The DII Sports Podcast

This week on the DII Sports podcast we're joined by Marcus Porter, linebacker at Fairmont State. We caught up with Marcus following a week one loss by the Falcons. They've since started to right the ship by defeating Urbana in week two. From on the field to off the field...this interview runs the gamut. And get this...Marcus isn't the only Porter on the team. His little brother Michael is his teammate and roommate! Hope you enjoy the interview.

Week 1 is in the books! We look back, and forward, with Paul Tortorella, head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In his first season as head coach, Tortorella brings years of experience and knowledge to the position, spending the last 22 seasons as IUP’s defensive coordinator. So far, so good as the Crimson Hawks are 1-0 on the very young season. Hope you enjoy it...back next week with more after another weekend of games!

The DII football previews continue this week with Gary Dunn, head coach at California University of Pennsylvania. Dunn, in his second season as head coach, was a four-year starter for the Vulcans and brings several years of experience as offensive coordinator at the FCS level to the table. As you'll hear in the interview, there's much more beyond what happens on the field that goes a long way in determining how successful a program is. Hope you enjoy it!

Our DII football previews continue this week with Jason Woodman, head coach at Fairmont State University. Coach Woodman has done a remarkable job of turning around the Fighting Falcons program in just a few short years. Spending time around some of the biggest names in the sport probably didn't hurt. Before coming to Fairmont State, Coach Woodman worked at LSU under coaches Nick Saban and Les Miles. After LSU, Jason followed Jimbo Fisher to Florida State and spent some time under legendary...

Before the season kicks off in a couple weeks I wanted to give you guys my take on how I think things are going to unfold. You know, that's because I can predict the future. Haha, yeah right. Let me just say right now that I have NO CLUE what's going to happen. But that's what makes things so damn exciting. There are so many teams scattered all across the country that have a legit chance of winning the title. Whether it's Northwest Missouri, Grand Valley State or Fairmont State...there's a...

With kickoff just around the corner we were lucky enough to grab Matt Mitchell, head coach of the Grand Valley State Lakers, for a season preview. Coach Mitchell is always one of my favorite interviews. The guy just gets it. He loves football and his teams are always in the running for the national title...and this year is no exception as most of the pre-season polls have the Lakers somewhere near the top of the pack. Hope you enjoy it. Definitely can't wait to have coach back on the show...

It's official, football is back, and yours truly could not be happier! From this point on we hope to bring you some top notch interviews with players and coaches from around the country. We're starting things off this week with Maurice Carnell, senior cornerback for the University of North Alabama. UNA had a great run last season, eventually losing in the title game to Northwest Missouri. They've since moved up a level but will still primarily be playing a DII schedule this season. Don't be...

I can't imagine there are many things tougher than an NFL training camp...but one thing that comes close, if not exceeds it, is training to do an IRONMAN. It's something that I'm very familiar with...not because I'm competing, but because my wife, Mary Kate, has now competed in several. The latest one was in Lake Place in upstate New York. This episode is dedicated to all the competitors and I hope it at least sheds a tiny light on all the preparation that goes into the ultimate competition....

Ahhhh....so close we are to the start of training camps scattered across the country. When we started this podcast late last season, we only caught the tail end of the football season and then the playoffs, so I'm super excited that we'll be able to cover this coming season from beginning to end. To give you a taste of what you can expect to hear once the season kicks off, we're going to bring you some highlights from a couple interviews we did last season. First is Colby Carthel, head coach...

We're now just a couple weeks away from NFL camps opening and just a few days beyond that for college camps. I CANNOT wait. Between Penn State and the NFL, I've lost count as to how many camps I've been through. Suffice to say it was a lot. And because of that I think I have a pretty good feel as to what goes into it, both as a player and coach. So that's what this episode is all about...what's going through the minds of the coaches and players as they know they've basically got just a few...

So you wanna be a pro athlete, eh? That's what players all across the country are thinking as they prepare to start training camp in a matter of days and weeks. If you want to make it to the pros, one of the biggest challenges, maybe the biggest challenge, will be staying healthy. Trust me when it comes to this subject as I know a thing or two about going under the knife. That's what this episode is all about...the challenges of staying healthy and staying on the field. As you'll hear, it's...

Another week down means another week closer to NFL training camps opening. Man, I cannot wait! I love talking and learning about other sports, but let's face it, football is my thing. As you're listening to this episode there are guys just out of college preparing all across the country as they try to make it in the big time. And that includes plenty of DII players trying to prove that they're worthy of a shot. One of those who will definitely have an eye on things in Neil Malvone, president...

Sometimes the truth hurts. And the truth of the matter when it comes to college athletes is that most won't make it to the big time. After college, they'll be done. Then what? What's next? What are they going to do for the rest of their lives? That's what happened with Bryan Keys, our guest this week on the show. Bryan played DII football and spent some time in NFL training camps and even played in the arena league. But eventually he was facing the reality of life in the real world. So what...

Well, after a recent heat wave in the Northeast, some of which I experienced without air conditioning, suffice to say that summer is officially upon us, which means that things have gone dark on campuses across the country. Okay, not entirely dark. While the games may be over for a while, the training continues...heck, it never really stopped. With football just around the corner coaches and player are undoubtedly preparing for the long grind. I've been there and done that so I know what...

The school year may be pretty much over, but that doesn't mean things completely shutdown, especially when it comes to football. Nowadays it's basically a year-round process. With the season just around the corner, you can be sure that coaches are out there trying to lock up those final recruits as they get ready to open training camp in just a couple months. To talk about the recruiting process, we're going to rerun an interview we did with Bill Zwaan from West Chester University. Coach...

It's week two of our crash course in the world of DII track and field. This week we're talking with Jerry Baltes, head coach of both the women's and men's programs at Grand Valley State. That fact is what drew me to Coach Baltes. What's it like coaching both programs? What are the differences? The similarities? The biggest challenges? He's obviously got it down to a science because both programs are usually near the top of the pack in the rankings. Let me know what you think by leaving a...

New episode, new sport. As the school year winds down, we thought we’d get in a little track and field before it all wraps up. Who better to educate us than a four time Olympian? And that’s exactly what Jud Logan is, as well as the head coach at Ashland University. As you’ll hear, Jud runs his program like a finely tuned machine, so it’s no surprise the results are top notch. Hope you enjoy learning about a new sport…I know I sure did. FYI, we could use some more ratings/reviews in iTunes…so...

For the second time in a couple weeks we're joined by Wayne Cavati from NCAA.com. Why you might ask is he already back on? It's because the baseball and softball playoffs are upon us and no one knows this stuff better than Wayne. That's no exaggeration. After talking to him for 20 minutes my head is spinning trying to figure out how he has all this knowledge about the DII sports scene. It really is impressive. Hope you enjoy the conversation! As always, a rating or review in iTunes would be...

The softball postseason is basically here and this week we're talking to Judy Lawes, head coach at Kutztown University, one of the teams expected to make a run at the title. This certainly won't be the first rodeo for Coach Lawes as she's been at the school for 30 years! Yes, 30! Good Lord, that's an eternity. As you'll hear, it was basically her first real job out of school. Hope you enjoy it. Let us know by leaving a rating or review in iTunes.

This week on the DII Sports podcast we're breaking down the national baseball and softball picture with NCAA.com writer Wayne Cavadi. We were lucky to find Wayne for two reasons: 1) he knows his stuff and 2) he's a damn good interview! He also has a neat background as he went from being a teacher to pursuing his love of writing and sports and turning it into a full-time career. Hope you enjoy it! As always, leave some feedback in the form of a rating or review in iTunes.