SPEAKER_05 0:00

Hello and welcome back to the Heisman Hopefuls podcast, where we talk to the best players in the country, regardless of program, regardless of position. By the way, speaking of the Heisman Hopefuls platform, don't forget to cast your ballot in the official Heisman fan vote, which is now live at hopefuls.heisman.com. I'm your host, Chris Houston, and we have an absolutely jam-packed show today. First, we'll speak to the star of the biggest game of last weekend, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss has exploded onto the Heisman scene this year with big play after big play for our number four ranked Rebels team that is flying high after a 32-24 victory over former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffen and LSU. Next on the agenda for Chambliss and Ole Miss are a date at the swamp against the Florida Gators, and our second guest, running back Jaden Baugh. Following a strong 2025 season and speculation that he might transfer, Baugh chose to return to Gainesville and is picked up right where he left off. He leaves the country with eight rushing touchdowns so far and is second in yards per game and total yards. Our third guest, Cal Safety Kingston Lopa, is setting a historic pace on the other side of the ball. The 6'5 Oregon transfer has five interceptions through three games, including three picks in one game against Syracuse two weeks ago. Finally, we'll chat with Tom Fernelli of CBS Sports about Ole Miss, LSU, Heisman candidates, and a confusing start to the year for the Big Ten. All that and more are after the music.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Every program, every position, every player.

SPEAKER_05 1:43

They are all Heisman Hopefuls. In the spring of 2025, a Division II quarterback from Grand Rapids, Michigan transferred to Ole Miss to be a backup. Some of his new teammates had never heard of him. There was a reason for that. He registered his first year at Ferris State and missed his second with a respiratory illness. He thought about leaving to play basketball at a Division III school. Instead, he stayed. In 2024, he led Ferris State to another title and accounted for five touchdowns in the championship game. Then Ole Miss called. In the third week of the season, the starter went down, and this player, who was the backup, took the field at Arkansas. He threw and ran for 415 yards and three touchdowns, and Ole Miss won. He never gave the job back. He threw for nearly 4,000 yards with only three interceptions. He finished eighth in the Heisman voting. He took Ole Miss to its first college football playoff where the Rebels beat Tulane, beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and then lost to Miami on a touchdown with 18 seconds left. Then the NCAA told him his college career was over. He went to court and he won. Last Saturday night he beat LSU and the coach who had brought him to Oxford. He ran in the go-ahead score himself in the fourth quarter. He is Trinidad Chambliss, and this is the Heisman Hopefuls Podcast. Trinidad, welcome to the show. Trinidad, you've had a few days now to absorb the win over LSU, to look at the film and let it all sink in. Looking back now, what did you learn the most about yourself and your team from that big win?

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Um that our team's resilient, um, that we're gritty, and we'll do whatever it takes to win, um, and that we can win big games. I know that's been, you know, marked on a lot of people's calendars for the longest time. Um, and they were a really good team. You know, they they brought it. Their defense was, you know, big, strong, and fast, and their offense is, you know, explosive as well. Um, so it was an all-round game, and uh, we played complimentary football on defense and offensively, and I'm just proud of our guys.

SPEAKER_05 3:42

There were some passes you completed against LSU that were pretty insane, frankly. Just perfectly thrown balls, layered and placed into these incredibly tight windows. Uh, there were a couple that maybe would cause your coaches to cover their eyes, I think, but they worked. Uh in your mind, are you always gonna go for those types of throws or were you just feeling it that night?

SPEAKER_01 4:01

You know, sometimes you just feel it and sometimes you just play free. And I guess I wouldn't say you don't think, but sometimes you don't think too much in some of those uh instances in those plays. Um, you know, you uh prepare so hard and there's a lot of preparation that goes into it, and I guess practice seeing their defense, seeing how they play different coverages, and um you try to replicate some of the s situational stuff as well. Um but you know, when it's game on and when it's time to perform, when it when it matters, when it's actually, you know, game, um sometimes you don't think too much and you know, just I guess remember what you did throughout the week and um I guess remind yourself that it's just practice at the end of the day, kind of, and that you can go out there and do it and um just go out there and execute and play free.

SPEAKER_05 4:44

Yeah, you know, watching that game reminded me of an interview I saw a while back with Brock Purdy where he said that he can see maybe like 60% of the time his target, the rest of the time he's just kind of throwing blindly to spots. How often are you out there throwing blindly?

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Not not too often. You try not to throw blindly as a quarterback, but uh Brock's right. You know, sometimes you're not gonna be able to see the whole defense. Um, you know, a lot of quarterbacks will read the safeties and, you know, see pre-snap how the linebackers are and the corners are and how the nickel is. But most of the time, you know, it's a quick decision. Um, because sometimes those defensive end edge rushers and those defensive tackles are pretty good and they'll get to you in about two, three seconds.

SPEAKER_05 5:25

You know, I'm just fascinated by your progression as a quarterback. Your story has so many twists and turns. What do you think was the key point in your development, the thing that happened that really set you on your path?

SPEAKER_01 5:36

I would say, you know, when I got to Ole Miss, um the coaches did a great job with, you know, increasing my football IQ, um, getting me comfortable with the offense, obviously, um, understanding the offense at an elite level, uh, because if I know everything and if I'm uh, I guess, have a PhD in our offense and make sure that I know everything, then you know we'll be in a good spot. Um also just you know, recognizing like defensive coverages, um, reading how the nickel would be, linebacker leverage, corner leverage, um, how the safeties rotate, all that. Uh Coach Judge had did a great job, you know, with me and making sure that he's, you know, took time out of his day to have individual meetings so that I learn all that stuff and I know what it is. Um definitely all those things um just increased, um, and they did a really good job, you know, getting me on track with some of that stuff.

SPEAKER_05 6:24

But you were already really good at Ferris State before that. Like what and you had two full years of watching and learning there before you even saw the field. You were a backup in 2023 and then you exploded in 2024 as the full-time starter. What were you doing during those first couple years at Ferris State? How did you stay focused and motivated?

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Yeah, it was tough. You know, I guess the journey that I had at Fair Estate, um, I definitely had doubts if I could play at that level and for a program like Fair Estate. I know it's a Division II program, but you know, still the standard at Ferris is to win national championships under a great coach, uh Tony Neese. And, you know, he's gonna go down as probably one of the the greatest coaches ever, you know, coach in Michigan. Um but yeah, I mean it was tough at first, but I just stuck to, I guess, my plan and uh God's plan for me. Uh talking to my parents and you know, they were just like, stick with it, um, you know, trust the process, trust your journey, uh, make sure that you do the things uh right, which is like, you know, making sure that your school is good, um, academics, and then making sure you're doing things for football, making sure you're, you know, staying in the film room, uh, taking as many notes as you can, even though you're not getting as many reps. Um, and just staying, I guess, mentally locked in. I know it could be hard, but um it was tough. But, you know, I stuck I stuck with it. Uh I didn't, you know, get knocked off track, and eventually it came to light and I got my shot and uh had a really good year in 2024, and we ended up winning a national championship. And I feel like uh I was just talking to Coach Anise's uh Coach Anise yesterday too, and uh, we were just catching up about you know the past game and um we were just talking about you know how how far I came as a quarterback, and I feel like every year I've just gotten better and better. And I feel like one thing that I've really learned from Ferris State was to like how to win, like just know how to win in any circumstance, any situation, just find a way to win. So uh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 8:06

Yeah, Coach Anise told me that Ferris State is the best practicing team in America, and he's pretty humble. Uh can you attest to that?

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Yeah, they practice hard. Um and sometimes, you know, it it's gonna get cold and there's gonna be snow on the ground and they they practice in snowstorms because they don't have an indoor, but yeah, they practice really hard.

SPEAKER_05 8:24

Yeah, he told me on this very show last year that you bet on yourself when leaving to go to Ole Miss because you had no guarantee of being a starter. When you got there, Austin Simmons was the guy, you were his backup. Where did you get that confidence to take that risk, that confidence in yourself?

SPEAKER_01 8:40

I guess just growing up, um, my parents instilled that as me in me and as a at a young age. Um I think if you don't have confidence in yourself and your abilities, then I guess why play a sport? Um, because you should go out on the field and go out on the practice field and you know, feel like you're the best player on the field. And I guess all the preparation and everything that you've been through, whether it's like work workouts, I guess film, breaking down film, um, and all those meetings that you went through. Um, but I feel like I don't know, I mean, you just always have that confidence that I've always had um at a young age. And I think that, you know, I really couldn't think about, oh, if I'm I'm I'm not gonna be the starter at Will Miss, oh if it doesn't work out, then then so be it, you know, and that's okay. You know, I have to live with that. And um, I just trusted God's plan no matter what. And uh I'm just so happy that, you know, it turned out the way that I wanted to, that I'm the starter at Will Miss, that I got another year, and that, you know, we're having a lot of success right now.

SPEAKER_05 9:34

Were you a generally confident kid growing up and going into high school? Did you have confidence in your ability, not only in football, but just across the board in life?

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Yeah, I think so. Um I feel like um I've just trained so hard and put in so many hours that um I really had no other choice to not have confidence, if that makes sense. Um, because you know, I've just I put in so many hours and I guess practicing and all that. So um it's just go out there and show people that you know you belong and that I guess you kind of deserve to, you know, put on for yourself and put on for your team. So that confidence was definitely always there.

SPEAKER_05 10:13

Well, what was that little kernel that that gave you that confidence about being a quarterback? There had to be something early on. I mean, you were obviously had a pretty good uh senior year in high school, but you you weren't uh going crazy with the stats. You were a pretty solid player. Um there must have been something that made you think, oh, I can really do this. I can I can be a great quarterback.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

It would have probably had to be at Fair State Um because they they had some dudes over there. Like Fairs produces a lot of you know division one talent, um some guys in the NFL. But I guess competing with those guys day in and day out definitely proved to myself that I could do this and I can do this at a high level. Um and you know, be being surrounded by those type of guys that want to win that would put in the extra work. Um, and that helped me because you know, if you were if you surround yourself with, you know, people who are confident and you know are gonna be successful, then the only thing that comes out of that is you being successful. So I think that played a big part.

SPEAKER_05 11:07

Makes sense. Well, when you visited Oxford, your father brought two legal paths and a type list of questions. What questions were on that list?

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Yeah, he had it all down. Um I guess our first time coming down here at a D1 SEC school, we really didn't know um what to expect. So we did our research as we could, you know, on the internet. And um, yeah, he had the the questions were about like NIL, where do you see my son in your offense in this program? Um, I guess what teaching tools will you use and how are your teaching tendencies? But yeah, I mean, there there was a lot uh that we had on that that tablet. And it so happened that it so happened to be that old miss had the right answers for whatever he had for uh on that tablet, the questions that he had. So um yeah, hit my dad's, he's he's super strict about everything and um he kind of goes about you know his business the right way.

SPEAKER_05 11:58

So yeah. Cool. It's so interesting to me how so much of it uh it was just uh like on the edge of a knife almost, right? You know, if Austin doesn't get hurt, you may not have played as much as you wanted to last year. Uh and then you may not have played again this year. You may have may not have asked for another year to play if you hadn't played much last year, for example, right? So like if that hadn't worked out, what would you be doing?

SPEAKER_01 12:21

I'm not sure, to be honest. Um I came to Ole Miss, you know, wanted to be the starting quarterback. I didn't win the job uh going into the year last year. Um so yeah, if he didn't get hurt, I mean, I would have been, you know, the best teammate, best backup um, you know, for him and for this team. And uh whatever the coaches may have asked for me, I would have done it. And then who knows? I don't I don't know. Uh maybe I'd be, you know, working a regular job right now or being a coach um here at Ole Miss. Um but yeah, I don't know. I guess God had other plans for me. And I'm just grateful that you know it worked out, uh, me being a starter and you know me having a great year. So it's all God though.

SPEAKER_05 12:57

It seems like you and the Ole Miss fan base have quite the love affair going on. Uh there's Trinidad Tobago flags flying around Oxford, uh coming from Division II in uh Michigan, Big Rapids, right? Uh must have been quite the culture shock to experience it all. What was it like the first time you set foot in uh Vault Hemingway?

SPEAKER_01 13:15

Yeah, it's definitely different than Big Rapids, Michigan. Um, the town's a lot bigger than Big Rapids, and that's kind of crazy to say because a lot of people say Oxford is small. Um, but it was bigger in my eyes because where I came from. Um but yeah, you know, stepping foot, you know, for my first game in Vault was, you know, electric, it was sweet. Um I haven't played in front of that many people ever in my life, so it was really cool to see the fans bring it. And you know, our fans do bring it, you know, every game, especially home games. So yeah, I mean it was cool. Um just seeing the the the culture, seeing the fireworks, seeing, I guess, the the sounds and soundtracks that they have, you know, after third downs or after we score. It's just awesome to see. And um I had to like, I guess, look around and really take it all in and be like, dang, I'm really here. I'm really at playing an SEC, I'm playing Division I ball right now. So it was cool, and I'll uh I'll never forget those moments.

SPEAKER_05 14:07

All right, we'll get you onto a few Heisman questions and then we'll get you out of here. Who's your favorite Heisman winner growing up and why?

SPEAKER_01 14:13

My favorite Heisman winner was probably Cam Newton. I grew up um a big Cam Newton fan. I had a had his jersey. Um, so probably him. And I I also liked RG3 as well, too. He was uh at Baylor, he was a stud.

SPEAKER_05 14:28

You kind of your whole style of play would fit in quite nicely with those guys for sure. Uh you're currently sitting fourth in the most recent Heisman Hoppels fan vote poll. Last year you were eighth in the final Heisman vote. What would winning the trophy mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 14:42

It would mean a lot. And then that'd be a dream come true. Um I grew up playing, you know, the video games and uh watching college football. I was a huge college football fan growing up. So um for me to be in that conversation alone is a dream come true, and I'm truly grateful to, I guess, be in that kind of conversation uh because that trophy is just so, I guess, monumental and um an awesome award. Um so yeah, it would mean a lot to me and my family. And I know if you are to win the Heisman Trophy, then you're gonna suppose you're supposed to, you know, I guess receive it with pride and honor and you know, do right by the former award winners and all that. And um just to be in that elite company, if I were to win it, would be awesome in a dream come true. So all right.

SPEAKER_05 15:24

Well, finally, imagine a kid who's out there listening right now who plays high school football, no stars, no accolades, but has big dreams of playing college football. What are three tips that you would give him to reach his goals?

SPEAKER_01 15:37

I would just say the first tip would be, you know, trust God's plan and trust your journey. Um everyone's journey is different. Um, so just stay true to you and um enjoy the process because there's beauty in the struggle. Um and then another thing would just have to be, you know, have a good support staff and surround yourself with great people who want, you know, the best for you and have the best interest um for yourself. Um, because, you know, I'm nothing without, you know, my family, uh, the people here at Old Menace that, you know, help me day in and day out. And then the third one would just be um it's kind of the first one, but just, you know, put your trust and belief in, you know, Jesus Christ and God because he'll never steer steer you wrong.

SPEAKER_05 16:18

Awesome, trendy dad. Hey, appreciate you uh coming on the show on the Heisman Hope's podcast. Uh you got a big game coming up on Saturday against the Gators in the swamp. Good luck on that one. Uh congratulations on all your success so far, and good luck the rest of the year. Maybe we'll see you in New York at some point.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Thank you guys. I appreciate you guys having me.

SPEAKER_05 16:37

Last season, Florida went four and eight. One of the few bright spots was a sophomore running back who finished third in the SEC in rushing. When the season ended, his head coach was gone, his position coach left for Texas, and schools all across the country wanted him. But he stayed. Now Florida is three and oh for the first time since 2019. He leads the country in touchdowns with eight, he's second in rushing yards per game, he's averaging an eye-popping eight point five yards per carry, and he hasn't put the ball on the ground in a very long time. Ask him why, and the answer might surprise you. After his touchdowns, he's been striking a pose you might recognize. Today, you'll hear where his toughness comes from, what he's building in Gainesville, and who he'd bring along if that pose ever turns into the real thing. He is Jaden Baugh, and this is the Heisman Hopefuls Podcast. Well, Jaden Baugh, welcome to the Heisman Hopefuls Podcast. Thank you for having me. So I heard your phone's lock screen is a picture of you fumbling. Is that true? Yeah. So why would you want to see that every time you pick up your phone?

SPEAKER_03 17:44

Honestly, it's just you know a reminder of what I don't want to do. Um, I remember that moment like it was yesterday, and I remember how I felt. And I felt like I let down the team, I let down the program because we say around here, the ball is the program. And being able to, you know, look at something like that, it just gave me a lot of like a lot of motivation to, you know, just keep critiquing my craft, continue to, you know, just push myself to limits that, you know, certain people can't push themselves to just because it'll make me the best player that I know I can be.

SPEAKER_05 18:19

That fumble was against Sanford on your fourth carry as a freshman. You haven't fumbled since more than 450 touches. Do you think that lock screen might have something to do with that? Oh, yeah, it definitely does. When you first started playing football, they put you on the offensive line. How did a future SEC running back start out as a lineman? Uh uh inquiring minds want to know.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

Honestly, I was just like the strongest on the team at the time. I was, you know, when I was younger, my dad was always telling me like I had like six pack when I was when I first came out, he had let him tell it. But um, yeah, I was just always the strongest, and I wanted to, you know, help the team any way I could. Does anything you learned on the line still help you now? Yeah, just a way to set up the blocks, like when or when I'm trying to get out to go and like pass pro or just get out and get into a route, I know that they're kick stepping and I have to get it out the way and get out fast.

SPEAKER_05 19:12

You didn't play running back full-time until your senior year of high school. Before that, you played linebacker, receiver, safety, a bit of everything. Uh, what did all those positions teach you about running the ball?

SPEAKER_03 19:22

They just open my eyes up to how other positions see the field, honestly. Um I know for a fact when I'm going against Miles Graham or Aaron Childs each day at practice, those guys see it in more of this just in a a linebacker way. Miles Graham played running back, but he's been a four-time linebacker for a long time now. And being able to just see it the way they see it, it helps me a lot more just because I can set up runs, I can set up blocks, because I know where they're trying to look for and I know where they're trying to go. Sounds like it just made you a better football player overall.

SPEAKER_05 19:59

Right. Uh your motto going into the season was be where my feet are after everything that's happened this offseason with the coaching change. What does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_03 20:21

And going into the process I'm trying to go into.

SPEAKER_05 20:24

Speaking of feet, I want to know how your feet got so quick. It's pretty rare to see someone your size have that kind of shiftiness that you do. In fact, when I first saw you run, I just assumed you were a little guy, and it was shocked to see your size when I checked your checked the stats. Where does that shiftiness come from?

SPEAKER_03 20:39

Honestly, it comes from just playing a lot of other sports as into playing basketball, running track, um, playing soccer when I was younger, and being able to, you know, play football at a high level. It just helped me, you know, get my feet faster, understand how I can move a lot differently in the open space. And my coaches from when I was younger helped me a lot. Some of those moves remind me of a guy named Barry Sanders. Did you ever watch him run? Maybe steal a few things? Actually, one of my coaches when I was younger, he would tell me that I remind him of like how I moved just like him.

SPEAKER_05 21:17

Wow, and then there's probably not much else that you are like him about except for the the shiftiness, but uh that's a good comparison, I think. Uh fourth and one at Auburn uh last week, early in the fourth quarter, and you go 53 yards. Walk me through that run. When did you know that it was gone?

SPEAKER_03 21:33

As soon as I seen the hole, honestly. Um me and my uh guys, we pride ourselves on you know finishing runs, and making statement plays, and I feel like that was a statement play that everybody in the world is gonna know we're gonna run the ball. Coach Buster, he tells us this each and every day anybody in the world gonna know we're running the ball, we're still gonna run it. And as soon as I seen the whole, I just seen green grass and I felt I knew for a fact it was over with.

SPEAKER_05 22:01

If it was up to you, how many times would you carry the ball in a game?

SPEAKER_03 22:07

Ooh, I it that's kind of hard to say because I actually like seeing the ball go in the air. Like if you ask Coach Buster and you ask him to ask me my favorite play, it's throwing the ball to some to one of the receivers. And it's just I just like seeing it. And I like hearing the crowd when they just hear it, and they just like, oh, that that that that excites me and gives me a lot more, you know, confidence into going into the game.

SPEAKER_05 22:33

That's kind of refreshing. You don't really hear a lot about players talking about how they enjoy watching the game as they're playing it.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

Yeah, definitely. Because it's like being able to just see those guys do what they want to do and what they work so hard for, it's just like a relief because I have seen y'all put in the work and everything that comes with it, you know, is in the game. You know, I'm just ready to see what happens.

SPEAKER_05 22:56

Do you ever catch yourself uh losing track of things because you're like watching the play or watching the ball and you realize that you had an assignment to do?

SPEAKER_03 23:03

No, no, no. Coaches won't let me. They won't let me. None of the players will let me either. So um I just try to like to keep the main thing, the main thing, focus on my assignment at the time. And if I know it's a pass play, give me about five, four to five seconds. I'll look up the ball's in there.

SPEAKER_05 23:21

At LSU last year, you broke an 87-yard touchdown run and it came back on a holding penalty. Do you still think about that one?

SPEAKER_03 23:27

Yeah, the players don't let uh my guys here don't let me think about don't think about it. You know, um they say it all the time, and yeah, that hurt, but you know, that was last year. I'm too much focused on this year now.

SPEAKER_05 23:40

Your name comes from your grandmother Jada. They just added an end to it. What was it like growing up carrying her name?

SPEAKER_03 23:46

It was everything. If you like, if you was ever around her, that lady knows everybody in in her hometown, and she knows everybody. And it's like when we walk around, we'll get stopped in the matter of five minutes j just to talk. And they'll always say, Yeah, you named that to your grandmother. And I just I feel like it holds so much weight, and I take pride in it. You've said that she's where your toughness comes from. What did she teach you? My grandmother taught me everything. Anything when it's a bad moment, um, when it's a a great moment, regardless of how it looks, just keep going. Um, you find a way. And I feel like that has helped me so much and to a point where now those same lessons she taught me, they came back up, and Coach Somerald, them is have instilled those same lessons that she taught me into our team now.

SPEAKER_05 24:42

Now you're from Atlanta, but you grew up out in the country, you're riding four-wheelers and fishing on your dad's land. How did that shape the kind of person that you are?

SPEAKER_03 24:49

Uh it just made me very outgoing, honestly. Uh, not being on my phone. I don't too much be on my phone. My mom have a hard time contacting me just because I'm never on my phone. I I decided to, you know, just put it down and just, you know, free myself from the internet and just being on a cellular device.

SPEAKER_05 25:06

I'm gonna ask you about the phone again in a second, but at first I want to know what's the biggest fish you've ever caught, to be honest.

SPEAKER_03 25:13

A catfish, honestly. Uh I don't remember how big it was, but I know that was the biggest one. And it was just on the it I give it right around here.

SPEAKER_05 25:24

Okay. Wow, it's pretty big.

SPEAKER_03 25:26

Yeah. It was like my I we was on a boat. Me and my dad would go to Lake Oconee in Georgia, and you know, they have a lot of catfish. They have a lot of fish out there, but um, you won't ever catch me in the water because you know they have a lot of stuff that I don't too much uh want to be around.

SPEAKER_05 25:41

You'll catch something else if you go in that water, I bet. Uh what uh do you eat the fish or do you just throw it back?

SPEAKER_03 25:46

I throw it back. My dad damn don't understand me. He's like they get upset with me sometimes just because I don't I don't like fish like that, but I will go catch it.

SPEAKER_05 25:56

Got it. Okay, you like the challenge of getting the fish, huh? Yeah. Your little brother's at every game, and you've said that he's gonna be better than you. What makes you so sure?

SPEAKER_03 26:05

Well, just seeing some of the the traits that he have, and he's been watching me and my other brothers for so long and to a point where he wants to be better than us. He does a lot of stuff the same way we do it, but I feel like he'll if he when he gets the the detail and the discipline, he's gonna end up being better than us. What position does he play? Everything he plays everything right now. As uh right now, today's Wednesday, isn't it? Uh they have a yeah, I think so. Yeah, they have a game today, actually.

SPEAKER_05 26:36

Oh, you gotta check in and see what's what's going on.

SPEAKER_03 26:39

Yeah, I think last week they sent me a video of him running somebody over. I was like, oh my God.

SPEAKER_05 26:44

Wow. Like just like his big brother, huh? Yeah. Uh you said you did say earlier that you're at your best when you put your phone down, and you know, obviously most people your age are on their phones all day. How did you get that way?

SPEAKER_03 26:57

Uh it was more of like because of my mom. She would like to take our phone when we were younger, just to just let us go outside and just, you know, touch grass, be able to, you know, be out there with our friends and just experience the things she experienced without without the phone.

SPEAKER_05 27:12

Do you ever talk to your teammates to try to get them to do the same thing just to kind of be in the moment, be present?

SPEAKER_03 27:17

I mean, yeah, sometimes, but like I feel that certain people lock in different ways. And my way is just not being on my phone. Sometimes, you know, some of the players being on the phone and just listening to music or being able to watch something locks them in more than it locks me in. So um I try here and there, but it's not too much like I'm pushy with it.

SPEAKER_05 27:37

Well, you should watch this interview later on your phone. That's one thing you should use your phone for. Uh Coach Summer all joked that it made it kind of hard to tell whether you were gonna stay or leave last winter.

SPEAKER_03 27:47

Were you ignoring him on purpose, or was that just Nah, it was just more of like I just put the phone down. I would leave my phone at home half the time and just come out here and you know, focus on the day and whatever whatever is in front of me. Yeah. You've always said you wanted to be different growing up. What does different mean to you? Different means just not doing what somebody else does. Being able to create something that that helps me in a way, but other people want to go do it, but they really too much can't figure out how it how is it get how is it getting done.

SPEAKER_05 28:21

Last year a young fan made his own custom jersey of yours, and you saw it online and got him a sign one. Why did that one catch your eye?

SPEAKER_03 28:29

Just because like that just showed me so like that was different. That is something like that goes back to your question. Like, that is something that's different. You took time, you put effort into it, and seeing that it just no gives me a lot of courage and it gives me a lot of confidence as into what I'm doing, people are watching, and it's not just older people, it's more of your young, young people and young kids are watching me. So um with that happening, it just you know gave me so much excitement to just keep doing what I'm doing, and I had to get them assigned jersey.

SPEAKER_05 29:00

Nice. Well, when you decided to come back, you talked about Florida being home and wanting to show your kids one day where their dad played. What do you want to be able to tell them about your time in Gainesville?

SPEAKER_03 29:11

Honestly, I think about that question so many times, but I don't too much really want to tell them anything. I just want them to just come and see it for themselves. Um get get let them come to experience it without telling them what I have done, and just let them find out and see their reactions.

SPEAKER_05 29:27

Against FAU, you struck the Heisman pose after two touchdowns. Was that planned or did it just happen?

SPEAKER_03 29:32

It just honestly happened. I didn't plan it. I didn't it was just something that it just popped in my head, and my dad said, because he sends me this Heisman trophy every morning or Monday, and he tells me to go get him that so um it just happened, just pop back in my head. I was like, okay, I'm gonna do it. And and I feel like it was just more of a statement.

SPEAKER_05 29:52

Did he does he send you a picture of the Heisman? Yeah. Okay, that's awesome. Uh let's get a few more Heisman questions and then we'll get you out of here. No, you're a busy guy. Uh your 266 yards against Florida State last year were the second most in school history behind only Emmett Smith. He didn't win the Heisman, but uh he's the the best running back in school history. What did it feel like to see your name next to his?

SPEAKER_03 30:17

Well, honestly, I don't too much ever look like look at it, but when I heard it and I understood what the magnitude of it was, I feel like it holds so much weight just being beside his name because I remember what he told me my freshman year, he told me, You got it, keep going, and I'm watching. And you're making a lot of people proud. So just being able to hear that from him and being able to have my name beside his, I feel like I'm doing something right and I'm going in the right direction.

SPEAKER_05 30:42

That's gotta get you pretty fired up, Daphne Emmett Smith giving you that kind of encouragement, huh? Yeah, definitely. If you were gonna make your own Heisman case right now, what would you say?

SPEAKER_03 30:52

Uh I'm coming for everything, honestly. Um my me and my guys, they're very gritty, and we're just coming for everything. That's all I can say. And who's your favorite Heisman winner? I'm gonna go I always gonna go to Evo. He got to. He's just different. If you just look in his eyes, even now, you still might think he's ready to play.

SPEAKER_05 31:14

Yeah, he's he's got uh he doesn't need shoulder pads, that's how big his shoulders are. Yeah, no. So do so you've had a chance to talk to him quite a bit.

SPEAKER_03 31:22

Yeah, yeah, I shook his hand. I feel like being able to shake somebody's hands like that is more of like a dream come true for a lot of people, but being able to be s go somewhere where he put blood, sweat, and tears into, it just holds so much weight and it makes me want to play a lot harder as well. And if you made it to New York for the ceremony, who would you bring with you?

SPEAKER_05 31:44

My mom, my dad, and my brothers and sisters. Awesome. Well, uh Jaden Baugh, thanks for uh coming on the Heisman Hopeless podcast. Uh really interesting to hear you talk. Uh it's no wonder the Florida fans are saying uh run the ball. Um great, great slogan for you. Uh, really appreciate you taking the time. Uh good luck on Saturday against Ole Miss and good luck the rest of the season. Thank you. Our next guest is a unicorn in every sense of the word, a six foot-five safety from Northern California. This player has five interceptions in just three games to start the year. He followed Coach Tosh Lapoy from Oregon to Cal and brought his ball hawk mentality with him. He comes from a high school program that has produced more than a few standout athletes, and he seems to be moving down the exact same path. Today you'll hear all about his play on the field, how he reads a quarterback, and what has made this season so special so far. He is Kingston Lopa, and this is the Heisman Hopefuls Podcast. All right, Kingston, welcome to the Heisman Hopefuls Podcast. Congratulations on your sizzling hot start to the season. Five interceptions in three games to lead the nation. You have more interceptions on your own than like the vast majority of teams out there. Uh you also lead the Golden Bears in tackles. Uh you're starting for the first time as a third-year sophomore, already making a huge impact. Are you right where you expected to be at this point, or would you say that you're ahead of schedule?

SPEAKER_02 33:10

No, I feel like I'm uh I feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I feel like um I just needed the opportunity and just um following my coach coming here, I felt like I was gonna get that. So just really trying to get on the field was my main goal.

SPEAKER_05 33:22

You recorded three interceptions against Syracuse, one against UCLA and one against Wagner. Which one of those has been your favorite so far and why?

SPEAKER_02 33:31

Uh out of the two games?

SPEAKER_05 33:34

Out of all five interceptions, which which one has been your favorite?

SPEAKER_02 33:37

Probably the Syracuse game.

SPEAKER_05 33:39

Yeah, but which which interception?

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Maybe the uh the pick six I had. Just get just getting back on board trying to get our team back um on top. So yeah, probably that one.

SPEAKER_05 33:49

You're the first Cal player since 2018 to get three interceptions in one game. Did anyone give you the ball afterward?

SPEAKER_02 33:55

Yeah, I did.

SPEAKER_05 33:59

Nice. Do you do you put it up on your mantle? Where you where do you keep it?

SPEAKER_02 34:02

Uh I I I'm about to get some like uh like a case for them. Right now they're just on my shelf back at home.

SPEAKER_05 34:08

Nice. Let's go back to that Syracuse game. It's fourth quarter, under five minutes left. Pick it off. It's 24 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Walk me through that play. What did you see when the play started?

SPEAKER_02 34:18

Yeah, so I was I was I was a hole dropper of that play. I I had my eyes on the QB, and um I seen I seen that he seen me thinking I was gonna go um to the half, and I kind of stopped, so he looked away and I and then like in practice I was seeing them like because they're backed up, so I kind of seen them routes coming, them over routes, and I feel like he wanted me to bite that first one, and he and um I seen the second one coming, I just jumped it with my eyes on him.

unknown 34:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 34:44

Well, Coach Lapoy said afterwards he wasn't surprised because you do that in practice all the time. Is that true?

SPEAKER_02 34:49

Yes, yeah, just preparing every week and just treating it like a game. So Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 34:55

Who in practice gives you the hardest time amongst the cow receivers?

SPEAKER_02 34:58

I would say probably um Chase, maybe. Chase, just because he's a smaller dude, so I kind of gotta know like if I gotta open up faster or just I gotta kind of get my hands on him more. So and then uh there's another dude, um uh Mason Minnie too, just him kind of big. And uh there's another guy too, Rico, Rico Walker, I think that's his last name. So yeah, he's a yeah, them is some guys that be giving me like good work every day, trying to get me better, and just vice versa.

SPEAKER_05 35:26

Your very first interception at Cal came against UCLA right before halftime, and then the offense went 87 yards for a touchdown in about 38 seconds. What's it like watching that from the sideline after you set it all up?

SPEAKER_02 35:39

It's just really it's really just a blessing for real, just being able to do that and then seeing our um getting our um offense getting us back on track. So yeah, it just really felt good just for the team.

SPEAKER_05 35:52

Yeah. Can you explain to our audience your responsibilities as a safety and and how you're used in Michael Hutchings' defense?

SPEAKER_02 36:00

They have me playing all around a lot. I'm not gonna lie. Like I sometimes I come in as a backer, sometimes I I play a free end boundary. So just really wherever they want me to be, and and whatever the game plan is for that week, I'm I'm just available to do it. So and just I just love how aggressive our defense is and Mike Hutchings um the plays he calls. So yeah.

SPEAKER_05 36:21

What's the most challenging aspect of playing that position, especially when you're playing all over the field?

SPEAKER_02 36:27

Uh I feel like I feel like just guarding little receivers, you know, like in the slot. I feel like that's that's that's sometimes hard. Just working on things like that and then and tackling too, like open field tackling.

SPEAKER_05 36:41

What part of being a safety feels the most natural to you? What are you best at?

SPEAKER_02 36:45

I feel like I'm best like with my um communication and just trying to get everybody on the same call. I feel like that's natural to me, and then just playing fast.

SPEAKER_05 36:56

Who's taught you the most about being a safety?

SPEAKER_02 36:59

My college coach right now, and then my my high school coach, he taught me a lot about playing safety because he actually played here, Sinquan Thompson. He played at Cal. So yeah, he was my he was my DB coach in high school, my head coach actually. So he taught me a lot. So I just took everything he told me and just started um moving on with it.

SPEAKER_05 37:17

Sid Kwan was a great player. There's actually a great uh tradition of Sacramento Grant players going to Cal for sure. You got uh Sinquan, you got uh uh wasn't Shaq Thompson also there.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

Shaq Thompson, yep, his older brother.

SPEAKER_05 37:31

Oh yeah. Uh you were a highly touted recruit coming out of uh high school, coming out of Grant Highs. Like I said, big time program. Your college position, though, was up in the air. You're 6'5, so some said you'd be a receiver or a linebacker. Not too many thought you could play safety. Uh who had the most faith that you could play that position, safety?

SPEAKER_02 37:51

Um, really, um, really, my really Saquon and really my dad actually. So that that was a big one that um because um growing up, uh I watched a lot of Sean Taylor because my dad showed me him. So I was watching a lot of him growing up. So I'm saying my dad and my uh high school coach.

SPEAKER_05 38:11

When safety was suggested to you, did you think you could play the spot at first or were you a little skeptical?

SPEAKER_02 38:17

I was a little skeptical, but I was always naturally a defensive player. So whether it was like some had me as backer, I don't know why, but I whether I was at um uh safety or or receiver, like, but I was always naturally a safe, like a defensive player. So I felt like it was just gonna come natural. And then hearing there's there weren't too many people on my size playing safety, that's when I really kind of took it in, like, oh yeah, I want to play this position.

SPEAKER_05 38:40

But you played some receiver in high school as well, right?

SPEAKER_02 38:42

Yeah, I played a lot of receiver. I actually was getting recruited for receiver too, and kind I was kind of thinking about it, but I just always knew I was a natural defensive player.

SPEAKER_05 38:51

Right. Tell me about your recruiting process. Come out of grant. You had offers from Cal, Texas, USC, LSU, Notre Dame, and many others, and you picked Oregon. Take me back to that decision and what sold you on Eugene.

SPEAKER_02 39:02

Really, Tosh, Tosh and my uh last year's head coach, uh, they just they just gave me like a a good welcoming and just what they would do with me and just how they would develop me. And like, and and they didn't lie in my recruiting. They told me like I I would come and I have to earn my spot and do all this. And so that's one thing that I took in like to that I felt like would build my character going in there. So just them and then just Tosh, just um being a NorthCal guy and me being a NorthCal guy, I feel like we just got we just clicked right up right out of high school, and just the sense of humor he has and like how aggressive he is, and just how he presents himself, really like I feel like I feel like I could relate to him a lot in a lot of ways.

SPEAKER_05 39:44

What's an example of how he relates to you? Like what what kind of jokes does he tell? What did he say to you that made you feel comfortable with him?

SPEAKER_02 39:51

Um, just really just him knowing where I come from, like what type of neighborhood I come from, what type of school I came from. And I just felt like that meant a lot to me because not a lot of people from where I'm from like really get to go out there and and get to um showcase their talent just because things they did back home were just certain certain things that they weren't able to do. So just him giving me the opportunity really, really um I felt it a lot and it really helped me like get to go where he was at.

SPEAKER_05 40:20

It must be really nice to be closer to home now at Cal. Uh of course Tash Lapoy was your coordinator at Oregon, he's now your head coach. How has his coaching style changed since making that move, do you think?

SPEAKER_02 40:32

I feel like he's the same person. I feel like now that he's a head coach, he has like a lot more say so. But him as a person, I feel like he's the same dude, same, same uh schedule, same, the same everything. Like I feel like nothing really has changed with what we're doing here, what we did over there, and just him as a person. I feel like he's the same person.

SPEAKER_05 40:50

Do you ever miss playing offense?

SPEAKER_02 40:53

Yeah, all the time. All the time. Just seeing that ball go up in the air, I'd just be like, man, I I'll get them. I I'll go, I'll go up and get that.

SPEAKER_05 41:02

You know, recently, recently a defensive back won the Heisman, as you know, Travis Hunter, but he also played receiver. Any thought to asking Coach Lapoy, you know, hey coach, can I get some reps on offense, maybe?

SPEAKER_02 41:13

Yeah, I mean, I would love to ask him, but I feel like he he probably just wants me to stay on the defense and just, you know. But um I I always had a thought about that. Just like if they ever needed me there, I'm like, I'm always here. I'm always open. So just yeah.

SPEAKER_05 41:29

I want to go back to your height. You know, once again, it's not a typical thing for a safety to be six foot five. I saw a photo of you uh windmill dunking off grass once at Oregon. Uh, did you ever play other sports growing up?

SPEAKER_02 41:42

Basketball. And I played baseball a little bit too, like when I was a little younger. So yeah.

SPEAKER_05 41:48

Are you are you a big dunker?

SPEAKER_02 41:50

Yeah, like I I feel like when I was younger, my shot was pretty good, but I as I started getting like a little bigger and older, my shot kind of came off. So I just started like I was just more of a drive to the rim guy and just dunking and like like finishing type as a basketball.

SPEAKER_05 42:05

What's the best dunk in your bag?

SPEAKER_02 42:08

I feel like I feel like the 360, I could do a 360.

SPEAKER_05 42:13

Wow.

unknown 42:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 42:14

That's impressive. That that alone probably got you some uh recruiting attention if they saw that any anytime you see a football player doing that, it's pretty impressive. Um in the spirit of the show, let's get into a few Heisman questions and then we'll get you out here so you can get your treatment going. Uh, who is your favorite Heisman winner growing up and why?

SPEAKER_02 42:31

I'm not gonna lie, I don't know too many Heisman winners. Like, I don't think I was really like looking into things like that. Yeah, who was the one two years ago?

SPEAKER_05 42:40

Well, there was uh Travis Hunter, of course, uh at Colorado. Last year was Fernando Mendoza, there's Jaden Daniels, uh Caleb Williams, uh Oregon had a had a Heisman winner, um, Marcus Mariota.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

Uh he was probably him, because I I just remember uh when I was in elementary school, I would always like and then and then Oregon wasn't like my dream school coming growing up, just because you know like how everybody else looks at it. But yeah, I always had Marcus Mariota as my like my profile pick in the um and like when I was like in elementary school, like he'll be like at the top right, just like in that breast cancer breast cancer uniform. Just that that was that was probably like I'd say him for sure. I didn't know he won't. I'm not gonna.

SPEAKER_05 43:23

So you loved him, but you didn't know he's a Heisman winner.

SPEAKER_02 43:24

Yeah, I didn't, I didn't know. But now that makes sense because they literally have uh his own center in Oregon, like he has his own uh so I don't know why I didn't look at that.

SPEAKER_05 43:34

Yeah, you know, next time in the future someone asks you your favorite Heisen winner, now you got an answer.

SPEAKER_02 43:38

Yeah, Mariota for sure. For sure.

SPEAKER_05 43:40

Yeah. You're currently third among all defensive backs in the Heisman Hopefuls fan vote. Why should people vote for Kingston Lopa as a defensive back uh for Heisman?

SPEAKER_02 43:50

I feel like just he's just gonna do what's best for the team and just you know, go out there, lay it on, lay it, lay it all on the line for the um the ones I I practice in. played with since January and just and just doing something bigger than just myself. So yeah.

SPEAKER_05 44:07

Well you've been outstanding so far. Very talented uh player back there in the secondary. Seemingly have an interception every game. Actually you are having an interception every game. Good luck is Friday against Clemson. Another big game in the ACC and good luck the rest of the year.

SPEAKER_02 44:23

Man appreciate y'all. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 44:25

Tom Fernelli writes for CBS Sports.com. He's a co-host on the Cover Three podcast. He's been on the show a couple times before. Welcome back Tom.

SPEAKER_00 44:33

Thank you for having me back. I'm I'm glad to know that I was at least halfway interesting enough to be invited back.

SPEAKER_05 44:39

Yeah I think you're a three timer now. It's not as prestigious as the old Saturday Night Live five timer but it's pretty darn close. Do I get a jacket? Yeah maybe good idea. How about a hat or a pin? A few days ago you did a college football playoff vibe check. You mentioned the Florida Gators have entered the chat. It's an intriguing proposition, you know, considering how much Florida has struggled so much this past decade. Tell me now what's different with new coach John Sumrol that gives you some confidence in the Gators.

SPEAKER_00 45:12

I I I think honestly and this is probably just preseason bias that I had is I I had confidence in the hire to begin with with Sumraul because when you look at what he was able to do in four years as a head coach both at Tulane and at Troy like he's he's been a head coach for four years before this and he's won three conference titles and he reached the conference title game in the other season in which he didn't actually win it. So you tend to see when guys are able to move up from a conference or a division and they continue to win at each level to the same rate that's typically a good sign going forward. So I had that confidence coming in and based on what I've seen from Florida so far I I feel like it's justifiable to continue being that confident even though like Auburn was far and away the best team that they played so far this season. I mean they opened the year with Florida Atlantic and then they had Campbell but Campbell's a good FCS program. But just you know you look at how they've played and like the problem with Florida the last few years hasn't really been talent. Like Billy Napier did a good job of bringing talent to Gainesville. It was just the operations on Saturday and like coaching mistakes and like silly penalties like too many men on the you know on the field and stuff that would really kill that team at inopportune moments. And you just haven't seen that to this point with John Sumral and this new staff in charge they seem like they're far more prepared on Saturdays than they have been in recent years. So when you kind of combine that you combine that with the talent that they had that was left over and that he's brought in some more of it and you just look at the entire operation from on the field to off the field they seem like a far more competent program. Now it doesn't mean they're going to go on and you know get to the playoff this year or compete for an SEC title right away but I do feel like this is a team that is maybe you know not really being recognized nationally at this point as a legit playoff contender, but I I do think they're in that conversation. It's just like a lot of SEC schools difficult schedule. So are they going to be able to do it week to week I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 47:01

Yeah. It's funny how you mentioned the the too many men on the field type penalties. Those seem to be like comorbidities uh for coaches ending their their uh tenure out of school like you start getting those those penalties and it's like hey you know your clock is ticking right oh we got old miss in Florida in the swamp on Saturday. Is this the game that proves you right?

SPEAKER_00 47:19

It might be I it's like this is one of those tricky spots where you know like they're going up against the best quarterback in the country in my estimation I think that just best college quarterback out there in Trinidad Chambless and we have seen he has the ability to just kind of put that team on his back and will them to victory even when the rest of his team might not be great. But going on the road, Florida at home, this is like you know they they had the win over Auburn last week and it had to feel good for the fans but it was on the road so having them come to the swamp this is really their chance that yeah if if they could pull off the win here and they are favored even though John Summer all thinks that you have to be high on drugs to think the Gators are expected to win this game according to him in his press conference earlier this week. But like if if they win this game, I think that kind of announces to the country I think that's what everybody kind of catches on and says oh hey these the gators might actually be you know quote unquote back.

SPEAKER_05 48:07

Yeah he's taken a page from Lou Holtz there talking down his team a bit uh good strategy. Uh you also mentioned uh in your recent story on Jaden uh Jaden Baugh who uh could work his way into the Heisman race if he keeps it up. You know he's listed at 6'1, 220. Have you ever seen a back that big be that elusive?

SPEAKER_00 48:26

No. I mean he's because like you look at him and he does kind of look like the running back that you would just expect to be like the short yardage move the chains on third down you know get two or three yards and let's stay on schedule. But his elusiveness and his just mobility his ability to change directions whether like horizontally or vertically without really losing momentum or speed it's it's pretty special. And then when he gets out in the open field like you saw he had a couple of long touchdown runs against Auburn on Saturday the defenders aren't closing the gap on him. He tends to be running away from them. So you look at his overall size and speed and just his yeah his athleticism this is a kid who I think you know is very talented and he's gonna be you know he's he's gonna be the focal point of this offense all year. As Jaden Baugh goes is probably how far Florida will be able to get this year.

SPEAKER_05 49:12

But he's a good player to have to rely on I think you're hearing lots of uh run the ball comments uh down in Kingsville these days in general it's been a pretty good year so far for running backs right yeah typically uh in this era running backs have been de-emphasized uh but besides Baugh there's Nate Shepard over at Duke you got Wayne Knight over at UCLA these guys are all really versatile and well rounded now that offenses are running a bit slower you know they're going with bigger personnel are we going to see a revival with that position do you think?

SPEAKER_00 49:41

I do think we will yeah I mean it's like you look at the NFL right now how many teams are running like 13 personnel on any given snap and you're seeing it far more in college and as you touched on I I do think that the new clock rules have kind of dictated some of that and some teams see it being you know instead of going like where we had the spread and the air raid kind of up tempo, spread everybody out and go really fast and wear teams down with you know just reps I think now you're trying to wear teams down with physicality because A, the clock rules don't really help you with trying to run those kind of offenses because you can't get the same kind of advantages you used to be able to get under the old clock rules doing it. But also since so many defenses kind of evolved to handle those offenses that were spreading them out and you saw like linebackers have gotten smaller. Like you see so many kind of safety linebacker hybrids now in these last few years that are guys that would been would have been tweeners 15 20 years ago who are now like the ideal prototype for what you wanted to position. And offenses are now countering that because again the sport is always evolving and most of the time by evolving it's just going back to what it used to do. But they're evolving to get bigger and stronger to try to outtuff the defenses and you see that now the best way a lot of teams are doing it you're sending more tight ends out there in your formation and you are running the ball at people trying to wear them down that way. So yeah I I do believe we're going to see more of a trend back towards the running backs to where they become more valuable in the college offenses than you know we saw with the wide receiver pushes in recent years. I mean quarterbacks are always going to be quarterbacks but I think running backs are probably going to start claiming some of that uh that that hype and shine back from the receivers that we've seen which program is going to be the first to return the fullback it'll probably be a big 10 school I I think Michigan would love to still do it. I mean Michigan's still trying to do it but it's the as far as like a fullback that is getting like 10 to 15 carries a game like the Mike Allstott types outside of the service academies I would guess Iowa Iowa Michigan or Wisconsin are probably going to be the first to do it.

SPEAKER_05 51:38

You watch Iowa's gonna get this great quarterback and then they're gonna go to a fullback and then it's gonna be this at the wrong time. Speaking of all that who do you think is the best back in the country right now?

SPEAKER_00 51:49

I think talent wise I would go with ball but my favorite one to watch right now you mentioned him it's Duke's Nate Shepard who has he leads the nation right now in rushing yards but it's just I I mentioned this on our show earlier this week like he is the most untackable human alive at the moment. Like this is a guy who you look at his stats like he nobody is getting him down on the first touch. Hell nobody's really getting him down often on the second or third. He's shaking guys loose and like Baugh he's able to change directions and do it without you know really losing speed he's got great contact balance. I don't think he's overall the same level of athlete that Ball is I don't think he has the same kind of top end athleticism but he's a very good athlete and he's very strong he's very kind of squat and he's really difficult for teams to wrap up and it's like you look at that Duke offense and everybody knows what the plan is. Like they they don't really have a whole heck of a lot outside of Shepard you know like Darien Mensa went to Miami. He took Bar Kate with him you know they're their top receiver from last year. So it's been the Nate Shepard show and nobody's really been able to do it. He ran all over Illinois he ran all over Stanford he ran all over Tulane and he's also becoming more of a weapon in their passing game where they're using him as a receiver. So he's a complete do-it-everything guy and he's breaking like three or four tackles every carry. Like the stat I think is he's averaging about five yards post contact on his runs and this is a workhorse this isn't a guy getting like 10 touches a game who's breaking tackles and like kind of skewing the numbers this is a guy getting 20 to 25 touches a game who is still getting five yards post contact every time yeah and he had 35 carries in that in that uh win against Illinois I believe right yeah he was oh he he destroyed I mean it's it's PTSD for me it's bad memories but he destroyed Illinois in that game they could do nothing against him.

SPEAKER_05 53:29

Yeah he was on the show a couple weeks ago and looking at how he just trucks people we showed him a video of Herschel Walker in his first game against Tennessee trucking Bill Bates and you know the announcers just going absolutely crazy it and and like Shepard does like two or three of those per game. It's not a big deal now.

SPEAKER_00 53:46

Okay so Florida and Ole Miss in the swamp who do you got I I want to go Ole Miss just because as as good as Aaron Philo has looked in that offense, you know he he comes from Georgia Tech with Buster Faulkner so there's obviously the familiarity there and and they have looked good. It's just it's hard for me to pick against Trinidad right now. I I think Chambliss just has that whatever you want to call it that it factor that thing that you see guys just leading their teams to wins. Now my biggest concern in the game is obviously Ole Miss had you know it a very big game last week a very very important game to Ole Miss to the fans to the team and to those players it was kind of like their Super Bowl taking down LSU and Lane Kiffin and now you've got another huge game on the road are you able to get up for that after having to get up for last week and all the because I mean the entire offseason the big game everybody was talking about was like Ole Miss LSU it's going to be the game of the year because of everything that happened and it's hard for that team to ignore that talk and clearly they felt this the the way that they celebrated that game they felt it. So can they emotionally get back up and get excited and get prepped and ready for a team that is not going to be very easy to beat in a difficult environment in the swamp because that is a fan base that has been thirsting for reasons to be excited about their football team for a while now because they you know they they're used to success. They've had a lot of success in recent years and they want to get back to it. So it's a difficult spot that is my primary concern but I just think if you line them up and put them on the field right now I've got more faith in Ole Miss because I've seen them do it and I haven't seen Florida win these games in a while. I mean they I know that they upset Texas last year but that to me was more about Texas in that game than it was the Florida Gators. So I I I'm picking Ole Miss but to me it's I I don't have a very clear read on it. It's a coin flip. I do think the clearest read is it'll probably be high scoring just because I don't trust either one of these defenses too much.

SPEAKER_05 55:34

Interesting you know you did argue that Ole Miss relies too much on Chambliss to make miracles happen. Do you still think that's a weakness or is that now just who they are that's how they're going to get things done?

SPEAKER_00 55:44

I think that's who they are and how they have to get things done. And I I don't mean it to diminish other guys on the team because they do have talent around him. It's just I feel as though if you look at every single quarterback in the country and you compare them to how important they are to their team, I don't think any quarterback is more important to their team than Trinidad Chambless. Like if he gets hurt and goes out I think Ole Miss goes from being a playoff contender to like a top 25 to top 30 team and that's really where they would fall. So I I think they have to and I think they should because it works pretty well for them the Trinidad Chambless story is a really remarkable one.

SPEAKER_05 56:17

You know no major scholarship offers come out of high school goes to Ferris State sits there a couple years explodes onto that scene right uh goes to Ole Miss he's almost doesn't play the first year almost doesn't play the second year but he plays both years. Now he's a bona fide star. Last year's Heisman winner had like one offer out of high school uh other players like Drew Mestermaker had no offers and was a walk on at North Texas. Is this now no longer an anomaly?

SPEAKER_00 56:46

Is this now a pattern in college football uh or are is this are we just noticing it more as this always been the case I think there's always been stories in the past that are similar to it but I the fact that we're seeing it more now I my thought, my theory is that in the transfer portal era, we have seen teams focus more on transfers and proven commodities than they have at the high school recruiting level. You think of how it was you know 10 years ago and how the the amount of resources teams were pouring into the recruiting staffs and their recruiting budget to go out and find the best players to get I that's changed. Like you don't see it as much. The resources are now going to buying proven commodities particular at like the blue blood top level schools where they don't really want to rely on the unproven volatile freshman five star even if that kid is really talented, they'd rather have somebody who maybe's a little less talented that they know they can trust. So you're seeing less of an emphasis on high school recruiting which is probably causing some guys to fall through the cracks and you know not really get picked up and you know seen and then they end up having to take you know different routes than we're used to whether it's like Trinidad starting at Fair State like the the lower levels and moving up or it's somebody like MestiMaker who's starting at a G6 and moving up. So I believe that plays a role in it. And I also just think that this is a situation to where you know who knows maybe kind of the COVID 2020 season kind of messed things up for high school because guys just missed time and they were late bloomers and they missed that development and now we're seeing some guys who maybe were kind of you know slowed down in the impact of that now kind of realizing their potential. So maybe it'll start getting back to where it had been in recent years, you know, as we get further away from COVID and the way that kind of just messed up eligibility for everybody. But I I I don't think it's I don't think it's just random noise. I do think there is something to it that in the portal era guys are kind of slipping through the cracks and developing into stars. It's pretty wild that COVID was five, six years from COVID and there's still a tinge of that Trinidad Chablis was senior year 2021 and you know he didn't really he wasn't really seen by anybody and uh he got a six year so it's uh we're still spieling the ripples from that uh the gravitational waves of that so to speak uh you started the season with seven real title contenders three weeks in how many are left I I think there's eight now that's I think I've I added LSU like even coming off of that loss to Ole Miss last weekend and even though the win over Clemson like as impressive as it was I I'm not that impressed by Clemson overall even I know they beat North Carolina but I still don't think Clemson is back. But I just look at the looking at the talent level on that roster, I think that is a team that has entered the conversation the question will be you know can Sam Levitt really get them through three playoff games should they get to the playoff but I believe that that's a team that has the capability of getting there and has a chance to win once they're there. So I have actually added a team which honestly it's great. I I I love it. I I love that we have we're going into a season like this where we really we know who the most likely candidates are but they're all all of them really have a legit shot of winning the national title it's much better than it had been where it would be like there'd be two or three teams that you would just kind of like zone in on and say well one of these guys is going to win the national title and then we'll we'll just have to wait to see who screws up and who who doesn't get the job done. Now it's it's wide open. I mean Ohio State I think is still the best team in the country despite the loss I think they had a really bad quarter and a half in Austin that kind of you know cost them a bit but that's that's kind of how it works now. When you see these top teams these title contenders going against them like there's very little margin of error for anybody because they are so tightly packed together that it's really it kind of reminds you of the NFL when you get to the top like every single one of these teams could beat the other one in any given game when once they get there. So there's such a level of uncertainty that is a little frightening but also like really really fun.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:38

Yeah not to mistake you for an SEC stand, because lately uh you've been talking up the SEC, but you have raised questions about the Big Ten's depth after uh week one, after Ohio State and Oregon both lost uh how worried should the conference be about those lost?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:53

I I think they should be pretty worried. I I think that you know you look at Oregon I they that is concerning to me how they have looked. Like I don't think the 84 nothing win over Portland State really reassures you like your hope if you're Oregon is that that kind of reestablishes your confidence and kind of reminds you of who you're supposed to be like that butt kicking team and go out there we're supposed to be destroying these people but they did not look good against Boise. They did not look good against Oklahoma State clearly like along the lines of scrimmage that does not look like a team that should they should look considering the resources that they have and that they've put into those spots on their roster and they've got difficult games left on the schedule. So this is a team now that has very little margin of error and they were somebody you looked at before the season as well that will be a playoff team out of the Big Ten. Like the three teams you were confident in were Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon. You're not nearly as confident in Oregon as you were Ohio State I'm still confident in but with that loss to Texas they've got a smaller margin of error. They could lose two or three more games and if they're nine and three and you're sitting there on the bubble no matter how good you are or how good your resume is we have seen in the 12 team playoff era nine and three is not a place you want to be it is a very very shaky position to be in no matter who you've played or who you've beaten. So that's a question. And then once you get outside of those three like USC's offense has looked phenomenal but then going on the road last week to Rutgers you saw the same old defense that you'd seen and now you're kind of like well I was going to ask you before that game uh did you have Oregon penciled in as a loss against USC and now has that has that switched once you saw the Rutgers game? No, it it hasn't switched. I I I was still leaning towards Oregon but yeah seeing the way that USC's defense performed in that game and now there are exigent circ circumstances to that like we have seen that in these super conference eras where now you're coast to coast, the teams that travel from one coast to the other tend to underperform that week. Like they they usually don't do nearly as well as you would expect but still it was a Rutgers team that lost to UMass in BC and to seeing USC struggling as much as they did in that game was concerning even with the injuries that they had. So that is certainly one thing that I do wonder as they go forward because they have much more difficult games on the schedule and they start this week with Oregon. So that's one thing you have to worry about. Washington has looked extremely underwhelming Michigan got that win over Oklahoma but you can't sit there and say wow they looked great doing it especially the week after you know they technically lost to Western Michigan depending on whether you how depending on which universe you view time in Michigan won or lost that game I think they lost it and got lucky at the end because refs is prone to doing it are they the worst 3-0 team in the country no I'm sure there's somebody worse that I can't think of off the top of my head but they're certainly not the best 3-0 team in the country. So it's like you just the the greater point though back to the original question is like once you get past that top tier of expected teams in the Big Ten, which seems weaker now because of Oregon, like that second tier teams that you were expecting all have a whole heck of a lot of question marks and you see like now with the nine game conference schedule, they're gonna be playing each other. Some of them are going to be you know you're gonna be knocking some of these teams out of contention and somebody else might knock you out of contention. So my prediction going into the year was that the Big Ten was only going to get three teams in and from what I've seen at this rate three teams might be the best they can do if things don't shake up quickly and like everybody some more as another team kind of gets active like who knows maybe USC comes out this week and blows the doors off of the ducks but that probably knocks the ducks out of the conversation. So you're still right in that three team range.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:17

Good points all around uh we're gonna have Trinidad Chamblis on the show today we're gonna have uh Jaden Baugh two of the best players in the country Chambliss and Mensa right now are the obvious Heisman quarterback names uh Malachi Tony and Jeremiah Smith are two receivers. They're leading the Heisman fan vote actually uh and we already talked about the running backs uh it's a very muscular Heisman race right now I think it's like some really good candidates and then there's Cal safety Kingston Lopa who is also coming on the show later he leads the country with five interceptions uh in three games incredible talent six foot five safety out there looking great is there any path for a defensive player like him uh this year I mean I I always root for defensive players to finally kind of start getting more love in the in the Heisen race and you I whether a safety can win he's gonna have to have an incredible year and I think that the one thing we've seen like when Travis Hunter won it a few years ago you have to have two-way potential so as as good as he has been it's like you have to you have to he need to start going into Tosh Lupoy's office and be like hey coach can we maybe you know get me to run some routes or something maybe give me some touches on offense in the red zone to get me some just get me some touchdowns because obviously that's what voters love to see with defensive players.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:28

They want to see the history suggests they need to see some two-way potential not you can get votes if you're strictly on defense but it's very very difficult to win if you aren't touching the ball whether it's on special teams or just on offense as a gimmick so maybe he can talk he can uh convince Lupoy to start giving him some touches on offense it would help his case but the first thing he should do is keep balling out on defense because if you kind of put up those ridiculous numbers like you mentioned the amount of interceptions he has already you keep up that pace to where you're like that 15 interceptions at the end of the year mode you're gonna get votes I think if he had 15 interceptions he might win the Heisman.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:01

He might yeah that's what I was thinking just keep picking off passes. Yeah I'm gonna ask him about that later if he could if he's gonna ask uh Lapoy if he can play some offense it's a good idea. He's clearly shown he's got hands like maybe we could have him run some routes. Oh yeah well he played he played receiver in high school so I don't see you know why he couldn't do he couldn't do that a little bit anyway. So anyway uh Tom Fernelli hey thanks for the great conversation thanks for coming on the Heisman Hopefuls podcast once again appreciate you taking the time uh you're the hardest working man in college football we appreciate your output and uh we'll talk to you later.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:33

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:35

Well that's all for this week's episode of the Heisman Hopefuls podcast special thanks to Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss, Jaden Baugh in Florida, Kingston Lopa and Cal and Tom Fernelli for joining us. We've got a big weekend ahead headlined by Chambliss versus Baugh in the swamp Oregon taking on my alma mater USC and Arch Manning heading to Rocky Top to take on Tennessee. We'll break all that down and more next Thursday but until then I'm Chris Houston and thank you for listening to this week's episode of the Heisman Hopefuls Podcast