Speaker 1: It's time to celebrate the biggest team sport known to man,
where modern day gladiators collide for all the glory on
the gridire Let's talk some college football on Cougar Sports
with Ben cred.
Speaker 2: Welcome back Cougar Sports. One of three nine ninety eight
point three es to be at the fan. I've been
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But he's stop a little college football segment. Going to
delve into a few things here. Is relates to b
what you and the transport. I've been getting asked a
lot of questions about the transfer portal. How many transfer
portal players will be, what you acquire? What's been the average? Okay, like,
what's been the average number of players that BYU has
acquired via the portal.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna give it to you here, so stay tuned,
don't go anywhere.
Speaker 2: Plenty to get to on a Wednesday, January fourteenth edition
of Cougar's Sports here on one of three nine ninety
eight point.
Speaker 3: Three ESPN the Fan.
Speaker 2: They're segment gonna be brought to you by Orthropros of
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Speaker 3: So, a couple of things I want to get into.
Speaker 2: Number one, the schedule for Blay in twenty twenty six,
how you feel about a cougardation. Just grateful for me?
Just grateful Tech isn't on the regular season schedule. You
got Utah Tech, not Texas Tech. Yeah, Texas Tech or
Utah Tech rather at home. You're gonna get Texas Tech
hopefully in Arlington. Right Boom shaka Laca. You also welcome
in Arizona Wildcats to Leavell Edward Stadium, ASU to Lavelle
Edward Citium, Baylor Bears to Level Edward Citium, Iowa State
to Lavell Edward Stadium, Cincinnati to Leavell Edwards Stadium, and
of course Notre Dame the Fighting Irish. You head out
on the road versus Kansas, Colorado State, tcu UCF and
the University of Utah so far Cougarnation chiming in on.
Alan Corby says, we'll see you guys in Arlington. That's right,
Texas Tech Garrett SF. Garrett is glad that ASU and
U of A will both be at.
Speaker 3: Home this season.
Speaker 2: I think that bodes well for BU as well. Daniel
Evans says, excellent. Now, if the Big Twelve Conference would
tell us the dates already, we would be feeling much
more excellent. Not sure why they're the slowest conference and
tell us at eight by a long shot. Will Osborne
just gives a gif. I like that you smell if
the rock is cooking and then kous Corner says, win
the whole freaking thing. Ronald, your reaction to the twenty
twenty six schedule as you peruse it.
Speaker 4: I like this as I perused through it. Obviously, look
b I think was supposed to play Maybe Cal been
that first week of August. Oh excuse me, last week
of Augus. Wow, No, that's fall camp. Let me apologize
to the fans before someone tweets at me. No, maybe
they were supposed to up the season August twenty ninth
against Cal. That's not gonna be the case because now
this has been replaced ordered Dame. Has been reports of
that game is going to be in October. But love
for that game to be played early to get the
fight in Irish to be the sweating Irish in August.
But that won't be the case. There'll be a little
bit chillay maybe so the freezing Irish. Anyway, I like
that you're starting off against Utah Tech September fifth. It
gives you an opportunity to, I don't want to say,
run up the scoreboard, but bear to really show what
the offseason did with the connections of the receivers. Haven't
played through three quarters and Look, I've been pitching having
the backup quarterback have an entire quarter, and I know
that Boa Is gonna play their starters and do it,
but I need to see the backup quarterback at by
you in this game late. I know this is gonna
be a whole offseason talk Ben, but I need to
see them in the Utah Tech game ball out in
one quarter, show that they're capable of running the offense.
Nothing against Bear, but when he's not able to run
Ben or push off, he gets hurt like that. I
need to see if Enig Watson can do that. I
need to see if Traycon Borgae can do that, or
if they decide to bring in another guy. Is it
going to be, you know, a high level class guy
that you know, excuse me, younger classman guy that's a
high high level star. I don't know, but I think
that's good. And then look, you're gonna get a week
off to you know, be able to have the buy
and then you're gonna think, go right at what is it?
Colorado State? Right after that, and then you have Arizona.
Arizona State needs to just listening order we know know
when specifically, but I like the home Slate. I really
think this does BYU favorites to play at Lavelle, especially
at night, It's gonna be difficult, and I would have
to asson been looking at this Iowa State, this Baylor,
this Arizona Arizona State game, all of these games be
in a night in the West Coast game on a fifteen,
because if it's not Utah, it's BYU. That's just how
the TV rights fall, even for Fox being ESPN or Fox.
These are great opportunities for BA to play because it's
tough for BA to lose at night in LaVale. And
then you go to Kansas, who's in the rebuilt mode.
You know, I don't think you know Jayalen Daniel's gonna
get another year, but Kansas is probably one of your
tough games. Is gonna be tough to win there. TCU
would be tough, but you got them last year. UCF
and then Utah those are your only tough games on
the road, and depending how those fall been and what
the travel schedules, like, this is legit talking about a
twelve and oh season next year with all of these
games and going ten to zero in Big twelve play.
Excuse me not knowing Big twelve player. I think it's
very possible. And if you only have to meet Texas
teching the title game, anything's possible. Been in those games,
so I like the schedule. It's very favorable. And look,
a lot of people lost their quarterback. You know, Arizona
State lost their quarterback. I know they bringing someone new.
Baylor still, I don't know if they still have Sir Robertson.
I think they do. Iowa State, you lost Rock Obec
and the running back Matt Campbell left. That's going to
be a new coach. Brendan Soursby left Cincinnati. Kansas is
getting new quarterback Josh Hoover is apparently committed to Indiana.
So you're gonna be playing a lot of people that
Utah has a new coach. There's gonna be a lot
of new systems, and I'm not a lot of new verbiage.
I think this is a great opportunity for BYU to
be able to have returners, have a culture that is returning,
and get all of those guys back. I'm gonna do
a deep dive. I want to look at these rosters
and see what's the attrition, what's the turnover at key positions,
and guys coming in. Because when I look at that
and I look at BYU, I like all of their
chances been lining up with anybody in the Big twelve.
Speaker 2: Next year, it's gonna be a great day to be
a Cougar, I think in twenty twenty six. As you've
mentioned a couple of different things, a better roster or
arguably a better roster, more talented or more experienced roster
in twenty twenty six, I mean fortuitous. Look at all
the home games against the best teams that are on
your schedule. Arguably it's gonna be tough to go into Kansas.
Kams could have a bounce back year. TCU could have
a nice bounce back year as well. They finished strong.
They lost their quarterback though Hoover, so they're gonna figure
out how to rebuild. But hey, that backup quarterback didn't
look too shabby. They got some they got some ammunition
in their in their clip. UCF in Orlando, Utah is
gonna be a tough one, uh in at Res Eckle Stadium.
So I think it bodes well for BYU and just
grateful Texas Tech isn't on the regular season schedule. Okay,
A couple other things as well as we delve into it.
The the transfer portal, it giveth and it taketh away. Right,
what has BYU done historically in the transfer portal?
Speaker 3: Okay, let's just start off.
Speaker 2: With like two thousand and I don't know, twenty twenty one,
twenty twenty, I don't know if that maybe maybe that's
going too far back. Let's go with twenty twenty two.
I feel like that was when we really jumped into
the transfer portal era. So in two thousand on two,
b YU acquired only six incoming transfers. Cioni Vicoso offensive lineman,
Enick Nawahine running back from Utah State, Christopher Brooks col
running back, Houston Hemouli running back fullback from Stanford, gave
Judy Lalley cornerback from Vanderbilt, and then Kingsley Suamatia, Oregon
to b YU. Outgoing transfers werew So there's eight of them,
eight outgoing Transoni fow Villiami, Telsinga Victory Vodka, Baylor Romney
ended up going to Adobe, Rhett Riley, Bentley Hanshaw ended
up at Liberty, Kate Perrish ended up at Utah State,
and then Jock Wilson left.
Speaker 3: I don't know if he ended up playing.
Speaker 2: So that you have six to eight six incoming, eight outgoing.
Twenty twenty three was a big hall, massive hall. Sam
Vanderhart punter, Harrison Taggert linebacker, Dion Smith running back, Camden
Garrett cornerback, Darius Lasser, wide receiver, Caleb e. E t
n offensive line, Keelin Merrion wide receiver, Jki Corn offensive line,
a j Von Pachhn linebacker, Paul Miley offensive line, Waylon
Lapuahu offensive line, Jackson Craven's defensive line, Dylan Flowers cornerback,
Wyatt Dodd defensive line. Sioni moa linebacker. Athlete, was also included.
Aiden Robbins running back, Isaiah Banya defensive line, Keton Slovians quarterback,
Crew Wakeley defensive back, Will Farren kicker, Eddie Hecker cornerback,
Ian Fitzgerald offensive line, Simiell Mowala offensive line. You had
twenty outgoing transfers vias o Ifua, mac ol Aloisio Brooks, Miley,
zoom S Blynd, George Udo. Remember a lot of these
guys were the prior staff's pushouts to the new staff's
pushouts Dean Jones, Logan Peelee, Isaiah Perez gave you the
that was a loss, Corbyn Green, Clark Barrington, that one
hurt Tallin TOGII, Nathaniel Gillis, Keenan Peely, that one hurt,
Logan Fano, that one hurt Tate Romney, that one kind
of hurt Dallon Holker, that one hurt Campbell, Barrington, Jacob Conover,
and then Terrence fall. So that one was a giveth
and it taketh away right because you've got some really
nice portal acquisitions, and he went twenty three and twenty,
so you acquired twenty three, lost twenty twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3: Though it stabilized a little bit.
Speaker 2: Only ten incoming transfers Austin Leusa, Marquis tali Ou, McKay, Hillstead,
Isaiah Jada, Shay, Bryan Strawther, Darien Stewart, Tracon Borgay, Jack,
Kellymore Collins, and Gary bohannan outgoing transit yet eighteen.
Speaker 3: The headliner for that crew.
Speaker 2: Was Danny sae Lee, defensive tackle who ended up at
Arkansas wanted to be closer to the home.
Speaker 3: Et cetera.
Speaker 2: Ryder Burton left, Devin Downing left as I you left,
Garian Stewart actually ended up leaving, so I guess ddition subtraction,
Nasiri Danielson, Nukolovi, Hilu Zion, Allen, Nick Phillips, Kate Moore,
Quinton Rice, Dylan Rollins, Dylan Flowers ended up believe he
sold Jamyava Peters, Austin Riggs, Michael Day, John Henry Daily,
and Dominique Henry wide receiver. I kind of miss dom Henry.
Shout out to Dom Henry. He was a productive guy
in high school. I haven't checked his stats, though, that'd
be a fun fact. Dominique Henry, see see what he
acquired or see what he produced statistically at Florida Atlantic.
Speaker 3: The last couple of seasons.
Speaker 2: Anyway, twenty twenty five, you acquired thirteen and you lost
twenty seven or some of these guys you know you
didn't nlessar lose.
Speaker 3: Some of them were pushed out, but some of them
were lost.
Speaker 2: Include were Patti Carson, Sue Sue, Josh Singh, Simoni, Davis, Harrison, Taggart,
Kielan Marion, Porter, Small, CoA Eldridge, Western Jones, Nason Coleman,
Lanta Rico, Nathan Hoak, Cale Breslin, Kate Fenigan, Carson two
j Jake Iikhorn, David Latu, Noah Lugo, Dlon Johnson, is Moa,
cru Wakelee, Dalton Riggs, Dona Jovea, Cody Epps, Michael Harper,
Jackson Bowers, and Miles Davis and Shitty Moha. So like
you lost some talent there and you acquired ten guys
or thirty's thirteen Tiger Bachmeyer, Justin Kirklandavian Beasley, Alvin Puefua,
bear Bachmerkied Kano, Tonavasa, Max, Alfred Carson, Ryan Anisi, Perceeltasi,
Ilia Kana, Andrew Gentry and Kyle suferchok so a nice
A decent haul there, and right now you're sitting at
seven incoming transfers with twelve outgoing. So that's where we stand.
So I think we've been able to stabilize it. I
don't think you're gonna acquire twenty plus guys anytime soon.
I think the retention efforts is what Kalani has been pushing, right.
We get the guys that are bought in to what
you're doing, how you're doing it, and keep them there
by the way. Dom Henry forty receptions this last year
for Florida Atlantic twenty twenty five five hundred and seventy
five yards, four touchdowns. Shout out to the Saint Augustine,
Florida Negative Dominic Hendry Formard be with you, Cougar. I
really like dom Henry. I don't know about you, Roddy,
but I kind of hope that he would do.
Speaker 4: I was upset that that one happened, you know, like
I just I remember I was going in and out
and I just it was funny he went into the portal.
I think it was like later that late morning or afternoon,
and I'm walking in and out late at night with
Emily and yeah, yeah, and it was like, isn't that
dom Herrn just went in to the portal.
Speaker 3: I was like, yeah it is.
Speaker 4: And She's like, you're gonna say something.
Speaker 3: I was like, ah, yeah, I'll say something I say.
Speaker 4: I was like, okay, so just when I've talked to
him and hello chat, that's private, so I'm not gonna
reveal that, but I was. I expressed that I was
sad that he never got a chance because Ben I
remember talking about him after a spring ball and then
falk Cow was hoping to see him and just never
got the chance to was upset by that, but always
makes my heart happy when they're able to go elsewhere
and play and ball out, because that's what it's about.
Speaker 3: Real quick.
Speaker 2: Some transfer portal news. Michigan is working on transfer quarterback
Cam Calhoun, the former Utah transfer who started surprised in
ann Arbor. However, a rival has emerged as a big threat.
He was at Alabama this last season. So Cam Calhoun
has bounced around a bunch and he could be ending
up at Michigan. Be a good acquisition for Jay Hill
and Jerannalo Gilford. They've kept in contact with him and
are very aware of huge talents and his abilities. By
you still looking for a cornerback, I think BYU needs
a quarnerback. Some people feel like, okay, do we need
a backup quarterback? Do we need I remember Dante Bell
was listed as a possible acquisition that was rescinded. It
looks like it was no longer on social media after
about twenty four hours. So how is b what you
film about their backup quarterback position with Tracon borgae Enick
Watson and uh maybe maybe others will have to take
a look at the rest of the roster there RB two.
Speaker 3: Do you need an r B two or do you like.
Speaker 2: What you got in in in and who's coming back
from from this year? But I definitely think you need
an additional cornerback. And there hasn't been any reports thus
far that b Y who has offered. No Pete nay
Coast reports, no Hayes Fawcet reports, Uh no Brandon Hoffman
or Blair Angulo reports going on right now. So uh,
we'll see, uh, but there's still there's still plenty of time. Guys,
Do not fret, do not uh be overly concerned. B
YU will find some guys, and it may be after
spring ball. All I'm saying is, I'm just saying, don't
don't uh uh, And I point to a number of
guys that have been acquired, big time players off infensively
and defensively. Bear Bachmeyer Tiger Bachmeyer were required after the spring. Okay,
this last this last offseason, and and so you don't
need to get them right away, you just don't.
Speaker 3: You can get them after spring.
Speaker 2: I want to say, I'm trying to think of who
else was required after spring. Maybe defense, We'll have to
check check the timeline but I feel like b Y
has been able to acquire great players, even going back
to like twenty nineteen. I mentioned this earlier in the show,
Tyson Williams great running back. So if you do need
an RB two, you can maybe get them after the spring.
Go pick up a third spring big ten or SEC
running back that's probably not gonna get a whole a
whole lot of PT, but wants.
Speaker 3: To be featured.
Speaker 2: Get them, go bring them in if you want to
accent l J. Martin Little lightning to Lj's thunder. All right, guys,
let's take a brief time out. That was a great segment.
Uh and it was brought to you byer good friends
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Orthopos of Utah orthroposof Utah dot com. Let's take a
brief time out. We'll be back. Don't go anywhere. Brian
Estroidge joins us. Next, the voice of the TCU horn
frogs for another faux segment. As we get prepped, we
get ready for the b YU TCU basketball game later tonight.
This is Cougar Sports on one of three nine ninety
eight point three ESP.
Speaker 1: Get to know the Cougar's opponents and rivals right now.
I need to know the faux segment on Cougar Sports
with Ben Gretelber.
Speaker 3: Welcome back Cougar Sports. One of three nine ninety point
three ESPN.
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Speaker 3: Guys. It is time to get to know the foe.
Gonna get to know the.
Speaker 2: TCU horn Frogs via the voice all of the TCU
horn Frogs as we prep, as we get ready for
this matchup. It's gonna be a great one. It's gonna
be a fantastic one at the Mayor's Center, Show up,
show out, and rise and shout for the Cougars. This
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in the long run. Guys number eleven, bo of your
returns to the friendly conference tonight of the Marriage Center
on a beautiful evening. Hopefully we're getting the muck out
of the air. Need a little bit of moisture. But
they host TCU tip off is a late one nine
pm mount time, and if you don't want to head
out there and watch the game at the Marriage Say,
if you don't have tickets, you can watch it on
ESPN two. Dave Fleming and Sean Farnham are going to
be on the call. Wednesday will be the twenty fifth
all time meeting between the Cougars and the horn frog
The twelfth in provo. BYU holds a twenty to four
advantage in the series, pretty lopsided, not all that competitive,
including seven straight wins at the Marriott Center dating back
to their days in the Mountain West Conference the Mountain
West Conference era and their only other meeting at the
Marriott Center as Big twelve O's b WA overcame a
seventeen point halftime deficit to defeat the horn Frogs eighty
seven to seventy five on March second, twenty twenty four.
Richie the Todd King Sanders Saunders is the only remedding
Cougar that played in that game, as the Riverton native
and the Wassatch Academy product finished with eleven points in
twenty four minutes of action, going four to five from
the field and one to one from the three point
line and three for four from the free throw line
the Charity Stride. He also had seven rebounds and two
assists as the Cougars outscored the TCU horn Frogs fifty
eight to twenty nine after halftime. They did a nice
job there, and so did Richie. BYU's back and ready
to defend. It's eleven game home win streak versus the
TCU home Frogs tonight that begin with that eightieighth to
sixty five victory over Kansas State on February fifteen, twenty
twenty five. Their current home win streak is tied for
the twenty second longest in d NC DOUBLEA Division one
men's basketball. Okay, that's an impressive run, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Boys and girls. The Cougars are seven to zero at
home this season, including eclipsing the century mark in back
to back games in the same season for the first
time since December nineteen ninety two. They are one of
the top offensive teams in the country when playing at
the Marriott Center, ranking second in net ratings right now,
second in two point field goal percentage and fourth in
offensive rating, fourth in true shooting percentage and fourth in
effective field goal percentage, sixth in field goal percentage, in
the seventh in fast breakpoints.
Speaker 3: So I believe Ken Palm has him.
Speaker 2: As the eighth overall best offensive team in college basketball
on eighteenth on the defensive side of the ball, and
they have tremendous talent. But let's get to know the foe.
Ladies and Gentlemen, that are tuning into the show as
we prep get ready for this BYU TCU match up
a late tip off. Let's welcome in Brian Estridge, the
voice of the TCU Hornfrog. So the show, Brian, How
are you Ben?
Speaker 5: I'm doing great? Man? Ready for little conversation going on here?
Speaker 2: Yes, indeed, I was breaking down BYU side.
Speaker 5: Of the ball.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 5: You had the numbers down, dude.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we got it.
Speaker 2: We got to get into all the knicks and crannies,
all the metrics, you.
Speaker 3: Know what I mean. And I've been looking at TCU
as well.
Speaker 2: This is a team that's trying to find its groove
offensively defensively though they're a top twenty five program right now.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think the offense who has really come on,
Jamie Dixon, has been pleased with how they've handled himself.
He wasn't exactly totally pleased with what they did defensively
to start the ball game against Arizona. But you and
I both know Arizona's a freaking basketball team, and then
the defense let them down in the end. At Kansas
score one hundred points. You would think that that should
be enough at Allen Field House to come away with
the victory. So he's actually been pleased with the way
his offenses responded in the last couple of games, but
wants to see that intensity continue on the defensive side.
That's kind of what Jamie Dixon's teams have hung their
hand on over the years, and he wants to do
happen again this year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, even when you know this TCU team hasn't been
producing a lot of points, they were winning. They had
a nice winning street North Texas Incarnate Word or Roberts
flord To and m Jackson State, and you got to
win versus Baylor. Not the most arduous stretch of games,
but it looked like you guys were finding ways to
win outside of just getting buckets.
Speaker 5: Well some of that, obviously, you know, is dictated by
the opponent too, and many of those teams trying to
slow it down, you know, Incarnate worders, so those guys
didn't want to necessarily run as much for TCUs as
you would think. And then and then the Bayer game
was you know, that was just a testament to Big
twelve basketball. You know, both teams had come in throwing
up big numbers offensively. I think Baylor had scored one
hundred and three straight games, and that just felt like,
all of a sudden, you pull on the brakes because
big twelve plays started, every possession mattered, And so I
think that's what led to that.
Speaker 2: I'm looking at these games in which, like, for instance,
the Michigan game, the number one team per Ken Pom
sixty seven to sixty three. That was a tough loss,
but you guys stayed competitive. I look at the Notre
Dame game, that was a tough loss. Florida, you gotta win, though,
Wisconsin got to win. This is a this is a
good TCU team, a very competitive versus Kansas, very competitive
versus you of a I don't know if the record
necessarily or even the Ken Palm ranking necessarily depicts an
accurate kind of a truth serum of who TCU is.
Speaker 5: What do you have? What do you have? What's Ken
Palm gunna man? You're tracking that for heaven? Yeah.
Speaker 2: So TCU right now is let me pull this up
really quick. There they are. Let's see here, tc where
you at, Where you're at?
Speaker 5: Like they were right on the bubble.
Speaker 3: Fifty second right now.
Speaker 2: So they're ninety ninth in offensive efficiency, twenty fourth in
defensive efficiency.
Speaker 3: For fifty second.
Speaker 5: That's pretty I'd say that's pretty accurate. I mean, you know,
nobody up until wisconsinbeat Michigan, nobody had played Michigan as
tight as TCU had, and you sit hung with him.
I mean, actually TCU led for late in that ballgame
and Michigan came back. Had Notre Dame beat You're up
double digits on Notre Dame in the second half. Let
that one slip away. That was a tough one. We
talked about Kansas and overtime. Arizona's a really good basketball team.
So that's that's four of your five right there. The
one that hurts is New Orleans to start the year.
But you're a basketball guy, you know that. I mean
New Orleans walked in the arena with Master p as
their GM, and he had gone out and signed two
guys nobody knew was on the roster. You know that
could actually play. And so and now I'm not saying
continue you should lose too, You shouldn't, but I think
it probably called TCU off guard a little bit. With
that being said, you know that there were some wins
in there you could have stolen, There's no question about that.
But I think at this point when when you see
how much money you spent in college basketball, especially on
the Big twelve side, you guys know about it here
at YU better than anybody. With the dollars that TCU
has allotted for basketball and the production that they're getting
out of the players that they got out of the portal,
I think folks should be fairly satisfied.
Speaker 2: I had no idea that master P was the president
of basketball operations for the University.
Speaker 3: Of New Orleans.
Speaker 5: Isn't they crazy? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Where we are, man, I feel like we got to
get some music going here at the end of the
at the end of the interview, just to highlight Masterp.
Shot at the master P a part of my childhood,
my young adulthood. All right, So you mentioned per dollar spent,
you feel like TuS in a good spot. What type
of nil support is TCU's basketball program getting right now?
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's like in three and a half million. So
compare that to be why I.
Speaker 3: Use Yeah, where does that stack up? Do you think that?
Speaker 2: Where do you think three and a half million has
the payroll? What do you think that stacks up? Like
in college basketball, even in the Big twelve?
Speaker 5: Yeah, And who knows? I would say, it's it's middle
to lower in the MiG twelve. I mean, you look
at by U in Texas Tech respectively. Keynes is obviously
as has been spending it for years, and so I
think you got you know, I think you got a
group up at the top. That's that's a lot different
than many of the teams that the result at the
bottom as far as that numbers. Would you agree, yeah,
I think so.
Speaker 2: It is a bit reflective of maybe where they're ranked
right now in the Big twelve or tenth in the
Big twelve standings.
Speaker 5: Yeah, which is where they were picked right in the
preseason pole I would see. I would say that's probably
about right. Yeah. Isn't that interesting how the money is
is you can follow the money and determine where it's
each finishing league.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that it works for basketball? Is it? Is
it always equivalent in in football? Right now?
Speaker 2: Is it? Is it the ones that are paying the
most winning the most? Do you think in college football
as well?
Speaker 5: Well? Taking b YU both were at the top right
Arizona State was up there. I would I would say,
if you look at the Big twelve, that would be
the example that I would use. You know, it seems
like that has been the case, right, Yeah, you.
Speaker 2: Know it's the Indiana situation is intriguing to me because
I don't feel like they've acquired as much talent.
Speaker 5: Uh and more than we say. I think they've spent
more than you thought you think so yeah, I think
to me have spent more than your team. Tell me
what they have done too, is you know, uh, they've
been they they've also gone out and you know, brought
a bunch of guys from James Madison. They probably don't
have to overpay for so but but he filled in
some holes pretty nicely with the guys.
Speaker 3: What what happened with with Hoover? How did TCU lose Hoover?
Speaker 2: I thought I thought, you know, I thought Sonny would
be able to retain him. Obviously he got he got
probably a nice payday going over to uh Signetti.
Speaker 3: But how's the NIL support.
Speaker 5: I think TCU's football and ils is different from the
basketball and then they do have somebody to spend any
and that they would have allowed to have kept Hoover.
But uh, you know, Hoover wanted to go play in
another place. I guess he wanted, uh you know, to
make more money and I think was pretty generous in
what they where they were. I don't really know the
exact numbers, but uh, you know, uh, and and I
don't know that we know what he's getting in Indiana
doing I don't know, actually singing published, but apparently he
is getting more money, and so again follow the money,
right mm hmm.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: It's uh, it's hard to get old and staled these days,
isn't it. You know, we're doing this for a long time.
It's hard to get old staled right now.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it is. I mean it's you know, it's uh,
it's hard to figure out exactly where we are too
as a sport, uh or really as a you know,
and what what what are we doing in college sports?
Speaker 3: You know this roster you're ruined, man.
Speaker 5: You played. You don't want to mess it up, do you?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think there's I think it's a
I'm a I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a capitalist. Uh and
so I do like free markets, and the pendulum is
swung and it's probably swung too far. And I wanted
to to get back into center, but you know it
needs to swing as far this direction where there's it's
like kind of a player advocacy era where they have
all the power because the NC double a kind of
sorta uh uh, you know, kind of pillaged for a
long time, took advantage for a long time, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 5: And so, and did you graduate from Walliam?
Speaker 3: I did? Yeah, yep.
Speaker 5: How much classes?
Speaker 3: How much classes? Know?
Speaker 5: How much were classes? How much did you have to
pay to go to class?
Speaker 3: Oh? Man?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, look, I was a walk on initially,
so I didn't get the initial scholarship. But you know
there's a subsidy as well because of tithes and offerings. Right,
so if you're a member of the church, your return missionary,
the classes were much cheaper. I think my tuition was
around like twenty five hundred per semester, so it's pretty cheap.
Speaker 5: So you had to pay twenty five eleven semesters, yeah.
Speaker 2: Until I got the scholarship. Have to pay right, yep, yeah,
one hundred percent. No, there's a there's a question like
when I chocked it up, when I was looking at
the hours allocated when I was on scholarship, when I
was receiving, you know, taking into account the tuition and
scholarship check, I was probably making you know, per hour,
probably around twelve thirteen, maybe fourteen bucks an hour as
a football player in two thousand and seven and eight.
Speaker 5: How many other college kids were making it?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean you can make an argument for that
that they weren't making as much or they were making
as much, but they weren't doing something as fun as
what I was doing.
Speaker 5: Right. Well, we've just we've devalued the degree, you know,
we've devalued the education. When people go, oh, well, you know,
they got to have more than the scholarship is worse something.
I got two kids in college, fortunate one. Both of
them played college athletics. One of them is a Division
one baseball player and goes and goes for free. All right,
it actually makes money going to school. But he goes
to a non nil school Division one, and then and
then he goes to an academy. My daughter plays Division
three softball at a school that's I'm not complaining. She
picked it and then was the right thing for her.
It's as expensive or more expensive than an Ivy League school.
M okay uh and so, but to her, the value
of the education meant something, sure, you know, And I
think that's what we have to get back to. Is, Hey,
you're going to get a degree from byun There is
value in that. And I but no one talks about that.
How many guys How many times on your show have
you talked about, Hey, that the student athlete is progressing
towards a degree. You remember we used to hear that. Yeah,
you know, how many guys were ineligible during the college
football bowl season this year academically.
Speaker 3: A lot of them were, Yeah.
Speaker 5: Well they were they were academic.
Speaker 2: Well well, well, well there was a lot of them
that weren't going to class, like they're not going to class.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but they're not.
Speaker 5: Ineligible and couldn't play in the ball game because of academics.
Speaker 3: No, I don't think any of them.
Speaker 5: I think I think there was one when you were
playing that would happen all the sure, So we're not
we're not talking about academics anymore. We're not talking about
the degree, we're not talking about the value of that.
Uh And and so I just think that to me,
that's that that's where the world's changing, and maybe not
for good.
Speaker 3: Yeah, No, I do.
Speaker 2: I do think there needs to be a balancing of it,
all right, it has to be this has to be
a transformational experience on a transactional experience, right, and you'd
hope that education takes precedence with that, but uh, you know,
I mean, look, the NCAA is a two billion dollar
organization and none of that was trickling down to the player.
And they weren't allowing for name, image and likeness transactionality, right,
Like if I would have got if I would have
worked at like a any job and received twenty dollars
an hour and that was above what whatever the fair
market rate was, that would be viewed as an improper benefit,
and I could be ineligibile, right, like.
Speaker 3: You know what I mean.
Speaker 2: And so it's really hard, like because like ESPN Fox
are making billions of dollars, coaches are making hundreds of
millions of dollars. N ca A is making so much money,
and like the players aren't making I mean, they're getting
their education and that's that's enough.
Speaker 3: And it was kind of like it was it to
a degree. It's it.
Speaker 2: It kind of seems I know this is maybe too strong,
but it's a little bit like indentured, a little indentured servitude,
A little bit.
Speaker 5: Careful dude, you were final on the chartered plane. You
had all tons of gear. You ate seven meals a day,
you know, I mean, uh, chicks, w you I mean,
there's it's a little it's a little different than an
indentured service.
Speaker 2: I know it's strong, but I mean it was it's strong,
but I mean you're you're only talking about the highest
level right of of of play, you know, power for
power five And so it needs to balance, right, and
and the the answer is what, Well, the university H
level are.
Speaker 5: The only ones that are getting paid right now, you.
Speaker 2: Know, so, but everybody else is getting an education D
one double a FCS. They're getting education, right, you're you know,
And so I agree with you. There has to be
a balancing effect here. And but you know, universities could
have stepped in at any time and offered W two.
They could figure out a W two salary. But the
institutionals don't want to do it. Why don't they want
to employ their students, their student athletes and say hey,
well you get to go to school as well as
you're as an employed person. They don't want to pay
workman's comp they don't want to protect them, so they're
they're a commodity and they're transacting from the player while
making money off of them over the last years. Universities
are as much to blame as the NC DOUBLEA, ESPN
and Fox.
Speaker 5: Of course something out here. Student athletes don't want to
be employees, right, did you want to be an employee?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean I didn't understand the ramifications of a
W nine or W two at the time, but if
you would have said, yeah, you get you get workmen's comp,
then yeah, I want to I want to be an employee. Yeah, yeah,
I mean, look, if you're going to pay me forty
thousand dollars a year as a W two employee and
take care of me with workmen's comp at a four
oh one K and retirement plan for my five years
and set me up for success, that's a part of
the education as well, right, that would be a part
of Hey, like we're we're an advocate for the student athlete.
But the universities have sat there and washed their hands
of it, taking money and making hundreds of millions of dollars.
I don't know what the the P and L looks
like for TCU, but the universities, I mean, their revenue
in the athletic department, it's it's upwards one hundred million,
hundred and twenty million, hundred and fifty million.
Speaker 3: Year over year.
Speaker 5: But then they turn around spend it. You know, none
of them are very few of them are profitable. Now
that's a whole nother story. We have a twenty minute
on that we all have. But sure, yeah, you know,
it's how these universities allow these athletic departments to be
run that feduciar respon finuciary responsibility, that is, allow sure
athletic directors on down.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I mean you look at the contracts. You talk about
contracts and coaches have the I mean that is ridiculous.
You know, the payouts that are being thrown the coaches
who get let go come on.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, and the payouts go.
Speaker 2: Lord man, I'm saying, is I appreciate the pendulum swinging.
Does it need to be fixed hundred percent? Let's go
collective bargaining, Let's figure out a way to have a
salary cap and things of that nature. But it has
to be under the laws of the land. Either federal
government has to step in and say you can operate
as a monopoly and impose these bylaws and you're we're
gonna give you legal precedents to to be able to
operate as a monopoly or we got to figure out
you know, something else, uh down the pipeline. But you know,
and I think for you, as a play by play guy,
and you've been doing this for a long time, one
of the things that you know, we enjoy as media
members is storytelling, right and getting to know the players.
And it's hard to do that with all this carousel
going on, and it impacts us totally.
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, you know, and that would that'd be a
selfish view to say it impacts me as much as
I do worry about you know, like where do these
guys go for homecoming? Now, if you go to four
schools in four years homecoming, where do you bring your
eight year olds back and say, hey, this is where
daddy played yep, and where's and where's daddy welcome? You know,
think about that with Joshuber. Joshuber would have stayed one
more year at TCU. He would have left as the
number one quarterback in every category, all right, Yeah, the
history of TCU. His eight year old son, and he
could have walked down the hall of the football office
anytime they wanted to, and he could have eaten for
free and for worth the rest of his life. Yep.
But he walked away from it for another five hundred
thousand bucks.
Speaker 3: Yep.
Speaker 5: Think about a long term decision that is man and
so now all of a sudden he can't bring his
eight year old son back to a place. And he
gave three years to put up some huge numbers, was
highly successful, but he's he's not He's not going to
be welcome here because the fans going, Hey, that's a dude,
leftists that's to do the quit mm hmmm.
Speaker 2: No, I think it's powerful, that retention message. You know,
it needs to be promulgated from every every athletic department,
every football for every football coach.
Speaker 3: Right. And I'm sure it was I'm sure it was pitched.
Speaker 5: I'm sure I'm sure they said it. But i mean,
you know, how do you get that message across and
in the media. We're just as guilty of it when
we say, oh, he opt out of the opted out
of the bowl game. No he didn't.
Speaker 3: He quit.
Speaker 5: Yeah, he quit. Who decided we need to we need
to glamorize this word in the description of it. No,
they quit on their team.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and he's from Heath, Texas.
Speaker 5: You know, he's a Texas Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3: Yes, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5: And I'm not singling out Josh Hooper when I say quit,
I'm talking about every guy who didn't play in the
bowl game, who was with his team for all throughout
the whole year, who decided I'm not going to play
in that Bowl game because I might get the portal.
I'm gonna do this, you quit, man. Yeah, And isn't
it our responsibility as educators to also hold kids accountable
and teach them what that's like in the real world.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the long term. I when I'm pitching it, it's this, right,
it's do you want short term learning potential? Long term
learning potential? So don't be so, you can't be short sighted.
You can build a legacy. Yes, you need a fair
market wage for the fair market you know, evaluations. But
you know I talk about long term earning potential, which
is educational, right, It's about it's about what you can
make in that community for years to come, ten years,
fifteen down, like real estate deals, commercial deals, whatever, it
could be, entrepreneurship things. And it's hard to see that
when you're just money grabbing, money grabbing.
Speaker 5: But with Kansas State and Iowa State back out of
the bowl games, and they both said, well, our teams
voted and they didn't want to play in it. I
told you, I told my counterpart of Kansas State. I said, hey,
walk in your athletic direct offense and say, hey, yeah,
if if this basketball team doesn't play any better, I'm
not going to the big twelve tournament called the Games.
See how that would go over? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know,
but no that we're adults. We don't do that. And
at some point we got to train up these kids
who get to quote opt out to be adults.
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's got to be some accountability that goes. Doubt it,
no doubt about us. Brian.
Speaker 5: Uh, go walk into your boss and tell him, you
know what, until this engineer gets this thing sounded better,
I ain't doing it anymore.
Speaker 3: That's gonna go over very well.
Speaker 2: Great, Brian, we're gonna we're up against a break. But
real quick, give me a little preview of this game.
What BYU fans can expect from this DCU team, and
give me a uh maybe a kind of a prediction
how this game plays out.
Speaker 5: Sure, I think TCU has obviously got to be good
defensively because the b YU is gonna make shots, You're
gonna make shots at home. I think TC won't be
afraid to run with the BYU, So I think we
could have a fun game in store for us that way.
If TC gets in any found trouble, they're not real
deep in a couple of spots, so that that's that's
going to be a really important for them. But it's
going to come down to can they weather the storm
that you know is going to arrive here in Provo?
Can they handle the crowd in what that's like? So
it's gonna be interesting, you know. I think if TC
you can you know, if it's a close game at halftime,
and if those first four minutes of the second half
they could survive that, I think we should have a
phone down to the wire.
Speaker 2: Follow Brian on X at Brian Estridge, ladies and gentlemen
and check out his call. Uh if you want to
hear it from the other side. Uh, where where can
we can we catch that call?
Speaker 3: Brian?
Speaker 5: The best easiest way is just to do it on
the Varsity app. So you cant go to the Varsity app,
download vit listen streaming.
Speaker 3: Nice Brian, Let's catch up again. Too. I loved this conversation.
Speaker 2: I know we didn't get as much into the hoopstock
as I would have liked as you maybe you would
have liked, But I love chatting about this stuff, the
real the real issues in college athletics.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much.
Speaker 5: Let's let's we saw the world's right here.
Speaker 2: Let's go Bee, Let's go appreciate you brother, thanks for
hopping on.
Speaker 3: All right, that's our show.
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