Hawkeye Report Podcast

With spring football starting up this week in Iowa City it's a great time to catch up with Chuck Long and discuss the offensive side of the ball. We open the show talking to Long about his work as the offensive coordinator for the Arlington Renegades and head coach Bob Stoops in the UFL and starting play in that league later this month.  Then we dive into the Hawkeyes and setting up a new offensive under Tim Lester. Long discusses Lester and the advantage of him being an experienced quarterback, along with a guy from the Chicago suburbs. We discuss the process of installing a new offense for the Hawkeyes and what that process is like both in the meeting room and then on the field.  We also look at the challenge of putting a new offense in place while expected starting quarterback Cade McNamara is likely sidelined this spring following ACL surgery last fall. How would a coordinator get him up to speed. What should Iowa do with their race to find a backup quarterback this season? Do you give more reps this spri

It's a Big Ten Tournament title edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. Kyle Huesmann and Tom Kakert look back the Iowa women's basketball team winning their third straight Big Ten Tournament title, this one is dramatic fashion with seniors Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall making huge plays down the stretch in the come from behind win over Nebraska.  We talk about those key plays in the final minutes and how Iowa willed themselves to a victory and how much of a battle it really was. Then we dive into NCAA Tournament talk. The Hawkeyes have likely locked up a #1 seed. What does that means for them and who might be headed to Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.  Then we move on to talking about the Iowa men's basketball team and their loss to Illinois. The Hawkeyes started very slow and could never quite get over the hump against the Illini. What does the loss do to Iowa's NCAA Tournament chances? Could they still get in with a win over Ohio State on Thurs

It's another jam packed edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast with Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo. We open this podcast with a lengthy discussion on Iowa women's basketball. What are the thoughts on this team heading into the Big Ten Tournament this weekend in Minneapolis? is there a key injury to the Indiana team that could be significant to Iowa if they meet in the semifinals? To the surprise of no one, Caitlin Clark was named Big Ten Player of the Year for the third straight season. We discuss he honors as well as those for Hannah Stuelke and Kate Martin. Plus, can Iowa still be a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament?  Then we move over to the Iowa men's basketball team. It will be senior day for the Hawkeyes and we talk about the future of two of those players who could come back in Patrick McCaffery and Tony Perkins. We also talk about McCaffery's comments about the bad crowd this season. We also discuss the match-up this Sunday against Illinois. We also discuss Iowa's chance to make the NCAA Tournament. Then we

It was a busy weekend for Iowa Basketball and Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann have you covered from both the Hawkeye men and women are concerned. We open the pod with a long discussion of our day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday watching Caitlin Clark and Iowa knock off Ohio State. We talk about Clark setting the all-time scoring mark for a player in NCAA D1 competition and what it means.  We also dive into the game and the unfortunate injury to starting guard Molly Davis. If she is out, how will Iowa fill that void? Who can step in and who needs to step up? Then we look at Iowa's road in the Big Ten Tournament, which will get underway for the Hawkeyes on Friday late afternoon. Then we move over to the Iowa men, who picked up a huge road win on Saturday afternoon at Northwestern. We look at how the Hawkeyes were able to hold off the Wildcats down the stretch and the strong development of Josh Dix as a scorer in the last couple of weeks and how that has helped Iowa in their recent run. We also talk about the thr

It's a special edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast with a great guest joining Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo. We have former Iowa basketball player Nicholas Baer on the pod to talk men's and women's basketball on the podcast.  We open the podcast talking Iowa women's basketball with the news that Caitlin Clark will be wrapping up her college career with the Hawkeyes and head to the WNBA at the end of the season. Was this the right decision? What it a surprise? We get Baer's thoughts on her playing career and the impact that she has made on the program and all of women's college basketball.  Then we turn our attention to the Iowa men's basketball team as they make a late push for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. We get Baer's opinions on what he has seen from this Hawkeye team and how they have grown to play their best basketball late in the season. We also discuss the play of freshman Brock Harding and Owen Freeman and the career of Patrick McCaffery.  Finally we wrap up talking about the changes to the NCAA st

It's another jam packed Hawkeye Report Podcast. We are joined by Kyle Huesmann and we open the show with an extended discussion on Iowa women's basketball. Caitlin Clark with a triple double and the Hawkeyes have four players in double figures in a comfortable win over Illinois. How important was it to get more balanced scoring? What about Lisa Bluder's comments about her bigs?  We then move over to discuss the Iowa men's basketball team and their loss at Illinois. The Hawkeyes were right there and then let it slip away late on the road. What did we learn about the Iowa team and do they need continued performances like this from Josh Dix? We also dove into the NCAA Tournament chances for the Hawkeyes, who are now moving up the charts in the final weeks. What type of finish gets them into the NCAA Tournament?  Then we wrap up talking about a tough weekend for Iowa baseball. The starting pitching was good. The hitting was good, but the bullpen work was not great. It is time to panic for the Iowa baseball team?

The Hawkeyes and the Fighting Illini will tangle on the basketball court twice this weekend. With that in mind we had to bring on our good friend Kedric Prince on the podcast this week to talk about it. As usual, when we have Kedric on with us, the show goes off the rails early and often in the 30 minutes that went on the podcast.  We start with the men's side of the equation, which takes place on Saturday. We argue about the Illini fans complaining about officiating in the Big Ten after losses and what that defeat at Penn State means for the game on Saturday and if Iowa is in trouble because of it. We also discuss why we expect that Saturday's game will be high scoring because both teams struggle on defense.  Then things get controversial with Kedric discussing what he likes and doesn't like about Caitlin Clark's game and why the Fighting Illini women's team has struggled this season and what to expect on Sunday.   

We have a jam packed podcast this week. Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann open the show discussing the Iowa Basketball team suddenly picking up their two biggest wins of the season. That includes a win at Michigan State. We look back at the victory over the Spartans on Tuesday night and how Iowa was able to pull the upset.  Iowa is now potentially seeing a shot at the NCAA Tournament in the distance. We dive into the Hawkeyes resume after the wins over Wisconsin and Michigan State. How does it stack up when compared to other potential programs being mentioned as being on the bubble?  Then we discuss the Iowa women's basketball team hitting the road for a huge game on Thursday night at Indiana. Kyle previews this massive game that Iowa will likely need to keep their hopes of a Big Ten title alive. How does Iowa match up with the Hoosiers? We also look at the remaining games for Iowa and their competition for the title, Ohio State.  Finally we wrap up discussing Iowa baseball. We look back at the three game series a

It was a historic night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and that means we had to do a podcast to talk about it. The history was made by All American Caitlin Clark, who not only scored eight quick points to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball history, but she also set a program record by finishing with 49 points.  Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann were at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday evening to discuss the incredible performance from the All American guard and the post game celebration that brought out emotions from Clark and her family.  Then we wrap up the podcast with a quick preview of the opening weekend for the Iowa baseball team and what we are excited to watch from the Hawkeyes squad, who is favored to win the Big Ten this season. 

The Hawkeye Report Podcast is basketball heavy on a Wednesday night. First, Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo look back at Iowa's loss on the road to Maryland. The Hawkeyes built an early lead and held it until the middle of the second half before seeing their offense go sideways.  What did we see in the second half that was cause for concern? What about the disparity in foul shooting in the second half? Was that a factor in the outcome? Is Iowa basically down to playing six players most of the minutes and a few random minutes for the rest of the bench? Finally we discuss the upcoming schedule and if Iowa could make it into the field for the NIT this year. Then we talk about a couple of local Quad City prep players, including one that visited Iowa City on Sunday and a freshman hoops players that fans will want to keep tabs on in the future.  We then move on to discussing Caitlin Clark and the history that she will make on Thursday night in Iowa City when she becomes the all-time leading scorer in women's college b

It's a special edition of the podcast. We preview the most anticipated season of Iowa baseball in decades. The Hawkeyes are nationally ranked with one of the top starting rotations in all of college baseball and we tap into the knowledge of our baseball beat writer Kyle Huesmann and John Evans, who is on the call for the Iowa baseball radio broadcasts.  We start with the the pitching staff, led by the potential All American Brody Brecht and including Marcus Morgan. We discuss the entire staff and who might be helping out in the back end to close out games.  Then we discuss the situation at catcher with the starter out to begin the season. After that we go around a very strong group of infielders. How good can that group be and are they one of the best fielding groups in the conference? After that we take a look at the outfield group and how there are some stars that are emerging in those three spots. Finally, we look at the schedule, which is pretty challenging, especially in the non-conference slate of games

Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa football program has hired Tim Lester to lead the Hawkeye offense in 2024. We had our first chance to talk to Ferentz since the hire and meet Lester for the first time and ask him plenty of question. We review what happened at the Tuesday press conference with our good friend from the Des Moines Register, Chad Leistikow.  We dive deep into what Ferentz had to say on Tuesday and how it was somewhat different than the interview he gave Gary Dolphin late last week. How did that improve how Iowa fans are feeling about the hire of Lester.  We also look at what Lester had to say in his time at the podium. What it was important that he said he would be in the press box calling plays and what he said about the offense he plans to put together this fall in Iowa City.  Finally, we also discuss the news late today that Special Teams Coordinator Levar Woods interviewed with the Tampa Bay Bucs about their open special teams coaching position. What could it mean that he took that step? 

The news that Iowa has a new offensive coordinator went official on Wednesday. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo discuss the continued reaction to the hiring of Tim Lester. Why has it been mixed from Iowa fans and what should Hawkeye followers look to hear from the new coordinator and Kirk Ferentz when they meet with the media next week? What are two important things that Lester needs to accomplish this spring should Iowa hit the portal for a quarterback this spring? Then we discuss the vacant wide receiver coaching position and if there is a frontrunner for that job. After that we turn our attention to the Iowa basketball team. They had a shot to pull off a come from behind win at Indiana and let it get away late. Why is Iowa struggling to close out tight games? What needs to change on that front and why has Ben Krikke been struggling of late?  We also dive into Iowa's resume this year and project their record moving forward. What would it take to get to the NCAA Tournament this season? 

The Iowa Hawkeyes have hired a new offensive coordinator and as promised that means we are doing an emergency podcast! Tom Kakert and Blair Sanderson for 30 minutes breaking down all the angles of this very interesting and up and down hiring of a new offenisve coordinator to guide the Iowa offense in 2024. We look at the background of Tim Lester and what he brings to the table from that perspective. We dive into the stats that he posted as a coordinator back when he was guiding the offense at Syracuse and then eventually becoming the head coach at his alma mater, Western Michigan. What do we think of his tenure leading the Broncos program and why he was dismissed after the 2022 season.  What were the offensive numbers they put up and what kind of an offense did Lester tend to run during his time as a head coach? Will we see more RPO looks from the Hawkeyes and is he a fan of complementary football, like KIrk Ferentz? 

A lot of ground to cover on the podcast today. We are joined by Kyle Huesmann and start this week with the Iowa women's basketball team dropping a game on Sunday at Ohio State. Kyle gives his thoughts on the loss to the Buckeyes and what went wrong for Iowa and we discuss the play of Caitlin Clark in the contest.  We then discuss the after the game courtstorm and our thoughts on the folks who seem to be blaming Caitlin Clark and calling her a flopper based on a slow motion video. We also talk about how security needs to be better for the opposing teams in those situations.  Next we move on to Kadyn Proctor committing to the Iowa football program. What he said about his commitment to the Hawkeyes and what it might be like for the Hawkeye offensive line this fall. We also discuss why Iowa didn't tamper with Proctor.  Then we update the on-going search for an offensive coordinator and when Iowa might have one in place with interviews taking place this week. Finally we wrap up talking Iowa basketball and the loss

It's somewhat of an emergency podcast today with news that Iowa has officially hired Beth Goetz as their athletic director. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo discuss the hiring, which shouldn't have come as a surprise. We talk about the job she has done since she arrived in Iowa City and how she has given a warm embrace to the Iowa Swarm Collective and also how she made a decision on Iowa's offensive coordinator. We also talk about how she is well prepared and equiped for the changing landscape of college athletics.  Then we talk about the hiring that hasn't happened and that's the Iowa offensive coordinator position. Where do things stand and could this search be headed into the next week, which would be beyond the expecation that Kirk Ferentz had about a month ago. Are there any new candidates that are emerging?  Next we discuss Kadyn Proctor, who officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Thursday. What are Iowa's chances to land the five star offensive tackle? What would Iowa's offensive line look like if

A very interesting podcast this week. Our good friend Tory Brecht joins us to talk about his recent columns on Iowa basketball and the lack of fan support. What are the root causes to the lack of support and what can be done to fix it? We have a lot of different theories.  We dive into what we like about this Iowa basketball team and some of the very positive comments from Stephen Bardo this week about how connected this team is on the court in their play. We also discuss what record it would take for the Hawkeyes to reach the NCAA Tournament?  Then we turn our attention to the never ending search for a new offensive coordinator. After not landing on Paul Chryst or Joe Philbin, who might Kirk Ferentz be looking at? Could he be eyeing an NFL coach? Does Kirk's past hires tell us the type of person that he will likely end up hiring?  Finally we discuss the football coaching news of the day, rewarding the great Phil Parker and keeping a rising star in Seth Wallace on the coaching staff. 

Plenty to discuss on this edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. Matt Randazzo is back and we open the podcast discussing several Iowa football players deciding that they will use their Covid year and return for one more season. What's the impact of those decisions and the return of five starters on the Iowa defense? Then we talk about the scholarship situation. The Hawkeyes will eventually have to get to 85 scholarship players and they currently sit at 90. How will they get down to that number and when do they have to be there? Also, do the Hawkeyes need to dive into the transfer portal this spring and land a quarterback? Any other positions?  Next we discuss the search for an offensive coordinator. What's the latest the search and is it close to coming to a conclusion? Is Paul Chryst the frontrunner? Could Joe Philbin still be in the mix? Is there a mystery candidate?  Finally we wrap up talking Iowa men's and women's basketball. What have we seen from Owen Freeman and how impressive has he been? How import

Happy New Year! The podcast is back and to open the year it's Tom Kakert and Kyle Huesmann with a whole lot of ground to cover. We open discussing Cooper DeJean heading to the NFL. Where does DeJean rank among the Iowa defensive backs in the Ferentz era?  Then we update where things stand with the remaining Iowa players who could come back next year. Will Quinn Schulte, Sebastian Castro, or Nick Jackson be back for one more season? The Hawkeyes are also hitting the portal....maybe. We give you the latest on quarterback target Ty Thompson and if he's still visiting Iowa this weekend.  Next up with update the search for an offensive coordinator. Is Kirk Ferentz zeroing in on a target and could that decision be coming as soon as this weekend? Who is the leader right now for this position?  Finally we discuss the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and discuss the play of Deacon Hill and what we saw from Marco Lainez. We also talk about the great Caitlin Clark and her game winner against Michigan State and we talk Iowa men's ba

We had to squeeze one more podcast in before the holidays. There was a good reason because Brock Harding had his first career double-double for the Hawkeyes, so Matt Randazzo needed to take a victory lap.  We talks about Harding's big night, but also Ben Krikke and Payton Sandfort having a double-double and Tony Perkins catching fire. But, this leads to a larger discussion of why Iowa fans are not coming out to watch this basketball team? What, if anything, can be done to get more fans to come out to games? Then we wrap up signing day coverage with a look at the recruiting class just inked by the Hawkeyes. How do they rank nationally and what were some of the thoughts about it shared by Kirk Ferentz and Tyler Barnes. What has Barnes been focused on? Also retaining six Iowa players for next season. We discuss the chances of that happening.  Finally we wrap up picking the Big Ten bowl games this year, including the Iowa/Tennessee game.