Student athletes, NIL, USC, Ole Miss, Baylor, Tampa, NFL Draft, parenting, HBCU, transfer portal, Michael Trigg, Mike Evans, recruiting, Grove, USC tailgate, Fort Valley.
In this special episode of the Chop Shop Show, hosts Daryl Newton, Greg Doss, and Waldo Woodard sit down with Mike and Twyanca Trigg, parents of Tampa's own NFL Draft prospect Michael Trigg, for a raw, funny, and brutally honest conversation about raising a student athlete in today's college football world. From realizing Mike was "different" at two years old running full laps at Fort Valley State, to juggling soccer, YMCA hoops, and youth football, the Triggs walk us through the grind, sacrifice, and family conflicts that come with coaching your own kid hard while still protecting his joy in the game. They open up about choosing West Tampa over power programs, pushing academics, navigating secret USC recruiting visits during COVID, and the emotional reality of dropping your son off across the country. The crew also dives into culture shock at USC vs Ole Miss and the Grove, being Black parents in Southern college towns, and how race, tailgate culture, and community show up around big-time football. Mike shares how he built a winning mentality from his own HBCU days at Fort Valley, why dads have to "be the asshole" while moms soften the blow, and how that balance set Michael up for the Draft and life after football. Along the way, they hit on NIL, transfers, Tampa roots, barbecue, small-town politics, and why staying a good person matters more than stars or rankings. Topic segments with timestamps
- 00:00:23–00:03:30 – Opening, Chop Shop intro, Mike Evans to San Francisco and Bucs talk
- 00:03:31–00:08:10 – Michael's birth story, early signs of athleticism, first lap at Fort Valley, youth soccer and YMCA basketball
- 00:08:11–00:13:40 – Travel basketball, high school at West Tampa, motor, aggression, comparisons to his dad's Fort Valley days
- 00:13:41–00:18:20 – Parenting roles, coaching your own kid, mom vs dad conflict, "asshole" dad and "softening the blow"
- 00:18:21–00:24:30 – USC recruiting, COVID visit, emotional drop-off in California, adjusting to distance and fewer calls home
- 00:24:31–00:32:00 – USC diversity vs Ole Miss and Georgia, Grove experience, racial dynamics at Southern Power Five schools
- 00:32:01–00:40:00 – Mississippi stories, Klan marches, growing up around racism, military towns, Black communities and safety
- 00:40:01–00:48:30 – Balancing football dreams with academics, HBCUs, life after the game, expectations for greatness
- 00:48:31–00:55:30 – Mike's barbecue business, community support, new customers, networking into USF NIL connections
- 00:55:31–01:05:00 – NIL, transfer portal, business mindset for college athletes and families
- 01:05:01–01:15:00 – Father–son dynamics as kids grow up, boundaries, teammates, and letting go
- 01:15:01–01:23:30 – Local Tampa shout-outs, sponsors, small business plugs, closing laughs and rapid-fire jokes
