The OG Kickoff | SEC Media Day 2 with Billy Liucci, Trey Wallace & Tony Barnhart

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Connor

Visit botoxchronicmigraine.com or call 1-844botox to learn more. Welcome to the OG kickoff. We are day two SEC media days. As Ryan said. We are brought to you by Culver's. Welcome to Delicious. Thank you Culver's for all of our great coverage. Here from Tampa, Will Ogburn. We have a special guest from the top. We're going with this guy from the very beginning, a man who needs no introduction. He's going to get one Anyway. It is Mr. Texags. Billy Lucci. Billy, what's going on man?

Billy Lucci

What's up, Connor? Good to be on. I y' all are making me hungry. I I, I skipped the succotash. I did not dabble into that. And was it good?

Connor

It was, it was the star of the show.

Billy Lucci

Oh, damn, I did skip it. Chicken breasts looked pretty bland. I just did the sides. But that Culver's commercial, I always, I just want to know why I don't see Culver's in Texas. I feel like, okay, could have that.

Ember

It is Embargo from Big Bucky's. I'm sure the Bucky's lobbyists have gotten them up out of there. Cause they don't want people to know what they got.

Billy Lucci

It could be, yeah, you never know. It could be like waterburger.

Ember

Whataburger.

Billy Lucci

I don't, I don't know what it is, but I, I want Culver's there.

Connor

This isn't an ad like I, I, I swear to you. If we are looking at the sign on the side of the highway that has the food options and you see a Culver's, that's like an auto stop every single time.

Billy Lucci

I don't.

Connor

You might have just had lunch three hours ago. You're stopping at Culver's every single time.

Billy Lucci

Yeah, I agree.

Connor

You need that in the state of Texas. That, that's maybe the only thing Texas is missing at this point.

Ember

It's true.

Billy Lucci

They're not missing BUC EE's, that's for sure.

Connor

That's true. That's very, very true. Let's talk a little A and M here. We, we do not have Mike Elko on the podium just yet. If I had told you, Billy Lucci, as you are breaking the Jimbo Fisher news, that he is no longer going to be the coach at Texas A and M. If I had told you, hey, through year two, the guy who replaces him, he's going to have already gone to a college football playoff. He's going to be 12 and 4 in the SEC and he's going to be a guy that many people think is a top five coach in this conference. You would have said, connor, no, that's ambitious. Get off the Tex message boards. Why are you saying something like this? How would you have reacted then, knowing what you know now?

Billy Lucci

That wouldn't have, it wouldn't have shocked me. I think it would have been a little ambitious. I think maybe we'd have been talking about this after maybe year three, but it wouldn't have shocked me. And you know, Jimbo didn't leave a bear cupboard. It wasn't, I wouldn't say he walked into a loaded roster. You have to look at the number of guys he got drafted this past year. Six of them were from the Portal. He did a lot in the Portal to really kind of help push that roster quickly back to where it was super competitive. But I, I, I knew where A M was, the pool they were fishing in. And everybody knows what the Mark Stoops, but I don't think he was in that pool. That was the problem. There was the pool of like is Ryan Day for some. Is he frustrated with the lack of appreciation of Ohio State? Is Daniel Anning attainable? You quickly found out no. With that contract that was a year before Bama went or was a couple months before. Is Kaylin DeBoer. He's going to wait. You know, like there was that where we say we paid Jimbo money or more and those that seemed like a total long shot. And then the other pool was here. Mark Stoops was in like this weird pool where it ain't him. Hired him. They were going to pay like 9 million a year for a coach that just frankly hadn't done enough and was a Jimbo understudy. So that never was going to work. So it was why it was so surprising that they even tried it. The pool was really in the Elko, Jed Fish, Chris Climan, I could name a couple more. And it's like there was a no brainer to me. Whittingham's name came up late. I really respect what he does as a coach, but I mean there was a no brainer in terms of that pool in the fit. And I believed in Mike Elko when he was here, believed he was going to do it at Duke and then coming here, I thought it was, I was hoping that it was one of those deals. I hope they don't overthink this because Elko is the answer. Faster than I expected. I would say by a year.

Ember

So, I mean, I'm admittedly a Colin Klein stand, probably because he makes me feel old. Right. He's a guy that we all remember as a player at Kansas State and all that. I think that's probably the biggest question mark for Texas A and M going into this year. You know, with Colin Klein being a little bit of that head coach of the offense, maybe not given that title like they have in some other places. But do you see the adaptation moving over to Holman Wiggins, you know, with the, the development as well of Marcel Reid?

Billy Lucci

I think that last part's the most interesting. Mike Elko, I, I know the guys that he talked to, a couple of them, one of them was a pretty high profile hire within the sec. Following him, talking to him like he landed on Holman Wiggins for a reason. You know, he could have had a blank check to go hire who he wanted.

Connor

I believe that.

Billy Lucci

Yeah. So you got to remember it doesn't mean it's going to be right. But you got to know like he truly believed. No, you know what? This is the answer this is my answer. It's right here. I've watched this guy for two years. He's ready. This is a really significant season for me in the development of my program to just officially just say we are a playoff staple. And he put that in the hands of Holman Wiggins. So tbd, like you said, I think it's the big wild card is that in this A and M O line. One thing I think when you talk about Marcel, I think part of that is he has a really good feel for Marcel. And I think what you're going to see more of this year is not so much running him, but not being so married. It's the one thing about Colin Klein that I thought the world of him, I still do as a coach, but just the lack. Just not trying so hard to make him a pocket passer. And I think you're going to see more of Marcel on the move by design, you know, reset in the pocket or rolling him out, letting him do things that put, you know, a lot more rpo, things that put pressure on the defense versus kind of maybe pressure allowing the defense to put pressure on him, which is what you saw Texas and Miami do there at the end of the season.

Connor

I thought Marcel took the brunt of it when it came to the blame down the stretch. And obviously when you have the performances against Texas and against Miami that he has and you go out that way, a lot of people are going to point at the quarterback. Understandably so. I did think from a play calling standpoint, they let him down a little bit.

Billy Lucci

Yep.

Connor

And they, they did things that you're right, like forcing him to be a pocket passer. When you've got these conditions, you've got howling wins. Like, you know, the South Carolina game too, is another example of that where we're like, look, yeah, you got to know who your quarterback is at this point and if conditions are dictating this, then you need to be able to adjust the game plan. I didn't think they did that in a way that made me feel like they were setting him up for success. It's not to say Holman Wiggins is going to be able to do the same exact thing, but like, how do you view that through. Through the Marcel lens, knowing that he's admitted he's got areas that he needs to improve in and Mike Elko has talked about the consistency. That's been a constant topic of conversation. What do you view as his ceiling in this offense, knowing that he does have the new play caller, albeit one with a Lot of familiarity.

Billy Lucci

I think you kind of touched on it there in South Carolina. You can look up the stats. What they did, he looked really good against Florida. They ran the football really well. He looked really good. He had 400 yards of offense. Against Notre Dame, they ran effectively against a really good defense. You look at the Arkansas game, you look at the Missouri game, they ran, they ran. You look at but, but South, South Carolina, lsu, they ran the football. He ran the football. South Carolina, even Auburn, they scored like 16 points. They just couldn't, they red zone failed a lot. They ran for 220 something yards in that game. South Carolina, Texas, Miami, they could not run the ball really at all. You look at the rushing yards and in one of those games he was the leading rusher and they still had no rushing yards. So I think that is the thing. So Marcel ceiling is as high as that run game will take it. And if they can be a top six rushing team in the SEC with Reuben Owens and the guy that I think is the wild card for this team is Jamari and Morrow. If they can run the football, be like a top six rushing team in this league. I think the ceiling for Marcel is to get them in the playoffs again and make them a very dangerous team. And be like last year where he was in the Heisman discussion in November. He was very much in the discussion in November. I, I his upside games. And you think about the second half against South Carolina, that might be as well as it might be as good a half as a quarterback played in the SEC last year, people. You don't think that because he was pretty bad in the first half.

Ember

First half.

Billy Lucci

But you go look at that second half and look at the numbers. It's insane what he did. Again, 400 yards of offense on the road in South Bend, you know that arc.

Connor

But it wasn't against the sec, so

Billy Lucci

doesn't exactly definitely throw that one out. Well, and it was also early in the year.

Connor

Oh yeah, September. I mean Notre Dame deserve to be in the playoff, you know, obviously.

Billy Lucci

And I do, I do think this, I do think you mentioned the wind and the conditions there. I, I'm not saying they wouldn't. They would have beaten Miami. That game was tied with a minute and a half. So take away the win and still probably either team wins it. But I do think that really hurt Marcel more than it did Carson back.

Connor

They had a better adjustment to that and they had Mark Fletcher Jr. And a guy by the name of Malachi Tony that A and M actually did really well. Against in that game. But Miami adjusted to that better than A and M did.

Billy Lucci

Yeah.

Connor

I mean, it's simple as that. And that's. That. That's kind of the conversations, though, that you're able to have now about Marcel is that you've seen him on that stage and he gets criticized and picked apart. Because when you're in that group and all of a sudden we're, like, comparing him to other Heisman candidates, the flaws are going to be pointed out. Marcel has flaws. There's not a returning starting quarterback in this league outside of Trinidad Chambliss.

Billy Lucci

Amen. There you go.

Connor

Who is just without flaw, in my opinion. And so that. That's what I think is going to be really interesting to see. And, you know, you see, like, the quarterback rankings that do that stuff. And Marcel, like, putting him at six. I had people like, how could you say that about Marcel? And they'd be like, he's the second best. He's the 10th best.

Billy Lucci

Yeah.

Connor

That just shows you why we're all over the place on him. Which is kind of weird because I. I don't think putting him at six was even really considered a bold take.

Billy Lucci

You know what's weird to me? And I don't. I don't either. I said to somebody yesterday, like, six, put him third. Like, I is fine like any of those guys. But, like, I. I personally think Arch has a lot to prove. And people in Austin, you know, I do a podcast with my friend Amanda, who's a long arm. She.

Ember

You.

Billy Lucci

You would think I was saying, this guy's trash. He's terrible. And I'm not. And I don't believe that. I think his upside is higher than any of them. But Arch Matir was here yesterday. I don't hear nearly the narrative on mater. I watched him all year, even when people were saying he's a Heisman contender. He should have thrown six picks combined against Auburn and Michigan when everyone was saying like that, like. And I think he could have a great year, but I think he's like Marcel. They've got to prove it. You name. You could name them all. Gunner Stockton, you know, can he get Georgia back there? Tbd, you know, every one of them except Chambliss.

Connor

Yeah.

Billy Lucci

The question with Chambliss, of course, is obvious, is, like, the coordinator, what is he without wise.

Ember

So now, Billy, I don't expect Elko to come out, you know, have, for instance, a blank championship plaque or anything. But that being said, they've had direct linear growth the first two seasons. Right. They've turned the program around in year one and year two. They were one of, you know, for most of the year, pretty much a top four team almost wire to wire, getting in the Texas game, all that. When is it fair to have those championship expectations of A and M national championship?

Billy Lucci

I. Well, here's what I'll say. Somebody. It was on our podcast and she said, you know, well, I think A and M could win a playoff game this year, but I think it's a little presumptuous for them to be a national title contender when they've never won a playoff game. I said, yeah, that's fair. And then I thought about it for a second. I go, well, Indiana had never won one, nor had Miami.

Connor

Your words, not mine, Billy.

Billy Lucci

Yeah, your words, Indiana nor Miami. So I feel like it's the. And Ole Miss was that close to playing for it. They had never even. Miami and Ole Miss had never even been. So I feel like. And you look at the SEC this year more than ever, it could be anyone. But I think, and give that, I would say another year. I do think I could see them just missing the playoffs. I could see them getting in and maybe winning a game. I feel like in another year, especially if Marcel were to come back because he's an interesting candidate, because he would obviously, let's say they went 10 and two, won a playoff game, but his draft stock is like, well, he took some strides, but he's a fourth round projection or something. The amount of money he could command to come back for one more run as a back to back playoff.

Connor

That's those conversations.

Billy Lucci

So what would be interesting is then with this recruiting class, with what Elko does in the portal, they'll bring back a lot next year. Yep, you know, a lot. So I think that's the year you kind of circle and I think linear growth, like you said, even though it wouldn't look like it, it's not necessarily growth, but I think getting back to the playoff would be another huge step forward. Even though maybe record it might be 11 and 1 to 10 and 2.

Ember

But finishing strong like and where you peak, I think matters.

Connor

Yeah, that's. That's the conversation with A and M. It's all about finishing this year. And if you want to get off of some of those, it's not eight and four jokes anymore. It is just about finishing and going out on a high note. Very few teams can do it in this age of the playoff and all that stuff. But like there, there are so many different ways in which they could Check that box.

Billy Lucci

I'll give you two before we go here. Right. Ten and two. Maybe you still don't win a playoff game, but it's 10 and two with a win over Texas.

Trey Wallace

Yep, there you go.

Billy Lucci

The other one would be 10 and two. You know, regardless of Texas. Win a playoff game. Yeah, either one of those, I think you go. Okay. They're still trucking towards it.

Trey Wallace

Agreed.

Connor

Billy, this has been great. All right, everybody.

Billy Lucci

Appreciate you, buddy.

Connor

Mr. Texas, thanks. Thank you so much. We'll do it again real soon. Man. Thank you.

Ember

Great talking, as always.

Billy Lucci

Thanks.

Connor

That was Billy Lucci, Mr. Texags himself. We're going to be joined by Trey Wallace in just a second here. I think Billy brings up some really good points, some really good points with all things A M. And he is into it in ways that he is entrenched on all things A and M. I was going to ask about the sliding doors of the Stoops thing. I'm just thinking about that now. I'm going through my head of, like, all the different ways that that could have turned out differently. But, yeah, it is. I, I think one of the more interesting teams in this conference. As we sit here in July and talk about, you know, the interpretation. Everybody has their own narrative with A M. I think we've been fair to them. I haven't necessarily stuck to my bet of the offseason that I wouldn't say a single negative thing, but about A and M after they knocked LSU out of national championship contention. But nonetheless, we are going to be talking about a lot of things. Aggies this year, I feel like.

Ember

Yeah, absolutely. And they really are. You know, Billy kind of has almost, like, shifty, like, aura. Like, he's looking at his phone on air, and I'm like, you know, which of our coordinators he just poached? Like, that's the. Did A and M just poach and like, that's the thing, is that they are kind of the sleeping giant that's coming to life right now.

Connor

Yeah, definitely. Are Trey Wallace joining the set of Outkick? What's going on, man? How are we doing?

Trey Wallace

Oh, you didn't hear. I'm with the View now.

Connor

Oh, you're with.

Ember

Oh, I see it. Okay. Okay.

Connor

You could fit. You, you look.

Trey Wallace

I, I, that's why I did the Easter attire today.

Connor

Yeah. No, I like it. I think you could fit on any desk in America and be. It'd be perfectly fine.

Trey Wallace

I'd have fun with it. How are y' all doing? You having fun? We're good. Yeah.

Ember

Fantastic, man. Yeah. Powers on I. Yesterday, I called Ben Arbuckle, John Arbuckle, which I realized is Garfield's owner. So I'm not going to do that today. So we're ro.

Trey Wallace

Rolling. That's one way to get things rolling. I saw the coolers were off, and I was like, wait a minute. The coolers are off because the power's got to be out.

Connor

If we have the power go out on us again today like it did on day one, 45 minutes in, we're going to be in some trouble. But, yeah, we had electrifying news 10 minutes into SEC media days yesterday that I wanted to talk to you about.

Trey Wallace

Okay, I'm ready.

Connor

Michigan gonna be looking for a new athletic director very, very soon. Ward Manual. He's a lame duck AD at this point.

Trey Wallace

Yeah.

Connor

You have been all over the. The reporting of this and what's gone into this. And there are SEC fans listening to. It's going. Connor, why do we care about this?

Trey Wallace

He's about to circle.

Connor

Here's why we care about this, folks. Could Danny White be the next athletic director at Michigan and leave Tennessee?

Trey Wallace

Oh, I think that if he is looking to continue to advance and find his next mission. It's a name.

Connor

Yep.

Trey Wallace

It's a name that Michigan will go after. They're gonna. I mean, folks, they're gonna swing for the fence this year, and they're going to have five months to do it. I think they want to have somebody in place before Ward is out. And by the way, Ward has no power now. Michigan, like, he's going to take his money and be gone.

Connor

Million bucks are they paying him to not work?

Trey Wallace

They're going to give them a good amount.

Billy Lucci

Not bad.

Trey Wallace

I don't know if the final figure has been released, but I think it will be. And sign a nice NDA too, where you cannot talk about this down the road.

Connor

Of course.

Trey Wallace

Yeah. I. Look, if you are Michigan, you have to go after not only the hottest candidate, but also a fundraising aspect.

Connor

It's huge.

Trey Wallace

How are you building around Ann Arbor Entertainment district, what Tennessee's doing? We're just using Danny. It's kind of an example here, but you might keep an eye on them, but also at the same time, somebody that knows what they're doing when it comes to not only running football, but basketball, baseball. You know, obviously the. The women's side of this and being able to put it all in conjecture. So. Yeah, I mean, I. I think Danny White would. It would be stupid for Michigan not to reach out to Danny White.

Connor

Kick the Tires, take the time.

Trey Wallace

You don't know what's going to happen. Same thing I would say, for Greg Byrne.

Connor

Very interesting. And that's what. That's why we're talking about this.

Billy Lucci

Exactly.

Connor

And it's worth remembering for coaches like Josh Hyple.

Trey Wallace

Yes.

Connor

Like Kaylan DeBoer, who you can think what you will about their status on the hot seat and all that stuff.

Trey Wallace

Yes.

Connor

What is undeniable is that they have had athletic directors who have gone to bat for them.

Trey Wallace

Right.

Connor

And when you no longer have an athletic director who has gone to bat for you, always, always, always understand those dynamics. Know who your boss is. And if all of a sudden we're looking up and it's November and Josh Hypo's boss is. Is gone and they're like cruising to their worst season, five, a seven and five type year where again, those quality winches aren't coming.

Trey Wallace

Six and six.

Connor

Six and six. Yeah.

Trey Wallace

Like, I'm not trying to be mean when I say that. Like, I'm just.

Ember

No, realistic. Yeah.

Trey Wallace

Realistic things would.

Connor

All this. It just changes the conversation. And Tennessee goes from being this school that had seemingly everything set up with Tony Vitello, with having a Rick Barnes, with having a Josh Hypo, and all of a sudden you look at those three and very quickly that could be changing. And it's kind of like the Ross Bjork going to Ohio State thing.

Trey Wallace

Bingo.

Connor

Where all of a sudden those dynamics change and you tell like, Ross Bjork ain't leaving a M when he's got like unlimited resources. But then you go to a place like Ohio State and that's why this stuff matters.

Trey Wallace

And when Ohio State opened up the checkbook and said, you are worthy to make this amount of money, we're giving you the power to make changes. You don't have to report every single thing to the board of trustees. That goes a long way. You are empowering them to change the way things are. And I give credit to Ross. Ross has done a fantastic job at Ohio State.

Connor

Yeah.

Trey Wallace

And I think at the same time, this is all a reality situation because you hit it, let's say Hypo or deboer. And I'm sure there's a number of ads that we could discuss about this. But if you come out, I don't care if you just signed a contract extension. I don't care if the future might look bright. We're past that. There's no more two, three years down the road. I would say there's certain schools I could put that category in. Yeah, Kentucky would be one. Yesterday thought Will Stein. I love me some Will Stein. Took some cajones to say that yesterday. Thought he did good with it.

Connor

Just got a new boss as well.

Trey Wallace

Exactly, exactly. And. And so I think that where we are headed right now is and I don't think that's going to be the only athletic director big one position that opens up in the next five, six months.

Connor

There's a lot of movement right now at the top with that.

Trey Wallace

Yes. And there's a lot of ads that are taking jobs at maybe smaller schools to build them up or you're seeing lateral movement across the country. And so I, I look at like, like we'll continue to talk about Tennessee because you brought up in the situation, Rick. All in perspective here. So Josh Hypo, let's just say 7 and 5 next year. Okay. They have a little progress. They show some promise on offense. Okay, cool. But at the same time you have to think about what's going on with the baseball, what's going on with basketball. This feels like Rick Barnes's last hurrah. He went to the boosters after last season. Well, let me rephrase that. Boosters essentially about two or three of them came to him and said hey, what do we need to do? We want to get you to a Final Four. They open their checkbooks.

Connor

He hasn't been to one at Tennessee.

Trey Wallace

Right.

Connor

Never been to a Final Four. Nobody ever brings this up in Martville.

Trey Wallace

And so yeah, so they went out and they spent a lot of money and they didn't even have to take a lot from the Rev share. I say all that to say this. You have to have an athletic director that can control everything and at least have his hands on everything. Not in a hey, I'm poking around type of way, but at least be that force. Josh Hypo has had that stable force with Danny White adult in the room. He got there. And if we're just being realistic and very honest with each other here, Tennessee has not been the same and we can chalk that up to schematics. Offense goal is gone. I don't care. Hadn't been the same since the 2022 season.

Ember

Fair.

Trey Wallace

And, and I, and I get it. The quarterback situation, okay. But here's my rebuttal to every time somebody brings up the quarterback situation. I know we're all we're talking about 80s and whatnot but Tennessee made a choice not to go spend the money to get a big time transfer quarter portal quarterback last year they let Lane Kiffin literally go into tac air next to Tyson McGee airport and steal Sam Levitt from you.

Ember

They sure did.

Connor

I love that story.

Trey Wallace

Right. So which, by the way, did happen just Lane Kiffin was not in the actual Knoxville airport. He was in private terminal. Private next door.

Connor

Yeah.

Trey Wallace

And they went, got a car and brought Sam. Whatever. I just feel like right now from a stabilization standpoint in college athletics, and a lot of things are going to continue to change over the next few years. And I think that the athletic director position, a lot more coveted around the country because it brings that steady force to a lot of departments that are going through a lot of stuff.

Ember

Trey, what do you think? I mean, Tennessee has been under Danny White, a bit of an everything school. Right. And baseball is a really interesting one because it really doesn't bring revenue, even at the top level. Right. In the way that men's basketball or football would.

Trey Wallace

Right.

Ember

And the teams that are great at baseball can often run into fundraising issues despite having funding. So what would you say about Tennessee's overall priorities and commitments? I mean, do you think that all the boosters are ready to open the checkbook kind of across the board, or do you think it's a situation where it's if you win, we'll pay you, or what do you think they are overall?

Trey Wallace

I think with. In Tennessee's case, I think Tony Vitello had such a good relationship. I'll say three boosters, obviously, Larry Pratt, Thunder Thornton was there. I could name one more, but I'll keep him out. Well, has almost one, but there was another one, so maybe four. He knew he could go to them and say, hey, this is what I need now. He had to prove himself. You can't walk in in year two and say, hey, I need this much money. He proved himself. He proved himself. He proved himself. They opened up the checkbook, they were able to take care of certain things, you know, in Tennessee won a title. They weren't the highest paid, you know, team in the country. A third party or, you know, doors at the back door, you know, bags at the back. Back door type of team.

Connor

McDonald's magazine.

Trey Wallace

Right, exactly. Chick Fil A. Oh, my. And then so. But at the same time, yeah, I think Tennessee baseball is in a. A weird spot because they. They had that spotlight from Tony. Now it's Josh. And Josh Elander is a good coach, but he's not Tony. It's the same thing as Kayin deboer replacing Saban. And for the love of goodness, I'm not trying to compare Saban and Tony Vitello.

Commercial Announcer

No, I love that.

Trey Wallace

But you get what I'm talking about.

Connor

That's the graphic we're going to put up is Nick Saban, Tony Vital.

Trey Wallace

I'm so screwed.

Connor

Nobody will react to that at all.

Trey Wallace

I'm dead. Yeah, but you got. You're standing in the shadow is what I'm getting at. And so, you know, like, how does that work? So again, everything that they're investing, and I can say this, for a lot of schools around the country, they're investing a lot of money in facilities. And when I say facilities, I'm talking about stadiums, basketball arenas, stuff that can drive more fans to come. Hell, Tennessee's putting up a freaking entertainment district. Like, yep, it's weird. Like, I get it. But I was like, I was. I was. I live outside of the Knoxville area. I was kind of driving through there because I'm about to make the move to Nashville. So I was driving back to just seeing a couple things and I was looking at where this entertainment district was going to go and I'm like, okay, that's Matt. Like, I get why they're doing it. It's a revenue generator across the year, not just football season, but that's what you have to have. You have to have an athletic director that is forward thinking. And for all the interesting things Danny White has done at Tennessee, I will say he's an innovator when it comes to raising money. That's key. So big part of it, where does this go? I would say Michigan. Pick up the phone and you call Danny White and you see if he wants the job or not. And if he does it, there's a list of five or six candidates that I would say that is worthy to be that guy.

Ember

I think it's underrated how much UCF has fallen off since Danny White left. I mean, he built them into an annoying presence on Twitter that was all. All on our heels for five, six years and then he left. Yeah.

Connor

What are Beetlejuice, right?

Trey Wallace

Exactly. Not a bad way. You just kind of.

Ember

It's a great brand. You know, the UCF Twitter mafia.

Trey Wallace

That's what Danny White brought your national champions. Okay. Really? But no, I. I think that where we are going right now in college athletics, guys, with where we're at with this darn legislation, where we're at with nil, where we're at with self governance within the sec. You know, a lot of people think that these head coaches have a say in this. These coaches have no say.

Connor

But I was told that when we asked them these questions and they provide their opinions. That means that that's the, the biggest voice in the room. Right.

Trey Wallace

That's a God's honest truth. Right. Here's, here's the kicker to that. Even though most head coaches, their opinion really doesn't matter because they could be fired within three months. Exactly. You think, you think Verge, Osprey was taking the advice from Brian Kelly last year, like, hey man, what do you think the future would be like? Hell, I don't know. You might be gone in two months. No, there's a line sometimes, but I think for somebody like Kirby. Smart.

Connor

Yeah.

Trey Wallace

President Moore, Look, I, they are going to Kirby and at least saying, I respect your opinion. This is maybe what we should do. I, I agree with you on certain things. Kirby's not getting fired. Kirby's got a job for the next 20 years if he wants to. But for a majority of people, and maybe, I don't know if it goes south, who knows? No, I know. Or take something else. But I do think that we're at that spot right now. If, if you don't have that person that's going to lead the charge, because these presidents and chancellors, if we're all being honest, okay, they have to run universities. This athletic department stuff and this college legislation stuff, that is very minute on what they are trying to do overall. So who do you have leading the charge? And I think that's where we're at right now, college athletics.

Connor

Trey, last one for you. I ask you every single time we talk publicly, what's the latest on the Jeremy Pruitt book? Because, my God, the next round audience would feast on just an all, all access Jeremy Pruitt. I don't want to call it a memoir. He's not old enough to be in memoir territory. But you, you are going to write the Jeremy Pruitt book at some point. And we're going to get into so many of these things that have happened over the course of his time in Tennessee and Alabama, I'm sure. And there's Florida State, Georgia, stories like, what's latest on the Pruitt book?

Trey Wallace

I would say this time next year I might be coming on your show to promote a book.

Connor

Let's go. Heck, yeah. Let's go.

Trey Wallace

Let's go with that.

Ember

All right.

Connor

That excites me. Yeah, that excites. Okay. I can't wait for it. I haven't pre ordered a book, I don't think in my entire life you'll send me a free one, right?

Trey Wallace

Yeah, absolutely. Y' all get free ones for sure. I'm not going to make you pay for it. And if you do, just throw me $10 in the chick Fil A bag

Connor

that no Trey Wallace outkick. You're all over the place, man.

Trey Wallace

Always a pleasure. It's been fun, dude.

Ember

Great seeing you, man.

Connor

Appreciate it, as always. We'll do it again real soon, man.

Trey Wallace

Look forward to it.

Connor

Thank you.

Trey Wallace

Thank you, bud.

Connor

All right, that was Trey Wallace. Just a reminder here. We are not brought to you on behalf of Chick Fil A bags. We are brought to you on behalf of Culver's. It is welcome to Delicious. That is what I say whenever I eat just the best butter burger I could ever possibly consume or when I'm devouring a double Reese's concrete. Yeah, I go big. No big deal. I wanted to talk about that stuff with Trey because it kind of got overshadowed in the beginning of SEC Media Days with this news that broke 10 minutes in Michigan felt very calculated to release it when they did. Like, oh, everybody in college football is going to be consuming all these things.

Ember

Sec.

Connor

And then we got that. But. And I know I'm repeating myself by saying this, this type of stuff has huge implications in college football. And whether or not your coach, you know, has. Has stability and that's the type of job that can impact that. I don't sit here and talk about 80 searches very much. That one could be pretty big.

Trey Wallace

Yeah.

Ember

And I think that 80 searches are what we almost hope head coaching searches are, where it's. I don't think it's all about money. I think it's way more about fit. And I think. Yeah. And alignment matters so much more at that level. Kind of to that point. Because there are truly some jobs, like, dude, if you're the Nebraska AD and you win 10 games a year in football and you're set. You know what I'm saying? And there have been several in a row that have not. And so I think, really, you can pick and choose and say, am I a guy who wants to spend again, 30% of my time on baseball? Am I a guy who wants to be mostly football? And I think there's right guys for every job. And we've seen across the sec, specifically guys that would be great ads in other places that aren't built for the grind.

Connor

Notre Dame hired NBC's president and CEO, Peter Vivacqua.

Ember

Yep.

Connor

Which is a reminder of the world that we're living in in college football. Some of which is. I just, again, Jay Cutler at the urinal. Don't care. Yeah, don't care. But there are things like that that I think are. Are worth discussing.

Ember

Let's remember too really quick, the PAC12 brought in that exec who had all the streaming background. It was gonna go get them that TV deal. So sometimes the TV guys don't know

Connor

TV like you think this is true. This is very, very true. It just kind of depends on, on the, on the situation. Kirby Smartwell. We heard from the elder statesman of the SEC, someone who is entering year 1111, wow. As a head coach at Georgia, which

Trey Wallace

is crazy to think about.

Connor

Really, really crazy. Kirby doesn't really like talking about all that other stuff like talking about wins.

Billy Lucci

Good.

Connor

That was actually the most refreshing thing that I heard from Kirby all day today. Kirby, I think got a. Well, let's, let's call it an open ended question to end his press conference from yours truly. And I asked him about the, the exact question was how do you think we in the media should talk about Mike Bobo? Obviously, Kirby and Mike Bobo go way, way back. There are many people that have many opinions on what about Mike Bobo, who by the way most recently was a bros Award finalist last year for a Georgia team that won the sec. And you could point to that and go, why would anybody ever question him? We have context. We know this team, we watch this team inside and out and we understand the angst that Georgia fans can feel at times what others feel watching this Georgia team. And I don't know what I expected Kirby to come out and say if he had just given a one, one sentence answer and just kind of gone past it really quickly. He's like, I don't care. Talk about him however you want. That probably be a little bit alarming. He doesn't want to default to his loyalty to Bobo. But. And I'm going to read you his answer in just a second here. But it got me kind of thinking, well, what would it actually take for Kirby Smart to ever fire Mike Bobo?

Ember

You know, that's a great question. And hearing that perspective from like Gunner Stockton at the Bobo family, like taught him how to throw a baseball and how to throw a football. It's like, you know, people say don't hire your friends. What if your friends are really talented? You know, what if your friends are must champ? What if your friends are Bobo?

Trey Wallace

True.

Ember

And I think that's the, the culture and identity that Georgia has built with re recruiting the roster selling culture versus you know, quote unquote paying for players. But that being said it all down to how are you going to be in this third straight playoff that might end in a home or a bye week and then a loss.

Connor

You know, staff retention at Alabama was not really a thing because when you were winning national championships, you got your offensive coordinator plucked. Your defensive coordinator got that bigger opportunity shot of Jeremy Pruitt. Again, we have talked about Georgia like that in the past, but Kirk got up there and he talked about staff retention, and Mike Bobo is part of this. This is kind of a bigger picture thing. But he talked about how pride, how much pride he takes in the fact that they've had this staff retention over the course of the last three years, and that that's a good thing to sell. But in my opinion, I'm like, wait a minute. When you're competing for national championships, that's not the best flex that you think it is.

Billy Lucci

Like, who's.

Ember

Who is trying to poach Mike Bobby?

Connor

Exactly. Your offensive coordinator is not getting poached.

Ember

Yeah.

Connor

Glenn Schumann, we thought was going to have a head coaching job two years ago. And this Georgia defense has had moments where it's looked really good. It has not necessarily met the Georgia standard in that sort of way. So you hear Kirby talk about this, and he's someone who's obviously has prioritized loyalty very, very much. I'm going to lose the audience by saying he's a Hufflepuff once again. But those who know, no. And I heard him talk about Mike Bobo in a way that reminded me this man is superiorly loyal to everything that his offensive coordinator does. And it's not just because, you know, we. We know that, like, okay, Gunner Stockton had his Mike. Bo's dad taught him how to throw a football. Yeah. Which is just a wild thing. He's been friends with Drew Bobo, who was also here since he was 5 or 6 years old. Like, it goes even beyond that. This was his answer to that question. Kirby said, I don't think that's my decision when talking about how the media should discuss Mike Bobo. I look at things through facts, and I look at things I see with my own two eyes. I was blessed to work for the greatest college football coach in the history of all of college football, Nick Saban. And I don't even think it's arguable. I don't think you can even debate it. But I learned from him that you evaluate from inside out. And I do think college, the. That college football intuition is one of my strengths. Knowing that I. I know we've got the right offensive coordinator. What you guys want to write and talk about is completely up to you. I look at the production he's had, he's the success he's had, the team success where he doesn't worry about stats, he worries about winning football games and the way he coaches our players day to day. Unmatched in this is unmatched in this country. Close quote. What was your takeaway from hearing Kirby say that?

Ember

Yeah, I mean, I think this is a giant inflection point, kind of like what we were talking about. I think that if you heard these, like, kind of glowing reviews, I think that to your point, it would be a lot easier to just be like, you know, that's my guy and like, pull out stats. You know, a lot of times coaches will kind of give that vote of confidence and have the numbers ready to go. I think that this is our last year of proof of concept with likely, you know, kind of Stockton's last year. And if they want to kind of blow it up and start over, I think we're going to see they're going to have to start over without Stockton and some of the members of this offense that have been around for a minute anyway. But again, looking at Todd Monken, a guy that obviously wanted to get poached by everybody, do we kind of go back down that road or do we stick to the. The culture stuff? So I think it's more of a. I'm happy for now.

Connor

Yes. And I think that whether Georgia wants to admit it or not, like, they need to be a more explosive passing offense. And I asked Gunner about that too. Like, okay, so you think Mike Bobo is the best play caller in all of college football. The stats that are, that are working against you are the fact that you had just four completions that went for 40 yards in 14 games. Fourteen SEC quarterbacks had at least five. That's not great for how you stretch the field. And you know, he basically said, like, I'm looking to, to make winning place and however we can do that by, that's the, the way that I see, you know, this offense should be run, but at the same time, when you're competing for championships, you are scrutinized. And that attention to detail is everything we saw last year with this Georgia team. A clear weakness. We saw the year before. A very clear weakness. More so with the drops because they still had an Arian Smith who could stretch the field. But that is such a massive question and it could determine whether or not Georgia wins a national championship like the last 15 years that we're talking about. And you'll Find like a first round or a first round pass catcher, a guy that was picked in the top 40 in the NFL draft, like, the last 15 national champions, like, all had that going back to, like, I think it's. What are we talking about? Like, 2011. Bama, I want to say, was like, the last one that didn't.

Ember

And they were just between guys. That's the thing. Yeah.

Connor

And they were just between Julio and Amari.

Commercial Announcer

Yeah.

Connor

Like, so you're. You're talking about something that is a massive prerequisite for a championship team, and Georgia has not necessarily had that. And they need to be able to do more diverse things. Kirby did bring up. He's like, you know, I. I hope we. You know, I hope you guys keep questioning my receivers. Yeah, I hope you do, because I can just use that as ammo and tell them we're gonna keep questioning them. Isaiah Canyon's an all being the drum guy.

Ember

Yep.

Connor

But we're gonna keep questioning him. I think we have every right to.

Ember

Yeah. And I think some of that goes into Kirby's psyche where when you get burned on something, you almost readjust the exact opposite way. Right. Like, if you, you know, if you date a girl that's too much of a party girl, you're gonna want someone who is, you know, waking up early, going to the gym. And I feel like that's where they were with Monkin, losing that crucial hire. And then also Carson Beck. Right. Giving him that trust and having the offense kind of blow up. Kirby going, I'm going to oscillate the other way and go within myself.

Connor

Yes, we have the legend, Mr. College Football. Tony Barnhart is sitting down right now. Yeah, we're live, Tony. Don't worry about it. We're good. We're good. Hey, look, Tony, it is a pleasure for you to be here with us.

Tony Barnhart

Good to see you, Connor.

Connor

It is. Okay, so I don't know if I've ever. If I've ever said this.

Trey Wallace

There are.

Connor

There are very few people that I would rather sit next to at like an ICC Championship or something like that than you because of the stories that you can tell. You have basically confined these stories into a book that you have coming out. 50 years covering this conference. Tell us about the book that you have coming out and all the different. The. The unique way that you. That you approached it.

Tony Barnhart

Well, the. The title of the book is Mr. College Football. They laid that handle on me about 10 years ago, and my daughter, who's an attorney, said, well, you're not giving it back.

Connor

Did you trademark Mr. College Football?

Tony Barnhart

I did. My daughter looked into it and said she asked the question, has anybody else ever been called Mr. College Football? The answer was no. So then you don't need to trademark it. So if we ever have to go into court, that means nobody else. You were the first. And they are, they are infringing on your copyright squatters rights. There you go. So, but the way that it's, the way that it's set up, I wanted to make sure that everybody was included. So look at it this way. Sixteen teams in the South Southeastern Conference. Sixteen chapters. Everybody has their own chapter. And we have two bonus chapters. One is of the commissioners. I work with Commissioner Sanking, Commissioner Kramer, of course, Commissioner. Thank you. And, and what was ironic was I saw. I went to see Commissioner Slav up in his home in Tennessee, like three weeks before he passed away. We spent an afternoon together, and so I missed him. So those 16 chapters, and the bonus chapters, the other bonus chapter, I've got this group of my fraternity brothers that travels with me to the Georgia Florida game every year. We've been doing it 30 plus years. And I had to do a chapter and dedicate it to them because they've been a big part of my life, a big part of that. So it's, it was, it was so much fun putting it together. But it's not, it's. The book's not a list, guys, of, you know, the. These are the 10 best players I've ever seen. These are the 10 best coaches, the best games. These are about emotional memories. You know, what, what happens, like when I walk into Jordan Hare Stadium.

Trey Wallace

What's.

Tony Barnhart

I don't think about all the great games, or so I think about Alabama coming to Jordan Hare Stadium for the first time ever. And that was the most emotional day I've ever had in a football stadium. It's that kind of stuff, Tony.

Ember

You know, even in these last couple of years since I've been coming to Media Day, it has evolved so much from, you know, the Hoover Galleria to all these different locations. Some light was shed during the opening press conference by Greg Sankey about the Skywriters Tour. Can you just share a little bit of insight on that?

Tony Barnhart

Well, I mean, I did miss out on the Skywriters Tour. They had just discontinued it when I got to Atlanta at the AJC in 1984. But it was just a wild situation where they went, I don't know, an old DC9 airplane. They went from campus to campus to campus. They would interview players, media doing this by the way, media doing this, having dinners that night and all that. So I did not get a chance to participate on myself and myself. But I've heard wonderful stories about what it was like.

Connor

I can't like the, the idea of doing that, of just taking a plane, going, oh, now we're going to this school. Oh, now we're going to this school is bananas. Especially when you think about the scope of what SEC Media Days has become. The spectacle. You might have thousands of. Of people that, that are here. You were part of the bus tour, though.

Tony Barnhart

I was part of the bus tour. Not here, but the bus tour of the acc.

Connor

Yeah.

Tony Barnhart

When I worked in Greensboro, North Carolina, we would all, we would all meet in Greensboro, have a bus. You know you have those two big luggage racks when you have a Greyhound bus.

Connor

Yep.

Tony Barnhart

One of them actually had luggage in it. We put luggage in one and the other one was reserved for, shall we say, beverages. Beverages, recept, you know, refreshments. That's what it was for. And so, yeah, we had a guy, a driver by the name, I can't remember his last name. His first name was Garland. And he. And we did the same thing every time. We would drive onto a campus, go watch practice, do press conferences. And that night that whole school would do us a dinner. And we always, it was so much fun going from place to place to place to place. But we would always end this, the trip at Clemson at Danny Ford's lake house on Lake Hartwell. Man, I'm happy to say the statute of limitations has run out on most of those things, but we would have so much fun. It was a blast.

Connor

We have not seen a 30 something head coach win a national championship since Danny Ford.

Tony Barnhart

Danny Ford.

Connor

And the sport continues to get younger. But you know, there, there are certain moments that, that I go back to and you know, I'm sure you've, you've captured a lot of these in your book and you've been able to talk about these things over the years. I want to go back to 2001 with you. 2001. You're on the college game day desk. Florida hosting Tennessee, a game that's rescheduled as a result of the 911 terrorist attacks. You're on the desk there. And I remembered watching this for an adjustment more game that we did. And you delivered that Florida pick with such passion that it made me think in Florida, actually, ironically enough, I'm not saying this to say like, who's a bad pick? Florida doesn't end up winning this game. It's A huge how do you like me now win for Philip Fulmer.

Tony Barnhart

Yep.

Connor

And it's Spurrier's last game and it's a game that was so pivotal and I always wondered, did, you know, like Spurrier was kind of like at this teetering point going into that day or did it really catch everybody off guard?

Tony Barnhart

I think it caught everybody off guard. I think absolutely it was, but I remember, I remember it well. But yeah, it was ended up being his last game. I'll never forget it.

Connor

That atmosphere, it's, it's something that I think that, you know, for those who grow up in this era of college football, you know, we're taught, hey, you know, you can lose two games and make to the College Football playoff. The do or die atmosphere that was on the field that day, it is something, it's why it's worth talking about, you know, quarter century later. What are some of the games that kind of stand out for you that you just look back on, you know, that have happened in the last maybe let's, let's stick to the last like 10 years that you look back on. You're like, man, it would be fun to just transport myself back to that place for just one afternoon.

Tony Barnhart

Well, I will say this, one of the, some of the neatest games that I had were really non conference games. The rose bowl in 2017. Georgia, Oklahoma at the Rose Bowl. I surprised my boys. They were at the game. We all had a tailgate in the parking lot and I went up to the press box. What I didn't tell them was that before the game started, I was going to come back down and sit in the standing stadium at the Rose bowl with them. And they, they were surprised. It was, and it was a wonderful game. You know, Georgia won in overtime and that's one of the it ones in the book that highlights that. And it was just, just an incredible, incredible day.

Ember

Tony, if we were to name you, you know, an ambassador of college football, you know, who is the player that you would say has brought you the most joy over the course of your career?

Tony Barnhart

Herschel Walker as a freshman was the best football player I ever saw. I mean, he's 18 years old down in Wright County, Georgia, and Vince Dooley had told a number of us, I don't know if this guy is, I don't know if he's, he might just be a stiff fullback. It told us. And then they put him in the game against the University of Tennessee to open the 1980 season. He runs over Bill Bates into immortality. And Bill Bates has immortality because of that. Because he got. He got run over. That. That. No Hershey. Really. When I talk about players in this conference, I said, well, look, there's Herschel and there's Bo, and then there's everybody else. And that's the way, particularly when it comes to running backs, because Bo was the greatest athlete we've had. But Herschel Walker was the best football player I ever saw when he was a freshman, because that was the last year he ever. You know, from then on, everybody's had to double set their defense up to try to stop Herschel, and they never did. But that the first year, nobody could believe that he was doing what he was doing because he's running. As Munson would say, he's running all over people.

Trey Wallace

So.

Tony Barnhart

So that. Yeah, he was very important.

Ember

Follow up to that. You know, this is one of my favorite, like, conversational topics. Who would you say the better athlete? Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson?

Tony Barnhart

I think I would lean with Bo. Even though Dion was the best cover corner I ever saw. Bo could just do everything and do it at extreme, extremely high level. So I would. As much as I respect Dion, I would. I would. If I had to choose, I'd choose both.

Connor

I remember talking to you for a story I did, like, probably like eight years ago, and it was Herschel Walker, the greatest running back I never saw. Because for those who are in my generation, all we know are our stories. And even for those in your generation of like, hey, if you're not going to Georgia games, like, he wasn't on national TV until the George Rogers game in South Carolina.

Trey Wallace

Right.

Connor

A crazy thing to think about that freshman year with the things that he was doing.

Tony Barnhart

Right.

Connor

And, you know, I remember to talking to. To Vince Dooley about this, about the story of Herschel's commitment to Georgia and how he and his wife had this plan to. To go to Boston or something like that. And it was Easter weekend, and his wife is like, yeah, you know, like, we're getting ready to go. And then, you know, this is obviously well before the age of cell phones and whatnot. Vince, you know, it says, we're not going anywhere. Herschel's committing this weekend on Easter Sunday. I'm gonna. I'm gonna be sitting by that phone, and if Herschel Walker's gonna commit to my program, I'm gonna answer that call. Fascinating sliding doors moment for the history of Vince. Duly. In Georgia football in general.

Trey Wallace

Yeah.

Tony Barnhart

One of my favorite stories comes from Buck Ballou, who was the quarterback on that national championship team. They had played the game at Tennessee and one. Then they were playing Texas A and M in Athens. Herschel breaks off a run, runs over three people, run 70 yards for a touchdown. Buck Balloon said, we got to the sidelines, and we all were looking at each other like, what in the world do we have here? And they realized, oh, man, this dude is. This dude is special. And from then on, nobody. Nobody could stop the guy.

Connor

You'd be great at coming up with a list of guys that we should just never compare people to. And Bo was compared to Herschel because of the. You know, how. How much their careers kind of felt intertwined in the 80s. But there should be just be this list of untouchables, these guys that I like that we just say, hey, Cam Newton. You know, that. That's number. That's like the number one for us. Like, we don't compare anyone to college Cam Newton. It's just. It's unfair. The context is just totally lost. Like, that list of guys in the sec, it's not even that they were. Oh, my God, it was the best player that you've ever seen in the history of this conference. But guys that we should just not throw around any sort of lazy cops. So that's. Maybe the next book is.

Tony Barnhart

I like that. Yeah, I like that idea.

Ember

Sec.

Connor

Untouchables. I mean, I won't get that trademarked. I'll leave that one. I like.

Tony Barnhart

I like that.

Connor

That's perfectly fine. What's a. What's a fun story from this book that kind of stood out, that was fun to be able to revisit and be able to kind of go. Go back and retell that story.

Tony Barnhart

Well, one of the things. One of the things I was able to do putting this book together is I was able to check a couple of things off my bucket list that had been there over the years. Number one on my bucket list was the midnight yell at Texas A and M, and I'd never done it. I called our buddy Alan Cannon at Texas A and M, who's been there forever. I said, alan, I'm gonna check this off my list. He said, when you want to come? And I told him it was the Saturday, the Friday before the Florida game when they. Texas you. Come on. I'll take care of everything. And he did. And he took me. He said he took me into where the cheerleaders. Boy. Excuse me. They're not cheerleaders. Excuse me. Terrible mistake. They are the Yale leader.

Connor

I'm gonna get Billy back over here, and he's gonna scold for that one.

Tony Barnhart

Yeah. So. So I got a chance to do that. That was an incredible. Absolutely. Experience. I spent an afternoon with Barry Switzer, which is something that I've. I've never done.

Connor

That's a great sentence.

Tony Barnhart

And spit that. And the man is absolutely amazing. He's in great shape. His mind is sharp. He's like early 90s, I want to say late 80s, early 90s. Just totally. Totally unbelievable. And had a. Had a totally. Just a great trip. Just had a great trip there.

Ember

So what would you say, you know, if you were to give advice to somebody about how to get into this sport or what makes it unique?

Tony Barnhart

Oh, God, no. That's not my advice. I'd say the same things to young broadcasters, young writers. I said, this has got to be something you cannot live without. You know, you can't walk into it. Well, let me. Let me test this out and see if I like it.

Trey Wallace

No, no.

Tony Barnhart

You have got to be dedicated because you stay. You spend too much time away from home, away from your family. Your family's got to make a sacrifice. And if they're. If they're not willing to make the sacrifice, then don't do it. I would tell young writers that would come to the ajc. I said, have you had the talk? They're getting married. I say, have you had a talk. The talk with them. I mean, the talk. The talk is, honey, we're not going to live anything that resembles a normal life. Can you. Can you do that? And if she can't do it, then don't. Don't do it. Don't do it.

Ember

Yeah, similar to coaching in that way.

Tony Barnhart

It's a great. Listen, it's a great profession. We get to do stuff that other people don't get to do. And. And that's all cool, but there. There is a price to be paid for it. And are you willing, you and your family willing to pay that price?

Connor

So once upon a time, this is college football. Was she signed up for a life of Mr. College football.

Tony Barnhart

She signed up for. She knew it. She knew it. Hey, listen, when I did my first game as a. My first high school game out of college, as a professional actually getting paid money to write this story, she was in the press box keeping stats that.

Ember

Love that.

Tony Barnhart

Okay. She was keeping stats. And I said in the dedication to the book, I said, 50 years ago, when I started this, she was there to keep stats. Now 50 years later, she's still correcting my math.

Ember

Yeah.

Tony Barnhart

Oh, yeah, the book's dedicated to her.

Connor

Where can people find it let. It let our listeners know the best way that they can find 50 years

Tony Barnhart

of SEC football published by the University of Georgia Press. And they did my last book, the 19 of Green. The book is slated to come out in spring, summer of next year. So when it's out, it'll be. It'll be available on Amazon. We hope to do visit with you guys and promote the book and. But yeah, it'll be, it'll be out in spring of summer. Spring or summer of next year. They've got the book. The book, my friends, is done. I've got to pick out the art to go with it. And that'll. That'll be an easy thing to do. And so we'll. Yeah, this time next year we'll have the book ready to sell.

Connor

Can't wait to read it on a beach somewhere. Tony, this has been great.

Tony Barnhart

All right, guys. Always good to see you guys.

Connor

Thank you so much.

Tony Barnhart

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Connor

All right. That was Mr. College Football, Mr. Tony Barnhart. Let's get with some closing thoughts on Auburn here.

Trey Wallace

Sure.

Connor

We had Alex Golish on earlier. We were able to hear something that I think is just going to be so prevalent during this, this first year. Alex Golish is not someone who sets goals. He sets a standard.

Ember

Money.

Connor

Yeah, we talk about proof of concept without school all the time. I think that was the biggest thing with his opening press conference and hearing him, you know, talk about this opportunity, that he knows it's a true rebuild. He's been a part of two different massive rebuilds. Maybe you could even argue three if you want to go back to, like, Iowa State. But I think that hearing him say that and not be like, oh, you know, our goal is to put up 40 points a game or something like that. Alex Gollish is going to break. He is going to be a breath of fresh air. And Auburn fans appreciate the fact that you made this higher, even if it wasn't what you thought it was going to be initially.

Ember

I think it's gonna be move, move fast, have fun and knock the crap out of you. I think that's Alex goes football.

Connor

That. That is going to be Alex Gorge football. No doubt about it. Yeah, talk to Byron Brown as well. Byron Brown, who went on earlier with the next round. And when he was sitting here, I was like, I think he's bigger than he's listed. I don't often think that with guys because it's usually inflated. I kind of thought he was bigger than 63230. I had to like, look up. Let's see the 63 looks like he's got maybe 65 and I realize I'm short but yeah, Byron Brown. I, I was really impressed with the way that he came across very clear to see why he was recruited by Alex Go to come over from USF depth to Auburn. The familiarity and all those different things. But just kind of seeing the way that he operates. I I don't want to go as far as to say like Auburn has their best quarterbacks. It's like Jared Stidham. I don't know if he's going to be better than Jared said. I don't think that's a fair thing to assume because he was an all SC guy. But you could be doing a whole lot worse than Byron Brown. I feel good saying that.

Ember

Yeah. I feel like you can see how different head coaches, especially first year head coaches, especially young for sure it comes coaches kind of approach the job and I think there was very little sales going on today from Goalish.

Connor

Definitely did not feel like that at all. That's a wrap. Day two in the books. Three guests. We got a loaded slate tomorrow. Loaded slate of guests. Thank you to Culver's. Welcome to Delicious. Go get a concrete right now. It's late July. I'm telling you, the double Reese's concrete, it'll change your life. I'm not kidding.

Ember

I don't want to be so bad.

Connor

Oh my God. God.

Ember

It.

Connor

It is not just Delicious. It is as good as anything you could possibly consume. That is the OG kickoff. We're going to be doing this again tomorrow, doing this again on Thursday as well. Four hours of coverage for all things SEC media days. Will, it's been great.

Ember

Yes, sir.

Connor

Thanks, guys.

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Talk soon.