Hour 1: Justin Williams, The Athletic

Summary

The Paul Finebaum Show (Hour 1): College Football – SEC Media Days Preview & Texas Tech Behind the Scenes

Date: July 17, 2026
Guest Host: Cole Cubelic (for Paul Finebaum)
Featured Guests: Michael Bratton & Cousin Shane (That SEC Podcast), Justin Williams (The Athletic)

Episode Overview

Hour 1 of the Paul Finebaum Show, with Cole Cubelic subbing for Paul, kicks off with a robust preview of SEC Media Days, featuring Michael Bratton and Cousin Shane from That SEC Podcast, and a deep dive into the evolving SEC football landscape. The episode also features a detailed segment with Justin Williams (The Athletic) dissecting the complicated legal controversy at Texas Tech involving player eligibility, booster politics, and state intervention. Thoughtful discussions with callers focus on Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and more, providing fans with plenty of hope, debate, and drama leading into the 2026 season.

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Key Segment Summaries

1. Previewing SEC Media Days with Michael Bratton & Cousin Shane

[02:09–13:01]

Most Anticipated Storyline: New Coaches

• Six new head coaches in the SEC catch the panel's attention.
• Shane (02:23): "I wonder if they're going to be wearing name tags for media day."

SEC Contenders: Will LSU Deliver?

• Michael Bratton and Shane are skeptical about LSU as a playoff team this season given roster turnover, new offensive line, new receivers, and a less-than-established quarterback.
• Bratton (02:57): "I don't think so."
• Shane (03:36): "I wouldn't be stunned if they [LSU] made it... If they do, I think it's because the defense will be really good."
• Bratton (03:43): "Maybe like an 8 and 4 type team."

Playoff Locks: Who’s Really In?

• Bratton has doubts about Texas as a sure playoff bet, citing depth and coaching questions.
• Bratton (04:05): "You assume wrong, Cole, because I'm not necessarily buying the hype with Texas..."

Texas Longhorns Questions

• Discussion around Arch Manning, Cam Coleman, and offensive line depth.
• Bratton (05:04): "At this point, Arch Manning is a little bit more hype than he is production."
• Shane (05:58): "Texas offense has regressed for three years in a row... it's all, it's all going to click? I just don't understand why people assume that it will."

Scheduling Advantage in the New SEC

• Only Tennessee stands out with a perceived schedule advantage due to avoiding Georgia and Oklahoma, while key big games (Texas, LSU, Alabama) are at home.
• Bratton (07:07): "They avoid Oklahoma. The toughest road games at A and M at Carolina. So I think Tennessee has a path to go to the College Football Playoff and I'm taking them to make the playoff."

Most Anticipated Media Days Personality

• Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri) is pegged as the “rock star” of media days for his candidness.
• Bratton (08:03): "Eli Drinkwitz... rock star of media days."

Alabama Split: High Skepticism from Bratton

• Bratton is not optimistic about Bama under DeBoer, dubbing him "4 loss DeBoer."
• Bratton (08:47): "I call him 4 loss Deborah for a reason, Cole I'm not high on Alabama."
• Bratton (09:03): "I don't think Alabama's got a prayer this year of making the playoffs."

Georgia: Overlooked National Title Contender?

• Bratton is bullish on Georgia repeating as national champs, citing Gunner Stockton’s improvement and a dominant defense.
• Bratton (09:57): "I got Georgia winning the national championship... I think Georgia was incredibly young last year."
• Bratton (10:46): "I think it's Georgia and it's everybody else in the Southeastern Conference right now."

Ole Miss: Underrated Despite ESPN’s FPI

• Dismisses ESPN’s FPI projections and gives a glowing review of Ole Miss's potential, especially the defensive front and offensive line.
• Bratton (11:52): "...the feeling in Oxford is that defensive front seven is going to be dominant. That's the word they use, dominant."
• Highlights key players: Trinidad, Kiwan, Deuce Alexander.
• Bratton (12:07): "I think Ole Miss could be just as good as last year."

Memorable Moment: Olive Garden Pasta Pass

• A brief, lighthearted moment as Bratton jokingly discusses buying Cousin Shane the never-ending pasta pass.

---

2. Open Phones: Callers Sound Off (Robert, Odisha, Rod)

[14:49–40:19]

Robert (Alabama fan): Pushback on Alabama Doubts

• Disagrees with Bratton's prediction of Bama missing the playoff; optimistic about new QB situation, strong transfer class, and secondary.
• Predicts Alabama to go 10-2 with only losses to Georgia and LSU.
• Highly critical of Tennessee, predicting only 5 wins and doubts Josh Heupel's trajectory.

Odisha (Alabama fan): The State of Coaching Contracts

• Asks why more college football coaching contracts aren't incentive-based, referencing high buyouts.
• Cole responds: job market competition, drive for stability, and "fear" among ADs leads to high-upfront deals, not strict performance merits.
• Cole (21:32): "Schools are willing to pay it and they're scared. Athletic directors are scared. Presidents are scared... No one wants to really step up and just say cool, walk, go. Not a lot of bluff calling in the world of college coaching movement in college football right now."

Rod (Georgia fan): Line-of-Scrimmage Analysis

• Asks for in-depth thoughts on Georgia's O-line and D-line.
• Cole piles on praise for Georgia's trench units, calls them best O-line in the SEC, and forecasts physical dominance.
• Cole (36:33): "Best offensive line in the SEC... blunt force trauma with this group..."
• Predicts Georgia will make a deep playoff run, says only health issues could derail a national title shot.

---

3. Inside Texas Tech’s Turmoil: Justin Williams (The Athletic)

[24:03–33:50]

AI Company Stadium Naming Rights

• Covers Texas Tech’s 15-year naming rights deal with an AI company, discussing the revenue generation and risks in a volatile AI market.
• Williams (24:08): "...if you want to give us 75 to slap your name on the stadium, that seems like probably good business in today's college football world."

Ken Paxton, Donor Money, and the Sorsby Saga

• Details the timeline: Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell's significant donation (over $274,000) to Texas AG Ken Paxton came one day before Paxton intervened in Brennan Sorsby’s eligibility.
• Outlines legal complexities: Paxton’s letter threatening action against the Big 12, the subsequent lawsuit, and how public perception fueled controversy.
• Williams (24:54): "...the optics are the big booster for Texas Tech gives a bunch of money to the Texas AG the day before he gets involved in this ordeal."

Did Ken Paxton’s Involvement Help or Hurt?

• Ironically, Paxton’s involvement led to the Big 12 filing suit, which scuttled hope of Sorsby playing.
• Williams (27:37): "...the Ken Paxton letter that he put out is actually kind of what, you know, ended Sorsby's chances of playing college football in some regards."

Was the Fight Worth It for Texas Tech?

• Reflects on whether all the controversy and resources spent on Sorsby were justified, especially given backup Will Hammond’s promise.
• Williams (30:01): "There's no way in retrospect to look back and feel like any of this was worth it from the Texas Tech end and honestly, probably from the Brendan Thorsby end, too."

Lingering Effects on the Program

• Williams suggests that if Tech wins, the controversy fades; if not, the shadow of this saga will loom over the season.
• Williams (32:25): "If Texas Tech goes out and they stumble or have quarterback struggles or whatever it is, it's going to be hard for them to kind of shake this narrative in the media."

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Texas:

  • "At this point Arch Manning is a little bit more hype than he is production."—Michael Bratton [05:04]
  • "If you have one huge issue on the offensive line...the whole operation is not going to work."—Shane [05:25]

• On Alabama:

  • "I call him 4 loss DeBoer for a reason, Cole. I'm not high on Alabama."—Bratton [08:47]
  • "I don't think Alabama's got a prayer this year of making the playoffs."—Shane [09:03]
  • "This team is going to get better as the season goes along...I think they'll go 10 and 2."—Caller Robert [16:00]

• On Georgia:

  • "I got Georgia winning the national championship...I think Georgia was incredibly young last year."—Bratton [09:57]

• On Ole Miss:

  • "...the feeling in Oxford is that defensive front seven is going to be dominant. That's the word they use, dominant."—Bratton [11:52]

• On Texas Tech’s legal/booster controversy:

  • "...the optics are the big booster for Texas Tech gives a bunch of money to the Texas AG the day before he gets involved in this ordeal."—Justin Williams [24:54]
  • "No way in retrospect to look back and feel like any of this was worth it from the Texas Tech end..."—Williams [30:01]
  • "If Texas Tech goes out and they win and they take care of business...the narrative's dead there."—Williams [32:25]

• On SEC Media Days:

  • "I think the star of media days now in the Southeastern Conference is Eli Drinkwitz..."—Bratton [08:03]

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Important Timestamps Guide

• [02:09–13:01] - SEC Media Days & SEC season preview with Michael Bratton & Cousin Shane
• [14:49–17:52] - Caller Robert defends Alabama, critiques Tennessee
• [20:03–21:32] - Caller Odisha on coaching contracts, NIL, and buyouts
• [24:03–33:50] - Justin Williams breaks down Texas Tech’s legal and behind-the-scenes saga
• [35:34–40:19] - Caller Rod dissects Georgia’s line play, Cole responds with in-depth analysis

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is energetic, opinionated, and heavily informed by both on-field analytics and the off-field politics shaping the SEC and wider college football. Sharp, often humorous exchanges between Bratton, Shane, and Cubelic set the tone for passionate and sometimes provocative conversations, while the callers add local flavor and strong opinions. The segment with Justin Williams brings investigative depth, offering listeners both drama and context around college football’s increasingly complex business and legal realities.

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This episode gives listeners:

• A clear preview of SEC contenders and key names going into Media Days 2026
• Hot takes, skepticism, and predictions about Alabama, Georgia, Texas, LSU, Tennessee, and Ole Miss
• A lucid, journalistic breakdown of the legal/booster controversy at Texas Tech
• Slices of fan optimism, anxiety, and outright debate—true to the spirit of college football.

Transcript

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[Paul Feinbaum Show Intro/Outro Host]

the pride, passion and pageantry of college football lives here. This is the Paul Feinbaum show our 1 podcast this might be College Football.

[Cole Kubik]

Welcome into the Paul Feinbaum Show. Cole Kubrick sitting in for Paul again today. Glad to be with you. Friday, July 17th got a great show for you. Michael Bratton of that SEC podcast with us here. In just a moment get a preview of SEC media days. He and cousin Shane obviously going to be in Tampa for that and we will discuss it. Justin Williams of the Athletic on some of the behind the scenes around the Texas Tech football program that have taken place over the last few weeks. Michael Castagrande AL.com Coming up at 3 o' clock Central Alabama and how things are going to look this season. He'll give us his thoughts on the roster. Caleb DeBoer, so forth. John Salty has a new book coming out. Lane Kiffin biography deep on football's most polarizing coach. Told you of CBS with us at 3:30 Central today and at 4:00 Clock Central. Zach Barnett a football scoop. Talks a lot of different things. ACC media days, Brian Kelly amongst others. But let's start it off with Michael Braddon of that SEC podcast right here on the show. Mike, it's great to have you. What part of SEC media days you most looking forward to in Tampa next week?

[Michael Bratton]

Aside from seeing you Cole. But no, seriously, what am I looking forward to? Basically just seeing all the new coaches.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

I think that's that's number one for me. I wonder if some of these guys.

[Michael Bratton]

I believe we got six new head

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

coaches in the conference.

[Michael Bratton]

I wonder if they're going to be

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

wearing name tags for media day.

[Cole Kubik]

It is intriguing the new coaches not only new to the league but new in new places. And I just mentioned it. John Salty a book coming out biography on Lane Kiffin. What do you make of LSU heading into this season? There's a lot of hype for good reason. Money spent on the coach, how the coach left, money spent on the roster, traditional power program. But will it be all of that this year that some people are expecting in your mind?

[Michael Bratton]

I don't think so.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

I think it's just going to be

[Michael Bratton]

too hard, Cole, to kind of I realize Lane Kiffin had a ton of success at Ole Miss and he kind

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

of had a similar blueprint right where he kind of raided the portal year in and year out. But I just think that's a lot easier said than done when you don't have the established program. And that's not to say LSU won't get there, but can you turn that over in a single off season with a retooled offensive line, a completely new receiving core, a quarterback that was not a full participant in spring?

[Michael Bratton]

I think these are valid questions, and

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

that's not to say they won't be

[Michael Bratton]

really good, but I don't have LSU

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

as a playoff team. I wouldn't be stunned if they made it. If they do, I think it's because the defense will be really good.

[Michael Bratton]

But I think they're going to. They're going to miss that cut. Maybe like an 8 and 4 type team.

[Cole Kubik]

I'm going to assume you have Georgia and Texas as bona fide playoff teams out of the sec. Michael Bratton of that SEC podcast with us on the phones here on the Paul Vinebaum show, who else would you view right now as a definitive playoff team in the Southeastern Conference?

[Michael Bratton]

Well, you assume wrong, Cole, because I'm

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

not necessarily buying the hype with Texas.

[Michael Bratton]

No, I think they'll be really good

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

and I do have them as a playoff team.

[Michael Bratton]

So I don't want to say you're completely wrong, but I think they might

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

be the last team in the conference to get in.

[Michael Bratton]

And I'm kind of questioning the strategy

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

of I think their frontline talent is probably the best in the conference, you know, the starting 22, so to speak.

[Michael Bratton]

But I don't know if they have the debt. And I seriously question the direction of where we're at with offense. And I don't think just hiring Will

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Muschamp, even though he should have all the tools to work with, I don't know that he's in the elite defensive coordinator.

[Michael Bratton]

I don't know where he quite gets that reputation.

[Cole Kubik]

So what's the holdup on Texas? What else do you sort of pause on when you think about them not only making the playoffs, but maybe making a deep run into the playoffs and possibly competing for a national title?

[Michael Bratton]

Well, I think at this point Arch Manning is a little bit more hype than he is production now.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

He was outstanding the last couple games.

[Michael Bratton]

If he can duplicate that for a full season. I think for sure they may win

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

the national championship, but the offensive line,

[Michael Bratton]

which they've got nice, decent, particularly left tackle, but you know better than anybody.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Cole, if you have one huge issue on the offensive line, and I'm not

[Michael Bratton]

guaranteeing they do, but if they have just one cog or two that is

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

not up to snuff in the sec,

[Michael Bratton]

the whole operation is not going to work. Cam Coleman is a phenom, we know that. But what has that guy ever done? I mean, what big games does he want? Now you could say that's a product

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

of Auburn's offensive system, Auburn's quarterbacks and the coaching, but I think even he's a little overhyped. So can we put all these pieces

[Michael Bratton]

together when Texas offense has regressed for

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

three years in a row that it's all, it's all going to click? I just don't understand why people assume that it will.

[Cole Kubik]

Michael Braddon with us that SEC podcast, you can find him there. You can find him on the phones with us now on the Paul Finebaum Show. A lot of times we would talk about teams in this league of can they make the playoff? Will they make the playoff and immediately go to schedule? Usually it's not the direction that I like to go, but going to a nine team conference schedule, do you see certain teams that will have massive advantage? We've said this about Missouri over the past few years, Ole Miss over the last couple of years, either one or multiple, where they have a big advantage to be able to get and we said the reverse about an Arkansas or a South Carolina. That man, it just feels like it's too much. Even if they were to put some things together to be able to get in. Do you view any teams really as having a schedule advantage when it comes to either making or not making the playoff out of the SEC this year?

[Michael Bratton]

The only one that really comes to

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

mind to say an advantage, and it's

[Michael Bratton]

kind of almost comical to say an

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

advantage with a nine game SEC slate,

[Michael Bratton]

but that team for me would be Tennessee. Again, they avoid Georgia this year. They can't beat Georgia to save their life.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

They avoid Oklahoma.

[Michael Bratton]

I think Oklahoma is the second best team in the conference. They get Texas, which is going to be incredibly difficult. LSU and Alabama, those are all quality teams, but they get all those at home. The toughest road games at A and M at Carolina. So I think Tennessee has a path

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

to go to the College Football Playoff and I'm taking them to make the playoff.

[Cole Kubik]

Michael Braddon with us on the Paul Finebaum show. Player or coach you're most looking forward to hearing from. Let me rephrase that, Mike. That you think we will get the most from next week?

[Michael Bratton]

It depends on what you mean.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Cole if it's the stuff you like,

[Michael Bratton]

where it's like X's and O's and

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

insight, I think these guys are just

[Michael Bratton]

to the point where they're not going

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

to give hardly any of that up anymore.

[Michael Bratton]

But if you're talking about the stuff

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Shane and I does the Shane like

[Michael Bratton]

it's I think the star of media

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

days now in the Southeastern Conference is

[Michael Bratton]

Eli Drinkwitz with he's breaking out Epstein files talk and things of that nature.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

So I think he's the rock star of media days.

[Michael Bratton]

So what we just, I'm just hopeful

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

that Drake comes ready to perform because

[Michael Bratton]

unfortunately I think a lot of these guys, for whatever reason they don't utilize the platform and they just, it's like

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

they're scared to death to say anything interesting.

[Cole Kubik]

Where are you on Alabama this year? It's probably the, the team that we've had the most conversation about this entire week. Even if we've tried to go other places, they keep coming up and it feels like it's as split as I've ever heard the Alabama fan base. What are your thoughts on what Alabama will be this upcoming season? Mike

[Michael Bratton]

well, I call him 4 loss

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Deborah for a reason. Cole I'm not high on Alabama.

[Michael Bratton]

I think they're going to go 8 and 4. I mean that's all the guy does.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

He's, he's boring.

[Michael Bratton]

I call him Caleb the boring too. But I'm switching it to four loss Deborah until otherwise he proves me wrong.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

I don't think Alabama's got a prayer this year of making the playoffs.

[Cole Kubik]

Hold on. Not a prayer.

[Michael Bratton]

I mean unless we did we expand

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

to 24 and I missed it since yesterday or anything.

[Cole Kubik]

I don't know. We'll keep our ears peeled. You never know when this thing's going to expand or what's going to happen or what news is going to break. Michael Braddon of that SEC podcast with us talking SEC football. I feel like people are, I don't want to say sleeping on Georgia, but it just, it doesn't feel like the respect hype, credit whatever you want to call it. It doesn't feel like they're getting what they should be heading into this season right now. Are you in a similar spot with where Georgia is being viewed by the college football masses heading into 2026?

[Michael Bratton]

You're a smart guy, Cole, so I try not to just sit here and agree with you, but I got Georgia

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

winning the national championship, which I've not

[Michael Bratton]

seen hardly anybody do that other than

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

dog fans of course.

[Michael Bratton]

But I think Georgia was incredibly young last year.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Back to back SEC champs. And you know, we were doing the quarterback rankings the other day.

[Michael Bratton]

And I'm not sitting here saying Gunner Stockton is the best quarterback in the Southeastern Conference, but it's kind of wild

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

that when these conversations happen, he doesn't even seem to factor into it for some reason. And I can't comprehend that because he was pretty darn good statistically last year.

[Michael Bratton]

He completely outclassed Arch Manning when they faced off. And I get it, you know, Trinidad

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

beat him in that final game, so he. I would say Trinidad is the best

[Michael Bratton]

quarterback in the conference, but I think

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Gunner is right up there and I think their defense is going to be dominant.

[Michael Bratton]

So no, I think it's Georgia and

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

it's everybody else in the Southeastern Conference right now.

[Cole Kubik]

And Mike, we've kind of referenced the ESPN fpi, which I'll say it right now, it's a great starting point for conversations. I don't view it as an end all be all of what we should think of a team or not think of a team or be upset when it places the team a certain spot. But the, the computers are absolutely down on Ole Miss. There's. It's not an opinion, it's just a fact. I think they're Projected to win 7.3 games this year, which I see as somewhat ridiculous. How should Ole Miss and first time heading into a season as head coach Pete Golding be viewed by fans in the media?

[Michael Bratton]

Well, there's a reason, Cole, that I

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

know you work for the four letter

[Michael Bratton]

company there, but there's a reason I

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

don't really talk much about the fpi,

[Michael Bratton]

so I'll just say that the fact that they're down on Ole Miss, I

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

love it if I'm a Rebel fan

[Michael Bratton]

because I think Ole Miss very well

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

could once again go to the playoffs.

[Michael Bratton]

I spoke with someone pretty close to that program yesterday.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

They told me that the feeling in Oxford is that defensive front seven is going to be dominant.

[Michael Bratton]

That's the word they use, dominant. I know you're pretty high on their defensive line. I think they may have the best

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

interior on the offensive line of the conference.

[Michael Bratton]

And we all know what they have

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

with Trinidad and Kiwan and Deuce Alexander's back.

[Michael Bratton]

So I think Ole Miss could be

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

just as good as last year.

[Michael Bratton]

That's one of the biggest X factors

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

in the conference and going to be fascinating to see what Pete Golding does his first year as the full time head coach.

[Cole Kubik]

Olive Garden is bringing back the never ending pasta pass. 100 bucks for 13 weeks hadn't been around for six years. Is this a good deal and have you considered this as a birthday slash Christmas present for cousin Shane?

[Michael Bratton]

I mean Shane almost didn't log on

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

last night because he found out about this Cole. So yeah, we have considered it.

[Michael Bratton]

We purchased it for him.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

I was funny I was talking to the producer Danny before I hopped on here. I was in a dressing room.

[Michael Bratton]

Nothing humbles a man more than try

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

as a husky fella than trying on clothes.

[Michael Bratton]

So I will not be participating with cousin Shane. But I may get Shane two passes.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

I think he'll make the use of them.

[Cole Kubik]

There you go. My great stuff. Look forward to seeing you guys in Tampa man. I always enjoy hanging out with you and we'll do this again soon.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Absolutely. Thanks Cole.

[Cole Kubik]

Michael Bratton of that SEC podcast kicking off the Paul Finebaum show today. 855-242-7285. It's a free for all Friday. We're going to leave it wide open for you guys. Player, coach, team, schedule, ranking, storyline, whatever it is you want to get in on. As this is the last show before SEC media days, we'll go to it today. 855-242-7285. Anything and everything. College football on the table. 20 minutes from now. Justin Williams from the Athletic. We'll talk Texas Tech, but first we'll go to Robert in Alabama. Welcome into the show, Robert.

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[Caller Robert]

Good afternoon. How you doing?

[Cole Kubik]

I'm great, man. Thanks for being in.

[Caller Robert]

Yeah, listen, first of all, I really, I think the guest y' all have had on the show has been outstanding this week and it's been, what I love about it is it's been focusing strictly on what's happening on the field. No, we got some stuff going on in Washington that we've got to keep an eye on. But I want to respond to what Mr. Bratton said, saying that Alabama didn't have, doesn't have a prayer to make in the College Football Playoff. That is one of the worst things I've heard all year. This team is going to be a College Football Playoff team. They're going to figure out the quarterback situation. Ryan Grubb and Caleb have a handle on whether it's going to be Austin Mack or Keon Russell or. Okay, they've got, the offensive line is going to get better because you got, you went out, got some people in the portal from California, from Michigan, from Mississippi State. You've also went out and got a wide receiver from North Carolina. State is probably going to miss a couple of games cause of injuries suffering the spring game.

[Michael Bratton]

But Alabama's got one of the best

[Caller Robert]

secondaries in the country. They went out and addressed it, got beefed up up front with the, the transfers from Southern Cal and from Oregon. But if you look at the schedule, okay, the first five games, Alabama should be five and oh, when they play Georgia on October 10th. And I just think that this team is going to get better as the season goes along there and they're, I think they'll go 10 and 2. They will lose to Georgia and they will lose at LSU because this is Coach DeBoer's first crack at Lane Kiffin. As far as Tennessee is concerned, I mean, I, I don't see where he's coming from. I mean they didn't go out the portal. They addressed two, they got two young quarterbacks. Their defense is having to learn a brand new system. Okay. Their secondary was awful last year, okay. And they gave continuously giving up big plays and look, it takes a couple years, two or three years to learn Jim Knowles defense. And Tennessee schedule is very tough. I mean, I don't think they're going, I don't think Tennessee is going winning season this year. I think they're probably going to win no more than five games because they got a lot of tough games against teams that are better than they are at the quarterback position. And I just am not a believer in Josh Hyfle. I think that program's gotten stale. I think it has slipped and I could see Josh Hyfle maybe losing his job by the end of the year. Whereas on the other hand, I think Alabama does make College football playoff at 10 and 2.

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[Cole Kubik]

All good points. Some I agree with, some I don't. Robert, thank you so much for the call. Appreciate you being a part of the show today. 8552-427285-85524-27285. Part of Robert's points on Tennessee is part of where things have gotten very difficult across all of college football. And that is, we don't know. We don't have a good enough litmus test on a lot of guys that we need to put stock in to know how a team is going to fare. Let's talk quarterbacks, Tennessee versus their schedule next right here on the Paul Feinbaum Show.

[Paul Feinbaum Show Intro/Outro Host]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Cole Kubik]

Welcome back into the Paul Feinbaum Show. Cole Kubik sitting in for Paul today. 855-242-728-5855, 2427285 gets you on the phones. Friday, July 17th. We'll visit with Justin Williams of the Athletic in about six minutes. Odisha, first in Alabama wants to chime in. Welcome into the show Odisha.

[Caller Odisha]

Cole, as always, thank you for filling in for Paul. Love you at Mac and cube. Shameless plug 94.57 to 10 so I called in a couple of days ago about the NIL being more incentive based. Why is the coaches contracts because that was. That was kind of a hot topic with the buyouts. Like why are the coaches contracts not more incentive based. Because if I perform during like a fiscal year for my company, I get paid based on my merit, my performance, my metrics. Why is colleges paying these just outrageous buyouts just to keep a mediocre coach? And I'm a Bama fan, you know that. And you know I think DeBoer is handling what what he was given. Is he phenomenal? No, because he's replacing the goat. He's always that person that that came in after the best one. But why is people giving like these just absurd contracts to coaches with just the big buyouts?

[Justin Williams]

Love you brother.

[Caller Odisha]

I will talk to you soon.

[Cole Kubik]

A couple of things that come to mind quickly, Odisha in reference to that, one would be stability. Two would be competition. You have more teams that are willing to go out and spend more teams that can find more money to pay coaches with more resources, potentially better resources now more money. It used to be better facilities, better weight room, indoor facility, better stadium, those kind of things. Now it's just going to be more nil spending. And because you have so many coaches, I think that share similar agents, you're not having, you're having more guys that at least have their eyes open to be able to move somewhere. So you have to give them contracts that one are going to want them to stay to make it difficult to leave. But I think coaches would also tell you that there's so much of it that's out of their hands, out of their control. As far as going to winning games would make it difficult to make it more incentive based on an annual basis. As far as how they're going to get paid and what they're going to do, the reality is this. Whether it's some of these ridiculous extensions that guys are getting, the amount of upfront money, guaranteed money, schools are willing to pay it and they're scared. Athletic directors are scared. They're terrified. Presidents are scared, terrified. We don't want our guy to leave. We don't want guy to get a better deal. We don't lose our coach. So they go and they give them these deals and no one wants to really step up and just say cool walk, go. Not a lot of bluff calling in the world of college coaching movement in college football right now. 855-242-7285. Get you on the phones. When we come back. Justin Williams of the Athletic on some of the behind the scenes workings of Texas Tech, Brendan Sbe and everything that was going on a couple weeks ago there for the Red Raiders. We'll discuss that next on the Paul Feinbaum Show.

[Paul Feinbaum Show Intro/Outro Host]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Cole Kubik]

Welcome back into the Paul Feinbaum Show. Cole Kubik sitting in for Paul today. Glad you guys are with us. Going to go right to the phones now. Justin Williams of the athletic with us, 855-242-7285. Gets in after we visit with Justin. Great article. Up now at the Athletic on some of the things taking place behind the scenes at Texas Tech. First, Justin, new naming rights deal at Texas tech from an AI company for 15 years. That feels like an eternity when we're talking about AI first and foremost. That's nice revenue for the athletic department, but feels like a long time for a company based on something that feels like it just changes in a massive way every day.

[Justin Williams]

Yeah, you know, I guess I'd be kind of curious the specifics on that deal, but when it comes to these naming. Right. Deals, it's really the money that you're looking for. Right. So I think it was supposed to be about $75 million. I guess the thinking there is if you want to give us 75 to slap your name on the stadium, that seems like probably good business in today's college football world.

[Cole Kubik]

There you go. Your article up now on what happened with Cody Campbell making a donation to Ken Paxton and his senatorial run there in Texas just after lawsuits were threatened and Ken Paxton decided to insert himself into the Brendan Sorsby situation, offer up some clarity as to just the timeline of what took place and when behind the scenes.

[Justin Williams]

Yeah. So this was, you know, with people that followed the Brennan Thorsby saga might remember, you know, after he got the injunction from the court in Texas that basically was going to make him, you know, be able to play, there's a lot of backlash. And there was talk of the Big 12 sanctioning Sorsby or Tech basically outside, you know, of what the NCAA had tried to do. And so Ken Paxton, who's the attorney general in the state of Texas, put out a letter couple of days after that injunction that essentially like threatened action against the Big 12 if they tried to sanction Sourceby or sanction Texas Tech in some way. Like, you know, hey, you can't play in the Big 12 championship game or whatever it might be. And so that then led to the Big 12 suing Ken Paxton suing Texas Tech. And, you know, from there people probably know, okay, Sorsby decided I'm going to focus on the NFL and, you know, didn't get into the supplemental draft. But now he's he's looking forward to the NFL Draft 2027. But basically this was all part of kind of that power struggle between Texas Tech and the Big 12. Now, what was reported, and I want to give credit to the Texas Tribune because they were the first ones to report on the story Wednesday night, was that Cody Campbell, who's the, you know, mega booster there, he's the board chair for Texas Tech, he had made a donation to Ken Paxton's Senate campaign. So he's the attorney general running for the Senate this fall, a little over $274,000. And that donation hit the day before Ken Paxton put out or his office put out that letter. Now, look, there's a lot of nuance here. Technically, if Texas Tech goes to court, under Texas state law, the Texas attorney general has to represent them. And in terms of, you know, when donations are made and when they hit, there are definitely, you know, nuances and things that are worth getting into. But as you know, like, perception is reality. And so what it looks like, if you're just a casual person or even maybe digging in a little bit more, it just the, the optics are the big boost for Texas Tech gives a bunch of money to the Texas AG the day before he gets involved in this ordeal. And so you can see why a lot of people who maybe, you know, didn't like the Sourcebees situation or have some concerns about Cody Campbell or Texas Tech before, this certainly isn't going to help people, make, help people feel any better about that.

[Cole Kubik]

What was the overall impact of Ken Paxton trying to get involved in this situation? Maybe it was zero Justin Williams, the athletic, joining us on the phones to discuss Texas Tech. Brennan Soares beam. When Ken Paxton did attempt to insert himself, what did that do, in your opinion, to how this thing finally ended?

[Justin Williams]

Yes, that's the other kind of ironic piece of this is for a lot of people, the Ken Paxton letter that he put out is actually kind of what, you know, ended Sorsby's chances of playing college football in some regards. There's obviously a lot of public opinion going against Sourceby and Texas Tech, but the Big 12 lawsuit that came after the letter and really basically used the letter as the grounds for the lawsuit. So the Big 12 lawsuit against Ken Paxton, against Texas Tech argued the Big 12 should have the ability to sanction its members and that Ken Paxton trying to kind of stifle them beforehand actually was against First Amendment rights and allowed them to file in federal court. And so even when Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech made the decision for Brendan to move on, they basically cited there's some core things that are happening. It's not going to have time to unwind before the supplemental draft deadline. So, you know, a lot of legal experts we talked to at the time, this was even before the donation information came out, a lot of legal experts argued that Ken Paxton's letter kind of gave the Big 12 its fuel for its lawsuit and kind of submarines this deal to finally end for Brennan Sorsby. So if you look at it from that lens, too, you might say, like, you know, all right, there's obviously a lot of heat around this, but Ken Paxton getting involved might not have helped Brendan Sorsby or Texas Tech's chances to begin with. And it's always kind of spiral from there.

[Cole Kubik]

It's interesting just to see how many people are trying to get involved in this. And I asked the question early on, Justin, and I'm just interested your opinion of playing, I guess, Monday morning quarterback on this. Now, looking back at it, I think 24 hours in, I asked myself, and it was on my morning radio show, I was like, is, is anyone asking themselves if the juice is worth the squeeze here? I realized that Sourceby's a good player. He was a very good college quarterback. He. He's a guy that could have helped them win games. But I guess I had actually gone back and watched Will Hammond and felt pretty good about he was going to be capable of doing, even though not 100%. What are your thoughts on that part of this now? Just thinking back and looking at it saying, man, is this worth it? The extent that we're going to the video with the administrators that you're putting out, you know, coming out publicly, doing podcasts, saying different things, going on defense Mode @Big 12 Media Days. Has anybody looked back, do you think, and said, wow, I wish somebody would have stepped in and said, we need to take a step backwards?

[Justin Williams]

Yeah, no, I think you're totally right. There's no way in retrospect to look back and feel like any of this was. Was worth it from the Texas Tech end and honestly, probably from the Brendan Thorsby end, too. Right. Like, maybe if he had just tried to move on and apologize to the NFL, maybe he gets into the supplemental draft. I don't know. It certainly feels like it. You know, you mentioned the juice being worth a squeeze. It does not seem like it has been for Texas Tech. I think there's two things there. One, I don't think many people actually believed that Brennan Sorosio is going to get that injunction from A Texas state court. I think, you know, from the Texas Tech side, they felt like they wanted to support their athlete. They wanted to kind of stand behind him, obviously going through, you know, some difficult personal stuff. So then he gets the injunction, right, from. From the court, and then it's like, all right, well, we weren't expecting this, but hey, we paid a lot of money for this guy. He's pretty good. We want to play him. I also don't think they had any expectation of how intense some of that backlash was going to be. Now, I think you'd argue maybe they should have seen that coming, right? Like, people were pretty clear about the integrity of the game. And Brennan Sourceby's gambling clearly kind of giving people some concerns about that. But certainly, I think in retrospect, those two things they were not expecting. And now they kind of sit here, however many months after this with, let's be honest, probably still pretty good chance to win the big 12. You mentioned will Hammond. If he can come back healthy, I think that they have a really good chance to repeat bigfield champs, but certainly a lot of damage done here in terms of public opinion and just kind of a lot of negative attention surrounding

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Texas Tech this offseason.

[Cole Kubik]

Justin Williams of the Athletic with us article up now on Cody Campbell, Ken Paxton, Brendan Sorsby, just things happening behind the scenes and the timing of it. I want to just get your opinion on this, Justin, because none of us know right now, but your thoughts. I don't think anybody is spinning forward into the season what has already taken place, essentially assuming that this is over, therefore it's all behind them. But this was a month of distraction, distortion, confusion, maybe lack of communication. A lot of people probably looking over their shoulders wondering what's going on. Do you see it impacting them during the regular season? Is this going to be difficult for Joey McGuire and company to continue to manage and go capitalize on the talent they do have and put the best season together possible?

[Justin Williams]

I definitely think it's something where if Will Hammond isn't ready to go right away, or maybe if he comes in and struggles, it's going to be a storyline, right? Whether it was just like, oh, this is why they really wanted Brandon Sorsby, or, you know, was this team distracted by all of the negative attention in the off season? If Texas Tech goes out and they win and they take care of business and will Hammond play, you know, well or good enough or whatever? Like, all right, the narrative's dead there, right? They can kind of take care of business and put them in narrative to bed. But you know how this works. If they go out and they stumble or have quarterback struggles or whatever it is, it's going to be hard for them to kind of shake this narrative in the media. And then you start to wonder, all right, they're going to start getting questions about it. Then it just becomes this topic that won't go away. It kind of feels like that right now. It feels like every time we thought we were at the end of the Brendan Sorsby saga, we still get another kind of piece that trickles out. So if this carries into September, October and keeps hanging over this team, you can see where it would be something that it does start to get to them, does start to bother them. But yeah, I think the flip side of that is like in some ways the ball is in Texas Tech's court. If they go out there and they win, then it's going to, you know, I think that storyline goes away pretty quick.

[Cole Kubik]

Absolutely. Justin, great stuff, man. Thanks for hopping on with this. It's a great article. It's great insight, informative. And you do that every time we have you on. Look forward to catching up again soon.

[Justin Williams]

Cole, I always appreciate you having me on.

[Shane (Cousin Shane)]

Thank you.

[Cole Kubik]

Justin Williams of the Athletic joining us on the phones here on the Paul Feinbaum Show. You can find his work at the athletic.com@williamsjustin. Find him on Twitter. Does a great job covering college football. So we'll take a break. We'll come back. I see a couple of you on hold. We'll get to you as soon as we return. 855-242-7285. If you want to get in on the Paul Finebaum Show. 855-242-7285. More of your calls next.

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[Paul Feinbaum Show Intro/Outro Host]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast

[Cole Kubik]

to the Paul Fine Bomb Show. Cole Kubik sitting in for Paul today. It's Friday, July 17th, last show before SEC media days. We will be live in Tampa covering all of it. We'll run through that schedule of coaches, players, who's going to be attending SEC media days in Tampa next week. Will be entertaining, will be fun. Should be on with Paul at some point. So I'm excited about that. 855-242-7285. You want to get in on the Paul Fine bomb show? Big Rod, patient enough to wait the break, wants to talk. Georgia. Welcome in, Rod.

[Caller Rod]

Hey, Cole, can you hear me?

[Cole Kubik]

I got you. Yes, sir.

[Caller Rod]

It's an honor to speak to you. Lifelong dog fan right here. Longtime listener of the show. First time I've ever called in. Thank you for taking my call.

[Cole Kubik]

Thank you for being a part of it.

[Caller Rod]

Yeah.

[Cole Kubik]

So I

[Caller Rod]

loved, I love watching you play ball, although you were over there across state line. But I also really admire your line of scrimmage breakdown. How do you think them dogs look online scrimmage this year?

[Cole Kubik]

I'll tell you this, Rod. I'm a fan and I appreciate the kind words. Although Marcus Stroud, Richard Seymour, Kendrell Bell and company made sure that I never had a very good game against Georgia when I played.

[Caller Rod]

I understand.

[Cole Kubik]

I think that. I think right now going into the season, best offensive line in the sec. Uh, I mentioned blunt force trauma with this group earlier in the week when we were discussing them. I'm anxious most to see if Ernest Green can get back to where he was two years ago. If that happens and if Juan Gasson works on the flexibility, maybe leans up a little bit, works on some of the lateral agility. They can be, they can be a really good group. A really, really good group. Uh, I also like the tight end group. I love the tight end group. Is going to be able to help them and they don't. They're not getting enough run.

[Caller Rod]

That tight end group is crazy.

[Cole Kubik]

I offset the lack of receivers that people get upset about with what they're going to have a tight end and then on defense, I think there are some stars in the making. I think we'll be talking about Elijah Griffin towards the end of the season. Is one of the better interior defensive linemen in the sec. I think Jordan hall is super solid. I think Xavier McLeod has a chance to be a really good interior D lineman in this league. I love freaking Gabe Harris, man. Like I don't know if he's got a real home anywhere on the defense. He's played three technique. He's been a stand up outside linebacker. Like he's kind of done everything and he's been a little beat up over his career. So I don't think his body is at full speed and probably won't ever Be again. But man, the guy just gives you heavy hands, motor plays nasty. Like I know why Kirby gets him out there because he. That's the way you want your guys to play. And then I think you've got Quintavious Johnson, who's going to spend some time rushing the passer along with Chris Cole. I know they're not exactly D linemen, but they're going to add to that ability to get to the quarterback. So I'm. I've said it, Rod. I still don't understand it, why not enough people are talking about Georgia the way I think they should be talking about Georgia. Because I think toughness, physicality, blunt force trauma, brute force, the ability to out physical you. And hell, that starts with quarterback. It's not just O line, D line. You got running backs that can run you over, tight ends that can move you out of the way, quarterback that'll put his face down and try to run through you. I think that team will have more of that than any team in the Southeastern Conference. And I don't see many in college football that should have more of that than they do. That doesn't mean you win every game, but boy, there's a lot of teams that would love to have that as sort of their calling card

[Caller Rod]

this time of the year. It's. It's July 17th. Tennessee fans and Alabama fans, they're national champions this time of the year. And it's a lot of. I think, I think, I think, I think. Where do you see us? Where do you see them dogs at

[Cole Kubik]

the end making a deep playoff run? And the only reason that I don't just put my fist on the podium and say national championship right this second is probably because it's so dependent on health this day and age. You got to stay healthy if you're going to win a national title. Rod, I appreciate the call, man. That was a fun conversation. If you don't have the depth and if you have a couple of guys that go down, it can absolutely cost you a playoff run. And you're also going to be playing more teams that have more talent than ever before because the talent has been dispersed because of the portal. And as it showed up last year in the playoffs, you have an off game, you have a bad game, you make some mistakes, you get got. So I think George is a team that will be talking about winning playoff games. It's just going to be a matter of how many. Michael Casagrande, he referenced Alabama. Where do they end up this season? What's the ceiling for the Crimson Tide. Michael Castagrande of ale.com with us next to discuss.

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[Caller Robert]

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[Justin Williams]

Three from beyond the logo, every.

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