Is this, my guys, Jericho Roade? Oh yeah, oh nice.
Of course we've resurrected them once a big piece of the Bill and Spence Show. Back in the day, our producer was a young man named Jason Sheppard who wore Gene shorts and loved LDS boy bands. Shef is now with our friends at BYU TV, as is our next guest friend of the program, Spencer Linton, on a Wednesday afternoon. I know at some point you may have tried out for Jericho Roade, because I know you have an excellent voice. At some point, I know you were rocking a little Jay Road. Yeah.
Truth be told, Spence. That's the first time I've ever heard that song, and I've never been more pleased to announce something in my life.
Okay, all right, fair enough, Look, I know we gotta be quick with you today, so let's dig into it.
I have a macro question for Spencer.
Then we'll dig into some topics in a vacuum. You know, six years ago, and my old producer actually sent out a tweet because I'd forgotten I've made this comment. But six years ago, when the rumors of nil started a surface and the potential of deep pocketed donors to make a difference in athletic departments became somewhat of a reality. I said, this is a massive, massive piece of potential
advantage for BYU. This is something they can utilize and capitalize on in addition all the other things that BYU brings to be able to kind of get an edge that they haven't had for quite some time. So for a long time, about a decade or so, there was an innate advantage for Utah over BYU simply because of P five inclusion with PAC twelve versus independence, and now the playing field is not just even. It feels like
the momentum is shifted down south. Why do you think BYU has been able to capitalize on this era to add so many talented players both basketball and football.
Yeah, getting the right coaches in place and on the heels of Kevin Young and a winning season with Kolonie Sataki and Kevin Young taking the basketball team to the Sweet sixteam that first and foremost to me, it has to be stated like you have to win for your boosters to consistently get behind you and say, okay, there are results, this is fun.
We like what is happening.
Also, the momentum of BYU finally being invited into a Power for conference naturally had the fan base very excited and exuberant to want to get involved in any way that they can. So those two things, being involved and invited finally after so many years to the big boy table. Granted you're not in a prime spot at that table yet, but you're still at the Powerplour table. And then winning
that breeds naturally a lot of excitement. And then you have boosters that believe and went and fought for Kevin Young to get him from the Phoenix Suns as an assistant to BYU and then to keep him at BYU just a few months ago when things really ramped up, or I should say a few weeks ago when it kind of got strange because the Sun's job opened up and there were NBA opportunities. Again, like these these boosters, they know a winner when they see one. Kevin Young
is clearly that. And what Kalani Satake is doing in building his culture and trying to find guys that are the right fit, but trying to get the top tier members of the Church of Jesus Christ, the Latter day Saints and Yesterday's Five star quarterback signing is a huge boost in that direction. Like all these things combining have created this this really really big wave of momentum. And so but it starts with winning and finally being at a power for a level because there's just so much
excitement and there's a real passion. Brian Santiago the athletic area to keep saying, it's never been better, never been a better time to be involved.
In this athletic department and with this.
Team, and with the momentum that's happening, Like there's just so much juice and passion and excitement, and and that starts with being at the big boy table and then delivering some really fun winning seasons.
And also being able to pay these players on par or if not more than other schools via n I L. Spencer, it is okay that we say that out loud, no, no question, I'm.
With you, and it's legal rights there. The network, the network at BYU to your point, has always been there. It's been fantastic. Mark Pope has has set a couple times like hey, we need more. When he was at BA, He's like, we need more support, we need more time. Spence, I don't know that the boosters believed in Mark the way that they do in Kevin Young and connected with him. It just there was a little bit of a disconnect somewhere.
So Kevin Young, to his credit, has helped bridge that gap and make it more likely for the big money boosters to get behind him to an even greater capacity. But yes, it's always been there. Now that it's legal, they're saying, well, why wouldn't we. We love the school, we love the program they're winning, We like these coaches and players that they're bringing in. Yeah, sign me up. So if it's legal, do it. That's fine. Like now it becomes an arms race in that capacity, and it's
totally okay. So yes, nil is a huge part of it as well.
Well, look man, like I was raised by a Mormon capitalist, I was raised by an LDS capitalist. Okay, Like, it is a religion and a culture that understands the power of the purse. Tell me, help me understand where the messaging comes from, where there's from my prism and my perspective. Spencer, a certain faction of people that work for the school or love the school that simply refuse to say out loud, yes, it's about winning. Yes, it's about P four. Yes, it's
about the BYU experience. Yes, Kevin and Klonie are elite, but it's also about the ability to be very competitive and yes sometimes the higher bidder to be able to attract these players to come play basketball and football at BYU. What help me understand the deal where there's messages in certain circles that from my prison seem to be very reluctant to just even say that out loud.
Yes, great question. I think there is such a negative connotation associated with well BYUS just buying the players. That's the only reason that they're choosing BYU. Why would you ever go to BYU? Clearly they're chasing a bag. I think people are so hesitant to admit that they do have competitive, if not elite NIL and boosters behind this, because there is this faction of social media that says, well, nobody would pick BYU if it weren't for the money, And so I guess that's why I throw in the
other things. It is a it's a package deal. The nil and money is a big part of that and a huge arm of that in making that wheel spin. If you take it away, it wouldn't go. But I think that people are hesitant and the faction you reference are hesitant to talk about money because they don't want to somehow minimize.
How important the coaching arm is.
The winning arm, the experience, the transformative experience they're promising athletes that byu to become greater men and greater women, and the education. They want all of the arms to get.
Their equal due.
And so with this negative connotation around, well, it's only because of the money that's probably why they shift away from that. I'm here to tell you that it's just one incredibly important arm in this wield that makes the whole thing push forward.
You know what's interesting.
First of all, the good news is social media isn't real, so we can just put that aside. Do you know if Sam Harris is the podcast sam Ayris? Have you heard of him? Yes, Okay, I'm a big fan. I like the way he thinks, I like the way he communicates. And a couple of years ago, after mister Musk's takeover of X, he elected to exit stage left, and he did this hour and a half podcast and why it was the best decision he ever made, and look, I check it. You know, that's where we got the draft tonight.
I'm waiting for news on the Jazz maybe doing something. But I'll tell you what, man. Ever, since I pretty much left the platform, you realize how small it is. You realize how irrelevant it is, you know what I mean? So like the people that are dragging BYU for adding talent online, I just.
Don't give them any credence.
Man.
Maybe it's just me.
Well, man, I wish more people thought like you, Spence. And this is not a joke. Literally, I was sitting in my car about thirty minutes ago, and it's because I had been chided by some friends about kind of disappearing on social media, like hey, how come you're not posting as much? Like where'd you go? Like are you on summer vacation? And it's a purposeful move by me to just take a break, take a breath, like I'm with you. I still check it, but I don't feel
like I need to constantly post stuff. I'm involved with shows that post content with me involved all the time. That's good enough for me for in large part. But I was literally being chided and kind of ribbed for disappearing. But I feel free to a degree, So I'm going to join you in line there. I think there is
there's real power in that. And I'm not saying that I feel the negativity from social media per se, but it is a very real element, and I wish I wish more people could see a big picture like you are presenting where it's you can you can talk about this nil just because there are fans from angry opposing fan bases around the conference and around the country, whether it's Oregon who's in the battle for this right Lions movement he goes to b YU, or it's other big
twelve schools who are saying, oh, see by just because of the money, Like you're right, it is a very very loud and obnoxious vocal minority and the grand scheme of things. And so I'm gonna try and be better at that and not give the type of credence that a lot of people do to this social media wave because it's okay. It's okay for BYU to have incredible boosters and support and money and the backing that they do all under a legal scope. Now where this is
within the rules. So let's go ahead and flex where we have never been able to flex and do this thing.
You know, the other gift you give yourself before you move off of this, because only you have a couple of minutes left. I did a podcast last week and the guy was like, Hey, you're getting killed online. How does that make you feel. I'm like, didn't see it? No idea or you get aggregated, no clue, Like you just him is the biggest, the best term, Like, when you're getting attacked online, if you don't see it, it doesn't really happen, doesn't It doesn't even exist?
Yes, yes, if the tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it.
Or see it, does it actually fall?
Exactly?
Yeah? Great point, great point.
All right, a couple things here.
We'll end with the Lions kid, but before we get there, the only local player that is kind of surrounding with some intrigue during the draft process is Yegor. We've had a couple of draft experts on the show today.
What are you hearing about?
You know, the feedback he's received during this process and potentially where we could hear his name called tonight.
So I've spent significant time communicating with Yegor's camp and Travis Hanson and others. Travis is with Yegor and Brooklyn tonight and has been a huge part of why Yegor is at BYU and his whole experience there, and from what I have gathered from the combine and from interviews and everything that Yegor has done in this really just this process to get ready. It feels like there are five teams that are the most interested, and I'll list them in order of where they pick first to last,
Starting with the Houston Rockets. They were at number ten, but they obviously traded that pick to the Phoenix Suns with the Kevin Durant exchange, so the Yegor to Houston feels less likely now that they don't have that tenth pick. The Portland Trailblazers are a team that's been very interested in him. The Chicago Bulls at twelve, the Atlanta Hawks at thirteen, and the Brooklyn Nets, who have five first round picks. I believe they pick what eighth and nineteenth.
The Wizards are in there too. I don't think they would take Jegor as early as six. I know they pick eighteenth. I don't think he's gonna slip to eighteen. Would be a surprise to see him there, but those are the team so it feels like he's gonna go somewhere between eleven and maybe seventeen. I think most likely looking at the teams and the conversations that have happened, his skill set, the need for a point guard to
help out. Right now, I'm looking at twelve with the Chicago Bulls for Yagwar to join a guy like Josh Diddy and help out that point guard line and the combo guard and his distribution and passing ability. Or the Atlanta Hawks with Trey Young like Atlantic could really use a big guard with Yegwar's skill set. I've heard that scouts have been very impressed in his individual workouts with his shot and the progress that he has made his
higher release point. He's worked relentlessly to prove to people that he is a better shooter than we saw, especially early in his campaign at BYU. He got better later in the season, but they don't talk about that. They just think, ah, you know, twenty nine percent or twenty seven percent Rebot sugar, yikes. He has worked so hard, tirelessly. Really, that's where the Travis Anton youth to get better at
his shot, and he has impressed some people. So my best guess Chicago twelve, Atlanta at thirteen, because both of those teams really like Diegor, has invested a lot of time into him and he can immediately fit into their specific rosters.
All right, before I said you lose, because I know you got to run, so be as short as you want, tell me about the process. The landed Rider lions in Provo to play for Byu. And look, I mean, we won't see him for a few years. There's a mission thing. But what sort of a quarterback prospect is he? And what's the buzz down there in Provo?
Gosh, you know what's crazy? Is He referenced on the Pat McAfee show that he got his first scholarship offer in eighth grade and that was from BYU. He got a scholarship off from the Coops when he was thirteen, and I remember vaguely hearing about that and thinking, wow,
are we really starting this early? But clearly they saw something in him that was special, and Biu was paying attention to his older brother, and there was connections to the family, and obviously he's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ the Latter day Saints, And there's been a huge emphasis from Kilani and his staff to be way more competitive in going and getting the best members of the faith because they have lost out in recent years to the likes of Utah and Oregon and USC
and Power five schools on the West coast, and then it's slipping into sec territory with Alabama and Ole miss. So the emphasis has been we have to figure out a way to go and get the best guys that fit our culture, that grew up in the religion and make this a place for them to want to be. So there was a huge push there to accommodate his desire to serve a mission for however long that mission
is going to be. Ever everything from a year to fourteen months to a year and a half to a fall two years, we don't know, but he does want to serve a mission for at least some length of time. BYU is clearly a place that can help him do that, and they had enough of a number financially. Oregon came in at the last minute and offered more money. I
don't know what the figure was. All I was told was in that realm Oregon offered more money than BYU, but it was not just about a strict dollar sign and about getting the most money, way bigger for somebody who is a member of the faith and has a long history with BYU, going back to his first scholarship offer in eighth grade. They love what he can do
on the field. I hear a lot of Zach Wilson comparisons, and I hate to even say this one because people are be like, oh my gosh, Spencer, stop it, stop the hyperbole.
But he's a.
Bigger kid, six two and twenty pounds, and he's a physical runner, so I heard in a slight way like Jalen Hurts. So Zach Wilson a little bit of Jalen Hurts.
In the way he plays, but very confident.
He has got a rocket arm, and he's a really, really capable runner. In fact, I watched this tape and I thought there were flashes a little bit of a guy like Jackson Dart, especially with him being a bigger frame. So that's the type of player he is. BAA worked relentlessly, Chad Lewis told me, I mean probably four years ago when he was a freshman. I don't know what it's going to take, but we have to get that guy
at BYU. We have to get that guy to BYU, and he wasn't really looking at BYU seriously at the time after his sophomore year in high school. Like BYU wasn't in his top five, they probably weren't even in his top ten. But the shift to power for conference boosters, nil money, the right culture, the right connection with his family and faith, it all kind of came together, and now Ryder Lyons is a five star quarterback at BA.
All right, buddy, well, good perspective.
It is an exciting time down there, a lot of momentum in the positive direction, so I appreciate the color and context.
Have a great week, man, We'll chat soon, Okay.
Always good to talk to you.
Thank you for freeing my mind in the social media around my friend.
I am here for you, Spencer Lynton, to be your north Star, to be your Lea, to be your Leahhna in life.
Anything you need, you let me know.
Okay, let's go Jericho Road, Let's go.
Love it, Spencer Lynton, our buddy from BYU TV.
BYU dialing in the.
Highest rated prospect they've had since two thousand and two at the quarterback position.
That player Ben Olsen, who didn't work out at b YU