Stories Inside the Man Cave

Send us Fan Mail

We feel the switch flip when college football returns, so we stop feeding the rumor mill and start talking real matchups, real players, and real expectations for Texas at DKR. We bring in Claude Mathis for Texas State perspective, debate NIL era roster chaos, and end with why Saturdays still mean so much to grown adults. 
• game week mindset and why speculation gets loud in August 
• Texas linebacker depth, coaching trust, and next man up confidence 
• Texas vs Texas State context and what a veteran QB can change 
• Colin Simmons impact and how Texas can move him around 
• NIL, TV money, and why roster rules feel unclear days before kickoff 
• NFL Draft declaration debate and the COVID eligibility ripple effect 
• big weekend matchups, upset talk, and sticker shock ticket prices 
• why football nostalgia shapes fandom and how to let results go Sunday 
Visit spiritdress.com. 
And when you're ready to purchase, be sure to use that promo code MANKE for a discount. 
Follow us on each of our social media platforms and subscribe for free to our YouTube page. 

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

Zero Week arrives in Texas, and we map out what it means for Austin-area high school football as the road to Jerry World officially begins. We break down the opening slate, the rivalry schedule surprise, the players and programs to watch, and why this season matters so much to families and communities.
• Zero Week context and why it sets the tone
• Spirit Dress game day fits for female fans and school colors
• Austin-area Week 1 matchups worth the price
• Why Anderson vs McCallum moves to midseason
• Quarterbacks to watch across the ATX metro
• Anderson’s culture shift and Cove Derbyshire’s leadership
• Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch launching varsity football
• Facility growth across the region, including House Park Stadium
• A reminder to parents that the season goes fast

For AC and plumbing repair, you can trust, call on it.
And all you do is click subscribe.
Visit spiritdress.com.
And when you're ready to purchase, be sure to use that promo code MANCE for a discount.
And be sure to use that promo code MANK for the discount.

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

We’re losing interest in preseason college football rankings, and we lay out why the AP preseason poll and coaches poll don’t carry the same weight anymore. We use recent history and CFP-era reality to show how much movement is coming and why August certainty usually falls apart fast.
• preseason rankings as conversation fuel rather than prediction
• how the College Football Playoff era changes what matters
• the preseason Top 5 and why it still misleads
• how often preseason Top 25 teams finish unranked
• why preseason No 1 rarely becomes national champion
• Texas’ starting spot and the reality of a loaded schedule
• parity and the rise of surprise teams like Indiana
Follow us on each of our social media platforms and subscribe for free to our YouTube page

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

We sit down with Lake Travis Cavaliers wide receiver Tatum Gold and his dad Greg Gold for a father-son conversation about growth, pressure, and why football feels bigger than the scoreboard. We talk through heartbreak in the Lake Travis community, then pivot to training habits, QB chemistry, college dreams, and the business Greg built that now serves teams nationwide. 
• Tatum’s offseason plan, adding strength, speed, mobility, and chemistry 
• Processing the loss of teammate Odin Hensley, community support across Texas 
• What “sophomore sensation” means, staying humble while competing hard 
• Dancing, swagger, and playing loose without losing focus 
• Lake Travis quarterback legacy, building timing through spring and 7-on-7 
• Away-game energy, handling pressure before the new stadium opens 
• Receiver inspirations like Amon-Ra St. Brown, hometown pride for Garrett Wilson 
• Greg’s Oklahoma State memories, lessons from coaches, and Big 12 optimism 
• AU Concepts origin story, helmet and logo design, building a non-toxic workplace 
• Man Cave stories, college visit awe, and a season worth looking forward to 
So go ahead and follow us, like us, Facebook, IGX, and YouTube. 
What I would love for you, and even the gold boys, they would love for you to subscribe to our YouTube page and on TikTok. 
And you go to our Instagram page, there's that link, uh the QR code, and to help that family out. 

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

We sit down with Texas Football digital media producer Derek Ochoa to get the real story behind the cinematic clips that dominate your feed on Saturdays. We talk through the planning, the sprinting, and the split-second decisions that turn a game into a weekly social media story, plus how he protects family time in a nonstop season. 

• why college football content feels like “pure cinema” now 
• how the Texas creative team plans ideas during the week 
• who shoots what on game day and how interns fit in 
• the tunnel workstation system that gets photos posted fast 
• using trending audio and sound bites to build player storylines 
• the Texas Tech comeback lesson on never packing up early 
• balancing the grind with family, PTO, and recharging in July 

Follow anything Texas football related on social media. Shoot, even follow Derek Ochoa.

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

We sit down with Quan Cosby to trace the twists that took him from Texas football fame into pro baseball contracts and back, including the compliance hurdles that shaped every move. We also zoom out to what NIL, the portal, and conference power mean for Texas right now and for the future of college sports. 
• state of the Texas receiver room, fixing drops, and what depth looks like in the NIL era 
• Longhorns in the NFL, why certain franchises love Texas players, and how brotherhood shows up in real life 
• the Texas OU hit that still follows people every October and why rivalry games feel bigger than anything else 
• how baseball contracts worked, negotiating without an agent, and why endorsements were basically impossible 
• what NCAA compliance used to feel like, why that power is fading, and how NIL changed everything 
• why Sark’s roster building fits the SEC, plus defense and special teams expectations 
• the Brent Venables recruiting call story and the perfect on-field punchline 
Follow us on each of our social media platforms, Facebook, IGX, YouTube, and on TikTok. 
Circle on your calendar, August 6th, 6 p.m. start. Get there. What do you think? 5 15 if you can. Get a table at the Boulevard Fire. 

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

We sit down with Billy Hargrove and Coach Abernathy to hear how Hargrove Roofing's philosophy: treating people well, communicating clearly, and staying accountable long after the storm. Then we pivot into Texas football talk, man cave stories, and why sports and community still bring people together. 
• How a coaching mindset shapes a roofing office culture 
• Growing from a new branch to major volume through referrals 
• Clear communication as the simplest competitive advantage 
• Why “local” matters in roofing after severe weather 
• Billy’s Texas fandom roots and the LSU twist 
• Texas Longhorns roster optimism and defensive focus 
• Breakout player picks plus the case for tight ends 
• Favorite man cave stories and game-weekend traditions 
• Ticket strategy, watch-party plans, and community tie-ins 

Be sure to follow us on each of our social media platforms. 
YouTube subscribe to our YouTube page for free. 
Be sure to like and follow each of our social media platforms. 

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

“We are still healing” isn’t a line you say for effect. It’s a status update from a community that lived through catastrophic Texas Hill Country flooding and is still carrying the weight of it. I spent my birthday weekend back in Kerrville, Texas, along the banks of the Guadalupe River, because I needed to see the river one year later and talk to the people who never got to “move on” when the cameras left.

We reflect on what it means to witness flood damage in person, from the river corridor stretching toward Canyon Lake to the places where devastation is still visible. The hardest stop is near Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, where the grief doesn’t resolve into a neat lesson. There’s no closure to be found, only a clearer understanding of how deep loss can run after a natural disaster and how long disaster recovery really takes.

Over lunch at the Lake House Family Restaurant, owner Mark Armstrong shares a perspective that stopped me cold: how you can feel like “the luckiest guy on the block” on the worst day of your life. That tension between gratitude and heartbreak is a thread so many survivors recognize. We also talk about what gives towns real resilience when the water recedes: neighbors helping neighbors across Kerrville, Hunt, and Bandera, and the kind of togetherness you can’t fake.

If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share it with someone who cares about community resilience, and leave a review so more people can find these stories. What does healing look like to you after a disaster?

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

We celebrate a College World Series dream and then dive into how a Texas Tech quarterback gambling scandal turns into a test of leadership, PR, and the NCAA’s shrinking power. We argue about what accountability should look like in the NIL and transfer portal era, then close with why big sports moments like the World Cup can bring people together when nothing else does. 
• why gambling violations hit differently from other scandals 
• how Texas Tech’s public messaging amplifies the story 
• what the Big 12 pressure campaign signals about conference power 
• Sark’s scheduling remarks and the rivalry energy they spark 
• NIL recruiting vs coaching development and roster management 
• Tech’s quarterback situation and the risk of rushing an ACL return 
• Deuce Adams on fit, system familiarity, and earning a shot at Wisconsin 
• Texas baseball in Omaha, the cycle, and what elimination games reveal 
• entitlement culture, hard coaching, and telling the truth anyway 
• Spurs-Knicks ticket economics and what “home crowd” means now 
• World Cup fandom in Texas and sports as a bridge across differences 
Be sure to like, follow each of our social media platforms. 

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Send us Fan Mail

We sit down with Lake Travis High School ace Cooper Webb to talk about the work behind becoming an elite high school pitcher and what it really means to commit to Texas baseball. We get specific on pitch design, the MLB draft decision tree, and why the College World Series in Omaha feels bigger than people expect. 
• the long recruiting grind and what it demands year-round 
• showing up consistently as the real separator for pitchers 
• why Texas 6A baseball prepares players for college and beyond 
• building a five pitch mix and adding new fastball shapes 
• the kick change story and learning from modern pitching media 
• pitcher superstitions, routines, and staying present in big moments 
• the MLB draft explained with a simple housing market analogy 
• how NIL and the transfer portal raise the level of college baseball 
• a father-son fishing story that still makes us laugh 
• College World Series field breakdown and predictions for Omaha 
Give our guys, our friends, at Honest Plumbing and Air a call before it gets any hotter.

Support the show

Please like and follow each of Stories Inside the Man Cave Podcast social media links on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Tik Tok.