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Mac & Bone Show - Cole Bryson Interview · Mac & Bone Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What I'm not nervous about is talking to our next guest,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: friend of the program, host of the Upstate in the
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: afternoons down there in South Carolina, Cole Bryson makes his
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: return to the program. We're gonna talk Clemson game cocks,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: the fan vibes and all of that. Cale, My man,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: thanks so much for joining us. I appreciate it.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Man, If I ever start making you nervous, you
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: know you're a bad place in life. Buddy.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Clemson fans might be a little bit nervous right now
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: about the state of the football program. Walk us through
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: right now if you can the mindset and the vibe
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: of the Clemson football fan as we approach the season.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, the funny part about that bone is
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: that the first game out of the gates LSU, righty.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: And you know, for the longest time, Clemson and other
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: teams they got some warm up games. And I'm not
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: saying that like warm up games make you a better
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: team or they give you time, but they are very
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: important to a team. When you talk about getting off
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: on the right foot with a new quarterback like Clemson
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: has this year in Christopher Zina. So you've got a
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: guy in Christopher Vezina, who doesn't have a ton of experience.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: He played a little bit last year, but now he's
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: going into the full time starting role as the guy
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: for the first time. And you go, look, we were
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: talking about this yesterday on my show, go back and
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: look on the last few years of Davos Sweeney and
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: season openers, Clemson's looked unprepared. They've looked unprepared in season
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: open and season opener. So I think when you talk
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: about Clemson's outlook and fan vibes, I think there's a
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: lot of nervousness just because you have a new quarterback
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: in Christopher Verzena. I think the roster itself isn't as
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: talented as on paper as last year's was, even though
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: last year's underperformed in a major way. I think the
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: record could be better. But when you start out in
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Baton Rouge going against Lane Tiffin, I don't know that
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: there's a Clemson fan in the upstate right now that
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: was really good about that bone.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: The last time I checked, I think the point spread
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: was eleven eleven and a half. I think it opened.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: So think about that point spread a couple of years ago,
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: where Clemson would never be eleven point hunderdogs against anybody.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: What's the obviously the quarterback you mentioned there, Outside of that,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: what's the what's the biggest question about Clemson's roster and
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: where do you think they're strong entering the year.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, I do feel good about Tom Allen
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: coming back having another full lost season as defensive coordinator.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: I'll start with the strongest part of the question. First,
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: this defensive unit's going to be led by one of
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: the ACC's best linebackers, one of the nation's best linebackers,
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: and Sammy Brown. Sammy Brown's a guy that's going to
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: be playing on Sundays and he is that impactful of
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: the player. So I feel good about Sammy Brown will help.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: Last year, the transfer in from Purdue had a big season.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: I expect him to have a big season. The defense
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: was really bad at times last year bone they got gashed.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: I sat there in the press box and watched them
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: get gassed by SMU last year. Just play after play,
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: drive after drive. And this defense has to be better.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: I mean, they have to be better in twenty twenty six.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: They don't have a choice. So Tom Allen from Penn State,
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: he's in the system now, for a couple of years.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: I do feel better about it. Last year he talked
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: about a few times not having the right guys that
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: he wanted in the system, and I think through the
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: portal and recruiting now that he's had a little bit
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: of time to get those guys in, plus Demmy Brown,
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: who I talked about. So I do feel better. If
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: you're a Clemson fan, I think you should feel better
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: about the defensive unit, especially led by guys like Themmy
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Brown and will help. That's going to be a veteran
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: unit on defense. Where I think there is a little
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: bit of concern is on the offensive side. With first
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: year had first year to play caller Chad Morris, Dabo
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Sweeney goes back to the well as we know and
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: brings his old buddy Chad Morris from the glory days
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: back in and Chad and Morris is a veteran play caller,
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: but he's been out of the game for a couple
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: of years. And Chadd and Morris was really successful at
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: Clintson when he had new Compkins and Sammy Watkins. You
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: heard of those guys. Well, bet news flash, they don't
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: have those guys right now now. No disrespect Bryant Westco
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: is a really good receiver and I think he's gonna
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: have a big year for Clintson, And they've got some
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: talent at the receiver position, and I think TJ. Moore
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: and Tristan Smith can all have big years at receiver.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: Also a guy right there out of y'all's backyard, Golden
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: Sellars the third wide receiver sixty three to two hundred
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: out of Providence Day, I think he could have a
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: big year as well. But when you talk about then,
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: when you talk about a brand new quarterback and Christopher
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: Vezina and a brand new OC, there's a lot of
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: questions there. If they're playing at State Week one, there's
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: not as many questions. If they're playing South telling a
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: State Week one, there's not as many questions. But when
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: you are going to have your feet held to the
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: fire like they all week one, it just raised is
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: the awareness as you know and we're going into that
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: game in every mistake will be maximized in a big way.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: So I think that's your strengths on defense and your
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: concern with a first year O see in a first
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: year quarterback.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: That's the voice of Cole Bryson the fan upstay down
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: there in South Carolina. We will talk about the game
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: costs here momentarily. One more question on Clemson really for
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: the first time in full there's been some questions, whether
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: it be the national level down here about what exactly
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: is the future of Davo. Some even have said, hot seat,
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: are those justified discussions or do you find those preposterous.
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: I'll land somewhere in the middle. Okay, I'll land somewhere
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: in the middle on that. Look, the reality is Bonne
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: Dabbo doesn't get the benefit of a doubt anymore. You
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: mentioned that point spread against LSU. Davo Slinging does not
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: get the benefit of the doubt like he did five
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: years ago. Davos Sweeny's back to a place now where
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: he has to consistently and constantly prove himself and prove
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: that this program can compete on a national level, because
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: if you go back and look at the past five years,
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: this program has been embarrassed on the national stage by
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: the likes of Georgia LSU last year. Heck SMU at
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: Hall the ACC. They couldn't even perform in the ACC
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: last year. So you go, look, I think it all
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: starts back in twenty twenty three when they lost on
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Monday Night football Labor Day Night to Duke. We all
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: remember that game, and Clemson was by far the superior
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: talent on paper at least. But to answer your question,
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: Devo Sweeny's back to a place where he has to
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: prove himself. Now. When you look at what he's done
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: this offseason with recruiting and tossing money around and getting
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: players committed to the program through recruiting and blue chip guys,
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of positivity there. There's a lot of
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: momentum there. However, you're judged by what you do on Saturdays.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: While all that's great, all that's fine and dandy, and
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: getting big recruits is obviously part of the game. He's
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: ultimately gonna be judged by what happens against LSU. He's
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: gonna be judged just a few weeks later, just weeks
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: a few weeks later when he plays Miami and Dary
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: and Menza. You're judged on Saturdays and Davosleeni's back to
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: a place where he has to prove himself and the
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: program has to prove himself. Weaken in and week out.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: I don't think Davosleeni is on a hot seat right now.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: Do I think Davosleeni knows that this program has fallen,
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: has taken a step back. I absolutely do. And you
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: look at the changing coordinators in the past few years
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: on the defensive side and the offensive side of the
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: Garrett Riley experiment not working. It all comes back to
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: me during Clemson hey day. Davosleeni had stability at OC.
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: He's had stability at DC. Tony Elliott at OC won
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: eleven games last year at Virginia as the Cavaliers head
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: coach after a rocky start at Virginia Brent Vitibles. We
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: all know what he's doing. And when Davosleeny had to
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: replace those two guys, Clemson football have not been the same. Yeah.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: On the record pre venables and post venables, it's eye
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: opening to say the least. Start talking to Cole Bryce
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: and the fan up say we'll not talk about the
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: game Cocks. And last year it felt like one of
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: the worst Sellers was almost a one man operation at
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: times fighting for his wife on offense. How much better
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: if you think they are? Do you think this team
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: is set up for success around Lenoras Sellers this year.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, the offensive line was as bad as
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: the offensive line could be last year at times, and
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: you had a left guard, you had a true flashman
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: from Gaffney starting a big kid in Surat on the
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: left side. On the right side, you had injuries all
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: season long, so you had talent there. You fire your
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: offensive line coach, Lonnie Peasley halfway through the season, and
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: then you bring in a guy in the off season.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: You bring some coaching changes in. You bring in a
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: new running back coach, you bring in a new offensive
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: line coach, and Stan Drayton, you bring in a new
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: offensive coordinator and Kendall Brile. So Lenora's sellers last year
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: you talk about a one man show. He was playing
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: that fiddle and nobody else in the band was joining
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: along right now. To be fair, Lenora's did not have
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: a good year last year. He did not. He regressed
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: in twenty twenty five, and I think he'd be the
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: first one to tell you that. However, if you look
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: around Lenora's Sellers, that offensive line was never consistent and
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: never consistently healthy. So obviously, newsflash, that's where it starts.
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: And I think the offensive line will be a lot
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: better this year. A lot of what they did in
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: the off season were the assistant coaching changes. Beamer was
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: you talk about hot seat man. Beamer was aggressive, like
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: Beaman was really aggressive in the offseason go out and
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: get in some of these assistant coaches. I mean, we
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: were down there just a few months ago interviewing three
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: brand new coaches at the same time. So he knew
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: something had a change. He knew that Leonora Sellers was
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: the future of this offense for twenty twenty six. But
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: when you go watch Leonora's in twenty twenty five compared
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: to twenty twenty four, there were things that Leonora's did
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: not look as comfortable with last year bone as he
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: did two years ago, just in the way that he
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: played his style. The freedom he played with in two
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: thousand twenty one, it wasn't there in twenty twenty five.
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: And I think when he feels most comfortable, he can
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: have that freedom to play just like he is designed
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: to play, because when he's at his best, he's a
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: good quarterback. Now when you bring in Kendall Briles, and
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: I think it's a great hire. Now Kendall Briles hasn't
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: called a single play yet when you bring in Kendall
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: Briles a pair with Lenora Sellers. I think that's a
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: big time move in South Carolina. Now in twenty twenty six,
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: they're still in the SEC, they still play a gauntlet
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: of a schedule, but I think they're much more prepared
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: heading into the season on their part than they were
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: in twenty twenty five, if that makes sense.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Cole, you're the best man. We appreciate it. We
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: urge people to give you a follow on Twitter at
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: the Cole Brycet of the fan up State. You're the
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: best man. I'm sure we'll talk again soon as the
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: storylines develop for both the Tigers and the game Cocks
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: here in twenty twenty six.
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: Thanks as always, man,