Zac & Don are joined by varsity football coach John Blackstock. John is a cofounder of Coach's Suite, an organization focused on helping athletes navigate the realities and process of college sport's recruitment.

The discussion focuses on how high school athletes should think about college recruitment. Instead of waiting for a college coach to find you, an athletes and their family must become an active participant in the process.

Zac, Don, & John talk about how an athlete can get noticed by college coaches. They also talk about the major changes that are impacting college athletics and high school recruitment.

You can learn more about Coach's Suite and find John's contact information at the link below.

Coaching Resources | Coach's Suite Llc

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

It's the 2nd annual NCAA Mascot Bracket Picks! Kevin Kopec also joins to give REAL analysis and his own REAL picks.

The draft is based upon this brilliant data set and article that was written by the Wall Street Journal. The authors are: Rosie Ettenheim & Laine Higgins. You can read the full article here:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/cats-vs-birds-ncaa-tournament-bracket-march-madness-b91b86ec

Join the Best Paragraph I've Read NCAA Tourny Picks Pool:

https://fantasy.espn.com/tc/sharer?challengeId=257&from=espn&context=GROUP_INVITE&edition=espn-en&groupId=0812d37d-b328-4873-af95-6b07d41436b1

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"President Trump said this month that he had asked the U.S. Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies, part of an effort to cut down on what he called wasteful government spending. His remarks revived a long-running debate over whether to get rid of the smallest denomination of U.S. currency. "

This paragraph comes from the Wall Street Journal. The article is titled: "Making Cents of Idea to Get Rid of Pennies." The authors are Oyin Adedoyin & Dalvin Brown.

You can read the full article here:

https://www.magzter.com/stories/newspaper/The-Wall-Street-Journal/MAKING-CENTS-OF-IDEA-TO-GET-RID-OF-PENNIES?srsltid=AfmBOooqmqaGo6uggA7GNB6eWOc9Y-QuhtYHJRK6jwFC7UwlDg3d1KAD

Zac and Don discuss whether eliminating the penny is a good idea. They also wonder if it is time to get rid of the nickel and other change.

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"The social crisis of our time is not just that Americans are more socially isolated than ever, but also that social isolation is rising alongside romantic isolation, as the economic and cultural trajectories of men and women move in opposite directions. And, perhaps most troubling, the Americans with the least financial wealth also seem to have the least “social wealth,” so to speak. It is the poor, who might especially need the support of friends and partners, who have the fewest close friends and the fewest long-term partners. Money might not buy happiness, but it can buy the things that buyhappiness."

This paragraph comes from The Atlantic. The article is titled: America's 'Marriage Material' Shortage. The author is Derek Thompson. You can read the full article here:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/america-marriage-decline/681518/Zac & Don discuss the declining marriage rates in America. They also discuss its connection to other major trends such as increasing loneliness and declining population.

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Comes from the 52 things that Kent Hendricks leaned in 2024. You can read the full list here:

https://kenthendricks.com/52-things-i-learned-in-2024/

Zac & Don share and discuss their favorite facts and statistics from Kent Hendrick's list of 52 things that he learned in 2024.

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Buc-ee’s, a 43-year-old Texas-based chain, is expanding rapidly across the US South, where its “world’s cleanest restrooms,” wall of beef jerky, soda fountains with more than 90 selections and bucktooth beaver dolls are much in demand. Sixty miles north of Atlanta, the line of cars leading into Buc-ee’s from Interstate 75’s two exit ramps sometimes stretches a mile long. And a future store near Gulfport, Mississippi, is projected to draw 5 million people a year, about the same visitor count as Yellowstone National Park, Buc-ee’s Ltd. told local officials. Impressed by these kinds of numbers, rural towns in the South are dangling millions ofdollars in tax breaks and infrastructure assistance—the kind of perks usually lavished on manufacturing plants and distribution centers—to snare their own Buc-ee’s.

This paragraph comes from Bloomberg. The article is titled: "Forget Factories, Small US Towns Want Buc-ee's Gas Stations" The article is written by Michael Sasso. You can read the full article here:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-23/southern-towns-in-the-us-want-more-buc-ee-s-gas-stations?embedded-checkout=true

Zac & Don are joined by their "good friend" Kevin Kopec. The three discuss their experience or lack of experience with Buc-ee's. They share amazement that a company was able to make people excited about going to a gas station. They wonder what other economic sectors could become the next Buc-ee's.

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ChatGPT, which now has over 300 million users, has been marketed as a general-purpose tool that can write code, summarize long documents and give advice. Ayrin found

And then she started messaging with it. Now that ChatGPT has brought humanlike A.I. to the masses, more people are discovering the allure of artificial companionship, said Bryony Cole, Within the next two years, it will be completely normalized to have a relationship with an A.I..”

This paragraph comes from the New York Times. The article is titled: "She Is in Love With ChatGPT." The author is Kashmir Hill. You can read the full article here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/15/technology/ai-chatgpt-boyfriend-companion.html

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This paragraph comes from quarter--mile.com. The essay is titled: "Trains That May Cease to Be Valuable." The authors are Carter Mark and Jordan Gonen. You can read the full essay here:

⁠https://quarter--mile.com/Traits-That-May-Cease-to-Be-Valuable⁠

Zac & Don discuss the human traits that might increase in value with the rise of AI and other technologies. They debate certain humans traits like: Trustworthiness, Having A Real Audience, Doing Real Things, Crafts People, Specializing, and more!

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There wasn’t exactly a booming economy for the kind of skillset that might land you a data analyst role at Deloitte. Now there is. The world has changed.
And because the world is going to keep changing, we thought it’d be interesting to write a list of skills and traits that are viewed as valuable now—but may cease to become valuable in the near future. Then we’ll speculate about some of the things that may increase in value over the next few decades.

This paragraph comes from quarter--mile.com. The essay is titled: "Trains That May Cease to Be Valuable." The authors are Carter Mark and Jordan Gonen. You can read the full essay here:

https://quarter--mile.com/Traits-That-May-Cease-to-Be-Valuable

Zac & Don discuss whether the rise of AI and other technologies will make certain human traits will become less important in the future. Some of the concepts they discuss are: Being Skinny, Traditional Intelligence, Manual Dexterity, Memorizing Skills, and more!

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"For decades, Nvidia employees have been sending notes known as T5Ts, or Top-5 Things—things they’re working on, things they’re thinking about, things they’re noticing in their corners of the business. And for decades, Jensen Huang has been reading them. All of them. “If you send it,” he says, “I’ll read it.” The founder and chief executive of Nvidia

This paragraph comes from the Wall Street Journal. The article is titled: "The Secrets of the Man Who Made Nvidia the World's Most Valuable Company." The article is written by Ben Cohen. You can read the full article here:

https://www.wsj.com/business/nvidia-jensen-huang-book-advice-b9794576

Zac & Don discuss the Top Five Things they are working on, thinking about, and noticing. They also discuss how Nvidia's CEO uses Top Five Things emails to run his company. Finally, Zac & Don invite their listeners to email in their Top Five Things.

Zac & Don want to know your Top Five Things! What are you working on, thinking about, and noticing?

Please email us here with your Top Five Things:

[email protected]