Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the Especially for Athletes podcast, where we explore essential principles that empower athletes to learn life's most valuable lessons through sports.
Speaker: Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Especially for Athletes podcast. I'm here, as always, with Dustin Smith, founder of Especially for Athletes. And today we got Tanner Wall on from Brigham Young University, but now an Oakland Raider in training camp getting underway this week. Is that right? Wednesday, you said?
Speaker: yeah Wednesday. yeah Well, we've all followed your journey, Tanner, here in Utah at least, for those of us that are here in Utah. We wish you the best of luck as you begin all of that with the Raiders. There's a few BYU guys that made it down that way, right? who's who's Yeah, there's there's three of us. Yes, we've got Chase Roberts and then Isaiah Jada as well. So all three of us are down here.
Speaker: That must be fun. That's awesome. but That's great. Well... Tanner, we got a number of questions for you, but we want to introduce you a little bit because I think your story leads into some of the questions that we'll ask. So you went to high school in Virginia.
Speaker: yeah Is that correct? Yep, that's right. And then went right on a mission to Brazil, if I remember correctly. Yeah. And after it had a number of opportunities where you could have gone and and played, but chose to walk on it at by yu Tell us about that. Maybe first of all, that decision to pass up on some scholarship opportunities for a chance to walk on at BYU.
Speaker: Yeah. um So, so growing up on the East Coast, obviously a lot of my recruiting and a lot of the teams, you know, that I was in contact with were on the East Coast.
Speaker: um You know, teams are pretty, they, if you're not a ah big time, you know, four or five star recruit, you know, they kind of really regionalize their recruiting. um And BYU does the same thing. you know we've We've been able to become a little bit ah more national and in how we recruit, but you know we have our typical regions that that we stick to.
Speaker: um So i had ah I had a lot of eyes on me at a lot of the different camps and things that I went to in high school, a lot of Ivy League schools, the University of Virginia as well, um which at the time Coach Bronco Mendenhall was there. So that was a really...
Speaker: intriguing option you not too far from home. but Ultimately, you know it it had been my lifelong dream to play football at BYU. I grew up a diehard BYU fan.
Speaker: My uncle played offensive line while Kalani was playing in the early at BYU. had an aunt who played soccer there and so much of my family had gone there. So, you know, that was kind of my vision for my life as far, like that's where I want to be.
Speaker: And, you know, as, as a walk on, you know, it was a, it was a preferred walk on opportunity. So it was like, Hey, we have a roster spot for you. We don't have a scholarship, but just that,
Speaker: crack in the door was enough for me to see you know an entrance and to see a path. And I think that really came down to me knowing the kind of environment that I wanted to be in after my mission, kind of people that I wanted to surround myself with, and also just hearing the stories of so many of you know what BYU did for them as far as you know the opportunities that unlocked for their life. That's something that I wanted for myself. so
Speaker: and And I know, and and I knew as well, the the kind of player and person that I was and that I would, you know, find a way to maximize my opportunities. So I wasn't ever scared about, you know, maybe, you know, I won't ever play. i knew i was going to find a way.
Speaker: I decided to bet on myself and and take that, that, that chance, and that opportunity. And very, very grateful that I did. Yeah. Awesome. ta Tanner, that's that you, were you said something that reminded me the very end there. You said something that reminded me of a quote we recently shared on here by Kobe Bryant.
Speaker: Um, we all know Kobe's legendary for his work ethic and his just commitment to, to winning and to be in the best. But you said, um you know, that you believed in yourself and bet on yourself. Kobe Bryant said that he wouldn't negotiate with himself was the the phrase he used that,
Speaker: he he set a goal to do something and then it was, there' there's there's no backing out. It's all or nothing. And, and, you know, your story, just so people understand, it's very difficult to go to a school like BYU as a preferred walk on, um, and play is, it just doesn't, it doesn't happen a lot. Um, so when you say you bet on yourself, you know, and I, I read a little bit about you, you bet on yourself and then you did something that A lot of kids don't do nowadays. You waited a couple of years before you really were or playing. If I understand it right, you were special teams only and you didn't really get starting time until just 2024, right? Your last two years is when you actually...
Speaker: You know about starting minutes. is that correct? yeah Yeah. Yeah. So I played receiver in my first two years was, you know, I played in on special teams in my first season. and you know, they were like, hey, think we think this guy could have some some value down the road. So they decided to redshirt me. So I so i played in four games on special teams my first year.
Speaker: um I played in all 13 games my my my next year on special teams. um But ah funny enough, like it's an interesting part of my story. I never played a down at receiver. Like I never played a snap out there running routes or blocking nothing.
Speaker: um So after that second season was when I switched positions. um And, you know, coming into that 2023 season, that was our first year in the Big 12. um And, you know, I'd switch positions in spring ball. I was like four or five deep at safety. You know, was like, okay, got to climb the ladder again.
Speaker: But, you know, because of some injuries and some other things, by game three of that season, I was starting. um But then I had a season-ending injury, so i only played the first five games.
Speaker: So I had, you know, and an next thing you know, I was starting games. ah I was playing super well, and then I tore my bicep, which... uh, you know, was a tendon injury and it's a six month recovery. So I missed the rest of that season.
Speaker: And as a walk on, you know, when you get hurt, it's, you're pretty much down the chart again, got to, you know, climb the ladder again, turn your spot and all that. But yeah, 2024 and 2025 were, you know, big, big years for me and just grateful that, that I could, uh,
Speaker: know create that opportunity while also, you know, having coaches who believed in me to, to give me that opportunity. Did you, did you ever think of transferring during that time? Because I'm sure you could have transferred and and had ah been given money at another school, not only scholarship money, but at that point we were just entering into NIL. I'm not sure if that had been That was just starting in 23, 24. But for sure, you could have, I mean, if you'd have called up Virginia after getting some time at BYU and said, I want to come home, and I'm sure they would have had a scholarship spot for you.
Speaker: Yeah. Um, it was definitely, it it was an option. Was it something I ever considered? No, I just, I love Kalani and, you know, his, his belief in me, ah as a coach just gave me a lot of confidence. And, you know, I feel like I owed that to myself, to him, you know, and not to say that like guys who transfer are,
Speaker: are quitters. Like I don't, that's not what I want to say here, but like, sure in my mind, that's, that's how I would have seen it. Like I would have been like, you know, even if it was a better opportunity, I would have felt like I was, you know, kind of, uh, quitting in a sense to like, Hey, like maybe this is maybe too hard or too difficult. I need to, you know, change it up. But I just, when I have my mind set to something, i just do everything humanly possible to,
Speaker: you know, find a way. And up until this point in my sports career, my whole life, it's always worked out. That's so cool. That's awesome. I love it. So cool. and Rare right now. Yeah. Yeah. Rare, but especially nowadays it's, it's, I mean, even in the high school sports, but especially in college sports, if you go somewhere and,
Speaker: You know, after after two years, you're not playing the position you came to play. You're a good athlete. You know there's going to be other opportunities. Very few guys really just hang on and say, well, I'm committed to this and I'm going to show everybody they, you know, they bounce and look for greener pasture. So it's really refreshing, Tanner, to hear that.
Speaker: another Another part of that, you know, part of my story that's interesting. So I i started 17 games as a walk-on. So I wasn't on scholarship till 2025. That was the only season that I was a scholarship player. Wow.
Speaker: And so a lot of a lot of, you know, other people would be really put out by that and and bugged and say, you know what, they don't value me. I'm going to go somewhere else. i um But, you know, the promise to me from Kalani was always that, you know, I would i would be taken care of.
Speaker: And, you know, when that time came, that was true. So, but but also, like, when I was getting recruited to play college football out high school, like... this was not ever in the conversation. Like it wasn't ever about money. It wasn't ever about NIL. It was about getting, get getting a chance to play for, you know, my dream school. And so I kept that in the back of my mind. Right. It's like, you know, the, the financial portion of this is ah is a great bonus right now, but at the end of the day, like i just want to play football and everything else is just, you know, kind of a and a cherry on top. And so that, that,
Speaker: that has quickly become the priority for a lot of college athletes. Um, and they're really focused on that. And, you know, up I understand where a lot of them are coming from, right? It's, uh, you can make some, some really,
Speaker: um It can jumpstart you into life, you know, with a significant amount of money that can help you and your family and, you know, with a lot of the goals and aspirations that you might have.
Speaker: um But for me, you know, it was, it was about something a little, a little greater than that. Yeah. Yeah. I'm interested. we speak to a lot of young athletes who, you know, they're going through similar things, even though it's at the high school level.
Speaker: We all know that the emotions, the feelings right now, there's ah a young man out there who's hoping to make the starting, the starting squad for his high school team, right? And, or to get a position he wants or whatever.
Speaker: You, you had such resilience through your journey, through position changes, injuries, not getting a scholarship, wanting to play at your dream school. What are some of the mantras or just that the inner workings that maybe you picked up along the way that allowed you to keep going, to bet on yourself, to keep working, knowing things were going to work out?
Speaker: Are there any things that you would tell yourself or or focus on that helped you through that journey? Yeah, absolutely. And I think maybe just to give some additional context to that too, like that's kind of been the story of my football career. Like even in high school, like my first year playing football was ninth grade.
Speaker: And I remember when I showed up to get my helmet and shoulder pads at like the weigh-ins and all that, I was 99 pounds grader. as a ninth grader So I didn't even weigh a hundred pounds.
Speaker: Um, you know, I was, I was a late bloomer. I didn't grow really till like my junior year and, you know, football as a little guy is not super fun, but you know, i love the game.
Speaker: i And like, I just kind of, I've always had this mentality. the time it was a lot of patience. So I guess like patience with myself, patience with God, with the process, knowing, you know, these things, they're going to come. Like a lot of guys are, you know, bigger, stronger.
Speaker: um I was, you know, I was fast. I was athletic, but I knew, okay, the the mindset for me, and I think this is what like what a lot of athletes need to figure out how to do is how can i gain an edge?
Speaker: Like, that's a question that athletes always need to be asking themselves. And like, what things can I be doing that other guys are not doing? Because there's a lot of easy things that guys and girls in in youth sports, you know, there's there's easy things that are, you know, you would consider extra work. Like it's easy to lift extra weights or to, you know, do extra footwork. But think outside the box as far as ways that you can actually have an edge. Yeah.
Speaker: You know, the mental part of sports is such a huge thing that I think it's neglected, especially at the youth level. You know, that's the biggest jump from high school to to to college, I would say, in football is just the mental preparation for games, watching film, understanding the game, understanding the scheme.
Speaker: And so I was, I've been a film junkie, like my whole football career, like in high school, I watched so much tape by myself. I watched it with my coach when I had, you know, free moments and I could, you know, so grab him from his office and we could watch together.
Speaker: But the mental part of that It's such a huge thing. and then in college, you know, I had to adapt that same mindset and and keep keep thinking that way. You know, what edge can I gain? How can I stand out next to the guys who are around me who, you know, are higher levels?
Speaker: Rated recruits who the who are our scholarship players, the coaches are are more married to wanting them to succeed. You know, whether you like it or not, coaches have their guys, they're going to want to put them on the field. It makes them look good because they recruited them. um yeah But...
Speaker: you know, the mental part of the game and then also, you know, the way you eat, the way you recover, the way you sleep, like that's ah that's been another blessing of of my career minus, you know, one injury. I've stayed extremely healthy.
Speaker: Like availability is such ah such a big thing. If you're the guy who's never hurt, who can always be in the game, who never misses practice, never misses reps like that builds great trust in coaches. And then they love seeing that.
Speaker: Um, and that that was kind of a, long winded answer there, but I think the moral of that is the question of like, how can i gain an edge? What, what more can I do to stand out?
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. Um, Tanner, could you ask ah or answer this question? Who was a mentor to you? who Who helped you get to where you're at?
Speaker: um So my first, my first two seasons, and when I was playing wide receiver, one of my biggest mentors was a guy named Talmadge Gunther.
Speaker: i know Talmadge very well. Talmadge probably was wearing this wristband. Probably was. Eyes up, do the work. And that's, that's us, man. Talmadge, uh, I started working with Talmadge when he was in sixth grade and that kid is about as sharp as they come. Talmadge was a huge ah mentor for me. Just, you know, obviously he was a walk-on. He was a guy who was a high school quarterback, came in and was playing receiver and just seeing the way that that he approached things and always had a humble and, you know, great attitude about his opportunities. And he was always one who was just,
Speaker: You know, very, very grateful to embrace whatever role he had and contribute to the team in any way possible. So I kind of yeah adapted that, seeing how that worked for him. And I think, you know, that was something that was really big for me. um And so he was a great influence on me.
Speaker: And then um Coach Hill, Coach J. Hill was like probably my biggest mentor and, you know, someone who I feel like really taught me the game and helped me see the game and understand the game and watched hours and hours of film with him.
Speaker: And, you know, the way that he understands the game is amazing. And so I feel like he was able to pass a lot of that. to me and made a huge difference in the way that I play and and prepared for games.
Speaker: That's awesome. Coach Hill seems to have had that impact on a lot of people. Oh, yeah. Teaching of the game. How do you feel about, I know this is off topic from our conversation, but a lot of people hearing this will will wonder, tell us about Coach Papinga and what you expect from him.
Speaker: Yeah. No, I love coach, coach K-pop. He's a, he's an intense guy. He's a, he's a competitor. Like you can see that in everything that he does. He just kind of has this, this edge. You see it in his face, just like how competitive he is and how, you know, he wants to, to win and wants to succeed. And he's not scared to to tell you when you're, you know, not,
Speaker: performing or not giving the right effort. Um, and you know, I've seen that when he was a special teams coordinator, I saw that on the special team side, saw that amongst his position group to just what he demands of them.
Speaker: And so I'm, I'm excited to, to see, um, yeah know I think the style of the defense will be very similar. I think there'll be some new twists and a couple things that are unique to to him and what he wants to throw in there.
Speaker: But, you know, I mean, there's there's so much talent on that team and and i I really do think that Kelly's going to do a great job just letting the boys, putting them in positions to to make plays and to to shine and be their best because...
Speaker: I mean, we're, it's it's just exciting. I'm really excited to to see all that they're going to, you know, put on the field this this this season. yeah Well, that's awesome. So this leads into maybe another thing that's big here in Utah, where we are based.
Speaker: and That is ah the rivalry between BYU and Utah. yeah And we have a principle that we try to teach young people. oh We call it compete without contempt, compete without hatred, that you don't have to hate your opponents and To be a fierce competitor against them. And we talk a lot about a G.K. Chesterton quote, English philosopher back in the World Wars, where he said, a true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.
Speaker: And it seems Kiwani Satake, even a speech went a little viral on the cut after a game with Utah where he talked about how we should love those guys because none of us would be here without them. And, you know, he seems to have this great balance of respect for opponent.
Speaker: while being a fierce competitor. What have you learned over the years about that that balance of being motivated and a fierce competitor without having to hate the people you're competing against?
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, I think i think Coach Kalani was an amazing ah leader and mentor in kind of helping helping us understand that. um Because, you know, the love for our teammates, the love for, you know, our families who helped get us to where we where we are, for our fans who show up to watch us play like that.
Speaker: is way more, I think it's a way stronger motivation and obviously a much better motivation than hatred for an opponent. um And, and I feel like you're, you're way more able to, to play at your best,
Speaker: when you're not in that hatred mindset, right? I think, I think it puts you into, um you know, you get outside of your, your normal, you know, ranges of thinking. And, you know, I feel like you're more likely to do or say things or, or look to do things on the field that, you know, you you don't normally do.
Speaker: And so, I feel like when, when you have that, that mindset of, of love for what's behind you, um, you're able to stay more within, you know, the ranges of where you normally operate.
Speaker: Right. And just stay like for me, I, when I'm out there on the field, it's kind of a, it's kind of a flow state like Zen type situation that I'm in. Like I don't get too high with the highs or or lows with the lows, just, just staying consistent. and so I know that I have to keep my mind within a certain, certain framework during the games to perform at my absolute best.
Speaker: So for me, you know, letting those feelings of hatred for the, for the opponent creep in, distracts from some of the other mental processes that I need to be able to, to use during the game.
Speaker: And so it's never been something that's helped me perform at my best. ah Tanner, that was awesome. I just love that idea, Tanner, that when we start competing with hatred and contempt, it takes us outside of ourselves and it becomes too big of a deal.
Speaker: and then we're not we're not focused on those things that we need to be focused on to be in that, as you described it, that kind of Zen state where you're just seeing the game happening, you're reacting the way you should.
Speaker: and so when we start competing with that, just we're too worked up and we have too much anger, Sometimes people try to produce that thinking it's going to increase their productivity or their ability to perform.
Speaker: But oftentimes it takes them out of of that element. yeah I love how you articulated that. Thank you. yeah distractions distractions when you're trying to play at a high level or you know that's you're gonna that's deathft right you're trying to do all you can to not be distracted so tanner how do you do that now in the nfl where everybody's a good player it's a business um I mean, every, somebody is not going to make that team, right. That you're hanging out with, there's going to be, not everybody's going to, going to be around for very long. So what are you taking with you? Is there something in particular, a lesson that you've learned or something that either from experience or something you were taught by a coach that you feel like is, is a, a, you know, a foundational, um you know, platform, I guess, for your next step, which is trying to make it in the NFL. Yeah.
Speaker: Um, i would say just like staying focused on the controllables, right? Control the controllables. There's, there's a lot of factors here. There's a number of different guys, right? There's drafted guys. There's undrafted guys. We've got nine year veterans in our room and, you know, there's rookies. So, and,
Speaker: But, you know, every day when I approach practice, there's a number of things I know that I can control, right? It's the effort that I give, how prepared I am coming into practice, knowing exactly what I'm supposed to do when I get opportunities. And then when I do get those opportunities, like taking advantage of them and, you know, trying to make plays and and show up on the tape as a guy who, you know, is around the ball, is is giving, ah you know,
Speaker: outstanding effort, um, as someone who ah is always in the right spot, um, and not worrying too much about the rest, right? Like when when you mentally exhaust yourself, worrying too much about, Oh, I'm, I'm counting like how many guys that they're they're going to take. And, you know, I don't know if I'm going to make the cut or, you know, yeah I don't know.
Speaker: Like there's so many things, like if you worry all the time about the stuff down the road, like, it it I think it limits your ability to perform and just be at your best day to day.
Speaker: and And I think that's a principle that um applies sports in general, but to life too. It's just like, if we can just be process oriented, don't focus so much on the end result, right? I think i think that happens a lot sometimes with teams. like Teams hyper-focus on winning, they miss the things that actually help them when So if you hyper-focus too much on the end result, then you miss the little things that you should be doing each and every day.
Speaker: and so for me, it's just, hey, knowing that the kind of player that I am and, you know, God's always had my back up until this point, right? He's, he's helped me out. So he's going to continue to do that. And so knowing if I show up, continue to be me and give my absolute best, um, in the end, the whatever the result is, that's exactly what's supposed to happen, but I'm going to control the things that I can and put the rest in his hands.
Speaker: And what a great attitude, Tanner. That's that, that makes me even believe more that you're going to make it. We're going to hear, you know, we're going to be talking in 10 years from now about this, just c incredible career that you've had. It's, it's, uh, you said something, you said something 10 minutes ago that I wanted to circle back to that's I think important for athletes to understand. And I'm, I'm, it grabbed my attention. I've coached a lot of football over the years and, and talk to a lot of quarterbacks about this exact thing that you said. So I'd like you to expand a little bit on it. um
Speaker: You were talking about watching film. and how you are just a junkie for watching film. I try to tell athletes there's a major difference between so watching film and studying film.
Speaker: And I know that when you know you were referring to, you studied film, right? You know the difference. yeah help Help a young player parent understand the difference between watching film and really studying film in a way that it can help you when you're out there on the field.
Speaker: Yeah. i mean, I feel like it's an easy distinction. Like if you're not rewinding every clip and watching it from every angle and writing things down and pausing, you know, then you're not studying it. Like if, if it's just like the channel changer and you're watching TV, you know, that's, that's, you're watching film, right? You might as well be, you know, watching Sunday night football, but, um,
Speaker: There's, you have to be able to put yourself into the game and see it from, from that point of view. Like for me, you know, something that's been helpful for me during this NFL process, um, you know, when I'm watching film, I'll watch it from the back angle. Right. So I'm looking, I watched the team, I watched offense break the huddle.
Speaker: And the second they get aligned, you know, I make the calls. I make, I do the communication that I know I'm supposed to give on that play, knowing what my assignment is. And then I let it play out.
Speaker: And I, you know, I watch it that way. You know, that's, that's how I do it as a defensive player. Right. But I mean, there's so many, there's so many different ways to, to watch film. I spent hours and hours watching extra film with Coach Hill, and he's got a bunch of different ways that he watches it, um looking for looking for patterns and tendencies and things that teams do.
Speaker: And you know as you watch and watch and watch, you kind of just build this understanding for the game as far as you know what teams do in this formation. you know When they motion like this, what what does this typically indicate.
Speaker: And so it's, um, it's one of those things where it's not a, it's not a passive, um, let's see, it's not a passive activity.
Speaker: It's not a, you know, put the feet up, kick back in the chair kind of thing. Like the pen, the pen's got to be in one hand and the You know, whether you're watching on your iPad, your laptop, on the projector, whatever it is, like yeah you're going to be actively writing things down and, you know, trying to catch little nuances that are that are going to help you.
Speaker: Yeah. If that, if that makes sense. No, that's it. that That's exactly it. And and I think Chad always talks about, and I'll, I'll, I'll maybe hand this to him to expand and and follow up with, I'm sure a question for you but Chad talks a lot in our program about the importance of being intentional with what we do, which I agree with 100%. The difference between just doing things to do it and to check the box, right? Say I watched film.
Speaker: And you know, in in football, and head coach can go in and see how much a kid has watched film. And that's the case in in all sports. You can actually see it. um And I know that the kid turned it on, but he didn't study film. He wasn't intentional. Well, know, when you go to the weight room,
Speaker: There's a difference between lifting weights and being intentional. You know, when you're a friend to somebody, there's a difference between just being their friend but or really being their friend and and wanting to know what's going on and helping them and thinking about them and praying about them. And everything we do, right, we can take those two different paths, the sort of kind of check the box, yeah, I guess I did it path, or the intentional, you know, I'm going to do it with all I i got and be great at it path. And that's the one that we talk a lot with.
Speaker: and our And our whole motto of eyes up, do the work is it's not eyes up, do it if it's convenient or eyes up, you know, do it when it's easy. It's you got to see stuff, recognize stuff and then do something about it. Shad, intentional, being intentional, resiliency. These are all things that scream Tanner Wall, right? what What are your thoughts on that?
Speaker: Well, Tanner, I'll be honest, like your story caught me. The reason why i reached out to you on social media is I just feel like in many ways you're an embodiment of the things that we try to teach. And Dustin, you've probably gathered that from um from this interview, you know, the resilience with which you went from...
Speaker: non-scholarship receiver to injured to, you know, an all-conference safety to having an opportunity in the NFL. that That doesn't happen without being intentional. We have a principle we call win the hour, and you've probably seen the the shirts win the day, right?
Speaker: We just think it's more complicated than that. And I know you're You're a father, if i remember correctly. You're yeah a husband. You have this incredible wife that stood by your side. you You have your faith. You're trying to be a great football player.
Speaker: You're, you know, there's all these different aspects of life. And sometimes... we could just let life happen to us. You've probably heard of Justin Sua. Yeah. Yeah. would be why you He was on our podcast and he made a statement that, um, we can live a life by design or by default.
Speaker: And what we try to teach young people is to live a life by design, ah to design your life, to be intentional, to take each hour of your day and say, how do I be intentional about this hour?
Speaker: and And when it's time for that hour to shut off, like it's over, you either won that hour or you lost that hour. And now, ah like in your case, it's time to At times to go home and, okay, now I need to be a husband and a father. How do I win that hour and be intentional about that time?
Speaker: and And that intentionality we've realized as we've interviewed a lot of people, those who were able to be intentional about each hour, each transition of their life.
Speaker: Just get more out of life. They have more joy in life. And you've obviously done that. I know you were all academic. um You had Ivy League opportunities. And so do you have any thoughts, anything that has helped you with winning the hour? That's that's how we would say it is you you win the hour. You be intentional about what's in front of you.
Speaker: Anything that's helped you to do that? Yeah. I mean, you know, I think we've all heard the quote, like how you do one thing is how you do anything or how you do everything.
Speaker: And, you know, Coach Hill used to talk about this a lot too, like your pursuit of excellence, um, across all the aspects of your life makes you better at everything, right? Like it's not, it's not good enough to just be a great football player,
Speaker: But then, you know, you just don't give a lot of effort in the classroom. don't, you know, in seminary, you're sleeping, you know, you're at home, you you know, you're on your phone at dinner, you don't really care to interact with your family.
Speaker: right like if you If you want to be great at everything or at one thing, you should try to be great at everything. you know i don't I don't know exactly how it all comes together and how this this principle works, but like when you try to to give your best and be the best ah ah in everything that you do, it it carries over into you know everything. right and and And this is something that I...
Speaker: that I try to help young kids understand, like, for whatever reason, you know, being a great student and being a great son and, you know, being a leader at church or, you know, whatever it is, like you might have a job, right? Being a great employee wherever you're working.
Speaker: that somehow makes you a better football player. It does. You know, people might not understand or think that that's true, but that pursuit of excellence across all the pillars of your life, it does make you a better player. um and And I just think you get a lot of development from that, both mentally, spiritually, physically. i think you have a lot of confidence and peace from that knowing I'm giving my best and everything, right? You feel, i think, I think that's the principle of integrity, right? Like I'm the same person in everything that I do. I'm always trying my best. I'm giving effort.
Speaker: I'm humble. I'm looking out for other people. Um, and you know, it's kids, kids think it's kind of cool to be nonchalant, you know, across, you know, the different pillars of their life and then just, you know, try it sports. But even sometimes a lot of those kids are the ones who, you know, think it's cool to just not really try it practice. And then the game comes and I can turn it on.
Speaker: But, you know, that that's not an excellent mindset, right? Being, being great and giving your best at everything is what really helps you grow and, and, and stretches you to be better than you are.
Speaker: i mean, Yeah, that's spot on, Tanner. Do you, what are your thoughts on social media? How did you deal with that as a high school and a college athlete? Because, you know, earlier we talked about distractions in and competition by maybe getting too worked up over something, letting contempt creep in. But in your preparation, you live right through all of this. This is really powerful.
Speaker: became fundamental to what we teach kids now as part of the eyes up, do the work messages, getting off your phones and looking up, right? Looking at things and people and things. How did you avoid the traps of of social media and distractions? what What would you say to young people about the dangers of that?
Speaker: Um, I mean, time, time management is such a huge thing that kids need to be able to learn. You know, there's only a certain amount of hours you have every day to accomplish the things that you need to get done.
Speaker: And so like, when you when you do the most important things first and then you still you know have a little bit of extra time, you know if if you want to be on your phone, I think that's okay.
Speaker: sure um But think i I see it from a scriptural lens of, you know in I think it's Matthew 5, it might be in Matthew 6, where Jesus says, seek ye first the kingdom of God.
Speaker: um And so i think I think that's a great way to prioritize your life, right? look at, look at doing the best things first. And then if you have time for other things, that's great. But if you run out of time, it's like, well, clearly that's not something that you were supposed to spend your time doing, right? If you did the best things first,
Speaker: Um, you know social media is a tough one too, because a lot of kids, there's so much comparison that goes on. You're always looking at other people's life, but everyone makes their life seem perfect on social media.
Speaker: So you're comparing yourself to something that seems unattainable. Um, but you know, social media can be used as, as a great thing. Um, uh, I think one, one thing that, that touched me and really impacted me is a conversation I was having with a friend. This is several years ago now.
Speaker: um They were like, have you ever, they're like, when you get that report on Sunday with your screen time from your phone, Do you ever take that percentage of the day and multiply it like across your life? It's like if someone's spending six hours a day on their phone, you know, that's, that's a quarter of the day. You multiply it across their life, right? An average life of, let's just call it, call it a hundred years. It's like, you want to spend 25 years on your phone? Yeah.
Speaker: Like that's, I certainly don't, yeah you know, and I'm sure we've all been offenders and I know there's times where we were on our phone too much, but there's way more life to be lived looking up from the screen than looking at it.
Speaker: Yeah. That's, That's a good, there's way more life to be lived looking up from the screen than looking at it. With our mantra of eyes up, do the work, Tanner, that just speaks right to our heart, right? Yeah. and now you know yeah One quick question, you can answer it as short as you feel like you need.
Speaker: How do you teach a kid or how, well, maybe not how do you teach it, but
Speaker: but what What would you say to somebody who is fighting this this, especially for athletes? We want kids to be kind. We want them to be polite. We want them to be, you know, in some cases, you know, aware so aware of other people that that that hurt sometimes. to there but Other people's needs and pain hurts them enough to motivate them to hopefully do something to fix it.
Speaker: that's what eyes up, you know, do the work means. But at the same time, when you step on a field, you have to be a killer out there, right? You have to have some energy and some passion and some, it's okay to hit somebody hard on a football field and not feel sorry for when you do it.
Speaker: Um, you know, if if you were your son or daughter, I know your father, but I'm not sure if you have a a boy or a girl, but you're going to want them to be able to turn that switch on and off when they need to. It's okay to be tough and and to be, you know, yeah have some fierceness about you, you know, on the, especially on the football field.
Speaker: Um, Do you ever have, if you had teammates or do you have, you ever worry about that fierceness on the, on the field, carrying over into other areas of life? And how do we, how do we make sure that we understand when to be fierce and when to be gentle as an athlete?
Speaker: Yeah. I mean, that's one of the beauty, the beautiful things about sports, right? Like when you're in between the lines, whatever, whatever kind of, lines they might be, whether it's on a court or on a field, right? You, you're, you can be as fierce a competitor as you need to be to to succeed and to win, right? Obviously within the framework of the rules of the game always, but like,
Speaker: that's a chance for you. Like that's your stage. Like that's the place where you can, you know, do whatever you feel you need to, to succeed. And, you know, I think that's great that we've been given, you know, this platform, you know, you you have a limited amount of time, right? Whether it's a 60 minute game or, you know, whether you're a tennis player and you've got, you know, couple sets to work with, or, you know, you're a swimmer, whatever it is, like you got to be able to,
Speaker: capitalize on that short amount of time to just be your absolute best. And, you know, then when the, when the whistle blows or whatever, you know, you, you, you can make that transition back into, you know,
Speaker: kind of get out of the the game mode. Like you can still be a competitor in life across all the things that you do. I just feel like when you're, when you're in between the lines, you know, you got to capitalize on that opportunity because, you know, ah everyone has a last game, right?
Speaker: You never know when the last time is that you're going you know, take your cleats off and that's it. Or, you know, you know, put your racket down and stop playing. There's so many, um, the, that, that that journey is never guaranteed, right? It can end for anyone. Like it could end for me tomorrow. Like I could wake up tomorrow and football could be over.
Speaker: Um, but I could still, I still need to be able to compete in life to, to succeed in, ah in the, you know, in the workplace or in, in different things that I'm doing. Um, but it's It's okay to to be a fierce competitor on the field. like you know The best athletes always are the ones who can turn it on for the game. and um But I don't think... I would rather err on the side of having someone be overly competitive and have to tone it down than have someone who doesn't compete at all and have to always be trying to get them to to turn it on. Right.
Speaker: Perfect. Thank you. You said, you said exactly what I wanted to say, especially there at the end. So thank you, Tanner. i'll I'll wrap my final thought. and I'll let Shad and you wrap this up, but man, you're good luck to you, Tanner and all you're doing. thank you What a pleasure to chat with you. You've got ever it all you know, you're, you've got screwed on, right, man. And your priorities and work ethic and focus, it seems like you're, you're on the right path. Your eyes are up and, uh, man, we'll be following you and have nothing but respect and, and hope nothing but the best for you. So best of luck, Chad, go ahead and, and, and then ask your question and wrap it up.
Speaker: Yeah. So, Well, Tanner, thank you. One of the reasons why our organization exists is because we know that athletes have the power to impact the culture of their schools and their communities.
Speaker: We're just about to go back to school all around the country here. And, you know, there's going to be those kids that are lonely. There's going to be kids that are right now that are dreading going back to school and feeling marginalized again, eating lunch alone you We try to inspire athletes to understand that because they are an athlete in what we call the sport light, that extra attention that's given to athletes because they play sports, they have the power to impact the lives of those around them, to rally others, to be inclusive and help people feel valued and loved.
Speaker: If you could go back, knowing all you know now, all the experiences you've had, your mission, going to BYU, being around incredible coaches and mentors and people who were that way to you when you came in, what would you say to Tanner Wall in high school to help him understand maybe be even better?
Speaker: the power that a young person has to impact the life of another person, especially because they are an athlete in the sport life? What would you say to young athletes to inspire them to help impact their the culture of their school for good?
Speaker: i mean, I think... I think you don't really realize as a kid how much like relationships matter. Like relationships, the way that you interact with other people shapes the course of your entire life.
Speaker: And so, and people never forget the way that you treat them and make them feel, um you know, especially here yeah or in a place like Utah, right? There's most people who grow up there um end up still living there, right? There are people who stay and, you know, end up in the community and in business and in different things.
Speaker: And so, you know, i think finding a way to build a connection and build a friendship with anyone and everyone that you're around, uh, goes a long way, right? Cause you're going to get down the road and next thing you know, you're going to be in a job interview and that person that you were,
Speaker: sitting with at lunch or inviting to, you know, come hang out with your friend group because they might be, might've felt kind of lonely. Next so you know, they're sitting across from you doing a job interview or you, you know, you're in you're in a ward and, you know, he's, he's your, he's your elders quorum president. You know, you never know when you're going to circle back and connect with, with someone.
Speaker: And, you know, the, just, everyone is Everyone's looking for for friends. People want to feel important. And you know there's nothing better ah than you know building friendships with people and and building those connections that you know whether they short term or whether they end up being long term, you're never too cool to to be friends with someone. i think High schoolers and and young kids might get that mixed up, right? Oh, it's not cool to be friends with certain kids. it's like, no, when you grow up, you find out that it's cool to be friends with everyone, right? Like you can build relationship build relationships with with anyone and everyone and every person has value and is important.
Speaker: Fanner, thank you. Thank you for taking the time during this busy time of your life. We are hoping for you, praying for you. Good people like you, we want to see be successful. Thank Thank you so much for your thoughts. We're going to help a lot of people that you've shared with us today. Dustin, any closing thoughts other than what you've given?
Speaker: Say hi to Chase for us. Will do. Okay. I'll let him know. Thanks, everyone, for joining the Especially for Athletes podcast. Eyes up. Do the work.
Speaker: Thank you for joining the Especially for Athletes podcast. To learn more about Especially for Athletes organization, get a copy of our book, The Sportlight, or to bring our program to your team, school, business, or organization, visit us at especiallyforathletes.org.
