27.5K
Downloads
57
Episodes
The recruiting process can be a daunting challenge and difficult experience for recruits, their parents and their coaches. In this show, it is our goal to flip that script, to peel back the curtain and empower recruits with insider information to create more transparency in an increasingly cloudy environment. Hosted by Director of Recruiting at Rice University, Alex Brown, Up Close in Personnel will be inviting other industry expert's from across the country to cover all topics involving recruiting and the evaluation process.
Episodes
Friday Jan 22, 2021
Friday Jan 22, 2021
In this episode, Coach Carthel gives us an inside look on the challenges SFA faced on the field as a team and off the field in recruiting this past year.
With the Southland Conference cancelling conference games, Coach Carthel and SFA put together a full, 10-game, non-conference schedule and made it happen !
This was one of the more fun show to be a part of and we hit on everything from coach's affinity for the state of Alaska, what he's learned from his dad through coaching together and all the major shifts seen in the college football recruiting landscape over the past 20 years. We even went through his viral, shirt off-celebration following an overtime victory over ACU!
Throughout the episode, you will hear Coach Carthel emphasize the importance of surrounding yourself with great people. Whether that's your personal life, professional or in the recruiting process, this applies to everyone.
- For recruits: who are the types of coaches and players you want to align yourself with? Every interaction with college coaches and recruiters is an opportunity for you to evaluate their character.
- For college coaches: who are the types of coaches you are willing to work alongside and who are the types of players you want in your program? Culture is built up of the collective character of the people in your building, so what does that look like?
To the recruits' side of things, Coach Carthel provided great advice on how recruits can make better decisions during their recruiting process:
1. Do your homework on the head coach
- What's their background? What kind of person are they? Job stability?
- Lean on your high school head coach to help you assess the head coach.
2. Go through the current roster & ask the players
- Coaches will tell you what you want to hear.
- Players will give you the real truth on what to expect.
Lastly, Coach added in what he looks for when hiring his staff:
- Good People, first and foremost
- Great Recruiters
- Sound Football Coaches
In that order, Coach wants to add coaches with strong, Christian morals and character, because the ultimate role of a coach is leading their players to success in life (not just ball).
To follow Coach Colby Carthel, check him out on Twitter at @CoachCarthel!
For show notes and links, be sure to visit UpCloseInPersonnel.com, and thanks again for tuning in!
Friday Jan 08, 2021
Friday Jan 08, 2021
In this episode, Brian Metz walks us through his journey from equipment student manager to full time, Tight Ends coach with the Ohio Bobcats!
As we discuss his approach to networking and career growth, as well as his recruiting process, it's easy to see how and why Brian is where he is. He's passionate about having a "beginner's" or "growth mindset" and takes pride in being what he calls a "master observer". Here are some quick bullet points from the episode and thank you for tuning into the show!
The "Beginner's Mindset"
- Similar to "growth mindset" - process over outcomes
- Be acutely aware of what you don't know
- Hustle to learn everything you can about what you don't know
- Follow your curiosities when learning (IE snowball effect)
Advice for Volunteer Coaches/Recruiters:
- Be a "MASTER OBSERVER" (IE a fly on the wall)
- Show gratitude for those that are supporting your career
- Understand your role within the program:
- Support the mission and vision of those above you
- Think critically and write down everything you like/don't like
Advice for Networking in the Coaching Profession:
- Network UP (to those above you) and OUT (to those on the same level or below)
- Begin with the end in mind
- If you want a job: be prepared to handout resumes and present
- If you want to meet new people: go to the main lobby and engage others
- "Stratify"
- prioritize people you have to see and overcommunicate that they're a priority
Building "Player Profiles" in Recruiting
- As mentioned with networking, begin with the end in mind
- Study what has been successful at your program and in your conference
- Breakdown the roles and duties of each position, with the most important roles prioritized
- Find players that fit your culture, can do what your system requires and have traits that translate
Thanks for listening to another edition of Up Close In Personnel with Alex Brown! You can find and follow Brian on Twitter at @CoachBrianMetz, as well as visit UpCloseInPersonnel.com for any and all show updates!
Friday Jan 01, 2021
Friday Jan 01, 2021
In the inaugural episode of 2021, Yahoo Sports' College Football Reporter - Pete Thamel breaks down the craziness that was 2020 and the seismic shifts facing the sport moving forward!
One of the best in the business, Pete shares how he got started in the sports reporting profession, his writing and reporting process, and insights gained from being around the highest performers in college athletics.
When it comes to interviewing, he shared three critical keys to success:
- It takes time -each interview is a rep and that's the #1 way to improve
- Build rapport -ask the hard questions last and tease out the information
- Tell a story -make sure to extract the anecdotes and specifics to draw others in
As far as the State of College Football Recruiting, we touched on:
- The 85-Man Scholarship Hard Cap & challenges produced by the COVID eligibility waiver
- The Implications of no campus visits -both from the lens of colleges & athletes
- The Effects of colleges not being able to evaluate prospects in person for the time being
- And, the reverberations that will be felt across the sport -specifically in the class of 2022
If you're interested in working in sports media, please do yourself a favor and be ready to take notes from Pete. He's one of the very best at building relationships, networking with high performers in the industry and articulating compelling stories to college football fans.
If you're passionate about evaluating, recruiting and the landscape of college football, we have you covered as well! I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it and I look forward to bringing more shows to you all in 2021!
To follow Pete, check him out on Twitter at @PeteThamel, and tune in to his weekly podcast with Dan Wetzel & Pat Forde called the Yahoo Sports College Podcast!
For show notes and links, be sure to visit UpCloseInPersonnel.com, and Happy New Years everyone!
Friday Dec 11, 2020
Friday Dec 11, 2020
In this episode, Evan Harrington - Assistant Director for Player Engagement with the Washington Football Team shares incredible insight from his impressive (albeit young) career in the coaching profession.
With the experience of playing at the JuCo, FBS, NFL, CFL, and International levels, along with coaching across four different countries, Evan might be the most traveled football coach in the world.
Throughout the episode he speaks to how it is so critical to hold onto and cultivate relationships with people that have invested in your life. Finding mentors and surrounding yourself with those that will push you to be your best, is a major key to success in this industry (and any industry for that matter).
Additionally, Evan gives a Recruiting 101 tutorial on how to recruit internationally. Where to look (Germany and Sweden for BIGS, Austria for the most well-coached players, and France for speed), and the importance of figuring out what type of coaching these recruits are receiving.
At the end of the day, his lasting advice boiled down to "being where your feet are". Do your job right now with the awareness that there is always someone out there that would kill for your job. Build relationships with others in the industry when you don't need a job (not just when you need one), and never burn a bridge.
To follow Evan and his work, check out his Twitter at @CoachH49 and check out his new show on International recruiting on YouTube called "The Morning Session".
For show notes and links, be sure to visit UpCloseInPersonnel.com, and happy early National Signing Period to all the recruiters following the show!
Friday Dec 04, 2020
Friday Dec 04, 2020
In this episode, we start out with a deep dive on how to successfully lead and manage a player personnel department with Auburn's DPP - Ryan "Tree" Trichel.
Starting with Tree's experience at Louisiana-Lafayette and working to his current role at Auburn, the emphasis on organization stands out above all else. He truly takes pride in being the most organized recruiter and staying one step ahead of the competition.
At the tail end of our conversation, we brought in his right hand man, Joe Moreno - Player Personnel Graduate Assistant at Auburn, who shared his journey to Auburn and what all he's learned since working with Tree.
If you're looking to learn more about how recruiting works, grow as a director or take the next step as an young recruiter, this episode is absolutely for you.
To follow these two phenomenal guests, check out their Twitter handles at @RyanTrichel and @Joe_Moreno16!
For complete show notes and podcast links, be sure to visit UpCloseInPersonnel.com!
Friday Nov 20, 2020
Friday Nov 20, 2020
Joined by my good friend and mentor, Bob Merritt - Assistant GM for the Edmonton Eskimos, this week's edition of Up Close In Personnel is basically a tutorial on how to successfully assemble a recruiting department and construct a roster in college football!
Having coached, scouted, and recruited at all levels of football, Bobby details his career path and lessons he's learned along the way.
We really dialed in on the roster management and construction aspect of personnel, so this week I decided to drop all of the notes I took away from the conversation in bullet form below!
Topics Covered:
- Bobby's Current Role in the CFL
- Assistant General Manager
- Evaluating US College, Canadian College, CFL and NFL players
- Diverse Experiences in Football
- Success comes down to the ability to communicate and collaborate at a high level with the various personalities involved in the profession
- Must be able to connect with people around you and work effectively; a more diverse background helps with the ability to relate and connect
- The Impact of the Air Force and Military
- Making the move from Coaching to Personnel
- Roster Construction 101
- Identifying MUSTS, NEEDS and WANTS
- Assessing the value of your roster and incoming players
- Defining a clear role and vision for new players
- The Head Coach-General Manager Relationship
- Advice for Interviewing and Hiring Interns
- Building and Growing a pro-styled Personnel Department
- 3 Core Values
- Be a great teammate
- Compete to be your best
- Build relationships
- Developing as an evaluator
- Cannot be afraid of being wrong
- Say what you see with conviction
- Be a great listener and hear the traits
- Understand what your team values
- Parameter vs Skill Set
- Depends on level of ball
- Certain positions require parameters
- Ex: Perimeter players must have length and speed
- Some positions don't require as stringent parameters
- Ex: Height doesn't matter as much for linebackers
- 3 Core Values
- Evaluating speed without verified times
- Assess the player's play speed on game film
- 3 key components to look for:
- Stride length (gait)
- Stride frequency (turnover)
- Hip mobility (fluidity and knee drive)
- 3 key components to look for:
- Assess the player's play speed on game film
- Predicting the draft vs projecting the player
- Remember to always define the role a player will play on your team prior to him joining the program; if you don't, then there's no way of reviewing the success or failure of the acquisition.
Let me know what you took away from the show and be sure to give Bobby a follow on Twitter at @BobbyMerritt8!
For listening links and notes from previous shows, please visit the show's official website UpCloseInPersonnel.com and comment with whatever notes and takeaways you had from our conversation! Thanks again and see you all next week!
Friday Nov 13, 2020
Friday Nov 13, 2020
In this interview, Ethan Johnson of Liberty talks through his personal journey in the recruiting world, what he's learned along the way and actionable advice for making personnel decisions in college football.
Liberty is one of the fastest rising programs in the country, so I had to make sure we got Ethan on the show to break down his process and how Liberty has performed so well on a national front.
The words "Process" and "Fit" are constantly used in this episode, and for good reason. You must be detailed and consistent in your approach, if you intend to learn along the way and continually improve as a recruiter.
Refining the Evaluation Process:
As a recruiting director, you have to train up your team of assistants and interns.
Defining the evaluation process with a series of benchmarks and checklists, creates a more refined attack. Don't just type in comments that pop into your head; hone in on what is important to your team, to that specific side of the football and position, so you bring players that fit what you're looking for as a program.
Understand that each year is different in terms of needs within your program as well. It's critical that you do an after action review of the class you are signing, what is returning to your team the following season and spelling out what it is that you need for the next cycle. This will get everyone on the same page and empower your full-time coaches to better mine their recruiting areas for talent.
Finding the "Fit":
The biggest takeaway from this episode comes down to the "fit". When it comes to finding the right "fit", college programs must be hyper aware of what makes their program unique - or as Ethan says, "What makes us, us?"
Factors that come into play go beyond the field and include things like region, location, academics, campus life, alumni, culture within football program, personalities on staff, etc. Each program has a unique selling point or collection of traits that set them apart, and targeting players that value what you have to offer creates a win-win scenario.
Bringing in student athletes that don't fit into your culture, or academic structure, or some other component to the school, is a huge disservice to both parties. It's our job in the recruiting process to be honest with recruits on what the program truly is like and for the recruits to be upfront about what they care most about.
Recruiting R&D:
Lastly, we talked about how research and development is how we as recruiting staffs get better. Take what you did in the past, break it down to its core parts and reassess the outcomes. What went well? What didn't go well?
From budget spending to official visits to national signing day to camps and recruiting travel, to player personnel there is always room for improvement. Being detailed in the documentation of evaluations, itineraries, calendars and other recruiting material, will allow you to go back and revisit those things.
On the player personnel side, recruiters must also be diligent in re-evaluating talent that is in the building and monitoring the development of players. Who's added weight? Who's more explosive? What factors in their makeup or physical traits has allowed them to develop? What are common themes in the progression of players in our program?
These are just some of my notes from this episode, but please visit the show's official website, UpCloseInPersonnel.com and comment with whatever notes and takeaways you had from our conversation!
As always, if you enjoyed listening to Ethan, be sure to follow him on Twitter at @EthanJohnsonCFB!
Friday Nov 06, 2020
Friday Nov 06, 2020
In this interview, we catch up with UTSA's Joe Price as it's nearly been 7 months since his last visit to the show. We talk about how this season has been for UTSA in Head Coach Jeff Traylor's first season at the helm and Joe's first year as Director of Player Personnel.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Our conversation was recorded Wednesday, 2 days before the announced postponement of the matchup between Rice and UTSA due to positive cases on UTSA's team.
With that being said, there were a lot of great insights shared by Joe that I'd like to highlight in this week's show notes!
Throughout the show, you'll hear Joe talk about BRANDING. Finding an identity as a program is so critical and UTSA has done a very good job of that. The "Triangle of Toughness" which is directed at running the ball on offense, being great on special teams and physical on defense, is a staple to the program and something you'll see all over their social media.
To that point, I asked Joe how he and his recruiting team work to identify players that fit into that culture of toughness. In the evaluation process of watching tape, here are some examples given by Joe on what he looks for:
- Ex. 1: How does a receiver play without the ball in his hands? Does he give great effort on the backside of a progression? Does he block with great effort?
- Ex. 2: On defense, how does a player pursue to the ball? Does he sprint to the football and strain to finish plays?
Also, we discussed the team's focus on winning in their home city - The "210" of San Antonio. The benefit of keeping players home is that the entire city will know who these guys are and it not only benefits the crowds you draw but the future recruits as well. The ripple effect is having your team engaged with selling the program to local recruits, which breeds success on the road!
As always, if you enjoyed listening to Joe Price, you can follow him on Twitter at @CoachJP3!
Also, don't forget to check out our official website, UpCloseInPersonnel.com for links, notes and updates!
Friday Oct 30, 2020
Friday Oct 30, 2020
In my conversation with Marshall, we talked through his journey to the Bay Area and his process as a recruiter.
There's so much to pull away from this episode, especially if you want to learn the mindset of one of the top recruiters in the country. Marshall understands the importance of promoting the brand of Cal football and the connection that must exist with the target audience of recruits.
Below are some of my notes from this show, be sure to let me know what you took away and thanks for tuning in!
- "Getting a foot in the door" - LIVE IN THE MOMENT
If you want to break into the football industry, you must have an open mind to working in a role that may not be exactly your desired "end state". Marshall started out in equipment and instead of complaining that he wasn't working in recruiting, he excelled in the role he DID have. Learn all the "little things" and become a master in the work you're given. As you do a great job "where your feet are", THEN you can seek out additional work to display your ability to perform a different type of role. Marshall found ways to assist recruiting while working in equipment, and the bottom line is that people in the building recognized his work ethic and performance.
- Leadership Lesson 101 - MAKE YOUR PEOPLE FEEL VALUED
To be a good leader, you have to learn your people and their perspectives. Be considerate of what they may be going through and take time out of the day to check in with where they are at mentally. Give out responsibility and meaningful tasks to create a sense of value.
- The Role of a Director of Recruiting Strategy - PRIMARY TOUCH POINT
In Marshall's position as Director of Recruiting Strategy, his primary role is to serve as main touch point to recruits. That includes: providing facts on the university, the football program and the local region; overseeing and organizing the communication strategy with recruits; relationship building and character assessment; maintaining a pulse on the recruiting landscape nationally; and assisting in the evaluation process.
- Best advice for FaceTime Calls with Recruits - TALK ABOUT LIFE
Recruits get hit up constantly about ball and school. Talk about life with recruits and show that you care about them as a person, not just as an athlete. Equally important, you must get them on the phone and in front of the right faces -that's the area coach, position coach, coordinator, head coach and at least one person in recruiting. That way they know who to go to with questions.
If you enjoyed listening to Marshall, you can follow him on Twitter at @MWCherrington!
Also, don't forget to check out our official website, UpCloseInPersonnel.com for complete show notes and future updates on the show!
Saturday Oct 24, 2020
Saturday Oct 24, 2020
Joined by Tony Cappuccilli - Manager with the Ogden Raptors (rookie ball club within the LA Dodgers' farm system) episode 27 is loaded with material for anyone trying to learn more about teambuilding, coaching, player development, scouting and recruiting!
As a member of the Dodgers' organization since 2017, Tony's hoping that the third time is the charm when it comes to World Series runs. We recorded this show while the Dodgers were in the midst of their 3-1 NLCS series comeback.
Let me know what you took away from the show, but here are a few of my favorite notes from this week's episode:
Advice on Navigating the Coaching Profession
- You have to constantly evolve -"what got you there, won't keep you there"
- Be ready to pay your dues -are you okay with volunteering?
- Find the right fit -make sure you can make the most of an opportunity before going "all-in"
Building a Winning Franchise - The Los Angeles Dodgers
- They have really good people, first and foremost -no problem guys
- Leadership starts from the top down, creating a winning environment and culture
- "Don't suck as a person", do things the right way and everything falls into place
Breaking Down an MLB Scouting Report
- Athleticism and how the player moves, first
- Offensive ability second
- Strengths, weaknesses as a player
- Areas for Improvement
- Must include how the player communicates and takes coaching*
- Projected Role on the team
"Do's and Don'ts" for Recruiting Emails
- Put the coach's name in the address
- Talk about the school and show them you've done your homework
- Keep the email text short and to the point
- Keep any video attachment short and to the point
- Know what you're expecting to receive -a camp invite
Thanks again for listening, if you liked hearing from Tony - be sure to follow him on Twitter at @tcapp19! Also, don't forget to check out our official website, UpCloseInPersonnel.com for complete show notes and future updates on the show!
Thanks for tuning in and see you next week!