Intangible Podcast
Welcome to the Intangible Podcast. We sit with professional athletes, coaches and experts to uncover the intangible qualities that drive peak performance. Through our conversations we discover the strategies, mindset shifts, and hidden strengths that elevate athletes to new heights.
Intangible Podcast
Javon Patterson | How a 7th Round Pick Built a Legacy That Lasts
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Javon Patterson was a 7th round pick out of Ole Miss who started over 40 consecutive games in the SEC, tore his ACL two weeks into his NFL career, and still squeezed out four years in the league before walking away on his own terms. Now he is back at Ole Miss pouring into the next generation through financial literacy, life skills, and the kind of mentorship that nobody talks about on SportsCenter.
In this episode we get into the foundation his single mother built, what it really takes to earn trust as the center in the middle of an offensive line, how Devin Funchess three words mind like water helped him survive his darkest moment in the league, what young athletes in the transfer portal era are getting wrong about competition and development, and why his definition of success now is watching a young man set up his first LLC.
This one hits different. Real talk from a guy who played the game the right way and then figured out what comes next.
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Welcome back to Intangent Podcast. I'm here with my guy Javon, Javon Patterson. Javon, man, I'm excited to have you on the podcast. But before I start, I'm gonna kind of run through some of your quick highlights here, man. Javon was a seven-round draft pick uh in 2019 by the Indianapolis Colts. Played center. He was one of the one of those elite versatile guys, um, versatile big man, sweet feet. Um started over 40 consecutive games in the SEC for Ole Miss, team captain, all SEC performer. Um, man, I didn't even get a chance to become a captain. I left too early. Um, anyway, um, anyway, go ahead and smile, man. These are compositions.
SPEAKER_00He paved the way, man. You know, they at that time, man. They're probably trying to let the true seniors be captives, man. You had to go ahead and think about it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was uh it was all those seniors, man. Um but anyway, uh Javon went ahead and overcame uh uh ACL ACL injury. Uh he was known as one of those toughness guys, durability, and and one of those football IQ guys, man. Great leader, uh, great in the in the community. He was also um, you know, the guy who set the stage, you know, was one of the former centers, you know, like this this guy over here. You know, he set the stage with communication at that center position. Uh now he's back at Ole Miss, pouring back into all our young athletes there at Ole Miss, uh, being a you know a strong leader, mentor for our young athletes around financial literacy and making that transition. Javon, welcome to the Intangible Podcast, my friend.
SPEAKER_00Man, Chris, I appreciate it, man. It's an honor to be on here. Um, special thanks to you, my guy. You know, you paved the way for me, you know, and you know, my life and going through Ole Miss and looked up to you guys, man, through that time. You and Big Cat, man. So I appreciate y'all always for you know being those figures in my life. So I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Well, Javon, man, I you know, before I we like to get started, kind of going back, you know, knowing that you're a Mississippi guy, back to your foundation. Um, before before all SCC, before becoming a captain, you know, how did early on life shape you, man, as as to this this man that I see before me?
SPEAKER_00Man, you know, I I always go back to to my mom, man, as Shirley Patterson. Um growing up single from a single mother home, um, Shirley hold a lot of weight, man. They hold a lot of weight. Uh going back to her, man, just single family home, you know, the job she worked uh to take care of me and my brother. Um, you know, then looking up to him as he played football, then I got a chance to go and, you know, do do good things, man. But just show what she did for us, show what she did in the community. Um, and then just how she cared. I think that was the biggest thing, man, between her character, um, how strong she was, how she how she held herself together. Um, those things like that really hold true to my foundation, how how I grew up, how things went. My grandmother lived next door. Um, so just those, man. That's how I started, because you know, giving back to everybody, you know, saying um when you're serving others and good things happen, just doing out of a good heart. And so that's what that's how my foundation started. And going to football and hard work, toughness, not quitting, all those type of things. So that's what I would say my foundation. You know, somebody asked me that the other day, actually, and those that go back to that, Shirley Patterson, man. She was tough on me. Um, but taught me how to be, taught me how to be a man and things like that. So uh really hard respect for her and much love for her.
SPEAKER_01All right, man. Shout out to Miss Shirley. Miss Shirley, uh, you you raised a fine young man here. Um, so we thank you for that. Thank you to all my single moms that are out there that may be listening. Um, we know we as young athletes and young kids, we don't say it all the time, you know. But thank you. We love you. Uh, we wouldn't be here without you. So thank you. Thank you, Miss Shirley. Uh, Javon, what kind of kid were you, man? Man, you one of those, were you a bad kid? Were you a kick kid? Were you one of those sneaky kids, man? You know, it's all right, man.
SPEAKER_00The crazy part about it, Chris, I was actually a good kid. You know what I'm saying? It was just one incident, and I was just, I wasn't even a class clown. I had my boys who was a class clown. I just I got caught in the laughing at it. And I think from that day, my mom, my mom got a call from the teacher to be up. I said, Oh yeah, I can't be around y'all no more. No, I was always a good kid, man. I was just, I was just a kid, man. My mom always told me, when you go somewhere, leave a place better than you found it. Um, and I think, you know, those words are kind of big, but when when I left a room or a classroom or the practice field or playground, I wanted to be like, hey, that kid's Javon Patterson. He he's gonna do something. Um, he's making the place around him better. And I think from an early age that they kind of they kind of took place on me. So I was I was a decent kid, man. I was a decent kid. I ain't really getting the most trouble, man.
SPEAKER_01Do you think that's a that's a do you think that's an old lineman trait? Or you know, because I I feel like you know, a high percentage of our old linemen, you know, as kid was as a kid was a good kid.
SPEAKER_00No question. I think that is an old lineman trait, man. I think that's just the togetherness, bringing people along with you, making making yourself available. Um, things like that. I really think that's an old line trade, man. On top of the on top of the food that we, you know. I tell my granny all the time, man, you should have never gave me all them plates, you know, before everybody else got one. You know, that was a taste tester, man.
SPEAKER_01Hey, she saw the future, man. She saw the future. Let me go ahead and put this weight on you. Yeah. Well, um, let's talk about football growing up. You know, growing up there in Mississippi, football is a big thing, and it's, you know, where you can take out all of your frustrations and you know, whatever you may have going on in your life, or whether it's, you know, um, you know, it's trying to stay out of trouble, whatever it may be, you know. Uh, when did you start taking football serious, you know, for for you? And and when did you start to create this identity of, hey, I want to play football at that next level?
SPEAKER_00So growing up, my my brother, you know, singing family mom, they have all the resources and stuff. So my mom didn't let me play football until my brother got done with high school. So then that's when, because we're seven years apart. So at this time, I'm starting football probably in like the sixth grade. And so that's when I started, got a chance to really go in. But at this point, you know, you've been playing backyard football with your brothers and cousins, and you know, you know, you know, kind of seeing what you can do out there. So I get into this little league, I'm the I'm this big, fast kid. They like, hold up, man. He's running fast than some of our receivers out here. This ain't what it's supposed to be like. You know, so I went at that point I played nose guard, then finally in middle school, got into playing both ways. Um, and and by the time I got into middle school, you know, I took it seriously because I knew I, because I played football and basketball, but took it seriously to the point where, like, man, I can really be something because I'm playing O-line, I'm playing D-line, let me let me see what I want to do. You know, shout out to my guy Coach Buckley, man. The crazy story about it, Steve Buckley, who uh he was at Peddle with the Southern Myths, and then was at Jones Jillian College for a long time. He told me, hey, this crazy story. So I wrote a note to him, my eighth grade year, and he told me, he was like, hey man, uh, we want to bring you up to varsity, start bringing you to practice. I was like, hey man, I gotta, I gotta, uh, I gotta talk to my mom about that. She don't know about being up those big boys. I know I can fit in. So she was like, uh, so I wrote the note because Buck is like, hey, my mom gave approval, let's go through with it. So went through with it. Spring started going, he was like, hey, I'm gonna make you a center because you're gonna make a lot of money there one day. And little did I know, he was right all along. I'm like, hey man, I want to be a defensive end, I want to hit people. It's like you're gonna hit people on the O line. I'm so sure that at that point, you know, high school when you went to Apple later, you can play play left tackle. So I play left tackle, but eventually got the guard and center in college. But man, shout out to him for that. And you know, that's when I started taking it seriously when I when I could make that transition straight into Barsley from eighth grade. Um, you know, credit to him and Coach Hogan, man. They were great people.
SPEAKER_01Hey man, every O lineman goes through that, go through that phase where I want to be a D-lineman. And and and there's always a coach that's sitting back saying, okay, I'm gonna give you an opportunity, but guess what? Where you're gonna end up ultimately, you're gonna be on this side of the ball. Mike Justice, just a shout out to Mike Justice. He he was my high school coach, and I remember when I came in, he was like, uh, what do you want to play? And I said, uh, oh, I want to play D tackle. I'm a D-tackle coach. And he said, Okay, okay. First day of practice, I'm out there, I felt like I was doing my thing. And then he said, he looks over to our defensive coordinator, and his voice, this is his, this is my invitation of his voice. He said, he said, hey coach, I need to bar spens it for a minute. And I was like, oh boy. So he comes over, I go over, he draws up a play, and he's like, Hey, I need you to block down on this guy. And so uh I block down, take the the the the the three technique to the other side of the line, and running back breaks off, come right off of me, and he's he scores. And then he looks at the defensive coordinator, he said, he said, hey coach, he belongs to me now. And that was that was my last defensive snap. That was it.
SPEAKER_00Oh man, that's what's it's crazy how we thought that was gonna be the way, man, and it's shaped up the other way. Absolutely, crazy, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Well, Javon, you you know, you I'm thinking about, you know, fast forward to where you are right now as a as this leader and you know, being at Ole Miss and becoming a captain and all those different things. Um, you know, but if we look back growing up, you know, did you always look at yourself as one of the guys that people followed? Um, you know, was that something that you kind of grew into as a as a leader? Um, you know, because I think there's always a point in time where you you look up, you you can look back and say, you know, you know, I don't think I was trying to be anything, but people followed me. So, you know, what was that like for you growing up?
SPEAKER_00Um you know, it's it's kind of it's kind of crazy to, you know, like like the the foundation that my mom laid, man, you know, you wanted to make a difference in the room. So I think whenever I got to school and had my my clique of friends, I always wanted to be a different member. So like from your standpoint, it's not that I was just trying to be this leader, it just naturally became that became that that part of me. Um so at that point, just just taking hold to it, man, keeping bringing everybody around me. I just I always had positive energy. Like everywhere I went had a smile on my face. If something was wrong with me, like you, you would definitely know because I'd be in the in the doubt, you know what I'm saying? So I'm always like that, man, bringing people with me. Um, so that's that's kind of what laid that, man, just becoming a natural leader, you know, just bringing people with me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And and and obviously that showed up in the middle of the offensive line. So when you became that guy, you know, did you feel that when you became the guy to make it a cause, you the leader, did you feel that pressure of like making sure you didn't make mistakes and and doing everything the right way on and off the field? You know, how did you handle that kind of pressure?
SPEAKER_00Man, you know, you do you definitely feel the pressure of being in the middle, making sure everybody is, because at that point, man, if uh, you know, one person's off, the whole the whole offensive line's off. Um, so you know, but handling that, you know, you just go back to your training, man. You know, understanding preparation. Um, you know, the what the way I prepared, man, was how I was gonna play. You know, I mean, just that that's true holes of what we we was taught as an offensive line, but just how we prepared in life, you know, how we go throughout our day, how we go through through everyday skills, what we do and wake up, um, and just having a purpose. I think from a from an early age, just having a purpose on what I did throughout life and really understanding that each phase through high school, college, NFL, and now and now you know our college job, um, just understanding the purpose and being intentional about what you did.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. You know, I'm sitting there thinking about, uh, you know, thinking about an interview I saw with Coach Yo, Stephen A. Smith, I think it was, and they was talking about, you know, the perception of Ole Miss and all these different things. Uh, you know, we both black males, we both went to Ole Miss. You know, what made you choose Ole Miss as a school that you wanted to be at?
SPEAKER_00Man, you know, I get that question a lot. They be like, man, what made you choose Ole Miss? And you know, now I got a chance to be in these room with recruits and kind of tell them because like I said, both miss they get kind of this bad rep sometime, which actually Stephen A. Smith is coming to the game tomorrow versus LSU. The uh battery coach Yo got him on the court-sized seats, man, you know, to make sure he's good. So it'd be good to show them the city. But what made me come over this man, because it's playing it's playing here in Auburn, you know, shout out to Coach Malzon. He was a great, great recruiter, and you know, had Coach Luke and them two going back and back on me. Um, but man, what show is just the the family feel, the community feel. You know, growing up in a small town and pedal um and in that community, and then when I got the old miss, you know, and I tell people all the time, this is what I did. I took the coaches out. I walked around because we had two coaching, we had we had a coaching change. I took the coaches out, and that and that braced me for that moment we had, but walked around the square, walked around, drove around the city, and everywhere you went, you just felt like you was at home. And it's just the feeling that you get. You know, we kind of we kind of tweak these things out, and it means, truly means something. Home is home. But when you walk around this city, the people you talk is is really feel like a home type feeling. And overall, that's what people want me over, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, same, same for me, man. It was definitely that that family feel, the home feeling, you know, just feeling like when I left left, you know, home down in Madison and Florida, and to go to go to Oxford, it didn't feel like any different to me. And so uh so I can I can contest to that. Well, you you know, you you make your way to Oxford, you're there. Um, you start over 40 40 straight games in SEC, you know, you know, it that's not an accident. I mean, the doability, the consistency, you know, that it requires to do that, you know, you know, what did that how did you prepare yourself for those moments and how did you stay so consistent, you know, because it's there's it's not just luck. There's a lot of preparation that goes along with that to to play 40 straight starts in SEC. Man, SEC is it is man.
SPEAKER_00It's uh it's a battle, you know, and you know, this this this lead now is is kind of you know similar business type models to the NFL and who you play each week, but man, it just goes back to being a student of the game, you know, growing up, um, you know, shout out to Anthony Alfred, who was a person that I played under when we played pro baseball and um played at old miss and southern miss. But just looking up to guys like that, man. So when you look up to these guys and they kind of lay the foundation of what they're doing, do you get to college or you see the foundation that you know Larry McTonsell did, Fon Cooper, Justin Bale, um, you know, um Robert Kommodici, all those guys that when you got to school here laid the foundation of hard work and what it takes to be successful, um, they had the blueprint. Everybody has different different foundations and different different routes of where they want to be. Um, but just staying with that and having a group of guys, man, that wanted to win. Um, I think as an old line, you know, when you got a group of guys that want to be consistent, want to win. Um, the guys that I played with, you know, Sean Rollins, Jordan Sims, uh, Greg Little, Alex, Alex Givens, people like that, man, that played a bunch of games in SEC to be durable, I think it just takes a mindset. Um, so to go through and be consistent, taking care of your body, having guys like that, um, and then just the just the guys we play with, I think that makes a big part of the success that you have on the individually, but as a team too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You know, what does it really take to, you know, I don't know if we talk about this a lot, but what does it take to really earn the trust? Being the guy in the middle of the of the rest of the old line in the room where they're gonna follow you and lead you. Where you lead, they're gonna follow you and you leading them. You know, what does it take to really earn that trust?
SPEAKER_00The biggest thing, man, is just being accountable. Um, I think when you can look a person in the eyes and tell them the truth, but uh have love and and you know, uh tell them the truth about themselves. I think that takes a big piece of gaining trust because you know you want somebody that's wanting to make you better. And sometimes we don't like the truth all the time, but we need it. Um I think that's a big thing. A couple of experience we had, just people just needing the truth. Um and I think being a leader and telling people that um they kind of helped help that gain that trust in you guys knowing that they want the best for you, they want to win, um, and they're not just doing, you know, this this prick.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And how did you how did you balance it? Because I think there has to be a balance there, as you know, from a leadership standpoint, um, being a a vocal leader and being a lead a lead by example guy.
SPEAKER_00Um you know, it's kind of different because I wasn't this rah-rah yeller and all that type of stuff, but if it got down to it, we did. But I mean, just leading by example, man. Just just bringing people along with you, you know, you got the long days, long runs, long practices, you know, picking people up, um, telling them like, hey, this is what we need to do, how we need to do it, we need to stay after, we need to do this. So I think just leading by example and bringing people with you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, I get this all the time. It's like when, you know, they say, hey, you know, what position did you play in football? And you say center, and they say, Oh, you are one of the smart guys on the line. You're one of the smartest guys on the line. You know, um, why does that as a center, you know, why do why does why is that people's first reaction when they say center, not like, oh man, I see you mauling guys all you know, left left and right, you know, I mean, like, uh, but but the first thing they say, you you know, you're one of the smartest guys on the field, you know. Why why is that you think?
SPEAKER_00Man, I never really truly knew that answer. But if I'm thinking about it, I mean, I think just from the old days, people are like, man, the center is the guy who knows everything. They are the brains of the offense because they're the first person to touch the ball, first person to get the call, and make sure everybody else, because they can lead everybody else. So I think from that standpoint, that's why they say we're the brains of the uh the offense. And they after that, they never really see what goes on. You know, they may see the ball snapped and they may see a receiver or a running back, and that's what they all see. You know, they're gonna see the tackle who who keeps the keep them off. But as soon as we mess up, they're like, oh, that's gonna be good.
SPEAKER_01Back to back to the pressure, back to the pressure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So to be a to be a good center, I you know, I think some of the the intangibles and attributes you have to have is a communication style, leadership in thinking style. You know, when you think back to your your career being in that position, you know, what do you think your your communication style was and your thinking style? Or let me ask you in this way, you know, take us through like that. You know, you get a play, you you get a play, you have to communicate, and then you, you know, you have to process information quickly, you know, and then make sure everybody's on the same page. You know, take us a little bit through that process.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man. Um, you know, when I got the play as a center, making sure we huddle up, make sure everybody in the right, right uh position, but going through it, knowing the cadence, and then, you know, once that your preparation prepares yourself. You know, I mean, you go out there, you can see it, read the defense really well, uh, if you're in your playbook and all that type of stuff. But once I got that, got that, got the play front, now I know what now I know which call to make for the for the either the double teams we have for the protection we're in, and then from there, you know, just making sure we can adjust based off the the secondary emotion, anything like that. Um, but I I guess that's the biggest piece of just making sure that you can adjust to what's going on, you know what I mean? So that was kind of my mindset.
SPEAKER_01How fast is it happening?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, way faster than that. I mean, it happens in probably two or three seconds. As soon as you break the huddle, I mean, you looking, you know, so so things like that. It's a fast, fast moment. So it's faster than what we explain it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know, I think about the you know, my times and it's like that those split sackers where you're getting a play, your eyes are still kind of like scanning back over, just trying to see what defense they can bring it in. You're still trying to listen to the play, um, get the get the get the call. Now you're going up and you're trying to look at the defensive line, trying to see what they're, you know, are we in a three down, we're in a four down? All right, you know, where are my linebackers? Where are my safeties? You know, okay, I still got to remember the snap count. Okay, now I gotta, okay, I gotta make a mic point. Now I gotta get everybody in the right blocking scheme here. And then the ball snaps. That's a lot that's happening all at one time.
SPEAKER_02All about 15 seconds.
SPEAKER_01Right, right, right. And so that's why the the the question around earning the trust of the guys in the room, because they got to be able to trust you to be able to do that. Because ultimately, you know, like I used to tell my guys all the time, hey, if I make a bad call, as long as we all doing it, we all right. You know, and so it so it requires a level of trust that you have to have, you know, as a group. And that's why it's hard to, that's why it's always interesting now when you look at the transfer portal, you look at offensive linemen's that are shifted, shuffling around, moving in, you know, you know, what are you guys doing now? You know, I know you you probably still hang around. Oh, linemen, we we attract each other, so you still hang around. You know, what are you guys doing now to kind of help build that camaraderie of those groups? Because I still think that's that piece, that that group is one of the most important groups to be cohesive, you know, in the building.
SPEAKER_00Man, you know, people always talk about big men lead the way, man. So, you know, it's just taking those groups around, taking them, taking to go get something to eat, go chill out with them, either go do some some extra cardio with them, um, just understanding where their mindset is, uh, just knowing what they have because they are the heartbeat of the team. And just uh those are different exercises that we do that that we do with them. I know Coach Garrison does a really good job in the film world with them, but you know, just taking that extra piece and for people who've been there and done that, um, just just giving them little nuggets. And so many dudes, man, they they bigger than what I am, you know, bigger and talented than what I have, man. So I'm just I'm just landing out their phone so they can be better than me when I was in there. Um, so it's just it's just pretty cool to see at this level and you know, and where they're at in college athletics and to speak where they're see where they're going.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, absolutely. Well, Javon, we're gonna take a quick break here. We're gonna do a uh two-minute segment here. Let's give you some rapid fire questions um that just rip off the off the dome. Don't think too long about it. All right, here we go. The uh hardest the hardest SEC defensive tackle you faced.
SPEAKER_00Jeffrey Simmons. Ooh, ooh, Jeffrey Adahoff. Jeffrey Adahoff. I can't even lie to you. We have many battles in them days, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I get that. All right. Um, did you have a favorite O line call that you made?
SPEAKER_00Favorite O line call. Don't think long, man. Duo. That was it. Double teams. We can get two on one to the linebacker. That's hey, look.
SPEAKER_01Hey, as a sitter, hey, where's my help at? All right, here we go.
SPEAKER_00That's it. That's it.
SPEAKER_01Um, the loudest stadium you played in.
SPEAKER_00Loudest stadium I played in would have been Florida. Florida in 2015, freshman year. That was that was definitely one of the loudest stadiums. It was a true swamp experience, actually. Crazy at nighttime and just rain, fog everywhere. It's crazy work.
SPEAKER_01Man. All right. One trait every center must have.
SPEAKER_00Availability. Being available for us, guys.
SPEAKER_01There it is. There it is. The the O line that you play with. I want you to give me one word to describe that group. The S E C in one word. All right, last one for you. Your career in one word.
SPEAKER_00Blessed. I would say that it was a blessed career. I would say that every journey, the journey with the journey with that, man. It was all men who are men today.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's awesome. Well, Javon, I appreciate those, man. That was great. We're gonna jump back in here real quick here. You go on, you get drafted by the coach, and you know, you tear your ACL, you know, stuff like that happens. You know, take me through that that mental gymnastics. And have you had an injury that, you know, that in college that you felt like um, well, I guess you've had 40 straight starts, so probably probably not. So take me through that AC ACL tear and how did you handle that mentally?
SPEAKER_00Man, the ACL tear shaped my career for a bunch of reasons, man. That was my first real injury. Uh I had a sprained ankle and a shoulder surgery in college, but they didn't knock me out like the ACL did. Uh, two weeks before OTAs ended, man, I had torn my ACL on the uh it was contact. We uh I was I was engaged with a lineman, foot got stepped on, my knee went the other way. Um and at that point, you know, you're you're trained to get up, so it's kind of weird. You're trained to get right back up, keep going. Um, and I'm like, man, this I can't I can't get up. This is weird. So, you know, you start screaming, doing all that type of stuff, and you know, finally get it. But going to that trainer room, and I remember Coach Bal uh Chris Balor came in there and talked to me and said, Hey man, you're gonna be all right, you know, we're gonna take care of you. Um little did I know what that meant. Um so I went through the whole season with the with the coach on IR. Got a chance to be really uh in tune, go play uh the film room, do all the type of things and travel and all those types of things, man. So it was it was a great experience uh to take a chance to really get my body right too. Um, you know, at that point, you know, getting your body right, making sure what you eat, uh, body fat percentage, all that type of stuff. But I remember during that time, what helped me the most was two guys, man. One one just became a Hall of Famer, uh, Adam Vinateri. Uh man, it's just you look up to these guys, boy, you're like, dude, these guys are gonna kick so many field goals in the Super Bowl, but they just the regular dude. You know what I mean? Adam Mate to come over and chill, you can go to his ranch. Um, so I just I really thank him for those words and curses he gave me through his time. I think he was hurt that year too, which we spent a lot of time together. But then also Devin Funches, who played for the Carolina Panthers, um, and he was with me for a little bit. Um, three words he told me, man. It was mind like water. Um at the point I didn't know, I'm like, man, I don't know what that means, but what you talking about? You don't know what it means, but we're gonna go through it and um you know just making sure that you know it's gonna be highs and lows, man, but it's always gonna even back out. You know what I mean? And just stay back, you know, go go back to your course of what you was doing. Um, so I would say that that experience along with the coach training, the coach training staff, uh, really helped me and shaped me uh to where I was in my career at that time and you know, squeezed out another three more years, which is which is awesome.
SPEAKER_01Man, that's awesome. That's awesome. Now, I think I'm thinking about my injuries, and I think about how like the well, thinking about my first injury, you know, how does how did, you know, what does injuries teach you or injury, a injury, what does it teach you about your identity?
SPEAKER_00Man, it just it just teaches you of you're capable of doing more than what you what you actually can do. Because I mean you started from scratch. You know, sometimes you start from true scratch. I remember that whole process, man, is just and you're learning to take the small wins. You know, we as athletes, we get so rushed and get so, hey, how we gotta do this, get to this, get to there. Um, but it slows you down, man, and really teaches you a lesson. Uh so it took me to take the small wins, man, and don't take anything for granted. Um, especially with your body, your mind, uh, the people you around. Because I mean, that experience with the coach, man, that was the that was, I'll tell people all the time, that was my best experience I had. You know, I know I got drafted with them, but I mean, that was one of the best times in my career.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I mean, I I you know, I'm thinking about the my first injury when that that first moment in your head, you're thinking, oh my gosh, this can be over any point. I cannot come back from this injury. And that was the first time in my career that it, you know, having a major injury, I tore my labrum, um, and and having an injury like that, thinking, like, man, what what am I doing with my life if I mean I'm just I'm just now starting. Did you did you have a moment like that when you had that injury?
SPEAKER_00Man, as soon as I got back in, I'm like, dog, I'm I'm fresh into it, freshly drafted. I'm like, man, this is just why me? Why I'm like, dude, this is this is wild. I did. So I had that moment um and and quickly had guys around me that's been through it. Called a couple of guys who's tore theirs and just quickly started re-going back to my foundation. But we can't we can do this. Let's let's get through it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it it it's fleeting because you know what's there, but it it comes and it when it hits you in a wave of like, oh man, I don't know if I can what I do, what am I doing with my life? Um now you you're you're you're around a lot of young players and and you've gone through it yourself. You know, what do you think young players uh what do you think they don't understand about the business of the NFL?
SPEAKER_00Man, the biggest thing that you see is is there's nobody that's gonna baby you, man. There's nobody gonna baby you. Um you know, you you're a man, um, and that man is capital. You know, you're you're not a little boy anymore. So uh just understanding that everything that you do is being watched. Um, you're on a time basis. You're not on your own time anymore. You're on a time basis. Um, and what you do within that time really matters. Um, you know, and you're getting you're getting treated like it. You know, you see you see Dion with the the finding systems and and things like that, man. It's just true to what they what they do now. That's the that's the biggest thing is you know, you start hurting them pockets. You know, start getting real. You know what I'm saying? Exactly.
SPEAKER_01Um the money is it ain't it's not always gonna be there. So you want to be able to do that. I remember one time, man.
SPEAKER_00I was like uh my last workout of summer. I was like, man, I ain't never gotta worry about nobody being late again, and it's gonna affect me. I said next time it's gonna be somebody getting I used to hate doing them up downs, man.
SPEAKER_01Bro, that would just be the worst. We had a couple of guys who would show up late. We had this one guy, he would show up late all the time, man. And we would stand there. Ruben Mendoza would make us get in the circle. He would put him in the circle, the guy who was late, he wouldn't have to do the up downs, and we would do the up downs, and he would just stand there and watch. I never understood that. I never understood that.
SPEAKER_00At least at least Cole J, man. We got in the circle and they did double while we did one, but it was like, man, if you had like four guys, that's a hundred up downs before the hard run. I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And it was and it was always a hundred.
SPEAKER_00Telling you. It's like, bro, y'all couldn't have done nothing else, man, on the day we ain't heaven.
SPEAKER_01I know. That's true. I didn't even think about that. That fine system, it definitely changed the game where I don't have to worry about doing punishment for somebody else being late or not making their wait.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, now, you know, I want to talk a little bit, make a little transition to a trans to your transition. You transition out of football and you're trying to figure out what those next steps are. You know, how how difficult was that transition? Um, because it's, you know, no matter what, we we kind of we try to get into a place where we can bounce back and get back on our feet, but there is a little struggle through that transition. How was your transition um through the through that that transition out of football?
SPEAKER_00Man, so uh my transition was a lot different than a bunch of guys, and I try to be there for a bunch of my teammates. Um, you know, so when I was in school, you know, you read all those accolades, but the ones that really stood the most was like the SEC committees that I was on, the Instablate committees that I was on. Um and what I did in school when I knew I was gonna be a top athlete as well, really, really hold true to me. So when I got done, got done playing, I remember like day, man. I was uh we squeezed out the two more, the three more years. My last year I was on and off with the Broncos, right? So I was I was seven months, I was seven weeks with them, got cut, tried out for a bunch of teams, and then um I was like, man, let me go back and start doing what I need to do. So started kidding up, Kiev, hit you up, hit up a lot of people, man, and just trying to get back into that network. And so from there, I'm trying to figure it out. But I got a call back to the Broncos probably about a week before Christmas. You know, I remember laying in Nashville. And so I went back and did it. I finished out them two weeks with them, and I called my agent that last game, and I'm like, man, I'm at this point now where football isn't fun anymore. And at that point I knew. Um, you know, they asked me to come back and be in the futures and all that type of stuff. It'll say I got cut, but I remember talking to them and I was like, hey man, I'm to that point where they tell you that if football's not fun anymore, it's time to step away. Um so I told them that. I was like, hey man, I go take care of somebody else. I appreciate the opportunity. This has been great, but I'm gonna go do some other things. And I remember walking out of there, man, and just such a relief, such a peace, and knew that for me personally, I finished what I wanted to do. Because I got a chance to play a couple games with the Browns in my second year, which was awesome, coming back from the ATL. Um, so after that, I got a chance to walk away from it. And so that transition for me was a lot easier than most athletes because I left it at peace. You know, so I didn't get cut, never got a chance not to go back. Back for all time, man. You want to go play XFL? I was like, man, I was done with it. I was done with the game. I didn't want to do it anymore. I didn't have to chase for it. I had an opportunity that, you know, when I was in school, did the right things, and the journey took care of itself.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's awesome. Well, you you're back now at Ole Miss, and you know, through that, through that journey, you're back at Ole Miss, you're in a different role. Um how special is it for you to be back there pulling back into a lot of young young men that you get to be around day in and day out?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man, it's it's a it's truly incredible, man. Um, just being back at the place that moted me, that helped me. Um, you know, I was sitting and talking with our uh uh Dr. Saxon the other day about life skills with the with the football players um and and how we're getting getting into that stuff, man, it started sort of juiced me up, man. Like, man, this is what we we're here for. I mean, we're here for a business, too. Like these kids are here to win and we're here to make uh do stuff for the school as well. But to see that, see to see them get back in the network and see them do things, because football doesn't always last long. Um it's great to be able to pour back into those guys, man, because you never know when your last snap's gonna be. So it's just been great, man, to see the transition, see the guys be better. You know, just just talk to Diego Pounds the other day, you know, me and him comparing 40s and stuff, and you know, got got side stuff going on, man. It's just cool to have those relationships with those guys, man, and know, you know, that they once looked up to you, you know what I'm saying? I was a seventh-round pick, but those guys may be day two guys, you know what I'm saying? So just seeing those guys and and pouring back into them, telling how they can be better, getting them ready for the next level, um, and just giving them little nuggets, man. It's a special truth, true feeling.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Being in this area with the transfer portal and things are moving at warp speed right now, you know, what is it, you know, what do you think most young players struggle with now, you know, in the in this new this new era that we're in?
SPEAKER_00I think the biggest thing they struggle with, man, is just finding somewhere where they can grow. You know what I mean? Too many guys get caught up in not being developed or looking at playing time and and different things. They get caught up in in the hype. I think that's the that's the that's the worst part of the business. Because back then, man, if you were that dude, you played first year. You know, I played as a true freshman. Um, but you had some guys that played as a as a as a red shirt freshman and they played two years and were gone, you know, but they were developed. I think people get lost to the fact of being developed and not being comfortable, you know, and not get the competitor in you, but not being okay with taking a step back and competing. You know what I'm saying? I think that's the big, big word that people get lost. What does it truly mean to compete? You know what I'm saying? And that means, hey, I'm gonna I'm gonna outwork this guy, I'm gonna do everything I can to the best of my ability to win the earning spot, and we can we can go back and forth. I think that's what gets lost in this this transfer for a bunch, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, man. Key word compete. I mean, and that's competing with the guy in front of you, competing with yourself. I mean, it's that's just that's where true development lies. Yeah, is how we compete day in and day out.
SPEAKER_00And it and it sets them up, man. It's not failure, but it sets them up for just not the path that they should be on because now you're looking at an easy way out every time. You know, I'm saying, oh, I know I can go here and play. Oh, I know I can do this, you know, just different stuff like that, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, man. It's it has to be tough for them though. I mean, when you have opportunities, kind of move around, you know, you're gonna look at what's you know, what's best for me as a person. Um, you know, and and with all this, all these different distractions, the thing that you just mentioned is the thing that we still miss, even when you're trying to look out for what's best for me as a person, it's man, development, competing. Okay, because you can jump to the next place and still not get developed. Right, right. You know, so um so that being said, when you are in, when you're talking about development, you're in this time where these guys are you guys are so busy, so much going on, you know, especially with you know the your class schedules, NIL, you know, your obligations and you know, fundraising obligations, you know, how are you guys really, you know, using the time and maximizing these young athletes' time on teaching them life skill while they're in your building?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man. So we got we got a good group going on with uh some coaches and you know, Tom loose a great piece in that, and then uh Dr. Saxon and her SRE to program. And man, just getting together and how can we be efficient? As an athlete, you want to be efficient with your time and you want to you want to get the most of. They don't they don't like to sit through hour-long presentations, but what can we do in 20 minutes? You know what I'm saying? They can get them up. What nuggets can they take in different segments? Um, so just different things like that, man, and and just incorporate it into their to their meetings and different things they got to do. Um, and then in this new age of money making, man, what what can we do to set you up for life after football? You know what I'm saying? We can look you with, you know, Chris Spencer or Cuba Dead with real estate or you know, this XYZ person, man. It's just finding those key things to help you do the things that you want to do on top of being being a ball player. Because as right now they're at an early stage and a lot of money are coming in, but you know, we got some smart guys, man, that are doing some good things.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, I think it kind of leads right into my next question. It's just like, what do you what do you think young athletes need to be thinking about and preparing themselves, you know, outside of outside of football, outside of sports, you know, because again, you know, you didn't think your career was going to be done that fast, you know, even playing 10 years, it was it was over quickly, you know. And so, you know, how how how do you think young athletes should be thinking about, you know, the the preparation beyond football or beyond sports?
SPEAKER_00I think, man, the preparation for them, man, is just is just understanding their purpose in life outside of football, you know what I'm saying? And how can you use that platform to help you do things in life that you necessarily couldn't do if you didn't play football? You know what I mean? I mean, it's a true statement. Um, just understanding your value, how do you use those assets you have, um, and different things like that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I mean, you you um you're big on, you know, with the mentoring and and big on, you know, the the uh financial literacy piece of things. You know, why does that why does that mean so much to you and why you get so geeked up and excited to to share share some of those that knowledge with a lot of the young athletes you're around?
SPEAKER_00Man, I I I'm geeked up because it it excites me when they can be better than what I did, man. And they're excited about life and doing things and and getting through the hustle, getting through the grind, um, and then seeing them succeed, man. I was looking at some inspirational stuff on Instagram today, man. You know, part of our dream is seeing somebody else win as well, because you want winners in your circle. You know, if I'm winning, Chris is winning, man. If Chris is winning, I'm winning. Just different things like that, man. So you just try to find people that's going to the same place you go. I know it's cliche, but if you find those type of people, man, usually people, your your city start to be successful when you're doing that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Do you think about this now? You you're you're in this, you, you, you're around so many young men now, and and they're and they're successful in the sense of, you know, they they're landing NIL deals, they got branding opportunities, they're getting the education, you know. But what what is what does real success look like for you now, you know, for these young men?
SPEAKER_00Man, the real success for me, man, is just uh seeing them when they set up an LLC or when they set up a real estate property or when they're uh making smart decisions on cars, you know what I'm saying, on used cars and different things like that, man. I think those things are the really successful moments that you see. Um and seeing how they make a difference. Because most of these kids, they you know, one guy came up fresh into the transfer, like, hey man, how can I get to the boys and girls club? You know, getting them connected with the SRE department, just different things like, man, just seeing the success that they do that and just knowing that it's just genuine, you know what I mean? And when they come to you and they're like, hey, JP, you know, I'm trying to get a truck, man. You know, who can who can I get hooked up with? You know, uh, won't this be one of my best purchases that I do? You know, just different things like that, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, that's awesome, man. Well, man, we're getting close to wrapping this thing up, but I got a couple more questions for you. When you think about your legacy, and I and I hope you're there forever and a lot of different roles, you know, but what kind of impact do you want to leave, you know, if if if and when you do leave Ole Miss?
SPEAKER_00Man, the impact that's big for me, man, is just knowing that JP was uh big. Somebody told me this quote a long time ago, man. Uh, your biggest ability is availability. You know, knowing JP was available, knowing he was uh responsive, uh, but knowing he cared about not only the university that he works for, um, but everybody around him. You know what I mean? Yeah. What he did to make athletics better, make the children better around him, um, and things like that. That's what I want over the memory of.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Well, JP, I'm gonna ask you a uh a deeper question here. Um when you go back and think about, you know, your younger self, you had to go back and talk to your, you know, 14, 15-year-old self, you know, what would you tell him?
SPEAKER_00Man, 14, 15-year-old self, what would I tell him? I would tell him that. Wow, that's deeper, but I I do know the answer to it. I'm trying to put in that word. I guess the the biggest thing is I'm looking at something that that everything is already written. Uh, don't try to rush it, don't try to do everything, just be where your feet are and you know, enjoy the moments that you have. And you know, people talk about that, but truly enjoy the moments that you're in and build that time up around you. Um so when you know you put that work in at 24 hours in that day, that the next day you know you're working towards something greater.
SPEAKER_01Man, that's good. That's good. Be where your feet are. Well, JP, um, my last question for you. We always have to end it on an intangible question. Um when you think back to your think back over your life, think about you know, your growing up, childhood, and you know, making your way to old mess and then, you know, to the pros and then back to old mess, to the man you are today. What are those intangibles that have made you who you are?
SPEAKER_00Man, the tangibles that made me through I am, man. Um I was there just being a great communicator, uh being resilient, um, and patience. I think uh sometimes in this business, you know, a lot of fast moving as aspects and athletics um in life, um, but just patience. I think that's the that's the one biggest piece on top of those other two that I talked about, being patient.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, man, that's awesome, man. It's so good to see that, you know, you know, my brother here has gone from being a voice in the huddle to being a voice of these young men life. Man, I appreciate you and appreciate the support you give me when I come back to Ole Miss. Um, I thank you for all the work that you're doing, and it's you know, it's so good to see some of our young athletes thriving uh under your tutelage. And so, you know, keep doing the good work, man, keep up the good fight, and um, you know, I appreciate you joining Tangible Podcast, my friend.
SPEAKER_00Man, no doubt. Appreciate your Chris has been honest, man.
