7-25-24 McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning Hour 1: Biggest question(s) facing college football; ACC QBs that will surprise; Mark Packer talks ACC Media Days
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McElroy and Kubelik in the morning starts now. It's getting closer. We're a couple weeks out from getting to the point where we go to our seminar. I think booking travel to the seminar made it feel a little bit more real. Like, we're getting real close, pal. I know you're not ready for it. I should probably do that.

Get on that at some point. I know you're not ready for it, but I'm pretty excited about this season and all the changes that are coming with that. I know it'll be long. I know it'll be interesting. But, man, it's going to be so different. It's going to be so different than it's been in a really, really long time. So I'm very much looking forward to it. What do you think will be maybe the biggest question of this upcoming season that –

You need answered. What's the biggest thing, like the biggest question you have about how a certain thing is going to go in common? I'll open this up to the listeners, too. You can tweet in at Mac and Cube. Always text into the show as my text number has been taken down off the window, so I do not know it by heart, and I'll have to look at a piece of paper and try to find that to tell you. 205-834-9450. If you would like to text into the show, and you can always call in on the buyer's right hotline, 800-239-9569.

What is your biggest question that you feel like you don't have the answer to for what's going to work this upcoming college football season? How it's going to operate? Is it how we're going to judge teams? How many teams are going to be in the mix for the playoffs? Yes. Teams in the conference championship games, more rematches in conference championship games. I had an interesting question posed to me yesterday, an observation about media days yesterday.

Somebody told me they felt like there was way too much attention on the top three or four teams in the league, which somewhat is understandable. I also feel like if you're talking SEC media days, one of those teams was Texas, which is a new team into the league, is being held in Dallas, Texas. I

I feel like some of that you could offset it a little bit and say those are reasons why. But also welcome to, you know, you're going to talk about your championship contenders. That's not unusual. That's media. That's what we do. You don't see a lot of stories written about Kentucky contenders.

I mean, I'm not being rude. I'm just being real. Yeah, for sure. I think the point was this is SEC media day is a chance for all the teams to have a discussion, and it continued to be 80% Georgia, Alabama, Texas. I don't think Ole Miss was even discussed enough at media days. I don't think Missouri was talked enough about at SEC media days. Ole Miss was Monday, right? Or was it Tuesday? Tuesday.

It's literally one day for me. It was one singular 152-hour day for me. I don't know what part of the day things happened. All I know is our dinner was at 8 o'clock on Wednesday night because that was one of the last things I did. If they came on Wednesday, there'd be more buzz. But Monday, alongside LSU, we didn't talk about really either team that much because it was like, all right, hey, let's set up. Oklahoma's coming tomorrow.

You got four championship contenders coming tomorrow between Missouri, Oklahoma. Georgia was on Tuesday. I mean, I think they were just a little bit lost in the shuffle in the teams that were a little earlier. But I don't disagree. Like, we definitely, I feel like we do a pretty good job on our show talking about everybody. But I don't feel like that's normal. I feel like most teams.

most places are going to focus on the big teams because those are the ones that move the needle. It's fair. It's just an observation. I'm not saying it was right, wrong, and different, but just something that was posed to me as, you know, I didn't hear a lot about Auburn. I didn't hear a lot about Mississippi State. I didn't hear a lot about South Carolina at SEC Media Days, and that's kind of – it's supposed to be that. I didn't hear a lot about Kentucky at SEC Media Days, and it's supposed to be about all the teams. And just an observation that was thrown my way. But when we go back to questions –

It could be anything about this 16-team conference, 18-team conference, 12-team playoff, no divisions, whatever it might be. What is the biggest question you think you have that you're most lost on what the probable answer is going to be? I think the biggest question mark I have coming into the season is probably going to be how the new additions to the respective leagues –

USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, two, Big Ten, Texas, Oklahoma, two SEC. Does their style of play, does it work immediately in the... I asked Jeff Schwartz the question yesterday, and I don't think he understood, because the way he answered it was kind of flippant, and I'm like, all right, dude, well...

How often were you facing 330-pound dudes that are just going to anchor down along the defensive line? I'm not talking about offensive line that just mauls you. I'm talking about the defensive line and the style of play. Brunt force trauma in the Big Ten is what's won for a long time. Oregon and Washington and SC and UCLA, they've won with athleticism. And they've won by playing a perimeter game. And they've won with speed.

So it's not a slight on those teams. It's just a very different style. The Pac-12, what it took to win the Pac-12 was very different from what it takes to win the Big Ten. And I'd be curious to see what wins out this year. I think Oregon has the roster to win right now, but I think their style of play is very different from what has traditionally been effective in the Big Ten footprint for a really long time. So I'm anxious to see that. I also, same can be said for the SEC. I think Texas is well-planned.

to come in and compete immediately, but I also think this is going to be a whole new layer of challenge. Like when you go out and have your C game against TCU, it's a little different than having your C game against Mississippi State. Want to know why? Because Mississippi State has a bunch of pros on their roster. They might not all get drafted in the first round, but they have a bunch of guys, probably six or seven, that will play in the NFL.

TCU doesn't have that. So it's going to be interesting to see how they weather the storm when adversity strikes, because adversity will strike in this league. And I think those that have just anointed them based on their roster, I like Texas a lot this year. I think they're excellent. But I know that having played in this league, how challenging it is to play your best week in a week out. So if you have anything less than your A game, still getting a win is not a foregone conclusion. That's a great point. It's interesting.

So I'm just interested. You know what? One of them was brought up yesterday, and I don't know if there's a way to sort of quantify how it could go, where it's going to go, what it's going to look like until it actually happens. And that is the conference championship game losers. How are those teams judged differently now that we have a 12 team playoff? How are those teams sort of evaluated and graded by a committee that their last perception of them is going to be a loss?

I'll be it in a conference championship game, which as we know now, Greg, with no divisions in most of these leagues is going to be more difficult to get to. Yep. So you're going to be, it's going to be a better team more times than it has been. So if that's the case, how are we judging that team that goes down the conference championship games? Are they, and if it's a team that seemed as though they were going to be guaranteed to get in the playoff, well,

Are they going to go way down and all of a sudden become a double-digit seed, or are they just going to drop a slot or two from maybe where we thought they were going to be? That's the thing that I just don't think we can put a real idea on it until it actually happens. I can't imagine a scenario where you lose the conference championship game and you don't still potentially host a playoff game.

I mean, it's just asking a lot. Like, you finish top two in the SEC, for instance, or the Big Ten. I mean, I think the Big Ten's really good. I know some people don't think they're as good. I think they're really good. You say that mainly because the divisions are gone and we're not going to have the off years of, you know, a two or three loss team that wasn't one of the best teams in the league. 100%. Like, tell me how this makes sense. Let's just draw up the scenario. Last year, Bama's playing Georgia, right? Say it's, you know, it's...

And Texas is right there. But they didn't make it to the conference title game for whatever reason. They lost to Georgia. They didn't play Bama. Bama had a better winning percentage. I don't know. The tiebreakers are challenging to comprehend anyways. Texas sitting there at 11-1, 10-2. They're number five prior to the conference title games being played. Georgia's one. Bama's three. Bama loses the conference title game. Georgia wins it.

Georgia, of course, get the first round by. Does Bama drop below Texas? A team they didn't play, but Bama is penalized because they... But Bama is usually used to propel Alabama. But Bama had to play the extra game. First time for everything. So Texas is sitting there in the five spot. They didn't play on championship weekend. They get to play the G5 champ in the first round of the playoff where Bama has to play Penn State.

That, to me, is something that I'm going to be really fascinated by because you can't penalize these teams that lost when they had to play an extra game. Okay. So I'll be curious. Yeah, questions you have, I do agree with it. That feels the way that it should be, but again, we don't know. Keep in mind, everything you said is real. However, the last perception that that committee will have of that team is losing. No matter how you spin it, it will still be that. And oftentimes...

That human portion of our brain does not allow that to be complimented very much. In this game that we've been watching for however long, it's very difficult for a lot of people to be very complimentary of a team that just lost their last game. Go back no further than Georgia last year. I walked away from Mercedes-Benz. I said it on the field after the game. Those are two of the best four teams in the nation when I was asked about it. And that's the way I felt. So...

You know, it's interesting to kind of think about sort of where it's going to go, how it's going to be, how people are going to react to it, how they're going to look at it. 800-239-9569, you want to get in on what's your biggest question of this upcoming college football season? How it's going to go, how it's going to work, what people are going to say, how people are going to handle it. Saw Lincoln Riley yesterday, Greg, back to something that we talked about Sark mentioning at SEC Media Days, how they're going to arrest players.

Players are going to be rested late. There are going to be guys that maybe aren't starting when they should. Snap count, so to speak. Load management, so to speak. It's going to be a real thing this year. To what extent? Because there have been things like that before that we've seen, and we're like, oh, this is going to happen, and then it just doesn't really happen that much. Or it's just not that big of a deal. I think it's going to be more competitive for those at-large bids than people realize.

So I don't know if they're going to have the luxury of just sitting players. Yeah, not a ton of teams sitting on their hands the last three weeks of the season. No, I don't think they're going to be able to. I think you rest and you get a win against an average opponent, fine. But it's going to be scrutinized, I think. So I don't anticipate a lot. I can see teams having the quick hook. Like, hey, guess what? We're taking you out. The second we get a comfortable lead, you're out.

There's no reason to put you out there. So I can see the star players playing 40 snaps as opposed to 60 snaps as we move forward. But I don't know exactly. I can't imagine a scenario where they're just resting players left and right, especially in rivalry games. You want your alumni to be ticked off because last week of the season you decided to rest your guys because you've already secured a playoff spot? Good luck. A&M beats the doors off you? Like that?

I think that's going to be a tough sell. Well, where that becomes, I think, more difficult is if you do that and then don't win the championship. And it costs you a game or two, like you're talking about. Like, you lose the Iron Bowl. But, well, we didn't have our starting quarterback in. Our starting D tackle was out. He's been disruptive all year. We wanted to make sure they were safe. And then you lose the first round of the playoffs. That's when people start going, okay, really? Yeah.

One thing I am confident in is that the Alabama heat and humidity is not going anywhere. And, yeah, the rain cooled it off for a little while yesterday, but once it stopped, goodness gracious, that humidity just went through the roof. Don't let it affect your home and family. Keep them comfortable with an affordable train cooling system. Train is our official partner here at Jocks. They've been recognized as America's most trusted brand 10 consecutive years. Find a comfort specialist near you at train.com. Chris.

is on the buyer's right hotline wants to talk college football questions welcome into the show chris how's it going this morning guys um um my my question is and we brought up on the show earlier this season and and it starts to be like a serious topic um

Because I feel it's going to get bad before it gets worse. Like, what are we generally going to do about storming the, quote, unquote, storming the field, extracurricular activities that happen when things storm the field? Because sure, it's tradition, but the word tradition can only stress so far when people's safety become an issue attached to it. Like, what do you guys think generally can we do or what can we do?

Appreciate the call. A little bit of a different turn there, but I'll say it again, Greg. I've said it for a long time. We're not going to change it until something really bad happens, and it's going to happen. It's coming, but...

For whatever reason, we drag our feet on this, and it's going to be something bad. It's going to happen. Yeah. Until that takes place, I don't think that you'll see somebody just say, no, you're not doing it. Yeah. Also, I mean, there's going to be the TikTok stars that go up and try to instigate something with a player, and it's not going to end well. I mean, that's what's going to happen. I mean, we see people all the time now. What's the thing that they were doing the other day on TikTok where they're going up and cutting people's headphones?

Like, just going up with scissors and just cutting people's headphones and seeing the reaction. Great way to get hurt. Go up and do that to a college football player after they lost. Tell me how that's going to end. And the thing that's sad about it is the college football player will probably be the one that gets in trouble and will actually have legitimate issues in trying to get back into the court of public opinion in a positive way. So it's just I hope nothing happens. I really do. But there's nothing you can do. It's 100,000 people against...

amount of security guards. And let me just say, X is not enough. So if they want to be on the field, they can get on the field. Simple as that. Yeah, it's coming. I don't really know another way to say it. What else to say about it? All right, so

We're going to talk to Mark Packer on the other side, ACC Media Days. Ashley had an interesting idea there. Heard from a couple different coaches. Obviously felt like things are going to settle down from a realignment standpoint just a little bit. What did he take away from ACC Media Days? And what's his biggest question for how this college football season is going to go? We'll discuss it next right here on McIlroy and Kubelik in the mornings.

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 Jock Tap or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, welcome back in. McElroy and Kublik in the morning. 7.20 a.m. Thursday, July 25th right here on Jocks 94.5. Don't forget you can listen online, jocksfm.com, or grab that app in your app store.

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at 310 Highway 31, or you can shop online. Have it delivered right to your driveway at philslipbuickchipsy.com. All right, you see him on the ACC Network coming off covering ACC Media Days, a home game there for Mark Packer, joining us now on the Buyer's Right Hotline. Mark, before we go into specifically the ACC, we were talking questions that you have about this college football season because there's going to be so many things that are new this year.

What's maybe a question about how anything's going to operate, be it conference championship games, playoffs, selection committee, rivalry games, whatever that is that you just feel like you're most uncertain about and can't come up with an answer to so far?

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I understand. Listen, the enthusiasm of that read alone will get me through the last day of day four of ACC Media Day. It's long. I feel like ACC Media Day has always been three days. Maybe it was two there for a minute. Then it went to three. Four is like you're in Twilight Zone now. It's a beast. Yeah.

Yeah. The good news for us today, we get Clemson, we get North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse. So there'll be some juice today to finish this thing off. But go back.

to Cole's question. I think the expansion of the college football playoff will be the fun thing. And I think there's a lot of people that are thinking, well, now it's going to 12 to controversial end. Wrong. In fact, it's going to maybe be worse because teams that normally would never have a chance to be in the college football playoff are now going to be teetering on that 13, 14, and 15 spot. It's kind of like...

NCAA basketball, when it went from 64 to 68, they're like, oh, that'll solve it. Well, no, the teams that finished 69, 70, and 71, they're still pissed off. So we will have that. We'll still have a ton of debates. You know, there's going to be a cluster. You can see it coming already. There's going to be a cluster of nine and three teams coming

whether it's from the SEC, the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, or anywhere else, that will sit there and go, hey, listen, we deserve that last spot. So I'm intrigued to see how all that plays itself out. The conference championship games will take care of itself and all that stuff. And I'm also kind of curious to see, Cole, too,

how teams are making the transition into new leagues. I mean, you guys are there in the heart of the SEC, the best league in the country. Oklahoma and Texas, incredible brands. What do they bring? I think you already got a sense of that the media day where everybody was talking about, well, it's Texas. They come rolling in with the attitude, hey, Texas, we're going to do this. Hey, Texas didn't even dominate their own league. I mean, that was Oklahoma, and yet they were kind of put to the side. Maybe the ACC may be the least affected because I don't think SMU, even though it would be the best of the three –

But Cal and Stanford aren't going to be a factor as far as the ACC championship. SMU, I think, can cause some trouble. But, you know, watching what Oregon does and Washington when they roll into the Big Ten, I'm kind of intrigued to see how all that stuff is going to play out. It's going to be fun. It really is, Pac. And I look at the ACC in general. I think there's three legitimate contenders. I think you know which three those are. Florida State, Clemson, Miami, whatever order you have. Then you have a collection of about five teams that I'm pretty interested in.

In really no particular order, Virginia Tech, SMU, North Carolina, Louisville, and NC State. Those are kind of the next five. Is there anyone else I should be adding to that list? Or is there someone maybe in that group of five that I should be taking away?

Well, I think you're on it, Greg. Again, we don't know anything. We haven't been to practice. Obviously, there's been no games yet. But, you know, and I think you and I talked about this last year, that Louisville was the team. When you look at the schedule, you know Jeff Brom can flat out coach offense, that they could have been that team. Well, they turned out to be that team, right? I think there is one of those in the ACC this year. And I do think Miami, Florida State, Clemson, talent-wise, are better than everybody else. But, you know, I think you're on it, Greg.

But, you know, we've still got coaching issues with Miami. Can they get over the hump? We'll find out a bunch in their first game against Florida. I think Clemson and Florida State are really talented. But, hey, is anybody buying the fact that you can trust your life with DJU or Cade Klovenick until you see it, especially in big games? So, again, there's question marks with those guys.

But I think the other team is Virginia Tech. And, again, you look at production coming back. Kyron Jones is a dynamic guy from an offensive standpoint. Lane Stadium, a great environment. And much like Louisville a year ago, look at the schedule. You know, you look at Virginia Tech's schedule. They go to Miami on a Friday night, late September. They get Clemson at home in November. Who knows what the weather will be like? But other than those two, you look down the rest of that schedule, you

And you're like, well, you know, maybe they slip up at Syracuse. I mean, I see a bunch of wins. And the object is to win a bunch of games and be one of the two teams that get you to Charlotte. It would not surprise me if you're looking at somebody off the board, not from the Sunshine State or from Death Valley. I think Virginia Tech could be that team, which is much like Louisville a year ago.

Mark Packer of the ACC Network joining us on the Buyers Ready Hotline talking ACC media day. So you mentioned Miami there, and I'm interested just to hear from you and what you're hearing. We talked a lot last week about what that opening game means to Florida. A lot of that has to do with the coach perceptually being on the hot seat for a lot of people, how difficult their schedule is. But, of course, it's a big game. It's a rivalry game, and it's one that I think both teams need. But how much emphasis, how much talk is there in ACC country around how important that game might be for Miami? Yeah.

A ton. In fact, I would throw that game in there. Clemson-Georgia, we know that one. But, you know, Tennessee, NC State on September 7th right here in Charlotte, I'd put that in that category too. But Miami and Florida, Cole, it kind of feels like, hey, the winner of that game sits there and goes, hey, listen, we've turned the corner. We're ready to roll. The loser of that game, I mean, I almost cringe to think what happens there. I mean, I think both coaches are feeling it.

We talked to Coach Cristobal yesterday, but I'm going to tell you, this Cam Award, and we saw him play at Washington State, dynamic playmaker. On paper, and I've said this probably ten times since they've been joining the league, on paper, Miami looks really, really good. But you've got to be able to close the deal. And I think that first game, man, circle it. And it is such a humongous game from not only a W standpoint, the mindset standpoint, but

But if you're Miami, that's also one of those kind of games that down the road when you start talking about can the ACC get multiple teams in the college football playoff, you know your champion's gone, but hey, can you generate a second or possibly a third team? Those are the kind of games you must win. Miami's got to win at Florida. NC State's got to beat Tennessee. And Clemson's got to make sure that either they win or make sure they don't get destroyed by Georgia in week one.

When you look at Miami, I think you're 100% spot on, really like them a lot. I think they're being talked about appropriately. The team that's not getting talked about enough is NC State Pack, and I know that they're trying to piece some pieces together. I get that losing Peyton Wilson's a challenge. I know what he was from a production standpoint, from a leadership standpoint.

I think you immediately upgraded quarterback with Grayson McCall. I think because of Grayson McCall, you had a bunch of other guys that decided to come along. Jordan Waters from Duke, a couple of good wideouts. I think NC State is extremely dangerous. And I don't know if I see them as like a playoff contender, but I think they could knock one off like Tennessee or one of the ACC championship foes. So why is it that NC State's kind of flying under the radar?

Well, you know, it's funny, Greg, living in North Carolina. When North Carolina gets a lot of hype, they normally just lay an egg. When NC State gets a lot of hype, they lose.

They lay an egg. Both of those teams, ironically, kind of are better when they're flying underneath the radar. But I'm with you with NC State. Now, granted, we're going to find out early in September. I mentioned that Tennessee game, which, again, another huge game on both sides of the ledger, and it's right here in Charlotte, neutral site. But they also go to Clemson a couple weeks later, and NC State has had almost zero success in Death Valley. So,

You know, getting off to a good start would certainly be critical. You know, Tony Gibson is still going to have a good defense despite the loss of William Payton in the middle. But I think offensively they're going to be light years ahead of where they were a year ago. So I think they're a dangerous team. I think their schedule may be a little more difficult than what I see in Virginia Tech. But if I had to say, hey, give me two teams outside of Miami, Florida State, and Clemson that can stir the pot and make some noise and perhaps get to Charlotte to play for a championship,

NC State and Virginia Tech are the answers to the question. And keep in mind, NC State's not won an ACC football championship since 1979. Rabid fan base, and they are beyond hungry. They're famished to try to win a championship. Mark Packer of the ACC Network joining us on the Vars Right Hotline. Pack, there are a couple quarterbacks in the league that you've already mentioned that haven't been mentioned that I feel like haven't

have some concern and maybe some question marks around them, but at times have also proven what they can be. Cade Klubnick, DJ UA Ungerle. Let's take Cam Ward out of it because I think most people just believe that's going to be a good fit and that's going to work. Who's the quarterback that maybe people are on both sides of the fence with that you think actually does take that step and does exceed expectations this fall?

Boy, I don't know. If your life depended on it with both Florida State and Clemson, that's why I'm kind of apprehensive. I think talent-wise, roster perspective, you're completely comfortable. But when those two quarterbacks are good, those teams are going to be good. But I just need to see consistency on that front. I will give you a name of a guy. In fact, I met him yesterday for the first time.

And we talked about Louisville. Greg had mentioned in a second about Louisville, maybe being one of those teams that can duplicate the success of a double-digit season. Tyler Shuck, a transfer from Texas Tech. You know what? He walked in to the media room yesterday, sat down with us. The dude's 6'5". He just got married in November. He is a grown man now. In fact, when you talk to him, you think he's 35 years old. And he's kind of an interesting piece.

to me to see what happens with Louisville for the season and also at quarterback. As you know, Jeff Brown's going to dial up some great stuff for him. So he'd be a guy to keep an eye on. And of course, you know, the one team that nobody's talking about, because I just ran into their coach about five minutes ago, right before you guys called, that's Fran Brown and what they're going to do up in Syracuse. And, you know, all of a sudden you start taking a look at what he's done in a short period of time. I know they haven't played any games yet, but

but Kyle McCord and what he did at Ohio state. I'm curious to see what he does at Syracuse. And I'm not telling you that they're going to be a team that you're going to see in the ACC championship, but they could be a team in that dome and that environment. If they do get things turned around, that may be able to knock a couple of people off that nobody's expected. Lastly, pack. No, one's talking about Clemson. I feel like as a real player nationally week one, they get Georgia schedules brutal. Um,

But at the same time, I mean, it's still Clemson. I think they have really good pieces defensively. I think we have unfairly jumped to a conclusion on Cade Klubnick that is a bit premature. He might ultimately be who he was this year, who he was last year, and that, I think, would be concerning. But he might very well grow before our eyes and become a difference maker. So why is it that Clemson's kind of under the radar relative to their usual top five, top eight preseason rankings?

Well, I think offensively, Greg, as you know better than anybody, it's one thing to be the quarterback and say, hey, you've got to lead us. But, man, you've got to have dudes around you. I think Clemson's wide receiver core the last couple years has been average at best. Yeah.

And when you started talking about that great run Dabo had, man, look at the wideouts and the weapons. I mean, granted, you had great quarterbacks with Deshaun and Trevor Lawrence, but they also had ridiculous wide receivers that could go make a play. Clemson's wide receiver group the last couple years, like I said, on a scale of 1 to 10, you'd say, man, maybe a 5.

So they brought in some freshmen. Again, I got to see it to believe it first. Again, they've got all kind of hype coming out of high school. The Clemson's wide receiver play has got to be better. I mean, Clemson's got to be better, but the wide receivers have to be better too. And if all of a sudden they can score like they used to, I mean, that defense is going to be salty. They're going to be really, really good on the defensive side as they normally are. The Clemson's offense the last couple of years has been almost stagnant.

And it's hard to win in today's game where you say, hey, listen, we just can't go vertical and scare you going downfield. It's hard to put together a 10-play drive. And, in fact, on top of that, the QB efficiency, they've been the worst in the league the last three years. So it's a combination of a lot of things. But Clemson's got to have a great year for Clemson to get back to where they expect to be as a team.

as a legitimate elite national championship threat. Speaking of quarterbacks, and you mentioned NC State, Tennessee, is anybody talking about Grayson McCall? I mean, all he's done is win games, throw touchdowns, and not many interceptions. I know it's been a different level of football, but he's got to be 25, and he's played a ton of ball. So is there a chance for him to have a monster year?

I think so. Again, I like what Dave Dorn's done with the input through transfer portal. We're going to talk to Grayson, ironically, coming up in about an hour when we start our coverage this morning. But he's going to, again, for NC State to get to where they want to be, it's like everybody else. I mean, your quarterback better be pretty good. It

It's hard to win in college football, the NFL, peewee football, high school football, if your quarterback is just, yeah, whatever. I mean, it's just tough to win. But Grayson McCall's got huge upside, and I think NC State offensively this year will be 1,000% better than they were a year ago. And like Greg said, that's one of the reasons why I think NC State can be dangerous. Pat, great stuff. Thanks for the time. Definitely appreciate it, and I look forward to catching up with you again. Have fun at ACC Media Days today.

All right, boys. Y'all be good. Always a pleasure. Yes, sir. There you go. Mark Packer, ACC Network, joining us on the Buyer's Right Hotline. Remember the WRM group where relationships matter for all your insurance needs. Look to Buyer's Right Insurance. I want to follow up with that quarterback question from the ACC for you, G-Mac. There are some names there that I think people have kind of forgotten about.

We'll look through them next right here on McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. The capital of the sports talk nation. This is Jocks 94.5 and jocksfm.com. Hurry and... Welcome back in. McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. 7.39 a.m. Thursday, July 25th on Jocks 94.5. Going to start an ACC quarterback question conversation here in just a moment.

Probably carry over through the rest of this hour. Matt Stewart will be with us in the next hour. He was at Sunbelt Media Days. Talk a little Troy, South Alabama. What he learned about those football teams there. Dennis Dodd joins us at 9.

Rose Bowl in the news. Scholarship limits in the news. We'll talk a lot of big-picture items with Dennis Dodd, who is also at Big Ten Media Days, by the way. So we'll get some thoughts from him there. Still some press conferences we need to discuss around the Big Ten. We'll do that later in the show. And the coach, Wim Sanderson, with us at 930. You can listen online, jocksfm.com. Download the app. It's in your app store. Tell your home smart speaker to enable the jock skill. You can always listen that way. All right, before we go into some of these ACC quarterbacks,

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But there last year, I mean, as far as first-year guys that are going to be there. But, yeah, if you wanted to have come in through the system, Klubnik might be the only one when you go through and you take a close look at it. But some of these names I think people have completely forgotten about.

DJ Uyunglele of Florida State. Yeah, people know, but remember, he's going to be the Florida State starting quarterback this year. Cam Ward from Washington State and Incarnate Word. He's going to be at Miami this year. We mentioned Grayson McCall at NC State. I mean, all he's done, Greg, is had success.

32-8 in his career is a win-loss record. He's pretty sporty at Coastal Carolina. You could say where he was. I understand it. I get it. Y'all say who he had around him. That's a lot of wins. Early in his career, he had Isaiah Likely at tight end. He had a couple good players there. He had some real good players, but it's not like they had an all-star team. Totally fair. I just think he's a guy that we've kind of forgotten about and hadn't taken a look at as far as...

What he's going to be able to do. He's only thrown for 10,005 yards, 88 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in his career. Completing 70% on 1,016 attempts. It's not too bad. How about Max Johnson at North Carolina? Not even going to be the only quarterback that Mack Brown brings to media days. You have to bring one.

That's not according to UNC. It looks on you. We're bringing two. You have to bring one. Some teams have brought two. It's hilarious. How awkward. How dumb. That's ridiculous. Don't be mad at me. That's better than bringing offensive linemen and kickers. You're wrong there. We know Haynes King at Georgia Tech last year. How do you block the guy in front of you? Well, you usually just push him. Thanks for the insight. It would be a bad idea if you're in pass pro trying to push a guy. Okay.

Uh, Haynes King at Georgia tech. Again, we know it's pretty good last year. We've mentioned him some, but he's back. Kyle McCord, former Ohio state quarterback. Has he ever really been good in college? Uh, I would say he's pretty good last year. I mean, it was like 25 and six touchdowns. There's such a ratio. Like I'm so he's not CJ Stroud. Oh my gosh. Heaven forbid. Like he's not a future top 10 pick. Okay. He's still solid.

I think Kyle McCord gets unfairly characterized. I really do. Yeah, 66%, 3,170 yards, 24-6 just last year. How about Hank Bachmeier at Wake, former Boise quarterback? Hmm.

who I believe you had in that starter, you had in that rain game, hurricane game, right? With the Florida State Boise? That was literally five, six years ago. In 2008? Yeah. That's a long time ago. I was still playing and called that game. Yeah, no, it was wild. Tyler Shuck, we just mentioned him with PAC. Going to be at Louisville. Seventh-year player. He's got game, too. He can throw it. He's just got to stay healthy. How about this one that nobody's talking about this offseason?

Malik Murphy at Duke. And well, he hasn't won the job just yet, but he's got a lot of, he's got a lot of talent and ability, uh, and they're going to run that SMU offense. They're going to run Rhett Lashley's, you know, wide open, spread it out. Super fun offense to watch. Um,

But Grayson Loftus, the guy who I believe you saw him last year. Did you in the Birmingham Bowl? Yeah. Yeah, and he's pretty good. So it's not like it's a foregone conclusion that Malik will win that job, but I still think if I were a betting man, he'd be the direction I'd lean.

Loftus in that bowl game, 19 of 29, 183, no touchdowns and a pick. He threw eight touchdowns, four picks last year, 1,008 yards. Okay, so who do we take out? Cam Ward. That's the one everybody thinks is going to have a huge year. We'll take Preston Stone out. He was at SMU last year, even though not a lot of people know his name, know who he is.

That other group of quarterbacks that we feel like have kind of been forgotten. I want to know when we come back who you think has the biggest season. Who maybe extends past even having a good year that some people think they might have if they do remember that man's name. And we'll have that discussion right after this on McIlroy and Kubelik in the morning. Catch up with all things McIlroy and Kubelik 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 Cup or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in. McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. Appreciate you guys tuning in. 7.48 a.m. right here on Jocks 94.5. ACC quarterback that has maybe been slept on or forgotten about that has the biggest season this year. There are some big names. Some names that have kind of been forgotten about their names.

In ACC country, they're going to be playing that quarterback position. Now...

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Man, can I take a... You also agree with me to just remove Cam Ward from this list. Is that the easy kind of go-to? It's just not fair. He's played a lot of football. Probably not as much as Grayson McCall. Can I take a flyer? Oh, I like that. Now, it's a little bit based on the offensive style that they're implementing, but I think the kid at Pitt has a chance to have a very surprisingly solid season.

I think they have good receivers that were remarkably underutilized last year. Their quarterback play was atrocious last year. But Nate Yarnell, I think, with this new offense, I don't know how much you know about Cade Bell, but he set records in D2, got a job at Western Carolina. Last year was the number one offense in the FCS at Western Carolina. Western Carolina is god-awful. I played against them. Saved its first game.

They were awful for a long, long time. Well, in steps, this guy turns him into an offensive juggernaut. Now he's the offensive coordinator at Pitt. And Yarnell's got some game. I think he's got some weapons. So as far as like surprisingly good seasons, I think Nate Yarnell would probably fall into that category. But if I had to go on a guy that I expect to have a good season that might even improve above what's expected, how can you not say Grayson McCall?

Now, Robert Anai's offense is a little weird. It's a little unique. It doesn't really have an identity. Um...

has used a lot of quarterback run in the past. I don't anticipate that being a huge part of what they do, but I think he's real accurate. When his feet are set, he can throw the ball really, really well. So I'm going to say Grayson McCall. Nate Yarnell last year, by the way, would be another homegrown product there. Joining Cade Klubnick maybe would be the only two in the league that have started their careers at the places that they are and become the ACC starting quarterback for most of the year. Forty-two years ago,

41 of 62 last year, 595, four touchdowns, one interception. Played a little bit in 22 as well. Appeared in just two games. So a guy we haven't seen a ton of and would probably be a surprise if he had a better year than...

Kyle McCord and Malik Murphy and Grayson McCall. I would probably go with Grayson McCall. Even when I watched him at Coastal Carolina, Greg, I always felt like his game would translate. Now, does that mean he has the strongest arm or he gets the ball out the fastest or he can push it the furthest down the field? No, but you talk about accuracy a lot and how it's not something really that you see guys greatly improve upon over the course of their careers and something that can be

a major factor in you having success at the collegiate level. And I feel like he's got that. Like he can put the ball where he wants it and he can put the ball where his receivers are. The only ones are going to be able to get it. And that's why I would go with Grayson McCall. I'm interested to see just kind of if the offense more surround him just a little bit, how different it is, but that would probably be my go-to as far as the one that exceeds a little bit. And I'm,

Your concerns about Cam Ward stick with me. And I know they don't stick with a lot of other people, and they just feel like that's a given and that's 4,000 yards and 80 touchdowns or whatever. But there are some concerns there as to, you know, is that thing going to work? Is that thing just going to be great right out of the gate? I do think if you can get him to play in, I don't want to say like,

on script because that really kind of limits who he is and what he can be. Like, you don't want to put him in a box, but I do think that's an important and necessary part of his evolution as a player. He's going to have to, have to take strides in playing within the system because people say, well, Patrick Mahomes doesn't play in the system. Well, he can and has. His improvisational skills make him really unique, but he's

You've got to stay within the system from time to time or else you're going to get killed. You're going to get hit a lot. You're going to have fumbles. You're going to be a little reckless with the football. But if you look at the two areas where Miami struggled last year, turnovers and red zone, what helps in the red zone? Quarterback run game. If your offense isn't great and that field condenses and your quarterback can run it, that is huge. So Cam Ward can do that. He also, over the course of his career, has played a lot of football and turnovers have never been an issue.

Will occasionally fumble it. Ball security, two hands on the ball. That's something that is not often practiced, but...

Something that needs to be highlighted for sure. You mentioned the Pitt weapons. What about the NC State weapons? Going back to Grayson McCall. You get Jordan Waters at running back from Duke, who talking to that staff in the bowl game last year, they loved him. Concepcion's back at wide receiver. Not your bigger physical target, but 10 receiving touchdowns over 800 yards last year. He's a great football player. Dakari Collins is that bigger physical wide receiver. Only 14 catches last year, but he gives you a different type threat down the field than

You go and bring in Noah Rogers from Ohio State, who is

If you're getting a receiver offer out of Ohio State to go to Ohio State at a high school, you got some juice, probably. Big time. Feels like he's got a good group of weapons as well. Yeah, man. I think you got your traditional big body Noah Rogers. I don't know a ton about the Grimes kid. The Justin Jolly kid, the tight end from UConn is the real deal. He's really good. Love Watterson. Casey Concepcion. So those that have not seen NC State.

Casey Concepcion is a little like Dexter McCluster for Ole Miss back in the day. Like, this dude is a monster. He was a true freshman last year. It's like, just hand it off to him. Get it to him on bubbles. He can throw it. Like, he's just a great, great pound-for-pound football player. All right, when we come back, we're going to leave the ACC and go to the Big Ten. There was a coach at the podium that made a lot of noise yesterday by not saying very much.

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