Hour 3 - Kelvin Sampson

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3: Kelvin Sampson

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
• Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
• Episode: Hour 3 - Kelvin Sampson
• Release Date: March 31, 2025
• Description: A thought-provoking, opinionated, and topic-driven journey through the top sports stories of the day.

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1. Introduction

At the outset of the episode, Colin Cowherd welcomes listeners to "The Herd" and introduces the main guest, Kelvin Sampson, the head coach of the Houston Cougars basketball team. The conversation primarily focuses on Sampson's coaching philosophy, his extensive experience in both college basketball and the NBA, and the current state of the Houston Cougars as they prepare to face Duke in the tournament.

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2. Interview with Kelvin Sampson

A. Coaching Philosophy and Culture

[03:53] Colin Cowherd:
"When you got to Houston, you've done it four times. You did it at Washington State, you did it at Oklahoma, you did it Montana Tech, I think it was. What is it about you in the first year or two? How do you change not just recruiting, how do you change culture in basketball?"

Kelvin Sampson delves into his approach to building a strong team culture, emphasizing the importance of a clearly defined way to win the game. He highlights the significance of punctuality, effort, responsibility, and maintaining the right attitude among players.

[04:15] Kelvin Sampson:
"Culture starts with being on time. It starts with giving your best effort. It starts with your body language, being responsible so you don't have to be held accountable. Being someone that has the right attitude."

Sampson stresses that cultivating a culture where players are committed to something larger than themselves is crucial. He notes that under his leadership, the Houston Cougars have maintained stability, with eight out of their top ten players returning the previous year and minimal player transfers.

[05:40] Colin Cowherd:
"You know what you sound like coach. You sound like a warm weather Villanova."

Colin draws parallels between Sampson's coaching style and successful programs like Villanova, praising the emphasis on defense, loyalty, and players contributing beyond individual performance.

B. Experience in the NBA and Its Influence

[08:12] Colin Cowherd:
"What did you learn in the NBA that you think even today you think about it occasionally that helps you as a college coach because you spent six years there. That's a spell of time."

Sampson reflects on his six-year tenure in the NBA, notably working with coaches like Scott Skiles and Kevin McHale. He credits this period as an intensive "crash course in advanced basketball lytics," enhancing his understanding of matchups, situational basketball, and the importance of spacing in offense.

[08:21] Kelvin Sampson:
"Scott probably helped me the most because he's a little bit of a basketball savant. Extremely smart, prepared, organized. He understood how to hunt matchups."

His NBA experience reinforced his belief in cultivating a strong team culture, much like the Spurs under Gregg Popovich, where players like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili exemplified commitment and teamwork.

C. Current State of Houston Cougars and Facing Duke

[02:33] Colin Cowherd:
"USA Basketball Kelvin Sampson at Houston. He spent six years in the NBA on several teams and it gives you a sense of, of where you want to take the players. It's the ultimate destination. And he's now with the Houston Cougars. This was a program that I grew up with that was five slam a jama. But when Calvin took him over, they were in a drought."

Colin sets the stage by highlighting Houston's resurgence under Sampson after a period of underperformance. The Cougars are now positioned as a formidable team, facing Duke in the tournament's game of the tournament.

During their discussion, Sampson acknowledges Duke's strategic team-building, particularly the pairing of Cooper Flagg with Sion James and Canepo, which presents a significant challenge.

[06:32] Kelvin Sampson:
"You have to be the best version of yourself. You know, we played in the Big 12 the last two years and you know, whether it's Kansas or Iowa State or Texas Tech, there's a lot of really good teams and all those teams had a best player. So we'll come up with something. Now, will it be good enough? I don't know. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But at the end of the day, every team has to focus on what they do good and try to be their best version of themselves."

He emphasizes focusing on Houston's strengths and the collective effort required to compete against top-tier teams like Duke.

D. NIL and Its Impact on College Basketball vs. G League

[14:34] Kelvin Sampson:
"I think the antithesis of the G League is college basketball. Now guys aren't leaving early to go to the G League. They have to take too much of a pay cut."

Sampson discusses the evolving landscape of college basketball, particularly the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights. He posits that NIL has strengthened college basketball by allowing players to benefit financially without abandoning their education and team dynamics, contrasting it with the G League, which often requires players to take pay cuts and offers less stability.

He notes that the presence of veteran players in the NBA is increasing as players prefer staying in college to maximize their NIL opportunities rather than entering the G League prematurely.

[15:52] Colin Cowherd:
"Yeah. Kelvin Sampson, 69% plus winning record, three Final Four appearances. This team is athletic, they are tough, they are physical. And I meant that as the greatest compliment. Villanova south."

Colin commends Sampson's successful track record and likens the Houston Cougars' resilience to that of Villanova, underscoring the program's strength and potential in the current season.

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3. Additional Discussions and Banter

Beyond the interview, the episode features various sports discussions and banter between Colin Cowherd and Jason McIntyre. Topics include:

• NBA Brawl Involving Detroit Pistons:
  Jason highlights a recent melee involving the Pistons, describing the team's aggressive playstyle and potential challenges in the playoffs.

• Patriots' New Wide Receiver Stefan Diggs:
  A light-hearted discussion about Diggs' role in the Patriots' offense and his comparison to Josh Allen, showcasing team dynamics and player responsibilities.

• Baseball's New Torpedo Bats:
  The conversation shifts to baseball, where Colin and Jason debate the introduction of new bat designs by the Yankees, examining their impact on the game and player performance.

• NFL's Tush Push Play:
  The hosts discuss the controversial "tush push" play in the NFL, debating its effectiveness and implications for the game's integrity.

These segments provide a mix of in-depth analysis, humor, and personal anecdotes, maintaining the show's engaging and dynamic nature.

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4. Conclusion

The episode concludes with Colin Cowherd expressing his admiration for Kelvin Sampson's contributions to college basketball and the Houston Cougars' promising trajectory. Kelvins departs with well-wishes and gratitude, reflecting the mutual respect between the host and the guest.

[16:36] Kelvin Sampson:
"Thank you, Colin. Appreciate you having me on."

[16:39] Colin Cowherd:
"You bet. Kelvin Sampson, Houston Cougar basketball coach, 36 years. J. Mac. He started at Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana, Houston."

The episode wraps up with standard sign-offs and promotional content, transitioning listeners to upcoming segments and other shows within the network.

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Notable Quotes

1. Kelvin Sampson on Team Culture:
   "[04:15] Culture starts with being on time. It starts with giving your best effort. It starts with your body language, being responsible so you don't have to be held accountable. Being someone that has the right attitude."

2. Kelvin Sampson on NBA Influence:
   "[08:21] Scott probably helped me the most because he's a little bit of a basketball savant. Extremely smart, prepared, organized. He understood how to hunt matchups."

3. Kelvin Sampson on NIL Impact:
   "[14:34] I think the antithesis of the G League is college basketball. Now guys aren't leaving early to go to the G League. They have to take too much of a pay cut."

4. Colin Cowherd on Kelvin's Success:
   "[15:52] Kelvin Sampson, 69% plus winning record, three Final Four appearances. This team is athletic, they are tough, they are physical."

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for listeners who may not have tuned in. It highlights Kelvin Sampson's coaching strategies, his NBA experiences, the Houston Cougars' current performance, and the broader implications of NIL in college basketball, all while maintaining the engaging and conversational tone of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd."

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

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[Colin Cowherd]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. I always felt the perfect combination for a college basketball coach and Jim Boeheim's done this and Mark Few's done this and Mike Krzyzewski because he coaches like Mark Few. USA Basketball Kelvin Sampson at Houston. He spent six years in the NBA on several teams and it Gives you a sense of, of where you want to take the players. It's the ultimate destination. And he's now with the Houston Cougars. This was a program that I grew up with that was five slam a jama. But when Calvin took him over, they, they were in a drought. They had a four or five year spell. They weren't, they were not a viable team. And he now joins us live. They face Duke coming up in the game of the tournament. You know, I asked Mark Few a week ago, I said, who don't you want to play? He goes, yeah, I'd rather miss on Houston. I, I've seen enough of them. You have created a team that's no fun to play. So that's beyond recruiting. That's culture. When you, when you got to Houston, you've done it four times. You did it at Washington State, you did it at Oklahoma. You did it Montana Tech, I think it was. What is it about you in the first year or two? How do you change not just recruiting, how do you change culture in basketball?

[Kelvin Sampson]

I think one of the attributes a head coach has to have is he has to have a clearly defined way he wants to win the game. And you don't have to pick the defensive end or the offensive end, but you have to have something that your kids will believe in. And I think culture starts with being on time. It starts with giving your best effort. It starts with your body language, being responsible so you don't have to be held accountable. Being someone that has the right attitude. Every day I spend a lot of time coaching attitude and effort before we can ever be a good team. I mean, that, that sounds simple, Colin, but all the great cultures have kids that will play for something bigger than themselves, you know, and that's in this day and age. We had eight out of our top 10 players return the year before. It was the same thing. I think we've had three kids transfer in 10 years that were in our top 10 players. So we haven't lived in the portal, although we do believe in the portal. But we have kids that when they come in as freshmen, they become sophomores, juniors, and now they're seniors. And our senior class this year, last year were juniors and they were held accountable to seniors that are gone. And now that they're seniors, they fully bought into the things that we believe in. I've got a great staff. My staff is either my family or former players. Our support staff is former manager. So not really a resume guy. I don't take phone calls from people to tell me who they think would be good for us. I kind of make that decision on my own. So I think the program part goes with the culture and it's been good for us.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know what you sound like coach. You sound like a warm weather Villanova. That's what you said. No, I mean, he would, he would go to the dmv, get tough kids. Villanova kids were loyal. They play beyond themselves. They play good defense. And it's really. I. A lot of times in college basketball, if a team is defense first over offense, it may not be as glamorous. I like your athletic ability. I like your aggressiveness. I think it initiates your offense. You know, you look at that tape, you've been in the NBA. You put that tape in and watch Cooper Flag. He reminds me of Jason Tatum a little bit. Like, he's kind of good. He's kind of good at everything. What do you think, what do you do when you face a guy and Kelvin, he's going to get his. I mean, he's going to score. What's the mindset facing a kid like that that is kind of special?

[Kelvin Sampson]

Well, less than, well, I guess about 24 hours ago we were playing Tennessee in Indianapolis and we got back last night, I guess around 11 or 11:30. Got up this morning and did my analyzing, did our analysis of the Purdue and Tennessee games and really haven't watched Duke a lot, but I have watched him enough over the course of the year. The first thing that jumps out to me is what a great job John did in putting his team together. You know, for example, bringing a kid like Sion James in to pair next to Cooper Flag and Canepo and the big kid inside, because he's smart, he's tough, doesn't require a lot of shots, he's got a lot of winner in him. Cooper Flagg was going to be the centerpiece. How they fit everybody around them is what's so impressive. How do you start. Stop Cooper Flagg. Well, that's kind of a silly question. You don't. But you have to be the best version of yourself. You know, we played in the Big 12 the last two years and you know, whether it's Kansas or Iowa State or Texas Tech, there's a lot of really good teams and all those teams had a best player. So we'll come up with something. Now, will it be good enough? I don't know. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But at the end of the day, every team has to focus on what they do good and try to be their best. Version of themselves. For that 40 minutes. For that 40 minutes, we have to be the best version of the Houston Cougars we can be.

[Colin Cowherd]

What did you learn in the NBA that you think even today you think about it occasionally that helps you as a college coach because you spent six years there. That's a spell of time.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Yeah, I spent three years with Scott Skiles. Yeah. Then I spent three years with Kevin McHale. One of my best friends in coaching is Greg Popovich. So Pop got me started with the spurs. And then a month later, I'm with Scott Skiles. I think Scott probably helped me the most because he's a little bit of a basketball savant. Extremely smart, prepared, organized. He understood how to hunt matchups. He was extremely good in the last two minutes of a game, situational basketball, taught spacing, understood how to teach and coach the game. He really opened my eyes up. Being with the spurs just. Just reinforced the things that I believed in with culture, because Pop really, puck really did. When he was coaching the spurs during that period, he ran his program like a college team. He had unbelievable character. Guys like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, guys like that, that totally bought into everything he said. They allowed him to coach him. And Scott just took me to another level in terms of the X's and no's and opening my eyes to the importance of. And how do you get shots out of spacing. You don't have to rely so much on sets every single time. If you can get paint touches and have proper space and that can become your offense. So then with Kevin McHale, it was just being a manager, you know, Kevin knew how to treat players. Players respected him.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Kelvin Sampson]

So I got a little bit from all those guys. It was an unbelievable experience for me. It was almost like being a crash course in advanced basketball lytics.

[Colin Cowherd]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Jason McIntyre]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Kelvin Sampson]

I think the, the antithesis of the G League is college basketball. Now guys aren't leaving early to go to the G League. They have take too much of a pay cut. I think older players are becoming more in vogue for the NBA because of that. Yeah, you got guys, you got guys coming out in their fourth year now that are demanding or can get a big contract instead of going out early and languishing on the Quad Cities, the Erie, Pennsylvania, 4:00 flight in the morning. They're not doing that for a lot of reasons, but the NBA is getting older because of that. But I think college basketball is getting better. You look at all the veteran teams now. Duke is an outlier, but Duke's always been an outlier because they always get good. You know, they get the best players and good for them. That's. They don't need to apologize for that. There's very few Dukes in the world. But if you look at teams like us, you know, we have a very veteran team and we have, we have guys that could have put their name in the draft a couple years ago. I've got four guys in the NBA right now. Quentin Grimes, who stayed with me for, yeah, through his third year. Marcus Sasser stayed four years. Jamal Shed stayed four years.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yep.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Now, Jairus Walker was a lottery pick. But most our guys are older guys. And the reason they're staying now is because the nil. It is what it is.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Kelvin Sampson, 69% plus winning record, three Final Four appearances. This team is athletic, they are tough, they are physical. And I meant that as the greatest compliment. Villanova south. Because I have so much respect. I knew Rollie and Jay Wright really well. And you guys remind me of it. Tough kids. They're going to class, they're working hard, they're coming back and they become great pros. Grimes, by the way, was actually really playing well right now. Calvin, good luck to you. I can't wait to watch it. And you built another great program. Thank you.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Thank you, Colin. Appreciate you having me on.

[Colin Cowherd]

You bet. Kelvin Sampson, Houston Cougar basketball coach, 36 years. J. Mac. He started at Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana, Houston.

[Jason McIntyre]

He's an amazing coach. They've run into some unlucky stuff the last few years in the tournament because he's had some loaded teams. And it's a rematch last year, remember Duke probably should have lost to them, but Houston's best player shed got hurt.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yep.

[Jason McIntyre]

And then Duke was able to pull away. So Houston revenge on the mind. I don't think they could do it.

[Colin Cowherd]

Can you imagine doing?

[Jason McIntyre]

I got Cooper flag. Well, he's a tough matchup for Houston. Now remember, they only have two bigs, no depth on.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Purdue gave Houston everything they could handle, but Purdue could not. Purdue got worked on the offensive glass. Purdue got worked on that inbounds play at the end.

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh, that was a phenomenal play call.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's one of the plays of the tournament.

[Jason McIntyre]

100% agree. Yeah, that was an outstanding.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. And Purdue just couldn't hit. Neither team shot the ball particularly well on three point shots. But Purdue needed to hit shots. Everybody was complaining about the officiating and push offs. And my take is you can't get worked on the offensive glass and you can't miss. You can't shoot 29 on threes and beat Houston. Yeah. But I'll tell you, Purdue's become a big time program.

[Jason McIntyre]

Let's keep an eye on their star, Braden Smith.

[Colin Cowherd]

Why?

[Jason McIntyre]

I hear he may go on the portal. We'll see. I don't know. He's very good. That guy's. He's a good player.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. J. Mac with the news.

[Kelvin Sampson]

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is the Herd line news.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, Mr. NBA. There was a bit of a brawl, a melee if you will, in the NBA involving the the new look bad boy Pistons. Ron Holland, the young fella they got Isaiah Stewart. Look at the finger pointing. Nas Reed's had enough. Dante Divincenzo said, just let me just grab you. And it got chaotic. A million ejections. Rudy Gobert in the thick of it, but actually a bit of a peacemaker there. I'm just telling you, this is a new look Detroit Pistons team. This franchise has been down for a.

[Colin Cowherd]

While and they don't like the way they're officiated.

[Jason McIntyre]

They don't. They feel like their staff went off last week.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, they feel like. And I don't know if they're. I think Detroit feels like, okay, we're tired of hearing Detroit is young and they don't get kind of the league whistle. Their complaint is, you're giving everybody else the whistle, like, show us respect. And they're not necessary. So I watched some of their highlights and some of their complaints, and they're not necessarily wrong.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, there is a Lambert Mahorn feel to this team. I like Isaiah Stewart is a bad dude. Okay, not like a bad human being, but just on the court, he is rugged. Yeah, he's facing a lengthy suspension here. He got into it with LeBron before, and the guy's not to be trifled with. Coming off the court, he points at his jersey.

[Colin Cowherd]

We're Detroit.

[Jason McIntyre]

And it gave a feel of those.

[Colin Cowherd]

Bad deepincenzo Villanova guy.

[Jason McIntyre]

He's tough. He's no punk. He's not going to get pushed around. I'm just telling you, I don't want to see this Pistons team in the first round because they're not going to go down lightly. Kate Cunningham's a star and they just have some bruisers who are not afraid to mix it up. That's a team I don't like playing in the men's league. The guys who just don't care, they don't care about going to work. Nick, they with a black eye, that Pistons team, man, I'm just telling you, Colin, be careful with them. Next up, let's go to Stefan Diggs, the new Patriots wide receiver signed on Friday. And, you know, people are curious how he's going to help Drake May. Well, here is what Diggs is saying about joining New England. Comparing Drake May to Josh Allen.

[Kelvin Sampson]

I'm excited.

[Jason McIntyre]

I really look forward to it. It's crazy because when you ask around.

[Kelvin Sampson]

He has a lot of similarities.

[Jason McIntyre]

What people say through the grapevine, he.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Acts a lot like Josh and, you.

[Jason McIntyre]

Know, that was my guy.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I look forward to meeting and connecting with him.

[Kelvin Sampson]

You know, we played him last year. He shows a lot of fight.

[Jason McIntyre]

He got that fiery quarterback, I want to win mindset. So you know, that's something I get.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Excited about and love to be around.

[Jason McIntyre]

But as far as like his development as a quarterback, I feel like, you know, that's not really too much of my job. My job is to get up and catch the ball.

[Colin Cowherd]

They haven't had a number one receiver.

[Jason McIntyre]

Wait a minute, wait, did you hear what he just said?

[Colin Cowherd]

What?

[Jason McIntyre]

As far as developing a quarterback, that's not really part of my job. That's not too much of my job.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's nice. His job is to get open, catch the ball. That's not his job.

[Jason McIntyre]

A young quarterback who's like what? Drake bay is like 23 years old.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm a wide receiver. I'm working on my craft. You work on yours. Just I'll get open and I'll catch them.

[Jason McIntyre]

What a team player Colin Cowherd is. I gotta do me. You do you. I'll do my job.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I'm saying I'm a wide receiver. I'm with the wide receiver group. My job is to right read, run my route and catch the ball.

[Jason McIntyre]

Be a veteran leader in the huddle or in the locker room.

[Colin Cowherd]

Quarterbacks lead receivers. Receivers don't lead quarterbacks.

[Jason McIntyre]

You know, Drake Mays going into the locker room and commanding respect as a second year quarterback.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I do. Silent respect.

[Jason McIntyre]

And Diggs, we know.

[Colin Cowherd]

Now let's slow down. He's been a little choppy, but he.

[Jason McIntyre]

A little.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, you know, he's a receiver. I just bake it in like I always know with my wife. She's gonna snap at me once a day.

[Jason McIntyre]

Once a day?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. I just know I'll do something and she'll ask me to do something for a third time. And I'm thinking about some sports rant. So I just bake it into the relationship.

[Jason McIntyre]

Right, right.

[Colin Cowherd]

And once a day she's gonna snap and she won't throw anything at me or anything.

[Jason McIntyre]

I would hope not. Boy, this is quite the reveal.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I'm not saying it's terrible. At least once a day I'll be asked to do something for a third time and I bake it in that she will be frustrated with me. I bake in wide receivers. You guys are all gonna be needy like three times a season. It's I baked it in, I get.

[Jason McIntyre]

The snap at like every fourth day. Maybe not every day.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know what my wife did the other day? She did this. She put the dry cleaning out in the open in the hallway, in the bedroom. And then she moved it to front of the stairs the next day.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hoping you'll get it.

[Colin Cowherd]

And then yesterday she moved it to the front door. And my thing is, can you just ask me to take it? I'll do it. But she just, she's like, well, I figured you'd figure it out. I'm like, I don't figure much out.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, a little passive aggressive.

[Colin Cowherd]

Just tell me. Do stuff.

[Jason McIntyre]

Do you think she's listening right now?

[Colin Cowherd]

She doesn't even know what I do. Yeah, she thinks I'm an accountant.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't. I'm not a mind reader. Right. That's. Is that what you said? I'm not a mind reader.

[Colin Cowherd]

I didn't argue. I never argued. I. I've never won an argument. Not gonna start now. She kept moving it throughout the course of the house. And I was like, I'm taking that as a. As a sign that it's. It's my turn to do.

[Jason McIntyre]

But I've got to focus on this rant about the new bowling pin bats in baseball.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Very good.

[Jason McIntyre]

Final story, Colin is the UFL kicked off week one of their second season and one of the biggest moments was in the Michigan Panthers game. Take a listen to who sealed their victory.

[Colin Cowherd]

Williams, with time now being pressured, tries to spin out of it and that ball is picked off. Missing is going to close it out with kindness. Nakua returning it and he may go all the way. How about that?

[Jason McIntyre]

You hear that?

[Colin Cowherd]

Kai Nakua, his younger brother.

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh yeah. He's got two brothers that were playing and they both scored in week one. Puka's out here talking about retiring. His brothers are just stacking.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, it's funny, touchdowns. So I watched Puka Naku. I saw his high school tape, Utah. Then I saw him go play at Washington. He's a good young player. Then I watched him at byu. I would have never guessed he was this good as a pro. He was a fifth round pick.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Like there it was funny. Like when Cooper cup was at Eastern Washington. Both the Rams and the Chargers liked him. I was told after the draft the Chargers are like, if they didn't take him, we loved him. Like Puka Nakua. Like George Kittle. I remember watching him. He played at Iowa.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yes.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. I remember watching George Kittle in college. I'm like, oh, he's a good player. I would have never guess George Kittle. It's so much harder to identify football talent because fit. You know, you play with Kyle Shanahan or you play with Andy Reid. Like sometimes you see guys and you're like, you know, it's Very obvious. Like Aiden Hutchinson at Michigan. You're like, yeah, that guy's gonna be really good.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, but.

[Colin Cowherd]

Or Joe Alt at Notre Dame. Like, hey, he's gonna be a really good tackle. Puka Nkua caught me off guard. Yeah, and you were right because during camp, Matt Stafford, do you remember that in OTAs, told everybody, dude, we got a star.

[Jason McIntyre]

I remember I gave that out as fantasy advice before he had played a snap. You said, you know, sometimes you get lucky. You meet some people who know some people.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, you told me, you said, he.

[Jason McIntyre]

Is lighting up camp, I'll see what I can do. But this draft has me concerned about my guy, Jalen Milroe. I maintain he's going early and Chris Felika is pushing back. Some people are like, Milro, no shot at first round. My people are saying he's going to go first round, but we'll see. I don't know where you are on Melro yet.

[Colin Cowherd]

He needs the right fit. If he. No, I mean not like, like he really needs the right fit. Yeah, yeah, he's. He's a better Anthony Richardson.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's not saying.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, he, he actually does. He throws a nice ball. He's just accuracy wise on, you know.

[Jason McIntyre]

Josh Allen of Wyoming, right.

[Colin Cowherd]

Not as turnover prone but they just. You're not quite sure what you're getting series to series, but. But again it matters.

[Jason McIntyre]

Like you said Kittle at Iowa, I mean the Iowa offense runs in quicksand for the last 20 years, so you wouldn't expect any of those guys to really pop.

[Colin Cowherd]

And that's like when you watch the tight end from Penn State, you know, he's great. Oh, I, he's caught 17 balls against SC. I'm watching. I mean like you're like, oh, this guy's going to be. But there are. Every draft will have like multiple players. You're like, I watched him in college. Where did this come from?

[Jason McIntyre]

Jameer Gibbs was good in college. I didn't see, oh my gosh, he is explosive as hell with the lions, you know, they've set him up.

[Colin Cowherd]

The other one is Omaron St. Brown. So I watched him in high school in Southern California. His dad was like Mr. Olympia and he comes to us, he's very good as a freshman. Then I feel like he plateaus a little bit and he wasn't a good speed guy. He was a hard worker. He was a great kid. Everybody liked him. But I kind of felt like he went in the fourth round and I kind of felt like he'll be a 55 catch. Guy. No idea. He would be one of the 10 best receivers in the league. I would have guessed he was a 10 year veteran, well liked, hard worker, kind of a. A good two. Maybe not even a great two. He's an excellent one.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Like just. And you and I watch a lot of college football. Yeah. George Kittle, Amaran St. Brown. Who was the first one I talked about? Oh, Puka Nakua.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm sorry. Would never guess that. Jay McElhennoos well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by. The Herd LIE News live in la. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. And of course the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about every everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

[Jason McIntyre]

It's the last game of the season and with Amex you can save time with card member entrances at select venues and go straight to the action so you can catch every moment. That's the powerful bat making of American Express. Terms apply. Learn more@american express.com With Amex, you can.

[Colin Cowherd]

Count on T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T Mobile, keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com Keep and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device, credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Cart has no cash access and expires in six months.

[Jason McIntyre]

Introducing Instagram Teen Accounts A new way to keep your teen safer as they grow. Like making sure they've got the right gear for writing, knee pads check and helmet.

[Colin Cowherd]

Done. See you dad.

[Jason McIntyre]

New Instagram Teen Accounts Automatic protections for who can contact your teen and the content they can see.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm Colin Coward from the Herd for many, the American dream means starting your own business and working for yourself. If you're a small business owner, launching a company or dreaming of starting one, then you'll not only want to make sure you're using a platform like Intuit QuickBooks, but you also want to check out season three of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. In every episode, hosts Austin Henkiewicz and Jenice Torres talk to small business owners about how they've grown and maintained their business and tackled the hurdles and challenges that come with being your own boss. From tracking money in and out to cutting through the complexity with an all encompassing platform like QuickBooks, you don't want to miss these inspiring stories of small business journeys. Listen to Mind the Business Small business Success stories on the Iheart app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The new Torpedo bat the Yankees are using and I think some of its aesthetics, if you put a picture of them here, and I apologize to the radio audience, but the bat on the top is the new bat. Now it looks like it's like 25 to 30% bigger but you know, it's not breaking the rules. The length is in circumference is, it's not illegal. So. And if you see players during the game, people say, oh, it looks like a bowling pin. I've heard that it's a bowling pin. So I trust the governing body. I mean sometimes leagues introduce things and don't tell the players. Like David Stern, the late commissioner, said, hey, we got a new basketball. The players are like, yeah, we don't like that. They did that once, I think with a football or something. And Peyton Manning said I can't grip it. And so the Yankees are hitting all sorts of home runs. There are people that are complaining. Aaron Judge is not using it. It's clearly helping. So the only question is when do the rest of the teams use it? So here's the Yankees Jazz Chisholm on his new bat. I love my bat, you know what I mean?

[Kelvin Sampson]

I think you could tell it's working pretty well for me. But I mean, it doesn't feel like a different bat.

[Colin Cowherd]

It just helps you in a little way. I guess it gives you a feeling.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Of just feeling like you have more to work with, you know what I mean? Like you probably don't have more to work with, but it feels like it, you know what I mean? So it gives you that extra confidence.

[Colin Cowherd]

In your head to be able to go out there and hit anything. What, what do you make of it? I mean, over the weekend they're setting records. Love me.

[Jason McIntyre]

So I just love news stories that are fresh and brand new and outside the box. This is going to shake up baseball. There's. That's undeniable, right? You would say that instantly.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, there's absolutely no question.

[Jason McIntyre]

The demand for these bats is going to be through the roof.

[Colin Cowherd]

And it's the Yankees. That's a huge part of this.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Tush push wouldn't matter if it was Jacksonville. Nobody.

[Jason McIntyre]

Milwaukee brewers with these bats.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[Jason McIntyre]

Would it be as much of a hubbub?

[Colin Cowherd]

So by the way, the Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers used a torpedo bat yesterday. He went over four. So it doesn't work for everybody. Again, baseball is a different sport. It's a lot of mental, you know, hockey, basketball, football, it's too fast. Golf and baseball, you sit around a lot thinking that's what you've seen great all time golfers like Ian Baker, Finch or David Duvall, I mean they go, they get into their head. A rod.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Just literally can't hit Barry Bonds. So I wouldn't mess with it if I was a good hitter. Well, but if I'm hitting.248, why not?

[Jason McIntyre]

Even the warriors, the three point warriors, remember they went ballistic from three. The Houston Rockets tried it. Do you remember that game seven where they missed like 24 threes in a row?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Like it's not gonna work. It's not automatically. You're using the bowling pin bat. You're automatically.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, yeah, I mean, there is something to be said that Kevin Durant, Stephen Clay playing together are not anybody else.

[Jason McIntyre]

Eric Gordon and whoever else.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here's, here's Aaron Boone, Yankee manager on the new bats. You know, trying to.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Be the best we can be.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean that's, that's one of the.

[Jason McIntyre]

Things that's, you know, gotten pointed out.

[Colin Cowherd]

But you know, I say to you.

[Jason McIntyre]

Guys all the time, we're trying to.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Win on the margins.

[Colin Cowherd]

We have a big organization that are invested in a lot of different things where we're trying to be better in every possible way. The reality is it's all within major league standards. Yeah, it's. I think if it was the Orioles, we wouldn't care as much.

[Jason McIntyre]

The evil empire.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen, baseball. We had Rob Manford on last week. If you look at the last seven or eight things that have happened in baseball, eliminate defensive shift. Ohtani goes to the Dodgers. Pitch, clock, pitch, clock. Torpedo bats. Yankee Dodger, World Series. Baseball's on a heater.

[Jason McIntyre]

He's on a heater. That's.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, I mean they've had about seven or eight either cultural changes or significant moves that have all worked in their favor. They. Baseball's on. I mean, you've got to be honest in our business is I gave baseball about 15 years off, but they have had for the last two years, the game is infinitely more watchable. You know, and some of this too is we have to be remember this. Not only are the Yankees a big brand, they did lead baseball in homer's last year.

[Jason McIntyre]

Right.

[Colin Cowherd]

So they, they are a team capable. You know, this isn't the Twins and suddenly they're doubling the rest of the sport.

[Jason McIntyre]

You think baseball presses their luck with this golden bat ticket thing?

[Colin Cowherd]

Not this year.

[Jason McIntyre]

Not this year. Okay. Because that would. I think that's spicy. Maybe you save it. You keep your powder dry. Hey, let's ride this wave. Let's wait till next year and then implement it.

[Colin Cowherd]

But it's just like baseball. Yeah. I believe that ESPN and baseball will get a deal done. I think you can't give it up now. I just. I think.

[Jason McIntyre]

You think they come back to the bargain.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I just, I think it's just. I mean, I got Bryce Harper in Philadelphia, Soto in New York, Judge in New York. I got three stars, five stars on the Dodgers.

[Jason McIntyre]

I got torpedo bats.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, I've got the Cubs. Could be interesting. The Braves actually are struggling and now the Dodgers and the Braves play. So Atlanta's not off to a good start. But it's just. It does matter in every sport not named the NFL, where your stars play.

[Jason McIntyre]

Meanwhile, the NFL's kind of. I mean, I know we didn't dive into it, but this tush push, I'm sure you're reading about it sounds like the tush push is going to be eliminated. Colin, that ticks me off. I think that's a dumb move by some softball.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're not allowed to push mostly.

[Jason McIntyre]

Who are you, Stephen Jones? That's like his exact quote. We don't allow pushing in the league.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, they do allow some pushing. Offensive linemen could kind of Sirianni starting to pop off.

[Jason McIntyre]

I. I think I don't. This is going to be a little.

[Colin Cowherd]

Some of it is resentment for Philadelphia.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Because they're a super aggressive team in trades and drafting. And again, if this was the Jaguars, we. This would not be. Some of it is the greatest compliment is imitation.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yes.

[Colin Cowherd]

Or criticism. Both are great compliments. If somebody. If somebody imitates me or criticizes me, you matter. And the Philadelphia Eagles matter a lot in the National Football League.

[Jason McIntyre]

What's the saying the highest form of flattery is imitation or something like that?

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, the Eagles are. People copied it.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So. And unlike the Wildcat, it's got legs. It's just I think we undervalue how much of this is Jalen Hurts, who is historically strong and small. So you can't, you know, Josh Allen does it or Herbert. You can take the top off, you can jump over the pot. You can't do anything with Jalen Hurts.

[Jason McIntyre]

Remember Daniel Jones tried it and, like, his center got dinged up. Yeah. Like, yeah, it is.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right. Good stuff. Kelvin Sampson stopped by today. Matt Hasselbeck stopped by today. And yes, I think the. I think the torpedo bat is here to stay. It was so funny. Like, people were freaking out. You know, everybody was like, yeah, of course the Yankees found it. There is just something about guys in sports. There are certain brands that just are polarizing regardless as the minute they start winning, people get ticked off. The college basketball Crown is next. Utah and Butler on FS1. This is Nikki Glaser from the Nikki Glazer podcast. Have you guys seen this new commercial from Stand up to All Hate? It's basically Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady going back and forth with reasons that they hate each other. But then when you really listen to them, the reasons for the hate are just so stupid. I don't know. This. This commercial really got me. It's a strong reminder that hate in our country continues to be out of control. So join us at iHeart in standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up, Call it out. Your voice is a powerful tool in this fight. You can learn more by following OTs upwithhate. Hey, all you women's hoops fans and.

[Jason McIntyre]

Folks who just don't know yet that they're women's hoops fans, We've got a.

[Colin Cowherd]

Big week over at Good Game with.

[Jason McIntyre]

Sarah Spain as we near the end.

[Colin Cowherd]

Of one of the most exciting women's.

[Jason McIntyre]

College basketball seasons ever. The most parody we've seen in years.

[Colin Cowherd]

With games coming down to the Wire and everyone wondering which team will be.

[Jason McIntyre]

Crowned national champions this weekend in Tampa.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. We live in a divided country, and.

[Jason McIntyre]

Our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses.

[Colin Cowherd]

On just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or.

[Jason McIntyre]

Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Are you hungry?

[Jason McIntyre]

Colleen Witt here and Eating While Broke.

[Kelvin Sampson]

Is back for Season four every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. This season we've got a legendary lineup serving up broke dishes and even better stories. On the menu. We have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London and Carrie Harper Howey turning Big Macs into big moves. Catch Eating While Broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app Apple Podcast. Wherever you get your favorite shows, come.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hungry for Season four.