Two URI Football Teammates are Growing a Sizable Podcast Following

Joe DeLeone and Sean Anderson are never at a loss for words. In fact, the two teammates on the University of Rhode Island football team are known around the Kingston campus for their give-and-take rapport that sometimes features a raised a decibel level.

“We don’t sit with a lot of people at lunch,” said Anderson, cracking a big smile while sitting next to DeLeone, who laughs as he nods in agreement. “About 15 minutes after we sit down to eat, we know we’re going to start yelling at each other. I don’t know what it is. We just can’t stop debating with each other.”

“Something seems to always come up. We never agree on anything,” says DeLeone.

The points of contention could range from items as varied as who drives the coolest car to really just about anything here-and-now in the worlds of sports and pop culture.

“At this point, everything is pretty heated,” said Anderson, a redshirt junior and contributor on the Rams’ offensive line.

Sounds like these two should sit down with a microphone, press record, and let the fur fly. Rest assured DeLeone and Anderson are way ahead of the curve.

Their joint venture in which lively banter is mixed with nuts-and-bolts analysis has become a podcast titled “Bleav in FCS Football.” Roommates since their sophomore year at Rhode Island, DeLeone and Anderson have graduated from producing content that, looking back, served as a dry run for the opportunity that’s now before them.

The show is 113 podcasts produced by the Bleav Podcast Network with the two URI players having the market cornered when it comes to opining and discussing all things related to the teams, players, and coaches who can be found under the Football Championship Subdivision umbrella.

“It was Joe who pushed the idea for a podcast,” said Anderson.

From those modest beginnings – there are times DeLeone and Anderson will listen to what they recorded as sophomores and marvel at just how far they’ve come – the pair succeeded in landing a weekly national gig.

“We wanted to put ourselves in a position where once an opportunity came about, we wanted to be good,” said DeLeone, a senior long snapper who reached out to the folks at the Bleav Podcast Network via LinkedIn. “We said that we’re a pair of current athletes who are looking to talk FCS football. They had faith in us and we’ve run with it ever since.”

The pair have been recording podcasts for Bleav since last spring. Anderson is a communications studies major and sports media minor. DeLeone is pursuing a journalism major with a sports media minor. Naturally, both have dreams of someday becoming on-air personalities and believe their current podcast work is helping to lay a strong foundation that hopefully serves them well upon graduating from URI.

Regardless of what the future holds, Anderson noted that he and DeLeone, “have bought into the idea that we’re going to keep doing content together.”

Each week during the college football season, Anderson and DeLeone head to the on-campus studio to record two episodes. One of the episodes focuses on the week that was in FCS and is released on Tuesdays. The second podcast has a publish date for Thursdays and helps set the table for the upcoming action.

The episode where the teammates and good friends recap the most recent slate of games starts with a segment that’s called water-cooler talk. Did you see what happened? If not, here’s what you should know.

There’s also a fun segment called fat stats where Anderson and DeLeone scour the FCS landscape for statistics that stand out and explain why those particular numbers ended up catching their fancy. If there was a shocking score, the co-hosts will touch upon it. The episode will close with their thoughts on the national polls – what’s right and wrong.

The preview episode tends to stay away from FCS vs. FBS matchups. Remember, this is a podcast that’s devoted exclusively to the FCS. If there’s a Top 25 matchup, the boys will take a deep dive and explain why fans should pay close attention. The show concludes with a pick ’em feature where 10 games are selected with DeLeone and Anderson revealing who they believe will prevail.

Even though they are college football players, Anderson and DeLeone make it a point to stay away from their own personal experiences in an effort to keep growing their profile on a national level. Even when they welcome a URI teammate as a guest, it’s understood that the topics that are to be covered involve teams that might be playing in a different time zone or conference than the Rams.

“It’s about getting listeners involved, no matter what,” said Anderson.

The podcast duo was pleased to share they’ve received feedback from as far away as Washington state. To Anderson and DeLeone, it’s concrete proof that someone is listening out there, which at the end of the day is the main goal.

Where can you find this content? For starters, you can click on www.bleav.com. Bleav podcasts are available to be downloaded or streamed on iTunes, Stitcher, Tunein, Google Play, Spotify, Luminary, and iHeart.

Not bad for two guys who are known for engaging in spirited dialogue.

“It’s about adding a level of perspective that helps to set us apart from the rest of the market,” said DeLeone.

2019 YurView URI Football Broadcast Schedule:

• Sept. 7 – Delaware, 7 p.m.
• Sept. 28 – Stony Brook, 7 p.m.
• Oct. 26 – Elon, 1 p.m.
• Nov. 2 – Merrimack, 1 p.m.
• Nov. 23 – James Madison, 12 p.m.