How do NFL teams really build championship rosters?

This week, The Monarchists sit down with ODU football pioneer and Philadelphia Eagles Vice President of Player Personnel Charles Walls for an incredible conversation about football, leadership, scouting, roster construction, and the journey from the very first ODU football team to helping build Super Bowl champions.

Charles shares stories from ODU's early days under Bobby Wilder, working alongside Taylor Heinicke, Thomas DeMarco, Nick Mayers, Ronnie Cameron, and Deron Mayo, breaking into the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, learning from some of the league's top executives, and eventually helping the Eagles build one of the NFL's premier rosters.

We also dive into:

🏈 How NFL scouting actually works

🏈 What teams are really looking for in prospects

🏈 Transfer Portal & NIL impacts on NFL evaluations

🏈 Eagles Super Bowl championship culture

🏈 Lessons from Green Bay, Cleveland, and Philadelphia

🏈 ODU's rise from startup program to national brand

🏈 The future of roster building in college football

This is one of the most fascinating football conversations we've ever had on The Monarchists.

If you love football, scouting, leadership, team building, the NFL Draft, or ODU Football, this episode is for you.

🔵 Subscribe for more ODU Football, ODU Basketball, and Monarch Athletics coverage.

#ODU #OldDominion #PhiladelphiaEagles #NFLDraft #NFLScouting #CharlesWalls #ODUFootball #TheMonarchists

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:00 Why Charles Chose ODU Over Kent State

02:45 Life on ODU's First Football Team

07:00 Building a CAA Powerhouse

08:00 ODU Players Who Don't Get Enough Credit

10:00 Transitioning from Player to Coach

12:00 The Conversation That Changed Everything

13:30 Breaking Into the NFL with Green Bay

18:30 Career Growth & Lessons for Young Professionals

21:30 Why Relationships Matter in Football

24:30 What NFL Scouts Really Do

25:15 Inside an NFL Draft Cycle

28:15 How Teams Handle Scout Disagreements

30:00 Evaluating Character in the Transfer Portal Era

32:30 Why the Transfer Portal Isn't All Bad

36:00 The Hidden Work of NFL Scouting

38:30 Scouting ODU Legend Rick Lovato

40:30 Life on the Road as an NFL Scout

42:00 Charles' Favorite Concert & Jay-Z Story

44:00 Winning a Super Bowl with Philadelphia

45:30 Could NFL Roster Building Work in College Football?

47:00 Why Charles Always Gives Back to ODU

49:00 Seeing SB Ballard Stadium for the First Time

50:30 Rapid Fire Questions

56:45 Final Thoughts & Go Monarchs

ODU Football head coach Ricky Rahne joins The Monarchists to talk spring ball, the importance of summer development, recruiting camps, roster retention, NIL/revenue sharing, offensive line progress, and why Monarch fans should embrace the team in front of them right now.

Coach also explains why summer workouts shape the heart and soul of a football team, what ODU looks for during camps, how player leadership develops in June and July, and why the best days of college football can still be ahead.

Plus: golf tournament stories, Coach Snodgrass praise, honest recruiting insight, and a surprise wrestling detour at the end.

Subscribe, like, comment, and share with Monarch Nation.

Go Monarchs!

Chapters

00:00 Intro & ODAF shoutout

01:00 Spring ball recap: 15 practices, not 16

02:35 Offensive line progress

04:00 Coach Snodgrass and the importance of summer development

06:45 ODU Football golf tournament

09:50 Football camps and players coaching campers

12:45 What makes a successful summer?

16:20 NCAA recruiting calendar and rule complexity

19:15 What ODU evaluates at camps

23:05 What can be taught vs. what traits are harder to change

25:25 Recruiting measurables and why height exaggerations hurt players

29:25 NIL, revenue sharing, recruiting, and roster retention

34:00 Post-camp evaluations and offer decisions

35:45 Evaluating camp data and long-distance campers

37:00 How ODU treats every camper

38:25 New offensive line coaches

40:45 What ODU fans should do before the season

41:45 “The good old days are never coming back”

44:00 Bonus wrestling talk with Coach Rahne

47:00 Coach Rahne thanks The Monarchists

48:00 Go Monarchs

Monarch Nation… this one belongs in the ODU Hall of Fame.

Taylor Heinicke finally joins The Monarchists Podcast and delivers an all-time conversation that every Old Dominion fan needs to hear. From the real recruiting story that brought him to Norfolk, to getting thrown into the fire against ranked UMass, to 730 yards in one afternoon, to JMU heartbreakers (for them), to NFL playoff chaos, Busch Light fines, and the moment he knew it was time to walk away from football — nothing is off limits.

This episode is raw, hilarious, emotional, and deeply Monarch-proud. Taylor reflects on:

- The improbable moments that built ODU Football

- His relationship with Thomas DeMarco, Larry Pinkard, and teammates

- Life-changing NFL moments (including that Tampa Bay playoff game)

- Why he’s retiring — and why Virginia Beach is home next

- And yes… the full Busch Light plane story 🍺😅

If you love Old Dominion. If you lived those early ODU Football seasons. If you still get chills thinking about JMU, New Hampshire, or Washington vs Tampa…

👉 This episode is for you.

🎙️ The Best — and ONLY — ODU Podcast

👑 Be a Monarchist. Join The Pride.

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 – Presented by The Pride of ODU

1:00 – Taylor Heinicke finally joins The Monarchists

3:05 – The real story of how Taylor ended up at ODU

6:45 – Late recruiting chaos & betting on himself

9:35 – Arriving as a freshman & the Oregon-style offense

12:40 – Thomas DeMarco injury & getting thrown into the fire vs UMass

16:30 – Campus fame, Heineke shirts & pre-NIL madness

19:05 – 730 yards vs New Hampshire (and surviving the heat)

23:00 – Punting, fake punts & Kevin Byard ending it

26:40 – That JMU scramble + Larry Pinkard catch

31:20 – Transitioning ODU from FCS → FBS

35:30 – Favorite ODU moment (it’s not his play 👀)

38:30 – Wild off-field team stories

41:00 – Golf talk (yes, a lot of golf talk ⛳)

43:45 – Lowest moment → NFL comeback mindset

46:10 – Washington playoff game vs Tom Brady

48:55 – Taylor announces his retirement 🏈❤️

51:40 – Taylor’s message to Monarch Nation

52:55 – Go Monarchs 👑

CB and Gary recap the 2026 season with Coach Finwood. Finny gives us a behind the scenes view of the exit interview process and a stadium update. The guys will be back in June for a recruiting update.

CB and Gary recap a series win over JMU and reveal Players of the Week. Then a quick preview of the Sun Belt Baseball Tournament before the fellas head off to Montgomery.

Darin Kuskie and Nick Sulpizio join to recap a series win over #8 Coastal Carolina. CB, Gary and Coach Finwood look ahead to the final series against JMU and who you should root for this weekend.

CB and Gary recap and SBC series win and a week with two walk off victories. Brody Connors and Maddox Jack hop on to tell their ODU story.

CB, Gary and Coach Finny recap the Georgia State series, including the gut wrenching loss on Sunday. The guys look ahead to the final 9 SBC games of the year and what ODU needs to do to make the tournament.

CB, Gary and Coach Finny recap a 4-0 week with a sweep of Georgia Southern. Monarch outfielders TJ Aiken and Nick Felton hop on to talk about the weekend, Nick's walk off win and what's considered the south.

RHP JJ Gatti joins this week, fresh off this third consecutive strong start. CB, Gary and Coach Finny recap a 2-2 week and look ahead to a big weekend series with Georgia Southern