Latest / Talkin' Tech / Off-Season Episode #6 - Linebackers (Also Nickelback)

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Off-Season Episode #6 - Linebackers (Also Nickelback) · Talkin' Tech

• 0:39
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome in, everybody, to the Talk and Tech Podcast, powered by Guns Up Nation, part of the Guns Up Nation Podcast Network.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_04: I am your host, Steven Rodriguez, my co-host Tristan McGonagall.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_04: Tristan, how are you doing today, man?
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_05: I am doing well, dude.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_05: The off season is in its twilight zone right now as we're entering the near football season.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_05: Couldn't I be more excited?
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_05: How are you doing?
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_04: I am doing great because we finally purchased our Houston tickets for the first game of the season.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_04: I was pestering y'all for weeks to get this done, and we have finally done it.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_04: We have also purchased our tickets to the Ramblin' Raiders tailgate.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, it is going to be a great time.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, absolutely.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_05: So we need y'all to be there, enjoy some brews with us.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_05: Please, please come here and uh see how dumb we are in person.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, please come and meet us.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you don't know what we look like because you are listening to a podcast, but we are on Twitter.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_04: You can follow both of us, you can see what we look like.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_04: You could just ask ask Jackson, ask Nick, ask whoever at the Ramblin' Raiders Tailgate who we are, and we come and say hey and drink a beer with us.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_05: That sounds like a good plan.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, it it I don't think you'll have to see a picture of us.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_04: We're not exactly um we're not, I mean, we're not anything special to look at.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_05: No, I'm not saying that.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_05: You could definitely go without it.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_05: Like you don't, you don't need to, you don't need to see that.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, but okay, enough of this, enough chibber jabber.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_04: We are in offseason episode number six, I believe.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_04: We are talking some linebackers.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, this is the episode that we were looking forward to most because Texas Tech has an elite linebacking core coming ahead in this season.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_04: We're also going to give you the top five Texas Tech linebackers of all time, which has some living legends on there and some not living anymore, but still legendary.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_04: And we're just we're ready to go.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_04: But first, before we get into all that, we need to talk about what just happened, what just took place.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_04: This isn't really concerning Texas Tech, it's concerning Baylor and how they got off scot-free after a long, what, six or seven year investigation scandal, quote unquote, um, with the NCAA.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Baylor just they just got off so easy.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_05: That's anyone surprised at all.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_05: What did what did you actually expect to happen, though?
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_05: You know, we're all we're all gonna be kind of surprised, but not at all, because come on, like what were they gonna do?
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_05: They're definitely just gonna give them like, uh, here's a fine or something.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know, pay when you want.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_05: Like, that's just kind of like us.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, hey, they're not gonna get anything that bars them perpet like uh performance-wise.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm not surprised.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_05: It's the the and also the reason why, just like it's it's way too late.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_05: This this went way too slow.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_05: That's bureaucracy for you, but it's just this is kind of unacceptable because I mean a lot of people are gonna make a good point that nobody at Baylor is even there anymore, like that's involved with it at all.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_05: But at the same time, you do need to punish the institution that let it happen, the city that let it happen, and they're not going to.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_05: So that's really disappointing.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, I'm just I'm just wondering why it took so long for a punishment that was not very bad at all.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_04: I like I don't understand what took this process such a long time to look into this.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, and I don't know the whole background on what the NCAA does.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_04: I you're right, I shouldn't have expected anything from these these NCAA investigations never uh turn out the way you want them to uh for the uh party that did an offense, but uh let's just kind of go over it here.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, I wrote down in my notes overview.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_04: They didn't get shit, they didn't get anything that happened to them.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_04: Uh what they what they got was four years probation, quote unquote.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh they got a a massive five thousand dollar fine uh for the university.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_04: I I don't know how they're gonna recover from that.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_05: That's a sting.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_04: That's a stinger for for the massive university and institution that Baylor is.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um, they got uh just to name off some more stupid things that they got, uh, reduction to 30 official football visits for recruits uh for the 2021 season.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_04: Um a three-week, three whole weeks they are banned on unofficial visits for recruits.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um, they have a two-week ban on football recruiting communication, so they can actually communicate with recruits for one of those three weeks that they're banned from taking an unofficial visit.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um they have a reduction of football evaluation days by three, three whole days uh for the fall of 2021 and uh 10 during spring 2022.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, they get to keep their 2013 and 2014 Big 12 titles, they have no bull ban and they have no scholarship cuts.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, what was the point of all this?
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_05: What a joke! Like it keeps reinforcing everyone's question of what the NCAA is even there for anymore.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_05: So this it's not a shock at all that this is nothing, and it just it's like we keep saying it should have happened years ago, and I don't care what any of the Baylor fans say that oh, we punished ourselves with those bad seasons.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_04: Shut up, like that was that was you had like two bad seasons, yeah.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_04: All right, take it easy.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_05: I I I agree with you know, some takes that it should have just it should have been a swift and uh uh precise death penalty for a couple of years, um, and then let them bring it back once once that period is up.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_05: But you really been a time where a program is worthy of punishment, it was Baylor.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_05: It's like Baylor and Penn State are the two programs where you can go, those are two programs that truly deserve a temporary death penalty in a cleaning of house.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_05: So it's and it's really disappointing that the only time we've ever seen it is during um basically NIL stuff today with SMU.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_05: So, and and that just just talk about what a sham the NCAA is, and it it's it's really time to start thinking about what their role is is and what what they're actually doing besides hosting a basketball tournament.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_05: Is that all they do?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_05: You don't even need the NCAA to do that.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, seriously.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_04: This was this was a debacle, this was stupid, this was just all for nothing.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, really, we've been kind of waiting on this.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_04: I everybody it kind of comes back at least once a year, you know.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_04: When are they gonna decide something on the Baylor thing?
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_04: You know, when what is gonna happen?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_04: And uh ultimately this is the end of that, and nothing happens.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_04: So congrats to Baylor for not getting anything.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, this is a this is a shame.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's kind of it's kind of a situation where the bad guys win, and he you just hate when the bad guys win.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_05: And um, you know, we we can't sit here and and and rip on the NCAA as much as we want, but it like Rob Bro made a great point about this.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_05: He said it wasn't necessarily the NCAA that failed us, it was Baylor, Waco, Waco PD.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_05: It was them that failed us.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_05: They're the ones that let it it facilitated it.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_05: They they they let it happen knowing and willingly, so they can so they can win more football games.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_05: So we can be mad at the NCAA, but the blame is still 100% on Baylor.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_05: Like that is disgusting, especially for a quote unquote Baptist Christian school where morality should be at the utmost front, but of course it's not.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_05: Some money and winning is there, so it's really sad.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_05: I'm glad that they have new staff there.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_05: And what's kind of frustrating is I'm reading these articles about the realignment and how the Texas schools are putting up a united front, us Baylor uh and TCU.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_05: And now it's just like, geez, are we really trying to link ourselves to that debt that sort of gross weight that is just nothing but a stain right now and has been for about a decade?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_05: Because it's it's arguably the most despised program, the country, so in a lot of ways.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_05: So it just kind of sucks that do we really want to try to drag that to our next conference, or do we want to let that hold us back?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_05: I doubt that's the case.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_05: I'm sure it's uh just uh we they'll be useful as long as they are to tech.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but you you get what I'm saying.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_04: And I mean, this whole thing, these this goes far beyond college sports.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, the the the victims in this case, I mean, hardly anybody's talking about that and everything, you know, it's it's just a it's just a crap show that that Baylor is started with this whole thing, and uh it's it really is just a shame.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_05: And and the sad thing is this won't be the last time we see this happen.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_04: You know, when winning is just too important to these programs where they'll just take it too far, where they push keep pushing it to the side, keep you know, whatever keeps our wins valid and whatever keeps us going as a program, and uh money rules the world, man.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, with this kind of stuff and wins rule the world, it's it's a shame.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_05: It's not about turning these players into young men anymore, you know.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_05: It's just it's just about what we were using these men as as cogs, and even if they become criminals, if they're if they're good players, we don't care at all.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, so and so that's really sad.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_04: It is, it's sad.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_04: Uh but failure.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_04: We yeah, we thought we should mention it uh because that did finally uh come out today, actually, uh, as we're recording here on this Wednesday.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_04: But um, you know, moving on, and like you said, Baylor has a completely new staff, completely different players now.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_04: You know, they they don't deserve any of the blame for this.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but you know, the the people that did do the crime are not getting the punishment they deserve.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_05: And I I will say Baylor fans, stop celebrating the Bridal's years, stop it.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_05: Because that's seriously what keeps us alive, and but it but they still bring it up all the time, they still bring up oh oh, we've won more Big 12 championships in it, you know, blah blah blah.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_05: Do you remember who you won those championships with?
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_05: You know, yeah, remember do you remember when your peak was?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_05: So it just stop bringing it up.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_05: It's it's time to stop bringing it up.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_05: If you celebrate it, you're really no better than um people defending that era, like maybe like oh Brian's in a no, and all that because you're celebrating the the the the goods of that horror.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_05: So for sure, and I'm not saying tech is this pristine program, but I am grateful that we we haven't been we haven't sold our souls like that, that we know of yet.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, and I don't think we have.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_04: I think I think Matt Wells, Matt Wells, Cliff Kingsbury, you know, uh those two guys at least have completely run a clean program, uh, for all that we know.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_04: And and you know, there's no reason to think otherwise.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_04: But those both those both those two guys seem like great dudes, uh, guys that don't seem like they're breaking the law or pushing something that needs to be addressed to the side.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_04: So um, you know, I am I am thankful for Texas Tech and what you know, we haven't put up a lot of wins in our football program, but at least we've done it quote unquote the right way, you know.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_05: Hey, no, no amount of wins is worth that.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_05: No amount of wins is worth the lives of young women and and uh giving evil men the power to do the stuff like that.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_05: No win, no amount of wins are worth that.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_05: For sure, for sure.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_04: So, all right, man.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_04: Let's move on.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, let's let's get it going again because we are talking linebackers.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_05: Hey, hey, look, can I get a palate cleanser in before?
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_05: Go ahead.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_05: Go ahead.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_05: All right, I got a palette cleanser before we do that.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_05: Speaking of institutions, this semester, congratulations to the inaugural class of the veterinarian school in Amarillo.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_05: So it's it is year number one, it is semester number one.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_05: So my question is, Steven, one, what's it like to be smart?
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_04: I'm the worst person to ask this question to.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, and you would be you would be tied for the worst if I were asking that question.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_05: Directed towards our our students.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_05: And number two, how cool is it to be the inaugural class of a new school?
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_05: That's so cool.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_05: That's awesome.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_04: That's awesome.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_04: It took way too long for us to get a veterinarian school, but I'm glad it finally happened.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_04: I know COVID probably messed up a whole lot of things, what we want it to be.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know, but but besides the fact, it's just so good that West Texas gets a veterinarian school, gets a better school for Texas Tech, for the institution, for everything like that.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_04: So that's awesome, man.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_04: I'm glad you brought that up.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_05: For sure, man.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_05: I just and it's just a good eat our booties, Aggies.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_05: Eat our booties.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_04: No longer the only one.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_04: We now have one.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_04: Texas, the state of Texas finally has more than one vet school.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_04: That was ridiculous.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_04: So ridiculous not to have one in West Texas, but we finally got it.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, so let's go vet school back into football.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_05: What do you think of the new slogan, Steven?
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_05: What do you think of hashtag now it's personal?
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_04: I really appreciated that from Matt Wells.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_04: I thought that was um a really good response to that question asked by Eric Kelly.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, it it was it was everything, man.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, that we really do have so much to prove.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_04: We've been saying it, and now it it we hadn't we had a lot to prove before U TNOU decided to leave, and we were put in this realignment situation.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_04: So now we really have so much to prove just for our future and where we may end up here uh in the grand scheme of things.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_04: So that I did appreciate that from Matt Wells.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_04: If you didn't check it out on Twitter, he really said some some really good stuff, and uh um you know, I'm just excited.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_04: It just got me more hyped up for sure.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_05: You can you can be frustrated with the amount of wins that Matt Wells has brought to the program, but I really, really appreciate how much he's embraced Lovick in West Texas, he's done it more so than than Kingsbury did, than Tupperville did, than probably Leech did.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_05: So it he's really just took it and made this like his persona, and I really do appreciate that because he was really speaking for West Texas in general.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_05: You know, West Texas does have a chip on its shoulder.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_05: We're the overlooked, forgotten region of the state.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and the with the way tech's been talked about with realignment along with the other eight schools, is it we're just not getting the credit that we that we deserve, like it's just we're being looked at as some sort of backwater, people are still looking at it through TV markets, and it's just really frustrating because West Texans are used to it, you know, this is absolutely nothing new.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_05: And what what's cool about Texas Tech is it's a national stage representative of the region.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_05: I know it's it's it's kind of hard for us as hill country West Texans to just come in and try to claim try to claim that, but you know, whenever you go to tech, you you you you whenever you really enjoy your time there, you embrace that.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_05: So I was I was offended for them, and I'm like I'm I'm I'm united on that front with Matt Wells.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, man.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, we can speak to it.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_04: We've never lived in West Texas before going to Texas Tech, but once you get there, once you are immersed in the culture and you start, you know, knowing the people and uh really understanding what Texas Tech and what West Texas is, you really, I mean, you can attest to this freshman year.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_04: I was like, there's no way I would take a job here in Lubbock because this is not my, you know, growing up in San Antonio, I'm just not I'm just not used to this type of place.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_04: But senior year come around, I was like, hey, if I'm offered a job in Lubbock, you know, free tech games, all this good stuff.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_04: Lubbock's a great city, like all that sort of stuff.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_04: So uh I did appreciate, I appreciate Matt Wells for embracing himself into the culture.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely, and I feel the same way.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_05: Miss that town every single day.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_05: Cannot wait to get back there now.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_05: Please show it, Matt Wells.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_04: Please, please, let's get some dubs on the field.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_04: And you know what will get us some dubs on the field this year is gonna be this linebacking core for Texas Tech.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_04: I am so excited for this group in particular.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_04: This is my favorite positional group that we have on the team this year.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_04: I know a lot, you know, some people will say uh wide receivers, running backs.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_04: We we are stacked at a lot of positions.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_04: Quarterbacks, we're stacked at a lot of different positions this season, but we have, I mean, we've had some good linebackers in previous years, but we as a unit, I don't think they've been nearly as good as what we have coming up this season with our linebacking core.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_05: That that says a ton, man.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_04: Whenever you say that we've had some strong linebacking cores in the past, that's being a little um well, and we've had some strong, we've had some strong linebackers, not necessarily the core, but strong individual players.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_04: But this time we have multiple strong players at that position to make up the whole unit.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_05: That's a good point.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_05: It's just that the the linebacking unit has just been a shining star on some terrible teams.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_05: Like I whenever I think about the Kingsbury years, for some reason, we still had these linebackers that were way too good for that defense.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_05: And now, and now here in Matt Wells's tenure, the where the defense has improved, the linebacking has still been the key difference.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_05: They just have been awesome.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_05: So I definitely agree with you.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_05: And you hear that this is gonna be the best unit we've seen in a long time.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_05: Man, that that just that really speaks the progress we can make on that side of the ball.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_05: We've been making progress.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_05: I want to see some more because this is obviously the season where we want to see the best we can get.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_04: And I mean, the linebackers, when you're talking about those guys are the anchors of the defense, they do it all, they pass rush, they defend in the they defend uh the slot receivers.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_04: Sometimes they'll get out and defend long passes.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it's just they do so much and they have to be so smart.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it's not, you know, no offense to the defensive lineman, but man, they got one mission that's to get to the quarterback.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_04: You know, linebackers sometimes are going to the quarterback, sometimes you're holding off and waiting for that pass to come because you know where that receiver is running to.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you just it's the smartest position on the defense, and so having your best defensive positional group be the linebacking core is so crucial to how your team does, and they also emerge as a more natural leader on that side of the ball, too.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_05: So it you usually see like a lot of captains coming out of there.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_05: So it this is a very important position.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_05: If you don't have a good linebacking core, your defense probably isn't gonna be very good.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_05: So it's like you said, it's definitely the kind of the backbone.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, no doubt.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_04: So um, let's get into it, man.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_04: Let's talk some tiers, let's talk linebacking cores of the Big 12.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_04: How do they rank amongst each other?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_04: And for me, so I did these tiers, and I know we've just talked up Texas Tech linebackers.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_04: I think we're going to be awesome.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_04: I think we are going to be one of the best in the Big 12 and maybe even the nation.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_04: But in tier one, I have just Iowa State there of the Big 12.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_04: And I think you know, you feel free to disagree all you want.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_04: I think Iowa State, they're returning three of the some of the best linebackers in the country.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, they have three top 25 in total tackles coming back.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Mike Rose coming back, the defending Big 12 defensive player of the year last season.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_04: He was fourth in the Big 12 in tackles, uh, second in interceptions.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, guy knows how to play.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_04: He's just an elite player and he's coming back.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know, Iowa State keeps getting these guys who uh had a lot of production last season coming back for them.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_04: And then other two guys, Jake Hummel and O'Rion Vance, are also really experienced at that position.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_04: So I I really I'm putting them in an island of their own, but it's very, very close.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_05: No, that makes sense.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_05: I think I think everyone's expecting Iowa State to have the best defense in the Big 12.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and the thing about that is our buddy Travis, friend of the pod, what he would say about his cyclones defense is that Matt, the reason why Matt Campbell has been so dang successful at Iowa State is his he's been able to figure out how to combat Big 12 offenses because Matt Campbell came into the game, wherever the Big 12 was still this mainly high slinging offense power only defense is an afterthought conference, and he came in here and figured out how to slow it down, which has given them great success before they were before they are the before they were able to put together these great Iowa State offenses.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_05: So it's not a surprise that the Matt Campbell formula is still continuing to work because it does.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_05: So it's I'm not surprised at all that this linebacking core is at the top and they got a very veteran team.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_05: I'm scared of them.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I I would be too.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_04: I know I made my hot take was that they were gonna lose a few more games than what we think.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but they really, I mean, on paper, they are a really, really good team.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_04: And they showed it last year.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, not just on paper, they've showed it last season that they can be really good.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_04: So um I I I I have them on an island of their own in tier one, but in tier two, all three of these teams in tier two can be right there with them, if not better.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, I just uh for right now, on paper, uh, these three teams are on an inch below Iowa State, and that is Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_04: So we are joined by the two Oklahoma schools right here in tier two.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_04: I bet a lot of people are gonna be like, what?
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_05: A Texas Tech unit in number two?
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_05: What?
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_04: A Texas Tech defensive unit.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's what tier two.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so but let's go into tech because and I know we're gonna give our whole football preview here in a couple weeks, right before the Houston game.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_04: But I mean, your main three guys you got Schooler, you got Jefferson, you got Merryweather, those three guys are as as solid of a starting squad as you can imagine.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_04: But I think what puts tech in tier two here is the depth.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, obviously, those guys are fantastic, schooler.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_04: Has been an unbelievable ad for us.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_04: He has been a leader on and off the field.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_04: Same with Rico Jeffards.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_04: Seems like he's going into his 10th year at Texas Tech.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_04: I love it.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_04: I love that guy.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_04: He's fantastic.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_04: Krishna Merriweather came in and thrived in our system last season.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_04: But the guys that we have behind them in case of injuries, in case tired throughout the game, I mean it's a lot of snaps throughout the game.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_04: It's a lot of things these guys are doing.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_04: So having guys like Jacob Morganstern, having guys like Brandon Boyer Randall, having guys like Kosai Eldridge, I mean Tyreek Matthews, these guys are really adding to the depth of our linebacking core as a whole.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_04: And that's what puts them so high.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_05: Not gonna lie.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, it's it's it's it's linebacker you, to be honest.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_05: Always has been.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_04: Always been linebacker you, Texas Tech.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_05: We say that I like ironically, but our one of our most famous, if not most famous, player of all time was a linebacker.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_04: So I think we're gonna get into him here when we talk about our top five.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, he's an honorable mention.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, spoiler alert, he's an honorable mention on my dumbass list.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_04: No, Texas Tech is going to be awesome.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Schooler was ninth in the Big 12 in in tackles.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Merriweather was third, Jeffers was 15th.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_04: So I talked about Iowa State having three top 25 guys.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_04: We have three top 15 guys coming back, uh, just in terms of tackles.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_04: But uh, we we just have a really, really good unit.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_04: I'm so excited for this group for sure.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_05: And I you can see why that'd be in the number two.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_05: So who's going up against that?
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_04: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_04: Let's go into Oklahoma.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_04: I did not include uh Nick Benito in the linebacker list.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_04: I know some platforms put him as a linebacker, he's more of a pass rusher, dudes.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and I say this because Nick Benito is amazing.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_04: So if I included Nick Benito in this list, I would put them right there with Iowa State.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_04: But I'm not, I'm putting I'm gonna put him in the uh defensive line unit for Oklahoma.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_04: Um, he's he's more of a pass rusher.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_04: So even without him, they have three really strong guys Brian Osamoa, Deshaun White, and David Aguebu, I think is how you say his name.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_04: All really good players.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, the same, the same as our top three, just three really, really, really solid options.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_05: Why are you talking about an SEC team right now?
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_04: They're still Big 12 for this season.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_04: Hopefully, hopefully, we don't have to talk about Oklahoma ever again, you know, here pretty soon, and Tech's in a good position, you know, as well.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_05: So I was I was thinking about it.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_05: I was like, so whenever they leave, is there gonna be like a segment on the pod where like lol, o you or ut lost every week?
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_05: We should lol.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_05: They lost.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_04: They suck, and then we'll play some stupid song or something.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, but yeah, we we have to talk about Oklahoma and Texas still.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, we are going to be playing them in football this coming season and probably in basketball.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_04: You know, we're probably gonna play them for another year or two, I imagine.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so um we got let's talk about the cooler one, let's talk about cooler Oklahoma.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we'll talk about the the better Oklahoma school, Oklahoma State.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_04: They return one of the best linebackers in the country, Malcolm Rodriguez, no relation to me.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_04: Uh with a name like Rodriguez, I think you wouldn't you know Rodriguez is so uncommon of a last name that you just think everybody, you know, is is hey, do you know Steven?
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_04: Are you related to Steven?
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_04: Are you he's like, oh yeah, the talk of tech guy?
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, the lower IQ guy.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_04: No, Malcolm Rodriguez is fantastic, and I'm not just saying that because he shares my last name.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_04: He is one of the best linebackers in the country.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, he really is.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and then Devin Harper and Lamont Bishop are two guys that could really make a huge leap in production for Oklahoma State this year.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, they have a really solid unit, and they're that's why they're in tier two.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_05: Not surprised.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_05: Um, that they it's another team that expects more out of their team this year.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_05: So definitely one of those programs that has a lot to prove in quotation marks as well.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_05: So it's gonna be kind of scary going up against these teams that have chips on their shoulder, especially one like Oklahoma State that's capable.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_05: So and they're always so capable.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_05: And this is needs to be our year where we're the ones that are capable.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_05: Please, so so please be less capable, Oklahoma State.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_04: Less capable, but still do well because you know we're rooting for you just as much as we're rooting for the other Big 12 schools to find a new home and a good home.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_04: I say I say new home as in the the Big 12 staying together is still a potential option, but we've already talked about all that.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_04: So let's get into tier three because we have the other SEC school in tier three in the University of Texas.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_04: I also put Baylor and TCU both in this tier three list.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, first off, we'll we'll bite the bullet, talk about Texas.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um uh we talking about Vanderbilt?
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_04: SEC powerhouse Vanderbilt.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_04: No, I'm not I'm not talking about the the door.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, you're just talking about a team that's on the same level, SEC level.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I'm talking about yeah, I'm talking about a team that's gonna get very close to the same amount of wins that the Nebraska of the SEC is coming home.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_04: Oh boy, wow, you are that that would be fantastic.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_04: Oh my god, if Texas becomes the Nebraska of the of the SEC, that's what I'm praying for.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_04: I would be so happy.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_04: Me too, dude.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_05: Oh I hope they lose literally every single game, even against AM.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_05: I know you have hard feelings with that, but I do hope AM beats them every time.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_04: I'm never gonna cheer for either of these teams.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_04: And if it's if it's AM versus UT, I'm voting for the meteor to win.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_05: Even AM over OU, like just both of them.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, I'm not I'm not there with you, but I do hate all three of those universities with a big passion.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_04: Uh back to Texas, back to their linebackers.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, I'm gonna mess up this guy's first name, so I'm just gonna say his last name.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_04: Over shown, uh, will be the guy to watch.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_04: He is the the elite uh linebacker on this list.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, a couple of sec transfers, uh in yeah, a couple of guys that are coming from the SEC to UT.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Ben Davis coming from Alabama and Ray Thornton coming from LSU.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_04: Um, overall, just not as strong as Texas has been in the past at this position.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_04: They're losing Joseph Osai, who was an absolute beast last season.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_04: So uh this is why I have them a step below the other four schools because they're just I they they have one guy and he's really good, but other than that, it's it's a little unknown.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_05: Hey, don't worry that I'm sure that the the stars in the the the quote unquote talent level says it all, but we know the coaching at UT will not execute with it, so I am not worried about this tier three, Steven, right now.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_04: I'm not either.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_04: So let's move on and get rid of talking about the Longhorns.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_04: We are talking about Baylor, who we just crapped on for the good part of this pod.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Jared Bernard and Dylan Doyle are two really solid linebackers.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but that's it.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_04: After that, it's just really like, uh, who's gonna be the guys after that?
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_04: So it's just hard to find depth on this linebacking core after those top two.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_04: So that's why I have them in tier three.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, the only thing to be concerned about with the the state that the Spaylor team is in, they're all clearly in a rebuild.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and the thing is, is that Dave Aranda's in a defensive mind.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_05: So even if the players don't appear to be good, I'm sure the guy knows how to put them in the spots to be good.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_05: So obviously, it's just not a unit you can just instantly overlook, but this is absolutely a team I think we should be beating, even and I think our linebacking core will outperform theirs.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_04: Can I can we talk about how much I've hated that Baylor has hired two solid coaches post Art Bryals?
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I I hate I I really like Matt Rule and I really like Dave Aranda, and I hate that they have coached Baylor because they're they're two awesome coaches, and I think Dave Aranda's gonna have a good year.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, it's just I think it's just a matter of time with him.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_04: So hopefully he leaves sooner rather than later.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_05: I it's it if that's what that's the worst part about it, is that they didn't get like sent into a depth of sucking, which is it's so unfair.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_05: Like, we we we fired our coaches for not criminal reasons, and we still suck.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_05: Like, where is where where do we get good?
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_05: Where do we get a coach that puts us in the Big 12 championship in two years?
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_05: Like, what about us?
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_07: What about us?
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, no, it pains me.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_05: Like, in like you said, no, I like Dave too, and Matt Rule is clearly a guy that did everything right and he's just a genius, and the NFL knew that.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and and Dave Arana is a red raider, and so that sucks to see him in the in the green.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_05: He just seems like he got his full life, so I I hate it as well.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_04: For sure.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_04: So uh, last one in tier three is TCU, the Horned Frogs, and then after this, we don't have to talk about any Texas schools.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um, they lose Garrett Wallow, that's why they're so low.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_04: That guy was awesome last season.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_04: Uh D Winters will be their best returning linebacker, has a lot of promise, but after that, again, a lot of unknown.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Jamoy Hodge is a name to watch to potentially make a big impact.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Gary Patterson puts together a good defensive unit every single year.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but I think this one compared to the defensive backs and the defensive line is kind of the worst of the three defensive units.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_05: Wow, I'm sure that's something G Pad doesn't want to hear because I think at TCU right now, that the relationship with G Pad, it's starting to lose its shine.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_05: Because you know, he he's actually kind of coming up in conversations as is is it time for the G PAT era to end at TCU?
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_05: Because I mean the guy I I don't think the school will, because the guy did like everything for that that school all by himself.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_05: And but the guy has a lot to prove this season, which sucks because yet another team that has more to prove, and obviously TCU is going to be wanting to try to find their their place at a P5 table as well.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_05: Um, so and he's just he's a good defensive mind, and that like you already touched on.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_05: So it's just another team you can't overlook, just like pretty much any program in this in this conference.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_05: But uh, I hope I hope Spuddy G Pat, you're correct that this is a weak one.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I hope so too.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_05: Um, we'll be sure to bring our our boom box batteries for him.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, just to throw I'm going to it, yeah.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_05: Do it.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_04: I hey dude, bring your bring your boom box, bring your VCR.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_05: I'll make sure to change my uh fire alarm because those are like the only things that take batteries anymore.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_04: And that was such a okay, okay.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_04: That's it.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_04: We're not gonna we're not gonna talk about it.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_04: Uh tier four, alone, and this may surprise some people, alone by themselves in tier four is West Virginia.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Tony Fields was a massive, massive player for them last season, uh, even though he didn't have any impact on the Texas Tech game that they lost because he got himself ejected and then got a penalty after the ejection to really screw over the Mountaineers and help us win that game.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_04: So, Tony Fields, respect to you, my man, uh helping the Red Raiders get that done last year.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_04: But he was a really, really good player for them and he is now gone.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, they don't have a number one guy.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, they have options, but they don't have that guy who's going to be uh number one going into the season that a lot of people have a lot of respect for.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_04: Uh potentially X-Re Low or Josh Chandler Samata uh might be the main guys there.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_04: But uh right now, what puts them a step below the UT Baylor TCU tier is that they don't have that one guy that's gonna be really good.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_05: That's interesting.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, because that their their defense was pretty strong last season, you know.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_05: It wasn't it was it wasn't it wasn't that bad, and it's gonna be kind of interesting to see the way that Neil Brown progresses because he and Matt Wells are like on the same progression right now.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_05: Somehow Matt Wells has gotten him each time.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_05: We if we win this game, we we could consider it a winning streak.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, oh man, that's weird.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, we know we never get to say the word winning streak, so um uh it's it's it's gonna be interesting to watch.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_05: He's a media sweetheart, like every single journalist freaking loves that guy, and so it would not gonna lie, it'd be really painful to see West Virginia doing well because apparently in the e-rumor had it that uh he wanted to coach at tech when the position came open.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, so because he was an offensive coordinator here during Tupperhouse.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, that's right, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_05: So um, it's it's so I kind of it's it's gonna be kind of an interesting team to watch, and obviously another team that that's once again looking for their place at a table, so they have more to prove.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_05: Um, so it's again, it's just man, who's sleeping and who's not?
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's weird because I've been going through the tiers, and we have put West Virginia low on a lot of these.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, and I you know, uh besides a few positions, obviously, like running back, they have a really solid uh running back and everything like that.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_04: But uh, and I I still haven't gotten into my defensive line research or my you know, special teams and all that.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_04: But uh for right now, I I I don't see how people are putting, I think it's all Neil Brown.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_04: I think that's why people are high on West Virginia and and respect.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, a good coach goes a long way, but I just don't see the players on this roster uh elevating this team to a level that is what they want it to be.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_05: And the same kind of problem that's been haunting tech is is more so maybe not more so, but it's definitely haunting West Virginia at the quarterback position.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, that Daggy's not gonna do it for him, so it's some people still love that guy, and uh it's like the polarizing then, because they either love him or no.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_04: It's like the uh the the analysts, like the the guys that look at the pure numbers and the weird, like advanced stats.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_04: They favor in Daggy's way.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_04: But if you watch that guy in some of the games, he was just bad.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_05: So we we ate his lunch when he came to Loving, which is perfect.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_05: Because you know, he probably went in there like that.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_05: The entire season.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_04: They only mentioned they only mentioned that he was Seth Daggy's brother, I think 190 times.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_05: You mean better Daggy?
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_04: Better Daggy, Seth Dagey, and that's absolutely true.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_04: No, it's not hot take.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_04: That's absolutely true.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_04: Seth Daggy was great, yeah.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_05: So loving boy, so but uh yeah, no, it's it's West Virginia is just they they're already always scared because as long as we're in college, we didn't beat them a single time.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_05: So and but well, who can't we say that about?
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but uh anyway, let's let's move on.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_04: Well, what we got in the last year, tier Kansas, and this is a pure tier Kansas because it has both of the Kansas schools in Tier Kansas.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_04: I have the Jahawks and the Wildcats both in this, and the and the Wildcats, Kansas State is surprising, but nobody likes the linebacking core on this K-State unit.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I look at several different outlets when I'm looking at this stuff, and all of them say this Kansas State linebacking core is going to be bad.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_04: So people are low on K-State, they are they're low on K-State, but some you know, I Chris Kleiman, I think, is a is a good coach.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_04: But if any team's gonna take a step back from last season, it will be K-State.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_04: They did lose five straight to end the season last year, so people forget about that.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_04: They just see for some reason, they just see Deuce Vaughn and they're like, Oh, yeah, okay state, watch out for them.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_04: But no, their linebackers are gonna be bad.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_04: Um, it's gonna be a big problem for this team.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_04: Cody Fletcher, Daniel Green, I guess, are guys to try and make up for three huge losses at this position, either to the NFL or just from graduation.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_04: So uh Kansas State is on the same level as the Jayhawks for me.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely tired of losing to them.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_05: It's time to definitely get over that hump because it's it's gonna be a big step in our direction here.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_05: So I think it's now's the time to take the step over them as they're falling back because you know, whatever like those I had this like just frustrating epiphany during the last Kansas game, Kansas State game, where it's just like there's zero reason why we lose to Kansas State every single year, and that's not a knock on K State because I mean the way they do is absolutely impressive, obviously, putting a solid team on the field nearly every year.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_05: But I my thing is this we should be at least as good as them.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_05: We should at least be trading blows with them, is always my thing, but we haven't.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_05: We just we've been dogged on them for a decade, you know.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_05: So it's it's it's not cool.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_05: It's time to take the steps forward.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_04: That please stop it, stop it, Kansas State.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I put I put in my notes, I put uh tier five, Kansas surprise, surprise, Kansas State, actual surprise being at this unit.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_04: So uh you know, Kansas.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_04: I can't really go into the Jayhawks much.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Kyron Johnson, only guy worth a shit on this team.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_04: He's from Buffalo.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_04: Uh no, he's actually, I don't think he is.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but but he's and I shouldn't say worth a shit.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_04: You know, that's that's mean.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_04: That's mean towards the Jayhawks.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_04: It's kind of worth Kansas.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's kind of me beating a dead horse.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but again, young and inexperienced, uh, the Kansas Jayhawk football way.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_04: So that is what that is what this unit is.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_05: Well, the the birds with shoes, the the most dangerous players are gonna be the ones that are veterans in the maxion at Buffalo.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_04: Buffalo, Buffalo, watch out, watch out for those Buffalo transfers.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_05: Who knows?
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_05: Who knows if they win a single game this year?
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_05: So obviously, this is not a surprise.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_04: We are talking a lot of mess for a team that also not we haven't done nearly as bad as they're not Kansas, we have not done good, and we've also lost to Kansas in the past couple years.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_05: So we almost lost to them last season.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_04: We're talking a lot of mess for a team that is not for a team that has not done well against the Jayhawks, but we are moving on.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_04: That is my tiers.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_04: That's it.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa State are clearly the top four.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_04: I think Iowa State's an inch above the other three, but that could very well change.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_04: And then, you know, the the other three Texas schools in tier three, West Virginia on an island, and then the Kansas schools bringing up the rear.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_04: So that's that's my tiers, man.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_05: You're getting me so hyped for football right now.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_05: I'm I'm ready for start.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_05: I'm always hyped.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_04: We should have ended on linebackers, we should have ended on linebackers, wide receivers, everything that were fantastic.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I'm 100% cool with ending it on kickers and punters because I'm gonna be great there.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna be great there, too.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna be great, we're gonna be great there too.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_04: So um, let's move on to our top five Texas tech linebackers of all time.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_04: It's a great group to look at.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_04: It was hard uh once I got down to like the three, four, five range on who I wanted to put in this list, but uh man, this was fun.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_04: This is a fun one to do.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_05: Look, I said we're linebacker you for a reason, and you're about to hear and you're gonna about to know why.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_04: So, Tristan, who is your number five Texas Tech linebacker of all time?
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_05: Number five was tough because number five was going to a player that you and I went to school with.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_05: That's just kind of my rule.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_05: Like they had to make the list.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_05: So um, you you kind of convinced me pre-pod before we even talked about it that you know Jordan Brooks is my number five.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, Jordan Brooks was named first team, all Big 12, and it consists uh consists of second team, all American.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_05: Uh so the guy got drafted first round as a linebacker out of Texas Tech to the Seattle Seahawks.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_05: Those words are kind of normal to say, hey, did you see that defensive player out of Texas Tech get drafted in the first round?
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and you remember I typed that I was cracking myself up because I was like, Do y'all can anyone tell me the last time the UT Longhorns had a player drafted in the first round?
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_05: And we just had a defensive linebacker drafted in the 2020 draft, and the Longhorns haven't done it since freaking when.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I think I uh I don't don't quote me on this, but I think Joseph Osai went pretty high last season.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know if he was first round, though.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, Jordan Brooks that was a surprise.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_04: I remember seeing that, and we were all thinking, okay, Jordan Brooks probably second, third round, and then the Seahawks took a chance on him.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_04: And and for everything that I've seen so far, he's been really solid.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_04: That whole unit for the Seahawks last season wasn't very good, surprisingly.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, the Seahawks had one of the worst defenses in the league last season, but obviously that's not that's not all Jordan Brooks right there, but uh he was a fantastic player.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_04: I have him a little higher on my list, um, actually, but uh he was he was awesome to watch.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_04: I loved watching Jordan Brooks.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_04: We could always count on him, especially his senior junior year, to really make an impact.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_05: For sure.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_05: He was like the guy that came in like as a star right out of a another huge star Dakota Allen.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_05: Uh it was just kind of like this new line of amazing linebackers at Texas Tech, and he just he kind of carried that and it looks like Colin Schooler is kind of taking it from him, so it just like we just have this new line of every year we have an all-star, and there's a linebacker.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_04: Well, yeah, you're right.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, if and I don't know if Schooler's the best, but but Jeffers was saying, yeah, yeah.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_04: No, I'm I'm saying like with Dakota Allen, and then it went to Jordan Brooks, and then it went to Rico Jeffers, and now Rico's kind of taking that leadership, and then Colin Schooler came in as well, like you said.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_04: But um, yeah, man, Jordan Brooks is awesome.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_04: He's a little higher on my list.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, he he was awesome, freshman, all American, all Big 12 honorable mention in 2016, his freshman season, 19 tackles in the upset win over Oklahoma State in 2019.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, first team, like you said, all second team, all American.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_04: Finished his career, 367 total tackles.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, he was elite, he was awesome for sure.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I should have said about UT draft smack talk for offensive players because I parallel something like Vince Young was the last first round of offensive player draft pick from UT.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_05: Really?
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_05: That's wild, man.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_05: Don't quote me on that, but I think that's what I saw on Twitter.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_05: And everyone knows you can't lie on Twitter.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_04: There's no false information on Twitter, that's what they always say.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but but my number five is Thomas Howard.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_04: He was an all American on the 1976 team on a Texas Tech team that went 11 and 2 and won.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_04: Southwest Conference, he's my number five.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_04: He was an awesome linebacker for us.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_05: Wow, he's higher on my list.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_05: So there you go.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_05: We might as he's only at number five for you.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_04: He's only a number five for me.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but because I had you know, I had some personal some personal bias towards it, like we always do in these things.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_04: But um, go ahead with your number four.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, number four.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_05: I have a an older guy.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_05: We're gonna be hitting a lot of older guys from here on.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_05: It's Brad Hastings, he's he's a three-time all comp all southwest conference, so that and he held the uh school record until 2002 for all-time tackles.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_05: So the the guy was an absolute stud.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_05: Apparently, his career was cut way too short from a knee injury, and he was Spike Dyke's like first amazing class that turned the corner in Texas Tech football.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_05: Apparently, we were sucking, not making bowls, losing a ton of games.
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, but finally, uh he he's he he helped us turn the corner.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_05: Um, he's in the 2011 Hall of Fame class at Texas Tech, so he deserved a spot here on the list.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_04: Very nice.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_04: I did, I left him off my list.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_04: He was on my honorable mentions, but that just speaks to how elite uh a group of linebackers that we have in Texas Tech history.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, and he was one of the highest recruited players ever come to tech.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_05: So it was like showing the kind of coach Spike Dykes was.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_05: And he so I think Spike Dykes should take the honor of being the greatest coach of all time at tech, probably.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_04: Uh yeah.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you know, still still uh have that have that little faith in Matt Wells.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_04: Come on, man.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, let's go! Let's go! Let's do it.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_04: Let's you know what, Matt tremendous, completely turn this program around and be tremendous and be a lifer here.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_04: Be the new spike, be the new spike.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_04: Who you know, that's a hot take.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_04: I that is not a lot of people are very high on Mel Wells these days, but I think he is kind of gaining a little bit of the fan base back, especially with what we talked about earlier, you know, the way he's embraced everything.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, uh, that was a good number four.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, my number four is Jordan Brooks.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, I have him a little higher than you do.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_04: I just I he every time I watched him, I was like, this dude is doing so much on the field, he is an elite linebacker.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, when he went first round, I was so happy for him.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, and he deserves it.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_04: He works his butt off.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_04: So he was my number four.
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_05: That's a good number four, and that's why I had him at number five.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_05: So ready for number three?
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_04: Let's do it.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_04: Number three.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_04: What is it?
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_05: Lawrence Flugits.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_04: Mine as well.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_05: There we go.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_05: We're matching, but I don't think we'll match from here.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_05: Um, a four-year player.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_05: He is the career leader in tackles at Texas Tech, a flat 500 total tackles.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_05: He holds three out of the top 10 single season tackle records.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_05: The guy was an absolute monster, and he somehow got signed as a free agent.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_05: He wasn't drafted to the Carolina Panthers in 2003.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_05: The guy didn't get any awards, but his numbers are bonkers.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_05: It just how did this man not get any awards for owning an entire school in tackle records?
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know, man.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_04: He was also second team all Big 12 three times.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_04: And so I'm wondering uh if there was just another super elite player during that time.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_04: Forgive me for not knowing my my college football history in the early 2000s, but uh I feel like this man was super underrated, and uh, I'm not sure why.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, seriously.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_05: Then this is the first time I ever saw him.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_05: It was on these record charts, so hey, he's just kind of a mystery man with all these tackles, but he definitely deserves a place in this list with just the sheer amount of volume.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_04: So I uh no, I mean I put him in number three, so you know you did too.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_04: So uh that's a good pick.
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_04: I think uh I think he was an extremely under underrated talent and a uh great red raider.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_05: So, do you have anything to say on your number three?
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_04: Uh that's I mean, that's all I had.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_04: You said everything that I said.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_04: Uh yeah, he he was a great player.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_04: He has a great first name as well, by the way.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, if y'all didn't know the the people don't know that my first name is actually Lawrence and not Steven.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, I go by my middle name because my dad selfishly named me after himself, but decided not to not to call me by that first name.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_04: But so he's got a great first name.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_05: That's why he didn't get any awards.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_04: That's it.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_04: That's why he had that terrible name.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_04: But all right, man, we have some controversy up here at number two.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_04: We all know who number one is.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, let's not get that confused.
• 48:27
  SPEAKER_04: But number two, I think you're forgetting about a guy, and I think it's just gonna be a whole little thing.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_04: I think I think we messed up on this whole thing, but we'll go into it.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_04: We'll go into it.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_04: What's your number two?
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_05: My number two is you had him at number five.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_05: It's Thomas Howard.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_05: Because he was an all-American, those are so rare for tech.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_05: We don't have a we don't have a bag full of all Americans, so that alone puts him way up.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and that 11-2, that 11-2 season, which apparently was one of the greatest teams Texas Tech has ever had.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, with 11 wins, it has to be.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and and winning a Southwest conference championship where chance conference championships at Texas Tech don't come easy.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_05: So just getting that is a phenomenal accomplishment.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_05: And just to really turn that corner for that program to to put ourselves at the top of the power conferences, like lineup there for once, it's it's great.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_05: And the guy was drafted third round.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_05: The man deserves a spot on the list.
• 49:25
  SPEAKER_05: This lit on this list, which is why I'm put him up at number two.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_04: I may have underrated him.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_04: I don't, it's hard when you weren't there.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_04: There's not enough information on him just in general.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_04: So I knew he was a part of that team, and he he had he was one of the better players on that team.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_04: So I wanted to put him on my list.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_04: I just couldn't put him above Jordan and above um uh uh Lawrence Flugits as well.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_04: So uh my number two, which may be controversial, we had our buddy Clay reach out to us and say, Hey, when you did the O-line episode, how did you forget about EJ Holland?
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_04: Um and we did.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_04: We forgot about EJ Holland.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_04: Uh he played two positions at Texas Tech.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_05: No way.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_04: He played center and he played linebacker at Texas Tech.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_04: So because we forgot about EJ Holland in the lineman episode, I am gonna put him here at my number two for linebackers.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_04: He did, he was elite at both positions, but he I think he was most known for his offensive lineman uh position.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_05: We didn't put him as an offensive lineman all-time great.
• 50:31
  SPEAKER_04: No, he popped up as he so this is what shows how how young and stupid we both are.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_04: Um we just completely grazed by him, and I'm putting him now in my linebacking unit.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um, for because he was an awesome linebacker, he wasn't just an awesome center, he was an awesome linebacker, ring of honor member.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_04: Uh could be looked at as both positions.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_04: Um College Football Hall of Famer in 1986, uh, 10-year American Football League career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_04: I think we know another guy who played uh has has had a solid career with the Kansas City Chiefs from Texas Tech.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Thomas Howard.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I can't remember the other guy's name.
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Thomas Howard, too, but I can't, you know, some guy I think he currently plays.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_04: He might be on a cover of a video game this year.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_04: Um, five-time AFL All-Star, nicknamed the beast.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Mr.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_04: Holub, uh, because he was he was a beast.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_04: He had one game where he had 18 unassisted tackles plus 10 assisted tackles and a 40-yard pick six in all the same game against Arkansas.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um, dude was unbelievable.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, was selected by both the Dallas Texans of the AFL and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL in the same year in 1961.
• 51:51
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, chose to play for the Dallas Texans of the AFL.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_04: Kind of a weird choice there.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, he probably regretted it a little later on, uh, but he still had an unbelievable career in the AFL, five-time all-star.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, died of natural causes in 2019 at the ripe age of 81.
• 52:08
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, EJ Hollib's an all-timer, and we forgotten to put we forgot to put him on the O-line episode, so we got I gotta put him now.
• 52:15
  SPEAKER_05: We probably need to turn the podcast off if we left out AJ Holub.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_05: He's like the one of the greatest players to ever step on the field at Texas Tech, and we didn't put him.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_05: I'm I'm ashamed, I'm so embarrassed.
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_05: His name is like everywhere and in the football facilities.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_04: I I know, but I I at least we got him here in the linebacker episode, and we're talking about him now.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_04: So we did not completely forget about him.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_05: That is not controversial.
• 52:39
  SPEAKER_05: I'm glad you saved our honor.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you know, I I had to put him there.
• 52:43
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but let's talk about the greatest player in Texas Tech history.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_04: I think that's pretty safe to say.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, our number one linebacker of all time, um, Zach Thomas.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_05: Zach Thomas is number one.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_05: You think he's the greatest player ever at Texas Tech University?
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_04: It's him or it's Crabtree, or it's uh one of the, I mean, you could say Graham Harrell.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_04: You you believe Patrick Mahomes was uh probably put above Graham Harrell.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_04: I think I think Zach Thomas or Crabtree has to be number one.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you could choose whoever you want, I don't really care.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_04: Both were unbelievable players.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_04: Zach Thomas was three years, Michael Crabtree was two years.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_04: I give him a little bump for that.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_04: So uh Zach Thomas was awesome, man.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_05: Hey, I no, no arguments with me.
• 53:27
  SPEAKER_05: And the thing with Zach Thomas is the whenever you talk about Texas Tech players in the NFL, he's arguably the greatest player to ever go through the NFL from Texas Tech.
• 53:38
  SPEAKER_05: The guy, everyone's waiting on his Hall of Fame bid because everyone thinks it's very overdue.
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_04: It needs to happen.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_04: It's ridiculous that this guy has been left out of the Hall of Fame for this long.
• 53:48
  SPEAKER_04: It really is.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_04: It's so stupid.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_04: Guy deserves it more than a lot of other people.
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, I I hope he gets in there one day, and I hope it's soon.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, absolutely.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_05: And what's nice about the NFL Hall of Fame is it's it's a it's like much like the Ring of Honor, it's a very exclusive club.
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_05: They don't just put any anybody in there.
• 54:05
  SPEAKER_05: So it but this man deserves it, and let's just go ahead and start going down the list.
• 54:10
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, in this this this guy, like you said, could be arguably the greatest player to ever step on a Texas Tech field.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 54:18
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, 2015 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, uh, 390 career tackles, fifth in Texas Tech history.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_04: Um, NFL should be Hall of Famer, uh, with seven Pro Bowls in his NFL career, five first team all-pro selections, and was named to the 2000s all decade team.
• 54:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um, he was first team All-American in 1994 and 1995 while he was a tech, uh, Southwestern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and the finalist for the Butkiss Award, um, which was of course the linebacker of the year award.
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and I think a little tidbit that I really liked uh school record, 20 tackles in a game against Missouri in 1995, and of course, a ring of honor member at Texas Tech.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_05: Absolute absurdity, this man.
• 55:04
  SPEAKER_05: It's just his career is insane, and obviously, some of our older and more historically inclined Texas Tech Red Raider listeners are gonna say he had one of the greatest plays ever in Texas Tech history with a pick six against Texas AM to beat them 14 to 7 with only 31 seconds to go.
• 55:25
  SPEAKER_05: So, this this guy, this guy knew how to solidify his place in Texas Tech history.
• 55:31
  SPEAKER_05: And I don't think we could be more proud of a man to uh that that represents the double T because the guy has exceeded all expectations at every single level he's been at.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_04: He's an all-time great, he's number one on the linebacking court, maybe of all time, whatever your choice is, and also an honorable mention, and also not an honorable mention.
• 55:52
  SPEAKER_04: We fooled you, uh listeners that listened to the beginning of the pod.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_04: We did put Zach Thomas number one overall, but let's talk about some honorable mentions because there were a few that I wrote down.
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um, guys that personal, you know, that I love that I've always loved.
• 56:08
  SPEAKER_04: Well, at my time in Texas Tech, some other guys as well.
• 56:10
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, some that I wrote down.
• 56:12
  SPEAKER_04: You feel free to chime in if you had some that I didn't have.
• 56:15
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Michael Johnson, uh, Will Smith, and then, of course, not Fresh Prince Will Smith, Texas Tech Will Smith, uh, was on there.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_04: And then a couple guys for me.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_04: I put Dakota Allen as an honorable mention.
• 56:28
  SPEAKER_04: He was awesome.
• 56:29
  SPEAKER_04: He had two different stints, especially when you know his whole story.
• 56:32
  SPEAKER_05: I mean Redemption story.
• 56:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolute redemption arc for Dakota Allen.
• 56:37
  SPEAKER_04: He was uh kicked out of Texas Tech, made his way back.
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_04: Everybody who watched Last Chance U, uh, he you know redeemed himself after making a stupid decision.
• 56:45
  SPEAKER_04: And Kate Makin was one of our best players.
• 56:47
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, he really uh was a was a fantastic player that entire time uh that he was at Texas Tech wearing uh the scarlet and black.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_05: And he clawed his way all the way to a seventh round draft pick.
• 56:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and he's still playing, man.
• 57:01
  SPEAKER_04: Not a lot of seventh round picks last a uh you know, multiple years that Dakota Allen has lasted.
• 57:06
  SPEAKER_04: And he still has another, he's he's got more opportunities coming for him.
• 57:10
  SPEAKER_04: He's working hard, he's always worked hard.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_04: He's still on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who now have Trevor Lawrence and could be a real team this year.
• 57:17
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely, would love to see it.
• 57:19
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so I had one more uh personal Rico Jeffers.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I put on this list.
• 57:25
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, he has been so great for the university, for the team.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, he has been a great player on top of it.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_04: And then Colin Schooler will make that way eventually.
• 57:35
  SPEAKER_04: I'm I'm obviously sad.
• 57:36
  SPEAKER_04: I'm sad that he didn't uh he didn't come to us sooner because he really would have been way higher on this list if he was here all of his eligibility years.
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_05: Should have been here the whole time, but we'll forgive him.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_05: It's okay.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_04: At least he came over here eventually and in his best years.
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_04: So uh looking forward to the linebacker unit, not only of the past, but of this year as well.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_04: We are going to have a really, really solid group of guys at that position.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_05: We are winding down on our lists here.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_05: We only have like two more to go, two more positions.
• 58:07
  SPEAKER_04: We have the D-line episode next week, and then we have special teams, and then we're doing a football preview, and then it's the Houston game.
• 58:14
  SPEAKER_05: I mean it's we're getting we're getting yucky with the uh Ramble and Raider boys.
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_04: Getting yucky with the boys at NRG Stadium in H Town.
• 58:22
  SPEAKER_04: I'm looking so forward to it, man.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, it's gonna be a great time.
• 58:26
  SPEAKER_04: We're we're we're gonna have a great time.
• 58:28
  SPEAKER_04: It's a football season right around the corner, man.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_04: This is exciting for sure.
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_05: And that Houston game says a lot.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm glad we'll be there in drunken support.
• 58:35
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, absolutely.
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_04: So, all right, man, let's end off the episode with we have we've been doing these themes for song of the week.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, or I don't know if we're running low on themes or if we're just this is just showing how how stupid we are, but we have decided to do uh first off, okay, we're doing a we're we're doing a nickelback song of the week.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_04: Um, nickelback is has has gotten the meme treatment.
• 59:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh okay, what's this turning into?
• 59:07
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_04: I I'm not trying to say that nickelback is an underrated band.
• 59:13
  SPEAKER_04: That kind of sounds like that's where you're going.
• 59:16
  SPEAKER_04: But I think they get a lot of flack for an undeserved flack.
• 59:21
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, honestly, that's they were the height, they were the height of the meme.
• 59:26
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, we're just gonna shit on this band.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_04: That was what everybody decided one day.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_04: Everybody woke up and said, Hey, we're gonna shit on Nickelback.
• 59:35
  SPEAKER_04: And uh we we have jammed to multiple Nickelback songs on our horrible playlist uh that we have titled Dude Bro, um, that we listened to.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_04: We made in college, we listened to it all through college.
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_04: It's just got a bunch of stupid songs on it.
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but uh we decided for this week on talking tech pod to bring a little dude bro to the pod and uh do a nickelback song of the week.
• 1:00:00
  SPEAKER_04: So, Tristan, what is your nickelback song of the week?
• 1:00:05
  SPEAKER_05: This was always a bit of a point of contention between you and me because we'd always argue what's the best nickelback song.
• 1:00:10
  SPEAKER_04: And we had way for we had way too many arguments on one nickelback song.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_05: But wait, wait, wait, whatever, whatever either time came either either song came on, we'd be like, we'd all just be like singing the entire time, like just giving it our own in in the raspy Chad Kroger voice that we could.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and anytime there was karaoke, like nine times out of ten, we're probably doing a nickelback song.
• 1:00:33
  SPEAKER_04: We we kill it on karaoke doing nickelback, okay?
• 1:00:37
  SPEAKER_04: We kill it.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_04: Everybody likes it.
• 1:00:39
  SPEAKER_05: You can't speak afterwards because you're doing this the whole time.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you wake up with no voice, you're like, what happened?
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_05: And then and then and then you look you wake up and you say, Hey man, look at this photograph.
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_05: Every time I do it, it makes me laugh.
• 1:00:55
  SPEAKER_05: That's my song.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_05: It's a photograph.
• 1:00:57
  SPEAKER_05: Look at this giraffe.
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_05: Look at this graph.
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_04: Great choice, great choice.
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_04: Obviously, one of the best, one of the most well-known bests.
• 1:01:21
  SPEAKER_04: It's not the best.
• 1:01:22
  SPEAKER_04: The best is what I chose for my Nickelback song of the week.
• 1:01:26
  SPEAKER_04: The best, my song of the week and the best Nickelback song of all time is far away.
• 1:01:36
  SPEAKER_07: I love you all.
• 1:01:45
  SPEAKER_04: By Nickelback, and if and only the true Nickelback listeners will will agree with me um that far away is by far.
• 1:01:56
  SPEAKER_04: By far?
• 1:01:57
  SPEAKER_04: By far.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_04: Well, take it easy.
• 1:01:59
  SPEAKER_05: I never said photograph was by far better than far away.
• 1:02:01
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, I gave far away to the response.
• 1:02:03
  SPEAKER_04: I wanted to I wanted to say far in both.
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_04: I thought it had a connection.
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, I get the pun now.
• 1:02:08
  SPEAKER_04: You get the pun?
• 1:02:09
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, so yeah, that's that's my song of the week is far away.
• 1:02:12
  SPEAKER_05: Well, mine's a story about growing up, yours is just a generic love song.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, who's got more meaning?
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_05: Come on.
• 1:02:18
  SPEAKER_04: There's no generic, there's no genericity.
• 1:02:20
  SPEAKER_04: Is that a word?
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:02:22
  SPEAKER_04: There's no gen, I don't know.
• 1:02:24
  SPEAKER_04: There's nothing generic about Nickelback.
• 1:02:27
  SPEAKER_05: Stop it.
• 1:02:29
  SPEAKER_05: This was the crappiest song of the week we've ever done.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, this one was bad.
• 1:02:35
  SPEAKER_04: Uh we're album, I guess, because it's the two songs from the same album.
• 1:02:40
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, great album, one of the best of all time, maybe.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_05: I I don't know.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_05: But uh he'll already piss so we didn't do rock star.
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_05: I know album.
• 1:02:48
  SPEAKER_04: Rockstar's rock star is a good one.
• 1:02:50
  SPEAKER_04: Rockstar is obviously a classic.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_04: We could have we could have chosen a few more.
• 1:02:57
  SPEAKER_04: We could have chosen some burn it to the ground, we could have chosen if today was your last day, if we wanted to be animals, if we wanted to be weird, we know way too many nickelback songs off the top of our heads.
• 1:03:10
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but yeah, and nobody died.
• 1:03:13
  SPEAKER_04: No, oh man, go go go listen to some nickelback, go, go listen to some talking tech pods song of the week playlist that is both on Spotify and Apple Music.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_04: This is a disaster.
• 1:03:26
  SPEAKER_04: I know.
• 1:03:27
  SPEAKER_04: This is this was uh one of our worst songs of the week, so we apologize.
• 1:03:34
  SPEAKER_04: But um, you know what?
• 1:03:35
  SPEAKER_04: No, I'm not gonna apologize.
• 1:03:37
  SPEAKER_04: It's a nickelback, whatever.
• 1:03:38
  SPEAKER_04: They get too much flack anyway.
• 1:03:41
  SPEAKER_05: Oh my god, we need to let's just let's let's bring it home.
• 1:03:44
  SPEAKER_04: All right, we're gonna bring it home.
• 1:03:46
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna end it off like we always do with some plugs.
• 1:03:48
  SPEAKER_04: You can follow both me and Tristan on Twitter.
• 1:03:50
  SPEAKER_04: Tristan's at Tristanick, I am at L underscore S underscore Rodriguez.
• 1:03:54
  SPEAKER_04: Follow the pod on Twitter at talking tech pod.
• 1:03:57
  SPEAKER_04: Get us to 700 followers, we're very close.
• 1:03:59
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we do appreciate all y'all for following us and for uh interacting with us.
• 1:04:05
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it's it's always fun hearing from y'all.
• 1:04:08
  SPEAKER_04: So um join the Ramblin Raiders tailgate one more time.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_04: Go reach out to them if you are interested in joining.
• 1:04:14
  SPEAKER_04: It's gonna be at NRG Stadium for the Houston game on September 4th.
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna be there, it's gonna be a great time.
• 1:04:20
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, everybody come say hi.
• 1:04:21
  SPEAKER_04: So um we're gonna end it off like always.
• 1:04:23
  SPEAKER_04: Always Wrecom Tech.
• 1:04:25
  SPEAKER_02: Wreck him tech.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_02: Uh wow.
• 1:04:27
  SPEAKER_02: First of all, uh got a lot of respect for Steven and Tristan.
• 1:04:32
  SPEAKER_02: Uh their program, tough guys, just uh a lot of fun.
• 1:04:36
  SPEAKER_00: I love the game of basketball, but also love West Texas, and I love Stephen and Tristan.
• 1:04:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm extremely proud.
• 1:04:43
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I don't know where we go from here.
• 1:04:45
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm thinking I'm just gonna sit back down.
• 1:04:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's just not getting better than this.
• 1:04:49
  SPEAKER_01: I just want to tell Steven and Tristan, thanks for coming out.
• 1:04:52
  SPEAKER_03: The energy uh was really, really good in there today.
• 1:04:55
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we fed off of it.
• 1:04:57
  SPEAKER_03: I think it goes back and forth tremendous.
• 1:04:59
  SPEAKER_03: Uh great job, and um, you know, just just proud of our guys for the way they responded.