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USC's Certainties in 2025 · Reign of Troy Radio on USC Football

• 0:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Rain a short hot line.
• 0:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: At least you know Michael what's going on.
• 0:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: We know you have takes.
• 0:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: We have takes.
• 0:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm back to surprise that you're a rant line, rave line, whatever his is completely full.
• 0:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: What can't we just win a game?
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: Can I blame Michael Cassfield for this?
• 0:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Can I blame Bob Connelly for this?
• 0:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Could I put on a zebra shirt and just go out there?
• 0:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Scratch claw.
• 0:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Up against the wall.
• 0:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Can't explain that one feeling right now, guys.
• 0:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can't believe it.
• 0:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's open up that raised ball.
• 0:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: or can't believe USC is undefeated in the SEC.
• 0:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: Wait, we're in the big tent.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: What's the record?
• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh no!
• 0:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hello everybody, welcome back to right after our radio episode, six hundred and nine coming to you on Wednesday, August thirteenth we're going to talk about the latest new SE football including big news on the injury side of things on defense.
• 0:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're going to talk about at least his big certainties for the twenty twenty five season and so much more as always you can follow us on social media right after I email us right after I fence at a com and our phone number
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: eight when eight six four three seven two two seven second was for a show I'm your host Michael Castilla journal Michael host and a ray of church studio in Los Angeles.
• 1:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: At least a there to all you know everybody hello we're back.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Two podcasts a week begin.
• 1:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Now, if you're an audio only listener, there was a drop on Monday, a little roundtable that we had with our friends, Jake Marfield from the West Bruinshow, and came out, formerly of trailer hits Thursdays.
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Either that was super fun, we did it on the road at Jake's place, but it was a blast.
• 1:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's always great.
• 1:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I love Jake and Kenny.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're two of my favorite people in the world.
• 1:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: So getting to podcasts with them, getting to hang out and have dinner with them beforehand, lovely try-tip that Jake made for us.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was really, really fun.
• 2:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Every time we do that, we're like, we gotta do that more often.
• 2:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, why don't we do that during the season?
• 2:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 2:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: So we'll see what comes to that.
• 2:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, hopefully, hopefully we can figure something out and all sort of get together later on.
• 2:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's on audio only next week.
• 2:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: We will have two video pots and from here on out until the rest of the season will be with you multiple times a week.
• 2:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Monday, we are going to preview the offense Wednesday.
• 2:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Next Wednesday, we're going to preview the defense.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: So two episodes next week.
• 2:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Join us live on YouTube for PM Pacific Time Monday and Wednesday to preview the offense and the defense.
• 2:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, yeah, here we are.
• 2:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Twenty, twenty, five, call a triple season is upon us and at least I think we've got to begin with your certainties.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: We put out, you put out a tweet the other day.
• 3:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: uh... you just kind of riled some people up so uh... this is your chance to sort of you know get everything uh... everything in there and explain what uh... what you're thinking when it comes to your seven big certainty is going into twenty twenty five yeah so we've been talking about the table at night i feel like
• 3:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: all of our conversations are about things that I'm uncertain about and all of the conversations I'm having with people on social media or things I'm I don't know about and I'm just one big shrug like I don't I don't know it could be good it could be bad who the heck knows so I sort of had a thought of okay what are the things that I am certain of like what things do I feel strongly will be you know good or bad or whatever that they are instead of just like a whole a big old shrug and so I put together that tweet
• 3:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just started listing things that I was certain of and I got to seven.
• 4:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, not everyone was super happy about the last two.
• 4:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, let's let's start from the beginning.
• 4:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll go through one by one.
• 4:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll start with your number one with your number one.
• 4:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, the Kylovin is the stud.
• 4:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that Mackay Lemon is an outstanding receiver already.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think the only thing that will slow Mackay Lemon down in terms of his productivity would be his availability.
• 4:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't want to make these like bold predictions, but if I was going to make them bold predictions, I would go as far as say that Mackay Lemon will be like all big ten.
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: that McCy lemon will be a thousand yard receiver.
• 4:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: I feel pretty strongly that McCy lemon if he is available for all of U.S.
• 4:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: e's games in twenty twenty five that he will be a thousand yard receiver.
• 4:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he's watching a number one.
• 4:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he's the go-to guy in this offense and I love Jacobi Lane, but I still have questions about Jacobi Lane's game by game.
• 5:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: impact.
• 5:01
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 5:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: We know he can be a red zone threat.
• 5:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: We know that he can spark and have a big game, but I am more confident in McCy Lemman's ability game one game two game three game four game five and so on that he will be the lead receiver in each of those games where I my feeling which Kobe Lane is that it'll be fluctuate a hell of a lot more.
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: So my certainty comes from McCy Lemman just being
• 5:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: a really damn good receiver and and somebody that USC is going to be able to rely on.
• 5:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: That can be a safety blanket for for.
• 5:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Did my other and it's it's good to go into a season.
• 5:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think with that level of certainty around USC's wide receiver number one, that's not where USC's been in the last couple of years.
• 5:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm happy to have USC back in that in that space.
• 5:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, but my kind of lemon last year had a strong season.
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you look at fifty eight receptions through through the first two years, last year I'll told fifty two catches seven hundred sixty four yards three touchdowns.
• 6:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think the floor
• 6:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: is very high for McIleman, right?
• 6:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, you talk about the comparisons with him and Jacobi.
• 6:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, I think Jacobi later has a higher ceiling in part because we saw him with twelve touchdowns last year.
• 6:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: But if we're talking certainties, things that you will absolutely go to bat for and you will feel good about the hills to die on, a Kyleman bean wire receiver one or at least one A. I think it's as good of a certainty as you could have on offense.
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and when McCy Lemon was, you know, out injured and unavailable in the past two seasons, U.S.
• 6:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: these offenses looked worse.
• 6:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's he's the, you know, Eric Gentry, not not in the same way.
• 6:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk more about Gentry, but like he's the guy for me that when he's available, you can tell the difference for U.S.
• 6:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: these offense in a similar way to the way that when Eric Gentries on the field, you just,
• 7:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's there's you can't even like quantify it or put metrics on it.
• 7:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: It just the eye test looks very different when gentries on the field for defense and when McCy lemon is on the field for for the offense.
• 7:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, absolutely.
• 7:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's get to number two.
• 7:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: What's your number two certainty?
• 7:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: What again?
• 7:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: I am not worried about the running running back room at all.
• 7:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: not even a little bit.
• 7:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think women Jordan has potential to be a great great player, but I'm not even necessarily banking on him being a great player.
• 7:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of buzz about him coming out of camp.
• 7:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Love to hear it.
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that what he did at the junior college level should get everybody really excited and the only question around him is can he come up and replicate that level of play at the FBS level?
• 7:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: There is still a question mark there, but I feel pretty good about him.
• 7:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, being good.
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I feel good about Eli Sanders.
• 7:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I feel good about Brian Jackson.
• 7:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, I feel good about the freshman.
• 7:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: I have zero worries about the running background.
• 7:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I at Lake is whoever it is that emerges is RB one or two or whatever the rotation is, whatever it is.
• 8:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, I, it's just the only position on the team I think that I'm looking at going like,
• 8:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's fine.
• 8:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's literally no reason to worry.
• 8:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: And normally every season I come in, terrified of the running backs because I assume that running backs will just have injuries and you know, guys are going to go left and right and who's going to be number one, who's going to be number two or they're going to even do one and two thunder and lightning or is an individual like all of those kinds of things.
• 8:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm always asking those questions and
• 8:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's like this strange sense of calm over me for this season in part because the track record at this point for USC bringing in transfer running backs is so damn good.
• 8:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, maybe USC is due for a dud, but they brought in two.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they've sort of like covered
• 8:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: that if women Jordan is a dead or Eli Sanders is a dead, I think the chances are that the other one will pick up the slack.
• 9:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: The the freshman running backs are you know right Riley Harry Dalton and Riley Wormley have gotten you know good buzz on them and and feel like they are not so far from being able to stand in if you as he needs some guys Brian Jackson we know is somebody who
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: has a whole lot of potential certainly as a short-artage back, but you know, if he needed to come in and be RB one, am I stressing it too much?
• 9:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: We saw it in the SRS distribution.
• 9:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 9:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, it's Vegas ball.
• 9:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 9:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe stylistically, he doesn't quite fit exactly like he's not a one for one with like a, you know, Woody Marx, but I still think he could carry the load.
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 9:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: So the, the, the,
• 9:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: The situation of running back is it's really refreshing and these are famous last words, but really refreshing to be able to go like at the very least, I don't have to worry about that room.
• 10:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think when you talk about the track record, we, I feel like we've been a broken record about this for
• 10:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: several podcasts not right like twenty twenty one s.e.
• 10:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: brings in key on to you from he was really damn good and I know that's not a Lincoln Riley coach team that's not a Lincoln Riley transfer but very good when he came over from Texas twenty twenty two you had a couple of dudes come in awesome Jones from Stanford
• 10:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: Travis die from Oregon, twenty twenty three you had Martian Lloyd from South Carolina last year was Woody Marx from Mississippi State and all those guys every single one of them was productive in their own right we saw sort of a two headed backfield with die and Joan especially early on in twenty twenty two and then
• 10:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: when die got hurt towards the end of the season, Austin Jones stepped in with no issue at the end of the season as well.
• 10:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I think that sort of thing can work out here because I don't know if women Jordan or Eli Sanders is going to be the number one, but even last year we saw it with
• 11:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: uh... quit and uh... joiner that he could be a reliable change of pace back and number two guy uh... to what he marks and both those guys could be productive last year so yeah i i have faith there uh... with you as well well i think i think it's it's interesting because you know i've had conversations pretty much every off season now with the rise of the transfer portal and and the question of of
• 11:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think there are trends that are coming in of what transfer positions are most suited to coming in and making an immediate impact.
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And we've talked about the offensive line and being skeptical about offensive lineman being able to transfer in immediately click.
• 11:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: But with running backs, I think the evidence that USC is very strong.
• 11:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: And evidence other in other places too is very strong that running backs can just be inserted and they can just be the dog.
• 12:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know, it's it's not a position that you need.
• 12:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: You need a ton of like chemistry with a quarterback or chemistry with the fellow offensive lineman or scheme fit and all that kind of stuff.
• 12:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like if you have a good running backs coach, which USC does, and they drill the guys in and know what they're doing.
• 12:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Then you're just going to get good production out of running backs that you identify as having this sort of physical and mental skills that you want and turn them in and plug and play.
• 12:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it also helps that this is a scheme very runnybie friendly to be running back friendly and
• 12:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: We've talked about this before.
• 12:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like SC on a per carry basis is an elite running team.
• 12:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, um, they don't run the ball million times and that's probably a big part of it.
• 12:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: They're running in the light boxes a lot, but on a per play basis, uh, they led the big ten and rushing last year, yards for carry, right?
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: So they could run the ball a lot more.
• 13:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: And yes, it would hurt the average just mathematically.
• 13:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Right.
• 13:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: But they could run the ball a lot more and still have a lot of success.
• 13:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the the run scheme.
• 13:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: is very good.
• 13:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that's one of the most frustrating things about Lincoln Riley is his run scheme is so good.
• 13:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I get that a lot of it has to do with the look.
• 13:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: But to my eye, I'm watching games and like, there are late boxes.
• 13:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Why is USC not running is I choose.
• 13:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, so
• 13:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 13:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: What is number three?
• 13:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: What's your number three certain take?
• 13:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: What do you got?
• 13:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think in the number three category, it's like, yes, somebody on Twitter's.
• 13:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're really going out on a limb on a lot of these.
• 13:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, yeah, I mean, they're all what I'm certain about.
• 13:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so they're kind of be limited in terms of how crazy I'm going.
• 13:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the defensive line will be improved significantly.
• 13:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that we've talked about the defensive line and how last year it felt like they were treading water, given the depth, given the ceiling of the player's available.
• 14:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Again, I want to repeat.
• 14:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think the defensive line did a very admirable job last season for the tools that they had in their toolbox.
• 14:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: This year, it just feels like the toolbox is much stronger.
• 14:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's not just the transfers.
• 14:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, Keshon Silver, huge transfer to get in there.
• 14:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm really excited about Judge Jarrett and what he can end up doing.
• 14:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Just those two guys alone physically plug into that group and make it much more formidable.
• 14:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: But you also look at the guys that USC have brought in and are in the, they're kind of in the same
• 14:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: era as the offensive lineman that we talk a lot about like that USC really needs a bunch of second year offensive lineman to step up and start being those guys and my skepticism about whether or not that's going to be a reasonable ask for them.
• 15:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: because it's the offensive line.
• 15:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Defensive line, I don't expect the same, I mean, obviously you need your guys to develop, but it's not the same as offensive line for me.
• 15:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's more about a physical development and the physical development that we've seen from USC's defensive linemen, from the sophomore, registered sophomore, defensive linemen.
• 15:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: is so strong at this point that I feel very confident in the depth in this room in a way that I haven't in a while.
• 15:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, Devin Tompkins is a guy who has continued to physically transform, who plays above his weight in my view, and is now a veteran sort of leader on this group.
• 15:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: The transfers are, I think, going to be awesome.
• 15:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, Gdaibassiri has got some playing time as a freshman.
• 15:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: And now he's in that range of now it's his time to come in physically and mentally and be ready to go.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Floyd Bukar, the freshman is getting rave reviews at camp as a guy who might immediately immediately get some playing time here.
• 16:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, you look at Kobe Pepe being back.
• 16:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Big body guy.
• 16:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: big reserve body that USC's able to have and not just like a second their reserve like he's he's probably like third behind some of the bigger bodies in front of him but that's a good thing because you have room to rotate you have room to fill guys in and not necessarily have to be reliant on one guy being available to you you have a bunch of guys that are available to you I just think they brought in a bunch of guys over the last few years that have now had a little bit of time to develop
• 16:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: that are being coached up really well and that this group.
• 16:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think should should just the ceiling on this defensive line is so much higher than it's been for USC in the Lincoln Riley era that you know, and knowing what we saw from that group last year with limited tools.
• 17:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now you have a toolbox full of tools.
• 17:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm excited to see what they're going to be able to build there.
• 17:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and I think that you look at the size that S.C.
• 17:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: brought in, whether you're looking at, you know, Kishan Silver, John Jarrett coming in from Georgia.
• 17:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: S.C.
• 17:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: had bodies last year.
• 17:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: But I think that this is taking it to a different level, right?
• 17:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Silver is three hundred and thirty pounds, right?
• 17:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: George Jarrett is three sixty.
• 17:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Barrel Alexander was someone who was supposed to be really impactful last year, and he ultimately wasn't.
• 17:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: He didn't play most of the season, because he ultimately ended up transferring to Oregon.
• 17:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Jumil Mohammed, a guy who SC sort of relied on as a producer up front in twenty twenty three, last season had one-and-a-half tackles for loss.
• 17:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, S.C.
• 17:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: has got a lot of room to grow on the defensive line.
• 17:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: They didn't have much production at all.
• 17:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: You look at the tackles for lost leaders on this U.S.
• 17:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: defense last year.
• 18:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Four guys had five tackles for loss.
• 18:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: How many of those on the front line there?
• 18:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: One, Braille and Shelby with five, and he sort of came on later in the year to get himself to five.
• 18:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: Eric Gentry led the team with six and a half through four games.
• 18:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Uh, didn't have one in the, uh, the SLS distribution Las Vegas Bowl, uh, but had six and a half through the first four games before he got injured.
• 18:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Tomorrow Ramsey with five and a half.
• 18:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, you, you, you look at Jamil Bahamed, didn't necessarily produce, uh, Anthony Lucas got hurt early on and ended up not recording a technical for loss all year.
• 18:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's a lot of room to improve.
• 18:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: to be significantly improved without still being an elite defensive line, which I think is really beneficial to the defense in the sense of like, they can take two step forward.
• 19:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the expectation still doesn't have to be that they're the Georgia defensive light, right?
• 19:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
• 19:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, obviously you want Georgia's defensive line, but like, you don't have to be that good to be significantly improved.
• 19:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: because the bar was low last year.
• 19:16
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
• 19:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: And there were still a productive defense last year.
• 19:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: All told just not in terms of, I guess, production stat wise in terms of making negative plays.
• 19:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, they were a productive defense with a defensive line that was not winning too many battles.
• 19:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think they were, like it was a war of attrition a little bit for the defense of line.
• 19:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was just like just don't just don't be terrible.
• 19:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 19:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was the way that we were looking at the defense of line.
• 19:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think they,
• 19:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: somewhat achieved that to a point.
• 19:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, this year, I think the size thing is just, you can't, you can't understate this.
• 19:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, we went through the last, I mean, how many handful of years where we would look at the defense line and go like how many guys are three hundred plus?
• 20:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like maybe one, maybe two?
• 20:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now the majority of USC's defensive linemen across the board are in the three hundred pound range and like, you know, talk about like Devon Tomkins.
• 20:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Devon Tomkins was starting at like two seventy five.
• 20:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he was one of, he was not out of place in terms of his size in front.
• 20:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: And now and and as an interior defensive lineman, by the way.
• 20:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: And now USC's
• 20:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: N's U.S.
• 20:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: these defensive ends are now more in the two AV range and the interior lineman are no less than two ninety two ninety five you know pushing pushing three hundred among those guys so that the line as a whole has gotten so much bigger
• 20:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: which will allow them to just eat up more.
• 20:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: It will open things up for the linebackers.
• 20:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then the question mark on the defense line for me as I'll just a lot to do with, you know,
• 21:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: can they be more can those edges be more productive from a pass rushing perspective because last year wasn't cutting it yeah and and you know there's still guys that need to prove that but i think that it just gets a lot easier to be effective as a pass rushing defense
• 21:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you have more sort of like certainty and reliability in your interior defensive linemen and sort of knowing who your edges are going to be and and you know just the whole group is a whole is going to you know what run is it rising tide lifts all boats.
• 21:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, turn your question for you.
• 21:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Last year, according to the roster, so this is the listed weights, right?
• 21:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: How many defensive tackles do you think FC had that had a three at the beginning of their weight column?
• 21:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: This was last year.
• 21:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Last year.
• 21:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: How many, three hundred pounders?
• 21:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bear.
• 21:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's one, three, fifteen.
• 22:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, Kobe Pepe is always better.
• 22:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Two, three, fifteen.
• 22:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know that adversary was not it.
• 22:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was like it two ninety.
• 22:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Cash.
• 22:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: Amos maybe would have been three hundred.
• 22:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: I cash Amos was at two ninety nine.
• 22:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Carlin Jones three ten.
• 22:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: So three guys last year.
• 22:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: And you look at this year.
• 22:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Judge Eric, three sixty.
• 22:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Key John Silver, three thirty.
• 22:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Floyd McCard, three oh five.
• 22:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: Brendan Chow, three hundred Carlin Jones, three ten.
• 22:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Colby Pepe, from three fifteen last year to three forty this year.
• 22:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and then you got adversary and cash income center at two ninety five Cash almost at two ninety and so this reminds me not to compare this to the video game stuff, but like There's a lot of flexibility with those defensive tackles, especially when you look at became stored out wide defensive end at two ninety right like These are guys who can play in different spots on that defensive line You have
• 23:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: sort of flexibility, right?
• 23:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, John Jarrett can play one role, and the other guy is can play a different gap, right?
• 23:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, I think that gives you flexibility, if you're dead and lint, to have different archetypes, right?
• 23:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, that gives you way more flexibility than last year when barrel extender was your biggest dude, and barrel extender was not a true nose tackle, right?
• 23:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 23:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now you can, yeah, you can plug a hole with, with John Jarrett and still have someone like a, to keep Stuart come off the end, even at two ninety sort of like a Leonard Williams where like this guy is built like a, like a, like a, you know, like a three technique, but he's really coming off the, the end as, you know, an odd man front defensive end guy, right?
• 23:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: So like, well, when was the last time USC had a true nose tackle?
• 24:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, we've talked about this before.
• 24:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's got to be Stevie T, right?
• 24:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, I know that like Brandon Peely.
• 24:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't a true note.
• 24:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was more like the barrel exander.
• 24:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't a space eater.
• 24:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was big size, but not that archetype, right?
• 24:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm with you.
• 24:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's CBT at best.
• 24:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Antoine Woods is the first name that comes back to me in the sense of just the true massive size eater.
• 24:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: So it just be a keeps on silver being a veteran nose tackle in there.
• 24:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then John Jarrett coming in is as the guy who you hope really comes along and starts to reach his potential.
• 24:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like it is it is very different to have those bodies.
• 24:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's get to number four.
• 25:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: All right, number four is Kamari Ramsey is a star.
• 25:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Kamari Ramsey is not a household name.
• 25:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: He should be.
• 25:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he will be.
• 25:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he is an incredible player who the only thing that might hold him back in terms of national recognition this year is
• 25:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: this chatter that he might be moved around a little bit on defense.
• 25:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk a little bit about the injury that happened at Nickel coming up, but you know, there's there's talk of like Camari Ranzi maybe playing Nickel, being a little bit more of like that Jalen Smith role where he comes in and just says jack of all trades kind of safety.
• 25:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: which I think is exciting and I like that a lot.
• 25:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think you could do a really good job it.
• 25:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just think probably a national perspective.
• 25:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: It becomes harder for him to draw eyes as like Kumar Rams is one of the best safeties in the country.
• 25:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: But like Kumar Rams, it could be one of the best safeties in the country.
• 25:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think he could be really flexible though.
• 25:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like you can play him out more on the perimeter as not necessarily the perimeter, but like you put him in the nickel, yes, he can be out there.
• 26:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: The place that you remember last year were the place that he made in the box.
• 26:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 26:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like he can be a really productive box safety.
• 26:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: The sureest tackler I think I've ever seen in my life.
• 26:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: And like he feels like he's going to be in that tier of great USC safe playmaking safeties, like a Kevin Ellison, like a Talonado Funga.
• 26:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: like a Troy Palomolo.
• 26:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not including Taylor Bayes there because I think of Taylor Bayes as to your true deep safety guide.
• 26:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: But like as a guy who can come up into the box and make plays against the run, be a shirt tackler on third down, you know, force negative plays, force errors in some sort of way.
• 26:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's huge for especially for a defense that for many years couldn't
• 27:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: couldn't make a tackle to save their lives, right?
• 27:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like it is nice going into a season knowing that there is absolutely a rock star in the secondary that I think you can just blindly trust.
• 27:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, and it's kind of, I think bringing up Talonoha Fonga there is a good pull in the sense of he is the a player on that level in terms of this guy is
• 27:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: the you know the world is his oyster like he he's going to be just an absolute playmaker who you cannot not account for if you are the offense he is just going to be out there making plays you don't have to worry if Kami Ramsey's in a space wherever they put him at safety nickel bring him into box having close line of scrimmage put him back out like I am not worried in the slightest I am not worried at all
• 27:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: What I think is interesting about Khmer Ramsey's role potentially is, I think we went into the season thinking that Khmer Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald would be your, you know, your starting safeties.
• 28:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: if they do end up having being a little bit more flexible with the positions of of either of those two guys.
• 28:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sort of opens the door for someone like Christian Pierce to to maybe come in and be get his playing time at safety, which I'm not I'm not opposed to, but it sort of sort of creates an interesting dynamic there, but it doesn't really matter where Khmer Ramsey plays.
• 28:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he will just be
• 28:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's he's a star he is a one of those guys that's just a difference maker on defense and I really want the the broader nation to be conscious of that when it comes I'm not mad that USC doesn't have any you know
• 28:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: preseason all-americans and it's very, you know, USC's representation on the preseason all big ten teams is pretty low.
• 28:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not mad about that in the sense of like, I don't think USC is in a position to complain at this point, but if I was going to complain, it would be on behalf of Khmer Ramsey.
• 29:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, if there's going to be an all-american on this team, it's Khmer Ramsey.
• 29:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
• 29:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, undoubtedly.
• 29:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Bishop Fritchero, by the way, tell me that that's not like
• 29:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: What would it be maybe a battleship?
• 29:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, it's a high school in like in Illinois.
• 29:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: So the USS Bishop was in part and they fired missiles downed like couldn't you can hear that news real, right?
• 29:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: I haven't seen anywhere if we've gotten an explanation for like Bishop like what's the what's the the story behind Bishop his first name?
• 29:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: I, from what I know that he's someone who likes the slashes and really diagonal.
• 29:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that's sort of what you want to see there.
• 29:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm just, yeah.
• 29:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right.
• 29:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's get to number five.
• 30:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Number five is that Eric Gentry will make all the plays.
• 30:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Eric Gentry in the last year in four games like I think you know we've said this now and we say it on repeat but it's because it's true when Eric Gentry on the field is on the field the defense is just different the defense is just different when Eric Gentries on the field he is as we I mean the the sack thing alone from last year the tacos for lost thing alone six and a half
• 30:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: He didn't even play the major, I mean, he played a fraction of the season, not just less than half of the season, like a fraction of the season, and he still led USC with tackles for loss, which is a problem in itself, but it's like, if you would just said that there's a world where USC's tackle for loss leaders last year, like nobody has more than two, and gentry,
• 30:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: leads the team in tackles for loss simply because he had three you know Yeah, he had six point five from the linebacker spot like that's a pretty good season from the linebacker spot Just straight up and That's in a fraction of a season.
• 31:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm so excited to see him Come in this year and be able to continue to make that kind of that kind of impact he's an impact player yeah and
• 31:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: I if he's on the field, he will be in it.
• 31:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: He will make an impact.
• 31:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is what I'm very certain of.
• 31:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think of when you think of all time great linebacker performances in a game.
• 31:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: uh... i go back to uh... sewer craven to two great games organ state and they issue in twenty fourteen uh... peli a now to take uh... two thousand eighteen against color at a one of the all-time great one game performances us coming on the carcass to be like give this guy to fifty five yep uh... didn't been out but uh... air ten trick into Michigan last year
• 31:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well of tackles, three tackles for loss and a force fumble, a huge force fumble, and then second half gave us a way more than a puncher's chance than when that game.
• 32:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: They should have won the game, right?
• 32:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: He makes plays.
• 32:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's dynamic and on a team that didn't, that
• 32:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: U.S.
• 32:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: got stops to mentally last year.
• 32:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think we felt way better about the defense than we had in previous years, right?
• 32:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like they were way better tackling.
• 32:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: They got stops.
• 32:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: They were a little bent bent don't breaky.
• 32:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: They didn't create a lot of turnovers and negative plays.
• 32:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Have a place.
• 32:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Have a place, right?
• 32:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Eric Gentry, his middle name might as well be havoc.
• 32:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like that, that is what he does.
• 32:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so if you include him in this linebacker core and you have him and Desmond Stevens playing off of each other, I think that will be huge, absolutely huge recipe because like he said, if he's playing, there is no doubt that his impact will be felt in some sort of way.
• 33:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, you think about, I mean, this last year's team,
• 33:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: was was just a couple plays away from from you know winning nine games winning ten games you know and you think about where USC was in terms of you on a team in a sport where twenty two plus players
• 33:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: have to make an impact in every game.
• 33:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's hard to say outside of like a quarterback that a single player is accounting for wins and losses.
• 33:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I think it's pretty clear to me that if USC has Eric Gentry outside of those first four games of the season,
• 33:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Eric Gentry is the difference between winning and losing in several of these games.
• 33:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: The Minnesota game in particular, I think he would have made a huge impact.
• 33:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Minnesota mayor like all of those those get I mean maybe Penn State who the heck knows because it was Penn State but yeah Maryland Washington Minnesota those games against teams that USC just needed your one play to make the difference two plays to make the difference those havoc plays the air gentry can be responsible for like that is the difference between winning and losing and so I don't think you can
• 34:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: I, we can't overstate how important it was that Eric Gentry missed.
• 34:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: What was it?
• 34:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Eight.
• 34:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Nine of the thirteen games last year.
• 34:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: Games and he didn't play in the SRS distribution.
• 34:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's a big role.
• 34:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 34:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Three tackles there.
• 34:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: What wasn't his biggest performance, but he hadn't played in three months.
• 34:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I, yeah.
• 34:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not gonna hold that against him.
• 34:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: No.
• 34:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 34:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right.
• 34:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: A lot of, a lot of people in the chat saying that we've got,
• 34:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I actually think this is a case of optimistic Alicia.
• 34:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 34:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Alicia, let's turn the tide because I think your last two might be a little bit on the opposite of that might have to play this.
• 35:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Alicia, Alicia, why were people mad at you for your seven certainties on social media?
• 35:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Why were people mad at you?
• 35:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: You've been so optimistic through five.
• 35:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 35:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: What's number six?
• 35:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Eric Gentry is going to misgames the injury.
• 35:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's gonna miss at least one game with injury.
• 35:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry.
• 35:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's just gonna happen.
• 35:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not rooting for this.
• 35:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not wishing for this to happen.
• 35:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm absolutely praying this doesn't happen.
• 35:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Nothing will make me happier to be wrong than this.
• 35:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I've also been around the block long enough.
• 35:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I've been a USC fans since I was thirteen years old.
• 35:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: I am now correct me if I'm wrong Michael.
• 35:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Am I thirty five?
• 35:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: Am I thirty six yet?
• 35:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Remember you turn thirty six next month.
• 35:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I turn thirty six.
• 35:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
• 35:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: So more than you know we're talking more than twenty years of being emotionally invested in this football team.
• 36:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: I have I have gone through this way too many times.
• 36:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I am older and wiser.
• 36:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I have turned a corner when it comes to injury prone players.
• 36:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Which is to say.
• 36:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: I no longer
• 36:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: in my emotional investment on injury from players.
• 36:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: No.
• 36:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: Twenty-fifteen.
• 36:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Trey Madden.
• 36:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's healthy guys.
• 36:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's the guy.
• 36:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's he's he's matching Marcus Allen for his is you know early early season running like this is the season.
• 36:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Trey Madden for high-spin and he's injured.
• 36:36
  [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
• 36:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Daniel and my baby guys when he's healthy dude he's going to be a star when he's healthy he's going to be the one of the best tightens the u.s he's had since Fred Davis when he's healthy this is going to see if if they can just get him healthy he's in what he's injured again wait he never got healthy he's still injured three seasons in a row of the injuries
• 37:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: And those are just like two examples.
• 37:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a million, that's a million examples of like if they can just keep this guy injured, keep this guy healthy, if they can just keep this guy healthy, if this guy can just be healthy, all of these things, every single year.
• 37:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Port Augustine, if he can just say healthy, no, he's injured.
• 37:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, who are the, there's been a long string of running backs that are just like, if Alan Bradford is healthy, he's going to be the guy.
• 37:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: If CJ Gable is healthy, he's going to be the guy if,
• 37:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, all of these, all of these over and over and over and over again.
• 37:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's just like you have to build in an expectation that if a player has missed a game or two, every single season of their college career, four years running, then you cannot go into your five and think, yeah, they're gonna play every single game.
• 37:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're gonna be healthy for every single game.
• 37:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry, it's just, I'm not betting on it.
• 37:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm actively preparing myself for that.
• 38:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I get it if people are uncomfortable with the idea of sort of predicting that players will be injured.
• 38:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Unfortunately, this is football and I think players injuries are a part of the game.
• 38:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Every team deals with injuries.
• 38:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: In fact,
• 38:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: part of winning comes down to how lucky we talk about turnover luck and how there's only so much you can control about that like injury luck plays a significant role in the outcome of any given season across the board.
• 38:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah across the board.
• 38:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you told me right now that USC will make it through this season with all five starting lineman, healthy, certain offensive lineman, healthy, the whole way through and that USC was able to start the same five every game through the beginning to the end of the season, I would tell you that USC is going to be competing for the big ten title.
• 38:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: because just be, despite all of my misgivings about this offensive line, that level of health makes such a big difference from an offensive line perspective.
• 39:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's the same on defense with the linebackers.
• 39:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: USC has had too many linebackers who
• 39:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: have been just injury prone and every time USC needs the linebackers to be ready and available.
• 39:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Uh, the injuries just happen.
• 39:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: They just do happen.
• 39:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's, and, and, and I'm sorry to say it's, it's not just air gentry.
• 39:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, we talk about McCy lemon like, I worry about McCy lemon at this point because two seasons running.
• 39:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: McCy lemon is not been able to make it through the whole season.
• 39:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: I will say I don't think my Kylements is a lack of availability is quite the same.
• 39:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's freshman year.
• 39:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: He misses four games, but he also was a depth rotational guy.
• 39:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know.
• 39:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: But wasn't it a hamstring injury?
• 39:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm just going to be honest.
• 39:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Anytime any player has a hamstring injury or any kind of muscle pull.
• 39:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just, I get really nervous about their ability to not have more muscle related injuries the rest of the way.
• 40:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just, it's just the trends.
• 40:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's just the trends.
• 40:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think what makes Eric Gentry so difficult is it's the concussions.
• 40:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, unfortunately, this is a reality of concussions.
• 40:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Once you get, once you get them, it's harder to avoid them.
• 40:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, I don't know that it's harder to avoid them as much as it is.
• 40:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, every subsequent one is prone to be worse.
• 40:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
• 40:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: And damage your ability to continue playing because it gets riskier and riskier.
• 40:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: And with their entry, I think everybody, you and me included want to see them on the field.
• 40:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: at the same time we want to see him healthy and we want to see him, you know, hanging out with this grandkids fifty years from now and always going to think, right?
• 40:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I want, I want USC to do right by Eric Gentry.
• 40:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I want Eric Gentry to do right by Eric Gentry.
• 41:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so in that sense, as costly as it was to lose him last season, I am grateful that they shut him down.
• 41:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: That was not a, that was not an easy decision to make.
• 41:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, we've seen a lot of players, you know, across all levels of the sport.
• 41:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 41:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hard time shutting it down when when the question of, is it safe for them to go back out and play?
• 41:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is, I think it was helpful that he had the red shirt here.
• 41:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, absolutely.
• 41:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: I, I wonder if he doesn't have the red shirt here.
• 41:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Does he push it?
• 41:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, unfortunately players
• 41:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: often do push it and often face the comp, you know, the comp, the unfortunate consequences of, you know, this is a sport where if you're going to be playing it, it sort of demands that you put yourself at risk and that sucks.
• 41:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's the worst thing about this sport.
• 41:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, thankfully he did have that red shirt season that was able that was allowed them to take a more conservative approach with him.
• 42:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: uh... having said that you know i would hope that they treat him with kids gloves in in this season and and this is one of the things that i'm frustrated about with the decision to not be aggressive with with linebacker uh... transfers for this year because u.s.
• 42:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: linebacker room is again in a position where
• 42:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, you can't afford really to have air country not on the field.
• 42:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: You can't really afford to protect him in terms of how many reps he has during a game.
• 42:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think Jaden Walker, there's a lot of buzz about him.
• 42:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so it would be nice if they were able to form a little bit of a rotation there.
• 42:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm very curious about what the plan for Anthony Beavers is.
• 42:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: As far as whether or not he is going to be a break glass in case of emergency type option or if he's actually going to be part of that rotation to me Robinson is a big question mark for me in terms of are they ready to have him go straight from the transfer to being
• 43:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: a member of that rotation.
• 43:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I have a lot of questions about the depth on this there's there's more bodies than US has had no in a little while, but like what is the viability of those bodies?
• 43:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think has still has yet to be answered.
• 43:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to have to find out
• 43:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: the viability of some of those bodies at the back end of that unit because I would love for gentry and Stevens and Walker to just be the three that go through the season.
• 43:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm just, you know, I'm not naive.
• 43:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think you have to prepare yourself for the inevitability
• 43:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: of having to dip into that depth, likely because you just never know what's going to happen with Eric Gentry, but you also never know what's going to happen with any of these players.
• 43:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, profit brown, we were counseling him in as the starting nickel and then, you know, shit happens in football.
• 43:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: And we'll get to that in a few minutes here.
• 43:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 43:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right, what's your last certainty?
• 43:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: What do you got?
• 44:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: USC is going to regret losing him annual pregnant big time.
• 44:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think this offensive line is, I've talked a lot about the offensive line.
• 44:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's my biggest uncertainty on the season.
• 44:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: I want to make it clear that I am not certain that the offensive line will be bad.
• 44:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like if I was certain about that, it would be on the list.
• 44:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: What is my issue with the office of the line is how uncertain I am about what they will be at all because I think there is a universe where good coaching and good scouting has put us in a position where the guys that they have ready to play are ready to play and ready to play at a high level.
• 44:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: There is a universe where that's the case.
• 44:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: But that universe is not a guarantee.
• 44:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I think there's another universe where USC is calling on players who aren't ready to play next year, or the year after, but maybe not right now.
• 45:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they don't have a lot of secondary options on this offensive line in case of emergency.
• 45:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: For instance, like Alani Noah is in a battle in camp right now with Kaylon Miller, the walk on red shirt freshman.
• 45:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think you go into the season expecting Alana Noah to be locked in, he's your starter at right guard.
• 45:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: And if Alana Noah is not ready for that responsibility, if Alana Noah is not at that level yet, your options to replace him become rather limited.
• 45:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: You can start K-lon Miller.
• 45:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he earns that job,
• 45:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would, you know, I love a good walk on story.
• 45:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: If he earns that job, then more power to him.
• 45:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'd love to see him succeed.
• 45:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, but there's a possibility that you slide somebody else over to you, you know, have uh, uh, Justin Tan who, who
• 46:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: move over to you.
• 46:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, no, no, no, no, no.
• 46:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sorry.
• 46:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'll get that right one day.
• 46:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, I think Tobias Raymond has played guard.
• 46:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, you know, you could you could slide one of them over and and see what happens.
• 46:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: But now your depth at tackle is
• 46:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: is very low and what happens if Tobias Raymond isn't ready for that responsibility and what happens if Justin town who isn't responsible for that responsibility.
• 46:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: You're just you're juggling a lot of pieces and you don't have a lot to sort of add to the mix.
• 46:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: That lack of
• 46:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: That is a major concern, and a major part of that lack of depth is having losing pregnant, bringing in wingfield, having wingfield be declared ineligible.
• 46:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: And just the dominoes that have fallen there have left USC in a really tenuous position.
• 46:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, I don't know the inside story on Pragnon.
• 47:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, there's talk of like U.S.
• 47:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: He gave him a deal and then he reneged and wanted more.
• 47:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's talk of tampering that may have happened or didn't happen.
• 47:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's, you know, did U.S.
• 47:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: see have an actual chance to bring him back or was his mind made up to leave?
• 47:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
• 47:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
• 47:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I think that when all is said and done, we will look back at this season and say that if USC had aggressively made it their mission to make sure that they weren't going to lose pregnant on, that the season would be would end up being more positive.
• 47:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 47:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: because I do think the offensive line chances are the offensive line will be a problem whether it's a season long problem or a problem in a game that USC loses specifically because that's their problem at that moment.
• 47:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Whatever it comes down to be the offensive line is very likely to be a problem that costs USC games this year.
• 48:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and pregnant could have been potentially the difference in that.
• 48:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, a hundred percent as he was able to
• 48:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: managed the offensive line last year.
• 48:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Wasn't certainly was a problem, right?
• 48:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was a problem against Michigan, but they were able to mitigate that, especially in the second half against Michigan.
• 48:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: But they had John Amhanheim, who has been exceptional for the Jags so far in the preseason.
• 48:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: They had manual prognum and those are two guys who are no longer here and now Sort of SCS to sort of put together an entry for this season that has SC's offensive line sort of as an underdog and at least yeah, I don't know about you, but
• 48:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: that kind of reminds me of what's going on with underdog fantasy.
• 48:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because in baseball, the season is coming down to the wire.
• 49:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And yes, I know it's all guess the angels have nothing to do with it.
• 49:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm sorry.
• 49:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: typical August, right?
• 49:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: But everybody else is competing.
• 49:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: The cops might be trash lately.
• 49:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: That doesn't mean that you can't be optimistic or pessimistic over an underdog fantasy, which is my favorite daily fantasy app.
• 49:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: Underdog has more than a hundred thousand five star reviews, millions of players join the masses.
• 49:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And download the app today.
• 49:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: I am super excited because
• 49:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: As, you know, the podcast resident ball-nower and pessimistic cubs fan, I am having a blast on underdog this week.
• 49:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Kyle Tucker, a staff projection of seven and a half fantasy points.
• 49:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going lower.
• 49:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Pete Crow Armstrong struggling at the dish.
• 49:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Combined one-and-a-half hits, runs, RBIs, is the projection?
• 50:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going lower.
• 50:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: This way, against the blue chase, tonight you can go over on an underdog fantasy.
• 50:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Has a mistake, Michael, isn't it?
• 50:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: I know, but hey, underdog fantasy, you can beat past a mystic that's higher or lower.
• 50:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Just that projections, baby.
• 50:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can play it as little as a bucket.
• 50:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you get everything right, you can win up to a thousand times your money is a turn a dollar into a thousand just by knowing ball.
• 50:26
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• 50:29
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• 50:32
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• 50:38
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• 50:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: It must be eighteen plus nineteen plus an Alabama and Nebraska nineteen plus in Colorado for some games twenty one plus an Arizona Massachusetts president state or underdog fantasy operates terms apply concern with your play call what a hundred gambler visits and to be gambling that org
• 50:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: And Arizona called one eight hundred next step or text next step to five two two four two in New York called the twenty four seven hope line at one eight seven seven eight hope and why or text hope and why.
• 51:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: At least it is time to get to the news.
• 51:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: The news is not all good for the Trojans, um, profit brown, um, was someone hoping that, you know, SC was hoping that he would speak the gospel to them defensively, and profit brown, unfortunately, can have to miss.
• 51:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Half the season, this is according to Lincoln Riley last week, announced to the media, Chris Dravenio posted that on Twitter, Lincoln Riley, announces that senior defensive back prophet Brown has suffered an injury, will miss at least the first half of the season.
• 51:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Brown, the projection starter at Nickel was seen in crutches at practice.
• 52:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I see, this is not good.
• 52:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: This sucks, I mean, Henry's suck, man.
• 52:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: A Prophet Brown is a guy who...
• 52:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: I have expected to transfer each of the last two years.
• 52:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: It didn't look like he was up there in the in the pecking order of corners and I had been excited about him when he when he came to USC as a recruit and I had high hopes for him and he was just not breaking through and so I sort of assumed like a lot of guys that when if they don't break through eventually they get to a point where they move on.
• 52:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Crawford Brown stuck around and it was going to pay off for him.
• 52:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: He I mean he was locked and loaded.
• 52:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: for that nickel spot and I was excited to see what he could do in that spot and you know this injury just sucks
• 52:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hopefully he'll be back for the second half of the season, but, you know, you never know.
• 52:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: You never know how long it'll take for him to get fully recovered and then also get fully back up to speed and what USC's sort of defensive departure will look like at that point and whether or not he's gonna be able to go back in and re-command a starting job.
• 53:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: I really hope that he's able to get through this quickly and hit the ground running.
• 53:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: But man, that just this is just you hate it.
• 53:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: You hate it.
• 53:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: You hate it.
• 53:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: And unfortunately, this is, you know, spring camp fall camp.
• 53:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: These are the realities.
• 53:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's always somebody
• 53:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's always a projected starter injuries.
• 53:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's just like we've said, it's part of the sport, it's part of the game.
• 53:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you got to cross your fingers and hope that you avoid as many as possible, and that the guys who do get injuries, like at least with Brown, it's like it's not a season ending injury, so plus side there.
• 53:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, but as an injury predictor yourself,
• 53:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: This is what I think stinks, right?
• 53:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because it's a position of need.
• 53:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think, you know, SE's secondary, if we're talking about, you know, my list of certainties, one of them would have to be that the secondary is probably going to be one of the leading units on this team.
• 54:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: They were last year, right?
• 54:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: But jail and spit this gone.
• 54:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: You lost some key guys at corner.
• 54:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: And profit brown, decarlos, nickelsin, those are guys that we're gonna, you know, absolutely step in there and decarlos, nickelsin has been turned in heads in camp by all accounts.
• 54:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: But at nickel, this sort of brings forth the idea of Kamari Ramsey maybe moving over there.
• 54:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it had to be interesting to see how sort of it all comes together.
• 54:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: You talked about the lack of certainty.
• 54:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 54:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm certain that USC will have a good secondary because I trust the coaches there and I trust the personnel that USC has coming coming through.
• 54:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think USC has depth there that I'm relatively confident in.
• 54:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: But there's a huge uncertainty in the fact of like, what are those five?
• 55:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: What are the five?
• 55:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, we know it's Camaro Ramsey.
• 55:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: We suspect it's Bishop Fitzgerald.
• 55:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: DJ Harvey is pretty, it would be very shocking if DJ Harvey wasn't a starter.
• 55:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: So you've got sort of three certainties.
• 55:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then the second
• 55:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would say the Carlos Dickleson feels like a pretty strong fourth guy.
• 55:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: But you don't know because Marcelo's Williams and Jason Johnson have also been turning heads a little bit, have also been part of that competition.
• 55:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Um, profit brown was going to be in that competition, just sort of like slotted in for the the nickel.
• 55:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now Alex Graham the refreshman has been getting some sort of name drops about whether or not he's going to be able to compete in that group now for the nickel or sort of in a rotation rotation spot.
• 55:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: Do they end up identifying a new person who's going to be their primary nickel do they slide over.
• 55:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: come out ramsy do they slide over bishop for sterled what does that mean for christian peers what does that mean for kennity or lacquer what does that mean for the freshman the the freshman safeties like uh... uh... steve miller and like markies geiosen and uh... artisermans and yeah uh... yeah and there's just so so many like
• 56:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: The uncertainty there is like, I don't actually know what the five or what a two deep looks like for this group.
• 56:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not in the bad way, like sometimes I feel like whether you guys is off his blind, but in the, I would have a hard time sort of listing out and being certain about like yet.
• 56:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: One hundred percent of Carlos Nicholson is going to be the starter.
• 56:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: I suspect the Carlos Nicholson will be the starter alongside DJ Harvey simply because he's a returning senior.
• 56:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I always default to the the older the player is the more likely they are going to be at that starting job.
• 56:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 56:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: But there's a lot of you know who knows.
• 56:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: I. I was thinking about this.
• 57:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Sorry to get side tracks, but.
• 57:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: mentioned RJ sermons it just sort of popped in my head RJ sermons his dad Rodney sermons played with RJ sour do you know what RJ sour's name was is Rodney
• 57:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh yeah.
• 57:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Rodney J. The name J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J. J
• 57:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you are profit brown, you registered in twenty twenty one.
• 58:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: You don't get the covid year because you you didn't he was a twenty twenty one sign he.
• 58:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: He registered in twenty twenty one.
• 58:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: He twenty twenty twenty twenty twenty twenty twenty twenty twenty twenty twenty four three years.
• 58:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: This was going to be his fourth and final year of eligibility.
• 58:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Does it.
• 58:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Does it be who him to sort of roll the dice on a medical register and look to come back in twenty twenty six.
• 58:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's something they have to consider.
• 58:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's I don't know what's going on in his brain or what he sees for his future, but it's definitely something I pondered that there's a universe where
• 58:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, depending on how long it takes him to get back, depending on the severity of the injury, and we just don't know that we don't know even what the injury exactly is.
• 58:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is there an argument for him to, you know?
• 58:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think the book on twenty twenty five and focus on twenty twenty six.
• 58:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't, I mean, I don't know.
• 58:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a question.
• 58:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think it's going to depend how the season goes and how that injury goes, right?
• 59:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like if it's truly half the season, and after six games, he feels good.
• 59:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And defense needs him.
• 59:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: Then by all means, allow profit Brown to be the divine intervention on the season.
• 59:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right?
• 59:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: If not, if, you know, the starters have emerged and they're pretty strong.
• 59:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: S.E.
• 59:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: is figured out a way not to have him in the mix.
• 59:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: And if you're profit brown, you're wanting to put together a red shirt seen your season that is truly, you know, able to, you know, propel you to, you know, playing on Sunday and all that stuff.
• 59:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that didn't, didn't make sense to pursue a medical red shirt.
• 59:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: So, uh, we're going to say, as Andrew and the chat says, everything is so up in the other season.
• 59:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
• 59:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 59:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's all up in the air.
• 59:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Uh, other sort of camp little quick hits here.
• 59:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um,
• 59:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hot Returner one right now is Mackay Lemon, Put Returner two is the Carious Williams.
• 1:00:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: Your thoughts there?
• 1:00:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Somebody in the chat earlier was asking why people are so nervous about Mackay being the Put Returner.
• 1:00:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 1:00:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it was fighting on MC.
• 1:00:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is that the sentiment?
• 1:00:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because I mean, personally, if he's good, if he's good, build and punch.
• 1:00:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: What a Mac there.
• 1:00:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's how I feel.
• 1:00:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that you want the ball in the hands of your best playmakers as often as possible.
• 1:00:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I maybe data says otherwise, but I would wager that guys get injured on third and ten, just as often as they do, going back and returning a punt.
• 1:00:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: I understand concerns around special teams and all that kind of stuff, but when it comes to returners.
• 1:00:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I am much more open to just no yeah he's a he's a he's a playmaker get get the ball in his hand and let him roll.
• 1:01:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not concerned about plant returners or kick returners getting injured.
• 1:01:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: I am concerned about other special teams guys like the the gunners and all that kind of stuff getting injured.
• 1:01:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's a bigger like special teams coverage.
• 1:01:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I think we could have a conversation about how many starters should be doing those jobs.
• 1:01:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you can get away with not having starters doing those jobs, but for returnmen.
• 1:01:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, let me go.
• 1:01:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, if he's gonna get hurt, he's gonna get hurt, right?
• 1:01:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, just as easily hurt doing something in offense, right?
• 1:01:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're only talking about a few plays, a game to put out there.
• 1:01:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: And for the most part, he's probably gonna be fair catching most of the balls anyway, right?
• 1:01:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, that's just how punts go, right?
• 1:01:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, yeah, I don't mind it.
• 1:01:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do think there's a world in which you don't want your guy, your starter,
• 1:01:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: feeling punts, but to me, that's if you have a dire situation where like you've lost other receivers.
• 1:02:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: then yeah, maybe you need to protect them at all costs, but even, that's a specific case.
• 1:02:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: If McIleman is really good at returning, allow them to return, right?
• 1:02:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Just just let them do it.
• 1:02:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Shotgun tweeted out earlier this week.
• 1:02:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: When asked about position battles that are particularly close, Lincoln Riley said, the interior of the defensive line will be, quote, interesting to see since some guys have been banged up and everyone is healthy now.
• 1:02:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not sure what that means.
• 1:02:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm not either, but I think the biggest takeaway is everyone is healthy on the defensive line.
• 1:02:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that's big.
• 1:02:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 1:02:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: I, yeah, I don't mind this.
• 1:02:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would be, I think that when you look at USC's two deep on the defensive line, I'm happy for there to be some competition there.
• 1:02:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: I wish I had a better sense of like, what positions were talking about?
• 1:03:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like are we talking about like, John Gerard's pushing Kishan silver or are we talking about
• 1:03:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: you know gd adversaries pushing deventomkins are we talking about like braille and shelby and camp fountain going back and forth are we talking about jukim store getting in the mix to start like I don't know what I don't know what talking about but it should be everything to see I agree I agree again
• 1:03:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know.
• 1:03:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: The other news to mention is that the AP polls, preseason, uh, version is outs and the Trojans again are not ranked.
• 1:03:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Uh, first time since the twenty-nineteen, the SE is not ranked in the preseason AP poll, the Trojans are thirtieth.
• 1:03:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: They are fifth in the others receiving votes category of, uh, of names.
• 1:03:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Uh, SE was what, twenty-nineth in the, the coach's poll.
• 1:03:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Same thing.
• 1:03:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: We did get a comment from last week on YouTube, from Casu, that says, regarding YSC's unranked in the coach's pool.
• 1:04:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's one point you didn't mention.
• 1:04:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's a national narrative around our head coach, especially after a seven and five and six and six season.
• 1:04:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: It can't just be the quarterback.
• 1:04:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Look at many teams in the top twenty five have new and unproven quarterbacks.
• 1:04:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I absolutely, I would also say that like the on the SES coming off of a seven and five, six and six season.
• 1:04:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I think there's pessimism about SES a program and that includes Lincoln Riley could seize.
• 1:04:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: the coach of the program, right?
• 1:04:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that you look at it in twenty twenty two.
• 1:04:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: S.C.
• 1:04:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: was coming off of what were they in twenty twenty one four and eight five five five four and eight.
• 1:04:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: I removed that season from my for my brain right and yet they were still like preseason number fifteen the AP polar whatever it was.
• 1:04:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: And that was in part because of the trust.
• 1:04:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: in Lincoln Riley, the trust in SE's transfer class, and SE finished the season right just about there after losing the cotton ball.
• 1:05:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: So like it improved to be correct, right?
• 1:05:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: But in part, there was a lot of trust in Lincoln Riley.
• 1:05:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that
• 1:05:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Right now, I think it's less about, SC spot is less about specifically Lincoln Riley or specifically the lack of a true returning quarterback that played all of last season.
• 1:05:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Then SC was seven and five and six and six and yes, a big part of that is because of Lincoln Riley.
• 1:05:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: When we were talking about the
• 1:05:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Unproven quarterback stuff and quarterback's getting a bump.
• 1:05:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think we're just speaking in general, not like it's not that teams without returning quarterbacks can't be ranked high.
• 1:05:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: They absolutely can, but that is a factor in why some teams get the better for the doubt than others.
• 1:05:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: When you're doing these rankings, it's you're putting together a pros and cons list, right?
• 1:05:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: And a returning quarterback will always be worth a few points on that pros list.
• 1:06:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I think that's the big thing is that what we're seeing is that USD isn't getting the benefit of the doubt in a way that a lot of other teams are.
• 1:06:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Trojan fight mentions Oklahoma.
• 1:06:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, LSU is getting the benefit of the doubt heavily Michigan is getting the benefit of the doubt.
• 1:06:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of teams that are getting the benefit of the doubt that USC is not.
• 1:06:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: The reason for that is, yes, the quarterback, I agree.
• 1:06:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: that it is skepticism about Lincoln Riley.
• 1:06:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: I also think, and this is also talent level, those things about recruiting at CMB.
• 1:06:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I mean, if you look at like the blue ship ratio, U.S.
• 1:06:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: he's up there in the blue ship ratio, so which is why U.S.
• 1:06:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: he should, like, I think that, for instance, like Josh Pate has his, his ranking, his top twenty five.
• 1:06:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: He has U.S.
• 1:06:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: he number fifteen.
• 1:06:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 1:06:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he, he put on Twitter APP voters, APP voters will regret the day they ever had U.S.
• 1:07:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: he ranked thirty.
• 1:07:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm inclined to agree with him in the sense that like USC when they are this, when they are like this, USU should probably always just be ranked somewhere in the fifteen to twenty five ranked, just sort of like shake it up and throw them in there because the fact is that USC's blue chip talent ratio is still high enough.
• 1:07:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: To argue that they are just a top twenty to twenty five team regardless of the skepticism that you might have about the quarterback about the head coach and all that kind of stuff.
• 1:07:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: There was a lot of skepticism about Clay Hilton every year and yet USC kept getting ranked you know in Clay Hilton seasons.
• 1:07:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: The reason I'm not necessarily complaining about USC not being ranked even though I do think there's absolutely an argument to rank them is because of the conversation we continue to have.
• 1:07:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: The uncertainty level is just too high with too many positions here.
• 1:07:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And U.S.
• 1:07:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't have enough household names to sort of mask that.
• 1:08:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: We all know that Chicobe Lane is a hell of a player, and we all know that McCy Lemon is a hell of a player, and we all know that Eric Gentry and Khmer Ramsey are stars, but they're not nationally known names.
• 1:08:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're not guys that are coming up in all American conversations.
• 1:08:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so when people look at this roster for USC, I don't think they see a lot of names that stand out to them.
• 1:08:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: and I think they look at things like the offensive line and see my concerns about the offensive line.
• 1:08:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not me specifically just like the the things that I've been pointing out about it and they think to themselves like well I'm not gonna bet on USC dealing you know with this offensive line question with the way that they lost games last year all this kind of stuff so there's a lot of reasons to doubt USC and those are fair reasons.
• 1:08:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: I also think that the level of doubt.
• 1:08:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: relative to what other teams are getting away with in terms of expectations around them is U.S.E.
• 1:08:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: is getting the short end of the stick there when it comes to the rankings.
• 1:09:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: I agree with Pate that the U.S.E.
• 1:09:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: is more likely to end up the season being a top twenty five team.
• 1:09:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: than not is what I'll say.
• 1:09:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: So let's preface everything that I say about USC for the record.
• 1:09:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: It might sound doom and gloom sometimes, but like preface this from the perspective of I expect USC to finish the season ranked.
• 1:09:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's for me, the doom and gloom comes in is USC ranked twenty if or is USC ranked.
• 1:09:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: you know, like there's a big gap there and and some of these questions that I have are the ones that that sort of bring that gap to me, but you know, you look at some of these teams that are that have lost a lot of guys and that have a lot of question marks that are getting ranked, you know, way up there like, you know, the Florida is in the
• 1:09:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: and the Oklahoma's and the Texas A&M's and and all of these you know Tennessee like I think there's like there's buzz about those things for different reasons yeah Florida yeah the record wasn't great but they like they also had a solid second half of the season
• 1:10:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: And there are people who think that DJ Laiway is the best quarterback in the country.
• 1:10:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, yeah.
• 1:10:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then Oklahoma got the best quarterback in the transfer portal.
• 1:10:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: And LSU has Garrett Nospire, who has potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
• 1:10:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:10:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think S.E.
• 1:10:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: just lacks an off-season buzz store.
• 1:10:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because the things that we're excited about about U.S.E football are not the things that give Rando's entire hood the vapors.
• 1:10:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 1:10:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, exactly.
• 1:10:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, like you said, Mario Ramsey just nationally unknown, unfortunately.
• 1:10:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: And, and S.C.
• 1:10:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: didn't bring in a Caleb Williams, right?
• 1:10:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, in the transfer portal in terms of a name brand.
• 1:10:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think Bishop Fitzgerald and, and he Sean Silver and John Jarrett and all those guy, D.J.
• 1:11:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Harvey, Jason Johnson.
• 1:11:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think those are guys who will absolutely pay dividends in some sense this year.
• 1:11:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: But where they guys that were making the New York Times in a story probably not, right?
• 1:11:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: But there probably was a John material article.
• 1:11:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, especially this week.
• 1:11:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 1:11:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, right.
• 1:11:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: In the New York Times.
• 1:11:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:11:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Let's wrap this thing up with a mail back.
• 1:11:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: You've got mail.
• 1:11:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: All right.
• 1:11:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: We got any mail from Tony.
• 1:11:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: Michael, Alicia, this is Tony from the North PA.
• 1:11:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hey, I caught your podcast last week.
• 1:11:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: You guys were talking about the depth of the offensive line, and Alicia was very concerned, especially having a couple walk-ons that we might need to step in and get serious playing time.
• 1:11:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Alicia, I say, don't worry so much, because you never know when a walk-on becomes one of the all-time greatest walk-ons in the history of college football.
• 1:11:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Not only that, then he goes on to become a NFL,
• 1:12:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: uh... and pro bowler six time pro baller but gets a word winner a suitable champ and he still holds the sack record for the green bay packers none of the claymathies the third at least it don't fret so much we're gonna be okay also the interior profit browns was horrible news he had to see that hopefully he can get back uh... by the second half of the season fight on Tony and the nora p.a.
• 1:12:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: at least he yeah like come on like
• 1:12:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: Don't, SC is, you know, do for another clay Matthews and Lincoln Riley's do for another Baker May field here.
• 1:12:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would love it.
• 1:12:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would love it.
• 1:12:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And honestly, like, I'll do respect to, to give some respect to Kaylon Miller.
• 1:12:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that he is the type of walk-on who could end up being that, you know, shock-surprise that nobody saw coming because he was a defensive lineman that has now converted to offensive lineman.
• 1:12:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so yeah, maybe there wasn't maybe the scouting on him as a defensive lineman wasn't looking at him as a big time prospect, but once he changes position and goes to offensive line, maybe finds his spot, uses his sort of size and strength to become a really good player there.
• 1:13:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it's entirely possible that he ends up being a really good player.
• 1:13:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's also entirely possible that he's a walk on for a reason and that walk on's tend not to be in your two deep because walk on's tend not to be in your two deep for a reason.
• 1:13:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so yeah, give me the next claim afterwards.
• 1:13:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Please, please, I'd love it.
• 1:13:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Sign me up for that yesterday.
• 1:13:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: I just pulled up an article that NCAA dot com put out there.
• 1:13:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: Eighteen of the best walk-ons in college football history.
• 1:13:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm just going to read off some of the names here.
• 1:13:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Stets and Bennett Baker Mayfield, Matt McGloin, Hunter Renfrow.
• 1:13:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Jared Appaders from Wisconsin.
• 1:13:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: Clay Matthews.
• 1:14:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: JJ Watt.
• 1:14:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's a lot more guys on the list, but those are like some of the big hitters, name wise.
• 1:14:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: These are recurring theme with any of those guys.
• 1:14:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: undersized white dudes.
• 1:14:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Right.
• 1:14:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, yeah, which Caleb Miller is not so sorry to him.
• 1:14:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's a bit of a way.
• 1:14:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: JJ what?
• 1:14:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like he was a walk-on because I think he played hockey at Central Michigan, right?
• 1:14:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:14:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so like his story is a little bit different.
• 1:14:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: But like the other dudes, like these are your prototypes.
• 1:14:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'll go like he's in the gym every day.
• 1:14:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: But again, like that's, so, JJ, why does the good example here?
• 1:14:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Because he was, I'm looking at his Wikipedia, so he was a two-star recruit, but he was sort of like a tweener in the sense of like, is he a tight end or a defense vent?
• 1:14:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like it wasn't quite clear.
• 1:14:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: He had done, he was,
• 1:15:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: He had done a lot of different sports and he wasn't necessarily like football wasn't the end all be all necessarily so he starts out as a tight end.
• 1:15:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: They suggest moving him to offensive tackle and then he ends up being a walk on defensive end.
• 1:15:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that like what position does he play question being the reason that he wasn't a full fledged like, you know, people didn't recognize how great he could become at the time.
• 1:15:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: That could be the Kayla Miller story.
• 1:15:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: It really could be.
• 1:15:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I would love it to be.
• 1:15:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: The problem is like the, you know, the incident Blake can put together a list of like the seventeen best walk-ons in and civil history.
• 1:15:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: They can't do the like, you know,
• 1:15:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: five hundred best, you know, three star recruits because you'd there's just many, many, many, many, many, many more examples of three star or four star guys who have gone on to be really good football players, you know, it's it's about it's about like probability.
• 1:16:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: I could go to John Meteer and ask him to have him put money on USC winning the national title this year.
• 1:16:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: And that bet could pay off for me.
• 1:16:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: It could theoretically.
• 1:16:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you know, the stranger things have happened.
• 1:16:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Let Lester won the Premier League.
• 1:16:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 1:16:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm not going to rule anything out.
• 1:16:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Why did they win the Premier League though?
• 1:16:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because Edn has our beat spurs.
• 1:16:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, there you go.
• 1:16:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, why did they win the Premier League?
• 1:16:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because they just happen to have, they didn't season where everyone else was bad.
• 1:16:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: Everyone else was bad, and the team that they won the Premier League with, you look at the players that were on that team.
• 1:16:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: They all went, I mean, they were some really damn good players, you know, it turned out.
• 1:16:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, that's the position that USC could find themselves in is nobody expects them, and then suddenly they go and do it all.
• 1:17:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: But the probability is that USC will not win the national title this year.
• 1:17:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: So that's just sort of where I'm coming from is I am certainly not really out kale on Miller being a hell of a player for USC.
• 1:17:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think it is more likely that the walk on is a walk on for a reason, but I would love to be proven wrong.
• 1:17:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: I just found an image and I'm trying to figure, oh, I know how to do it.
• 1:17:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have to get this image on here for YouTube viewers.
• 1:17:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I was scrolling down through this article and they have the
• 1:17:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Here it goes.
• 1:17:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: Here's for watching this on YouTube.
• 1:17:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Brandon Bullsworth.
• 1:17:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: He's the inspiration behind the Bullsworth trophy credit in twenty ten in an incredible career at Arkansas the late nineteen nineties.
• 1:18:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: This picture.
• 1:18:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: I at least you can't see this.
• 1:18:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: I just pulled up the YouTube so I will find.
• 1:18:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Is this an incredible picture?
• 1:18:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: It just popped up.
• 1:18:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: Those glasses are fantastic.
• 1:18:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Amazing.
• 1:18:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Everything about this photo is chef's kiss.
• 1:18:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: The expression, the see-through jersey, the giant shoulder pads, the chin strap, the mat, what will the kitchen have?
• 1:18:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: The mouthguard or whatever?
• 1:18:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
• 1:18:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, yeah.
• 1:18:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: The mouthguard that is straps to the face mask?
• 1:18:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:18:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
• 1:18:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
• 1:18:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's incredible.
• 1:18:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely incredible.
• 1:18:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Anyways.
• 1:18:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: Over there, we'll be back Monday to preview the offense, U.S.
• 1:18:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: C's offense.
• 1:18:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Led by Jaylin, Jade Mayabba, and Mikhail Levin, Kope Lane, a very exciting running-back room, women Jordan, Eli Sanders.
• 1:19:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: We'll get into that on Monday, four p.m.
• 1:19:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: Pacific live on YouTube on Monday.
• 1:19:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then Wednesday, at the same time as we record now, Wednesday, four PM, we're going to do the defense.
• 1:19:18
  [SPEAKER_02]: So the offense preview, defensive preview, and then the following Monday, at least here.
• 1:19:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Surprise, it's crazy that it's already here.
• 1:19:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: But the following Monday is going to be our season predictions episode, the twenty fifth of August, and two weeks from today.
• 1:19:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: I first gained preview the year.
• 1:19:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: SC and Missouri State coming up at the Coliseum on August thirty.
• 1:19:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: We're getting close.
• 1:19:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: Seventeen days away, but we're going to preview it two weeks from now and then we'll have a car cast that night after the SC and Missouri State Bears game.
• 1:19:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Last stuff coming to you here on Retro Radio make sure that you're subscribed hit the little bell so you get notifications there on YouTube Make sure you subscribe don't apple podcasts Spotify wherever you listen to us
• 1:20:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: And go check out our audio only episode round table that we put out with Kenny and Jake earlier this week that we had a blast.
• 1:20:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's a two-parter.
• 1:20:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: There is a second part over at the Witzburn Center.
• 1:20:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: So go listen to that as well.
• 1:20:27
  [SPEAKER_02]: But until then, we will see ya!
• 1:20:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: See ya!
• 1:20:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: See ya!