its quirky banter!

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VII. Open Q&A: Off-Field Memories and Upcoming Games

• Coach Rhule’s Favorite Non-Football Nebraska Moment (44:53)

  • Cites attending a record-setting women’s volleyball game and one emotional story about Nash Huttmacher, a football player helping the wrestling team by dropping significant weight and eventually qualifying for nationals.
  • Rhule: “…it took so much guts. It took so much guts to say, you know, I've never lost, but I'm gonna go out there and try to help the team...” (45:07)

• Previewing Minnesota & the Broken Chair Trophy (47:23 - 48:28)

  • Reflects on the upcoming game, stresses fixing turnover issues, and highlights competitive spirit in the locker room, especially after dramatic fourth quarter comebacks.

• Breast Cancer Awareness Game (48:21 - 49:52)

  • Players will honor influential women by writing their names on their shoes.
  • Rhule: “...you’re gonna see something really special. Each one of our players is gonna have the name of the person who taught them how to fight, which woman in their life they're playing for written on their shoes. I'll have Donna on one of my shoes. I'll have Gloria on the other side...” (49:38)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Runza Revelation:
  “When something's good, when you're full, you know it's solid. That was really, really good. I was impressed.”
  — Ryan Fitzpatrick (11:06)

• Hot Dog Cannon:
  “That sucker got shot out of the stadium, though. It made it all the way out of the stadium.”
  — Andrew Whitworth (11:56)

• On the Value of Offensive Linemen:
  “My hope is that that inspires some young kid to dream...about being that position and living up to those expectations.”
  — Andrew Whitworth (22:31)

• On Authenticity:
  “I want people to get to know the Nebraska football program. I want them to see me who I really am, not coach Rhule at the press conference.”
  — Coach Matt Rhule (38:51)

• On Cultural Change in Football:
  “It's the only sport that has a player who plays with their back to the ball...Their sole job is to serve and protect.”
  — Andrew Whitworth (21:04)

• Resilience Lesson:
  “You might have got here by talent...but in the NFL, you'll survive and last built off your habits and who are you on a daily basis and what are you chasing?”
  — Andrew Whitworth (33:01)

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Timestamps for Curated Moments

• 05:38 — Kenneth Williams’ journey and emotional scholarship moment
• 10:05 — Fitzpatrick and Whitworth's first Runza experience
• 11:06 — Hot dog cannon chaos
• 19:13 — Begin in-depth discussion: O-line/quarterback development
• 22:31 — Why linemen need heroes
• 26:44 — Impact of 7-on-7, pros and cons for QBs
• 30:50 — Handling pressure as a pro, mentorship need
• 38:51 — Coach Rhule on why coaches need to be authentic in today’s media age
• 45:07 — Coach’s moving story about Nash Huttmacher
• 47:23 — Game preview (Minnesota), turnover challenge
• 48:21 — Breast cancer awareness game details

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Tone and Style

• Energetic and warm: Emphasizing connection and candidness.
• Humorous banter: Food, personal quirks, marriages.
• Serious reflection: Play development, pressures, leadership, authentic storytelling.
• Community pride: Nebraska fandom and family spirit.

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Conclusion

This episode captures the heart of modern college football—mixing old-school grit, leadership, new-era openness, and the community traditions that set programs like Nebraska apart. With inside looks at both locker rooms and family dinner tables, and a willingness to laugh as well as dig deep, Coach Matt Rhule and guests showcase how sports can inspire, unite, and teach—on and off the field.

Subscribe and join the weekly conversation where football, leadership, and life intersect!

Transcript

[Coach Scott Frost]

What was your impression of the Runza? I mean, that's like a Nebraska thing, you know what I mean?

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Wow, Coach.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Wow.

[Coach Scott Frost]

I thought I saw you guys at one point. Did I see one of you guys holding, like, the hot dog cannon and shooting hot dogs in the crowd? I mean, it's not like we were.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Shooting hot dogs at one point. You know, nervous dad over here. I'm whispering in Fitz's ear. I'm like, hey, just make sure you don't aim it at anybody and you don't hit any windows.

[Andrew Whitworth]

That sucker got shot out of the stadium, though.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

By the time I get drafted in the NFL, like, it's like, junior tennis champion. Like, won a championship. Like, and I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I won, like, the local athletic club tennis tournament for 10 year olds at a camp. Like, all. The only thing I got out of this was I got to be first in line to attack the Bigfoot. Little Caesars pizza. So that was it. Like, that's the only thing I won. Coach, if you don't mind, I'd love to ask you a question. What inspired you to want to be that way or what? What's really the mentality behind it?

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Hey, man, house rules, baby. As always, we like to start off with a toast with our outlaw beer and what a day. Because the whole narrative that Nebraska can't win close games is over. And we toast to the top 25 and have our outlaw beard toast. Because that narrative that Nebraska can't win close games, I love that because you said it right after. Right after the game. You were interviewed by the sideline reporter. It was beautiful.

[Coach Scott Frost]

We have a. We have a top 25 win. We've beaten a top 25 team at Cincinnati. Who's ranked ahead of us? We, you know, and I think they're an excellent football team. We beat them in a close game that we allowed to be close. We should have. We should have had more killer instinct, I think. We came back against Michigan State. We came back again on the road against Maryland. They are so talented, the young quarterbacks, dynamic.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Malik Watts, he's. He can play.

[Coach Scott Frost]

He's fantastic. I shook his hand after. I was like, bro, you're going to be. You're going to be elite. But, like, our guys show competitive excellence. It's what we talk about all the time, that you prepare to have poise and confidence, to have competitive excellence. That's not Matt. That's John Wooden. I just stole it from John Wooden. Like, competitive excellence. Pete Carroll, Competitive excellence. Sean McVake, competitive excellence. And two 80 yard drives, two fourth down stops to get us to win the game. And we had 10,000 Husker fans there. Kenneth. Kenneth Williams, walk on, kick returner, takes one back 85 yards. We give him a scholarship back. That was one of the most fun games back on the East Coast. My Makai Nelson's dad drove down from Scranton. They brought me some ravellos. One of our friends from Philly brought me some Wawa soft pretzels. Like everything was right in the world. Everything was right in the world. And we battled and I was so proud of our guys.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Hey, look. Top 25, baby. Let's go, man.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Yeah, you know, you just gotta. You just gotta stay there, you know, I gave myself one. You have that outlaw there. You know, I took my son over to Big Ten Sports Bar Sunday at 11, had an outlaw, had a couple wings and came over right back to work, you know, had lunch with him and some family first. First half of the year, five and one. But guess what, bro? We were five one last year and we finished six and six. We went one and five down the stretch. And so we have to continue to improve. We have to continue to get better. And you know what? We don't. We don't have to let people take the lead in the third quarter and come back in the fourth. Like, let's. Let's play 60 minutes and try to. Try to take it to another level.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

You were fired up, brother.

[Coach Scott Frost]

My heart was racing, my mind was my. I was pounding. Like, I got on the plane and everyone's asleep on the plane around me. And I'm like reading the. Watching the iPad, watching the game. Like, oh, that wasn't opi. Oh, that was. But you know what? Like, in all seriousness, that's why you do it. To see kids be at their absolute best and come together as a team. And a group of guys just make it happen. Like, where else in the world do a hundred men start hugging each other than in a locker room? Greatest place in the world. The other day, I wasted hours trying to cancel an app subscription on my phone for sleep. Sounds well. Today's sponsor, Rocket Money, is here to help. Rocket Money is an easy to use app that helps you save more and manage your money better. I love using Rocket Money to cancel my unwanted subscriptions. You connect your bank account and it identifies all your subscriptions in a single list. Then you select the ones you don't want or need anymore. And Rocket Money may be able to help you cancel with just a few taps. Also, it's Just a great tool for saving money. I know Rocket Money has helped me and my family save money, and they've helped customers save up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features. Who couldn't use another $740? To try Rocket Money out today and unlock more features with Premium? Head to RocketMoney.com rule or or click the link in the video description. What's up, everybody? Welcome to another edition of Office Hours. And I am unbelievably excited to have the man of the hour. 85 yard kickoff return earns a scholarship in the locker room. Do it all. Kenneth Williams. Good to have you, bro.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Thank you.

[Coach Scott Frost]

And since he can do it all, we're going to switch this up. So you're going to be the podcaster. I'm going to put you on the mic. You ever done anything like this yet?

[Kenneth Williams]

No, sir.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Have you taken a. Have you taken a speech class or anything like that?

[Kenneth Williams]

No, sir.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Oh, wow.

[Coach Scott Frost]

I bet you'll be a natural. All right. So your journey, unique. And I remember I'm going through the paper one day, my first or second year, whatever it was, and I'm reading a paper and it says, there's a young man at Lincoln High, Kenneth Williams, just ran like 10, 4 in the 100 meter. And I was like, who's this guy? You know, you transferred in your senior year. Talk a little bit about your journey and how you ended up here.

[Kenneth Williams]

Oh, yeah. So my journey was pretty much different, man. Coming from Michigan, I had my senior year. I left home, left my family there and came out here to Nebraska and I ran track and coaching.

[Coach Scott Frost]

And you came to camp. You came to camp, didn't you?

[Kenneth Williams]

Yes, sir.

[Coach Scott Frost]

What was going through your mind at that time? Like, man, where am I going to college? What was going through it all?

[Kenneth Williams]

Just go out there and just showcase your talent. Just try your best. That's what I did.

[Coach Scott Frost]

You sure have. Now, you've battled to find a role. You found a role as a kick returner. Like, what's kept you going? We all go through some hard times. Adversity, not getting your opportunity you want. Like, what's kept you going?

[Kenneth Williams]

Just keep fighting, you know, just never give up and just always believe in yourself, keeping your best foot forward.

[Coach Scott Frost]

What was going through your mind? What was going through your mind when that ball was in the air? Like, you know, we thought we were gonna have a big kickoff return this game, didn't we?

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Yes, sir.

[Coach Scott Frost]

We weren't sure if it'd be you or Ike, what was going through your mind as they lined up? And, hey, they're gonna kick it to me like, you might not believe this. I've never returned a kickoff for a touchdown, so. Or for a big run. So what was, you know, what's that thought process like standing back there, just.

[Kenneth Williams]

Catching the ball and just run, Run as fast as you could. I believed in my blockers, so that's the only thing I could do was just run.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Anybody make a big block for you? Anybody?

[Kenneth Williams]

Yes, sir. Quinn Ives, wonderful block.

[Andrew Whitworth]

That's awesome.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Pretty cool to have two guys in the running rack room. He makes a great block and you make a big play. What was it feel like for you when Troy, Dan, and our AD said.

[Kenneth Williams]

Hey, you got a scholarship, man? That feeling was the best feeling ever. Especially just being able to finally get my scholarship and then being able to celebrate it with my brothers.

[Coach Scott Frost]

That's awesome. Seeing the way the guys embraced you, I mean, everybody was Dylan, it was Rocco, the whole group, they were fired up for you. They can tell they love you. What's social media been like for you since Saturday, Coach?

[Kenneth Williams]

Man, it's crazy. It's crazy.

[Coach Scott Frost]

What? So, so. So now you got your scholarship, now you move forward, man. Like, what's the. What's the mindset for you? Like, like, how do you. How do you take this thing to the next level?

[Kenneth Williams]

Just keep grinding. It's just one step. Just one step closer and just keep grinding.

[Coach Scott Frost]

It's awesome. Proud of you, man. It's. It's really cool when you see how guys, how hard they practice and it comes to fruition. You're one of the hardest practicing guys on this team, aren't you?

[Kenneth Williams]

Yes, sir.

[Coach Scott Frost]

And it finally paid off. So proud of this, man. Now you'll be a podcaster. Pretty soon you'll be on here, like, saying, hey, I got some ideas about what to do next, but big things for him ahead. Proud of you, brother.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Thank you, coach.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Welcome back to House Rules. Two weeks ago, we played Michigan State, and one of the cooler things happened that week. John Butler, our DC said, hey, would it be all right if Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth drove their bus across country and stopped in Lincoln, Nebraska, of all places? And so to come back, recap that trip and talk all things podcasting and football, please welcome to the show fit and wit. Thank you guys for being here.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Appreciate you, coach.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Thanks for having us, coach.

[Coach Scott Frost]

So. So, first things first, like, you know, getting to Lincoln, seeing game day. I know. Fitz, you said that was the first kind of like big, big 90,000 seat stadium. You ever been in. What were your impressions of our place here?

[Andrew Whitworth]

Well, you know, Coach, you're not going to believe it, but at Harvard there weren't really a ton of big time atmospheres. You know, Harvard, Yale, to be fair, was always a sellout. 32,000 at Harvard, 55,000 at Yale. But I don't think it was really like the die hard college football fan. So I was really looking forward to it. It just so happened, the route that we were taking in our cross country trip, that you guys were going to be right on the way. Whit had said, do you know anybody on Nebraska staff? And I said, gosh, I know John Butler really well. I was with him at Harvard. I was with him with the Houston Texans. And so I sent him a text. And I gotta, I gotta hand it to you, coach. It was amazing. The amount of red. I've made this joke six times, so Whit hates it. But we had just come off the San Francisco 49ers LA Rams game and the 49ers took over the Rams stadium with a lot of red as well. But the red, the balloons getting released, the runs of sandwiches, the whole atmosphere before the game with the fans. And we ended up at Buzzard Billy's doing a little bit, drinking some beers. We had a great time. So thank you for having us.

[Coach Scott Frost]

No, I loved it. I enjoyed the chance to visit with you guys on the field. What was your impression of the Runza? I mean, that's like a Nebraska thing, you know what I mean?

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Wow, coach. Wow. We had no expectations. So here's the thing. Here's when you know something's good. We had actually got in early. Cause we had to get in, get the bus there. And so I, you know, I'm. It's all I do when I'm on the road. I'm looking for food, places. So I'm just searching, Googling, you know, things to eat. We go to Virginia's Travelers Cafe and absolutely go. Just absolute bonkers and order everything on the menu. Basically.

[Andrew Whitworth]

We order things off the menu too. Whit. Remember the assassin?

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

The assassin, the haystack, the strawberry waffle? So we've done it all. So this is a testament to Runza. You know, we're stuffed at this point. So we're at the game, we've had this huge breakfast and somebody's like, have you had a Runza sandwich? And we're like, no, I don't even know what that is. What is it? And so they kind of explain it to us. They Bring it to us. And it was unbelievable. And when something's good, when you're full, you know it's solid. That was really, really good. I was impressed.

[Coach Scott Frost]

I thought I saw you guys at one point. Did I see one of you guys holding, like, the. The hot dog cannon and shooting hot dogs in the crowd? I mean, it's not like.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Like, we were definitely shooting. We were shooting hot dogs at one point.

[Andrew Whitworth]

No, but this thing got out of control, Coach, because you had the. The guy that was manning the hot dog shooter, and then you had. But maybe look like his son, but certainly the protege. He was dressed in the same outfit, sleeveless. So I shot one. Wit shot one. And then he said, hey, do you want to shoot one out of the stadium? And I said, yeah, what do you mean, do I want? Who would want to do stadium? And so he's wrapping up the hot dog in packing tape, like, making it really tight, and he's turning up the psi on the thing behind it, and he says, go ahead, give that thing a shot. And I'm worried about blasting out the windows in the press box.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

You know, nervous dad over here. I'm whispering in Fitz's ear. I'm like, hey, just make sure you don't aim it at anybody and you don't hit any windows.

[Andrew Whitworth]

That sucker got shot out of the stadium, though. It made it all the way out of the stadium. We don't know what it hit on the other side, but it made it all the way out. It wasn't their first rodeo.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

You might have just confessed, Fitz, you don't know.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Only in Nebraska like this, people get hit on the side of the head with a hot dog outside the stadium. And if we're winning, they don't care. They're like, ah, it's all part of. So what's the bus like? I mean, what's it like? Like, you guys left us, and then you guys hop on the bus. Like, I mean, I. I almost thought that was just like a thing. I didn't know then. Then they said, no, no, the bus is here. Like, you guys are doing that. What does that.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Well, so Wit.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

It was Wit.

[Andrew Whitworth]

It was. The knucklehead Wit had this idea of like, well, we've got a game in LA the next week. We got a game in New York. Why don't we get a bus like Madden used to do and drive cross country? And of course I said, yeah, that sounds great, thinking there's no way it would ever happen. And then Whit got the okay from Amazon and off we went.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

It was fun. Here's the thing. We were coming in hot to Nebraska. I mean, this. So we went so far, stadium Thursday night. We obviously did the Thursday night football game. We got off the set, got on the bus. We went 12 and a half, whatever hours it was, to Salt Lake City. We went and visited the Jazz and the Mammoth. Ryan Smith there, the owner there, hooked us up, so we got a chance. Fitz got on the ice. Got to go ice skating. Like, go out there with the hockey guys, play around, do some slap shots. I. I put some skates on, Coach. I'm gonna be honest. And I held onto the wall, and I just kind of, like, skirmished along the wall, so there wasn't a lot of ice action for me. But I did go to the arena. We shot some hoops at the Utah Jazz.

[Andrew Whitworth]

The dude can shoot. Don't be humble, Wit. The dude can shoot. No, I had to put on a.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Little show for him, Coach. They don't realize I got some touch. So we went from there, the 12, whatever hours it is, to Lincoln overnight. So we'd come in straight. 12 hours. 12 hours. That was probably the toughest part of the trip. The best part, I could say, is after seven days on a. We're still speaking to each other. The podcast hasn't been canceled. All is good, Coach.

[Kenneth Williams]

I love it.

[Coach Scott Frost]

I love it. Did you guys. Where did you just stop after us? You stop anywhere after us or did you do anything cool after that?

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Yeah, we did. We went to. Went from there to Kansas city. We did 1587 Prom, Travis and Patrick's restaurant there in Kansas City that they just opened. And then Fitz. Coach, I don't know if you know this. Fitz proposed in a McDonald's to Liza, his wife, back when he was a rookie in the. In. In St. Louis. So we went to famous St. Louis McDonald's. And I gotta tell you, it's not just a McDonald's, Coach. It's a gas station. McDonald's. So it's. It's a McDonald's that's inside of a gas station. And not only that, the view. You think, well, maybe at least has some windows that look out over the. You know, over St. Louis. The arch or something? No, it stares straight into all the gas pumps. So he sat me down in the booth and we reenacted the. The proposal. It was. Wow. I mean, Liza must love this man, Coach.

[Andrew Whitworth]

This is what I teach all my kids, though, Coach. I've got a freshman in college, and then I've got six more every two years. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam is, you know, in a relationship, you got to set expectations. And so with our relationship, start low. I mean, the bar, then I just. I've exceeded that bar every year, you know? So if I would have done a grand proposal like this Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, or the Josh Allen Hailee Steinfeld, it's too much.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Failure.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Yeah.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here?

[Coach Scott Frost]

It's funny you say that. Like, I proposed when we were at Penn State and she was gonna graduate, and I was, like, talking to my buddy, I was like, what should I get her for graduation? He's like, you might as well just propose, bro, because you're gonna do it anyway in the next year. You can kill two birds with one stone. Save a little money. I go to the local mall. I get the ring. I ask her dad. I come back. Well, you know, we're 50 now. We've been together for 26 years, 27 years. Like. Like, I don't even know where that ring is. I see these guys are spending, you know, $75,000 on a ring, and I'm like, guys, just. Just go to the mall and do what I did. If she loves you, she loves you. And then you can just elevate as you go, as you move forward. So you said it best. Just start low and work your way up that nil.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Money must be nice for these guys now. My goodness.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

That's right. Good money.

[Coach Scott Frost]

So what, you. You were shooting, you were a golfer and you were a tennis player as well, right? Back in high school? Like, do you still do any of that stuff, or. Or is that. Is that it?

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

You know, the tennis thing's great. So, coach, I was actually at lsu and the sports information director, you know, this is at the time, back then, not near as much coverage as these kids get now. He's like, hey, we got to build up your bio, you know, for teams that want to come in and talk to you about whether you'd be a draft pick one day, blah, blah, blah. So let's. Let's get some things you've done as a kid. So I list some things, like, hey, I won a tennis tournament and kind of left it there. And by the time I get drafted in the NFL, like, it's like, junior tennis champion, like, won a championship. Like, and I'm like, whoa, whoa, Whoa, whoa. At 10 years old, I won, like, the local athletic club tennis tournament for 10 year olds at a camp. Like, all. The only thing I got out of this was I got to Be first in line to attack the bigfoot. Caesar's. Little Caesar's Pizza. So that was it. Like, that's the only thing I won. But I did grow up playing tennis. All right, So I did grow up playing, but not like super competitively. So I, Yes.

[Coach Scott Frost]

I'm sitting here like, man, this man can do everything. My God, I could play a little bit for sure. Super bowl championship.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Oh, now, coach, do you golf? Do you golf at all?

[Coach Scott Frost]

I, I do. I, I did an episode of this with Danny Woodhead, who's now like a scratch golfer. Like, you know, and, and we played in the simulator here. And I am so bad, but I play all the time. I just, I'm the fun guy in the group. I'm the guy that gets like, you know, I get, I get strokes and every once in a while I get hot and win you some money if you're playing. They're playing for money. Not me, obviously, but, but I, I, I love it. And Nebraska has, Nebraska has great golf. So western Nebraska has sandhills and all these beautiful places out there, like top, top courses in the country. And here in Omaha, Lincoln, we got a bunch of great courses. So. But no matter what I do, man, I can't, I can't get better. I just, I just have more fun. That's it.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Well, I'll tell you, Whit can swing a club. It is, it is very pretty to see a 6, 7, 315. Well, now, 280 pound, big fella swing a golf club like he does. It is poetry in motion for sure. What are you now with. You're three, you're two.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

I'm somewhere in there.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Two and a half.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

After the bus trip, I'm probably more like 290, but I was down under the 90.

[Andrew Whitworth]

I'm talking about your handicap.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

I'm, I'm talking, yeah, I'm probably 3.45. Somewhere in there.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Yeah, somewhere in that index, he could swing the sticks.

[Coach Scott Frost]

That's got to be so much fun.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Just to get coach, you know. You know what we did when we were out there that Whit had never experienced before? He had never heard of Shields.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

I hadn't. That was awesome. That's where I got my Nebraska. That's where I got a Nebraska T shirt.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Yeah, we would.

[Coach Scott Frost]

You didn't have to buy one. We would have taken care of you. We, we have 2x3x4. And we actually have all that stuff in stock at all times. I mean, we would hook it.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Yeah. She also used an extra pair of underwear at that Point. Actually, I should have asked you.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

God, this doesn't shower, Coach.

[Coach Scott Frost]

So really, why is that?

[Andrew Whitworth]

Anti shower guy, twice a week guy. I'm a twice a week guy twice.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

That's a stretch.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Once.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Okay.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Is there, is there, is there a theory behind it or is it just like, just a waste of time?

[Andrew Whitworth]

It's a waste of time.

[Coach Scott Frost]

I think I respect that.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Thank you.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

When you're on a bus with him, it doesn't feel like a waste of time. I kind of wish he showered more. Coach.

[Coach Scott Frost]

So let me you guys hear if I ask you a football question.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Yeah, of course.

[Coach Scott Frost]

I'm really interested to hear your guys take on this. Obviously, you know, obviously fit. You played 17 years where you played 16 years. You know, you guys, guys were dominant, you know, in terms of like your longevity and taking care of yourself and the way that you played. So I mean, just not many people can do what you guys did. And you hear this narrative all the time now about, you know, development of offensive linemen and development of quarterbacks coming out of college. You know, obviously the systems are different. Coming to the NFL and then, and then having to develop and have, you know, and who makes it, who doesn't. What, what is your belief on the state at each position, the state of offensive line play and the state of quarterback play in the National Football League in college and what has to be done to accelerate the development process? Really, if anything, either one, please feel free to start.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Why don't you start. Why don't you start with that one?

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Yeah, I think it's obviously it's a complex subject in the sense of offensive line. There's just not a lot of human beings that are big monsters that can move walking around every day. But I will say this. I think sometimes, you know, too much is made of how practice rules have changed and how things have changed with that and how it relates to, relates to success on the football field. You always hear because there's less 2A days and there's this and that linemen are struggling. I just don't believe that's true. I believe that, you know, in some ways, you know, and I have this discussion with the NFL all the time. We have celebrated the game and built the game to an awesome new heights, which is great. And then that is including more people with flag football and see seven on seven things and all these things throughout youth sports. But at the same time, we've taken away any glory to playing the position. So like I, I coach youth football in seventh and eighth grade. I don't have any kids that want to be an offensive lineman? Nobody. I don't care what their weight is. They think they want to carry it, they want to tote it. Like that's the fun part of the game. And so in some ways where we've expanded the game where more people can play it, we've also made it a lot less inspirational to probably be an offensive lineman. You know, you know, big kids don't sit there and go, that's what they want to do. And so when you get into high school, they're probably playing it for the first time ever. And then when they get into college, it's like a lot of the kids that end up being great left tackles are actually tight ends. And so it's kids that you're converting like to offensive linemen then as well. And then you get in the NFL and you also have limited reps. So I think it's a compounding issue. But I also think too, especially when you get to the NFL level and college has gotten that way too, the complexity of how people play defense now and the strategy to how you pick games and stunts and all these things. Like when I got in the NFL, I lined up and it was four d linemen. I knew exactly. I could just point to a guy I was blocking every play because he was standing right in front of me. And they used to, they even lined right in front of you. They didn't even get, they didn't even widen out. So it's like the complexity of like who I have, how to block them, how to pick up all these schemes, all those things are at an all time high. And I think that the challenge of playing the position is much harder than ever. So I think it's really one of those things that we can't like in both ways. We have to acknowledge, like we've built the game in a big way, but we've also probably taken some of the glory out of what makes football, in my opinion, the greatest sport on earth. Because it's the only sport that has a player who plays with their back to the ball the entire time. And their sole job is to serve and protect, to open lanes and provide protection. That separates us. What makes us not NBA, that makes us not Major League Baseball. That's what makes us different. And so I think this award that we're going to put in this year of the NFL Protector of the Year award that I had a big part in, you know, me and Dion Dawkins and some other former players getting Goodell to approve, I Think it's going to be something that my hope with it was not about acknowledging the current players like, that is cool and I hope it's great. I hope it makes a 12 year old watch NFL Honors and see the NFL Lineman of the year standing on that stage and go, I want to be the next Trent Williams. I want to be the next Joe Thomas. I want to be the next Orlando Pace and Jonathan Ogden and Walter Jones and Willie Anderson. My hope is that that inspires some young kid to dream and to dream about being that position and living up to those expectations and hopefully that'll grow the of playing that position, which I think will help us accelerate the process of producing more offensive linemen.

[Coach Scott Frost]

You brought up Dion there. I. I was the assistant O line coach of the New York Giants, and I get hired to be the new head coach at Temple, and they take me to go see Deion, who was supposed to go to Cincinnati, and they dropped him and he had nowhere to go. And I sat there and I watched his tape and he was a D lineman that they converted O line. He didn't. He didn't know how. He didn't really know how to play. And so it wasn't real pretty. And I remember saying to him, can you dunk a basketball? And he was like, coach, I could dunk a basketball. If we go to the park right now. If we go to the park right now, I'll dunk a basketball. I said, if you do, I'll give you a scholarship. And walked out of the house. And I was like, I don't want to get in trouble. I don't know if this is legal. Like, I'm coming from the NFL. Like. So I started walking down the street and I'm walking in my car and it was like a romantic comedy. I stopped, I said, what are you doing? The kid's six foot five, he's £290. And I walked back, I said, if you can be on campus on Sunday, you have a scholarship. And next thing you know, I have documentary people coming in to talk to me about him and all the things that he's done. But he's a personality. I think that brings attention to the position because to your point, there's not a lot of people talking about that. When I first went to play football 100 years ago, my dad said to me, when the coach says, what position you play? You say, whatever position you want me to play, sir. And they said, all right, you're a center. Go play center. But that's the only way you could get guys to play that. So that's really well said. Really well said.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Appreciate it.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Yeah, I do think, I do think too, like that was the whole thing. Growing up with lineman is like you want to remain anonymous, right? You want to be a guy that just does his job. And the only time you get acknowledged is when penalty flag gets thrown and they say your number. But it's been really cool. I always say this with wit. The offensive linemen are having a moment right now between Jason Kelsey and Whit and the other guys on tv. But the left tackles and the right tackles, we just were with Jordan Malata and Lane Johnson on the bus trip we stopped in Philly. You want to talk about two great personalities and just, you know, I think the way the media space is now to be able to highlight some of these guys and it for them to have easier access to show off their personalities has been a really great thing for the game. The flip side of what Whit was saying and some of the maybe negatives or detriment of all this seven on seven and stuff is it's been really good for quarterback development. And I always get mad going to those seven on seven things because it's just not the same game. It's not football, like flag football and tackle football are two very different sports. That being said, a lot of these kids are developing at a lot younger age now in terms of some of the technique and the fundamentals. And I think if you look at the NFL right now, we're pretty good spot in terms of young talent and quarterbacks and even just increasing the longevity of how long a quarterback can play with some of these new rules and things. So I think that has been really good for the game. Kind of the trickle up effect. The problem, you know, that the NFL has is so many of these guys. You know, I love watching Gruden rant about, you know, how guys clap instead of actually like saying cadence or calling a play in the huddle. And there's all these things that when you get to the NFL, all of a sudden you've got grown men looking at you for a play call and you haven't really done it much in your life. So some of that stuff I know guys struggle with when they're young and you know as well as anybody, it's like the, the amount of time they give you now, whether it's a coach or a quarterback to develop and to start something and it's just, it's impossible to say, all right, you've got 10 games here, you Go. How's it going to go? I mean, we're seeing it with the resurgence of Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield and all these guys. Sometimes it just takes time, and I think that's an important thing that everybody's learning right now and looking at some of these resurgence stories with these quarterbacks.

[Coach Scott Frost]

You guys have a podcast? I have a podcast. You guys are sports media, like it? We love it, we need it to have the game grow. But so much of the noise, like you have a bad day and it's like it's just being talked about non stop. You look at, you know, Peyton Manning, his early years in Indianapolis and how he ended up developing. I had a chance to be around Sam Donald and Baker Mayfield. I loved both of those guys. I'm so happy to see what they're doing. But it's the only position like you, you look at it. When I was in Carolina, Tom Brady came to Tampa Bay and I forget what he was. 44, 45. Like, you can't even be, you can't even be the most dominant, probably even tennis player at 44. For me, most things are like 18 to 30. It's the only game where, where guys are playing at that high of a level, that age, because they have so they have so much stored in their brain. You know, they can see it, they can recognize it. It's just such a different sport. Is there anything that the league should do, could do, or college football could and should do to, you know, it's hard for us to sit there and say, like, hey, I'm not going to clap because, you know, I'm going to go to LSU and it's going to be, you know, so loud and you can hear that better than you hear a cadence. And like, you know, we want to develop the game. We also want to have a job next week. So how do you, how do you, how do you balance that development? Because I, you know, you want to see, you want to see young quarterbacks come in ready. Like, I want my guys when they leave, I want Dylan Rayola when he leaves here for people to say he's ready, you know, and we went to that, we went to the helmet microphone finally. So, like, we don't. We're not signaling plays in anymore. You know, we're able to talk to the quarterback and make him talk in the huddle. But what else, what else would you like to see done?

[Andrew Whitworth]

I think one of the things that's been helpful, you look at some of the recent guys, you look at Like a Bo Nix. And now there's, there's almost an encouragement for some of these guys to stay in college. And I think that's going to be really helpful. And you know, sometimes it's in multiple programs as well. But being able to navigate some of that stuff has become easier for these guys. The media landscape and dealing with that now, dealing with money and the pressures that come with all this stuff. I think the older they come in, probably the better because of the maturity. Michael Penix, another guy the other night that you saw come in. There are guys that are coming in maybe more NFL ready than in the past. So it's, you know, there are silly things, the cadence and those type of things, but you gotta, you have veterans in those rooms for a reason to help bring these young guys along. But like I said, we're in a good place right now because there are a lot of really good young quarterbacks that are coming into the league. The problem is historically there's just certain franchises that they either don't know how to develop them or don't have the infrastructure around them. And so if they're not going to work out in one place, you know, luckily a lot of these guys have been landing on their feet and others, no doubt.

[Coach Scott Frost]

When I was in Carolina, we had, we had a couple receivers that were struggling, you know, with the play call and the wording and the volume. And I remember one day some, some of the coaches, you know, the long time NFL guys, you know, obviously I'd come from college, right? So they were frustrated and so I made the point where they, I brought a couple of guys over and I said, I said, hey, did you, when you were back in college two years ago, did you guys ever huddle? Said, no. I said, did you do it in high school? No. Did you do it in when you played? They had not, not that they hadn't been in a huddle. They had never been in a huddle. They'd never even heard a play call. They had seen like they had seen someone doing this on the sidelines and a big, the big, you know, Ryan Fitzpatrick head on the sideline, that's like, oh, that's that play. And then they're off and running. So the game, the evolution of the game until they get there. But I always thought like the volume and the thinking and the talk and then to which point what you see on defense, I mean, just the, just the, I've heard Sean McVeigh talk a lot about getting out of like the one high, two high headquarters beat or just being like, hey, it's pure progression because we don't even know what we're seeing with the combo coverages. So the defense is evolving. We have to continue to evolve the offense as well and the quarterbacks as well.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Yeah. And I think, look at it. I mean, that takes time. And to our point, I think it's all compounding things. Like, you look at the pressure and NFL head coaches under. I mean, how many of these guys have drafted a number one? We, Fitz and I were just talking about this, and then they get fired. Just, just because it's like, you draft our number one pick, you don't win instantly. You. You don't make it through it. And so you don't even get the chance to really live through these decisions. And like, hey, we draft this young guy, like, can I at least have a few years to develop a team around him? You're not allowed that kind of freedom and time.

[Coach Scott Frost]

I know I did it. I did it. But no, even, even, you know, but even, even the pressure the guys are under, like, you know, I'm interested from your guys's perspective. I mean, you came up, you came into the league at one time, and now you've. Then you obviously were in the league for a long time. Like, I, I was always like, just watching the guys that were first rounders and in their first year, like, man, I've got to live up to this expectation. They just couldn't just go play ball. And hey, I'm a young, you know, I'm a young defensive tackle, corner linebacker, wide receiver, whatever. I'm, man, I got to make my fifth year option. I've got to do that. Just the incessant, like, pressure. Like, what do you tell young players about dealing with the pressure of expectations about, you know, putting on for a franchise that drafted you and drafted you really high? Like, how do you manage that? How can I help my guys manage that better?

[Andrew Whitworth]

I guess I think part of it is finding, finding a veteran guy, finding a guy that's been through it and just leaning on them. Because the other difficult thing is, you know, the money's getting so big now too, in the NFL. So it's like, sometimes it's hard to complain, if you want to complain to, say, your parents, oh, you know What? I'm making 20 million bucks this year, and it's really struggling. I'm having a hard time. And that stuff just doesn't work with certain conversations and certain people. So a lot of times it's leaning on people that have been there that have been through the struggles on the bus on our way to New York, after we passed you guys in St. Louis, we were in Indianapolis, and I was just having a conversation with Daniel Jones and the struggles that he went through in New York. And I went through similar struggles from 2015 to 2016 with the Jets. Where you go from, you know, some high highs to some really low lows, and at that point, like, who is your support system and who do you lean on? There are very few people that can understand what you're going through. And so that, that's always my thing. Every team I went to, you know, and as I got older, I became that veteran guy, but every team I went to, I always found a guy. And when, when Whit and I were in Cincinnati, we had a tight end, Reggie Kelly, who was one of those guys, not a big name guy, you probably never heard of him, but he was a 10, 11 year veteran that just understood the way that things worked and was a great guy to just to lean on and to ask questions and to talk to in a calming voice. So I think mentorship is a big part of it.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Yeah, I agree. I think it's really one of those things that, you know, you look at it, I love the simple. And really, when you look at it, it's like, hey, man, how did you get here? What are the opportunities? I always say this, young kids, high school and college, you might have got here by talent and your ability to do special things, but in the NFL, you'll survive and last built off your habits and who are you on a daily basis and what are you chasing? And so it's almost a world when you get in those locker rooms, you need to go find the least talented guy on your team that plays and say, man, what are your habits every day? Because if I can mirror habits of a guy who probably talent wise, shouldn't be here, but based off the style he lives in day in and day out, is why he's here. Man, if I can take that and add it to my talents, then that really sets me apart, different from the others. And anytime I get a chance to talk to young people, I always say, man, I was never somebody who idolized one guy, but I love to find all the different guys who are successful at what they do. And is there a traitor that I could add to who I am? Is there something they do that really sets them apart, that they're so good at, better than anybody else that makes them unique and special? And is that something I can add to who I am and how I do things. I think you just got to kind of live in that mode of ever growing, ever adapting and saying, hey, listen, I'm 24 coming out of college. There's a much different style I can play football with. Coming out of LSU compared to when I was 40, going against guys who are 24 and 25 playing in the NFL. I had to adapt my body and how I moved and how I did things and how I processed throughout that whole time. And when I think about those 16 years, I think about the resiliency to always find a better version of myself. That's the only thing that I really think about as far as what it was to exist and to be there. You obviously have to have things go your way injury wise, but you always have to be in this mindset of, I'm always looking for what's that little piece that I can add to who I am, or what's that change that can give me a chance to survive a little bit longer and play this game that I love to play.

[Coach Scott Frost]

You guys move into the content space. You start the podcast in 2024. Like, who's the mentor for that?

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Who.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Who are you looking to for that? Like, how do you. How do you. You guys want to be great?

[Andrew Whitworth]

How do you. Oh, we're just figuring things out as we go. We're.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Because even.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Even the TNF thing. So Thursday Night Football, when. When they called us and we started talking about maybe doing this, like, we have. We have four guys. Karissa Thompson, we wouldn't be able to do it without her, but we've got four guys. Tony Gonzalez, me, Andrew Whitworth, and Richard Sherman. And when we started this thing, Sherm had never done tv, Whit had never done tv, and I had never done tv. We were fresh off the field, and so we leaned on Carissa a lot. But it was also just like, let's figure this thing out and let's be ourselves. We all love watching football and love talking about football, so how do we make this a show that people are going to love watching and figured it out? And then for me, also with the podcast, like, I just, a couple years being out, had been asked a few times, didn't really want to do it. And then when Whit and I started talking about it, it was like, this is a dude I'd love to have a conversation with, you know, for an hour every week. So let's go ahead and do it. We dove right in last year, and it's something we've. We've Been able to meet a lot of cool people and really enjoyed it.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Yeah, I think that's it. And it's always joke. I think Nick Saban would punch me in my face back in 2003 if I told him I was going to podcast. But, you know, things have changed, and you change over time. I mean, it's like, you know, I never would have seen myself honestly doing Thursday Night Football or podcasting when I was playing. I was always somebody who kind of turned any of that stuff away when I played, because I was. I always felt like, you know, probably last 12 years of my career as a captain of the team always felt like, for me, maybe it's my old school nature. It was a distraction from anything that had to do with me being in a leadership role. And now I probably see that differently. Getting into the space and realizing, like, I don't have to be anybody that other people want me to be. I can just be myself and. And I don't have to worry about any of that type stuff. I probably would have handled it differently. So I think I've learned a lot from that. But like I. Like Fitz said, I mean, this is really, to me, just him and I having a conversation. I think we throw out a lot of stuff that people want us to talk about, because for us, it's like, man, unless it's true to who we are and something I really care about, like, I don't just sit here and listen and talk and stuff about things that you want me to. I want to talk about stuff I care about. And so I think that's what means something to us. And so we try to keep in that space with Thursday Night Football and podcasts and be true to us, you know, stay talking about things that actually matter to us. And coach, if you don't mind, I'd love to ask you a question.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Sure.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

I think in this space, because we're talking about it, I think it's really cool that you're willing. In a world we kind of live in, with coaching, especially kind of talking about my mentality of wanting to hold back, like, that you're willing to kind of just be transparent and authentic and have a podcast and talk to people about things that probably subjects you'd never, you know, probably 10, 15 years ago, we wouldn't see coaches ever really address or speak to what inspired you to want to be that way or what's really the mentality behind it.

[Coach Scott Frost]

So I was very much like you. I was like, hey, get the cameras out of the locker room. We don't need this content. But then I'm also the first guy that wants to watch NFL films all the time and listen to all these things. So I was like. So I was like, you know what? But I didn't want to be a distraction. And then what I realized was the guys I'm coaching, they've all grown up digitally. They've all grown up with content all the time. And so I started to adjust a little bit. And then when I got fired in Carolina, I took this job, and my wife and two daughters stayed in Charlotte till the end of that year. Then my son stayed for another year to finish his senior year of high school. And as we would put different pieces of content out about a practice or a spring practice or whatever, my family ate it up because they weren't here. And so I started thinking about all the people who love Nebraska, and I'm very proud of how we do things. I was like, well, why don't we put this stuff out? And then. So we started doing, like, a little show. And I did a. It's funny. This Friday will be our breast cancer game. My mother had breast cancer. My wife Julie lost her mom to breast cancer. And I gave a speech, and they posted the speech about, you know, right before I game about, who taught you how to fight? Like, I learned how to fight from my mom watching her battle cancer.

[Andrew Whitworth]

Yeah.

[Coach Scott Frost]

And it kind of went viral. And I'm telling you, I've been through airports, and people walk up to me and be like, hey, thanks for saying that. That meant something to me. And so, you know, I was. When I went to Carolina, there was Covid. I was kind of like, you know, in a mass, talking to people, and I never felt like anybody actually got to know who I really was, even the players. It wasn't kind of like, till that last year because we were always talking to each other in a mask or on a Zoom channel. And I realized leaving there, like, Christian McCaffrey makes X amount of dollars. Brian Burns. But, like, we connected over Brian and I connected over my dogs. Like, he gave me a dog. We connected over people things. Christian and I connected over people things. And so this year, I said, you know what? I want people to get to know the Nebraska football program. I want them to see me who I really am, not coach rule at the press conference. Because I also feel like coaches are under a little bit of duress. You know, you talked earlier about, you know, it's kind of hard to say, hey, I'm making this amount of money, and I'M stressed out, but I went this summer and did a thing with, like, Dabo Sweeney, Sean McVeigh, Kevin O'. Connell. Like, all of us as coaches, we're all feeling the same thing. We just don't know who to say it to. So, man, we lost to Michigan. And I still did the podcast that Monday, and I was like, hey, I'm torn up inside. You know, is it. Is it sometimes scary to do this because no one's done it before? Yes. But I think people want authenticity, transparency. They want to know the real story. I then saw your social media post about all the different things that you did, and I was like, oh, this is awesome. Like, they got to see. They got to see this. You went to Buzzer Billy's like, you got to yell, go, Big Red. I had a chance to visit with you on the field, but I got to see your whole experience. And I think for me, at Nebraska, this is such a cool place for people all across the country to see all the things that we have here. I can only do it this way, through content. So we've tried to evolve.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

I'm glad you said it that way, because I actually now, since I have Fitz, has seven kids, I have four, but I'm 14, 14, 13, and 10. And now I'll say stuff on here or Fitz, I'll have a conversation. I'll be sitting at the dinner table and be like, one of them will be like, hey, dad, that was funny what you and Fitz talked about. And I'm thinking like, oh, shoot, I forget you guys hear this stuff. Like, y' all are listening to what we're talking about on this podcast. So it's great because one of the things we did, coach, we binged the summer I turned pretty. We watched the whole first season and started the second season because we both have teenage daughters, so this has become a huge talking subject. We gave some kind of reviews and kind of our thoughts on the show, which was a lot of fun. And there's a lot of moms and teenage daughters now that want to conversate with us about Conrad and Jeremiah. So I love this. We learned a lot on our bus trip.

[Andrew Whitworth]

But I think that's. I think that is like the. You know, we talked about even Lineman and kind of getting to see their true selves. This. This new media space. I think you do have to embrace it, and it's really cool what you're doing, because, like, people do want authenticity, and this is a way to open the doors and not keep everything so private. And for them to be able to get a little peek in. And everybody kind of wants a peek into this stuff. And for us having like all the experience in the NFL to talk about some of these things, we don't want to sit there and kill guys over performances. And those different things we want to talk about, you know, Dan Campbell coming out immediately after the game when Brian Branch does something pretty stupid and says, we love Brian Branch, but that was a dumb thing to do and I apologize to coach Reed. We want to talk about those type of things and pull back the curtain, you know, on the NFL and it's cool what you're doing as well and pulling back the curtain on Nebraska football.

[Coach Scott Frost]

You know, I've lived all over the country. I don't think everybody wants to see people yelling at each other on TV about sports. I think, I think like kindness is going to. Kindness is like, there's still a place for that. And when we talk with our thumbs and we tweet, sometimes people can say things pretty salacious. When you talk face to face, it's a lot more. It's a lot more real. It's a lot kinder. And again, I've been on both sides. I've been hired, I've been fired. I've been coach of the year. I've been a meme. I've been everywhere in between. And I'm like, you know what, let's just get good people in a room, talk to each other, and good things will always happen. Well, I'm grateful you guys came to Lincoln. I'm grateful you guys took the time for this. I know you're unbelievably busy. It's a tremendous honor for us. And two guys have a better beard than me. That's really hard for me to deal with. But you guys, you guys got it.

[Andrew Whitworth]

So thanks for having me.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Appreciate it, coach. Thank you, man.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Thank you. You may not know the name, but you've definitely seen their work. Empire netting and fence. They're the ones who built those famous tunnel walk gates at Memorial Stadium. And just down the road from the stadium, they took on one of Nebraska's most impressive projects yet. Building the stage Sandhills Global youth complex from the ground up, transforming the future of youth sports in our state. And here's the cool part. They're not slowing down. Empires campus out in Waverly is one of the fastest growing in Nebraska. And now they've added something brand new. Hot coat powder coating. It's a state of the art, fully automated line featuring a five stage wash system. And an efficient 50 foot infrared cure oven. With a process that delivers a flawless finish every time. With a wide range of colors and durable, long lasting coatings that resist rust and wear, Hot Coat is raising the bar for quality and performance. They're even hosting a grand opening on Saturday, October 18th. Perfectly timed so you won't miss the Hustler game. Come out for lunch, a tour of the new facility and see the only powder coating line of its kind in the region in action. Empire and Hot Coat are not just powder coating building fences, gates, or netting. They're building a culture rooted in grit, integrity and pride. And they're looking for good people to to join their team. So next time that tunnel walk music hits and those gates swing open, think of Empire, a Nebraska company doing big things. Check them out.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Time out for anything but football. This is where we get to ask coach questions that go beyond football. Well, the funny thing about it is our great producer Hoots, who's a hoot? Who's. We love them. He puts it out on social media. He's like, listen, you got a non football question for coach. Hey, leave it right here. All right. This is our buddy Liam. So Liam says, what's your favorite non football moment at Nebraska?

[Coach Scott Frost]

Okay. My wife will tell you and my daughters will tell you the women's volleyball game in the stadium. Now, I was at Minnesota. You know, they had 91,000 fans packed out Memorial Stadium to watch our Husker women's volleyball team play. I remember my wife called me, she goes, this is the greatest sporting event I've ever been to. And I was like, yo, I've been coaching for 25 years. She's like, nah, nah, yeah, yeah, that's great. But just amazing. Like, to be a part of Husker women's volleyball is awesome. But, you know, after my first year here, they lost their heavyweight wrestler. And so the Polar Bear, Nash Huttmacher, our starting Nose was about 338 pounds, was undefeated in high school, four time state champion. And he lost, got down to 275. He lost all that weight in a month and went out and wrestled. And his first match, I figured it was North Dakota or something like South Dakota. And our whole team was there and he won and he wanted to pin. And bro, I'm telling you, I cried tears of like, pride, joy, emotion, because it took so much guts. It took so much guts to say, you know, I've never lost, but I'm gonna go out there and try to help the team. He could have just said, no, no, no, I want to finish. And he went out there and guess what? He made it all. He made it to nationals that year. Like, just, you know, he's playing in the NFL now. But that was. That was something beautiful. That was true, true, true competitive, competitive excellence.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

I want the movie rights. That's a good. That's a great story.

[Coach Scott Frost]

That would be a heck of a movie.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Yes. Are you kidding me? I love it. All right, let's look ahead because we got a game. All this talk, and it was great. Saturday, Maryland was fantastic. Was a short week. On to Minnesota and look, this could be good game. And Friday night, the whole world's watching.

[Coach Scott Frost]

Yeah. Friday night, national tv. You know, they've won the last five meetings against us. Minnesota has. It was my first game here Thursday night in Minnesota. Here it is Friday night in Minnesota. Excellent football team. They don't get penalized. They win the turnover battle. They're physical. It's going to be a great, great game. And so, you know, we obviously travel to the East Coast. We come back, we have to regroup. We have to have a great week of practice. We got to get to the game. Emmett Johnson, the Minnesota Navy, has a chance to go home and be back home, which I know he's going to be really excited about. But, you know, anytime you're on the road, man, you got to come together as a team. And we can't be minus three in turnovers. We got to fix the turnover situation. We got to get some turnovers and play our best game. So I can't wait. Dude.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Yeah, I love Dylan. Afterwards, he's like, listen, that can't happen. Even though he. I thought he rebounded really well, but that can't happen. He was. My team picked me up. I mean, God, I love the kid. The kid just says all the right things.

[Coach Scott Frost]

He's in the locker room at halftime and he's sitting there, he's like, just like brooding. And I said, you okay? He goes, I'm pissed. I got, you know, I'm pissed about the way I played. I was like, oh, they're in trouble. And eight. Those are pick six, which is just a good play by their kid. Right. You know, they didn't do anything wrong. Pick six. And I'm like, all right, let's. Let's see. We got back to back 80 yard drives, man. Like, go back to what I said earlier a couple weeks ago. That's why I told him to come to Nebraska. Like, don't just go to an already powerhouse and just hand the ball off. And make a couple throws. Like he has to put the team on, on his back 80 yard drives as the quarterback. Not that the other guys aren't doing their job. Just, you know, you're the quarterback. You got to go an 80 yard drive to win the game. I think it's like the first time in eight years the offense went out and won a game at the end. We had all these opportunities. We did it. Now you got to do it again. But now just a competitive, competitive, competitive kid.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Man.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Did you know that it's the Broken Chair trophy? Is there room for the Broken Chair trophy?

[Coach Scott Frost]

You know, we play for three trophies. Wisconsin, there's a trophy. Our Black Friday game. Every year, there's a trophy, then that trophy. And so we haven't. We don't have it down there. We haven't won it Since, I think 2018 or something like that. So we got to play well. And P.J. fleck's a great coach. You know, we're. Both sides are coming together. Breast cancer awareness. Something that's, you know, Julie lost her mother, Donna, after a great fight with breast cancer. My mom had breast cancer. It's something we're passionate about. And you're gonna see, you're gonna see something really special. Each one of our players is gonna have the name of the person who taught them how to fight, which, which woman in their life they're playing for written on their shoes. I'll have Donna on one of my shoes. I'll have Gloria on the other side. You know, watch. Watching both those women go through that. And so many women, you know, one in eight women is affected by it. It's just, it's something that we have to figure out as a country. And we're going to try to do our small part. So will Coach Fleck and his team. Two classy football teams playing for the whole world to see, just to honor them with how hard we play and how hard we prepare. And so Minnesota, you know, the game will come down to football, but in some small way to remind me, maybe it reminds one woman to go get. Hey, maybe I should go get a checkup. Hey, hey, Ma, have you gotten a checkup? Like, just, just maybe it does one thing for one person. So it's not, it's not for. It's not for show. And the cleats, I thought were really cool because, you know, in the NFL, you have my cause, my cleats. It's really hard to do that in college because, you know, kids all have to pay for it. You have all these things, but, you know, we got Adidas, we got cleats. We had someone go paint them for us and then. So it'll be really cool.

[Podcast Host / Producer]

Yeah. We're going to change next week's title. The podcast from House Rules to Jewels Rules.

[Coach Scott Frost]

There's no doubt she rules. She definitely rules the roost at our place. We could also call it Hoots. Hoots. Hoots Rules. Because our illustrious producer hoots. Well, that's it. Another episode in the can. Please remember to, like, share or subscribe on YouTube or wherever. Get your podcasts and please follow at House Rules on socials. Until next time.

[Ryan Fitzpatrick]

Express yourself.