Recruiting Updates: Chris Henry Jr., Big 12 Shakeup & Auburn’s Next Move | Cover 3 Recruiting Hour

Summary

Podcast Summary: Cover 3 College Football

Episode: Recruiting Updates: Chris Henry Jr., Big 12 Shakeup & Auburn’s Next Move | Cover 3 Recruiting Hour
Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Bud Elliott & Andrew Ivins

---

Main Theme / Purpose

This Recruiting Hour special delves into the most pressing storylines of the current recruiting cycle in college football. With the early signing period looming, Bud Elliott and Andrew Ivins break down elite prospect updates, shakeups in the Big 12, the impact of coaching changes on recruiting classes, and what’s next for Auburn. The conversation provides insider insights on key players and programs—especially Ohio State, Texas Tech, and Auburn—with candid discussion on the new realities of NIL, transfer portal, and shifting recruiting dynamics.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Signing Period & Recruiting Calendar Pressure

Timestamp: 02:55–04:33

• The compressed recruiting and football calendar—playoffs, free agency, transfer portal—all occur in a tight, high-pressure 60-day window.
• Bud reflects on the 2025 chaos: “Busy season's upon us... schools gunning for flips... Used to be in-home visits, big monster recruiting weekends in December, but the calendar's set it up where we go from Thanksgiving week right into signing day.” (03:05, Bud Elliott)

---

2. Ohio State’s Recruiting Machine: Chris Henry Jr. & Kaden Dixon-Wyatt

Timestamp: 04:33–08:39

• Chris Henry Jr. and Kaden Dixon-Wyatt, both top-247 WRs for 2026, went off for 259 yards and 5 TDs in a marquee high school game—poised for five-star status.
• Ohio State’s culture of developing five-stars continues under Brian Hartline: “Zone 6... just keeps reloading... Carnell Tate, Chris Henry, these guys are going to be in that five-star conversation.” (04:55, Andrew Ivins)
• Chris Henry Jr. is viewed as a “polarizing evaluation” due to injuries, but his size (6’5”, 200 lbs) and physicality are turning heads when healthy.

Notable Quotes:

• “He is a freak... runs a 4.59 in the 40, missed most of junior year, dinged as a senior... reminds me of Nico Collins, big X on the outside.” (05:05, Bud Elliott)
• “If you’re the Buckeyes, you just might have two real studs coming down the pipe.” (04:47, Andrew Ivins)

---

3. The Big Picture: Coaching Turnover and Recruiting Strategy

Timestamp: 08:39–15:08

• Schools with on-field stability (e.g. Ohio State) have a strategic advantage with so many open head coach positions (LSU, Penn State, etc.).
• The recruiting “flip” window is open—Ohio State is chasing key prospects from wavering programs.
• Discussion of the increasing divide/power imbalance between million-dollar GMs and $10M coaches in college football, and whether the “NFL-style” division of powers can translate.

Notable Quotes:

• “Ohio State is one of the few programs with four weeks to go where they can bust out the spatula, go hunting on commit lists...” (09:23, Bud Elliott)
• “Does it make sense for the GM and the head coach not to be attached? We’re still early in this cycle for an NFL-style power dynamic, and the money is just crazy in college.” (12:10, Andrew Ivins)

---

4. Ohio State’s Finish—Potential Flips & Strategy

Timestamp: 15:08–18:17

• Names to watch: Kevin Brown (Penn State OL commit), CJ Bronaugh (Florida commit), Kamari Bing (recent Maryland flip), Jay Timmons (FSU commit).
• Ohio State is targeting recruits at schools amid uncertainty, capitalizing on their own 2025 success.

---

5. Big 12 Recruiting—and Texas Tech's Shakeup

Timestamp: 18:17–27:04

• With Texas and Oklahoma gone, only Texas Tech is close to blue-chip ratio status.
• 2027 QB Kvaion Bryant ("best playmaker among juniors," dual-threat) committed to Tech, compared stylistically to Cam Ward/Kyler Murray.
• Texas Tech's recruiting heights are unprecedented: four or five highest-rated recruits in school history landed under Joey McGuire.

Memorable Moment:

• “Kvion Bryant... highest-ranked quarterback recruit in Texas Tech history. That’s notable. Obviously, Patrick Mahomes was at TTU...” (20:44, Bud Elliott)

• Big 12 future is more open than ever: “If Texas Tech keeps spending, they might be literally odds-on to win the league every year, which is wild.” (23:30, Andrew Ivins)

---

6. Five-Star Quarterbacks Shifting Conference Power

Timestamp: 24:53–29:47

• Big 12 programs are landing high-profile QBs (Kvaion Bryant, Keyshawn Henderson to Houston, Rider Lyons to BYU) that previously would have gravitated to SEC or Big Ten.
• NIL and the spread of five-star QBs to second-tier programs could change the playoff landscape and create more parity.

---

7. The Parity Explosion—Why This Era Is Great for College Football

Timestamp: 29:47–32:47

• College football’s playoff field is far more open than the NFL’s right now, making fan engagement and Cinderella runs possible and more meaningful: “Thirty teams with a non-zero playoff shot heading into November. That's wild, man.” (29:47, Andrew Ivins)
• More teams investing in recruiting and QB play keeps the sport nationally relevant.

---

8. Auburn’s Next Move: The Fallout from Firing Hugh Freeze

Timestamp: 33:48–44:35

• Auburn let a key opportunity slip: “You gotta be upset they didn’t capitalize on transition in Tuscaloosa [Bama’s coaching change]... Opportunity was there to punch through.” (34:52, Bud Elliott)

• Fixing quarterback is essential, whether Deuce Knight is the future or not.

• Huge in-state QB talent coming in 2027, including Gunner Rivers (Philip Rivers’ son). Auburn’s trajectory hinges on choosing/keeping the right guy for the job.

• Bud Elliott highlights Braylon Womack (five-star safety commit) as a potential flips to watch—Texas A&M is pushing hard after their own recruiting wave.

---

9. Implications for SEC Rivalries and Recruiting

Timestamp: 45:35–47:13

• With A&M’s class surging, SEC rivals like LSU will now face stiffer recruiting and on-field competition in their division.
• The staff-on-staff rivalry for recruits is a “hidden” but intense part of real college football rivalries.

---

10. Monitoring Five-Star Commitments Ahead of Early Signing

Timestamp: 48:10–61:19

• The hosts highlight three five-star commitments at schools unlikely to make a bowl—these prospects are “players to monitor” for late power-program flips.

Situation 1:

Calvin Russell (Syracuse, WR)

• Syracuse is falling apart offensively (“threw for 39 yards vs. UNC,” 52:53)
• Miami, Michigan, LSU were involved; local 305 (Miami Dade) connections could matter with the transfer portal and NIL.

Situation 2:

Zion Ely (Maryland, Edge)

• South Carolina, Auburn pushing for a flip; Ely recently visited South Carolina.
• Auburn connection (St. Francis Academy pipeline) could be decisive if a new coach is swift.
• Ely is an explosive speed rusher with freak athleticism.

Situation 3:

Darius Gray (South Carolina, IOL)

• O-line and OC coach both out at South Carolina; LSU/Ohio State/Clemson were previously involved.
• “This is a potential plug-and-play option... physically ready to go.” (60:16, Bud Elliott)

---

11. Spread of Talent & Parity—Is It Here to Stay?

Timestamp: 61:19–63:19

• There's optimism that the new cycle of five-stars spreading out is good: “The talent spreading is good for the sport. We need to give people more hope to watch their team.” (62:22, Andrew Ivins)

---

12. Evaluation of the Week: CJ Bailey, NC State

Timestamp: 63:19–65:31

• Freshman QB CJ Bailey “has come such a long way, can beat you with his arm or legs, Wolfpack deserve credit for seeing the vision and landing him.” (63:22, Bud Elliott)

---

13. 2026 Quarterback Situation: Who Feels Good?

Timestamp: 65:07–68:38

• Only 10–12 schools truly “set” at QB beyond next season; portal, retention, and evaluation remain crucial for the rest.

---

Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments

• “He’s a freak... 6’5”, 200 lbs, runs 4.59, but missed most of two years. Contested catches, RAC, he’s flashing—reminds me of Nico Collins.” (05:05, Bud Elliott on Chris Henry Jr.)
• “[Ohio State] bust out the spatula, they can go hunting on commit lists... making excellent senior evaluations—this is a watch the finish for Ohio State year.” (09:23, Bud Elliott)
• “Texas Tech—four or five top recruits in school history under Joey McGuire in the past two years. Uncharted waters.” (22:12, Bud Elliott)
• “Parity is what makes this fun, keeps you engaged throughout the season.” (30:36, Bud Elliott)
• “Auburn’s gotta be upset they missed their transition window... they gotta fix quarterback.” (34:52, Bud Elliott)

---

Timestamps to Important Segments

• 02:55 — Recruiting calendar pressure, early signing period talk
• 04:33 — Ohio State: Chris Henry Jr., Kaden Dixon-Wyatt, WR recruiting
• 09:00 — Impact of coaching firings on recruiting strategy
• 15:38 — Ohio State’s key flip targets & approach
• 18:17 — Big 12 overview, Texas Tech’s recruiting surge
• 19:02 — Kvaion Bryant QB commitment, Texas Tech’s future
• 24:53 — Big 12, Five-star QBs changing power
• 29:47 — Parity, why the sport is open and compelling
• 33:48 — Auburn fires Hugh Freeze: recruiting and future
• 44:53 — Rivalries and class-building in the new SEC
• 48:41 — “Monitoring situations”: five-star at-risk flips (Syracuse, Maryland, South Carolina)
• 63:19 — Evaluation of the Week: CJ Bailey (NC State QB)
• 65:07 — 2026 QB landscape (“Who is set?” conversation)

---

Tone & Final Takeaways

Energetic, conversational, and deeply informed—Ivins and Elliott pull the curtain back on the chaos, opportunity, and truly national competitiveness of modern college football recruiting. Their insights focus on how NIL, coaching transitions, and new playoff structures are making the sport more open, dynamic, and fan-friendly—if a bit more stressful for recruiters.

The episode is essential listening for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes machinations of recruiting and the direction of college football entering a pivotal decade.

---

For more recruiting hour coverage, subscribe to the Cover 3 College Football Podcast and follow along weekly for the latest analysis, flips, and high-stakes storylines shaping the sport.

Transcript

[Host/Advertiser]

Have you heard of Gold Belly? It's this amazing site that's become a regular order for my family during the football season. It's where you can get the most iconic famous foods from restaurants all across the US and they'll ship it anywhere in the country. It's perfect for hosting Thanksgiving without the stress and with Black Friday right around the corner, it's a great time to pre order holiday gifts that can ship right to their door. Gold Belly can send smoked turkey from Salt Lake, barbecue in Texas, lobster Mac and cheese straight from Maine, or even the legendary three in one pie caking to make hosting a breeze and the gifts gorgeous. Think Lottery Macarons, Junior's Cheesecake and more delivered anywhere. Personally, our family had some deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's and and Joe's Kansas City Barbecue and in both cases we were able to make the meal both a Saturday and Sunday football extravaganza. So if you're looking for that perfect holiday gift or want to impress your friends and family with an epic Thanksgiving, go to GoldBelly.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code cover. That's GoldBelly.com code cover for 20% off your first order.

[Bud Elliott]

Hate shopping for pants.

[Andrew Ibis]

You're not alone.

[Bud Elliott]

Jack Archer's Jetsetter tech pants are basically.

[Andrew Ibis]

The answer to every guy's closet struggles.

[Bud Elliott]

With their customizable fit, wrinkle free fabric sourced from Japan and all day comfort.

[Andrew Ibis]

These pants can take you from work to weekend without missing a beat. Seriously, these might be the only pants you'll ever need.

[Bud Elliott]

Style them with the Jetsetter tee legacy button down shirt or the buttery legacy.

[Andrew Ibis]

Polo sweater and you've got timeless staples to meet your everyday wardrobe needs.

[Bud Elliott]

Jack Archer is just better For a.

[Andrew Ibis]

Limited time get 15% off using the.

[Bud Elliott]

Code [e-mail] again, that's promo code getjack@jackarcher.

[Andrew Ibis]

Dot com for 15% off your entire order.

[Host/Advertiser]

This episode is brought to you by PNC Bank. A lot of people think podcasts about in depth analysis on college football are boring. Sometimes, sure, but doing the research and understanding every game gives you the knowledge that you need to to make small talk with any sports fan anywhere. It's like banking with PNC Bank. It might seem boring to save, plan and make calculated decisions with your bank, but keeping your money boring? It's what helps you live a more happily fulfilled life. PNC Bank Brilliantly boring since 1865 brilliantly boring since 1865 is a service mark of the PNC Financial Services Group Inc. PNC Bank National association member FDIC.

[Andrew Ibis]

What's going on, y'? All? This is the COVID 3 podcast and it's our recruiting hour special. Of course, we come to you every week. On Tuesdays, I'm Bud Elliott, that's Andrew Ibis of 247 Sports. Drew, what's going on, man?

[Bud Elliott]

Not much, Bud. T minus one month until national signing day or I should say the early signing period. Busy season's upon us, right? And I think it's going to be a fun few weeks just given the state of college football. Right. All these coaching changes, we got schools gunning for flips. We got schools that are going to be assembling recruiting classes. Let's not forget like there used to be in home visits with head coaches. There used to be these big monster recruiting weekends in December, but the calendar has set it up. We're gonna go from like Thanksgiving week right into signing day. So it should be interesting. Fun times ahead.

[Andrew Ibis]

Yeah, as someone who covers college football, but we also have like lives and families. It'd be interesting if we could spread this out a little more like the NFL does it, right to where we keep some, some interest in the sport year round. But instead, no, we want to do every single thing in like a 60 day period here. Let's, let's have the playoffs and free agency and the transfer portal at the same time. Love it. One thing if you, if you are loving though, if you're a Buckeyes fan, is the play of this team on the field. I mean, Julian saying, former five star elite 11 winner, just absolutely. Just darting it up out there non stop. And it turns out when you put the ball on target, guys like Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tater are pretty good dudes to run for the catch. Go up and make some winning plays there in the red zone. But you know, be this is the recruiting show and of course those guys are all five stars and Ohio State seems to like the, you know, the conversion rate seems to be pretty high there in Columbus. If you're a five star, they might have two real studs coming down the pipe here. Tell me a little back about Chris Henry and Kaden Dixon. Wyatt, if you would. Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Story of the weekend in the recruiting world, bud. Right. We saw Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate absolutely go off against Penn State. Well, the night before Matre day, one of the top high school programs in the country, they take on number one ranked rival St. John Bosco. And they rally behind Kaden Dixon Wyatt and Chris Henry two top 247 wide receivers. They're four star prospects. They're going to be in the five star conversation when the next set of rankings come out. Those two combined for nine catches, 259 yards and five touchdowns. So they one upped Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. I think the story here is Brian Hartline, Zone 6. They just keep reloading Bud and Kaden Dixon Wyatt. To me the player comp on his 247 sports profile is, is Carnell Tate. Like I think he's another Carnell Tate. Chris Henry, by far one of the most polarizing evaluations in, in this class, right? The the son of the late Chris Henry. He is a freak. 6 foot 5, 200 pounds, runs a 459 in the 40 yard dash but missed the bulk of his junior season with a knee injury. Has been dinged up as a senior. So really encouraging to see him go off and kind of reminds me Nico Collins like this big X on the outside. They can take a top off a defense. So yeah, Brian Hartline, I think he's the best in all of college football when it comes to fine tuning these wide receivers again, look at Jeremiah Smith, look at Carnell Tate, look at all the guys that came before them. And Julian Saying is going to have some weapons to throw too in the coming years.

[Andrew Ibis]

So a couple things here I want to add to this one. I'm glad to see that some of these catches for Chris Henry are not wide open. I, I think I've seen him I think three times in person now at various, you know, events and I was always like some of these balls I need you to come down with if you're that big like I like I need you to win contestant catches like Jeremiah would catch these and like in my in person experience seeing him like he kind of didn't but like here like those are nice man. Like there's defender draped all over him. Two of those catches like that. That's. I know it's small sample set both on, on like me seeing him in person and also there like you know, you've seen the whole film. Like I'm sure you know the hands are much better than that. But yeah, like that, that's. That's quite encouraging. As for a guy who was hurt as a junior and then was a little bit banged up as a senior but showed real, real flashes. There is a guy from our backyard named Amari Cooper who missed his junior year with Teddy Bridgewater was his quarterback, right. And then as a senior he was kind of banged up and then he ended up being first team all state, 8A and I think crushed it in the playoff. Yeah. 772 yards down the stretch. So like guys do turn it on at different times with the health that I agree with. That's a very polarizing evaluation there. Well, Buckeye is currently. I'm sorry, go ahead.

[Bud Elliott]

Like when my boss texted me in August after Chris Henry, you know, went off on espn, it was like, how's this guy not a five star prospect? It's like, well, he was hurt. He played less than 50 snaps as a junior. You brought up those events. I mean, I remember seeing him at a 7 on 7 tournament. It's like when you throw 10 jump balls to the guy that's 66, like got to come down with one of them. And that was not the case. But no, I, I think the most encouraging thing for Chris Henry. Yeah, making those contested catches. I like what he's doing after the catch and capitalizing on the on the rack opportunities. Both those guys scheduled to be in San Antonio at the Navy All American bowl. If Ohio State doesn't pull them into, I would assume, college Football playoff preparation, I don't know, they would be excellent decoys for whoever they're going to face. But oh, Ohio State's got two good ones and they got a bunch of other wide receivers committed as well.

[Andrew Ibis]

So they currently sit number nine in the ratings. Number one obviously in, in the playoff or well in the polls. The playoff rankings come out tonight. We don't actually know what they'll be rated, but certainly if they handle business, they'll, they'll be the number one seed and you know, get in the playoffs obviously with that buy number nine in the rankings right now. But is anybody poised to close stronger than the Buckeyes?

[Bud Elliott]

Potentially, yeah. But I think this kind of applies to college football as, as a whole right now. And I wanted to ask you this question. We've seen all these early season, mid season firings. Is that because athletic directors think that they're going to have a coach in time before signing day? Because I just don't see that like being the case. And the recruiting calendar has, has just changed so much in terms of everyone races to fill their recruiting classes, you know, by July 4th, when all the coaches are on vacation and then you turn the focus to your season and, and recruiting's on the, on the back burner. And you know, with all of these openings, I think if you have stability, right, if you have continuity, if you know, you're not changing a bunch of Parts right up in the booth on, on the sidelines. You're in an advantageous position to be extremely aggressive, especially if you're winning on the field. So Ohio State is one of the, these few programs right now with four weeks to go where they can bust out the spatula, they can go hunting on commit list and, and from my perspective, they're making excellent senior season evaluations. I get on buck nuts all the time. And you know, I do this with all the teams in, in the 247 sports network. And I look at the visitors list and with Ohio State, yeah, it's a lot of underclassmen, but you'll see, you know, a handful of seniors there. And I'm like, well, this kid's playing really good. This kid's playing really good. This kid's really playing good. So, yeah, Ohio State's number nine right now. They've signed a top five recruiting class in six consecutive years. I don't know if they're going to finish in the top five, but it's been a while since we said watch the finish for Ohio State, but I think that's the case because it's, it's very unique. Right now. There's openings at lsu, there's openings at Penn State, and I don't know when those jobs are going to get filled.

[Andrew Ibis]

I mean, think about this, like, some of the names that they're. Well, okay, to your point as far as, like, why are they firing some of these guys now? I do think some of it's like jockeying position. In some cases, you may be able to get the guy hired, you know, before signing day, right. In some cases, maybe the guy can back channel who he wants you to hire as a gm, right? Like, if that guy's available, maybe he bounces. Like, if you were a GM currently at like a, at a P4 school that's no longer in the playoff race or at basically any G5 school, I just don't think you're going to catch heat if you, if you jump jobs right now as a head coach, if you jump while you're still in the playoff race, you would catch hell for that and probably should because you're like leading the team and that would just be like a really bad quitter. Look, right? But if you're a gm, like, maybe in some cases, some of these schools that aren't filled yet, maybe they have a GM in place next week or two weeks before signing day just to kind of get the ball rolling, right?

[Bud Elliott]

If, if we, if we stay with this, like Current calendar. Does it make more sense for, you know, the GM and like the head coach not to be attached necessarily like connected? It'd be more glad you brought this up.

[Andrew Ibis]

I do think that there's a pat. Like, I don't, I think we're still very early in the college ball cycle for this like independent GM and head coach power dynamic to work. Right. Like it works in the NFL because you also have a team president who's actually fairly involved in operations, whereas most ads are not because they're running a lot of different other things and they're fundraising. You know, and in college, I mean your head coaches are making like 5, like 4 or 5x what the best quarterbacks make and you know, 10x over almost everybody on your roster. Like that just creates a power dynamic we don't have in the NFL. I mean, Andy Reid doesn't make 4x Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes makes like 4x Andrew Reed. You see what I'm saying? Like, it's a lot harder to fire the guy if he makes more money than the top 10 players in your roster combined.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I just, I mean, I don't, I don't think we have the, the answers to the puzzle, but I, I think is he really going to answer.

[Andrew Ibis]

To him like, like what, what are these top GMS make? 320?

[Bud Elliott]

Well, I think they make more.

[Andrew Ibis]

Maybe someone make like 550.

[Bud Elliott]

They're making way more than that now that you think you're making a million dollars. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So much as USA Today just put out their list. It was.

[Andrew Ibis]

Oh, they did okay.

[Bud Elliott]

It was a million. A lot of guys are north of 5. A few have crept, I've crept up into the. What is that, seven figures?

[Andrew Ibis]

Okay, so even if they're making a million, just like to keep the math simple on this, if your head Coach is making 10, like in what world are you making 10x your boss? Yeah, I don't think that power dynamic works well.

[Bud Elliott]

I just think given the 12 team playoff given, and maybe this is a unique year because it feels like the early signing period is the earliest it's been in a long time. I mean, I remember calendar fells. Yeah. A few days before Christmas, not too long ago. But it certainly, it's just making things very interesting in terms of, you know, if you're again a school that is, you know, gonna be talked about tonight with the college football playo offseating and you think you're keeping a bulk of what you got going on in place, it's Allowing you to get extremely aggressive and to try to pry some of these guys away. The other thing too, Bud, is like I said it, there's like no big December January recruiting weekends. So, like Ohio State's dialing up a big one in two weeks when UCLA comes to town. Like game day, official visit weekends are back.

[Andrew Ibis]

I mean, which is kind of cool, right? But like, it, it's.

[Bud Elliott]

I'm sure, I'm sure there's personnel people out there that are not happy because the kids play on Friday night. It's just very unique cycle, I think is, is what I've arrived at. And I want to know if this is the norm moving forward.

[Andrew Ibis]

I think it could be. All right, so let's finish on Ohio State there real quick because I think this is really interesting. You got a lot of names on this list of them. 1. So you have what, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Like you've like six or seven names here. Almost all of them are attached to schools that either have fired their coach or probably should fire their coach and likely will be doing so soon. How much do you think that plays into Ohio State? As you were saying, like, who are these guys? You think they can really flip?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah. Kevin Brown, offensive lineman, long time Penn State commit. He was out of Ohio State this past weekend. You know, top 247 player for us. Very, very athletic. I, I think Penn State has taken a, or, excuse me, Ohio State has taken a massive. Taking advantage of James Franklin not being there and there being some uncertainty in Happy Valley. Right. And, and those two programs overlap a lot when it comes to recruiting. Same territory. And yes, recruiting has gotten so national, but there's still some regionality to it. And I, I think Ohio State is, is capitalizing there. They're also looking for another cornerback in their class. They got, they got a lot of safeties committed. They've already flipped Kamari Bing, a kid out of St Francis Academy. They flipped him from Maryland. I'm a big fan of him. He's got a ton of range, but they want to add a corner. And when I look at their recruiting class and kind of parse through all the tape, I agree they're missing kind of a guy that can play on the outside. CJ Brona out of Florida. He's committed to the Gators. He was originally committed to Nebraska. Flipped to Billy Napier and company back to back Florida champ in the 100 meter dash. This guy can roll. Now. I think he's more of a developmental guy, but hey, Ohio state. Devin Sanchez, five star corner. He's played over 150 snaps this season. Like they don't need immediate help. I just think they need some long term help there. And they're also after Jay Timmons we've talked about on the COVID three recruiting hour before NFL pedigree. Really, really good there. He's committed to Florida State. Knowles working to keep him on there. So yeah, I think it's a smart strategy for Mark Pantonio who's, you know, kind of the godfather in, in this GM role. And so much has had to change for him and adapt. But I think to me, from my perspective, Ohio State has kind of got this thing figured out in terms of, okay, you know, we're going to push our chips in for the right guys, we're going to sit back, we're going to wait and we're going to find the players where the arrow is clearly pointing up as they embark on their collegiate careers. I think a lot of recruiting departments would want to be in that position. Obviously it helps that Ohio State just won a national championship in his top two in all of the polls. But I don't know, bud, I think everyone is still trying to figure out, okay, how do we piece the roster together? There's a ton of different ways to bake a pie. Ohio State's model and vision right now to me seems to be the best one.

[Andrew Ibis]

Yeah, there's no doubt about it. Like we were ranking jobs, I think universally we all had Ohio State as number one. Just because I feel like, like regardless of who you hire, that they just, they just keep rolling on really since like World War II. So it's a pretty nice little track record. Shifting gears here to something that does not have a great track record. That, that is Big 12 recruiting. Absent Texas and Oklahoma, man, we, we do see Texas Tech like trying to carry that torch to pick up the slack and they are like the only Big 12 team that is even close to maybe in the coming years joining the, the blue chip ratio club and like legitimately being a national title contender. They pick up KV and Bryant recently on CBS Sports hq. What are our listeners back home need to know about Cavian?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, 2027 quarterback. So a junior in high school, he picked Texas Tech. He had a bunch of other finalists. Texas, Florida State, they're all involved in quarterback recruiting. It's, it's on a different timeline. Right. But all these guys are trying to get their arms of the future committed as early as they can. Kvion Bryant, to me, I think he is the best playmaker when we Talk about this group of junior quarterbacks. He is a true dual threat talent. I think he is a fusion and I want to be clear here, like stylistically he's got some Cam Ward to him and he's got some, some Kyler Murray to him, right. He's got the Cam Ward pocket confidence, the changing of the arm angles, the ability to feel and sense pressure. I want to caveat this, that is the Cam Ward we saw at Miami, not the Cam Ward directing whatever you want to call the 10 HC Titans offense. And then the Kyler Murray legs right, like he can, right. He can absolutely roll in the open field. Now both those guys were first round picks. I'm not ready to say hey, Kavon Bryant is going to be a first round pick. But again I think he is the best playmaker. When we talk about these 2027 quarterbacks right now. Really good basketball player, point guard, could do that in college. I think, I think mom and dad think have this vision that he's going to play both sports at the next level. I do not think that's going to happen. Texas Tech, they also have it rolling when it comes to the basketball roster and spending a lot there. I just can't see Kevion Bryant getting on the court. But hey, I'm not a basketball guy. So I think if we're looking towards the college game, right, you know who is he similar, what kind of impact. I think like Damond Williams at Washington that comes to mind Marcel Reed at Texas A and M. You know these guys that can create with their legs but they also can throw the football. They also can connect on the long ball. So for Texas Tech, man, highest ranked recruiter, quarterback recruit of all time. Kvion Bryant is tracking to be that that's notable. Obviously Patrick Mahomes was at Texas Tech and, and, and you look at the Red Raiders, they got, you know, two, five stars committed in, in 2026 guys that are set to sign with them and a month from now, and now they got it rolling in the 2027 cycle. They got Jalen Brewster number one ranked defensive lineman in the country and they got Kvon Bryant, you know, number three quarterback right now. So so much I think of what we've seen from the Red Raiders and what we'll see on Saturday when they take on BYU is, is these transfer portal acquisitions. But Joey McGuire is a former high school coach. I think his, his base, his philosophy is, is rooted in high school recruiting. And now Texas Tech is grabbing guys that usually would be going to play in the SEC would be going to play in the Big Ten and I think that's going to make them a force moving forward in the Big 12.

[Andrew Ibis]

I'm just trying to eyeball this. Does Texas Tech have more top 2, 4, 7 commits than the rest of the league combined?

[Bud Elliott]

You know, I prepared a bunch of stats, bud, and that was not one of them. I will tell you this, okay? Under Joey McGuire they've landed, I think four of the top five all time recruits or, or the top five all time recruits for Texas Tech in the 24, 7 sports era, so it dates back to 2010, have all come in the past two years and they've all come under Joey McGuire's watch. So they are in unchartered waters when it comes to talent acquisition from the high school ranks. I mean I wasn't around, you know, back then. I know you got that fun sheet where we can look at, you know, the Internet recruiting rankings, but they've never had this, this fusion of talent and, and to me like Kavion Bryant fits what they want to do that, that, that system there at Texas Tech. And it's just been I think, fun from my vantage point to see what they did in the transfer portal and then see them kind of calibrate and get it done on the high school ranks, it's like, okay, no, we're trying to build sustained success. This isn't going to be flash in a pan. You know, it's working out with Lee Hunter and Romello Height and all these guys. Like there does seem to be a vision here where it's like we're going to keep this thing rolling. It's not just going to be a one hit wonder.

[Andrew Ibis]

I mean if you look at this league on the power ratings, it's Texas Tech. And in Utah, which Texas Tech pounded? Utah. I know Utah's quarterback was, was hurt in that game and probably that didn't help things but like they, they pretty decisively won that ball game in Salt Lake. And then like the next team I think is, is power rated, what like in the 20s and it's BYU and then like nobody else inside the top 30 like that. This league is absolutely there for the taking. If Texas Tech keeps spending like they're gonna be, it might be like odds on like literally odds on to win, meaning like more than 50 chance to win the league like entering the preseason every year, which is wild. We just don't see that in a power league. And I think if you're Brett your mark, you're like, yes, cool. Like I Love pitching how competitive we are. I love pitching this whole idea, like anybody can win every week and, you know, let's bring the pro wrestling guys in. Let's talk about all the drama we have and all this stuff. But you do need a team that you were like, hey, if they make it, they can win a playoff game. You know, like last year, Arizona State almost clipped Texas, but, but they didn't clip Texas. Right. Like, they, I do think you need, like, to be treated more seriously as a league. You need a team that's like really, really consistently there, that can win some playoff games. And then that way if that team gets upset, it gives more credit to the team that actually beats them.

[Bud Elliott]

That's fair. But here's the other thing and I, I know we traded texts on this. We seem to be on different sides. So. Kvon Bryant is headed to Texas Tech. He's headed to the Big 12. I just gushed about him, said I think he's the best playmaking quarterback at this stage. When we talk about dual threat guys. Keyshawn Henderson, potential number one recruit in the 2026 cycle. He's headed to Houston. BYU also has another Herald heralded signal caller committed in Rider Lions. Right. You know he's gonna serve his mission trip apparently in Orlando, Florida. I just saw that on social media. Yeah.

[Andrew Ibis]

Okay.

[Bud Elliott]

I don't know what he's doing in Orlando, but he's gonna serve his, his mission in Orlando before he makes his way to, to BYU. Like the quarterback play in the Big 12, it's, it's improving. I don't know if that makes the league more competitive, but I do think it is flattening the curve kind of around the country, you know, And I think this comes down to roster management and the allocation and distribution of the rev share money and, and what you're getting from your boosters. Like everyone's got a different plan. And I, I just talked about it with Ohio State, but it seems like these Big 12 schools are going for these high profile quarterbacks and, and, and really what it's doing is it's taking those individuals away, at least on the front end. And obviously there's the back end with the transfers and, and all the quarterback. That movement that happens after a year or two, but it's taking them away from the Big Ten in, in the sec. I mean, again, Kvon Bryant, you know, I think five years ago it's like, well, this kid's going to Texas or Oklahoma, now he's going to Texas Tech. Rider Lions, maybe it's Oregon or usc. Now he's going to byu. Keyshawn Henderson, you know, is that LSU or, or, or Texas? Now he's headed to Houston. So, you know, I, I, I, I think you've said you thought it was like, is this situational or, or is this the new norm moving forward? So I'd be interesting to hear you expand on that.

[Andrew Ibis]

I think it is potentially both, right? I think you're absolutely right in terms of like if you choose to allocate your nil money to land a five star quarterback, like the, the value add I think is possibly better for a school that's not like a traditional like top 30 type school, like a BYU or Houston. Right. Because like of the buzz that it generates locally, right. Like if you're a fan base, you're like, wow, we signed a five star quarterback and you're at Alabama, Ohio State, you're like, bro, tell me when we don't sign a five star quarterback. Yeah, right. But like if you're Houston or byu, it's like, oh, we got a five star quarterback like that. That really can kick start donations. Interest in the program, the hype cycle, it does make people perk up. Like if you're, if you're a recruit, you're like, wait, Keyshawn's going to Houston. Okay. Like I'm gonna take a second look at Houston. Maybe that entices me to take a visit. Maybe the Fritz is like crushed that visit. Maybe you end up committing it like that. That is how things work. Like, you do still need to kind of, you know, build that whisper campaign until it's, until it's a shout campaign and really kind of, you know, get the ball rolling on some of that stuff. I think where I think it's a bit of a one off is this. Both those guys are like local prospects, you know, who are, I have special connections to the school, obviously BYU with the LDS thing for Ryder, you know, Keyshawn, like really wanting to stay in Houston. Houston, like taking advantage of that opportunity. Now granted, like, I mean they could do that with other kids in, in the city of Houston. Hey, we, we have a lot of money now and we are on the come up and I know they lost this weekend. Like we are on the come up, stay in Houston. Like, why not ball out in your hometown and be a local hero? I think it's like, are we gonna start seeing other kids jump on board with him? Like, are they really building towards that? It's where I'd say, I don't know that it translates yet that's probably, you know, more years down the road, I would think.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah. And I, I think the other thing is it's going to be increasingly harder to build out a, a quarterback room full of former five star prospects.

[Host/Advertiser]

Right.

[Andrew Ibis]

Like, well, right.

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, obviously with the transfer portal movement, but again, paying these individuals and, and you know, figuring that out. So I, you know, I think it's just hard to stack these quarterbacks time and time and time again. And you know, you watch college football on Saturdays. It's not all just the five stars that are, are winning you games. Right. We see guys all different, all different backgrounds, all different stories, all different shapes, all different sizes, all different skill sets, get the job done. So, you know, it just kind of again goes back to the parody we're seeing in terms of, of how the talent is distributed.

[Andrew Ibis]

I mean, I think it's actually great for the sport. So I was looking this morning, you know, there are 12 NFL teams who already have a 75% or greater chance to make the playoff. There are only six college teams. Like we are so much more wide open. Like the NFL feels like half the teams are basically already out, you know, like, or about half college. I mean of the teams that would actually have some expectation of making the playoff or some dream of making the playoff, we have like 30 who are still like legitimately not zero, like not completely crazy pants scenario in which they make it. That's wild, man.

[Bud Elliott]

The only thing I can like relate this to is obviously I went to Florida Atlantic and you know, the Owls basketball team made the final four.

[Andrew Ibis]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

And like that run was one of the greatest like periods of my life. Now I was also getting married and, and all this stuff but like going to the Sweet 16, not knowing that we were going to win and playing in the lead eight game and then winning that game. And then you know, ever since it's like I follow Florida Atlantic basketball because I know, hey, all it takes is that for, for them to win a few games and then you are in the dance. So I, I can't, you know, it's, that's the only thing I can relate it to. And I, I think it's what makes it fun and, and keeps you engaged throughout the season.

[Andrew Ibis]

I, I think Dan Wetzel said this for a long time and, and I, I kind of stealing his argument here. But like why the four team was such a bad thing is because like everybody was so out of a four team so early in the season and then the rights holder, which in this case espn but clearly If CBS had the rights to the playoff, we would run the same day type of commercials like the are you in? With the implicit message that actually you're not in so you're out and your season is basically done. And we're going to focus solely on the playoff race, you know, starting in like early October in which you're already basically nuked. So like I, I man the ability to like get a five star quarterback to stay in that playoff race longer, I think it does make these other teams more viable, man, as far as building a real fan base and people go to schools, you know, if you're going to you like a Mississippi State or if you're going to like an Oklahoma State, like you see on Tick Tock, like the atmospheres that in Ohio State or in Alabama have, right, like you want to be part of something like that, even if it's not every year a special run like you said, can kind of build that lifelong fandom. And I, I am curious to see like how the Big 12 evolves with this. For sure it maybe not every team can do it, but you know, if just one of the two of BYU and Houston, if they capitalize on having you know, a rider or keyshawn or maybe if Texas Tech like makes a deep playoff run, right, they spin that into a couple more stud high school players that can sit, sit there and develop like maybe they have something there. I'm excited to see the sport expand like obviously selfishly, like as somebody runs the show. If we have more fan bases care that is good for our business, you know, but I think it's good for the health of the sport not to have like the same five or six teams win the title all the time, you know.

[Bud Elliott]

But if you love the NFL and.

[Host/Advertiser]

NFL draft, you'll love with the first.

[Bud Elliott]

Pick a part of CBS Sports Podcast network. CBS Sports draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Titans GM Ran Carthon come to you twice a week to give the front office perspective on the biggest NFL storylines of the day. We also follow the NFL Draft closer than anyone. The weekly updates on our favorite college players, names to know based on your favorite NFL team's needs and all the mock drafts and big boards you could want. If you love football, you're exactly where you're supposed to be. Download with the first pick and follow an Apple, podcasts, Spotify and anywhere podcasts are found. Your fantasy season doesn't end after your draft. The Fantasy Football Today podcast is going to get you through the season and to a championship. Fantasy Football Today, part of CBS Sports Podcast Network has episodes every single day. Waiver wire, trade talk, starter, sit, mailbags, and more. If you want to win your league, you need to listen to fantasy football today, download and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere podcasts are found.

[Andrew Ibis]

Who knows? Maybe. Maybe. Everybody loves a villain now. Speaking of villain, Hugh Free has been the villain in Auburn for several weeks. That tenure mercifully came to an end over the weekend. I know we chatted about this in a group chat a little bit. My perspective was they did a pretty good job of being patient, throwing money at high school, building up the roster that way, then they need to add a quarterback, and they just screwed it up twice in the portal. And I was kind of like, man, I don't think you should really keep Hugh Freeze. But it's not insane to me to think, all right, if you kept you Freeze, you return a whole bunch of this roster next year. You go after the, like, another portal quarterback. Like, what are the odds you strike out three times that they end up not doing that? They're going to go and clean house, get rid of Hugh Freeze, do it late enough in the year to where DJ Durkin can't get the job, which I know it was a concern for some people there, that if you fired him too early and Durkin did well, you'd have boosters pushing for. For Durkin. What do we think of this Tigers program right now from a recruiting standpoint? Because I will note, like, Bama's also killing it, you know.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, Bud. And I think if you're an Auburn fan, you gotta, you gotta be upset that they didn't capitalize on the transition to took place in Tuscaloosa, right, with going from Nick Saban to, to Kaylin DeBoer. And remember, when DeBoer initially arrived, it took them a while to kind of figure out the inner workings of, of being the big bad boy in the SEC and being able to get whatever you wanted not only in the Yellowhammer State, but adjoining areas, right? It was like very west coast, heavy, focused areas. And that's right around the time when, you know, Auburn got a Cam Coleman in state prospect. Like, the opportunity was there to, you know, punch through. And now you take a step back and obviously Auburn's recruiting class, I think it's sitting somewhere in the 30s, but it was a group where it felt like a lot of kids, a lot of prospects, a lot of agents, a lot of decision makers were waiting to see what would happen with Hugh Freeze's future. But now it's Alabama's got it rolling on the recruiting front. And when is that going to stop? I mean, bud, I. Going through all of Alabama's top ranked recruits, it's like, man, they got difference makers coming. Now, I don't know about the entire depth of the class, but you want to talk about star power at the top, it feels very Nick Saban esque. So to me, you know, Auburn kind of let the opportunity slip, right? They weren't able to win a bunch of games and, and really get it rolling on the recruiting front. I don't know what, what the fix is because I look at the 2D, I look at the PFF. It's like, man, like a lot of these guys, like the talent is there. You said it, quarterback. I, I think that's where they got to fix things. I mean, and that's, that's not, that's an obvious take. But I'll, I'll give you my perspective. I am shocked they didn't break glass on Deuce Knight. Do I think Deuce Night is ready to go? No, but I mean why not show what the future looks like? And I think the other thing is whoever is steering that ship, they got to figure out if Deuce Knight's the guy. Because if it's, if Deuce Knight is not the dude, then, then what is the short term and what is the long term plan at quarterback? And for those not familiar with Deuce Knight, you know, top 64 prospect for us last cycle, long time Notre Dame commit, lefty, dual threat talent. My player comp was kind of like Pat White can beat me with his legs, you know, throws an excellent out breaking ball to his left right when he, when he rolls left. But he's a dynamic playmaker and he has tested off the charts. I just thought we would see some of him at some point because I look at Mississippi State and, and they're playing their true freshman quarterback and Camero Taylor, who. That was kind of the rivalry. Deuce Knight and Camario Taylor there in Mississippi. And obviously Camero is not starting games, but he scored a pair of key touchdowns last week against Arkansas. I just thought we'd see Deuce Knight at some point. So how do they get it right? They got to figure out quarterback. And I think the silver lining for whoever steps in there is the Yellowhammer State. Alabama has three blue chip quarterbacks that are either juniors or, or sophomores in, in high school. Gunner Rivers is there, son of Philip Rivers. His recruitment appears to still be pretty wide open. You know, I think he's like number quarterback, quarterback number five for us in the 2027 cycle. He's been on the plains. I, I would think he's a potential long term problem solver. The other one's Trent Seaborn, committed to Alabama already, so you kind of, kind of missed out there. And then there's this young kid who's only a sophomore, Kingston Prior. So basically what I'm getting at is there's talent there, who's going to figure it out and who's going to navigate all that.

[Andrew Ibis]

I am curious to see like, if they keep some of these guys on the roster. Like, do they keep Ashton Daniels? Do they keep Deuce Knight? Does the next coach want that? Like, I'm assuming they hire John Summerall, but like, I think there's some, I don't know, I would put that like a greater than 50% chance unless he gets like an LSU.

[Bud Elliott]

You know, I like John. John Summerall, bud. But like, how many quarterbacks did Tulane kind of rotate through here over the past two years? I mean, every kid did lose one. Yeah, every kid that was in the portal. I felt like Tulane's interested, Elaine's interested. I'm just.

[Andrew Ibis]

No, I agree.

[Bud Elliott]

It would be kind of funny. Let me ask you this. Cam Coleman. I think a lot of people forget former Texas A M commit if, if we drop Cam Coleman, Texas A M's roster, like, where, where did the Aggies stack up in your, I don't know, handicapping of, of the CFP race?

[Andrew Ibis]

God, like with the guys they already have, I mean, shoot it. They might be number one overall. Yeah, I was just like, really? It. I mean, I, I have at Ohio State 1 and I think A and M is really good. Like that offensive line is, is very much in the discussion as the best in the country. They seem to be able to like figure out how to use the quarterback effectively. They have nice, you know, skill guys, they can rush. The passer secondary is a little sketch. Right? Like when I'm, when I model this out, I think there's like three teams that I would definitely project to be scoring 40 on them. You know, Bama, Indiana and Ohio State. So like you, if you drop Cam Coleman on there though, maybe you can turn around and drop 40 yourself.

[Bud Elliott]

It's. But it's just a thought that came to mind because On Saturday, week 10, I think in the first hour, that sophomore receiver group, which is, it's, it's generational, like we said that coming out it like Jeremiah Smith scored, TJ Moore scored, Ryan Wingo scored, Mike Matthews scored. JoJo Traitor scored. Braylon Staley scored. Jordan Ship scored. Like all these guys scored in week 10. You look at Cam Coleman's stat line, it's like five catches for 34 yards. Too bad Auburn can't. Well, I mean I'm sure they want to keep him for the next season, but you know, they got trade line, you know, just kind of offload him and acquire some assets.

[Andrew Ibis]

What kind of premium are you going to have to pay to keep Kim Coleman if you're Auburn?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Andrew Ibis]

Like unless you could tell him, hey, we are taking this quarterback and bringing them in in the portal. Like are you gonna have to give him like 2 million?

[Bud Elliott]

I, I would think the number, like again, it's kind of at least like.

[Andrew Ibis]

A 40 or 50 premium. On what? Someplace that has a real quarter. Because at this point if you're Kemp Coleman and you resign with Auburn and you don't have an actual quarterback to throw you the ball, I mean you're costing yourself millions of dollars in the NFL. Like this is. What if Calvin Johnson had a real QB at Georgia Tech and didn't have Reggie ball. He probably goes 1:1, right? But like it was like, I don't know, like he had Reggie freaking ball throwing the ball. Like, I, I'm not saying like Kim Coleman, I'm not trying to get him to like leave Auburn. That's not the point of this show. But like realistically, if you want to keep him and should they even keep him, like where are they in their building cycle? Know what I'm saying?

[Bud Elliott]

That's a good point. Right? Like, I don't, I don't know what the schedule is for next season. I will say this about Auburn, like I'm sure you've been there, bud. Like they packed Jordan hair, man, that, that fan base cares, oh, 100%. And you know, looking at their commit list, I, I do just want to bring up one notable prospect that, well, they got a handful committed. But Braylon Womack, five star safety out of Mississippi, Tom Loy at 24. Seven sports. I think he reported on Monday. Braylon Womack expected to visit Texas A M in the coming weeks. Aggies went back and forth with the Tigers here. Ohio State was involved. LSU's been involved with the recruitment. Braylon Womack's a guy that I've comped in the past to, to Caleb Downs, right. He's kind of that five tool safety. I, I think the one area of his game where he needs to improve and I thought we would be here as a senior. It's Kind of as an open field tackler. I think he leaves a little bit to be desired in that department, but this guy can cover. This guy makes plays on offense. He was the Mississippi Gatorade player of the year as a junior. Has dealt with some injuries here as a senior, but he's back playing. And there's a lot of personnel people that fancy this kid. There's a lot of coaches that fancy this kid, and there's a lot of defensive coordinators that fancy this kid because he can direct traffic on the back end. He's got that football iq, you know, we'll see whoever steps in there at Auburn if they can keep Braylon Womack in the mix. But Texas A and M, right after they beat lsc, we talked about Lamar Brown, the five star. Hey, you know, do they re. Engage. Engage with that? They finished number two there. Now they got all this momentum. I think it's the same thing with Braylon Womack. I think you got to watch the Aggies here, and I think he fits kind of what they do on that back end, right? Maybe could get a little more physicality out of. Out of Braylon Womack at times, but he, he kind of fits the MO for, For Mike Elko in terms of raising both the floor and the ceiling of that defense. Man.

[Andrew Ibis]

Like, that would be insane to think, like, the Run A M might be able to go on, you know, after, like the run, Texas was on quarterback recruiting. If they're able to get those guys. If you're Auburn, like, you can't be. You can't be losing him. Like, there are certain guys you got to work ahead on, especially in that younger cycle, you know, but.

[Bud Elliott]

But I'll never forget this. It was last signing day, texting someone at Texas A M like, hey, man, I can't even remember who they added at the buzzer, but I'm like, really? You know, you guys, like, had a great finish and they said, no, no, no, no, no. 20, 26 is the class. And I'm like, okay. Like, they were confident at that stage that they could potentially challenge for the number one position. I mean, I don't know if that's realistic. I would assume if you added 2, 5 stars, you would be in that. But it's. It's funny how that's kind of rung true because the on field success has allowed them to only get more aggressive on the high school talent acquisition side.

[Andrew Ibis]

So if you look at this, one of the things that people are gonna have to consider in the, like, when they're Taking these jobs, you know, if you're lsu, if you get Arkansas Ole Miss, A M as your annual rivalry, like before A M started going its recruiting run. That's pretty nice, man. Because Arkansas doesn't recruit at an elite level. Ole Miss does portal well, but they really don't do high school very well relative to the top teams in the sec. I'm not trying to catch heat. Like, yes, on a national scale, they're clearly like a top third recruiting type program out of high school. I get it. But like, they're not. They're not a blue chip ratio team. They're not a team that's like, you know, they have. They don't have national title pressure. They might have national title dreams, but they don't have like, pressure if you're not competing for one, you know, but like, if you're LSU now, it's like, shoot, man, A M is putting together like an annoyingly awesome class and we got to face those guys for the next few years. Like, that sucks. You know, I mean, it. You're gonna have to face good teams in that league anyway. But just thinking about the common opponents here, if they do, you know, pull this thing together.

[Bud Elliott]

Well, I, But I think that's like the element of. Of rivalries that kind of gets, like, lost.

[Andrew Ibis]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

And so you'll. You tune into some of these games and it's like, well, all these players know each other. But I think when like, the staffs go head to head for certain individuals and I'm sure there's a lot of negative recruiting, like, those are the real, like, rivalries. Like, no, we. We fought for this kid. Things were exchanged. You know, words were exchanged. Like, those are the ones where as long as you can keep the staffs kind of in place for a few years, like, it seems to get the most fire out of both sidelines.

[Andrew Ibis]

Exactly. So.

[Bud Elliott]

All right, what's up, everyone? It's the counselor of Cash seeing Ajad from the Early Edge, a daily sports betting show powered by Sportsline and part of the CBS Sports Podcast network. If you're looking for the best bets, picks and analysis for the day in sports, we're your one stop shop. We're locked in every day with NFL bets and player props, college football picks and so much more. Download and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere podcasts are found. Subscribe to the SportsLine YouTube page to watch us live at 10am Eastern Time every weekday. Make sure to turn on those notifications so you don't miss a single pick.

[Andrew Ibis]

All Season long. Good luck. It's football season and you got to keep up with the action. Listen in to Pushing the Pile, part of CBS Sports Podcast network with Mike Renner, Kyle Long, and now me, JP Acosta for smart analysis of everything between the lines. With four episodes a week, Sunday night.

[Bud Elliott]

Recaps, film review, power tiers and weekly.

[Andrew Ibis]

Previews, you will know ball.

[Bud Elliott]

Stick with us until one team lists.

[Host/Advertiser]

The Lombardi download and follow Pushing the.

[Andrew Ibis]

Pile on Apple podcasts, Spotify and anywhere podcast podcasts are found. All right, let's go ahead and go speed around here. Couple five star situations to monitor. This is not us saying these kids should flip or will flip. We're just pointing out some spots where these teams aren't making a bowl. These teams have a five star committed. Are they really gonna keep them committed? Like, like this typically doesn't happen. Like his history says these kids will flip. Let's go first.

[Bud Elliott]

Can I put this in a box here? But these are situations I'm monitoring, right? Monitoring, monitoring situations. And there is.

[Andrew Ibis]

You put it in a monitor. Like we're monitoring. Like we're literally monitoring the situation.

[Bud Elliott]

There is like nothing, I think, concrete here. I've just been doing this for a long time. You have as well. We know how the sport works. Four weeks to go. A lot of these jobs that are open, some of them are to be filled. I think anyone that is getting filled at these positions is going to be armed with a huge rev share nil war chest. And these are just three guys where, given where things stand heading into what, week 11, you know, monitoring.

[Andrew Ibis]

If I gave you an over under of two flips out of these three and you can't say push, where are you going?

[Bud Elliott]

So over. How about one and a half? Because I think.

[Andrew Ibis]

All right, fine. One and a half.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah. Well, if I said over and I can't put right.

[Andrew Ibis]

Yeah. So yeah, that's why two is a better number. It really makes you pick. What, what, what are the house like an, like an auto Over.

[Bud Elliott]

Okay, well, there's three names. There's three names, right?

[Andrew Ibis]

That's what I'm saying. Like, are we gonna get a sweep? Are we gonna get two holds? You know, so. All right, so Calvin Russell, Florida kid, dual sport guy, really special athlete, keeps kind of growing into his body a little bit. Committed to Syracuse. Syracuse had a nice year last year. A lot of us thought they would crash back to earth this year. I actually think, like. And they are, but I think we were sort of wrong in that because when they had the quarterback in There like they were an okay team. Like they were not going to be another 8, 9 win team. But I don't think they were going to do. I mean they're just, they're not competitive right now. They're running out four different quarterbacks. Like they took Ricky Collins from Syracuse, he can't play a lick. Or sorry, from lsu, he can't really play a lick. And they're probably going to finish. What are they, 4 and 8. Probably. Trying to look at their schedule here. They beat Clemson. Yeah. Like they just lost to Duke. 38. 3. I mean, pit Pitt housed him. Georgia Tech housed him. UNC beat them in their own building. They haven't won a game since September 20th. It needed overtime to beat Yukon. They lost to Tennessee by, by a million. So I got what, three wins? They finished with Miami. They're at Miami, at Notre Dame host Boston College. So we're probably looking at 4 and 8 here. Fran Brown's name is still on a bunch of hot boards. Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

What do you think about that?

[Andrew Ibis]

Well, I think that's an incredibly difficult sell, right. If for the jobs that I think he would actually want, I think that's a really hard sell because the guy has very little experience as a head coach. I think he did a great job last year. I think he had him kind of on the right track this year. But that's a lot of think to sell to your booster community, right. And they're gonna turn around and say, wait a second, he just had an Ohio State quarterback for one year that got him all his wins. And when he had to do it, like, I'm like, well, yeah, but like the portal exists, you know, so I get why he's on the hot boards. I also think realistically that that's a tough sell if you go 4 and 8 to get promoted at Syracuse. I would agree.

[Bud Elliott]

And, and that's, you know, Calvin Russell's here because he's a five star talent, right? He's at Miami Northwestern High School. Teddy Bridgewater was the coach there last year. This guy's a, a uniquely dangerous red zone target. Like he is a tall drink of water. The player comp on his 247 sports profile is like Jacoby Lane, right? Like this guy just makes these circus grabs. You can funnel a passing attack through him and that's what they do at Miami Northwestern. Like he like lines up on the inside. He doesn't really always run a, an extensive route tree. The traits are there, right? And I think for Calvin Russell, if he wants to play like and And Syracuse is the spot for him.

[Andrew Ibis]

Right.

[Bud Elliott]

Because I think what we've seen from Fran Brown in his tenure there at Syracuse is he's going to like put the spotlight on his dudes. Demetrius Samuel, the young corner. I mean, he was comparing him to, to Travis Hunter. The reason why, though I have Calvin Russell here is Syracuse threw for 39 yards against North Carolina this past Friday.

[Andrew Ibis]

Which was your favorite yard? Like 39.

[Bud Elliott]

Okay, well, I, I gotta say this, you know, in a scouting recruiting chat, I don't even know the name of the walk on quarterback that started. As soon as that came across the board, you know exactly what app I pulled up.

[Andrew Ibis]

But.

[Bud Elliott]

And I was wondering about the, the true freshman they signed out of Texas that we had way too low because he dominated a low level of competition. That guy got beat out by the walk on, so.

[Andrew Ibis]

Way too low.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, Miami was involved with, with Calvin Russell. Michigan was involved, LSU was involved. Obviously LSU's had a coaching change, but I think he's one to just track again. I've been doing this for a while. Miami Dade. Calvin Russell's Miami Dade kid. And it's, you know, sets up interestingly where Syracuse is playing Miami this week and Miami coming off the loss to smu, believer in the talent and the upside and what Calvin Russell can be. And you know, I think someone's gonna get again, uniquely dangerous target.

[Andrew Ibis]

I, I would agree, man. I think that, like, it's like we talked about with Ken Coleman. You better be real confident that Syracuse is going to have a quarterback coming in, throw you the ball. I will say I like this offense. They run a lot like I think the, the Nixon, who I didn't know much about the office coordinator. I like their concepts. They just don't have a player right now to throw the ball. So if you're Syracuse, you're probably scrambling and say, hey man, we've got a guy coming in. Like we've already back channeled this kid, like he's gonna be our starting quarterback next year. Like, you got to be really kind of all hands on deck to try to keep him with some promises that he's actually going to get the ball. All right, two more here. Maryland has done some good things this year. They are actually having like really good success playing some of their true freshmen, you know, who are playing fairly well. Unfortunately, some of the pieces around these guys are just not playing well. Maryland like leads the power four and drops, which is not great if you're trying to break in a freshman quarterback. And Malik Washington so big. Yikes. There they've had some young edge players play well. They actually have another one here. Zion Ely committed. You know, Loxley kind of went after. Shane went after South Carolina for him getting paid to visit Columbia.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, did you see. Did you see that? But, like, kind of like that.

[Andrew Ibis]

That's kind of lame, man. People have been paying for visits for, for like, half. Half a century. Of course you pay. You pay a kid to come visit you, and schools have been paying the kid in turn. They pay him not to visit. Hey, man, you know, here, here's, you know, here's two racks if you just stay home this weekend, right? Like, this has been going on for a long, long time. So I thought it was kind of dirty pool to call that out, to be honest. Like, you don't think that happens everywhere, including your school.

[Bud Elliott]

Beamer barks like, right back. So Zion Ely did take. Did take a visit to South Carolina and, you know, South Carolina has, has been involved in, in the dmv, right? Stewart is from that area. Nick harbor is from that area. Beamer's had a. A ton of success now. I think, obviously, you know, there's some questions about what's next and what the future looks like there in Columbia. Same thing applies to Maryland, right? They. They win open with four straight wins. They've lost four straight, to your point, playing a ton of pups, right? Malik Washington, I would love to see the adjusted numbers on him because when I watch him, no one can catch the football. I know Sidney Stewart, Zaire Mathis, I mean, they got talent now. Yeah, they're going to have to retain that talent. I think there's probably a lot of personnel departments around the country that have circled some of these individuals already working the back channels. But Zion Ely's here because, you know, the recruitment has felt like, he says it shut down and it's like, okay, you take a visit. The school I'm going to bring up here is Auburn. And again, this is going to come down to, okay, when is someone in place, you know, at what time. There's a lot of St. Francis kids, St. Francis Academy kids on that Auburn roster. He has visited there in the past. Goes into my theory that, hey, new coaches hired, armed with the necessary funds. I just think he's one to watch. I don't think this is anywhere close to the finish line. And, and for, you know, the quick scouting report on Zion Ely, I mean, he is explosive, speed rusher. He is. He is long, he is narrow. You know, I think that's gonna be the biggest knock is you know, he's just not a wide guy. With that being said, he has this broad jump bud. Like watching the camp footage, I'm like, this is the freakiest thing I've ever seen. I, I think he's like clears like 125 in the broad jump. I mean that, that lower body, his ability to explode and it translates on the football field. So you know a guy, time to quarterback what you want to see. And everyone is trying to add these pass rushers, so I think he's another one where we need to monitor.

[Andrew Ibis]

Damn, dude, that, that would be a tough break for Maryland. Obviously I don't know what's going to happen with South Carolina, but I mean.

[Bud Elliott]

I'm all in on Maryland. I'm a Malik Washington guy. I want this to work out.

[Andrew Ibis]

Yes. If you are a transfer portal receiver, you should be like, oh wait, I can go in and I can play immediately at Maryland because those receivers suck. Right? And like I, I can at least catch the football and this guy can get it to me. So like that, that would be a good spot to go catch balls. All right, last one here. We just talked about maybe South Carolina win. How about a South Carolina loss? Potentially, you know, potentially. We don't know what's going to happen, but obviously, you know, a disappointing year for South Carolina where this kind of felt like the make or break year for Beamer. You know, you, you had the quarterback coming back. I think a lot of us questioned what they had at receiver. Offensive line didn't make progress, obviously with you fired the O line coach defense, not surprisingly, like, I don't know, like all the South Carolina fans in the off season said we were haters for saying like your defense is going to fall off a cliff. And it, it's way worse than it was last year because last year was amazing and you had like, like 10 or 11 guys make NFL rosters and you're South Carolina. You don't recruit at that elite level. To which I think like, like losing, you know, priority free agents and stuff is not a, is not a big issue anyway. They're having a bad year now. They might beat Clemson because Clemson's having a pretty bad year too. Like they, they fired Mike Shuler. They're off to court over the weekend. They already fired the O line coach. Offensive lineman Darius Gray is still committed to them. Do we think that they can hold on here?

[Bud Elliott]

Certainly an interesting situation. Right? Like again, recruiting so much different than it, what it used to be. But like the position coach, the play caller are both on Their way out. Darius Gray. Love this kid. He's our number one ranked interior offensive lineman. But you could bill him as a defensive lineman, he'd be a top two, four seven prospect. It's done on both sides of the ball. Excellent, like basketball player, which is so rare to see for like a guy that's 285 pounds. Like, he's like a double, double machine, you know, a bit sawed off. He's not six' four, not six' five. He is six foot three. LSU was like heavily involved in this recruitment. Ohio State, Clemson. I don't know. I, I keep asking Tom Loy at 247 Sports. Anything gonna shake free here? Just because of the uncertainty, right. Surrounding South Carolina now, I think for the Gamecocks, you know, this is a potential plug and play option. This is, you know, this is exactly what the doctor ordered. A guy that has some polish, a guy that is physically ready to go, a guy that could probably play like three or four spots on the line. Like, that has kind of been the Achilles heel for the Gamecock. So I think he's another one to certainly monitor. And bud, you brought up that game against Clemson. If Clemson had a five star commit, they would be in the monitor situation as well. They just don't. Right. They are reeling right now on the recruiting front. They continue to lose players. Keyshawn Stancil, really good interior D lineman, flipped last week over to Miami. They also lost Drake Quinn and Edge Rusher. South Carolina's not the only one that's going through it. But, but Darius Gray, I mean, Zion Johnson is who he reminds me of with the LA Chargers. I mean, this is a, this is a bad dude in the middle of the line. And South Carolina, you know, who knows what the next couple of months look like. I think the next four weeks need to be about getting Darius Gray there because you might be able to pencil in him in to the starting five for, for 20, 26.

[Andrew Ibis]

I mean, absolutely. I, I, if they're able to hold on to him, though, I mean, he would play immediately, dude. Like, their offensive line is not very good. I, I hope he does stick. I think South Carolina is kind of a, I don't know, like a sleeping giant might be kind of a, a term that I don't want to use there. But like, what's just below a giant for South Carolina? Like the sleeping, I don't know, like sleeping big.

[Bud Elliott]

Sleeping big. I mean, a sleeping team that can compete for a spot in the College Football playoff.

[Andrew Ibis]

Yeah, right. Like, all right. If Ole Miss can do it.

[Bud Elliott]

Why can't South Carolina?

[Andrew Ibis]

Why? Like, I, I think that that's your pitch. It's like, okay, like why can't Arkansas, Why can't South Carolina if Ole Miss can do it, you know, like they're competing like to win the playoff. No, I don't think Ole Miss has a shot to win the playoff. I don't think so. You know what I'm saying? But like to get to the playoff. And the thing is, it doesn't matter what I think because if they're, if you get there, all 12 fan bases that get the college ball playoff, they have so much belief in their team that has been built up over the course of that season. They believe and you know what? Even they get absolutely snuffed out, they are still going to be right back there believing the next year. That's just how the nature of fandom works. So I, I hope he does stick, man. I hope Zion sticks with Maryland Ops, hope Calvin sticks with Syracuse. I think it's like the talent spreading out is good for the sport. Like we need to give people more hope to watch their team. Whereas I think we did real damage to this thing in that four team era, you know, where there's nobody had a real shot and obviously, you know, Bama, you know, just rolling everything. So awesome.

[Bud Elliott]

All right, last thing, buddy, because I.

[Andrew Ibis]

Know we gotta run.

[Bud Elliott]

Just quick shout out evaluation of the week. I think me and you are also split here, but hey, C.J. bailey, dude, NC State, they take down Georgia Tech. And I know Haynes King had this monster game. C.J. bailey, Jeremiah Smith's high school quarterback. This kid has come such a long way in such a short amount of time. You know, Florida's Big Three showed him no interest really from the jump North Carolina State offered him, got him committed. Miami ended up offering extremely late. Right, Right before signing day. Sticks with the wolf pack. I'll never forget, right when he arrived on campus, staffer there, text me, hey, this kid is an absolute freak, you know, I don't know, you know, what is going to happen with C.J. bailey, Bud, but I think if this kid were to explore the market, a lot of programs would be interested, right? I mean, he could be with his arm, he can beat you with his, his legs. He's really improved in that department. I always kind of wondered, I'm like, you know, you're this big dynamic guy, how come you're not moving the chains, you know, on scrambles and design runs. He has started to show that at NC State and you know, I made a list on Sunday because that's what I do, bud. I was like, how many teams feel good about their quarterback situation heading into to 20, 26. At this stage right now, I think that list is like 10 schools are like, yep, we got our guy. I think there's some other ones that's open for debate. So I don't know what's gonna happen with C.J. bailey, but if you haven't seen this kid play, he's fun, he's exciting, and NC State deserves a ton of credit for seeing the vision from the jump with him and beating Florida's big three to the punch on C.J. bailey.

[Andrew Ibis]

And look, Ivan's to your point, some of the guys you had on the like, the word good list, I'm not convinced those, those people are better than him by a meaningful amount. They just like, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. Right. They're not going to like, jettison a good player to go get another good player. But like on your list, Ohio State with Julian saying text with Arch Manning, A and M with Marcel Reed. Like, is Reed better than. Than Bailey? I wouldn't bet my life on it.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, yeah. I'm just, you know what I'm saying?

[Andrew Ibis]

Like, is Gunner Stockton better than Bailey? I don't think so, but I don't think Bailey's better than him. I think you're both just like good, you know, like rising college ball players. Bryce Underwood, obviously not trading him. Notre Dame's not trading Car my at usc. Damon Williams at Washington Royal at Nebraska, assuming he comes back fine for this injury. You know, Keelan Russell at Bama, from the really good list.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, yeah. Like, I think those are all. Yeah, like, we're good. Now where it gets interesting. Oregon Post Dante Moore.

[Andrew Ibis]

Right.

[Bud Elliott]

Florida, I think there's a lot of people split on DJ Lagway. I thought DJ Lagway looked good this past.

[Andrew Ibis]

Right.

[Bud Elliott]

But you know, like, that is a conversation lsu, we've talked about, hey, what's the plan there? Auburn, Miami Post, Carson back.

[Andrew Ibis]

Like, I, I think, I think he's 100 in the yes category for an LSU.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, it's a fun, it's a fun. It's a fun exercise. You want to start really thinking about 20, 26. Just pick a quarterback and start comparing them on the, on the top 30 teams. Who, who would, you know, who feels good about what they got 100%.

[Andrew Ibis]

Like, I am curious to see on this list a little bit. Like, does Zollers play well or does he Play well enough for Missouri down the stretch to where they feel they. They like what they have, you know, going forward.

[Bud Elliott]

We are, we are stretching here. Can I get my Zoller's like, analysis? Yes, because I think I'm qualified here.

[Andrew Ibis]

Let's do it.

[Bud Elliott]

Missed his pretty much his entire senior season. I believe when Zoller starts on Saturday, this will be his 23rd ever start, right? So he only started like 22 games in high school because of a nasty injury his senior year. Like, one of the worst injuries I've ever seen. Kind of on the Jaden Daniels level from, from Sunday Night Football, but I think he's like a scratch golfer. That's what he told us at the elite 11 finals. Missouri staff was at IMG Academy during the spring evaluation period and they were facetiming someone to show them Donovan Ola Bode, who is a true freshman receiver for them. He's made some plays. I start talking to the staff and they're like, yeah, that was Zoller's like, you know, we're big fans. And I said the same thing. And they're like, kirby Moore said, I've never seen or met a quarterback that plays as much golf as Matt Zollers. And I was like, what? He's like, yeah, this kid plays all the time. The other thing Kirby Moore said, he's like, I've never seen this kid throw in person. He's like, we took his commitment before ever seeing him throw a pass live. And for those not familiar kind of with how, you know, this all works, like, these QB coaches, offensive corner head coaches, like, usually they got to see him throw in person. It's kind of like, right. It's kind of like their thing. And I'm the same way when I evaluate quarterbacks. Like, yeah, you can watch the tape, but I gotta see this guy. I gotta see him live. And Alabama was pushing for, for Matt Dollars there late or. I can't remember if it was before or after he committed, but this kid's. He's got some talent. We saw it against, against Vandy. I. I just think my big thing is, like, doesn't have a ton of game reps. Kind of not the ideal situation.

[Andrew Ibis]

Yeah, it's going to be hard down the stretch, but, I mean, I thought he played average. Mandy, like you said, like, there were some good things to like, there. I'm curious to see, like, they may not be in the portal and if, if you got like an internal kid who hasn't been a full year starter for you and you don't have to pay up like crazy for him. That's like a real efficiency edge in terms of spending, like a real one. Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Hometown discount right now.

[Andrew Ibis]

I mean, you won't get it year two, but, but, but you get somewhat a one, right? Like most people don't like moving you. Like, they don't, they don't want to have to pick all new friends and.

[Bud Elliott]

But I, I watched in a college basketball game last night, this player had been at five different. Five different colleges. Put in my group chat. I'm like, can you imagine moving five times in college? That's the last thing I would want to do.

[Andrew Ibis]

God, he's sponsored by like rent a center or something. Like, just like don't own a damn thing, you know, just. Just rent like furniture at the tv. Rent it all, bro.

[Bud Elliott]

That's five lost security deposits. You're just not getting those bets.

[Andrew Ibis]

Somehow I think whoever's. Well, if he's transferring up, he's probably getting it covered. But if he's not, that's. That's brutally inefficient, man. Sheesh. Awesome, Ivan. So, hey, we'll figure out a time to chop this up again next week and really appreciate y' all watching this. And if you like it, make sure you subscribe to the channel. We're trying to get like 75, 000. That'd be cool, you know, to keep building this thing up. On the audio side, you're all doing great. We're actually the number four sports episode in the whole country. So I don't know how the hell that happens, but we love that, clearly. But we need to get the YouTube numbers up a little bit. So even if you are a. First of all, this is a better YouTube episode because of the graphics, because of the video, because the great job Clara does on. On the back end than is an audio product. So if you're an audio listener, hit the YouTube real quick. Hit like and subscribe. Even if you have no intention of coming back, at least get our subscriber numbers up so it looks like we're a more legitimate channel on that. And we'll see you guys today at noon on CBS Sports Network. Now streaming on Paramount plus it's the epic return of mayor of Kingstowne Warden.

[Bud Elliott]

You know who I am.

[Andrew Ibis]

Starring Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner. I swear in these walls, Emmy award winner Edie Falco. You're an ex con who ran this place for years and now, now you can't do that. And BAFTA award winner Lenny James. You're about to have a plague of outsiders descend on your town. Let me tell you this. There's gonna be consequences. Mayor of Kingstowne. New season now streaming on Paramount plus.