March 8, 2024 • 38 mins
Arizona State Head Coach (and Sun Devils alumni) Kenny Dillingham joins this week’s episode of The Unafraid Show as George Wrighster makes the trip to Tempe, Arizona to interview a Dillingham and the rest of the staff.
George also gives his take on the next five years of SEC conference Football play in the post-Nick Saban era, scolds Arch Manning for refusing to be part of the new NCAA video game franchise, and gives his take on the Lakers LeBron James’ reaching the NBA 40,000 point plateau!
In the opening segment, George Wrighster takes on the SEC conference where “it just means more.” The SEC conference has added Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. Plus Nick Saban has retired form Alabama. So with all the changes, who does George believe will be the top Dawg (hint hint) in the conference over the next five years? Will Steve Sarkisian be able to avoid the temptation of the NFL? Can Lane Kiffin turn his transfer portal magic into a College Football Playoff appearance? Can Billy Napier survive the Florida Gators hot seat?
Next, George flies to Tempe to find out if Kenny Dillingham really has what it takes to turn Arizona State around, and digs into why the Uber-young head coach believes that all the changes in college football are actually making the sport better, and not worse.
Arch Manning is refusing to appear in EA Sports long-awaited iteration of NCAA football, and George picks apart the reason that was given to the media. Does Arch think he’s Michael Jordan?
And finally, how many milestones does LeBron James need to accomplish for his haters to admit that he’s “one of one?” #kennydillingham #arizonastatefootball #sundevils #big12football #collegefootball #asu #unafraidshow
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Today on the Unaffraid Show.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
We've already done the Big ten to Big twelve, but
now it's time to rank the SEC from sixteen to
one based upon who will win the most conference games
over the next five years. And we went down the
ASU to talk to Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
And this is a hell of an interview. You don't
want to miss this.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
And we got to talk about Arc Manning not taking
the money to be in NCAA twenty five, and of
course we got to talk about the man himself, Lebron James,
passing forty thousand points.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
This is the Unafraid Show.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Make sure that you like, subscribe, get notifications, and most
importantly shared so we can keep growing and bringing you
dope content.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
It's time for the show. Let's go.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
The Mighty SEC now has sixteen teams after poaching two
of the biggest brands in college football in Texas and Oklahoma,
and with the expansion of the College Football Playoffs, you
can expect that at least a fourth of the conference
is gonna be represented every single year. In hell, even
some years you might see five teams. I've already ranked
the Big ten and the Big twelve by how many
(01:23):
conference games that they're gonna win over the next five years.
So we're gonna do the same thing with your favorite conference.
It just means more with the Southeastern Conference. And we'll
judge by the comment section to see if it really
does mean more. Number sixteen the Vanderbilt Commodores. Now they
are the Washington Generals of the SEC. Now they've averaged
just one conference win per year over the last seven seasons.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
That ain't good, and outside of.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
A three year run with James Franklin at the Helm,
this team has been non competitive. It is interesting though
that Clark Lee put together a top forty recruiting and
transfer class. Now it's still ranked dead last in the SEC,
So even though it was good by SEC standards, not
so much. And I think it's fair to assume that
(02:08):
they're gonna stay as this conference. Footstool on to number fifteen.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Mississippi State. I love missip State.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I had a great game against the boys, but anyways,
I thought the Bulldogs were on the right track and
what happened with Mike Leach is absolutely terrible because Zach
Garnett probably should have found a way to run the
air raid with that roster that was built for the
air raid, and because he didn't, Mississippi State remains under
rebuild mode under Jeff Lepi and I think this offense
(02:36):
could get cooking, but one winning season in the SEC
in this millennium makes me think that even if he does,
the ceiling for the Bulldogs is a Form four record
in the conference. Number fourteen Sam Pittman and the Arkansas
Faithful are being desperate enough to welcome Bobby Petrino back
to Fayetteville to run the offense is I mean, that's
(02:58):
the most WWE storyline in all of college football. That
would literally be like hiring Arkansas native Bill Clinton to
run Joe Biden's White House intern program.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
He ain't gonna do that.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
But with only one winning season in the last twelve
years since Petrino left, I get it. The twenty twenty
four recruiting class is surprisingly good, and maybe Petrino can
get this offense back on track and save Sam Pittman's job,
But I don't see them leap froggy any of the
other schools on this list in the process. Number thirteen
South Carolina. I like Shane Beemer and the game Cocks
(03:32):
have first round talent and the fan energy at William
Bright Stadium is crazy. So why do I have South
Carolina so low on this list? Well, there are fourteen
games under five hundred in the SEC since Steve Spurrier
resigned ten years ago, and they've only put together a
top fifty scoring offense once in the last decade, while
(03:53):
finishing lower than ninetieth and over half of those seasons. Now,
I don't normally recommend teams shifts to the air raid
les they're at a significant talent deficiency. But South Carolina
they need to do something because what they're doing is
not working. And that's the definition of insanity. Because the
whole conference is leveling up right now. They're setting scoring
(04:13):
records and to compete with the blue bloods, you can't
be still in games twenty seven seventeen anymore.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Number twelve Florida.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Billy Napier is a good coach, in fact, he actually
might be a great one. But college football is not
just about coaching and recruiting anymore. It's about fundraising, wrangling boosters,
hiring the right staff, and babysitting your talent in a
way that keeps them from bolting to a better option. Now,
the entire college football loving country's convinced that Napier is
(04:41):
on his last chance, and Florida's schedule next year is
an absolute gauntlet, And if the unfortunate happens and they
do fire Napier as most people expect could happen, They're
not going to hire somebody who comes in and has
instant success. That's actually why I have Florida twelfth on
this list, because even if by twenty twenty eight the
Gators are back in the college football playoff hunt, it
(05:02):
would have been three or four years of a grind
to build back up to where they belong. But hey,
if Arkansas can bring Bobby Patrino back, maybe Florida can
run it back with Irvin Meyer and get back to
the mountaintop.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Even quicker. Number eleven Kentucky.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Mark Stoops flirted with leaving last season, and if I'm
a Kentucky fan, I'm glad he didn't because Stoops has
raised the floor for the Wildcast to be consistently relevant
and the destination for high level quarterback transfers. But the
fact remains that national relevance doesn't mean SEC's success. Because
Kentucky has been ranked in the AP pole in five
(05:37):
of the last six seasons, but they're four games under
five hundred in conference play over that time. Now, Kentucky's
best shot at the College Football Playoff appearance is this
year in twenty twenty four, And if they can make
that happen, then maybe we'll find ourselves in a new
era of Kentucky as one of the country's premier two
sports schools. But if they can't level up with this
stacked transfer class, I'm afraid it's never gonna happen. Number
(06:00):
ten Missouri following an eleven win season with what might
be a top five defensive recruiting and portal class in
the entire country, and you have Brady Cook returning. If
I'm a Tigers fan, I'm thinking that we have a
shot at the Natty this year. Hell, if Gary peakle
knew how to defend the run, Missouri might have had
multiple SEC titles and a national championship ten years ago.
(06:22):
This is a sleeping giant of a school, and maybe
it's waking up. But I hesitate to throw my full
endorsement behind Eli Drinkowitz until I see him stack two
successful years back to back Number nine Texas A and
m They say that money can't buy happiness, but that's
not going to stop.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
The Aggie boosters from trying.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
They funded the sports first one hundred million dollar coach,
They funded the greatest recruiting class in the rankings era,
and then they funded that coaches buy out for not
being able to turn that recruiting class into anything meaningful.
And now Mike Elko is back in the fold, and
that's a hell of a football coach. He knows the
land escape, he knows the culture, and he's got the
(07:02):
roster that's more than capable of making a run at
the Aggie's first seven plus win run in the SEC
in a non COVID shortened season since ninety eight.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
My one concern.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
About this school is the thing that has seemingly kept
them from being a powerhouse all these years. Can anybody
inside and outside the program roll the boat in the
same direction because they number eight Auburn. Say what you
want about Hugh Freeze, but the man can win football games.
Auburn has three undefeated seasons in the last thirty years.
(07:33):
And now we're starting a new chapter of SEC football
that does not include Nick Saban. You know, the Tiger
faith Will has convinced themselves that they're all.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
The way back, especially with saving God, we got a shot.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
An incoming freshman quarterback Walker White is coming into the
program alongside two of the country's most electric prep rideouts
in Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson, and that trio might
end up reminding rival coach Kaitlin Devoor of what he
built out in Washington with them boys, with Fenix and
the Doonsay and McMillan. And I'm willing to say that
at least once over the next five years, we'll see
(08:08):
Auburn in the College Football Playoff.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Number seven Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
The Valls came for the NCAA and now they're coming
for the SEC, and Tennessee is honestly passed. Due is
gonna come down to whether nico E Almalava is the
real deal. But I could see this being a top
fifteen offense over the next two seasons. And can't we
talk about how crazy it is that Josh Hypel went
into Alabama and pulled maybe the best high school edge
(08:35):
rusher in Jordan Ross to Knoxville.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
So why seventh and not higher?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Well, because the SEC is so stacked that even if
Tennessee does put together consecutive winning seasons in the league,
something that they haven't done since O seven. I don't
think that it'll be enough to overcome the teams ahead
of them, but I will say that this team has
top four potential.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Number six. Oh, this is gonna scare some people.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Alabama, the crew and tied went from the greatest coach
of all time to what might be the best in
game head coach in America.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And it doesn't matter. They're still gonna fall off.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Oh, the entire country is gonna have its eyes on
Tuscaloosa to see how the fan base handle's taking a
step back. And our expectation is that y'all are gonna
tear each other to pieces.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Are you gonna prove us wrong?
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Though?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Can't Bama fans give Kaylin to Bore three years to
figure out the office, the recruiting, learn the landscape down
there in the South?
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Hell? Can you even give the man two years? We'll see.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
But luckily for the program, they could fall off a
cliff and go five and three in the conference every
single year, which still is a lot better than I
expect from ten other teams in the SEC, and is
gonna put them into College Football Playoff hunt.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Number five Oklahoma. I know SEC fans aren't.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Gonna love that I have the big twelve defectors this high.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
On my list. But just because you think Oklahoma got
bat off for fly over country cupcake teams.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Oh, but that doesn't change the fact that Oklahoma football
is a tried and true blue blood that out recruited
most SEC schools on a consistent basis over the past
couple of decades. Brent Venables, to me is a top
five coach in the league before he's even set foot
in it, And in twenty twenty three, the recruiting class
that's already been in Norman for a year can go
(10:20):
toe to toe with anybody in the country. If Jackson
Arnold is as good as Sooner fans believe he'll be,
Oklahoma might do something crazy and challenge for SEC supremacy
in year one.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Number four LSU.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
The Tigers have all the money they have Brian Kelly,
they have the juice of turning Jaydon Daniels from average
to out of this world. They could take over the
SEC and nobody would be surprised, even though Joe Burrow
once proved otherwise. Defense is still the thing that wins championships.
In three of the last four seasons, the Tigers defense
has been objectively awful. Hiring Blake Baker from Missouri might
(10:57):
be the answer, but if it isn't, it's going to
be hard for LSU to take a place atop the conference.
And now we're to the top of the SCC at
number three. We have Texas because Steve Stark kissing and
just got a shiny new contract. And I think that
the Texas boosters have hitched their wagon to the right man.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
But they better hope that.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
An NFL team doesn't come knocking and see that buyout
as more of a challenge than a deterrent. And the
thing that I like about Texas is that the moment
they knew that they were headed to the SEC, they
made sure that they were invested in SEC level trench players.
Now this year, though they have just three incoming offensive
linemen in the twenty twenty four recruiting class, with their
(11:37):
current roster is stacked because Sark usually lands the top
five quarterback year in and year out, and I think
that they'll build off of last year's College Football Playoff appearance.
Now they might not win the SEC right out the gate,
but I definitely think that they'll be at the finish
line more often than not over the next five years.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Number two, Ole miss Now, I know.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
You think I'm crazy for this one, but just like
Penn State in a Big ten, I believe that some
teams have been on the verge of something special in
recent years and were built for the future and the
futurist right now because Lane Kiffen isn't afraid of the portal.
In fact, he's gotten the number one portal class and
the country. Headed into twenty twenty four, Kiffin is sixteen
(12:18):
and six in the SEC in the last three years
against everybody not named Nick Saban, and now that Nick
Saban has moved on, I feel like there's only one
coach standing in Kiffin's way, and that's Kirby Smart. He's
got a good defensive coordinator in Pete Golding, and Jackson
Dark might be a Heisman contender in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
And I'm predicting that age of the Rebel.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Is upon us and I wouldn't be shocked if they
didn't at least make three College Football Playoff appearances in
the next five years.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
With the expanded Playoff and now number one.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Everybody knew that they were going to be number one,
because if they weren't, this being joke of a list,
because if Kirby Smart didn't leave Athens for Alabama last season,
I don't think anything is going to make this man
give up the thrown. And if you let Georgia into
last year's college football playoff, we might be talking about
a three pat And sometimes when a team has success,
(13:09):
you see some complacency set in and it almost always.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Shows up in the form of a recruiting depth.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Maybe that's because assistants get hired away, or because the
staff just relaxes a little bit. And that ain't the
Bulldog way, because after winning their first Natty in forty years,
the last three high school recruiting side in classes have
been number three, number two, and number one on paper.
They bring back the top offense and defense in the
SEC into next season, and if they beat Clemson as
(13:36):
bad as I think they will on August thirty first,
they might be in a runaway train mode come conference play.
We just spent a lot of time talking about the SEC,
where it just matters more, where there's a man, where
it matters to a lot out West and that is
head coach Kenny Dillingham over at Arizona State.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
So he's up.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Next, and we're joined by Kenny Dillingham, head coach of
that Arizona State Sun Devil's Kenny.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
Thanks for coming on the show.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Appreciate you having me all right, So you are now
thirty three years old.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Do you realize that you're a.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Head coach in college football at thirty three?
Speaker 5 (14:15):
Well, sorry, at thirty one years old.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
At what point in time were you did you figure
out this is what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
So I was a senior in high school going into
my senior year and I tore my ecl tried to
play without it.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
I was already on athletic.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
So I mean, and my coach was I wanted you
to start coaching. Charlie Regel is now especial Teams coordinator,
and then I started coaching. I just fell in love
with the impact you could make, and then I love competing.
So the combination of you can make an impact on
people outside and then the competition it's a chess match
combined with relationships, which is such an interesting part of
(14:52):
the sport. So I just fell in love and thought
I could do it.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Do you believe that you being young isn't advantage in
terms of of recruiting, being ready for all the changes
that are that are happening with nil like you, Like
you said, you've been around that. Do you think your
youth is helping you in that area?
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I mean people could say youth, I think just my
I'm not stubborn.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
I don't think I don't.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Whether I'm thirty two, thirty three, or there's a fifty
five year old coach sixty five year old coach, you
still have to be willing to adapt.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
And it's no different than business.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
It's no I compare football in college athletics to a
technology company. Technology doubles and triples yearly, and it changes constantly.
And so that's what college athletics is is it's constantly changing.
So whether you're a young or old, you've got to
be willing to adapt.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
And then you got to know your strengths.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Like my strengths as I can relate to kids and
I understand what they're like. My weaknesses is I got
to create boundaries because I am closer in age, so
I earn that respect and that trust with the guys.
So there's strengths and weaknesses do. I think everybody. You
just got to be willing to adapt.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
I noticed in my playing career that there were some
officer coordinators that try to fit the fit players to
their system. And I've noticed that you, throughout your career
have actually done the opposite, which has had tremendous success.
Where did you learn that philosophy from and how has
that been successful for you?
Speaker 4 (16:16):
I would say growing up.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I mean I coached youth football about fifteen minutes from here.
High school football, you don't get to pick your guys.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
You get them and you adapt.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
So I think those experiences having to just take whoever
you have and put them in the best position to succeed.
And then you can't be scared to do things that
are not normal. You can't be scared to do something
and worry about what somebody's going to say about you.
You have to just do what you think is best
and have belief and passionate about it. So I would
say my history just high school coach coaching sixth, seventh
(16:46):
and eighth graders.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
I coach youth dodgeball out here. All of that goes.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Into the philosophy that you do what it takes to
try to win, and that's the goal. H.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So you are, you know, an Arizona guy. And I
remember when you were interviewing for the Arizona State job
and Ben and your name started to come up the
pat and then when you finally got the job, the
passion in which you talked about Arizona State, it seemed
like it really mattered to you. So like when did
Arizona State like get into your bones?
Speaker 4 (17:17):
Yeah? I mean I grew up coming to games.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
So I grew up fifteen minutes from here, the high
school I coached at, and I went to twenty minutes
from here.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
I went here.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
My wife wasn't here, My brother in law went here,
my sister went here, my other brother went here, my
father in law went here. Like this was the parking
lot that I grew up in. So it was always
where I wanted to be. I was at Florida State
with Jordan Travis and Mackenzie Milton. They said, what's your
dream job? I want to be the head coach of
Arizona State.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
And people look at me like why Arizona State? Now
I'm my cousin.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
It means more than just football here. I have family
here I grew up here, I used to watch it.
That means more to me. So it's just something that
I've always wanted to have the opportunity to.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Every coach when they get to a school, they have
the press conference, they're like, Yo, I'm so excited to
be here, I love it here and all of those things,
but you really mean it and this is your dream job.
So when you were at Oregon and then you start realizing,
whether it's through your agent or whoever contacted you, oh
(18:21):
my god, this might be a possibility. What was that
part of the well, where was that in the timeline
and how was that? Mentally still trying to focus on
that job, but still being oh my god, my dream
is within reach.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
I mean to be honest, it's just motivated me more.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I literally I think the job opened up week three
of the season. If I just do the best I
can do for eight weeks, I can force them to
hire me. If I make this the best offense that
people can see, they're not going to have a choice
soward everything I had into that football team because I
(19:03):
knew it wasn't going and being political. It was scoring
and winning. That was my only avenue. So I just poured.
I doubled down on everything I was doing at Oregon
at the time to say, Okay, this is my shot,
this is it. My mindset was not please hire me
or I hope they do.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
It was They're not going to have a choice.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And that's how I've always attacked thing is things are
forced people to do what you want by just doing
such a good job and pouring into what you're doing.
They don't have a choice.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So recruiting has taken a different turn out in the
world because of nil and everything else. What is your
philosophy on high school recruiting versus portal at this point
in time? Well, now where your roster is and where
you hope it'll be in a year, two years from now.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Yeah, So obviously I'm all about roster balance of ages.
So when you look at a roster of let's say
five five years of ages including red shirt seniors, Okay,
you should have fifteen to twenty kids in each class,
let's say fifteen. Just keep the number simple. So I
want to keep that number balanced amongst the classes. So
if that means that we showed up and we had
(20:15):
no upper classmen, we were missing juniors and seniors and
we have five of them, we need to go to
the portal to sign juniors and seniors if and we
had to do that because we.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Were lacking the upper class.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Because without the upper class, you lack a little bit
of leadership, so you need that roster balance. Still, on
the contrary, people try to put portal kids in a
box as if it's a bad thing, like, oh, are
you going to stop recruiting high school?
Speaker 4 (20:40):
It's just the portal And.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
It drizs me nuts because what if that kid we
signed Cole Martin who was a top two hundred player,
four star from right up the road.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Who's a freshman.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Yeah he's a freshman, but he's ruled as a portal kid.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
To me, that's a freshman.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
Yeah, that's a freshman that's.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
Feeling that class. So I look at it. I don't
care portal, high school, None of that matters to me.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
It's where's your age versus where do you fit in
terms of what ages of kids on the.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
Roster do we need?
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Now that we're balanced, I would hope that you know
we're in the portal gets us above and beyond, whereas
the portal is difference makers.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
Not depth.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Yeah, when did you know that bo Nicks was going
to be good, because whoa first, did you have a
hand in getting him up there to Eugene?
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Did you know that he was going to be that good?
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Yeah, definitely had a hand in getting him to Eugene.
Obviously we had a great relationship.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
I mean, he was the sec Newcomer of the Year
at Auburn the one year we were together at Auburn,
and I knew he was good at the moment he
stepped on campus at Auburn. I knew he was a
special player, special mindset.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Sometimes timing and things.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Work out and everything happens for a reason, and that
reason got him to Eugene. But I knew pretty early
that this was a special player because he had a
special mindset.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
So then he didn't have a ton of success at Auburn,
like he had flashes and moments. But at what point
in time, like when you guys got there to Eugene,
what change.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
He's so hard on himself because he's a perfectionist.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
If I told him that his pinky's not strong, and
that's why his ball is an aspiral, every time you're
gonna see that dude with like pinky weights, that's how
he operates, that's his mindset. So to me, it was
really less the physical and the football stuff, and it
was more getting him to be happy, relax and play
the game like free and not have that pressure on him,
(22:40):
which he can handle pressure. But it was more like,
be comfortable in yourself. You're super talented, and you know.
The more comfortable he got and the more freedom me
had in the offense because he's so smart. If you
put handcuffs on a kid like that and he takes
the snap and he's like, I don't like this play.
I don't like the answer I have here, but I
have to do it. Now you're uncomfortab well, you're thinking
(23:00):
about the wrong thing. It was no, take the handcuffs
off of him. I trust you go win football games.
I'm going to teach you some. We're on the same page.
If you see this, look check to this. If you
see this, look chuck to that. I don't give a
crap as long as you can tell me after the
play why you did it.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
And there was a reason go play the game. And
he did that.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
And I think that's really what set him by say free,
is he played the game free and he had fun
because of it.
Speaker 5 (23:24):
That makes sense.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Now, tell me about Jordan Travis because just like Boone
Nicks early in his career had some struggles and you know,
fans weren't great with him, but now he's a legend
at Florida State.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
What was that time with him?
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Like, it was awesome. The first meeting we had, he said,
I'm not a quarterback, but I can play wide out
or running back or whatever. That was my first meeting
with him. I'm like, godly, that was interesting. That was
my thought.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
And then I went and saw him throw out there.
I wasn't even coaching it. I just watched him throw
and I'm like, damn skid, like has some tools.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
Yeah, and you know, just.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Working with him, he just needed people to believe in him.
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
I'm not some magical coach like I don't woo Kenny
Dillingham coaches you you become great.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
That's not how that works.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
But I am good with people, and they're both different people,
and it's like, okay, well what Jordan just needed somebody
to believe in him passionately and show it because he
had doubts that how good he was because just the
college profession of that Amicks tear it out of you.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
So, I mean there was a time where I couldn't
convince him he was good.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
So I gave up and I told all of our
quarterbacks to start booing him every throw an individual started.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
So instead of saying how great he is, we flipped
it on him. We're like, you suck, you sucked.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
You can't throw good, lack nice miss.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Like every day you can ask, you can ask Chubba Pardi,
tay Rodimaker. I mandated it, every throw, tell him how
bad he sucks, because I wanted him to realize, like,
would we really tell a player he sucked that he sucked. Yeah?
Speaker 4 (24:57):
No, so and he finally was. It became a game,
but it was all to show him like, man, you
got this. You're a special talent. You got it. And
it finally clicked. And when it clicked for him, I
got out of his way. Get out of here.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
When it clicks for a quarterback, I run the opposite direction.
I educate him, but I get out.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Of the way. Let him roll.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Man, that's dope. So you talked about the things that
you can do better.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
What can how can the city, the fan base be
more involved and help you do a better.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Job, I would say, butts in seats and support the
program any way you can through in IL.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Those are the two ways we get good players.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
You get good players from atmospheres, right from a fan perspective,
the atmosphere you create, does it's sold out when they
come in? Is that thing rocking right? And then can
you get in the game financially through in IL. So
that's what I would ask is if you can't give
it an IL, just get in the stadium, show up,
be really loud. Know a kid's name and shant his
(25:58):
name when he walks into the stadium. You're recruiting them, yeah,
like know it somehow, study it, study it before the
game and be like, oh that guy, study it before
the game.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
And if you run into him, say oh I remember you.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
I'll never forget. A kid I was recruiting went to
go visit another school. I was here at the time,
five star kid, and he goes, man, I love it here, coach.
But when I went and visited school blank, there's like
five random people that walked up to me, knew my
name and shook my hand. I felt like a celebrity,
Like that is what this valley can do. If everybody
(26:30):
just does your part. If you can give money, give money.
If you can buy tickets, buy tickets. If you can't
do either, learn people's name and walk around Mill Avenue
when it's recruiting season, or go to a high school
game out here with a baller and go say go
to issue, random dude that has an impact. Everybody can
help find your avenue and maximize it.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
Let's go.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
Where Now we're back.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Can't coach of Arizona State Kenny Dillingham for reister or wrong?
Speaker 5 (27:05):
Am I reister? Or am I wrong you? Kenny Dillingham?
Speaker 3 (27:09):
If Arizona State wins all their games, the best thing
that could possibly happen is Arizona win all their games.
Arizona State win all their games, and then the Territorial
Cup is for all tomorrow, reister, all day long.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
I want that game to be worth everything.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
I said, Oh see, that's fascinating because because a lot
of people don't.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
They're They're like, I want the rival to go oh
and twelve every year.
Speaker 4 (27:33):
I don't live through Spike.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
I worry about me and I want to play the
biggest games on the biggest stages. So if that means
that game means more and it's bigger.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
That's what I want.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
That's you know, that's big D energy right there? Am
I reister or am I wrong? H So Guaro is
better than Chaparral.
Speaker 4 (27:52):
You are definitely wrong.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Sees out for those of you in UH, for those
of you in Shaptown, that's my alma mater. Now Jason
Muns are tied in coach used to be the head
coach at Sorrow, so he'll completely disagree.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
But definitely Chaptown, Okay, Am I reister or am I wrong?
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Because Dan Leddy said that that that Todd Graham gave
the best ass to it out of anybody.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
One right, one hundred percent right? Stir Todd was Todd
got after it. Tom was a good football coach, but
Todd got after it.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
Yeah, Am I reister or am I wrong? Memphis has
the best food out of any city that you've.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Coached, one hundred percent right? Ster of other here's pretty close.
Different kind of food though. That barbecue out there is
that that hits different?
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Am I reister or am I wrong?
Speaker 3 (28:40):
The heat in Arizona is a bigger factor on game
day than the humidity down in the south of Florida State.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
I would say that's a tough one. Uh, I would
say rightster only because most of the weather in that
league is similar. Where's the weather out here is different?
Speaker 3 (29:02):
Arizona State is by far the best place to be
in the four corners.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Oh, Arizona, I mean Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
I ask people where they retire one hundred percent rights,
I'm a homer two.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
This is the best place. I mean, you walked outside today,
it's sixty eight and sunny.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
Nice.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Yes, now you're in a short sleeve shirt out here
in the winter time.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
Well, I live in.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
La so it's good too.
Speaker 5 (29:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Yeah, it's actually cooler out there right now. I was
rating before I before I left. But you guys, thank
you so much.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
You guys. He's Kenny Dillingham. Thanks for coming on. I
appreciate your time.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
And go Devils, go Devil's Baby. Yep, appreciate you, Sha man.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Kenny Dillingham had all the energy, man, you could feel it.
It was infectious. But now it's time to let that
sink in. We need to talk about the most anticipated
sports video game of all time and how ridiculous it
is that one of the most anticipate pay at college
football players of all time has refused to participate in
its release.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Arc Manning, What are you doing, Buddy?
Speaker 3 (30:07):
This week and war Richardson reported that Texas backup quarterback
Ark Manning was refusing to sign over his rights to
use his likeness in the upcoming release of EA Sports
NCAA twenty five And what was the reason for that?
N war Richardson's sources say it's because he's focused on
playing football on the field. To focus to sign an
(30:28):
electronic PDF five months before the season starts. Is he
implying that anybody that does sign their likeness over in
exchange for six hundred bucks in a free copy of
the game is unfocused? Come on, bruh, especially when he's
one of the few players that could have negotiated a
deal significantly over.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
The six hundred bucks.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Look, I'm aware that this is ARC Manning's decision, and
I am well aware that a grown man complaining about
a kid's decision not to appear in a video game
is as bad of a look as choosing not to
appear in a bid game in the first place. But
my issue isn't with ARC's decision, it's with the reason,
and if ARC wants more.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Money, just say so.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
If the Manning family lawyer doesn't like the way the
blanket deal is structured, just say so. You actually might
help other players along the way. But the idea that
the nephew of football superstars Peyton and Eli Manning, whose
on field success was never derailed or called into question
by their appearances in MasterCard or Direct TV commercials, that
(31:28):
he can have his focus derailed by a pixelated version
of himself.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Let me get the hell out of here.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
There has to be another reason, and without that actual reason,
we're left to speculate. Does arc money, hate fun, hate
video games? Are the Mannings planning their own competing football game?
Does the Manning family have a grand plan for his
nil I'm not mad.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
If they do.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Or does he think he's going to be able to
formulate some sort of Michael Jordan plan who famously refused
to grant his use of his likeness and video games
until well after he retired, And does he not realize
that a lot of kids actually hated on Mike for
making himself unnecessarily inaccessible when he had all the money
in the world at his disposal. Because I hated it,
(32:14):
You just wanted to play with Michael Jordan and people
are gonna want to play with Art Manning because at
the end of the day, as much as I like
video games and as excited as I am about the
return of a NCAA, this game is about exposing the
kids to the magic of college football. And kids didn't
understand that Michael Jordan didn't want his likeness included in
(32:35):
any substandard games.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
They thought he was just greeting.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
And if they didn't understand that, they're definitely not gonna
understand ARC's reasoning because Arc, I think the kid is
a good kid, and he's only got one corporate nil
deal that is publicly known, and that's an exclusive trading
car partnership with Panini America, which included a charitable auction
that raised over one hundred thousand dollars for various hospitals.
(33:01):
Imagine the good that Art could do taking eight seconds
of his time to sign his personal autograph copy of
NCAA and auctioning it off to charity. But instead he's
too focused. Gotta stay locked in twenty four to seven
at Austin. You can't be out here taking time away
from the playbook by letting kids use you in franchise
mode and making.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Sure that Texas is back.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
I mean, nil partnerships didn't stop being Jean Robinson from
becoming Texas football yards per carry leader, and multiple nil
partnerships haven't kept quinn Ewers from successfully leading the Longhorns
as their actual starting quarterback. But maybe that lack of
focus is what kept Jon from going top five in
the draft. Maybe that lack of focus is what kept
(33:44):
Texas from beating Washington in the College Football Playoffs.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Maybe the whole Texas team needs to opt out, you know,
to focus. I can't.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
But at the end of the day, Arc Manning is
in control of how his name, image, and likeness is used,
and if he can handle around the Manning last name,
he can definitely handle the criticism that comes with opting
out of a video game. But if he thought inclusion
was a distraction, it's nothing compared to the distraction created
by excluding himself and letting the narrative be that he's
(34:16):
more locked in than everybody around him.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
But maybe Arc is playing the long game.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Maybe his absence will make the hard girl fonder and
EA will put him on the cover of NCAA twenty
six just to get him to agree to participate. Or
maybe Texas fans are just gonna have to take on
the sec Gauntliet with unnamed QB sixteen the way we
used to have to play with shooting Guard twenty three.
Let that sink in. Ark Manning is gonna receive a
(34:45):
lot of hate for not being in the game. But
why did people hate Lebron passing forty thousand points so much?
We need to address the two main points that the
lame Lebron James haters made after he became the first
and likely only play that ever crossed a forty thousand point,
ten thousand rebound and ten thousand assists milestone. I heard
(35:05):
all y'all haters this week talking about the same mode.
It's a longevity milestone and the modern NBA is just
stat padding and we shouldn't be celebrating milestone that happened
in a loss. The NBA scoring average was lower in
Lebron's first ten plus years than it was for Michael Jordan, So.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
What you got to say about that? But now back
to my two main takeaways.
Speaker 3 (35:27):
First of all, every milestone is a longevity milestone. And
if durability and endurance were such easy attributes to master,
why is playing at a high level after age thirty five,
almost rare in every single sport.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Hmm, I wonder why.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
And Lebron James has scored forty five or more points
six different times since turning thirty five, which is the
same amount that Steph Curry and Michael Jordan have combined.
And nobody else in NBA history has ever done it
more than once, including Kobe being Brian. And if you
take away every single free throw and three point shot
(36:05):
that Lebron has made, he would still be ahead of Kevin.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Durant on the all time scoring list.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
And now my second point, if Lebron James was just
stat padding, surely he'd be amongst the league's leaders in
field goal attempts. Right nah, Because at the time of
this recording, he's seventeenth, and of everybody in the top
twenty five, he's tied for fourth in field goal percentage,
and he's fourth in assists. Here's a question for you.
(36:30):
How many hyper efficient pass first players do you know
that can be confused for stat padding?
Speaker 2 (36:36):
Ballhawks? None? Do you know that if you look at
the most.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Shots ever taken in an NBA season, Lebron James won't
be found in the top fifty on that list, and
the only season he was in the top forty all
time was back in two thousand and six.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
And for the point that all the haters are making about.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
These milestones keep happening and losses, what are you supposed
to do not acknowledge it until the team's next win.
Did anybody have a problem with David Stern literally stopping
play to acknowledge Kareem abdul Jabbar when he passed Wilt
Chamberlain back in nineteen eighty four.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Nope, didn't say a word. At some point, you're gonna
have to.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
Deal with the fact that the man who won the
genetic lottery then went to links that we've never seen
before to keep himself in elite competitive shape longer than
any basketball player in history. He's one of one, even
if he's not the one of one that you like.
And you know what's gonna happen in about a decade,
two decades, all y'all haters are gonna be reminiscing about
(37:40):
the good old days with Lebron James like they do
with Kobe Jordan, Magic and Bird.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
And that's the on a Fraid Show.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
Make sure that you come back next week like subscribe,
get notifications, and most importantly, share the show so we
can keep bringing you dope content.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
I'll catch you next week.
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Today on the Unaffraid Show.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
We've already done the Big ten to Big twelve, but
now it's time to rank the SEC from sixteen to
one based upon who will win the most conference games
over the next five years. And we went down the
ASU to talk to Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
And this is a hell of an interview. You don't
want to miss this.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
And we got to talk about Arc Manning not taking
the money to be in NCAA twenty five, and of
course we got to talk about the man himself, Lebron James,
passing forty thousand points.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
This is the Unafraid Show.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Make sure that you like, subscribe, get notifications, and most
importantly shared so we can keep growing and bringing you
dope content.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
It's time for the show. Let's go.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
The Mighty SEC now has sixteen teams after poaching two
of the biggest brands in college football in Texas and Oklahoma,
and with the expansion of the College Football Playoffs, you
can expect that at least a fourth of the conference
is gonna be represented every single year. In hell, even
some years you might see five teams. I've already ranked
the Big ten and the Big twelve by how many
(01:23):
conference games that they're gonna win over the next five years.
So we're gonna do the same thing with your favorite conference.
It just means more with the Southeastern Conference. And we'll
judge by the comment section to see if it really
does mean more. Number sixteen the Vanderbilt Commodores. Now they
are the Washington Generals of the SEC. Now they've averaged
just one conference win per year over the last seven seasons.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
That ain't good, and outside of.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
A three year run with James Franklin at the Helm,
this team has been non competitive. It is interesting though
that Clark Lee put together a top forty recruiting and
transfer class. Now it's still ranked dead last in the SEC,
So even though it was good by SEC standards, not
so much. And I think it's fair to assume that
(02:08):
they're gonna stay as this conference. Footstool on to number fifteen.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Mississippi State. I love missip State.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I had a great game against the boys, but anyways,
I thought the Bulldogs were on the right track and
what happened with Mike Leach is absolutely terrible because Zach
Garnett probably should have found a way to run the
air raid with that roster that was built for the
air raid, and because he didn't, Mississippi State remains under
rebuild mode under Jeff Lepi and I think this offense
(02:36):
could get cooking, but one winning season in the SEC
in this millennium makes me think that even if he does,
the ceiling for the Bulldogs is a Form four record
in the conference. Number fourteen Sam Pittman and the Arkansas
Faithful are being desperate enough to welcome Bobby Petrino back
to Fayetteville to run the offense is I mean, that's
(02:58):
the most WWE storyline in all of college football. That
would literally be like hiring Arkansas native Bill Clinton to
run Joe Biden's White House intern program.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
He ain't gonna do that.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
But with only one winning season in the last twelve
years since Petrino left, I get it. The twenty twenty
four recruiting class is surprisingly good, and maybe Petrino can
get this offense back on track and save Sam Pittman's job,
But I don't see them leap froggy any of the
other schools on this list in the process. Number thirteen
South Carolina. I like Shane Beemer and the game Cocks
(03:32):
have first round talent and the fan energy at William
Bright Stadium is crazy. So why do I have South
Carolina so low on this list? Well, there are fourteen
games under five hundred in the SEC since Steve Spurrier
resigned ten years ago, and they've only put together a
top fifty scoring offense once in the last decade, while
(03:53):
finishing lower than ninetieth and over half of those seasons. Now,
I don't normally recommend teams shifts to the air raid
les they're at a significant talent deficiency. But South Carolina
they need to do something because what they're doing is
not working. And that's the definition of insanity. Because the
whole conference is leveling up right now. They're setting scoring
(04:13):
records and to compete with the blue bloods, you can't
be still in games twenty seven seventeen anymore.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Number twelve Florida.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Billy Napier is a good coach, in fact, he actually
might be a great one. But college football is not
just about coaching and recruiting anymore. It's about fundraising, wrangling boosters,
hiring the right staff, and babysitting your talent in a
way that keeps them from bolting to a better option. Now,
the entire college football loving country's convinced that Napier is
(04:41):
on his last chance, and Florida's schedule next year is
an absolute gauntlet, And if the unfortunate happens and they
do fire Napier as most people expect could happen, They're
not going to hire somebody who comes in and has
instant success. That's actually why I have Florida twelfth on
this list, because even if by twenty twenty eight the
Gators are back in the college football playoff hunt, it
(05:02):
would have been three or four years of a grind
to build back up to where they belong. But hey,
if Arkansas can bring Bobby Patrino back, maybe Florida can
run it back with Irvin Meyer and get back to
the mountaintop.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Even quicker. Number eleven Kentucky.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Mark Stoops flirted with leaving last season, and if I'm
a Kentucky fan, I'm glad he didn't because Stoops has
raised the floor for the Wildcast to be consistently relevant
and the destination for high level quarterback transfers. But the
fact remains that national relevance doesn't mean SEC's success. Because
Kentucky has been ranked in the AP pole in five
(05:37):
of the last six seasons, but they're four games under
five hundred in conference play over that time. Now, Kentucky's
best shot at the College Football Playoff appearance is this
year in twenty twenty four, And if they can make
that happen, then maybe we'll find ourselves in a new
era of Kentucky as one of the country's premier two
sports schools. But if they can't level up with this
stacked transfer class, I'm afraid it's never gonna happen. Number
(06:00):
ten Missouri following an eleven win season with what might
be a top five defensive recruiting and portal class in
the entire country, and you have Brady Cook returning. If
I'm a Tigers fan, I'm thinking that we have a
shot at the Natty this year. Hell, if Gary peakle
knew how to defend the run, Missouri might have had
multiple SEC titles and a national championship ten years ago.
(06:22):
This is a sleeping giant of a school, and maybe
it's waking up. But I hesitate to throw my full
endorsement behind Eli Drinkowitz until I see him stack two
successful years back to back Number nine Texas A and
m They say that money can't buy happiness, but that's
not going to stop.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
The Aggie boosters from trying.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
They funded the sports first one hundred million dollar coach,
They funded the greatest recruiting class in the rankings era,
and then they funded that coaches buy out for not
being able to turn that recruiting class into anything meaningful.
And now Mike Elko is back in the fold, and
that's a hell of a football coach. He knows the
land escape, he knows the culture, and he's got the
(07:02):
roster that's more than capable of making a run at
the Aggie's first seven plus win run in the SEC
in a non COVID shortened season since ninety eight.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
My one concern.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
About this school is the thing that has seemingly kept
them from being a powerhouse all these years. Can anybody
inside and outside the program roll the boat in the
same direction because they number eight Auburn. Say what you
want about Hugh Freeze, but the man can win football games.
Auburn has three undefeated seasons in the last thirty years.
(07:33):
And now we're starting a new chapter of SEC football
that does not include Nick Saban. You know, the Tiger
faith Will has convinced themselves that they're all.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
The way back, especially with saving God, we got a shot.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
An incoming freshman quarterback Walker White is coming into the
program alongside two of the country's most electric prep rideouts
in Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson, and that trio might
end up reminding rival coach Kaitlin Devoor of what he
built out in Washington with them boys, with Fenix and
the Doonsay and McMillan. And I'm willing to say that
at least once over the next five years, we'll see
(08:08):
Auburn in the College Football Playoff.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Number seven Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
The Valls came for the NCAA and now they're coming
for the SEC, and Tennessee is honestly passed. Due is
gonna come down to whether nico E Almalava is the
real deal. But I could see this being a top
fifteen offense over the next two seasons. And can't we
talk about how crazy it is that Josh Hypel went
into Alabama and pulled maybe the best high school edge
(08:35):
rusher in Jordan Ross to Knoxville.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
So why seventh and not higher?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Well, because the SEC is so stacked that even if
Tennessee does put together consecutive winning seasons in the league,
something that they haven't done since O seven. I don't
think that it'll be enough to overcome the teams ahead
of them, but I will say that this team has
top four potential.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Number six. Oh, this is gonna scare some people.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Alabama, the crew and tied went from the greatest coach
of all time to what might be the best in
game head coach in America.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And it doesn't matter. They're still gonna fall off.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Oh, the entire country is gonna have its eyes on
Tuscaloosa to see how the fan base handle's taking a
step back. And our expectation is that y'all are gonna
tear each other to pieces.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Are you gonna prove us wrong?
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Though?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Can't Bama fans give Kaylin to Bore three years to
figure out the office, the recruiting, learn the landscape down
there in the South?
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Hell? Can you even give the man two years? We'll see.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
But luckily for the program, they could fall off a
cliff and go five and three in the conference every
single year, which still is a lot better than I
expect from ten other teams in the SEC, and is
gonna put them into College Football Playoff hunt.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Number five Oklahoma. I know SEC fans aren't.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Gonna love that I have the big twelve defectors this high.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
On my list. But just because you think Oklahoma got
bat off for fly over country cupcake teams.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Oh, but that doesn't change the fact that Oklahoma football
is a tried and true blue blood that out recruited
most SEC schools on a consistent basis over the past
couple of decades. Brent Venables, to me is a top
five coach in the league before he's even set foot
in it, And in twenty twenty three, the recruiting class
that's already been in Norman for a year can go
(10:20):
toe to toe with anybody in the country. If Jackson
Arnold is as good as Sooner fans believe he'll be,
Oklahoma might do something crazy and challenge for SEC supremacy
in year one.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Number four LSU.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
The Tigers have all the money they have Brian Kelly,
they have the juice of turning Jaydon Daniels from average
to out of this world. They could take over the
SEC and nobody would be surprised, even though Joe Burrow
once proved otherwise. Defense is still the thing that wins championships.
In three of the last four seasons, the Tigers defense
has been objectively awful. Hiring Blake Baker from Missouri might
(10:57):
be the answer, but if it isn't, it's going to
be hard for LSU to take a place atop the conference.
And now we're to the top of the SCC at
number three. We have Texas because Steve Stark kissing and
just got a shiny new contract. And I think that
the Texas boosters have hitched their wagon to the right man.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
But they better hope that.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
An NFL team doesn't come knocking and see that buyout
as more of a challenge than a deterrent. And the
thing that I like about Texas is that the moment
they knew that they were headed to the SEC, they
made sure that they were invested in SEC level trench players.
Now this year, though they have just three incoming offensive
linemen in the twenty twenty four recruiting class, with their
(11:37):
current roster is stacked because Sark usually lands the top
five quarterback year in and year out, and I think
that they'll build off of last year's College Football Playoff appearance.
Now they might not win the SEC right out the gate,
but I definitely think that they'll be at the finish
line more often than not over the next five years.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Number two, Ole miss Now, I know.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
You think I'm crazy for this one, but just like
Penn State in a Big ten, I believe that some
teams have been on the verge of something special in
recent years and were built for the future and the
futurist right now because Lane Kiffen isn't afraid of the portal.
In fact, he's gotten the number one portal class and
the country. Headed into twenty twenty four, Kiffin is sixteen
(12:18):
and six in the SEC in the last three years
against everybody not named Nick Saban, and now that Nick
Saban has moved on, I feel like there's only one
coach standing in Kiffin's way, and that's Kirby Smart. He's
got a good defensive coordinator in Pete Golding, and Jackson
Dark might be a Heisman contender in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
And I'm predicting that age of the Rebel.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Is upon us and I wouldn't be shocked if they
didn't at least make three College Football Playoff appearances in
the next five years.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
With the expanded Playoff and now number one.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Everybody knew that they were going to be number one,
because if they weren't, this being joke of a list,
because if Kirby Smart didn't leave Athens for Alabama last season,
I don't think anything is going to make this man
give up the thrown. And if you let Georgia into
last year's college football playoff, we might be talking about
a three pat And sometimes when a team has success,
(13:09):
you see some complacency set in and it almost always.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Shows up in the form of a recruiting depth.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Maybe that's because assistants get hired away, or because the
staff just relaxes a little bit. And that ain't the
Bulldog way, because after winning their first Natty in forty years,
the last three high school recruiting side in classes have
been number three, number two, and number one on paper.
They bring back the top offense and defense in the
SEC into next season, and if they beat Clemson as
(13:36):
bad as I think they will on August thirty first,
they might be in a runaway train mode come conference play.
We just spent a lot of time talking about the SEC,
where it just matters more, where there's a man, where
it matters to a lot out West and that is
head coach Kenny Dillingham over at Arizona State.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
So he's up.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Next, and we're joined by Kenny Dillingham, head coach of
that Arizona State Sun Devil's Kenny.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
Thanks for coming on the show.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Appreciate you having me all right, So you are now
thirty three years old.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Do you realize that you're a.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Head coach in college football at thirty three?
Speaker 5 (14:15):
Well, sorry, at thirty one years old.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
At what point in time were you did you figure
out this is what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
So I was a senior in high school going into
my senior year and I tore my ecl tried to
play without it.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
I was already on athletic.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
So I mean, and my coach was I wanted you
to start coaching. Charlie Regel is now especial Teams coordinator,
and then I started coaching. I just fell in love
with the impact you could make, and then I love competing.
So the combination of you can make an impact on
people outside and then the competition it's a chess match
combined with relationships, which is such an interesting part of
(14:52):
the sport. So I just fell in love and thought
I could do it.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Do you believe that you being young isn't advantage in
terms of of recruiting, being ready for all the changes
that are that are happening with nil like you, Like
you said, you've been around that. Do you think your
youth is helping you in that area?
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I mean people could say youth, I think just my
I'm not stubborn.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
I don't think I don't.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Whether I'm thirty two, thirty three, or there's a fifty
five year old coach sixty five year old coach, you
still have to be willing to adapt.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
And it's no different than business.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
It's no I compare football in college athletics to a
technology company. Technology doubles and triples yearly, and it changes constantly.
And so that's what college athletics is is it's constantly changing.
So whether you're a young or old, you've got to
be willing to adapt.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
And then you got to know your strengths.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Like my strengths as I can relate to kids and
I understand what they're like. My weaknesses is I got
to create boundaries because I am closer in age, so
I earn that respect and that trust with the guys.
So there's strengths and weaknesses do. I think everybody. You
just got to be willing to adapt.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
I noticed in my playing career that there were some
officer coordinators that try to fit the fit players to
their system. And I've noticed that you, throughout your career
have actually done the opposite, which has had tremendous success.
Where did you learn that philosophy from and how has
that been successful for you?
Speaker 4 (16:16):
I would say growing up.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I mean I coached youth football about fifteen minutes from here.
High school football, you don't get to pick your guys.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
You get them and you adapt.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
So I think those experiences having to just take whoever
you have and put them in the best position to succeed.
And then you can't be scared to do things that
are not normal. You can't be scared to do something
and worry about what somebody's going to say about you.
You have to just do what you think is best
and have belief and passionate about it. So I would
say my history just high school coach coaching sixth, seventh
(16:46):
and eighth graders.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
I coach youth dodgeball out here. All of that goes.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Into the philosophy that you do what it takes to
try to win, and that's the goal. H.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So you are, you know, an Arizona guy. And I
remember when you were interviewing for the Arizona State job
and Ben and your name started to come up the
pat and then when you finally got the job, the
passion in which you talked about Arizona State, it seemed
like it really mattered to you. So like when did
Arizona State like get into your bones?
Speaker 4 (17:17):
Yeah? I mean I grew up coming to games.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
So I grew up fifteen minutes from here, the high
school I coached at, and I went to twenty minutes
from here.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
I went here.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
My wife wasn't here, My brother in law went here,
my sister went here, my other brother went here, my
father in law went here. Like this was the parking
lot that I grew up in. So it was always
where I wanted to be. I was at Florida State
with Jordan Travis and Mackenzie Milton. They said, what's your
dream job? I want to be the head coach of
Arizona State.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
And people look at me like why Arizona State? Now
I'm my cousin.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
It means more than just football here. I have family
here I grew up here, I used to watch it.
That means more to me. So it's just something that
I've always wanted to have the opportunity to.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Every coach when they get to a school, they have
the press conference, they're like, Yo, I'm so excited to
be here, I love it here and all of those things,
but you really mean it and this is your dream job.
So when you were at Oregon and then you start realizing,
whether it's through your agent or whoever contacted you, oh
(18:21):
my god, this might be a possibility. What was that
part of the well, where was that in the timeline
and how was that? Mentally still trying to focus on
that job, but still being oh my god, my dream
is within reach.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
I mean to be honest, it's just motivated me more.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I literally I think the job opened up week three
of the season. If I just do the best I
can do for eight weeks, I can force them to
hire me. If I make this the best offense that
people can see, they're not going to have a choice
soward everything I had into that football team because I
(19:03):
knew it wasn't going and being political. It was scoring
and winning. That was my only avenue. So I just poured.
I doubled down on everything I was doing at Oregon
at the time to say, Okay, this is my shot,
this is it. My mindset was not please hire me
or I hope they do.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
It was They're not going to have a choice.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And that's how I've always attacked thing is things are
forced people to do what you want by just doing
such a good job and pouring into what you're doing.
They don't have a choice.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So recruiting has taken a different turn out in the
world because of nil and everything else. What is your
philosophy on high school recruiting versus portal at this point
in time? Well, now where your roster is and where
you hope it'll be in a year, two years from now.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Yeah, So obviously I'm all about roster balance of ages.
So when you look at a roster of let's say
five five years of ages including red shirt seniors, Okay,
you should have fifteen to twenty kids in each class,
let's say fifteen. Just keep the number simple. So I
want to keep that number balanced amongst the classes. So
if that means that we showed up and we had
(20:15):
no upper classmen, we were missing juniors and seniors and
we have five of them, we need to go to
the portal to sign juniors and seniors if and we
had to do that because we.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Were lacking the upper class.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Because without the upper class, you lack a little bit
of leadership, so you need that roster balance. Still, on
the contrary, people try to put portal kids in a
box as if it's a bad thing, like, oh, are
you going to stop recruiting high school?
Speaker 4 (20:40):
It's just the portal And.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
It drizs me nuts because what if that kid we
signed Cole Martin who was a top two hundred player,
four star from right up the road.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Who's a freshman.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Yeah he's a freshman, but he's ruled as a portal kid.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
To me, that's a freshman.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
Yeah, that's a freshman that's.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
Feeling that class. So I look at it. I don't
care portal, high school, None of that matters to me.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
It's where's your age versus where do you fit in
terms of what ages of kids on the.
Speaker 4 (21:09):
Roster do we need?
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Now that we're balanced, I would hope that you know
we're in the portal gets us above and beyond, whereas
the portal is difference makers.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
Not depth.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Yeah, when did you know that bo Nicks was going
to be good, because whoa first, did you have a
hand in getting him up there to Eugene?
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Did you know that he was going to be that good?
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Yeah, definitely had a hand in getting him to Eugene.
Obviously we had a great relationship.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
I mean, he was the sec Newcomer of the Year
at Auburn the one year we were together at Auburn,
and I knew he was good at the moment he
stepped on campus at Auburn. I knew he was a
special player, special mindset.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Sometimes timing and things.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Work out and everything happens for a reason, and that
reason got him to Eugene. But I knew pretty early
that this was a special player because he had a
special mindset.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
So then he didn't have a ton of success at Auburn,
like he had flashes and moments. But at what point
in time, like when you guys got there to Eugene,
what change.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
He's so hard on himself because he's a perfectionist.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
If I told him that his pinky's not strong, and
that's why his ball is an aspiral, every time you're
gonna see that dude with like pinky weights, that's how
he operates, that's his mindset. So to me, it was
really less the physical and the football stuff, and it
was more getting him to be happy, relax and play
the game like free and not have that pressure on him,
(22:40):
which he can handle pressure. But it was more like,
be comfortable in yourself. You're super talented, and you know.
The more comfortable he got and the more freedom me
had in the offense because he's so smart. If you
put handcuffs on a kid like that and he takes
the snap and he's like, I don't like this play.
I don't like the answer I have here, but I
have to do it. Now you're uncomfortab well, you're thinking
(23:00):
about the wrong thing. It was no, take the handcuffs
off of him. I trust you go win football games.
I'm going to teach you some. We're on the same page.
If you see this, look check to this. If you
see this, look chuck to that. I don't give a
crap as long as you can tell me after the
play why you did it.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
And there was a reason go play the game. And
he did that.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
And I think that's really what set him by say free,
is he played the game free and he had fun
because of it.
Speaker 5 (23:24):
That makes sense.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Now, tell me about Jordan Travis because just like Boone
Nicks early in his career had some struggles and you know,
fans weren't great with him, but now he's a legend
at Florida State.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
What was that time with him?
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Like, it was awesome. The first meeting we had, he said,
I'm not a quarterback, but I can play wide out
or running back or whatever. That was my first meeting
with him. I'm like, godly, that was interesting. That was
my thought.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
And then I went and saw him throw out there.
I wasn't even coaching it. I just watched him throw
and I'm like, damn skid, like has some tools.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
Yeah, and you know, just.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Working with him, he just needed people to believe in him.
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
I'm not some magical coach like I don't woo Kenny
Dillingham coaches you you become great.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
That's not how that works.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
But I am good with people, and they're both different people,
and it's like, okay, well what Jordan just needed somebody
to believe in him passionately and show it because he
had doubts that how good he was because just the
college profession of that Amicks tear it out of you.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
So, I mean there was a time where I couldn't
convince him he was good.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
So I gave up and I told all of our
quarterbacks to start booing him every throw an individual started.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
So instead of saying how great he is, we flipped
it on him. We're like, you suck, you sucked.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
You can't throw good, lack nice miss.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Like every day you can ask, you can ask Chubba Pardi,
tay Rodimaker. I mandated it, every throw, tell him how
bad he sucks, because I wanted him to realize, like,
would we really tell a player he sucked that he sucked. Yeah?
Speaker 4 (24:57):
No, so and he finally was. It became a game,
but it was all to show him like, man, you
got this. You're a special talent. You got it. And
it finally clicked. And when it clicked for him, I
got out of his way. Get out of here.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
When it clicks for a quarterback, I run the opposite direction.
I educate him, but I get out.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Of the way. Let him roll.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Man, that's dope. So you talked about the things that
you can do better.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
What can how can the city, the fan base be
more involved and help you do a better.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Job, I would say, butts in seats and support the
program any way you can through in IL.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Those are the two ways we get good players.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
You get good players from atmospheres, right from a fan perspective,
the atmosphere you create, does it's sold out when they
come in? Is that thing rocking right? And then can
you get in the game financially through in IL. So
that's what I would ask is if you can't give
it an IL, just get in the stadium, show up,
be really loud. Know a kid's name and shant his
(25:58):
name when he walks into the stadium. You're recruiting them, yeah,
like know it somehow, study it, study it before the
game and be like, oh that guy, study it before
the game.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
And if you run into him, say oh I remember you.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
I'll never forget. A kid I was recruiting went to
go visit another school. I was here at the time,
five star kid, and he goes, man, I love it here, coach.
But when I went and visited school blank, there's like
five random people that walked up to me, knew my
name and shook my hand. I felt like a celebrity,
Like that is what this valley can do. If everybody
(26:30):
just does your part. If you can give money, give money.
If you can buy tickets, buy tickets. If you can't
do either, learn people's name and walk around Mill Avenue
when it's recruiting season, or go to a high school
game out here with a baller and go say go
to issue, random dude that has an impact. Everybody can
help find your avenue and maximize it.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
Let's go.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
Where Now we're back.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Can't coach of Arizona State Kenny Dillingham for reister or wrong?
Speaker 5 (27:05):
Am I reister? Or am I wrong you? Kenny Dillingham?
Speaker 3 (27:09):
If Arizona State wins all their games, the best thing
that could possibly happen is Arizona win all their games.
Arizona State win all their games, and then the Territorial
Cup is for all tomorrow, reister, all day long.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
I want that game to be worth everything.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
I said, Oh see, that's fascinating because because a lot
of people don't.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
They're They're like, I want the rival to go oh
and twelve every year.
Speaker 4 (27:33):
I don't live through Spike.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
I worry about me and I want to play the
biggest games on the biggest stages. So if that means
that game means more and it's bigger.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
That's what I want.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
That's you know, that's big D energy right there? Am
I reister or am I wrong? H So Guaro is
better than Chaparral.
Speaker 4 (27:52):
You are definitely wrong.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Sees out for those of you in UH, for those
of you in Shaptown, that's my alma mater. Now Jason
Muns are tied in coach used to be the head
coach at Sorrow, so he'll completely disagree.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
But definitely Chaptown, Okay, Am I reister or am I wrong?
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Because Dan Leddy said that that that Todd Graham gave
the best ass to it out of anybody.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
One right, one hundred percent right? Stir Todd was Todd
got after it. Tom was a good football coach, but
Todd got after it.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
Yeah, Am I reister or am I wrong? Memphis has
the best food out of any city that you've.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Coached, one hundred percent right? Ster of other here's pretty close.
Different kind of food though. That barbecue out there is
that that hits different?
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Am I reister or am I wrong?
Speaker 3 (28:40):
The heat in Arizona is a bigger factor on game
day than the humidity down in the south of Florida State.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
I would say that's a tough one. Uh, I would
say rightster only because most of the weather in that
league is similar. Where's the weather out here is different?
Speaker 3 (29:02):
Arizona State is by far the best place to be
in the four corners.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Oh, Arizona, I mean Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
I ask people where they retire one hundred percent rights,
I'm a homer two.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
This is the best place. I mean, you walked outside today,
it's sixty eight and sunny.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
Nice.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Yes, now you're in a short sleeve shirt out here
in the winter time.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
Well, I live in.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
La so it's good too.
Speaker 5 (29:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Yeah, it's actually cooler out there right now. I was
rating before I before I left. But you guys, thank
you so much.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
You guys. He's Kenny Dillingham. Thanks for coming on. I
appreciate your time.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
And go Devils, go Devil's Baby. Yep, appreciate you, Sha man.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Kenny Dillingham had all the energy, man, you could feel it.
It was infectious. But now it's time to let that
sink in. We need to talk about the most anticipated
sports video game of all time and how ridiculous it
is that one of the most anticipate pay at college
football players of all time has refused to participate in
its release.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Arc Manning, What are you doing, Buddy?
Speaker 3 (30:07):
This week and war Richardson reported that Texas backup quarterback
Ark Manning was refusing to sign over his rights to
use his likeness in the upcoming release of EA Sports
NCAA twenty five And what was the reason for that?
N war Richardson's sources say it's because he's focused on
playing football on the field. To focus to sign an
(30:28):
electronic PDF five months before the season starts. Is he
implying that anybody that does sign their likeness over in
exchange for six hundred bucks in a free copy of
the game is unfocused? Come on, bruh, especially when he's
one of the few players that could have negotiated a
deal significantly over.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
The six hundred bucks.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Look, I'm aware that this is ARC Manning's decision, and
I am well aware that a grown man complaining about
a kid's decision not to appear in a video game
is as bad of a look as choosing not to
appear in a bid game in the first place. But
my issue isn't with ARC's decision, it's with the reason,
and if ARC wants more.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Money, just say so.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
If the Manning family lawyer doesn't like the way the
blanket deal is structured, just say so. You actually might
help other players along the way. But the idea that
the nephew of football superstars Peyton and Eli Manning, whose
on field success was never derailed or called into question
by their appearances in MasterCard or Direct TV commercials, that
(31:28):
he can have his focus derailed by a pixelated version
of himself.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Let me get the hell out of here.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
There has to be another reason, and without that actual reason,
we're left to speculate. Does arc money, hate fun, hate
video games? Are the Mannings planning their own competing football game?
Does the Manning family have a grand plan for his
nil I'm not mad.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
If they do.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Or does he think he's going to be able to
formulate some sort of Michael Jordan plan who famously refused
to grant his use of his likeness and video games
until well after he retired, And does he not realize
that a lot of kids actually hated on Mike for
making himself unnecessarily inaccessible when he had all the money
in the world at his disposal. Because I hated it,
(32:14):
You just wanted to play with Michael Jordan and people
are gonna want to play with Art Manning because at
the end of the day, as much as I like
video games and as excited as I am about the
return of a NCAA, this game is about exposing the
kids to the magic of college football. And kids didn't
understand that Michael Jordan didn't want his likeness included in
(32:35):
any substandard games.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
They thought he was just greeting.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
And if they didn't understand that, they're definitely not gonna
understand ARC's reasoning because Arc, I think the kid is
a good kid, and he's only got one corporate nil
deal that is publicly known, and that's an exclusive trading
car partnership with Panini America, which included a charitable auction
that raised over one hundred thousand dollars for various hospitals.
(33:01):
Imagine the good that Art could do taking eight seconds
of his time to sign his personal autograph copy of
NCAA and auctioning it off to charity. But instead he's
too focused. Gotta stay locked in twenty four to seven
at Austin. You can't be out here taking time away
from the playbook by letting kids use you in franchise
mode and making.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Sure that Texas is back.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
I mean, nil partnerships didn't stop being Jean Robinson from
becoming Texas football yards per carry leader, and multiple nil
partnerships haven't kept quinn Ewers from successfully leading the Longhorns
as their actual starting quarterback. But maybe that lack of
focus is what kept Jon from going top five in
the draft. Maybe that lack of focus is what kept
(33:44):
Texas from beating Washington in the College Football Playoffs.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Maybe the whole Texas team needs to opt out, you know,
to focus. I can't.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
But at the end of the day, Arc Manning is
in control of how his name, image, and likeness is used,
and if he can handle around the Manning last name,
he can definitely handle the criticism that comes with opting
out of a video game. But if he thought inclusion
was a distraction, it's nothing compared to the distraction created
by excluding himself and letting the narrative be that he's
(34:16):
more locked in than everybody around him.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
But maybe Arc is playing the long game.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Maybe his absence will make the hard girl fonder and
EA will put him on the cover of NCAA twenty
six just to get him to agree to participate. Or
maybe Texas fans are just gonna have to take on
the sec Gauntliet with unnamed QB sixteen the way we
used to have to play with shooting Guard twenty three.
Let that sink in. Ark Manning is gonna receive a
(34:45):
lot of hate for not being in the game. But
why did people hate Lebron passing forty thousand points so much?
We need to address the two main points that the
lame Lebron James haters made after he became the first
and likely only play that ever crossed a forty thousand point,
ten thousand rebound and ten thousand assists milestone. I heard
(35:05):
all y'all haters this week talking about the same mode.
It's a longevity milestone and the modern NBA is just
stat padding and we shouldn't be celebrating milestone that happened
in a loss. The NBA scoring average was lower in
Lebron's first ten plus years than it was for Michael Jordan, So.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
What you got to say about that? But now back
to my two main takeaways.
Speaker 3 (35:27):
First of all, every milestone is a longevity milestone. And
if durability and endurance were such easy attributes to master,
why is playing at a high level after age thirty five,
almost rare in every single sport.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Hmm, I wonder why.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
And Lebron James has scored forty five or more points
six different times since turning thirty five, which is the
same amount that Steph Curry and Michael Jordan have combined.
And nobody else in NBA history has ever done it
more than once, including Kobe being Brian. And if you
take away every single free throw and three point shot
(36:05):
that Lebron has made, he would still be ahead of Kevin.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Durant on the all time scoring list.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
And now my second point, if Lebron James was just
stat padding, surely he'd be amongst the league's leaders in
field goal attempts. Right nah, Because at the time of
this recording, he's seventeenth, and of everybody in the top
twenty five, he's tied for fourth in field goal percentage,
and he's fourth in assists. Here's a question for you.
(36:30):
How many hyper efficient pass first players do you know
that can be confused for stat padding?
Speaker 2 (36:36):
Ballhawks? None? Do you know that if you look at
the most.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Shots ever taken in an NBA season, Lebron James won't
be found in the top fifty on that list, and
the only season he was in the top forty all
time was back in two thousand and six.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
And for the point that all the haters are making about.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
These milestones keep happening and losses, what are you supposed
to do not acknowledge it until the team's next win.
Did anybody have a problem with David Stern literally stopping
play to acknowledge Kareem abdul Jabbar when he passed Wilt
Chamberlain back in nineteen eighty four.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Nope, didn't say a word. At some point, you're gonna
have to.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
Deal with the fact that the man who won the
genetic lottery then went to links that we've never seen
before to keep himself in elite competitive shape longer than
any basketball player in history. He's one of one, even
if he's not the one of one that you like.
And you know what's gonna happen in about a decade,
two decades, all y'all haters are gonna be reminiscing about
(37:40):
the good old days with Lebron James like they do
with Kobe Jordan, Magic and Bird.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
And that's the on a Fraid Show.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
Make sure that you come back next week like subscribe,
get notifications, and most importantly, share the show so we
can keep bringing you dope content.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
I'll catch you next week.
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