Hawkeye Report Podcast

It's a Monday podcast that's jam packed with Iowa Hawkeye news and commentary. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann open the podcast dicussing the overtime loss by the Iowa women's hoops team on the road at Ohio State.  We look back at the game and how Iowa fought back late to tie the game and send it into extra time before the Buckeyes pull away for the victory. What did we see from the Hawkeyes as they saw their winning streak come to an end? How did they battle back after being down by double figures in the first half and again at times in the second half? How have we seen Lucy Olsen really grow in the player many expected her to be this year? How important were Syd Affolter and Kylie Feuerbach in today's game and how well have they been playing in the last few weeks? We also dive into where Iowa might be seeded in the NCAA and Big Ten Tournament and what their path might look like.  Then we move over the Iowa men's basketball team and their loss to Maryland on Sunday afternoon. Why was that game a tale of two hal

A huge road win for the Iowa men's basketball team means it's time to fire up the podcast machine and get things rolling. Tom Kakert, Matt Randazzo and Kyle Huesmann break down the huge win over Rutgers and how the Hawkeyes were able to go on the road and beat the Scarlet Knights.  We discuss the great performance by Josh Dix, who led the way. We talk about the huge shot down the stretch by Payton Sandfort and the strong play from Brock Harding and Pryce Sandfort, plus a huge contribution from Ladji Dembele.  After that we dive into the world of Iowa women's basketball. The Hawkeyes have gone from losing five straight to winning five in a row heading into their game against Rutgers. What has changed with the Iowa women's team? How much of an impact has the lineup change had on this recent success? What about the really strong play from Lucy Olsen and Syd Affolter in the last two weeks? Iowa is now in the NCAA Tournament, but could they rise to as high as a six seed? Finally we have our mega baseball preview.

It's another jam packed edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. This week Tom Kakert, Kyle Huesmann, and Tanner Lafever break down what turned out to be a very busy and exciting weekend in Iowa athletics.  We open the show discussing the news of the day, which is the season ending injury to starting center Owen Freeman. What does it mean for the Iowa basketball team and the rest of the season? Who will have to step up for the Hawkeyes moving forward at the center position and what might they do with the lineup? What about the rumors that Freeman could enter the transfer portal?  Then we move on to a lengthy conversation about the Iowa women's hoops team and their upset win on Sunday afternoon over USC. We look back at the hot start from the Hawkeyes, the strong finish from Lucy Olsen and Addie O'Grady. We also talk about the way Iowa was able to figure out the pressure from the Trojans on defense. Then we talk about the highly ranked recruits that were at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday and if the Hawkeyes impr

It's a busy weekend coming up for Iowa athletics on a couple of fronts and the most famous women's basketball player in the world will be back in Iowa City. Tom Kakert, Kyle Huesmann, and Tanner LaFever hop on the podcast to discuss the return of Caitlin Clark, Iowa women's hoops playing USC on a huge recruiting weekend and we preview the Iowa wrestlers traveling to Penn State.  Yeah, it's a busy weekend. We open the podcast discussing Clark and her return for her number being retired from Iowa women's basketball. We look back at her amazing career at Iowa and reflect back on when things all changed on their road to the Final Four in her junior year and where it went from there.  Then we discuss one of the biggest recruiting weekends in women's basketball history with several top ten players in the Class of 2026 being on campus for the game against USC. Who are the visitors and what are the Hawkeyes chances with them? We also preview the Hawkeyes and the Trojans on Sunday and if Iowa can pull the massive upse

Following another road loss by double digits, it was time to fire up the podcast machine. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo are back and discussing the Hawkeyes 82-65 loss to Ohio State on Monday night.  It was different than the previous two losses that saw the Hawkeyes fall behind by huge margins in the first half, but the result was close to the previous three road games. We look at the woes for the Iowa offense, which struggled to score the basketball consistently for most of the game. We examine the fact that for most of the game Iowa had only four players score a point and that didn't include Brock Harding and Josh Dix, who really struggled on Monday night in Columbus.  We look at the road ahead, which continues in about eight days when Iowa hosts Purdue and then they host Wisconsin. Those two games become must win in a lot of ways as the Hawkeyes hope to not be left out of the Big Ten Tournament, which only invites 15 of 18 schools this year.  We then wrap up the quick podcast with a look at very good footb

The struggle is real for the Iowa men's and women's basketball teams, particularly on the road. Both teams are on losing streaks with one team not able to get any stops and the other struggling to score points.  Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann open the podcast talking about the Iowa women's basketball team that has dropped five in a row in conference play. The latest loss was at Oregon in a game where Iowa built a double digit lead in the first half before dropping the game.  What has gone wrong with the Iowa women's team in recent weeks? Is it worth noting that they could have potentially won three of those games? What has gone wrong with the Hawkeyes lack of offense and in particular the struggle from the field by Lucy Olsen shooting the basketball? Are they officially in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament this year? What could their lineup look like next year? Then we move over to the Iowa men's basketball team who continues to struggle stopping opposing teams when they are on the road. Iowa is giving up 9

A lot of ground to cover on a Sunday night Hawkeye Report Podcast. Iowa athletics was busy and so were Tom Kakert, Kyle Huesmann, and Tanner Lafever covering their beats in Iowa City at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and on the wrestling mat in Cedar Falls and Madison. We open the podcast with Tanner talking about his busy weekend and we start with what happened on Sunday in Madison as Iowa men's wrestling dominated Wisconsin on the mat. What were his thoughts on the lineup that Tom Brands put on the mat and could there be some key pieces returning soon? What's the state of the team right now heading into the heart of Big Ten season? After that we move on to Iowa women's wrestling. Last year the Hawkeyes barely won the national dual in their first time at the event. This year they dominated the event, winning it with relative ease on Friday and Saturday. What did Tanner think of the Iowa women's team and their performance and just how dominant were their hammers at the upper weights? Then we move on to a struggling Iow

(Note: This podcast was recorded a few hours before the Mark Gronowski surgery news was released) Another edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast with a portal flavor to it. We are joined by the CEO of the Iowa Swarm, Brad Heinrichs to discuss a pretty successful transfer portal period for the Iowa Hawkeyes and the role that the Iowa Swarm played in it. We go over Iowa landing quarterback Mark Gronowski in the portal and what he will bring to the table for the Hawkeyes. How big of a role did Tim Lester play in his recruitment? Is there a current college quarterback that he compares to?  We go over the other signees, including Hank Brown at quarterback, Jonah Pace, who might be the starter at defensive tackle, the addition of the wide receiver Sam Phillips, and fellow defensive end Bryce Hawthore. We go over the impact each player will have on the program.  Then we talk about the portal process and the frustrations for coaches and collective leader when it comes to tampering in college football around the portal

It was a busy day for news on the Iowa football and basketball front. We open the podcast with Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo discussing the huge win by the Iowa men's basketball team. After falling behind by 15 points in the scond half, the Hawkeyes rallied for a for an overtime win over the Cornhuskers.  We dive into the massive performance by both Josh Dix, who scored 31 points, and Payton Sandfort, who scored 30 points after halftime. We look at both of their performances in this game and key plays that were involved in Iowa's rally. Then we discuss the big news on the football side of the equation and that is the signing of Mark Gronowski from South Dakota State. What's the impact of his decision on the quarterback room this year and how will Gronowski fit into the Hawkeye offense. How big of impact can a quarterback have on the Iowa offense? Should we be concerned that Brendan Sullivan might leave? What will the initial depth chart look like at quarterback this spring? Finally, we talk about the Iowa Swar

With the Music City Bowl in the books it was time to visit with the great Chuck Long about the result of the game and the future of the quarterbacks at the University of Iowa.  We open talking about the loss to Missouri and what happened with the Hawkeyes offense in the first half vs. the second half. Why did Brendan Sullivan play so well in the first half and why did he struggle in the second half?  What did he think of the stuggles in the second half why has Iowa had issues with giving up double digit leads this year. Iowa lost this game giving up a score right after going up 24-14 and the defense allowed a touchdown.  Then we dive into the quarterback room. How would he manage the room this spring in terms of reps? Is Sullivan the starter? Should the reps be divided up? We also discuss the process of developing quarterbacks and how to do that from a coaching perspective.  Long also give us his analysis of Hank Brown, who is from Chuck's hometown of Wheaton. What did he thinks of his throws at Auburn and hi

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! It's a marathon podcast to wrap up the year of Iowa athletics. Tom Kakert, Matt Randazzo, Kyle Huesmann, and Tanner Lafever come together to talk all things Hawkeyes for one of the longest pods that we have done.  First, we open talking transfer portal and the latest news regarding Iowa football. They picked up a defensive lineman commit and we discuss that news and how he fits into the roster. We also talk about the Hawkeyes missing on a quarterback in the portal and look at what could potentially be next at the position. Plus we discuss other prospects that Iowa is after in the portal.  Second, we disucss the Hawkeye basketball team coming from behind and winning on a neutral site over Utah. What were our thoughts on the victory and how Payton Sandfort, Josh Dix, and Brock Harding were key down the stretch of the game. Why was this win so important to the post season hopes of the Hawkeyes as they get ready to head back into conference play to start the new year? Then we g

Football transfer portal season continues to heat up in Iowa City. Just when you thought that the Hawkeyes might be done in the portal at the quarterback position they get involved with Penn State signal caller Beau Pribula, who entered the portal and will not play in the Nittany Lions College Football Playoff game this weekend.  We dive into which schools are after Pribula in the portal and his speed dating visit schedule that included trips to Missouri and Iowa and will wrap up with trips to UCF and Indiana before he ends up making a decision. What are Iowa's chances of landing him?  After that we look at other potential targets in the transfer portal for the Hawkeyes. Are there some names at wide receiver and defensive tackle to watch? We run all them down along with a few other names that they are still involved with as he head towards the holiday dead period beginning after this weekend.  Finally we wrap up discussing the Iowa men's and women's basketball teams and where things stand with the vast majori

It's a special Saturday morning recording of the podcast after the news that Iowa landed a quarterback in the transfer portal. That's right, Iowa landed Auburn transfer Hank Brown in the portal. What does that mean for the Hawkeye quarterback position moving forward? Is Iowa done in the portal at that position? Maybe?  Who are the other portal targets for the Hawkeyes that remain out there? Who is visiting this weekend? Is one of them a highly sought offensive lineman?  What about the eventually House payments to players? Will the Iowa football team end up with in terms of percentage of those payments? What could that means for walk-on players? Then we look back at the Iowa loss to Iowa State in men's hoops. What were the keys to the loss from the Hawkeye perspective? What did we think of the change in the Hawkeye starting lineup? Was factor was fatigue for the Hawkeyes in the final six minutes of the game and did it impact the outcome? 

It's a very busy week for the Hawkeyes and we have you covered on the Hawkeye Report Podcast. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann team up on the pod to preview the Iowa vs. Iowa State men's and women's basketball games.  But, before we get to that, it's college football portal season and there is plenty of news. Iowa might have found their portal quarterback in Hank Brown, who is visiting this week. We have plenty of news on that front and also two other visitors heading to Iowa City this week at a position of need. We also disucss the return of Logan Jones and what that means for the Iowa football team next year.  Then we break down the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones in women's hoops. Really interesting game between two nationally ranked teams. We look at the key match-ups in the game and if Iowa State can live up to their preseason billing and can the Hawkeyes bounce back after their first loss of the season that included 30 turnovers.  Finally we break down the Iowa vs. Iowa State men's game, which has been filled wit

It's been a busy last week with plenty going on in Iowa athletics. We have a lot of ground to cover on the podcast. First, Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo open the show discussing Iowa heading to Nashville for the bowl game to face Missouri. This game was supposed to happen four years ago, but was canceled by Covid. What do we know about the Tigers and what was this process like? How close did Iowa get to going back to Tampa instead of Nashville?  After that we dive into the changing and evolving football roster. The transfer portal opens up on Monday and there are already Iowa players diving into the portal, particularly at quarterback. We also know that Iowa is actively looking for a quarterback in the portal. Are there any players that are on the Hawkeyes radar in the portal? What is the biggest issue in portal shopping this year? Does Iowa have any visits set up? Finally we switch over to basketball and dive deep into the Hawkeyes loss at Michigan. What were the main issues in the game? What can Iowa do abou

It's Signing Day for the Class of 2025 and that means a special edition of the podcast. We sit down for just over 20 minutes with the General Manager and Chief of Staff of the Iowa football program, Tyler Barnes, to discuss the 15 recruits that just signed with the Hawkeyes.  We run down just about every player and get Barnes thoughts on each and every one of them. He shares several great stories about how the class came together and how Coach Fitz, the former Northwestern head coach, is now a great recruiter for the Hawkeyes with his son set to join the program. We also discuss the trends in college football recruiting. Is Iowa going to continue to have recruiting classes in the teens and hit the portal for five players? Are the days of signing 25 players coming to a close? How important is the Iowa Swarm to the program, particularly this winter since payments to players from the House settlement will not begin until August. 

It's a later than we wanted post game edition of the podcast. Guess we could call it the morning after, but plenty to discuss on this shorter than normal podcast.  We start with the actual game before getting into the other drama surrounding the game between Iowa and Nebraska. First the game. How did a team that had 5 total first downs and was 0-10 on third down actually win a football game? We look back at how Iowa was able to capitalize on two special teams errors to keep three points off the board and put three on it. Then we discuss Kaleb Johnson doing his thing on a run after catch where he might have broken six tackles on his way to the end zone. Finally, once again, Iowa made a play late and created a turnover before Drew Stevens completes his redemption story kicking a game winner from 53 yards out.  After the actual game disucssion we get into the drama surrounding no handshakes at the coin toss and why Matt Rhule was walking through Iowa's warm up before the game. What was Nebraska apparently offend

Brock Harding posts a career high of 20 points and also his first collegiate double-double with 10 assists, so you knew there was going to be a podcast coming. Yes, of course there is for the Brock Harding Podcast. :)  We look back at Iowa's one-sided win over USC Upstate on Tuesday night and Harding having a great game in the blowout victory. We also talk about Owen Freeman shooting from three point range and Riley Mulvey scoring in double figures. Also, we look at the rougher side of the win and that was what looks like a pretty significant ankle injury to Seydou Traore and also missing Cooper Koch and Even Brauns. We also look ahead at the schedule with a week off before Iowa starts their Big Ten season against Northwestern.  Then we switch to football and preview the game on Friday against Nebraska. Who will be starting at quarterback for Iowa with Cade McNamara and Brendan Sullivan back at practice this week? What do we think of this Nebraska team and what is our predicted final score? We also give our f

It's not an instant reaction podcast, but it's close. It's a Sunday night podcast recapping the Hawkeyes big road win over Maryland on Saturday afternoon. We look back at the win and how the Hawkeyes were able to dominate the game.  What were the keys to the win? Iowa dominating on the ground. We look back at the outstanding performance from Kaleb Johnson, who keeps stacking up yards on the ground. We also discuss the other 100 yard rusher, Kamari Moulton and how he got there. Also, Jackson Stratton managing the game and avoiding making mistakes in the contest.  It was also an impressive peformance by the Iowa defense. What went into that and we highlight a couple of unsung heroes on the Hawkeye defense. We also praise the toughness of Jay Higgins, who battled a bad hamstring to play in this game. Plus, TJ Hall coming off the bench to have a nice game.  We eventually get to the rumor mill that was churning late last week regarding Cade McNamara and Jermari Harris. Where do things stand? Will Cade McNamara pla

It's a clearly cloudy edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. We say that because those were the words used by Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz to discribe the state of his clarity regarding who will start at quarterback this weekend against Maryland. We open the pod breaking down what Ferentz said about the starting job. Right now it's Jackson Stratton. Could it still be Cade McNamara or is that off the table now?  We also break down the battle with the Terps. Who are the key players to watch for Maryland on offense and defense? What do their numbers suggest about their team next year and how they match-up with Iowa this Saturday. What do we think Iowa's game plan will look like on Saturday? After that we look at Iowa's bowl game options? Could they be headed to Tampa? Is the Mayo Bowl possible if they stumble down the stretch? What about the Pinstripe Bowl?  Then we take a deep dive into Iowa men's basketball team and discuss the games in Moline and Iowa City. What did we make of the fan support in Moline? We di