25W Coaches Special: Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman, Spencer Danielson, Bret Bielema & MORE!

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Bobby Bones Show – 25W Coaches Special

Title: The Bobby Bones Show
Host/Author: Premiere Networks
Episode: 25W Coaches Special: Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman, Spencer Danielson, Bret Bielema & MORE!
Release Date: December 26, 2024

---

Introduction

In this special episode of "The Bobby Bones Show," host Bobby Bones and co-host Eddie engage in an in-depth conversation with five prominent college football coaches: Dan Lanning (Oregon), Spencer Danielson (Boise State), Brett Bielema (Illinois), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri), Clark Lee (Notre Dame), and Chris Kleiman (Kansas State). The episode delves into their coaching philosophies, personal experiences, team dynamics, and insights into the current college football landscape.

---

1. Dan Lanning – Head Coach, Oregon

Discussion Highlights:

• Career Path & Development: Dan Lanning discusses his journey from a Graduate Assistant (GA) to a position coach, and his decision to return to a GA role at Alabama for professional growth.

  • Quote [04:32]: "From a professional development standpoint, it was definitely the right move."

• Team Management & Uniforms: Explores the collaboration with Nike and the role of the equipment manager in maintaining team gear.

  • Quote [05:55]: "Kenny Farr does a great job working with Nike to create some awesome get-ups for our guys."

• Coaching Philosophy: Emphasizes passion and authenticity in coaching, and the importance of adapting strategies based on player strengths.

  • Quote [06:11]: "I'm never going to apologize for passion. The players are going to match your energy and enthusiasm."

• Personal Values: Highlights the importance of family and authenticity, ensuring that players see him as a genuine individual both on and off the field.

  • Quote [09:51]: "I'm the same guy today that I was 20 years ago. Family matters to me."

Notable Insights:

• Lanning acknowledges the ongoing relevance of signal-based communication in college football despite technological advancements.
• He shares personal anecdotes about his relationships with former mentors like Nick Saban and Kirby Smart, underscoring the impact of disciplined routines and adaptability.

---

2. Spencer Danielson – Head Coach, Boise State

Discussion Highlights:

• Work-Life Balance: Spencer discusses balancing his demanding coaching career with family life, emphasizing intentional scheduling to maintain strong relationships with his wife and daughters.

  • Quote [16:34]: "We specifically have dedicated time for each other now."

• Recruitment Philosophy: Advocates for multi-sport participation in athletes to build well-rounded skills, rather than early specialization.

  • Quote [18:52]: "I would love someone to play as many sports as they can... building an overall athletic skill set."

• Parent Communication: Implements monthly Zoom meetings with parents to maintain transparency and open lines of communication regarding player development.

  • Quote [20:04]: "I believe in truth... If you're concerned, I want you to call me."

• Team Culture & Leadership: Emphasizes the importance of family involvement and setting positive examples for players, especially those from single-parent households.

  • Quote [17:52]: "We have to be very intentional with the time we have, especially in season."

Notable Insights:

• Spencer shares his positive outlook on integrating personal faith with his coaching approach, fostering a supportive and disciplined team environment.
• He highlights the significance of consistency and emotional support in building a resilient team culture.

---

3. Brett Bielema – Head Coach, Illinois

Discussion Highlights:

• Handling Success & Pressure: Brett reflects on overcoming past challenges and the continuous effort required to maintain team performance, especially after significant victories.

  • Quote [38:02]: "We got to move on now."

• Game Strategy & Execution: Details his approach to game planning against strong opponents like Alabama, focusing on possession, turnovers, and special teams to secure victories.

  • Quote [38:58]: "We needed to use our offense to possess the ball and create field position advantages."

• Emotional Resilience: Discusses the importance of keeping celebrations in check to maintain focus on upcoming challenges.

  • Quote [44:58]: "We have to maintain the mental focus and discipline to realize that we can be respectful."

• Player Appreciation: Emphasizes recognizing the efforts of all team members, including those on scout teams, to foster a sense of belonging and value within the program.

  • Quote [73:08]: "They have to know that they're a valued part of your organization and program."

Notable Insights:

• Brett highlights the role of leadership in sustaining team morale and performance, especially after notable wins.
• He underscores the balance between celebrating achievements and preparing for future challenges, maintaining a forward-focused mindset.

---

4. Eli Drinkwitz – Head Coach, Missouri

Discussion Highlights:

• Grit & Perseverance: Eli defines grit as the "stubborn refusal to quit," highlighting players like Brady and Johnny Walker as exemplars of this quality.

  • Quote [51:07]: "Grit is the stubborn refusal to quit... passion plus perseverance over time."

• Emotional Intelligence: Shares his approach to post-game interactions, aiming to offer comfort to opposing coaches while managing his own emotions before addressing his team.

  • Quote [52:42]: "When you're the winning coach... give them some sort of comfort."

• Team Development During Bye Weeks: Explains how bye weeks allow for focused improvement on fundamentals and strategic planning without the pressure of an impending game.

  • Quote [48:43]: "There's really more time to focus on fundamentals and improvement."

• Mentorship & Support Systems: Discusses his reliance on spiritual mentors and professional contacts to navigate emotional and mental challenges in coaching.

  • Quote [55:06]: "From a spiritual standpoint, there's Dr. Dick Furman... from a coaching standpoint, Coach Malzon."

Notable Insights:

• Eli emphasizes the importance of integrating personal growth with professional responsibilities, ensuring a holistic approach to coaching.
• He highlights the value of resilience and adaptability in both players and coaching staff to achieve sustained success.

---

5. Clark Lee – Head Coach, Notre Dame

Discussion Highlights:

• Practice Techniques & Communication: Clark describes using crowd noise and specialized equipment like noise-canceling muffs to simulate game conditions and enhance player communication during practices.

  • Quote [57:44]: "We wear muffs to block out the noise so players can focus on communication."

• Nutrition & Performance: Explains the strategic implementation of high-energy nutrition during halftime to maintain player performance and focus.

  • Quote [59:24]: "We have a nutritional crew that pre-makes shakes to ensure players get their necessary calories."

• Leadership Qualities in Players: Identifies accountability, humility, and the ability to hold peers accountable as essential traits in team leaders.

  • Quote [75:53]: "The best leaders hold themselves accountable and aren't afraid to call out their best friends."

• Balancing Emotion & Professionalism: Shares personal stories about managing emotions in high-pressure situations and the importance of teaching moments for players.

  • Quote [67:04]: "I don't want to be your dad... I want to be the best college coach you could ever have."

Notable Insights:

• Clark emphasizes the integration of faith and personal values into his coaching methodology, fostering a supportive and disciplined team environment.
• He highlights the significance of recognizing and nurturing leadership qualities within players to build a cohesive and resilient team.

---

6. Chris Kleiman – Head Coach, Kansas State

Discussion Highlights:

• Player Development & Position Flexibility: Chris discusses the strategic positioning of players like Cooper Beebe, who successfully transitioned from multiple positions in college to a starting role in the NFL.

  • Quote [71:04]: "Josh assumed safety to better market him in the NFL, which ultimately led to his success with the Bucs."

• Leadership & Team Culture: Highlights the importance of servant leadership, where leaders enhance the performance of those around them through humility and accountability.

  • Quote [75:53]: "The best leaders hold themselves accountable and aren't afraid to call out their best friends."

• Recognizing Unsung Heroes: Emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the contributions of scout team players and non-starting members to foster a sense of value and inclusion.

  • Quote [73:08]: "They have to know that they're a valued part of your organization and program."

• Personal Influences & Mentorship: Reflects on the impact of his father and mentors in shaping his coaching philosophy, emphasizing competitiveness and toughness.

  • Quote [79:44]: "My dad's the toughest man I know... He's still, at 85 years old, the best armchair quarterback I have."

Notable Insights:

• Chris underscores the significance of adaptability and strategic player positioning in maximizing team performance and individual player potentials.
• He highlights the role of mentorship and personal experiences in shaping effective coaching strategies and team dynamics.

---

Conclusion

The "25W Coaches Special" episode of "The Bobby Bones Show" offers listeners a comprehensive look into the minds of some of college football's most influential coaches. Through candid conversations, each coach reveals their unique approaches to leadership, team management, and personal development. The episode not only sheds light on the tactical aspects of coaching but also emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence, resilience, and authentic relationships in building successful football programs.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Dan Lanning [04:32]: "From a professional development standpoint, it was definitely the right move."
• Spencer Danielson [16:34]: "We specifically have dedicated time for each other now."
• Brett Bielema [38:02]: "We got to move on now."
• Eli Drinkwitz [51:07]: "Grit is the stubborn refusal to quit... passion plus perseverance over time."
• Clark Lee [57:44]: "We wear muffs to block out the noise so players can focus on communication."

---

For More Information: To listen to the full episode, visit The Bobby Bones Show or download the daily full replay through your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Doug Gottlieb]

This is Doug Gottlieb from All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Listen, I'm get serious for a minute and talk about something personal. The hate in our country is getting out of control. In fact, it's at an all time high and people are facing just too much hate. A lot of people don't think it's a problem, I can tell you. I've experienced it firsthand, you know, living outside of the country in Russia when my teammates found out I was Jewish and at the time, granted this is 25 years ago, I couldn't get into the country of Dubai. They just treated me differently. I knew what they were saying in Russian because I could speak it, but they didn't know I understood that they were talking behind my back. Look, there's lots of examples of it, but it's going to take all of us to stop this sort of hate because we're all on the same team in this country. So let's take a break from our hate so our team can regroup and regain our momentum. We need to take a timeout against hate. Visit stand uptoallhate.org to help and join me in calling for timeout against hate by following the or posting the blue square emoji. Stand up to allhate.org, that's the place to go if you wanna help.

[Eddie]

Holiday magic is in the air and DSW's got all the shoes to make your season extra merry. Believe you've got parties to attend and lists to check twice. So DSW is taking care of the details like gifts to make their eyes all aglow. Styles that bring joy to your world. Brands everyone wants like Ugg, Nike, Birkenstock and more. More and deals to make your budget bright. Find the perfect shoes for you and yours at a DSW store near you or dsw.com Thursday Night Football is on and it's only on Prime Video. Breaking the tackle Touchdown tonight. Keep the holiday celebration going as the Seattle Seahawks take on the Chicago Bears.

[Bobby Bones]

You're gonna love this.

[Eddie]

Coverage begins with TNF tonight. Not a Prime member sign up for a 30 day free trial to stream the game. It's the Seahawks and Bears tonight only on Prime. Video restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details. It's the most wonderful time of the year for getting in on all the hoops, the football, the hockey action at DraftKings Sportsbook. In the season of giving, we're being gifted. College football and college basketball, pro football and pro basketball, pro hockey too. Almost 24 7. And here's a gift for all new customers. Bet $5 to get $150 in bonus bets. If your bet wins. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app. Use the code Bobby Sports. That's the code Bobby Sports for new customers to get $150 in bonus bets if your bet wins. When you bet just five bucks. Happy holidays from DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 100 Gambler New York. Call 878. Help them wire text open wide at 467369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 887-97777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Budo Casino Resort Kansas 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Boydton, Ontario. Batman went to receive reward. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issue with traditional terms and respons sources see dkng.co bball this is a podcast called 25 Whistles. Talking Football. And they all wear a whistle yet Stupid.

[Dan Lanning]

But what did you expect?

[Eddie]

It's a podcast called 25 Whistles.

[Spencer Danielson]

25 Whistles.

[Eddie]

All right, we're here. Blow it, Eddie. Here we go. Thank you. Now we have at least three coaches in the College Football Playoff on the show, which is pretty cool. So some awesome coaches we've sat down with, and these are some of the favorite moments from those coaches. Dan Lanning at Oregon's. My new friend. Oh, yeah. That's awesome. My new friend. Yeah, yeah. Sometimes he texts me. It's pretty cool.

[Clark Lee]

He's your buddy.

[Eddie]

Well, three times ever. Three times ever. Three times ever. First up, we're going to start there. Number one overall seed in the College Football Playoff, Oregon's head coach, Dan Lanning. We went to Eugene this past summer, and I will say it is not an easy trip to get there. No, it's further than I thought. It's a long way, but it's beautiful out there. It better be, because it's not even near. Like, you go to Portland and you got to drive a couple hours. Sure. But. Yeah, but he was awesome. The facility, amazing. I mean, they have Nike money and they win. Amazing. And so now they have a shot at finishing the season undefeated. Win a national championship. So big thanks to University of Oregon and Coach Lanning for having us out. Here's about 10 minutes of my favorite part of that conversation. Coach, thanks. Appreciate you being here. Actually, we're here. I guess you're already here, so appreciate us for being here.

[Dan Lanning]

Thanks for coming.

[Eddie]

I got a couple Questions for you. When I was looking at kind of your history, you went from being a GA obviously to a position coach, but then back to a GA at Bama. Was that a tough call for you to take a step back, but the program was a step up?

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah, it really wasn't. I knew I had more to learn. Certainly financially it didn't make a lot of sense, but from a professional development standpoint, it was definitely the right move.

[Eddie]

How much do you say when it comes to what uniforms you're going to wear or what uniforms are going to be created? Do you ever see one that doesn't even get to the player's eyes because you're like, that one is not good?

[Dan Lanning]

Sometimes there's a no. But once, once we have the go, that's kind of where I step out. Right. So I get to see them in advance. But our creative team, our design group, they do, they do an unbelievable job and then they get a lot of feedback from our players. Right. Kenny Farr does a great job working with Nike and you know, those that create some, some awesome get ups for our guys. But a lot of times we get to the game on Saturday, when I walk out the tunnel, that's when I see it. The first time.

[Eddie]

No way.

[Dan Lanning]

Not, not the very first time, but like, but I'm not that week. I'm a lot more worried about the opponent than what we're going to win to the game.

[Eddie]

I feel like my number one party would be jerseys. Jerseys. So do you have like a guy that will say to you, hey, this looks great. This does it. Is there a, an aesthetics head of aesthetics here?

[Dan Lanning]

No, we have an equipment manager, you know, and he's on top of it. He does as good a job as anybody in the nation. In fact, I think he's the best in the nation when it comes to piecing this together. That's Kenny Farr. And again, he does a great job of meeting with our players, collaborating with them, collaborating with Nike to create some really cool setups for our guys.

[Eddie]

Coach, the network loves highlighting your excitement and you pumping up the team. There's always a video montage somewhere during the game. Do you sometimes go home and watch and be like, oh man, like, going too hard? I went way too hard.

[Dan Lanning]

You know, I don't normally watch the TV copy. You know, at times we might go back and like peel through it for, you know, just make sure we don't put any signals on film or things like that. But I don't spend a lot of time watching that and I'M never going to be, I'm never going to apologize for passion. I think the, the players are going to match your energy and enthusiasm. So that's something I always want to carry on the field.

[Eddie]

You mentioned you're not going to watch signal, possibly because signals could be out there, but that's not a really a thing anymore.

[Dan Lanning]

I think it'll still exist in college football just because there's still going to be some teams that carry tempo and if you're, you know, reliant to just giving the call one to one guy on the field, you're probably going to be short. You know, you want 11 guys playing the same call on both sides of the ball. So at times I think signals will still exist.

[Eddie]

Are you advocating now that every player has communication in their helmet? Because that's what I hear.

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah, I'd be, I'd be, I'd be great with that. There's probably some guys that. There's such thing as too much information too. When you get on the field, your best players, you just want them to be able to play. But yeah, I think there's probably a benefit to just to where everybody can hear the call and that would, that would certainly help things.

[Eddie]

What if everybody also could talk back? Because I worked at Hobby Lobby for a while. No. And they gave me a speaker. I was on thing all the time and I didn't need to say anything. I needed to hear.

[Dan Lanning]

You ever been on a walkie talkie where the other guy's always talking and you can't ever.

[Eddie]

Yeah, that was me at Hobby Lobby. They'd be like, hey, go down and set up this display. And I was like, hey guys, if you look at three, like all three, like she's got it, you know, that kind of stuff. So yeah, that probably wouldn't be good, right?

[Dan Lanning]

Not be a good thing.

[Eddie]

Do you ever feel like you, you'll change your offense or defense based on personnel that comes in? If the talent is so strikingly, let's say, you know, you run wide open but let's say guy comes in and is a straight ahead runner and maybe doesn't need it as wide open, will you change your offense at all for that?

[Dan Lanning]

Absolutely. I think a coach's job is to match the, you know, the talents of his personne and that's, you know, going back to being a high school coach. I think you have to look and see what your players do best and try to make sure you're utilizing their talents.

[Eddie]

When you were your first GA job, what was the goal for you there. Was it to be a head coach at a major university?

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah, I mean, that. That was a goal early on, but, you know, early in my career, I think I figured out, just be the best at where I'm at and try to do jobs that nobody else wants to do.

[Eddie]

When you're defensive coordinator, Georgia. I hated you, man. I hated you.

[Dan Lanning]

Who's your team?

[Eddie]

Arkansas.

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Eddie]

I hate you. Get that, coach. Yeah. And. And, you know, not every OC or DC is known, especially when you're under somebody like a Kirby Smart or a Nick Saban. Two guys that you've worked with. Right. Both those guys. I hated you because there was. There was no opportunity. It was ugly. When you have the players like that and you're playing, I don't know, let's call. Let's just make up a team Arkansas. And they're pretty weak. Do you know, like this game, all we have to do, if we do exactly what we've set forward, it is going to be over. They are not going to get any.

[Dan Lanning]

You know, the great thing about football is you never really feel that way. And I get nervous before every single game. Certainly we have more talent than Arkansas when we played them, but Arkansas.

[Eddie]

No, no. We're talking about hypothetical Arkansas.

[Dan Lanning]

How's the talent for Arkansas?

[Eddie]

It's been better, Coach. Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah. I mean, I think anytime you go in there knowing that if you don't. If you don't accomplish your goals and really, you know, operate on the same page, you got an opportunity to lose in college football, and that's part of what makes the game so great. So we try to prepare for every game the. And hope that we go play our best and the result hopefully takes care of itself.

[Eddie]

When you walk into a mom or a dad or a grandma, whomever raises the athlete that you're trying to recruit, what do they know about you once you're gone that makes them want to come here?

[Dan Lanning]

Once I'm gone?

[Eddie]

Yeah. Once you leave the room, once you leave the house.

[Dan Lanning]

Just that I'm authentic. Like I'm the same guy today that I was, you know, 20 years ago. I hope that's what people can always say about me, that just because positions have changed and situations change, that I'm the same person and that family matters to me. I think if you're in the room with me for 10 minutes, you're probably going to hear about my boys and my wife, and that's something that's important to me and that we treat the.

[Eddie]

Players on our team the Same way sometimes I'll see. And I have a little warehouse. We do. I have a little clothing line. We do a lot of charity work with our clothing line. And we have one of those little machines that prints out the shirts. I feel like here there's like a. One of those, you know, apparel printing machines. You just get anything you want printed. Is it on campus or do you have to have it shipped to you? Because it's non stop. Everything's Nike, Oregon, everything.

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah, it's a good setup. You know, we've got an awesome relationship with Nike. I don't know about.

[Eddie]

There's a warehouse here though, right?

[Dan Lanning]

I could. I couldn't answer that.

[Eddie]

It's secret. I know this.

[Dan Lanning]

When I show up to my locker and I open it up, there's. There's new stuff in it and that's. It's pretty awesome. Like I said, Kenny Farr does a great job of taking care of our staff and our players. Yeah, we don't run out of gear. I didn't used to consider myself a shoe guy and now, now I got.

[Eddie]

Too many shoes without identifying anyone. Were there ever colors that you just didn't like wearing because you didn't like the colors? Not here, not Oregon, Other schools you've been at. Because some. If I had to wear orange, I'll be honest with you. Burnt or Tennessee orange, I might quit just for that.

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah, I guess I've never been that. I've never been that much of a fashionista. I'm not a big fan of purple, but beyond that, I'm pretty good with any color, I guess.

[Eddie]

So light purple probably wouldn't be your jam.

[Dan Lanning]

Not my jam.

[Eddie]

Like the UCA Bears. You wouldn't go coach at uca.

[Dan Lanning]

I would go. I'll coach where there's a job. I'm not going to make my decisions based off of color. But luckily for me, I found my last job.

[Eddie]

You know, played at UCA was Coach Norville at Florida State.

[Dan Lanning]

That's right.

[Eddie]

And you worked with coach there. What was he like?

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah, he's awesome. Like, relentless. You know, works. Works his tail off. Extremely intelligent, willing to get in there and coach. Will coach every position on the, on the field. You know, unbelievable family. You know, whenever I work with coach, it's the same time my wife got diagnosed with cancer and he was really good for me and my family then.

[Eddie]

I'll run through a couple of them. Then Coach Saban, what did you learn from him?

[Dan Lanning]

Consistency. You know, the guy's a robot. He every morning he's Rolling in the office the exact same time. We're gonna have a staff meeting the same time. You know, his. His routine was really impressive to see whether it's what he's eating every morning or every lunch. The way he operates day in and day out was. Was really impressive.

[Eddie]

Coach smart?

[Dan Lanning]

Yeah, just enthusiasm, passion, intelligence, ability to adapt. Always thought he was on the cutting edge of things and always looking for an edge.

[Eddie]

I mean, Bones is rolling through all these great coaches that you worked with, like schools, but he's forgetting Sam Houston State. We're probably the best school in America. I went, Sam Houston. Houston State.

[Dan Lanning]

How about the donut Shops in Huntsville?

[Eddie]

Oh, dude, they're the best. They're the best. And.

[Dan Lanning]

And I think per capita, Donut Shops per town, I think it's got to be one of the highest.

[Eddie]

What was your. I mean, what was that experience like at San Diego? Because a lot of people are gonna want to hear about this. Yeah, Flip this for social. Yeah.

[Dan Lanning]

So I worked with Casey Keiller was the head coach there, and that was a. That was a great coach to be under. He really gave you an opportunity to figure out how you want to do things. You know, he let his coaches coach. He'd push you, he'd question you, but he gave you an opportunity to go, you know, make it what you wanted to make it. So your DB meeting that day, your corners meeting that day, it was, you know, how do you want to build it? What do you want to look like? The drill work you did on the field, and you make some mistakes, but you also learned a lot in the process. So I love my time there at Sam, and it's. You know, it's. It wasn't the bus league at that time, but you take some long road trips. You know, you do hop on a charter bus from time to time to get the places, and, you know, that's something that I think everybody should experience in their coaching career.

[Eddie]

Going to Sam Houston. Yeah. Keeping it real. I don't think everybody should go to Sam Houston forever.

[Dan Lanning]

That's the start.

[Eddie]

That's all I said. Everybody must go to Sam Houston State.

[Dan Lanning]

To coach at some point. No, I think, you know, my wife and I have this discussion, too. We met at a restaurant. We worked at Outback Steakhouse together. And I think the other thing that everybody should do is some point, you should work in the service industry. You should get stiffed. At some point, you should get an unbelievable tip. At some point, you should, you know, learn how to, you know, make the people at your table happy. And learn how to deal with, okay, the food came out late or it.

[Eddie]

Came out and it's not even waiters fault. But sometimes you have to be.

[Dan Lanning]

Sometimes it's like the head coach.

[Eddie]

Like it ain't always your fault, but you got to take it and go and take responsibility.

[Dan Lanning]

Can you solve a problem? Can you solve a problem? So that's something else that, you know, I'm a big believer in that everybody should have to do that at some point.

[Eddie]

Next up, also in the College Football Playoff is Boise head coach Spencer Danielson, who still looks young enough to be like a sophomore on the team. Makes us feel real old. Coach Danielson was hired in 2023 after starting out as a GA in 2017. So he's been there the whole time, worked himself up the ranks. He now has a team in the College Football Playoff. They even got a buy. It's pretty awesome. We really enjoyed Coach Danielson. Here he is. Coach Spencer Danielson. What is your man cave like at home or your office? You know, because you probably have a lot of screens and you can easily just say it's an office. Like what is your place like at home, Coach?

[Spencer Danielson]

I'll be honest, guys. I don't have a man cave. I got two little girls, a three and a half year old and a two and a half year old. So the spare room we have is filled with dressed up Elsa from Frozen. There's a little kitchen in there with a bunch of fake food. So when I come home and I joke with people that the beautiful thing about being a girl dad is you know how much those two little girls care about football and not one bit. You know, when I come home, literally last night I came home and my wife bought this T. Rex dress up costume that my 3 year old was ready to scare me when I walked in the door. So it's, you know, it's so cool to be able to blend those things, especially as a coach. You have to. I mean, my girls come to practice a ton. I want our coach to bring their families around. So at home I don't really got the bad caveat or my wife. I'll put whatever games on in the, in the living room and I'll be, you know, watching the girls. Then my other side of my eye, I'll be watching some football. But it's. My wife's a rock star. I mean, we met in college at Azusa Pacific, which I'm sure you guys have never heard of. It's okay. It's the Harvard of the West. And you know, it's been an awesome just experience for us through the year. This is year number eight for us at Boise. So this has really become home. Like it's a great place to live and thrive and everything I do is to impact these kids and I'm open about my faith. I talk to our players about loving Jesus a lot and some people don't like that. I'm like, well this is me. It's my foundation. And so, just so humbled and blessed to be here and be a part of it.

[Eddie]

How do you find time to be a good husband? During season I travel a lot. If I'm either doing stand up or whatever project, I'm on the road a lot. But my wife and I really have dedicated like Tuesday evenings even for like four hours. We specifically have that time now. For you it could possibly be different during the season than not. But how do you make sure you can still dedicate some time to your wife and family during a football season?

[Spencer Danielson]

Yeah, so much of it is just and I'm working on it every single day. I'm not going to sit here and say that I got it figured out by any means. We're going on year 10 of marriage and first off, as a testament to my wife, she's a rock star. But I mean Coach Pete's a huge mentor of mine and you know, something I've taken from him is just blending your home life with, with what you do with football and then you just got to be intentional. So like even in a game week situation, like Sundays I try to make sure I get home. Sundays make sure I get dinner with the, the family and put our girls to sleep. Like that's a non negotiable. Tuesdays after practice, me and my wife outside of Boise, we got a right set of our. Outside of our facility there's a river. Me and my wife on Tuesdays after practice will go on a 30 minute walk and just talk about life, how the girls are doing, how she's doing. We have a, we're expecting another baby in March, so kind of going through how she's feeling. And then on Thursday night is date night for us. And then depending if it's home or away kind of going through those things. And then so much of it is trying to get our, you know, my girls and my wife in the facility around, around our players because not just for the connection with me and my family, but I think one for our kids to see us working because even as young kids they just, you're either home or you're at work.

[Eddie]

Right.

[Spencer Danielson]

There's not. Sometimes they can't even calculate, why is my dad not here? I want them to see what their dad's doing, and I want them to see there's. There's quality and hard work. Like, hard work means a lot. Like there's no substitute for it. And I also want our players. A lot of our players come from home situations where they didn't have a dad. I mean, they were raised by their mom, their auntie, their grandma, maybe a coach. So I want them, not that we're perfect examples, we're working our tail off to always improve, but I want them to see what a husband and a father looks like. We got players in our team that are dads. Want them to see what this looks like. Not perfect. It's not about perfection. But seeing us in that, in that space for our players to be around, those things are huge. So try to be very intentional with the time we have, especially in season, and make sure that it's on my schedule. This is my time with my wife or this is the time that I'm doing this. And try to stick to as much as we can.

[Eddie]

We have a lot of parents that will listen to the show and talk about. And ask questions about their kids playing sports. Would you prefer a kid play a bunch of sports or really dedicate themselves to one?

[Spencer Danielson]

I would love someone to play as many sports as they can. I'm such a firm believer in just playing as many sports as you can from the youngest age you can play them. And I just think being able to build the overall athlete is such a big deal. And I. I see all the way through high school, like, I love, like we. I want to recruit guys that run track, play basketball, baseball, because it just shows the different skill set that they're into. And especially even more colleges become. College football is becoming even so much more specific in their recruiting, where guys are getting offers as freshmen. High school, we don't do a lot of that because we're a developmental program. I got to see how you're developing from 14 to 15 to 16 years old to see what that fit is. And I want to see someone, you know, running track, playing basketball, because I think there's. You're building an overall athletic skill set, not maybe just so specific to what you're doing on the high school football field.

[Eddie]

Yeah, Coach, he's talking about parents, you know, so at the middle school level, high school level, you're dealing with a lot of parents getting involved with their kids. And the coaches have to deal with that. What about the college level? Do you have to deal with parents of players and tell them, like, whoa, I got this.

[Spencer Danielson]

I'd say a little bit more than normal. I mean, so for me, I mean, just. And once again, guys, when I say this stuff, by no means that I got to figure out, it's just my heart and it's who God made me. When I say we're a developmental program, you need to make sure everybody's involved in developing these kids. So when with our players, I zoom with our parents once a month. So once a month, there's a zoom set where every parent will get on a zoom. We'll talk about our team, where we're at. Every week, my assistant will send out a weekly newsletter, kind of like, hey, these are some highlights from the week. These are some guys that are, you know, doing some really good things, blah, blah, blah. And then I'm involved with our parents, like, and I don't. I don't talk much about playing time, but I tell them, if you are concerned and you're frustrated, I want you to call me and not sit on those things because I want to be able to be real and open with them. I believe in truth. And so if a parent is frustrated that their team should be or their son should be playing more, I want them to call me. Because I'd rather tell you, this is why your son is not. These are the things that he's struggling in because they're only getting one side of the story. They're getting the story that, you know, I'm not playing because of these things. I want to give them the truth of this is where we need your son to grow. So I. I want to keep the lines of communication open, and especially in this, you know, new landscape of college football with the transfer portal, is I want our parents to know exactly what we're doing and how we're developing their sons. And I believe that we're going to develop their sons better than any other school. Maybe other schools can offer them other things, but there's not going to be a place that they're going to develop more. And I think being on the same page with these parents and just being intentional to be upfront with them, and that's where. That's why I zoom with them once a month so they can know my messaging. This is what. When we talk about practice performance, like, this is what I mean. So if your son is performing in practice, you're going to see him play more in the game. If your son is not playing in the game. You know, that. That's probably because he's not performing the way we need him to in practice. I'm intentional to be truthful with our parents, to know the landscape so then they can filter through some of the information they're maybe getting from their sons.

[Eddie]

If there's a concert coming to Boise, and who is it that you will not miss?

[Spencer Danielson]

Oh, good question. I'm probably more on the. On the country side of things. I don't listen to a ton of music. I listen to a lot of worship music. I like Elevation, Maverick City are two of my favorite worship band. But I'd say, like country artist. I'm a huge Luke Combs guy. He came to the blue a couple years ago, didn't miss it. Who else would I say I like? Morgan Wallen. If there's a. If there's a country concert coming to Boise, Idol. We're not doing football, but I'm gonna fight either. I finally got some cowboy boots this off season, so you better believe that I'm gonna be. I'll be rocking those two.

[Eddie]

Final question. Do you ever just want to give yourself the game ball in front of everybody?

[Spencer Danielson]

Give it to me, boys.

[Eddie]

Look at me.

[Spencer Danielson]

This is what I got going on. I mean, mean, I'll be honest. No, I mean, there's. I mean, I just. I'm one of those guys that's probably overly emotional. Like, every time I talk to our team, I gotta fight crying because I just love these kids. I mean, I see the work they put in, the grind. They do. I mean, when it's January, Ashton Gente is doing up downs in the snow. And then you see them do what they do. That's why, I mean, after these games, I'm emotional because I, you know, I. I just am so respectful of our players. Not running from hard work, not taking the easy road, doing, you know, really enjoying hard stuff. And I think that's uncommon in college football right now. And I'm not saying that makes us better perfect by any means, but I do think, you know, Boise State is built on this blue collar mentality, and our players do that every day. That doesn't mean that we're going to win every game. It means that we're going to give ourselves a good shot. So I could say after the games that I. I haven't had that fight in my heart to give. I've been given a couple and I'm like, man, give this to the guy that just scored five touchdowns. I didn't do anything. I'M a. I'm a glorified cheerleader.

[Eddie]

Coach, we really appreciate the time. We're rooting for you. I appreciate you moving on to Marcus Freeman. He's the head coach at Notre Dame, and he made me feel like I could go play at Notre Dame right now. Totally. I probably wouldn't because it's cold. And that's the only reason. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I could for him. I could play linebacker, and I couldn't play that anywhere. It's freezing cold there. But, man, this dude, he played linebacker at Ohio State. He was the defensive coordinator. And then when Brian Kelly left to go to lsu, he became the interim and then the head coach. I mean, he still looks like he can go right now. Yeah. So Marcus Freeman from Notre Dame, here is Coach Freeman. Hey, Coach, thank you very much for the time. We really appreciate it.

[Bobby Bones]

Absolutely, man. Glad to be on here.

[Eddie]

Question number one. When you're recruiting a kid, do they ever say, it's just too cold up there?

[Bobby Bones]

Coach, if they say that, I probably turn away as fast as I can. You know, I let them know. But listen, we got jackets. We have indoor stadium, indoor practice facility. I'm from the North, I'm from Ohio, I'm a Midwest guy. And so listen, cold is cold, and you don't ever get used to it. You just got to put on more clothes, and at some point, you'll. You'll figure it out. But, you know, most kids that say, coach, I can't play in the cold, you know, right away, you're not going to get them.

[Eddie]

What's, like, the trick to catching balls in the cold? I know you look at me and you go, that guy was a heck of a high school receiver. And, coach, I accept that. Thank you for saying that in your mind. But I always struggle catching balls in the cold. I couldn't catch balls in the warm. But catching balls in the cold, like, what is the key to catching a ball in cold weather?

[Bobby Bones]

You know, I think you got to try to keep your hands warm. Like, if your hands are frozen, you're not going to be a great pass catcher. And so, you know, obviously, hand warmers, they have those. The hand warmers that you wear outside of your uniform. But in between plays, it's really important to keep your hands warm. And so you have to use different things to make sure that happens. That might be hand warmers inside your gloves. That might be a couple different things, but if your hands are frozen, you're not going to catch that ball.

[Eddie]

Can you wear doctor's gloves inside of a glove.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, there's some players that do that. There's some coaches that do that.

[Eddie]

Dang. That's what I would do because we. We'd be in the deer woods and I wear doctor's gloves underneath gloves and I was made fun of. Do you guys make fun of people who do that? Because if so, I'm taking offense.

[Bobby Bones]

Not as. As long as you get your job done, nobody's going to make money. I always say there's no. There's no such thing as a cold tough guy. And so, you know, if you're. If you're cold, you're cold. You're not being a tough guy. So do whatever it. To make sure you're warm.

[Eddie]

Now you're going to be humble here. I would prefer you not, but maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle. Do you think you could play a solid two to three minutes a game right now? The answer is yes. You've said enough.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, it depends on what the offense is doing, but yeah, listen, I mean, my pride is telling me I could give you two to three minutes. The outcome might be something that the offense or defense doesn't want. But, you know, my pride tells me, yeah, I could play a couple plays.

[Eddie]

If you win a big game, how quickly do you go home? Do you have a bit of family time at home or do you get right to film that evening? Depending on who the next opponent is?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, I go right away. That's just who I am. If it's an away game, I make sure I evaluate the game on the plane as we come back. If it's a home game, I come right into my office. For me, it's hard to go home and have family time when I haven't evaluated the previous game. So I evaluate that game right away and take some notes and then go and have a little bit of family time and come in on Sunday. And now you can be ready to move on to the next opponent.

[Eddie]

Tell me about Riley Leonard as a dude.

[Bobby Bones]

He's awesome, man. He is just a great human being. He's a great teammate. There's not enough compliments that I can give him, but he is a wonderful, wonderful individual.

[Eddie]

So after the loss at Northern Illinois, what was the big takeaway that has changed this team for the good?

[Bobby Bones]

I think it's just the mindset that we have to have, and I said this to the media on the Monday after that game, is that this is the first time for me as the head coach in my three years that we won that Big game early. You know, we lost to Ohio State the past two years early in the season, and it was kind of like you were humbled, and you got to make sure you're getting ready for the next opponent. But this time, we won the big one early over at Texas A and M. And I think as we look back, we didn't have the right mindset, the mental approach to this game. And I don't think anybody in this program believed that we could lose to Northern Illinois. And, you know, sometimes you have too much pride and you get humbled, and we were humbled. And I think I often tell this group in this program, like, we have to keep that pain, and we have to remember what it was like to lose that game. And so we can never lack in the mental approach to the preparation. It's not just a physical approach. It's a mental approach. And we know if we don't prepare the right way and respect our opponents the way we should, then we can be beat by anybody in the country. And so that's what we got to understand. And it's easy at first to have that mindset now you've had a couple wins, and people are telling you how good this team is, but we got to keep that same mindset. It's just, this is who we are. We're not going back to who we we used to be, and we got to approach every week with the right mindset.

[Eddie]

I feel like Winston Churchill is pretty cool when I, like, read what he had to say. I feel like sometimes I listen to Gary Vee unless he talks about sports cards. Who is it that you can listen to? Talk, and it can really fire you up or kind of reset you.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, man. You know, there's a couple people. You know, every once in a while, I listen to a motivational speech. You know, we played a Kobe Bryant video the other day just talking about the mindset. I might listen to a sermon by T.D. jakes or something like that. I'll listen to a coach. I talk to my college coach, Jim Trestle, often, who helps with my mental approach as the head coach and the leader each week. But I think you can grab wisdom from anybody, and it's all about, you know, are you humble enough to accept the wisdom that's out there?

[Eddie]

Do you still call Coach Trestle coach?

[Bobby Bones]

Absolutely. Always will.

[Eddie]

Dang. That's pretty cool. What about your high school coach? Do you still call him Coach?

[Bobby Bones]

I call him coach.

[Eddie]

That's right. That's right.

[Bobby Bones]

And I think once you have a coach like Especially somebody that's older than you and that's impacted you in a strong way. Like, they're always coach to you, and no matter how long or how old you get, you know they're always going to be coach.

[Eddie]

Notre Dame known for their traditional uniforms. We know who it is when we see it immediately. In the land, though, if everybody wanted 10,000 uniforms, any idea to put like a couple hearts on the side of the helmet or like just like one game, like switch it up a couple lightning bolts, like. Or is it just, we are who we are, we're not changing.

[Bobby Bones]

Listen, there's a little bit of both, right? The, the old traditionalists. You know, every year we wear green jerseys and, and I don't have to be on social media to hear sometimes the complaints. Sometimes even within this building, we have some guys that played here that just love the tradition of Notre Dame. And I can tell it kind of turns their stomach when they see us in green or wear a different combination. But I think part of it is that we have to remember what our tradition is like. Those gold helmets, the normal home and away uniforms, is something that makes us unique. But the young people like a little bit of flavor. And so I think you can be somewhere in the middle where you let your players and your captains kind of determine what they want to wear for that week. But at the same point, let's not get too far away from the tradition.

[Eddie]

What about people not wearing knee pads? You ever like, put knee pads in?

[Bobby Bones]

No. I mean, listen, as you look in the NFL, some of those guys don't wear knee or thigh pads. And, you know, it depends on what position you are. If you're a ball carrier, you probably should have knee pads in, but a lot of guys on defense, you know, there's not a whole bunch of cut blocks anymore unless you're playing Navy and Army. Knee pads can be overrated at times, but it's all based on the position you play.

[Eddie]

What if one of your guys wanted to wear, like the old school single bar, like Dick Buck? His helmet is like, coaches, would you allow that?

[Bobby Bones]

The only thing is, you better be tough. Now, if you're going to wear one of those old school helmets, you better be tough and represent what that means. But as long as you go do your job and you're tough, I'm good with whatever you wear, man.

[Eddie]

I would play for you. I say this all the time. I know you're not here, but I would play for you even though you would never let me. But, like, I watch you and I'm like, that's a dude that I'm not like at all because I'm not near as tough or cool or good looking. But I would like to play for him. So congratulations, coach.

[Bobby Bones]

That means a lot by man.

[Eddie]

Appreciate you.

[Bobby Bones]

Would love to host you here in South Bend. Anytime, man.

[Eddie]

All right. Long as it's not cold. All right, coach. See you, buddy.

[Clark Lee]

All right, brother.

[Bobby Bones]

Take care.

[Eddie]

All right, let's pick our parlay of the week. NFL. Okay, here's the deal. I'm going to do money lines. We're going to form money lines. And some of these money lines might seem a little easier than others and some will not be. But I'm going all money lines. I'm feeling pretty good about these. And we're going to go first. Jets at Bills, which is probably the easiest. If I'm money lining it, it's probably the easiest money line ever. Or is it? You ready to be shocked? Nah, you shouldn't be. All right. Bill's Moneyline Easy. They're still trying to get that buy over in the afc. We're going Bills Moneyline now. We're going to go Packers Moneyline over the Vikings. So you heard what I said, okay? And it's in Minnesota. Like I said, the Bills one was easy. That was the one. No problem. Packers money line over Vikings. This one's a little scary, Bones. Of course, some got to be scary. We're going Colts money line over the Giants. And you go, well, that could be pretty simple. But Anthony Richardson, he's a different person every game. Yeah. And then finally, Raiders Moneyline over the Saints. I think about that. Oh, gosh. What a toilet bowl. What a toilet bowl. That's right. Hey, you know what, dude? If you believe in it, do it. We did a. For a gamer because I think that's. That's where it is. Okay, lots of smiles there. So if you want to take the 25 whistles parlay, you can check out DraftKings Sportsbook. New users use the code Bobby Sports when you download the app. Again, put in the word Bobby Sports. One word. DraftKings sportsbook. Take the parlay. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler, New York. Call 8778-Open Wire Texas Open 1 at 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-797-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Budo Casino Resort Kansas 21 Plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Boyd in Ontario, Batman went to receive Reward bonus bets expire 168 hours after issue with traditional terms and responsible gaming resources. See dkng.co bball Looking for excitement? Jumba Casino is here. Play anytime. Play anywhere. Play on the train. Play at the store. Play at home. Play when you're bored. Play today for your chance to win and get daily bonus bonuses when you log in. So what are you waiting for? Don't delay. Chumba Casino is free to play. Experience social gameplay like never before. Go to Chumba Casino right now to play hundreds of games, including online slots, bingo, Slingo and more. Live the chumba [e-mail] VGW no purchase necessary, void or prohibited by law. Seek terms and conditions.

[Doug Gottlieb]

This is Doug Gottlieb from All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Hey, I'm talking about something that's really serious for a minute. Something personal right now. In our country, hate. Hate feels like it's at an all time high and we're going backwards and the hate is winning. It's out of control. So many different people, so many different groups are facing too much hate and it's just enough. We need to stop and regroup, change the momentum as a team because that's what we are. Everyone in this country is on the same team, so let's act like it. And when a team can't get together, what do they do? They call a timeout. We need to take a timeout against hate. So. So let's think about what we say and do. And when we see hate and we see someone doing or saying those things we know are wrong or hateful, we need to call it out. Visit standuptoallhate.org or join me in calling for the timeout against hate by following oupwithhate or posting the blue square emoji.

[Eddie]

With Shipt same day delivery. It's easy to get holiday essentials from the stores you shop most, like the brands you love from Target, home essentials from Lowe's or beauty products from Sephora. The best part? You also get more time to do what you love, like bake cookies, decorate your space and toast the season with friends. Get more from your favorite stores this holiday season. Download the Shipt app and start shopping today. This one's pretty cool because he was just named SEC coach of the year. It's our talk with 2024 SEC coach of the Year from Vanderbilt coach Clark Lee. Man, what a great season for Vandy. Man, when they beat Alabama, the whole world was like what Vanderbilt was. 0:60 all time versus top five teams and just hadn't beat Bam in 40 years. But we love coach Lee. We had spent time with him in the past, got to know him a little bit. He had come to one of my shows before my comedy shows, came on stage, talked a little bit, but it was really great. We were super pumped, too. Cause this was right after Bama and everybody was trying to get him on, and he was so cool to come on with us. So, Coach Lee, congratulations. And here he is. Here we go. Yes, sir. Come on. Wow. Wow, wow. Wow. Oh, my God. What a t. Wow. What do you even say, Coach? Come on.

[Brett Bielema]

Oh, man. I've had to fight to move past it. You could relive that night, you know, every day for the rest of your life if you. If you had your choice. But we got to move on now.

[Eddie]

I hear you, but. Okay, well, before I move on, let's have 10 minutes with us. What does your phone look like after that, Coach? You go to your cell phone, you finally get to it after everything, and what does it look like?

[Brett Bielema]

You know, I changed my number in May, so over the years, it kind of made the rounds too many times, I think. And so I was starting to get some kind of oddball text in the springtime, and I think changing my number probably saved me another 500 texts, you know, but it was. Look, you.

[Eddie]

For all the.

[Brett Bielema]

For all the times that you come back to your phone and it's. There's nothing there. You know, you just. You appreciate people wanting to celebrate with you. And I think there's. There's so many people that, you know, over the years have, like, fought alongside me or supported me in some way. It's special to hear from them. You know, I. You appreciate that.

[Eddie]

Okay, so what matchups did you see leading into that game that you felt like there was a chance you could exploit or at least have advantages?

[Brett Bielema]

You know, there weren't a lot of. I mean, you know, that's a game of tough matchups for us. I mean, you know, that's a really skilled team. I think, you know, offensively, we were just trying to find the space to stay on schedule, and we knew that if we could possess the ball, that we were going to get a chance to get the ball up and over the top. You know, there were going to be opportunities for us to hit some shots, and we were able to do that. We missed on some, too, but on the whole offensively, it was about staying on schedule. And a lot of that channels, obviously, through our quarterback run and our you know, our run game is, is pretty multiple. So I felt like we were able to win physically at the point of attack on offense and create the space we needed to stay on schedule and that allowed us to extend drives and have opportunities to puncture the end zone defensively. You know, this was a game where we were, we were really interested in stopping the quarterback's ability to extend the plays with his feet. Obviously we knew that the explosive passing game was going to run through number two and you know, we were just trying to A, limit their opportunities by possessing the ball with our offense and then B, you know, absorb some, some of their plays without allowing them to score explosive touchdowns. We, we did that well enough, you know, to end up winning the game. I think there's a few, a few we want back, specifically the third down that they were able to get the ball over top of us and again credit to them, they made the play they needed to make. But you know, we, we got some things to tighten up defensively. But what we needed to have happen was we set a 10 possession game, which it ended up being nine possessions for their offense. You know, we needed to be able to punch and counter punch so you know, we needed to sync up at the right times with, with offense, defense and special teams. We did that, you know, created a couple turnovers that were, that were huge for us. One, one including the pick six. And then we needed to win on special teams and we needed to create a field position advantage, forced them to go the long field, try to get us on the short field and then again we were able to accomplish that as well. That's kind of the makings of, you know, what would be a winning performance for us against anybody. Certainly when you're playing a team like Alabama, you can't, you know, you can't miss on your strategy and think you're going to have a chance to win it.

[Eddie]

When you go on at halftime, did you make macro adjustments or did you just reinforce what you had already set pre game?

[Brett Bielema]

A lot of it is just kind of looking at what, what, you know, what is the plan that they had for us and let's make sure we're clear on what those things are. You know, defensively it's like the special formations that you're seeing that they know they're going to come back to. Offensively it's, you know, how are they defending the option, how are they defending your replays and what are they, what are they doing in their box that that tells you this is kind of their plan? Moving forward and then to the team. You know, it really was, to me, about kind of almost kind of taken some of the emotion out of the moment, which I know sounds weird. I mean, look, I'm a. I get excited and fired up and can get emotional in the game. I just felt like we needed to focus on the fact that we've been in this situation before, that, you know, it's not going to take anything extra from us to. To close the game out. You know, we needed to come back out and focus on, again, our strategy, playing the cleaning game, you know, and just. I stop by stop possession by possession, you know, closing the game out. So we took our time before we left the locker room just to kind of like everyone settle, focus on what we want to accomplish here in the next 30 minutes and. And a credit to our team. You know, they did just that.

[Eddie]

Is Diego just like a dog? He seems like a dog to me. I watch him. I'm just like, that dude goes hard.

[Clark Lee]

Yeah.

[Brett Bielema]

I mean, it's a. He's a unique, unique competitive personality. Like, there's not another one that I've ever come across that is. As you know, I think the one thing that can get a little misunderstood about him is, like, this is a really serious guy who is such discipline in his process. I mean, he's so steady and consistent in our building, and day in, day out, you won't even know he's around. I mean, he's. It's not like he's the loudest guy in the room. It's not like he's looking for the attention. I mean, he just.

[Clark Lee]

Just.

[Brett Bielema]

He sits front and center every team meeting. He's right in front of me every time after practice on a knee, locked in and focused. He carries my message to the team. He builds confidence in the locker room by making subtle connections with players and creating closeness that way. But when he crosses the lines, he just has a swagger about him, and it's infectious. Everyone sees it and believes in it and use the word dog like he's a dog. You want the ball on his hands in critical moments. He's proven throughout his career and certainly in his time here that every time he takes a snap, you have a chance to win. So we're glad he's on our team. And for me personally, I mean, this guy represent everything I want this program to be about, and he's helping us put a product on the field that's fun and exciting and. And, you know, he gets a lot of credit, and he should, I think, that, you know, the other guys that are playing alongside him have done a really good job to, especially in our front to open up space, receivers blocking downfield. We just have such a different competitive makeup offensively and defensively right now that it's helping us find ways to win.

[Eddie]

Only got a couple minutes left with you and we appreciate you fitting us in because I know everybody wants to talk to you. Belle of the ball is what I would say. Coach, you are the bell of the ball right now. How in the world. And I know you're going to find a way to do it. But Kentucky, you have Kentucky coming up. I mean, this is the, the biggest upset I've seen in maybe my life. One of them. But how in the world do you get your guys to forward face now after being celebrated like so mightily over the last couple days?

[Brett Bielema]

Yeah, I think the real challenge is that the celebration won't stop. You know, we, internally, we've turned the page. Yesterday we got to work on Kentucky, so now we took time to enjoy in the team meeting just kind of the, the fruits of our labor, you know, put some clips on film that I felt like showed the toughness we played with, with celebrated players of the game, so on, so forth. But you know, we, we've, we've made it clear and by the time we were leaving practice last night, you know, there, there's no room internally for us to, to, you know, we, you know, we burn the game and release it to our past. It's over. Every ounce of our mental energy needs to be focused on our next opponent, which is Kentucky, which is a really good SEC team. This is a tough team on defense. It's a team that knows how to run the football and has of playmakers on the perimeter. And you know, Mark Stoops is, is the consummate program builder and they've always been a tough out and they are going to be ready for us, I'm sure. You know, they're talking about the last time we went up there, which was 20, 22 and we were able to pull off a win last year at our home stadium. We spotted them 21 points on all turnovers, which is a brutal way to play. And you know, we have a lot to prove in this case. I think inevitably, right. Our kids are going to class today and they're going to meet high fives and congratulations on campus. Inevitably, there's going to be positive noise surrounding this program, which I think certainly can be a great thing. But we have to maintain the mental focus and discipline to Realize that we can be respectful to all the people that are, again, celebrating the, you know, what we put on film on Saturday and what we put on display. But Saturday only matters now. And. And we'll only understand the meeting of Saturday from reflection at the end of the season. It only matters if we're able to leverage it and pull momentum from it. And that means that we have to get back in our process and attack this process with commitment and energy so that we can be ready to play, you know, a good game against a really tough opponent.

[Eddie]

All satisfaction, the last 10 seconds. This interview. We're just gonna clap for you, coach, how we end it right here. Let's go. Super happy for you, coach. Super happy to see, like, the culture. I mean, cultures are like humongous boats. It doesn't matter. The industry, it's like, yeah, it takes a while to turn it. It's not like a little car. It's a big old ship. And watching what you're able to do and what you're doing has really, really been fun and motivating, even for myself. So congratulations, Coach, and thank you for the time this morning.

[Brett Bielema]

Hey, great to be with you, Bobby. Always, man.

[Eddie]

Appreciate you. Next up is Eli Drinkwitz from the University of Missouri. Coach Drink was a season ticket holder at the University of Arkansas, and now he just enjoys trolling the University of Arkansas. And I'm an Arkansas fan, and had I not been able to spend a little time with Coach Drinkowicz and talk to Coach Drink here, I would be annoyed, too. But I respect the troll game, but I love who he is. I'm a big fan. That was a fun interview just to watch the way you guys interact with each other. Well, we also had to cut the first part of it off. If you guys remember. Remember, he said some stuff at the very beginning. He didn't ask us to remove it, but I felt it was better for all. Instead of a few clicks that we just eliminate that. Because he went after another SEC coach and I thought, I don't know if he knew we were recording, but just in case. Just in case. So, yeah, Coach Drake's awesome. Missouri had a pretty good year. Didn't meet the expectations I think that they had on them at the beginning of the year, as they were were thought to be put in the cfp. But here he is, Coach Drink from Missouri. Let me ask about bye weeks because I know why players like bye weeks. Why do coaches like bye weeks? What will you do differently?

[Eli Drinkwitz]

First off, you get to just take a deep breath. You don't have this constant churning in your stomach like you got something on Saturday that's going to determine the happiness of about six and a half million people, including yourself. And you get to kind of be normal. Like, my daughter had a volleyball game last night night and so I got to go pick her up from the game. When the bus got back, I'll get to go watch my daughter's T ball games on, on Thursday night. Saturday, another daughter's got two volleyball games in the morning. So you get, you get, you just kind of get a sense of normalcy and it's just a little bit of a time to take a deep breath. I think from a football standpoint, you can actually work on things. You know, it's easy to say, hey, we got to get better this week. But when there's a game coming and you have all this game planning stuff you have to do, there's not a whole lot of just moments where you can focus on fundamentals and improvement because you've got to get the schemes in for that week. You've got to get the preparation in. But in a bye week, again, you don't have an opponent on Saturday that opponents yourself. So there's really more time to focus in on, hey, this 20 minutes of practice is going to be specific to getting better. 5 minutes on third downs, 5 minutes on team run, 5 minutes on motion adjustments. So that's probably the best thing about it.

[Eddie]

Are you the bell of the ball in Columbia? Can you grocery shop?

[Eli Drinkwitz]

Yeah, I can grocery shop. I do find it funny. The other day I was, I was driving my car at a stoplight and there were two college age students who had their phone up next to the window taking a picture. And I just looked at him and was like, if you'll just tell me, I'll smile for the picture. I'm always worried that they're going to catch me picking my nose or something while I'm driving or singing to myself in the car. But I'll say this, I don't let it affect me one way or the other. I just know I got to wear a hat when I go to the grocery store instead of going all wild and free.

[Eddie]

I had a caller call the show and they were doing a paper on grit and she was like, she got through the phone lines and she said, hey, would you talk about what you think grit is? And I think my career has been mostly based off perseverance, right? Like not doing a very good job and getting up again and doing it a little better and a little Better, because I've naturally not been that gifted at anything. How would you define grit? And who are a couple of your grittiest players?

[Eli Drinkwitz]

Man, I love that you asked this question. Grit's the stubborn refusal to quit. I mean, that's all it is. It's just you refuse to give up. And it's passion plus perseverance over time. Like, what are you willing to endure to accomplish what you want to accomplish? I think Brady, obviously, is a great example of grit. I think Cody Schrader last year was an extreme example of grit. I think when you look at this year's running backs, Marcus Carroll, Nate Noel, those two guys are really gritty players who've had to overcome a lot, bet on themselves, refuse to give in to the outside noise to achieve what they want to achieve. I think Johnny Walker, defensive end for me, came in at 197lbs, had four wisdom teeth taken out within the first week of him being here. And now he weighs 256 pounds, was the MVP of the Cotton Bowl. It took him four years to really earn significant playing time. But instead of pouting, instead of trying to go into a different situation, he just said, I'm going to sustain excellence every day. And that's really what you have to do. You know, we have. We had a group of Navy Seals come in, and they said winning is reserved for those who are willing to pay the price. And that's kind of our thought process this year. Like, what price are we willing to pay to win? And you got to be willing to outlast people. You got to be willing to. To. To sustain it, even when it's not going your way.

[Eddie]

Coach, at the end of the game, you know, I see the two coaches go, and they meet each other. What can you possibly tell each other, especially if you've lost the game? Like, what's that conversation like?

[Dan Lanning]

Or do you.

[Eddie]

Are you thinking, like, what am I going to tell him as I walk up there?

[Eli Drinkwitz]

You know, I've had some awkward conversations with head coaches across the deal. Honestly. You know, when you're the winning coach and you're going across the field to the guy who's lost, you realize and know how much pain they're in right then. And really, all I'm trying to do is give them some. Some sort of, like, comfort or something, because, man, the hardest thing to do is to swallow all your emotions and then go in there and address your team. So that's really what I'm doing.

[Eddie]

Whenever. Whenever they're.

[Eli Drinkwitz]

They're saying something to me, after they're whipping my butt, it's usually as quick as I can just shake their hand and try to gather my thoughts and emotions before I address. Address the team. But, you know, I have such a tremendous amount of respect for the head coaches in this league. You know, it's a. It's a fraternity of really good men. And, you know, we don't always get along. We don't always agree with each other, but there is a level of respect there. And so, you know, when you get a chance to visit with another SEC head coach, you always treat it with.

[Eddie]

A little bit of respect, I think a bit. The pre game would be awkward if you're expected to talk and you don't really like them or know them. Like, we have guests in studio and they're there, you know, celebrities that either I don't like or I don't know. We have to, like, do small talk for, like, six minutes before this. And that's torture for me. And I gotta imagine just the human nature of it. That's probably the same situation. So the pre more than the post, because the post you can get out, but the. Do you have to go talk to the other head coach before the game?

[Eli Drinkwitz]

Well, apparently you don't have to. Ed Ordron didn't come shake my hand before the first time we played them, and that was really the first time and only time I've ever, ever had that happen. So I guess you don't have to.

[Eddie]

But you're supposed, like, that's the thing. You're supposed to like.

[Eli Drinkwitz]

Yeah, I mean, it's kind of a, you know, it's kind of a sportsmanship deal. I tell you, when I come into that the most is when you have to do the Friday pre game media. Because there are some media that, you know, have been taking shots at you.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Eli Drinkwitz]

Or, you know, shots at your team. And then you got to go sit there and act like you're going to be buddy, buddy, and give them all the information they want to ask. Ask. So that that one's always the one that you're like, yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

Final question, Coach. If you're struggling emotionally, mentally, who professionally can you call? Who's your mentor?

[Eli Drinkwitz]

Well, you know, there's. There's a couple of different people that I can reach out to from a spiritual standpoint. There's a guy in Boone, North Carolina, named Dr. Dick Furman who's been a really. A person of great character and integrity for me for the last six years, and the highest of highs I can expect to get a Text from you that says tyl, which stands for thank you, Lord or the lowest of lows. I can get a text from that's going to say thank you, Lord, because you just realize that you're blessed to get the opportunity to do this and you realize that your future is in his hands and not to get caught up in the anxiety of it. From a coaching standpoint, you know, Coach Malzon's obviously a guy that I can reach out to that we exchange ideas back and forth from. So there's just different people like that. But in the. But in those two situations, those would probably be the first two phone calls. You know, sometimes I'm not quite as quick to call Gus because, you know, he's still the guy that I ga for. So he'll tell me that's pretty dumb. What is your problem here, man? But that's good to keeps me humble.

[Eddie]

Coach, good to see you. We talked about Coach Drink from Missouri being like, hey. And he's saying all this stuff and we edited him out. Brett Bielema from Illinois, who also is right on the verge of making College Football Playoff. Like, he got in the mix with Lane Kiffin when Kiffin was like, we're nine and three, we should get in. And Bielema wasn't serious about them deserving a shot in, but he's like, if that's your logic, well, here's ours and it's better than yours. Love it. And so Coach Belema is awesome. I know Coach Belema a bit from when he was at Arkansas. Now, what happened with this one was, is he did not know we were recording, but because we don't have good radio voices, no one ever knows we're recording, that. They were just talking to them. And he did say some stuff and they reached out and said, would you guys mind removing that? He didn't know you were recording. And we were like, one step ahead of you. One step ahead of you. We were already on it. Yes. Made his name at Wisconsin. He crushed, went to Arkansas. He has turned the Illinois program around big contenders. Coach Bielema, one of the bigger personalities. Really great guy. Here he is. From University of Illinois, Coach Brett Bielema. Hey, Coach.

[Clark Lee]

How you doing, my friend?

[Eddie]

Coach, how have you found it to be most effective to get your guys used to loud cheering or music? Because you've done this a while. Like, what's most effective in practice still?

[Clark Lee]

By far, just the crowd noise in the stadium. You know, just. Just putting it out there. I mean, today, now what we do do here is I I remove my defensive coaches and players because I want it to be so loud. You can't really conduct a practice for the other side of the ball because on offense when we run the play, we crank it it and it will turn it down, you know, in between while we want to correct it and then they'll crank it way back up.

[Eddie]

So is it ever so loud? You cannot hear in the. In helmet communication.

[Clark Lee]

It does, you know, it does get loud. Now we actually, not a lot of teams are using them, but there's actually muffs that you can put on your helmet that our quarterback, you'll see our quarterback doesn't have ear holes because we put a canceling device over his ear hole. You'll see a lot of quarterbacks going like this. That's because they don't have that device. But it really, for me, I've always worn double earmuffs. It's kind of, kind of like the movie Old School or. Old School. Yeah, earmuffs. Ear muff.

[Eddie]

Right.

[Clark Lee]

Like I always wear double earmuffs because I just want to hear the voices that I need to hear. But yeah, for a quarterback, it definitely can be that way.

[Eddie]

Coach, what's Almer like in the locker room? What kind of leader is he?

[Clark Lee]

You know what, Bobby, first off, you know, his dad was a team doctor at Mississippi State. So, so he's been around college football his whole life growing up. Been around it, seen it, lived it. So his awareness to the world in college football is really, really high. His football iq, extremely gifted football awareness. He's also a tremendous kid of faith. So he's very faith driven. But it's not like these guys that come across preaching, teaching everything like he's just a normal guy. He's very empowering, but in a, in a. And he's very deliberate in his relationships. He. It's not a guy that he's out in front screaming in the own like some quarterbacks. Like, he's a very relationship driven guy and just, just really exudes confidence that, that carries over into every position.

[Eddie]

I'm going to ask a really dumb question because I just don't know the answer. Is there food at halftime in the locker room? Ooh, good question.

[Clark Lee]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Eddie]

Like, like, and how much should someone eat?

[Clark Lee]

Well, even, even going back to my time at Arkansas, you know, so Ben Herbert, who was my strength coach there, we kind of developed it when I was at Wisconsin. He's not with the Chargers out there with hardball, but we do a lot of PB and Js to do Anything that has a high, high nutritional value to give energy. Some kids just really don't want to eat on game day. So what we try to do is override any issues we might have with high energy protein content in shakes and snacks. Right. So there's also a lot of gummies, like good gummies. Right. Gummies that are for the purpose of nutrition and, and anything that can peak their performance. We actually have a nutritional crew that will pre make and set up maybe probably about half our roster at halftime where they'll slam a shake that they pre ordered they love. And we just want to get calories in them. So it's, it's a very specific thing. Yeah, it's a lot different. Back when I was in school, we had chicken broth that was our, our high heightened during the cold games once in a while. But yeah, the nutrition factor into performance is at a. And I'm sure it's going to continue to get better, but it's at a high level now that I'm not exactly a walking dictionary of nutrition. So like that's in their world.

[Eddie]

Coach, you fly a lot for your job. What kind of flyer are you? You put headphones on, you listen to music, you do work, you read. Like, what do you do on a flight?

[Clark Lee]

Yeah, we got a pretty long flight going out here to Oregon. So we'll actually practice Thursday morning and leave Thursday afternoon. So I'll watch Thursday's practice. I actually got it. I don't know if you've seen them, but it's the. They're glasses that you plug into your computer. And then they. I don't have to be looking down. I can like lay back and I had the video and it's. I got a remote in my hand. I can watch the. It's just like I'm in front of a big screen. It's, it's. I can read emails that way. I can read articles, I can watch film. It's. It's. And I usually got a pair of headphones on, listen to a little, little country, little little R B, little little reggae. Kind of depends on the mood.

[Eddie]

Before a big game or any game. Do you like your guys to be like right on the edge, fired up or. And we've had fighters that we've talked to who will tell us they do not like to be fired up because they're not thinking as clearly, that if they're calm, they're actually able to take and navigate through their thoughts. Right. And there's a fine line somewhere. That's correct. Where do you stand on the psychology of that, going into a game or going into a big game or.

[Clark Lee]

Well, I think first it's culturally based by what you do kind of throughout the year, right? Like if you try to go to, you know, the gate the day of the game and try to figure your crew out, you're going to have a long time coming, right? So we try to get a pulse on this. We build it. I really call it that flip flop Friday. I kind of relax on Fridays because I want to put our guys at ease. I'm more comfortable, they're more comfortable. You know, we do little things like we call. We'll have a lot of mandatory dinners, but we'll call it. We'll call it mandatory flow, which means just kind of come and go as you want. But then the last meal, we have our last pre. Game meal, which is always four hours out before pre, before the game. So if we're playing at 2:00, the meal's at 10:00, we're at 6:00, it's at 2:00. And that is everybody comes in mandatory seated. We'll start off with a prayer. You know, we have a regimented way we eat just to kind of begin to lock them in, you know, now, now. But then they'll go to their rooms and I'll say, hey, go call, text FaceTime, whoever you got to do. Let's get it out of the way. So when you come down here, two and a half hours before kickoff, we know what we're doing, right? And then we kind of a gradual transition to being ready to go. I think game day is totally different, Bobby, than practice. You know, in those moments, it's about. It's not what happens, it's how you react to what happens. So if you have kids that are on edge because they think they're going to be, you know, handled in a way that's combative on game day, you're going to have usually bad results. So we're kind of a, kind of a. In the moment. Let's, let's, let's learn from the moment but move on.

[Eddie]

Are you ever internally so emotional, but you're able to have the thought, I should not be outwardly emotional because of how it will make others feel or react. Like a kicker misses a kick. Are you like mother? But you got to really dial it in and keep it in.

[Clark Lee]

So true story. I think you evolve in time as you get older, right? You learn more from your failures and your successes. But I've Always been a guy that really just believes the teaching moments are all around us. It's just a matter of what you want to teach, right? And I came full circle. I was a young coach, probably in my second or third year. I recruited a kid by the name of James White, who's a running back out of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He went on to play for the patriots for about 10 years, won several Super Bowls. He was a true freshman, a really good player for us. And, and he was making a run and he reached the ball across the end zone and it got punched out and created a touchback scenario. And I literally was on the headset and everybody was like, you can't do that. And I heard all I said, I told everybody, hey, shut up, I'll handle this moment, right? And I went over and he was on the bench and I just put my hand on his head and I'd leaned down by his knee and I said, hey, my friend, you are such a great player. You are going to score so many touchdowns and this, this stadium and in your career and you'll play beyond here. But just know we're brought you here to run the ball, not reach the ball, right? There's three occasions that you can reach the ball. Fourth down, two point plays and end of game, right? Otherwise they're always staying in. We'll play the next down. And it came full circle. His dad, I went on to coach at the Patriots and his dad told me he watched that on tv, right? And then lo and behold, his dad was killed in a car accident like a number of two years later, right? And, and I think about the profound effect of that moment, that teaching moment with that kid, to have a dad witness it on tv. And the life lesson that was taught is, is truly why you do this job.

[Eddie]

At what point in your career, coach, did you realize. And I, I say this as someone who. My high school football coach, I didn't have a dad. Dad was a big part of my understanding of discipline, right? Like my. Because I had no male influence. I had no. At what point in your career did you realize that you were going to be that? And that was a real responsibility for a lot of these kids.

[Clark Lee]

It's a great point. I say it all the time. We do a little presentation when I have a kid come in my office that we've offered a scholarship to or a visit. We talk about a timeline on this earth, right? We all start at zero and average age goes to 72. Hopefully we all go beyond that. But we talk about during that window, you know, I usually get a kid when he's 18 years old, right? And if you just do the math, that's a 20, you know, 25% of your 72 year life. Wine is, is already done before I got you, right? So I'm going to get you from 18, 21, 22. And during that four year window, it's the first time you're out of your environment that you've known your whole life, right? Like whether it's a parent, an uncle, a coach, a grandpa, we. I get everything right. Like I have step parents, whatever it is. And I always tell our kids like, listen, I don't want to be your dad. You already got one. I don't want to be your uncle, your brother, your cousin, your friend or your high school coach. I want to be the best college coach you could ever have, right? And because of that, I'm going to at times sound like a parent. I'm going to at times tell you things you don't want to hear, right? And I would tell you the more I tell you things, especially if you don't agree with them, it's because I love you, not because I hate you. Too many people in this world like try to tell them the things they want to hear and avoid the things they need to hear. So I think that's a really big part of coaching is you're going to sound like a parent a lot. The good news is they're not right. But the part that is real is that you can affect their life for a long time and probably in a time in their life where they need it more than ever.

[Eddie]

All right, coach, good luck. We love you, buddy.

[Clark Lee]

Take care.

[Eddie]

Bye. It's the most wonderful time of the year for getting in on all the hoops, the football, the hockey action at DraftKings Sportsbook. In the season of giving, we're being gifted college football and college basketball, pro football and pro basketball, pro hockey too. Almost 24 7. And here's a gift for all new customers. Bet $5 to get $150 in bonus bets. If your bet wins, download the DraftKings sportsbook app. Use the code Bobby Sports. That's the code Bobby Sports for new customers to get $150 in bonus bets if your bet wins. When you bet just five bucks. Happy Holidays from DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 100 Gambler New York. Call 8778- HELP AND WIRE Take home Wyeth at 467-369 In Connecticut help is available for problem gambling. Call 8 at 879-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Budo Casino Resort, Kansas 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Boyden, Ontario Bevis went to receiver or bonus bets expire 168 hours after issue with traditional terms and responsible gaming resources. See DKNG Co BBall looking for excitement? Chumba Casino is here. Play anytime, play anywhere. Play on the train. Play at the store. Play at home. Play when you're bored. Play today for your chance to win and get daily bonuses when you log in. So what are you waiting for? Don't delay. Chumba Casino is free to play. Experience social gameplay like never before. Go to Chumba Casino right now to play hundreds of games including online slots, Bingo, Slingo and more. Live the chumba [e-mail] VGW Group no purchase necessary, void or prohibited by law. Seek terms and conditions.

[Doug Gottlieb]

This is Doug Godley from All Ball with Doug Godley. Hey, I'm going to talk to you about something that's really serious for a minute. Something personal right now. In our country, hate feels like it's at an all time high and we're going backwards and the hate is winning. It's out of control. So many different people, so many different groups are facing too much hate and it's just enough. We need to stop and regroup, change the momentum as a team because that's what we are. Everyone in this country is on the same team, so let's act like it. And when a team can't get together, what do they do? They call a timeout. We need to take a timeout against hate. So let's think about what we say and do. And when we see hate and we see someone doing or saying those things we know are wrong or hateful, we need to call it out. Visit, Stand up to All Hate or join me in calling for the timeout against hate by following OTs upwithhate or posting the Blue Square emoji with Shipt same day delivery.

[Eddie]

It's easy to get holiday essentials from the stores you shop most, like the brands you love from Target, home essentials from Lowe's or beauty products from Sephora. The best part? You also get more time to do what you love, like bake cookies, decorate your space and toast the season with friends. Get more from your favorite stores this holiday season, download the Shipt app and start shopping today. Now on to Kansas State head coach Chris Kleiman which we've had on a few times. We got to go hang out with him in his office. That's pretty cool. I think on his birthday, too, it was. Oh, yeah, more like happy birthday. You get us. Right. Happy birthday. That's funny. So. And he also let us work out with Cooper Beebe, who is now a Dallas Cowboy. Yeah. And he didn't have a problem with it because I knew he probably knew we wouldn't hurt Cooper Beebe. Yeah, of course, he's like these idiots, but yeah, no. Kansas State, like, perennial in the mix now. We love Coach Kleiman, and here's our talk with him. His dad was a coach. We talked about that a bunch, too, with him in the full interview. So here he is. From Kansas State, here is coach Chris Kleiman. Hey, Coach. Good to see you. Thank you for the time.

[Chris Kleiman]

You bet. Bobby, how you doing?

[Eddie]

Hey. Pretty good. I do want to go back a year. So we were working out with Cooper. BB we were up there with you guys. You keep up with Cooper at all with the Cowboys?

[Chris Kleiman]

Absolutely. He's come back for at least two games, but no, probably weekly. We send a text back and forth. Super proud of him being the starting center in the NFL.

[Eddie]

Man. Crazy, too, because. And Cooper and I follow each other on Instagram since then and when he was drafted, obviously super pumped for him. But the transition, and maybe you could add a little to this, the transition, because he did not play center for you, but now he's playing center with the Cowboys. How hard is that to do on the offensive line?

[Chris Kleiman]

It's really hard. But the fact that he played all four positions, but that, I think lent himself to understanding all the positions and knew that he could because he was the guy that communicated all of our checks and adjustments and IDs and stuff. Anyway, and all along when. When he was here and continued to get better and better, people kept asking us, do you think he can be a center? Do you think he can be a center? Well, yeah, we did from a mental side of things. Now, from a physical side of things, he just had to put the time into it. And obviously he did that because to make that transition and be the start, be named the starter by week one was pretty remarkable.

[Eddie]

So teams were reaching out to you to ask if they. If you thought, like, his mental capacity was that of a center. So more so, was it his size? Like, why were teams looking at him as a center?

[Chris Kleiman]

All the fact that he's not 6 foot 6 and 65 and stuff. He's, you know, I don't know what is he, six, three and a half, six four. And they knew he would be an interior guy somewhere. And the center position is so valuable and so hard to find that when you have somebody with the acumen that he has of understanding the game and understanding defensive fronts and being able to communicate, I thought it was going to be a natural for him to be able to move inside there. Then he just had to work on the physical side of getting the snaps and movement and I knew he could do it because he's such a great athlete too.

[Eddie]

Is there ever a time with a player when you will modify a bit of how they play or what they do for the next level, even though it may not be completely advantageous to what you're doing right then?

[Chris Kleiman]

Not completely. But I also have a responsibility to give these guys the best opportunity to have success at that next level and if it can fit with what we're doing as a team. Yes, absolutely. We had it. We had a, a guy that actually started for the Bucks the other night named Josh Hayes. He's a safety slash corner. And I had him at North Dakota State and he was a corner. And then we got him out of the transfer portal to come here and he assumed he was going to play corner. And I said, Josh, we're going to play you at safety here. A it's going to help us be a better team, but B, I think it's going to market you better in the NFL because you're not a 6 foot 3 guy that's 215 pounds. That's a corner that a lot of the teams are looking for. Josh is a 6 foot 195 pound kid. And I said if you can cover slot guys, you're going to have a place in the NFL. So is it not only going to help our team, but it's going to help your draft status and ended up getting drafted maybe in the fourth or fifth round by the Bucs and I think he's in his third year now and now he's a starter for him, but his ability to move and showcase what he could do as a safety rather than a corner helped us as a team and helped him in the draft.

[Eddie]

What's Avery Johnson like as a dude?

[Chris Kleiman]

Gosh, hey, he's awesome. He's so much fun to be around. He's the unquestioned leader on the offense, but he's very confident, has some swagger, but he's not a cocky kid. He's a guy that, you know the room lights up when he comes in, but he doesn't want that, if that makes sense. He doesn't want to be the center of attention. He's just always going to be. Some of it is his hair, right? He's going to be the center of attention because of his hair. But he's a very humble, driven kid. That what people don't see about Avery is all the things that he does in our community for youth, for disability children, for people in need. I know he's helping a principal back home that was diagnosed with cancer of raising money. Those are the things that he's not putting out on social media, but maybe should be emphasized a little bit more because it's not just about the football. The football is just a very small part of his life.

[Eddie]

When you look for a leader, what are those qualities? And the leadership qualities can be very different. We have them even here amongst this organization. Like, what are the qualities that you see in leaders that you feel like go best with your program?

[Chris Kleiman]

For starters, they have to be able to hold themselves accountable. It's always easy to say the best player and the work ethic and last one off the field and the first one on the field. You know, those are the things that people I think think about, but I think of it as one. He's one that holds himself accountable, and he's not going to talk the talk unless he can walk the walk. And we have a kid named Austin Moore that's one of our captains that epitomizes what a leader is. And when I say a leader, he's a servant leader in the fact of he makes everybody around him better because of his presence. And the best leaders are ones that really don't care if, at the end of the day, we're going to be best friends for the next 40 years, you're going to respect me because I'm going to hold myself accountable, but I'm not going to be afraid to hold you accountable. And you know, in our sport, in college, kids have three, four, five years to make a legacy. And you can make a ton of friends, and you're already going to make a ton of friends. But the only way you're going to make a legacy is if you have success. And the only way you're going to have success is by holding your peers accountable. And that's what I find in the best leaders, is they can hold themselves accountable, they can walk the walk, but they are not afraid to call out their best friend, not afraid to call out a teammate that is maybe equally as talented. It's easy to call out the guys that maybe aren't as good or don't do things right well, but when you can call out the other best players and they respect you for it, that's the best sign of leadership.

[Eddie]

I'm going to get in the weeds a little here because I respect your entire career as a coach and what you've built at every level. But I want to talk about practice tape. So you're a practice. You're doing what you do. You're CEOing, you're making sure the macro things are done right. Do you ever get on and watch some tape and see somebody that maybe you did not know was competing at a higher level than maybe you wouldn't have caught if you didn't see it on tape?

[Chris Kleiman]

100%. I do it every day. And not only do you do you have to do it, but you have to recognize that individual or those individuals for their efforts. And a simple thing would be, we have our scout team players of the week every week. The guys that aren't playing but gave us a chance to be successful by the look that they gave us each day that week, that maybe we're down a defensive tackle and he had to take every rep in practice for the scout team or a linebacker, whatever it may be, as well as special teams. And I think it's important that not only myself, but some of our best players thank those guys and recognize those guys. We have a neat deal that we do after winning wins in the locker room where we hand out a hammer because we talk about pound stone all the time. We hand out a hammer to somebody and then they get to recognize somebody. And oftentimes it's a defensive lineman that is recognizing, hey, scout team offensive lineman, so and so, or scout team wide receiver as a defensive back. Thank you for pushing me this week, man. You made me better. But I think you have to recognize those guys and they have to know that they're. They're a valued part of your. Your organization and program.

[Eddie]

I want to ask you about your dad for a second. What do you think you've taken from him? Even if you don't realize until you got older that you had like, as.

[Chris Kleiman]

A coach, competitiveness and toughness, not even in question. My dad's the toughest man I know. He's still, at 85 years old, the best armchair quarterback I have.

[Eddie]

Does he text you at all? And does he use emojis?

[Chris Kleiman]

No, no, my dad wouldn't use an emoji.

[Eddie]

All right, coach, See ya. Thank you. Hey, thanks for listening. One of the really cool things about this show is we can't believe people will agree to talk to us that are like head coaches of major programs. It's pretty amazing. Pretty amazing. I know. Do you think we had anything to do with getting some of those teams in there? I think we had maybe things to do with some of the teams not getting in there. Like if anything, we maybe hurt Kansas State a little bit, maybe Illinois. Let's not give ourselves credit, but thank you for listening. Super cool. We've had some other great coaches too. You can go check out, you know any of the library here at 25 whistles and we hope you have a great start to the new year. Hope you have a great holiday. Subscribe at Bobby Bonesports. Have a great week and we'll see you guys soon. Theme song written by Bobby Bones that's me Amper for formed by Brandon Ray. Follow brandon on socials randonray music. You can follow the show on Instagram @bobbybonesports. Thanks to our crew, co host, producereddy segment producer Ickoffkevin, video producer Ead Yarberry and executive producer ikedistro. But most importantly, thank you for listening.

[Spencer Danielson]

I'm Bobby Bones.

[Eddie]

We'll talk to you next time here on 25 Whistles. Looking for excitement? Chumba Casino is here. Play anytime. Play anywhere. Play on the train. Play at the store. Play at home. Play when you're bored. Play today for your chance to win and get daily bonuses when you log in. So what are you waiting for? Don't delay. Chumba Casino is free to play. Experience social gameplay like never before. Go to Chumba Casino right now to play hundreds of games including online slots, bingo, Slingo and more. Live the chumba [e-mail] VGW Group no purchase necessary, void or prohibited by law. Seek terms and conditions. Hey there, it's Scott Patterson from I Am All In Again. Podcast Life Short talk Fast Stream Gilmore Girls on Hulu. That's right, grab your coffee and get cozy because all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls are now on Hulu. Stream all the witty, banner, heartwarming moments and awkward Friday night dinners with Lorelei, Rory and the eclectic mix of characters. Whether you're rewatching or going Gilmore for the first time, Hulu has you covered. It's a show. Know it's a lifestyle. It's now streaming on Hulu.

[Doug Gottlieb]

This is Doug Gottlieb from All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Listen, I'm gonna get serious for a minute. The hate in our country is getting out of control. In fact, it's sadly at an all time high. But it's gonna take all of us to stop it. I mean, we're all on the same team in this country. So let's take a break from our hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a timeout against hate. Visit Stand up to all hate hate.org to help and join me in calling for timeout against hate by following at what's up with Hate or posting the blue square emoji.