If you ask any student athlete who has a strong relationship with his or her coach about why they have such a good bond, the answer will likely include something about that coach's philosophy.

As a coach, leading a group of young men and young women to victory takes not only a strong belief in your strategy, mindset and commitment. It requires making sure that this philosophy is instilled in each and every player so that they're working with a common mission.

[Related: Rick, Yogi talk Mike up on the academics at their respective universities]

As Yogi Roth and Rick Neuheisel continue to court our five-star recruit, quarterback Mike Yam, toward either Venice University and Manhattan Beach University, both say that finding athletes who can share that mission and work is paramount to almost everything when it comes to landing the recruit.

"Philosophy is what separates teams and sets them free," Roth said. "A trait for great coaches is that they're independent in thought and stick to their beliefs no matter what. You want to go to a program where everyone is on the same page."

Rick and Yogi both sold their coaching philosophies hard, including pitches on Twitter, in an attempt to bring Mike to their program. It's a decision he'll reveal on Feb. 5 in conjunction with the Pac-12 Football Weekly Signing Day Special, which airs on Pac-12 Networks starting at 4:30 PT.