Stars Volta Podcast

Jacob Lacey is a 6'1" 282 pound defensive tackle at the University of Oklahoma. As a senior at South Warren High School (Bowling Green) Lacey won the 5A state championship and was named the #1 prospect in the state of Kentucky (2018).  Jacob started his CFB journey at Notre Dame where he played three seasons under Brian Kelly helping the Irish go 32-6 and earning a birth in the College Football Playoff. Lacey transferred to Oklahoma prior to 2023 season but was hospitalized with blood clots in his lungs and was told by doctors he would never play football again. Listen to our interview with Jacoby Lacey to learn how he overcame the odds and what he has planned for his final season at Oklahoma.

Ayo Adeyi is one of the most explosive running backs in college football today. He averaged 7.11 yards/carry in 2023 at the University of North Texas which was 4th in the country. Ayo will put his big play talent on display at James Madison University as a grad transfer in 2024. We sat down with Ayo to talk about his college football career, his experience hitting the transfer portal twice and what the future holds for him at JMU.

Austin is an up and coming solo musician that is changing what it means to be Country by infusing punk, pop and indie rock into classic country music story telling. The Hopkinsville, KY native graduated from Murray State University which is where he formed the duel group SixForty1. After a successful 8 year run that included performing for thousands as Brantley Gilbert opener, the band decided to split up in 2023. Now a solo artist signed to a publishing deal in Nashville, Austin is making waves with his unique sound. We sat down with Austin to talk about his journey in country music and the story behind his lyrics.

Cooper Greer is a Country Music singer/songwriter originally from Hyde County, North Carolina. With a voice like Jason Aldean and a country-rock vibe similar to Koe Wetzel, Greer has become an artist to watch in 2024. The tar heel native was named 2022 CCMA Songwriter of the Year and CMT showcase the music video for his single "Drugs." We talked with Cooper about his journey in country music and the meaning behind his lyrics. 

Jaxson Lavender is a Freshman Slot Wide Receiver at Southern Methodist University. Prior to SMU Lavender was catching touchdowns at Lovejoy High School just 30 minutes NE of Dallas in Lucas, TX. In the off-season you can find him training with the likes of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Cole Beasley and 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. We sat down with Jaxson in Dallas to talk about recruiting, NIL, the transfer portal, his first season at SMU, training with Dak and SMU joining the ACC. 

Thomas Gordon is a 6'5" 245 pound senior TE at Northwestern University. We sat down with the Houston native to talk about his roller coaster career in Evanston which includes the highs of winning the Big Ten-West and the Citrus Bowl followed by lows of losing 20 games in 2 years and the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Gordon's career got back on track this season with a successful 7-5 rebuild and birth to the Las Vegas Bowl. Press play to learn more about Thomas Gordon's wild ride.

Akeem Hunt is a former NFL running back who played with the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to the pros, the Covington, Georgia native racked up 4,600+ all-purpose yards and 20 TD's at Purdue University. We sat down with Akeem in Dallas to talk about his journey to the NFL, the current state of college football and his amazing stories with JJ Watt, Raheem Mostert, Arian Foster and Tyreek Hill. 

Tracielynn is a country music artist with a powerful voice and commanding stage presence. The Chesapeake, Virginia native moved to Nashville in 2019 and since then has opened for Morgan Wallen, Sam Hunt, Brooks & Dunn, Jon Pardi, Sara Evans, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Cody Johnson to name a few. In August of 2023 Tracielynn dropped her debut album 'More Than a Bad Habit' which features her hit single "Broadway Cowboy." We sat down with Tracielynn to talk about her recent concert tour, the new album, song lyrics and the country music gender gap that no one seems to be talking about. Slap that play button and enjoy.

Tim Dillard is former MLB pitcher who is currently the Pregame and Postgame Analyst for the Milwaukee Brewers. Dillard made his MLB debut in 2008 and got his first strikeout against current Yankees Manager, Aaron Boone. We were lucky enough to talk baseball with the funniest man in sports and hear about his journey which may or may not include hilarious stories about Bob Uecker, Jason Kendall and Gary Sheffield.

Conor Darvid is a New York based singer/songwriter who jumped on the music scene in 2017 when he collaborated with internationally ranked DJ, Morten. Their hit single "Ride Around" currently has over 12.3 million streams on Spotify. You can listen to his latest single "Sad Song for the Summer" everywhere you get your music but before you do that, slap the play button to hear about Conor's journey and the story behind his lyrics.

Former ESPN SportsCenter Anchor sits down with us to talk about Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. 

Jay Crawford brought America their sports news and updates as the midday SportCenter Anchor on ESPN from 2007-2017. Crawford joined ESPN in 2003 when he launched his show Cold Pizza, which eventually became First Take. The Sandusky, Ohio native has won 4 Regional Emmy Awards, hosted the Little League World Series and was a guest host on NFL Live. Jay is currently a News Anchor at WKYC Channel 3 in Cleveland where he also host the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.

Our panel of former/current QB's analyze the top Quarterbacks in college football entering the 2023 season. In Part 3, our experts looked at two transfer QB's, Sam Hartman who transferred into Notre Dame this offseason via Wake Forest and Bo Nix who transferred to Oregon in 2022 via Auburn. Both have Heisman hopes and National Championship dreams, but do either have what it takes to turn hopes and dreams into reality? .........Watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube page @starsvolta and reels on Instagram @starsvolta 

Our QB Panel:
1. Kevin Anderson - Current Pro QB who just won the XFL Championship with the Arlington Renegades and played his college ball at Marshall and Fordham.
2. Warren Arnold - Former D1 starting QB for Valparaiso where he played against Jim Harbaugh (Coach) and Josh Johnson (QB) at San Diego.
3. Jeff Supernah - Former D3 QB at Loras College and High School football coach in the Madison, Wisconsin area.

Our panel of former/current QB's analyze the top Quarterbacks in college football entering the 2023 season. In Part 2, our experts looked at Washington's Heisman hopeful Michael Penix Jr. and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams 
Watch the video of the podcast via YouTube @starsvolta

Our QB Panel:
1. Kevin Anderson - Current Pro QB who just won the XFL Championship with the Arlington Renegades and played his college ball at Marshall and Fordham.
2. Warren Arnold - Former D1 starting QB for Valparaiso where he played against Jim Harbaugh (Coach) and Josh Johnson (QB) at San Diego.
3. Jeff Supernah - Former D3 QB at Loras College and High School football coach in the Madison, Wisconsin area.

Our panel of former/current QB's analyze the top Quarterbacks in college football entering the 2023 season. In Part 1, our experts looked at UNC sophomore sensation Drake Maye who finished 3rd in Heisman voting last season. They will also analyze Tulane's junior play-caller Michael Pratt who shocked the world last year with an incredible comeback win over USC in the Cotton Bowl....Video version of the podcast can be found on YouTube @starsvolta

Our QB Panel:
1. Kevin Anderson - Current Pro QB who just won the XFL Championship with the Arlington Renegades and played his college ball at Marshall and Fordham.
2. Warren Arnold - Former D1 starting QB for Valparaiso where he played against Jim Harbaugh (Coach) and Josh Johnson (QB) at San Diego.
3. Jeff Supernah - Former D3 QB at Loras College and High School football coach in the Madison, Wisconsin area.

Tulsa siblings Caleb, Hannah, Cody and Jacob make up the country band, Voth (VOE-TH).  Their debut single "I choose Us" (2018) and their self-titled EP (2020) made waves in the country music world by hitting major playlists on Spotify. Since then they've opened up for acts like Walker Hayes, Priscilla Block and have signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. 
We sat down with Caleb, Hannah and Cody to talk about their journey to Nashville and how they feel about their new album "Memories of You" which drops on September 14th...... After you listen to the podcast go download their new singles "92 Bronco" and "You Own it" available everywhere you get your music. 

Cam Allen is a singer/songwriter who's shared the stage with country music headliners, Dustin Lynch, Chris Cagle, Randy Roger and Corey Kent. Later this year Cam will be opening for Carly Pearce and Tyler Hubbard. Prior to his singing career, Allen played college baseball at one of the top Junior Colleges in the country. While in college, Cam found his voice, and a talent scout for American Idol found his voice as well. Listen now to learn about Cam Allen's journey to the stage and download his debut album, "In a Home Town" .......available everywhere. 

Colt Graves is a singer/songwriter from Owensboro, KY. His hit single, "Dirt on Me" has climbed to #2 on Amazon Music Charts and #13 on iTunes. Recently, the Hollywood Independent Music Awards nominated Colt's single, "Word Around Town" for best Country (Classic) song. The Graves family aren't strangers to the music industry, Colt's grandfather, Josh Graves, is a member of the Bluegrass HOF and his father, Josh Jr, played with Jeannie C. Riley (Harper Valley PTA) and Ronnie & the Daytonas (Little GTO). Colt's sound is more unique than the Graves that came before him and his blend of Country, Rap and Rock is getting notice by big names in the music industry....Listen now to discover which big Artist/Producer is collaborating with Colt Graves.  

Ryan Borucki is an MLB pitcher currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates. As a senior at Mundelein High School (IL), the Toronto Blue Jays selected Borucki in the 15th round of the 2012 MLB draft. Ryan made his Major League debut as the Blue Jays starting pitcher on June 26, 2018 in Houston vs the Astros. He became the Blue Jays 2018 Rookie of the Year and pitched for Toronto until 2022 before getting traded to Seattle. A long shot 15th round pick, Ryan and his older brother Matt Borucki talk about the journey to The Show.

Tank Ledger is a professional wrestler in the WWE. You can find Tank on the USA Network every Tuesday night wrestling with his tag team partner Hank Walker. Prior to WWE, Tank Ledger AKA Joe Spivak was a defensive tackle at Northwestern University. In his 5-year career, Joe won 3 bowl games and was a part of 2 Big Ten West Championships. As a 5th year graduated student, Spivak was named Mr. Wildcat and given the #1 jersey for the 2021 season. This honor goes to the player who best embodies the values and character of the Northwestern football program.