From Digital Drive, Day 2: Tony Barnhart, Jonathan Hutton, Sam Acho & more

Tuesday morning's edition of TexAgs Live emanated from the Omni Atlanta Hotel, the site of 2025 SEC Media Days. Today's special guests included Tony Barnhart, Brooks Austin, Jacob Goins, Jonathan Hutton, Chad Withrow, Cousin Shane and Sam Acho.

Key notes from Tony Barnhart interview

• I’m excited about my 50th season. It’s going to be a fun one. I told my friends I’d be happy to speak on their show. What I’m doing is walking away from the daily grind.
   
• I was in Nick Saban’s office about a month ago. In the time I talked with him, he looked like a man very happy with his decision. Maybe Kent State. But based on my last conversation, I don’t see him coming back. I think he’s enjoying Gameday too much.
   
• First of all, if Tennessee was going to be competitive in the hunt, it would be because of their defense, not their offense. They have one of the best defenses in the country. Tim Banks is back. Joey Aguilar was a serviceable quarterback in his last stop. I believe now you can’t be average at the quarterback position and win a championship. People said a lot of great things about Tennessee standing up. But if they start 3-4, I don’t know if they’ll love that.
   
• I think with the timing of Nico Iamaleava leaving, Josh Heupel handled it how he had to. You probably could have settled early. But being around spring practice, I think you lose the locker room if you do that. Sometimes the right decision doesn’t bear fruit over the long haul. So, we’ll see. I like their defense.
   
• I have concerns about Georgia this year, but quarterback is not one of them. I think Gunner Stockton is going to be fine. That locker room is firmly behind him. They won’t let him fail. My biggest concern is that they haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2019. They were next to last in the SEC in rushing and led the nation with 36 dropped passes. I do think they tightened up the wide receiver room. With better receivers, you have fewer drops. I think Texas and Georgia are the two most talented teams in the league. Alabama is a close third. I really like Brian Kelly at LSU.
   
• I was talking to Billy Liucci and asked if Aggie fans understand that if you play a lot of really good teams, stuff like last year happens. One or two injuries at the wrong places, and you’re not a contender anymore. They were as good as anybody in the first half of last season. I think Mike Elko is a really good coach. If you can keep the quarterback healthy, then you have a really good chance.
   
• Let’s start with the LSU defense. Two years ago, it was really bad. Simply awful. Last year, they were a little better. This year they’re going to be better still. The offense is going to be great with an NFL quarterback, but they have to address the concerns on the offensive and defensive lines. Brian Kelly thinks this is his best roster he’s ever had. They have to open to Clemson, so good luck with that.
   
• Needless to say, when the playoffs are brought up, coaches usually tense up. Everything we hear from Greg Sankey and Tony Petitti is part of an ongoing negotiation. Every media appearance... I wouldn’t say the SEC is on the defensive, but it is clear what their strategy is. They will go along with the model, but it has to be understood that their schedule is better than the ACC and Big 12 schedules. Top to bottom, they are a stronger conference. The top six teams are relatively even. Teams seven through 12 are a completely different game. The SEC wants recognition that their schedule is stronger and taken into account with at-large bids.
   
• I thought Kelly made a good point about NIL. Somebody has to stand up. Saban said it’s never going back to the way it used to be, but what we’re doing now is not sustainable. There’s a sweet spot. It’s up to the adults in the room to figure it out. They’re going to have to agree on a set of parameters, and I think they will.
   
• We just released our watchlist for this year. The Dodd Trophy is different than other coach of the year awards. Our selection last year was Marcus Freeman from Notre Dame. Not just for what he did on the field, but what they did from community service and academic standpoints. Scholarship, leadership and integrity are the three pillars of the trophy. When we present the trophy, we go to the campus of the winner so they can receive it in front of their community. It was really cool being there, and it has been a lot of fun being a part of the presentation. Two years ago, we had Willie Fritz. When we arrived at the stadium, his entire team showed up wearing game jerseys and escorted us around the campus. Once the season starts, we have a Bobby Dodd Coach of the Week.
   
• I think Elko is a really good coach. Obviously, he did a great job at Duke. For him to go to A&M with the resources they have, he will do well. But last year, he ran into what everybody understands. Kevin Sumlin told me years ago that the SEC is a line of scrimmage league and a depth league. If you don’t have depth in November, you won’t survive. You build the roster so that the players you replace are at a very high level. They’ve done it at LSU, Auburn and Georgia. But you have to have depth.

Key notes from Jonathan Hutton interview

• The Alabama vs. Texas A&M 2021 game was my favorite college football game in person. Zach Calzada is at Kentucky now.
   
• Chad Withrow was on the field with Johnny Manziel during that Alabama finish.
   
• Somewhere in Franklin, MD, there is a warehouse where Bud Adams put all the Houston Oilers stuff. Even brought the turf up. He was going to use the turf from the Astrodome for the practice facility.
   
• I think we are about to see if Josh Huepel can coach. If the format for the CFP was like this season last year, Iamaleava is paid, and he’s still the quarterback at Tennessee. I think they’d pay up and pay him. They’d have the Penn State draw, and Tennessee is probably playing the semis.
   
• Withrow and I know Marcel Reed pretty well from calling football games in Tennessee. The question is, can he develop the pass? I know he has the pedigree and athleticism, but that's mostly the marquee or the point of emphasis for me. I also have defensive questions. You’ve detailed it thoroughly, but I want to see if Reed can spin it.
   
• How does the quarterback handle bumps in the road? How will Arch Manning handle it when it happens at Texas? Reed has the moxie to handle it. He has the pedigree of his dad, a college coach. I don't think it will affect him one bit when those bumps in the road happen.

Key notes from Chad Withrow interview

• Being brought into your circle helps us reputation-wise. I have a memory of one of our first Outkick shows in College Station partnering with TexAgs. We were great luck for the Aggies because we were there the day they knocked off Alabama. We were able to watch from the sidelines for a bit. That’s one of my favorite college football memories.
   
• I had to double-take thinking about Calzada this morning.
   
• We need to start doing more Outkick shows for college football games and go to Texas A&M road games to bless the Aggies with our presence. Liucci introduced me to Manziel on the final drive of the Alabama game. I didn’t want to bother him, but he was locked into his Aggies. That was our first fall with Outkick. Feels like 25 years, but it’s been 14 together.
   
• I started a year and a half before Hutton did at the same radio station in Nashville. He started with the Tennessee Titans radio network right after that. We were both producers, and eventually, he started getting more airtime. Then I’m on a 6:00 show. Clay Travis hosted a show with me on Tuesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. for a time. Travis got bumped up to afternoon, and they needed a midday host. We were there at the station, so we stepped in and hosted the midday show. That was 2012.
   
• John McClain was the first guy I met when I started as a booker and executive producer. He was already a weekly guest on the show I was booking for. When the Oilers moved to Nashville to be the Titans, he was the conduit on local radio in Nashville. One of the all-time great dudes. To be 22, starting in the business and have McClain as a contact is a good one.
   
• Nashville is for sure a fun town. We grew up in midstate. It’s a very different place from what we grew up with. I remember going down to 2nd Avenue in high school, and there wasn’t a lot going on. Now, you can’t move. Downtown has gotten bigger and bigger.
   
• I have no attachment to the Oilers as a Titan fan. As a fan from Tennessee, you can have all the gear back. I don’t want to wear the throwbacks. We can be the Titans, and you can have the colors back.
   
• I think Heupel can coach, I think he’s proven that. It goes back to 2021, when everybody surprised everyone with their offense. It was, “Oh, Heupel in year one is way better than the previous regime.” The offense was putting up a ton of points, and Hendon Hooker looked really good. No one thought he would be. That’s Aguilar now. It’s a great opportunity for Heupel to flex some coaching muscle. I think the Joe Milton years establish the floor of the program, which is 8-4. I think Tennessee is an 8-4 to 11-1 type of team, which is great if you’re in the SEC. I think this is going to be more confirmation of that. The schedule is manageable. In this system, if you get the right guy who is on time, can be accurate and can throw a deep ball, I don’t think Tennessee loses a beat without Nico Iamaleava. We’ll find out soon enough. Not saying it’s not a bad thing to lose your starting quarterback, but I think it’s a chance for Heupel to show it’s more of the offense and finding a competent quarterback that can make the throws that are asked of him and read the situation. It’s a read-and-react system.
   
• I think Texas is the Ohio State of last year. Not that they’re going to win the national title, but the preseason expectations. I do think it’s national championship or bust because of all the hype around Manning. It puts pressure on Steve Sarkisian and that program. You saw Ryan Day a year ago after losing to Michigan. He looked like a dead man. Then they battled back, and we know that story. But, Texas is that team because of the talent on the roster and the Manning effect. There are two teams in the SEC that I can say are national championship or bust. That’s Texas and Georgia. Everyone else would be thrilled to be in the playoffs. Those two teams are thinking they have the horses and can make it happen.
   
• I think KC Concepcion is a great addition. I think A&M did really well with the spot transfers they brought in. I love Reed. Loved him in high school, loved calling his games, and I love his demeanor. I think the defense is going to be good under Elko and will only get better and better. Their schedule is manageable. They have the Week 3 trip to Notre Dame. I think A&M is in a good spot, kind of like Tennessee a year ago. Maybe they’ll have a shot. If you want to go outside the box, I like A&M as last year’s Tennessee. To go 10-2 and get to the playoffs would be a gigantic win for Elko in Year 2.

Key notes from Cousin Shane interview

• I love college football and have always been a fan of college football. Now that we can make money off of it, sign me up. All we do is talk. It's funny because college football used to not be a big deal. Now with the portal and recruiting, it’s non-stop content. It's my passion.
   
• Tennessee, one thing you have to factor in is that they have the easiest schedule in the conference. They have six home games. I feel that is a factor you have to put in there. The defense will be as good as they were last year. They may not be three deep on the defensive line. We talked to Cole Cubelic, but he says, "Hey, they got a really strong one and strong two." That's important in this conference. You guys know more than anyone how to have those, have that depth upfront and big bodies on the offensive line. There are some things you worry about with the Iamaleava situation and Aguilar coming in. We're in that optimistic season now. Now we're saying everything will align well. If it doesn't, I can see a 9-3 or 8-4 Vols. If Aguilar takes the team to the next step, I believe they can be in the mix again.
   
• The Tennessee vs. Syracuse game worries me because it's a Week 1 neutral site. If you get past them, you've got Florida, Oklahoma and teams that can catch you. But, you have the ability to go 10-2 again.
   
• Texas, everybody knows they will be all over the boards today with Manning. I was coming down the elevator with David Cutcliffe, and we were talking about the Mannings. Peyton is in Spain now. He's excited for the season for Arch. Hell, anyone’s excited. If it's Cutcliffe, then I'm taking notice a bit. Arch has a big season but a lot of pressure. We don't talk about the Mannings having pressure. If they don't make the playoffs or the SEC Championship, it's a bust, and it sits on the shoulders of Arch Manning.
   
• It's funny because we have been doing a lot of camp previews on our show. Every time we talk about the Auburn game, we talk about how important it is. When you start stacking it, you realize Auburn is in a make-or-break season. Even Week 1, starting with Baylor, a team that can beat you and derail everything. We joke about golfing and recruiting, and say that, "When I start stacking wins, kids will want to come here," but when you trip coming out of the gate, you say, "Hey, Oklahoma and A&M is a loss." This is a team that could derail early if they don't hit the ground running.
   
• Georgia has a loaded wide receiver room, maybe the best in the country. They put weapons around Gunner Stockton and a big day around the Bulldogs. They aren't the hot topic. We talked about how Texas and Vandy had piles around Diego Pavia. This is a hot team that could get hot later in the year. I like their home schedule because, as tough as it was, a lot of them will be at home this year.
   
• The last time I was here, I was the only one to pick A&M to win the conference. You talk about the worst take of my life in 2022. I wish there were a different coach because it would have been a different outcome. I’ll say this: I've been on the A&M bandwagon, and fans don't want me near it. Fans say I'm the worst gambler in the world, and so my cards are not on A&M. However, when you're with Elko every day and saying positive things, it won't blow my mind if A&M is a playoff team. I think maybe you're not wrong.
   
• I don't want to take away last season. I hate you got all that out early, if I had told you Elko finished 8-4, you would be happy given the top 25 wins. I thought this was a massive step. It's hard for a transition to have a massive success. It's one thing you follow Nick Saban and get to keep some of the roster there. This is a different situation. Now, with year two with Elko, I love how he was a surgeon in the portal, getting exactly what he needed. It speaks volumes because where you fell short last year is you'll now have more competitive depth. It's going to be a fun team. I love the offensive line and the running backs if they stay out of trouble. This can be a premier rushing attack offense in the country.
   
• Mike Elko has done nothing but prove his statements right. There's a reason he got the job to begin with. I feel like if Elko comes and tells you this, I have faith in that. Will it be this season? I hope so. This is a program that's dangerous. There are not a lot of returning quarterbacks coming back in this conference. When we look at those teams that take that big run, we look at continuity. One that's brought up is that everyone wants to talk about Arch Manning and Stockton. That's fun, but let's talk about the ones that actually proved it. We've seen the ceiling with Reed and a full season with Collin Klein. He's in his sophomore season when the offense usually hits the ground running.
   
• I have more faith in Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers because I've seen it. I would rope in Arkansas’ Taylen Green and Diego Pavia. Those are your veterans of the SEC this year, but I've also seen drop-offs. You mentioned the A&M game against LSU. Nussmeier was surgical. I've only seen out-of-this-world play from one quarterback, and it was Sellers. You got to see it firsthand last year.
   
• Everyone keeps telling me the conference is loaded with quarterback talent, but it all has question marks. There will be disappointed and right fans. We’ll see.
   
• I would go with six or seven SEC teams that will be playoff contenders in mid-November. Some will talk about 9-3, like Georgia or South Carolina. You have to be 10-2. I truly believe in November, we can have six teams that are in if they win out, like Georgia, Texas and LSU. Not Florida. You talk about quarterbacks and DJ Lagway. He has potential, but not crowning three games at the end of the season. I'm not at that one. Tennessee is in the mix, LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Texas A&M, or maybe South Carolina. That's the cut-off for me.
   
• For Missouri, the offense was terrible last year. You were scared of Luther Burden III and those guys. When looking at a successful Missouri team, it's running the ball. They got away from it last year. I think they’re getting back to it and will have one of the best running backs in the country in Ahmad Hardy. The defense is not talked about enough. This is going to be a really good defense this year. Eli Drinkwitz said it is the most talent he's had in a locker room, which could just be coach-speak. You pair that with six home games. They're not playing LSU, Tennessee or Texas. There’s a lot they get to avoid. It sets you up. It's just math. The road is easier for Missouri. If I gave A&M that schedule, everyone would be talking about them in the playoffs.

Key notes from Sam Acho interview

• I think Texas will build on the success they had last year because some of the coaching staff is intact, at least defensively. The defensive coordinator, Pete Kwiatkowski, has been there for a number of years now. It’s not just the fact that guys like Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill Jr. and Michael Taaffe are some of these talented stars. The scheme behind it is still intact. You're not changing schemes and changing the structure of defenses.
   
• When I played at Texas, I got to be a part of the Allstate AFCA GoodWorks team, which is a team that highlights people doing work in the community. Not just that, but it’s the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, which is an award that highlights players doing good in the community. Fast forward, and the Wuerffel Trophy was shining its light. The GoodWorks team was shining their light, and they said, “What if we could combine together and shine a bigger light?” This year, I think there are 197 players nominated. That's an all-time record, at least in the past 30 years. These are players who players don’t just care about being great on the field, but off the field.
   
• I was talking about me winning the award a decade ago, but my family and I just came back from Nigeria two weeks ago. We started a hospital and are still going back to do the work. We are going back with doctors, nurses, surgeons, dentists, ophthalmologists and pharmacists.
   
• Talking less of a guy like Taaffe, who’s a Burlesworth Trophy nominee, but he’s also donating money for every tackle made for fentanyl awareness.
   
• Lagway is starting nonprofits back home in Texas, but also in Gainesville. We get all excited about the players and their talent, but I love watching these guys leave a legacy for the next generation because that’s what is happening.
   
• From a player level, I love the trajectory NIL is going because you see players donating their NIL to help their community. The players getting the resources are trying to do a great job of stewarding those resources well. That piece I like, but I understand the frustration from the coaching perspective with transfers, who’s my team going to be, frustrations from the CFP expanding and TV contracts. Some of those things I don’t like at one level because players want an opportunity. I get it being too much, but I think the players with the right guidance are doing it the right way.
   
• I got the chance to talk to a coach at Arizona State a couple of weeks ago. He was talking about his frustration with the transfer portal being open again in late July. It’s like you can’t even build a team because the season starts in August, but people can transfer in July. He was talking about maybe making the transfer portal stay open after the season, to a couple of different windows all throughout the year. I think there’s a way to find the happy medium, but I don't know if it’ll make everybody happy. I don't think everyone can be happy in the world in general.
   
• The Texas vs. A&M game, I’m smiling because you reminded me of that game. I think Arch Manning fumbled, then there was the pick-six. You never know what’ll happen. I’d say A&M had a down year last year. Texas, I think, was one of the best teams in football, but that game came down to the wire. A few plays here and there. I think it goes back to the power of rivalry and preparation. People mark this game on the calendar. I don't care how good or bad you are. Let me correct myself, a down year isn’t accurate. A&M didn’t have a down year last year, but a down finish. There are games y’all should’ve won at the end.
   
• It's hard to be consistent week in and week out. As easy as it is hard to be consistent week in and week out. It’s easy to get up for games like that. It’s easy to get up for the big rivalries and for the huge matchups. For the games at Kyle Field. For games at DKR when you’re playing your rival. I can see down-games for A&M. I can see that, but man, when you get a chance to play the best, you usually bring out your best.
   
• If Texas had opened up with Ohio State last season, I don't know if they would’ve won that game. Ohio State was the team last season. Texas is looking like that team this season. Not in the same way. Ohio State brought back a lot of talent. So did Michigan two years ago. But when it comes to talent, I think they’re up there.
   
• When it comes to the quarterback position, you could say there are question marks with Manning, but some defensive coordinators did not want to see him last season. They would’ve liked to see Quinn Ewers. When I hear that and talk to some defensive coaches who've played Texas, that's where I get excited about where Texas can be this season, despite what their schedule says.
   
• One of the holes you can poke in this Texas team is the offensive line. Even last season. Yes, they were talented, but they got injured down the line. At Arizona State, they weren’t worried about Texas’ offensive line. This is coming from some of the people working at Arizona State. They were banged up, I get that. This year, a lot of those guys are in the NFL. Yes, the offensive line is a question mark. I think Sarkisian does a good job of recruiting. Someone talking about Jake Majors, who’s played for four years. I think Connor Robertson, who's been there for a few years, is going to be able to step up at that position. There are guys waiting in the wings to step up.
   
• The question does remain on Arch Manning and how he adjusts. You say he’s a rookie, and I would disagree with that. He's been in the league the past few years in big moments. Maybe not a ton of plays, but remember, J.J. McCarthy had a couple sprinkles here and there. I think Manning has had a couple of sprinkles here and there. He’s a rookie from the perspective of being the guy week in and week out. I think he’s learned from Ewers and Sarkisian on how to watch tape, how to prepare and adjust. His uncles, too, from the way they'll have film on you, here’s how to get better on your weaknesses.
   
• The offensive line got embarrassed and exposed against Georgia. That wasn’t fun to watch. Texas played Ohio State, which wasn’t fun to watch. What is fun is seeing Texas compete against teams like Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Arkansas, week in and week out.
   
• I think the experience Reed has will be huge for his team. Yes, Elko was the defensive coordinator before leaving Duke and coming back. I’m a huge Mike Elko fan. I think the way he builds programs is outstanding. But last year, there wasn’t that much talk about A&M. With Reed and his experience and the defense as well. I think A&M will remain competitive. It’ll be a matter of can you make it when it comes to the SEC Championship? When it comes to the CFP? Those are the questions.
   
• I don't like it when A&M is bad. I like them at 8-4 and 7-5, just good enough for a little bit of hope.