Leroy Hoard, Former Michigan Wolverines Running Back

Leroy, how you been? What's up, Zach? What's going on?

Well, I'm doing great. Happy Thanksgiving, first and foremost. Kind of take me through the behind the scenes tomorrow in your household on what it looks like in Thanksgiving. Well, one, I'm not cooking this year because we decided to go over somebody else's house.

But there's a plan. See, I hate going over other people. See, I don't mind cooking Thanksgiving food. You know why? I like it. Right? So as a person who loves to eat, you playing Russian roulette going over about other folks' houses.

Yeah, I don't like that. Hoping you're going to enjoy what they cook. So I have a couple of contingency plans. One, I'm bringing over some seafood quiche with a little crab and shrimp and whatnot.

A little spicy. And then I'm going to bring some I have learned a long time ago, if I'm going to somebody's house, do not expect them to have sweet potato pie. That is a friendship ender.

There's only been one year that I didn't have sweet potato pie in my life. I was hoodwinked and I'm no longer friends with that person, but that's okay. Good. But Thanksgiving is sacred in my family to go over to someone else's house and run the risk of having bad food.

Because you're a talk show host now and you know me as well, we are usually very honest and very opinionated. And that's always an awkward spot where you go to someone's house and the food isn't good because you don't want to offend them. But then I feel like I owe it to them to tell them their food sucks.

No, here's what happens with me, right? Somebody will cook something, and then they'll hover. Like, my opinion... Like, let me enjoy it. My opinion, they're waiting for, but, you know, and so now I feel obligated to, you know, oh, it's nice, it's nice, but here's the kicker.

When I do that, then they gotta tell me the origin of each item. And I don't wanna hear the explanation behind the key lime pie or whatever. I just wanna get my eat on. I'm with ya.

I'm 100% with ya. Now, in my family, we got rid of the turkey years ago. Because turkey, it's overrated, overrated.

It's not overrated, my man. Yes, it is. Okay, and so here it is, you're from up north. So you fry the turkey is what you're gonna say. Yes, sir. That's the only way that you could serve turkey, in my opinion, at Thanksgivings, if you fry it.

Or, because again, you're up north, so you don't fully understand. Cajun? Nope, I spatchcock it.

You know what that is? Explain. You split it, you season it, you brine it, but then you split it and lay it flat and put it on your grill. Okay, but you will agree, if turkey was so great, we would have it more than once a year the way that we eat it on Thanksgiving. I think it's overrated. You think turkey's overrated? We do lasagna, that's the featured dish in our household.

Yeah, come on. Leroy, if you do Thanksgiving with me, if you do Thanksgiving with me, and you have the Gelb lasagna, you will thank me. Because anyone that ever criticizes my approach on Thanksgiving, I always say, try the lasagna. Once they try the lasagna, they go, okay, I can see why you do it this way. And I get a lot of DMs on Thanksgiving of people saying, wow, your family does Thanksgiving right. Like, I am the voice for the voiceless because I say the things that people don't want to say, and that's that turkey's not that good. I got to tell you, man, listen. I probably would enjoy your lasagna, but where I'm from, that's called Tuesday. Right? Not a Bob Gelb lasagna.

My father, he's got sausage in the lasagna, pepperoni on top of the lasagna. That's all you need, my friend. That's all you need. Well, guess what? I'm from New Orleans. We still call that Tuesday. Right?

Leroy Hoard here with us on the Zach Gelb show. So you know me, I want to see Michigan win. All throughout the year, I felt very confident about this game. Now with the game being here and the uncertainty with the both of the running backs, obviously led by Blake Corman, just not knowing where they're going to be health wise, I'm a little bit concerned on this game.

So am I, so am I. But you know, I've been pleasantly surprised by their defense, the way they've been able to shut some teams down. So from that standpoint, there's a chance Ohio State hasn't been, you know, a barn burner this year, but they have dominated. I'm worried about those running backs, man, because that's where Michigan starts and finishes with that run. You know, and I'm a little bit nervous about that. But at the same time, I mean, are you confident that Ohio State can just run away with it?

Because I'm not. Although, I mean, for the last five or 10 years, I've never seen so many wide receivers come through and through a program. The only other team I could think of is Alabama. And I don't even think CJ Strad who could win the Heisman. I don't think he's even been playing that great this year. There's been some times where I go, okay, he's just been good. He's gonna need a great game to win if Michigan can dominate the trenches, which they have the team that they could do that. But like the quorum injury, you'll know early how bad it is and if he's gonna be able to go throughout the entire game. Absolutely, because when he came back the second half, you could tell after one carry, nope, he's done.

But I would, you know, I'd take it even a step further. Like it's not a matter of whether, you know, I think Ohio State can do all these things, but Michigan has managed to do it without any quarterback play, right? Because without quorum, then you're relying on J.J. McCarthy and I gotta tell you, he ain't the same guy I saw last year that we couldn't wait for him to get more opportunities. And I don't know why that is, because right now he couldn't hit water from a boat.

And I don't know why, I can't explain it, but it's frustrating because I thought that this was gonna take, you know, take us to that next level. You look at Ohio State, they've been throwing away quarterbacks for the last 10 years. They got rid of a Heisman Trophy winner.

So like, we can't get one of those guys. So I think if I have any concern, it would be that J.J. McCarthy is gonna be forced to make plays. I don't know how confident I would be if I'm a Michigan fan, is he gonna be capable of doing it? Well, let me ask you this, because all throughout the year, they haven't asked him to really step up and throw the football 40 something times a game and go to a 350 yard performance. You know, I wonder if when you're playing the role of that game manager, like the thought is, okay, you just don't gotta mess it up. Now he hasn't excelled the way that I would think, but I wonder if they say, okay, now let it rip.

We need you to win the game. How he would respond to that? Of course, that they don't. I don't know, man. A game manager in college, right? Think about what you're saying.

Like if you're a game manager in college, then they got questions about you. Yeah. Because they're finally flinging it. But their formula this year has been to run, run, run, run. They'd be stupid to cut any of Coram Carey's to throw the football more. Yeah, I mean, I get what you're saying, but I just think if you're calling a guy a manager of the game in college, that usually means that people have doubts on their abilities. Sure, no, you're not wrong on that.

Leroy Hoard here with us. I've just wondered from the mental side of it, you know how big this game is. This year, it was very clear, and I know that there was some hiccups along the way, but everyone survived, that four or five weeks into the year, you could look at that schedule and say, Ohio State's gonna be undefeated at the end of the year. Michigan's gonna be undefeated at the end of the year. Do we even know really what these teams are heading into this final week of the season because we've all built it up that they'll both be undefeated at the end of the year and we just kind of thought it was a foregone conclusion? I think if you look at it, it would almost appear as if a Big Ten school is playing an SEC school, right? Athletic, fast, runners, big plays, all these things what Ohio State does, and Michigan is the methodical, control the line of scrimmage, control the game, doing stuff like that. And I think that's one of the things that I'm gonna be interested to see because one of the reasons why Michigan hasn't been able to compete with the Alabamas and the Clintons and the Georges is because once they get done with their season, that style of football is only good up north.

Down here, everybody's naked. You know, they run around in shorts and helmets and just playing fast, fast football. Ohio State is closer to that, whereas they have a ton of speed, a ton of athletes. They can also run the ball if they have to, but they're a big play threat waiting to happen.

Leroy Hoard here with us. Is this the final month or so of Jim Harbaugh's career at Michigan? Do you think he's gonna go back to the NFL? Um, man, I don't know. Like, it's hard to get a read on that whole situation because you have to understand how much that man loved him some Michigan football.

And if you understand that, then you could understand if he does or doesn't, how difficult it really is, right? He was a quarterback there. He was the equivalent to if Peyton Manning went back and coached Tennessee. That's where he is right now. Now, what would you give that up for? You see what I mean?

And I don't know, you know, I try to put myself in it. I don't know that there's an opportunity out there that would be any better than this opportunity that he's been able to have and will be able to have for as long as he wants. What happens, and I know it's not the same, but he did play with the Colts. What happens if Ursae calls him up and says, I'll give you full control and you're the head coach?

Nope, no way. I like nothing against the Colts and I'm more than sure he would love the opportunity with the Colts. Did you see the last press conference Jim Ursae had? I enjoy when you start trashing the Colts because you know my producer, Hate Kiki, he's a Colt Sica fan, so. He's also a Penn State fan, so.

You're like 0 for 2 right now in football season, buddy. And you know what, each and every week he has to sit here and I know the motivation behind it. He goes, I want to see the college football playoff expansion, 12 teams is the right number. And I go, yeah, because your team's never getting into a four team playoff.

Zach, let me tell you what would be the best thing, right? In order to get the full idea of who's the best team in college football. You have a playoff system and you have some of these southern teams go up and have to play in the north, right? So if Ohio State's the second team in the country or Michigan's the third team and you go to 12 teams or what have you, those teams got to travel up to Michigan. Those teams got to travel up to Ohio State. Because if you realize where college football is, everything is playing in the convenience of the south. Nobody has to play in the snow. No, there's no stakes. The only teams that are playing for stakes in the snow is the Big Ten and maybe the Pac-12 every now and then. Yeah, but you know what, I'm fine with that because then there really are no excuses for James Franklin for losing another big game.

If that happens, if someone has to go travel to Penn State. Hey, hey man, shots fired. I wasn't even, like look, I don't have to say nothing.

Look, I don't have to say nothing about how I take it. You know why? Because we know what happened. You know, we just let it go. We just let it go.

Yeah, you know what the best part about this is? Earlier in the year, Michigan's going to lose four games. Michigan's not that good of a team. That's all the things he was saying. Carball fraudulent, one-year wonder, mm-hmm. Yeah, notice, he's quiet here. You did shut out Maryland, though.

Yeah. Leroy Hoard here with us. All righty, how does the game play out?

Right now, Leroy Hoard's opinion. Who wins Michigan, Ohio State? Well, here's what I know about this game.

No matter what, if there's points given, take the underdog. I played in enough of them. I played in games where we were big-time favorites and had to win on the last-second field goal. The game is just bonkers in itself. It is one of the most nerve-wracking, intense experiences you will ever have as a college athlete.

It is so much fun, but it's so stressful because the game changes back and forth multiple times. I don't think Ohio State's eight, what is it, eight-and-a-half points? Yeah, seven-and-a-half.

Seven-and-a-half, so it moved. I don't think Ohio State is a touchdown better than Michigan. So what you're saying, this is what I'm hearing, take the points, but you think Ohio State's going to win.

Hell no, I ain't going to never give in to that. What is wrong with you? That's what it sounded like. I asked you, who's going to win? If you really thought it was going to be Michigan, you would have said Michigan right from the jump and said you gave us this whole spiel about take the points.

This would be a close game. I thought our friendship was such that you didn't have to try to read body language and stuff like that. You're trying to read it through my soul.

I'm not there. Under no circumstance on a national radio show am I going to give Ohio State flowers, right? I was just giving you a breakdown of the game. I hope you're right. Michigan 30, Ohio State 27.

I hope you're right. Okay, so then Michigan makes a college football playoff. You have Georgia in, who's your other two teams that will get in? You got Georgia, TCU is going to get in.

You can't, here. Does USC beat Notre Dame in them in the Pac-12? That's the big thing. Does USC win Notre Dame? So then there's your four teams. You have TCU, you have USC, you like Michigan, and then you put Georgia in there. Yeah, absolutely.

Now, it could get crazy for this reason. Because the team with the best resume in the country is Tennessee. And you might not want to hear this, but they've had the best strength and schedule all year. But they just lost to South Carolina and their quarterback's not done for the year. Oh, all right, they're done. Yeah.

I forgot about that move. Yeah, you can't, yeah, that's it. So I would say those teams, I would say Tennessee, I hate the lurkers, right?

I really hate the lurkers because you never know how these guys are thinking. You don't know what these guys, some of these guys really want to push, you know, we're going to give us the best matchup. We're going to do this, we're going to do that. And they're not necessarily just putting teams in based on what they've done.

The eye test is what you usually hear for that stuff. That means we want the bigger brand in the school that's going to make us more money. Last one for you. We know the Dolphins are going to win this weekend.

That game's not even going to be close, you would think. But the confidence of the Dolphins fan right now with what they've been able to do where they think this season is heading to is what? Oh, my goodness.

Like, it's amazing to me. Here's what I love about fans all over the country. Hope kills, right? It's like, you remember how crazy Jeff's fans were when the season started? Ooh, we beat the Patriots this week. We're going to be in first place, baby, yeah!

No, it doesn't work like that. You have Zach Wilson as quarterback, okay? Um, but I just think that right now, the way this team is playing, and I'm going to tell you, kudos to Mike McDaniel. Yeah, I got to give him credit.

He took the same guys, and they look like a different team. He's a little bit more than immediate darling. He's a little bit more than immediate darling. Before the year, everyone's like, oh, I love this guy because he talks to me, blah, blah, blah.

That's what a lot of people were saying. I was like, all right, what does he really do great? Like, what do you love about him? I didn't get an answer. Well, whatever he's doing is clearly working.

It is phenomenal. Now, when he does presses, he's a little bit of a scatter blank, right? Because I think that some people are so smart. He's like Kiki, you know, when he talks about Penn State. Well, no. Except you actually get winning results, so that's a bad comparison. Some people are so smart that they not only try to answer your question, but they try to figure out the follow-up questions and start answering them. So it just seems like they're rambling. You've had people like that.

Like, it happens. That's the way he thinks, which is how most football coaches think. So I love the way, look, my only complaint about, and we've had this conversation a number of times, my only complaint about Brian Flores is this. Tool was in the same spot you were in. He was a new guy. You were a new coach.

You wanted people to be patient with your process. And then you turn around and trash your quarterback. Like, it made no sense. Like, why wouldn't, and so one of the things I liked about what Mike McDaniel did, the second he got the job, he gave all his support to Tool. Because guess what? If it doesn't work out, you won't say it's because we didn't support him. That's how you go about treating your players. You give them all the support, you brought them in. They didn't ask, Tool didn't ask to play for the Dolphins. And so what he's done is he's the same way.

They won the first three games, lost the next three games. He was consistent with his demeanor, who he was. And so he's a genuine dude. And so from that standpoint, it seems like the players rally behind it.

There's a little more oomph to the things that they do. And it shows up on Sunday. Leroy Hoard, have a great Thanksgiving. Hopefully your dinner plans go okay, and I always appreciate the time. Enjoy that Gelb family lasagna. We will.

Oh my goodness, what are you doing? Don't worry, I'll send you a video tomorrow. I'll send you some photos and you will say, yep, I was wrong. You'll show some accountability, unlike Zach Wilson, you'll admit when you're wrong. All right, brother.