I get that this is where we are, but how frustrating is it to you that this is where we are?

Yeah, it's going to be very refreshing for me just to call a game tomorrow, just to get on there and just talk ball and kind of somewhat put away for at least three to four hours all that's going on there in Baton Rouge right now.

You know, I'll say it's like, do I agree with... you know, these players having the possibility of coming back and playing college football.

I don't, I think once you, once you move on and you sign an NFL contract, you're an NFL camp, you're participating on an NFL team.

You've moved on past college football.

And I get that.

Maybe it's unfair that these guys just missed out on this five for five rule.

Is the SEC looking up at the Big Ten right now?

But how frustrating is it to you that this is where we are?

Yeah, it's going to be very refreshing for me just to call a game tomorrow, just to get on there and just talk ball and kind of somewhat put away for at least three to four hours all that's going on there in Baton Rouge right now.

You know, I'll say it's like, do I agree with... you know, these players having the possibility of coming back and playing college football.

I don't.

I think once you move on and you sign an NFL contract, you're in an NFL camp, you're participating on an NFL team, you've moved on past college football.

And I get that maybe it's unfair that these guys just missed out on this 5-for-5 rule, but at the end of the day, that's life.

You know, I guess what I missed out on NIL, I missed out on 5-for-5.

Is the SEC looking up at the Big Ten right now?

How do you think that translates for the Tigers this year?

Yeah, it's funny enough.

I got them.

I get promoted to this new role as lead analyst for the SEC Network.

And my first two weeks, I'm going to Gainesville.

And the second week, I'm going to Auburn.

So they just say, you know, let's send the Georgia Bulldogs to two of his biggest rival fan bases to get his new broadcasting career off and running.

Do you think that they can do it again? Can they get over the hump in the playoff? How do you see Georgia and maybe the top of the conference shaking out this year?

What, what do you think about that hire for Florida and what they could potentially go on to do this season?

Yeah, I love the hire.

You know, I had the opportunity actually to cover Tulane last year when they hosted Duke.

And, and, and for those who remember, Darian Mensah was the quarterback for Tulane.

The previous season, he'd [laughs] lost to Duke, so, uh, a lot of energy and excitement about, uh, Tulane and Mensah back and, you know, all that.

And, uh, you know, so I got to sit down with him and his coaching staff, you know, obviously on Friday when we got there to, to New Orleans, and, you know, got to know him a little bit and just walked away and was like, "Man, this guy is an absolute stud.

He's gonna get a lot of opportunities to, to move on to, to a Power Four school, uh, eventually," and, and obviously led Tulane to a tremendous season a year ago.

Do you think that they can do it again? Can they get over the hump in the playoff? How do you see Georgia and maybe the top of the conference shaking out this year?

Yeah

... an absolute freak, we all know that.

But if the offensive line can make the improvements from last year to this year, I know it's been said a lot this week, but this could be one of the best offenses in the country, obviously one of the best offenses in this league.

I do think Arch has a lot of great tools.

I think he's a great athlete.

You can make all the throws you want.

I'm maybe not as high as the others when it comes to like, oh, bonafide number one pick in the NFL draft.

Yeah.

And the number three moment of the week, Aaron Murray, the SEC all-time leader in passing yards, joined to say the SEC, despite not being in a national title the last three years, is still the best conference in America.

I think the, the fans are part of it.

I mean, you go into any SEC stadium every week, I think we average, what, around, you know, 80,000 plus fans, you know, a game last year throughout conference play, which is just absolutely incredible.

So the energy in the stadium, uh, the brands, the, the, the NFL caliber players.

So yes, the SEC hasn't won a national championship in a few years, but we're still, you know, SEC's still putting out more NFL talent than anyone else.

So I just think that any given day when you go to an SEC game and you see the talent, you see the coaching, uh, you see the brands, there's just a little bit more excitement, there's more tradition.

A- and no, no, no bash to any of these teams, but, you know, an Iowa-Northwestern compared to, like, even, like, a, a South Carolina Vandy game.

Yeah

And to, to speak to how deep this conference is and the list, you have Mateer at number five, and he was unbelievable, and in the Heisman discussion until he got hurt.

I know, I know.

Listen, it is a very talented group, and I think Mateer, if he, if he can get back to playing like he did, like you allude to, before that Texas game, before really that injury to his throwing hand, he needs the opportunity to, you know, once again be in that conversation throughout the year of, of going to New York, of leading Oklahoma, you know, possibly to Atlanta, leading Oklahoma to the playoffs.

Because, as we know, Venables is gonna have the defense right.

I, I know that Oklahoma lost some guys up front on that, that, that, that defense, but, you know, Venables is still one of the best minds in the game.

They've been able to recruit well on both sides of the b- football for quite some time.

So I think for Mateer, it's just being back to just letting it rip, man.

What, in your opinion, will be the biggest difference? If Georgia is gonna go and win this conference, and they're gonna go and outlast, let's say, a Texas, what is the X factor for Georgia that kind of pushes them over the top to go and be the best team?

What, in your opinion, will be the biggest difference if Georgia is going to go and win this conference and they're going to go and outlast, let's say, Texas? What is the X factor for Georgia that kind of pushes them over the top to go and be the best team?

I think it's wearing the football.

I mean, let's just, you know, Georgia's talent itself is running back you for, for quite some time.

And then there's deservingly.

So, and I, you know, even for me, you know, watching Georgia football and being a part of Georgia football, I think of, you know, just in my time, just before my time, you think of like no Sean Marino, you think of, you know, obviously I had Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall.

Then you had, you know, Nick Chubb and Sony and, and, you know, more guys, more guys kind of through, you know, 2019, 2020 James Cook and, And then all of a sudden, the past six years, they haven't had a 1,000-yard washer.

George's identity and Kirby Smart being a defensive guy still wanting to win the trenches, the identity has to be running the football.

What are your expectations in year one for Kiffin?

But what does that mean? Why leave the NCAA?

Well, 'cause they can't do anything.

I mean, it's, it's, it's a, it's a powerless entity at the moment.

You...

We've seen it time and time again, year after year, the NCAA, you know, just the inability to, uh, enforce rules and, and just basic stuff.

I mean, the Rodriguez thing that, um, or the stuff that just happened at Texas Tech with, with Sosby, it's, it's just unbelievable that, you know, a kid could bet and gamble on his own team and clearly break major rules that is, is, you know, enforced at even the highest levels of sports, and they can't enforce it.

And it, it's just, it's just a joke.

I know it's talking season, but once we hit the gridiron in a month, who's the team to beat in the SEC?

What are you watching other than the one at Tennessee?

Yeah, obviously Alabama, just because we know Alabama's talented.

We know this defense for the Crimson Tide is going to be elite.

The secondary is going to obviously be terrific.

They are built for this era of college football, being able to stop the pass.

They're fast on that side at all three levels.

They're going to be talented at offense too, but who's going to be the quarterback? Do you go with the guy that's more experienced with the system? Do you go with the young guy who's maybe more talented? That's always the fine balance of...

So take us inside that, because Gunnar Stockton has slowly – emerged as one of the quarterbacks in the SEC that people are looking at as one of the among the best.

So, Aaron Murray, where are you with the new look Canes with Darian Mensah coming in to be their QB1? I'm very

excited about Mensah.

I had a chance to cover him a year ago at Duke, and you got to study a lot of tape on him and watch him in preparation for that game.

And sit down with him as well, too, on Friday night and just get to know him as a person.

An amazing kid, great kid, super smart.

Obviously, he's played a lot of football, a lot of high-level football.

And I think he's – to me, if I had to pick a favorite to win the Heisman, it would probably be Darian Mensah right now.

I need to get Malachi Tony the Rock.

Uh, have you noticed what you would like to see in terms of a different throwing motion and a little more over the top and less drop down in at least what you've been able to see if you've been able to catch some of the videos?

Yeah.

Obviously, uh, uh, a lot was, was come from that, the Manning Passing Academy with, with the way he looks, with how big he is, uh, with, with a little bit of a change in that throwing motion.

I mean, I am not a big, you know, guy of like, "You have to throw this way," you know, "You have to be over the top.

You gotta be three-fourths," or whatever it is.

I, I, I, I...

You know, I, I was never like, "Oh, this is what's holding him back a year ago." I think he throws the ball fine.

Ah

Were there times where you thought, you know, this might not work out with a young family and traveling every weekend during the football season? How did you get through

this to get where you are? Well, my wife's incredible.

I mean, she has a very high stressful job.

She's an attorney for a multi-billion dollar company.

So she goes to the ringer during the week and then turns around for 20 straight weekends in the fall and has to be super mom for our two amazing kids.

So she definitely makes what I do easier because of what she's able to do with supporting the kids on the weekends when I'm gone during the fall.

But It definitely is a struggle at times, being on the road, being away.

But then you also, I think people think sometimes analysts just show up and call what they see on the field that day, right? But there's a lot of prep that goes into this for you.

Were there times where you thought, you know, this might not work out with a young family and traveling every weekend during the football season? How'd you get through this to

get where you are? Well, my wife's incredible.

I mean, she's, you know, has a you know, very high stressful job.

She's an attorney for a multi-billion dollar company.

So she's, you know, goes to the ringer during the week and then, you know, turns around for 20 straight weekends in the fall and has to be, you know, super mom for our two amazing kids.

So, you know, she definitely makes, you know, what I do easier because of what she's able to do with supporting the kids on the weekends, you know, when I'm gone during the fall.

But It definitely is a struggle at times, being on the road, being away.

Real quick, Aaron, because I've kind of gotten to see behind the scenes, but for you, what does a week of prep look like going into a game on Saturday? I mean, aside from obviously having to hold on and be dad all week and everything else you have on your plate, but then you also, I think people think sometimes analysts just show up and call what they see on the field that day, right? But there's a lot of prep that goes into this for you.

Just one stop.

Just please, just one stop, for goodness sakes.

Yeah, that was kind of the feeling of the game was, unfortunately, like who was going to end up with the ball last, you know, was probably going to win.

And obviously that wasn't the case because we were able to get that fourth down stop and I think take a knee or two to close things out.

But it was no doubt, it was nerve wracking.

You know, you look back at Matt's game and I think he threw for a you know close to 400 yards you talk about jarvis is out there making big time plays odell's making big time plays you know i always remember too odell that one-handed catch on the kickoff return like i've never seen anything like that before you know i'm just sitting down there you know watching the kickoff and he just casually almost no look so a one-handed catch i'm like oh my goodness like that's that was even more like we have to be hitting on all cylinders on offense and you know yeah that that last try was a little nerve-wracking of can our defense get that one that one more stop or if they can't where we have enough time if they do score you know can we hold them to a field goal maybe this thing goes to overtime so um you know to get that last stop to see that ball go out of bounds you know when zach threw i think through to the left to our sideline you know just absolute joy of like we did it finished it let's uh let's just go Calm the nerves.

That's always a hard part, too, because you want to celebrate.

What was sort of your reaction watching Ty get hurt and knowing that was one less playmaker around you?

for the boy, man.

Dude, I'm like, he's a top ten quarterback.

Y'all are all on me for, you know, just whatever.

It's fun.

It's all good time.

This is the banter we need in the offseason to really get us going.

I think six is a great spot for Gunner.

How good can Arch Manning be?

for the boy man dude

i'm like i'm like he's a i haven't run as a top 10 quarterback y'all are all all on me for you know yeah just whatever it's fun it's all it's all it's all a good time this is the banter we need in the off season to really get us going I think six is a great spot for Gunnar.

I said this last year about that Tennessee game before Georgia Tech.

I put out there, this was before the Georgia Tech game, I said Gunnar should be a top two guy in the Heisman conversation right now.

That's how good I thought Gunnar was playing.

He was throwing the ball really well.

Obviously, he was running it well.

How good can Arch Manning be?

What's the top tips for anybody getting into apprenticeships right now, Aaron?

Um, top tips.

Don't be late.

Be on time.

Have a good attitude.

Um, show you're eager to learn.

I think that's a big thing.

100%.

Yeah.

I was, uh, playing a charity match for football for, uh, this woman called Sinead.

She was-- I don't, I don't know where she was from now, but we played it in Greystones, and she had cancer.

She had two-- She has two sons, and the two sons set it up with one of my mates, Alex Nolan, and, um, it was for the ma and for the da, because the dad had cancer two years ago.

So I played in that, and, uh, now the young ones after passing there last week, I think it was.

Yeah.

And his dad, he'd ring me down the train.

He was my boss now, and he'd be asking me, "Ah, how, how's it going on?" Like, "Brill.