Hawkeye Report Podcast

For a good portion of Saturday's game against Iowa State, the Hawkeyes controled the potential outcome of the game. Then the wheels slowly fell off and the next thing you know, the Cyclones were lining up for a game winning field goal that led to a defeat of the Iowa football team.  Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo are back for the second straight week with a pod game podcast, this time to discuss a stunning defeat at the hands of their in-state rivals. We break down the solid start for Iowa on both sides of the ball and then how it suddenly starts to slide in a different direction that resulted in a 20-19 loss at Kinnick Stadium. We look at the play so far from Kaleb Johnson, who rushed for 187 yards and the struggles of Cade McNamara. Should they look to bring in a different direction at quarterback? Whey did Iowa fail inside the ten yard line and why wasn't Johnson on the field earlier in those situations given that he had a hot hand?   

It's Cy-Hawk Week and we have a wide ranging podcast breaking it all down and getting you caught up with the latest recruiting news. First, we open praising the amazing play of Caitlin Clark following her triple-double on Wednesday night.  Then we get to Iowa football and take one final look back at the win over Illinois State. We discuss the success of the Iowa offense and building upon it and the Hawkeyes working on creating turnovers and having success doing it.  Then we dive into Iowa State vs. Iowa talk and break the game down. How much of a factor is Iowa State losing their starting linebacker? How good are their wide receivers? Why turnovers will end up deciding this game because it usually decides this game. Will this be another defensive battle or are we in line for some points on Saturday?  After that we head into the world of recruiting. First we talk football recruiting and discuss the latest four star wide receiver commitment and why the Hawkeyes are now going into pause mode when it comes to rec

Week one of the Iowa football season is in the books and we catch up with the great Chuck Long to get his thoughts on what he saw from the Hawkeye offense. After a slow start, Long breaks down what Iowa did to snap out of their early funk.  We look at how Tim Lester called the game and what he thought of the performance of the Iowa offensive coordinator in his first game leading the Hawkeye offense. We also dive into all aspects of the play of Cade McNamara. What did he do well in the opener? What were some of the key plays in the game? Which throw did Long beleive was his best of the game?  Then we dive into the Iowa State contest. The Cyclones present a tough defensive team. How do you attack their 3-4 defense that's aggressive and how can Iowa attack it with their ground game and have success? Then we talk Big Ten football in week one and pick several key games coming up this weekend in college football. 

The Iowa Hawkeye football team started slow, but came on in the second half to post a convincing 40-0 win over Illinois State. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo do a post game podcast breaking down what we saw at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  We start with the struggles in the first half and then dive into what exactly occured in the second half of the game where Cade McNamara catches fire and Reece Vander Zee, a true freshman, caught everythign in sight. What do we make of both performances and what about the ground game, particularly Kaleb Johnson, who came off the bench in the second half to lead Iowa in rushing.  Then on the other side of the equation, we look at the Iowa defense. How strong was Iowa up front? What do we think of Aaron Graves and his three sack performance? Iowa was focused on creating more turnovers and they did just that in teh season opener at home. 

Iowa fans, we made it! It's week one of the Hawkeye football season and we have your full preview podcast of the opening game against Illinois State. We start by discussing what Kirk Ferentz had to say at his press conference and how little he really talked about being suspended for it.  Then we dive into the game itself and the new depth chart, that included Kamari Moulton starting at running back. What will that look like in terms of a share of carries at running back this week? We also discuss TJ Hall starting at corner ahead of John Nestor.  We should mention that we have a new subscriber special running this week only! 50% off a yearly subscription. Come join our great coverage and community. Hit the link and sign up using the code Kickoff24. https://www.on3.com/teams/iowa-hawkeyes/join/ After discussing the game we look at the first round of NFL cuts. Are the Detroit Lions now Iowa's team? How many Hawkeyes ended up making the roster of NFL teams to start the season? Were there any surprise cuts? Any pl

Plenty of news to discuss this week on the Chuck Long Podcast. We visit with Chuck about the big news of late last week that Kirk Ferentz has been suspended for the first game of the season. We get Chuck's thoughts on how that will impact Iowa in the first game of the season and what the rest of the Iowa staff might move around because of hte suspension of Ferentz and wide receiver coach Jon Budmayr. We get Chuck's thoughts on the decision to start Cade McNamara at quarterback. What does it mean for the Hawkeyes and McNamara. What about week one and if he struggles. Who would be making playing time decisions and a potential switch. We also dive into offensive coordinators communicating directly with quarterbacks and what that is like because this will be the first year where it will be allowed in by the NCAA. Also how effective is it to have players being able to look at replays on ipads on the sidelines and talking to their coaches about it.  Then we pick some games this week, including if Iowa will be able

In what can only be termed stunning and surprising news, Kirk Ferentz has been suspended for the first game of the season against Illinois State for a recruiting violation that took place in late 2022.  On the podcast we go into detail about what happened to get Ferentz in trouble with the NCAA and why they decided to go ahead and offer up a one game suspension instead of battling the NCAA. We look at home Ferentz owned up to his mistake with great leadership as opposed to other coaches who have blamed and battled the NCAA for their mistakes.  Finally we look at the actual team updates that Ferentz offered up today. He basically said Cade McNamara is the starting quarterback for the opening game of the season, but is there going to be a quick hook if he struggles? Are there any other injuries of note heading into the opening game?  Thanks for listening to the podcast! 

A really fun podcast the week before the start of the Iowa football season. Of course we discuss the Hawkeye football season as Matt Randazzo and Tom Kakert are joined by The CEO of the Iowa Swarm, Brad Heinrichs. You can contribute to the Iowa Swarm Collective at IowaSwarm.com.  Heinrichs was at Iowa football practice twice last weekend and we discuss what he saw while he was there and who he thinks will be the starting quarterback? Will it be Cade McNamara or Brendan Sullivan? He also goes into great detail about how Iowa fans can contribute to the Iowa Swarm today.  Then we are joined by sophomore Iowa golfer Noah Kent. This past weekend he finished second at the U.S. Amateur, which may be the greatest moment ever for Iowa golf. He also has a strong connection to Heinrichs, as both are from Naples, FL. How did Kent end up at Iowa? What was it like to play so much golf in a relatively short period of time and how special this run was for him. Plus some of the great golfers that he has heard from since the w

Breaking news that was big enough that we had to fire up the podcast machine. Iose Epenesa has verbally committed to the Iowa football program. He is a five star prospect and the son of Epenesa Epenesa and brother of A.J. and Eric, who have both played at Iowa.  What's the impact of the commitment from Iose Epenesa? For a while it looked like he might be headed either Miami, Utah, or Penn State. Who were the final two schools for Epenesa what was his older brother's pitch to him when it came to his decision>  We look at the very promising future of Iowa's defensive line, which now has back to back very intriguing prospects in them.  Then it's some Iowa football chatter. Has the quarterback controversy calmed down? We discuss what practice has revealed since Saturday and highlight a couple of freshmen to watch in fall camp that could play this season. 

It's a very special Hawkeye Report Podcast this week. Matt Randazzo and Tom Kakert and joined by former Hawkeye and WWE Champion Ettore Ewen (Big E) for wide ranging conversation. We open discussing how he was discovered by Iowa. It's an amazing story of being in the right place at the right time in the spring of 2004.  We look back at how that process played out of being seen in the weight room at his high school by Phil Parker and then making a visit to Iowa and committing to the Hawkeyes. Then we discuss how he battled injuries in his Iowa career and the physical and more importantly, mental toll that it took on him and everyone in Iowa City helped in through those tough times.  Next we talk about the support he received from Iowa and how it led to being discovered by the WWE, which turned out to be a life changing experience. He discusses his path to success in the WWE and what that was like for him to rise up the ranks.  Finally we wrap up talking about his current health and recovery from a serious neck

There might be a quarterback controversy in Iowa City. After a lackluster performance on Saturday, we launch the new season of the Chuck Long Podcast to get the former Hawkeye quarterbacks view of what he saw on film from Cade McNamara and Brendan Sullivan.  We get his thoughts on the overall offense and why he really likes what Tim Lester is showing in terms of presnap motion and the design of the plays. However, there is a concern about McNamara throwing the football after completing just 8 of 26 passes on the day. Is that simply rust from a quarterback who hasn't played much the last two years?  Long discusses if there should be an open competition at the quarterback position for the next two weeks to see if McNamara or Sullivan can raise their level of play under center. When should they look at installing the game plan for the first game of the year? Should Lester decided to dial back some of the offense this week?  A whole lot of good information on the pod this week. 

We are almost there. The Iowa football season is nearly back! In the last two days in Iowa City we have had Iowa football media day and then the Kids Day practice. Tom Kakert flies solo on the Saturday night podcast to discuss all the hot topics coming out of it.  As you might expect, there's a huge discussion about what we thought of Cade McNamara's peformance on Saturday? Is it time to hit the panic button and look at potential options. How much longer will Kirk Ferentz play things out and what do we think of Brendan Sullivan. We also discuss an improved ground game and better offensive line play, he nice stable of running backs and the hard hitters on defense that will leave a mark, and we look at and give a status report on some of the true freshmen. 

It's a busy podcast this week with plenty of ground to cover. The Iowa football team has opened fall practice so we start the podcast with a look at fall camp. We offer up some thoughts on the key storylines for the Iowa football team and we look at five players to watch on both sides of the call during camp.  After talking football we dive into the complex House vs. NCAA settlement. A whole lot to unpack based on the decision and settlement that was reached. What will happen with the financial side of this decision and distribution of money each year to players? Then we dicuss the new scholarship limits, including moving football from 85 scholarships to 105.  How will this impact the overall scholarship situation at schools? What will be the challenging of adding 20 scholarships, which means adding a total of 40 overall or could it lead to the elimination of sports, particularly on the men's side of college athletics. Will the addition of 20 more scholarship players only lead to more players hitting the tran

It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast with a huge guest. With fall practice about to get underway in Iowa City, we are honored to have defensive coordinator Phil Parker on the pod.  We spent 30 minutes with the Broyles Award winner leading up to the start of practice. We open discussing what he enjoys about fall camp before diving into the positions groups, starting with the defensive backfield. What are Parker's thoughts on some of the battles for playing time, particularly at cornerback where four players could potentially end up as starters.  We also discuss the use of new technology that will be allowed on the field this fall. How will the Iowa defense use helmet communication and tablets on the sidelines. Which player will have the helmet communication for Iowa?  We discuss the advantages of Iowa having veteran team coming back and how he might approach fall camp by using the reserves more because of the trust established by the returning starters and trying to limit their exposures.  Afte

Plenty of news and notes to cover this week. It's a rare solo podcast for Tom Kakert as he breaks down the news and notes from an Iowa perspective from Big Ten Football Media Days in Indianapolis.  We start by diving into the newly released Iowa football two deeps. It's our first look at Iowa football heading into the start of fall camp next week. We start with the defense and look at every positions and concerns about the defensive line heading into camp. Then we transition into the offensive side of the ball with a breakdown of the offensive line and a player that Iowa fans will want to watch at running back.  We also cover a few news and notes items, including the first game suspension of Kaleb Brown and a player leaving the program before the start of camp. Then we move over to Hawkeye basketball and more specifically, recruiting. We run down several prospects that we saw this past weekend in Chicago at an AAU basketball event. More importantly there are quite a few prospects who have already scheduled of

It's one of our favorite podcasts of the year leading up to the start of the Iowa football season.  Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo are joined by their good friend Chad Leistikow from the Des Moines Register to examine the over/under win totals for the entire Big Ten Conference. But, before we do that, there have been several media sessions in the last two weeks for Iowa football and Hawkeye men's and women's basketball. We discuss what we learned from the Iowa football players this past week, including meeting with Iowa QB Cade McNamara for the first time in quite a while. We update his recover and discuss the Iowa offensive line and just how banged up they were last year. Then we turn to basketball and start with the women's team and how it has been a pretty seamless transition for Jan Jensen to take over as the head coach and what sort of lineup we could see. We also talk about how important Taylor McCabe and her shooting will be to this team. Then we are very high on the Iowa men's squad and the additions th

It's been a busy week for Iowa basketball. That means men's and women's basketball and we got a look at both teams this week. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann discuss what they saw at Iowa women's basketball practice earlier on Thursday. Which players were impressive and were there a couple of true freshmen that caught our eye? What about transfer Lucy Olsen? How did she look on the court and why should fans not expect her to be Caitlin Clark. We also received updates from Jan Jensen on the overall program. Then we moved on to Iowa men's basketball, who also held a media event and allowed a peek into practice earlier this week. What do we think of the new faces on the roster? Who could make an early impact? What about Owen Freeman adding 20 pounds to his frame in the off-season? Did Brock Harding change his jump shot? What's a starting lineup this season? We also look at 2025 Iowa basketball recruiting and the Hawkeyes are lining up more official visits. We look at who and when those will happen.  Finally we dive

It's become an annual tradition for the podcast to have Luka Garza and his father, Frank, on the podcast every summer to talk basketball and promote his upcoming camps around the state of Iowa.  For those who are interested in having their children attend the camps taking place in Urbandale, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Davenport, and Keokuk early in the month of August, please go to this link: www.lukagarzaacademy.com We open discussing the camp and what it will be like for children attending the events and how he uses what he has learned to give back to the kids in the state of Iowa. We also talk about his amazing physical transformation and the role his father played in it.  Then we talk about being able to sign a two year contract with the Timberwolves and his four year journey to make it in the NBA. We also talk to Garza about playing with Anthony Edwards as he becomes a star in the league.  Garza also keeps an eye on the Iowa basketball program. He discusses what he has seen from sophomore to be Owen Freeman

It's that time of the year. Once again on the 4th of July, we have predictions to make. Tom Kakert is joined by old friend Jon Miller to do a game by game breakdown of the Iowa football schedule and give our overall predictions for the outcome of each contest.  Before we get to the game by game outlook, we have a general discussion about the state of Iowa football and the change at offensive coordinator. Will that have a significant change in the performance of the Iowa offensive in 2024.  Then we dive into the schedule for the Hawkeye football team, beginning with Illinois State and ending with Nebraska. We also look at the overall result of the season and what it might mean. Could Iowa be in the conversation for a trip to the expanded College Football Playoff?  We than wrap up with a few bold predictions regarding the Iowa football team in 2024.   

It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. We turn our attention to the upcoming Big Ten football season with our good friend Scott Dochterman from The Athletic. He has taken a new role at The Athletic as more of a Big Ten reporter and talks about that to open the show.  Then we discuss Kaleb Brown and his DUI arrest this past weekend and how Kirk Ferentz might handle it. After that we move on to some heavy Big Ten talk. We start first with a look at the four newcomers to the conference and how they might perform. Can we learn anything from previous new conference teams and how they have done after joining the Big Ten? Which team might be overrated and underrated coming into the Big Ten season and why? Is Ryan Day officially on the hot seat heading into this season? Are we giving Michigan too much credit heading into this year? Is Nebraska actually going to be good this season? Who are some of the top players on offense and defense heading into the season in the Big Ten? We also talk about the Coll