Are you ready to put your career in your own hands? Adam Goldman can help! Adam is a member of TheWolverine.com and franchise veteran, having recently sold a franchise to a strategic buyer. Using his expertise, he helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough and FREE consultation process. Call Adam at 844-800-FRAN and put your life and career in your own hands.
Adam Goldman, Owner FranchiseCoach.net
Email: agoldman@franchisecoach.net
DM: @FranchiseCoach
Here are tonight's Blue Chips...
Michigan recently picked up a commitment from Rivals100 La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy wide receiver Tyler Morris. I caught up with his parents, Shirley and Michael, to get their thoughts on the decision and more.
Here is our full Q&A.
On why Michigan was the right place for the family:
Shirley: "They do an incredible job of recruiting. From Day 1, they were really family oriented. They talked to us about what family means to the whole program. We met everybody right away on that first visit. We met all the coaches and staff. That resonated with me immediately. They understood that Tyler was more than a football player that could produce. They were like 'this is a kid with a family that cares, is involved and wants the best for him outside of football.'"
Michael: "In the grand scheme of things, we've always talked about education first. It was about identifying a school where he could get a great education. From there, we kind of took a hands off approach. Ultimately, he was going to have to make the decision on where he wanted to go. But I was interested in sitting back and seeing what type of relationships were being formed with the staffs. It was never about how they plan to use you. If I had to put a percentage on it, I would say it was 10 percent of what we talked about. The other part was everyday life. Are you going to have someone to go to when times are tough and we're not around? That's the part that I was impressed with. That made the big difference for me. As we just found out, things can change really quickly. When that happens, do you have someone around that can support you?"
On Michigan's academics:
Shirley: "People talk about education. But for us, it really was one of the most important things. If it was not a good school academically, it would not have considered regardless of what the football program was like. We've always been very clear with Tyler. You are not just going there to play football. You need a degree. You need to have a life after football. That was a huge component. Academics is what got Michigan in the running as an option. If they would not have had a great academic program, it would not have been a school that we would have looked at. For us, that was huge."
Michael: "When you deal with teenagers, sometimes, they don't realize the opportunity that they have from that perspective. It's a Top 25 university. It has a great network and benefits. He probably won't understand that until he's a few years into it. But we recognize the importance of having a great football program but also great academics. You can't ask for more."
On the job the Michigan staff did recruiting the family:
Shirley: "For me, it felt comfortable. When we would hang out on the recruiting trips, it wasn't all about football. You could really laugh and joke with the staff. If they weren't in the role of coaching my son, I could actually hang out with them. They were very nice and genuine people. I didn't get the feel that they were being fake just to woo us or try to convince us that this would be a great place. I think one thing me and Michael are pretty good at is figuring out who is being real and honest. We just get a gut feeling of who we want in our lives and in our kids' lives. We got feelings of genuine interest and nice people when we were with the staff."
Michael: "My wife has probably had more conversations with various staff members than I have. But as she said, you just get the gut feeling that they were people you could trust your child with. Having had the experience with Coach (Tim) Racki at Nazareth, that's something we were looking for — that trust level. We knew that Coach Racki was going to take care of Ty not only as a football player but as a person. Those are some of the same feelings we have about the Michigan staff."
On what Michigan did differently than other schools:
Shirley: "I think they did a phenomenal job. Obviously, relationships were huge. The visit I went to, we did more than just the campus walk. We toured the business building with the dean and talked more about academics. Tyler isn't really thinking of going the business route at this point. But he came away thinking 'this is so cool.' There are so many neat things going on at Michigan. Just understanding the academic role and the family role. I do remember one time Coach (Jim) Harbaugh said it's not who you know, it's who knows you. We were like 'that was a pretty good quote.'They have to know you and trust in you in order to make things work. That's pretty deep. When he said that, I was like 'that's true.' I just think, overall, they did a much better job. It was the whole package from the beginning not just a little while ago."
Michael: "They were consistent throughout. I think part of it is like sales — knowing your audience. Tyler has a laid back personality. He's analytical. Having that constant contact where they didn't pressure him but let him know that they were interested and that he was still their guy was helpful. Some schools were calling a lot and some schools called and we never heard from again. The consistency factor from Michigan played a huge role. There is the piece that JJ (McCarthy) is there. That's the elephant in the room. He had to battle internally to make sure that it wasn't the only reason he was picking Michigan. He was making sure he was making the best decision for him. Michigan did a great job of separating the two. Your guy is here, but this is the reason we want you as an individual, player and student."
On JJ McCarthy and his family being part of the program:
Shirley: "It's nice, but it's not the reason he chose Michigan. At the same time, we love the McCarthys. We are very close to them. Tyler and JJ are very close. We also can't forget JJ is a phenomenal quarterback (laughs). Tyler is a receiver. They know each other and what they can do. Tyler knows it's a good thing to have a quarterback that believes in him and have a quarterback that he believes in. I think it did help Ty because Ty was able to ask JJ about school, the workouts and just what's going on. How can you not love the McCarthys?"
Michael: "JJ is a phenomenal kid. That goes without saying. You always want your kid to be around other great kids. I think that's important and that was a factor. JJ is someone he trusts and has a lot of respect for. I'm sure it played into the decision. From a quarterback perspective, he knows what he brings to the table. If there is chemistry and a chance to rekindle that at the next level then that's a very attractive option. The friendship they had and being around like-minded people, that's the part where knowing the McCarthys really played into it."
Shirley: "Something that Michael said that stuck with me is that Tyler trusts JJ, and he trusts the McCarthys as do we. Tyler is not one — nor are we — to trust a lot of people and make a lot of friends. Once Tyler trusts you, and he develops a relationship where you have my back, I have yours, that's a big thing for him. He knows JJ and knows what he's about. He trusts him. That's a big thing."
On the future of the Michigan program:
Shirley: "To be honest, I'm not sure it's quite set in with me. Our goal has always been to get him to a place that he's happy with. It's just setting in that we there, and this actually happened. I'm excited for him. I'm glad he's settled and feels ready to move on and focus on rehab and getting everything lined up for Michigan. I feel like Tyler has been waiting for that part of his life for a while. It will be very exciting to see that part come into fruition."
Michael: "As parents, we're just happy our kid's dream is coming true. Selfishly, we're happy that Michigan is close. We'll get a chance to get up to his games. He's going to a program that's historic. Tyler has always wanted to play Power Five football since he was a little kid. To see all this coming true, you can't ask for more. To be able to do it with one of your good friends is icing on the cake. You kind of pinch yourself. Everything is coming together, and you can't wait to see where it takes them."
Adam Goldman, Owner FranchiseCoach.net
Email: agoldman@franchisecoach.net
DM: @FranchiseCoach
Here are tonight's Blue Chips...
Michigan recently picked up a commitment from Rivals100 La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy wide receiver Tyler Morris. I caught up with his parents, Shirley and Michael, to get their thoughts on the decision and more.
Here is our full Q&A.
On why Michigan was the right place for the family:
Shirley: "They do an incredible job of recruiting. From Day 1, they were really family oriented. They talked to us about what family means to the whole program. We met everybody right away on that first visit. We met all the coaches and staff. That resonated with me immediately. They understood that Tyler was more than a football player that could produce. They were like 'this is a kid with a family that cares, is involved and wants the best for him outside of football.'"
Michael: "In the grand scheme of things, we've always talked about education first. It was about identifying a school where he could get a great education. From there, we kind of took a hands off approach. Ultimately, he was going to have to make the decision on where he wanted to go. But I was interested in sitting back and seeing what type of relationships were being formed with the staffs. It was never about how they plan to use you. If I had to put a percentage on it, I would say it was 10 percent of what we talked about. The other part was everyday life. Are you going to have someone to go to when times are tough and we're not around? That's the part that I was impressed with. That made the big difference for me. As we just found out, things can change really quickly. When that happens, do you have someone around that can support you?"
On Michigan's academics:
Shirley: "People talk about education. But for us, it really was one of the most important things. If it was not a good school academically, it would not have considered regardless of what the football program was like. We've always been very clear with Tyler. You are not just going there to play football. You need a degree. You need to have a life after football. That was a huge component. Academics is what got Michigan in the running as an option. If they would not have had a great academic program, it would not have been a school that we would have looked at. For us, that was huge."
Michael: "When you deal with teenagers, sometimes, they don't realize the opportunity that they have from that perspective. It's a Top 25 university. It has a great network and benefits. He probably won't understand that until he's a few years into it. But we recognize the importance of having a great football program but also great academics. You can't ask for more."
On the job the Michigan staff did recruiting the family:
Shirley: "For me, it felt comfortable. When we would hang out on the recruiting trips, it wasn't all about football. You could really laugh and joke with the staff. If they weren't in the role of coaching my son, I could actually hang out with them. They were very nice and genuine people. I didn't get the feel that they were being fake just to woo us or try to convince us that this would be a great place. I think one thing me and Michael are pretty good at is figuring out who is being real and honest. We just get a gut feeling of who we want in our lives and in our kids' lives. We got feelings of genuine interest and nice people when we were with the staff."
Michael: "My wife has probably had more conversations with various staff members than I have. But as she said, you just get the gut feeling that they were people you could trust your child with. Having had the experience with Coach (Tim) Racki at Nazareth, that's something we were looking for — that trust level. We knew that Coach Racki was going to take care of Ty not only as a football player but as a person. Those are some of the same feelings we have about the Michigan staff."
On what Michigan did differently than other schools:
Shirley: "I think they did a phenomenal job. Obviously, relationships were huge. The visit I went to, we did more than just the campus walk. We toured the business building with the dean and talked more about academics. Tyler isn't really thinking of going the business route at this point. But he came away thinking 'this is so cool.' There are so many neat things going on at Michigan. Just understanding the academic role and the family role. I do remember one time Coach (Jim) Harbaugh said it's not who you know, it's who knows you. We were like 'that was a pretty good quote.'They have to know you and trust in you in order to make things work. That's pretty deep. When he said that, I was like 'that's true.' I just think, overall, they did a much better job. It was the whole package from the beginning not just a little while ago."
Michael: "They were consistent throughout. I think part of it is like sales — knowing your audience. Tyler has a laid back personality. He's analytical. Having that constant contact where they didn't pressure him but let him know that they were interested and that he was still their guy was helpful. Some schools were calling a lot and some schools called and we never heard from again. The consistency factor from Michigan played a huge role. There is the piece that JJ (McCarthy) is there. That's the elephant in the room. He had to battle internally to make sure that it wasn't the only reason he was picking Michigan. He was making sure he was making the best decision for him. Michigan did a great job of separating the two. Your guy is here, but this is the reason we want you as an individual, player and student."
On JJ McCarthy and his family being part of the program:
Shirley: "It's nice, but it's not the reason he chose Michigan. At the same time, we love the McCarthys. We are very close to them. Tyler and JJ are very close. We also can't forget JJ is a phenomenal quarterback (laughs). Tyler is a receiver. They know each other and what they can do. Tyler knows it's a good thing to have a quarterback that believes in him and have a quarterback that he believes in. I think it did help Ty because Ty was able to ask JJ about school, the workouts and just what's going on. How can you not love the McCarthys?"
Michael: "JJ is a phenomenal kid. That goes without saying. You always want your kid to be around other great kids. I think that's important and that was a factor. JJ is someone he trusts and has a lot of respect for. I'm sure it played into the decision. From a quarterback perspective, he knows what he brings to the table. If there is chemistry and a chance to rekindle that at the next level then that's a very attractive option. The friendship they had and being around like-minded people, that's the part where knowing the McCarthys really played into it."
Shirley: "Something that Michael said that stuck with me is that Tyler trusts JJ, and he trusts the McCarthys as do we. Tyler is not one — nor are we — to trust a lot of people and make a lot of friends. Once Tyler trusts you, and he develops a relationship where you have my back, I have yours, that's a big thing for him. He knows JJ and knows what he's about. He trusts him. That's a big thing."
On the future of the Michigan program:
Shirley: "To be honest, I'm not sure it's quite set in with me. Our goal has always been to get him to a place that he's happy with. It's just setting in that we there, and this actually happened. I'm excited for him. I'm glad he's settled and feels ready to move on and focus on rehab and getting everything lined up for Michigan. I feel like Tyler has been waiting for that part of his life for a while. It will be very exciting to see that part come into fruition."
Michael: "As parents, we're just happy our kid's dream is coming true. Selfishly, we're happy that Michigan is close. We'll get a chance to get up to his games. He's going to a program that's historic. Tyler has always wanted to play Power Five football since he was a little kid. To see all this coming true, you can't ask for more. To be able to do it with one of your good friends is icing on the cake. You kind of pinch yourself. Everything is coming together, and you can't wait to see where it takes them."
Last edited:
