In the world of NIL and still clearing the dust from the imploding of the PAC12, the WSU Football Team is 8-1 and currently sits in contention of the college football playoffs. This isn’t supposed to happen when many other programs are able to vastly outspend them in NIL deals and when their players can leave now that they sit outside the power 5. However, on their run this season the team and Coach Dickert are teaching the world some valuable lessons that translate off the football field.
You can always reinvent yourself and be successful
Jake Dickert took over for Air Raid Legend Mike Leach. Leach threw the ball more than anyone in the nation over his coaching career and built a team to win with a high-octane offense and historically a pretty weak defense. Dickert came to Pullman and started to shift the team to a defense first philosophy that consistently stays in games by limiting their opponents rather than outscoring them. This season, the Cougs have turned even more to the run with quarterback John Mateer running for over 200 years in one game and the team as a whole consistently rushing for more yards than they pass for. It’s a new look for Coug fans, but it has brought a new energy and its ended up in quite a few wins so far.
A Solid Program Can Hold Together Even When Everything is Falling Apart
At the end of last year, the Pac 12 fell apart and WSU was left out in the cold. Then to add insult, the Cougs start Quarterback, Cam Ward, signed with Miami for an NIL deal that WSU could never touch. It seemed bleak. However, Jake Dickert was still there, and its clear that his leadership and program are much stronger than the forces challenging the team. The Cougs were able to rally to a top 25 ranking and can look forward with hope to the coming years as long as Dickert is still on the Palouse. One of WSU’s leading receivers this season, Kris Hutson, transferred from Oregon after losing playing time and has been rejuvenated this season with over 500 yards. Dickert is able to consistently build into players that others have overlooked and its got the WSU program moving in the right direction.
There is Always Hope for the Little Guy – Even When Your Conference Disintegrates
The coolest thing about the run that WSU and Dickert are having is that it proves that even with the massive shift from the NIL, there is still hope for programs that typically haven’t had the greatest recruits and will never have the most money to spend. Hopefully Dickert keeps his program rolling for years to come and continues to show that the core things that make college football great still matter. There is still space to build a program and develop players who don’t come in with 5 star recruiting ratings.
This article is part of an effort by personalfinanceblogs.com to celebrate the principles that make for success in life and money. The ability to find value where others don’t and building a program for a college football team share many of the core elements that make a financially successful person out in the stands. Hope you enjoyed this article and please check out our featured articles from the best minds in the world of personal finance.