← The Ryen Russillo Podcast
The Ryen Russillo Podcast
College Recruiting Stories With Brock Purdy, Norman Powell, Matt Barkley, Andrew Whitworth, Ty Jerome, and Jesse Palmer
00:30:23
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- [00:00]
Ryan Rosillo
Foreign.
- [00:11]
Bill Simmons
Recruiting story time. We love when we get the athletes on and we save these questions for a one off episode. We usually do it once, sometimes twice a year. Getting the origin story of so many of the athletes of today. Brock Purdy, a three star recruit coming out of high school, played his college ball at Iowa State. And now after a guy we were like, he's going to be the starting quarterback in San Francisco, just signed a five year deal. Before we let you go, I always like going back to the high school days and, and getting these recruiting stories from you. So let's go back to what Gilbert, Arizona and you thinking back to probably the best recruiting story that you have from that time.
- [00:56]
Brock Purdy
Man, I think, you know, I got offer, I got a preferred walk on to Alabama and then they ended up extending it as an offer and so I took an official visit there and you know, we walk in to have our meeting with Saban and you know, he has the button that he presses, the door opens and it closes and then you walk in, you sit down and. And he sort of just gave me like a run of, you know, what he thinks of me as a player and where I'd fit in with their program and stuff. And, and so basically it was just funny because, I don't know, you walk in, you see his hat that he wears at practice up by his desk and everything and. And then I'm like, man, dude, we're in Saban's office, he's got all his rings opened up on the table, all the national championships, and then he just runs through a list of like how, like, you know, like who I am as a quarterback and my accuracy and all this kind of stuff. I mean, you probably heard the stories of how he said I was sort of average in all those areas, but if you come here, you know, you could help us win a national championship.
- [01:58]
Matt Barkley
And I'm like, all right.
- [01:59]
Brock Purdy
So I didn't really know how I felt about the meeting, but more than any other.
- [02:03]
Bill Simmons
Did you not believe him? Like, did you not believe him when he said that?
- [02:06]
Brock Purdy
No. When he's saying all that stuff, I'm like, dude, what like my highlights and everything in high school, I think they're pretty good, you know, like I thought I was accurate and making plays and like, how'd you not see that? But I mean, obviously he's been recruiting and evaluating players for his whole life. So I mean he's, he knows something and he's good at it. So. But anyways, as a kid, or like a high school kid, I was like, all right, man, that's just adds a little bit more to the. To the fuel, you know, even though it's Nick Saban saying that kind of stuff. But I respect him, what he's done as a coach and everything. But it's just funny for me and my story that I sat down in his office and he told me his evaluation of me, and. And then I ended up going to Iowa State and all that, but. And it worked out how I needed to, so I'm not mad about it, but it's just a funny story.
- [02:49]
Ryan Rosillo
So.
- [02:50]
Bill Simmons
Did you have to tell him, no, hey, I'm not coming here?
- [02:52]
Brock Purdy
Actually, no, I didn't say that. I spoke to. I think the guy that was recruiting me was the special teams coach. So I got to tell him. I had to tell him. I'm like, yeah, thank you, but I'm not coming here. So it's all good. Ended how it needed to, and. And I'm glad that I went to Iowa State. So here we are.
- [03:13]
Bill Simmons
Norm Powell, running around for the Clippers, recently. Just traded to the Miami Heat, but he knew LA well because he played his college ball at ucla. We caught up with Norman Powell and asked him about his best recruiting story from that time.
- [03:25]
Norman Powell
I think the funniest one, I don't know how funny it is, but to me it was so San Diego State was my first, a full scholarship offer, and then USD was my second. And so when they first offered it, I wasn't getting majorly recruited. It was literally just like the San Diego colleges and maybe a little bit of the lawyer gods in la. I wasn't that big of a recruit until after my junior year. But I took my Sango State visit was fine, and I took my USD visit. And I'm talking to the coach and he has me outside, we're overlooking San Diego. And the one thing he said was, like, yeah, I know you're probably not going to go here, but just know, just know whatever happens, like, you'll always have, as long as I'm the head coach here. Like, you'll always have a scholarship here, but I know, I know you're not going to go here. I think that was, like, for me, like, one of the funniest things. I didn't know what to say. I was like, you're probably right. But, you know, I'll keep that in the back burner of my mind. But I took the visit because my family wanted me to go there, but it was just. I couldn't stay in San Diego in general. But that Was probably one of, like, the funniest moments for me. Recruiting. And then I don't know how PG it is. I think my second, second one was being offered. No, I can't say that.
- [04:52]
Andrew Whitworth
Got it.
- [04:53]
Bill Simmons
We. We're very PG13 on this pod, so go for it.
- [04:58]
Norman Powell
One of, one of the coaches, like, oh, if you come here, like, like, you'd be the man. Like, I'll even. You even date my daughter and stuff like that. It was crazy. But we won't say who. We won't put a name to that. But even that at 18 was kind of crazy.
- [05:13]
Bill Simmons
Yeah, we. We don't need to. We don't need to put a name to that one. Maybe he just loved your personality, Norm.
- [05:18]
Norman Powell
He just wanted, maybe, who knows, wanted.
- [05:20]
Bill Simmons
You around long term. Or maybe he saw. He saw the potential. Matt Barkley was the 2007 Gatorade National Player of the Year and a highly coveted recruit. How did he get to usc? Let's go back to you. High school matter day, top recruit. We know you ended up at sc, but what's your best recruiting story from that time period of your life?
- [05:44]
Matt Barkley
Well, my recruiting story journey was pretty simple, actually, especially in comparison with what today kids are doing, shopping themselves around and taking the highest bid. And I, I knew from my sophomore year in high school that I was going to sc, and I, I silently committed to Pete Carol then. And so I did. I didn't even take another official visit to any other school.
- [06:12]
Bill Simmons
So me. Maybe that's the story then. Like, give me. I've met Pete enough. Like, what did Pete. How did that go?
- [06:19]
Matt Barkley
I'll tell you that. But I, I did take. There was a Nike camp up at Stanford. So I, I went up there, met with Harbaugh, who was there at the time, loved him. But Andrew Luck had committed and he was a class ahead of me. So I'm like, all right, I'm not gonna be playing at Stanford if Luck's there. But I went. I met with Jeff Tedford, who was at Cal at the time, who I really respected, really thought was a. A bright play caller, a great offensive mind, great coach, met with him. His office was in the stadium. Kind of overlooked everything. But you looked out his window. It was in Berkeley, at Cal. And you saw in the trees outside of his office, the tree people. That is 100. A real thing. That was not just some, like, overblown story. There were people living in, like, hammocks in the trees, like, full on, like mini little villages in the trees with, like, pee bottles hanging down For a moment, like they lit. They stayed up there. And I was like, all right, maybe Cal's not the, not the best place for me. Sorry, Coach Tedford. That was a quick, quick no for me, but still loved him as a coach. But Pete, I mean, he would come down just being local. He would come down to, to modern day's practices and watch us in the offseason. So I kind of got to know him pretty well in high school and doing the camps up on, on campus, the showcases or whatever. But he, he just had a different aura to him, which we even saw in the league when he was with Seattle as the oldest coach in the league. Still seemed like one of the most vibrant, youngest coaches just bouncing around, playing catch hoot and hollering that like he, he's so unique in that regard. And so again, like, not really any crazy stories. Loved my recruiting season of life, but at the end of the day, I knew I wanted to be a Trojan and just made it simple, made it, made it that.
- [08:21]
Bill Simmons
Andrew Whitworth, a Super bowl champion with the Rams and a legend at lsu. His decision on where to go coming out of high school. Let's go back to. And Andrew Whitworth out of Fun Row. All right.
- [08:36]
Andrew Whitworth
Fun Row. Monroe, baby, right?
- [08:39]
Bill Simmons
You're getting the letters, you're getting recruited. Give me your best recruiting story.
- [08:43]
Andrew Whitworth
Well, obviously, you know, I was Nick Saban's first recruiting class at lsu, so I've got some epic, as I always say, I. I had Nick Saban unfiltered back in the day. So I've got some epic Saban stories, but I don't think any of those can go public. But I'll, I'll say this. My epic recruiting trip story is I get invited. This is back when it was real football, right? So I get invited up to. You know, these kids would pass out if they even heard this existed anymore. I get invited up to Arkansas, Houston nuts there at that time, I was a tight end in high school. I was a big tight end. And so I wanted to go to Florida or Arkansas. They had huge tight ends. I mean, Florida didn't want to play o line. No, no, no. I, I thought I was going to. I was really. I committed early to, To Florida. I wanted to go play for Spurier. And that was right after they won the N96 national championship. And I was like, I want to be a Gator. I had Danny Werl jerseys, you name it, Fred Taylor. So I wanted to be a Gator. So I go up to Arkansas, I get invited to come to a padded two day recruiting trip. Like, you padded. You're. You're hitting people like, I know recruits. You're like, what? Yes. So I get invited up this invite only padded recruiting trip to Arkansas. Meet Houston nut, hang out, have a great time. And even more illegal probably. They're like, hey, there's actually two you guys. We kind of want to see go each other a little bit. Could you and this other guy come to the field where Yalls pads? And we kind of want just do a couple of drills with just you two. And I'm like, all right, cool. So get out of the field. Well, the other guy was guy named Shawn Andrews, who was a really special football player at the University of Arkansas and then ended up being a draft pick for the Eagles. Getting paid a ton of money, had some injuries. You hurt his career, but he was a freak of nature. I never forget when I was at lsu, Marcus Spears always had a neck brace on. The week after we played Jason Peters and Shawn Andrews because that was a lot of big fellas that could move physical. Weak for him, but. So Sean Andrews and I get down and they're like, all right. At that time, I played tight end, defensive end. And, you know, they were wanting me to play offensive line in my senior year, but I wasn't. I wanted to stay a tight end. So Sean Andrews was an old lineman, obviously. Huge, human, massive guy. Had to be almost £400 in high school. And we get down and we're doing drills. I'm the defensive end. I am whipping this dude. Like, just. I am having. So I'm jumping, I'm beating him every snap. These coaches are going crazy, like, holy crap, you know? So now they're like all over me. Well, Sean didn't have anybody at the camp. I went to Westminster High School. We. We recruited 24, seven, okay? There's a reason we went 58 and two and won three state championships. It's because my senior year, half the team didn't even go to school there before my. My junior year. So we're. We're like, hey, Sean. The coaches were with me. They're like, hey, let's take Sean home. All right? Yeah, that's fine. So Sean's riding in the van with us, and my guilt starts hitting me and I'm like, you know what? I gotta tell this dude the truth. So I'm like, hey, Sean, man. Hey, listen, like, I know I was whipping you, but I gotta be honest with you. So the sh. The way the sun was hitting, I could see through the shadows. Which way? The coach was telling you to block me every time, and I could see the snap count. So I am just killing this guy. He's, like, depressed the whole ride home, and I tell him this story, and we've had a great bond ever since, dude. Because it was like, man, I couldn't take it. Like, I know I got you, but I gotta tell you the truth. Like, dude, I knew exactly what was happening every play. So it was good for me, not as good for you. But, hey, it worked out for everybody. Both had great careers. No, no harm, no foul.
- [12:18]
Bill Simmons
That is one of the best and most unique because I. We haven't heard one like that before. But I have to press a little on the Saban thing, okay? Because he gets you there. Give me the one that you think maybe you haven't shared. But, you know, look, we're an adult podcast, too, so let's not be. He's done now anyway, so you don't have to worry about the recruiting part of it.
- [12:37]
Andrew Whitworth
Yeah, no, I. You know, with Nick, it was more the intensity and the things where you realize, like, this, dude, it's not just for you. Because, you know, I think sometimes when you're a young player, especially like a freshman in college, you think the coaches hate me. That's why he's always screaming at me. You know, he's just, you know, trying to be mean to me. And then you'd have these moments where you realize, like, oh, he does that to everybody. And so I'll never forget me and Benny Brazile. We'd finished our freshman year at lsu. Uh, Benny and I obviously had a great time. We both got drafted, Cincinnati together, you know, ended up being the best man of my wedding. Like, lifelong friends. But I'll never forget, we're both freshmen and we're waiting for Nick would do. At the end of the year, every guy have a sit down with him in his office. And if people don't know Nick Saban is a sports psychology freak, like, everything he does is thought of, prepared. So you're in his office. It's a big, nice chair he's sitting in. You're sitting in a little tiny chair. He's templing you the whole time. You know all of that, right? Everything's thought through. So we're sitting there in his office, and we're both nervous, like, man, about this meeting. What's it gonna be like to have to sit with Nick one on one? We've seen him, like, light people up and all this stuff. And we Hear him going crazy on somebody. And we're like, man, he is, wow. Like, we gotta follow this. Like, this is the mood I gotta follow. He opens this door, and when I tell you, Skip Burtman walks out of that office, and I'm like, wow, that's the AD who won, like, 100 national championships as the baseball coach, LSU. And skip just looks, head down, like tears, like, he looks so sad. And I was like, oh, my God. So Benny and I start, you know, paper, rock, scissors for who's going next. Because it's like, at that point, you're like, wow, this dude will let anybody have it if he's letting Skip Burtman have it. And I will never forget that ever. Because as a freshman in college, you're like, that's like watching your dad yell at your mom or your mom yell at your dad. You're like, oh, my gosh. Like, I have no chance. But Nick was intense all the time, man. And that. That's really. Honestly, it's something I took from him, is his sense of urgency, his intensity, that when you want to be your best, there's a standard to everything. And I can't remember, but I think we had booked a game, like, one of those games against some opponent that, like, Nick didn't want to do. And anyway, so it fell through, but I think that's what it was about. But I'll never forget that moment, seeing Skip Burtman walk out of that office.
- [15:08]
Bill Simmons
Ty Jerome, you know him now as the breakout Cavs player who just signed with the Grizzlies this off season. But before that, he was a national championship winner at Virginia after bouncing back from that UMBC loss. But let's go back to what led him down to Virginia in the first place. Let's go back to Iona Prep. You're a four star. When I'm looking at the rankings here, you're kind of in that 40 to 50 range as a high school player overall. So that's. That's pretty big boy stuff there. Give us your best recruiting story from that time in your life.
- [15:45]
Ryan Rosillo
I'd say the funniest. The funniest recruiting fair that comes off the top of my mind. It's not that crazy, but it was right before my junior year, and I was driving up, I was visiting gw, and then right from George Washington, I was going to drive to Virginia, and Virginia was the first high major to offer me Tony. But Tony's there, and, you know, the whole staff is there. So I'm at gw and I love it. I Love the staff. You know, it's in D.C. a lot of good things, cool things about it. It's in the A10. And I'm like telling them, yeah, like, I love it. And they're like, all right, just promise me one thing. Like when you go to uva, you won't commit right away. Like, you'll take it all in. I'm like, yeah, I'm not going to commit like another few months a year. Like, at least my junior year didn't even start yet. I go to uva, two days later, I commit, I call. I'm like, sorry, guys. Like, I just, I just love it here. I gotta go. So, yeah, it's like, so I really wasn't planning on it, but when I took the visit, it was like a no brainer.
- [16:39]
Bill Simmons
Did you ever waver from that, even though it's that early in your life?
- [16:44]
Ryan Rosillo
I had doubts. I had doubts. They had, they had a tournament in New York and I went to watch. I think it was like 40 to 32 at the end of the game. And I'm sitting there like, jesus.
- [16:59]
Jesse Palmer
I.
- [16:59]
Ryan Rosillo
Don'T fit here at all. Like, it's all about defense. We don't shoot. I don't fit here at all. Like, I can't come here. And then after a while it's just like, you know, you. I think people make the mistake of going to a school. You got to go to a school where you really get along with the coach because the style can be one thing, but when you really trust that coach, he's going to be sure you see your full potential. And that's what made me hold strong.
- [17:28]
Bill Simmons
Jesse Palmer, High school ball in Canada ends up down in Gainesville. It was probably just Gainesville, but it was also Spurrier, his time being recruited. Okay, let's go back to a young gunslinger north of the border. You're, you're putting up big numbers. Were you playing for your dad? Was Dollar Bill your coach?
- [17:51]
Jesse Palmer
Yeah. Dollar Bill was dialing him up. He was dialing him up at Minto Field, Nepean, Ontario.
- [17:59]
Bill Simmons
Okay, so you're starting to get calls. Our boy Jesse, there's some interest down south to get him down there to play, to play college ball. What's your best recruiting story from that?
- [18:09]
Jesse Palmer
It was probably, it was probably the first. It was actually, surprisingly not Steve Spurrier, which is probably surprising to a lot of people. You can only imagine what, you know, everybody's listened to his, his press conferences and you can just imagine. I think, I think the most memorable recruiting story was my first phone call that I got, I'll never forget it. It was like August 15th. It was like the first day coaches were allowed to call you in the morning. I get a phone call and I had this little terrible, little red and black phone with like a cord. It was just brutal. And I pick it up and it's Nick Saban at Michigan State. And he comes on the phone and I'm super excited. So amped. I just can't wait to get into it. I just. I have so many questions I want to ask. Like, I'm just out of my realm. As a Canadian kid, this is like the dream. And he gets on the phone and he literally talks for like 8 minutes and 47 seconds. Completely monotone the entire time. And doesn't. It was like he wasn't breathing. He literally gets on the phone, he's like, we really think at Michigan State this is a great opportunity for you on the field. It's a pro style offense, and we'll give you an opportunity to throw the football downfield, vertically and really show off some of your passing ability. And you really highlight that here. The Big Ten's an outstanding conference with great competition. You'll play good defense. NFL evaluators are here each and every week. Lots of friends in the NFL right now that can help figure it out for you once you get done here, too. Also, academically, Michigan State, fantastic. You can get a degree that you need. It'll help you at the next level. East Lansing, very safe place to live. We'll get you great housing here as well. And it was literally like 8 minutes and 47 seconds. The pitch was unbelievable, but I just. It was so much volume, I just couldn't. I don't even know what he said. And that was, that was it. Little like. And like. And imagine, like, if you said to me, like, by the way, dude, that guy's going to win seven Natties. Just so you know, the guy you just, you just spoke to, that's, that's, that's seven Natties. I would have been like, I don't know.
- [20:06]
Bill Simmons
So why was it Florida then? Like, who did you. Who did you stay with?
- [20:10]
Jesse Palmer
So it was. Well, Florida was on their way to winning the 96 national championship. Wurfel was on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. And listen, I went down for homecoming against lsu. Like, it was like, October something. I'm down in Gainesville. It's sunny, it's warm, the scenery. And like in Canada in October, it's like, it's like minus 12. You know, and it's. It was. It was pretty good. Like, the Gators, like, we're through, like, six TDs, and it was like, fifth. I don't know. They just smoked LSU at home. And it sold it pretty easily for me.
- [20:48]
Bill Simmons
If. If the transfer portal was as prevalent then as it is, or as prevalent it is now back then, would you have been like, okay, this splitting reps bullshit, I'm gonna.
- [21:01]
Andrew Whitworth
Cause.
- [21:02]
Bill Simmons
Because I think. Did you have. Did you have the Mertz Lagway game where they. Yeah, right. So they were splitting up series. And then we know in the other game against Mississippi State, I don't know if you had that one where they were going to give him, like, 3, 6 and 9 or something. And every time I think about it, I think of you. Because I never played the position. I would despise. That I would despise. So I think you 20, 24. Jesse Palmer would be like, hey, let's. Let's start planting the seed that I want out of here.
- [21:32]
Jesse Palmer
I did it twice like I was doing with Doug Johnson and then Rex Grossman, like, two years later.
- [21:37]
Ryan Rosillo
It was.
- [21:37]
Jesse Palmer
It was crazy. Like, I was all about that. You know what's crazy, though, man?
- [21:40]
Ryan Rosillo
Because.
- [21:40]
Jesse Palmer
Because, you know, my buddies, my boys on the team back then, we talk about it still today, like, in the late 90s, like, I. That was an era where I feel like if you transferred, that was like. That was like a red flag. Red flag.
- [21:57]
Andrew Whitworth
Yeah.
- [21:58]
Jesse Palmer
Yeah. I was gonna pick another word, but, yes, that was a red flag. That was. That was a.
- [22:04]
Bill Simmons
I know what the other word is, too.
- [22:05]
Jesse Palmer
Yeah, yeah. It was like. Yeah, you could pick. You could pick a few. It was. It was just like, dude, like, back then, like, just compete. Figure it out. Get your job back. Like, you're trying to go to the league. Like, figure it out. Get back out there, practice better, play better, and just deal with it and just, you know, seize the moment. Like, if you had transferred back then, everybody in the locker room would have lost respect for you. And so, Yeah, I mean, like. I mean, it'd be easy to say now. Like, Absolutely. I'd been one of these guys. Like, I was just talking about the guys that transferred three or four times. I would have done that. I would have gone where the most money was, by the way. I would have been, like, an nil. Yeah, I would have been all about the nil, for sure, but I don't think I would have. I just think back then, my headspace was like, I gotta. Like, we had four NFL quarterbacks on our roster at the same time. And it was just like, we just, I gotta beat these guys. Like, that's it. And I just gotta get on the field and I gotta get drafted and get into the league. And that's kind of how I thought about it. And that we don't see that very much anymore. I don't feel like.
- [23:04]
Bill Simmons
And look, you got to the league, and without your mentorship, Eli Manning may not be Eli Manning.
- [23:09]
Jesse Palmer
That's true. That's true. Eli Manning would have. Yeah, he. He would have missed so many. That's. That's a. That's a good point. You know, that's not talked about enough, basically. You know, forget Plaxco, Burris and all these other guys that made him Jeremy Shockey. I made Eli Manning.
- [23:24]
Bill Simmons
That's a good point, to be totally honest. And I don't think you'll mind me sharing this. We were talking about it once. You're like, it was probably the best thing ever that they got me away from him.
- [23:36]
Jesse Palmer
The best day of my Giants career. My worst day was the day that Eli moved into the same building I was living in, Hoboken, New Jersey. That was. That was great news, and that was bad news all at the same time.
- [23:49]
Bill Simmons
That'll do it. For this edition of Recruiting Stories, Ryan Rossilla podcast. You can listen on Ringer Spotify.
- [23:55]
Jesse Palmer
They were gonna name me Michael Jordan. My dad was like, I don't think he can live up to it. So they named me Michael J.
- [24:08]
Ryan Rosillo
Foreign.
- [24:18]
Bill Simmons
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