What actually separates the athletes who get offered from the ones who don't?

For the 50th episode of the podcast, Susan sits down with a good friend and one of the most talked-about names in college volleyball right now: Coach Jason Borchin. Jason was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Cal Poly during their Cinderella Sweet 16 run in 2025, and just weeks later, he was named the head coach at the University of Nevada.

Jason takes us behind the scenes of the whirlwind that was Cal Poly's postseason: upsetting #5 BYU and #4 USC as an unseeded team, interviewing for the Nevada job the Monday after the tournament ended, and uprooting his family with three young kids in tow. He shares what made the Cal Poly team so magical, from a culture of celebration and authenticity to the philosophy that "the right kid beats the best athlete," and why letting players be fully themselves is what unlocks the confidence to win.

The second half of the conversation is a masterclass in recruiting. Jason walks through what actually separates athletes at the finish line of a coach's target list, the "genuine interest hack" that gets him to invest more time watching a recruit, and why copy-paste emails get ignored while a personal, well-researched email can move an athlete up the board. He also shares what it looks like when an athlete is willing to wear her heart on her sleeve, and why that vulnerability is often the difference between an offer and a pass.

If your daughter is on a college coach's radar (or trying to be), this episode is exactly what she needs to hear.

Chapters

00:00 – Celebrating 50 episodes with Coach Jason Borchin
02:00 – The whirlwind from the Sweet 16 to the Nevada job
06:00 – Managing chaos, family, and the transfer portal
09:00 – What made Cal Poly's Cinderella team so special
13:00 – Confidence, celebration, and letting kids be themselves
17:00 – Being underestimated as a mid-major program
19:00 – "Cal Poly kids": the right kid over the best athlete
23:00 – Building the same culture at Nevada
26:00 – What genuine interest looks like on a recruiting call
33:00 – Why copy-paste emails get ignored

About the Guest:

Jason Borchin is the head coach of the University of Nevada Women's Volleyball program, named to the role in December 2025 after helping lead Cal Poly to a historic Cinderella run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Over nine seasons at Cal Poly, he served as recruiting coordinator and associate head coach, helping the Mustangs win back-to-back Big West titles and earn multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. Prior to Cal Poly, Jason coached at Notre Dame and Sacramento State, and he brings 18+ years of coaching experience across the intercollegiate, high school, and club levels. He and his wife Jessie (who advises athletes at NXTVB) have three young children.

Connect with Jason:

Nevada Wolf Pack Volleyball: @nevadavolleyball
Coach page: Jason Borchin at Nevada

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank