Hawk Talk on Melrose

Tyler and Collin attended the spring "game" (practice) on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. We share our observations and key takeaways from the day as the Hawkeyes concluded spring ball. They discuss the performance on both sides of the ball, highlight some standout players, and share our feelings as we approach the latter part of the offseason. We then wrap up with a brief recap of the players from Iowa drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft.

0:00 Intro

0:17 Main Takeaways from the Spring Game

3:54 Passing Game and WR Room 

9:58 How did the QBs look?

14:03 RB Room without KJ2

15:57 O-Line/D-Line - who won LOS?

18:34 Linebackers

19:52 Secondary concern or no?

22:40 Special Teams

23:52 Final Recap of the Spring Game

25:11 NFL Draft 

Collin and Tyler dive deeper into the new era of Hawkeye Hoops as they gradually add more players to the roster, including KSU transfer Brendan Hausen. We then transition to football and discuss Brendan Sullivan’s departure, examine the spring portal further, and assess which position groups prioritize acquiring a spring portal player the most.

Tyler and Collin begin the episode by discussing the excitement surrounding coach Ben McCollum and the era of Hawkeye Hoops. We dive into the roster so far and explore what else Iowa needs to compete in the Big Ten for year one under Ben. Next, we shift to football as Collin outlines his Spring Football Storylines for both the offense and defense, highlighting emerging players, position battles, and key points to watch for this spring as the team prepares for the 2025 season.

Iowa Men’s basketball welcomes Ben McCollum as their new head coach, fresh off a stellar season at Drake. From his dominance at NW Missouri St to leading Drake to a 31-4 record and an NCAA Tournament run, Collin explores what McCollum brings to the Hawkeyes after Fran McCaffery’s departure.

Collin dives into the seismic shift in Iowa City as Fran McCaffery, the winningest coach in Iowa Men’s Basketball history, is dismissed after 15 seasons. Collin unpacks the highs and lows of Fran’s Tenure and analyzes the factors behind the exit. Collin then explores the potential candidates to lead Iowa into a new era of Hawkeye hoops.

In this episode, we explore Tim Lester's first season as Iowa's offensive coordinator in 2024, analyzing how he revitalized one of college football's most stagnant units into a promising offense.

With the Hawkeyes showing significant improvement—highlighted by Kaleb Johnson—we explore what worked, what didn’t, and whether Lester can build on this foundation in his second year. We discuss and analyze the stats from last year, the strategies, and the potential for Iowa’s offense to reach even greater heights in year two under Lester.

Finally, we’re diving into the exciting news as Iowa hires Warren Ruggiero as their new senior offensive analyst. Warren brings a wealth of experience and offensive firepower to a program looking to elevate its passing game in 2025.

Tyler and Collin begin the episode by reflecting on the 2024 season, which had many highs and lows that defined the 8-5 campaign. The ups and downs, inconsistencies, and everything in between kept us from having a very successful season.

Beyond that, we’ll explore the state of the program: Is Iowa football in a healthy spot moving forward? With NIL, a shifting Big Ten landscape, and heightened competition, can the Hawkeyes remain contenders in this tougher conference, or will they settle as a mid-tier?

0:00 Intro

1:18 2024 Season Reflection

11:42 Program Health & Can Iowa Compete in the new Big 10

18:07 How Can Iowa Separate Themselves A Little

26:21 Ladell Betts leaves

Carver-Hawkeye Arena was the epicenter of Women’s College Basketball on Sunday as Iowa upsets #4 USC and also retires Caitlin Clark’s jersey. The best to ever do it and all the memories of the last four years with Caitlin Clark came full circle on Sunday.

Tyler and Collin recap the game a little, instead, we discuss CC's impact and greatness at Iowa and now in the WNBA. We discuss what she meant—along with Lisa Bluder and other players like Kate Martin—for all of us Hawk fans.

Next, we discuss this current season and what it’s been like post-Clark and Bluder era.

Finally, we switch over to the men's side which feels like a complete 180 compared to the women’s program at this current moment. A program that feels sort of on life support - is the inevitable of a big change only a matter of time?

0:00 Intro

1:10 2-2 Special Day for Iowa WBB

7:28 Caitlin Clark’s Legacy

10:13 Thoughts on this current team and Jan Jenson's first year as HC

17:30 Remaining Schedule - can they make the NCC Tourney

18:44 Iowa Mens Basketball in Shambles

27:14 Remaining Schedule for MBB - how many more wins?

Video from last year after the National Title Game reminiscing the Clark era:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbe20Y22MbE

Collin begins discussing Iowa basketball and why the fanbase's apathy is at an all-time low. The question of whether this will be Fran's last year is starting to heat up.

Next, Collin reacts to the news from a few weeks back that MG will be out all spring for surgery to repair his shoulder. Also, get into our latest transfer portal commit, as Sam Phillips out of Chattanooga commits to the Hawks. This is a much-needed WR that Tim Lester can work with.

Finally, for a little fun, Collin looks back at all the quarterbacks who committed to Iowa since 2017 and eventually transferred out. We look at what schools they transferred to and their stats at the new school. It's a horrible, almost decade-long period of inept recruiting and development. Hopefully, Tim Lester can change that narrative!

0:00 Intro

1:15 Apathy has kicked in for Iowa Men's Basketball

7:24 Mark Gronwoski out for Spring Ball

11:15 WR portal commit - impact?

13:19 The WR room heading into 2025

14:28 QB Room since 2017

20:12 Tim Lester revamping the QB Room

Tyler and Collin react to the big news of the day as Iowa finally gets their QB in the portal. 

0:00 Intro 

0:20 Mark Gronowski Commits to the Hawks- Our general thoughts  

6:57 Will Sullivan leave?

9:54 Tim Lester Effect

13:55 Passing Game NEEDS to improve 

18:12 Max Brosmer comparison to Mark Gronowski

 21:15 Mark or Beau Pribula