The B1G’s Dominance, Ladies for Mendoza, and Duke Sues Mensah

Summary

Ringer Tailgate – Episode Summary

Episode: The B1G’s Dominance, Ladies for Mendoza, and Duke Sues Mensah
Date: January 22, 2026
Hosts: Van Lathan, Joel Anderson, Tate Frazier

Episode Overview

This episode is the season wrap-up for the 2025 college football year, delivering sharp analysis and lively banter as the crew dives into the major storylines shaping the end of the season—and possibly the next era of college football. Main topics include the Big Ten's new football supremacy, Indiana’s unprecedented title run, Kurt Signetti’s coaching impact, the evolving nature of program-building across the country, post-championship player drama, the Duke-Mensah NIL lawsuit, and a hilarious, extended matchmaking brainstorm for star QB Fernando Mendoza.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Big Ten’s Power Shift and Indiana’s Triumph

[04:50 – 07:15]

• Big Ten Dynasty: The crew cements the B1G as the new power conference: winning three straight titles with three different programs in distinct styles.
  • Joel: “The Big Ten is now officially not just like they have an edge on the SEC, they have a stranglehold over college football.”
• Variety is King: The B1G now mirrors what made the SEC previously untouchable—diversity of powerhouses and play styles.
• Penn State, Oregon, and the Peers: Discussion on which B1G programs are poised to step forward next (Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue)—and which won’t (“Sorry, Rutgers”).

2. Championship Aftershocks and the Signetti Blueprint

[09:32 – 15:56]

• Can Others Copy Indiana’s ‘Signetti Formula’?:
  • Joel: “If college football was going to change and adapt to the dominance of Kurt Signetti and Indiana, what would they become like?”
  • Discussions on who might be the next ‘Signetti’—Willie Fritz (Houston), Mike Shanahan (offensive coordinator), Haynes (defensive coordinator)—and whether programs can or should try to emulate Indiana’s underdog, developmental, process-driven style.
  • Joe: “Don’t chase the Indiana thing… You're probably not going to get Kurt Signetti.”
• Portal Reload:
  • Power programs (LSU, Texas, Miami) react to Indiana’s win by "loading up" the transfer portal—reminding listeners that blue-bloods won’t cede ground for long.

3. Veteran Players vs. Young Phenoms

[17:15 – 18:09]

• The hosts compare team-building with veteran transfers versus blue-chip freshmen, drawing analogies to NCAA Tournament upsets.
  • Joel: “One of the most fascinating things about the NCAA Tournament is sometimes you get phenoms versus veterans.”

4. Kurt Signetti’s Legacy and Future

[19:19 – 22:58]

• Signetti’s Mindset (audio clip at [19:33]):
  • After winning it all at age 64, Signetti isn’t content—“I don’t plan on changing very much…I wanted to be, like, a Bear Bryant kind of guy…But our story certainly is a great story. And we are the national champs.”
  • Van (on article) “[Signetti] just went 16-0 for the first time since 1894…[he] has a lot more left in the tank.”
• Inspiration for “second acts” in life and coaching, and the urgency that comes with late-career success.

5. The Indiana Outlier and Staff Poaching Fears

[23:31 – 24:57]

• Indiana’s blue-chip ratio was just 8%—a statistical outlier:
  • Joel: “Normally to sniff the playoffs you need a blue chip ratio of over 50%. It's 8%...That is really remarkable, man.”
• The impact of staff poaching, like Indiana’s S&C coach leaving for Tennessee, and speculation on whether Signetti can keep rebuilding the culture if key assistants leave.

6. Player Development in the Portal Era

[24:57 – 26:51]

• The difference between developing older transfer players versus traditional freshmen:
  • Joe: “There’s definitely a value in [developing third- or fourth-year transfers]. And clearly that’s some of what Signetti and his staff have been doing.”

7. Underdog Storylines & Postgame Drama

[28:41 – 35:46]

• Jamari Sharp’s Redemption ([29:41]): A player who survived losing seasons, makes the title-clinching interception—for the very school he’d once wanted to beat, tying together family and program history.
• Viral Postgame Feuds:
  • The “Fletcher punch” (RB Mark Fletcher punches an opponent after purported trash talk about his deceased father); hosts reflect on trash talk boundaries and weight-class mismatch in football fights.
  • Carson Beck not shaking Mendoza’s hand; debate about its NFL draft implications.
    • Van: “I’m telling you, it does [hurt your perception].”

8. College Football Love Lives: “Ladies for Mendoza”

[37:57 – 56:37]

• Lighthearted, Extended Segment: The guys brainstorm “candidate girlfriends” for IU QB Fernando Mendoza, drawing parallels to famous athlete-entertainer couples (Russell Wilson/Sierra), discussing why a Disney-type wholesome QB might need a more “grown-up” or “edgy” partner, and riffing on TikTok stars, student-athletes, and singer Sabrina Carpenter.
• Key realization: Mendoza’s career (and image) will shape his off-field options, likening him to the ‘Disney channel era’ guys who have to “break out” into adulthood.
• Notable quote:
  • Joel (on finding Mendoza a partner): “You go with somebody that’s a good person, but somebody that has that little [edge]…brings Russell up, and that’s what he needs to me.” ([56:12])

9. Duke Sues Darian Mensah: Legal NIL Battles

[57:36 – 69:10]

• Duke’s NIL Lawsuit Against Its Own QB:
  • Van: “Duke is actually suing their star quarterback…They claim he signed an NIL deal and must remain with the program.”
  • Joe (joking): “Duke is like, we paid for you, boy, you better not go nowhere.” ([59:40])
• Hosts debate the business realities of big-money CFB:
  • At what point is a “commitment” binding when money is involved?
  • How is this different from coaching buyouts? Should players have more freedom than coaches?
  • Consensus: Once big NIL money is in play, players and programs must expect businesslike, even aggressive, enforcement.
    • Joel: “When you make a commitment to a team, you must be ready…for them to go to the mattresses to hold you to your commitment.” ([65:33])

10. Lane Kiffin at LSU & The Saban Influence

[69:56 – 81:03]

• Kiffin’s Pressure Cooker:
  • LSU is not “a tent by the lake”—it’s a mountain to climb. Fans won’t accept ‘cute’ antics over real wins.
  • Joel (to Kiffin): “If you do not, if you cannot, if you fail, it will ruin your career. Lane Kiffin’s career will be either made or broken in Baton Rouge because the pressure that fan base can exude…the pressure that can expose.”
  • Saban’s hand in Kiffin’s move is debated—did Saban “set him up” by encouraging him to take an ultra-high-pressure job?
• Coaching Trees & Saban’s New Role:
  • Nick Saban as post-retirement “godfather/commissioner” of CFB; his shadow still looms everywhere.

11. Closing Thoughts & Show Future

[83:37 – end]

• The crew expresses gratitude for the audience, the show’s producers, and the chance to continue creating “the most fun” in their careers.
• Plans teased: off-season specials, top five lists, spring game adventures, and more banter.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Big Ten’s rise:

  • Joel: “When you had different cultures winning, but all coming from one conference…that’s what the Big Ten is right now.” ([05:50])

• On Signetti’s inspiration:

  • Joe: “He may have had the best professional year of his life when he was 64 years old…maybe there’s still a chance that like, there’s a bright future out there that I can’t even imagine.” ([21:17])

• On blue-chip reality:

  • Joel: “Normally to sniff the playoffs you need to have a blue chip ratio over 50%. It's 8%.” ([23:52])

• On the Duke-Mensah dispute:

  • Van: “Duke is actually suing their star quarterback…that is the reality we live in.” ([57:36])
  • Joe: “When you make a commitment to a team, you must be ready for them to go to the mattresses to hold you to your commitment.” ([65:33])

• On LSU fan expectations:

  • Joel to Lane Kiffin: “The cute shit is officially over… If you fail, it will ruin your career.” ([70:51])

• On Mendoza’s love life:

  • Joel: “He needs somebody that’s a good person…but has that little [edge] because that’s the thing about Sierra. Sierra is a really good person and a really woman…but she also has that little sexy. You know what I’m saying? That brings Russell up, and that’s what he needs.” ([56:12])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Big Ten Dynasty Talk: 04:50–07:15
• Signetti Effect & ‘Process’ Coaches: 09:32–15:56
• Veteran Players vs. Freshmen: 17:15–18:09
• Signetti Audio Clip & Mindset: 19:33–22:58
• Indiana’s Blue-Chip Ratio/Assistant Poaching: 23:31–24:57
• Player Development in Portal Era: 24:57–26:51
• Underdog Storylines: Jamari Sharp: 29:41–30:47
• Viral Postgame Fights: 31:09–35:46
• Mendoza Matchmaking Banter: 37:57–56:37
• Duke Sues Mensah – Legal NIL Battle: 57:36–69:10
• LSU/Kiffin Pressure & Saban’s Influence: 69:56–81:03
• Podcast Wrap & Future Plans: 83:37–end

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Final Notes

• Throughout, the show maintains its signature style: irreverent, insightful, confident, and willing to blend serious debate with comic detours.
• College football’s changing landscape—especially the legal and business side of NIL and team-building—is always front and center.
• The dynamic between the hosts remains a draw, offering a wide lens of fandom, expertise, and humor.

[Tune in next week for the Ringer Tailgate Award Show and “tailgate classics” off-season content!]

Transcript

[Host/Announcer]

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[Van Lathan]

Welcome back to Riger Tailgate, the Wednesday edition of the show. The last wrap up edition of this season, the 2025 season. We got a lot of predictions, reactions, facts, all the above happening. But first and foremost, let's say what's up to our guys. Van Lathan, good to see you, man.

[Joel]

What's up guys? You know what we gotta do?

[Van Lathan]

Oh yeah. Gotta get in front of this.

[Joel]

Oh yeah. What's up? Yeah, man, great time. What a fantastic season. I'm glad to kind of put it all in context with my guys.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, we had a live show, we had live reactions, but again, we got some more information, some more time to marinate on what actually happened. So we'll talk about that and we'll talk about some of the bigger stories in college football as we move forward. And we got to say what's up to Joel in LA in the place to be. How's it going, man?

[Joe]

I'm having a good time, man. I'm glad to be here.

[Van Lathan]

The last thing that you said before we started the show was you're not ready for this show.

[Joe]

I'm not. I'm not. So, so funny. I'm, I'm, I've been sick the last two days.

[Van Lathan]

Okay.

[Joe]

And.

[Van Lathan]

And you blame LA for this? Well, just if you were like at the, you know, Miami, what was it, the Crab Shack that you wanted to go to in Miami? Stonecraft.

[Joe]

You really not been there?

[Van Lathan]

No, I've never been there.

[Joel]

You never seen it? You never been to Joe Stonecraft?

[Joe]

No, I'm kind of.

[Joel]

When are we going to Miami as a group? We'll go down there and See the Duke.

[Joe]

Yeah, Duke.

[Joel]

Do you have enough. Do you have enough space in your house for us to come down there and stay down there?

[Van Lathan]

No.

[Joe]

How many bedrooms is your house?

[Van Lathan]

Three.

[Joe]

Really?

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

So it's you.

[Van Lathan]

One of them's a studio, right? Like you had to transform one of the rooms into your studio? Yeah, my guest bedroom had like the pull out couch. I had to switch things for all the equipment. We're staying at the Fountain Blue?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

Oh, you know what? Can I tell you that not that nice, man.

[Van Lathan]

You don't like it?

[Joel]

I don't like it. I stayed there. I went to the conference on States, which was a lot of fun with the people down there to watch all the different donor tables. Like, you know, get money to people for different political races and stuff. Say the Fountain Blue Convention Hotel. If you're looking for a convention hotel. Cool. But I'm talking about the one hotel. I'm talking about my old standard. I'm talking about the W. I'm talking about the addition. I'm talking about places like that.

[Van Lathan]

About the Intercontinental. I've heard about. I've heard. That's nice.

[Joel]

I've never been there.

[Van Lathan]

Okay, that's where I think Indiana State for the national championship game.

[Joe]

No, that's where Indiana.

[Joel]

I do not stay at the Intercontinental.

[Joe]

I've only. Look at you sou like OJ Talking about. I, I only stay the Four Seasons. I. I've only.

[Van Lathan]

That's what Drake said. He does.

[Joe]

He said that about the Intercontinental too.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, I think he was talking about the Miami Inter Intercontinental.

[Joe]

Okay, well, I've only stayed. There's like a kind of a boutique hotel in Miami beach that I stayed at that was kind of cheaper, but it was really nice on the water.

[Joel]

What's it called?

[Joe]

I don't know.

[Joel]

Yeah, I for no idea.

[Joe]

It was close, though. It was close to Lincoln Road. You know what I'm saying? You could go walk, walk right on there near the Walgreens. Y' all seen know the Walgreens on road?

[Joel]

I do know the Walgreens over there.

[Joe]

That's right, man.

[Joel]

It's that. That Walgreens is clutch.

[Joe]

It is.

[Joel]

That's a Clutch Walgreens, right? You go over there, get the drinks. You can get. There's a liquor store right near there. But you can get the drinks at the Walgreens, which also get like, if you need some flip flops or stuff like that. Clutch Walgreens.

[Joe]

That didn't hold you down, Man, I. There was a time in my life when I wanted to retire In Miami Beach.

[Joel]

I, I still love it, but it's the older I get. The, the. What the are we talking about?

[Joe]

Right.

[Joel]

It's time to talk about.

[Van Lathan]

The national championship was in Miami. So a little bit. Yeah. A little bit of a connection there. There was a game on Monday night. We talked about the game. But I did want to do one final reaction because like I said, I mean, you're reacting in real time. We didn't even watch the post game interviews before we started doing our live show. So we didn't get the full context of things. So I wanted to give us an opportunity. One final reaction from the championship game and then a couple more. You know, we'll have a question about the championship game because there's some great storylines that came out after the fact that, you know, it didn't really piece together in real time. But did you have one final reaction, fan?

[Joel]

Not necessarily a final reaction to the game itself. I think as the days roll out here, we're seeing more of just how impressive Indiana's championship was, how meaningful it is and was to sports, how it really finalizes and sets a new power dynamic in college football. Like the Big Ten is now officially not just like they have an edge on the sec, they have a stranglehold over college football. You have three teams that have won in three different ways and the variety, not just of teams that have won, but of the way that those teams have won. That to me is like what really makes your conference the big conference. When you had LSU winning with crazy offense, Alabama winning with defense, LSU winning with defense, Auburn winning with a running attack and Cam Newton, Florida winning with. When you go back to the sec, Florida winning with the, the, the Tebow. Tebow. But like, what I'm really trying to say is how creative they were, how singular they were. You had different cultures winning, but all coming from one conference where the arms race kind of made those teams what they are. That's what the Big Ten is right now.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. And it's impressive. Three in a row for the Big Ten.

[Joe]

Yeah, man. I mean, the thing is, is like Penn State was supposed to have been good this year, right? And in this, they were supposed to.

[Van Lathan]

Be the Big Ten team. The title.

[Joe]

They were supposed to be the Big Ten team that was going. They got Oregon, that's, you know, next year going to be back and have Dante Moore and those receivers are going to be healthy next year. They still got a deep running back room. I mean, I don't know, like replacing the line is some of the people that they're going to lose there. But I think Bear Alexander, for instance, is coming back next year, so Oregon's going to be there. So, yeah, the Big Ten, man, it's like everything that people used to say about the SEC is like the. The thing that made it different was that the range of teams that could compete for a national championship. Well, I mean, if Indiana can do it out of the Big Ten, then it just shows. Okay, now you're up, Minnesota. Now you're up, you know, Penn State, P.J.

[Van Lathan]

Fleck. No pressure. Yeah.

[Joel]

Now, question. Do you guys think that the success of the conference at the top of the conference will trickle down to the middle of the conference?

[Joe]

Absolutely.

[Joel]

You guys think that, like, the teams that you're talking about, the Iowas, Illinois, Illinois, Illinois, who kind of had a season that was disappointing to some people, they still had a good year, but that's quality program right now as well. Nebraska, all those teams. Do you think that you're going to see those teams, you know, in whatever current iteration that they are, be more competitive over the next couple of seasons?

[Van Lathan]

Even Maryland, maybe.

[Joe]

Yeah, man, you know, my boy locks. You know what I'm saying? They give them.

[Joel]

If they give them what he needs, they see ucla. Well, not maybe not ucla, they got a new coach coming in, but from jmu.

[Van Lathan]

So they could use the same Indiana.

[Joel]

Exactly.

[Joe]

Who's to say? Yeah, I mean, I mean, all these schools are going to start taking swings. I mean, even. And this is sort of crazy to think about, but, I mean, do you think Purdue is sitting there in Indiana and looking at IU and being like, oh, we could never do that? I mean, Purdue has been a better football program than IU for the history of. And so, yeah, so I'm sure that they're looking and like, well, we've got money, we've got, you know, wealthy boosters. We've got, you know, we could try some of this stuff. So, yeah, I mean, I feel bad for, like, Rutgers because, I mean, we.

[Van Lathan]

Already know, hey, that's the birthplace of college football.

[Joe]

That's where the thing about Rutgers, I always say, they're like, Rutgers is like, man, that's the New York. That's New York's team. They've got a lot. I was like, if Rutgers was going to be good at football, it would have happened already. I mean, they played the first. They played the first football game. How long are we gonna wait for Rutgers to be good? I'm sorry, it's just not going to happen.

[Van Lathan]

They have an incredible intro, though. Like, at the games. I went. I went to a game that. The Sopranos intro. You know what I mean? Yeah.

[Joe]

People don't want to go there.

[Joel]

What? But that you said they had that chance.

[Joe]

Yeah, I think.

[Van Lathan]

You think it's passed.

[Joe]

I just think it's. Yeah. I mean, maybe they will be able to be competitive enough to make the next realignment or whatever. Maybe they won't get cut. But I don't.

[Joel]

It's. It's always interesting to me. What, like, what you have opinions on. We were talking about the Big Ten, and I don't know where you just go, you know what? Fuck Rutgers. Yeah. They have their chance to be good. It's over.

[Joe]

I just don't. Yeah, I mean, everybody has a chance.

[Van Lathan]

Chiado, the first time was great.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joel]

He had him play well.

[Joe]

Everybody. Yeah. I mean, again, like, the Big Ten has got a lot of depth. And I'm just saying that there's a lot of school. Schools that have a real chance, but not you, Rutgers.

[Joel]

Damn.

[Van Lathan]

I went to Purdue 2018, saw their football facilities. Incredible. They had just renovated everything. Huge indoor facility. I mean, they put in the investment and I'm sure they'll invest even more. So to give you an answer to Purdue, yes, I think they do think that.

[Joel]

So in the past, in college football, the success of the top team has a lot of times dictated or changed the way that other teams play. They want to emulate that style of play. They want to change how they do things. If college football was going to change and adapt to the dominance of Kurt Zignetti and Indiana, what would they become like? Well, how. How would they emulate that? What kind of coach. Because for you, think about it, you're talking about Signetti.

[Joe]

If you. When.

[Joel]

When you wanted a McVeigh. Well, it's easy, right? When you. When it was McVeigh, you go out and you get a Ben Johnson, you.

[Van Lathan]

Go out, get a LaFleur, Zach Taylor.

[Joel]

Zach Taylor. You go out and get one of those guys like that. You see the mold of that coach that you want, right? Like McVeigh doing what he did that might have got Kingsbury a job that he probably shouldn't have got, right? So, like, if you're going out to get a coach like Signetti, who are the coaches like Signetti? Who are the process guys like Signetti? Who are the guys that you are looking at?

[Joe]

So I want to give you three coaches. So I think that eventually he's going to lose his offensive coordinator, Mike Shanahan. Like, people, you know, people are Going to pick. He's been following Signetti around this whole time. Eventually they're going to want him. Haynes, the defensive coordinator, they're going to pluck him. But I brought this guy up previously and if I was lsu, I might have hired him. But Willie Fritz at the University of Houston, he's one every. He's the guy that built that Tulane program. He was the one that showed proof of concept there in his second year. U of H was really, really good this year, man. Like they were compared. You know, you saw the other Texas Bowl.

[Joel]

There you go. Texas Bowl.

[Joe]

Yeah, them Cougs. The Cougs.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, them Cougs.

[Joe]

And so I feel like if you're, if you, if you're going to not be creative and think that you can and foolishly think that you can recreate the dynamic of Kurt Signetti, then you look at Willie Fritz and you say, well, he's a little older, but he's proven that he's a winner. He's had his program and like, maybe he just needs one big shot. But I think my big reaction to lead into that is that don't chase the Indiana thing. Like schools like don't. You're going to.

[Van Lathan]

You're saying it's fool's goal.

[Joe]

It's for you. You're probably not going to get Kurt Signetti, you know, like that. Like this is a one off and I think. And you can look at the transfer portal and see how schools like are reasserting themselves. Lsu, Texas, like they're loading up. They're like, oh, hell no, man, we're not. There's no excuse for us to let Indiana run things and Miami, like all these other schools are gonna load up and maybe if you think that you can just get, you know, a former two star that was a 23 year old that played at St. Francis Penns University and you're gonna build champions out of that. I just don't think that that's a realistic model that you're still gonna need to like have a lot of talent. But you would want a guy that has proven they can build a program. And I feel like the Willie Fritzes and other guys are gonna be able to do that.

[Joel]

Okay, so what are you saying here? Because a second ago we were talking about like Purdue I' trying to get. The second ago we were talking about Purdue and you were saying that a team like Purdue is going to look at Indiana and they're going to think, hey, like we can go out and do that. Why can't we? So then What LSU and Texas were going to be active in the portal whether Indiana won the national championship or not. LSU have the worst offensive line in the sec. They were going to have to make changes to the offensive line. They had an outgoing senior quarterback. They had a quarterback that was behind that QB in the transfer portal. They brought two new guys in in. Actually they brought in a guy that's like Ringer Fam. Who, like Weston's cousin Longstreet. Yeah. Hudson, the Wesson's cousins coming down to the Bayou. Did not know that. Him plus Sam Levitt plus you see some of the other stuff there. Some of the guys that got the edge rusher from Ole Miss. All of those teams are going to load up in a portal no matter what. And for them to think that they're going to be able to be elite, that's the thought that they're going to have to have in order to be elite. I guess my thing is this chasing Signetti means what this. Because it's one thing to say that you're gonna go out and get a former five star. Every former five star that goes in the Portal. It doesn't matter how bad they played the first year they were on, on. On a roster somewhere.

[Joe]

Well, who was a Colorado don't matter.

[Joel]

Guys like that, Denver, Harris, that, that like those guys are gonna get big second chances, right? Those guys are going to get big second chances. Those to me aren't the guys that Signetti actually used to win his national championship. So if the thought is those guys are always going to be in the Portal and they're always going to get signed. If the thought is you're not going to be able to do what Signetti does, does that mean you're not going to be able to go get someone from like North Dakota State or from JMU or from any of those places, coach them up and make them dominant because the other five star, four star, all of those guys like that, those guys are going to go. Is that what you. Is that basically what you're saying?

[Joe]

Yeah, I mean, I just think that like, you know, to back up for the whole thing, I think with teams are going to see out of Signetti is like if you got a guy that has a proven system and has a lot of faith in it and has shown proof of concept. What?

[Joel]

I'm listening. I just wanted to check on tape. Oh, you looked over.

[Joe]

Y' all looked like y' all had a little fun.

[Joel]

I want to check on tape. Great.

[Joe]

Okay. All right.

[Van Lathan]

I got a clip for us from Signetti coming up after you finish this.

[Joe]

Okay, just go to the clip then.

[Van Lathan]

What? No, finish what you're saying. All right, that's one. That's one. That's one glitch.

[Joel]

That's for no reason.

[Van Lathan]

Honestly, we're pretty deep in the show.

[Joel]

We're having real college football talk. I know you guys come for the comedy, but we're having real college football talk right now. Serious. Hey, guys, serious football take.

[Van Lathan]

Oh, yes, sir.

[Joel]

Serious football guys.

[Joe]

Ultron, right here.

[Joel]

Football right there.

[Joe]

That's right.

[Joel]

Made our balls touch.

[Joe]

That's right. Okay, so I think I got it back.

[Joel]

Okay.

[Joe]

All right. So I think the thing is that you just gotta find a coach. There's not going to be one way to do it. There's going to be all sorts of ways to do it. And if you're LSU in Texas, then you say, we're going to overwhelm you with already proven five star transfer talent. Like, that's the way we're going to do it. If you're Indiana or you're Purdue or you're Kentucky. Kentucky is a school really interesting right now. Will Stein, they got.

[Van Lathan]

And Will Stein referenced Signetti when he got to Kentucky. He's like, I'm actually looking at him as a blueprint.

[Joe]

Kentucky is right next to Indiana, another one of those kind of basketball schools. But like, there's Kentucky looks up at Indiana and they're like, y' all ain't shit. We could be y'. All.

[Van Lathan]

And they really hate each other.

[Joe]

Yeah, y' all ain't shit.

[Van Lathan]

We could be. Those two states really do not like each other.

[Joe]

Yeah. And so I just think that there's just gonna be all sorts of different ways of doing it. And I think that school shouldn't. In any team, any program, you shouldn't fall in the habit of trying to follow what somebody else does. Like, you've got to find the guy that's a good fit, has a program and does it like that way. So like, if Purdue. Purdue can look at Indiana and say.

[Van Lathan]

If you're Barry Odom, you're like, I like what Signetti did. I'm going to do my own version.

[Joe]

I've got my version of it.

[Joel]

What I mean is, will teams start. Last thing I'll say on this before you. Will teams start looking for older guys? Will they start looking for more experienced players? I mean, I'm not saying they don't do that now, but particularly they do it at quarterback. Will they start looking for more experienced players? Will it be. Will there be less of an emphasis on, you know, the guys I was talking about that washed out after one year someplace or two years someplace. Maybe you want a guy because we talk about this in the NCAA tournament. One of the most fascinating things about the NCAA tournament is sometimes you get phenoms versus veterans.

[Joe]

Yep.

[Joel]

You got guys that have been running the system for three, four years at a smaller scroll that know how to play the game, that know what they saw last year.

[Van Lathan]

Houston versus Duke.

[Joel]

Yes.

[Van Lathan]

Grown men versus phenoms.

[Joel]

So, but. And, and for the way. For the. The way that Indiana won this year, you guys don't think that coaches across the country will shift to trying to get guys with a little bit more experience that are a little bit deeper into their 30s and 40s?

[Joe]

I definitely. 30s and 40s. I definitely think that they're going to do that. But then eventually, like the COVID years.

[Van Lathan]

Running out, so, like, we're. We're running out of time.

[Joe]

And that's a pond that a lot of people are going to be fishing at. And then you're going to need to find the market inefficiency somewhere else. You know, like, so you. All of a sudden, we're all competing for Cam Cook out of Jacksonville State, you know, and he was the leading Russian in the country last year. The reason I bring him up, because he's a tcu, didn't do shit. And then he goes Jacksonville State. He's a nation's leading rusher, but he.

[Joel]

Got with the winning program with a winning mindset. So sometimes when you're in tcu, Jacksonville.

[Joe]

State had a better record than tcu.

[Joel]

Sometimes when you're at tcu, though, and you talk, there's an echo because the trophy case is empty. So like, and. And that sometimes people get scared. Like, you go to a place and you.

[Joe]

LSU ever produced a football player better than Ladanian Thomas?

[Joel]

So you. You go someplace.

[Joe]

Has LSU ever produced a football speak.

[Joel]

And then there's no. He's like, hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because the football case, I don't think it's empty. The whole thing is empty.

[Joe]

Defensive end better than Aaron Schobel.

[Joel]

What I know is this.

[Van Lathan]

What about Julius Peppers.

[Joel]

Or lt hey.

[Joe]

There'S two of them.

[Joel]

Or Ronald Curry. Oh, y.

[Van Lathan]

We don't have teams. We got guys.

[Joel]

What was the cornerback.

[Joe]

Was so called. 11 interceptions as a road freshman.

[Joel]

Dre Bly.

[Van Lathan]

Best ball skills. You'll see.

[Joe]

Yeah, man.

[Joel]

There you go. Okay, look, people got players.

[Van Lathan]

What's up?

[Joe]

You know what I'm saying?

[Van Lathan]

North Carolina football, I love it. I'M fired up. We don't have him anymore, but I enjoyed what we did.

[Joe]

Mac Brown, man.

[Van Lathan]

Mac Brown. My guy. Let's listen to Signetti here. This is my big reaction because Reese Davis sat down with him. This was in, I think, the Fountain Blue Hotel. Signetti, freeze. You have the clip here. He said this when asked about his future.

[Joe]

Your place in the game changes because you now have this trophy.

[Kurt Signetti]

I really don't think that way. You know, we had a lot of success year one. There were a lot of opportunities. Would you do this commercial? Would you speak. Speak at this retreat? And a lot of money involved and declined them all because, you know, I get paid to do a certain job, and I know what my strengths are, and I like what I do, and I like winning. I don't plan on changing very much. I don't have a problem saying no. I'm honored to be in this class. When I envisioned myself being a coach at a very young age, I wanted to be, like, a Bear Bryant kind of guy. And this doesn't put me anywhere near there. But our story certainly is a. A great story. And we are the national champs.

[Joel]

What the. I'm talking about.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, you heard that, bro. It is exactly what you want to hear if you're an Indiana fan. This is not someone that seems content. Even though he just won the national championship, just went undefeated, and went 16 and 0 for the first time since 1894. For me, my big reaction after all the smoke and all the dust has settled is Kurt Signetti is still not content. His daughter put out a tweet for 2019 where she had texted him, like, are you happy? Or whatever, because they had just won against a D1 program. And he just said, no, period. And then she texted him after the championship game, I was like, are you finally happy? And he said, yes. And then I was like, oh, maybe this is a, you know, hey, he reached the mountaintop. We've heard Saban say the hardest part is getting down from, you know, climbing Everest, not getting to the top of Everest. But it does feel like based on that clip right there, Signetti has a lot more left in the tank.

[Joe]

Can I tell you something about life?

[Van Lathan]

I would love. I would love.

[Joe]

Kurt Signetti. Makes me really optimistic about the future of my life.

[Joel]

Because he's old.

[Joe]

Because I was like, he may have had the best professional year of his life when he was 64 years old.

[Joel]

64 years old.

[Joe]

And I'm just thinking sometimes, you know, you get to be. I didn't realize this when I got laid off his slate. I was one of the oldest people there, okay? I was like, damn. All of a sudden, I looked up. I'm the old motherfucker in the news. You know what I'm saying? But then I'm, like, thinking about, man, what am I gonna do to make sure that I don't end up unemployed and, like, you know, old and having to figure it out. Right? And I'm just like, man, maybe there's still a chance that, like, there's a. You know, there's a bright future out there that I can't even imagine. I can still make the money of my dreams, have the career of my dreams. You get it?

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joe]

That's what I'm saying. So Kurt Signetti kind of is inspiring to me in a lot of ways. Cause I'm just like, oh, yeah. No, it doesn't have over for me. As I get older in my career, I don't have to start thinking about the end. Maybe I need to start thinking bigger. Like, maybe there's a lot more.

[Joel]

More you can do. Maybe the best is yet to come. Like, yeah, in. In. If you're an athlete, you. There's this finite end to, like, what it is that you can do and then all of that stuff. But when you're in coach, it's a situation like this. You can get to the point, you can build something. This can be your zenith right here. And he's there. And by the way, for all the time that he's coached, it's kind of just starting. He might do two, three of them things. Like, we have no clue.

[Van Lathan]

I mean, him bringing up Bear Bryant, and then, I mean, he immediately was like, I'm not comparing myself to Bear Bryant, but for that to be. And obviously, his dad was a Hall of Fame.

[Joe]

That's. I was gonna say that's kind of funny. His dad is a Hall of Fame coach.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. And he has such a great, you know, obviously, reverence for his own dad. But for him to already be thinking in that capacity kind of tells you where he views this thing.

[Joel]

And I'll tell you something, there's going to be a sense of urgency for him to do the things that he wants to do, because he doesn't have maybe 30 years in the profession or something like that. Every single season is an incredibly meaningful, important season to him because he's here at this time in his life. Yeah, yeah. Belichick, come on. He'd already done this.

[Joe]

Yeah, he did it. He did his man. He'd been to the Mountaintop Yeah. Now he just.

[Van Lathan]

Not in college.

[Joe]

Yeah. Now he wants to have a little fun.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, this, this time for fun, man.

[Joel]

A lot of fun. Hey, what do you guys think the blue chip ratio for Indiana is you got? So the blue chip ratio, in case you guys out there don't know, is it's the percentage of your team that is four and five stars.

[Joe]

I. It's probably got to be less than 5%.

[Joel]

8%. Yeah, it's 8%. Normally to sniff the playoffs you need to have a blue chip ratio of over 50%. It's 8%. 8% of them. That is really remarkable, man.

[Joe]

Evaluation, development. But you know, man, see this is the thing. Indiana just lost their strength and condition at coach to Tennessee. Tennessee made it the most the highest paid strength and conditioning coach in the country. And it's like, see, I feel like.

[Van Lathan]

That might be chasing fool's gold too. I do. I think a lot of people are going to try to poach that staff thinking they're taking away these guys from Signetti. But I think it like it's a top down operation, like he will find people to put in those positions. You know what I mean?

[Joe]

I think so. But I mean again, like obviously the one thing about the Signetti thing is that there's a lot of stability. Those guys have worked together for years and when you start taking away pieces of it, I mean maybe Signetti will be able to rebuild it, but it still is just like, you know, I've got used to that guy being by my side and I got to find somebody else and then trust them, trust them in that same way.

[Joel]

Do you guys feel like there's a difference in developing players that are older as it relates to developing players that are a little younger? Let me tell you what I mean. So like in this era of transfers, we've talked about it before, the transfer portal, that this probably has some effect on the development of players. Right. Because the guys that you're competing for are older, some of them are more established. You're not getting the continuity that you used to get. If you don't like the way things are going at one place, you leave that place, right?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

Taking somebody that's skilled but raw or just need reps and developing them into a really great player is one thing. Is there a different skill set in taking someone that's played a lot of football and then getting the best out of them in a short amount of time?

[Joe]

Absolutely. I mean I think that. And that's, I think that's why Josh Hoover is Going to Indiana. To. To be honest.

[Joel]

Well, once again, he's going there because where he came from, empty trophy case. He's running and he's hearing trophy.

[Joe]

He's better not playing under Sonny Dykes. I agree with you.

[Joel]

There you go.

[Van Lathan]

Okay.

[Joe]

If that is the contention. But, I mean, look, he's. The thing about Josh Hoover, by the way, people don't remember he committed to Indiana out of high school and then flipped to tce. So this is him going back to where, you know, where it all started. Where it all started. But, yeah, man. So, no, I think that that is absolutely a real talent. A guy that has been through the college football, you know, done college football two, three years.

[Van Lathan]

I mean, reps.

[Joel]

Developed reps, man.

[Joe]

But then somebody being like in that third. That third or fourth year, being like, no, if you try it this way, or I can develop you in this way and make something out of a player that you think has already reached their ceiling. There's definitely a value in that. And clearly that's some of what Signetti and his staff have been doing. So, yeah, that's. I mean, if you can get somebody that can do that, then I mean that obviously you found something pretty special.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. Indiana, fifth team in the AP Poll era to go five and oh or better against top 10 opponents in a single season. Miami was 4. 0 going into that game. Indiana was 4. No. As well. So something had to give. Miami ends the season 4 and 1. Indiana now 5. 0. The other teams that have done that, 1943 Notre Dame, 1987 Miami, 2015 Alabama and 2019 LSU. Who wins 7. 0. In such case, SEC inflation 7 and. Oh, everyone else 5.

[Joe]

0.

[Joel]

Put something in the trophy case. Not an empty.

[Van Lathan]

I put that back then just for vans.

[Joel]

What the. I'm talking about.

[Van Lathan]

He didn't like that.

[Joe]

Whatever.

[Joel]

It's okay.

[Van Lathan]

I. I looked up 2014 TCU.

[Joel]

What do they have?

[Joe]

How do we go against what they do?

[Van Lathan]

Three and one.

[Joel]

There you go.

[Joe]

That's good.

[Joel]

That's real good. That's. That's amazing. For tcu, we beat. That's. That. That's. That's. That's amazing.

[Joe]

Let's not talk like y' all are the SEC's. Minnesota, SEC's.

[Joel]

Three. Three national championships. Okay.

[Joe]

Again, are you happy.

[Joel]

With. I'm happy with the history of my school.

[Van Lathan]

I never thought this show would be 2019 LSU vs 2014 TCU, but I'm.

[Joel]

Glad a lot of people have made that comparison. So we're not the first.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, people do it all the Time.

[Joel]

Nah, he was a good. I'm not. Look, hold on for a second.

[Van Lathan]

There were some good players.

[Joel]

Yeah, that. That was a bad. I'm not. I'm not hating on him. I mean, obviously Joe Burrow is one of the greatest athletes any single season, everywhere. Boy can skin with that. But like, he's. That. He was. He was a bad boy. Because it was a bad. He was. Yeah, he was. I'm like, I'm giving you your problem. I like Ladanian Thomas. I like. I never had a problem with it. Right. But you know this.

[Van Lathan]

There's levels for the good of the show. We need a little bit of beef here. One big question. This is something that I feel like every time I kind of go through and comment the storylines that have come in out of this, I'm excited to hear Joel's answer. Again, not prepared for this. What. What's the best under discussed storyline? And I'll give you my under discussed storyline and that'll get us into the conversation. So Jamari Sharp, who had the interception in this game, you're talking about developing guys who had been there before. He's a guy who committed to Tom Allen, was there for a three and nine season, a two win season. Right. And then now he's in a situation, they're playing cover two. He's like our defensive back coach who is a signetti guy he brought over from jmu. He says for those routes, on those vertical routes, we kind of just trail them. We hold onto the route as long as we can. He does that. He sits on the route. Carson Beck falls into the trap, he throws the interception, ends the game. He wins the national championship. He takes his helmet off, said he blacked out. He's like, I don't even remember what all happened. Funny enough, his uncle is Glenn Sharp who played at Miami.

[Joe]

And also good Sharp rip. Right.

[Van Lathan]

I think he's. I think he actually is in incarcerated, but is that what it was? We don't have to get into that.

[Joel]

Oh, man.

[Joe]

Hold on. Let's go ahead and look it up now.

[Van Lathan]

I think he got a murder. I think he got a murder charge.

[Joe]

Something bad happened to Glenn Sharp.

[Joel]

Okay.

[Van Lathan]

Okay, man.

[Joel]

Can we like.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe he's okay.

[Van Lathan]

I think he is okay.

[Joe]

Oh, no, actually not. All right, well, what happened after this? He. And on February 22, 2012, he was arrested and accused of murder.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, yeah, that's what I said.

[Joel]

He.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, he did it. He did the murdering. Yeah, no, he was not murdered. Okay. Anyways, Glenn Sharp, Jamari Sharp, Jamari Sharp wanted to play at the University of Miami. His uncle was the guy who got the past interference against Ohio State that led to overtime and kept Miami from going to back to back championships. So I mean just. That's a very under discussed storyline. Like the Sharp connection there between the family and the fact that now Jamari Sharp is winning a national championship for Indiana for. Against the school that he wanted to go to. Everybody's talking about Mendoza of it all. I just thought Jamari Sharp, that was a great story.

[Joe]

Did y' all see that hit? So they also talked about this from when Mendoza was a Cal last year.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joe]

And Wesley hit him him and knocked him out of the game.

[Van Lathan]

Right.

[Joe]

And late in the fourth quarter and.

[Van Lathan]

Miami ended up winning that game. 39, 38 Miami winning that game.

[Joe]

And then it was besanked that he went over and. And the last guy that had a shot on him when he dove into.

[Van Lathan]

The end, that was the guy he bounced off of.

[Joe]

That's right.

[Joel]

I want to talk about two things that happened post game.

[Joe]

Okay.

[Joel]

Okay.

[Joe]

Okay. Let's do it. Yeah.

[Joel]

The. The flesher punch.

[Joe]

Yeah, man.

[Joel]

That was something that happened while we were live streaming.

[Van Lathan]

Right. That we missed.

[Joel]

We missed because we didn't have the game up. We were talking about the game. We didn't see it. Now there's just been all kinds of discussion about why something like that would happen on the field. Are we believing that Fletcher, who played fantastically the entire playoffs and was a bellwether, a bell cow. Should I say?

[Joe]

He could have been like the second MVP in the playoffs?

[Joel]

Without a doubt. Right. It. Are we believing that he lost his head and. And punch this guy or the stories coming out that this guy referenced his, his deceased father. Do y' all think that that actually happened?

[Van Lathan]

Well, we saw the video of him go up to Mendoza before the punch and he had a really heartfelt moment. Right. So the fact that he would go from. That's why I don't think he was unhinged at that point because he obviously had this nice moment with Mendoza. Showed a. A lot of sportsmanship. Right. To go do that. So for him to go from zero to a hundred, I feel like obviously something.

[Joel]

Something had to be said.

[Joe]

Something had to happen. I mean the thing is.

[Van Lathan]

And a punch as a running back, I mean, man.

[Joe]

But Mark, man, Mark Fletcher, bro. I mean running backs like the can fight. You remember when that was at LSU and this was when TMZ 1. Were you responsible for that?

[Joel]

Tell me what happened.

[Joe]

Okay. So they, they had a little Video of Leonard Fournette fighting a defensive lineman at LSU in the parking lot.

[Joel]

I do remember this.

[Joe]

Yeah. And I was. And people were like, man, Leonard Fournette fighting. I was like, dog, he big as hell. Yeah, man, those motherfuckers are big.

[Joel]

No, no, no. Like Leonard Fernet. That's different. That's six foot three. Like, 245 pounds. Like, he gonna go. He can go anywhere. That's not a weight class thing. When I think of weight class. When I think of weight classes, I think when Josh Norman got pissed off at Cam Newton. No, not. Well, Cam was one, but what is the guy. I think he's on busing with the boys now. The big lineman, he was Taylor Lawan. Yeah. He was pointing at Josh Norman. He did.

[Van Lathan]

Like, he was doing the first down.

[Joel]

Yeah. And Josh Norman and came over there and he punched him in his. And then Taylor, like, walked away from it. But, like, I think that that was like. Like weight class.

[Joe]

All that Trent Williams on Richard Sherman, too, man.

[Joel]

I was the other way. So what you gonna do? Like, what you do about it, boy? Pushing your. And Sherman just didn't. Bro.

[Van Lathan]

Sherman couldn't believe he did it, bro.

[Joe]

I mean, what's he gonna do about it?

[Joel]

First of all, like, all of that, when I watch that every time I watch that, because I watch that every now and again. What an athlete Trent is. He got fast hands. Them hands got up and down real quick, man. For a big man to move like that. That's why he's. That's why he's a Hall of Famer.

[Van Lathan]

No, he's incredible.

[Joe]

I mean, I will give Sherm credit for taking that punch, too, though.

[Joel]

Hands up. That's one of my hands.

[Joe]

Yeah, he doing that. It's like, nah, dawg. You got got. You got your head, boy.

[Joel]

That was my. That was my NFL. The toxic NFL Receiver like, try, touch me with a sword. Receiver like trap. I like the Richard Shermans, man. I like the Josh Normans, man. I like the Bart Scotts. I like all of these.

[Joe]

Cgj, Courtney, Gardener, Johnson. Yeah. Courtney Flanagan. Right.

[Van Lathan]

Not Courtland.

[Joel]

Courtland. Finnegan.

[Van Lathan]

Finnegan.

[Joel]

Courtland Finnegan.

[Van Lathan]

Tennessee Titans.

[Joel]

That one was. That one was a bad one, man. That was a bad one. But I like it when these teams don't like each other. Even the whole Mike Evans, Lattimore Saints, Tampa Bay thing. I like that type of man football.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

I will say this, though.

[Van Lathan]

D' Angelo hall had plenty of those.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah, man. Because DeAndre Hopkins.

[Joel]

I will say this, though. In this Particular situation. I am interested to see what the story here actually was. Has anyone talked to Fletcher about this?

[Van Lathan]

I haven't seen any quotes from Fletcher. I'm sure he doesn't have media obligations anymore. You know, he's probably got some time off. But just knowing how he's been as a person and a personality, it seems very out of character for him to do something like that without someone crossing the line.

[Joe]

I think that's why people are giving him a little bit of grace. And if you heard the live call, Scott Van Pelt was like, we don't know what was said. When I was like, oh, we've come a long way from the laguerre Blunt thing because there's like, okay, sometimes in the heat of battle or after the heat of battle and emotions are still high, like that can happen. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often, to be honest.

[Van Lathan]

Right.

[Joe]

If people don't. I mean, it. I mean, Testament to like was created.

[Van Lathan]

To simulate a battle.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

I mean, that was literally. That's why the sport was created. So I mean, you're basically going to war and then you're supposed to get done and be like, hey, man, good, good stuff.

[Joel]

Well, you. Okay. We don't want to make it seem like we're encouraging people shoot the fair one after the game. I said, what? You enter two. Ah. 227.

[Van Lathan]

227.

[Joel]

227.

[Joe]

I mean, don't come up to me if. If we've had a game and you were talking, don't come up to me and act like we friendly now.

[Van Lathan]

Right.

[Joel]

It depends on what type of. To say what type of.

[Van Lathan]

You were saying another under discussed storyline. Carson Beck did not shake Mendoza's hand and goes back to the locker room.

[Joe]

Is weird because what like that's a professional. Like usually like head coaches do it and the NFL quarterbacks do it after a game.

[Van Lathan]

I think that really hurts you for NFL stuff.

[Joe]

No, man. Man.

[Joel]

You think so?

[Joe]

Nobody should look at that.

[Van Lathan]

And no, I'm telling you, it does.

[Joe]

What I know. You got a source.

[Joel]

I know.

[Joe]

Yeah. But I mean, let's just consider the record with that.

[Van Lathan]

I got more than one source, man.

[Joel]

Well, I mean.

[Joe]

Oh, oh, oh. Yeah.

[Joel]

So you already know.

[Van Lathan]

I'm just saying it sometimes I'm trying.

[Joel]

To get this man.

[Van Lathan]

Sometimes those little things not. He'll get drafted for sure. I'm just saying Joel had his big board was like Carson Beck. He should not be QB2 too. I'm saying that's going to Be used against him, but that's gonna be used against him. You know what I mean?

[Joel]

That one thing right there.

[Van Lathan]

Not just one thing, but I mean, it just. Look, things. Everyone's trying to figure out who you are and. And things, you know, can sort of, you know, trend to. To show you who someone is. You know what I mean?

[Joe]

I. I believe, Tate, that that affects people in their decision making process. I also think that's stupid.

[Van Lathan]

I agree that it's stupid.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

I'm just saying.

[Joe]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

I think it's. We. I think it's stupid not to go shake somebody's hand.

[Joe]

Also, though, I feel like Carson Beck probably was at the lowest point in his. His college career ended on an interception. He had a chance to win and he was going to get blamed for.

[Van Lathan]

And he had PTSD from. He's had a lot of those moments in his life.

[Joe]

Yeah, I'm sure he just probably. I just want to get out of.

[Joel]

Here, you know, I gotta tell you something. So I'm looking for something specific here. Okay. I'm looking for something specific here. I'm looking for something.

[Joe]

Something.

[Joel]

I'm looking for the. This. There's a Miami player who has like a super hot girlfriend. Did y' all see her? No, like, her last name is Straub or something.

[Joe]

Is she hot?

[Joel]

You don't think she is?

[Joe]

Well, dude, you know what?

[Van Lathan]

What?

[Joel]

I can't remember. He's a. So I just put in. So listen, this is what happened. I just put in hot Miami girlfriend, right? Hot Miami girlfriend, thinking that it would pop up because everybody. I'll put in hot Miami girlfriend, bruh.

[Van Lathan]

There's a lot.

[Joel]

It's 50 people. They got Katya, Elise, Henry. That popped up. You know, that's Tyler. Heroes girl.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joel]

She was one of the greatest of all time. I'm not. I'm not saying she's not now. I'm saying that like, you know, respect.

[Joe]

Had a little something when he was down there.

[Joel]

Tate Martell. That's a name I haven't heard from a long time. He hasn't committed armed robbery yet. Like Nicolette Delano, the Cavender twins. Like, there are so many names. Names that pop up when you just put in hot Miami girlfriend.

[Joe]

Yeah, Cavender came up here.

[Joel]

Cavender came up. There's so many different names that. That yet. But yeah, y' all know what's up. Her name is.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

Hannah Straub is her name. You didn't see her.

[Joe]

Like, look, look, she like kind of bends over, like in front of these game What Too.

[Joel]

Wait, what?

[Joe]

Billy. Billy keeps talking to me. What happened?

[Joel]

They can't hear you. You. You're not talking into the microphone. Is the microphone right?

[Joe]

This is not in the microphone.

[Van Lathan]

It's rubbing up against Keelan, Marion's girlfriend.

[Joel]

Keelan, Marion's girlfriend.

[Van Lathan]

Incredible semi final game.

[Joel]

He had a great semi final game. I looked her up on Instagram. She only has about 48, 000 followers. That's clutch. That means that she not chasing it. Yeah, got one.

[Van Lathan]

He got a good one.

[Joel]

Yeah, he milking out. But that's cool. Like, like he, he, he, he, he, he. Her. Her with the. With the. With the. With the 48, 000. That's clutch. That's like if you look in you like. Okay, now I gotta go. I love Meek Mill follows her. That's probably not great, but like it's like you gotta. I gotta. But for him. That's clutch for him right there. That's right in the wheelhouse of. She is. When do you hit super hot. But she's not chasing fame.

[Joe]

When.

[Van Lathan]

What is the number? When she is chasing fame.

[Joel]

Well, first of all, I was just. Let me just put you like this. Chase fame. I have no problem. I'm not making any value judgments about you chasing fame. But if you are somebody like him and you know you don't want to have to compete with a Drake or somebody like that, you start Getting to like 2,253Now you're out there and you got the brand deals. Fashion Nova hashtag ad situation.

[Van Lathan]

Right.

[Joel]

But 48 he probably. He's probably doing his thing.

[Joe]

Is she one of them? What's the fashion? Apparel.

[Van Lathan]

So that's your favorite under discussed storyline. Hannah Straub.

[Joel]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I saw it.

[Joe]

Yeah. What's the name of that?

[Joel]

No good for him.

[Joe]

The apparel company. Lot of the IG girls be wearing. What is this?

[Van Lathan]

Fashion Nova.

[Joe]

Fashion Nova. She a fashion over girl.

[Joel]

I don't know if she is or if she's not. Look, click. Click on the picture right there.

[Joe]

Wear him with Kean.

[Joel]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Can't go against this.

[Joel]

She says can't go against that. Oh, she had the comments off. That's interesting. Comments off.

[Joe]

Comments off.

[Joel]

Comments off. That the comments off is interesting.

[Joe]

Comments off. Okay.

[Van Lathan]

I like it.

[Joe]

All right.

[Joel]

Good for him. Little love.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

Who we think is. Does Mendoza have a girlfriend?

[Joe]

No. Did you see the clip that Ricky Williams had?

[Joel]

What Ricky Williams said.

[Joe]

Say Ricky Williams is on a show that we're not going to talk about because it might be uncomfortable in here. Okay.

[Van Lathan]

Really?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

What's the show?

[Joe]

Dan Ler. Oh, okay.

[Joel]

Damn.

[Joe]

Damn. So it was a lot.

[Joel]

I was trying to be nice for you, Billy.

[Joe]

We're good.

[Joel]

Billy, you want to do crazy?

[Joe]

Are you ready to do Peepo?

[Joel]

Now that's bro. Like, that's crazy.

[Joe]

I'm sorry about that, Billy.

[Joel]

Don't know what to say.

[Joe]

Should I not talk about it?

[Joel]

Yeah, we can't talk. We can't talk about that.

[Joe]

Okay, you know what? It's fine. We don't talk about.

[Joel]

We can't talk about no show. We can't talk about no Globetrotters. We can't talk about nobody.

[Joe]

Damn.

[Joel]

Because that's the name.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah.

[Joel]

Because the name comes from Lemon. It's the same name.

[Joe]

Is it?

[Joel]

Because think about, you know, the guy. He's from the. He was a Globetrotter.

[Joe]

Okay.

[Joel]

You guys know who I'm talking about?

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joe]

Say the name.

[Joel]

No.

[Joe]

Who you talking about?

[Joel]

Meadowlark. Women.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. Oh, he's from North Carolina.

[Joel]

Yeah. Okay.

[Joe]

Metal like women.

[Joel]

So that triggers Billy. But anyway, go ahead.

[Joe]

I didn't want. Yeah, okay. I don't want to make it a comfortable. So listen, it's just. It was just Ricky Williams talking on a live stream during the game. And he says that when they went to Heisman ceremony and that Fernando was around talking to people and whatever. And I can't. He. He didn't. I can't remember which player he said he was talking to. He's like, you know, apparent I'm gonna have to get into girls at some point. Do you guys have any advice for girls?

[Joel]

Fernando Mendoza said that.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

We're gonna help him right now. I. I wanted to do this. So Fernando Mendoza a is Disneyland all time story.

[Van Lathan]

Kind of reminds me. Reminds me of the Lopez twins. Like Brooke Lopez, like Fernando Mendoza and Brook Lopez have a similar personality.

[Joe]

Very interesting comparison.

[Joel]

Let's think of ladies out there. Okay, Cuz, Josh Allen got Haley Steinfeld your man here. What's his name again?

[Joe]

Hannah Stroud. Oh, Keelan Mar.

[Joel]

Ken Mar has Hannah Strob.

[Van Lathan]

Yep.

[Joel]

Okay. There was two. There was the Cavenders for Carson Beck. Okay. Marcel Reed has.

[Joe]

Oh, Sunisa Lee.

[Joel]

Suny Lee.

[Van Lathan]

She's out now.

[Joel]

It's over.

[Van Lathan]

It's over.

[Joe]

Damn.

[Joel]

Damn.

[Van Lathan]

That's what I had. Some guy. I forgot to say that on the show. Some guy DM me and said it was over.

[Joel]

Let me ask you this.

[Joe]

He was.

[Van Lathan]

He was a. I mean, it said A and M. Like he was like. That was a one time thing.

[Joel]

Whoa, whoa. Marcel, hold on for a second, bro. T, you got to be careful. That was a one time thing. Wow, that was. That sound like Roadhouse. Remember that time in RO House? You going to be my regular Saturday night thing? Y' all remember that scene? You've never seen Roadhouse.

[Van Lathan]

You've seen Roadhouse.

[Joel]

You've seen Roadhouse.

[Joe]

Roadhouse. What?

[Van Lathan]

Roadhouse, man.

[Joel]

Patrick Swayze, Roadhouse. Kelly Lynch, Roadhouse.

[Van Lathan]

You seen Ghost? Ghost?

[Joe]

Yeah, I have seen ghosts.

[Van Lathan]

Okay, but you've never Swayze.

[Joel]

You've seen Roadhouse. Patrick Swayze plays a bouncer. It looks. Roadhouse is boring. It looked like you with me. I want to do it.

[Van Lathan]

I remember the book.

[Joel]

I don't want to do it.

[Joe]

When you go to Blockbuster video in the 80s and sometimes you'd have to see if you.

[Joel]

You have to pick the movie you.

[Joe]

Were gonna go see.

[Joel]

I swear.

[Joe]

And I looked at Roadhouse and I was like, I don't look like I'd be into that.

[Joel]

Joe, how is it that you've never just been flipping through channels and seen Roadhouse?

[Joe]

I turn off things immediately if I don't think I interested. That's why I've never seen a full episode of mash, okay?

[Joel]

Oh, I mean, that's different than Roadhouse. Roadhouse. There's explosions, there's peak. White women, there's dancing in bars. There's all kinds.

[Joe]

Somebody had told me this, then maybe.

[Joel]

I would have watched all the stuff you like. P. White women in bars. So.

[Van Lathan]

So look, I got a girl from Mendoza.

[Joel]

Okay? So but we should just say that we're not saying anything about SUNY Lee and Marcel Reed. That's somebody. That DM tape. We don't know nothing about that. To say that that was a one time.

[Van Lathan]

He was more correcting the fact because we were talking about them as like in a relationship. You know what I mean? Like, he was like. It was a picture one night. You know what I mean?

[Joe]

Like, she was just in town. You may or may not known her.

[Van Lathan]

That's. I wasn't saying like it was. Yeah.

[Joe]

Dollar you down a good. Right.

[Joel]

Right.

[Joe]

Okay. Oh.

[Joel]

All right.

[Joe]

So.

[Van Lathan]

So we got to find Mendoza.

[Joel]

We got five Mendoza. Mendoza says he wants to grow. We got five Mendoza girls. Girl.

[Van Lathan]

I got a girl for him.

[Joel]

Okay. Who you got?

[Van Lathan]

Rachel Zler?

[Joel]

No, Snow White.

[Van Lathan]

She's hated.

[Joel]

Are you nuts? Hold on for a second. You would like. That's like one of. That's legitimately one of the worst ideas I've ever heard before in my life to.

[Van Lathan]

To save her career.

[Joel]

No, forget about that.

[Joe]

He.

[Van Lathan]

You said you wanted Disney. She's Disney.

[Joel]

He ends up. First of all, I. With her. That's the first thing I want to let you.

[Van Lathan]

You're right.

[Joel]

It's. It's terrible for him, though, Though. He's not going to get draw. He's going to be. Get drawn into politics now.

[Van Lathan]

Oh, she's in politics. I don't know.

[Joe]

I don't know the whole bro.

[Joel]

Like, you see, you got to get into this.

[Van Lathan]

I don't know.

[Joel]

There was like. There was like a little. There was like a little war that happened on Snow White because.

[Van Lathan]

Okay. And then her.

[Joel]

And then other things that happened geopolitically and she. Yeah, then she was also people. Didn't. I. I don't have any problem with her, but I'm saying that's, like, completely the wrong person.

[Van Lathan]

All right, well, if it's not her. Sabrina Carpenter.

[Joel]

Sabrina Carpenter. That's not bad.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

She said now she. Now I do feel like she seems.

[Van Lathan]

Like she wants a nice guy.

[Joel]

I do feel like that's gonna completely change him. He gonna be freaked out, missing practices and all kinds of stuff. Like, nothing.

[Van Lathan]

He's gonna be in Vegas. He gotta get a little.

[Joe]

I don't know a lot about her, but that's a terrible idea.

[Van Lathan]

Why?

[Joe]

He's dog.

[Joel]

We're thinking Disney. You said you go to Disney. I'm giving you Disney.

[Joe]

He's gonna be able to hold onto a woman like that. He might be a virgin dog. We don't even know.

[Van Lathan]

No, but that's sweet, but you need.

[Joe]

A woman that will accept that.

[Joel]

Oh, maybe she will.

[Van Lathan]

Maybe she will.

[Joel]

Maybe she's sick not being around here.

[Van Lathan]

She got a new single, you know.

[Joe]

You don't want to go back and have to reteach somebody, man. So here. Okay, so here's the thing. The Duke.

[Joel]

Duke, you want to say something? Do you not agree?

[Joe]

Is that. Is that false?

[Joel]

Do you not agree?

[Joe]

That's. I mean, dog, like Sabrina Carpenter is not going to wait around for Fernando to get better him.

[Joel]

Right.

[Joe]

All right, here's the thing here.

[Van Lathan]

So you're saying he's going to t.

[Joel]

First of all, I would just say something else. We don't know how good Fernando Mendoza is at.

[Joe]

That's right.

[Van Lathan]

We have no clue. We don't know.

[Joel]

Like, a lot of these things are just being said.

[Van Lathan]

He dropped the F word. He said lfg.

[Joel]

Let's go.

[Joe]

There's two things running through my mind here.

[Joel]

You want to think about. You want to think about another athlete?

[Joe]

Yeah. Do you want me to go to that first.

[Joel]

Well, good. No, just go for it.

[Joe]

Well, the first thing is just like Fernando reminds me of a lot of kids that I went to school with and actually a really good friend I used to have who was kind of similar. And so I'm thinking about the way that life unfolded. And that's why I'm saying for Fernando, I was like, I got somebody for you that's a little bit better than may have expectations of you that you may not be able to meet early on. I don't have a specific girl in mind, but go get you a girl that's a volleyball all American, a basketball all American, something like that. Like, go, you know, even like, hurry up at IU right now. Just find you, you know, somebody that is an athlete. You know, not famous, but attractive, pretty, you know, like, remember when Matt Leiner when she ended up kind of wilding out, but remember what Matt Leiner kinda.

[Joel]

I know you're not thinking about who I think you're thinking about.

[Joe]

Yeah, what's her name?

[Joel]

What are you talking about? Like, like, yeah, I know that's not. But by the way, not once again, not judging. Not. Not judging, but like, that's a TMZ legend right there.

[Van Lathan]

Oh, yeah. She was everywhere. Yeah, she was.

[Joel]

She was sound so bad. But I'm saying, like.

[Joe]

Yeah, but the profile that I'm thinking of is a. Of just a pretty former college. A college athlete and somebody that is just, you know, going to be by his side and not care that, you.

[Van Lathan]

Know, like Cameron Br. Even though she got engaged, you know.

[Joe]

Exactly. Yeah. Like somebody that's going to be with you. You can't get no Tate McCray.

[Joel]

No, Tate McCrae is probably the one, bro.

[Van Lathan]

That'd be a great one.

[Joel]

He pull up. See, but what y'.

[Van Lathan]

All.

[Joel]

I'm just saying is now he got to be the star quarterback in the draft. And if what we talking about, Remember all of these guys with all of these different theories about what goes on in the draft, and you got to have a dynamic dynamite girl. Pull up with a Tate McCrae. Pull up with a Sabrina Carpenter. You got a crowd. A crowd. Hey, man, man their heads up. Pull up with Chloe Bailey.

[Van Lathan]

Oh, that's Angel Reese.

[Joel]

Angel Reese. Pull up with Angel Reese.

[Joe]

Pull up, man.

[Joel]

Fernando Mendoza. Angel Reese shutting down the streets right now.

[Joe]

I mean, no, I mean, it would be great story, but he ain't gonna be able to hold on to Angel.

[Van Lathan]

He doesn't have to hold on. That's what we're saying.

[Joel]

Look at Clay Thompson.

[Van Lathan]

Clay Thompson knows he's not holding on.

[Joe]

Fernando Mendoza needs to be good at football, bro. He don't want to be a celebrity. That's not what he's built as he's going to be. He's going to get drafted to a team.

[Van Lathan]

But if you're the number one pick, you are a celebrity.

[Joe]

But you know what the problem is? He's going to go to Vegas, though.

[Joel]

What you're missing is you're missing the Russell. I'm telling you, you're missing the Russell Wilson Sierra dynamic. You're missing the dynamic of somebody that what he really needs though, cuz that. Cuz him going in there and like, like he's the type of right now to bring a teddy bear to the draft, right? But like that, like. Like that right there, that's not gonna work. You gotta. You gotta get out of your Disney fans now. Let me tell you. I'm giving y' all some tmz now.

[Joe]

Why do you want him to do that?

[Joel]

Just listen, all right? I'm gonna give. I'm give y'. All.

[Van Lathan]

He's got. He likes Lil Uzi.

[Joel]

I'll give y' all some TMZ knowledge right here. When these people are getting out of their Disney faces, when they're Disney stars.

[Joe]

Yeah, right.

[Joel]

There's two things that they do. Three. Either they take all their clothes off Miley Cyrus. Miley Cyrus. Or they start acting like they black Miley Cyrus. Miley Cyrus or deep drug and alcohol.

[Van Lathan]

Miley Cyrus type of.

[Joel]

Type of situation. Right?

[Van Lathan]

She's a three for three.

[Joel]

So that. That's the way they. They. Because in order to come. In order to like be like, I'm a grown up now. You gotta do some grown up. Be a little dangerous. Right? Sometimes out of somewhere, the news leak. You like, what the is going on? Like, why would they have that? They sent them out like.

[Joe]

Like for.

[Joel]

For Fernando Mendoza. He's got to un Disney himself.

[Van Lathan]

He was at the club.

[Joel]

He needs somebody to. To. To j him up a little bit, man.

[Joe]

He's. He's a. He's a. He is a. And you know about this Billy, cuz you one of them yourself. And I'm not even separating myself from this. You are all boys Catholic school nerd dog.

[Joel]

I went to school up.

[Joe]

I went to school with people like that, bro.

[Van Lathan]

Go fire back.

[Joe]

Find you a girl that does not want you. That is on your level, bro. Like, don't try to chase face because you're not going to be able to hold on to it.

[Joel]

You know what I love about Joe. I love how Joel is over here acting like he Rick James. Let me tell you about how these nerds like. Yeah, well, I mean, I'm sitting ESPN writer. No, listen. No, no, I know I said I'm a nerd. I'm a nerd.

[Joe]

Like I'm a millionaire.

[Joel]

I was just. I was.

[Joe]

I was a soft hearted soul. I couldn't have dated. No, yeah, take McClain myself. I mean, I know I wouldn't have been able to hold on to it.

[Joel]

We actually know that's not true, by the way. We know some of the. We'll get on to the. Okay, we don't want to talk about, like, different feats that you've accomplished.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah, right. Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, dog. No, here, look, I'm not saying that I'm better than Fernando Mendoza at all. What I'm saying is none of us are.

[Van Lathan]

We're saying we're trying to help him.

[Joel]

By the way, not only are we not better than him, we are significantly less accomplished. And he's like 23 years old.

[Van Lathan]

We're trying to help him out.

[Joe]

I did have podcasts a year once, though.

[Joel]

I won the Academy Award.

[Joe]

I was fastest 10 year old in the country.

[Joel]

They. Okay, talk your.

[Joe]

Yeah, I've done a lot of things. I was a spelling beat champ.

[Joel]

All right?

[Joe]

I did a lot of things.

[Van Lathan]

I was valedictorian.

[Joe]

Yeah, that's right.

[Van Lathan]

You were.

[Joel]

You're the valedictorian of Michelle.

[Joe]

Man, he done said that.

[Joel]

I did not know that.

[Joe]

Tell them the demographics of your high school, Tate.

[Van Lathan]

We don't have to do demos.

[Joel]

Oh, man, this about to go bad. This about to go bad. Tape about to start acting like he was Tarzan or something like that.

[Joe]

All right, let's change.

[Joel]

Tay's acting like right now. He was in his school, like, yeah, okay, so remember, two plus seven equals nine.

[Joe]

Like.

[Joel]

And everybody was like, no, no. The tape was like, y' all dead ass. Like, Ted was a valedictorian. He had a 2.9 GPA.

[Joe]

And remember, he couldn't take his. Didn't cut no lunchbox, dog. Oh, cuz.

[Joel]

They was up their lunchbox.

[Van Lathan]

Got my shoes stolen in ninth grade.

[Joel]

Tough.

[Joe]

Is that a big deal?

[Joel]

This is another. This is a Disney movie right here, right? It's called the Valedictorian.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

You know what I mean? They only brought you to that school to bring up the. The. The aggregate test school.

[Van Lathan]

No, I came. I came back, you know.

[Joel]

Okay, there you go.

[Joe]

Well, I've seen series of Things. I'm going to give you a certain. Do you think he would get a Tate McCray? I feel like Riley's a good woman, man, and you need to keep.

[Joel]

What is happening. That's his actual fiancee.

[Van Lathan]

I know.

[Joe]

She's like. I don't think he.

[Joel]

And by the way.

[Joe]

No, I don't want him out in.

[Joel]

The streets, to be honest with you. Beautiful.

[Joe]

Yes.

[Joel]

Like, legitimately beautiful.

[Joe]

I mean, but, dog, Tate's got swag, bro. I mean, he does, like. He's a good athlete. You know, he's like. He denounced his frat. His racist college.

[Joel]

Yeah. You know. Okay.

[Joe]

He's good at. He's good at sports, man. I wish you could tell the story about the motherfucker that came hooped up. Who in. In media who dribbles like a.

[Joel]

Like.

[Van Lathan]

We can't do that.

[Joe]

You can't do it.

[Joel]

Can we have a hit? He can't play at all. Is he black or white?

[Van Lathan]

White.

[Joel]

He's white. Okay. So, okay, this is. This is a guy that can't play.

[Van Lathan]

It's a lot of those. It's all right. There's a lot of them.

[Joe]

I mean, the thing. It's really hard for me to believe you should be able to cover basketball if you can't dribble.

[Joel]

Somebody this. Somebody who covers basketball who can't hoop.

[Joe]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[Van Lathan]

I mean, all the sport. I mean. Yeah. All the sports.

[Joe]

I'm not going to say.

[Joel]

Yeah, he is. Let's say.

[Van Lathan]

I'm not trying to date Tate McCrae. I think that Fernando Mendoza could.

[Joe]

Tate and Tate.

[Joel]

This man just got engaged.

[Joe]

No, Ry, I think Riley's great, man.

[Joel]

Oh, my God. I'm happy for you. I want you to do that. Don't.

[Joe]

Don't chase Fernando. Yeah.

[Joel]

Like, all I'm saying.

[Joe]

Great.

[Van Lathan]

Billy. Billy, you have a question?

[Joel]

Yes.

[Van Lathan]

So if you dated Tate McCray, married her, there'd be two Tate Fraziers. Yeah, that's right. Oh, that would actually be. That would actually be kind of be crazy.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

Dump Riley.

[Joel]

Yeah. But I. I think that. I think Mendoza to. To change the image up. I think Mendoza, you go with somebody that's a good person, but somebody that has that little. Because that's the thing about Sierra. Sierra is a really good person and a really woman.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

But she also has that little sexy. You know what I'm saying? That that brings Russell up, and that's what he needs to me.

[Van Lathan]

And she already had, like, her, you know, like, bad boy era, you know, with future, you have to bring it up. I love Future.

[Joel]

I love them too.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, who doesn't love Future? Let's take a quick break. When we come back, we're gonna do our Overreaction of the Week, big van on campus and we'll do some news and notes around college football. We'll be right back after the break.

[Host/Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by one of my favorites, Coca Cola. Every sip of Coca Cola brings you closer to the excitement of the FIFA World Cup. 26. You could win one of thousands of prizes and a trip to see three matches. So grab a Coke and drink in the FIFA World Cup. 26. No purchase necessary. 13 plus in 50 U.S. states in D.C. with a web enabled device ends March 1 with eight entry periods. [e-mail] Soccer Rules.

[Joel]

100 free events 6000 Kids 1 Mission Clinic Kids is using sports and evidence based wellness coaching to help kids build confidence, resilience and the tools they need for life's challenges and opportunities. Up until May 2026, they're running 100 free sessions for schools and community based organizations near you. Learn more@clinic kids.com 100kk that's clinic with a K. Clinic kids is registered 501c3.

[Van Lathan]

Nonprofit Rigor Tailgate is brought to you by FanDuel. Four teams are left two games and with a trip to the super bowl on the line, FanDuel's turning on playoff mode. And right now all customers can get a profit boost pack during the conference championship round. That means you'll find a pack loaded with multiple profit boosts waiting for you in the app. More boost means more ways to level up your playoff bets, so visit FanDuel.com tailgate and grab your profit boost pack for the NFC and AFC championships. Must be 21 or older and President select states are 18 and older and President DC, Kentucky or Wyoming opt in required bonus issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens. Restrictions apply including any token expiration and max wager amount. See [e-mail] gambling problem. Call 1-800-gambler or visit rg-help.com call 1-887-89-7777 or visit ccpg.org Chad in Connecticut welcome back to Ringer Tailgate. We we talked the national championship game. We didn't miss anything. And hopefully Fernando Mendoza finds the love of his life at some point and we're on his side. You know we're pulling for him. Let's do this. Overreaction of the Week this is fascinating stuff. Miami needs a quarterback. Carson Beck is Obviously done. And there's a lot of rumors that they're going after Duke quarterback and ACC champion Darian Mensah, former two lane to lane quarterback. And now there's a situation where Duke is actually suing their star quarterback. That is not a misprint. That is not a falsehood. That is the reality that we live in. So Duke. The Blue Devils are claimed he signed an nil deal and must remain with the program. The Duke athletic department came out and said Mr. Mensah is how they called him, has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, and we expect he will do the same. Reached out to some lawyer friends about the situation. My brother lawyer, he said the Duke cannot force Mensa to stay at Duke. There's no way that is possible. He's a college student. College students can transfer schools whenever they may please. However, the economic cost of leaving so high, he. He may decide to stay and Duke could offer to pay him more to stay.

[Joe]

Duke is like, we paid for you, boy. You better not go nowhere.

[Van Lathan]

So that.

[Joel]

What the is this? That's not fair. Hold on, hold on.

[Van Lathan]

I agree. I agree.

[Joel]

I'm about to put on my Fox News hat. Race bait. That's actually not fair, bro. They are not talking about.

[Van Lathan]

That was a good point.

[Joel]

Y' all really do. That's the UPN watcher after school right here.

[Joe]

So.

[Joel]

So, no, I don't think this has anything to do with any of that type of shit. What this has to do with is you can't have business and youth sports the same way, right? You can't have. Let me say that again. If his business is business, if his school is school, all right? If his business is not, it's always been a business. But if it's. I'm paying you so you play football for me, then that's what the it is. And that means if you want to transfer for any reason, if they end up getting mechanical engineering somewhere and you want to change your major or go somewhere like that, no, you are now getting paid.

[Joe]

You have gotten paid.

[Joel]

You have signed your name on the dotted line. You have commitment to honor, just like anyone else who's getting paid for their services. That, my friend, is a part of the free market that now dominates college football. I am not saying that this to me like I would have a problem if he was able to transfer, but I'm saying there is no fairness breach anywhere here. He signed with them, made a commitment, then changed his mind after a bet that don't work like that. Oh, yeah, that does not work like that. So to me, they need to duke it out and then we'll see whether or not he gets to Miami.

[Joe]

You're Republican ass.

[Joel]

I'm telling.

[Joe]

I'm just saying.

[Joel]

What the is going on?

[Van Lathan]

It's the same situation with Damon Williams with Washington. Right.

[Joel]

So, I mean, I think his name is Harris. Don't.

[Van Lathan]

So the thing we call him Demon Harris all year.

[Joe]

Is it because you know my wife's name? I always thought you made that mistake state. Because that's my wife's name.

[Joel]

Joel. No.

[Joe]

Okay.

[Joel]

I do like dear Prudence, though. Yeah, she's good writer.

[Joe]

Yeah, she is.

[Joel]

Thank you.

[Joe]

Harvard Law grad. She. She did that boy.

[Joel]

She over you dog.

[Joe]

I'm not gonna lie.

[Joel]

You was talking that Harvard. That Harvard Law is different. You gotta see. You talking about your. That's what the real accomplishment. The real accomplishment. You talking about being. I can't believe this. Your wife went to Harvard Law. You snagged her two kids. Beautiful, talented, all of that. And you still talk Spelling bee from like 1989 and the fastest 10 year.

[Van Lathan]

Old in the country.

[Joe]

You see how it all led to this day?

[Joel]

Yeah. Okay.

[Joe]

There you go.

[Van Lathan]

But that's how you won her over.

[Joe]

Yeah, well, I mean, dog. I mean, if. I mean, if you. The thing is, if you like me, you gonna like me.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. You got game.

[Joel]

Okay. There you go. Address the.

[Joe]

What we talking about?

[Joel]

Oh, my God.

[Van Lathan]

All right. Darian Minsa.

[Joe]

Okay. No.

[Van Lathan]

Okay, so he's got a tr. So if you don't know what a TR Is temporary.

[Joe]

Here's the thing. So I agreed that this is business. This is just the cost of doing things. And that Darian Mensah should expect Duke to not want to lose him. I did this. I'm. You guys tell me if I'm wrong about this. Maybe look it up. Did they sue Mike Elko? No. Okay. Oh, my bad. They just let Mike Elko go. He just. He had a contract with Duke. Right. He had a buyout and he had a buyout bought him out. Right. And so. So. And then he wanted to go someplace else. They did the buyout operate about. And it was all good. Right. Square up. Well, I think there is a buyout with Darian Mensah. Correct. And my understanding is that Miami is willing to pay that. Or reportedly that's in there.

[Van Lathan]

Apparently they're willing to get lawyers to help Mensa fight this tro.

[Joe]

Okay, I. I don't. Which is.

[Van Lathan]

I mean, now you got schools within a conference having legal.

[Joe]

I also understand why the thing is, is that Duke also has to make. You can't. You can't. Miami. You can't punk us like that, dog. Like, that's some. You know, y' all doing some ho shit. Like, basically, they saying to Miami, like, I mean, we sit here and let y' all poach our quarterback like that. Then, like, they've gotta. They've gotta make.

[Van Lathan]

They're trying to stop the precedent. Right, Right.

[Joe]

They're gonna show you that. We're gonna fight you if you try to do this. May not get him to play. So I get where Duke is coming from on this, but it's just, you know.

[Joel]

Do you have the same criticism. Interesting. Interesting, T. Do you have the same criticism of, like, professionals sports? Like, for example, a coach can quit, get fired, whatever. A player in professional football cannot just walk away from a team or any professional sport while they are still under contract for their performance. Can't just walk away from a team and after they've signed a contract and then go sign with another team, the coach is a fundamentally different type of employee than what the player is. So, like, if.

[Van Lathan]

And the team owns your rights, and.

[Joel]

The team owns your rights, you. You can't just do that. Now, if we're talking about college through a different lens, you know, it's one thing we can talk about how it should be, whatever it is, but, like, in this situation, the competitive balance of Duke football is hanging on based upon who they paid to be a part of their program. And then after you get that, to be like, no, I got more. I'll go somewhere else and get that. That's not how that works.

[Van Lathan]

Work.

[Joe]

I'm always on the side of labor. Okay. And so I. You know, it's always going to be harder for me to feel sympathetic towards the organization of the institution. And I understand Duke has every right to contest this. I don't. I don't have a problem with that. But I also don't have a problem with Darian Mensah being like, but they gonna offer me, like, 2. 3. 2, 3 million, mo.

[Joel]

I don't have no problem with that either. Yeah, I don't have a problem with you.

[Van Lathan]

I mean, he's already getting 8 million.

[Joel]

I have no problem with him at.

[Van Lathan]

4 this year, 4 next year.

[Joe]

Year.

[Joel]

I have no problem with him doing whatever he has to do to make the best deal for himself. But what I am telling to these players, these younger players, is that when. In this current era of college football, when you make a commitment to a team, you must be ready you must be ready for them to go to the mattresses to hold you to your commitment. Like, you must be ready for it. You knowing it used to be be. I'll tell you how this has changed. Let's say this was 10 years ago, and we were talking about a college athlete, whatever position, the defensive lineman, quarterback, whatever, and they were transferring. If you wanted to transfer within the conference, you normally had to get a release from your school to be able to do that.

[Van Lathan]

Right.

[Joel]

Still have to sit down. But you had to get the release. Well, there were some.

[Van Lathan]

And if you didn't, it was two years.

[Joel]

If you didn't, it was two years. There were some coaches that would not grant you that release.

[Joe]

Right.

[Joel]

When those coaches wouldn't grant you the release, most of the time the college football public, the sports public would criticize the coach. They would say, hey, for whatever reason, this player, this student, this person, it's not working out for them here. They want to go somewhere else, grant them their release and let them go. Most of the time that the coach did not do this. The player, their parents, their whole people, they brought it up. He wouldn't. Gave me a release. She. She wouldn't give me a release. I couldn't go play. And everybody basically fell in line with this. On the side of the player, this is different. Once somebody's played you $4 million, once somebody is paying you a shit ton of money, people are going to say now, okay, they're invested into you in a different way. It's not about your development, it's not about your betterment. It's not about your trajectory. It's about money. And money comes along with commitment and expectation.

[Joe]

Yeah, okay. And I mean, I'm sure that Taine probably said the same shit when he went to Duke the last. You know, it's like, oh, man, Taine got a nice quarterback. Let's go ahead and buy that boy. You know, so that's what they did. Because that's how Duke do it. You know what I'm saying?

[Joel]

Oh, that's how North Carolina.

[Van Lathan]

No, that's not.

[Joe]

Essence.

[Joel]

Essence. This could be considered as the essence.

[Van Lathan]

That's not.

[Joel]

It's the state. It's the state. It's really. It's the same. The same putrid infection. Now, I'm on your side now because I forgot about. See, yeah, I didn't realize. Against up integrity.

[Van Lathan]

These are people from the northeast beast that came down. They tried to. They try to copy what they did at Yale, you know, in New Haven, try to build their own version of Yale in the South. That's what Duke is.

[Joel]

That's what dude did. But it's a better school than North Carolina, though.

[Van Lathan]

Not really academically.

[Joe]

I don't know, man. North Carolina is one of the top public institutions in the country.

[Joel]

That is true.

[Van Lathan]

First public institution.

[Joe]

Oh, I feel like Cal.

[Joel]

That's actually not true.

[Van Lathan]

We're first.

[Joe]

Cal, Michigan and Texas want to fight ucla.

[Van Lathan]

We're first.

[Joe]

Oh, ucla.

[Van Lathan]

UCLA is west coast one.

[Joel]

You say the number.

[Van Lathan]

Oh, no, no. I'm talking about first public school. Like, first. I'm not saying, like, we're number one. Like, you know what I mean? I'm saying we're the first one ever. We created. We created this.

[Joe]

I did not know that.

[Van Lathan]

You know, when Drake was in Toronto, he's like, we did this. We built like that was.

[Joel]

That's what you got. I didn't know that.

[Joe]

Very nice.

[Joel]

Very nice. Very nice. Very nice. Very special. Very nice. Very special.

[Van Lathan]

Duke.

[Joe]

Duke. Well, I mean, yeah, I don't know.

[Van Lathan]

I don't know how this ends, but I will say this for Damond William Slash Harris and Darian Mike Minsa, very awkward season next year when you've been forced to play for a team, I mean. Yeah, I feel like it creates a very tough situation.

[Joe]

I mean, it's going to be tough for Darian Minsa, but I think he's going to be playing for Miami no matter what.

[Joel]

I think he'll. I think he'll end up in Miami.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, me too.

[Joe]

It's going to all work out. He's going to get his 8 million living on country club and he's going to have him, you know, his Tate McCray next year. You know what I mean?

[Van Lathan]

But who should Dari men date?

[Joe]

I mean, he'll be in Miami. He don't even.

[Joel]

The list is long of people don't date. No.

[Joe]

Nobody.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, that's honestly the power.

[Joe]

You know what I'm saying? Just like, yo, man, I'm daring. I'm the quarterback of Miami. What's up?

[Joel]

You know, Darian Minsa, Miami's Miami.

[Host/Announcer]

It's.

[Joel]

It's a. It's a key season for Miami next year.

[Joe]

Yeah, yeah.

[Van Lathan]

Cam Moore did it first, you know, shout out to Cam Ward.

[Joe]

I mean, Miami. And that's the thing. Miami is so cool because Miami is like, we don't give. We're going to always have us a quarterback. Like, they just like, no matter what it is, we're going to be desperate enough and we're just going to get us a good quarterback. And we'll handle the rest of the roster. But the quarterback is always going to be the thing there, which is a real.

[Van Lathan]

And Carson Beck was the same thing. I mean, that was a. You know, a lot of, you know, he was going to the NFL, then he wasn't, and they got him late. So, I mean, there could be guys that are in the draft that we think are gone, that aren't going to be gone. So we'll see what happens. Fascinating stuff. All right, time for big fan on campus to lead into this. Lane Kiffin. This week, he just wanted to be in the headlines. He's a headline hunter. He said Nick Saban gave him some advice that sealed his decision to leave Ole Miss. Fellowshew. Here's the quote. When I called Coach Saban and talked about walked it through with him, he said, quote, you know, Lane, you'll always regret if you don't go to LSU. It's the best job in America. And also 2019 LSU is a lot better than 2014. TCU. I think that was the final quote.

[Joe]

Okay, okay. Say, I was trying to.

[Van Lathan]

I'm just. I'm just. I'm just messing with you, Joel. That was too easy.

[Joel]

Okay, where's my camera? Do I have a camera? This is me right here. I want to talk directly to Lane Kiffin. All right?

[Van Lathan]

Right.

[Joel]

Just to let Lane Kiffin know, I am speaking for myself as an LSU fan here, this is directly to Lane Kiffin. I'm not talking to the Duke. I'm not talking to you. I'm not talking to you. This is directly to Lane Kiffin. I speaking for myself as an LSU fan, but I want to tell you something. The cute shit is officially over. The cute shit is over. There's no more time for the cute shit. The antics that worked for you at other places that you coached, the ways to distract from some of the things that happened on or maybe even off the field, they're not going to work in Baton Rouge. Three things move this fan base. Passion, power, and achievement. We want to see the team play in a certain way. We want to see them be powerful, and we want to see them win. If any of the other things that Lane Kiffin has done in the past, if any of the other ways that he has acted, he feels that those things are going to distract people in Baton Rouge from a very dire and desperate state of football. Lane Kiffin is wrong. Like Lane Kiffin playing media games, Lane Kiffin playing funny jokes, like all the Twitter stuff. That's a part of it. I get it, and I understand it. But Lane Kiffin needs to be laser focused in building a winner at lsu. If he does not, if he cannot, if he fails, it will ruin his career. Lane Kiffin's career will be either made or broken in Baton Rouge because the pressure that that fan base can exude, the way that we can make something cool in South Louisiana, is the same way that you can come down there amongst those people and get exposed. If you do not believe me, I want you to think about the way people regard Brian Kelly right now. Brian Kelly came to lsu. Yeah. As a golden mind in college football.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Joel]

He had his naysayers and people who did not fuck with him. Yes, he had people that thought he could not win the big one, but still, he was the winningest coach in Notre Dame history and came to Baton Rouge with an incredible reputation. And now he's a coach in pariah. He's a coach in pariah because when you go down there with all of that strength around you, you and you look weak, it looks doubly bad. And for Lane Kiffin, I understand when I saw this, you coming out. We don't need to know that. What we need to know is what's happening in the portal. What we need to know is how the office is going to look, how you're going to build and bring joy back to Baton Rouge. Because failure to me will be professional death.

[Joe]

I feel. This is why I roll my eyes at the best job in America. Because I was like, doc, that's. He ain't done nothing yet. He's not even spent a full month at lsu. And the booster class at LSU is like, this could absolutely fuck up your career. Just like the last guy who came down here with a good reputation.

[Van Lathan]

I mean, Brian Kelly got no interviews, bro. Like, think about that.

[Joe]

That's why this is not a good job and why Lane Kiffish has stayed his ass at Ole Miss and appreciated what he had, because then people would have taken his thing. This is. You made a mistake, dog.

[Joel]

This. He. Joe might be right. Let me tell you guys about. There's two types of people in the world. I mean, Joe might be right. There are two types of people in the world.

[Joe]

They're.

[Joel]

They're people that climb mountains.

[Van Lathan]

And then Signetti.

[Joel]

There are people that climb mountains and take on challenges, because when you get to the top of the mountain, you can see and be in ways that other people can't. And then there are people who just like to live in the tent by the lake. Either way, TCU is A tent by the lake program. Okay, lsu. Can I finish that?

[Joe]

Interrupt you.

[Joel]

Tcu. TCU is a T by the lake program. LSU is not even if to.

[Van Lathan]

Could it be a cabin by the.

[Joel]

Lake To Joe's point. Even if it was before. Even if it was before, it's not now. And there are a whole bunch of tip by the lake programs out there there that you can go out there and coach for a long time and have statues built by you by winning your division every now and again or.

[Van Lathan]

Again.

[Joe]

Y' all are not every Georgia run.

[Joel]

Your every now and again we win a national championship. Hold on for a second.

[Joe]

Are you happy?

[Joel]

Let me.

[Joe]

Be.

[Joel]

Hold on every. I want you guys to understand. I'm not saying every.

[Joe]

Hold on.

[Joel]

Wait a second. Wait a second. I'm not saying every now and again for the LSU of my recent memory. I'm not saying that every now and again we filled a good team. Every now and again we filled a historically dominant team that can put all kinds of guys into the NFL. That has to be the standard at lsu for if you are at tcu.

[Joe]

If you're on one team like that, the other two champions were okay. They were good champions. They. No, they would got great all time dominant champions.

[Joel]

They had great, fantastic, amazing players on there.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

The one team twice. That's what I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about. This is what I'm saying to. To anyone. Joe's opinion of Essie's of LSU and of actually being a winning school notwithstanding. For last thing I'll say all you coaches out there, consider what Joel is saying. Think about it. Think about a place that you can go and live in extended mediocrity and then make the decision about what kind of competitor you are. Like seriously think about places. And this is for everyone in life. Everyone in life. Think about where you can go and. And stay there and be a C plus B minus employee or whatever you're doing for a long time. And that's cool.

[Host/Announcer]

Who does it?

[Joel]

We are three national championships since 2000. Six SEC championships, bro. Two Heisman trophies is what we are lame. You wanted the challenge. Go down there and meet the challenge. All of you TCU fans like continue to do the that Joel is talking about, bro. These people 2014, one lost team. Best team we ever had.

[Joe]

There's a. This team is incorrigible. This fan base is incorrigible. You are never going to make them. We're committed. They're already inclined to not like you.

[Joel]

No, it's not true. Already. Said no.

[Joe]

This is with V. This is what.

[Joel]

By the way in the clip that we breaking out. Cut all of this out. Nobody trying to listen to this. I want, I want y' all to be champions when Van I don't want said all this. Can I say something real quick? Last thing I say. This is a guy that's still talking about being the fastest 10 year old in the country. If you that was 30 years ago. So you're telling.

[Joe]

If you had been the fastest 10 year old in the country, you would have decided about it too.

[Joel]

You would never know it be great like that if my team as good as ever when you were 10 as.

[Joe]

When you were 20.

[Joel]

Just right. Just like it's just, it's great to win a national championship in 2019 than to have never won one. I'll tell you what I did win. I won the sack race at University elementary school in 1988. I was the fast classes in the sack intramural pill pool champ Louisiana Tech University 2000. We didn't want four time LA Fitness League champion.

[Joe]

Okay.

[Van Lathan]

All right.

[Joel]

Like three in a row.

[Van Lathan]

Shout out to my guy.

[Joel]

Garrett was in there. What did Gary say about me on the court?

[Van Lathan]

Said you got game.

[Joel]

I, I can go.

[Van Lathan]

So don't ask me about that. He was like, is Van really could he, could he really hoop?

[Joel]

I said, you're not gonna ask nobody out here that they're not gonna, they're not gonna lie to you.

[Joe]

I got 100 want to hoop against you, dog. He's like so excited to play.

[Joel]

I mean now he might be able to do his thing. I, I, I'll take two steps now and three donuts fall out of my but, but. Well, all I'm saying is, look, I get it. Some people want to be great. Some people want to be regular. Joel.

[Joe]

Regular.

[Joel]

I know we Joe just sit here talking about I want to be cursing Nettie65. But like I can't ask Lane. K. Look, Lane, concentrate on football.

[Joe]

You can. I mean the thing is is like these people are ridiculous. And you can make those people black.

[Joel]

Black. These people, these people race talk.

[Joe]

About. He's from Texas.

[Joel]

You think about yellow people.

[Joe]

No, the yellow Confederate flag.

[Joel]

Race talk. That was racy. That was race talk. Unsolicited race.

[Joe]

If I got to be a tiger, then I'm a tiger.

[Joel]

That's funny. I know. That's funny to me. I'm not going to tell. Yeah, that was a notable player who said that too.

[Joe]

Okay.

[Joel]

He's like, I, I guess I'm a Tiger.

[Van Lathan]

I mean, Lane's got a lot of pressure.

[Joe]

LSU is the best job if you're Nick Saban, because it's like Nick Saban at that.

[Van Lathan]

He's a great Saban. Set him up by telling him to go. That was my last thing. Do you think Saban set him up? Because Saban has been. I mean, obviously, he's like, I mean, we're going to do our awards next week. I mean, he might be my hater of the year. Like, he obviously is going after Signetti, picks Miami to win, you know, and basically picked against Signetti the entire run there. And then he has the Lane Kiven thing where he's like, he's, you know, I. I talked to him, but I wouldn't call him my mentee or whatever. And then Lane Kibin's like, he's one of the two people I called before I make this decision.

[Joe]

Yeah. He was like, I wish my dad, but not got.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. Was like, I don't know about that. And then he tells him to go to lsu, which, like you said, is a lot of pressure.

[Joel]

Fun back and forth question, though, Seriously, what do you feel like Nick Saban feels like his role is like, what is Nick Saban doing?

[Van Lathan]

He thinks he's the. Like, is Nick Saban seriously angle angling.

[Joel]

To be the, like, college football commissioner? Does he want to be the.

[Van Lathan]

He wants to be the master of ceremony.

[Joel]

Does he. Does he want to be like, the godfather of college football? Yeah, I'm not saying he's not. I'm just saying it seems like something that he wants. Wants to be.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, I agree.

[Joel]

When Nick ended his coaching career, I really expected a ride off into the sunset. I don't know why I did, but I really expected a ride off into the sunset. I expected him to be a little bit lower key than he is right now. That is not happening at all.

[Van Lathan]

I thought he'd be more like how Coach K is. You know what I mean? Like, how Wooden was Roy Williams.

[Joe]

They kind of disappear.

[Van Lathan]

They show up. You know, you see him around. But, like, they're not really like, let me get into the minutia of, like, the storylines of everybody else. You know, he's like, in the mix.

[Joe]

I mean, that ESPN job is fun, man. I'm sure, you know, you get to go to. It's still. You still get to. I mean, one thing you forget about is that he was a part of a team for a long time, and then all of a sudden, just.

[Van Lathan]

And he had to be the hard ass all the time now he gets. Have a little fun.

[Joe]

He still gets to be part of a team. It seems like close to the game.

[Joel]

He still wants to set the standard in college football. He got really used to that. Excellence in winning was one thing, but he got used to setting the standard in college football. And having people chase his coaching tree is still winning championships. That makes him still feel, like, hyper relevant, really. He's still kind of the dominant figure in college football. If you look at everything that's downstream from what he was able to accomplish, I think he likes that. I don't think he's getting out of the way and letting people kind of do their own thing for a while, man.

[Joe]

Yeah. No, man. Absolutely. I mean, I just think that, you know, he. I mean, this is a guy who people on his staff call him Daddy. Yeah. That's your word.

[Joel]

Todd Simpson.

[Joe]

That's your word.

[Joel]

Real quick. Real quick.

[Joe]

That's your word.

[Joel]

Real quick.

[Van Lathan]

No, I mean, look, I would just p. Here's. Here's Saban's coaching tree. Signetti, obviously smart. Jimbo Fisher, who is apparently trying to get back into coaching. Mario Cristobal, Dan Landing, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkeesian, Brent Key, Pete Golding, all those guys. I mean, Michael Oxley, who's, you know, he's Maryland, he's Alabama. You mentioned the tentacles are everywhere.

[Joe]

Happen to work for Nick Saban. You get to be part of his.

[Van Lathan]

That's true.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

Some of these guys are. I see. I would think Kiffin is a Carol guy.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

You know what I mean? I would say he's a piece of that.

[Joel]

I guess that's the thing. Is he such a dominant figure that anybody that ever stopped through there for a little while is a part of his culture?

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. Is Bill o' Brien part of his coaching tree?

[Joel]

Bill o' Brien was, but he's really.

[Van Lathan]

A Belichick guy, you know?

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. Right.

[Joel]

It's crazy.

[Joe]

Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

It all connects. Parting shots, last things for this week.

[Joel]

The last thing for me is I appreciate the audience. I appreciate raising the roof. I appreciate my guys. I appreciate. Appreciate the Duke. I appreciate Freeze. The season is over, but ringer tailgate isn't.

[Van Lathan]

Joel, good news, right? You were, you know, a few weeks ago, you were already saying that, you know, we're dead and gone.

[Joe]

I haven't. I'm unaware of a plan to. Continuation plan. I know that we. We're gonna. We're going to record. We're going to record a podcast after this. Then what's the plan after that?

[Van Lathan]

Next week?

[Joel]

I Will tell you when it's necessary. Just show up and pop.

[Joe]

No way. You know what the thing is, though, by the way?

[Joel]

Don't.

[Joe]

I mean, we're going to record this after this one.

[Joel]

Record what?

[Joe]

Okay, don't worry about it.

[Van Lathan]

We're gonna do our award show next week.

[Joel]

Oh, we have an award show next week?

[Van Lathan]

Yes. Yeah, we're gonna do an award show. Here's the plan, Joe. We're gonna do an award show next week. Then the following week, we're gonna do a welcome to the offseason. We're gonna set it. Set the terms for the offseason. We got Senior bowl coming up, right?

[Joe]

We're gonna talk about that.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. Then we got draft coming up. We got a little teaser. We're going to do some tailgate classics, right?

[Joel]

Tailgate classics. By the time March starts coming along, the spring games at the end of March start.

[Van Lathan]

We got a storyline.

[Joel]

We're going to send you to spring break.

[Joe]

Really? Yeah. They don't do spring break no more.

[Joel]

Panama City Beach.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. You're going.

[Joe]

I've been to Panama City before.

[Joel]

Panama City Beach. We're going to send you down to ringer. Ringer, tailgate, spring break.

[Van Lathan]

And we're going to start doing a new thing, Top fives with Joel. We got top five presidents already.

[Joel]

Can't do.

[Van Lathan]

We just start giving you topics. You know what I mean?

[Host/Announcer]

Top.

[Joel]

Top five. Top five. What we do. We did. What did we do today? We did top five white women or black women.

[Joe]

He did top five black women.

[Van Lathan]

That was all fair.

[Joe]

Number one was making good, though.

[Van Lathan]

Shout out.

[Joel]

Jonathan Major.

[Van Lathan]

Cousin Skeeter. I don't know if you guys ever saw Cousin Skeeter on Nickelodeon. That was her first.

[Joe]

Is that really.

[Joel]

Yeah, that's where she. That's when she first caught your eye.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. I was a young kid. I was like, who is that?

[Joel]

Oh, wow. There you go.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

King magazine.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah. Drum line, right.

[Joe]

Drum getting weird.

[Van Lathan]

But I like that. Any parting shots other than you want to close the show?

[Joe]

Yeah, man. No, I. I mean, I just said this has been great, man. I'm really, you know, I'm not gonna get corny on it yet because I actually brought something for the crew, but it. Since we're recording next week. I'll wait till then to bring this guy something else.

[Joel]

I'll wait till next week. What we gotta do with this guy to bring it.

[Joe]

But I really am just so appreciative. Yeah, you are. Alicia, Donnie, Jack, you know Bill, man. He's the one. I mean, they Came to us five days before the season started and was like, we should go ahead and do that podcast. Yeah, man, this has been a lot of fun. I've had a long career, and this is, like, probably the most fun thing I've ever done, which is why my wife thinks it's not work. I mean, she knows that this is work. Right? But it just seems so fun that it doesn't seem like it could be work.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, we're laughing a lot, you know, like, on Saturdays when we got done with the show, we were, like, cracking up the entire time. It feels like we're just hanging out, which is the whole point of the show, so.

[Joe]

And we still all don't really know each other yet. Why you bullshitting? We still got a lot to learn about each other.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, right. Every single week, I learned something new.

[Joel]

Yeah, like today I learned about the valedictorian thing.

[Joe]

You learned about it a long time ago.

[Joel]

I just don't remember.

[Van Lathan]

You don't remember? It's okay.

[Joel]

What was the gpa?

[Van Lathan]

I mean, I never made a B. All A's.

[Joe]

Damn, Tate.

[Joel]

Yeah, the. I'm talking about.

[Joe]

This is what I was talking about.

[Joel]

Get the out of.

[Joe]

That's why you don't need you a Tate McCray dog. You're too good for. For. I mean, nothing wrong with her at all, but, you know, you need to. You need a woman.

[Joel]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Oh. Nothing wrong with Tate McCray.

[Joe]

You had.

[Joel]

Nothing wrong with Tate. Nothing wrong with Riley. I thought we were going way over the deep end.

[Joe]

Oh, yeah. No, no, no, no, no. I was like you. I mean, you. You like the kind of person in the. In, like, 1970s, some shit. You'd been like, a senior vice president at the local bank.

[Van Lathan]

I wish. They make a lot of money.

[Joe]

Yeah, don't you? Cause you just see Tate with his little family there, and it's like, yeah, I golf on the weekends with my guys. You should have that kind of a job.

[Van Lathan]

I agree. I'm trying to get it oddly accurate take.

[Joel]

Right.

[Van Lathan]

Let's go find it.

[Joel]

Hey.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

Hey, you see, like, if. Just sit down right here. Our senior vice president. Tape. Frazier will come over here. Hi. How are you doing?

[Van Lathan]

How's it going, guys?

[Joel]

How you doing? Are these your documents right here? Come here and talk to me right now. Small business. I don't know if you see some of the things that we got going on. Yeah. Now I'm looking at this application, and it seems to me. Oh, you're. You're a Duke fan. Interesting. Yeah.

[Van Lathan]

You're not getting that load. I love it. Great show. Great times. We got next week we had the awards show. I appreciate everybody tuning in next week. Next week for sure. Appreciate everybody tuning in to rigor tailgate. Been a lot of fun and thanks to everybody for all the kind words. We appreciate it.

[Joe]

We see them shout out the re. Even the Reddit folks, man.

[Van Lathan]

Right?

[Joel]

That's the only time they like me.

[Van Lathan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, bro.

[Joe]

It changes quickly, people on YouTube, Joe.

[Van Lathan]

Just enjoy it. Enjoy. Savor it. For the moment. Things are very fluid, but we, we appreciate everybody tuning in Rigor Tailgate. We will see you next week. Definitely next week. We'll see you then. Must be 21 or older and president select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 and older and President DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-G GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com, call 1-887-897777 or visit ccpg.orgchad in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-50500 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE and WHY or text HOPE and WHY in New York. Well, the holidays have come and gone once again. But if you've forgotten to get that special someone in your life a gift, well, Mint Mobile is extending their holiday offer of half off unlimited wireless.

[Joel]

So here's the idea.

[Van Lathan]

You get it now, you call it.

[Joel]

An early present for next year. What do you have to lose?

[Van Lathan]

Give it a try@mint mobile.com Switch limited.

[Joel]

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