Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: Hour 3 – How NIL Has Changed College Football, the Pressures of Coaching at Texas, Mack Brown
Date: August 20, 2025
Host: Colin Cowherd
Key Guest: Mack Brown (Former Texas and UNC Head Coach)

Overview: Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives deep into the intersection of college football's rapidly changing landscape—particularly Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) regulations—with head coaching challenges, elite quarterback pressure, and legacy programs like Texas. Colin Cowherd hosts Mack Brown for a candid discussion about the realities of major college football today, the impact of NIL, the evolving role of coaches, and the unique pressures at iconic programs. The show also covers insights on elite prospects like Arch Manning and Drake Maye, and parses the future of Bill Belichick at UNC as college athletics continues to professionalize.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Pressure and Complexity of Coaching at Texas

Timestamps: 03:14–05:33

• Job Prestige and Unique Pressure:
  Colin asks Mack if he envies or pities Steve Sarkisian, considering Texas’ combination of resources and drama.

  • Cowherd: “People think it’s the best job, but there’s drama, boosters, the Longhorn Network… It’s not just a football town—it’s a music, food, business town too.” (03:21)

• Mack’s Perspective:

  • “You got people that are passionate and they care… you’ve got to take their passion and it’s really pride, not pressure.” (04:33, Mack Brown)
  • Recalls being told, “Coach, you don’t have a budget. You can do whatever you want.” (05:09, Brown)
  • Explains that winning makes administrative jobs easy, but “when you’re losing, I don’t have a job.” (05:27, Brown)

The Arch Manning Factor: Expectation & Legacy Pressure

Timestamps: 05:33–07:41; 34:49–36:02

• Managing Celebrity and Legacy:
  Cowherd raises concerns about the pressure on Arch Manning as Manning family expectations and Texas’s spotlight converge.

  • Cowherd: “Would you be worried about the burden, the expectation, the celebrity… Manning name, Texas program?” (05:33)

• Mack’s View:

  • “You have less worries because Archie Manning’s the granddad... This family handles it... They got class, they got charisma, they got confidence.” (06:10, Brown)
  • “Arch is really into the guys. He’s into that locker room, and that’s what’s so critical for a quarterback.” (06:53, Brown)
  • “People miss on Arch... Arch can run, and that will give him a chance.” (07:20, Brown)

• On Arch's Personality and Readiness:

  • “He’s smart, he’s self-deprecating, he’ll laugh... He’ll talk about people that have said critical things of him and say, yeah, I understand that. Just, I haven’t played a lot yet.” (35:42, Brown)

NIL’s Impact: College Football Now Mirrors the NFL

Timestamps: 07:41–09:44; 11:11–13:21; 36:02–37:40

• Belichick at UNC: NFL Culture Comes to Campus:

  • Cowherd: “The NIL is almost professional football... It gives him a chance.” (07:52)
  • Brown: “We no longer have amateurism. We have payment scales. We’ve got NIL. Kids are asking for money. They have agents. There’s negotiations.” (08:51)

• Coach’s Adaptability and Challenges:

  • “The fact that we are much more like the NFL than ever before will really help Bill with this transition.” (09:17)
  • 72 new players added—accelerated roster churn possible through NIL/Portal. “You got money, you can evaluate and you can bring in who you want. I think he has a chance to win big and win big fast.” (09:33)

• Chemistry and Program Building:

  • Cowherd worries NIL erodes chemistry: “I like to know what I know about my guys... recruiting since they were high school sophomores. What does NIL do to a locker room?” (11:11)
  • Brown: “The major programs... with the majority of the money, it’s going to ruin the competitive balance. We’re going to have the same 15 playing at the end.” (11:47)
  • “If you’ve got money and you buy a team, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win. Number one, you got to buy the right ones. Number two, they’ve all got to fit well in that locker room… Number three, they’ve got to be unselfish.” (12:30)
  • Reminisces about the lost sense of loyalty in the modern game: “Cedric Benson... cried after his last game because he didn’t want to take his uniform off… I’m not sure we’re going to have that loyalty at schools that are bringing in all the transfers.” (13:11)

Elite Quarterbacks: Evaluation and Development

Timestamps: 09:44–11:11; 17:58–19:31

• Cade Klubnik, Clemson:

  • Cowherd notes Klubnik’s mobility and growth: “He moves like Arch Manning. He can move a little... 4.65, he can run.” (09:59)
  • Brown on Klubnik: “First time he was good, but okay; maybe a little cautious. Last year... he got really confident.” (10:36)

• Drake Maye, North Carolina/Patriots:

  • Cowherd: “One thing I like about Drake Maye—he comes from a family of athletes and older brothers... Did you notice that with Drake?” (17:58)
  • Brown: “He said when he was a kid he had to fight for food. He had all those brothers... He’s so competitive... I just love him. I. I think he’s a quarterback that’s going to win a Super Bowl.” (18:44)

The Personal Side: Coaching Life, Retirement, and Golf

Timestamps: 19:31–21:45

• Transition out of Coaching:

  • Mack shares joy in retired life, especially newfound freedom playing golf.
  • “I’m playing just about every day. I just love it.” (20:14, Brown)
  • Recalls the difference between always playing with boosters and now simply enjoying the game.

• Memorable Golf Anecdote:

  • Brown, humorously quoting a friend: “Golf… costs a lot of money. It takes all day... You hit a lot of bad shots, and it makes you absolutely miserable. And as soon as you get through, you can’t wait to get back on the course.” (21:01)
  • Cowherd (laughing): “It checks every bad box. And when you get home, your wife’s mad. ‘Did you have fun?’ ‘No, it was awful.’” (21:37)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Texas job pressure and resourcefulness:

  • “Coach, you don’t have a budget. You can do whatever you want.” (Mack Brown, 05:09)

• On NIL and the professionalization of college football:

  • “We no longer have amateurism. We have payment scales. We’ve got NIL. Kids are asking for money. They have agents.” (Mack Brown, 08:51)

• On locker room loyalty and culture lost with the transfer portal era:

  • “I saw Cedric Benson in a locker room after we beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl sit there crying because he didn’t want to take his uniform off... I’m not sure we’re going to have that loyalty at schools that are bringing in all the transfers now.” (Mack Brown, 13:11)

• On what golf teaches about life and retirement:

  • “It makes you absolutely miserable. And as soon as you get through, you can’t wait to get back on the course.” (Mack Brown’s friend, 21:01)

Additional Segments of Note

• NFL and College Crossovers:

  • Speculation on Bill Belichick's adaptation to UNC and the NCAA, and how NIL "saves" NFL minds in the college game.
  • Debate about the “right way” to build a roster in the NIL era—buying talent vs. developing high school recruits.

• Quarterback Prospect Deep Dives:

  • Klubnik’s development at Clemson, Arch Manning’s readiness at Texas, and the NFL potential of Drake Maye.

• Chemistry vs. Talent in the Modern Era:

  • Cowherd and Brown agree building a culture matters, and NIL inevitably challenges that in ways unique to this era.

Conclusion

This episode presents a rich, candid dialogue about the new era of college football, where NIL, deep-pocketed boosters, and professional-level transactions have fundamentally changed the sport's landscape. Mack Brown provides wisdom on managing elite expectations, building culture amid chaos, and the softer landing after a life in coaching—peppered with humor and honest assessments of where the college game is headed.

For listeners interested in the intersection of tradition and disruption, the future of iconic programs, and the real stories behind the headlines, this is an essential listen.

Quick Reference Timestamps

• Texas job, Sark pressure: 03:14–05:33
• Arch Manning, legacy QBs: 05:33–07:41; 34:49–36:02
• Belichick & NIL at UNC: 07:41–09:44; 36:02–37:40
• NIL & Chemistry: 11:11–13:21
• Klubnik/Drake Maye: 09:44–11:11; 17:58–19:31
• Retirement/Golf wisdom: 19:31–21:45