College Football Live - Manuel Warde, ACC Big Picture, and QBs

Episode Date: July 14, 2026

In today’s episode of College Football Live, we dive into the latest developments surrounding Warde Manuel and the next chapter of Michigan football, take a big-picture look at the ACC heading into the season, and spotlight some of the most anticipated quarterbacks to watch this fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome inside college football live. Media days continue tomorrow with the ACC full coverage here on college football live and the ACC network. But the Big Ten takes the center stage today, notably the Michigan Wolverines, the three most important sports of Michigan, hands down, not even close. Football, men's basketball, men's ice hockey. Football won the title three years ago. Basketball just won the title.

Men's ice hockey made the Frozen Four. You would think with those results, the athletic director would be in great shape at Michigan. That is not the case. And that's where we're going to begin the show today with some development. news for you. The future of AD Ward Manual is going to be decided later this week. We'll have more on that in a second. This all revolves around some of the things that have happened under his leadership, notably a sign-stealing scandal, and the assent support and downfall of head football

coach Sharon Moore, who of course was replaced by Kyle Whittingham. A couple days before this all goes down, Ward Manual sat down with the Michigan insider and said this. What happens in this world is that for whatever reason, people decide to put things out there about what the future is going to hold. I don't know, Sam, I think I've been fired by social media three times in my 10 years here. More importantly, it affects my staff and my family in the way that things get put out. I don't know what the future is going to be and how long I'll be in this position, but I do know that I'm here today, and I do know that I'm going to be here tomorrow.

And I do feel confident in the things that I have done. That's what Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider, an interesting tactic to take with an outside media source, a couple of days before the university releases its finding. For more on that, we bring in Pete Dammel. So Pete, he says he'll be in his job today and tomorrow. Notably, he didn't mention the rest of the week. So what exactly do we need to know about him moving forward?

Well, Zubin, the part of Ward Manual's interview with Sam Webb today that was most instructive was that he did not deny when directly asked, that he and the university are in buyout talks. That has been the presumption this week as we've essentially gotten a three-day recounting of Michigan's greatest scandal hits as Word Manual's job has flung in flux here. And administratively, Michigan has an interim president. And obviously, there's people on Michigan's board that don't want Warg Manual to continue. Whether or not he does, it appears that there will be some clarity come Thursday when Michigan's regents meet in Traverse City, Michigan. Until then, Ward Manuel's blowing in the wind, and to his credit, he went on the defensive and answered questions publicly today.

He'd be owed about $6 million, or really more than $6 million, $36-month salary, if he is fired without cause. It doesn't appear Michigan is anxious to fire him for cause, which also indicates that there's likely no smoking gun in this report. Michigan, again, is commissioned a report this cost nearly $12 million, Zubin. What that actually finds? We'll find out how much we do learn is there's not expected to be a written virgin disseminated from Michigan's genera and block law firm generated outside report. But it has been three days of Michigan administratively, and Michigan's board and Michigan's president having egg on their face as Ward Manual blows in the wind and everyone keeps bringing up the past. Yeah, we'll hopefully have some resolution on the future either way coming up later this week. And I like that you hit on the fact that it's not just the athletic department leadership that's in flux.

Michigan has had some problems at the top with school president as well. So it just all seems to be in flux and we'll see what happens later this week. It's certainly a situation I know you'll be monitoring. Pete, thank you very much. Let's just give you a primer here. I won't even charge you $12 million for this. I mean, we can just put this thing on the screen for free. We know Kyle Whittingham was hired to replace Sharon Moore,

who obviously had a tragic downfall. Bryce Underwood is ready to go in year two, one of the most highly hyped quarterbacks they've ever had there, and that says something. He was also a Michigan high school stud that people are expecting to take the next step. They do have a pretty darn tough schedule, as you would expect, in this new Big Ten that, of course, has won the last three national championships. Let's dig into this because there is so much meat on the proverbial bone for that Midwest beef out there. We got Dusty DeVorchak and Jordan Reed both joining us.

It's great to have you both. Let's just talk big picture. Jordan, I want to just start with you. When people talk about the Block M and the pride that everybody takes in Michigan and being a Michigan man, this is a sorted nightmare that they're going through. What do you make of where the program is and where they need to be? Well, there's no doubting that the program is in flux right now. And as you guys mentioned, they got stuck with egg on their face a lot over the past eight months or so.

But the good thing about them is that football is upcoming. So there is something to cheer for the program upcoming. And that's why you bring in somebody like a Cow Whittingham from Utah, who we know is going to be able to establish a floor for this program, which is what they need right now. And if you think about it, the program's at Utah, they've always been disciplined, they've been tough, and we know that they're going to compete in every single game that they're in. And that's what Michigan needs right now, something that, quote-unquote, can take their mind off of what is going on with the program.

We know Cowell Winningham is going to be able to come in and do that right away on both sides of the football. So look for him to come in and establish some type of culture, something that really revolves around the discipline of the program and restoring the tradition of what the Wolverines have been known for. Okay, so Jordan goes macro. Dusty, I want you to go micro here. He sort of touched on it the best way. way they can do this is to just get back on the field and be Michigan. So in that vein with the new head coach, with an ascending quarterback, how do you see their season? Well, look, I love the coordinator. Jason Beck did a phenomenal job, both at New Mexico and then at Utah, but Devin Dan, they're going to

run the football. It's a power spread steam number two in yards per carry last year and number two overall and rushing yards. So they're going to, this is who Michigan is. They're going to win the line of scrimmage, a veteran offensive line, and they got a two-headed monster. a running back. Jordan Marshall comes back. Davion Heider, the five-star Ballard Hood recruit. They're going to make a great compliment to another. But the real key here is Bryce Underwood. And I think he'll be utilized, you know, in this running attack. But he's got to continue to develop as a passer. I think Jason Beck is exactly what he means. This was the number one overall quarterback just two years ago. He was thrust into that spot last year as a freshman.

And it was a bit of a mixed bag. But let's keep it 100. There's some weird things going on with on more how the program is being run. I think he did a much better situation to step up and thrive. Jay Hill comes over as the defensive coordinator as well. He's going to do an excellent job with that defense, got some players that followed Coach Whittingham from Utah. So the real question for me is, if Michigan is a playoff team or not, how much growth and development do we see from Bryce Underwood in year number two?

I love the feel with the offensive coordinator. Bryce Underwood has told everybody he feels like he's going to be the best player to come out of Michigan earlier this off season. We're going to find out early and often. Oklahoma coming to town in week two is such a big game for both the Sooners and Michigan. If they win that game,

I think the Big Blue going to feel like they've got a great chance to be in that college football playoff discussion. Dusty, do you think you'll be watching that game by chance? Possibly, Zoom. I think I might be tuned in. I don't know. We'll see if I have enough time that day. We'll see. I'm going to go with yes. And speaking of

yes, yes, ACC Media Days. Does, Let's start tomorrow in Charlotte. Again, full coverage here on college football live and Taylor and Kelsey and the gang on the ACC network. You know the deal. National title appearance five times in the CFP era, but they haven't hoisted one since Trevor was there. Duke is the reigning ACC champion, but lost quarterback Darian Mensa. Obviously, you know the deal with Mensa and Duke and Miami and all of the carnage there that ensued. in the big name head coaches, James Franklin, the turnaround expert that we talked about yesterday,

and can Bill Belichick turn it around in year number two? The numbers say Miami is an overwhelming chance to win the ACC, something, by the way, that they have never done, which is pretty amazing, considering the hype they had when they first entered their league more than two decades ago. SMU and Clemson are there in double digits, and both of course, have had success in making the 12-team college football playout. So Dusty, let's go to you. Once again, ACC kickoff coming tomorrow in Charlotte. What's kind of the big storyline you're keeping your eye on? Well, one that hasn't even been broached yet.

What about Florida State's living? I mean, this still is when they're at their best, to me, the biggest football brand in the ACC. And Florida State and Mike Norville, they got to have a better season. Look, here's the reality in six years as a head coach. Mike Norvel has had four losers' years. This is a pivotal year number seven for Mike Norvel. can with Ashton Daniels is a quarterback, a lot of different transfer quarter players.

Can they rekindle what they had burning just a couple of years ago? And they go 13 and 0 and get stuck from the college football player. They don't have to do that, but they need to win again. They got to get back to a winning season, a bowl, eight wins plus. It's a tough daunting schedule that they have in front of them. But this is Florida State. There was a time in place not that long ago where this team was competing for ACC, championships and national championships. Jimbo Fisher was doing it. It's important for Florida

State to get back on track. And it's important for the ACC to have Florida State back on track. So I'm looking forward to hearing from Mike Norville tomorrow from Ashton Daniels on what the outlook is in this pivotal season for the Knowles there in Tallahassee. Yeah, Dusty, that's a great one. And you hit the nail on the head as far as Florida State getting back to the standard that they want to get to. But I'm interested to say who's going to be the surprise team in the 8th. ACC this year. Last year we saw Virginia and then also Duke competing in the ACC title game. Nobody really saw that a season ago. So is it going to be Virginia Tech now with James Franklin, now in charge? SMU is an overwhelming favorite behind Miami this year. So are they going to be the team that

gets to the ACC title game? NC State led by CJ Bailey, who has a lot of fans in that conference this year. So I'm interested to see who is going to be the surprise team in the ACC this season. Yeah, I think we discussed North Carolina State yesterday, that proverbial can they ever turn the corner and that'll be really interesting to see as you see on your screen they will be speaking tomorrow speaking of what's coming up next year on college football live i heard everybody loves quarterback talk so why not get into it the guys that jordan is absolutely keeping an eye on on the way to a 2026 football season and a 2027 NFL draft that's when college football live returns once again tomorrow ac cc media days away in full force

Twizzlers keep the fun going. Yeah, I know. I just stopped whatever you were listening to to tell you that Twizzlers keep the fun going. Well, irony isn't my forte, but twisty, chewy, yummy Twizzler sure is. So think of Twizzlers as a little palette cleanser for whatever's queued up, which, by the way, should be coming very soon. Like any second now. Okay, Twizzlers, time to keep the fun going.

For it not to be a great class and maybe the best quarterback class we've ever had. She's on fire. He's coming back to Oregon for one more year. Dutton Moore. That adds a mustard out of the minute. Stops, looks fired toward the end zone for the touchdown. Julian Sand. Harts Manning.

I'm not worried about my legacy. I'm just worried about playing ball and winning games. We're back on college football live. We put a lot of money and research into this. And apparently everybody likes talking about quarterbacks. I could have told you that for free. And Jordan happens to be an expert in the category. So let's run through first.

Some of the biggest names you need to know on Jordan's, list. And then we're going to pair this down to the guys that he really wants to dig into and the scouting report. You know, it goes from guys like Julian saying who was a Heisman finals to guys like C.J. Bailey who might not be known to the casual fan, but Jordan actually referenced in our previous segment and lots of guys in between. But I think the one guy that would nearly have a 100% awareness rate. Of course, Jordan, is Arch Manning. Let's start there with your thoughts on a scouting report for Arch heading into 2026. Yeah, Zubin, it really was a tale of two seasons, really, for Arst,

just because if you go back to the very beginning with the Ohio State game, he was very disappointed, considering the expectations for him coming in. But as the season went along, I thought he progressively got better throughout the year referencing the Florida game, even though they lost that one. It was really interesting to see him grow in that one. The Michigan game, though, is the one where the player really came together in that one. So if he can build off of that one, I think Arch Manning has a chance to be a contender for the number one overall pick, but he just has to be.

to show more consistency, specifically with his mechanics this season. There's no doubt. How about Dante Moore, who had a big decision to return to Oregon? He chose to. Yeah, he's another one that a lot of people thought could be a contender for the number one overall pick last year. He surprisingly goes back to the school, only had 20 starts at the end of last season. He's going to get over that magical number of 30 games started this year, which is what

scouts love to see, just a natural thrower of the football. But the one area scouts want to see him play better in is in big games. Both of the Indiana games, he did not play well in. Texas Tech, he did not play well in that game either. So if he can play better in those big showcase games, he's another, along with Arch Manning, that has a chance to be a contender for the number one overall pick. I mean, tough to have a bigger stage than CJ Carded in his freshman year.

What are we looking at moving forward for him? This is the one scouts have been glowing about this summer when speaking to league executives. A lot of people have very high expectations for Notre Dame this season saying that this could be one of the better teams that they had ever had under Marcus Freeman. and CJ Carr is the person that's going to be orchestrating that offense. Yesterday, I'm Price and Jeremiah Love are gone both for first round picks this past draft. But CJ Carr is now expected to be the engine of that offense.

And I'm excited to see what he's going to be this upcoming season with leading that Irish offense. Drew Mestimaker is a transfer from North Texas who Jordan barely played quarterback at high school, which is unreal. And now he's on your list. If you're looking for one guy that can crash the party and potentially being a top 10 pick, circle this name. It's Drew Mestimaker. Somebody that was a walk on when he came to North Texas. A lot of people didn't even know who he was coming into last season.

But head coach Eric Morris, who comes over from North Texas to Oklahoma State, brings Drew Mestermaker with him. I just need to see how he's going to play in the Big 12. One game to circle, week two against Oregon. Get your popcorn ready. I'm going to be really excited to see how he performs against that defense. All right. So then we'll see him against Dante Moore.

How about Darian Mensa, who had a little bit of a messy split. But bottom line, he's at Miami. He steps into the situation. once again of that one year transfer where Miami loves to have. We saw what Cam War was able to do in this situation as well as Carson Vick. Both of those guys were able to catapult their draft stock. And there are in Mentsis steps into an offense that I think is fully loaded. Cooper Barcate, Malachi, Tony, Mark Fletcher is back as well.

He steps into a ready-may situation. And he's another, along with Mestemaker. You're at the top of Mock draft right now. But when we're looking up in April, he definitely could be somebody that is at near the top of those mock drafts. See, this is why college football is so great, Dusty, as we steer the conversation towards you. A few years ago, when these guys were coming out of high school,

nobody was really talking about Mentsa, and nobody was talking about Mestamaker, and now they're on Jordan's top 10 list. That's how crazy college football can be. So you just heard Jordan run through his big names. What are your takeaways from what you heard? Well, it's a great list per usual from Jordan. And I agree with so much.

Dante Moore got to play better in big games. I want to see that. Could he be the number of our pick? Yes, but play better against the best. defenses. Drew Mestemaker, what does he look like against power for competition week in, week out? And I love the fact that you included Dary and Mentson. I am very high on Dary and Menta, but I may not be higher than as I am on C.J. Carr than anybody else on that list. I had a chance to do one of their games last year. And when he came into the room as a red shirt freshman,

he commanded the room. There's just a little something about him. He's got a toughness to him, a swag to him. And remember, it's Lloyd Carr's grandson. He's, He wasn't recruited to Michigan. It's like a chip on his shoulder. It's like he's going out to prove something. Every time he takes the field, he's got a high football IQ, very accurate with the football. Jordan Faison's back at receiver. Two different Ohio State transfers coming at wide receiver.

I'm with all the pundits. I think this has a chance to be a special season for the Irish. I even go back to that initial loss to Miami whenever he was on the road and he brought that team back, put them in position, tying the ball game late in the game. That was his first ever start. I think we've just seen, you know, he's scratching the surface of what C.J. Carr is capable of. And if things go according to plan, that the popcorn must be ready for November the 7th, Jordan, because when Miami heads up to South Bend, Darian Vince's DJ Car, that, my friends, is must see TV.

There is no question about it. And think about this from just one quick perspective. But we had him on college football live last year. And I agree with you, Dusty. The one thing that he exuded was he didn't feel the way. weight of the job. When you're Notre Dame's quarterback, there is an intangible weight there, and he just sat down and

rolled through it, and that is wise and mature beyond his years. We'll see what he does. They have a very, very favorable schedule, too. Keep that in mind. When College Football Live continues, it's just a coin of the realm now. If we don't talk a ton about guys in the portal, we're doing a disservice. So the

portal playmakers, you need to know that have a new face in a new place with Dusty and Jordan when College Football Live continues. At Volvo, safety is not a feature. It's our purpose. Rigorous crash testing. Decades of learning from real accidents.

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slash safety. Black football, fastest grow, and among in the country for guys and gals all over the ESPN networks. For more information, NFL flag.com. Transfer, the portal. It's just basically become what college football is all about. Our Max Olson, I think, is the portal guru. He follows it closer than anyone. Here are the names you need to know for the ACC, the big ones that have moved from one school to another.

We've already discussed the guy there on the top of the school. We're going to get to a couple more here. Let's start with Jordan. Those are just some of the guys on the list. Take me through some guys that are in new faces and new places that people are going to want to get to know. Well, the first one for me is Miami edge rusher, Damon Wilson II, who comes over from Missou to Miami, stepping in the shoes of Ruben Bain, and then also Akeem Mesidor, two guys we saw go in the top 25, but the NFL draft. And last year at Missouri, he actually had nine sacks.

He was a very disruptive edge rusher, 6'4, 250 pounds. He has that ingredient that Miami loves rushing off of the edge. And I don't think there's a better defensive line coach in the country right now than Jason Taylor. We saw what he was able to do with the potential of Rubin Bain and then also Mezzador. So look for Wilson to have a big season this year

just because he's under the tutelage of Jason Taylor. And then also that Miami defense is once again loaded this season. I totally agree. Corey Heatherman has absolute dudes on that side of the ball. And I love this fit. Damon Wilson going there because they've got to continue to get that production coming off the edge. Cooper Barcate is one of the better wide receivers that probably no one talks about and he doesn't get all the fanfare, but he helped lead Duke to that ECC championship to get Darian Minza,

not just him, but you get Cooper Barcate. To take some of that pressure off Malachi Tony, a legit one-two-punch at wide receiver, he has such a knack for running crisp, precise routes, getting open and sure-handed receiver down the field. The connection already there with Minton Barcate is huge. And one of my favorite transfers is in Georgia Tech, Justice Haynes. By the way, if your name has a Haynes in it, they're going to Georgia Tech. Haynes King, we know, had a great career at Georgia Tech. Jamal Haynes had a great career at Georgia Tech.

They depart, Interjustice Haynes. He's got downhill home run capability and in Britsy style of offense where it's going to be tough, physical, downhill. I think Justice Haynes going back to his home state of Georgia is a lot of. a perfect fit, Jordan. Yeah, I agree. And I'm excited about Alberto Mendoza as well who's going to be in the backfield with him. Let's see if he can keep that Mendoza magic going in college football. No, Brinkie would love if he can replicate what Fernando Mendoza did at Indiana this past season. But Alberto, he's a little bit of a different style than Haynes King. He's not as good of an athlete.

He can give you something in a design quarterback run game. But I look for this offense to not have a precipitous drop off just because, as Dusty mentioned, with Justice Haynes in the backfield and then with Mendoza coming over as well. I think the passing game is going to be even better, but they're going to lean a little bit more on the running backs out of the backfield, more specifically with Haynes. Yeah. And one thing with Georgia Tech, I think that's really important to keep in mind, too, is that they had a great start to last season, kind of struggled towards the end. And if he has said at the beginning or the middle of the season, who might represent the ACC in the title game or the national title game, it was more Georgia Tech

over Miami. They really struggled towards the end. Again, ACC media. day starts tomorrow. Complete coverage right here on college football lot.