Recruiting Interview with Mel Tucker

We're here with Coach Mel Tucker, coach of University of Colorado, CU. Coach and I have a little background. He was my DC in '13-'14 in Chicago.

That's right.

And now he's out here traveling, recruiting. Can you talk to us what it's going to take to kind of build this good program in the Pac-12? And coming from the West Coast myself, I am a Pac-12 fan.

Yeah, you know, it's, it's about a culture change, man. A shift in our culture. You know, that's what we've worked on from day one. And culture is about, you know, how you live day to day, you know, so in terms of work ethic, a culture of accountability, you know, a sense of urgency, attention to detail, physicality, you know, mental and physical toughness, you know, and then doing what you got to do in the classroom, off the field. So, you know, that's fundamentally what it's going to take to build this into a championship program. And then we recruit every single day.

See it? Big time recruiting. See, that's what I love when you talk about culture and the things that you're highlighting are things that just don't apply just to football.

Right.

But those are things that carry on into life, like all— like accountability and all these things. So sometimes it's bigger than the game, and you have an opportunity to kind of instill that in what essentially are youth. So it's a big deal. It's bigger than just football at times, right?

Yeah, it's huge. And that's one reason why I returned to college football in 2015, because I really have a passion for the young people and using football as a vehicle, uh, to help develop young men, you know, on and off the field. And like you said, you know, having a culture of accountability, um, and attention to detail, sense of urgency, work ethic, you know, all those things translate to success off the field as well.

So I love hearing that because there's no way that there's less work going back to college football just because of recruiting. But I mean, this is a good thing because you clearly love something, you have a passion for the youth. I mean, the, just the amount of travel and stuff alone, like, it's, it's not the NFL. You just kind of get your guys from draft day.

Yeah, the NFL It's a lot different. You know, there's no recruiting in the NFL, but I love to recruit and, you know, I have a passion for it, but I really have a passion to help the young people. I feel like I have an obligation to give back. And so that's what I'm doing at CU.

I love it. That sounds like a good football story. So what's kind of the, some of the traits you're looking for? 'Cause I mean, you are gonna instill some things in some kids and teach them, but is there certain things you're looking for when you're recruiting a guy for CU?

Yeah, I'm looking for high-character guys, guys that love football, not just what football can do for them, like notoriety or popularity or things like that, but just really loving the game, you know, like just loving to play, loving to practice. Yeah, I want guys that, you know, want to be uncommon.

Okay, I like that.

Guys that want to be special, you know, want to be want to be the best at what they do. And we're looking for guys that are going to be good teammates and going to be unselfish. And we're looking for young men that want to be a part of something that's bigger than themselves.

I like it. I like it. So when you talk about finding a guy that loves the game, because I'm, I love the game, right? Um, is that something you kind of, is it a mixture of the two? Like you kind of see it when you talk to them in person or something that shows up on film or both together?

Yeah, it shows up on tape. You can tell by the way guys play.

Like they finish hard and stuff.

How they finish and, you know, just, you know, their motor and their consistency in their performance. You can also see it in practice habits, you know, things like that. And then you ask questions of high school coaches and anyone associated with the student athlete, you know, what does he do with his discretionary time? You know, how much extra time does he put into his craft and, you know, strength and conditioning, and, you know, what type of work does he put in in the off-season? And, you know, how does he handle adversity? How does he handle harsh criticism? You know, things like that. Is he a good teammate? Is he a tell 'em once guy? Or in terms of coachability and things like that. So, you know, that all kind of paints a picture. And if you ask a specific question, Usually get a specific answer.

Yeah, I mean, everything kind of embodying the game is pretty honest. Like, you're going to get what you're looking for for the most part, right?

Yeah, that's right.

What's some things like you would like to see from a kid's standpoint? They're getting ready for college football. You know, maybe it is the Pac-12, maybe it is this big-time Power Five school football, but maybe it's one of these lower divisions. What's some things that you could see, would say, that would have kids more ready to, to get to this platform?

Yeah, I think the first thing is being in best condition. That's really the foundation of everything that you have to be able to do to excel at the next level. You got to be in shape. And so, and that really holds guys back when they step onto the college campuses and they get involved in the summer conditioning program, is they just haven't worked at that level. They become frustrated. They fall behind a little bit. It's hard to learn and get the coaching points when you're so far out of shape. So I think really that's, Fundamentally, that's the most important thing for guys to understand is that, you know, while you're, you know, after your senior season and you're getting ready to report, you know, make sure that you get into a really good situation, a good routine where you can get in the best shape of your life, which will give you the best opportunity once you get to campus.

I mean, that's a huge piece of advice because I've seen this at every level. You know, even if it's the 300-yard shuttles of the NFL, when they don't make those 300s, they don't bounce back right away. The rest of training camp.

That's right.

And you're talking in college, like, if you're in a place where now you're not the big man on campus, there's everybody here that you're willing, you're gonna go to battle with and stuff. Like, you wanna have some confidence in being in shape and beating the conditioning test.

Right.

Or not just being last is gonna be a good, like, good starting point for you, right? Right.

It's a great first impression because the first thing we wanna see when guys hit campus is, You know, have they been working out? You know, did they— you know, we send them a workout plan, and so they have an opportunity to be up to speed, and we want to know if they follow through and if they've done that.

That's a great point. So I mean, that would go back to, like, you could tell if he really— if a person really loves football, they're going to hit that workout plan. Yeah, exactly. What's kind of some things that you'd like to see maybe on the coaching end for high school coaches maybe getting their guys ready? Maybe it is strength and conditioning, or maybe it's position coaches, or just educating the players. Classroom, whatever, getting them ready for the next level?

Yeah, you know, I believe the high school coaches do a really good job, you know, getting their guys ready. You know, first and foremost, you know, you're trying to win games in high school and they ask the players to do what they need them to do. And just, you know, the coaches just do such a great job because they have such a hard job to do, you know, just developing these guys at such a young age and putting together a team. And so I feel like the high school coaches do a great job. It's important for the players to understand that, you know, the recruiting process, you know, is a part of it. And you go through it once. And a lot of it has to do with your production, you know, on the field. And you're looking for the right fit school. But once, you know, once you've chosen a school and you know where you're going to go, at that point it's all about the work.

Right.

It's all about the work.

You can't run from that.

Yeah. You can't forget about lifting. You can't forget, about running. You can't forget about, you know, honing the, you know, working on your technique and fundamentals that you need for your craft, for your position. And I see a lot of guys that get, they kind of get caught up in some of the other things, the social media, you know, the branding and just the hype of the recruiting and, you know, all that type of deal. And they forget about the work that's needed to, in order to develop and become a better football player.

Yeah, we say that all the time, like, 'cause it is the guys chasing stars, and I don't blame them. Like, I didn't grow up in the social media age, so I can't say how I would have acted. But we're like, "Hey, you know those stars, your likes, your followers?" Sure. They don't block any people. Like, you still gotta get up there and perform.

That's right.

And that's a good point. When you're done playing your senior year of high school football, these coaches gotta worry about next year, so you gotta make sure you're, you know, working out still, just 'cause you're not in that regimented program with the team. So don't get away from the work, right?

You gotta get, you stay with the work, whether you're working out at some facility, you've got a trainer, or you're going back and working with your high school team and, you know, being a role model and getting your work in, you know, whatever it is, you know, it's all about, you know, your preparedness and, you know, your approach and your routine to getting ready to take it to the next level each and every day. And it's all about training. It really is. And the guys who are more mature about it and are intent and have— are intentional about their training and their skill development, those are the guys that when they come to campus, they're more ready to play.

Right. So intent, take that word. That's a really good word. It's an important word. Intent. We talk about it all the time. That's right. Coach, it's great seeing you.

Great seeing you, man.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Thank you.

You guys are doing great things.