TexAgs Live - Connor O'Gara : 08.11.26

Summary

TexAgs Live – Connor O’Gara (08.11.26)

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode features David Nuno and the TexAgs crew in a wide-ranging and insightful conversation with SEC contributor Connor O’Gara. The segment touches on A&M’s fall camp, the challenges of evaluating teams in the portal era, the rare circumstances surrounding Holmon Wiggins’ promotion to offensive coordinator, and how perception shapes narratives and expectations across the SEC. Listeners gain context-rich analysis on SEC programs, with a focus on Texas A&M's upcoming season, questions about play calling, and comparisons to key contenders like Oregon and LSU.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Navigating Social Media in Sports Coverage

• Connor O’Gara on social media reaction to his work:
  • He prefers muting negative replies rather than blocking, which deprives trolls of satisfaction.
  • Quote: “The mute button on Twitter [is] the greatest asset. I don’t block anymore... I don’t want someone to get the satisfaction of knowing they got to me.” [01:09, B]

2. Fall Camp Hype and Terry Bussey

• Discussion around fall camp “hype videos” and the importance of not overvaluing brief clips.
• Terry Bussey’s emergence as a versatile weapon:
  • Has a dominant camp and is seen as a key player under new OC Holmon Wiggins.
  • Quote: “The catch was ridiculous... If he is utilized in those ways in which his skill set is on full display, then we’re going to be saying great things about this A&M offense.” [02:31, B]
• Emphasis on A&M’s planned use of up-tempo and four-WR sets.

3. Coordinator Turnover: A&M vs. Oregon Comparison

• Oregon’s coaching changes compared to A&M’s, with O’Gara noting Dan Lanning gets more benefit of the doubt due to his track record.
  • “Dan Lanning, in the eyes of many, has earned the benefit of the doubt.” [06:10, B]
  • Oregon has all main coaches under 40—historically rare for playoff winners.
• Parallel highlighted: both Holmon Wiggins (A&M) and Drew Mehringer (Oregon) are first-time play callers.

4. Unique Nature of Holmon Wiggins’ Promotion

• O’Gara: Wiggins is “the only first-time play caller this year in the SEC on either offense or defense. That’s extremely rare.” [06:45, B]
• The pressure is high due to A&M’s uncertainty at OC and the challenge of getting receivers open for new QB Marcel Reed.
• It will take SEC play to see if Wiggins’ system is effective.

5. Is Play Calling Innate or Developed?

• Debate: Can play calling be learned or do you "just have it”?
  • O’Gara leans toward the latter—“you’re not all of a sudden going to flip the switch and it’s going to be like, oh my gosh, this aha moment; you figured it out.” [08:35, B]
  • Experience helps but major leaps are rare; leash will be short if things go south early.

6. Evaluating Recent OCs: Colin Klein Example

• While sometimes the game plan made sense, O’Gara questioned late-season decisions—especially in high-leverage moments.
  • “Too many moments where Colin Klein was just trying to force it... not saying Wiggins is automatically an upgrade, but being an upgrade in those key moments is sitting on the table for them.” [10:29, B]

7. The “Benefit of the Doubt” Era in CFB

• Nuno points out that uncertainty is now universal with roster churn and coaching changes.
  • “Benefit of the doubt should go to a coach or a program that has consistently done it.” [13:05, A]
• O’Gara agrees: No one, even Georgia, enters the season without questions; most preseason #1 teams do not win the title.
  • “20 of the last 21 teams who were preseason number one failed to win a national championship.” [13:50, B]

8. What Would Make A&M a Playoff Team?

• Would being “pretty good” on OL, DL, and play calling be enough?
  • O’Gara: “Probably not good enough with that schedule... Pretty good in this day and age of the SEC might get you to 6–3 in conference play; getting you to the College Football Playoff... is really, really difficult.” [15:49, B]
  • Additional elements (star-level QB, trustworthy secondary) likely required.

9. Perception and Quarterback Narratives

• Lenore Sellers vs. Marcel Reed: Both had statistically similar seasons, but Sellers’ late surge defined the narrative.
  • Quote: “How you finish matters... Sellers finished with his head coach saying he’s the best player in college football... With Marcel [Reed], the downfall in those final two games didn’t leave people with the best taste.” [18:20, B]
  • Perception is shaped by recency and context, not just stats.

10. LSU & Sam Levitt: “Pretty Good” Isn’t Enough

• If Levitt is only “pretty good,” O’Gara sees 9–3 as the ceiling. The system demands excellence, especially as Levitt is coming off injury and learning a new offense.
  • “He’s going to have to be exceptional and play at an All-SEC, at a Heisman contending type level if LSU is going to get to the College Football Playoff.” [22:07, B]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Connor O’Gara on Twitter Management:
  “The mute button on Twitter [is] the greatest asset. I don’t block anymore… I don’t want someone to get the satisfaction of knowing they got to me.” [01:09, B]

• On Terry Bussey’s Fall Camp:
  “If he is utilized in those ways in which his skill set is on full display, then we’re going to be saying great things about this A&M offense.” [02:31, B]

• Regarding Holmon Wiggins’ Challenge:
  “That is a huge question mark, obviously… we’re probably not going to have a true answer to this until we get into the meat of SEC play.” [08:15, B]

• On the Play Calling Question:
  "You're not all of a sudden going to flip the switch and it’s going to be like, oh my gosh, this aha moment; you figured it out." [08:35, B]

• On Preseason Uncertainty in CFB:
  “20 of the last 21 teams who were preseason number one failed to win a national championship.” [13:50, B]

• On Quarterback Perceptions:
  “How you finish matters… Sellers finished with his head coach saying he’s the best player in college football... the downfall [for Marcel Reed] in those final two games didn’t leave people with the best taste.” [18:20, B]

• LSU’s 2026 Ceiling:
  “He’s going to have to be exceptional and play at an All-SEC... if LSU is going to get to the College Football Playoff this year.” [22:07, B]

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Segment Timestamps

• Fall Camp Hype & Social Media Management – [00:19–02:22]
• Terry Bussey’s Role, Offensive Scheme – [02:22–04:07]
• Coordinator Questions: Oregon vs. A&M – [04:07–06:27]
• Holmon Wiggins: First-Time Play Caller – [06:27–08:25]
• Play Calling: Innate or Learned? – [08:25–10:26]
• Review of Colin Klein’s Play Calling – [10:26–11:51]
• Universal Uncertainty in CFB – [11:51–13:05]
• Benefit of the Doubt & Roster Turnover Era – [13:05–15:23]
• A&M’s Ceiling with “Pretty Good” Units – [15:23–17:10]
• Comparing Sellers and Reed – [17:10–18:20]
• LSU QB Levitt & Program Ceiling – [20:04–22:07]

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Tone & Style

The conversation was candid, accessible, and analytical, blending national college football context with Aggie-specific optimism and realism. David Nuno advocated for seeing the big picture but voiced local frustrations about national perceptions and skepticism, while Connor O’Gara consistently delivered measured, data-driven insights without hyperbole.

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In Summary

This episode illuminated the challenges of projecting SEC football programs in the ever-changing portal era. Listeners walked away with:

• Deeper knowledge of why A&M’s offensive direction is such a pivotal storyline,
• Why coaching continuity (or lack thereof) is top of mind across the league,
• A reminder that, in modern college football, no team escapes offseason questions,
• The realization that perception, recency bias, and narrative shape expectations for both players and coaches.

Whether Aggie diehards or college football junkies, listeners will appreciate the honest, intelligent breakdown of why 2026 is so tough to predict, and why the only sure answers will come once the games begin.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, we're back here on Tech Sacks Live. We're presented by David Gardner, Schoolers. We are in the Rollo Insurance studio, hour number two of the program. And it is now time to chit chat with our good friend Connor O', Gara, Tech Sacs contributor. 10 fall camp questions from across the SEC is his most recent piece. Connor, good morning, buddy.

[B]

How we doing, man?

[A]

Good. Do you, when you post stuff, do you look at your mentions or do you kind of stay away?

[C]

Let's.

[B]

There's a delicate way to answer that. I mute mentions if I very quickly sense that they're getting out of hand. And if a certain David Nuno is about to like, throw hands with people that are in my mentions, then it gets muted just because I'm like, this is their battle. I don't want to get involved in that. I don't necessarily need to get into the fray. But most of the time, no, I like being able to interact with people. It just kind of depends on the situation of what type of comments that we're getting.

[A]

Yeah, I think I'm similar, except when I respond, I. I sometimes respond with a little passion. Just a little. Just a little passion.

[B]

No, there's nothing wrong with that. I, I mean, I, I've been there plenty of times before where you just want to go back and forth with people and, you know, they don't seem to make any sort of sense. But I have found the mute button on Twitter to be the greatest asset. I don't block anymore. Like, I. I've gotten to the point where I don't want someone to satisfaction of knowing, like, they got to me. Unless they're saying something that's like, really threatening against my family or something that's just totally ridiculous. But no, no, the mute button for like muting conversations or like muting specific people. You'd be amazed at the amount of people that, like, I'll get that'll just, you know, try and instantly throw shade at my credibility and I'll just mute them right there and they never know that they have no impact on me whatsoever.

[A]

Yeah, I think sometimes though, when I do, I have used mute because I don't like the block either. It'll show me you've muted this account and it makes me want to look and I hate that. Like, I see, like, oh, what do they say? And I push the button.

[B]

You got to resist the urge, man. Got to resist the urge. It's like resisting the urge to fall in love with guys over very perfectly curated fall camp videos. It's there's a lot of urges out there, man. We got it. We got to resist in the best we can.

[A]

So you're saying I can't fall in love with this fall camp videos that we're getting from Terry Bussy because he's dominating right now. He's had a great camp in three days.

[B]

He really has. Look, the catch was ridiculous and it's something that I'm going to talk about on the OG kickoff for the episode that drops on Thursday morning. Just fall camp hype train. And he's one of those guys that if you've seen the people that have been talking about him, I know that Pete Nikos has been pretty high on him in the summer that he's had. Like these are the types of things that can fuel confirmation bias with certain guys. It always seems to be the former five stars as well. Like Terry Bus he was. But he is an interesting point of of of discussion for this A M team is just as a whole, whether or not you buy into the fall camp videos that have been coming out or not. He's pretty important to what they're going to try and do with a first time play caller in Holman Wiggins, a guy that obviously has a lot of familiar with familiarity with him, with his time as a receivers coach and you know, for I think Bussey in him being able to reach his five star potential, if he's going to do that at season's end, you'll look back and go, wow, he was used in a lot of different creative ways. This is someone who came through high school as this dominant state championship winning dual threat quarterback who could just get on a football field and make people miss. And if he is utilized in those ways in which his skill set is on full display, then we're going to be saying great things about this A and M offense. There's been a lot of talk about using these four receiver sets and trying to utilize tempo. And I think Terry Bussey is a guy that could really stand to benefit from that. And even if all of a sudden he isn't necessarily this ball hawking receiver who looks like he's been playing this position his entire life, I still think there is a lot of potential for him to have a huge significant impact on this offense.

[A]

Connor, I want to get to your question about Holman Wiggins, but something came up on the show earlier and I actually don't know the answer to this. So because we are such an A and M centric show, we hear the questions about A and M More than anybody else. That's the way it should be. So we hear the questions about Holman Awakens, but somebody brought up Oregon, also replaced some of their coaches internally. Is there much talk about Oregon in the same way that A and M? Do I hear it more because it's A and M or are there those same questions there in Eugene?

[B]

I think you hear in the same sort of way, but. And here's a little bit of a difference and I'm a good person to discuss this question with because I picked Oregon to win a national championship. And the only thing that gave me pause was the thing that you just mentioned, the fact that they're replacing both coordinators. Tasha Lapoy gets the head coaching job at Cal and then Will Stein gets the head coaching job at Kentucky. Those coordinators are really, really good and they were part of teams that won a lot of games for him. But I think there's a slight difference. And it's not to say that that it's nothing. Okay. Like Dante Moore, at this point of his career, he could have been the number two pick in the NFL draft. So people feel like he's a more finished product maybe than where Marcel Reed is at right now. So the promotion of Drew Meringer, who is also going to be this first time play caller in the same way that Holman Wiggins is going to be, it's viewed through a different lens because of that element. I think Dan Lanning, to this point in his career as a head coach, which he's entering what he's entering year five we're talking about here, it feels like he's been there even longer. He has been awesome at picking coordinators and it has never really been a question. So you kind of just feel like his judgment is going to win out. So he probably gets more. So the benefit of the doubt, despite the fact that Oregon's obviously had these really ugly endings to their seasons the last two years. But no, I mean, I think if you're not picking them to win a national championship, you're probably pointing to that element at coordinator. And here's another thing to throw into it. Oregon with its head Coach and its two coordinators, all three of those guys 40 and under, those are not usually the teams that win national championships. Like, we haven't seen a national championship winning coach under the age of 40 since Danny Ford won it at Clemson in like 1981. So I mean, it's just, it's not something to be taken lightly though. Dan Lanning, I think in the eyes of many probably myself included, has earned the benefit of the doubt.

[A]

I do want to talk more about the benefit of the doubt when it comes to A and M on other avenues, but let's, let's stick with the coordinator talk. So your questions about Holman Wiggins, beyond being a first year OC and coming from the wide receivers coach, kind of go deeper into why you have some of those questions.

[B]

I looked at the entire SEC this year and I don't know if there's ever been an example of this and sometimes it's a little bit confusing. We'll find out like, oh, this coach actually didn't have play calling duties and they didn't tell us until week five or something. So this is all kind of, it's a bit subjective here. I believe based on my research that Holman Wiggins is the only first time play caller this year in the SEC on either offense or defense. That's extremely rare. Like even if you look at Mississippi State, they brought back Zach Arnett to run that defense like everybody else, at least at some point. Like Jay Bateman going over to Kentucky like he was the play caller at A and M Year 1 under Mike Elko and then Mike Elko took over those duties last year. That is a huge question mark, obviously. And it's going to be what does it look like to be able to get those talented receivers the ball in space? To me, if you're scheming these guys open and Marcel Reed is getting big throwing windows, that's a sign that Holman Wiggins is doing his job effectively. If it looks like it's too difficult at times to be able to move the chains and it's more so a grind in the passing game where it's just kind of set it and, and forget it. Third and long, it's just never going to happen for A and M, then that's probably going to point back to Wiggins as a play caller and going why? Why is A and M in those spots? But yeah, I mean that's, that's a very rare thing to have hanging over a first time play caller. And I know Mike Elko has all the confidence in the world in him talked about. Look, if you're going to be a play caller at some point, you're going to be a first time play caller.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Like that's just the nature of the beast. But yeah, it's going to be a question that looms and we're probably not going to have a true answer to this until we get into the meat of things in The SEC in SEC play.

[A]

Connor, do you think that people become a good play caller over time or you either have it or don't?

[B]

It's a great question.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

I, I tend to think you either have it or you don't. You know, and one of the things that I like, I talked to Will Stein about this, this, this off season and what he has done in very quick time is established himself as one of the premier play callers in the sport. Now, whether that yields to success as coach, that's a little bit of a different question. But one of the things that he did for the very first time, like his first time as a play caller was at Lake Travis High School and he had Hudson Card as his starting quarterback and he had Garrett Wilson as a starting receiver. He's like, you don't really learn a whole lot about yourself as a play caller when you have those types of weapons and it's this overwhelming advantage. And some would argue that at Oregon he didn't necessarily have to worry about that. He always had the talent advantage pretty much every time his offense was on the field. But those guys figure it out in a hurry. Okay. And there, there are some things that you learn as a play caller over the course of time where you have to adjust. But I tend to think that you're not all of a sudden going to flip the switch and it's going to be like, oh my gosh, this aha moment. You figured it out. I tend to think you're either really good at it or you're a guy that's going to be a little bit more up and down and you're going to have fans that are going to question it. So I do think that we'll probably feel like, all right, like this is one of those things that, that Holman Wiggins, he's going to give us at least some of those flashes early on. If it's going to be really, really bad, then the leash is probably going to be really short. Like last year when we see Mike Shula struggle the way that he did at South Carolina, everybody and their mother said this is a mid season firing and that's not a first time play caller. But it was somebody who's doing it for the first time at a long time at the college level. So I just think it's going to be one of those things that we're going to very closely dissect and yeah, maybe we will have a good idea pretty early on with him.

[A]

Did you think Colin Klein was a good play caller?

[B]

I Thought he was a good play caller most of the time. I thought the late season decisions left something to be desired and that's not doing revisionist history. I said this in the moment where there were too many of those moments down the stretch where I'm wondering why are they throwing the football as much as they are with high degree of difficulty throws when it looks like you have the plus one advantage in the quarterback run game and you can utilize that, that ground attack to be able to move the chains in ways that you can't right now at receiver. You're passing, he just doesn't have a rhythm. And it seems like there were too many moments which Colin Klein was just trying to force it. I'm like, that doesn't seem like it's maybe the best play. And I understand, like Miami, that game, you've got Akeem Mazador, you've got Ruben Bane, you want to talk about Keontae Scott flying in like a bat out of hell, coming in from the next level. Like Miami could do things to shut down the running game and obviously they can also do things to rush the passer. So kind of pick your poison with that. But you know, I did think that at times I questioned some of the play calling and it wasn't like, man, he must know something that I don't. We're seeing these wins at Kyle Field that just look like they are howling and they're still trying to throw the football to the far hash of the field. Why is this the decision? So I do think play calling can be improved. It's not to say that Holman Wiggins is automatically going to be an upgrade, but being an upgrade in those key moments, I think that's sitting on the table for them.

[A]

I agree with you. There were several times and I think you could say this about any coordinator, like why are we throwing that screen pass here? What are we doing here? But I think you can say that about anytime a play doesn't work is very easy to point at that. I want to go back to the benefit of the doubt and I'm saying this from an A and M perspective. I understand all the questions about A and M from you, from all the national insiders. I listen to Canal and Dusty this morning. I had A and M as their eighth team and I understand the questions. I do. But I guess my response to that would be like, but some of those same questions, you can point to Alabama, you can point to Ole Miss, you can point to lsu and I guess that's where I we're such an. And this is more of a conversation than a question, Connor. But like we're in this era where like I don't think any of us really know because when you get 40 new transfer portal players, you got a new offense, a new quarterback that came from this place, it's really hard to know anything about anyone. So to me, the benefit of the doubt typically should go to a coach or a program that has consistently done it as opposed to, you know, I got a brand new offensive line, you know, what are we going to do there? Like, I guess just take that and run with it.

[B]

Yeah, well, you bring up a good point. Everybody's questions, you're right. Like nobody's coming into this season as a national championship contender with, with zero questions. I mean, about Georgia. Like Georgia has won the SEC the last two years. They have won two national championships in the 2000s with what is easily the number one coach in the conference. And yet they have a, an offensive coordinator with continuity with the quarterback. I mean, you want to talk about like the Mike Bobo, Gunner Stockton relationship that goes back, you know, 20 plus years with those families again, like Mike Bobo was the only Broyles award finalist from the offensive side of the ball. And yet one of our questions about Georgia is whether or not they're going to have the right play calling. I mean, that's kind of the era that we're living in. And you're right, with all the roster turnover the way that it exists now, you're just not really going to see teams enter the season without these questions. And to push back on that, even if there were that team that was just a slam dunk pick, preseason number one based on the coaches poll, it doesn't look like we're going to have that. I mean, Indiana got what, 14 votes for number one in the coaches poll and yet they were number six in those early rankings. Like it's going to be all over the place when that AP poll comes out next week. But you know, even if you are the preseason number one, think about this stat since 2005, so that's 21 years worth of data. 20 of the last 21 teams who are preseason number one failed to win a national championship. 2017, Alabama was the only team that was able to overcome preseason number one status. So where does it even get you to be that team that just doesn't have any questions during this eight month offseason in which we can scrutinize rosters and coaches and all this stuff? So I don't know who is Truly getting the benefit of the doubt. Like Ohio State might be a preseason top two or top three team. I think Ohio State is the most difficult schedule in college football and I have missing the playoff at 9 and 3. Like it's really tough to get the benefit of the doubt in this day and age. And we ask questions about everybody. And all you can ask for is to be part of these conversations at the top. If you're being laughed out of the room as a potential playoff contender, that's the bad spot to be in because usually there's probably some sort of year over year evidence to suggest that's the direction we should go in. And A and M's at least not in that category and you're at least going to see them in some preseason playoff projections and then not in others.

[A]

If I were to tell you they're going to be pretty good on the offensive line, Holden Wiggins is going to be pretty good play caller and they're going to be pretty good on the defensive line. If I just gave you those three factors, does it change your mind about A and M? Do you have them as a nine win team in that thinking? Are they an eight win team? Are they maybe a playoff team? If I just tell you they're really, they're pretty good at offensive line, defensive line and Holman Wiggins, that's probably not

[B]

good enough to get to the playoff with that schedule. I'll be honest. Like, it's a ruthless schedule. It really is. Nobody's going to be saying at season's end this year, wow, A and M just got the benefit of the doubt in SEC play. Like, I don't think that's going to be the conversation now. Things change a lot. Okay. And it's not like we were thinking that A and M had this cakewalk and SEC play at this time last year. So obviously our opinions change as these games happen and we, we learn more about these teams. But I don't think that would be good enough to get to 10 and 2, which is now the benchmark. We've seen even 10 and 2 teams get left out of the College Football Playoff. Like Vanderbilt gets left out as a 102 team, like Miami the year before gets left out as 10 and 2. Multiple 10 and 2 teams from power conference ranks are being left out. So I would look at that and go, well, I, I need to know more. Is Marcel Reed playing at the all SEC level? We've talked about that. Is this A and M secondary? Do you feel like you can truly trust them? Do they have moments where it looks like they're on their heels for an entire game. I, I need to feel like there are more elements of this team that are just pretty good because. Pretty good in this day and age of the SEC, it might get you to 6 and 3 in conference play, but getting you to a college football playoff with a nine game SEC schedule I think is really, really difficult. So yeah, I wouldn't be saying that they're going to be able to overcome that and do all the things they would like to do if pretty good is kind of the standard across the board.

[A]

So yesterday we did a luchador, Billy and myself, and he brought up Lenore Sellers and we found this really interesting. At least I did. And if you can find Lenore sellers stats from 24 Matthew and Marcel's from last year, they were very similar, like extremely similar. And the reason I'm bringing it up is I think it's based on the perception of what your program is doing. Maybe changes the way you look at people and obviously the last couple games for Marcel, but the way people were talking about Lenores last year at this time is nowhere near the way they talk about Marcel. Like with Marcel it's like all these questions and Marcel had I think three more interceptions. So that's part of the conversation. Do you have those Numbers?

[C]

Lenora Sellers, 2024, 2500 yards, 18 touchdowns, seven picks, 674 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Marcel Reed last year, 3169 through the air, 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions with 493 rushing and six touchdowns.

[A]

So look, I understand the last two games are gonna, that's what people remember, but I just, I find it interesting that that Marcel is still fighting some of these battles that. But you know, maybe it's the Aggie in me, maybe I'm just used to fighting battles.

[B]

Connor, I think that's it. Here's, here's why how you finish matters. Lenora Sellers finished the regular season 2024 with his head coach talking about him being the best player in college football and us kind of looking around going, man, like latter half of the season, if we're just handing out like a latter half Heisman, some of the things that Lenora Sellers was doing and the way he was doing it, not just the numbers he was putting up, like what do you have like 18 broken tackles in that game against Clemson, like a real, like a playoff bo Clemson defense that actually had real future first round talent on it. And the way that he was making these plays, you just Watched him and go, my God, he doesn't even have the talent around him on the offensive side of the ball. And he's still doing things that just feel insanely good and promising in what was his first year as a starter, in which the first half of the season he wasn't healthy. So it was like, once he was finally healthy and able to actually string together multiple games of staying on the field, you saw these things and you saw them finish so well. Whereas Marcel, like, the downfall that he had in those final two games, yes, a small sample size, but it didn't leave people with the best taste in their mouth. So, like, in terms of perception, that's probably something that. That had. That definitely had something to do with it. And the turnovers for Marcel, you could look inward and say, like, that's on him to be able to fix that stuff. Where some of the stuff with Lenores, that felt like his shortcomings, you could point to the surroundings, go, man, give that guy more talent on the offensive line. Like, give those guys, Give him some receivers to be able to work with and see what he could really do. So I think that perception is. Is definitely part of it. It's not just numbers. I think part of this is looking through the lens of knowing you want to go to bat for your guy. You want to see people saying great things about it. If Marcel Reed is able to quiet some of those doubters this year, you're not even going to have to be the guy that's. That's out on social media, that's defending him. That'll take care of itself.

[A]

Last thing for you. Let's play a pretty good game again. All right? The last one. Let's say Sam Levitt is pretty good, all right? He doesn't have to be all world, but he's got Lane Kiffin. So if he's healthy and pretty good, what does that mean for LSU?

[B]

I still tend to think it's more like a 9 and 3 team. If he's pretty good, just pretty good. Also imply that he's healthy for the full year, because that's not a given, you know, like, he's coming off the Liz Frank injury. And I know he just said at camp yesterday, he's like, I'm 100%. Like, I'm good to go. I've been 100% for a while. He didn't have spring football. You need spring football in this day and age to get that offense down. It's a new offense. You're asked to run it with tempo, with Charlie Weiss Jr. With Lane Kiffin. Yes. You're going to have Charlie Weiss Jr.

[D]

In your ear.

[B]

That's really, really good. I still think that those physical reps with new surroundings matter and it could create some ups and downs in which yeah, pretty good ends up maybe being the end of season product. But there, there could be some grenade type games like go back to Matt Corral in 2020 when he's learning that Lane Kiffin offense. And I remember talking to him like early in that season and you know, one of the things he said was I couldn't figure out this offense early on. Like I had to start coming in at 5 o' clock and buying the quarterbacks breakfast to be able to watch film and figure out the all of the elements of that go into this tempo offense. Because yes, it's quarterback friendly once you figure it out, but getting to that place is just not a given. And I think too many people are looking at Sam Levitt, an experienced quarterback, and saying it's a given that he figures it out. And so if he is pretty good, that still means he probably has some pretty bad sprinkled somewhere in there and there's not really a margin for error with that schedule. That makes me think, oh, he can be like just, just decent and all of a sudden like LSU is this 10 and 2 type team. Unless the defense with Blake Baker is just like all world good and they're able to overcome some of his mistakes. I think that'd be a really tough thing for me to, to kind of accept. I think he's going to have to be exceptional and play at an all sec, at a Heisman contending type level if LSU is going to get to the college football playoff this year.

[A]

Connor, great stuff brother. Thanks so much for your time.

[B]

Thanks man. Appreciate it.

[A]

See you. Conor Garrett, tax contributor, does great work. Check out his podcast. Good friend of the program. We'll hit a break when we come back here on Tech Sacks Live. Little open segment followed by some greatness. We got what Matt Hayes coming up at 10. Who do we got at 9:35? Coughlin? Look at the rundown. You don't have it open, do you?

[C]

What if early camp story.

[A]

Oh no, we don't have Gabe.

[E]

Gabe De Armand.

[A]

No, that's not until later.

[E]

10:35.

[A]

Is that what you're talking about? I said 9:35. If we just have me talking. Anyway, this is great. I love when we have the best segment possible. It might be the best segment of the day or it might be the worst when it Comes to your money. Peace of mind starts with the right team. That right team is and should be Aggie owned. Paragon Financial Advisors. They're an independent fiduciary serving clients all across Texas. No commissions, no sales pitches, just trusted advice tailored to you. They have a team of 18 professionals, including nine CFPs, a CFA and a CPA. And their expertise does run deep at Paragon. Credentials matter, and so does your future. Visit paragon-adv.com or give them a call 979-693-3907 to schedule your free consultation. Today. It is Paragon Financial Advisors. Integrity, expertise and trust. Paragon Financial Advisors.

[D]

Listen to the Zone on the Zone app. Download the app.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Thanks to Loyalty Plumbing, the pros at Loyalty Plumbing are ready to serve you. Aggieland.

[A]

Oh, that's good stuff.

[D]

Visit loyaltyplumbingllc.net Nick?

[E]

Yes, sir.

[A]

You know how I operate, right?

[E]

I do.

[A]

So when I go out of town, what do I do when it comes to time?

[E]

You keep. You operate as if we are still in central time.

[A]

When I text people to come on the show, what do I typically do?

[E]

You keep it in central time.

[A]

Okay. Just want to make sure I just say that on the air just in case there's any miscommunication later. It's Tech Sags Live. We are presented by David Gardner Shulders. We are in the Rollo Insurance studio. It is our number two of the program. And now we talk to Matthew Coughlin, who has decided to quit on us. But after the show, Coughlin is at the Angry Elephant News and Social Center. Coughlin, what up, buddy?

[C]

I can't believe you just said that.

[A]

But did you quit on us?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, his internship ended. Sorry.

[C]

Women's soccer is playing at Rice tomorrow. So I have some key players to watch as the season begins. Starting with Lipscomb transfer number 10, midfielder Bella Carapazza, who is named to the Herman Trophy watch list, which is the equivalent to the Heisman trophy of college football. Freshman number 55, forward, Ireland Churchill. And leading score returners, number 16, midfielder Trinity Buchanan. Number 20, forward Leah Diaz. And the Aggies are 1752 in their last 24 openers. But all five losses were the top seven ranked opponents. And the Aggies hold a 7 to 1 lifetime series over Rice.

[A]

So I will talk to Bobby today. We'll run that tomorrow. Bobby Shuttleworth, the A and M soccer head coach. We'll chit chat with him and just get a feel for the team. It's a completely new philosophy. New players, new team. So I don't think we know anything other than it's going to be an exciting brand of soccer and he comes with a great reputation and has won at a very high level. He brings that mentality here to Aggieland and obviously Coach G did an amazing job here in his time. So it'll be nice to see what Bobby does next. Let's get one more in.

[C]

We have the recently drafted Aggies in the MLB starting their pro careers. Chris Akopian tallied his first hit. He's at high a cadence. Sorrell has collected a double, triple and home run in his first five games. Gavin Grahowack's first pro hit was a home run out to right center field. And Bear Harrison, his first career hit was a triple, believe it or not.

[A]

Good stuff there. Appreciate it. We'll hit a break when we come back on Tech SAGS Live. I am just going to talk about A and M football stuff. We'll figure it out as we go here on the program. Right now we're talking about guaranteed bank and Trust. They've been around for a while. If you think over 100 years was a long time. They were established in 1913, so. So they have over a century experience of serving Texans as one of the most respected community banks. They are very respected. They have three great locations in Aggieland and when you go go say hi to their market president who's a good Aggie brand in Sears. He's got a great team with him. But all across Texas you're going to find a good guaranteed bank and trust. A community bank. Even in the big cities they'll treat you like a community bank. That's what they're supposed to do. They have it in Dallas, they have it in Houston, Fort Worth, Central Texas, East Texas and as I mentioned, right here in College Station. And wherever you go, a guaranteed bank and trust is going to make local decisions, help you with homeownership, financial education, you name it. They want to make sure that you know when you go there you're going to be treated like you're part of the family. They want to make sure that they help all of the community grow stronger and they'll be there for you. Remember 33 great locations across Texas. It is gnty.com that website again. Gnty.com Guaranty bank and Trust, a division of Glacier bank member FDIC equals housing lender

[D]

the Houston Astros. The Houston Astros play on the zone thanks to Kelly Burt Dozer Am I

[A]

gonna get in trouble for not liking this song you're singing over here, like, freaking. We got karaoke over here. His mouth was all open.

[E]

Karaoke Coughlin.

[A]

Karaoke Coughlin was over here. He was, like, really into it. Anyway, so can you guys catch me up? Apparently, YouTube got mad. You two people got mad at Conor O'. Gara. We're like, what did he do wrong? Because he said they're gonna go nine, three.

[C]

He gave constructive criticism with labeling, a few doubts, but he did it with multiple teams.

[E]

Guys wouldn't even call them doubts or just. They're questions. If you can't take Conor o' Gara's, like, dissection of what A and M, what he thinks A and M will be, then I don't know what to say. I mean, he's the most, like, level headed, cool guy. I got to know him pretty well at SEC media days. Great guy. But he's all like, if you can't. If you can't handle what he had to say and it drives you to rage and to not want to watch his segment. I mean, come on.

[A]

Now, here's what I'll tell you. There are certain personalities, and sometimes we interview them, by the way, that I think say things for effect, right? They just say things to cause, you know, like, Twitter to melt down. And, like, I'm gonna have a hot sports take. Like, I think Danny Canal's really good. I've never had him on the show, but I think he's really good. But I also think he sometimes says things for effect.

[C]

Engagement farming.

[A]

Yeah, I don't think I do that. I just think what I say in the moment, and maybe in that moment it turns into that. But, like, I don't ever, like, have this little plan. Like, I'm brewing up a plan. Like, all right, what can I say to upset the trolls today? Like, I don't. I just talk. Like, maybe that's my biggest issue. I don't know. Like, and the questions that Connor has about A and M, I have some of the same questions now. I. I view them from a different perspective. I. I am. Coach Elko has helped me become a glass half full as opposed to half empty, right? Because I believe in him. So. Because I believe in him and he believes in Holman Wiggins. And by the way, my encounter with Holman Wiggins, dude, is impressive, right? Impressive. I don't know how he's going to be as a play caller. You don't either. But if Coach Oko believes in him, I'm going to believe in him. That's just. But Connor is an Indiana grad. Covering the SEC in Orlando. Right. Like there's a triangle effect going on here. He doesn't have to see things through an A and M perspective. I don't think any. And maybe I heard it wrong. And again, I didn't read some of these comments. I don't think he said anything that was out of bounds. When I compared the Lenores Sellers to Marcel thing, I understand his perspective. Lenores played really well down the stretch. Marcel didn't play his best on the stretch. But I also, and maybe it's because I am an Aggie and it's convenient, but it's the facts. I look at the 13 games as opposed to the two games. When I look at two games, oh yeah, he's kind of struggled. When I look at 13 games, like going to Death Valley and dominating a team and ending their season and going on the road and having to score on the final possession against Notre Dame right after you run back a touchdown and it gets called back and you still have to go through all that adversity. I look at the 13 games when I assess Marcel Reed and I think to myself, this dude's a really good quarterback. Why do we act like he's not? That's just the way I see it. I also understand looking at Lenore Sellers finish the season on a high note. I understand that Arch finished the season on a high note. I get all that. All those things, you know what they are, you know what they are, right? They're just data points. At the end of the day, they are just data points. And I am not going to ever, I mean, punch me in the face if I do. I get mad at somebody for having an opinion and having a well informed thought process behind his opinion. You don't have to agree with it. Like, there's a lot of opinions out there. There's some opinions in this building I don't agree with.

[E]

Right.

[A]

Like, I just. But it doesn't mean it's wrong or right. I just see it differently. So what? I don't have A and M as a playoff team today. I hope I do in a month. I hope after I've seen them play a few games, I feel great about the offensive line. I'm not as worried about going on the road as I have been in the past with five SEC road games as of today, I think they're one of these two winner teams that could be, could not be Oklahoma, could be, could not be. There are a lot of teams at lsu. I mean, they're a boom or bust situation. I Feel like LSU is one of these teams you look at and you're like, oh, you know, they spent a lot of money, they got the right coach. Finally, if Sam Levitt's health, they should. They're going to win 10 games. Or you could be like, brand new team chemistry is a thing. It won't work out. It's going to be hard. All those. You can make an argument, by the way, you can make an argument of why you think Keelan Russell is going to be great if he ends up being the Alabama quarterback. Just give me a well thought out process behind it. Don't give me gotcha radio, don't give me like hot sports takes and boom, scoreboard. This is what you guys haven't won since 1939. Okay, cool. I don't think that has anything to do with today, but okay, thanks. So now I thought his answer when I asked about Colin Klein was pretty spot on. I thought there were several moments throughout the year that I didn't like his play calling. But I don't like play calling when it doesn't work. Yep.

[C]

It's easier to say after the fact.

[A]

Like the Texas game two years ago. There's a part of me that enjoyed running the ball three straight times and getting stuffed. Right. I mean, not getting stuffed, I didn't enjoy any of that. But there was like, oh, yeah, we're

[D]

going to get it done.

[A]

But it didn't work. So I hated it. Had it worked, I would have loved it. So it's about success, a lack of success or success. There were several times I was in the press box with Ola. I'm like, why did we call that? And sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Again, if it works, I'm all in. If it doesn't, I got questions. And questions are okay. At this point, nobody. And by the way, opinions may help formulate, you know, opinions of teams as we enter the season and where you enter the season, if you, you know, but if, if you're the 24th ranked team in the SEC and you go 11 and 1, you're gonna be a top 10 team and make the playoffs. Right. So all A and M has to do is win games and opinions will change. And as for his Oregon take versus the A and M take, okay. Like, I think Elko's done a great job hiring coordinators too. And if you believe in the process, the Mike Elko process, then I think. But not everybody has to. Right. And by the way, good coaches have down years. Hopefully A and M doesn't have a down year, hopefully A and M is great and I'm speaking to the choir of people for the most of the people watching Tech sags. But there are questions that have to be answered. And there's a part of me that is those unknowns are just that, they're just unknown and when they're known, we'll have a better feel. And by the way, let's say all those questions are answered in September and October. It doesn't guarantee anything in November. We just saw that. So I believe in the process. I believe in the player evaluation. I believe in the develop, the development. I think it's hard to win on the road in the sec. Maybe Alabama is not who people think they are. Maybe South Carolina is better than who people thought they were. Maybe Missouri takes a huge step up or a huge step back. Remember the way people were talking about Austin Simmons a year ago? Some people were saying he could be the best quarterback in the conference, like entering the season. Like really he hadn't done anything but. So nobody was talking about Trinidad Chambliss. Nobody's talking about LSU firing Brian Kelly at this point in the season. I don't think people thought Oklahoma was going to make the playoffs with that brutal schedule. So look, there's a lot of questions. I mean, some people did believe it because they, they, they've figured out the quarterback situation, bringing in Mater. I think Mattier at times, like early on he was a Heisman contender. Then he fell out of favor after the Texas game. So I don't know what are some of the people saying now? Are they, are they canceling me to.

[C]

No, they're actually kind of agreeing with you, just kind of going back and forth. And it kind of seems like what they're saying is if you support a team, then your agenda is going to be for them. So, like for example, Arch Manning and Lenore Sellers in those two years ended the season strong. Well, if I'm a fan of them, I'm going to say, oh, they're on upward trajectory for next season. And if I'm an A and M fan and Marcel Reed had a worse end of the season but overall was great, I'd be like, well, overall he was great. Next season he's going to keep improving and be great. So if it supports what I believe, then I'm going to use that and not say, oh, well, I'm just going to look under a microscope and see, well, the end of the year wasn't as good. So that's what they're going to use against me.

[A]

By the way, the end of the year doesn't mean anything for the next year.

[F]

Yeah.

[C]

And also the new year.

[A]

New players. Half the roster is different.

[C]

Those teams are much more competitive that like, at the end of the year, you have a full season of tape on the. On the opposing players. Those are the best teams you played.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

So.

[A]

All right, we'll hit a break. Kate Nagley is going to update us on volleyball as their season gets started. Here, what insurance matters most. Who's going to call or answer your call? That's the Raloto insurance group. You get a personal agent, a direct number, not a call center. You got a cell phone, you can call them. You can text them. They are the official insurance provider of Texags Live. The difference is real. 60 offices in the great state of Texas, whether it's home, auto, business or ranch insurance, start a relationship with an expert who puts you first. Your agent does become familiar with your specific situation. And they provide a plan that most mass market insurers simply cannot match. So when you need advice or have a claim, you'll speak directly with somebody who knows you by name. That's the Rollo difference. That's the Rollo Way. Visit rollinsurance.com tech sax rollinsurance.com Tech Sachs call them up. Triple 844 Rollo. That's Triple 844 Rallo. It's Rollo Insurance.

[D]

The money Machine. The money machine is open now. Let's go at zone1150.com. Or you can enter through the Zone newsletter to win $5,000.

[A]

Come on. Definitely from the next playlist, not from the Nunez playlist. Texas Live presented by David Garner. Fielders rollout shirt studio. Kay Nagley, ace reporter of the house. What's up, Nag?

[G]

What's up?

[A]

I've never called you nags before, have I?

[F]

That's usually a Billy nickname is Nags. He really loves that one.

[A]

Yeah. So volleyball season's here.

[F]

It is.

[A]

Maroon and white game coming up.

[F]

Yeah, it feels like just yesterday we were in Kansas City covering a national championship and now I'm like, man, this went by really fast.

[A]

So couple different opportunities to see the Aggies play. We got the maroon and white and then we've got Baylor on Sunday. Is that right?

[F]

Yep. Marino White game tonight at Reed 5:30. Should be an exciting time. Just if you didn't get to go out and some of the spring stuff that they did. Just see. See the new look. Aggies, right? There are eight returners on this team. The most notable Obviously being Kendall stars, Tex AGS intern. And I'm really excited about this, what this group can bring, especially with the eight newcomers. So you have a good balance of, of new and old. Exactly what you know. There's people that know exactly what this program has run like and been like. But you also have this blend of some new, some new girls, new talent coming in. So I'm really excited to see it.

[A]

So when you. Okay. I think you tweeted that they were what, eighth in the, they are eighth

[F]

in the ABCA preseason poll.

[A]

So if they're eighth in that poll and they lost a lot of players from that team, that just shows a lot of respect and room for growth. Right. Like the fact that, that they were able to replenish but they're still unknowns because they're replenishing with people that others don't know about.

[F]

Yeah, I would have probably had them in my opinion. I thought 8 was a little bit high, but it was. I think it's more of a we respect you as a top 10 program now and so we are going to place you there. They actually did receive a first place vote. This is the coaches that vote upon this. So there is obviously a coach that is super high on A and M. But yeah, there are also this poll that came out. They play so many of these teams. Like Jamie Morrison absolutely wanted to go out and play this fiery non conference slate to start. Obviously you play Texas in conference play as well as a couple other SEC teams that are ranked. But you have Louisville right off the bat who's number seven. That'll be a top 10 matchup. You have SMU who's 11. You play Wisconsin number six in the non conference slate. You play Purdue like you're going to in Kentucky. You'll face in the regular season the SEC slate. So he, he really wanted to schedule a hard non conference right off the bat to know exactly what his team is going to look like. They are going to go through some bumps and bruises and cautioning fans now. Right. Like you're going to see losses, they're not going to go undefeated and this is very much so a different team than last year. So. So when you see it look a little bit different or you see losses come along the way, don't freak out. Right. Like not everything is going to result in a national championship.

[A]

So who are some names that we need to know about that maybe we don't know about?

[F]

Yeah, I think Natalie Ring is going to have a huge impact. She's an outside that they brought in from Marquette, who had a huge impact there. She was an all American and I think her and Kendall Stowers being those two outside that duo, arguably the greatest outside duo that you have in the country, rivaling probably only Texas and Nebraska, and those are the number one and number two teams in the country. So really excited to see what that outside duo looks like. We know what Stowers provides. And then in the middle, Kaya Castle is a transfer as well as Eliza Sharp. They're going to look a little bit different from what we were used to with Ofena and Morgan. Just their styles of play. They're going to hit a lot off of one foot, so they're going to run a lot more slides. Which also brings in Lily Nicholson, the new setter. She's provided a lot of experience and depth to that setter room. I'm very, very high on her. She has a lot of experience in her career. She's just going to be a senior, so. So those are just a few of the transfers. And then Gabby Rodriguez I've been super high on since the get go. She will either be A and M's libero or ds. Just provides just a constant presence in the back row. Whether that's. You need a little bit of leadership, a little bit of, you know, just the ability to pass and get it to Lilly very easily. So those are a couple names to watch. And then there's going to be a couple more, especially on the opposite. Megan Fitch, Taryn Morris, who were on the national championship team. They. They're going to have an impact in the opposite role. That is a room that's kind of wide open. Right. Like, you can go and take this job if you really want it and you want playing time. So I think they're going to have a lot more of an impact in their sophomore seasons.

[A]

How are they handling the bullseye?

[F]

Yeah, that's. That's a tough one. I mean, like, it is interesting though, right, because half of the team was there, half of them weren't.

[A]

Yeah.

[F]

So you could say that half of the team doesn't really feel like they have this bullseye on them because they didn't just go through that running.

[A]

But everybody's going to look at them as the national champions.

[F]

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I guess we'll have to see. I mean, right off the bat you face two top 15 teams. So you're going to find out very quickly what kind of team you have, how they respond to adversity. Louisville, it's obviously well known that reverse sweep and you, you kicked them out of the tournament last year and that was a very upset team. Their head coach, Dan Meske has talked a lot on air about how he, he really could not get that game out of his head. Like he just sat there and would think about it and think about it. So obviously that's not. Hasn't gone out of his head. They're thinking about it for sure and like they want to take down the team the end of their season last year. Yeah. So we're going to see exactly how they respond to having that, that bullseye on their back. But I do, I'm really impressed that they've been regarded as this top 10 program now. And I think that's what Morrison, exactly what he wanted to do whenever he came to A and M and the ABC pre ABCA preseason poll, you know, coming with them at number eight. I think it's just a nod to what Morrison's built in such short time.

[A]

All right, so these two opportunities to see them in action, what are you looking out for?

[F]

Yeah, mainly I think that opposite battle, like I talked about Megan Fitch and Taryn Morris. I really want to see who kind of takes that step. They're both going to be sophomores, both had limited playing time last year and obviously we saw Logan led Nikki last year there. It's not going to look the same. Right. But just if you can get production on that side and then the Slabero battle, Adi Applegate and Gabby Rodriguez are going to be battling it out. Obviously we had the A and M had such a great leader and Ava Underwood there last season. And so that is going to be huge just for the leadership of the team who can kind of get people together after. After you lose points or things like that. So those two positions are what I'm going to be really watching for.

[A]

Hey, and just remind me before we hit a break here, last year, the non conference started off really good. There was a little bump in the road in the middle. Right. And then it got good again. Am I remembering that correctly? So we shouldn't read too much into the initial returns. Correct.

[F]

Yeah, they played number 11 Minnesota, right off the bat. And then they had Utah, Utah State. Later on Utah was ranked, but then they went up to DFW, played number 10 SMU, number 15 TCU and lost both of those matches. They got swept by by SMU and that's who they play game two this year. So they have a lot of history with those DFW teams. And I'm. Yeah, like yeah, he's talked about it before. He kind of like that's what he used as the motivation throughout the year because they swept their way through SEC play, they were dominant the entire time. But it's like, hey, you remember those two weekends back in dfw? So not that you ever want to lose games, but it is very Morrison is just the style of coach that can take take things like that, take little miscues and turn it into motivation later on.

[A]

Good stuff, K. Thank you. Of course we'll hit a break. We'll come back with Matt Hayes of USA Today. I think on texact Live.

[G]

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