Recruiting Intel: Other Coaches Think Muschamp's Still Got It

Summary

Inside Texas Football: "Recruiting Intel: Other Coaches Think Muschamp's Still Got It"

Date: July 21, 2026
Host: Inside Texas team
Main Guests: Coach Dub, Justin Wells, Charlie, and others

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Texas High School Coaches Association convention, with a special focus on new Texas Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp. The conversation highlights Muschamp’s impact on recruiting, his hands-on style, reputation among coaches, and the broad implications for Texas’ football program. The panel shares first-hand reactions from the convention, analyses the effect of Muschamp’s return, compares him to previous coordinators, and shares insight into current and potential Texas recruiting flips and targets.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Will Muschamp’s Return Electrifies Coaches (00:45–03:02)

• Packed Convention:
  The discussion opens with reactions to Muschamp’s appearance at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention. The room was described as “packed like sardines,” with high anticipation from coaches across Texas and neighboring states eager to hear from “the legend.”

  “All the Texas high school coaches and some from neighboring states across the Red River…they were there right, just to pay, just listen to Will Muschamp and hear him talk football. X's and O's.” – Charlie (02:01)

• Teaching Methods:
  Muschamp is praised not only for defensive acumen but also for unique teaching techniques, such as pop quizzes to engage players’ minds as soon as they enter the building.

  “He throw pop quizzes at them all the time just to get their brain thinking and get them going…he's a mad scientist when it comes to teaching defense.” – Charlie (02:01)

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2. “Has He Still Got It?” – Muschamp’s Coaching Reputation (03:02–05:27)

• Never Lost His Fastball:
  The group debates Muschamp’s continued excellence. They reject the notion he’s lost anything and argue that his head coaching struggles resulted more from mismatched roles than lost ability.

  “Will Muschamp never lost his fastball. He just put it in his back pocket and stashed it for a while while he was a head coach. Once he got these D.C. chops back, he's throwing fireballs now.” – Justin (04:28)

• Key Role as Coordinator:
  Muschamp is described as someone who’s now sharper, refocused, and better suited to defensive coordinator duties, giving him clarity and energy to connect with players and coaches.

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3. Impact on Texas Recruiting (05:27–08:11)

• Trust with High School Coaches:
  The significance of earning the trust of Texas high school coaches is highlighted as crucial for recruiting. Muschamp’s reputation ensures coaches feel confident sending athletes to Texas.

  “Once you got the trust in the ear of a coach, man, it speaks volumes.…If my kid goes to play for Will Muschamp, he may make [it] to the NFL…if he doesn't…he’s gonna be a better man.” – Charlie (05:27)

• Comparison to Previous Coordinator:
  The team contrasts Muschamp’s hands-on, relentless recruiting approach to Pete Kwiatkowski’s more limited involvement:

  “Will Muschamp was blowing up every defensive target every day. He was either talking to mom, talk to a coach, texting with the player.…He has relationships with players that are committed to other schools that you guys have no clue how close he's getting to these guys.” – Justin (07:18)

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4. Muschamp’s Recruiting Breadth: In-State and Beyond (08:58–10:22)

• Geographic Approach:
  Muschamp has balanced in-state (Texas) and out-of-state recruiting, with earlier stints seeing heavy recruitment in Florida and Georgia, then expanding across the country in pursuit of defensive prospects:

  “If you were a defensive target, he was coming for you everywhere....I think it's a combination. I think he's hitting out of state just as much as he's hitting Texas.” – Justin (09:00)

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5. Upcoming Flips, Targets & Recruiting Dynamics (11:32–13:44)

• Flip Watch:
  The team suggests Texas is positioned to flip a major linebacker before signing day, thanks in part to Muschamp’s personal relationship-building:

  “It's one of those things I think Muschamp's gonna flip a major linebacker before signing day. I would be shocked if that does not happen.” – Justin (13:39)

• Long Game Philosophy:
  Texas, under Sarkisian, often waits until the season for key flips and final evaluations.

• Flip Candidates:
  Names discussed include linebacker Joaquim Guta (hard, but not impossible, to pull from Georgia), Sean Fox, and Jaden Nelson (committed to Tech, but Texas is still pursuing).

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6. Discussion: Texas as a Prime Destination (14:11–15:59)

• Next 2028 Commitment & Player Comparisons:
  Discussion around up-and-comer James Foster and his fit with Texas. Foster is praised for his playing style, likened to former Longhorn BJ Foster:

  “He's a thumper, this kid. This kid is going to get a targeting penalty once or twice a year. It's going to happen. And you know what? I'm all in.” – Justin (15:08)

• Shadow Creek Pipeline:
  The crew discusses the talent-rich Shadow Creek and its connections to Texas through notable alums and coaching ties.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Muschamp’s Energy:

  “Muschamp is doing this every day, like with a young man's energy. I'm telling you, I think the guy has found his second wind.” – Justin (07:46)

• On Recruiting:

  “It gives [Sarkisian] an opportunity to make the best evaluation possible. Because over the course of that, if towards the end they don't like it, they'll just pull off…” – Justin (12:38)

• On the Dynamics of Earning Coaches’ Trust:

  “Most coaches in the state are Texas fans. I'm just gonna say it is what it is. They light up when a Texas logo, whoever it is, whatever coach it is, they walk in....they light up like kids too.” – Charlie (05:37)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:45 – Welcome and convention impressions
• 02:01 – Muschamp’s teaching style and packed room recapped
• 04:28 – Discussion on Muschamp’s reputation as a coordinator
• 05:27 – Impact of Muschamp’s trust-building with coaches
• 07:18 – Contrast with PK and Muschamp’s recruiting personality
• 09:00 – Muschamp’s recruiting geography
• 11:32 – Potential recruiting flips and the timing game
• 14:11 – The next big 2028 commitment and “thumper” safety discussion
• 16:25 – Shadow Creek’s talent pipeline
• 18:29 – Quick shout on Jamarius Canton’s recruitment

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Closing Thoughts

The episode underscores Will Muschamp’s “second wind” as Texas’ DC, his dynamic recruitment style, and his resonant reputation amongst Texas and out-of-state coaches. The Inside Texas team expresses significant optimism about Texas’ recruiting future, buoyed by Muschamp’s energy, connections, and relentless approach.

The panel further anticipates Texas landing major flips, particularly at linebacker, and maintaining fruitful pipelines with talent-rich programs. Listeners are left with a sense of momentum, expectation, and pride in the direction of the Longhorns’ defense and recruiting efforts under Muschamp.

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For more in-depth recruiting content and daily updates, visit Inside Texas

Transcript

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[B]

Hey, folks, welcome to the Recruiting intel with my guy, Coach Dub Justin Wells, here to talk a little bit about the Texas High School Coaches association convention that was just going on. You say you saw all the big names over there. You saw sark? Yeah. Joe McGuire, everybody in town. When Will Musjamp stepped up to the podium, guys, that was a packed house. A lot of people in there ready to hear from the new Texas D.C. and just really kind of get just his vibe, what it looks like. I don't know what you're mad about already, Joshi, but you turn that attitude around when you walk in here. Oh, no, you better get, get, get together, man. So again, guys, we'll talk about Will Mus champ.

[A]

Yeah, what that means get game face. Josh, come on, man. We expect better from you.

[B]

Absolutely. Absolutely. And again here talking Will must champ and what these coaches are saying about the Will most champion, how that affects recruiting guys. But before get into it, go ahead and hop over to Inside Texas One buck new subscribers. We talk about it all the time. Got to take advantage of it. That'll get you a member of on three rivals. And Inside Texas, you get all that fun content. Then you get half off a year membership. After that, Josh is locked in. Guys, we're ready to rock. We can officially start Musk Champions. Hey, we are locked in. We're ready to rock. Hey, Coach, you were there. You were in Houston. Talk to me a little bit about listening to Coach Must Champ and you know, just how locked in everybody was to hear from him and of course, what they had to say.

[C]

Well, look, I wish I could have attended, right? But I had some coaches and people that I know that were there. I had to come back to Dallas, but I just got corrected on Twitter. I said it was standing room only. They was like, no, it was packed like sardines in there. All right, so they didn't know what sardines in the can it's like, that's what they said it was like. But man, everybody was locked in to see Will much champion. The legend is back. And, and all the Texas high school coaches and some from neighboring states across the Red river won't even say the name of the state. They were there right, just to pay. Just listen to Will Muschamp and hear him talk football. X's and O's. And they got more than that. They got on about football, how he goes about teaching developing kids, how they walk into the building. It's not just X and Os. He throw pop quizzes at them all the time just to get their brain thinking and get them going when as soon as they step into the building. Right. I think that's important because he's trying different methods to teach kids the game of football and just get there, get them alert, get their mind going, teach them everything from how he wants their feet pre snap, like everything like Mus. Champ is a, is a mad scientist when it comes to teaching defense. And so it was good. Everybody locked in, taking their notes and trying to learn from the, from, from one of the best.

[B]

One of the best indeed. Now, he wasn't definitely one of the best two decades ago. Coach, you know, is. Was there some inquiring minds wondering, hey, this Will most Champ still got it. What do you think about that, Justin?

[A]

I don't think he ever lost it, to be honest with you. I think Will Muschamp is one of those guys that, you know, he was a high. He's a quick riser in the college football ranking, you know, in the college football world rather, and got a head coaching job. Like he worked his way into becoming a head coach of a program after becoming a. Just a dynamic defensive guy. The head coaching thing didn't work. And I'm not saying it couldn't work in the future, but it just, it didn't work out. This happens a lot. And what happens is the guy usually does like a re settling, a reshuffling, a refocusing of what his goals are and decides, you know what, maybe I can just be an amazing defensive coordinator. Maybe that's my role. He went through the head coaching type stuff. To me, that's huge because it's a mindset thing now. It's something that if you've played in college and then you, you, you go into coaching, you have to change from a player mentality to a coach's mentality. It's a real life thing that, that everybody in their mid to late twenties probably goes through. Will Must have figured out, maybe I'm not a head coach, but I'm a damn good defensive coordinator, probably one of the best in the country. I still know how to connect with these kids. And now I don't have to focus on third and three and focus on special teams and focus on if this kid's going to visit this weekend. All I have to focus on is my guys bringing hat on a regular basis. Will Muschamp never lost his fastball. He just put it in his back pocket and stashed it for a while while he was a head coach. Once he got these D.C. chops back, he's throwing fireballs now.

[B]

I mean, really well said. And again, there could be a myriad of different reasons why, you know, a coach, quote unquote fails, you know, as a head coach, but he's an excellent coordinator. And you see, it's not just Will Muschamp who might be, hey, just lifetime coordinator. I mean, he's really, really good in that role. Again, he stepped away a little bit to watch his kid play. So that has a little bit to do with why you haven't necessarily seen him in charge of a particular defense and a little bit more game plan oriented. But you know, what, what, what does this mean for Texas recruiting? What does this look like? Because obviously you're going to have a lot of coaches leaving this convention sounds very pleased and happy by what they heard with Will Muschamp.

[C]

Yeah, look, the biggest thing you can do is get trust from Texas high school football coaches, right? They're pretty much has the ear of all their players. When the player needs advice or something, they're going to go talk to the coach, who does the coach trust. And let's just put it out there. Most coaches in the state are Texas fans. I'm just going to say it is what it is. They light up when a Texas logo, whoever it is, whatever coach is, they walk in that nets office or that school building, they light up like kids too. Right? And so it's good to see but somebody they can trust. They feel like if I send my kid off to you, I know he's gonna be develop, he's gonna get coached hard. He's gonna be better than when he leaves here. It's gonna be better when he leaves Texas, even better. So it's, it's all of those things combined. And once you got the trust in the ear of a coach, man, it speaks volumes. And a lot of the coaches here are just speaking and raving about, you know, Will much champ, him still having it right. He, I know my kid's gonna be okay. If he goes plays for Will Mucham, he may make to the NFL and live out all his dreams, but if he doesn't make to gonna be a better man than when he left here in high school. So that's, that's really key.

[A]

I want to piggyback off, off off him real quick. You know, I was a big PK guy. I, I love Pete Kwakowski. I've got to talk to him a few times. Like, dude, dude is a really good guy, really good coach. I don't like the way it ended, but it is what it is and, and he's moved on. He wasn't instrumental in a lot of defensive recruitments, did he? Was he the reason they landed Lance Jackson? Yes. But a lot of those other guys, he was just involved. He wasn't a primary guy. He was. Well, if you're going to play defense, you need to talk to our defensive coordinator and of course he would sign off on the offer and things of that sort.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Will Muschamp. Charlie and I figured out within what, about a month of him getting the job, Will Muschamp was blowing up every defensive target every day. He was either talking to mom, talk to a coach, texting with the player. I'm not talking just kids in his region. I'm not talking defensive kids. I'm talking kids. He is, he is lining these kids up. I, I was surprised by that, honestly. Now I knew Will Muchamp was going to be a hands on kind of recruiting type guy. I had no idea he was going to build. Listen, he has relationships with players that are committed to other schools that you guys have no clue how close he's getting to these guys. Like when we talk about Flip City and October, November, December, those conversations are going to come up because Mush Champ has done so much work this spring and summer connecting with those kids. Charlie and I have talked about this before. I love pk. PK never used this, never, you know, never initiated that, that contact daily and that, that connection. Muschimp is doing this every day, like with, with a young man's energy. I'm telling you, I think the guy has, has found his second win.

[B]

That's well said. And again, I mean, passion, passion, passion. You know, I mean like he's in guys faces, but like coach said, there's, there's been relationships built there whole different world. If you're jumping in a guy's face, there is nothing there. There's no substance to that relationship. He's going to respond probably a little bit differently than a guy that, you know, you're. You're football quizzing, you're asking questions about real life. You know, you're. You're really getting to know that person, know that family. And so I can imagine that's what it's like for Wilson's champion recruiting. We got a question here from our good friend. Hey, guys, make sure you're throwing a like on the video, please. When Will Most Champ was here the first time? Unfortunately for me, Jay, I hadn't found you guys at Inside Texas yet. I didn't get to focus on recruiting back then as much as I would have liked to, even as a high schooler. But he did. He focused mostly on in Texas, you know, in state. Texas kids, or was he looking out of state as well?

[A]

That's a good question, Charlie.

[C]

I was.

[A]

I looked at that earlier. I think it was. I think it's a combination. I really do. I think he. He recruited Florida and Georgia pretty hard just because that's where he'd come from. That's where his recruiting chops were. That's. That's what he was familiar with. I think the first go around in Texas introduced him to Texas high school football. It kind of, it kind of gave everyone, okay, this is kind of different. This is who you are. That helps him. Now. I. But I don't think there was a primary focus, and I could be wrong, but, like, I, I think I remember. You know what? I remember Will Muschamp coming to Dangerfield High School to get Steve Edmond. Like. Like, he went everywhere. Like, must have. If you were a defensive target. He was. He was coming for you everywhere. And so I. It's a good question, Victor. But, you know, back then, I think it was more of a balance. Now, I think it's the same balance. I think he's hitting out of state just as much as he's hitting Texas. But. But back then, I don't remember him going one way or the other. I knew. I knew he picked. He found a kid in East Texas, he found a defensive lineman in South Carolina, and Ben Alexander, or Lamar or Ben Alexander. Like, he found random kids all over the place. And so I don't. I don't think he had one particular spot.

[C]

Yeah, I was just about to say the same thing. I think if I'm not talking. Lamar Houston's from Colorado, right?

[A]

Lamar Houston was a running back in Colorado.

[C]

And then you have Nolan Bruce, which,

[B]

I mean, I was gonna say he

[C]

was in Colorado at the time, but yeah,

[A]

his son, you know, Nolan plays in the Big 12. His dad gets on Twitter and starts trashing the Big 12. And then I had mentioned that to his dad and I got blocked.

[B]

Yeah, I remember that whole sequence playing out too. I think I watched it all unfold, which was why I was going to say a little bit ironic. As part of the 2008 recruiting class, the only out of state player was Nolan Brewster. But Michael mentioned it. I mean, right there. Yeah, Brian wanted to lock down Texas. He wanted to have a firm grasp on the state borders that, you know, and definitely understand why it would. Man. A lot of really, really good talent out there in the state of Texas, as we all know. Hey guys. This show is brought to you by Roback. Big shout out to our friends and folks over there. Thanks for sponsoring today's show, guys. Make sure you're using code inside [e-mail] for 20 off your first order. That's R H O B A C K dot com. This discount applies to all performance polos, shorts, hoodies, Q zips and more. Head to roback.com and use your inside 20 to save today. 20 to save 20 today. So inside 20 getting you 20 off a roebuck. I'm a big roback golf polo guy. They've got 1776 performance gear. Shout out America. You can get, you get alligators. Whatever type of style you want, you can get it over there. Real backyard.

[A]

The hoodies are banging, man.

[B]

Quality stuff over there. So again, shout out to those guys. Thanks for sponsoring today's show. How about we flip some line? Hey, we're talking about Will Most champion. I've got a feeling Justin kind of alluded to it. There might be something big at some point in this class. I'm not going to pretend like I know what it is because we know how Texas football rolls. You guys ruling that out and giving that a chance, what do you think?

[A]

Oh, there's a good chance that's gonna happen. You just don't know right now.

[B]

You know, right?

[A]

Mid late July is such a weird, funny time in the recruiting calendar. It's still a dead period. The coaches are coming off vacation. Kids are trying to find spots before they start their senior season. 2 a days is literally a couple of days away. Yeah, we're in such a weird little spot right now. It's hard to, to kind of figure out what's what.

[B]

But

[A]

now I, I, they, they've got some linebackers on their mind. Joaquim Guta. They're not going to stop recruiting him. It's going to be hard to pull a Georgia kid out of Georgia that's already committed to GE that grew up loving Georgia. But I mean Stark will do it just to piss Kirby off. They love, they like Sean Fox. They, they love Jaden Nelson. Listen, Jaden Nelson. I don't think they're going to stop recruiting Jaden Nelson. I, I think Nelson signs with Tech, don't get me wrong. But they're not going to stop. They're not going to let up on that kid. And so yeah, there's some flip targets out there. Give Texas, you know, we're in the time now where if you're not going to flip that guy today, you're probably not going to flip him tomorrow or in the next week or the next week after that. It's probably going to come in the season because literally these guys are a week away from starting their, their football season, their high school football season. So in not saying you can't do a flip then, I'm just saying a lot of times more, other things become prioritized, other things become more important in the moment and true. And you know what Texas loves to do? Don't forget Sark loves that long game. He loves that he loves because it gives him an opportunity to make the best evaluation possible. Because over the course of that, if towards the end they don't like it, they'll just pull off and they haven't invested anything more past that. So yeah, never say never. I'm with you. TW it's. It's one of those things I think must Champ's gonna flip a major linebacker before signing day. It just, I mean I would be shocked if that does not happen.

[B]

You know and imagine the scenario in which Texas has, you know, some proof in the pudding if you will, with what they're going to do on defensively and he can show. Hey, I can put you in, in this spot or this spot here and this is exactly what it will look like. And hey, maybe you got other coaches telling you maybe, maybe I did lose my fastball. Maybe it's regressed to a change up now clearly you see differently right there. So one last thing here. Any, any comments? Foster, the next 28 committee. You guys, any comments?

[A]

David, tell him.

[C]

Charlie. Look, hey, actually I'm gonna go see Mr. Foster here here soon. But. Yeah, man, look, is the next 28 commitment. I don't know if he's gonna be the next 28 commit or not. But I like what Texas sits in this recruitment look that kid I know Justin Said this all the time. He's a thumb, one of those kids. It's just like he has a long horn written all over him. From his athletic profile, the way he is off the field, you got Chris Gibber, who used to coach at Langston High School. Like it's so many ties to Texas there, it almost makes sense. But if I call him the next. If he doesn't be the next one, he commit, I'm sure you're gonna blow up. Blow me up on Twitter. That's okay. Come to inside Texas and blow me up. That's okay. You know, there you go.

[A]

But you know who Foster is, man, who reminds me of. He's got some, he's got some, some BJ Foster to him.

[C]

He does.

[B]

He does.

[A]

He's not the running back. He's not the athlete. The, the cerebral athlete BJ was. BJ could have played running back at Texas as well as he played safety.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And probably done just as well. But I mean, there's some BJ Foster track traits at safety back there. He's a thumper, this kid. This, this kid is going to get a targeting penalty once or twice a year. It's going to happen. And you know what? I'm all in. David Rawls. I love those headhunters. I'm telling you, if B.J. foster would have, would have lasted longer in Austin, he would have decapitated somebody. He, he, he's just one of Hammer Overshone. They, they can just disassemble you. Yeah, that's just the way they are. James Foster's a lot like that man. He brings hat, he tracks, he smacks. Like Charlie said, I don't know if he's going to be the next guy in the 2028 class, but I love where Texas is at and I wouldn't, I wouldn't have a hard time putting RPM for that kid at all. He's going to come in and he's going to play early and often.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Things you love to hear. Which, which guy from Shadow Creek?

[A]

Yeah, there's like 90.

[B]

That's my thing. They do things pretty well over there.

[A]

Well, they've got, they've got Brandon Sherrard, who's committed. Who's committed. Chris Stewart from the class before. Maybe he's talking about Jalen and Die. Or he's talking about Brandon Lafell's son. What was Brandon's son? Lafeld's son. BJ is, it's bj.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

So if you're not, if you've been around Shadow Creek, it's Like a who's who of NFL kids.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Eric and I went to a camp during the spring, and we walk up, and it's just a bunch of former NFL football players standing in a huddle because all their kids are out there participating from. From BJ Lafel, Brock Berlin. Joseph Adai was out there. It was crazy. Yeah, wide receiver, they're all. Jalen Adai plays running back, wide receiver. LaFaille plays quarterback, running back, wide receiver. They're all multifaceted athletes. I'm gonna assume you're talking about Jalen Adai. It's so early. And that kid's recruitment. But don't. You know, it's cool talking to his dad. Don't just assume he's gonna go to lsu. Dad's from Texas. Dad was a Sharpstown quarterback, if y' all didn't know that. Joseph Adai, that played running back at LSU and for the Indianapolis Colts, he was a quarterback at Sharpstown. And so those guys have Texas ties. And it's so early with Jalen, and I just. Just don't try to get any read on that right now whatsoever. Just sit back and enjoy it. He's going to have 45 offers by the time he announces. He's going to be one of the top 10 kids in the country, and Texas is going to be right there. They have got a great little pipeline at Shadow Creek, and I like to see them maintain that.

[B]

You know, this is why Michael's one of my favorites. Sells and Royal end up at Boston College. Like, I never in a million years could have sat here watching the show with those three goofballs and thought to type that in. It's fun.

[A]

I know the recruiting coordinator, the director at Boston College. I'm gonna. I'm gonna ask him about this because if he's in on these two, Michael Welch has some. Has some intel that I. We can't touch. Yeah. So good stuff, Mike.

[B]

There you go. Teaching us today, guys. All right, fellas, anything else before we get out of here? I. And the vacuuming stopped and still in Tampa. I'll be back covering SEC media days as soon as this is over. They've stopped, though, so we got time if you all want to keep going for a minute. You all got any more recruiting nuggets for anyone out there?

[A]

Where do you work? I just posted something on Jamarius Canton, big time offensive tackle. He's back in East Texas. He was at the IMG Academy. Got some quotes and stuff [e-mail] Come see us there's three schools in the mix. Texas, Texas Tech, and Miami. If that doesn't get your attention in a recruitment, I don't know what will. Come see us. I know Charlie's always working on something. His stuff on Mush Champ yesterday was gold, pure gold. And. And that's why we love him.

[B]

Yeah, that's. That's why we did this show today. Again, if you missed Charlie's article, go check it out over on Inside Texas. And if you're not subscribed, just do it for one buck. Guys, come check us out. $1. Ex Justin likes to say, let us earn that dollar. We appreciate you guys watching Inside Texas again. Go share this with a friend, throw a like on the video, and we'll see you next time. Thank you, guys.