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Balls & Banter

From big games to big headlines, Balls & Banter is where sports, entertainment, and the day’s wildest storylines collide. Hosted by former counterterrorism officer and sports junkie Drew Berquist, the show delivers fast-moving takes, sharp banter, and no-fluff analysis. It is heavy on football and major American sports, with a dash of news and culture when it’s too ridiculous (or too important) to ignore. It’s energetic, unfiltered, and built for fans who want laughs, real talk, and a host who

sports sports news

All Episodes

60:58

Eagles Struggles Grow Wider, Stephen A. Crosses the...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/10/08

The Philadelphia Eagles are making major moves, and not all of them are good. Lane Johnson announces his retirement after 14 seasons, citing mental health and family, only for Stephen A. Smith to deliver a ridiculous response on ESPN. Meanwhile, Philadelphia trades Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore, leaving serious questions about the Eagles' offensive line. In Minnesota, the Vikings bring in Odell Beckham Jr., rumors swirl about a potential Saquon Barkley trade, and Jayden Daniels is back

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85:53

College Football Reactions and Week 5 Slate, NFL...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/10/01

Week 4 gave us plenty to unpack. Florida handled Ole Miss, Texas-Tennessee gave us an incredible finish, Wake Forest went into Louisville and pulled off the upset, and Michigan showed some encouraging offensive growth, including two 100-yard receivers, but Iowa and Kirk Ferentz found a way to win despite Michigan controlling much of the game. We get into the Dylan Stewart suspension and USC suspending Desman Stephens II after his celebration while Dante Moore was down following a huge hit. Then

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88:11

New AP Poll, Stacked CFB Week 4 Slate, and NFL...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/09/24

Another football weekend delivered chaos. LSU fought all the way back from a 24-7 halftime deficit against Ole Miss but couldn't finish the job, while the postgame scene produced an incredible photo and reports of nearly $900,000 in alcohol sales. Kentucky stunned Texas A&M in College Station, Rich Rodriguez has West Virginia off to a 3-0 start after knocking off No. 25 Virginia, and NC State left us asking one simple question: what are you doing? We react to the new AP Top 25, including

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81:20

LSU-Ole Miss Reaches Peak Spice, Miami's $200M Deal,...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/09/17

LSU-Ole Miss already had enough drama, and now LSU defensive end Princewill Umanmielen has reportedly been served with court papers connected to Ole Miss' lawsuit against him. Add Lane Kiffin listing Sam Leavitt as doubtful with a sore shoulder, skepticism surrounding that designation, and even a brief reaction in the betting market, and this matchup is getting ridiculous before anyone takes a snap. We also dig into The Athletic's estimated college football roster budgets and the enormous amount of

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54:11

Michigan Delivers, Ohio State Collapses & NFL Week 1...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/09/15

Week 1 of the NFL is in the books, and Kenneth Walker Jr. was an absolute monster in Kansas City's 31-10 win over Denver, piling up 173 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. Patrick Mahomes looked healthy, and we break down the rest of the opening weekend along with the latest NFL power rankings. Then it's a loaded college football recap: Michigan showed some serious resilience against Oklahoma, the defense came to play, and the offense showed enough improvement to get a huge win. Alabama started

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92:35

NFL Week 1 Is Here, LSU Escapes SEC Exile &...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/09/10

Football is officially taking over the calendar. We recap Patriots-Seahawks after Drake Maye's three-interception night, then look ahead to 49ers-Rams in Australia and break down the biggest games on the NFL Week 1 slate. Minnesota has already shaken up its quarterback depth chart, with Carson Wentz now QB2 behind Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy falling to third just one year after being named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In college football, LSU's potential expulsion is reportedly off the

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74:21

Curb Stompings, Controversy & Power Outages: Week 1...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/09/08

Week 1 of college football delivered exactly what we wanted: chaos. Michigan somehow survives Western Michigan after a controversial clock decision gave the Wolverines one final shot, but let's be clear: Michigan probably shouldn't have gotten that second back, fans absolutely shouldn't be rushing the field after beating Western Michigan, and Bryce Underwood has to be dramatically better before Oklahoma comes to town.LSU absolutely curb stomped Clemson, raising a question that would have sounded

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65:35

SEC-LSU War Escalates, Cignetti Drops Another Great...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/09/03

The SEC's fight with LSU is escalating fast. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is now urging Greg Sankey to use "all measures available," including potentially suspending or removing LSU from the conference if Lane Kiffin follows through with putting former NFL players on the roster. Meanwhile, excitement around LSU is through the roof, with more than 900 credentials issued for the Clemson opener, the most in Tiger Stadium history. Curt Cignetti delivers another all-time line about winning at

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77:28

Beer Heist, USC's Empty Stadium, and LSU-SEC Drama...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/09/01

Somebody in California just stole 40,000 pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon in what may be the largest beer heist ever, and somehow that isn't even the strangest story of the week. Villanova blew a 10-point lead in under a minute, USC opened against Fresno State in front of a painfully empty Coliseum, Eastern Michigan and UNLV delivered two very different entrances, and Brent Venables gave a great answer on why he still coaches. Then we get into the real college football chaos: Lane Kiffin says his players

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83:17

SEC Draws a Line, Texas Tech Lands Castellanos, and...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/08/27

The SEC has officially drawn a line in the sand on the growing NFL-to-college eligibility madness. After an initial 16-0 vote, SEC presidents formally approved penalties 15-0 with LSU abstaining, establishing consequences for programs and coaches who put former NFL players on active college rosters. We break down what the new rules mean, LSU's decision not to vote, and where this increasingly bizarre fight between college football, the courts and eligibility rules goes next.Plus, Thomas Castellanos

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84:24

Major SEC Drama, Jed York Arrested in Prostitution...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/08/25

College football's Wild West somehow just got wilder. Former NFL players are heading back to the SEC, LSU is loading up with guys fresh off professional rosters, Tennessee's Arion Carter however is still suspended over a $427 flight, and now the SEC presidents and chancellors are weighing in on the madness. Meanwhile, 49ers owner Jed York was arrested in a prostitution sting, and Cleveland's quarterback situation remains a full-blown dumpster fire with Deshaun Watson named QB1 and Shedeur Sanders

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68:38

Pat McAfee, Boise's Epic Helmets, Rookie of the Year...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/08/20

Boise State is celebrating 40 years of football with hand-painted helmets for its Week 2 home opener against Memphis, and it happens to be one of the best Group of Six matchups on the early college football schedule. We'll compare what Boise State and Memphis have accomplished over the last decade and preview a game worth circling now. Plus, Pat McAfee is joining Monday Night Countdown, Fernando Mendoza is already providing plenty of entertainment with reporters, and we debate the NFL's top

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65:26

Early Reactions to AP Top 25, Preseason Winners &...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/08/18

The first AP Top 25 is out, and there's already plenty to argue about. Defending national champion Indiana somehow starts outside the Top 5 despite receiving the third-most first-place votes, Alabama opens outside the Top 10 for the first time in 18 years, and Clemson isn't ranked at all. We dig into those surprises, the teams sitting just outside the poll, and why preseason rankings are still mostly educated guesses. Then it's NFL preseason winners and losers: Tua struggled, Jamal Adams suffered a

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82:29

Jayden Daniels vs. LSU, Lakers Sell for $12B & NFL...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/08/13

Jayden Daniels vs. LSU, Lakers Sell for $12B & NFL Preseason Is HereJayden Daniels has told LSU it can no longer use his name, image or likeness, reopening the debate over how college football should honor its legends. Daniels is a Heisman winner, but Joe Burrow won a national championship and Billy Cannon remains the only LSU player whose number is officially retired and completely out of circulation. We'll get into why honoring great players makes sense, but permanently removing numbers

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67:14

What Is a Woman? WNBA Forced to Decide, and Buffalo's...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/08/11

The WNBA now finds itself facing a question it never imagined would become a league-wide issue as officials reportedly review the definition of a woman following several former NBA players expressing interest in entering the league. We also discuss the fallout from the Sophie Cunningham controversy, DiJonai Carrington's comments, and the broader conversation surrounding fairness in women's sports. Plus, Mitch McConnell's decision to work remotely, Haynes King's outstanding Hall of Fame Game debut,

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56:41

Lesnar Retires from WWE, Football Is Back Tonight &...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/08/06

Lesnar Retires from WWE, Football Is Back Tonight & First Preseason Top 25 Poll DropsFootball is officially back tonight, and while preseason games are always a little sloppy, there are still plenty of storylines worth watching—including Haynes King and whether his athleticism could carve out a unique NFL role. We also react to Brock Lesnar officially retiring from WWE, remember wrestling legend Dory Funk Jr., break down Stefon Diggs joining Jayden Daniels in Washington, Jonathan Taylor's new

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85:06

WWE Delivers, Notre Dame Cashes In & Football Is...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/08/04

SummerSlam delivered one of the best weekends WWE has had in years. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns put on an instant classic, Kevin Owens returned to become CM Punk's next challenger, Randy Orton spoiled Cody Rhodes' title hopes, and Chelsea Green's is finally on top - for now. We also react to the launch of a new professional women's baseball league and its unforgettable national anthem performance, discuss Tony Romo's indefinite suspension, Draymond Green returning to Golden State, Notre Dame's

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67:33

UNC's Belichick Experiment is Imploding, Ohio State...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/07/28

North Carolina's football experiment under Bill Belichick is already under intense scrutiny as general manager Michael Lombardi is placed on leave and the program faces an investigation from the College Sports Commission. We discuss why the Tar Heels abandoned a successful formula, whether Mack Brown deserved the same level of investment, and how the "33rd NFL team" approach has quickly unraveled. We also cover Warde Manuel's massive buyout, Ohio State's record-setting jersey sponsorship with

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66:07

Sophie Doubles Down on Sanity, the Miami Heat Have a...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/07/23

Did the Miami Heat accidentally leak LeBron James' return before it happened? We break down the viral livestream mishap and what it could mean. We also discuss Sophie Cunningham doubling down on her stance regarding women's sports, Victor Wembanyama becoming the face of NBA 2K27, NFL training camps officially getting underway, Patrick Kane's return to Chicago, and why four Minnesota Twins teammates somehow chose the same loaded college football Saturday for their weddings. Plus, Days of Thunder

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74:09

Spain Wins It All, ESPN Bloodbath, and is Tom Brady...

Balls & Banter ·

2026/07/21

Spain captured the 2026 FIFA World Cup, capping a tournament that generated more than $9 billion for FIFA and further cemented soccer's global reach. We break down the championship, ESPN's major round of layoffs that reportedly includes Ryan Clark, Karl Ravech, and Tom Pelissero, and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel's decision to step down following the university's external culture review. We also debate Pat Narduzzi's claim that the ACC is better than the Big Ten, preview a loaded November

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