Audio - Aaron Torres Sports

Podcast: TideNation.com's Alex Scaroborough previews the 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:55:09 +0000

As we continue to roll out the off-season college football podcast series, it only seemed appropriate that at some point, we touched on the defending National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama has turned into a college football super-power under Nick Saban, and- as you probably heard- just finished their second title run in three years. The big question now is, what’s next for the elite program in the sport?

Well earlier this morning, Alex Scarborough of ESPN’s TideNation.com stopped to discuss just that. We touched on a number of subjects, including…

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- With late-breaking news that Alabama has picked up a commitment from one of the top high school quarterback prospects in the country, we start by discussing Nick Saban’s recruiting prowess, and why- beyond the wins- he’s so effective at getting the best players in the country to come play for him. It really does seem like at this point players aren’t picking Alabama, but instead Alabama is picking players, and Alex explains why that is.

- We discuss a little bit about the 2011 title run and what to expect heading into 2012. After the slightly disappointing 2010 season, does this group have a better understanding of what it takes to “defend” a title?

- Alex shares insight into new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, and why teh system won't change under Nussmeier, but some of the roles and responsibilities of players might.

- Alex discusses the running back position, and especially the role that true freshman T.J. Yeldon might play. After tearing up A-Day this spring, is he ready to take on a big role? Or was his performance simply an abberation?

Podcast: Former Tennessee Vol and current Carolina Panther Tauren Poole stops by the show

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:56:21 +0000

Of every college football player in recent memory, you could argue that none had a more tumultuous career for reasons outside his control, than former Tennessee Vol and recent Carolina Panthers signee Tauren Poole. From Phil Fulmer’s firing, to Lane Kiffin sneaking out the backdoor, straight through Derek Dooley’s orange pants, Poole saw it all, and late last week he joined me to discuss everything, including the NFL Draft process and much more.

Amongst the topics we discussed, included the following:

- The early part of the NFL Draft process, including going to the East-West Shrine Game and the NFL Combine. Tauren also tells the story of the most inappropriate question he heard from an NFL player personnel representative, a question that will quite literally shock you.

- How Tauren handled the NFL Draft knowing that he might get undrafted, and why he actually barely watched the draft at all.

- The fast and furious nature from the free agent signing period that landed Tauren in Carolina. Why he chose the Panthers, and why a familiar face on the Panthers coaching staff should help make the transition easy for him.

- Why Tauren is so excited to play for the up-and-coming Carolina Panthers, and why admittedly, he’s excited to play with Cam Newton. Tauren also shares what it was like watching Cam tear through the SEC in his junior year, and why even as a fellow player, he became a “fan” of Cam.

Podcast: USC spring football recap with ESPN LA's Pedro Moura

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:09:33 +0000

It’s another day, and time for the spring football podcast series to roll on. After discussing the Texas Longhorns with Orangebloods.com’s Taylor Gaspar on Tuesday, on Wednesday we were lucky enough to be joined by ESPNLA’s Pedro Moura to chat on the preseason No. 1 team in the country, the USC Trojans.

Pedro has been covering USC for years, and on Tuesday we discussed all things Trojans from Matt Barkley’s struggles, the evolving defense, home exercise programs and more, beginning with…

- The untimely passing of USC legend Junior Seau. Many current players knew him, and many paid tribute in their own unique ways. How is the ‘SC community reacting as a whole?

- On the field, what’s the attitude surrounding USC’s football program right now? The postseason ban has been lifted, but the expectations have risen. Is this group ready to handle the challenge?

- Year three of Monte Kiffin’s reign as defensive coordinator. The defense isn’t big, but it is athletic, and the question now becomes whether or not there is enough depth to hold up over a full season. Pedro believes so.

Podcast: Orangebloods.com's Taylor Gaspar shares insight on the 2012 Texas Longhorns

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:38:33 +0000

After a one-week “vacation hiatus” the Aaron Torres Sports college football podcast series is back, as we welcome Taylor Gaspar from the esteemed University of Texas media outlet Orangebloods.com to the show on Monday.

Orangebloods.com is the industry leader for all things Texas football, and on Monday, we discussed several pressing topics on the show, including the following:

- The role Orangebloods.com played in the realignment news of 2010 and 2011. What was it like to be in the eye of it all? What did Taylor learn as a young journalist, but also as a college football fan too? And most importantly, does the Big XII finally have some stable footing?

- What to make of Mack Brown’s refusal to name a starting quarterback coming out of the spring game? Does it mean anything, and is there any reason to believe that David Ash won’t be under center in Week 1?

- How, for the first time maybe ever, the Longhorns have real depth at running back. At the same time, why Mack Brown wants to see everyone stay healthy before he heaps too much praise on them.

- How Manny Diaz went from “little known defensive coordinator” to “rock star” over the course of last season, and why Taylor believes it’s only a matter of time before he ends up as a head coach at a major Division I program.

- What will Diaz’s second Texas defense look like, and why there’s enough talent for them to be just as good statistically as they were in 2011.

Podcast: Barrett Sallee returns to talk SEC East spring storylines

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:18:35 +0000

After visiting with the Bleacher Report’s Barrett Sallee last week to cover all things spring football in the West, Barrett was nice enough to join me again on Wednesday to discuss the East.

The East has plenty of storylines in its own right, and Barrett and I discussed them all. We started with John L. Smith’s hiring at Arkansas, before moving permanently to the East and chatting on:

- Georgia: What is going on in Athens? Why is everyone getting in trouble, and is it a sign of a “big picture” problem? More importantly, how has the depth been effected by all the suspensions?

- Moving to Florida, what should we make of the quarterback derby? Also, what do we need to know about Brent Pease’s new offense? Maybe most importantly, how will the defense hold up without Ronald Powell, who was lost to injury?

- At South Carolina, do enough people realize just how good Connor Shaw was last year? Will this defense be impacted by the departures of Melvin Ingram and Stephon Gilmore to the NFL?

- On Rocky Top Tennessee, is Tennessee mentally tough enough to hold strong? More importantly, would Derek Dooley even be on the hot-seat if the Vols hadn’t lost to Kentucky to close out last season?

- With Missouri moving to the SEC, are they ready for what’s ahead in the conference? And why Barrett thinks one early season game could make or break their season.

- Finally, we wrap up discussing Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Both are in tough spots, but who is best built to win in 2012?

Folks, spring is in the air, so what better what to turn your attention to college football, then a 50-minute, no-holds barred discussion of the SEC East? Remember too that if you missed last week’s discussion on the SEC West, you’re more than welcome to download that one too.

Remember, you can access this podcast a number of ways. Obviously you can listen here by clicking the green box above, or just go straight to iTunes to download the show for later listening. You can also subscribe to the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast, for updates every time a new episode goes up.

And finally, remember that Exclusiv Vodka is now an official sponsor of the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast. And as a thank you for listening, they want to give you a free bottle of their product.

To be entered all you’ve got to do is go to Exclusiv’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/ExclusivVodka. From there, be sure to “Like” their product, and then tag yourself with Exclusiv and the phrase “Aaron Torres Sports Podcast.” Do that, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free bottle.

Thanks again to Barrett, and thank you all for listening.

Until next time!

Podcast: Barrett Sallee stops by to break down the SEC West's Spring Storylines

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:24:59 +0000

With college hoops in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to now turn our attention to spring football, where a number of college football’s top teams have either just finished practice, or will wrap up this weekend.

Of course nowhere is the attention greater, the scrutiny tougher and the wins more plentiful than in the SEC, the home of seven straight championships. And on Tuesday, our old friend Barrett Sallee stopped by for the first of two SEC spring practice podcasts.

Barrett has a new job at the Bleacher Report, but the same passion for SEC football and on Tuesday we discussed the following:

- The fallout from the mess at Arkansas: Barrett’s initial thoughts, what’s next for Arkansas, and how much blame does AD Jeff Long have for bringing Bobby Petrino to Fayetteville in the first place?

- On the field, how does Arkansas recover? We know Tyler Wilson is great, but what about the offensive line and defense? Are they improved enough for Arkansas to be a real player next year?

- Moving to Alabama, is there a real possibility that Alabama can repeat? If not, is a 10-win season (like in 2010) the floor for a Nick Saban coached team?

Podcast: College Basketball Talk's Rob Dauster puts a bow on the 2012 season and looks ahead to 2013

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:23:03 +0000

It’s been 10 days since Kentucky was crowned the 2012 college basketball National Champions, and it’s time to put a bow on the season. And on Thursday, Rob Dauster of CollegeBasketballTalk.com joined me, to do just that.

Amongst the many topics Rob and I discussed included:

- Rob’s time in New Orleans for the Final Four. How was it? How did it rank compared to other Final Four’s, and most importantly, how is his body now holding up?

- The greatness of the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats, and how the image of the program and John Calipari changed with the title win. More importantly, if you’re a high school recruit, is there any good reason NOT to consider Kentucky at this point?

- The downfall of the 2012 UConn Huskies. Is this the end of an era for a proud basketball program? Can they continue to win when Jim Calhoun is gone?

- Looking at some of the players who’ve decided to go pro, who made the right decisions and who didn’t? Why draft position is more important than a player’s actual “readiness.”

- We say goodbye to some of our favorite players, including Kansas’ Thomas Robinson. Rob gives some insight into what makes him such a truly special player.

- And finally we conclude by discussing the two big-name high school players who made their college choices on Wednesday night. How good are Shabazz Muhammad and Nerlens Noel? And how will they impact the 2013 college basketball season.

Podcast: Former All-SEC safety Winston Guy discusses the upcoming NFL Draft

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:59:48 +0000

It was back to football on the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast this week, as former All-SEC safety, and NFL Draft hopeful Winston Guy joined the show.

Guy is projected as a mid-round pick, and on Wednesday he and I discussed the following topics:

- Kentucky’s win over Tennessee to close his career. What was it like? And was the celebration bigger in Lexington than it was for the college basketball championship on Monday night?

- Why Winston chose Kentucky in the first place, and what it was like to step on the field as a true freshman, on both defense and special teams.

- Winston’s preparation for the NFL Draft, and why injuries slowed him down, but didn’t stop him from competing at the NFL Combine.

- How Winston learned to drown out the critics, and start worrying about only what he could contro.

- What kind of player an NFL team will be getting with Winston, and why his biggest impact may come on special teams early.

Podcast: Kentucky Sports Radio's Drew Franklin Stops By To Talk Kentucky-Louisville

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:22:16 +0000

As crazy as it seems, we are now only mere days from one of the biggest games in recent college basketball memory. That’ll come Saturday night when the entire state of Kentucky fills the Superdome in New Orleans, LA for Kentucky vs. Louisville.

On Tuesday’s show I was lucky enough to be joined by Louisville native, radio host and writer Mark Ennis to discuss the Cardinals side of things, and today I am very happy to follow that up with my good friend Drew Franklin of KentuckySportsRadio.com giving the Kentucky perspective.

There aren’t many who have a more interesting, fun or unique perspective on this rivalry then Drew does, and on Tuesday night he stopped by to chat.

Our conversation included:

- Why Drew is nervous in the lead-in to the big game, and what the city of Louisville is like as they embrace for Saturday’s showdown.

- What was Drew’s reaction like when Louisville came back to beat Florida last Saturday? What was it like as a Kentucky fan knowing that the Cardinals were waiting in the Final Four?

- Drew’s first memories as a kid of Louisville-Kentucky, as well as Drew’s first run-in with Rick Pitino as a young kid.

- The differences between this year’s team and past John Calipari coached Kentucky teams and why Drew thinks this group is more focused than previous tournament teams.

- The developments of Darius Miller and Terrence Jones over the course of this season, and why it makes this team completely different from earlier in the year. Also, why Michael Kidd-Gilchrist makes this team as a whole more likeable to fans across the country.

Podcast: Mark Ennis Shares The Louisville Perspective on Saturday's Game With Kentucky

ATorres00@gmail.com (Aaron Torres) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:05:03 +0000

Regardless of how you feel about college basketball, it’s hard to deny that the appeal of Saturday’s Louisville-Kentucky game is immense. College basketball’s best rivalry will hit its biggest stage, with the pride of the entire state of Kentucky at stake.

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Joining the podcast on Monday to break down the game from the Louisville perspective is my buddy Mark Ennis. Mark lives in Louisville, hosts a radio show in that fine city and is the managing editor of the website BigEastCoastBias.com.

On Monday’s show, he and I discussed the Cardinals and Cats, with conversation on:

- What’s different between these Cardinals, and the ones who struggled through so much of the regular season?

- When Mark felt “the light bulb” went on, and Louisville turned the corner toward the Final Four.

- Just how down fans were on Rick Pitino this year, and how the last four weeks have been a testament to what a truly spectacular coach he is.

- Why, even though Louisville and Kentucky played in December, it’s impossible to gauge anything from that game. Was Louisville intimidated going into Rupp Arena?

- What Louisville needs to do to keep things close on Saturday night, and why if they can keep things within a possession or two, Mark thinks that might be enough to pull the upset.