The McShay Show - Can Indiana Become a Dynasty? Plus, Scouting QB Josh Hoover.

Episode Date: July 20, 2026

Welcome back to The McShay Show! The guys are wrapping up the first leg of their summer scouting series by answering the following question: Can Indiana become a dynasty under Curt Cignetti? They also share their scouting report for Josh Hoover and compare his game to Fernando Mendoza’s. (00:00) Welcome to The McShay Show! (02:52) Evaluating Josh Hoover (15:39) Is Indiana becoming a Modern Dynasty? (28:47) Making the case for Indiana to repeat as Champions (35:58) Why Indiana won't repeat this season Make your rise with the MVP Bundle. Available now. The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines. Host: Todd McShay Guest: Steve Muench Producers: Tucker Tashjian, Conor Nevins, and Daniel Comer Social: Abou Kamara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We got a fun one today. We're coming off a seven-part series, building the board, the 2027 quarterback class. But there's one name that everyone keeps asking us for, and that's Josh Hoover from TCU to Indiana. People are also starting to ask the question, is Signetti building a dynasty in Bloomington, Indiana? And we get some answers today. 283 days until the NFL draft. You good, man? I'm psyched, man.

roll that thing cut this episode is presented by e a sports college football 27 where you can engineer your team the way you want and if you want the full football experience try the MVP bundle i'm already getting pressure from the boys in this house we got to get it we got to get it right well i'm going to cave you get college football 27 madden nfl 27 plus deluxe edition rewards in both games to help you go from campus legend to NFL superstar. Make your rise with the MVP bundle. Available now. Conditions and restrictions apply.

See eA.com slash games slash EA dash sports, dash college, dash football slash college dash football dash 27 slash game dash disclaimers for details. We're transitioning now, Mesh. We had seven parts, 14 quarterbacks done. We've built the board. But as I said in the open, Josh Hoover is a quarterback that a lot of people are excited about and understandably so. You and I took the time to go break down his film and view it through the lens as we did with those other 14 quarterbacks, starting with Dante Moore, continuing with, from CJ Carr to Julian Say and Arch Manning and Lenora Sellers and all the others, right? So I want to start with that, but also let everyone know we're going to spend some time on what's coach Signetti building at IU?

What's it look like this year? With most, Indiana had as many players drafted last year, this year, I guess, in April, 2026 draft, as they had combined over 10 years. What's it going to look like for Indiana this year? Right. So we did some deep diving into that as well. So we're excited for this before we take a little bit of break.

Listen, college football, everyone's walking away for a minute. NFL training camp starting August this year. We're going to take a little break with the football. world, if you will, but we're excited to bring this show today. So the Hulu original series Furious is coming to Disney Plus, starring Emmy Rossum. Furious follows FBI agent Alice Black on the hunt for a mysterious and calculating serial killer. Both walk their own paths toward justice.

And as their lives start to intertwine, the line between right and wrong begins to blur. Don't miss the three-episode premiere of the Hulu original series Furious on July 26. Only on Hulu on Disney Plus. Let's just dive in. Josh Hoover, quarterback, TCU. I think everyone, those who didn't know Josh Hoover, got a little bit of a crash course and how much fun he is to watch on that.

Remember that the Bill Belichick coming out party? It wasn't a long-lived party. Head coach, game day sends everyone down. It's this huge celebration. Teddy Bruskees and Chapel Hill. And then TCU. comes in with Josh Hoover and ruins the night, right? Yep.

So that was kind of the breakout moment nationally for Josh Hoover. But you and I went back and we watched the tape the same way we have for all those other top quarterback prospects. And we don't have to do the deep dive that we did in everyone, but I want to throw it to you and say, like, what stood out? What's the biggest takeaway you had when you were done with Josh Hoover's tape? Really good point guard. I mean, he's going to get the ball out quickly on RPO's, make good reads,

you know, zip it, get any. out there on time in rhythm. I think he's a good athlete. I think he moves around really well. I think he can extend plays. I think he can scramble. I didn't realize how good of a runner he was or how good of an athlete he was overall.

And I really, I like his touch on the deep ball. I think we can get in. I don't know if you want to wait to get in the negatives for a second here, but he is a perfect fit for Indiana. That was my biggest, that was my biggest take. Yeah. He's a perfect fit.

Like, follow me here, because it's going to sound crazy. We studied in depth Fernando Mendoza and were really high on him. Like I told you, Pete Thammel, and people were texting, like, yo, it caught my eye that you're saying that Mendoza is a first rounder. Nobody's talking about him like that. Like, we really dug in on Mendoza last year coming from Cal to Indiana. And kind of gave the path to how he could become a really high draft pick. Right. He did that and quite frankly kind of exceeded expectations, right?

Especially as the season progressed. From a system fit transition from one program to the next, you can make the argument. It's going to be more seamless for him as an individual coming from what they were doing at TCU with the shotgun mesh. And I just, he's the trigger. Signetti's, as we've all learned, as intentional as there is.

Signetti knows exactly what he's trying to find in a football player at every single position. Signetti has become the Belichick of college football in that he maximizes every single minute for his coaching moments and the discipline you see from offensive line, hat on hat to defensive gaps, sound, zone, discipline, all those things. So he has an exact feel for what he's looking for. And I'm guessing Indiana could have probably taken a stab at or got maybe a higher profile guy or someone maybe is a little bit more physically gifted. This cat fits Indiana perfectly because it's quick hands, mesh point, quick decisions.

I think it's going to be easier on Signetti and Mike Shanahan, the offensive coordinator, to kind of get him in line with what they're trying to do than even it was with Mendoza. And I think for for Hoover, it's going to be kind of an easier learning curve coming in, being like, oh, yeah, we do this stuff, I'm comfortable with this stuff, know exactly what you need for me, coach, let's run it. Now, the difference is Mendoza's upside was up here and Hoover's is here, right? Correct. There's a one, six foot five, 220 plus pounds, got to 236. one is can as it kind of takes off running into the long you know has that long striding

pursuit angle killing in Mendoza and and is this pinpoint repetitive motion like almost maniacal in his mechanics and delivery where it's just going to be delivered where where he wants it to go hoover's more college quarterback you know yeah he's got a little bit of suddenness as you said he's got this i think in rhythm when it's mesh make that first read cornerbacks leverage this i'm going here or i'm going there ball out he i think and i'm transitioning into strengths now i think hoover's awesome throwing those those those quick slants off the mesh the crossers to his receivers like the middle of the field all those things happening at once the mesh point the read ball out quick And I think he's got some balls to him.

And I love it about it. The balls to get him into trouble a little bit. They do. And we'll get to that in a minute. But my biggest takeaway was that, the fit in Indiana specifically. Not only scheme-wise, though, which I think is very true, but I think personnel-wise, when you look at the two guys they got out on the outside and Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, who are big boys,

and you think about those back-shoulder throws that, that Mendoza was throwing to Elijah Surratt all last year, and that was really a staple of that offense, I really like Hoover's touch on the downfield throw and his ability to give guys a chance to make a play on a 50-50 ball, and he's got receivers, I think, now, that are better suited to come down with those passes. That's, like, when you look at the personnel fit as well as the scheme fit,

you know, it's intriguing. Now, the touch throws and what you're referencing, I agree with, some of the outside the numbers thing or like at the numbers outside of that. I thought he was a little less consistent than he was with the over-the-middle stuff. His four kids. It's erratic and he just kind of,

he misses throws it. Generally he makes, there will be a throw that he makes eight out of ten times than two times. It's like, where are we going with that? It just is, it's a miss. And so I'm excited to see because we saw when we watched Mendoza at Cal,

it was not the same repetitive, like, OCD. You know, I'm excited to see with Shanahan, Signetti, and that staff, you know, Hoover's not at the Manning Passing Academy. He's going through that, like, whatever program that Mendoza,

who, like, loved being at the Manning Passing Academy, loved doing things in the offseason. And he was, and then Signetti was like, sorry, Archie, like, he's going to, no, he's going to be here. I've got too much to teach. And so I'm excited to see where that progress. comes, but as it currently is constituted, like he's not the consistent, almost robotic,

and I mean that in a positive way, like process, footwork, delivery, all that stuff that Mendoza was, but Mendoza wasn't that at Cal. So are we going to see strides in that area? He's also, as you mentioned, 511 and 5.8s of an inch. That's what he measured in for the NFL scouts in the offseason. He's 200 listed at 6-2. Right. But that's why it's important to get these lists in the preseason.

So we actually have a feel and they're not going to be perfect. And maybe he checks in at six foot, you know, at the combine. Or maybe he's 5, 11 and 2, you know, 2 8, 7 inch, a quarter inch. But it provides a little bit closer feel for what he's at. He actually is. Balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. Saw some of that stuff. Like he's not Mendoza, right?

he's not we got to get into the back and forth between signetti and tCU head coach sunny dykes though i mean and there's i thought it was funny because dykes made the comment and the number is accurate that hoover had 41 turnovers and 31 starts or 33 starts um i think that's the right number so the turnovers were are a thing and of course signetti fired back with he just you know He didn't have the running game and the defense that he's going to have in Indiana. Those are his new best friends. He's going to be just fine. In fairness to Dykes, by the way, he did say that a lot of that fell on the coaching staff and all that.

But it's just great that I love that Cignetti's still salty. He's got to find something to say during the offseason and the back and forth. And, of course, the truth is a little bit somewhere in between, right? I am actually optimistic that he will cut down on those intersections. Our biggest knock on Mendoza coming out of Cal was the dude just, either turns the ball over too much or has the quote-unquote turnover worthy plays, throws decisions, right? Yeah.

And so again, the two areas where I think he, I don't think, I know he has to improve, as we talk about him as a pro prospect, and even in Indiana's offense, are the two areas where Mendoza made the most improvement from Cal in 2024 to IU in 2025. So that to me is like, great. You take this clay and it was a more beautiful piece of clay, maybe a bigger, bigger, taller piece of clay in Mendoza than it is in Hoover.

But there's some molding that goes on at IU that is proven. And I want to see that with Hoover this year. Yeah, they have a, they have a proven system of bringing in guys who are experienced who maybe other programs don't value as much in getting them to be highly competitive winners in their program. But Hoover does try to do too much on tape. There are times where he's just, it's like just. And I guarantee you that's going to be the biggest area of improvement we see in his game. It better be, or he's going to have signetting so far up his ass all fall.

It's not going to be fun to watch. I agree. I agree. Quickly a grade as we gave out 14 grades, starting with Dante Moore, the highest 95 and sellers right behind him, 94, all the way down to, for me, it was messed up. If you haven't watched our episode last Thursday, you got to go back and watch. Mentioned I've been outside of Sam Levitt from Arizona State transferred to LSU. We were kind of weirdly lockstep in just about the first 12 quarterbacks we did. He was the one outlier.

So 11 of 12, we were like weirdly, we're never that close in terms of grades. And then we got to DeMond Williams from Washington and Drew Mestemaker from now Oklahoma. and we were like off by like 20 spots on on those. Polar opposites. Polar opposites. So when I, for me, Mesta Maker was the lowest grade. For you, I'm guessing maybe Metteer was the lowest grade or DeMond. No, DeMont Williams was.

Yeah. And I had an 89. And I'm still like, I had a weird weekend. The only two times I've been kind of frustrated with you have been after Levit and after the DeBon Williams and Mestamaker discussion. Good. Anyway. It's good for us.

It's healthy. Where would you grade him, knowing our lowest grade came in around 60, between like 60 and 70 on all 12 of those quarterbacks, which by the way is absolutely remarkable. And it is equivalent, in the 60s is usually like a fourth round. I'm talking about a certain backup, in my opinion. 70s more like can develop into a starter for us, but typically like a third round range. Where would you grade Hoover? 72, 74 maybe. 72 is what I'm giving him right now.

I gave him a 65, but recognize that there could be some... I'm anticipating a big year. I'm missing the special trait. Like, where's the special trait? But hopefully the special trait becomes just like the processing, like how, how like consistent he is with that still enough aggressiveness in his game. Right. Okay.

So we're talking about a quarterback who is potentially day three or day two, early day three, the worst, right? A really good quarterback. And quite frankly, for me at least, a better college quarterback than pro prospect. Agree. If you read everything online or if you're dialed in it all about college football, it's one of the biggest question marks this year. And I want to now transition to Indiana because what we witnessed is. absolutely special and I want to get into where like what a dynasty is and is signetti able to turn this program from like arguably the worst college football program in the country into a

modern day dynasty. All right now for a special part of today's episode. Modern dynasty architect brought to you by EA Sports College Football 27. With all new dynasty blueprint features, you can build your program and run it your way. from the roster to the playbook. Want to go even further? Make your rise with the MVP bundle and get both college football 27 and Madden NFL 27 plus deluxe edition rewards

in both games available now. All right? So the question is dynasty, right? Right. And before we get to Indiana, I kind of want to give a little historical view and it's not like I'm not going to sit back with a smoking jacket and a pipe in my hand and with a fire over my right side talking to my grandkids here.

But just like recently, what, because as we, we knew we're doing this with EA sports, like, there's so much excitement about the college football 27 out and Madden getting ready to release and the, like, the ability to build a dynasty and the functionality of all of it. And I remember back to TechMobile and Nintendo when I was a kid. And when Madden first came out, how my mind was, and literally it's gotten better every year, which still is like to me, right? And what you're able to do, like, going from high school star to college to draft to the NFL,

like it's my dream. The whole thing is a dream of mine. It's what got me into all of this, like just that ability to build a roster, right? So let's look back in recent years. I would say the three that jump out to me and jump in wherever you want, the three that jump out to me where I'm like, those are modern day dynasties.

Okay. Would be Alabama first, like go 2009 to 2023, six national championships under Nick Saban, right? Nine SEC titles. Like the amount of NFL talent that was produced, like one year, it's 12. The next year it's 14. It's like six first rounders, four first round. Oh, they had a bad year.

They only had 10 guys drafted three first rounders, right? The other program that had this run for like five years was Davos Sweeney at Clemson. It was 2015 to 2020, or six years, I guess, six ACC championships, two national titles, six straight college football playoff appearances, and these were not 12 team appearances, you know. We're talking about like BCS, I think, in the beginning, or was it already CFP? It doesn't matter. My point is BCS in the beginning.

I believe it was. In the very beginning, right? Yeah. So we had all that. Georgia, 2021 to would you still say is kind of in the mix? like is it still present? You could argue that. But back-to-back national championships,

2021, 2022, third straight playoff appearance in 2023. The draft stuff that they have produced, especially in that like three-year span around those national championships, was unbelievable. Then the other programs, I would say that, like,

you could make an argument. And I'm only mentioning these because I think if we're chasing a modern-day dynasty, Ohio State, like, since two, 2002, they've won multiple national championships. They had Urban, they had Ryan Day, before that it was Tressel. Theirs is kind of a longevity thing. I don't know if you want to call it a dynasty over us, but they are one of the premier programs, right?

LSU had these little spurts. National championship with Sabin. Sabin's gone to Miami. National championship with less miles falls apart. Orgeron, 2019, you could argue the best program in the history of college football that year, Maybe the funnest team ever, yeah. Joe Burrow and the gang. So, and then Florida State under Jimbo Fisher,

2012, 2014. Pete Carroll, I would absolutely put it in 2002 to 2008. So I've mentioned all those things. How many did Carol win? Did he win two? He had that run. He had that run from Carson Palmer to Matt Liner with Reggie Bush, seven straight, two national championships with Carol,

seven straight. top four finishes in the eight people. Yeah, look, man, it's interesting because it speaks kind of to the parity. All I want to program serves. Go ahead. I just like, so for Indiana, a three year stretch won't make, none of those were three year stretches. They were over like five or, or, or, or, right, decades.

What will it take for Indiana this year to, does it require another national championship? Is it a college football playoff run, but then get back to a national championship game? Like what is it that you're looking for from Indiana for us to be like not just, oh, Signetti came in and what a turnaround, greatest turnaround maybe in sports history,

to this is a modern day dynasty we're witnessing. So we're considering, it sounds like you're considering two national championships, a dynasty. To me, you need. With sustained success, and NFL producing and conference champion. Like, they're an absolute nightmare,

and they've won in a four or five years stretch. They've won two national championships, but they're in the playoff. That to me is kind of what the modern day dynasty, and you've got to also include this thing is Wild Wild West with the portal. And it's made it more challenging, I think, to have sustained success.

And we'll talk about Indiana and how they're doing it. but that makes it more challenging. So to me, like, even if it's not this year, but they make the playoff, they have another great season. And within the next two years after, they won another national championship, then I think you're lumping them in

with the Clemsons and the Georgia and the runs that they had in this, like, five-year span. Which is wild. But I agree with you. I think that's exactly what you're looking for. I don't think they, you know, if they have an off year, it's not the end of the world.

If they, you know, if they somehow don't, make the playoff or whatever. It's about, to me, it's about the championships more than anything else. If they win another championship in the next three seasons, or actually the next, man, it's tough because I have such a high standard. If they're in the college football playoff the next two years and then in 2028 went a national championship, I think we're looking back at this and we're putting it in a similar regard

to what Dabo did in that six-year stretch with Clemson. Right. This is the thing that's hard for me, and I don't want to get caught up in this, but you know how my brain works. All of those programs you mentioned are great, but there's only one, and that's Sabin at Alabama. Are we talking about him reaching Sabin at Alabama levels, which is, I mean, that is, that's just different. That's on a whole other level. That's the gold standard, but it's not even close. It's not, all those other programs are great. Clemson had a great run. Kirby's had a great run.

It's not close. So are we talking about that kind of a dynasty or I don't know. Either way, I'll say this. I had, there's a lot of reasons to believe that they can do it, but it's like climbing Everest. Like you, they have the skill in the town and all the, and the know how to do it. But a lot of things have to kind of break your way to.

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for details. I want to start with this. I just mentioned. It's reported like 32 million NIL investment, which is nearly as much as like LSU and maybe Ohio State. I haven't like studied it. But like there's some programs that are spending more, but they're now all of a sudden they're spending with the big boys, right?

So that's important to note. I want to note this. And I mentioned it earlier. They had eight players drafted. last year. And it's like, yeah, cute, Todd. We're making the comparison here if you're watching on Netflix. If you're watching on Spotify, we appreciate it. You see the graphic that Tucker just threw up. Starting with Mendoza in the first round and Omar Cooper, Jr., the wide receiver in the first round, and then bleeding in the second round with DeAngelo Pons, Kaelin Black, the running

back goes in round three. Elijah Surratt, the other wide receiver goes in the fourth round and and then beyond that. So Indiana had eight, eight players drafted, which is as many as this program had in the previous 10 years in the last decade. That's wild. But it's also like it wasn't Signetti.

So what, like that doesn't really matter, Todd. We're talking about, okay, how do they, how do they kind of reload this year, right? And this is a different Indiana. So the past doesn't matter.

We're here in the present. And in the present, we start looking at, okay, draft prospects that they have. And I think it's important to, let's throw up the transfer portal additions. We talked about Josh Hoover off the top. That's all the talk about Indiana this year.

But don't overlook Nick Marsh coming in and opposite Charlie Baker, who by the way, we'll get to in August when we start talking about some of the other positions and pre-draft process. Baker's up there were some of the biggest names at wide receiver, obviously behind your advice. Becker, I'm sorry. Yeah, that's fun. Charlie Becker. I'm thinking Charlie Baker is a former Massachusetts.

Governor, yeah. Governor and now NCAA. How's that going? So let's not get those two names twisted, Todd. But Nick Marsh with Becker at Wide Receiver, going to be critical, as you mentioned. Turbo Richard comes in at running back. Joe Bruner comes in from Wisconsin. Joe Guard, yeah. Wisconsin Guard. Big Joe Bruner. or you got a tight end from my so we're like oh line you Wisconsin let's go get an offensive lineman tight end you uh Miami someone argue Iowa I get it in some other programs um we got a defensive

lineman from Notre Dame we got another defensive line a defensive end and Kansas states always produce good ones and get another defensive lineman from Kansas state as well so they're hand plucking guys that they that they believe in and fit the system and we know that there's very few We've seen the last two years. Signetti's up there with all, like, the best of the best in terms of figuring out. And they don't have to be former five stars. Most of them aren't. They don't have to be the greatest draft prospects.

A lot of them aren't, even though that number's rising. They got to fit what we do. Yeah, he builds teams. He doesn't collect talent. He builds teams to collect talent. Signetti's not fooling me, man. His secret, everyone's, what's the secret sauce? His secret sauce is he teaches football better than just about any human being in this great country.

And with all the limitations and with guys coming in from different schools and the money that's involved and everything else, he has this ability to teach football with his coaching staff as good if not better than anyone in the country. And I've never, like when I started trying to figure out two years, years ago, what is in Indiana that only has like four or five draft prospects? Why are they so good? Because every offensive lineman takes the right step out of their stance, puts their hands properly, gets their hips around, and has a hat on hat with this almost like watching a ballet, like the coordination of it. The defensive linemen rush with discipline. If you're supposed to drop into a certain zone, you are there, discipline, eyes where they're supposed to be.

Like they have taught the game, and it reminds me of Sabin and how how detailed. And Belichick in the NFL detailed, right? So that's the sauce that allows them to do what they've done the last two years. But the hard part in today's world is now we're paying these guys more money to come do it. And with that money comes like, can we get them motivated and get them dialed in? Now I've got a million bucks in my pocket. I'm 21 years old. But I get to go listen to coach, tell me every single detail and that my hands aren't placed properly.

You know what I mean? So that's going to be interesting to watch as this whole thing progresses. This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result?

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Where are you with Indiana this year? Let's start with this argument. If you're arguing for them. And by four them, I mean, they are going, let's even say in the national championship game. Maybe they don't win it. But like they're going to be every bit as good as last year's football team or I guess even close to that team that was sensational a year ago. They're going to make a legitimate run in a national championship. Where's the argument for?

I think this is a quality that Signetti shares with Sabin is that they deal, they handle success well with their teams. And that's a big, big hurdle for a lot of teams that have done well, not to start thinking, hey, man, we're so good, we don't have to go out. Like, we're not going to have to worry about the first half of the schedule because it's going to be a cakewalk for us. Signetti won't allow that. Then you retain both of your coordinators.

And, you know, Mike Shanahan is a great offensive coordinator, but Brian Haynes is maybe the best defense coordinator in the country and bringing him back is a massive deal. You can nitpick and we can argue about the overall roster here. This roster is pretty damn good. Yes, they lost a lot of wide receiver, but the guys that they still have, they're really good. They've reloaded at running back.

The offensive line's going to be really good. Defensively, I think the guys they got from Kansas State, I think they may be better, they might be better on the edge than they've ever been, or they were with signetting his first two years at least at Indiana. And they get those guys to play hard. They lost Aden Fischer and linebacker are the two guys that they bring back. Hans and Fisher. Hans and Fisher are the two.

Yes. Right? Fisher's tough because he's, I get it. Aiden Fisher was so good. But the two linebackers that they have coming back in Jones and Hardy were also outstanding. And Ponds, you're not going to replace. I'm sorry. Like you're, that's, that's a hit.

They hope A.J. Harris is that guy coming from Penn State. And skill-wise, he has the tools to develop. He has never been the player that NFL scouts have kind of projected. Yes. He's going to take the next step. He's the next Penn State corner. He's going to fall in Porter's footsteps. I guess not next.

They haven't had a great run. But Porter kind of broke that mold. and it just wasn't working at Penn State. That whole program gets turned upside down. They see opportunity. Signetti and the staff see opportunity. Let's go get Harris to come over here. Same conference.

Super talented. We see how we can coach him. Best decision Harris probably ever made was to go. And listen, I have the utmost respect for Matt Campbell. I'm fired up to see what Matt Campbell does at Penn State. It was a disaster of a coaching hiring cycle. And they've got all sorts of problems. of the head coach of football at Penn State that I'm aware of and have shared a lot of them here,

but they wound up with the right guy there. But talking about I got one year left. I want to chase the national championship and probably just as importantly, individually, I want to be the best version of myself so I can get the best opportunity to go play in the NFL. He picked the right spot. Yeah, I agree. And I don't think he will be pawns. I mean, I think that's not, that bar is too high there with how well pawns played last year.

I mean, that would be, I mean, that would be a dream scenario for Indiana and Harris. But I think he could play really well. And when you have Jamari Sharp as your other corner, you're really good at corner. And they've just done a good job. They've recruited better. They've developed players. And then they've just continued to fill these gaps with these transfers like AJ Harris, like big Joe Bruner at offensive guard. Like these are just players that are coming and immediately play roles.

And then again, Hoover is not Mendoza, but he is a really good fit for their system. and I'm not worried about him coming over and adjusting because this is what Indiana has done or this is what Signetti teams have done, you know, dating back throughout his head coaching career, they get transfer quarterbacks and they get them to play at a high level. So you lose Mendoza, Cooper, Ponds, Kalin Black, Surrott at wide receiver, Noakowski at Tideen, Kugin at center, and Aiden Fisher from a year ago, right? So those are the guys you lost in the draft. Let's now throw up, Tuck.

the prospects for this year, and while maybe they're not going to have the number one overall pick, I promise you, okay? If it's not a quarterback, it's Jeremiah Smith. And it's probably going to be a quarterback, and Jeremiah Smith goes to the first team that needs anything but a quarterback. But they've got Charlie Becker, who's one of the top three or four wide receiver prospects. As you see down the, if you're watching on Netflix, if you're watching on Spotify, look down the bottom of that graphic. Nick Marsh, we already mentioned, standout for Michigan State transfers there. That's going to be an awesome wide receiver duo, man.

One of the best in the country. I would put it up there. I don't know. Let's see how it plays out. But everyone's talking about that duo at Texas with Cam Coleman and Wingo on the opposite side. And then I guess Jeremiah Smith with the freshman, Henry, right? Yeah. So I'm fired up to see. They're one of the top three or four duos coming into the year,

and it wouldn't be surprising at the end of the year if they were maybe the top two most productive receiving tandoms in the country. But you got Turbo Richard, by the way, all-name team for a running back. I love it. Coming over from BC. They get some good runners at BC, man. But they did a really nice job. they already got Carter Smith at offensive tackle.

They did a nice job with some. Big 10 offensive line in the air last year. Yep. With Evans, Lynch, and Bruner in the offensive line. Okay. So they're bringing in guys who have experience, who, you know, who fit what they're trying to do. And then you go to the defensive side,

and it's not star-studded, but you got a, it's Aaron Joshua Harris. I don't think we have to call him that this year, but maybe he's asking us to, but it's A.J. Harris or Aaron Joshua Harris. And then you got a bunch of front seven, a couple, a few front seven guys with Jones, Burnham, and Osun Somi, right? And then a couple more DBs after A.J. Harris and Farrell and Sharp. And so, again, they've got the coaching staff to coach these guys up.

And my guess is where they get drafted is going to be higher than where they're kind of considered or regarded coming into the year. And if all those guys play to the level that they, that Signetti and staff think they can, they're going to blow that number of eight players drafted from a year ago out of the water. Yeah. So that's my argument is they might top to bottom. Well, they don't have ponds and they don't have certainly Mendoza. Top to bottom, they might be more talented than they were even a year ago. But can they get them all coached up?

And the answer is probably yes, right? what's your argument against still a lot of turnover but the biggest argument is that Hoover is not Mendoza and as good as that team was last year and that defense the more it's funny watching tape on prospects and watching the Indiana defense

and guys have to go against it just like Miami last year that Indiana defense was outrageously good and Ken Hoover even though with that as good as the team was last year there were still moments they needed Mendoza to be special and can Hoover be special?

Can he be, can he step up in those moments where on the road, they're down like at Iowa at Penn State. Iowa had him beat. Can he make enough plays? Because I think there will be, you know, maybe not as many times, but there will be times where Hoover's going to have to make a play and will he make that play.

And then the obvious answer is this, man. I mean, I think Sark thinks he's got a pretty good team down there in Austin. I think that Kirby feels pretty good about his squad in Georgia. and Ryan Daylakes, like some of the talent he has at Ohio State. Last time I checked, I mean, they're still around. And then you start to look at what's happening. I'm not allowed to say the LSU head coach's name, but I think he feels pretty good about where they.

Feels pretty good about that squad where they might be, Oregon, how am I not mentioning Oregon, and how they might feel about it. They got a pretty good quarterback coming back. Yeah. And then you have these other programs. And I think that not so much this year because of what happened with Sorsby, but Lubbock, there's a certain program down in Lubbock,

that is now got money, that is now aggressively taking advantage of the new model in college football, and you're going to see, I think, more programs like Texas Tech that pop up that aren't the traditional blue bloods that are going to go after players are going to make runs.

This is a very tough landscape to have the kind of run that Nick Saban had at Alabama. It was difficult then. It's even tougher now. I want to finish on this with the schedule because I can't stand Indiana's schedule. don't like it.

I don't, you know, I don't like how. How can you not stand the schedule? Like they just, because they play North Texas, Howard, and Western Kentucky,

their first three games. However, I can't argue with it, man, and I want to say, it's smart. Quietly. Remember Mendoza wasn't great

at the beginning of the year last year? It sucks for college football. But like, until we start really, really, like, Texas played Ohio State and some of,

you know, but we're but we kind of forget about all that and we look at the wins and losses sometimes at the end of the year my only point in this we can have another schedule conversation one day and we never will thankfully um with all these new individuals being brought in it's kind and nice to go out and play some scrimmages and to learn and have coaching moments oh so that he's losing his mind right now scrimmages fine and i'm i'm not i'm want to have Kurt on before the start of the season. I really do. I want to talk to him. And we're talking behind the scenes, maybe have a few coaches on before the season, but I haven't decided I go back and forth on that. Maybe send us some. I'm at McShay 13, and he's at you good, Mitch. I want to do something, really dive in on some of the quarterbacks with some of these coaches that are head coaches with them and also try to like, I just don't like the coach speak or they're going to 15 different interviews and like a,

like SEC Media Day type thing where they, you know, we'll see. Give us our thoughts there on social. North Texas, Howard, Western Kentucky, Northwestern, and Rutgers, they're 5-0. Earmuffs. Earmuffs. SIG. And notice some of the schools they don't have to play when I tell you the rest of the schedule, but October 10th, it starts to heat up and then it gets really aggressive.

It's at Nebraska, October 10th. Ohio State the following week and at Michigan the following week, okay? Then they've got Maryland on November 7th after after a buy week, if you will. Then at Penn State on the 14th, Matt Campbell might have those guys rearing to go by then. UCLA at home with Nico Chesney. Yeah, I'm not buying it yet. I'm not either. And then finished with Purdue.

So you look at that schedule and like even if you have a hiccup or two, you're probably still. in it, I don't know. We'll see how it all plays out. But the schedule is very, very favorable in what I'm the biggest SEC guy in the whole world. And I grew up a Big Ten guy. My grandfather, Marshall Brown, got me into all this madness in football. He worked with Bo Schembeckler, and I grew up around a Michigan football in the game, Ohio State, Michigan, my whole life. But I've been as a scout and a talent evaluator and an SEC guy forever.

I'm saying all this to say the Big Ten is the program to chase right now. And the SEC has got to chase it down because they've lost control at the top of college football and go ahead and argue me on that. And as just as recently as last year, I was still hanging on the SEC. It's the Big Ten right now. And so with that schedule within the powerful Big Ten, I don't see a scenario in which they're not getting into college football playoff. And thus this thing comes off the race.

So it's important to keep a perspective on that. So yeah, the dynasty, they're in the mix to make a run of this dynasty. Let's just say that. All right, mensch, I might be flying out to Montana to see you, brother. Tell me a little bit about what it could look like. I can't. I can't do it justice. I've grown up in New England in my entire life and said I would never move anywhere other

than New England. And then I got to Montana. And the mountains are, I know you've been a little bit. you've spent some time in Colorado. I've never seen mountains like this. And it's, it's beautiful. There's no one out there.

Like, it's so, it's incredible, like almost untouched, how crazy it is out there. And then you get to, like, you head down the Yellowstone,

go fly fishing. Are you going to have me, like, are you going to have me fly fishing and shit? I would love to. We'll see if we, I don't know if we're going to be able to get you in because I don't know how long you're going to be there,

but I will, I'm going twice. I'll be fly fishing twice. So it's just, it's, it's incredible. Yeah, Marissa and I are working aggressively right now to get all the kids schedules and everything worked out.

We're trying to we have a trip to make to L.A., so we're going to try to all tie it in when we're out in the West Coast. So I'm only bringing this up because, hey, I'm fired up. I've been to Montana. I have never spent time in Montana. Let's put it that way. So hopefully we will have a story to report, and I'm sure something ridiculous will happen if you and me and Iris and Marissa are out in Montana. I can't imagine we won't have a story. I'm saying all this because today is Monday.

We're going to take a little bit of a break as college football and the NFL are all taking a break right now. We're going to take it with them next week as well. And then we will be back in early August. And we'll just at McShay 13, as I said, at you good munch. We will preview of what's coming. We really appreciate EA sports for sponsoring our show this month. Couldn't be a big, I'm a lifer. And I did some voiceovers down in Orlando and as part of the Madden series.

for a long time, to have them, to be back working with them and have them sponsor our show for a month. I love where we're growing. I love the fact that they recognize where we're growing, and the tie-in is beautiful this time of year as we're trying to build dynasties and also build these quarterbacks. And it was just, it was awesome to have them the part of it. And we will be back very shortly in just a couple short weeks and rearing up. Then it's time to go. College football season, NFL. We got a bunch of fun stuff. and we might have some exciting news for you about what we're doing this fall too. Mensch, five stars, and hopefully I'll see you in Montana, brother.

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