Heisman Winner & Bowling Green Head Coach Eddie George Joins, Plus 2025 Penn State Preview

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Triple Option – Featuring Eddie George & 2025 Penn State Preview

Episode Title: Heisman Winner & Bowling Green Head Coach Eddie George Joins, Plus 2025 Penn State Preview
Release Date: March 12, 2025
Presented by: Wendy’s
Hosts: Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone
Guests: Eddie George

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1. Introduction of Eddie George as Bowling Green’s New Head Coach

The episode kicks off with a vibrant introduction of Eddie George, the celebrated Heisman Trophy winner, NFL veteran, and now the newly appointed head coach of Bowling Green University. The hosts express their excitement and admiration for George’s transition from a player to a coaching role, highlighting his impressive career achievements and recent accomplishments.

Rob Stone (00:26):
"We begin with a huge name making a major move just days ago... Eddie George joins us right now."

Urban Meyer (02:50):
"Eddie jumped into the coaching ranks a few years ago... now he’s the head coach at Bowling Green!"

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2. Eddie George’s Journey into Coaching

Eddie George shares his unexpected path into the coaching profession. Initially involved in business and managing a wealth management firm, George received an unexpected call from Dr. Glenda Glover, the former president of Tennessee State and current president of the AKA Foundation. This serendipitous conversation led to his appointment as head coach at Tennessee State.

Eddie George (06:07):
"Dr. Glenda Glover called me out of the blue to be the next head coach for Tennessee State... I was flattered but had never coached before."

Mark Ingram II (05:45):
"I want you to share your amazing story on the podcast, Eddie."

George discusses the challenges he faced, including building a program from the ground up, making tough decisions, and instilling a winning culture. His tenure at Tennessee State saw significant improvements, culminating in a 24–22 record and a playoff appearance.

Eddie George (07:14):
"I started thinking about the impact I could have on these young men and give back to the game. It was a tough decision, but I fell in love with coaching."

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3. Transition to Bowling Green University

The conversation shifts to George's recent move to Bowling Green University. The hosts congratulate him and delve into the specifics of his new role.

Rob Stone (02:50):
"Sunday he makes the big move to become the head coach of Bowling Green University."

George explains the whirlwind process of securing the Bowling Green position, emphasizing the pivotal role Urban Meyer played in his appointment by recommending him for the job.

Eddie George (09:32):
"Urban texted me about the Bowling Green job, and with his endorsement, I knew I had to explore this opportunity."

Urban Meyer adds context to the hiring process, highlighting the importance of culture and Eddie’s suitability for nurturing it at Bowling Green.

Urban Meyer (13:09):
"When Derek, the athletic director, gave me a call, I knew Eddie was the right fit for Bowling Green's culture."

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4. Coaching Philosophy and Vision for Bowling Green

Eddie George elaborates on his coaching philosophy, focusing on creating a fast, physical, and disciplined team. He emphasizes the importance of consistency in playbooks and building a strong offseason to ensure championship success.

Eddie George (14:26):
"We want to be fast, physical, and disciplined. Everybody will know what we're running, and the question is, can you stop it?"

George outlines his plans for rigorous training, emphasizing the necessity of mental toughness and fostering a resilient team spirit.

Eddie George (15:19):
"The first two weeks, we're going to live in the pit and then hit that hill after practice. Feel bad before you feel good."
[00:15:19]

He shares anecdotes from his coaching stint at Tennessee State, highlighting the transformative impact of strong leadership and structured programs.

Eddie George (16:45):
"I had to address the elephant in the room and commit to building a strong relationship within the team. It’s about digging our heels in and getting the process rolling."

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5. Strategic Insights on College Football Landscape

The discussion transitions to the broader changes in college football, particularly focusing on NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) and conference realignment. Eddie George outlines his strategic approach to navigating these changes, emphasizing player prioritization and effective recruitment.

Eddie George (19:31):
"I have my players at the top of my blueprint. It starts with recruiting them and building the best staff to develop them both on and off the field."

George details his immediate plans to immerse himself in Bowling Green’s environment, including living in the office to streamline staff assembly and preparing for spring football.

Eddie George (19:57):
"I’ll be living in the office, sleeping on the couch until I get the staff right. Spring football is underway, and I want these fans to be proud."

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6. 2025 Penn State Preview and Win Total Analysis

The hosts shift focus to the 2025 Penn State football season, analyzing their regular-season schedule and the associated win totals as predicted by BetMGM.

Rob Stone (37:02):
"We are Penn State's regular season schedule. BETMGM has set their regular season win total at ten and a half."

They dissect Penn State’s ambitious schedule, debating the likelihood of reaching the 10.5-win mark amidst tough matchups against teams like Oregon, Northwestern, Indiana, and Nebraska.

Mark Ingram II (38:46):
"They’ve got a ton of guys coming back, but with games against Oregon and Ohio State, it's going to be a challenging season."

Urban Meyer expresses confidence in Penn State’s potential to meet and possibly exceed the predicted win total.

Urban Meyer (40:31):
"I think they're going to get it with that schedule. Yeah, I’m sure they’ll get it."
[00:40:31]

The conversation is filled with playful banter and optimistic projections, underscoring the complexity and competitiveness of the upcoming season.

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7. Closing Remarks and Final Banter

The episode concludes with light-hearted exchanges among the hosts and Eddie George, reflecting on team dynamics and future collaborations. They maintain a jovial tone while reiterating their support for Bowling Green and engaging in playful discussions about podcast traditions.

Mark Ingram II (32:27):
"You've got to fire back a question. You get one shot."

Eddie George (32:45):
"If Urban Meyer was a color, what color would he be and why?"

The hosts wrap up the episode by congratulating Eddie George on his new role and expressing enthusiasm for future episodes and collaborations.

Rob Stone (35:12):
"How great was it to have the legend Eddie George on with us this week? We'll see you again next week on the Triple Option."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Eddie George (07:14):
  "I started thinking about the impact I could have on these young men and give back to the game."

• Urban Meyer (13:09):
  "When Derek, the athletic director, gave me a call, I knew Eddie was the right fit for Bowling Green's culture."

• Eddie George (14:26):
  "We want to be fast, physical, and disciplined. Everybody will know what we're running, and the question is, can you stop it?"

• Eddie George (19:31):
  "I have my players at the top of my blueprint. It starts with recruiting them and building the best staff to develop them both on and off the field."

• Rob Stone (37:02):
  "We are Penn State's regular season schedule. BETMGM has set their regular season win total at ten and a half."

• Urban Meyer (40:31):
  "I think they're going to get it with that schedule. Yeah, I’m sure they’ll get it."

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Conclusion

This episode of The Triple Option provides an in-depth look into Eddie George’s transition to head coach at Bowling Green University, offering listeners valuable insights into his coaching philosophy, strategic approach to the evolving landscape of college football, and his vision for transforming the Bowling Green football program. Additionally, the hosts’ analysis of Penn State’s 2025 season adds a compelling preview for fans anticipating the upcoming college football battles.

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Transcript

[Eddie George]

If Urban Meyer was a color, what color would he be and why?

[Mark Ingram]

He'd be.

[Urban Meyer]

He'd be, and I'm waiting on this one.

[Mark Ingram]

He'd be blue, man. Because he a cool cat.

[Eddie George]

He a blue. Is that acceptable?

[Urban Meyer]

Urban Burning red is what I think.

[Mark Ingram]

I was gonna say red. I was.

[Eddie George]

I gave you the tee up. Light it.

[Rob Stone]

Hey, Mark, you know what we got on this week's show?

[Mark Ingram]

My Heisman brother.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, we got deuce. Heisman Trophy winners on this week's edition of the triple option presented by Wendy's. Go to Wendy's and taste the difference in a hamburger. Rob Stone, Urban Meyer and Mark Ingram here with you. Glad you found us this week. Remember, rate subscribe over at Apple Spot podcast, Spotify wherever it is you get your podcast as well as across social media at 3X Option Show. You can find us on YouTube as well. We're going to delve into the Penn State schedule and find their 2025 win total in the regular season. It was quite an exercise, but we begin with a huge name making a major move just days ago. Huge, huge like neck, huge leg, huge running back, huge 1995 Heisman Trophy winner, 2011 College Football hall of Fame inductee. Eddie George joins us right now. He's a four time Pro Bowler. Jumped into the coaching ranks a few years ago at HBC side Tennessee State. Four years. You were there, Coach. It's hard, by the way. It's hard. It's really hard to call him coach like he's, he's Eddie. Like it's hard to say Coach George.

[Eddie George]

Well, you can call me.

[Rob Stone]

I know Coach George.

[Urban Meyer]

Hey, Stone, get used to it.

[Mark Ingram]

Out. 1996 rookie of the year. Tell him, tell him. 1996 rookie of the year. 7000 yard seasons 10k yard, Russian club.

[Eddie George]

Oh, wow.

[Rob Stone]

I'm here to do the coaching accolades. I'm gonna do the coaching accolades.

[Mark Ingram]

Running back love. I'm gonna show him the running back love. You feel me? And he's a member of the 10k club. Get it right.

[Rob Stone]

All right, we know about Eddie's a running back. Let's talk about Eddie as, as a head coach because that's why Coach George is joining us right now. Four seasons at HBC side Tennessee State. Went 24 and 22. Had that nine and three season last year. Coach got to the FCS playoffs as well. So that's impressive. Even more so when you consider what the Tigers program was before he arrived. Averaging about three wins a year the prior four seasons. Sunday he makes the big move from HBC to the Mac. The new head coach of Bowling Green University. It took a while for us to finally get to it. Eddie George joins the triple option this week. Congratulations, Coach George.

[Eddie George]

Thank you guys. I appreciate it. I love, thank you, Mark. I love, love watching your podcast. It's always, always fun to be. I'm glad I made it in this capacity. I always wanted to be on, but I guess I had to get this job to get on.

[Urban Meyer]

Hey, Eddie, great to see you and congrats and we talked many, many times. That place is special to me. They, they took a chance on a 35 year old receiver coach out of Notre Dame and I fell in love with community. It's.

[Eddie George]

Yeah.

[Urban Meyer]

As you go that community goes. And I called you the day before you took that job and said man, you. This ain't, this is not a normal job. This is a town of 25,000 people that, you know, you. To get that stadium full, they have to have a reason to go. And I got news. You're that reason. And obviously your players when you get going. But write this down. Trotter Steakhouse, Sam B's. Take your wife there and blow it up. It's an incredible place. Carter Park. Your kids are a little older, but that's where my daughter and son played baseball. Incredible place. And never say the T word ever.

[Eddie George]

What's that? I don't know what that is.

[Urban Meyer]

That place 40 miles north of you.

[Eddie George]

Where is it Urban?

[Urban Meyer]

I don't you go north until you smell it west of you. I don't know, something somewhere up there. Hey, congrats man. And here's a good thing. I'll let you go with this. The place is in pretty good shape. Scott Leffler, you have good facilities. I was up there two years ago. I mean, I'm not going back to what it was like in 01. It wasn't like that. Yeah, you got a pretty good situation.

[Eddie George]

It is the moment I, I touched down yesterday. You can feel the love, the excitement and that's what got me excited. My family was excited. I was excited. I was like, man, this is awesome. Know they flew me and my family up and immediately greeted with, with love and respect and admiration. So excited. Just meeting the people around the town, around, around the program, the staff. I mean it's just been first class and it's. I get it. You know, they, they're very passionate fans. Like Buckeye Nation's passionate. But this is a little different. It's very intimate. It's not overwhelming. It's very genuine. Not that you Know, Buckeyes are not. It's just. This is different, man. And I see it. You know, I feel really good about it. Of course, you know, given the situation, there are some. Some tough decisions that I have to make. Scott left it in great. A great, great position. Staff is great, but, you know, I'm going to put together the best staff in this situation, and I feel really positive about the future of Bowling Green football. I'm really. I'm really excited, man.

[Mark Ingram]

I just want to. Man, we at the. We were at the Heisman ceremony, you know, spending some time together. We were talking, and you started at Tennessee State. I asked you, like, yo, how did you get into coaching, man? And you told me an amazing story, so I want you to share it on the podcast, man. You know, how you kind of got started, how you got the job at Tennessee State, and how you made it to now being the head coach at Bowling Green.

[Eddie George]

Well, you know, prior to me jumping into the profession, I was doing things on Broadway. I have a wealth management business that I run, and this was during COVID and I managed money for the AKA Foundation. And the president for the AKA foundation was the former president for Tennessee State, Dr. Glenda Glover. And it was one day, out of the clear blue, she calls me and she says, hey, I'm calling for, you know, to ask you a question. I want you to have an open mind. So immediately I'm thinking, okay, she wants to ask me for money, all right, for some type of challenge. And then she says, it's not for money. I said, okay. Probably wants me to help with the search of finding their coach, because I heard on the news that they were thinking about going a different direction. Or I was thinking, hey, she wants to put more money into the account that we managed for at the time. So I was like, yo, it's got to be good news. You hit me with, yeah, I, I, I want to ask you to be the next head coach for Tennessee State. I'm looking at the phone like, what? You do know I've, I've never coached, right? Like, right, what are we talking about?

[Mark Ingram]

Right?

[Eddie George]

So I said, you know what? I'm flattered, but, you know, I'll. I'll pray on it. I'll think about it.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah.

[Eddie George]

Hung up the phone. I said, listen, I'm not gonna do that. My wife said, what's the matter? I said, listen, Glenda Glover had the audacity to ask me to be head coach for a football team. Like, come on, I've never coached. And my wife said, well, why not? You'll be a great head coach.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah.

[Eddie George]

I started thinking, like, well, what if I did do it? And how would I start a program? And ever since then, I started thinking about the impact I could possibly have on these young men and give back to the game. That gave so much to me and more, you know, to prepare them not for just football games, but for life after the game, like you're doing now in media. Like I'm doing coaching, like so many other guys, finding their next passion through the platform of football. And it took off like wildfire. Kept me up at night. I'm like, mark, I'm like, please, Eddie, don't jump into coaching. Stay focused on acting in business. That's it. Lo and behold, I took the job and I fell in love with it. It was very hard. It was tough. It stretched me. But the gratification that I get out of seeing the kids get it on the field and seeing it come to life and building a program was nothing like it. So my first game, Mark, was against right down the street in Canton against Grambling. Grambling State in August of 21. We had 19 penalties. 19 penalties, which was a record. All right. Our final game against Semo this past season, to win the championship, we had two. So there was a huge. There was a lot of work, a lot of changes. I had to go. I had to fire and hire coaches. I had to get rid of players. I had to go through some hard, tough days, but it prepared me like no other for. For coaching. And I. I love it, man. I. I absolutely love it.

[Mark Ingram]

Well, that's an amazing story, man. It resonated with me, and I wanted you to tell the podcast, so I appreciate you sharing that, man.

[Eddie George]

No problem, brother. No problem.

[Rob Stone]

How did this all come about, Coach? Because this. This is a late. A late season hire, right? Rarely are head coaches hired in March. So give us.

[Urban Meyer]

I want to hear this.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, Give us the quick timeline on how you went from Tennessee State to Bowling Green.

[Eddie George]

So actually was funny. I go up to Indianapolis and I'm at the combine and, you know, just making my round, saying hello to people and watching the guys run and so forth. And I go back to my hotel room and I saw across the ticker that Scott left for the Eagles. And immediately I'm thinking to myself, wow, that is so messed up, man. They got a. That's a tough situation that they're going to be in. I'm glad, you know, I'm dealing with my stuff, but I'm glad I don't have to Deal with that, right? So I get my car, driving back to Nashville, enjoying my ride. Got on my. Actually I was listening to above the Line by. By somebody. His. His book. No, I'm joking. But I did read it. But it's a really good book, by the way. But I'm driving back and I'm literally. Swear to God, I said, God, you know, show me a sign. What do I need to do for next year to prepare? Because right now it's. It's. I'm in the last year of my deal, not hearing much talk from Tennessee State fairly because of their. Their issues. And I'm wondering what's next for me in this profession. I'm driving past Bowling Green, Kentucky. So give me a sign. Literally gave me a sign driving past Bowling Green, Kentucky. I see Bowling Green. I look down at my phone, I see Urban text me. It's like, okay. He says, hey, would you be interested in the Bowling Green job? I said, I text him. I'm driving, call me. Calls me, and we're talking. I'm like, oh, my God, this is crazy to say. You know, I. The ad called me, asked me to help him with the search, and there's only one name that I gave him. That's you. I was like, oh, damn. Okay.

[Mark Ingram]

All right.

[Eddie George]

You get an endorsement from Urban. Urban Meyer. You have to take that call. You gotta explore. And it was not given. Okay. It was other candidates. I think there was 28 other candidates they looked at. I said, you know what? I'm going to go for it. I know about his history here at bg, the other coaches. I played against Boston, Bowling Green when I was in college. I had my first touchdown against him, ironically, my freshman year, and. And off it went like wildfire. Then I got a phone call from one of the search firms to do it. So that whole week from that moment on till right now was a complete whirlwind of interviews. I went out to Arizona on a vacation. It was a world. I. I spent a. A, almost 10 grand just to go on this vacation before spring ball, to only get a massage, Detroit, to do an interview for this job, okay? And lo and behold, it happened. And now I'm. I'm here in Bowling Green, delving in head first with the staff, knowing the players, getting the true lay of the land of what needs to be accomplished, get done and. And. And get this thing off on the right track. So it was an amazing whirlwind, man of events that I'm sitting here right now, but it's all due to that guy Urban Meyer, that I'm sitting in the seat right now because, you know, he gave me a vote of confidence that it was a good opportunity and just where the program is now. And if you can see value in what I've done, I gotta. I gotta take that call.

[Urban Meyer]

So I want to clarify that this is. You know, when Derek, the athletic director, gave me a call. I don't. I don't know. Never met him before. And we were just talking and. And I said, well, give me. Give me an hour. You know, he said, do you have some candidates? And I said, give me an hour and let me just. And I kind of started thinking because I have some other friends in profession that we. We did talk about some other names, but I said, you know, what are you looking for? And here's what I really want you to hit. This is going to be your trademark, which. The one thing about football teams, you can. When you hear the word culture in. In retail or corporate America, it's hard to really feel it. College football, you feel that culture every Saturday when that team jogs on the field. You can see it, you can hear it, and you can feel it. And so I said, eddie, you know, I know we're friends, but they've asked me to do a job. I'm going to ask a couple questions here. And we asked a couple questions about his family and all that. And I said, okay, BG walks on that field. I'm sitting in the suite or upstairs and watching that thing. What am I going to see? What am I going to hear? And what am I going to feel when the orange and brown come running out on that field? Tell what you said about the downhill. And Mark, you're going to. Mark, you're going to love this shit, bro. When you hear this, I'm getting chills thinking about it.

[Eddie George]

Hey, there's one thing we want to be is fast, physical and disciplined, and it's going to be duo, power counter, repeat, you know, repeat. Everybody in the stadium will know what we're running. The question is, can you stop it? That's going to be the mindset, you know, and. And Mark, as you know, man, listen, the sauce is made in the off season, man. Championships are won in the winter, the spring, and most definitely the summer. Yeah. So you know how. You know how it's built. You know, you know how it's built. The mat drills the. The. The competition drills the. The. You know, I. Hey, Urban, you want to appreciate this. There's a. Is a. A field like a couple fields side by side. That's gated. It might have not. Might not have been gated when you were here, but for summer camp, I'm gonna let that grass grow high.

[Urban Meyer]

That's it.

[Eddie George]

That's the first two weeks we go on. We're gonna live in there in that pit and then hit that hill after practice.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah.

[Urban Meyer]

Feel bad before you feel good. Yep. Yeah.

[Eddie George]

There we go. So. So, yeah, process, man. And I mean, I'm excited because these kids are excited because I had to get in front of them and really address the elephant in the room of where we are. You know, all of us are not feeling really good about the change, the transition, how it transpired. I had to tell my team that I'm leaving to go to another job, you know, and why. And that. That was painful, coaches, you know, painful. But I said, hey, this is where we're going to find out what we're made of right here. How mentally tough are we? We were made for a moment like this because here we are. Now the question is, when we leave this room, who are we going to be? What do we choose to do about this? Are we going to attack it and become closer and really focus on building a strong relationship and getting through this, or are we just going to fracture and dismantle and run away from it? And, you know, I said other few things, but I think it resonated with those guys, and now they're committed to, hey, we want to dig our heels in and get the process rolling, and it's going to be something. When we were all out there in that stadium on Saturday in the fall, you know, I don't know how good we're going to be, but they're going to understand that they've been played. You know, they played BG for sure. No questions asked.

[Rob Stone]

From the field to the stage to Tennessee State, and now Bowling Green University, Eddie George made the fresh move of the week, brought to you by Wendy's. Go to Wendy's and taste the difference in a hamburger. We continue with coach George after this.

[Eddie George]

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[Mark Ingram]

Now we've always I think the whole topic around college football, we've discussed it a lot on the show, is has been just the state of college football that it's in with the nil. I know you dealt with it a little bit at Tennessee. Like how do you go about evaluating your roster currently and you know, adding to it through the NIL or being able to retain your people from going into the portal. What has been your approach and your strategy kind of dealing with the new landscape of college football?

[Eddie George]

Well this morning I had a long about two hour conversation with the director of recruiting just giving me the lay of the land from who are the best recruiters on the staff. Who recruits, what area, how many guys on the roster? How many of their guys on the roster did they. Did they. Did they get. Knowing the roster, you know, getting a lay of the land of nil and donors. And so I'm right in. I mean, fully immersed into that right now. Before I do anything, I have. This is my blueprint, all right? And on that blueprint, I have my players. Right. Right in priority, all right? And I go right down that list, and I have right next to it, what's needed, the goals, the action plan ideas. So I understand, like, that's where I'm at right now. That's where it all starts. It starts with the players. I gotta, you know, recruit my players. Now. You know how to get. Get in front of them immediately. When I'm done with the coaches, I gotta go talk to them, have have dinner with them, get to know them, save this offensive line, say, hey, here's the vision. This is what we're going to do. You're going to be developed, you know, inside and out. I'm going to put the best staff together. We want to still hold on tight to this thing and go right down the line. So the next. I don't know, the next four to five days, I will be living in this office, probably sleeping on the couch until I get the staff right. So I get a plan in place for spring football so these fans can be really proud of what they see in here in the spring.

[Mark Ingram]

That man is prepared. That man is prepared.

[Urban Meyer]

Coach, quick Bowling Green story. So I got there, it's a little different shape now, but we had no training table. And so I put my line coach, which is a good one to have, in charge of training table, and he met with him, and I said, I want victory meals, because a victory meal after you win, you get steak and, you know, Ohio State, you get whatever you want. They had no training table. So I met with the people. They were 1 in 10, I think, the year before I got there. And I said, I'll make a deal with you. If we win a game, you give us a nice steak dinner, etc. I think it was like 12 bucks, 14 bucks. I said, if we lose, you can give them the worst shit. I don't care what you. Because when you lose, you don't deserve to eat. You know, you figure it out. And so I met with it, and he was great, the guy in charge, he said, all right, so you're telling me you're taking over a team that's 1 in 10 or 2 and 9, whatever it was. And we can make that deal. And of course, I can make the budget work. So there's a chance if you lose a lot of games, we're going to make some money. I said, yep, let's do it. We end up going, I think, nine and three our first year. So it costs the school. It costs the school a couple thousand bucks on our training table because we turned it around.

[Eddie George]

Hey, it worked. The return on investment was great.

[Mark Ingram]

Yes.

[Urban Meyer]

But the facility, also that brand new CBO Center, Bob Sebo, he's a tremendous. He's your best guy. He's your guy. I'm sure you met him already. If not, he's one of the Dear friend. We had a couple bottles of silver oak on the back patio in his house after our first year, the biggest Turnaround in Division 1 that year. And he said, what do you need? I said, I need the Sibo Center. And so I think this is the third bottle of silver oak. He said, okay. We took a pencil out on napkins and we drew what the Sibo center would look like. You know what's amazing? Rob and Mark, you drive by there. Now, it looks like that he built the CBO Center a year later, two years later. And that's the office he's in right now. So I'm telling you, man, BG's ready to go get a Mac championship.

[Eddie George]

Well, I appreciate the urban. Hey, I'm gonna hold you to it. Now, there are some events I'm gonna try to ask you to come to, man.

[Urban Meyer]

Done. Done there.

[Eddie George]

You know, I, I, I'll talk to you offline, but I think it would be great. We can, you know, get that, that fourth bottle of Silver Oak. This $2 million nil war chest going.

[Urban Meyer]

Yes. Let's go. Might have to invite Ingram up there, too.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, Eddie, if you want. It's tequila. It's not wine. Go. You go through Tequila to get him tequila.

[Eddie George]

Okay, Gotcha.

[Urban Meyer]

Los Linderos. Tequila.

[Mark Ingram]

Los Linderos.

[Rob Stone]

Eddie, let's talk about scheduling. Next year, your two big away games at you are going to bring in some money for you at Cincinnati, at Louisville as you go forward. What's your scheduling approach at a conference going to be, and how soon can you get Ohio State on your schedule?

[Eddie George]

Well, they're already on 27. I don't know what date it is, but they're, they're already on it in 27, so I'm not looking at that one yet. Let me just, Let me just deal with. I Gotta know what I got in the building first before I started worried about what's down the road in Columbus. But you know, when I was at Tennessee State, we played against Notre Dame, we played Mississippi State. It was a great environment and you know, to have an opportunity to play against the blue blood schools allows our kids to have that great experience and that in fact, in fact it really spawned our season two years ago when we had our first winning season at Tennessee State. We went up to Notre Dame and the score at halftime was 10 to 3. And excuse me, at the 1/4 was 10 to 3. Our kids played hard, we knocked somebody out on a kickoff, got a fumble recovery, and that's when we waked up, woke up the echoes and they put 52 on us. But I say for that first quarter we gave them hell. And I said, listen, you know, we know what it is, we know, we understood what is what. We competed and that's it. We played hard and we forced them to play us at a different level. So we went on to have our first winning season. Of course, nine and three last year, we built onto that. So my, actually my freshman year we played BG and it was a tight ball game through fourth quarter. So all Mac schools are going to play you tough. This is a tough division, great coaches and you know, I can't wait to compete in it, man.

[Mark Ingram]

Eddie, man, big bro, you know, I appreciate you. You've had a legendary college career, Heisman, Troy for win, a legendary NFL career. How has your successes and your failures prepared you to be the coach that you are becoming? Like, you know, done a great job at Tennessee State, now at Bowling Green. How has your experiences as a player prepared you and how do you pour into your players throughout know, leaning on your, your, your experiences as a player?

[Eddie George]

Well, Mark, that's a great question, man. I'm always, I'm always talking about my failures and not necessarily successes, you know, it's the failures that really make you. And everything that I've done, you know, even when I played ball, the two fumbles I had against Illinois my freshman year led me to win the Heisman Trophy. My senior year playing in the NFL, you know, having come a yard shy of possibly tying the ball game against the rams Super Bowl 34, losing the five the next year, being the number one seed in the NFL in the playoffs, losing against Baltimore and Ray Lewis and that great defense in 2000, always just sharing those stories and saying, hey, it's not, is not how you, it's not the event that happens to you. It's how you respond. That's where mental toughness comes in. It's how you respond to it. We never lose, we learn, and that's the beauty of it. So, you know, and even as a head coach, you know, some of my toughest days, man, you know, I, there was a situation in Tennessee State I did not believe existed. I mean, we're at a homecoming game. There were some things happening on the sideline that I was very disappointed in. Found out that players were involved, a couple of the staff members, and I'm like, this is not it. So I had that, actually that moment changed my entire coaching style because at that point I was really observing and I was very laid back and just, just trying to figure out who I was, who I was going to be as a coach. And that's when I put the, the non negotiables in place and things shifted from there. So you have to go through the hard stuff, you have to embrace the hard stuff in order to, to see the, to find out who you are and to see the, the beauty that lies on, on the other side of that coach.

[Rob Stone]

So this year we have desean Jackson heading to be the head coach at Delaware State. Michael Vick to be the head coach at Norfolk State. Of course, Coach prime did it at Jackson State, and you getting your head coaching start at Tennessee State. All four of these NFL former elite athletes get, getting their head coaching debuts, if you will, at HBCUs, historically black college and universities. Why are HBCUs becoming a bit of a gateway to becoming a head coach for former players?

[Eddie George]

I'm not quite sure. I think, you know, Dion definitely started this. I think he was all. He was always coaching one, like for years, high school, always coaching the Suns through Little League and junior high, high school and so forth. So he left the TV world and got into coaching. And man, I, I thought it was really cool. I wasn't, like, I said I wasn't seeking to become a coach. And then when I did it, I called, actually called Pride and asked him, can I be successful at doing this, having no coaching experience? He says, yes. You are the CEO of your program. You played the game. You know, I very rarely do. I call plays. And I was like, that makes sense. So I jumped into it and I've had some success. Now I'll say this. You know, the HBCU world is, is different. It's, it's challenging. There aren't a lot of resources, a lot of things you're going to have to do on your own and grind through it. But it's a great teaching ground for you. It prepares you for every. Every scenario, and you appreciate things a little bit more. You know, when you've come from an Alabama or an Ohio State or. Or a Bowling Green. And. And you just have to be very creative in terms of getting things done. And, you know, it's. It's. It's going to be. It's going to be grind. I. I think. I think Michael and. And desean are going to have a wonderful experience, but there's going to be a lot of work that lies ahead for him.

[Rob Stone]

So you spoke to coach prime before you got into head coaching at an hbcu? Did you talk to Dion before you made that move from Tennessee State up to the Mac and Bowling Green part of it?

[Eddie George]

You know, I rely on a few guys. You know, Jerome Bettis won Deon. You know, just. Just trying to get a sense of is this a good opportunity, you know, you know, given the timing of this, you know, how do you manage to. I mean, this is in March. Okay. And the staffs are set. We're going into spring ball. There's some challenges that lie ahead with this thing. So it's. It was. It was a very difficult decision to make, but one that I feel good about in my gut, and I feel like it was time and I think is a great opportunity to do it. So he gave me that vote of confidence and gave me some advice, and that's what I see. You know, whether it's Urban or Jim Trestle or a bunch of guys, I've been without everybody and got their opinion. So. Yeah.

[Rob Stone]

So Coach prime took his kids right from the HBC out to Colorado. You have a young man, goes by the name of Eric George, who is second team all conference, defensive lineman, led Tennessee State in tackles for losses. Are we going to have father and son coaching and playing together?

[Eddie George]

Right now he's at Tennessee State, working out, going to class. If he decides to jump in the portal, that will be discussed. So.

[Urban Meyer]

That'S a firm yes, that's right. Eddie, thanks for joining us, man. You look good there. I'm so proud of you, and I can't wait to come see you.

[Eddie George]

Yeah. Thank you so much, guys.

[Rob Stone]

Hey, real quick, real quick, Mark. We got a little tradition sometimes during our interviews that we like to wrap things up with. And this, Mark, feels like the perfect time to throw that show.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah. Like Rob said, we do a thing on the show, man. We've been sitting here asking you questions for 30 straight minutes now. We're giving You. A chance to fire back a question and whoever you want to, man. So you get one. You get one. You get one shot.

[Eddie George]

One shot. All right, Mark, this is for you. Okay.

[Mark Ingram]

Okay.

[Eddie George]

If Urban Meyer was a color, what color would he be and why?

[Mark Ingram]

If he was a color, what color.

[Eddie George]

Would he be and why? Yes. You asked me to ask a question, so there we go.

[Mark Ingram]

He'd be. He be.

[Urban Meyer]

I'm waiting on this one.

[Mark Ingram]

He'd be blue, man. Because he a cool cat. He'd be blue, man. Cause he a cool cat.

[Eddie George]

That's what you want to say. Blue, cool cat. Is that acceptable, Urban?

[Urban Meyer]

I'd be burning red is what.

[Mark Ingram]

I thought. I was gonna say red. I was gonna say red, but I was like, that's my dog, man.

[Eddie George]

I know him as a blue man. Hey, Urban, what you gonna do with this guy? Yeah, y'all don't. Y'all don't have great chemistry, I see. I just.

[Urban Meyer]

I'll tell you what, Rob. How about staring at two guys?

[Mark Ingram]

I love everybody else, but to me, ever since I've known him, he's been blue.

[Urban Meyer]

But think about that. J.K. dobbin, Zeke Elliott. If I would have had Eddie George and Mark Ingram, I'd have wore your ass out. Where you guys would have.

[Mark Ingram]

I know who he was as a coach, but I know him as a big nooner, and so he's cool. He golfs. We have tequila. You know what I mean? Yeah, that's blue. You know what I mean? If you would have asked me in 2009, when we were playing against him in the NC Championship, he was a red cat.

[Eddie George]

I won that game, right?

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, we did. They won.

[Urban Meyer]

We got him in 08. He got us.

[Eddie George]

So now I love it.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah. I'm 201 versus him.

[Urban Meyer]

One and one.

[Eddie George]

One and one.

[Rob Stone]

Coach George. Coach George. Have you learned the words to Isaac?

[Eddie George]

I learned it yesterday.

[Urban Meyer]

There's not a lot of words.

[Rob Stone]

Not many words involved.

[Eddie George]

I'm learning about the. The claw, too. The secret handshake. So that's.

[Urban Meyer]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Rob Stone]

Oh, there's a handshake.

[Eddie George]

Yes, there is. So I'm learning the words as we speak.

[Rob Stone]

There's. I think there's, like, five words total, and most of them are, I, Ziggy.

[Urban Meyer]

Set up a fundraiser. Me, Robin, Mark, hang with you.

[Eddie George]

Hey, I would love that. That'll be awesome.

[Urban Meyer]

Do it. We'll raise some cash.

[Rob Stone]

Or better yet. Or better yet, Big D. Kickoff rolls in town for the battle of I. That T.T. bowling Green. Love it. Coach George. Coach Eddie George. Congrats on the Bowling Green gig and thanks for joining us this week on the triple option presented by Wendy.

[Mark Ingram]

Appreciate you.

[Eddie George]

Thank you. Light it.

[Unknown]

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Um, I think I just won my taxes. Yeah, I just switched to H and R block in about one minute. All I had to do was drag and drop last year's return into H and R Block and bam. My information is automatically there so I.

[Eddie George]

Don'T have to go digging around for all my old papers to switch.

[Unknown]

Nope.

[Eddie George]

Sounds like we just leveled up our tax game. Switching to HR block is easy. Just drag and drop your last return.

[Rob Stone]

It's better with block walk.

[Unknown]

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[Rob Stone]

Welcome back to the triple option presented by Wendy's Urban. Mark Robstone, back here with you. Time to take out the triple option crystal ball, guys. It is brought to you by BetMGM. Place your money line prop parlay and same game parlay bets at BetMGM. Download the app today. Please gamble responsibly. These lines, as always, are subject to change. So here we are.

[Mark Ingram]

They didn't give you a crystal ball stoner.

[Rob Stone]

That's next week. I agree with you. I was thinking the same thing. Wouldn't it be great if I could just kind of lift up this option crystal. The triple option crystal ball now on sale. All right, so we're going to try and get a crystal ball next week. We'll have Chris, Chris, our producers all over that right now. We'll add that to his to do list. Spring ball, it's underway. Listen, we understand there's unknowns all over the place. The transfer portal who's staying is going. But we do know are the schedules and of course our good friends in Las Vegas have an opinion. They have an opinion on a lot of things. They have an opinion on teams win totals for next season. So today guys we are going to look at. We are Penn State's regular season schedule. Regular season BETMGM has set their regular season win total at ten and a half. There's a reason that half is in there guys, because it makes things. It makes things squirrely. All right, so remember last year Penn State reg. 11 and 1. They're one loss to Ohio State. They've got a ton of guys coming back. Mark, we've been talking about this. The QB aller, the running back, Singleton and Allen, a ton of guys on the offensive line. They're going to lose Ty Warren, who we all know Tyler Warren. But huge optimism. Optimism is really, really high in Happy Valley as it should be. Let's take a look at their 12 game regular season schedule.

[Urban Meyer]

Here you go Mark.

[Rob Stone]

Here we go. Let's look. Let's look at the opening I guess three games, right? Coach, this better be a 30 start.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, this is excited for the Penn State fans to pay whatever they pay for their season tickets to are you do.

[Rob Stone]

It's over 900 bucks a season ticket. But wait a minute.

[Urban Meyer]

All right, so $900, is that it or is there.

[Mark Ingram]

No, there's more inflation. There's more inflation.

[Rob Stone]

They they're going to add 20 bucks a seat and they're going to add four 45 bucks for a parking pass. All of this is going to what they call the Legacy fund. And Legacy fund is there for scholarships, for facilities for nil. It's kind of a nice I think convenient umbrella to cover all of the added expenditures that is part of being Penn State. Of course they are going through some renovations at their beautiful stadium as well. So you're looking at, you're looking at an extra 65 easy for a season ticket.

[Urban Meyer]

So you figure the first game Nevada travel across the country, you know, probably over at halftime or at least you know, if Penn State's penned. Well, they got a lot of players coming back. You know, they're kind of following the mode of the Wolverines in Ohio State with everybody coming back. You know, you wonder if this is that kind of team. But you won't know until Oregon. I mean imagine. I'm serious now. If you're a fan, a big Penn State fan, you're going to travel the Migration across the state of Pennsylvania. 110,000 people in that big time stadium, and you're going to watch them play Nevada, FIU and Villanova. Ouch.

[Rob Stone]

I wonder if one of those is going to be the Whiteout game.

[Urban Meyer]

And then they have Oregon, Northwestern. No Wolverines on that schedule yet, obviously at Ohio State, which is a tough one for them. Indiana is going to have completely rebuild Nebraska. So their home schedule, Mark, Nevada, Florida International, Villanova, Oregon, Big time. That'll be a big time atmosphere there. Northwestern, Indiana and Nebraska. That's your Penn State for 900 or whatever it is.

[Rob Stone]

And ten and a half, coach. Ten and a half years.

[Urban Meyer]

I think they're going to get it with that schedule. Yeah, I. Sure they'll get it.

[Rob Stone]

You think they're going to get 11 regular season wins?

[Urban Meyer]

I do.

[Rob Stone]

Okay, so let's give them the Ohio State. Let's say they lose at Ohio State.

[Urban Meyer]

Right.

[Eddie George]

Okay.

[Rob Stone]

So they have.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, that's it.

[Rob Stone]

They can't mess up anything else. That includes Oregon. Includes Oregon, yeah. Right. That includes Indiana.

[Mark Ingram]

That. Yeah. That includes Iowa. You know what I mean?

[Rob Stone]

Iowa is a tricky one.

[Urban Meyer]

Damn, you're putting me on the spot here, man.

[Rob Stone]

Cross country, ten and a half. I did. I did, man.

[Mark Ingram]

That hook gets you to half, right?

[Rob Stone]

I did the fast math, Coach, and I was like, nine. I'm comfortable at nine. And then to get to 10, much less 11, which is what Vegas is saying.

[Mark Ingram]

12 games.

[Rob Stone]

Ooh, that is tough.

[Urban Meyer]

I'm going to take 11 and one. I'm going on it. Wow.

[Rob Stone]

Coach Franklin loves you. I think Mark is going to be the motivator for Coach Franklin. Yeah, I'm going to be the motivator.

[Mark Ingram]

I just. I'm just not the believer. Like, they've been the same team for the past five years, just can't win the big game. And they got a couple of them here. They got Oregon, they got Ohio State.

[Urban Meyer]

That's it.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah. And so that. That's your two losses. That means they get 10 wins at.

[Urban Meyer]

Iowa is a tough one at Iowa.

[Mark Ingram]

Iowa. So listen, Coach, you got Oregon, Ohio State at Iowa, and then, you know, you in for a dog fight in one of them nine games. Hopefully it's not Nevada, FIU or Villanova. I got less than 10 and a half, man. I got him at 10 wins. That's still going to put him in the playoffs.

[Rob Stone]

I'm with you. We're here to motivate you, Coach Franklin, we love you, we believe in you, but we only believe in you up to a point. And it's not ten and a half regular season wins currently. Oh man.

[Mark Ingram]

Tyler Warren. Yes. They got Drew Allen coming back. They got the double headed monster K, Tron Allen and Nick Singleton coming back. But who will you throw the ball to? Somebody needs to emerge as a receiving threat for this quarterback team. Who are you going to throw the ball to?

[Rob Stone]

It was a problem last year.

[Mark Ingram]

It was a problem the year before. If they didn't have Tyler Warren, there would have been no air attack. So who are you going to throw the football to? Drew Aller and Andy Kogelniki.

[Rob Stone]

All right. Coach says they're doing it. Mark and I not as optimistic. Although I'll go ahead and say this, they're still going to make the college football playoffs.

[Mark Ingram]

I said that. 10 wins still get you in the playoffs.

[Rob Stone]

Penn State will get themselves to the playoffs.

[Urban Meyer]

All right.

[Rob Stone]

Make sure to Follow subscribe rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts as well as across social media at 3x option show. Thanks as always to our sponsors Wendy's and BetMGM. How great was it to have the legend Eddie George on with us this week? We'll see you again next week on the Triple option.