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This week, Cole and Levi talk about the five players they're each most looking forward to watching in the 2021 season.  Can Sean Shaw or Tarique Milton step up to be the second receiver? Can Anthony Johnson become a true lockdown cornerback? We finish the podcast by answering fan questions from our Discord.

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The Litecast reconvenes after a week off and a lot has changed. Iowa State has officially hired TJ Otzelberger as the head men's basketball coach. We react to the hire, the search process, and the speed at which everything happened. Thankfully, giving time to breathe has allowed the staff to take shape. We're excited about the names being brought in, with one major reason in particular. The men's roster is also beginning to take form. We jump into the transfer portal and try to find where the roster needs the most work. 

Now that we're caught up on men's hoops news, we also got into the women's teams' crushing loss to Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament. Spoiler alert: it's not all the refs fault. The Nets signed LaMarcus Aldridge so Dylan had to catch us up on our favorite NBA team. Lastly, Matt and Austin went on an unholy rant for the ages about their favorite MLB teams on the week of Opening Day. We'd be looking forward to watching if the teams would make it possible. Thanks to Es Tas Bar & Grill as always for making this podcast possible!

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Levi, Cole, and Marchie are back from their break to preview spring practice. But this time, the guys decided to bring in an expert. Someone that really knows their stuff. And who knows Iowa State football better than Head Coach Matt Campbell? How did the team manage the trials and tribulations of COVID and learning from the loss to Notre Dame and turn it into the best season in school history? How do you build on it going forward? Then, the guys talk Isheem Young, Kene Nwangwu, the receivers, and the defensive line. After we got done talking football, we got the hardball questions like "Would Marchie score on prime Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game?" You won't want to miss this episode.

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It's a different kind of Litecast this week as about 30 minutes before our scheduled recording time, Iowa State and Steve Prohm announced they would be mutually parting ways. Matt, Austin, Jared, and Dylan have an in depth discussion about the news, the surprise timing of the announcement, and how they'll ultimately remember the Prohm era of Iowa State hoops. With the news out there comes time for reckless speculation about what happens next. Some of the big rumored names (Hoiberg, Otz, Altman, etc.) are discussed as we debate the merits and drawbacks of each guy. The Hoiberg discussion was polarizing as to be expected.

Beyond Iowa State, the guys also give some first round upset picks for the NCAA Tournament (how good does it feel to have a bracket in hand?) and try to come up with a reason not to pick chalk into the Final Four. Thanks to Es Tas Bar & Grill for their continued support of this podcast. See you next week where perhaps a coach will be hired.

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It's another loaded episode of the Litecast as Austin, Jared, and Dylan break down the conference tournaments they are most looking forward to this week. It starts in the Big 12 with some predictions that are certain to be wrong. We're also keeping an eye on the mid-major tournaments (shoutout to the MEAC). With the jersey retirement debate heating up again, we ask the important questions. Namely, if you could retire 2 of Georges Niang, Melvin Ejim, and Monte Morris, which 2 would you choose? This naturally leads to Jared reaching further into Cyclone history for some others worth revisiting. In the NBA, the Nets signed Blake Griffin, and the team refuses to stop providing us with content.

After that, it's time to catch up with former Iowa State long snapper Steven Wirtel for a return appearance on the pod. We talk about his first year in the NFL, signing with the LA Rams, how the league's COVID protocols really worked, and how he was able to keep up with Iowa State throughout the year. Maybe Adrian Peterson is a secret Iowa State fan after all. It's a great interview, and as always we are thankful to Es Tas Bar & Grill for sponsoring us.

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““This. Is. March.” - Jon Rothstein” - The Litecast”. We kick off the month of madness with a fun conversation with ISU Coach as we get his thoughts on JJ Watt signing with the Cardinals instead of his beloved Cleveland Browns. He also tells the story about how his old account got suspended from Twitter, and start thinking about the UNI football game on September 4th. Plus, with rumors floating that he is the coach in waiting if Matt Campbell ever moves on, is he ready to talk about it?

Then, in a different kind of interview, Austin sits down with ISU alum and recent Jeopardy! champion Alan Johnson to talk about his 15 minutes of fame, applying for the show, and how tried to build knowledge that came in handy. We also had to give him a hard time about the contestant interview segment gone wrong and meeting the GOAT Ken Jennings. Since Alan is an Iowa State alum, we got to talk about Iowa State things too. As a native Chicagoan, Alan had a great story of how Iowa State came on his radar and how he knew Ames was the place he felt comfortable calling home. Lastly, since he’s a big podcast fan himself (30 days worth per year of minutes!), he gave a couple of recommendations for what he’s listening to these days. It’s a great conversation and well worth the listen!

Thanks as always to Es Tas Bar & Grill for sponsoring. Stop by for a $3 margarita!

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This week, Levi, Cole, and Marchie sit down to discuss the hiring of Deon Broomfield as Iowa State's new safeties coach. Then, Levi has a bone to pick with Pro Football Focus and their rankings of the 10 best college football players returning at each position.

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Former Cyclone combo guard Mike Taylor caught up with Jared Larson on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. Check out Taylor’s website miketaylor88.com and his foundation’s website taylormadefoundation414.org. 

The duo touched on a myriad of topics, including but not limited to:

(Taylor and I both studied sociology at Iowa State)

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Iowa State almost pulled a historic upset, and we hit record as soon as the game went final. Matt, Austin, and Dylan vent their frustrations with another game that could have been won. Iowa State also has a new football coach with a familiar background. The guys play a new game, In or Out, and we hit on some burning topics including FCS football and the chili/cinnamon roll combo. Lastly, the Bachelor has hit the final four, so we break down the hometown dates. Michelle forever. Thanks to Es Tas Bar & Grill for sponsoring as always!

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The Litecast returns to our freezing cold existence with a handful of pressing topics to cover. We start with a reaction to our piece on the site advocating for change in the men's basketball program. We think it's time, but that comes with some caution, as the team has a season to finish. On a lighter note, there's nothing that WRNL does better than hold a grudge for the sake of grudges. We react to Matt's enemies list and if Kirk Herbstreit is properly held to account for his Matt Campbell takes. There are a couple of big names not on the original list that needed further discussion. This episode also serves to answer a pressing question in Cyclone Nation: is it ok to be cheering for the 20-2 Drake Bulldogs? Not all of us are in agreement so naturally we needed to hash it out in debate court. Lastly, The Bachelor is down to the final four contenders, and this snooze of an episode needed a recap.