3 Takeaways from Justus Jones
I sat down with Justus Jones of Iowa State Football and here are my takeaways.
This week begins a series of player development interviews with those in the role as we lead up to the 2024 Player Development Conference.
On the episode coming out this Tuesday, March 26th, I am talking to Justus Jones, Director of Player Development for the Iowa State Football Team. I always enjoy these conversations with professionals I have built relationships with, and this one was no different.
Here are my three takeaways from my conversation with Justus Jones:
The Differences of College Football and the NFL
When asked to define player development, Justus gave two examples one from his current role in player development at the college level and the other from his time in the NFL.
When talking about college football he spoke about helping the athletes become whole men. They come in as 18 years old and through his time with them he is intentional in helping them become whole men in their years on campus.
In regard to the NFL, he talked about how his role was more centered on helping the players become the best players they can be on the field. By helping provide value to them being the best players on the field they were able to set them up for life after football.
I like both aspects of him explaining this as I agree with both sentiments, your help the athlete grow in maturity and also by being an elite player development professional you're helping with their on field performance as well.
Coordinator to Director
In discussing his roles/responsibilities in the role Justus walked us through his time as a coordinator and his current role as a director. One thing I really like about this part of the podcast was an analogy he used. He said the director would give the vision of a car and then the coordinator would then take the necessary steps to see the assembly of the car through. He spoke about the importance of following a vision and having a vision.
Professionalism Pro Day
Justus mentioned the best programming/initiative he created which is Iowa State Football’s Professionalism Day. He mentioned he saw some incredible programming by Kaleb Thornhill while at the Dolphins called the Dolphis Business Combine and he wanted to create something similar to it. So, he created an event with companies in the top 5 majors if his players. As part of the event each company had to have 2 internships available for the players to apply for.
I really liked this section of the podcast because he didn’t copy what he saw, he took principles and created new experiences for his student-athletes.
This episode with Justus Jones will go LIVE tomorrow wherever you listen to podcast!
Player Development Conference Tickets
Tickets for the 2024 Player Development Conference will be available this week and will be at EARLY BIRD pricing for two weeks!
This conference is going to be EPIC! Check your emails and this newsletter for the ticket launch.
Player Development Resources
COURSES
BOOKS
Player Development Guide eBook
Head Coaches Guide to Player Development eBook