Mark Ingram, FOX College Football Analyst

The Sultan of Sizzle. The Titan of Toastiness. The Kingpin of Kindling.

These are the admired ones. Those who've created the prime place to gather. They don't just have a backyard. They have the backyard because they know a Solo Stove Fire Pit is more than just the ultimate smokeless fire pit. It's a place where friendships are forged, football is revered, and food is enjoyed.

Solo Stove, the perfect flame for the big game. And now joining me is Mark Ingram and he's here today on behalf of the American Gaming Association. And I'm not going to lie to Mark, when it was announced that Reggie Bush wasn't coming back with Fox, I was like, man, that sucks. And then I watched the Fox pregame show and I'm like, I know Mark Ingram was a really good talker when he was playing. I remember interviewing him a few times when I was working at Sirius when you were with the Ravens. And you guys have a kick-ass show.

It's tough to kind of put a dent into game day. You guys are right there going at it, you two. Man, well, I really appreciate it, man. I just have an amazing crew around me, man. From the producers, man, to my crew on the set, man. The whole network, man, they welcome me with open arms and they encourage me to be myself.

And it was just the beginning for me, man. It was my first year and there's so much room for growth and improvement. And I'm excited to just be able to add value to the show, man. We're trying to be the best college football pregame show in the world, man.

So that's what we're striving for. Is the studio what you only want to do or do you eventually want to get into that booth and call some games? I did a broadcast boot camp and I had the opportunity to try a call game on radio, try a call game on TV. And I actually did enjoy it, man. I really enjoyed it.

And this is just a great starting point for me, man. I love the big noon. I love going to the college games.

I love the atmosphere of the fans. But we'll see where it takes me, man. I'm very interested to see where this career has for me, what it has in store for me.

I'm not counting anything out. I love doing big noon, man. I could do this for 20, 30 years, man. I love it. I love the big noon show.

But calling games definitely interested me and it challenged me, so I'm interested to see where this career path takes me. See, the studio show is a better lifestyle. Yes. Because you come on in the night before. You have a good dinner. Yes.

You know, maybe talk to a few coaches. You do the show. Yes. And then you're gone. Gone. Maybe go to the game if you want to.

Yes. But you go do the games. Trust me, it's not like you're digging ditches or anything like that. You've got to come in a few days before. You've got to do a lot more prep. It's a lot more prep.

It's a lot more particular work, for sure. And not only that, what always made you so good is that you're just a genuine person, talker. You're an entertainer.

Thank you. You do the broadcast. I think I'd be a little more buttoned up.

I think just having you sling it on a Saturday at big noon is awesome. I loved it, man. And they told me to be myself. They encouraged me to be myself.

And we go through the producers and we go through the show, what we're going to be talking about. I'm able to study the games that I'm going to be talking about so I can give great information to the audience through my eyes, through my experiences, being able to personalize it. And I'm also able to be present with my wife and my five children, man. So I couldn't think of a better position and a better job to be able to transition into.

It was truly an amazing blessing, man. I'm with a great network. Fox is a family atmosphere. My whole crew from Urban to Rob Stone to Brady to Matt Leiner.

We're all in jail, we're all different, but we all just have one goal in mind. That's to be the best college football pregame show in the world. And we have the support from Fox. We have the support from our producers. And, man, it literally was, I can't think of a better transition for me to be able to, you know, transition to coming right off the field, man.

It's a tremendous blessing and an honor, something I'm looking forward to and something I'm really excited about. Mark Iger, what was the best college atmosphere you had this year? Man, when we went to Colorado for, we went to Colorado for, it was Colorado versus Colorado State. It wasn't our game. Yeah, it wasn't our game.

That's what everyone was in in Colorado. But, man, we had Lil Wayne out there performing. And that was an honor. I got to interview him. Yeah, he's the best rapper alive.

I grew up on, you know, Mixtape Wayne, Lil Wayne, like Hot Boyz Wayne, you know what I mean? So that was an honor and a pleasure for me. Bronc was out there going crazy. We was partying. The whole atmosphere was just lit, man. And it was exciting, man. So I think that was the best show, the best atmosphere.

But, man, you talk about going to Ohio State, you talk about going to the big house for the game, Michigan, Ohio State. That was crazy. That was special. I was storming the field, had a few drinks, enjoying myself. Now, I like Michigan.

Seeing Urban on that sideline when the interception happened and everyone's running past Urban. Hey, good to see you, coach. Bye-bye.

Right, man. College football is amazing, man. And to be able to just experience, travel to these campuses, man, I would have did this anyway.

Traveling to campuses, going to see the games. I'm a football fan. So being able to do that for work, man, like, man, it's a true blessing, man. And I'm thankful. I don't take it for granted. And I'm trying to, like I said, man, it's just the beginning.

It was just a start for me. I plan on getting better. So much room for improvement, so much room for growth. Like, man, you guys are the best in the world at what you do, man, and I respect that. And I'm trying to be able to be the best version of myself, be the best at being a broadcaster. There's just some people that you know. I did a four-minute interview with you, working for Sirius after a game when you were playing with Baltimore.

And you could just tell right away if someone has it or they don't. Like, you could get better. But, man, after that four-minute interview, I go, he could retire tomorrow and do this broadcasting stuff. Thank you, man. I appreciate that.

It means a lot to me, for real. Talking to Mark Ingram. So, Alabama, Nick Saban. He just left, right? He retired because it's NIL Transfer Portal, right?

Heck no, man. He's 72 years old, man. But he's a young 72. Yeah, he is. But that's why he should retire, man.

Selfishly, I'm sick about it, and I've heard about it still, but the man's 72 years old. He has so much going for him in the business side, beyond football. His wife, Ms. Terry, he gets to spend time with her now.

His daughter, his kids, his grandkids. Like, he gets to spend time and live a normal life, and he deserves that, man. He's the best college football coach in the history of the game. Seven national championships, several Heisman winners, several All-Americans, several draft picks.

The impact that he's had on so many young men's lives, that they're better men, they're better in their work field, they're better husbands, they're better fathers from being under Coach Saban. He's poured so much time into others and making others great, it's time for him to enjoy himself, man. I love the way that you said it, and then a few answers earlier, you talked about how it still gives you time, the job, to interact with your family. A lot of times with these coaches, they're just so regimented, coach, coach, coach, coach, coach.

They retire when they're 80, and they've only got like five, six more years of living. It's like, you've changed so many lives. Sometimes you've just got to be selfish and focus on yourself and enjoy it. It's time for him to do it for himself. Ms. Terry has been there for him his whole time, man. That coach grind is different, man.

And he gets to spend more time with her and more time with his family, man. So, selfishly, I'm upset because we're losing the best coach in college football history. We've got a good one coming in, though.

Yes, yes. We have a great one coming in. And he's been a winner everywhere he's been, and he's done a great job weathering the storm with what has happened since he has taken the job. We're excited for him, and we know he's going to continue the standard of excellence at Alabama for us. So, we're excited for him. And, man, you talk about winning everywhere he went. I know Kalen DeBoer well, Mark Ingram here with us. When he was at Sioux Falls as a baseball player, he got like 500 or 600 on the baseball team, led the team in receiving yards, receptions, receiving touchdowns.

He was great there. Then Fresno had that one good season. We know what he's done at Washington. And it's, right, no one can replace Nick Saban. But I know a lot of people are going to be like, man, it's not Nick Saban this year. It's not Nick Saban this year. It doesn't have to be Nick Saban. He just needs to be the best version of Kalen DeBoer. And here's the best part. He's unflappable.

Yes. I don't think Alabama, there will be people that will doubt him. There's going to be people that are going to say, oh, man, he's not fit for the job. He's the same person every step of the way. And I think he could handle the onslaught of, man, it's not Nick Saban. Yeah. Man, but like you said, man, when you're a winner, that's in your DNA. You can see that that's interwoven in his DNA. This is a coach who was just in the national championship game.

What more could you ask for? At Washington. Yes, at Washington. Imagine what he does at Alabama. Imagine the resources and the backing he has in the SEC at Alabama with the Crimson Tide, man. He's just going to take off even more.

So I believe in him, and I'm excited for the future with him at the helm. How about Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram? I thought they were going to be Kansas City.

I thought they were going to be here. And I've been defending Lamar for years. The guy is still so young. He's won the two MVPs, but people go, what about the playoffs? And now I got nothing for people that say, what about the playoffs after this year? Listen, man, it's a team game.

You can't put it on one person. And, yes, what better, I wish he was playing in this game. And, yes, you do have to answer the questions about the playoff record. But he can get the job done. What he's able to do on the football field and the energy he brings to a football team is irreplaceable, man.

And the effect he has running the football, passing the football, his leadership, man, he is a true bonafide QB one, and he should be respected as such. And, unfortunately, football is a one-game elimination in the playoffs. If you have a bad game at the wrong time, you're going home. And the one thing is it's a team game, man. You can't just blame it on Lamar Jackson. And you know what it also was? They got too cute.

Yes. I felt like the same team that I had watched all season long was not the team I watched in the introduction game. And not only that, it's like I think the way that we talk about Lamar at a thrower got to them. You bring in Monk and he's going to throw the ball more.

I'm fine with that. Lamar's a better passer than what people give him credit for. But it almost felt like in that AFC Championship game they were saying, we're not going to run the ball and we're going to try to beat Kansas City in this different way, and you can't do that against the Chiefs. Listen. Run the damn ball. Be who you are.

Be who you are and who you were the whole season. And you think you hold the Chiefs to 17 points at home? You think you win that game.

Absolutely. They had so many. They had some inopportunistic turnovers. They had some bad penalties, personal foul penalties on defense, one on offense. You just can't hurt yourself against a patch from a home's Andy Reid Chiefs team, a team that is clicking at such a high level at the most important time of the season.

They beat themselves in that game and you think the defense did enough holding them to 17 points, but you think if you hold the Chiefs to 17 points in Baltimore at home that you win. No points in the second half. Come on. No points in the second half. Come on. No turnovers here or there, penalties here or there.

They just didn't make the plays they were supposed to when the game mattered the most. Tell me what you're doing today on behalf of American Gaming Association. So I'm with the American Gaming Association, and as we know, legalized sports betting has transformed consumer entertainment. I mean, AJ research shows that 63 million American adults will be gambling on this Super Bowl for a total of $23 billion. And so what I'm here to do is just encourage responsible betting. Know what you're betting.

Understand the lines. Understand the odds. Have your limit. Don't go over your limit and enjoy it. It should be an added form of entertainment.

It shouldn't be stressful. It shouldn't take away your enjoyment from the game with your family. So we're just here to encourage responsible betting and, man, may the odds forever be in your favor. You are part of the entertainment world now.

We know you're a great entertainer. What's your perspective on Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift? Listen, Travis is one of my good friends, man. I'm just happy for him. He looks happy. He genuinely looks happy. They both look happy. So, man, as a friend, as one of my longtime brothers, man, that we've been training together for many years, man, I wish the best for him, man.

He's a good dude. Wedding bells? I think we're getting wedding bells. I think they're getting engaged eventually. You think so? Not after the game. Not after the game. Trust me, no girl wants to get it proposed to, even if it's Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. They're the mega stars on the field after the game.

You got to do that somewhere private. Man, we'll see, man. I don't know. They look happy, though.

They do. I think there's genuine love there. So, I mean, Trav, I know him. He's a real dude, man.

So I don't think he'd be putting on a facade for nobody. You know what I mean? So, man, I wish the best for him.

If that's what it is, man, I wish the best for both of them. Well, hey, I appreciate it. Thanks so much, Mark Ingram. Great to see you in person once again. He's Mark Ingram on behalf of the American Gaming Association.

Yeah, we did. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. I would say goodbye and talk to you for a little bit, but I still got to be live for the next two to three minutes. It's all good, brother. It's all good, brother.

Hold it down. Yeah, you got it. Appreciate you having me on the show, man. And nice shades, too. Nice glasses. You got them Gucci's on. Yes, sir. Big trust.

Big in the flesh. Yes, sir. There he is. Mark Ingram joining us right here on CBS Sports Radio.

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