Loading summary
Transcript45 lines
- [00:01]
Commercial Announcer
This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50 page restoration block. Or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it, ready to make anything online make sense. There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability various 18 plus
- [00:29]
Zubin Mahenti
welcome to College Football Live. The Big Ten is the last of the Power Four conferences to hold their media days, but certainly not the least. They begin Tuesday in Chicago and with that, we welcome you Inside College Football Live with Dusty Dvorak, Harry Lyles, Jr. I'm Zubin Mahenti. You know the deal. Three titles, three years, three different programs and likely moving toward a gigantic playoff that they came up with. Everything is moving in the Big Ten's direction. It all starts and ends the with Indiana fresh off winning that first national championship, they'll try to be the first Big Ten team to go back to back since Minnesota in 1940 and 41. Yes, the Gophers were a power nearly three quarters of a century ago. They've got to replace Mendoza, Omar Cooper, but they have Josh Hoover coming in. We'll talk about him in detail in just a second. Their high school recruiting has also really picked up. They should get out to a quick 50 start then. They've got a little bit of a tough start. Before the show, Dusty and Harry and I were talking about how tough is at Nebraska. I guess it varies. Ohio State, Michigan. That's going to be something that'll tell us exactly how prepared the Hoosiers are for another historic run. Perhaps for Signetti, here's the Cliff Notes before he got there, the most losses ever since he got there, two losses and oh, by the way, one national championship. So let's start the discussion with you, Dusty. I think it's fair to say despite all the Indiana chatter from a year ago, we're still not really accentuating how amazing of a story that was a year ago. But let's just move on to this year. How do they keep this unprecedented, epic run that nobody saw coming, keep it on rolling?
- [02:07]
Dusty Dvorak
Well, Zubin, it's the greatest turnaround we've ever seen. Not just in college sports, but I think in American sports. So how do they keep it rolling? By doing exactly what created the turnaround in the first place. And it ain't that sexy. But it's toughness, it's discipline, it's clean Football. Indiana last year was the fifth fewest penalized team in college football. It's just 3.6 penalties a game, and they were number one in college football. And turnover margin, 29 takeaways, only eight giveaways. When you're disciplined and you're not beating yourself, you're going to put yourself in position to win a lot of football games. They have fabulous coordinators that, that have true continuity with the head coach, Mike Shanahan on the offensive side, Bryant Haynes on the defensive side. They've been with Kurt Signetti for a very long time. The talent is there, but these players are developed. They're technically and structurally incredibly sound. And Zubin, as I've mentioned, they do not beat themselves. They're always where they're supposed to be, and it makes them so incredibly difficult to beat. If they can continue to with the method that got them to this point, they're once again going to be a team to beat in the Big Ten and in all of college football.
- [03:22]
Harry Lyles Jr.
Dustin, you touched on a lot of it, especially with the developmental piece and the organizational stuff, with the coaching staff and that continuity. But again, to me, that developmental piece is what makes Indiana stand out. I know a lot of people want to say, oh, well, they spent a lot of money in nil transfer portal, this, that and the third. That does matter. But the player development piece here is what made Indiana great. Left tackle Carter Smith was the guy that was there when Indiana was bad 4 and 8. They turned him into that school's first Big Ten offensive lineman of the year. When you look at a lot of the key contributors for this team last year, they came from James Madison, Elijah Surratt, Aiden Fisher, Kalon Black, d' Angelo Pons. These were guys that were playing Sunbelt football two and three years ago. And a lot of those guys, in fact, all four of those guys got drafted into the NFL. And then of course, Fernando Mendoza, Pat Coogan, Riley Nowakowski, all of these guys were developed into a16.0 national championship team. And so when you have that developmental piece down, you could spend as much money in college football as you want. But unless you get your guys to mesh and you have that organizational piece right, it's not going to be the difference. So because Indiana has that, they are going to keep this thing rolling and at least be competitive in the Big Ten every single year.
- [04:29]
Zubin Mahenti
All right, I think it's fair to say, as Dusty referenced, if your name is Mike Shanahan and you coach in the NFL or college football, you certainly know offense for those Old enough to get the old shanty reference from the Denver Broncos. Mike, in the NFL, Shanahan was great with quarterbacks. And that's where I want to go with you, Dusty. Everybody talks about Mendoza and what he did, the Heisman, everything. He meant first overall pick in the draft to the Raiders. Josh Hoover takes over. His old head coach wanted to remind everybody he's a turnover prone quarterback. What do you want to remind people about Josh Hoover in his new locale?
- [05:03]
Dusty Dvorak
Well, look, he's got experience and it's kind of the Kurt Signetti mantra, production over potential. There's not a more returning productive quarterback in college football than Josh Hoover. Over 9, 600 yards passing, 71 touchdowns and 31 starts. But the reality is he's got to take care of the football. Zubin, I just told you about the turnover margin for Indiana. It's a huge piece of what they do. They don't turn it over. Now the good thing for Joshua, he's going to have better surrounding pieces, an excellent offensive line, a true running game, and he's got a couple of studs. And wide receiver Charlie Decker is going to emerge as one of the premier wide receivers in college football. Nick Marsh, the transfer for Michigan State, is going to be outstanding. So the pieces are going to be there. The opportunity to hand the ball off and take some of that pressure off of Josh Hoover that he maybe didn't have at TCU but will be there as well. But taking care of the football, limiting those turnovers is going to be a key. Josh Hoover has 42 turnovers in those 31 starts. He's got to limit those turnovers to get Indiana back in position for a championship.
- [06:09]
Harry Lyles Jr.
It's definitely managing the turnovers, Dusty, like you said, also the experience. But for me, when I think of this Indiana team and how they had their success last year, we knew Fernando Mendoza was a good football player as well. And both of their stats are not necessarily similar, but they're there. There is proof of concept. The thing in talking to Fernando Mendoza a couple times over the last handful of months was he told me he went out of his way to do the things that his teammates wanted to do both on and off the field to allow them to mesh. The reason he did that is because he too was a transfer quarterback. We've seen in years past transfer success stories or that TCU team that made a national championship. That was a team that had a lot of transfers, that was a success story. We see teams where it perhaps didn't work as well, but the thing that Fernando told me that really helped him mesh with this Indiana team, obviously is the leadership of Kurt Signetti, but making sure he's going out of his way to try to mesh with his guys sooner because it really still does take a team effort and it is a team game in order to have success on a college football field.
- [07:08]
Zubin Mahenti
Last thing I would say, you guys invoked Mendoza and you invoke Josh Hoover. But none of this happens if that other quarterback that nobody talks about, Curtis Rourke, wasn't there in year one to get them to the playoff, which was thought to be impossible, much less winning the national championship. So hats off to all three guys. We'll wait to see if number three Hoover plays as well as one and two in Rourke and Mendoza. And we've got some developing news here on College Football Live. It's coming out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And for more on that, we welcome in our Pete Thammel. Pete, what can you tell us?
- [07:43]
Pete Thammel
Zubin, North Carolina General manager Michael Lombardi has been put on paid leave by the school. Sources tell me this stems from a human resources complaint filed by a former UNC front office employee. As the general manager, Michael Lombardi obviously oversees UNC's front office. I've been told by sources there's a pending investigation and that led to Lombardi being placed on administrative leave. Zubin the meaning of this looms large over North Carolina and Bill Belichick's future there. Michael Lombardi was Bill Belichick's hand picked right hand man. Now, we obviously will have to wait to see the results of this investigation, but generally Speaking, with a $1.5 million a year employee, Lombardi's believed to be the highest paid general manager in all of college football. This type of high profile HR investigation does not tend to end well for those involved. If you look back historically in college sports, college football in general, these are tricky things to escape from. So Lombardi will get his day with unc as they look through what has been alleged in this complain. It's safe to say at this point that this, this is not a good day for North Carolina football under Bill Belichick. They went 4 and 8 last year with the players that Lombardi and Belichick picked. And in general moving forward, UNC has 40 new freshmen. As they start this new era, there's a big gap of uncertainty moving forward on how Bill Belichick will proceed with his front office.
- [09:07]
Zubin Mahenti
Now you should mention the boss of all bosses, Athletic director Steve Newmark started in Chapel Hill on the first day of this month. And this is hardly the first controversy he's had to deal with as the man in charge. We'll see Pete tomorrow at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. And on Wednesday, Ohio State will take center stage there in the Windy City. But why wait until Wednesday to talk about expectations being sky high yet again? How big should the Buckeyes be dreaming Dusty and Harry with their thoughts next.
- [09:49]
Commercial Announcer
As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Granger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Rich Eisen here.
- [10:20]
Pete Thammel
Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free@LinkedIn.com Eisen terms and conditions apply.
- [10:55]
Zubin Mahenti
I don't think it's even close that
- [10:57]
Pete Thammel
Jeremiah Smith is the best offensive player in college football. Wide open.
- [11:00]
Dusty Dvorak
Smith at the 50 and he's going
- [11:01]
Zubin Mahenti
to take it all the way to the house.
- [11:02]
Pete Thammel
Jeremiah Smith, he got behind everybody, even the peanut vendors.
- [11:06]
Zubin Mahenti
Cut Jeremiah Smith at the five as he dances into the end zone for an Ohio State touchdown.
- [11:12]
Dusty Dvorak
Great job by Kenyatta Jackson off the edge. Kenyatta Jackson coming down that line to make that play right now, saying he has complete command of this offense, saying,
- [11:22]
Zubin Mahenti
well protected, lets it go. Touchdown Buckeye.
- [11:27]
Harry Lyles Jr.
The expectation is for him to by the end of the season be a Heisman contender and to have led this team deep into the playoffs.
- [11:36]
Zubin Mahenti
Don't underestimate the closing speed of those peanut vendors. Just keep on running those offensive leaders back. Top passer, top rusher, top receiver. A couple of them are going to be Heisman front runners. In fact, the guy in the left hand portion of your screen last year was a Heisman finalist. So let's talk about Ohio State on both sides of the ball. Dusty Harry here. Let's start with you. You know you've got A good program when former NFL head coaches are lining up to be your offensive coordinator in college. We saw that with Chip Kelly, we're seeing it now with Arthur Smith. How good can Ohio State be with all that returning firepower I just mentioned?
- [12:09]
Harry Lyles Jr.
I mean, they could be one of the best offenses in all of college football again this year. Look, I know a lot of people sort of held it against Julian, saying the fact that they played a little bit more conservative, were really efficient in that offense. He completed 77% of his passes. Another year under his belt, another year under Bo Jackson's belt. You've got year three of Jeremiah Smith, which quite honestly seems unfair. You're adding another five star and Chris Henry Jr. And that doesn't even include a bunch of transfers that they included into this offense. I think watching how Arthur Smith opens it up, because I do think that it is going to be required of this offense this upcoming season. Not necessarily for them to be good, but for them to be great. I think Ohio State's offense should take another step this year because of that. I think we'll see more playbook, more Julian Sane, and hopefully more, more incredible Jeremiah Smith plays because I think we all enjoy watching that as college football fans.
- [12:58]
Zubin Mahenti
Unless you're an opposing defensive coordinator, nobody, nobody actually wants to see that on the other side. Let's talk about the Ohio State defense here. Dusty, you got Matt Patricia back. Seven players selected. We talked about Patricia's protege there in Belichick. Things not going so great for him, but it feels like it could be primed for another great defensive effort in Columbus. What are you seeing on that side of the ball? Of course, your specialty?
- [13:23]
Dusty Dvorak
Well, they've got a lot to replace. How about three top 11 picks from this past draft? This was a defense that wasn't just good. They were one of the best defenses we've seen in the last decade. Led the country in total yards per game, gave up under 10 points per game, which we haven't seen in the past decade. But what I love is Matt Patricia, the transition he made from the NFL to college. He really is a teacher of the game. And I had a chance to do their final game against Miami. When I sit and I talked with him, you know, he's really reinvented himself and the ability to teach every position room exactly the techniques and what he expects of the defense. They were pretty vanilla, pretty simple last year and allowed his guys to just go play and play fast. Kenyatta Jackson up front is going to be a star defensive end and they got dudes at Ohio State. Very few, if anybody, in all of college football recruits at the level of Ohio State. Now you've got a great teacher in Patricia and, and his staff that's going to just develop all that talent. Transfer portal should be very good for Ohio State as well. Earl Little Jr. Comes in from Florida State, who I think will be a great addition to the back, and Terry Moore from Duke and James Smith up front from Alabama. Really, with the, the, the potential and the talent they have coming up mixed with the transfer portal, I don't think they can be as good as they were last year, Zubin. But I think we'll still be talking about one of the best defenses in the Big Ten there in Columbus.
- [14:43]
Zubin Mahenti
Yeah, we mentioned a couple of years ago when Ohio State won the championship, they knocked off Oregon en route to get there, and both programs have kind of gone in a little bit different direction since then. So let's talk a little bit more about the Ducks here and what they're looking forward to this fall. This is a very interesting situation for them. We're going to dig in here. They've been great, I mean, absolutely great against everybody that doesn't win the national title. Right. They lost Ohio State two years ago. They won it. They lost the Indiana 20 twice last year. They want it. Can they take that last step? Both of their coordinators are now head coaches. So you've got a couple of new faces in that Dan Lanning is going to have to break in. But one familiar face that's back is Dante Moore, who opted to pull himself out of the NFL draft, where he certainly would have been a very high pick to come back to Oregon. We're going to talk to Dante Moore on College Football Live Wednesday when he joins us from Big Ten media days. Looking forward to that. Dusty, let me start with you. Clearly he thought he needed some work, so he pulled out to come back for one more season. What in your mind does he need to work on? Of course, speaking here of Dante Moore.
- [15:52]
Dusty Dvorak
Well, first of all, I, I just love the fact that we're keeping some of the premier players in college. This is, this is great. Another year of Dante Moore. I think it's going to serve him well, but I think he needs to just be better and more consistent and in the biggest games. I look at some of their matchups last year against in Iowa, against in Indiana, and I thought he fell a little bit short against other competition. He was elite. I want to see if he's the number one overall pick, if he's the Best quarterback in college football. I don't want to see that production and that and that play differ Wayne any. I just think against the better defenses, he could play a little bit better. He's got an incredible, incredible complement of weaponry on the outside. Everyone knows the arm talent is there. We saw a big progression last season. I just want to see a little bit more consistency when they go on the road and they play at usc, when they play at Ohio State this year, I want to see Dante Moore at his best.
- [16:48]
Harry Lyles Jr.
Dusty, I'm right there with you. It's funny to say because we could sit here and try to pick apart his game. NFL talent evaluators will tell you, hey, like, unless he messes this up, he is going to be the first quarterback taken in next year's draft. Obviously some people would like CR Manning too, perhaps, but Dante Moore has all of the talent there. But it does have to be. He needs to shine brighter in the biggest games. I think of these two games against Indiana that they had last year and he threw that pick six in the Peach bowl and it just seemed like he sort of lost his poise there. And then everything sort of fell apart. And again, it seems simple to say, but because of the big games, look, last three years, Oregon is one in five against teams that ended up in the national title game and 37, 0 against everybody else. That is. That tells me that this is a team, this is a program that somebody just has to be the one to help them break through. Based on everything we've seen with Dante Moore, there's no reason to believe that he can't be the one to help them get over the hump.
- [17:42]
Zubin Mahenti
All right, Dusty, last word to you is we're going to show you the Oregon schedule. So at home you can kind of see what Dusty's saying here with regards to expectations for this season, especially based off of Harry just said taking that last step.
- [17:57]
Dusty Dvorak
Look, I expect them to be in the Big Ten championship game. How can you not? They've been in the Big Ten two years and they've been to Indianapolis two years. The big thing's going to be on the road. That first Big Ten game at USC I think is crucial. They don't have Indiana on the schedule. The other obviously getting the jumps attitude at Ohio State to kick off November. I look elsewhere and I feel really good about this schedule. If they can split on the road or take both down, I think they're back in Indianapolis. This team is loaded. Zubin offense, defense, they've got everything. You're looking for and they're just looking to take that next step. My expectation is to be back in the Big Ten championship game, be back in the playoff, and a team looking to make a run at a four straight national championship for the Big Ten by a fourth different team.
- [18:45]
Zubin Mahenti
Last tiny thing, they opened Week one against Boise State, who lost to them with no time to go two years ago. So before we start looking ahead, never underestimate your Week one opponent. They have had trouble with the Broncos before. On the way here on College Football Live. There was plenty of trouble at Penn State until they got this guy. There was a lot of trouble at Michigan until they got that guy. New beginnings for two of college football's blue blood. Plus what they all Kyle and Matt share in common. We'll chat about that next.
- [19:28]
Commercial Announcer
Life insurance is one of those things that's easy to put off because it doesn't feel urgent today. But it's not just another financial box to check. It's about having a plan in place so if life throws something unexpected at your, they're not left dealing with the financial side without support. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy. It's 100% online, so you can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes and get same day coverage. There's no medical exam, you just answer a few simple health questions. Online. You can get up to $3 million in coverage, and some policies start as low as $30 a month. Ethos has also earned strong customer feedback with a 4.8 out of 5 star rating on Trustpilot based on more than 4,000 reviews. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through Ethos. Get your free', @ethos.com sports that's ethos.com sports application. Times may vary. Rates may vary. Trust Pilot rating as of June 1, 2025 smalls here.
- [20:29]
Spokesperson Smalls
If you're heading into summer without a medical emergency kit, you're taking a risk most people don't think about until it's too late. Summer colds can turn into sinus infections that last weeks, ruining your perfect vacation getaway. And when you're traveling, finding a doctor and pharmacy, it's stressful. That's why I ordered a medical emergency kit. It's like having an urgent care and a pharmacy at home. It includes prescriptions like amoxicillin and generic Z Pak to treat a wide range of illnesses. So if you wake up sick at home or on the road, you have what you need. No waiting for your doctor, no hours at urgent care, and no pharmacy lines. Also, no co pays. Match your symptoms to the right prescription in your guidebook or call their telemedicine doctor. Start meds sooner and feel better faster. Every home needs a medical emergency kit, so order yours online in minutes. It's shipped right right to your door. Save $45 with my promo code smalls@urgentcarekit.com smalls that's promo code smalls@urgentCareKit.com smalls Prescription required.
- [21:26]
Commercial Announcer
Always consult your doctor to determine if this product is right for you.
- [21:34]
Zubin Mahenti
This weekend, SummerSlam all over the ESPN app and the ESPN Unlimited plan. Live from U.S. bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings. Brock Lesnar, the former University of Minnesota wrestler, will be taking part. I'm not Lane Kippen, man. I can't give you all the wrestling off the podium. So you're just going to have to tune in this weekend and see what rolls at SummerSlam. Two nights, one giant event, one giant shift in the Big Ten. Look at all these new guys that have made their way into the conference and we are going to hone in on a couple of them. We'll hear from all three, four of them at Big Ten media days. So hang with us all week on College Football Live. But we really want to hone in, of course, on the two guys that are sitting there right between Dusty Harry and myself. That's Matt Campbell and Kyle Whittingham. Harry, I want to start with you. Let's start with Kyle Whittingham. Getting in there under some very strange circumstances, but he ends up getting the job. Year one expectations for a program that always expects to be among the top of the sport.
- [22:32]
Harry Lyles Jr.
Absolutely, 100%. I mean, if you're Michigan, first off, you should be happy that Kyle Whittingham is the coach that is trying to help you out of the current circumstances that you but if he follows the recipe that he did in Salt Lake City for so many years, reliable and tough defense efficient offense. He brought in his offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who he had hired last year from New Mexico and brought along with Devin Dampier and had a lot of success to bring their offense back up. They had a lot of success last year, so I believe he's going to be able to help unlock, which is a ton of talent in quarterback Bryce Underwood. And then defensively he brought in BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill. I think some of the transfers that they also brought in on that side of the football is going to have them immediately start out on that end and if there's things to figure out on offense, they're going to have the time to do that.
- [23:12]
Zubin Mahenti
Yeah. I think the one underrated aspect of Whittingham is how interesting it was that the University of Utah seemed to be ready to let him go and part ways. That's another story for another day, but just another wrinkle. Let's go to Penn State. They much like Michigan, Dusty feels like they kind of fell into their head coach after they couldn't really get exactly what they wanted. But sometimes you don't have to be the first choice. You just got to be the best choice. What do you see from Matt Campbell, year one in State College?
- [23:42]
Dusty Dvorak
Well, I think he is the best choice, Zubin, and what looked like was going to be a strikeout, I think it's going to turn into a home run because what he did in Ames, Iowa is remarkable in my estimation, making two Big Ten championship games at Iowa State. He's all about culture, he's all about development. Players want to play for him, coaches want to coach for him. That's reflective. The offensive staff follows him over, led by the offensive coordinator, Taylor Mouser. 24 Iowa State players are going to Penn State to follow their head coach, including the quarterback Rocco Beck with 39 starts. That's going to give instant credibility to Matt Campbell, his staff, that offense with the ability to flourish. And I love the defensive coordinator, higher Deanton Lynn, going back home to his alma mater, knows what it's like to wear that Nittany Lyon uniform. If you don't know his name, you need to know it. He's been at UCLA two years at usc, one of the upand cominging defensive coordinators in all of college football. And if you look at this schedule, Zuman, the scheduling gods in the Big Ten, they're shining down upon Matt Campbell in year one. They don't play Ohio State, they don't play Indiana, they don't play Oregon. The possibilities of Matt Campbell leading Penn state to a 10 winter College Football Playoff season in year one is very, very real.
- [24:59]
Zubin Mahenti
All right, 20 seconds to you, Harry, before we say goodbye. Both of these guys have done more with less. Sometimes it's a little harder to do more with more. And for the first time in their careers, they've got that opportunity.
- [25:11]
Harry Lyles Jr.
They do. I think if you're Kyle Whittingham, following your recipe is going to work. I think the thing if you're a Penn State fan that you should be so excited about with Matt Campbell is what he did at Iowa State. I mean, he did things that they did not typically do at that program. And so when you see the opportunity in front of him at Penn State? I think they should be nothing but excited.
- [25:29]
Zubin Mahenti
Yeah. Speaking of nothing but excited, Rocco Becht was one of those 24 that walked over from Ames to State College. He will join us right here on College FOOTBALL Live tomorrow. Live from Big Ten Media Days with Dante Moore and Bryce Underwood coming Wednesday and Thursday. See you tomorrow. With all these teams, you know when you're locked in, focused and fearless, welcome to the wnba. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo, three from beyond the logo, every. Did you see that moment? You bet.
- [26:07]
Harry Lyles Jr.
What records are going to be broken this season?
- [26:10]
Zubin Mahenti
All of it.
- [26:11]
Harry Lyles Jr.
Right here.
- [26:12]
Zubin Mahenti
Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN all season long.