Do coaches create their culture? Or, does their culture dictate the actions by the coach?

Every college coach and recruiter struggles with that idea, as well as the basic how-to aspect of defining, developing and fostering the right culture for his or her program. The culture topic is one of the most popular aspects of discussion around the idea of building a college program today, so we wanted to bring a coach on who has done a lot of thinking, and writing, on the topic.

Chad Gunnelson is the head track and field coach for Augustana College, a thriving Division III program in Illinois. Coach Gunnelson has build strong programs wherever he's gone, and today he'll share how developing the right culture is Priority #1 for him and his success, as it should be for you, too.

To learn more about Chad Gunnelson, connect with him on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-gunnelson-mm-cscs-a16850b/

To learn more about Tudor Collegiate Strategies, or to contact Dan Tudor, email us at [email protected].

Thanks for listening, Coach!

Why does this episode an important one?

Because at some point in your college coaching career, you've either gone through a rebuild of your program, or you will in the future, or you are right now. Every coach - whether it's taking over a program you inherit, or face a rebuild of the one you've managed for years - goes through this process at some point.

So on today's show, we talk to a coach who volunteered to open up about the rebuild he's beginning for his women's volleyball program at Sweet Briar College in Virginia. Coach AJ Escobar shares his story, how he's going about the rebuilding process, and offers a glimpse into the attitude, strategy and tools he's approaching it all with. I think you're going to learn something today, and maybe even be able to steal a few ideas from a fellow coach for your own rebuild that needs to happen.

To contact and follow Coach Escobar and his team as they go through the rebuild process, email: him at [email protected], and make sure to follow his personal Instagram at aj5esco, as well as his team Instagram at sbc_vball.

To contact the show host, email him at [email protected].

Thanks for listening, Coach! Make sure to subscribe, follow and like the show - and, tell at least 25 other people in your athletic department about it this week. Seriously, do it.

Ever wonder what's going on inside the mind of your typical student-athlete parent as their son or daughter goes through childhood?

Today's guest did, and conducted some fascinating research to unlock what those parents really think - even when it comes to the college recruiting process.

Chris Knoester is a Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University, and shares his insights on today's show.

The article on his research that we're using as the basis for the conversation in this episode was recently published in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, and can be found in both summary and detailed forms at the links below:

Journal article: https://doi.org/10.1177/01937235251392534

Open access version link (no paywall): https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/zpxqd_v1

OSU News study summary:

https://news.osu.edu/will-my-kid-be-a-pro-athlete-study-finds-what-parents-think/

NSASS website: https://nsass.org/

To contact Professor Knoester, email him at [email protected].

Questions for the host, or want more information about Tudor Collegiate Strategies? Email [email protected].

Thanks for listening, we hope today's information helps you understand the parent of your recruit better!

Modern college roster management is already a challenge for coaches. Now, add in new roster limitations and the constant comings and goings of athletes through the Transfer Portal, and it gets even more challenging.

But for some coaches, another wrinkle brings an additional layer of complexity:

What happens when you change your recruiting game and end up with better incoming athletes than you have on your team? What do you do when some of your freshmen are set to be better than some of your upperclassmen?

That's the topic today, as you listen in on a conversation with a Division I track and field coach who is doing so much right in the way that he's transformed his recruiting approach that he's going to have to make some tough roster decisions - and he wanted to get some advice on how to approach this little talked about aspect of recruiting and roster management in college athletics.

Questions for the show? Interested in making positive changes in your recruiting results? Email the host at [email protected].'

Thanks for listening, Coach! Leave us a five star review, and make sure to follow and subscribe.

As a follow-up to our previous episode, we continue the theme of learning insights about this new generation of college prospects from a college Athletic Director.

Keith Mondillo is the longtime AD at Gwynedd Mercy University, and also started Keith Mondillo Athletic Recruiting Coaching which advises rising high school prospects who want to compete collegiately. So, obviously, he brings a unique perspective to the entire recruiting conversation!

To find out more about Keith's service, you can visit www.KeithMondillo.com.

Questions for Keith? Email him at [email protected].

If you want to contact the host, email Dan Tudor at [email protected].

You can also find out more about what Tudor Collegiate Strategies does for college coaches and the athletic departments they work for at dantudor.com.

Thanks for listening!

Want to know what your prospects are thinking, and what priorities they are focusing on when it comes to going through the recruiting process?

On today's show, we talk to the founders of Blueprint to Bluechip, Erin Sarles, and Thomas Roe. They work with athletes to bring them to a realistic outlook on what to expect when choosing a college program, how to create a good match, and assisting them in improving their overall self-confidence and physical readiness for college athletics.

Along the way, these two are getting an inside look into what really goes on behind the scenes within families, and in the mind of the student-athlete, as they go through being recruited by college coaches. And today, they share those insights with you so that you can be ready to connect with them more quickly and effectively.

For more information on the firm, visit their website at BluepringBluechip.com. Contact the founder, Erin Sarles, at [email protected].

For more information on Tudor Collegiate Strategies, email us at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

Starting to think about making that next jump in your college coaching career?

You're going to love this episode! We've had the chance to talk to athletic directors and head coaches about hiring their next leader of a program, and their key assistant coaches. They've told us what really matters when it comes to standing out versus your competition for that job, and on today's show we'll share those insights with you.

The goal? Give you the edge when you go in for your interview. We'll focus on six areas of preparation that you'll want to be ready for, as well as six specific things to do in your job interview.

Make sure to subscribe and follow to get every episode of the show, and leave a five star review if you're liking it! We appreciate it.

Contact the host at [email protected] if you have questions, show ideas or just want to say hello.

In the middle of the recruiting process, coaches usually have that "sit up in bed in the middle of the night" type of moment when they realize they haven't done a good job of contacting and recruiting the influencers in their prospects' lives: Parents, coaches and other outside voices.

On this episode, we dig deep into the art and the science of figuring out who your prospect is listening to, and how to connect and communicate with those important people so you can influence those influencers in a positive way.

Want more details on this topic, and others? We have free articles, training videos and podcasts at dantudor.com.

Do you have questions about how Tudor Collegiate Strategies can work with your program and help you bring the results you need for your program? Email [email protected].

Thanks for listening, Coach!

On this episode, we talk about an important part of the stage as you begin the recruiting process.

It's important to connect with your prospect first rather than jumping in with all of your stats, facts and selling points when it comes to your college and your program.

Why? The feeling they have about you at first is way more important than the first facts they get told about.

We talk about it today - and if you want to watch it, go here:

https://dantudor.substack.com/p/recruitings-early-stage-priority

Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

Thanks for listening, and make sure to tell other coaches in your department about the show - and leave us a five star review. Leave a six star review if you can hack into the podcast platform and do that, if you know how.

Are you a coach looking to build a successful program, while avoiding the mistakes that usually go along with that effort?

Or, are you an Athletic Director who has the opportunity to grow a department and take it to new levels of competition and success?

No matter which category you fall into, today's guest offers advice on doing it the right way. Lance Von Vogt is the retiring former men's basketball coach and outgoing Athletic Director at Jessup University in California, and he has accumulated some unique insights and experiences in taking his program and department from the infancy stages of being a new program, up through several different division level changes and milestones over the past two decades. Today, he shares his advice for college coaches and athletic directors who want to follow that same successful path in building a program from the ground up.

The last segment of the interview can be found at Tudor University (where you can also watch the entire interview, if that's your preference). Go here for that bonus content:

https://tudoruniversity.thinkific.com/

To contact the host, email us at [email protected].

And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review, plus subscribe and follow the show.