WEBVTT - Coaching Rumors with Bruce Feldman 0:00:02.160 --> 0:00:06.880 Welcome to the Solid verbal hell that for me. I'm 0:00:06.880 --> 0:00:09.680 a man, I'm forty. I've heard so many players say, well, 0:00:09.680 --> 0:00:10.639 I want to be happy. 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:12.080 You want to be happy for a day? 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:17.080 Edith Steak is that whoo whoom? And Dan and Tye. 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:21.119 Welcome back to the Solid Rouble Boys and Girls. My 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:25.000 name is ty Hildenbrandt. That guy over there be incomparable 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:27.600 Dan Rubinsteed in the heart of the Midwest, Sir, how 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:27.880 are you. 0:00:28.160 --> 0:00:30.440 I'm good, especially excited for the show. We have not 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:32.600 had this guest on for a long time. You've already 0:00:32.640 --> 0:00:34.000 seen the title of the show, so you know it's 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:37.080 the Athletics Bruce Feldman. I haven't physically, I mean obviously 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:39.000 because of COVID, Like you don't see the people that 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:40.800 you're used to seeing on the road, and I haven't 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:42.320 been on the road obviously, and I don't live in 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:44.640 New York, and I would always see media people types 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:46.559 coming in for Heisman or whatever meetings. 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:49.440 So it's good to see these guys. 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:52.519 Because we have this video component for our Patreon supporters 0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:54.960 at verballers dot com, it's good to at least see 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:57.440 them on video. So I'm excited to have Bruce on. 0:00:57.520 --> 0:00:59.640 I'm excited to catch up and this is this is 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:02.360 bread and butter time for Bruce, Bruce Feldman the Athletic, 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:05.880 so it is. I'm thrilled to have him on, thrilled 0:01:05.920 --> 0:01:08.720 to pick his brain. And as soon as we finish, 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:11.080 Pietz's going in the oven. It's a good little afternoon. 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:13.920 And Bruce's coming on on short notice, which we always 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:17.360 appreciate his time. We've known Bruce for as long as 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:20.480 we've done this podcast. He's always been more than generous 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:22.120 with his time, and as you said, yeah, it is 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:24.640 kind of his time to shine. Being so he is 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:26.800 so connected in the coaching ranks, We're gonna try and 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:29.160 do our best to go through as much of the 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:31.800 coaching news, ask as many questions as we can, because 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:34.080 we know, at least the people who write into us 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.959 are very curious as to where this whole thing's gonna 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:41.680 end up. The coaching carousel spinning ever so chaotically here 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.160 and we're not even in the offseason yet, no, just 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:47.319 towards the latter bit of the twenty twenty one football season. 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:50.200 So we'll talk to Bruce of the Athletic here. Momentarily, 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:52.720 Dan mentioned for Ballers dot com. That's where you can 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:55.800 go and find everything you need to know about our patreon. 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:59.240 We would encourage you all to tune in tomorrow. Many 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:01.720 of you are listening to this on our Friday. Solid 0:02:01.760 --> 0:02:04.000 Saturday dot Com is how you can get access to 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:07.080 the live stream that we do eleven am Eastern Time 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:10.720 every Saturday morning on our YouTube channel in hopes of 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:13.760 getting you ready for the college football week ahead, this 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:16.440 being week twelve. What did we name it? What was 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:17.520 the Saturday that we went with? 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:17.720 You? 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:18.120 Remember? 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:19.519 Oh, Sad Slice Saturday. 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:24.079 Sad Slice Saturday coming at you? Go to Solid Saturday 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:27.840 dot com and last but not least, Solid Giveaway dot com. 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:30.440 If you want to throw your hat in the ring, Yeah, 0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:33.560 got a free chance to win a signed mini helmet 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:37.760 by fan favorite not yet a friend of the show, 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:39.919 eventually will be Robert Griffin. Third. 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:43.919 I've interviewed RG three. We have it on the show though, no, no, 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:46.399 not on this show. He is one of my absolute 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:47.600 favorite interviews ever. 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:50.120 He was terrific. I interviewed him right. 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:52.880 After he was drafted by Washington and was great, was 0:02:52.919 --> 0:02:58.600 absolutely terrific and doing a good job with ESPN and 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:01.920 decided to get somebody this mini helmet. 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:02.760 It looks very cool. 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:04.520 Do you know that I have a Bruce Feldman theory 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:07.240 that's not the Bruce Feldman body blow theory, but I 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:09.200 have side of the body blow theory outside of the 0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:13.040 body blow theory, which involves betting against a team who 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:16.520 played an especially physical team, a pounding running team the 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:19.400 week before. I have a theory about guys like Bruce 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:23.320 or you know, people like Nicole Auerback or woj with 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:27.359 the NBA, or it's Jeff Passen that's Fanci's last AMMLB. 0:03:28.360 --> 0:03:30.760 I have a theory that, like when Bruce retires from 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:34.200 sports writing, he is going to announce that if you 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:37.160 go back and look at his old articles, any coach 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:41.160 that he lists as saying like don't sleep on blah 0:03:41.120 --> 0:03:43.800 baty blah, that's the actual right answer when he does 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:46.400 his coaching carousel, Like if you go back and look 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:48.320 at Bruce's columns now and he's talking about like the 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:52.240 tco opening, he's going to eventually reveal that if you 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:54.640 go back, he was right about them all and he 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:57.320 knew and he put in secret code, and you have 0:03:57.400 --> 0:04:00.080 to go back and decipher who's actually getting the job. 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:03.839 All right, Dan joining us now our longtime friend from 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.320 the athletic from Fox Sports. It's Bruce Felman. Bruce Dan 0:04:07.360 --> 0:04:09.920 and I were talking before we hit record here about 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:12.120 the last time we had you on. I think it 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:14.800 was last year when we did a rewatch of Miami 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:15.560 Ohio State. 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:19.120 Do you remember that the game or the podcast the 0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:19.920 pop both? Yeah? 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:23.760 Both remember the game. I'd like to say, I remember this. 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:25.720 We did to rewatch. 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.800 You talked about your experience experience. I think were you 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:29.800 on the field for that game? 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:34.200 I was, Yeah, that part, I definitely remember, okay, and 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:36.599 I remember thinking, man, I just lost a lot of 0:04:36.640 --> 0:04:37.559 money in a book event. 0:04:38.839 --> 0:04:39.320 That's right? 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:40.200 Want this? 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:42.800 Oh yeah, your book history. We can talk about that, 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:44.599 your book history. Like I don't know if this is 0:04:44.720 --> 0:04:48.279 s I curse level, but ma'am, so you write the 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:51.920 Leech book, you write Coach org On and like meat 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:54.280 Market obviously was a lot with Coach with that Oorsron 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:57.839 as well, and the Miami losing that game because you 0:04:57.880 --> 0:05:00.919 were with Miami, right, you were with my me that season? 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:09.080 Not really okay, So that wasn't k mutiny, I wasn't. 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:11.640 Can Uni was kind of set up differently where a 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:14.239 book book agent had reached out to me and thought 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:16.680 that was really their idea for it, right. So I 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:20.440 a ton of time working on that book project and 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:23.520 then they lose to Ohio State the way they do, 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:25.480 and I just remember thinking I had like kind of 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:28.280 a similar experience on a much smaller scale. I used 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:31.520 to freelance from Maxim and I would do some sports 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:33.320 stories for them, and there was a there was a 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:35.640 heavyweight fight I think it was. It might have been 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:39.719 either in Europe or in Africa, where Lennox Lewis got 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:43.600 knocked out, maybe by Hassim Rockman, and I was kind 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:44.839 of thing it happened in the middle of the night. 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:47.440 I saw it, yeah, and I remember like, huh, that's interesting. 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:49.800 Then I was like, wait a minute, I have like 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:52.560 a Lenox Lewis story that's not going to run now. 0:05:52.760 --> 0:05:55.720 That's like seven on the fight. That's I lost it. 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:58.800 And so I remember thinking in that context, I'm like, whoa, 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:00.760 I bet you I lost this book deal that's coming 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:02.280 because he's lost. 0:06:02.520 --> 0:06:04.920 And it turned out they still want to do the book. No. 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:06.960 I mean, they're all good stories, they're all worthy of books. 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:09.080 They're all good books. I don't mean to put you 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:10.560 down or anything, but it is fascinating. 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:11.920 This, by the way a quick one. 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:12.159 Yeah. 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:14.360 So Seth Wickersham, you guys know who that is, right? 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:14.760 Yeah? 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:16.520 Are you writing about Brian Kelly right now? 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:18.080 Is that this has nothing? 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:22.720 But Seth gets married and yeah where he's from. So 0:06:22.800 --> 0:06:24.800 I'm there with my wife. I don't even know if 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:27.000 we were married at the time, but for a week 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:29.480 and I get a phone call about my book which 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:32.320 is going to which is me market from basically the 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:34.840 guy who's published in the book, and he said, just 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:38.200 want to let you know, Glenn, who is my editor, 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:39.200 He's going to be fine. 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:41.120 I'm like, okay, that's good. 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:43.359 I don't know why I would be worth concerned that 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:44.760 he's going to be fine or not because I didn't know, 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:46.480 and he goes, just want to let you know he's 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:47.080 going to be fine. 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:49.000 The only thing is he has no short term memory. 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:52.560 I was like, what, So my book is about to 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:55.359 go to print and the editor has no short term memory. 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:59.200 This sounded like something you'd see on like a soap opera. Yeah, 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:01.080 And I was like, how can this be? So I 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:03.720 had to fly back to New York and basically sit 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:05.960 there with somebody and go through the whole book like 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:08.440 for like, I don't know, four days straight. 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:13.320 Wow, Okay, what caused the memory loss? 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:14.920 I think he had a stroke. 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:18.560 Like a great editor, he was a little older, yeah, 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:21.800 but I had I've had some weird editing experiences, like 0:07:21.840 --> 0:07:24.680 the editor of Kane Muni I think left the company 0:07:24.720 --> 0:07:26.600 like right before it was going to print, so trying out. 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:28.320 Honestly, this is something on me. 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:31.240 It was a very sloppy process, right, And the thing 0:07:31.320 --> 0:07:38.920 with meat Market was what it was, the the uh flip. 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:40.800 The script book with Oseron was supposed to come out 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:43.800 like around SEC Media Days in July, and it got 0:07:44.160 --> 0:07:48.200 back because of the pandemic and the uncertainty. And what's 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:50.440 kind of crazy looking back was the publisher who had 0:07:50.440 --> 0:07:52.080 bought it and this was not this I was just 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:55.280 the writer, but the publisher had bought it. The editor 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:57.720 had another project that she was also working on, and 0:07:57.760 --> 0:08:01.400 that project ended up, you know, getting slotted ahead of it. 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:04.040 Whereas I'm thinking in my head, well, LSU's going to 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:06.120 play games. They're missing most of their best players from 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:08.080 last year. There's a chance that could start out two 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:11.840 and two. The book project that she was doing that 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:13.840 got put in front was DeShawn Watson. 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:16.280 So oh. 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:20.120 Yeah, that's not ideal. Not ideal. 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:22.800 All right, let's go into more modern I don't know 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:24.320 if it's good or bad, but let's go into some 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:28.320 more modern stories because this is kind of Bruce Feldman season. Normally, 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:32.880 Bruce Felman season is November, December, January. You know, obviously 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:35.640 you're extremely plugged in the coaching world. Now this, I 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:37.880 mean it almost feels year round. It almost at a 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:41.760 certain point season round, for sure. Does this feel? And 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:44.600 a listener asked us earlier, is this a new reality 0:08:44.840 --> 0:08:47.600 that we're dealing with with coaches being let go early 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:51.040 because of new recruiting or because now they're competing with 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:54.200 other schools who are thinking about getting rid of their coaches, 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:57.000 or is this year kind of just an aberration with 0:08:57.679 --> 0:09:00.600 currently six open Power five jobs before Thanksgiving. 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:02.400 I think it is a new reality. 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:06.040 Much like recruiting, the clock kept on getting early and earlier. 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:09.160 I think that's going to happen with coaching carousel stuff. 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:13.280 I mean, it's crazy because Clay Helton was fired in 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:18.160 early mid September, so long ago that when he was fired, 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.560 Dave Randa was not really a consideration. He was four 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:25.440 and seven as a head coach. Well since then, David 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:28.320 Branda is now eight and two this year, and he's 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:31.240 become a hot candidate. I'm at USC and some other places, 0:09:31.240 --> 0:09:33.120 and I think it's just because there's so much of 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:36.200 a run up time and it's unusual I think where 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:38.960 you can have like Joey maguire gets a text tech job. Well, 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.360 he's not a you know, he's not a coordinator or 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:43.880 certainly not a head coach. So it's you wouldn't expect 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:46.720 like a head coach to leave a program, especially one 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:48.480 that's having a lot of success in the middle of 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:49.000 the season. 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:52.600 But in the case of that, it's a little more understandable. 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:54.840 But you're going to see some really weird dynamics because 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:57.880 you have an early signing period and you honestly have 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:02.440 a lot more people who in positions of leadership who 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:03.360 are trigger happy. 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:06.600 Is so the random thing is interesting to me. 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:08.760 Right, So he has all this success as a coordinator 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:12.120 Utah State, Wisconsin, LSU, he's from the West coast, has 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:15.960 a little bit of West Coast experience, but Baylor's not 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:19.480 a small place, right, Baylor is not Iowa State in 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:21.599 with Matt Campbell's name coming up, and he's obviously ma 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:24.840 Campbell's done a terrific job. But Baylor's not a small place. 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:28.800 And is there a sense that he wants to be 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:32.080 a long term guy at Waco? Is that he hasn't 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:34.000 come out in the way that others have said, like, no, 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:35.400 I'm gonna I want to be here as long as 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:38.800 they'll have me. Does he seem like a coach who 0:10:38.880 --> 0:10:44.160 wants to maximize dollars exposure program size or is it 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:45.080 too early to tell. 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:46.720 I think it's too early to tell. 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:49.480 I mean, the things I know about Dave having spent 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:51.520 a decent amount of time with him, is he is 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:54.720 very thoughtful, and he's the guy who would be a 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:57.760 great podcast guest for you guys. I know he us 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:01.080 he's a he's a fast guy. Just to be around 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:04.079 and listen to him talk, he's you know, he's got 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:07.320 a good sense of humor. He's very engaging. He is 0:11:07.440 --> 0:11:09.199 not the guy who's going to go up in front 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:13.480 of a podium and be Jimbo Fisher or be Lane Kiffin, 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:15.760 and he knows it. So he's he's I think he's 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:18.679 very self aware and I think he's very genuine and 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:21.960 with those things. I don't know exactly what he and 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:25.200 his wife want to do and where they want to 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:28.920 be long term. I do know this he is likely 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:30.800 because if they end up winning the next two games 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:32.920 or win a bowl game, to be the third coach 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:35.760 in a relatively short period of time in Waco, to 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:38.560 have a ten win season, that's not easy, right. So 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:41.400 you have good facilities, You're in a really good recruiting 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:45.280 area because of Matt Ruhle. In large part, I think 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:50.120 they have recent you know, renovated what what was a 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:54.400 dismal vibe around that program when everybody got fired and 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:56.800 a star the ad Briles, they all got run out 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:59.840 of there and then mac Rhodes the ad used to be. 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:03.520 But Houston and Missouri comes in there, and he's a 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:06.120 really good ad. I think people now get it. I 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:10.240 mean to hire Rule when he did, he could have 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:13.640 gone to your alma mater, Dan, I remember, I would 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:15.240 have at that point. I would have thought that's the 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:19.280 better job. And he decided to go there. He built something, 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:22.120 and look, Dave is winning largely with the exception of 0:12:22.120 --> 0:12:24.720 like Apuaika, mostly Rule players. 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:27.280 So does he want to. 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:30.280 Go back quote home, we grew up a Dodgers fan, 0:12:30.320 --> 0:12:33.559 He's from like the Redlands area. His brother's high school 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:37.080 basketball coach there. There's a lot of interesting aspects of that. 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:39.680 Or does he want to stay at a place where 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:42.600 I'm not sure even the Big twelve. His status has 0:12:42.600 --> 0:12:45.600 been diminished some with Texas and ou leaving, and I 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:49.400 suspect where that becomes reflective will be in the next 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:54.280 TV contract. But we're not comparing it necessarily the Big 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.800 ten or the SEC from a dollar standpoint. As you 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:01.480 guys know, it's not like the PAC twelve is UH 0:13:02.800 --> 0:13:04.720 is thriving at this point. 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:05.440 It's not right. 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:08.800 So it's going to be interesting to see Washington likes 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:12.600 and USC likes, Baylor loves him. 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:13.960 I'm fascinated to see. 0:13:14.080 --> 0:13:16.280 I wouldn't all be surprised if he stayed, you know, 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:19.600 just because of what he's building there. But I also 0:13:19.600 --> 0:13:22.000 wouldn't be surprised, as you know, for a call southern 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.120 California guy who went to college at Cal Lutheran or 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:28.920 to say no to USC, Now, that'd be that would 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:30.840 be a little surprising, I guess. 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:33.000 So one of the things that's been fascinating to me 0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:37.120 is the perception of USC. I have my own biases 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:39.640 as somebody far away and looking at now USC from 0:13:39.679 --> 0:13:43.040 afar but from southern California went to a PAC twelve school. 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:46.640 Obviously that's succeeding right now. What is the viewpoint with 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:49.760 USC having you know, the internal hires at ad forever, 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:53.400 the internal hires at head coach forever, and is there 0:13:53.559 --> 0:13:57.280 in the coaching community, in the college football business community, 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:01.360 is there a perception of USC that currently exists? Do 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:03.680 people feel like it is the job that it was? 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:05.959 Do do people feel like it still has that kind 0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:10.320 of potential? Is what is the viewpoint as they've seemingly 0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:14.280 struggled to attract the names they feel are befitting of 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:15.360 the USC brand. 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:20.040 It's not one thing. It's not uniform. By the way, 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:22.200 before I get to this, can I have useity on 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:22.720 your podcast? 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:23.400 Whatever you want? 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:23.960 Okay? 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:27.200 So from people who've been at USC, you've coached there, 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:29.520 one thing you've heard, and I've heard it more than once, 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:32.160 it's USC you have to fuck it up for it 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:35.360 not to be great, and they often do right, And 0:14:35.400 --> 0:14:37.320 I think a lot of that comes back from really 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:43.600 bad leadership. It's Pat Hayden, it's certainly Lynn Swan, It's sputtered, 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:48.040 you know, beyond that. So I think there's people who've 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:50.680 been around USC who are like, man, this is arguably 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:53.640 the best job in the country, because no other place, 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:57.920 including Alabama or Ohio State, is the landscape in the 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:02.360 conference as tilted towards you being the. 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:05.680 Powerhouse of the of the whole base. 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.240 But there are some you know, like it's it's got 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:14.320 a you know, a terrific recruiting base. It's not like 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:18.400 there's like alignement all over the place here. Well, there's 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:20.800 definitely linemen out here, but I think it's like there 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:22.440 is a little bit of a challenge there. 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:24.280 I think that goes with it. 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:26.800 The other challenge that you talk to some coaches, and 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:28.880 this has come up for a lot because I live 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:31.040 out here, and people know I live out here. Among 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:34.080 the coaching world. No we'll talk about you know, it's 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:36.400 head coach, they're going to make millions and millions of dollars. 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:38.560 It's not them. It's like my tight ends coach. 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:43.120 He makes you know, low six figures, which goes great 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:46.960 in most college towns, ye won't go great here in 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:49.880 southern California. And so I think that's a consideration for 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:52.200 a lot of for a lot of guys. How much 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:55.520 support you have Mike Bone who is a known commodity 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:59.160 as an AD but just how not just how supportive 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:00.800 are they going to be? But are they going to 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:04.000 get in the way you know some of that? 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:08.000 I mean, how how supportive is that leadership that's going 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:08.280 to be? 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:10.560 So do you think it's a get in line job? 0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:13.440 Given the current right so you have huge schools that 0:16:13.440 --> 0:16:16.160 they're competing with right now or presumably could be competing 0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:18.720 with for these big names, is it a get in 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:22.080 line with the names that you're expecting type of job? 0:16:22.600 --> 0:16:25.800 Or are guys waiting? Are guys thinking, well, rather what 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:28.240 to LSU? Oh, maybe Miami will open up, Maybe ASU 0:16:28.280 --> 0:16:30.600 will open up, Maybe Florida will open up. 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:33.040 Like is USC and themisition making. 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:39.760 I don't think anybody's picking Florida, Miami ASU over over 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:44.760 USC that USC would want. Okay, So now Mario Christobal 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:47.840 might because he's from there and he coached at Miami, 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:50.840 but the other ones I don't think that's case unless 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:54.000 it was a different dynamic. In one sense, LSU can 0:16:54.080 --> 0:17:00.400 sell great fan base support, great home field environment, great 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:07.800 great facilities, really really strong recruiting based the other thing 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:10.840 that is good, but it's a double edged sword. Is 0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:13.440 the last three head coaches have won national titles there. 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:16.320 That's great. They also just fired. 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.040 One of them who just won a national title less 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:21.480 than years ago, and now he's from the state. So 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:25.439 the idea that and I've kind of reported this that 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:29.119 the rumors about Lincoln Riley going there, that's not happening 0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:32.280 from what I'm told, But like, if you're Riley and 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:34.320 this is not I have not asked him this. This 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:37.119 is my read on the situation. Lincoln Riley is at 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:39.879 a big time program. He's had a lot of success. 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:42.760 It's going in the same league anyway, and he has 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:44.600 history there where he's led them to a bunch of 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:49.879 playoffs and he has arguably the guy who's considered the 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.600 best ad in college football that he works for in 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:54.840 jokes to the plus he's like raised his kids there 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:56.800 and it's a young family. 0:17:57.119 --> 0:17:57.520 You go to. 0:17:57.560 --> 0:18:00.920 LSU, he misses the playoff let's say three times, they're 0:18:00.920 --> 0:18:03.640 probably going to fire him and he's gonna walk away 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:05.280 with a wheelbarrow full of money. 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:08.520 But you know, you run the risk. 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:13.440 In Lincoln's case, you know, he lost to at o'seron 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:16.440 and LSU by like forty. If things start to go 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:19.480 not great all of a sudden, all that stuff kind 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:22.240 of gets brought in as you know, we you know, 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:24.360 you didn't hire Nick Saban, you didn't hire this guy 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:25.560 who has a national title ring. 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:26.160 Right. 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:30.240 So my point to all that is the pressure at 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:33.959 that place is going to be excruciatingly high. 0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:37.400 I'm glad you brought up the Lincoln Riley rumors because 0:18:37.720 --> 0:18:39.639 one of the things that we've heard I think pretty 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:43.320 continuously now with regard to this LSU opening, is that 0:18:43.359 --> 0:18:46.360 the ad at LSU wants to make a quote unquote splash. 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:50.480 He's that kind of guy, right. Lincoln Riley was a name. 0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:52.920 It seems like you don't think that's going to happen. 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:55.440 Mel Tucker was another name. It sounds like maybe they're 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:57.800 trying to put together an extension for whatever that's worth 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:01.000 for him at Michigan State. What is a slash realistically 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:04.000