July 15, 2025 • 39 mins
On this episode the Chaps talk about all of the news coming out of SEC Media Days in Atlanta FROM the College Football Hall of Fame. Yes, for the first time our podcast comes to you On Location.
We chat...
We chat...
- LSU prospects for the 2025/26 season
- Review QB prospects :Simmons, Pavia & of course Arch Madness!
- the launch of the new NETLFIX show featuring SEC Football - "Any Given Saturday"
- Rumours of a Saban return?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm not going to comment on that. I'll get fine
for the rest of my life if I get comment
on that national champion.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
That's young story.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Hey everyone, and welcome to the College Charps podcast. On
this episode, we're going to talk about the stories coming
out of SEC Media Days and we'll touch on that
a little bit the second.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
But first we are the Chaps. I'm George and I'm
joined by Ollie.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
And for the first time I should say that we're
operating in different time zones.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
How are you, my friend?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I'm doing really really well, not as well as you,
my friends. I an excuse to get an SEC edition
of the College podcasting for George, like this is the
only money who was flying across the pond to Atlanta,
and just for the sole purpose and make sure that
we get an s C specific podcasting before the start
(01:11):
of the season. Extremely just just harding my jealousy.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I see the links you have to go to to
talk about the SEC on this post podcast. So if
you're not watching this on YouTube, you should probably always
just told us that I'm recording secvdds and I'm actually
in the College Football Hall of Fame, which might be
(01:38):
the for me anyway, might be the coolest setting that
that I'm going to record a podcast on. So it's
a unique a unique episode in that respect. So only
let's say we're not going to spend a lot lot
of time talking about this, but let's jump into so
many key stories that I've come out this week and
l s U typically open up SEC Media Days, and
(02:02):
they did. Brian Kelly was his usual bullish self. He
was very high on l s U. To his credit,
he said that he's he's going have been here before
and the team didn't quite live up to reputations, but
he did seem to have a really high opinion of
the team that he's got. So their first question is
(02:23):
our l s U containders or pretend us? What do
you think about that?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
This is going to sound like almost like a cop
out answer, but I think at this moment in time,
it's kind of about I I sat down yesterday and
to write up the SEC my latest SEC Power rankings
for PF signing. There's such as he's such a difficult
(02:50):
team to read this year, and you're right, Brian Kelly
want but it's just one of the one of the
bits of the SEC Media Days that minosed to follow
yesterday while I was working and Brian Kelly was bullish
about this team, and he has a lot of reasons
to be, so I think it boils out to this
with LSU. There's a lot of pieces in that locker
room that should make them not just an SEC contender,
(03:14):
but a contender for obviously the college football playoffs and
ever run into that. And it starts with Garrett Nussmeier,
who I think is one of the best returning quarterbacks
in college football. So it starts with him. It starts
with the things that they did around us in particularly
the wide receiver room because LSU wasn't a team and
(03:34):
we talk about the LSU teams going back through the
times that we've done this podcast, and the wide receiver
rooms that that program has had, that Jamar Chasers and
Justin Jeffersons, you know, so many talented players, and last
year that room really didn't live up to the expectation
I think you would you would put to an LSU
(03:55):
Tiger wide receiver room, and I think Brian Kelly, he
talks about the Chanceler portal and the wide receiver room
is one of the areas that they really did address
that this season. With Nick Anderson and Barrion Brown out
of Kentucky, two really exciting electric playmakers to go in
that offense, alongside the returning Aaron Anderson. So I think
(04:19):
offensively there's a lot to be excited about. Defensively, some
of the top playmakers for me in the country. You know,
it feels like every year we talk about what can
LSU do with Harold Perkins Jr. How do LSU use
Harold Perkins Junior to maximize his domination is destruction and
capability in that defense. But a guy like with Weeks,
(04:41):
the linebacker, he was there yesterday. I believe with you
guys in Atlanta. He is such an incredibly talented player.
Leeds led the SEC in solo tackles last year. Just
an incredible force at the linebacker position, which is exactly
what you want in the SEC, exactly you need. And
then it's funny, I I a couple of months ago,
(05:04):
I kind of looked at this team and I was like,
I don't see a guy or two guys you know
were used to LSU teams that are big contenders having
these incredible secondaries. You know, you think back to guys
like very Stingley junior, and I was like, I don't
really see a guy there that is that caliber. I
don't see a unit that has been the caliber we've
(05:25):
seen out of LSU before. But then when you actually
sit down and you look at that room, Okay, guy
that they're bringing back like Ashton Stamps who led the
SEC in past breakups. Last year, they added a number
of guys from and there were the top defensive back
on their teams last year in the transfer port so
a J. Holsey, a guy out of Houston who was
(05:46):
incredibly impactful in the back end. Guy like Mansur Delaine
coming over from Virginia Tech to anchor that secondary as well.
So I think there's a lot of pieces in that
equation in that puzzle that ticks the box for LSU
as a contender. But then you flipped the script. You're
replacing four starters, they bring back just one starter. On
(06:06):
the offensive line, they bring back four guys. And Brian
Kelly talks about this elet right Georg John on Monday
yesterday about the guys that they bring you through from
the offensive line room, guys that are home grown that
they're bringing in. They haven't addressed it in the transfer portal,
but they do have to replace four starters and four
really good stars on the offensive line as well, So
(06:30):
that is that's such a key component to that discussion
about LSU as a contender or a pretender. And then
there's a schedule. You know, they avoid Texas, which is
obviously a boom, but they start on the road of Clemson.
A Clemson team but I think is going to be
the best team in the country this year and very
very bullish. I'm as bullish on Clemson as Brian Kelly
was a bully so on l SU yesterday. I think.
(06:53):
So you you look from their first five games, I
looked at it yesterday, I think they could be two
and three going into That's a really difficult place to
come back from a euro team that is expecting to
compete for shape, a team that is expecting to compete
for the playoffs. So a lot of conflicting thoughts in
my mind about LSU as we head into the season,
(07:13):
and just intrigue that I think one of the mouse
intriguing teams in college football.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
This and they've had They've had a lot of hype
right because this this notion that l s U could
be a contender. It's not not just us, And there's
been a lot of pre season hype and of course
it's fueled by you know, events like this. Clearly a
lot of questions yesterday to to Kelly went about the
offense about defense, because defense has been a problem for them,
(07:41):
and he admitted as much yesterday when he talked a
lot about a lot of the games that they should
have won but they but they didn't win. And we'll
go in and talk about the new Netflix Cbus. But
actually episode one spoiler features l s U heavily and
it's the first couple of games of the season where
they actually don't perform as well. They have a lead
(08:02):
and then they lose them. So I agree with you
in that respect. It's at that point the season where
I think everybody's got the rose tinted spectacles on other
Marine tend inspectors or whatever, purple color or l SU
where I think you look at it. But the nitty
gritty will be when they when that first game kicks
off and it's it's a bit of a tough, tough game.
(08:25):
So yeah, I think they fall into that camp where
they could they could be either or to be perfluenced.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah, you don't want to be going into that overthing.
Get what they are going it's owning game with you know,
we talked about the offensive line. Clinson this year has
a unit for me on the defensive front there is
as good as any that we've seen in the past
decade at Clemson. And that's you know, we've seen the
talent that that program has produced. And you think back
(08:52):
to the line that was Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.
But that is Clemson again this year with TJ. Parker
and Peter Wards, Demonte cape park who came, Demonte cape
Hart who came back. That was not very easy to
say on Tuesday, isn't it like those guys a four
across the defensive front. You're going into a season opener
(09:18):
with a brand new offensive line. You need those guys
to jail, to click quickly. And I get what Brian
Kelly is saying. They've all come up together. This is
a room. But it's essentially been the second second unit
in practice probably week in week out last year, scout
team running scouting offensive line last year, just with returning
the center. But yeah, that Clemson defensive front and then
(09:41):
all missed like the fifth game of the year, all
miss loaded up in the portal. They've got some great
defensive talent as well, but the Lion doesn't hit the
ground running in week one. That is a problem, and
that is a problem early, and it's a problem often.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
And you know, we talked about longer than we've intended to.
It was a couple of things that one just gonna
touch on what you said a lot of we've talked
about about a lot about the defense and then obviously
about the defensive line.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Much of this will depending on how effective got it
in us might is right. There's a lot of hype.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
About us fire based on what he did last year,
but also because the fact that he's returning your quarterback
with three years worth of experience in the in the
sec right every performance, I think it was still a
question mark. I'm not I'm not as high on Smire
as many other people. And then the other thing just
really quickly, I hadn't realized until yesterday how poor l
(10:35):
s Hu's record is in the first game of the season.
They are truly shocking in the first game of the season.
And so back to your point, and you know, not
to name drop, but when we spoke with Dabble. We
played Georgia in that first game. Yeah, Georgia one. That
was a pretty close game. You Clemson are going to
give them a good game, And you're right. Many people
have Clemson as not just a college football Playoff participants
(11:00):
about getting quite far in the college football playoffice. Is right,
Let's go onto the quarterbacks because this, well, last year's
SEC media day wasn't really dominated by the quarterbacks. This
media day is dominated by the quarterbacks. And I just
wanted to get your view on a couple of the
guys that we that we chatted to yesterday and then
(11:21):
the big name that we all chatted to today. But
let's start with Austin Simmons, right.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
I saw a hugely popular, hugely confident young.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Guy who has graduated at the age of nineteen is
now doing an honors I think it blows everybody's mind.
He was very calm, very collected, very confident, but not
being cocky. There's a lot of hope. I spoke to
some of the Oh My Speak writers. There's a lot
of expectation in Oxford about this guy replacing Jackson Dark
(12:00):
but the fundamental solely I don't know much. You know,
but someone think about Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
I think it starts with what you've touched on there.
That's the fact that this is a kid who actually
this should be his true freshman year. He reclassified from
the twenty twenty five high school class. He talked about
the actual school accomplishments of This kid has got under
his belt already. He should be a true freshman this year.
(12:26):
So two years, reclassified from the twenty twenty three class,
He's already been on campus for a couple of years
Old Miss He's learned everything that you need to know
from a guy in Jackson Dart, who you know, I
was looking at it earlier today. Lane Kiffin since taking
over Old Mass has had Matt Carral for two years.
(12:47):
He's had Jackson Dart for three years. Like Austin Simmons,
has got a great futting to come into now. There's
a lot of expectations, the big shoes to fill jack
What Jackson Dart did last year was incredible, but he
showed in the game against Georgia. This is This is
the thing with several quarterbacks in this twenty twenty five
college football season. There's a lot of expectation. There's a
(13:10):
lot of high. There's not a lot of evidence as
you come into the season and not Boston Simmons thrown
into action against Georgia last season. He led that drive,
went five and six sixty five yards of the fifty
six yards. Led a drive against the Georgia Bulldogs defense,
which you know, there's a lot of quarterbacks who have
played many years in this college football or landscaping environment
(13:34):
who couldn't do that against Georgia Bulldogs. So that that
is very much something to be said about his on
field capability. Those flashes last year when he was brought
in in relief of Jackson Dart. But is it starts.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
I think the.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Quarterback position, it's also cerebral, and Austin Simmons has shown
both in the classroom and in an event like you're
at right now in sec media days, to handle a
scrummage like he was put through yesterday. I saw some
of the questions asked to Austin Simmons just handled it
(14:10):
with the maturity of a guy who has been playing
college football for three or four seasons, and he's been
in the ecosystem, he's been in the landscape, has been
around lane kiffing. You can ask for a better person
to teach you how to deal with the media than
Lane Kiffin. But it's it's it fills in built with
Austin Simmons. And that's the reason why Old Miss. You know,
(14:33):
Kiffin was on on stage with the whether you're SEC
Networks shows or you know better than me, I don't
paying attention to his get up, get over, good morning,
whatever it's called that Like he was on stage with
with the crew there and he's you know, he could
see how excited he is about Austin Simmons. And it
(14:55):
starts with the kind of maturity of its exuding already,
which you know, that's that's excit and say it's they've
invested well in the transfer port to make sure that
he's got a lot of pieces around him as well.
And that defense that how many seasons would we be
looking at a guy like Austin Simmons coming into Old
Miss and he'd have to throw four or five touchdowns
(15:17):
a game, he'd have to get fifty sixty points on
the board because the defense was so bad. That is,
he's not gonna have to do that this year for
Old Miss because that defense was so good last year.
They spent the time and invested, and everything's in place
for that defense to be good again this year, so
he doesn't have to make wild decisions. He doesn't have
to do you talk about Garret Usmaia, some of the
(15:39):
stuff he needs to clean up this year is with
decision making because he's chasing games because the lsus AND
defense wasn't so great last year. Austin Simmons doesn't have
to do that in twenty twenty five. I think it's
it's a great it's great footing for him to be
a first year starter at that football. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
I mean, I was just so ticking.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
I'd spoken to some of the all miss Speak letters beforehand,
and I was just they used to word poise and
it's an unusual word to use with a nineteen year old, right,
But there was nothing that was thrown at yesterday that
remotely phased apart from my accent. He could understand my accent,
but hey, he's noting that not a loan in that respect, right.
(16:21):
Half the people listen to his podcast don't know what
fifty percent of the episodes about.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
But no, he was.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
I think everyone came away from that being really very pretty.
Although she didn't know about Simmons came out, came away
from being really impressed. And another thing, you talk about defense,
I've heard a number of times, and I think there
is sometimes the potential for quite a bit of high
berbally these things, right, because it is a it's a preview,
it's a build up, it's all of that kind of stuff.
(16:50):
But people really gushing about Pete Golding's defense. Now, people
did not gush about people Golding's defense at Alabama, that's
for certain, right. But but maybe he's just landed at
the right place because Kevin's giving him the the space
to operate, and they were they were much improved last year.
Now second year into that new that new look then
(17:11):
with the with the talent they've got at their disposal,
I think everyone was, including Kevin, is just reticent to
push that kind of the hype about them because they
were so hyped last year and and ultimately fell fell short.
Kevin did say that he didn't he still doesn't worry.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
About not making the college for playoff. He's well and
truly over that is. But he certainly looking at it.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
And they've got they've got a reasonable schedule, if I
remember correctly. So let's see how they got on a
quarterback and a team who are not pulling back on
the hype are Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia made a bit
of a splash yesterday. I don't know how much he
saw all of his appearance, but there's a young man
(18:01):
that's not short of confidence. And I don't mean that
in a cocky, arrogant way.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Far from it.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
I think he charmed everybody during the time that they
spent with us, But he certainly and Clark Lee talked
about how much of an impact he had had not
just on the football team, but on the culture of
the football team, and it clearly is something very close
to his heart. So my question, then only is is
Diego Pavia is here a changing force for Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt still,
(18:31):
as much as they had some signature wins last year,
didn't turn the tide as much as Clark they wanted
them to. Can they turn the tide this year? Can
they have a winning season?
Speaker 4 (18:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (18:44):
I mean technically not a winning season last season because
they went seven and six overall. With first ball was
for the program for more than a decade. I thought
partly was interesting yesterday because it was it would be
easy to stand on last year and say like we've
been the whipping boys of the SEC for years, like
(19:05):
we weren't last year. Like let's you know, just just great,
just like reflecting the basket basking the reflective glory. I'll
get my words out properly. And there in a couple
of weeks, which was you know, I thought there was
was was super impressive on that podium and it was
(19:27):
how he talked about this year that showcases what influenced
and impact last year, in particularly Diego Pavia has had
on this banderbilt common that does football program because they're
not happy with what they got last year. That's just
a stepping stone to what they think they should be.
And people might laugh at that, but I think there
(19:49):
was an element of this program was forever changed by
the events of last year, and a large part of
that is Diego Pavier in it. We saw it at
New Mexico State when he was there, and that came
into Conference USA at the same time as Liberty Flames,
and like Liberty, the season that Liberty had with cal
and Salter kind of overshadowed what Diego Pavia and New
(20:10):
Mexico State did. But they beat Auban you know, New
Mexico State beat Auburn in that year, and that's Diego
Parker's influence. He's a gritty, determined, enthusiastic, passionate leader of
a college football program, and that's who he brings to
these events, right. You know, you look at all the
(20:31):
people that are there this this week in Atlanta, who
were there last week for the Big twelve media days
in Frisco, who will be there for the ACC and
the Big Ten next week and all the Group of
five conferences. You take your leaders, You take the people
that represent your program the best. And that's exactly what
Diego Pavia does. And he's changed that football program on
(20:52):
the field. He's changed college football full stop with his
ability to chote the nc double A. His rule is
after all, it's his ruling that is allowing so many
former juco players to play college football this season. So
we talk about the impact that the party has had
is not just on this Vanderbilt football program, which that
(21:16):
is clear. That impact is clear, but it's college football
as a whole. And he is every single right within
the world to come out and be He would have
every single right in the world come out and be
cocky but like you said, he doesn't come across he's he's.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
Very proud of that.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
He's very proud of doing that because he talked didn't
talk about himself. He talked about all the others who
will come behind him, and that exactly giving an impression
that he's not a guy that's going to lord about
the fact that he did it from self. It's about
the team, right.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
And the only thing that looks like he was loading
over was those sparkling earrings that was fashioned in her
face where you were trying to talk to him.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
So just just currently before we move on the one
thing that struck me, and you know that I'm quite
a big fan of Clark Lee a light away goes
about things. I think he's the right person for Vanderbilt,
and you and I exchanged messages on the see he
got a little emotional yesterday talking about it. Obviously shows
(22:21):
what it means to him. But he said something which
Pavia then repeated during his huddle, which was, you know, listen,
the way the results fell last year. We were as
close to two and ten as we are ten and two,
and a lot of coaches have talked about the.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
Fine line of winning in the SEC.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
So I don't think there's as much as I said
there's hype around Vanderbilt. I don't think it's coming internally
from the from the program. I think they're they're pretty
grounded and they know how difficult it is. And we
are talking about Vanderbilt, not to not to be disingenuine,
but we are disingenuous, but we are talking about Bandy.
So but this is where the hyph train gets stratisfic
(23:05):
because I'm sitting only twenty feet away from where the
latest member of the Manning dynasty finished his media days,
and that was quite something to behold.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
We don't know yet.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
You can tell me if I'm wrong or we don't
know yet the impact that arch man is going to
have in college football, But certainly most of the world
thinks that he's going to have a significant impact, in
so far as a lot of people suggesting over the
last couple of days that he's already won the Heisman.
So what do you think about not arch Manning himself,
(23:44):
but the hype around them.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Yeah, it's an interesting turn of phrasing, is George, Because
Arch Manning's impact on college football is already real, it's
already evident. Right, and it was evident last year. It
was evident when college football playoffs starting quarterback for the
Texas Longhorns. You know, you think back to Sam Elliger's
shout and we're back after they won the Sugar Bowl.
(24:10):
And it's all been building to this point last year
where they reached the college football playoffs and the starting
quarterback for a Texas Longhorns team is sat in the
media availability and there is no one there because they're
all focused on Arch Manning. His impact on college football
is already real. It's already visible just for him being
(24:31):
a man in right. This is it. This is the
name alone, the same as you see with should All
Sanders when should All Sanders first rocked up at Jackson
State with dial like the name brand alone buys you
a lot. And then it's time to produce on the
football field, which should All did. Should All took care
(24:52):
of business at Jackson State. Should All took care of
business at Colorado. Now Arch Manager's got to do the
same with Texas. And I think the the thing with
the on field product is so many people last year
and he've got a bear in mind the caliber of
opponent this was against because Arch Manning saw here that
most of his playing time against you know, teams that
(25:14):
weren't the greatest in college football last year. That's not
disrespect to the level of football that you know, I
had such an affinity for the Group of five football
and Louisiana Monroe last year had an incredible season under
Brian Vinson. But well, due respect to the Warhawks. That
isn't the Georgia Bulldogs defense but arch Manning was facing.
It's not the Old miss defense that arch Manning was facing.
(25:36):
It's not you know, South Carolina's defense last year was incredible.
It's not those defenses. So I think the height for
the on field product comes through. You know, Texas did
look a little bit better offensively when arch Manning was
on the field. You know, he's got that mobility, that
a little bit of athleticism that Pete had never had.
(25:57):
Let's be honest, but Quinn Yewers didn't have a Texas
So when it was needed, when you wanted someone to
pick up ten, fifteen twenty yards with the legs as
a quarterback, arch Manning gives you that, and he showed
that last season. I think that's where you know, the
name brand kind of merges with the little bits that
we've seen so far and what we know about him
(26:17):
through the high school ranks, that all manages them together
to create this hype or arch Manning era in Texas.
Arch madness has I don't think he made that yourself,
but I'm.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
Going to give you a credit compredate for that.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Yeah, I like you take the credit for you. But
that's that's what it is right now in Texas. For me,
Arch Manning will be the quarterback of a team that
could win the national championship. And when we talk about
New York, we talk about the Heisman. How often do
we see that the quarterback of a team that is
arguably the best in college football gets that accolades that
(26:54):
you know, that trip to New York. And I think
that's what we'll see this year. But I don't think
the story of Texas Longhorns football in twenty twenty five
is his arts Manning. I think it's it's defense. It's
the running back room, bringing back guys like Quin Travian Wise,
guys CJ. Backster who missed last year. There's a lot
of moving pieces. We talked about LSU. Texas has those
(27:16):
moving pieces on the offensive line as well. But the
defense of Texas is so good, even with the pieces
that they lost from twenty twenty four, that will ultimately
be what guides them to a title. If they can
go to a title, it'll be that. But when you
leave the offense as a quarterback and your name's Manning,
(27:37):
everything's kind of earn out a line to kind of
meet reality meets the high train at some point in
late November.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
Yeah, And I think that's something natural.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
The quarterback gets all the credit, the kudos, win the winning,
and he gets all the negativity and the criticism when
they're not so can I can absolutely see that. One
thing I would just just a general comment in the
passing when he when he left here and he was
(28:06):
heading out and kind nipped ahead to take a video
of him leaving, because everybody goes he's just mobbed kind
of idea. And Emily Grace was standing beside me, right,
And as we walk back, I turned out and said,
I don't I don't mean he's not it's not he's
not tall, but he's not as big as I thought
he was going to be, right, And I remember seeing
(28:28):
Eli Manning at the airport and Eli is huge. He
is a monster of a man and Arts is not,
so it will be. The physicality of the season ahead
is going to be interesting and like every great quarterback,
he has to be kept on his feet.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
So they're right.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
The offensive line is really important and we're well over
the time that we're going to do. I do want
to talk quickly about two things. First one was we
got preview of a new Netflix series called Any Given Saturday,
which is a docky series made by the same people
(29:05):
who full swing and spin and Try to Survive. I'm
not going to go into it, but the first episode
was all was absolutely awesome, and the executive producer, Paul
Martin was there and had a chance to have a
chat with him afterwards, and what struck me We know
that there is a college football fandom on the side
(29:27):
of the pond. We know that that fandom is growing,
and Try to Survive was credited with the rise and
interest of f one in this country in the USA,
and I said to him, could it have the opposite
effect with college football in the UK? And the short
answer was he hoped so. Now that means that his
(29:49):
program has been hugely successful, but it certainly opens up
and he was at pains to say. The program is
not about documenting what happens in the season, because we
all know what happened last season. It's about some of
the stories and some of the personal messages.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
That are coming out of it.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
And I thought, it's going to be really interesting to
see what we think of college football. And I'm sorry,
only it's a CEC football. It didn't seem to want
to go to the Sun Belt or the Mountain West.
But it's going to be interesting to see what people
think of that that CDs when it hits the Netflix
(30:33):
in the fifth of August.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
I think a great thing about the next There's two
it's multiple great things, but for me, there's two things
that stand out as being particularly exciting as someone who
is a college football fan and who gets, you know,
the luxury of covering the game of college football on
a daily basis. Is there's two things. It is access.
(30:58):
How often do we talk about the inability to actually
see college football in this country, So for a lot
of people, it will be the first opportunity to really
see college football on the on the big screen, you know,
not on an iPads streaming an illegal stream from wherever.
(31:18):
Not that that happens obviously, or you know the odd
game that you know we get shown on Sky or
you know, BT or whatever that has been historically, you
can sit down in the company your living room and
(31:38):
watch a program about college football. And I remember as
I got into the game of football, documentaries on NFL
Network were some of the things that really fired me
up into it, getting involved in being interested in the
sport a deeper level. And that leads me to the
next point of this documentary. I've seen the trailer. I've
(32:02):
not seen a full episode like you, judge, but I've
seen the trailer for it. From everything that I can
understand about what this Nextflix show is going to bring us,
and based on the other shows that have been produced
by the same company, it will highlight everything that we
love about college football, because as much as it's the
(32:23):
on field product, it is everything that comes alongside it.
It's the pomp and the ceremony and the tradition and
you know, we all field storylines. The greatest part of
my job is talking to people who play college football,
not necessarily about playing the game, and it's going to
bring that into people's living rooms, and I think that's
then the thing that really raises the interest level in
(32:45):
the game because you understand, you begin to understand what
this is all about, because there isn't you know how
many times have we said over the past six or
seven years we've been doing this podcast, there is an
equivalent in this country of college football to have something
that is in your living room on Netflix. The showcases
everything that the wheel about the game. I think it's
(33:07):
going to be awesome for people that they start the
pondlet alone for American fanly already get it, who already
know what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Agree, and an ugly labor the point because I'm hoping
that we might get Paul to come on and talk
to us at some point before the show years. The
last topic, rumor, scandal, whatever you want to call it,
I think some I think at some point yesterday song
was just looking for something to say.
Speaker 4 (33:36):
But I don't know if you hear.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
But Greg McElroy was asked about Next Saven and Greg
McElroy suggested that he had a really good source that
Next Saban would come back into coaching and that took
on a whole new life or even to the point
that Hugh Freese was going to be sacked and Nick
Saban was going to be appointed the new coature of Aburn.
(33:58):
Could you imagine not.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
In a million years?
Speaker 3 (34:01):
But then these things are never going to go in.
Of course Saban's not here this year. He was he
was here last year, which was really the start of
his his career as a as a as a television pundit.
So maybe that's not helpful in that respect, but a
lot of people have kind of put it rightly so
(34:21):
because he seems to have the life of Riley now.
He seems to be on every nationally ranked golf course
in the in the US and not not at the
same time issue Freeze, I would suggest, but that does
seem like a stretch, even though Greg McInroy tells us
that his source is very reliable.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Yeah, I am. I don't buy it. I don't want
to buy it either. By yes, So often when we
take a year and you go back in this work
right and I think that we're going to see with
(35:09):
We could see that with Bill Belichie this year North Carolina.
It's a different situation because obviously he's only exclusively coached
in the NFL. He's taking out time away and he's
come back to he's coming now to the college level,
so it's not the same situation. But I think once you,
once you made that decision that you're going, you shouldn't
(35:29):
go back. And rather selfishly, I think from a college
football fan perspective and for everyone who watches college football,
one of the great things about the twenty twenty four
college football season was having Nick Saban in the studio
for College Game Day in you know, providing analysis armed
(35:55):
games and giving like showing how good he was at that,
like the I has to talented. If no one man
should be a talented as nixt time it is. But
it was a joy to behold. I don't want to
miss that from my screen this this far. I want
to I want to see and hear and be around
(36:18):
that opinion and the insight that he brings to the
college football table. So yeah, I don't I don't see it.
I don't want to say either.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
No, I don't disagree that. I just don't think it
would be. It seems so settled in the new role,
and I don't know what would be the driver behind that.
Will you allow me to name drop for a second.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
Oh yeah, of course, what no point of being there
if you're not going to name drop, is the so
I had.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
During my lunchtime, I had to chat with coach cut
Cliff right, and we were kind of just generally chatting
about about life, but talking about the changing face of
not just college football but coaches roles in college football.
And I was talking about some of the pressures that
(37:10):
the coaches are facing.
Speaker 4 (37:13):
And I talked about how.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Eloquently Kirby Smart talk this morning about developing his players
in a very different and very difficult environment, and he agreed,
but then he went on to say that, you know,
it's such a such a difficult environment for the coaches
because the power has shifted effectively. And he said that's
(37:36):
that's essentially in his view why Nick Saban had to
step away, because the power had moved away from the
head coach towards the player. Now, I'm sure there's many
people listening to this to say, look, it's long overdue,
but there has to be a balance. And cut Club
was kind of, you know, suggesting that players are trying
to hold schools and coaches to ransom, which we are
(37:59):
seeing instances all that, and Kirby talked about that a
little and Steve Sisian taught that this afternoon that if
a player is coming looking for more money, then it's
maybe not the player that they need to have on
the on the roster.
Speaker 4 (38:15):
So certainly no question.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
I would too would be hugely disappointed and decided he
was coming back into the game.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
I'll wait to finish sought.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
I thought couch Saving was just going to pay. In
the background then as yeah, it's good the spell podcast.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
I've just seen Sarkisian, but he's too far away from
me to ask him to come on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
A five to get him on anyway, that's for all
the Texas media.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Well, so I would say there was a there was
a lull this afternoon, and they put out so right
behind me as the backstage area. It was also where
the media canteena is, So I went in there to
grab something to eat because my sugar levels were dipping,
but I decided not to feed my sugar levels inside
a hot dog. And I was I was standing stuffing
(39:13):
a hot dog in my face when right beside me
a door opened and Steve Sakes and his wife came
out to see me ramming a hot dog in her mouth.
So I think he's probably of food for the rest
of his life to be perfuly honest.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Anyway, on.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
That on that high note, let's said that's we run
over massively, So I'm sorry, Olie for keeping up. That's
all from us on this episode. Thank you for listening
to us, thinky Oli for putting up with my name
dropping over the.
Speaker 4 (39:46):
Over the piece. I hope you enjoyed it and stay
safe and well catch a next time.
I'm not going to comment on that. I'll get fine
for the rest of my life if I get comment
on that national champion.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
That's young story.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Hey everyone, and welcome to the College Charps podcast. On
this episode, we're going to talk about the stories coming
out of SEC Media Days and we'll touch on that
a little bit the second.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
But first we are the Chaps. I'm George and I'm
joined by Ollie.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
And for the first time I should say that we're
operating in different time zones.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
How are you, my friend?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I'm doing really really well, not as well as you,
my friends. I an excuse to get an SEC edition
of the College podcasting for George, like this is the
only money who was flying across the pond to Atlanta,
and just for the sole purpose and make sure that
we get an s C specific podcasting before the start
(01:11):
of the season. Extremely just just harding my jealousy.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I see the links you have to go to to
talk about the SEC on this post podcast. So if
you're not watching this on YouTube, you should probably always
just told us that I'm recording secvdds and I'm actually
in the College Football Hall of Fame, which might be
(01:38):
the for me anyway, might be the coolest setting that
that I'm going to record a podcast on. So it's
a unique a unique episode in that respect. So only
let's say we're not going to spend a lot lot
of time talking about this, but let's jump into so
many key stories that I've come out this week and
l s U typically open up SEC Media Days, and
(02:02):
they did. Brian Kelly was his usual bullish self. He
was very high on l s U. To his credit,
he said that he's he's going have been here before
and the team didn't quite live up to reputations, but
he did seem to have a really high opinion of
the team that he's got. So their first question is
(02:23):
our l s U containders or pretend us? What do
you think about that?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
This is going to sound like almost like a cop
out answer, but I think at this moment in time,
it's kind of about I I sat down yesterday and
to write up the SEC my latest SEC Power rankings
for PF signing. There's such as he's such a difficult
(02:50):
team to read this year, and you're right, Brian Kelly
want but it's just one of the one of the
bits of the SEC Media Days that minosed to follow
yesterday while I was working and Brian Kelly was bullish
about this team, and he has a lot of reasons
to be, so I think it boils out to this
with LSU. There's a lot of pieces in that locker
room that should make them not just an SEC contender,
(03:14):
but a contender for obviously the college football playoffs and
ever run into that. And it starts with Garrett Nussmeier,
who I think is one of the best returning quarterbacks
in college football. So it starts with him. It starts
with the things that they did around us in particularly
the wide receiver room because LSU wasn't a team and
(03:34):
we talk about the LSU teams going back through the
times that we've done this podcast, and the wide receiver
rooms that that program has had, that Jamar Chasers and
Justin Jeffersons, you know, so many talented players, and last
year that room really didn't live up to the expectation
I think you would you would put to an LSU
(03:55):
Tiger wide receiver room, and I think Brian Kelly, he
talks about the Chanceler portal and the wide receiver room
is one of the areas that they really did address
that this season. With Nick Anderson and Barrion Brown out
of Kentucky, two really exciting electric playmakers to go in
that offense, alongside the returning Aaron Anderson. So I think
(04:19):
offensively there's a lot to be excited about. Defensively, some
of the top playmakers for me in the country. You know,
it feels like every year we talk about what can
LSU do with Harold Perkins Jr. How do LSU use
Harold Perkins Junior to maximize his domination is destruction and
capability in that defense. But a guy like with Weeks,
(04:41):
the linebacker, he was there yesterday. I believe with you
guys in Atlanta. He is such an incredibly talented player.
Leeds led the SEC in solo tackles last year. Just
an incredible force at the linebacker position, which is exactly
what you want in the SEC, exactly you need. And
then it's funny, I I a couple of months ago,
(05:04):
I kind of looked at this team and I was like,
I don't see a guy or two guys you know
were used to LSU teams that are big contenders having
these incredible secondaries. You know, you think back to guys
like very Stingley junior, and I was like, I don't
really see a guy there that is that caliber. I
don't see a unit that has been the caliber we've
(05:25):
seen out of LSU before. But then when you actually
sit down and you look at that room, Okay, guy
that they're bringing back like Ashton Stamps who led the
SEC in past breakups. Last year, they added a number
of guys from and there were the top defensive back
on their teams last year in the transfer port so
a J. Holsey, a guy out of Houston who was
(05:46):
incredibly impactful in the back end. Guy like Mansur Delaine
coming over from Virginia Tech to anchor that secondary as well.
So I think there's a lot of pieces in that
equation in that puzzle that ticks the box for LSU
as a contender. But then you flipped the script. You're
replacing four starters, they bring back just one starter. On
(06:06):
the offensive line, they bring back four guys. And Brian
Kelly talks about this elet right Georg John on Monday
yesterday about the guys that they bring you through from
the offensive line room, guys that are home grown that
they're bringing in. They haven't addressed it in the transfer portal,
but they do have to replace four starters and four
really good stars on the offensive line as well, So
(06:30):
that is that's such a key component to that discussion
about LSU as a contender or a pretender. And then
there's a schedule. You know, they avoid Texas, which is
obviously a boom, but they start on the road of Clemson.
A Clemson team but I think is going to be
the best team in the country this year and very
very bullish. I'm as bullish on Clemson as Brian Kelly
was a bully so on l SU yesterday. I think.
(06:53):
So you you look from their first five games, I
looked at it yesterday, I think they could be two
and three going into That's a really difficult place to
come back from a euro team that is expecting to
compete for shape, a team that is expecting to compete
for the playoffs. So a lot of conflicting thoughts in
my mind about LSU as we head into the season,
(07:13):
and just intrigue that I think one of the mouse
intriguing teams in college football.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
This and they've had They've had a lot of hype
right because this this notion that l s U could
be a contender. It's not not just us, And there's
been a lot of pre season hype and of course
it's fueled by you know, events like this. Clearly a
lot of questions yesterday to to Kelly went about the
offense about defense, because defense has been a problem for them,
(07:41):
and he admitted as much yesterday when he talked a
lot about a lot of the games that they should
have won but they but they didn't win. And we'll
go in and talk about the new Netflix Cbus. But
actually episode one spoiler features l s U heavily and
it's the first couple of games of the season where
they actually don't perform as well. They have a lead
(08:02):
and then they lose them. So I agree with you
in that respect. It's at that point the season where
I think everybody's got the rose tinted spectacles on other
Marine tend inspectors or whatever, purple color or l SU
where I think you look at it. But the nitty
gritty will be when they when that first game kicks
off and it's it's a bit of a tough, tough game.
(08:25):
So yeah, I think they fall into that camp where
they could they could be either or to be perfluenced.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah, you don't want to be going into that overthing.
Get what they are going it's owning game with you know,
we talked about the offensive line. Clinson this year has
a unit for me on the defensive front there is
as good as any that we've seen in the past
decade at Clemson. And that's you know, we've seen the
talent that that program has produced. And you think back
(08:52):
to the line that was Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.
But that is Clemson again this year with TJ. Parker
and Peter Wards, Demonte cape park who came, Demonte cape
Hart who came back. That was not very easy to
say on Tuesday, isn't it like those guys a four
across the defensive front. You're going into a season opener
(09:18):
with a brand new offensive line. You need those guys
to jail, to click quickly. And I get what Brian
Kelly is saying. They've all come up together. This is
a room. But it's essentially been the second second unit
in practice probably week in week out last year, scout
team running scouting offensive line last year, just with returning
the center. But yeah, that Clemson defensive front and then
(09:41):
all missed like the fifth game of the year, all
miss loaded up in the portal. They've got some great
defensive talent as well, but the Lion doesn't hit the
ground running in week one. That is a problem, and
that is a problem early, and it's a problem often.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
And you know, we talked about longer than we've intended to.
It was a couple of things that one just gonna
touch on what you said a lot of we've talked
about about a lot about the defense and then obviously
about the defensive line.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Much of this will depending on how effective got it
in us might is right. There's a lot of hype.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
About us fire based on what he did last year,
but also because the fact that he's returning your quarterback
with three years worth of experience in the in the
sec right every performance, I think it was still a
question mark. I'm not I'm not as high on Smire
as many other people. And then the other thing just
really quickly, I hadn't realized until yesterday how poor l
(10:35):
s Hu's record is in the first game of the season.
They are truly shocking in the first game of the season.
And so back to your point, and you know, not
to name drop, but when we spoke with Dabble. We
played Georgia in that first game. Yeah, Georgia one. That
was a pretty close game. You Clemson are going to
give them a good game, And you're right. Many people
have Clemson as not just a college football Playoff participants
(11:00):
about getting quite far in the college football playoffice. Is right,
Let's go onto the quarterbacks because this, well, last year's
SEC media day wasn't really dominated by the quarterbacks. This
media day is dominated by the quarterbacks. And I just
wanted to get your view on a couple of the
guys that we that we chatted to yesterday and then
(11:21):
the big name that we all chatted to today. But
let's start with Austin Simmons, right.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
I saw a hugely popular, hugely confident young.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Guy who has graduated at the age of nineteen is
now doing an honors I think it blows everybody's mind.
He was very calm, very collected, very confident, but not
being cocky. There's a lot of hope. I spoke to
some of the Oh My Speak writers. There's a lot
of expectation in Oxford about this guy replacing Jackson Dark
(12:00):
but the fundamental solely I don't know much. You know,
but someone think about Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
I think it starts with what you've touched on there.
That's the fact that this is a kid who actually
this should be his true freshman year. He reclassified from
the twenty twenty five high school class. He talked about
the actual school accomplishments of This kid has got under
his belt already. He should be a true freshman this year.
(12:26):
So two years, reclassified from the twenty twenty three class,
He's already been on campus for a couple of years
Old Miss He's learned everything that you need to know
from a guy in Jackson Dart, who you know, I
was looking at it earlier today. Lane Kiffin since taking
over Old Mass has had Matt Carral for two years.
(12:47):
He's had Jackson Dart for three years. Like Austin Simmons,
has got a great futting to come into now. There's
a lot of expectations, the big shoes to fill jack
What Jackson Dart did last year was incredible, but he
showed in the game against Georgia. This is This is
the thing with several quarterbacks in this twenty twenty five
college football season. There's a lot of expectation. There's a
(13:10):
lot of high. There's not a lot of evidence as
you come into the season and not Boston Simmons thrown
into action against Georgia last season. He led that drive,
went five and six sixty five yards of the fifty
six yards. Led a drive against the Georgia Bulldogs defense,
which you know, there's a lot of quarterbacks who have
played many years in this college football or landscaping environment
(13:34):
who couldn't do that against Georgia Bulldogs. So that that
is very much something to be said about his on
field capability. Those flashes last year when he was brought
in in relief of Jackson Dart. But is it starts.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
I think the.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Quarterback position, it's also cerebral, and Austin Simmons has shown
both in the classroom and in an event like you're
at right now in sec media days, to handle a
scrummage like he was put through yesterday. I saw some
of the questions asked to Austin Simmons just handled it
(14:10):
with the maturity of a guy who has been playing
college football for three or four seasons, and he's been
in the ecosystem, he's been in the landscape, has been
around lane kiffing. You can ask for a better person
to teach you how to deal with the media than
Lane Kiffin. But it's it's it fills in built with
Austin Simmons. And that's the reason why Old Miss. You know,
(14:33):
Kiffin was on on stage with the whether you're SEC
Networks shows or you know better than me, I don't
paying attention to his get up, get over, good morning,
whatever it's called that Like he was on stage with
with the crew there and he's you know, he could
see how excited he is about Austin Simmons. And it
(14:55):
starts with the kind of maturity of its exuding already,
which you know, that's that's excit and say it's they've
invested well in the transfer port to make sure that
he's got a lot of pieces around him as well.
And that defense that how many seasons would we be
looking at a guy like Austin Simmons coming into Old
Miss and he'd have to throw four or five touchdowns
(15:17):
a game, he'd have to get fifty sixty points on
the board because the defense was so bad. That is,
he's not gonna have to do that this year for
Old Miss because that defense was so good last year.
They spent the time and invested, and everything's in place
for that defense to be good again this year, so
he doesn't have to make wild decisions. He doesn't have
to do you talk about Garret Usmaia, some of the
(15:39):
stuff he needs to clean up this year is with
decision making because he's chasing games because the lsus AND
defense wasn't so great last year. Austin Simmons doesn't have
to do that in twenty twenty five. I think it's
it's a great it's great footing for him to be
a first year starter at that football. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
I mean, I was just so ticking.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
I'd spoken to some of the all miss Speak letters beforehand,
and I was just they used to word poise and
it's an unusual word to use with a nineteen year old, right,
But there was nothing that was thrown at yesterday that
remotely phased apart from my accent. He could understand my accent,
but hey, he's noting that not a loan in that respect, right.
(16:21):
Half the people listen to his podcast don't know what
fifty percent of the episodes about.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
But no, he was.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
I think everyone came away from that being really very pretty.
Although she didn't know about Simmons came out, came away
from being really impressed. And another thing, you talk about defense,
I've heard a number of times, and I think there
is sometimes the potential for quite a bit of high
berbally these things, right, because it is a it's a preview,
it's a build up, it's all of that kind of stuff.
(16:50):
But people really gushing about Pete Golding's defense. Now, people
did not gush about people Golding's defense at Alabama, that's
for certain, right. But but maybe he's just landed at
the right place because Kevin's giving him the the space
to operate, and they were they were much improved last year.
Now second year into that new that new look then
(17:11):
with the with the talent they've got at their disposal,
I think everyone was, including Kevin, is just reticent to
push that kind of the hype about them because they
were so hyped last year and and ultimately fell fell short.
Kevin did say that he didn't he still doesn't worry.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
About not making the college for playoff. He's well and
truly over that is. But he certainly looking at it.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
And they've got they've got a reasonable schedule, if I
remember correctly. So let's see how they got on a
quarterback and a team who are not pulling back on
the hype are Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia made a bit
of a splash yesterday. I don't know how much he
saw all of his appearance, but there's a young man
(18:01):
that's not short of confidence. And I don't mean that
in a cocky, arrogant way.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Far from it.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
I think he charmed everybody during the time that they
spent with us, But he certainly and Clark Lee talked
about how much of an impact he had had not
just on the football team, but on the culture of
the football team, and it clearly is something very close
to his heart. So my question, then only is is
Diego Pavia is here a changing force for Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt still,
(18:31):
as much as they had some signature wins last year,
didn't turn the tide as much as Clark they wanted
them to. Can they turn the tide this year? Can
they have a winning season?
Speaker 4 (18:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (18:44):
I mean technically not a winning season last season because
they went seven and six overall. With first ball was
for the program for more than a decade. I thought
partly was interesting yesterday because it was it would be
easy to stand on last year and say like we've
been the whipping boys of the SEC for years, like
(19:05):
we weren't last year. Like let's you know, just just great,
just like reflecting the basket basking the reflective glory. I'll
get my words out properly. And there in a couple
of weeks, which was you know, I thought there was
was was super impressive on that podium and it was
(19:27):
how he talked about this year that showcases what influenced
and impact last year, in particularly Diego Pavia has had
on this banderbilt common that does football program because they're
not happy with what they got last year. That's just
a stepping stone to what they think they should be.
And people might laugh at that, but I think there
(19:49):
was an element of this program was forever changed by
the events of last year, and a large part of
that is Diego Pavier in it. We saw it at
New Mexico State when he was there, and that came
into Conference USA at the same time as Liberty Flames,
and like Liberty, the season that Liberty had with cal
and Salter kind of overshadowed what Diego Pavia and New
(20:10):
Mexico State did. But they beat Auban you know, New
Mexico State beat Auburn in that year, and that's Diego
Parker's influence. He's a gritty, determined, enthusiastic, passionate leader of
a college football program, and that's who he brings to
these events, right. You know, you look at all the
(20:31):
people that are there this this week in Atlanta, who
were there last week for the Big twelve media days
in Frisco, who will be there for the ACC and
the Big Ten next week and all the Group of
five conferences. You take your leaders, You take the people
that represent your program the best. And that's exactly what
Diego Pavia does. And he's changed that football program on
(20:52):
the field. He's changed college football full stop with his
ability to chote the nc double A. His rule is
after all, it's his ruling that is allowing so many
former juco players to play college football this season. So
we talk about the impact that the party has had
is not just on this Vanderbilt football program, which that
(21:16):
is clear. That impact is clear, but it's college football
as a whole. And he is every single right within
the world to come out and be He would have
every single right in the world come out and be
cocky but like you said, he doesn't come across he's he's.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
Very proud of that.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
He's very proud of doing that because he talked didn't
talk about himself. He talked about all the others who
will come behind him, and that exactly giving an impression
that he's not a guy that's going to lord about
the fact that he did it from self. It's about
the team, right.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
And the only thing that looks like he was loading
over was those sparkling earrings that was fashioned in her
face where you were trying to talk to him.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
So just just currently before we move on the one
thing that struck me, and you know that I'm quite
a big fan of Clark Lee a light away goes
about things. I think he's the right person for Vanderbilt,
and you and I exchanged messages on the see he
got a little emotional yesterday talking about it. Obviously shows
(22:21):
what it means to him. But he said something which
Pavia then repeated during his huddle, which was, you know, listen,
the way the results fell last year. We were as
close to two and ten as we are ten and two,
and a lot of coaches have talked about the.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
Fine line of winning in the SEC.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
So I don't think there's as much as I said
there's hype around Vanderbilt. I don't think it's coming internally
from the from the program. I think they're they're pretty
grounded and they know how difficult it is. And we
are talking about Vanderbilt, not to not to be disingenuine,
but we are disingenuous, but we are talking about Bandy.
So but this is where the hyph train gets stratisfic
(23:05):
because I'm sitting only twenty feet away from where the
latest member of the Manning dynasty finished his media days,
and that was quite something to behold.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
We don't know yet.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
You can tell me if I'm wrong or we don't
know yet the impact that arch man is going to
have in college football, But certainly most of the world
thinks that he's going to have a significant impact, in
so far as a lot of people suggesting over the
last couple of days that he's already won the Heisman.
So what do you think about not arch Manning himself,
(23:44):
but the hype around them.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Yeah, it's an interesting turn of phrasing, is George, Because
Arch Manning's impact on college football is already real, it's
already evident. Right, and it was evident last year. It
was evident when college football playoffs starting quarterback for the
Texas Longhorns. You know, you think back to Sam Elliger's
shout and we're back after they won the Sugar Bowl.
(24:10):
And it's all been building to this point last year
where they reached the college football playoffs and the starting
quarterback for a Texas Longhorns team is sat in the
media availability and there is no one there because they're
all focused on Arch Manning. His impact on college football
is already real. It's already visible just for him being
(24:31):
a man in right. This is it. This is the
name alone, the same as you see with should All
Sanders when should All Sanders first rocked up at Jackson
State with dial like the name brand alone buys you
a lot. And then it's time to produce on the
football field, which should All did. Should All took care
(24:52):
of business at Jackson State. Should All took care of
business at Colorado. Now Arch Manager's got to do the
same with Texas. And I think the the thing with
the on field product is so many people last year
and he've got a bear in mind the caliber of
opponent this was against because Arch Manning saw here that
most of his playing time against you know, teams that
(25:14):
weren't the greatest in college football last year. That's not
disrespect to the level of football that you know, I
had such an affinity for the Group of five football
and Louisiana Monroe last year had an incredible season under
Brian Vinson. But well, due respect to the Warhawks. That
isn't the Georgia Bulldogs defense but arch Manning was facing.
It's not the Old miss defense that arch Manning was facing.
(25:36):
It's not you know, South Carolina's defense last year was incredible.
It's not those defenses. So I think the height for
the on field product comes through. You know, Texas did
look a little bit better offensively when arch Manning was
on the field. You know, he's got that mobility, that
a little bit of athleticism that Pete had never had.
(25:57):
Let's be honest, but Quinn Yewers didn't have a Texas
So when it was needed, when you wanted someone to
pick up ten, fifteen twenty yards with the legs as
a quarterback, arch Manning gives you that, and he showed
that last season. I think that's where you know, the
name brand kind of merges with the little bits that
we've seen so far and what we know about him
(26:17):
through the high school ranks, that all manages them together
to create this hype or arch Manning era in Texas.
Arch madness has I don't think he made that yourself,
but I'm.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
Going to give you a credit compredate for that.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Yeah, I like you take the credit for you. But
that's that's what it is right now in Texas. For me,
Arch Manning will be the quarterback of a team that
could win the national championship. And when we talk about
New York, we talk about the Heisman. How often do
we see that the quarterback of a team that is
arguably the best in college football gets that accolades that
(26:54):
you know, that trip to New York. And I think
that's what we'll see this year. But I don't think
the story of Texas Longhorns football in twenty twenty five
is his arts Manning. I think it's it's defense. It's
the running back room, bringing back guys like Quin Travian Wise,
guys CJ. Backster who missed last year. There's a lot
of moving pieces. We talked about LSU. Texas has those
(27:16):
moving pieces on the offensive line as well. But the
defense of Texas is so good, even with the pieces
that they lost from twenty twenty four, that will ultimately
be what guides them to a title. If they can
go to a title, it'll be that. But when you
leave the offense as a quarterback and your name's Manning,
(27:37):
everything's kind of earn out a line to kind of
meet reality meets the high train at some point in
late November.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
Yeah, And I think that's something natural.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
The quarterback gets all the credit, the kudos, win the winning,
and he gets all the negativity and the criticism when
they're not so can I can absolutely see that. One
thing I would just just a general comment in the
passing when he when he left here and he was
(28:06):
heading out and kind nipped ahead to take a video
of him leaving, because everybody goes he's just mobbed kind
of idea. And Emily Grace was standing beside me, right,
And as we walk back, I turned out and said,
I don't I don't mean he's not it's not he's
not tall, but he's not as big as I thought
he was going to be, right, And I remember seeing
(28:28):
Eli Manning at the airport and Eli is huge. He
is a monster of a man and Arts is not,
so it will be. The physicality of the season ahead
is going to be interesting and like every great quarterback,
he has to be kept on his feet.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
So they're right.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
The offensive line is really important and we're well over
the time that we're going to do. I do want
to talk quickly about two things. First one was we
got preview of a new Netflix series called Any Given Saturday,
which is a docky series made by the same people
(29:05):
who full swing and spin and Try to Survive. I'm
not going to go into it, but the first episode
was all was absolutely awesome, and the executive producer, Paul
Martin was there and had a chance to have a
chat with him afterwards, and what struck me We know
that there is a college football fandom on the side
(29:27):
of the pond. We know that that fandom is growing,
and Try to Survive was credited with the rise and
interest of f one in this country in the USA,
and I said to him, could it have the opposite
effect with college football in the UK? And the short
answer was he hoped so. Now that means that his
(29:49):
program has been hugely successful, but it certainly opens up
and he was at pains to say. The program is
not about documenting what happens in the season, because we
all know what happened last season. It's about some of
the stories and some of the personal messages.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
That are coming out of it.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
And I thought, it's going to be really interesting to
see what we think of college football. And I'm sorry,
only it's a CEC football. It didn't seem to want
to go to the Sun Belt or the Mountain West.
But it's going to be interesting to see what people
think of that that CDs when it hits the Netflix
(30:33):
in the fifth of August.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
I think a great thing about the next There's two
it's multiple great things, but for me, there's two things
that stand out as being particularly exciting as someone who
is a college football fan and who gets, you know,
the luxury of covering the game of college football on
a daily basis. Is there's two things. It is access.
(30:58):
How often do we talk about the inability to actually
see college football in this country, So for a lot
of people, it will be the first opportunity to really
see college football on the on the big screen, you know,
not on an iPads streaming an illegal stream from wherever.
(31:18):
Not that that happens obviously, or you know the odd
game that you know we get shown on Sky or
you know, BT or whatever that has been historically, you
can sit down in the company your living room and
(31:38):
watch a program about college football. And I remember as
I got into the game of football, documentaries on NFL
Network were some of the things that really fired me
up into it, getting involved in being interested in the
sport a deeper level. And that leads me to the
next point of this documentary. I've seen the trailer. I've
(32:02):
not seen a full episode like you, judge, but I've
seen the trailer for it. From everything that I can
understand about what this Nextflix show is going to bring us,
and based on the other shows that have been produced
by the same company, it will highlight everything that we
love about college football, because as much as it's the
(32:23):
on field product, it is everything that comes alongside it.
It's the pomp and the ceremony and the tradition and
you know, we all field storylines. The greatest part of
my job is talking to people who play college football,
not necessarily about playing the game, and it's going to
bring that into people's living rooms, and I think that's
then the thing that really raises the interest level in
(32:45):
the game because you understand, you begin to understand what
this is all about, because there isn't you know how
many times have we said over the past six or
seven years we've been doing this podcast, there is an
equivalent in this country of college football to have something
that is in your living room on Netflix. The showcases
everything that the wheel about the game. I think it's
(33:07):
going to be awesome for people that they start the
pondlet alone for American fanly already get it, who already
know what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Agree, and an ugly labor the point because I'm hoping
that we might get Paul to come on and talk
to us at some point before the show years. The
last topic, rumor, scandal, whatever you want to call it,
I think some I think at some point yesterday song
was just looking for something to say.
Speaker 4 (33:36):
But I don't know if you hear.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
But Greg McElroy was asked about Next Saven and Greg
McElroy suggested that he had a really good source that
Next Saban would come back into coaching and that took
on a whole new life or even to the point
that Hugh Freese was going to be sacked and Nick
Saban was going to be appointed the new coature of Aburn.
(33:58):
Could you imagine not.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
In a million years?
Speaker 3 (34:01):
But then these things are never going to go in.
Of course Saban's not here this year. He was he
was here last year, which was really the start of
his his career as a as a as a television pundit.
So maybe that's not helpful in that respect, but a
lot of people have kind of put it rightly so
(34:21):
because he seems to have the life of Riley now.
He seems to be on every nationally ranked golf course
in the in the US and not not at the
same time issue Freeze, I would suggest, but that does
seem like a stretch, even though Greg McInroy tells us
that his source is very reliable.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Yeah, I am. I don't buy it. I don't want
to buy it either. By yes, So often when we
take a year and you go back in this work
right and I think that we're going to see with
(35:09):
We could see that with Bill Belichie this year North Carolina.
It's a different situation because obviously he's only exclusively coached
in the NFL. He's taking out time away and he's
come back to he's coming now to the college level,
so it's not the same situation. But I think once you,
once you made that decision that you're going, you shouldn't
(35:29):
go back. And rather selfishly, I think from a college
football fan perspective and for everyone who watches college football,
one of the great things about the twenty twenty four
college football season was having Nick Saban in the studio
for College Game Day in you know, providing analysis armed
(35:55):
games and giving like showing how good he was at that,
like the I has to talented. If no one man
should be a talented as nixt time it is. But
it was a joy to behold. I don't want to
miss that from my screen this this far. I want
to I want to see and hear and be around
(36:18):
that opinion and the insight that he brings to the
college football table. So yeah, I don't I don't see it.
I don't want to say either.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
No, I don't disagree that. I just don't think it
would be. It seems so settled in the new role,
and I don't know what would be the driver behind that.
Will you allow me to name drop for a second.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
Oh yeah, of course, what no point of being there
if you're not going to name drop, is the so
I had.
Speaker 3 (36:49):
During my lunchtime, I had to chat with coach cut
Cliff right, and we were kind of just generally chatting
about about life, but talking about the changing face of
not just college football but coaches roles in college football.
And I was talking about some of the pressures that
(37:10):
the coaches are facing.
Speaker 4 (37:13):
And I talked about how.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Eloquently Kirby Smart talk this morning about developing his players
in a very different and very difficult environment, and he agreed,
but then he went on to say that, you know,
it's such a such a difficult environment for the coaches
because the power has shifted effectively. And he said that's
(37:36):
that's essentially in his view why Nick Saban had to
step away, because the power had moved away from the
head coach towards the player. Now, I'm sure there's many
people listening to this to say, look, it's long overdue,
but there has to be a balance. And cut Club
was kind of, you know, suggesting that players are trying
to hold schools and coaches to ransom, which we are
(37:59):
seeing instances all that, and Kirby talked about that a
little and Steve Sisian taught that this afternoon that if
a player is coming looking for more money, then it's
maybe not the player that they need to have on
the on the roster.
Speaker 4 (38:15):
So certainly no question.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
I would too would be hugely disappointed and decided he
was coming back into the game.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
I'll wait to finish sought.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
I thought couch Saving was just going to pay. In
the background then as yeah, it's good the spell podcast.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
I've just seen Sarkisian, but he's too far away from
me to ask him to come on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
A five to get him on anyway, that's for all
the Texas media.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Well, so I would say there was a there was
a lull this afternoon, and they put out so right
behind me as the backstage area. It was also where
the media canteena is, So I went in there to
grab something to eat because my sugar levels were dipping,
but I decided not to feed my sugar levels inside
a hot dog. And I was I was standing stuffing
(39:13):
a hot dog in my face when right beside me
a door opened and Steve Sakes and his wife came
out to see me ramming a hot dog in her mouth.
So I think he's probably of food for the rest
of his life to be perfuly honest.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Anyway, on.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
That on that high note, let's said that's we run
over massively, So I'm sorry, Olie for keeping up. That's
all from us on this episode. Thank you for listening
to us, thinky Oli for putting up with my name
dropping over the.
Speaker 4 (39:46):
Over the piece. I hope you enjoyed it and stay
safe and well catch a next time.
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