TexAgs Live - John Harris : 07.15.26

Summary

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TexAgs Live – John Harris (07.15.26)

Podcast: Zone 1150 - TexAgs Live
Host: David Nuño (with Billy Liucci, Olin Buchanan, and the TexAgs Crew)
Guest: John Harris – Houston Texans Sideline Reporter, FootballTakeover.com
Date: July 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of TexAgs Live focuses on the legacy of the McNair family in Houston sports culture, the narratives around key quarterbacks for the Aggies and Texans, and rising storylines ahead of SEC media days. John Harris brings insider perspective on the Texans’ history and A&M football, alongside in-depth, candid conversation about player development, media narratives, and classic Aggie debates.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Remembering Janice McNair & the McNair Family Legacy

[00:00–11:07]

• Janice McNair’s Passing:
  John Harris reflects on the recent passing of Janice McNair, emphasizing how she and her late husband, Bob, were central to bringing the Texans franchise to Houston and contributed vast charitable support to the community.

• Misconceptions about the McNair Family:
  Harris dispels the myth that the McNair family was detached from football, noting their genuine care, positivity, and preference for resolving issues privately to maintain organizational unity.

• Anecdotes Illustrating Character:

  1. Boardroom positivity – “But, John, we have a talented team, though. We have a talented team. We have good coaches, so we can do some good things, right?” (Janice McNair, [~03:30])
  2. Philanthropy at HBU (now HCU) – The McNairs gave the money for Houston Baptist's stadium, demonstrating their pattern of supporting causes even without direct connections.
  3. Charitable impact – “They've given away like $750 million in charitable donations…” (John Harris, [05:25])

• Restoration of NFL in Houston:

  • Bob McNair felt a “civic responsibility” to restore pro football after the Oilers’ departure.
  • NFL preferred L.A., but Houston’s readiness and the McNairs’ resolve made the franchise happen.
  • “He made it kind of his mission. And it really was, I think, about a year, maybe a year and a half later, where the rumblings of, hey, there might be an opportunity to bring football back here…” (Harris, [08:23])

Narratives Around Quarterbacks: CJ Stroud & Marcel Reed

[11:07–17:50]

• Perception vs. Performance:

  • Harris and Nuño discuss how the season-ending struggles for both CJ Stroud and Marcel Reed shaped media and public narratives disproportionately.
  • “It gets a little dangerous out in our media world because so many media members, they want to create a narrative about a particular situation, player, coach…” (Harris, [11:57])

• Film Review Context:

  • Harris, after watching film, notes that Reed’s play wasn’t as bad as headlines claimed – much of it stemmed from miscommunications rather than incompetence.
  • For Stroud, most critics only saw his worst (playoff) games without appreciating his season-long growth.

• Media & Fan Reactions:

  • “People formed their opinion based on the last five minutes of an Emmy-winning show…” (Harris referencing The Sopranos analogy, [13:32])
  • “Our teams, the Aggies and the Texans, will go as their quarterbacks take them… But I do think the narratives got blown out of proportion for both of them only because of the way the season ended.” (Harris, [16:10])

• Key Insight:

  • Both quarterbacks own their performance—no excuses—but broader context matters. The season should not be defined by a single poor ending.

SEC Media Days & Damian Sanford Update

[17:50–22:21]

• Sanford’s Return Signals Optimism:

  • Sanford attending SEC media days is seen as a strong indicator of his health and imminent return.
  • “I gotta think if he's going to media days, that's a great sign that he's going to be ready to go… Maybe not immediately, but pretty close.” (Harris, [18:06])

• Media Days Realities:

  • Harris shares entertaining anecdotes illustrating the unpredictable questions players get at these events, e.g., “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?” ([18:48])
  • Recounts a wild 2006 Miami story involving a player and a gun—showcasing how wild media questioning can get.

Building the Top 25 Aggie Players for 2026

[32:41–41:14]

• Voting & Methodology:

  • The crew discusses criteria and challenges in ranking the projected top Aggie football players for 2026.
  • Arguments about the right mix of established starters vs. newcomers and the trickiness of ranking freshmen or specialists.

• Sample Rankings & Debate:

  • Name drops and debates over players like Mario Craver, Marcel Reed, D.J. Hicks, Dalton Brooks, Isaiah Horton, Reuben Owens, and more.
  • “I think Damian Sanford should be very high on that list… I hope Reuben Owens is high on that list…” (Nuño, [35:07])
  • Discussion of whether to include multiple players from a single position, e.g., wide receiver depth.

• Transparency About Uncertainties:

  • Acknowledges the difficulty in projecting unestablished players and the temptation to favor players with more known production.

Sports & Pop Culture Banter

[23:29–32:41, 41:14–42:46]

• Movies & References:

  • Lively, humorous detour into classic cop movies: “Lethal Weapon,” “Bad Boys,” “Die Hard,” with lighthearted generational banter and playful fake plot summaries.
  • “The premise is… it's a romance comedy. About two buddy cops.” (Nuño jokes, [24:37])

• World Football & Baseball:

  • Brief World Cup and MLB nuggets, including France’s elimination and the A&M baseball context of a recruit turning down a pro offer for the Aggies.
  • “He chose A&M over going to pro… Over the Cardinals.” (Munson, [42:32])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On McNair Family’s Influence:

  • “They made people that were in that building feel like they were part of them in their family. And that's the way I always felt. They were just genuine, beautiful people.”
    — John Harris ([04:39])

• On the Narrative-Driven Media:

  • “So many media members… want to create a narrative… people who didn’t really watch the game… that narrative grows and grows.”
    — John Harris ([12:15])

• On Season-End Perception:

  • “People formed their opinion based on the last five minutes of an Emmy-winning show that went on for seven seasons. And that can happen and it has happened.”
    — John Harris, comparing fandom to “The Sopranos” finale reactions ([13:32])

• On Sanford’s Health:

  • “If they're bringing him to media days, he's gonna be pretty close [to playing].”
    — John Harris ([18:34])

• On the Top 25 Rankings:

  • “If your potential third receiver is in your top 10 and your three best players are wide receivers— that's not a bad problem, by the way.”
    — David Nuño ([37:50])

• Classic Banter:

  • “Lethal Weapon, it’s a romance comedy… They fall in love as partners… like, in a cop, brother-love way.”
    — David Nuño (joking, [24:40])

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Show opens; tribute to Janice McNair
• 01:19 – Misconceptions of the McNair family’s involvement
• 06:44 – Story of restoring NFL football to Houston
• 11:07 – Nuño pivots to quarterback narratives (Stroud, Reed)
• 11:57 – Harris' film breakdown, narrative media issues
• 17:50 – Damian Sanford’s health and SEC media days
• 23:29 – Light banter: Lethal Weapon, movies, pop culture
• 32:41 – Top 25 Aggie football players for 2026 discussion
• 39:59 – Wrapping up top players and voting logistics
• 42:26 – Fresh baseball interview tease, quick soccer talk

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Episode Takeaways

• The McNair family's legacy is one of quiet, profound impact—on Houston, on sports, and on countless philanthropic ventures.
• End-of-season failures don’t define entire seasons or careers—media and fan narratives often miss the nuance.
• Positive injury developments for Aggie linebacker Damian Sanford offer optimism for Texas A&M at SEC Media Days.
• The Top 25 Aggie rankings reveal the program's evolving offensive talent and the perennial challenge of forecasting player production.
• TexAgs Live delivers both sharp football analysis and signature lively banter, bridging sports, culture, and community.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome back to Tech Tech Live. We are presented by David Gardner's Jewelers Rollo Insurance studio hour number two of the program. It's Wednesday at 9am which means a chit chat with our dear friend John Harris, Houston, Texas sideline reporter, FootballTakeover.com founder, and my dear friend, Johnny. Good morning, buddy.

[B]

How are you? Yeah, David, been a tough 24 hours here in Houston, but, you know, celebration of the life of Janice McNair instead of obviously focusing on her passing away, I think is really important. You know, I think about, you know, being on your show with you, David, and, you know, part of that has to be with the fact I'm with the Texans. The Texans don't exist without Janice McNair and obviously Bob McNair. So her passing yesterday, albeit a tough day, I think people celebrating what she and her husband brought back to the city of Houston. So it's been sort of celebratory in a way, in a weird way. But yeah, it's tough finding that out about, basically about 24 hours from yesterday.

[A]

Yeah, Johnny, it's. So I went to Mr. McNair's funeral back in the day or the, the celebration they did at nrg, and I didn't know Janice very well, but I had spoken to her a couple of times. What, what is something that folks get wrong about the McNair family?

[B]

Well, I think probably the biggest one is that, well, they don't care. They just, you know, they brought football back to Houston. They don't really, you know, the Texans didn't win in the playoffs. That's all right. It's a good old try, you know, move on to the next day. They were not wired that way. They were extremely involved with the football team, you know, but they let their football people make the decisions. And there would be times when obviously their voices needed to be heard. And there were times where there were Texans employees and staff and coaches and their voices were heard and they didn't care for what they heard. But they never aired anything out publicly. They never, you know, you know, blasted, you know, Terry Pegula. Going to a press conference last year, the Buffalo bills blasting Sean McDermott, basically. And it was like they, the McNairs were never going to do that. If they had any issue, they were going to. They were going to take it behind closed doors and make everybody understand the mission of the Texans. And that was to bring championships back to Houston, you know, help the communities of Houston and keep things as positive as possible. And look, it's a business where it's not always positive. I mean, you talk to a coach and say, coach, how's it going? And the Coach gives you 50 negative things. But Janice and Bob always kept it positive. And I remember I was in a. I was in a. There was a board meeting going on in one of our big conference rooms one day, and at the time, they wanted Mark and Mark Vandermeer, the voice of Texans, and I, to come in and give us kind of a preview of the season. And as we kind of started, we talked, we started getting some questions from the board that were kind of pointed in, you know, what we don't have, what we're not doing, or, you know, what could be trouble. And I remember it was after about two or three questions, and she finally looked at me, she's like, but, John, we have a talented team, though. We have a talented team. We have good coaches, so we can do some good things, right? And I was glad she did that because I was getting a little frustrated with kind of the questions we were getting. And I said, Ms. McNairy, you're exactly right. And I really kind of pointedly, kind of went through, and I. We got done with the. The meeting, and she came over to me, she gave me a big hug, and she goes, I'm glad you're as positive about this team as I am. And I just, you know, we can fall into that, you know, oh, we don't have this, we don't have that. You know, oh, we love what was us. We lost in New England, but there was a fire there. It was a competitive fire there, but they were going to do it in a positive manner, and they were going to make people that were in that building feel like they were part of them in their family. And that's the way I always felt. And they were just genuine, beautiful people. I'll tell you, this last thing. This was one thing I didn't really. I didn't know I was over there. It was probably my second or third year with the Texans, and I got asked to do some football from college football games on tv. And one of the first games that I did was over at Houston Baptist, now Houston Christian. So I've been to Houston Baptist a million times, but not since they put in a field or stadium. And so I didn't know where it was, so I knew I was in and around the place. And I always show up early, you know that, David. And so I get over there, like, super early. And so, like, I'm the first person they're opening the gate for. And so it gives me kind of an opportunity to walk around a little bit. And I walk over and there's kind of a ticket pavilion, kind of will call area. And I look and they've got this bronze plaque and it's, it's, you know, Bob and Janice McNair. And I read and I'm like, why would. What. What's this about? I was like, you know, they're from North Carolina, South Carolina, Bob in South Carolina, like, what is this all about? They gave the money for that stadium, and I don't think they had any ties that I knew of at the time to hbu. Now hcu. I don't think that. I didn't know they had any connection yet. That was a new program that was started up and the McNairs gave them the money to be able to build that stadium, to be able to put up, you know, a football product in there and get that program, you know, kick started. And they've been able to put guys in the NFL. Jalen Hunt now with the Eagles, you know, they've been able to really build that program. But that doesn't start with the McNairs. And then as I'm there with the Texans a little bit, you know, longer and longer and longer, I realize, man, they're giving money to everybody. They've given them. They've given away like $750 million in charitable donations, and obviously they gave it to HDU. So I think that is probably one part that I found out in the first few years I was over there, how many different entities, charities, schools they gave money to and they helped from the ground up because they always had said, look, everybody needs a little bit of help. And they gave a positive boost to a lot of people in that particular way. So, yeah, they're unforgettable people. And I think that Callen, Hannah McNair will carry the mantle and carry it very, very well. But it's really hard to match what Janice and Bob did for the city of Houston.

[A]

Johnny, I do want to bring up one other thing about the McNairs too, because I was a die hard Oilers fan and there was. And when they left, I felt like it was going to be 10, 20 years before we got an NFL team back in Houston. And it was quickly after. Right. Like, I think within a year they had already their bid in. Right.

[B]

Yeah, it's pretty interesting. And I've actually had the short. I had a short conversation with Mr. McNair about this, and I remember him saying he felt like it was his civic responsibility to the city of Houston to bring football back. But he knew he had to do it right. And I think what was interesting is in John McClain, the Hall of Famer, our good friend, you know, tells a story that the NFL wanted la, they wanted LA badly. I mean, it's, it's like that significant other, you know, that you're, you're chasing and chasing and chasing and he, she's beautiful or he's handsome and you're just chasing. And yet they're so flawed and you're like, I can't do this. Mr. McNair had, and Mrs. McNair had their ducks in a row. They had their, all their money ready to go. He had sold cogent, he had the money that was ready. He was like, we're, we're set, we're ready. And he kept telling me NFL that. They kept telling me NFL that. And the NFL kept saying, look, you know, they were saying, they were saying, without saying it, like, yeah, you know, we really want to be in LA. But Mr. McNair had his ducks in a row and he told John McClain, before the NFL decided on who was going to be the 32nd team, he kept telling him, john, don't worry about it. We're good. They're not ready. They don't have their financing together. They're a freaking mess. We're good. And lo and behold, he's right. And not that people in Houston were like surprised, but there was this thought of, wow, we got this over LA. Now LA ended up getting, you know, their teams eventually as St. Louis, you know, the Rams and the Chargers, they eventually got their la. It took a few years to be able to do that. But Mr. McNair was so buttoned up in how he did his business. And Roger Goodell loved the McNairs. And obviously when you walk in, you know, with Janice McNair, you just, I mean, she was a spitting image of my mother in law and I love my mother in law. And they were just, you know, tremendous people. But Mr. McNair had had his money ready to go. And I'll never forget him telling me, he's like, john, I'm from, I moved here to Houston. Houston is where we raised our kids. It was not always easy. Bankrupt a couple of times, but I felt like I owed it and we owed it to the city of Houston to bring NFL football back. And I always think about that. But I also think about it from the standpoint of how many people like myself, I mean, I don't even know if I'M in Houston, David, if the Texas don't exist, I mean, you know, we started the radio station in 15, 16. They came back for that. But after things went sideways, you know, Mark Vandermeer gave me an opportunity to come over and be with the Texans. I've been there for, you know, 12 years now, 13 years now. And that doesn't happen if the McNairs don't, as I said, take it on as a civic responsibility, the city of Houston, to bring NFL football back. And he was, he was an Oilers ticket holder. He loved games in Houston, and he just felt, you know, so torn when the Oilers left. And he made it kind of his mission. And it really was, I think it was about a year, maybe a year and a half later, where kind of the, I don't say noise that sounds bad, but just kind of the, the rumblings of, hey, there might be an opportunity to bring football back here, and the McNairs might be the right people. And they, they were just patient and they waited, kept telling the NFL, you know, I want to do it in Houston. John McLean told us something last night I thought was interesting, David. He said every time that ownership of a team was kind of up for grabs, the NFL and Roger Goodell would call Mr. McNair and say, hey, this team is up for sale. This team is up for sale. We want you to bid. And Mr. McNair is like, no, I want NFL football in Houston. And it was probably about five or six teams that he turned down until they made the bid for the Texans and ended up getting it and bringing them to Houston. So those two were just instrumental in a lot of people's lives. So when they watch the game at noon on Sunday, you know, they should look above and thank the McNairs and say, I love my Sundays at Reliance Stadium. Well, you have the McNairs to thanks for that. Janice and Bob were such huge parts of our Houston culture as a reason, as a result.

[A]

Johnny, I'm going to ask you a question that I kind of asked Shereen Williams yesterday. Just get your perspective of both CJ Stroud and Marcel Reed. And the reason I'm lumping them together is I think both of them are talked about differently this year entering this season than maybe they were during most of the season last year because of their last couple of games, right? So CJ's obviously terrible ending. Marcel throws an interception last play. I mean, it was a very windy day. It wasn't his best game. We know that he threw some interceptions down the stretch, but if those games maybe don't go differently result wise, but maybe go differently result wise, but they're just average, right? If C.J. stroud doesn't have a horrible playoff game, if Marcel doesn't throw an interception on the last play of the game. I'm just curious, do you think we're talking about those guys differently based on one game, as a close to the body of work?

[B]

Oh, absolutely. You know, it's funny, David, you bring this up because I think when you were on vacation, I was out with Ryan and we got to talking about this and this. It's funny because it hit me as I was talking about it, as I was talking about Marcel, I was like, holy crap, I'm kind of talking about C.J. and as I was talking about C.J. i was like, I kind of talk about Marcel. And I think this is where it gets. It gets a little dangerous out in our media world because so many media members, they want to create a narrative about a particular situation, player, coach, whatever it might be. And after the struggles and look, I've said this before. I've said to you, I've said at the Texas numerous times. I went back, I got the film of the game, of the Miami game, from our film department, and I went and I watched. I watched every throw Marcel made. And I was like, this happens a lot when you're watching film. Like, hey, it's not as good as it seems, not as bad as it seems. And this fell into. It was not as bad as it seemed. You know, there were a couple of miscommunications with receivers where Marcel threw the ball one way and a receiver was maybe trying to work into a different area. There was a few. There were a few of those. There were a couple that Marcel wanted to have back. There's no question about that. But I don't ultimately think that Marcel, he didn't play his best game. He knows that. But I don't think he played as poorly as everybody wanted to portray it. And you know, when a game is over 30 minutes after the game, when you haven't, you sat down and watched really the tape of the game. And you got to write an article. What's your first thought? Well, Marcel Reed didn't play. Look at the numbers A and M didn't move the ball. Look at this, look at that. And that narrative gets created. And then people who didn't really watch the game, but they're relying on Joe Smith from the Associated Press's report, that narrative grows and grows. Now, I'm not Going to sit here and tell you I thought Marcel played a heightened trophy winning game against Miami, but I don't think it was as bad as everybody thought for cj. The New England game, the first half was bad as everybody thought. There's no getting around that. But it's that adage of the Aggies got in the playoffs. That playoff game at noon on. I think it's at noon on a Saturday was seen by the entire nation. And there are a lot of people that probably didn't watch A and M throughout the year and see what Marcel did in games throughout the 2025 season. They saw that one game and they formed their opinion on that one game, and that's very dangerous. I think the same happened for CJ. CJ didn't have the greatest 2025, but you can see the growth in him as an NFL quarterback. But a lot of people watched those two playoff games and those are the only two games they saw of C.J. stroud. Didn't see him against the Niners earlier in the year when he was tremendous without Nico Collins and without Christian Kirk. They didn't see him in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs. They didn't stay up that late on a Sunday night when he's thrown probably three balls in the fourth quarter that, you know, put us in a position to beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead on a Sunday night. And I'm not going to sit here and tell you that CJ was at a really, really, really high level in 2025 regular season like Marcel was, but because of the ending. And that's all you see. I mean, hell, think about a movie. You see the ending and you're like, oh, that movie is awesome. Then you go back and watch the whole movie. You're like, man, that movie sucked except for the ending and vice versa. You know, think of the Sopranos. The Sopranos was a tremendous series all the way along. Lot of people had a lot of issue with the way the ending went. And it was like, man, that season was. That series was so good. And then it ended like that and people were like, man, I hate the Soprano. Well, they formed their opinion based on the last five minutes of an Emmy winning show that went on for seven seasons. And that that can happen and it has happened. My point in all that is going to 2026. I think both of them are. I think Marcel probably not as much as CJ. I think the Texans have done, and CJ's not an excuse maker. But I'm just using phrasing. They've they've taken away any excuse or reason for C.J. not to succeed. Hey, run game. Wasn't there David Montgomery, four offensive linemen. Three. Three. Freedom knew the Texans went out and got. Well, I said David Montgomery, but, you know, they got the three lies on the interior line, so that's gone. They added a tight end in the draft and Marlon Klein. They got a new center in. Keelan rolled. The center was a spot. They maybe struggled a little bit last year. They've taken all the excuses away. Now with Marcel, the offensive line is going to be one, and he won't use it as an excuse, but it's a reason why he could struggle because that's a new group. And so Marcel's probably putting a little bit more on his shoulders. The excuses are really kind of all gone for C.J. marcel. Yeah. Okay. The offensive line has to come together and gel a little bit, but it's still a talented offense and it's still one of the most talented teams in the sec, and it is obviously going to fall on his shoulders. And that is 2026 in a nutshell. Our teams, the Aggies and the Texans, will go as their quarterbacks take them. Now, I don't. You know me when it comes to team sports. I hate that because there's so many things that go into that. But I do think that the narratives got blown out of proportion for both of them. Only because the way the season ended, and both of them will tell you because they know the competitors they are. Yeah, I didn't play very well in those games. I did not play very well. And you ask them why, and they'll point all the fingers at themselves when there were a lot of reasons. A lot of reasons. Not excuses. A lot of reasons why both of them did not play very well at the end. But that definitely not defined the way to me that they played throughout the entire 2025 season.

[A]

Johnny, last thing for you. Damian Sanford is going to be going to SEC media days. The There was fear that he was going to be lost for the year. Billy reported quickly after that. You know, slow down on that. What do you think it means that Sanford is going to SEC media days and potentially what his timeline could look like.

[B]

It's so funny you say that, David, because I. When I saw the list of, you know, who's attending, that was the first thing I stood out. And I went, oh, whoa, that's great news. Now, again, it may not mean a hill of beans. It might just mean, hey, look, he's a great representative of Our program. But I gotta think if he's going to media days, that that's a great sign that he's going to be ready to go. Maybe not immediately in training camp or, you know, maybe he'll wear like a, you know, a green jersey, non contact, whatever. But I thought it was, that was the first thing that stood out. And then if I remember correctly, Mario's not going, right? Is Craver not going? I can't remember who this Craver's not going.

[A]

Nope.

[B]

Yeah, well, that was the other thing set up because I went, wait, holy crap. Oh, wait, hey, Stanford's going. That must mean pretty good things. And then I thought about Craver not going. But then again, look, some people, you know, some players, you know, hate that kind of thing. And you know, I've been to, you've been to media days. You know how it is, you're getting questions from everywhere. You know, if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? You know, when you go to Tennessee, how much you hate the volunteer fans and you're like, okay, so I'm sure that Mario is not missing a whole lot in his estimation, but I did think it was great from that standpoint, that, that felt positive to me. Like, hey, he's probably moving in the right direction again, may not be ready, you know, immediately, but I got to think if they're bringing a media days, he's going to be, he's going to be pretty close because again, if you're sitting there and you're, you know, you're getting one of those media strong. David, what's going to be one of the first questions coming from some media member? Hey, how healthy are you going to be ready to go start the year? Well, even if he was going to, but it was dicey, they wouldn't send him because that's the. How do you answer that question if you're a 22 year old, you know, usually answer honestly. Well, you know, I, you know, it's probably going to take me three to six weeks or whatever. I would imagine that they feel pretty confident where he's going, that he can answer that question relatively easily. You know, hey, progressing really well, hoping I could be ready for the start of the season. And that'll, that'll be news. I mean, that'll absolutely be news for, you know, those in the SEC and obviously those, you know, the tech sags world and you know, AG is everywhere. That's massive, massive news. So I was glad to see that, even though I know some of those guys don't always love the media day type thing. It is a fun event, and I didn't think the players do have a good time. But, man, you get. You get some nonsense questions. I'll tell you this. I'll tell you the story, David. I went my very first media days. It was 2006. It was ACC media days. And so they came in two groups. And so on the second day of Miami. And so basically what they did was they set up these tables and chairs in one of the ballrooms, and they would put a coach at the chair, and then everybody would sit around and ask questions and all this. So it was reported that one of the Miami Hurricanes had been questioned about a firearm that. A gun that he shot off or whatever from his house. And apparently there was like some tussle, and he ran in and got the gun. He, like, shot it off in the air, and everybody, you know, scattered. And so Miami was there the next day. And I'll protect this. This reporter, but the question came up. The question came up about. I can't remember how it was phrased, and I can't remember who the quarterback was, but it was the quarterback for Miami. And at some point, the reporter kind of hearing the question then goes, well, did you have a gun? Do you keep a gun? Do you feel safe with a gun? And I almost fell in my chair. I'm like, holy crap. I mean, that was not the question I was expecting. And I'm sure the quarterback wasn't expecting, but he handled it really, really well. And I just was like, man, they get some nonsense at these media days. I was like, I'm glad that I don't do this, because I probably would have given that guy the stupidest answer possible. And if I would have gone viral so many days, Mario Krager can feel good that he's not there answering those type questions.

[A]

Johnny, great stuff as always, my friend. Appreciate you, sir.

[B]

Yeah, love you, man. See you, bud.

[A]

That's my guy, John Harris on the bupes cannery and bartending hotline. We'll hit a break, and when we come back on Texacts live, we're gonna chit chat. That's what we're gonna do. 30 minutes of nothing but a lot. You know, you can do the belly laugh. It's okay. Wow, that seemed like the joker laughing there. Milliken Reserve time Farm table community in Collar Station. They got homes, they got trails, they got farms, they got wide open spaces. Do you love the earth? Well, you should go to Millikan Reserve. That means you Love the earth. Do you like climbing trees? Probably not if you're older than nine, but it's still fun to do. You like to jump rope? You like to go hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking? Do you like to just throw the ball with your kid? Actually spend time with your family? Do it at Millikan Reserve. It's outdoors. Vitamin E. It's fun. It's a great place to go. They have an extensive network of trails throughout a wooden landscape where you can go walking. Check out the equestrian pass, the creek, the ponds, the gathering areas. They're committed to maintaining and restoring that natural habitat. Go there and enjoy it. The website is millikenreserve.com that website again. Milliganreserve.com Give it to me.

[B]

Give it to me.

[A]

The Louis Polina Show. It's awesome. Sports, barbecue, ice cream and beer.

[B]

Beer and more beer.

[A]

You know where.

[B]

Listen in weekdays, Levita 2 in the zone.

[A]

Back to back, like Lethal Weapon. Back to back, like Drake. I don't know. I think only four people understand either of those references. Is Texas Live. We are presented by David Gardner's jewelers, Rollo Insurance Studio. Munson didn't get it. I think Nikon probably got it. Right, Ed? Nod yes.

[B]

No.

[A]

No. Lethal Weapon. You've seen it. Danny Glover, Mel Gibson. Familiar? No.

[C]

No, haven't seen it.

[A]

So you didn't get the reference?

[C]

No, I didn't. I just.

[A]

Lethal Weapon Part two, I believe was called back to back. Okay. And Drake referenced that movie in a song with. Who's the rapper from Philadelphia? Okay.

[C]

Meek Mill.

[A]

Meek Mill. Good old Meek.

[D]

Actually, I feel like I have seen this movie just a long time ago, like in my younger days.

[A]

Meek Mill or Daniel Weapon.

[C]

She's lying to you.

[A]

Yeah, totally lying. No, tell me what the premise of the show, of the movie, anything about it?

[D]

Isn't it about, like, action, violence, guns?

[C]

That was super generic.

[A]

Actually. It's a romance comedy.

[D]

No.

[A]

Yeah. About two buddy cops. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Danny Glover and Mel Gibson was a romance comedy.

[D]

Really?

[A]

They fall in love as partners. Yeah, seriously. Anyway, like. Like in a cop. Brother love. Anyway.

[D]

Like best friends.

[A]

Yes. Like, they love each other like family,

[C]

like the other guys with bad boys.

[A]

You've seen bad Boys, right? You haven't.

[D]

Bad boys.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Will Smith.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Martin Lawrence. You haven't seen that either?

[D]

Was it in early 2000s?

[A]

Well, they made several. It's like the Fast and the Furious. Every two years there's a new bad boys.

[D]

See, they got to stop doing that.

[A]

I agree. You know that I Am not. You don't know this. The audience may know. I don't watch Fast and Furious. I've tried. They're horrendous. First of all, I don't think Vin Diesel's any good. He just bugs me. That's a. This is supposed to be a football. Football. But I'm sorry. He bugs me. The premise of it, they just drive fast and they're like crime fighters, but they're not. And the police are always after them. And then the Rock has a role somehow, and Jason Statham somehow is involved, but they're in other movies and other franchises. It's just stupid. Okay. I know. So you don't seem to care.

[D]

I do. Tokyo Drift is my favorite one.

[A]

Why do they go to Tokyo? Because the Drift Kings, that's the name of the gang.

[D]

Yeah. I think they're called the Drift Kings.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

I like a guy that's really good.

[A]

I like my love story of Lethal Weapon way better than this. Anywho, what is popping on Texas today?

[D]

So, on texags today, we have pass sticks with Richie Anderson and Houston Thomas. We have a possible column from ob, coverage from the Fort Worth A and M Club coaches night, and the vote in 25 players in 25 days. So go ahead and. Premium subscribers. So you can go ahead and vote.

[A]

Yeah, go vote. And if you haven't gotten your tickets for preseason kickoff, you're missing out. Yeah. Thanks for agreeing with me, Ashley Munson.

[D]

You're welcome.

[A]

I'm going to read this tweet real quick to give this segment a little bit of football think tank here. Leon o'. Neill. We love Leon. Right?

[D]

Okay.

[A]

Audience participation. Thanks, guys.

[C]

Yes, we do.

[A]

I love how everyone is interested in the mind of Coach Elko. The way he sees the game and the way he comes up with solutions for opposing offenses has always impressed me. This is based on, I think from one of his speeches to the coaches convention in San Antonio years back. I just saw it. Every year it makes, like, a resurgence. But I'm just curious what you guys all think. How much do you think these coaches tell the coach? Absolute, like, recipe. I think they give a. You don't want to put too much out there so they know how to combat you.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because these high school coaches are one day maybe going to be college coaches. And these college coaches have access to video, too, believe it or not. They have the Internet. So, like, I'm just curious, how much is. Do you kind of have to hold back? Coach Elko strikes me as a guy who doesn't hold back. Like back in the day, aging myself again. The Utah Jazz, who I hated with Jerry Sloan, Carl Malone and Stockton, they did the same offensive set every time. You know what that was? Nygren.

[C]

I know they ran the same one. I don't remember what the name of it was.

[A]

The pick and roll. That's all they did. Stockton, Malone, pick and roll. Right. Would it be a pick and pop? Would it be a pick and roll? But it was hard to stop the mailman going down the lane. And you can know what they're going to do, but can you stop what they're going to do? And I'm just saying, I think sometimes really good coaches, it doesn't matter if you. I mean, you should know the plays. Hello. Don't want to talk about a World Series. But what you should. If you can't stop it, it's because they're running it to perfection. So I don't know if Coach Elko holds back too much and everything is nuanced. Right. It's going to be based on your personnel. Now he's bringing up old examples of old quarterbacks. And this, of course, I think was from, like, 2018, 2019. So, anyway, we're going to hit a break. We'll come back. I got a little football thing for you. No, we won't talk about Lethal Weapon. We won't talk about Die Hard. We won't. Have you seen Die Hard?

[D]

Yes. My dad plays that every single Christmas.

[A]

Yeah. You think of it as a Christmas movie.

[D]

I don't, but he does. So I'm there for family time, so I'm going to watch it with him.

[A]

But, Nigran, you've watched Die Hard.

[C]

I've seen it. I do not consider it a Christmas movie.

[A]

Do you know the main actor in it, Bruce Willis? Do you know his name on the movie?

[C]

I do not.

[A]

John McClane.

[D]

Wow.

[A]

See, I only do this because I forget. Like, obviously in the first segment, I said I didn't talk about Cassius Howell for a moment. Right. So I have seen your moments. But I also can recall. This is classic dementia. I can also recall things from the 80s that have no reference or revelance in my life today. Like the 1988 Oakland A's starting shortstop was Walt Weiss. I'm just saying, like, this is what I do, and I lose the audience. All right, so we'll talk Heritage films now. We had John Harris on the show earlier. I love John. John and I worked together at 1560. The game became great friends. We worked together at Sporting News Radio. He did a national show right after mine. Humble brag that I had a national show that nine people listen to. And also we've just been buddies this whole time. Right? And the guy who hired us and put us in the same room with my buddy Raheel that I do no layups with is Chance McClain. Chance McLain, if he does something, is going to be great. Outside of hiring me, everything he's done has been great. From starting 1560 to being the program director at 6:10 to doing Hollywood movies, to doing red carpet shows, to Broadway musicals, he's done it all in the last five years. He has focused on people's stories and that's why he started Heritage Films. They'll do your documentary, your dad's documentary, your mom's documentary, your grandpa's documentary, even that creepy uncle of yours documentary. He can do it all. Family business, family ranch. And he'll do it in a first class two hour form, just like a Netflix documentary. Check out the website YourHeritageFilm.com YourHeritageFilm.com or call them up. 7138-9383-4171-3893, 8341.

[B]

Music, history and some occasional sports. Shia powered chip Howard. Weekdays four to six on the zone. 11:50am Number one, the 93.7 FM.

[A]

So Matt says in plastic, David L. With my fake version of Lethal Weapon. What else have I had an L on? On movies I, I don't watch a lot like I haven't watched. I said it wasn't going to be about movies. I apologize. But I came up with a couple things. Talk about. So just hold your horses, people. So train shiner said a little known fact. Richard Gere was originally cast as McClane but eventually turned it down. No way. It would have been as good as I like Richard Gere, I think, but it would have been terrible. He also almost turned down Pretty Woman. You've seen Pretty Woman for sure.

[D]

What's her name?

[A]

Julia Roberts.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

A movie about a prostitute that we all. Yeah. She falls in love. It happens. Some other fast facts. John Travolta was the studio's top choice to play Forrest Gump. That would have been a disaster. That would have been horrible. Indiana Jones, stunt double. Harrison Ford was not the first choice to wear the fedora. Tom Selleck originally cast as Indiana Jones.

[C]

Not awful.

[A]

Not good.

[C]

Not awful, but not great.

[A]

Will Smith famously turned down the role of Neo in the Matrix. You've watched the Matrix. Do you know what I'm talking about?

[D]

Isn't it like A guy with glasses and he wears a long cape.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Like bits and parts.

[A]

Yeah. He falls in love with his mentor.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Who's the actor? Laurence Fishburne. Anyway, apparently Cary Grant was supposed to be James Bond. Interesting. Anyway, Reese Niagara. And you came up with a good topic, or. Actually, I think Nick came up with a good topic for you.

[C]

Yeah, Nick actually came up with it, as he just told me that I can take credit for it, but I wanted to get our predictions on who we think will be the top five in 25 and 25.

[A]

Well, I think this segment's gonna be really short because I've already done it. I made. I haven't turned in my list so I could change it, and I don't want to tell the people what my list is, so I'm gonna, like. I'll give you some maybes. Okay. I'll give you some people that I'm considering. But, Nigren, do you have an idea of your. You probably haven't thought this through yet, have you?

[D]

No.

[A]

I'll give you a second to think it through. Nygren, tell me some people. I don't want to. You for sure. Okay. If you want to tell me your top five, tell me your top five.

[C]

Yeah, I'm. I'm a small part of the vote, but my top five, in order is Mario Craver at number one, Marcel Reed at number two, D.J. hicks at number three, Isaiah Horton, or, excuse me, Dalton Brooks at four and Isaiah Horton at five.

[A]

Okay. I think it's a really good, solid list, almost similar to mine, but not. Okay. I think that's. I think that's really good.

[C]

I've gotten my top ten for filled out.

[A]

All right, just give me your ten.

[C]

I don't care. Number six, Des Ricks. Number seven, Marcus Ratcliffe. Number eight, Anto Saka. Number nine, Mark Naboo. And number ten, Damien Sanford.

[A]

Okay. And I just want to ask a couple questions because I. I don't know if I processed all that information. Did Abr make that list?

[C]

He's number 11.

[A]

Okay. Did Jamari Amora make that?

[C]

He did not.

[A]

Okay. Okay. I'm gonna just give you a little bit of my top 10, thinking I could be wrong. I. I've been working on it. I did, like, an initial list, then I kind of played with it a little bit. Then I tried to go back and remember my notes from spring ball. Who's playing where, who's getting some more opportunities? But did anybody on the offensive line make your. Yes. You said Mark Naboo, right?

[C]

Mark Naboo. Made it at number nine.

[A]

Okay, so first off, I think your top.

[B]

Your.

[A]

There's a. There's. I'm not going to say exactly, but I do believe Mario Craver has to be very high on everybody's list. I also believe that Marcel Reed has to be very high on everybody's list. I'm not saying they're my 1 and 2. I'm just saying that they have to be very high from an offensive perspective. I believe, and I don't think I heard it, I could be wrong. Damian Sanford should be very high on that list. Was Sanford on your list?

[C]

He was number 10.

[A]

Okay. I would have him higher. I don't know where, but I would have him higher. I think D.J. hicks absolutely should be high on that list. I think Anto Saka has got to be high on that list. I hope Reuben Owens is high on that list. Did you say Reuben?

[C]

I did not say Reuben Owens, but he.

[A]

Your. Your mic died. Thanks.

[C]

I'm sorry. I think it's hard for me to put. Where to put Anto Saka just because I haven't really seen a lot of him.

[A]

But you have to see it with your own eyes.

[C]

I have to see it with my own own two eyes, Anto Saka. But the things I've heard about him are really good.

[A]

Yeah. That's what makes. Like for instance, I typically in the past don't do a lot of freshmen on my 25 because I don't have enough body of work at this level to make an educated assessment based on the limited practice I've been able to watch a lot of times when they're doing spring balls during the show. But I think Aaron Gregory could absolutely be one of your top 25 players. Right. I don't know if he will be. Again, I typically do not pick freshmen. Often I'm sure I have to go back and look. And a lot of times I don't pick special teamers. It's just been kind of my philosophy. And I should. Like last year would have been really nice to have, you know, one of your 25 best players be your kicker. That would have been great. Maybe the season feels different or maybe it doesn't, but. But David Olano does. He makes people's 25 based on what he's done at a prior stop. Right. So. And the reason we're talking about is we just posted a little While ago our 25 and 25 voting on the premium board. So if you're a Tech Sacs premium subscriber, you can do it and get your vote in. But it's these. These lists are always difficult because we're projecting and we don't have the benefit of development. I do think OB and I need to probably look back. We always say this and we never do because we never want to show how wrong we are. But we probably do need to look at like last year's 25 and 25. So. But. All right. So is there somebody Nigran that you almost put in your top 10? That's just right outside. Because you just need to see a little bit more.

[C]

I think Jamari and Morrow is that guy. Just. I just need to a little more from him. I. I trust the potential is there. We saw glimpses of it last year but I just can't quite put him in my top 10. ABR. I've seen enough from ABR but it's just so hard to fit him into the top.

[A]

Well, if your potential third receiver is in your top 10 and your three best players are wide receivers, that's not a bad problem, by the way.

[C]

No, that's a pretty good problem.

[A]

It's a good problem to have. But like does that mean on if you. If you had to only limit it to 2 per position which I think I have a rule like that I need to go back. I have. I kind of made my own criteria.

[C]

Bad rule.

[A]

But I mean you were trying to spotlight the team. Right. So would. If you could only have two. What does that mean about some of the players right around it? Yeah, he's just as good. I've just seen more from abr so I think. I think Morrow is an excellent one. Marco Jones is another name that I think is probably going to come up high based on potential. Not what we've seen. Right. We've seen a lot from him. Noah McHale, a lot of potential there. Probably going to play a lot more football this year. He's somebody. Ray Koni, another linebacker. I feel like it's the linebacker radio show. But Ray Kony is a guy that did it elsewhere. Tulsa. But how does that his game translate to here? What other players? Tafik Bayard, every time. What was that? Tofik Tafik fired. I think he could be. Ricky Gibson could end up being that dude. He didn't play last season. You know we had Des Ricks in your top 10, right?

[C]

Yeah, he was in there. He was up at number six. So just outside my top five.

[A]

I'm not going to put a fourth wide receiver. But Terry Bussey has the ability to be on Everybody's 25. If he just takes a step, just

[C]

classify him as a return man.

[A]

Just.

[C]

Then you don't. Then you don't have a fourth receiver

[A]

or just a football player. Right, that too. So these, these are all interesting conversations to have the linemen. Like, I Hope you have three, four, five offensive linemen in your top 25. I hope. Wilcom Formby is that dude. Tyree Adams is that dude. Some of the younger players, Lamont Rogers, does he sneak in? I say sneak in. It would be a sneak into the audience. But does he have an opportunity to get in that. And Bourdon, Robbie Bourdon, does he sneak in for some people.

[D]

What about Isaiah Horton?

[A]

He should absolutely be in your top 10. I think he was number.

[C]

He's my five.

[A]

Yeah, he's your five.

[C]

I think real quick, just going back to Alano, just based on the sheer fact of the 25 players, that's if you take every starter on offense, every starter on defense, you still have three spots left over. So I think by default David Alana will make it. Even though on mine he'll make just.

[A]

So Matthew's very controversial today. He says David Alano at 13 argue with the wall. I didn't have him at 13.

[B]

So he's.

[C]

Matthew's putting him at 13.

[A]

Oh, he's putting him at 13. Okay. Yes. If he is your 13th best player, I hope he's hitting 70 yard field goals.

[D]

I agree.

[A]

Did you want to give me before we had to break your top five?

[D]

Or I can.

[A]

Do you have it? Let's go.

[D]

Marcel Reed at number one, Mario Craver at number two, Dalton Brooks at number three, Ruben Owens at number four and ABR at number five.

[A]

All right. All wide receiver U. Let's go. Oh, did he have two or three? Three wide receivers there in your five?

[D]

I think I.

[A]

Two, two.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And Isaiah Horton right outside of that. Is that right?

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

You give the tie to the player who's been here longer.

[D]

Yeah. That's understandable.

[A]

Let's talk about Paragon Financial. When you're looking for real peace of mind when it comes to your money, check out Aggie owned Paragon Financial Advisors. They're an independent fiduciary serving clients all across Texas. No sales pitches, no commissions, just honest financial planning and investment management. And what sets them apart is the over nine CFPs, the CFA and the CPA or all on staff. They take their credentials seriously and they work tirelessly to help you build a future that you can feel good about. Go to paragon-adv.com or give them a call. 979-693-3907. To schedule your free consultation today is Paragon Financial Advisors. Integrity, expertise and trust. Paragon Financial Advisors, blending Southern culture with college football. You guys are awesome. Music, sport commentary and more.

[B]

It's Marty and McGee.

[A]

Marty and McGee, Saturday mornings from 6 to 9 in the zone.

[B]

11:50am and 93.7 FM.

[A]

Six minutes from the Goat. Jason Howell, recruiting analyst here on Tech SAGS Live. We'll chitchat with him. That's brought to you by America Momentum Bank. But we just found out some great information. Exclusive interview coming to TechSags.com today. Ashley Munson. You want to tell the people what's going to happen?

[D]

There is an exclusive interview with Clayton Freshcorn coming out later today.

[A]

And why is that a big deal? Munson?

[D]

Because he chose A and M over going to pro.

[A]

Pro.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Over the Cardinals. Yeah. So. And he could be your. I don't know. I should probably ask Bronnie. Friday starter, Saturday starter. I don't know.

[C]

I think it's between him and Aiden Sims for who gets that Friday start.

[A]

We got a long way. Baseball season just ended.

[C]

Right.

[A]

So we got a long way to figure that out. And you have. I don't know if you've noticed, I haven't brought up World cup as much this week because I don't know, US lost. Ronaldo lost. Who else lost? France lost yesterday. Argentina is going to definitely win it again, it feels like. But what match do we have today?

[D]

England and Argentina taking place in Atlanta

[A]

Today at 2:30pm Jude Bellingham trying to get that golden boot. Nygren, you've been paying attention.

[C]

I have been paying attention. Kevin Boppe lost yesterday.

[A]

But Kevin Boppi.

[C]

Yeah, Kevin Boppi lost.

[A]

Is that like a B team joke in mls?

[C]

If he wanted to anyway. So who cares?

[A]

Is that a B team joke? Kevin Boppe, I'm sorry.

[C]

No, it's not. It's a young people joke.

[A]

Kylian Mbappe did lose yesterday. France looked horrendous. Spain has not given up a golden the entire World Cup. Will they give one up in the final? That's the only way they lose. All right. When we come back, Jason Howell talking about recruiting on Recruiting Country. We'll talk to him. Talk about the newest commit, Makai Allen and much, much more. You listen to the world famous Texas Live. The Sherwin Williams summer sale is here. Get 30% off select paints and stains or 35% off our newest product, Emerald Symmetry, July 17th through the 27th. Whether you're refreshing your interior or exterior. We've got the colors to bring your vision to life. And with delivery, getting everything to your door is easier than ever. Shop online to have it delivered, or visit your neighborhood Sherwin Williams store. Click the banner to learn more. Retail sales Only some exclusions apply. See Store for details. Delivery available on qualifying orders.