Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - EXPLOSIVE: NC State SET for ACC Success—Calvin Russell PRACTICES For Cuse, Fans REACT Wildly!
Episode Date: April 8, 2026NC State Wolfpack emerge as preseason dark horse contenders—could they be this year’s Duke, surprising the ACC with a championship run? Kenton Gibbs and Alex Donno spotlight College Football News�...�� claim that NC State’s potent offense, timely defense, and favorable conference schedule position them for a breakout season. The duo also examine how head coach and coordinator hires across the Atlantic Coast Conference, including Bobby Petrino at North Carolina and James Franklin at Virginia Tech, might reshape the league dynamics. Miami Hurricanes work to avoid becoming the next preseason favorite to falter, focusing on consistent quarterback play and elite offensive line cohesion. The impact of defensive X-factors like Damon Wilson and Hayden Lowe sets the stage for Miami’s potential ACC dominance. Plus, Syracuse’s Calvin Russell inspires with a rapid return to practice after Achilles surgery, sparking debate about culture and commitment under Fran Brown. Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Mazda Like our players, we’re driven by the details. Highlights make the reel. But the work behind them makes it count. The all-new Mazda CX-5. More to move every side of you. Wayfair Get last-minute hosting essentials, gifts for all your loved ones, and decor to celebrate the holidays for WAY less. Head to https://Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair. Every style. Every home. TurboTax This year you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. Robinhood You’re no longer just a spectator. Play by play. You decide. Trade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get two-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins.Visit https://FANDUEL.COMto get started — Play Your Game. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Here's why NC State could be this year's Duke in a good way.
You are Locked on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.
He is Kenton Gibbs.
I am Alex Dono, and on this loaded episode of Locked on ACC, we'll talk about Syracuse star
freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell.
He's back practicing, kind of, just.
Just days after getting a torn Achilles repaired.
Boy, do people have hot takes about Calvin Russell's presence in practice?
There's some insanity out there.
We'll talk about it.
Top coordinator hires for ACC football this coming season.
Who's going to have the biggest impact?
Could it be a certain offensive coordinator who's now at North Carolina,
or will that completely blow up?
But now, Kenton, when I talk about who this year's Duke will be in football,
I mean it for good reasons.
I'm not talking about who's going to get plundered in the transfer portal a year from now.
I'm talking about a team that is flying under the radar preseason who can come out and be a big surprise and contend for an ACC championship.
And I'll give credit to College Football Network, sorry, college football news.com for putting out this story, 26 different ACC questions heading into the 2026 season.
and one of them is which team could be this year's Duke.
And they actually identify, Kenton, your NC State Wolfpack
as the team that could come out, fly under the radar, and surprise.
And you know what?
I'll say this, Kenton.
Maybe if NC State does that this year,
it might be even less surprising than Duke doing it a year ago
because NC State, they've got the offense to hang with anybody.
If they can make some timely stops on defense, they've got a shot.
Not only could they be the Duke of last year because of the potential to reach the ACC Championship and win it.
They could also be last year's Duke in the fact that they might be very awful in out of conference and still find themselves with a chance.
Still find themselves with a chance to win a conference championship if not winning it outright.
What do I mean by that, Dono?
You've got Vanderbilt on that schedule, which, I mean, you and I talked about it before.
or that's not exactly an easy out.
That's not the Vanderbilt of old that we've got going on.
You've got Ab State coming to rally.
While we all expect NC State to beat that team,
Ab State has been known to pull off an upset.
They just leaves you saying, wait, what?
How did they do that?
And when you look at their in-conference schedule,
these are the teams that NC State will be playing.
And by the way, Virginia in Rio de Janeiro counts as one of their away games.
Oh, that's nice.
Just as a very interesting fact there.
So here's the ACC Slate ahead of NC State.
Louisville at home, Wake Forest at home, Stanford on the road, Cal at home, Duke at home,
Syracuse at home, Florida State on the road, and North Carolina on the road to end the season.
I've already said there will be at least one-k coach fighter or out of the door by the time
NC State gets to him.
Norville is going to be golf.
He's not going to go off.
Oh, yeah.
He'll be on Indeed.com by then.
He'll be unlocked on ACC.
We're keeping a seat warm for you, Mike.
We're keeping a seat warm for you right here, brother.
But Nerva's going to be going by then.
Belichick could potentially be going by then.
And we're going to discuss the third coach that he's,
the luster has worn off.
And now he's in the negative territory
where everything he does,
people are going to find a way to say it's the worst thing in the world.
Because with all honesty,
would you be shocked?
Would it be the most shocking thing in the world
to find out of Fran Brown is going
toward the end of this year?
No, it wouldn't.
I would hope, and please don't
take that as me firing these three coaches.
I would hope that all three of them
keep their jobs. You know what it would mean
of all three of them keep their jobs?
It would mean Syracuse has had a really good season.
It would mean Florida State has had a spectacular turnaround,
and it would mean more years at Belichick at UNC.
I love that. I love that.
I want that very bad.
I want that more than anybody.
not named Bill Belichick.
I want that.
But in all seriousness, this is a moment where
NC State has the schedule to work that out
and the out-of-conference schedule
where you could also end up saying,
wait, they lost two out-of-conference games
and somehow they're still in the ACC.
Okay, I guess.
All right, so another question that they ask,
and I think there's a clear answer to this one,
who is the best ACC head coaching hire?
James Franklin, number one with a bullet.
I mean, to Poi at Cal is a nice, nice hire.
But I mean, James Franklin, not only his pedigree coming in,
but the seismic shift that it signifies with the way Virginia Tech is now really investing in football and athletic.
So I don't think, and that's the person they identified, I don't think there's any question there.
I mean, how could you have a question?
Now, will we be surprised that five years from now it doesn't turn out to be Franklin?
A little bit, yeah.
but the reality is the only way that Franklin could turn out to not be the best higher in this cycle of
is if he has two spectacular years and then jets to a bigger job somewhere else.
Not saying that he will do that Virginia Tech fans.
Please don't take this as me snatching your coach from you before he coaches the game.
But that's the only way that I would see in terms of like he has big time impact and he doesn't end up being the most impactful at his university for here.
the reality is a coach that can be in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania and make it work,
it takes a certain type of guy.
There's a reason.
There's a reason that Joe Paul was there for basically 100 years.
And then after him, no coaches last as long as James Franklin.
There's a reason.
There's a reason for that.
So Blacksburg, very similar profile, very similar place.
And they've got, what's the word I'm looking for, civilization.
much closer to them than Happy Val.
So, you know, I think that this is a situation where I think this is going to be a great hire.
You talk about his pedigree and all the players that he's bringing over for Pitt State and all those things.
I think the biggest thing that he brings, not only a renewed investment, but a renewed energy and invigoration in that program with all due respect.
There is a difference in the level of how intense they are when they're good versus what we just saw between Virginia and
tech and everybody else. The level of Cal when they're good. Is it at the level of a Virginia
tech when they're good? In terms of fan support and all that? It's just not. The level of Stanford
when they're good. Is it at the same level? No. No. I don't know another team in the ACC that
hired a new head coach this offseason that when they're bad to when they're good, there's as
wide of a chasm in terms of like, hey, this is just a, it's two different environments. If you go there
and you've got, you know, the guy as the coach and you've got a winning program versus you're lost in the wilderness and they stink.
In terms of teams that hired a new coach, who else would be in that ballgame?
No, nobody.
And even nationally, like, there are very few candidates.
Like, it's a big difference that they're making there.
Now, yeah, I mentioned one of the questions on that article was who's going to be this year's Duke.
here's one that I came up with.
I want to ask Kenton for his take on the other side.
How does Miami make sure they're not this year's Clemson
in talking about teams that had almost unanimous?
They're going to win the ACC this year.
Nobody can touch them because that was Clemson last year
and the results on the field came nowhere close to that.
The year before, Florida State was like unanimous to win the ACC
coming off the 2023 ACC championship.
They won two games the following year.
So we feel kind of a curse that's come upon.
The preseason ACC favorite, there's like a hex on you.
How does Miami avoid that?
You want to keep it locked right here.
We're only getting started on this brand new episode of Lockdown ACCC.
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Listen, make sure you check out Kenton, Gibbs and Grayson Boone, do an awesome job covering all things NC State on Lockedon Wolfpack.
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All right.
So, Kenton, in terms of Miami, and I think this is the kind of thing that Mario Cristobal is going to use is motivation and bulletin board material.
Like, how do you make sure you're not this year's version of what Clemson was last year, almost a unanimous favorite that folds?
Florida State, they folded even worse the year before is almost a unanimous favorite.
it. I think about the big
factors from where I sit, Kenton.
Now, first of all,
something that those previous
teams lacked when they had those
expectations was high-level consistent
quarterback play. You know, Kate
Clubnick regressed last year from what
he had been the year before.
You know, Darien Mensa looks unbelievable
in practice, but you have to hope he's
that consistent in games,
hope that the version of him at Duke
shows up and that he stays healthy. He's
another big one because that's a player you
cannot afford to lose. Kent, I think a big one, complacency and avoiding that, right? Because I think
Miami admitted that at times last year, midseason, they got a little bit complacent with their
own headlines if we should be able to just show up and beat Louisville, just show up and beat SMU.
I think they learned that lesson in season last year. They've got to carry that over. And then I
think the other big one, and we've talked about it before, is cohesion on the offensive line, right?
Because so much of the engine that made Miami, you know, a national runner up last year was elite line of scrimmage play.
They've got the dudes on both sides of the defensive line and on the offensive line.
But on the O line, with four new starters this year, it's really about developing that cohesion.
Now, I've got an idea already of who I think the best five are on Miami's offensive.
line with one of those being true freshman Jackson Cantwell, who will probably start at left tackle.
That dude is just different. But, you know, he's got to make as few freshman mistakes as possible,
which even for a five-star top recruit is a big ask. And these guys have to play like five men with
one mind. I think those to me are the biggest factors for Miami. Oh, it surely is. It surely is.
And when you look at what stopped both of the teams that were said to be, hey, they're the new greatness,
instead of the new coming from being what they were supposed to be.
You could say K. K. Clubnick regressed, and I wouldn't disagree with you to a high degree there,
but also what did his offensive line give them?
What did they give them in terms of a run game to work with that you're like,
hey, this is what eases in.
This is what makes a quarterback look way better than what he was, right?
When you talk about, you know, in other parts of the country,
defending national champion, Kurt Signetti,
and talking about his new quarterback Hoover said,
yeah, we're going to introduce him to his two new best friends,
a running game and a good defense,
something that he never knew before,
but they're his best buds now.
Well, I mean, those are the things.
Those are the things.
You talk about the offensive line play,
and that's absolutely a part of it.
I still believe if Miami is to be what they want to be for next year,
if Miami is to prevent themselves from becoming clemson of last year
this past year, you have to have X factors defensively.
Not just good guys.
You need to have game wreckers.
And with all due respect to Parker and Woods,
they were not game records this past year.
They had their moments, but they were not game records.
You would not put those two in terms of impact on par with Bain and Mezedor.
Yeah.
Facts.
Bain and Mezedor game wreckers.
It was like,
there were moments where they just, you just watched them play,
you all, they took that game.
Yeah, like I was rewatching recently Miami versus Ohio State in the playoffs.
And Bain and Mesidor had Julian say in hell in the first half especially.
Like, couldn't do anything.
Like, you can't run your offense when you've got one or two guys simultaneously in your backfield in one second.
Like, you can't run your offense when that's happening.
And that's my point.
If we were talking about Miami, you know, how do they win eight games?
Sure, you can win eight games without an absolute game record or two defensively.
If we're talking about Miami as this team that everybody says they're head and shoulders above the rest of the league,
there's only one path to that, brother.
You cannot escape needing a guy that offensive coordinators are up at night in cold sweatsl.
You can't avoid.
And it doesn't have to be a defensive line.
And it doesn't have to be an edge rusher.
it doesn't have to be.
They just happened to have two of them last year.
But there's a bunch of different ways,
a bunch of different players who could be the guy.
Somebody needs to be the guy.
Oh, that corner shuts down what happened to feel.
Oh, yeah, OJ. Frederick, you can't do nothing.
Oh, yeah, you just don't look his way.
Oh, yeah, these linebackers, let me tell you something.
This guy's sideline to sideline is an understatement.
He's coming and thumping.
We can expect 12, 15 tackles a game.
Expect them in all those passing lanes over the middle.
Expect him there.
you need an X-factor defensively.
If you do not have that, your good is done.
Yeah.
And I think, again, the best candidates again this year are on the defensive line.
And I'm not saying necessarily any of these guys are quite as good as Bain and Mesedore.
But I think Damon Wilson, who transferred in from Missouri, can be a game wrecker.
I think Hayden Lowe on the other end can be a game wrecker.
And I think Justin Scott in the interior can be.
You know, linebackers is a little less proven.
Miami did get Muhammad Torre back.
You know, maybe he'll be healthier this year than he was last year
because he was coming off a serious ACL last year.
And then in the defensive backfield, yeah, they do have lockdown corners.
You know, Lucas and Frederique, who you mentioned.
And, you know, I wonder if Bryce Fitzgerald, who had six interceptions last year as a true freshman,
will probably be a full-time starter at safety this year.
If maybe he could be that guy.
But you're right.
you need to find your next game breakers after Akeem and Bain both are headed to the NFL now.
You're absolutely right about that.
You know, going over to some of the newcomers in the ACC, you think about Kenton,
a couple new offensive coordinators.
Chad Morris back at Clemson, what kind of an impact can he have with that group?
Now, we're unsure about how great the quarterback play is going to be there.
What about Bobby Petrino at North Carolina?
I just, man, I can remember a time when whether Petrino was your head coach or your
offensive coordinator was an absolute difference maker.
It's felt more like in recent years Petrino is more of like a desperation.
Like, hey, this guy used to be great.
Like it was a big deal a few years ago when Texas A&M, when Jimbo Fisher was trying to save
his job and he brought in Bobby Petrino to run his offense.
And, you know, they both got fired later that year.
Bobby Petrino under Bill Belichick, Kenton,
are you buying that that is something that can revolutionize a North Carolina offense
that a year ago couldn't pick up first downs, couldn't score, couldn't do anything?
I hate to say it.
I hate to say it.
I love the Patrino hire.
I love the Patrino hire.
As much as he's had his off-the-field controversies and all those things.
People away from those motorcycles and those office assistants.
Watch them interns, okay?
Watch the interns, baby.
Don't get with Bill Belichick and Petrino's staff, you better watch.
You better watch.
But, you know, when you look at Arkansas and who they were last year,
where do you think they ranked offensively in the SEC?
Ooh, I have no idea.
Now, mind you, this team was God-awful last year.
That's no surprise to anybody.
For sure, for sure.
They finished last year on a 10-game losing street.
So where do you think they ranked offensively last year?
And I can remember, I did watch some Arkansas games because for some reason my son was kind of digging the razorbacks even though they stunk.
I'm going to say they were top half of the SEC.
I'm going to say they were like eighth.
What if I told you they were number four?
Really?
Wow.
The number four offense and all of the SEC.
Wow.
I'm not saying that, you know, Petrino is perfect and he did everything and you could not ask for a better.
offensive coordinator or interim head coach.
But these are legitimate point totals that they put up.
35 against Ole Miss, 31 against Tennessee, 42 against Texas A&M, 35 against,
well, that's Mississippi State.
They weren't very good last year.
37 against Texas.
Yeah.
And the problems in those games was when they're scoring 35, 37,
their defense was given up 42 points in most of those games.
Oh, absolutely. You're looking at 42, 56, 34, 45, 38, you know, 52.
That team was getting defensively. They couldn't get a stop if you paid them.
You understand? They couldn't get a stop with the Great Wall of China behind them last year.
That's just how bad they were defensively. I am, as much as I hate to say it, Petrino found something last year offensively.
He found his mojo and his magic again.
It just happened to be buried on one of the worst defenses
and one of the best conferences in all of America.
Him at North Carolina is scary for me
until I realized they don't have a personnel to do it.
Yeah, I mean, that's fair.
But the good news is that their offense could not possibly be worse than it was.
It can only get better last year.
And, you know, Billy Edwards, the probable.
starting quarterback should be a step up from Gio Lopez who did not discover the forward
pass until like 11 games into the season. So yeah, it can only get better. Again, I think
that they don't have the personnel to pull off what you want done in a Bobby Petrino offense.
But Bobby Petrino is a dude when it comes to coaching up offenses. He lost his stride for a bit
there. He felt like he was in the word. He's found his swagger again. He's found it again.
of the ACC should be a little concerned about the Tar Heels.
Because, again, despite the hire of Bill Belichick and all the ill effects of that,
you know, we could see Arkansas all over again.
The only problem is I don't think that every team in the ACC has 50-point capabilities
in and game in and game out.
Tailing Green had a good year at quarterback for him last year.
We'll see if Billy Edwards or Terran Dickey, who's like,
even practicing yet.
So we'll see if either of them can have that sort of an impact.
But when we come back, I want to break this down.
This went viral today.
And people have some hot takes on this.
So Calvin Russell, five-star recruit heading into his true freshman season for Syracuse
football.
He did get some basketball game time as a true freshman early enrollee this past year,
dual sport player.
But he just a few days ago had his ruptured Achilles tendon surgically.
repaired. So how is he practicing already? Should he be doing what he's doing right now? You want to keep
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Let me share a quick video here for the video viewers. I will describe this for the great audio
listeners and credit to Ashley Wenz Koski, who is a sports anchor and reporter from CNY Central,
and she's the co-host of the Y Mets Pod and a Newhouse school alum.
She's covering Syracuse.
And so this video here, Kenton, is of Syracuse wide receiver Calvin Russell, who, you know,
just tore his Achilles, had surgery.
And Calvin, near and dear to my heart, he's a South Florida kid.
and he's, you know, he's wheeling around the practice facility.
He's got a jersey on.
He's got shoulder pads on.
He's got a helmet on.
He was also, I'm not sure if it's in this video or not,
but he was like playing some catch and catching some passes.
And so like, okay, my first reaction, Kenton, when I saw that was,
to me, this signifies, this was my gut reaction.
This signifies to me how hard Calvin Russell works.
and even if what he's doing, it's a bit performative, it's a bit symbolic,
because obviously he's not out there fully participating in practice
with that giant boot around his leg and the torn Achilles.
But I know how Calvin is going to rock his rehab,
and I know he's going to take this incredibly seriously.
And Fran Brown teased the idea that at some point he's going to be able to play
this upcoming season, even if he's not available to start the year.
He's going to get in some games late in the season.
And you can play, I don't know, how many games,
games now, eight, nine games without burning your red shirt now. So he could easily play the final
five games of the season not burn his red shirt. So like I saw this and I'm like, man, yeah, I'm really
rooting for Calvin Russell in his recovery. I do see a lot of hot takes though out there, Kenton
of, you know, okay, this Fran Brown, he's doing the Dion Sanders publicity stunts. He's parading this guy
around. Why is he wearing pads and a helmet? This is a performative. It's a dog and pony show. I'm
I guess the fact that he's wearing the helmet, like maybe there's a little bit of that in there.
But again, you know, Kent, my take and my feeling is Calvin is out there showing you how hard he is working to get back.
And I see nothing wrong with that.
I have called Fran Brown out in the past for being performative.
When they had that team running sprints after the games, oh, I'm so busy so disappointed.
First of all, they weren't sprints.
if that's that team sprinting,
no wonder y'all ain't win no damn ball games.
Those were like the Mike Norvell races
when he's out there racing.
And that's what I'm saying.
It was worse than that because exactly,
at least with the Mike Norville races,
you see one guy giving it up.
I didn't see one guy that I was like,
oh, he's moving so fast.
That's college football player speed there.
Not one, right?
I called him out for that.
This, I don't think so.
I don't think this is him being a performative.
I don't think, now this hinges on
whether or not it was Calvin Russell's choice.
to do this or whether or not it was Fran Brown's decision to make him do this.
If Calvin Russell, as if I've been an athlete, tore my Achilles before I step on a foot
on the NC State field for a game, I never got to play in the Carter my first year in Raleigh because
I tore my Achilles and fall camp.
The reality is this, if somebody would have said, can wheel out there and just do some hand
hand fighting, just work your moves, twist your hips, do everything you can, but just do it
on one leg, I would have happily said, thank you,
thank you for the opportunity to do that and would have done it.
A lot of listeners, a lot of fans and a lot of people in the media do not understand
what it takes to be a Calvin Russell level of athletes.
And yeah, everybody goes, oh, it's just genetics.
It's just genetic.
I'm here to tell you firsthand.
It's not.
No.
It's not.
And there is a small minority that they don't work hard and they just kind of
show up and they're, you know, that just genetically that gifted.
The vast majority of five stars combine both.
They combine both that amazing frame and all the good things genetically with a laser
steely focus on, hey, I'm going to be the best there ever was to do this.
I'm going to dominate this, rep, this moment, this day.
So him having the ability to be out there despite injury and kind of get back, you know,
really quickly, it could be, like some would say,
part of a medical diagnosis that he needs to be on the fit.
I'm joking, I'm joking, I'm messing.
He's got Chandler Morris is therapy.
I was about to say I'm making fun of Chandler Morris.
But in all seriousness, this is, football is therapeutic for many of us.
Yeah.
Football is, you know, for many of us, it's our way to escape whatever is plaguing us,
whatever is challenging us, whatever, making us deeply uncomfortable,
whatever situation in life, we don't want.
but we were born into,
football is our way of getting away from that.
And so, him being included is a lot like how
Daubo Sweeney put the injury pod in the middle of the,
in the middle of the Clemson facility,
where it's like, hey, we got to walk by those guys.
Don't put them at the end where nobody's going to see them,
nobody's going to talk to him,
nobody's going, oh, you injury, you ain't part of the team,
or put it right in the middle where everybody's going to walk by them
and they're going to still feel like they're part of this team.
To me, this is not performative.
at all unless this was something that he did not want to do.
And Fran Brown was like, no, no, no, you're going to do this.
I'm your head coach.
That's what it is.
Right.
But any other way, this is a beautiful testament to the human spirit and should be accepted
as such.
Yeah.
And to that question you raise, I agree with you.
I think this was either Calvin Russell's idea or something he eagerly wanted to do.
This is not Fran Brown saying you have to do this.
I know you should be rehabbing right now, but we need to parade you out there.
I don't think that's what this is.
And again, like, I just want to want to further express my opinion on this.
I actually, I think Calvin Russell, in what he's doing, he's sending a powerful message to his teammates that, hey, I've just suffered a devastating injury.
And you know better than most because you've ruptured both at your Achilles, right?
You know how devastating that is.
And, you know, sometimes Kenton, when players suffer long-term injury, season enders, like, you know, you obviously you have to go through.
your rehab and stuff, but maybe you kind of check out, like you're not as close with the team
as you normally would.
You're just focusing on other things, which is understandable.
But that's why I think it's so exemplary that Calvin Russell is out there sending the message
to all of his teammates that, hey, I'm out here with you and I'm working, despite the fact
a few days ago I was under the knife getting a serious surgery.
To me, that work ethic and that commitment, even if you can say it's performative, I still
think it accomplishes that goal of showing all of your teammates this is the culture that we need
here this is something that was for too many years was not synonymous with syracuse football and now it
is i'm the highest ranked recruit you guys have had in more than 25 years and i am showing you how hard
i work to accomplish my dreams so i'm fine with it oh same here same here you will not find
a single people protest out of me because again this is something that
at the end of the day, it's not easy to have.
Most of us have never sat down for a couple games consecutively.
Like two games out in a row for us is like, you know, sure, there's times where it's like,
oh, yeah, this team is terrible and they try to hurt players on purpose or something like that.
A player may sit for that.
Sure.
A season, an entire season, a season where you know your team is going to be outgunned in most games,
even if you were there.
Most guys are not accustomed to that.
So at the end of the day, you know, I think that people are, it's a, it's the hot take society.
And everybody wants that dopamine hit of clicks of people reacting, of people saying things and and responding to your responses.
Yeah.
But, you know, let's let's put the keyboard down.
Put the phone down.
Let's go ahead and let this young man do what he needs to do to get his body right, get his mind right, get his spirit right.
And if Syracuse football allows him to do that, more powerful to him.
more power to them a huge thank you a shout out to the everydayers make sure you join the
every dayer club hit the link in the show notes below make sure you check out kenton at tgif
kenton on x and at locked on wolfpack check me out at locked on canes and at alex dono
and we'll talk to you next time on another episode of locked on acc we are part of the number one
locked on podcast network your team every day
