July 30, 2025 • 9 mins
College football writer for CBS Sports, Richard Johnson joins the show to preview the upcoming season, as he explains why he has Clemson running away with the ACC, what he expects from the Tar Heels under Bill Belichick, expectations for Arch Manning at Texas & more
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The man loves college football and we got to talk.
We gotta talk ball with him. He is Richard Johnson
and he joins us here on the Mac and Bone Show.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Richard, what's going on, man? How you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:10):
I'm doing well, guys, Glad to be with you.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I appreciate you being here. We are okay.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So we got past the talking season point and this
is the week where everybody starts getting practice going. I
want to start with the ACC. Do you view it
as Clemson and then a big drop off to everybody
else or do you think there's somebody else, Miami or
somebody else in the mix that can push Clemson and
maybe win the conference?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, I think it's I think it's Clemson. Everybody else.
Clemson is to me, a clear tier above the rest.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Of the ACC.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Clemson should absolutely, I think, walk to the ACC Championship
game and a top four seed.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
To be honest with you, that's even.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
If they lose the Battle of the Death Valleys or
what did Brian Brian Kelly caught last week death Valley Junior.
No matter what happens in that game, I think Clemson
is prime. Look, to be honest with you, I don't
really see a hole on that Clemson roster.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
More than anything else.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I mean, all right, you're telling me that they may
start a freshman running back. Okay, Like I like Kate
Clubnick a lot for what he is.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
People say, oh, well, Kate club Nick's not that good
all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Look, I've seen Will Howard, Stetson, Bennett, Max Duggan in
national championship games lately. You do not have to have
a super quarterback to get to a national championship game,
but you do have to have a great team around him,
and Clemson does have a great team around him.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Obviously.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
The Purdue transfer will help Davilosweeney finally out of a transfer.
All he's gonna do is sit next to Peter Woods,
who's probably the best non Caleb Downs defensive player in
college football, and TJ Parker along the front line. So
he said, Clemson's got to get that defense right, all right.
They did, and they figured out the front line. Aviancerell
on the back end's a tremendous player. Like I just,
I just don't see holes on this Clemson roster. And
(01:54):
I'm really excited for what Trustan Smith, the FCS receiver,
brings in as a transfer target to give him that
kind of long, lanky Mike Williams type in that receiver
corp to pair with the guys who started showing out
last year. So I'm excited about Clemson to be back
in that elite tier for the first time in a
few years.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Richard, who do you have as the best team in
the ACC behind Clemson in sort of that logjam area?
Miami SMU willuis Veil. We've even considered Georgia Tech as
an outside team. Well, who do you think is the
best of that group?
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Yeah, I know Miami is.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
It's going to kind of be a bit with Miami,
But I can think Carson Becks was pretty good this year.
I think we're going to see the Carson beck that
we expected to see coming into twenty twenty three with
Geersky's be coming in twenty twenty four at Georgia before
Georgia's offensive line injuries and offensive line or offensive troubles.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Kind of got in the way there and kind of derailed.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
That whole season for the Dogs. I think that he
was not good enough when the offensive line situation in
front of him wasn't stable. And I think at Miami
it'll be stable. You only have James Brockbyer coming in
at center as a new offensive lineman for him. So
I'm actually excited for what Bet can bring and for
what Miami can be. Obviously they're they're changing over the defense,
(03:06):
new defensive coordinator, as some new parts in the front and.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
The back end. But that's the thing that needs to
be changed for Miami.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
If you watch any Miami football, you know, let's let's
just get that defense halfway competent and uh and limit
all the turnovers and stuff that really sunk them in
games against like Georgia Tech and Syracuse for instance, And
I think Miami can give it a run and maybe
being Charlotte. The first weekend of.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
December, Hey, Richard, the week one is a big week
for the ACC, right, these big matchups with you know,
at a conference, some of them against SEC schools, Like
they got to start. They got to win these games,
right if they're going they want the respect, but they
got to go out and win some.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Of these games.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
So when you look at the Death Valley Death Valley
Junior game, as Brian Kelly would call it, if you
look at Miami Notre Dame, what are what are some
other ones bone, you got Virginia Tech South Carolina. Like
any of these enc Syracuse is won, right, Yeah, although
I don't know if I'm falling out much over the ACC,
But like, do you think the ACC can get a
couple of these games?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
How do you feel about these?
Speaker 4 (04:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
You know, I don't think Florida State's gonna get Alabama.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
But how do they go in that game? For instance?
You know what I mean, it's under the radar, but.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
An old PAC twelve class Col I believe plays Oregon
State that first weekend as well.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
You know Cal.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
I think because of all of the uncertainty about Cal's
front office structure this offseason and where Justin Wilcox is
gonna lie long term for them, I think Cal absolutely
needs to get off on the right foot. That Virginia
Tech South Carolin again, you guys brought up is so
curious to me. You know, Virginia Tech. You know, I
think Virginia Tech is almost bordering on the side of
(04:43):
being relevant in college football, which is crazy. If if
you remember Beamer Ball, beamer Ball doesn't seem so far
away from us. But you know, look as the years
go by, unfortunately it's a little bit more in the
rear view for Virginia Tech fans, certainly. I think Virginia
Tech needs to show something this season. Absolutely, and then
of course the big one on Labor Day Night, the
(05:05):
Belichick Bowl Carolina and TCU. That's going to be an
absolute zoo in Chapel Hill. I cannot wait. I think
I'm going to be able to be there, so I'm
excited for that one as well.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
What are your expectations for this tar Heel team this year?
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Year one?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Hunderd Belichick?
Speaker 5 (05:20):
We know it's kind of hard to figure out, but
just gut feel are is he going to exceed expectations?
And what's the What's Richard Johnson think about Belichick as
a Tarial Coke?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Well, thankfully we're talking about football.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
With North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
We spent a lot of time this offseason talking about
absolutely not football. But it seems like in the last
couple of months with North Carolina things have calmed down
and we're more focused on football and just things have
been quiet around that program, which I think is really
necessary from a reputation standpoint. I think the one thing
I want to temper expectations with Belichick is the version
(05:56):
of Bill Belichick that North Carolina is getting is not
necessarily the one that we saw when however many Super
bowls over the course of years. Obviously it's that guy,
but there's a reason he's not literally the Patriots coach
right now. There's a reason why John Mayo isn't the
Patriots coach right now. It's because the roster Bill Belichick
gave him was not any good. The Patriots had not
(06:19):
been good, and we're diminishing returns since Tom Brady left them,
you know, And that's that's something.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
We kind of conveniently block out. You know.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I know the guy has forgotten more football than I
will ever know. But it's a different deal. And I
think that people expect him to be head of the show,
for instance, and you know, he was GM as well
as being head coach at New England. But right now
it's Michael Bardi who's running the player acquisition and the
negotiation and doing the GM personnel stuff. So it's just
(06:49):
a different structure than I think people realize. At Carolina,
I do think it will be funny because I just
think because of his football acumen, they're going to get
a game or two that they at we shouldn't, you know,
let's say they're in a clock management contest against Miami,
Like who do you want? You want Bill Belichick management
clock or Mario Pristival. So you know, I'm interested in
(07:10):
how this is going to go and how he's able
to kind of pull some games out.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
That he otherwise might not. But at the end of
the day, like I don't know.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
If his defensive strategy, which is having a bespoke new
game plan every week works with college kids who don't
live in breed football and have other responsibilities and our
professionals all interesting.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Those are interesting points, and this will be a fascinating
situation here in our state, in Chapel Hill, There's no
doubt about it. Last thing I want to ask you, Richard,
is about the SEC. Who's your pick to win the SEC?
Texas is the seems to be the favorite. Are you
going chalk or are you picking someone else to win
the conference?
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I'm going chalk with Texas because Texas is one of
my two national championship favorites. It's Texas and Oregon for
me and then everybody else. Heading into this season.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
I think Texas is going to be really good.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
The one question I have Texas is up the middle
on defense, they have last three years tried to fill
holes with their defensive tackles and they've figured it out
the last couple of years. First year would start it
was guys who are already in the building. Last year
it was guys who they brought in for the portal.
This year it is again guys who they bring in
in the portal. So this isn't a thing that's going
(08:19):
to matter. You know, ten of ten of their games.
But when we get to the games that matter against
Georgia for instance, when we get to the games that
matter in January, which is where Texas wants to be.
Once we winning football games in January, it matters.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
It matters your entire roster, ask Ohio State.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
So you know, I think Texas has to get that
figured out on the defensive front, and if they can,
I'm not sure that Texas Russer has any holes because
everything I've heard about arch Manning.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Is he is as good as advertised, maybe even better.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Can't wait for the Seas that get gone. Richard. We
appreciate you. What do you need to mention? You can hear Richard.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Check out the Split Zone Duo podcast. We talked to
his podcasting Better Half out Alex Kirshner the other day
and those guys will be a part of the Sports
Podcast Festival. Cool thing they're doing August twenty third in
Raleigh as well. You guys should look to get you know,
take a details, check out the Sports Podcast Festival and
(09:17):
get information on that.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Thank you, Richard, We appreciate you man. Thanks all right,
be good there you d.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Richard Johnson also CBS College Football Stuff as well.
The man loves college football and we got to talk.
We gotta talk ball with him. He is Richard Johnson
and he joins us here on the Mac and Bone Show.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Richard, what's going on, man? How you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:10):
I'm doing well, guys, Glad to be with you.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I appreciate you being here. We are okay.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So we got past the talking season point and this
is the week where everybody starts getting practice going. I
want to start with the ACC. Do you view it
as Clemson and then a big drop off to everybody
else or do you think there's somebody else, Miami or
somebody else in the mix that can push Clemson and
maybe win the conference?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, I think it's I think it's Clemson. Everybody else.
Clemson is to me, a clear tier above the rest.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Of the ACC.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Clemson should absolutely, I think, walk to the ACC Championship
game and a top four seed.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
To be honest with you, that's even.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
If they lose the Battle of the Death Valleys or
what did Brian Brian Kelly caught last week death Valley Junior.
No matter what happens in that game, I think Clemson
is prime. Look, to be honest with you, I don't
really see a hole on that Clemson roster.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
More than anything else.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I mean, all right, you're telling me that they may
start a freshman running back. Okay, Like I like Kate
Clubnick a lot for what he is.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
People say, oh, well, Kate club Nick's not that good
all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Look, I've seen Will Howard, Stetson, Bennett, Max Duggan in
national championship games lately. You do not have to have
a super quarterback to get to a national championship game,
but you do have to have a great team around him,
and Clemson does have a great team around him.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Obviously.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
The Purdue transfer will help Davilosweeney finally out of a transfer.
All he's gonna do is sit next to Peter Woods,
who's probably the best non Caleb Downs defensive player in
college football, and TJ Parker along the front line. So
he said, Clemson's got to get that defense right, all right.
They did, and they figured out the front line. Aviancerell
on the back end's a tremendous player. Like I just,
I just don't see holes on this Clemson roster. And
(01:54):
I'm really excited for what Trustan Smith, the FCS receiver,
brings in as a transfer target to give him that
kind of long, lanky Mike Williams type in that receiver
corp to pair with the guys who started showing out
last year. So I'm excited about Clemson to be back
in that elite tier for the first time in a
few years.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Richard, who do you have as the best team in
the ACC behind Clemson in sort of that logjam area?
Miami SMU willuis Veil. We've even considered Georgia Tech as
an outside team. Well, who do you think is the
best of that group?
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Yeah, I know Miami is.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
It's going to kind of be a bit with Miami,
But I can think Carson Becks was pretty good this year.
I think we're going to see the Carson beck that
we expected to see coming into twenty twenty three with
Geersky's be coming in twenty twenty four at Georgia before
Georgia's offensive line injuries and offensive line or offensive troubles.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Kind of got in the way there and kind of derailed.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
That whole season for the Dogs. I think that he
was not good enough when the offensive line situation in
front of him wasn't stable. And I think at Miami
it'll be stable. You only have James Brockbyer coming in
at center as a new offensive lineman for him. So
I'm actually excited for what Bet can bring and for
what Miami can be. Obviously they're they're changing over the defense,
(03:06):
new defensive coordinator, as some new parts in the front and.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
The back end. But that's the thing that needs to
be changed for Miami.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
If you watch any Miami football, you know, let's let's
just get that defense halfway competent and uh and limit
all the turnovers and stuff that really sunk them in
games against like Georgia Tech and Syracuse for instance, And
I think Miami can give it a run and maybe
being Charlotte. The first weekend of.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
December, Hey, Richard, the week one is a big week
for the ACC, right, these big matchups with you know,
at a conference, some of them against SEC schools, Like
they got to start. They got to win these games,
right if they're going they want the respect, but they
got to go out and win some.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Of these games.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
So when you look at the Death Valley Death Valley
Junior game, as Brian Kelly would call it, if you
look at Miami Notre Dame, what are what are some
other ones bone, you got Virginia Tech South Carolina. Like
any of these enc Syracuse is won, right, Yeah, although
I don't know if I'm falling out much over the ACC,
But like, do you think the ACC can get a
couple of these games?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
How do you feel about these?
Speaker 4 (04:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
You know, I don't think Florida State's gonna get Alabama.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
But how do they go in that game? For instance?
You know what I mean, it's under the radar, but.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
An old PAC twelve class Col I believe plays Oregon
State that first weekend as well.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
You know Cal.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
I think because of all of the uncertainty about Cal's
front office structure this offseason and where Justin Wilcox is
gonna lie long term for them, I think Cal absolutely
needs to get off on the right foot. That Virginia
Tech South Carolin again, you guys brought up is so
curious to me. You know, Virginia Tech. You know, I
think Virginia Tech is almost bordering on the side of
(04:43):
being relevant in college football, which is crazy. If if
you remember Beamer Ball, beamer Ball doesn't seem so far
away from us. But you know, look as the years
go by, unfortunately it's a little bit more in the
rear view for Virginia Tech fans, certainly. I think Virginia
Tech needs to show something this season. Absolutely, and then
of course the big one on Labor Day Night, the
(05:05):
Belichick Bowl Carolina and TCU. That's going to be an
absolute zoo in Chapel Hill. I cannot wait. I think
I'm going to be able to be there, so I'm
excited for that one as well.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
What are your expectations for this tar Heel team this year?
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Year one?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Hunderd Belichick?
Speaker 5 (05:20):
We know it's kind of hard to figure out, but
just gut feel are is he going to exceed expectations?
And what's the What's Richard Johnson think about Belichick as
a Tarial Coke?
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Well, thankfully we're talking about football.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
With North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
We spent a lot of time this offseason talking about
absolutely not football. But it seems like in the last
couple of months with North Carolina things have calmed down
and we're more focused on football and just things have
been quiet around that program, which I think is really
necessary from a reputation standpoint. I think the one thing
I want to temper expectations with Belichick is the version
(05:56):
of Bill Belichick that North Carolina is getting is not
necessarily the one that we saw when however many Super
bowls over the course of years. Obviously it's that guy,
but there's a reason he's not literally the Patriots coach
right now. There's a reason why John Mayo isn't the
Patriots coach right now. It's because the roster Bill Belichick
gave him was not any good. The Patriots had not
(06:19):
been good, and we're diminishing returns since Tom Brady left them,
you know, And that's that's something.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
We kind of conveniently block out. You know.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I know the guy has forgotten more football than I
will ever know. But it's a different deal. And I
think that people expect him to be head of the show,
for instance, and you know, he was GM as well
as being head coach at New England. But right now
it's Michael Bardi who's running the player acquisition and the
negotiation and doing the GM personnel stuff. So it's just
(06:49):
a different structure than I think people realize. At Carolina,
I do think it will be funny because I just
think because of his football acumen, they're going to get
a game or two that they at we shouldn't, you know,
let's say they're in a clock management contest against Miami,
Like who do you want? You want Bill Belichick management
clock or Mario Pristival. So you know, I'm interested in
(07:10):
how this is going to go and how he's able
to kind of pull some games out.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
That he otherwise might not. But at the end of
the day, like I don't know.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
If his defensive strategy, which is having a bespoke new
game plan every week works with college kids who don't
live in breed football and have other responsibilities and our
professionals all interesting.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Those are interesting points, and this will be a fascinating
situation here in our state, in Chapel Hill, There's no
doubt about it. Last thing I want to ask you, Richard,
is about the SEC. Who's your pick to win the SEC?
Texas is the seems to be the favorite. Are you
going chalk or are you picking someone else to win
the conference?
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I'm going chalk with Texas because Texas is one of
my two national championship favorites. It's Texas and Oregon for
me and then everybody else. Heading into this season.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
I think Texas is going to be really good.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
The one question I have Texas is up the middle
on defense, they have last three years tried to fill
holes with their defensive tackles and they've figured it out
the last couple of years. First year would start it
was guys who are already in the building. Last year
it was guys who they brought in for the portal.
This year it is again guys who they bring in
in the portal. So this isn't a thing that's going
(08:19):
to matter. You know, ten of ten of their games.
But when we get to the games that matter against
Georgia for instance, when we get to the games that
matter in January, which is where Texas wants to be.
Once we winning football games in January, it matters.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
It matters your entire roster, ask Ohio State.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
So you know, I think Texas has to get that
figured out on the defensive front, and if they can,
I'm not sure that Texas Russer has any holes because
everything I've heard about arch Manning.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Is he is as good as advertised, maybe even better.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Can't wait for the Seas that get gone. Richard. We
appreciate you. What do you need to mention? You can hear Richard.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Check out the Split Zone Duo podcast. We talked to
his podcasting Better Half out Alex Kirshner the other day
and those guys will be a part of the Sports
Podcast Festival. Cool thing they're doing August twenty third in
Raleigh as well. You guys should look to get you know,
take a details, check out the Sports Podcast Festival and
(09:17):
get information on that.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Thank you, Richard, We appreciate you man. Thanks all right,
be good there you d.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Richard Johnson also CBS College Football Stuff as well.
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