Hawkeye Report Podcast

The Hawkeyes headed into a bye week with a convincing victory over Minneosta. We visit with former Iowa quarterback Chuck Long about what he saw on Saturday night as the Hawkeyes pulled away for a comfortable win over Minnesota.  We get Long's view of the Iowa offense that continues to be inconsistent at times, but is riding the amazing performances of Kaleb Johnson, who leads the country in rushing. Long goes into great detail about how Iowa is doing it with their middle zone run game each and every Saturday.  Then we talk about Tim Lester and his comments on Tuesday at the coordinators press conference. We talk about the use of scripted plays and some of the comments Lester made about scratching where it itches when it comes to plays working for the Iowa offense on Saturday.  Lester also talked about Cade McNamara and his performance. Was Lester right to say that McNamara played his best game this past Saturday? We also dive into Lester talking about how he evaluates quarterbacks and if they were similiar t

The Iowa Hawkeyes used a 24 point second half to rally past Minnesota and reclaim Floyd of Rosedale on Saturday night. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo fired up the podcast machine late on Saturday night to recap the significant win for the Hawkeyes.  We look back another amazing performance by running back Kaleb Johnson. He gave full credit after the game, as he did all season, to his offensive line and what they are doing up front. But, is he also in one of those special zones as a back? After giving up 14 points in the second quarter and falling behind the Gophers going into the break, how important was Iowa's first drive of the second half that tied the game? It seemed to certainly inspire the defense as well as they allowed just 66 yards of total offense after the break.  We also look at the overall state of the offense. Cade McNamara said after the game that while they are happy with the win, they know they have plenty to work on in the passing game during the bye week. Also, just how important was this win

We have a special edition of the podcast as we are joined by Iowa women's wrestling head coach Clarissa Chun. Tom Kakert and Tanner LaFever discuss a variety of topics with Coach Chun, starting with building a program from the ground floor and how she has done that and what she learned along the way.  We also discuss the growth of women's wrestling on a national and local level and what that means to her, having a pair of the top wrestlers in the country show up in her program this summer to be part of the team, the impact of the new wrestling facility on the program and how attracting talent to Iowa City creates and iron sharpening iron mentality in the program.  Also we look at the development of the Iowa women's wrestling club and support that they are starting to provide along with athletes seeking out developing their own NIL opportunities at Iowa. 

It's Floyd of Rosedale week for the Hawkeye football team. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo take one final look back at the win over Troy and more importantly the stats for the Iowa offense so far this season, which are pretty good. We also discuss what Kirk Ferentz had to say about potentially expanding the package run by Brendan Sullivan along the goal line and if it could be included on short yardage plays outside the red zone.  Then we dive into the game against Minnesota. What are some of the most significant keys for the Hawkeyes in this game? We dive into what we know about Minnesota so far? What are some general thoughts about their new quarterback? They have pitched a shutout the last two games and intercepted seven passes this season. What are they doing on defense and can we learn anything from their most recent opponent that they beat 27-0, who beat Iowa's most recent opponent earlier this year? Then we talk some basketball recruiting. We discuss the recent commitment from Navon Shabazz to the Hawkeye

A great new Chuck Long Podcast this week. We go deep into the weeds on Iowa football on a variety of fronts with the legendary Hawkeye quarterback. First we start with the win over Troy and we open with a discussion surrounding the big plays that the Iowa defense has given up the last two weeks. What can be done there and how concerning is it moving forward? Then we slide over to the offense and start with a discussion of Brendan Sullivan having a package of plays around the goal line. Was it a good move and should it be potentially be expanded to use in some short yardage situations in other areas on the field? We look at some of the impressive....yes impressive growth in the Iowa offense and their national stats, particularly the ground game. We compare what Kaleb Johnson is doing to what Shonn Greene did in 2008 when he set the single season mark for an Iowa player and the start of Tavian Banks back in 1997 and make a comp to an NFL player to Johnson. Plus why the ground game is working well.  After that w

It's the post game edition of the Hawkeye Report Podcast. This time it's following an Iowa victory, but it wasn't pretty for the entire game. We open discussing how the Iowa football team seems to play a good half of football, but they haven't yet played a complete contest.  We have an extended discussion about the play of Cade McNamara. Have fans just made up their mind about him and his performance no matter how he plays? Is that fair and how did the Iowa signal caller end up playing today? We move on to look at the Iowa defensive performance. How and why do they continues to make big plays in the secondary on deep pass plays and what could Iowa do to limit those explosive plays? What do we think of the play of emerging players on the defensive line? Finally we salute the running of Kaleb Johnson, who has been outstanding all season long. We also have a quick discussion of what we saw from the rest of the Big Ten and look ahead to next weeks big games. 

The weekly verison of the Hawkeye Report Podcast has plenty of ground to cover. Tom Kakert and Matt Randazzo open one final look back at the loss to Iowa State. One person who seems to still be thinking about defeat to the Cyclones is the Iowa head coach, who is clearly frustrated with his red zone and goal line offense.  We talk about the situation at quarterback for the Hawkeyes. Where do things stand with Cade McNamara and how secure is his starting job right now. What would be the circumstance for him to lose his starting job and why it probably doesn't change this week.  Then we talk about the match-up with Troy. They are a team that is beat up and just took a 750 mile round trip bus ride to Memphis to lose a football game. By the way, Troys's rush defense is not good, so keep an eye on Kaleb Johnson.  Then we wrap up talking another big hoops recruiting weekend ahead with three four star prospects and a pair of in-state players and then pick several games this weekend. 

A lot of ground to cover this week on the Chuck Long Podcast. This week we try to make sense of the stunning loss to Iowa State and what went wrong in the second half. We open discussing how unusual the game was for Iowa and then dive into the play of Cade McNamara.. How he started hot and then struggled in the last three quarters of the game.  We discuss if Iowa should look at playing Brendan Sullivan this weekend in some sort of a limited role? What is the danger in doing that and is Long concerned at all with McNamara and his development so far this season? We look back at the red zone issues for Iowa and the plays being called. Why Tim Lester did well, but might have tried to do too much in those situations instead of keeping it simple in those goal line situations. We also discuss the Hawkeyes going for two in the second half and why chasing those points was not a good decision because you should never chase points from the lead.  What about the Iowa defense giving up a couple of big plays in the second

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.