Episode Details

I've spent two shows this week building on what Pete Golding said about his defense. Today I want to ask the uncomfortable question about it.

Steven Willis is joined by Tom Vanderford, the Mayor of Corinth, for the last questions of fall camp.

IN THIS EPISODE:

🤔 How couched is Pete Golding? He said Edwin Joseph reminds him of somebody he coached before and wouldn't say the name — and he was at Alabama, so everybody had fun with that Google search. He said Keaton Thomas is better than some of the linebackers he had there. If both are true, this defense is going to be amazing. But does he mean it, or is he in a position where he might be overexaggerating? I'm not saying he's lying — a head coach in August has every incentive to talk up his roster, and that's the job. But there's a difference between precise and generous, and I don't know yet which one he is. Tom's answer is the fair one: the truth gets told in the next few months, and what the transfers actually did at their old schools isn't a quote — it's film.

💰 70/30, and what it bought. Tom's heard the 2025 transfer class was roughly 70% offense, 30% defense — and this year it's about half and half. That's the cleanest explanation of the whole offseason. Ole Miss shopped the bargain bin at defensive back and Miami found the ceiling in the semifinal. Now it's Edwin Joseph (Florida State), Joenel Aguero (Georgia), Jay Crawford (Auburn), Sharif Denson (Florida). Ole Miss could always get these guys. They just weren't paying for them.

🛡️ And Joseph has been playing cornerback. He said so at his press conference Friday — and it tells you exactly where this is going. If your safeties can cover like corners, you don't have to protect them, and you can turn the front seven loose.

🧱 Plus the right tackle answer. Tom's hearing Kinsler has moved forward, with Curne still in it — the light bulb may not have come on, but it's starting to flicker. And nobody's talking about Troy Everett, who played center at Oklahoma... where they just lost their center in practice.

Also: why the drop-off on this roster is after 50 instead of after 22, and what the tight end room actually looks like.

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Episode Timestamps

00:00 Predicting Ole Miss as champions

04:12 Evaluating Keaton Thomas' Potential

07:51 Discussing Tight End Prospects

10:32 Casual fan shirt benefits

13:23 Recruiting new 4-star transfers

18:50 FanDuel Daily Dingers promo

20:34 Eligibility issues in college sports

25:19 Talking Ole Miss fall camp

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