Hawkeye Report Podcast

With the season nearly upon us, it's time to really start talking Iowa football and breaking things down. We are pleased to have Hawkeye great Chuck Long back with us this year and we begin this year by talking about the quarterback battle between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski.

One quarterback is the classic style of a signal caller at 6-foot-4 and the other is a bit more mobile, but only standing 5-foot-10. We talk to Long about the two quarterbacks and how as an offenisve coordinator you build a game plan to a pair of quarterbacks who are built differently. Do you build a game plan specifically for both?

We talk about the challenge for Tim Lester and how we think he might just want to see what both quarterbacks can do in front of packed stands and how they react to it. We also talk about how two different quarterbacks might means cadence being different and could result in some penalties, particularly with a new center making his first start.

How long can this race go? How long to do we think it will go? What do you look for as a coach in evaluating both players, beyond just completing passes?

The first official game week for the Iowa Hawkeyes has arrived! That can mean only one thing, the first two deeps of the season for the Iowa football team. There was plenty of news made in the two deeps today, including the much discussed quarterback position.

A starter was not named on Monday by Kirk Ferentz, which means we are likely to see both Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski in action against Northern Illinois. What could that look like on Saturday? Was it a surprise that Iowa did not name a starter and how long will this process take?

We also run down the rest of the two deeps on offense. Were there any surprises among the players named? Then we look at the defensive side of the ball. What did we think of the two deeps and which position groups should we be watching on Saturday and what we will be watching once they take the field?

Also, there was a surprising kicker named as the starter and an Aussie is the punter according to the release. We also speculate on who might be returning kicks and punts on Saturday. Finally we wrap up discussing the 33 former Hawkeye players who made NFL rosters this weekend, including a couple of undrafted free agents.

It's a jam packed new podcast as we head back into the start of the Iowa Hawkeyes Football season. We start the show by visiting with Northern Illinois play by play man Andy Garcia. The Huskies have had quite a bit of change heading into this season. We discuss their move to the Mountain West and then dive into their coaching change that took place in February, which elevated defensive coordinator Rob Harley to the head coaching position.

Garcia discusses the Huskies unclear quarterback battle and what he has seen from their options. We also talk about their very good running back in Telly Johnson Jr., along with a younger defense and what they will present on that side of the ball.

Then we are joined by the Iowa football radio analyst Pat Angerer for our annual preview of the upcoming Hawkeye football season. We open talking about the hottest topic for Iowa fans, the race at quarterback. Angerer played in 2008 when Kirk Ferentz played two quarterbacks to start the season. We look back on what that was like and if it's a distraction or simply more important for fans than players.

After that we dive into the Iowa offense and some of the players that he has seen in practice or watched on film that have impressed him on that side of the ball. He also named a couple of players that we would call stock risers heading into the season. Then we look at the Hawkeye defense. Is the defenisve line going to be better than we initially thought? What has he seen from Cam Buffington? What about the defensive secondary and the talent back there?

The Iowa football season is rapidly approaching and that means we have plenty to discuss on the Hawkeye Report Podcast. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo have a lot of ground to cover. We start with the strange world of college athletics today with the news today that a former Ole Miss player who is with the Cleveland Browns is now likely headed to play at LSU this season. How does that impact Iowa? Well, there is a door open for players to go from the NFL back to college, if they have a fifth year left. Who could that impact that played at Iowa last year and would they be interested?

Then we talk about the race to be the starting quarterback at Iowa. It's getting very close to the start of the season and will it be Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski? Could we see one of the two lock up the job or are we headed towards both players seeing action in a rotation in the season opening game against Northern Illinois? We dive into the race.

After that we look at the Iowa defense and go over some interesting pass interception numbers from the last decade and also pass breakup numbers. Does it tell us anything beyond just being numbers? Are we concern that this might be the year where Phil Parker's defense struggles? Or is it simply in Phil we Trust once again this year?

Then we discuss the latest with regard to Iowa's special teams. Who wins the kicker and punter jobs this year for Iowa?

Finally we wrap up our show discussing the interesting recruitment of Iowa's top point guard target in the Class of 2027, five star prospect Cayden Daughtry. In July he said he was going to announce a list of schools and visits. None of that has taken place. Should that be considered a good sign for Iowa?

Iowa Football Media Day and the annual Kids Day open practice are in the books. That means we have to get on the podcast machine and talk a little Hawkeye football. Ok, a lot of Hawkeye Football.

We open with our look at the Hawkeyes search for a starting quarterback. As you might have heard, Jeremy Hecklinski threw five touchdown passes on Saturday and Hank Brown struggled. Kirk Ferentz said the battle between the two continues on. What did we see on Saturday and why is it going to be difficult to not have it impact the quarterback decision? Could this still drag out into the season and who will make the decision?

Then we also talk about the other players who stood out on Saturday. Why were we impressed by LJ Phillips, Evan James, Drew Campbell and others. Iowa also appears to have named a starting center and it's not going to be the guy who is the preseason All American at the position. We discuss that decision and why it's the best five starting in the right spots.

Finally, we talk about some younger players on the Iowa roster who were impressive in the open practice and their potential to impact games this fall.

Yes we are headed into football season and fall is almost here, but it's always a good time to talk a little Iowa baseball. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann hop on the Hawkeye Report Podcast to talk about the remaking of the Iowa baseball roster in this off-season. We open talking about Rick Heller's portal haul that includes several players who were highly sought out of high school and are looking for a restart to their college career. That includes a star player from the Cedar Rapids area who could be a great bounce back candidate.

We talk about the new pictching coach and while he is young, he has rapidly jumped up the MLB ranks in recent years. Then we talk about the pretty strong haul of players from the prep ranks, including a star in-state pitcher who could contribute right away.

Finally we take a quick look at the Iowa women's soccer team, who opens play this week. What does Kyle Husemann think of the new head coach and the team that he has assembled.

This week the Iowa football team will hold their annual media day and Kids Day open practice at Kinnick Stadium. Tom Kakert is joined by Chad Leistikow from the Des Moines Register to talk about what they are expecting and hoping to learn this week about the Hawkeye football team.

We open with a discussion about the hottest topic heading into the season, the quarterback battle and why we expect it will carry over into the season. What do we think of the race and who could end up winning the race?

Then we move over to talking about defense and the concerns surrounding the defensive line and their lack of experience this year. Is it wrong to doubt a Phil Parker defense and what do we need to see from that group early this season? Are we buying into Cam Buffington being the next great middle linebacker at Iowa?

On the offensive side, we talk about is Kade Pieper and if he is going to be a center this year. Will Cael Winter be in the starting five, potentially at center? Is this the best potential collection of skill position players in several years and are we buying the hype surrounding transfer Tony Diaz?

We also discuss special teams and what our concerns could be with a new placekicker, a new punter, and someone taking over as the return man. We think the coverage teams will be solid, but what about the return game and kicking game.

Finally we look at some of the over-unders for Big Ten teams and who we like and who we don't like this year in the conference.

The college football season is rapidly approaching and it's time to do a look at the Big Ten from a season win total perspective. We are joined by our good friend Trent Condon to talk about the conference from a gambling perspective. We run down most of the conference and look at their win totals this season and try to predict if they will go over or under the total.

Will Indiana have another huge season? What about Ohio State, who comes into the season as the conference favorite? We both have Oregon as our conference favorite, why? What about the Iowa Hawkeyes this year? Will they exceed their win total of 7.5 this season? We have a disagreement on that one and a bet for the college football playoff involving the Hawkeyes.

Then we talk a bit about the start of fall camp in Iowa City. What about the Hawkeye team concerns us? Why we don't have the quarterback position at the top of that list? What are our concerns about Iowa's special teams? Are there worries about the Hawkeyes along the defensive line?

You can listen/watch Trent's new radio show at this link: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRushRadioNetwork

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It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo are joined by former Hawkeye and the All-Time leading scorer in Iowa men's basketball history, Luka Garza.

Garza will be back in Iowa this month hosting a pair of camps. One in Fayette on August 17th and the other in Indianola on the 19th. More information can be found at LukaGarzaSkillsAcademy.com

We visit with the former National Player of the Year about his camps and continuing to give back to the Iowa community. We talk to him about playing for hte Celtics this past season and starting Game 7 against Philadelphia in the NBA Playoffs and what that experience was like for him. He also talks about how he made the most of his opportunity this season in Boston and how he is working to prepare for this season.

Also, we discuss the Hawkeyes today and his thoughts on their run in the NCAA Tournament and how he was also watching Fran McCaffery at Penn and how great that was to see them have success. Garza has picked up a new hobby, the game of golf. He talks about how he has been playing with Tyler Cook and who is winning those battles.

The Hawkeye Report Podcast is back late in the week as we look back at what we learned at Big Ten Football Media Days in Chicago. Iowa was on day one and Kirk Ferentz said a few things that were pretty surprising. He gave a glowing review of transfer wide receiver Tony Diaz and his potential this fall. What did we think of those comments?

Ferentz also talked about the offensive line and threw a new name into the mix. We discuss what could potential happen with that starting five and how Ferentz feels good about up to eight players who could be ready to contribute. WE also discuss the concerns along the defensive line and how Ferentz said that they are going to play a lot of guys at this position group. Finally, what about the defenisve backfield? Where will Zach Lutmer play and who will be the other Hawkeyes that fit in around him? Is special teams also a group where there is concerns going into fall camp?

Then we switch over to women's basketball recruiting. Kyle Huesmann was on the road last weekend in Chicago talking and evaluating the top prospects for the Hawkeyes in the Class of 2027, 2028 and beyond. He breaks down who the top targets are in the Class of 2027 and their chances with them.

We wrap up with a few notes on the Iowa baseball team adding a couple of very interesting prospects in the transfer portal.