The Triple Option - Tee Times & the Transfer Portal, How Urban Meyer Would Fix College Football plus Todd McShay Joins

Episode Date: February 18, 2026

College sports, the great unifier! Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone roll out their list of changes that should be made with college football after Coach shared the golf course with Nick Saban, President Trump, and Governor DeSantis over the weekend. The guys also discuss the latest College Football Playoff format proposal from the Big Ten and if 24-teams is the answer or overkill. Since it's combine week, Todd McShay joins the guys to talk quarterbacks in this year's draft class from Fernando Mendoza to Diego Pavia and the guys in between. They then take a look at Lane Kiffin and LSU's win total and if they will end up above or below the 9.5 wins Vegas has set for the new head coach and aggressively turned over roster. New episodes of The Triple Option drop every Wednesday. Make sure you’re subscribed on YouTube and following on all podcast platforms. Also make sure you’re locked in on social @3XOptionShow on all platforms for highlight moments, bonus content, and to engage with the guys and the TO community. (⁠https://tripleoptionshow.com⁠) The Triple Option is presented by Wendy’s. Get yourself a $4 Biggie® Bites, $6 Biggie Bag®, or a $8 Biggie® Bundle. Now at Wendy’s. ⁠https://m-wendys.app.link/468biggiedeals⁠ Thank you to our additional sponsors FanDuel – Visit ⁠https://Fanduel.com/TripleOption⁠ to download the app and take advantage of a 50% Profit Boost today! #CollegeFootball #CollegeFootballPlayoff #CFP #OhioState #DonaldTrump #ToddMcShay #NFLDraft #TransferPortal #NIL #Barstool #Alabama #RollTide #FernandoMendoza #DiegoPavia #CarsonBeck #LSU #GeauxTigers #LaneKiffin #SamLeavitt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coach, what do we say before we start? Let's go, man. Let's go, coach. Coach, you mute it? It's going great this week. All right, am I good? There is. How's it getting muted?

I didn't touch it. Oh, my God. Light it. The Triple Option is presented by Wendy's. Get yourself a $4 biggie bite, $6 biggie bag, or an $8 biggie bundle now at Wendy's. Welcome to the Triple Option. As always, love that you're here with us.

You know the rundown by now. Please rate, please subscribe. You can find us at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. We're on social media at 3X option show. New episodes on YouTube, wherever you get your podcast. We are seeking questions and comments. We want to have a couple kind of viewer question type shows

come up in the future. We know that you have a lot of questions about the state of college football, maybe your team, maybe your players, maybe your head coaches. Throw it on at us. We would love to have an episode just handling your questions. So, guys, the combine starts this week.

We're going to check in in a bit with our draft expert. Todd McShay, he joins us. Plus, we're going to take an early look at year one for Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge. But we start where else? It's the offseason for coach. We're starting on the golf course, on the Lint. You had yourself quite the, it wasn't even a foursome Sunday, was it? It was a group outing.

Yeah, unbelievable, Mark, that I got invited to play golf with Coach Nick Saban and Governor Ron DeSantis and Donald J. Trump, our president. And what brought this on is just conversation about the positives and negatives of not just college football, college sports. You know, the governor of the state, our governor, I live in the state of Florida, played baseball at Yale. the president of the United States is very interested in sports and just listened and obviously coach Saban already be the greatest coach of all time has a hell of a golf swing Mark you know that he doesn't sting it like he used to but he's got a hell of a swing

and obviously a great person so we had a we had a great day this was not a trump or international you know you know president of Trump's a he's in the fairway mark I'm saying other 14 you know because you have par three's he's in the fairway all but one really and he played from the blue okay close to he's either 80 or close to eight years old and it really hit the ball well not mark ingram well did you y'all play did y'all play a game we did he had a pro there and he we all played it was more just hit one ready because it's speed golf man I mean you're going what did y'all do like six six six did you all no no no it was four against you're not it was four against you're

Vince one. And the one probably beat the hell out of us because he's one of those plus five dudes. Hey, when you say up-tempo, what are you talking about? You hit when ready. Yeah. Get up and go. Yeah. You get up and go. We plot.

Yeah. Oh, yeah, it was a three. So how fast do you play? Probably three. Three. Five some. Yeah. Five-s-sum for three hours.

Oh, it was go. Go time, man. Is that the way you like it? I love playing fast, but that was fast-fast fast fast. Fast fast. Fast fast. Fast fast. Fast fast fast.

How did you hit him, coach? I actually, that was one of my better days. It was windy. But all five of us, one guy's a pro and the other guys hit the ball really well. It was a very clean day, very, hitting the ball, everybody hit the ball well. So you never met them before, right, other than Coach Saban. Gover and Desanis and I played golf before.

And I was supposed to play with the president a couple of times, got rained out. And let's see, well, Coach Saban and I played against, yeah, I played with him several times. Yeah, okay. Because you know when you got to fire something, you walk up to that first tee, you know right away, like, okay, this is going to be a fun day or this is going to be a long day. It was an awesome day. Awesome. Sensi humor and also real serious conversation about what, you know, it's interesting to get Coach Saban's take, my take, who've been in it for so long.

And then, you know, Governor DeSantis was, I think he told me he was the first governor that signed the NIL, allowing that to happen. So he's got his hands on a lot of things. stuff. So, Coach, I just want to be, I just want to be clear. This was a golf, this was a work golf outing, right? This was not a Republican convention on the golf course. No, no, no, no, no. This is bypartisan. This conversation is all bipartisan. It happens that, you know, one's a Republican president, one's a very conservative governor of our state. Coach Sab and I were there as guests, and it was all about our thoughts on how to make this thing better. And the thing that I keep reiterating the people is, do you guys realize,

and I know you two know it because we witness it every week in Big Noon? It's never been better college football. Yeah. It has the viewership, our Fox Big Noon is up, even in the second hour. Remember they told us that, Rob? I mean, television is up, viewership is up, national interest. The playoff has been a huge hit. There's parody in the sport. Yeah. However, there are some things behind the scenes that there's some alarms going off. So, coach, with that in mind, let's get to any given Saturday. Let's talk about the potential future for college football right now. And I think Mark and coach, whenever you guys are making big life decisions or you're talking to your kids, like, hey, man, let's make a plus sheet and let's make a minus sheet.

And then let's sort it out. Let's see what the right decision is. So coach, and you started it off just a second ago, let's talk about these pluses in, let's just say college football. I know the conversation you had on the golf course was about college athletics as a whole, but we're all smart enough to realize that it starts with college football. And that is really the workhorse. That is the provider for all college athletics out there. So let's start with the positives right now for college football.

And I would agree with you that arguably it's never been in a better place, particularly on the field. The quality of football that you see whatever day of the week it is, but primarily Saturdays, is absolutely top tier. Yeah, you take a look, Mark. There was a time when the SEC just beat the hell out of everybody. And now there's parity. You have Indiana won the national title. You have Illinois beating SEC school.

You have Iowa beating an SEC school, and I'm not picking on the SEC because it's great. But at some point, you'd like to see parity. And it is the most parody in my lifetime in college football. And you have to ask yourself why. I mean, I've asked that question because at first, I thought for sure would go the other way. I thought Rich would get richer.

And then as a coach, you turn on the film, which I do every Monday, as we're getting ready to play. I'm saying these are really, really well-coached teams. Even the middle to low rung of the Big Ten and SEC and even Big 12 ACC, there's some really quality teams in there that you better tie your shoes right each week, or you're going to lose. And there was a time I remember that when I was at Florida, that, I mean, you play those non-conference teams,

you just beat the sauce out of them because you're just so much better. It's gone. I think right now there's parity and really well coached teams across the board. And the quality of play, like you mentioned, Mark, or Rob, I don't know if it's been better. And I'm just talking about the fundamentals of the game

has been, there's some really good coaching going on and good playing, obviously. Interest is high. And, man, if college football is stock, I'm buying it. Yeah. You got players sticking around longer now too, right? I mean, and that could be a negative.

I get it. But, you know, we're talking about... It's a negative for high school recruits for sure. Yeah, it is. But we're talking about five years, six-year guys. Guys, you should be in the NFL or Canadian Football League or UFL or whatever, and they're still playing collegiate ball at a high level. So we all agree that college football is doing great.

Now let's go over to the minus category. All right. Let's start with the calendar, coach. Yeah, Mark shared with us. The season ends next year on January 25th. Classes start usually on the first week of January. You have coaching transition. You have players making decisions to come back for the NFL or not.

So I don't understand that. I don't understand why I've seen people say it. Week zero, college football starts. You get it one week or a buy or maybe two, depending on the calendar. You play the championship weekend and the playoff starts the next weekend. And by the first week in January, that season is over. And I think everybody wants that. I don't think that's a hard fix.

I don't understand the logic behind this new college football schedule. Like we end, like you said, Coach, we end the season, championship weekend. We should be playing the playoffs the next week. You know what I mean? We're waiting two weeks in between championship weekend in the first round of CFP, waiting almost two more weeks to go to the quarterfinals.

Actually, a day between the quarter of the quarter. quarterfinals, then you wait another almost two weeks for the semis, then you wait another 10 days after that. Well, never, there was always this is too long and drawn and stretched out, man. Like, let's get this thing going, man. That part I agree with. But remember, there's always been this pushback about, you know, the expansion of college football.

And people would say, you know, these student athletes can't play this many football games in this brief of a window. Yet here we are asking them to kind of hustle it up. and they've already been through the grind of a regular season and then potentially a championship game. And now this gauntlet of playoff games week after week after week, is that too much on the player?

I mean, do you want them practicing two more weeks? Like, they're playing football for another extra. Hey, you're the player. I never played college football. Listen, I'm asking your body. If I'd want to play, you know, I don't want to have momentum going. If I'm Miami, I have to wait two weeks in between every single game.

You know, you have a challenge with how you prepare, you have a challenge with the schedule. You have a challenge with the practice schedule. Like, how do we keep these guys fresh, but also ready to play football? If I'm a team that's playing good football at the end of the season, I want to keep playing. Like, I don't want to play four days, you know what I mean?

But I do want to play a week, you know, a week, seven, eight, nine days. You know what I mean? I don't want to wait 14 days between my quarterfinal and my semifinal. Agreed. Agreed. The calendar really does seem like a very simple fix, coach, right?

Like, let's just tighten things up and make it strong. The thing that we don't understand, though, is this fight with the NFL. I keep hearing that we don't want to schedule games on the NFL time slots. Those are all questions that I don't think the three of us are experts, but I do understand if you have an NFL game separate that Saturday or a series of games that Saturday, that'd be tough to just start slamming college football in area. Yeah. Listen, you go against the NFL, you're going to lose, right?

But here's my beef with the NFL. Let's not be too greedy here, NFL. You're on top of the world right now. And your greatest partner is college football. Tell me I'm wrong. Your greatest partner is college football, and you keep muscling college football out of these windows. Why are we not coming together?

And I don't know whose fault that is. I'm sure there has to be some dialogue to some point. But why is the NFL and college football playoff committee not coming together and say, hey, guys, let's sort out this schedule, right? Let's use that. What is the day we're talking about? New Year's Eve, right? NFL's going to play a game New Year's Eve, so college football playoffs does not want to step on that footprint,

so they're going to play the day before and the day after. Why not make it just a friggin American football fest all day? Right, like, let's come together and not sabotage each other's project. Let's work together. Again, to simple man here. I'd love to know the world, the colors of the skies and Rob Stone's world where let's come together. Let's put your arms on each other. Come together and sort this out.

Rob, do you understand? It's for the good of football, coach. That's about the finances of period. I get that. I don't think they give too shit about. Yeah. But also, but also the deeper you're going to January,

the deeper you're going into the NFL season as well. For sure. All that knows is drowned out. So you're going to have to have this giant that you have to basically go against. But, I mean, you're playing games on Wednesday. You're playing games on Friday.

You're playing games Thursday, Friday. Play the games in a good, reasonable fashion where kids can get rest, recover, but they also don't lose momentum for performing well. So I just feel like this could be an easy fix. Let's fix the transfer portal. And coach, there already has been one adjustment. And I think it's a positive adjustment. Just one transfer window right now for college football. Right. And I think there's a big push in agreement that there should be a one time. You get a one time not exempt. So you can transfer one time and then it's over. You have to sit for a year if you transfer again.

I added that I thought the graduate student exemption should also be in there. And then you brought up when I was talking earlier about when the coach leaves. I just think that's too many exceptions. But you get one shot mark. If you don't like where you're at, you can leave without penalty. That means you're eligible to the next year. If you leave another time, then that's a you have to sit for a year. That would stop that.

And then the, I think a graduate, because the ultimate goal is graduate, especially for the non-NFL players, you have to get graduate and start getting on with your life. you graduate, you still having a tie to the school you graduated from, and then you can go play one, you know, if you have eligibility left, you can go play with a free pass once you graduate. That's my recommendation. Yeah, I just think the timing of the transfer portal, we have this situation where, you know, it's going on in the middle of the playoffs. You have teams that have to make a decision.

Players who are in the middle of a playoff run, they have to make a decision where they're going to go into a portal or not. You have coaches, all la Lane Kiffin and several others that I have to make a decision. I can't coach my team. I got to go to my new team that I'm going to. I just feel like the timing of the portal should be kind of after the conclusion of the season. So coaches who are moving on can finish what they started. Players can finish what they're started.

So I just feel like the transferral portal, I'm glad that they went to one window. But now I think the window needs to, the timing, the calendar. We just talked about the college football calendar, how long and drawn out that is. Now the treasional portal needs to mirror up. So players and coaches can finish and conclude a season before they have to worry about making decisions about the next season. We all agree there's too much moving, right? And I cover college basketball and I look at these guys on rosters. I'm like, this is his fourth team in four years, right?

That's not good for anybody. That's not good for the program. That's not good for the student athlete. We got the draft coming up, so you're going to see some kid getting drafted in the first round. He's going to be all three different teams. We're going to say 24 he was on his team, 25 he was on his team, 26 he was on his team. Not good for anybody, but I will say this. If your head coach leaves, to me, that's a free pass that you can leave as well.

You ideally signed on to be part of that family. And that head of the family just split on you. All right. NIL, collectives. Who watched this one? They're supposed to be gone now, though. But my understanding, yeah. There's supposed to be revenue share right now.

And I just hear from so many coaches that, you know, you're supposed to be the 20.5, I believe it is, that you can divvy up between all your teams. I think it's going up to close to 22 next year. But then you start hearing stories about that's not the case everywhere. So, you know, there's a big piece of this puzzle that has to get set. And that means the enforcement arm. I mean, we witnessed a tampering situation just a couple, you know, now it's been a month. And I'm sure they're doing a three-year-old. investigation on, you know, four years, and then they'll come back and say, you know,

they're fine $5,000 and you can't do that again. Give them some show cause. That'll teach them. Yeah, give them a show cause. So the NIL in its purest form is an absolute. That, I think that's great for everyone. You know, a marking rooms of the world and a gymnast, a tennis player, they should have a right to sell a legitimate name and likeness. That's their commodity to many people, which they should be. But for people who don't quite understand what a collective is, I witnessed it. I used to be on a board of one and I said, I'm good.

I don't want to be part of this. Where they just start slamming piles of money into a, and it's pay for play. It's cheating. Yep. You know, for me to go pay six, you know, for some freshmen and, you know, all that stuff. So that's just kind of go away. And it's strictly between the university, the collective bargaining, or I'm sorry, the revenue share, they decide what to do with it. If you're a basketball school, so be it, spend more

in basketball. That's your business. But then you have to explain to your boosters why you're not good in football. That's your business. That can't be our business. And then if there's NIL, and once again, it's got to be legitimate NIL, which the supposedly commission is supposed to be doing now, which I understand they're not, it has to be a legitimate opportunity to make money off your name and likeness. I feel like every time we have one of these type of conversations, it comes back to the the E-word enforcement and the lack of it. So how do we solve that?

Commissioner Sabin and Meyer? No. I think what there has to be because everything gets litigated. And there was just, you saw what happened with the quarterback getting his extra year. You know, there's that famous attorney. That must be a hell of an attorney because he wins all the time. Didn't the attorney go to Old Miss or something? He got like denied three or four times.

No, that was the judge. That was the judge. Oh. Wait, wait, the judge on this case went to Old Miss? Yeah. So I think here's the homework I've done on this, is that everyone needs to sign off that they will not litigate. That, you know, it's union or it's a, this is part of the Congress and Senate,

passing something to say this is the way it is. And that way you, every time you, you know, the NCAA, to give them credit, every time they've set a penalty, they've tried to enforce something, they go to court and they lose. So I, there is some empathy to understand they don't have subpoena power. They're a powerless organization right now. Coach, does college football need the federal government to get involved to solve this? Well, the federal government times to me can't get out of its own way, you know. So when I first heard that, I said, you got enough issues, man. Just keep our country safe and, you know, the street safe. And, you know, that's the number one obligation of the

federal government, of my mind, is to take care of its citizens. And then all of a sudden, now they're going to take on this. After, I'll tell you more as I know, you know, obviously I've been, you know, very judicious about what I say. But I think there's like there's, there's a lot of people in this country, bipartisan, that want to see some answers to one of the, you know, one of the the greatest pastimes in the history of our country. That's college football. And remember, this is not, the beautiful thing about our governor and the president, this was not about football.

It certainly was a giant part of it, but I did hear other comments. My two daughters played college volleyball. Would that be horrific if that goes away? Horrific. Rob, you played soccer. Our governor played baseball. The lessons you learn in team sports to me are far outweigh what you learn in a classroom. Yes.

So, you know. I'll say this. There's a lot of voters out there that care passionately. Sure. About college football. Leave it at that. Leave it at that. For sure.

For sure, Coach. All right. One last comment. The Big Ten recently, it got out these 24-team playoff conversation that they would love to see eliminating the conference championship game, which already Mark would kind of start playing with the calendar, right? Probably for the positive. Yeah.

You know, you would end on that rivalry weekend and then get into the college football playoffs. The 24-team concept would put the top 23 ranked teams in plus one spot for the group of six. We're locked in at 12 teams again for the upcoming season. I think most of us would like it expanded, but Mark, do we want to expand it to 24? 24 seems like a lot. 24 seems like a lot to me. usually I don't even think 17, 18, 19, 21,

22, 23, I don't even think they really have a true shot to win the whole thing. Would it be fun and entertaining for all of those fans? I think so. You know, you kind of have like a March Madness bracket of football, but not really, but something kind of like it. But I think 2014 is too much. I think we can expand the 16, you know.

But 24. I think it's a little heavy, in my opinion. So I think it's wishful thinking by the Big Ten. But I also don't like the fact that there's no conference championships. I'm a big fan of the conference championship. That was one of the first goals always to win your conference, win the SEC, win the Big Ten, win the ACC. I still think that should be a viable option to have for a team and for a unit.

But I think 24 is too much. I think the expansion is good, but I think 24 is a little heavy. I would argue that winning your conference championship has become outdated. It has been. It doesn't matter. Gosh, that breaks my heart mark. Right?

It hurt to say it, coach. Yeah. Ohio State didn't win their conference championship and they won a national championship. You know what I mean? This year, Indiana, they won one. But, yeah. Miami didn't even make their conference championship game. Miami didn't even make it.

Miami wouldn't have been in the playoffs. But with the expanded playoffs, they would have been. there for sure. So would have Notre Dame. Yeah, yeah. Notre Dame, yeah, but those are like 13. I'll keep fighting that though, but once again, I was going to listen to me, but I just, I still think there's a place for both.

The only thing I like, I think it's too many teams, and then it's all committee-driven. This is all human element making decisions on who gets in, and I'd rather get rid of the committee and have it all be playing. I saw some ones early on that I really liked some structures where you, you know, the,

after your last game, the rivalry game, it's conference championship weekend and playing weekend. Yeah. And that's what I get it. Playing weekend. So who would play in? So there'd be six teams of the Big Ten. One would play two, three would play six, four would play five.

And that's just on... And that's four teams, those four teams would get in. On what you did in conference play, right, Coach? That's what you're saying. That's why conference games should matter. And I still think to win your conference, win the championship, you get a big ass ring. And then you go playoff.

Yeah. I just think that's the best of both worlds. You hang a banner in your facility. That's there forever. Everyone doesn't get to hang that SEC championship. That makes all those games in the season so much more important. And you're saying that would be the case for every conference. Every conference.

Championship game and then you'd have playing games. Playing games. Yeah. On Fox. How many teams that would give us, Coach? Well, the play-in games while the conference championship game is going on, right? That weekend is all of those games. Right.

Right. So it's not just a little minuscule snapshot. of here's the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big 10. Right, and it's all day long. All day long, college football. Yeah, as long as the NFL's okay with that. We love football all day long.

I just think, let the players, and I'm not taking a shot at the committee because the big noon crew, there's some pretty experienced veterans on that big noon crew. We argue all the time. You can't pick the right, you know, there's only one way, play in.

And that's also kind of the beauty of the college football, right? We have these conversations that are constantly going on. We're better than you. We belong. You don't, right? So that was your fresh take of the week

presented by Wendy's. Get yourself a $4. Biggie Bites, $6 biggie bag, or an $8 biggie bundle. Now at Wendy's. Coming up next on the Triple Option, we talk NFL quarterback class

with the great draft expert, Todd McShay. Welcome back to the Triple Option presented by Wendy's, Rob Mark Urban. Once again, We're joined by our good friend, the host of the Todd McShay show over on the Ringer Network, that podcast available wherever you get your podcast.

The great Todd McShay joins us. Just done with Senior Bowl and Coach, this is the time of the year. Hell, it's not the time of year. We always talk about quarterbacks, right? And quarterbacks down at the Senior Bowl with the draft looming. This is where we start. I love it. Best in the business, Todd.

So early in the year, we talked about Mendoza, you know, in this draft class. And I think both of us, especially after watching them, of so much that were they really ready? And I think for two, the both of us and really the show decided it's probably best they all go back. Mendoza obviously changed that. And what's your thoughts on after that four or five game run? Did he cement himself as number one of one? And if he did, how does he compare to some of the other one of ones in recent history?

Yeah, he's, I remember doing his tape at Cal. summer, right? And seeing a quarterback who wasn't really on the radar. Remember all the, like all the names. It was, it was, it was, it was, it wasn't even Dante Moore at the time, but it was club, club, Nick. It was Drew Aller. It was, a lot of these other, Lenora Sellers and what he could be if he takes, you know, takes that next jump. Arch Manning was, which was going to be the first year starter. And he, before he ever played a snap as the starter, he was national champion Heisman trophy winner and number one overall pick. So this year was not what we expected in a lot of ways.

But when I watched Mendoza, I saw a guy who I remember saying at the time, like, this guy could be a first rounder. He's big. He's mobile. He's got a live arm in terms of like energy on the ball. He can create. And I just, I like a lot of things about him. But he needs to be corralled. He needs to.

there's a lot of turnover worthy plays. There's a lot of decisions under pressure where he just, you can't trust him yet. And then he gets time with Coach Signetti and that whole staff. And you see a lot of early in the years, a lot of RPO's and very, it kind of bottled them up.

And I kind of wanted to see more. Well, you started to see some more on the road, big moments, right? Iowa, Oregon, Penn State. And then you saw the big 10, championship. So it just, it kept elevating. And I also saw a maturity in him. And yeah, he's quirky. He's, you know, he's like, it's like, Kurt Warner meets like Kurt cousins and just kind of like a different cat. But with all of that is a guy who just loves ball. I mean, his interview with,

with you, coach, like talking ball with you guys. Like, I think that that brought a lot of awareness to people nationally of, oh my, like, he's, he's different. You know what I mean? And so. So you look at the Raiders with that first pick and a guy who's got partial ownership there and was despite all the private jets and the Rolexes and the Rolls Royces or whatever he's driving. Like Tom Brady's a nerd, you know, and so was Peyton Manning. And so are a lot of the great ones. And that's what Mendoza is. He's a football nerd.

And I think there's a lot of value to that. So you combine the physical tools with the development with the brain that he brings. it's hard because like Caleb just think back two years ago right Caleb Williams Jaden Daniels Drake May they're all more physically gifted I would argue Cam Ward's more physically gifted

okay if you're asking me to kind of compare the last couple of years but does that necessarily matter when you have his the kind of overarching skill set in terms of how quick he processes and how like two in he is with what you want to do offensively.

I think there's going to be some bumps in the road. I think if he's a raider, like, they're not there yet. I can see him. I still see there a lot of times on tape where interior pressure comes, eyes drop. There's this panic moment, right? He's going to have to overcome that. But whether it was Caleb with all of his issues with the turnovers, Jaden, it was that one great year.

Can he stay healthy? And it's still a question mark. With Drake, it was RPO offense doesn't translate. you know, with Cam, and we saw a rookie year, like, he's got to learn to play within the pocket, you know, stay on schedule and play within the confines of the offense. So with all of them, there's a question mark. And I think I just mentioned what I think Fernandos is, but I feel really good. I trust him. I just, if he's with the right mind offensively, I trust that over a year, two, three years down the road, we're going to be looking at a quarterback that we consider in the top half of the NFL in terms of.

of starters at that position. Let's take a quick hit at that guy that I stood next to, Carson Beck, at the National Champs game, and I've never been around him. He's a giant. What did you think? All I mean, I didn't like the fact over his career just turns a ball over. I love the game against Ole Miss. I loved how he improved, but just standing there watching him as a former recruiter and

coach, I was blown away, how big, how his body looked great, and he finished strong. But there was a time where I just, you know, I just, quarterbacks turn the ball over, you know, they're a liability. Yeah, it becomes a major liability. So I just wonder what's your thought on him after that playoff run? Because I'm telling you, have you stood next to him yet? Yes, I did a few years ago, and I know exactly what you're saying.

Yeah. And it's kind of intoxicating, right? And he throws the ball well, he's got energy on it. I thought he moved a little bit better this year. He's a tough one for me, man. I think you probably have a better vantage. I mean, I know you have the best vantage point of all of us when it comes to it. Like how important is trust with a quarterback, right?

I had lost trust in Carson Beck after the 2024 season. And through the summer of them, being honest, like, turning the ball over, looked like he was just playing tight. Georgia doesn't let big-time players get away if they're not kind of like. like, yeah, you can have them, you know? And then it's like Cavender twin drama, Lamborghinis bought, Lamborghini stole it. It just felt like it was all encompassing. But then I started hearing these kind of reports out of Miami in about August of like, now, like he's a different cat. Like he's playing fun. He's having fun, playing loose,

more decisive. Trust this offense. He's got some targets around him that he like feels good about getting the ball out on time receivers aren't working as much for it most importantly teammates love him yeah he's there early i don't get all the the headlines mixed up with what's actually going on in this building i'm glad i'm glad to hear that because i did not hear that as much i heard the prior the prior stuff yeah and so in the season there was a lots of positivity around him in the miami program right and throughout the year so but then but you don't know whether you trusted or not until you see it. And then that Notre Dame game, you saw a guy who the teammates were just flocking to and he was playing. He looked like he was finally having fun playing the

game he loves again, all that stuff. And then there was that midseason where he had the turnovers and you're like, uh-oh, he's back. And then, and then worst of it, he comes out and there's a couple press conferences where he's blaming, he's pointing fingers. Oh, yeah, yeah. And it's like, here we go. But then I talked to a couple scouts and are like, yeah, no, he said it and we don't love it, but he wasn't wrong. And this and this, and this, and he thinks that there are people in this program that need the bar elevated. And it was his message to them. And then you see Miami, the second half of the year after those two games, and they come on again. And it's almost like he lit that fire. And then you see him in the playoff and he's protecting the ball and doing all the,

so he's been fascinating to watch. I'll add this because I witnessed it and, you know, all coaches, you get that ego and you see that big, good, good. looking athlete. I'll coach them better than that other guy that was coaching them. But what happens, Mark, most of the time they go back to right being what you are or who you are. But don't devalue if a staff really believes in a guy and use that word trust. I've only, I've been lucky.

I've had really, really great quarterbacks. There's been a handful, not even that. A couple of times you just don't trust it. You are paralyzed as a play caller as a head coach. Yeah. Because you can't really go win the game. You know, you wait. In that position, you have to go win those.

close games. Speaking of size, one of the more polarizing guys out there is Diego Pavia, right? So Vanderbilt listed him at 6-0. It's probably a lot like me. It's a lot like me going to the DMV. They're like, Mr. Stone, how tall are you? And I'm like, this is my chance.

This is my chance, right? I'm going to upgrade my height, right? Who's going to stop me? No one's going to stop me. But he got stopped at the Senior Bowl, right? He did. Yes. So he got listed at, what, 5-9 in some type of fraction?

or something? 5097, which is 5.9 and 7.8s of an inch. And it's like at that point, can you just slip this guy? Just give me 510. That's how they did me. We're two pairs of socks. Flip, like just hand them 100 bucks or something. Just give me the 510.

Give me the 510, please. So kind of a two-part. Number one, like how much does the height matter overall and for a guy like Diego? And then what was the takeaway from the, I guess, maybe we'll try to call it the new look Diego after the whole Heisman debacle? It was interesting watching Diego at the Senior Bowl, right? Height absolutely matters. I mean, coach just gave you kind of that perspective of it.

You have to be really special to overcome. It's one thing to be like six foot, six one. It's another to be five, ten, five, eleven, right? Bryce Young was really special. and he's still kind of overcoming that in the league, but did some really good things this year. Russell Wilson, another shorter guy, special. It's hard to overcome.

Then you watch him throw the football, and he doesn't throw it quite like Bryce, certainly doesn't like Russell Wilson. And he's mobile, and he can kind of run and do some things, but it's not like that suddenness where it's like, you know? And so I watched him on the field, and it was interesting because you watch him, and at the senior ball, it wasn't like great quarterbacks. It was Nussmeyer was the best of the group.

Altmire was really good because he's just so smart and efficient. Sawyer Robertson's a big, talented guy who can run a little bit, a big arm from Baylor, still kind of developmental guy. Cole Payton from North Dakota State was mobile. The ball just rips out of his hand. He was intriguing to watch. And then there was Diego, just one of these doesn't fit. You know what I mean?

Like the ball just doesn't come out with a lot of juice. He's mobile and creates. But that week is about like, you know, three, five, seven step drops, pocket, on time, making throws. But then you get into team sessions. And he always was kind of moving it along, right? Like finding ways, like weird arm angles, falling off of throws, doing all sorts of funky stuff, but was moving the offense along. I'm not drafting in the NFL.

I don't, it's like how many exceptions do I want on my roster, that whole theory? I don't think he's going to be an NFL. I'll be shocked if he's an NFL starter. I don't even know how much value you have as a backup if I'm being completely honest. But he's just a damn good football player, and it's hard to say that because I have so much respect for what he did in the SEC and the way he overcame what he had to overcome. And I don't know if it's in, you know, the UFL or what it is. But like, I'd hate the fact that like that might be the end of his career because he's

just a really good football player. So it's a tough spot to be in because I respect the hell out of what he is and how he's done it. I don't appreciate the antics off the field and some of that stuff. But in terms of like put the helmet on, go lead a lead to 10 other men and, and, and, it's a game situation. I got a, I got a lot of trust and he's going to find a way to do it. I just don't know if he can do it in the NFL.

Sounds about right. Yeah. Now, to me, as a player, I'm like, man, just turn on the tape and watch me play football and evaluate me like that. So we've seen the East West Ryan game. We've seen the senior bowl. We got pro days coming up. We got a scouting combine come up.

How do teams prioritize drills versus interviews versus turning on the game tape and being like, hey, this guy is just a footballer and I want a footballer on my team? I think the really good teams at evaluating and drafting players rely very, very heavily on the tape. And we're doing this drill this year. I've kind of, I'm fed up. I've had enough. I'm getting too old. I've done this too many times.

I'm going to put together a list of my top 50 football players. Throw out their heights and their weights. They're 40 times. Their jumps. Their character concerns, their injury, history, all of it. Who are the best 50 football players? Can you play football? And I'm curious, because this is the first time I'm going to do it.

I'm going to post this list and I'm going to go back and look every year from now on. Were those 50 guys better than the 50 guys I had ranked after all that other noise got involved? And who knows? Maybe it'll be a bunch of convicts and guys on the, on IR and like, in exceptions to the rule. And it'll be an interesting. But like, there's just a, I saw two of them at the senior bowl. This guy, Bud Clark from TCU, instinct. nose for the ball, interception every day in practice,

just was always in the right spot. And then Kyle Lewis from Pittsburgh, he's always six foot, 223. It's like 5-11, 223. Can he put, I don't know, just every time the ball was snapped, he was in the backfield or forcing a fumble or picking the ball off.

Jacob Rodriguez, two-force fumbles and an interception. Those things don't go away just because you're playing at the next level. It's figuring out how to overcome some of the less than ideal measurables or whatever it is. I don't know. I think there's, I think we get this process sometimes blinds all of us. And it's like a paralysis by overanalysis. And so the older I get in this, the more I just, I rely so much more on the tape than I ever do.

I would invest in your top 50 football players. Right. I'd tell you it's going to be a little more productive. Now, you're also going to have some bust in there, because of physical limitations, the NFL I was a giant step, man. You can say, you know, the short arm, because I used to get in arguments with scouts. Corey Lindley is one of the great stories. He was a monster center for us, started the NFL immediately for the Green Bay Packers.

And I even walked into the scout being a smart ass. I walked in and said, so raise your hand if you, that Corey Lindsay had arms were too short. You know, and I said, I'll move on, you know, because I just got pissed off because I love that kid. And he starts day one, Mark, for the Packers. Aaron Rogers, behind center and loves them. and he went later than he should have went. It's maddening because guys don't forget how to play ball and football instincts don't go away and toughness

and all the things that got you there. You know, the biggest thing is how do they handle cash-ish? How do they handle money? That's what I think is even more than how long is their arms? How's this? How's that? How is this? How are they going to handle being a grown man and doing grown-man things?

I've told you this before that. How do you handle money? How do you handle more time than you? you've ever had because of college. Yeah, it's the Schottenheimer thing. I told you guys maybe a few months ago or maybe it was last year. I don't know. I'll never forget Schottenheimer like 20 years ago now. Pulled me aside and he's like, this is the hardest part. I'm just going to tell you right now because I was a young pup. He's like, there are three things that you just can't account for. More money, more fame, more free time than they've ever had before.

And if you can figure out how to evaluate all that and get crystal ball it, then come work for me because that's the hardest thing with all these guys. Good luck figuring that one out. The grumpy Todd McShay, I like it. Forget the measurable. Can you play ball? Yeah. Can you play football?

I'm a lot more fun-loving during the season. What a novel concept. Todd, I got one more question before we get up out of here. Man, last year I asked you about some people that nobody was talking about. I remember you told me Nick E. Man Worry out of South Carolina, how much of a beast he was. Now he's on the Super Bowl team going to the Seahawks starting for them.

Do you have anybody else that's flying low up? He wasn't really off the radar. People knew about him. Football people knew about him. Who was another guy that can make an impact like that in the next year's draft? Dylan Thineman, the safety for Oregon, he's not as tall and long, so it won't go viral like, like Eamon Worry did when he had that workout. But I'm, he's going to work out really well at the combat. He's going to put up some, like, really impressive numbers.

I also, the more people I talk. Even like Toshalpoa, apparently was telling a scout, like, he's the best nickel I've ever had. He's football obsessed. So you got all the measurables. You got to play and taking the ball away a lot of Purdue before he transferred for Oregon. I think he could be a surprise in the first round. Yeah, well, I'm going to keep an eye on neck. Hey, McSay knows ball.

If it's nothing that you don't know, McSay knows ball. I appreciate it, man. Sometimes I get it right. I just don't tell you about all the guys I whiffed on. Right. That's all right. That's right. You save that for other podcasts.

We only want the good ones, man. Thanks, as always, for joining us. We'll have you back on the coming weeks and months leading up to the NFL draft. He is Todd McShay from the Todd McShay show on the Ringer Network. You can find it wherever you get your podcast. Todd, thanks as always, buddy. I love to being with you guys. I'll talk to you soon.

Lady. Welcome back to the Triple Ashton, presented by Wendy's Mark Ingram the 2nd, Urban Meyer, Rob Stone, back here with you. Time now for two-minute drill, which is, brought to you by our great partner at Fandul. Visit Fandul.com slash triple option to download the app and take advantage of a 50% profit boost today. Certainly one of the biggest stories in the offseason and what will be one of the biggest stories next season is LSU and how Lane Kiffin performs in Baton Rouge. Right now, guys, we're going to take a look at their schedule. Fanduil has their

over under wind total, over under wind total set at Nine and a half, remember Garrett Nussmeyer is out. Arizona State transfer. Sam Levitt is back to be their quarterback. 40 transfers have come into the program. 40 players made their exit out. Let's take a look at their schedule. And once again, I'm breaking out.

Band, do, got it right on the money all the time. Band, at 9.5. I'm breaking out their schedule here, boys. Here we go. All right? So we are starting with Clemson, home, win, loss, or push. LSU hosting Clemson. I'm going to go W.

Coach? Dub. Yeah. All right. There's one win. Louisiana Tech win. At Old Miss. Arguably their toughest road game of the year.

LSU at Old Miss. How we feel in? Question mark. Yep. Yeah, I agree. I agree. Home to Texas A&M. Ouch.

Home to Texas A&M. Marcel Reese coming back. And then question mark. Yeah. I'm with Mark. All right. So back-to-back question marks. We're going to give them the win at home to McNeese at Kentucky.

Good with the win. Yep. New coach at Kentucky. Mississippi State win. At Auburn, the Barners. Win. All right, that puts us at six total wins right now. And then the meat of the schedule.

Home to Bama, home to Texas. Oh, they get them both home. Home to Bama, home to Texas. They get them both home? I say they go 2 and 1 in the next three weeks. Auburn, Texas, I mean, Bama, Texas, Tennessee, they go two and one. Yep. And then Arkansas is a win.

Well, one of the wins is at Tennessee. Is that what you're saying or who knows? All right. You're giving them two, in this little window, you're giving them two checks. I'm giving them question mark, Bama. I'm giving them question mark Texas. I'm giving them win Tennessee. I'm giving them win Arkansas.

All right. What is that eight wins for me? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. That's nine wins? And nine a half. Nine and a half. I'm going to go over. According to Fandul.

I'm going to go over. It's going to be hard to get to nine. Hard to get to nine. You know how tricky that half game win is, Mark. Well, I had Clemson, Louisiana Tech, McNeese at Kentucky, Mississippi State, at Auburn. And then you had question mark, question mark. Bama, Texas.

I had Tennessee Arkansas. So that's eight wins. So that means I have question. You're at eight coaches at nine. But I gave question mark for. I gave question mark for Texas. I gave question mark for Ole Miss. And A&M.

And A&M. So they went two of those four. It could be over. Listen, I'm going to go over because we've seen what... What? I'm going to go over. I give them eight wins. And out of the four games, we need two.

We've seen what a normal one tramson guy has to do. We saw Indiana do it two years ago. We saw what LSU. We saw what Elaine Kiffin did. at Ole Miss. I hate to say it because I am Belma through and through. I don't give a piss about nothing, but the tie you know this coach.

And I hate to say it, but I've been saying LSU and Lane Kiffin going to be a problem. They're giving them $40 million, $30 million to add to the roster. The resources to LSU is going to provide Lane Kiffin, I think they're going to be a problem. I hate to say it. And I hope that they go under. And if they go over,

I hope it's going to lose to Belma. But I think I'm going over. to take the over with Lane Kiff. I don't know. It's just something about buddy. How did you say that again? They gave him how much money for the roster? About $30 million.

I thought there was a cap. There is no cap, coach. You got money? You got the governor of your state behind you. You know what I mean? You get that money. You got to tell DeSantis to pick it up with his love for Gainesville now, Coach. We're hanging out with them the next couple days.

There's three big dogs, really four in Florida. In Louisiana, there's one big dog. And that is Louisiana State University. Again, Fandu has the win total for LSU at 9 and a half. Somehow Mark says 10. I gave them eight wins and then I gave him four question marks. I'm saying they're going to win two of the four questions marks. Yeah, well, you change those question marks to wins awfully quick.

Coach, you go in the under on the nine and a half? I'm going to, damn. Yeah, right? It feels eight, nine. I'm kind of comfortable. Kind of comfortable, not that much. They need two of the four question marks. I gave them four question marks.

At Ole Miss Texas A&M, Bama and Texas? Listen, they get Bama and Texas at home. At Tennessee. Bro. Wait, okay. By the way, no, no. You know what? No, they get Bamma, A&M, and Texas at home.

I'm updating this. LSU at Ole Miss. That is an L. Oxford is showing up. Lane, it is going to be a miserable day in Oxford on your return. That is an L. We're going to have to find a win somewhere else. So now they've got to get two or three at home against A&M,

Belma, and Texas. They got to get two or three. good luck with that good luck good luck good luck yeah good luck and i'll tell you what just imagine imagine 30 million coach on the roster 40 and 40 40 40 back and 40 new players number one transfer number one quarterback in the transfer portal a top edge in the transfer portal a top tackle in transfer portal we know what that portal could do for a roster man and and we know what lane kiffin can do with the roster as well all right Good luck, Lane Train. Have fun with that. Remember to follow, subscribe, rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast as well as social media. We are at 3X Option Show. As always, great love to our sponsors, Wendy's and Fandu. We'll see you again next week on The Triple Option.