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2025 Texas Tech Football: 10 Burning Questions (+ a few more) · Talkin' Tech

• 0:39
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome in everybody to the Talk and Tech Podcast.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_04: We are out here talking Texas Tech football.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_04: Tristan, what's up, buddy?
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: We're back to real content, man.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: We're we're back.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_04: We're back.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: We're on the cusp of what could be the most important season in God knows how long.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_04: We're three Saturdays away.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_04: We're currently recording this on Sunday, August 10th, um, to get ready for football season.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't know about you, but this past week on social media, on everything, it's just like football, football, football.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_04: All of it is football.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_04: It's all coming at us real quick.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_04: And we're all very, very excited for it to actually start here in a couple weeks.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_04: But this is that this is that waiting period where it's like, come on, like let's get it rolling.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely, dude.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: Except yeah, like you said, with all the news that's coming out, especially like with the uh all the media that the school's putting out, uh the like the the brand just improves every year, dude.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like the the production quality and uh style of writing and how they include uh uh journalists and other people in it.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_03: It's just it's really, really cool.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_03: And uh it gives me chills, man.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like it makes me like it makes me so ready to start uh turning on the TV and seeing the Red Raiders of the Jones.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Texas Tech, their media team is top notch uh from top to bottom.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_04: Everybody from the videos to the edits that they make just in the little, you know, like post-scrimmage deals that they put on Twitter.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, it's it's pretty top-notch.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_04: And the brand is, I mean, it it looks like a legitimate like it could be on Netflix documentary.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, you know, it's you know, uh, obviously, I was also a little jealous to see you know the the SEC got uh like a Netflix adaptation of like a hard knock sort of uh style thing.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_03: And but dude, our the brand is ours, like equivalent.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: So obviously, I'm not gonna watch the Netflix thing.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but uh it's just a big SEC guy.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_04: No, I'm actually not.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_03: Wow, I know you learned something new.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_03: I know, you know me.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, but it's uh but seriously, this is it's kind of like our our uh uh you know boutique uh film uh film studio.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_03: But anyway, enough about that.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_03: Let's go ahead and start talking about why we're here.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the Texas Tech Red Raider football team.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_03: And like I said, I kind of already uh I hope I don't sound like I'm ahead of my skis.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure uh especially some older fans out there, maybe like the most important season coming out there.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I really do think that, man.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think uh obviously we we have uh we have our list of questions here, and that'll come up.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but let's go ahead and open it up with this this question before we get there.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and it's I want to open up with this new role that Texas Tech University, uh especially our football team, but really all of our sports has kind of begun to embrace, and that is a very disruptive role.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_03: And the reason being is Texas Tech is going out there and outbidding any team, any program in the country for the most coveted players out there in the transfer portal and now also the high school level as well.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: So we're we're clearly not trying to just try to uh uh duct tape together a transfer portal team, but also remind ourselves that the high school level is indeed where you build a program.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but so with that, we garnered a lot of attention and a lot of it's negative.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_03: Uh a lot of people are really upset that it's Texas Tech that's getting these players rather than say Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_03: You're seeing a lot of butthurtness on that.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_03: And so my question to kind of roll off of that is um is A, of course, how does that make you feel?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_03: And B, uh, does Texas Tech have the biggest target on our back in first the Big 12, but also maybe nationally as well?
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_03: Are we this villainous new money that people are either gonna love to hate, or are we gonna be kind of this plucky team that people are excited to see kind of disrupt and uh put a different name on the television and talk you know in new new blood to talk about rather than the same old story?
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean it's so you know it's coming from a bunch of different areas.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_04: The easy comparison, I think, is honestly like the Yankees and the Dodgers right now, with what Texas Tech is doing in college sports, and now we don't have the history of those two franchises of winning and everything.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_04: I I think some people do forget how young Texas Tech is as a university, and how you know these some of these other schools really had a jump start on their athletics and maybe has gotten them to the rise of uh it's a whole different thing though.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_04: But to your question, yeah, uh, we're kind of the villains now.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_04: Uh a lot of people are looking at us like, oh, they're just throwing money, and because they got this big oil guy, they have the ability to do that.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_04: When everybody would be doing the exact same thing if they had a Cody Campbell in their life.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_04: So it's I I think part of it is jealousy.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_04: Obviously, the programs that you would normally compare to a Texas Tech that don't necessarily have you know a strong history of winning in college football, um, you're you're jealous that Texas Tech is now able to pay and catch up to the dominant programs of this sport.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_04: And then if you're one of the dominant programs of this sport, a Georgia, an Ohio State, a Texas, you start looking at this and you're like, okay, now we're losing recruits to Texas Tech because of money.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_04: It's like it's it's intimidating because you almost want to keep pushing them into their place, into their hole of what they've been, you know, uh uh as not a strong power of college football, and we're trying to break that mold right now.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_04: Um so I don't know, it's a couple different questions.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_04: Uh yeah, I think people are gonna look at Texas Tech this year and be like, oh yeah, that was the team that paid a crap ton of money for this transfer portal class, and they got the 2027 number one recruit and paid him 900K or whatever, and that's how they're gonna kind of look at us.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_04: I think the overall perception of Texas Tech has changed because of this for sure.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and yeah, I really do think the frustration kind of stems from you touched on it that Texas Tech doesn't know their place in quotation marks.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, you'll hear phrases like it's this is not college sports that I know and love.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_03: This is they're ruining the sport.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and my pushback on that is I think that's ludicrous, first of all, because no, what ruined the sport was TV contracts.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_03: So I it's they're frustrated that they don't get to hoard the dragon's load of both money and recruits anymore through the sheer power of uh media influence.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um and now we have what's this with NIL with that is the great equalizer.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_03: Because theoretically, even uh say, like a program like Utah State would be able, if they had some mega donor, they'd be able to start swinging in and grabbing some players they have no business doing so before.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_03: So this really is a great great equalizer, and we are just blessed to have an uh alumni base who does quite well for themselves, and especially in the oil business, and especially with our superstar uh mega donor, our our uh uh our new boon pickens, so to speak, is able to really steer the ship.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_03: And it really, like I said, I think it's just ultimately jealousy and just frustration that some people uh the fans of the mega teams they really do just want to see just the mega team succeed, and they get frustrated and angry whenever uh smaller brands perform well, they don't like it.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you don't want to see a new blood kind of take over, yeah.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_03: They don't want to see a new Oregon, yeah, exactly.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_04: You or a new Clemson or anything of that nature.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_04: You know, you don't want to see another program rise to national prominence, right?
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_04: And with Texas Tech, like we've mentioned multiple times already, not a strong history of winning at Texas Tech.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, you don't want them to start now winning with different rules and just a completely different sport with what we're dealing with now.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_04: At least, you know, the the on-the-field stuff will always be the on-the-field stuff, but right off the field, we're just it's a completely different ballgame now.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_04: And Texas Tech is trying their hardest to um, you know, use their resources in the best possible way.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_04: And um, again, every other school would be doing this if they had a Cody Campbell.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and it's just uh I I do think we will do have a huge target on our back.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and every single loss that we may endure this season, we're gonna be clowned on.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_03: People are going to talk so much crap as soon as we start losing games.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, you can shut them up by not losing, uh, but it's it's really we are gonna get an ear pull, and we gotta be prepared for it.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_03: And even I think even when we win games, we're gonna get an ear pull of it.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's gonna be it's gonna be a frustrating.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, this is just a bot game.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_03: So uh that's I think that kind of wraps that up.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_03: Anything else to say?
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_04: No, no.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it's uh we'll see.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_04: This is, I mean, this really puts a target on your back, and and we'll probably get to that a little later on.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, it's uh it's exciting though.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I'll say this.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_04: I'd rather be in our current position than uh maybe like the the sneaky underdog that we're hoping for the last couple years.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_03: Well, our whole history for sure.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's sex tech's history is just being the being the spoiler.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um so let's move on to the next question then.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_03: We we kind of touched on this before we rolled into this.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um now we've kind of talked up, you know, what has happened, and obviously either through context lose or you lived under a rock, but Texas Tech has bought a an incredible roster and retain.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_03: I don't I don't want to take away from the some of the veterans that are coming back.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: We got some superstars that are already on the team.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but how important of a season is 2025 for Texas Tech?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_04: I it's it's huge.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_04: Um, this is the most important season, like you mentioned at the top, in a long, long time at Texas Tech, because now you finally have the talent.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_04: You you know, we could kid ourselves the last couple of years, and you may have been super talented at certain positions, but you this is the most talented team when you're talking every single position group at Texas Tech since 2009.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_04: So on paper, with the transfer portal class that we brought in, with the players that we retained, guys like Jacob Rodriguez and Caleb Douglas and all that.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_04: This is you need to start winning.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_04: And it's also, you know, year four of Joey Maguire.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh and it's it's time.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_04: It's time you start winning.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_04: Uh this uh he's done well since he's been here, but this is where the real pressure starts to compete for not just you know nine wins, but for a Big 12 championship and further.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'm in full agreement here.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think the reason why it's so dang important is like you were saying, how this team this team is so talented, and you just went and spent uh either the most amount of money or just as much as the big guys uh to retain your roster and build it.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so if this doesn't work, then you have to start asking some serious questions about yourselves.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and I mean that staff-wise, of course.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_03: There's really no other way to put it.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um if this doesn't pan out, you really start to doubt uh McGuire's ability to develop talent and make and put it to good use.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_03: And at that point, you you you probably don't fire him, of course, but the things start getting real hot in that coaching room.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_03: And the only thing you start to cross your fingers for if this transfer class blows up is okay, maybe this new influx of high school talent that's coming in will change the game.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_03: But they have to wait such a long time for any of that to start happening.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_03: The fans will get so impatient, and uh it's and I'm not saying we're just win now now kind of kind of fans, but I mean we're not maybe we're not winning and win now, but we're like, can we win sometime?
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's time for the I think it's time for some time.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I really think if we don't win at minimum nine games and are not either one step away from Arlington or in Arlington, it's it's it's a catastrophic failure, I'd say.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I mean, you know, you we obviously have to see how the season unfolds.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's it's easy to say, hey, if we don't get to a certain win number, we're gonna be disappointed.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_04: But it it all kind of depends on how everything goes.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_04: Injuries happen, obviously.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_04: You know, God forbid Baron Morton goes down, or you know, another key important piece, then it just kind of changes your entire outlook on everything.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know, a bad blown call by a ref that loses you a game or whatever it may be.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, so but yeah, this is about time that you start you're competing for a Big 12 championship.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you you were pretty close last year.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_04: I I think people kind of underestimate how good of a season we had last year, um, based on you know some of the losses that we had to in-state rivals, um, and just kind of the way the ball bounced in certain ways last year.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_04: Baron Morton dealing with injuries, all that sort of stuff.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_04: So uh you you did well, you had a chance for nine wins, you lost the bowl game, but now it needs to be a pretty significant step forward in that department.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_04: And that step forward, in my eyes, is is a spot in the Big 12 championship.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_03: And of course, uh in the modern college football world we live in, we're making it to the Big 12 Championship, we are either guaranteed going to this college football playoff or a win away from the college football playoff at that point, and that's obviously a huge deal, and that that just adds momentum to uh your recruiting and attention you get as a program.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um all right, so I think we're both in agreement that this is the most important season in at minimum a decade.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I I think we could go ahead and move on then.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_03: So, Steven, it's not just the roster that looks a lot different.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, we are still talking about college football.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_03: And and whenever it comes to college football, I know it's not exactly the same game as it was a hundred years ago, but coaches are still paramount.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_03: And we have two of the three most important coaches on the team that are brand new.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, obviously, we still have our same captain in McGuire, but we have a new offensive coordinator in Mac uh uh uh Leftwich and uh Shield Wood at defensive coordinator position.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I'll go ahead and let you answer first here.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, how do you feel?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think we've really taken a moment to really talk about how we feel about these guys heading into the season.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_03: And do you foresee an immediate jump, or do you uh perhaps worry there might be some uh jitters?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think if you're replacing both your coordinators is never like an ideal situation, but it all it also was necessary on the defensive side of the ball.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_04: The offensive side of the ball, I would argue until I'm blue in the face that we had a really strong offense last year.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_04: Uh and number one big both.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I'll uh never understand the hate that Zach Kitley got last year.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but replacing both your coordinators is a is a huge deal.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_04: And luckily, you're retaining Joey Maguire, who is more of a CEO type anyway, and and doesn't necessarily, you know, is bonded to a certain style of offense, a certain style of defense, or whatever it may be.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_04: So these guys have kind of been able to make it their own under Joey Maguire.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_04: Um the when you're looking at previous stops, Mac Lefwich is very young.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_04: He's a young 30.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_04: He's like our age, dude.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he's like 30 years old, and he's fresh.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_04: He's he's an extremely talented young coordinator.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_04: Um, has obvious everybody knows the story of him discovering Cam Ward at at UIW, and then you know, he ended up being the number one pick in the draft this past year.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_04: Uh he's just young and he hasn't necessarily had the experience that a lot of other coordinators have, but that's not always a bad thing, you know, per se.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_04: So I I'm not I'm not gonna pretend like I'm super well versed in his scheme and his style.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_04: Um, what I've taken from the player interviews, the coach, uh Joey's press conferences prior to the season with all the into spring ball and everything is that it's a less complicated offense because Zach Kitley ran a very complicated offense um with a lot of different options, a lot going on in your brain at one point or another that you have to handle at one point in time.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_04: This one is a more simplified version of that.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and you kind of know your reads right off the bat, and there's less that could, you know, change the play per se on the fly.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_04: So um I think uh some people are saying it's it's air raid style.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_04: I I think every offense kind of has some air raid to it these days, so it's not like you can just say, oh, this is an air raid offense.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_04: Um he's gonna run the ball, he's gonna pass the ball.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_04: He did that at uh at Texas State, he ran a very balanced offense there.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and I I think he's it's really the more he's the more unknown of the two coordinators for me right now.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I think I think you really painted it a picture really well.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um it's I like that you noted his youth, uh, and he's he's flown up the uh the respect ranks very quickly.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: And it's funny enough, this guy's very first full circle for you and me.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, whenever we first got to college, he was the quarterback for UTEP who we played two years in a row.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so it's kind of a full circle moment, and that was those were scary.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: Uh during uh Davis Webb Kingsbury time.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but uh dude, this like UIW, and which is incarnate word in San Antonio, uh an FCS program, has kind of become a bit of a coaching uh incubation program.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh, you're seeing a lot of uh hot offensive minds coming out of there with uh with uh uh with UNT's head coach, a former red raider uh coming out of there as well.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_03: And now uh G uh GK Keen.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: Did I say it?
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_03: Kenny.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_03: Uh GJ Kinney coming out of there as well.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_03: And man, uh I don't want to harp on this too long because I want to get back to Texas Tech.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_03: But what they did at Texas State, him him uh uh left, which it's insane.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Texas State went from four and eight to eight and five immediately.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_03: And um they they broke 30 points nine times their first season there, and then they broke 30 points 10 times last year.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_03: So that this guy knows how to score, and he took Arizona State down to the wire.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_03: They also uh delivered Texas State's uh uh first power win over Baylor in Waco.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so just just an incredible incredible job that they've done over there at Texas State.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_03: It really looks like they're starting to get serious about their program.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and you know, like I said, you have a hard time kind of pinning down what the offense will look like with them.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: You need to nail that, dude.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's it's it looks quite 50-50.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_03: They are number two in passing and rushing in the Sunbelts and uh a top five uh offense overall last year in the nation.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_03: So I really do think we'll see a very uh balanced approach from uh from left with which is uh offenses, but I think obviously everyone at Tex Tech is just so used to wanting an air raid and seeing that the quarterback uh gunsling it.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_03: It's good to have a Texas boy with real uh collegiate playing experience there again.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Gitley obviously break Bright Mind, but he actually never really played any significant football.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and additionally, I I just I really think he's doing it gonna do a good job setting up our weapons uh to really uh exploit some 1v1 matchups.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I know this this isn't exactly cutting edge journalistic uh uh reporting here, uh, but you're you're you're kind of wondering what the system is.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_03: But college football 26, the video game, classifies tech's offense as a beer and shoots.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_03: So uh yeah, there you go.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_03: The beer being the running, the shooting being the throwing.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_04: Valuable knowledge from EA Sports right there.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_04: No, there's it's gonna be balanced.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you the best coordinators use their talent and don't stick to one thing or another, you know, depending on their they they cater their offense towards their best players on and who's gonna produce for you.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_04: So I think Leftwich is one of those guys.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Shield Wood, I love the hire.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_04: I love everything about Shield Wood right now.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um, from his demeanor in just these short little videos to how Joey McGuire talks about him, to what he's done for every single team that he's been at the last several years.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_04: They'll look at his uh his previous, you know, they'll look at his resume and they're like, oh, why does he bounce around so much?
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_04: Well, he's bounced around so much because one Willie Fritz took a different job, you know, going from two lane to Houston.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_04: So we followed him there, and then he got poached from Troy because he did such a great job.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_04: So uh he was at Troy, they had like a 12-and-2 year, he was a top 30 defense in the country at Troy of all places.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_04: Um, goes to two lane, has another strong defense there, goes to Houston.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_04: I saw this stat, I was I was listening to a uh preview right before this, and uh Houston from the previous year before Shield Wood got there, was like 110th in the country in total defense.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_04: Last year, Houston was 20th in the country in total defense in just one year over year change having Shield Wood come in.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_04: So I am pretty convinced that he's gonna do awesome.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely, dude.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_03: Uh like you said, man, he really he he yanked them from uh from 110th all the way up to uh uh 25th, but even more so there, they were number two uh in total's uh total defense.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: In the Big 12.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_03: So just like a humongous humongous jump up, especially in a conference gnome for its strong offenses.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and over and they're number four in scoring defense.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_03: You know, what I've gathered from over and over again that seems to be harped on from uh either say McGuire or other journalists is uh we obviously got scorched in the passing game last year.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_03: We gave up a lot of big plays, and Shieldwood is apparently known for being a big play reducer, like he he is he's a big play exterminator, and so if we can limit that, I really think we're gonna be in business.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um obviously in the transfer portal, we we got a lot of defensive talent, so he's gonna have a lot of toys to work with, a lot of weapons, and it looks like we're probably gonna be seeing a lot of rush four on the D-line.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_03: So it really looks like we're gonna be overloading the box and just going crazy down there.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_03: So um, I'm really excited, man.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_03: I'm really looking forward to this.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: And he's he's got the the looks like he's got the chops.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_03: Uh like you said, he bounced around us a lot, but that's because we just get it keeps getting poached.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_03: And dude, still just an insane coup.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: That was an insane muddy whipping bullying of an interconference rival.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_03: That was crazy.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_04: And both of these coordinators were lined up for other jobs too.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_04: A lot of a lot of schools wanted Mac Lefwich.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_04: A lot of schools wanted Shield Wood, and and Texas Tech um pulled out the money bags and uh when we knew we needed to replace both the coordinators.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_04: And um, I think you'll see significant improvement on the defensive end.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and then offense you hope to be what we were last year, honestly.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, right.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um number one offense in the Big 12.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, I think it was we were number one in yards per game.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_04: And I I mean it was it was a really, really good offense um at Texas Tech.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_04: It's a lot to live up to.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_04: These fans crave good offense, crave touchdowns and everything, but you're also, I I think with this defense, you're not going to put so much pressure on the offense to do well this year, and you have the ability to win games that maybe you haven't seen Texas Tech win uh in the past, you know, with 17-14 games or uh 10 to 3 games or whatever it may be.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_04: So um I don't know.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_04: I it's gonna be interesting to watch, but um to stay on the coaching front, and I I didn't put this on the on the uh agenda here, but Joey Maguire fourth year at Texas Tech.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_04: I if you I don't know if you've been watching all of his you know press conferences and everything, but it we're seeing a different Joey this year in terms of a a more reserved, a more knows that he has a lot of pressure on him and needs to see results versus the Joey of the past, where he has maybe said a little too much uh in terms of hyping up the team and hyping up the fan base and uh you know typical Joey stuff.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_04: So I don't know how do you feel about Joey Maguire going into this fourth year and kind of his change in demeanor?
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_03: I think the word I'd use is subdued.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he's he's like you said, he's really toned it down.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I really don't think that's people getting in his ear, I think that's him putting the pressure on himself.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because it's really easy whenever you get a new job, and especially whenever, say, a dream job in your, you know, the face of a program like TechStech, that's really exciting.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_03: And this is a guy that loves to get out in front of people and talk to them.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_03: And so you can obviously see that and how he likes to bring the excitement and uh just to get the party going.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_03: But I think he's understood that these years are not so much, I don't want to just use the word disappointment because he's one of the most successful coaches we've had in a long time.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_03: But we've he he's he's put a high expectations out there for the fans, and we ate it up.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_03: And we we were met with some disappointments, some heartbreaking losses.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_03: And it's just like okay, okay, uh, we we really love being this consistent above average winning team again, but can we get the trophy for once?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's where that's what he's feeling right now, so very subdued.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I liked I liked all his answers on Media Day of hey, we know that there's a target on our back now with what we've been doing this offseason, and it's time to just show results.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_04: And it's it's it's a little less time to talk, and it's a little more time to just show.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and Joey is a talker, so I feel like he's had to kind of look himself in the mirror at times, uh, and you even talk about little things like the Micah Hudson situation where you hype up this true freshman and then things don't necessarily pan out for you.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_04: Um could still in the future he's back.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_04: But you know, I think he's just learned those lessons in being a power four college football level head coach that he hasn't had to deal with before.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_04: Um, with being either uh an assistant coach or even a high school coach.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_04: So um I'm I'm liking the new Joey.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but I mean absolutely we say all that, but as soon as we lift that glass bowl in Arlington, he's gonna be right back to what he was four years ago.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_04: If you do that, say whatever you say, everything runs through Lubbock, not just like like that would be so architect.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: If we win the Big 12, that would be hilarious, you know.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: But um, but yeah, dude, I think that's I think that's a that was a great question.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, I'm with you.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_03: I like the new stuff to you, Joey.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_03: And I think he he he'll kind of allow himself to be get excited again if the season pans out the way it should.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_03: So um let's go ahead and roll on, man.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so we're we're we're gonna talk about the transfer portal, obviously, and this is yet another question about it.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I'm gonna be kind of using the the haters here.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, a lot of people are criticizing our team, saying that our team is made up of mercenaries, that our team is made up of just free agents.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_03: They they weren't created in the Texas Tech culture, they were just uh plugged in to uh fill holes.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_03: Oftentimes you're gonna hear the comparison to Florida State, the disaster they had after a big transfer portal after uh an amazing season the year before where they got hosed.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, do you think these comparisons are fair?
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_03: How do you feel about them?
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_03: And where well how would you respond to all that?
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_04: This is a new era of college football.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_04: You have to you're you're gonna have a lot of turnover on your teams.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_04: It's just it's inevitable with the transfer portal, with NIL, with everything.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_04: So you need to learn how and you need to trust your culture that's set in place now with Joey Maguire going into his fourth year, his culture, this is his program.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_04: You're betting on the culture and the program uniting all of these, you know, new players that you're grabbing from Georgia Tech and North Carolina and Eastern Illinois and uh, you know, everything of that nature.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_04: So I I think you trust in the culture more than you trust in the talent because you can bring in talent all day, but if you don't have the people in place to make that talent succeed, uh then you'll get a Florida State situation last year.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so I don't know.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_04: I'm I'm more optimistic than anything because I do think the culture is super strong at Texas Tech and has been building up the last three years.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_04: Um and it's not like we've really had a, you know, if anything, it shows the last three years that we've gotten down and we've really brought ourselves back up to finish strong.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and that's a that's an important aspect to your culture.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_04: If you can start one and three with a loss to Wyoming and uh, you know, and and end up being kind of a seven, eight win team that season, and it's a big deal.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and that's just been the three years that Joey's been here.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_04: So um and obviously with the momentous offseason that we just had, you hope that you know you you kind of all ride into that.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_04: But um you can you can feed into the the preseason talk of everybody saying, Oh yeah, we're all together, we've never seen this type of you know, uh this type of group before that's coming in early and staying late and they all love football and they all do that.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_04: And so, you know, I I don't necessarily want to feed too much into that right now.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_04: I'd like to see the results on the field before I do that, but um, I I think you trust the culture with with Joey Maguire to to bring everybody together.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_03: Steven, as they say, it's Jimmy Jimmy's and Joes, not X's and O's.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_03: So, dude, honestly, I would rather have the freak of nature who has proven it at another school, who has the tangibles to be a monster on the field, than the culture guy, the diamond and the rough.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_03: The reason why I say that is because Tech's Tech has always been the Diamond and the Rough, the culture guy team.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_03: That is what we've always been.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_03: And that is good if you can really hit and you know strike whenever it's real hot and have a magical season every once in a while, that's fine and great.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_03: But if you want to be a consistent winner, you have to have the best players.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: So I will I will take the risk of them not gelling well than to have just flat out lesser talented boys.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I trust, I trust, like you said, I trust this coaching staff.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_03: There's you can criticize Joel McGuire for a lot of things, but you cannot criticize his ability to have relationships with his players and and and build the culture around the program.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure a lot of people would say that their coach is a culture guy, but guys, I I mean people out there know that Joey is a different cat when it comes to that kind of thing.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_03: He really is.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I'm with you, dude.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_03: I I really think that he has that in in place.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_03: And by just my argument against that is all you're just trying to say is you just think tech shouldn't have the best players, and that you just don't want us to hoard up this much talent to really be a consistent threat, you uh, you know, at a year-to-year basis.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_03: So I I'm all for it.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's just more complaining, more crying.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, and you can also look at the the type of guys that you brought in.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_04: They're fifth-year, sixty-year players that have been with the program for, you know, four years and have been playing college football for a long, long time.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_04: So it's not like you're bringing in like the freshest, you know, just pure athletes that have never been in a good locker room before.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_04: You're bringing in some players that were on some talented teams that brought a lot of juice to their programs and know kind of what a winning culture is.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_04: So um that mixed with your returners who are already, you know, just they know the culture already that you're Jacob Rodriguez's, you're Baron Morton's, you know.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_04: So I I think there's a lot of there's a lot of uh experience in this locker room that's gonna help that.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_04: And it's not necessarily putting it all on the coaches to teach them how to how to do their day-to-day.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's learning from your your fellow players, the guy that's above you in the depth chart, the guy that's even below you in the depth chart, that just know how to be professionals.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um because it really is kind of a professional league these days.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_04: So um you like that experience.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely, dude.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_03: All right, man.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_03: You ready to move on to the next one?
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, let's do it.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_04: This is this is kind of feeding into the transfers as well, because obviously this is the biggest story of the offseason is how talented this transfer portal class is.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_04: But my a big question that I have, and it's a question I think every team kind of has, because everybody brings in the players from uh that were very successful at a lower level.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_04: Um, by lower level, you could mean FCS, you could mean lower level G5, um, just basically anything that's below the power four conferences right now.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and with certain players that are set to be starters on this year's team, we have quite a few that we brought in via the transfer portal that were at lower levels.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_04: Are these players going to continue their level of production that they did at the lower level and and continue that at Texas Tech in the Big 12 conference?
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_04: That is definitely a major step up.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I think my first response to that is you know, good players will perform because they're good.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: It doesn't really matter where they are.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because uh you have to remember that it's it's not just the power conferences that have talented players.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the NFL draft is does not just look at the the four power conferences, they draft players from the uh from the G6 and FCS level as well because there's gamers who can game.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so I I I think I I think whenever you look at this list, and uh one more thing, I think you also have to remember that we were talking about college-aged kids.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_03: And you may not be built like the monster you are at 18 than when you're 23.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: So like you could be you could be like a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier, and that's like barely an exaggeration with some of these kids.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_03: So um, I really think they know it's not necessarily you look at their initial uh recruiting stage, you look at them at their as they are now.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_03: So, like whenever you look at on three slash rivals, you see pretty much all these players from these G5 and FCS programs are adjusted four stars, and they are incredibly sought after by everybody from top to bottom.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_03: And you look at their uh not only just their accolades, which are many, I mean we're talking about like all conference, all American, um, you they have some serious tangibles, especially whenever you look at like some of these these linemen, these are enormous human beings.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_03: And if you could get them some development at a uh a facility and staff like Texas Tech, one has to imagine that they can take a step up and ultimately look for that draft call that they're really trying to aim for at this point, besides grabbing a bag from tech.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_03: So to me, I trust James Blanchard's uh ability to spot these talented players out on these uh lesser teams and be able to say that these guys can be real impact players at TechTech.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_03: I know a lot of this sounds like a real cop-out, real easy way out that's just by saying no, these plays are good.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_03: But I mean, I don't know how else to say it.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: Like however I'm looking at these kids, I don't know what else to say.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_03: They look good to me, you know, and that's really good.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, hey it's it's just it's funny looking at this transfer portal because you'll have a Howard Sampson who came from North Carolina and played in the ACC and played against strong competition, you know.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and then you'll look at a Cole Wisnesky, who played five years at North Dakota State and was, you know, before last season, because is out most of last season due to injury, he was an FCS All-American.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_04: He was a preseason, you know, type of player of the year sort.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_04: And you're just hoping that that translates to the power four level.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_04: There's that you were talking about the offensive lineman.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_04: I think Hunter Zambrano and Will Jados are two guys that are set to start for you um at at either the tackle or the guard position.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_04: And a lot of years at lower levels, you know, five with with Zambrano is five years at Illinois State.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_04: With Jados, who is four years in Miami of Ohio, and you're just hoping that when you start going up against defensive linemen from from Kansas State and from uh Arizona State and Utah that you're holding up.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, because you just didn't play that same level of competition.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_04: So um I think that's a natural like question mark for you when you bring in these high caliber transfers, but they didn't necessarily play the steepest of competition.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_04: Are they going to translate then to be a solid starter here at Texas Tech?
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_04: So um, we just have a good amount of those guys.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_04: Skyler Gil Howard's another one on the defensive line, spent three years at NIU.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Reggie Virgil, who's gonna be a starting receiver for you on the outside, um, coming over also from Miami of Ohio.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_04: So uh the good news about all these guys is that they're experienced and they've been in college football for three, four, or five years at this point, and uh they're just ready to bring it up to another level.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely, dude.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you're gonna you're gonna be getting hit harder than you have been before.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_03: You're gonna be playing with other bigger players.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_03: So if anything, it'll be more of they're gonna be seeing a more equalized competition because obviously these guys were head and shoulders above their competition.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_03: You're seeing as almost all these were either all conferences are all American.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean, you brought up a guy like a safety like Cole.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he he's yes, he's FCS, but he's he's from North Dakota State.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_03: You know, not all programs are are made equally.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_03: No North Dakota State could trash so many G6 and P4 uh teams any week.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_03: So it's it's these these players are obviously obviously have have the stuff and are looking to either, you know, like I like kind of kind of touched on before, uh, have one more big shot to see if they can get an NFL uh offer, or uh obviously just you know test their medal against a stronger competition and get paid for it.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_04: For sure, for sure.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_04: Um, let's kind of get more into this current roster that we're looking at as a whole into certain position groups here.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_04: So I wanted to start with the with the running backs because you're replacing Taj Brooks, all-time leader in rushing yards at Texas Tech.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_04: It's not often you have to replace a legend at that school uh in one season.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_04: And we've had to replace a lot of good running backs over the years.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_04: You know, Sir Rodrick was amazing for us.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_04: We've had to replace guys like DeAndre Washington and all those in the past, but um Taj is a different beast.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_04: And he we melt we basically molded our entire offense around Taj Brooks last year.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and so now we're going into this year.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_04: You have two younger guys, sophomores and Jacoby Williams and Cam Dickey, and then you brought in Quentin Joyner from USC, who on paper, not super impressive stat line from last year.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_04: The thing that pops out obviously is the uh is the 7.6 yards per carry, which is an incredible number uh as the number two over there at USC.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_04: But you know, 476 rushing yards last year and three touchdowns.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, he was a sophomore and he's going into his junior year.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so you're hoping that he kind of takes on this this next role.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_04: But just kind of as a whole, do you see this trio of running backs being a committee and being able to replace what Taj Brooks was for Texas Tech?
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that's that's an interesting question.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_03: I think the the running back room is probably the uh most mysterious on our team when it comes to the roles these players are going to uh inherit.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you don't have a clear workhorse.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's the biggest difference uh between last year and now.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_03: You had a you had an every-down running back with Tosh Brooks.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm gonna go ahead and take a guess now and say that's just not the case this year.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, Joey McGuire, after the uh the scrimmage, says like the biggest highlight on the offensive side of the ball is being able to run the ball.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_03: He says we have three really good running backs.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I don't know if this is Joey speak or um the truth, because I really I I think you already touched on it.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_03: I think I do not foresee this offense being built on the running back.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_03: I think this is Baron Morton's year whenever it comes to the offensive playbook.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's gonna be a quarterback year.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and one more thing he said about the running backs before we kind of dig into what that means is uh he also said that we I see a home run hitter in Jacoby.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_03: I see a uh let's just I'll uh quicken it to a sneaky guy with Quentin and Cam Dickey who runs angry in a ball of fury.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_03: So to me, what that translates as a lame uh as a fan layman here is Jacoby's the speedster, Quentin's the elusive guy, and Dickey's the power back.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_03: So really it looks like you have three different running backs who can really fill different roles depending on what you need in that single play.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_03: I don't really see them being on there, uh, one guy being out there for a whole drive.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I see us really mixing it up, and I'm I think, especially at the beginning of the year, I think you're gonna see all the guys pretty equally until you start releasing a player who explodes and just kind of takes over and takes up, I would but I would still say like 50% of the carries at most.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, I think right now you're looking at at um Quentin Joyner being kind of your lead back as the guy who's probably gonna play the most snaps this year at the running back position, with two guys that one Jacoby Williams is gonna be on a lot of special teams, he's gonna be returning punts, returning kicks.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_04: So that's kind of gonna be where he gets on the field.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_04: And then Cam Dickey, I think, is the guy that can come in both when Joyner needs a rest and also for your goal line packages, where you just need a big boy in there.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_04: He's he's the biggest back that you have of these guys, and uh, I think he can kind of power his way into the end zone um in a lot of those goal line sets.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_04: But um, yeah, it's I I think we're gonna replace Taj Brooks.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_04: It's also just gonna be a new offense where we're not gonna be so reliant on Taj taking us and continually moving the ball down the field via Taj.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so yeah, I think I think you're you're correct in the assessment of just like you know, utilizing the pass game way more this year um and just letting Barron cook.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_04: I think they're relying a lot on that.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_03: We have a new offensive coordinator, so it's it's not as easy to predict without Kitley.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and so I'm I'm with you.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's I think it's Quinn Joyner as well.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I know you talked about how his last season wasn't exactly star-strucking, but I mean, we are talking about a Southern California talent who's who's getting a lot of love from outside of Texas Tech.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like there's a lot of people saying he's one of the sneaky good quarterback uh running backs in the Big 12.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_03: So I I think I think that's the easy choice.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_03: He didn't need to just a four-star with the uh with his transfer in.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_03: So that guy, I think he's I think it's the obvious choice as well.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_04: Ohio State wanted him bad.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_04: And you beat Ohio State out for this kid.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_04: So he's a Texan, right?
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_03: I think he is.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_04: I yeah, he's from Texas.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and then obviously with the payday, I'm sure that uh that enticed him as well.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_03: Both are important though.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, no, absolutely.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but yeah, I'm excited about the running back room.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_04: I I think you know that's gonna be the number one thing that broadcasters or or people that aren't really well versed in 2024 Texas Tech are gonna talk about.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_04: They're gonna be like, oh, they got to replace Tosh Brooks, you know, this all-time leader rusher in Texas Tech history.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_04: I think we're gonna be fine in the running back room.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_04: I really do.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um all right.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_04: Let's go let's go to probably the most talked about position at Texas Tech, uh, especially from the additions from the transfer portal to the returners that you have.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_04: This defensive line has been the most hyped up position.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_04: Group of any any group at Texas Tech this offseason.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_04: You have national media putting Texas Tech as a potential top five defensive line in all of college football.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_04: This includes every SEC team.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_04: This includes every Big Ten team, every every power team.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_04: And Texas Tech of all schools is being talked about to have a great defensive line this year.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_04: You have your additions from the transfer portal.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_04: Lee Hunter, Romelo Hype, David Bailey, Skylar Gill Howard, AJ Holmes from Houston.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_04: And then you also have a bunch of guys that started on the defensive line for you last year that are backing those guys up now, due to Banks and those types.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_04: I am feeding full in to the hype of this defensive line.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_04: I don't see a scenario in which this defensive line, you don't have at least two guys that are breaking out and being dudes.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_04: Lee Hunter has already shown it at the Big 12 level, coming from UCF.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_04: He was an all Big 12 type player last year for them.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_04: So, and he's your interior big boy.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_04: And then you got David Bailey real late in the game.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_04: You beat out Texas, you beat out Ohio State, you beat out Oklahoma for this guy.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_04: And edge rusher extraordinaire, sack leader, along with Romelo Height, who's a freak of nature coming from Georgia Tech.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_04: I don't see a reality, and I'm answering my own question here.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_04: I'll let you speak here after this, but I don't see a reality in which this defensive line is not a top three defensive line, at least in the conference.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_04: And that's like lower tier of what I think can be accomplished here.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, dude.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_03: Uh you already answered my question that was going to rebuttal with this.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_03: Is is this the most hyped unit on the team?
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's an easy yes at this point.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I was also gonna ask, I'm gonna ask you this question real quick before I you know go into my the rest of my short spiel.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_03: Is is this the most hyped unit in the Big 12?
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I mean, total, no, any position, anything.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_03: Is this the most hyped unit in the entire Big 12?
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_04: It has to be.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_04: There has not been a singular unit on any Big 12 team that has talked about more than the Texas Tech defensive line going into this year.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um I like, you know, some people were talking about Baylor's running back room, and I know they just had one of their uh one of their running backs go out for the season, so that's kind of affected that piece of it.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_04: But um, you know, and then you talk about individual quarterbacks, obviously, but uh I I just don't I I'm so hyped up about it, and I am feeding full in to the talent that has been brought in on this defensive line.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_03: They are going to do war crimes to Arkansas Pine Bluff, dude.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's just not it's just not something we've had at Texas Tech, a a consistent QB rush, and it's not just the your main guys, it's the guys that are behind them that have a lot of reps in college football, and they're the twos, they're coming in, you know, for 20, 30 snaps a game or whatever, and they're just gonna provide more time.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_04: The depth of this entire unit is so strong, and uh you know, as long as you avoid injuries, that should be your disclaimer for everything here.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_04: I I just think there's no way that this isn't gonna be the best unit at Texas Tech next year.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_03: If this DL unit is as good as advertised, then I think all of our dreams come true.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_03: And then some I really think if you control the game in the trenches against these Big 12 teams, I have a really difficult time not seeing us in Arlington at the end of the year.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I just it the the math wouldn't compute if we are just bullying, getting sacks, pressures, like and just really getting their offense off their game.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_03: I don't see how we don't have a real shot at winning our first conference title in this conference.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_03: So I I I it just it's like you said, it's it's it's hard to compute how this team won't bully the opposing lines.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean, all the talking heads are talking about David Bailey, he's the highest rating uh rated transfer in the portal that we got, and then to a lesser extent, Lee Hunter, the fridge.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_05: Um I'm so in on Lee Hunter.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_05: I I he's like definitely a top three guy that I'm gonna love next year.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_03: And and dude, basically all of these players are adjusted four stars that we brought in.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_03: Like even Remelli and Height and all that.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_03: So in and they're just freaks of nature.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_03: And it's I know we're talking about the D-line, and obviously you talk about how the string behind them is gonna be almost just as nasty.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_03: And obviously, you have Jacob Rodriguez behind them too.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_03: So I I I I just I don't foresee the core of this defense not being just a nightmare to deal with.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_04: And it's and it's not like you know, we haven't had talented defensive linemen in the past.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_04: We've had Tyree Wilson, we've had Roderick Washington, you know, Jalen Hutchings, we've had a lot of good talent.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_04: There's not a lot of times where you look at all four of those guys on that defensive line and you're like, oh my god, this is gonna be a disaster for that team coming up.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_04: So uh it's gonna be nice seeing a lot of pressure put on these quarterbacks in the Big 12.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and and I think we're gonna see a lot more sacks than we've seen in the past from Texas Tech.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_03: I think we're gonna really get really excited about the defense.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_03: Steven, I I need to go back and kind of retcon us for the past couple seasons.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_03: You and I have actually been quite high on the defense, but I don't think we really saw the reality that we were actually living in.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_03: We were dead last in uh defense last year for for in the Big 12.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_03: And uh and obviously a change needed to be made.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_03: I think this new defensive coordinator is really going to use this.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_03: Is probably these are probably the best players he's ever had.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I actually have zero question.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_03: So uh I mean we're gonna see some shield, a shield would like what he did with some probably probably what's probably considered okay talent.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_03: And now we're gonna crank it up to the best of the country, and it's just it's gonna be really cool to see.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_03: I think we're gonna be really excited about defense.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_04: You look at last year's situation, Tim DeRuder obviously let go um from last year after having a very poor defense overall at Texas Tech.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_04: Two out of your three units, when you're talking about the defensive line, the linebackers, and the secondary, two out of those three were horrible.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_04: And that's not an exaggeration.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_04: Our secondary was garbage last year.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_04: Our defensive line did not get pressure.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_04: That defensive line from last year is basically the second unit now.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_04: So that and you still had guys stand out.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_04: Like I think Duda Banks had a decent year last year when he wasn't hurt and um, you know, he applied some pressure, but um uh your linebacking core basically stayed the same, and and that's uh a really, really strong unit.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_04: I think that's all that's the unit that you're you know looking at the defensive line and saying that could be the best unit as well on this entire team.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_04: So um, I don't know.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_04: You want to talk about linebackers for a second?
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, dude, go for it.
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_03: No, go go for it, man.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_04: I feel like you gotta talk about the linebacking core.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_04: Jacob Rodriguez is the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year.
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um he's a beast.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_04: He and he's such a he's got such a weird career.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_04: Started off as a quarterback, went to Virginia Tech, went back to Texas Tech, changed to linebacker, and is now a uh a beast of an inside linebacker, Big 12 defensive player of the year.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_04: He's got such an interesting career, and he's uh he's in his sixth year of college football.
• 51:32
  SPEAKER_04: He's been around, he's married.
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_04: The dude is is basically a grown-ass man, uh, and he's still playing college football, but we love him, and he's gonna be a beast on that unit.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_04: Next to him, you have Ben Roberts, who freshman all-American, Lubbock boy, surprised surprised everybody when he kind of broke out two years ago.
• 51:52
  SPEAKER_04: Last year took a step back, if anything, um, from his production the year prior.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_04: So, looking to see Ben Roberts take that next step up, maybe what you were hoping for last year happened this year.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_04: John Curry's behind them, the Lubbock boy, who is they won't shut up about the Joey will not shut up about how good John Curry is, and they're actually putting him at the star position to try to make sure he gets on the field because you want him and Jacob Rodriguez and Ben Roberts all on the field at the same time.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um and then you you have you know the guy Bryce Ramirez, who uh we all love Bryce, he's a fan favorite.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_04: Obviously, the devastating injury uh a few years ago that he he's made a miraculous comeback to continue to be um you know a productive player as like your fourth linebacker.
• 52:39
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I I think that unit's just gonna be just as deadly as as your defensive line, uh if not maybe just a step under.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, my apologies on the drivers.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_03: He was in the reverb guy, got him confused.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but dude, it's uh you you you really set it up perfectly there.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I I don't know.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_03: We we've said this every year, basically, but I uh we just keep pulling linebackers out of a magic hat.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's just it always seems like no matter how bad our defense is, our linebacking core always seems to be very solid.
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_03: And obviously now we have uh the legitimate star uh picked to be the best in the entire conference at that and on that whole side of the ball.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and dude, I just I can't imagine the havoc that our linebackers will be able to receive from the the D-line disrupting the offense.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we we could just you could just imagine the amount of picks and pressures they're gonna be able to get in and sneak it around again as well.
• 53:27
  SPEAKER_03: So it's just it's gonna be just such a splatter fest if everything goes according to plan.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_04: For sure.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_04: For sure.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um, let's uh let's just stay on the defense real quick and talk about the secondary because they were bad in 2024.
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_04: It was it was one of the very bad.
• 53:45
  SPEAKER_04: They were very bad.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_04: It was it was uh basically watching Cliff Kingsbury level secondaries again, um which you never want to watch that football ever again.
• 53:55
  SPEAKER_04: You just don't.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_04: It's so disappointed.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_04: I I gladly I'll take Patrick Mahomes, but I will I I none of those defensive backs during the Kingsbury years or last year, uh I I want to talk about much.
• 54:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um you're replacing quite a bit, which is a good thing.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you brought in in that transfer portal, you brought in guys like Bryce Pollock, Amir Boyd, um, Dante Balfour at the corner position to kind of help boost what what minimal you had production-wise last year, um, and coverage-wise.
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_04: You do bring back Mo Horn, who I think had some strong games and some strong moments last year, um, but definitely needed to be better.
• 54:39
  SPEAKER_04: The fact that he's still a starting cornerback, I think, shows the trust level that Joey has in him to upgrade his game and the level of performance that he had last year.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_04: I I think of Mo Horn a little bit of like what I thought of Rabbit.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_04: So we watched a very young Dadrian Taylor Demerson play Houston Christian, uh, then Houston Baptist, and I thought he was like the worst player I've ever watched after after that game.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_04: And I I think back of it now, and I'm like, Matt Wells was his coach.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_04: It was during the COVID year where you didn't really have a true spring ball to really get it going.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_04: And I how how are you expected to succeed in that sort of environment?
• 55:20
  SPEAKER_04: And then Rabbit goes on the year after year improving and being one of the best secondary players in Texas tech history.
• 55:27
  SPEAKER_04: So I look at that and I'm like, okay, I want that for Mo Horn, or I want that for Macho Stevenson, who Macho Stevenson might have been the worst player in college football last year.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_04: I'm just wow, he was he was horrible.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_04: We do the over here, but not no, nobody will be Des Smith.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_04: Uh nobody will provide that much pain uh for me.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_04: But he he's young, he's young, and uh so I don't want to say that he's going to continue on that trajectory because I think if you get the right people in place, we replaced the defensive backs coach at Texas Tech this year.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm hoping with that entire defense being switched up, that there's a different culture there and there's just a complete shift from what we saw in 2024 to 2025.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_04: But right now, I would still say the secondary is probably the biggest question mark.
• 56:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he absolutely is.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you you kind of touched on it before how you know some of these players had uh bright moments, but other very, very bad games because obviously it led to having some of the worst passing defense in the entire country.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um I it was there was obviously a lack of consistency.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_03: And I really hope that this new defensive coaching staff is able to develop a consistent play style for these boys, put them in the positions to succeed, train them for the right moments, and obviously with the improved D line and linebacking core, hopefully we don't have to rely on them as much.
• 56:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but it's again, it's unfortunately it kind of sounds like uh the tech of old when we talk about this unit, which which is which is fine.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it was just, I guess I mean we always talk about how everything's improving, but here again, like you said, it we hopefully improve with some of this new talent that we brought in.
• 57:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but it absolutely is the same question mark.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_03: We just didn't have any same any like huge splashes like we do with the D line uh or the offensive line.
• 57:10
  SPEAKER_03: So we just we didn't we can't get as excited about that just do from just from the numbers and the the the sheets here, but I guess we just got to hope for breakout stars or at least be serviceable, you know, like just just don't be the worst in the country.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I think we could probably settle for mid and still have a great season.
• 57:26
  SPEAKER_03: So I I just hope at least he'll be mid.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_04: For sure.
• 57:30
  SPEAKER_04: Let's move back to the offense.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_04: I know we talked running backs already, but uh we could talk about every player on this team, and nobody is as important as Baron Morton is.
• 57:41
  SPEAKER_04: Barron Morton is the most important player on this team, and we will go as far as Baron Morton takes us this year.
• 57:50
  SPEAKER_04: Do you trust Baron Morton to lead this team to a Big 12 championship or potentially further?
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_03: It's been said a lot this year that this is the year of the Big 12 quarterback.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_03: And whenever you start, whenever you hear those discussions, a lot of people put him often in the top five, if not top six.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that it's but as Texas Tech fans who watch him every Saturday, I think that a lot of tech fans have some reservations about Baron Morton.
• 58:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's he's not exactly hyped up to be a superstar with our fan base as say uh some of the some of the quarterbacks of the past.
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_03: But I think that Baron Morton is due.
• 58:35
  SPEAKER_03: I think he is due to have a healthy year in a playbook that caters to him.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_03: I think we're finally going to exploit his arm and his decision making and finally put up some numbies quarterback wise.
• 58:51
  SPEAKER_03: I I and I think we're giving him the weapons on the O-line so he's not running for his life in Tex Tech fashion or getting crushed, and he's shown to be a bit injury prone.
• 59:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and just it's kind of just kind of been a curse of tech quarterbacks.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_03: And obviously, we got some killer receivers both uh coming in and from last year.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_03: So I think that Barron Morton's gonna have a great year.
• 59:15
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not gonna go ahead and say that he's gonna be the number one quarterback in the conference, but I think he's going to have the best year of his career and take us to Arlington.
• 59:25
  SPEAKER_03: I think he's I think he has that ability, and I think the dude is has a vision and has a mission to get it done this year.
• 59:35
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 59:37
  SPEAKER_04: Baron Morton is a complicated figure in my eyes.
• 59:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um he has the widest variance of any quarterback in the Big 12 right now.
• 59:47
  SPEAKER_04: I could see him being a top three quarterback, I could see him being a bottom three quarterback, and neither would surprise me.
• 59:54
  SPEAKER_04: Um we haven't seen a healthy Baron Morton since 2022 in the first three quarters of the Oklahoma State game, where he looked like the best quarterback you've ever seen in your life, uh, and was leading a bad Texas Tech team to a victory over number seven Oklahoma State in Stillwater as in his first start ever.
• 1:00:17
  SPEAKER_04: And then he got hurt.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_04: And that's been the story of Barron Ward.
• 1:00:21
  SPEAKER_04: He's been hurt.
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_04: He just he just doesn't and he's played, I you gotta give him credit because he's played through a lot of these injuries, and last year put up some crazy, some pretty solid numbers.
• 1:00:33
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, last year as a total, he was it was what 3,335 yards, 27 touchdowns, eight interceptions.
• 1:00:41
  SPEAKER_04: It's a good ratio.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_04: It's a quality quarterback, if you look at that.
• 1:00:45
  SPEAKER_04: But there were parts of his game that when you watch, you could just tell he's holding something back.
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_04: Um, whether it was more injury concerns, whether it was, you know, afraid to really go all in uh to protect himself, uh, maybe he didn't trust his defensive line or his offensive line as much.
• 1:01:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh there's a million things going on.
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_04: So do I think Baron Morton's going to have a good season?
• 1:01:10
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 1:01:12
  SPEAKER_04: Am I worried and concerned that he's going to get hurt in week two and he may play through it, but he's never going to reach that potential that he could be?
• 1:01:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I am worried.
• 1:01:24
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so I I want him so badly to succeed.
• 1:01:29
  SPEAKER_04: I think he's got the right mindset to succeed, and he's got the leadership qualities that you want in your starting quarterback, but can he physically do it is the biggest question for me.
• 1:01:42
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's the best way to put it.
• 1:01:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think you nailed it.
• 1:01:44
  SPEAKER_03: I think he's a a great leader on this team.
• 1:01:46
  SPEAKER_03: Like he's a clear quarterback in that sense in the locker room.
• 1:01:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and he's he has the ability to be a gunslinging Texas tech quarterback.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and but like he said, the one drawback on him is something that's not his fault.
• 1:02:00
  SPEAKER_03: So I I I just it it really is just a luck of the draw.
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it may not be that he is truly injury prone, it just could be you know the role of the dice of it, it's just these freak things happen this these few times.
• 1:02:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I'm gonna pray for the uh the the that this just stuff.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_03: We only have to have fun with the first two and not worry about the injury thing.
• 1:02:18
  SPEAKER_03: And dude, I I uh this might be cliche, but I don't think there's anyone on this tech team that wants to win for tech more than Baron Morton.
• 1:02:28
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, the kid grew up a tech fan, the kid grew up wanting to be the quarterback for TechStech, and I think he wants to be the quarterback to what that wins the first conference championship for our team since the millennia.
• 1:02:38
  SPEAKER_03: So I I really think he he's he wants it.
• 1:02:41
  SPEAKER_03: He has the ability, and if we can protect him, I think he's gonna get them, he's gonna accomplish the mission.
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_04: Yep.
• 1:02:48
  SPEAKER_04: I'm uh I'm I'm rooting for him hard and I hope just for him individually.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_04: It's a lot like Joey.
• 1:02:53
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I really want Joey to succeed, you know, because he wants to be here.
• 1:02:57
  SPEAKER_04: He loves he loves being a red raider, and uh it would be it would be storybook if those two are the guys leading the charge to the first conference championship, you know, since 94 or whatever it was.
• 1:03:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 1:03:09
  SPEAKER_04: Uh too long.
• 1:03:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_04: Pretty big.
• 1:03:13
  SPEAKER_04: Let's just say too long.
• 1:03:15
  SPEAKER_04: Let's just say we were born.
• 1:03:18
  SPEAKER_04: Let's just say I don't like looking at that stat.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and everybody's bringing it up this offseason because of we're we're in the news all the time, and I get it, but it's like whatever, whatever.
• 1:03:29
  SPEAKER_04: Um I I I think Baron Morton's gonna be gonna have a solid year if he stays healthy.
• 1:03:36
  SPEAKER_04: And we should mention had surgery in the offseason to repair the shoulder injury, the AC joint, I believe, was his issue.
• 1:03:43
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so you're you're just really and again, you take camp interviews for what they are.
• 1:03:49
  SPEAKER_04: Everyone said good things about how he looks, and he's slinging the rock, and you know, all the all the all the hits.
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_03: And and the the last thing to leave on the quarterback thing, the good news is, dude, we have a great QB2.
• 1:04:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like if for whatever reason happened and Barry Morton goes down, hopefully for just a quarter or whatever, not not for a season or a few games.
• 1:04:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, Will Hammond is a stud.
• 1:04:10
  SPEAKER_03: And he's future QB1 starting next year.
• 1:04:13
  SPEAKER_03: So he's he's going, he he is somebody.
• 1:04:16
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not saying the season's over if Barry Morton goes down.
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not gonna say that.
• 1:04:19
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you're you're you get more nervous, absolutely.
• 1:04:23
  SPEAKER_03: But we do have a kid that's a gamer as well behind him, and also got some action, saw some action last year.
• 1:04:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, exactly.
• 1:04:28
  SPEAKER_04: So definitely experienced it in the heat of Big 12 play, and yeah, there were moments that he didn't look great, but I mean, you know, you you learn from a lot of those, and he's a true freshman last year.
• 1:04:37
  SPEAKER_04: What do you really expect?
• 1:04:38
  SPEAKER_04: So right, exactly.
• 1:04:39
  SPEAKER_04: Um yeah, no, I'm hyped up about the future of Will Hammond and and even these other guys that we have coming in down the line as well, but for sure.
• 1:04:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um let's talk, uh let's talk O-line.
• 1:04:49
  SPEAKER_04: I it's not the sexiest topic, but it's definitely one of the most important positions, if not the most important positional group overall for a tech quarterback, it is dang.
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, at at anything.
• 1:05:03
  SPEAKER_04: We got some size, my guy.
• 1:05:06
  SPEAKER_04: These guys are huge.
• 1:05:09
  SPEAKER_04: Swann's almost seven foot tall.
• 1:05:11
  SPEAKER_04: Howard Sampson is six foot eight, three hundred and forty pounds, and that's your left tackle.
• 1:05:17
  SPEAKER_03: Does he even have to be good?
• 1:05:18
  SPEAKER_03: Doesn't he just kind of have to stand there?
• 1:05:20
  SPEAKER_04: He's got to be good.
• 1:05:21
  SPEAKER_05: The left tackle.
• 1:05:23
  SPEAKER_05: I'm just I'm just being stupid.
• 1:05:26
  SPEAKER_04: The left tackle, the left tackle probably being the most important position competing with centers on on the offensive line.
• 1:05:33
  SPEAKER_04: Will Jados is six foot seven, three hundred and ten pounds.
• 1:05:37
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Sheridan Wilson, six five, three hundred, hunters and brano six five, three oh five.
• 1:05:42
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you have massive human beings there protecting Barron Morton.
• 1:05:47
  SPEAKER_03: That is that is a Midwest corn fed line.
• 1:05:51
  SPEAKER_04: That's what you need.
• 1:05:52
  SPEAKER_04: You need some big boys in there, and there's a lot of uh a lot of change from last year, and it could be a lot of good.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_04: Change.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_04: I think the offensive line was serviceable last year.
• 1:06:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um, definitely better in the run game than the pass game, uh, in in terms of just protection.
• 1:06:08
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I like Sheridan Wilson.
• 1:06:11
  SPEAKER_04: I like him being kind of the leader of the offensive line.
• 1:06:14
  SPEAKER_04: And I love looking at six foot seven and six foot eight on the on the depth chart.
• 1:06:18
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's honestly that's what it comes down to for me right now because I haven't really, you know, I'm not gonna be looking grinding the O-line tape, to be honest.
• 1:06:26
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but I I just I I have a lot of faith and there's a lot of hype in in this offensive line.
• 1:06:33
  SPEAKER_04: You just hope that their their cohesion is so tight.
• 1:06:36
  SPEAKER_04: When we're talking about you know, bringing in all these transfers and guys being here for a year, how are they gonna, you know, mesh and everything?
• 1:06:43
  SPEAKER_04: The offensive line's gotta mesh and it's gotta work.
• 1:06:46
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I think Clay Maguire is is a better offensive line coach than Stephen Hamby is, and will has a better shot of of that happening with our current offensive line coach.
• 1:06:57
  SPEAKER_04: So uh this is a big year for Clay Maguire.
• 1:06:59
  SPEAKER_04: I I think year two at Texas Tech and um a lot of change, and he's just gotta he's gotta get these guys right.
• 1:07:05
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely, dude.
• 1:07:06
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and they got they gotta keep eating, they gotta keep growing.
• 1:07:08
  SPEAKER_03: You gotta get those boys to dragons, they gotta get to that buffet for sure.
• 1:07:12
  SPEAKER_03: They load up that plate, dude.
• 1:07:15
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, does this coach does uh does coach uh does coach grant need a uh a center?
• 1:07:20
  SPEAKER_03: Because these boys could maybe you know hop in in a little extra.
• 1:07:22
  SPEAKER_04: They might.
• 1:07:23
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, get Howard Sampson in there, back up JT Toppin.
• 1:07:26
  SPEAKER_04: You can do that.
• 1:07:27
  SPEAKER_04: Put a little big boy in there for for a little uh little powerball.
• 1:07:30
  SPEAKER_04: We'll take it.
• 1:07:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um receivers, your boy, your boy coy.
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_04: Number three.
• 1:07:39
  SPEAKER_04: The the granted given the number three jersey this year, which is Joey's uh Joey's way of saying you're the leader of this team, or or an example, you know, like his number three is is important on Texas Tech.
• 1:07:53
  SPEAKER_04: So uh for Coy to get it, I think is is good and it means a lot for him.
• 1:07:58
  SPEAKER_04: Um uh coming from you know Texas boy through and through Barron Morton's best buddy.
• 1:08:03
  SPEAKER_04: I I just think those two have a connection.
• 1:08:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and and coy himself as a receiver has been uh pretty electric at times at Texas Tech, made a lot of big plays last year.
• 1:08:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um, alongside him, you have Caleb Douglas who's returning really good season last year.
• 1:08:18
  SPEAKER_04: 877 yards, six touchdowns, almost 15 yards per catch um on 60 receptions.
• 1:08:24
  SPEAKER_04: He he had a really good year, and he was a guy that was pretty hyped up coming from Florida last year.
• 1:08:29
  SPEAKER_04: Um, he's kind of gonna be your look at a wide receiver one here.
• 1:08:33
  SPEAKER_04: Um much like the Taj situation, you have to replace a big a big player in uh in Josh Kelly, who was a thousand yard receiver for tech.
• 1:08:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you brought in Reggie Virgil from Miami of Ohio, um, who had a huge year at Miami of Ohio, 816 yards, almost 20 yards per catch.
• 1:08:51
  SPEAKER_04: So just big playability, which is uh you need that uh for Barron Morton in Texas Tech.
• 1:08:56
  SPEAKER_04: And then you have you know these guys backing them up.
• 1:08:59
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, do you do you want to have the Micah Hudson conversation?
• 1:09:03
  SPEAKER_04: Because I just uh I mean what what about him?
• 1:09:08
  SPEAKER_04: I feel like uh if you talk about Texas Tech, you have to talk about Micah Hudson.
• 1:09:12
  SPEAKER_04: I I kind of hate how much this this guy gets uh attention-wise.
• 1:09:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, okay.
• 1:09:18
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, let's let's tackle it real quick.
• 1:09:19
  SPEAKER_03: I I don't I don't think it's gonna be the same thing as last year.
• 1:09:22
  SPEAKER_03: I I don't definitely not.
• 1:09:24
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think he's gonna be a top of mind of the fans again.
• 1:09:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um like I really think if you're gonna be shouting for Micah Hudson to be in the mix uh more than he's planned to be or more than he warrants.
• 1:09:35
  SPEAKER_03: I just kind of think that at that point you don't you're you're not really watching the game.
• 1:09:39
  SPEAKER_03: You're just you're just looking for the the star power.
• 1:09:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um and this kid is this kid will be a star.
• 1:09:45
  SPEAKER_03: This kid will be a superstar eventually.
• 1:09:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I I I I just I don't it may not be right now.
• 1:09:52
  SPEAKER_03: He's what 19?
• 1:09:53
  SPEAKER_03: So he's got some he's got some time.
• 1:09:56
  SPEAKER_03: And that was obvious that was the obviously the issue last year is we were trying to force something that wasn't ready to happen.
• 1:10:02
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that we've hopefully as a fan base, we have learned our lesson that you don't need to beg for this, especially if our receivers are doing good.
• 1:10:13
  SPEAKER_03: You know, like what as if if you if I if we see like one receiver drop a pass, I better not see any.
• 1:10:23
  SPEAKER_05: Where's my guns?
• 1:10:24
  SPEAKER_03: Where's my guts?
• 1:10:26
  SPEAKER_03: I don't I really hope we've outgrown that.
• 1:10:29
  SPEAKER_03: Like you know, yeah, and I I understand that was a big deal.
• 1:10:34
  SPEAKER_03: Hold on, no, hold on.
• 1:10:36
  SPEAKER_06: Hold on, hold on, hold on.
• 1:10:37
  SPEAKER_03: No, that's that was a big deal.
• 1:10:39
  SPEAKER_03: That was the first five-star we've ever gotten as a program.
• 1:10:42
  SPEAKER_03: I understand, but ladies and gentlemen, we just landed the number one player in the entire country for 2027.
• 1:10:51
  SPEAKER_03: So I this is not a new, this will not be a one-off thing for TechSech anyway, where we're gonna get talented players.
• 1:10:59
  SPEAKER_03: So we we we could probably cool it on demanding 18-year-olds get out there and play with 23-year-olds immediately.
• 1:11:07
  SPEAKER_04: I I'd like it if Micah Hudson used his red shirt this year.
• 1:11:10
  SPEAKER_04: That might be awesome.
• 1:11:12
  SPEAKER_04: He didn't get to use his red shirt last year, and that was a big you know point of contention.
• 1:11:16
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but and obviously he had a uh wild off season for him individually going to Texas AM, potentially punching the quarterback, and then return allegedly.
• 1:11:26
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
• 1:11:26
  SPEAKER_04: It it wasn't confirmed.
• 1:11:28
  SPEAKER_04: It was Wegman, right?
• 1:11:29
  SPEAKER_04: It was at U of H.
• 1:11:30
  SPEAKER_04: I I think so.
• 1:11:31
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
• 1:11:32
  SPEAKER_03: We have them square up when we go to UH I want that video.
• 1:11:36
  SPEAKER_04: Whoever got that video, please send it to me.
• 1:11:38
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I want to hear Wigman explain it.
• 1:11:42
  SPEAKER_03: We go crazy.
• 1:11:43
  SPEAKER_03: Put a microphone in front of his mouth and me pick up like three words.
• 1:11:47
  SPEAKER_04: The last the last thing I'll say on Micah Hudson, if he truly does become you know what his talent level is, he will have the most epic career to leave Texas Tech, go to AM for five months, punch a quarterback, and then return to Texas Tech.
• 1:12:02
  SPEAKER_04: That's just it's like that's real storybook shit right there.
• 1:12:06
  SPEAKER_03: That is degenerate storybook stuff, but that is that's that is prime Texas Tech food.
• 1:12:12
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 1:12:13
  SPEAKER_03: It's so it's so great that it'll m too.
• 1:12:16
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, for sure, for sure.
• 1:12:18
  SPEAKER_04: Uh one guy that's not being talked about on this wide receiver core very much is Roy Alexander, who uh another guy who we got kind of late in the game from UIW, but his stats last year were ridiculous.
• 1:12:29
  SPEAKER_04: He had 100 catches, 1,108 yards and 13 touchdowns at UIW.
• 1:12:36
  SPEAKER_04: So at again, UIW, you know, smaller school, playing lesser competition.
• 1:12:41
  SPEAKER_04: But I think Leftwich was no, because Leftwich was at T-State by that point.
• 1:12:46
  SPEAKER_04: But um, he's I mean the stats pop out to you.
• 1:12:50
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't mean last season.
• 1:12:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, like, were they there?
• 1:12:53
  SPEAKER_03: Were they seasoned?
• 1:12:53
  SPEAKER_03: No, no, no, no.
• 1:12:56
  SPEAKER_04: It may be.
• 1:12:56
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
• 1:12:57
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
• 1:12:59
  SPEAKER_04: I didn't do the deep dive on Roy Alexander.
• 1:13:01
  SPEAKER_04: I just know that his stat line definitely pops out to you, and he's been talked about a little bit, so he could be a depth piece there that could potentially break out.
• 1:13:08
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but yeah, I think it's a solid wide receiver core, looking forward to it.
• 1:13:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um, the tight ends are interesting.
• 1:13:15
  SPEAKER_04: You have John Carlos Miller who's coming back.
• 1:13:18
  SPEAKER_04: You have Terrence Carter, who you brought in from the Raging Cajuns, who is an athletic freak of nature.
• 1:13:26
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I don't know if you saw the dunk video.
• 1:13:28
  SPEAKER_04: Uh he's if he's jacked, he could jump out the sky, he's like six foot five.
• 1:13:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um apparently super fast.
• 1:13:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and he was a really productive, he's a really productive player for for uh Louis.
• 1:13:42
  SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna call him Louisiana.
• 1:13:43
  SPEAKER_04: Uh University of Louisiana.
• 1:13:45
  SPEAKER_04: The I love how they feed into that.
• 1:13:47
  SPEAKER_04: It's that's like my favorite thing ever.
• 1:13:49
  SPEAKER_04: Um University of Ohio.
• 1:13:52
  SPEAKER_04: We are Louisiana.
• 1:13:53
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 1:13:54
  SPEAKER_04: The Rage and Cajuns are clearly the most dominant program in all of Louisiana.
• 1:13:58
  SPEAKER_03: That team an hour away had to do state because we're the real deal here.
• 1:14:05
  SPEAKER_03: That's us.
• 1:14:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um no, I think you have two really good tight ends.
• 1:14:10
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and that that you hope in the blocking game will be as effective as we had last year with um with guys like Jalen Conyers and Mason Tharp.
• 1:14:19
  SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna miss those boys.
• 1:14:20
  SPEAKER_04: I am gonna miss those guys.
• 1:14:21
  SPEAKER_04: I was I I was watching the Big 12 put out like an hour of Texas Tech football highlights on their YouTube channel from last year, and there's just so much Jalen Conyers in there that's so fun, and he's he was so good on those outside pitches to Taj, and he was the lead blocker on the outside.
• 1:14:37
  SPEAKER_04: He just rammed through, dudes.
• 1:14:39
  SPEAKER_03: Dude, uh Matt Wells should have got a life sentence for not recruiting him.
• 1:14:44
  SPEAKER_04: Matt Wells deserves a life sentence for a lot of things.
• 1:14:47
  SPEAKER_03: Uh you have this four-star tight end who's like, Coach, I want to play for you.
• 1:14:51
  SPEAKER_03: I'm a I love Texas Tech.
• 1:14:53
  SPEAKER_03: I've dreamed I've dreamt of this.
• 1:14:55
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, no, go to other schools and check them out.
• 1:14:59
  SPEAKER_05: Go see what's up.
• 1:15:01
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's your kid checking out colleges, you know.
• 1:15:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like, like, what is this, dude?
• 1:15:05
  SPEAKER_05: No, what Matt Wells, Matt Wells was a mole.
• 1:15:09
  SPEAKER_05: Matt Wells a K-State mole.
• 1:15:13
  SPEAKER_04: I can't do it.
• 1:15:14
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, he's by the way, he's now the the sole offensive coordinator at Kansas State.
• 1:15:19
  SPEAKER_04: So I hope we go into Manhattan and just absolutely kick their ass.
• 1:15:23
  SPEAKER_04: Let's talk about that.
• 1:15:24
  SPEAKER_04: Good segue.
• 1:15:24
  SPEAKER_04: Let's talk about the schedule.
• 1:15:26
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:15:27
  SPEAKER_04: We have 12 games, like normal.
• 1:15:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um do you want to go?
• 1:15:33
  SPEAKER_04: Let's just let's just kind of run down the schedule and then we'll talk about a couple questions afterwards.
• 1:15:37
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 1:15:38
  SPEAKER_04: So your pre your your pre-conference schedule, your three non-con games, probably the easiest you've had ever.
• 1:15:46
  SPEAKER_03: Charm and soft, dude.
• 1:15:47
  SPEAKER_03: It's the it's awesome.
• 1:15:49
  SPEAKER_04: This is the easiest three games that you could dream of for a non-conference schedule.
• 1:15:55
  SPEAKER_04: I like that for this year.
• 1:15:57
  SPEAKER_04: If we are like, you know, super competitive down the line, I hope that gets better.
• 1:16:01
  SPEAKER_04: And I think it is, you know, we're gonna play Mississippi State, we're gonna play Arkansas, Oregon.
• 1:16:05
  SPEAKER_04: We have still have a game against them, NC State.
• 1:16:08
  SPEAKER_04: So it's gonna improve, you know, in the coming years.
• 1:16:10
  SPEAKER_04: But uh how it worked out this year, Oregon State is your uh is your tough one.
• 1:16:16
  SPEAKER_04: And that's that's the other two the other two are so bad.
• 1:16:22
  SPEAKER_04: Like Pine Bluff and Kent State are bad.
• 1:16:26
  SPEAKER_03: I I I I think if you scheduled like any FCS team that wasn't Pine Bluff, I'd probably say the E FCS team that we're playing is a tougher challenge than uh Kent State.
• 1:16:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:16:36
  SPEAKER_03: Kent State is being made out to be like the worst D1 football team in the country.
• 1:16:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I I said D1 on purpose, not FPS.
• 1:16:44
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, it's it it it's it's hilariously bad.
• 1:16:48
  SPEAKER_03: And the Beavers are still reeling, they're still figuring things out.
• 1:16:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but in the defense of this easy schedule, we have pants ourselves in the out of conference these past couple of years, dude.
• 1:17:00
  SPEAKER_03: It's been embarrassing as hell.
• 1:17:01
  SPEAKER_03: Like I've I'm scared to show my face in public after these games, dude.
• 1:17:06
  SPEAKER_03: Like because you know they're the they're at the very beginning of the year, and I'm so amped and ready to go, and then you and then you go to overtime with Abilene Chris.
• 1:17:15
  SPEAKER_03: You're a meeting, you you you go to Laramie and just shuck it, and then you go and Washington State just sucks the soul out of your body.
• 1:17:26
  SPEAKER_04: That wasn't even like in my mind.
• 1:17:28
  SPEAKER_04: The Washington State game.
• 1:17:29
  SPEAKER_04: And yeah, we lost to Washington State last year.
• 1:17:32
  SPEAKER_03: We didn't just lose, dude.
• 1:17:33
  SPEAKER_03: We got pulverized, man.
• 1:17:35
  SPEAKER_04: No Taj Brooks, by the way.
• 1:17:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and uh that was Baron's worst game.
• 1:17:41
  SPEAKER_04: That was Barron's worst game of his career.
• 1:17:42
  SPEAKER_04: That was bad.
• 1:17:43
  SPEAKER_03: Uh where our our OOC Joey McGuire tenure is dog droppings.
• 1:17:50
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, there needs to be something done about the the preparation uh that has just from the last few years, something needs to be different.
• 1:17:59
  SPEAKER_04: I I don't know if you need to start looking at Pine Bluff two weeks out or something, but you just can't have another ACU.
• 1:18:06
  SPEAKER_04: Even even an ACU where you win the game and everyone's like, oh my god, I guess we're one and oh, right where we want to be.
• 1:18:14
  SPEAKER_04: But the teams win.
• 1:18:16
  SPEAKER_04: You can't, yeah, you can't have you can't have a uh 55-54 game against Kent State and Pine Bluff.
• 1:18:24
  SPEAKER_04: Um so I'm I'm hoping we see a uh North Texas last year situation where we just absolutely cream them at home.
• 1:18:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um all three of these games at home, by the way.
• 1:18:32
  SPEAKER_04: So um you're you're hoping for a 3-0 start.
• 1:18:36
  SPEAKER_04: If it's not a 3-0 start, there's an issue, uh a real major issue.
• 1:18:40
  SPEAKER_04: Um to counter the easy non-con, the Big 12 so graciously gave us two away games to start off Big 12 play.
• 1:18:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um, with the first Big 12 game being at Utah, who this is this is a defining game for the season.
• 1:18:59
  SPEAKER_04: You're going to Salt Lake, which I don't know if we've ever played Utah before.
• 1:19:02
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know if you have that research pulled up, but we definitely haven't played them in a long time.
• 1:19:08
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't know if we've ever played them in Salt Lake.
• 1:19:11
  SPEAKER_04: So I I Utah is going to be much better than they were last year.
• 1:19:18
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know how much better, but they're a lot of people are predicting them to be a top 25 preseason team.
• 1:19:24
  SPEAKER_04: Um, they brought in Devin Dampier, uh, who is a pretty highly tatted quarterback out of the transfer portal.
• 1:19:30
  SPEAKER_04: And then Kyle Whittingham is just a he's a great head coach.
• 1:19:32
  SPEAKER_04: He's a he's a legend over there.
• 1:19:34
  SPEAKER_04: So um, yeah, definitely a scary game.
• 1:19:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, dude.
• 1:19:39
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I mean, so I guess that kind of uh I I know we have this list of what we think the toughest road games are, so we could probably kind of do it in tandem here.
• 1:19:48
  SPEAKER_03: I have this as our second toughest road game.
• 1:19:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, um, kind of a it kind of seemed like a no-brainer.
• 1:19:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I they have an incredible home record.
• 1:19:56
  SPEAKER_03: Their home record is no joke.
• 1:19:58
  SPEAKER_03: They win in Salt Lake, they didn't win anything last year.
• 1:20:00
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, yeah, no records being.
• 1:20:02
  SPEAKER_04: Last year was really an anomaly for Utah as a as a program the last couple years.
• 1:20:07
  SPEAKER_03: They put which which was funny.
• 1:20:10
  SPEAKER_03: But it was really funny.
• 1:20:11
  SPEAKER_04: It was very funny that they were bad.
• 1:20:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but I mean Winningham is a is a is a excellent coach.
• 1:20:17
  SPEAKER_03: I foresee him uh either getting the ship right or if if he if it's not, I think it's just him kind of just lulling himself into retirement.
• 1:20:27
  SPEAKER_03: I think just kind of saying I'm not built for this anymore kind of thing.
• 1:20:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I I I still have I have high hopes on this.
• 1:20:33
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I like you said, I mean, Utah's supposed to be better, but how much better?
• 1:20:36
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, anything's better from last year, truly.
• 1:20:39
  SPEAKER_03: So it's it's uh I I think it's gonna be a tough matchup, but uh I feel good about the Red Raiders, but it's I still have it as the second uh toughest one on the list.
• 1:20:46
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we won't go in depth on on every single game here, but Utah's definitely one that I wanted to highlight because it's it's a pretty crucial one right out the gate of a Big 12 play.
• 1:20:56
  SPEAKER_04: So um yeah, like I said, it sets a tone.
• 1:20:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, if if you're looking at just your Big 12 games um after after your pretty easy non-con, what should be an easy non-con, um definitely the away schedule versus the home schedule pops out as much more difficult.
• 1:21:12
  SPEAKER_04: It's crazy, yeah.
• 1:21:15
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's insane how much more difficult your away schedule is versus your home schedule.
• 1:21:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, let's talk about that at the wrap up at the end of the schedule talk.
• 1:21:22
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so you're just rolling in and you're looking at the schedule as a whole.
• 1:21:27
  SPEAKER_04: Let's let's just kind of go with your question here.
• 1:21:29
  SPEAKER_04: Um, is this schedule a lot of the national media is kind of talking about Texas Tech having like one of the easiest schedules in the Big 12.
• 1:21:38
  SPEAKER_04: I think that's you when you look at the schedule, do you think that's the case?
• 1:21:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's asinine.
• 1:21:45
  SPEAKER_03: I I don't know what schedule they're looking at.
• 1:21:48
  SPEAKER_03: Our our away schedule is insane.
• 1:21:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, uh here we I'm looking at the coaches poll.
• 1:21:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um, five Big 12 teams, well represented.
• 1:21:56
  SPEAKER_03: So you can assume that uh most, if not all, will be ranked preseason.
• 1:22:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um we play at uh uh Arizona State, defending a Big 12 championship, number 11 in the uh coaching poll.
• 1:22:08
  SPEAKER_03: We play at K-State, number 20, a favorite for the Big 12 uh this season.
• 1:22:13
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we don't play ISU, who's ranked, but we uh and we host BYU at home.
• 1:22:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um and not to mention these other rogue rogue games like Houston, which I think are gonna be pretty tough teams.
• 1:22:25
  SPEAKER_03: So I I don't know what schedule they're looking at.
• 1:22:29
  SPEAKER_03: I can understand that they just saw the first three games, they're like, goodness, yeah, okay, they're not serious, and um kind of walked away from there.
• 1:22:37
  SPEAKER_03: I think I think that's ass nine.
• 1:22:39
  SPEAKER_04: I think what they did is they looked at our non-conference and said easy schedule, which is fair.
• 1:22:43
  SPEAKER_04: Uh the three games are very easy.
• 1:22:45
  SPEAKER_04: The this conference is the the teams that we have on the road are insane.
• 1:22:50
  SPEAKER_04: Let's talk about all so we have five Big 12 road games uh starting off in Utah, Salt Lake.
• 1:22:57
  SPEAKER_04: Then you go to Houston the next game.
• 1:23:00
  SPEAKER_04: You have a bi-weekend between Utah and Houston, but it's back-to-back away games on the schedule.
• 1:23:05
  SPEAKER_04: You go to Houston, you go to Manhattan against Kansas State, who's a conference favorite.
• 1:23:11
  SPEAKER_04: You go to Tempe, like you mentioned, Arizona State defending Big 12 champions, and then you finish off the season at West Virginia and Morgantown.
• 1:23:20
  SPEAKER_04: Rank those five games in terms of which one scares you the most at one and which one scares you the least at the fifth.
• 1:23:27
  SPEAKER_03: The scariest is K-State.
• 1:23:29
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's no question.
• 1:23:30
  SPEAKER_03: TechStech is so booty against the Wildcats, it's crazy.
• 1:23:33
  SPEAKER_03: We're so bad against them, dude.
• 1:23:35
  SPEAKER_03: It's stupid.
• 1:23:36
  SPEAKER_03: It's insane.
• 1:23:37
  SPEAKER_03: It's like they had that weird UT voodoo they had over us.
• 1:23:41
  SPEAKER_03: I don't understand.
• 1:23:41
  SPEAKER_04: Like even it's like the it's like the Oklahoma State thing that was going on for a while.
• 1:23:46
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 1:23:46
  SPEAKER_04: They just they were like 11.
• 1:23:48
  SPEAKER_04: I need to, I'm I'm looking up the Winzipedia right now, but uh probably like it's uh overall.
• 1:23:55
  SPEAKER_04: But I want to see the last like 12 games.
• 1:23:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
• 1:23:59
  SPEAKER_03: But okay, so uh while you're doing that, after that, I got Utah, like we just talked about.
• 1:24:03
  SPEAKER_03: My my weird one here is number three, Houston.
• 1:24:06
  SPEAKER_03: I think Houston is gonna be a trickier game than people say.
• 1:24:09
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I think Houston has us circled, I think we're the game of the year for them.
• 1:24:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and it's the review return of Shield Wood.
• 1:24:16
  SPEAKER_03: I think they've got a lot of uh angst to work out.
• 1:24:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um four, I've got Arizona State.
• 1:24:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I just I don't know if if if they have the ability to replicate last year.
• 1:24:27
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I could be proven wrong, but we did beat them last year, too.
• 1:24:30
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, a while Grand was at home, but we got it done.
• 1:24:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but last and not least, I got uh actually last and least, I got uh West Virginia, uh year one of the Rich Roddick uh returns experiment.
• 1:24:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um I it's Morgantown, it's a tough environment, but I just I can't fathom um if we if we have our heads on right, I can't fathom not winning that one.
• 1:24:50
  SPEAKER_04: Kansas State is 12-1 against Texas Tech in the last 13.
• 1:24:54
  SPEAKER_04: I'm upset.
• 1:24:55
  SPEAKER_04: 12 and one.
• 1:24:56
  SPEAKER_03: I'm upset.
• 1:24:57
  SPEAKER_03: That's just what I said.
• 1:24:58
  SPEAKER_03: That's what I was saying, man.
• 1:24:59
  SPEAKER_03: That's why it's the hardest one.
• 1:25:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's in Snyder Stadium, there'll probably be a ranked matchup.
• 1:25:03
  SPEAKER_03: I want to die.
• 1:25:04
  SPEAKER_04: We don't beat the Wildcats.
• 1:25:06
  SPEAKER_04: We don't do it.
• 1:25:06
  SPEAKER_04: We don't we can't, I guess.
• 1:25:08
  SPEAKER_04: And now you're asking us to go to uh to Manhattan and and win against the team and a former coach shaking their keys.
• 1:25:18
  SPEAKER_04: If Matt Wells beats us, I'm gonna be upset.
• 1:25:20
  SPEAKER_04: I know I'm just gonna be upset.
• 1:25:22
  SPEAKER_03: I can't have Matt Walls Matt Walls, Matt Wells em on us, okay?
• 1:25:26
  SPEAKER_03: I know I can't em.
• 1:25:28
  SPEAKER_05: I can't do this.
• 1:25:29
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not a wild man.
• 1:25:30
  SPEAKER_03: Every man is not a wild cat.
• 1:25:31
  SPEAKER_03: I can't I do not need Matt Wells doing that to me.
• 1:25:35
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 1:25:35
  SPEAKER_03: Uh-uh.
• 1:25:36
  SPEAKER_04: I'll be I'll be extra sad if we and it's and it's very, it's it's not very likely, but it is the most likely, I think.
• 1:25:43
  SPEAKER_04: I I had pretty much your same list.
• 1:25:45
  SPEAKER_04: I switched Houston and Arizona State, but um Kansas State's definitely the scariest.
• 1:25:50
  SPEAKER_04: Utah with just the unknown factor of of them and and how wild their fan base is.
• 1:25:55
  SPEAKER_04: Um, when you get to that stadium, they just win at rice cycles.
• 1:25:59
  SPEAKER_04: They win.
• 1:26:00
  SPEAKER_04: Not last year, but not yeah, but but we'll see.
• 1:26:03
  SPEAKER_04: Um maybe not this year.
• 1:26:04
  SPEAKER_04: Hopefully not this year.
• 1:26:05
  SPEAKER_04: Um and then I had Arizona State just I I like I just I I like him.
• 1:26:11
  SPEAKER_04: Uh who's the head coach over there?
• 1:26:13
  SPEAKER_04: I can't remember his name now.
• 1:26:14
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Dillingham.
• 1:26:15
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I like Kenny Dillingham.
• 1:26:17
  SPEAKER_04: He is a uh he's a bros bro, and he's also and he's also a really good coach and kind of a leader, a leader of men.
• 1:26:24
  SPEAKER_03: So he's gonna do great things to that program.
• 1:26:27
  SPEAKER_04: There's obviously they they just fooled everybody last year and just won the whole damn thing, which is insane, and took Texas to the brink in the playoff.
• 1:26:36
  SPEAKER_03: Until they got hosed by the refs.
• 1:26:38
  SPEAKER_04: Should have won it.
• 1:26:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, should have won.
• 1:26:41
  SPEAKER_04: Stand by it.
• 1:26:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um, they're returning Sam Levitt, who is uh you probably the best quarterback you're looking at in the Big 12, just based on what happened last year.
• 1:26:49
  SPEAKER_04: I I I feed into it.
• 1:26:51
  SPEAKER_04: He's a really good quarterback.
• 1:26:52
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know if he's the best necessarily.
• 1:26:54
  SPEAKER_04: You lost Cam Scadabow, which is huge.
• 1:26:57
  SPEAKER_04: That dude was insane, had 100 plus yards in every single game, except for Texas Tech, in which we beat them.
• 1:27:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you have some really good players on that team, and I just think going there, they're just gonna be much more talented, I think, than Houston.
• 1:27:12
  SPEAKER_04: But I am on the train of Houston is going to shock some people with how good they are this year.
• 1:27:18
  SPEAKER_04: I think they'll go bowling.
• 1:27:20
  SPEAKER_04: No, I don't think they're gonna maybe be a top half of the conference, but they are going to be at like a 500 team in in the Big 12 this year, I think.
• 1:27:28
  SPEAKER_04: That'd be a problem.
• 1:27:29
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I just trust Willie Fritz to to really coach up that team and and him going into year two with a lot of continuity.
• 1:27:37
  SPEAKER_04: I was I forgot last year how much they improved from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
• 1:27:42
  SPEAKER_04: It was it was like night and day.
• 1:27:44
  SPEAKER_04: So he's got that program on the right track.
• 1:27:46
  SPEAKER_03: You could have asked for a better transition from Tulane to Houston, too.
• 1:27:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's like the just the perfect evolution.
• 1:27:50
  SPEAKER_03: Like he's got the template, you know.
• 1:27:52
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 1:27:52
  SPEAKER_04: And he's recruiting low key really well over there.
• 1:27:54
  SPEAKER_04: Insanely well.
• 1:27:55
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 1:27:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's Houston Houston obviously Houston obviously just has a a great setup.
• 1:28:00
  SPEAKER_04: Once they can start clicking it right, Houston uh can obviously be a real issue in the big although we currently have like a K-State Texas Tech situation with Houston where we're just owning them the last several matchups.
• 1:28:11
  SPEAKER_04: We got matching over them.
• 1:28:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, our worst tech teams have beaten better Houston teams.
• 1:28:16
  SPEAKER_04: For sure.
• 1:28:16
  SPEAKER_04: For sure.
• 1:28:17
  SPEAKER_04: 100%.
• 1:28:18
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and then yeah, we both have West Virginia.
• 1:28:20
  SPEAKER_04: It's the last game of the season.
• 1:28:21
  SPEAKER_04: We're we're we're all kind of thinking West Virginia is not gonna have a great year.
• 1:28:25
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and especially going into the final game of the season, you're thinking the team is checked out if they're not, you know, a bowl team or whatever at that point.
• 1:28:32
  SPEAKER_04: So um, and and you're hoping Texas Tech at that game is like, you know, you're either in the Big 12 championship already, or if you win this game, you're in.
• 1:28:41
  SPEAKER_04: So um I think there's gonna be an extra motivation factor for tech to win uh that particular game against West Virginia.
• 1:28:47
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, definitely a tough uh a tough away schedule for sure, and something that uh should be more out there right now.
• 1:28:55
  SPEAKER_04: That Texas Tech is a really tough away schedule.
• 1:28:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's it's it's really, really tough, especially compared to our home schedule.
• 1:29:01
  SPEAKER_03: Our home schedule is a little more mysterious, a lot more question marks as to what we're up against.
• 1:29:06
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, but you're at home.
• 1:29:07
  SPEAKER_03: You have you have the ability to host these uh question marks uh and the Jones that will hopefully be rocking.
• 1:29:13
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, especially if you're ranked, it absolutely will be.
• 1:29:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and uh I would rather have these tougher teams at home, but that's just how the cookie crumbles.
• 1:29:21
  SPEAKER_03: I think I think that the national media is being unfair.
• 1:29:23
  SPEAKER_03: I think this is really hard to schedule.
• 1:29:24
  SPEAKER_04: For sure, for sure.
• 1:29:26
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you play Kansas at home, you play uh Oklahoma State at home, you play BYU and UCF.
• 1:29:34
  SPEAKER_04: Those are your four Big 12 home games.
• 1:29:38
  SPEAKER_04: I I think you got three teams in there that are sneaky.
• 1:29:42
  SPEAKER_04: Yep.
• 1:29:43
  SPEAKER_04: Um and then I I go back and forth with Oklahoma State.
• 1:29:47
  SPEAKER_04: Like I think UCF's gonna be bad.
• 1:29:48
  SPEAKER_04: I think UCF's just gonna be straight up bad this year, probably a bottom uh 16 or a 15 or whatever in the Big 12.
• 1:29:56
  SPEAKER_04: Oklahoma State, I have no idea.
• 1:29:59
  SPEAKER_04: On paper, that team should be horrible.
• 1:30:02
  SPEAKER_04: Um Gundy just hasn't really found a way in the NIL era to continue to be good.
• 1:30:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and he's having his own, you know, he has a complicated relationship with that entire administration and uh egos and it's been a while.
• 1:30:20
  SPEAKER_04: Obviously, he's a legend.
• 1:30:21
  SPEAKER_04: Obviously, he's a legend over there and has done some great things, but um that team on paper should be horrible and you should take care of business.
• 1:30:28
  SPEAKER_04: But again, they were horrible last year and they went down to the wire with you.
• 1:30:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so those two BYU is a weird situation because they now don't have Jake Retzlaff transferred to Tulane because of this, you know, BYU and uh that same issue probably wouldn't have happened if it was another school.
• 1:30:46
  SPEAKER_04: Um and uh you just don't know.
• 1:30:49
  SPEAKER_04: And and they're a question mark at the most important position right now.
• 1:30:52
  SPEAKER_04: I don't think BYU is projected to be, you know, a top level like they were last year, where they were pretty much fighting for a Big 12 spot until the last game of the season.
• 1:31:01
  SPEAKER_04: Um and then Kansas, they're another one where, yeah, Jalen Daniels is back, but I mean he was like preseason Big 12 player of the year two two years ago and just kind of crapped the bed.
• 1:31:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um and Kansas as a whole hasn't been, you know, on that same trajectory that people were putting them at under Lipold the last couple years.
• 1:31:20
  SPEAKER_04: So um definitely games that you shouldn't take lightly that you need to freaking go all in on because they are sneaky and uh they could catch you on any given week and and beat beat a lot of good teams.
• 1:31:31
  SPEAKER_04: So um it's it's it's they're ones that you're glad you have at home for sure.
• 1:31:36
  SPEAKER_03: If you ask me now, I would say that the toughest home team is Kansas.
• 1:31:40
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like Kansas is gonna be the best team that we're gonna be hosting.
• 1:31:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um there's actually a potential that they could be ranked coming into Lubbock coming on their season's heart's breaking away.
• 1:31:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, like you said, I I totally forgot that BYU lost her quarterback.
• 1:31:51
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's where a lot of people are leaning on, giving them some preseason love was kind of the continuity of what was returning.
• 1:31:56
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean, if you don't return the the the most important player on your team, well and Red Stock was good.
• 1:32:00
  SPEAKER_04: Red Top was a good, he's a good quarterback.
• 1:32:03
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, losing that it's significant, it's a huge loss for me.
• 1:32:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, an enormous loss of continuity.
• 1:32:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I think what we kind of failed to mention with Barron Morton, I don't I don't mean the backtrack, it's just if you're gonna have continuity at any position and not transfer it in, be damn happy it's the quarterback, you know.
• 1:32:20
  SPEAKER_03: So it's just they lose that.
• 1:32:22
  SPEAKER_03: And so yeah, dude, I I think OS, oh, like you said, OSD and UCF, they're being predicted to be the worst teams of the Big 12, and on paper, they look like they're gonna stink.
• 1:32:30
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm just gonna go ahead and ride with that.
• 1:32:31
  SPEAKER_03: I think Kansas will probably be the toughest, toughest TV host, uh, which we'll be at.
• 1:32:36
  SPEAKER_03: And BYU could uh I mean Solani uh the coach, what's it, Solani Kitaki?
• 1:32:42
  SPEAKER_04: Pelani Sataki.
• 1:32:44
  SPEAKER_03: I got mixed up.
• 1:32:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, he's obviously proven to be the right coach for that program, so he can maybe figure it out.
• 1:32:50
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, they were predicted to not be so great last year, and they figured it out.
• 1:32:53
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, they up and they upset uh playoff bound SMU.
• 1:32:56
  SPEAKER_03: So they they know they know how to win games too, but I I I feel confident in that home schedule being conceptually undefeated.
• 1:33:04
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 1:33:05
  SPEAKER_04: It's definitely you look at the first three games and they're kind of cake.
• 1:33:08
  SPEAKER_04: The middle of the schedule is your toughest one.
• 1:33:10
  SPEAKER_04: Those those middle six games are are your toughest stretch right there.
• 1:33:14
  SPEAKER_04: And then you know, the final three games are BYU, UCF, and at West Virginia, two home games, and uh, you know, playing three teams that probably aren't gonna be phenomenal.
• 1:33:24
  SPEAKER_04: So um the bye weeks don't love them.
• 1:33:27
  SPEAKER_04: Don't love how we're set up here with one in between Utah and Houston, uh uh at the fourth and fifth games of the year, and then one at the very end of the season between UCF and West Virginia.
• 1:33:38
  SPEAKER_04: So uh don't love that, but it you know, it's a bye week.
• 1:33:42
  SPEAKER_04: You get you got to beat teams no matter where you're playing them.
• 1:33:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, and uh what one thing to mention here is I I am glad we're dodging TCU and Baylor.
• 1:33:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 1:33:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's that I obviously those are always gonna be tough games for Texas Tech, you know, in a rivalry situation.
• 1:33:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and some people are predicting the to maybe be dark horses for the Big 12 championship.
• 1:34:00
  SPEAKER_03: And they get they got some weapons on their teams.
• 1:34:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and there's a lot of pressure, uh, especially on a coach like Sonny Dykes.
• 1:34:05
  SPEAKER_03: And Dave Rand has kind of cooled it off a little bit, but they're still not super comfortable either.
• 1:34:09
  SPEAKER_03: So they're they got they're also in approve it mode.
• 1:34:11
  SPEAKER_03: So uh I would say those are the two teams I'm probably most thankful that we're dodging uh this year.
• 1:34:15
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, Iowa State obviously uh Campbell's got it rolling there too.
• 1:34:18
  SPEAKER_03: But um, but yeah, man.
• 1:34:20
  SPEAKER_03: I I my prediction for the Big Self Championship game, I don't know if you have one.
• 1:34:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I'm going tech and K-State.
• 1:34:26
  SPEAKER_03: Oh wow.
• 1:34:27
  SPEAKER_03: I'm going to rematch.
• 1:34:28
  SPEAKER_04: So two teams that play each other.
• 1:34:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um that's interesting.
• 1:34:32
  SPEAKER_04: I don't I don't really have a prediction.
• 1:34:33
  SPEAKER_04: I think we should save the majority of our predictions for another pod, uh, just because it's gonna be too much.
• 1:34:38
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's it's just a lot going on right now, and I haven't done my research too much on everybody else.
• 1:34:43
  SPEAKER_04: But you're right.
• 1:34:44
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you avoid Iowa State.
• 1:34:46
  SPEAKER_04: I have a lot of faith in Baylor this year.
• 1:34:47
  SPEAKER_04: I actually think Baylor's gonna do a lot of good stuff in the Big 12 and probably be a top four team.
• 1:34:52
  SPEAKER_04: Um, TCU's always at least decent um and scary being being an in-state rival.
• 1:34:58
  SPEAKER_04: So um you avoid Cincinnati, who's and and then Arizona, I think, is gonna take a major, a major step down.
• 1:35:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um whoa, they I mean they they were bad last year.
• 1:35:08
  SPEAKER_04: They're gonna be bad this year.
• 1:35:10
  SPEAKER_04: That coach, I'm not sure.
• 1:35:11
  SPEAKER_04: Everyone hates it.
• 1:35:12
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah.
• 1:35:13
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe Cincinnati's every no one no one likes it.
• 1:35:15
  SPEAKER_03: Seems does.
• 1:35:17
  SPEAKER_04: I look at that Cincinnati coach, he's just like a dork.
• 1:35:19
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he does look like a dork.
• 1:35:21
  SPEAKER_04: He's got the glasses, and you're just like, you just like I think he's a Pfizer guy, right?
• 1:35:25
  SPEAKER_04: Uh yeah, yeah.
• 1:35:26
  SPEAKER_04: Satter Satterfield.
• 1:35:27
  SPEAKER_04: Satterfield, yeah.
• 1:35:29
  SPEAKER_04: Well, dude, Texas Tech football.
• 1:35:33
  SPEAKER_04: We're back.
• 1:35:34
  SPEAKER_04: We're back, we're so back.
• 1:35:36
  SPEAKER_04: Two weeks.
• 1:35:37
  SPEAKER_04: We open up against the mighty bluffs.
• 1:35:40
  SPEAKER_04: The lions.
• 1:35:43
  SPEAKER_05: Great logo.
• 1:35:44
  SPEAKER_03: It is a it's a great logo.
• 1:35:46
  SPEAKER_03: You have no idea what you're looking at besides it being kind of a lion, but like you had you would have no idea what you're doing.
• 1:35:53
  SPEAKER_04: When you see they they fit all of those letters in the main UAB?
• 1:36:00
  SPEAKER_04: I've never looked at I've never looked at it.
• 1:36:01
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, closely.
• 1:36:03
  SPEAKER_04: It is the most chaotic, it's the most chaotic logo in college school, 100%.
• 1:36:09
  SPEAKER_04: But we open up against the bluffs uh 6 30 night game at the Jones.
• 1:36:14
  SPEAKER_04: Under the bright lights, picking up under the bright lights in Lubbock, Texas, 6 30 p.m.
• 1:36:19
  SPEAKER_04: on ESPN Plus.
• 1:36:22
  SPEAKER_04: So everybody renew your subscriptions, get ready.
• 1:36:25
  SPEAKER_04: Um, get ready for football season.
• 1:36:27
  SPEAKER_04: It's here, man.
• 1:36:28
  SPEAKER_03: I think the next two games are uh on TV though with uh Kent State.
• 1:36:31
  SPEAKER_03: They are in Oregon State.
• 1:36:33
  SPEAKER_04: Kent, yeah, what Kent State's on TNT.
• 1:36:35
  SPEAKER_04: So that's our first TNT game.
• 1:36:36
  SPEAKER_04: That'll be interesting.
• 1:36:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that'll be that'll be interesting.
• 1:36:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and Oregon State's on Fox.
• 1:36:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, or Oregon State, and we got game times too.
• 1:36:43
  SPEAKER_04: So Kent State's early, early dogs, 11 a.m.
• 1:36:46
  SPEAKER_04: kick.
• 1:36:47
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, and then Oregon State's a 2.30 kick.
• 1:36:49
  SPEAKER_04: So prime time.
• 1:36:50
  SPEAKER_04: Prime time 2 30 on Fox.
• 1:36:53
  SPEAKER_04: Be there for the Beaves.
• 1:36:55
  SPEAKER_04: Uh so big 2 30.
• 1:36:59
  SPEAKER_04: Big afternoon.
• 1:37:02
  SPEAKER_04: Big afternoon, not quite evening.
• 1:37:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh it doesn't really roll off the time.
• 1:37:05
  SPEAKER_05: The middle window.
• 1:37:07
  SPEAKER_04: Dude, I'm excited for Texas Tech football.
• 1:37:09
  SPEAKER_04: I'm so ready for it to be back.
• 1:37:11
  SPEAKER_04: I'm craving football like I need oxygen.
• 1:37:14
  SPEAKER_04: Um, any final thoughts on the Red Raiders?
• 1:37:17
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, dude, it's a huge season.
• 1:37:19
  SPEAKER_03: There's a lot of pressure.
• 1:37:20
  SPEAKER_03: I hope the boys are ready to meet it.
• 1:37:22
  SPEAKER_03: All there's gonna be a lot more eyes on Texas Tech than normal uh heading into this into the season for both lovers and haters.
• 1:37:28
  SPEAKER_03: So, dude, I I I have a lot of confidence that this is going to be a breakout year and that we we see the potential net for once.
• 1:37:36
  SPEAKER_04: I'm ready.
• 1:37:37
  SPEAKER_04: Um yeah, this is it's it's the most anticipated season in Texas Tech history.
• 1:37:42
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know, at least competing with like 09.
• 1:37:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um and and modern history, right?
• 1:37:48
  SPEAKER_04: Modern history, there you go.
• 1:37:49
  SPEAKER_04: And more to our more to your point of like, you know, is this the most uh anticipated season?
• 1:37:55
  SPEAKER_04: This has the most implic implications in a long time.
• 1:37:58
  SPEAKER_04: If you kick ass this season and win the Big 12 or be in the Big 12 championship, potentially, you know, the college football playoff, you're just continuing to ride the wave of all the financial help that you're getting um from all these teams, and and you have a potential to be good for a long, long time if you capitalize on this opportunity.
• 1:38:20
  SPEAKER_03: Can I can I say one more thought that I had today?
• 1:38:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um you know, we're we're really we're really trying to get all this talent and really try to make something happen.
• 1:38:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I was just thinking about it, like, why why can't we be a Clemson?
• 1:38:32
  SPEAKER_03: Why can't we kind of fill that new blood roll?
• 1:38:35
  SPEAKER_03: And especially in our situation, like in the Big 12.
• 1:38:38
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we don't we don't have a looming uh Titan that's been good forever and just keeps pushing you further into the mud every year.
• 1:38:46
  SPEAKER_03: We don't have that.
• 1:38:46
  SPEAKER_03: We have the opportunity to break out and fly.
• 1:38:49
  SPEAKER_03: And I I think I think it starts with years like this to start seeing if that could become a reality.
• 1:38:54
  SPEAKER_03: I know I'm ahead of my skis.
• 1:38:55
  SPEAKER_03: We haven't even won a conference championship.
• 1:38:56
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not trying to sound like a blowhard, but I'm just saying like the possibility is there with the investment that we're getting right now.
• 1:39:02
  SPEAKER_03: So it's just the money is there for a championship caliber team.
• 1:39:05
  SPEAKER_03: Let's start earning it on the field.
• 1:39:07
  SPEAKER_04: Well, the reason we can is because people don't vacation in Lubbock, Texas.
• 1:39:11
  SPEAKER_04: That's true.
• 1:39:12
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it's you know not close to a big city where you can leave uh the current city and do things.
• 1:39:19
  SPEAKER_04: I'm so ready for my vacation to Clemson, South Carolina and to uh Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and don't forget it happens, Georgia.
• 1:39:26
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, Oxford, Mississippi is beautiful, I've heard, this time of year.
• 1:39:30
  SPEAKER_04: It just has an influx of tourists coming at at any singular point in the year.
• 1:39:35
  SPEAKER_03: You gotta see the Columbus, Ohio trees.
• 1:39:41
  SPEAKER_04: They have poisonous nuts on them.
• 1:39:43
  SPEAKER_04: You gotta watch out for those.
• 1:39:45
  SPEAKER_04: You don't want that.
• 1:39:47
  SPEAKER_04: But uh yeah, man, it's super exciting.
• 1:39:50
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, we will we will definitely be more active during football season and ready to go week in, week out, getting reactions, getting previews going in.
• 1:39:57
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so just excited for football.
• 1:39:59
  SPEAKER_04: And uh we'll hopefully see you guys here in the next coming weeks.
• 1:40:02
  SPEAKER_04: We appreciate you guys listening.
• 1:40:04
  SPEAKER_04: Always Wreckham Tech.
• 1:40:06
  SPEAKER_04: Wreckham Tech.
• 1:40:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh wow, first of all, uh got a lot of respect for Steven and Tristan.
• 1:40:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh their program, tough guys, just uh a lot of fun.
• 1:40:18
  SPEAKER_01: This is wild.
• 1:40:19
  SPEAKER_02: When I walked in and I knew this would be an awesome podcast, and these guys have been tremendous.
• 1:40:28
  SPEAKER_02: I love you, and I can't wait for this journey.
• 1:40:30
  SPEAKER_02: I would like to thank uh Steven and Tristan.
• 1:40:33
  SPEAKER_02: This is incredible.
• 1:40:34
  SPEAKER_02: These guys have a passion and a love for this school.