EJ Manuel, ACC Network, recaps the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff

EJ Maxwell, ACC Network, ACC Huddle. You guys are going down the road this year.

Getting used to the travel life again. I remember, this is now 11 years ago, you and I were just talking about this. The last time we spoke in this setting, you were a player. And I thought, man, is that a defensive end or is that a quarterback sitting down next to us? But there's a lot of hype around the quarterback position in this league. You've got a Heisman Trophy candidate in Drake May.

And a lot of others who, who knows how things work out. We never know who the Heisman Trophy guys are going into the season. Listen, I just want to talk about that position for a second. Your thoughts on everything that is kind of behind Drake going into this season because this is a machine.

Yeah, so Drake and down. I think you start with Jordan Travis at Florida State first. In my opinion, he has probably improved the most out of all the quarterbacks in this conference just from when he first became the starter to where he is now.

Going through the good and the bad. And I say the bad because as a quarterback, you have to mature, and it's not just about the physical throwing the ball and timing and calling out plays. But also emotionally and mentally How do you kind of keep yourself, you know, next snap in palette mentality if you throw a pick you come right back and get a touchdown you help your team, staying in the ballgame so I feel like that's where he is now which makes him dangerous for his, his team what he. After that, you know, you look at Tyler Van Dyke in Miami. I think he's going to have a great season this year one because his offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, coming home from Houston I think that's a huge advantage for Tyler Van Dyke play calling should have his skill set, and last year I don't think he had that using the run to kind of mix up some play action passes, allow Tyler to get his confidence back, and once that confidence is there.

Watch out, because we saw what he did in 2020. Right. And I think he's still that player if not much better than that player. A few years ago. Brandon Armstrong he's reuniting with Robert and I, yeah, go Jacobics with Frank signetti Emmett Moorhead I've seen him walking around here he's huge he's a big kid you got young K club, K club, excuse me, K club Nick.

Yeah, it's hard to say I said that three times twice or three times. I'm the new coordinator with Riley coach Riley coming on from TCU so I could keep going man. This has always really been a strong lead at the quarterback position I think it's just a matter of these teams, winning, you know they're out of conference games. That's where these quarterbacks really set the stage for themselves in the platform and even Mitch Griffiths I was in the gym this morning, doing the peloton which I love to do mission they're doing a shoulder shop, and, you know, bands all that kind of stuff, but still getting to work in like not taking a day off. And that's what you have to do with that position because it's not just about actually physically being ready to play it's also about sending a message to your teammates and they watch that stuff.

EJ manual from ACC network is joining us you look like you, you might be able to still play a little bit probably good. I think the knees I've had three knee surgery since heavy really yeah I told my mom. So it's funny you say that people don't even realize, I told my meniscus, the second preseason game, my rookie year we play in Minnesota, and I got surgery and I was playing two and a half weeks later which is thinking back on like kind of nuts situation, your first round pick.

You would have thought that I know we can talk about it another time over some other drinks. I was back playing two and a half weeks after that so honestly, and then I've had a few more since so I probably could still play and, but mentally, you know, I'm here and I'm enjoying this and in fact the last time I was on the team was the season with them going in my seventh season. And I also took an audition with ACC network that same offseason so I created two opportunities yourself and so coach read just like I'm sitting here with you like, go do TVs like why. I was like one of the things longevity wise is best for me and my family and the lifestyle I want to have at the time it would have been nice to get this right ring, but nonetheless I'm happy doing what I'm doing I felt I'm getting better at every time Oh, you guys are you guys are very slick very polished.

Let me ask him a little bit specifically about Drake. You were a college star and there's a lot of hype and you played it at a program that was expected to do great things. This is a team that could do great things if a lot of things go right but it all starts with him. So, year one was a big splash.

I think they kind of waned a little bit, the end of the season and his performance kind of dropped off a little bit, not blaming everybody. So what is his mission this year where does he need to improve. Well first we have to remember that Drake was a freshman here, right. We are so consumed with expecting these young quarterbacks to be Trevor Lawrence and Sean right change you know me but that's such a rarity and that's kind of the same air that Drake is that I mean, the season that he had last year if he can do. I would even say a quarter of that, or three quarters of that they're still going to win a lot of football games I think the defense has to help him out and take some pressure off of him. So he's not throwing a ball.

I think for him. It's a matter of just continue to trust what he sees, take care of his body because there were a few times where you saw that youth in the sense of taking off and running, getting tossed in the air potentially hurting himself because Carolina needs him on the field. Yes, and as a quarterback I had to learn this too and especially as an athletic quarterback in high school, you can take off and run run guys over get to the sideline you'll bounce right up your young you don't bother too much, but in college you got a 14 game season potentially. And your best availability is to be on the football field so that's the area that I think for him mentally to know when to get down when to get out of bounds when to throw it away and not take those unnecessary hits. I just feel like that man I just feel like we haven't even seen the best of this young man, just the really possessed that he shows you reminds me a lot of Justin Herbert similar body style he's long kind of guy who's about to make $55 million. But he really looks like him when he was at Oregon I mean just a kid, kind of like a real just happy go lucky in a way and very respectful so I'm excited for Drake man I do think he's one of the premier quarterbacks, not just in this conference but in all the He'll certainly be a top pick when it's time to go to the gym. You also just described a young EJ menu.

Thank you. So, let me ask you about, and I asked this of Davos Sweeney earlier and I'm just curious your thoughts. There's a perception of ACC football, and we know Florida State is coming back, right, we don't know where they are on that timeline. It was a great year last year but last year is that, and now we have a new year. The perception of ACC football is that it ain't good. That's just, that's what the national media thinks. How does that change. Other than Clemson or Florida State puts themselves in the playoffs. Well it's simple changes at the beginning of the season changes by Florida State beating LSU changes by North Carolina beating South Carolina. It changed by Duke and Clemson game week one being competitive, a great platform it's ABC so you just don't want to lose. Now if Clemson goes out there and blows them out as vice versa, whatever. It is what it is but I'm just as a football player and now as an analyst covering this stuff. I understand that the competitive games get the most traction. And so if you look at other conferences in the SEC, the big 10, you know, those teams are better but I don't really I really don't think they are, I think it's just a matter of, in the past, our teams and ACC will go out and play somebody in the conference and just will lay an egg and not play good for ya.

And so I think it's really a matter of capturing those moments. And as far as these media rights deals and money and all this kind of stuff they've been floating around there because I do radio as well and that's what we talk about a bunch that will change and ACC just plays consistent good football. So you need Miami to be good. You need Florida State to be good Clemson we know will be good you need Carolina to be good you need NC State to be good you need these pit you need pit to be good, you need the the blue blood big name teams in this conference to be good. And the thing is Wake Forest is probably the most consistent out of all the teams, but they don't get the national love that they should. I mean we had coach colossal on the desk with us earlier, probably does the best job of developing players that don't come in, come out as four or five star guys, but they end up being NFL players when it's all said and done once they leave Wake Forest on top of having a degree so I think this is the best conference in college football and I hope this year that the teams that we have the quarterbacks that we have they get the respect they deserve but they also got to earn that respect by playing football. Yeah, you got to win I know everybody talked about ACC places great non conference schedule for my money, you shouldn't just go win games because people don't really care in the in the grand scheme of things they don't ask in college football they don't really ask who you play, they ask what was your record. Right. So, and I know you probably talked about that but in your radio travels let me get your thoughts before you say goodbye to you.

EJ manual from ACC network and Sirius XM, the NIL game, or the. And I know, nationally there's this clamor for congressional intervention. My feeling is, we don't need any rules. The players should get as much money as they can, from however they can get it, and let's work. Why, why care because they're going to get it anyway, right, because they were getting money in and I'm not, I'm not trying to ask you any personal questions, unless you want to offer.

But I know where you're going, they're getting money anyway they were before NIL was a thing. So why are we even wasting our time and energy trying to stop it because the money is going to get there. I'm so like minded in this, and I even asked a question last night at dinner, we went out and I was thinking like why don't the lawyers of the Congress whoever just try to go in the lane of trying to help the players let's just figure it out. The last bill, you know what I mean that has been floated is all about helping. I think the more that we can do that the better for this sport because look at the end of the day, we're not talking about media rights deals in the millions of dollars we're talking about billions of dollars so you can't tell me that these players don't deserve something, I understand that these are still student athletes they're getting a, you know, the college degrees paid for and things like that have a ton of support around them, but you're right I think with NIL with transfer portal, it is pretty wild, but I agree I don't think there's going to necessarily be rules, I just think when it comes to tampering and all that kind of stuff.

It is what it is, I do think that obviously has to stop but I mean to a certain extent you can't really patrol that. The fact of the matter is the players do deserve something because the thing is, all these guys will make it to the NFL. That's the dream of everyone everyone expects to be a first round second round pick all that kind of stuff. If you can make some real money, six figures whatever it is, while you're in college, and then try to parlay that into something else at least it gives you a head start right a lot of people have to remember to as a college player you don't get a chance to take an internship or go out and get a job while you're in school because you're doing school you're doing football you have no time throughout the day. And so I didn't feel like I was treated any different from when I was a Florida State football player to when I went to the NFL the only difference was I didn't have to go to class, you know, I mean the schedule is the same way of Florida State, I'm just kidding. Trust me, Jimbo make sure we went to class he wanted us to graduate, and my parents do they were playing around, but no, and all serious and I think the more that we can help the players. You know, I understand that they think they're young and all that but they're not that young, and if they are young, teach them, help me figure it out, and we'll figure this out so we can all enjoy the college football game, and everybody's gonna make money and we'll be fine. I hope to talk to you during the season I appreciate it.

EJ manual ACC network Sirius XM former first round pick and Florida State star, and not a defensive end quarterback can still play. Thanks. Bill Swift here for new flex superglue. What's truly amazing is that our flex superglue is so strong that just one drop virtually welds itself to the surface and can lift over three tons, forget those old superglues, get the one that's new flex superglue go to flex seal products.com forward slash three ton lift to learn more about how one drop lifted three times for demonstration purposes only.