Wide Receiver Slade Bolden

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
All right, all right, all right, all right, all right,
welcome back to bring the juice. So I'm your host,
Frankly Layet's day. We got to go. I'm co hosted.
But my guy, I'm Mac from Bama.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Mac. We have a few guests in town. Why don't
you introduce them? One we got today, We got a
special one, folks.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
You know there was a ton look at Alabama is
a powerhouse. Not only that, but a powerhouse for wide receivers.
We have some of the top wide receivers in the country.
People say we're wide receiver you and I'd like to agree,
although I didn't really add on to that at all,
but there was one guy I did. But there was
one guy in particular. When you think about wide receiver groups,

(00:36):
there's a type of person that stands.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Out and it's a white guy. I'm not gonna lie.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
And there are very few raw white guy receivers, one
being Frank's little brother, Mac Dealena Frank himself. And then
we're looking at one right here, slave Bold and welcome
to the pot.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
And I what an intro. I yeah, hell of an intro.
I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
And I've been I've been fired up since you told
me about this podcast Wednesday and obviously just met friend.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Man. When I say the name of this podcast.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
Bring the Jews, say, I am the juice, I am
the action is the Jews for me. And that's a
heat quote that he didn't know. He's never seen the movie,
and I was kind of pissed, but it's okay. But anyway,
it's funny. So you know, like my career wasn't obviously
the guys around me, I didn't have that kind of career.
I mean, you gotta think I played with five first
round picks. Yeah, really six if Matchi doesn't get hurt

(01:26):
in netc's championship. So we got Jerry Judy Deavonte, Smith,
Henry Ruggs, Jaylen Wattle, Jameson Williams, and who I would
think would probably would have been a first round pick,
my dog John Matchi if he didn't get hurt. So
I always say five, probably six first round picks in
one room. It's crazy, very And here's the thing, like

(01:47):
I am so grateful to it been in that room
because man, I couldn't get off press my freshman year.
Like I came in as an athlete quote unquote, I
was a recruising an athlete. I played mainly quarterback in
high school. These guys have been playing receiver, training receiver
since they were probably in middle school, you know, early
on high school, and they were doing things I ain't

(02:07):
never seen before. And I'm just like, what is that release?
What is this top of the route? How what are
you doing? And obviously, like physically, yes, they're more gifted
than me. But the way I looked at things and
the way I was able to learn and get on
the field and be able to not only just get
on the field would eventually start was because I was

(02:28):
able to pick different things from each receiver. Like, yeah,
I'm not as explosive as Waddle, but man, I really
liked what he just did with there. Let me see
if I can do it in my way. I'm not
smooth as smitty with releases, but I really liked that release.
Maybe I can do it a little in my way,
maybe quick, because I'm quicker at fast and I'm the
most stereotypical little light receiver crafty you can ever imagine, right,

(02:49):
And I love adult Judy. I can't run routes like Judy.
That boy ain't got no acls. Let me tell me
like he's cutting and doing things.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
I was like.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
But so then South Florida boys when they would come
out of their breaks like on a curl, you know,
come back.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
They would snap and they roll out of it.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
What we were always taught is one, two three, you know,
you snap down and then two three. I would take
that snap down but also use my low center of
gravity short and be able to snap not like they would,
not as not as quick, not as fast, not as
explosive as they would, but be able to snap down

(03:26):
and then go into my second and third step. And
I was able to get out of transitions pretty smoothly.
So more of the story is being in that room.
Not only the competition was high. We we we put
our own group into a different standard.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
We called ourselves the Rideouts.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
And our boy Herve got us a shirt, mate, I
still hey the ridout.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yeah it's I still have it battle shirt.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
It's a little bit, but hey it's it was sweet.
So we call ourselves a rideout. So you have the
Bama standard, right, the standard that Coach Savans said for
the whole team.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
We had our own standard.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
There was a ride out standard, and we were going
to beat If you lined up in front of me,
good luck, because you're gonna get this work today. And
we set our own standard. We competed it within our
own group, within each other, and I felt like that
is what made me the player I became. And look,
could I have gone to a different school and maybe

(04:21):
started earlier, got more receptions, targets, yards, receptions, whatever you
want to call You know, statistically you have done better, yes,
But to me, I don't think I'd have been as
near as a good as receiver as I became playing
with those guys every day, and I was.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
Going against first round dvs.

Speaker 3 (04:42):
Right, I'm going against Davey McKinney, Trayvon Diggs, Passer Tan
and maybe there's definitely some other guys. I mean, there's
a bunch of my we overlaps first round. But like
some dogs, was a dog. I went against Brian Branch
every day for like my senior year, Malchi Moore, who's
going to be a top pick this this comes drafts uh.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Draft of year? Whatever?

Speaker 3 (05:08):
I would go And I tell you, like in the slot,
Brian Branch was one of the hardest guys I ever
had to go against him. Carter was an one. He
was very crafty, Jalen RM Davis crafty. I had to
go against him against and when I got to Baltimore
after I left college, I was going against Jaalen again.
I'm like, bro, like, you can't go against me, but
you know all the damn tricks I got, and he
was like, well, you know mine too. I was like yeah,

(05:29):
but like let's go against each other. Let's let's let's go,
Let's go get somebody else. Like, let's not go again
because we know too much about each other. Because when
I was on the outside, I swear I was going
to against him more than Joe. But I'm telling you
kudos Brian Rason Bawlin when I tell you, I had
to damn near run a perfect route every time and
practice because we treated practice like it was a game, right,

(05:51):
And that's what obviously prepared us for the games and
made us so dangerous because once you got to the game,
it was like, oh, the game, I've seen this every day.
So when I tell you, going against him every day
not only helped me, but that was nice, Like he
was strong, quick, very crafty, and like you, I had

(06:11):
to be perfect to get open against him. So shout
out to my dog Brian Branch shout to all those
guys that I had to go against. It made me
better each and every day. Being on that Scout team
my freshman year also made me a lot better because,
like I said, when I first got there, I was
getting stuff at the line.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
And two you forget I remember this. So you came
in your three star out of high school whatever athlete.
I got a note here, Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
Do you know that you have that bullepoint down on
your notes? Mac? Yeah, I like that note I did.
We don't know that. See, that's the funny thing, Frank,
I don't know if I knew that or not. Right.
Do you like gatorad you don't. I love Gator water.
Weird Pierce got me a vitamin water today at the airport.
I couldn't Gatorade. I had no damn Gator rays. So
you look, we got you something. But I kind of
I do remember this. But yeah, slave Gatorade Player of

(06:59):
the Year, yep, I was fortunate to do that. Now
you know who's your competition in that?

Speaker 3 (07:04):
Well, there was a couple good, like really good players
in Louisiana. Obviously a lot of a lot of talent Louisiana.
You know, it's not the biggest. It's not Texas, not Cali,
it's not Florida. Even obviously Alabama has a lot of
uh lot of talent. But I think per capitol capital,
I guess how you say for capital, Yeah, I think
we're up there, like based off the population and the

(07:26):
amount of players that come out of there comparatively, I
think we're right there at the top just because of
all the dogs that have came out. I mean we can,
I mean we can dive into a rabbit hole of
all the Louisiana players. So yeah, I was fortunate to
receive that award. And it's funny because you mentioned that
because stereotypically being a white guy wide receiver playing Obama,

(07:47):
it's like, oh, you must have been a walk on
or you walked on, didn't you?

Speaker 1 (07:50):
Or do you transfer?

Speaker 3 (07:52):
And I'll circle back to this because it's funny when people.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
Ask me, no, babe, this was Kylie and what you
talking about?

Speaker 3 (07:59):
But because like I was, I was like, and I'm
not sitting here brag against you got as a note
like I was a good player, I mean I was,
I gained I had a bunch of offers. I was,
like you said, louisana Garorer play of the Year. I
didn't get a Bama offer just because of some odd reason,
like I was night. But the thing is, like you know,
coming in, I was recruising the athlete. So it's I

(08:22):
mainly played quarterback and that's and I was more of
a running quarterback. I'll be honest, I've seen kids nowadays
at eighth grade, ninth grade level. They're spending it way
better than I could ever even thought about as a
senior in high school. It's crazy because those guys train
have a specific quarterback trainer, and they start early. And
I always joke with my pops and like you know,

(08:44):
he always says something, He's like, what do you think
of you to like we'd had you like a trainer.
I was like, well, I'd like to think i'd have
been Johnny Manziel esque. Now I ain't gonna say I
was Johnny, but I was saying I think I could
have been something similar because I was very athletic.

Speaker 1 (08:57):
I had a good arm.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
It's just the mechanic and the way these guys are
spinning the ball now, and like I barely could read
defenses at the time. You know that all that stuff correlates.
If I'd have had someone teaching me how to actually
be a Division one or whatever quarterback or a high
level quarterback from an early age, I believe I could
have made some shake. Yeah, but you go to Western

(09:23):
Road wunder Louisiana, you you go find me a trainer.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
I'm I'm the only one that probably can train kids.
And when I go back every now and then, I'll
train some kids. But and that's because I'm just giving back.
But it's it was just an old school, hard nosed
high school.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
You know.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
We're a powerhouse for years from nineteen niney three, two
thousand level and a state championships, two national championships, and
me guys like Andrew Whitworth, Barkivus Mingo, Brady James, Xavier
Wood who're still in the league. We've had a bunch
of guys that come through there and have success in
college and post college. But we ran the option. We

(09:59):
ran the veer out of the eye formation for years
and it worked.

Speaker 1 (10:03):
It worked.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
When I got to high school, we started running kind
of what Auburn ran with Nick Marshall, like that basically
instead of a pitch, we're throwing the bubble. That was
like the third read or the option. So it changed
a little bit. It changed before I even got there.
So the most I threw in a game was like
twenty two and that's nothing. That's half of what twenty

(10:25):
three yards twenty two.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
I was about to say, twenty two arts value.

Speaker 3 (10:31):
I think my my senior year stats because I pretty
much played Corby with my whole senior year now freshman, sophomore, junior, junior.

Speaker 1 (10:38):
A lot more quarterback for sure.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
But the reason I was the cruise athletes I wouldlay
running back, play receiver, and I was obviously I got receiver.
I was athletic and fast enough to run decent routes
and you know, just get by and you know, I've
always had a great handoyeronation. That's what I feel like
separated me in general, was just my ability to catch everything.
But I'm telling you and I because I've trained kids,
I like, look, running routes and being a.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
Complete receiver to me is a science. It is.

Speaker 3 (11:06):
Everyone wants to talk about releases. Everybody wants to oh,
you gotta this is how you gotta win off the line. Okay,
how many times, are you gonna get pressed in the game?
You know, like it depends if it's a weakness X. Yeah,
like especially in the slot when we played L s
U all the time, they would go a lot of
one one man, one robber. They would play a lot
of cover one and then sometimes they throw zero at us.

(11:27):
So yeah, there were times where we can press a lot.
But I'm like, dude, I have won a lot of
routes and have caught the ball winning after the release
because I would because it's a fight all the way
down whatever route you're running. It's a battle between when
that ball is snapped and when that ball is called.

(11:48):
And then guess what you gotta do after you catch
the ball?

Speaker 1 (11:50):
Get go score?

Speaker 3 (11:51):
So I break it down like yeah, Like, of course
releases or are very important, especially when it's pressed. But
you gotta you gotta stem them, you gotta you gotta
find you got to move a guy. Yeah things, and
then okay, what are you gonna do with the top
of the route. What are you gonna do? But from
the from the release and the top of the route,

(12:12):
how are you stacking?

Speaker 1 (12:13):
Are you? Are you? Are you fighting? Hands off?

Speaker 3 (12:15):
Because it's a battle and when I've you know, trained
some kids in the past. It's like I'm trying, you know,
I'm telling you all this right, I'm trying to break
it down because I'll go I'll break it down from
the top of the route, break it down from release,
and I'll break it down. Okay, what we're doing in
between that and now, obviously we're gonna work on the hands.
But I'm like, I'll be honest with you, I'm not
even worried about the release. First off, as young guys,

(12:37):
they're not getting pressed that much. But I was like, dude,
I've won a lot of routes just fighting, fighting in
the end, and then being more technically sound at the
top of route, more savvy at the top of my route,
and then more savvy within my routes that I'm running.
In general, That's what I had to do. I wasn't
the most athletic, I wasn't the fastest, it wasn't the biggest.

(12:58):
I had to run smooth, crispy, you know, decisive. I say,
the best receivers are the best deceivers. If I can
deceive you to thinking I'm doing one thing and I'm
doing the other, I got you. I'm I'm going one way,
you're going to the other. All that needs to step.
If I make you make one little room false movement

(13:19):
your beat, I don't care how fast you are. Sadly,
I was the most stereototypical white receiver and I'll air
my I'll air it out. I ran the slowest forty
times of the combine in my grip, which wasn't slow
though comparatively speaking. No, I mean I always ran a
I ran game speed. And this is what's kind of
messed up, right. I love my dogs at XPE. You

(13:42):
know that's who trained me. Coming to the combine. A
week before the combine, we're testing our lasers. I ran
a four or five to one laser. You give me
a week off im an four and here, I'm not
going to sit here and say that me running a
soup four five or you know mid four five or

(14:02):
you know high four four was.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
Gonna difference maker.

Speaker 3 (14:05):
Yeah, yeah, it was gonna I was gonna get drafted
because of that. Do I think it would have helped?
Of course, But I'm going in. I'm thinking, okay, like
I might mess around, at least run at least run
low for five, and that's all I needed right, in
my opinion, to at least go like fifth sixth round.
Obviously I went n drafted in my time.

Speaker 1 (14:23):
Was what excests?

Speaker 3 (14:24):
That was a big question mark on me, was like
how fast is he? What's his top end speed? I
was a football player. I was always a gamer, Like,
just let me go out there and play football.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
That was always what I did best.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
I'm gonna be I'm not gonna blow you away in
the gym short Olympics, which is what the combine is.
I'm gonna blow you away what I do when we
put on pads and it's it's eighty five or ninety
five degrees and it's human as hell, and it's like,
all right, who wants it more?

Speaker 1 (14:55):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (14:55):
Because I guarantee you I always wanted more than that
person in front of me because I had to get
it from the jump.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
Alabama's first team d I mean it was kind of fun.
I didn't really love it as a wide receiver on
the scout team because I'm blocked locking on the outside,
having to do crazy like different wild block. It's like
some glitch throw you have, Yeah, Slate's throwing it and
you know it's not coming to you at that point
but his ability necessary shot ability to get back there
and make people miss was incredible. That that was the

(15:21):
time and it was fun hearing you too talk about
so like you went from that, so they had you
doing that kind of stuff when you're an early enrolllye,
you know, helping out on that end and stuff like that,
but then getting to see you come as a wide
receiver because when you came in, you know, I was
I was like, what was I like a junior and
that was like I.

Speaker 1 (15:35):
Had started in the spring game together.

Speaker 2 (15:37):
So yeah, so I started in the spring game the
year before that, and I was like, alright, like you know,
I'm gonna walk on like out a little bit of time.
I'm thinking that I'm gonna get you know, I'm gonna
give my action, like I'm gonna give my stuff. They
bring in this other guy, Slade Bowling. I'm like, please
keep him over there quarterback or whatever. Be Slade played everything,
Dbe Water.

Speaker 1 (15:52):
They tried them around everything.

Speaker 3 (15:53):
So I know when I early enrolled, So this is
this is actually kind of crazy.

Speaker 1 (15:57):
Let's talk early enrollment. That early enroll meant.

Speaker 3 (15:59):
Right, similar to Pierce, early enroll practiced with the team
before they went to Georgia for the National Championship.

Speaker 1 (16:05):
You know you finished your high school season senior year.

Speaker 3 (16:07):
Why early, Yeah, so December, in December ish November, you know,
same thing.

Speaker 1 (16:13):
Kind of what Pierce was telling you all about. Very cool.

Speaker 3 (16:16):
It was very crazy, just wild experience being eighteen years
old going against a defense that's going to be playing
the national championship game in a week. And that was
the game where it was second and twenty six, the
one from two to Smithy. So that was just to
kind of put respect to what team that was.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
That was that team.

Speaker 2 (16:36):
So that team had a very hard fought game against
Fresno State in which Fresno State covered the spread that year.

Speaker 1 (16:41):
So really, well that's good. Good for you man. I
love that. Did you hammer it? I was there? I
was playing Hey, I mean like no, I did. I
did not have m okay yeah, hot, Mike hot, Mike No.
So like it was.

Speaker 3 (16:56):
It was so cool and you know, I it was.

Speaker 1 (17:00):
It was different.

Speaker 3 (17:00):
But going into spring training that year, so Brian Dabile
recruited me. That was one of the first coaches and
teams And this was one of the many reasons why
I went to Alabama. Uh not because you know the
girls there because.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
There were some pretty girls there anyways.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
Uh yeah, because they will actually sat me down and
was like, hey, this is what we can do with
you in our offense.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
And I was like, dude, that's all I wanted to know.

Speaker 3 (17:26):
Like there was some other teams that I was really
considering going, but they never really showed me how I'd
fit in their offense. They would may tell me, oh,
you can play the slot or you know, scat back.
Because I also Washington Huskies, I was the number one
running back recruit. It's crazy kid from Louisiana all the way.
I mean, that's a long ways and I sometimes I
wish I'd have went up there and checked it out,
but I knew I'm still there. Grandparents want to let

(17:49):
me go up there. I was way too far from home.
So I get there elin Row. I'm there a month.
They will take thee OC job for the bills, and
I'm like, okay, that was kind of my guy, right.
It was going to give me probably the best opportunity
to play receiver. So the day before spring training starts,

(18:10):
I get a text. I can't remember who text me, so, hey,
you got a meeting with coach Nick yes, yeah, Coach Savan,
I am like, obviously I knew he didn't do anything wrong,
but I'm like, you know, I'm anxious, like you know
why the yeah, yeah right now. Of course of all
thinks and I had a little inkling on what it

(18:30):
possibly was.

Speaker 1 (18:32):
So how I like to describe.

Speaker 3 (18:34):
Coach Savan's meetings is you kind of listen and he tells.

Speaker 1 (18:38):
You what it's gonna happen, what's gonna happen, and what
you may or may want to hear.

Speaker 3 (18:42):
Either way, you're gonna listen, yes, sir, no, sir, you know,
and I've asked him questions. Don't get me wrong, but
normally it's it's and he's all. He's mostly right. I mean,
obviously he's the greatest college football coach of all time.
Like he he knows what he's doing. I would never
question is a decision making.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
He's I slaved.

Speaker 3 (19:03):
He's like, you know, we we lost a lot of
guys in the draft this year at a defensive back.
You know, we got a lot of guys coming in
and receiver, you know, we got the four guys we
got Harford, what we got you know, we got Ja
we got Yeah, yeah, I forgot I was the first
guy you mentioned.

Speaker 1 (19:19):
Anyway.

Speaker 3 (19:20):
He was like, you know, we got Jerry Judy, we
got Avonte Smith, got Henry Rose at receiver, and we
got this new kid coming in Jaylen Waddle, and I'll
tell you about that. And he was like, you know,
we got this other guy that's, you know, playing the slot,
so you'd be like a three three deep at slot.
He's like, you know, we need depth at defensive back.
I'm just like, yes, sir, yes, coach. He was like, well,

(19:42):
what we're gonna do this spring, We're gonna move you
to safety. I never played stage in my life, and
I okay, in high school I would play corner in safety,
but if we're playing a heavy pass team.

Speaker 1 (19:52):
And you know, throw the athlete out there, yeah I need.

Speaker 3 (19:55):
To cover their second best receiver or what because we
usually had one really good corner. But I didn't know
how to actually play safety. When I tell you, that
was one of the hardest semesters practices spring training of
my life. I didn't know what the hell I was
doing out there. And it's so hard learning a defense,
especially it's safety, because you are you're the signal callers.

(20:17):
You know, you got the linebacker. He's you know, the
mics usually signaling, but you're communicating, and if you don't
know what the hell you're doing, you're not helping the team.

Speaker 1 (20:27):
You're not helping defense at all. And I didn't know
what I was doing.

Speaker 3 (20:30):
So I remember the first day of practice because I'm
just like, yes, you know, after that ended up meeting,
I'm like, yes, sir, a coach, like whatever it takes,
Like I'm always gonna be a team player.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
At in the day. I'm also eighteen. I just got there.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
I'm not going to tell coach like, no, I'm saying
receiver coach, No, I'm not saying that.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
No, of course you didn't have a choice.

Speaker 3 (20:46):
No, I did not have a single choice. Anyways, I
remember first day of practice. I'm sitting there and you know,
we're doing two and two slight coverage. We didn't do
one on ones. We did two on two slight coverage.
And you know I was supposed to play man. Well
I thought I was playing zone because I didn't, like
I said, to know what the hell I was doing.
So I go dropping my zone. I go like in

(21:08):
the buzz or the you know, the flat.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
Side, who are you doing?

Speaker 3 (21:13):
It's mad, yes, sir, all right, go again? This time
I'm supposed to be playing zone. Mind you, They're they're
throwing the signals at us, like, hey, here's the call.
I'm just like, all right, I line up in the
slot because I'm safety, I play man boom, complete a pass.

Speaker 1 (21:38):
Side. What are you doing? It's zone?

Speaker 3 (21:44):
And I'm just like, I am just like shaking at this. Yeah,
I don't know what I'm doing because I don't know
what I'm doing. But it's like, am I supposed to
know what I'm doing?

Speaker 1 (21:53):
Like, is there are you holding accountable?

Speaker 3 (21:56):
Because just before right, and I'm not saying it's just
a yelling at me, hat comes flying. He is pacing
like yelling, pacing, hat thrown on the ground. That's new
when you're screwed. Worse combo, worse combo. And you know
he gets upon me. He's telling me and I can't
remember exactly what he said to me in front of

(22:16):
my face. But the one thing I always learned or
eventually learned with Coach Saban is you don't take how
the message is being presented to you take what the
message is. He may yell at you, cuss at you,
but you can't you got to tune out the way
he's explaining to you. If he's yelling, okay, like he's

(22:37):
yelling at you, but you got to hear what he's saying,
not how he's saying it. And that was one thing
that I learned eventually, and a lot of us learned
that that's just how you coach. How he coached it
made you learn fast. So yeah, I learned fast eventually.
By the that semester, I had a pretty good idea
how our defense was ran. And shout out to my

(22:57):
boy Mac Jones. I picked that boy in the spring
game and I let him know every time. But anyways, uh,
you know, it was easy. So that was my claim
to fame at safety. But I was also Nuber twenty nine,
so everybody called me baby Minko. But it's no good
deal whatever.

Speaker 1 (23:15):
Anyway, you guys looked like brothers.

Speaker 3 (23:17):
No yeah, I mean yeah, they were like, oh my god,
did make a comeback for a fifth year.

Speaker 1 (23:22):
It's really me so whatever anyways.

Speaker 2 (23:24):
But its late on the on the I loved hearing
you because we've never talked about like the like, yeah,
we played and then everything like that. We had a
relationship at Baman after Bama and stuff like that, but
we never like really got in depth in the wider
seper position. But hearing you talk about it is really
cool because you you were more athletically gifted than I was.
And it's like the same way that the same thinking
you had of like hey, I have to take this
and have to make this better.

Speaker 1 (23:43):
It is a science. And it's like we played at
other schools.

Speaker 2 (23:46):
For me, could have probably played it some FCS school,
probably got more playing time stuff like that. For you,
it's like another Power five whatever where there wasn't as
much depth, but you took and learned and you were
the best receiver you could possibly be. And I would
say the same exact thing that we resonate on that point.
But it was fun seeing you because you played quarterback,
you played dB, and then seeing you at wide receiver.

Speaker 1 (24:03):
To be honest, like when you first run the routes,
I was like like this guy, like I can compete
with this guy.

Speaker 2 (24:08):
You know what I'm saying, because your routes were not
like crazy crisp and you didn't.

Speaker 1 (24:11):
Like the wade receiver position. I didn't play it.

Speaker 2 (24:13):
You didn't play it, but over time, within a short
amount of time, you went from being someone who was
a I thought you were a freak athlete, which I
still think you are.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
Think you're a great athlete. I think you don't credit
yourself enough on that is like a you know, it
was a white guy athlete, like you're a dog.

Speaker 3 (24:26):
Well, I mean I felt like, you know, I must
have been decent enough to you know, start Alabama.

Speaker 2 (24:31):
Yeah, but I'm saying like you you you were a
dog receiver, and I think like it was just fun
because I got to see you go from where you're
running routes and you were a good receiver to in
a very short amount of time you went to an
elite receiver.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
You know, I appreciate you saying the lead. I wouldn't
put myself in that category.

Speaker 1 (24:46):
But he started an Alabama path.

Speaker 3 (24:47):
But I appreciate that. But but for me as a player,
like I became the best version.

Speaker 1 (24:55):
Of yourself you could be was elite, you.

Speaker 3 (24:57):
Know, me being the best ipop we could every rout,
every play. That was pretty damn good, right And obviously,
like it is so funny. It's like, you know, come
out of high school, people always crazy going to Obama.

Speaker 2 (25:10):
Literally, yeah, brush on that you're Louisiana man who ended
up at Alabama?

Speaker 1 (25:14):
How that happen? Well, yeah, I have some of that
Hennessy real quick, yeah shout out to Hennessey, no free shoutouts,
but it is but it is what it is. But
it is delicious, it is max. If we just point that.

Speaker 3 (25:27):
Out quick, it quinches the thirst.

Speaker 1 (25:33):
So yes, I love how'd you end up at Alabama?

Speaker 3 (25:37):
So I will try not to be long winded with Obviously,
growing up in Louisiana, you don't have a choice. You're
an LSU fan, You're a Saints fan. I want to
be a Tiger my whole life. Like that's just what
it is now, honestly, Like you know, I was dual
sport athlete. If if Alabama baseball would offered me, I
mean sorry, LSU Baseball would offer me before the football
scholarship came, I promise you I would have probably played

(26:02):
Yeah als bar Stadium, come on, and they're winning all
the time.

Speaker 1 (26:05):
I and it was.

Speaker 3 (26:05):
That was huge, But I still wanted to play in
Death Valley, So I go down there and then I
promise you it wouldn't have took a lot for them
to get me. Coach O was great. He recruited me. Well,
I love coach O, but the offense, yeah, lock in
over there. The offensive coordinator at the time was Matt Canada.
And you know when you shake someone's hand and they

(26:29):
don't know who you are, that it's the worst, right,
It's the worst feeling.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
I see it as a sign of disrespect. If I
should know who they are, they should know who I am.

Speaker 3 (26:39):
Like you said, I was a Louisiana Gatorade Player of
the Year. You would think the offensive coordinator for the
biggest school in that state would know the best player
essentially in that state.

Speaker 1 (26:50):
It could be a firm handshake with a little baby,
a little shoulder tap.

Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yes, that's it, you know, a little smack, you know,
like we're good. Like that's all I need. I don't
mean much, hey next to one of those say my name,
didn't even like shook my ams like I felt like.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
It was bad.

Speaker 3 (27:05):
Never texted me, never called me, tweeted, DMed anything. And
I was never the guy who was like, oh I
need all this love, thanks for showing all this. I
didn't care about that. I just want to know how
I fit in your offense and that you at least
were giving me an opportunity to play. Yeah, didn't get
any of that, so I didn't feel at home at home.

Speaker 1 (27:22):
Damn.

Speaker 3 (27:23):
Then Nikki called and they rolled out that red copper
from Tuscalose to West North Louisiana and I strutted that
thing all the way down and it was completely opposite.
And yes, they do a hell of a job recruiting.
There's so many tangibles of why Bama was successful as
what it was and still is because that was one
thing how they recruited. And also Brian Day will show

(27:43):
me kind of where I'd fit in that offense. So
that's why. I mean, that's that's plain and simple. And
I it sucked, like it really did. Like at first,
you know, being a kid from Louisiana, that was like
the dream school to go to. Yeah, But as soon
as I came to Bama, when I got back and
we were staying at the caps On, me and my family,
when I got back to the hotel room after spending

(28:06):
a day touring the campus, touring the facilities, meeting with coaches,
and I actually participated in uh, because you know, I
had an offer, but you got to go prove that thing.
You gotta go, You gotta earn that scholarship of that offer,
and I performed well, actually ran a good forty surprisingly
uh so I earned my scholarship. But when we left

(28:26):
that and I got back with my family in the
hotel room, were like looking around, like roll Tide was like, yeah,
like where are the papers? I'm ready to sign the date? Yeah,
And that's just how it was. Like we were just
blowing away and I was like at that point, I
was like, I don't want to go anywhere else. And
also like, if I want to be the best possible
player in person, I can be. I need to get

(28:46):
coached by the best, play with the best, and compete
with the best.

Speaker 1 (28:51):
Where's that Where is that place? At the time? That
was at the undisputed University of Alabama?

Speaker 3 (28:55):
And because every day you're going against the best and
every day you competing with the best, and you're getting
coach by the best, So why whatnot?

Speaker 1 (29:02):
Man? You know it's a pretty fun school too. I
like that outfit you got on there today.

Speaker 3 (29:07):
I appreciate shout out to my dog Alabama Vintage. No
free shout outs, but shout out that's my dog too. Yeah,
paid uh it's uh, it's it looked like you got
off your grandmother's couch.

Speaker 1 (29:22):
But I think my dog pet on a rug like.

Speaker 3 (29:24):
That probably, Yeah, yeah, No, it's it's uh, it's it's
definitely different than we're thinking about possibly trying to market
it in a way, but it's it's.

Speaker 1 (29:34):
Market You need a juice box person, Yeah you got, yes,
set it up. We will dial that up. You might
not be able to pull that off, but I can
talk to Charlie. You know, figured out.

Speaker 3 (29:43):
Charlie and I can get it figured out. No, you don't know.
It's you gotta get license. It's a whole deal. You
gotta so many options.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
You don't have to he he owns the brand battle.
I gotta think it's Alabama out. It's Alabama that the glasses.
You're feeling some type of way right now? Yeah, hen
dog a little well, Stevie wonder over here. Yeah, get
right on him. Ego, you can't see because all that hands.
But I do want to say too, I reiterate that point.

Speaker 2 (30:09):
We agree on a lot being in the like obviously
white guy wide receivers. But the point that I always
make reiterate is that for real, it's it's how it
is you have in a day and age where you
have all this nile stuff. You have just money and
money and money and just like waterfalls of money, just
freaking money, guns everywhere, all that kind of stuff. Whatever
you have all that going on, No one. I don't

(30:30):
think people are thinking about it as much. But like
my goal coming out of high school was the same
things as.

Speaker 1 (30:34):
You're talking about.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
Where where can you be the best actual wide receiver
you want to be?

Speaker 1 (30:39):
So I had a fifth year option, And it's actually
a great question. It's a good point because I'm a professional.
I get paid to do that. I get paid. So
you look at the pretty juice. Just fine, you can't
get your juice? Can answer blueady? I have a bottle,
it's almost out. Uh yeah, you know. So seriously, so
you had you you had opportunity, Yes, I what made

(31:01):
you declare? So? This is?

Speaker 3 (31:03):
You know, I've been asked this a lot, and it's funny.
I'll get I'll get you know, comments like oh, if
he would have stayed one more year, he would helped
his draft.

Speaker 1 (31:09):
It's like, look, I never really care what people say.

Speaker 3 (31:12):
I don't really care about most people's opinions, Like unless
it's someone that I actually care about, right, and my
thing is, yeah, I did. I had two more years.
I had a fifth year, and I had a COVID
year the reason I left. And so I had two
more years left, had fifth year and COVID year. I
had already got my master's degree. Wow, I was very

(31:34):
fortunate and blest because you know, earlier role and helped.
And you know, did I have the dropical classes, Yes,
but I was pretty much I was pretty much liked
in so I was able to get my master's degree
in four years.

Speaker 1 (31:43):
Oh, I didn't want to go back to school. Your
master's degree in four years? Four years?

Speaker 3 (31:49):
I'm I'm I'm not as smart as I.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
Look, but I'm not even saying that I'm smarter than
I'm top.

Speaker 1 (31:55):
GP on the team smart and I didn't get in
four years.

Speaker 3 (31:58):
Well that was just the plan, Like, yeah, the guys
that didn't want able to accomplish that, that was on you.
So early enrolled, I already had a head start, like
I was able to as long as I didn't, you know,
screw up tremendously, I was gonna be able to do that.
So I got my master's degree in four years, four years.
Very thankful. Now I got in business. I went in
the NBA. NBA was a two year program. I just

(32:19):
took the one because I was planning on leaving, you know,
before the season even started, and I had my goals
written up, right, I had. And people may see this
and be like, I can't believe you thought this, but
you this is how you gotta think. If, of course,
I Blittankoll finalists, top three round pick, one thousand plus yard.

Speaker 1 (32:36):
Receiver, h a leader, like a leader, like be captain.

Speaker 3 (32:42):
Yes, exactly, ten plush touchdowns, I'd be lying to sit
here and say that I hit any of those.

Speaker 1 (32:50):
Yeah, I didn't hit a single single goal.

Speaker 3 (32:53):
And you know, at the end of the year, I'm like,
I wasn't able to accomplish anything that I wanted to
this year, and it sucked.