Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin are the defending champions at this week’s Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
While they’ll try to become the first pair to return to the PGA Tour’s only team event, Novak will be keeping an eye on the other major sporting event this week — the NFL draft, which begins Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+) in Pittsburgh.
The 31-year-old golfer might just be the biggest NFL fan on tour, and he has the podcast to prove it.
In September 2023, Evan Grenus, one of Novak’s teammates on the Wofford College golf team, asked if he would be interested in hosting a podcast focused on the NFL, football and gambling.
One of Grenus’ friends had bailed on the project. Grenus promised that it would be a temporary gig for Novak until he found a permanent partner. Novak agreed to do it as long as it wasn’t just a temporary gig.
“I always thought it would be fun to do, just talk about football,” said Novak. “It doesn’t require more work for me. I watch the games. I feel like I can speak well, and I understand the game well. It’s just a fun thing I do on Tuesdays.”
Every Tuesday during the NFL season starting in the fall of 2023, Novak has recorded a half-hour episode of the “ScreenPlay Podcast.” There have been 83 episodes so far, including the latest preview of this week’s NFL draft.
Brian Rolapp, a former NFL executive, did one of his first interviews as CEO of the PGA Tour on a podcast in September.
Five-time PGA Tour winner Harris English, a die-hard Georgia and SEC fan, once described Novak as an encyclopedia when it comes to football knowledge.
“I think I know a lot about college football and the NFL and naming teams from the ’90s and early 2000s, but he’s better than me,” English said. “Whether it’s Miami, Florida or Florida State, he has a lot of experience from when he was probably 6 or 7 years old. The crazy thing is, he shouldn’t remember any of it because he was too young to watch.”
Novak is a longtime fan of the Carolina Panthers. He grew up in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and attended his first Panthers game when he was 4 or 5 years old. During his time at Wofford, where he was the 2017 Southern Conference Player of the Year and qualified for the NCAA Tournament twice, he attended several Panthers games each season.
“We made it to the playoffs last year, which was great,” Novak said. “We didn’t make a fool of ourselves against the Rams, which was a big honor. We have really good people in the building. I think Dave Canales is a great coach, and we got one of the best GMs in the league in Dan Morgan. [Team owner David] Tepper needs to get out of the way, but I think the trajectory is really good right now. “
Novak’s favorite college football team is Miami, which he started watching in the early 2000s. The 2001 Hurricanes team, led by quarterback Ken Dorsey, tailback Clinton Portis, wide receiver Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey and safety Ed Reed, went undefeated and won the BCS national championship. Novak was caught by the Canes.
When Novak isn’t playing on the PGA Tour in the fall, he’ll get his work done at the driving range in the morning and spend the rest of the day glued to the “NFL RedZone.”
On his podcast, Novak isn’t afraid to give some solid material. He was impressed by the Jets’ trade with the Raiders in March, which returned quarterback Geno Smith to New York, where he was the starting quarterback from 2013 through the 2015 preseason.
“The Jets need a quarterback,” Novak said. “I still don’t think that means they won’t write one. I don’t think Geno is the answer there, but it’s a start maybe.”
Another deal Novak didn’t like was the Falcons’ signing of Dolphins linebacker Tua Tagovailoa, who has a history of concussions and lost his starting job in Miami after throwing 15 interceptions last season.
Falcons starter Michael Penix Jr. is still recovering from left ACL surgery in November after tearing the ligament in Week 11 last season. The Falcons released quarterback Kirk Cousins on March 11 after just two seasons of a four-year, $180 million contract.
“The Falcons are normal,” Novak said. “That’s a little confusing to me. I don’t know what they’re doing in Atlanta. In fact, that could be a situation where in Week 6 or Week 7, they’re both injured and they’re playing their third quarterback. Both of those guys are getting a lot.
“I don’t really know what’s going on with the Falcons. As a Panthers fan, I don’t mind.”
Novak does his homework to prepare for his podcast, including rewatching college games in preparation for NFL draft preview shows.
Surprisingly, he’s not completely sold on Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana, who appears to be the No. 1 pick by the Raiders. Novak believes Mendoza has the makeup to be an NFL quarterback, but Novak has concerns about his ability.
He likes that the Raiders signed former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum to a three-year, $81 million contract in March, making him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history.
“A really good center is huge for a rookie quarterback,” Novak said. “It takes a little bit at the plate for a rookie, not having to make the call and maybe see the pressures. I hope Mendoza doesn’t overthink it. I want to see what [new Raiders coach Klint] Kubiak throws him, because all I saw him throw in Indiana were back shoulders and RPOs. I didn’t see much else.”
In his only season as Indiana’s quarterback, Mendoza completed 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns with six interceptions, leading the Hoosiers to a 16-0 record and the school’s first College Football Playoff National Championship game.
That run included a 27-21 victory against Miami in the title game, in which Mendoza threw for 186 yards on 16-for-27 passing.
“There were a couple of times in the national championship game he tried to go through the middle,” Novak said. “It wasn’t good. It’s like a wide receiver with a limited route coming out of college. It might take some time for him to get used to different throws and seeing different routes.”
Former Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor is another first-round prospect with potential red flags, according to Novak. The 6-foot-7 366-pounder is expected to go 15 picks in most mock drafts.
“I feel bad saying any names, but I’m not sold on Kadyn Proctor,” Novak said.
If Novak were an NFL general manager, he would stay away from Florida’s prospects.
“Again, I’m biased, but usually you shouldn’t draft Florida players because they explode at an incredible rate in the NFL,” Novak said. “That’s not fair to any of them but, like, take all the guys that left [to the NFL] in front of you.”
He gives high marks to former Gators center Jake Slaughter, who is considered a Day 2 pick.
“As long as you don’t take a player from Florida in the first round, they can go well,” he said.
One NFL draft prospect Novak doesn’t have to worry about is Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. Novak attended Miami’s 24-14 victory over the Buckeyes in the CFP quarterfinals at the Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year’s Day. Although the Hurricanes won, he was impressed with Downs, who took home the Jim Thorpe Award as the top running back in the FBS last season.
“Every single game, it was like, ‘Oh my god, he’s at it again,'” Novak said. “He’s always in the right place. I don’t know if it’s natural or anything, but he seemed to be in the right place. He’s got his hands on the ball, he’s pushing hard, he’s rolling in space. I’m very, very impressed.”
One can’t miss hope? Miami running back Rueben Bain Jr., who had 9.5 sacks last season. Novak watched Bain tackle Texas A&M offensive tackle Trey Zuhn III in the Hurricanes’ 10-3 win in a CFP first-round game.
“Zuhn is probably a Day 2 pick, and Bain made him look like a fool,” Novak said. “At the end of the day, you can talk about long arms and stuff. But he went against guys who are going to be NFL tackles, and they had no chance against him. He can stop anywhere on the defensive line. Miami moved him around; he’s not one guy.”
Of course, Novak’s main goal this week is to win again on the PGA Tour, which he hasn’t done since he partnered with Griffin in New Orleans last year.
After a stellar start to the season, Novak has finished in the top 20 in his last three appearances, including a tie for 16th at last week’s RBC Heritage.
“In golf, you can’t do it too much,” Novak said. “Unless you’re Scottie [Scheffler] or Rory [McIlroy] or one of those lucky ones, you don’t win that much.”
Going back with Griffin could help his chances. They both live in Sea Island, Georgia, and play together there often.
Griffin told reporters at TPC Louisiana that keeping Novak loose is one of his goals.
“We’re going to talk about football or something over there, even though I don’t follow it as well as you do,” Griffin told Novak. “I’m not a podcast.”
