THE IT FACTORY: Pac-12 Football with Yogi Roth

This week McKenzie Milton joins The Yogi Roth show to talk about his journey from a small familial town in Hawaii to a national stage in college football. Going into his senior year of high school McKenzie wasn’t highly recruited, but his passion for faith, family and football, along with an element of grit that most of us can relate to, took him to the next level. McKenzie accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Central Florida as a quarterback, and has proved that he deserves to be recognized as the elite thinker and competitor, as last year he finished 8th in Heisman Trophy voting & has continued his success. Even though McKenzie was overlooked by his dream school and was only a 3-star recruit out of high school, he seized every opportunity to grow and excel in both life and in football, with his family being his biggest motivation. A combination of his dad coaching him throughout childhood, constantly competing with his brothers, and his mom being his #1 fan, McKenzie generated a chip on his shoulder to always strive to be his best. McKenzie talks about his small town family roots staying with him as he was able to bring that special familial bond to Orlando and create a sense of team camaraderie that as captured the college football community. That unique vibe, along with his desire to outcompete everyone he plays against has allowed McKenzie to secure his spot as one of the top QBs in the country, and remain undefeated for a season and a half. Over the summer, I had the chance to meet McKenzie as he was a college counselor at the Elite 11 quarterback camp, so I was stoked to have this conversation and really get to know him on a deeper level. I knew that McKenzie’s work ethic and skill set were a force to be reckoned with from the moment I first saw him throw alongside college football's star quarterbacks, but getting to hear more about his story and where he came from really shows how well-rounded of a young man he has become. McKenzie goes into depth explaining how the lessons he has learned from coaches throughout the years have left a profound impact, teaching him life skills both on and off the field and keeping him grounded during his rise to fame. McKenzie also described his desire to get into coaching after his football career is over in order to be a positive influence for the next generation. Give this conversation a listen to learn more about what drives McKenzie and his detailed ambitions.Follow McKenzie Milton on Instagram @MckenzieMil10 and for more podcasts about college football and the humanity within it visit www.YogiRoth.com/podcast or follow @YogiRoth.

“It’s not a weakness to get help, it’s a sign of strength.’ ~ BYU QB/Elite 11 co-MVP Tanner MangumTanner Mangum was an unknown recruit in 2011 from Eagle, Idaho and after a summer with the Elite 11—the premiere high school quarterback competition—he catapulted himself onto the map in college football, as he was named co-MVP with Jameis Winston and Neal Burcham at the 2011 Elite 11 quarterback camp. Tanner always knew that he was capable of accomplishing great things if he worked hard, but in his case, greatness didn’t always originate from football. Tanner decided to put his newfound fame and notoriety in football on hold in order to follow his faith and serve a two-year mission trip in Chile to get to the core of people, as well as himself, in order to connect with a different culture and recognize the universal humanity that we all share. When he returned he instantly became a household name, as he threw the game winning touchdown pass for BYU as they beat Nebraska on a ‘Hail Mary’ as time expired in his first college game. While his fame on the field grew, he struggles off the field grew as well. And just like he did as a quarterback, he went to work, yet this time it was on his mental health. Then, in 2017, Tanner told the sports world that he was dealing with mild depression and anxiety. He initiated the ‘Why Not Now?’ campaign to encourage people that there is no time like the present to talk about mental health and that it's ok to ask for help. During Mental Health Awareness Month, Tanner joins The Yogi Roth show to share his story and educate us that 1 in 5 student-athletes seek help with mental health, and those are only the statistics reported. This conversation will impact those listening; ranging from athletes, coaches, families and more to remind us all that mental health is something that must continue to be talked about, without fear of judgment.Listen to this podcast for more insights about Tanner’s mission trip and college football career, as well as how he continues to seek a life of contentment and inner peace. Follow Tanner’s journey on his Instagram page and be sure to watch his inspirational video sharing his story.For more podcasts about college football and the humanity within in visit www.YogiRoth.com/podcast or follow @YogiRoth.

Brenda Tracy is a catalyst and agent of change. She joins The Yogi Roth Show, as their conversation will take you inside the world of Brenda, as she travels to college campuses year-round, impacting college athletes to Set The Expectation.Brenda, a survivor of a gang rape on a college campus is now inspiring and empowering student-athletes to #SetTheExpectation to end sexual and relationship violence on college campuses.Over the last two years, thousands of high school and college student-athletes have embraced her campaign and most recently a conference has embraced her mission. Among them have been Stanford, San Jose State, Michigan, The Opening Football Camp and many more. Leading the way was Stanford Head Coach David Shaw, who dedicated the first ever college football game to bringing awareness to sexual and relationship violence on campus, and the Cardinal titled that game in 2017 the #SetTheExpectation game. In 2018, other teams have followed Stanford’s lead. Brenda and Yogi’s powerful conversation unpacks what it means to be a “survivor,” as well as how Brenda was able to find an immense amount of strength within herself to create positivity for others. Brenda is forced to tear herself apart and relive the details of her assault every time she shares her story, but she has found comfort in knowing that by her opening up, she’s helping others get through their worst moments and preventing future assaults from happening. Her goal is to create a new societal norm that doesn’t allow for sexual assault or violence to take place, and redefine what manhood is by showing college athletes that it’s okay to be respectful to women. Listen to this extremely moving podcast and go to www.BrendaTracy.com to learn more about the woman who ‘wasn’t built to break.’Follow @BrendaTracy24 on social media and contribute to the GoFundMe campaign she created for the San Jose State and Stanford communities, as those two programs have a #SetTheExpectation game the week of October 6, 2018 by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/settheexpectationsjsustanford.For past episodes of The Yogi Roth Show visit www.YogiRoth.com/podcast to follow @YogiRoth.

In front of a live audience, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff joins The Yogi Roth Show where he shares elements of his path to LA. Yogi and Jared met when Jared was in high school at the Elite 11 Quarterback Competition and they will reflect on that day, when he was a freshman at Cal, the night of the NFL Draft and much more.Jared’s story encompasses the word grit. He grew up undersized and under-recruited, but his passion and perseverance within the craft of football led him to being the top draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.After being the #1 pick, Jared Goff became a household name. His drive to succeed has allowed him to never flinch when facing adversity, and has made him the leader that he is today. Coming from an athletic family, Jared was always encouraged to be the best that he could be and to trust his preparation. Jared has always known that his dedication to football and ability to maintain his PACE (Performance After Critical Errors) would lead him to the league, however Jared shared that the most valuable tools he has learned to be a good player is to always be yourself, to trust your process and to listen. Follow him on social media @JaredGoff16 and for more podcast episodes visit www.YogiRoth.com/podcast/ or follow @YogiRoth.This podcast was brought to you with a partnership with Thuzio. Visit https://thuzio.com/ to learn more about events with sports celebrities.

This insightful conversation with the legendary coach Mark Speckman goes in depth about how he has overcome perceived physical hardships and achieved great success by just figuring it out. Born with no hand and nine toes, Coach Speckman has lived his life by doing the best he can and seeing what happens from there. He has always had a chip on his shoulder motivating him to be the best that he can be, and has realized that asking for help and trusting your instincts are not limitations, but instead valuable tools to accomplish the unthinkable. When asked by Yogi what it means to be human, Coach Speckman simply responds by saying it means you are a master of your own fate and bouncing back. Listen to this podcast to learn more about the inspiring story of Coach Speckman, and how he has revolutionized the offensive style of football through his passion for the love of the game. Follow coach on Twitter @markspeckman or reach out to markspeckman@ucdavis.edu. Also, read his book, ‘Figure It Out’ to learn more about him - https://www.amazon.com/Figure-Out-Learned-Digital-Without/dp/B004HIE5KC For more inspiring stories about people seeking to be the best version of themselves in college football visit www.YogiRoth.com or follow @YogiRoth.

This inspiring conversation with Coach Mack Brown epitomizes the essence of what it means to seek your passion and then relentlessly chase it. As a teenager, Mack Brown dreamt of being a college football coach and over 40 years later he is a member of the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame class. With ‘fun’ being at the core of his approach, Mack Brown found success as a head coach at multiple institutions, and while he may be best known for winning a National Championship at Texas, his journey was one that impacted millions on and off the gridiron.He and host Yogi Roth dive into the brilliance and dark side of college football, reminisce over the USC/Texas title game and discuss how Coach Brown turned ‘pressure into pride’ while guiding one of the most historic programs in college football history. You’ll laugh, be taken inside the headset before the famous 4th & 2 at the Rose Bowl and learn that Coach Brown isn’t quite done with coaching.Listen to conversations with those seeking and uncovering the humanity in sports around the globe by visiting www.YogiRoth.com/podcast or follow @YogiRoth.

Dr. Michael Gervais, one of the most accomplished high performance psychologists in the world, re-joins the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcast with Yogi Roth. These two friends take a deep dive into the mindset of high performers with a focus on anxiety and depression in college football and how dealing with that is trainable.Dr. Gervais describes how there are challenges in every facet of life and paints a clear picture around adversity and that efficient processing and organization around ones thoughts can allow athletes, coaches and mentors to dissolve performance anxiety.Check out Dr. Michael Gervais’ podcast at www.findingmastery.net, his online business at www.competetocreate.net and follow him on social media @michaelgervais.For more conversations visit www.YogiRoth.com/podcast and subscribe to the ‘How Great Is Ball’ newsletter.Follow @YogiRoth for insights around the country in college football and more.

How Great Is Ball! Finally, college football is here and George Chahrouri joins the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcast with Yogi Roth to talk about the analytics in college football. George, the lead data scientist for Pro Football Focus began his post college career teaching math in South Central Los Angeles. It was in the communities of Compton and Watts where his love of math grew and once Pro Football Focus was created he learned he could merge his love of football with his passion of mathematics.Each week George will join Yogi on the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcast to discuss college football prior to Yogi's feature interview.Follow George on Twitter @PFF_George and listen to his podcast, PFF Forecast, which focuses on NFL games each week.Be sure to visit www.YogiRoth.com and subscribe to the weekly 'How Great Is Ball' newsletter for new podcasts and college football insights.

‘Your show becomes their memory’ ~ Jim Jorden, storytellerJim Jorden is a storyteller. Known most recently for directing All or Nothing: The Michigan Wolverines on Amazon Prime, Jim has been in the sports filmmaking profession for over 30 years. He has listened to intimate conversations among coaches and players during Super Bowls, the college football playoffs and more as he has wired high performers in almost every sport. Beginning at NFL Films, Jim understood the power of writing and that skill has allowed him to create documentaries that have aired on ESPN, NFL Network, the Pac-12 Networks, SEC Network, the big screen and much, much more.Jim accredits his career successes to piano lessons. He learned from a young age to find success in repetition, which has translated into sport and driven him to become the best that he is capable of becoming. This podcast with Yogi Roth goes into depth about the unique types of leaders and the power of storytelling, as Jim’s films have inspired millions. The advice Jim offers is to always produce your personality, and when you combine your personality with your passion, a storyteller is able to create an experience that the viewer remembers for life.Follow Jim Jorden on Instagram @JimJorden and visit www.JimJorden.com.For more podcasts about college football and the humanity within it listen to Season 4 of the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcast at www.YogiRoth.com/podcast or follow him on Twitter @YogiRoth.

In a collaboration with Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, Yogi Roth co-hosts a conversation about the University of Washington’s football team as his #HowGreatIsBall Training Camp Tour continues in Seattle.Adam, the beat writer for the Seattle Times covers UW as well as anyone in the nation, hosts the Husky Headline podcast and offers incredible content around the Pac-12 Conference 2018 pre-season favorite each day. Follow him on twitter @A_Jude and be sure to check out his book, '100 Things Washington Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die' on Amazon.For more podcasts detailing college football and the incredible stories within it subscribe to the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcast, visit www.YogiRoth.com or follow @YogiRoth on twitter.

Michael Molinari, one of most distinguished producers in all of sports television joins the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcast with Yogi Roth. From Michael's car post-USC practice these two co-workers discuss one of the most historic games in college football history (USC vs Stanford '07), as well as break down the 2018 USC Trojan football team.Michael, who produced that epic upset game in 2007, also shares what a producers role is and what got him to fall in love with leading over 40 people each week toward a common goal. As a veteran in the profession who has produced NBA Playoff games, College Football game and much more Michael's lens into sports is one that has guided viewers for over two decades. He and Yogi will both be working the week one USC vs UNLV game on the Pac-12 Networks September 1st and in this conversation take you inside elements of their preparation on a drive to LAX during the #HowGreatIsBall Training Camp Tour.For more college football episodes around the essence of the game and stories that inspire us from the game subscribe to the #LifeWithoutLimits podcast and visit www.YogiRoth.com or follow him on Twitter @YogiRoth.

From Northern California, Yogi Roth visits the Cal Bears on the #HowGreatIsBall Training Camp Tour and is joined by Pac-12 Networks colleague Ashley Adamson as they talk all things Training Camp. They take a deep dive into Justin Wilcox second season as the Cal Bears head coach, discuss Ross Bowers evolution and why Training Camp is so special to both of them.These two were able to visit with the team, sit in on team meetings and evaluate practice during Cal's first full padded practice of camp and share the essence of the Bears on the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcast.In the inaugural episode of Season 4, Yogi dives into college football and explores the essence of college football while sharing stories that take you inside the humanity of the game.For more LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcasts visit www.YogiRoth.com

Host Yogi Roth discusses the state of his podcast, LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS while sharing the focus of Season 4 as college football is upon us.This fall, each guest will have a direct tie to college football but the essence of each guest will inspire you to challenge yourself, explore what it means to be human and live with a growth mindset as Yogi’s goal is clear: seek and uncover the humanity in college football.You’ll enjoy this short episode as Yogi discusses his ‘Board of Life’ and how three people, Kevin Carroll, Ken Black and Jeremy Darlow have impacted him over the last 18 months. You’ll hear Kevin’s lesson about ‘being in beta’ and always working on yourself while being open to what comes into your life. He describes Ken’s concept of ‘Do vs Be’ and dives into the discussion of ‘Form vs Essence.’ Also, Jeremy Darlow, who helped shape a clear positioning statement for Yogi is described, as his new book, ‘Athletes Are Brands Too’ is a must read.To learn more about college football be sure to watch the Pac-12 Networks, where Yogi will be seeking and uncovering the schemes, stories and much more all season. For more insight on college football and stories about those living their Life Without Limits visit www.YogiRoth.com

“I’m just going to go for it,” is exactly what Ben Malcolmson, a former football player turned author, had the courage to do when he finally decided to write his book WALK ON. WALK ON had a dual meaning for Ben, who now works for the Seattle Seahawks alongside Pete Carroll, as it represented his journey walking on to the USC football team, as well as walking on through all the hardships he endured and had to overcome with regards to being a no-name player that had to work extra hard to get noticed. In this #LifeWithoutLimits podcast, Ben goes into depth with Yogi Roth discussing how his journey has led him to seek to find his true purpose in life. It's a unique conversation, as Ben and Yogi met the day of Walk On tryouts, as Yogi was a coach at USC at the time as well as a former Walk On at the University of Pittsburgh. Roth and Malcolmson reminisce over their football glory days but collectively determined that there is nothing better than being a part of something bigger than yourself. You’ll be amazed by how Ben made the team, gain insight into his lone snap at USC, learn about the inner workings of major college football and the NFL and of course, you’ll be inspired by Ben's mission to help everyone longing for fulfillment to seek to find the best version of themselves.Find WALK ON everywhere books are sold and follow @BenMalcolmson for updates on his incredible journey.For more conversations about those seeking to be their best selves visit www.yogiroth.com/podcast/

Ruben Rojas is an international street artist whose art has impacted the world through powerful and simple messages that revolve around the idea of love.He joined Yogi Roth on the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS podcast to share his transition into the art community from finance and how his art has impacted the top high school quarterbacks in the nation at the 2018 Elite 11 Quarterback competition.The 2018 theme for the Elite 11 was #iAm. The focus of Yogi, the host of the Elite 11, and the staff was to remind the high profile student-athletes that they are more than just quarterbacks. Ruben guided that conversation with his street art, as each athlete created a canvas that had their #iAm statement written on it. Ruben then combined each canvas into a mural that celebrated the journey of each QB and the 2018 Elite 11 class. It is titled, ‘I Am. We Are.’His conversation with Yogi will have you thinking about your path, offer you tools to seek your best self and inspire you, as Ruben says ‘nothing is impossible unless we say it is.’To see Ruben's art be sure to watch the Elite 11 documentary series later this summer on NFL Network and other digital platforms.Follow Ruben @RubenRojas or visit him at www.RubenRojas.com.For more #LifeWithoutLimits conversations visit www.YogiRoth.com or follow Yogi on Twitter @YogiRoth.