From Radio Row, Day 3: Marty Smith, Connor O'Gara, Alyssa Lang & Joe Tessitore

Wednesday morning's edition of TexAgs Radio emanated live from the Grand Hyatt Nashville in Nashville, TN, the site of SEC Media Days 2023. Today's special guests included Marty Smith, Connor O'Gara, Alyssa Lang, Joe Tessitore, Jacob Hester and Caroline Fenton.

Key notes from Marty Smith interview

• I love my relationship with Academy Sports and Outdoors. We were discussing how you can get everything in the world there. I am an avid outdoorsman. I am infatuated with pickleball. What I love is the community it creates. Your athleticism matters a little bit, but your precision matters more. My last teammate was an 81-year-old lady named Betty with a bedazzled Poker visor, and she smoked everybody.
   
• Sideline CEO comes out on Sept. 26. I interviewed Jimbo Fisher for the book. I interviewed 20 championship coaches about leadership pillars. I broke into eight different silos. It was Mack Brown, Dabo Swinney, Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, Kim Mulkey, Patty Gasso and Kirby Smart. You should get insight out of it no matter what your walk of life is.
   
• Buzz Williams and I went to Tampa and saw Luke Combs. You and I have the blessing of interacting with a lot of different leaders. Buzz is one of the most impressive people that I have been around. I appreciate the vulnerability in which he lives his life. I also think he is a damn great basketball coach. What he has done down there, I know he wants more. I know Texas A&M fans want more. He is doing a phenomenal job and is optimistic about what is coming back.
   
• I am optimistic about Texas A&M football. I think Jimbo has to take his hand off the offensive wheel. It's hard for him. He's like Ryan Day. He has had success in both roles. You have that mindset that you can fix it. Jimbo has hired Bobby Petrino for a reason. That is because Bobby is brilliant in offensive schemes. Jimbo has to let him do it. If he does, the receiving corps is one of the best in America. I love Conner Weigman.
   
• There is so much talent down there. It's all in the pot. It has to be mixed up right. Jimbo can't do everything. As I kid, my momma would drop me and my buddies off at the town pool and give us a $1 bill. You could get a Chick-O-Stick. You could play two rounds of Dig Dug. You could get one of those big chunky pieces of Laffy Taffy. You take the wrapper off the Laffy Taffy and take a bite. It's flavorful. You grab both ends of that Laffy Taffy and pull it, and it gets really thin in the middle. You take a bit of that middle, and it ain't nearly as good. You can't get spread thin.
   
• During football season, when we are on campuses for Marty & McGee, there is a rundown, but it's a loose one. On the radio side, we have no plan. We know the big stories and study them individually. We sit down and do it. We have a loosey, goosy brand. We started our podcast like 10 years ago. This is the fourth season we have done “Talkin’ Season” with all the coaches.

Key notes from Connor O’Gara interview

• I am hoping we get some fireworks today, maybe a little from Nick Saban. We have not had a very explosive time here. I would say the most noteworthy thing was Jimbo Fisher not talking about his offense.
   
• I think if we only had Jimbo Fisher alluding to giving up the offense, we would not dissect it like we have. We have Eli Drinkwitz and Hugh Freeze, who were both offensive play callers that have taken a step back.
   
• I don’t think Bobby Petrino takes this job if he is not calling plays, but he is not still being paid $76 million. I don’t think Bobby Petrino was brought in to hold a clipboard. He was brought in for his offensive expertise and to give the offense some life. There is no guarantee that this dynamic is able to exist. Maybe that is on purpose, so if it goes wrong, Bobby Petrino doesn’t get all the flack.
   
• Jimbo Fisher should settle into the Lane Kiffin, Josh Heupel approach. We widely consider them two of the best offensive minds in college football, but they are not the primary play callers anymore. They can step in if they are seeing something. We don’t know if Jimbo is going to do that yet. He’s been doing this for 20 years, so I don’t know if Jimbo Fisher will be totally cool with accepting failure if it does come.
   
• I think it is a presentation problem with A&M’s offense. It’s not like what they were doing after the snap was boring and uncreative. There were not enough tempo reps or different sets for the offensive line. There was a time when you could predict if it was a run or a pass based on the blocking sets. I think they have the guys to make plays. We have seen that with Georgia and Todd Monken. When they made that switch, it put the team into overdrive, and now they are two-time national champions.
   
• A&M should have one of the best offenses in the SEC. I love Conner Weigman. I love the pieces they return at receiver. I think Evan Stewart has a chance to lead the SEC in receiving. I think Ainias Smith returning is really important for that receiver room. Can the offensive line look like the Maroon Goons from 2020? Can they have continuity up front? Can they have continuity at the QB position? I would have liked Fisher to say Weigman is our guy.
   
• Haynes King was benched as well last year. I think we would have a different sense of continuity if Haynes had a great start to the year before. I was really high on Haynes coming into the year, but we just did not see it.
   
• A&M should be the most improved team in the SEC if they have an offensive dynamic that actually works. There are pieces in place for them to have a 9-3 season. I think Tennessee could take a step back. They lost Hendon Hooker, a Biletnikoff winner, another NFL Draft day two receiver and a top 10 pick at LT. They should probably come back down to Earth a little bit. It is brutal having to face Alabama or Georgia every year.
   
• A&M was too young on the defensive line last year. You can talk about all the five-stars. You are not coming in as a freshman and lighting the world on fire. They should have one of the best interior lines in college football. It will be interesting to see how they bounce back from last year.
   
• If the offense is working, they have a 9-3 season. I am hesitant to say that because the division is so difficult. The talent is there, and they don’t have some of the flaws other teams in the division do. I think A&M can have that 9-3 season and get everyone to back off this belief they are falling off the face of the earth.

Key notes from Alyssa Lang interview

• I'll start with A&M. I am starting to drink the A&M Kool-Aid a little bit this week. Unfortunately, A&M has become a cautiously-optimistic team because of the way things have gone over the last few years. After talking to Ainias Smith on Monday, I was blown away, not only by him, his journey and his recovery, but some of the things he said this team is doing to avoid a repeat of last year. Things as simple as making sure they are wearing the same color socks and preaching unity. Coupled with the talent that they bring back on this roster, especially in the wide receiver room, it's unbelievable to see what is coming back to College Station. I am sipping the Kool-Aid, not chugging it yet.
   
• The further in the week we go, the more confused I am about the SEC West. LSU has a lot of early picks to win that side. There are so many question marks with Alabama. What will Arkansas' offense look like? They hit the transfer portal hard. How about Ole Miss? They return one of the best running backs in the league in Quinshon Judkins. Now they have three quarterbacks to choose from. The SEC West, depending on how the ball bounces in some of these games, could be up for grabs for anybody.
   
• Mississippi State could make noise this year in the SEC West. Will Rogers is so underrated. What he looks like in this new style of offense remains to be seen.
   
• In the SEC East, Kentucky is under the radar. They get the best quarterback out of the portal in Devin Leary. They get a couple of new offensive linemen, which is where the big question is. They bring back three big-time wide receivers they had last year. Brad White always has the defense ready to play. It is unfortunate that Georgia is on that side. I would not be shocked in Kentucky finished second in the SEC East.
   
• I think Vegas has South Carolina projected at 5.5 wins, which I find to be disrespectful when it comes to what Shane Beamer has been able to do the last couple of seasons. There is a lot to replace. They lost key pieces to the portal. The defense was overrun with injuries last year. Shane has recruited extremely well. Spencer Rattler is back with Juice Wells That is a connection that you already know what they are capable of. My big thing for South Carolina is what a Dowell Loggains offense will look like. When Rattler had the playbook simplified in the last two games of the season, we saw what he could do.

Key notes from Joe Tessitore interview

• Listen to what Ainias Smith said about Jimbo’s playcalling. I thought that was one of the sound bites of the week so far here at SEC Media Days about how positive he is about what's happening. The freedom and simplicity. It’s proven with Petrino of what you get and what the stats look like. He is one of the most proficient offensive guys of that last generation of college football.

• I am super high on Texas A&M this year. Obviously, I was able to call the game against LSU. I feel like the national media built a narrative that got started early on, and then A&M went through the losing streak in the SEC. Perhaps, A&M was off the radar by the time you're watching Conner Weigman and the younger guys finish up the season. Then, you understand you've filtered out some things in the locker room and made some additions to the coaching staff. The bedrock is settled. I'm not telling you what it's going to be on the one-loss record, but that's a very good football team that I have great confidence in. You got Jimbo, you got Petrino and Steve Addazio as the core of your offensive coaches. That's as good as you're going to get.

• I've been coming to SEC Media Days since before we even had the SEC Network, so probably 2008 or 2009. Every year, I try to point and tell me how you can justify who finished last in the SEC West. The hardest thing is not predicting who is going to win the SEC and who is going to be in the championship game. It’s predicting the bottom order of finish in the SEC West. I’m not saying that’s A&M. I’m just saying to your point. Good luck. Typically in the SEC East, you can point and say who is going to finish at the bottom there.

• Even during the college football season, there's always something else. This time of the year, my attention is all over the world. I could be doing the “Holy Moly” comedy show. I could be doing a Tyson Fury fight in London. This week is anchoring SEC Media Days, making the rounds here, and then we have a George Kambosos fight on ESPN on Saturday night. Then, we’ve got a world title fight in Vegas on Tuesday and then another world title fight in Vegas. It’s a busy stretch of boxing right now, and it will be until football season.

• The Tyson Fury/Francis Ngannou fight is in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 28 on ESPN and ESPN pay-per-view. We’ve been thrilled to be in the Fury business. He is such a character, and it is dynamic to work with him. You work in the SEC. You're used to working with over-the-top characters. Tyson Fury is the most outrageous sports personality I have ever been around, and it’s not close. He is the baddest man on earth. We know he is going to be an overwhelming favorite in a boxing match. Those two humans being together in a ring moments before the opening bell is going to be a spectacle.

• I am the same on camera as I am off, totally, which is good and bad. I’m an intense Italian American who doesn’t really give a ----. I’m a passion-based guy. Sometimes people don't know how to read me.

• I am high on Alabama, but obviously, Nick Saban and that group need to know who is going to be that guy when it is third-and-1. You’re really going to trust to make the right decision. Conner Weigman, I trust. Ainias Smith, I trust. A&M’s offensive line, I trust. All three levels of the defense I trust. Alabama, I look through the roster, offensive line, solid. I love the veteran receiver and the sophomore group, who are going to be explosive. You have NFL players all over that WR room, depth at running back, love the interior of the defensive line and DBs are coached by the best defensive back coaches in the history of college football. There is talent everywhere. I see the same trustworthy talent at every level of A&M. I legit do. One of the best things about A&M is it's not last year. It’s not this ridiculous hype built around a signing class. The offensive line was not healthy for the first five weeks. I think A&M, LSU and Alabama are the three rosters I look at and say, “Every level, they are solid, and I trust it.”

Key notes from Jacob Hester interview

• All of these head coaches are giving up the play calling. It is not just Jimbo Fisher. You see Eli Drinkwitz and Hugh Freeze. I never thought Ryan Day would give it up. These coordinators now need to know that the head coach is going to be in their ear a little bit, and the relationship has to be right. Everyone has a bit of a different mindset now when hiring an offensive coordinator.
   
• I was talking with Mark Stoops down in Destin. He said you can’t be a play caller and head coach in 2023. I would have to step out and come back as we are putting the game plan together. Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino are both grown adults. There will be friction, but you will have that on a coaching staff. I think we are talking too much about that and not enough about how good the offense is going to be.
   
• Jimbo Fisher was our head coach on offense. We did not really see Nick Saban on offense. It would be funny when we all come together. Jimbo Fisher, Nick Saban and Will Muschamp would get into it. Even with Jimbo Fisher and Bo Pelini. One of the things I love about Jimbo Fisher is that he won’t back down, and he’ll stand up for his guys. He was really good at explaining why he did things.
   
• I was watching the spring game where Ainias Smith ran the wrong route, and Jimbo Fisher went after him. I texted him and asked if that was his guy. He said, “Absolutely. I would go to war for that guy.” That is the way Jimbo Fisher coaches. Ainias Smith makes a lot of things go for A&M. Having his guy back will go a long way.
   
• I feel really good about LSU’s offensive line. They had two freshmen tackles and shuffled around the interior last year. They might be second-best in the SEC this year. I think LSU, A&M and Georgia have the top three offensive lines. As much as LSU throws the ball, we still have to have dogs up front. Our weaknesses are corner and maybe safety as well. You are getting a guy from Ohio State, A&M, Syracuse and Southeastern Louisiana. They are all talented guys, but it is not just guaranteed to work. If they don’t transition well, then it becomes a liability.