LIVE: Texas Football Analysis & Viewer Questions Answered

Summary

On Texas Football (July 27, 2026)

LIVE: Texas Football Analysis & Viewer Questions Answered
Host: Rod Babers (Lifetime Longhorn)
Co-Host: Jerry Hamilton

This summary covers the substantial football content of the episode, omitting sponsor reads, ads, intro/outro, and repeated transcripts glitches.

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Episode Overview

This lively live-streamed episode of On Texas Football dives deep into Texas Longhorn football as Rod Babers and Jerry Hamilton analyze player development, address burning off-season questions, share insights from SEC Media Days, and take live questions from chat. Topics include early buzz on players like KJ Lacy and Jermaine Bishop, positional battles, recruiting news, injury updates, and the team's approach heading into fall camp.

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Main Discussion Themes

1. "729": Houston Royal’s Viral Tweet

• (02:50) Rod and Jerry open with speculation around Houston Royal's cryptic “729” tweet.
  • It’s confirmed: it's simply his birthday (July 29) — not a tease on recruiting or transfers.
  • “I've never seen so many people trying to dissect and trying to figure out exactly what 729 means.” — Rod (03:21)

2. QB Room Analysis: Spotlight on KJ Lacy

• (04:38) Focus shifts to the QB depth, especially KJ Lacy’s development.
  • Sarkisian (Sark) provides detailed comments (05:31-07:20) on KJ Lacy's similarities to Bryce Young:
    • Natural passer, instinctual, surprisingly mobile, learned a lot from Spring, looked best this summer.
    • “...he’d be a dangerous guy if he got in the game because of his off schedule stuff that he can do, but also his ability just to throw the ball in rhythm and in timing. He’s a natural passer.” — Coach Sark (06:53)
  • Discussion follows on the likelihood of QB injuries and importance of a strong QB2.
    • KJ Lacy’s growth praised for bouncing back from a Spring Showcase where fans didn’t get to see his best due to circumstances. (11:06)
  • “I think he'd be exciting if he got on the field.” — Jerry (08:54)

3. Evolution of Coach Sark's QB Philosophy

• (10:08) Rod observes how Sarkisian now values improvisational ability in his QBs more than in the Mac Jones era.
  • “He now accepts the improv ability of quarterbacks matter. I think now he kind of covets a little bit of it.” — Rod (09:52)
  • Arch Manning’s scramble/playmaking discussed as a potential asset this season.

4. QB Durability and History at Texas

• (13:26) Only five seasons since 1998 where a Texas QB started and finished every game.
  • 2023 with Arch Manning was rare for QB health.

5. Kyle Shanahan Injury Update

• (14:00) Rod updates on former Texas player-turned-coach Shanahan’s car accident and concussion protocol.
  • Won’t rush return; “He is the kind of heart and soul of the organization.” (15:35)

6. Freshman WR Jermaine Bishop: Playing Time & Outlook

• (18:15) Question on Bishop's playing time leads to breakdown:
  • Early snaps likely in opener, should see increased reps as year progresses.
  • “Too good to keep off the field” — Jerry (19:16)
  • Bishop’s explosiveness and practice reps on defense hint at rapid learning.

7. The Underdog Challenge for Veterans

• (19:46) Rod’s reflection: Young talents like Bishop push veterans—both a challenge and inspiration.
  • “As a veteran, you need to take it as a challenge because that's what the NFL is.” — Rod

8. Potential “Trap” Games on the Schedule

• (24:45) Which teams could surprise Texas?
  • Mississippi State & Kentucky flagged as classic trap games after emotional or difficult stretches.
  • Kamario Taylor (Miss. State) is a wild card: “If he turns into that level, then... he could scare you a little bit.” — Jerry (26:22)
  • Florida and Missouri also named as possible sleeper opponents.

9. Running Back Room, Pony Package & Personnel

• (30:26) Viewer request for “pony package” (2 RB sets).
  • Rod advocates for more 21 personnel, citing past explosive play rates (37:25).
  • RB depth: Brown, Smothers, Cooper likely the top rotation.
  • Michael Terry’s transition to RB discussed: must embrace a physical mindset, still has much to prove (31:59).
  • NIL and roster management enable more RB sharing and Portal recruiting.

10. Hollywood Smothers: NFL-Ready?

• (39:26) Coach Dave Doeren advised Hollywood Smothers to enter the NFL as a mid-rounder, but Smothers chose Texas.
  • “That was one of the more interesting statements we heard... the guy who coached him the longest in college told the kid he was ready for the NFL.” — Jerry

11. Cornerback Battle: Johnthan Meredith Reclassifies

• (40:43) Meredith joins Texas due to UIL ineligibility:
  • Open competition after Mosco, Phillips, Roberson.
  • Steep learning curve: raw at the position, but freakish athletic upside.
  • Main challenge: adjusting mentally; not losing confidence if beaten early (46:05).
    • “His first reps are going to be against Cam Colemans of the world... totally different than these 20, 21 year old guys...” — Jerry (46:17)

12. Recruiting & Coaching Staff Chatter

• (48:03) Mark Orfe recognized for building strong relationships, pivotal in Meredith and Bomasco recruitments.

13. A&M OC Hire – “Makovic” Parallels

• (51:31) Chat Q: Did Texas A&M pull a “Makovic” with their OC hire given high expectations?
  • Elko’s choice (Holman Wiggins) scrutinized given playoff run and deep program pockets.
  • “You better be right.” — Jerry (52:57)
  • “If you did a national playoff season, you better be right.” — Rod (52:54)
  • Anecdotes about how Texas missed on Bob Stoops as DC in the ‘90s, changing the landscape of the rivalry.

14. Leadership & Practice Culture

• (57:51) Who will be “first off the bus”/early to practice?
  • Past: Jay Witt/DeAndre Moore.
  • 2026: possibly Emmett Mosley, Bo Masco, Jelani McDonald. Rod notes the importance of early leadership momentum.

15. Fan “Underdog” Favorites for Fall

• (59:16 - 61:44) Viewers/rooting interests for breakout players include:
  • Nick Townsend, Ethan Vasik, Alex January, Marad Watson.
  • Criteria: veterans overcoming injuries/lack of recent hype to break into the rotation.

16. O-Line Watch: Seymour’s Run Blocking

• (62:58) Praise for Lawrence Seymour’s physical run-blocking despite being undersized.
  • Must “be the most physical guy on the field” — Jerry.
  • Scheme fit will be evaluated in outside zone; starting spot not guaranteed.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He reminds me a lot of Bryce Young... Both are natural passers, both very instinctual, both are sneaky with their legs.” — Coach Sark on KJ Lacy (05:31)
• “I've never seen so many people trying to dissect and trying to figure out exactly what 729 means.” — Rod (03:21)
• “He now accepts the improv ability of quarterbacks matter. I think now he kind of covets a little bit of it.” — Rod (09:52)
• “It's been five seasons, I believe now, since Mac Brown first took over... where you have quarterbacks start and finish every game and all the games.” — Rod (13:26)
• “Dave Doeren told Hollywood Smothers he should just go to the NFL. He's ready to be a mid-round pick and he turned it down.” — Jerry (39:26)
• “If he's not [the most physical], a lot of people just oh, 63230. Eddie George. Eddie George is the most physical player every time he touched a football.” — Jerry (32:14)
• “Who could be like the Ryan Niblett... people have almost kind of moved on from you... but who just sticks with it and finally finds their role and relishes in that role.” — Rod (61:44)
• “That was a pivot that nobody thought they were going to take, and it ended up being a good move.” — Rod on Meredith’s reclass decision (51:29)

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Key Timestamps

• 02:50 — The “729” tweet and its (lack of) significance
• 04:38-08:54 — KJ Lacy, QB depth, Sark’s QB commentary
• 13:26 — Texas QB durability since 1998
• 14:00 — Kyle Shanahan injury/concussion update
• 18:15-23:30 — Jermaine Bishop’s path to playing time
• 24:45-29:10 — Schedule “trap” games, Kamario Taylor, Missouri/Florida
• 30:26-34:30 — Pony package RB discussion, Michael Terry’s transition
• 39:26 — Hollywood Smothers’ NFL decision
• 40:43-47:58 — Corner battle: Meredith reclass story, mental tests at CB
• 51:31-57:34 — A&M’s OC search, Bob Stoops–Texas “what ifs,” rivalry talk
• 57:51-59:27 — “First-off-the-bus” leadership, practice culture
• 59:16-61:44 — Underdog picks for breakout/rotation players
• 62:58-64:56 — Lawrence Seymour’s fit and expectations at LG

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Tone & Engagement Notes

• Rod and Jerry blend analytical breakdowns with relatable, often humorous insider anecdotes.
• They’re responsive to live chat, giving fans true Q&A value (and super chat priority).
• The conversation is insight-heavy but casual—reflective of two insiders who love the program and bring decades of context.

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Conclusion

This episode provides a comprehensive look at the Texas Longhorns' roster battles, scheme evolution, and off-season developments as the team prepares for fall camp. The hosts’ blend of keen football analysis, recruiting intelligence, and “insider” vibe makes it especially insightful for serious Texas Football fans. Listeners leave with a richer understanding of depth chart dynamics, the coaching staff’s mindset, and the excitement (and nerves) of the coming season.

Transcript

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[Rod]

Where?

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[Rod]

Hey, what's up, folks? Welcome back to On Texas Football. I'm Lifetime Longhorn Ride Babies. Pleased to be joined by the estimable Jerry Hamilton. Whatever you guys want to talk about, though, you know how it works on the Sunday shows, throw it out there. We'll try to address as many questions and comments as we can. Super chats always jump to the front of the line. You can interrupt the show at any time. Just throw out a super chat. Also shout out to our friends over at Prize Picks and Von Lane for sponsoring this edition of On Texas Football. We'll tell you more about them coming coming up a little bit later on. Yeah, Happy Sunday to each and every one of you guys out there. Yeah, yeah, I see that, Coach Scott. I'm sure we'll get to that too. We got some sound, some audio that we're gonna get to from Coach Sark, also from Arch and some of the guys at the, the SEC media days. Some of the stuff that we didn't cover. Trying to obviously trying to wrap up SEC media days and all of the coverage there. Uh, shout out to, uh, the OTF family that went down. There's great job by Jerry and Bobby and Jeff and CJ and Hank. I mean, it really was great coverage all around, not just for Texas, but all us in the sec. But Jerry, let's get Right to it. We'll start out. Obviously, there's a lot of conversation about Eastern Royal. A lot of people want to talk about that. 729 is it. I gotta ask you, because I'm still like, I. What does 729 mean? What is it?

[Jerry Hamilton]

Birthday.

[Rod]

Okay, so is it just a birthday tweet? Is it just that simple?

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah, more than likely. We'll see.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

Okay.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Because I'm not, I've not heard anything concrete. I, I, it's his birthday. Happy birthday, Houston.

[Rod]

Happy birthday, man. But I said he knows how to keep everybody on their toes because that's it.

[Jerry Hamilton]

He's very good at it.

[Rod]

I've never seen so many people trying to dissect and trying to figure out exactly what 729 means. And maybe it means exactly what it is, which is just 729. There's his birthday. So obviously faster.

[Jerry Hamilton]

It's his birthday. It's probably getting faster.

[Rod]

And he's turning 17.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah, he's a young kid.

[Rod]

That's. That that is also freakish. I was like, damn, I forgot. I was like, forget how young he is because of how freakishly athletic. And he just, he's got some grown man traits. I'll just say that for the young man. All right. I wanna had a lazy Sunday. Ended up watching the 05 Rose bowl layers.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Wow. Football season.

[Rod]

K comes enough, you know that you miss football season when you start re watching it. The 2005 Rose bowl, you know, that's it. I agree with you on that. That's how, you know, you're like, oh, man, it needs to come up. You got like six, we got like six more weeks, basically. I think somewhere around there. And then we'll be deep, deep into it. But I want to. Speaking of, let's talk about, let's hear from actually Sark, actually, because one of the things that he was asked about was KJ Lacey. Actually, this is one of the pieces of audio that we really hadn't gotten to. So we want to try to get to some of the audio and topics that we have not addressed since SEC media days ended. Uh, but he talked about kjac and the thing that stood out was just how, how long he asked a question, Rod.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I didn't expect him to go on K.J. lacy.

[Rod]

Exactly. Okay. So it just shows us that I think K.J. lacey after. And I remember Stark saying this, that he was really excited that one of the blessings in disguise of Arch being out for the spring was that KJ Lacy got to essentially simulate being QB1 for like, for like an entire stretch. You're talking about a few weeks of him being QB1 with the team. How does he interact with his teammates as QB1, you know, what's his preparation? Like it's QB1 one, you know, staying, getting to practice early, stand out of practice, that kind of thing. And I think he passed that test, if you will, unofficially, with flying colors. I think that's why Sark has a lot to say about K.J. lacy. But here's. Jerry asked the question, but here's Sark on his backup qb, kj.

[Jerry Hamilton]

KJ Lacy got a lot of invaluable reps in the spring. How would you assess his spring and where is he at in his development in terms of you guys playing?

[Coach Sark]

Yeah, you know, KJ is a guy that as we've gone through, gone through this with him and I felt this way in high school and as we've grown and gone, you know, I hate comparing guys because it's never fair, but he's got a lot of qualities. He reminds me a lot of Bryce Young, you know, and obviously a bit similar in stature. Both natural passers, both very instinctual, both are sneaky with their legs and can hurt you with their legs when they get there. And now it's the maturation process of understanding schematically and where do I, where do I play when I play so well? Off schedule, but yet play on schedule so that I can play off schedule, if that makes sense. And so I think he's kind of learning that as we go. I felt like there were some moments in spring where he was fantastic. There were moments in spring where there were learning moments. I felt like as we've been on the grass with the guys now for the past, you know, I think it's now five weeks or six weeks or so, whatever it's been this summer. I've seen the best version of KJ Lacy this summer, and that's encouraging to us that he took the stuff we wanted him to get better at from spring and apply it in the summer. And we've seen that. I think he'd be a dangerous guy if he got in the game because of his off schedule stuff that he can do, but also his ability just to throw the ball in rhythm and in timing. He's a natural passer that way and he's thrown a ton of passes. In high school they threw a ton of balls and so it's very comfortable and natural for him to do that.

[Rod]

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[Unknown Car Buyer]

The car is beautiful. Where did you end up going for it? This exclusive place that dad has connections with. They have more cars for more dealerships than like, anywhere else. You have to put me in touch. What's it called? It's Dun D. Where? Dun D. There's an accent on the E. Do you mean. Yes, I got it on. Done deal cars. Lift, please. You going past Kimage? Oh, Kimage. No. Done deal cars. You couldn't possibly go anywhere else.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Rod, you know, the reason I asked him that question was. I mean, look, quarterbacks get nicked up.

[Rod]

Yes, they do.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Arch didn't miss a game last year, but he got knocked out of a game a couple times. Inevitably, in a long season, KJ Lacy will enter a game when it's not Texas up 28, 30 points. So I just wanted to him to assess what, looking back on how his spring was in their eyes, the most impressive part to me for K.J. lacy, of that response was Sark saying, this summer on the grass is the best they've seen a KJ Lacey.

[Rod]

So getting better.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yes.

[Rod]

Like, you know, I mean. Yes.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I think he'd be excited, he'd be exciting if he got on the field.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

A.J. lacey.

[Rod]

I caught that, too.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Rod]

I thought.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That's not what I was expecting to hear at the end of an answer like that from Sark. I just wanted to say, hey, what do y' all think of him? Because inevitably, he's gonna have to play this year where he's gonna have to play.

[Rod]

Oh, I wish I had some wood to knock on, Jerry.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Exactly.

[Rod]

Right there. Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Oh, man. It's football. We all know.

[Rod]

I would love to hear, because I remember a question like that about K.J. lacy before the spring and him going on and elaborating about KJ's skill set. And I'd love to kind of listen to those back to back, because I feel like now he actually is more impressed with KJ than he was prior to the spring. He's some of the things that are consistent. He talks about being a natural passer, talks about the offense moving with the natural playmaking. Bill, he said it in the start of that clip about him improvising off schedule. And I'll give Sark credit for growing and evolving as a play caller and as a football mind and a football theorist. He now accepts the, I should say the improv ability of quarterbacks matter. Of fact, I think now he kind of covets a little bit of it. I don't think when he had Mac Jones as his quarterback, he liked off schedule.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

He.

[Rod]

He didn't like improv. He didn't like off script. I think he wanted all of his. His plays to operate on schedule, on time, and that's ideally how he wants to go. And I think still that's how he thinks, and that's how ideally he. But I think now he understands the value of a quarterback that can operate outside the lines and that can be off schedule. And the scrambling ability, I take. I talk about all the time. You averaged over 10 yards per play when Arch decided to scramble as a runner or as a passer, like, he was that good. That's her most successful play. I think Sark understands that now. And. And now. I don't know. I would love to know from Arch, does Sark discourage or encourage scrambling? Is he. Is he like, nah, I want you to stay in that pocket. I want you to stay downfield as long as they stay in the progressions, as long as you can. Or if he's like, you know what, Arch, if you see it, I trust your instincts. You need to.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Rod]

Because he's got really good instincts with the. With the off skills.

[Coach Sark]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I mean, so the thing with Lacey is. And look, we're all knocking on wood.

[Rod]

Right.

[Jerry Hamilton]

We help. We Hope Arch has 100 healthy season, but we all know that football, it's just not the way that goes. Inevitably, Lacey's gonna have to come into a game when it's not a big lead. That's just what we've seen from Texas football the last few years. Right. Running back, quarterback. It is what it is. Another reason I asked that question was the one. The one player that, when I looked back, thought back, driving around. I did a lot of driving in June. Right. I. I thought back and said, okay, who was the one player that. The spring showcase, as you call it, Rob, which is what it was, kind of got the short end of the stick. I thought it was Lacy from a. Fans getting to see him. And you. You know why I say that I like that? Because when nobody's around, he's throwing the Cam Coleman in practice, throwing the Wingo a lot in practice. Showcase with the live. Those guys weren't out there.

[Rod]

It's a great point, Jer. I actually agree with you on that. I. I didn't think about it. Yeah, that's a great point.

[Jerry Hamilton]

It's like he kind of got. He didn't get the Shaft. Right. I mean, it's.

[Rod]

It's.

[Jerry Hamilton]

But it's kind of like, oh, we're not going to risk injury to some of these guys here. How much did the Relic Brown play? How much does Smothers play? So, like, he really didn't. When all those fans were in the stands, he didn't really get to play with the ones like he did in practice every day when nobody was around. So that I just. I just was wondering what Sark's thoughts were on kj. That's why I asked the question. He gave us more than I thought.

[Rod]

That's a good point. I feel like I didn't give him proper respect after the Spring Showcase either. Now you got me wanting to go back and just watch KJ and just kind of watch him in the little clips that I have from the Spring Showcase. No good stuff there, Jerry. I like. I like that question. I thought that was good. And I'll just throw this out there just so we have the facts. It's been five seasons, I believe now, since Mac Brown first took over Texas football, which is 1998, where you have quarterbacks start and finish every game and all the games. It's only been five seasons since 1998, and Sark hadn't had a season, have a quarterback start and finish every game or started every game but didn't finish every game.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Right.

[Rod]

Last year. To your point, Jerry, that's the healthiest

[Jerry Hamilton]

the quarterback has been at Texas in a season.

[Rod]

And. Yeah, since. Yeah, since Shane Buell when it. When it was a. Shane Buell did that.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Rod]

No, Sam, no. Bam. Sam. Sam did it. Ellinger did it. Sam Ellinger did it in 2019. Yeah, I believe it was right. Right before. Sorry I got here. Yeah. Because remember, bam, bam, Sam. I think Mr. Didn't. Didn't bam, Bam saying I miss a little bit of time. 2018, if I'm not mistaken. Maybe that was. That was Buchelli. That came in for him a couple of times.

[Jerry Hamilton]

It may have been.

[Rod]

You made the Big 12 title game, and you don't make it without Buchelli stepping in. Yeah, I remember that for a couple of games. Yeah. Sam in 2019. Yeah. Sam was built different. He was. No question about that. All right, good stuff there. I did see a question, and I wanted to address this, too. So I'm gonna get to this, and then we'll get back to some of the audio. Shout out to my man CB he said, hey, Rod, have you talked to Kyle Shanahan after what happened to him? Yes, Obviously, everybody's heard by now that Chann got into a car wreck and it was really severe that he ended up getting car wrecks, had several stitches, ended up getting a severe concussion from talking to Shannon. Everything's good now. He was at practice today for a few minutes, which. Yeah, that's. That's. Wow. For him to be at practice. The only thing they're concerned about now I believe is just lingering issues. He's in concussion protocol, basically, from what I understand. And he's got a hit. It's kind of some benchmarks about recovery from concussion protocol. And so that's the. The issue now. Everything physically though, and I mean, he says he's healing up really well. I'm feeling real good. I don't know if he's gonna be ready for the start of the season. I wouldn't rush it if I was him. I kind of. I didn't tell him that, but I wouldn't rush it. He's gonna rush it because, like, he was at practice today. I know that guy well enough to know his obsession with football and he's pretty damn stubborn. That's what makes him good at what he does. But. And I can. He's not. He's not playing on the field. So concussion, not as serious as he is for player. But still, it was probably a pretty severe concussion considering you're still dealing with after effects of it. And we're what, two. We're almost two weeks considering what the

[Jerry Hamilton]

injuries reported were from the. Yes.

[Rod]

Yeah. With broken nose and ribs. Yeah. So it was a. I didn't get a lot of details about the actual wreck itself and like, what happened. I was actually going to make some calls and call some of my people and talk about that, but I just want to make sure he was doing okay. And I reached out to him. He's. He's. I'm doing good. He said he's. Everything's all good and he's feeling real good too. He's just trying to get back as soon as possible. The crazy thing is, I mean, he is. He does everything with him. Like, he's the head coach. He does the personnel too. Like, he's the one that has to, you know, approve all the guys who make the team, all that kind of stuff. So as an organization, I mean, they really are without the kind of heart and soul of the organization. So he's trying to get back as soon as possible. I. Like I said, I told him I wouldn't rush it, man. No need to rush. He's been there 10 years now. Guys. So I. I think you can. He's built it. He's built the infrastructure well enough. I think behind the scenes, he can still play a significant role while he recovers fully and, you know, try not to rush to get back because, you know, like I said, we. It seemed like it was pretty traumatic. Like, it's. Yeah. After talking to him and then talking to some folks, like, it was. Yeah, it was. It was like could have. If things happened the wrong way, it could have been very, very serious and disastrous potentially. So.

[Jerry Hamilton]

One, One, obviously glad he's. He's. He's okay. And on making a recovery. Two, it. Just hearing you talk with a concussion, it kind. It throws me back to the old John McEvick time. Do you remember that, Rod? That was before. I mean, you were in high school.

[Rod]

Yes. When he got. No, no. When he got hit on the side,

[Jerry Hamilton]

when he got concussed and he was trying to coach through a concussion symptoms.

[Rod]

Yes, yes. And I remember. I've talked to. I think it was Bucky Godbolt who was part of that staff, and they was like, no, no, he was severely concussed. Like, he. He was like you. You could tell, like, what. Something is severely wrong with him at this time. Yeah, you're right. Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

It reminded me of that.

[Rod]

So.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Because. And people are like, Mac wasn't the same column. Even call them plays practices for a while.

[Rod]

I agree with that. That's why I would. If I'm him, I would take. Just take your time. There's no point in rushing it back. And like I said it. If you're dealing with concussion symptoms, like I said, that happened on, well, last Tuesday, and Now we're what, 10, 11 days after that. That's. Yeah. I think you need to make sure you take it seriously. So he's good, everybody. He's good. But I. Like I said, I. I just wanted to make sure that he was all right and. And that, you know, there wasn't something more serious happening. And he seems to be fine. All right, let's get back to questions here. How about this one from Dante McLeod? He says, how much playing time do y' all think Bishop will get this year?

[Jerry Hamilton]

I think you'll get him on the field in the opener. Game two. I'm not sure. I think that's an experienced players game utsa. I think you'll get him on the field. And then I think as the season plays out, Rod, again, somebody's gonna get nicked up at wide receiver. It happens just look at every year. I think as the season moves along, I think you're going to start to see him mix in. And I'm not saying starter level reps. I mean, look, if. If Coleman, Wingo and Mosley are all healthy, that's three NFL draft picks.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

With experience in college football. But I do think there's going to be a place for him in this offense as the season moves along, because I just think he's too good, Rod. I just think the guy's too good to keep off the field. And I don't know if you and I have talked about it, but the thing I've commented on with him taking all these defensive reps this summer was that tells me he picked up the offense really quick. I agree with that.

[Rod]

That's a good point, Jer.

[Jerry Hamilton]

So he's going to be too good to keep off the field. It's really up to. And even though they kind of play different positions, Dale and McCutcheon played slot year one. It's going to be up to those guys.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

It's not going to be up to Wingo. It's not going to be up to Coleman, Wingo and Mosley to keep him off the field. It's going to be up to who's the number four, number five receiver to keep him off the field.

[Rod]

That's a great point.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Are you guys going to be able to hold Jermaine Bishop off? And I think as the season moves along, it's going to be tough.

[Rod]

I remember being that veteran guy and I said I was an NFL player, I wasn't elsewhere, but I remember seeing the young Michael Huffs coming in, the young Cedric Griffinson going, oh, yeah, this is. These guys are a different breed. They. They gonna. They gonna play. And if they reach their ceiling, they'll. They could end up being better players than me or any of the guys that are here. But that's the motivation. Like, they're not gonna take my job, though. Like, you'll be not. They're gonna be really good players one day. It just won't be while I'm on campus. And that's. That was.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

That.

[Rod]

That's honestly was a big part of my motivation. And they kept stacking it like that. Behind me, Nathan Basha came Huff Daddy. These young bucks, and they were really talented as we saw. But as a, As a. As a veteran, you need to take it as a challenge because that's what the NFL is. They're gonna draft every year to take your job, and they want to. They want to pay the younger, cheaper guy rather than,

[Jerry Hamilton]

I think, Bishop's one of those guys, Rod, where, you know, it's happened many times at Texas at many positions, but especially the skill position. You see it. The first two or three touches you that he has at DKR on a Saturday, not even at the Spring Showcase, or you're going to be like, this. Fans are going to be like, make that kind of noise. Like. Like, this guy moves different on a football field.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That's what we're talking about with Jermaine Bishop.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

He.

[Jerry Hamilton]

It's just going to be how he moves in the play He. He's going to make in limited opportunities, or people are going to be like, ooh, that kind of. Ooh. I. He's going to do that. That's just who he is. That's freshman year at Willis.

[Rod]

Yeah, I remember those. I remember Bichon. Got it. I remember B was like, oh, Xavier worthy.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Zoom. And you're like, yeah.

[Rod]

You know, you went, oh, he is different. Okay. Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I think that's what we're gonna see with him when his time comes, and then he's gonna push for more time. He's gonna force his way on the field.

[Rod]

I would say a good example of what in terms of touches and potential targets and even reps. Look at that. 20. Was it 20?

[Jerry Hamilton]

24?

[Rod]

No, sorry. Yeah, 2024. And the. The wide receiver kind of target share, because, remember, Ryan Wingo was just a freshman and you had golden.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Rod]

You had bond. Right. You had Bond golden. You had more.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Rod]

Connor Helm ended up with the greatest tight ends.

[Coach Sark]

He.

[Rod]

So in terms of where Wingo was going to fit, it was tough to figure out, like, where is he going to fit? Because they got a lot of.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Then what happens? Injuries happen. Somebody comes up, takes advantage.

[Rod]

Yep. And so he ended up, that season, try to get. He ended up with 30 receptions, I believe it was. You end up with 34. No, sir. He had 29 receptions overall, but 34. So he ended up with some reverses, too, I think, so. 34 total touches, I believe it was. Which, by the way, Jermaine Bishop should get some of those. He's that case, that kind of player with the ball in his hand. So you expect him to be the reverse guy sometimes. So he ended up with 29 receptions, 472 yards, 16 yards per reception, two touchdowns. And then he also had the reverses. He was really good on those rushes, too. Okay. He had five rushes for 100 yards. He averaged 20 yards per touchdown. He got a reverse. That's where I could see him at, right there. Jerry Right in that realm right there.

[Jerry Hamilton]

The play that caught my eye in the spring showcase, outside of seeing him in high school, was not the catch for a touchdown or anything. It was when Grayson Littleton, he called, he got the flag on Grayson Littleton. And I was like, I don't recall Grayson Littleton getting a flag last year against some really good wideouts.

[Rod]

Oh, how's that?

[Jerry Hamilton]

Jermaine Bishop did something to him that turned. That turned him around a little bit there or caused him to grab and hold instead of react and run. And I was like, that's interesting.

[Rod]

That's what I was like.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I haven't seen Grayson grab and hold very often.

[Rod]

It's a great point. Ohio State. Oh, how's they tested them? Remember, they went after. And that's. I said, if I'm Ohio State and I see that freshman starting, I'm gonna be salivating, licking my chops. And I'm like, all right, I gotta set a place. Ready for that guy. Where is he? And they did. That's exactly what they did. They were smart about it. And that young man rose to the occasion and made several plays in Ohio State game when they went after him. And so you're right. If Ohio State couldn't make him flinch, Jermaine Bishop had him out there a little twisted.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And Grayson's a really good football player.

[Rod]

And he's twitchy. He's twitchy, actually. Like, he. He gets in off his breaks and his hips are really flexible. So Jermaine Bishop is. Yeah, he's a little different. No doubt about that. All right, a good question there. Getting back to it, how about this question from Peyton's. He said, what candidates do we have on the schedule that could make it harder? You know, Vandy A and M last year. And Candace, to make it easier on paper, Florida last year, even though we lost. Okay, what cancer scale that we get can make it harder? Basically, that they guys basically teams that are going to kind of wild cards teams are going to be better than we all predict, or at least maybe they match up really well with Texas because that's what happened last year. A couple of times, like you ended up with like that Mississippi State game or the Kentucky.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That's where I was going on this.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

A lot of people haven't been talking about it because there's so many stars that are already stars at SEC media days. And I was there. You see who Jeff Lebby compared Kamario Taylor to?

[Rod]

I don't know, but it's. Who did he say?

[Jerry Hamilton]

RG3?

[Rod]

Oh, I hope not.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Somebody asked him. Well, I guess the only guy I can really compare him to is RG3.

[Rod]

Million euro saw Wal IG Ram 40 favors did the Chevy Leonard Hammerfang f egg my future fund Punkai E.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

The car is beautiful. Where did you end up going for it? This exclusive place that dad has connections with. They have more cars for more dealerships than like anywhere else. You have to put me in touch. What's it called? It's Dune DL. Where Dune dial. There's an accent on the E. Do you mean. Yes. I got it on. Done deal cars. Lift please. You going past Kimage? Oh kimmage. No done deal cars. You couldn't possibly go anywhere else.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And I'm like huh? Like I think Kamaru Taylor's super talented. If he is going to be that if he turns into that level and I'm not saying Heisman Trophy boner but he is talented that level player then 1031 after playing Oklahoma, Florida and Ole Miss because it's a home game and you're emotionally may not be up for that game. It's human nature. Nobody really gets up for Mississippi State and Kentucky the same way they do other teams in the sec. It's just human nature in the schedule then Camario Taylor could scare you a little bit in a game like that. If you don't, if you don't bring your A game. If he's really ends up being that level player to where it's like that's a surefire first round quarterback in one more year then they, they, they become a little different team than they were with Blake. Shape it or a lot different team. Doesn't mean they're gonna go better in five and seven but they may scare the hell out of a lot of people.

[Rod]

That's a good point. And I kinda, I've been looking at that the Florida game again which is kind of strange because we know Florida's got good athletes and I don't think Texas is going to sleep on Florida. But I keep talking about that boss, that Buster Faulkner hire which I think was a really good hire. Like offensively schematically that offense is going to give Texas. It just gives you a lot of problems to have to solve because he's very versatile. I'm just throwing out there but I'll say the that Missouri game after because I'm not sure what this Ahmad Hardy timeline is going to be.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I didn't think Drinkwood's Drinkowitz did not sound like he knew to me and I watched his whole press conference there in person.

[Rod]

Okay.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And I think he's predicting he's going to be close to what he was when he gets back, but I don't think he knew when that would be. Like he just got fully released. I think the date, the day before SEC media days began that Monday maybe. So he, he did not sound like he truly knew. And so that will be interesting. I mean you. We know he'll be back on the field for Texas, but where is this year kind of a get back year for him? I don't think anybody really knows.

[Rod]

That's because I wonder if they'll just like he won't be planning on at all playing most of the season. Just saying, you know what, I'm gonna come back and play two or three games just for NFL scouts who are like, hey, we just need to see you man, post, you know, situation just to make sure you're okay. I think that's probably what I would advise him to do. And I bet one of them games would be, hey, we'd love to see against that Texas defense. And not that I'm saying like I wouldn't be worried about Texas, I think losing to Missouri, but in terms of making things a little tougher because Jerry's right about that stretch that you'll have. And that'll be our first road game after we're like three straight home games, something like that.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yes.

[Rod]

Oklahoma at the start of that stretch, it's easy to Jerry's point, one of those days you could look past and be thinking, oh man, we just got past a tough stretch. Oh, we got another tough stretch coming up. And it's like we have, that's, that's a game this week versus Missouri. And you're thinking, oh man, Missouri's not very good. They haven't had a Mart Hardy all year, blah, blah, blah. And then they have their best game of the season and you have your kind of a down game. And that happened with Texas. In the Mississippi State, Kentucky games. You had bad games and they had some of their best game. Florida, Florida played arguably their best game of the season versus you. And then that coach got fired like two weeks later. Like that happens. And you can't afford for that to happen more than like once on your schedule this season because it happened multiple times last year. And you survived because you got grit and your guys played with a lot of it down the stretch in Kentucky and the Mississippi State games. But we know if not for Ryan Niblet, hell, that could have been a whole different story. So I agree that's a good point though, about what teams could surprise Texas because they got surprised a lot last year. Shouldn't have been the case. All right, thank you for that question. We got a super chat here, I believe from Longhorn blood. Oh, I love that. I said I would love to see multiple combinations of duo as long as Smothers or Brown is on the field with either Cooper or Terry. So you're talking about some pony package.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yes, Rod's favorite.

[Rod]

I, you know, I'm a big fan of it.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I love these backs, Rod.

[Rod]

Yes, exactly. Because I think you got your, I mean, post Bijan and Rojo, your best kind of combination of backs maybe potentially. And I think his and I know this, your most, some of your most explosive personnel groupings have been with two backs on the field where you had 21 personnel. And that's no matter. That's post Bijan and Rojo. That's all throughout Sark's tenure. So I hope he goes back to it. Last year you didn't have access to it. Last year you had the niblet package and which at times would use him as a hybrid player that would line up in the backfield. But you had no true 21 personnel, two backs, one tight end. And I think you'll definitely get back to it this year. I. The Derek Cooper thing is this. I don't know about Michael Terry. I don't know if he's going to be in that conversation. I doubt the running back rotation expands to more than three guys. And you know, Brown and Smothers are the two. And it feels like Derek Cooper has solidified himself as the third back, which is quite an accomplishment for it.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I think Terry and I think Terry enters August is 5. So. So, so everybody. I think for those that don't know my take on Terry, here's my take on Terry. And I'm not saying he can't be a good player. That's not what I'm saying when I say this. But there's a couple of things with Terry that he's got to kind of prove for me. One, he came into college wanting to play wide receiver at 6:3,218 pounds.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That's not a running back mentality. So when you make a move to running back and you're now 6323 ish. When you look at the other backs on the team, the way you get on the field is you're the most physical player on the field every time you touch a football. And he's gonna have to prove that part out because he didn't come to college with that type of mindset. He came in wanting to play receiver. That's not the most physical player on the field mindset. No offense to receivers, they just don't play. That's not what, that's not where they play. So then you say, okay, we're gonna move you to running back. Well then you got to change your mindset and it's got to be a 180 from where he came into college at. But if you're 63230 and you're on this team in that running back room, you better be the most physical player on the field every time you touch the football. That I mean, and if he's not, a lot of people just oh, 63230. Eddie George. Eddie George is the most physical player every time he touched a football. Didn't mean he won every collision, Rod. But that guy had that I'm the most physical player on the field mindset. Those guys have to have that mindset. So did he. Is he able to flip his mindset as he grows as a player and become the most physical player on the field every time he touches a football with the mindset? Doesn't mean he's going to win every collision. Yeah, but he's got to deliver as much as he takes or more because that's what's going to get him on the field. It's not going to be running outside the Hashes. Relik Brown can do that. Smothers can do that. Cooper could do that. But that's not even Cooper's strength, I don't think. But Cooper can do that. It's going to be in between that tackle box.

[Rod]

Yeah, I agree with you on that. And transforming your body along with transforming that mentality so you can't getting that armor so you can, you know, exert your physicality and it's not going to

[Jerry Hamilton]

be somebody brought up H back. It's not going to be H back because you got Nick Townsend who's really good there and has already said I'm a physical football player. He's shown that on the field. So. But it's a good thought. But I don't think he's going to take that spot from Nick Townsend either because that's again, that's a blocking at the line of scrimmage against 290 pound, 280 pound future NFL draft picks in the SEC. So that's just for me what Michael Terry's got to that that's going to be the Big thing for Michael Terry is can you be the most physical player on the field anytime you take a handoff And I think that's what he's going to have to do.

[Rod]

All right, all right, before we move on, answer a couple of more questions. Let's thank our sponsors here, thank our friends over at Prize Picks. First and foremost, we appreciate our friends over at Prize Picks and you will as well. They do a great job of improving your overall sports viewing experience. And no matter what you're into, whether it's you're into baseball, whether you're into basketball, esports is your thing. No matter what it is, our friends over at Prize Picks, they give you so many different ways for you to be creative and to have a lot of fun making your picks. For player picks, all you do is choose more or less on a few player stats and you lock in your lineup. That's it. And if you like, you know, picking teams instead of individual players, Prize picks has you covered there too. You can now pick the winner or the total on the games or even fights. It's really great prospects available in most states including the great state of Texas, California and Florida. So chances are you can jump in right now. And one of my favorite features which is really great is that you can follow users as well. So if you like the pics that somebody else is making, you can tell them with one click and you can follow your friends picks too. So it's really, really interact, really fun. And the best part is if you've never tried Prize pick before, play your first $5 lineup and if you win, you'll get $150 in bonus lineups. Just make sure you use the code HMA when you sign up. That's actually they updated this offer so there's never been a better time for you to get started. Download the Prize Picks app right now. Use the code HMA. Play the first five dollar lineup and if you win you'll get 150 in bonus lineup. That's prize picks code HMA. Good luck and as always, play smart. Play responsibly. Plate price picks. All right, let's also take a friends over at Von Lane. While we're thanking sponsors, would you tell the folks out there about our friends over at Von Lane, please?

[Jerry Hamilton]

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[Rod]

Boom. Thank you very much, Jerry. Appreciate you. And appreciate our friends over at Von Lane as well. Oh, before we move on to another super chat, Longhorn blood, I did want to end the conversation you were talking about, or at least that you asked about, with the two backs, with the explosive play rates of your pony package in the last few years. I didn't do it for 25 because 25 was weird. It was just Ryan Niblett sets for the most part, so I kind of put that in his own package. But when you ran two back sets to call their pony package in 21, you were 16. So 20 plus short plays, you were 6. 16. Explosive play rates, you were over 20%, 22 and 23, and you were at almost 14 in 2024. So explosive play rates are pretty high in your pony packages. I've always advocated for more pony package, so hopefully we see it this year with hard. And my thing is, I don't know if you could recruit all those guys via the portal if you didn't throw out there, hey, guys, we're going to play two back sets. We had Bijan and Rojo, we had Jaden Blue and Trey Wise in the backfield at the same time and go look at their numbers. We can use two backs and we can use them at the same time in our own.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That tape was definitely shown the guys, right, Rod?

[Rod]

And had to be like, I mean, that's got to be part of the pitch. Otherwise you don't think you get Relique Brown and Hollywood Smothers, two first team all conference backs. If you can't show them, hey, both of you guys can thrive in this offense at the same time.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah. All right, you know what's one, Rod? One of the craziest, not craziest. One of the most interesting statements that we heard in the whole off season, which finally is winding down and we're ready for ball now, is coach Matt Debuck, whose son traded Buck a second team media deep snapper transferred into Texas. We had coach Debuck on the show and he was talking about Trey, he was talking about Derek Cooper, who originally started at high school at Cardinal Gibbons with him, then went to Shaman Madonna. And he is really good friends with Dave Doran through recruiting. And he just threw in there in a comment. He said, yeah, Dave Doran told Hollywood Smothers he should just go to the NFL. He's ready to be a mid round pick in the NFL and he turned it down.

[Rod]

Whoa.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And that was one of the more interesting statements we heard from an interview because it was so unexpected, it was just in a conversation. So I, I, I just keep going back to that. I mean, Dave Doran literally told the kid, you're ready to go to the league, go to the league, go be a fourth round pick and see if you can work your way up. And the kid didn't do it. So I've always just, that stuck with me because the guy who coached him the longest in college told the kid he was ready for the NFL.

[Rod]

Interesting. Oh, man, that is a nice nugget. And for running backs, usually you're told, not all the time, but usually you're told by your advisors, agents, whatever. It's like, yeah, just get to the league, man. Because the running back position has been so devalued at this point, you just, we need you to make a roster and then get to your second contract as running back as soon as possible. Because you have a shorter shelf life than most positions and you've been devalued more and more over the years. So usually it is good advice for running backs. Like, no, no. While you don't have a lot of carries, you ain't gotta, you still got tread on your tires. Get to the league, get paid. But I guess maybe that's why nil and real share changes the game because like, yeah, I'm gonna get paid. I did the math on the fourth round pick and what I'd be making. And you know what, it's not that, you know, negligible difference, like I don't. That's a great nugget, though, Jerry. I didn't know that. That is. Yes.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That just came out of nowhere in a conversation. I wouldn't even expect that. Hey, A.C. holloman asked was. We haven't gone over this. Rod, I want to get your thoughts on this too. Is John here? Meredith's gonna play after reclassifying. So here's what I can tell people on that. He moves in tomorrow. I think he put on Instagram packing up some of his stuff. He moves down to Austin tomorrow. So look, I think going into the season, based on intel, Bo Masco is the best corner on the team. He had the best spring. So he's starting at one corner with Kobe Black moving to safety. Apparently he's doing very well there. But that's without pads. We'll see what happens in August. Cade Phillips and Warren Roberson are your two and three corners. And one of those guys, obviously Kate Phillips slated the start right now going into fall.

[Rod]

Fowlum Tille egg my future fund punk I. E.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

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[Rod]

Where?

[Unknown Car Buyer]

Dune Dial. There's an accent on the E. Do you mean. Yes. I got undone. Deal cars. Lift, please. You going past Kimage? Oh, Kimage. No. Done. Deal cars. You couldn't possibly go anywhere else

[Jerry Hamilton]

after those three. It's an open competition. Not that there's not competition with Warren Roberson, but I mean, I think he's impressed the stats.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Okay. Smoke Matthews is a freshman who came in in January. You know, Hayward, Howard played it worked out some there in the spring. Grayson, Littleton. Let's assume he stays at nickel. I'm not saying he's going to move. So somebody's asking, will John Meredith play? I think that's an o total unknown right now. But what I was told with 100 sourcing on this is John Meredith is told if you come in and you get up to speed fast, which nobody really knows how this is going to go because that kid's mind was totally fixated on senior year high school football. He was not a kid who would plan to enroll early. He's only here because his Texas UIL ruling got denied. Yeah, so he wasn't always planning to come in.

[Rod]

So.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Rod, there is a strength component there. There's an experience component there there. He's going to Feel like he's running 100 meter race in August in smoke. Matthews has an 80 meter lead on him. Right. I mean, all those things come into play. But he was, they were, they told him, look, man, it's competition. If later in the season you pick all this up and you're the guy, then you're the guy. They said it's really going to be up to you. Though he was not promised anything in terms of playing time. He was promised a chance to compete. And you know what? If you compete and get on the field, great. If you don't, it's a hell of a developmental year and it'll end up being a lot better than playing a senior year high school football for you.

[Rod]

Yeah, that's kind of the win, right? It's like, well, you can treat it as the best. They don't need them. It's a luxury now to have them pretty much on the roster competing. And I'm with you. I think there are a couple of things that could, you know, expedite his development. A couple of things to slow it down. I think one thing that helps him is that I believe much Champ's gonna play more man coverage and it's easier. I can attest to this because it happened to me. Bull Reese played a lot of man coverage when I came in in 99 in Texas. And man coverage, you can play early. I don't have to read routes. There's no route diagnosis. I'm not progressions from keying from the number one receiver to the quarterback back to number two. None of that stuff. All right? It's just cover that man. And is your. If your technique is sound and he's got some freakish elite traits, I think that may help him. That would be something that could help him. Something that could hurt him is he hasn't played a lot of cornerback.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That's it.

[Rod]

He hasn't played a lot. I, I was shocked to find out he had been playing basically corner, focusing on corner for like two years. Yeah, guys. There are guys like Malik Muhammad is a prime example. By the time Malik Muhammad got to Texas.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Been playing since middle school. Because his whole family was corners.

[Rod]

Yes. He'd been playing corner for like seven years, seven, eight years already. That's a long time to be just seeing routes and learning the position, the technique and, you know, cultivating the technique of the position. And so I do think that could hold him back just because he's just not played now. It is. You see how freakish his athleticism is that he's Already the top cornerback prospect or he made it to the top cornerback prospect in his class and he hadn't played the position that long. That just shows you the upside. But that could hurt him seeing the field early and college because the game is going to be moving really, really fast.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Well, and that's that Rod. That's the other thing. It's like you as, as a guy coming in, you got to have a very short. The shortest memory at corner, would you say, in a, on a football field?

[Rod]

Oh yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Quarterback and corner. Quarterback and corner. Shortest memory. I mean his first reps are going to be against Cam Coleman's of the world and he may have played high school football. He may have competed in the opening. Yeah, that's totally different than these 20, 21 year old guys who are going into the draft next year. And so I think the biggest, one of the biggest things in front of him is not actually learning technique and getting being saying this guy's good enough to help Texas in some capacity at some point in the season. I think his biggest test is to not lose confidence early.

[Rod]

Yep, agreed.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Because that adversity can. It's going to smack you. It smacks everybody. How short your memory? If you have a real, if you have a couple of rough practices early on and I'm not saying he is, but if you do, how short your memory.

[Rod]

Totally agree with that. Yeah, I agree with that. I think corner, I think corners they do. There's times where guys have the skill set like skill set is not an issue. But they had a tough stretch and they I think honestly happened to Gilbo.

[Jerry Hamilton]

We saw Muhammad lose confidence.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

A long time.

[Rod]

Gilbo lost the long he stayed at Texas. He lost more confidence. Remember he was, he was beating out J. Baron when he first got here.

[Jerry Hamilton]

He was starting.

[Rod]

He was starting today. Baron kept gaining confidence. Jalen Gilbert kept on losing it. And I, so I, I've seen it, it really good players, especially at the cornerback or the DB position. You can lose confidence. You're done. You. It's like, you know, I say, they always say dolls can smell fear.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Rod]

Receivers know when you're, you're a insecure defensive back. They know. They could smell it.

[Jerry Hamilton]

By the way, I was told over the weekend that he's not talked about a lot but Mark Orfe is getting a lot of positive run in the building for recruiting.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Doing a good job building relationships when relationships don't matter as much at the close of deals, but they do still matter. Like if he hadn't had the relationship he had with Meredith and the mom and mus champ might not have been in position to come in and help that one as much as he did.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And really, this decision to reclass. From what I was told, John wasn't super on board with it initially because, look, he been. He wanted to go be a senior all American. Right. That's where his focus had been. I think the people around them were more on board with it initially than John was. And I think orfe that relationship, then what will must champion come in and done a very big key was the mom trusting them to say this is the best thing for your kid. And then the people. And then the conversation started happening with John.

[Rod]

Wow, man. And the bo mascot man's guy. He'd be a big part of the Bo Masco recruitment as well.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Right, because he recruited him in high school.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Because I mean. And when you think about it, you totally get it. John Meredith was fighting for his eligibility. He was not even thinking about going to college early at that time. He was trying to play at North Crowley his senior year and go win a state championship at North Crowley and play on that secondary that has guys committed to other Power 4 schools. Maybe one of the best high school secondaries in the country. That's clear where his focus was. So then he had to wrap his head around this and go from I want. My goal is to be all American my senior year in high school to coming in and fighting to get on a football field.

[Rod]

Yeah, you're right.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Supposed to be in high school.

[Rod]

He definitely plays special teams for you right away though, right? You just throw them out there on special teams.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That guy could block a punt.

[Rod]

That's what I'm saying.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Six two, twitchy guy. But his attitude's been great since. Since he made. Not that his attitude wasn't great, but since he made that decision, he's been great about it. He just. I think he just had to wrap his mind around. I get it. The kid was a scene. Hadn't started his senior year in high school, so. And Marcus Spears. Look, Marcus Spears, I think, and he's doing really well at Texas, guys. He's had like five practice. I'm telling you.

[Rod]

I'm not.

[Jerry Hamilton]

He's not going to start David Punch and Modus. But Spears has done very well at Texas so far. I think that in basketball, other kids were doing that more. And that's kind of been planned and that's kind of been talked about, you know, And I think those are two totally separate situations there. Meredith's coming to Texas because his eligibility got denied. Spears is coming to Texas early, college early, because they've been kind of talking about that for a while. If he had tapped out what he could do in the high school level, then that was a. That was the next part of a plan for Spears. This one happened due to being ruled ineligible. So that's a total different situation for anybody thinking, hey, that's the same. I think it's different mindset situations of how it happened.

[Rod]

Give him props for being flexible.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That was a.

[Rod]

It was a. That was a pivot that nobody thought they were going to take, and it ended up being a good move. All right, one with a super chat here says, did A M pull a Makavik with their OC hired when they had an open checkbook to get whoever. Remember when Makovic had the same thing with the D.C. hire? Oh, yeah. People talking about this with Makovic and the D.C. thing.

[Jerry Hamilton]

It's TBD. Yeah. Elko better be right on this, though. But we're talking about this, Rod, because the expectations have never been higher for A and M football, fair or not. They've never been higher because they went to a playoff last year. You know, it is what it is. That's what. They had 10 guys drafted. They know they're an nil player up there with anybody. So their expectations are higher than they've ever been. So Elko doesn't have much room for margin, for error on this hire, Rod, because you can. If you sit there and it doesn't work out and you end up going 8 and 4, then the fan base is going to start wondering about you because you made that higher. And he said. And he said, SC media is. We did a national hot search. He said the same thing. Other people. We did a national, national search, and we decided on Holman Wiggins. Well, then you better be right.

[Rod]

Yeah. If you did a national playoff season,

[Jerry Hamilton]

you better be right.

[Rod]

And you got deep pockets because you can pay to. You can go steal somebody's really good OC and overpay your A L. You could do that. And it was Bobby Jack Wright. Thank you. 1. It was Bobby Jack, right, who he hired. And I remember because I want to say my man Bucky. God. Vote has talked about this, too.

[Coach Sark]

That.

[Rod]

That Bob Stoop should have been the guy. That should have been Bob Stoops. And they should have been going after because. And then Bob. Susan ends up getting the Oklahoma job, right. 1999, I think it was the first year. So Bob Soup was kind of the up and coming, young, great Defense of mind. And I don't know why it never happened, but I remember Bucky Godwell saying, like, that's who everybody was. Like, go get that dude. Think about how. Think about that's. What about a great what if. What if Bob Susse ended up as a DC at Texas and then hell ended up getting either hired at Texas or ended up, you know, changing. Wouldn't even go to Oklahoma, but it ends up somewhere great what if story.

[Jerry Hamilton]

So I'm. I'm bringing this up because this is it. This is what I'm talking about. And thank you, West Texas Aggie fan, for the comment, being in the chat. This is it. This is what A M fans are thinking. Elko ain't dumb. Dude's the smartest in the conference, so it better work out because that's. That's the opinion right now of A M fans. And thank you for. For chiming in with the comment. That's what I'm talking about. The expectations are higher than ever for A M football. So the expectation right now is Elko. He's done a. He's done a really good job at A and M. He's going to be right on this. He picked Holman Wiggins. He's going to be right. He has very little margin for error on this one because think about how different that comment is going to be if you go 8 and 4 and you're in A and M offensively takes a step back or doesn't take a. Doesn't move forward.

[Rod]

Punkai.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

The car is beautiful. Where did you end up going for it? This exclusive place that dad has connections with. They have more cars for more dealerships than like anywhere else. You have to put me in touch. What's it called? It's Dun.

[Rod]

Where?

[Unknown Car Buyer]

Dune Dial. There's an accent on the E. Do you mean. Yes. I got it on. Done deal cars. Lift, please. You going past Kimage? Oh, Kimmage. No. Done deal cars. You couldn't possibly go anywhere else or Ascend.

[Rod]

And it could be other factors, too. You got a lot of new faces on the office. Marcel Reed, if he doesn't take another step. All right. In his development, if he stays the same Marcel Reed he was last year, I think defenses will eat him up because, you know, they. He got a little bit predictable last year. They kind of figured out how to defend him. That's why Texas was. Did so well against him, because they figured out. All right, I'll take this from these different game plans. He's got to evolve his game, which he's Capable of because he's got a really nice skill set as a player, but he's got to become a better pocket passer. I think if he does, A M could take that leap offensively, but they don't.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And look, I'm not sitting here saying it's a bad hire. I'm. I say it's to be determined. He's never called plays before. So this is his first go. This is his first run at it and his first run at it's on a team that has playoff expectations amongst their fan base nation. This is. They are going into this season thinking 8 and 4 and year two. Man, he's. We're gonna get this thing rolling. A M fans are saying we were in the playoff last year.

[Rod]

Yep. And shots on my CB says the BMDs, big money boosters and donors wanted Bob Stoops. Yeah, I think it was some Bob Stoops movement back then and it didn't happen. Might have been for the best though.

[Jerry Hamilton]

You've heard the Bob Stoops. You heard Bob Stoops wanted the job when Matt Brown was hired, right? Have you ever heard. Have you ever heard what Bob Stoops was told?

[Rod]

No. Oh, no.

[Jerry Hamilton]

What, you don't have enough skins on the wall? Which he didn't have to head coach before.

[Rod]

Oh, I said he didn't at the time. So you're telling me that was twice where Bob Stoops could have been.

[Jerry Hamilton]

He wanted to beat Texas bad. It's competition, man. It's competition.

[Rod]

I, I didn't realize that. So that means in multiple years, it got back to Bob Sus via his agent or somebody like, hey man, Texas may want you. But then somebody made a decision like, nah, nah, nah, we don't want Bob Soups. But a group, a group of boosters and donors probably were on the Bob Soup's bandwagon. And I know why. Because he's a hell of a coach.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Yeah. It added to that rivalry behind the scenes, I think.

[Rod]

It really did. I didn't know that little nugget Jerry. That's good stuff. All right, Corey here says, who will be the first off the bus for practice?

[Jerry Hamilton]

Planet Fitness Justice, Terry. Oh, he should be the first off the bus physically. But will he be? Well, the first guy normally talking about

[Rod]

the person who's gonna be early to

[Jerry Hamilton]

practice kind of guy, they normally walk over. So you take away the specialists, they have to be there early. It's been a wide receiver.

[Rod]

It was Jay Witt for years. Right.

[Jerry Hamilton]

DeAndre Moore took that, that role and worthy Was walking over with wit in our open media look. It's.

[Rod]

I feel like it could be somebody like an Emmett Mosley could do it because he's like, he's been dealing with injuries. I can see him trying to get, you know, I want to get out there early. I feel like he could be one of those guys. Who else could be early off the bus guy? DBS. I'm gonna think about DBS. I can see Jelani McDonald being somebody like that, too. He could be somebody like that, wants to truly be a leader with all those young BBs out there. Maybe he wants to get out there early. Maybe it's one of the guys who transfer it in. Yeah, Bo Masco could do that. I've heard good things about Bomasco as a leader. Yeah, Machine Biles is a leader. Has gotten really good rave reviews that he's really embraced the leadership role. And, yeah, like, he seems to be a natural leader. So I think he's gonna be a natural leader. Somebody wants to set. They don't want to. They don't have to do the talking. They want to set the example by.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I. I'll tell you who I'd love for it to be Trevor Goosby and the office walk over as a group. I'm giving Trevor. I'm giving Trevor an idea tonight. There you go.

[Rod]

That is a good one. Oh, lion walk, man. That would be good. Oh, lie. Decide to walk. That's. That's kind of clean angle. Lie. Now, a lot of the old line will be complaining about it, but I like that idea, though. And speaking of that, Melvin Ciani could be one of those guys, too. I talked to him, and he's got that kind of attitude where he's always about getting better and challenging himself and getting better and being a leader. And I could see him. He's got that kind of attitude. A good question there, Corey. All right, next one is from Justin. Thank you, Justin, for the super chat. Fall ball is almost here, and I know we are all ready for it. With that being said, who's Yalls? Underdogs y' all are rooting for. Gonna be Townsend and Vasik for me. Bostic is a good one. We've been waiting on Bostic, man. We've been waiting on. And we all been waiting. I've been waiting on Vasic because it's either even an injury with him that's holding him back or he's flashed a couple of times. Never seen him put it together. Injury free and also consistent play. I haven't maybe in the new system with must champ and a new start with must Champ as well. Vasa can do that. That was a good one. That's a good underdog one right there.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I gotta hold off Richard Wesley.

[Rod]

Yeah. Dude's a beast.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Colin went on record. For what? I mean, I asked him the question, but he still went on record on Wesley. I mean, he went strong. It's probably a little too strong, but you could tell he's a big fan of Wesley.

[Rod]

Yeah, him and Lance Jackson's a big fan of them, too. That's a good one. Okay, so underdogs here. I feel like it's interesting because you have so many new faces on the team, and I feel like it should be somebody who's been around and that we haven't yet seen pop. And we've been waiting on them to pop, but it hasn't. I feel like Alex January is that for me. I feel like I've been rooting for Alex January.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I was gonna say him or Murad Watson.

[Rod]

Mariah Watson's a good one, too.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Maraud's really talented and he played well when he was healthy last year. Then he got nicked up.

[Rod]

Yeah, that's a good one. I like the Marad Watson because Barad

[Jerry Hamilton]

Watson doesn't get talked about much anymore. Because of Canoe.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Ian Drafar.

[Rod]

Yep.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And Alex January. Rod Watson was a freshman all American in the acc.

[Rod]

Yeah, it's true.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Then he got nicked up the last half of the year. Last year.

[Rod]

Yeah. Basically. Who can be like the Ryan Niblet where it's like. No. Like, people have almost kind of moved on from you.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Who's somebody you thought transferred, would have transferred but didn't.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

And then they.

[Jerry Hamilton]

They stayed Conversation.

[Rod]

And they stayed with it. And that's kind of what I'm looking for from the underdog these days. Somebody who just, like, stuck with it and then finally found their role and relished in that role. And that's what Nibley did. Like, who could. Basically because he was an underdog last year. No, nobody. That's why they kept kicking to him early on. Nobody respected them. Even after he, you know, burnt Oklahoma hell. I don't know why, Miss. I don't know why Mississippi State kicked to it. I don't know why they kept. I don't know why any of those teams kick to him, but he kept making them pay. So I'm kind of looking for that role. And I feel like somebody's ready who's ready to break out in that capacity. Could be like I said, even Mosley could be that guy. Could be that guy. Oh, that's a good one.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I just think he was underutilized last year.

[Rod]

That's a good one. Yeah, that's a good one. He could be yours.

[Jerry Hamilton]

He can end up for most champ.

[Rod]

Yeah, he could be your second best pass rusher potentially on the team. Like he really could be.

[Jerry Hamilton]

That's who I'm going with.

[Rod]

I think I like that. Jerry, let's go. All right. Thank you, Justin. That was good. Super chat, Josh. Batting. Good to hear from you, brother. Hope everything's going well. Says a little late to the show. No, never too late. Said. But how did you guys feel about Goosby calling Seymour a tenacious run blocker? That felt like a massive vote of confidence.

[Jerry Hamilton]

I think that is who he is. I mean, look, I think that is who he is and that is who he has to be. Because the reality for Lawrence seymour, he's probably 6 foot and a half without shoes on. He doesn't have the longest arms. Okay. So he's not going to look like the guy when he walks out on the field at Texas with all the big bigger guys around them. I think he's got 32 inch arms. Okay. So there's. There's some things that tell you, Rod, he's got to be the most physical guy on the field. That's got to be his. That's got to be his mindset. Because he's always been the undersized offensive lineman.

[Rod]

Yeah. It's not like he's an undersized skill position guy. You can be fast and quick. You better be able to move some people.

[Jerry Hamilton]

You know how short you look on the field when you're 6 foot and a half playing offensive line these days, next to Goosby, you look like you're five nine out there.

[Rod]

And he's gonna be right next to Goosby too.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Right. And Connor Robertson's what, six three and a half to the right of him. Those guys look like they're 59 out there. And he's not. I mean, I list him at six two. He's not six two without shoes. Trust on that. It's probably six foot and a half.

[Rod]

Yeah.

[Jerry Hamilton]

So he's gonna look. But he's going to look square. He's gonna look like a square. He's gonna look like a tenacious run blogger. That's who he is.

[Rod]

I can't wait to see him.

[Jerry Hamilton]

He's gotta be.

[Rod]

I want to see him pull somebody to see him like pull and move around a little bit.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Right? I think this interesting thing for him is wide zone run scheme. How does he truly fit the scheme?

[Rod]

Yeah, I agree. Because that's what they're going back to. Sarpone will say it, but that's. They're going, they're going back to more outside zone than the power gap schemes. They gonna still incorporate the power gap, but last year they were more gap power runs than they were zone runs. And I think Stark wants to get back to breaking those chunky yardage runs with zone with some of those outside zone concepts.

[Jerry Hamilton]

And so I'll say this because I put this on otf.com I'm not saying he's not going to be the start. He does have to go earn that job. This is not walking in and you're the starting left guard. I'm, I'm. I was told that point blank he wasn't in for spring practice. He's got to go win a job. So it's up to him to go win the job, which is the way it should be.

[Rod]

Yeah, I agree. Yeah, that's what you came here for. All right, thank you, Josh and Manning. We appreciate that. Thank you. To Blake Monroe. Behind the scenes, he's been twisting and tweaking the dials tonight. So we appreciate him stepping in, doing a great job. Thank you, Jerry. Great stuff as always. If we missed any of your questions, please direct them to the gentleman at coffee and football bright and early tomorrow morning. One of the gentlemen joining me right now, the estimable Jerry Hamilton and the man to myth, the legend himself, Bobby Burton. That'll be at 8:15am and then myself, coach Bob Shipley and CJ Vogel. We'll be on the the PM live stream. The winning drive at 7pm tomorrow night as well. So any questions that we missed, you can direct them to us as well. I appreciate all you guys. Thank you. Thank you for all the super chats. Thank you, Longhorn blood. Thank you, Juan. Thank you, Corey. Thank you, Justin Joshimani. Really appreciate you guys and your kindness as well. And thank you all out there for watching and listening for Jerry and for Blake. I'm lifetime Longhorn Ride babies. Until next time.

[Jerry Hamilton]

10 days till the start of practice.

[Rod]

40 favors did the shavy Leonard Hammerfang f egg my future fund punk I.

[Unknown Car Buyer]

E. The car is beautiful. Where did you end up going for it? This exclusive place that dad has connections with. They have more cars for more dealerships than like anywhere else else. You have to put me in touch. What's it called? It's Dune dial. Where Dune Dial. There's an accent on the E. Do you mean. Yes. I got it undone. Deal. Cars. Lift, please. You going past Kimage? Oh, Kimage. No, done. Deal. Cars. You couldn't possibly go anywhere else.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Ten days.