College Football Live - CFB LIVE - BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS CONTINUE

Episode Date: July 29, 2026

Join our crew Zubin Mehenti, Roddy Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, and Pete Thamel on College Football Live as Big Ten media days continue! Can Ohio State learn from last year's losses? Will Oregon finally shine when the moment is brightest? Hear directly from Oregon's Dante Moore as he joins the show to discuss his decision to stay another year. And meet the Big Ten's newest coaches as Pat Fitzgerald and Bob Chesney take the podium. All this and more on College Football Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Chicago was known as the second city. It's the second day of Big Ten media days, and this league has proven to be second to none because those three championship trophies on your screen prove who runs college football for the moment. You saw Ryan Day at the podium there. He's one of six guys that'll be speaking. We'll hear from Day in just a moment.

Dan Lannning also at the mic. And speaking to landing, his quarterback Dante Moore. We'll join college football live here in our first segment in just a couple of minutes. You're a duck fan, huddles fan, hang tight, it's coming. Welcome inside. I'm Zubin Mahenty here with Dusty and Roddy. And we're going to begin, guys, by talking about the most rock-solid program in America that is great,

no matter how many pieces they shed. And every year, it's something or another. They had seven guys taken on defense in the 2026 NFL draft. We're going to dig into that. Ryan Day is going to tell us how they keep replenishing on the way. He had to make some changes to his own. offensive staff to Arthur Smith, formerly an NFL head coach, is into replace Heartline, who is a former Ohio State legend now running USF, and you still got Sagan.

And Smith, and coach wants you to know his quarterback is big on the intangibles moving forward. I think for Julian, you look for some traits that are extraordinary about him. I think the first thing he recognizes his accuracy, his intelligence level, he's highly, highly motivated. He's really embraced this leadership role. When you combine that with our offensive line, we're as experienced and deep as I think we've ever been since I've been at Ohio State. This is

only the third time since I've been in Ohio State that we've had the same quarterback come back for a second year. And that's a big deal. That is a big deal. Roddy, I want to start with you here. It's funny. If you take a look at his last three OCs, right, you want to go Heartline, Chip Kelly, Arthur Smith. As players or coaches, they were all once way bigger than Ryan Day. And now they're

lock into Columbus to coach under him. What do you make of this constant evolution of their offense? When you've got the raw materials that Ohio State constantly has in the talent, that's what's going to attract elite play callers to come and work under Ryan Day. Also,

his offensive acumen is a big part of it as well. But this Ohio State offense this year under Arthur Smith may evolve a little bit, but I expect it to still be tremendous. I mean, you've got a 3,000 yard passer, a 1,000-yard rush, or 1,000-yard receiver all returning. He mentioned the experience on the offensive line.

You've got four of five starters on the offensive line returning. And for a team that lost 11 draft picks last year, including four in the first round, only four of those draft picks were on the offensive side of the ball. And only one of the first rounders was on the offensive side. And that was Carnell Tate, who went number four overall. So the talent drain was mostly on defense. This offense does still be tremendous.

And with Ryan Day as the architect of this offense, I expect that Arthur Smith will add some twists, but it will largely be things that Julian saying both are comfortable with and that Jeremiah Smith, one of the best players in college football, is good at. Yeah, Roddy, this offense is going to be elite, plain and simple, and they've got all the pieces, wide receivers. Jeremiah Smith, for me, is the best player in all of college football. I can't wait to see Chris Henry Jr., the five-star wide receiver

that sounds as if with that link that he has is going to be that next great wide receiver in Ohio State. But with Arthur Smith coming in, it's going to be more of a pro-style offense, run heavy. They love the, he loves the wide zone, heavy play action, deep vertical shots, which is going to set up Jeremiah Smith down the field. Utilize that accuracy that we have with Julian saying, what I think could really thrive in this is the tight-in room. Nate Roberts is a name to know, young, highly recruited prospect out of the state of Oklahoma. He's going to be the starter, but you'll see two and three tight-in sets in this Arthur Smith

offense. And when I look at Bo Jackson in the backfield with that veteran offensive line with more tight-in usage, I think Bo Jackson is the one that's prime to really take a big jump. Thousand yards a a season to go 600-yard games. I think he's the one that can really thrive.

This offense is going to have balance and it's going to be a problem for all the defenses in the Big Ten zoos. No doubt. Speaking of problem, it could be a minor blip, but in late October, early November, these are the three games in a row Ohio State will face. Indiana, USC, and Oregon. That could be their

toughest regular season stretch. Speaking of the Ducks, can they take that last step? That step to win their first national championship. You know they were the number one scene in the playoff a couple years ago, reached the CFP semi-final last year. The last two years, the only teams they've lost to were the teams that have won the national championship. They were replacing both sides of the

coordinator-wise, that's what happens when you win. Your coordinators become head coaches. They got two new faces. We'll talk about them. One familiar face back. The one and only, Dante Moore, who so many people in Eugene. We're excited to see return for another season, and it is great to have Dante Moore join us here on college football live.

First things, first, Dante. We'll start at the beginning. Your journey is so interesting. About four years ago, right here on ESPN, you committed to the Oregon Ducks. You ended up going to UCLA, and then he went back to Oregon. Take me inside the process of realizing, you know what, I'm better with you, you're better with me, and I'm coming back to Eugene. Yeah, it's been an interesting journey.

Of course, the best time in this world is God's timing. And, of course, I had the chance to declare last year, but I wanted to come back just for more for preparation. Just to sharpen my tools. And it's create great memories of my teammates this year. A lot of us came back. It's gonna be one great year and we're excited for this upcoming year. What was it like though when you kind of spurned Oregon initially and then said I want to come back? So I would imagine it takes a lot on both sides to admit that that's a reunion worth having.

Yeah, even when I went to UCLA to play for Chip Kelly, Coach Lennon of course, you know, just admired it. He was just like, hey, it's okay. But when I got the chance to call him to say I wanted to transfer there, I mean at the end of the day it was just a great decision. And from there it's been great memories we've created from now. And this upcoming year is going to be one for sure that we're going to chase history. And he's done a great job pushing me. The players have done a great job as all season, getting ready for this upcoming season.

But yeah, my teammates, I love him to death, and we're excited. So tell me about this. You're a bona fide five-star recruit that came back to sit, and you were cool sitting. The guy behind you right now is a bona fide five-star recruit, Dylan Riola. He's got no problem sitting behind you. In this NIL portal, give me the money I want to get to the NFL world. You do not see that. And we have it in Oregon two years in a row.

What does that say about the culture of the program? Yeah, I hope I started a good trend. I kind of feel that with me coming back, or even with me being at the chance to sit behind, Dylan Gabriel, it was great. I got the chance to learn from a vet, of course, had the chance to sharpen my tools out offseason, learn the offense.

And with Dylan Ryola coming in, you know, it was a quarterback that, of course, came straight to me and said, I'm willing to learn. He's pushing me in the weight room. He's pushing me on the football field. He's a great guy. He's a great person. But yeah, I mean, Coach Land has done a great job.

Just, you know, molding our team. Making sure that if you're coming in, we're going to compete. But if it's not time yet, you know, just keep competing. And one day, you'll go see the field and go ball out. All right. Talk to me about the NFL decision and exactly what you were thinking about once you decided to return. I know you have team goals. You want to be the quarterback of their first ever national champion.

What do you specifically need to work on Saturdays before we see you on Sunday? Yeah. The biggest thing. for me was preparation. Just being able to go out there and see pre-snap and post-knit better. Of course, to sharpen my tools, though. I mean, also, I mean, the memories that created this past year with my teammates, and we felt so short, you know, coming to what we want to do for the first time in Oregon history.

And, you know, we can't look too far ahead. You know, we've been stacking days and make sure we've been pushing each other in the off-season. But, yeah, with this upcoming year, we have great talent. But talent can only take you so far. So we're going to make sure we push through, make sure we have, you know, competitive stamina throughout the whole year through the four quarters. And make sure we go out there and, you know, handle our business and go one game at a time. Last thing, the best headline I saw the entire off season came from you on March 16th,

when you wrote a letter to the governor of Oregon talking about some struggles, you would have the depression and mental health. In this sport where we celebrate gladiators, what was the impetus to come out and be so open and vulnerable about what you were going through? Yeah, mental health is huge. It was a personal experience I went through my freshman year and I still go through this day. But I've created a team around me. me that if it's someone that I go to and pray about or if it's someone that I just talk to every day, just checking them my mental. That's what it's all about. Everybody sees on the football field making these plays and want us to be these great human beings, but at the end of the day,

we're still human. When it comes to us being on the football field, even off the football field, everybody wants us to be at our best. So when things like that happen, I know I'm not the only one going through that problem. There's also other athletes as well, but I also want to be an advocate for it. You know, someone not going to do it, I'll do it. Make sure that we get the support that we need. And at the end of the day, we're human. And Ments was, of course, the most important thing. I love it. Using your stage in a positive way, as you once said about coming out and talking about it publicly,

no matter who you are, no matter how much money you make, we all lay our head on the pillow at night and wake up and do it the next morning. It's been a pleasure to talk to you. Best of luck and continue growing on and off the field, Dante. Thanks, man. Thank you. Go Ducks. You got it.

On the way from Goodbye to Goodell. How in the world does Ohio State keep replacing all the talent they lose, particularly on one side of the ball. Ryan Day with the answer himself when college football live continues as we now sit about five weeks away from the start of the season. Hear that? It's your money calling. It wants a promotion.

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one thing that hasn't is that fuzzy feeling you get when WestJet welcomes you on board. Here's to WestJetting since 96. Travel back in time with us and actually travel with us at WestJet.com, slash 30 years. Back so is SummerSlam this weekend in Minnesota and the heart of Big Ten country. Probably good news for Gophers fans. You do not have Ohio states on your schedule this year. The Buckeyes can schedule anytime they want players, just a conveyor belt from college

to the NFL. Seven guys drafted last year alone. Three in the top 11. I thought offense won in the NFL. Ryan Day knows it's tough, but they always are dealing with the smallest of D.E. details in Columbus. Every year you look at the things that have gone well and then you look at the things that came up short and I think when you're chasing small margins like we are you have to identify the things that

need to get fixed and fix them. I think this year based on the way our schedule looks and the way it's laid out you know we're going to get some early feedback in these games and we're going to have to play well down the stretch in the fourth quarter and then we have a lot of guys who are coming in for the first time that they need to prove themselves and that's good too. Everybody's got something on the line. We're going three wide as Pete Thammel is joining us. And Pete, let's start with you. It does say something when your two losses last year came to the teams that ended up playing for the national championship. What are you seeing on the defensive side of the ball here for the Buckeyes? Well, Zubin, I'm seeing a lot of Ohio State fans reach for their programs trying to figure out who some of these guys are.

The Buckeyes and a bit of a departure from how they've operated are going to start five or six transfers, half of the players, on the defensive side of the ball. And look, we've seen a bit of an identity shift as Ryan Day has evolved as a head coach at Ohio State. They played a lot of complimentary football last year. They were comfortable being in close games. It felt a little bit like the AFC East and not the Big Ten, right? So as Ohio State has gone on,

we're going to see John Walker start a defensive tackle who comes in from Central Florida. We're to see James Smith come in from Alabama and start. Christian Allegro, a veteran linebacker who comes in from Wisconsin. Earl Little, a versatile nickel, who came from Florida State by Alabama, is going to be, and these are going to be players who Ohio State is going to rely on. Ryan Day made it a point to say because of the caliber of the schedule,

they're going to have to win a lot of games in the fourth quarter, and they're going to have to rely on that defense, Dusty, to do that. Yeah, they are, Pete, and those are the names to keep an eye on. And I look at James Smith, you know, up front, replacing Caden McDonald, who was such a force on the inside of that Ohio State defense. When you talk to Matt Patricia, he wants to build his defense inside out, so he could be a Kekog. And then obviously replacing Caleb Down.

You saw not one but two very good proven veteran safeties. Earl Little Jr. is going to be a big factor. Terry Moore, I think he's a nice get from Duke. But one thing I was so impressed with was the job Matt Patricia did last year. And I think that he's an excellent teacher, both of technique at all three levels, and then of his scheme and how the players fit in the scheme. And it wasn't overly complex. They were pretty basic.

They were pretty vanilla. and allow these guys to play fast. Kenyatta Jackson, another big-time veteran player who will be an anchor on that front of the defensive line. Last season, they were like otherworldly good, giving up under 10 points per game, which we haven't seen in the past decade. They won't be that good.

I expect them to be solid, but naturally, Roddy, I think they take a bit of a step back, losing all that production in NFL talent. Yeah, they will take that slight step back. How big this step is, going to be the big question. Dusty, you mentioned something that I'm fascinated by. Last year, they had a lot of the high-end talent. I mean, three players drafted in the top

11 picks on that defense, two of them at linebacker alone, Caleb Downs on the back end, NFL, guys that are going to play a long time in the NFL. They don't necessarily have that with the transfers that they brought in. So how much more complicated, how much more stuff does Matt Patricia have to do to overcome the lack of high-end NFL talent? It's going to be a big question I have, But the complimentary football is going to be interesting. Do they do some stuff offensively to slow down the game to make that defense play less possessions? With an offense as high powered as Ohio states, you know that they're going to be efficient, but how fast will they go or will they go more NFL style with Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator?

It's some of the unanswered questions that we have, Zubin, about Ohio State going into this season. Yeah, and as Ryan Day said, we'll find some answers in September and October as you look at the schedule, but everything for them might revolve around a game on November 7th where they'll play. the Oregon Ducks. Last two years. It's one of those crazy stats I mentioned earlier in the show. Their only losses have been the teams that have won the national championship. Remember, they were the number one seed in the Rose Bowl a couple years ago,

and everybody thought, yeah, they're going to roll. But then they had the layoff. It didn't work. And then they lost Indiana twice last year. Once in Eugene, but I think a lot of people started to believe, I think Mendoza is the real deal. This was the game where people are like, whoa, watch out for Indiana. And then, whoa, watch out for Indiana in the Peach Bowl. This thing was an absolute route.

Dan Lending earlier today on the Pat McAvey Show. Ohio State's got to reload with talent. Dan Lanning needs to reload with the coaches on the sideline that he'll have been implementing this year, but they hope to be a dream year for the ducks. Yeah, this is the, we've had three guys go on to become head coaches in my four years here, which I think speaks volumes of what we've created. And I'm really excited for, you know, Tosh and Will and their opportunity

what that looks like. But I'm also excited about the guys that we got to, you know, bump up here with Will and with Drew and Chris Hampton. Both those guys have been a part of our team the last several years. They understand how we do it. They're going to bring some new ideas and fresh energy to the program.

So I'm excited to see what they'll be able to accomplish. Okay. Dusty, let's start with you. This has been mentioned. Oregon has been close to the mountaintop. Very close to the mountain top. But they have never scaled it in their great football history. What are the expectations this year

with a guy like Dante Moore? We talked to coming back and this team having the talent it has. I think it's the best team from a talent perspective that Dan Landings had. And look, he's had a lot of success. And they've been taking step to the semifinal last year. I think they take another step with this talent this season. And it's not because of Dante Moore in the offense, though it's appealing.

Give me that defense. I think this could be the best defense in all of college football. I'm going to start in the front four where they are absolutely loaded. Bear Alexander, Mateo Ui, Ungla, Laet. Amari Washington is a mountain inside, Tuioi coming off the edge. And you look at that secondary, Benny, flowers.

And oh, by the way, you had a player in Coy Perich, who's one of the best defensive players in this transfer portal cycle from Minnesota. He's a playmaker. I think Chris Hampton is an outstanding defensive coach. I had him at Tulane a couple of years ago when he was there. I love his energy.

He's been there three years. I think they are just going to really hit their stride this year. And as far as offensively, I just like these hires because you're promoting from within. There's continuity. Drew Marringer knows exactly what Dante Moore likes. They've got weapons galore running back at wide receiver. Jamari Johnson back at tied in. This team is primed and ready, Roddy, I think, to make a run at a national championship this season.

Dusty, I'm proud of you as a defensive guy for not spending the entire time talking about the defense. Because this offense is going to be one of the best in college football led by the guy who Zubin just talked. to Dante Moore, had he come out last year, would have likely been the number two picking the draft and the number two quarterback taken. And look, he is trying to find the little improvement. He mentioned pre-snap, post-snap reads, throwing with more anticipation. Those are the things he needs to do against high-level talent. But when you return to Corey and Moore, Evan Smith and Jeremiah McClellan at wide receiver, he's got Jordan Davidson and Deere Hill, a couple of freshmen a year ago, combined for 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns. And then Jamari

Johnson back at Tide Andrews, poise to take a seat. step. I think this offense is going to be rolling. As long as they can figure out that offensive line where they'll likely start a freshman at one of the tackle spots. Yeah, Roddy, I really think that a lot of people focused on Dante Moore's decision to come back, and rightfully so. He would have been one of the top two picks in the draft. But when you really talk to scouts about Oregon, there was equal surprise that Amari Washington, the starting defensive tackle, decided to return this year.

Dusty mentioned him earlier as a mountain of a man. He's probably a biscuit short of 340. He makes Dusty look like a cross-country runner. And simply put, these are the types of guys that Nick Saban built his defensive lines around. Remember, Dan Lannning learned at Alabama. He learned at Georgia. Oregon straight up has the best defensive line in the entire country. It's a caliber of talent that Clemson had during Davos Sweeney's glory run there from 15 to 19.

But it all starts with Amari Washington, a man who cannot be moved, even if Dan Lannick does get that Waffle House he talked about today and Eugene to help with recruiting. Oh, so we got the biscuit. We got the Waffle House. I don't have any breakfast. but I do have a nugget, maybe like a chicken nugget for breakfast, and that is, simply put, Oregon has played for the BCS national title. They have played for the CFP national title.

They just need to win one of them. On the way here on College Football Live, three years out of the game, it took fits three seconds to let people know what it means to be back. And how about Bob Chesney taking the sick route? We'll explain that. First year head men, Big Ten.

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And it's ready to go from day one so you can hit the ground running. Bring it with SAP Grow. AI Cloud ERP for any size business. We got four new coaches in the Big Ten, including Kyle Whittingham. He'll speak tomorrow. Bob Chesney and Pat Fitzgerald spoke today, both at different points in their coaching journeys. I understand, you know, the gravity of exactly where we're at and just how good these

coaches are, just how good these players are, just how tough these venues are to play in. I get all that, right? And for me, it's got to be about the foundational elements that we bring to this program that I think travel regardless of the level you're at. I think you're going to have 18 head football coaches, Jim, walk up here and have an expectation to win the Big Ten championship. And if you don't have that expectation, I don't know why you do it. I have no idea why you do it. And that's our expectations. expectation. And when I was a student athlete, I heard this guy once say we're going to take the

purple to Pasadena and people laughed at them and we're going to take the green back to being Big Ten champions. I wouldn't say I have a chip on my shoulder. I wouldn't say our program has a chip on our shoulder. I'd say we have a bag of chips on our shoulder. Dusty, I think he's referencing his alma mater, doing him dirty, but he's back. What do you make of his return to the Big Ten? I love

that he's back. Look, I'm a huge, Pat Fitzgerald fan. That guy was a mess what happened in Northwestern. And I'm glad that that's behind him. And he's got a new program, a program that's struggling. Michigan State hasn't had a winning record since 2021. And we haven't seen Pat Fitzgerald on a sideline leading a team since 2022. A lot of new faces in East Lansing.

I don't know what the win total is this year, but I'm a believer in Pat Fitzgerald Zubz and I am so glad for Michigan State and for college football. He's back on a sideline. And then Roddy, UCLA fans are glad they have Chesney because he's brought some energy. Energy and wins, Zubin. And he won at D3, Salve Regina. He won at D2 Assumption. He won at the FCS level at Holy Cross.

He won at the group of six level at James Madison, taking them to a college football playoff. If you are betting against Bob Chesney, do it at your own peril. I have no doubts that he is going to win at UCLA. The question is how many this year? I'm not quite sure, but I think there'll be a bold team. They've got one of the most talented quarterbacks in the Big Ten.

No doubt. And from what I understand, a lot of people do bet these days. So that's probably apropos. Indiana and Michigan at the mic tomorrow. In a sunny Californian suburb, one family's home is unusually quiet. When detectives walked into that house, they said that it was like time just stood still. It's 2010, and the mixed day family is nowhere to be found. Inside the home, no clear answer where the family could have gone.

Husband, wife, and two children are gone, like poof, disappeared. The search for the mixed days quickly captures the nation. But for years, the search for answers only brings. brings more questions. Who's ever heard of an entire family going missing? A family of four doesn't just drop off the face of the earth with no contact. Is this a family on the run? Or is the truth far more sinister?

From ABC Audio in 2020, this is what happened to the mixed days. Coming August 11th, wherever you get your podcast. Or subscribe to 2020 True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes, early access to new episodes, and so much more.