Ringer Tailgate – "Silk Suits and Pure Spite: The Ringer Tailgate Haters Ball"

Date: January 28, 2026
Hosts: Van Lathan, Joel Anderson, Tate Frazier ("Billy")
Summary prepared for: Listeners seeking a complete, engaging breakdown of the episode’s award show and college football banter

Episode Overview

The crew celebrates the conclusion of the 2025 college football season with the inaugural “Ringer Tailgate Haters Ball”—an awards episode where equal parts sharp analysis, chaos, and friendly roasting collide. In a tongue-in-cheek nod to the legendary Chappelle’s Show skit, the guys (dressed, some more reluctantly than others, in their fanciest attire) hand out a slate of irreverent and insightful awards for the year in college football, riff on fan culture, and pay special tribute to standout characters—on and off the field.

Main Segments & Awards

1. Award Show Vibes, Banter & Setup

[01:00-04:13]

• The hosts riff on being dressed up for the Haters Ball—Van Lathan protests being gaslit into thinking it was his idea, but is outvoted by Tate and Joel.
• Running joke about a secret text thread and painstaking planning for suits (Van: “If I just followed my instincts…” [05:36]).
• Joel is praised for coming prepared with an extra tie (“Stand up guy.” [04:05]).

2. Awards Breakdown

Each award is a blend of real-season accolades and classic Tailgate irreverence. Here are the highlights:

Year 1 MVP: Joel Anderson

[04:13-05:32]

• Joel is unanimously voted show MVP for Season 1.
• “Raise the roof for the fastest 10th grader. For the fastest 10 year old. That's our MVP in history right there.” — Van [05:22]

Hoe of the Year: Mike Gundy

[06:06-11:06]

• Nominees: Lane Kiffin (LSU), RedditCFB, off-the-board pick Mike Gundy.
• Van details Gundy’s pregame complaints, coaching blunders, and the infamous loss that cost him his job.
• “If you’re gonna be a hoe, you might as well be Hoe of the Year.” — Joel [11:06]

Daddy of the Year: Ty Simpson (Alabama QB)

[11:19-14:14]

• Nominees: Ty Simpson, Ryan Day, Marcus Freeman, Haynes King, T.J. Finley.
• Ty Simpson wins for his “Big Daddy” energy and a memorable text thread.
• “Ty Simpson: one of the funniest moments... Daddy Joel comes back with: Ty Simpson is a big daddy.” — Billy [12:50]

Trayvon Boykin Award (Best QB): Fernando Mendoza

[14:14-18:30]

• Nominees: Mendoza (Heisman winner), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), others.
• Chambliss considered for late playoff run, but Mendoza’s grit in the National Championship is decisive.
• “He said he was taking back shots, front shots—he was saying all types of stuff.” — Joel [15:29]
• “The beating he took in that game sort of reminded me of Pat Mahomes.… First time I'd seen him under that kind of pressure.” — Van [17:50]

Dan Lanning (Sunny Dykes) Coach of the Year: Curt Cignetti

[18:30-20:31]

• Nominees: Cignetti (Indiana), Dan Lanning, Kirby Smart, Pete Golding, Mario Cristobal, Marcus Freeman, Mike Elko, DeSean Jackson.
• Praise for coaches who did “a lot with not a lot,” especially Cignetti (built up Indiana into contenders).

T.J. Finley Portal Player of the Year: Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss)

[20:31-23:45]

• Chambliss goes from D-II Ferris State to starring for playoff-bound Ole Miss.
• “Without his coach, his lead play-caller… he played like that in the playoffs.” — Van [21:26]

Bust of the Year: Brian Kelly (LSU)

[23:49-26:41]

• Nominees: Arch Manning, Penn State coaching search, Nico Iamaleava, Brian Kelly, Cade Klubnik.
• “Baton Rouge was conquered by Texas A&M…. Bust of the year is easily Brian Kelly for me.” — Billy [25:00]
• Shocking midseason firing, huge roster additions amount to nothing.

Most Shocking Result: Sherrone Moore Fired by Michigan

[26:54-31:13]

• Other nominees: UCLA > Penn State; FSU > Alabama; Louisville > Miami; Indiana > Ohio State.
• Moore’s firing, legal issues, and meme status make this the runaway pick.
• “Sherrone Moore in a jumpsuit, bro, it’s tough.…I’m already seeing the meme work.” — Van [31:24]

227 Award (Best "Tussler"): Reuben Bain (Miami)

[32:10-35:18]

• Other nominees: Parham (Texas Tech), David Bailey (Texas Tech).
• Bain’s “element of menace” and dominance earn the honor.
• “He looked like he had a union job. He don’t look like a normal…” — Van [33:09]

Beef of the Year: Lane Kiffin vs. Ole Miss

[35:24-41:09]

• Other beefs: Diego Pavia vs. Heisman voters; Jordan Hudson vs. Pablo Torre; Joel vs. Lane Kiffin.
• Kiffin’s move to LSU sparks a real, Twitter-fueled rivalry between the two schools.
• “That’s the kind of stuff that we enjoy as college football fans—the culture, the drama that keeps it going.” — Billy [39:13]

Bag Drop of the Year: Texas Tech

[43:30-49:29]

• Texas Tech paid big money in the portal, made the playoff; compared with Carson Beck at Miami.
• Lubbock’s “tough sell” and the program's payoff are praised.

Hater of the Year: Nick Saban

[50:22-51:37]

• Saban never picked Curt Cignetti’s teams on GameDay; beats out Joel for real-time hater status.

Image Makeover of the Year: Mario Cristobal (Miami)

[51:37-55:13]

• Nominees: Virginia Tech, James Franklin, Nick Saban, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech.
• Miami goes from being called “soft” to “hard-nosed, trenches-based football.”
• “Last year’s team was viewed as being soft… this year, they completely made their reputation over.” — Billy [54:21]

Comeback of the Year: Raising the Roof

[55:55-58:39]

• The crew reminisce and riff on the return (and proper technique) for “raising the roof.”
• “Not the commercialized version, the actual raising—roll up and lift.” — Billy [57:33]
• Origin story: Southside Houston, 1994 (Van).

Character of the Year: Michael Irvin (Miami)

[58:48-60:48]

• Also nominated: Abella Danger (also University of Miami).
• Irvin’s media resurgence and campus presence was “ubiquitous.”
• Van reflects: “I felt bad about the Abella Danger thing… She should be able to just go watch the games…” [59:44]

Best Friend(s) of the Program: The Chat

[67:02-69:12]

• Nominees: Jeff Ketchum, TJ Finley, Chris Ryan, but the live chat community gets the win.
• “I love the chat, man.… It’s a real good way of building the show.” — Van [69:04]

The Joel Award: Nico Iamaleava (UCLA)

[71:24-76:05]

• Joel crafts his own “Best Picture”-style award, honoring UCLA QB Nico for resilience through public doubt and a rocky transition.
• “I like to think of myself as a fan of labor, of the little man.… I root for the guy who takes the harder way.” — Joel [71:52]
• Larger discussion follows about NIL, media narratives, and how the portal impacts college athletes.

Other Noteworthy Quotes & Banter

• On Lane Kiffin’s LSU move:
  “This is the kind of thing that made LSU-Alabama a real rivalry.” — Van [38:22]
• On coaches’ cuts in the portal era:
  “You’re competing for your spot with everybody in college football.” — Billy [78:28]
• On media & labor:
  “I believe that the athletes, particularly college athletes, have been an exploited class forever. I’m always going to be on their side.” — Van [82:18]
• On “Raising the Roof” (proper technique):
  “The roll into the raise, the hand under the elbow—that was the difference.” — Joel [58:20]
• On show chemistry:
  “I feel like, you know, we’re gonna be boys. … We’re doing our thing.” — Van [87:54]

Highlighted Moments & Humor

• The “Haters Ball” Theme & Attire: The panel’s (forced) formal dress and Van’s well-documented skepticism provide a continuous source of jokes and camaraderie. (“I did not come up with this. This is not my idea. And y’all tried to convince me that I did.” — Van [51:17])
• Long-winded asides about TV nostalgia (“Just the Ten of Us,” “Out of This World”), mistaken Lubbock references, and raising the roof technique [45:24-49:29, 55:55-58:39]
• Family lineage and Louisiana geography: Unexpected moments of hosts discovering shared ancestral ties to “New Roads” and the “Atchafalaya Basin” [61:49-64:47]
• Plans for the show’s future/threats to make Joel the mascot (a “gator in a suit”) and group travel plans for next season’s championship game in Vegas [88:18-91:41]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:00] – Show/episode kickoff, suit banter
• [04:13] – MVP Award
• [06:06] – Hoe of the Year
• [11:19] – Daddy of the Year
• [14:14] – QB & Coach Awards
• [20:31] – Portal Player of the Year
• [23:49] – Bust of the Year
• [26:54] – Most Shocking Result
• [32:10] – Tussler Award
• [35:24] – Beef of the Year
• [43:30] – Bag Drop of the Year
• [50:22] – Hater of the Year
• [51:37] – Image Makeover of the Year
• [55:55] – Comeback of the Year
• [58:48] – Character of the Year
• [67:02] – Friend of the Program
• [71:24] – Joel Award / Final discussion

Episode’s Tone & Style

• Language: Unfiltered, boisterous, frat-house-meets-locker-room energy with frequent in-jokes.
• Style: Smart but never self-serious, equally comfortable with obscure college football analysis and pop culture detours.
• Dynamics: Ostensibly an awards show, but just as much a celebration of their chemistry, audience, and football fandom—and a loving roast of each other.

Final Thoughts / End of Season

• The team expresses gratitude for one another and the listeners, vows to return for offseason content, and dreams up future travel (and mascot) plans, ending with, “We got a lot planned. We’ll see you in a week.”

For fans and new listeners alike, this episode is the perfect snapshot of Ringer Tailgate’s mix: deep CFB expertise, locker-room irreverence, and a whole lot of love for the culture surrounding the game.