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Speaker 2: Today, let's get out to the hotline. Welcome in.
Speaker 1: One of the best linebackers in BYU football history just
turned forty one years old. I can't believe it. He's
over the hump now and he's still Yeah. He's still fast,
he's still nimble, he's still quick, he still jumps out.
Speaker 2: Of the gym.
Speaker 1: Let's welcome in, David Nixon, d Nicks, what's up, buddy,
Oh traddle man.
Speaker 4: I know anytime I come on your show, you can
just lift my spirits. And this maybe still like I'm like,
I'm twenty years old again, So I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Clubhead speed of one hundred and thirty miles an hour
as well, it.
Speaker 4: Might have a lot of speed. I've got to get
that boggle a little straighter these days. That's my problem.
But hey, the weather's glorious outside, so golf golf seasons here.
I love it. We're finally getting out and playing some golf.
Speaker 1: Heck yeah, dude, Well what is the clips head speed
at right now for the for d Nix?
Speaker 2: I mean it's still it's still up there.
Speaker 4: It's yeah. I mean, listen, just trying to keep the
back nimbles. What I'm trying to do, just not problem
back every time I swing. Okay, so lots of stretches
and just just stay nimble. That's my goal.
Speaker 1: Stay nimble, stay quick and keep them keep them straight.
Off the t David Nixon, d Nix, b YU heading
to the NC Double A tournament.
Speaker 2: They're taking on Texas. It's the round of sixty four.
Speaker 1: Gonna be I think on TBS for all those that
want to watch, it's gonna be a great event. I
believe five twenty five tip off Brad Nessler whilely Zerbiak,
Jared Greenberg gonna be on the call. March madness has
arrived in the Cougars are seventeen and thirty five all
time in the NC Double A Tournament, including a five
or four record as a six seed.
Speaker 2: That boes well.
Speaker 1: Right, They're making their third straight appearance the Big Dance,
which is BOWA is actually their longest streight since making
the tournament six straight seasons under Dave Rose from two
thousand and seven to twenty twelve.
Speaker 2: What makes you optimistic that b Y's going to survive
in advance in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4: You know, the last few weeks make me optimistic to
prior week before that that was not so optimistic because
I think everyone's kind of thinking, like, hey, let's just
get this season done with because this team just seemed
to be foundering and had lost his identity. I love
what Kevin Young did and he's missing this in the
media where he dumped down defense, kind of went back
to the basics and challenges guys to go fight an identity, right,
And I'd like in this to football, I look back
at our Bronco Men Hall defense days. We didn't run
the most extravagant defenses, right. It wasn't the most complicated defense,
but we knew what to do, and we knew what
where to be and knew we knew how to execute
the defense in mind, and I think there's something to
be said about simplicity and not trying to get too
much in the weeds. I mean, clearly, if you will
us about the ass leats on the basketball team, right
and now it's just getting to play proper defense and
execute the defense. And so I love what Kevin youngons
Doug had done. Like I said, he's simplified it. He's
allowed these guys to go out there and just be
athletes because as we know, I don't care if it's
football basketball and he's sport. When you're thinking too much
about what you're about to do, you play half the
second flower than you should. Right. But if you're cough
in your reads, if you're tough in your abilities, you're
tough in the scheme, you play exponentially faster. And I
think that's where this defense specifically for bou because offensive
day can score, but defensively they were given up ninety
nine one hundred points a game. Uh you know this
last at home stretch and and they finally found their
identy and realize they can go out there and compete
and execute and man, have some fun. He's lost, he's
this last little run. So I'm excited for this game.
I think you know, I watched the Texans game last night. Texas.
They're athletic obviously, right, and they're long. But I think
this bou team, the way they've been playing these last
few weeks, I think the obviously got a real shot
out it.
Speaker 1: Yes, indeed, it is a neutral site, but it seems
like it could be a home game, right with all
the BYU fans out there in the Portland area.
Speaker 2: The northwest is uh is full of.
Speaker 1: Latter Day Saints and Brigham Young University lums, so they
could make kind of a run. Last year they were
in Denver, it seemed like it was a hometown crowd
there as well.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean you you travel as well, especially for
the tournament, and the Heights has been around this team.
Most likely last chances you'll get to watch aj debands
and play. I mean yeah, I uh. It wasn't for
the fact that Maury traveling this weekend, I probably would
have found a way to make it out there. But yeah,
it should be a really fun environment. I'm excited. I
think you know Texas they played in Ohio, have to
fly away across the country. They haven't had a chance
of scout buy uh, you know coming off you know,
short prep preparation. UU obviously probably did a scout for
both for Texas and at Paranci State, so they probably
had that ready already. H So I like Uyu chanmceons
of this game, but it was interesting. You know, the
Heck's coach is a Shawn Miller right for for Texas.
Yep I mentioned that it is nice to play in
these playing games because you kind of get the excitement out,
you get the jitters out in that first game, and
he thinks that that's going to play the advantage. I
would tend to somewhat agree. I think sometimes it is
nice to try to play in that first playing game
and just settle down and play from there. But I
feel like the Yu in this one obviously, I'm I'm excited.
I mean it's tomorrow, right, this is like Christmas Eve
for for basketball fans. We've got Barson Madis kicksoff tomorrow.
Speaker 1: Yes, indeed, I'm intrigued by what's the ceiling? And uh
for this team, do you think looking at their path
and their bracket.
Speaker 2: I thought that it was. I thought it was a
fortuitous bracket.
Speaker 1: I really think there's a path for b Yu if
aj is getting calls, if he's getting whistles againting to
the line, I think anything is possible for b Yu
manage basketball.
Speaker 2: What what what path? Do you see? What's the ceiling
for this team?
Speaker 4: I think some down those role players. I mean, he's
gonna get his right, but I think it comes down
to your Canard Davison and you know, can Robert Reich.
Can he get his I mean the supporting cast and
goud to their job. I mean, a J's gonna get
twenty thirty every night, but can the other guys step
up and contribute? I think that's been the biggest thing too.
And just defensively, well we talked about already. But you know,
he can't be given up in then SA tournament. Can't
be get up eighty points and ninety points a game.
You're not gonna win a lot of ball games because
every team at this point obviously is a great team,
and they've had success and they know how to win, right.
So what I do like in Day's favor is the
Big twelve is just such a Gauntlet, and the fact
that you survived at Gauntlet and it was it was
weak in and week out. You're playing a top ten team,
it felt like. And so the fact that now you
go into this tournament and I don't think they're going
to see the type of caliber a big tole opponents
that they had to face here in this first couple
of rounds against Texas and then you know, down the
road against Gonzaga. I mean, I don't know. I think
dou has a great shot. I think, like you said,
I think that the bracket itself fare as well. And
listen that they head to play Arizona. They've played there,
it's on really well this year. Even though Arizona's been phenomenal,
you know, they they played as on a pretty close
So I don't know, I like deuy chansons, this is
gonna be a fun, fun tournament. I you know, I've
had buddy that or what is the you know, what
is the success? Like how would you how would you
measure built success in this tournament? I don't know. I
think it's Sweet sixteen. I'd be happy with the Sweet sixteen, right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like quota quota to me, what's quota?
Speaker 4: Right?
Speaker 1: So what's quota? What's overachieving? Would you say, right? Is
it sweet sixteen? That's kind of the overachievement because of
the sixth season, any injuries or is quota?
Speaker 2: Is quota sweet sixteen? Right?
Speaker 1: Is it?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 2: Does that make sense? I mean, yeah, where where's that at?
Speaker 4: I would say making it to the second weekend? Making
it to the sweet sixteen. Listen, I'm a competitor. I
obviously want you to go to the final four, right, but
I think realistic. I mean, if you can make it
to the sweet sixteen, I think that's with with like
you said, with the injuries that have occurred, I think
that's a big win. I mean I don't want to
get too greedy here, but I think what you has
the pieces, even with rich He being out and traving
and the rest of the players, I think Deal he
has the pieces to make her run. I really do.
I mean, you're going to have a good team that
don't have a full scout on deo you like all
the Big twelve has and we don't have Deal. You
fared in the preseason when they're not playing Big twelve teams. Granted, yes,
very teams and of these other guys were still playing.
But I don't know. I think I think this time,
even after the Big twelve tournament wrapped up to now,
has helped. I think that Bills is some self scout.
I don't know. I'm optimistic. I'm just gonna be really
really intriguing. But hey, the guy gets through Texas tomorrow.
I mean Texas, Like I said, no joke, it was.
They were obviously very athletic yesterday, so we'll see how
they're fair.
Speaker 1: David Nixon, former b why you great talking be what
you basketball?
Speaker 2: Do you ever get?
Speaker 1: You ever tell Jerem like, hey, I can be a
basketball analyst too, Like why don't you call me up?
Why Eric make a y j T while these other
basketball players when you can talk ball with the best.
Speaker 4: And I've played off around high school, but that's about
where it stopped. And it's funny. I actually called the
Blue White Scrimmage plaid back like ten years ago. I
had to fill in because all the guys were gone,
and he asked me to fill in last minute, and
I quickly realized I'm not cut out for that job.
And I can chat hoops, but I can't. I can't
jump in to the Typicallians as the relates to hoops.
So I quickly humbled me and I said, you know what,
that's the one and done for me. I'm an ajent
Devanta on BATV for basketball. I want and done.
Speaker 2: What have you been seeing, d Nicks?
Speaker 1: What have you been hearing about Camp Kilani twenty twenty
six spring ball is well underweight?
Speaker 2: Would have been the storylines?
Speaker 1: Who have been the players, what have been the position
groups that you've been most intrigued by, and what you've
been watching?
Speaker 4: For me, it's just watching our guy k Pop, you know,
kind of take the reins and make this his defense.
And you know, I know we all have to chat
with him a little bit here and there. He's obviously
super excited for this position. I think he's pretty confident
as well. I mean, but I tell people is, you know,
Kelly's been in that room with Jay Hill and the
rest of that staff for the last three years. I mean,
he's been part of those same in game adjustments that
that Jay was making. I mean, these coaches are very
capable that have been you know, that stayed on the
staff and stayed behind. So I'm confident that Kelleys you
will put his own twists on his defense and put
his own identity on his defense. He's gonna probably make
some changes that he wants to change. But the luxury
that Kelly has right now is the fact that you
bring back all this death like you bring back all
these studs and these playmakers, and then and then you
add on to it. But I looked all across the board.
I mean kay de Lave what I mean, Well, yeah,
that that guy speaks his experience and his play on
the field speech for itself. But Jake Clifton coming in.
I looked at even Miles Hall at his production last year.
You look at you look at Tucuiti Attana, I mean
New Tautama, Pale like there's some Bonafi playmakers, Carol and
ton of Bosta clearly you know, get Justin Kirkland healthy.
I mean it's not just the starters, which has usually
been the case for BYU. Right. I've always says even
during independence, I thought BOU twenty two could match up
with the majority of the school to aross the country.
The problem was, Doo, you never had the depth, right,
And that's what we've seen these last few years is
they're building that depth. And I think that's what you
specifically have this year. Not only do you have depth,
but you have experience in that in the too deep
guys that have played meanful snaps throughout the season are
backing up the starters and can come in and relieve
them and you don't skip a beat and that and that.
Like I said, that wasn't the case five six, seven
years ago, the second singers come in, it was a
huge drop off. So I think Kelly's walking himself into
a really good situation. I think he had some studs
all across the board, even the secondary. You talked about
the Mooney and Satsawala, you know, and Pula's out there,
new newcomer. Pula's out there making plays in spring ball.
I think he's gonna have I think his toughest time
will be find out how to get his playmakers on
the field and how to utilize their talents and uh,
you know, try to put him in positions to succeed.
I think that's gonna be the toughest position or spot
as a de fortner, not not what defensive call, but
how to get these guys to get the most out
of them and put him positions to win. Because you
have the playmakers out there, so offensively, that's that's been
fun to watch kind of all that evolved offensively. For me,
it's just the continued production, watching watching Bear continue to
progress as the quarterback. But you know, the wide receiver,
I think with obviously with with Parker being gone and
the shoes that have to be filled there as well
as Chase Roberts, there's some meaningful production that's gotta that's
gotta step up, you know, and and and Casper is
obviously one that's that's I'm mentionoued to see kind of
how that all evolves. But you know, I think I
think more than ever we saw last year with Beuty
tight ends with Carson, Ryan got got involved, and now
Lions and Sarny poker there, I think you're gonna see
a lot of two tight end sets and getting those
big dudes of ball.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's uh, you know, Katie Luave like, well, let
me let me, let me.
Speaker 2: Break this down.
Speaker 1: Kelly Thinker said that the deepest position most likely is
the lineback position on the entire team. Uh and uh,
it kind of bags the question of like you know,
when we're talking about scheme and front and the personnel
that typically we recruit. Like I was having this debate
with Cameron Jensen, a lot of the BAU fan base
think that Jay Hill came in and we were running
a majority forty front.
Speaker 2: I'm like, guys, I didn't see that.
Speaker 1: I saw a lot of stand up edge work, whether
it was Jack, whether it was New c. I mean,
we were still running probably sixty to seventy thirty front
with a stand up outside edge.
Speaker 2: Every once in a while we'd have a forty front.
Speaker 1: But I've always said, I don't know if we have
like the personnel yet to have a two three D
forty front, you know, like at Tech, Texas Attack or
even Utah for years, right they had depth there.
Speaker 2: We have continually recruited.
Speaker 1: You were a part of that pipeline linebackers and we
are LBU right now. Look at the NFL, Look at
what's been produced consistently year over year undrafted free agency
draft picks. Give me kind of your analysis of the
linebacker room, how stacked it is, and maybe with the
future of our defensive scheme is with like it seems
like every single generation has linebackers coming through it.
Speaker 2: At b YU.
Speaker 4: Yeah, like a couple of comments there, I agree with
that with what Kelly said, he actually was. We were
texting earlier this year and he said the same thing.
He's like, man, the linebacker room, could you you lose
Jack Kelly also he started to panic a little bit
right and started with thinking, that's a lot of production gone.
How how do you get to back fill that? And
then all of a sudden you get glaster back and
you get all these newcombers a lobby and clipped it
and some of these newcomers coming in, and then you
get the young guys that contribute last year as well.
I agree. I think the linebacker room is completely stacks.
And like I said, I think that's one of the
issues tell you going to have is how do you
get all these dudes on the field? Right? Like, how
do you get these playmakers out there? And I go
to your next question about the scheme itself. It's interesting.
I was having a conversation last night with the decordinator
for Quarter Canyon. You know, my kids go to Corner Cannons.
We were up there doing some stuff on seven stuff
last night and uh, it's Frankie Setera. The decordinator is
the brother of Casey's. There is now the head coach
and we're just for schemes and kind of the approach.
And it's funny. The game of football is kind of evolved,
I think, even from our time at b YU, where
you really don't have a true base defense anymore. I
feel like I feel like it really is catered to
the opposing offense you're playing and your ability to be
nimble and and switch your defensive fronts up and put
your personnel out there to your point. Last year with
Nucy Newsy's a stand up at the end, but he
was strong enough you can put him down at three
point and take on the tackle and and be a
run stuff for like these guys at day and age,
the football players, they're so versatile that you can move
them around and put different schemes in front of them
and have them execute pretty well. And you know, even
look at the days of It's funny because on Instagram
they have that whole uh that thing going viral right
now where it talks about the nineties, right like everything
that happened in the nineties. And I saw one another
day about linebackers in the nineties and they showed like
ray Lewis and yeah, you know, all these guys with
neck rolls right and just two fifty. I mean, look
at today ivinebackers right. Today, today's linebackers are in the
NFL are Fred warners, guys that can run side and
sideline and cover cover fast tight ends that are no
longer two seventy tight ends like they used to be.
So the game just continues to change and evolve. I think, Kelly,
I recognize that this defense. Yeah, you might be a
true four to three, but on any given down, you
could switch that to a three four, a five to two.
You can roll out five dbs and go back to
like a three three five hybrid. Like, there's so much
you can do, and the game's evolved so much it's
tough to say, hey, here's here's exactly our defense. Because
you can be I mean you can. You can throw
a lot of different fronts out there, and like I said,
a lot depends on the opposing offenses that you're running,
uh and and what you plan to what you play
the scheme up.
Speaker 1: No doubt, any players that you're most intrigued by right
now on this roster as we go throughout spring ball,
and you've been keeping an eye on whether it's offense
or defense.
Speaker 4: Yeah, once again, I'm a little biased towards the defenside
of the ball. I for me, it's just continue to
build the depth I want to continue to seek had
you know Kyd and Jake evolve. For me too, it's
it's just it's just getting the younger guys reps. That's
what spring ball is all for, right, Like, you don't
you don't need to see bosper out there and getting
meaningful reps like stops of all of it. We know
what these guys can do. That's not what spring balls for.
Spring balls to get these younger guys reps. Let them
stand out, get some tape out there. Uh as they
head into kind of the summer summer years now, it
is good for the older guys to get good reps
and just stay you know, stay well oiled. But for me,
it's just watching the younger guys step up and offensively.
You're gonna have to have some playmakers, like you've got
to have to that and go up and and high
point the ball and attack the ball offensively and come
down with big catches. And like I said earlier with
with the departure of Parker, like who's going to become
that dude, and I think we all have an idea,
right but once again, that's what spring ball's for. It
goes to go jump off the tape, you know, as
we talked about the eye and the sky, don't lie, like,
go make some plays and and try to catch the
I and and try to ride the momentum into to fallball,
you know, summer and then fallball. But I'm just excited team.
You look at their returning production all across the board,
dep offensive and defensively. I think the side limit for
the team, and I think they continue to buy into
the culture of what Kalani's building there and uh, you know,
especially off the success of the last two seasons, this
next season could be really fun. I mean you think about,
like I said, everything everyone you bring back and and
key parts as well you can throw all day in
their bearing there. I mean, there's some great production all
across the board. So I'm pumped. This is it's gonna
It's gonna be a fun year.
Speaker 1: David Nixon, Ladies and gentlemen talking ball today, make sure
you follow d Nix on Twitter and then link up
with them on LinkedIn too. He's the senior manager at
JL Commercial Real Estate expert specializing in leasing for growth companies.
Check them out, connect with them. If you need a
commercial property, you know who to call. Hit up David
Nixon d NIX. Always appreciate our time together, man, thanks
for hopping on.
Speaker 4: Let's go soon like what thank beIN Tusking, Buddy Mago.
Speaker 1: That's David Nixon and that's our show, guys, that's our show.
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