TexAgs Live - Ryan O'Bryant : 07.28.26

Summary

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TexAgs Live – Ryan O'Bryant : 07.28.26

Date: July 28, 2026
Host: Dan and crew
Special Guest: Ryan O’Brien (Texas A&M football alumnus)

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Episode Overview

This episode of TexAgs Live focuses on preseason optimism (or pessimism) among Aggie fans as Texas A&M football heads into the 2026 season. The crew assesses which SEC teams are set to improve on their 2025 records, debates reasonable expectations for the Aggies, and welcomes former player Ryan O’Brien for insights into athlete development, mental preparation, and his new youth mentorship initiative, Grit Academy. The discussion closes with viewer questions surrounding NIL, jersey sponsorships, and Texas A&M's receiving corps.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Aggie Fan Outlook: Optimism vs. Pessimism

Timestamps: 00:35–03:13

• The hosts debate whether Aggie fans (and themselves) are more optimistic or pessimistic entering each season.
• Dan describes himself as “bipolar Aggie”—able to be both optimistic and pessimistic about the season simultaneously:
  • "I'm a bipolar Aggie. Right? Shout out to all the bipolar Aggies out there… I always think there's going to be a loss or two you shouldn't have. Whatever your ceiling is that year… subtract two." (Dan, 02:22)
• Poll proposed: Are listeners “optimistic” or “pessimistic” about 2026?

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2. Which SEC Teams Will Improve in 2026?

Timestamps: 03:13–18:56

Teams Likely to Improve:

• Florida
  • New coach John Summerall; 2025 record: 4-8.
  • "If they win seven games, I think that would be a huge season for them… Jaden Ball is great.” (Dan, 05:38)
  • Favorable early schedule; consensus is 6–7 wins likely.
• South Carolina
  • Also 4 wins in 2025; offense upgrades with Kendall Briles as coordinator.
  • “22.7 points per game, second to worst… But I do believe with Briles, they'll be significantly better.” (Dan & Matthew, 07:28)
• LSU
  • 2025 record: 7-6. Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. join; better talent.
  • “They're at least an eight-win team this year, if not nine or ten.” (Dan, 08:15)
  • Key question: Will QB Sam Levitt be healthy?
• Arkansas
  • Only 2 wins in 2025. “‘This is the easiest one on the list… They'll win more than two games.’” (Dan, 10:12, 11:05 disagree from Nick)
• Kentucky
  • 5 wins last year; new coach and top-15 transfer class.
  • “I do believe that Kentucky is a six to potentially seven win team this year… But it may be hard to get to that six win total.” (Dan, 11:29)

Teams Unlikely to Improve:

• Mississippi State
  • 5-8 last year; uncertainty but possible for a slight improvement.
• Vanderbilt
  • 10-2 previously: “Vanderbilt’s not going to win 11 games; I was shocked when they did it last year.” (Dan, 13:18)
• Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas
  • For high-achieving teams in 2025, “it’s much harder to win more.”
  • “I would not automatically put A&M on the more-wins category as much as I want to.” (Dan, 14:16)
  • Realistic expectation for A&M is around 9–3.

Notable Quote:
"Would you trade a 9–3 and playoff win season over 11–2 losing your playoff game?"
—Dan, 15:21
"Absolutely."
—Matthew, 15:21

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3. The Impact of Vegas Win Totals and Coaching Transitions

Timestamps: 18:49–20:18

• Discussion of Vegas setting Arkansas’ win total at 4.5.
• Dan remains bullish: “If I’m wrong we’ll never bring up this topic, if I’m right, I’ll tell you every day of next season.” (11:02 & 18:56)

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4. Main Concerns for Texas A&M Headed into 2026

Timestamps: 20:24–23:56

• Viewer question: Top concern for A&M’s season?
  • “My number one concern is the offensive line… how long does it take for an offensive line to come together? That’s my concern.” (Dan, 21:15)
  • Coach Elko “feels good” about the new talent after SEC Media Days.
• Other issues: Can QB Marcel step up? Position depth, road schedule.

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5. Ryan O’Brien Interview: Athlete Development & Grit Academy

Timestamps: 26:44–38:47

Grit Academy

• Mission: Bridge the gap for sub-varsity (junior high/high school) athletes mentally, physically, and emotionally, prepping them for varsity.
  • “We’re going to do speed and agility, lifting, but the biggest is the mentorship piece… goal setting, mental toughness, handling life.” (Ryan O’Brien, 27:06)
• Nine-month mentorship: skills, mental resilience, life advice.
• Sign-up at ryanobriant.com (29:56, 38:26).
• Personal note: “Happy Birthday, Christina!” (Ryan O’Brien, 38:40)

Athlete Preparation and In-Season Maintenance

• “If you’re going into fall practice trying to get in shape, you’re already too late… it’s too competitive.” (31:33)
• Importance of depth: “Are you playing 8–10 O linemen in the beginning? …if you’re only two deep, it’s tough to be successful.” (34:03)
• Durability with expanded SEC schedule; necessity of playing backups more early to save starters for longer season.

Offensive Line, Run Game, and Holman Wiggins’ Impact

• Offensive line chemistry crucial: Four new transfers or young players will require time to jell.
  • “You have to play as a unit… rotate 8–10 linemen to see what’s best.” (Ryan O’Brien, 35:21)
  • Quarterback/running back play (Marcel, protection, quick releases) aids O-line.
• Running game:
  • Praise for RB room: Reuben Owens “the black unicorn,” Jamari and others have home-run ability: “Turn a 10-yard gain into a 60.” (Ryan O’Brien, 37:48)
  • Marcel’s mobility adds a new dimension.

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6. NIL & Sponsorships: Corporate Logos on Jerseys?

Timestamps: 40:35–42:58

• Discussion about Ohio State’s new JP Morgan jersey patch and its relation to the growing NIL arms race.
  • “Not everything is for sale for Texas A&M… but as universities run their marketing more like the NFL, more sponsorship money is inevitable.” (Dan, 41:11)
• Touches on Stanford’s effort to unionize athletes—a potential next step in NIL era evolution.

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7. Aggies Receiving Corps & CBS Sports Ranking

Timestamps: 43:00–43:22

• CBS Sports ranks A&M’s pass-catchers sixth nationally (third in SEC).
• Craver, Horton, Bussey, Bethel, Roman and others mentioned as high-impact and deep group.
• Jerome Miles highlighted as an underappreciated playmaker if healthy.

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Notable Quotes

• "I'm a bipolar Aggie. Right? …I always think there's going to be a loss or two you shouldn't have. …Subtract two from the ceiling." —Dan (02:22)
• "For me, it's the offensive line. …How long does it take for an offensive line to come together?" —Dan (21:15)
• "You have to have chemistry within the offensive line… they have the talent, but what you got to have is you got to play as a unit." —Ryan O’Brien (35:21)
• "If you're going into fall practice trying to get in shape, you're already too late in my opinion because it's too competitive." —Ryan O’Brien (31:33)
• "What you need to have at the running back position is [the] ability to hit home runs… all those guys have that potential." —Ryan O’Brien (37:48)
• "Not everything is for sale for Texas A&M… but as universities start running their marketing more like a NFL franchise, more money's on the way." —Dan (41:11)
• "Would you trade a 9 and 3 and playoff win season over 11 and 2 losing your playoff game?" —Dan (15:21) "Absolutely." —Matthew (15:21)

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–03:13: Optimism vs. pessimism among Aggie fans
• 03:13–18:56: SEC teams likely to improve/not improve in 2026
• 20:24–23:56: Main concerns for A&M’s season (offensive line, road schedule)
• 26:44–38:47: Ryan O’Brien interview: athlete development and the Grit Academy
• 40:35–42:58: NIL, jersey sponsorships, and college athletics business trends
• 43:00–43:22: A&M’s receiver corps and national recognition

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Takeaways

• Fans and hosts remain hopeful yet cautious regarding A&M’s 2026 season, with personnel and chemistry as the focus.
• SEC parity: Easy improvement for lower-tier teams; challenging for last year’s leaders to exceed win totals.
• Expert insight (Ryan O’Brien): Success hinges on depth, mental resilience, and preparation—both physical and psychological.
• Aggie fans have reason for excitement about the skill positions but must be patient as the new offensive line and coaching philosophies take shape.
• NIL landscape and athletic department marketing are rapidly evolving, bringing new challenges and opportunities for Texas A&M and its SEC peers.

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For more information on Grit Academy:
Visit ryanobriant.com (29:56, 38:26)

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Transcript

[Dan]

I could see Nick dancing at his wedding tour. So, like, that was maybe the. When it came on, he was like, hold on, groomsmen. I gotta go hit the dance floor right now.

[Nick]

This song did not play at my wedding. Me and Maura had. This is more common now, but a list of do not plays, and it was pretty much like every basic wedding song you've ever heard.

[Dan]

Come on, man. I can see. Can't you see, Nick?

[Nick]

Like, I don't want any Bruno Mars playing at my wedding. Thank you very much.

[Dan]

Nick has got, like, a martini in one hand and, like, a bottle of Patron in the other.

[Radio Announcer]

Come on.

[Dan]

Just, like, walking in, just shaking.

[Nick]

Come. Come on, bruh.

[Dan]

Come on, bro.

[Nick]

Martini.

[Matthew]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Martini, Nick.

[Nick]

No.

[Dan]

Tech tags line. We're presented by David Gardner's Jules Wallow Insurance studio. So I got a couple of YouTube chats that I wanted to talk about before I get into this topic this hour, but. So AJ Or Ajo Manza. Okay. Real name, not fake. I did a search. Okay. He's listening. In the Dominican Republic, so appreciate that. He's watching in the Dominican Republic. Shout out to you. We've got K.M. cowdock, 90. So he says, counterpoint. Nuno. I'm an 87 grad at the very beginning of Jackie, and I'm always cautiously optimistic. Can we do a poll, Nick? You think that's possible? We can do a poll on YouTube.

[Nick]

On YouTube, yeah. What do you want to do?

[Dan]

Are you a optimistic ag or a pessimistic ag? Because I feel like I only hear from the pessimistic guys, except for Cowdoc. Right. But I feel like. And before we. You know, let's go around the room. Okay.

[Nick]

Are you.

[Dan]

And now you. Your. Your entrance into A and M is very late. Right. Like, when did you think about. What year did you start thinking about A and M?

[Matthew]

Would have been two years ago.

[Dan]

Okay, so the beginning of Elko.

[Matthew]

Yeah.

[Dan]

So all, you know, last year was

[Matthew]

the beginning of Elko.

[Dan]

Yeah. So all you know is like, yeah, it's pretty good.

[Matthew]

Yeah. I was pessimistic at the start.

[Dan]

Yeah. I don't think you can.

[Matthew]

I feel like I'm optimistic now.

[Dan]

Okay. Brief. Nick. What are you.

[Nick]

I would say preseason optimistic. I would say I was probably pessimistic before I started working here, or at least in the. In the biz, I guess, but. Yeah.

[Dan]

Okay. What do you think I am? What would you.

[Nick]

Pessimist. No. Yeah, pessimist.

[Dan]

I don't think I'm a pessimist.

[Nick]

All times.

[Dan]

You're pessimist No, I think I'm a. I'm both, like, in the same conversation. I go from very optimistic to pessimistic. You know, like, it's just. I'm a bipolar Aggie. Right? Shout out to all the bipolar Aggies out there. Like, I. I can make a case for both of them. Like, I think, you know what I am. I'm always thinking there's going to be a loss or two you shouldn't have. And whatever your ceiling is that year. Let's say your ceiling is 11 and 1. I'm then, like, 9 and 3. If your ceiling is 10 or 2, you're 8 and 4. Because I feel like I always think Elko is helping me get rid of that, by the way, like, it's slowly like a toothpaste, you know, at the very end, where you have to, like, fold it so many different ways to get a little bit last bit out. That's. We're there. Elko has done such a good job with the program that, like, I'm almost, like, beyond that, but in my mind, I'm like, yeah, I'm just. I think two extra losses. So I'm curious. We'll check the that here in a little bit. I know that some people are starting to vote right now, so we'll check on that in a little while. So embrace preseason buzz, all that stuff. There are shows around the country right now that are doing a similar kind of show today as their camps are about to begin, and, like, what they think about their team. So I was going to ask. And again, this can be a think tank. Which SEC teams do you all think will win more games in 26 than they did in 2025? Now, here's the easy and hard part of this exercise. When we go through these teams, guys, if you've won a bunch of games, it's harder to win more, right? So you can be a better team, per se. And I'm talking regular season wins, okay? You can be a better team, per se, and not win as many games, Right? You could be a worse team, win more games, and still suck. Right? So. But I just kind of want to go through what these teams have done and what I expect them to do this year. So, for instance, I'm going to use teams that I feel pretty confident are going to win more games. All right? And then, you know, math, right? You can figure out if it's, like, 25% more wins. Whatever. You could do it on the fly. I know. You're like a calculator coughlin. So, like, for me, the easy ones are the ones that sucked last year with new coaches. Right. They got to be better. They don't have to be, but I think Florida will be significantly better. Florida won four games last year. Okay. If they win seven games, I think that would be a huge season for them. Right. I think John Summerall is a coach that I would like to play for, not that he would ever recruit me. I think that they already have good talent that stayed around. They don't have. Billy Napier was terrible, which is weird because he had all the same John Summerall hype few years back. It just did not work. And sometimes coaches come to the sec. It doesn't work. Jaden Ball is great. So they went 4, 8 last year. They're going to be a better team. And I don't even think it's a debate how much better is what the question is going to be. And Nick, if you can give me the full schedule where I can read it and not need eyeglasses for an old man, the first half of the season, to me is going to determine what kind of year that they have. Because all those games are pretty manageable until you get to the Texas game. Right. Florida Atlantic, I know that was a. They lost last year. They're not going to lose again. Campbell at Auburn. Auburn's a team in the exact same position. Ole Miss, that's going to be hard for them. Right? They're hosting Ole Miss. That'll be tough. You've got at Missouri, I think, very winnable. South Carolina, hard game, but you get them at home at Texas, if you can win, I think, let's see, 1, 2, 3, 6, 4 of those games to start. I think you're going to win seven. I think you can beat Florida State, although they'll be different. Vanderbilt is not going to be the same at Kentucky to end the season. Oklahoma and Georgia. So I'm fairly confident based on what they have coming back and what their schedule, how it lines out, that they'll win at least six, seven games, which would be obviously more. Agree. Disagree.

[Nick]

Yeah, I was about to say looking at the schedule, like Florida Atlantic, Campbell, win, win. Got a chance to beat Auburn. Got a chance to beat South Carolina at home. Kentucky definitely on the road. And you know what will Florida State be? Will Mike Norvell even be around when they play that game at the end of the season? So there's possible five or six wins right there, which would make them marginally better, but better than last year.

[Dan]

Yeah, I'm going to go 67 wins. And I don't say that to be funny. South Carolina, you already know that. I'm. I was not scared of them at all last year and I'm scared of them this year. Right. Because I jumped from side to side. They won four games last year. They're. They're going to be vastly improved. Vastly improved. Lenore Sellers returns. Dylan Stewart returns. Kendall Briles takes over an offense. And you might want to Google this. I believe they were in the bottom last year of scoring in the SEC. Like I think like 22 points a game, something like that.

[Nick]

22.7 points per game, but who knows where that ranks. Matthew will have to get that right.

[Dan]

But 22.7 with, I do believe with Kendall Browse taking over that offense and you know, a little bit more time with players getting a little bit more seasoned, I think they're going to be significantly. Harbor, Nick harbor, if he can. He's a very straight line wide receiver. If he can actually learn how to run routes. We saw him straight line against A and M. I think they are. Absolutely. Again, this exercise seems easy for the four win teams because you made a coaching change. You shouldn't be worse. You have something for me?

[Matthew]

Yeah. They're second to worst.

[Dan]

Second to worst.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Okay.

[Dan]

Another one I think should be pretty easy. LSU, they won seven games last year.

[Nick]

They went 7 and 5, 7 and 6.

[Dan]

They're at least an eight win team this year, if not a nine or ten win team. A lot of people have them in the playoffs. Right. Lane Kiffin is a significantly better coach. He is. I'm sorry, you may not like him. He's really good. Charlie Weiss Jr. Goes with him, that offense, whoever he works with, and I think Blake Baker, who cannot figure out Marcel Reed and I hope he never figures him out, is a very good defensive coordinator. The question for LSU to me will be, is Sam Levitt healthy? If Sam Levitt is healthy and he's able, he will produce with Lane Kiffin. That's just how it works. September schedule for them though is the interesting one. But yes, yeah, you look at September, they've got that, that part right there where they've got Ole Miss in Texas A and M and you know, after that it's manageable. But if they, if they. And old Clemson. I forgot about Clemson to start. Although I don't believe in Clemson. You look at that start of the season, that first month, you'll know what kind of team they're going to be in that first year and it'll be interesting. And then look at, look at their November, Alabama, Texas, at Tennessee. Like if they get off to a bad start, that 7 win win total from last year is not a guarantee to be eclipsed. Although I feel pretty good that they'll beat Clemson, they'll split the Ole Miss, Texas A and M game and hopefully lose the A and M. I feel pretty good about that. Lane Kiffin might have his best game of the year at Ole Miss against all that adversity. So I'm there. Where are you guys on lsu?

[Matthew]

Pretty much. Yeah. I think you hit it on the button. I think eight wins would be the low end. I would say eight to nine range. For me that last stretch, I think they probably go two and one. So that'd be sitting at nine and three.

[Dan]

Yep. Okay, Nick. Arkansas, how many games did they win last year?

[Nick]

They won two games last year, two and 10.

[Dan]

This is the easiest one on the list. They'll win more than two games. How many more? Maybe one. I don't know. I mean, actually, I look at that and I'm like, I don't know, like

[Nick]

North Alabama and Tulsa, they're your two wins.

[Dan]

Well, they got to win more for this exercise to work.

[Nick]

Yeah, yeah, I know.

[Dan]

They'll win a N SEC game, right? A SEC game. They'll win one. They almost beat A and M last. They didn't almost beat A and M. That was a shootout, though.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Like, that was.

[Dan]

That was scary. They had it, but it was scary. So do we all feel confident that they're going to win? At least they have a new coach. Also offensive line coach, by the way. Silverfield, Maine. I'm not as confident on this one, but yes, I do think that they win more than two. Agree, Disagree.

[Nick]

Group, disagree. Yeah, I disagree.

[Dan]

You think they go two wins again?

[Nick]

Yes.

[Dan]

I don't. They're going to double their win total. They're winning four. Another one. I feel very good about their win total going up. I might be wrong, but sometimes I am. And if I'm wrong, we will never bring up this topic again. If I'm right, I will tell it to you every day of next season. Kentucky, they won five games last year. I was never in favor of Mark Stoops coming to Texas A and M. Okay, never. And I know that's easy to say now. I mean, could I have found myself to be like, okay, I guess, sure. But I thought he was just a defensive Jimbo. The game had passed him by. They have a innovative coach who brought in a top 15 transfer class, who brings in a quarterback that Almost won the Notre Dame starting job. I do believe that Kentucky is a six to potentially seven win team this year. If they won five last year, they're not going to be at A and M. But I am worried about them guys. I'm worried just because with all that new talent and new system, there's no way to really evaluate who they are just yet. So I evaluate A and M and I think A and M beats teams that they should. So that's where I am with them. Give me their schedule again, Nick, if you don't mind. But they, they need to win six to seven games. Their start of the season is pretty tough, right? Youngstown State, not hard. But then the middle two games. Alabama at A and M. Can they beat South Carolina? That's, that's right there. Three wins right now. If they beat South Carolina, I don't think they're beating LSU or ou. Vandy is a huge question mark. Can they beat Florida? We already talked about Florida. Can they beat Louisville? I don't think so. It may be hard to get to that six win total, but if they won five last year, I think six is certainly in the cards for them. Agree? Disagree. Don't care.

[Nick]

Disagree.

[Dan]

So you think?

[Nick]

Okay, I think I had a hard time getting the six wins. Looking at that.

[Dan]

There's two ways to look at this, guys. Part of me is like, give me all the easy teams possible. Give them all to me. The other part of me is give me all the hard teams possible. As long as we win. All right, let's say they're an eight win team. A and M beats them. You probably won't get any credit for beating a Kentucky team regardless. But I, I got to think they would be a little bit better guys. All right, Teams that I don't think will win more. Well, Mississippi State. How do we feel about Mississippi State? Because I think quarterback wise they're pretty good. Kamari Taylor is really good. I think Jeff Lebby had that team playing hard last year, almost winning games. I don't know how I feel about Mississippi State. How many did they win last year? Nick, do you have that? 5, 5, 5 and 8. Could they win 6? Sure. Could they? Sure. A team that I'm not sure about, actually, I'm certain they won't win more games is Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt's not going to win 11 games. They went 10 and two last year. Right. They're not winning 11 games. Okay, sorry. I love their coach. I do. I think Clark Lee is awesome. But they're the first half of their schedule. Is not bad other than going to Georgia. I just can't see them being, you know. But think about it, guys. Let's see. Austin, Pete, Delaware, nc. I don't know about NC State at Auburn. Their first half of the season is quite manageable and I wonder what that does for them at the end of the year. But they're still not winning 10 games. All right. It's Vanderbilt. I was shocked when they did it last year and they had Diego coming back. They're not doing it so I'm out on them now. I would not automatically put A and M on the more wins category as much as I want to. But I am not saying they won't be a better team. The TBD continues here because. But like if you asked me today is A and M going to win more than 11 regular season wins, I'd say the likelihood is not high to go 12 and oh, could they have a better season? Well, what does a better season look like? Get into the playoffs at 10 and 2. Maybe get into the playoffs at 9 and 3, win a couple of games. That would be a better season. Would you. Would you trade a 9 and 3 and playoff win season over 11 and 2 losing your playoff game?

[Matthew]

Absolutely.

[Nick]

Yes.

[Dan]

Yeah. So. But from a regular season win total, I think that becomes very difficult. Georgia, how many regular season wins did they have last year?

[Nick]

They were 12 and 2.

[Dan]

12 and 2 and. But they lost one in the regular season. Right. So again, hard to say they'll be better. They have a much more manageable schedule. They're in the. Sure. It's Georgia. Why not? But I can't, I can't predict that. Ole miss, they went 13 and 2. Right. Which means they went 11 and 1 in the regular season. No. The answer is no. Why? Because Pete Golding's not Lane Kiffin. That's why. I just don't believe it's going to work out for them the way they think it is. The first half of the schedule. Not ridiculous. And. But then, you know, at Texas, middle of the season at Oklahoma, I don't see them being an 111 team again. A and M, Ole Miss, Georgia, these teams are hard to like. Say more like the next team, Alabama, they won't win more games. They will not. I just can't fathom a world where Alabama wins more games. When you have a brand new starting quarterback, you can't expect to be better. How's your schedule? First half of the season? It's going to be hard. It's not ridiculously hard, but it's going to be hard second half you host A&M you go to LSU, you lost to Vanderbilt the last time you went there. Just saying like that's I don't think I think Alabama is probably a 93 team and they went 11 and one last year in the regular season. Oklahoma, everybody loves Oklahoma. I don't see them winning more games. They did lose some pieces to the defense they might be better but they have a mergers row schedule again Texas I don't think it's a. I think they'll win more of the games I think they'll probably be a 10 win team is not a guarantee for Texas. Look at their schedule again if we talk about the first month of and a half of their season you know they could be. They could be going into their bye week really early bye week by the way October 3rd and be 2 and 2 I don't see them losing both of those games in fact if you. I would expect them to be 4 no going into the Oklahoma game and maybe that be their first loss but at Tennessee ain't no joke and if Josh Hypo's got that offense figured out which he always does and that defense should be better with Jim Knowles should be that's not a guarantee. Ohio State obviously you know talent for talent. Those two teams are going to have the most talent on display on that weekend but ain't no guarantee so there's, there's no guarantee for anybody in the SEC and Texas that they're going to win more than nine games in the regular season. I expect them to. I expect them to be at worst 10 and 2 but that's because I probably have bought into the hype that everybody has kind of just fed spoon fed us the last few years. So where are we? Do we agree disagree like the only teams that you can feel pretty good and then when I start making the case for you know South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas for sure like Arkansas won two games last year it should be easier to eclipse that win total. What does Vegas have them winning?

[Nick]

4 and a half

[Dan]

Vegas is usually

[Matthew]

right taking the under wow.

[Dan]

Well all I know is that team last year they don't have Bobby Petrino anymore and that offense was clicking with Bobby Petrino especially at his first game against A and M or at least first home game. There's no guarantee for any of these teams but I feel pretty confident on the teams that will win more and of all of them I think Florida and Auburn are two teams that I feel pretty good about winning more games. Kentucky I think I'm right about. But that's still a huge tbd. All right, we'll hit a break. We'll find out what's cracking on Texacts today and get to your text messages right now. Moment for Caldwell Country Chevrolet, Highway 21 and Caldwell Online. Caldwellcountrychevrolet.com Remember, your trade ins got value. And at Caldwell Country Chevrolet, they're going to give you top dollar for your trade in. They don't just sell cars, they build relationships there. They have a very strong, committed sales staff that's going to guide you through the entire process from test drive to that final paperwork. And the service does not stop after the sale. Complimentary pickup and delivery for their service customers and that free oil change for life. Experience what it's like to do business with a dealership that actually cares for you. Where handshakes still matter and also good people still matter. It's about a 15 minute drive the edge of Bryant to the beginnings of Caldwell. A short conversation away. But you'll see the difference when you step on the lot and you do business with the good people at Caldwell country Chevrolet, Highway 21 in Caldwell online. Caldwell country chevrolet.com.

[Radio Announcer]

you're listening to Brazos Valley's home for Aggie baseball, the Astros and the bombers.

[Dan]

The zone.

[Radio Announcer]

11:50am and 93.7 FM.

[Dan]

We are back. Back again. Sorry, are you shaking your head? Sex Live presented by David Gardner's Jules Rollo Insurance studio. Parnell Rigsby, 22. David, what is your main concern starting the season? Running back 1, 2. Quarterback 3. Linebacker 4. Elko Rucker vs. Sark, 5. Lucci, I can't tell if that's a serious question or not. My number one concern is none of those. Parnell, I want to see if you're a Longhorn asking or if you're an Aggie. But I would say my number one concern every. Come on, Parnell. Do you listen to the show? What's my biggest concern? Let's ask the group. Nick, what's my biggest concern?

[Nick]

Will. Marcy.

[Dan]

No, you're wrong, too.

[Nick]

No. Okay.

[Dan]

What's my biggest concern?

[Matthew]

Offense. Line.

[Dan]

Yeah, guys. And it's not a huge concern. It's a concern because it's new. It's a concern when you have four guys in the offensive line that are new. Right. So that to me. And the concern isn't the evaluation of talent. The concern is how long does it take for an offensive line to come together. That's my concern. Luckily, you don't get. I mean, you get tested with Arizona State early, but I feel like there's a ramp up to when you really need that offensive line cooking, and that makes me feel better about it. But how long did it take the Texas offensive line last year, which was a bunch of youngsters playing together? Took them a while to get going and once they figure it out, they figured it out. My biggest concern is that now do I have concerns everywhere? Does Marcel take a step? Of course. But for me, it's the offensive line and I take my cue sometimes based on what they say, like when Coach Elko talks, I mean, he doesn't seem to have a huge. I mean, what was your takeaway from this weekend? I think he talked about it and he definitely talked about it at SEC media days. He didn't seem overly concerned. He feels good about the level of talent that they have there, both young players and the guys that have gotten in the portal. I think he feels pretty good about it.

[Nick]

Thank you, Matthew.

[Dan]

Thank you.

[Nick]

Or I agree with you.

[Dan]

Yeah. It's just me talking to myself today on Texas Live. I'm going to tell you what's on Texacts today. Just kidding. Coughlin, what do you got?

[Matthew]

Well, we got a big one. First special interview with Texas A and M pitching coach Barry Enright later today. Recruiting long form with Jason Howell and recruit recruiting Q and A with Jayshawn Mitchell. That Barry Enright one. That's a big one.

[Dan]

That is a big one. Thank you for that. What else? Anything else on Tech Sags today? That's it? That's all you got?

[Matthew]

For me, it's the best stuff. We got the best top tier. The only Texags got today.

[Dan]

Okay, I follow. So let's kind of put this all together. We take all the information, we put it in a ball together and we figure out what we think about things. You guys know where I am on the optimism scale, where I am where I have concerns. The concerns are the offensive line and the road schedule. Right. Do I think that they really good talent on the offensive line? Yes, I do. Do I believe that this team will win more games than last year, do you believe as of today, I don't believe that. And that's okay because last year I think I said at this time, and Nick, you can remind me, I think I said we're going to be an 8 and 4 team last year. Did I not say that?

[Nick]

Yeah, that's where it was at.

[Dan]

And I was wrong. And maybe I'm conditioned to say I think this year more like a 9 and 3 team. And what does that mean if you're a 9 and 3 team? Well, and he did ask about his record against Sark. I am not concerned about the record against Sarko. I don't want to lose to Sark again. Right. I think the way Elko presented it at PKO was that we're 1 and 1 right now. Yes, we're 02 against Texas, but we're 1 and 1 on seasons we'd rather have. In 24, Texas had the season that A and M wanted to have. In 25, A&M had the season that Texas would have rather have had A&M's season they would have. Now you can say you didn't want that, but I think at the end of the day, take away loyalty, pride, all that and just Would you rather be a playoff team or not? Would you rather host a playoff game or not? That's the end of this conversation. Now you can say for optimistic reasons, yeah, but we won our last couple of games. We feel better in our okay, Feeling better in the offseason means Jack for the upcoming season. It doesn't mean anything. What matters is what you do when the games start. Anyway, we'll hit a break on the other side. Ryan o' Brien is going to join us. We'll chit chat with Ryan about all good things happening. He's got his grind event coming up. We'll talk about the season coming up and all that. Right now, let's talk about the association of Former Students. This is really good news for all ags everywhere. If you've ever wanted a one stop shop for nothing but Aggie related content, the association of Former Students is proud to share the aggiespirit.com that is the aggiespirit.com a website designed for the Aggie network where the 12th man can scroll anytime, anywhere. They also have features of nothing but Aggie generated content from social news Good bull. What's going on at AM with education, research, campus life to former students doing cool things. You can like the content giving it a gig em or share the content on your own personal network via your social media channel of choice by giving it a Whoop or on theaggyspirit.com, you also have the opportunity to share your own Aggie content for the opportunity to be featured on the website. For over 147 years, the Aggie Network has existed and would not exist if it weren't for the Aggie spirit. It's because of friends like you and help fuel the Aggie spirit across generations through generosity and Good bull. It's always been about the aggie spirit. Visit theaggiespirit.com today to experience the latest Aggie content across social news, video and and more. It is the association of former Students.

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[Dan]

Yeah.

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[Dan]

Oh, that's good stuff.

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[Dan]

Tech Sacks Live presented by David Gardner's Jewelers Wallow Insurance studio. Fall camp is here in a couple of days and our next guest knows what that's all about. Ryan o' Brien joining us, our good friend who played at Texas A and M and he's just busy man. He's telling me about all his work stuff like you've got too much on your plate. I don't know how you do it but Grit Academy, let's talk about it. You have stuff going on this week?

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah. So Grit Academy is starting up. It's a new venture through Gyro Fitness. Basically we're bridging the gap between sub varsity athletics and getting them to be ready for success on varsity. So basically we have teenagers, kids. So we got a group of 10 that we'll have and we're going to do speed and agility, we're going to do lifting but really big was going to do our mentorship piece. So we'll have one on one mentorship with our cohort that'll go for nine months and also we'll have classes once a month where we'll actually talk about the principles of grit, mental toughness, goal setting, how to handle yourself within the game, post game, handling a family, how to handle life. And we're bridging a gap because like in sub varsity athletics is really challenging for those coaches to really be mentors to really get into the ins and outs of those kids lives and that's what Grit Academy is going to be able to do for our kids. So I'm really excited. We start up on Saturday and we're going to be at Boone Fit University right now next to veterans. So I'm excited to partner with them as well.

[Dan]

Shout out to Charlie of them.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah, Charlie. And we'll do our classes over at Walk on so with Corey Davis with them.

[Dan]

So that's great.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Great. Yeah.

[Dan]

I think something you said there caught my attention. So my daughter's. Well, I have two daughters. One is in eighth grade so she'll be going through this transition next year and then Anneliese is a sophomore and I didn't realize it until she got there, but she, she was blessed to play varsity last year on the soccer team. But that transition of playing with girls your age. Right. Or boys your age and then transitioning to playing with grown women. Because when you get to high school, if you, you know, either you're trying to play on that top team, you're on that top team, or you're trying to. The level of competition isn't just your age group. It are people at different kind of phases of their growth that you have to compete with. So I think Grit Academy speaks to that.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah. So the biggest piece is mental. Right. Physical is physical. Right. And you will build those parts up. But mentally, how do you handle getting losing for the first time? How do you handle a coach maybe not being, you know, yelling at you or whatever the case may be? How are you going to handle the social pressures of school? Right. Of life where you have, you know, you have a girlfriend or whatever the case may be, how do you know how to navigate through that? And so what, what I do is impress upon my experiences as a varsity coach, being a former 12th man, being an Aggie football player, walk on all those things, father of five and press into those young people to be a better version of themselves. So I'm excited, I'm excited for it.

[Dan]

How can people sign up for it?

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah. So you go to my website, ryanobriant.com it's a small intimate group and we're going to be able to comprehensive program over nine months each month we have a different, different phase that we discuss, talk about training, all those things. So it's going to be fun.

[Dan]

Is it ever too late to be ready? And I'm transitioning to fall camp now.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dan]

So luckily in today's world of college athletics, I mean there's these off season training programs that are put in place to not allow you to really get out of shape per se. But if you're a couple days from fall camp and maybe you haven't done enough, can you use fall camp to get there or is it too late?

[Ryan O'Brien]

I personally think it's too late for how high level it is. It's like I even try to teach kids, even at this point, as little as kids, teenagers, preteens is like you use the practices as games. Right. This is the operate when practices is for you to prove to the coaches, prove to your teammates that you're ready and you're somebody to rely on. The games is really the games is really an offset of what you've already done. Right. And I think you have to have that mentality when you're at a big time program like A and M or pro ball is you're treating the game, you're treating the practices. As I'm proving what I can do, I'm proving to myself what I can do and it should be no letdown. So if you're going into the fall practice trying to get in shape or trying to get out the rust or whatever the case may be, you're already too late in my opinion because it's too competitive.

[Dan]

Right.

[Ryan O'Brien]

You're three to four positions deep in the position groups. You're going to fall behind if you're not ready to go day one.

[Dan]

How do you stay in shape during the season and follow me here. So like people have this whole off season to get ready for the season, then practice happens and yet you are training. But it's a different type of training. It's a specialty training. Now you're training with your position group, you're training schemes, you're training game day planning. Right. So do you lose fitness? Do you like, how do you maintain when you already have a lot on your plate?

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah, I think that's the real challenge, I think for the best strength conditioning coaches, sports performance coaches, is how do you continue to integrate lifting, how do you integrate running into a program in season? And some of the best football programs, they're able to continue to get better. You think about the Indiana program, which I don't, I'm not in the ins and outs of that program. But you can see how they steadily have gotten better throughout the year. A and M is trending to getting better throughout the year, knowing how to mileage control so you can't continue to beat down your body throughout the year. So knowing proper stretching, mobility, the use of trx, those types of things where you're continually putting strain on your body, but not too much taxing, knowing when to shut it down, knowing when, hey, we gotta go half shell now. We gotta be able to. Can we practice with just helmets? Being able to teach that to the kids is vital to them being successful and being able to have a, you know, a 13, 14, 15 game season. You gotta be strategic. And I know over there at, in the football complex, they're very strategic. I mean, Mike Elko knows exactly what he's doing. The strength and conditioning coach, Moffitt, they're experts on that. So I think as a fan base, I think we should be very excited that they Know how to go through an entire season and be successful.

[Dan]

Well, I'm going to follow that up because I think we're about to see some unchartered waters. Everybody in the SEC with that ninth game, right. And people are like, well, you're still playing 12 games, why does it change? Well, you know, the battle in conference is completely different than some of these non conference. So when you add a ninth game before hopefully an SEC championship game, like what does that do to your roster? What does that do to your body? And how do you kind of strategize the reps that you get during the year to make sure you are at your best at the end?

[Ryan O'Brien]

Right. I think we talked about initially how our program is maybe three, four positions deep within the depth chart. We really got to utilize that in the first half of the season. Where from O line standpoint are you playing 8 to 10 O linemen in the beginning of the year? Right. Are the running backs getting used receivers, are they getting the playing experience on the defensive side? And if you do that, that allows to have longevity throughout the season. But if we're playing only one position deep, second, second string, that's only two strings that are playing. It's going to be very tough to be successful because even if they're good, they're going to get banged up, they're going to get hurt. Even our second and third string quarterbacks, they got to be ready to play and ready to go. I mean, it'll be very challenging. It's very rare for a quarterback to just play the entire season without getting no dings, not coming out at all throughout the game. So they have to be very strategic about playing as many guys as they can and everybody in the roster is going to be vital to their success.

[Dan]

Let's talk a little bit about the offensive line, which is my big question mark.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Dan]

For you, what makes or breaks a new offensive line? What is it like? If you are evaluating, how does that go from. Yeah, this is a new group, but they ready to do this.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah. So being a, you know, varsity online coach, having that experience for about three years, I think it's very important that you got to have some. You have to have chemistry within the offensive line, which is very vital. That's going to take time, I think. Is it four new transfers?

[Dan]

That's going to be if they're starters, because if not, they're young players. Start.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah. So it's the chemistry of understanding, you know, blitz pickup, understanding how to work a double team, how to work with the Tight ends, that's just going to take time. You're going to have to be very strategic during fall practice during the first games to really get the calls down. Those types of things. They have the talent, but the thing about offensive line is not you need talent, no doubt, but what you got to have is you got to play as a unit, play as one throughout there. But even with that, you still going to have to play eight to 10 linemen for them to be ready to go. So in the beginning, in fall practice, in the first two to three games, they got to continue to rotate guys to see what's the best fit. And they might figure that out at the end of fall practice. But even if they don't, they still got to be able to know, okay, we can maybe plug this guy at guard. Maybe that guard can now play tackle.

[Dan]

Sure, right.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Who can all play center? Those are the question that has to be answered in order for them to be successful. But I also think a good old line is based around what the quarterback is doing also with the running backs, are they in for his protection? Marcel, is he dumping down the ball? Is he getting the ball out quick? That also can help out the O line as well. So it's not just five guys blocking, it's an entire offense being able to work together.

[Dan]

Let's talk about the run game before I let you go. Yeah, no Lev this year, but Ruben's taking some steps. Jamari and they've got some other guys that they're very excited about. K.J. edwards, there's a bunch. And Marcel's ability to run, which we didn't see as much as I kind of expected last year. He did run for over 500 yards. But just talk about the running attack this year, especially with the new offensive coordinator in Holman Wiggins.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah. So I believe in Coach Troop and he's a great dude. He's such a motivator. I know we got a lot of talent, he's a great talent, evaluate of talent. But I think that Mauro man is a beast.

[Dan]

Man, he is a beast.

[Ryan O'Brien]

You know Reuben Owens, they call him with the black unicorn, he's going to ball out. I know those freshmen that are coming in are going to be ready to go. I really have no doubts that they're going to be able to be big time players. What you need to have at the running back position is ability to hit home runs. And what I mean by home run hitter is being able to, if you see daylight, you could take a 10 yard gain and turn into a 60 yard gain. And all those guys have that potential. So I think that's what this is, a huge part of the running game is that aspect.

[Dan]

So remind folks how they can be involved with the Grit Academy.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Yeah. So, yeah, Grit academy. Go to ryanobriant.com we also have back to school training for group training that's going to start up on Sunday as well. And can I do this for real quick?

[Dan]

Of course.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Happy birthday to my wife Christina.

[Dan]

Happy birthday, Christina.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Today. So.

[Dan]

All right. All right, you guys go enjoy.

[Nick]

Get out of here.

[Dan]

Go hang out with Christina, man.

[Matthew]

I got you.

[Dan]

Thank you, Ryan. Appreciate you, brother.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Appreciate you, Dan.

[Dan]

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[Dan]

Listen up, class.

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[Dan]

This is your community calendar on the zone. 11:50am and and we're back. It is Tech Sags Live. We are presented by David Garner's Jewelers, Rollo Insurance. Studio hour number two of the program got Thomas Bregman on the YouTube chat asking some questions. Questions. Got Art in there. Got the whole crew. Dave and Edmonds. Stop asking about Oklahoma City. Like that. Seems like a personal conversation. Like, hey, man, what are you gonna do when you go to Oklahoma? Dave, Come on, man. You think anybody but you cares what I'm gonna do when I go to Oklahoma City? You're the only one who cares. Sorry, I did make it a spectacle. Let's check in at the Angry Elephant News and Social Center. Matthew, what do you have, buddy?

[Matthew]

I Got an interesting one. So if you remember at PKO when Alberts was talking about the jersey patch and Big 12 selling out, it was like $20 million for that and how that will play into the nil budget. Well, Ohio State today unveils a JP Morgan jersey patch on their football jerseys. So I was wondering if we keep doing this arms race in NIL and keep spending in the trend line that's going upwards, is this something that is going to continue to run rampant throughout now all conferences?

[Dan]

Yeah, potentially. Trev actually spoke about the patches that I think he brought the idea to Texas A and M and the powers that be felt it wasn't a good fit for us and A and M could have made some money on it. It seems like not everything is for sale for Texas A and M and other schools too. They just didn't feel like that was the direction they'd want to go. Will we one day have Kyle Field at blah blah, blah Stadium? That was discussed as well. It's potential, sure. I think it's all potential. At the end of the day, college athletics and this is a big thing that coach, excuse me, Trev Alberts talked about was has lacked behind from a sponsorship perspective to the NFL. And while I understand the NFL is a top dog, if you really boil it down to the interest and the 100,000 fans that are at an A and M game every time that there's a game at Kyle Field, there's no reason that they should be, you know, that far behind. So I think the numbers will continue to grow as universities start running their marketing teams more like a NFL franchise. And with that will come more money and with more money will come for opportunities for your players and will come opportunity for just to enhance the entire experience. And along that story with Ohio State, I saw this Stanford story that they're trying to unionize there. I don't know if you have any info on that story, but I know that Stanford is trying to get a union going, which is a step closer to what some people fear and also some folks think is the inevitable next step in this maturation of the NIL era.

[Matthew]

Yeah, they basically got like a collection to start, like a collective bargaining battle. Yep, it was pretty interesting stuff.

[Dan]

Anything else for us?

[Matthew]

We got a top 10 pass catching units article by CBS Sports. A and M ranked sixth on that third in the sec. They highlighted of course, Craver, Horton, Bussey, Bethel, Roman, and then they also added TK Norman, Jerome Miles, Houston Thomas, Richie Anderson and Micah Riley as quality depth.

[Ryan O'Brien]

Okay.

[Dan]

Jerome Miles is the name. We don't bring up enough. Right. Like, if that guy reaches his potential, you know, I know he's had a couple setbacks. It's another guy we could be talking about at some point. All right, we'll hit a break when we come back here on Texags Live. What do I got planned for you? Well, you can still ask some dumb questions. I don't mind that. And which teams are we reading wrong? That's next on Tech Sags Live, presented by David Gardner, School.