Andy & Ari On3 - Penn State SWIPES Ohio State's defensive coordinator | Can Walter Nolen be the NEXT Aaron Donald?

Episode Date: January 27, 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. Axia Time is the offical timepiece for both the College Football Playoff and the Heisman trophy and probably the best kept secret in college football.   Their timepieces are heirloom quality and among the coolest designs in the college space. Axia Time has created a series of limited-edition timepieces for all 12 teams in the college football playoff.  each design is limited to only 100 pieces. Check out your team’s cfp designs at axiatime.com, but you better act fast because they will sell out. Use code ARI&ANDY for 10 percent off a CFP timepiece. This show is also sponsored by PrizePicks, America’s most fun daily fantasy game. Use the code STAPLES to play $5 and get $50 instantly. https://prizepicks.onelink.me/ivHR/STAPLES(0:00-0:34) Wendy's Saucy Nuggs(0:35-5:14) Welcome to Andy & Ari On3 from Mobile, Alabama(5:15-25:19) Jim Knowles hired as Penn State's Defensive Coordinator(25:20-27:04) AxiaTime.com(27:05-37:29) Carnell Tate staying at Ohio State(37:30-39:32) PrizePicks, Super Bowl edition(39:33-52:27) Former Texas A&M, Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen Joins(52:28-1:02:09) Conclusion from the Senior Bowl Penn State has swiped Ohio State’s defensive coordinator. Jim Knowles decided on Sunday to leave the Buckeyes for the Big Ten rival Nittany Lions, adding spice to a game that likely will continue to help determine who wins the Big Ten title. What does this mean for Penn State? Where does Ohio State coach Ryan Day turn to find his next DC? And who does Oklahoma hire now that Knowles is off the board? Andy and Ari are in Mobile, Ala., for Senior Bowl practices. They caught up with former Ole Miss and Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolan to talk about a potentially huge week for the former five-star recruit. He noted how Aaron Donald boosted his draft stock in Mobile, and he plans to do the same thing.  Watch us on YouTube instead! https://youtube.com/live/vvihBhwtpFw Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River Bailey

You've had Wendy's nugs dipped in sauce, but have you had them covered in sauce? Wendy's new saucy nugs take the crispy and spicy nugs you love and turn them up to 11. Choose between flavors like buffalo, garlic parm, honey barbecue, and of course the spicy variations of all of those. Or if you're a real heat seeker, try the spicy ghost pepper only on Wendy's signature spicy nugs. I dare you. That's seven delicious ways to try the nugs you already love. Pick a flavor, grab some extra napkins, and prepare to nug like you have never nugged before. For a hold away to nug, it's gotta be Wendy's at Participating US Wendy's. Welcome to Andy and Ariane's. This is the 65th Wendy's of course and those lovely saucy

nugs. We are here in Mobile, Alabama Alabama It is senior Bowl week. The players are already here. They start practicing tomorrow And it is a big big job interview We're gonna hear from Walter Nolan later in the show former Ole Miss and Texas A&M defensive tackle who is basically going I mean he just comes right out and says it He wants to do what Aaron Donald did here, which is cement himself in the first round. Yeah, that'd be a pretty good trajectory. Two things. One, amazing backdrop. There was a ship that was like... Watching Ari try to imagine the physics of a container ship from Oslo, Norway, it was spectacular. You could see the gears in his brain turning. Did that ship come from Norway?

It said Oslo on the back. That's electric. It's been through a fjord. Later on in the off season, we're gonna get into a long debate about whether or not there's actually aliens that look like people that can come up with that, because how you can make that thing float

is pretty incredible. And then secondly, that Wendy's ad really hit me. I've been starving all morning. Oh yeah. My breakfast was- Maybe he hit the saucy nugs after this. Five Hershey's kisses this morning, so that's how we're getting the day started, but I'm excited. There's a lot happening over the weekend, Andy, and we're here in Mobile, Alabama, and, you know, I guess we're kind of getting into combine mode,

but still kind of still feels like it's the season that hasn't hit me yet. Oh, yeah. I don't know. We're hitting up these guys basically with exit interviews and you know, we talked to Walter Nolan, we got a, we had a great chat with Xavier Restrepo that we're gonna play later in the week. The Miami receiver who's just, I mean, what a joy to be around. Yeah, just in and very underrated. It's just a player, you know, and I know that, I don't know, Miami also kind of seems to be like one of those places that just as the recipient of hate from like, like, we should do like a hate rankings of who are the most hated.

You know what? We were trying to figure out what we were going to do for a show next week. And we weren't exactly sure. That's it. That's the hate ratio. That's it. Yeah, I've got, I don't want to give it away all now if we're going to do a whole show on it, but there's just seems to be like five programs that just like get like random casual fans Yeah, and you don't grind their teeth and Miami's definitely one of them like yeah Cuz some of them like Notre Dame you kind of get because people grew up and they they were the only ones on national TV And all that but some of them it just seems almost irrational like you mentioned them in people like oh, it's just terrible I hate them like why do you mentioned them in people like, oh, this is terrible. I hate them. Like, why do you hate them?

Like, yeah. And the thing is, it's just like anything else. There are nice people at places. There are people who are not so nice at places. And like, I defy you to meet Xavier Estrepo, five year player for Miami, grew up in South Florida, loving the Canes. Like, you can't meet him and dislike him. Well, I mean, I just like think think too, it's just the way that he

played the game was so pure. Like, I mean, like, I mean, he's just a very good player and somebody I'm fairly confident in thinking is going to have a very long and successful NFL career, so it was good to have him on the show, but we're going to be here for the next few days. And I think we're going to have a bunch of people on and hopefully, you know, rub some shoulders with some people. Can we expand the hate rankings?

It doesn't have to be football, right? Can Duke basketball be in there too? I mean, if you want. I don't know. Your name's first on the show. You tell me. It's just alphabetical and by age. That's all.

I think we should do, just in college sports in general, the hate rankings. Because I think Duke basketball may be more hated than most football programs. And I think what we're going to do is we're going to use it from the litmus test of like if you're an Arizona State fan because they're like Switzerland. They're all the way out in the southwest somewhere. And it's like, do Arizona State fans hate Miami? Like, just like, I feel like a random fan base has an emotion towards something for no rational reason at all. And

that's how I'm going to go about making my ranking. So if you want to put the basketball teams on there, that's fine. I don't know anything about college basketball, so you hold my hand on that one. But you know people hate Duke. You know people hate when they slap the floor and all that stuff.

Yeah, are they the only ones who slap the floor? No, they're not the only ones who slap the floor. That's the thing. That's associated with Duke. But the reason I thought about that is JC in the chat said universal hate Maryland and I that's because of basketball. That's not because football. Maryland basketball is like people hate them. One Dixon was a badass. Yeah, I see. I knew that one. Okay, well, you can help me with the basketball ones. Arizona State fan in the chat. You are Switzerland, pal.

If you guys would have won a few more games, you might have crossed over some weird. Well, that's Kenny Dillingham may make them a different country. But JC also in the chat, talking about our main topic today, the newsiest topic we have, because over the weekend, Penn State swiped Ohio State's defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, is headed to State College from Columbus. They had the celebration in Columbus of the National Championship team, and within like 30 seconds

after it ended, we found out that Jim Knowles is going to Penn State. Yeah, so there's two ways to tackle this. Do you want to take it from the Penn State angle first? Because I think that you should, we should congratulate and talk about the winner of a big battle. Jaycee handily provided us with some Penn State talking points. The Codel Andy Codelnickie versus Jim Knowles. 21 possessions, zero touchdowns. Situation vanishes that that also includes Kansas versus Oklahoma State. A few years ago,

I believe if I'm not mistaken, but also the, the is Penn State's defense now better than it was with Tom Allen or Manny Diaz. I don't know. I think they were really good with both of those guys. And obviously Manny Diaz went on to, to become Duke's head coach at a great first year at Duke. Tom Allen is going to Clemson where he's got family down there. I think,

you know, it's, I don't know, he's been in Indiana, he's been in the South, he's been, he's been a lot of places. I don't know if that necessarily matters, but I think he's going to do great at Clemson. I think Jim Knowles will do just fine at Penn State. Well, yeah, him doing fine is not my... Right, he has to be dominant against it, yeah. But I think that there are two ways of looking at it. And somebody tweeted this at me yesterday as I was driving from Dallas to Mobile on the rain. Not a highly suggested move on my part,

but somebody tweeted at me and brought back a previous talking point that we had on the show to me on Twitter and said, do you still think that Penn State is not playing for national championships? Because if you go back to the discussion that we were having about James Franklin at the time in which he got his 10-year extension, they weren't winning at the highest level when they gave him that, which to me I thought was an implication of 10 wins, 11

wins is enough. And now when you're starting to up the stakes, and I don't think the contract stuff is out yet, but there's no way that Ohio State lost him over this. The reporting has been $3.1 million a year, which no, this wasn't over money. Ohio State was offering something similar. Oklahoma was offering something similar. And I don't think it went that far down the road with Oklahoma. I think they viewed that as a long shot. Do you know, at the 2016 Fiesta Bowl when Ohio State played Clemson, either I or my coworker was writing a story about, I think it was Brent Venables at the time, about being the first coach or assistant coach that was bordering a million dollars a year in salary. And like, we haven't even made it a decade past then, and now we're at this point. I mean, that's an absurd amount of money.

It's crazy because they always said, if you have to pay the players, well, there's no money for anything else. They keep finding money. Think about this. So Jim Knowles was going to, no matter what he decided was going to be the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football and probably the first $3 million coordinator anywhere. So that happens.

And then Shane Beamer got extended at South Carolina. So that's, you know, he got a raise a couple million bucks a year, and they put themselves on the hook for more if things don't work out. I think they have plenty of money. I think they were lying to us when they said if they had to pay the players, they wouldn't have any money. Yeah. 3, 3.1 million a year for a coordinator is a pretty big investment. So I think that that's like, There are power conference head coaches who make less than that, one or two. So, but like that, does that change your viewpoint of like Penn State's demands? Like, does a move like this, A, first of all, I think you can make the case that Penn State is the two best coordinators in college football,

or the best quarter coordinator tandem, I should say. So you add that together with James Franklin and it's it creates and cultivates an environment where you're not paying all this money to finish third in the Big Ten anymore. You're paying this money to go get over the top and win the whole thing. So you know, Penn State has always had very good defenses. I don't know that I look at their at their defensive performances over the years and think, hey, that that's the issue. But at the same time, too, you're talking about a defensive coordinator who had a wealth of talent. That's not, yeah, like, I mean, it's, it's a lot easier to, you know, scheme around Caleb Downs than it is other places. But, you know, they put it into a position where that was maybe the best defense Ohio State's had in the last decade.

He also didn't have nearly as much talent at Oklahoma State. And they were also really good. So, so't have nearly as much talent at Oklahoma State. And they were also really good. Very dominant defense there. So from that aspect though, like Penn State, I think that you could make the case, and maybe this is a column, of like, OK, we're starting to step up into the realm of expectation

that didn't, in my opinion, exist coming into this year. And that's an exciting thing for them. You win a couple of playoff games, you go to the semifinals, and yeah, now now it's all right, what can you do past that? And it's no longer you are blocked by Ohio State and Michigan in your own division, you're not blocked by them anymore. In fact, you lost to Ohio State

and still played for the Big Ten Championship and still went to the semi-finals. So the path is open to Penn State. Now, as Justin pointed out in the chat, the defense isn't the problem. And some other folks have pointed out in the chat, hey, does Jim Knowles play receiver? Because that seems to be a bigger issue.

Like, they've had to replace the defensive coordinator multiple times, and they seem to find somebody who's excellent. And they always seem to have excellent players, like Denied Dennis-Sunders coming back. Kind of funny to think that we're like, oh my excellent players like denied in a sudden coming back. Kind of funny to think that we're like, Oh my God, they're paying a coordinator 3.1 million. And then like three days ago, we were talking about a Jeremiah Smith was commanding four and a half. I will, I will say 10 years ago, this is not something Penn state would

know would have done Penn state would not have set the market. So you think this was an evolution in the program? I think this is Pat craft being the athletic director for a few years now. And really, he came in saying, I would like for Penn State to try to act like it is serious about football. Penn State did not act the same way Ohio State did it, and not act the same way Alabama did, the same way Georgia did before Pat Kraft. It was, Sandy Barber was a different AD, and she did not feel like football was that big of a priority. I don't think at least and that is the that is the sense that the coaching staff got to. Well, now they have a guy who played college football in Indiana, who appreciates college football and is who was willing to open the checkbook. Now, I think

that willingness to open the checkbook, as you pointed out, comes with serious expectations. Yeah, and you know what? Good for them. You know, my number one thing with Penn State's always been like, if you want better, then pursue better. And, you know, the fact that you're doing this, I think is a sign of things to come because there is a correlation between investment and commitment and

results. Right? It's the same thing like with dieting, right? Or anything else in life. If you want to lose weight, you got to commit to it. If you want to make more money, you've got to commit to your plan on how to, I mean, like, this is what you do. It's like my, my favorite trainer on Peloton, Selena Semuela says, You can't, you can't be mad about the results you didn't get from the work you didn't do. Is that person a man or a woman? She is a badass former boxer. Does she say that while you're riding a bike?

I don't ride a bike. She says it while you're running. Is she running while she's saying it? She is running, yes. I did a spin class once and at the end of the spin class, there was a five minute reflection where I was like like wind down and think about all the things that alien I'm like lady I'm just trying to lose weight. We just just pedal the bike and get that out of

here. Like I don't know. Does that stuff hit you the motivational like talks during while you're running? I remember it. So I mean, were you just like, Oh, I'm gonna run faster now because she said that I run faster when she says run faster. I run slower. She says run slower and I run uphill when she says run uphill. I need somebody in my face yelling run fatty run Well, but I don't know why I took it there, but you know I mean Pat Kraft though is saying that in his own way run fatty run

Win-win win Richie win because you are you are rich at Penn State. You do have resources. You do have money you do care about football. And it is completely within the realm of possibility for Penn State to compete for national championships. We saw it this year. It's not like they are so far away from Ohio State or so far away from these teams that have been winning national titles. And like we keep saying, you're probably not going to see a roster as loaded as Ohio State's was this past year. So now's your time, Penn State. I do have this, this like, this like internal debate with myself. And I don't know what it is with Penn State. Or on one hand, it's like, OK, they were maybe five minutes of real-time performance away

from playing for a national championship. So that is like- If power doesn't throw the interception. Yeah. I mean, they were going OT maybe and you know, you have a chance. Or they keep the field goal if they just run the ball down in the field goal range. And they beat the crap out of Notre Dame for an entire half. So that's the first half, which is like clear, identifiable, statistical results driven improvement. Right? Like there's no doubt about it. But then on the other hand, it's like, Oh, wait a minute.

Is this Penn State team, the same team that it's been for the past five years, but actually was put in an advantageous position from their path to the playoff and wasn't really that much better than they've been. And I don't know what the answer is. I'll let the chat decide or what you think. But like for me, it's like, I do think that Penn State was very good this year. They had the best defensive lineman in the country, in my opinion, and Abdul Carter.

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network has him projected as the number one pick and draft. And it's just like, okay. pick and draft and it's just like OK. I just I don't know. I'm conflicted on how to grade them as like going into the offseason. Like how do you grade Penn States year? Obviously the fans enjoyed it and they deserve all the joy that came along with it,

but like again, I still lost their two biggest games of the year, right? Great, pretty much the same way you had been grading them as they're there. They're still not quite where they want to be. Now it felt like they went farther because they did go farther. They, they had not made the final four. They were a program that had the 12 team playoff existed, would have made

it six times since the number one 2016. They're the number one bubble team. Yeah. Like, yeah. Yeah. So they would have been in the mix. And this is something to think about. And you and I have talked about doing some program rankings in the offseason. And I think one thing we should consider is, in the past 10 years, if this playoff system existed, how many people would have made the playoff? Because as we learned in this one, it's a small sample size, but Ohio State, which would not have made it, ends up winning the whole thing. Notre Dame, which

you think they would have voted differently, but they didn't vote. I don't think they would have. They would have. Yeah. Well, but they didn't vote that way. Notre Dame would not have made it. Which is what makes that exercise hard because you don't know how they would have ranked them in another system. Well, but they're, the one that would have been eighth would not have made it. Right. Ohio State this year would not have made it. 1000% would not have made it. So, right? 1000%?

I think so, yes. So all those Penn State teams that didn't make it that would have made it, because remember, we're talking about, they were finishing like fifth and sixth. So this would have been teams that had a home game that would have, like, they, they might have made it to the national title game in some of those years. We just don't know. Well, they just had the fortune of playing teams that weren't as far as they are in their build. Yes. So like, that's the thing. It's like, it's not like to say that teams had an easy path. It's not fair, but like an easier path. It's like Ohio state had the hardest path. I don't want to like take a crap on the teams that they've played. Like SMU, I thought was a very good football team this year and deserved to be in.

Yeah. You know, Boise, again, one of the best players in college football, tough team. But like Penn State didn't have to beat like Georgia. You know what I mean? And Georgia wasn't that great this year, but they still didn't have to get to it. But Notre Dame had to beat them, yeah.

Yeah. And it's just like to me, like this debate, we had it with Notre Dame too of like, did Notre Dame's win over Indiana and the postseason big wins drought like the Georgia one did. So if you're a Penn State fan, you are happy about the results of this season, although probably still in pain with the way that the Notre Dame game ended. But do you feel like the Ailes that troubled you? Like that's's the thing, too. It's like the No, you're still saying, can we please have some wide receivers? Can we please have an explosive?

But are you still saying, can we please beat Ohio State? Yes. Like, is that, or like, do you feel better about it? Because like, like, that's another thing, too. Like the, the rebirth of season two, it's like Ryan Day. The question is, is this, is the next iteration of Ohio State going to look anything like this one? It'll still be really good. Who are the who are the coaches that righted their wrongs the most this year? Like, I think Ryan Day is probably the clear answer there because he they Marcus Freeman

Marcus Freeman, I think is another one. But I think James Franklin too. Dabo Sweeney, I think you put him on that list, maybe in terms of off the field. Well, you've if you've been listening to me at all, my dabo, the trajectory for me on dabo is up, up, up. So, but like, so where do you put James Franklin on that list is what I'm getting at. Like is James Franklin on the right at the wrongs list or did he or did circumstance blind us from the fact that nothing's changed?

He's incrementally better because he got to the final four, the underlying issues he still has to prove he can do something about, which is go get some freaking receivers. And how do you, but also, too, like, how do you beat Ohio State? With some freaking receivers! And how else? By investing in the program and paying big money for big-boy salaries and taking their defensive coordinator? Like, I mean, and like, OK, now let's go to the Ohio state side of this. Yes. Um, when the Jim Knowles Oklahoma stuff came up, Oklahoma fans were, you know, rightfully getting kind of excited.

And there was this like online battle between Ohio state and Oklahoma fans of like, why would he take it to motion? Okay. And with Oklahoma, like, I feel like if Jim Knowles would have gone to Oklahoma for a big money raise, that would have made sense because of region, his past. But it's not as, he's from the Northeast. No, I know, but he might have liked living in Oklahoma.

It would have been a change to another blue blood program. Yeah. Okay. Here's the thing about that, and this is where it's a little bit different because the job at Penn State as a defensive coordinator because the job at Penn State as a defensive coordinator and the job at Oklahoma as a defensive coordinator are two different jobs. James Franklin is not a defensive guy. He's not, he's never called a defense as far as I know. Like he's not going to be over your shoulder constantly. It is Brent Venable's

defense at Oklahoma. So if you're a defensive coordinator used to some autonomy, which you had at Ohio State, which you had at Oklahoma State, which you had at Duke before that, you're probably not going to go to the place where the guy above you is a very accomplished defensive coordinator. Yeah, and that's a good point. I just mean optically. Optically, I think going from Ohio State to Oklahoma would make sense. The thing I think that is rubbing people the wrong way,

and we have to call what it is, is that Ohio State is a week removed, literally today, from winning a national title, and he's going to an in-division, past in-division rival, that isn't on the same playing field at the moment. And that confuses people. So the question you have to ask yourself is why. And you know, Letterman Rowe has a story up right now. That's our On 3 Ohio State site, you know, theorizing that one of the things that, you know, has been an online rumor for the past 6 months. It's not like a hidden secret that he and, and Larry Johnson were butting heads on strategy when in terms of

the defensive line and stuff. But it's like, longtime defensive line coach who, by the way, spent most of his career at Penn State, you know, but it's like, it does feel like and I don't know what the answer is, but it does feel like there's something a little bit deeper happening here than just, oh, he got a raise because we know we both know sitting here that Ohio State wasn't going to lose him over money. No, and they would be prepared to pay him, especially considering the fact that, you know, they

just accomplished what they did. Like the continuity, it's like, because to me, like, Ohio State seems very well built to continue to compete at that level for the next five years. And it seems likely, the way it did in 14-2, that they'll win another one in the next few years. And it's like, if you're Jim Knowles, it's like, what are you doing? You know, and I think that that rubs people the wrong way. And, and it's... Well, I mean, an Ohio State fan is gonna go, Why on earth would

you leave us for them? And it's not the same when it's your job. You think about it differently. Yeah. If you feel like you would be in a better position, or maybe you didn't get along with the people you were working with and you want to work with some other people. Or maybe get more leeway in terms of doing things your way. It's like the thing that bothers people, just to go back though, is just like it worked. Like whatever you're upset about at Ohio State, it worked. Your defense was awesome and people think you're a So like, I don't know, maybe from a personal fulfillment standpoint, there's something there where Ohio state was when he got hired because they fired Carrie Coombs, because they were, they gave up so many big plays. Defense stunk.

They were, well, I mean, yeah, really standard. Yeah. And that was the, that was the Alabama, you know, tough Portland on middle of the pack defense because they couldn't stop giving up big plays. Yeah. Yeah. And you know what? what, it, it worked. So like, you know, I'm sure more will come to light in terms of like, what did this? But like, I did not have Ohio State defensive coordinator job open on my bingo card. That said, like we said on the show last week, when you win national championships and you have results out there, everybody on your team, whether it be a player or a coach, is a more sought after, more coveted asset. And it's

kind of like, too, it's like, how much can Ohio State, like, how many corners can Ohio State defend before stuff like this happens? Well, I mean, that's the thing. It's like, I'll pay him, pay him, pay him. It's like, someone's gonna leave. Yeah, every time you're successful, everybody wants to take a piece of what you got. Yeah. Now the thing is, Ohio State has the ability to go out and say, Hey, who would like to come coach Caleb Downs for lots of money?

So they're going to be able to pick who they want pretty much. Yeah. I mean, I'm sure they'll be able to find a defensive coordinator that, you know, is qualified. The thing that stinks is when you have somebody in your system already that had something that worked. Yeah. Having to retool something that you didn't feel you were going to need to

retool is just another off season step. You're going to have to reboot. If you're going to reboot, this is the time to reboot because how many, like we mentioned, Caleb Downs. It's, was it two starters coming back from that defense? Yeah. There's, I mean, uh, I'm a no sense coming back to the defensive back. Um, I don't I don't have to look that up.

I don't know how many but like, yeah, they're losing a lot of people. Um, and also too. It's kind of like the same thing like with Michigan last year. Yeah, you want a national championship like you're good for a little bit like and I know that Ohio State doesn't work that way. Ohio State are like, yeah, if you lose,, if you make the trade before the national title happens and say, okay, Ohio State fans, you're going to win the national title this year, but the

consequence of this is you're going to lose everybody and your team is going to have to reload a little bit. I think everybody automatically takes that deal, right? So you revel in the national title. What do they say when a breakup happens? Like, don't be sad that it's over. Be happy that it happened. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know. But like, I thought to me the more significant thing

in this whole storyline wasn't what this, what happened at Ohio State is, what is Penn State trying to be? And that's the most important thing. Cause like, you now go get a receiver, but I thought it was a nice step in the right direction in terms of you know commitment to to winning and paying the money to show that you're serious about raising the bar on that. Yeah and I think they are serious. I think Penn State has shown that over the last few years. You know what if you're a Penn State or an State fan, there is one thing you can agree on. Axiatime.com. I've got my Odysseus II watch on. If you would like to commemorate either Penn State or Ohio State's trip to the College Football Playoff,

go to Axiatime.com. They have custom timepieces that commemorate all of the playoff teams' trips to the playoff because they are the official timepiece of the College Football playoff and of the Heisman Trophy. Also, if you're an Ohio State fan, they have some beautiful new Ohio State national championship watches that include confetti from the field. We actually saw them collecting it. I had the picture I sent at the river of the guy scooping the confetti. So, yeah. So if you want to go and look at these beautiful watches axia time comm is the place to go They are Swiss made Automatic, they're beautiful Everywhere I go people ask me where'd you get that and the level of build on this thing? You're normally paying

Three times more five times more ten times more if you're you know in Ari's Circles that he runs in. Yeah. But you don't try to. That's right. You don't need to. I overspent. You can get a beautiful watch at AXI time.com and rep your team at the same time. So whether you're an Ohio state fan, a Penn state fan, Arizona state, Boise State. They're all there, but they're selling out fast. So, Axiatime.com, check it out, and everybody will ask. I like the strap. Where you got yours? Oh yeah, the orange pops.

Is that rubber? The orange pops. Yeah, and I also have a stainless steel, and I also have a leather one. So, yeah, it is outstanding, and you can dress it up, dress it down, however you wanna do it, Axiatime.com. All right, before we move on to Walter Nolan, because we have a very

fun interview with Walter Nolan, I want to go back to what we talked about on Friday afternoon. We did a little bonus show when the Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate tampering rumors came out. P. Nacos did a story about, you know, somebody was offering Jeremiah Smith $4.5 million a year to go somewhere else. He very quickly shut that down, said I'm staying Smith $4.5 million a year to go somewhere else. He very quickly shut that down, said, I'm staying at Ohio State. We had a longer discussion about Cornell Tate, who was rumored to be offered a million dollars to go somewhere else. He has shut that down since and said he's staying at Ohio State. I do think Ohio State is maybe the one place

that can pull this off, where you have a guy like Cardinal Tate who really could go to more than a hundred different programs and be wide receiver one. But he can stay at Ohio state understanding that Jeremiah Smith is going to be there and know that it's not going to hurt his draft stock because how many they've got two or three examples of wide receiver to being a first round graphic. I mean, the thing that's so crazy about the carnell tate situation, Andy, to me, is this like his position scarcity and the demand for some, I mean,

how many teams are go get a receiver, go get a receiver. Go literally, I feel like the, the, uh, notion that he's only worth a million is wrong. Like I, I, I'm not, uh, an agent, you know, I'm not Ari gold, you know, I'm just Ari Wasserman, but like, I do feel like that seems low, considering how good he is, one, and how many people need him. So it's a pretty good scenario for Ohio State. The more players you can bring back from last year's team, the better you're going to be, especially when you're going to be breaking in a new young quarterback who may be the new face of the, of the entire thing. So like, I think it's a big recruiting win for Ohio State. And kind of interested in what it would have been like had it not worked out that way in terms of

... And that's the thing is, this is the new big recruiting win, right? When you can retain a guy, like Ohio State last year, you retain people who would have been in the NFL, who would have been kind of mid round draft picks who want to come back because they either want to do something else in college or they want to try to raise their draft stock. Or can you retain the person who has some eligibility left, who really could go somewhere else and probably have a bigger role for more money, but they like playing for you. And they like playing for the

coach, the position coach. And, you know, we had Brian Hartline on the show right before the National Title game. He's, he's the best at what he does. Let's be, I don't know that there's, there's some good wide receivers coaches out there. He's the best. Yeah, I mean, we did break down on Friday that all five receivers that they have playing next year are top 50 recruits. It's insane. Yeah. So they're going to, there's no, that's the funniest thing about the Ohio State thing, too, is that like of any position they could afford to lose somebody. Right.

It's like that's the position. Let it go. Yeah. And that's the position group that everybody needs the most. It's almost like, also, too, it's like, could you imagine if this Jim Knowles discussion was the other way with this? Yeah. And it was Knowles stays and Carnell Tate leaves like that to me would be scarier. Like, and then that's not to diminish the importance of Carnell.

Tate saying, I trust you guys. Because again, he could have a bigger role anywhere else because he's not with Jeremiah Smith anywhere else. How often are you think we're gonna see players win a national title somewhere, have eligibility, let them leave if they have a role on the team? Like, it just seems odd. It's probably gonna happen. But it's just like, when you think about what being a national champion at Ohio State means for your future, and fortifying or estate means for your future and fortifying or creating and keeping, maintaining a legacy there. Like he's going to be fine financially forever as a result of his role on this team. And I know that sounds stupid, and it's probably true in other places. But like, why would you, why would you bounce right now? Especially considering the fact you

were a productive player on last year's team, you're losing Iucca and you're being coached by a guy who has more first round draft picks than maybe most other position coaches do have been in the game. I think Brian Hartline may have more first round draft picks in the last six or seven years than most programs. Brian Hartline is like at the center of like the debate between like, not again, he's going to watch this and like clip it and send it to me and call me an asshole. But like, it's like, we do we need to be like, you know, Riley learners mom would send in the you suck text.

Yeah. Do we need to neg? Ryan, I think you're an incredible coach, but here's terrible cook, but a great coach. I don't know. I just, I don't know. I feel like, you know, you were given a little of a gift with Jeremiah. Okay, can we just call it what it is? Like, he had to get him. No, he got him. But I'm saying, in terms of like the developed here slogan that Ohio State likes to use, I'm not saying he wasn't developed and you didn't do an incredible job with him. But I also think that the starting point was probably further down the line.

He's the first receiver off the board. No matter where he plays in college. You're right. And that's not to diminish what Ohio State's done because I also think too that part of that developmental process is the ability to analyze and break down properly who you want because Ohio State's in a position at the receiver position specifically as a result of Brian Heartline's dominance to choose and pass on guys that are top 100 players they don't think have the goods to compete.

So part of it too is the selection of these guys that he top 100 players. They don't think have the goods to compete. So you know, part of it too, is the selection of these guys that he's been very good at. But like the developed aspect of this is just like, yeah, you're getting aliens to come in and you're doing everything you can with those aliens to make them and they do that. But it's like Cardinal Tate, when he comes to the senior bowl, whenever that is, will be able to say I went to the best place for receivers in college football and was coached by the best coach and like that

to me is a come to this. Yeah, I don't even know he may he may ball out and he's like I'm good. So that's the thing. I mean they have established this track record that and that's probably part of his decision making process as he figures out. I'm gonna stay at Ohio State is there's some unknown with other places about, okay, where are they going to, where are they going to put me in the drought? You know, what, how are they going to use me?

If you know how Ohio State is going to use you, you know, if you produce at Ohio State, you are going to be drafted very high that the league is confident in you. So it makes sense, even though, like we said, Friday, it's, it's probably pretty hard to turn down because there's probably quite a bit of money flying around. And everybody, I think in their heart of hearts is like, well, maybe I wanna be the number one guy. Yeah. I mean, it's also too, it's like ego versus finances too.

Like, I mean, I don't know. Receivers have that mentality, right? Feed me the rock and all that stuff. I mean, I don't know, I don't know. Like, listen too, like if you would have gone and taken a bunch of money to go be wide receiver one at Georgia, like that would have been great. Like, you know, it's not like, I mean, everybody thinks it's like you're going to Alcorn State or something. Well, you know, Ohio State fans would have been mad. Nobody else would have been ever like, oh, no, but I'm saying it would have been great for him personally. But I also think it's really cool that he stuck around because you know what? Yep. I'm in a place where continuity is important to me.

Yes. Like I want to know who's on these teams. We've both. Well, I don't want to speak for you. Speak for me. I have stayed for less money. I have left for more money. I've done both in my career.

And each time the circumstances were different and each time I made the right decision and I was glad I made the decision. So like it's not as cut and dry. I have stayed for throwing you a bunch of money. Let's go get the I have stayed at a job that offered me less money than the new offer. Yeah. Yeah. And it's just it's all because also to like, I'm sure for you as well, like when that happened, you're also thinking, well, is this place that gonna get me where I want to be in 12 years? Well, that's the thing that you have to think like, I can, I can throw some specifics out there. Like, there was a job where it was a newer

company. And it was a lot more it was a like a video based role. This is back when I was at Sports Illustrated. This is like 12 years ago. And it would have required me to move to Chicago. Now my wife's family lives where we live, which is very important to us. And it was a huge money difference. But we would have had to lose that support system. We had very young children at the time.

I was like, I don't think I can do this. And I said, You know what, I have a good job. They're going to give me some more. So I'm going to, I'm going to keep doing that. And it worked. It was great. What was the job in Chicago? I'm not going to say, but the company... Will you tell me off the air? The company doesn't exist anymore. Let's put it that way. So again, I think I made the right decision. doesn't exist anymore. Let's put it that way. So I, again, I think I made the right decision.

Well, then who are you hiding the answer from? I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. It's, it's, it's, it's personal. But yeah, no, it makes sense. So, you know, I do think it's mature and smart to weigh other things besides what you're in. Yes. So congratulations, Colonel Tate, because I imagine it's sort of like that we said with Jim Knowles, like you're getting you're getting bumped up no matter what, money wise. And if this makes you happy, that's, that's even better. That's the best part of it. Like you get to be happy and get a little more. Like, how can you beat that? Happy and More could be a good buffet. Happy and More is a great name for an all-you-can-eat buffet. Yeah. We got to do that. Can we start a chain of all-you-can-eat buffets called Happy and More? Because I feel like there's not like Golden Corral has sort of cornered the market. Hometown Buffet used to be the shit. Is there an old country buffet? Ryan's, Quincy's? Like, seriously, we got to make this happen. Hometown Buffet used to have really, really good rolls. Ugh, the roll.

Have you been to Hometown Buffet? I've been to Hometown Buffet. Are they even open anymore? I don't know. But the Quincy's had the big fat yeast roll. Last I heard, there were some Quincy's in Florence, South Carolina, there was a Quincy's in Florence, South Carolina still, which is the hometown of Lenora Sellers.

I don't know if it's still there. We'll have to do some research. If we have Lenora on the show, we'll have to ask him if the Quincy's is still open in Florence. But it's, yeah. So happy and more. I like it. I like it.

With just a big smiley face as the sign. Kind of like a Walmart knockoff, yeah. Yeah. Will they still use that? Our smiley face will not be angled like their smiley face. It'll look like the emoji smiley face. You know what it'll have you smiling. Open your price picks app. Set up your Super Bowl plays and find out that you got a Patrick Mahomes almost free

square. Download price picks best daily fantasy game in America. Use the code staples. Play $5. Get $50 instantly when you sign up with that code staples. in America, use the code staples, play $5, get $50 instantly when you sign up with that code staples. But yes, for the Super Bowl, which we now know the matchup, Chiefs versus Eagles, Patrick Mahomes has an almost free square. So if he throws for a yard in the Super Bowl

and you pick more than.5 pass yards, you're gonna win that square. Now the question is, what other squares are you picking? Because price picks, you pick at least two, the more you pick, the higher the potential payout. So are you picking because price picks you pick at least two the more you pick the higher the potential payout So are you going Jalen hurts? More than two hundred fifteen and a half passing yards He threw for quite a bit more than that the last time these two teams played in the Super Bowl

Saquon Barkley 112 and a half rushing yards more or less. That is a massive number for an NFL running back. He's really good Incredible that first play best like running back. He's really good. He's incredible. That first play. Is he the best running back of my generation? I yeah, yes. I mean, I don't even know who else is in contention. Lydania Tomlinson. If you made Saquon a slot receiver and told him that was his primary job, he'd be excellent at that too. Raise your hand if you had Saquon Barkley under fantasy

team and didn't make the playoffs. That'd be me. Okay. That's brutal. Go ahead. Also, Travis Kelsey, playoff Travis, 62 and a half receiving yards. You decide more or less on that one. I mean, this may be the last time we see Travis in a super. I don't know. They might. He's 35 years old. I mean, they go every year or so. I mean, they do go every year, but you know, I thought you were going to say in the chief's uniform. I am glad that the prize picks is all ball

though. And we're not we're not talking about more than or less than shots of Taylor Swift during the game. What would you hit that number at though? It's gonna for the Super Bowl. You want to be so many. It's 41 is I would go 41 and a half. There's no pushes 41 and a half. I go more than still. But download that prize picks app use code staples when you sign up. Play $5 get $50 instantly and yeah hit that Patrick Mahomes almost free square for the Super Bowl all right all right it is now time to talk to one Walter Nolan defensive tackle from Ole Miss also former Texas A&M defensive tackle

member of that crazy 2022 recruiting class. And Ari had a proposal for Walter Nolan. But first we're going to talk about something he said in an earlier interview. He's talking about being the next Aaron Donald as bold. Here's Walter Nolan. Joined by Walter Nolan, Ole Miss defensive tackle. All right, Walter, I saw the interview where you said you're coming to the senior bowl to be the next Aaron Donald. You do not say that lightly, I take it.

No, I mean, I just feel like I'm coming here to dominate. I feel like he came here with the same mindset. I kind of got right now, you know, not a lot of people were talking about him. After he left this week, everybody was talking about him. So I was at that that set of practices at first practice. Nobody, nobody could do anything with him. I talked to some, some office of lineman from that year. They were terrified of him. So you, you've played against a lot of these guys,

you know, so you kind of know what you can do. How, how do you separate yourself? Oh, really, this week, I just want to separate myself by like, just trying to do like a little extra things, like whatever, whatever the coaches need to be done, or whatever they are going to do, the small things that can separate me. I can just try and do whatever I can do. You know, to be, to be a dominant player at your position, you have to have like a pretty big mean streak, right? You want to have to like crush your opponent's bones into the dust. And you actually seem like a kind of a nice guy.

So, uh, how do you find that? Uh, well, first I ain't first I ain't really a nice guy. You know, I really I feel like I think I usually just like kind of like let it all build up and just to go out on the field and let it go. I feel like any football any real football player knows like there's really like you like your calm space for us. So you say let it all build up.

Like, is that before practice, before games where how do you do that? You know, like in, in this day and age, you mean, it's a lot of people that be like having mental battles or like, do you never know what a person struggling with, so just like kind of like using that like negative energy and turning it to positive energy, you know, and you're not trying to let the negative control your day So you don't you don't go read me like so Ari's bad about reading Mean tweets about himself like people are nasty to him online and he fights back But I have a feeling if you could go to football practice and then take it out in an offensive line, I'm better

I probably still get my ass kicked. Andy. Probably. Yeah He so he went up to Jalen Carter He probably would. So, he went up to Jalen Carter a few years ago and he's like, he's like one rep against you. What what what are my chances and I'm like 0%. So, Walter, here's this one. Are you ready? Yeah.

Okay. So, I'm playing right guard and you're lined up against me and there's a seven step drop. The quarterback's not allowed to throw the football. Okay. And if I prevent you from touching the quarterback for five seconds, I get five million dollars. I get five million dollars. So, it's kinda like a adrenaline rush for me because for you, it's just a rep and for me, it's like life changing

money and it kinda reminds me of like when a mother picks up a car when they're child, for me, it's like life changing money and it kind of reminds me of like when a mother picks up a car when their child, right? It's like this adrenaline. I mean, think about like what would be like in it for me versus what would be in it for

you. Do you think I could beat you for one rep? No, I like your confidence though. I'm just saying it's not even confidence. It would be adrenaline at that point. Five seconds. I don't know. Okay. What what what's the normal hold time for a drop back? Three seconds or two and a half seconds or two and a half. I know but you don't think I would like find like that No, same adrenaline works

If like stopping this man was the difference between five million dollars, I think I could like I would like murder somebody I mean do it if you got also he did say he wasn't a nice guy. He probably wouldn't take it easy I know he would not so do you ever like So, you think that's a 0% chance? What if I had five months to train? Yeah, I got this in five months. I think he's gonna use this five months more wisely than you. I've got the train to beat me. Do you ever think like makeup that like people like lined up across from you were like talking **** about you in your head? Like, do you ever think like makeup that like people like lined up across from you were like talking shit about you in your head

like you ever like play that mental game, yes, I like I don't really talk a lot, but you know some some player they just So if a player talk to me, it's just make it a long day for them. So Really? I just do more playing and talk You ever play an offensive lineman that didn't talk but just like growled or grunted? Yeah, what game was that? I think we were playing Arkansas and the guard just kept on burning.

But man, at least you ain't talking trash. What is that, like an intimidation factor? I've never heard of that. What do you mean? Like, I think this question for the office alarm. It only don't work. So was it like the tennis players who like grunt when they hit the ball? Yeah.

Oh, yeah. That'd be kind of a weird run. Yeah. I don't know if I that might that might take me out of my game a little bit. Man, I'll be focused on the main thing. Just win the game. When you're on the ground. I don't know what the tone of the

front is. How much trash talking is happening in the trenches? Because you know, they always show like on TV and stuff like corners, jawing and receivers and stuff like when you are lined up, but you can't there's no vantage point of like people actually have mouthpieces. Like yeah, like so like inside like in the seconds before snap, I mean, maybe everyone's focused because you got to listen to the snap counter or whatever. But like, do people talk talk trash to your face like right before the snap sometimes? Not like it's more like a like after the snap thing I am between the whistles like it ain't as big as you see the wide receivers and DB getting into it. But most of the time if you want to change it, you're gonna hit some trash.

most of the time if you're on the trenches, you're going to hear some trash talk. So, you talk about this this next Aaron Donald thing. I'm thinking about the way these practices work at the Senior Bowl. Like everybody, everybody comes to watch the one-on-one pass, bro. Everybody. What's it going to be like when you're down there and you got a couple guys but then everybody in the NFL surrounding you? Uh, really just the same thing I've been doing but times no. You can say it on this show and uh you know, that's that's the situation Ari just explained to you except it's not man versus

man with with you and him. It's man versus I'm saying like your life goes on to be the same either way whether you win the rep or not, you'll be fine like to me, it's the difference between that and uh 1994 Mercedes SL 500 and I if I lose

the be be crazy. I I think going to be. If I lose the rebuild, be be crazy. I I think you would drop out of the draft like you'd go from first round undrafted for if you lost a rep to him in one on one pass. It would be hurt. What if the only person watching was the person

paying me and nobody would ever know like you had no motivation but the only motivation on my side is you gotta listen to you gotta listen. I feel like you still gonna go tell somebody like you still gonna go tell somebody you beat me.

You know he's he's tweeting it out right after. That's like I'm just saying I'll be Walter Nolan and if my rep if me beating you didn't have an impact on your future like and it had all the impact on my future. I would have the

adrenaline in that scenario and I'm not a small guy. I mean, I got, I don't know. I mean, if I'm being honest. Every time I see that football, I don't know. It just, I don't know. It just turns on. You know, it's crazy, Andy. Like, it seems like yesterday, but remember when everybody was just like maniacally following your recruitment? And like where your family was moving and like where you were going and all that stuff.

Like, can you take me back just a few years ago to what that was like and, you know, kind of just like how different things have maybe been now? Oh, you know, coming out of high school, I was kind of highly recruited, you know. I feel like compared to like the high school level and going to college, I feel like, you know, they kind of forgot about me, but, you know, I feel like compared to like the high school level and going to college, I feel like, you know, they kind of forgot about me but you know, I feel like

that's why I'm here. I feel like that's why a lot of players here honestly but in high school, you know, more attention, more and more people want to talk to you more, more everything honestly and I kind of not not saying I didn't like it but I kind of enjoyed the little quiet time I got, you know, in college. Was there pressure being part of that Texas A&M class that everybody was talking about?

Nah, there was never no pressure, you know. But, I mean, everybody gonna talk, but it's really, it's the same thing we've been doing since we were little, so I don't really feel like it's no pressure. I mean, I know that everyone's direction changed, but at the time I think the, the stat and you might correct me if you know what Andy was 18 top 100 players, seven top 100 defensive lineman. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like, what was it like to, like, when you were headed there, like, did you, did you think that that was going to, obviously you did, but like, think

that that was going to go differently? Man. Man. Cause we thought we were talking about Natty and stuff. I mean, I don't know about we I was because I was like, you don't sign a class like that and not win, you know? Yeah, I know. Honestly, that kind of hurt. You know, I already I kind of I kind of wish I had things were a little different. I end up finishing my career and them but you know, So God got a plan for everybody and maybe maybe it wasn't that time for us to win and that he but we thought it was I got the plans for us. How was that last year at Ole Miss? How did that change your trajectory?

I mean I feel like I kind of winning my My third season, well, going to Ole Miss especially, I just felt like it was kind of like that time and I started waking people back up and just trying to remind them of who I am and who I'm gonna be in the future.

Do you feel like you showed in your college experience, two years at A&M and one year at Ole Miss, what you can do or do you feel like there's more people need to see? I feel like there's a lot people still need to see. You know, after the season I went straight back to the lab, you know, it's straight back time to work. I feel like I don't got better on my pads, I don't sharpen up some of my tools, so you know, I'm just here to show that off. So it kind of feels like, and I don't know if I'm just picking up on this, but just like you're like quietly really, really motivated to try to, you know, get all that attention back that maybe you didn't get from that high school recruitment right now at the most important time of your life.

Yeah, I just, not, not, I, well, I understand what you said. I felt kind of a little dis Well, there there was a guy now you're taller than him, but he was a little under 300 pounds when he came here. I already know. That's right. Next one. It ain't nothing to be said. Anybody watching this, just tune in this week.

Walter, good luck. Thanks so much for being here, Walter. And if you ever want to, you know, I'm just saying like you're going off to the NFL, like you're going to be, you're going to be in a pretty good position. I feel like this is the kick of like the kick of destiny thing, the rep of destiny. Like you're going to get Rose versus Joe scenario. Yeah, you're going to get paralyzed, but it's okay. Could you imagine though, like if we set that up though, and like, even if I got blown up

and just fill in here's where I'm coming from this Walter. So I was I was a walk on 240 pound offensive lineman at Florida who had to play against first rounders on the scout team. So I know what it's like to be small and get hit by a first rounder. Yeah. And how little time you will actually block that person. So I am laughing my ass off watching watching the confidence come out. I am laughing my ass off watching the confidence come out. I mean, I'm laughing too. I just ain't gonna laugh at this. So, you know, talking to the second team, Honorable Mention,

JV Fullback from Cape Creek, Arizona right now. Like I don't like to know if you know. There are fullbacks anymore. Thank you you Walter. That is Walter Nolan and Ari. I laugh more and more. Every time I think about the idea of you going against Walter Nolan.

You know that I'm a good company man. Like I do it for the sake of the show. I know you would. I don't think the senior bowl would let us do it. I haven't seen Jim Maggie walking around here yet. We're going to ask him, though, and see if we can just patch you up. Well, during the drills here, they don't wear pads, right?

They do wear pads, yes. OK. Yes. Like you say, you always have that weird defensive line, offensive line, at least at recruiting camps, where it's like they're rushing the passer, but they're not wearing pads. Yeah, those are the worst

videos by the way if you if you think one video of two guys who aren't wearing pads tells you anything about which one is a better offensive or defensive lineman. Probably not unless it's a video of Walter Nolan and Ari because I can guarantee you that Walter Nolan is better than Ari. Here's the thing I will say. I don't think I would get hurt. I think it would be. I think there's a good chance you get hurt. I think I think it would be painful and uncomfortable but like I don't think I would get hurt. I think it would be, I think there's a good chance you get hurt. I think I think it would be painful and uncomfortable. But like, I don't think I would like die. Like it's like, do you want to like pass protect against Walter Nolan or get punched in the face

by Prime Mike Tyson? Like, it's no, no, no. So you're in football pads, the Prime Mike Tyson is like way worse. And I genuinely understand that I sound ridiculous. And like, all I'm the question isn't like whether or not I could lock him up. The question is how far can human adrenaline take you? Because a few of us were talking about it after we recorded the interview. Like, could you cut him? Because if you cut him and he doesn't, and he can't scramble that, like, because Walter Nolan's athletic enough that if you cut him, he probably can still get up and get at the quarterback. But if you cut him well enough, maybe. Well, here's the thing that I think he would just jump you. I think it would just hurdle you like Jalen Carter

hurdled that dude yesterday. The thing that's being lost in this is that when you think about blocking a human being like that, you think about the power and the sheer force. It's the speed. It's the speed. It's the speed. Like he would hit me before I even got up. That's the part.

Like that's the thing that would suck. When you see the hands moving, because you actually can't see their hands moving. It's just a blur. And so you're trying to get your hands on them and they are doing like 10 different things to your hands before you can get them onto there. And it is amazing.

The only thing I'm questioning though is how far can the human brain take you physically? Like if you if you are like, like, what's the stakes be like, if it meant like defending my family, if you can convince your brain, you're in a fight for your life. Yeah, maybe. And it was interesting hearing Walter talk about that. Because, you know, obviously, you can't ramp up like that every play. Like you're I don't think the brain can handle that without burning out. But he talks about kind of building that up

before he goes into a game or before he goes into a practice situation. Like in the water boy when he pretends that they're having fun of his mama. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Whereas Cletus from, yeah, from Smokey and the Bandit. I can't remember what the, in his imagination, what they were saying to him though.

Were they calling him a? Well, you had the professor that got mad at him. Remember the professor where he said, my mama said that I'm gonna get so mad because he got a toothbrush. No, I know, but I can't remember what the Lyman, so something about water sucks, it really, really sucks. By the way, one of the guys who played the offensive line, one of the offensive tackles that that Adam Sandler

just destroys the Bobby Boucher destroys is former Florida Gator James Bates and he played linebacker at Florida. He's got some great stories from the waterboy set. Great photos from back then. Yeah, that was a I played with a couple of guys who were in that movie. Todd Holland, who played Meany, the Meany defensive end from the other team. Oh, yeah, that guy was scary. So he played with that guy. He was like two lockers down for me. He actually signed with LSU as a scholarship guy, came to Florida as a walk-on as a transfer. And yeah, we were the same workout group and was I mean, no, Todd's like the

nicest guy in the world. But he but he is six foot seven. You balled red. He's a redhead, but he shaved his head. So he had the red goatee. He's terrifying. He told us in the locker room one time he's like, you know, I might be a professional wrestler someday. And then he got hooked in with sailor and got in a bunch of sailor movies. So it was was pretty good trying to remember what he looks like it's been a long time so here's the thing do you think I would win a rep if like protecting my family was the stakes only if I like we could get you with

like Jeff Stoutland or like a great offensive line coach and he could teach you to cut him I don't know that's That's your only shot. How many people? You have no shot if you don't cut him. How many people were like watching the show back when we were at the athletic, but this originally started with me telling I could do it with the Jalen Carter. And like that's probably.

I think Walter found a lot more humor in it than Jalen. Jalen was like, I would literally murder you. And now he's like doing things. And he's doing it to actual NFL, uh, actual NFL offensive lineman. I love the arrogance that it takes to like look a NFL prospect who might go in the top few days in the eyes. I could lock you up. It's the Dunning Krueger effect.

Yeah. In effect. Um, you know what my favorite thing about this podcast family though is? Um, Steve can already have a weapon. I don't even think that would help. Nope. It's like the entire show we're talking and it's just a Ohio state Michigan debate in the chat right now. I said it actually before it happened.

We were, as the Walter Nolan interview was playing, I said, we get one Connor Stallion's comment a day at least, and we hadn't had one yet. And now we've had one well when we got back from the video and you saw me and Andy laughing that was a legitimate like genuine laugh of dot saying we did it man we did it dot in the chat is is my favorite dot never gave up hope dot came on right after Ohio State lost to Michigan it was was like, it doesn't matter. Winning an Addy, not getting stopped.

Dot was a true believer the entire time. We did it, man. And I appreciate Dot. And I love that he is feeling that a week later. Like usually like, you know, the euphoria of winning the national title lasts for a few days. Not that it's not a memory you keep forever, but like that is like something that you would say like a minute after the games

over. He's like riding the wave. Oh, the thing is, it's yeah. Dot a minute after Michigan beat Ohio State was like, Oh, I say so many, it doesn't matter. Yeah, they're going to win the natty. Well, he was probably right. Um, but listen, very busy week here. Andy was a really fun episode. Thank you to Walter Nolan for coming on the show. And of course, now is an important week in your life. So good luck to you in your pursuit of being the Aaron Donnell of this event.

I cannot wait to see what he does. Because like I said when we had Jim Nagy on the last time, the one-on-one pass pro drills at the senior bowl are the most intense. Because it is guys actually fighting for money like it that's the best way to describe it because You can make or break yourself In about a five minute span and and I think the thing that you you said during the interviews that we've done today

Is that the the practices are more important than the game. I know they show the game on tv Um, but what you do? Yeah, with the NFL Network? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I guess we just have to like, wasn't the combine on like a month? But this is so much better. No, but I'm saying like, we have to change our brains into NFL draft mode. And like, I would like to hear from you guys, too, of like, how interested are you in the draft? And how much do you feel a connection to your favorite players once they leave your school? Like, I mean, like in the past, like, my thought was, once they're gone, they're on to the next people. But I do think that there is a connection and, you know, Look at the draft as a recruiting tool. Like, we, what did we say about Brian Hartline earlier in the show? Like, Brian

Hartline, what his players have been able to do in the draft and then once they get in the NFL, reflects directly on him. And you know who the perfect litmus test for that is? A guy like Jalen Milrow. Yes. Who might not be the most popular human in Tuscaloosa at the moment. Yes.

But at the same time, are Alabama fans on the edge of their seat, hoping he can play himself into the top end of the second round? That's a great question. Is that what's happening right now? I don't know. I think it's probably a split know. I think it's probably

a split opinion on Jalen Milro. Jalen Milro goes out to be like Jalen Hurts one day? Yeah. And so they can claim him? Is that a thing that revs your engine in the offseason as we're gearing up towards spring football? I don't know. But the best thing about it is just being able to talk about college football with people who just left college football is always fun So yeah happy to be here in Mobile There's some tanker over there that weighs like 500 million take Ari on the battleship later is 500 million. Yeah Yeah, I have no idea how much what do you think the over under on that tanker was? I don't know I'm just gonna take you to Felix's fish camp We'll eat some turtle soup and we'll look out at all the container ships and battleships and what's turtle soup?

soup made with turtles. What? Yeah. You never had turtle soup before? You mean like the, you're eating turtle? Yeah. What? Turtles are like kids' pets.

I mean, if you find one on the side of the road, sure, but they're quite tasty. You're gonna look me in the eyes right now and tell me you've eaten turtle? Yes, I've eaten turtle. Let's wrap this thing up. I'm no Xavier LeJet. I'm not, I'm not, you know.

I think I've had squirrels. Is that like actually the thing that we're gonna go eat today? Cause I'm not gonna get that. I'm gonna get it for you. We might eat turtle. I might let you eat some of my turtles. I'm gonna get chicken fingers.

And I'm gonna dip them in ketchup. Yeah, when in Rome, order chicken fingers. We'll talk to you tomorrow.