Building the Beast: Did they stay or did they go now?

0:28Welcome to another episode of Building the Beast. As I'm saying this, it's the day before the underclassmen deadline. We did not know Dante Moore's NFL decision as of recording, but talk through all of the options, all of the angles with that. So when he does ultimately decide whether or not he's part of this draft class, we will and we have that covered for you. Talked about some other guys that entered the 2026 NFL draft class, as well as a few surprising names, some high profile guys, some very talented players that decided to return to college football for the 2026 season. In addition, obviously Miami playing Indiana in the national championship game, took a look at that matchup, those players and what to expect.

1:08Really great episode with myself and Dan Brugler. Let's do it.

1:17Well, Dane call it a quirk of the schedule, but here in mid January building at the beast finds itself smack dab in the middle of no man's land. We've still got, we're recording this on Tuesday, January 13th. We still have six days until Indiana plays Miami in the national championship game. And if that wasn't enough, we are also recording this roughly 24 hours before the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft. So we're so close to having a pretty complete picture of this 2026 NFL draft class, but not close enough. We're stuck right here. So if you're listening to this later, we're going to get into some news that could potentially become obsolete, particularly as it pertains to guys declaring for the NFL draft.

2:07But we're going to do our best to fight through it anyway. and it's so i have a mock draft coming out this week and that's always how's that going for you yeah i mean it's mock drafts are annoying regardless but it's without knowing for sure who's going to be actually in this class and not like i think you know like the miami guys indiana guys i think we've know we have a good idea of who's going to declare uh but some of these oregon players. You know, they're able to keep a few and we're still uncertain about a few. So it's, we're, we're kind of waiting on that. But yeah, look for the mock draft on Thursday.

2:46And for now, we'll kind of dance around the uncertainness of some of these guys. So let's address that elephant in the room and we'll talk, we'll talk about Miami, Indiana before we're done with the show. We all very impressive performances from those two teams. And I cannot wait for that national championship game. But let's talk about the elephant in the room, particularly as it pertains to the handful of very high profile guys that either have or haven't made decisions over the last week or so. And even though we don't know the answer as we're recording this, I don't think you can start this conversation without Dante Moore.

3:25Oregon, it goes sideways from the very first snap for them in that peach bowl against Indiana, a, another forgettable big game for Dan Lanning's ducks on that stage. And here we are five days later, waiting on Dante Moore to decide what he's going to do. And I think you, you mentioned it very well right there, Oregon. If there's a program that could keep a guy that has big time NFL prospects, it's probably the ducks. They've already done it a couple of times with some members of that roster and I just I cannot wait to see what Dante Moore decides because even with that performance I still got to imagine he is a high high 2026 pick but I don't know man that Nike money could have you rethinking some things I mean this really just comes down to a short-term decision versus a long-term decision You know, we saw in that game against Indiana, just a lot of the youth of Dante Moore showed, whether it's holding the ball too long, some of the mistakes.

4:31It's just he's a very young player and that's that's OK for a 20 year old quarterback. But it's it does with the way that this the timeline has worked out. He has to make a decision right here and now about are you ready to go be an NFL player and everything that comes with that? or are you okay going back to school and getting more development so the nil factor of all this changes the math guys are more uh willing and accepting of going back to school because they know i mean how much is would nike pay dante more to go back to school i mean it's we're talking probably what five million dollars um so you know a good chunk of change uh when we also should mention dylan riola the former nebraska quarterback announced that he is uh committing to Oregon he's coming off a bad injury this could be a redshirt situation this could be uh hey I just need to go to a spot where I feel like I'm going to be developed and he's not necessarily going where he's absolutely going to start right away next year so but I still have a hard time believing Raiola commits to Oregon without at least knowing or having a good feel for what more is going to do um so yeah that's an interesting dynamic with that but with with when it as it pertains to Dante Moore I think that it really comes down to short term versus long term short term is hey you're going to be a top three pick yeah the Indiana game uh did not go well and I think there's a you know it was a good night to stay off social media if you're a Dante Moore you're still going to be a top three pick in this draft whether that's a Jets at two or a team trading up to two the cardinals at three you're still going very very high but does he feel ready for that next jump is that something where yeah hey i could go and be a top three pick or i could get another full year under my belt and become a better quarterback and maybe that second contract's going to look a lot better and i'll still be the eighth pick next year or whatever it may be you know so i think there's a lot of different scenarios to work through here um but it's um it is an interesting decision that I think is a little more complicated than what we've seen in the past because of NIL and because of this quarterback class specifically you think it's a slam dunk that Dante Moore is that high of a draft pick if he comes out and I'm not I don't say that to to shit talk the guy I just know how this process goes and it's a long way till April people will find a way to pick apart any guy that's in the spotlight that way particularly a quarterback and typically even you know somebody that i respect very much like you those of us on the outside can still be a step or two behind nfl front offices and how they feel about these guys once they get everybody involved in the process i guess my counter to my own argument would be the guy's 20 years old.

7:28And this, if this is what he's shown you in his, not his first full season as a starter, but a full season as a starter at a, at a program where everything's working right for him, if this is what he shows in year one, maybe that's a high enough floor that you do feel comfortable with it. But I guess like is, is top five assured is top 10 assured. If he's part of this draft class, do you feel pretty confident about that? i do i mean just based off of what i've heard from scouts like this is and i'm taking my evaluation out of this like what i think of the quarterback what i think of the player based off of how nfl scouts talk about him they still think he's going top three and i don't like i think you're right like it's easy for guys to get chewed up into the you know the the wood chipper that is the nfl draft process but it also works the other way where teams, especially quarterback, desperate teams talk themselves into these guys.

8:25You know, even they might have some concerns, which is fair. All these guys have have their warts, but you talk yourself into it because of X, Y and Z. And with Dante Moore, yeah, I mean, he's only 200 pounds and things the way that things ended his some of his reactions to pressure. And, you know, there are definitely things that you can ding him on that he needs to get better. but some of the natural accuracy, just the poise that he plays with. I mean, that's that Texas Tech game. I mean, that that that wasn't perfect for him by any means, but that's a really good defense. And he played well enough for that for Oregon to win.

9:00It's just I mean, Indiana. I mean, we got to remember to Indiana, the Oregon defense couldn't stop Indiana at all. So that game was out of hand quickly. Not all those turnovers were 100 percent on more as well in that game. So as much as it snowballed and looked, especially the box score looked terrible, I don't think it was as much of a disaster just for the quarterback specifically. So, yeah, I mean, if he if more comes out, I'd be very surprised if he's not a top three pick, you know, similar. And I think it'll be similar to when we saw Bryce Young and CJ Stroud go one to that year. I mean, we were talking about up until the draft.

9:36We were talking about CJ Stroud and Bryce Young. And, you know, could they last the four? Could they be there? Like we weren't saying absolutely they're going one and two, no doubt about it. But I think this year could be similar where we talk about them, you know, Fernando Mendoza and Dante more as, you know, maybe they're not perfect prospects. You know, we talk about and focus on where they need to get better and, you know, where there is reason to have doubt. But at the end of the day, they have enough where teams are going to feel comfortable rolling the dice and say, let's, you know, let's see if you could be the guy moving forward.

10:08if that's the case and Dante Moore's floor is top five top ten like like if it's really a really good shot that he's a top three pick then I don't know why you wouldn't just do it and and we've talked about it on the show before NIL changes things Oregon has a lot of money available to them obviously it's it's not really about the money for me it's about the opportunity that you have to be part of this quarterback class instead of the next one. And I get it. I was the one saying we want to learn lessons and we can't just assume the 2027 draft class is going to be 2024. That's not my point, but I do think it, it is a logical guess that there will be a lot of competition for the top of that draft class with Arch Manning deciding to go back to school.

11:00Lenoris Sellers deciding to go back to school. Julian Sayan will be a draft eligible prospect next year. Uh, Brendan Soresby, who we've talked a lot about is now going to Texas tech and we'll have a chance to improve his resume at a, at a playoff contender type of program. Uh, another guy I wanted to mention who's going back to school, Jaden Maiava at USC. I'm not saying that they're all going to be big time quarterback prospects because that's not typically the way this works, but go now and be QB two behind Fernando Mendoza or go back to school and be in a very potentially very crowded quarterback class.

11:38It just kind of feels like a no brainer to me. If, if you feel rock solid about your evaluations, I don't know why you wouldn't just jump. Well, I mean, I think it just comes down to, you know, what, what's your priority, you know, like if, if you're, if your priority is to maximize every cent possible, then by all means, go, go now. But if you feel like you could become a better quarterback with more development, as opposed to say, you know, no offense to the Jets, but going to New York and all of a sudden, all this pressure is on you to be the guy. And meanwhile, you still feel like you need to get better in certain areas that are the Jets really equipped to help you get better in those areas.

12:19um you know whether it be coaching or you know so like a lot of the these are a lot of things that go into this it's not as simple as okay I'll be the second overall pick this year or the maybe the sixth overall pick next year like I don't think it's as simple as that it's it's either way there's risk involved um but let's be honest if he goes back to school he's going back to a really good situation with you know Oregon they just reload every year we know that and all of his receivers coming back the running backs are coming back maybe except for Noah Whittington um yeah he'll lose Sadiq but did you see Jamari Johnson uh the tight end against Indiana like he's legit so I mean there's no reason why we to think that you know Dante uh Dante Moore won't be at the top of next year's quarterback rankings whether that's say Arch Manning one and more two it's certainly possible so yeah I think it really comes down to his priorities and what he wants When he came out of high school, his priority was I want to play right away and I want to get paid.

13:18And that's why I went to UCLA. He got on the field right away and he got paid handsomely. This now that he has three years under his belt since high school, the priorities might shift a little bit and say, hey, I need to get better as a quarterback and I need to do this and this. So and I'm not saying that's what he should do or shouldn't do. It's just I talking to so many players over the years are so many different priorities and what they look for. And so I am honestly will not be shocked either way. What more decides to do. I guess it's a good point. And I guess I should take my own advice because everything I said makes sense.

13:54And like, if you feel good about your draft evaluations, it could be a crowded year next year. But if you're, if you don't have that fear of losing money by going back to school, which is not what it used to be, right? like he will be handsomely compensated no matter what he decides to do, then there's not as much urgency. And if you're 20 years old and the college experience is awesome and you got a high degree of confidence that you're going to win 10 plus games next year. Yeah. It's less scary to roll the dice, I guess. And I think it's a lazy joke to poke fun at the New York jets, but at the same time, that is a, that is a volatile team.

14:35And if you don't particularly love the idea of winding up there, maybe you roll the dice and see what the top of the draft order looks like next year. I mean, it's it's more defensible than it used to be. That's definitely fair. Well, we have to remember he has 20 starts to his name. And again, we've we've talked about this throughout the year. The list of quarterbacks with under 25 career starts. It's it's not pretty. I mean, we're talking about, you know, of every quarterback the last decade plus who had under 25 starts. The only one that's really worked out has been Sam Darnold. And he's on his what, 15?

15:14I mean, it just it took a winding road for Sam Darnold to get to this place. And so there's just no substitute for experience. And that is definitely something that should factor in as as Dante Moore makes this decision. It really is his fifth team. Like I knew Darnold went to the Panthers and is it, I was kind of, no, he had to, he had to stop it. He had to stop at San Francisco. Yeah. Crazy. That's it is crazy. And he's like 28 years old. So yeah, a lot of, a lot of time for Dante Moore. There's another guy also who as of right now has made the opposite decision, but this, again, we're in no man's land.

15:50This is the fun part about the modern landscape. Ty Simpson declared for the draft last week. And as of right now, that stands, but there's an awful lot of chatter about college football programs trying to lure him back into the college ranks and get him to pull his name out of the draft, which I completely understand. If you're a team like Miami and Carson Beck is about to be done with his college career, if you could lure Ty Simpson back to school, it's at least worth trying. But as of right now, he is expected to be part of this draft class. it sure sounds like that's where he's leaning um and as the quarterback musical chairs kind of play itself out um you know lsu got their guy looks like oregon has you know their plan b ready to go it's just as this all kind of pans out it looks more and more like ty simpson will stay in the draft and you know that's it's what he wants to do and so by all means if you feel like you're ready for it go go attack it and see what happens it'll be interesting uh just with this year's first round and where he lands i mean i can tell you right now we're gonna a lot of mock drafts are gonna have him at what 21 to the steelers like that's gonna be a very popular uh mock pairing with every year every year there is a name that just gets tied to a team throughout the draft process and it certainly feels like it's destined to be ty simpson and the steelers right now part of it feels like it's Kenny Pickett all over again really I mean but and I don't want to just kind of write it off as that it's just not going to work out but you know if you're the Steelers you're in the spot where what is your best avenue to a quarterback you know it's kind of this you know a guy that's not maybe wasn't good enough to go top 10 top 15 but still good enough to go first round and you know is that their best option to address the position that has been really plaguing this team since since Roethlisberger um and is Simpson the right guy to do that that that'll be the big question mark um or does a team in the top 15 fall in love with Simpson and say you know what let's I think he's worth taking this chance um I'd be surprised I mean right now you know if like you say the over under is 20 i'm probably taking the over uh but that's you know that's what we're not over as in like being picked higher than that right like no sorry picking like 21 22 23 like behind sorry that's yes that's what i meant right right confusing lower so after pick 20 is where you would bet he would go right now yes that that i mean right now that would be my guess based off of just talking to scouts i mean that's but as we know once once he sits down with coaches that could absolutely change um you know gms some of them are feel pressured to you know go make a move and you know we'll we'll see how this process plays out for ty simpson but i i do think that um there's a lot to like about him obviously the first two months of the season the way that went um he wasn't uh you know completely fully at fault the way things ended in november and the way things ended uh against indiana and in the playoff game but uh yeah this is ty simpson's gonna have i think a wide range of could go maybe he sneaks in the top 20 maybe goes 21 of the steelers could the rams with their second first round pick uh whether you know wherever that ends up being 32 you know whatever it is could that be a landing spot for him does he fall more in the tyler shuck range where he's in the 33 to 40 early second round will levis range so i think there's a definitely a wide range of where he could end up going, at least at this point, as we just kind of get into this process and coaches get to know him and, you know, we, we go through it.

19:44So it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Maybe Ty is really the guy where what I said about Dante Moore applies, where scarcity could be his best friend. Like even if somebody is offering him a ton of money to go back to college, it's like, I'm already 23 years old. I've been in school this whole time. And if I go pro this year, especially if Dante Moore goes back to school, then there's one quarterback in front of me. And even if you're not in love with Ty Simpson as a prospect, this could be a year where his value gets inflated by the fact that there's just not a ton of quarterbacks hitting the draft this year, at least not ones that you would want to draft in the top 40.

20:25I mean, yeah, there's there's something to be said about striking while the iron's hot. And we talked about that a little bit last week with Trinidad Chambliss and his decision, which we still don't have a final answer about. We're flying blind here, Dane. We don't know anything right now. Teams are watching these decisions closely. I mean, it's constantly checking in on, OK, Chambliss was denied his waiver for a sixth year, but the lawyers are getting involved now. But this has to the wheels have to move quickly because if he wants to be part of this pre-draft process, that's that's coming down the pike.

20:59And with, you know, now with Ty Simpson and, you know, his decision and what he's going to be doing. We mentioned it with Dante Moore only having I think he's at 20 starts. That's that's he had five at UCLA, 15 this year. Right. I believe it is this year for Oregon. And so what will Ty Simpson with only 13 or 14 starts to his name? Or no, I guess he had 15 to the SEC championship game. So but still, it's a low number of starts for him. One year as a starter, the track record of guys with 15 starts. We're talking that's the Mitchell Trubisky range. You know, that's the guys that just there's a very low.

21:41I mean, we're talking the few that have worked out. Cam Newton, you know, I mean, I don't even know if you count that because he was a starter at Juco. But, you know, it's a very short list of quarterbacks who had one year of college starting experience at the FBS level and went on to have NFL success. Mark Sanchez, one of the few. So there are things working against him. But this talking to scouts, it sounds like this is something that tie is really coming into the year. He wanted to do it. And it sounds like this is he's pretty confident about making that jump. it's tough because I wouldn't be mad to see him land back in school and get 12 to 15 more starts and just double the size of that resume give us a clearer scouting report maybe improve your prospects but like I said I mean yeah the the iron might be as hot as it's going to get and we don't know for sure how good next year's quarterbacks are going to be but it's got a really good chance to be a lot more crowded than it is right now that's that's fair right I can say that without being too hyperbolic.

22:46I mean, it's just tough because we thought that last year, you know, like NFL teams thought this last year. And I've said it before, but it's not just the media or, you know, that's hyping up next year's class. Like NFL teams thought for sure this draft class was going to be a much better quarterback class than last year. That's what NFL teams thought. And now they're thinking the same thing about next year. And it should be. But there's no guarantee of that, you know. and we'll see how things play out. Um, you know, I think arch is going to go into next year as a clear favorite to be that number one overall pick, but then there, there's definitely some question marks.

23:23I mean, Lenore sellers, who knows, he might take a step back. Um, you know, there's just no guarantees, especially at that position. And, uh, as much as that should maybe factor in somewhat, I just, it's, it's a hard thing to predict. Thank you for keeping me honest. because that's the number one lesson I want to take away from 2025 is like, stop, stop telling me about future draft classes. Let's just play some football and see what happens. Yeah. Especially a quarterback. Cause that's, we know that's something that can fluctuate pretty. I mean, Garrett Nussmeyer, Drew Aller, like that's, it's lesser so with the Jeremiah Smiths of the world and like, you know, but the quarterbacks, yeah, that can fluctuate pretty significantly.

24:04Quarterbacks get the top billing, but I did want to talk to you about a few other notable names who declared for the NFL this past week, as well as some names that maybe we didn't expect to stay in school. We'll talk about those guys on the other side of the break.

24:20All right, Dane, just a handful of names of guys who have underclassmen who have declared for the 2026 draft class that I wanted to talk about with you. Just not scientific by any means, just some names that caught my eye. And personally, for me, the number one guy on my list would be Auburn center Connor Liu, who came into the season highly rated. He was number 21 in your preseason top 50 thought by many people to be the top center in this draft class. Tore his ACL in October, just one of the many tragedies that befell Auburn football in 2025. but he's going pro anyway. And with an October ACL tear, I'm not a doctor.

25:06All injuries are different, but that gives you a shot to at least contribute in your rookie year, I would say. So not, not shocking to hear that he would go out, but it's always interesting when a highly regarded prospect who's battling through injury decides to enter the draft. Yeah. And it's especially a guy that was a he's a three-year player he's still very young he'll be one of the youngest players in this draft um i was a little underwhelmed with what he did put on tape this year you know he's a really good athlete and you know like i like his his tempo on combos and pulls and um you know he can slow down rushers and pass pro um team captain like there's a lot to like about him but he can also be overwhelmed by point of attack power uh there's just not a ton of voltage in his hands but uh you know that's the other thing that does worry with worry me with him is I'm not sure he has position flex either like he's he was pretty much a center only at Auburn and that's kind of what he was in high school he played a little bit of left tackle early but he was really a center and so coming off the ACL might be a center only that's something that is gonna hurt and this is not a great center class there are some good players but I don't think that he's a lock for the top or the first two days you know I wouldn't be surprised if he fell to you know the early day three because of some of those factors but for the right team looking for a good athlete at that position I think that yeah he'll he'll be someone that they consider pretty strongly you know who does have some position flex who is officially part of this draft class my guy chase pesantis out of texas a &m who you were you talked about position flex he's played tackle he's played he's played tackle in in college and i know yeah that doesn't mean that he can do it at the nfl level but a flexible player during the course of his of his college career at least i'll say this i think that one of the concerns that i've heard from scouts is he might be a you know like a left guard only um you know like there were there were concerns about you know so the opposite the opposite of position flex is what you're telling that that was something that came up you know whether or not that's uh you know he he could certainly overcome that um but i know like that was one of the arguments for him going back to school because he did yeah you're right he did play right tackle some as a freshman he did played some right guard but the last two years it's pretty much been exclusively left guard and that was something that came up talking to scouts was like you know the coaches aren't convinced that he can fill in at right guard um you know and so i think that's it's more of an unproven maybe than um you know he definitely can play three spots or whatever on the across the offensive line but i mean the tape says day two with with besant is i mean that's something that it wasn't a huge surprise to see I know the coaches made a strong push to keep him around, but the tape says he's going to be a day two pick.

28:09And I think start pretty early in his NFL career. I was going to say, even if he's not flexible at the NFL level to almost 2000 snaps at A &M 30 plus starts, I believe, and was just a mauler. I've talked before about how much I like the left side of that A &M offensive line, Trey Zune as well. uh i was i was excited to see his you know to see him throw his hat in the ring i would be excited to have him on my football team i thought he was going to declare and then the miami the playoff game happened which is probably his worst game um of the season and um wasn't sure if that how much that one game you know that bad taste is in his mouth what might might impact what his decision was but yeah not surprised he's coming out he'll be one of the you know top three guards drafted probably a guy you really like also declaring that's Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling.

29:06I believe that that that happened relatively recently, right? But he is declaring or expected to declare. Yep. Yep. He's in this draft, which, you know, I think he'll be a top 50 player. Just the athletic upside is there. He got better and better as the year went on this season. So, you know, he does have some, some reps at right tackle, but he was mostly a left tackle for Georgia. I You know, they were really hoping to keep him around because this leaves a hole for them at left tackle. You know, they obviously have talent that they'll be able to put in there. But the way Freeling got better this year and really developed and progressed as a player, they were excited what he might look like next year.

29:43So, yeah, he's going to be in that top 50 mix as a guy that's going to start games in the NFL. Maybe not right away, but at some point, probably during his rookie year and then someone that you think can be a long term starter. you mentioned kenyan sadiq while we were talking about dante moore and again as of right now we don't know what his nfl decision would be i would imagine he's a top 20 pick but again oregon could absolutely make him well compensated if they want to i mean if you want to try to get the band back together and and run it back for a shot of a natty keeping dante moore and kenyan sadiq would go a long way yeah no doubt I know he's been dealing with some personal stuff too I think his grandmother I believe was put in hospice with cancer and like that and this is all that was happening this week and so he's dealing with a lot right now um but it's it's it's funny as I'm going through this mock draft and going through every single team about what they could do what they might do what their track record is of drafting certain positions and just looking at contracts things like that like sadique's a tough one to place because i think like the chiefs that's been a pretty popular one at pick nine where i think they're at right now um you know obviously with our hall of fame tight end movement possibly possibly thank you that is something that you know i won't rule that out it's certainly on the table i would think for them to make that move but if that doesn't happen there's not a lot of like obvious you know landing spots for sadiq like could miami do it 11 sure is that you know is the is the new gm um is that really going to be his first move as uh as a gm of in the nfl is to take a tight end and the top 15 picks i you know i'd be pretty surprised but it's still on the table um you know what is that what happens with TJ Hawkinson in Minnesota.

31:39Is that a possibility for them there? I wouldn't be surprised if we've seen the last of Dallas Goddard in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform. So that's a possibility for the Eagles, you know, picking in the early 20s. So there's there's not a lot of like obvious, like he's not getting past this spot. Like I wouldn't I wouldn't say that about Sadiq because tight ends in the first round are always a little tricky. But yeah, he's he's got the stuff that you want in a first round tight end. I hear you man and we can have a whole conversation about positional value and whether you should right but but NFL GMs love to draft them a tight end if they think he's like up to that caliber you know I mean I don't want to I don't want to compare Sadiq to guys that have come before him but I mean look look through the first round all all through the last five six years like if either if you've got like the high end athleticism to be a mismatch in the passing game, or if you're well-rounded enough where a team thinks you can get on the field quickly, they'll draft you high and they'll probably, they'll probably piss their fan base off in the process because people have it in their minds that that is not a, you know, it's not a position where you can expect early dividends.

32:55Although maybe, maybe we should be changing our opinion about that with what we've seen over the last few years. I mean, just, yeah, Colson Loveland and Tyler Warren, the way they played as both being top 15 picks yeah sure i mean i mean i know he wasn't a i know he wasn't a top 15 pick but the guy that i always think about is sam laporta like to be able to do that immediately as a second round pick it still blows my mind and so i don't know if if the right guy thinks you've got the right stuff they they will draft you high and high enough like i said to to make people raise their eyebrows a little bit i mean i think he goes somewhere in the top 25 i just don't think it's a lock he'll go top 15 you know like brock bowers went 13 or wherever it was like that and i know that was a much stronger draft especially with quarterbacks but sadiq he could yeah definitely he could sneak in that top 10 wouldn't be shocked at all you could absolutely make the argument he is a in terms of impact players in this draft he's one of the top 10 guys totally get that uh but i also wouldn't be surprised if he did fall to 18 or 22 or you know somewhere around there with just depending on who's doing the picking and, um, everything like that.

34:04Speaking of which I, I believe his primary competitor to be tight end one would be Max Claire, who it sounds like he has made his decision, his NFL decision, which I don't get the impression Max Claire would be drafted as highly as Kenyan Sadiq. But if Sadiq goes back to school, that's, that's probably where the list starts, right? Yeah, probably. And I don't I don't know if it's public yet, but Max Clare is going to declare. So he'll be part of this class and barring a last second change of heart on his on his part. But, yeah, I don't know that like it's hard to watch his film and say, oh, yeah, first round pick.

34:47No doubt about it. But he's a really good athlete. He's got yak ability. the the games where Ohio State was without Colonel Tate without J.J. Smith that's where they really look to him to fill that void and he did a nice job he had over 100 yards and he is a he is a good player and so top 50 I think that's definitely a reasonable range for where he's going to land now you know does he go is he the second tight end drafted you know or does one of these other guys whether it's an Eli Stowers or Justin Jolie, one of the seniors, they get in front of them. Yeah, I think it'll look different on draft board to draft board, but he's definitely in that mix to be the second tight end drafted and somewhere in the top 50.

35:35That's all I've got for guys that have declared over the last week or guys that we're waiting on. But I did, I wanted to spend some time, and I know these guys are officially not our problem until next year, but I just wanted to spend some time on some guys who I thought were going to be part of this draft class and now are officially not. And that gives us something to look forward to for 2027, but could also change the complexion of, of what happens in the early going of this draft. And it's been a theme for the show, but let's just start with Oregon, even knowing what the ducks have available to them from a compensation perspective.

36:17I was pretty surprised to hear that defensive tackle Amari Washington and defensive end Mateo Uliangalele were going back to school just because particularly Washington with the way that his star kind of rose over the course of the year. And it sounded pretty likely that you're talking about a top 50, top 40 pick. I was, I was surprised to hear that. And again, it's it's just my my ongoing acclimation to the current landscape of college football that that Oregon was able to hang on to these guys. Washington going back is surprising. I think he was he would have been a top 25 pick if he came out.

36:55And so 25. Yeah. So even more impressive. Yeah. So now he'll have a chance to go back and show that, hey, I should be a top 10 pick because he's a really good run defender right now. The pass rush was a little lacking. And so that's what I'll be looking for next year is just how what's the ceiling with him as a pass rusher? How much better can he get? But guys that are 330 pounds that move like he does, those guys just usually don't fall out of the top 25 picks. But this is another example of, you know, I don't again, we think about these juniors and hey, let's maximize every cent we can get. I just think a lot of people value maybe some experience.

37:34And I guarantee you, Washington's getting paid over a million dollars. And so now he's kind of got the best of both worlds. He can go back, be a college kid, be developed, be a better player while still being a millionaire. You know, I'm never going to kill these kids for decisions they make because it's so personal and everyone has different priorities. But, you know, I think it was it's fair to say that it was a little surprising. Being a millionaire and taking like a couple online courses and just getting to play football with the boys at Autzen every Saturday. Not a bad way to live. That does sound pretty sweet.

38:12I got to say. Uyunglele, I know, you know, he was a he was a faller on your updated top 50. Not that he not that he had a bad season, but maybe didn't live up to the preseason expectation. Is that potentially why you would go back to school here? yeah i mean try to get better yeah i think that's another one where oregon made him an offer he couldn't refuse and that's good on oregon for doing it um but it really keeping that entire defensive line intact was big that's that's something that i know was one of the main priorities uh for the ducks and they were able to make it happen so um that's in this world of nil uh i was you know good for for that coaching staff and that fan base that they were able to do it one name that did not surprise me but i think is worth mentioning ever since his brother committed to play basketball for texas it felt fairly likely that texas offensive tackle trevor gooseby might go back to school and that's exactly what happened and this just feels like a case where again so his brother commits to the ut basketball program so they get a year to hang out on campus and again And what a dream to go to school with your brother for a year while you're getting well compensated to do it.

39:31But I'm going to call my shot and say, if this guy isn't the preseason favorite to be OT one next year, he's going to be on a very short list. He just has all the hallmarks of first real year as a starter at UT. 13 of his 15 starts happened this season. good year, but maybe not a great year, especially with this, you know, the Texas offensive line being what it was. And so, yeah, this, this clearly feels like a situation where it's like, okay, you could be very likely a day to pick if you come out this year, but spend a season playing and hanging out with your bro. And then when you go pro in 2027, it feels like a guy who's got a shot to be top 15 pick if everything goes right next season yeah no i agree um aside from arch goosby was priority number one for for sark and and texas this year uh or to retain for next year and you watch that offensive line for the longhorns this year it was it was a mess for a good chunk of the year but goosby the way he played at left tackle getting better and better and better he looked like a first round pick at the end of the year so getting him back that's that's huge i think you're you're you're right about as we look for towards next year going to 2027 draft he will be if not at the very top right there um two or three uh but texas as a whole they've been killing it in the portal cam coleman at receiver he's got special talent and you know next season ohio state they go to austin so if you want a receiver check out that game because you're gonna have jeremiah smith cam coleman almost certainly will be the first two receivers drafted both in the top five top seven picks uh they'll be on the same field together which will be a lot of fun to watch and then they also uh texas they stole hollywood smothers from alabama which he had transferred from nc state to tuscaloosa he was there for about five minutes and he flipped to texas and you know we know how that running game how much of a train wreck it was for texas this year and how much that just put everything off schedule for that offense they win and they get Relique Brown from Arizona State.

41:42Then they go and bring in Hollywood Smothers. That offense is going to be a lot of fun to watch next year. Thank you for reminding me that Relique Brown landed at Texas. One of my sneaky favorite players from this season. I was pretty excited about that. This is not my opinion because I pay attention, but I just know already the average college football fan in July of next year is going to be so annoyed at the Texas hype but I think it's going to be pretty justified based on who's coming back and what they've done just yeah replacing some of the or getting better on some of the other places on the offensive line um and a few holes they need to fix on defense but yeah there's there's no reason why uh Texas should not be you know ranked in the top five and a team we're talking about as a national title contender and that that that is definitely coming and people say oh we did this last year and but this year i think it's a little more warranted based off of the moves that texas has made here in the last few weeks yeah if if if this year was early then the the 2026 hype feels like it's going to be pretty justified two edge rushers i wanted to mention your guy Quincy Rhodes who you were high on this year one of the few bright spots for Arkansas football in 2025 he's staying in school as well as well well he was a Missouri edge Damon Wilson he's currently in the transfer portal I did a double take LSU hosted him last week and I was like Damon Wilson's gonna stay in school he was top 20 in sacks across all of FBS I would have guessed he would take a shot but it sounds like he's gonna again be another guy that tries to improve his draft stock next year yeah and I mean we saw when you know Zion Young and Damon Wilson like that's that's as good of a one-two punch at edge rusher that um you know I think we've we saw this year in the SEC um Wilson definitely had some love in the league because he's got juice off the edge and um i a little surprised that he's going back to school and not testing the nfl waters i mean i think he would have been a pretty solid day two pick but um yeah i'm very interested to see where he lands uh because he's one of the better uh portal guys still available out there two more names that i wanted to touch on briefly uh justice haynes the michigan running back again.

44:16I believe he's in the transfer portal right now. We'll see where he lands, but he is staying in school and a guy again. I remember talking to you about this. There were a ton of really good football players on Auburn heading into the season. It obviously did not go the way they envisioned and Eric Singleton not going to the draft, but he transferred to Florida. So he will have a chance to be part of John Summerall's first team there at UF. yeah as far as I know Haynes is still in the portal um I know you know LSU was talked about um maybe A &M I just a couple of teams that could have a need at running back and Haynes if he's healthy he's a good player um not a first round player but just a really solid running back and so hopefully no matter where he goes he can just stay healthy for one more year before he makes that jumped to the NFL.

45:10And then, yeah, Eric Singleton, he accepted a senior bowl invite. It looked like he was going to the pros. And it was a little surprising because it was just such a down year for him. But he's a 4-3 athlete, and we know those guys can go pretty early. I still think he probably would have gone on day two with that type of speed. The quarterback situation is really what held him back this year at Auburn. So he's going to Florida, which kind of has a quarterback question right now. So I'm just hoping that it's not going to be a similar situation for him where he's going to be held back by the lack of a passing game.

45:46But we won't really know about that until next year gets going. I'm going to need a PowerPoint presentation to just get myself up to speed on all of this. But from here on out, we can worry about all of that in 2026 and just focus on these guys that are going to be part of the draft class. That'll be pretty much finalized by the next time we record. So we will, we'll dive into all that when we get the opportunity. After we take this break, we are going to talk some Miami, Indiana.

46:20All right, Dane, at long last, we have reached the end of this college football season. Monday night, it feels like a lifetime from now where we're recording this, but Indiana, Miami. I think we've, we've laid out. but yeah, I mean the year, just like, just like we anticipated, right? I don't, I don't say this. I'm not talking smack because I would have, I would have never. And I, and like who could have possibly been expected to predict this, but like, go look at the preseason expectations versus what we've got in this game right now. It's been, it's been a very fun season. I'll say this for the college football playoff.

46:58Like I didn't, I didn't think 12 teams was necessary, but it does, it does introduce a level of uncertainty that, uh, that's been refreshing, I would say compared to watching the same three to five programs switch off every, every other year. Right. And it felt like when we got the, like the Rams Bengals Superbowl, you know, like it was like, Oh yeah. Just new logos, new uniforms. We can do this like, Oh, okay. You know, like that doesn't have to be, uh, you know, just the chiefs or just, you know, whatever, you know, it's, it's easy to kind of recycle, especially in college football where there's less parody and, you know, it's the Alabamas and Ohio States and LSUs.

47:42And, um, you know, it's, it's a lot of the same, same teams, but yeah, it is refreshing to have an Indiana and a Miami. And I'm really eager to just the next two, three years to see, is this the new normal where, you know, you were We're going to have the top 12 every year is going to look a little bit differently. And then it's just get into the tournament because once you do, you have a shot and there's just a lot more talent spread out. Like Ohio State has lost like 30 guys in the portal over the last few weeks because obviously Ohio State, they recruit at a high level. And when maybe you're blocked on the depth chart and you're not a guaranteed starter next year, you're going to go say, hey, I can go make, you know, half half a million dollars going at somewhere else.

48:25where I'm a different starter. So I think that the talent pool is more spread out to all these different programs. And it's just, I don't know if it's good for the game, but I know it's more interesting and more entertaining in terms of getting more teams involved in this. And so, yeah, Indiana, Miami, in Miami, and all the Fernando Mendoza ties to Miami, that's fascinating. So we'll hear about that nonstop over the next week leading up into the game and then during the game. Indiana is a touchdown favorite, a little more than a touchdown favorite. It's up to it's up to eight and a half now. OK, yeah.

49:05And the way they played against Oregon, you know, how do you dispute that? You know, and I get it. Miami's defense is a different animal, especially if they're firing on all cylinders. But I'm like, I don't think there's much that could happen in this game that's going to stop Fernando Mendoza from going number one overall. You would have to be a real prisoner of the moment to all of a sudden say, oh yeah, we're not taking him number one. But I think the thing about Mendoza and his coaches, they're so good at preparing for their opponents and then adjusting in the game. And that's going to be so key in this one.

49:46That's really what killed Ohio State against Miami. Miami. I mean, they, you look up at the, at scoreboard and all of a sudden it's the fourth quarter and you're out of time, you know, making these adjustments to what they're throwing at you on defense. And you look back to, you know, against Alabama, Indiana, they, they went three and out with two sacks on that opening drive. Then they made the adjustments scored on six of the next seven possessions. And then, you know, I think the, so if you're Miami, the key for you is just going to be can you get indiana behind the sticks force them in those third and longs where you can just let your pass rush do what they do and it's not just the the edge rushers mesador and bane it's the different simulated pressures and the blitzes and bringing keante scott uh flying like a banshee from different angles can you get to third and long obvious passing downs where it's just going to put indiana in a bind that's what i mean i think that's what Oregon they couldn't do against Indiana uh they they would get Indiana in the third down uh situations but it was like third and four third and five and Indiana converted 11 of 14 of their third down conversions if that's seven of 14 five of 14 all of a sudden it's a very different game and so for the Miami defense specifically those pass rushers can they get enough heat on the quarterback where you're going to put them behind the sticks I'm going to say something and I need you to, I need you to listen to me because I'm not, I'm not comparing the talent level.

51:20And, and everybody, everybody does this every time, every time a team just starts to beat the crap out of people, the 2019 LSU comparisons are going to follow. And it happened again during, it happened again during the Indiana Oregon game. I don't want to compare the rosters and it was a different era of college football. And that's, I was going to say, I used to think that we didn't need a bigger playoff because in the old era where eight programs could stockpile 90 % of the top tier talent, there weren't more than three or four teams capable of winning a national title. That's clearly not the case anymore.

51:59Like you said, the talent is so much more spread out. So I'm not comparing the rosters, but the way this season has gone for Indiana does remind me of 2019 LSU in the sense that they are so locked in. And if you go back and look at it, it's easy to forget this. Like LSU that year did not look like this infallible team all the way through the season. Like Texas scared the daylights out of them. They were in a dogfight with Florida late. uh bow nicks auburn came very close to upsetting them in death valley they had a game for the ages against alabama and once they got past alabama and they kind of had a lull in november after that game but from from late november on the whole program just locked in to an insane degree the defense started playing at a higher level than it had all year and burrow did what he did and they beat the shit out of everybody they played over the last month even though it hadn't always looked that consistent at the beginning and in the middle of the year and that's what indiana reminds me of where once you get past ohio state in a very tightly contested game and you beat that team with all of that talent it just feels like it unlocked something in them and mendoza's been playing his best ball the defense has been flying around at a level that i would argue wasn't always the case at least not week to week across the course of the season and i don't know they just they have a look about them that suggests that the whole program is in lockstep and that feels that feels like it's going to be tough for miami to overcome it's a fair point because yeah that i mean ohio state was a chip shot uh field goal away from tying that game at what that was yeah That was a tightly contested game.

53:58Very, very much so. And, you know, who knows if they hit that field goal, you know, Indiana might still very much win that game. But it was a tight game. And up to that, I mean, up to that point, that was the best defense in Indiana had seen all season. And it still might be, you know, we'll see how Miami, what kind of effort they put up in the national title game. But yeah, I mean, LSU, when they got to the playoff that year, just steamrolled Oklahoma. And then against Clemson, it wasn't as it wasn't a blowout, but it just I think LSU separated themselves in the second quarter. And it just felt like, yeah, this one's over.

54:38So Indiana, the way they played against Alabama, the way they played against Oregon, Mendoza, his stats in those two games, he has like, what, five incompletions and eight touchdowns. It's just unbelievable to see what they're doing. Can they do that against a Miami team that has been I've been really impressed with especially the coordinators, you know, some of the play calling and then on defense, especially. And then even on offense, they just they they have a good plan ready to go. And these guys are up to the challenge. At least they were against Ohio State and they were against Ole Miss.

55:17And so it's I'm hoping for an entertaining game. And look, there's gonna be a lot of prospects in this game. You know, we mentioned obviously Mendoza. We mentioned Akeem Mezador and Ruben Bain, the pass rushers. And then some of the guys that have they're going to have decisions to make after this year or after this game, I should say. And like for Indiana, you know, your left tackle Carter Smith, your receiver Omar Cooper Jr. Elijah Surratt will be, you know, this is his last game. but some of the underclassmen, uh, D 'Angelo Pons, uh, from Indiana who I expect to go. I mean, he's not going to get any bigger with another year, by the way, I did get verified on, uh, D 'Angelo Pons.

55:58So he's listed. Share him if you got him. Yeah. He's listed at five, eight, one 73 and that's pretty spot on what he is. He's five Oh eight two. So five, eight and a quarter, uh, 174 pounds, uh, 29 and five eighths arm, which is not great. You know, there, there are some teams that if you blow 30 inch arms they just they won't even consider you um so and it does bother me a little bit that ponds he's been almost exclusively an outside corner for them like doesn't have a lot of nickel snaps where he's lined up against a slot receiver and i think that might be his best position at the next level so it's a little more of a projection but with all that said ponds is a top 10 corner in this draft um should absolutely be a day two pick um it just he won't be for everybody because of the size, but someone's going to get a dog.

56:49I mean, someone's going to get a guy that's just wired the right way, the mentality, the competitiveness. And that's something that I think will show in this game. If you're five, 10, five, 11, I get why it makes sense to fudge the numbers a little bit, but if you're five, eight, I don't know if there's a whole lot of hiding that you're going to do from NFL evaluators. So I applaud him for, for being pretty straightforward. I I'm Hey, Give me, give me the good football player. And if, if the length and height affects, you know, if, if he falls a little bit because of that, I understand it, but yeah, like to be completely scared off of the guy.

57:27No, thank you. I'll, I'll take him. Even if, even if it's going to be like at the back end of round three, I can live with that. Yeah. I mean, he should be a top 75 guy. And if he runs in a four threes, I don't, don't, don't let this guy get out of the, the second round oh wow mike tomlin just announced he's stepping down crazy oh i want that we might be recording an emergency pod in a few minutes then all right let's well i'll worry about that in a minute uh but yeah d 'angelo pons is uh like this is a corner class where there's you know like we both really like mansoor delane uh jermon mccoy coming off the injury is a good player um but then i think it's kind of pick your flavor you know what what do you what type of corner you like and you know the the corners that'll be drafted between 20 and 75 there's not a ton of separation between those guys and d 'angelo ponds right there in that mix so in this game i've got as many as seven or eight prospects that i think have a shot to go top 100 am i do you think that's about right or am i undershooting it a little bit no i mean okay let's just go through in indiana fernando mendoza um carter smith uh left tackle uh the two receivers surat and cooper um as much as i love my my guy now riley now a kowski a tight end he won't be a top 100 guy but he'll be a steal on day three so what's that that four guys for that's four i included i included ponds in my list yeah and that's probably it i mean aiden fisher i really like a linebacker but he's more of an early day three guy um so yeah so five for indiana and then for miami uh i think both pass rushers keante scott uh third maui noah uh obviously at right tackle so that's four so we're up to nine at this point and then it becomes a question okay does carson beck with how he's played does he get into uh the top 100 i think it's possible I don't think like the evaluation has changed all that much with Carson Beck.

59:32He's a backup grade spot starter upside that type of player. I don't think he's ever going to be a consistent NFL starter, at least one that you're winning with in the NFL. Now, maybe he'll make me look very wrong for that for that evaluation. But that's what I see with Carson Beck. But we've seen, you know, guys with backup grades or spot starter grades sneak into the top 100. So Carson Beck, you know, I wouldn't rule him out, especially if he plays well in this game as a guy that could get into that third round. Plenty of prospects to watch. I'm going to ride with Indiana, Dane. I Miami's been proven people wrong for three weeks and I am really excited to see if this front can can prove everyone in the world wrong because it's an eight and a half point spread in the national title game.

1:00:25Clearly, a lot of people are on the Hoosiers. If you're if there's going to be a unit that dispels that it's going to be a ferocious pass rush. Like I do think you can't discount what that could do for Miami. I'll still take the Hoosiers to win the national title, but, uh, but I'll just, I'll keep saying what I've been saying. I think Miami will make this more of a game than, than the spread indicates. I do think at the very least this, this will be stressful in the second half for Indiana, which hasn't been the case so far in these playoffs. I mean, just as someone who likes good football, I'm, I'm kind of hoping to see a competitive game all the way to the end, uh, whichever way it ends up, whatever the result, hopefully it is more of a competitive game than what we got with Indiana and Oregon.

1:01:12But no matter what, whoever wins, there's going to be interesting storylines, especially with Indiana, obviously, with I don't know if we've ever seen a turnaround like this for a program that just was a historical doormat program in terms of football and just the way it was turned around in two years, back-to-back playoff appearances what Kurt Signetti has done I mean it's it'll go down as one of the craziest finishes in our lifetime no doubt about it so yeah be eager to talk about it next week when we record next and kind of react to everything that happened in the game you're crazy if you think I'm just making a pick on my own out here like you got to come out on this with me thought i'd slip slip that you did not uh you're not i'll stick with the big 10 um i think they're you know the way miami's been playing if they play like they did against ohio state they'll definitely be in this to the end um but i just the way indiana's coach the way they're so buttoned up with their execution and their their design the way they adjust mid-game i and as long as you have that quarterback you have a shot and so i i will give indiana the edge and think they come out on top.

1:02:25You're so right though. It's either going to be the greatest rags to riches story in college football history or the revitalization, the return of the most exciting program in the sport. I mean, you could finally say the use back. I mean, you, there've been a couple of times where they've teased it and people have said, Oh, the use back now, not until they throw that parade is the you back. And they have a chance to do that. Very exciting either way. And when it's over, we will not be in no man's land next week because not only will the deadlines have passed, but we will be recording the day after the game.

1:03:01So plenty to talk about next week on building the beast. And we'll start to look forward to the all-star games and the real beginning of the draft process. I know you're getting out on the road soon. Plenty to talk about. Stick with us. We appreciate it. We'll talk to you all next week.

1:03:24We'll be right back.