The McShay Show - Todd’s College Football Power Rankings (6-4): Expectations for Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ohio State in 2025

Episode Date: August 25, 2025

Welcome to The McShay Show! The guys are back to continue Todd’s preseason power ranking series with team overviews for Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. They’ll conclude the series on Thursday... with Penn State, Texas, and Clemson. Our first LIVE show will take place at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on September 10. Tickets are on sale now—secure your spot today for an evening of NFL draft talk, early reactions to the college football and NFL seasons, and more!We’ll also be live on YouTube this Saturday night to recap all the action from Week 1 of the college football season.  (0:00) Welcome to The McShay Show! (1:30) Power Ranking the Top 12 CFB Teams: Alabama #6(3:45) Evaluating Alabama's NFL Prospects(6:00) Previewing Alabama's Schedule and Roster(22:05) Power Ranking the Top 12 CFB Teams: Notre Dame #5(24:00) Evaluating Notre Dame's NFL Prospects(30:00) Previewing Notre Dame's Schedule and Roster(43:00) Subscribe to The McShay Report(45:17) Join Us in Chicago! TheRinger.com/events(46:00) Happy Belated Bday to Muench!!!(46:55) Power Ranking the Top 12 CFB Teams: Ohio State #4(49:15) Evaluating Ohio State's NFL Prospects(51:25) Previewing Ohio State's Schedule and Roster Subscribe to The McShay Report for access to all of Todd’s scouting reports and tape notes during the Summer Scouting Series, and for access to all of his content throughout football and draft season. The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Host: Todd McShayGuest: Steve MuenchProducers: Tucker Tashjian, Conor Nevins, and Daniel ComerSocial: Jon Roemer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:02 Week zero in college football is cute. It's adorable, actually. But let's be honest. It's game week. The countdown continues. Preseason college football power rankings with teams fours through six today. And by the way, Stevie boy, it's our 100th show. And we're just five days until Saturday, week one, and 241 days until the NFL draft.
Starting point is 00:00:27 So, Mench, you good? I'm good, man. All right, let's roll. Let's get right into it. Team six, teams five, team four. We're going to do it right here, right? The power rankings continue. Preseason power rankings.
Starting point is 00:00:56 We're not saying this is how it's going to finish. We're saying these are the rosters, the coaching staffs, all the tape we've studied, all the people that we're talking to in college football and scouts across the league. This is where we are from a personnel standpoint, a coaching standpoint, and we've whittled it down to the final six. At number six, these are my power rankings. So don't at you good, mensch, okay? Come after me. And as we found out last week with Fly Ducks Fly,
Starting point is 00:01:25 Munch doesn't agree with all of them. And that's good too. That's what this is all about. At number six, Mench, the Alabama Crimson Tide. I'm excited to see the product this man, this year, man. Like, you look last year, they were nine and four. Disappointing year in Tuscaloosa, right? Kaelin DeBore's first year.
Starting point is 00:01:46 Kind of what did we expect, right? Like, DeBoer is a great coach. He's a proven coach. That's a tough gig, man, to come in after Nick Sayb. I mean, that is a tough deal. I thought I did a pretty good job of holding it down when things could have gotten a lot worse, to be honest with you. I do too. And also, we should mention like 10 NFL draft picks in 2024, 31 transfers out of Alabama, okay?
Starting point is 00:02:13 So when we go back and look at it, I know everyone's like, well, is it going to be the same as Nick Sabin? I just want to remind people. I just said, like, my man can flat out coach. You know, he was 104 and 12 when he got that job. And you think Nick Saban didn't like kind of handpick. So let's, and here's the other thing that I found out this week. And I noticed this trend with a lot of great coaches. The second year's kind of the year, including, like, do you guys remember Nick Saban first year?
Starting point is 00:02:44 Was it Louisiana Lafayette? They had a horrible loss early in that. first season, right? Second year, national championship, okay? Urban Meyer was always that second year, Florida, Utah, Ohio State, like second year in the program. That's when it kind of becomes the standard for great coaches. So now we enter the second year, all right? And by the way, you took UW to National Championship game second year. Sue Falls won the national championship second year. Talent lost. Alabama actually didn't lose what we're used to Alabama losing to the draft. Only seven players, okay, lower than usual for them. Only two of those guys in the first round.
Starting point is 00:03:29 So when you lose 10 players to the draft, 31 transfers is going to be a little bit of a, you know, kind of a year to get your bearings, figure out what your program is, bring in your players, and that's where Alabama is this year. Let's look at, and I went through and I ranked, we've done a loose top 75, okay, for the NFL draft prospects. We also have the Senior Bowl's top 300, prospects to watch, right? Prospects that are on their radar, that they're evaluating that, you know, when they pair down to their final rankings and they invite the players,
Starting point is 00:04:07 it starts with this top 300 going in. I found it interesting. They've got, Alabama's got six in our top 75. You know what that is, Mitch? It's more than Clemson, more than Penn State, more than Ohio State, LSU, Florida, and beyond, okay? And while other programs, well, only one other program has more. And we did talk about this.
Starting point is 00:04:31 I do think tie goes to the runner with Alabama when you're at the Senior Bowl and it's in Mobile, Alabama. But still, it didn't go to five runners. Right. The tie didn't go to five runners. LSU's got the most, has the most prospects. of our, and I think probably of any school in the country, I didn't go back and look at every other school,
Starting point is 00:04:49 but of the schools that are in my top 12 preseason, preseason power rankings, LSU has the most with 14. Alabama has the second most with 13. So the talent is back in Tuscaloosa, all right? And just so you understand, Caden Proctor at offensive tackle, DeMani Jackson at cornerback,
Starting point is 00:05:06 L.T. Overton at Edge, wide receiver, Jeremy Bernard, Tim Keenan, the defensive lineman, and Deonté lost an inside linebacker. All grades in the first two rounds for me at this point. It's early, but all grades in the first two round. I'm not going to go. And by the way, the best out of all of them might be Ryan Williams,
Starting point is 00:05:23 the wide receiver, right? Exactly. Not dissimilar from Ohio State with Jeremiah Smith. And not dissimilar from Ohio State a year ago. You could argue that Caleb Downs, best defensive player, they had eight players drafted. So Alabama, the talent is back to what we're more accustomed to see. State of the team.
Starting point is 00:05:43 I'm going to start with you this time. Steve. State of the team. Just take me wherever you want to go. I've got two pages of notes, offensive notes, defensive notes, all this stuff. I don't want to get lost in the, I don't want to get your thoughts lost in the shuffle.
Starting point is 00:05:59 What are a couple things on the offensive side? Let's start on offense that stand out to you. And I'll go through some of my notes from tape, from just kind of looking at the roster and also from the conversations that I'm having. I think, first of all, Ty Simpson being named the starter, right? hasn't started a game in Alabama, Redshirt Jr.
Starting point is 00:06:17 It's his time. It's his time to step in. We'll see what he's going to do. What I love looking at the offense, what I'm excited about is them bringing in Ryan Grubb, who's with the Seattle Seahawks last year, but was with the Washington staff with Michael Pennix was there, and Kailin DeBore was there two years ago,
Starting point is 00:06:32 and Michael Pennix had that just outrageous run, and they had that great season. So the fact they bring in Ryan Grub from Seattle, I like that. They kept Nick Sheridan on the staff, who was the offense corner last year. I like that too. By the way, the average, I think,
Starting point is 00:06:44 33.8 points last year per game. Not bad, man. Kind of stumbled down the stretch. You look at that Oklahoma game. They only had three points in that game. I was a little concerning. So I'm excited about Ryan Grub coming in and getting his hands on, on Ty Simpson and seeing what that, that looks like how that evolves because there's reason to be optimistic.
Starting point is 00:07:01 I love the receiving core. I mean, we've talked about it before. Ryan Williams, Bernard, Jeremy Bernard, and then Isaiah Horton, the transfer, Miami. That's got a chance to be super good. I also think this offensive line has a chance to be really good. I may not be as confident in that group as some people are. I see the potential.
Starting point is 00:07:20 I see the ceiling. But I really think the Caden Proctor, who the super talented tackle, super talented tackle, has got to be a little more consistent. You got Parker Brailsford on the inside, too. He's a really good player, Jaden Roberts, the offensive guard. Parker Brailsford is at center. A chance to be an outstanding offensive line. I think they've got to be more consistent as a group.
Starting point is 00:07:40 It would be interesting to see if they're able to do it. Yeah, I think this offense, the wide receiver core, has a chance to be elite. You were part of about the receiving corps the other day? This is the one, man. This is the receiving core. I kind of think you might be right. Yeah. Just looking at it.
Starting point is 00:07:59 Like, Ryan Williams is the best wide receiver, not in Columbus, Ohio in the country. Right. Certainly the best wide receiver of when I talked about it in several shows now, like the SEC, almost like collectively, almost like a memo went out to all the coaching staffs. Figure it out. Yeah. And to the Red Elephant Club and everybody else that we got to bring in more talented playmakers on the perimeter.
Starting point is 00:08:26 Ryan Williams, like, he's so damn explosive. Yes, he was 17 years old. We know that a year ago. But then, but what I felt like watching is they had a really good slot, not like an elite slot, not a guy who's like this dynamic four three guy, but Jeremy Bernard, the more tape I watched on him, the more I'm like, oh, he's a, he's a number three slot in the NFL. Right. I gave him a pretty high grade. You weren't quite as high, but like I like him. Good player, though. But what were they missing? They were missing an X opposite Ryan Williams to allow Jeremy to,
Starting point is 00:09:01 instead of be that number two, to be the number three in the slot. Now they get this complete group with Williams, Horton, right, and Bernard. And by the way, like, talking. talking to people there. And by the way, Bernard had 15.9 yards per catch last year, 794 with Jalen Milro at quarterback. And I'm not going to sit here, bashed Jalen Milro,
Starting point is 00:09:21 this was not a passing offense. It's going to be a different looking offense. Yes. Rico Scott is a red shirt freshman. I'm told to watch. Coaches are really high on him. Okay. Rico Scott.
Starting point is 00:09:33 Okay. Cole Adams is another guy coming back from injury. And Jalen Hale is another player. I'm told those three guys, But Hale is kind of a riser. Scott is like he's going to be like the number four, it sounds like. And Hale showed a lot of promise in 2023, but didn't play last season. So you're talking six dudes.
Starting point is 00:09:54 Yeah. Three dudes. And then three other guys that like, you know. But there's some depth here. Yes. There's some depth. Running back, like you lose Jalen Milrow quarterback. That hurts.
Starting point is 00:10:06 Okay. Jam Miller's expected to be the guy this year coming into the year. and to make strides as a second year player, but he suffered a dislocated collarbone in Alabama's second and final scrimmage last Saturday, okay? I didn't know until I saw that in McShay report, by the way. I didn't realize that it had happened. That's why we're here.
Starting point is 00:10:26 Google it. I know. Right. Describe 50% off, by the way. 50% off until September 1st. But DeBore did come out and say he expects him to be back for the SEC opener, which is Georgia on the 27. So they won't have it against Florida.
Starting point is 00:10:41 They won't have them early in the month, but they're hopeful that Georgia on the 27th. That means that there's a lot of pressure on these younger guys, okay? And I've had a good conversation the other day. Here are some names that you've got to kind of be on the lookout that I think, I think all four, I think I'm going to give you four names. All four of these guys are going to get some run early in the season and kind of determine who the number two, number three backs are as it goes. But they're a pair of sophomores, Richard Young and Daniel Hill.
Starting point is 00:11:09 All right. Then they got brought in a transfer match that they really liked. Drey Washington. Three years at ULL, Louisiana Lafayette, he had 1343 rushing yards and just a productive back. Also, Kevin Kelly, redshirt freshman, and then they're really high on this guy, AKD, highly touted freshman. Don't know, can he pass pro? Does he know where to be?
Starting point is 00:11:35 All the little things protecting the football. but he's another guy that they're really high on for the future. You mentioned the offensive line. They lose Pritchett, Elijah Pritchard, Tyler Booker, obviously. But they've got Brailsford coming back at center, Caden Proctor, you mentioned. Also added Cam Dewberry from Texas A&M and true freshmen. I don't know, we'll see about this true freshman, but Michael Carroll, they like a lot. So there's talent there as there always is.
Starting point is 00:12:05 Right. what's intriguing to me is you got your guy grub now back they want to be a balanced team right and tie simpson this is i don't pretend to like i'm not going to sit here and tell you all the things about tie simpson in high school and what he can do but when i talk to people who are in the know who are around who around the facility like they just need he they don't need him to be they don't need tie simpson to be joe burrow in 2019 or cj Stroud in 2021-22. They don't even need them to be
Starting point is 00:12:39 Tuatung of Ioloa or Bryce Young. Be Mac Jones. Be Mac Jones. Yeah, B. Mac Jones. You know what I mean? Efficient. Yeah. And while Mac Jones didn't have the strongest arm,
Starting point is 00:12:52 what he did a great job of with Henry Ruggs and Jerry Judy and Devante Smith and all those guys. And Jaylon Waddle, remember that run? Four receivers taken It's insane, yeah. In the top 12, I think it was in a two-year span. But what they were able to do is throw the ball down the field to take advantage of a strong run game, a big offensive line, all that stuff.
Starting point is 00:13:18 So Simpson represents an upgrade in the passing game. There's no question. They lose that run dynamic. But decision-making, ball distribution, protecting the football, he's a better peer passer. That's what they're expecting from him. Remember, Milrow, 16 touchdown. touchdowns, 10 interceptions last year. Think about all those critical errors that just killed Bama.
Starting point is 00:13:42 And while it's not Nick Saban's team, you know, defensive scheme's a little different, a little bit more athletic, not as like gap sound, a little more zone than man, the match, the match zone, the match stuff. It's still a defensive team that can run the football behind a big offensive line. So there's a lot on his shoulders. and he's in great hand, Simpson is. With grubs, a good offensive line.
Starting point is 00:14:10 Maybe not great, but a good offensive line. Chance to be great. It has a chance to be great. So that part's exciting. The defense, I think, is going to be, like, it's, like, they had a bunch of injuries last year, Munch, and they still finished 10th in scoring defense. That actually surprised me. I knew they were good.
Starting point is 00:14:32 It surprised me how good. the numbers were. 17.4 points a game. Yeah. And they had guys like Keon Sab, Deontay Lawson, Quay Russo, who all, who all missed significant time. And there were some other guys who had lingering injuries. So they get eight starters returning from that group.
Starting point is 00:14:57 Kane Womax entering his second year's defensive coordinator now. So there's a little bit more continuity. To me, like the front. seven is really talented, but not as deep as we're used to seeing. I think that's fair. Like I really like L.T. Overton. And I really like Tim Kean and the third and Rousseau. And like those guys up front are really solid.
Starting point is 00:15:20 Deonté Lawson's a damn good player. If he's 100%, yeah, obviously. Justin Jefferson's is a very solid weakside linebacker. But the depth isn't what it normally is, but I'll tell you what is, like, outrageous is the secondary. Chance of you. Outstanding. Yeah. So you got a perimeter-wide receiver group that's got a chance to be best in the SEC, and that's saying a lot this year. And a secondary that's got a chance to be maybe best in the SEC,
Starting point is 00:15:47 and that's also saying a lot this year. So, I mean, you look at the secondary. They've got four defensive backs returning with six plus starts. Nine or ten deep they run, according to people I'm talking to. Sab returns from injury, the broken foot. Bray Hubbard stepped in in Sab's absence last year. It's now kind of ready to take over and take his game to another level. A cornerback, you got to Monty Jackson.
Starting point is 00:16:11 We talked about I get a second round grade. I love DeMani Jackson. Yeah, I'm higher on him than you are, but yeah, I think he's a damn good corner. Go ahead. 6-1-195 physical tools to make a big leap this year. Zabian Brown's a sophomore now and showed a lot of promise last year. They also added Camp Calhoun as a nickel at number three from Utah. This group is good.
Starting point is 00:16:33 Orerton might be my favorite draft prospect right now. Every time I open up the tracker, you know, you know how you do. You pull up your grades and you're looking at who can I move around a little bit. And I keep seeing his name. Why? I feel like I'm a little. Just because I think his body type is misleading. I think you see a big dude from Alabama and you think he's going to be stiff.
Starting point is 00:16:53 He's got some more juice. He's got some more explosiveness. He's got more to him than just a guy who's going to stop the run. I think he's a complete player. And again, it's a deep edge class. So maybe that's why I'm keeping him down a little bit. And I let these guys sort it out this year, which would be fun to watch. But I think he's got more tools than people may realize at this point in the process.
Starting point is 00:17:12 Can I tell you something else that's really interesting? Please. I go to when I look at these things, when I'm going through here, I go to the ESPN Power Index, and I want to see the strength of the remaining schedule. So the strength of schedule, because this was before even the season it started. The strength of schedule for Alabama is 12 in the country. You want to guess what that is in what it is in the SEC? 7th or 8th?
Starting point is 00:17:39 11. 11. There's only one team. There's one non-SEC team. Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the only team not from the SEC in the top 14 in strength of schedule. So you look at that and you're like, oh, they have the 11th, easiest schedule in the SEC. Also happens to be the 12th in the country.
Starting point is 00:17:59 And there's, look, LSU and Oklahoma are at home. I like that. I think that's good for them. But you've got that Iron Bowl that game, man, that Auburn team just seems so sneaky to me. And you get that Iron Bowl at the end of the year. And we'll see where Auburn is at that. But I know this. I know that Auburn's talented.
Starting point is 00:18:15 And even if their record isn't great, that's a game that's going to, I think it's going to be, you know, one of the all-time great rivalries in college football. And that's going to be a fun game to watch just because of all the talent's going to be on the field. As usual, same as same as every year. But still, you know, that's something that we'll look forward to at the end of the year. So let me ask you something. Isn't that wild? It is very wild.
Starting point is 00:18:37 I want to ask you a question, though. I've got them at six. You good with that? Here's, this is, okay, I was going to get into this with you. I thought this was going to come in later on in our conversation,
Starting point is 00:18:49 to be honest with you, but I will say this. I, this is a, I waste, it's, it's a volatile, it's a volatile market right now,
Starting point is 00:18:57 my man. And there's a lot of, there's a lot of question marks here. that at six, I would like to feel a little more comfortable about certain things, like your starting quarterback, who again, I'm optimistic about, but your starting quarterback is a big question mark in the SEC, tough schedule. I'm okay with it.
Starting point is 00:19:18 I think six is okay here. I really do. Again, I would have Oregon higher. I obviously went on my rant about that. Got real fired up. I would have Oregon higher. But I don't mind Alabama here, because you look at the, overall picture. And again, I'm with you. DeBoer is a guy. He's a dude. And I like Grub
Starting point is 00:19:36 coming back in. There's enough here for me to be excited about what Alabama can do this year. Are you second guessing yourself? I actually, honestly, I could, if I put him at four ahead of Ohio State and Notre Dame, spoiler alert, those are the next two teams coming up. I would be all right with that. I think, okay, reset. I get excited. It's week one. You know, we should be, yeah. This is a point you made a couple weeks ago.
Starting point is 00:20:09 It's a great point. I went back and I think it's eight of the top 12 teams in these preseason power rangers for me have a quarterback coming in that doesn't have a full year of starting experience. There's obviously Archon, Texas. That's not a full year of starting experience. And then there's one other in, Meteer, I believe who's a transfer in who hasn't had to start there, but he's a starting.
Starting point is 00:20:33 And back in Miami, who is a new base in a new place. Yeah. Yes. But my point being, it's easy to question yourself at this point because I feel like for every team when I go and I'm like, all right, so what's the big question? Like for everyone, I want to write quarterback. It feels like, you know, eight to the 12 and want to write quarterback, even though I know they're talented.
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Starting point is 00:21:49 Call 1-800 gambler or visit RG-Help.com. Call 1-88-78-9-7777 or visit ccpg.org slash. chat in Connecticut. And that brings me to Notre Dame at five. It's going to be the theme. It's going to be the theme of the day. I mean, we're going to talk about those. When we get to them in a minute is four. We're going to talk about them too.
Starting point is 00:22:14 Yep. Okay. So Notre Dame. When I was going through and doing all my notes for these teams, Alabama's more tangible. I was able to see the players that were great last year, that were good, maybe they were banged up that I can see the I can see the the growth potential with Notre Dame and with Ohio State especially Ohio State we'll get to them a minute it's a little bit of blind
Starting point is 00:22:44 faith at several positions going into the year and it comes down to how much do you trust the guy at the top and I get so much damn trust in Marcus Freeman I couldn't let him out of the top six could make an argument, maybe Alabama, but like they belong in that top six, even though there's a lot of question marks coming in. So 14 and two last season for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish. He's entering his fourth year. It's interesting. There was a lot. I don't think we realized it at the time.
Starting point is 00:23:16 Maybe we did. There were a lot of coaches hired at big time programs four years ago. Just like Marcus Freeman, Brian Kelly, Billy Napier, Dan Lannning, Brent Venables, Mario Cristobal. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Of all those guys, you have to say Freeman and Lannning, I think Lannin has been more steady, but Freeman has reached more of a pinnacle and they've been really good throughout. I love it both. I think that Freeman's actually done more with less. I agree.
Starting point is 00:23:51 He's actually had, yeah, he's had more tools to work with. Love them both. I think they're both great. So let's go through the talent a little bit, just from an NFL perspective. Six players drafted, 2025, not nearly as bad as some of these other teams, but we're talking about like 15 and 10 and 12. So six players and none in the first round. And their top draft pick was in the second round. And that was a Benjamin Morrison who, you know, didn't even factor in really fairly last year. Okay. Missed most of the season due to the injury. So Notre Dame isn't losing as much. Yes, they lose. And we'll get to the defense in a minute. They lose some like foundation pieces. Xavier Watts was awesome. and playmaker at safety.
Starting point is 00:24:32 Jack Kaiser was unbelievable linebacker. Riley Mills was really good, but he was nicked up and in and out, right? So, and Riley Leonard, their last of the draft picks, the six draft picks, was one of the most instrumental players for that team and became like the leader and the tough guy and everything that embodied Notre Dame football. But it's not the departure level of talent that we see from some of these other teams that we've highlighted in the top 12. What's also interesting is this roster still has a lot of A, youth, B unknowns. We just talked about was it five, five or six guys, six from Alabama in our top
Starting point is 00:25:17 75, five from Clemson, five from Penn State, five from Ohio State, we'll get to in a minute, four from LSU, four from Florida. They just, Jeremiah Love, lonely on that list from Notre Dame. Yeah. And so you think, well, maybe it's McShay's problem. Maybe McShay and Mentsch aren't evaluating right. Well, the senior ball in 300 players only has three guys on their watch list. Jeremiah Love, Malachi Fields at wide receiver and defensive back Jalen Stroman. Interesting, right? Right.
Starting point is 00:25:49 So maybe I'm putting a ton, a ton of like respect on Marcus Freeman's name. Yeah. And I still believe in this program. So offensively, I think it starts with the offensive line. And it's honestly the reason that like it always does be, Shane. And you like you're the, you're my offensive line guy. Tell like, what do you see? But I do know this.
Starting point is 00:26:16 They've got 54 starts returning this year on the offensive line. And that's a lot more than they had before last year's group. And last year's group turned out to be pretty awesome. Yeah. I mean, yeah. And they got some guys that are coming back from, you know, they're starting. Center last year was hurt he's coming back um ashtraig he had an acl he'll be back in the lineup i mean
Starting point is 00:26:38 that's a player right there getting back nap was a just a pop last year trying to figure it out the uh anthony nap was the left tackle he's figured it out amiel wagner the right tackle dude i mean there's just guys everywhere and here's what's going to be really interesting it's kind of here's what sucks but is a very intriguing part of the notary name season to me is charles jagasaw and i i I know I didn't say it right, Dan. I've seen three different pronunciations on this guy's name. And I just went with the one I've heard over and over again. So it's Charles Jagasaw, who was supposed to be a starting guard.
Starting point is 00:27:10 Broke his arm. Joggyzaw is what it says. But go ahead. I know. I know. I know. It doesn't feel right. It's a debate.
Starting point is 00:27:16 No, it doesn't. But anyways, broke his arm in a new TV accident in July. I mean, of all the things, man. He missed, I think, all of last year with a torn pack or most of last year with a torn pack. He is a dude. so they can get him back in October. You're starting to look at that and you say to yourself, man, that could be a silver lining here.
Starting point is 00:27:35 If that kid comes back and is healthy and you insert that kind of. What's a UTV? Isn't it an ATV? UTV? What, like a utility? I used to call it ATV. They're calling it a UTV now. UTV sounds like a hybrid between a urinary tract infection
Starting point is 00:27:50 and an off-roading four-wheeler. I don't know. I just read the news article. It said U-TV. I just went through it. I'm like Ron Burgundy. I just read what's on the screen, man. So he broke his arm, and they get a player like that back in the middle of the season.
Starting point is 00:28:03 And again, it's tough because we'll get into this, but their schedule's front-loaded. So you love to have everyone in the beginning. But, you know, they go one-on-one in those games, and they're looking like they were going to make another playoff push the way they did last year. To get Charles Jagassol back in the lineup as a starting guard, that offensive line could be loaded. And then I'm sure you're going to get into this. I think they might have the best backfield in the country.
Starting point is 00:28:28 I mean, you're looking at that offensive line. line and then that backfield. And I mean, that's their, I love that recipe. We just talked about it with Alabama. Run the ball, play great defense, make sound decisions on offense. It's great to, you know, to put on the laser show and have guys running all over the field, they can play as a receiver. And you do want talented receiver, and I get all that.
Starting point is 00:28:48 But as long as I've known football and I've watched football and played football, run the ball, play good defense. So I think that's a recipe. Yeah, I mean, we did a whole show on Jeremiah Love, so I don't want to sit here and like start breaking down the tape again. But my goodness is like he he's the guy this year in the NFL draft. We're fans. Yeah. We're fans.
Starting point is 00:29:12 He's light on it. I call him like poetry in motion. Like for a big back, the ability to accelerate, but also light on his feet, I just, I grew an appreciation the more obviously watching college football last year, but not through the lens of the NFL draft because he wasn't eligible. the more I watch him, he can catch the football. He just, he does all the things that he looked for. The determination he runs with is insane.
Starting point is 00:29:36 Yes, yes. So, um, so you know, like, that's the guarantee is that Jeremiah loves in the, in the, he's in the lineup.
Starting point is 00:29:48 He's healthy and it was, you know, he was dinged up at the end of the year. I understand. He's healthy. And that offensive line is what we think it can become. It takes a, lot of pressure off of C.J. Carr, who was just announced, obviously, last week as the starting
Starting point is 00:30:03 quarterback. Excuse me. I also think this, Mitch, I think this wide receiver group, while it was a liability for most of the year last year, and maybe it was just because Riley Leonard's just not a great thrower of the football. And maybe not, he didn't make them bad. They weren't bad, but I don't know that they always got the most out of the talent there last year. When they needed in most, like in certain spots, Jaden Greathouse was awesome. He came on strong last year. I'm excited to see what he does this year. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:30:38 Me too. He averaged 14.7 yards per catch. Then you get Malachi Field, Fields comes in, right? I love this ad. 6.4-220 average 14.4 yards per catch of Virginia last year. And Jordan Phason is back as the number three. Where he should be. Will Paul?
Starting point is 00:30:58 was also added from Wisconsin where he had 18 contested catches last year. So now I'm a quarterback stepping in with a really good offensive line, we suspect. The best running back in the country and a really good running back group overall. And wide receivers that not only are talented, more talented than what Notre Dame had a year ago, but they're bigger. You know, like Great House is a playmaker. You got you got Fields at 6,4,220. you got Pauling who's got the contested catches.
Starting point is 00:31:31 So you don't have to be perfect. And there's going to be a lot of play action opportunities. Here's what I do know about Carr. And again, I'm not ever going to sit here and tell you I know. I've studied his tape in high school. And what I do know, a couple things. Grandson of legendary coach Lloyd Carr, who I've known Lloyd for a long, long time dating back. I went to Michigan football camp in like 1993.
Starting point is 00:31:53 Like I've known. So like. Did you know when you got there? you weren't like the others or did it oh it's it's sunk in like 10 seconds yeah i think the grass and mcche was like uh i think like elvis gerback and shoot brady was probably there for all i know greasy little different talent level uh but what i do know about cj car is he does have he's got a big arm throws a beautiful deep ball i also know and it's like the chicken chicken and egg debate like cause and effect, C.J. Carr made a lot of mistakes early in camp.
Starting point is 00:32:36 Three interceptions on the first day of camp is what I was told, okay? And but is it because that secondary and we'll get to the defense and all that in a minute? But the second, but the defense has been unbelievable in camp. That secondary is good. We just talked about Alabama. The other name's got another one. So here's what I'm told. This is information that I've gotten.
Starting point is 00:33:02 CJ Carr is the starter. CJ Carr with that wide receiver group, with the running backs, with the play action, with the opportunity to stretch the field and be more balanced than they were with Riley Leonard. Obviously, they lose that toughness.
Starting point is 00:33:15 They lose that grit. They lose that mobility. I shouldn't say, I don't know if CJ Carr is the toughest son of a bitch in the world. And he probably is because Lloyd Carr is one of them too. I'm just saying they, right off the jump, you can't rely on him with the mobility,
Starting point is 00:33:32 the toughness, the competitiveness, all those things to get you a lot of the first downs when it's not happening through the air. The fascinating part to me is, I'm told that this guy, Minchy. And every time I see Minchy,
Starting point is 00:33:47 I just think of Minch. And I think of Marissa with a southern accent calling you Minch. Minch. Minch. But Minchie in camp played really well and made it a competition. And he's more of a dual threat.
Starting point is 00:34:00 So here's what I'm told. And it's not like breaking news, but car is the starter. He's the guy. Think he's going to have a lot of success will be protected. And the hope is that he comes out against Miami plays great and they never look back. But don't even if he's playing great, don't be surprised if Minchin gets some run early in the season. Okay. And I think it could be one of the storyline.
Starting point is 00:34:27 Think about it. Like this is Notre Dame, the history, the program. coming off a plane in the national championship game. 14 and 2, Marcus Freeman is probably like, you know, the top two or three biggest names in coaching right now, okay? So if they start rolling in this guy, Menchie, it's going to be interesting to see if that, you know, Kenny Menchie, what does that do?
Starting point is 00:34:52 I can hear the reporters typing up in the box right now, you know? So keep an eye on that is all I'm saying. Keep an eye on. We could see them both, even if cars doing well, The hope is that we don't see both all season long, that this isn't some kind of rotation. But I'm told, like, it may be more part of the plan than people might be expecting when CJ Carr gets a starting job.
Starting point is 00:35:14 We'll see. I think one of the good things for Carl, say this is the office coordinator, Mike Denbrock. He was the offense coordinator at LSU for Jay and Daniels in 2023. He had Deson Ritter at Cincinnati. He had Riley Leonard last year. If you look at how he can tweak his skis. team and really mold it to the player he has.
Starting point is 00:35:33 I think he's going to put C.J. Carr in the best position to succeed. And I do think, I hope, I hear what you're saying, because Notre Dame Press, I think, is going to be different. Notre Dame football is different. The way it's covered is different, especially right now. You're right. The spotlight's on.
Starting point is 00:35:45 And that's a good thing. That's what Marcus Freeman wants. That's why he took the job. I get all that. I do hope that people understand that there are these different packages these days, that you can go with a mobile quarterback and bring them in. It was the same thing we're talking about, Quinn yours and Arch, Arch Manning in Texas last year.
Starting point is 00:35:59 anytime you step, you know, anytime Arch Manning stepped on the field, you're like, oh boy, here comes. Are they going to use the conversation going to start? Right. But you're also, like, use both of them. Use them, make it the most dynamic offense you can do. If there's a way you can use Menchie to compliment Carr, do it.
Starting point is 00:36:16 And hopefully Carr, who's a young dude, has the confidence to understand that that's what they're doing, and you can handle it. But, you know, they shouldn't worry about the press. Just win games, man. I know I mentioned that the defense had a, really good camp. And I know that Al Golden was an absolute wizard last year. Felt like he, everything he touched, every call he made was brilliant. Yep.
Starting point is 00:36:40 It was that you almost like he felt like it almost pitched the perfect game. Yeah, Ohio State was the home run in the bottom of the ninth with the, but, but he did so well up until then, and they were outmanned in the, and they were completely outmanned. I know they lost Benjamin Morrison, who didn't play a ton and we talked about Xavier Watts and Jack Kaiser. Riley Mills. Leaders of the defense, Riley Mills. They also lost three defensive linemen, but I can't stress enough.
Starting point is 00:37:10 I'm excited to watch them against Miami. I didn't realize to the level that they believe the defense is going to be, and it starts with the secondary. I'm told that the secondary, we talked about Alabama could have the best secondary in the SEC. I'm told like this might wind up being top two, top three, maybe the best secondary in the country when it's all said and done. I'm just saying. No, I like it.
Starting point is 00:37:33 I like it. There's guys everywhere. Christian Gray, Leonard Moore should be excellent as cornerback. Okay. Possibly a silver lining of not having Morrison last year, by the way. Is the all the playing? So now that pays off. It was unfortunate that it happened last year, but now that pays off because they got
Starting point is 00:37:52 that experience, those reps that playoff run. Like these guys, they're battle tested now. possibly top five cornerback group in the country, okay? I'm all on board. I'm on board. Aidan Schuller's an ascending player at safety. He's paired with Jalen Stroman, who I talked about is on the top 300 list for the senior bowl.
Starting point is 00:38:12 And Schuller, by the way, is like one of those guys that stole in the show. Yeah. So now you get Schuller, a veteran in Stroman, you get the tandem of Gray and Leonard Moore. Like this, like, I can't wait to see Carson Beck in this. kind of unknown wide receiver group, but a lot of talent there for out for Miami. This is going to be a fascinating first week game.
Starting point is 00:38:34 Good offense a lot. Yeah. Is that Sunday night? I'll check right now. It is Saturday. One of the games is Sunday. Then we have Bryce Young, not to be,
Starting point is 00:38:47 not to be, you know, mistaken for the quarterback with the Carolina Panthers, but the talented Bryce Young pass rusher for Notre Dame. son of Bryant Young, by the way. Huh. He had a really good 2024 season. I'm told like next level this year. Different in Miami is Sunday.
Starting point is 00:39:08 Yeah, I thought so. Huh. Clemson LSU's Saturday. Florida State Alabama's Saturday. Clemson, I mean, Miami. So we, and by the way, we got our Saturday. Don't kill me. Live.
Starting point is 00:39:21 What? Back to back reaction shows. I mean, I'm just saying. if you need me Sunday I could be there. I'm just saying I'm throwing it out there. Back-to-back reaction shows. Tucker's going to kill me. Dan's going to kill me.
Starting point is 00:39:33 Tucker's going to kill me. Maybe we'll just do it. We'll do it for ourselves. We'll just call each other. FaceTime. But I can promise you this. Primetime game on Saturday. Fourth quarter we're going to be there.
Starting point is 00:39:45 We'll give you more details on Wednesday as we get closer. But Bryce Young is a player that Marcus Freeman has done a great job of recruiting, and not just Marcus, the coaching staff in general, but Marcus Freeman has done a great job of recruiting and developing defensive linemen and offensive linemen during his tenure. Chris Ash comes in now, steps in his new defensive coordinator. Everything's gone great in camp supposedly. Can't imagine anyone. This is a slate on Asher.
Starting point is 00:40:18 Asher's got a great career and has proven in what he can do. Notre Dame didn't hire Ash because they're like taking a shot on a young gun. But Al Golden was awesome last year. But my point is they got Bryce Young and a bunch of young defensive line that they have been waiting for this moment and they're ready to go. And linebacker Drake Bowen and told he's going to be a dude this year. I'm told he's leaned down. This is my nose. Lean down, playing faster.
Starting point is 00:40:48 And the depth behind him is pretty awesome too. Okay. Three freshmen, I just want to throw out these names. Again, don't, didn't watch a single bit. Whenever all the recruiting guys are watching tape in the spring, we're watching NFL draft prospects. But three guys, I'm told from people that are in the know, Jadon Blair at Safety, Dallas Golden linebacker, and Madden Fariamo, Aramo is a defense, I think an edge. Those three guys are names to watch. That's a bit. Yeah, I got nothing to add. I love the secondary. I do feel like golden's a loss. The front seven, I love hearing your notes, to be honestly, because a lot of these guys, I know there's going to be good players there, but I feel like the name recognition there isn't there for me yet.
Starting point is 00:41:36 I know they're going to play hard. I know they're going to play disciplined, but getting that stuff is great. I'll also say this. Marcus Freeman, first year, nine and four. Second year, 10 and 3. Next year, 14 and 2. 39 years old, dude.
Starting point is 00:41:50 what a great hire by Notre Dame. What an unbelievable hire by a program that kind of middled for a long time. And kind of was, I don't think knew what to do with Brian. Obviously, they knew what to do. But when Brian Kelly left, I think a lot of people are looking at that situation and saying what direction they're going to go in. And it's just unreal. Again, front-loaded schedule. They start with Miami and then they get Texas and A&M.
Starting point is 00:42:12 And I think the next toughest game after that is Boise State. Ideally, they go two and O, obviously. One-on-one be great. I don't think O and 2 ends their playoff run. I really don't. I think this could be a very similar situation of last year where they lose one or two early and then they get better as a season goes on
Starting point is 00:42:30 and they get in and they make some noise. They make a run. I think this team's going to be better. When you have young quarterbacks, I think this is true almost all the time. It'll be better at any of the year than it is at the beginning of the year. And good coaches and young quarterbacks, that's usually how it works.
Starting point is 00:42:43 They get A&M at home. They get USC at home. they get Syracuse I don't see them losing more than two games, man. I really don't. And I think two gets them in. All right. Before we get to number four,
Starting point is 00:42:59 the Ohio State Buckeyes real quickly, let's get some housekeeping on it. And I listen to your comments. I see all you funny guys out there and funny girls. Doing like seven minutes in, start the show seven minutes. McShay won't shut up. The housekeeping of a blah.
Starting point is 00:43:15 So I just worked. We're diving in. It's all my burner accounts. You're heard, okay? Newsletter I mentioned before. Google the McShay report. We're doing everything that we're talking about and a whole lot more in print, in your inbox.
Starting point is 00:43:29 You got an opportunity right now. This will cover you like, you can for a full year, half off. I'm going to get you. I'm going to get you. There's going to be mock drafts. There's going to be rankings. There's going to be draft intel. You're not getting anywhere else.
Starting point is 00:43:44 We're going to get. So just do it for half off now. Wednesday we're back. We talked about three shows a week. It's season time. Started last week. We're on today, obviously, on Wednesday, and then back Saturday night, Saturday night live. It's our live streaming show, and I'm fired up.
Starting point is 00:44:03 We're going to have different guests throughout the year, kind of loosen it up. A little mention McShay after dark. But we're going to plug into that primetime game. We're coming in like five, ten minutes remaining. And we're just going to do reaction show. and like kind of react as the games going on. And then when it's over, reset and talk about the full day's slate and what it means. And then we're back Monday mornings every week.
Starting point is 00:44:26 That's a change up. We used to be like Monday, late afternoon. We're going to be back Monday morning. We're going to tape and get it out as early as we can. Or, you know, it's going to be late morning, early afternoon for folks out there. Mench, how can people support the show, please? First of all, the Wednesday show's going to come out Thursday morning, right? Yes, sorry.
Starting point is 00:44:43 We're taping a Wednesday night to come out Thursday. People are going to look for it. But Wednesday, but Wednesday this week, I believe. Whatever, you'll find it. Go to YouTube. That's how I should just leave this. Go to YouTube, hit the subscribe button. Once you get in there, man, thumbs up, thumbs down on the videos, leave a comment.
Starting point is 00:45:00 We read that stuff. We're checking it out. Also, you can hit follow on Spotify, get the automatic downloads on Apple. He's at McShay 13. I'm at you good, M-E-N-C-H on all our socials. And again, the McShaire Report. Check it out. And if you really want to support us and you live anywhere in the Midwest,
Starting point is 00:45:23 I got family coming in from Cincinnati. I got family coming in from Boston, friends. It's going to be a fun show, September 10th. I believe it's midweek, Wednesday night, I want to say. Yes. In Chicago at Lincoln Hall, just be there. Get your tickets. Okay, go to ringer.com.
Starting point is 00:45:45 slash events, the ringer.com slash events to get your, get your ticket now. We're going to sell out, Munch. Let's go. I promise you. If I have to buy 300 tickets, we're going to sell out. And finally, Mench, I'm an asshole and everyone here knows this. Happy birthday last week. Oh, thanks, man. You've had a big week. Your son Tyler got engaged. Yes. An adorable couple. He's a good looking man. Yeah. And she's and she's a, and she's a beautiful woman. And from what you and Iris, your wonderful wife have to say, you're thrilled to have her in the family. So congratulations to Tyler and the future bride. Your birthday, mention your wedding anniversary. Dude, where are you getting all this? I told you none of this.
Starting point is 00:46:33 And your sweet daughter, I won't mention her name, but your sweet daughter starts kindergarten today. That was a tough one. It was a tough morning. I'm not going to lie. Come on. How many tears? The big guy gets a little emotional about the little one. I know you do. I love it. Last night was even worse, but it was bad. I'll say that. It was bad.
Starting point is 00:46:52 So big week for the Mench family. All right. Rounding it up here. Ohio State number four. I talked about it. And honest to God, like, I can't wait for you to break this down. I cannot wait to hear what you have on this one.
Starting point is 00:47:06 There's a whole lot of educated yet blind trust I'm placing in Ohio State at four. A lot, man. And I get it. Again, who else are you putting here? Because eight quarter, new quarter, there are so many questions up and down the board. Why not trust Ryan Debt? So I get it. But I want to hear you explain it because a lot of people, I'll be honest about it,
Starting point is 00:47:28 go in and put their rankings and this is where I got, and they don't have to explain it. They just put down Ohio State. There's a discussion to have here. So I'm interested to hear what you have to say. Well, obviously, despite losing the Michigan last year, they go on to win the national championship. They lose a lot. But Ryan Day is entering his eighth season.
Starting point is 00:47:49 First seven seasons, he's 70 and 10 overall. Made the playoffs four of six years. Broke through last year with the national championship. But they lose Chip Kelly, who was like kingmaker last year to the NFL and the Raiders. Brian Hartline steps in. The best wide receiver coach. in college football, one of, if not the best recruiters in college football, certainly at the
Starting point is 00:48:16 wide receiver position and other, not just that position. But this is a new, this is a new role. Yeah. And let's call her now. Heartline and Day have known each other and worked together for a long time. But there's a difference between that and what day had with Chip Kelly. And maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like there's a difference between what Day's relationship with Kelly is and what it is with Heartline. It's going to be interesting to see how that unfolds. I'm not going to go negative on it, but it is a question mark. It is the first time Heartline calls plays,
Starting point is 00:48:46 and we're going to see how that goes. The good news for Ohio State is, obviously you don't want this to happen, but if he struggles, if Hartline doesn't do well in the role, you just pull the rip cord and Ryan Day starts calling plays. And it's not just Chip Kelly, it's
Starting point is 00:49:04 Jim Knowles has gone. Yes, that's a bigger one for me. What are you going on? No, no. Let me go through the personnel first. And then you, and then. So Ohio State loses 14 players to the NFL draft. Ties the school record.
Starting point is 00:49:20 Think about how many great years they've had, Urban Myers years and beyond. And it was the most by any school in the country last year. 14 players drafted. They haven't had double digit draft picks since 2021. And then they went on to go 11 and 2 with a young talented quarterback. Talking about Julian saying this year, C.J.
Starting point is 00:49:44 Strouded that year and won the Rose Bowl that year before kind of even becoming a little bit better than the following year. Six of those 14 were in the first two rounds, including four in round one, eight of those guys, Mensch, eight on the defensive side of the ball. All right. Gotted. Got it. And by the way, their last player drafted, this seems to be a trend.
Starting point is 00:50:09 He's like the third team now. We've said the last player drafted was their quarterback. He was in the sixth round to the Steelers, okay? Will Howard. So what do we have this year? We have not surprisingly. And this is why when I said it's like a whole lot of educated, and this is the educated part, but also blind faith in the program.
Starting point is 00:50:31 And Ryan Day and what he's built as a program, Ohio State's got five in our top 75. That's tied for the second most behind. We talked about Alabama. And what's interesting, though, is they only have six in the top 300 for the senior bowl, right, which is tied for the fourth fewest of the 12 teams that I've highlighted here in my preseason rankings. And I'll give you those names. Cardinal Tate at wide receiver, Max Clare at tight end. Ethan Anianwa along the offensive line, Sonny Stiles, who we both love at linebackers, your guy, Davidson-Ibonosen. at cornerback and Caleb Downs at safety.
Starting point is 00:51:12 But it just so happens that Downs might be the best defensive player in the country. And Jeremiah Smith might be the best player in the country and he's not eligible. So again, a lot of blind trust here. Take it where you want, Munch, but I'm really interested on the offensive side of the ball, what you expect to see. I'll get to say in what I'm seeing. But I'm curious, like when you're looking at Ohio State, and we get that week one matchup against Texas,
Starting point is 00:51:42 but throughout the entire season. What jumps out to you is like burning question? What do you have to have answered about this team outside of the quarterback spot? It's got to be the offensive line. And I say this and I want to be careful because I had so many questions about the offensive line last year when Josh Simmons went down and then Seth McLaughlin went down. I mean, every time something happened, I thought this offensive line was cooked. And honestly, when I watched their tape,
Starting point is 00:52:09 I mean, the sum was definitely better than the total of the parts. But they got it done. That offensive line found a way to get it done. So I hesitate to go there again. And yet, here I am. I'm worried about that offensive line. I want to see how it all comes together. I just, I'm not convinced yet that that offensive line is going to be good enough for their young quarterback.
Starting point is 00:52:31 And, you know, you talk about the rice transfer who seemed to be a lot of buzz. Now I'm reading that he might not even start, that he's the guy who might not even start for them because they have questions about this or that. They're not really, I'm not being filled with confidence about the reporting on their offensive line right now. That's the number one thing that jumps out to me.
Starting point is 00:52:53 And that's something because their quarterback is a super talented kid, but he's a freshman. So Julian's saying, we'll see, again, I can't wait to watch him play. We'll see what happens there. But you got a new, you've got a new play caller, you got a freshman quarterback and I got questions along the offensive line.
Starting point is 00:53:11 Their pass catchers, we go positive, are going to be like, they have the best pass catchers on the planet. I mean, Max Claire, the tight end of Purdue, I can't talk enough about. I think he's going to be elite for them. And then you have Carnell Tate and you have Jeremiah Smith and, you know, it's ridiculous the abundance of talent they have the skill position. So that's going to be great. But it's going to be the same thing as last year.
Starting point is 00:53:34 Is that offensive line going to be good enough? Last year it was. They figured out a way to get it done, and maybe they will again this year. But, man, I mean, I don't know. I've got questions. Here's the deal, man. Julian Sane is like an all-world talent. He's supremely talented.
Starting point is 00:53:52 If I say something, by the way, can I just interject to this really quickly? Yes. We could get Bryce Underwood, who was the number one overall prospect in the ESPN 300 this year in the starting quarterback for Michigan announced this week. and Julian Sand, who was the number nine overall player in the ESPN 300, we could get four Michigan Ohio State games with those guys
Starting point is 00:54:13 at quarterback. And if it, like, no, you could. And three, you probably, probably,
Starting point is 00:54:19 right. You could get four. I'm just saying it could happen. So you're saying there's a chance match. Yeah, then they won't be that. They won't be that great. If that's how it shakes out.
Starting point is 00:54:26 I know. I know. They'll be overrated. But three and three would be wonderful head to head. Yes. You're like, ruins Christmas, dude.
Starting point is 00:54:34 Uh-huh. Sayan's got a big arm, incredibly quick release. I've watched a little bit just to, you know, just to have a feel, extends plays, makes throws off platform, all the things you want. Really good in football intelligence from people I talk to in the bill. Like they believe it, but there's a reason why it took a while to name the starter. And I get like, you don't want to annoy it. But like it wasn't as clear cut as maybe everyone in Columbus, including Ryan Day and Heartline,
Starting point is 00:55:02 we're hoping it to be. It's okay to not know because Ryan Day is the most in the no person in this program. And he doesn't know until we see it. And the beauty is we get to see it against Texas. But I can tell you this. I want to impart a little wisdom, old man stuff. When I watch tape on quarterbacks, a lot, especially quarterbacks that are in their first year as a starter, and I'm getting ready to go back and watch their tape.
Starting point is 00:55:31 like Garrett Nussmeyer last year as an example. The biggest jumps, you always hear, the biggest improvement should come from game one to game two. And yeah, there should be a jump. I notice it's a four game stretch. Yeah. I mean, it takes more than one game. Go ahead.
Starting point is 00:55:48 Yeah, I agree. And that doesn't mean what game four, at the end of game four, you're like, oh, that's who he's going to be forever. But I guess I'm talking to you lunatic fringe at Ohio State. And Herb Street loves to call him the lunatic French. and they are as lunatic as lunatic can be,
Starting point is 00:56:04 and it's why we love college football, but there's also like, there's got to be a little bit of reason here too. If saying something against Texas and that highly talented defense in week one, saying's probably going to be a little bit better in week two. And if he has a dipped week two, he's probably going to be better in week three.
Starting point is 00:56:23 So after four games, let's talk about it. Because I've been doing this for 25 years. of studying quarterbacks and studying football and studying players. It's really after four games, you start to get a feel. Like, who was? Oh, oh, oh, South Carolina. Lenora Sellers was an absolute nightmare.
Starting point is 00:56:44 I went back to summer and watched. A little hard, but yeah, I get it. No. No, I think Lenores would admit it. The front side blitz sack ball out like multiple times. Same things coming at him. Took him a few games. Sellers in game four and five started to get a lot better.
Starting point is 00:57:07 The first three games were not pretty. Got a little bit better, but like I still was seeing the same stuff. So let's, season's not over if he doesn't play great against Texas. So that's kind of my, my PSA today. But the talent, like you said, Jeremiah Smith, 13, 15 last year, 15 touchdowns. I'm told on good authority, this guy's like noticeably better this year.
Starting point is 00:57:32 I don't even know what that means. Yeah, how does that? It's hard for my mind to, but they're like, no, he's different now. There's like a maturity level about him. I read something about his diet. He's changed his diet. I was like, man, I don't, don't change anything. If I'm not changing anything, Carnell Tate, I think is going to take another step.
Starting point is 00:57:50 And he had 73 yards, four touchdowns last year as a third option. And the guy that you love, and I agree. with you. I think he might be the best past catching tight end in the country is Max Clare. And they got a lot of depth behind those guys. Okay? I don't think the running back position and this is not breaking news or offensive line is necessarily as talented as last year. But remember
Starting point is 00:58:13 Simmons didn't play most of the year. And yeah, he was a late first round pick to the chiefs at 31. You're talking about the offensive line? Yeah. I think he's running back. But go ahead. Yeah. Well, no, running back and and and. Oh, okay. But I think that there's a lot of experience, and I think they trust the guys there. People's and Donovan are talented backs. And you talked about the offensive line. Here's what I do know from talking to people in Columbus.
Starting point is 00:58:39 The interior is going to be dominant. They absolutely love as a Carson Hinsman at center who kicked out to guard to allow Donovan Jackson to kick out to left tackle. He struggled in 23, kicked out to guard last year, played better and better as the season went on. I'm told he's going to be great this year, set to be like the leader of that group. And the two guards, Luke Montgomery and Tegra, Shibola, they're kind of proven commodity. So I think the interior is going to be dominant. It's that right tackle position and the tackles that are still kind of works in progress. Two names that I want to mention to you.
Starting point is 00:59:17 One of them is a familiar name, but not for the reasons you think, Bo Jackson at running back. He told his acceleration is absolutely different. and he could see an increased role as the season progresses, but they're going to make sure he's ready for all of that. And I think it's Mylan Graham, M-I-L-A-N, Graham. I'm told he's an absolute burner. And if Hartline recruited him, you know. He's probably pretty good.
Starting point is 00:59:44 I'm told, don't be shocked. Maybe like number five, number four receiver, but it could work his way up to number three behind Jeremiah Smith. and Carnell Tate if he's what they expect him to be and he's ready to make the steps as a true freshman. Final thing here, the Ohio State defense absolutely gutted from a year ago, and it's kind of like the Julian saying thing. Like, I can sit here and tell you they're going to suck.
Starting point is 01:00:12 They're going to be awesome. I don't know. Here's what I know. Eight defensive players for Ohio State were drafted last year. Jim Knowles is gone. Matt Patricia's in. So if you're telling me, you know, you don't know. But I know that Caleb Downs is the best defensive player that I watched on tape this summer.
Starting point is 01:00:32 And I watched two damn good defensive linemen from Clemson. I watched a lot of good players and you did too much. Sonny Stiles is phenomenal. Talk about him on the freak list and athleticism and explosive. And Igbenosin had ups and downs, not an elite player may never be, but he's a big press corner who's a good player. He's got to cut down on the penalties. He's a talent to player. He's got to cut down on the penalties.
Starting point is 01:00:56 But other than that, they're just young guys that we have to trust. We're recruited well. And I'm told that this, but I'm told, be like, trust me. I get to trust me. You're going to see you're going to trust me. Where's talented? We're Ohio State. So, like, we'll see.
Starting point is 01:01:11 But they're going to be a fascinating team. And what you see week one against Texas, maybe they just come out gunning, but it's probably not going to be. And I get news for you. What we saw in the throughout the majority of the season, what we saw against Michigan was not what we saw in the college football playoff.
Starting point is 01:01:32 So this is probably going to be a team like last year that gets better and better and better as the season progresses. I'm fascinated by that Texas Ohio State game. So much young talent just running around the field. A lot of guys is trying to figure it out still. It's going to be, it's the way that game plays out, the way the coach is insane versus Archmanning. Like, come on.
Starting point is 01:01:52 Let's go. It's Saturday, Minch. Five days. Yeah. I'm ready. I started this whole thing. Week zero is adorable. It's so cute.
Starting point is 01:02:03 Oh, by the way, a game in Ireland. One for one. And our bets. Yeah. If you're on the Fandual app and you're watching the McShay show, you're two and three and oh, really. Moneyline, Kansas. I mean, Moneyline Iowa State over Kansas State, plus three and a half Iowa State over
Starting point is 01:02:19 Kansas State. And Mench is under, which. Got dicey. I needed the callback. I needed them to go to the tape and be like, no, I didn't get in. Five stars. See you on Wednesday. Must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino. Or 18 plus and present in D.C., Kentucky or Wyoming.
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