Doesn't Matter the Day, Tend to the Crops w/Greg Jones

Luke: 0:00

This is episode 48 of The "I" in Win podcast.

Greg: 0:03

There's the thing that most people miss when it comes to dealing with athletes. it's just like farming. I mean, you can't meet with a kid once a week and think you're gonna build a relationship.

Luke: 0:27

Thanks for listening to another episode of the podcast. On today's episode, we welcome in Greg Jones, assistant football coach at Oregon. Love this conversation. As we got the dive into how coach Jones made the leap. After 30 years of success in the high school level, into the power five. What he's learned from the process of now being a division one, coach. How he has built culture and championship programs at all the stops he's made along his career. And how he earned trust both at the high school level and now with the college football players he works with Here's coach Greg Jones, assistant football coach, university of Oregon. Coach Jones. Thanks for joining us. I know it's your one week off, although I guess there's never really a week off for football coaches, as we know, but really appreciate you coming on. Been doing a lot of research on you. We're introduced to each other through, coach mark bliss, who was a guest on the show previously, and I just find your story to be really fascinating. 30 years in high school football, 24 as a head coach. And you decide to take this. To coach college football, usually something that might have been done maybe 20 years ago in your career. So let's start with the why you decided to take that leap now.

Greg: 1:42

Um, you know, I think it was almost kinda like the stars aligned for me. first of all, it's who I'm working for. Coach Lanning. Um, I had a privilege of meeting coach Lanning 12 years ago. when he came outta William jewel college, he did a student teaching under me. So just had a great relationship with them then. And you could tell right then he was gonna be different, but, uh, I didn't know, he'd be a head coach in that shorter period of time, but, um, you know, he went on and did great things at the college level. Uh, so that was star number one. The second part was, you know, in January I got to where I could be fully invested in the state of Missouri. So that was, you know, alignment number two was I could fully retire and then alignment number three, for me, my family has always been the most important part, you know, of my life. And my son's in med school in Chicago. My daughter's in nursing school, down in Southern Missouri. So both the kids are out the house, so we kind of empty nesters, so everything kinda aligned and it, you know, he offered and. Like, as they say, if somebody offers you a seat on the rocket ship, you don't ask what seat you get on. So I got on and off to Eugene, Oregon. I went.

Luke: 2:53

So let's talk about coach Lanny. He, he was a student teacher for, he just said, so how did you keep in touch through the years was just occasional text messages. Did you go to his games as he made his stops through his collegiate career?

Greg: 3:06

Yeah, we, we stayed in touch nonstop, you know, we would call, dear monthly and see how the seasons were going. And, you know, when he could he'd stop by like always when he was recruiting, he'd come through our schools and, you know, recruit our kids and then. In the spring, when we were in spring breaks, I'd go, always go down and visit with him and, talk football and stuff. So we just stayed in touch the whole.

Luke: 3:28

So we're gonna go back to Oregon in a few minutes. I wanna first dive into your very successful career as a high school football coach. And one thing that you have done is you've changed schools a few times. I believe I read it was eight different high schools and everywhere you went. You've been really successful. So it's an interesting path because a lot of people in education go to one school, get their tenure, and they're there for 30 years, especially after they spend all that time of building a program like you have done. So why have you decided through the years to take that leap of faith and take on different challenges and go to new schools throughout your career?

Greg: 4:04

I tell, like I tell all the athletes all the time, they'll be amazed. How much and how many different places football can take you and what it can do for you, you know, just kind of taking you through it. I mean, my first two years I was an assistant at Hutchson high school out in Hutchson Kansas. and then I came back and I was an assistant in, um, Kansas city, which is where my wife was born and raised. So there was always the draw to be in Kansas city. so I was an assistant there for two years and I was blessed to be the head coach there. Um, and then the very next year, the school district builds a new school. Um, and they let all the head coaches choose. So the majority of head coaches, we all chose to go the new school, cuz I mean, how many times in your career do you get a chance to pick out everything from uniforms to instead of changing the culture, you're creating the culture from day one. so we went over there and then, I'm from Louisiana, my wife's from Kansas city. So a big job opened in Arkansas. So myself, I thought I'm gonna move down and be halfway, four hours from my parents, four hours from her parents. Where little did I know when I moved to Arkansas, we weren't close to any parents so, not a good move. So that only lasted about a year, year and a half. We came back to Kansas city, you know, and ended up at Odessa where, um, I ended up being there two years. And then there's where I left. And coach bliss took my place, uh, went to Carney high school, incredible, incredible high school. There did some amazing things, had amazing kids, amazing coaches. and then a six, a school opened here in Kansas city. And, they came and made some offers that you couldn't turn down and ended up my last five years here at Liberty north high school and met some more incredible people and, finished my career there.

Luke: 5:45

So, did you have assistant coaches that followed you along throughout these years or each year? Or I'm sorry, each stop. Have to start

Greg: 5:55

Well, I guess I should go back to beginning. When we left park hill south to go to or park hill to go to park south, there were several that followed, cuz everybody was getting to go to a brand new school. Luckily, no one followed me to Arkansas. Cause like I said, I only stayed down there a year and a half, so that would've been kind of bad for them, uh, to go that far. But, um, for odea, I had one coach that followed me there, went to Carney, uh, was with me the whole time there ended up being the head coach at Carney when I left. And then when I left Carney to come to Liberty north, I think I had six guys come with me, to the new school. And then now that I've left there, one of those guys is the new head coach. So, um, I've been very, very fortunate. My offensive line guy was with me, 16 years and my running back coach. I was with him 15 years. Um, so I've had, I have had some, some coaches that have been around a few years.

Luke: 6:42

you won over 200 games as a head coach, despite all of these different stops and some of these rebuilds that you had to do, or start a program from scratch, which by the way, I do share that in common with you. I had that experience as well, which we need to go back to that, cuz that's a really unique experience, but how did you instill. Your culture into these places? Was it weekly meetings? Was it just happen organically? What did you do to get it to the way that you wanted to be as a head coach?

Greg: 7:14

Well, you know, I think that, um, and I can share anything that people want, but, you know, we had the weekly leadership council meeting. and that stuff, but I, I will still go back to, I think the thing that, that kind of separated a little bit was I was lucky. at the time, I didn't know I was lucky, but I was lucky that my, I grew up on a farm. My dad's a farmer's, grew up in Louisiana, cotton farmer, soybean, anything armor, soybeans, anything row crop, we raised it. And the thing about farming is. It doesn't matter what day it is. You gotta get up and you gotta farm. you, you have to tend to the crops or something's gonna happen. And I think, you know, there's the thing that most people miss when it comes to dealing with athletes. it's just like farming. I mean, you can't meet with a kid once a week and think you're gonna build a relationship. I mean, it is every single day, you've gotta pour into the kids and they've gotta see that. And then you, you just build relationships with 'em and then they know you're authentic and then you're not fake and that you care about 'em and then once you get there, then you're gonna be success.

Luke: 8:20

So let's talk about that, cuz I do believe in that and I agree with you, but I do find it to be difficult as a head coach. There's one of me, there's 20 assistants. There's 175 to 200 players. There's parents. There's your admin. You have to meet with weekly. So how do you. Intentionally work on those relationships, cuz you're right. You can't just meet with a kid expected to happen. So how do you pour yourself into each and every kid as a head coach, despite there only being one of you.

Greg: 8:52

Well, I think I, you know, especially towards the end of my career, like when I, once I got to Odessa and really, even to be honest, even when I was at park hill south, I was the head strength and conditioning school coach of the school. Um, so all I dealt with was the athletes like to be in the classes that I taught. You had to be an athlete. so I had our football players every single day of the week, whether it was in season or outta season. So, again, they see you and you see them every single day. again, it may not be that you're getting to spend 30 minutes to 45 minutes with each player, but it could be just be the, you see the look on the face of, Hey man, what's wrong with you today? You you're not yourself. It, you know what I'm saying? And then kids see that, that you care enough to come over and ask that question or, you know, you. Like we always did great checks. Hey man. Great job. You got now on that test today. Way to get after it in the classroom. So, I mean, it doesn't have to be long conversations. It just have to be intentional conversations with the players.

Luke: 9:55

Yeah. And I read about, uh, as I was doing your research that I think it was one of the assistant coaches at Liberty north gave you a great compliment and said that through your St strength and conditioning program, you changed the entire culture of the building. And, uh, I, I'm just a big proponent of strength and conditioning. I think the weight room is one of the most important classrooms in any high school. And I think it's underutilized in a lot of high schools, to be honest with you. I think that is where you really can create relationships. You could create connections, you could help with self-esteem. There's so many things that you could do, within a successful strength and conditioning program. Uh, and I know you also were a power lifting coach as well. So did you have your athletes? I know you mentioned the football team, but you worked with all of the athletes. So were they divided by like one period? Was the basketball team one period was the soccer team. How did that.

Greg: 10:46

Nope. We were all in there together. And, um, the thing, again, going back to just being, lucky or however you want to put it was that, you know, whenever I got to a new school, I would meet with all the coaches, because everybody's. You know, you take a baseball coach or a basketball coach or a volleyball coach they're they're athletes you're dealing with. And I just sat down with 'em and explained 'em the program that we're going to do. This is the program we're doing. It is for all athletes. If there's something you want to do specific with your athletes. You can do that after school, but during the school day, we're gonna train these kids to be athletes, not power lifters, not, uh, football players, not baseball players, not basketball players, athletes. We're gonna work on multi-joint movements. you know, and that's the biggest thing to get over is the stigma that everybody thinks that you're gonna turn their athletes into big and bulky. Well, football doesn't want big and bulky anymore. We want everybody wants athletes. So it's explaining that, you know, and then you go in there and then everywhere we've been knock on wood. the other coaches have seen the benefits in their programs from winning state championships to the mental toughness of their athletes. And it, then it just sells the program in itself. But she right now at Liberty north high school, they probably have 450 kids going through their summer program.

Luke: 11:58

And that is a constant selling point that you have to work with the other coaches. some of 'em just don't understand and it's just, it's outta ignorance. It isn't necessarily their fault. And I know that's especially a struggle when let's, I'm just using an example. You're working with baseball players and as baseball season, sometimes those coaches get very territorial and Hey, we, we can't be doing this. This kid has to pitch. How did you manage those conversations?

Greg: 12:22

Perfect. I'm like, Hey coach, what do you want him doing? He's like, Hey, can, and again, just going back to the great relationships, you gotta keep the lines of communication over. It's like, Hey. Can, you know, can you not having bench like with our pitchers, can they not bench and do dumbbell bench press, heck yo, we can do that. Hey, Hey. How about this? How about in, you know, squatting and using a normal squat bar, we'll get some safety squat bars for 'em. They're like, oh man. Awesome. And then just, Hey, instead of doing regular squats today, we're gonna have, 'em do deadlifts. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Just being willing to compromise for the benefits of the kids. And I'll tell you who loves it the most is when a kid realizes what you will do for them. You'd be surprised how many multi-sport kids that we had towards the end of my career that played for us, that like when we came to the school, they were specialized. And then now, they play both because they real, they realize that you're willing to work with 'em and you're willing to do what's best for them. Not trying to just do what's best for you.

Luke: 13:20

I have found within the weight room, my greatest achievements as a coach, but it's also a struggle because. A weight room is a very slow process. And kids today are getting more and more impatient. They want to see results right now. So they walk in and they wanna be, I'm just making this out, but 315 pound bench press right now. And they struggle with that process piece in today's world. So what are some really good things that you could give to me and to our other listeners of how to. These kids in the weight room to understand that it isn't a sprint. It is a marathon and we do have to celebrate those 1% victories along the way.

Greg: 14:00

Well, one of the things that I think helped us is, um, you know, in our workouts that we did, They were individualized. So like say you and I may be lifting together and you may be benching following the 250 pound workout. And I may be following the 225 pound workout, whatever. But on the last set it tells us, you know, we're supposed to be doing, two 15 for five. Well, if I get it, then I pass it. And then the next week I get to move up to the 2 55 workout. Well, in that kid's mind is I got stronger. This. You know what I'm saying? So it's, it is the mental, like you're saying it's 100% mental. You gotta play the mental game, and go with it. But knock on wood, the program we've had, uh, the kids have had a ton of success. Shoot. I forgot the last time we were at Liberty north, I think the last test out we did before I left, we had like 74 athletes clean over 250 pounds. So, I mean, it's just, um, It's just a weekend. I think that, you know, I'm a firm believer and we didn't test out a lot, cuz I think when you're testing out, you're not getting better, but at the same time you gotta, like you're saying you gotta test out to show the kids that they're making progress. But I think when you follow a sheet that if you make it through this, the next week you get to move up and the kids mind, I I'm getting stronger. And you know, you just gotta keep selling that.

Luke: 15:17

Yeah, it's all the philosophy of a PR and it's something we talk about with our athletes at my school all the time. The only person you're competing with is yourself. It doesn't matter if it's the 40 yard dash, the 10 yard dash, the squat to clean, whatever. But nonetheless, the. Positive affirmations are important. So like I know at Northwestern university, they have a bell that guys re that ring when they, when they PR right. So it's their way to kind of announce like, hell yeah. IPR. have you done anything like that in the past? So kids could celebrate their little victories or do you as a coach track it on a online platform or what did you do?

Greg: 15:49

We, we do the online thing where after. So like we had, a board for squats, cleans and bench, and then, we did the shuttle run. Standing long jump and vertical jump. So, out of those, we had certain parameters that you had to make to qualify for what we call making the board. And then if you made the board, it was blown up and it was in the weight room and posted. So everybody got to see it, but like you're saying, we kind of stole that from them too. So like, if you're testing out, like to get on the clean board, you gotta clean two 50. Well, if you clean two 50, we're ringing the bell cuz you got on there. So every time that bell went off in the weight room on test out day, they knew somebody had made the. For squats, you know, it's 300 pound squats. If that bells going off, they know somebody's getting on that board. So all day, you know, all day that day, whether they were in the way room or not, I mean, they're, they, they could be down on the gym floor. And another thing you'd hear the kids just chanting cuz they knew one of their teammates or one of the athletes and made the board in the weight room.

Luke: 16:48

And this is my last question on the weight room. I apologize. again, it's all about athletic performance. We're training athletes. I completely agree with you there. And sometimes my athletes get too caught up in chasing a number and I have to get 'em off and be like, listen, we're not a weightlifting team. We're not power lifters. We are athletes. So how do you handle that delicate balance of, they need to be motivated by numbers, but also realize just because you hit this number, doesn't mean you're gonna be a better football, basketball, baseball.

Greg: 17:18

Well, you know, I think that's a two part question. Number one is, you know, like we tell 'em all the time is you go to the weight room to be a better athlete. You don't go in there to get. And first of all, if you go in there chasing numbers, you're gonna get hurt because you're gonna try, you're gonna be using bad form and bad techniques to try to lift weights, just to lift it, the most important thing is proper technique and doing the way correctly. the second part of that is, is, like you said, is, you're not a power lifter. the reason you're going in there is you wanna be a better volleyball player. You're not going in there because you wanna be a bodybuilder. You're not going in there because you want to be misfit USA. You're not going in there, you know, Trying to be something you're not. So you gotta understand all those things you're in here for a reason, and you, that you gotta keep that, in your mind and understand why you're here. And it's the same thing. that you gotta work hard. You can't come in here and just, you're not gonna be on your, you know, we. Obviously everybody's got guidelines in the weight room. You're not gonna be on your phone. There's no phones in the weight room. it's a lab we're going into work and yes, you're gonna sweat and your makeup's gonna get messed up. And you know, we're gonna work. Whether you're, you know, a female athlete or a male athlete, you're gonna get after it.

Luke: 18:26

So, how does training our players to win in life? I know that's really important to you, but how does training our athletes to win in life equate to wins on the field as well? Even though it isn't really what the focus is,

Greg: 18:39

I think if you ask any of our athletes that tell you all the time a champion is a champion, I mean, if you're gonna be a champion on the field, you gotta be a champion off the. if you wanna win, you gotta win. You know, at practice, you gotta win in the classroom, you gotta win in the community. you know, and they've heard it a thousand times that your talent will get you in the door, but your character will be what keeps you in the room. And, um, we're, we're a huge proponent of that, that you gotta do the right things. you know, it's not a light switch. You can't turn it on, you gotta turn it off. So, and I think, you know, parents really appreciate that, cuz they know you're, you're coaching their young men to be better, fathers and husbands down the road, not just better football players, but I'm a huge, huge proponent to that. Cuz I think if, you know, we only teach them to play the game and we don't teach 'em all the other stuff then we're truly failing.

Luke: 19:28

What are some specific things that you have done as a head coach that helps to build people, to find the best versions of themselves? Because again, like you said, we wanna make better husbands, better citizens down the road. What are some things you could share? Our audience that we all can be.

Greg: 19:46

you know, I think number one, you gotta have your philosophy of your program and you gotta have that built. number two, we had, whether you want to call it a mission statement or however you want to say it, we had, in the locker room, there was a big in, and so at the bottom we had effort and attitude. So those were the only two things that the kids needed to bring. To our program was effort and attitude. Then we talked about commitment. We talked about character, we talked about discipline. We talked about trust. We talked about faith. Those were all the things that we were gonna teach them once they got into our program. So, and we went over that at the parents meeting. So the parents are hearing. Core values that you're gonna teach their kids why they're part of your program. So I think, that not only the players, but the parents hear that. And then obviously you gotta follow through again, you can't just say I'm gonna do it, then not do it. you know, so during practice, you know, every day we had a thought of the day, or we have during season, we had a theme of the week. And then within the theme of the week, you had a thought of the. So every day you would have something. So, you know, like during two days, I would have the assistant coaches talk about what does effort look like? What does attitude look like? What does commitment look like? What does, character discipline, faith trust? What does all those things look like? And so the kids were not only hearing it from me, they're hearing it from their position coaches. And then we would have breakout groups where they'd go and sit with their teammates. And they'd talk about those words. And, and that, so there, weren't just words that we threw around. There were words that, that we based things off of. and then they come back to play during the season. so that, and then, you know, like I said, I think the leadership council's huge, uh, meeting with them once a, a week and having them make decisions on things that we did. we always did a book study with the seniors, That no excuses or get on the energy bus or whatever it could be the coffee bean. but we'd read a book as a team and then we'd have book sessions where we talk about the book and go over stuff. So again, it's just pouring into kids.

Luke: 21:46

Let's talk about the position coaches, discussing attitude, effort, the different cultural pieces that you wanted to work in. Was that done on the field or was that done in a classroom? How did you do that? And was that on the daily?

Greg: 22:00

it was on the daily and it depended on, um, sometimes we did it after practice on the field and then sometimes it was, in a classroom before we went out. Now the one thing I will say, if you put their teachers so if you put a teacher in the classroom and give 'em access to a PowerPoint and that kinda stuff, so. Um, and I'm not saying they're not good, cuz they were good and they were, you know, they were well thought out and you could tell the coaches put time in it, but they do get a little long if you do it on the field. you know, they're more to the point I think. And they keep the kids' attentions a little bit more.

Luke: 22:34

And would you give any guidance on that or you just let your position coach go in the direction he wanted to on that particular topic.

Greg: 22:41

I just let 'em go wherever they wanted to go. they knew, you know, like I said, I got lucky, I had some great assistance and, they, you know, they would take it and run with it, which is good because, again, you're creating leaderships with them, like you're saying, I mean, shoot, I was blessed to have 23 assistants, so that's 23 guys. You get thinking the same way you think then that's even more, the kids are hearing the same things. You won't talk to.

Luke: 23:03

And what about the kids that maybe they were a three year varsity starter for you? did it ever become a little too routine for them? Or how did you keep it fresh for them? Cause especially in today's world, kids are always looking to be entertained and the things we're talking about are. Crucial life skills that may not be entertaining, but we have to somehow present them in an entertaining, exciting way.

Greg: 23:27

Right. I think that, um, you know, kinda in our program, the more the, as you come through, we kinda use this philosophy. Seniors should solve problems. Juniors should create no problems. Sophomores are gonna cause problems you know, so it, it kinda as a sophomore, like if you're a sophomore on the leadership council, you're probably not gonna have much of a voice. as a junior, you, you may speak a little bit and you're gonna get heard, but your senior year is where, when your voice is gonna carry some clout because you've earned the right to be heard. so I think it was kind of that stepping stone, there was, you know, We've had freshmen. Well, I'll say freshmen in the 24 years, I was head coach only started two, but, you know, even though they started, they didn't have a lot of voice on the team cuz they weren't invested in the team yet. they were just getting to play cuz they, God given ability. But I think that that's part of it is our kids know the longer you're around and the more you invest, it's kinda like a bank. The more money you got in the bank, the more money you're gonna be able to pull out of the bank. Kind of, you know, and again, going back and you, you can't just talk about those things and not do it. I think our kids understood that shoot, we had seniors that were role players their senior year, but when they spoke people, listen,

Luke: 24:45

And leadership council. How did you break it up to have different representation between say seniors and juniors?

Greg: 24:51

I tried to have 13 seniors. And then 12 juniors and then 11, sophomores owned the leadership council. So that way they were kind of then, and then if you come on as a sophomore, and if you got three strikes before your senior year, you weren't removed. So they knew that it was an honor to be on there. And just because you were on there doesn't mean you couldn't be taken off. So I kept a track of it. You know, it could be your sophomore year and you got in trouble twice, cuz you were a bonehead and then you got in trouble once your junior year. Well you're gone and somebody else is on it cuz they know, you know, it's a privilege to be on there and the other kids want to get on there cuz the other kids know that those kids have some say so. And a lot of things we do from, you know, They pick out all the camp gear, they pick out, you know, where we're going at team camp. They picked out the hours that we were gonna do camp. So they had say so in our team, you know, we had 12 different uniform combinations that we could wear. They picked out the uniforms for Friday night, picked out the pregame meals. So all the things that as the head coach that you really, you know, I shouldn't say you don't care about cuz you care about everything, but the thing that you weren't gonna lose a lot of sleep over, you let them pick it up.

Luke: 25:58

Yeah, it's funny. Bring up the, the combinations of uniforms, 15 years ago, if you'd have told me that I would have all these different combinations of uniforms, I would've said you were crazy. I'm like, I'd never do that. And, and, and here we are. Right. And it's what, it's not about us. It's about them. It's about their experience to me. I think it's a little unnecessary. I'm not the one that's out there on a Friday night. So that's a, great point that you bring up. And did you guys meet in the morning, once a week after school? And one, other question to that, did the coaches choose who's on the council or the kids vote him in.

Greg: 26:30

we met every in the once a week in the mornings. usually Thursday mornings is when we met. I handpicked who was on there. Um, I listened to the coaches made suggestions, but at the end of the day, I picked them final and then also had the kids. they would always vote who they think should be on there, cuz I kept telling them, well, we're gonna see if you and I are getting closer and closer by. I need to see who you think compared to who I think, cuz I promise you, I'm not gonna put your buddy on there. I'm gonna put the best leaders on there. and you'd be surprised at the longer you were at school, they're closer. The guys that you pick are with the guys that the guys pick. And sometimes it was good for me, cuz like I had a kid that I was gonna pick and none of them picked them. Well, that's a red flag. I needed to go say, Hey, well how come no one thinks this kid should be on it. And then you do more research and you find out why they shouldn't be on it. And you'd be like, yeah, these not gonna be a good choice then.

Luke: 27:22

that's a great point. That's that's a great point. And in these morning meetings, just give an example of like a typical meeting, what you would cover and what type of input you would get from the kids on just a typical Thursday morning meeting.

Greg: 27:34

well, the first thing we did is I, we had like a team meeting rooms, like a theater type thing, which I was lucky, but I set everybody on the right hand side. I said, you gotta earn the ready to be on the left hand side. So all you on the right hand side, you're learning to be leaders. Once you make it to the left hand side, I think you are a good leader. so I think that was crucial cuz or crucial, cuz it was visual to them of, you know, you gotta earn again, just because you're in here. It don't mean you, you gotta, still got things you gotta improve on. So you gotta move across. so that was step one, step two would be whatever. we, we would talk about the standard, you know, and I'd talk to 'em about, you being in this room has a lot of positives, but it also means you are the standard. So if, if I'm looking around and you, you're not allowed, you can't be late because if you're late means everybody else is gonna be late. You're not able to get in trouble and you're not able to not work hard because if you don't do it, then everybody thinks it's okay to do. So we talked about what to, you know, being the standard and upholding the standard. you know, we'd remind 'em of that. we talk about, being a great leader. It's like running a bank account. the more money you put in a bank, the more money you can take out of a bank. So kids can relate to that. Like a lot of times the seniors want to yell at the freshman or sophomore. And they'd just yell at him like, Hey, um, dude, the red bandana on or something, they don't even know their names. It's like, how you gonna yell at somebody if you don't know their name? So you've put no money in that bank. So you're not able to take any money out of that bank. So we talked to kids about that. the other thing that we did that I thought was awesome, that I stole from some coach in Oklahoma about 20 years ago, but we put 'em in platoon. So each one of those leaders those senior leaders, they were in charge of kids under them. So they had a group of kids that they were in charge of. So from day one, they were in charge of a group and we would talk to 'em if you can't Le lead this small group, how are you gonna lead our whole team? So we would talk about what their group looked like, but again, just, just teaching 'em how to invest in kids. Um, and then I had a PowerPoint that I got, from, um, co Powell when he was the secretary of defense, but it's like 26 things of what it takes to be a leader. And we would go through that. Then I had some other PowerPoints that we would go through, but it's just a, you know, a daily lesson. And then at the end, I would let them get into groups and get to choose stuff. Whether it be all right, what's camp gear gonna look like this week, what, or this year, pick out what our motto was gonna be. They came up with the motto of the year, every year, not me. so just different things like that. So just weekly, just keeping them engaged, checking on them, make sure they're checking on their teammates, their platoons. Um, so change week to.

Luke: 30:12

And what did you do in a situation where you had a senior that you didn't pick to be on leadership console and you see him moping around. He is really upset. And did you just have an honest conversation of why you didn't pick that kid and how did he handle that? What, what did you do in those situations?

Greg: 30:29

Yep because, um, you know, we did the same things with captains. Like, um, if you wanted to be a captain for us, you had to apply to be a captain. So then you would give us your name. Once you give us your name, we're gonna go through, and then we're gonna decide who we're gonna interview. And then we would interview you. And then we would pick who we wanted. and we're like, we would tell the kids, if you wanna know why you didn't get picked to even get an interview, or if you did get an interview, why you didn't get picked to get captain, come talk to us at any point in time. It's an open door, but when you come in there, be man enough to understand. We're gonna tell you the truth and it's, you know, the truth stings sometimes, but that's the other thing. When, when you get your program where you want it, we call it having the hot conversations and hot stands for honest, open and transparent. And we're gonna be honest with you. We're gonna be open with you and we're gonna be transparent with you. and the kids get that. And we tell the kids, we want you to be the same.

Luke: 31:21

That's great. A absolutely. And I'm sure those are difficult conversations, but again, that's why we're educators that that's a really, great point that you bring up. And I know we're, you're being very generous with your time. You're on vacation. Now, but I have to ask you a couple questions about the segue to D one and then, and then I'll let you go. So, first, now that you're had a couple months underneath you, you all this experience coach at the high school level, now you're an assistant coach. How was that transition been from being the guy, driving the bus, making the big decisions to now being the guy who just gives input and maybe it's not even taken.

Greg: 31:58

Humbling would be the word I'd use. Um, you know, you got, you go from being a high school guy to going to the power five, obviously. it's almost like you tell the seniors all the time. The same thing I told the seniors leaving north. I mean, basically I am reliving reliving my senior year all over again, where you went from being the dude in high school, you walk on a college campus thinking you're and then you got no cloud again. So everything, you just gotta keep your head down. You gotta keep working and earn. and lucky for me, you know, I think slowly but surely you start doing that. The players start seeing who you are, the other coaches start seeing who you are, and what you're made of, and that you, you know, the character that you have and the work ethic that you have. And again, you just, I said it over and over and over again, trust is never given. It's always earned. And so basically that's what you're doing again, you're trying to earn trust.

Luke: 32:50

And there's two different pathways to get where you're at right now. It could be the way you took which, which is a great successful career as a high school coach, or it could be the GA route and work your way up the ladder. Do the players have any, have they acted differently? Like do the players seem to care one way to the other, they have more respect for you that you came right from a successful high school career, or they tend to respect the guys that worked their way up from a GA. Or they not even care.

Greg: 33:16

You know, I think I, to be honest, I think they really don't care. Cuz it goes back to the saying, I just said that they're never gonna trust you. You're gonna have to earn it because, um, you know, at Carney we were there 11 years and in that 11 years we won 126 ball games. Well, we walked in the Liberty north, which is. 10 miles up the road. And I mean, never had lost a game to Liberty north. So you walk in, you think, all right, these, whatever you say, these kids are gonna do, because they've seen your success and they know, no, they didn't, they didn't care. They, you had to earn all over again. You had to earn their respect. So I think it's the same thing. You just gotta keep your head down. You gotta keep working and you, you know, you just gotta earn it. Nothing's given, everything's earned.

Luke: 34:03

Absolutely. And my last question, when, you know, one thing we know from being head coaches is our assistants who all think that they could take over our job one day, they will. And they're gonna figure out, man, I had no idea. This is what it takes to be a head coach. Right. We all know that as head coaches. I'm sure you've experienced that going to a power five conference. So as you made this transition, what has surprised you, what was the one thing that you just didn't expect or didn't see coming now you're like, man, I didn't realize that's what happens as a college football coach.

Greg: 34:33

You know, I knew, I knew that recruiting, was gonna be different because we don't have to do it at all at high school. So I knew that was gonna be an adjustment, but I didn't know how different recruiting was. And I think, you know, even my buddies that I talked to that, Have been in college football that are not in college football anymore. A lot of 'em, it just talks about how much different recruiting is now compared to where it was even four years ago. I think with the transfer portal and the ILS and all that, the recruiting process has changed greatly.

Luke: 35:05

Is it as all encompassing and 24 7 is what I'm reading about.

Greg: 35:11

It is all gas, no breaks. My friend, all gas, no breaks.

Luke: 35:16

Yeah. One of those things you think you work hard as a head coach at the high school level until Sunday, you step into that role. So, but with that,

Greg: 35:24

And you know, you do, you, you work hard and football. Here's the thing that, that has not changed football is football. Like the time on the field, the time in, the classrooms, the time in meetings with the kids are all the same. The time that in high school, that I was running the weight room for the school. Now I'm just in CLA in meetings with the coaches. So that's all the same. Those hours are the same. The hours that are different is like when you were able to shut down the book and go, okay, I'm going home to see my. You don't get to do that. You switch over and get on your phone. And now I gotta call all these recruits there. There's where the times, like I said, it's the recruiting, is just, you know, with the early signing and all that, it's just changed so much that there's never a time that you're not recruiting. Never. Hey,

Luke: 36:09

And does it get a little awkward for you with, uh, the speaking recruiting piece? Like all these kids now they're starting to pose with Lamborghini. Like it went to like the cringy kind of dance stuff and the smoke and their, then they started putting parents in the jerseys. Now we're getting the sports cars on the field. Like how have you handled that? Like, for me, I would really struggle with that. I know I'm kind of an old soul.

Greg: 36:32

let, let me tell you this. There is no photo shoot, like the photo shoot in Eugene, Oregon, baby. We got the best photo shoot around cuz we will have 10 to 11 stations, every photo shoot. So, when we do 'em we do 'em right. So yes, you are correct. A night at the photo shoot is a three hour process.

Luke: 36:52

Yeah, that, that that's something that would, that would take me some time getting used to, but I get it, you know, I mean, as you and I talked about on the phone last week at your level, you gotta have some dudes at the high school level. You have to have culture. You have to have belief, you have to have that strength and conditioning piece. You gotta have some dudes. So I, I, I totally get that. But

Greg: 37:10

You just embrace it and have fun with it. And like I do, I get the parents, we get, you know, we got music playing, you dance around with it. You get the parents hyped up, you get the parents in the, in the pitchers. And the biggest thing just have fun with it. you're gonna be there no matter what. So you might as well have fun while you're there.

Luke: 37:25

And this is, this is my last question I promise. I know I gotta let you go and enjoy your vacation with your family. take me through that recruiting piece of being discovered. We have a lot of high school coaches listening. I have a lot of high school athletes that listen to this podcast as well. you guys recruit on a national level? And I get asked all the time, like, what do we need to do for recruiting coach? How can you help me out? So just kind of give a, a point or two of now that you've been in the inner sanctum, how does recruiting really work? Is it just make sure you have your huddle? On Twitter, is it reach out to coaches and email them and kind of be persistent. Like you're trying to get a job interview. What are some things you could recommend to our listeners?

Greg: 38:04

I'll tell you a couple things that I think are important. Number one is. You, you gotta have your huddle and your highlights and all that up to date, and then make sure you have the, your high school, coach's name, the high school's name, your stuff on there. And don't lie. Don't say you're six, three, and you're not six, three, you know? I mean, cuz eventually that's the biggest thing. If you say you're six, three or six, four, and we bring you to campus and you measure six foot, you're not getting an offer. I mean, it is what it is. So you might as well tell the. about your height, your weight, your 40 yard dash time, all that kind of stuff. So that's, that's gotta be up to date cuz it's gonna get watched, you know, for sure. the other thing is your social media is be easy to find like my name's Greg Jones, I don't need to be on there is Hitman Jones or something like where you can't find you, you know what I'm saying? Cuz we're on there. You're searching for some of these kids all the time and they're using their nicknames. It's just hard to find you on social media. So put your, put your correct name on there, you know, so we can find you, that way. Um, most people are smart in it, you know, in the headline of their social media, they, they put their link to their huddle and all that kinda stuff on there. and then the other thing is that you just gotta be, understand that, I mean, it is what it is. I mean, at, at the power five level is it's all a tale of a tape too. You, you know, you gotta be the right size. You gotta be the right height. You gotta be the right speed. and so you gotta, you gotta be willing to listen and say, Hey, we want you on campus. Cuz that that's the thing. Sometimes it's hard, to understand that you're not gonna get an offer without going some. You know what I'm saying? I mean, it, it's hard to come into Eugene, Oregon and think that, Hey, I'm gonna go up on an official and get a visit. Well, it's like, I tell kids that I recruit all the time. Once you get our age and you're gonna marry someone, I promise you, you're not gonna date her one time and marry her. You're gonna go on several dates. You're gonna find out if you like each other, you're gonna build a relationship and then you're gonna get married. Recruiting is the same way you can't go somewhere. One time. You gotta be willing that it's gonna cost you a little bit of money to go and see places and visit places and visit with coaches and build relationships. But you gotta do that because the last thing you wanna do is go somewhere and then you don't like it. And well then here you are already entering the transfer portal, you know, so it's, it's, it's a deal and it's, that's a, the deal, you know, that the. That we preach as high school coaches, making sure they understand that it's, you know, it's a big decision. Don't rush it. I mean, it's a life, what could be a life changing decision for you? So make sure it's the right one.

Luke: 40:41

Absolutely. And this idea of not rushing, it seems like the whole process is speeding up faster and faster. Now suddenly sophomore film is important. It's amazing how everything just keeps speeding up in our world. But with that coach, I, I can't thank you enough for being so generous during your cation to, to sit and visit with us and share your knowledge. Uh, congratulations on an awesome high school career. Who knows. Maybe you'll go back to it someday. We're in the Chicago land area. We have great football here. So you come visit your son. Maybe you come coach in Chicago land. I know you'll be really successful at Oregon and we'll be following your career. So thank you so much for being on.

Greg: 41:18

Appreciate it, man. Appreciate you having me and good luck to you and your team this season.