Stories Inside the Man Cave
Stories Inside the Man Cave
She Calls It with Tes Sawyer & Clynch: Texas Reloaded: Transfer Portal Wins And Culture Questions
Episode 507 is brought to you by Spirit Dress spiritdress.com
We break down Texas’s transfer haul, celebrate key additions at running back, receiver, OL, DB, and tight end, and ask what it takes to turn a roster into a team. The portal brings talent and turmoil; we wrestle with loyalty, NIL, and whether expanded redshirt rules fix anything.
• standout portal additions at RB, WR, OL, DB, TE and special teams
• why Cam Coleman changes spacing and matchups
• the cost of portal churn on chemistry and culture
• rivalry lines blurring and fan frustration
• redshirt expansion debate and why stability still lags
• Muschamp’s energy as a cultural catalyst
• CFP title picks and blowout worries
• lighthearted close: the Christmas tree deadline question
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Well you know you're living right on a Saturday morning if you see Ted Sawyer and myself, and you know it's something special when you whip out the sweater vest. Is agree or disagree?
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I I I like the idea of whipping it out. I I don't I don't know if I've ever connected, I don't know if I've ever uh put that with a sweater vest, but I like I like a I like a good sweater vest. And you know, we actually are having some, you know, an opportunity to actually wear a sweater, you know. We never get to wear we never get to wear sleeves in Austin. That's right. You can actually you can actually sport a sweater vest in the month of January.
SPEAKER_00:So well, I'll be honest this entire week, and you uh watching probably can relate. I have probably layered down every day of the week. Uh, and tomorrow we'll be we're gonna have to layer up as we approach.
SPEAKER_03:It's gonna get chilly.
SPEAKER_00:Chilly.
SPEAKER_03:We have to watch our little plants, our little plantalonas. A little cold out there, a little cold.
SPEAKER_00:We have to cover it with cold weather and bring your pet pipes and plants.
SPEAKER_03:Take care of the peas.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I am Sean Clis, the host of Stories Inside the Man Cave, and I'm just the moderator for She Calls It. That is Tess Sawyer on your ride. This is the second edition of our new series. She calls it Tess. We obviously a little production meeting, which it consists of either a text message or a quick phone call or email exchange. What excites you the most about this episode today or this morning?
SPEAKER_03:Oh, we get to talk about something that I completely despise. So I'm fired up.
SPEAKER_00:I didn't realize you despised it, but now that I think about it, there are some ill feelings that uh I think resonate amongst everybody. You're the representative of the people. And you know, it all would not be possible with our at our mutual friend, and you've known her a long time, and she's a UT alum. Austin Knights, the Mercer Black, and her company Spirit Dress, it's been around since 2016. She is thriving.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, Mercer, um, Mercer has a great company and spirit dress. Uh, you know, obviously you can see some of her game day apparel here on the screen. But, you know, now that maybe, you know, well, I guess football season is is coming to an end. She also has, you know, other things that people can wear year-round. She on her website. So highly recommend going and checking it out. Um, it's not just for game day, obviously, does a lot of game day gear, but yeah, get online and see her new, her latest collection. I highly encourage it. She's she's also very active on Instagram if you wanted to follow Spirit Dress on Instagram.
SPEAKER_00:Hey, and 20% off, you use the promo code MAN Cave. And I have it wrong on here. It's MAN Cave altogether. Man cave.
SPEAKER_03:Don't don't put a space in there. Get your 20% off.
SPEAKER_00:20% off. You got to make fun of yourself sometimes. And episode 507, the second installment of She Calls It. Let's get to it. She calls it. Well, that was I love it. Compliments of the Scott McKinney in the Houston area providing the voice. He's been compensated well. Uh, well, first topic Hookhum's portal hall. It means their pickup from the transfer portal, which literally just closed yesterday. From January 2nd until yesterday, uh, the 16th. You know, it was a little concerning, but like I told Stevie Lee and in conversations with others, you could kind of tell what position was about to commit by which guys were leaving the program. Tess, your take, your call on the Texas portal hall.
SPEAKER_03:Um I I think they cleaned up. Yeah, I think they I think they swept that house because um, and uh, you know, obviously we needed we needed running backs, yeah, and we knew we we knew we were going after them. I know we went after Baugh and we got whiffed a little bit. Well, I don't even think he went into the portal. And then um, and but but we did pick up Relique Brown and Hollywood Smothers. You gotta love anybody whose first name is Hollywood. Come on. And so yeah, so I can't wait to see these two guys in action. And like you said, we knew we knew we were getting somebody when Wisner bailed, right? Yeah, we knew we were getting somebody when Christian Clark bailed, right? Jared Gibson, right? We we knew because and you know, these guys are they knew that they're probably not weren't gonna play or start because we are bringing in some heavy-hitting running backs. So running back, amazing. Obviously, the the knight in shining armor, the cherry on the cake, Cam Coleman, huge, ginormous pickup. Huge, huge, huge. I can't wait to hear Manning to Coleman. Manning to Coleman. That's gonna be my new, my new little thing. I think that was huge. Um, and then obviously, you know, I know that I mean we picked up a bunch of linebackers. Offensive line was so important. Um, so getting some of those guys in. I was really, I really was excited about um Zion Williams from LSU, our offensive tackle. I also really like uh Rasheem Biles. I think he's gonna be huge, huge, huge. Um, and love, love, love uh Bo Masco cornerback.
SPEAKER_00:That's that's that's the one that's the one that I think is the hidden secret of this group from Rutgers. Uh guy, yeah. He fits he fits into that that musk champ, the old DBU type of mentality with uh leave, you know, the man up leaving uh the corners on the island and uh the old traditional uh Texas cornerback style.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I'm super excited about him and then that huge tight end. Massounas, he's we haven't had, I mean, I mean, a really big just like block because I think like not only the tight end that can that obviously can catch and run in the end zone and score touchdowns, great, but also really block and stuff like that for us too, kind of like a dual threat there too. And so I'm really excited about about him. But the entire list is great. New kicker, new punter. I mean, we just just the whole thing. Just um the team is gonna look so different. I'm so excited. I wish there was a spring game so I could see all these guys. I'm so sad there's not an orange and white game. So I mean, I have to wait till August. So, but yeah, I think it was I think it was great. And I uh I'm really happy with with the guys that Texas got. And I they definitely got the skill. Now we gotta, now we need to see can we put it all together? Can we mix it up and make it and make it and win, win a natty?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well the components are there. They're two scholarships away from meeting the uh the 85 scholarships, which you uh if to my understanding, I still haven't got a definitive who all is actually giving out 105 scholarships nowadays, but they're two away from being back to 85. So I would venture to say Texas will probably pick up uh one or two more offensive linemen, but they have got a great class. I think one key component you mentioned about Cam Coleman, he his presence alone on the field is gonna open it up for the other receivers, for the other receivers, you know. I think it may help Wingo's game.
SPEAKER_03:Mm-hmm. So I think it's gonna be it's it's gonna be really cool. I mean, and and all of the players are you know from all different places and all over the place. So I think it's just gonna be really neat. I think um it's gonna be a lot of fun. I mean, I just can't wait for the first game. I just I don't even know what to do with myself, and it's January.
SPEAKER_00:Well, Texas State's defense will be the first one to get to see it. And exactly by the way, before we uh forget it, we need your support. Follow us on all of our social media platforms and subscribe to our YouTube page. That being the stories inside the Man Cape Podcast YouTube page for free. All right, and part of that portal hall, we uh Texas lost one of their receivers to Oklahoma, and a lot of the this is still for people like uh for our generation, this is hard to understand. Well, and Aggie is now a longhorn at a position of need. Um, Jonte Newman, your thoughts on him? I don't think that they're just gonna bring in any player. I mean, I'm I'm trying to remember what Jonte was like at the line of scrimmage, uh, clearly a talented piece, but are you like me and several others like all right, this is it, new era? Uh big loyalty to rivalries is a thing of the past, in my opinion. Now it's just hard to accept.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, it is hard to accept. I'm I'm excited about Jon Tay Newman. I wish I would have watched him more when we played them. I mean, I'm so wrapped up, you know, in all of our players. So I don't like recall any specific moment. He didn't like stick out to me like, oh God, we gotta, you know, this guy's really killing us. But but I mean, we obviously, I mean, we needed O linemen and we needed people that we need plug and play. You can come out there and just get on the field and start. So I'm excited. And he's coming obviously from a good program. So I'm excited to see what how what he's gonna look like um with our other team members. But yeah, there is no there is no loyalty because the portal is ruining college football. It's it's terrible because you know, people, you know, Longhorns going to be a sooner, Aggie becoming to be a longhorn. I mean, I know they don't like it. We don't like it either. And I mean, people's people's loyalty is to their um pocketbook and their agent and how much money they're gonna make. And I think what happens too, it's not just somebody um, you know, going and playing for a rival, which is, you know, a you know, twist the knife and and the wound even further when you're I mean you're leaving to begin with, and now you have to leave and go be, you know, an Aggie or a sooner. Um, but I mean the problem is is that I think that this the way this portal is going, you can't how do you develop a team? How do you make a team? Because, you know, once you get them together and play together, then you got all the guys flying the coop, and now you got to make another team. So we got to make another team every year. I mean, it's like every time the window opens. So how, which is the whole thing that creates uh an awesome football team or any sort of sports team is playing together, staying together, sticking together, getting to know each other. But I mean, how are we gonna maintain this? I mean, it's not just us, it's everybody's program.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it's true.
SPEAKER_03:And with this, with the way this is structured, and don't even get me started about what it's gonna do to high school recruiting. Because why would we pay a five star to come sit on a bench? That's kind of what happened with Jamie French, right? And now he's playing at Michigan. And so, I mean, like, what is this gonna do to why would we even want? I mean, who cares about a five-star? We want somebody who's already played who can come and play for us, you know, that's already played college ball. And so that's gonna hold destroy all of that. I just think um going on a rant here, but I think keep going.
SPEAKER_04:You're cooking.
SPEAKER_03:Um, yeah, rivalry that sucks, but what sucks even more is just what it's going to the CFP. And I feel like there's gotta be some sort of contract with these players. I mean, there's never gonna be a contract that you can't go to a rival, right? Okay, I wish, you know, like there was a contract against not putting horns down, but you know, you about your timing, how many how long you have to stay with the team, when you can transfer, playing in a bowl game versus not or a playoff game. But there has to be something to this because if not, it is just going to be complete mayhem every year.
SPEAKER_00:It is. So I forgot which coach said it. It was about five months ago. He said, We're not developing a culture, we're not creating uh creating a culture and developing a program. We're assembling a roster every spring. Yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's it. Dabbo Sweeney said that he felt like what did he oh, he felt like a preacher at a Las Vegas wedding chapel. I love it. And because he's he thinks it's it's BS too. I agree. How hard is it on a coach? I mean, I don't even want to know how hard it must be on these coaches. You you take all this time to develop them, and a part of the development is developing with your team members. That's how you become good, right? You can't just be Cam Coleman by yourself. Cam Coleman's gonna have to come in and develop with quarterback and then you know other offensive team players and and it to be good, but we can't do this shit if everybody keeps leaving. And as you we how are we gonna do it? I don't know.
SPEAKER_00:We're it's a weird time. I don't know how you I think it is evolving every year, but when how long will it take to reach the end goal? And that's to have stability. She calls it. All right, there's a new red shirt rule proposal. Nowadays, you can redshirt, you pretty much got five years to play for. Um group of coaches came up with this. So before you could play right now, currently, you can play, I think it's up to four games without losing your red shirt. Um this one says they the proposal is up to nine games. That way you can create some stability. To your point, what everyone else is thinking. Well, what does it matter? How many of these players kids are actually gonna stay that long?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, exactly. They're probably not. I mean, so so who gives a shit about this red shirt rule thing? I mean, it's like I mean, it doesn't matter because nobody's gonna stay. Like, I mean, there I don't know what is going on. I mean, like, I feel like there needs to be an intervention or something. Like, sit down and figure this out because I mean, it it's sad for me too, because I think people that are that are older, and I'm even gonna say even older than me. Our generation, our generation, it's making me not want, and I've I've even had people older like, for instance, my father or um my my boyfriend's father say that he didn't want to watch it anymore because nobody's loyal, it's all about money. And you know what? That's what what people used to say about NFL versus college, and now it's you know, it's it's it's tainting it, it's poisoning it. It and you know, it's different too because these are young men. These aren't, you know, by the time you make it to the NFL, yeah, you're still a young adult, but you're you're you're a grown, grown man. But some of these kids, these are young, you know, and like I don't know. I mean, I I just like I'm with you. I don't even I don't care about the red shirt role.
SPEAKER_00:I would love to see the effect of Will Muschamp on what he what he does to this culture as he comes back because there's always that clip. They call him there's a you know, obviously he was called Coach Blood because uh he he got cut on the face during the game because he was so intense. I think one of his players, the buttons on the chin strap abrazed. I think I I may be getting the story wrong, but it was somewhere around 08, 09, somewhere around then. But we also remember this. This clip is played as frequently as Aggie Gurrito's rant in the in the clubhouse. We all remember this. This this was uh the the do your job.
SPEAKER_01:Everybody just do your job. I understand it. Loud and clear, coach. Loud and clear. Well, I don't blame him.
SPEAKER_03:I love his passion, I love his firing, and you know, I mean, I think I it it nothing bothers me more than when a coach sits on the sideline and has zero emotions, you know, doesn't get mad when a bad play, you know, doesn't get mad when a call comes, doesn't smile when they win, you know, um, you know, uh Coach Signetti for Indiana. I mean he he rarely smiles. I'm like, is there somebody in there? Like, what is going on? Because I want him to get mad, get angry, and get happy and and run down the field and do all this crazy stuff. Because I mean, I like that Sark is mostly even killed, but he does get he does get wound up sometimes. But I am excited, so excited to watch Will Muschamp because he does not hold back.
SPEAKER_00:Well, he does not hold back. I love it. He's passionate, he he is my spirit animal, so to speak. I love it. I I love that guy. I mean, he I I've only I we're we're not even acquaintances. We just we shook each other's hands a couple times. I don't know him, he doesn't know me. Um, but man, he you feel that energy, but god I I just wonder what that type of energy will do in retaining players, and so many people like yourself are so excited that he's back. And even even uh Hat Creek Burger, which is owned by a former Longhorn basketball player. Great, great food. Maybe we need to look into uh I'll talk to so and so see if we can make a proposal and bring them under the uh stories inside the I love Hat Creek Burgers, they're both delicious. They are really good. Well, they did a production, they got all those old longhorns. No offense, Vince, Michael Griffin, and Casey Studd. I'm still older than you, but I can say it. They all got together with the Texas One Fund and some of the current athletes on who are benefiting from the Texas One Fund for a fun reenactment of the Will Musk Champ. Do your job.
SPEAKER_02:Everyone eyes up here. Look, they're making the order. Are you bleeding that? Now that's just catch it.
SPEAKER_03:I love Sozsies. We do so great. I didn't seen that yet. That is awesome.
SPEAKER_00:Katie, I love stutter.
SPEAKER_03:It's way better than those stupid insurance commercials that they do where somebody lets Bebo out of the gate and he walks into one of like the suites. Yeah. Come on. It just makes us look like we're dumb. Like we can't, like, we don't, you know, we don't control Bebo. Bebo's.
SPEAKER_00:I was in an Aggie household around New Year's Eve, and that commercial came on three times, and they're like, How much money I'm paying these people on these networks? And I said, I'm really shocked that these are in the Houston area.
SPEAKER_03:So yeah, because that's that's that's super Aggie country too. So that kind of that kind of surprises me too. But yeah, that commercial is just so dumb. Like, and then there's one where they're in the stands with like cook all. I'm like, if they're gonna at least use our like you know, Longhorn Stadium theme, like why don't they make them like cool and funny or something? I don't know.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I know more. Hey, the the the the family that I uh household, I would they didn't sound like that. I was just giving them a hard time. In fact, it was a great time New Year's to eat, New Year's Day. It just uh the it was an Aggie household, and they had a good point. What why with all these long horn commercials? But hey, it's penetrating the markets. Sorry, we're talking about it.
SPEAKER_03:We're casting a wide nut.
SPEAKER_00:He calls it. All right, Tess, it's CFP title week. We are see Saturday to Sunday. Final campaign eight hours away from Indiana, Miami, playing for the CFP National Championship. A dream matchup. Everyone talked about this before the season would ever start. They couldn't wait for the Canes and Hoosiers to do battle. I know it's the matchup you picked and projected, right?
SPEAKER_03:Uh it is the matchup that I picked. Um, well, wait a minute. No, I didn't. I picked Indiana, Ohio State, but I'm in a I'm in a little a little uh little side wager with uh a couple of friends of mine, and I'm going um final total score. I went with 52, but then I'm now I'm going 45.
SPEAKER_00:That's a safer bet, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I thought so too. So I was thinking, I do think, and I had picked Indiana win to the national championship a long time ago. Um, because I think they're unstoppable. I think Fernando Mendoza's unstoppable. I think they are just tight, tight, tight, so good in all areas. Again, a team built of portal transfers, and like the average age on that team is like 23, which is like the average age in the NFL. I'm not kidding. They're all like seventh-year grad students. Sorry, I don't want to burst Indiana's bubble, but I mean, that's what that team is made up of. It is, and they're gonna win an addy. But anywho, yeah, like I I thought it was gonna be Ohio State. I'm still I'm still shocked that Ohio State got beat, but anywho, um, anyone since that's that's too hard. I do love a good chili dog. I love I love a tasty freeze.
SPEAKER_00:Outside the behind the tasty frees. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Jack and Diana.
SPEAKER_03:There we go. But I but I'm also gonna go ahead and predict this. And I really I I I uh I think there's a possibility that Indiana may just beat the living crap out of the crank, the case. I'm sorry, but that's the type of team they are, and you know, we've we saw them do it in the last round. And here's the thing I don't think there's anything gonna stop them. I think they're going for it, and it it could turn out to be a just a blue out, like it was against Oregon too.
SPEAKER_00:I'm just saying Miami's really good. Just think about this. Miami lost at SMU earlier this year. Now, SMU's a good team, right? But Miami wasn't what they are now at that point in the year.
SPEAKER_03:SMU No, they got better as the year progressed, really did, and I think Carson Beck got better through you know, throwing less interceptions, which he did he does like a he does like a good old interception, but um uh I I I really think don't be surprised if they if they just whoop them.
SPEAKER_00:It won't be dominated by X amount of fans from one or the other, although they're playing at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
SPEAKER_03:Right, right. So they get the home the yeah, yeah. So they get the home filled advantage, but I don't think it's gonna matter. I mean, um, I I think I you know, I don't even know. I don't know. I think I wish it wasn't gonna be a blowout. I wish it'd be an awesome tight game that's really fun to watch, kind of like the old miss game. That was that was great. Those are great playoff games, so like it kind of bums me that that uh I mean you know my prediction may come true.
SPEAKER_01:She calls it. All right, Tess, your final call it.
SPEAKER_00:Uh the picture on the right is yours, true of my Christmas tree. Yes, it's still up. I have a thing, uh recent history, I'd say the last five to seven years. I don't take my Christmas trees or decor down until after the college football national championship. I get some uh eyebrow lifts on that. Like, what? So our tweet me question is when do you take down your Christmas tree and decorations on at Stories Man Cave? Your take, final call.
SPEAKER_03:I don't know, Sean. I think you're really pushing it. I'm sorry, but like I, you know, I'm I'm one of these people. I'm like, so I keep it up till till New Year's, like New Year's Day, because you know, one of I will say one of my favorite college football days of the entire year. Amazing black-eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread, and awesome football. It's literally my favorite, it's like my favorite day of the year. Um, and so I usually keep it up past New Year's Day, and then usually that weekend after I kind of take it down. At least I did it this year. I was pretty good about it, but I mean, why don't you if you're gonna leave it up to national championship, why don't you just leave it up and just not even put it up and just leave it up till next year? Oh wow, what the whole year, the whole year. You can be like you can be like Lala's little nugget. You can be like a you can be a 20 365 day a year Christmas Christmas year round, yeah. Why don't you just why don't you just wear a Santa Claus hat all year too? You could do that, wear it's good wear it for your birthday in July.
SPEAKER_00:Oh man that's yeah, Christmas celebrate, boy and put some fourth of July lights up and Mardi Gras, purple and gold.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, this is you could do, I mean, you you know what you need to do, just that little tree's really cute. Take off those little Christmas colored lights, get you some pink little lights, and it'll be a little Valentine Tree.
SPEAKER_00:Valentine tree. I won't name names, but somebody who has uh marched through this door a few times in recent in recent history, I'll protect the identity. She says, and she's funny, she's very funny, uh-huh. You know, sarcastic. She walked in, walked by, and she goes, tree is so ugly.
SPEAKER_03:She said your tree was ugly. Man, it's a cute little Charlie Brown tree. My tree kind of like that too. My my tree looks a little Charlie Brownish, but you know, Charlie Brown. I I love Charlie Brown's little Christmas tree. But I mean, I can't really tell what's going on the right. It looks like one of the limbs is is is uh, I don't know, like uh broken? What I don't know.
SPEAKER_00:I need to go fix it. I need to go repair it, bandage it up.
SPEAKER_03:What? And what's on the top? Is that a star that's tilted?
SPEAKER_00:That's a white star.
SPEAKER_03:Why is it not why is it tilted? Is it drunk?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's a drunk star.
SPEAKER_03:Your tree does look like it's it maybe stayed out too late one night.
SPEAKER_00:It has character.
SPEAKER_03:Forgot to take its make off off or something.
SPEAKER_00:You gotta give a big shout out to Mercer Black and Spirit Dress. Um you usually are wearing her product, you have plenty of her products. Again, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_03:It was sorry, Marce. It was a little chilly today. I had to get a little turtleneck on.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my god, you you stumped me on that one. How do you want to close it? Bye.
SPEAKER_01:Bye. Bye.
SPEAKER_03:Bye bye. Very nice.