Gridiron Recruiting and Ethereum Market Moves

Katie Randall

Hey everyone, welcome back to The Blitz and The Block! I’m Katie Randall, and I’m here with Crypto-Joe and Crypto-Dan. We’ve got a packed show today—LSU’s recruiting is heating up, the Saints are shaking things up at camp, and, of course, we’ll get into the latest Ethereum and crypto market moves. But let’s kick things off with some football, because, honestly, it’s been a wild week in Louisiana.

Crypto-Joe

Oh, you ain’t kidding, Katie. LSU is on a mission right now. They’re still chasing Darius Gray, that five-star offensive lineman, and JaMichael Garrett, the linebacker. I mean, if they land both, that’s a statement. And I gotta say, I’m loving the energy from Nussmeier—he’s talking up the 2025 squad like they’re already playoff-bound. That’s the kind of swagger we need.

Crypto-Dan

Yeah, and it’s not just the roster. Did y’all see they’re thinking about selling jersey patch sponsorships? That’s a big move for LSU, especially if the NCAA gives the green light. Facility upgrades don’t pay for themselves, right? And, Joe, I know you’re gonna have thoughts on this, but Coach Brian Kelly’s got the Clemson Tiger paw in the weight room to fire up the guys. That’s some next-level motivation—or maybe just trolling, I can’t decide.

Crypto-Joe

Man, I love it. Anything to get those boys fired up for Clemson. But, hey, speaking of shakeups, the Saints just started camp and the energy’s off the charts. Kellen Moore’s got ‘em running at a whole new tempo. And they brought in Bo Davis as defensive line coach—thirty years of experience, that’s no joke. But, uh, the real shocker? Tyrann Mathieu retiring at 33. I mean, I’m still processing that one.

Katie Randall

Yeah, that was a gut punch. Mathieu’s been such a force, not just for the Saints but for LSU too. Joe, you’ve watched him since his college days, right?

Crypto-Joe

Oh, absolutely. I remember watching the Honey Badger back at LSU—he was electric, man. Every time he touched the ball, you just knew something wild was about to happen. Then seeing him come home to New Orleans, it was like the city got its hero back. He played with so much heart, and, I mean, 12 years in the league? That’s a legacy. Gonna miss seeing him out there, but I get it—sometimes your body just says it’s time.

Crypto-Dan

And the Saints aren’t slowing down. New “Gameday Golds” jerseys, QB battles, special teams drama—Alvin Kamara even tried to redeem himself after that, uh, less-than-stellar first pitch at Wrigley. It’s a circus, but in the best way. I feel like every year, camp gets more unpredictable.

Katie Randall

Totally. And, you know, with all these changes, both LSU and the Saints are setting themselves up for some big moments this season. But let’s shift gears a bit, because the crypto world’s been just as wild lately—maybe even wilder. But first, here's a little public service announcement. When we discuss cryptocurrency, we are not providing financial advice. We are not financial advisors; therefore, please conduct your research before investing in any product or service. I hope that we made that clear. Take it away, Dan.

Crypto-Dan

Yeah, so, if you’ve been watching the markets, you know it’s been a rollercoaster. The total crypto market cap dipped about 3.3%—not catastrophic, but enough to make you double-check your portfolio. Bitcoin’s hanging just under $118k, can’t quite break through that resistance. But Ethereum? It’s been the outlier, up almost 49% in July, now around $3600. That’s a big move, and a lot of it’s coming from ETF inflows and these big corporate treasury buys.

Crypto-Joe

Yeah, and it ain’t just the coins. Goldman Sachs and BNY Mellon are launching tokenized money market funds now. That’s Wall Street, folks, and they’re not just dipping their toes—they’re diving in. And did y’all see the stat? Nearly 16,000 new Bitcoin millionaires just this year. That’s wild. I mean, I remember when folks thought crypto was just for the tech crowd and, uh, weirdos like us.

Katie Randall

Hey, speak for yourself, Joe! But seriously, it’s a different world now. And with MoonPay rolling out liquid staking for Solana, it feels like every week there’s a new way for institutions to get involved. I mean, are we seeing the next phase of crypto growth, or is this just another hype cycle?

Crypto-Dan

That’s the big question, right? I think it’s both. We talked about this a couple episodes ago—how institutional adoption is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you get stability, more capital, more legitimacy. On the other, you get these big swings when the whales move. And, honestly, with all these ETFs and tokenized funds, it’s starting to look a lot like traditional finance, just with more volatility and, uh, memes.

Crypto-Joe

Yeah, and don’t forget the regulatory side. The new stablecoin law just passed, and the Senate’s working on more crypto rules. That’s gonna shape how fast this all moves. But, Dan, you mentioned MoonPay—liquid staking for Solana is a big deal. You can stake as little as a buck, get a liquid token, and unstake anytime. That’s the kind of thing that brings in the next wave of users, not just the big institutions.

Katie Randall

And it’s not just Solana. Ethereum’s seeing these massive treasury buys—SharpLink Gaming, BitMine, all trying to be the biggest ETH holders. It’s almost like a race. But, you know, with all this money flowing in, it’s no wonder we’re seeing some congestion on the network. Which, uh, brings us to the next big story—Ethereum’s validator queue jam.

Crypto-Joe

Yeah, so, if you haven’t been following, Ethereum’s validator exit queue is backed up like I-10 at rush hour. Nearly 625,000 ETH—about $2.3 billion—waiting to exit. That’s the longest wait time on record. Folks are taking profits after that 160% rally, and, honestly, who can blame ‘em?

Crypto-Dan

It’s wild. I remember when staking on Ethereum was, like, this quiet little corner of crypto. You’d set up your node, maybe talk to a couple nerds on Discord, and that was it. Now, it’s high drama—institutions moving millions, exit queues stretching for days. And it’s not just Ethereum. Solana’s Jito just launched this Block Assembly Marketplace, which could totally change how blockspace is bought and sold. It’s programmable, modular, and, I mean, it’s a whole new game for developers and validators.

Katie Randall

And Ethereum validators are talking about raising the gas limit to 45 million. That’s a big jump from where it was, and it could help with congestion, but it’s not a magic fix. I always mix this up—wasn’t the last increase in February? Yeah, I think so. Anyway, it’s a sign that the network’s trying to keep up with demand, but there’s always a tradeoff between speed and stability.

Crypto-Joe

And, you know, it’s funny—Dogecoin’s even getting in on the action, maybe adding ZK proofs. I never thought I’d see the day. But, Dan, you’ve been around since the early staking days. How does all this compare?

Crypto-Dan

Man, it’s night and day. Back then, you’d be lucky if anyone even noticed you were staking. Now, it’s like the whole world’s watching, and every move gets analyzed. I kinda miss the quiet, but I gotta admit, it’s exciting to see how far we’ve come. The scale, the innovation—it’s just a different league now.

Katie Randall

Yeah, and with all these changes—on the field and on the blockchain—it feels like we’re in the middle of a new era. That’s all we’ve got for today, but we’ll be back soon with more gridiron drama and crypto chaos. Joe, Dan, always a pleasure.

Crypto-Joe

Always, Katie. Y’all take care, and Geaux Tigers!

Crypto-Dan

Catch y’all next time. Don’t forget to check your validator queue—and your fantasy roster.

Katie Randall

See you next episode, everyone!