Behind the Blueprint: The Architects of College Football

Next on Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Mike Kershaw, the General Manager at Kennesaw State. After years as a coach, including a stint as head coach at Mississippi College, Kershaw has stepped into one of college football’s fastest-evolving roles. We talk about roster management in the NIL era, the importance of speed in today’s game, and what fans don’t see during the chaos of transfer port...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I chat with Hunter Sims, the General Manager at Old Dominion. From starting out as a student assistant and high school coach to working at Troy and Tulane, Hunter shares how his journey shaped his approach to personnel and player development. We dive into how he balances recruiting, retention, and NIL in today’s game, why character matters more than measura...

Next on Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Courtney Weiner, Director of On-Campus Recruiting at Navy. From her start as a student worker at Elon, to Columbia, and now to Annapolis, Courtney shares how each stop shaped her approach to recruiting. We talk about making every visit impactful, the unique challenges of recruiting at a service academy, and why relationships are at the core of her work...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Jeremiah Wait, Director of Defensive Personnel and NFL Liaison at SMU. We talk about SMU’s rise into the ACC, how the program has built strong recruiting pipelines in Texas, and why retention has become a key strength in today’s transfer era. Jeremiah also shares lessons from his mentors, what he looks for in defensive players, and his philo...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Arizona General Manager Gaizka Crowley to discuss his unique path from football technology into building rosters at the college level. We talk about how his experiences across the FCS, Group of Five, and Power Four have shaped his approach to recruiting and roster construction. Gaizka also shares how technology, analytics, and NIL are influe...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I talk with CJ Olson, Vanderbilt’s Director of Salary Cap Management. CJ shares how his unique mix of data analysis, legal work, and player personnel experience is shaping how Vanderbilt navigates today’s complex college football landscape. We dig into how he balances analytics with contracts, supports coaches, and adapts to the NIL and transfer portal era.

In the next episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Mike Rittelmann, Director of Player Personnel and Scouting for the College Gridiron Showcase. For nearly a decade, Mike has been helping identify hidden gems across all levels of college football—FBS to D3, even international players—and putting them in front of NFL, CFL, and other pro teams. We talk about how CGS finds under-the-radar t...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I talk with Trey, who’s carved a unique path from playing at Duquesne to shaping Pitt’s roster as a key player personnel expert. We dive into how his varied experiences, from NCAA internships to Group of Five hustle, inform his approach to recruiting, evaluating talent, and balancing high school recruits with transfer portal players. Trey also shares insigh...

In this Behind the Blueprint episode, I sit down with Mason Yellico, Director of Scouting at Utah, to talk about his rise from laundry duty at Oklahoma State to leading evaluations for a Power Four program. He shares how he balances high school recruiting with the transfer portal, why competitiveness tops his list of must-have traits, and how analytics and relationships shape Utah’s success. It’s...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I chat with Darnell Duckett, Director of Player Personnel at the University of North Dakota. We dive into his journey from playing and coaching at Salisbury to scouting in the NFL with the New York Jets, and now leading operations and recruiting at the FCS level. Darnell shares how he's applying pro-level structure to the college game, what he looks for in...

In the next Behind the Blueprint episode, I sit down with Derek Cronenwett, Director of Player Personnel at ULM. In today’s ever-changing college football landscape, few roles are more challenging, or more important, than the DPP. Derek shares his journey from student assistant at Kansas State to helping build the Warhawks’ roster, and how adaptability, relationships, and finding overlooked talent...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Justin Apodaca, Scouting Specialist at Louisiana Tech, to talk about his unique path from covering Texas Tech on the media side to evaluating talent at the college level. Justin shares how he balances high school recruiting with portal strategy, leans on analytics to maximize efficiency, and emphasizes scheme fit when building a roster. We d...

In this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Abe Seldowitz, Director of Scouting Strategy at Tennessee Tech, to discuss what it really takes to build a successful program behind the scenes. Abe shares his approach to evaluating talent beyond the measurables, the role of character in recruiting, and how alignment across staff leads to better results. We also get into the tools he uses t...

In the next episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Andrew Warsaw—Associate Athletic Director, NIL General Manager, and Football Chief of Staff at USF. We unpack how he’s helping the Bulls build a sustainable NIL strategy that’s more than just buzzwords. From roster management to long-term vision, Warsaw shares what it really takes to lead a college football program through this new era.

On the next episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Steve Bailoni to discuss the differences in recruiting and evaluation between Power 4 and FCS football programs. Steve shares how schools balance high school recruiting with transfer portal strategy, and why competitive toughness is a key trait he looks for in prospects. He also gives a behind-the-scenes look at how alignment, trust, and...

On this episode of Behind the Blueprint, I sit down with Wes Drake, Director of Player Personnel at North Texas, to talk about his fast rise through the recruiting world and the lessons he's learned along the way. From unpaid internships to working at schools like Houston, TCU, and Northwestern, Wes shares what separates great programs and how his philosophy has evolved. We also dive into what he...

Next up on Behind the Blueprint is JMU’s Director of Player Personnel, Nathan Applebaum. From Florida to Michigan State to Fresno State, Nathan’s path has shaped a sharp, adaptable approach to roster building. In this episode, he breaks down how he blends data, culture, and player evaluation to keep JMU competitive in the portal era. You’ll hear how he handles roster management with a lean staff,...

Next up on our Behind the Blueprint podcast is Mason Behiel, General Manager for Tulsa Football. Mason shares how he went from studying civil engineering to building rosters in college football, what the GM role looks like at the Group of Five level, and how he and his staff are navigating the portal, revenue sharing, and roster retention in a constantly shifting landscape

In our debut episode of Behind the Roster: The Architects of College Football, I sit down with Nick Griffith, Director of Scouting at Temple. We dive into how he evaluates transfer portal talent, builds relationships that span recruiting cycles, and navigates the evolving landscape of roster construction in today’s college football. Hope you enjoy!