The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - Urban Meyer stops by The Herd

Episode Date: July 1, 2025

Colin talks to 3-time National Champion head coach Urban Meyer about BIG 10 closing the gap on the SEC and why Penn State might be the best team in country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Welcome back. There was about a 15-year period that I thought outside of Ohio State, Big Ten schools just didn't have the depth of talent that the LSUs and the Alabama's had. Ohio State was sort of, I used to call them, the SEC up north. They had the money, the facilities, the coaching. but Michigan won a nattie, Buckeyes won a natty.

The two best players in the country next year are a receiver in a corner, Caleb Downs, Jeremiah Smith, are Buckeyes. And I think Penn State has the best backfield in the country, and I think I have the Nittany Lions winning a natty, although I think it's hard to, you know, the journey through the Big Ten now is tough because Washington and USC are going to be better.

Urban Meyer is now joining us. Urban for years and years you knew and I knew, and the world knew the SEC was better. And I don't know who's better in the middle or the tail end. But I think if you took the top four teams today in the Big Ten, which would be Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and then we can argue over four. I think they are today as good. My lean is slightly better than the SEC. Where are you at having coached in both conferences today?

The transition of the Big Ten has been phenomenal on our, the, the, the, triple option. We had James Franklin. We talked about that because he came in the league a couple of years after I did in 2012, Colin, it wasn't even close. It was shocking. There were great players in the Big Ten, but the stadium atmospheres were just okay. The depth of talent was not there, and certainly the bottom half, the Big Ten just wasn't very good. That's changed. That's changed dramatically. The stadium atmospheres are incredible. The addition of the four teams for the Pac-12. I mean, those are four legit teams. And how about this stat?

This is interesting. In 08-09, there were 28 players drafted average in the Big Ten. This past year there was 71. That's over double. So how do you measure conferences, championships, Big Ten, the last two years, and those were two great teams. Wolverines and the Buckeyes, great teams. But then the second way to measure at the NFL and the SEC's,

I think it's 19 straight years. They've had more draft picks and everyone else. They still do, but the Big Penn is much closer. Yeah, and I think, you know, we sometimes, because Michigan and Ohio State and Penn State are such big brands, we kind of forget about Washington and Oregon. And I've said this before about Washington. Every time in my life, they've had a great coach. Don James. I mean, New Heisel got him to a Rose Bowl.

Chris Peterson, Kalyn DeBore, every time they have an elite coach, they end up in a playoff. And I don't think people, at least in the South, I think they do in the Midwest. They don't understand how good Oregon is

as a football program. Whereas the SEC out of Texas and Oklahoma, I think people view those as big brands. Tell me how you view Oregon and Washington. Forget SC for a second.

I don't think those schools get the national responsibility. expect. But I would argue Oregon and Washington right now are Oregon's better than Oklahoma. Washington's on the same plateau. Where are you on that? I think nationally Oregon's a different, it's a different duck. But it's everybody looks at Oregon now. I mean, the uniforms, the stadium, the success they've had, I think I actually consider them a blue blood right now, even though they've not won a national championship. The Washington, now I spent time at Colorado State, I spent time at Utah, I recruited out West.

Washington is a diamond. And like you said, they've always had, when they have Don James, they have Rick New Heisel, they have some of those coaches, Chris Peterson, you're in the National Championship Hunt. They were just recently in the National Championship Hunt with Kalin DeBore. So you added two great brands to the SEC, but I'll tell you what, you got three legits. And you just went, how about this? In the SEC, I count no. teams that are expected to compete and win a national championship for years or just three.

In the Big Ten, now it's five. So they've added, there's been some really strength added to the Big Ten. I think a lot of, we all know the elite NFL coaches. In college, it feels like a young man's game. And I think one of the advantages the Big Ten has now, Franklin's a great recruiter, Ryan Day is a great recruiter, Michigan has always been a solid. I think Dan Lannings a great recruiter, also a big NIL. USC now has the number one, 2026 class.

Jed Fish has always been, even at Arizona, you've got all sorts of NFL guys, is that the reality is the Big Ten now has excellent recruiting coaches. That feels like a big part of that. I mean, when you were in the SEC, who was beating you in the Big Ten for players? I think there's guys now in the Big Ten that go down south and pull players up. I'm glad you brought that up because this is real life. I leave the SEC and I come to Ohio State. And there was something called a gentleman's agreement.

And the gentleman's, Coach Beelma got really pissed off at me when we turned a couple players. And I didn't know gentleman agreement. I'm sure what that means. And they're recruiting, you got to go get players. We had two kids from Ohio committed to Wisconsin. And we got them. We flipped them. and people are saying, well, you know, in this conference, you don't do that.

And I was like, I don't, I'm not saw that anywhere in my contract. That's not against the rules. I got a job at Ohio State to go win games. So I'm going to recruit whoever the heck we want to recruit. So the recruiting has changed dramatically. Like you said, you think about the big 10 coaches that are elite recruiters. I'm not saying they weren't back in 2012, but there wasn't the emphasis on it is now. And as a result, look at the difference.

I just told you, 71 players drafted in the Big Ten conference last year compared to 28 just 10 years ago, 15 years ago. Yeah. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Ben, host to the fifth hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnight's on FSR.

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We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

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Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. The recruiting has changed in college football. I don't fight new stuff. If new stuff comes in, there's new rules, there's new cultures. I'm just going to, you know, I'm going to try to figure out, like Rick Petino said on my show recently. When the world changes, you can fight it or you can figure out a way to solve the new world. If you were recruiting now, let's say you're a Buckeye and you're a recurring. recruiting or a gator, whatever it is.

How would you attack the NIL? How would you attack it? You've got to get players. And I would attack it the way the big schools are attacking it. I would have distribution. I would have a GM. I think Mark Pantone, the guy we hired there years ago, he stole at Ohio State. I still talk to him once in a while about how they do this.

But you have to put emphasis if everybody is abiding by the same rules, which now they are. A year ago, it wasn't the case you could go out and you spend and through the collective as much as you can. But I would put premium on positions a lot like they do the NFL. You got to pay what you got to pay for a quarterback for defense events, corners and receivers. You have to do it. And I'd pay that center. So I would distribute and build the best team you could possibly can. And that's kind of what the top teams are doing right now.

Yeah. You know, it's funny how you perceive a coach and how the public does. I've always loved Sark. But I've said this about Sark, great recruiter, great with quarterbacks, hustler. Sometimes on the details, I kind of feel like he lets a game flow, and occasionally I'll watch him and think it gets a little away from him. But again, I'm nitpicking.

How do you view Sark when you do a Texas game or you watch Texas? what do you see it does he have a trend does he have a tell like how do you view sark well i have friends that are around sark that know him well i know him fairly well he's always been great to me i think he's the elite offense i mean that's i'm going to state the obvious first he's an elite offensive coach he was in the nfl he was in college as an assistant as a head coach they're always going to be spectacular in offense but a lot like lincoln riley is that you have to grow as a head coach. You don't get championships for offense. That's not how this game works. You get championships for great defense, not turning a ball over and efficient offense.

And I think he's grown into the position. He's still relatively young, even though he's had some great jobs. So I view him as one of the top coaches in the country, and that's why I got Texas is, well, I haven't picked them for sure yet, but I'm still studying it, but I think most people have that preseason number one with a returning quarterback. You know, a program you know well is LSU. And I like Brian Kelly, but it is a, again, you are recruiting your own players, everything's moving. And I, Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley, I look at him and I think it doesn't quite look like I think it should look yet. And Saban got out of it.

I saw in college basketball, Coach K and Jay Wright are like, it's a young man's game. I'm getting out of this. let's say LSU is okay this year. Now, I like their quarterback. I think they're going to be better than okay. But is there an argument with all the movement, there's no offseason that for the guys that are post-60, it's harder now than it's ever been?

Well, you've got to connect with players and you look at the best connecting guys, and it's real is the younger generation. And that's always been kind of the facts of coaching players. You know, you have young guys on your staff. A big part of that is what? To read the locker room, to let you know the locker room. So Brian Kelly, I admire him.

We're friends. We coached against each other. I visit his programs. He's visited mine. To think that he's still coaching. I didn't see that happening. And then he saw an opportunity at LSU, and I'll tell you this about Brian Kelly.

He's driven. And he wants that national championship. You don't move from South Bend. He did it for one reason. And that's to go get that crystal ball. So I know what's driving. him. And he's one of those guys. When he pushes really hard, great things happen. So, yeah, I didn't, I didn't see that one happening. I didn't see him coaching this long. But when he saw that opportunity

showed up at LSU, we actually talked about it a couple of years ago. He just thinks it's spectacular and a chance he coined it all. Finally, you guys at Ohio State, you picked up Purdue's tight end. Again, another exceptional class. It's Caleb Downs. It's Jeremiah Smith. Everybody loves the quarterback. If I said, give me your top three teams in the country just in personnel. I don't want to look at this schedule. If I just said, like last year by the end of the year, Ohio State had more good players than everybody. They looked like those Alabama teams where they were like Tyson in their prime. People were getting intimidated. Name the three best rosters right now, personnel in America. Yeah, you said you guys at Ohio State. I'm at Fox. I'm not at Ohio State.

I'm not at Ohio State. I know. I know. I was just kind of just kidding. you. Texas, Texas, Ohio State, and Penn State is following the lead of the Wolverines and the Buckeyes, and that is they have more seniors. Think about this, Colin. I'd never had a chance to coach fourth-year players.

If I did, it was very rare. And the difference between a fourth-year player and a rookie or a freshman is night and day. You're coaching grown-ass men. You're coaching. That's a men's locker room compared to a young person. So watch out for Penn State, man. Aller can really improve as a quarterback.

I agree with you. They got the best backfield. I don't think it's close in the country. They got an offensive line that they can't wait to get on the field. So, yeah, I think Penn State, Texas, and Ohio State are the three most talented. Yeah. Urban Meyer, there's a golf course waiting. There's a four iron waiting for you to grab it, so I appreciate you stopping by.

I'll see it. Gene and George Eddy's in Chicago one day. Tell me when you're in town. I'm ready for it. Yeah. So Michigan, Michigan two years ago, Ohio State last year, Penn State's my call to beat Texas in the national championship. You know, keep your eye on Oregon. Yeah, keep your eye on Oregon.

But I think they're really good. Ohio State will obviously be good. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I'm so fired up for college football. You know what?

You know how irritating that's going to be to SEC fans? If it goes, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State. That's going to be irritating. The tide has turned, my friend. The Big Ten at the top is better than the SEC. If Penn State wins this year, you can't argue it. It's over. This is quite a leap to Penn State winning the Natty.

Yeah, I know you're a Midwest guy now, but next time you come out west, you want to hit Vegas, put some money where your mouth is on Penn State. Come on. Really? You think they're winning the national championship? First round running back, first round quarterback, and as Urban said,

very, very talented. They've always recruited the old line. They're going to be really and Franklin is an elite recruiter. Penn State's one of those programs because it's out in the middle of nowhere. It gets, you know, it's independent

for years and years, Joe Paterno, and it was up there and over the hills. Let me tell you something. Facility, fan base, revenue, athletes, it's a real deal.

We got a family member going to be a freshman at Penn State next year. So I'll be something of a fan for the Nittany Lions, but can't get on board with Natty. All right, let's go to the NFL, Colin. Travis Hunter. He's one of the big names to watch this season, the new Jaguars wide receiver slash DB.

Well, his teammate, Josh Heinz Allen, the pass rusher, gave his two cents on the Travis Hunter playing both ways situation during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. What plugs every NFL player or any professional athlete is injury, I think if he can allow himself to stay healthy and take care of that,

getting in the hyperbaric machine. I think he has a great career ahead of him, both sides of the ball. Again, if he's the best DB, is he the best Y receiver? Who knows? But is he a great playmaker on both sides of the ball? Yes, he is. Wow. I mean, I can't wait to watch him. Are we getting a little too excited for a rookie?

Are we putting too much pressure on this kid? Is he a great playmaker on both sides of the football? Yeah, he was at Colorado. No, I think we have to be honest. The NFL is different than the NBA. Is that Micah Parsons walked into the NFL. Aidan Hushes and walked in. Jared Verst walked in.

I mean, you can guys first round talent walk in, and oh, wow, they're really great. We see it. Jaden Daniels walks in and you're like, is he a top six quarterback in the league? This is not college basketball or college baseball. where you go to the minors. These guys come out with three and four years against NFL players. Brian Thomas last year, like, I mean, that Harbaugh loved him. They took a tackle instead.

So I think there's no, I mean, I think he'll walk on the field. I think he's the best athlete right now Jacksonville has. And I think all the players know he's the best out. Doesn't mean to be the best player. But in terms of best athlete, I think Jacksonville players look around and go, yeah, that guy's probably our best athlete. Pretty good. All right, let's stay in the NFL. Go to Kyler Murray. touched on him earlier. Is he going to be a flashpoint this season, Colin? We will see. He just had a rough few seasons. Last season was the first time since 2020 that Kyler started all 17 games had over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. However, his teammate Buda Baker believes Kyler is the NFL's most underrated quarterback, adding he's kind of been in his bag the

whole offseason. He's going to do it all. I don't know. I think underrated quarterback. I do not think Kyler Murray. I would go the opposite way. He's a little overrated. Do you consider Kyler Murray underrated? No, I think he's rated exactly where he should be. Properly. Little small, a little distracted. I think

you know, I mean, I think, I think by and large in this league, quarterbacks are, I mean, we can argue, is Jalen Hertz six or nine? Five. You know, I think Brock Purdy is closer to 15. You think he's closer to seven.

We can argue about guys like that. But by and large, I think one of the things that's absolutely fairly rated is NFL quarterbacks. I think by and large, we all know the top four or five. And then we have a sense of the next six or seven. And I think Kyler is on the out of that. You know, he's like in that 13-ish 12 to 15, 16. And I think that's, I think he's got like. Hold on.

Is that on talent and potential? or what he's shown? Because those are two very different things. What I've seen on the field, he's somewhere between 13 and 16 in terms of Sunday, opening kickoff, he's my quarterback,

here's what's going to happen. And I don't think there's a position in the NFL in sports, because we talk about it so much, it's very fairly, again, we can argue about Brock Purdy. There's always one guy. For years and years,

people were critical, of Lamar Jackson, the guy wins 76% of his games. He's somewhere in the top six or seven. I think he's closer to four than he is to eight. But, you know, Jalen hurts to me because of their O-line and run game and star talent, it's a little overinflated. When Greg Kosell comes on for years, which he did, by the way, with Russell Wilson and says, he doesn't see the field great. I trust Greg Kosell over fans and media. So, but most quarterbacks, we kind of know what, if I say a name of a quarterback and you and I put a number on, it, our number usually is going to be fairly close.

Oh, well, I like Great CoSelt. Seems like a nice guy. I think I did meet him actually at the Super Bowl. But Colin, like, we have a lot of data that shows Jalen Hertz is winning from the pocket. He's winning big games. He's putting up huge numbers. Just because some games, he doesn't pass a lot, I think we're giving him an unfair, like, shake. When it comes to Kyler Marie, Colin, he has the same number of playoff wins.

Let me see. Justin Herbert, Tua, I think has... Zero. Okay, that's a great example. Kyler Murray got to playoff once. If Kyler Murray, too, and Justin Herbert are on the market. Think like a GM. Your owner would fire you if you didn't take Justin Herbert.

No, Justin Herbert, obviously. Yeah. Easily. So you've got to contextualize playoff wins. If you're 6'5 with a big arm and move and you're smart with a 4-2 major in biology, I'm going to take you over Tua and Jalen Hurts. If I gave you Jailen Hertz or Kyler Murray, who you take it? You tend to look at wins.

I tend to try to look at traits. You and I just see quarterback differently. I'm traits. I'm not always. You look at wins, I look at traits. Not all wins. Jalen Hertz or Kyler-Marie? Who would you take?

Jalen Hurts. Yeah, I'd be scared there for a moment, Calard. All right, final story. Let's go to baseball, Colin. Today is a special day. July 1st, Bobby Bonilla Day. Reminding all Mets fans that they owe Bobby Bonilla another $1.2 million.

One of the wildest contracts in sports history goes all the way back to 2000. So the Mets had wanted to buy out Bobby Bonilla. And instead of paying it out in full, they decided they'd make annual payments of $1.2 million for 25 years. So, Colin, up until 2035, Bobby Bonilla is going to get $1.2 million. It's similar to the lottery.

You went like a big lottery. Do you want the instant payout? Or do you want the annuity where you get every year you get X amount? Well, if you trust yourself and have discipline, you take the money immediately and invest it. Invested. You know, athletes historically, you know, I would probably say athletes should take the money over the course of 25 years. The rule on the lottery, this is a fascinating topic to me, the rule on the lottery has always been you take the money up front.

You take the big money, don't worry about the payout. But here's the downside. What if you take the money up front, COVID hits, market track crashes. Whoa, whoa, whoa. If you take it over 25 years, you're not beholden to a hot market. You're not in trouble with a cool market. We've had market crashes about over the course of Dow Jones, every seven years you get turbulence. It's doing very well now.

But I do think there's peace of mind. Like a lot of people pay off their homes. They tell you you should not pay off your home. But a lot of people do because they want to sleep at night. They want the home. They don't want to think about it. So I've thought about this if I sold a company or if I how would I want the payouts? And my takeaway is always been I'm boring and disciplined so I take the money up front.

But I think Bobby Bonilla probably thought, you know what man? This is easy. I just 25 year annuity, million point two a year. I don't have a problem with it. So it's interesting. Our producer put together a list of names. Bobby Bonilla is currently getting paid more than these young baseball stars. And the guy that jumps out is the Pirates pitcher, Paul.

Skeens, who is like a phenom and a superstar. Bobby Bonilla, who's been out of the league for like 16 years, is making more money than him. It's just a genius contract applauding Bobby Bonilla, which more athletes kind of thought like he did. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Lie News. Well, they're on a four-game friendly losing streak. They are now in the semis. Tyler Adams at the United States Men's National Team. Looking forward to it. Joining us next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a podcast. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast. Network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast,

I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jenchian win. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lerner Rabakina is. arguably the best player in the world right now.

And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. The road to 2026 continues tomorrow on FS1 with the Gold Cup semifinal. As the U.S. men's national team takes on Guadal

Mala. No easy path, no second chances. Coverage begins tomorrow. Sixth Eastern on FS1. Tyler Adams was the captain of the last World Cup team. So I have been on this thing where I have supported Christian Polisic. And a lot of it's because I've always compared international soccer stars with basketball stars and that, you know, Yokic is going to play for his country in the Olympics and in the NBA. And I've argued that now we have, and Tyler Adams is one of these players, he's played for Leeds and Germany, he's been playing overseas, making big money for years and years. And my take is when athletes get to that level, they should play for cash and then play for

country. And then, you know, the Feebo World Basketball Championships, if you pass on that, you can play, but if you pass, I'm not going to judge it. And I feel a little bit like that, even though Fox has it, it's a goal. old cop and I'm totally into it. I do think, have we reconnected? Oh, he's good, ready to go?

All right, let's bring him in. Tyler Adams is now joining us who turned pro at 16. He's now 26. He's one of the old lads. He's one of the leaders. So I've been arguing, I've been defending guys like you in Polisic. I say, listen, when you're that good, just like Yokic in the NBA or a LeBron James, get paid.

for you guys, that means go overseas. For Yokic, it means come to the NBA, and then play for your country. So I call it the cash in the country. Then, if you don't want to participate in, let's say, a Gold Cup or a Fibba Basketball World Championship, I'm okay with that because you have literally elevated yourself to another status. And so I defend that. I think, Tyler, if you chose not to play here, I'd be okay with it. I've defended Pulisic.

is my take a bad take how do you view that that there are certain global athletes that may that may pass on certain tournaments how do you view that yeah i mean i think everyone is in a unique situation um you know you take christian for instance he's been playing with the national team since he was 16 has 70s has been major tournaments um and he chose to take a rest to recover for his body and for him the amount of games he's played at the age that he is he deserves a break. So I think everyone is in a different situation. You know, I've missed a little bit of time with injuries. I felt okay to come into the tournament and that's why I'm here and I'm excited to represent my country with this amazing team that we have. So everybody's in a completely

different situation. But yeah, we're building on something special here. And, you know, when we have another big tournament, a lot of more guys are going to be here. So during the penalty kicks, I'm an absolute nervous wreck. I can't even, it's like you can't, You're sitting on the couch thinking, oh, what is going through your mind before you kick, Tyler? Have you decided on a side? Are you watching the goalie's instincts? When do you make a decision on what that kick is going to look like?

A little bit of everything. We have amazing analysts here in the club that set up for success. We've been practicing that every day after training for the situation that we might be in them. for myself, I walk up with confidence and know that, you know, God forbid, I miss. My teammate, you look at our penalty shootout and our goalkeeper had an amazing penalty shootout, and he saved our team in a lot of situations. So, you know, you have to have confidence to be able to step up to the spot, but our team did unbelievable.

So you are a veteran on this team right now. You're 26 years old, turned pro, you've played over in Europe. This group of young players you're playing with, give me somebody I should keep my eye on. Give me your sense of our kind of, because it's you, a couple other guys may make the World Cup team, but what do you see with the next crop that are younger than you that want to be Tyler Adams in two to three years? There's so many good players in our group now. I saw a lot of these guys because for me, I came from MLS. I was the first league that I played in, and a lot of our roster built around MLS players. And you can see that it's getting better, better, because if you

have the opportunity to represent your national team, you're doing something right. But, you know, guys like Quinn Sullivan, Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, Paxton, Erinson, a lot of these guys are making games for themselves at the highest level. And if they're not to go to Europe soon, they're going to keep developing an MLS. So, yeah, there's a lot of bright prospects on our team right now.

How important the World Cups in 11 months, does winning this, does it matter? Does it create inertia? or is it one of those things like, listen, we're going to have a lot of different guys in the World Cup. Do you think the Gold Cup matters? Just winning, does it feel different going into the next 11 months? Playing a knockout game, I think, is always an experience

that everyone's going to be able to take into the World Cup. For all of these guys on our team right now, it's an experience that we might not have in the next 11 months until the World Cup. So you want to have that feeling. You want to be able to go to penalties and create this winning atmosphere because you know better than anyone in covering sports, winning becomes contagious. And I think it's a mentality that a lot of these young guys need to develop. So we're continuing to build that.

And I think winning this thing will give a lot of excitement to a lot of fans. If I'd never watch this team play with a new coach, Maricio Pugetino. If I'd never seen it, describe how it, and I like Per Holter a lot, but describe some of the subtle changes and nuances that feel a little different with the new guy. Yeah, the mentality that he's brought in for our team now is he just wants to this compete. 11 players, you know, we watch clips after games and after trainings from the commitment of our team, whether it's, you know, someone has a bad play, and it's the reaction of how we react to that situation. 11 players sprinting back to defend our goal.

11 players sprinting forward to try and create chances to score. Just becoming that exciting team again with that U.S. grit that we've had over the year. So while maintaining that, how can we add a little bit of quality in certain situations? And obviously he's helping us develop that. Playing the World Cup on U.S. soil, do you view it as a significant advantage, Tyler? Yeah, it's an advantage and disadvantage, I think, because for a lot of players, if it's their first opportunity, it will be a lot of pressure. It will be more pressure than playing a World Cup abroad. The expectations maybe aren't as high.

I think for us as catalysts in the sport and as role models for the newer generation, we want to make sure we leave our mark in this tournament. So going out there, representing our country in the right way, winning games, because that's what people want to come and see, is the most important thing. So for myself, I think the burden weighs a little bit heavier, but I think that's exciting. I think the pressure is a privilege. What is the best part about playing with Christian Pulisic?

What does he do that, you know, even if you look at Leeds and your European experience, What does Christian provide that even excellent European players, the best players, even on the national team since I think 2017, what does Christian provide that even other good players don't? Yeah, listen, Chris is one of my best friend, though. It's easy for me to say, you know, we grew up together. I'm from a young age. We went to residency together. And, you know, for me, he was a role model from a young age because watching him play,

there was always something special that he had that no other player. on the field has. For me, I'm pretty good in defensive situations and reading players and defenders, but there were something about him that just made it look so easy. Dribbling by players, it was just always gliding. So yeah, he's a special player. He's a creative player, and he just always shows up in big moments. He leads by example, that's for sure. So, yeah, he's a special player, and we're lucky to have him. Finally, Matt Freeze in goal during the penalty kicks. All your years playing soccer, have you ever seen? a goalie, stop three, get his hands on two others.

What were you thinking watching Matt? Well, I mean, I practiced PKs on him in training, so I was pretty confident in our chances going into that situation. He said he used to write papers out of saving K. If you're not, you're probably going to set yourself up for success. Yeah. Hey, Tyler, appreciate you stopping by our show. Good luck to you and the guys.

Thank you. You bet. Tyler Adams, who has been on that team. captain of the last World Cup since 2017. He's been a pro now for 10 years. Played in Leeds over in Germany, Bournemouth in the English Premier League. So he's got a ton of international experience. And I just think you get to a point where if you're elite, you're making money overseas, you play in the World Cup. If you want to plan this, great, if not, I'm okay with it. All right, Jay Mack, where you're going to be taken over

for you for a few days. Got a minute left in the show. I appreciate it. You taken over the reins of the show. I want to thank Tyler Adams, Urban Meyer, Albert Breer, all stopped by today. Anything? What do we got before we go? Nothing. I just, what are you going to do for July 4th? Are you a fireword guy? Or are you more like I'm going to watch from a safe distance?

No, I like explosives. I'm a fireworks guy. I've said this before. My favorite holiday is Fourth of July. Really? Yeah. Like Christmas? Christmas?

When my kids were young, Christmas was great. Thanksgiving? It's too hot in the house. I'm wearing a sweater. In November? I know. I know. I'm a fireworks guy. Let's face it. I'm going to have a beer in my hand. Fireworks, maybe a cigar. That's America, baby.

Be safe out there, man. All right, you too. Thanks, everybody, for stopping by. I'll be off for a while. Jay Mack takes the controls. It's the hurt. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know. Tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite, unhumored me with Robert Myrtle and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance. I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know.

Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the Aihar Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12

in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.