The Triple Option – Episode Summary

Podcast: The Triple Option
Hosts: Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone
Guests: Todd McShay (NFL Draft Analyst, The Ringer), Marcel Reed (QB, Texas A&M)
Date: October 22, 2025
Episode: "Napier Fired, Marcel Reed & Todd McShay Join, Top Openings and Week 9 CFB Picks"

Episode Overview

The hosts dig into another wild week in college football: coaching firings, skyrocketing buyouts, and the ever-mysterious college football program budget. They welcome NFL draft expert Todd McShay for an in-depth assessment of this year’s quarterbacks and running backs. Texas A&M's star QB Marcel Reed gives insight into his team's chemistry, his NIL deal, and life in the SEC. The guys also break down the top head coach openings and preview the biggest games of Week 9.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Florida Fires Billy Napier – College Football's Coaching Carousel

(02:28–21:08)

• Florida's Firing of Billy Napier

  • Billy Napier is out as Florida's head coach after a 3–4 start and an error-filled win vs. Mississippi State.
  • Buyout: Napier is owed $21.2 million, with half due in 30 days.
  • Urban Meyer: “I thought money was tight with these college football programs, but they just keep writing these [checks].” (03:28)

• Escalating Buyouts Across CFB

  • Not just Florida; examples include James Franklin ($49.7M), Mike Gundy ($15M), and others piling up over $116M in buyouts.
  • Mark Ingram: “The day and age of the facilities… those are going to dwindle away, but when you have a coach and a program that has a standard of winning and you are not winning, they are going to find a way to get that money… they gonna find a way to get that cheese.” (08:18)
  • Startling realization: Despite claims that the era of huge buyouts and fancy facilities are over, the money never dries up – big donors step in when programs falter.

• Donor Dynamics & Hidden Revenue Streams

  • Urban breaks down that major coaching transition funding often comes via direct calls to high-net-worth alumni and boosters.
  • Rob Stone: “My guess is that phone line is going the opposite way, where it's those big donors getting into their ADs head… saying, ‘you gotta make a move. I'll do it.’” (12:16)

• College Football Success = Institutional Value

  • A bad football team impacts admissions, applications, and overall university desirability, further incentivizing athletic departments to act quickly—and expensively—when things go wrong.

• Universities & Buyout Logic

  • The hosts debate: will schools ever stop agreeing to such huge buyouts? Urban says it’s unlikely, as agents continue to protect coaches: “You better hire a home run. I don’t give a [bleep] what it costs.” (16:08)
  • Mark Ingram: “The best thing you could do is be a really good coach, get paid a lot of damn money, and then suck so bad where they fire you in the first year or two, then they owe you $40 million.” (16:36)

2. Coaching Changes – Taking Care of Players & Staff

(17:03–21:08)

• Urban recounts being called by Billy Gonzalez (Florida's interim coach), advising him to support players during the transition.
• “Don’t you dare take a shot at the previous [coach]… the most important thing are these darn players. Every play is on film, so you could ruin your draft stock or your career by screwing around right now.” – Urban Meyer (18:05)
• Mark Ingram emphasizes the importance of keeping the players’ interests front and center: “The players… didn’t choose to have their head coach fired… make sure you’re coaching these guys up.” (20:05)

3. Deuce Deuce Dog of the Week

(21:08–22:33)

• Mark’s standout player: Jeremiah Love (Notre Dame) – 261 scrimmage yards, 1 TD in the rivalry win over USC.
• Mark Ingram: “He just balled, man… put the team on your back. If that ain’t a dog, I don’t know what is.” (22:22)

4. NFL Draft Insider: Todd McShay's 2026 QB & RB Draft Class Analysis

(25:19–37:51)

Quarterbacks

• Lack of Elite, Pro-Ready QBs

  • Todd McShay: “I desperately want to see all these guys go back to school for another year. Four of the top five guys all can play another year… Dante Moore, Lenore Sellers, Fernando Mendoza—super talented, but not ready.” (27:33)
  • The only one with major NFL upside now: Ty Simpson (Alabama), with “unicorn” talent and development.
  • Recent NFL trend: The best-performing QBs typically had at least 36 college starts before success.

• Who Leaves in This Draft?

  • McShay pegs Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) as the best among quarterbacks who must go pro, but “I’m not racing out to take him in the first 15 picks. He’s not the biggest, not the fastest, doesn’t have the biggest arm. He’ll have to overcome a lot.” (32:13)

• Colorful QB Evaluations

  • Todd: “Carson Beck [Georgia] is like a toxic relationship… You expect a different result, and it’s always the same.” (34:38)

Running Backs

• Solid But Not Elite RB Class
  • Standouts: Jeremiah Love (Notre Dame), Ahmad Hardy, Justice Haynes (transfer portal standout), Jonah Coleman (Oregon), Noah Whittington (Oregon, now healthy), Darian Price (Notre Dame).
  • “The running back class isn’t as good as last year… but they’re starting to stack up.” (36:23)
  • WR draft class, in contrast, is “a hell of a lot better.”

5. Interview: Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed

(40:05–50:20)

• Building Something Special at Texas A&M

  • Marcel Reed highlights buy-in, team chemistry, and belief under Coach Elko as major reasons for their 7–0 start.
  • “I think this team has a lot more togetherness than past A&M teams… we all just ended up buying into what Elko had to bring to the table.” (40:55)
  • Falling into the leadership role: “Once we got into fall camp, I felt like this was my offense, my huddle, I had command of the guys.” (41:53)

• Prepping for LSU Night Game

  • “I'm really excited to see what the atmosphere is like… Heard the fans are crazy, they do all types of stuff… we're going to be running out the tunnel, there's going to be smoke in the air, they shoot fireworks… there's gonna be a big old tiger right there. Don't let him shake you, dog.” (42:34)

• NIL Era Realities

  • Marcel discusses NIL deal with Eng Aviation, an organ donorship group. He uses his platform to support their cause.
  • “All they asked me to do is make a couple posts, kind of just push it out there, and then I make a couple appearances for them as well.” (45:51)

• Player Q&A

  • Trash talker on Bama (per Ingram): Rolando McClain (“one of the smartest players I ever played with, and he was just nasty” (47:42))
  • Marcel’s game influences: Cam Newton ("I did grow up an Auburn fan" (49:17)), drawing playful groans from Ingram.

6. Top Head Coaching Job Openings

(50:27–57:00)

• Hosts' Rankings

  • Urban Meyer: 1. Florida (top job, “not even close”) 2. Penn State 3. Arkansas (with a soft spot for Virginia Tech)

  • Mark Ingram: 1. Florida 2. Penn State 3. UCLA (notes SoCal's abundant talent and Big Ten move)

  • Rob Stone: 1. Florida 2. Penn State 3. Virginia Tech (cites winnable ACC, strong recruiting base, fan passion)

  • On Florida's advantages: “You’re a 45-minute flight from your recruiting base. I had two planes. I was home at night. This is a no-brainer.” – Urban Meyer (51:49)

  • Notes Arkansas and Virginia Tech have special atmospheres and history; Stanford and UCLA are potential sleeping giants, but have lingering drawbacks.

7. Week 9 Picks – Three & Out / Two-Minute Drill

(57:00–63:53)

• BYU at Iowa State:

  • Stone sees potential for an Iowa State upset with a walk-off field goal, warning BYU of a letdown after the emotional Holy War (58:27).

• Ole Miss at Oklahoma (#8 vs. #13):

  • Urban Meyer predicts a shootout: “I'm going to take Ole Miss with the points, and I think it's a walk-off—whoever has the ball last wins.” (59:50)

• Texas A&M at LSU (#3 at #20):

  • Mark Ingram picks A&M to stay hot in Baton Rouge: “A&M, man… they've been playing really well. Marcel Reed is just a beast… three straight games with a pass and a rush TD, four total touchdowns, no turnovers last week… I like A&M to win this game by at least three.” (61:32–62:59)

  • Stone predicts that another high-profile LSU loss could put Coach Kelley in the crosshairs: "I'm just saying LSU [is] one of the places, everybody… they're not going to put up with that. Patience level is low." (63:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Buyouts and Money Mystique
  • Urban Meyer: “There’s not a line item on the… budget, but when there’s a line item that doesn’t show up and all of a sudden has eight figures… Is that a phone call to a person?” (11:26)
• On the Donor Influence
  • Rob Stone: “My guess is that phone line is going the opposite way, where it’s those big donors getting into their ADs head… saying, ‘you gotta make a move. I’ll do it.’” (12:16)
• On Development of QBs for the NFL
  • Todd McShay: “25 starters in [the NFL] right now… of the 25, only three had fewer than 25 or fewer starts in college. All of the good to great starters had a minimum of 36 starts.” (30:43)
• On what sets A&M apart this year
  • Marcel Reed: “This team has a lot more togetherness than past A&M teams… we all just ended up buying into what Elko had to bring to the table.” (40:55)
• On Avoiding Team Drama
  • Marcel Reed: “If [the Tiger] gets out [at LSU], it’s not just us nine! It’s LSU players too, so… he ain’t trained to kill one side!” (43:06)
• On Top Coaching Jobs
  • Urban Meyer: “Name a better job than Florida in the country.” (55:40)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Napier Firing, Buyouts & CFB Finances: 02:28–21:08
• Player Focus after Coaching Changes: 17:03–21:08
• Deuce Deuce Dog of the Week (Jeremiah Love): 21:08–22:33
• Todd McShay NFL Draft & QB/RB Analysis: 25:19–37:51
• Interview with Marcel Reed: 40:05–50:20
• Top Coaching Openings Discussion: 50:27–57:00
• Week 9 Game Picks & Preview: 57:00–63:53

Tone & Final Thoughts

The conversation is lively, direct, good-humored, and deeply informed—a mix of coach-speak insight, player perspective, and media savvy. Whether you’re a die-hard college football fan or just learning the landscape, this episode gives you a fast-moving, honest look inside the game's big business, player experience, and the high stakes around every coaching decision.

For More:
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