The Low Tide S1.E25 - SEASON FINALE

[00:00:00] Speaker A: WVuAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:00:15] Speaker B: Welcome in, everybody, to low tide here on 90.7, the capstone, our final episode of the semester and the final episode for Mister Joe shot. It's gonna be a sad day. We'll get to that later. Nicholas Percy, Joe Schatz, Adam Hambright, as always. So we're picking up just after the NFL draft. NFL draft is complete. Bunch of Alabama players going, including three in the first round. In your opinion, who ended up in the best spot. What is the fit that you like the most for an Alabama player now in the NFL? [00:00:50] Speaker C: I'll start. I really liked it. Terry Arnar going to the Lions, one of the three first round picks. As you mentioned, Nick, the Lions have had a pretty recent history. It taken a couple Alabama players. Obviously they have Jameson Williams, Jamir Gibbs. Now they go on the defensive side with Arnold. I think Taryn Arnold was kind of one of the biggest improvers from the 2023, I guess, 2022 season to 2023. His draft stock grows a lot. I mean, we were talking about pre show. He actually jumped, you know, kool aid McKinstry in a lot of these draft boards heading into the night. And, you know, I just really liked that fit. I mean, this is a Detroit team that won the division for the first time, I think, since color tv came out last year. Seemed like they had a really nice offense, a really good offense. It was just they let up a lot of big chunk plays, and I think Terry and Arnold can come in kind of help rectify that secondary and get the defense turned around for Detroit. [00:01:57] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, I wanted to really go with JC Latham when he got picked with the Titans, but then you remember, you know, they just got rid of Derek Henry. He won't be there anymore. I like Dallas Turner with Minnesota, but, you know, the, after the first round, you know, really the pick that I like the most was Jermaine Burton going to the Bengals. You know, you already have, you know, Joe Burrow, a quarterback, you know, if he can stay healthy and then you already have a pretty good receiving core. If he is able to get on the field there, I think it's going to be really good for him. You know, you have a quarterback that knows how to distribute the ball. You're going to have other receivers that can kind of take the pressure off of you. You know, you got Jamar chase already there. He's going to be the number one, obviously. And, you know, I just really like that pick for that offense, you know, and like Nick Saban said, if he can stay, you know, making those good decisions on and off the field. You know, I think he could have a pretty solid NFL career, and we saw it in, you know, flashes here where he was, you know, making. He was able to beat people off the line, like pretty easily at Alabama. And I think you put him in an offensive system like that, I think he can really shine over there. So I think Jermaine Burton with the Bengals is going to be a good pick years from now. [00:03:17] Speaker B: And, you know, the other thing about that Jermaine Burton pick is that you have t higgins who wants to be traded. So you have an immediate, you have the potential to immediately have an impact there, especially if, depending on where T Hagan is going, goes to. But, yeah, so I think that's a great spot for Jermaine. I really love Dallas Turner going to the Vikings. It feels very similar to me with how Will Anderson went to the Texans last year. You're kind of pairing up with a young quarterback. Obviously. I'm not going to sit here and lie and say that JJ McCarthy is on the same level as CJ Stroud. Nowhere near, but still another good opportunity, another step. Staple edge rusher from Alabama now in the NFL, and he should have a monster impact with them. [00:04:05] Speaker A: Surprised nobody went with Will Riker, you know, going 6th round to the Vikings, too. [00:04:10] Speaker C: Best fit? [00:04:11] Speaker B: Yeah, best starter. [00:04:13] Speaker A: Won't get in the end zone, but, you know, they can kick some field goals. [00:04:15] Speaker B: You know, one thing, we were talking about this before we came on. Kool Aid fell so far in the draft. I mean, we were coming into the season. You know, he was looked at. I mean, he was in all the mock drafts, he was very highly touted as being one of the first guys, and then he falls all the way to the second round. Pick 41 to the Saints. Why do we think that is? [00:04:38] Speaker C: I mean, I think. I mean, we talked about a little pre show guys weren't throwing to him. I mean, this was a year like his coolid production wasn't as high as in years past because no one really wanted to test him. One of the reasons why I really liked and talked about Taron Arnold's draft stock going up was because he was the one getting those passes. He was facing a lot more throws his way, and Kool aid just essentially would lock a guy up and wouldn't even get a throw. And that's the problem with cornerbacks, especially in college, is that production really means something to a lot of these NFL gyms, which it should. You should have productive seasons. I think if you really sat down and watched the tape on Kool Aid and just looked at him. I don't know how you could say that guy wasn't a first round talent worthy of a pick. [00:05:28] Speaker A: Yeah, he's definitely a first round talent. Great for New Orleans, being able to snag him up there. I know Joe was a little upset that the Ravens didn't go. If you had had him and Marlon Humphrey, that would have been. That would have been an insane defensive backfield. But they didn't take him. Saints ended up getting him. I think part of it, you know, like Joe was saying, you know, he wasn't really getting thrown at. We do like, we know about the issues he had returning punts, but, you know, an NFL team really shouldn't be looking at what he's doing punt return wise if they're just going to play him, you know, as a corner. Part of it could have been so with the whole Tarrion Arnold versus Kool aid McKinsey aspect, you know, Tarion was getting thrown at Koolaid last season. I think everybody agreed that he was a first round, he was going to be a top ten pick, and then it didn't happen. I think part of it could have been Kool Aid. We've known he's been a corner this whole time and he hasn't really changed. He's been at his top level. I don't think people see much progression. I mean, he can still lock people up, but I think people are looking at Tarion and seeing he transitioned from safety to corner. He's still kind of learning that corner position. You know, he had a few struggles that redshirt freshman year, but then this year, you know, he really stepped into his own and became that first round pick. And they can kind of see how they can move him around. They can play him at the corner, they can play him in the slot. You know, they can move around to different positions and they're kind of seeing that they can really improve his corner ability but also being able to move them around as other positions, whereas Koolaid might just be that lockdown corner and maybe when the teams were looking at it, they wanted more versatility with that pick than Kool aid was going to give them. [00:07:21] Speaker C: Right. [00:07:22] Speaker B: So before we move on from Alabama draft players, did you guys see Nick Saban on ABC? [00:07:29] Speaker A: Oh, that's the only one I watched. [00:07:31] Speaker C: During the draft coverage. [00:07:32] Speaker B: It was absolutely fantastic. Thoughts on his first on camera appearance? [00:07:37] Speaker A: He's making it a lot harder for me to get a job, but, you know, I thought it was really good. You know, it was really cool to hear his take on everything. You know, we hear all the usual draft experts, you know, when they're going through and they're talking about what they see in a player. But to hear a guy that's been a coach at the college and the NFL level, albeit, you know, a very short stint as a head coach in the NFL, you know, he was a position coach for multiple years with Cleveland and, you know, other teams. But it was really interesting to hear his take on these players and their abilities and hearing him break it down than just hearing, you know, your regular Mel Kuipers or something. I thought it was really good. I think he's got a bright future ahead of him in the hot tank. [00:08:26] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it just. It's nice to actually have someone kind of like Adam, you were saying? Like, who actually has, like, been in football. I mean, no disrespect to some of these draft analysts, but, like, at a certain point, I'm like, Mel Kuiper has gotten, like, this pick wrong and this pick wrong and field Yates, I was like, I don't even know, like, he's, you know, they're all sharing a stage with Nick Saban, and you can just tell that the football purely on the field stuff is very different. And I really like that with Saban. And it kind of blends well with, with some of those guys. I mean, you have someone like, I believe it was field Yates, who they had on ABC a couple times, and he's talking about, well, you know, this is kind of what I heard through the draft process. And then you have Nick Saban come on and say, well, this is what I would look for on the field. And it was just, it was awesome. I mean, I think. I think college game days gonna be like, must see tv, especially if they return to Alabama or if they have to go to LSU or Texas or, you know, somewhere else, too. [00:09:24] Speaker A: You know, another thing that I liked about it, not just the breakdown of the, I mean, I really enjoyed hearing him say, you know, this was my second lineman or the second running back that I had listed and stuff like that. But I also thought it was interesting to hear when he would talk about like, oh, this is a guy, I tried to get to come to Alabama, but he wouldn't come. And, you know, it was, obviously, that's not going to be, you know, after a couple years, if he's still doing draft coverage, he's not going to be like, oh, I was trying to get this guy to come to Alabama. But, you know, it was really interesting to be like when like the corner from Toledo got picked and he was like, we were waiting for him to get in the portal, but he just wouldn't get in. And, you know, some people said he was admitting to tampering, but, you know, he didn't say we were in contact with him. But, you know, it was, I really enjoyed kind of hearing, you know, stuff like that other than, you know, the traditional, oh, yeah, this very sad moment in this person's life. You know, all those storylines we usually hear with an NFL draft. [00:10:24] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, I think that Saban just complements everything so well. Kind of like you were talking about Joe. You know, he has so much of that experience and perspective, you know, being able to say like, oh, yeah, he probably either had or, or tried to get like most of the guys who were going early especially, right, these like, top talents and it just makes for such an interesting broadcast. And then, you know, I feel like Saban is only going to get better as the years go on, as he gets further and further from college football. The stuff that you're going to hear him say is going to get, you know, he's going to have some hot takes. I would, I would imagine, you know, about the direction that the game's going, especially on college game day, just that sort of thing. And I think it's really interesting and it was great to hear a lot of the stories that he was able to tell. Especially. It was nice to hear him be able to comment specifically on his guys, you know, when Tarion Arnold got drafted, I mean, that was a nice moment even, you know, Jalen Melrose made an appearance on the broadcast and said, what's up, coach? But, you know, that was just good. [00:11:33] Speaker A: Fun and big weekend for Jalen Milro being at the NFL draft one day. The next day he's at the Mullet toss down at the Flora Bama. You know, he's putting in a lot of work this offseason. [00:11:44] Speaker C: I will say it's pretty cool, too, because just looking through, I believe this to be true. Kalyn Deborah had the same amount of. [00:11:52] Speaker A: Draft picks Nick Saban and both had ten, I believe. [00:11:56] Speaker C: I mean, program's in good hands, it seems. [00:11:59] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, I should also mention that Alabama. So Nick Saban has officially had a player at every single position, including kicker, punter and what's the long snapper? Yes. [00:12:13] Speaker A: Never thought we would get that kicker. [00:12:15] Speaker B: Pick in, but all taken, barely got it in, including a mister irrelevant in Jalen Key who goes at the very last pick in the NFL draft. Maybe, you know, if Brock Purdy is anything to go by, maybe Mister irrelevant will not be so irrelevant after all. [00:12:34] Speaker C: Well, to be honest, I think if you're an NFL GM and you have an opportunity to take a guy who started Alabama, you're probably a little more sure of that than probably the quarterback at Iowa State. So if it can work for Brock Purdy, Jalen Key will be just fine. [00:12:49] Speaker B: Yeah. So before we completely get off of the draft in the first round, what do you think was the worst pick? Like in your opinion, what pick did you just absolutely hate? [00:12:59] Speaker C: I mean, I'll say it because I know you guys were a little positive on a pre show like Pennock's going to Atlanta and I understand why they did it. I understand that they saw the potential. I saw, you know, I understand that they, you know, we're interested in Pennix and really like to start talent and all that, but if, if you were really that interested in him then I don't get why you would sign Kirk Cousins at all. And like I, you know, I think that this like people looked at, you know, essentially what the Green Bay packers have done for their last three quarterbacks and I guess they didn't do it to Bret fav but you know, Aaron Rodgers coming drag getting drafted when Bret favor still there and then Jordan Love getting drafted high. I believe he was also around that top ten pick spot when they picked him over or during Aaron Rodgers kind of last couple years there. And I think that people saw that and said that it worked and it might. And I'm not saying that I think Pennix is a bad player because he is probably a top ten worthy quarterback. I just never understood why you're going to dedicate a cap space that you did to Kirk Cousins and signed him to a four year deal and sign him to. I don't even know what the fully guaranteed money is. [00:14:16] Speaker A: I think it's 90 million guaranteed, 180 million in total contract. [00:14:20] Speaker C: So I don't get why you'd throw that much money down if you were going to take Pennix anyway, especially when you had Roma doomsday still on the board. You could actually get Kirk Cousins a weapon or help him out a little bit on that offense or get a defensive guy. Almost anything else. I'll digress a little bit because really Michael Panniks could come out and this could really work well for the Falcons. I mean you might be, whoops, you might be I'm that mad I'm flipping everything. It might work you might not have him for three years, but he might be a good quarterback for the decade after that. But, I mean, this is a guy who, Pennock's coming out was already kind of an older, older guy in the draft. I think he's 23, three right now. So I don't know, I just, I never, that was the one at least that I was like, what? Like, why would you do that? But yeah, yeah, you know, you see. [00:15:10] Speaker A: The NFL, I think, average lifespan of an NFL player, like in the league, you know, not like actual life and death, but, you know, career length in the league is, you know, less than three years. And you're taking a guy who's already older than the average guy coming out of college. So, you know, I saw a bunch of people saying that Atlanta should have went with Dallas, Turner, maybe even Tarrion, Arnold or Kooley. I saw multiple people saying they were going to take a defensive guy and then they go with Pennix Junior. But for me, and, you know, it kind of makes sense because, you know, they did just get rid of their actual starting quarterback. But I really hated the Patriots taking Drake May, the third overall pick. I think Drake May is a good quarterback. Nick Saban even said he was trying to get him to come to Alabama. He recruited him. Drake May was committed. He decommitted once Bryce Young committed to Alabama. So we can't be too mad that Drake May didn't come. But the issue with the Patriots, it seems these last years, and I actually gotten to, I think I've mentioned it on the show one time, was this guy who's a student here at Alabama, Patriots fan, you know, from up north, and he was saying that they should take Jaden Daniels, you know, because Mac Jones is a bum. That's what he said. And I took offense to that. You know, he obviously hasn't had the best NFL career, but, you know, he's, he was a Pro bowl player his first season, played really well, but they, they never really gave him much to work with. The Patriots have not given their quarterbacks much to work with. You know, the last three years, they've had, I think, at least two offensive coordinators, maybe even three offensive coordinators one year. It wasn't even a guy that was known for being an offensive minded. I think they literally took a guy that was a defensive coach and put them calling offensive plays and, you know, they just keep setting their quarterbacks up for failure. So with the pick of Drake May and, you know, maybe with, you know, the new, the new coach up there, new coaching staff that they're putting together, maybe they're actually going to build around a quarterback and maybe give Drake May something to work with, but they haven't shown it these last several years. Even when they had, even when they had Tom Brady, they weren't going out. The only year that they went out and got somebody really was when they got Randy boss in free agency and they got him. And then all of a sudden, like at that point of his career, Tom Brady wasn't really known as, like he was known as a winner. He had won three Super Bowls, but it was like, yeah, but look at the defense. And then they got Randy Moss and that's when he was like breaking all these passing records and stuff. And, you know, since then, you know, who were your best Patriots receivers that they had gotten? Julian Edelman, you know, tight ends. You know, they got Gronkowski, but they hadn't really gone out and got a receiver for a quarterback to throw to. So now I just see them making the same mistakes over and over. They're going to take Drake May and then not give them anybody to work with. You had Marvin Harrison, junior. He gets picked with the next pick. If I were the Patriots, I would went with him, maybe try to get a quarterback later. If you really want to draft somebody or try to get a quarterback in free agency, that's already proven that they can work at the NFL level. But right now, you know, you really haven't shown that you're willing to give a quarterback weapons. It's like, okay, we're going to take Mac Jones, we're going to take Bailey Zappy later, but we're not going to get a receipt reform. We're not going to get a line to protect them. So I just think the Patriots are making the same mistake again. [00:18:37] Speaker B: You know, for me, there's two picks that I just, I kind of equally don't like. One is a little bit better than the other, but I don't really love either of them. JJ McCarthy to the Vikings and Bonix to the Broncos. Fit wise Bonix. I mean, that's Broncos. It would be hard to pick a better spot for him to be at. You know, he's competing with Zach Wilson, who I don't think is going to put up much of a fight, if I'm being honest. He's in a decent spot, but he is 24 years old and you're drafting him with the 12th overall pick. This is a guy who you pretty much know who he is at this point. When he was at Oregon, he was not asked to. He was asked to make a lot of short throws, get the ball out quick. I struggle to. I wonder how he's going to handle offense. The offensive life in the NFL, guys don't get wide open in the NFL. The windows are tight and you have to throw before guys are even open. So I'm a little concerned about how Bonix projects at the next level. I thought he played great in college. Obviously didn't have any of that playoff success with Oregon that you were looking for. But you know, it is a decent spot for him. But I do think that they reached hard. I think the Broncos saw a lot of quarterbacks coming off the board and they were worried that he wasn't going to be there. But I do think this is almost an insane reach to take Bonex in the first round. I saw him as a second round talent at best. And then you have JJ McCarthy going to the Vikings for one. I don't really understand why the Vikings traded up a spot. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I also just think that ten is too high for JJ McCarthy, a guy who probably best case scenario projects as like a Brock purdy type player, you know, a system guy in my opinion. I don't think that he's, you know. [00:20:40] Speaker A: Maybe we'll get proved wrong, but like, you know, they just had Kirk cousins. It's almost like they're putting another Kirk Cousins, you know, quarterback right there. [00:20:48] Speaker C: I was just about to say that. Sorry, I made a face there. I didn't mean to. I was just reading that ESPN drafting and is pro comp is Jake Plummer. [00:20:56] Speaker A: So that's crazy. You know, I think the Knicks pick is better than the McCarthy pick. I don't know what y'all had. I mean, I combining Knicks with Sean Payton and what he was able to do for Drew Brees's career when he, when he got to New Orleans, I think could be good. But also like you were saying, you know, it's going to be, you're throwing two different guys, you know, you're throwing in tighter windows than what you were at Oregon. [00:21:23] Speaker B: So yeah, we'll see how he can handle that. I mean, go ahead. [00:21:28] Speaker C: I was just going to say like, I think for McCarthy, like whoever. I think whoever got drafted by the Vikings, assuming it was either going to be McCarthy or Knicks, I think landed in a really good spot because they do have the weapons they do have. Like they have a good team around or at least a good enough offense. [00:21:46] Speaker A: More weapons than Drake May. [00:21:47] Speaker C: Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. And that, I mean, to be fair, that's kind of what JJ McCarthy did in college. I mean, like, we're looking at a guy who, as much as it was like, funny to say that all he does is turn around and hand the ball off. Like he was 27 and one doing that. So, you know, he can get the ball. If he can get the ball to the playmakers. That's really all Minnesota wants. But I do agree, like, you know, is JJ McCarthy a top ten pick quality wise? [00:22:13] Speaker B: In my opinion, it's a reach for a guy who probably is going to be a career system quarterback. If we're being completely honest. That's what he was at Michigan. That's all he's shown he can do. Now, granted, he is 21. Okay? It young guy has a lot of time to develop and is a proven winner. You know, obviously winning the national championships this last season, three straight Big Ten titles. [00:22:33] Speaker A: Didn't lose a whole lot. [00:22:34] Speaker B: Didn't really lose. I mean, there is potential and maybe JJ McCarthy can show us something in the NFL that he never showed us at Michigan. And it is a good landing spot. It's really all that the Vikings needed and. But, you know, is that a better pick than somebody like Bo Nicks who maybe you know what you're getting JJ McCarthy? There's a little bit of an unknown, you know. [00:23:00] Speaker C: Yeah, well, like, I'll put it this way, like, I think if the Vikings really believe that they were just a quarterback away, then why not take JJ McCarthy? You know, like, who else would they really want to take? If they do think that that was really the only position that they needed to figure, because out if it does work with McCarthy, then you figured it out for a while. I mean, you got your guy, but I do hear what you guys are saying of if it doesn't work, the moment JJ McCarthy gets behind an NFL offensive line and has to face an NFL defensive line, is he going to be as effective as he was at Michigan where they ran the ball? What was it, like 15 or 30 something straight times against Penn State and won the game? Like, you can't do that in the NFL. Like, at a certain point you're gonna have to throw the ball. And I do wonder how he will handle that. Cause there was that whole thing of, is he just, is he a good quarterback or does he have really good players and he's just getting it to them? So it's kind of an. It's a fascinating. Those two guys, though, are fascinating picks to me, just to watch the other. [00:24:05] Speaker B: Thing that's really interesting. There is like, you know, if you're the Vikings, were you expecting pennocks to still be there when you got there? I mean, the Falcons taking Pennock changes a lot. And I think that nobody in this room would disagree that Pennix is a better pick than McCarthy. [00:24:23] Speaker A: I think that's kind of what kind of made the teams you were talking about with the Vikings and with the Broncos taking those quarterbacks because maybe they were kind of banking on pinnocks falling a little later that also you see him go to the Falcons, which, nope, like, nobody on, you know, any of the broadcast thought was gonna happen. Nobody on, you know, like any of the, the reaction video. I don't know if y'all watch the reaction, but like, you know, you've seen all these, like, nobody thought they were gonna take a quarterback and then all of a sudden he gets taken. So then I think that was, might have been what made Minnesota go, oh, we gotta get a guy. And then the Broncos were like, well, we gotta get somebody before, you know, and they might have already been on the bo nicks, you know, train, you know, because, you know, I heard some people talking about before how bo nix fit Sean Payton system, but once you see all those other guys take it, it's like, oh, we gotta go get them now. Cause we can't risk them going later. [00:25:20] Speaker B: Yeah, once a couple start coming off the board, I mean, it's just a fire sale. [00:25:24] Speaker A: Everybody's. And one thing before, you know, we get away from the draft, you know, we've talked about Alabama players and fits. We've talked about the worst picks. Who do you think, like overall, like had the best draft and it can be y'all's teams. I know we all have different NFL teams that we follow, but like, who do you think did the best job with this draft? [00:25:47] Speaker C: I mean, I'll start, it's a little kind of obvious, but, but I'm going to go to Chicago just simply of what they did in that first round. I mean, getting like, obviously Caleb Williams was going to be the first overall pick, whether I think the Bears were on the board or whoever else would have finished with that first pick, but getting him kind of following that Texans model from last year where they drafted CJ Stroud and then got him weapons kind of in that same round. And I think that the Bears get, getting both Caleb Williams and Roma Dunze, just those two picks on top of. [00:26:22] Speaker A: That, you know, they already had. Who was it? Who they got from Carolina with the trade? The receiver. [00:26:31] Speaker C: Oh, DJ Moore. DJ Moore. [00:26:33] Speaker A: You had DJ Moore, then you got Keenan Allen from the chargers. Now all of a sudden it's like Caleb Williams and then Roma Dunza. That's a dangerous offense if you can keep Caleb Williams off his back. [00:26:45] Speaker C: And let's not forget that fourth round. I believe they traded up for him. Tory Taylor. I was punter, best punter in the country. If you're pinning your guys and if you're pinning your opponents and inside the five yard line every time, then godspeed to them because you're gonna have to face Caleb Williams and have revamped and like a very. I think, like, like, you know, I'm not maybe the biggest Caleb Williams fan is like a person, but like, I mean, he's a fun player to watch. So if you're going to have that exciting offense, get him Roma doomsday to throw to, and then you're going to have it, you essentially win a field position battle every time. Then good luck beating the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. [00:27:28] Speaker B: You know who I thought had a great draft, and this is almost entirely off of one pick, the Cardinals. Marvin Harrison junior. Going at is a steal. This is a guy who is going to be a number one receiver in the NFL. Like straight up, he is going to be the number one option on a team. Some people had him as high as two. Obviously, he's not going to go over a guy like Caleb Williams just because the Bears needed a quarterback. Marvin Harrison is a fantastic player and getting him at four is insane. Value. Like straight up, it's crazy. And now, you know, Kyler Murray gets a guy who pairs perfectly with his skillset. They get a number one option. And good things, good things coming for Marvin Harrison. Marvin Harrison junior. [00:28:19] Speaker A: So I really have two. And the first one, I'm really only saying it because it's my team. But the Steelers, I thought they did really well with this draft and who they were able to get. They didn't go out, they didn't make any flashy picks. But, you know, they, they're setting their team up for success as long as, you know, we figure out the offense coordinator situation and actually call some good plays. But, you know, they went out first two picks, you know, Troy fontenue from the guard from Washington, Zach Frazier, senator from West Virginia. It's like, okay, you're finally giving a line that Najee Harris and, you know, I guess Russell Wilson's going to be the starting quarterback. You know, you're giving them some protection. Then you go out, you get Roman Wilson. So after Deontay Johnson went to Carolina. You know, you get another receiver, Roman Wilson, from Michigan, and then you can start getting, you got a linebacker, Peyton Molson, you know, in the third round from North Carolina. And then, you know, went back to getting, you know, linemen. It was very Steelers draft. And then you're kind of, you're like, we already have, other than picking up Rowan Wilson, you're like, we already have the skill guys we need. Now let's work on the line because Najee Harris is a good run back. He's got nowhere to run. These last couple years, they haven't really been able to control line of scrimmage. Getting some linemen to control it, I thought was really good. And then the other team, I thought the Panthers did a really good job with the, with what they were able to do. You know, they had traded for that number one pick last year. They've gotten Bryce Young. And then you've seen a lot of people talk about, oh, CJ Stroud should have been number one. Well, CJ Stroud went into a lot better situation than what Bryce Young was able to do. And the Texans were actually picking up pieces for him. It looked like the Panthers kind of just got Bryce Young and were like, okay, you're here. Go. Do, you know, Heisman trophy winning quarterback things? And, you know, he didn't really have anything. And then you see them, they don't have a first round pick. And then they trade into the first round. They trade with Buffalo, able to get Xavier Leggett from South Carolina or Sears. So you're getting him a younger weapon. You know, his best weapon last year at Carolina was Adam Thielen. So you're, you're getting him a weapon. Then, you know, the second pick, you know, you get Jonathan Brooks, running back from, from Texas. Then you got a guy on defense with Trevor Wallace, linebacker from Kentucky. So it looks like they're finally trying to get those pieces there to kind of help Bryce Young out. And, you know, a bunch of people are saying, oh, they need to go ahead and move on from Bryce Young. You just need to get protection. And then guys, for Bryce Young to get the ball to, because you saw flashes last year, you know, there was some plays that he made that was very reminiscent of what he was able to do at Alabama. But, you know, I think he was the most sacked quarterback in the league. So it's like he didn't have any protection, and then you didn't really have anybody to throw to other than an aging Adam Thielen. So, you know, I thought they did a good job with what they. And then obviously I talked about Deontay Johnson. You know, they got him from Pittsburgh. So now you have him and Xavier Leggett from South Carolina. So you got the weapons. Now just work on getting some linemen in there. [00:31:24] Speaker B: And, you know, Saban talked about that on the broadcast. He talked about, you know, talking to Bryce Young and trying to get him to stay patient because, I mean, he really was thrown into a horrible situation. Right? [00:31:34] Speaker C: Yeah. Like CJ Stroud wouldn't have succeeded at Carolina. [00:31:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:38] Speaker C: More so than Bryce Young. [00:31:39] Speaker B: CJ Stroud got thrown into almost a perfect situation. Right. Or, you know, I'm not, I'm not gonna say it was, it was perfect, but a much better situation than what Bryce Young has had to face. So we'll see, you know, now that he has a couple weapons started to kind of build things up. We'll see how that turns out. Moving from the draft to college football, a lot of rule changes came through in the last couple weeks that we did not get to talk about. So bunch of different rules in helmet communications now available for use in college football. One player on each side of the ball turns off with 15 seconds left on the play clock. So it seems that the days of the giant boards are gone. Potentially. We'll get into that. [00:32:34] Speaker C: And Jim Harbo Bolts for the NFL. [00:32:39] Speaker B: Cointhrist. [00:32:40] Speaker C: Coincident? [00:32:41] Speaker A: I think not. [00:32:43] Speaker B: So now tablets on the sidelines to look at in game video from the broadcast feed from the coach. Sideline coaches endzone should be interesting. You're allowed to have up to 18 tablets. Anybody can use them. Let's see what else. Two minute warning now in college football. Why? I have no idea. Let's see what else. Collaborative replay system now available for conferences had been an experimental rule before. So you're going to see something potentially similar to the NFL's instant replay system where there are, there is an official, you know, a senior official, something like that in the replay center, you know, potentially in the SEC league office who can help out with calls as opposed to before. The only thing that they could do was give them the video for the on field officials to review. And then obviously the horse collar tackle within the tackle box. 15 yard personal foul. Now, what rule change is the most interesting to you guys? Which one do you think is going to have the biggest impact on the game? [00:33:59] Speaker C: I mean, I think, to be honest, I think it's going to be the two minute warning. I mean, this was a rule like college football for as long as I can remember. And longer than that, for sure. Never had that. And the idea was it was actually kind of, I kind of liked it, like, not having it because there's a nice kind of flow to the game. You know, two minutes. Like, listen, one coach calls a timeout inside two minutes in the fourth quarter of a close game, it's going to be like a four minute ad break anyway. So I never really even understood the point of implementing a two minute warning for college. But I, you know, it's gonna have, I think, a bigger impact on the game and on the field itself. I mean, we're looking at, you could be driving late and, and with two minutes left, instead of just trying to bleed that clock up, maybe you have to go and get a first down, you know, as to extend the clock. Or, you know, it's a free timeout for one team and, or it's a free timeout for both teams, but for one team, it's going to really benefit them. And we see it a lot in the NFL where teams might have that weird, there's a weird period of a game in the fourth quarter where maybe you have to decide whether to kick off or onside kick. And if you have that two minute warning, extra time out, then you can kick it deep and hope you get a stop. Whereas in college, if you didn't have that, then inside two or three, right around that two minute mark, you might have to try to get the ball back on on site kick. So I think that one's going to be the most dramatic shift, at least to the game. But I do wonder, like, you know, kind of in the technically, I guess, off field stuff how, how big that helmet communication and tablets are going to be. I mean, I kind of am upset that we never had a nick Saban game with a tablet in it because I would have loved to see that. [00:35:46] Speaker A: How many tablets would he have broken? That's the question. I like what you were saying, Joe. You know, it's more, there's more strategies you can work out and you have that option, like if you're on defense and you got to get the stop, get the ball back, and then all of a sudden they run a play. You can call a timeout with like 202 left, they have to run another play, then you get that other time out. So you can kind of strategize your way to get more time getting the ball back, trying to make a comeback. For me, the biggest change is that helmet communication and, you know, say what you want about, you know, the boards and, you know, the Michigan sign stealing scandal that happened that, you know, nothing's come out of yet. If anything does come out, it'll be years from now, like any actual punishments. And then obviously they're not going to get hardballed with anything. You know, he's in the NFL now, but, you know, know, that helmet communication, you know, it could be good, I guess. But, you know, for me, it seems like it's taking away some of the home field advantage that you get at college football when you weren't able to have that and you were trying to, you know, relay information to people when you've got 100,000 people, you know, screaming and, you know, you got the clip. When Michigan wasn't able to get a playoff, they had to take a time out, you know, first play the game and, you know, it may be, you know, it cuts off 15 seconds. Maybe they can't hear still. Maybe they were not going to get, you know, it could just end up being nothing. Right? But for me, I think it's going to take away some of that home field advantage. And then especially, like, now we're going to that twelve team playoff where you will have playoff games held on campus for that first round. And now it's like, is there really, like, other than, you know, Hugh, playing at home in front of your fans? Is there like, play calling wise? Like, is it going to be, you know, if you have like a group of five team makes the playoffs and then all of a sudden they got to travel to, you know, Penn State or Michigan and stuff and like, you know, you're worried about going up in front of 100,000 people, but now, you know, you're able to just be like, hey, this is the play. Instead of trying, trying to actually yell across the field or give signals that the other team can pick up on. [00:38:02] Speaker B: Yeah, it's gonna be interesting. And I was just about to say it comes at such an interesting time with the addition of the home playoff games. To me, it's pretty much the same thing. The tablets, the in helmet communication. It feels to me like we're trying to turn college football more towards, towards like the NFL type thing, which I don't know that I hate because, you know, you have these quarterbacks that, you know, you're not going to have to get used to all this new stuff when you go to the NFL, that the jump is going to be a lot easier, in my opinion, because you're already going to be ready with the type of technology, you know, no more looking, you know, having to adjust to having the having the coach in here, you're having the offensive coordinator in your, you know, no more, you know, you'll be ready to, as soon as you walk off the field, be handed a tablet and you're immediately reviewing game phone. Right. I think it's, it's going to be interesting, but it just feels like we're moving more towards trying to get guys ready for the NFL. [00:39:07] Speaker C: Yeah. And I think. [00:39:08] Speaker B: And the timing. [00:39:09] Speaker C: Yeah. And I think the problem, I do have one issue with that is that there are like some, like, I mean, listen, we're talking about also a, like, it could be a, we could have like a very growing disparity we already do nowadays in college sports or college football especially. But I think just growing, getting from like the top level of it, like, say, Alabama. I mean, Alabama already has, I, what, like 50 coaches that are like analysts. You're going to each have a tablet, you're going to each have these headsets, each have communication somewhere. And then you look at the bottom tier of college football. I kind of joke not to point fun of them too much, but like UMass or UConn or some of these struggling programs that aren't really don't have that football funds. Are you getting like two tablets and Alabama's got 35 tablets rolling up to your team and all these headsets and coordinating and all that. So, I mean, I think to an extent it is like, let's make it like the NFL, but it's also built for the already kind of NFL programs of college football, where it's the Alabamas, the Georgias, the whoever else, Texas, whatever else, where a lot of the money is in college football, I think is going to benefit dramatically. I don't know how much is really going to help some of these, like group of five schools, but I think for a lot of these big programs, this is kind of designed to help them. [00:40:44] Speaker A: So basically the NCAA should just come out and say, okay, here is everybody's tablets and everybody's in homework communications and you can't get any more. And then, you know, you don't have to worry about those smaller schools not being able to afford it. [00:40:54] Speaker B: You get your one on loan from the NCAA. Yeah. [00:40:59] Speaker C: Broken by week three. [00:41:00] Speaker B: Yeah, well, Saban already broke five tablets. [00:41:05] Speaker C: More of attrition at that point. [00:41:06] Speaker B: Yeah. The other thing that I was going to say is that, I don't know, it just feels like in a lot of ways, we're just moving towards. You mentioned how this is going to be different for top level teams versus some of the teams that are struggling. It feels like we're already doing a lot, lot of that in college football. [00:41:26] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:41:26] Speaker B: We're moving towards a bigger gap. A lot of people said that nil was going to change the game. It was going to bring the smaller teams and the bigger teams closer together. I think that we're, the way that college football is trending, we're getting to a point where it's, the separation is going to become bigger and bigger and bigger until eventually we're going to have a premier league of college football teams and there's going to be promotion rallies, which I think would be awesome in some ways, but, you know, well, it's a topic for another day, but I think we're just, we're already moving there. This stuff, intentionally or not, just continues to build on that. [00:42:03] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:42:04] Speaker B: We're gonna take a break. When we come back, Alabama basketball transfer portal this show is a sports production of WVU AFM 90.7, a division of student media at the University of Alabama. Support us by leaving a review rating or following us on XVUAFM Sports. Welcome back into the low tide here on 90.7. Nicholas Joe Adam now talking some Alabama basketball. The portal's open. Just absolute chaos in the last couple days with players departing, players committing some betrayal type stuff from Auburn, you know, all kinds of stuff. So we're gonna run down all the players who are in the portal, the new guys coming in, that sort of stuff, and get everybody caught up. So obviously, Mark Sears declared for the NBA draft, has the potential to come back. You know, probably just trying to see what his draft stock's looking like, what the interest from teams is looking like. Quickly, Mark Sears, should he come back? Yes or no? [00:43:33] Speaker C: I mean, listen, I don't want to be like that guy because it might be a little biased as, you know, as Alabama basketball watchers, but like, you know, like he's a six one guard. He. Realistically, I don't think an extra year of college will, like, assuming he still plays the way he has, like assuming he doesn't have like a down, down season. I don't think his draft stock is going to go really move a whole lot if he has one extra year out there. But, you know, so that's kind of my argument for him staying. But it's also like, you know, it's the NBA, it's your dream when you decide to play basketball as a kid. So I wouldn't fault him if he decides, hey, you know, I want to go here. And to be honest, it might be a better situation. He goes later in the draft, potentially to a better organization and a better team. I can hopefully utilize him more and actually play him. But, you know, I don't know how much stake of that. I don't know how much stake is in that because, you know, he was one of college basketball's, I think, best players over the last season, but I don't, you know, that doesn't necessarily always correlate with draft intrigue. [00:44:44] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, if I don't know what information he's getting, I don't know how the teams are actually viewing, you know, him as a prospect. You know, are they, do they think he's going to be playing for the NBA team right away? I think if whoever takes them, they're probably going to have him on the g, in, on their G League affiliate for a while. Kind of how, you know, Keon Ellis did before he was able to get, you know, called up to Sacramento full time. But it really, like, what is, does, does he even care, like, does Marc Sears care about, like, not like, does he just want to get to the NBA to be a professional or like whatever team, like the G League, the team that they put him on? Or does he want, does he want to come back? Does he want to have that, another shot at winning a player of the year or potentially a championship? I don't know exactly how Alabama will do next year, but he was, you know, I mean, everybody contributed, but he was basically like the guy that got Alabama to their first final four. Does he want to go out with that final four or does he want to come back and try to make it to another one? I don't know. I hope he comes back. Like Joe was saying, I don't know if another year is going to really improve his draft stock. So I don't know exactly what he wants to do. I don't know how much it'll benefit him unless he's, you know, he could come back. You know, he was, he didn't win. Like, we were talking about one of the shows where, you know, they, he wasn't even included on the first list for player of the year, and then all of a sudden he was added to the final just because of how well he was playing. So does he want to come back and just show everybody how good he is, possibly win a player of the year? And then, you know, if he came back and Alabama went to a second straight Final Four after not being to any in their history, that would be pretty big. I just don't know how much that would improve for his NBA aspirations, right? [00:46:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Look, for me, it's a tough choice because on one hand, Alabama just went to the Final Four. Mark Sears became a household name. Right. People know who Mark Sears is. You know, he has that, that box office appeal. Right? And if Alabama was to not make the Final Four next season, there's no guarantee that your stock is ever going to be higher, that your name is going to be mentioned more than it is right now. And that does play a part to me. The best NBA comp that you can make for Marc Shears is Jalen Brunson, right? Jalen Brunson was, I think, the 33rd overall pick in his draft. Six two. This is a guy who, you know, did play, did immediately play in the NBA, didn't go down to the G League, but this is also a guy who won two NCAA championships, was the national college player of the year, first team All American, Bob Cousey award. You know, all, everything that you can possibly do had, had major success before that in international competition with the US. Jalen, I don't think that Marc Sears is going to have that level, that kind of resume before he gets drafted. So when you're looking at that, a guy who's very similar to him being taken that way, I really don't think that another year would hurt him. But I can also see the point of, you just went to the final four, you showed everybody what you could do, you balled out. There's no guarantee that you're going to play like that again next season. This could potentially be where you need to cash out. But you could also diamond hands hold and hope that your stock goes even higher. So we'll see what happens. An interesting decision for Mark Sears, to say the least. Grant Nelson has to make his decision very quickly. We should know potentially by the time this podcast comes out, what's going on with Grant Nelson. Very quickly, yes or no, come back. [00:48:54] Speaker C: I'm going to say, yeah, I'm going. [00:48:57] Speaker A: To say yes as well. Mostly because he had struggled earlier in the year. He had played well out of conference until they started playing some of those higher level teams. And then when he got to SEC play, he was kind of struggling. But as the year went on, you saw flashes in games, but really once the NCAA tournament started, that's when you really saw what he could do. And I think if he comes back another year, he could show that for an entire season. I think that would really improve his stock. Whereas Mark Sears, we were talking about it, might not improve that much. Grant Nelson could really improve that draft stock if he came back. [00:49:28] Speaker C: The idea of like a 611 guy who could shoot the ball. I think if assuming Grant Nelson takes that next step and he comes back next year, that potential to, like you said, just get that draft stock up higher. I mean, you could talk about, like, right on the verge of a lottery pick if he has that impact type of season, like we did see down the road. Like, if he's able to dunk on Donovan Klingon, like, if that's kind of what he's going to do next year for Alabama, then I think an NBA team, especially one in that kind of 15 to 25 30 range, would love. [00:50:03] Speaker A: To have him if, like, Alabama's already got some of their recruits coming in. But, you know, there's some other people they're trying to get out of the transfer portal, and if they can get somebody that can really play that five spot and kind of leave grant to just focus on what he's good at, it would be really good. [00:50:17] Speaker B: I was just about to say that Grant Nelson projects that the next level is a power forward, right? And he really hasn't been able to show that this year. He also, you know, struggled shooting from three this year. Year 27% had a down year in points production, although he is going from much weaker competition to a stronger competition. Showed some flashes, showed that he has a very NBA friendly game. Big guy with great shooting touch, is able to get his own and a decent defender at that. But I really think Grant could really benefit from another year to show just, you know, if he can improve his three point percentage. I mean, he is going to see his draft stock rise majorly, but I think he could really benefit from another year against the best competition. That would help him out a lot. Guys departing, Chris Parker, gone red shirted as a freshman, very exciting prospect. Don't know where he's going yet as of now. Ryland Griffin, this one was tough headed to Kansas. I mean, one thing I think you'll see with a lot of these guys who are leaving, I mean, they are not leaving for lesser programs. I mean, they're going to Kansas, South Carolina, the top of the top. So I think that says a lot about the kind of success that Alabama basketball had this last season. Griffin, obviously that's tough. Had some really exciting games there. I think he, what, doubled his points per game and then had to step up big time into a starter as only a sophomore. [00:52:07] Speaker A: Did y'all see where Sam Walters kind of gave away? Where. Where Ryland was going so, so Sam Walters, committed to Michigan. Right. And like, in his first little interview, I can't, I don't know if it was filmed or if it just came out in an article, but they were asked. It might have even just been on it. I can't remember exactly where it was. It could have been on social media. Anyway, somebody asked him the question of, like, what he was looking forward to at Michigan. And he said, playing Kansas and holding Ryan Griffin to zero. This was before Ryland had announced that he was going to Kansas. So I thought that was hilarious. [00:52:45] Speaker B: That's funny. Darvin Cosby, junior. He's headed to Wake Forest. Sam Walters committing to Michigan. It's tough. Showed some flashes of potentially being an elite shooter. Obviously, there was all that talk before the season about his performance in that secret scrimmage against TCU where he, you. [00:53:05] Speaker A: Know, lit up the field. I'm just glad he didn't go to Florida, and I don't even know if Florida was trying to get him. But, you know, it was very reminiscent of last year with baseball. You know, Alabama had, Colby Shelton, who was from Florida, came in, was one of the best freshmen in college baseball. You know, had, he was the leading home run guy for Alabama last year. And then after the season, after making the super regionals, you know, transfers to Florida, who was just, you know, at the College World Series. So it was like, I think they were in the finals against LSU. So it was like, you know, he went back home and then all of a sudden, Sam Walters, another guy from Florida, you know, another guy who as the year went on, you started seeing him get better and better against those top competition. You know, he didn't have, you know, he didn't have one of those, like, super breakout games in the tournament that some of the other guys were having. But, you know, he was playing really well and he ended the portal. I was like, don't go to Florida. Don't go to any program in Florida. And he goes to Michigan. You know, maybe we'll see him. I don't know. Michigan hasn't been the best team last couple years and, you know, they just fired their coach, so we'll see how he is up there. [00:54:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Nick Pringle, heartbreaker, committed to South Carolina, you know, kind of had some interesting issues throughout the course of the season, but really late. Came on as a big time leader on the court and was one of the key pieces that helped Alabama get to the final four and make that run. So that's tough. Mowagi had a reaggravated that knee, and by the end of the season, he's almost completely out of the rotation. Don't know where he's going. He's got a year of eligibility left. And then some of the interesting recruits, transfers coming in. Chris Youngblood, Tuscan native, co ACC player or AAC Player of the year. Yeah, tough at USF. I don't know what it is with Alabama and South Florida recently, but a lot of connections. There's something there that's exciting. Aidan Holloway, obviously five star from Auburn making the reverse Jamiah Mingo young decision and coming to Tuscaloosa. Struggled in his first year, potentially a change of scenery. This could be a massive pickup. He showed insane flashes in high school. I mean, we'll see where that ends up. [00:55:36] Speaker A: I still think, you know, the big, like, we'll see what happens with the transfer portal. You know, they're still having meetings. You know, there are some meetings this weekend and then there's other guys that Alabama's in the running for getting out of the transfer portal. You know, I'm still excited. And this might have been a reason that Nick Pringle decided to leave because, you know, he was stepping up, you know, after his issues earlier in the season. But, you know, you see Aidan, Cheryl coming in and you see the guys that they're trying to get out the portal. Who knows how much Nick Pringle would actually be able to get on the court next year, especially if these guys pan out how they're projected to. But Aiden Cheryl coming in, five star, McDonald's all american, six foot eleven, he's one of the top centers in high school basketball. And Pringle was kind of having to take that rim protector role when he was in. And now it looks like Alabama, they're bringing Aiden, Cheryl, and then the guys that they're trying to get out of the portal, Pringle might have been looking at it and being like, you know, and, you know, NATO's might have even told him, you know, these guys are coming in, they're going to get a lot of playing time. And Pringle knew he could move on to South Carolina and get more. But, you know, I'm excited for these. These bigger guys, like the guards are. They're going to be exciting to watch, you know, just in Alabama system. But I'm really excited for the bigger guys that Alabama's bringing in. [00:56:58] Speaker B: Well, and one thing that I didn't bring up right, you have Aaron Estrada, who obviously exhausted all of his eligibility, but coming in to fill in that spot, Houston Millett from Pepperdine. Committed before the tournament. Even started. 14.5 points per game at Pepperdine. Shot 40% from deep. I mean, this is a guy who almost perfectly fits in Alabama's system and, you know, I would imagine that he's going to play very similar minutes to Aaron. Ashley Strada might not be a starter, but going to play some serious minutes. [00:57:28] Speaker C: I think Mollet projects a lot of what Lutrell Wrightsau did for us or did for the team this past year. [00:57:35] Speaker A: It will continue to do because he just announced that he's coming back. [00:57:40] Speaker C: I think Reitzel will actually take a step up in the rotation, especially if Sears does end up deciding to go to the NBA. But I think that's the, the kind of role that we would see Millett in, where he's one of those guys that will probably be more instrumental in runs and in the season than a lot of the fans think, because you're going to have to take out some of the. I mean, Mark Sears, for essentially the whole tournament was able to play 40 minutes, but you're not going to do that during a regular season. So to win some of these games, guys like Millet, I think Youngblood also potentially could come off the bench, could start. I think his shooting might get him in that rotation. But Milette's one of those guys who, I think when you need some of these guys to get rest, he comes in, facilitates the floor. Can he do a good job? Can he just kind of go out there and not lose the game in those couple of minutes that he's going to play at a time? [00:58:34] Speaker B: Yeah. And one thing, holistically, looking at all this, one thing that I think is important, distress is that, you know, you see a bunch of players leaving, getting into the transfer portal. This should not be like, for an Alabama fan, you should not be like, worried about this, right? I think the only guy who you're really upset about losing is probably Ryland Griffin. You would love to have kept him. I'm sure he got an absolute bag to go to Kansas, you know, and also it's Kansas, right. You know, probably one of the best basketball programs you could possibly play for. And I don't know, you know, maybe that was the school that he always wanted to apply for that sort of thing. Obviously he improved his stock a lot and he's still got, what, two years of eligibility left. So, you know, that's potentially a can't miss opportunity for him. But in a lot of the other spots, guys are leaving because there's guys better coming in to replace them. And, you know, you're filling holes. Has not had a problem recruiting, like, at all at Alabama. And it continues to get better year after year after year. And now, you know, he's working on that transfer portal game. Obviously this last year he showed you what he could do. Big pickups, Aaron Estrada, Grant Nelson, essentially the starting five. Previously Mark Sears, you know, guys like that. So there is no cause for concern. [00:59:53] Speaker C: And Alabama's in the running to actually get a guy who originally was committed to Kansas. And LeBaron, I believe it's Phylon or Filon. [01:00:02] Speaker A: He was actually on campus yesterday. [01:00:04] Speaker C: Yeah, over the weekend. And he was a four star recruit. I think he has. Yeah, he has a crystal ball to Alabama. So, you know, Alabama could return the favor right back to the Jayhawks. [01:00:15] Speaker A: Are we seeing the start of actual trades in college basketball? [01:00:21] Speaker B: Yeah. At what point do we just go full on, like, you know, we're just making trades at this point. College draft, who knows? Swap picks? Yeah, I'm trading my first rounder for. [01:00:32] Speaker C: We're gonna trade him for cash considerations. [01:00:34] Speaker B: So what? [01:00:35] Speaker C: Nil money? [01:00:36] Speaker B: A fax machine? Is that. [01:00:37] Speaker C: Yeah, that's what it is. [01:00:39] Speaker B: Go look that one up. When we come back, beef of the week, it returns again. As always. Does it ever not return? We say farewell to Mister Joe Schatz on his last show. When we come back here on 90.7. [01:01:08] Speaker A: Wvuafm, tuscaloosa. [01:01:21] Speaker B: Welcome back into the low tide here on 90.7, the Capstone. Nicholas, Joe and Adam for the final time this school year. Exciting times, but also sad times. We're saying goodbye to Mister Joe Schatz, who is moving on from us. But before we do that beef of the week, it's back again, just like it always comes back. Who wants to start? All right, I'll start his final beef of the week. [01:01:49] Speaker C: I know my final beef. I just figured because it was timely. We talked about it earlier in the show. My beef for the week is how long the first round of the NFL draft is. And I say this as a fan of a team who has historically picked in the later picks of this draft. As, as a Ravens fan, I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of good, well, seasons, but that also means I got to stay up until pick 25. This year it was 30. And, like, when you really sit down and try to watch the draft and watch the whole thing, there is so much, so much. Just not like wasted time, because I'm sure in the actual draft rooms the time isn't wasted but, like, reading the story of how the Bears had to wait five minutes to put in Caleb Williams name, you know, like, why, why do we do that? And I was actually, you know, like I mentioned, it was fortunate as a Ravens fan, they picked, they made a pick and within like 10 seconds, like, they knew who they wanted. That guy fell to them. They picked him within, you know, I think during a commercial break, you just saw the pick came in and had to come back. But there is just so much, so much just space that doesn't need to be made. I understand it's tv product first and foremost. So I'm not, I'm not saying it has to change. Like, ESPN is probably raking in the dough from it. The 700,000 people total showed up to watch the NFL draft. So clearly it wasn't. Clearly it's not a bad thing to go out and see, but I'm just, every time it's like, I get hyped for the draft, I see all the players want to see who goes in these top picks, see where players land, and all of a sudden it's like 1130 and almost midnight. I'm like, guys, why are we still drafting? You know, what are we doing? Like, I don't know if they just got to move it up like an hour earlier or, you know, shorten picks times or something, but I'm like, geez, it just, that's the part that just annoys, it annoys me every year. [01:03:41] Speaker A: Yeah, they give, they give each team, you know, ten minutes on the clock and, you know, you already know who you want. Like, unless there was some kind of surprise where maybe somebody wanted Michael pinnocks and then, you know, he was, was taken and then you got to readjust your strategy. But, like, the first pick we've known it's been Caleb Williams since before last season started. And, you know, the Bears, they know that's going to happen. Why are they using up almost the entire ten minutes? Why are they calling him at this point? You've already told him. You should have. Like, maybe you didn't, but you should have already. You should have told him the day before. [01:04:15] Speaker B: He already knew. He showed up to the draft in a, in a blue suit. [01:04:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:04:19] Speaker C: Like, it would have been, though, hilarious. [01:04:22] Speaker A: Like, if he did get, like, I saw the video of when they called him and I'm just like, this is the stupidest phone call ever. You should have just been like, you should have told him before the draft. Like, hey, we're taking you. Like, Roger Goodell should have went up to the podium with, like, here's the first pick. And, yeah, I wouldn't hate if that's. [01:04:40] Speaker C: How that starts, to be honest. [01:04:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, I mean, you're the first person on the board. [01:04:44] Speaker A: Ten minutes on the clock. The bears have been on the clock for, like, a year, probably like three. [01:04:49] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. I completely agree. [01:04:53] Speaker C: I just don't. [01:04:54] Speaker B: There's also just too much, like, theatrics. Right. Like, I understand the whole thing about making it an event, and an event it is, because you have three separate broadcasts of, like, four. Pat McAfee, ESPN, ABC, NFL Network. Right. I understand the production of it. But, you know, then you got Eminem coming out there and I like, come on, can we just. I'm not afraid. [01:05:16] Speaker C: Let's just make your Roger Goodell. [01:05:19] Speaker B: Let's get the move on. [01:05:20] Speaker C: And I will also just say this. I have no problem with it after maybe really even the first two rounds, if rounds three through seven, if they're going to theatric. And I saw sketch made a pick, if you're going to get all these celebrities involvements in it, save it for later. You know, put it. Put that in the draft. Like, make the first round. You know, make that business. You know, make that a. You know, these are the 32 best college athletes. Let's get them in the NFL. Let's get them to a team, you know, pick 115. Sure, you can go ahead, take your time. Bring out all these stars. But I don't know. I digress, because it's. It's a losing battle every time. It's probably only going to get longer as more and more people get tuned into it every year. [01:06:05] Speaker A: Can we just start this at, like, two in the afternoon? Honestly? Yeah. [01:06:08] Speaker C: I mean, I believe. Isn't that what they used to like? It was just like, the NFL draft was just a Thursday. Can we just do that again? Hear about it in the paper the next morning? [01:06:17] Speaker B: It's just. It's just insane. Yeah. They should just do it in, like, a private room. Yeah. [01:06:23] Speaker C: Honestly, like, with just the GM's and they don't tell anyone. [01:06:26] Speaker B: And then. [01:06:26] Speaker C: So week one, first preseason game, Caleb Williams trots out at Soldier Field, and everyone's like, oh, I knew it. But that's cool. [01:06:34] Speaker B: That would be sick. I love that idea even more than what I was about to say. But, like, the way that they should do it, right, is, like, have it all happen behind the scenes and then, like, do, like, the stupid, like, you know, how to do, like, the schedule reveal or the playoff reveal show. Just do it like that. Like, sit there and build the hype for it. Make it the. Then you can make that the most, most overblown, theatrical thing. [01:06:56] Speaker C: And the thing is, if you're on Twitter at any point, at any point during the NFL draft, you know who's getting paid. Like, you can see the pick before the pick comes in. Like, some NFL insider has tweeted it out minutes before it's actually done, so it doesn't even matter. [01:07:11] Speaker B: Also, I know that the Texans did not have a first round pick sketch. Should have been. He should have done the second round pick. I don't understand that. He should have been on tv straight up. Now. He did. He did get his moment, right. He did get his moment, especially after he, like, didn't he, like, tear his hamstring? Like, Caleb Williams was throwing him passes when he was, like, speed was guarding him and he apparently, like, tore his hamstring. I don't know. People. [01:07:38] Speaker C: There are people listening who have no clue what sketch speed. What is this? [01:07:43] Speaker B: Yeah, just look it up. Okay. Also, though, like, I feel like sketch is, like, elevated. That's true. [01:07:49] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:07:49] Speaker B: So we'll see, you know, when they're doing that on SportsCenter. [01:07:53] Speaker A: I mean, you know, when the first little, you know, trend started coming out and, like, everybody seemed to know what it was, I'm like, I have no idea what these people are talking about. And then I finally just looked it up and I was like, oh, okay, I get it now. But that was, you know, now I think he's gonna be more vulnerable. But anyway, next, I guess I'll go second for beef of the week. And, you know, this might just be because I'm old. I'm literally turning 30 this week, unfortunately. It's a sad week for me. I'm definitely in my fields right now. I'm going to the mountains and just gonna hide away. [01:08:32] Speaker B: 1Ft in the grave. [01:08:33] Speaker A: Yeah. So it's the end of the semester, and I get it. Like, people are throwing these into the semester parties, into the school year parties. I get it. If it's at a frat house, like, that's cool. I live out in town. Why do you have a full band at your house? Literally right behind me. I'm trying to take my mid afternoon nap, and you're blasting, like, full band, having a full concert right in your yard. And, like, it's just coming right through my back door right there. And, you know, it's. It was annoying. And it might just be because I'm old, but I was not a fan. Like, go. Go to campus. It's ten minutes down the road to go to your frat house. Do not have it right next to my apartment building. [01:09:22] Speaker B: Get off my lawn. Also, we'll talk off air. I might know who the band was. I might know several members of said band. So we'll. We'll talk about that off there, okay? Mine is nowhere near as my beef. [01:09:33] Speaker C: Of the week is neighbors who complain. [01:09:35] Speaker B: About my buddy's band. [01:09:37] Speaker A: I was about to be the guy that called in to the police and be like, I got a noise complaint. Oh, man. [01:09:43] Speaker B: I've almost been there so many times. Like, I swear, the other night, it sounded like it was, like, midnight, and there was. I guess they were having a party upstairs. Like, it sounded like Jeff Hardy was doing a Swanton bomb off a ladder, like, onto the floor. It was actually insane. Okay, my beef of the week, nowhere near as good as either of those apartment maintenance cruiser. Okay? It is impossible to get anything fixed. And look, I will go unnamed apartment building. I'll do all that because it's not time to air the dirty laundry yet, right? We haven't quite gotten to that level. My fridge broke a week ago. [01:10:23] Speaker C: Oh, a week ago? [01:10:24] Speaker B: A week ago. Do you think it has been fixed? Probably not, no. Have you ever tried to live a week without a fridge? It's one of those things that you, like, really take for granted until you can't cook anything because you can't save the leftovers. You can't really cook for one person unless you're really, really, really planning it out. You can't do anything, any meal prep, anything like that. None of your drinks are cold. Everything that was in the fridge went bad, so they come to fix it right the first time, okay? And they say that we stacked too much stuff in the freezer. I live with one other person. Okay? In this apartment building, there are multiple four bedroom apartments. I would be hard pressed to imagine that we had more things in the freezer than a four person apartment, because, you know, that thing is filled to the brim with everything you can imagine. So they tried to blame it on us, right? And they said, so then the solution was, okay, well, let's just unplug the refrigerator for 24 hours. Do you think that fixed it? No. So then, you know, I'm waiting, right? And I feel like I was pretty, pretty decently patient waiting and waiting. So then one day comes, I finally go down to the desk, and I'm like, hey, our refrigerator's been broken for a week. You guys said, you know, when is this going to get fixed? She comes back, oh, well, you know, it just came in really late last night, but it's supposed to get done today. Next day comes, no fridge is there. So I go down there, and it's Friday by this point. The maintenance people have already left for the weekend. So now I'm stuck the entire weekend without a fridge because they did not seem to think that it was much of a priority, even though I had asked them the day before, they told me it was going to be done. Just an absolute disaster. Just a wonderful situation. They put it off, and now, you know, I got screwed out of another whole weekend without a fridge. So we're running on a full week without a fridge. Not a fun experience. Do not recommend at all. [01:12:40] Speaker A: Yeah. And, you know, it might just be maintenance crews in general. Might not just be the apartment maintenance crews, but, you know, I had had to be over a month ago now. I had some Internet issues, and we had to get, you know, the Internet maintenance guys out there. And one guy comes out, looks it over, says, okay, you should be good now. And it was working for, like, an hour, and it goes out again. We finally had to get another guy to come out. And he come and he goes and checks what the other guy did, walks in and goes, do you remember the name of the guy? And I gave him the name. He's like, oh, that explains it. He was like, yeah, he didn't tighten down the bolt. So, like, every time the wind blew, like, your connection was getting, like, knocked off. And I'm like, this is ridiculous. And, you know, then, like, your situation with the fridge, luckily, I have not had that happen yet. But, you know, can we just get some more confident people coming to fix our stuff? [01:13:40] Speaker B: I got some other great stories. Like the time that our apartment almost flooded because they had unplugged, they had unhooked the sink. [01:13:50] Speaker C: I think it was. [01:13:51] Speaker B: It was either the dishwasher or the sink in the apartment directly above us and told them not to turn it on. They turned it on, and all of a sudden, like, gallons of water just start coming through the ceiling. And this was like, in the first week that we had moved there. It was hilarious. You know, look, I feel bad for them sometimes because even I question, you know, how college age adults, like, cannot keep an apartment building clean. Like, some of the things that I've seen, I won't even. Won't even discuss on air. Can't discuss on air. But, you know, I feel bad for them sometimes. But then stuff like this happens, and I'm like, really? Guys like, you just. You just keep putting it off. So that's my beef of the week. I think this is a pretty good beef of the week, honestly. [01:14:40] Speaker C: This is a good week for beef. Yeah, it's always not for yours, but. [01:14:44] Speaker B: For us, it's always a good week for beef. Hopefully I have a fridge. If I don't have a fridge by the next time we do a podcast, something went majorly wrong. [01:14:54] Speaker A: We're gonna have beef of the summer, and Nick's gonna be over here like, yeah, Fridge is still down. [01:15:01] Speaker B: Stop and fix it, guys. [01:15:03] Speaker C: I have had so much single served ramen. [01:15:08] Speaker B: Don't even get me started. So finally, you know, it's a sad time, but Mister Joe Schatz is graduating. What? On Friday, he would walk stage, man. Crazy how they. How they. [01:15:23] Speaker A: Why couldn't you just, like, fail? I was tempted. [01:15:27] Speaker C: I was like, especially. I'm, like, looking at next year's football schedule. [01:15:30] Speaker B: I'm like, thought about it. [01:15:32] Speaker C: Student ticket, you know, it's like, 125. Could go to Georgia, go to, you know, see all these, you know, the new SEC football schedule, the new coach. [01:15:41] Speaker A: I'm trying to go to all the road games, too. [01:15:43] Speaker C: What if I just, like, you know, drop a class? But, yeah. Mom was not thrilled with that idea, so I had to graduate. [01:15:50] Speaker B: I have to graduate. Oh, man. Gotta walk. So I figured the only way that really I could think of to bid you farewell from the show would be for us to do an exit interview. You've gotten asked the questions for so long to other people, now we get to ask you questions. [01:16:09] Speaker C: Sounds good. [01:16:11] Speaker B: No disclaimer, but I reserve the right to strike any question from the record if it needs to happen. So we'll try and keep it semi short, but who knows? This is gonna go. Adam, you wanna ask the first question? [01:16:24] Speaker A: I mean, my first question is, where are you going? [01:16:27] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, that's a great answer question. [01:16:31] Speaker B: What's next? [01:16:32] Speaker C: Yeah, so right now it's just got the applications out there. Got it to a couple spots. Just really waiting to hear back. I'll probably just go home to Maryland for maybe a month, a couple months, see how the job search goes. But, yeah, it's, you know, right now, just kind of looking in anything in communications, really. Mostly journalism, reporting, writing, broadcasting. So, you know, if, like, this somehow makes its way onto, like, LinkedIn or indeed handshake, you know, I'm available. [01:17:05] Speaker B: I'm gonna cut this part out and. [01:17:06] Speaker C: Feel free to reach out. So. Yeah, but that's just kind of getting, you know, you know, enjoy a short little break, and then hopefully get right back into the reporting world. [01:17:17] Speaker B: The portal is open. Yeah, he's open to any and all. [01:17:20] Speaker C: I will take nil, that's for certain. [01:17:25] Speaker B: So, I guess. Okay, my first thing I gotta ask. What is your favorite Alabama sports memory from your time here? It doesn't have to be something that you witnessed in person, but I would also imagine that it kinda be hard for it not to be something like that. [01:17:39] Speaker C: Um, that's a good one. I mean, I will admit, like, this past football season was really fun, and it was very different because my first three years. Well, my first year was COVID. So you had to win a lottery to go to a game as a student, and I got to go to one, and it was against Texas A and M, and I believe it was a 30 point blowout by. By Alabama, although that season was also the year in which every game seemingly was a 30 point blowout trial. [01:18:07] Speaker B: Panama was also pretty good that year. [01:18:09] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And yeah, obviously. So it was cool to see just getting down there, but I think really, like, the home schedule, if I can remember correctly, for my sophomore and junior year, it really didn't compare to this year. I mean, like, my sophomore year was mostly, you know, they had the Tennessee game, they had the LSU game. Both those games weren't really hyped up at least as much as they were this past year, mostly because Alabama was on streaks against both those teams pretty much. But I just say this past year, just watching football and actually watching games that seemed like big primetime games that I had grown up watching Alabama football in, that's probably my favorite moment. That and being here won the national title in 2020. And, like, seeing the strip go from, like, you know, all these people settled down at bars to, like, practically Tuscaloosa itself and probably the greater Alabama, you know, Birmingham area, traveling in and flooding a street in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. So parents weren't thrilled with that, with the visuals on. On. On the tv, but it was a great time to be in Tuscaloosa. [01:19:21] Speaker A: Okay, so you talked, like, some about your favorite sports memories. We've also talked about how you don't really know where you're going other than back home and then hopefully getting a job. So if this is your last time being in Tuscaloosa, what will you miss the most about just Tuscaloosa and Jim, or will you not? [01:19:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:19:48] Speaker C: This town I'm so happy to get out of now, I'd say the thing I'd miss the most is just like, it seemed like everything and everyone was, like, very connected down here. I don't think that's necessarily the case in a lot of places. I mean, like, you know, down here, there is very much a common. And maybe it's, like a thing in the south. Like, I'm born and raised in Maryland. Never lived in the south, never lived anywhere else. So maybe it's just a thing down here, but I just love the idea that, like, you know, you go out to a restaurant, to a bar, to, you know, just somewhere in the street, anywhere you can get your car fixed, and, like, everyone down here, it's like, you know, Alabama fan, they'll talk to you about sports. I mean, I was getting my hair cut the other day, and the guys, it was like a 35 minutes haircut because this guy was talking to me about the basketball team for 2030 minutes. So I'm. I'll gonna miss that. Like, just kind of the connectedness of everybody down here in Tuscaloosa, you know. [01:20:48] Speaker B: Honestly, it would have been hilarious if you were like, yeah, I'm gonna miss Ennis the most. That's really what I'm gonna miss. Here's what I'll ask. Future is completely open, unknown for you. If you could choose any city, not just in the US, the world, to go cover sports, where would it be? Not Tuscaloosa. [01:21:10] Speaker A: You can't choose Tuscaloosa. [01:21:11] Speaker C: Okay, that one's up. [01:21:13] Speaker B: Birmingham. [01:21:17] Speaker C: What's the place right next to this? Shelton? [01:21:21] Speaker B: No, Northport. [01:21:22] Speaker C: Northport, I'd say. I mean, I think one of the coolest places, I would say somewhere in. I mean, Nick, you might like this, but somewhere in, like, Texas, just like, one of these, like, very hub cities where they seem to have everything, you know, going on. Because, like, I just love, like, I don't necessarily just love watching football or just watching basketball or baseball. Like, I'll just watch almost any. Any sports game that's thrown on. So I think being covering a sport or a team or, like, a city's teams and kind of a year round environment would be really cool in one of those, like, major. I think it sounds dumb because it's like, yeah, like, everyone would want to cover a major market team, but, like, I think just covering a team in which you can, you know, in this fall, it's football, in the spring it's baseball, and the winter is basketball, and the summer is, I don't know, I guess, baseball again. So, like, just covering sports like that and really getting kind of diving into a sport and kind of not stopping would be pretty cool. So I think, like, you know, Dallas, Houston, maybe Miami and Florida, somewhere like that. That would be like, I think, awesome. [01:22:34] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, you heard it here first. Joe wants to go to Dallas to cover bowl riding. We'll get one last question from the both of us and then that'll be it. [01:22:45] Speaker A: So what are your, like, I know you were talking about, like, just going home. What are your immediate post graduation? Are you just going home? Are you taking some kind of summer vacation? Like, what? What is your immediate, you know, just out of college. What are you doing? [01:23:04] Speaker C: Probably. It'll probably primarily be at home, like, while I. While I figure out kind of my career path. But I. [01:23:12] Speaker A: It's not gonna be like our other four who, like, went on a whole european tour. [01:23:17] Speaker C: I was thinking about doing that. The problem is that's kind of a, you know, I didn't book that a year in advance, so that's kind of what you got to do for those trips. But I will say I'll probably take a trip, you know, somewhere. I mean, me and. Me and my mom have a thing where we're trying to visit all 30 MLB stadiums. I think we're at 13, so might try to hit up a couple more. I know we haven't been in New York, so I was like, that's like, right up the road from us. [01:23:44] Speaker B: Yankees Stadium. [01:23:45] Speaker C: Yeah, no, haven't been there. Haven't been to queens for the Mets. So we might try to. Try to plan a trip around that. But, yeah, for right now, like, I gotta go home and, like, I got family members. I got a queue at home that's just waiting for me to get back and see me. So I gotta finish that priority first. [01:24:01] Speaker B: So no Vegas trip is what you're saying. [01:24:04] Speaker C: I wish. I wish I could last second. Yeah. Try to double my winnings. [01:24:09] Speaker A: His post graduation trip will just be like driving up to the Poconos. [01:24:14] Speaker C: Yeah, probably Appalachia. No, but I am going to try to do some kind of grand, some kind of grand trip over the summer somewhere, just to try and go out and see a place one last time while I still am, I guess, somewhat a student. [01:24:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Take advantage of the student discount one last time somewhere. [01:24:35] Speaker C: Card will work somewhere for sure. [01:24:37] Speaker B: All right, my final question. You knew I was going to ask this one. Just what is going to be your lasting memory or your favorite memory of your time being a journalism student here at Alabama? Whether that's here with the radio station or whatever? [01:24:54] Speaker C: I'd say my lasting memory was just kind of like, when I look back on it, just how much this station specifically, like, grew from. Because my freshman year, I was. I remember it was like, February of, like, 2021. And the sports director here was a guy by the name of Cooper, I believe his last name was Husky or something like that. And he should have looked that up, actually. I apologize if he's listening, but essentially this, you know, I got into this station by, like, emailing him, and, like, I looked up, like, university of Alabama, like, journalism things like clubs or resources, and it was like, the Crimson White and then WVUA FM. And I was like, oh, it might be kind of cool work for the radio station or something. And I emailed him, and he was just like, hey, yeah, you want to do a show? You start two weeks, you know, and that's how I got a radio show. And now just looking at it and, like, the popularity that has happened to the station over the last couple of years, whether that's from Garrett, the former sports director Unick, or anyone else who's worked here, like, you can just see it, how now we have guys. Like, we have producers, we have editors, we have an actual podcast schedule, and there's actual radio schedules. I mean, it was like, my first show was. I was told, just get in there and talk. Like, you have an hour. You can talk about Alabama. You can talk about the NFL, NBA, or whatever. And I just remember thinking like, oh, wow, I get all this creative freedom. It's so nice. But until it's mid April and you're like, I don't know what to talk about. Nothing's playing. So I think it's stuff like that. Just looking back and looking at the growth of the station is something that's going to be really cool to me and how big and just, like, how more recognized it's become. I mean, you know, there's people that go to, like, get on board day and stuff like that and actually have an interest in the radio as opposed to just, you know, I think a very traditional, like, I'm just gonna go get an internship somewhere else. You know, work somewhere else in live media. You know, you can just come here and have just as much, if not more fun. So, yeah, so. [01:27:06] Speaker B: So I get. I guess that's it. I guess that's it. Last show of the semester. Last show of this school year. Last show for Joe Schottz here at WVU, AFM. [01:27:16] Speaker A: Will somebody fill his seat, or will we just leave it open if he wants to come back? [01:27:20] Speaker C: Well, technically, someone has to, because I don't think the mics will turn on. [01:27:25] Speaker B: Are you gonna call in? [01:27:26] Speaker C: Yeah, I might have. Yeah. Honestly, if you guys need a beef. Extra beef for the week segment. [01:27:31] Speaker B: Yeah, you know what? Well, we'll see. You know, maybe. Maybe wherever you're at in a year, you know? [01:27:37] Speaker C: Although, then I'll get hit with, like, I'll kind of be like Adam in a couple years. It might be for the weakest mortgage. [01:27:41] Speaker B: Rates in this country. Good times. Anyway, thank you, Joe, as always, for all your hard work here. Yeah. We're gonna miss you. And for the last time this school year, this is been the low tide on 90.7. The capstone. Thank you so much for joining us. [01:28:01] Speaker C: As Ron Burgundy said, stay classy. Tuscaloosa.