7-19-24 McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning Hour 1: SEC Media Days Bonus Material: Garrett Nussmeier, Danny Stutsman, DJ Shockley, T-Bob Hebert
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7 o'clock here on McElroy and Kublik in the morning on JOX 94.5. I'm John Saber. Thank you so very much for tuning in today here on JOX 94.5 or on joxfm.com. Or if you're still at home or even at work on your smart speaker, thank you so very much for tuning in to McElroy and Kublik in the morning. And I'm thankful that you've tuned in today, Friday, July 19th.

Because we've got a very interesting show for you today. No, it's not a best of. I know that's what you're thinking. You're hearing my voice instead of Greg or Cole or even Damien. I know that's what you're thinking, but no, it's not that.

But I need your help today because I don't exactly know what I want to call today's show. Again, it's not a best of. I'm going to be playing things you haven't heard. See, once we went off the air at 10 o'clock, Greg and Cole, we were able to set up interviews with a whole slew of people that were at SEC Media Days. And, yes, you're going to hear from the T-Bob A-Bears today.

and the DJ Shockley's of the world, but you're also going to hear from Harold Perkins. You're going to hear from Hugh Freeze, Kirby Smart, Mark Stoops, Shane Beamer. You're going to hear from Steve Sarkeesian and Quinn Ewers all throughout today. So this is brand new content. This is brand new stuff that you haven't heard.

So I can't call this a best-of. This is brand-new stuff. So I need you to help me out today and tell me what should I call today's show. 205-834-9450. That's the number to text in. Or hit us up on Twitter or X, at Mac and Cube. Or you can hit me up personally at John, S-A-Y-B-E-A-R, John Say Bear. Spells like it sounds. What should I call today? Is it Bonus Content Friday? Is it Secret Show Friday?

I don't quite know what we want to dub today's show, but it's going to be fantastic because these are going to be things that you haven't heard, but we're still going to continue the SEC Media Days trend, like right out the gate, right here on Macro and Kublik in the morning. The other day, Cole Kublik sat down with Oklahoma standout linebacker Danny Stutzman, and this was their conversation from the other day. I had a chance to sit down with your head coach a little bit earlier. He joined us on set.

and we asked him a couple questions about defense, and he literally ran through the three deep. Every individual, every attribute for every individual, maybe other positions they may play, some of their backgrounds. Do you have a hard time getting out of meetings with him or getting out of conversations with Coach Venables? Oh, yeah. You went down the rabbit hole with that guy. You've got to be careful. Anytime I call him or anything I need, I'm very selective when I do it because you're –

You're asking for at least a 20-minute conversation in everything you do. After practices or workouts, if he's talking, when he says get on a knee, you expect to get on switch knees at least 10 or 15 times. It's brutal, but he gives a good message every time. He's very precise in what he needs to say, but sometimes it's very challenging after your hardest practice having to sit there for 40 minutes to listen. I was ready for a helmet. I was like, pass it over because...

Regardless of all that, he's a ball coach. You can tell. He is ball. 100%. There's nothing he loves more than talking football. Okay, so the real question of the day, and I think you've already addressed this, and we asked a couple of your teammates at the bowl game, the horns down tattoo, that happen? It's real? Oh, 100%.

Is it at a place where the general public can't see it? Unless I take off my pants. I'm not going to ask you to do that on Radio Row. But I feel like the people need to see it. So we can work with that another day. One thing that I love about your team going into this season is you guys have legitimate star power. There are certain teams that have strong position groups, strong depth, but...

wide receiver, linebacker, safety, like top-end elite of the elite. How do you guys work together to sort of bring the younger and the new faces up to sort of your level to play together? Absolutely. That's been a huge thing as time's been on with the new system. It's very challenging at times. And I think we're at the point where it's primarily player-led.

No, if there's a problem, we know that me, Billy, or Ethan are going to handle it. So we go to the point where we're having walkthroughs. We don't need the coaches. We understand that there should be no talking outside of it unless you're talking about the play. Every player should be locked in looking at the cards, getting the right example. So the guys, the freshmen, are getting the first rep right there. If there's a correction, they're getting the correction, and then they're getting the mental rep. So that's three reps in one that they should be seeing, and that helps them exponentially grow in progress. Yeah.

And when it comes to running meetings, you know, me and Billy have done this for three years now. We understand what a back seven meeting looks like. We're at the point where we can run the meetings ourselves. We can make the corrections, and we can teach. And that's something that's huge. Before, we're only having, you know, 40 minutes here or there with our coach where we can learn from that. Now, whenever we need a meeting, whenever something needs to be taught, we are doing that.

every single day. And that is so much growth that just, that can't happen when you have a coach that's coming in and you're just not learning a program. Because then the older guys are also learning as, they're basically freshmen in the system. And it's now that we have that experience, we're able to pass it on. So the new players are learning. A sophomore already knows more than I did in my junior year.

Because I've seen it. So I'm able to show him what I've learned in the system. So he learns so much quicker than the average player would when a new coach is in. So Zach Alley is the new defensive coordinator. He's been with Venables, whether it's verbiage, whether it's different calls, checks, pressures. How different is it going to be for you guys? Well, when you look at Coach Alley, he primarily learned under Coach Venables. So the plays are not different.

But Coach Alley has a sense of kind of making it simpler to understand. You know, the verbiage that you just said is in a way where it's simpler. You know, it's easier. You know, Coach V has taken years and years, like 20 plus years to develop a system.

When you are learning a system for 20 years, it's hard to change stuff that makes sense to you. But when you're learning it, it's different because you're learning plays throughout 10 years of learning. But when Coach Alley is looking at it, he gets taught the whole thing. He's, all right, how can we simplify two plays that are very similar but have completely different names? How can we simplify that so someone learning it, it all makes sense? And Coach Alley has done a phenomenal job at doing that for us. It's amazing covering games every week. We run into a lot of younger coaches that are in a similar situation, whether they're taking over an offense or...

The head coach was the D coordinator, and they're kind of coming in, and he's like, why can't we just name all our pressure states? And then Alabama or Texas or Oklahoma, they're all blitzes. Like, why is it radar? And then one is like Chevrolet. He's like, they don't make sense. He's like, we can categorize these, and it's really easy for everyone. And those old school coaches are like, no, man, that's what we've been calling for 50 years. Like, we're not moving that. We're not changing that. It took Coach to be a lot of convincing, and you could tell when Coach Alley first got there, there was a lot of stuff that he wanted to change.

And it's stuff that I've known from Coach V, so I don't really want to change it either. And, like, it's basically like formations. Like, every coach calls a formation a different thing. Coach V was not letting a formation. That's where he put the foot down. This is what double slot looks like. So that's just what it is. Here's one thing that I really like about you, and we talked to Coach Finneballs at the bowl game about you, and he talked about leadership and productivity.

and he told us a story about how you called him and told him that you were coming back. And he's like, guys, you've got to understand, this is literally just a random call out of nowhere. I think he just up and decided one day, and was like, Coach, by the way, I'm coming back. And he said, you just never know. He said, he's the goofball in the locker room, but in the best way possible. And I have young kids, and I have 7-year-old boys and 4-year-old boys that are getting into sports now. And the thing that I love about that is I feel like you still have fun.

And we have removed so much fun from football and all other sports. It's so specialized. It's so focused and concentrated. You still feel like you have fun. And just speak to why that's important to you and how you do it. Yeah, you've got to find joy in the sport. I think when you look at...

Kind of my freshman, sophomore year, it was a very tough time for me. You lose that joy at times, and you have to find out really why you do it. And you've got to look back at when you were seven years old, just throwing catch with your old man in the backyard, your first flag football games, and how much fun you had. Being the kid at the high school football games, behind the bleachers, just playing football. It's purest form. And then you've got to remember, this is my dream. This is why I wake up every single day. I'm living...

I'm blessed. I'm living what I've wanted to do my entire life. That makes those days that are hard to get up that much easier. You realize how much you have to prove. You realize where you're from. Everyone that looks up to you. Everyone that you are in charge of, that you lead, that you can't take a day off. It's sometimes very difficult. You remember how much fun this sport is. Losing stinks.

But when you're able to prepare every single day, do whatever you can, those moments after the game are some of the best you'll ever have. Create memories, bonds, and just so much stuff that's priceless. And I think that just comes from the sport of football. I try to explain to people that didn't play, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's come two, three-fold now while you're playing than when I played.

The amount that you put into it versus the amount of times that you play, and that's what you do it for. Like you said, that's the reward. It's like running out there in front of the crowd, like playing in a game, getting a pick in a game, like tackling for a loss in a game. It's like 100 to 1. 100%. It's not more. Yeah. So I can see, especially now with social media and the other stuff you're dealing with, it's got to be tough to say like, no.

what is going to be worth it is still out there and we got to keep pushing towards that absolutely i mean especially you look at a guy like coach venables like he said he's a ball guy that's all he cares about the hours that he puts in is unmatched and i think if you want to be successful in this sport talent can only get you so far but when you're studying a film like studying a team that's when you really fall in love with the game because you're trying to find out you're trying to figure out the way to get the upper hand you're trying to find the way to get one percent better trying

Trying to find a way where I might not be as fast as their running back, but I know where his first step is going to be so I can beat him there. Get that anticipation. You look at a guy like Luke Kuechly, he did it to the highest level. And to try and reach that, obviously that's challenging to do. His college, his career that he had. But you look at the effort that he put into it. He probably studied 15 times harder if that was his career.

It's impossible. It's very close to that. But you look at a guy like Coach VanBools, and he gives you all the tools, and he teaches you how to do it, which is very challenging. You've got to know what you're doing. You've got to run. They're trying to get you to another interview, but quickly. Everybody talks about all these scary things with the SEC. What are you most looking forward to in a fun way about playing in the SEC this year? Is there a tradition? Is there a place? I just know as a football player that I've grown up just loving this game, an away game.

in the most hostile environments might be the most fun you'll ever have. I love going to Baton Rouge more than I love playing at home. 100%. I like the kids throwing bottles at our bus on the way in and four-year-olds flipping the Spurs. I was like, now I'm ready to play. When it comes to me, I'm not some dude that's going to fall out of trash. I think it's fun. That's fun to me. And then when you're going on a road game, all you have is your team. That's all you have, and that's all the guys you need. When the back's against the wall, you're going to throw punches with those guys. That's who you want. Wow, how could you not like a kid like...

That like Danny Stutzman, Cole was telling me after the interview how most of the league doesn't really know him just yet because they're really kind of coming into the league. But come the end of the year, everybody's not only going to know him, but they're going to love the kid. He seems like a good guy and I can't wait to watch him grow.

on the field this season. 205-834-9450. That's the number where you can text in because, again, I need your help today. I don't quite know what to call this Friday. Is it a bonus material Friday because we're airing interviews and time with other guests that we didn't air previously during the week?

Special features, like I don't quite know what to call it today. So shoot me a text or hit me up on Twitter, X, at John, S-A-Y-B-E-A-R, or at Mac and Cube. I want to remind you that the Alabama heat and humidity can be brutal, but don't let it affect your home and family. Keep them comfortable with an affordable Trane cooling system. Trane is our official partner here at JOX, and they've been recognized as America's most trusted brand 10 consecutive years. Find a comfort specialist near you at Trane.com.

Coming up next, we're going to take a look at LSU. You're going to hear from not only Harold Perkins, but Garrett Nussmeier in just about three minutes right here on LSU.

I'm McElroy and Kubrick in the morning on jocks 94.5. Catch up with all things McElroy and Kubrick in the morning by subscribing to the podcast. Mythically, he's grown. He's almost like a little bit bigger than a player, right? Like the myth of Bo Jackson. Like, rate, and download the show from the jock app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome back in McElroy and Kublik in the morning jocks 94 5 it is 716. Thank you so very much for tuning in today. I'm john saber here with you on this lovely Friday.

Well, I say lovely. It doesn't look all that great outside, but it's a Friday, so I'm going to call it lovely because it's going to be a good day one way or the other. And I also have to thank you not only for tuning in, but also for helping me out. I told you earlier when we started the show that I didn't quite know what to dub today's show because, again, it's not the best stuff. I'm airing things that you haven't heard before.

After our show from media days from Monday through Thursday, the guys were able to pull in a couple of people. In just a minute or so, you're going to hear from DJ Shockley. Cole was able to sit down with him and had some very, very interesting things to talk about, not only Georgia, but the entire SEC community.

But I don't know what to call today, so I threw it out to you guys, 205-834-9450, to text him what do you think I should call it or to hit us up on Twitter X, either at Mac and Cube or myself, at John, say bear spelled like it sounds. Dwayne tweeted in, he said call it B-roll Friday. That's not bad. I can roll with that. That's pretty good.

Aaron McClanahan, he tweeted, and he's got a good idea. He said, call it the inner circle or the inside scoop. I kind of like that. I really do dig that. Some of you have texted in what we should call today. Daniel texted in and says it should be SEC Media Days Extra. That's not bad. I dig that one. I might roll with that. Luke texted in and says, John, call it SEC Media Days Post Game Show.

Ooh, I do like that one. Only thing, I guess, even though it feels like this should have been after we did the show, even though it is post-game, it still works. It's not bad.

We have Grizz and Crestwood. He texts in to call it Freaky Friday. Well, I don't want to step on three-man front stoves because they have Filthy Friday. And if we start having a Freaky Friday, that may send kind of the wrong message. Ace texts in and says, call it Mac and Cube Deep Cuts. Well, that's the guy that, you know, when you hear the music, I –

I like playing stuff that you may not have heard, so deep cuts, that kind of hits with me. So keep the text coming in. I've got a few more that I'm going to read later because I need help trying to figure out what to call today's show. But speaking of today's show, we're going to roll on, and as promised...

Here's our conversation with former Georgia and Atlanta Falcon. I guess this guy I was kind of bred to hate because not only was he a Georgia guy, he's an Atlanta Falcons guy, and as a guy who went to Tech and loves the New Orleans Saints, I'm supposed to dislike DJ Shockley, but this is a fun, hilarious interview. I want you to hear it right here on McElroy and Kubrick in the morning. I have said that I don't understand why people are kind of sleeping on this Georgia receiving group.

Everybody wants to talk Oregon and Missouri and LSU, Texas A&M. Why can this group not get the respect that at least I feel it deserves? I think, one, it comes from the experience. You're looking at a lot of guys who were in, you would say, kind of backup roles the previous years. And you had guys, you had Brock Bauer, you had Ladd McConkie getting a lot of it. Marcus Rosemarie Jackson was another guy who was more of a

Possession guy, but he was one of those guys you look at and say, all right, when we need a big play, we can count on him. Now, Dylan Bell was really big towards the end of the season last year. Aaron Smith was a – you saw him a couple years ago, still one of those speedy guys. Dominic Lovick was a guy who came on play really well last year. But I think the biggest thing for this group is –

Georgia hasn't been known for a long time to have receivers that go on to the next level and play big time football on the next level. George Pickens has kind of changed that narrative a little bit. He's been one of those guys. But one thing that Kirby has absolutely stressed going into this season and going into what he wants to be more explosive down the field is having bigger body guys. And you're talking about going to get Kobe Young from Miami. You're talking about getting Landon Humphreys from Miami.

from Vanderbilt. You got some size on the outside now to go along with the speed of a Dominic Lovett or Arian Smith and the physicality of Dylan Bell. This is, I think, probably more of the most complete receiver group that they're going to have around Carson Beck that they've had at Georgia for a very long time. So, I think only a matter of time you'll be able to see it. And then,

You add ET into that, that's going to be another factor that helps this receiving corps because now you have a guy who can go to the house with you. You have a guy who can be that home run threat that Kirby's been looking for. And, you know, no disrespect to Kendall Milton over the years and, you know, the backs they've had. They just haven't had that guy who can take it the distance over the past couple years like an ET can. DJ Shockley, former Georgia quarterback with us. Are you –

Are you sold on this front seven for the Georgia defense? That's what I think is going to be the biggest. I don't even think it's going to be the guys that stand up. I think it's going to be the interior. And you talk about the interior, you're going to have two guys on the inside that are –

seniors in Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson in the middle who are guys who've been around, they've played, but they haven't been the focal point. They haven't been a Jordan Davis. They haven't been a Jalen Card on the inside, but they've been good enough. And I think these guys are walking into the position of

can we be those type of players? Now, I think you got a C.J. Allen in the middle who played as a true freshman last year at that linebacker spot really good. Mike Hill Williams, who a lot of people think probably would be a top 15 pick coming into this season come next year. They got some playmakers on the outside. Jalen Walker is another athletic freak who, you know, last year they lined him up and said, all right, wherever Milrow goes and he can run around and be that athletic guy. Now, we saw Milrow be able to sit back there and pick you apart, but

But he's that kind of player. This is going to be an interesting front seven because over the years, that's what Kirby's kind of hung his hat on is being able to have guys that can get after the passer. And for him, it's all about the pressures, the havoc rate, being able to get after the quarterback. And I think that's what he wants from those guys. And to say I'm sold, I'm not sold yet because they haven't done it. And to be honest, you got the one big premier name up there,

And Mike Hale. But other than that, you've got just guys, to be honest. And he's been kind of like Flash every now and then. For sure. No doubt. The secondary loses a lot, but I have a lot of confidence in it, and I think it can still be pretty good. Can it be great this year? I think it's a similar thing you think about when you talk about the receiver corps. You've got a lot of guys who have played a little football but don't have the experience. You've got some guys who are going to step into –

that foe like a Julian Humphreys on the outside. Obviously, Daylon Everett was a guy who played a lot last year, started on the other side of Kamari Laster. So he got a lot of work last year. A lot of people went away from Kamari, and they went after him. So I think he's going to be a lot better. But then you're talking about a guy who's probably going to be a three-time All-American and Malachi Starks on the back end who absolutely will demand it from that second-in group. And then you've got a head coach who we all know played a position and absolutely

Absolutely. We'll make sure that secondary is playing at a high level because that's his forte. And obviously Coach Hsu has done a great job molding that team. And then you bring over Tabarez Robinson from Alabama. Obviously a big, big get for Kirby, you know, losing some big defensive backs from last season. So I think they have the pieces in place.

And I think he's done a good job of bringing in a guy like Tavares who's going to get the most out of those guys in T-Rob. I want to get your thoughts just on some of the quarterbacks in this league. Just kind of get your perspective on how good they are, how good they can be. Jalen Milrow had an exceptional season last year. It was an incredible, really late October, most of November season.

What does he need to do to take the next step? How much of a step do you think he can still take? I think you saw the progression of it last year. I think you saw the ability to be able to stand in there and be able to deliver the football.

You go back to the Georgia game and the NCAA championship game where Georgia, you know, dropped and made him become a passer. And I think that's what everybody wants him to see. You've seen the athleticism. You know he can do that. You know he can run around. But the decision-making inside the pocket. Can he sit in there and deliver the football with accuracy? Can he do it with anticipation? That's the kind of stuff that will take him to the next level is saying, all right,

This guy has all the tools, but can he be that kind of elite passer going forward that can beat you on a third and eight when you need a big-time throw? I think that's the next step he has to take. And I think in this system with Kevin DeBoer, he's going to be asked to do that. And I think with the amount of football he played last year, taking that next step, understanding it, seeing it, and knowing that, hey, I got some guys, maybe I can just throw it and let them go get it.

He's got a good chance of being in that position. If we had the scale of great quarterback kind of being the best that he can be or system quarterback just kind of being a guy that is only good because of the guys around him and the play calls that he gets, which end of the scale is Jackson Dart closer to, in your opinion? That's a good question, man. You know what? I think Jackson Dart is one of those kind of guys when you watch him play,

you feel like he could fit into any system. And I'll be honest. He's got some gamer in him. That's what I'm saying. He has that kind of moxie about him. But you say, all right, you throw him in a play-acting system, he's going to make a decision. When you put him in a movement kind of system, he has that athleticism to do so. If you want him to sit in the pocket and make some throws and be that kind of guy, he can do that too. And I think you saw all that last year. But then you also saw the competitive nature about him. And, you know,

I keep bringing up when you get to see these guys, I get to see them up close when they play Georgia, and he took a beat. And he took a pounding, and he stayed in there. They ended up knocking him out of the game. But you saw the toughness. You saw the guy early in the ballgame had that moxie and used his legs and made him throw it all over the yard. And he's got a play calling Lane Kiffin that's going to allow him to be that way. And I think he can be really good in whatever system you want him to be in, but I think he has to have –

the right guys around him. But at the end of the day, I think he's one of those type of players that can elevate those guys as well. All right, so speaking of elevating, and I'll leave you with this one, you know like anybody else does, a quarterback can only elevate so much by themselves. True. True elevation can come when you have guys around you that you help and help you. Are you talking about the big guys up front, as you're saying? Yes, but also in this instance, I'm talking more receiver, actually, because Auburn has completely revamped their receiver room, and that group did not help Peyton Thorne at all last year.

If that room is totally different and the offensive line is a little bit better, nobody's talking about Jarquez Hunter here. How much can he elevate his game this upcoming season? I don't think he needs to elevate it a ton for them to be much better. No doubt about it. And I think he is that type of player, too, that if you give him some playmakers around him that allows him to have that confidence, he's a guy that can really take off. And I think you saw situationally at times where –

When he needed to make a play or he needed a guy that can come out and make a play for him, he did it. And I think he has that kind of ability. But like you mentioned, you have a – like you said, you didn't talk about Hunter yet, but obviously he's one of those guys that's going to have to be in that fold to help him. But I think you put him in good positions to win. You give him, you know, good things that happen on early down situations. Don't force him into third and longs where he has to make those big-time throws or has to stand in there and make a crazy decision to make a play. You give him –

Good situation in football where guys can make plays around. I think he has the tools to absolutely take his game to the next level and also give, you know, I think what they need of you to make that thing work. Take us through quickly a quarterback's, I guess,

when receivers just can't separate, when they're essentially not getting open? Because you're then forced to force the ball. And so are you, at that point, just doing your best to avoid catastrophe and making it essentially a 50-50 ball where only your guy can get it? What's going through your mind when you know, I've got to try to get this pass out there, but I know these guys aren't getting away from DBs? It's tough. It's tough. And it's probably...

One of the more difficult positions to be in because, for one, as a quarterback, you've got to hold on to the football. And when you've got to hold on to the football in this league, that means those DBs are a little bit faster. They're probably going to pick it off because holding on to this league, the separation is, we know, really small. But then also the guys up front hold on to the football. You've got some firebreezes. They're going to come get you.

So it's a double-edged sword where if you hold on to the football, you're going to be in danger on the front end, but you're also going to be on the back end. But then also you've got to know your personnel, too. There's a lot of guys in this league who have the bigger body or you know they can't really separate from a guy, but you understand they have savvy enough to be able to make a play when it's tight coverage. I remember, you know, it's –

not comparing this to nobody else around his league, but I played with a guy, Antonio Gonzalez, who could not separate to save his life. But you absolutely knew he would find a way to position himself to give you a throwing lane. And a lot of times there are a lot of guys who are in that position where they're not that fast. They're not maybe as agile to kind of create that space. But you know at the top of the route, they're going to come out of the right way. Well,

Is he going to take it high? Is he going to break it flat? All those kind of things that you got to take into account that they're going to do it the right way. So then you have a thought process. Okay, well, maybe he won't absolutely separate, but I know where he's going to be. So that way I can throw the football on time. But

But there's other guys where you hold it. If you hold it, guess what? I need to throw this football away or I need to get off this particular route. And I think that's what you have to do as a quarterback is if you know this guy can't separate or you know it's a big downer situation where I can't hold on to the football, then you've got to find somewhere else to go to football or you've just got to chuck that one and say, hey, they got us on this down. That was DJ Shockley and our own Cole Kublik from earlier in the week at SEC Media Days.

We're going to continue on. The back half of this hour is going to be a little LSU heavy. Not only are you going to hear a little bit from T-Bob Hebert, but also two of their superstars, Garrett Nussmeyer and Harold Perkins. You'll hear all of that coming up next right here on Macro and Cubelic in the morning on JOX 94.5. The capital of the sports talk nation. This is JOX 94.5 and joxfm.com. Hurry and...

735, welcome back in McElroy and Kublik in the morning on JOX 94.5. I'm John Saber here with you playing...

Some of the bonus material, some of the one person texted in calling it SEC Media Days Plus. That's a very good name. I might run with that. Playing a lot of the interviews on time with players, coaches, and guests that we didn't really have time to air from 7 to 10 the last couple of days. Like right now, you're going to hear from...

A guy that has some pretty big shoes to fill. He will be replacing the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

Garrett Nussmeier, quarterback for LSU, he had some time with our guys this past week at SEC Media Days. I want you to hear this conversation. How would you respond to folks that say that you are a bit of a risk taker with the football? Yeah, I mean, I think that, you know, I definitely am the type of quarterback that likes to stretch the ball down the field.

You know, as far as, you know, a risk taker goes, I feel like, you know, I've developed and learned, you know, over the years. I'm just, you know, continuing to know when and when not to push the ball down the field. But, yeah, you know, I definitely am the guy that likes to take a couple chances. And, you know, I've worked a lot on that in my game of knowing when and how to do it.

The offense as it pertains to verbiage, things like that, how different, how similar? I mean, it's going to be very similar. Obviously, I won't get into what we're going to be doing schematically. Obviously, it's going to be a little bit different just with the skill set-wise, a difference between me and Jaden. I think that's no secret. Everybody knows this. But I think that we're going to be very good offense, very explosive offense, and I think it's going to start with the guys up front, the experienced group.

You know, they worked their tail off. They call themselves the Bomb Squad. And, you know, they set the tempo for us this offseason. Kyron Lacy, I described him as alien. Would that be fair, you think? Yeah, I mean, he's a dog. He's unreal. You know, he knows there's a standard to be held to as a starting receiver at LSU. And, you know, he's excited for that, and he's attacking it.

Best tackle tandem returning in college football. What are we doing going out of our way to try to just make sure those guys are happy first and foremost? Yeah, I mean, you know, those guys, the best part about them is all they care about is the team. You know, it's not hard to keep them happy. You know, you see, you know, it pays off on the field, you know, with their abilities and what they're able to do. You know, I can say for one, I feel a lot safer back there with –

having them, you know, and their experience and their talent. So, no, those are my brothers I love to death, and I can't wait to get out there on the field with them. It's not hard to watch at any point in time when you've played at LSU, your level of talent. We know your level of ability. A lot of people here can see it and talk about it. So, that being said, when you go down to the bare bones, the foundation of it, why are you still at LSU?

Well, I felt like, you know, God brought me here for a reason. You know, I felt like it was my responsibility to just keep my head down and trust in him and trust in his plan for me and just to work and get better. You know, I know that when I was making my decision out of high school, I felt like I put a lot of prayer into it. And, you know, he led me here for a reason. And so, you know, like I said, I feel like, you know, it wasn't just my decision to just pack it up and leave. You know, I feel like in a way that was not trusting in him.

And so by staying, it was me trusting in God's timing and understanding that his timing is always right. And you might want things right now, but it's not the way that he plans it out to be. That was Garrett Nussmeier.

from earlier this week. I know you didn't hear it before. And for all of the things that you've heard earlier and the things you're going to hear later today, Mark Stoops, Quinn Ewers, Steve Sarkeesian, Shane Beamer, Hugh Freeze, all of the ones that we were able to get for you guys and play today, they are going to be podcasted. So if you missed it earlier on or if you're not able to hear later, don't worry. We will put the podcast out. Well, coming up next, we're

We're going to hear from another LSU person, a second-generation LSU person, if you were. You'll hear that right up next coming up on McElroy and Kublik in the Morning on JOX 94.5. Catch up with all things McElroy and Kublik in the Morning by subscribing to the podcast. Mythically, he's grown. He's almost like a little bit bigger than a player, right? Like the myth of Bo Jackson. Like, rate, and download the show from the JOX app or wherever you get your podcasts.

743, welcome back into McElroy and Kublik in the morning. Jocks 94.5, I'm John Saber, leading you along with this secret show Friday. I'm work-topping the name, don't worry. We'll figure out something. If you've got a suggestion, 205-834-9450, that's the number to text in. Speaking of...

Something secret. It's not that much of a secret that I'm from Louisiana, and I wanted to – I'm not a major LSU fan, but this guy is someone that I do have a major affinity for. And Cole was able to sit down with one T-Bob Hebert as they previewed not only the LSU Tigers season, but also the entire of the SEC. McElroy's pretty high on LSU. I'm high on the potential of LSU. I feel like there's a lot of unknowns.

You take away a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, two first-round receivers, your offensive coordinator, which nobody's talking about, gone. I don't know how people think he can be as good or better.

You lose three of your top four defensive players, and the defense wasn't good last year. So I'm just interested in your kind of thousand-foot view expectation for this football team. So I think you all have – I've got to give you credit. I guess this is how you became the number one mid-market local morning sports talk show. I shouldn't be having you on for that. We are number nine. I'm doing a little market research here. I'm behind enemy lines learning the techniques.

of how we can climb. I saw this guy in front of us over there from this station, like the sports animals or something. I'm going to go plant a bug on their set. But no, I would give you both a lot of credit because I think outside looking in... Can I give you one critique before we start? Yeah. You talk too much NBA. Yeah.

Oh, to climb the rankings? I know what you're getting, but I love the Pellies, dude. I don't care. But I love the Pellies! You want to talk a little NBA draft? No, absolutely not. Break down the Bronny James pick for us, T-Bob. Hey, bro, you're talking to a four. Look, I'm a Nepo baby myself. Us Nepo babies got to stick together, dude.

It ain't Bronny's fault. What's he going to do? Say I'm not going to go play in the league? I didn't say I was mad at him. I said break down the pick. Okay, so I think you all have both... By the way, I was doing some... I'm just going to keep interrupting you. That's not how I am. Final UFL game of the season. Yeah. Stallions at home against Michigan Panthers. Hell yeah. I'm doing some research and I come across the...

Michigan Panthers versus the Birmingham Stallions in like 84, 86, something like that. 84, 85 would have been one of those three years. Leading passer for the Michigan Panthers. Bro.

By the way, he ripped it up in the USFL. Yes. No, that's what I was going to say. Because I was looking at his numbers. I was like, damn, A-Bear was tossing that thing. I know. It's selfishly as – so for those who don't know, my old man Bobby A-Bear, KJ Cannon, shout-out legend. He was the Michigan Panthers' original quarterback in 1983. He won the first ever USFL championship. They beat the Philadelphia Stars. And I think he was Offensive Player of the Year. Yeah, he balled out like 4,000 yards, all that stuff. Craziness, right? Yeah.

He played in the third championship. They lost to the Stars. But it always bummed me out because then when he went to the NFL, he joined the Saints, which was awesome. But Jim Moore was the head coach, who ironically was the Stars' head coach. But Jim Moore was the head coach, and he was just so conservative. In the USL, they were slinging it. Kelly was putting up like 5,000 yards. They were slinging it. And then he gets to the NFL, and Jim Moore was very much like,

Run, run, pass. Run, run, pass. And so I don't think he ever got to really lean into some of the offense prowess that he had. But I have watched the 1983 Michigan Panthers championship highlight tape probably 50 times in my life. They had Anthony Carter, Terry Callaway. They had this badass defender, John Corker. I used to love that video so much, dude. And watching them win a championship. Stallions kicked a game-winning field goal in that regular season game.

And it was the first ever football game broadcast on ESPN. You know who made the game-winning field goal for the Stallions? No, I knew. I mean, Novo Boyokovic was the Panthers kicker. I don't know who the Stallions kicker was. Scott Norwood. Oh, no way. Buffalo Bills kicker who was wide left in the Super Bowl. See, that's the crazy thing about that original iteration of the USFL is that's the time when the NFL, there was no free agency. They wouldn't pay you. No. And so the USFL's whole deal was like, oh, we'll just pay you. And so they had Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Herschel Walker.

Reggie White. Oh, was going to go play? That's what I'm saying. The Steve Young contract was crazier than anybody had ever seen at the time. And actually, funnily enough, this is a story that I'm trying to get

that I think would be an interesting story to tell one day. My old man held out in the NFL in his prime, held out for an entire year and played a pivotal role in the creation of free agency, as we know it today. It was like him, Reggie White, and some others. He did not play football for an entire year. Not with the general strike. He did not play football. And then we get...

And then basically they were fighting these owners that like, you don't own us. Like we have to be able to go, you know, uh, get our market value. Right. What you're saying is Bobby a bear was leaving on bell before. Leave you on bell was leave you on bell. Yes. But, but it,

They won the court case, and his career did not fall off after it. He actually made his only Pro Bowl after he held out for an entire year. It's pretty cool. And also, my 7-year-old is getting into collecting cards big time. Yeah, you see me. I have like 10 of them now. Hell yeah. I should have brought them here and given you a couple of them. Isn't his old 80s perm just glorious? It's mulleted up, permed up, dude. No, he's a...

Look, in all seriousness, I am a silver spoon baby. I'm a Nepo baby. I grew up with, afforded so much cool opportunity because he was an NFL quarterback. And I got to go to games. I got to be in locker rooms when I was in high school. I got to train with some of his old friends who taught me techniques. It was just such an incredible, I just always got to remind myself how really privileged and blessed and lucky I am to

to have him as a father and just how much it's helped me in every facet of my life. But it's really cool that you are aware of that now because I'm going to continue down this path. I've had this conversation with my son, well, about my son, not with. When did you, like, realize, like, really how cool it was? I mean...

I want to say there was never a time when I wasn't really... I felt like I was always pretty cognizant of... Now, I'm sure if you were talking to my parents when I was a little, little kid, I probably just took everything for granted. But when I started playing football around 9 and 10, or even just going to games, or you go out to eat, and somebody would be like, oh, Bob, and kind of get excited to see him. It always had a huge impact on me. And I don't know if it's because I never played quarterback or anything, but I never had any...

I never had any of the pressure or the, like...

I never felt like I had to live up to him or what he did. Like, I know a lot of people deal with who have, like, really successful fathers. Now, it disappoints me at times that I fell short of what he did. Like, I would have loved to maybe be on an NFL roster for a year or two. I have the same thoughts. And I didn't have a dad that played in the NFL, but I have those same thoughts. I mean, we all wanted to say we were there. Exactly. That's the thing, right? And it's one of those things where ultimately that's just all –

fueled by ego and pride and she just kind of got to let it go. But it was like, I can tell you, like sitting next to McElroy every day when we start talking about the draft and stuff or even like trades or different things like that come up and he starts talking about retirement or roster or practice and I'm just like...

Damn. I know. I can't really speak on that. No, I know. It's the same thing with Hester. Hester played seven years in the league, right? And played, played. Like, McElroy sat on the bench like Hester actually played. Yes, yes. So that's got to be harder for you. Well, I think what it is is, though, again, if we let go of...

the ego portion of it that is actually fueling it, then it becomes very interesting because I want to pick his brain and I want to see what it was like and what the differences were of being a true professional football player versus college. And I do the same thing with...

with my old man. Hester's got some cool stories like Phillip Rivers and some of that stuff. He and I have had long conversations about that. It's wild stuff, man. Bro, he played with PR-17 and Peyton Manning. Yes. Right? You could not get

I mean, I think Rivers will probably make the Hall of Fame, but there's probably two Hall of Fame. He's going to be in the Hall of Fame. Yeah, those are two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Actually, Fairhope, Alabama's finest, right? Isn't he the high school coach over there? Saw him at the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame induction ceremony because Eric Weddle was going in. And we say this a lot of times about quarterbacks. Your dad kind of included massive human beings.

Massive, dude. It's so crazy. Greg and I talk about it all the time, like Trent Dilfer, Jim Kelly. These guys, it's like you expect them to be these little Bryce Youngs. Don't appreciate it. And they're just massive dudes, man. It's crazy. My old man shrunk a little bit in his older age. He's like 6'4", 220 when he was playing. Just like giant paws. Yeah, he was like a brick house. But the reason I was going down that path is just in the last month,

Took my son to the Rickwood game. Yeah. And we're down on the field before the game. And I told him he had a baseball and got him a Sharpie. I said, I'm not asking any of these guys for you. You got to do it yourself. Yeah. Hell yeah. Pujols, Sabathia, Ryan Howard. Wait, where are all these guys playing? At the Rickwood game in Birmingham. What is the Rickwood game? So Rickwood's the oldest stadium in America. Yeah. And celebrated kind of the history of black baseball in the Negro Leagues. Yeah.

And so they had a Major League Baseball game, and they redid the stadium. It was totally incredible. Okay, that's with a clip that went viral talking about some of the racism that he faced. I can't remember why. Reggie Jackson. Yeah, he did that before the game. Incredibly impactful. One of the most impactful sounds you'll hear because that's not long ago at all. Okay, anyway. Okay, that's badass. So you've got pools, and who else? Uh.

He met CeCe Sabathia, got his autograph. Damn. He met Jake Peavy, got his autograph. He met Willie McGee, got his autograph. He met Ryan Howard, got his autograph. Got King Griffey Jr.'s autograph. Damn. And I'm like... Griffey, dude.

And I'm sitting there thinking, he has no idea. Like, what's happening right now? I talked to Willie Mays' son for like 10 minutes. He's talking to my kid. Now, that's to be fair. I mean, that's fair. Because even if I was thankful for that stuff as a kid, you still can't really appreciate it. No, you can't grasp it. Like, you don't have the amount of perspective that you actually should have.

So we go to the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame, which I see Jacob there every year. You should come. It's incredible. I keep meaning to come. I couldn't. Yeah, I'm going to be there next year. So we go. I'm like, you know what? I should take my seven-year-old to this media deal because everybody's so nice. There's not a ton of people there. And so the day before, I saw D'Amico. And so D'Amico comes through, and we're just talking. So he starts talking to Judge, and they talk for like ten minutes. He signs his card, and so he walks away, and he's like, Dad.

He's like, was this guy a good player? And I said, well, yeah. He said, was he the best player? Was he the best linebacker in Alabama? And I was like, it really doesn't matter. Like, he was really good. He was for his time, though. And I said, he's an NFL head coach. Yeah, now he's an NFL head coach. It's like a way bigger deal. Son, there's only 32 of those. Like, do you understand? And he goes, cool. So then the next day before the golf tournament,

I'm walking the family through the parking lot to the pool because I'm going to take them to the pool and then I'm going to go.

And there's this SUV, and I look in the passenger side, and I'm like, I know that guy. I walk up and just stand next to the passenger window. It's Kalen DeBoer. Wait, wait, wait. So you didn't know who it was, so you just walked up to the window? Oh, I knew, but I know him. So I walked up, and I just... I know, but I like the idea that you're like, huh, let me go see. And you just walk up and look directly in the window. And I just stood there. So this is how nice of a guy Kalen DeBoer is. He doesn't just roll the window down. He's like, he rolls the window down. I was like, is that the crew? And I was like, yeah. And he goes, I got to get out.

He gets out, shakes my hand, but he walks right over to my wife, talks to her for 10 minutes. He's sitting there talking to Judge, talking to Locke, talking to Kit. And so it's all done. And Nate Oates was in there, and Judge got to meet Nate Oates. And so they walk away, and we're talking to Mike. Hey, buddy, do you have an idea what just happened there? And he was like, yeah, I mean, I got to meet those guys. I said, do you know who the guy is? He said,

He goes, yeah, it's Alabama's coach. I said, it's Alabama's head football coach. Yes. Current head football coach. It might as well be like, it's like the equivalent of meeting like royalty or like a duke or a baron. And once again, he goes, cool.

I'm just like, oh, man, we might be going down a bad path here. Youth is wasted on the young, right? I like that. I did not make that up. I did not make that up. That is a famous saying. I don't know who originally coined that. But the older I get, it's like anything else in life when it comes to famous sayings. You're like, that's true. Like now, the older I get, I see that perspective more and more and more.

One hour down, two hours to go on this Friday here on McElroy and Kublik in the morning. Coming up next hour, we're going to go a little Texas heavy. SEC Media Days was in Texas, so we'll oblige, and you'll hear from not only Quinn Ewers but Steve Sarkeesian. That's in the second hour. Coming up next here on McElroy and Kublik in the morning. This is McElroy and Kublik in the morning.

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Good to see you, Bruce Feldman.

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