The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Snaps - USC and Florida State are contenders & Kirby Smart and Georgia keep out recruiting the SEC

Episode Date: July 11, 2023

Aaron Murray and T-Bob Hebert discuss how Caleb Williams and USC, along with Jordan Travis and Florida State are dark horse college football playoff contenders. The guys also discuss Kirby Smart and Georgia’s dominance in recruiting as they currently have the #1 recruiting class in 2024 and 2025. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The volume. Hey, what's up, Bill? T. Bob here reminded you that you can come hang out with me and Aaron Murray live on AMP Monday through Thursday. Amp is a new live radio app. You just download it from the Apple store. You can actually call in, text in, chat with us directly during the show. It's a ton of fun.

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Segments will like it, subscribe it, share with your friends. Please help us to grow the show if you enjoy it. I am one of your hosts, T. Bob Aver, and I'm joined as always by Aaron Murray, QB1. How are we feeling there? What's up? Happy Mondays to everyone. Excited for next week. Yeah, man.

Bob and I will be in person shooting some content, which is always great. So be on the look up for that next week. Continue to share, subscribe. All this stuff, T. Bob said. But just a week closer. Plain simple. A week closer to football, man. I think after next week, it's going to feel even more like football season after we're in Nashville for a few days.

Okay. Okay. Okay. I thought, okay, you kind of landed the plan there. I thought you were going to say, and after next week, it's going to feel it even closer. And I was going to say, well, yeah, Aaron, that is how time tends to work. But I feel you, after we get lubed up with a little SEC media day, we're going to be ready to roll. I've been trying to come up with content ideas for next week.

All I've got so far is I really want to do the rolling bar show, if we could somehow work that out. And I'm cutting a pair of jeans into jorts. and I want to wear a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and some shorts. It's about the far as it goes, ooh, okay, here's off the top of the head brainstorm. We could do a Northwestern thing where we like put some masks on and we just go around

and we hold down strangers in the street and start dry-humping them. It's a little man on the street type action. Too soon? Too soon? It is a bit too soon because we're not going to talk about Northwestern until the end of the show, Aaron. So it's a great call. Wait around until the end if you wanted to hear my opinions there.

We're going to start talking underdogs. Not the dog that you've become, maybe at a time, UGA was. Now y'all are the top dogs. And although I appear to be the only voice in media who's telling you all the truth, I don't know if you're going to love to hear this, Aaron. And the college football playoff era, there has been one preseason favorite that has gone on to win the national championship. And that was 2017 Bama.

They were plus 250. Now, to be fair, UGA sitting pretty an even bigger favorite right now at plus 220. But as I've told you plenty of times before, I don't know if UGA fans have been paying attention to the news. And I don't want to, my goal is not to make UJ fans scared. Again, honesty is something that guides every action that I take. But word on the street is your boy Stetson Bennett is tearing up NFL camp. And all. you Bulldog fans are going to come.

Well, you're going to see, but I'm telling you to already, you have to accept that even though you convinced yourself, you're winning games in spite of Stetson Bennett, you are winning games because of Stetson Bennett. And there's just no guarantee that Carson Beck's that guy. Okay? I mean, the Rams are out here trying to trade Matt Stafford. Now, probably has $59 million. But still, Warden Street, it's Stetson's ball.

And so can you replace him, Munkin? Maybe. But probably not. We've never seen three in a row. We've only seen one of their favorite win it. So today we're going to do some underdogs. Aaron, I'll allow you a bottle first.

We've never seen three in a row. We have seen three in a row, T, Bob. It just hasn't been through the 30s. Like, you can't, you have to stop saying that. It has been done before. It has. It has. It's been 90 years, but it has been done.

I don't get a damn when it was done. It was still done. I don't count records pre-integration or pre-Mager World War II. It just, it just doesn't. Or COVID or the COVID year. Or absolutely don't count the COVID year. Don't be sorry. I went off again during a commercial break with the fellas this morning on my morning show.

And the more and more like, okay, we're going to talk Northwestern. Look at how good Northwestern was COVID year. And then look at the two years surrounding it. COVID was a bullshit year of football. Nothing should count from 2020. Or it should have a giant asterisk next to it. But whatever. So if we know then, if we hear on snaps, except that it's,

fact that Georgia will not win on the national championship. Well, where do we put our money then? What's the play? And we came a little game here. We're going to choose two realistic underdogs, I would say, where they got a pretty good shot, maybe look for some value. And then we're going to choose two true dark course long shots or maybe you're going to get some value as well. So, Aaron, I allowed you first pick, and thus I will allow you to start us up.

What is one of your realistic underdogs to win the Natty here? You know, I'm going to go with USC, the Trojan boys out west. plus I think we're out 1,600 right now is what we got them at. The reigning Heisman trophy winner in his third season in this offense, which has been one of the best offenses under Lincoln Riley for eight, nine years now. So they're going to put up stupid stats. They filled every single hole they need to fill when it comes to guys they lost last season. They went and got a running back.

They went and got a top receiver. They got talented those positions already. They did a great job recruiting. Got once again a very talented offensive line. I know you loved the offensive line last year. I think they'll be just as good this year. Offense is going to be great. They're going to score 40 points per game.

There's no doubt in my mind. They're not going to do that. The focus was defense. Can you get better? They went and got four or five guys to defense a line from across the country to transfer in. They got guys in the secondary lineback position. They filled those holes.

Can those guys come in there and plug in and be day one starts? I think they're good enough to do that. They improved on that side of the football. And it's not like they had to get. they have to get better. Let me remember that they have to get better. They don't need to get five, six, seven points per game better.

I just need to get three points per game better. If they can do that. To win it and natty. You don't think they need to be a top 25 defense. Nope. I don't think they need to be a top. With that offense, they do not need to be a top team.

Ohio State last year was not a top defense. They were a receiver away from being in the national championship. championship and probably smoking TCU. A receiver away. Let's be honest. They're a receiver away from staying healthy in that game versus Georgia from being the national championship and winning the national championship.

Why? Because they had an elite quarterback and they had an elite receiver. And an elite offense. They'll be fine. They'll be fine. So I think they could be better on defense. And I think they'll be just as good, if not better on offense. If Caleb Williams not going to stay's healthy.

So I love USC. I love their chances. They got a couple of hard games on the road this year. They're at Notre Dame, which is always going to be a tough one. And then they're at Oregon, which Oregon, I'm going to be talking about here in a little bit, is a great team heading into this season as well. You get Utah at home. That's been the big bugaboo for them.

Can they take care of business? We'll see how healthy Cam Rising is this season coming off the injury. But I'm sipping the Kool-Aid, man. This is USC's year to get back going again and legitimately compete for national championship. To be fair, that is a team that jumped off. screen to me as well plus 1,600 just feels good when you have the best quarterback in the game of football. But what else I think? I'm a little chalky with this next one.

Now, not full chalk, right? Alabama's second best out of Ohio State third. I actually don't believe in either of those teams. But then right there at number four, you're going to tell me I get Michigan plus 1,000, a Michigan team that returns J.J. McCarthy again, this time with a full offseason knowing he is the guy that's starting me. we've had these Wolverine conversations before. Michigan team that just beat the fuck out of Ohio State the last couple of years. And I mean, like, not even just score-wise, but like beat them like they were physically inferior children as an adult would to a misbehaving child in the 50s when that thing

was allowed than that type of behavior, I should say. They have the fifth most attorney production in the entire country. They return over 80% of their office production, 78% of their defense. percent of their defensive production. Remember, 80 percent is that threshold where a team gets markedly better. They have the beat UGA period. So they're making no bones about it. Like, their goals are bigger. Like, their goals are to lift a trophy. We all know what ended up happening to the beat Ohio State period. Well, they're doing just that. So yeah, man, I mean, I don't know why. I guess, I do know why Michigan's behind Alabama and Ohio State. I mean, obviously, you just trust Nick Saban and you see the recruiting.

And then as far as Ohio State goes, they constantly feel a bit more dynamic. But even though I know with their replacement quarterback, they'll probably still throw like 40 touchdowns. I just feel so much better about the solidity, the direction, and all the returning pieces for the Michigan Wolverine. So Michigan plus 1,000, easy. I love as a realistic pick. This next one I didn't love, but I kind of talked myself into. And it's Clemson plus 1,600. Now, I know it's very fashionable to hate on Clemson, and I understand all the reasons why.

And I love making fun of Davo as much as the next person. I mean, the name, image, and likeness, quote, talking about Jesus was righteous Jimstone's level of good. So I get it all. Okay. But what I also see is, again, a guy who's done it before in Davo a couple of times. I see a five-star quarterback in Clay Club Nick, who I believe was in a shitty offense. Now, DJ Ewan Gala has told us as much, even if he maybe has a bit of a motive to say so. They hire Garrett Riley, which I'm in love with that Garrett Riley hire.

And as we're going to see, when I get to a major underdogs, the ACC's week, right? So like, if you're looking for underdogs to win championships, a great place to start is which conference feels most winnable. because by doing that, you set yourself up to make the playoff. And if Clemson beats Florida State, I mean, I think they got maybe like one other game that could be tough. So yeah, give me Clemson plus 1,600 with Garrett Riley. Linket Riley's brother. No, no, no, no, that ain't happening. I got a quarterback, man.

I was at the engagement party this weekend. Some drunk Clemson fan came up to my face talking mad shit about how Clemson's going to dunk on everyone, then rolled into a beating Georgia to start next season off. I'm like, yes. First off, kid, back up two steps, take a deep breath. Y'all ain't that good this year. So it ain't going to happen first off. All right.

Why it's not going to happen. Wait, wait, wait, wait. So you're reasoning why it's not going to happen is because a drunk clipset band accosted you at a wedding and you had to beat him off? No, because they don't have a quarterback or receivers. That's why they're not going to win. I just said K. Clubnik. Former five.

They don't have a quarterback. They don't have a quarterback or receivers this year. That's why they're not going to win it. And the other reason is why. they're not going to win it is because Florida State is the better football team heading into the season. You got the quarterback in Georgia Travis. It was the hottest quarterbacks to finish the season off last year.

You got receivers. You got running back. You got offense. The entire offense returns. Plus, the entire defense also returns. Yeah. They are number one. Giving up her game last year.

They returned that surer power on the defense side of the football. This team doesn't have a weakness. A lead offense, a quarterback who gained a ton of offense last year. he carries it over this year. A defense that's going to be one of the best defenses in the country heading to season, and a coach who's now in this fourth season, you got the culture built as well. At plus, I think 2,500 right now. I love Florida State.

I think Florida State's right in. I think Florida State wins the ACCC. Florida State's going to be one of the final four teams in there. And if Jordan Travis continues to progress the way he progressed last year, they are one of the most complete teams in college football. There's really not a hole to pick when it comes to the Seminoles heading. to the season. To be fair.

Other than their coach hasn't won a national championship or their coach hasn't won a nattie though. I mean, that's it. That's it though. I would say this to be fair if I'm being an objective,

I like Florida State plus 2,500, way better than Clemson plus 1,600. Not say that I like Florida State more than Clipson to win it, but at those odds, I would take FSCU. All right, now let's talk two major underdogs, Aaron, start us off. All right, two major underdogs. for me.

First, I'm going to say in the Pact 12. I just love this conference this year. No. It's Oregon. And I mentioned it earlier. USC has to go on the road to Eugene, which is one of the most daunting places to play football game in America. End of the season.

You got Bo Nix, who I've loved Bo Nix for a long time. Loved them at Auburn. Didn't get enough credit for what he did with complete crap around him. It was tremendous last year as a starting quarterback year one. This played a lot of football as a dynamic thrower. runner. He's got his running backs back. He's got his receivers back. They also have a great amount of guys back on the defense side of the football. There's just like at top of the

Forest State, there's not a lot of holes to pick when you look at Oregon heading into this season. And it just, Bo Nix gives me a lot of confidence as well. So I like Oregon right now. I think there are mid-3,000s somewhere on there. Yeah. I think plus 3500. I think it's a great value pick with the quarterback with as much experience as he does. with the town around them and they get USC at home. I fucking love Dan landing ever since I saw that tattoo he got in his love handle. I mean, just an all time stoner bro tat. Good job, Dan.

I'll go, okay, I'm going to kind of similar. I'm going to do a Pac-12 and I'm going to go with my guy. Michael Pennix Jr. and Kalen-de-Bore. More talk on Washington coming to Mars. I'm not going to do too hard here, but plus 3,500, 11 and 2 last year. Okay, let's remember that. 11 wins for the Huskies last year.

Now, another year of Pennix. They return the best receiving court in the entire nation to sophomores. That as sophomores, now they'll be juniors. But as sophomores had over 75 catches, over 1,000 yards and over 7 touchdowns of the piece. Oh, and the third leader receiver was a freshman. Okay, everybody's back. I like getting who do they have at home. That's good.

They can go on the road to USC. I hate that. On the road, Oregon State. Hate that. But they do get Oregon at home. Okay. So whatever, probably not going to happen. But if you got to take a flyer,

I'll always go with the guy who I think is the best quarterback, and I think Michael Pennix Jr. is even better than your boy, Bonex. So let's go. Now, for my major underdog here to win it all, y'all are going to accuse me of being a flip-flopper, of talking out of both sides of my mouth. And, you know, I will take these arrows, as I always do, in stride with the magnanimity and August nature of one

who is above such small opinions and small thoughts because I kind of love this to win the nattie now, the Oklahoma Sooners at plus 6,000. That's a massive number. But when you look at Oklahoma's schedule, it's easy. I mean, if they overcome Texas like Texas, they should win every other game. They are going to be significantly more talented than every single team that they play. save for Texas. And you know how I feel about Texas.

Like Texas and Sark are just as bad, if not worse, and if, that's a big if, but if Britt Binnables figures out the defense like he should, because that is his background, if he does, well then watch out.

And I also think Dylan Gabriel remains a very big if, but like I could see a world where Dylan Gabriel becomes very good. But the point is, once again, we check the boxes, okay. You got a returning quarterback, which I like is an element here. you got a school that has more championships in high,

the top five program of all time. You got an easy conference where you should be better than every single team that you play. And I've been Vinibals' hater number one. But like I've constantly said, it's just because what he's shown me, right? Like on the recruiting trail, I've already had to eat crow. I thought Venables would be a shitty recruiter. He is killing. He got another five-star tied in yesterday.

We'll talk about Oklahoma recruiter tomorrow. So he's already proved me wrong there. If he proves me wrong as a game day head coach, well, then watch out now. You used to be on Oklahoma before you joined the Texas hive mind. Watch out now. Plus 6,000. Not a bad little $20. See what happens play.

This one's a little wild for me. But I'm going to go plus 5,000 for my big boy here. I'm going to go to the Aggies. They have the talent. I mean, at the end of the day, it starts with, it starts with the, we always say, Jimmy's and Joe's, man, it starts with the players. Like, A&M has the players. They've, they've beat Alabama two years ago. They were within two yards of beating Alabama again last year.

So like, they had the talent to go toe to toe with Bama, which means they have the talent to go toto-to-to-to-with anyone. They beat the shit out of your tigers last year, too. So like, I don't think there's a question of, do they got the guys on the team to make an major impact? They do. And I finally think they have a quarterback. Connor Wegmane quarterback right now, big fan of him. You got a nice back. You got another top receiver back as well.

You got your whole line back. Get your whole line back. Get the entire defense back pretty much. They returned probably some of the most returning starting talent from last year than anyone else in the country, which was just obviously they underperformed, especially on offense. They underperformed on the offense side of the football.

So you hope with the new offensive scheme, a little bit of a new offense of mine, set, Jimbo takes a little bit backseat. They evolve on that side of the football with Connor Wegman at quarterback in his second year that you see a massive jumping improvement on offense. So, and I think they can. I do. I think they can.

When I look at USC, the Southern cap, elite offense needs to get a little bit better on defense. I think A&M is the reverse. Elite defense, really, really good defense in an offense that just needs to get a little bit better to see a major jump in production. And I think they have the weapons on offense to be able to take a pretty big jump on that side of the football when it comes to points per game. So I kind of like A&M at that plus 5,000 to make some noise.

So to your point, Aaron, A&M 7th in the country returning 80% production. Remember 80% to the benchmark where teams tend to take a big leap and 82% on offense alone, along with 77 out of it. So yeah, okay, not a bad play. Although how interesting here. you chose A&M over Texas why is that if I was going to ask you Brian Winners

what hmm if both would have checked the box for underdogs why did you choose little brother honestly because I didn't see Texas in the sheet that was sent to us that's probably why okay yeah yeah yeah Texas plus 2,500 that's bullshit dude what's that pie enough

threshold was 3,000 that's why yeah you made the rules I'm just playing by the rules I'm just playing by the rules T Bob you said for the major ones how to be over plus 3,000. So. Well, yeah. What do you, are you okay?

Are you having a stroke? Are you okay? I'm sorry, guys. Aaron seemed to be gagging on something. I don't see Kirby anywhere in the room. We're on Zoom right now. Kirby, he's probably too short. Kirby, stand up.

Stand up. Oh, oh, there he is. Wow. Aaron, I'm surprised. Impressive. Start calling you Throodzilla. Big 12 media voted on their preseason poll, and Aaron, I'm sure this will make you very happy. It looks like your Texas Longhorns out of 67 media votes.

This was crazy. So Big 12 voted their preseason poll for how the Big 12 is going to finish. And I'm not surprised at Texas one. When we break down the votes, I am shocked at how heavy the opinion is at Texas. Out of 67 votes, the Texas Longhorns getting 41 to win the vote. the conference. Kansas State coming second with 14. Love a little respect there. Good job. Then Oklahoma, just four votes. Texas Tech just four votes. TCU, who just played for Natty, only gets three and then nobody else got one.

Where's your Kansas? Where's your Jayhawks at? Fucking ninth because these nerds don't know football. They've never even heard of Jalen Daniels, obviously. I mean, again, I'm a slave to truth. I know no other way, so I can't sit here and lie like all. all of you, Sark Boys can, just because you hope that he's going to give you access one day if he ever becomes nationally relevant. But Texas, 41 first place votes, I think, again, again, I'm not even going to talk about how it's wrong because maybe I'm wrong, but add this to the Mount fucking Everest of evidence that we have that Steve Sarkesian must do good this year.

If Steve Sarkisian does not do good this year, it's a travesty, a joke. and you Texas fans should not be accepting of it. And I don't mean, I hope you can be a 12 with, I mean, make a playoff. Yeah. I hope you're making a full, full PowerPoint presentation to, to give the Texas fans once the season ends of, I am.

This is what you were inherited. And this is what was done with it, was C. Sarkesian as your head coach. So, uh, I mean, I've already compared the Tom Hurley, I think there's, we've got, we've got the athletics good to fail, ESPN's computer models, returning production models. Uh, like, all the computer.

computers love them. All the humans love them. You got the media now loving him. Okay, your turn, Texas. Win something. I'm with you, man. This is, this is, this is, this is put up or shut up for Shark. I think he's going to put up. I'm one of those media members that just feels like they are too good and too big

in a shitty conference to fail this year. And if they do to what you're hoping is going to happen, then yes, a conversation needs to happen at the end of the season. But it's just, you can't tell me when you look, take just strip away Sark, strip away Texas, which I know it's hard to do, and you just look at the players, which this is

what it comes down to. When you look at the players, there is a major gap between Texas and Oklahoma and everyone else. How's it different from last year? How's it different from last year? There was a major gap then as well. Remember no other big 12 teams

in the top 15 last year. The difference is, Quinn yours has had a year to mature. Everyone wants to give him shit, including me. I gave him shit last year a little bit. He was a freshman quarterback, a freshman quarterback. When do you take the biggest jumps from freshman to sophomore year?

He will make a jump. He's the oldest fucking freshman quarterback I've ever seen. How many seasons of football did he have? No, he isn't. The first season was a money grab. It was a money grab to go to OSU, Ohio State, when he was only 17 years old, he got paid, he came back home with true freshman year was last year. True freshman.

How convenient. What convenient logic gymnastics you just, Hey, more like Quinn. Even better than he's a junior in your mind. Even better for him then. There you go. So like there you go. Second year of legitimately playing football.

I'll say that. More like Quinn. Be better. They got talented receiver. Isaiah Nairor. They needed. You know, they also didn't have a legitimate number two receiver last year. Winningham was was was, was, was, he was okay.

He put up good sets. Wasn't an electric receiver. Isaiah Neroor is a legitimate. legitimate number two receiver that's going to take a lot of pressure off the number one. You're just going to ignore Bejan Robinson being gone. This doesn't matter. Texas first offensive first rounders. They got like an elite five star.

Yeah. Yeah, they've had plenty of elite five stars. And guess what? None of them got drafted in the first round. You're not just going to replace Bejan Robinson. More like Quinn Ewers. That's the joke I've been trying to get out for five minutes now. Also, West Virginia finishes bottom.

12, you know, absolute last. They finished 14th in the big 12 in terms of media voting. Fire Neil Brown today. I would pre-fire him before the season just to give the boys some juice. I guess they can't because of buyouts and whatnot. So going back to your Bulldogs there, if they are going to win yet another national championship, which I don't think they're going to be able to. they're probably going to do it with a pretty similar blueprint, if you will.

You've done some deep diving on this UJ roster to recruiting. How Kirby, because remember we asked the question the other day, like if you dropped Kirby Smart into X program, would you win a national championship? I think you would at about 15 different schools. So this blueprint has a lot of value. Aaron, what is the blueprint that Kirby Smart's employing here to have this success? Well, first off, you remember Alabama? So I'm not just on 247, 247, whenever we want to call A&M at total points 33.132 years ago.

Last year, Alabama was at 327.65. So far this year, so this recruiting class heading for 2024, Georgia has 26 commits at 311 points. So easily the number one team right now when it comes to recruiting for next year, and they're just on absolute tear. But when you really look at it, I tweet about this the other day, which gets us to the discussion of where is football one nowadays? And I'll say this.

Until we start putting flags on these kids and just saying, sorry, we're not going to tackle anymore, the game of football is still won in the trenches. This is a credit to you, T. Bob, and you're big boys, big uglies up front. The game is still played at the line of screen. And you look at the guy who just won two national championships, where is he putting an emphasis on this offseason?

Because it's not like, it's not like Georgia doesn't have lead offensive play right now, offensive line play or defensive line play. They have guys on both offensive and defense line that are going to be picked in the first round of the draft next year and the year after that. But he continues to go out there and recruit offense alignment and defense linemen. Six offense alignment that range anywhere from 6-6 to 6-8 and 5 defense alignment. 11 of their guys committed so far in this class

come at the offensive line and defense aligned positions. So you want to win and you want to learn from the best in the game right now, recruit big motherfuckers at the offensive line and defense line. That's still how you win football games. If you dominate the line of the scrimmage and you beat them up, you're going to win. Isn't it funny, man? How it's, I've been thinking a lot about True Detective lately. we did an HBO show ranking the other day

and I mean true detective season one remains just a masterpiece of television. Season two sucked, which is disappointing because I love the cast. Season three was all right. I think they got a little bit expositiony at the end, which kind of ruined it a bit.

But season one's incredible, right? What does Russ Cole tell us? Times a flat circle. Think about the evolution of football. Everything has changed. College kids are getting paid now, spread offices are no longer niche. They're the suit de jour.

Like, everything has changed. If you were to go into time machine back to when Minnesota was three peak champions, people would think that you were watching fucking aliens play a different sport. That's how much it's a, but except that at its core, like you're saying, when you strip away the fluff, all the fancy finesse at the end of the day,

it remains an inherently physical game, right? the song remains the same. Time is a flat circle. It's still won by just having, like you said, the biggest and baddest motherfuckers on the line because although it's not the sexiest, although they cannot take the top off of a defense. If you can't, it's like a good foundation

to a building, Aaron, right? When you look at like a beautiful cathedral, you're never looking at the bottom right and being like, look at that cornerstone. That's a beautiful cornerstone. You're like, whoa, look at the filigree. And look at like the crazy freezes and the altars and everything and all the little calligraphic work

and the angels and the demons, but what's it all built on? A fucking solid foundation. If there's cracks in the foundations, the whole thing comes fumbling down. So you can keep your fancy gargoyle wide receivers and your beautiful pulpit of a running back. I just want solid,

I don't know if Limestone's a good rock or not. Solid marble foundation. That's exactly what the Bulldogs understand. And it reminds me a lot of what Nick Saban did. back in the early 2000s when he made LSU into a monster. I mean, that's how he did it was getting, there's still more legendary D-Lyman from that era than any era in LSU history. I'm pretty sure there's more NFL O lineman from that era than any era in subsequent history.

So, yeah, man, it's, I guess, look at it, I guess, look at it. But here's the problem. Look at the guys have been drafted off Georgia the past two years from the offensive defense line. Been more of that position than the other position. So here's the problem. with that. This is all very obvious. So why can't other people do it?

You know? Like that's that's that's the actual secret sauce. It's not like like that that's the actual thing to to try to understand. It's a perception of the, no, it's the perception of, of the identity of their team. Like I think Michigan. I think Georgia.

I think, I think big boys that can move people and dominate the line of scrimmage. I think Ohio State. I think USC. I think Clemson. I think offense, soft, receivers. Yeah, the fancy lad. So like as a recruit, you take that into account. Like, where is the most successful offensive line and defensive line play been? It's been at Michigan. It's been at Georgia. It's been here. It's been there. It hasn't been at these schools. They take that into account. They want to go to a place that has a rich tradition of kicking out of the line of scrimmage and then getting drafted to the NFL. Like, if I'm not,

Offensive line, man, what is Ohio State really get me juiced about? Like, I think Ohio State, I think spread offense throwing the football. I don't think offensive line play. I go to Michigan. That's why Michigan's had success. They've gone into Ohio and said, hey, you big boys, do you want to play this soft brand of the football? You want to come to Michigan and be a bunch of badasses?

While we go, I go to Michigan. They've taken those dudes and flipped the switch and now are playing bully ball against Ohio State. I think, I think you're, I think it's a definite element of it. maybe the other piece is just Kirby's better at landing those guys because Kirby's better at landing all guys, right? But then again, but then you look at like

in Alabama and then it's where I get confused because Alabama's still stacked talent at that position and yet they've lost their intimidation factor. Like, I don't know how it's possible. They still have all the talent, but the offensive line has been nothing to write home about the last couple of years. Bryce Young had to bail them

out. It seemed like constantly for the last two seasons. So I don't know exactly how I does it, but I don't like hearing it because I hate that Georgia looks like they're going to stay very good for a long time by that. Yep. There you go. No. Fuck me.

And finally, we arrive at what you'll all been waiting for. And that is the Northwestern football hazing scandal. So in case you missed it, the Northwestern student newspaper, was contacted by a whistleblower on the football team. And, well, he told the student paper about some allegations of some hazing that was going on. And the school did an investigation. They find out it's true. Or, you know, I guess, excuse me, I don't know if I'm allowed to, like, legally say that.

They investigate the allegations and they give Pat Fitzgerald a two-week suspension. He's like, I didn't know about any of this. They're like, okay. And now they're coming back. They're like, well, you should know they're going to, he's probably going to end up getting fired. I actually don't care about the Pat Fitzgerald stuff. That is what it is.

It's actually a perfect excuse for Northwestern to get rid of a coach that is clearly failing at this point and not have to pay the big buyout that I'm sure that he has. What is shocking to me level, or Aaron, is the hazing itself where I, and I want to be clear, I'm basically, I have a PhD in Homer, hazing in that I've experienced both sides of it at varying levels of homoeroticism. Generally, the most homerotic was when I was younger, you know, kind of like beginning of high school type stuff. Me and on a spiritual retreat, I may have been a part of a group of people that did a

naked Olympics. And then as I got older, it tended to maybe get a bit more like violent, a little less homerotic, kind of be, whatever. So the point is. I'm not someone that's good to talk to about the moral or ethical implications. Is it right or is it wrong? I just want to explore getting the mindset of these Northwestern players because in college, their version of hazing, one of the activities they would do consistently was called running people or are getting ran.

And what this would consist of according to the newspaper is around like 12 players putting on purge-like masks. and then holding down the player being hazed and dry-humping him. And I just have so many questions. I'll start here, though. First, Eric, did you all do any hazing? Did you have anything along those lines? No, we actually did not do any hazing. Actually, the only hazing we did,

and this actually stopped after my second year, because we had a top recruit with Isaiah Crowe, who had dreads, who had said, told Coach, yeah, Croweck, Socro that if he came, if he would not commit to Georgia if his, if his hair got cut. Um, so the only he's like, I remember my freshman year, they like, you know, one day, they would put some weird stuff in your hair, like make some crazy design. You have to wear it for the day to like practice into the lunchroom and all that good stuff.

And then after that, we just shave our heads off. So like that, that was the extent of, of hazing, which I said ended after, you know, finally a recruit kind of had the balls to say, no, no, no, I'm not going to commit if you make me do this. but I don't get it. I really don't. I don't know. I just never been a big haze guy. I don't get the whole fraternity thing.

Like, especially a football team. Like, why do you want to beat the shit out of your own teammates? I get, so look, I get hazing because as like a right of passage thing, right? You want to do the big. Not to the extreme, though. Something fun and silly and silly.

Look, look, I'm again, I'm not specifically speaking of Northwestern right here, but I understand the concept of hazing. Like, I get it. I've seen as a freshman in high school, right? When like we used to get our ass beat at the football camp, like literally like get down. They would like freeze like rubber sharks and other stuff and just whip the shit out of you. But once you did it, you were then accepted, right?

You were kind of into the club, right? So like I've been on, I've been through these at LSU at the end of camp. We'd have a jump in day, essentially, where the last day of camp, everybody with the locker room. It was just a roving band of upperclassmen assaulting the freshman one by one. But again, more in like a pain sort of way. Nothing over the top. But you know, slappy, maybe a little punching, a little kicking. Maybe like a little lift up.

Whatever. Like not a big deal. No, maybe yes, maybe no, because it was just in the locker. He did it kind of caught you. But it was kind of self-police. Like nothing ever got too crazy. Again, it was one day, bam, you're in. I'm sure Northwestern has a thing right now.

Like, I'm sure those kids, a bunch of kids are just like you. We feel like nothing, like this isn't crazy. This isn't true. No, no, I know. I know because when you're in it, it doesn't feel weird. So sometimes you need the light. You did it, but I'm sure there are for other guys that probably did feel a little weird.

No, I know. But for a lot, it does it. And all I'm pointing out is the absurd nature of the Northwestern Hazing. Sometimes you need the light of normal society shined upon these things. And all of a sudden, you're like, guys, what the fuck are we doing?