Such a great article! Thank you for the excellent reporting. Rhule's ability to grow and lead men should pay dividends for this he coaches and our society for generations to come.
Photo by Jim Black
Baylor Football
Midweek Breakfast: Rhule's approach to building men with football
Following up my piece from last week, I wanted to look at the flip side of Matt Rhule's recruiting since taking over at Baylor. Over one million high schoolers play football in the United States; however, there are only so many offered to play at the division one level. With a slim chance of making it, what can players do to establish themselves on Matt Rhule’s radar?
Rather than taking all of his efforts and putting them on the high-profile four- and five-star prospects, Baylor's staff has found gems in perceptibly average players. But reality is, until this point at least, these average players aren’t that kind of average, but rather gems that have yet to be discovered.
It only took a Baylor offer to get them moving on the radar of other programs across the country.
At the time of their offer, not all but most of these players have flown under the radar of every major college program and their ability is far undervalued, if evaluated at all. What Rhule and staff see in these players is the compilation of two main attributes: coachability and work ethic.
Coachability is an extremely valuable trait that leads to success on the field and in turn, life. The ability to adapt quickly to new information such as offensive schemes and the willingness to put effort towards mastering this adaptation is what determines coachability.
Rhule has always promoted coachability as a treasured characteristic. In one of his first interviews at Baylor, Rhule praised the willingness of his players at Temple, specifically Haason Reddick who was coachable enough to change positions. Reddick began his time at Temple as a walk-on running back and safety before ultimately finishing his career as a stud defensive end who was drafted 13th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.
At Baylor, Kyle Boyd is one of the best examples of coachability under Rhule’s regime. Like Reddick, Boyd changed positions, transitioning from linebacker to fullback, a position unknown to Baylor football. Throughout spring practices, Rhule highlighted Boyd’s performance and commended his coachbility.
Colt Barber talked coachability yesterday during his segment with Craig Smoak and Ward White on Unnecessary Roughness.
Work ethic was the other characteristic mentioned when it comes to Rhule’s recruiting radar. While coachability and work ethic go hand in hand, work ethic reaches out farther than just the football field.
The desire to get down in the dirt and pave your own way to success is something that in today’s world sometimes goes unnoticed. The desire to fight for a position on the team and the commitment players make during the offseason is what Rhule notices. It’s the determination to attend and perform at camps, at 7-on-7, and at any other opportunity presented.
Rhule himself radiates what it means to have a work ethic. Since becoming Baylor’s head coach, Rhule engrossed himself with reaching out to over 1,500 Texas high school football coaches and traveled to visit many.
Beyond his commitment to recruiting, his story of how he became the coach he is today embodies a strong work ethic. From walking-on at Penn State in his college days to bringing Temple to a record high in wins, Rhule is determined to succeed.
Overall, it’s important to highlight that Rhule’s not just looking for your typical standout athlete. Don’t get me wrong, while a five-star signee should make everyone in Baylor nation excited, it’s about the opportunity to mold these players into men on and off the field.
Rhule is recruiting players that are well-rounded and that are capable to transform into high caliber football players as well as well-educated men. These characteristics Rhule searches for his prospects to go along with their athletic ability sets the baseline as to what he will use to inspire these players to become men through their efforts on and off the field.
“My job is to raise men, to build men, to teach the 120 young guys on our team. The football is fun; the football, the kids are good at. We’re here to try to raise these kids into men, one man at a time. We’re living in a time and age where so many of the kids on our roster don’t know what it means to be a man. So many of the kids on our team have never seen it, or they have the wrong picture of it. …They don’t tell them anymore that getting up early, working hard, and being honest — they don’t tell them that’s being a man any more. It’s what you drive, what you wear. And it’s our job to make sure that when they leave our program, they know what a man is,” Rhule said.
Rather than taking all of his efforts and putting them on the high-profile four- and five-star prospects, Baylor's staff has found gems in perceptibly average players. But reality is, until this point at least, these average players aren’t that kind of average, but rather gems that have yet to be discovered.
It only took a Baylor offer to get them moving on the radar of other programs across the country.
At the time of their offer, not all but most of these players have flown under the radar of every major college program and their ability is far undervalued, if evaluated at all. What Rhule and staff see in these players is the compilation of two main attributes: coachability and work ethic.
Coachability is an extremely valuable trait that leads to success on the field and in turn, life. The ability to adapt quickly to new information such as offensive schemes and the willingness to put effort towards mastering this adaptation is what determines coachability.
Rhule has always promoted coachability as a treasured characteristic. In one of his first interviews at Baylor, Rhule praised the willingness of his players at Temple, specifically Haason Reddick who was coachable enough to change positions. Reddick began his time at Temple as a walk-on running back and safety before ultimately finishing his career as a stud defensive end who was drafted 13th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.
At Baylor, Kyle Boyd is one of the best examples of coachability under Rhule’s regime. Like Reddick, Boyd changed positions, transitioning from linebacker to fullback, a position unknown to Baylor football. Throughout spring practices, Rhule highlighted Boyd’s performance and commended his coachbility.
Colt Barber talked coachability yesterday during his segment with Craig Smoak and Ward White on Unnecessary Roughness.
Work ethic was the other characteristic mentioned when it comes to Rhule’s recruiting radar. While coachability and work ethic go hand in hand, work ethic reaches out farther than just the football field.
The desire to get down in the dirt and pave your own way to success is something that in today’s world sometimes goes unnoticed. The desire to fight for a position on the team and the commitment players make during the offseason is what Rhule notices. It’s the determination to attend and perform at camps, at 7-on-7, and at any other opportunity presented.
Rhule himself radiates what it means to have a work ethic. Since becoming Baylor’s head coach, Rhule engrossed himself with reaching out to over 1,500 Texas high school football coaches and traveled to visit many.
Beyond his commitment to recruiting, his story of how he became the coach he is today embodies a strong work ethic. From walking-on at Penn State in his college days to bringing Temple to a record high in wins, Rhule is determined to succeed.
Overall, it’s important to highlight that Rhule’s not just looking for your typical standout athlete. Don’t get me wrong, while a five-star signee should make everyone in Baylor nation excited, it’s about the opportunity to mold these players into men on and off the field.
Rhule is recruiting players that are well-rounded and that are capable to transform into high caliber football players as well as well-educated men. These characteristics Rhule searches for his prospects to go along with their athletic ability sets the baseline as to what he will use to inspire these players to become men through their efforts on and off the field.
“My job is to raise men, to build men, to teach the 120 young guys on our team. The football is fun; the football, the kids are good at. We’re here to try to raise these kids into men, one man at a time. We’re living in a time and age where so many of the kids on our roster don’t know what it means to be a man. So many of the kids on our team have never seen it, or they have the wrong picture of it. …They don’t tell them anymore that getting up early, working hard, and being honest — they don’t tell them that’s being a man any more. It’s what you drive, what you wear. And it’s our job to make sure that when they leave our program, they know what a man is,” Rhule said.
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