Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - Miami Hurricanes vs. Clemson Tigers: Who Made the Better Hire?

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

Can the Miami Hurricanes' new defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman, outshine Clemson Tigers' Tom Allen? As ACC college football heats up, the Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers are making strategic... moves that could reshape their seasons.Join Alex Donno and Kenton Gibbs as they explore the impact of these coaching hires, debate the ACC quarterback rankings for 2025, and spotlight must-watch games like Miami at Florida State. With insights on players like Carson Beck and Cooper Flag, this episode promises a deep dive into the evolving ACC landscape.Don't miss out on this engaging analysis—tune in for exclusive insights and spirited discussions!Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PrizepicksNow’s the perfect time to join.Download the app todayand use codeLOCKEDONCOLLEGE to get $50 instantly when you play your first $5 lineup! That’s right—no need to win to get the bonus, it’s guaranteed. PrizePicks—Run Your Game!WayFairAfter the holiday hustle, there’s nothing like giving your home a little TLC. Give your home the refresh it needs with Wayfair. Head to Wayfair.com right now. Wayfair. Every style. Every home.Rocket MoneyCancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to RocketMoney.com/lockedon today.Turbo TaxReady for stress-free taxes and the most money back, guaranteed? Head over to TurboTax.com today and get matched with your Expert. Only available with TurboTax Live Full Service. Real-time updates only in the iOS mobile app. See guarantee details at TurboTax.com/guarantees. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelFrom the first whistle to the final drive, FanDuel makes the NFL Playoffs even more exciting!Right now, new customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get THREE HUNDRED BUCKS in BONUS BETS – if you win your first bet!Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. Make this playoff season unforgettable with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. 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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Starting point is 00:00:00 Who hit the bigger home run with their defensive coordinator hire? Miami Hurricanes or the Clemson Tigers? You are Locked on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Shout out to the Everydayers and thank you so much for making Locked on ACC. Your first listen and your first watch today. We're available free wherever you get your podcast. We're free on YouTube.
Starting point is 00:00:31 We're part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. He is Kenton Gibbs from Lockdown Wolfpack. I am Alex Dono from Locked on Cain's. On this episode, we'll talk about a way too early preseason ranking from a different publication for the top 10 quarterbacks in the ACC next year. I don't think my guy Kenton is going to be too happy to see how C.J. Bailey gets disrespected. We'll talk about that. We'll talk about in hoops, Cooper flag for Duke. I mean, what a, what a torrid pace he's already on.
Starting point is 00:01:01 Is he going to be a one overall pick in the NBA for next year? We'll talk about the biggest football games on the ACC schedule next year. So Kenton, within the past week, the two big defensive coordinator vacancies in the ACC have been filled. Miami got their guy in Corey Heatherman from Minnesota. And Clemson, Davos Sweeney, got his guy with Tom Allen. And it's funny because both of those hires, Kenton, were defensive coordinators who only spent one season at their previous stop at Big Ten schools. and then the little old ACC goes and swoops in and poaches these DCs after just one year in the Big Ten. But between Tom Allen, and we'll talk about, you know, why he apparently made the move so quickly from Penn State to Clemson.
Starting point is 00:01:46 Between Tom Allen at Penn State and Corey Heatherman at Minnesota being hired by Clemson and Miami, respectively. Which one do you think is the better hire, the bigger home run? I think they're both really good hires. I think Miami had to better. Yeah. I think Miami had, I give Miami the slight edge for better, higher. What, what, excuse me, what Miami's now D.C., Minnesota's former D.C. did with a, a defense that let's just be honest, nowhere near as talented in Penn States, was nothing short of phenomenal.
Starting point is 00:02:22 I would argue, he said Flex job. I would, I would argue there is no, not a world where Fleck is coming back as the head coach in 2025, 2026 without the defensive coordinator that, again, did great things and coached that defense up to go from middle of the road to bat to phenomenal overnight. It wasn't like it took three, four years.
Starting point is 00:02:46 It wasn't like it was like, oh, I need to get my guys in. And then when I get my guys, we'll do everything right. They came out the gates swinging. And so, you know, don't get me wrong. Tom Allen is a good hire. He's a good hire. I think he's a really good defensive coordinator. I think he's done some really good things in the coordinating world.
Starting point is 00:03:05 I'm just not seeing a world where he's a better hire. On top of not having the same type of output last year, I believe that Miami's new defensive coordinator higher significantly younger than him as well, or am I incorrect? 10 years younger. Tom Allen is actually younger than I thought he was, but he's 54. Heatherman is 44 in Miami.
Starting point is 00:03:26 Yeah. So I look at Heatherman and I say, that looks like the better higher to me at the moment. I don't really see a world where Tom Allen is the better higher. You know what? I thought we were going to have a debate on this one, but we actually agree. And obviously, Kenton's wearing the neutral colors. I'm a little bit more harsh to Miami,
Starting point is 00:03:49 but something that stands out to me statistically, and you touched on it a little bit, but here's the numbers for what Heatherman did last year at Minnesota. So he took over as defense coordinator last season. And he took over what was he inherited the 69th total defense in college football. And he turned it into number five from 69 to number five. Tom Allen took over what was under Manny Diaz the previous year, the second ranked total defense in America and turned it into the seventh ranked total defense in America.
Starting point is 00:04:21 So I know, like I'm not saying Allen isn't a capable defensive coach. he is. And I think the, you know, the advantage that his resume would have over, over Heatherman's and why a lot of people were maybe a little bit more wowed by the Tom Allen hire. He's got, you know, so many years. Head coaching experience. He's got a longer resume than Heatherman has. But at the same time, I think Miami jumped on, on their guy. And I think he's a good fit with Miami. I would also say that, uh, that Allen is a good fit at Clemson and probably similar personality wise to Davosweeney. Now here, here's where you're going to see the differences in how Kenton and I process things, all right? Because I got a little sentimental
Starting point is 00:05:01 when I was watching Tom Allen's presser at Clemson. Now, Kenton, Kenton does not get sentimental the way that I do. So Alan, you know, he's like breaking out into tears and he's talking about how, you know, making, making this move, because again, he was only at Penn State for one season. This will be his third different job in three years coming up. He knows people are going to be critical of him. I'm sure at Penn State, the fans are not too happy that he's jumping away after only one year. But it talks about how he's got, he's got two adult daughters. One of them lives in North Carolina. One of them lives in South Carolina. His older daughter is expecting a child. And so, you know, he and his wife, wife is going to be grandma. They want to be close to the family
Starting point is 00:05:45 members. And I see that. I'm like choking up a little bit, Kenton. I'm like, man, the life of a coach is a difficult one. If you want to be close to your grandkids and your daughters, I totally respect that. Dono, we don't have to lie. You know, we don't have to lie to kick it. And here's why I say that. If he wanted to be close to his daughters and that was the most important thing to him, why would he be at Penn State last year? Do you know how much he's getting paid to not coach Indiana anymore? That's a good. What was his buyout? I don't even. No. $15.5 million, Donald.
Starting point is 00:06:28 Wow. They're paying that man eight figures to not come back. Wow. They said, you ain't got to go home, but you got to get the hell up out of here for nearly $16 million. But here's another very interesting tip there, Donald. He's leaving after one year. Oh, man. That's so unfortunate.
Starting point is 00:06:47 And he wanted to be close to his family. So logically, logically, of course, he probably took a pay cut, right? You think so? I mean, yeah, you make sacrifices for family. Of course, of course he took a pay cut. Am I right? What if I told you he's going to make $500 million more over the course of just the three years that he's? 500,000 right now.
Starting point is 00:07:07 I'm sorry, 500,000. I'm sorry, 500,000. I'm sorry, 500,000. And for those of you who are going to look at me and say, oh, Kent, you're just a hater. And that 500,000 is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Show me your 500,000. Yeah. Send me your bank account with the 500.
Starting point is 00:07:24 K in it. And I'll shut up. I'll shut up. Listen, let's just be honest about these things, man. That's the thing that pisses me off the most. I'm okay with coaches going and getting paid. The same I'm okay with players going to get paid. Nobody's heard me trash. T. Matt Cooley. Nobody's heard me trash. Brandon C. said none of the guys that left NC State to go get bigger bags elsewhere. And I never would. Go get the, in the words, Young Doff get paid. Young brother get paid. Go get the money. and I agree for the same thing for the coaches. But let's stop all this.
Starting point is 00:07:58 I just wanted to be close to my daughters and my grandbabies. If you wanted to spend time with your grandbabies, you would quit sit on that 15.5 and chill. But you want to still coach football and you want to still do it at a high level. And it's an added bonus. You know what I mean? Like, it's not, I'm not going to say it's not for nothing.
Starting point is 00:08:19 I'm not going to say, oh, that's a terrible thing. And he doesn't care about those kids. that I'm not going to say all that. But what I will say is $500,000 is a good motivator to get up and go. Just out of curiosity, Dono. I know you live down down in Florida, formerly in the Miami area. But if I were to tell you, hey, Donno, I'm going to give you $500,000 to move your family up to Raleigh over the next three years. Would you take it?
Starting point is 00:08:44 Yes. I'm already on my way. Oh, okay. That's a real author, right? Oh, no, no. That's a hundred thousand dollars. But all I know is that brother will be eating some Bojangles by noon tomorrow, okay? And I love Bojangles. That's a bonus.
Starting point is 00:09:00 So you get what I'm saying here. You know what I mean? Like, again, I don't mind it. Him getting sentimental. I don't, I'm not going to say it's disingenuous. What I will say is these guys refuse to ever say, hey, the money is why I left. The closest you'll ever hear, oh, it was a better opportunity. Oh, it was more aligned with where my career said. No, it was more in line with what was best for your checkbook. That's okay. That's okay. Isn't there wrong with that?
Starting point is 00:09:28 Well, and also, if I'm being real, I don't know. Actually, I was going to say maybe I'd rather work for Dabo than James Franklin, but I don't know if I would. Probably, probably a push, yeah. I was about to say they're both equally annoying just in different ways. You know what I mean? Just a very different way, but I will say this, though. I will say this.
Starting point is 00:09:49 Again, both of these hires. Donno and I are saying who's the better hire right now, but this is speculation. And Dono and I are both men who are known to not be too big for our britches. And we reserve the right to say, what the hell is having been doing? Allen is really the guy or, well, damn, Alan, they might have to pay you a couple more to not coach no more. Maybe it really is time to go take care of them grandbabies, brother. So, you know, we believe that these two are good hires, but neither is close to a single down
Starting point is 00:10:19 at their new destination yet. It'll be interesting to see how it shakes out. And the last thing I will say is this. Both of these defensive coordinators are walking into rooms that are more talented than they've ever been in it. I would maybe not with Allen. Maybe it's a little bit closer with Penn State to Clinton. Yeah, Penn State's got a lot of talent. But I know good and well.
Starting point is 00:10:39 Haven't been going to look at. Wait a minute. Corners can move like that. And they play for me. And he's a sophomore. We'll be just fine. We'll be all right. coming up next are these the top 10 quarterbacks in the ACC for next year and can we get a little justice for C.J. Bailey.
Starting point is 00:11:00 I know he's the NC State quarterback, but C.J. Bailey is a South Florida and I need to stick up for this man a little bit. You want to keep it locked right here, my friends. We're only getting started on this brand new episode of Locked on ACC. After the holiday hustle, there is nothing like giving your home a little TLC. I always find that decluttering and refreshing my space helps me get back into a routine. I'm all about routine. Whether you're tidying up, clearing out, or just want to give your space a new look to start the year, Wayfair has everything you need all within your budget. I'm currently looking for furniture and their huge selection makes it easy to find pieces that fit my style and budget. My favorite part, the free and hassle-free delivery, even for the larger items. Wayfair site was so
Starting point is 00:11:45 easy to navigate and I found everything I needed in no time. Give your home the refresh it needs with Wayfair. Head to Wayfair.com right now. That's W. A-Y-F-A-I-R.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Thank you so much for making this episode of Locked-on ACC, your first listen and your first watch today. Make sure for your next list of you, check out our other shows. Kent and Gibbs and Grayson Boone do an awesome job on Locked-on Wolfpack,
Starting point is 00:12:16 covering everything NC State. I cover everything Miami on Locked-on Cains. All right, so Kent, this is not our list, so we can compare and critique our notes here. But Saturday Down South published there way too early. ranking of the ACC's top 10 quarterbacks heading into 2025. Let me start with, because, you know, it's not that difficult to predict like the top three or the top five.
Starting point is 00:12:40 So let me start up there and then we'll get down a little bit lower. Tell me if they left anybody out and if anyone is injustically ranked because I think there's probably a few who are. So they've got Cade Clubnick at Clemson at number one. You know, he's returning into his spot there at Clemson. They will be, I think, the favorites to win the ACC. this coming year. They do have Carson Beck at Miami at number two. And they have Kevin Jennings at SMU at number three, ACC championship runner up. Does that, I mean, like to me, I think that top
Starting point is 00:13:13 three is okay. Maybe we could split a few hairs. Maybe, maybe Beck could have an opportunity to be number one, but, you know, Clubnik had a great season, stability with the same program. So I'm not going to argue. Donald, this is where we are going to argue. What the hell is? Beck doing at the top of that list? What has Beck shown anybody? Not at the top of the list is in number one. What is he doing on the top half of that list? I mean this very genuinely.
Starting point is 00:13:42 I have seen nothing from him to imply, hey, he's a needle mover. Donald, correct me if I'm wrong. Have you ever seen him in a situation? Have you ever seen him in a game where you thought Carson Beck is the difference? He's the reason. He's the guy. Have you ever seen that? name me the game.
Starting point is 00:14:00 Name me the game where you watched it and you were like, if Carson Beck is on the other team and you know, you get an average quarterback. He had a really good half against Alabama. He has had... Did Georgia win that game? I don't want to talk about that. Oh, okay.
Starting point is 00:14:20 I'm just asking. I'm just asking, you know. He's played really well against Florida. He beat Florida State, 63 to 3. in a bull game that he did not opt out of, despite a lot of people thinking maybe he should, didn't even opt out of the second half. So there's that.
Starting point is 00:14:37 And, you know, he threw, he's thrown for 7,500 yards over the past two seasons, threw for 3,500 this past year. Damn, near 4,000 the year prior to that. Carson Beck has shown me something, 24 and 3 record, Kent, and the man has only lost three games as a starter his entire career to this point.
Starting point is 00:14:54 Why not have Carson Beck in the top two? because wins are not a QB stat. That is the entire team. I'm sorry to tell you, I haven't seen Carson Beck make a tackle. I have not seen Carson Beck stop a run. I ain't seen it happen. I've seen Carson Beck hit guys that are fairly open.
Starting point is 00:15:12 I've seen Carson Beck make throws. I say, yeah, the college quarterback should make that throw. He's hit a couple. He's hit a couple throws. I'm not going to lie to you, Dono. That second half in the Bama game, that was a hell of a half.
Starting point is 00:15:23 Knowing that we know about that. He played really well against Tennessee. by the way, this year. 347, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 31 to 17 win against a team that made the college football playoff. Donnell, I'm sorry to tell you. And again,
Starting point is 00:15:41 I don't dislike my head. You know, like to say, I got the neutral colors on. I'm neutral in Miami. Carson Beck don't belong in this damn list. He don't belong in the devil. Y'all remember how I talked about Cab Ward. I knew from the moment he signed up,
Starting point is 00:15:55 I said, oh, Miami's cooking. This is different. He's different. Carson Beck is not different. In fact, he's exactly the same. He's a, he's cool. He's cool. I will say this, and I believe I'll be proven right this year, but we'll see because Kay Klubnick proved me wrong last year. That's why there's no disagreement. This is Klubnick 2.0 happened right now. This is why there's no disagreement with him at number one. But I will tell you this. I believe that Carson Beck is a thermometer. He's not a thermostat. He will tell you. the temperature of your offense. He does not turn the heat up. That's not who I believe him to be. We'll see. We'll see, though. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. Wow. See, when you said you argued with the Carson Beck thing, I thought you were going to say he should be number one. I really hurt by this. I'll see nothing. You should show you something this year. And here's the thing. I'm okay with being wrong. I'm okay with being wrong. And if he shows me that I'm wrong, I'll come on here and say,
Starting point is 00:16:55 hey Miami fans I was unfamiliar with your game. His offensive line at UGA was not good this past year. He's going to have much more protection this season, going up against ACC defenses, a little hits a little bit different. All right? So I let's continue the list. I think Carson Beck should have been number one. Kenton thinks he should be number 15 or something.
Starting point is 00:17:19 All right. So we go, we keep. So Kevin Jennings at three. Then you got Haynes King at four. Eli Holstein at number five, King at Georgia Tech, Holstein at Pitt. First thing I thought, Haynes King's got more eligibility. It seems like this. I remember covering him and when he was at Texas A&M like six years ago.
Starting point is 00:17:38 This guy still got eligibility? Listen, what happened? How does he still have eligible? He was in college when I was in college. Oh, my God. Haynes, get a job. Go fill out that application, brother. No, but seriously, Haynes King is a really special talent.
Starting point is 00:17:55 him and Kevin Jennings, I would see them as more of a 3A3B than a true three and four. Like, either way you flip it or flop it, I'm not mad at you. If you put Kevin Jennings behind behind Haines, I mean, behind Haines, I'm not mad at that. You put Haynes in front or you put Haines behind Kevin. I ain't mad at you. Okay. So then we have Kairn Drones at number six, which, you know, would kind of assume a bounce-back year because he didn't really earn a number six ranking after the season that he just had,
Starting point is 00:18:28 if we're being honest. Darian Mensa at Duke at number seven. What do you think about those two before we finish out the top ten? Carverind drones, you let me down, brother. I was all on board. I was all on board. There's no Carson Beck, I'll tell you that. Oh, my God, no, stop this madness.
Starting point is 00:18:47 I was all on board. Now, I'm a very anti-war guy, and he had me ready to yell, another drone. strike this year. I was ready to yield. And we just didn't get it. We just did not get that that type of season from Kyron's wrong. So I think him at six is much more. I think this list is like a lot of projection. There's a lot of like, I haven't seen this, but I believe he'll see it. Menzel behind him, I think should be in front of him, honestly. I think this is, I've seen him look really good, it all be it in a group of five conference. But I saw him look really good.
Starting point is 00:19:26 And even if we're talking about projectable growth, I think he has more projectable growth going in a year two than than drones does. But I do think that you're one in the new offensive system may be a little challenging for him. So we'll see there. Now, the next two, I think, are probably, actually the next three you would probably say are ranked a little low. So eight, nine, and ten. Your guy and mine, because I love South Florida high school football.
Starting point is 00:19:52 C.J. Bailey ranks number eight. Number nine is Miller Moss, ranking number nine. And Thomas Castellanos at Florida State, former Boston College Eagle, Florida State. So he ranks out at number 10. I mean, eight, eight, nine, and ten. I know if our guy, Brian Smith was here, he thinks Castellanos is a perfect fit at Florida State. He probably would think he got robbed there. I'm going to tell you what, C.J. Bailey at eight makes my heart smile. I don't know what it is about NC State. The minute you put some expectations, on the nose boys learn how to stink it up like nobody's business but every time you disrespect them every time you count out that old wolf pack every time you're like oh five wins season and
Starting point is 00:20:32 coming doran's going to lose his job he's like so you you want me to flirt with 10 wins okay gotcha it's on the way so i i really do look at cj being in number eight is way too low but you know it kind of is what it is on that front now miller moss being nine is what where this list is That's criminal, especially since he's going to play for the quarterback whisperer. And that's going to end up in the top four. Are we doing projection or not? Because if I'm doing projection on what you're going to do next season, I've got to have Miller Moss.
Starting point is 00:21:07 I've got to. But if I'm basing it solely off of last year, then there needs to be a lot of guys sliding on down this list. Okay. And somehow Miller Moss is that now. I don't understand it. I don't really get it, but it is what it is. I mean, hey, and Thomas Kassian.
Starting point is 00:21:25 And by the way, by the way, the writer of this article is Brent Friedlander. He's a great friend of mine. He's a friend of this show. As a matter of fact, we're going to set up having bread on sometime this offseason. And we're probably going to have more than the next two weeks to talk about this list. Yeah, I got a bone to pick with him. Why he doesn't have Carson Beck ranked higher? I've got to yell at this dude.
Starting point is 00:21:46 What can we do it? See, see, now I've got to protect my homie bread. No, but seriously, we're going to have bread on the show to discuss. this. But I need to know, did we go projection, or did we go what you did last year? Because, again, I'm very confused by some of these rankings. You know, Miller Moss being down there at nine, going into a system where you have two of the best backs in the conference coming back, where you have the quarterback whisper, the quarterback guru as your head coach, his little brother who owns the record book there as your offensive quarterback.
Starting point is 00:22:21 coordinator and QV coach. And they're like, we're not sure. We're just, we're unsure. That man made took Jack Plummer to an ACC championship. Jack Plummer.
Starting point is 00:22:34 That boy is so bad. Jake Plummer has to say no relation every time his name is bought up now. Yep. Hey, it's Jake to Snake Plummer. No relation to that guy from Louisville. No.
Starting point is 00:22:45 None. No, I'm not related to it. And yet, we're sitting here asking what Jack is going to be. And y'all know how I feel about. of Consolinos. I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. I think him in a system that utilizes his legs, man, he's going to be a threat. He's going to be dangerous. Although I'm not sure how much I can trust Florida State as a whole, as a program right now. That O line. I do believe that they have their
Starting point is 00:23:08 answer to quarterback. All right. Well, I want to talk going through top, top big games on the college football schedule for next season. A few ACC games feature prominently. Plus, in hoops, what Cooper Flag is doing at Duke. You want to keep it locked right here, my friends. We're not done yet on this brand new episode of Locked on ACC. We're certainly not done with Rocket Money. Guys, did Rocket Money help you find any subscriptions you forgot about or that you were paying for twice? It's happened to me. I had some subscriptions. I didn't even realize I was still paying for and Rocket Money made it so easy to track them all down. It's like having a personal assistant for your finances. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and
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Starting point is 00:24:30 Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money.com.com locked on today. That's rocketmoney.com slash locked on. Thank you for making locked on ECC your first listen and your first watch today. We're free wherever you get your podcast. We're free on YouTube. We're part of the Lockdown podcast network. Your team every day. I'm taking a look at a list of 24-7 sports put together on college. football's top 25 games to watch in 20, 25. And some ACC matchups feature prominently, Kent. And I'm looking at TCU at North Carolina, August 30th.
Starting point is 00:25:12 By the way, August 30th opening weekend, there's a lot of great matchups that weekend. You got TCU at UNC, that involves ACC teams. Other matchups they're looking at this season, an annual affair, certainly for me, Miami at Florida State this year. I think there's questions on both sides. I mean, how does Miami, you know, bounce back in the post-CAM Ward era, Florida State? They're going to be better than they were this year.
Starting point is 00:25:38 How much better are they going to be? So I think the earlier games that season, the date for that game, it's definitely not going to happen until October at the earliest, but it's still to be determined when that game is going to happen exactly. You've got SMU at Clemson. That date is still to be determined. Alabama at Florida State, August 30th. So another big game on the opening weekend.
Starting point is 00:25:59 They ranked that one number 15. LSU at Clemson, another one on August 30th. They ranked that one number 10. Notre Dame at Miami, August 30, if that's opening weekend as well. And I think that's it for the ACC matchups. But there are some good ones in there, Kent. And which games are you looking forward to most this coming year?
Starting point is 00:26:19 And a lot of those are August 30th. Well, I've got a level 25 lock for LSU and Clemson. the Tigers will win that game. I'm thinking in my head, I'm like, wait a second. I got some point. The Tigers go win that. No, but seriously, there are a ton of good games there, and there are good games for a multitude of different reasons.
Starting point is 00:26:42 But Florida State, I need to talk to y'all for a minute. I'm going to touch y'all shoulder when I say this. How many times does Bama have to teach you this lesson? They decimate your program every time. Every time. Like, am I, am I losing my mind, Dono? Did they not start to tailspin that eventually led them to Taggart via, oh, yeah, we're going to play them. We want better.
Starting point is 00:27:13 And then all of a sudden, the program was broken. It was over that quick. Wow, what a time. But the rest of those games, I'm very interested in seeing a lot of those. You know, it is going to be an interesting time to see Bill Belichick's college football debut. Don't get me wrong. There would never be a day where I root for the Dirty Foot Club, okay? I will watch them on that TV, and before I root for them, I'll root for the asteroid.
Starting point is 00:27:40 But with that in mind, I'm definitely going to be intrigued to see what that team looks like. Because very quiet, very quietly, if you're being honest with yourself, Bill Belichick has a symbol of a hell of a staff. he really and truly has. And it is so detailed. And there are coaches that are, you know, normally in college is like, oh, yeah, you got a tight-ins coach that's also your special teams coach. Or wide receivers coach is also to hire a guy that is specifically there solely for special teams and that type of stuff. That's big time. That's really, it really is big time to be that detailed.
Starting point is 00:28:17 I've done my good deed for 2025. Don't ask me any more questions. I've complimented the Dirty Foot Club. So that's it. Now, with that in mind, again, that should be a great game. And I'm going to tell you what, Florida State, Miami, if Miami and Florida State can both find ways to have good seasons, if Carson Beck is who you and Brett Freelander believe him to be,
Starting point is 00:28:39 if Florida State can make Thomas Costiano's happen, and they can protect him, they can put the pieces around him to have success, I think that game could be very big time. I think that game could have major, major implications, at least in the ACC. potentially national. Yeah, and I think the date is yet to be determined. So hopefully it's early enough in the season that Castellanos hasn't opted out yet like he did this year. It gave you eight games. Instead, I'm out. If I had to play for Bill O'Brien, I'll probably
Starting point is 00:29:08 opt out too. Okay. The man is a proven. He is a proven joke of a head coach that for whatever reason, I'm sitting here screaming into the void about. And, you know, I'll forever scream to avoid by myself. I'll be a one-man army against a million to slander Bill O'Brien. So, ACC basketball, there's not been enough good press for the league so far this year, but someone, I mean, I've had the privilege of watching Cooper Flagg play throughout the year, including the 42 points that he put up against Notre Dame two games ago, the ridiculous dunk that he had. I think it was against Pitt earlier this season. And sensational true freshman at Duke, he's averaging 18.7 points per game.
Starting point is 00:29:51 But he seems to be getting a little bit better every week, Kenton. And listen, before he even played a quarter or played a half, I should say at Duke, he was already being penciled in as potential number one overall draft pick. He's only solidifying his stock so far this season. And there's going to be some good prospects coming out of the next NBA drafts. But Cooper Flagg seems to be making himself a lock to go number one overall somewhere, whoever is privileged enough to win that lottery. Let me tell you something.
Starting point is 00:30:21 That young man is putting up 19, 8, and 4 with a block and a steel and a half shooting 35% from beat. In the words of Kendrick Lamar, it's not enough. New solid scores left, but it's not enough. Cooper Flagstock is going to the moon right now. Cooper Flagstock is going off. like if you were, let's say, going back to, I don't know, like 2008 with the chance to invest in Bitcoin. That man is taking due to whatever heights they want to go to. And he himself is making himself a boatload of money and doing it.
Starting point is 00:31:02 He could pull himself one of the Bosa Brothers moves and opt out for the rest of the year. Oh, a little tweak on my groin. And he'd be the number one pick. That young man is special. I mean, 6'9 with a handle. he can shoot, he can pass, he defends at a very high level. What can't the young man do? Cooper Flagg deserves all the love that he's getting.
Starting point is 00:31:24 Because honestly, if you watch and play, where's the hole in the game? Where's the hole when you say, you know, if you say, oh, he's sneaky athletic, stop it, he's just white. He is a hell of athlete. He can run and jump with the best of him. If you say, oh, he can't shoot, his shooting has been getting better and better throughout the year. I mean, if you don't believe me, let's just run back, oh, I don't know, let's say his last eight, nine games in terms of three-point shooting, 40%, 66.6%, 50%, 100%, 50%, 50%, 50%, 50%, 30%, 40%. That is what that young man is doing. What? What? And of course, he's putting guys in the realm. He's going up and said, hey, son, don't jump with you. Don't jump with me.
Starting point is 00:32:13 You'll just end up on a poster. He's phenomenal. He is a, he's not a start to make it. He's a star that has a ride. Yeah. And he's such a phenom. He goes to college a year early and he's playing like a grown man. It's insane, you know, early, early enrollee.
Starting point is 00:32:30 It's unbelievable. Kent and Gibbs from Locked on Wolfpack. I'm Alex Dono from Locked on Cains. KG, we'll talk to everyone again tomorrow. We'll have the squad to get, you're missing the squad, right? I'm sorry that you had to miss the next squad episode, but you'll be with us in spirit. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:32:48 I'll be with y'all in spirit. But don't worry, like I said, we'll have a mini squad when we get Brett Free later on the show to go over these blasphemous rankings, having my boy at 8 and Carson Beck at number two. Yeah, you're going to argue with him about Carson Beck being ranked too high. I'm going to argue about him being ranked too low. We'll all have a good time.
Starting point is 00:33:08 We'll talk to you next time on another episode of Locked on ACC, see part of the awesome lockdown podcast network, your team every day.

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