Player Development HIRING Season Is Upon Us.
2024 The Player Development Pod will have an 8-episode series focus aimed at helping those looking to get into player development.
Happy New Year!
January and February are special months for me as I was hired into the player development role at three different institutions.
University of Houston Football Team - Offered position on February 5th.
University of Kansas Football Team - Offered position on January 16th.
Baylor University Football Team - Offered position on January 18th.
I normally take a little time off of the podcast in January and June to just prepare for all the content, resources, and now courses provided to those interested in player development. But I was sitting there watching bowl games and thought to myself let me prepare the player development community as best as I can for hiring season.
I did a series similar to this in May of 2023 which focused on starting in player development. You can find it here: Starting in Player Development Series
BUT I wanted to go a little deeper and provide more context during this time where some of y’all will have opportunities to interview and start in the player development role.
DISCLAIMER: THIS PODCAST SERIES WILL NOT GET YOU AN INTERVIEW OR GET YOU HIRED. I AM NOT GUARANTEEING ANYTHING IN REGARD TO THOSE TWO.
What this podcast series will do is help you understand the player development role better, provide interview tips, provide professional tips, and provide you with knowledge of what is needed in the role.
Interview Prep Workshop
During this series I will have a Player Development Interview Workshop based on what I taught from my player development interviews with those who were in my course cohort. WHAT UP EXCELLENT ELEVEN!
The workshop will include the following:
Hour and half interview instruction and discussion workshop
Interviewing templates
Interview strategy plan
One on one mock interview at another date
Those who are interested and would like more information please sign up here: Interview Workshop
DISCLAIMER: This workshop does not guarantee one will receive an interview or a role in player development. This workshop will prepare those who attend to be prepared for an interview if it happens.
The 8 Week Podcast Series
I will come out with a name for the series soon, but here are the coming episodes and dates:
January 9th - What is Player Development? 7 Things You Need to Know
January 16th - Interested in Player Development? 10 Things to Consider
January 23rd - 3 Player Development Interview Tips
January 30th - 8 Things I Would Look for in Hiring
February 6th - College Football May be Your Best Chance to Get In
February 13th - 7 Things I Wish I Knew My First Year
February 20th - #1 Skill You Need in Player Development
February 27th - The Future of Player Development. 8 Areas Impacted Significantly
Now I was nervous about listing the episodes because I didn’t want y’all to miss any of the other ones, but I believe y’all will show up and continue to support. So, I decided to let everyone subscribed to the newsletter know what’s in store the next two months.
I am excited to kick off 2024 with this podcast series.
The Player Development Conference
The conference will be on May 16-18, we already have two speakers signed up and I can’t wait.
I will be sharing more details here soon.
If you would like to get EXCLUSIVE details, please sign up here: The PD Conference Mailing List
Student-Athlete Corner
I have been watching bowl games most of December and January, one thing that has been common in these bowl games is elaborate touchdown celebrations. One that I have seen pretty frequently has been the celebration with the use of imaginary guns, either acting like one is “spraying” the room or the gun + dance combo. Either way this has been a little frustrating to see. A major professional athlete just lost a lot of money, endorsement opportunities, and performance bonuses from last year and this season because of suspensions in result of flashing guns. These athletes must realize that professional teams are trying to eliminate as many possible scenarios as possible when scouting an athlete. In the player development role, I always let my athletes know a pro team is looking for any reason to sign you for less than your worth, SO DON’T GIVE THEM ONE.
I ranted during a game on LinkedIn and one of my former athletes chimed in on a real-life example of how an athlete lost $15,000 because of a “gun”. He missed out on a $15,000 10-minute photoshoot. A TEN-MINUTE PHOTOSHOOT! Here’s an image of my former athlete letting me know:
If you are an athlete reading this, please be wise in your celebration. Don’t allow a trend to take money or opportunity out of your future.
If you are in the role developing athletes, please have this conversation with them and let them know what could be lost by these actions.
In The News
Willis McGahee Says He Contemplated Suicide 'a Couple of Times' After NFL Retirement
I heard and read this story about Willis McGahee over the holiday break, and it hurt to dive in.
While the article largely dives into his physical ailments and the disability lawsuit he and others have against the NFL, there was a quote he said that hurt to hear and drove me to continue this work in serving y’all as y’all serve athletes.
"When it's gone, you really have nothing to fall back on," he said. "It's just a lot coming at you, man, and it gets mentally tough."
NOTHING TO FALL BACK ON.
Those words right there stung, but after the initial sting I thought about how fortunate I have been to serve student-athletes in my life and help them find something to fall back on. I am currently blessed with the opportunity to pour into you as you ensure the athletes under your influence have something to fall back on.
KEEP DOING THE WORK, YOU ARE NEEDED!
Player Development Course Testimonial
Evan Blasingame details his experience in the Player Development Guide Course.
Take a listen: Course Testimonial
I appreciate Evan’s testimonial and look forward to him continuing to grow in this role. If you are looking to hire someone to your player development department, hit Evan up.
All my students from the cohort were given what is needed to succeed in the role.
If you are interested in the course, click here Guide to Player Development Course
Have a great week. Go out and create GENERATIONAL IMPACT. DON’T WAIT, create that generational impact today.