Spurrier's QB Tells All — College Football, NIL & the Perfect Tailgate | Stephen Garcia

He had Bullet bourbon in his cup before the recording started, and it only got better from there. Stephen Garcia, former South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback and one of the most memorable players in the Steve Spurrier era, joins Luke for an unfiltered look at tailgating through the eyes of a player who lived it from the inside.

Stephen talks about what game day felt like as a player vs as a fan, why tailgating equates to the locker room for him, the UCF game day scene that shocked him, his honest take on NIL and how it changes the college football culture he knew, and his own podcast Tailgate Talks with former teammate Pat DeMarco. Note: This episode contains explicit language.

What we cover: How tailgating feels like a locker room from a player's perspective · UCF vs SEC tailgate culture — and the differences are wild · The 2010 win over #1 Alabama — what it was actually like · Steve Spurrier stories and coaching insight · NIL thoughts from someone who played in the era before · Tailgate Talks podcast with Pat DeMarco

Transcript

Intro

Luke 0:00

All right, welcome back to the Tailgate Connect podcast. I'm your host, Luke Lorick, with Tailgating Challenge. I love all things tailgating. Tonight, we talk with Steven Garcia, a former South Carolina GameCock quarterback. We go behind the scenes of his playing days at the university. We hear about coach Steve Spurrier. We learn some of his favorite tailgating tips and drags. And we even talk NIL with his thoughts on that and so much more. You're going to want to tune in to listen to this one.

Music 0:46

Let's have a fall across the states from college to NFL. Tailgate Connect's got a story to tell.

Luke 0:58

All right, welcome back to the Tailgate Connect podcast. We have a special guest tonight: the man, the myth, the legend, former Game Pop quarterback Steven Garcia. Steven, how you doing, sir?

What's in the cup tonight

Stephen 1:12

Cheers, man. That's a hell of an intro right there. I like it. Thank you.

Bullet bourbon

Luke 1:15

Hey, I feel like you earned it following your career as being a GameCock alumni myself with it. And I feel like it's very appropriate. Before we came on the show, Steven said, like, hey, I've had a couple of drinks before the show tonight. I was like, I would not be that surprised. Um, for what is in your cup? I feel like I need to know what's in your cup tonight.

Stephen 1:34

It is a uh bullet. Bullet bourbon.

Luke 1:38

Yep. Excellent. Excellent.

Stephen 1:41

Yes, all right. Start off with started off with Tequila and uh moved on to bourbon. It got a little darker, so made the switch.

Luke 1:48

Fair enough. Fair enough. All right. For those that don't know, like I said, Steven was a one of the all-time great Game Cock quarterbacks at the University of South Carolina back in the days when Carolina had some of their best programs of all time under Coach Steve Spurrier. Um, with the one I remember the most is when uh you led the Game Cox uh at home to a win over number one Alabama. I think that was 2010, if my memory serves correctly. Yep, many moons ago. It does feel like we're getting older. We're getting older for it. But um, before we get to like all of that, like I know too, like you you have your own podcast as well, too. It's like a tailgating style podcast. And so like I want to know, like, now that you're you know kind of out of the game of football, like tell us about like your your love of tailgating. And I know you still do some things at the university. Tell us like, why do you love tailgating?

Stephen 2:47

I mean, anytime you can get around, you know, the boys and and just kind of participate in that camaraderie, that it's it's almost, I equate it to being in the locker room. And there's nothing like being in a locker room with with the guys you're, you know, blood, sweat, and tears with, you're working out in the summer, you're working out in the winter, and you know, you don't really don't want to be there. And, you know, we've we've had this on the podcast. We've talked to guys that, you know, played a Carolina that went on to do great things. And, you know, we asked them every single time. It's like, when was your when was your wake up call like that you knew that you deserve to be in the SEC? You deserve to be a Carolina. And they all say that first day, that first workout, you get your ass absolutely beat to hell. And, you know, it's kind of like, you know, I just I deserve to be here. But and uh so that I'm it's a long-winded response, but um, you know, tailgating and being around the fans, being around, I'm a people guy, just being around people that kind of have the same aspirations. You know, they want their team to do well, uh, they want to have a good time. They're, you know, around family, around friends. I mean, there's just something about it that just, you know, makes the heart feel warm, I guess you could say.

Luke 3:54

No, trust me, that that is not lost on me for a second. So I I I haven't been in the locker room with the guys before. Like that, never never played football at your level or anything. But like, I love how you brought it back to that. Because again, at the end of the day, tailgate to me is about people, people say, like, what's the most important thing to have at tailgate? I say good people. Like, that's step one. If you have that, the the rest worked itself out every single time. So I love I love that.

Stephen 4:17

Absolutely. 100%, man. 100%. If you if you're around a bunch of diff shits, man, it's not gonna be that fun.

Luke 4:24

Trust me, I understand that part as well, too. So, like, I guess like I feel like you kind of you kind of said that. Like, have you been to a tailgate where maybe it it was the the vibe was bad? Was there some bad people there? Like, what was there some failegating going on?

Stephen 4:39

Not not once, man. And um I'm sure there was, you know, some some you know sketchy people, but I I have a tendency to I don't know, I I attract fun, I guess you could say. So uh, you know, it's like you know, I'm I'm having fun regardless. And you know, I remember going to I didn't travel my register, my register year, I didn't travel to LSU. So I went down, I got a bunch of buddies. My younger brother went to UCF. So I was like, hey guys, I didn't travel this week, so I'm gonna come down to UCF. I went down there, man, and tailgated with those guys and UCF tailgating compared to South Carolina tailgating. And, you know, obviously I didn't know that when I was playing, but after playing, but uh yeah, UCF's a different animal. Orlando's a whole different kind of vibe compared to you know SEC football. Uh, but yeah, I mean, like I said, there was there was some sketchy shit going on over there. I didn't have any part of it. I was just having a good old time, and it's it's it's hard to. I mean, obviously I've been cussing. Am I allowed to cuss a little bit on this? Oh yeah. Hey, this is this is a show to uh express yourself. It's hard to fuck up a tailgate. It is, you gotta try really hard to fuck it up. So, yeah.

Orlando people, different priorities

Luke 5:54

So you mentioned that UCF was a little bit different than a South Carolina tailgate. And I feel like I was kind of reading into that what you were saying, but like, can you expand on that? Like, is it just like a South Carolina just more people? Is it a different vibe, different people? Like, right? What exactly is the difference?

When did this happen — redshirt year 2007

Stephen 6:12

Anything and everything that you could imagine is exactly the correct answer. You know, it's it's the Orlando people, it's uh, you know, it's I forgot what I think they were the Big East at that point. Uh, they didn't really give a shit about the team. They were more worried about doing other shit uh as opposed to, you know, for you know, rooting on the boys. So yeah, it was the whole atmosphere was just completely different. And, you know, to each their own, you know, I got I got no issues with that. It's it's you know their deal.

Luke 6:43

No doubt. No doubt. All right. So you you went to this was back in your playing days, right? When you went to UCL?

Since then — goes to GameCock tailgates

Stephen 6:49

So this was 2000 shit, I guess seven, yeah. I registered that year.

Luke 6:55

Okay. And so uh since then, like, have you, I know obviously you go back home for some of the GameCock tailgates and everything. Have you made it to like other other schools? Do you do you have a top list of like, hey, these are some of the spots that the tailgating is uh amazing at?

Stephen 7:11

To be honest, no, man. Uh unfortunately, I was I was gonna do a little like uh tailgate tour. I don't know if you heard the company Saturday down south. I don't know if you are you familiar with those guys? So I did I did some work with them um when I got done after my first year in Canada. And uh long story short, that just some weird stuff. Again, Orlando crowd, just not my cup of tea. Uh but yeah, so we were supposed to do like a tailgating tour. It never happened, never, you know, nothing came to fruition. Uh so no, to be honest, the only tailgating I've done is I was like a freshman, freshman or sophomore in high school when my brothers were at uh Harvard. So I went to Harvard Tailgates. Wasn't drinking back then, but I saw plenty of those those guys, they'll put they'll put SEC guys to shame. That's a whole Ivy League and in Boston. Those guys, those guys are on a different planet, absolutely different planet. Uh shout out to Mac Ferro, shout out to my brother Brian, shout out to uh Dante, shout out to shit, uh fucking uh who's the quarterback? Fitzpatrick. He was out there, dude. Those guys absolutely raged. And it was pretty cool seeing that as like a young kid. I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I quickly found out. Uh but yeah, to answer your question, the long-winded response is no, I have not got a chance to tailgate as much as you know I'd I'd like to.

Luke 8:41

Well, well, first, uh like that that tailgate to where like that needs to be something we put back on the radar because I feel like that could be pretty epic at this point in our lives. Um, the second part, like, I feel like I'm a little surprised, honestly, that like when you said like Harvard does it like wilder than the Southeastern Conference. I would have not had that on my bingo card this evening. It yeah.

Weather preferences within the SEC

Stephen 9:06

I mean, it's maybe I'd have to go back again to see, you know, as an adult, but when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school and getting a chance to see that, I was like, holy shit, these guys are out of their minds. And, you know, again, it's it's hard. There's a significant amount of money that's being spent over there for tailgate. So, but yeah, I mean, it's you know, it is what it is. Everybody, everybody's got a different niche. I I will say this the first kid I ever trained, I completely forgot about this. The first kid I ever trained, his dad is a uh bull gator, which is like the main booster for a uh for a University of Florida. So I went to the Georgia, Florida game when they played in Jacksonville and you know got a chance to tailgate with those guys. I it the jorts and all the I I couldn't care less about that. That was the stupidest shit I ever saw. Fair enough. Fair enough. I don't, I I don't, I just I don't get it. I why a grown man would or would wear that is you know confusing to me.

Favorite non-SEC tailgate

Luke 10:05

I mean, I personally have never worn them before. I don't judge another person if they decide to wear them, but to each their own, I guess, at the end of the day. Yeah. Agreed, agreed, yeah. It is different strokes for different folks, you know? No doubt, no doubt. All right, what's that? Uh we're talking like tailgating tour and stuff. If there was one school that you haven't been to that you would love to go to and see how they tailgate, like, where are you going? Are we talking SEC or just anywhere in general?

Luke's favorite tailgates — SC and Oregon

Stephen 10:31

Any any football. Man, that's a that's a great question. I I mean, I'm a little I feel like that I'm so used to the heat, man. I kind of want to get away from it. Uh maybe, maybe like Hawaii would be kind of fun, a tropical deal, but I'm also thinking like Wisconsin or Minnesota, you know, one of one of the guys where they're, you know, it's just freezing cold. It's you know, you have to drink to stay warm kind of deal. Uh that being said, I don't I don't know if that'd be that much fun. I'm just kind of speaking out loud. Um I mean, don't get me wrong, I took an official visit to the Grove and at Old Miss. So I I know exactly what I'm expecting there. So that was that's obviously a top 10 deal. But I mean, I I just to answer your question, I mean, I feel like you can't go wrong with with tailgating. You know, I just everyone's got their own traditions and their own specifications of what they're doing, what they want to do, how they do it. Yeah, I just don't think you can go wrong. I really don't.

Luke 11:34

No, I'm I'm I'm I've I've done tiny schools, I've done huge schools. I've had fun at every single one of them wherever I've traveled across the country with it. So again, it goes back to coming in there with the right mindset. Hey, it's good, it's going to be fun. I don't care if it's hot, if it's cold, if it's raining, if you got the good people in that mindset, you're gonna have a great day.

Stephen flips the question on Luke

Stephen 11:52

Well, let me ask you this. I mean, what what's your favorite? Give me like an SEC school, then an outside school.

Steve Tannehill was the ideal tailgate teammate

Luke 11:58

Okay. Um, I I mean, again, obviously biased at University of South Carolina. Like, that's where I got my love of tailgating from and everything. Like tailgating outside of Williams Bryce many, many times. Um, but if we take that one out, probably the best one I've been to so far, knowing I still have some more to get to, like, LSU night game is hard to beat. Tailgates out there are turned to the max of anywhere I've been for a night game at LSU. And then if we're going somewhere outside of LSU, I would, I would toss like Oregon was like a really fun one because it's like no shit in the middle of the freaking like woods almost, and there's like rivers running all over the place. I mean, it's just very green and a very different vibe out there in Oregon. I had a lot of fun there last year, too. That's pretty cool.

Stephen 12:40

I wasn't on my uh bingo card as you suggested, but yeah, that's that's pretty cool, man.

Luke 12:46

For sure. All right, let me ask you this: like, who is that one player? Maybe it's someone on the team in the past, that you'd be like, you know, this guy would be really fun to tailgate with. Former teammate? Outside of yourself, of course. You mean like a former teammate or? Yeah. Former teammate. They'd be like, this guy either he is fun or would be really fun. You'd be like, if you got him at a tailgate in the element.

Luke's tailgate experience answer

Stephen 13:15

Man, uh I mean Steve Tannehill was a blast. I've only tailgated with him once, and it was, as you could imagine, uh just absolute chaos. Um man, that's that's a tough, that's a tough question. But like I said, man, you can you know, you can kind of make uh what is it, chicken salad out of chicken shit, no matter where you're at. You know, if you're around, you know, some solid people, dude, it's you you can you can figure out a way to make it fun. Um as far as like God, I don't that's a great question, dude. I'm kind of stumped, man.

Luke 13:50

I don't I don't really have an answer for you. Well, I mean, and I asked that question because I've been asked that question before. And again, not just saying this to stroke your ego because you're on here now. I was like, Stephen Garcia would be the guy that I would want to tailgate with because you probably don't remember this, but I think it was on your official visit to South Carolina. Um I might have been. I did not remember it then. Yeah, yeah. Well, we'll just say, I think I met you that evening. I don't know if you would remember that though. Basically, it was it looked like you were having a really good time.

Stephen 14:20

Yeah. Yeah, they uh back with the LGBT. What was it? Uh Rocco's? Was that the name of that place?

Luke 14:28

It was Sharki's at the time, I believe. Sharkies, God almighty. Yeah.

Stephen 14:33

The the Everclear drinks. Yeah, I don't do those anymore. Yeah, those those are bad news bears. Uh yeah, though that I mean, those visits up there. I mean, I took I took, I think, three unofficial ones and then one official one, and it was magical every single time.

Coach Beamer and the guys attracted him

Luke 14:52

No doubt, no doubt. So I'm sure five points is a reason why you chose to come to Columbia, right?

Stephen's relationship with Coach Beamer now

Stephen 14:57

I mean, it's it had a little bit of factor, but uh no, for the most part, man, it was it was Coach Furrier and and the guys that were, you know, in that recruiting class and you know, kind of the the whole layout of the school, and just I mean, I honestly I just fell in love with the whole area, you know.

Beamer is an open book

Luke 15:14

Oh, trust me, I understand 100%. And that takes me to the next topic. I was gonna say about Coach Furrier. Again, one of the best coaches of all time. So, what is something behind the scenes that the average fan is not gonna know about Steve Spurrier that you know about Steve Spurrier? What was something unknown about him?

Every bird takes a different path

Stephen 15:31

That's kind of a fun fact. Man, uh I feel like he's he's such an open book. I feel like people kind of already know what exactly he is. Uh you know, he didn't mince words, he didn't shy away from the camera, he kind of said exactly what was on his mind at all times. Uh yeah, I I God, I don't know. Man, you're kind of peppering with some good questions here, dude.

Appreciating what the players brought

Luke 16:05

I told you. I told you. Shit. Um, but so let me ask you this because this might be an easy one for you.

Stephen 16:10

Have you ever changed the I guess each bird? I got an answer for you. I I don't think people fully appreciate or understand that he, and this is hard for me to even say out loud. He was, he was a very, he was adamant on being a player's coach. You know, he he was a coach's coach. He, you know, I think I was on Wednesdays. Every single Wednesday during the season, he had like family nights. So all the coaches brought their wives, their kids, nephews, cousins, whatever, and there was a big party in the stadium. Uh he was, you know, if it was sprinkling outside, he'd call practice. Hey, yeah, I'm gonna go play nine holes real quick. If it was a beautiful day, hey, you guys had a good practice. All right, I'm gonna go play nine. He he was the ultimate player's coach. If you got your shit done and did it, you know, the right way and did it on time, he was cool. Unless you were me and had a beard and long hair and dressed like a caveman. And then he was on your ass all times. Uh, but you know, it's it's it's fun, it's it's actually kind of funny, man. I was texting back and forth with uh, you know, Jerry Spurger the other day. And, you know, I was sitting there watching a press conference of a current coach, and I was like, hey man, like, you know, just I just want to let you know, like, I never appreciated Coach Spurger when I was playing for him. I really do appreciate his just blunt honesty. You know, if you sucked, he was gonna let you know. If you weren't getting the job done, he was gonna take the blame and put somebody else in. He wasn't sugarcoating shit, and I think that's a lost art in uh in this day and age.

What conversations with Beamer look like post-career

Luke 17:46

No, you're you're not wrong about that on a lot of different standpoints, not just in college football either. Um that was a long-winded answer in response, but no, no, no. I I I I appreciate that part. I was gonna ask you too, and it sounds like you still talk to Jerry, but like when's the last time you talked to Steve?

Stephen 18:05

I don't know, two weeks ago, three weeks ago.

Luke 18:07

What do those conversations look like now as a postgraduate versus when you were with the program?

Does Stephen still throw the football?

Stephen 18:14

They're very, they're very quick and and short. Uh, you know, I don't I don't want to hold up a bunch of his time and he has a bunch of, he's got a million other things on his mind. Uh, so it's kind of a quick little, hey coach, how you doing? You know, hope you're doing well. Um, training, training a quarterback. And I I caught myself saying something that you said to me when I was playing, I just thought you'd appreciate that. And he's like, ah shit, yeah, yeah. See, it all it all comes back around, doesn't it, Garcia? You know, some shit like that. And it, you know, it's just it's it's hard to admit, because I'm the hard-headed motherfucker. My wife's over here looking at me, shaking her head in response. Uh thanks, sweetheart. Um, but yeah, it's it's it's hard for me to admit that it's like, man, coach, you you are right on so many things and app I would have just shut the fuck up and done what you asked me to do, cut my hair, shaved my beard, dressed like I'm a professional golfer. I to be honest, man, I'd still be playing in the NFL right now. There's there's no doubt in my mind. Because I'm watching these games on Sunday. These guys, these guys are not throwing the ball like I can. And it's just, I sound like Kenny Powers right now, but it's just it's just the reality of it. So whatever.

Throws twice a week with combine/NFL free agents

Luke 19:28

So what with that, what when's the last time you like really, really threw the football? Like, how do you can you still sling it today?

Stephen 19:37

Dude, I I mean at least twice a week. I throw out the uh combine guys, the uh NFL free agents. I don't know if you know the name. Uh it's it's so weird even saying it out loud. Uh, the name Route God, he's on TikTok and YouTube and Instagram. He's famous. He trains like uh OBJ, uh, he trains like all these NFL guys. Uh, anyways, Deontay Johnson from the Panthers, I'm sure. Yeah. So he lives right around this, uh, literally right around the corner from me. And you know, I throw with him twice a week. And every single time we throw, these guys are like, God damn, man, if you could stay off the body, you'd still be in the league. I'm like, man, shut the fuck up. So that's the kind of that's the locker room kind of banter that I miss, dude. But you know, I yeah, I it's like riding a bike, man. It's it's hard. And you know, training some of these high school kids and these youth kids, they're like, man, you can really throw the ball. Did you play in? Did you play this? I was like, your parents are paying me money. They didn't Google me first to like find out what the hell's going on.

Luke 20:42

Oh now, have you at any point tried to dip your toe back into going professional with the ball? No. Do you have any interest in that or or is that ship sailed 100%? That thing is gone. That thing. Yeah.

Stephen 20:59

You know, and it and it breaks my heart. Uh, you know, I still feel like I can do it, but I know deep down inside there's there's no chance. I mean, those guys are the guys that are playing that are on rosters, that are trying to get on rosters, are in their pinnacle shape of their you know, lives, and they're working every single day on this. I'm shoveling crushed concrete for the last two days. I'm moving shipping containers, um uh building gazebos and purposes. I'm you know, getting ready to uh dig a pool up. I'm I'm doing so much other shit that there's no, there's no chance I can I can compete at that level. As as as as confident as I am, I just know for for sure. And I don't even know if I'd want to, you know. I'm I'm perfectly content with the the kind of operation I got running down here in Tampa.

Living in Tampa/Lutz, Florida

Luke 21:52

Excellent. No, that's it that was my question. I was like, I didn't know where you had moved to. So you're in Tampa, Florida now?

Favorite NFL team — Matt Stafford and the Rams

Stephen 21:57

Oh yeah. Born and raised, man. And Lutes, actually, not officially Tampa, it's Lutz.

Luke 22:03

Okay. Excellent. So who who who's your favorite NFL team? Are you are you a Bucks fan or do you or who are you going with? I I don't give a shit, to be honest. Whoever I'm betting on, I guess. Who is, in your opinion, the best quarterback in the NFL right now? All just pure talent and skills.

Stephen 22:25

God. Right now. I mean, I'm a Matt Stafford guy. He was my host at Georgia when I went on a visit there. Salt to the earth kid. You know, yeah, he's got the fake teeth now, which is I still I text him every now and then and give him shit about it, but you know, whatever. Uh yeah, I'd I'd have to say Matt Stafford. He's got such arm talent that that's why he's still in the league and that's why he's still successful. Like wildly successful. Um, but there's there's some other guys, man, like Lamar Jackson. I hats after Lamar. I didn't think that his his game was going to translate the way it did at all. And the fact that he's doing what he's done in his entire career is is very impressive. Uh obviously, you know, Josh Allen's a uh at namesake, uh, you know, the guy that did the podcast with Pat DeMarco played with Josh, and he's like, dude, you guys are the same fucking people, like literally the exact same people. Uh so I'm I'm a fan of Josh. Um, but yeah, I mean, is as far as just overall talent. I mean, Stafford's elite, and he has been for his entire career.

This might be Stafford's best season

Luke 23:42

I mean, this might be his best season he's had so far. Even this late in his career, he's crushing it.

Stephen 23:47

Yeah, he's crushing it. Absolutely crushing it. They should have freaking lost to Seattle. Of course, that ruined my parlay, but that's a different story.

Luke 23:55

Yeah. Um, okay. So let me one more football-related question for it. So if somebody handed you the rock right now and said, chunk it as far as you can, how far could you toss it today?

Video challenge laid down

Stephen 24:08

Over 60. I think over 60 easily. I would I would say it's probably closer to 70. Um, but like I said earlier, man, it's like riding a bike. It's it's it's really not that hard. I mean, I'm, you know, 240 pounds. It's I can still put my weight into it and and get the job done. So uh, yeah, I'd say, I'd say, let's say 65 just to be safe.

Luke 24:32

Okay, fair enough. 65 yards on the record. We'll we'll have a video next week if you're doing it, right? That's yes, yes. I I'm glad you asked me that. I'm gonna I'm gonna get I'm gonna get some some drone footage. Excellent. All right. Let me let me ask you this question. NIL. What are your what are your thoughts on on NIL right now? Judging by my reaction, what do you think? Uh I could either take it as you think it's ridiculous or you think it needs to be back there where you were doing it too, so that you could uh have everything you needed.

Stephen 25:04

Let's start the conversation off like this. What do you think about it?

Luke 25:08

Uh I think I think players uh deserve more than they were getting back when you were playing, period.

Stephen 25:14

Well, we we didn't get shit. Just I know.

NIL creates A players and B programs

Luke 25:16

So I mean anything is is better than what it was back then. Um for it. I I think the whole thing has gotten kind of kind of wild uh with the transfer portal and NIL money and everything. So I in my mind, I feel like there's needs to be a the pendulum is swung both ways. And I think it needs to have just a little bit more, I think, for the the bouncing around and everything for it. People the players still need to get paid, put their buys in line and everything with it, but that's Luke's two cents for whatever that may be worth.

Stephen 25:43

And I couldn't agree with you more. Um and you know, it's and I tell people this all the time, it's like when you have Argo be the greatest college football coach in the history of the sport to retire due to this shit, maybe there's something a little, a little offsetting. Uh you know, it's and the thing is not now you it's it's trickled down to high school guys. So now you have high school guys getting paid to stay committed to a certain school. The whole thing, let me tell you this. I agree with you. I think guys should be getting paid, but it should be on a you know performance-based deal. Basically how it was in in Canada for me. It was like you have your base salary, now it's it's performance-based on top of that, bonuses. Uh I just, I don't, I don't know how they're gonna cap it. I don't know how they're gonna reel this thing back in. I really don't. And it's and it's to be completely honest with you, I think it's ruined college football. Um, you know, I got some buddies that are big time boosters at Florida, at Miami. And for instance, last year when uh Cam Ward set out in the second half, my buddy was sitting there, he's like, that's it, I'm done. I'm not paying another cent to that school so that that money goes to him and then he sits out. I'm not, I'm not doing that. Uh, and I feel like there's gonna be a lot of that going on. And, you know, and I mean, I can go on and on about this, man. It's it's really unfortunate. And especially seeing it with our guys in Carolina, man, I I don't understand where who who who comes up with the valuation? Does it does anybody know? Or is it just like, hey man, here's an open check. You you write whatever you want, and then we'll go from there. I I have a lot of it's like a it's it's like a it's like a housing contract. Like, what how do you I don't know? And I know I'm gonna say I'm gonna I'm gonna say I'm gonna say this on air. I don't give a shit. And listen, I I love the kid. He's he's been awesome as a friend, as a as a guest on the podcast. Dude, Lenoris getting paid four million dollars in the city of Columbia, South Carolina is astronomical. To win, to win what, 12 games in his career, and he's played like shit this year. And I've talked to him. He knows that. You know, there's there's been some handicapped shit going on with the the offensive system that he's been running, but dude, he's he's way too talented to, and I've told him this, I was like, dude, you look like you don't know where the hell to go with the ball. You might have to edit this thing because he might get all pissed off that I'm saying this, but I don't really give a shit. I consider myself uncancelable. Uh, but dude, it's like, why are we paying people this much money to kind of be mediocre? I'm not talking about just Lenors, I'm talking about who's the guy from uh Michigan, uh Underwood. They're paying him how much? 13 million? It's a lot. What the hell's he done? Here's my example. Like I said, I this is a long-winded response for your for that question because I got a lot of I got a lot of shit to say this. But if I'm the starting quarterback, all right, Ed Michigan, you're gonna pay this kid $13 million to come here. That's gonna be a huge rift in that QB media room. A huge rift. A huge rift. And now do you open the fact that now there's a transfer portal? I saw uh Sam Levitt is his camp is shopping them around. Like, dude, what what are we doing, man? It's turned into an FL free agency year after year. Kids can transfer, there's no penalty, there's no nothing. I I don't I don't think it's it's healthy for the sport. I don't think it's healthy for the kids. I don't I don't think it's good for anybody. And the fans, the fans are ultimately the ones that suffer because, dude, they're putting in their their they're donating to this this cause, you know. I listen to this. I still get emails from the University of South Carolina asking me to donate. I'm like, what the fuck are you? I said, why don't you guys pay me? I want some goddamn reparations.

Pat DeMarco example — impact player, no NIL

Luke 29:57

I mean, I feel like there's probably a lot of people that were in your shoes back in the day, right? That were getting, I think of like Reggie Bush and some of these guys that got slapped in the hand or something, taken away because they they're doing what everybody's doing now. And so that's just it blows my mind just thinking about it.

Stephen 30:10

No, it's it's it's extremely upsetting. And, you know, there's guys that, you know, for instance, Pat DeMarco, he he played 10 years in the league. He made he made a good amount of money. He's like, ah, you know, who gives a shit? It's like, yeah, you played 10 years in the I didn't play 10 years. Right. But, you know, it goes back to the point, man. I'm I'm perfectly content with what's going on down here. But the fact is, it's like, I have a story. I don't know, I'll have to tell you off air. Or you could probably, Grant might have to edit this one. But there was times where there was times where I, you know, went down to like sign autographs for for, you know, whoever the hell it was. And I was sitting there with some big time, I'm not gonna name any names, but there were some some players on the roster at South Carolina that were potential first round guys. Some of them were first round guys. And I'm watching them, they're doing handshakes and getting, I'm looking at them, they can't even, they can't even fit the money in their hand. They're, you know, have to hold it and like, you know, put it in a bag. So I'm asking these guys, I'm like, I'm asking the guys, like, hey, where what about me, man? Where's where's my money at? Oh, yeah, you're you're white, man. You're your your parents have money. You you you don't need any money. I was like, my parents have money. I don't have shit. Like, come on, man. Uh, but yeah, man, it's let's let's not kid ourselves. There's been money being given to players for these years. The dawn of time. You know, it's it's and and rightfully so. They these guys should be getting paid. They should be getting paid, and people can say, oh, you got room and board, but fuck all that. The hell with that. That's bullshit. These guys should be getting paid, but they should be performance-based, in my opinion. But I don't, I don't, I can bitch and complain all I want. And I told Perry Orth this. I said, you know, because he was arguing with me back and forth, not arguing, but agreeing with me. We can bitch and complain all we want via text. It's not gonna make a damn difference.

When you piss off fans, things go downhill fast

Luke 32:03

Not I mean, not yet. I I still think there will be some changes. It's not going anywhere, in my opinion, but I think there will be some changes where it it goes to either more contract-based, incentive-based, like something to kind of lock it in and give a little bit more stability. Because I think the fans are at some point are gonna be the ones that start to kind of turn off from it. And that's when this be like, wait a minute, wait a minute, we gotta we gotta wrangle this thing in so we don't lose the people that are making all this money happen.

Stephen 32:29

Right, right. And then when you start pissing the fans off, that's when that's when shit goes downhill in a flash of an eye. I don't know if that I don't know if that's the right saying, but you get it.

Luke 32:40

Hey, it's all good. It's all good. You get it, you get it. Uh all right, let me let me ask you one more question on NIL, just just for kicks and giggles before we we transition on that. If NIL was available back then and you had, what'd you say, one of those monster, you know, say two million dollar paydays on there, would that have been a bad thing for younger Steven Garcia or a good thing?

Stephen 33:04

Horrible. Would have been horrible.

Luke 33:08

What would you have done with your first like amount of money, you think?

Stephen 33:13

I don't even know. Don't even know. And I I don't even want to think about it because it'll piss me off. Uh, and it also made me happy because you know, we I talk about this with my parents, and my mom, my mom is very blunt. She goes, Steve, if you got NL money, you'd you'd be in a ditch. You'd be dead. And my wife's over there shaking her head, yes. And it's she's 100% right. 100% right. I was, you know, I didn't know what the hell is it. My dad's a financial planner. He's like, oh, I would have managed your money. I was like, bull fucking shit, you would have. Bullshit. Uh, you know, it's it's a scary, it's a scary thought. Um, but you know, to give these kids credit, to give the kids credit, they have, they have a whole camp. I keep doing the quotation deal, but the they have a whole camp with financial advisors for agents. They got they got plenty of people that are that are kind of managing their stuff. So, you know, hopefully they're doing you know right by the kids because a lot of agents are ski are you know skimming off the top. There's no doubt about it.

Luke 34:17

No doubt, no doubt. All right. Well, I I know I feel like we could probably talk about NIL for all night um now with but I appreciate some of the uh the open uh responses you have on that. Let's let's shift back over to a couple just fun tailgating things. You're the tailgate. What's in your cup? What's your favorite drink to have when you're tailgating?

Stephen 34:35

Tequila.

Luke 34:36

Tequila, like straight straight up? Do you have a favorite brand?

Stephen 34:42

Started doing uh, what is it, Don Julio? What is it, 42? 1942? No, it's more expensive. What is it? We don't I don't even know. But yeah, uh the reposado is is significant. Uh I don't know. But yeah, I mean, kind of got away from from vodka. Just I so my wife is Russian. I'll give you a little story. We got time for a story, right? Oh yeah. So this is a good story. She's laughing her ass off right now. Um so I just came back and I bought a a handle, not a little, a little a handle of Tito's vodka, and her dad from from Moscow, not doesn't speak English very well. He's like, oh hey, uh one shot, another miss. So we poor shot of piss warm vodka out of the handle. We proceed to drink the entire handle of vodka via shots. I completely lost my mind. He was testing, completely blacked out, have no idea what the hell happened. He drove home. He texted me the next morning, or he called me, and he's like, Steven, how's your head feel? I was like, dude, what the hell? So my vodka is I I don't, I can't, I can't do vodka like I used to.

Luke 36:08

No, that's that's that's I think we all have that one maybe liquor that's uh has a similar story. Maybe not with our uh in-laws or future in laws at that.

Tailgate food — light, not much

Stephen 36:18

No, it was it was it was it was a tough deal. But yeah, for for a tailgates man, uh yeah, tequila, you know, soda lime is is pretty pretty standard. I mean, I'll I'll rip some beers uh here and there, and every every time I go to a tailgate in in Colombia, everybody's like, hey, hey, let's let's shotgun a beer. I was like, God bless. I I have a hard time saying no. So it's like, all right, yeah, sure. Done. Whatever. Done, done, done.

Luke 36:40

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. All right. So you got your tequila in one hand. What kind of food? What's the best tailgate food to eat on?

Favorite tailgate game — Flip Cup

Stephen 36:48

Oh, man. I yeah, I don't really eat a whole lot of food when I'm doing that, to be honest. And that's that's a that's a bad mixture, you know? Um there. But I'll tell you, I'll tell you this much. Um, Home Team Barbecue has been a sponsor for our our podcast. And dude, they're they're uh pulled pork. They make some sliders, and I'll I'll I'll hammer those things.

Luke 37:14

It's it's a good little bass. No, that's ours. I haven't had dinner yet. The at the time of this film, and I'm getting hungry. I love I love some pulled pork. All right, let's take a little picture. Favorite tailgating game.

First time Flip Cup mentioned on the show

Stephen 37:30

Oh man, um I mean, I'm a classic guy. I like Flip Cup more than anything. It gets a job done. Uh, you know, I don't I beer pong is it takes too long, you miss a shot, you have to sit there and just wait. I mean, obviously you have your own drink as you're sipping on, but I like Flip Cup. You you you're you're it's interactive, you're competing against somebody else, and it's pretty fun.

Luke 37:57

No, that's it, that's the first time we've had Flip Cup on the show as the favorite tailgating game. So there you there you go.

The show consensus — cornhole

Stephen 38:03

So what's the what's the what's the what's the consensus then?

Luke 38:06

The consensus is what you think it would be cornhole, right? And I feel like sometimes people are just like, oh, cornhole, right? That that's the that's the go-to, right? That people know the most. Nothing wrong with cornhole, but there's so many freaking tailgating games out there that I was like to ask the question to see like how creative do we get.

Stephen 38:23

Yeah, I I'm not very good at cornhole either, so I don't really it's like bowling. I don't really give too much of a shit about it.

GameCocks season — not good

Luke 38:32

Fair enough. All right. So as we wind out, Stephen, our our Gamecocks haven't had the best season, right? As we sit here in late November for it. So we have two games coming up, one against uh arch rival, the Clemson Tigers. So, two questions. One, do you have any any stories of playing Clemson in the past that could help uh inspire the team? And I'll start with that one.

Stephen 39:01

Not really anything that would inspire. I mean, if you're not inspired to play against those guys, then why are you fucking playing for this university, you know? And here's the deal. Here's the deal, Luke. I I grew up in Florida. I I had I had no idea where the University of South Carolina was on the map when I was getting recruited. I had no idea where Clemson was, and Clemson recruited me as well. Uh I I didn't give a shit about the rivalry. I mean, obviously I knew about the brawl because who didn't know about that? Um, you know, my uncle put my uncle played at Florida State. I was somewhat of a Florida State guy. Uh didn't really give a shit about college football that much at all. When I was a kid, I was more NFL guy. Um But yeah, I mean, if you can't get if you can't get juiced up to play against your in-state rival, guys that you went to high school with, guys that you're, you know, we're sometimes it's like, especially the success that Clemson's has like, why how come I didn't get offered by Clemson? You know, there's a little bit of a chip on your shoulder. And, you know, when I went up there, Coach Burrier was like, yeah, you know, we're we want to compete for the SEC, you know, East, and we're gonna compete for the SEC championship, you know, try to play for the BCS title. And not once did he mention anything about Clemson. He didn't really, he didn't care about that rivalry that much at all. Um, so I mean there's there's a little bit of that, but at the end of the day, man, that's that's what that's what Carolina fans care most about is beating Clemson. You could be we could be 0 and 0 9, 0 10, whatever, however many games they play now. As long as you beat Clemson, you've had a successful year. Uh which is this year feels that way. Which is crazy. Yeah. This year definitely feels that way. Yeah, we have to beat them. Um, and I mean, here's a little to add on that, man, the fact that they are having Dabo on the hot seat because he's underperformed this year is baffling to me. The guy's won national championships. He's taken in the playoffs year after year. He's been successful, and now all of a sudden they've, you know, they've kind of shit the bed this year. It's like, oh yeah, Dabo's got to go. It's like, what? Why? So I I don't know. But yeah, I mean, I that's a long-winded answer. I'm I'm giving you a lot of long-winded answers, but yeah, I don't I you gotta get you gotta get used to it. I mean, that's that's again, it's your in-state rivalry. If you you win that game, it propels you, no matter where you're at record-wise, you win that game, it propels you, you know, through the offseason.

Luke 41:33

What's what's the one key? I I know you've like myself probably seen all the games this year and have had levels of frustration and everything with it. What's the one thing they need to do, Carolina speaking, to win out this year?

Stephen 41:47

Let Lenoris be Lenores. Let him let him be who the fuck he is. They're trying to make him like a pot. He they had success last year.

Luke 42:00

Right.

Stephen 42:00

They had success last year. Let him let him do it. I think they're they're so worried about, you know, you know, preparing for the NFL. It's like, let that's that's his job after the season. Let him focus on winning games and playing the way his skill set is designed for. Let him do what he does. And that's that's the key. I mean, we saw last year, you know, we had no business winning that game. Give the ball to 16, let him run around, make plays, and we win. Um, you know, that's that's that's kind of been the most, and that's that's just not me as you know, a former quarterback. It's that's every fan. Every fan is like, why is why are we not doing what we did last year? So I get I get everybody's frustration, man. It's it's it is frustrating. And uh, you know, I I give Lenarce a lot of shit just because he's taking a lot of sacks, he's trying to run the ball way too much. But why are we not designing him to run? Let him run. He's he's as heavy as I was when I was playing and significantly faster. Let him go.

Luke 43:03

Yeah, no, it seems it seems easy when you say it, but for some reason it hasn't translated yet. Um, Stephen, do you want to go ahead and memorialize the final score for the Carolina Glimpsing game on here tonight?

Stephen 43:14

No, I I have no idea. Hold on. I mean, shit, we we got Coastal Carolina. They've won, I think, five or six games in a row. I mean, they're not some, you know, preseason, everybody's like, oh, that's a win for sure. They I who knows? Who knows? We gotta we gotta play well, man. Those guys are gonna be fired up. They got Chance, who was the uh associate uh AD last year. Uh, he's scorned because he was not the he didn't get the job this this uh this season. So I mean they're gonna be fired up. That's gonna be a fired up, you know, group of chancers or whatever they're called. They're gonna be fired up to play. So if we don't come up with our our bootstraps up, man, it they they they can they can beat our ass. You know, it's it's they're Any given Saturday, you know. We can't we can't overlook them. You know, everybody wants to talk about Clemson. We can't overlook this, especially this year, man. We we gotta look we gotta look to Saturday and focus on one game at a time.

Luke 44:13

Fair enough, fair enough. Well, hopefully the Game Cox can uh can take some of your advice and and apply it. And went out this year, maybe get a little momentum going into the offseason because there won't be any bowling this year for us to to do in regards to that. But um uh Steven, tell us this too. I know you have your own podcast. Go ahead and get give a plug, give a shout out for it, what people can expect when they when they tune in and shout it out right now.

Stephen 44:38

Oh yeah, Tailgate Talks, it's uh me and Pat DeMarco. Um, you know, he came up to me two years ago, and you know, Pat was my roommate, teammate for a bunch of years. And um, he's like, hey man, I want to start a podcast. And I've been trying to start my own podcast for a while now. And when he said that, I was like, dude, I'm in. I don't I don't care about anything else you're saying. I'm in. He is he is the structured guy, as you can imagine. I'm clearly the chaos guy. Uh and it, it's it's we've definitely bumped heads over the course of the past two years. Um, but it's it's been awesome, you know, getting a chance to rekindle relationships with former teammates. Um, you know, we just had John Abraham on, and you know, getting a chance to to hear these guys' stories, you know, not just about their playing days, but about their childhood, about their NFL journey, about literally everything. It's it's it's been really cool to to kind of hear what they have to say. And, you know, I for the most part, I feel like, you know, Game Pop fans have have really enjoyed it.

Luke 45:39

No doubt. Like I am a listener and follow you on social and everything now as well, too. And so because I'm like, man, anything that's talks about tailgating and former like Carolina athletes out there, it's like, I'm in. I'm in. So I think it's awesome what you're doing with uh Pat too.

Tequila for tailgates, bourbon for podcasts

Stephen 45:54

It's it's it's a lot more fun to do it in person. I will say that. It you know, doing doing the remote stuff is is always fun, but doing it in person and getting a chance to like drink bourbon and and kind of get a little buzz going with these guys and let them kind of you know tell their real story is is it's awesome. Get a little liquid courage in them.

Luke 46:14

Nice. So am I here? So tequila the tailgates, bourbon for podcast.

Stephen 46:21

Absolutely.

Luke 46:23

Absolutely. Excellent, excellent. All right, well, hey, Stephen, thank you so much, man. I know we've been on here chopping it up now for a while. Like, you've been awesome. I love all the background stories and appreciate you being on here tonight. Um, I think at some point in the future, like we're gonna have to tailgate together. I feel like that's gonna be in the destiny in our cards. It's good, it's going to happen at some point.

Stephen 46:43

Absolutely. We have to make it happen no matter what.

Luke 46:48

Excellent. Excellent. All right. Well, with that, everybody that tuned in to the end of the episode. Thank you so much for hanging out with us for the whole time for the episode tonight. Again, this was the Tailgate Connect podcast. We are like your Airbnb tailgate solution out there. We have tailgates from the NFL college markets all across the land. If you want easy button tailgate, you check out tailgateconnect.com for all your tailgate needs. Shout out to Steve for being here tonight and uh hope to see you at a tailgate soon. Have a good one.

Music 47:14

Tailgate Connect, it's all here for you. Food drinking friends under sky so blue.