Hour 3: Gene Chizik, SEC Network

Summary

The Paul Finebaum Show - Hour 3: Gene Chizik, SEC Network

Date: August 3, 2026
Host: Paul Finebaum (ESPN, College Football)
Featured Guest: Gene Chizik (SEC Network Analyst, Former Auburn Head Coach)

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Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Paul Finebaum’s signature blend of SEC analysis, spirited caller interaction, and insider football discussion, capped by an in-depth interview with former Auburn head coach and current SEC Network analyst Gene Chizik. Topics include the impact of coaching changes across college football, quarterback battles in the SEC (especially at Alabama), shifts in the college athletics landscape, and the ever-evolving culture of college campuses.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Community and Cultural Impact of the Show ([01:24]–[04:38])

• Don (Caller): Expresses appreciation for Paul’s role among diverse listeners—truck drivers, senior citizens, hospital patients, and prisoners.
  • Highlights the importance of updated coaching information across major conferences.
  • Offers this memorable line:
    "Paul, we love you out here. You keep your heart up and tell your wife to let you talk at home." ([04:19])
• Paul Finebaum: Recalls the show’s evolution since moving to satellite radio, emphasizing the special connection with truckers and listeners on the road.

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2. SEC Coaching and Team Analysis

Ole Miss & Defensive Adjustments ([07:20]–[08:34])

• Jimbo (Caller): Praises Pete Golding’s defensive prowess at Ole Miss:
  • "I just think Pete Golding... his halftime adjustments are going [to] come through, and Ole Miss is going to do pretty damn good. Darn good." ([07:20])
• Paul: Notes that if Ole Miss outpaces last season, it will be notable.

Caller Banter and Show Personalities ([08:46]–[09:37])

• Trey (Caller): Jokes about another regular, "Chris," calling him the angriest on the show and wishing he’d follow his own advice and take a break.

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3. NCAA & Collegiate Athletics Governance

The NCAA’s Shrinking Influence ([11:52]–[13:10])

• Jeff (Caller): Asks why the NCAA can’t enforce its rules and why its actions often end up in court.
• Paul Finebaum: Blunt critique of NCAA leadership:
  • "The people that make decisions like this are bureaucrats... They have a terrible leader in Charlie Baker. He’s an empty suit, a politician whose job was to do one thing... get Congress to bail out college athletics." ([12:10])
  • Predicts the NCAA will become even more of a "paper tiger" after further Congressional action and re-imagining of college sports governance.

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4. The Campus Environment Beyond Sports

Culture Wars and Changing Campuses ([14:10]–[18:31])

• Reed (Caller): Asks Paul what he observes about the academic environment and culture on college campuses.
• Paul Finebaum: Details dramatic changes, especially in the Southern states:
  • "What we used to think of as an environment on college campuses is really under assault... there’s a lot of things... some of it is political, some of it is just common sense." ([15:01])
  • Notes ongoing tug-of-war between tenured faculty and administration, with administrative culture growing more conservative in certain states.
  • Acknowledges teaching has become more challenging amid a politically charged atmosphere.

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5. SEC Personalities: Rowdy Green’s Story ([19:28]–[21:07])

• Mike (Caller): Reminds listeners that country star Riley Green started as a Jacksonville State University quarterback.
• Paul: Affirms the program’s tradition of producing notable country musicians (including Randy Owen), praises Riley Green as one of his favorite guests, and highlights JSU's athletic and musical legacy.

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Feature Interview: Gene Chizik (SEC Network) ([23:29]–[34:53])

The Importance of Fall Camp & Modern Coaching Challenges

• Chizik: Discusses how fall camp has never been more important due to annual roster turnover.
  • "Fall camp is... the beginning of making your team and fall camp, really, Paul, has never been more important than it is now because... there’s so much change over." ([23:48])
  • Major balancing act: enough reps for new players vs. keeping everyone healthy.

Opening Games & Player Motivation

• Chizik:
  • Playing a marquee opponent (like Clemson at LSU) changes energy and preparation for opening week.
  • "It’s a different energy... when you’re preparing for that type of game." ([25:25])

Quarterback Competitions: The Logic and the Human Side

• Chizik:
  • Coaches want to pick a QB as soon as possible; it affects team chemistry and preparation.
  • Leadership and team support can tip close competitions.
  • "Who do these guys believe in? Who does the team want to be the guy? If it is that close, all of those things matter." ([28:35])
  • When choosing between an experienced, less talented player and an elite athlete, coaches may start with the “safe” choice but try to get the younger talent ready.
  • "If we want to be able to take this team to the next level, the other guy... needs to have a chance to overtake him, once he has a little more experience..." ([29:53])

The Alabama Situation & ‘Coach Speak’

• Chizik:
  • Outlines that protecting the football and decision-making are paramount for any QB.
  • "Quarterback play is very simple... it’s about having a guy that can make quick decisions and be accurate. And... they better be so mentally tough." ([32:24])
  • Highlights the importance of escapability in modern offenses due to frequent O-line turnover.

Paul’s Summary:

- Praises Chizik’s insights: "Incredible stuff. Coach Gene Chizik joining us. Thank you very much, coach." ([34:53])

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6. Auburn Coaching Legacy & “What Ifs” ([36:48]–[42:34])

Bash (Caller) asks if Gene Chizik feels validated by successors’ struggles; Paul clarifies that Chizik doesn’t dwell on that. Bash and Paul also speculate on the Auburn coaching timeline, Clemson’s national championship, and how close Gus Malzahn came to eclipsing Chizik’s legacy if just one play (the 2013 title game) had turned out differently.

• Memorable quote:
  • Bash: "National championship head coach Gene Chizik, who is solely responsible for Alabama not winning four national championships in a row." ([36:51])
  • Paul: "His [Chizik’s] end is still somewhat inexplicable... Mao Zahn nearly pulled it off." ([37:35])

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7. Legacy, Analyst Roles, and Auburn’s Future ([39:55]–[42:34])

• Chris (Caller): Asks if Chizik would coach again; Paul says he doubts it, and praises Chizik’s fit as an analyst.
• Discussion turns to the unpredictability of preseason impressions vs. actual season outcomes, with Chris previewing the donor weekend at Auburn and his curiosity about the future under new staff.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The people that make decisions like this [NCAA] are bureaucrats... they have a terrible leader in Charlie Baker. He’s an empty suit.”
  — Paul Finebaum ([12:10])

• “What we used to think of as an environment on college campuses is really under assault. There’s a lot of things... political, some... just common sense.”
  — Paul Finebaum ([15:01])

• “Quarterback play is very simple... it’s about having a guy that can make quick decisions and be accurate.”
  — Gene Chizik ([32:24])

• "Paul, we love you out here... it gives us and there’s people shut-ins in the hospital. I can remember when I was getting operated on... I was happy. I didn’t care. I got Paul."
  — Don (Caller) ([04:19])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:24]–[04:38] — Don (Caller) on show’s meaning, community, coach updates
• [07:20]–[08:34] — Jimbo (Caller) on Pete Golding/Ole Miss and defensive trends
• [11:52]–[13:10] — Jeff (Caller) and Paul’s critique: NCAA’s future
• [14:10]–[19:09] — Reed (Caller): College campus culture wars, teaching, regional differences
• [19:28]–[21:07] — Mike (Caller): Riley Green, JSU football, and country music legacy
• [23:29]–[34:53] — Gene Chizik Interview: Fall camp, quarterback battles, roster turnover, managing expectations
• [36:48]–[42:34] — Bash & Chris (Callers): Chizik's Auburn legacy, "what ifs," coaching careers, Auburn donor preview

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Tone and Language

The tone is casual, accessible, and conversational, with Paul’s direct and sometimes blunt analysis, matched by callers’ candor and humor. The football discussion is detailed, but punctuated by the warmth and nostalgia of longtime fans.

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Summary

Hour 3 of the August 3, 2026 episode of "The Paul Finebaum Show" showcased the heart of SEC fandom and college football debate, anchored by an informative interview with Gene Chizik. Together with passionate callers, Paul tackled the shifting sands of coaching, the evolution of college football governance, quarterback controversies, and the changing face of campus life, all while celebrating the community that the show has built over decades on Southern airwaves.

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Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Show Producer/Promoter]

The pride, passion and pageantry of college football lives here. This is the Paul Feinbaum Show. Our three podcasts

[Paul Feinbaum]

and two more hours to go. We'll talk to Coach Chiz in 30 minutes.

[Caller/Guest]

We've had a very busy show.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Fantastic start to not only the week, but to the month of August. And Don is up next. Good afternoon.

[Caller/Guest]

I apologize. I want to. I want to say I want to teach a horror. Okay? I've been retarded for about 10 years, retired at 77. I started listening to you and call me and I started thinking today of all the people, the truck drivers, the senior citizens, people in the hospital, people in the prisons, all over the place that listen to you. I've been fortunate because I went and got the sec, the acc, the Big ten and all of them. And they've been on TV lately. I listened to you last week where you were interviewing everybody, all the coaches, and they had that on all three channels, by the way. And one of the things that I would love to see because I sit here and watch it just about every day. I don't call him all the time. I think you're wonderful. I think you're good for a lot of people. Truck drivers, they're on the road, listen to you, you make their day shorter. And I don't care what you say, I would Tell Chris to slow down. Chris, us old people can't understand what you're saying. The other thing, Paul, is that I would love to see and probably some other people out there is that like for instance, I was watching Soultails. I happen to flip to the Big Ten, General and Northwestern as a new coach and they got Skip Kelly as their offensive coach. So I would love to know in all the, you know, like acc, SEC and Big Ten, the new coaches that are going into the team, like Tennessee has a new defensive coach that was with Ohio State when they won the national championship. If Tennessee has a good defense, they might surprise a lot of people. So I sitting there thinking what would be interesting. And one of the things is that I would love to see all the new coaches in all three leagues, what teams have them and what your opinion is of them, because I respect your opinion. I don't think there's anybody that maybe a couple people that know any more about football when you do. Anyway, I enjoy you. I've been called in for 10 years. We all love you out here as senior citizens because it gives us and there's people shut ins in the hospital. I can remember when I was getting operated on years ago, I turned on the palm, Paul, fine. I laid there and I was happy. I didn't care. I got Paul. So whatever that guy was tooting before, I don't like him because he was like trying to bad mouth in a sneaky way. Paul, we love you out here. You keep your heart up and tell your wife to let you talk at home and just want to say, oh, yeah, I wanted to ask you what happened to Randy?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Okay, well done for as far as Randy. Before I forget, Randy retired a couple of months ago.

[Caller/Guest]

So that's why you got now the

[Paul Feinbaum]

guy you got now.

[Caller/Guest]

I love him. Okay, nice.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, thank you. Thank you very much, Don. You be well. You take care of yourself. And I want to say one thing about. You said a lot of things, but the thing that really grabbed me and you mentioned the truckers and I realized truckers are listening to the radio. I hope they're not watching tv. Maybe they are when they're at the truck stop or resting. But when this show went to satellite radio in 2010, it was one of those moments in time where things really changed for us. We heard from truckers first. They were an incredibly important part of what we did. And I will never forget it. And I know you guys, men and women, are still out there and it means a lot to hear from you because when you're out there. Yeah. On an 18 rig or whatever you're driving, there aren't that many choices to keep you, to keep you company. And we're thrilled that we remain one of those. Thank you very much for the call. Let me run to Sparks, who is up next. Hey, Sparks.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, Paul. Andrew Zhao. Boy, I ain't heard that name in a long time. Bob says he took his last snap. Oh, Paul. I thought some of the Yankees might have a little feedback on what I was telling the other day about the Indiana coach. I didn't get nothing out of him. I said he was the Lenny Lovelace of college football. As I should have said, he's a John Holmes of cottage football. Maybe I can get a rise up out of him from that. And football, man, I watched the end of that damn Oklahoma Alabama game and the playoff last 10 minutes. I mean, Alabama played sacks when he had to stop the one he went through and drove right down the field and run his third year. Need to be consistent, which I think they will. I think they will. Like, they really fire a lot of people at Scott Mobile Bama, you know, blowing Stitch, standing over with my boot. I won't win them all. No, I ain't gonna ask about legendary. I don't know what I'm talking about. But I say roll tide, Paul. Thank you.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you, Sparks. Wow, what a call. Let me check in with Jimbo in Dauphin Island. Hey, Jimbo, Good afternoon.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, Paul, how you doing?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Great, thank you.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, I just beat Golding. I think him and Kirby Smart, you know, under Saban, defensive coordinators and Kirby Smart is probably one of the best in the country of making halftime adjustments. And I just think Pete golden, he's, he's, he's got the hit and I think he's, you know, I know he got pushed out of Alabama a little bit, you know, several years ago, but I just think his halftime adjustments are going come through and, and Ole Miss is going to do pretty damn good. Darn good.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I'm sorry, I think, I think your first description was more accurate,

[Caller/Guest]

but just does the halftime adjustments that Kirby Smart makes, I think Pete golden is going kind of following, you know, kind of be the same way because he's so defensive minded and he, you know, he was a coordinator for Saban and I just, I got a feeling Ole Miss is going to have a breakout season.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, Jimbo, thanks for the call. Appreciate it. If they can top last season, it would be pretty amazing to watch. Trey's up next. Hey, Trey, go right ahead.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, Paul, is Chris the angriest caller on the show.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, there are angrier callers, but there. But Chris is just angry over something that's so sad.

[Caller/Guest]

I mean, he's, he is. And you know what he does? He never gives you a chance to respond. He always says, have a good day and hang up. But let me. I want to make sure he says something. Did he say if someone asks you to quit doing something, don't have an ego, just step out of the way, step back, make your psychic sacrifice and quit doing it? Something like that. Did he say something like that?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Something like that, yeah.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, Chris, I'd like you to step back, take it on the twin chin, quit calling the show for a little while and see if you can follow your own advice. Have a good day. Paul, great talking to you.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you. Trey. Why don't we take a break? Still plenty of time for you to get in. Guests remain. We've already had a number of them and we are coming right back.

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[Show Producer/Promoter]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum Show Podcast.

[Paul Feinbaum]

We are back, and we are, of course, taking your phone calls. If you'd like to give us a ring, Jeff is up next. Jeff, good afternoon.

[Caller/Guest]

Hello, Paul. Thank you for taking my call.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you.

[Caller/Guest]

My question is, why does the NCAA can't enforce their own rules, and when they do, they take them to court to change the. Change the outcome of what they say?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Jeff, it's hard to. It's hard to really think like they do. But, I mean, the people that make decisions like this are bureaucrats. They're small people. They have a shrinking influence. In fact, they virtually have no influence. So I think it starts at the top. They have a terrible leader in Charlie Baker. He's an empty suit. He's a politician whose job was to do one thing, and I'm not even sure he had a single thing to do with what his main job was, and that's to get Congress to bail out college athletics.

[Caller/Guest]

Okay, let me ask you the one, one other question. If they decide to do away with the ncaa, is each conference gonna have to do their own ruling, and are these gonna be unilateral throughout the whole country for all the conferences to be on the same level?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, for all the conversation about doing away with. I mean, right now the NCAA serves a small purpose and they're in charge of a very small amount of the rules. They still have some jurisdiction, as we are finding out, but I don't think anyone really is ready to make that move yet because of the uncertainty currently going on. I think once the congressional piece of the puzzle is solved, which could be soon, we'll have a reading on that tonight, then I think other things will start to come together. There's going to be a re imagining of the entire collegiate sports landscape here in a couple of years. And I think at that point, then I think the self governance issue becomes on the table, and then the NCAA becomes even more of a paper tiger than it currently is. Thank you very much for the phone call. Great to hear from you. And let me run and talk to Reed up next in Virginia. Hey, Reed.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, Paul. Good afternoon. I got a question. I meant to ask this question last year when you were on the road, and you're getting ready to get on the road now, and it's not about athletics, about the academic side of our universities. I hear a lot of nut jobs out there talking. Some of these professors and whatnot. Students are out there in left field. What do you see on campuses when you talk to department heads and students in general? I was just curious.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Now, Reed, before I go into a long answer, are you speaking about just the current environment on college campuses or how it directly relates to sports?

[Caller/Guest]

Well, no, just the academic side.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Okay. Okay. Yeah.

[Caller/Guest]

No, I'm just curious about what.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah, well, okay. I can't answer that. I mean, there is a. Now, some of this depends. I don't. It doesn't really depend on where you are. There is a complete overhaul going on right now in terms of college campuses. Some of it is created really by the administration. Some of it is just state actors taking it into their hands. But what we used to think of as an environment on college campuses is really under assault. And there's a lot of things that were in place which have come out, and some of it is political, some of it is just common sense. But the college campus today, and this goes for really a lot of places in the country, but in particular, maybe the southern half of the country, look and feel completely different than they did four or five years ago.

[Caller/Guest]

Is that to the good or to the bad?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, I think it's. It's a matter of interpretation. I mean, the problem. There's always been a tug of war between those who are on campuses with tenure, who teach. There's always been that tug of war between that group of people and the administration. The administration on college campuses has become, I would say, far more conservative than perhaps it was because you really. I mean, we saw this a couple. We saw this in Florida. They hired a new president who couldn't pass, even though one of the groups making the hire was overruled by another. And it had to do with his certain beliefs. And they ended up bringing another guy in who had just retired at the University of Alabama. And he struggled to get. He is in there now, but there was some pushback and it involved dei. That has been probably the biggest. That has been probably the biggest issue on college campuses. Now, the Trump administration, as you probably know, declared war against a number of schools, including the Ivy League, but it's trickled down across college athletics. So I don't want to give an opinion here because I'm not on these campuses to the point where I understand what's going on academically. But I hear from a lot of people who say that it's probably never been a more challenging time to teach on these campuses.

[Caller/Guest]

Imagine. Paul. I appreciate that, Young.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you. Yeah. And I appreciate the call. I mean, no matter where you go in that answer, you're going to go down perhaps the wrong hole. I'm not. I'm not. I do. But I know I've always been interested in that part of academia, but it seems a lot less inviting than it used to.

[Caller/Guest]

Okay, keep your ear to the ground this fall, Young, and report back to us.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Where should I keep my. Where should I be watching the closest? Just.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, I live in Virginia, so Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Okay. Well, I.

[Caller/Guest]

My grand youngest, too.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Reed. I can tell you a little bit more about Auburn because they have been in the news lately, as I'm sure you know. So I think you're going to feel a little more comfortable at Auburn. Virginia, I am not an expert on, although I know there's a tug of war going on up there with the new governor.

[Caller/Guest]

Northern Virginia, they're a bunch of idiots up there.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Tennessee, I do know the. I do know the economic structure there quite well and I think you're going to be in good shape in Knoxville. Hey, thanks for the call. Really do appreciate it. We are going to head to the break. Oh, okay. One more and then we'll talk to Mike in Jacksonville, Alabama next. Hi, Mike.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey, Paul.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Hey there, Mike.

[Caller/Guest]

Hello, Paul.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Good afternoon.

[Caller/Guest]

Good afternoon. I just wanted to let the listeners know that country music superstar Rowdy Green started out as a JSU quarterback.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, Mike, you have come to the right place because I consider Riley a good friend and we've talked to him a number of times on this program. And Jacksonville State has produced some of the greatest entertainers in modern country history, starting with Randy Owen. And I think even. I think even Jamie Johnson told me I saw him a couple of months ago. I think he went there, too. But Riley Green right now has just been such an amazing success story. And he was there under. I believe he played there under Jack Crow initially.

[Caller/Guest]

He did. I've known Riley a long time. He's a. He's a good guy. Well, we announcer at the high school

[Paul Feinbaum]

really now, he's always. The times I've been around Riley, he always tries to play down his athletic ability, but just being around him, I mean, this guy looks like he can play. He played baseball, too, didn't he?

[Caller/Guest]

Yes, he did. We used to use him a lot as a pitch runner.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Wow. Well, I. You're talking about one of my favorite people right now, Raleigh Green.

[Caller/Guest]

Yeah, he's a good guy. We love him here in Jacksonville.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, you ought to. And I had the opportunity a couple of about two months ago to be with Randy, and I know that there's no bigger ambassador for Jacksonville State than Randy Owen. I know my good friend Randy Jones, who is the head of the Jacksonville State Board of Trustees, is always in my ear on Jack State. Thank you very much for the call. We could do a lot of conversations about the athletic accomplishments of that university. We'll take a short break. We'll talk to Gene Shizik.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Show Producer/Promoter]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum Show

[Paul Feinbaum]

Podcast Coach Speak, and let's be honest, we get plenty of it this week. What what is a head coach and especially with your staff? What are you watching for as these players trek back after it hasn't been that long since you've seen them, but you're still looking for different things, aren't you?

[Show Producer/Promoter]

Yeah, Paul, Fall camp is is really kind of the, the beginning of, you know, making your team and fall camp, really, Paul, has never been more important than it is now because obviously, you know, rosters, there's so much change over. There's so much change in the rosters every year that, you know, fall camp's always been important. But, you know, back in the day, fall camp was like, you know what? The tougher we are in fall camp, the tougher our football team's going to be. Well, that's true to a degree, because you're trying to balance getting enough reps because you got new guys all over your roster and keeping these guys healthy. How much do we have contact? How much do we hit? How much do we go live? How many times do we scrimmage? There's a lot of ingredients in this cake that you got to figure out as the head coach. They've been working out all summer. They've been doing, you know, all kinds of player led practices. They're in great shape now. Really, Paul, the idea is, what do we do in the 30 days or so that we have before we play to make sure that we're, you know, maximizing improvement and minimizing attrition in terms of injuries? Because if you don't go into those opening games with your full team, they're missing reps, your team isn't at full speed. So there's a lot of different ingredients in this.

[Paul Feinbaum]

We have what I would have to be charitable saying is a pretty weak opening slate in the sec. The second week gets a lot better. But I'm curious, does that first game or the second game affect attitude or. At this point in time, you better be ready to play when you show up on day one?

[Show Producer/Promoter]

I think it does, Paul. I think it's human nature, right? If you're training all summer right now and you're at LSU and you know, you're opening with Clemson, I feel like the feeling from the players, everybody's going to be excited on opening game day, but it's a little different when you're playing Clemson and it's the marquee game of the weekend versus playing, you know, Arkansas Pine Bluff. And not, not to take anything away from any school, it's just a different feeling, right? And there's a different energy that goes into fall camp. There's a different energy that happens all summer when you know you're training and preparing for that type of game. So everybody's going to be excited on opening game week. But the ones that are playing kind of those upper echelon games where there's going to be a lot of focus and attention on those games. That's a big deal to the players.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Coach, I want to get to the quarterback battles because I mentioned the coach speak, and nobody wants to name a starter on day one. But I'm curious, in spite of what we'll start hearing all week from some of your friends up and down the dial here from SEC schools, how soon do you really know and what are you looking for in trying to determine between this one or that one?

[Show Producer/Promoter]

Yeah, that. That's a great question, Paul. And the bottom line is you want to do it as soon as you can. It's better for everybody in the building. It's better for the amount of reps. You know, there's means to the madness on everything you do, every practice you take, every walkthrough you take, every meeting that you have. There's means to the madness on who are we giving the lion's share of the reps to to better prepare this guy, because we know he's going to be the guy. Well, when you don't really have that answer, then your reps are divided in half. There's all kinds of question marks on your team, you know, with the other players, like the wide receivers need to have. Need to be in sync with the quarterback. Well, which one's the starting quarterback? I don't. I don't know. So I think there's a lot of reasons for you to want to be able to make that declaration on who the starter is as early as you can, and whether that's in fall camp or whether that's in spring. The advantage of doing it in the spring, and we had to do this several different times, is that you have the whole entire summer for everybody to get used to the idea that, you know, Freddy is our starting quarterback, right? So it matters to everybody. It matters on how you prepare for practice. It matters how the reps are divided up in practice. So, yes, there will be a lot of coach speak, and then some guys, truly Paul, do not know who gives them the best chance to win as far as a week out from kickoff. It's a real thing. And at that point, you're thinking, okay, let me start this guy, and if it doesn't work out, I'll go to this guy or we'll split and we'll share reps. But I think as soon as most coaches that I know, including myself when I was a head coach, when I knew who the guy was, and that was beyond the shadow of a doubt, it was clear in my mind, I was going to try to do it right then because it mattered on all of the fronts that I just mentioned.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Coach Isek, if it's a close call, how closely are you watching how the team reacts to this one versus that one?

[Show Producer/Promoter]

It's huge, Paul. It's huge. You can literally go out to practice and you can get a true feel. If the team is literally kind of pushing towards one candidate versus the other. You can tell by how they practice with them, you can tell by how they respond to them. You can tell by just their demeanor in meetings with them, walkthroughs with them. It's very apparent. And you have. That is part of the equation sometimes in those close battles, it isn't always just we look at hard, fast stat numbers and, and we say he threw X amount of completions in practice and X amount of picks in practice. It's what does his leadership look like? Who do these guys believe in? Who does the team want to be the guy? And if it is that close, all of those things matter in terms of trying to figure out, hey, who are we going to go with? You're going to go with the one that the team believes in the most. And that is a huge part of the equation.

[Paul Feinbaum]

We've talked about what coaches tell us, but. But deep down, at what point, it could be sooner than the first day of camp. But when do you know as a head coach what you have and really what it's looking like or trending like the rest of the season?

[Show Producer/Promoter]

Well, I think it varies. You know, sometimes, you know, early and then sometimes literally, you. You just don't know. And you know, a lot of times when you've got an experienced quarterback and you've got a young quarterback, so that's happening in the league right now. You've got a couple of quarterback battles where you got a really talented, elite, skilled young guy, and then you have an older guy who's not as elite in terms of skill set, but he's got more knowledge and more experience, you know, then you might edge towards that guy a little bit. And your gut feeling at that moment in time is that he's probably the one that needs to start this out. But in reality, if we want to be able to take this team to the next level, the other guy at some point needs to have a chance to overtake him once he has a little more experience and a little bit more knowledge of the offense. I think that's happening right now in our league. Alabama would be a good example of that. So but that's not the only one. So I think that, you know, when you're looking at who gives you the best chance to win, it's not always real clear up front. But you're also projecting the future as well. This might be the case right now, but in three weeks, I don't think that's going to be the case. Or at least as coaches, we need to give this young man every opportunity so that in three weeks, he is allowing, and we are allowing his athletic ability and elite skills to surpass the one that we think is. Might be a little more prepared in this very moment.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So the Alabama situation is interesting and unique, as you well know, because you have one quarterback who's been part of that system for a long time. And then I don't want to call Keon Russell, the new guy. He's been there. So just for those of us who are fans watching this unfold, should there be. Is there a primer to what to keep our eyes on or maybe our ears on in terms of what the coaches say?

[Show Producer/Promoter]

Well, to your point, Paul, I think everybody are professionals in coach speak, right? So they're going to. They're going to all their words and all of their actions, and, you know, everything's going to be very measured. But to your point, this is a great example of what I was just illustrating, right? You have a guy that's been in this system for essentially four years, and then you have a guy who's just a young, talented, incredibly blessed football player that really has an elite skill level. And, you know, everything's going to be. You know, you can let all the smoke clear, and here's the reality of this is one guy protecting the football better than the other and putting us in harm's way with how he throws the football, how he runs the football. Because everything is going to be about protecting the football. First and foremost. That's the first thing that you have to look at. If there's one that's not protecting the ball he's throwing, he's making bad decisions. Because, Paul, quarterback play is very simple, right? It's about having a guy that can make quick decisions and be accurate. And, oh, by the way, they better be so mentally tough, particularly in this league and physically tough, that they can overcome all the outside distractions that go with it, right? But number one, if you're not protecting the football as a quarterback in this league, you're not going to be playing or in any league for that matter. So the bottom line is they've got to know who is going to be protecting the football first and then after that. And that goes with decision making, right? Because when you don't make quick decisions, it's hard to be accurate because you're a little bit late and you're a little bit late here with a throw. And the windows in this league close really fast because you got a lot of space speed back there and those turn into interceptions. So you got to have guys that make quick decisions and they, and they're accurate with the football. And if they're not, they're not protecting the football. It's going to turn into turnovers, which we know is the number one stat that's going to determine whether you win or lose. So that's going to be the number one thing that not only Alabama, Tennessee, I can go down the list of all the guys, they're going to say who protects the football, but then after that, who has the elite abilities who can make, who can get out of trouble with offensive lines these days? Paul, you can look in our own league right now and it is literally a revolving door. Every single year, just about with more than half the league, they're replacing four to five offensive linemen every year. What does that mean? You'd prefer to have a quarterback that has escape ability. Why? Because it takes a while for those guys to come together and be able to protect and do all those things, no matter where they come from and no matter how highly they're recruited. So you always want that guy that's not a statue back there and just sits back there. And yes, he's got a great arm, but he can't escape trouble. So a lot of variables in there, a lot of factors in there and really people need to look for that. And a lot of these quarterback decisions and quarterback battles going on because athletic ability, escapability, all of those things come into play as well as decision making and accuracy.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Incredible stuff. Coach Gene Cizzek joining us. Thank you very much, coach. We look forward to talking again very soon. We head to the break right now. More of your phone calls right after this.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Show Producer/Promoter]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum Show Podcast.

[Paul Feinbaum]

We're back and Bash is in Boulder.

[Caller/Guest]

Hey Bash Bass brother, I am glad to be on the show. I'm sorry I'm not on the Zoom, but I got a special one scheduled for tomorrow. But before we get to that, Paul, it's an honor to follow the national championship head coach Gene Chisik, who is solely responsible for Alabama not winning four national championships in a row. Paul but let me ask you a question about Gene. Do you think, since he is the only national championship coach for the Auburn Tigers, that the coaches have followed after him? Gus Malzahn, Brian Harson, Hugh Freese do you think there's a little part of him, Paul, that's happy that these coaches that followed him did not reach the same level of success that he did?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, first of all, I believe Suge Jordan won a national championship at Auburn, but I don't think Gene really gets hung up on that. Having had many conversations with him privately, his end is still somewhat inexplicable. What happened and the fact that Mao Zahn nearly pulled it off. I think if that had happened, there would be a completely different conversation. But we all know that Auburn did not pull that 2013 championship off. They did cost Alabama the championship though.

[Caller/Guest]

Thank you for reminding me that, Bash brother. But since you opened that door. Let's. Let's blast it open. Let's address this. So Gene Chisik had Gus Malzon as his offensive coordinator when he won the national championship. Then when he left to go to Arkansas State, what did he do? Paul?

[Paul Feinbaum]

I'm actually trying to remember who his OC was,

[Caller/Guest]

regardless of who it was. I don't know who it was at the top of my head, but regardless, the person wasn't as qualified or as high level as Gus Miles.

[Paul Feinbaum]

By the way, it may have been. Hold on. It may have been. It could have been Rhett Lashley. I'm trying. I just don't remember. But it could have been.

[Caller/Guest]

Was it Rhett Lashley?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Could have been. He was a Gus Protege.

[Caller/Guest]

Yeah, well, he wasn't a protege or leveled enough to get his team back to where they were before, but at least it led Gus Malzan to return to his former university. He was an OC at, and then, like you said, took them all the way to the national champions game. One of the greatest moments in college football history, the kick six. So if that game would have just gone one play differently, Paul, if Jameis Winston didn't find Kelvin Benjamin in the end zone at the end of that game, would we be saying Gus Malzahn is absolutely a better coach than his predecessor, Gene Cizik?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah. I mean, because he would have had a much longer leash. And by the way, Lashley was one of the coordinators on that team. Bash, the bottom line is that the defense is the one that cost Auburn that national championship. Thanks for the call. Appreciate it. Chris is up next in Mountain Brook. Hey, Chris.

[Caller/Guest]

Oh, hope you had a good weekend. It's great to talk to you, as always. Oh, I mean, great interview with Chisik and with Mike Golick as well, but Chisik being back on the sec, I know probably somewhere, and I would be curious to know if he has a desire to go back and coach again. I mean, I know all coaches kind of have that pool every once in a while, but he is an excellent analyst on the SEC network. I mean, I think he's. He's one of the best. I mean, you have a combination of him, Kubrick and Roman Harper. That's just such a wealth of football knowledge. I mean, it's. It's. It's fun just listening to them. Any show that they're on, anyone they put together. But do you think he has a pull to try to go back again? Paul?

[Paul Feinbaum]

My gut feeling is.

[Commercial Announcer]

No.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, he, He. He went back. He. I Think he went back again. I know he's really interested in his son who is coaching at Samford. So my gut feeling is there's only so many times you can go back. But having said that, when you're an assistant coach, there almost doesn't seem to be an end to your shelf life.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, like I said, Bash kind of on the right track there. I mean, I hate to say that Bash was on the right track, but he was. I mean, it's just, as you said, unexplicable how it ended with Chiswick. But it wasn't the year after the national championship that was mediocre. Certainly not what it was the year they won. But it was the year after that where he just completely lost control of the team. And it was one of the worst seasons in, you know, the last 30 years at Auburn. I mean, that's saying something. But it was just, it was from a player standpoint, I don't know what exactly happened, but they were had pulled away and weren't listening to any of the coaches. And it just, it looked like it on the field and certainly off the field with all the troubles that occurred. But I hate he deserved better than that. I'm glad to see that, you know, that he has carved a niche for himself in that analyst role because he's excellent at it. Paul, speaking of Auburn, I got all signed up over the weekend for the big donors weekend down there and that's where we get to go. You get to go to a practice and see like a little mini scrimmage and then you had like a luncheon or a dinner with the coaches and that was. It was always pretty interesting. But whatever insight I thought I'd gained by going to that, I was always 100% completely wrong as for how the season played out. But I'm really interested to see what Alex Golish does with this because one of the biggest complaints, and I don't know if you ever heard this coach freeze was he didn't have players come.

[Show Producer/Promoter]

Thank you for listening to the Best of the Paul Feinbaum show podcast. Watch the Paul Feinbaum show weekdays from 3 to 7 Eastern on the SEC Network. Plus you can listen and watch on the ESPN app.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

Lock in.

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