8-5-24 McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning Hour 2: Why Ohio State will (or not) make the Playoff; Austin Price talks Tennessee; Alabama camp recap
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McElroy and Kubrick in the morning starts now. All right, welcome back in. McElroy and Kubrick in the morning. Hour number two underway. Monday, August 5th right here on JOX 94.5. Listen online, joxfm.com. Apps in your app store, iPhone, Android. You can download that for free. Always listen on the go. Tell your home smart speaker to enable the JOX skill, and you can also listen that way. Bill said Buick GMC is the GMC dealer of the year.

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percent of their business are repeat customers. So take the short drive up to Coleman. You'll be glad you did. Or you can always shop online. Have it delivered right to your driveway at BillSmithBuickGMC.com. All right, so Ohio State, our team of the day. We'll take one team, discuss them each and every day leading up to the college football season of will they make the college football playoff. This will be one of the easier discussions, I believe, collectively that we have.

Because most people believe Ohio State, either the best or second best team entering this college football season. Everyone agreed that, I mean, let's just say off the top, you have Ohio State in? Correct. If you're drawing up your playoff now, I would have them in. Greg? Yes. Okay. So Ohio State's in. Don't really think we have to have much of a conversation of will they get in, if they get in, are they good enough to get in? No.

Let's talk potential obstacles, potential hurdles for this Ohio State football team. The roster, Greg, are there real concerns for you with this Ohio State roster that was bolstered heavily the offseason through the transfer portal? Yes. I think that there are some concerns. I think they're somewhat limited, but...

They do exist. I mean, the offensive line has been an Achilles heel for a while. I think defensively, no concerns there. I really don't. A lot of people try to poke holes in their defense and say, oh, well, look at how they played against Michigan. And people are kind of...

They're kind of reverting back to two years ago. Oh, they got gashed by Michigan. Sure, yeah, they did. In 2022, there was a bad performance defensively against Michigan, a bad performance against Georgia in the semifinal game. But really all last year, they were pretty stout on that side of the ball. I wouldn't say that they were...

the best defense in the country, but they were a lot closer to it last year than they were two years ago. So I think the cautious optimism of improvement on that side of the ball is real, but it's offensive line, man. That's where it really comes down to. All right, John, anything roster-wise that you are a little bit concerned about with this Ohio State team? More so the chemistry of it. You've got a lot of talent there, but how much of that talent

has played together. There's a fair amount has, but you've brought in a lot of mercenaries, a lot of great talent on both sides of the ball. But like we've questioned with old miss, is this team going to be able to coalesce and come together enough to make it 15, 16, whatever. No. Now, yes, you can stumble once somewhere, but come December, you know,

you really have to be clicking on all cylinders and can't really afford a loss moving forward. So I don't question the talent that's on the roster. I question the talent playing together. And while I think they will ultimately come together, I also wouldn't be surprised if they catch an L somewhere and wouldn't be surprised in the playoff if they stumble earlier than everyone's expecting because the talent hasn't played together and don't really know how to, I don't know, face adversity or something as a group, as this unit.

Roster-wise, Damian, real concerns? Not any major concerns. I think it comes with the quarterback position because we know what the Ohio State offense kind of presents itself. I think with the two-headed monster you got at running back, kind of to John's point, as long as you can jail Will and get that offensive line under control, it should be fine. It's just Will Howard. As long as you just don't blow it because you have the talent around you.

You should be okay. Yeah, I'll follow that up, Greg, going a little bit further. From a roster perspective, I think the only semi-concern that I would have would be offensive line and then just maybe a little bit of some experience going at linebacker. I think talent-wise, they'll be fine with Hicks and Simon. But you had some guys there that had been around for a while. Might be just a tad different. But secondary, obviously, upgraded with Caleb Downs. Not going to be concerned about that. Mine might go a bit more to...

And it's not that I don't have confidence that the scheme can work. It's just it's going to be new. And I think there always needs to be a few questions with that, how it's going to operate. We haven't seen Will Howard run this exact offense. And we haven't seen these skilled players, some on this team, including Will Howard, or two in this system together, kind of as John stated. So I'm really interested to see how long that takes and when or if we do get sort of that

that pure continuity from this Ohio State offense because the first thing that comes to mind is with those running backs and their talent level and the way that Chip Kelly creates space, whoa, Nelly, it could be a lot of fun to watch. No question about it. I think they're going to be able to run the rock. That doesn't worry me at all. And I think Chip Kelly, if you look at their offensive lines at UCLA, they were pretty good. I mean, they weren't bad at all. They were pretty dang physical, which I think was really nice. But...

You tell me. I mean, I think they're going to be able to get by with some smoke and mirrors, which is very beneficial. But also, I mean, if they really have to have the hard yardage, and they struggled at times in short yardage the last couple years for whatever reason, I think Chip Kelly is going to implement an offensive identity that is physical enough to get those tough yards when they have to have them. So that's been a problem, frankly, the last couple years for him.

I would agree with that. And I think that Chip Kelly being able to manipulate defenses, how they play you, what they read, where they are on certain reads, could maybe help an offensive line that doesn't necessarily rely on getting movement a lot of the time. Now, you do bring in Seth McLaughlin, who could help.

I do think Josh Simmons could take an extra step this year. I liked him coming in from San Diego State the prior year, but there were a few tweaks in his game that needed to improve. I still don't think it's going to be a dominant group. It could be enough. You and I both love Cade Stover, and we know Chip Kelly likes to use tight ends. That could be a little bit of a loss also because...

He gave you something physical that not a lot of other players on the entire football team had a season ago. To the schedule, now that we've gone through roster and we've gone through a little bit of the scheme, Akron, Western Michigan, week off, Marshall at Michigan State. Feels like a nice little...

Yeah, I guess preseason for Ohio State. You'll get Iowa at home, which, again, we'll say for now, offensively, things could be different and it could be a tough opponent. I think it's much more difficult on the road. Where they will get Oregon the next week. So maybe Iowa then having to go to Oregon brings something a little bit extra for the Buckeyes. You'll take another week off. You'll get Nebraska at home at Penn State, Purdue, Northwestern at the rig,

Indiana, Michigan at home. You have to love, if you're an Ohio State fan, Greg, the way it's laid out a little bit, where the breaks are. Outside of maybe that at Michigan State, Iowa at Oregon State sandwich. But yeah, there are a couple of tough games, but the way the schedule is laid out doesn't add a whole lot of difficulty for Ohio State, maybe the way that it could.

And I look at it, and I don't know. I just haven't been super concerned about how the schedule sets up. Now, I think a road trip to Oregon, really tough. No doubt about it. That's a tough situation, really tough situation. But at the same time, I also think that there's a real possibility that they can go and handle that. Outside of that one, which one scares you? Michigan? I think it's a different-looking Michigan team this year. I know Michigan's had their number. It doesn't mean they're not going to be good.

I just am not as concerned about them this year as I've been in the past. So you tell me, where are you at with how their schedule sets up and what are the games that keep you up at night? Well, I think at Penn State adds difficulty. It's a tough one. There's no way around that. It's a tough place to play. It'll be one of the more talented teams that they play. Going to Oregon, obviously, is going to be very difficult. I think there are other interesting games. I mean, obviously, Nebraska, we expect to take a little bit of a step forward.

That's sort of Nebraska's measuring stick. Iowa, the offense, is it different? How does it look? Okay, that one could be a little bit interesting. But in its totality, no, it's not an extremely difficult schedule at all. I think when you look at it from a distance, you say, if you can handle two road trips, Oregon, Penn State, you should be fine. Even if you drop one, you're still in the playoff, more than likely. Actually, I'll guarantee it. If they lose one of those games, and that's the only game they lose, Ohio State's going to be in the playoff. So...

It does feel like they have a little bit of leeway here, GMAC, because the schedule's maybe not – it doesn't appear to be as easy as some of the others that we've discussed. Now, 10-2, I think you can start having some conversations because what would be your best win then? An Iowa or Michigan team that's at, what, I don't know, seven, eight, nine wins? You could at least have that conversation, but I don't think it's going to be something that necessarily keeps them out. No, it shouldn't. And if it did, then I'd be highly surprised.

Just because they're already going to be given the benefit of the doubt with the quality of talent and the roster that they've amassed. Now, unless they have just some ridiculous injury run, which I have a hard time envisioning because I think they have decent depth, better than most, then I think they're going to be all right. But help me. Help me understand this. Like, I'm not super worried at all about them and how everything could go.

From an injury standpoint. I still think they have enough talent and they'll be given the benefit of the doubt. The only way they miss out on the playoff is to lose three games. And I don't see how they could do that, frankly. I mean, when you add it all up and you say, all right, the roster, what's been added to the roster, what was there, what's been added to the coaching staff, yes, the offense will be a little bit different. But they've got a nice runway to be able to figure a lot of that out. It just...

It feels almost impossible to find three losses. I mean, things would have to be atrocious from a quarterback perspective, I think, if that's going to take place. And we just don't anticipate that because when was the last time Ohio State even had subpar quarterback play? I mean, some people might say the last year or two, but if you go look at Kyle McCord's numbers, they're actually pretty good. So even that, not up to the standard of C.J. Stroud or Justin Fields, was still pretty good quarterback play.

It just doesn't feel like it's something that's going to take place. So Ohio State in. If you were to go final record right now during the regular season, how many losses for Ohio State, Greg? One. At Oregon? One.

Either that one or Penn State. I'm not sure. I don't know if I feel real comfortable deciding which one, but I think they'll lose one of the two. I think Ohio State runs the table. John, do you think they're undefeated in the regular season, or do you think that they are a one-loss football team? They catch one somewhere, if not one of the two marquee games that they've got. Even though they've, for the most part, been undefeated in the regular season, say for Michigan in the last five years, outside of that, it's been one Oregon loss.

In the past, they have found a way to get up for that big Oregon game, be up for that Penn State game, and then maybe the week before or week after is when they just caught slipping. That hasn't happened under Ryan Day, but also with all of this new personnel, I wouldn't be surprised if it did happen. So I think ultimately somewhere they find one loss in the regular season.

Damian, I do like that Greg is surprised that I have them at one more win than he does on the year. Well, I do think that picking anyone to run the table is a pretty bold strategy this time of year, especially with our new format. I'm not saying it's wrong. I think in a traditional setting, I would pick Ohio State to run the table. I just think that with where we're at...

you are going to have a team that's going to be going into some games that doesn't need to have them. And I just think that's a tough thing to get guys to really grind for in the event in which they don't have to have them. That's fair. Totally fair. I mean, I'm big on Oregon. I think Dylan Gabriel and that Oregon offense is going to be nice. But I don't think they're going to beat Ohio State. I think Ohio State runs the table as well. I agree.

All right, there you go. Ohio State in and out of the college football playoffs. At Mac and Cube, go to the Twitter feed. You can vote there. Get your thoughts on exactly what you think takes place. If they get in, if they don't, give us reasons why. We'll get to some of that feedback as well, just on everybody's thoughts on Ohio State. The feedback from Florida practice this weekend, not all positive. Going to discuss that in a few moments. Before we do, GMAC, tell our listeners how Polar Bear Services can help them.

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Catch up with all things McElroy 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 Tap or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, welcome back in. McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. We get a fall camp update from...

Zach Albaverde here in just a moment. Quickly, some Olympic news over the weekend. Novak Djokovic gets his gold medal in men's singles, becomes the fifth men's player all time to grab the Golden Slam. That's the career Grand Slam along with a golden medal. Noah Lyles picks up the 100 meters gold for the United States men. Oh, buddy thought he had him for a minute.

and kind of looked up at the replay board there and was like, oh. But was in full celebration mode and all of a sudden realized it wasn't going to be his. Scotty Shuffler gets the gold in golf, G-Mac. A big round. What did he start, six back, four back yesterday? Yeah, shot nine under 62. And the course was super gettable. But for whatever reason, I mean, Rahm was in cruise control. I mean, Rahm was sitting there four strokes up at 20 under.

And then all of a sudden the wheels come off on the back nine and he finishes not even on the podium. So pretty wild to see just kind of the chaos yesterday surrounding the golf tournament, but a good event and an exciting finish and rightful champion. I mean, Scotty's the best player in the world. Uh,

The best player in the world should be rewarded with the gold medal, and that's exactly what happened yesterday. And a strong showing from the U.S. there in all of golf also. Also at the Olympics, women's basketball, 87-68 over Germany. The bench differential was definitely there, 52-13. The United States outscores them off the bench, so pretty significant there for the United States. They'll be in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, October

Bobby Fisk gets a gold in the 1,500 meters. U.S. gets a silver in the 4x100 medley relay. It's been a while since the United States had not won gold there. They do get the gold in the women's 4x100 medley relay. The pool has been pretty good in the United States in these Olympics. 28 medals.

for the United States in the pool. Australia would be next with 18. Eight golds in the pool. Australia would be next with seven. And Kristen Faulkner gets a gold in women's cycling road race. Here we go. Big road race fan?

I actually did find it kind of interesting. Did you see where they finished? I mean, they finished basically between the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, it was pretty cool. Very picturesque. I didn't watch the whole race, but it was kind of a cool setting and backdrop. And as the person went across, they lifted up their bike with the Eiffel Tower in the background. I mean, how cool a picture would that be? No, it was definitely pretty sweet just how picturesque some of those shots were.

Some of the road races with cycling. Once again, like you, it wasn't dialed into the actual races, but did see some of the photographs that came out. Suni Lee gets bronze on the uneven bars, her sixth medal all time in the Olympics, and your final medal count. By the way, Suni Lee, the first American with multiple Olympic medals on uneven bars all time. That's crazy. Yep, so she gets that. Your medal count as of now...

The United States has 71. China has 45. France, 44. Great Britain, 37. China and United States tied with 19 golds. France, Australia tied with 12 golds. And then Great Britain has 10 gold medals as well. So the U.S. was pretty dominant, I would say, over the weekend, grabbing some extra golds and grabbing a couple of big events that we were a little bit curious if they'd be able to finish off GMAG.

How about the – and I know we talked about it briefly, though. I mean, Chicago Richardson, of course, one of the big stars coming into the Olympic Games. But that lady from St. Lucia –

Whoa. Oh my goodness. She got out like there's no tomorrow. And she was like effortless strides. Like everyone else, they were working so hard. Like she had some use. I'm not calling her Usain Bolt. But her stride reminded me of the effortlessness that we saw from Usain Bolt. Didn't it a little bit? Like she was just pulling away. And if...

I mean, it wasn't even close. To win the 100 by two meters is pretty dang remarkable, or a meter or whatever it was. I'm not a track expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I think even...

the most casual track fan could realize that she got out of the gate a little bit slow, especially comparatively. It was going to be tough to bounce back and be able to win that way. You're talking about St. Lucia or Sha'Carri? Sha'Carri was out a little bit slow. Oh, yeah, big time. She was in all three races that I saw her run. The semi, she was out a little slow. I only saw two races, not including the finals. So I know she ran four times, but I only saw three of the four.

And she didn't get out great on the other one either. So that was a little bit concerning. I did mention Kristen Faulkner winning gold in that road race. It's been in the Olympics since 84. She's just the third American man or woman to win a gold medal in the Olympic road race. So pretty impressive that she was able to take that home there and get that done. All right, some of the news coming out of Gainesville, GMAC, is Montrell Johnson had a little bit of a knee injury. Apparently has had it scoped.

It's a common procedure, not a procedure that a lot of people look at and are very alarmed with. However, we're just a couple weeks from kickoff, and I think that part of it you look at and say, okay, exactly what will be his status heading into one of the bigger openers for an SEC team against Miami Hurricanes? And if he's not available or if he's not 100%, what does that do to your opinion of Florida against Miami week one?

Well, first of all, a scope, and I'm not a doctor, but in my experience, a scope is a month, thereabouts. So it's certainly in jeopardy, but I think he can get back depending on when the surgery actually took place. Sounds like it was Saturday. So he's got 28 days to be able to get back. The problem is if you don't practice the week leading up, you're probably not going to be able to go. Now, it depends. Think on the...

significance of the scope. And like I said, it was a month in my day. It might be two weeks now. I mean, it's pretty amazing how quickly they've accelerated these guys getting back on the field in the event that he can't go. I think trend web is rock solid. I think he's got a chance to have maybe, I don't want to say a breakout campaign, but it has a chance to be pretty good. And I've heard a lot of good things about Jaden ball as well. Don't know anything about the Juco kid, Jacoby Jackson, but,

But they have three other guys that hopefully can kind of take some of the load off. Man, not having Montreal would be big, even though I would think Miami is going to be pretty well equipped to handle the one cut back without dynamic speed. I think Miami will be able to handle that. But he's your workhorse and the guy that is without question the most trusted in the backfield having played the most. So it could be a big loss.

You just think about the fact that he's one of your leaders on the football team. We talked to him at SEC Media Days, and that could become a game late in the fourth quarter that you just honestly need to grind out. Just find a way to get a win, find somebody to lean on, find somebody to pick up some tough yards, make a few plays late, and Montreal Johnson feels like your guy there for that. So from a leadership perspective, it makes a little bit of a difference. But now, Greg, at least you have that time.

whichever back it is that essentially is going to get those carries. If he's not able to go, and again, we don't know that for certain. I feel like you and I are kind of on the same page. It feels a little bit doubtful right now to be ready for that game. I mean, I know it's a scope, but you go into a joint, and that's a little bit difficult when it's a weight-bearing joint that you're going to have to cut off. People are going to be going out inside of a game to be back and be ready, especially at that position.

But if he's not, who becomes that person? And do you have that guy that in a 21-24 game, six minutes left in the fourth quarter that you can lean on, that you can just go to, that has that experience? And that's the part I think you become a little bit concerned about. Ball security I think you get a little bit concerned about just because he's a vet.

I mean, these kids play a ton of college football. You want to have that guy on your team, on your side, in one of your biggest games of the year. Maybe it's the biggest game of the year for Florida because we know what it's going to do for them if they get it, and we know what it's going to do if they don't. Well, I think to an extent, look, I'd much rather have him. The good news is it's a position that is of marginal importance as it relates to winning and losing games.

Just being honest. And Montrell, it's not like he's Derrick Henry. He's a good back. He's a solid back. But he's also a back that has always, over the course of his career, been part of a running back by committee. He's never been good enough to elevate to the point in which he becomes the bell cow. So he's steady. I trust him. In a four-minute situation when they're ripping at the ball, he's the guy I want on the field most.

If I've got to have a tough yard, he's the guy I want. He checks a lot of boxes for you. He's good in protection. He's not the most capable pass catcher in the world, but he does a lot of good things for you, and he's a very well-rounded player. So in a perfect world, yes, you'd have him, but I don't think it's an injury that can't be overcome.

All right, so we'll continue. Try to catch up with Zach. Having trouble connecting with him. See if we can get him on on the other side. And also, I talked some other injury news around the Southeastern Conference with Austin Price at 845. Tennessee going to be down a player for this upcoming season. Out for the year. We'll tell you who that is and how that might impact that football team. But on the other side...

We'll hear a little bit more from Kalen DeBoer and Alabama Offensive Coordinator Nick Sheridan on things that took place in practice over the weekend. Before we get to them, I'll tell you about Ox Foundation Solutions and what they can do for you. We know back-to-school is here. Some folks heading back today. If you're not heading back today, we know you're getting ready for it. And Ox Foundation Solutions wants to help you celebrate back-to-school with their back-to-school promotion designed to keep your home dry and stable for

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All right, more from Alabama practice over the weekend when we come back right here on Jocks 94.5. The capital of the sports talk nation. This is Jocks 94.5 and jocksfm.com. Hurry and... Welcome back. I'm Michael Rowan Kublik in the morning, 8.32 a.m. Monday, August 5th. Right here on Jocks 94.5. Austin Price coming up in 10 minutes. Talk Tennessee camp.

Ole Miss gets a commitment from over the weekend. A little bit odd that you would get one this late, but wide receiver Micah Davis from Utah State, also played at Air Force, also played at Iowa Western Community College. 36 catches, 628 yards, six touchdowns last year. A little bit more of a slot guy. Got some juice. Saw him take a couple of screens in some of the games that I watched last night, but just another weapon, Greg, added late to this Ole Miss offense, and

that path to just going all in for Lane Kiffin this fall. It's crazy, right? Is it not wild just to see, I mean, how many more people can they possibly add at this point? Well, not many people can add anybody at this point, but you, because you had a head coach leave, you have different circumstances, but yeah, it's,

You feel like you have enough pass catchers. I guess technically you could never have enough weapons. But now you get another guy in that was a starter at a different school, has been productive, has been around. 5'10", 190, originally from Georgia. But now you've got another catch-and-run guy in this offense that can just hurt you in different ways. That's probably going to have some space to operate in and probably going to help make them a little bit more dangerous. Yeah, and they seem to always...

Just continue. Every time a guy enters that would potentially make things a little better for them, I mean, they're all over it. And they're very interested in potentially pursuing their services. So it's pretty amazing right there. It's just totally buttoned up and totally dialed in on it, that's for sure. Yeah, it's –

This Ole Miss offense is going to be fun to watch. I don't think anybody can deny that. Nobody's going to look at that and say they're not going to be able to be explosive, they're not going to be able to create, not going to be able to do different things just because of the prowess that they have at the skill position across the board. We know what Wayne's can do for you also. The EnviroPest technology, Mosquito Plus, all around your house, going to be able to help you this time of year, especially this

Had some friends over yesterday out in the backyard playing a little baseball with the kids. Didn't have to worry about the mosquitoes because the Mosquito Plus at my house keeps them off of my yard, my porch, my patio, all the outdoor spaces thanks to Wayne's. They've done that for my yard. That Wayne's Mosquito Plus program eliminates all the biting pests. Remember, mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks carries of diseases for pets and people. Mosquito Plus safely and effectively eliminates them from your property. Just one of the benefits of Wayne's and what they can do for you, Greg.

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Visit callwaynes.com and let Waynes continue to create your happy place. All right, so we mentioned Florida, a little bit of an injury in camp. Alabama, not having to deal with that. A lot of positive news coming out from Alabama camp. Kalen DeBoer talking about the defensive line, Greg, in a group that we weren't really sure about, but he seems positive about the consistency that group has shown so far.

You talked about the start. You're kind of looking at where you're at now. And I thought the thing that jumps out at me, I thought the D-line did a nice job today. I thought the D-line did a nice job. Very active early on. Just with the schemes we were putting in, a couple runs where there were some nice creases. Offensive line, credit them. But quickly adapted, adjusted. And the last three quarters, 80% of the practice, I thought just –

Did a good job against the run and continue to do a good job putting pressure on the quarterback consistently. You know, they're just around and making the quarterback back there, you know, have to move around and make some plays. And so I think that position group's been the most consistent and I like where they're at. And that's kind of not something we really expected to hear, Greg, with this group so far through fall camp because the guys that are there haven't utterly been very consistent throughout their time in Alabama.

I know, and that's encouraging. And you wonder, too, I mean, I just wonder, maybe they're structuring things a little different? Like, what are they doing differently that's allowing this group to have success early in camp? Now, it's early. Is that potentially a reflection of the defensive line that they're going against, too? I mean, there's so many questions that you have when you're evaluating the offensive and defensive lines.

If your defensive line is just flat out ripping and crushing your offensive line, your offensive line might not be that bad. Maybe your defensive line is just that good. So sometimes I think it's tough to envision those things as well. I don't think there's any doubt. Kalen DeBoer also just on what he's learned about his team through four practices.

They got a lot of want to because the first day, there's going to be energy. I spoke with you the second day. It's another follow-up. It's still early. Day three, you get the pads on for the first time, and now they're into that routine and that rhythm. And that rhythm can just become complacent, and these guys are definitely not doing that. And they're having fun doing it.

what they do out there on the field every day. They enjoy being around each other. They obviously are out for themselves and want to do things individually and have that success. But ultimately, you can really feel that they care about their teammates, and I like the direction our chemistry is going. So learning a little bit about the chemistry of this team, that portion of the team kind of coming together for Cale and DeBoer, excited about that. Also asked us about some of the freshmen, some of the younger players who stepped up so far.

Well, there's a lot of guys that are in a couple spots like that. Like Jalen Bachway is doing a good job. I really feel like he's taking a big step at corner as well. But they're being thrown in there. And so naturally they...

They're excited about it, which really keeps them engaged. And then they're also getting that opportunity. They're great athletes. And it's just a matter of, you know, feeling, feeling a part of it. And, you know, they're getting their opportunities. Our coaches aren't gun shy about throwing them in. Ryan, you know, did another nice job today with a couple of plays that he made. So some of the youngsters, G-Mac, and that's not something that we really account for a lot at this time of the year of,

Different guys are going to step up and actually be contributors. There's so many unknowns to true freshmen coming in, being able to play, the readiness, the physicality, just the understanding, the wherewithal. But it feels like defensively Alabama could get a few of those. I know Zabian Brown's a name that a lot of people continue to talk about. There's a lot of names, not just freshmen, that maybe folks didn't spend a ton of time talking about with this Alabama defense that look like they might end up being heavy contributors.

And I think that that's going to be something that is constantly being evaluated. And Mbakwe is a guy that came in with high expectation. Brown is a guy that they were really, really excited about in the

I guess in the spring and even throughout the offseason. So I think they feel good about their talent there. It's just I don't care what anybody says. It's uncomfortable to put a freshman out there. I mean, it's simple as that. It's really uncomfortable to put a freshman out there and to feel really good about where you're at. And it doesn't – it's not a reflection on how good the freshman is or how good the freshman is going to be. It's just –

Freshers are going to have really high highs and really low lows. And the problem is that at that position, a really low low can lose games. So I think that's understandable and reasonable to be a little concerned. But at the same time, I think you can feel pretty good about the talent that they have. That's for sure. Yeah, I don't think there's any doubt about it. So we'll hear from Alabama Offensive Coordinator Nick Sheridan today.

a little bit later in the show, just get some of his thoughts on kind of where things are offensively. We'll talk offensive tackle position, talk Jalen Milrow, just a little bit more offensive line in general. There was some movement with that offensive line over the weekend. We'll hit that later in the show. But when we come back, Austin Price is going to join us to talk an injury in Tennessee camp that could be detrimental to one side of the football. We'll move on to that before we get to break. GMAC, if folks are looking to move out of their house, who do they need to call?

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They also do deliveries for furniture that you personally need to get to your home. So call and visit them online today for a free quote. The website is crockermovingservices.com. That's crockermovingservices.com. Support your veterans by choosing Crocker Moving Services for your next move. All right, when we come back, Austin Price on a Tennessee injury. What's the impact going to be? Losing one player for the entire year? We'll discuss it right after this on Mac and Cube in the morning.

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

All right, welcome back in. Michael Roy and Cuba Lake in the morning, 8.45 a.m. Monday, August 5th. Jocks, 94.5. Appreciate you tuning in. Get to Austin Price here in just a moment. Not only talk injuries, but some good recruiting news for Tennessee as well as they had another big weekend in recruiting. Before we do that, G-Mac, tell our listeners about Bromberg's.

Well, I go to Bromberg's, and I've been shopping at Bromberg's for years. I've had just an amazing experience. Every time I walk in there, I seem to walk in, everybody knows your name, everybody knows your preferences. They know your wife's name in some cases. It's really amazing. So I go in.

to the Mountain Brook Village location. They also have a location at the Summit. It's amazing that they have fine jewelry, watches, giftware, the best in customer service. I've purchased things there, not just for my wife, but for my family. We've purchased tons of gifts there as well. They also do special one-of-a-kind custom jewelry as well. It's one of the oldest businesses, not just in the state, but in the country. They opened their doors for the very first time in 1836. That's nearly 200 years ago.

of high-end luxury shopping experience that you can have at Bromberg's. Check them out in one of their two locations, Mount Brook Village or The Summit, and you can also shop online at Bromberg's.com. All right, let's talk some Tennessee camp with Austin Price. He joins us now on the Buyer's Right Hotline. Austin, some bad news for Tennessee over the weekend. Jordan Thomas, knee injury. Sounds like he's going to be out for the year. How does this impact the Tennessee defense moving forward?

Well, I mean, you've got a lot of change, Cole, in the secondary this year for Tennessee, which is something fans have been clamoring for. One of your older veteran guys was Jordan Thomas, and now you lose him. So, you know, you can...

go about this a couple of different ways. But most likely it will be a true freshman, Boo Carter, who will be given the opportunity to take that job. And can he earn it the next 25 days before the Vols play Chattanooga?

I think there's a real opportunity for him there. He's made plays all spring long. He's made plays early in fall camp. And a kid that just carries himself with a ton of swagger and confidence and athletic ability that the coaches, you know, really, you know,

coveted in the recruiting process. So that makes the most sense. If it's not him, you have Christian Harrison, who is Rodney Harrison's son. You could go with Will Brooks, who's a walk-on, who's going to play some in the secondary. He played some in the secondary a year ago. And then you've got a couple other options, like a Christian Charles, who's been banged up throughout his Tennessee career. But Boo Carter makes the most sense, as we said here on this Monday.

That is obviously such a position of concern. It's really the only position of concern, frankly, for me right now. So now that that is, you just get a touch thinner and you might get a slightly younger, does that increase the level of concern at that spot or is it kind of the same as it was prior to the injury?

I think it depends on how good Boo Carter is. I mean, there's a lot of hype and hope around him. And realistically, he could have been pushing Jordan Thomas for the spot anyway. Now it's a little more of a clear path for him there. So I guess for my liking, yeah, there's a little bit of concern about the overall depth there. But depending on how he plays...

There may not be near as much concern long term if he plays well. Austin Price joining us on the Byers Radio Highline talking Tennessee camp. So who do you turn to? Who needs to sort of be the guy that now Tennessee can lean on, that Tim Banks can rely upon in that secondary to make sure that this is something that can manage itself throughout the course of the season, that that secondary doesn't become a liability for the Volunteers?

I think the biggest question with the secondary, I think they're a much more athletic group than they were a year ago. But who is that? You know, a year ago, everything ran through Jalen McCullough. And now who's that guy? Andre Turrentine's not a talkative guy at safety. Who's the other safety? Is that Will Brooks? Is that Jacoby Thomas? Is it John Slaughter? All of those guys are either inexperienced or just haven't been the guy to this point.

And then I think Thomas was probably going to be the guy from a vocal standpoint. I think that's where you worry if you're Tim Banks is who is making the calls, who is the leader back there? Because you have a lot of really good players. I like Jermod McCoy, the Oregon State transfer. I really like Ricky Gibson, who's from the state of Alabama. I think both those guys are really, I think, huge upgrades at the corner spot. But I wouldn't call neither of those a vocal leader.

So who can ascend to be that guy in the back end of the defense? That's the biggest question mark I have. Athletically, I think they're more athletic than they were a year ago, and I don't think it's close across the board.

I think that's really encouraging. Offensively, though, is still where most of our eyes will go, especially early in the year. And I'm just curious, early returns on what we've seen from Nico Iamaleava, is it super positive the way it's been all throughout? Or maybe have there been a couple growing pains here early in camp? No, it's been really good. You know, he's...

Really taking what he did in the bowl game, which I thought was kind of bare bones, and then had expanded on it yesterday in some scrimmage work out on the practice field. Looked really, really good. Took Tennessee on a couple of different drives for touchdowns and made a couple of plays that, you know,

offense to Joe Milton. Joe just couldn't make a year ago. That wasn't his bread and butter. So I think how they call the offense, how they use the middle of the field, all those things I think will be different than how they called the offense a year ago with Joe just because they're two different players, their skill sets are different, and Nico's ability to

I don't want to call him Bryce Young because Bryce won the Heisman Trophies. But his ability to have that Bryce type intangible of keeping the eyes at the field even when you're moving around and avoiding pressure.

and make plays, kind of broken plays at times, I think that's something that Nico will have a real chance to be spectacular at. And I think that's something he gives this offense that, frankly, they just did not have a year ago. If the reads weren't there on the normal routes and things broke down, Joe just didn't throw it well off-platform.

And I think Nico will bring that. I think this offense, I'm not going to say it's 22 because 22 is so special, but I think it looks more like 22 than it does 23.

When you think about that offense too, Austin, there have been some questions around the receiver position. Now, listen, there's a lot of reason to be confident about it, but I think that there are some questions of just can we be more confident? How confident could we be? We heard some discussion from Coach Heupel about Chaz Nimrod over the weekend, how he could help. I thought he looked great in the spring game. I don't know how big of a piece he can really be.

Brew McCoy's health status, Dante Thornton maybe possibly being the Dante Thornton people thought we were going to get last year. Update us on those three.

Yeah, I think Chaz Nimrod's had a fantastic offseason, and he's certainly a nice one-two punch at the slot position with Squirrel White. Mike Matthews is somebody who will continue to be a factor as well as a young kid along with Braylon Staley, but specifically Brew McCoy looks really good. Now, I don't expect him to do a lot of stuff in fall camp when it comes to the actual scrimmages. Now, he'll do plenty of 11-on-11 work and practice,

But I think they just can be cautious with him, kind of bring him along slowly. But I think he'll be full go, and it is full go right now, but I think he'll be full go when the season starts. You'll see the old Brew McCoy looks really good out there running around, cutting on that ankle. And then Dante Thornton, we'll see. I think he's much more comfortable outside.

And so I think this is a wide receiver room that when Nico played that one game in Orlando, it was just kind of a skeleton crew. This is a much deeper, more talented group because you do have Dante Thornton back. You do have Brew McCoy back. You add Chris Brazel. You add Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews. It's just a deeper unit. And so...

Kelsey Pope, Josh Heifel, Joey Halsley, they have some options, which at the end of last year, they didn't really have many options. And again, as you pointed out, Chaz Nimrod and Caleb Webb, for that matter, have really progressed this offseason. So it's a much deeper unit, which goes back to what I was talking about, the 22 versus 23 thing. I think the wide receiver room has a chance to be really, really good.

We appreciate the updates. Always good catching up with you, and look forward to catching up again soon, Austin. Great stuff keeping us up on everything volunteers. Appreciate it, guys. Thank you. All right, there you go. Austin Price, he covers the Tennessee Volunteers for the On3 Sports Network. Follow him on Twitter, at AustinPriceless.

I don't know if this is something that's really scary, G-Mac, but I know that that's a position of concern for a lot of people. And so you remove a little bit of your depth. You remove a guy that I think a lot of people were going to rely upon as far as being a part of a secondary that just didn't play great football last year.

And now all of a sudden you've got to go find somebody else to be able to pull that off. And there's a lot of mixing and matching. But you've got some time, at least leading into the season, and the number one thing Tennessee will have to be able to lean on is going to be that pass rush. We feel like they're going to be able to get to the quarterback either way. That's going to help a lot. I mean, the pass rush will alleviate a lot of the concerns in the back end. If you have some concerns about your game day attire, Pant Store has you covered. They're your game day headquarters. Guys you can choose from Bama or Auburn, pull up polos, hats, zips,

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It does help alleviate those concerns some because you can get some guys game ready that you wouldn't have been able to in the first place. We'll have to wait to see how the secondary plays out for Tennessee. One thing you never have to wait for, though, GMAC, is your dental care. That's because Family Cardinal has you taken care of. They're the urgent care office. You can be seen the same day. They have four locations to make it easy on you in Hoover, Fultondale, Homewood, and in Alabaster.

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to get your week started especially and maybe get your back to school going. We'll do that right after this on Mac and Cube in the morning. This is McElroy and Cubelik in the morning. It's time for Bob's Dare to Compare. You get style. You get features. You get quality and thousands of dollars in savings. It's time for Bob's Dare to Compare.

Everyone's winner when you dare to compare. In store at MyBobs.com. When you have sports mixed with your pop culture, along with humor and celebrity interviews, your earbuds are enjoying the Rich Eisen Show. Good to see you, Bruce Feldman. The Big 12 landscape, I just know how Dion is, where he's coming from. His wins are measured differently.

The question is, as you said, it's got to go from four to eight. I think they can do that. It would be hard not to get better considering how bad they were on the offensive line last year. Now, their schedule actually feels harder this year than it was last year. Search for The Rich Eisen Show on YouTube or wherever you listen.

I'm not self-aware. I refuse to be self-aware. I don't even look in mirrors at all.

which you can probably tell from my appearance. I don't have a crazy high IQ or I really don't have that many skills. I would say my main skill is I believe my instincts. I don't hesitate to follow my instincts ever. The extent that I have, I've gotten in trouble. The Sean Ryan Show on YouTube or wherever you listen.