What is Talent?

If you happened to see the BYU vs. USU football game Friday night, you saw just about everything. An 80-yard score on the first play from the line of scrimmage by Utah State RB Robert Turbin, a couple impressive catches by BYU WR Cody Hoffman, and most of all a critical QB switch by BYU late in the game. Each of these sparked an opportunity for viewers to appreciate natural talent—particularly in the case of Riley Nelson….

Hold the bus…did I just admit that Riley Nelson, the kid with the terrible mullet and the awkward short-arm left-handed throw has talent? How can that be?

Let me put it this way… Talent is defined as an innate, naturally recurring pattern of behavior that most times cannot be taught. Turbin’s strength and agility combined with good vision make up a very unique set of talents. I would argue he is among the top 5 college running backs in the country. Hoffman’s speed, vertical jump and hand-eye coordination that helped him sky over Aggie cornerback Jumanne Robertson, while twisting at the goal line for a BYU touchdown make up another unique set of talents (thankfully we get a few more years to watch that talent blossom in Cougar blue). These are the talents that people usually discuss and praise. However, I would say that the greatest competitors in the world (Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Tiger before his fall, Jimmer Fredette) are more distinguished in their mental talents than in their physical talents. The recurring pattern of outworking, out-practicing, outcompeting the opposition is what makes Jimmer special. Just listen to all of the ESPN pundits telling people why he doesn’t have the physical gifts to succeed at the next level…and yet Jimmer’s heard that all before, at every level leading up to this point.

Mental toughness is a talent…perhaps the scarcest talent in all of sports. It’s why freaks of nature like Ricky Williams, Marcus Dupree, and Vince Young are missing…and the reason that none of them ever lived up to their potential. It explains why Tiger Woods dominated at a young age, and crumbled in recent years. And this…is the edge that Riley Nelson has over Jake Heaps… Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying a guy with mental toughness can go out and beat Ricky Williams…you still have to have the physical ability to execute at that level, but that is only table stakes…it’s what you do with those gifts that counts.

This is actually something that I help clients manage on a daily basis. The company I work for has a mathematical model for assessing innate patterns of thought, feeling and behavior that can be productively applied to any role. It’s how we predict top quartile CEO talent, or which sales rep candidates will outperform the others. By the way, we also proved this model in assessing elite hockey talent. There is a certain mental DNA that performers in any category have, which helps them succeed. If you can decode that DNA, then you can replicate it.

BYU Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall and Offensive Coordinator Brandon Doman need to figure out whether Jake Heaps has the mental toughness to compete as an elite Division I college quarterback…but they also need to figure out whether Riley Nelson has the physical tools to support his mental advantage. It will be interesting to see how this plays out… It is an experiment in talent that I will be watching closely as a devout Cougar fan.