Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - ACC SQUAD - Ranking ACC Head Coaches | Who's the Conference's BEST Coach?

Episode Date: June 25, 2026

ACC head coaches see their rankings upended as Mario Cristobal surges to the top, while Clemson’s Dabo Swinney falls to third—raising eyebrows across college football. Can Virginia Tech’s James Franklin justify his controversial second-place ranking after a recent firing? The ACC squad breaks down Andy Staples’ latest coaching power list, debating surprising placements for Manny Diaz at Duke, Brent Key at Georgia Tech, and Bill Belichick’s stunning slide near the bottom. Is Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert poised to outperform expectations again? The discussion explores the “five-in-five” eligibility rule and its impact on roster strategy, scholarships, and player development, while also examining the explosive growth of NIL budgets. Will $100 million college football rosters become reality, and can ACC programs like Miami keep pace with oil-rich giants like Texas A&M? The hosts reveal key shifts in ACC recruiting, the challenges looming from TV contracts, and which coaches could shake up the rankings before season’s end. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You're telling me there's now two ACC head football coaches ranked higher than Dabo Sweeney. Let's assemble the squad. You're talking ball with the ACC squad. From Florida State to North Carolina, from Syracuse to Miami, and from NC State to California, it's the local experts of the Locked-on Podcast Network, bringing you scoops, breakdowns, and the most comprehensive preview of the upcoming ACC weekend. Hang on, it could get loud. it could get heated and it will definitely be fun.

Squad up, you're part of the ACC Squad. I am Alex Dono from Locked on Cains and Locked on ACC. We got Brian Smith from Locked on Seminoles and the Portal and we got J.J. Jackson from Locked on Blue Devils. We are the ACC squad. Could $100 million college football rosters be coming soon? I'll give you two spoilers. First spoiler is yes.

second spoiler is probably won't be a school in the ACC. There's a new eligibility rule in college football. Five years, five, five in five, they call it. You have five years to play in a five year span. Let's talk about the ranking for these ACC head football coaches, because I know some of these are controversial, courtesy of Andy Staples and On Three Sports. So Brian Smith, you take a look at this, and I'll describe it for the audio listeners. And this is an in-the-moment ranking by Andy Staples.

So it's not like, what have you done for me in the last 20 years? It's like, what have you just done for me and doing for me right now? So he's got Mario Cristobald number one with the Miami head coach coming off the national championship appearance. James Franklin, the new head coach at Virginia Tech at number two. Is it in the moment one, a little puzzling? Dabo Sweeney, two-time national champion, number three. Ret Lashley, SMU, 4th, Jeff Brom, Louisville, 5th, Mani Diaz,

Hello, Locked on Blue Devils, Pat Narduzzi of Pitt, 7th, Tony Elliott, UVA, 8th, Brent Key, Georgia, Tech, 9th, Jake Dickert, Wake Forest, number 10, Dave Doran, NC State, number 11. Mike Norvell, locked on Seminoles, number 12, Fran Brown, Syracuse, Bill O'Brien, Boston College, Tosh LaPoy, Cal at 15, Bill Belichick, 16, Tevita Pritchard, Stanford, 17. J.J. Jackson, I'll let you buy the first round on this one. first thing that jumps out to you on Andy Staples ranking? Well, I think you absolutely hit a home run on that tease, Dono, the fact that Dabo Sweeney is not number one, considering when you look at the trophy case that he's had in the college game. But like you said, this is a gut reaction.

This is instant to what we're seeing play out here in the month of June 2026. And what Miami's been able to do putting their roster together, obviously I've got close ties this offseason with Duke players heading your way to South Beach. Thank you. Unbelievable. They've been on a run. And so I think it's justified there to have Mario Cristobo at the top. But yeah, initial reaction, like I said, I just loved your tease, man, the fact that, wow,

Davo Sweeney, that far down at third. Yeah. And Brian, the thing that is a little puzzling to you and I, and I'll let you take it from here, James Franklin to already vault in front of Davo. Because I understand in the moment why you would put Christobal where he is, just coached in a national championship game, has assembled a roster that on paper is the best in the ACC right now. But James frankly, he's doing good things at Virginia Tech,

but this guy just got fired from his last job. So it's not like the stock is really high right now. from fire to second place, name another ranking you've seen like that anywhere. It's very odd. I'm not saying he's a bad coach because he's not, but his game day exploits are legendary for all the wrong reasons. So he's won one time against like Michigan and Ohio State in like really big matchups in like 10 years.

He's terrible in that situation. They had the choke job against Notre Dame in the play. off. He's second? I mean, you don't think Brom or Lashley or I think Brick Key is extremely low on this list too. Yeah.

I think he's a really good football coach. But there's no way I would have put Franklin aside. I mean, the guy just got fired. Penn State's an easy job to get talent. It is a super easy job. They threw him out, man. So I think he's done a nice job starting his

rebuild in Virginia Tech. but I think that's a little aggressive. Brian, what do you think about Mike Norvell at number 12? Unfortunately, it's really not that if you wanted to put him lower, I wouldn't have a problem with it. They've won seven games in two years. Yeah. And how many road games have they won in the last two years?

Zero. Same as me. That's right. Dono. Dono has zero wins on the road as well. So there you go. Zero wins and zero tries. So I feel a little bit better about my record than Norvels.

Yeah, your percentage is much better. I'll go to the Duke side of things. It's wild that I'm looking at a list in the top half of ACC football coaches. This is not loved Mike Sheshefsky and John Shire on the Hardwood, but football to see Manny Diaz there. And obviously, we're not factoring in the run that he had at Miami, but to take over for my delco and what he's done of the last couple of seasons, draining ACC champs, not too high optimistically on what to expect this season for the Blue Devils,

but to see Manny that high is certainly something I don't mind. I'm hopeful that we'll have more football success coming to Durham under his leadership. Yeah, I mean, I'm thinking about the way I would do like my top five. And okay, so if the criteria is what this is and that's like as it is right now, I would agree with Christobal at number one. If I was doing like a zoom out one, I would have Dabo number one. But I can agree with Christobal at number one by this criteria. I would have Dabo still at number two. And then I'd probably have maybe Ret Lashley third, Jeff Brom, fourth.

And I mean, maybe James Franklin fifth, but probably not. I think I'd probably go with Key or Nard. Uzi at number five. That's probably, probably with one of them. Maybe key. Like I'd round out my top five with him. And you know what, JJ? I'd probably have Manny Diaz right about where he is.

I think he's really doing a good job at Duke. I mean, I apologize that Mario Cristobal pillaged his roster with Barcate and Mensa. But, you know, all things considered, I think Diaz is doing a really good job there. The last couple of years, hell, they just won an ACC championship. So I wouldn't argue with the Diaz. placement. What about the bottom, fellas? And I'll let you, JJ, tell our listeners what you were telling Brian and I. I know you have no love for Carolina, but Bill Belichick's placement here. Yeah, I mean, it's still his name. And like when you look at a list like this and we're judging

someone on the job title of head coach, it's still really hard. Yes, you can give me the results of last season, but head coach Bill Belichick and to be second to last of any list. Like that just, it doesn't make sense. That doesn't add up in my head whatsoever. But then as Brian, you're quick to point out, you watch that football team from a year ago. You watch their day-to-day operations even now assembling football rosters. It's like, yeah, that's pretty terrible. So Belichick down there does make sense.

It's just head coach Bill Belichick, our whole life we were taught. to think that would be at the top. He's been absolutely terrible until this point. The recruiting hasn't been great, and they allegedly have NIL money to spend. What are we supposed to think? I get why on three or Staples or whatever collection, would anybody put him in the top 10?

How could you justify it? No, yeah. I mean, he has to be in the bottom group at the very least. I mean, it's so bad, though. They put Tosh Lupoi above it. Tasha's a first year head coach. He's already doing a better job. He's definitely doing a better job on the recruiting trail.

Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure. He's an elite recruiter. But that just puts it in perspective. College is a different animal. It's about relationships. It's about recruiting and roster management. Those are areas that he never really dealt with as the head coach of the Patriots. He was just, you know, the guy that managed the roster on the field.

So, yeah, that's different. Let me give you another name, Dono, that I wanted to throw out there that is a little surprising to me. But I think justified, it's surreal that I'm looking at a list. And Jake Dickert is as high as he is at Wake Forest, a program that was, you know, they love Dave Clossett and what he was able to do for some. And that quickly now we're high on Wake Forest football. Way to go. Yeah, Wake Forest, as I like to say, they just had the quiet. quietest nine-win season of all time because it was like the tree falling in the woods.

Like nobody outside of us on Locked on ACC even knew what happened. Like when I tell people, Wake Forest won nine games last year like, yeah, okay. In what sport? Football, it happened. Didn't have the toughest schedule, of course. But Wake Forest won nine freaking games last year. Dave, Jake Dickard, I should say, is doing a really good job. Anybody here you think is really going to outperform where they're ranked right now? I mean, Tony Elliott just outperformed, certainly where everybody had him ranked last year.

They got him at number eight coming off in ACC title appearance. I think he might outperform his ranking. But anyone else you think I'll start with you, Brian, who you think is ranked a certain way that will definitely outperform where they're put there? I would say Dicker could do it again because they do more with less. I mean, winning nine games there is about like going undefeated at Clemson or Miami. I mean, you're not going to win much more than nine games at Wake Forest. Beyond that, I'm really kind of curious about Elliott because it's one thing to sneak up on people.

Now you're getting circled by teams. I'm not saying they will, but it'll be interesting to see how they defend, how they played last year, because they lost a lot of good players, including their quarterback and that stuff. I want to see, you know, is this the year that outside of the ACC, are we talking more about Jeff Brom? You know, I feel like Louisville over the last few seasons has been somebody who's always in the transfer portal quarterback market, trying to bring someone in. And throughout the year, you know, it's always, don't sleep on Louisville. Look at all these wins that they're picking up.

But then you get to the end of the season and you just feel a little empty. You know, there aren't these ACC trophies. to look back on. Could it finally be the time that it's the Cardinals we're talking about at the end of the season? And I think I've been really impressed with what Brom's been able to do there. It's just like, get it through a full season for me, please. And they're really excited about the quarterback that they have there now. I mean, again, they went into the transfer portal. They got Lincoln Keenholz from Ohio State, who obviously doesn't have much experience because he was, you know, behind Julian Sayan last year. but dual threat ability, and that's actually going to be the first dual threat quarterback, true dual threat that Brom has had at Louisville.

So another element to their offense. So I think I'm with you. I think that's a team that can perform even above Brom's fifth ranking. And Louisville has this weird habit guys where they tend to beat any top five opponent that they may ever see. That's just a Brom calling card. And then they'll lose a few games that are absolute head scratchers. It's like, how do you go out there and like you'll upset the number two, the number five team in the country? And then you look completely flat the following week.

I just think they need to convince Brom that every game is against the top five opponent because he comes up with these virtuoso game plans for the tough games. And then the games that aren't so tough. It's like, what are we doing here? But I want to get to when we come back here on the locked on ACC squad, an important new NCAA eligibility rule that they're going lock, stock, and bear. with this thing. I still wonder if the NCAA can actually enforce any of their rules, but they're going all in for five in five. You want to keep it locked right here. We're only getting started on this brand new episode of the ACC Squad. Folks, running a business should not feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together.

You got one app for accounting, another for inventory, another for sales, and somehow none of them talk to each other, but that's where Odu comes in. Odo is an all-in-one, business management software that brings every part of your business together in one powerful platform. Emphasis on the word one. This is revolutionary, guys, because you don't need like six different softwares. You do it with one in Odu. From sales and accounting to inventory and marketing, everything works in one place, helping your team move faster, stay organized and focus on growing the business instead of managing a bunch of software.

Folks, the best organizations know that success isn't just about talent. It's about having everyone working toward the same goal. And that's true in sports just like it is in business. And I know Clemson has lost their fastball over the last couple of years, but when Davosweeney had them clicking and winning championships, it always stood out how everyone was pulling in the same direction. Wasn't just one great player or coach, it was a coordinated effort across the entire organization that makes it successful.

Great organizations win because operations matter. And that's why you should get Odu. Try for free today at O'Don. Odo.com slash locked on. That's ODOOO.com slash locked on. Thanks for making this episode of the ACCC Squad your first listen. And folks, if you haven't joined the Everydayer Club yet, you can try it free for a week.

My friends, you get exclusive ad-free versions of these episodes, whether it's locked on ACC, locked on Seminoles, locked on Blue Devils, locked on Cains. You can get ad-free versions, exclusive Discord chat access and other great benefits. If you consume our content every day, you're an everydayer, but you can make your status official by going to locked onpodcast.com slash everydayer and joining the Everydayer Club today.

All right, my friends, a lot of people like this change, and it sounds good to me in theory when you have like seventh year, eight year, nine years seniors the last few years in college football. And I understand why a lot of these players don't want to leave because a lot of them are making more NIL money in college than they would make trying to go pro because it's not easy to get into the NFL. And there's some college players who are making more money than first contract NFL guys. But the NCAA is taking a stand, fellas. The NCAA Division I cabinet has unanimously approved a new what they call five in five eligibility rule. It's very simple.

give student athletes five seasons of competition to be completed within a strict five-year calendar window. There's no more gap years, no more red shirts. It replaces the decades-old four seasons in five-year's framework. And this kind of makes sense, JJ, because they were going to use this new red shirt rule where you can play in up to nine games and keep a red. Like that doesn't sound like a red shirt year to me. Five and five makes sense. How do you feel about this?

Yeah, just the fact from a coaching perspective, you're not having to do the math on how many times the guys going into the game, right? And we don't have to track that anymore. It's five years to go out and play. And if you want to play all five years, you can do that now. I love the age requirement as well because on the Duke side,

often I'm focused so much on the basketball lens. But the fact that this is a model adopted by the NCAA across four, we don't need 26-year-old Europeans coming back and joining the college game. You know, let's keep it what it's kind of always been. And so kind of by shifting to this model, I think, is the right call. And I'm glad we ultimately ended up here. What do you think, Brian? I'm glad because it'll make it at least a little bit more even with regards to the NIL.

Teams like Wake Forest will have a better chance. I mean, LSU is always going to have a bunch of kids turned pro early. you know what i mean texas a nm schools like that if you're going to give these other schools any shot you got to win with age b yu's done it forever and that's one of the few things like the religious exception kids you go on Mormon missions etc so they get an exception for that because that that was a follow-up question yeah yeah that's a big deal um well having 23 and 24 year old offensive lineman that's a big deal so i i'm glad they you know you're not going to try it they would get sued if they tried to take that away yeah

Sure. But there's going to be a little bit more of an opportunity because certain schools, like it's not going to impact JJ's Blue Devils and basketball at all. Like it's going to hurt them if anything because other schools have more older players. But most schools, they can at least creep up. Teams like Virginia and football, they're going to have 100 kids on the roster, but 50 of them will be 50 years seniors. That's what they're going to try to do, you know.

Yeah. That way you can get around the NIL. Yeah, I like the financial. perspective that you brought up to from the athletes point of view, because how many of these football players, like you said, we know they're not going to be playing in the NFL. And oftentimes, Brian, you cover recruiting so closely too. I've heard stories of players the moment they are getting these college opportunities are already earning more than their parents do, who have been living out full lives and their everyday occupations, you know, and now it's an extra year of

that that they're able to add to their family portfolio. go. And then another thing, Brian, I'll bring up, and I'm sure you're going to have some conversations about this covering recruiting. Now that you know, and of course, like you said, there's going to be exceptions. There's going to be waivers. The players will fight for. But now that you have an idea of, hey, you get this player, you get them for up to five years, right? Doesn't that make things a lot easier for coaches planning their scholarship numbers two, three years down the road? Right. When you're looking at, hey, I need to bring in. in X amount of players in class of 2027 recruiting. I've got 25 spots, maybe 22 spots in in, in 2028.

Like I think this makes it a lot easier not having the variable of, but well, what if my starting linebacker decides to play for a seventh year? Like that can't happen anymore. Well, I think it's going to be a little bit easier because you don't have to take as many kids in a class, you know, to throw as much NIO at a class. And you don't also help you kind of sort through the kids that just don't want to work. You're going to have other guys that at least are serviceable.

They'll do the right things off the field or all that. You'll keep them around in your program. You can have a little bit more of a deliberate approach. And I think, again, the Wake Forest, you know, the G6 programs, et cetera, although they're still going to get pilfered. You know, that's just part for the course. But they'll at least have a chance with the older rosters. And coaches aren't going to have to like,

oh, we've got to get a 35-man. class this year to make up for it. If you do it right and these kids are redshirt and going through the process and just not getting beat up too early in their career. And then by their junior year, they start to play a lot, senior year, fifth year, senior year, senior year. I would imagine you can balance it out and take 18 to 22 again if you wanted to. There'll be some people mad at the high school level by the one. This is coming because there's going to be fewer kids getting recruited because more kids will stick around in college. That's a complaint that's coming. That is inevitable.

That's just math. But other than that, it is what it is. Let me just say this, a PSA that I would like to put out there to all these college athletes, I really hope that in this scenario, a very large number of them take advantage of this academic opportunity that's going to be put in front of them as well, right? Like, it's already, college is expensive. And the fact that you're going to be set up like this at an institution across five years, they're already having to do kind of around the clock summer sessions at each institution,

why not set yourself up and pursue master's degrees and actually be, you know, they're going to be listed as grad students. I hope that they're actually trying to do something to capitalize off of that, again, to set them up in the long term. I think that is so cool. And I know that that's kind of the lame education answer to throw out there and whatnot. But I'm really hopeful that, you know, a lot of these guys will take. advantage of that. There's nothing lame about that. I'm glad you brought that up because I

always appreciate. And I think that there's a growing number of players, even elite players, who are realizing they need to take advantage of that, especially since, you know, with the COVID year, and there are some guys that are around that still had the COVID year, which was an extra year. Like, I've encountered enough players in recent years who, like, have master's degrees where I'm really impressed that they took advantage, because I know. know, like, maybe in the older days, 80s and 90s, it wasn't as common. A lot of schools will let you come back later, like, to finish your degree after your NFL career.

But I think the number of players who are taking advantage is increasing because it's invaluable, JJ, especially like, I hate to bring up the name Cooper Barcate, because I know that's probably a sore spot for you. But he's a great example because Barcate earned a degree from Harvard. That's where he started his college football career. then he got a graduate degree from Duke, and I think he's going to be on track in one year to get another postgraduate degree from Miami.

So you want to talk about a guy who's taking advantage. Yeah, he's going to have triple degrees. Harvard, Duke, and Miami. I'm proud of my Miami diploma. I know it doesn't, maybe it doesn't compare to what that Harvard diploma or Duke diploma is going to look like. But he's going to be very well educated by the time he comes through. But on the money component, we got to get to that, fellas, because Brian Smith, who hosts the portal pod, where he talks a lot of NIL, has alerted me to the inevitability of, unless there's a major course correction with legislation, which I'm not a huge fan of, like, having to get the government involved.

But unless there's some kind of intervention, $100 million rosters could be a reality sooner than later. We'll dive in right here on the Lockdown ACC Squad. Thank you for making the Lockdown ACC Squad your first list. I am Alex Dono from Locked on Cains and Locked on ACC. We got Brian Smith from the Portal Pod and Locked on Seminoles, JJ Jackson from Locked on Blue Devils. So, all right, Brian, it seems like every couple of years, you know, the reported NIL budgets for like the top programs get bigger and bigger, right?

I remember a couple of years ago seeing reports of like Ohio State having a 12, or $25 million roster thinking that looks huge. Then last year we're seeing reports of $40-plus million rosters. At what point do you think, Brian, we get to $100 million football rosters? No later than 2008. Two years? Yeah. Yeah.

And here's why. That's crazy. Remember a few years ago, we both know Jeremiah. He goes to Ohio State. His recruitment was crazy. I was told he had a million dollar offer on the table. coming out of high school. Like, that's a lot. Million dollars is a backup offensive lineman now at a major program.

Backup. So I don't know what Jeremiah is making. And I highly doubt they're reporting all of that to the NIL Go fund. And that's the reason that we're not, we're never going to know the exact number. I know and other people in the industry know the obvious. All these deals aren't getting turned in. It's just the bag man in a different way because it's under some kind of collective or whatever, you're never putting that genie back in the bottle. Thank you, Congress. Zero percent

chance because these teams all want to win. They don't care how they do it. They don't care. It's just reality. And there are programs that have oil money like Texas A&M. They'll be the first one, in my opinion, be A&O. And the roster they're putting together right now is expensive. But with this recruiting class that they have right now, and they've got a few more big names are probably going to get, this would be the most expensive recruiting class of all time. I mean, it's it's just going to be crazy. Like freshman year, you're going to make the least. And that freshman class is going to be $20 plus million.

So 28 might be a slow grind. It's not out of the question. It's 27 because if they have another class like this next year, A&M could push that. Marcel Reed has a good year and comes back because of the fifth year. He can make $10 million by himself. There's a guy on Coral Gables allegedly making that this year, but that's another story. Allegedly. allegedly I'm sure it's not being reported I guarantee it the way it is too that's just

none of this is going to be reported but certain schools just have way more money and there's not much you can really do about it so I mean that's why I said the five for five I mean I take more shots at the NCAA than anybody I cannot stand the NCAA they're terrible five rules fantastic yeah I just don't know if they can actually enforce it is my question because they they've taken what 14 out of 15 Ls in court the last several years I was reading. Like direct eligibility cases. They've only won one of them. Yeah, that was the kid in Tennessee because the local judge didn't want to get shunned or whatever.

I get it. Yeah. But look, all I know is it's going up and it's going up fast. And the number of teams that can compete is going to be very small. There's about 10 to 12. and it's never been massive, but it's still smaller than what it was. I mean, outside of Miami, there won't be anybody in the ACC that can. So that's a problem.

I'm pretty sure Miami has a limit that's probably under $100 million. Like I don't. I know. You've got to be close in that. If they had $70 million roster, could they probably? I don't think their roster is super far from that. It's over 40. And I also, I just don't know if that's at all sustained.

Like, even if Miami could reach a new. number close to that for a couple years. Right. I don't see that being sustainable long term. That's the problem. Like the four schools I'm going to mention are to be self-explanatory. They all have oil associated. Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Texas, ANN.

They all have major oil right in their backyard. And if I have to start driving an electric car just so their oil dries up, I will do it. I will do whatever it takes. I'm not going to comment on that. Yeah. that ride, but look, there are certain schools that have edges with different people. Nike happens to have a CEO that likes Oregon and it went to Oregon. You can't teach that.

There's no way you're going to tell him not to donate over this money, like number of fun, the NIL go wants. That's not realistic. So there's certain schools that are just going to be better because of cash. Oregon gets kids from areas they would never have a shot at. Never. I mean, they're getting kids from Philadelphia and Baltimore, New York, and it's like, come They're not going to get those kids if they didn't have the checkbook.

ACC, this is why, like, Dono and I've talked about this in number of different ways. They've got to figure out that contract thing. They've got to find a way to get more money. The week's, like, it's down a little bit. There's no doubt. It's about to get pummeled. And I don't think there's, like, I don't think there's any way for them to get more money from ESPN until 2036. And because ESPN's not going to say, you know what, out of the goodness,

of our hearts, we're going to redo the deal and give you more money. It's not going to happen. And they sign this stupid grant of rights until it seemed like a great deal at the time, but the deal was too long. They did not predict how the market was going to change in a short period of time. They're stuck. Some things can happen in 2031. None of them are good for the ACC. Because in 2031, thanks to Florida State and Clemson's lawsuit and the settlement, the buyouts to leave the ACC will get much smaller, theoretically affordable, which is good for any team who wants to leave, not good for the ACC, because the ACC can't get more TV money until 2036.

There are some other ways to generate revenue, but the fastest way to do that is with a new TV deal, and they're not going to have it for 10 years. Yeah, I don't know what the ACC does if Clemson goes to the SEC and Florida State goes to the Big Ten. And North Carolina and Duke are the other two that get talked about quite a bit, Virginia a little bit, Miami a little bit. Like, ACC might be the next week to implode if it kind of goes that direction. It's possible.

Of course, that's a little bit down the road. But it's all because of the contracts. I hate it. I think the ACC is one of the most important leagues overall because it's been balanced in football and basketball, but that's all going away. And it's really awkward. I'm curious, you mentioned the TV money and just kind of how things are going to change. and not being able to do a new deal until 2036, like you said. What's currently playing out news about a month or so ago talked a lot about the lockdown Blue Devils.

As you guys know, Duke Basketball just signed a deal with Amazon Prime Video to exclusively air three of their games, which is the first time of college programs, been able to set up one of these with a major streaming player like that. Could this possibly be an avenue that some schools want to try to turn to to bring that bottom dollar up. Yeah, absolutely. And again, that would be more at the school level, not the conference level,

because I think they only, you can correct me if I'm wrong, JJ, because you probably know more about it from the Duke point of view, but they can only do it for what neutral site, non-conference games. Right, right. So I, which obviously there are some big ones of those

in college football, right? You know, maybe not as many that involve ACC teams. Because, you know, I don't know if anyone wants to put Wake Forest in a big neutral site non-conference game. But I think for the individual schools, that could be an avenue for the Clemsons, Miami's, and Florida States, and a few other ACC football programs. And obviously, it's an avenue for Duke and Carolina, potentially in basketball. So I think it's, but like you say, those are the creative remedies that individual programs

need to look for to try to make some extra coin because it's the easiest way to do. it is if your conference gets a new TV deal. Yeah. We can't do it the easy way in the ACC. Because that coin's going up. I mean, I'm glad that, you know, Brian, you're pointing to Texas A&M, likely it's the first team that's going to go here. That's another callback to my Duke audience that sees locked on ACC squad in their feed today. My telco goes to Texas A&M, that's a no-brainer. After two years at Duke, now you put yourself in a position to have this much money financially to put a football team out there. And then, guys, I just did a quick Google

search myself and I'll educate our audience as well right now the NFL salary cap in 2026 per team is 301 million dollars so just it's like a third of the way there if we're getting college football too and that number will continue to climb in the NFL obviously but college football really not that far behind when you look at what these NFL rosters will have salary cap wise going into the season and it's a brave new world we're in It gives Brian Smith a lot to talk about on the portal podcast. You want to make sure you check that out, check him out as well on Locked on Seminels. Check out JJ Jackson on Locked on Blue Devils.

You can check me out on Locked on ACC and on Locked on Cains. My friends, we always have a good time with the Everydayers. Again, make sure you hit up that Everydayer Club. If you want exclusive ad-free versions of these episodes, Discord chat access with hosts and other listeners, go to Lockdownpodcast.com slash Everydayer. Try it free for a week. Join the Everydayer Club for your favorite shows. And we'll talk to you next time on another episode of the Lockdown ACCC Squad right here on the number one sports podcast network.

Just turned 10 years old, the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.