What We LEARNED at SEC Media Days About Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama & MORE

Summary

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell — Episode Summary

Podcast: The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell
Episode: What We LEARNED at SEC Media Days About Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama & MORE
Date: July 24, 2026
Host: J.D. PicKell (with producer/co-host Caden Smith in the latter half)
Focus: Unpacking major takeaways from SEC Media Days, examining Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Texas, and more with a mix of insider notes, player/coach observations, and cultural analysis.

---

Episode Overview

J.D. PicKell delivers a notebook-dump, free-flowing recap of SEC Media Days straight from "Radio Row" (aka Digital Drive). He and co-host/producer Caden Smith dissect program vibes, coaching philosophies, quarterback races, and team expectations. The emphasis: separate the real clues from the annual “talking season” noise and evaluate which programs — especially Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, and Texas — are truly built for success in 2026.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. LSU & Lane Kiffin: Philosophical, Not Tactical

Timestamps: 04:11–10:30

• Lane Kiffin’s Presser: Kiffin, now LSU’s coach, gave more of a TED Talk than a granular, football-focused presser.
  • Discussed the prominence of NIL deals at LSU (12 LSU players have Nike deals, more than any other college program).
    • “No other school in the country has more than eight.” (05:12)
    • “Jordan Seaton… No other lineman in the country at the collegiate level has got a deal with Nike.” (05:29)
  • Addressed why QB Sam Levitt wasn’t at Media Days: player-led practice was “a big reason why we wanted him back.” (06:05)
  • Kiffin has abstained from social media since May at his son’s suggestion; this was publicly lauded by SEC commish Greg Sankey. (06:45)
  • Pushed for an NIL cap for incoming freshmen.
  • Gave existential takes: “He went into talking about how like we’re all going to die…” (07:12)
• Expectations at LSU:
  • “For LSU, there is no vibes win this year… did we make the playoff or did we not make the playoff? That’s what it’s about.” (08:08)
  • No soundbites about ex-school Ole Miss; focus is strictly on bottom-line results in 2026.
  • If they don’t make the playoff, even a 9-win season would be viewed as “just a bad vibe” and disappointing given roster spending and transfer activity.
  • “It’s funny to say that for a first-year head coach, but it’s College Football Playoff or bust.” (09:10)

2. Alabama: Under the Radar is Just Fine

Timestamps: 10:31–18:26

• Media Coverage Downshift: Not much buzz about Alabama — unusual for “talking season.”
  • “I can’t remember the last time Alabama was… not an afterthought, but they definitely have the top storyline.” (10:42)
• Hidden Advantage:
  • “If I’m Kaylin DeBoer, that is exactly what I want for my football team.” (11:18)
  • Less external hype allows new coach to instill his culture deliberately.
• Quarterback Battle: No clear winner; Keelan Russell (the future), up against Austin Mack (big, experienced body).
  • “I truly believe… that whoever they roll with, there’s a lot of confidence.” (12:15–13:22)
  • The open battle is genuine; not a “charade” hiding an obvious starter.
  • “No answer for Bama right now. I don’t think is the worst thing in the world.” (15:40)
• Coaching Standard:
  • DeBoer inherits Saban’s “most high-pressure job” amid a new playoff landscape and transfer portal/NIL chaos.
  • “Nobody… will reel off two national championships in three years… we're not going to see these dynasties.” (16:37)
• Expectation Reset:
  • “Bama's got to get one [Natty]… sooner rather than later.” (17:55)
  • “Fully believe that the college football public will… calibrate to the way this sport is working…”

3. Oklahoma: John Mateer Looks Ready

Timestamps: 19:32–27:45

• Mateer’s Comfort Level:
  • “The dude just seems a little bit more comfortable in his own skin and a little bit more chill.” (19:43)
  • Last year was a challenge (thumb injury derailed Heisman-level September), but that adversity is now fueling confidence.
• Growth Beyond Stats:
  • Maturing as the face of the program; getting film-room mentorship from alumni like Sam Bradford and HC Brent Venables for a “PhD in defense.”
  • “If John Mateer is at the peak of his powers mentally, I don’t think anybody really questions what the guy can do physically.” (22:04)
• Offensive Run Game Needs Fixing:
  • Rueful at last year’s run-game struggles: “Oklahoma being in the 1000s… that is embarrassing stuff.” (23:10)
  • Optimism that new staff and transfers will fix it: “Brent Venables… is a fixer.”
  • Balanced offense is the goal: “Can we force teams to move out of a two high safety look and commit resources to the box?” (24:18)

4. Florida & John Sumrall: Winning the Room, Changing the Culture

Timestamps: 27:46–33:43

• “Media Days MVP”:
  • “Everybody that walked out of that main room… walked out like they had just seen the Odyssey in IMAX… 'I hope that dude wins.'” (28:38)
  • Sumrall is “easy to buy into.”
    • “If he’s doing that with the media, what do you think he's doing on the recruiting trail?” (29:19)
  • His confidence and energy signal that “Florida football’s personality” will morph to match his own.
• 2026 Expectation Levels:
  • “If it’s the right looking six [wins]… that's actually an okay year to have.” (30:59)
  • Key: toughness, competitiveness, physicality.
  • O-line must improve: “If they can’t get better on the offensive line, you don’t have a prayer in the SEC.” (31:31)
  • Real optimism: “There's no way we don't have more success than we've had in the past.” (32:16)
  • Culture building can yield recruiting momentum even before big win totals: “It’s only so long before you start winning at a really high level on the field.” (32:50)

5. Georgia: Reliable, Built for November and Beyond

Timestamps: 33:44–39:40

• Caden Smith’s Take:
  • “Kirby Smart is always a safe pick… my confidence in them only went up.” (33:54)
  • Question about pass catchers prompts fiery response from Smart: “Perfect. We need that motivation.” (34:19)
• Gunner Stockton at QB:
  • Reliable, “fearless leader,” took last year’s playoff result to heart and is using it as fuel. (35:09)
  • “Georgia had a very hard schedule last year and rose to the occasion. It's a little bit easier this year…” (35:52)
• Defensive Identity:
  • “You hear about the bloody Tuesdays… to actually talk to someone who is in those trenches… you can just trust it more than anyone.” (36:21)
• Championship Mindset:
  • Even an SEC title felt like failure to the players: “You could tell [Gunner Stockton] was like, yeah, but we didn’t finish the ultimate goal…” (37:05)
  • “I think Gunner might be the best quarterback in the SEC when it’s all said and done.” (39:13)

6. Auburn: The Great Mystery

Timestamps: 39:41–46:52

• Caden’s Question Mark Team:
  • “They're a mystery, man… they could be a six-win football team. But if it looks the right way… you can check that box.” (40:38)
  • Early season will be telling: “Where they play Baylor in Atlanta, where they host Florida that third week of the season, like there's going to be some really key moments…” (41:11)
• Byron Brown Makes an Impression:
  • “That dude’s playing quarterback? Holy… we better pack lunch...” (41:02)
  • Coach Alex Golesh’s quiet confidence stands out; DJ Durkin defense remains a strength.
• Realistic Outcomes:
  • Schedule is brutal; winning one-score games and showing toughness would mark progress.
    • “If they can just take some strides in that department, in the margins, I think that in itself would be… a really big win internally.” (43:08)
  • Long-term ceiling under Golesh remains an open question.

7. Texas: No More Vibes Wins — National Title or Bust

Timestamps: 46:52–54:18

• Spot-the-Ball Team:
  • “They're the prettiest girl at the dance.” (47:32)
  • “Do they have it in them to rise to the occasion?” (47:42)
  • Pressure and national scrutiny are at an all-time high.
• Psychological Test:
  • “The pressure is cranked up to 11 this year, dude.” (49:32)
  • Reference to Ohio State's 2024 rebound and the “Bo Davis rant” as cultural turning points.
  • “It’s almost a privilege to be angsty in college football about national title or bust.” (49:45)
• Unmatched Talent, Unproven Resolve:
  • “Pressure makes diamonds and if that's the case, then they're going to have a nice 20-carat diamond… that's going to be a national championship…” (50:26)
  • “You gotta feel the wear of the world on Arch Manning’s shoulders.” (50:51)
  • Schedule features Ohio State, Oklahoma, and a tough SEC slate; “the adversity is going to feel the strongest of any team here.”
  • “The more I think about Arch Manning, what he was able to do last year… he has to prove it in the biggest moments…”
• Superstar Backfield:
  • “You probably have the best backfield duo in the conference.”
  • “The floor is… super, super high… even if all these things go wrong…” (53:22)

8. Best Dressed at SEC Media Days

Timestamps: 54:32–56:34

Caden Smith’s fashion power rankings for players who sat at their table:

• Honorable Mention: Tradeas Green, LSU TE (“looks like a power forward… purple suit, double-breasted… looks fantastic.”)
• 3rd: John Mateer, Oklahoma QB (“Gray suit, no tie… neck too jacked for a tie. Really embraced the Tampa look.”)
• 2nd: Ryan Coleman Williams, Alabama OL (“Dapper, great frames, cream suit, crimson square.”)
• 1st: Marcel Reed, Texas A&M QB (“Aggie burgundy suit, best fitting, Bottega runners, own style… a full look.”)

---

Notable Quotes

• J.D. PicKell (on LSU):
  • “For LSU, there is no vibes win this year… did we make the playoff or did we not make the playoff? That’s what it’s about.” (08:08)
• On Alabama:
  • “If I’m Kaylin DeBoer, that is exactly what I want for my football team.” (11:18)
  • “No answer for Bama right now. I don’t think is the worst thing in the world.” (15:40)
  • “Bama’s got to get one [Natty]… sooner rather than later.” (17:55)
• On Oklahoma’s John Mateer:
  • “He just seems a little bit more comfortable in his own skin and a little bit more chill.” (19:43)
• On Florida’s John Sumrall:
  • “John Sumrall, if nothing else, is real. Okay, so you talk about what this is going to mean for Florida this year. I don’t know what it’s going to mean. Honestly, I don’t know what it’s going to mean. But I do think over an elongated period of time, John Sumrall’s personality will become Florida football’s personality.” (29:54)
• Caden Smith (on Georgia):
  • “Kirby Smart is always a safe pick… my confidence in them only went up.” (33:54)
  • “Gunner might be the best quarterback in the SEC when it’s all said and done.” (39:13)
• On Auburn:
  • “They’re a mystery, man… they could be a six-win football team. But if it looks the right way… you can check that box.” (40:38)
• On Texas:
  • “They're the prettiest girl at the dance.”
  • “You gotta feel the wear of the world on Arch Manning’s shoulders.” (50:51)
  • “Pressure makes diamonds and if that's the case, they're going to have a nice 20-carat diamond… that's going to be a national championship…” (50:32)

---

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 04:11 – Lane Kiffin’s LSU presser breakdown
• 10:31 – Alabama’s media silence & QB battle
• 19:32 – Oklahoma’s John Mateer “next-step” discussion
• 27:46 – John Sumrall’s cultural and program impact at Florida
• 33:44 – Georgia's championship mindset recap (Caden Smith takes over)
• 39:41 – Auburn as the SEC’s biggest enigma
• 46:52 – Texas under the microscope: pressure and expectations
• 54:32–56:34 – Best dressed at SEC Media Days (Caden Smith)

---

Conclusion & Tone

The episode is fast-moving, optimistic, packed with “inside the room” detail and football authenticity. J.D. and Caden bring energy, authenticity, and real fandom to their analysis while keeping the conversation grounded. The tone is celebratory but honest: “no vibes wins” for the top contenders, just results. Teams like Georgia and Texas are judged by playoff and championship standards; emerging programs like Florida and Auburn are evaluated on competitive progress and cultural rebuilds.

Final words:

“At the end of the day, if you can't get excited about college football, you're probably not watching the show. This is what always signals that the ball's about to get spotted.” (56:55)

---

This summary covers all the major themes, takeaways, and analysis — perfect for anyone who couldn’t catch the full episode.

Transcript

[A]

In business, there's no room for guesswork. Every shipment matters. Every deadline counts. When you're trying to keep operations running smoothly, the last thing you need is uncertainty. That's why reliability is at the core of USPS ground advantage. From the moment your package is first scanned in, it moves through a secure nationwide network, aiding in a timely and accurate delivery. You get near real time tracking so you can keep up with your shipments. And with affordable upfront pricing, there are no hidden fees or surprise surcharges to throw off your cost sheets. It all adds up to predictable deliveries you can depend on, because knowing your logistics are handled lets you focus on everything else your customers, your team and the future you're building. Visit usps.com groundadvantage to start shipping with confidence. USPS official shipping sponsor of the NHL Everyone treats summer like it owes you happiness. Long days, pool parties, your best life on a loop. So what does it mean when you feel worse? The summer blues are real. It's why summer is one of the busiest stretches of the year for people starting therapy. Therapy is not only for when you're in crisis. Growth therapy is for all the moments when you decide you want more. More support, more clarity, more tools. Mental health isn't a destination you reach, it's something you build, and Grow makes that easier. Grow connects you with thousands of high quality licensed therapists across the US offering both virtual and in person sessions, nights and weekends. You can search by what matters like insurance, specialty, identity or availability and get started in as little as two days. There are no subscriptions, no long term commitments, you just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. The therapist you want takes your insurance on Grow. Grow accepts over 125 insurance plans. Sessions average $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growththerapy.com booknow today to get started. That's growththerapy.com booknow growththerapy.com booknow availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. The hardcount is presented by BetMGM. As you all know by now, we've teamed up with BetMGM and we're using BetMGM lines to make all our picks and we'll have special offers for you guys each and every week. When you join BetMGM you get access to a variety of parlay selection features like same game parlays, live betting options, and more. Now if you haven't signed up with BetMGM, use bonus code on 3. You'll get up to 1500 dollars new player offer on your first wager with BetMGM plus 50% off an annual subscription to the On3 College Sports Network. Here's how it works. 1. Download the BetMGM app and sign up using bonus code on 3. 2. Deposit at least 10 bucks and place your first wager on any game. 3. You'll receive up to $1,500 in bonus bets if your bet loses and Your code for 50% off an annual subscription to the ON3 College Sports Network in your BetMGM inbox once your first bet is placed. Just make sure use bonus code on three when you sign up. Let's make it one for the history books. Let's make it legendary. See betmgm.com for terms 21 only U.S. promotional offers not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler available in the U.S. call 877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPE NY 467-369. For New York, call 1-800- NEXT STEP Arizona 1-800-327-5050 Massachusetts 1-800-bets off Iowa 1-800-981-0023. Puerto Rico. First bet offer for new customers only subject to the eligibility requirements. Rewards are non withdrawable bonus bets that expire in seven days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. Welcome into the hard count here at SEC Media Days, baby. Tampa, Florida, they call it digital drive out here. We're still calling it Radio Row. Okay, some, some habits die hard. It's myself. It's Kaden Smith behind the scenes right now. He will be on the show a little bit later. I want to do a very informal show today. I just want to, I want to empty out the notebook on SEC Media days and everything we've observed take a lot from little because it's that time of year when you're not actually spotting the ball. You just try to follow the clues. Try to take a little bit from a lot. That's what we'll do on today's show. As Always, presented by BetMGM. Use code HARDCOUNT. Get yourself nice little first. Excuse me, a sign up deal when you get going there. Also Huel riding shotgun, usually in the studio riding shotgun in our heart. Okay, 40 grams of protein for the black edition powder. Good stuff. More on that later. So in terms of observations, man, today was the the Thursday edition of SC Media, the finale. And usually for those that follow this closely, for those that work in this space, Thursday is the day where a lot of people are either already out of town or leaving town early. Uh, last year, I think this place was like half empty after the first team went through. But the SEC says, not so fast, my friend. We're gonna give you Lane Kiffin with LSU and we'll give you Steve Sarkeesian with Texas on the last day. How do you like them? Apple? So you see a different kind of buzz right now on Radio Row to finish out media days and Lane Kiffin and LSU went first. I was trying to think about the best way to package this segment. And again with it kind of being the last day, we're just going to kind of empty out the notebook here and give you our observations of what Kevin had to say at the podium. And it was kind of a mix of a TED Talk and a promo for LSU football. He started out talking about how LSU has 12, 12 of their players with NI deals, nil deals with Nike. He went on to say, no other school in the country has more than eight. He's like Jordan Seaton. He's got a Nike deal. No other alignment in the country at the collegiate level has got a deal with Nike. So I thought that was interesting. He also addressed the fact that Sam Levitt wasn't here, which full transparency. You're paying the guy what you're paying the guy, probably in that 5ish million dollar range is what I would assume he's making there. And he's not at media days face. The franchise would have liked to see him here. However, Lane Kiffin, whether you buy into it or not, said, hey, we got a player led practice and Sam's able to be there for that and lead that. That's a big reason why we wanted him back. So I say, okay, guess, I guess I'll hear that. But just went into a bunch of like philosophical things. Did Lane Kiffin. It, it wasn't a ton about their football team and how they're going to, you know, meet expectations this year. And they got this guy and that guy. It was a lot of like how he has attacked this summer. Talked about how his son Knox told him he couldn't do no social media. So since May, Lane Kiffin has done no social media. And Greg Sankey said, I thank Knox for that. Commissioner of the SEC thanking Lane son for having him off social media. Um, Lane Given was asked about some of the comments he made to Vanity Fair about the comments he made on diversity at Ole Miss and how it compares to lsu. And he went into talking about how like we're all going to die. So again, like, very philosophical stuff from Link given at lsu. On one hand you say, I would have loved if we got a little bit more in the weeds of what LSU's roster is going to be and a little bit more into the minushka of LSU football, if you will. But when we take a step back, man, with it being talking season, all of this only matters so much. Not to say we don't still love it and we're not going to unpack all of it. But like there, there's a certain part of, certain part of media days where especially for lsu, there's no vibes win this year with, for them, like I think for Florida, if they look the right way and they have the right energy and they got a certain level of physicality, the record has some wiggle room as to how it could look. Kind of same thing for Auburn. As long as there's toughness and identity and we got the arrow point up, the record could be six wins, it could be eight wins. Like there's different levels of acceptable for lsu. There is no hey, we won the game or we won this game or we finished with nine wins. And that's okay. There is no like win total that gets watered down that makes you feel okay about LSU season. There is no optics when it is did we make the playoff or did we not make the playoff? That's what it's about. And so with that being the bottom line, I think I feel a lot more okay with Lane Kiffin having more big brain takes about college football and about his own personal life and about how we should approach nil. Which for the record, I thought that was interesting too. He mentioned incoming freshmen should have a cap in terms of what they can make. I thought that made sense. But again, like more than anyone else at SC media days, it's probably him and Steve Sarkeesian where you say I don't really care how I feel in terms of like the, the, the vibes around the program or the energy around the program. It is a bottom line business. And it's funny to say that for a first year head coach that it's College Football playoff or bus, but like that's, that's the way it feels like if they don't make the playoff in year one, the seat's not going to be hot. You're not asking did you, did you hire the wrong guy? And so on and so forth. But you do feel a certain level of huh? Well we allegedly here put a $40 million roster together, went and brought a guy over that won 11 games last year. In the SEC with 30 plus transfers. Like why couldn't, why couldn't we do that the first year at lsu? And it'll be just a bad vibe, a bad taste in LSU fans mouth, even with the improvement of getting to 9 wins if that ends up being the case. So with all that being said, I think the, the Lane Kiffin opening presser is probably about what the doctor ordered. No massive sound bite on his time at Ole Miss. And you know, him and Pete Golding and their relationship. It was just like kind of a, a filibustering, if you will, of what he had to say at the podium. And I mean, I really don't care what he had to say. It's going to come down to did you or did you not make the College Football Playoff? And I think LSU fans would, would co sign that. Now within that, there does have to be a certain way that LSU football looks. But I mean, if they're not playing defense and they're scoring 50 a game and make the playoff that way, we're not going to be talking about LSU and the lack of physicality. Be talking about the fact they won the 10 games. Right. So just some, some overarching thoughts there on Lane Kiffin and how LSU looked at media days or how they sounded at media days. I suppose when it comes to Lane Kiffin and his opening presser, I want to pivot to some thoughts around Alabama going into next season. Y' all notice how little is actually being said about Alabama coming out of this event? Like, I can't remember the last time Alabama was. I don't want to say an afterthought, but they definitely have the top storyline. Like we're talking about John Sumrall. Heck, we're talking about Kentucky and Will Stein and him saying I'm the reason why we're going to be successful here in Lexington. We're not Talking about Kaylin DeBoer and the quarterback battles quite as much as some of the other things. Now are those massive storylines of the offseason and there'll be a massive storyline during fall camp? Absolutely. But I do think it's a little bit interesting how how dialed back the noise seems to be around Alabama at an event like this. And truthfully, if I'm Caleb Naboor, that is exactly what I want for my football team during this part of the year, with everything that we have in front of us to accomplish and all the pressure there will be to achieve when it comes time to actually spot the ball. Because here's my thing. When it comes to outside noise. I said. I said the same thing about USC a year ago. I think that when there's less external buzz than you're used to having around your football program, it gives the head coach the opportunity to be more deliberate and clear in his messaging as to what he wants his football team to focus on and be about. And so for Kayla Nabo, we know his messaging works. We know if it's a Kayla Naboire football team, and that's stamped, he's going to win a lot of football games.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So the opportunity now to install that even more so into this Alabama team with a lot of new pieces, especially at the quarterback position, I think that's a massive advantage.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Now, in terms of the quarterback battle itself, sometimes we get to this part of the year and it's still a battle. I'm putting out air quotes for those that are listening via podcast. It's still a battle of sorts, but we kind of know who the guy is going to be and everything before they actually name a starter is sort of a charade. I don't think that's Alabama, y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

Like, do I think Keelan Russell is eventually the guy? Yes. But at the same time, like, we sat down with Ryan Coleman Williams and we asked him about the quarterback battle and what Keelan Russell brings to the table and what Austin Matt brings to the table. And I didn't pick up on anything from a body language to a tone to a way he spoke about either guy that led me to believe one guy has the upper hand or one guy is just clearly going to be the guy over there. Like, I truly believe now, there's a lot of belief in whoever they roll with. And with that being the case for Alabama, something you're working through right now if you're a fan is like, okay, well, if Keelan Russell does win the job, we get excited because he's the five star guy, number two overall player in his cycle. He's the future. All this, that and the other, that's great. But if, if Austin Mack wins the job, do you not in some ways feel like, okay, well, if he beat out all those things that Keelan Russell brings to the table, he's got all the. Got all the experience in the system and he is this big body, big presence. Like, do we not almost feel better about Austin Mack having won the job? It's. It's a thing to work through. But I truly believe now that whoever they roll with, there's a lot of confidence. I don't Think it's a, hey, we're hoping this guy turns on and comes on and here we go. I truly believe they are okay with either guy that actually wins the job on merit. Which honestly at a place like Alabama with it being something that's going to go, I believe into and potentially through fall camp here, as is obvious now, they haven't even started during spring ball. It gives you the chance to go win it in competitive environments like those scrimmage intel notes that we get from Bama online with Tim Watts and Charlie Potter. We will be as tapped into those as anybody else in this space, dude. Because when you actually spot the ball in 11 on 11 settings, I don't care if a non contact jersey. When you actually get to playing football and moving the football, I think that's where a quarterback can really take control of a job. And by nature of the timeline here looks like it's going to be a thing that shows itself during fall camp. So no answer for Bama right now. I don't think is the worst thing in the world. And I truly believe there is like a genuine, like, no, we don't know who our guy is just yet. And Greg McElroy actually said as much when he joined the program the other day. Now, Caleb DeBoer was asked if he believes he'll be judged on winning national championships at Alabama. Kind of gave the Caleb Naboor answer of yeah, I'd imagine that's the case. But I'm not focused on that. I'm focused on winning football games. And it's like if you, if you gave Caleb Naboire 50cc's of truth serum, dude, yeah, I'm gonna be judged on winning national titles. That's why I came to Alabama. I played for a national championship at a place like Washington and I knew going to Tuscaloosa meant I would have more resources and more of an opportunity to field a team, to field a roster that would go compete for national championships more frequently. Like, yeah, I came here to win national championships. It's probably what he actually wanted to say. As much as that's true and as much as Caleb, Deborah believes that we do have to understand like the context around the situation in which he took the Alabama job. We've talked about this a lot over the course of, I mean, since Caleb got Tuscaloosa, but especially this offseason. And on this topic, Caleb not only followed Nick Saban, he took the quote unquote, most high pressure job in college football at that point in time. Following the goat At a time where the 12 team playoff was becoming a reality. So it's never been harder from a purely number of games you have to win standpoint to international championship. And oh, by the way, the portal in nil are becoming more and more of a thing that people are getting a grasp on that you have to account for and is decimating the depth we're used to having at the top of the sec. Like it's never been harder to win a national championship. And so we can say, yeah, it's something you got to judge Kaylin Deborah by at the exact same time. Nobody, nobody in the sport I fully believe will reel off two national championships in three years or four and five years. Like we're not going to see these quote unquote dynasties the way we have in the past. That that's my feel on it at least. And so again, if we're using a Nick Saban measuring stick to assess Caleb and aboard, that's just, that's not fair, it's not practical and it's unfortunate now for Kayla and DeBoer, but like that's the, the world he's living in now. He's not surprised by that. I don't think he's overwhelmed by that. It's a big reason why he's still in Tuscaloosa. But I think that needs to be be mentioned when you try to assess Caleb DeBoer. Now in that same vein, I gotta see some progress here and they have so far. The first year you win nine games, second year you win 10 games. But for Alabama, now we gotta continue to inch closer towards that national championship to keep the people in Tuscaloosa happy. Because it is going to be about did you win a national championship and how many did you win as Caleb. That's the standard here, whether you like it or not. I think Caleb DeBoer likes it. That's the standard here. So, you know, last year you get across that threshold, you make the playoff, you win a game. Indiana did to you what it did to just about everybody in this college Football playoff a year ago. It is what it is like I need to see another step from Alabama. I need to see us play in the semis next year. I need to see us go and play look like a team that can contend for a national championship next season. There needs to be a continual up and to the right for Alabama football, for that fan base to feel some pieces of strong word. But it's the word I'll use to feel some peace about where the program is. Headed under Kayla DeBoer. I fully believe that the college football public will eventually, whether we know it or not, calibrate to the way that this sport is working, especially in the post season here, that, hey, not everybody's going to reel off national championships the way Saban did. The sport's different now, but Bama's got to get one. I think here sooner rather than later would be my opinion on this thing. So a lot there with Kay on the board. But again, the fact there's less buzz, I don't think is the worst thing in the world if you're an Alabama fan and definitely not for Alabama internally. All right, speaking of one of the best things in the world, how about nutrition, but getting your calories? Tell you what, man, Kaden Smith guy gets his protein right, you'll see it later. The guy's crushing Q, I'm sure maybe not on on camera all the time, but he's crushing his fuel. The Black edition powder is the best way to go about that.

[B]

All right.

[A]

If you want to do the ready to drink more power to you. We're a fan of that as well. But the black edition powder is a go to for us. Okay? You mix in some ice, mixing a little fruit, little strawberries, little whatever you want to mix in there to get a little texture, a little more, a little more consistency, always a good thing. Again, 40 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals. Mix it all in 30 seconds, dude, 30 seconds. Take care of yourself and get a little complete meal on the go. You're playing yourself right now. If you want to support this show, hear me clearly. Black edition powder get 15% off with our code [e-mail] backslash hardcount15 with code. You guessed it, hardcount15 new customers only online. Again, [e-mail] backslash hardcount 15 or. We appreciate Huell and thank Huell for partnering and supporting the show. All right, now again, I mentioned Kane Smith guy gets his macros. Dude, there's no way around it. There's no way around it. John Mateer, also a guy that would imagine gets his macros. Seamless transition there. We sat down with John Matir at media days. Interview already on the channel and it's take a lot from a little season for us over here.

[B]

All right.

[A]

And one of the things I've been asked across radio rail while doing different hits is, hey, what did you pick up on people you're talking to? Hey, what's, what's something that you've Noticed throughout the week. And it could be nothing. It could be something. But sitting down with John Mateer a year ago in Atlanta and this year in Tampa, the dude just seems a little bit more comfortable in his own skin and a little bit more chill. Now, that's not to say that a year ago John Matier was some, like, deer in the headlights and was, you know, squirmy in the seat when he sat down with us or gave you just awkward energy. I didn't get that from John Matur. But I do think you look at the context for the guy a year ago, shows up after playing quarterback at Washington State, led college football in total touchdowns with 44 of those bad boys. And we're talking about, is he the guy to bring Oklahoma back to the top of the college football conversation? Not even the college football world put it back in, like, the tier one of the college football conversation, how tough the schedule is. Hey, how is he going to adapt to the sec? There's a million different questions, a million different unknowns. And I mean, they were probably in some way shape or form unknowns in Oklahoma too, because you hadn't seen the guy do it yet at that level. And like, I love Washington State, I love Oregon State. It's just a different brand of ball you're having to compete in when you go play in the SEC or any of these Power 4 conferences. So I say all that to say when we sat down with him, dude, like, even talking before we got rolling that interview, he's like, I just, I know what it is now. I. I know I'm going to talk a lot of stuff. Like something like this. You could tell he understood. He is the face of Oklahoma football and he's got the comfortability in the sense that, like, last year probably sucked for him. Dude, you start out September and he told us, he's like, this is going back to last season. When we talked to him during the bye week, he's like, everything was going how I wanted it to go, everything that I thought I was going to do, coming over from Wazoo to Norman, like, I was doing it in the month of September. Then you break the thumb, things go all out of whack. He can't grip the football. And just things went left very quickly. You go from being in the Heisman conversation to asking your defense to carry you to the College Football Playoff during the month of November, like, that had to be really tough. And so to go through that and to come out the other side having made the playoff and to have that September to hold on to and give you some confidence of, hey, actually I am good enough to play in this league. I'm good enough to. To beat two top 30 defenses in the month of September. I think that's going to pay a world of dividends for the guy. Like, it's sort of philosophical and unquantifiable. There's no stat to put to this. But being able to have a different level of comfortability, especially playing quarterback, and have things just slow down around you, whether it be the, the life you're living on the field or off the field. I think all that is just so crucial to John Mateer and his success that I believe he's going to have here in 2026, which plays into the next thing. I just said, having played against SEC defenses and had success to some degree against those teams when he was healthy, I think that's only going to build the confidence for the guy. And George Floyd, we mentioned this already, but I mean, he does phenomenal job over at Sooner Scoop. His is chronicling John Matier's offseason over on that site. Go check it out. He mentioned the different people that John Matur has watched film with so far or had different relationships with this, this offseason from Sam Bradford and the way that he played the position in Oklahoma. They're watching tape together, sitting down with Brent Venables. He's got a PhD in defense. And talking to John like, hey, this is what defenses are trying to do to you, brother. Here's how you can beat it. Here's the weak spots, here's the ways to put stress on them. Being able to win a little bit more from the neck up for John Mateer, from a composure perspective, from a comfortability perspective, and from a understanding perspective, I don't think there's any way to overstate the importance of that either. Like, genuinely, if John Mateer is. Is at the peak of his powers mentally, I don't think anybody really questions what the guy can do physically. Like, you talk to people about John Matier and people that have concerns about him, it's usually like the play style. Like, hey, man, he's all over the place. Hey, sometimes his feet gets everywhere. Sometimes, you know, his eyes are all over the place. And John sort of alluded as much to that in his own public appearances he's made. Nobody questions, can John Mateer sling that thing? Dude, no. Nobody questions, can John Matier make a play for you on third and three. You need to get a first down. Like, he's, he's got all the physical stuff. It's can we make it all work together and can we play within structure well enough to maximize what this place is supposed to be right now? You also say, hey, J.D. as as much as they struggled last year at quarterback, they also struggled to run the football. And I don't want to be. I don't want to be too. I don't want to assume too much here with Oklahoma on offense. That's just a dangerous game to play. But the assumption I would make is it can't be too much worse than last year when it comes to running the football, can it? Like you would hope not. We're talking about Oklahoma being in the 1000s when it comes to rush yards per game. That is embarrassing stuff. Embarrassing. And I think it's going to get better because again, it can't get worse. And I also think it's going to get better because he got Jason Whitten in the mix. But when you zoom out even further on Brett Venables time in Norman, you know what that dude is? He's a fixer. Things will suck from year to year for Oklahoma. It's happened before so far during his time there. But I will say this. Usually it's not the same hole in the boat taking on water for Oklahoma from one year to the next. Usually Brett Venables will either repair it or slap some flex fuel over it and make it better. Like first year in Norman, that defense was atrocious, dude. We're all like, hang on. Brent Venables is supposed to be the defensive mastermind and they can't stop anybody. This freaking Swiss cheese defense out there. Then they regroup that offseason, go to the portal, get right in the front seven. Defense is world's better the year after last year. Hey, what's, what's going on at the quarterback position, man? Like Jackson Arnold was supposed to be this, that and the other. And when we are just anemic offensively with him playing quarterback, Brett Venable says, I got you. I go get Ben Arbuckle. I go get John Kuzevski, quarterback coach now at Oklahoma as well. With. With Ben Arbuckle on that staff, you go get John freakin Matiere. Now it was supposed to be fixed, more fixed than I think we saw, but it was fixed enough to be a college football playoff team. Like year over year things are fixed with Brent Venables. And if that's the case now, the expectation for me is he's going to fix the run game. Now is the run game going to be dominant. 200 yards a game fixed that, which surprised me. My take has been can we just be balanced? We balance. Can we force teams to have to move out of a too high safety look and commit resources to the box? Because if we do that, guess who gets a better matchup? Satania Parker, Livingston, Charles Harris. Like we were going to have a chance if we give our guys better looks on the back end. Having play action for John Mateer, also a good thing. There's just a number of dominoes downstream of being balanced offensively running the football that would do a lot for the Sooner. So Matier just seemed like he had a little bit more comfortability to him. I think that's a, a really good thing for Oklahoma fans. Again, taking a lot from a little. But that's one of the other notes I have here on my notebook from SC media days. Last thing I want to unpack together before I get on with Kaden Smith on here. And we just wax poetic about the week that was John Sumrall probably won SEC media days. All right. Now, Will Stein made a really strong push early on in the week. Talking about, I'm the reason we're going to change Kentucky football. We're going to win at a high level here. John Sumrall, man, everybody that walked out of that main room, that heard him at the podium, I said it on the interview with him, walked out like they had just seen the Odyssey and imax eyes, big hair blown back. Either like an impressed expression on their face or a smile on their face like, hey, I hope that dude wins, was kind of the sentiment across the entire building the other day. Yeah, there's some Florida people in here, but even other other beats that were in here covering other teams are like, hey, we'll see what happens. But I hope that that guy is easy to buy into, easy to believe it. And y', all, if he's doing that with the media, what do you think he's doing on the recruiting trail? Tell you what, Real wins with the media, with high school players, with transfer portal guys, Real always wins. And John Sumrall, if nothing else, is real. Okay, so you talk about what this is going to mean for Florida this year. I don't know what it's going to mean. Honestly, I don't know what it's going to mean. But I do think over an elongated period of time, John Sumrall's personality will become Florida football's personality. And so, yeah, he's real. You know what else he is? High energy, confident. I think that the way that he coaches is going to be the way that Florida plays and I think the way that John Sumrall coaches will translate to some physicality for Florida. And that's my biggest thing I mentioned for LSU, there is no vibes win. Okay? You either won 10 games or you didn't and we made the playoff or we didn't. For Florida, if you win six games, it'd be a bummer I think for Gator Nation based on expectations. But if it's the right looking six and you're in every game and you're making people, I mean have, have bloody noses and you're bringing a little bit of that extra edge, the energy that Florida demands, like I think that's actually an okay year to have. Now I won't pick Florida to win six games, but you get the sentence that I'm making. There is such a world that exists where Florida looks like Florida again and that's good enough for us in the college football public and good enough for year one for Gator Nation. I truly believe that. Okay, now look at the roster. Probably shouldn't be a 61 football team. Okay, now we got a question at quarterback. I've told you, I absolutely hate the question about the offensive line. That sucks. John Summerall said we got to get a lot better or we'll get our you know what beat. Okay? This is a kid friendly show. So we made some adjustments there to what he actually said. But the sentiment remains the same. If they can't get better on the offensive line, you don't have a prayer in the sec. You're not scheming around the offensive line. With that being said, if you're just serviceable up front, got a guy in Jaden Baugh who doesn't need a whole lot of help to get downhill and set you up with ideal second and third downs. If you can give your quarterback a little bit of time and it's Philo or Tramell Jones, one of those guys can spray. And I think John Sumrall feels good about both those guys in that room. Whoever takes the job, you got guys that can win. Like Florida fans. Know the names Dallas Wilson, Eric Singleton. Talk to Vernell Brown. Got a great vibe from Vernell Brown, man, like I love so much the vibe I get from everyone that I talk to around Florida and out Florida. And they haven't said this specifically, but here's the vibe I get. We are doing so much internally, we are working to a certain degree and have the right sense of energy. And urgency. There's no way we don't have more success than we've had in the past. Which not to draw too much of a parallel here, but I remember having the same exact thought when I had my cup of coffee at Baylor with that football team under Matt Rule that ended up playing for a Big 12 championship that year. And that was a year where nobody's picking Baylor win the Big 12. Baylor just won the Texas Bowl. Won like seven, eight games, whatever it was. But I remember being in that locker room being like everybody here is so dialed in, so bought in. Like there is absolutely like zero let up in anybody's way. They're going about business whether it be the stuff that's required or not required. Like there's no way we don't find a way to win some of these games. I get that same sense from talking to people at Florida. There's no way with the inputs they are giving that they don't see some return on investment there. Okay, now if you don't have the players up front to make it go, we're having a different conversation. But again, I would, I would settle this year from a Florida fan for Florida, looking and feeling like Florida again because I've said this a couple times, but I'll say it again, at a place like Florida, you don't need a million things to go your way before you see some returns when it comes to adding talent. Like we saw Florida win seven games in 2024. It was a good looking seven, seven games and knocked out a couple teams from playoff contention. But you won seven games, had a top 10 class in the recruiting trail. You can win eight if you're John Sumral on being in the top 10. I think on the recruiting side of things and, and I mean we see it, you went on the recruiting trail, went on the adding talent side of things. It's only so long before you start winning at a really high level on the field. So John Summerall, if you had to pick an MVP of media days, he was the betting favorite for us on this show. We cashed in on the back end of media days. I fully believe that. And I tell you what, man, it's going to be a lot of fun to see what they are when the dust settles because when they take on his personality fully, Florida will be an absolute problem for the rest of the college football world. The vibes be absolutely immaculate. Hey, speaking of immaculate vibes, Kato Zen AI Vibecasting. Something that has made its way into our lexicon when it comes to Breaking down what Zen AI bring at the table. Vibe coding. You've heard that vibe coding apps like Lovable and Claude Cowork made it possible for just about anybody, regardless of coding skills, to get their big ideas into reality. Zenai helps anyone turn a conversation into something worth sharing. A podcast, a real a TikTok, whatever it is. You know, it'd be awesome if everyone had Kaden Smith in the ones and twos. The fact is there's only one of them and we got them on the show. Okay. So if you want to make a push towards Caden esque kind of work, I wish you well. Zen AI is a great way to help get some some production chops for yourself without having Kaden Smith on the ones and twos. Okay then. I currently invite only beta join the Waitlist today for a chance at early access. Go to Zen AI to sign up or head to our show. Notes for a direct link so those are my notes on SC Media day. It's again very informal. It's kind of riffing free flowing here on Radio Row, but I want to chop it up here with the man the myth legend, the managed referred to on the ones and twos, Kaden Smith, and kind of exchange takes on what we've both seen so far from SC media days here in Tampa. Check out our conversation. Kaden Smith. You might know him as Cato knows for follow the boy on the socials. Ones and twos, the hard count. Jump on the mic, man. It's been a great week here in Tampa, dude. A lot that we've seen and observed. I just spent a good 30 minutes unpacking my notebook. What was like top of my top of the mental or physical notebook for Kaden Smith coming out of Tampa.

[B]

Yeah, we'll eventually get to my best dress list at the end of this segment, so definitely stay around for that because that's always a major takeaway when we're at SEC media days. But JD As a guy who is very big and very bullish on the Georgia Bulldogs, my big takeaway is that I'm willing to double down on them. Just the Kirby Smart is always a safe pick and I feel like for me personally, one of the bigger question marks I had coming into the season with Georgia was who's going to catch the football for that offense? Someone asked Kirby Smart about that on the podium and he said okay, like perfect. We need that motivation. I love that y' all are doubting that position group. And now I'm going to take this and use it as bullets and more material to motivate those receivers. That fired me up, man. So I feel like when you look at all these coaches and how they're going to have to adapt this season to their strengths and weaknesses, I feel like it's just a good bet to bet on the weaknesses of Georgia being capitalized on and Kirby Smart being able to figure it out. And we sat down with Gunner Stockton as well. Have all the belief in the world. That guy's so reliable, such a, just a, a, a fearless leader. You can tell from the stats what he was able to do in the fourth quarter's games. Came up short in the last two playoffs, obviously, but you can tell he took that to heart and you can tell that this season he is going to be carrying that as, as a message for the team and paying it forward as far as what Georgia does in the postseason normally and how they've come up short. So I've, I've just left as, as a bark boy. J.D. i'm, I'm fully with the bark boy. I'm fully with the dogs and I, I my confidence them only went up days this week in Tampa.

[A]

It's funny because we think back to last year this time in terms of questions for Georgia and it was well, they didn't run the football that well the year before and like Gunner Stockton hasn't really been the guy just yet. What's he bringing the table? Georgia is a problem on the ground with that offensive line and Gunner Stockton finishes top 10. The Heisman voting. The questions for Georgia and the people doubting Georgia on the outside looking in have a funny way of having egg on their face at the end of the season. We're recording this right now before I guess it's what, noon here our time. The media will pick their winner at the the end of today. I'm curious to see how many people bite the bullet and go against Georgia. Man, I'm very curious to see what that looks like.

[B]

Yeah, man. Because obviously Texas looks great on paper. I wouldn't be surprised, as we talked about before, if they were the team that is voted as the top team in the SEC. But you got to play between those white lines, J.D. the games aren't one on paper. And when it comes to playing between those white lines, Georgia had a very hard schedule last year and rose to the occasion. It's a little bit easier this year and you pair that with all the guys they're bringing back with more experience under their belt. Raylan Molson, we got to talk to who's absolutely electric he's going to be the fearless leader of that defense in the middle. Told us he was benching 450 in high school. Can't imagine what he's doing now. Can't imagine the temperature that's being set in Georgia and just talking to guys like that. J.D. you hear about the bloody Tuesdays, you hear about how hard it is and how physical it is to play at Georgia, but to actually talk to someone who is in those trenches, talking about how the. We get weeded out very quickly at Georgia. You either got it or you don't. It's just. It's not rare in college football, I imagine. But when you do it at a championship level like George has done, you can just trust it more than anyone. And I trust them talking about the defense side of the ball to impose their will upon their opponents maybe more than anyone else at SEC media days that we talk to. So excited about both sides of the ball for Georgia, for sure. Obviously excited about their head coach. And just his demeanor through the whole week. You just see different clips of him talking at the podium, talking to different media members. He's clearly the elder statesman here, and I feel like he's just moving with a different swagger that if Georgia's also moving with that swagger, they're going to be hard for me personally to bet against week to week.

[A]

And they came up short last year of the ultimate goal. I think it was Gunner Stockton, when he sat down with us talking to him, he made it sound like they failed last season. Dude, y' all won the sec and you absolutely decimated Bama in that final game. Like, y' all were clearly the creme de la creme of that conference. When it was all said and done, he's like, you know, know, you could. Didn't say this, but you could tell. He was like, yeah, but we didn't finish the ultimate goal, which was winning a national championship. And so to have so much. Excuse me. To have so much back for Georgia from that group that came up short last year. I'm really interested to see how Kirby Smart reaches into the chest of that Georgia football team and flips the switch and says, you guys were this close last year. You didn't get there. Now we go. Like, I just think his ability to set the temperature even hotter than it was the year before and to. To utilize the failures that last year was, which is funny to say for an SEC championship football team and a playoff football team, I think that's going to be really, really fun to watch how they move in November, December and January where they came up short last year.

[B]

Yeah, it's more of a how like I'm curious how it's going to look more so than the results. I know the results are going to be there for the Bulldogs, but how is it going to look? We talk about the past catchers, talk to Rusty Manziel, talking about Talon Taylor is the breakout star of this offense, how much that's going to mean for them, how much are we getting in 12 personnel? How much are we getting in 13 personnel? And using those tight ends that just pound for pound are probably going to be a very hard position group to tackle and handle when it comes to to mismatches. But yeah, it's really just the how JD like how is it going to look? How great can Gunner Stockton be this year? Is he going to do the same as he did last year and still get the results or does he take his game to another level? Does a run game continue to hold that standard up? Does the defense become in the in the upper upper episode on where they're holding teams to 10, 11, 12 points a game like they did when they were on those championship teams? I know they're going to get the results. I feel very confident in that. With Georgia this week at media days, the how is more so how. What I'm more curious about, I think

[A]

that the depth of that football team is when we talk about how much depth is lacking across the country relative to what it used to look like. Kirby Smart has led that conversation saying, the old Alabama teams we had, I think the phrase used they would clubber lane, the teams that live that exist now in, in modern college football. And I hear that, I think that's true. But speaking to Georgia's depth like on defense and the depth they have in that tight end room, like, I think that Georgia, in the months of December and January, when it's really time to go win some of that hardware that has looted them the last couple of years, I think they're going to have a different level of physicality than the rest of the country. And man, it's, it's tough to sit here and talk ourselves through Georgia. And I'm like, man, I don't know that I would have them win the national championship as it sits here right now in July. But we're listing all the reasons why they would win a national championship. And it's just, it's a, it's between a rock and a hard place, man. I think Gunner might be the best quarterback in the SEC when it's all said and done.

[B]

Yeah. J.D. you might not be that confident, but the closer you get to the season when I have to make my predictions, they're already on the short list of teams that I'll have to pick through as far as winning a national championship. But I've talked about, there's a big check mark there for me with Georgia, big exclamation point as far as what I think they're going to do this year. I left SEC media days as far as question mark teams. What I'm still curious about and just really can't put my finger on, it's Auburn for me. JD we sat down with Alex Golish. Very cool, calm, collected, a quiet confidence about himself brings Byron Brown here who looked just unreal to see in person. Can't imagine having to tackle that guy for sure. But then you look at the schedule as well and there's really tough sketches stretches of the schedule where going up against a first year coach in, in Florida and John Sumrall and he's kind of stolen media day and like you said, one media days and everyone has belief in them. They have a stretch where they're going to Tennessee. You have to play Georgia, you have to play lsu, you have to play Ole Miss. Like they have some rough parts of their schedule and I'm guessing, I'm trying to ask you, I guess what, what are your takeaways as far as Auburn, the week they had and what your expectations are, whether it was coming into the week and now after that we've talked to them at media days.

[A]

They're a mystery, man. Yeah, they're, they're absolutely a mystery. I, I mean what you said about Byron Brown, I'm like, that dude's playing quarterback. Holy. Okay, okay, we better, better pack lunch. We play Auburn. To me they're kind of in that vein of where Florida is to where they could be a six win football team. But if it looks the right way throughout the course of the season, you can check that box. But man, I think the first part of the year for them where they play Baylor in Atlanta where they host Florida that third week of the season, like there's going to be some really key moments where you got to, got to take a look in the mirror and find out who you are. And after the game, if you can go, you know, start quickly and you can beat Florida at your place. Like there should be a different level of confidence of okay, we did this at usf, but now we did in the sec, like now we Got some. Some different shops about ourselves. Has a different energy about ourselves. Like being able to capture that early, I think is. Is paramount. I love what Cole Kublik said when he joined us. He's like, people are questioning Byron Brown and will it translate? He's like, Diego Paga, did it translate? John Matier, did it translate? And I was like, that's actually a really astute observation. So I don't worry quite as much about him. I leave more confident. I think about him with that, that thought process. But the rest of the team, especially in the trenches, man, that's where we're going to find out a lot about Auburn when they, when they play Florida Week 3 on the Plains.

[B]

Yeah. And you feel confident in the defense with DJ Durkin still being there. That was a monumental get and keep to have him still in the building, still have that defense. That's one of the top units in the SEC. You'd like to think with the D.J. durkin defense and his offense and Alex Goelish running the show and having so much continuity at your quarterback position, at the center position, you bring some pass catchers as well. You'd like to think of the amalgamation of the parts. I like it, I like it. I like it a lot. But I don't like the schedule and I don't like how easy it is to be successful in the SEC in year one as a head coach. So it is about the expectations. What is this successful season for them? Is it 6 wins? Is the right 6 wins? Is it 7 wins? Is it making a bowl game? I don't know yet, but man, I'm definitely going to have to do some more deep diving, I feel like, on them and really get into the nitty gritty of the matchups they play against, how they match up on defense, learning very early about the offense and if they can get up to speed there. I'm going to be weary of week one. We saw what Auburn looked like week one against Baylor, a Baylor team that we, we liked a lot coming into the season. You picked to win the Big 12, I believe.

[A]

Yeah, I like them too much, brother.

[B]

Yeah. So I think there's. There's still so many question marks and I think ultimately you can come away with these things feeling better, worse or the same about certain teams. We're not going to find out till they spot the ball. But I'm most curious to say the least about what Auburn does in week one and how it carries them the rest of the season, what their identity will be the whole year.

[A]

I Think of outside of win total, I would settle for Auburn being tough and Auburn winning one score games like not every single one score game but if we could have a winning record on one score games that itself would be a. Okay, I see some progress here because last year, I mean it was like a nightmare for Auburn. Every single Saturday was one score game up at half. Lou. I mean they lost it. They were up by, I think it was 10 against Georgia in Jordan hair and they dropped that football game. So if they can just take some strides in that department in the margins, I think that in itself would be, you know, never want to give out moral victories but I think it would be a really big win internally for the fort folks out there in Auburn.

[B]

Yeah. Because it just hasn't looked right the last couple years. Right. Like they have not looked the part when it's mattered most. And Alex Goelish told us their, their calling card is going to be physicality. He says it's a, it's a non negotiable for them. They're going to be physical and I think that will take them a very long way especially on the offensive side of the ball. If they can run the ball, we think they're going to be able to play defense. With DJ Durkin and his scheme, what he's been able to do the last couple years on the plains, can they have that same level of physicality? Can they match that physicality on the ground? And you'd like to think with Byron Brown contributing with his legs, they'll be able to do that. It's hard to imagine him not falling forward on third and one, third and two, third and three. Right. So I just think man, it's such a question mark for me. Like I keep saying, I keep going back to that but at the end of the day I can't wait to find out. Like I said before, I feel like I'm repeating myself a little bit. But it's that time of year, it's such a, it's such a question mark and it's a team. I'm very excited to see if they can rise to the occasion.

[A]

I think back to that 2022 Tennessee team which is probably like the very best case for Auburn this year. I mean you go 10 and two, it'd be phenomenal for Auburn the first year on the plans. But I think back to the way that Tennessee was able to get some teams on their back foot with the pace at which that offense played, the formations they aligned with and just put teams in a. In A blender. Alabama, most notably with that win in Nyland. And it was obviously a huge, a huge promo you cut. If you're Josh Hype before it was going to be Alex Goelish was the OC for that 2022 team. I wonder how much Auburn is able to catch teams off balance with that offense under goalish with some different personnel like Henan Hooker was phenomenal. Byron Brown different player than Hen and Hooker. Jalen Hyatt was absolutely electrifying for that football team. I don't know that you have a Jalen Hyatt on this, you know, receiving core right now for Auburn. So their ability to win schematically is something I'm really intrigued by with Auburn and if that exists, the personnel is good enough to make some noise.

[B]

Yeah. And I think if it doesn't work out for Auburn quite the way they want to this year. You look back at Alex Golis shoe. Yes, did great things at usf, turned that program around that was near the bottom of college football to an eight win team. But they were not a perennial conference championship team. They didn't win the conference. They, they achieved success relative to what they had going on at usf. So I don't doubt that he can get this program headed in the right direction compared to what it was before. My question more so is long term, can you break through that glass ceiling in the sec? That's very, very hard to break through. It's taken very coaches, very good coaches, frankly better than Alex Goish, more accomplice than Alex Goish to get to that point. You have a guy like John. Yeah. You feel, you have a guy like John Sumrall, you feel very confident no matter what it looks like. Year one he kind of has the aura where you don't have to squint to see this being the right guy for Florida and it eventually working out. That's where I have to squint a little bit more to say is Alex Goish the guy that's going to get them back to the, the top of the SEC like they were before? That's, that's my big question mark. I think as far as Alex Goish, I don't doubt that he's going to be able to give some defenses some problems schematically with his scheme early in the season. I don't doubt DJ Durkin is going to be able to play with the same level of intensity as far as the defense, what they've done year in and year out. His time in Auburn. The question I think more so for Me is long term, is the temperature going to be set differently and can they move forward from there?

[A]

Week three is going to be fun, man. Yeah, Week three, everyone's talking LSU will miss and understandably so, because they should be understandably so. But that game on the planes, man, that's going to be going to be telling the Year one bull for, for both sides of that thing. Texas is here today and I mean, again, we're recording this thing early. So maybe it's Texas picks to win the sec, maybe they're picked to finish second in the sec. However it shakes out, Texas is going to be a conversation starter in terms of how you break down the sec. Where are you at with Texas? Man, there's so much to light. We talked about the Ross talk, about Arch Manning, anything that is percolating for you when it comes to the Longhorns and how you're assessing them going into fall camp.

[B]

Yeah, they're my spot the ball team. JD like everyone likes Texas on paper here. You talk to anyone on radio row, they're the hot team to talk about. They're the prettiest girl at the dance and I think that with that comes the responsibility. You've talked about them being the Spider man of the sec. I'm just most curious, do they have it in them to rise to the occasion? It very much reminds me the Ohio State national championship year were coming into the year. Everyone was very aware of the big portal pieces they got. They had all the expectations in the world and they really didn't have to feel the weight of those expectations until you go to Michigan, lose that game, galvanize yourself and go on a championship run. You talked earlier in the show about how hard it is when you're talking about Alabama, how hard it is to go on a playoff run and to achieve those things. And that's what everyone's going to evaluate Texas over. But I think the regular season, looking at the schedule, it's going to be a challenging regular season and that pressure is going to build up very, very much, very early. When you go week two against Ohio State, a roster that talent for talent can go bar for bar for you with you. So I think as far as Texas, they're my spot the ball team and I leave more questioning if they can walk the walk the same way that they've been talking the talk and people have been talking the talk more so about them. Quite frankly, I think it's going to be Sarkeesian's biggest year as far as proving himself. The mental fortitude can he get his team prepared to play in those big moments? Because they are going to be feeling internally that stadium pulse in every single tight moment they get this year if they're tied at halftime against the team they shouldn't be tied against. If you're at Ohio State and you're. I think the adversity is going to feel the strongest of any team here because of the pressure for Texas. So I'm more so excited to see coming out of media days are they able to meet the expectations mentally and get themselves to where week to week they're playing like the team we think they can be?

[A]

Because like you said on paper, there's not a lot you're checking with with Texas. There's a lot of things that should cycle up and be really hard to stop and be tough to deal with. The psychological part of it, it's something called I've referred to a couple times but like Pete Nacos with Colin Simmons and Colin Simmons saying, yeah, we felt that pressure. It did impact us. Once we took a breath and started playing our game, we were a much different team. It's like, okay, well, the pressure was the thing before. The pressure is doubled down this year. The pressure is cranked up to 11 this year, dude. And as much as as that's, you know, kind of angsty for taxes and can be a, a thing to navigate around. Maybe I'm just too nostalgic, Cato, but like I remember Texas losing to Kansas. I remember the Bo Davis rant on the bus and someone took a picture or took a video on their phone of it is saying if you don't want to be or jump in the portal, like it is almost a privilege to be angsty in college football about national title or bust. And also for Texas, like at a place like that with that logo, those resources with nil being a real thing, like you should expect to always compete for national championships. So this double edged sword of yes, it's a lot to deal with and yes, it probably stresses you out and causes you to lose some run sleep at the same time. Like, gosh dang it, it's way better than saying can we make a bowl game this year? You know, so no vibes when for Texas, same deal as llc. There's no, there's no oh, good night win season, fellas. It's like, no, if you don't win a national championship this year was not good enough.

[B]

Yeah, pressure makes diamonds and if that's the case, then they're going to have a nice 14, 15, 16, 20 carat diamond.

[A]

20 carats.

[B]

That's. That's going to be a national championship for this, them this year. But I think you look back at the teams we liked last year going into the season that had all the pieces on paper. You talk about the Penn States of the world that some people were picking to win the national championship. You talk about the Clemsons of the world. The, the on paper pressure in those moments doesn't always necessarily lead to those wins. And you got to feel the wear of the world on Arch Manning shoulders.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And I think the more I look at the schedule and the more I think about Arch Manning, what he was able to do last year. Yes, it was very nice that he was able to clean things up and finish the season strong and look more like that quarterback we thought he was going to be by the end of the day. He has to prove it in the biggest moments now to start the year. What if Arch Manning gets off to another slow start to the season? I don't think we can rule that out. Going against Ohio State and what that did for his confidence, having to jump into SEC play after that and go to Neyland Stadium and play against a Gymnols defense. So we'll see how up to speed they are. But man, I think just. I'm not going to, it's. It takes a bold person to, to leave them out of their playoff just as far as the expectations of what they have on their roster. But like it's the SEC man. And this is a team that hasn't been under this kind of pressure ever. So I, I wouldn't be surprising to me if they lost to Ohio State and then they go up against an Oklahoma team that I think is going to have the best defense in the conference and, and lose that game too. And next thing you know your back's against the wall.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you, you have to win every single game on your schedule. That's a tough place to be in. They same team that was in a back and forth duel with Mississippi State in Kentucky last year. Have you shaken that off?

[A]

I mean Miami nine conference games now.

[B]

Yeah. I mean we had Miami last year wondering if they were ever going to stub their toe and they. Like they did every year it seemed. And then they go on a playoff room where they played good team after good team after good team and took that all the way to the national championship and they're calloused. I feel like this version of this year's Texas team isn't quite callous. So they are Going to have to learn when the bullets are flying about themselves. And I can't wait to see it.

[A]

It's interesting because like you said, new pieces like Cam Coleman and all the transfer we mentioned a number of times won't really get that. A lot of new pieces at the same time. A lot of guys that Colin Simmons, Arch Manning, Trevor Goosby that went through last year and you missed the playoff after being a number one overall ranked team in the country. I cannot wait to say you alluded to this. I cannot wait to see what happens when the first bad thing hits Texas. Who's the guy that says, we're good, Everyone chill out, take a beat, get centered, let's go play ball. Like, who is that guy that steadies the ship? Is it Colin Simmons? You'd like it to be Arch Manning. You'd like it to be a number of different people, but their ability to bounce back emotionally and mentally competitively like that is what. What makes the difference in this sport. Like Ohio State in 2024, to keep with that example, you lose to Michigan and the world's falling down. You got armed guards outside of Ryan Day's crib, and then you stand in yourself, you say, hey, let's get the ball to Jeremiah Smith. It's a good thing to do. And they go on the run. So the ability to have some emotional, just elasticity, I think that's going to be the difference for Texas, man. So it's going to be. Be a lot of fun.

[B]

I don't want it to. This sounds like a very negative Texas segment. I think it's real. I mean, it's real if you're a

[A]

Texas fans know what it is.

[B]

If you're a Texas fan, I think you can sleep very good at night knowing you probably have the best backfield duo in the conference. You have a quarterback that can also provide with his leg. So you'd like to think they're going to be able to. To run the ball. And yeah, Trey Wiser is a good back. Yeah, C.J. baxter was good and dealed with his injuries, but you have two guys now that when they get on the second and third level are absolutely dangerous and lethal. I think they can turn little plays into big plays. You'd like to think the defense is going to be improved from last year. They have so many good parts. You'd hope that Will Muschamp can get that thing up to speed. I think between the defensive pieces, who you have calling that defense and then the two running backs and a quarterback that can provide the run game. I think the floor is, don't get me wrong, super, super high. And I think even if all these things go wrong and they have these moments where they have to figure themselves out in the season, you have things you can lean on very, very hard that have always been tried and true bread and butter of success in the sec. So I think yes, we're talking about the expectations. It can get a little tight for Texas here for sure, but I think they have great things to lean on as well and probably a better superpower than anyone else. As far as the, the foundations of what it takes to win football games.

[A]

If it wasn't the SEC, we're talking about Texas win total being over under 11 and a half in the Big 12 or to keep it a buck now in the ACC. Man, fun stuff. Any other takes you want to get off before we go to best dressed here power rankings?

[B]

Let's get the best dress.

[A]

Hit him with.

[B]

I'm chomping at the bit here. Hit them with it. So to, to get on this, this top three I have of the best dressed, you have to sit on this table. That's, that's the. I like that.

[A]

That's huge.

[B]

Hopefully it sets a standard where more people want to come and talk to us if they want to come home with, with an award for, for best dressed here. But people who didn't sit on our table. JD I have to give an honorable mention. Trade as Green just walked by. First of all, looks like an absolute matchup nightmare. When I was playing safety, I used to love guarding tight ends. They didn't look like that in the Sunbelt. They did not look like power anywhere else. They didn't look like power forwards that play above the rim. But trade as Green came in with a purple suit, double breasted, very, very nice look with the brown shoes. Have to give an honorable mention. Shout out to trade as Green. But in the number three spot. JD I have our boy John Mateer. He had a nice gray suit on and he said he didn't put a, he doesn't know how to put a tie on. The reason that he didn't have a tie on was because his neck actually grew, which is breaking news. John Matier got even more jacked this season. I think because of that he was able to really embrace the, the Tampa look here. I think he really embodied it. You could see him walking down waterside by the water and doing his thing. He looks fantastic. John Matier wins the bronze medal for best dressed here. Johnny Tampa in the two Spot. I have Ryan Coleman Williams. He came in looking dapper. He had some great frames on a cream suit. He had the crimson

[A]

like a pocket square.

[B]

Yeah, he had that going from as well. Ryan Coleman Williams, one of my favorite conversations to talking to him. A married man. So he has a range. Well, yeah, Very good outfit. But number one, JD the gold medalist when it comes to best dressed here, I gotta give it to Marcel Reed. The Aggie burgundy suit on with the burgundy tie. And I think a big part of this too is the fit of the suit. I think you have the best fitting suit. And I'm not a big sneakers with a suit guy, but when you have Bottega runners on that have the burgundy that match the suit, just silver accent. Oh, man. Marcel Reed put it on. So he's our gold medalist. He's the best dress at SC Media days.

[A]

Congrats. Marcel Reed also should be noted had like the Marcel embroidered on the.

[B]

On the details.

[A]

We asked him, hey, do you guys have a stylist for a M? And someone gets you, right? He's like, we have one. But like, I do my own thing.

[B]

No stylist.

[A]

I got my own thing going on here, man. That's a great top three.

[B]

They came to play, man.

[A]

They came to play.

[B]

And if you want to come to play, if you want to get a medal, come sit with us next year in Nashville home game for the boys.

[A]

Come on. Come sit down. Come sit down and get yourself some hardware, man. Fun week in Tampa. Awesome, dude. So cool we get to do this for a job and sit here, look at the water, talk to people in college football, give our college football takes, and I mean that. And pay us for it, which is unbelievable. Unbelievable, man. Unbelievable.

[B]

A lot of conversation about media days. Is it worth it? Is it required? Is it what it used to be? At the end of the day, if you can't get excited about college football, you're probably not watching the show. So we're not worried about you guys. But at the end of the day, this is what always signals that the ball's about to get spotted. I always get excited about. We're always juiced about it. And we were juiced to be here for sure.

[A]

Big time stuff for Kaden Smith, the ones, the twos and the takes. Myself, Judy Pel here in Tampa. Appreciate y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

Love y'. All. We'll keep this party rolling. We will see y' all next time.

[B]

Sam.