Season 2, Episode 23 feat. Brett Walker and Derek Mason

[00:00:07] Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Blue Raider Podcast hosted by Jake Bolden and presented by the Canseco Group General Contracting and Mighty Dog Roofing. Don't miss another Tuesday episode by subscribing to the podcast on all streaming platforms or catch our visual presentation uploaded every week on YouTube. Don't miss our next ticket giveaways by subscribing and following on all Blue Raider Podcast social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok at Blue Raider Pod.

[00:00:41] Welcome back to the Blue Raider Podcast. I'm your host, Jake Bolden, and in today's episode, we have a much-anticipated conversation with head football coach Derek Mason to talk all things about off-season football, including his new additions both in the high school signing class as well as the transfer portal signing class. And we're going to look ahead to their schedule this upcoming season and so much more with the head coach.

[00:01:02] I know you look forward to that, but before we get to doing that, we also have a conversation with Brett Walker, the sports editor for the MTSU Sidelines update on our 100 miles of hate week where the Lady Raiders and the men's team both got a sweep on the road in Bowling Green. We look ahead to this big anticipated matchup here at the Glass House with the men against Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston State on Saturday. So I look forward to our conversation as well. But before we do so, I want to take just a second to thank today's sponsors.

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[00:02:26] From Clarksville down to Columbia and beyond, trust the Conseco Group to handle every detail with expertise and care. If you're ready to build your future, contact the Conseco Group today at 615-298-9907 or visit their website at Conseco Group. That's C-O-N-S-E-C-O-Group.com today. Again, thank you to the Conseco Group and Mighty Dog Roofing Nashville East. Before we bring in Coach Mason to talk all things football, I want to bring in Brett Walker, the editor from MTSU Sideline Sports.

[00:02:55] It is Brett. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for having me, Jake. Exciting stuff, man. This last week, and we saw a lot of good basketball. I know you witnessed the ladies get their redemption arc complete there at the Glass House against the Lady Toppers. Good basketball there. Of course, the men won on the road. But let's talk about the Lady Raiders. They kind of staked their claim back in first place with Liberty dropping a contest last week. So now they have that half-game lead and a game in hand against Liberty. I was impressed thoroughly.

[00:03:25] They battled. Western brought all that they had. But, of course, the Lady Raiders did their thing at home. Yeah, you talk about it, Jake. Lady Raiders had that 33-game conference winning streak when they went into the road matchup against Western Kentucky. And they lost that game. It was the first time in almost two years that they lost the conference game. And so I think there had to be some sort of extra animosity heading into Saturday's game for the Lady Toppers.

[00:03:55] And like you said, the Lady Raiders got it done. They came in. They took care of business, as they have over really the last month. Since that, you know, Lady Toppers loss on the road, they have been back to their dominating ways. I think they're averaging – like they are 7-0, I think, since that point. And it's with an average margin of victory of 13.5. So they're really just imposing their will on the rest of the teams in CUSA like we're so used to seeing.

[00:04:24] Absolutely. And another kind of to add to your animosity point, Courtney Blakely said in that postgame, you know, there's a little bit of chatter, as there is to be expected with these two rivals meeting. But a part of her that, you know, we haven't really seen, she's kind of calm and poised. And I don't want to say she ever got out of control, but you could see a little bit of emotion from her there at the end of the game that we don't typically see just to show that – obviously, that loss matters to these ladies.

[00:04:49] And I think that they're also well aware, too, that getting that No. 1 seed has a lot on the table as far as reaching a championship game, a potential rematch with Western, potentially Liberty. There's a lot of tiebreakers that could come into play if you lose to Liberty at the end of the season. But getting the win over Western is a big deal because Liberty also still has to play Western one more time at the end of the year. So I think there's a lot to be proud of. But one player in particular, Tamiya Scott, 24 points, only 5 rebounds.

[00:05:18] I say only 5 rebounds because she had a 13-rebound game last week. But I'm really impressed with her. Boldereva, 21 points, 12 rebounds. I've really slowly been watching Conference USA. And I know going into the year, my pick for Player of the Year was Boldereva for a good reason. She's a double-double machine. Obviously, she's on every team's scout. But Tamiya's kind of been the unsung hero going into the year. And now she's got to be the top of everyone's scout.

[00:05:44] I don't know the number in particular, but I want to say it's two of the last three. It might even be three of the last four that she has led the Lady Raiders in scoring. She's second now in Conference USA behind Molly Kaiser, a significantly better rebounder than Molly Kaiser, which I think gives her a slight edge for Player of the Year. But I think that you could make a case that Tamiya Scott is Player of the Year potential, given this run that she's gone on these last seven games that the ladies have kind of been dominating. I agree with you, Jake.

[00:06:11] I mean, she's really just made her presence felt over the last couple weeks. Because it's like you said, you look at the roster sheet when the season starts, and you circle Boldoreva kind of, and you're standing there at 6'7", 6'8". And when everybody's kind of in on her, Tamiya's really just flourished in that role as just a reliable ball handler and scorer. I mean, I think she leads the team in scoring on the year. So she's really impressed me, especially throughout this stretch coming off that Western game

[00:06:41] with multiple 20-point performances. I've got the numbers here. She has led the team in scoring in four straight games, averaging just under 25 points in those four games. And she's actually led the team in rebounding in four of the last five, dating all the way back to New Mexico State overtime win there in Las Cruces. So the ladies this week, they've got on the road, they're going to Louisiana Tech on Thursday. That's at 6.30 p.m. on ESPN+.

[00:07:09] Saturday on the road at Huntsville, Texas against Sam Houston State. This task of winning on the road is always tough, even if we're talking men's or women's. But the women's team always seems to hold their own, which is what makes them so dominant in Conference USA. Louisiana Tech has given them problems in the past. You go back to last season, they took them all the way to overtime. Granted, it was the first Conference USA game of the year. You probably got some nerves. You're coming off the New Year's break. So I'll give them a little slack there.

[00:07:37] But they handled business when they faced the Texters in the Conference USA semifinals last year. So between these two, the Thursday night matchup against La Tech is the more daunting task. But Sam Houston has won two in a row now on the road at Kennesaw and Jacksonville State. So don't take them too lightly. But I do think that this is a business trip, and I feel confident the ladies will come out 2-0 this week. Yeah, I mean, I think that's probably what sums up this Lady Raider team and really just the Rick Enzel era as a whole. It's just, you know, they take care of business.

[00:08:07] And they're a confident group, but I wouldn't call them cocky. You talk about, I know Jalen Gregory a few weeks back, you know, they said she was asked, I believe, something along the lines of, you know, when a team comes out in zone defense, you know, I think it might have been after that Western loss. And she said, you know, when we play bad against, you know, a zone defense, it's not because of them. It's because of us, right? You know, they are confident enough to where they know that when they're playing their best ball,

[00:08:35] there's nobody else that is at their level in the conference. And they've earned over the last couple of years the right to believe that. And I'm right there with them. I think that is the case. And so I think it is a business trip, like you said. And I expect them to handle it over the weekend. Absolutely. Men's, on the other hand, I consider this one a big one for so many reasons. We'll start off with Nick McDevitt, 100th career win here at MTSU.

[00:09:04] I know many will say and point out that it's taken seven years to do so. But the stretch that he's been on this year, not to mention doing it in the 100 miles of hate fashion that he did, he led for the final, I believe it was 24 minutes on the road. Western had many opportunities and went on many runs. There was one point where the Raiders were up by 11, got cut down to one. You instantly have a three by someone of this trio that has scored 20 points. We have Mustafa.

[00:09:32] You have Counter, who almost hit it in the first half. And then Cam Weston, who scored 20 himself. They just always had an answer. And when I look back, you go to gomiddle.com and read our forum boards. If you have any of the feedback from Western fans, that's the synopsis of what happened on Saturday. Every counterpunch Western had, we had an answer. And again, that was probably the most hostile environment they're going to face the rest of this year. Absolutely.

[00:09:58] And you look at that, the mid side is really just kind of, it's almost perplexing in a way because you look at MT some nights and you say, this is clear in a way the best team in the conference. And there's other nights where it's just such a tight, everyone is right in their clothes together. And the way that they handled that environment Saturday night, especially, you know, it's always harder when you've,

[00:10:24] it's harder to beat somebody twice and to have already done it at home and then go on the road to do it again in the fashion that they did is really just impressive. I was really impressed by counter, like you said, led the team with, I think, I believe 18 points in the first half. That's a guy who averages 11 points a game and he really just showed up in the biggest moment. I think that's really what down the stretch is going to carry this team beyond what they've, you know,

[00:10:53] of whether it's in the conference tournament or, you know, any sort of extra postseason action is if, you know, one of these guys steps up there, they're really, they're a really scary team to face. And for so many reasons, they've got so many guys that can, that are that threat. And you talked about, you talked about a counter who's kind of a guy that surprised everybody. But if I draw back to the Western game Porter, he goes two of six from three, he scores 14 points relative. I want to say a non-factor.

[00:11:22] He had a lot of big threes, especially a corner three there late. But the fact that you're able to pull out a win like that with a guy that is producing under his average. Again, that's still, that's still something to behold that this team is so spread out where last year, this time of the year, if you're able to stop JP and Jared Coleman Jones, you're probably going to be able to handle the blue Raiders. But this year is a totally different animal. So that's why it's exciting to see what this team now sitting in solo third place. I don't, they don't control their destiny.

[00:11:50] Unfortunately, Jacksonville state has the game ahead on the Raiders. I think it's a game and a half technically that they, if Jacksonville state were to win out, obviously there's nothing the Raiders could do. They're going to need a little bit of help somewhere along the lines. I'm not too privy to Jack state schedule. I do know that they do have a, they have one more game with Liberty as well as we do. So that's something that you have to keep an eye on because that's going to be a buying for a first place spot.

[00:12:14] And then Liberty on that note, as the second place team also has another matchup left against, I believe it's UTEP. So there's, there's a lot of still shakeup to happen, but if you can handle your business and something that I spoke to McDevitt about on Saturday was, he has the benefit of four of his last six games coming in Murphy center. I mean, obviously we know how good this team is only losing one conference game against New Mexico state with a Mustafa less, with a Mustafa less roster.

[00:12:43] That's something that you have to take into account too, that as much as we don't control our own destiny, you're still set up in a good position to win a lot of these games down the stretch. Um, so I don't want to get too much into, into projections and all this stuff. Um, but you feel good that that's the way the schedule has laid out for you. You're going to get Louisiana tech, Sam Houston, two teams that Sam Houston's kind of turned their season around this last week, picking up a win over first place, Jacksonville state. Thank goodness for that.

[00:13:10] But you get them on the road who, in my opinion, this weekend is the scarier of the two games, but Louisiana tech, it all, it just kind of depends on what Louisiana tech team we're going to get. Are we going to get the Louisiana tech team, um, that out rebounded us by nearly 20 rebounds there in Ruston? Are we going to get the botcha that scored 25 points? Because last week, botcha looked very pedestrian. Louisiana tech got swept at their home floor. Something that doesn't very typically happen. So I think I, I, it's scary to say which Louisiana tech team you're going to get,

[00:13:37] because you very well could get the team that was preseason favorite to come in here. And you got to be on your toes because Thursday night is the upset night in conference USA. Um, and then you got to turn around and play the best, the best worst team in Sam Houston, who has, has lost every game this year by single digits. So you got a scary week, but luckily, luckily you've got it here at home. Scary week. And I think, you know, but regardless of how you slice it, really what you want to be doing is you,

[00:14:04] you just want to be playing your best basketball at the right time. So I think regardless of kind of how these things go over the next couple days, it's really just about regrouping. And I think, like you said, those last big chunk of games at home are really going to help this Blue Raider team figure that out as, as they head into the conference tournament. And, uh, you know, if you're a Blue Raider fan, you hope you don't see the Louisiana tech that you got in Ruston last month, but, uh, you hope you see the team that showed up at home last week.

[00:14:33] Um, but I think really just what it comes down to is, you know, getting, getting in a groove early and then, uh, getting, I think Mustafa back involved, uh, as he has been, you know, all season, that was kind of the one game. And that was around the time he started dealing with an injury. We don't exactly know, you know, the logistics of when that occurred, but, uh, so making sure, uh, he's heavily featured,

[00:14:59] I think, uh, is key, uh, heading into Thursday night against the, uh, the Bulldogs. The, the lady, the lady textures and the Bulldogs get, get at me always twisted. Yeah. I was actually, I almost called them, I almost called them the textures, but I was like, ah, that's not right. That's not right. They don't make it easy on us, but the, yeah, the Mustafa, the caveat, and there's something too, that we've been talking about on the forums is Kamari lands. It wears Kamari lands. Um, given this game on Thursday, if he doesn't play,

[00:15:28] you will have played as many games without him as you've played with him this season. And again, barring that he hasn't played in a month and a half, dating all the way back to the Tennessee game, you know, what does this team look like? Well, yeah, crunch the numbers and I'll do my, I'll do it justice by just giving you the facts here. Um, and I'm not going to go through all the numbers, but the numbers that stood out to me significantly is your defense per game. Um, your team with Kamari lands is 10 points per game better. So, and also when you talk about field goal percentage,

[00:15:56] I believe that they were holding teams to 5% less on the field goal shooting percentage. So, but the 10 points per game is a big number. Um, big difference. And you could, obviously it doesn't account for the disparity of competition. You face a non-conference versus what you face in conference. But if you can think back to our non-conference schedule, you played some really high scoring teams and teams that put up a lot of points against you. I think about Tennessee. I think about school schools like Lipscomb. You played Bradley, you played South Florida, you played UAB teams that are

[00:16:26] offensively efficient and you were able to hold them to 61 points per game in the non-conference. And now that we're in conference, it's around that 70, 71 mark. So that's where I don't know that Kamari is the answer or the reason for that. But I do think Kamari does play a big part in the rebounding perspective because since we've been in conference, the Raiders are actually on average getting out rebounded in conference USA. And to bring it back to this Louisiana tech game, um, you were out rebounded significantly on the glass. The numbers, um, were glaringly bad.

[00:16:56] Let's see 43 for tech 26 for the blue Raiders. You can't get out rebounded by 17 on the road and expect to win. Um, but with, with lands prior to his injury, we were plus six in the rebounding margin again, played a lot of offensively efficient teams, which includes offensive rebounding. So if you're a seven and a half rebounding margin difference with lands, without lands, his presence down low, he's a big guy that not that Torrey Alston isn't, but lands is just the guy that obviously spaces the floor with a shooting, which

[00:17:24] allows for a greater opportunity at rebounding because the inside is not so stuffed on the defensive end. So lands, maybe not directly affecting that rebounding, but again, his spacing does allow for greater rebounding opportunities. He does have great length. So just something I want to throw in that like could potentially happen down the stretch. But, um, as we wrap up the basketball talk here, this is, this is something we've been talking about on the forums and Brett, I'll kind of give you the opportunity to give what you think on this.

[00:17:51] It in the world where he is healthy or he's almost healthy. We have three weeks left in the regular season. Do you see it being a better situation for lands returning at conference USA tournament time in Huntsville for the first time, or would you see it more advantageous to play him maybe in the last couple of games of the year to get the rust off? Um, and let me go back to the conference portion. Maybe you're throwing teams a curve ball. Cause like you said, it's hard to beat teams twice. So you're playing them for the third time now. Oh, and now you have your power forward back.

[00:18:20] So that's kind of the, in my opinion, the yin and yang of why one may be better than the other. I'm typically more a better safe than sorry kind of guy. So I would have to say getting lands back, maybe a game or two or maybe just limited minutes, right. And the last couple of games of regular season play might not be a bad idea. I don't think, I don't think you're in a situation to where you would have to have him be a full go, but I, I, if, and this all of course depends on his, his

[00:18:49] health, um, which is something that I don't, I don't know really the timetable on. I would, I would like to see him maybe come back, just get some, get some minutes. You don't want to be tossing him in the startup startup lineup, you know, in the opening game in Huntsville, I don't think. Um, but that's just my thoughts on it. And, you know, obviously I don't, I think I'm somewhere in the middle, you know, you want to get him a couple minutes, but you don't, you wouldn't want to. You don't want to throw them in there full throttle before the tournament, but you

[00:19:16] also don't want to throw them in full throttle just as the tournament starts. I agree. I think that's where a sound of mine would be is you don't want him to sit out for two and a half months and then play the most important games of your season with no minutes back behind him. Um, but to add a little bit, I don't, again, we're not, I'm totally speculating cause I don't know if the return is even possible. Maybe he's out for the year. The only reason this is this topic of discussion has come up is because he was dressed in bowling green.

[00:19:43] For those that don't know, he was dressed, obviously didn't participate, but that was the first time we have seen since the Tennessee game that he was in full regalia on the bench. So I would have to assume in the event that everyone was fouled out that he could have potentially gone in the game. So maybe he's closer to return than we originally thought. Um, but so something to keep an eye on down the stretch. I agree with you. I think, you know, if you can get him in a few reps, those last couple of games, they're going to have film on him playing regardless. So he can get the more shots up.

[00:20:11] If he can get the rebounds, um, get again, the pace of the game back to himself. I would feel real confident about that. So, um, exciting stuff with basketball. Again, just something that I, for me, it was a surprise. You play Louisiana tech this Thursday at home. It's on CBS sports network. It does not tip off until 8 PM. So Raider fans, I'm going to encourage you to be there. I just know that it's going to be a late night. I don't love it either. Um, but eight o'clock tip up tip off at Murphy center. I look forward to the Raiders and bulldogs, hopefully getting one back from Louisiana tech,

[00:20:40] but Brett, we will take a quick break and we will go over to that Derek Mason interview and we will be right back. The BRP is proudly partnered with rivals network affiliate, go middle.com. Subscribe for premium content for all the inside scoop on MTSU athletics, recruiting, or join our free forums to discuss today's episode and all things blue Raiders. The BRP is also partnered with the college huddle, a nationwide collaborative effort with over 80 division one programs represented.

[00:21:08] Check out the website at the college huddle.com to catch up on all college football content with daily articles and episodes provided by the largest college podcast community on the internet. It's never too early to jump back into the football space as we're here in the middle of February. I'm happy to be joined once again with head football coach, Derek Mason, coach Mason. How's it going? Doing well. Hey, Jake, it's good to see you. I always enjoy our conversations and, you know, football's all year round.

[00:21:38] I mean, we just saw, you know, re-blankenship and the Philadelphia Eagles win a championship and I had a couple other players on that, that, that, that team, that Philadelphia Eagle football team. So, you know, go blue Raiders though. It was fun to see that happen. But now, man, we're jumping into this space where we're out of the recruiting cycle and now we're back into training as we get ready to head to spring ball. So let's do it. Let's talk all things blue Raiders. Before we, we jump on that coach.

[00:22:07] I really just want to hear from you. You know, how are you doing? How's the family doing? You've been here for over a year now. How, how are things settling down? You know, things have settled. Have a place here in Murfreesboro. Enjoy my community. I like being over by Cason Trail. I like being able to get on a bike, you know, hit, hit the river walk. I've just enjoyed Murfreesboro. I've enjoyed the people. I've enjoyed the, the community.

[00:22:35] I've tried to get out as, you know, I've tried to get out in this community and, and you know, meet these folks and let these folks see who I am. And we're, we're, we're still building this relationship, but you know, one year in I, I think I've got a better feel for what this community is, what they want you know, what, what they're looking for. And, and, and I'm passing that on to our student athletes.

[00:22:59] My family has enjoyed it, you know, coming to games, being able to have my wife visit, you know, often. I mean, she's up half the week because we still have a home in Nashville. But I'm here full time. She's here most of the time. And that's, and that's cool. My daughters have, have, have fully bought into the idea that their dad's back into, to the world of college coaching.

[00:23:24] And I, and, and I think, you know, as a family, man, we've been able to sort of go through in this first season, you know, some, some growing pains, you know, with the three and nine record, but extremely excited about how we looked at the season, how we finished recruiting and then what the future holds here at MTSU. Because I, I truly believe right now we were, we've, we've done some things in the recruiting realm, but best football is in front of us.

[00:23:51] That's, that's a great segue really into my first major question about your first season. What did you learn about yourself getting back into it? What did you learn about this whole process? Because obviously there's a lot, there's a learning curve with how quickly you talk about the landscape of football has changed over not only a year, but two, three seasons. So what did you learn about yourself and about the landscape of football that first year? Yeah. Yeah.

[00:24:18] Change the game's a physical game and, you know, it's a line of scrimmage game. You know, I, I looking, looking back at the season and being able to now, you know, look at how we handle midweeks and, you know, how things went. I felt like our football team, um, we, we, we couldn't consistently do the things that we wanted to do on either side of the ball, whether it, whether it was depth or whether it was just, uh, experience.

[00:24:47] And I think that's, that's what a first year in a program teaches you. Um, it teaches you about who you are. Um, maybe, maybe things that you could have done better, uh, you know, as a coaching staff, things that you would have asked, uh, you know, your players to do, um, a little different, but all that's just information. I mean, in year one, I think we drove this group hard. I think we pushed this group. Didn't, didn't quite know everybody and everything about this group.

[00:25:13] Cause we hadn't been through a season, but once you go through a season, um, you know, and start to understand what you're missing. And I think that's what it's been about, uh, since, since, since our last game, it, it, it was about learning how we got to three and nine and then, you know, deconstructing and now reconstructing like this football team, um, moving, moving some seniors on, um, adding new faces, uh, building talent, both, uh, up front defensively and offensively getting

[00:25:42] longer, uh, as a football team, getting more dynamic athletically, and then losing a couple of guys to the portal. So, but what, what I felt about the guys that we lost in the portal, uh, was that, was that because of the, the level that those guys played at and because of the production, um, and NIL, not having NIL was, was, was, was part of the formula. Uh, like last year, we played some teams, man, that, that, that had good players that had acquired, uh, depth.

[00:26:10] And I think that, that helped me understand how important it was going to be. I know we didn't have it, but we were planning for it. And so with that being said, we, we, we've done some retooling. We've been able to go out and sign, you know, uh, what's been said on rivals to be the number one recruiting class in conference USA. And that's due to resourcing. Um, that's due to resourcing. Like I said, we got longer, we got taller. Um, we, we, we believe we got more physical, but this roster is going to look totally different

[00:26:38] with 39 new, new, new additions to this roster in, you know, 2025. We'll get more into the meat and potatoes of it here a little bit, but I guess from the, the thousand or 10,000 foot view of it all, do you, did you accomplish what you set out to do this off season? Not only in the acquisition of players, but you talk about the conversation of NIL. Did everything kind of go according to plan for you this off season? Yeah. Yeah. It went according to plan. I mean, are we there yet all the way with the NIL?

[00:27:07] Well, you know, every day is a job interview. Uh, we're, we're, we're, we're still educating folks out there, um, about NIL, about, you know, the collective. I think a lot of people think that you have to, you have to, I can tell you is that everybody across the country has bought into this idea that NIL is here to stay. And, and, and, and if, uh, MTSU wants to be competitive, uh, in college football, we,

[00:27:33] we have to know and understand that, that, that, uh, this is part of how we move forward, uh, investing in our teams, investing in our programs. Um, this is what, um, was mandated, uh, through, through, through litigation, but it's, it's, it's also an opportunity for student athletes to build their brands, right. Uh, along with the brand of MTSU. And I think, um, we, we, we've got a great model for how we're going to do it.

[00:28:00] We feel like we can get to the top of this mountain in conference USA and, um, Dr. McPhee, uh, Chris, myself, uh, along with Nick and, and, and coach Enzo, we've all been spearheading this run towards NIL because we knew that it was a space that we were going to not have to just dabble in, but we were going to have to find a way to dominate. I was very fortunate to talk with associate AD, uh, or deputy AD, I should say Lee Day-Leon

[00:28:26] earlier, um, this year talking about the collaborative effort that you have, especially with Raiders rising, as well as this new in-house revenue sharing that's coming up in July. Talk about those intricacies of learning how to play with all that, how that affects football, especially more so than other sports. But how is that open line of communication is how he put it. How's that open line of communication working with you and the Raiders rising and then the soon to be in-house NIL?

[00:28:53] You know, we, we, we have the ability to have, uh, separate entities, you know, heading into 2025 and, you know, the first was Raiders rising. Raiders rising was established, uh, you know, a little more than a year and a half ago. And, and, and that, uh, external collective man has done a tremendous job, uh, you know, with, with, with, with other sports, we just got into the, the full on, um, sort of conversational

[00:29:19] and sort of, uh, framework of how football was going to, uh, look with Raiders rising, um, McGuire, uh, Cipriano, uh, and, and, and Murphy did a tremendous job of, you know, educating us. Uh, I felt like we educated them on, you know, what, what a football salary cap would need to look like, you know, where do we need to go, man? We did, it took a lot of communication, um, then between, um, myself, Chris Massaro, Lee

[00:29:47] De Leon, um, um, including Dr. McPhee and just educating him on like the landscape and having to have a general manager because the head coach doesn't want to be in these, these conversations about, you know, who gets what and what does that look like? Because then it starts to seem like there's favoritism in this. So I thought we did a really good job of just, you know, sequencing out, building out, you know, like the structure that we needed within football and then how we were going

[00:30:13] to communicate and then, uh, going about how we were going to raise funds. You know, we've been fortunate. Uh, we, we've, we've been fortunate with some strong benefactors, um, here, uh, in our business community, uh, who, who, who, who have gotten behind football expectation is to win. And so when people put money behind him and they want to see a winner and, um, that, that's, that's sort of what we started with, with this recruiting class, uh, a little bit, but

[00:30:40] a lot of those efforts was, was, was, uh, you know, as I look at it was directly related to the framework, the relationship, the communication, and how fast we were able to get into the space and be, and be diligent about how we attracted talent here. And then, um, as you talk about second piece of this is it's, it's really the, uh, internal collective, um, the university collective, man, which, which will come alive July 1st.

[00:31:10] And there are two separate entities, right? I mean, they have two separate, uh, um, sort of, sort of workings, uh, one internal, one external, but the goal is to make sure that our student athletes can have a, can have a valued and, and, and really, and really, uh, valuable experience here at MTSU. So, um, that's headed by Chris Massaro and, and, you know, Dr. McFee, you know, uh, listens

[00:31:36] in on those meetings and what that thing looks like, but the external and internal are very important to where we sit, where all of our programs sit in college athletics right now. The one piece about the internal revenue, um, sharing now that you're talking about the internal NIL that's headed up by the BRAA, uh, for fans that are listening again, I don't want to convolute this too much, but that's, that's directly related to revenue in regards to ticket sales to especially season tickets, which are on sale.

[00:32:04] Now, um, talk about your TV contracts with conference USA, all that good stuff. That's where that really comes from. And then the external, which is radar rising, which is what the fans are to give. So, or if they were to give themselves outside of the BRAA. So I think that from the fans perspective, um, they're always curious, like, how can I give, how do I give directly to, and I, how, how can I make sure that money goes where it needs to go? And I know you can kind of dispel a little bit more about that than I could, because you know, areas that seem to be more beneficial to, to football.

[00:32:32] So what is a fan who wants to know if I needed to give, where is the best place to give to, to benefit football in specific? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, uh, directly to the student athlete and direct gives right now that, that that's the external collective that's really rising, you know, for us. I mean, it doesn't mean that dollars cannot be given, uh, to our student athletes, but

[00:33:00] those dollars won't be made available until July 1st, uh, within our, our, our internal, uh, in I am, uh, externally, it looks different. It can end our student athletes right now. Um, anytime, any place, any give, but what we've done for us with the blue collar project, it is about relationships. It is about us working with our business community, working with our schools, working with our,

[00:33:24] our, our, our, uh, uh, communal infrastructures to make sure that our student athletes aren't just, uh, receiving money. These, these guys are giving time. These guys are, are, are, are looking to give value, um, to, to businesses by being able to lend their brand. Okay. As well as their relationship capital to, to, to these companies. And that's a cool thing. I, I, I think it gives some of these businesses an opportunity to, to, to show that they do

[00:33:53] support, uh, you know, my blue Raider football and our student athletes. Um, and, and it actually allows our student athletes to, to spend time with these companies. Right. Again, I think it's a future workforce and anytime you can match yourself, uh, whether you're talking about the student athlete or, or, or these, uh, you know, my companies throughout the Murfreesboro area and create those relationships and start looking at the future workforce. I think that that's, that's synergy and that's what we're looking to create.

[00:34:22] So, uh, I think energy begets energy. I think giving, um, is one of those things where people think, think that it's just one way it's not, you know, the one thing that I would, uh, I always, uh, I think, I always ask people, what do you want from our student athletes? You know, what can we do for you? It's not just about giving it's what can we do for you? Because I think, I think it's a, it's a two-pronged approach. What can we do for you? And we'd love for you to support us. You know, I mean, blue Raiders love blue Raiders. Absolutely coach.

[00:34:52] Well, well put, um, let's move into those student athletes we're talking about. You know, you already mentioned the number one conference USA signing class, uh, per rivals. You said a little bit earlier length, physicality, when you're talking about these kids that you're pulling in either high school or the portal, um, what was the focus with the signing class? Was there anything in particular kind of the intangibles? I know you obviously you're looking for position, um, related findings, but tell me a little bit about, um, the intangibles, these kids that you're, you're going out. What is it you're wanting from them?

[00:35:22] I want winners. I want winners. Like winners, winners win. Right. Uh, we had a chance, you know, over a year's time with our high school recruiting, uh, junior college recruiting, especially get to know these student athletes, understand, um, you know, who they are, where they come from and, and, and what makes them tick. You know, I, I, I think, I believe that in recruiting nowadays, you have to boil it down

[00:35:51] to a couple of, a couple of things. Uh, the first of which is, you know, do they love football? You know, everybody says they love football, but you, you, you have, you have to do your homework. You have to spend time talking to a young man about the game. You know, how much history does he know about the game? Um, you know, what, what, what things does he do? Uh, you know, outside the game to make himself better. Okay. And, and, and then you start to look at the production.

[00:36:18] You know, everybody starts to look at the talent, but I look at, do they love the game? And then I go to, to, to the productive piece, you know, production matters. Availability matters. Games played matters. And so like, those are, those are three things that sort of lead me to the next thing. Okay. The next thing is talent. Talent's not number one. I mean, it's number four, it's number three or four for me on that list. And then you have to ask yourself, can they help you win?

[00:36:43] And as we went through every one of these guys, you know, long interviews, um, most of the time, even on their trips, their trips were quick, but a lot of it was spent talking ball in depth football, putting them on the board, uh, having them talk to us about the defense or offense or special teams and, and their role in it. And what do they know about, uh, uh, their offenses or defenses and how much can they regurgitate that these things, we didn't do that.

[00:37:10] Uh, when we first got here, we were just looking to take, uh, you know, whatever was available this time. We, we, we were more pointed and specific about, uh, what we wanted in these student athletes. And I think we hit dead on. Um, we got winners, we got guys that love the game of football and they just happen to be long, smart and athletic. Another part too, about the vetting process that I thought was unique given, uh, the past administration, I say administration, but the past coaching staff was a lot of these

[00:37:39] guys were offered in person. There's a personal connection that you're trying to make with a lot of these kids. And I, another part of this personal connection too, is bringing it, tying it back into Rutherford County, the mid state, a lot of these signees, these kids that you're getting are the mid state. I know that was something that you, you really took pride in, um, last season in your recruiting trail, but it seems, obviously it seems to continue to carry over to this 2026 class, not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but it seems that there's a marriage here

[00:38:04] between you wanting to recruit the mid state, be the best recruiter of these mid state football players and consider MTSU a legitimate option, regardless of where you fall on this recruiting rating system. That is pretty arbitrary as someone that works with rivals. I consider it arbitrary. You are the guy that you are the one that's going to be able to tell us how talented kid is, but you seem to have this, this, um, level of recruiting marriage with, with middle Tennessee that you'd have a lot of pride in.

[00:38:32] Well, I, I, I, I love middle Tennessee, our coaches. Um, we want, we want student athletes that are representative and you, you always have to start with a high school base. Uh, you know, 10 of the 17 high school kids that we took were from the state of Tennessee. Okay. And, and, and when you look, there's so much talent, the mid state area is so rich in talent, you know, from, from Shelbyville, you know, when you look at Rutherford County, you know,

[00:38:57] uh, all the way up Williamson Davidson, look, there's just talent that I mean, undeniable talent. And so for us to, to sort of, you know, disallow or, or, or allow teams to come in here and just arbitrarily take kids. Now we, we, we wanted to put some borders around this place and let coaches and student athletes know. Um, and that wasn't just with our, our scholarship players.

[00:39:23] Uh, I mean, you'll look at some of these walk-ons and we, we, we have probably the highest, um, quality, um, pool of walk-on players that I've ever seen. And it's just because of what's happened with high school recruiting, right? Uh, there's been this trickle down effect where not everybody was a scholarship player. Some guys, uh, sort of got passed up guys that had scholarship offers in the end got left with just, you know, PWO opportunities.

[00:39:53] So like overall, I think we have 17 or 18 guys that from, from the mid state area, that's going to don this roster, uh, in 25. And I think that's outstanding in just one class. So to me, I I'm, I'm excited. I'm proud that, that, you know, um, the mid state area is going to be able to watch some of their homegrown talent, uh, like be developed right here, uh, in Murfreesboro, right here, uh, you know, in Floyd stadium, that's going to be a cool, cool thing over these next three to four years.

[00:40:23] And not to mention the pipeline you're creating with these high schools, because these kids being a PWO is one thing, but to having a connection already immediately with, you know, who comes in 2026 from these said schools. I think that's, that's stuff like that is invaluable that you, these kids may not see the playing field, but there's still a level of value for the program as a whole. I think, I think it's great. Uh, something again, we haven't seen in years. Um, so I definitely commend you and your efforts on that part, but let's turn it over to what's going forward with, with on the defensive side of the ball, kind of, kind of

[00:40:52] your baby, but also Brian Stewart, something that I couldn't help in our recent episode with Austin Lewis that we really brought to attention is this, the, the roster makeup and correct me if I'm wrong. It looks to be like you're, you're recruiting more for that three, four style defense that we know coach Stewart is a lot more comfortable with. Will we see that kind of shift in scheme this year, moving from the four, three that we saw last year to the three, four? You know what? I, I, I think we're going to do what our players can do, right? Uh, we had to upgrade our pass rush.

[00:41:22] You know, you, we, we, you have to be able to rush the passer, you know, with four guys. Okay. And we needed to get, we, we felt like our young core of guys inside, you know, when you talk about buying them and Shaqai and, and, you know, you, you, you look at the Monte and you look at, um, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, tie on, we, we, we, we have good interior. We needed edge rushers. We need guys and, and we need more depth at it.

[00:41:56] Just recalling a year ago, you know, man, between, I think, uh, Stewie and I think it was Buckner, you know, like those guys, those guys got worn out, you know? I mean, because they were playing so many snaps, the reality of it is we, we needed to go get longer on the edges. We needed to get true long edge pass rushers. And I think we, we, we accomplished that. We had a couple of guys that red shirted. And so now, you know, this, this point is where we're going to have the rubber meet the road.

[00:42:24] Do we have some three, four in us? Yeah. Like we do, but that's purely by presentation. We, we, we're going to, we're going to have the ability to bring four or five and six, right? But we want, you have to be able to stop the run with four man front. You got to be able to rush the passer with a four man front. So like to, to me, you see some three, four elements, but some of that's just by the simple fact that we, we needed to get longer.

[00:42:53] Some of these guys were tweeners with outside backers slash, uh, you know, uh, in hybrid flexibility. And what I thought we did was, was just really reshape and solidify, uh, anything that we want to do in 25, instead of, you know, having to be one thing, because I thought we got very limited and we didn't have, have what we needed. And we went out and recruiting and got what we wanted with, you know, some length on the

[00:43:19] edges, um, and, and, and some guys at the second level that can play off the edge. They can blitz, uh, from the wheel or the mic position that, that gives us a lot of flexibility in terms of how this defense is going to present. And I'll say this much too, right? I mean, me, me and Brian Stewart are both Vic Fangio, uh, disciples. Um, Stu was with Vic, uh, in Houston, you know, for about five or six years.

[00:43:47] And I was with Vic, um, you know, at Stanford and, uh, we, we, we still, we still utilize some of those same defensive structures. But as you can see, he didn't have to bring much pressure in the Superbowl when you got a, a, a four man front as good as that group. Cause that group, that group got pressure with just four men all day long. So I don't know that they even blitzed hardly more than four guys, the entire game. They didn't. And that's, and that's really what I'm talking about. Right.

[00:44:17] I thought times that there, there were times last year where we were having to, you know, go five and six, uh, you know, man, man pressures. And, and even at times, you know, men bringing overloads. And the problem with that is, I mean, if you're not long enough or fast enough on the back end, you know, you, you, you, you, you put guys in harm's way. And we saw some of that happen with Kansas city, you know, where they felt like they had to commit to the run and they had to bring more bodies. And as they start bringing those bodies, you know, it, it, it left the opportunity for

[00:44:46] one-on-ones and, and, and some matchups. So again, we, we, we needed to get functional depth, length and athleticism at the ends, at the end position. And I think we went out and got that, uh, in the junior college ranks as well as the transfer portal. Yeah. Very, very impressed myself with the way the defense looks, especially with some of the portal pickups. I know bringing Alex Mitchell back home, the Riverdale high school, bringing him in from Chattanooga, Jaden Thompson's another guy that I really liked from it. A Wamba talk about, uh, I know Austin called him a thumper.

[00:45:15] Um, I still stand out at an 18, an 18 tackle game. Um, and that, and that region's a big deal. A lot of those guys too, but I want to draw it over to the cornerback position. Something that you talk about length, especially at the cornerback position, these guys that you've brought in with Bryce Lewis, um, very long. I think it's got to change the dynamic too, of what you got in the secondary. Well, it does. I mean, it, it, it takes me back to a time where I had guys like Richard Sherman and Johnson Batamosi, you know, still had a Quentin jammer, you know, he had Darius.

[00:45:44] Like, you know, we, we, we, we felt like we, we wanted more speed, more length, uh, you know, at the corner position. And so we went out and got it. Here's what happens, right? You know, when you have longer corners, um, not only can you play man, but the idea is to the, these, these guys with their skillsets, you know, they, they make throws, um, look different, right?

[00:46:12] Because quarterbacks can't quite gauge how long they are. You know, it's one thing to look at a, uh, a book and say, okay, well, guys, six, two or six, three or six, four. It's a lot different when you're running the go route and a guy's, you know, beat by a little, but you know, that arm extension allows him to not just knock it away. It allows him to pick it. It allows him to take the ball out of the air. Um, it makes those, those zone windows, you know, much harder to throw through, right?

[00:46:39] It allows safeties, you know, man, more time to get off the hashes, uh, and, and find downhill angles. Um, those guys cover up a lot of stuff because they, they get guys off those vertical, uh, push routes. And now they push things horizontally and now your backers and your, your safeties can come into play. So, you know, Brian was very, um, Brian and, and Bryce were very exact in what they wanted outside. And so, um, we're, we're, we're a DB bunch.

[00:47:07] We've been able to put a fair amount of guys, um, into the next level. And so, uh, it wasn't hard to find corners that, that, that wanted to come play for us. Still going to be labeled DBU in my eyes, given Reed Blankenship, Kevin Byer, we know how the university raises these, these secondary guys. So I look forward really to this, this class and bringing back Brendan Harris and D'Arc McDonald is a huge deal, not just for this, like a continuity, but the leadership, those

[00:47:34] two guys, I know Brendan is someone who I hated to see him go down early, but D'Arc just breeds what, what you, what is blue Raiders? Yeah. Yeah. That's, and that's, what's exciting, right? We've just created instant competition in these rooms. You know, D'Arc is a guy with a lot of experience, uh, like D'Arc is long. I think, I think even he, you know, looked at the room and said, coach, man, this thing is different, the competition is now through the roof and, and competition breeds, breeds

[00:48:03] sort of this, this, this idea of, of what it takes to be great. You, you want guys walking into a room every day and saying to themselves, every day is a job interview. I can lose my job, uh, uh, today as well as find myself being king of the hill. So, you know, you gotta bring your A game now when you walk into those rooms and, and, and we're not only talking football, but, you know, we're taking it from a class to the grass. I want to turn the attention to offense.

[00:48:30] Now, something that I know you've been very critical of about wanting to be better at and something too, that I want to bring up, um, the offensive line, the, the, the turnover there, I've got five, you got five guys out of the portal. I think you have four, um, high school signees there. So there's so much turnover with the offensive line. And I think the one way I look at it, and I hate to be this way, but be critical is it's hard to get much worse there. But now you have all this experience that you are bringing back with guys like Guy Vara, Marcus Miller.

[00:48:56] Um, you talk about Zach Clayton, who got quality minutes there at the end of the season with starting so many games. So again, back to, to tie it back into like with Diari, you got guys that understand what it takes to be on the field, talk about availability. And then you've got some of these new guys that have quality transfer portal minutes that again, you're hoping can take that next step, uh, and do what the offense is in Bode Reader's eyes. Yeah, we, you know, for us, I mean, you, you talked about a couple of guys, but you

[00:49:24] know, Ethan Ellis, you know, was a guy, uh, he, he, he found himself struggling through health issues a year ago. You know, he, he played, you know, guard and tackle. He's really a guard, but what we did in going to get EJ, you know, I mean, as I look at our groups and what we did, uh, you know, like getting out there, we got EJ, we got Daniel, you know, you know, we went and got Jacob Otts, you know, we, we, we went and got guys who have experience, um, who've played a lot of football.

[00:49:52] You know, I talked to these guys in recruiting, but you know, everybody says they want to play in the NFL, but the, the, the, the average lineman drafted over the last two seasons has played on average 2,400 snaps in their career. I told our guys, look, I mean, you, you, everybody says they want to play at the next level. I mean, does your resume speak to it? How, how, how good a ball have you played? I mean, how much have you been available? And then the other thing is how well have you competed? Yeah.

[00:50:21] Clayton got, got reps excited about that. You know, we, we've, we've got some true, uh, I look at Isaac root. It's his time. He's got to step up. It's, it's time for him to play. Marcus Miller is going to battle to be, you know, man, a solid backup. I mean, this, this room just looks different. It looks different athletically. When you see the size, when you see these guys competing in a weight room, everybody knows every job is open.

[00:50:50] We went out and got Jacob Watts, which was probably one of the, the, the, the hottest tackles, uh, you know, in, in the group of five, everybody wanted him. He came to this place because of coach Simmons and coach reader. I thought they did a good job of laying out the game plan for, for what we needed at left tackle. And then the, the, the other piece of how he was going to be utilized and how this line was going to be revamped. He didn't come here to lose. He came here to win. And I think by adding EJ and some of Daniel and some of these other pieces, these guys are

[00:51:19] the, these guys, um, to me earlier on, you know, have been as advertised. They come in, they work, you know, they, they don't, they don't say bull. Uh, they do extra. These are things that I didn't see a year ago. So like, to me, I know we went and got the right guys. Now people can say, Hey, well, you, you had to, you had to, you had to go, um, you know, pay for it. Well, that that's not true.

[00:51:45] I, I think that's, that's some of it, you know, talent acquisition, man, you sometimes man, you got to pay the price to go get it. But I thought what we did elevated the room because guys knew that these guys were coming in to get jobs. And, and I think it's just raised everybody's, um, attention level. It's, it's their, their attention to detail and the drive. So to me right now, I think Kendall and Bodie are, are, are really excited to see, uh, what happens as we get on the grass.

[00:52:13] I'll save the question in February about what's the offensive line looking like? Cause that's what everyone wants to know. What's the, what's the starting line look like? But I, I'll, I'll save it because one thing we experienced last year, anything can change between now and when, when the pads go on in August. But I'll say this to, to, to bounce off of what you're saying is this competition that you've created, I think is, is one, a great atmosphere because of you're going to be buying for that starting time. But I want to take it over to your running back room.

[00:52:42] You said last year it was the most competitive running back room you've ever had. And now it's got plenty of young talent and returning flip creddle, but like it would be, would it be irresponsible of me to say that this is an even more competitive running back room? It is. Um, that that's the one thing about coach Larry, coach Larry, uh, he, he wants competitive depth. He, he, he never wants a guy to feel comfortable.

[00:53:07] And I thought he did an awesome job of, of just, you know, setting the standard, holding the standard. I thought those guys played hard all year. And so now, you know, you look at where flip is, you look at, uh, to kill middlebrook, who I think is poised for a breakout year. You, you, you just look at the, the size speed and athleticism of, of, of some of our young backs.

[00:53:35] Uh, man, but we just brought a young back in, um, you know, uh, Keandre Barker, you know, who was, uh, who, who was a four star member crew coming, coming in, probably one of the highest recruits in this class, you know, for MTSU. But I mean, this kid's explosive. It's, it's, I see why Penn State recruited. I see why he, he was a, uh, a highly sought after student athlete because he can, he can, he, I mean, he's got one cut quickness and great contact balance.

[00:54:02] And then you look at the local talent that we went and got, it just looks crazy. I mean, like for us, we, we know that these rooms are going to be, um, especially this running back room, it's going to be full of talent. Guys are going to have to battle like for playing time, but that time is not just in the backfield, but it's on special teams because coach Larry's, he, he, he knows having played in the league that these guys have to have, um, special teams written all over, all over

[00:54:31] these guys, for these guys to be able to step into the lineup. So, um, these guys are learning these things right now. The older guys know the younger guys, and it is a young group, but this group is, is, is really as talented as a, as any group that I've seen over the last 10 years that I've been in college football. It's a talented group. Absolutely. Well, coach, I know, uh, another question you get all the time is, is Vadiato and one that we were worried about all year is this guy going to leave it and never seem to waiver with Vadiato.

[00:54:57] So again, kind of speaking to the Testament of, of who he is as a person, how pivotal is, is he to staying with this roster for another year? And then talk about it to the, the skill position guys you're bringing in. Cause you got to replace the production of Willis and Kelly. How does a guy like that make that transition easier for these new guys? Yeah. You know, Nick told me right after the season, man, he was coming back. I, I, I think he didn't like the taste that was left in his mouth. Yeah.

[00:55:25] I mean, he threw 4,000 or I mean over 3,000 yards, but you know, that that's not his goal. His goal, his goal is to take this team to a conference championship and win it. And, um, he had, he had belief in what we were going to do. I think he, he, he saw the determined look on coach Reeder's face, my face, coach students face and coach Paschal's face. We, we, we knew we left a lot of meat on that bone, right. And we just needed to put the right people around him.

[00:55:52] And, uh, is it tough losing guys like Chadwick and Amari Kelly? Yeah, man, but that's college football. We, we didn't, we didn't, we didn't cry over any of that, but what we did was allowed, allowed that to, to make us better. We went out and got, you know, veteran receivers, Tyree Patterson. I mean, you talk about a young talent from UCF. I mean, I, I've got former players that were there at UCF. Um, you know, Colby's getting ready. I mean, we had Colby at Auburn with Amari and Colby couldn't talk highly.

[00:56:23] I mean, couldn't talk more highly about, you know, Tyree and where he is. Um, and they didn't want him to leave, but you know, he, he, he felt like he wanted that, that opportunity to shine AJ coming from the university of Arizona. We, we know what he's capable of. I mean, this dude is big. Um, you know, he didn't, he didn't, he didn't have the year that he wanted, uh, you know, a year ago, but the year before that, man, he lit it up. So, um, he's poised to, to, to, to have a great year.

[00:56:51] Najee, Najee is fast, long, reminds me of a, a longer Bernard Barian, um, can, can, can really go. I mean, he looks, this receiver crew is going to give any receiver crews who have come through MTSU. And there were some good ones I coached against some of these MTSU, like receiver crews with Richie James. Those dudes can get it. This group can get it. We had Amari Kelly. We had a couple of other guys. Now we have a room full of guys, young guys and old guys.

[00:57:19] And that's not to mention some of the guys that are coming back. I mean, we, we feel like the room is deep and that's what we were able to do. You know, you lose Amari Kelly, but you go get, you know, three or four guys and high school recruiting was good to us. We, we, we got some good young high school talent, uh, to come in and really compete, uh, you know, in the slot and outside. So I'm looking forward to seeing what, you know, when both Ben, uh, and, and, and really

[00:57:46] young, young Neil Clifton can do for us, uh, uh, coming in 2025. You see a lot of, um, similarities in a career traits that is with a lot of these portal additions, similar to what you saw with, uh, Kelly and talk about Gamarian Carter, another guy that's returning this year, guys at their previous stops didn't have the necessarily the year that they wanted. They're going to come here. So I look forward really to a lot of these guys, Cox, especially talk about a guy that can just take the roof off of the defense. I mentioned it in the last episode, 24 yards, a reception. Um, you're not going really fine.

[00:58:16] And you can make the argument that's junior college. I don't care what level you play at 24 yards to catch is stupid. Yeah, that's a lot of yards. So as we wind down here, coach, the, the schedule was released early February. I think conference USA is listening in either to this podcast or the, there's a, they got bugged in your office or something. I complained last year. I did not, not coach Mason. So if CUSA is listening, I complain, but you had three games in 15 days and they returned

[00:58:43] the favor this year with one game in 24 days. So you have, you have an awkward break from September 27th, October 22nd. You got a midweek game thrown in there. All things considered you do what you do with what the cards that are dealt to you. Right. So how, how do you approach that as a totally flip right now? You've got this big, long break, but I asked about that situation in particular, but how you feel about the schedule going into 2025? I like the schedule. Uh, I do.

[00:59:10] Um, to me, man, there's never any use. I mean, first year I looked at it and I was like, man, this is different, right? You know, there, there were, there were some, um, short stretches in there. Um, it was going to look different just going through midweek for the first time, but you look at it and yeah, I know we're on the road, uh, you know, six games. I look at the, the, um, distance that we have to travel, you know, everybody's got something hard about their schedule. Everybody does.

[00:59:39] So this is what I look at is, you know, how do we need to, how, how do we need to ascend? How do we need to start? You know, I mean, we start with Austin P and then we understand, you know, what Wisconsin and Reno look like. And then, you know, I, I, I, I like the way this schedule is going to test this football team. Okay. We, we, we need to start fast. We need to be, um, um, sort of, sort of, you know, hardened a little bit and going to

[01:00:09] a place like Wisconsin and playing in that environment and let's handle that environment. It sets our training up, uh, uh, during the off season to be exactly what it needs to be. And that's about, that's about how tough can we be? You know, the whole idea is how physical, tough, and intelligent can we play? I thought last year we, we, we were very subpar and last year has nothing to do with this year. Okay. It's just information.

[01:00:34] So this group, um, so far and we're early in it. I mean, there, there are no predictions. We want to be, we, we want to be a football team that people want to watch play offensively, defensively and special teams. And it starts with talent, but that talent has got to be able to produce. And, and this schedule is going to make sure that we, we, we sort of entertain, uh, we, you have to be in the entertainment business.

[01:01:00] And this schedule definitely gives us a chance to show who we are, what we are and, and, and how we're built. A lot of meat on the bone indeed with seven new coaches you're facing this year, kind of get a little opportunity again, to kind of get right with this roster again. And you touched on it without really saying it a lot of sight unseen with the roster last year. These guys, now you've had a full cycle. You got the guys that, that you want, you feel good about it on both sides of the football coach.

[01:01:25] As, as we, as we finish up here, really, I know you predictions can be thrown out the window in February, but tell me your expectations. What, what should blue Raider fans expect to see on the field this year? You know, but we want to win. That's, that's, that's, that's what it comes down to. We're, we're, we're, we've gone out to recruit, um, and we're working hard every day. I told these guys, the goal is to win days. Let's win days. The more days you win, the better chances, man, man, your opportunities on Saturday to,

[01:01:55] to, to win games. This is cumulative investment, right? Didn't win enough days last off season. And, and that was the, and that was the guys on his truth. We didn't win enough days, way too inconsistent. And, and we're getting there. You know, this, this, this engine is climbing this hill. Everybody's got hills and hurdles and we're going to have ours. So I'm just, I just want to see this team find different ways to win. No one game is going to be the same. You know, we're going to have to learn how to play from behind.

[01:02:25] We're going to have to learn how to play from out front. We're going to have to, you know, win in overtime. All these things are what we're training for now. So that's why I said, we've got to win days. Every day is going to look a little different. So how do we win the day? Because if you can learn how to win these days, man, you, you, you sort of start to problem solve and put yourself in a position to, to understand that games are going to look different. First quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter overtime. And that's, uh, predictometer. I don't know. I have no idea.

[01:02:55] I'll, I'll have a better sense when we start playing games right now. I just want to win days. Absolutely. Coach, um, praying for, for dry weather this fall, start early, do it now. Um, cause we need it. Lord knows we need it. But coach, of course we do. A coach. I appreciate you. You taking the time to talk football with us in February. We look forward to the blue Raiders this spring. And of course, uh, when the season rolls around in the fall. Yeah. You know, Jake, man, I, I really appreciate like the work you do.

[01:03:25] And I, I really need to give a shout out to these freshmen offensive linemen, uh, that, that stepped into this place for, uh, a spot, you know, spotlight showcase, whatever that is. But, but I can tell you, you know, these guys like Bo Ryan and, and, and Kyle Larkin and looking at what this class is going to do, it's going to be a dang good class.

[01:03:50] So, uh, I'm, I'm excited about the true future of blue Raider football. This group is going to make this city, um, this area, this place proud. So, uh, hopefully what I'm saying is a lot of blue out there as we get into spring and get ready to start working as we push to the fall. Absolutely. Coach. Once again, thanks. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Take care. Let's go blue. The BRP is proudly partnered with rivals network affiliate, go middle.com.

[01:04:20] Subscribe for premium content for all the inside scoop on MTSU athletics, recruiting, or join our free forums to discuss today's episode and all things blue Raiders. The BRP is also partnered with the college huddle, a nationwide collaborative effort with over 80 division one programs represented. Check out the website at the college huddle.com to catch up on all college football content with daily articles and episodes provided by the largest college podcast community on the internet. All right, Brett, we're back.

[01:04:49] Um, great conversation there with coach Mason, um, a lot to get into really, but just two main focuses for me to kind of, as we carry out this episode. Um, he loves the recruiting that he did this last year's first real recruiting cycle. Um, a lot of these guys, he likes to describe them as winners, guys that he actually got to have conversations with. Um, he wants them to know that they love football. He wants to know that they know the X's and O's. So that way it translates real quickly for them.

[01:05:15] Um, but collectively he feels so good about the, this freshman and transfer portal class to make them competitive this year. Yeah. And as he should, you know, the number one recruiting class in conference USA as per the, the rivals network. So, um, and like you talked about, you know, he, he was able to bring in guys, you know, as soon as, as soon as the recruiting class like period open.

[01:05:40] Whereas last year, you know, he kind of got hired late, comes in and he talked to, you know, he talked about it in the interview a little bit. He was kind of not to disrespect anybody that they brought in, but they were bringing in kind of what was left. And so now you get, um, you know, an early jump or, you know, just a, a, a fair jump, uh, on the recruiting class. You're able to bring these guys in, throw them up on a whiteboard, right? Let them see, you know, um, that they're not just athletes that they really know and love the game.

[01:06:10] And, you know, talking to him, I got the chance to, you know, uh, talk to him for a few minutes at the Louisiana or the Western basketball game the other day. And he talked about, you know, right now we are in football school, um, and they're just right there in the mix of making sure guys, you know, know what they're supposed to be doing. Um, because that has to come before the talent adds to that, right? You, you have to know all of that stuff to be a, to be a solid football player. And the talent can only just add to that.

[01:06:38] Um, but, but, but can't be a base. So, uh, but I think, uh, you know, looking at the class so far, um, he has a right to be excited. Yeah. Uh, especially this transfer portal class, he talks about guys that are going to be willing to, they're going to be ready to play right out the gates. Um, guys that are competing for playing time already, which is great to hear in the spring. Um, I know he alluded to it a little bit. We don't know what they're going to do with a spring game this year. They're going to do something a little bit more of like a fan day experience, open practice.

[01:07:06] So I would encourage everyone to keep their, um, keep tuned in for, for the announcement of that. And hopefully the coming weeks as spring practice is, um, underway. Um, but Brett, the second thing that I really wanted to focus on was this schedule and me and him only got a short time to really talk about the schedule this year, but you can't help, but feel that it's finally the way conference schedule worked out for you. The one I think benefited you tremendously, but especially the non-conference, um, because you don't start, you're not going to start the season one and four.

[01:07:36] Hopefully you're not going to start the season one and four like you did last year. Yeah. I mean, just looking at it at the gate, you've got a home matchup against Austin P, which you hope, uh, weather's a little bit better for that one than it was against Tennessee tech. And then you go, you have your, uh, your power for a game and Wisconsin, uh, right on the heels of that. So you get that out of the way. Um, and then you kind of hit that stretch the last two before conference play starts, you have Nevada on the road and, uh, Marshall at home.

[01:08:04] So I think, you know, ceiling, you're looking at three and one, but I, you know, realistically, I think two and two is very feasible, uh, in those first four weeks before conference play starts. Right. Right. And as far as where that third wind comes from, I do think the coin flip, um, would be the Marshall game just because of the history that Marshall has. They do have a new coach. They're going to have an entirely new roster. They were one. I think they're going to have much similar to what MTSU and coach Mason dealt with last year.

[01:08:31] Um, they're going to have one of the highest, uh, newest addition players in all of division one football this year. So they could go through the same growing pain. So they're the real question mark. I think Nevada, uh, I think the last time I tallied has seven division or seven FBS wins in the last three seasons. So not a program that has necessarily made any strides over the last couple of years. Now you do have to go all the way to Reno. So that could be something that is a wrench in that whole situation.

[01:08:57] Um, but I, I would consider, I consider Nevada more of a winnable game versus the Marshall one, just because of the question mark that is Marshall, but they have the resources that I think could field a more competitive roster out the gates. Um, but then conference, um, the conference schedule, I do think works in your favor. You're going to face both of the new schools, Missouri state at home on the eighth. And then you got, you go to Delaware on the 22nd. Um, you also have, um, Kennesaw state.

[01:09:25] You're going to have FIU Jacksonville state and Sam Houston, all of which are returning in conference USA, but they all have brand new coaches, which again, changes the dynamic entirely. Um, and then outside of that, you have the two road games at Western Kentucky and New Mexico state who's returning Sanchez this season. Um, so collectively there, you have all of this new blood, fresh blood, a lot of meat on the bone, as I say, for him to actually get some wins under his belt this year, because

[01:09:53] I think these schools are going to go through that growing pain. Delaware might be a little bit of a question mark too, um, because they played so well last year, but I want to see back to your, your floor and ceiling, um, analogy, you know, where do you realistically see this team falling this year in 2025? You know, for me, when you start out, you know, I'm going to say maybe in a pessimistic way, you come out the four, the first four games, you get your, you get two wins out of that.

[01:10:20] Um, I would almost, I don't want to guarantee, I'm not going to put that, that bad juju on them, but I would feel very confident about this team winning at least two of those first four. And then you go to Kennesaw state, which is one of those programs. They're starting completely from scratch, right? They, the, they got rid of coach Bohannon. And, um, the only coach that they've ever had, um, which I don't know what the general

[01:10:45] consensus on that, that, that is from, uh, most people, but it's kind of a, kind of a risky move in my opinion. But, um, so they're starting completely from scratch and then you go, you know, play Missouri state after that at home. And I think that one's pretty favorable just because they're in a position similar to Kennesaw last year, where it's their first year in the conference. And then it really gets into this interesting timeframe where, you know, I, you know, I wrote a piece about it last year.

[01:11:12] They played, I believe it was when the, the, the October midweek schedule started. They played three games in the span of 13 games or 13 days, pardon me. Um, and they lost two of those, uh, and the only win ended up, I think being Kennesaw. So now you're, you're in this more quote unquote favorable format. Matt, you're actually playing, I think it's like one game in the span of like 13, 14 days.

[01:11:41] And so now you kind of have the opposite, um, kind of effect to where, you know, you don't know how much that time being off is really going to affect you. Uh, I think it, I think it was right on two weeks, um, off in between the home matchup against Missouri state and then they have to go to Delaware, um, um, and play the, the blue hen. So that's kind of the, maybe the turning point in the season for good or for better, for worse.

[01:12:11] Um, and so I think how you handled that kind of, that kind of jump there in the middle, because I think last season, that's kind of the point where it spiraled, right? You got, you got that, you know, obviously rough start with the schedule that they had with Ole Miss and, uh, Duke and Memphis. Um, and then you thought maybe once they got into conference, they could kind of gain some ground. Um, and then just kind of spiraled there in those, in those midweeks.

[01:12:37] And so I think how you handle that mid, middle stretch of your schedule will really, um, will really just kind of pay dividends towards your overall season. So I'm going to go optimistic, I think based off of all of the new coaches, all of the new, you know, re, um, redone rosters that they're going to be facing and the new additions to conference USA, I'm, I'm, I'm feeling pretty good about five, six games, uh, five, six

[01:13:05] wins for the blue Raiders, um, coming up, uh, in the fall. The interesting tidbit too, like you touched on that awkward break there in the middle of the year where you go to, where you have Missouri state at home. I like to break this season up and you talk about it being pivotal. Cause I, I a hundred percent agree. I think that's the best way to really describe that little stretch, that two week break between Missouri state and Delaware. You have, there's a real world possibility where MTSU leaves the Missouri state game played

[01:13:35] here at home after, I believe that's week six. There's a real world possibility that they could be five and one. Now I know that sounds absolutely absurd to hear after team that just won three games, but like stick with me here. Austin P Nevada, Marshall, Kennesaw state, Missouri state, like all five of those games. If this team is as good as I believe that they are, there's, you could go into that two week break at five and one.

[01:13:59] So you've got to find one win in this back half stretch with Delaware, Jack state, FIU, Western Sam Houston, New Mexico state. Um, again, finding one win in, in that whole bunch, you've got, uh, three, three new head coaches there, Jack state, FIU, Sam Houston. You've got three home games in that stretch too. So I, I agree with you. I think six, I'll be honest. And I think Mason would, and I would hold his feet to the fire as much as he would hold himself to the fire here. Six wins.

[01:14:28] I think is, it should be at minimum their floor. Like, I think that that's what they should be expecting out of themselves as six. Um, I would even go myself as far as to say seven and I'll be as transparent as possible. I'll eat my words when we come around, um, in December, much like I did this last year. I, I said they would win six games. They won three. So I feel this year that they could reasonably get to seven. I think six is their floor. I, I, let me tell you that five could potentially really be the floor, but I do think six is the expectation.

[01:14:57] So if I were a betting man, I don't know where the Vegas odds are for the blue Raiders and in the middle of February, but I, if it's five and a half, I'm going to take the over. I do think they get to six and I, I think realistically they could get to seven. So hopefully my prediction with basketball rolls over just as good as it did for, for foot or my basketball prediction rolls over just as well for football this year, because everyone knows my football prediction for last year was very bad. Um, but I think we're, we're in a good situation.

[01:15:25] I think football is going to be fun this year in Floyd stadium. And again, like you said, man, I just, I just hope the weather is half decent, get, get some good crowds there because the marketing team is doing a lot of good stuff. I can't, I can't, uh, remember the exact number, but I know through like the first, you know, it became a, it became a running joke between, um, one of my, uh, one of my journalism professors, uh, that, uh, when covering the football team that we were going to get

[01:15:51] rained on, which I mean, obviously in the press box, but, um, that there was going to be some sort of delay. It was tech rained, Western rained, Memphis even rained a little bit on the road. So it just seemed like the clouds loomed. It seemed like over that, that 2024 squad a little bit. And I think with this new recruiting class and, um, I think the, I think the sun's going to start to come out just a little bit. I hope so. Anyway, there you go. I love, I love it. We'll apply the good weather to hopefully a good season for the Raiders.

[01:16:21] But Brett, uh, I appreciate you taking the time to join us as always great stuff from you. Um, real quickly, let us know what, what are you working on? I know what, and let me don't, I don't want to miss this. You just got, um, I know you did some sort of convention, um, for writing, you got awarded sports journalism award of some sort. Let us know a little bit about that. And also what, what, what stuff is coming down the pipe for you at MTSU sidelines? Uh, yeah, well, uh, thanks for the congrats, uh, Jake. I really appreciate it.

[01:16:48] We, we ended up, um, we went to Southeastern, uh, Southeast journalism conference, uh, at Mississippi state, uh, down in Starkville. And, uh, I ended up bringing in fifth place in sports writer, uh, of the year. And then another one of our features, uh, editor, Sean Reynolds brought home, I want to say third place in feature writing. Uh, writing. And then, uh, we also took home some, some, uh, weekend of like on-site awards.

[01:17:18] So, um, uh, made, uh, and then made a good name for the university and the journalism department, brought home second overall on the weekend. So, uh, for MTSU. So that was exciting. And then as far as stuff we're working on, we're always working on something, but, uh, always, uh, tune in to our, uh, or pay attention to our weekly newsletter that we send out. Uh, it goes out on Wednesdays and that's free to, to anybody that, um, is subscribed to that. And we have two sports stories in it every week.

[01:17:47] And this week, uh, actually the day of recording this, we just sent out our first ever, um, sports weekend recap, uh, recap and all the, you know, the box scores and everything that you might've missed, uh, from Friday to Sunday in MTSU athletics. So that was exciting for sure. In all compacted and a much more user-friendly website. I know that Jacob mentioned that last week and I will echo that as well. So, uh, Brett, again, thanks for taking the time, um, for joining us.

[01:18:17] Thanks so much, Jake. I really appreciate it. All right. Well, I appreciate Brett for taking the time to join us once again. Thank you for tuning into today's episode. If you're not already, make sure you're following us on all of our social medias on Facebook, Instagram, X slash Twitter, Tik TOK. And of course, if you're listening to us on YouTube, make sure you hit that subscribe button, give us a like. We appreciate that support. We're getting closer and closer to a hundred subscribers on YouTube. So I hope that you can be a part of that. Um, tune in next week when we do a lot more hoops talk as the season rolls down, we got

[01:18:46] Chip Walters joining the episode. Um, so I look forward to that and until next time go blue.