Michael Felder, College Football Analyst; Drake Maye, North Carolina Quarterback

That is Mike Felder. I am Adam Gold.

We're back here at ACC Football Kickoff. Sometimes Mike's in a studio in his house, and sometimes I'm in a studio, but we're all here. And isn't that great? He is also the best maker of pizza, I think, in the entire state of North Carolina. You can work a pizza machine, my man. Listen, you gotta find what you like and make it yours. That's what I do. I figured out a pizza that makes my family happy, obviously made you guys happy as well, so we're good to go.

I enjoyed the evening last night. Normally we talk about some issues. Let's start with talking about actual football. I talked to EJ Manuel, and EJ made a...we ran down the list of quarterbacks in the league, and I know you're a defensive back by trade. We'll get to defense in a second.

But quarterbacks drive...if you don't have a good quarterback, it's impossible to win in college football. We went down the list of quarterbacks in the league, after Drake May, who I think we agree is the best quarterback in the league. Who's next? I asked you this question yesterday.

See, now you're doing your tournament. And you know what? We didn't talk about the guy who I think is next. The thing for me, I think it depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for future potential, K Clubnick is your guy. But if you're looking for right now, Jordan Travis probably needs to be your guy, especially when he plays on a team that might be able to win the ACC. Then we've got Riley Leonard, who's very good. He's very good.

I talked to Roddy Jones. Roddy said he might be a top...he's a top three round pick. Yeah, and he's... He's day one, day two NFL draft pick. He's got at least another year at Duke left, too.

So that's the reality there. Mitch Griffiths, super experienced. Even though I know Sam Harmon was the starter, but he's been in that system long enough to be a real problem. He's been there for four years. Really?

Yeah. I told you yesterday, I don't even pay attention to what anybody's roster is. And neither do I. Oh yes, you do. I do, but it's taken me a long time to kind of grow out of what I was. I was super rigid before. Okay. But with the portal now, you just got to go with the flow.

I have a really hard time going with the flow. Right, yeah. I have to because I'll drive myself crazy trying to figure out who plays at Colorado. I don't know. What conference is Colorado playing? Big 12 soon. Yeah. We'll see. Starting in 24, next year.

But it's literally one of those things where I just...I can't stress myself out like that. I spend more time watching, doing deeper dives on guys and spent this week looking at Travis, May, and Klubnick. Hardest thing with Klubnick though, he hasn't played a lot of football.

Right. And I'm tired of watching him throw screens and I don't want to watch him in garbage time. So it's really hard to find like real throws from him, but the potential, you can see the potentials.

That's been really interesting. I think Jordan Travis is a special player. He has the opportunity to be really, really good. Like this is a guy that can, he can throw the ball. Like that's the one thing that kind of makes me mad when you watch like cut ups of him. People have, so many people have cut ups of him running, which is fantastic. He's a very good runner, but he can throw the football. And what I've been trying to pull are like little, draw like little, pull inklings out of what he's going to get better at.

What he's going to do next. And Drake May, people keep asking me about Drake May compared to Sam Howell because Sam Howell broke every record in the book. He did. Drake May is a better football player. He's taller, obviously. You can see that just from stature wise. Short squat Sam Howell versus Howell, kind of long. Yeah.

Drake May. But the big thing that I've noticed in watching him, and I've been watching him a lot, is he throws the ball in the middle of the field. And that's something you have to do to be successful in the NFL, something that we saw Bryce Young do very well.

Obviously now we're in Charlotte, so he's started for the Carolina Panthers. So we saw CJ Stroud do pretty well. You have to be able to throw the ball in the middle of the field, and that's something Sam Howell didn't really do well.

Sam Howell worked on the edges on one. Right. He threw a good deep ball too, Sam. Good deep ball, but that deep ball was also to the edge.

Yes. Drake May is throwing good deep balls to the interior. Drake May, I mean, listen, if I was advising him, I would say, you got to make sure you're not throwing, don't, don't. You got, you can't throw hospital balls.

Don't kill you. Don't kill your receivers. But, but he does a really good job of he, the thing I like about him though, he throws what would be hospital balls, but he puts them low and he gets his guys on the ground.

And I think that's really, I mean, that's quarterback that cares honestly. And it's also, it takes real skill to do that, to throw a guy into what you know is going to, what could be a collision. If you put that ball up, his ribs are going to get eaten up.

Yeah. But you put that ball low, you get them down. He can catch it, roll, minimal impact. So I really like Drake May. I think that he definitely has an opportunity to be a top five pick. It's just about what this year looks like. And UNC, you know, you got to surround him with some talent. So this is going to be an interesting year. Yeah. North Carolina, no Josh Downs, right? So year two.

And I know Portal and all of that. I think they're going to, they should be good at running back. Whether or not they have a good running game depends on whether or not their offensive line is as good as it needs to be. Mike Felder, stadium, what, ACC, nah, everywhere. You're going to be doing some pro football too. So during the season, we'll talk more pro football.

Sure. But your thoughts- Lise is going to kill me, by the way. Eh, she'll be fine. Two days in a row of football, she's going to lose her mind. But honey, I'm working. Hopefully, I hope the season lasts. I hope the pool stays open long enough for that on Saturday.

She can go to the pool. Hey, look, it could be worse. You could cover hockey also and be busy four nights a week. There you go. There you go. The ACC has a perception of being right now, and for the last several years, a one-man band with Clemson. And what we know from, let's just say, basketball, if Duke and Carolina aren't great, then it doesn't make a difference who else is good. The league's perception is down. So Clemson, the last two years, hasn't been great. ACC football is trash because Clemson is not great, and yet they still win the league last year going 8-0. So what does it take for the ACC to change a national perception of who they are, what they are as a football league? I think there's two things. One, and I'll say this.

I mean, we heard Commissioner Phillips speak, was it Tuesday? Yeah. Man, you got to stop saying second place.

We have the second most, second most, second most, second most. Exactly. And I was like, man, I know in theory, it sounds like, Steve, we're almost, but it sounds like we're almost as good, and that's not what you need. You don't need almost as good. You just say we're good. Yes. And I think you just list the numbers and say, what other conference can say this?

Maybe one or something like that. Or just compare yourself to the Big Ten and not reference the ACC. Or not reference them, right. Right. You just got to find a different way to say it. I think it's all about phrasing and messaging. Messaging. You asked the word I'm looking for.

You got to find a way to send the proper message. And so it's going to be interesting to see, like, what does it take for these? I think Florida State being good is important. And they could be good this year. Right. But I think Florida State being good is important because remember, like, growing up, Florida State, they were a nightmare. Florida State and the eight dwarfs, that's not even right. Yeah.

Yeah. Florida State was the team. They were a nightmare. And then you bring in Miami, and you think Miami's going to come in and really... The reason they put the ACC Championship game in? Florida to begin with.

I went to the first one in Jacksonville. Yeah. Was it Wake Forest?

No. It was actually, it was Florida State and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech. And Virginia Tech won it, I believe. Virginia Tech. That's the thing.

So we've got, in reality, over the course of my lifetime, the way that I'm at 30, I'm almost 40. So here's what I'm looking at. Florida State was a powerhouse. Miami was a powerhouse. Virginia Tech was a powerhouse.

Yes. Right now, we got one powerhouse. That's Clemson. Those other three need to step up.

But that's the difference. Right now, you look at the SEC. We're looking at LSU, Alabama, Georgia. For sure. Right. For sure.

And then maybe we'll see what Florida does, or maybe we'll see what Tennessee does with Joe Milton. Right. So I think that you've got to have more than one. That's the most important part. Nobody cares.

You kind of referenced it. Nobody cares about what the middle of your league was. Nobody's checking for the middle of your league. Everybody's checking for the top. If you can get more teams at the top, that's when people think you're good.

And that's what they have to do. If you think about it, who are the really good football teams, not programs, but good football teams in the Big Ten? It's Ohio State. It's Michigan. It's Penn State. That's it. And we're done.

Right? Wisconsin has had the greatest pass of all time being in the West where nobody's really good or when Iowa has their years. Iowa goes 14-0. But ultimately, there's three good ones in the Big Ten. But the perception... Oh, man, it's great. Great league. Great league. Great league. It's really just a couple or maybe three great teams, and they're just okay everywhere else.

And that is what the ACC needs to be. They haven't had that second or third team. So if you have your football brands being great, then you could have a North Carolina or an NC State or a Wake or a Duke be good. And now all of a sudden, oh, man, you don't want to play them.

You don't want to play them. Let me ask you about Clemson, Duke in the opener for those two schools. Week one's always a little goofy, and we're so far away from it. But... We ain't that far.

Well, that's true. Labor Day is not that far away. We're about, what is it, five weeks from Monday?

Five weeks from Monday is that game. Yeah. I'm telling you. We talked about it yesterday.

But, man, between the portal, trying to get all my stuff ready for the season, kids start school. Yeah. I'm tired.

You need a vacation already? Man, I'm gonna get it right. Like, I'm ready. I'm ready to show up everywhere. Like, this is gonna be fun. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm looking forward to it. I'm really looking forward to the season. I really like that possibility that Florida State might step up is really cool. Duke just gave Mike Elko all that money. I don't know if they're gonna win nine games. No, they could be the best five and seven team in the history of football.

But they believe in him. The schedule's crazy. And they got Riley Leonard, as we mentioned before. UNC.

I still don't know what to expect out on the edge. Right. You were there. This is my perception of North Carolina. And as good as Mac Brown has done it, he has raised the profile and the image of the football program.

I think he's done a great job. I'm not knocking anything. When the lights have come on, they have not shown up. Oh, for sure. In any of those games, they have not shown up.

Hang on, let me see what it is. They close with their two toughest games. If South Carolina's not on that list anyway, they close with Clemson and NC State. Actually Duke before Clemson and NC State, and that's gonna be a hard game too. Yeah. That was a hard game. So we're talking about three hard games there.

That's at the back end. What about the first two? Yep. South Carolina and App State.

And App State. That's not an easy... That's not... And Minnesota too. Yeah. Minnesota. They... Is Tina Morgan still there? I don't know. Is Dave Winfield?

I think Dave Winfield might still be at Minnesota. No, but South Carolina is gonna be interesting. We get to see if we're gonna see a little bounce back or that... The back half of the year for Spencer Radcliffe looked a lot better than the first half. So we get to see that. But then App State, I mean, they got Nate Noel.

That dude is an absolute monster. And I know they lost Cameron Peeples, but I like Nate Noel. So we'll see. Like, you gotta beat App State. Like that's not... Those are two tough outs and then you got Minnesota, as you mentioned, you got Pitt. Pitt is not a... I think Pitt's good. I think Pitt's one of those middle of the pack teams that could be...

They could be any of the teams any day. No question about it. All right.

Let me get... Let me let Mike Feld to get out of here. I appreciate the hospitality last night. No problem, man. That was tremendous.

I can't get into anything. But you are the man. I'll be talking to you during the season. Yeah. Sounds good.

Can't wait to do it, man. Let's go. I am Adam Gold sitting here at ACC Football Kickoff and next to me, Drake May polishing off the best part of a brown sugar and cinnamon Pop-Tart. There it is. You thought this was just radio. I thought it was.

They caught you on camera. How's your off season gone? Do you have an off season? Yeah. I mean, I think about college football, it's really 24-7, you know, you get done.

We had our... You need a glass of milk? Yeah, exactly. We get done in December and that first workout's about January 5th or 6th when the first day of class starts. So there's really no off time. I think that's what's great about college football. You do all that work, put all that work for, you know, 12, 13, 14 games and that's what... Them games matter. You got to bring it every week and college football, you know, nowadays transport NIL and all that stuff.

It's coming crazy. So just trying to enjoy it and sit back and realize the game football is the one we love and just kind of enjoy our time in college is just 20 and 19 year olds. This is fun being here with the guys.

It's awesome. Isn't that the most important thing? I mean, look, you have a lot of things that you want to get out of this whole experience, right? You want to set yourself up for whatever comes next and the pole cliche playing on Sunday stuff, but I keep hearing, and I lived it, being in college is the best time of your life. Oh yeah.

No doubt. So how do you balance all of you? You got to have fun. You got to be responsible, having fun, especially with everybody. Everybody's a reporter now with phones on their cameras. How do you balance all that?

I think that's a great question. I think that's what makes it tough, you know, especially social media nowadays, just as a college football player, you can't have that same life everybody's living. You got to...

It's different. What you're doing is your craft, winning games and just surround yourself with people. I think that's the best thing about North Carolina, the guys and teammates and coaches surround myself with guys that are working towards the same goal and care about the same things that I do. You know, football and my faith and just having great relationships and friends for life.

Drake May is joining us here. It's a shame that there's no lineage with your family. I know. And the University of North Carolina.

It was my first time on campus when I moved in. You get pressure from dad or Luke? No, I wouldn't say it's pressure.

I think it's just support at the end of the day. I think, you know, winning is always something that we strive for in the May family. We just hate losing. You know, losing this, that feeling of keeping score and knowing you didn't come out on top is a bad feeling.

So I wouldn't say it's pressure. I think it's just support and advice and two people who have lived through it and just trying to find ways to take pieces of their life and their careers and get into mine and just enjoy, enjoy, you know, the experience that they've had and share their time. How did you deal with the, the way the season ended for you? Yeah, I think, you know, anytime you end out with four losses in a row is tough and you don't obviously don't want that, but I think you learn from it. That's about one thing you can do, learn from it and have it motivate you for the rest. Because at the end of the day, you got to have a new, another crack at it this upcoming season and a start off on a good note. And just remember, you know, you got to bring it every week in college football.

Drake May is joining us here at ACC football kickoff. So what did you learn? What got more difficult for you over the, over that stretch? What, what change did, uh, did other teams play you differently?

What, what did you get tired? I mean, what was your first full season? Um, I think I was, you know, God willing, I was healthy. Um, you know, I think thankful, you know, for the blessing of being healthy all last season.

I wasn't banged up, uh, ran a good big, got hit a little bit still, um, you know, managed to get out there every week. Uh, I think, you know, they started making me drop eight a little bit. They, they, they'd, uh, make me be patient, um, and just take the check down. Then sometimes I try to force it into windows that I sort of just checked it down and also they, they bring eight and the next play they bring, bring all, bring all of them.

So they, they, they bring cover zero. So just that, that balance of making me be patient and heat me up, how many times you're getting heat up as a quarterback, getting hit on the ground, uh, you're going to, you know, start off the game. Just finding ways to, you know, see how they play me and, uh, just, just take the defense gives me, you said that you, uh, you ran and you did, you re you ran a fair amount. You try to, uh, one up Sam hell, no, no, I'm saying that last year, especially that man watching on the sideline, Sam how was, um, you know, the short covering of Adrian Peterson back in the day, he was toting that thing, breaking tackles. I think at one point on PFF, he was like the highest rated rusher, um, in college football is last year. He was, he was unbelievable and ran out a couple of hundred yard games. So, uh, just seeing his mentality, that's the one that I took from his mentality running football was awesome. Uh, he wouldn't take no crap.

Um, he wasn't going down without getting hit with a couple of guys. There's he was almost like Javante Williams, uh, maybe the other year, cause somebody like yards after contact, I know I only have a couple more minutes with you, but you mentioned with NIL and the portal and what was, we were talking about it in a different context. So how was it for you to negotiate all that stuff? I'm sure that there were, I don't know, dozens of schools that may have somehow reached out and like, we want you, but how did you negotiate just going through all of that, wade through it? No, I think, um, you know, especially right after the AC championship game, um, that's really when the start of the buzz and the rumors started of, uh, you know, other teams kind of interested in me and, you know, I should go play at a bigger school.

Um, it really heated up kind of when the portal closed at the end of December. Um, and then I really didn't close to January, but, uh, at the end of the day, I never really on my mind, you know, all the rumors about the money, um, that's not who I am chasing money. Uh, I really just want to sit here, um, sit there in Carolina, North Carolina, my dream school. Um, you know, I wouldn't pass up even starting quarterback for my dream school any day, if you ask me. So I think, yeah, there was the rumors stirred up, but at the end of the day, it was never really in the question of me leaving Chapel Hill.

That place is special to me, especially my family. I think having another year there, um, I just can't wait for it. There's I don't know if you noticed, but there's some hype going into going into the season. So what's it like for a kid who, you know, obviously you grew up dreaming about playing here, but what's it like for you to hear Heisman, uh, you know, in terms of, uh, what is expected of you this year? Yeah.

I think just take that with, you know, a grain of salt. Um, you know, that stuff, they all come with, you know, team accolades. I think all the personal accolades come with games. So you got to win games. Um, I think all those goals, um, I was player of the year last year, um, and that's, you know, a blessing. And, um, but at the end of the year, ACE championships, what we want, what I want and what we're striving for, I'm working hard in the off season.

So, uh, that stuff, all the personal stuff comes with it and, uh, you know, those happened to come my way. Uh, I dang sure wouldn't be, you won't be, wouldn't be mad or sad about it, but, uh, no, I'm just looking forward to try and win games. I'm sure you have a bunch of, uh, friends who went to the university of South Carolina. Good luck against the Gamecocks coming up. What in about a month? Yeah. About a month right here in Charlotte. Appreciate it.