Iowa State's Jimmy Rogers Joins, Can the NCAA Fix Tampering, NFL Combine, & The Bowden Tour

Summary

The Triple Option – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Iowa State's Jimmy Rogers Joins, Can the NCAA Fix Tampering, NFL Combine, & The Bowden Tour
Date: March 4, 2026
Hosts: Urban Meyer, Rob Stone (Mark Ingram II absent)
Special Guest: Jimmy Rogers, Head Coach of Iowa State

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Episode Overview

In this dynamic episode, Urban Meyer and Rob Stone (with Mark Ingram II out this week) dive into several major themes shaping modern college football. The discussion spans the evolution and end of the iconic Bobby Bowden booster tours at Florida State, player development and the NFL Combine, the NCAA's proposed crackdown on transfer portal tampering, and an in-depth interview with Iowa State’s energetic new head coach, Jimmy Rogers. The episode is loaded with stories, honest takes, and a behind-the-scenes look at the hurdles and opportunities for today’s programs, coaches, and athletes.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Bowden Tour and Changing Booster Culture (00:13–05:55)

• The end of a tradition: Florida State pauses the spring Seminole Boosters Tour, a grassroots legacy that started under Bobby Bowden.
• Loss of face-time with fans: Urban Meyer recounts the demanding nature of those tours and their importance in an era before social media.
  • Urban Meyer: “That’s how you sold tickets… There was no Internet. That was the grassroots.” (02:31)
• Cultural shift: The hosts discuss how digital technology and recent program struggles have changed fan engagement, making such tours obsolete.
• On Bobby Bowden: Both hosts reminisce about his storytelling charisma.
  • Rob Stone: “When you were in his... 10 yard radius...you felt a presence. And once you heard him talk, it was like old school, like going to the radio, right?… It’s the grandpa so many of us wish we had.” (03:26)
• FSU behind the scenes: The lack of a tour may indicate waning public enthusiasm due to the program’s current struggles, but it’s also “just a sign of the times.”

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2. NFL Combine & Importance of Strength Coaches (08:32–13:23)

• Sonny Stiles’ combine breakout: Ohio State’s Sonny Stiles posts eye-popping numbers.
  • Rob Stone: “He measured in at 6 foot 5… 243 pounds… 43 and a half inch vert… 4.46 40…” (08:32)
• Rise of the strength & conditioning coach: Urban Meyer credits Tom Osborne as a pioneer, underscores how integral the role is now.
  • Urban Meyer: “Mickey Marotti was my number two above the offensive coordinator, defense coordinator. Something happened to me, I’m not there. Coach Mick is in charge.” (09:50)
• Player health as a marker of program quality: Meyer cites teams with top strength coaches staying healthier, often dominating the combine and NFL draft.
  • “When you see programs fail… People are getting hurt a lot… Bang, bang, bang. Strength coach, strength, performance team.” (10:28)
• Modernization: Today’s top strength coaches finally getting paid accordingly.
• Investment: Meyer argues for investing in player support staff over facilities.
  • “What more is there investment in the, in an athletic program? Invest into players. And we were… We were on the cutting edge of all that.” (11:33)
• Direct lines: Weekly meetings with performance team allowed Meyer to monitor health and performance closely.

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3. NCAA’s New Approach to Tampering & Enforcement (13:23–18:20)

• Proposed new penalties: NCAA moves to enforce stiffer punishments for tampering with transfer portal players:
  • 6-game suspension for head coaches (no recruiting, game, or admin duties)
  • 20% football budget fine
  • Loss of 5 roster spots the following season
• Will it work? Meyer is skeptical.
  • Urban Meyer: “That’s a real one. They nut it up … Now let’s see if they really do it.” (14:19)
  • “I would add one. If you mislead or lie to the investigators, you’re done. Your college coaching career is over and your AD is done.” (14:33)
• On money as a deterrent: Both hosts doubt a budget fine alone would stop big programs, but a multi-game suspension might.
  • “All that nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. And that does not stop people from doing bad things.” (15:43)
• Skepticism about the NCAA: Urban confesses he has “zero” confidence the new rules will be enforced. Rob is “just under 50%.”
  • “There’s been nothing done in the last decade to give [confidence].” (18:18)
  • “Now’s the time... NCAA is finally saying we’ve been pushed around enough.” (18:20)

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4. Interview: Jimmy Rogers, Head Coach at Iowa State (19:22–39:28)

Jimmy’s Early Tenure (19:22–21:01)

• “A whirlwind”: Hired just 89 days ago, Rogers feels it's been “like a decade” due to extreme roster turnover.
• Unprecedented roster churn: In two offseasons, 81 new players (53 transfers, 28 freshmen), returning only 44.
  • “I think I’ve watched set record for the most amount of players watched as far as recruiting in the country.” (19:22)
• On knowing the kids: While he hasn’t “had 81 meals with families,” he’s had one-on-one meetings with every in- and outgoing player.

Navigating the New Normal (21:01–27:38)

• How to sign 81 players: Many transfers are players he knows from Washington State and previous stops. Staff conducts deep background checks before offers.
• Inter-coach cooperation: Rogers had a collaborative relationship with outgoing coach Matt Campbell, discussing departing and arriving players—unusual in today's environment.
  • “Knowing who could be leaving or which players they would want to ask to come with them was pivotal…” (24:15)
• Technical mechanics: Coaches and recruiting staff track every position group and scan the portal, evaluating player fit with cut-ups and character checks—including referencing “going rates” via agents.
  • “Coaches calling agents and what’s the going rate, that just came out of your mouth.” — Meyer incredulous, but recognizing the new landscape (27:38)

Selling Iowa State to Transfers (27:48–29:35)

• Pitching substance over hype: Rogers promises nothing except “authentic, genuine leadership” and a real shot to compete and play.
  • “I promise nothing ever to any recruit other than the fact that the coaching staff will… give our best to them and push them…” (29:11)
• Targeting hungry players: Many are high-achievers from lower levels, “with a chip on their shoulder” or depth players from Power 4 programs eager for more opportunity.

Personal Adjustments and the Dakotas' Football Culture (29:35–32:31)

• Frequent moves: Rogers describes the strain of recent relocations—“My wife is from South Dakota… bringing her back to Iowa, my kids were ecstatic.”
• Dakotas football experience:
  • “There’s not a professional sport… You are the professional sport.”
  • Success at South Dakota State and North Dakota State comes from developing overlooked players with strong relationships and commitment.

Changing Coaching Career Paths (32:31–35:44)

• Old model vs. New: Meyer notes the shift from smaller school coaches being ignored to now getting major FBS jobs.
  • “The smaller school 1-AA… they never would seem to get this shot… but now you got the Signetti factor, you got your movement…” (32:31)
• Rogers’ approach: He values being present, turning down jobs that looked like “stepping stones.” He focuses on impacting his current team, not chasing positions for status or money.

Coaching Mentors – Mutual Q&A (35:44–39:28)

• Rogers to Meyer: Who was most influential in Meyer’s coaching journey?
  • Urban Meyer: “Lou Holtz, who’s not doing well, he’s in hospice care as we speak… and Earl Bruce… But they were always on speed dial… it was always about how to get better.” (36:18)
  • “What I always found out, Coach, there’s always a better way to do it.”
• Meyer to Rogers: Who are your mentors?
  • Jimmy Rogers: “John Stiglemeyer, the prior head coach at South Dakota State… Clark Lee. I played for Clark Lee…” (37:45)
  • Rogers admires their detail, presence, and character, trying to “keep it real with players” and maintain strong relationships—just like his mentors taught.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bobby Bowden:
  Urban Meyer: “Coach Bowden was the best. To follow Bobby Bowden at those kinds of things was awful… Coach Bowden would play golf all day and speak at night—I was out recruiting. It was a different time.” (02:31)
• On NCAA Tampering Penalties:
  Urban Meyer: “That’s a real one. They nut it up… Now let’s see if they really do it.” (14:19) Urban Meyer: “If you mislead or lie to the investigators, you’re done. Your college coaching career is over and your AD is done.” (14:33)
• Giving Players a Shot at Iowa State:
  Jimmy Rogers: “I promise nothing ever to any recruit other than the fact that the coaching staff will, you know, give our best to them and push them to develop to be the best player and person that they could possibly be.” (29:11)
• On Mentors in Coaching:
  Urban Meyer: “I didn’t really surround myself with the bobbleheads… we don’t have much time for the hugs and all that other stuff—make us better.” (36:18) Jimmy Rogers: “I catch myself nowadays almost acting like him [Stiglemeyer]… now I know more about why he did what he did, being a head coach, than I did when I was watching him.” (39:05)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:13–05:55: Bobby Bowden/Booster tour history and evolution
• 08:32–13:23: Discussion of NFL Combine, role and hierarchy of strength coaches
• 13:23–18:20: NCAA’s tampering crackdown and skepticism about enforcement
• 19:22–21:01: Jimmy Rogers’ first 89 days at Iowa State/roster overhaul
• 21:01–27:38: Navigating player turnover, inter-coach cooperation, transfer portal mechanics
• 27:48–29:35: Iowa State recruiting pitch/philosophy
• 29:35–32:31: Personal life, family transitions, and football in the Dakotas
• 32:31–35:44: Changing career paths for coaches from smaller schools
• 35:44–39:28: Mentor influences, mutual Q&A between Meyer and Rogers

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Tone and Style

• The show is candid, collegial, and occasionally irreverent. Urban Meyer provides insider context, unfiltered opinions, and coaching philosophies. Rob Stone plays the everyman fan and skilled interviewer, moving conversation flow and injecting humor. Jimmy Rogers is earnest, pragmatic, and energetic, passionate about program building and authentic relationships.

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This summary captures the full sweep of the episode’s insights and banter—a valuable listen for fans, insiders, and football thinkers alike.

Transcript

[A]

This should be good. Here we go. Is that better? Let's clean it all up. Is everything nice? We care here at the triple option.

[B]

I mean this today. Rob, Light it.

[A]

The triple option is presented by Wendy's. Get yourself a four dollar biggie bite, six dollar biggie bag or an $8 dollar biggie bundle now at Wendy's. Light it. Coaches this week, Coach. No Mark Ingram this week. Welcome to the triple option. He's Urban Meyer. I'm Rob Stone. Coming on it up, we're going to bring in Iowa State's new head coach, Jimmy Rogers. A Buckeye put up some impressive numbers at the NFL combine. A Bobby Bowden tradition. Coach hits pause at fsu and did the NCAA just get serious on enforcement? Are we to believe this, man? We got a lot to talk about, Coach. Thanks as always for joining us here on the triple option. Remember to rate, subscribe, send us questions. We're on social media at 3x option show. And again, new episodes come Your Way on YouTube or wherever it is you get your podcast. So let's fire things up with any given Saturday. We're about 177 days until the new kicks off and one of the off season traditions down in Florida, the Seminole boosters tour tradition that started under Bobby Bowden, where he would charm the locals, whether that was in Florida or the general area around Tallahassee, he would go around talking up, hitting up donors, just kind of spreading the gospel of Florida State. Well, they have decided that this spring they're going to put a little pause on it. Coach, you used to curse those tours, didn't you?

[B]

I did. Bobby Bowden obviously coached against him five times. Well, not obviously, but that's how long ago that was. And Coach Bowden, his last five years were my first five years at Florida. And we became really good friends on the Nike trip. And I would always say, what in the hell? Why do you do these? Because I had to do them. And Bobby Bowden, here's what he would do. He would show up, play golf all day and then speak at night. And I'm like, coach, I'm recruiting. I have three children. You know, this is the time of year that you're supposed to, it's usually in May. And he did it and he loved it. They loved him for it. And that was called the Grassroots Tour that all SEC schools and really all ACC schools did. They didn't really do that much up north. And then I did 22 my first year. And I remember after we won a natty national championship, me and the AD sat down, said, I can't do that anymore. I mean that's, that's 22, coach. That's a lot. And so we backed it down to 8 or something like that. And you know, you're flying all, you know, it, it was a different time. That's how you sold tickets, you know, that's how you. There was no Internet. There was no. That was the grassroots. That's how we're going to get out to the peoples. And Bobby Bowden was the best. You know, to follow Bobby Bowden at those kind of things was awful because you're, you know, Coach Bowden, you know, Coach Brown was here all day and play golf and you know that, well, I'm not going to do that. You know, I got recruits to go see and all this other stuff. So.

[A]

But, but for those that don't know, Coach Bobby Bowden was one of one, you know, when you were in his, I don't know what a 10 yard radius of him, you felt a presence. And once you heard him talk, it was like old school, like going to the radio, right? Like, tell me more about this. You just want. It's like, it's grandpa, right? Right. It's the grandpa so many of us wish we had. I could listen to Bobby Bowden all day. I was a little young buck reporter in Albany, Georgia. So we were close enough to Tallahassee that we would hear about his, his speaking tours once while we would go down and get some interviews and you would just turn on the camera and just ask him one question and just let him go.

[B]

Just in 2005, I got invited to the Nike trip. And that was your, that was a rite of passage, man. You got the invite to the Nike trip, you made it. And I remember Joe Paterna walking up and you know, in his voice said, who's this Meer guy that's on the trip? And I said, well, Coach Paterna, it's me. And then Bobby Bowden comes over and I'm sitting there going, wait a minute, I'm sitting with Bobby Bowden and Joe Patern. I got a picture on my wall behind me, number one and number two, all time wins and great people. So I would always Coach Bow and I would play golf every year and I would sit and just pick his brain. And then Joe Paterno would grab a glass of brown water, bourbon and a book. He never opened the book, but he had it. Shirt off and go sit by the pool. And I'd always, every year, for many, many years, I'd Go sit down next to him for about three, four hours and just pick his brain. It was my two favorite parts of the Nike trip. So Coach Bowden is one of one.

[A]

One of one. So the fact that FSU's putting a pause on this, does that give you any concern if you're part of team Mike Norvell?

[B]

Oh, there's a lot of concern. First of all, Mike Norvell's a dear friend where I'm not sure people know this, Rob, but he's 2. 0 in the Peach Bowl Challenge, is my partner.

[A]

You seem to bring that up often.

[B]

Two trophies and they're big trophies. And I think we get like $50,000 for our charity and a great event with Gary Stoken lean at Peach Bowl. So I'm not sure that will impact his buyout or his season. But he is 2.0in the Peach Bowl Challenge. Rob, it would just for you to know that.

[A]

Yeah, I know, I know. You want to sneak that in. It would give me a little bit of a pause saying that maybe the Florida State public doesn't really want to hear from Coach Norvell right now. Like, let's, let's not put him in bad situations.

[B]

That's true. But that was their source of information years ago. So let's be real. Yes, they're struggling. He's really struggling. There's a lot of, you know, of course there's, they've been awful. But that's not the only reason. The only, you know, there's not many people doing anymore. You know why you want source of information. You pull up Twitter or X or whatever you call that. So I can see, yes, there's a lot of who's going to go sit and pay money to be at a event. And it's used to be a fundraiser for scholarships I believe. But those, those days are done. We need to move on from them.

[A]

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[C]

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[B]

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[A]

all right coach, the NFL combine was this past week. Our guy Sonny Stiles for Ohio State. What a performance he put on the comps. Let's put it in perspective, all right. He measured in at 6 foot 5 so that's the same height as the great Calvin Johnson, 244 three pounds lighter than Derrick Henry. 43 and a half inch vert, the same as Nate Robinson's Max Vert. We got a 4, a 4.46 40 same as Bijan Robinson and 135 inch broad jump, same as Julio Jones. Those measurables seem to work. That's probably going to help him come draft time in April. You were part of kind of the ground floor of building up strength and conditioning in college football programs and you know more than most how important important an elite strength coach is for your team and for the guys who want to play at the next level.

[B]

Well, Tom Osborne is actually the first one ever and that that was the first where they invested so much into the sports performance and what do they

[A]

call it, Husker Power.

[B]

And I'm getting that magazine when I was in high school and that changed my career because I started lifting before other People did. So, so yeah, I was, we were one of the first that we,

[C]

you

[B]

know, elevated the strength coach too. And I actually, Mickey Morati was my number two above the offensive coordinator, defense coordinator. Something happened to me, I'm not there. Coach Mick is in charge and there was no point, you know, at first, you know, I kind of started to do that at Florida and Jeremy Fuller, AD was, you know, he was fine with it because he loved Mick. But that person should have that kind of power. Now, you better get the right one because you get the wrong one. And you can see I don't want to, you know, I don't know enough about. But when you see programs fail, you see programs where people are getting hurt a lot. You see programs where they recruit well, but they don't make it in the NFL. Bang, bang, bang. Strength coach, strength, performance team. You know, those are the things and, and Ohio State's got the best, I think the best that's ever done it. I'm biased, but the stats are pretty good. Matter of fact, the stats say he's the best. So I see that's become more of a trend. By the way, they're getting paid now. What they should be getting paid. There is a time when they got paid nothing, nothing. And now they're getting paid the way they should. So when you see the performances of the Buckeyes and there's a couple other strength coaches like that out there, you know, I know Mark Ingram talked about his trained coach all the time. So there's certain programs that believe in that. They're the ones that stay healthy, they're the ones that perform well at the combine and they're the ones that look the part when they jog out of that locker room and play the part

[A]

when you talk about people on the staff who get FaceTime, get real time with the players. How high is the strength and conditioning coach and their staff?

[B]

Probably one, yeah, ahead of the head coach and ahead of the coordinator. Because all the other position coaches are exactly that. They're position coaches. They're in with their guys. But the strength coaches and the trainer, I put the trainer and physical therapists, you know, at Ohio State, we're the first one to have a full time physical therapist just for football. Full time sports psychologists just for football. The. That's how much we believed in the. And I, I, that's caught on and I think it should. What more is there investment in the, in an athletic program? What do you want to build another pool? What do you want to build another indoor facility? Invest into players. And we were. We were on the cutting edge of all that.

[A]

What type of communication line were you wanting from them and allowing.

[B]

Yeah, direct. We had a sports performance team, and that was anybody who put their hands on a player. Nutrition, equipment, academia, academics, sports psychologists, the whole direct report to the sports performance team. Mick was in charge. But I always had a coach there, or I would be there at that once a week meeting, serve. I knew. And when you see the Buckeyes perform like this, that's not by accident.

[A]

Take me through you looking at your phone when Mick calls or texts. Is it. Is it good stuff or scary stuff going through you?

[B]

Most of it's really good stuff. You know, he would always laugh. I, you know, I'd take that one week off in the summer, but it really wasn't off. And every morning I call him and call him probably seven or eight times a day, and he'd always laugh, you know, hey, how'd it go today? Who was in? How's he look? How's the hamstring? How's this? You know, in 2014, we had the same starting lineup in August that we had in. In January, except for J.T. barrett broke his leg. Yeah, how about that? There was no soft. There were zero soft tissue injuries that year. How's that happen? It's Mickey Maratti.

[A]

And how does. How do all these soft tissue issues happen with us now as we get a little bit more mature, man, they just. They jump on us, man, don't they?

[B]

You're a mess. I'm good.

[A]

You don't even. You don't even know the half of it, man. You don't even know about my soft tissue issues.

[C]

Coach.

[A]

Something that's not a soft tissue injury, but like a real injury in college sports, at least with our conversations of late. Tampering, right. We talked about a couple weeks ago, the Clemson Ole Miss feud. Well, the NCAA trying to move swiftly now to punish tampering. They rolled out. Coach. These proposed punishments and it will be voted upon in April. Here they are. And I. I can't wait to hear your reaction. The head coach would be prohibited from all football. That's recruiting, that's on field, coaching and administrative duties, like team meetings for six contests, not one game, not two for six. All right, so number one, if you're a head coach and you see that as a potential punishment for you, is that strong enough to deter you from trying to mess with the portal and do some tampering with some players?

[B]

That's a real one. They nut it up that. That's. Now. Now let's see if they really do it. I guess it's got to go through committee or some nonsense like that. So I'm proud of the nca if they. I'm not. I want to see this happen.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

Is 6. Is 6 games legit for doing that? Yeah. And I would add one. If you mislead or lie to the investigators, you're done. Your college coaching career is over and your AD is done. So I would tie the AD into this as well, because there's been a couple examples where the head coach refused to meet with the ncaa. Well, the head coach reports to the ad.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So how's that happen? Or you lie to the NCA or you mislead them. You know, how's that happen? And I. I understand there's show cause and I still don't quite understand what show cause means, but your college coaching career is over if you do that.

[A]

I like pulling in the athletic director concept to that.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Just, hey, do your job. Be on top of this. And if you're not, guess what? We're coming for you, too. It's not just your head coach. And you can claim that they're behind doors in another building. No, this is on you. This is on your watch. Other punishment that's being proposed, Coach. The school would be fined 20% of its football budget. And just remember how important the football budget is to the athletic department's budget. 20%. That's a big number.

[B]

I see that. And I've seen the fines and I've seen the vacate wins and I. All that nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. And that does not stop people from doing bad things. You want to stop someone from violating rules, you're finished.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You will not coach six games. And if you mislead or lie to the investigators, you're done. So I don't understand why it's that hard to.

[A]

The 20 part, though. Does.

[B]

Yeah, I think.

[A]

Would that deter you enough? Not you. I'm saying. Do you think that would deter the industry enough?

[B]

No, the ad.

[A]

The AD Cos.

[B]

Didn't give a. No, he's. Yeah, the old. Some donor or something. I. I, Once again, I don't know. But I know that if you're not coaching in games for s. For half your season for six.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's.

[A]

That's a big number.

[B]

Should get paid for those six games too.

[A]

There you go. Other.

[B]

I would come down so hard on the. I mean, I would. I'm hoping they do. I don't. I don't have Any confidence?

[A]

Let's hope they vote on it in a positive way coming as well. Right? I don't have that answer.

[B]

But hold on.

[A]

Here's more things they're going to be voting on. The school would be required to reduce the number of roster spots by five for the next season. That's a minimal number. That's regardless of the head coach's employment status at the school. That's okay. That's whatever. Coach, do you feel like all these little, these rules that are potentially being put in place are going to do enough to stop tampering or at least put a pause?

[B]

Only one of those. Only one of them.

[A]

The first one.

[B]

The coaching six game suspension. Now it's got to hold and it's without pay and you're not allowed around the program. Yeah, that's. That'll do it.

[A]

And punishment Swift too. Right.

[B]

It can't be three years from now, especially if you got it. Someone hands you text messages and once again, we don't know exactly what happened because it's all hearsay. But what we've heard and I don't know the coach at Ole Miss. I think this is Ole Miss. I can't remember.

[A]

It stems from the old Miss Clemson conversation we had a couple weeks ago for sure. But it's, it's taking place throughout. Right. We've talked to all kinds of coaches. We talked to Coach Signetti saying, sure, it happens. Right. We deal with it all the time.

[B]

Well see if it. Let's see.

[A]

It's a start. It's a start. But let's see if they enact it. Come.

[B]

How much confidence do I have that this. I hope we come back to zero. Zero happens. Zero, you think? Zero.

[A]

As far as it gets executed. And they go forward with these.

[B]

Correct. Zero. That's how much confidence I have in the enforcement arm right now.

[A]

I'll go. I'll go just under 50%. Just under 50. Really?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm. I'm an optimistic guy. You should know that by.

[B]

There's been nothing done in the last decade to give.

[A]

True. But now's the time. Now's the time. I feel like to your point, the NCAA is finally saying we've been pushed around enough. We're taking hits from everybody. Everybody's swinging at us and laughing at us. Time to get in the weight room with coach, Coach Mariati and just get buffed up and get tough. That was the fresh take of the week presented by Wendy's. Get yourself a $4 Biggie Bite, $6 Biggie Bag or an $8 Biggie Bundle now at Wendy's. Coming up next, we're going to head to Ames, check in with the new Iowa State head coach Jimmy Rogers. Win the triple option presented by Wendy's returns. Welcome back to the triple option presented by Wendy's. Rob Stone, Urban Meyer. We are now joined by the brand new head coach at Iowa State, Jimmy Rogers, who has been on the job according to my Math, just around 89 days. How do you describe those first 89 days for you?

[C]

A little bit of a whirlwind. It helps that I had some experience in doing this just last year. But if you've combined this year and last year, it feels like a decade. I think I've watched set record for the most amount of players watched as far as recruiting in the country, as far as the amount of players that we replaced in two years on a team.

[B]

Well, that brings me to this question. Thanks for joining us coach. And we have such great respect for Iowa State and obviously your career. So the number was thrown at 81 and I just hit you with that a second ago for an old guy that did it when you were signing 15, maybe that on a big year, maybe 22. And I would, I was telling these guys a story yesterday on our pre call that it would be, I'd be in a plane, a private jet and I'd probably be in four to five states a day just closing it up back in the day because I always thought you had to have dinner with the families and get to know them. But I actually talked to division I coach and this is where my question to you is. He said they're signing kids that they never met that he never met. So he's putting his name, his reputation, his team, the state university on a handful of kids that he, you know, I was with him one day, he goes oh look, I just signed a linebacker and I'm like going wait, what? And he said I never met the guy and we signed him. So 81 players, you certainly didn't have 81 dinners and you didn't have letters for these guys for two years and all that. How do you even go about signing 81 players? That's 53 just for the viewer. 53 transfer portal players and 28 freshmen is what I've heard. Yep. Yeah.

[C]

We will return 44 players from last year's team to this year's team. 28 freshmen. Eight of those freshmen are currently mid year on mid year enrollees and then the 81 transfers. Now all of these transfers aren't people that I It's not like I don't know them. Several of these players came with me from Washington State. Just like my initial move from South Dakota State to Washington State. I had brought 29 players from South Dakota State with me to, to Washington State, so. And then there are many players that made this transition again with me when I came here. And then obviously there's the relationships that we've had in the past with players that I've recruited or coaches on our staff have recruited that maybe we didn't get them in recruiting coming out of high school and there was a prior relationship as far as not had 81 meals with families. I've had 81 sit down one on one meetings for every kid that's come through this building, as well as every player that left the building. I had the opportunity to meet the current team that was maybe different this year than it was last year. I had the opportunity to sit down with our players one on one for 45 minutes to an hour and figure out the positives of Iowa State and things that they've liked, things that they enjoyed, things that they would want to see change and then just their overall feel if they were going to be entering the transfer portal or not. They were great. Many had decided to leave and go to Penn State or, you know, look for another home elsewhere, but feel like we got the right group of guys to stay. Guys that were passionate about staying here and continuing their career here at Iowa State. And then I'm excited about the guys that we were able to bring in. I know it's somewhat crazy to even think about putting together a team with 81 new players at the end of the day. And I know nobody likes to hear this, this is the modern era of college football and I think the more that it happens, the more the players are accepting of transfers coming in and it's not seen as a big deal. I'm a little bit. I would never like to do this again. I like recruiting high school players and developing them through, you know, and molding them from start to finish.

[B]

You know, there was a, our guys heard or there was a story that you had a, you have a decent relationship with the previous Iowa State coach, Matt Campbell that went to Penn State. And you guys actually had communication about when guys are leaving and which, you know, it's fairly unusual. When I replaced a coach, usually I said hi and thank you and you know, hey, we shall wish you the best and all that. Stay in touch. But we. There were never the open portal like it is now. So tell us about your relationship with Matt Campbell, and was there cooperation between the both of you?

[C]

Yeah, I've known Coach Campbell for years, just having come up here. When I was at South Dakota State, I spent a decade of my coaching career coming up here for prospect camps, and they were always really welcoming to allowing visiting coaches to come in and see the recruits. So our relationship has grown. And it's not that we're best friends by any means, but he's always been open and honest. And I knew a lot of the other coaches that had left, I would say the collective group, they didn't want to see Iowa State, you know, go to shambles, but honestly. And nowadays they have to deal with what I've had to deal with here. So knowing who could be leaving or which players that they would want to ask to come with them was pivotal because it allowed me to kind of understand the numbers at every position group that I would have to be replacing and think out ahead of, okay, this player says that he's open to hearing us out, but he's really out the door already. It allows us to have a bigger scope of the amount of players that we were willing to accept through the transfer portal, as far as looking for the next group of players, rather than just cutting it off and saying, well, we got one, and then figuring it out right before the portal closes that we just lost one. And now we're not looking at the best group of quality players that we could bring in.

[B]

Before I turn this over to Rob, so I'm just trying to visualize. So every. Every coach has a room, Rob, just so you know, that's their recruiting room plus their roster room. I imagine that's still the way it is where you would have your quarterbacks, and everybody wants four to five quarterbacks. If you get stuck with two or three or you lose a tailback, do you simply go to the. Is there. You go to a portal and say, okay, what's the net? And start calling and start with. And then you go. Start going down the list. Is that how. And then someone's already watching that tape. Maybe the position coach take us. Because I'm still mesmerized. But how. How this transaction takes place.

[C]

Yeah, our recruiting staff does a great job. It's led by our gm, but we have a recruiting staff member assigned to every single position group as well as the position coach. Especially when you're replacing this AM Numbers the position coaches really involved in this. You know, I would say the hardest thing and the most unique thing is when our coaches are Needing to call agents. I would say that is really unique because that doesn't happen in the NFL. So yeah, we put together a list, we start to see what positions are, you know, what running backs say are out there. We put together a list and then we start watching their film and our recruiting staff will create a cut up. A cut up is the good, the bad, the ugly, as well as trying to do as much research, research on the individual as possible. So before we took a kid, there was like probably three to five calls to people that we knew that maybe were at their prior stop or their high school coach and just try to get a feel of who the kid was and what type of player and person he was. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you're not the best worker or not a great teammate or kind of just go through the motions, that's not any player that we want to add here. So there's a lot of research that's done prior to the kid and then there's the watching the film and saying, is he going to fit the scheme? Is this kid good enough to play here and will he impact us? And then trying to see if that kid's now interested. Obviously you got to hit a range these days as far as what the kid is going for. Like he's going rate and then filtering through the agents of what is bs. Going rate is. Yeah, it's.

[B]

We're really talking about this, aren't we? We really are. Coaches calling agents and what's the going rate that just came out of your mouth? I know, I know it is. I'm just.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

On the flip side, what has been the sales pitch to come to Ames and be a cyclone?

[C]

I think honestly that they're going to get authentic, genuine leadership and that the best players will play a lot of these players that we've brought in. It's very similar to my trip from South Dakota State to Washington State. I look for players that had a certain edge to them that felt like they had something to prove. You know, when you look at the bulk of our players that we've taken in, a lot of these guys, if they came from the lower ranks, they were really like a higher profile type players, player, an all American all conference player with a ton of snaps. Some of these guys are young as far as like a freshman All American, I thought there was a ton of upside in that, especially coming from certain FCS schools that I knew were good, good programs that taught their guys the right things and were about substance. And then There was a lot of players that came from maybe a higher profile power for school that had a ton of reps but maybe didn't always start. But there was enough film and proof there that they said that I could say that they're going to add value to the team and they would have the opportunity to compete and push to be a starter. I promise nothing ever to any recruit other than the fact that the coaching staff will, you know, give our best to them and push them to develop to be the best player and person that they could possibly be. But I think when people, when I speak to the players, they realize that I'm not full of, full of it because I keep it real with them. I keep it real with their parents. I promise nothing other than the opportunity to come in and play at Iowa State if they're deserving of it because they do the right things.

[B]

Hey, real quick, on a personal note, so nine times, Coach, I moved and my wife, I guess I didn't even realize I did it, but I guess those big three words, power of attorney. I never looked at a house, never looked at a house, never bought a house, never moved from a house, and never went to closing. Rob. So I'm imagining your wife is going to punch you right in the face the last three years. So have you told her, okay, are you buying, selling? What are you doing? Are you renting or what's going on?

[C]

You know what? We bought in Pullman, Washington. I love the house, too, but I'm still trying to sell it. And right now we're renting because we're going to build here. I expect to be here. I plan to be here. I'm going to work to be here.

[B]

She hasn't punched you in the face. I'm looking.

[C]

You know what? My wife is from South Dakota, so when I brought her to Washington, it was a little bit of a culture shock. And now bringing her back to, to Iowa, my kids were ecstatic about the move. Just getting closer to the grandparents and their cousins. So it's a, it's a real good fit for us. I mean, where we're from is only four hours away, so it's drivable. And yeah, it's been good.

[A]

Coach, I'm fascinated about football in the Dakotas. Right. And I know you're a South Dakota State guy, but we hear more and more conversation about football programs in both of those great states. So what is coaching in the Dakotas like? And how has it strengthened? How has it shaped you?

[C]

Yeah, I would say just like Iowa. There's not a professional sport to it. You are the professional sport and all the players, you know, it's, it's grown in my time there. South Dakota State has grown. Surely it's been a place where you were able to get a really good player in there. And then we were able to start winning and then we were starting to beat some group of five, group of six schools in recruiting and we were finding, maybe not the high profile star player, but we were finding people that love football that were wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves and they came in and worked their butts off and we committed to them and they committed to us. And over the years we've, you know, both South Dakota State, North Dakota State, we've been, been able to push and develop a lot of really talented players that have gone on to have great careers in the NFL. And I think really starts with having relationships with the players more than anything else because some of those players learn, maybe slower that maybe if they didn't, if they would have went to a higher profile school, maybe they got pushed out and through years of, you know, development and grace, they were able to develop to be the best that they could possibly be and develop the habits to have success in the NFL and then stay in the NFL. They're, they're littered in the NFL right now and proud to say I was a part of that. That's what I'm trying to do right now here at Iowa State.

[B]

Let's talk a little bit about coaching trajectory that we discussed this yesterday as a staff of our pre call. But when I was a young coach it was you go to the biggest school you possibly could, you try to become a coordinator if you can, and then you go to a Mac, a Mountain West Western Athletic Conference and then you try to move your way up. I always felt like the smaller school 1 double A I think it used to be called or the. They never. And there were great coaches there. I always felt that way. But they never would seem to get this shot. And then you got the signetti factor obviously which just happened at Indiana. You got your movement. You, you know, there's Oklahoma State, Auburn, ucla, Iowa State and Florida all took coaches from the smaller conferences or even the, the. I guess I don't. I'm going to call it one double A because I'm so old. But FCs, FCs. So do you see a change? And it's a positive change because I always felt, I mean, damn, when I was in the Mac Conference coach that was the hardest coach it was the hardest conference of coaching because everybody's the same. You didn't have the advantages. You know, every school, when they jogged out on the field, coaching was a difference because there wasn't the big talent difference that you see in some of these conferences.

[C]

Yeah, I would say watching the NFL, watching FBS football, watching FCS football, and then Division 2 and Division 3, even to high school, you know, you see more exotic things and more unique things that maybe haven't hit the highest of level. At the higher levels, you see a really standardized play than kind of really how you, you see the NFL. I would say the schemes aren't as exotic at the FBS level or in the NFL, you see more nuances and wrinkles probably at the lower levels because they have to find ways and be creative to utilize every player on their roster. They may not be better physically across the board up front. So, yeah, you know, for me, I always, it wasn't about trying to get to the next big school. I've had a lot of opportunities to go up a level and after a while people are starting to think I was nuts because I never left. And it's always been about where, you know, be where my feet are at and try to give my best the players in which I coach. And I would end up having enough success to try to be able to take my pickings rather than take a job to try to hope to get to the next job. Actually, I've turned down jobs because I've had head coaches tell me in the hiring process, like, it's not about, it's not about this job, Jimmy, it's about the next one. And I just thought, you're going to lose. And I didn't take those jobs. And lucky enough those coaches were fired that, that season and I wasn't a part of that. So I think it's about being present and just if you get into coaching for the right reason, it's not about a dollar and it's not about really the level in which you do it at. It's more about how can you impact and how can you create the best competitive team that you possibly can year in and year out.

[A]

Coach Rogers, we like to let our guests have an opportunity to ask us a question here on the triple option. So you got a Hall of Fame coach that you're on the line with right now. You get an opportunity to ask Urban Meyer one question. What is it, Coach?

[C]

I would say, what is maybe the most influential person in your life throughout the coaching journey? That and why? What experience did you have with that person and how did you learn maybe the most from that person?

[B]

Yeah, humbly I say that I had two mentors that were like fathers. Lou Holtz, who's not doing well, he's in hospice care as we speak. I went saw him recently and my wife got really emotional because without Coach Holtz he hired me at Notre Dame in 1996. And then there was a guy named Earl Bruce who was Woody Hayes protege that became like he hired me as a young coach at Colorado, as a first as a graduate assistant at Ohio State, then I followed him to, to Colorado State. But they were always on speed dial and they, you know, they were the kind of people that weren't much about patting you on the back, but it was always about how to get better. And that's the way I was raised. I didn't really surround myself with the bobbleheads or the people that, you know that I want to get better. If you're going to come watch practice, in which I used to have a ton of friends come, you know, in the college, in the profession and the one rule is they had, you can watch practice but you're going to write a report and how we can get better, you know, we don't have much time for the hugs and all that other stuff make us better. And what I always found out, Coach, there's always a better way to do it. You're going to come across someone in your journey and you're like damn, why didn't I think of that? And it's going to make your team better. So that's be my encouragement to you is and that's what I did. And certainly Lou Holtz and Earl Bruce did that hundreds of times in my career.

[A]

Coach Rogers, who are your mentors right now at this stage in your coaching career?

[C]

Yeah, I would say the people that I've always called for guidance, it'd be John Stiglemeyer, the, the prior head coach at South Dakota State. And then I've always, you know, when I needed them, called for advice from Clark Lee. I played for Clark Lee. Clark Lee's first, first full time position job at 25 was at South Dakota State University. And he's kind of, yeah, he's, he's kind of. When I watched him as a young coach, although at the time he presented himself like a 40 year old man, he gave me so much as far as man, this is what coaching looks like at a really high level. The detail in which he coached us, the preparation that went into it and I've tried to always carry myself in that sense as far as how we've prepared our players. And as I've developed, I've started to tone back so much to the extreme of just allowing our players to think less and play fast. So, yeah, but he was a big part of why I wanted to get into coaching. And then over the years, just I've been with one head coach for a long time. I played for John Stiglemeyer and then I coached underneath him. I was at South Dakota State for 19 years. So to be around that type of person, you know, I catch myself nowadays almost acting like him. It's almost like I'm acting like how you start to act and pick up things like how your father did. And now I know. I know more now about why he did what he did, being a head coach, than I did, why I was watching him do these things and I thought, why does he do this? But now I know why. Because I catch myself doing some of those things.

[A]

Nice. Coach Rogers, we wish you the best of success in Ames this year. Hopefully we'll see you on Big Dune Kickoff. Thanks for the time. Thanks for joining us this week. And that does it for the triple option. Thanks for Remember to Follow subscribe rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever it is you get podcasts. We are on social media at 3X option show and as always, thanks to our wonderful sponsor Wendy's. We'll see you next time on the triple option.