Hawk Talk on Melrose

Collin and Tyler discuss the latest storylines from Iowa Football's Fall Camp. We start with the Big Ten Bus Tour's stop in Iowa City and share our thoughts on what the BTN crew observed during the Hawkeyes' practice. Next, Collin explains more about the impact of having Warren Ruggiero on staff to help scout and game plan for each game. To finish, we rank Iowa’s position units from 1 (the best) to 9 (the weakest).

(Timestamps below might be slightly off due to ads)

(0:00) Intro (1:11) BTN Fall Camp Bus Tour Thoughts (8:58) Warren Ruggiero Impact (13:37) Position Group Rankings

Tyler and Collin discuss Iowa Football’s annual Kids Day open scrimmage at Kinnick Stadium on August 9. We share our thoughts on the quarterback play, the team’s overall vibe, and much more as they prepare for the 2025 season opener.

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(0:00) Intro (0:41) Initial Overall Thoughts (7:28) QB Play Primarily Mark's Performance (14:02) Thoughts on WR Room (16:50) Open Competition at RB? (19:52) Defense (22:50) CB Panic? .. Secondary Thoughts (28:21) Special Teams (29:45) Final Thoughts

In this short episode, Collin discusses the latest updates on each position group and breaks down the key storylines and questions as we go through Fall Camp.

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(0:00) Intro (0:47) QBs (5:40) RBs (7:03) WRs (9:43) TEs (11:15) Oline (12:34) Dline (14:03) LBs (16:38) Secondary (18:36) STs (19:20) Final Thoughts

In this episode, Collin highlights key takeaways from Kirk Ferentz and the three players who accompanied him to the 2025 Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas. I cover updates on the quarterback and wide receiver rooms, the unresolved left tackle position, a confident defensive line, and the current state of the secondary.

(Time stamps may be off slightly due to ads)

(0:00) Intro (1:52) No Pre-Camp Depth Chart (3:53) QB Room & Update on Mark (6:51) Kirk Ferentz Thoughts on the WR Room (9:41) Mystery at Left Tackle (11:28) Confidence for the Defensive Line (15:22) Secondary Talk (17:55) Final Thoughts

Join Collin and Tyler as they take a break from discussing all things Hawks and preview the 2025 Big 10 Football Season. We use Phil Steele’s CFB Magazine to dive into the data, examine trends, and analyze predictions. We look at unit position rankings, SOS, trends, and more to preview each team in the Big 10!

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(0:00) Intro (1:22) Phil Steele's Big 10 Forecast: Ranking 1-18 (5:49) Hardest and Easiest Schedules in the Big 10 (15:54) Position Unit Rankings: Graph (25:39) Experience Chart (27:32) Trends (32:55) “The Graph”: what separates the top teams from the bottom teams in the Big 10 (46:18) Collin’s Conference Record Predictions & Final Thoughts

This midsummer episode shifts away from our usual football focus to explore the buzz around Iowa men’s basketball—a level of excitement Hawkeye fans haven’t experienced in years. We discuss the commitment of a highly-rated 2025 forward, a 6-foot-8 versatile player reclassifying to join Iowa early, and what this major recruiting win indicates for the program. The spotlight then shifts to the energy surrounding the team and the general excitement for the upcoming basketball season.

(Time stamps below might be slightly off due to ads)

(0:00) Intro (0:47) Excitement for Iowa Basketball (2:30) Trey Thompson Commits (4:37) The Buzz Surrounding the Program (8:33) What If Another Year with Fran (11:25) More on BMAC (13:19) Potential Depth Chart for this Upcoming Season (15:04) Look Into the Roster (18:06) Projected (for fun) Total PPG (20:50) Final Thoughts

In this episode, Tyler and Collin debate bold predictions for the upcoming season, such as "Will Iowa have a wide receiver eclipse 500 yards?" or "Can the Hawkeyes pull off a top-10 upset?" We will evaluate these predictions with either a “Shot” (it will happen) or a “No Shot” (it will not happen) and discuss each one briefly. Let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree with any of them!(Time stamps might be slightly off due to advertisements)

0:00

1:03 Offense Predictions

15:07 Defense Predictions

21:44 Other “Random” Predictions

Iowa’s wide receivers have long been the Achilles’ heel of the Hawkeyes’ offense. But now, in year two of Lester’s system, with proven FCS quarterback Mark Gronowski and a group of promising receivers, could 2025 finally be the year Iowa’s passing attack takes flight?

Collin will discuss all things wideouts in this episode and share his opinion on the state of the room and whether they can take that next step this upcoming year or not.

Timestamps might be slighly off due to ads .. (0:00) Intro (0:22) Does Collin see a path of success for the WRs this year (1:05) Reasons why some fans might still be hesitant (2:50) Reasons to feel excited about the group (7:22) Past few years statistics from our Wideouts .. not good (9:46) What does success look like for this group in 2025 (12:03) Why it’s so important to start having success (13:28) Small deep dive into the players in the WR room (16:55) You decide.. are the poised to soar this year?

In this episode, Collin and Tyler ditch the game-by-game rundown of the schedule and spice things up with our own superlatives-style analysis. Questions like "Toughest Game of the Season" to "Most Important Game of the Season”, we dive into different superlatives to explore the matchups Iowa will face in 2025.

(0:00) Intro (0:05) We will not go game by game on this episode to go over the schedule (1:19) 2025 Schedule difficult but exciting matchups (2:56) Random fun facts on the schedule (4:39) Easiest win on the schedule? (6:26) Four Rivalry Games - Rank Easiest to Hardest (8:51) Toughest game on the schedule? (11:50) The most important game on the schedule? (14:10) Road game that we are most nervous for? (18:13) Which game are we most likely to overlook? (20:38) Which game could define the season? (23:00) What is the most underrated matchup on the schedule? (24:58) Which game is a must-win game? (27:25) Iowa after bye week - how will they fare? (31:08) Closing

Collin breaks down his own version of Iowa Football’s post-spring depth chart, all for fun since we’re still months away from Week One. I analyze each position group, examining who I think will start and what we might see this Fall. Plus, I share my experience from attending the Carroll I-Club outing last week, where I had the opportunity to meet the new men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum and Kirk Ferentz!

Chapters below could be slightly off due to advertisements:

0:00 Intro // 0:43 Socials // 1:17 My experience on attending the Carroll I-Club Outing last week // 4:47 My “Post-Spring Version” Depth Chart // 5:10 Quarterback // 6:41 Runningback // 8:57 Wide Receivers // 13:05 Tight Ends // 14:06 O-Line // 16:23 D-Line // 19:38 Linebackers // 20:45 Secondary // 23:14 Special Teams // 24:11 Final thoughts on this 2025 team