Over the last few years, there might not have been a single player in college football that was more exciting to watch on a day-to-day, game-to-game basis than Georgia cornerback/return man/spot offensive superstar Brandon Boykin. And on Wednesday, he was nice enough to join me on the Aaron Torres Sports podcast.

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It was a quick, 15-minute interview (that is easily digestible on a lunch break), but Brandon and I still squeezed in conversation on a number of topics, including…

- Expectations at Georgia entering the 2011 season. Did players feel those expectations? And why Brandon knew things would be different his senior season.

- What led to Georgia’s success, and why a strong group of poker willed this program back to the upper-echelon of the SEC.

- The split personalities of Todd Grantham, and why he is much different away from the field than on it.

- Brandon’s versatility on the football field, and why he was practically begging the Georgia coaches to let him get more touches on offense.

- His preparation for next week’s Senior Bowl, what he’ll be trying to prove to scouts, and why his height shouldn’t scare teams away.

- The NFL Draft process as a whole, and why Brandon has consulted with a number of ex-Dawgs on what he needs to know these next couple weeks.

You know how they say, “It’s better to be lucky than good?” Well, there has never been a truer case of that motto coming to life than the latest edition of the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast.

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That’s because for a few weeks now I’ve been trying to get Bryan Fischer of CBS Sports to come on and talk some recruiting stuff as well as early 2012 story lines. And after finally tracking Bryan down to do the interview late last week, news struck late Monday that was right up his alley. The news? Just that the No. 1 high school quarterback in the country Gunner Kiel had de-committed from LSU, and was headed to Notre Dame. You’ve probably heard about it by now, but still Bryan brought some unique insight to that subject, as well as others, including discussion on:

- How much of a role Kiel’s parents may have made in his decision, and why parents are more important in the recruiting process than the casual fan might think.

- How Kiel fits into what Brian Kelly is doing at Notre Dame, why Kiel is a better fit for the Irish than LSU, and why Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix should be worried.

Heading onto the national college football front, Bryan and I also discussed:

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For UConn basketball fans, it’s safe to say that the 2011-2012 season has been “interesting” so far. A team that is infinitely more talented than the 2011 title team has had plenty of ups and downs and inconsistent play. But coming off a hard-earned win over West Virginia, there’s plenty of reason to believe that maybe- just maybe- this group has turned the corner.

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One person who’d know better than most is Kevin Duffy, who covers UConn hoops for the Connecticut Post. Kevin was a huge help in the promotion of my book on the Huskies, and was nice enough to again do me a favor and stop by the podcast. We discussed a number of things, including:

- Why the win over West Virginia on Monday night well could’ve been a turning point in the Huskies season, and why the home crowd at the XL Center very well could’ve keyed the victory.

- The emergence of Andre Drummond in the West Virginia game, and why if he continues to play as well as he did, the Huskies can beat anyone.

- Why- as good as Drummond has been- another key component could be freshman Ryan Boatright. Is he the best “leader” this team has?

- A further discussion on some of the off-the-cuff comments that Shabazz Napier made following the Rutgers loss. Are they a big deal? Are fans looking too much into them?

- Why Alex Oriahki needs to continue to get better, and why “confidence” is more of an issue with him than any of his actual basketball skills.

- Where Kevin sees this team progressing to. What will they look like around NCAA Tournament time, especially relative to where they are now? How close are they to reaching their potential?

Plus much, much more!!

Folks, with college football season now in the books, I’ll be turning some (but not all) of my attention to college hoops at Aaron Torres Sports, and I’m flattered and honored that Kevin was nice enough to join me. Few are more in tune with what’s going with this team, and Kevin provided insight that just can’t be found anywhere else.

As always, there are plenty of ways to access the podcast, if you cannot listen to it here on the website. You can always download on iTunes, or simply subscribe to the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast in any number of ways. You should also be following on Twitter as well.

And finally, if you enjoyed the podcast, then you’ll definitely want to pick up your copy of ‘The Unlikeliest Champion’ the only book of its kind to capture last year’s National Championship run. It’s available in both paperback and on Kindle, and more information can be found at www.uconnbook.com as well as Amazon.com.

Also, I’m extending a special 15 percent off deal to listeners to the podcast.

All you’ve got to do is e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject line “Aaron Torres Sports Podcast.” Do that, and I’ll send along a coupon code, which will allow you to get 15 percent off the purchase price of a paperback copy.

Thanks again to Kevin for joining me, and thanks to you for downloading the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast! Come back soon!

Even with four days left before Alabama and LSU kick off in New Orleans, it’s never too early to start talking about the “big game.” And on Wednesday afternoon I did just that, breaking down Tide-Tigers Part II with my buddy Michael Felder, a former defense back for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and current college football analyst at InTheBleachers.net and CrystalBallRun.com.

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Michael knows the sport of college football as well as anyone, and in lieu of the big game, we broke down this game from every angle imaginable. Including...

- The success of Jordan Jefferson and the speed option the first time these two teams played, and why it might be harder for Alabama to adjust than people think.

- Alabama’s own offense and why it may be Eddie Lacy who needs to step up and have a big game for the Tide to win.

- Will the Tide have any more success passing the ball in this game as opposed to the last? Do they have a single wide receiver that’s really a “threat” against LSU’s secondary?

- How LSU’s offense has developed since the first time these two played, especially with the emergence of several running backs.

With the holidays slowing the news cycle to a screeching halt, this week I decided to do something different with the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast. Rather than interviewing a guest myself, I’ve instead decided to go a different direction, and post an interview where I was the guest, last week with Connecticut broadcasting legend Wayne Norman.

Norman has hosted a morning show in Connecticut every day since 1971, but of equal importance, also does color commentary on all UConn Men’s Basketball broadcasts. He was there for every game of the 2011 title run, and had me on his radio show to talk about the incredible championship, the epic five wins at Madison Square Garden, and my new book ‘The Unlikeliest Champion.'

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Amongst the topics he and I discussed, included the following:

- What made the 2011 Huskies title run significant enough to write a book about, and why the championship was about more than just basketball.

- Wayne’s story of only packing three days’ worth of clothes for the Big East Tournament.

- Why a little incident that no one talked about against Pitt swung that game, and potentially was the difference in the title run.

- Going back a little a bit, some fun recruiting stories, including Kemba Walker’s coming out party at the Arizona Cactus Classic.

- Who were some of my favorite interviews and best resources for that book.

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Since I started this website a few years back, there has simply never been a more interesting, polarizing and divisive athlete I’ve ever encountered other than Tim Tebow. Few are more scrutinized, few are under a bigger microscope and no one draws a line in the sand quite like him. You either love Tim Tebow, or hate him. It’s that simple.

Well one guy who loves him, is my buddy Marc Ryan, host of ‘The Morning Wrap’ on the Ticket Sports Network down in Florida. He is a UF graduate, but most importantly, a smart, opinionated guy, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to have on the podcast to discuss Mr. Tebow, than Marc himself.

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On Wednesday Marc joined me, and we discussed the following topics:

- Why Marc feels as though he’s never been more “vindicated” for his opinion on an athlete than he does right now with Tebow;

- Why each of us believes that Tebow receives unfair backlash. Marc thinks it’s jealousy and me, well, I’m still not totally sure.

- A new stat that Marc reveals on the show, which he believes proves Tebow’s true value as a quarterback.

- Using the stat in real-time, I explain why I like it so much, and why other quarterbacks like Alex Smith and Jay Cutler prove its true worth.

- Marc and I wrap up by discussing the “Tebow Microscope” and by asking each other, “If you were Tim Tebow, could you handle the criticism and expectation he does? More importantly, could you do it with the class that he does it with.”

Plus much, much, more...

Simply put folks, I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this podcast. It was fun, straight-forward and honest, and I truly believe that if you go into it with open minds, you will come out with a different view on Tebow.

For downloading options, you can always go straight to iTunes and download it there, or subscribe to the Aaron Torres Podcast.

In addition, there are other ways to access the work available at www.aarontorres-sports, including on Twitter, Facebook and by downloading the Aaron Torres Sports App.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I, Aaron Torres, wrote my first book, and that is now available for purchase. It’s called ‘The Unlikeliest Champion’ and for more information, excerpts, and other goodies, please visit www.uconnbook.com. You can also order it straight from the publisher, or from Amazon.com.

Thank you all for the time, and thank you for the support.

Until next time…

Despite the college football season having recently wrapped up, an entirely different season (and one that is arguably more exciting) has just begun: The hunt by many colleges to find new head coaches. The coaching carousel is spinning at full speed, and on Monday, Allen Kenney, my co-managing editor at Crystal Ball Run (as well as from Blatanthomerism.com) stopped by to break it all down.

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Allen and I are always full of opinions, and weren’t afraid to share them on this fun-filled podcast. Included, we talked about:

- What’s going on at Texas A&M? Is Kevin Sumlin a good hire? Is he in over his head, and is the A&M administration even going to give him a chance to succeed?

- Was Mark Richt ever really an option at A&M? Why Allen thinks that the Mark Richt rumor speaks to higher problems at A&M, and why I think the rumor might’ve been leaked by Richt himself.

- Why Allen and I disagree on the Jim Mora Jr. hire at UCLA (aka Jim L. Mora). Allen thinks it’s a shot in the dark by UCLA, while I think it can work. Can Mora make UCLA a portal to the NFL for high school kids? Or is he the next, in a great long line of coaching failures at the school.

- Onto Kansas, where Allen hates the Charlie Weis hire. Why did the school pay so much for him and is there any chance he can earn the salary? On the opposite side, is this the most exposure Kansas football has gotten since their 2007 Orange Bowl season?

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From the beginning, no one was on the “Urban Meyer to Ohio State” news faster, or with insight than the website ElevenWarriors.com, who broke the news story over two weeks ago. And on Tuesday, one of the owners of Eleven Warriors, Ramzy Nasrallah stopped by to discuss a wild week Columbus on the AaronTorres-Sports.com podcast.

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Amongst the topics Ramzy and I discussed, included the following:

- The roster that Urban Meyer inherits, and why offensive line play could be key in year one.

- How good is the Big Ten that Urban Meyer is walking into? Significantly better than 3-4 years ago?

- Are college football fans forgetting how good Jim Tressel was as a coach? Also, why this year’s quarterback play proves just how valuable Tressel was to the program.

- Who will fill out Urban Meyer’s staff? Luke Fickell is an obvious, but who beyond that do we know? Who do we expect?

- What role will Gene Smith play in the program going forward? Also, why Ramzy believes that the worst of NCAA sanctions are probably behind the school.

- Finally, what are realistic expectations of year one of the Meyer era? What is the ceiling of his potential?

Folks, this is the biggest story to hit college football in weeks, and there is no better insight to get than from the man who was part of the breaking of this story in Eleven Warriors' Ramzy Nazrallah. Few- if any- know more about the Ohio State program than Ramzy does, and he drops all kinds of knowledge here that you can’t find anywhere else.

Remember, you can listen to the podcast by clicking the green box above, or by downloading it straight from iTunes. You can also subscribe to the podcast by clicking here.

Also be sure to comment below with thoughts on the podcast, or e-mail in at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In addition, be sure to follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres, Facebook.com or by downloading the Aaron Torres Sports App for FREE for your iPhone or Androids.

And finally, for those who missed the big news on Wednesday, well, a major annoucement was made: Aaron Torres wrote his first book! Click here for details.

Until then…

It’s college football’s championship week, which can mean only one thing: It’s time to talk some football! And like last year at this time, I’ve decided to have a three-part, mega-podcast to commemorate the event.

Joining me on the phone this afternoon were three of college football’s brightest minds, ITB’s Michael Felder to talk the ACC Championship Game, CBS’ Adam Jacobi on the Big Ten and Barrett Sallee of the College Football News to talk the SEC title game. All are experts in their respective fields, and all have insight which I respect immensely.

(Note, because of the umm, one-sidedness of the Pac-12 title game, I decided to skip discussion on that. To all the Oregon or UCLA fans who may be disappointed, I’m sorry. If anything blame Rick Neuheisel).

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A lot of football was discussed on the podcast, including the following:

Michael’s Take On:

- Why Clemson has struggled the last few weeks, why Logan Thomas has blossomed, and why David Wilson very well could be the most underrated player in college football.

Adam’s Take On:

- An “Urban Revival” At Ohio State, why a key injury hampered Wisconsin in their first meeting with Michigan State, and why the Badgers might get revenge Saturday.

Even if it’s not No. 1 vs. No. 3 (thanks for stealing the spotlight Arkansas-LSU!) there is still no bigger game on the schedule than this weekend’s Iron Bowl, Alabama at Auburn. For the Crimson Tide, a potential trip to the National Championship Game is on the line, for the Tigers it’s about playing spoiler, and for the folks in Alabama, it’s about not having to hear friends and family run their mouths for the next 364 days if their team wins.

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That’s what’s at stake when these two teams get together on Saturday, and the man who joined me on the podcast to discuss the game is the guy behind WarBlogle.com one of the most popular Auburn blogs/websites on the ‘net.

Amongst the topics that were discussed in lieu of this weekend’s game include:

- The history of the Iron Bowl, and why as cliché as it is to say, “it’s about more than football”

- The struggles of Auburn’s offense this year, how much of it falls on quarterback Clint Moseley, how much of it falls on his receivers and offensive line, and how much actually falls on Gene Chizik?

- Is there a way to slow down Trent Richardson, and if so, does that give Auburn a chance to win the game?

- Is Gus Malzahn Auburn’s offensive coordinator next year, or is he a head coach? Is Ted Roof Auburn’s defensive coordinator next year, or is he fired?

- Some fun with Phil Lutzenkirchen and questioning whether or not Trooper Taylor actually coaches, or is simply on the sideline to wave towels.

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