Andy & Ari On3 - Four quarters to DESTINY with Notre Dame’s Pat Coogan and Ohio State’s J.T. Tuimoloau

Episode Date: January 18, 2025

You’ve had Wendy’s Nuggs dipped in sauce. But have you had them covered in sauce? Wendy’s New Saucy Nuggs take the Crispy and Spicy Nuggs you love and turn them up to 11. Choose between flavors like Buffalo. Honey BBQ. Garlic Parm. Or, if you’re a real heat seeker, try Spicy Ghost Pepper, only on Wendy’s signature Spicy Nuggs. As we are just days away from the National Championship, Andy & Ari are on-site in Atlanta for the first 12-Team CFP National Championship. Watch here as Andy & Ari catch up with Brian Hartline, Pat Coogan, and JT Tuimoloau in a special edition of Andy & Ari On3. (0:00-1:00) Intro(1:01-11:11) Brian Hartline Joins(11:12-13:42) Wrapping up with Brian Hartline(13:43-21:39) Notre Dame's Pat Coogan Joins(21:40-24:40) Wrapping up with Pat Coogan(24:41-27:20) JT Tuimoloau Joins(27:21-28:16) Conclusion, See you Monday! Watch us on YouTube instead! https://www.youtube.com/@On3sports Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River Bailey 

Welcome to a special National Championship Game Indian Day edition of Andy and Ari on three. I'm Andy. He's Ari. We've been talking to Ohio State Notre Dame folks and about ready for game. Feels good to be recording a podcast. You want a Saturday? Oh yeah.

You know, it's a great vibes in here. Two really good teams and the culmination of the season. We talked about all year. I can't wait. And one major takeaway from this market Freeman is very handsome in person. I've seen him many times, but two takeaways from this. How does anyone cover Jeremiah Smith?

I walked past him. I'm like, Oh my God. Yeah. The thing about Jeremiah Smith is that he is a, when you look at his body, it's like, Oh, that guy's in the NFL. And then you look at his face and he goes, he's a middle school. Well, we got a chance to catch up with the guy whose job it is to coach Jeremiah Smith

from here to the NFL, Brian Hartline. He's a fan of our predictions, as you'll see, knows them very, very well. Here's Brian Hartline. We are here with the number one private super coach in the country, Brian Hartline. We are here with the number one coach in the country, Brian Hartline. I've always wanted to ask you this. Okay, when you're recruiting a receiver,

at this point, do you just show on your phone how many dudes you put in the first round and say, what are we even doing here? No, I mean, I think that, you know, it's still coming down the relationship. You know, I still think that the right guys are looking for the right that you know it's still coming down to relationship The right guys are looking for the right You know path and I think that just making sure they understand that we are a little different

Kind of you know over time I've earned that that right with the guys we have in the room Just making sure they know recruiting process Who we are what we stand for how we operate so they can make a good decision on what they're looking for. The ability from your standpoint to look at a list of five to seven guys, know that they're all physically capable of reaching a pretty high ceiling, but then being able to select, is that where the, who you guys go after? Is that where the benefit lies?

Is that so much who you're recruiting, not so much how you're recruiting, but who you're able to recruit? Yeah, I think that, can you know the person, I think is the outlier that is so important. I think the person allows you to unlock all the physical traits you're talking about. Without the right person or the right mentality,

it's like a, you know, it's a, it's a slug fence to try to get the most out of the especially with this much pressure this much media this much exposure and it's an 18 year old. What's the one or two traits that you're looking for? Because look all the guys you're looking at have science speed skill but that allows them to say go into a room with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson and not shy away and be able to compete. Well, not everybody wants that. So I think identifying the ones that fit right for us but also are seeking that like a mech to be here because of them. Jeremiah, I want to be here because of them. Myles, I mean, go down the list. They're all choosing the room because they want to be surrounded by great talents. They know that the correlation between first year success

and reaching their goals, maybe the NFL, best of all time, whatever that is, there's no correlation between freshman production and how you are as a freshman depending on my overall life goal. So some of those guys are understanding that it's gonna be a slugfest, fighting for time, getting on the field, grinding with the guys in the room, but they know ultimately

at the back end what they're chasing. Brian, you played in the NFL for a while. You're a successful Ohio State receiver. I know every day is about development and grinding and working hard, but just on a given day, I've always wondered this. Obviously it comes up, the NFL comes up in recruiting, right? Because everybody wants to be in the NFL. But how much do you guys talk about? How much do you talk about the NFL? Like this is what you guys do to get to the NFL but how much do you guys talk about how much do you talk about the NFL like this is what you guys do to get to the NFL like is that a constant yeah that's not motivating but that's what was literally a conversation every single day there's nothing that I

will speak about that is awesome for a new application for the college level that doesn't work in the NFL everything is is NFL based, whether it be financially, whether it be dealing with GMs, dealing with coaches, personalities. I mean, all of those things are critical for your success in the NFL. So kind of like being really good at school or being a really good CEO.

Like being good at school doesn't pay the bills per se, but being the CEO does. So being really good in college, sure, that is great, but it's all about the NFL and development and chasing their goals How do you handle coaching someone like Jeremiah who when they walk in? They're already Far above most human beings, but how do you handle that part of it in terms of the? Humbling the freshmen dealing with the adjustment to college dealing with the adjustment to hey

I can't do every single thing I wanna do on the field. Well, I would say that every young man's different. I would say, speaking of Jeremiah, the biggest jump typically from high school to college is routine and being on time and understanding what work ethic is and you think you work hard,

but you work nowhere near what it really requires, right? So I would say the way his family is raised and the way he brought himself up, he was already pretty light years ahead when it came from how to work, earning the respect of your peers, all those things. Now, knowing the intricacies of football, yeah, he's a freshman, he was a freshman.

And by this point, there are no freshmen. So he's not a freshman anymore along with the other guys but you know I would say the advancement for him just the way he went about his business he's never been late to a meeting he's always on time he's one of the first guys there those are the things that really separates a young athlete earlier in their career. I'm gonna ask it again I think but in a different way. Alright. I think it's interesting. You've been around a lot of talent in this room. He's just a different person. Like from what he's able to do production wise

from size, speed, and everything else, the type of work he already does, he's not normal. Okay, and he's not normal in a room that had Marvin Harrison a year ago. And I think it's like, okay to acknowledge that, right? Do you have to like change anything when you're dealing with somebody that's just not normal for my personal state? What's it's okay to acknowledge that, right? Do you have to change anything when you're dealing with somebody that's just not normal for my personal safety? What's it like to coach an alien,

I think is what Ari's trying to say. Yeah, I know of somebody that is in the NFL, would be a starter in the NFL already. I mean, I just like. But there's the physical ability and then there's the mental development and the mental development allows you to unlock the physical ability.

I mean again when you show up to college other times you don't have those physical traits the amount of time you're spending with Nick Moratti in the weight room to get caught up physically is really sometimes the lack that's all part of it. So the sooner you can check the boxes the sooner you move on. Now that being said Jeremiah wanted to be a Buckeye because he knew I wouldn't give him nothing when he showed up and I wasn't guaranteeing anything. We weren't guaranteeing anything. He was coming. He's got to earn it. And frankly, he came and did. He would, you know, players always know locker room always knows worry about earning the respect of your peers. The rest

takes care of itself. And I think that's why he was that way. Now, when Ari saw you at the Rose Bowl, you showed her your phone, you said you got your seats. Yeah, I do. Every time we picked you, what are you doing now with you in the last two games? How are you handling this? How do you find the motivation? Making sure to remind everybody

that you know what the conversation was. It was great about you guys. You guys can pick and then change your pick like day to day. Oh, we have no accountability. Exactly, no accountability. That being said, having fun with it, this good. I think it's awesome. You guys aren't the only guys I even take screenshots on and the things that are said,

I just have learned to grow up and not post them on social media like I would as a younger guy. You've got to. Brett Bielerman did that to us the other day. What is the downside to posting stuff or talking crap online? If I do it, then why wouldn't the athletes do it? I just don't think it's the right way. Ari's trying to get you to say it's okay so he can do it because his wife gets mad at him. Okay. Not to proceed to do.

I know, so do I. And I look, you know, that's just all fun and games and I like it. How is it a good sport? How do you handle, because we're all shitting on you after the mid-season game. And then now we've been singing your praises since the Rose Bowl. We were saying, you know, they can't lose, they're gonna kill it.

How do you handle the flip in terms of just dealing with the players and having them deal with that? I'm good, I'm worried about you guys. Like how much foolish crap do you guys feel? I don't know, that's my question. I feel so full of crap every morning when I wake up. No, but let's say. It should always be an evaluation of the body of work.

Like I don't know if anyone goes on the feet of the NFL do they? I mean I don't know I mean don't make me start this was our argument. 12 teams. Nobody's going and I'm not minimizing games. I'm not minimizing games at all. Like I'm just I'm just you know taking it for what it's worth. I remember when the Guardian caps first came out and how I thought like, what's this guy doing? And how bad I was, I would like minimize that. But now how normal it's become. We're such creatures of habit. We're gonna look up in a year or two. We'll be like looking back like, what was I talking about?

Well, I'll tell you what the Guardian caps, they first came out. I was like, that's a Weeble Wobble. What the hell is that? Now I got a kid playing football, and it's, are you wearing your Guardian cap? Is your Guardian cap, you have your Guardian cap in your bag? We're creatures of habit, I get it, but. Here's the thing, here's the thing about that.

So the bracket that you put up was made, what? Nine days after the Michigan game, okay? So when you're making those picks. You can't defend this. But what I'm saying, like, what I'm saying is, it's like, the Michigan game. Okay. So when you're making those, you can't defend this. You are on a run right now. That is been incredible, right? The last taste of Ohio state football that we got going into that was a bad taste. So like it's a pretty, it's kind of like you guys doing a bracket after the first week of college football. Oh, we did that. Oh,

how's that going? How's that going? The overreaction of sports makes sports what it is. So much fun. There's a lot of passion involved. But you know, I personally don't think I'm overreacting. Okay, go with that. Working the process every day. Yeah, we're worried about outcomes. Yeah. But Brian, you have been at Ohio State for a large portion of your life. Very good player on some very good teams. What does it mean to be this close to keep

it serious to winning a national championship and having a ring with that that logo on your chest. It's not about the satisfaction as it is just the understanding of the goal placement a year ago in January, the amount of work that's been put in to get to a goal and then being able to finish the job that we outlined in a team meeting in our room with the guys and how you go through spring ball you add guys some guys might leave you can just everything that goes into i mean literally i mean more than half of my year our year is literally in that building you know of of uh you know the off season we get weekends off that's it but we literally grind so much players, coaches. To be this close for you guys to reach their goal

is really what people were chasing. Good luck on Monday night. I appreciate you having me guys. Yeah, thanks for being here, Brian. Always appreciate it. Nothing quite like someone saying, do you realize how full of shit you are when you wake up in the morning?

Yeah. So thanks for that, Brian Harland. He's got a little edge to him, doesn't he? I like it. I like it. Now, I realize he's in a good spot. He's at his alma mater. But I would like to see Brian Hartland get a chance

to be head coach at some point. I think he's going to be a good one. See, I had an in-depth conversation with him about that on my tape recorder in either the Rose Bowl or Dallas. I can't remember which one. And I've had this conversation with him many times over the years of, what do you want? And because it's like, I want him to just say,

I would like to be a head coach. And like, he won't do it. He just settles for being the best receiver coach in the country. It's not really settling. Yeah, he, uh, we talked about it. I should probably write about it maybe this week. I think you should. But like, we as people view progression in the corporate sense of like, okay, you start as an intern, then you work hard, and then you get a better job. And then you get a better job, and you get paid more, and then you go up and up and up. And like Brian Hartline is a human being who has played college football at the highest

level, signed a max NFL contract. Yeah, and I was coaching at the place that he loves. But it made me like, when you've signed a max NFL contract, it takes the money piece out of the equation. Yeah, right. And it's like then you get the the benefit of doing what you want. You start thinking about what, you know, where where's my joy? It's it's really interesting. But he doesn't think in those terms of like you and I are talking all the time to coaches who want to climb

the ladder and get bigger jobs and it's like I don't think that he wakes up in the morning and goes well if I make a draft pick then maybe I'll be a head coach somewhere it might turn out that way but I don't think he's driven by it so like I'll write about it maybe I'll write about it tomorrow I have it in the can but yeah I do love that he is still petty not publicly oh but he's petty oh yeah but. But that's okay. We we appreciate that. We know we like that you're watching. We like that you're watching. Alright. So you may have noticed this is the first episode we've ever had that has the E on it. If you're listening

in podcast form. Well, if you if you said Andy which which episode will get the E? What school involved? Notre Dame would have been the last one. Yeah. But we are repeating something that Pat Coogan said. Pat Coogan, the center for Notre Dame, too nice to say it on camera, but we know he says it because we've seen it before the games. That's right. Notre Dame, four quarters of fuck you football. That's Pat Coogan. Here is the author of it. We are joined now center for the Notre Dame fighting Irish mister. Four quarters of fuck you football. When that clip first goes viral to the, does mom say anything? Grandparents, how's that go? They were, they were happy to see it.

Like I've kinda told everyone that has asked me questions. They like grew up in an Irish Catholic family on South Side of Chicago, so the language is not unfamiliar with any of us. This is Sunday dinner basically. Maybe it's a little less than that, but no. They were, I've always been a kid that's kind of, it's really just, it really just shows like how passionate

I am about these guys, how much I care about these guys. So they were happy to see that, they were proud of the moment. There were laughs and funny moments, but yeah. Is that natural or do we, how do we tap into that? Get to that point, yeah. Is that natural? Or do we, how do we tap into that? Get to that point, yeah. Is that something you would do, it would have done as a freshman? Definitely not, definitely not.

It's been, I don't know, like my whole career, just like growing into who I am and growing into a leadership role and kind of my development throughout the four years here, but no, I don't like practice it or anything. It really is just like it's a moment in pregame before we're off to run out on the field with the guys that I care about the most and Obviously, it's an emotional time and these are big games and big moments So it's really just how much I care about these guys and it's I just let it rip. What is what is fucky football?

It's it's the style football I just let it rip. So what is, what is f**k you football? It's the style of football that Notre Dame wants to play and Notre Dame plays. It's running the ball, running the ball efficiently. It's playing all four quarters, starting fast, finishing fast. It's a brand of football that offensive linemen want to be a part want to be a part of and live for You know finishing in the fourth quarter Finishing with the ball in your hands finishing on that four-minute drive. That's kind of what it's all about It's also like a free mentality to of like no matter what happens. It's a physicality aspect of it, too

I said right like for sure. It's a mindset that you know Happens we're gonna just give it all, everything we got. And has that helped you guys as for you, I mean, you dealt with a bunch of injuries this year, you dealt with a bunch of injuries the last game you played. I'm sure you look at Charles Jaguars.

What's he doing here? Playing right now? Yeah, that's kinda, it's what this program is really about, it's everybody, it's it's what this this this program is really about it's everybody. It's all hands on deck No matter who's in there. No matter how many reps they've gotten no matter if they were Hurt in the past like like Chuck. He stepped up huge for us. It's it's everybody It's all hands on deck and we have so the the amount of trust we have in everybody is it's huge For those guys to come come in and step up and play really

well for us, it was awesome. Being a kid from an Irish Catholic family from the south side of Chicago, I can't really draw up a better movie script than what we're standing right now. I mean, he's a little too big. He needs to be about a foot Yeah. To be five foot. 100 nothing. No, no, no, not that movie. I mean a good movie. Uh what seriously are you just like living? Is this the embodiment of every dream of kids that grow up in your 100% 100% Yeah. I mean spending Notre Dame fan my whole life. Um there's pictures of me two, three, four, five, six years old. Just I I have these two jerseys,

one's a green number one jersey and a navy blue number one jersey. Just wearing them around the house, every single picture. I started going to games when I was maybe five. You know, there's pictures of me in front of the grotto with my older brother, and it's a really special moment. When did you realize you were never going to have

a single digit jersey number? When I started playing football, and it's a really special moment. When did you realize you were never going to have a St. Louis football. What's it? So the brotherhood of Notre Dame offense and climate, I mean, the just the level of guys that have come through there. I know that like Miami used to have the guys that would the NFL dudes would call

their old dorm number just to see who was there and then motivate them. Like Zach Martin call people and text people? Does Ronnie Stanley check in every once in a while? We've been blessed to meet those guys and train with those guys throughout the year. It's really special, like kind of what you said, the brotherhood that this offensive line is at Notre Dame. It really started back in, you know, with guys like Chris Watt

and the Martin brothers and Ronnie Stanley, but all throughout the years with, we have to say Mike Golick Jr., he's our friend. So, Golick's a huge at Notre Dame and with Glenn Chi and Quinton Nelson and Hunter Biven who's still around the program and guys like that that really set the foundation for what this offensive line means to the university. And it's really led the way for us to have success and really

show and care for what it means to be an offensive line. When I think of Notre Dame I think about the tradition, right? Absolutely. I think about the fight song, you know, the campus. I don't need to explain it to you, you get it. To be four quarters away from accomplishing something for the first time and again, bad at math podcast with 88 now. It's a long time. A long time. I know 3030. Yes. 3937. He's right. I don't know. He goes to Notre

Dame. You didn't get into Notre Dame. I would I would have gotten in. Um, to get be that close to etching your name in the wall of that program's history. Like, I don't know, like as a player, do you think about the gravity of the moments that you're in while you're in them and what it would mean not only for like, FU football, fuck you football,

four quarters away of like being a Notre Dame legend forever. Like, do you think about that? You know, it's in your head. It's like, you're in the moment, but at the same time, you really gotta take it day by day. And that's what props the coach Freeman. That's kind of been the message of the week is like, we gotta stay in the moment. Like, even though it's a Tuesday practice, Wednesday practice, we've had 10 days or so to really prepare

for this unbelievable opportunity. That's the biggest day of the week. Even though it's a Tuesday practice, even though it's a Monday practice, that's the biggest day. So while maybe a giant opportunity to make history and etch our names in the history books forever, we got to go out and play and we got to go out and execute the fundamentals that we've been doing all year. That's really been the message all week is, while it may be something that hasn't happened in a while,

but it still is a game that we've been playing all year, a game that we've been playing our whole lives. We got to go execute at the bottom line. We gotta go execute for quarters. And that's how we'll really accomplish that goal. Mike Gullick said he used to puke before every game. He told us this. Do you have any pregame traditions that involve vomiting? No. What do you do with like in the 40 minutes,

that the tension of the 40 minutes before a kickoff? I kind of just, we sit there with our chairs and we kind of just talk to each other and coach Rudolph gives us his last his last message about how We really want to go out there and execute and just the tips and reminders and stuff like that I've never gotten that far as to puking but It's it's just we're all together we've given each other tips and advices just just breathing and then you get them in a circle and take them out. Four quarters away. Thank you Pat. Thank you guys.

That is Pat Coogan that Notre Dame offensive line re is they're nasty I'm going to go ahead and get that. Nice. That is Pat Coogan. That Notre Dame offensive line already is they're nasty. They've been through a lot this year. Injuries. I mean, Charles Jagis. I might wind up

starting at left tackle. He was supposed to be the original left tackle. True freshman Anthony Knapp takes over. He gets hurt in the Orange Bowl. Jagis, I was playing right guard for Rocco Spindler but he might

be playing left tackle now. It is amazing how they've been able to piece that together and still be so good. When was the last time you watched Rudy? I want to say about two years ago. Okay, so you know like the team captain offensive lineman from that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like every single offensive lineman

that plays at Notre Dame has that same exact like build, face, everything. Yeah. Of like, that is the dude. That voice, yes. It's like, when you talk to him about like at Notre Dame has that same exact like build face everything yeah of like that is the dude that voice yes like when you talk to him about like where he grew up and who he roots for it's like the thing that is so interesting to me about like the National Championship game and is that like all the people that have gotten to this point to this media day are four quarters of football away from

being forever immortalized in the program and you want that for everyone right like you want that and it sucks sucks that only half the room. Right. Yeah. So like because that is, I can't imagine what it'd be like to be a national champion of Notre Dame. Right. I was so I was incredibly lucky as a freshman to walk on a team that won the national title. I did not do anything to earn that national title, but there were guys on that team like Lawrence Wright, who is one of the safeties, like Jeff Mitchell and and and Donnie Young, who were offensive lineman, like who laid the foundation, who put all that work in to get everybody something. You made them better. I got beat up a lot. And I appreciate Ohio State Center Seth McLaughlin talking about that in an interview I did with him. Because somebody was about what happens to the walk-ons when they do the roster caps

and he's like those are some of my best friends. Those guys just get their asses beat all the time. But the guys who put those years in to create a national title, like the amount of work, I cannot imagine how that feels when it finally pays off and it's gonna pay off for somebody here on Monday. Also too, we were all kids and we were all eight and nine playing in our backyard wanting to play in the NFL or we all had dreams of what percentage of children actually get the opportunity that Pat Hogan has right now. Very few. Like less than a fraction of a percent. So like the fact that you get to see your like oh Irish Catholic South Side of Chicago grew up a Notre Dame

fan playing in the national title game. Yup. Like that's a special story and like regardless of who you think is going to win like how could you not as a human being want that for him. Well so like. The thing is you might want it for the next guy we're going to talk to. Yup. JT Tumalau is one of the Ohio State players who very easily can be starting in the NFL right now. He decided to come back along with a lot of his teammates for this particular reason to win this game Monday night to be here and to win it and it's pretty incredible hearing him talk about that process. Here is JT

Tua-Mulau. the winner is JT Tui Malau. JT Tui Malau. Tell us what is transpired between a year ago now like what was that? What was that like you guys were trying to make your decisions? Um you know stuff you know we just came off a loss. Uh pretty

tough loss and um you know we're all sitting in a lot of what we all all do? The thing we dreamed of being the league is right there just the next door open but at the same time we didn't get a lot of accomplished and I felt like we all came as one and we all chose to come back for a reason and I think it's I think it's panning out really well. Yeah I mean I can't imagine what it would be like to be that close to that door. And I don't think I think fans take that for granted too, of like, you guys probably dreamed of playing big time football, winning a national championship. But the ultimate dream for every kid is playing the NFL.

Like how, not only did you make that decision, like a lot of people on this team made that decision. Like, did you guys consult with each other? Like how did you get to that point where you guys decided to do that? I think, like you said, you know as a kid we dreamed about I mean, I think we had to put the put that kid spirit away for a little bit and really understand I mean, I think we all Know we've had a lot of me left on the bone and you know that we all wanted to get more

For training about but you know, we all just wanted Yeah, just as well as training like we felt like we just had more to out, but you know, we all just wanted, yeah, as well as training. Like we felt like we just had more to improve on. And you know, I think we all came as one and understood that we're all coming back. I know that we can't miss this shot. I think it's so interesting, especially with you guys on defense,

like it wasn't like you were gonna be a bunch of like under-affected free agents. Like you guys were gonna go pretty high and would be starters in the NFL right now. How hard was that to make? It was tough. You know, a lot of tough conversations, a lot of conversations within each other. But I think I think the Lord played a big part in all of our decisions got us all back for a reason. And you know, we trust in him, trust in his plan.

And you know, we're here now. JT, it's also a gamble. Let's call it what it is. If you could come back and not achieve goals or not get drafted as high or, you know, like to suspend all of that stuff with the belief. Is that part of the reason you feel like you're in this position right now? Yeah. I mean, for me, when I came back, I felt like just a lot of people flipped off my shoulders, a lot of expectations I had for myself.

Um, and the decision to come back, knowing that that wasn't part of my plan, but it was part of Laura's plan. It just allowed me to really give everything to him. And then I'm pretty sure everybody And the decision to come back, knowing that that wasn't part of my plan, but it was part of Loris' plan. It just allowed me to really give everything to him. And then I'm pretty sure everybody did the same thing. And to see us here now, I mean, I'm proud to be playing with these dudes. One more night together. One more night.

Yeah, one more night, man. Thank you, I appreciate it. Yep. Thanks so much, JT. Thanks so much. That's JT Tui Malau, one of many guys who should be in the NFL right now but are playing for Ohio State one more time and they want to leave with the national championship.

Yep. Stakes couldn't be higher and you know, you got people on one side that could be in the NFL right now and turn down pretty big numbers to be here. And you've got other guys who have been rooting for the program that they play for their whole lives and that's both sides. And it's just like the perfect, perfect culmination, I think to a wonderful season and gold helmets, silver helmets. It all comes down to this talk to you Monday morning, the day of the national championship game.