Behind the Blueprint: The Architects of College Football

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, we’re joined by Sam Popper, Associat General Manager at San Diego State. Sam shares how college football’s evolving GM role is changing roster construction, player evaluation, retention, and recruiting, and why the best programs often succeed by doing the basics really well. We also dig into the role of data and AI in player identification, revenue sharing,...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, we’re joined by Cameron Borges, Director of Player Personnel at Brown University. Cameron takes us inside how Brown evaluates talent, from film and physical traits to academics, competitiveness, character, and overall fit. We also discuss roster construction, the transfer portal, retention, and why the Ivy League is playing some of its best football right n...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Matt Gaynor, Director of Player Personnel at New Mexico State, to break down what roster building looks like in today’s college football landscape. We talk about the shift from traditional high school recruiting to a portal-driven model, why retention has become more important, how Matt evaluates players beyond the measurables, and how NIL h...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Adrian Manning,Assistant Director of Scouting at K-State, to take a closer look at the people, processes and decisions that go into building a successful college football program. We discuss his journey through the personnel space, how roster construction and player evaluation have evolved, and what it takes to identify the right players and...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Caleb Davis, San Diego State’s first-ever general manager, to talk about what it really takes to build a championship roster in the new era of college football. We get into why fit matters more than simply chasing the highest-rated talent, how retention has become just as important as recruiting, and where the transfer portal, NIL and revenu...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with North Texas Assistant General Manager/Director of Scouting. Jarae Thurmond to explore what really goes into building a college football roster in today's rapidly changing landscape. We discuss why relationships matter more than recruiting rankings, how he evaluates prospects beyond the highlight tape, the role analytics and NIL play in moder...

In this episode, we sit down with Tyler Wrice, the first-ever GM at South Dakota State, to break down his unconventional path from high school coach to leading roster strategy at the FCS level. Tyler shares how evaluating raw movement and long-term development at the high school level shaped his approach to talent identification, and what changed when he stepped into a role defined by urgency, ros...

In this episode, I sit down with DJ Mann to unpack his journey from Texas high school head coach to Director of Offensive Player Personnel, and how that path shaped his eye for talent. DJ shares the mindset shift required to jump to the college level, why scheme fit often outweighs star rankings, and the intangibles that separate good players from great ones. The conversation dives into the realit...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I chat with Colton Korn, Director of Player Personnel and General Manager at Liberty, to unpack his journey from unpaid intern delivering pizzas to leading roster construction at the Group of Five level. Colton shares how sleeping under a desk during his early days at Coastal Carolina shaped his work ethic, and how learning organization and communication at...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I chat with Albert Garcia, Director of Recruiting Strategy & High School Personnel at Stanford, to unpack his journey from learning talent evaluation at Houston and Fresno State to building three straight top-40 recruiting classes at Stanford. Albert shares how mentors like Bobby Merritt and Marcus Tubbs shaped his approach to spotting traits that translate...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I chat with Bryan Filker, Director of Recruiting Operations, to unpack his rapid rise through multiple recruiting and personnel roles at SMU. Bryan shares how starting in the transfer portal grind shaped his understanding of roster building, while deeper involvement with recruits helped him discover the importance of relationships beyond evaluation. He also...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Nick Valente, Director of Player Personnel at Campbell, to talk about his journey from an undergraduate recruiting assistant at UConn to leading a department of his own. Nick shares how early hands-on experience and mentorship under GM Eddie Herndon shaped his approach, along with the biggest differences between recruiting at the FBS and FCS...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Mason Behiel to break down how Tulsa reimagined the transfer portal with the creation of the Portal House. Mason shares how the idea came together, why operating out of a shared house created a real competitive advantage, and how the environment helped both staff efficiency and player evaluation. He also explains why culture and authenticity...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Owen Hoehn, Director of Player Personnel at Central State, to explore what roster building looks like at the Division II level. Owen shares how taking on real responsibility at a young age has shaped his approach to recruiting, evaluation, and retention, and why relationships matter even more when resources are limited. He also breaks down h...

Up next on Behind the Blueprint, I chat with Jax Egan, EKU’s Director of Player Personnel, about his journey from Kansas to Eastern Kentucky and how he’s approaching recruiting, evaluation, and building a culture in today’s college football landscape. From developing high school talent to navigating the transfer portal and retention strategies, Jax breaks down what it takes to build a winning prog...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with West Virginia GM Chuck Lillie for a deep dive into how modern roster building really works. Chuck walks through everything from high school evals and portal strategy to NIL value, player retention, and the competitive DNA he looks for in every prospect. His path through Oklahoma, Kansas State, Clemson, and even the New York Giants shaped a u...

Jonny Camer went from analyzing NFL prospects as a writer to leading scouting at Air Force. In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, he shares how mentorship, creativity, and a focus on character and potential drive his approach to evaluating talent — and what fans don’t see behind the scenes of building a roster. We're proud to partner with Coach Portal. Built by coaches for coaches, Coach Portal...

Coming full circle, Beca Perez is back where it all started—San Jose State. After stops at Army and Stanford, she’s returned to her alma mater as Director of Recruiting, bringing a wealth of experience and perspective from some of the most unique programs in college football. In our conversation, Beca shares what she’s learned about building relationships, finding players who fit both the culture...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Silas Clapham, Director of College Scouting at the University of Washington. From his early days at Nevada to leading scouting efforts in the Big Ten, Silas shares what it’s been like navigating the evolving world of recruiting, NIL, and player retention — and how he’s grown into a leadership role early in his career.

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Prairie View A&M Director of Player Personnel, Josh McDade, to talk about his journey from Division III player to building and leading a player personnel department. We dive into how his playing and coaching background shapes his approach to evaluation, the importance of relationships in recruiting, and how Prairie View’s “Blueprint” defines...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Darren Kagey, Assistant Director of Football Research at Miami (OH). We talk about his path from student analytics assistant to his current role, how he’s driving efficiency in recruiting and roster management, and why analytics today goes far beyond just 4th-down calls. Darren also shares how data is changing the transfer portal game and wh...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Adrian Manning, Grambling State’s Director of High School Recruiting and Player Personnel. We talk about why relationships still drive recruiting, how he uses Grambling’s storied legacy to connect with athletes, and the way he evaluates toughness and character beyond measurables. Adrian also shares his perspective on development in the NIL e...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Andrew Morgan, Assistant Director of Football Recruiting at the University of Idaho. Andrew shares how his time at Arizona shaped his approach to talent evaluation, blending data, film, and character assessment to build strong rosters. We also talk about why relationships matter more than ever in the transfer portal era, how Idaho is staying...

On the next episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Matthew Solomon as he begins his first season with Nevada as a player personnel intern. We discuss his transition from Rice to the Mountain West, how he evaluates talent across high school, JuCo, and the transfer portal, and the lessons he’s carried over from agency scouting. Matthew also shares how building analytic models at Rice shape...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Wisconsin’s Director of Player Personnel, Ethan Russo. From his early days at Rice and Utah to leading departments at UNLV and North Texas, Ethan has seen it all and each stop shaped his approach to roster building. We talk about navigating the NIL and transfer portal era, the importance of retention, and what it really takes to build a sust...