8.21: Area Codes - Hour 3

need to know. My name is Nick Coffee, which I'm something, which is something I hope you knew. If not, now you do. The company man, that's mister John Alden. He's alongside today as we take you up until six o'clock. And we are a few by Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven to ninety. So I appreciate you guys hanging out with us to kind of tell you where we've been today, to kind of give you a view of our roadmap.

So maybe the ACC has yet to unveil the schedule just yet, which I do believe that comes out probably, you know, in the next week or so, so that's when we have the full schedule. But I know football season is here. Louisville football is going to be out there in a matter of what ten days now, so we're getting there. But basketball is always going to be

a big deal around here. And Pat Kelsey my man, I think he's gonna want to have a tough schedule every year, not only in conference play, but he can't really determine that, but in the non comp I feel like he's the kind of coach that's going to embrace where he is and understand, hey, Louis of basketball fans, they want to play in some big time games in November and December that really give you a chance to

see early on where you stand. So I wouldn't be shocked though, if he's going to approach it the way that I just mentioned. However, not necessarily wanted to always be as challenging as this year's non conference schedule, especially when it's his first year and he's got a brand new team.

maybe find yourself in the second weekend. I realize I'm getting way ahead of myself just throwing that out there, but I think there's the potential for that to happen. But man, they could have a pretty rocky record when you get to conference play. I mean, I hate even saying that, But let's just look at who they've got, right. Maybe some of these teams are going to be over

when it's all said and done. But what we found out today is that they're going to play Indiana and the Battle for Atlantis and their first game there in the Bahamas. Indiana by all accounts, as a preseason consensus top twenty team, I happen to think they're a little better than a lot of other people, just because I love what Mike Woodson did with his roster this year. I mean, I think they went out and not just got good players. They've got good players that I think

can fit really well together. They knew they needed to get better in the back court. They certainly did that. They got one of the best bigs you'll find in the portal and Omar Ballo, who transferred in from Arizona, a really good freshman who could be one of the best freshmen in the Big Ten. So that is going to be a tough game. And by the way, you know that'll be so in his first four games as the Louisville head coach and pull up schedule here, just had it pulled up here?

top twenty team preseason. And you know they don't have anybody challenging before they play the Battle for Atlantis, do they?

loser of that game. So you know, Gonzaga is preseason top five just about everywhere you look. I don't know if I believe that, but still they've got I mean, they're good, and they've got a lot of talent coming back from last year's team that really came on late last year and was a Sweet sixteen team despite people thinking that maybe the first year, they don't make the tournament in forever. So whoever you get in the third game,

it's really a tossup. But the other teams in that field, you're looking at Arizona, Davidson, Providence, and who's the other one. I'm blanket on the other one. They must not be very good. You say, Oklahoma, Oklahoma the other one, yes, And look, I don't know if they're going to be any good, but it's a Big twelve team or I

guess now an SEC team, which is weird. All right, This just totally fried my brain of all the random show uffling that's gone on in realignment that we're going to see this year on the field and on the court. Saying that Oklahoma basketball is in the SEC just sounds so oft, does it not?

Kentucky in mid December. So this is a really challenging schedule. As a fan, again, I wouldn't have it any other way, but I am curious to see moving forward, we'll find out, as you know, the era that is the Pat Kelsey era moves along. I'm curious to see if he's going to try to scale that way every year, and I hope he does again. But that's just me as a fan who loves to see night in and night out

where your team stands. We did have a good text on the text line earlier today because it's like move in time right now across the country at all these universities in colleges, and when I was talking about how I'd rather see my team. Play a team where I know that there's going to be something to learn rather than playing you know, the you know, the Butthole State and the butt Crack Tech or the butt Cracked Tech and the butthole State.

you get to conference play. But again, I'm so super excited, and I look, I wouldn't be shocked if Louisville does end up losing more of these games than they win as far as these teams that we know are going to be top twenty, but if they look good doing it. We never really just accept moral victories in Louisville basketball. It just doesn't. It's just not something that we know how to do. I feel like, however, you know you

can still you can still get better from that. And again, this isn't something you really want to throw out there because it doesn't make you look good. But one of the reasons why I feel so confident this will be a tournament team is because I don't think the ACC is going to be a good league this year. I think it'll be another step back from even last year, and Louisville can benefit from that. Now, again, you love the AC. You would love for the ACC long term

to get back to where it once was. But hey, while it's you know, trying to figure out if that's gonna while we're trying to figure out if that's going to happen or not, you can you can right now take advantage of that. So anyways, again it's Cofee and Company. We are feel about Thornton's heire on Sports Talk seven

to ninety. Appreciate you guys hanging out with us. We're gonna get back into the college basketball stuff coming up here a little later on, because I do want to take a look at the CBS Sports Candid Coaches series some good questions. They've asked a handful of college basketball coaches out there, and I think some of the answers

the responses that they got might surprise you. The questions are these three, what's the most amount of money of players ever asked for in NIL, which programs are feared the most when it comes to NIL, who's got the biggest bag essentially, and which program made the best higher this offseason. So we will take a look at that coming up a little bit later on. But back to the football stuff here. So I Amrii Huggins. Bruce rumors,

I'm ready to say are not just rumors. There's really something going on here, but as far as it actually happening, him bailing on South Carolina, transferring back to Louisville and joining the program for the upcoming season that starts in what ten days. I still am not ready to say that, like I'm confident that it's going to happen again. I

don't know anything. I know as much as you guys, right, We're just we're out here refreshing social media, refreshing the message board websites to see if somebody's dropping some scoop.

And what made this whole thing kind of weird? Is it sounded like it sounded like such a far fetched rumor that somebody put out there maybe just to kind of speak it into existence, given the circumstances with Colin Lacy going down, Huggins, Bruce not winning the starting job at South Carolina, and you know, Louisville having a need here. I mean, it just kind of seemed like, well, this will be perfect, you know, given the situation. And it

sounds like that this perfect scenario. They're trying to make it work. But the the ability to make it work, to me is what I question, just because I just it just seems like way too much in such a little time frame to make it to where he'll be able to suit up for you and take the field and rejoin the Louisville team. So to back up, he

transferred in December. He transferred actually not long after Colin Lacey, a slot receiver who came in and you know, didn't win the job yet because they didn't compete for it. But he read the writing on the wall. They didn't get enough out of the slot receiver position from Huggins Bruce last year. Doesn't mean they wanted to get rid of him, but they probably know going in it's a

calculated move. I'm going to go after Callin Lacey, and I'm gonna know that it's gonna make Mariy Huggins Bruce feel a certain way, and if he chooses to leave, I will respect that because, yes, here's the reality. I can't lie to him and tell him we didn't over recruit him. Now I'm gonna probably also tell him he's got a chance to go compete and you know, beat this guy out that we went to go get.

it that he's from that area. So he's there going through springball, going through camp, and he did not win the job. And then he puts something on Twitter on Sunday, I think it was that says I'm totally checked out. He later deleted that tweet, And you know, for the last forty eight hours, it's just been a big rumor as to like, yeah, it sounds like there's some real smoke here. There's enough people talking about it, although nobody's

confirming that it's in the works and it's happening. Nobody's come out and shot it down as nonsense yet, so it just kind of it remained just a big hot rumor that nobody knew if there was any legitimacy to it at all, for longer than what.

far as how it would be possible. And this is where I just feel like, if this is the only way you could do it, it almost to me seems like you can't do it. And that's this drop out of South Carolina, come back to Louisville enrolling classes, which by the way, I think you have to do it by Friday. He's got two days now, and then walk on to the team. Use nil to pay for your

tuition this year as a non scholarship player. I mean, I guess laying it out like that, John, does it sound as I mean, it doesn't sound like something that's just impossible.

can't go to the portal. So I just feel like if this was the thing, then you would see other people doing it. Okay, well, the portal's closed, but you know, what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna I'm gonna just cause again, as a student, the portal matter, But as an athlete, that's where you have to be able to ender the portal and then you get once you're in the portal, like for example, but if the portal was open, the compliance department at South Carolina would be notified by Mari

that he wants to leave. They would then process it on there and to put him in the portal. Once he's in the portal, that's when all the schools can pick up the phone and call him. Right now he is, he can't go through the portal to get released to where Louisville can recruit him. So I guess they're just going to say, well, hey, he went back to school at u of L because he missed you know, he missed the you know, the campus dining. He really missed Louisville. Man,

he missed that. Uh, he missed you know, he wanted to be He wanted to make sure he was in town for you know, for louder than life. Like I mean, is that going to be? I just don't think Louisvill would would would try to would try to pull this office Oh yeah, nothing to see here. He just wanted to come back to Louisville. Sure enough, he tried to

walk on the team. We decided let's reunite. Like, it's just I don't know how you would do this without raising red flags by the nc double A. And the only reason I think that it's even gotten to this point where people are saying like it could happen is because nobody seems to really respect or fear the NCAA like they once did. Like him dropping out of school, enrolling in school as a normal student, and then walking

on the team. If that's some kind of a loophole to where you don't have to worry about the transfer portal, that's news to me. Doesn't mean that it's not legit, but like, I just can't imagine that would be allowed. But then again, who knows.

it just seems it seems unrealistic. But then again, we're in a world now within college athletics where I feel like you can't really be surprised by anything, you know what I mean, Like, nothing would shock me when it comes to the way things play out at high especially

at the highest level. And not to say Louivel is the highest level of college football, but they are, you know, in that highest in that either're in that higher that that high tier in regards to you know, power for and you know clearly in I L they've got a lot of that too. All right, real quick here before we get to our first break in the UH in the five o'clock hour, I'm a little distracted because I feel like I've been I feel like I've been violated my privacy. So I'll admit it. I don't I'm not

ashamed to say it. But earlier today in my backyard, I was practicing my pitch John, Oh give it, I met well. I was told yesterday I got my Batch jersey, and I was told by somebody, you know, you should you should just you should throw a ball around a little bit, you know, try to try to guestimate the six, the sixty and a half feet and you know, just you know, truld get comfortable, right, don't just go up there and not throwing a baseball in years or something

and try to throw it. I was like, okay, you know that makes sense. So I'm in my backyard, I guesstimated what would be about, you know, sixty and a half inches. And I got a baseball and then I realized as I was throwing it, it's really like it's it's a te ball, Like it looks like a baseball, but it's lighter, like it's not the real thing, the belt what I'm going to be throwing. What if I just bring my own ball, like bring my son's tea ball that's soft and lighter. I just keep it in

my pocket. They hand me a ball and throw, I'm like, oh, I got my own hair. I probably wouldn't do that. That would be embarrassing. But anyways, you know I was, I was warming up, you know, getting the arm loose a little bit, and you know, no surprise to me, I wasn't as bad as I thought. I mean, I like, you know, it's what I'm being asked to do is not that difficult. It's just you know, you want you don't want to overthink it and you don't want to

get nervous and just really fully embarrass yourself. But again, as I've said all week, I'm ready to do this, and if I embarrass myself, I'm gonna live with it and not be surprised because you know, I'm not somebody that's ever been asked in any point in my life to throw a pitch. I've thrown baseball. I guess you could say I've thrown a pitch maybe underhanded to my four year old son, but like I've never played baseball. Well, somebody on the text line is texting in claiming they

saw me doing that, which I do know. There's colored people that live in the town homes behind my neighborhood that have occasionally like either wrote me on Twitter or texted in the text line. I don't think there's stalkers or anything. But yeah, it's not usual that if you look at your backyard you see a guy just throwing a baseball from one end of v yard to the other and walking back and forth. I mean, so yeah,

I mean, if you when you take a video. No, they got a picture though, but in it and you can barely even see me in it. Maybe they got more video, maybe you got pictures. I don't know, but like, you know, you're not clever, Like you could post that if you want, but I mean, it doesn't you know, I mean, I'm not I'm not, I'm not. Uh, I'm not embarrassed of it, but you know, like, did you think you got me or something like, oh, he thinks

nobody's watching, he's out here to throw. I mean again, if you videoed something and whatever picture you took like

it it you know, it's it's it's it's nothing. And again, when I make fun of myself for probably being someone that's gonna be bad at throwing out the first pitch, like when you all make fun of me, it doesn't it doesn't hit, it doesn't register, right, Like if like, if I'm already making fun of myself, whatever you're gonna bring to the table isn't gonna be as good, right, I mean, that's I guess that's that's my own way of, you know, mentally dealing with it. But I'm getting ready again.

I got my batch jersey and I'm uh, I'm fired up. I'm excited tomorrow. So yeah, first pitch is at six twenty as the Bats. It'll be their third game here in their home stand against the uh the Gwinnette Stripers. They played last night. They're back in action tonight and then again tomorrow and Friday, by the way, but Tomorrow's when I'll be throwing out the first pitch and I'm looking forward to it. So I hope, so hope uh to not embarrass myself too bad, and hope to have and I know I'm good.

it comes to Louisville. Nil, I mean, they're continuing to get love everywhere as far as having a good system in place to where you know they understand in IL matters in a major way and you want to make sure you got funds available to entice players and a and a well structured system. So again, we got a lot to get to, not a whole lot of time left. Stick with us right here. It's Coffe and Company. Feel about Thornton's on Sports Talk seven ninety I feel like

I haven't heard this song in a long time. Probably it's been since probably football season, to be honest with you, Gosh, I wonder what year this song came out. Did you know this guy passed away?

all right. So it does seem as if others were sort of questioning how effective the QR code on the back of the Oklahoma state helmet was going to be.

It does seem like now it's it went from people really like wondering how it works, because there's a lot of people, and I'm not kidding you, they don't even know what a QR code is well, when they see it, they like, yeah, I've seen one of those before, but because I know what it is, but I can probably I bet less than ten times I've ever actually used one, meaning where I've got my phone out, held my camera up to this code to where it gives me a link.

What he said about drunk driving at the Big twelve media day was insane for a coach to say, but it did kind of just, you know, become nothing because at the end of the day, you're like, well, you know what, it's Mike Gundy. Nobody's shocked that he There's no shock value here. That's something my Gundy would in

fact say. So he said over the weekend that he's so excited that football seasons here in camp's going on because he can tell these agents to shut up and quit calling him and quit calling the NIL collective at Oklahoma State, because you negotiated your deal, this is what it is. We'll have to talk in December, which he has every right to say that, but it also gave

the perception that he's not pro NIL. And I don't think any of these coaches are pro and IL, but they have to give the perception that they are in order for you know, they don't have to, I guess, but like, if you're anti NIL, it can only hurt you. Like if you're mad and complaining and acting like it's just an issue and you don't agree that players should get paid through NIL, again, it can only hurt you.

So there's some people theorizing that, like this was just something thrown together quickly here to give the perception that they are as a program pro NIL. But again, each player having a code on the back of their helmet. I mean, your best bet is to pause the video if you can zoom in on your TV, or maybe

just get your camera super close. But like I know that we've got like eight KTVs now, but like that just to me seems very It seems like it's gonna be tough for people to actually utilize that way of getting to the NIL. But I had an idea, like what if every player, because like you like, what if there was a tip jar for players through NIL? I mean, imagine the guy who works for the school, Paul Rodgers

voice of the cards. He's calling the action like he does in a way that nobody else can because he's Paul Rodgers. I mean, he's freaking Paul Rodgers. And you've got Chris Bell or I don't know, let's say I'm trying to think of a Let's say it's Maurice Turner, a guy who you know has kind of had an opportunity to emerge as a featured back here for years, and he's shown some flashes, but like this is the year for him. He's got to really, you know, show what he can do. And I think right now he

might be your first string running back. Him or Cheney. We did talk earlier about Isaac Isaac Brown, who might end up getting more carries towards the end of the year and maybe your featured guy down the line. But anyways, let's just say Paul Rodgers on the call has like a code he can give out with the five oh two circle and he's, you know, calling this game winning touchdown that was unprobable, but Maurice Turner took one to

the crib for the win. And Paul Rodgers after he gives his call, and I'm not saying Paul would want to do this or whatever, but like he then gives the number that if you go to the five oh two circle app if that's even a thing, you can then put in the number kind of like a QR code from Maurice Turner. And man, you're drunk as hell. You're you're you're eight beers deep at the game because you were you were it was a close when it

was a nail. Bard You're you're just pounding beers at the game because you're at it.

get any of it. They won't tell you that, but that's what would happen, I think. But anyways, Like there's there's all kinds of creative ways you could find, uh to give players money. I mean that sounds so insane, Like why wouldn't you like but why would like tell me why you shouldn't do that? John, Like what's what's what's what's the anti cause that that's quite literally what

you earn because somebody wants to tip you. Yeah, and if and if they can go to the app and give it directly to you through like you know, your player page and a tip jar and they've been mode to the to the five O two circle five hundred bucks that's allotted to this player, Like why not?

give an il to players. They like, if you are the starting fullback in Indiana and I want you repping my car dealership, John, which I would, by the way, if that if if you were fullback and I had a car dealership, you would be my guy. I just know that if I want you and my commercial wearing your Hoosier uniform, I have to go through lear Field because they own that, Like they have the ability to tell somebody if they can, if they can you know,

be wearing that. You know that it's licensing stuff. So if you do a big nil deal through an athlete and through the school and their the rights holder, which is lear Field, and like IMG for Kentucky, like for example Planet Fitness and uh, what's the what's the Plumber Jack?

think might have been Isaacs and Isaacs the attorney. They've had nil deals with players who were wearing just red or blue. They're not he doesn't have the logo or anything like that. So if you can save a bunch of money and it's a recognizable face like I wouldn't go through the liardfield because again, it's just a middleman that wants to get a cut that really isn't entitled to it unless you really feel like they have to

be wearing you know that name or whatever. So anyways, I'm already wasting time talking about something I don't intend on talking about, but real quick, the coach's corner stuff. So I guess we'll start with the most recent one. This is a question that was asked to college basketball coaches by the CBS College Basketball Crew Gary Parrish Matt Orlander. They asked which programs have the biggest NIL war chest.

They pulled over one hundred coaches, they said, and asked them to rank the schools as far as the schools that they believe are you know, dropping the bag more than anybody else. Number one is Arkansas. Not a surprise. They've got the you know, the chicken guy down there and he's open. Heck, they got Walmart too if they

need that, So not a surprise. Kansas came in at number two, and then BYU came in at number three, and that's because they've hired Mark Pope's replacement, who came from the NBA coach young and they're now like in in the mix with some of the best players in America. We're talking like top three players in the country in college basketball recruiting. And it'll take them landing one for them to be really i think viewed as a big threat.

But they have the money and that's why they're in the top five, top ten depending on you know, where you look with some of these recruits that are considering the blue bloods, b why you certainly not a blue blood Kentucky came in at number four, Indiana, number five,

Kansas State, Baylor, Louisville. Those are the schools that got mentioned more than any and you know with Louisville again, there was just an article last week by an NIL insider from Month three Sports that was really highighlighting Dan Furman in the five ooh two circle and how innovative they are and really giving him a lot of love for putting out the Floyd Street Media or putting together the Floyd Street Media outlet just to kind of give

student athletes a chance to create content and monetize it within with that within that channel of course, which is the Floyd Street Media. So there's been a lot of love and we could tell, right. I mean, Louiville was able to put together this great class from the portal

that we're so excited about because of NIL. Not to say that other factors weren't at play here, but when I see Louisville continue to get a lot of love in regards to their NIL resources, I mean I give a lot of credit to Josh Hurd and to Pat Kelsey and really the fan base as well, because you know, I think Josh heard knew there needed to be somebody and I hate calling I'm not. He's not a hype man. He's a basketball coaching and he's a very accomplished one,

meaning Pat Kelsey. But he he's a guy who gave us right from day one. In that press conference when he was introduced, I mean, he was relatable, he was likable, he was appreciative to be here with somebody you wanted to get behind because you're so desperate to see Louisville

basketball get back to where we know they belong. This guy hit all the notes from day one and made it clear that it was important for fans to help out and you know, raise money and the Rick Keeber Planet Fitness I call hi Planet Fitness means he's also got a lot of other really successful businesses, but it's the Glow Brands that that is his his company that I guess is over top of all of his other

companies that he's that he's that he owns. They they did the match right, it was one million dollars and then if you know, once fans collectively raised that much, then they'll match the one million and and and being able to do that was so impressive for this fan base. Again, I think a lot of it was timing just how desperate Louisville fans are. But look, it's also a reminder that when there's something to believe in that we can see, you know, like Pat Kelsey.

ever expecting to get the Louisville job this year. You ask him a year ago, he probably would have never believed it. But here he was, and you know, I think his I don't want to say just appreciation, but he's hungry, like this is a huge opportunity for him as a coach, and it would a huge oportunity.

a roster that is really, really impressive. So here are some quotes about Louisville in their NIL situation. This is one coach. They're handing out fing money like its monopoly. And this is from the right of the article. It says, as someone who watched Louisville's program craater over the past two years after one say good for them, Louisville should

be handing out money like it's monopoly. It's an agency program with a large and proud fan base that's been through a lot over the years, everything from the end of the Rick Patino era to the surprisingly disappointing Chris macra to the disastrous couple of years of Kenney Payne. When Kenny Payne was in charge. Simply put, college basketball is better when Louisville is good. So that's just that's scary parishute who'd said that? So you know, if you

don't win, none of it matters. In fact, if you don't win and everybody knows you had a bunch of money to spend, it actually makes you look bad. But you know, again, I'll say this all the time about Pat Kelsey. As we speak in the offseason, when he hasn't coached a game, everything is aligning to where this guy, you know, if he can if he can carry his

formula that was successful at a lower level. Of course, if he can carry that over here and win, man, this thing could really be long term, could be successful. Does he win a championship here?

was on the line. But there are some that aren't. Really they don't do that. They just create content for fans of college football, college basketball. And this one is the cfb rep Twitter account. It's College Football Report. And you know, the algorithm's working for them for me because I keep seeing their stuff all over Twitter, and they I find myself oftentimes favoriting or when I say or liking, I guess the tweet so it appears in my like

tweets so I can reference it on the show. But this is just something I thought it was somewhat interesting. There are only it looks like eight programs in power for football that have never hosted College Game Day ever at any point, John, how many of those do you think you could name?

I would say Illinois probably the one that's the biggest surprise that hasn't hosted Game Day Syracuse would be somewhat of a surprise, but if you think about it, when they did have actually some success in tradition, it was long before college game day was a thing. So the schools that have that have gone the longest since hosting that have at least hosted. I mentioned North Carolina is ninety seven, Kansas State hosted in two thousand, NC State in two thousand and four, as well as Purdue in

two thousand and four. Indiana their game day was.

just thought that was interesting. All Right, we're out of time, you guys. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday. Good evening. This weather is still insanely awesome and we're going to be back at it tomorrow right here on Sports Talk seven ninety