April 12, 2025 • 40 mins
LaVar Arrington & TJ Houshmanzadeh talk about Tennessee and QB Nico Iamaleava parting ways, Caleb Williams speaks about the Bears locker room last year, and more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Blest. I'm here'll put you up on game because I
know that we need it.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You want NFL experience, then this is the show for you.
This is up on gig puts you up on game
with LeVar ary Ted, TJ. Houshman Zanna and Plexic Coe Burres.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Did you hear that? LeVar Arrington, TJ.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Hootchman Zada, Lexico Burrs.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
It's a show with three of the best to ever
do it on and off the field, live from the
tire rack dot Com studio. So Fox Sports Radio and
now here's pro bowlers LaVar Airy, Ted and Tjhushman Zada.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
All right, Happy Saturday to everybody out there. You know
what time it is. It's up on game. They just
told you in the Energy and you know what. We're
also always broadcasting live from you know where it is,
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(01:06):
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Speaker 1 (01:10):
Ti raq dot com.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Uh the way tied buying should be. We got a
lot to get you. It's a two man show today.
Plexico is probably off with Elijah Handling indeed, Golden domer
business today. So it's just gonna be me and Panteen Man,
and you know what, I'm just gonna hope that he
can carry us with his superpowers, because he is a superhero.
We got TJ. Hitchman's out of How you feeling.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
My guy, man, I'm feeling good man. Can't wait to
talk to this college football man. These universities are a joke.
All right, we'll get to the top selection now. I
feel good. I feel good, you know, the clearest guys.
But the weather, the temperature, you know clear he's been
the last four five days been great, so you know,
(01:55):
got hit with the average day to day side, that's
palm Sunday tomorrow. Hey, you see plexing here today. After
he gonna utter that nonsense the Lakers won't win one game,
he probably meant they only gonna lose one game. The
dare you talk about us like that, mister Burris. We're
gonna get to that.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
As I mentioned, Cust the Legend will join us in
hour two of the show. But as you mentioned college
football being what you just said is a joke, Nico,
I can't say. I don't know if the bigger story
is I have a hard time saying his last name
versus what just happened. But here's the try e I
(02:34):
male ava.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Did I get it? I get it? I am a ali.
What I sound like something you drink? You popped that? Huh?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Pop it popp it popped out right your mouth. Have
a good time anyway.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So obviously reports had surfaced that that he had not
shown up two two practices and that Nico had ultimately
opened up negotiations in terms of what it was going
to cost for him to play for Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
And that's false. Okay, they're lying. Tennessee's lying, and they
probably like, damn hope nobody comes up in dispute this.
But they're lying, all right, And I know this is fact.
Not as well?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
We know you know, we know you know him, know
the family or whatever.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So go ahead, let us know my thing is this right? So,
ex Tennessee, when was the last time they spoke to
anybody on Nico's side? Well, I'll answer that for you January.
So what are y'all negotiating? When when was the negotiations
taking place? When the last time y'all spoke to anybody
on this side? It was in January, and here we
(03:51):
are in April. So you negotiations starting in January. There's
been no more communication since then. Like, come on, and
so is the reason about money or is the reason
about the system that you have offensively? You can't say that,
Josh Hypel, you don't want to talk about your offensive
system and what you told them and what you were
(04:13):
gonna do. And you try to call his bluff like like,
I just don't like how they want to put these
kids and pain them in a bad light. If you
say you're gonna do something, do it, and if you're
not gonna do it, just be up front so everybody
(04:35):
can make a decision that is best for them. But
when the player makes a decision that is best for him,
now you want to lie and tell and put out
false narratives about the reason.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Does somebody saying it's about the offensive scheme? It's not
about the money.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
He gonna get the money regardless whether he stayed at
Tennessee or he hits the portal. He getting a lot
of mone money regardless.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
But the reports, if I'm just just giving you the
things to feedback off of or to respond to, the
reports are is that he was negotiating what that money
would be at Tennessee, which in the NIL era, in
the NIL space, sometimes that is something that takes place.
And at these different schools with the different players.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
I mean we see.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
That with the other who were the kids that played for,
you know, Florida State and played.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
For I mean, you look at every sport, women's basketball,
men's basketball, men's football.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
There's negotiations going.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
That's what it is. And it's a great LeVar. I
love it because for the longest the players were taking
advantage of under this BS amateurism, we're taking advantage of.
Imagine how much money Penn State in ncaaos Arrington, Imagine
(06:02):
how much money you would have made that you never
made because of quote unquote amateurism. And so now that
the players can get money, you got these bogus coaches.
Oh man, we need to get back to how it was.
Why so you can make fifteen million on the backs
of these kids, Really, you don't want the kid to
(06:26):
make you making all this money because of the kids.
Because you tell me a great coach that's going to
go to an average school and win big. You tell
me you need good players to win, And so how
can you make.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
The coach of Nebraska, Matt Ruhle, my former teammate, he
came out and said, what it's gonna cost you anywhere
from what he say one point five to two what
he said, some crazy ass figure in terms of what
it'll cost you to get a quarterback, a type of
quarterback that can change your pro cars.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
That portal got four million dollars from the University of Miami.
Carson Bak got four million dollars. Now let's get back
to the top. And I'm sorry, LeVar, it could be more. Now,
actually give Nico probably see what was going on in
the nil world and said, oh, I probably should get
a little more. I'm sure that happened. I didn't just
haven't been told that, but I'm sure that happened. That's normal.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
But the lie you're saying is is that they've told
him and real like kind of confidence that we're going
to make this offense to fit your skill set, and
that's not what they're planning on doing. And that's where
is that where the story begins, and that's where the
narrative should be, not on the money.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yes, yes, look at Tennessee's offense. Are any of every
team has pro style concepts. Every concepts okay, the outside
receiver runs a dagger eighteen yard dagger. Number two receiver
run a sit route in thember three will run through
(08:00):
the scene. That clear it out. Everybody has those concepts.
Concepts are the same. They're called differently, different words or numbers,
whatever it may be. But when you look at Tennessee,
they put both. They stacked their receivers out wide, the
run seams, the run stops or run just different concepts.
Concepts are fine. How often do you see those concepts
(08:23):
in the National Football League that the Tennessee volunteers run
on offense or their formations? How many times do you
do you see that in the league? I don't see
I don't see it.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
It doesn't look as sophisticated as what I'll say.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
I don't see it.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
He was cooking. He was cooking early in the season.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
They led him to the they went to the College
football Playoff. And it's not a bad thing. Josh Haipel
has to do what's best for himself in the University
of Tennessee. Not one player. I get it. But when
you tell a player, okay, we'll look to add some
wrinkles and change some things. You know, I'm not going
to completely change everything, but I'm a add some things
(09:00):
for you for the pro style to prepare you for
the National Football League. Because former Tennessee players have told him, like, bro,
what we're doing it ain't preparing us. This is coming
from players that played at Tennessee. What we're doing at Tennessee,
it ain't preparing us. So he wanted to be prepared
for the National Football League. And then when you tell him, okay,
(09:24):
yes we are going to change some things, and then
you don't do it. You're calling this bluff. You know
why you're calling this bluff because it's the spring. What
quarterback is going to transfer this slate? Now, you got
to be a leader of the team. You got to
learn the offense. That's hard, that's not an easy thing
to do. So they called his bluff okay, now an answer.
They didn't think he was going to answer. And anybody
(09:47):
that knows Nico, this ain't something he want to do. Man.
Nico was a humble kid man, extremely humble, real chill,
real reserve, treat everybody with respect in the and treats
him the right way. So just be honest, Tennessee. That's
all I'm saying is be honest, don't go out here
line and throwing out these false narratives. Would he have
(10:09):
wanted more money? Who wouldn't. What coach that wins big
don't want more don't want a better contract. Have you
ever seen a coach that win big and they didn't
get an extension?
Speaker 3 (10:20):
So that's not necessarily a lie. I just want to
make sure for the sake for you. And know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Is it's not that it's a lie.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
It's just that they didn't tell the whole truth. They
didn't tell the entire story. I look at it like this,
if I'm in this day and age right now, and
that's something that my team said that we need to do,
and for certain, if you're not put me in a
position to make the type of plays that I feel
can take my stock up to a whole another level.
I mean, this kid was up for the Heisman during
(10:49):
the course of this past football season, so he was
playing at a high level. And so to me, if
you're looking at it from the standpoint of compensation as
well as you know, giving me, giving me the proper
respect or the proper approach to making sure I can
have the type of season that that is going to
lend to us winning games and me.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Having a successful season.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
I feel like that is that is prude and information
that should be added to it. But with that being said, TJ.
I still will say this is a very very interesting
moment in college football. And while I will take a
break because I think we should discuss the idea of
this is. We talked about it from a personal perspective,
(11:33):
personal standpoint. Obviously, Nico's from Long Beach, so he's from here,
and you know you have a relationship with him and
his family. But I want to talk about what this
represents in terms of where where college football is going to,
where college athletics.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
A great goal, a great place.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Okay, well we're going to discuss that because to me,
this could go a lot of different directions now that
you have what took place in terms of a coach
saying we're going to move on without the star quarterback
who is a freshman. He's a freshman.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Hey, are they moving on without him? Or he forced them?
And watch this fallout happen at Tennessee. Watched all these
other kids into the portal. Just watch remember what I'm watch.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Watch We're gonna well, let's talk let's let's keep this
conversation going on. Uh, that's that's the tease, because we
were going to continue to talk quarterback. But you know this,
I believe thisert deserves a little bit more time and
a little bit more attention. So we're going to take
a break and we're going to talk about you know
the impact of what this situation at Tennessee may be
(12:39):
creating and causing for college sports. But first you also
need to know that you can keep calming the chaos,
and you do that with the shipping.
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Use code Sports for a free trial at shipstation dot
com right that shipstation dot com code Sports. Be sure
to tune in on Draft Night Live on the Thursday.
I'll be there April twenty fourth Judge General Manager Joe
Douglas College Football Hall of Famer I told you that's
myself and Fox Sports League College Football reporter Jenny Taff
(13:11):
will be driving the car that evening driving the show.
So we're excited about that. It's picked by pick, prediction,
by prediction. Obviously, Jay Glaze will be the guy that's there.
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to hear who's going to get picked information on that
as we go into each pick of the first round
(13:33):
on Draft Day, live right here on Fox Sports Radio,
brought to you by ship Station.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Take a quick break.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
As I mentioned the other side of the break, we're
going to continue to talk nil fallout good thing. TJ
seems to think it's a good thing. Cat wait to
hear what he has to say about it. This is
up on game Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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listen live.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
All right, everybody, welcome back into the Tirack dot com studios.
It's TJ Huschmazada. I'm LeVar Arrington. Plexico is out for
the day.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
We got it.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
A lot of hot conversations taking place right out the gate. Hey,
be sure to check out Fox Sports Radios YouTube channel
as well. There's a ton of great videos from many
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Radio on YouTube and you'll see a whole bunch of
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so you always have instant access to our Fox sports
(14:36):
radio videos on YouTube. Before we went to the break,
we had a very spirited conversation taking place about what's
taking well, what's happening with Nico. Give me the last name,
Give me the last name, TJ.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
I am aliava dam all right.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
You know from Tennessee, the situation has turned well, I
would say ugly in the sense that you know, coach
Hipel has has said that they are moving on and
moving forward without Nico and his assistance at the quarterback's position.
The kid was lights out for them early on in
(15:13):
the season. Young talent has a lot of games in
front of him, and now that seemingly is done for
the volunteers of Tennessee. It's interesting, you know, a couple
questions that come to mind, A couple thoughts that come
to mind. One is, you know, we live in a
day and age now, TJ. And I know you. You know,
we've been in the game at the lower level for
(15:37):
a really long time as well as working with with pros.
You continue to work with pros and incoming pros. But
one thing that I've noticed during my close to maybe
a decade now of coaching at the high school level
and working with youth athletic programs as well. Is that
transfer culture, reclassifying culture is rampant in some parts in
(16:03):
some places of you know.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Hot bits of athletics.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
And I mentioned that to say because one thing that
has really become a main focus for me is getting
parents and getting young athletes to understand that the educational
component of what takes place is a major part. I
do a podcast is with National Football Foundation the Hall
(16:30):
of Fame, and it's called What's Good in the Game, which,
boyt of way, I haven't interviewed you yet, TJ, gotta
get you on. I really look at what comes from
what we do in sport, and the educational component of it,
so many times becomes a very very critical piece to
what takes place in our lives. If you're not a
(16:52):
smart dude and you're not approaching the educational component of
it from from someone who can really benefit from getting
educated and understanding, you know, how the world works, I
feel like you're wasting the opportunity that you're going to have.
And I'm not saying you got to be a straight
A student. It'd be great to see you get straight
(17:13):
a's because of all of the resources you have, But
I just need you to be present and understanding of
the fact that education is a tremendous piece to what's
taking place. But seemingly, even at the high school level,
it's like, Okay, I could be at a pretty decent
institution academically, but if the team over here is better
(17:35):
and I can get in there and get a chance
to play, I'm leaving like that. That's what has become
a very a very large part of high school sports.
I mean, we see it in cif is fighting their
asses off to try to figure out how to manage
it because guys, guys go with the trend, right, they
go with the trend of the good unit, good good schools,
(17:57):
and it leaves all these other schools reeling and and
trying to figure out, well, where did the kids that
grew up in our youth programs where they go?
Speaker 1 (18:05):
You know, they're all leaving.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Now you see what the NIL is created, and the
transfer portal has created at the college level, And now
I just wonder, as it sets the stage for one,
is education compromised and situations like this where guys are
relocating so conveniently and placing you know, other things seemingly
(18:29):
maybe ahead of what what could be a more core
function or more core value of going to college.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
And then I would offer this one too as well, TJ.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Maybe the solution here is is it has to happen in.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Terms of unionizing right now.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
You got to believe that now, some way, somehow, there's
going to have to be a formation of unions. I
don't know if it's by school, I don't know, if
it's all college you know, athletes, I don't I don't
really know where that comes into play. But I think
it has to be a conversation just so people are
organized and so that there could become a more uniform
(19:07):
approach to what's taking place. And I'll say, lastly, TJ, contracts,
you don't want to run into a problem with with
your players filling a certain type of way. Okay, well,
don't hold one year scholarship contracts over the kids heads.
When we were playing, you know what a coach would
say to us if we didn't get a play right, Like,
just get a play right, you get a play wrong,
(19:29):
you know what they say, I'll put you on the
bus that brought you in there and send you back
where you came from.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
That's what coaches used to say.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
And from what I hear from locker room talk that
was pretty commonplace, is that you and a lot of coaches,
old school coaches, they led through threats. You know, I'll
get you up out of here, and you know what,
they could and they can. And that's what you see
existing right now. You saw what just took place with
West Virginia. Right they just released like released, they let
(19:58):
go of you twenty players or more that I believe
they let go that were scholarship players that they just
they have no use for anymore.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
So now they're gone.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I think that a contract, right, a contract, if you're
going to have a contract negotiation, give me, give me
a scholarship, give me, give me a contract for three years,
give me a contract for four years. No, might sound crazy,
might sound out landish, that that's where things may be heading.
But don't you think that this would head off some
of the drama that's taking place, that's going to take
(20:31):
place with these top athletes that are five star, four
star athletes that are coming out of high school. Then
they're top players in college and they want don't come
back asking for more. We did a contract, We did
a contract, like at least.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
I guarantee them, so I don't agree with this, Okay,
go ahead, gohead got because for the longest a coach
would have a contract, and as soon as that team wins,
he gets a pay raise. You got a contract, he
gets a pay raise. Why are you get to pay
raise because you are performed what you were making, so
(21:09):
they give you a pay raise. You're not gonna oh you,
what happens to you have a contract? Yes, and some coaches,
the majority of coaches, when they leave, they have a buyout.
So maybe you do that for the player.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
You have a contract. A contract is a contract. So
if another school wants to come get them by his
contract out.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Yeah, I can now that that would be fair. But
a contract. I don't like how these universities and these
coaches are now complaining. They're complaining about the money that
the players are making, and they keep amateurism like that.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Can't use that anymore, they obviously can't hide.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
But the fact that players can now get paid is
such a great thing, such a great thing because for years,
oh man, a scholarship that that's more than enough. Man,
we were taken advantage of, we were taking advantag they
were taking They took advantage of every player that earned
(22:14):
millions upon millions of dollars for their school. When I
was at Oregon State, my first year there was a
first winning season. They had had it over it was
like twenty five to thirty years. The next year we
go to the Fiesta Bowl. They built an indoor facility.
They didn't have an indoor facility before I got there.
So my two years there, look at all the millions
of dollars that was brought in. Sure, not one player
(22:36):
on the roster saw the benefit of that. No one
player on a roster. It's an age old discussion.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I will say that because old heads will say, you
know what, I gave myself the opportunity to get a
free education and to get the opportunity to showcase my
skills and ability to be able to make it into
the national.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Food for free. Though for free, for free, they would.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Say that you got the opportunity to get books and
housing and right right, and this is.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
How we've been brainwashed to believe. But bashing, yes, it is.
I think there.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
I think there. I think there's a level of there
is compensation.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
I think there is. It's fair to say there's compensation.
I think.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Now the conversation turns to the amount of compensation compared
to what these commodities are worth.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Whatever nobody is willing to pay you. And when we
go back to Nico, when you got Carson Back making
about four million, you got the quarterback at Duke I
believe he transferred from Tulain making about four million. Oh,
I'm underpaid. Okay, I deserve to get paid more. Do
the coaches not do that? Oh, Joe Blow just signed
a contract extension. Oh okay, I think I'm a better
coach than Joe Blow. We won more games than Joe Blow.
(23:44):
All right, I think I need a little more of myself.
Do coaches not do the same thing?
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Now, what happens? If a school doesn't want.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
To do it, then decisions have to be made for
the coach.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Then, well the code for the player, I mean the coach,
the coach. You know, coach can have their agent working
on their behalf. I mean, now, is this a situation
where we can't agents working on their behalf? Okay, that's
so so Now the agent is basically shopping the kid
around to other schools. I just feel like, while I understand.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
You're old school, what it is because I got.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
I got a kid in college right now.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Right I got in college. As soon as man man
start balling, they better pay them. And if they don't
pay him, he better go somewhere else. See there's more
to it. I think no, because you think their NFL
is not guaranteed. Everybody agree with every campus across America,
every campus, every athlete in football and basketball and baseball,
(24:48):
every team. We all think we're making it. There's not
enough here. Here's what you got to get, what you
can get while you can get it.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Here's where I pushed back on it. I pushed back
on it by saying, I never looked at myself as
a football player. I looked at myself as LeVar Arrington.
I could play sports, and out of the sports that
I was good at, I was best at football. I
love basketball, ran track, really love running track. But I
knew that I had a ceiling with both basketball and track.
(25:20):
If I were going to have a chance to be
able to do something with it, I was going to
go with football. All I'm saying is is that for me,
I look at the NIL opportunity as a chance to
one further my education, to get myself an opportunity to
possibly play pro.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Out of college.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Doing it and now with the nil This is why
I tell my kids, with the companies and the advertisers
that are coming that are already pass that are connected
to the universities, the ones that are going to come
into the universities, you now have the opportunity to build
relationships with these these companies. We didn't always have that.
(26:03):
We did not have that when we were in school.
You're not really able to have the conversations with a
major company that puts a ton of money into the
school and the university and what it is that they're
doing to me. I really think that it's about leveraging
the relationships, leveraging the exposure that you're able to get
once you go there. It also ultimately comes down to
(26:24):
what is your main motive for going to school. If
your main motive is to go to school, try to
get as much money out of it as you possibly
can and try to go pro then I would say, yeah,
try to get as much money out of it as
you can, and if it works out, it works out.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
That's the majority, that's the majority of student athletes that's
to go. I don't think that's the right I don't
think just the right approach what's what's the right approach is.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
I'll say this, I have more opportunities now at forty
six years old. I'll be forty seven this year. I
have more opportunities now within the community that I organically
built at Penn State than I did.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Even as are LeVar, LeVar, you are one of the
greatest college football players to ever played. Of course you're
going to have those opportunities.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
But see that you're making it an exception. To me,
I don't look at it as an exception. I look
at it as that should become the standard building those relationships.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Give me we have the same Give me that was
on your team. Give me a player that was on
your team that has the same opportunities that you have
now that wasn't as good of a player.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
I mean, it's there's a lot of guys that are
working there. Bro There's a lot of about that.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
The opportunity. I mean, you have the LeVar because you
were a good player. You have these opportunities you have
to be But what did you say the draft should
have been the first pick of the draft. You're one
of the.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
All are high to tow to look at one of
the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
College football players ever, not of do you want of
the top minimum twenty five fifty players to ever play
college football?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
All right, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Of course you're going to have these opportunities if I had.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
The educational component of understanding what the community truly, I
organically understood what the community meant to me organically.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
In others our day and age, we were ancient. We
didn't we weren't woke. We didn't understand how much money
we should have been making. Ed O'Bannon tried to tell
us back in the day and for years. I'm just
so happy for the players. A way off subject clear
skyes baby through the cloud, coming around. They are coming around.
(28:51):
All I know.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Listen at Oban. I get that I didn't sign it.
And you may not remember this, but I didn't sign
the group license in agreement when I went into the league.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
And a lot of people, a lot of people are like.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
You know what I mean, Like there have been a
lot of times that people tried to question my my
i Q like yeah, I'll be like this guy is
like who is he? Like, like you said your your coach,
I want to make a mistay you go like and
go get like, hey, look let's let's let's put it
on the line here. Like, I'm a pretty intelligent dude,
(29:25):
and I learned from a school teacher, So I learned
from foundational components of what education represented. I went to
church every Sunday. My dad was an ordained minister, So
I understood the Bible, understood how to to to speak
it because I went to Sunday school.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Then I went to prayer services.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
I was always in church man, and so I learned
a lot of a lot of very very valuable lessons
that played a part in why I understood community. I
understood helping old women up the steps or holding a
door for them, and being a gentleman like like just
foundation components of what it takes to to build your reputation.
(30:04):
I would ultimately say, TJ, I played well as a
football player, But you want to know what was more
valuable than me making them play in the game on
Saturday was me staying until every last person that was
there to meet me met LeVar. See, those are the things,
but they don't talk. But they don't talk about stuff.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
In the majority of players var are like that, they're not.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
I don't think that they don't know I was players
are not friendly to fans. They don't stick around, They
sign a couple out of grabs, they move on and
And one of the reasons why I was like the.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Way I was was because I saw that. I saw that,
like I saw the.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Kid that was the one hundredth and one kid that
was waiting, and they didn't see the kid this, didn't
see the player that they wanted. So even as a freshman,
before people even really knew what I was going to
be as a player, I stayed. I always stayed, and
I start having conversations with these people. There are people
now all these years later. I've be't played there since
(31:06):
nineteen ninety nine, and there are still people that come
up to me today that have the conversation with me
about the experience that they had because I took the
time to meet them, not the play, not a play,
but the moment that I signed an autograph and actually
had a conversation with them as if they were a person.
(31:26):
They're a person, like, oh, like, we're we're in this together.
It's not oh, you come chair, I go home.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
You do what you do. I see you next week.
Now you're a person.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
I just think that opens up the conversation to a
lot more educational pieces to all of this. Not saying
making money isn't the right thing and all those things
that you're saying, I'm not disagreeing with that. All I'm
saying is is maybe we look at this from the
perspective of you can have it all. Be that person
that is is endearing to their community, be that person
(31:57):
that makes money off of being that person. People support it.
It's not just a person that makes plays. I know
a few dudes that made plays. They were a holes
and nobody really liked them, you know what I mean.
But there's guys that get it. They understand it, and
they leverage it the right way. And I think it
comes through understanding what your value is and what that entails.
(32:18):
I don't know what Nico's situation is. I'm not passing
judgment on it, and I'm not saying that he's right
or wrong. I don't know what Hypel's perspective is on it.
I'm not saying he's right or wrong either. I'm just
saying that this has now exposed a gap. This is
now exposed a gap that exists in college football because
now the first major chip has fallen down or I'll say,
(32:40):
in terms of domino effect, you just sat there and said,
we're moving on from one of the top football players
in the country, let alone on your team, and it's
because of nil. That's I mean, it's because of money.
That's that's a very interesting deal. We're gonna have to
table this because we're at the end of the segment.
(33:00):
I know this is a conversation you and I can
have for the entire show, but when we get back,
we're going to have a quick one on Caleb Williams
the locker room. He had some interesting things to say
about Uberflus. But first, before we take a break, let's
get a trending from our guy, Isaac Glowing Kron. What
you got my guy?
Speaker 4 (33:15):
Hey, LeVar, and you don't really have to table it
too much, because that is our top trending story from
college football. Multiple outlets supporting Tennessee moving on from starting
quarterback Nico Iamlayava after you're reportedly held out from practice
on Friday as part of an nil contract dispute. Yahoo
Sports supporting il Malayava has submitted paperwork to enter the
transfer portal. Now, guys, today just happens to be Tennessee's
(33:40):
spring football game and Nashville Tennessee and columnist Gentry Estus
tweeted from Neiland Stadium a short time ago, quote, Nico
Iamlayava's jersey is no longer available in the gift shop
and his name has already been removed from Tennessee's roster. Unquote.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
So they move fast, show you how fast they will move,
or doesn't it?
Speaker 3 (34:02):
Dam But that becomes probably a financial liability as well,
though a brand liability.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
I mean, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
I would assume right, I would think they could at
least sell the jersey as at a discount, perhaps eighty
cents off the dollars and money so important everybody and
apparently not everyone has found out about this yet. College
foot college football reporter named Trey Wallace was also outside
of Niland Stadium a short time ago and asked a
random fan what he was looking forward to seeing at
(34:31):
the Tennessee spring game, and the fan responded, quote, I
want to see how Nico looks with this receiving corps.
So even in the days with social media, there are
some people out there who do not know about this,
and they're in for an unwelcome surprise. When they enter
the stadium elsewhere. After two rounds of the Masters, Justin
Rose has a one shot lead at eight under par overall,
(34:53):
one shot ahead of Bryson to Shamba. They'll see off
at two forty eastern time this afternoon. Rory McElroy and
Corey conn there's two shots back at six under. The
LT off round three at two point thirty eastern on
the course right now, John Rahm is three under through nine.
He is at one under part overall, seven shots off
the league.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Guys back to you appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
I we're all take a quick break. Like I said, well,
we'll talk quickly about Caleb Williams.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Something he had to say about the locker room and
frustration and eber flues.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
We'll see. This is up on Game. That is TJ.
Speaker 3 (35:27):
Hushman's out. I'm LeVar Arrington and this is Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
We'll be right back. All right, welcome back into the show.
It's up on game.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
We're lying from the tyrack dot Com studios comes to
legend will be coming on shortly.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Top of the hour.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
So if you're excited about hearing his hot takes, he
always has some good ones.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
I know. TJ just brought up the whole Lakers deal.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
So we'll get into all of that, but first let's
finish this hour out with some Caleb Williams talk bo
What did he have to say about the locker room?
And tjik Wait to hear what your response is? What'd
you got both?
Speaker 5 (36:03):
So, speaking of the Chicago Sun Times, Caleb Williams said
that how Matt Eberflus handled it at the time for
that game was I think one of the things that
throughout the locker room people talked about and were annoyed
by talking about, of course, the famous Hail Mary loss
to the Commanders last season. He went on to say
that those losses were important for him and his growth
to go on to Luting Street, be in that position,
(36:24):
be at the helm of it. Definitely important for me
just being able to see how I need to be
when times are bad. I'm going to work my tail
off to never be in that situation again.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
What's your takeaway?
Speaker 3 (36:34):
It sounds like eber Flus got rolled under, rolled under
the proverbial bus.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
What's your take here? We all knew once that happened
against the Commanders, their season went downhill. But to me,
when you lose a game. How they lost it with
the hail Mary. You can't put that on the coach.
Maybe I'm tripping. That's all players. The dudes completed a
Hail Mary, bro, they completed a hell marry to win
(37:01):
a game.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
The dude I got beat was heckling the fans, if
we recall correctly, right to me, that's that's on the players.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
But the season, they didn't have a great season. And
the greatest thing about sports is at some point it ends.
But the great thing is we got another day, we
got another practice, we have another game. And so for
Caleb Williams, it's an opportunity to show that he is
(37:31):
what everybody thought he was going to be because with
Ben Johnson being hired, Ben Johnson pretty much resurrected and
saved Jared Goff's career. If it doesn't go well, they
not blaming Ben Johnson. It's gonna be on Caleb. And
so for Caleb, you get a new start. I'm sure
it's refreshing, but we all knew what he said at
(37:53):
the locker room kind of lost confidence. He refutes, when
you start losing the games the Bears were losing, who
can you blame? You ain't get rid all the players,
so you get rid of the man that's easiest to
get rid of, and that's Ebra Flues to the head coach.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
Don't you feel like people are looking at this Bears
situation from the wrong perspective? Like it sounds as though
Caleb is super motivated and inspired to have a really
good year. But can we say bounce back year for him?
Should we say bounce back anything for the Bears at
this point? Last time they had a double digit win
(38:27):
season tjan two thousand and eight.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Now what, Levy Smith? It was a buddy that's with
the Chiefs twenty eighteen. Mitchell Trubisky bro led him to
the playoffs. What's what's his? Naggy Matt Naggy Naggy two?
Speaker 3 (38:45):
Twenty twelve was the last time they had a double
digit win season before twenty eighteen. So twenty fifteen, excuse me,
twenty twelve and twenty eighteen are the only two years.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
Come on, man, it doesn't get easier. That division is tough, tough.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
Green Bay looks good.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
Minnesota, I'm not sure, but but Minnesota has this is
this is what's gonna uh, this is gonna make you
a break when you when you in this type of division.
Many said Caleb was a generational quarterback once in a lifetime.
And so you have a coordinator that is really good,
(39:30):
that's shown he knows what he's doing, and so the
opportunity is there. You just got to go seez it. Now.
All I'm gonna say is this, TJ.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
There have been plenty of generational talents that live in
the wasteline wasteland of bust Bust them Ville like. And
it ain't because they couldn't play no ball. It wasn't
that they wasn't generational. They just went to a bad
situation and they wasn't going to get out of that situation.
And that's what they gotta live with. But we'll see
what happens. I mean, they say Ben Johnson is the man.
(40:02):
I guess we're gonna find out if he is. Do
we make that judgment in year one?
Speaker 1 (40:06):
I don't know. I think he's the man. He's shown
us already the creativity in Detroit.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
We're gonna find out. We're gonna find out. He has
done a great job being an assistant to Dan Campbell.
Can he bring that to the table as a head
coach with all that ingenuity that you're talking about.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
Will that happen?
Speaker 3 (40:27):
I don't know, TJ.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
If it happens in that division against his old team,
I don't know. But we got cuffs to legend coming
on in the next hour. This is up on game
Fox Sports Radio
Blest. I'm here'll put you up on game because I
know that we need it.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You want NFL experience, then this is the show for you.
This is up on gig puts you up on game
with LeVar ary Ted, TJ. Houshman Zanna and Plexic Coe Burres.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Did you hear that? LeVar Arrington, TJ.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Hootchman Zada, Lexico Burrs.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
It's a show with three of the best to ever
do it on and off the field, live from the
tire rack dot Com studio. So Fox Sports Radio and
now here's pro bowlers LaVar Airy, Ted and Tjhushman Zada.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
All right, Happy Saturday to everybody out there. You know
what time it is. It's up on game. They just
told you in the Energy and you know what. We're
also always broadcasting live from you know where it is,
tirerack dot Com Studios. It's tire will help you get there,
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(01:06):
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Speaker 1 (01:10):
Ti raq dot com.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Uh the way tied buying should be. We got a
lot to get you. It's a two man show today.
Plexico is probably off with Elijah Handling indeed, Golden domer
business today. So it's just gonna be me and Panteen Man,
and you know what, I'm just gonna hope that he
can carry us with his superpowers, because he is a superhero.
We got TJ. Hitchman's out of How you feeling.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
My guy, man, I'm feeling good man. Can't wait to
talk to this college football man. These universities are a joke.
All right, we'll get to the top selection now. I
feel good. I feel good, you know, the clearest guys.
But the weather, the temperature, you know clear he's been
the last four five days been great, so you know,
(01:55):
got hit with the average day to day side, that's
palm Sunday tomorrow. Hey, you see plexing here today. After
he gonna utter that nonsense the Lakers won't win one game,
he probably meant they only gonna lose one game. The
dare you talk about us like that, mister Burris. We're
gonna get to that.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
As I mentioned, Cust the Legend will join us in
hour two of the show. But as you mentioned college
football being what you just said is a joke, Nico,
I can't say. I don't know if the bigger story
is I have a hard time saying his last name
versus what just happened. But here's the try e I
(02:34):
male ava.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Did I get it? I get it? I am a ali.
What I sound like something you drink? You popped that? Huh?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Pop it popp it popped out right your mouth. Have
a good time anyway.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So obviously reports had surfaced that that he had not
shown up two two practices and that Nico had ultimately
opened up negotiations in terms of what it was going
to cost for him to play for Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
And that's false. Okay, they're lying. Tennessee's lying, and they
probably like, damn hope nobody comes up in dispute this.
But they're lying, all right, And I know this is fact.
Not as well?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
We know you know, we know you know him, know
the family or whatever.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So go ahead, let us know my thing is this right? So,
ex Tennessee, when was the last time they spoke to
anybody on Nico's side? Well, I'll answer that for you January.
So what are y'all negotiating? When when was the negotiations
taking place? When the last time y'all spoke to anybody
on this side? It was in January, and here we
(03:51):
are in April. So you negotiations starting in January. There's
been no more communication since then. Like, come on, and
so is the reason about money or is the reason
about the system that you have offensively? You can't say that,
Josh Hypel, you don't want to talk about your offensive
system and what you told them and what you were
(04:13):
gonna do. And you try to call his bluff like like,
I just don't like how they want to put these
kids and pain them in a bad light. If you
say you're gonna do something, do it, and if you're
not gonna do it, just be up front so everybody
(04:35):
can make a decision that is best for them. But
when the player makes a decision that is best for him,
now you want to lie and tell and put out
false narratives about the reason.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Does somebody saying it's about the offensive scheme? It's not
about the money.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
He gonna get the money regardless whether he stayed at
Tennessee or he hits the portal. He getting a lot
of mone money regardless.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
But the reports, if I'm just just giving you the
things to feedback off of or to respond to, the
reports are is that he was negotiating what that money
would be at Tennessee, which in the NIL era, in
the NIL space, sometimes that is something that takes place.
And at these different schools with the different players.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
I mean we see.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
That with the other who were the kids that played for,
you know, Florida State and played.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
For I mean, you look at every sport, women's basketball,
men's basketball, men's football.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
There's negotiations going.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
That's what it is. And it's a great LeVar. I
love it because for the longest the players were taking
advantage of under this BS amateurism, we're taking advantage of.
Imagine how much money Penn State in ncaaos Arrington, Imagine
(06:02):
how much money you would have made that you never
made because of quote unquote amateurism. And so now that
the players can get money, you got these bogus coaches.
Oh man, we need to get back to how it was.
Why so you can make fifteen million on the backs
of these kids, Really, you don't want the kid to
(06:26):
make you making all this money because of the kids.
Because you tell me a great coach that's going to
go to an average school and win big. You tell
me you need good players to win, And so how
can you make.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
The coach of Nebraska, Matt Ruhle, my former teammate, he
came out and said, what it's gonna cost you anywhere
from what he say one point five to two what
he said, some crazy ass figure in terms of what
it'll cost you to get a quarterback, a type of
quarterback that can change your pro cars.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
That portal got four million dollars from the University of Miami.
Carson Bak got four million dollars. Now let's get back
to the top. And I'm sorry, LeVar, it could be more. Now,
actually give Nico probably see what was going on in
the nil world and said, oh, I probably should get
a little more. I'm sure that happened. I didn't just
haven't been told that, but I'm sure that happened. That's normal.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
But the lie you're saying is is that they've told
him and real like kind of confidence that we're going
to make this offense to fit your skill set, and
that's not what they're planning on doing. And that's where
is that where the story begins, and that's where the
narrative should be, not on the money.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yes, yes, look at Tennessee's offense. Are any of every
team has pro style concepts. Every concepts okay, the outside
receiver runs a dagger eighteen yard dagger. Number two receiver
run a sit route in thember three will run through
(08:00):
the scene. That clear it out. Everybody has those concepts.
Concepts are the same. They're called differently, different words or numbers,
whatever it may be. But when you look at Tennessee,
they put both. They stacked their receivers out wide, the
run seams, the run stops or run just different concepts.
Concepts are fine. How often do you see those concepts
(08:23):
in the National Football League that the Tennessee volunteers run
on offense or their formations? How many times do you
do you see that in the league? I don't see
I don't see it.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
It doesn't look as sophisticated as what I'll say.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
I don't see it.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
He was cooking. He was cooking early in the season.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
They led him to the they went to the College
football Playoff. And it's not a bad thing. Josh Haipel
has to do what's best for himself in the University
of Tennessee. Not one player. I get it. But when
you tell a player, okay, we'll look to add some
wrinkles and change some things. You know, I'm not going
to completely change everything, but I'm a add some things
(09:00):
for you for the pro style to prepare you for
the National Football League. Because former Tennessee players have told him, like, bro,
what we're doing it ain't preparing us. This is coming
from players that played at Tennessee. What we're doing at Tennessee,
it ain't preparing us. So he wanted to be prepared
for the National Football League. And then when you tell him, okay,
(09:24):
yes we are going to change some things, and then
you don't do it. You're calling this bluff. You know
why you're calling this bluff because it's the spring. What
quarterback is going to transfer this slate? Now, you got
to be a leader of the team. You got to
learn the offense. That's hard, that's not an easy thing
to do. So they called his bluff okay, now an answer.
They didn't think he was going to answer. And anybody
(09:47):
that knows Nico, this ain't something he want to do. Man.
Nico was a humble kid man, extremely humble, real chill,
real reserve, treat everybody with respect in the and treats
him the right way. So just be honest, Tennessee. That's
all I'm saying is be honest, don't go out here
line and throwing out these false narratives. Would he have
(10:09):
wanted more money? Who wouldn't. What coach that wins big
don't want more don't want a better contract. Have you
ever seen a coach that win big and they didn't
get an extension?
Speaker 3 (10:20):
So that's not necessarily a lie. I just want to
make sure for the sake for you. And know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Is it's not that it's a lie.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
It's just that they didn't tell the whole truth. They
didn't tell the entire story. I look at it like this,
if I'm in this day and age right now, and
that's something that my team said that we need to do,
and for certain, if you're not put me in a
position to make the type of plays that I feel
can take my stock up to a whole another level.
I mean, this kid was up for the Heisman during
(10:49):
the course of this past football season, so he was
playing at a high level. And so to me, if
you're looking at it from the standpoint of compensation as
well as you know, giving me, giving me the proper
respect or the proper approach to making sure I can
have the type of season that that is going to
lend to us winning games and me.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Having a successful season.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
I feel like that is that is prude and information
that should be added to it. But with that being said, TJ.
I still will say this is a very very interesting
moment in college football. And while I will take a
break because I think we should discuss the idea of
this is. We talked about it from a personal perspective,
(11:33):
personal standpoint. Obviously, Nico's from Long Beach, so he's from here,
and you know you have a relationship with him and
his family. But I want to talk about what this
represents in terms of where where college football is going to,
where college athletics.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
A great goal, a great place.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Okay, well we're going to discuss that because to me,
this could go a lot of different directions now that
you have what took place in terms of a coach
saying we're going to move on without the star quarterback
who is a freshman. He's a freshman.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Hey, are they moving on without him? Or he forced them?
And watch this fallout happen at Tennessee. Watched all these
other kids into the portal. Just watch remember what I'm watch.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Watch We're gonna well, let's talk let's let's keep this
conversation going on. Uh, that's that's the tease, because we
were going to continue to talk quarterback. But you know this,
I believe thisert deserves a little bit more time and
a little bit more attention. So we're going to take
a break and we're going to talk about you know
the impact of what this situation at Tennessee may be
(12:39):
creating and causing for college sports. But first you also
need to know that you can keep calming the chaos,
and you do that with the shipping.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Software that delivers.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Use code Sports for a free trial at shipstation dot
com right that shipstation dot com code Sports. Be sure
to tune in on Draft Night Live on the Thursday.
I'll be there April twenty fourth Judge General Manager Joe
Douglas College Football Hall of Famer I told you that's
myself and Fox Sports League College Football reporter Jenny Taff
(13:11):
will be driving the car that evening driving the show.
So we're excited about that. It's picked by pick, prediction,
by prediction. Obviously, Jay Glaze will be the guy that's there.
He doesn't miss He is the man, So you'll want
to hear who's going to get picked information on that
as we go into each pick of the first round
(13:33):
on Draft Day, live right here on Fox Sports Radio,
brought to you by ship Station.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Take a quick break.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
As I mentioned the other side of the break, we're
going to continue to talk nil fallout good thing. TJ
seems to think it's a good thing. Cat wait to
hear what he has to say about it. This is
up on game Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 3 (14:03):
All right, everybody, welcome back into the Tirack dot com studios.
It's TJ Huschmazada. I'm LeVar Arrington. Plexico is out for
the day.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
We got it.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
A lot of hot conversations taking place right out the gate. Hey,
be sure to check out Fox Sports Radios YouTube channel
as well. There's a ton of great videos from many
of our Fox Sports Radio shows. Just search Fox Sports
Radio on YouTube and you'll see a whole bunch of
video highlights from our shows. And be sure to subscribe
so you always have instant access to our Fox sports
(14:36):
radio videos on YouTube. Before we went to the break,
we had a very spirited conversation taking place about what's
taking well, what's happening with Nico. Give me the last name,
Give me the last name, TJ.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
I am aliava dam all right.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
You know from Tennessee, the situation has turned well, I
would say ugly in the sense that you know, coach
Hipel has has said that they are moving on and
moving forward without Nico and his assistance at the quarterback's position.
The kid was lights out for them early on in
(15:13):
the season. Young talent has a lot of games in
front of him, and now that seemingly is done for
the volunteers of Tennessee. It's interesting, you know, a couple
questions that come to mind, A couple thoughts that come
to mind. One is, you know, we live in a
day and age now, TJ. And I know you. You know,
we've been in the game at the lower level for
(15:37):
a really long time as well as working with with pros.
You continue to work with pros and incoming pros. But
one thing that I've noticed during my close to maybe
a decade now of coaching at the high school level
and working with youth athletic programs as well. Is that
transfer culture, reclassifying culture is rampant in some parts in
(16:03):
some places of you know.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Hot bits of athletics.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
And I mentioned that to say because one thing that
has really become a main focus for me is getting
parents and getting young athletes to understand that the educational
component of what takes place is a major part. I
do a podcast is with National Football Foundation the Hall
(16:30):
of Fame, and it's called What's Good in the Game, which,
boyt of way, I haven't interviewed you yet, TJ, gotta
get you on. I really look at what comes from
what we do in sport, and the educational component of it,
so many times becomes a very very critical piece to
what takes place in our lives. If you're not a
(16:52):
smart dude and you're not approaching the educational component of
it from from someone who can really benefit from getting
educated and understanding, you know, how the world works, I
feel like you're wasting the opportunity that you're going to have.
And I'm not saying you got to be a straight
A student. It'd be great to see you get straight
(17:13):
a's because of all of the resources you have, But
I just need you to be present and understanding of
the fact that education is a tremendous piece to what's
taking place. But seemingly, even at the high school level,
it's like, Okay, I could be at a pretty decent
institution academically, but if the team over here is better
(17:35):
and I can get in there and get a chance
to play, I'm leaving like that. That's what has become
a very a very large part of high school sports.
I mean, we see it in cif is fighting their
asses off to try to figure out how to manage
it because guys, guys go with the trend, right, they
go with the trend of the good unit, good good schools,
(17:57):
and it leaves all these other schools reeling and and
trying to figure out, well, where did the kids that
grew up in our youth programs where they go?
Speaker 1 (18:05):
You know, they're all leaving.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Now you see what the NIL is created, and the
transfer portal has created at the college level, And now
I just wonder, as it sets the stage for one,
is education compromised and situations like this where guys are
relocating so conveniently and placing you know, other things seemingly
(18:29):
maybe ahead of what what could be a more core
function or more core value of going to college.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
And then I would offer this one too as well, TJ.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Maybe the solution here is is it has to happen in.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Terms of unionizing right now.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
You got to believe that now, some way, somehow, there's
going to have to be a formation of unions. I
don't know if it's by school, I don't know, if
it's all college you know, athletes, I don't I don't
really know where that comes into play. But I think
it has to be a conversation just so people are
organized and so that there could become a more uniform
(19:07):
approach to what's taking place. And I'll say, lastly, TJ, contracts,
you don't want to run into a problem with with
your players filling a certain type of way. Okay, well,
don't hold one year scholarship contracts over the kids heads.
When we were playing, you know what a coach would
say to us if we didn't get a play right, Like,
just get a play right, you get a play wrong,
(19:29):
you know what they say, I'll put you on the
bus that brought you in there and send you back
where you came from.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
That's what coaches used to say.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
And from what I hear from locker room talk that
was pretty commonplace, is that you and a lot of coaches,
old school coaches, they led through threats. You know, I'll
get you up out of here, and you know what,
they could and they can. And that's what you see
existing right now. You saw what just took place with
West Virginia. Right they just released like released, they let
(19:58):
go of you twenty players or more that I believe
they let go that were scholarship players that they just
they have no use for anymore.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
So now they're gone.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I think that a contract, right, a contract, if you're
going to have a contract negotiation, give me, give me
a scholarship, give me, give me a contract for three years,
give me a contract for four years. No, might sound crazy,
might sound out landish, that that's where things may be heading.
But don't you think that this would head off some
of the drama that's taking place, that's going to take
(20:31):
place with these top athletes that are five star, four
star athletes that are coming out of high school. Then
they're top players in college and they want don't come
back asking for more. We did a contract, We did
a contract, like at least.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
I guarantee them, so I don't agree with this, Okay,
go ahead, gohead got because for the longest a coach
would have a contract, and as soon as that team wins,
he gets a pay raise. You got a contract, he
gets a pay raise. Why are you get to pay
raise because you are performed what you were making, so
(21:09):
they give you a pay raise. You're not gonna oh you,
what happens to you have a contract? Yes, and some coaches,
the majority of coaches, when they leave, they have a buyout.
So maybe you do that for the player.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
You have a contract. A contract is a contract. So
if another school wants to come get them by his
contract out.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Yeah, I can now that that would be fair. But
a contract. I don't like how these universities and these
coaches are now complaining. They're complaining about the money that
the players are making, and they keep amateurism like that.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Can't use that anymore, they obviously can't hide.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
But the fact that players can now get paid is
such a great thing, such a great thing because for years,
oh man, a scholarship that that's more than enough. Man,
we were taken advantage of, we were taking advantag they
were taking They took advantage of every player that earned
(22:14):
millions upon millions of dollars for their school. When I
was at Oregon State, my first year there was a
first winning season. They had had it over it was
like twenty five to thirty years. The next year we
go to the Fiesta Bowl. They built an indoor facility.
They didn't have an indoor facility before I got there.
So my two years there, look at all the millions
of dollars that was brought in. Sure, not one player
(22:36):
on the roster saw the benefit of that. No one
player on a roster. It's an age old discussion.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I will say that because old heads will say, you
know what, I gave myself the opportunity to get a
free education and to get the opportunity to showcase my
skills and ability to be able to make it into
the national.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Food for free. Though for free, for free, they would.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Say that you got the opportunity to get books and
housing and right right, and this is.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
How we've been brainwashed to believe. But bashing, yes, it is.
I think there.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
I think there. I think there's a level of there
is compensation.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
I think there is. It's fair to say there's compensation.
I think.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Now the conversation turns to the amount of compensation compared
to what these commodities are worth.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Whatever nobody is willing to pay you. And when we
go back to Nico, when you got Carson Back making
about four million, you got the quarterback at Duke I
believe he transferred from Tulain making about four million. Oh,
I'm underpaid. Okay, I deserve to get paid more. Do
the coaches not do that? Oh, Joe Blow just signed
a contract extension. Oh okay, I think I'm a better
coach than Joe Blow. We won more games than Joe Blow.
(23:44):
All right, I think I need a little more of myself.
Do coaches not do the same thing?
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Now, what happens? If a school doesn't want.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
To do it, then decisions have to be made for
the coach.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Then, well the code for the player, I mean the coach,
the coach. You know, coach can have their agent working
on their behalf. I mean, now, is this a situation
where we can't agents working on their behalf? Okay, that's
so so Now the agent is basically shopping the kid
around to other schools. I just feel like, while I understand.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
You're old school, what it is because I got.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
I got a kid in college right now.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Right I got in college. As soon as man man
start balling, they better pay them. And if they don't
pay him, he better go somewhere else. See there's more
to it. I think no, because you think their NFL
is not guaranteed. Everybody agree with every campus across America,
every campus, every athlete in football and basketball and baseball,
(24:48):
every team. We all think we're making it. There's not
enough here. Here's what you got to get, what you
can get while you can get it.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Here's where I pushed back on it. I pushed back
on it by saying, I never looked at myself as
a football player. I looked at myself as LeVar Arrington.
I could play sports, and out of the sports that
I was good at, I was best at football. I
love basketball, ran track, really love running track. But I
knew that I had a ceiling with both basketball and track.
(25:20):
If I were going to have a chance to be
able to do something with it, I was going to
go with football. All I'm saying is is that for me,
I look at the NIL opportunity as a chance to
one further my education, to get myself an opportunity to
possibly play pro.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Out of college.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Doing it and now with the nil This is why
I tell my kids, with the companies and the advertisers
that are coming that are already pass that are connected
to the universities, the ones that are going to come
into the universities, you now have the opportunity to build
relationships with these these companies. We didn't always have that.
(26:03):
We did not have that when we were in school.
You're not really able to have the conversations with a
major company that puts a ton of money into the
school and the university and what it is that they're
doing to me. I really think that it's about leveraging
the relationships, leveraging the exposure that you're able to get
once you go there. It also ultimately comes down to
(26:24):
what is your main motive for going to school. If
your main motive is to go to school, try to
get as much money out of it as you possibly
can and try to go pro then I would say, yeah,
try to get as much money out of it as
you can, and if it works out, it works out.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
That's the majority, that's the majority of student athletes that's
to go. I don't think that's the right I don't
think just the right approach what's what's the right approach is.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
I'll say this, I have more opportunities now at forty
six years old. I'll be forty seven this year. I
have more opportunities now within the community that I organically
built at Penn State than I did.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Even as are LeVar, LeVar, you are one of the
greatest college football players to ever played. Of course you're
going to have those opportunities.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
But see that you're making it an exception. To me,
I don't look at it as an exception. I look
at it as that should become the standard building those relationships.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Give me we have the same Give me that was
on your team. Give me a player that was on
your team that has the same opportunities that you have
now that wasn't as good of a player.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
I mean, it's there's a lot of guys that are
working there. Bro There's a lot of about that.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
The opportunity. I mean, you have the LeVar because you
were a good player. You have these opportunities you have
to be But what did you say the draft should
have been the first pick of the draft. You're one
of the.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
All are high to tow to look at one of
the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
College football players ever, not of do you want of
the top minimum twenty five fifty players to ever play
college football?
Speaker 3 (28:14):
All right, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Of course you're going to have these opportunities if I had.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
The educational component of understanding what the community truly, I
organically understood what the community meant to me organically.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
In others our day and age, we were ancient. We
didn't we weren't woke. We didn't understand how much money
we should have been making. Ed O'Bannon tried to tell
us back in the day and for years. I'm just
so happy for the players. A way off subject clear
skyes baby through the cloud, coming around. They are coming around.
(28:51):
All I know.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Listen at Oban. I get that I didn't sign it.
And you may not remember this, but I didn't sign
the group license in agreement when I went into the league.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
And a lot of people, a lot of people are like.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
You know what I mean, Like there have been a
lot of times that people tried to question my my
i Q like yeah, I'll be like this guy is
like who is he? Like, like you said your your coach,
I want to make a mistay you go like and
go get like, hey, look let's let's let's put it
on the line here. Like, I'm a pretty intelligent dude,
(29:25):
and I learned from a school teacher, So I learned
from foundational components of what education represented. I went to
church every Sunday. My dad was an ordained minister, So
I understood the Bible, understood how to to to speak
it because I went to Sunday school.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Then I went to prayer services.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
I was always in church man, and so I learned
a lot of a lot of very very valuable lessons
that played a part in why I understood community. I
understood helping old women up the steps or holding a
door for them, and being a gentleman like like just
foundation components of what it takes to to build your reputation.
(30:04):
I would ultimately say, TJ, I played well as a
football player, But you want to know what was more
valuable than me making them play in the game on
Saturday was me staying until every last person that was
there to meet me met LeVar. See, those are the things,
but they don't talk. But they don't talk about stuff.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
In the majority of players var are like that, they're not.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
I don't think that they don't know I was players
are not friendly to fans. They don't stick around, They
sign a couple out of grabs, they move on and
And one of the reasons why I was like the.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Way I was was because I saw that. I saw that,
like I saw the.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Kid that was the one hundredth and one kid that
was waiting, and they didn't see the kid this, didn't
see the player that they wanted. So even as a freshman,
before people even really knew what I was going to
be as a player, I stayed. I always stayed, and
I start having conversations with these people. There are people
now all these years later. I've be't played there since
(31:06):
nineteen ninety nine, and there are still people that come
up to me today that have the conversation with me
about the experience that they had because I took the
time to meet them, not the play, not a play,
but the moment that I signed an autograph and actually
had a conversation with them as if they were a person.
(31:26):
They're a person, like, oh, like, we're we're in this together.
It's not oh, you come chair, I go home.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
You do what you do. I see you next week.
Now you're a person.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
I just think that opens up the conversation to a
lot more educational pieces to all of this. Not saying
making money isn't the right thing and all those things
that you're saying, I'm not disagreeing with that. All I'm
saying is is maybe we look at this from the
perspective of you can have it all. Be that person
that is is endearing to their community, be that person
(31:57):
that makes money off of being that person. People support it.
It's not just a person that makes plays. I know
a few dudes that made plays. They were a holes
and nobody really liked them, you know what I mean.
But there's guys that get it. They understand it, and
they leverage it the right way. And I think it
comes through understanding what your value is and what that entails.
(32:18):
I don't know what Nico's situation is. I'm not passing
judgment on it, and I'm not saying that he's right
or wrong. I don't know what Hypel's perspective is on it.
I'm not saying he's right or wrong either. I'm just
saying that this has now exposed a gap. This is
now exposed a gap that exists in college football because
now the first major chip has fallen down or I'll say,
(32:40):
in terms of domino effect, you just sat there and said,
we're moving on from one of the top football players
in the country, let alone on your team, and it's
because of nil. That's I mean, it's because of money.
That's that's a very interesting deal. We're gonna have to
table this because we're at the end of the segment.
(33:00):
I know this is a conversation you and I can
have for the entire show, but when we get back,
we're going to have a quick one on Caleb Williams
the locker room. He had some interesting things to say
about Uberflus. But first, before we take a break, let's
get a trending from our guy, Isaac Glowing Kron. What
you got my guy?
Speaker 4 (33:15):
Hey, LeVar, and you don't really have to table it
too much, because that is our top trending story from
college football. Multiple outlets supporting Tennessee moving on from starting
quarterback Nico Iamlayava after you're reportedly held out from practice
on Friday as part of an nil contract dispute. Yahoo
Sports supporting il Malayava has submitted paperwork to enter the
transfer portal. Now, guys, today just happens to be Tennessee's
(33:40):
spring football game and Nashville Tennessee and columnist Gentry Estus
tweeted from Neiland Stadium a short time ago, quote, Nico
Iamlayava's jersey is no longer available in the gift shop
and his name has already been removed from Tennessee's roster. Unquote.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
So they move fast, show you how fast they will move,
or doesn't it?
Speaker 3 (34:02):
Dam But that becomes probably a financial liability as well,
though a brand liability.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
I mean, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
I would assume right, I would think they could at
least sell the jersey as at a discount, perhaps eighty
cents off the dollars and money so important everybody and
apparently not everyone has found out about this yet. College
foot college football reporter named Trey Wallace was also outside
of Niland Stadium a short time ago and asked a
random fan what he was looking forward to seeing at
(34:31):
the Tennessee spring game, and the fan responded, quote, I
want to see how Nico looks with this receiving corps.
So even in the days with social media, there are
some people out there who do not know about this,
and they're in for an unwelcome surprise. When they enter
the stadium elsewhere. After two rounds of the Masters, Justin
Rose has a one shot lead at eight under par overall,
(34:53):
one shot ahead of Bryson to Shamba. They'll see off
at two forty eastern time this afternoon. Rory McElroy and
Corey conn there's two shots back at six under. The
LT off round three at two point thirty eastern on
the course right now, John Rahm is three under through nine.
He is at one under part overall, seven shots off
the league.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Guys back to you appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
I we're all take a quick break. Like I said, well,
we'll talk quickly about Caleb Williams.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Something he had to say about the locker room and
frustration and eber flues.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
We'll see. This is up on Game. That is TJ.
Speaker 3 (35:27):
Hushman's out. I'm LeVar Arrington and this is Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
We'll be right back. All right, welcome back into the show.
It's up on game.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
We're lying from the tyrack dot Com studios comes to
legend will be coming on shortly.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Top of the hour.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
So if you're excited about hearing his hot takes, he
always has some good ones.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
I know. TJ just brought up the whole Lakers deal.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
So we'll get into all of that, but first let's
finish this hour out with some Caleb Williams talk bo
What did he have to say about the locker room?
And tjik Wait to hear what your response is? What'd
you got both?
Speaker 5 (36:03):
So, speaking of the Chicago Sun Times, Caleb Williams said
that how Matt Eberflus handled it at the time for
that game was I think one of the things that
throughout the locker room people talked about and were annoyed
by talking about, of course, the famous Hail Mary loss
to the Commanders last season. He went on to say
that those losses were important for him and his growth
to go on to Luting Street, be in that position,
(36:24):
be at the helm of it. Definitely important for me
just being able to see how I need to be
when times are bad. I'm going to work my tail
off to never be in that situation again.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
What's your takeaway?
Speaker 3 (36:34):
It sounds like eber Flus got rolled under, rolled under
the proverbial bus.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
What's your take here? We all knew once that happened
against the Commanders, their season went downhill. But to me,
when you lose a game. How they lost it with
the hail Mary. You can't put that on the coach.
Maybe I'm tripping. That's all players. The dudes completed a
Hail Mary, bro, they completed a hell marry to win
(37:01):
a game.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
The dude I got beat was heckling the fans, if
we recall correctly, right to me, that's that's on the players.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
But the season, they didn't have a great season. And
the greatest thing about sports is at some point it ends.
But the great thing is we got another day, we
got another practice, we have another game. And so for
Caleb Williams, it's an opportunity to show that he is
(37:31):
what everybody thought he was going to be because with
Ben Johnson being hired, Ben Johnson pretty much resurrected and
saved Jared Goff's career. If it doesn't go well, they
not blaming Ben Johnson. It's gonna be on Caleb. And
so for Caleb, you get a new start. I'm sure
it's refreshing, but we all knew what he said at
(37:53):
the locker room kind of lost confidence. He refutes, when
you start losing the games the Bears were losing, who
can you blame? You ain't get rid all the players,
so you get rid of the man that's easiest to
get rid of, and that's Ebra Flues to the head coach.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
Don't you feel like people are looking at this Bears
situation from the wrong perspective? Like it sounds as though
Caleb is super motivated and inspired to have a really
good year. But can we say bounce back year for him?
Should we say bounce back anything for the Bears at
this point? Last time they had a double digit win
(38:27):
season tjan two thousand and eight.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Now what, Levy Smith? It was a buddy that's with
the Chiefs twenty eighteen. Mitchell Trubisky bro led him to
the playoffs. What's what's his? Naggy Matt Naggy Naggy two?
Speaker 3 (38:45):
Twenty twelve was the last time they had a double
digit win season before twenty eighteen. So twenty fifteen, excuse me,
twenty twelve and twenty eighteen are the only two years.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
Come on, man, it doesn't get easier. That division is tough, tough.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
Green Bay looks good.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
Minnesota, I'm not sure, but but Minnesota has this is
this is what's gonna uh, this is gonna make you
a break when you when you in this type of division.
Many said Caleb was a generational quarterback once in a lifetime.
And so you have a coordinator that is really good,
(39:30):
that's shown he knows what he's doing, and so the
opportunity is there. You just got to go seez it. Now.
All I'm gonna say is this, TJ.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
There have been plenty of generational talents that live in
the wasteline wasteland of bust Bust them Ville like. And
it ain't because they couldn't play no ball. It wasn't
that they wasn't generational. They just went to a bad
situation and they wasn't going to get out of that situation.
And that's what they gotta live with. But we'll see
what happens. I mean, they say Ben Johnson is the man.
(40:02):
I guess we're gonna find out if he is. Do
we make that judgment in year one?
Speaker 1 (40:06):
I don't know. I think he's the man. He's shown
us already the creativity in Detroit.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
We're gonna find out. We're gonna find out. He has
done a great job being an assistant to Dan Campbell.
Can he bring that to the table as a head
coach with all that ingenuity that you're talking about.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
Will that happen?
Speaker 3 (40:27):
I don't know, TJ.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
If it happens in that division against his old team,
I don't know. But we got cuffs to legend coming
on in the next hour. This is up on game
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The Bobby Bones Show
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