Urban Meyer reveals key to utilizing bulletin board material as a head coach

New Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos made waves when he sat down for an interview with On3’s Pete Nakos and questioned Alabama’s dynasty status, in a way, providing some serious bulletin board material. He noted that the Crimson Tide “don’t have Nick Saban to save them” any more.

The comments instantly flew around the Internet and social media. Bold claims from a quarterback now captaining a team that won only two games last year.

But the bigger-picture conversation is one about motivation and the merits of it. And there’s one former coach who would be itching to be in Kalen DeBoer‘s shoes right now. Urban Meyer knows a thing or two about how to manage bulletin board material.

“You said that coach DeBoer doesn’t care,” Meyer told his colleagues on The Triple Option podcast. “He does. When his name’s dragged in and there’s the whole country kind of talking about Nick Saban left and there’s a drop-off and all that. We’re all human beings. Coach DeBoer’s got one of the best records out there of any college football coach, but you’re damned right he cares. When I hear people say, ‘I don’t care,’ sure he does. He’s a human being and he sees a little dragging going on.”

Can DeBoer use that to power Alabama going into the season-opening matchup? Meyer said absolutely he can. He explained precisely how.

“Let me say this about the whole bulletin board, I’ve used it a million times,” Meyer said. “And there’s two reasons you use it. It’s for preparation for that game and for the start of the game. After the game, and (co-host) Mark (Ingram) will tell you, after the game gets going, you don’t, I mean, give a damn about what was said before the game, because you’re in it now.”

Meyer has some famous bulletin-board material from his coaching days. At Florida, he famously stewed over Georgia dancing in the end zone in a 2007 game for a full year. Florida came out and absolutely blasted Georgia the following year en route to a national title.

“But what I used it for was that preparation,” Meyer said. “And that was if I saw something, or people knew that I had plenty of people searching for things, coaching a pissed-off team in preparation and then the start of the game,” Meyer said. “But once the game gets rolling, go question those guys in the middle of the second quarter and say, ‘What did that guy say again?’ They’re going to be worried about the field pressure or the middle plug X or the split zone. Players and coaches are too caught up in it.”

That preparation time can be absolutely vital, though. Alabama and Kalen DeBoer can fuel themselves throughout fall camp with Thomas Castellanos’ bulletin board material.

So watch out. Florida State could face a highly motivated Alabama team come season’s start.