Right About Now with Ryan Alford - Eric Mac Lain on Clemson Football, NIL, and His Journey from Player to Analyst

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

Right About Now with Ryan Alford Join media personality and marketing expert Ryan Alford as he dives into dynamic conversations with top entrepreneurs, marketers, and influencers. "Right About Now" brings you actionable insights on business, marketing, and personal branding, helping you stay ahead in today's fast-paced digital world. Whether it's exploring how character and charisma can make millions or unveiling the strategies behind viral success, Ryan delivers a fresh perspective with every episode. Perfect for anyone looking to elevate their business game and unlock their full potential.     Resources: Right About Now Newsletter | Free Podcast Monetization Course | Join The Network |Follow Us On Instagram | Subscribe To Our Youtube Channel | Vibe Science Media   SUMMARY In this episode of "Right About Now," host Ryan Alford interviews Eric Mac Lain, former Clemson football player and current ESPN/ACC Network analyst. Eric shares his journey from aspiring basketball player to college football standout, recounts memorable moments like playing in the national championship, and discusses his pivot to sports sales and broadcasting after his NFL dreams ended. He offers insights on the evolving landscape of college athletics, including NIL and transfer rules, and reflects on the business skills that shaped his post-football career. The episode highlights resilience, adaptability, and the power of seizing unexpected opportunities. TAKEAWAYS Eric Mac Lain's transition from basketball to football during high school. Recruitment process and commitment to Clemson University. Memorable experiences playing in the national championship game. Career pivot after football, including a role in sports sales with JMI Sports. Skills learned in sports sales that contributed to his career. Unexpected opportunity with ESPN and the journey to becoming a sports analyst. Challenges of transitioning to a professional analyst role, including film study and time management. Current landscape of college athletics, including NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) and transfer rules. Issues of fairness and chaos in college sports due to varying regulations. Insights on the growing gap between well-resourced and under-resourced programs in college athletics.  

The sports world is obsessed with talent. But what do you do when the NFL dream ends and the phone doesn't ring on draft day? Former Clemson star, a national championship contender Eric McLean, face that exact moment, forcing a massive career pivot from the gridiron to the broadcast booth and successful entrepreneurship. This is the inspiring, unfiltered story of how his grit, not just his talent, became the playbook for a thriving second career as a football analyst for ACC Network and ESPN and podcast co-host and why it's the ultimate lesson for your business journey. We went into the game as heavy underdogs.

And I remember reading and hearing all the talk about how our offensive line was going to get just destroyed. And of course, being an offensive line, and you take that very personal, we dominated. I just knew that going into the game, if I make one mistake, even if I step the wrong way, I'm going to get abused by this guy. I'm going to get absolutely ruined. It just made you play so much better. I think that was my best game by far too. This is Right About Now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. We are the number one business show on the planet with over one million downloads a month.

Taking the BS out of business for over six years and over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping next and cash in checks? Well, it starts right about now. Hey guys, what's up? Ryan offered your host to your number one business and marketing show on Apple Podcast. We appreciate that. Wherever, whenever, however you're listening, we say if it's radical, we cover it. And any time I get friends and any other.

anyone associated with Clemson on the show because they're kicking ass and taking names. I get even more excited. I got my good friend Eric McLean. He's a college football analyst with ESPN, the ACC Network, and of course, the co-host of the Gramick and MacLean podcast. What's up, Eric? When I got the message to come on this show, I knew I'd made it. First take, ESPN, college game day, throw all that to the side.

This is where I wanted to be, brother. Jacked up to be with you today. Appreciate you having me in. I'm excited to jump into a bunch of different things. Let's set the table and let you kind of give a little bit of that backstory for everybody. I grew up wanting to be a basketball guy. It's just, it was my first love, my true love, just had such a knack for the sport. I'm a shooter.

I love to flick that thing and just stay on the court for hours. Don't come home until the lights are off. The sun goes down because we're out shooting hoops. I always had aspirations to try to make it not just to college, which is obviously a big deal and to have your school paid for and the doors of that will open. But, you know, professionally, I just always felt like that was my thing. I was going to do that and thought it would be at the NBA. In high school, I stopped growing this way and started going out and started getting muscle and these type of things.

So I was like, basketball, this might be the end of the road. Varsity basketball might be the top for me. So it was funny, that decision kind of made. And then you really hone in, you know, on your sport. And obviously, you know, that's the future. So you give it so much attention and love and dedication. And for me, that was football. So, you know, really my junior year of high school is when we started cranking that way up.

But I do have to go back a couple of years because I grew up a Tennessee fan, volunteers any voles listening that's where i always wanted to go received a scholarship and committed as a ninth grader in high school to tennessee to play football it just so happens talk about relationships and communicating all these different things in business world that are so applicable i got a crash course of that as a 15 year old kit because one of the coaches that was on staff to tennessee that i'd known for a long time got hired by clemson his name's dan bruce was one of the best defensive line coaches ever and so after i decommitted he hits me up and he says hey you know Big Mac, it's Dan, it's Coach,

now, Coach, what's up? This is all, I hadn't heard from him. He was very respectful, did not hit me up until after I be committed. And he's like, oh, I'm at Clemson. I'm like, Clemson. I legitimately, Ryan, had no clue what or where Clemson was. He's telling me that. He's like, oh, come, come check it out.

You know, all these different things. He's like, we're in South Carolina. We're in the ACC. And I said, whoa, no, heck no. Like, I'm not doing that. Fast forward a year. He hits me up again. He says, just come by and visit, you know, what you see.

So now I'm going into my junior year. We go and see it and we're coming off the highway, 85 on 19B right there. We're seeing the palperins, the sun's setting. You know, it's purple and orange. I'm like, where the heck are we? This is crazy. This is perfect. It's just a dream situation.

All the other schools that I had been to are in these big cities. Clemson, it's farm town. We're passing like this sunflower patch right on perimeter. And we're looking at the Tom Tom, Tom, the GPS, whatever. And you always says you're a minute away. I'm like, there is nothing. Where is a stadium about to come out of here? And I'm getting goosebumps just talking about it right now.

But when you make that turn on perimeter and then Death Valley just rips out of those trees, man. Whoa, this is cool. This is nuts. And it's obviously a big stadium. And then I meet Coach Sweeney. When I met him, man, and the passion, the enthusiasm, the genuine love for his players in the game of football. This is different from anything I had ever seen before. And it was so infectious, man, that literally in a two-day span, I was like, I'll do anything for that guy.

I want to play for him right now. It's so comical to me that we think that we have our plan. and God kind of has his plan. And I never even knew where this place was, man. And in an instant, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life there. And it was so powerful just to have that kind of conviction and to know that guy. And the rest is kind of history with that. But it's a wild story how I even got to start, you know, at Clemson University.

Is there a moment, a game or something that when you get asked this question now, it pops to the top? Obviously, that national championship game, losing to Alabama. Just because we got there, we got to the mountaintop. And it was something that I think every little kid dreams about is they're running around. playing in their backyard of playing in a national championship, winning it, hopefully. And for us just to do what we did at Clemson and to get to that mountain and to change the culture and what we had done the previous years to get there was just special, something that we always thought was possible. That's why, you know, my 2011 class came there and really was building

block. A lot of those guys, what we were able to do on top of who Alabama was and what they were doing. You're talking about peak dominance. These guys had just been wrecking people, winning all these national championships. And we went into the game as heavy underdard. And I remember reading and hearing all the talk about how our offensive line was going to get just destroyed. And of course, being an offensive line, and you take that very personal, we dominated. I just knew that going into the game, if I make one mistake, even if I step the wrong way, I'm going to get abused by this guy. Like, I'm going to get absolutely ruined. It just made you play so much better. I think that was my best game by far too. Just kind of all that on the line there, just being there.

And the last one ever was truly amazing. On a more positive note, my other favorite is that Notre Dame game. personal game for me. That's where my father is from there. He grew up a Golden Domer. Love Notre Dame. A lot of our family members, either love them or hate them that are up there because it's kind of 50-50. Once I knew they were on the schedule and it was my senior year, I was like, this is going to be a party. So that one was a lot of fun and just the way it ended. I mean, a goal line stand. And I've got this really cool picture of just me and my brother. My brother played on the team as well, walk on wide receiver, of us just embracing on the field. Just a lot of great memories from that one. Where did we go from there and what got you all the way to

today. Have a natty ring. I was on that team just in a different capacity. I did that for about nine months and then a new venture was coming to Clemson and JMI Sports. I'm not sure if you ever ran across with those guys, but so I sold for them for really like two and a half years or so maybe. It was funny at the time. Dan Radikovic called me in his office and just was like, hey, this is happening. We think it would be a really good kind of foundational piece for you. He knew I wanted to go into college athletics from the administrative route. We think you should take it. It's a sales role, blah, blah, blah. You kind of see it. different vantage point that a lot of people don't with these multimedia rights. At the time, I was, uh, maybe. And he's like, no, I really think you should do it. So I go and do it kind of hesitantly. And man, that has been one of the biggest blessings of my life because the foundational, it was basically another grad school, a real life degree where I'm learning how to sell. I'm learning marketing. I'm learning law and contracts and how to just sit and have a meeting, how to set up a meeting with somebody and had a cold call, like all these attributes that we teach and coach. when you're in school, but to have this real life learning for two years and some change

has been an unbelievable foundation for me that I still use to this day. I never would have ever thought about taking that route if it wasn't placed in my way there. So I'm forever grateful for that time. I get a call from a guy and answer, say, hey, how you doing? This is so-and-so from ESPN. And all I'm thinking is he wants an interview. He wants to talk about the game, me being a former captain, playing in a national championship. And I've done a lot of that with various outlets leading up. So I'm like, hey, you know, what's up? And they're like, hey, we're out in California. Are you here?

We'd love to meet up, talk about the game. I was like, oh, man, we're in San Francisco. You know, maybe talk to you later. Kind of blow them off. Next day, text me, hey, are you at the hotel? Which, it was our hotel, but I wasn't there. It's like, hey, can you come to the lobby? We'd love to talk again.

No, I'm in Carmel. Sorry, see you later. I'm blowing this person off thinking that it's a writer or thinking it's a TV person, whatever. So then fast forward to Monday, the game. He goes, hey, I know you're going to the game. Can we meet up at the game somewhere? And so now I'm kind of like, this is weird. Why does this person keep texting me?

It's so strange. I'm kind of testing them, right? Hey, can you get on the field? Let's meet on the field, seeing if they're really ESPN or not. And they're like, oh, that's perfect. So I'm like, okay, maybe this is legit. I text them. They're saying, hey, we're wrapping up TV.

I'll come over there in a second. So I'm like, okay. I've Googled this person's name. It's nowhere. Who the heck is this? I call them when they say they're walking over because I don't see anybody who I think I'm looking for. And I see a person answer their phone.

He's in like khaki pants, an untucked polo, a vest on. There is no way this person was just on TV. what is happening? This is so weird. They come over, shake my hand, act like we're best friends, all this stuff, very personable, and starts asking me all these questions about the game. Like, what do I think is going to happen? Da, da, da. And they're not writing anything down. They're not on TV. They're a writer. Not writing anything down, not recording anything. And I'm getting kind of mad. I want to go tailgate with my family. Then this guy hits me with a very transitional matter of fact. There's going to be some new opportunity coming with ESPN. We would like to fly you up to Bristol next week and see if you want to be a part of the team. And bro, I blacked out. I didn't know. I was like, what did you just ask me? Yeah. I was like, what are you talking about? And totally, I don't even know what I said. I guess I said yes because I was on the plane. It was so crazy because I was so happy. You know, we're in Greenville. We're doing our thing and all this stuff, not looking for anything. You know, God just put something in your path. The relationships that I've created, the brothers that I work with. I literally have to pinch myself at time to hope that I'm not about to wake up. It's incredible to be able to do this.

What's been maybe the biggest transition or surprise in what it takes to be a pro in this arena? What do you feel the most eye-opening or something that people realize? How much film you have to watch? When I was a player, I watched one team every week, and that's it. I focused on South Carolina, and I'm going to know everything that they do in this role, especially it's a little bit easier for me because I'm a conference-affiliated network. I have to watch all 14 schools each and every week and know what they're doing, why they're doing it. And then here's the kicker. If they're playing out of conference, then I have to watch 28 schools.

It's a lot of time, man. If I want to tell you what these teams are doing and what they're going to do or what I think they're going to do, that takes some real effort. But I'll tell you the biggest kind of growing piece for me, time management. I don't have to cram all of this right now at this time for two reasons. Number one, you're going to burn out and you're just going to be exhausted. Number two, things change so much with transfer portal with all these different things to where, hey, if I crammed for the year in July, come September, these guys that I just studied

might not even be on the team. So it's all this wasted work. You've got to segment it out and you have to understand the ebbs and flows of the season and the changes that can be had. And that balance really started to come into my life and being able to find that going into the third season there. That's where you're really starting to shine as a pro with your analysis. Is it good, bad, or indifferent?

Is it the Wild West? What's your perspective? The way that it is right now and the way that there are different rules for different states, there's different rules for different institutions, there's different rules wherever you are, regionally, I think it's terrible for where we are. We either need national federal rules or we need no rules. It can't be this weird middle ground that we are because, number one, it's not fair. Different schools held to different standards and have different resources and are allowed to do different things

and all these different things. How do you keep track of it? It's crazy to do that. The lack of monitoring is back. to me. And really where it is right now, Ryan, is not at all how it was presented. This is what happens now. If you're ex-player, you come to me, whether you're a recruit or a transfer, you come to me as the head coach and say, I need 50 grand to come here. Like what? Okay. Go find it. That's the principle. The principle to me is I have the right to sell my name. I have the right to go fund when I

can chase it. I can sign with an agent. I can get it done. Not, here's my hand, fill it up with money. That's not the thing to me. Now, if you want to go out and sell and have conversations and hold camps and use your social media, that's amazing. But that's not the case, man. And it's baffling to me. I've heard horror stories on both sides from the player that's done all this stuff with their social media and hasn't gotten paid. And also from the companies that have paid these players up front. And when it comes time for content or it comes times to activation, players nowhere to be found. It's a tough spot right now. Obviously, the haves and have-nots are just even furthering away from each other.

I hope that we can get some type of federal help here just to play everybody to play by the same rules. That's all I want. That's all I think that's fair for everybody. Well said. It's complicated, but I don't think it has to be the wild, wild rest and complicated as it is. I think it could be simplified. Hopefully we get there.

Work here by keep up with you, brother. Anywhere on social media, man, Instagram, Twitter, Eric McLean right there. And then the podcast, Gremlin, and McLean, wherever. We prefer YouTube, get those numbers up, baby, but it's wherever you can find it. If you just want to listen to it in the car on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, all those things. And of course, ESPN and ACC Network. We have a good time, man. And I appreciate you.

This was so much fun, man. We've got to do it again. We'll have to have, like, a quarterly Mac Lane. We'll make it, whatever it is. Like, we'll talk football. We'll talk, whatever the heck's happened. Being a dad, and then you got a beautiful daughter. And appreciate you from coming on.

Search for Eric McLean. You'll find all the Holly Clips today. We'll have links to the Mac Lane podcast. the Graham-looking McLean podcast, all of Eric's stuff, and you know, to find me. I'm at Ryan Alford, that blue part check mark. Way before you could buy it. We'll see you next time. This has been right about now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production.

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