Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - ACC makes a ridiculous NCAA Tourney proposal | No news in class of 2021 not a bad thing | Swarm 2022 heating up

Episode Date: September 11, 2020

The ACC is making a ridiculous proposal to expand the NCAA Tournament field to include all teams. Although it wouldn't add that many more games, we break down why this should never happen, and how it would impact an Iowa basketball team looking to make a Final Four run this season. We use segments two and three to cover all recruiting news for Swarm 21, Swarm 22, and Swarm 23.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.ManscapedGo to Manscaped.com and use code LOCKED to get 20% Off and Free Shipping. Manscaped is #1 in men’s below the belt grooming and offers precision-engineered tools for your family jewels.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back, Hawkeye Nation, to another episode of the Locked On Hawkeyes Podcast, your daily podcast covering your Iowa Hawkeyes on the Locked On Sports Network. As always, I am your host, Andrew Wade, and today's episode is brought to you by Built Bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code LOCKEDON and you'll get $10 off your next order. And on today's show, we're going to first kick it off by talking about some interesting news coming out of the ACC. They are proposing all teams make the NCAA tournament. I want to talk about how ridiculous of an idea that is and also how feasible it could

actually be. I think it's ridiculous from the concept of the fact that the NCAA tournament is supposed to be an exclusive event and also feasible from the fact that there actually aren't that many games. We'll be talking about that on segment number one and then we'll finish off the show with two segments talking about recruiting. First hitting on that 2021 class and then going into the 2022 and 2023 class. There hasn't been a lot of news in that 2021 class. So I'm gonna provide some thoughts and ideas on why that is on segment number two

before we hop into segment number three and where Iowa's kind of heading in that class. So again, if you like the show, make sure to like, review, and subscribe. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But let's hop into the meat of the show, make sure to like, review, and subscribe. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But let's hop into the meat of the show. So news came out that the ACC had voted unanimously on making the NCAA tournament include all teams in the country. So first off, that means the worst teams in the entire country would make this,

and that would essentially render the regular season useless. There's still some value in seeding and whatnot, I think, depending on how they would actually figure out the games. For example, if the bottom 200 teams have to play a bunch of play-in games to get to the top 100, obviously there's some value in being a top 100 team. But I still think it's a little bit ridiculous. The NCAA tournament, what makes the NCAA tournament so special and what makes the regular season so special in college basketball

is that every single game matters. You have to get to that 20-win mark. You want to play well in big games. I'm not saying you don't want to play well in big games even if the NCAA tournament includes all those teams, but it adds an extra layer that makes it even more fun. I think the beauty of the NCAA tournament is the wild and crazy finishes. You have the top 60, you know, 68 teams, I guess now in the nation playing in the NCAA tournament, and you could

have some wacky upsets. You could have a number one seed be upset by a 16 seed. You could have a number two seed upset by a 15 seed. I think where this would be interesting is that a lot of that unpredictability would be taken out for the first 150 teams at the bottom because they're not that good. There's a reason why they're going to be seeded that way. And their reasoning, I thought, was just ridiculous. They said, it's all about inclusion and we want to celebrate the game. Had the NCAA came out this, I would say it's a money ploy. It's a better way to make even more money off the NCAA tournament. But the fact that the ACC is saying this, especially the ACC,

considering they have multiple teams who oftentimes are at the top of that tournament, you know, Duke and North Carolina and sometimes Syracuse. I don't know why they would actually do that. It makes no sense to me. However, from a feasibility standpoint, it really doesn't add that many games. When you consider the single elimination standpoint, it possibly adds between three and four extra games

depending on how they broke out the seeding. But one thing you need to keep in mind is what are the coaches and contracts and incentives say? You know, there's a lot of incentives, especially for those mid-major schools built around going to the NCAA tournament. What does that mean for those coaches? It means, I mean, they have to get those contracts reworked because, I'm sorry, but no, that's kind of bullcrap to get an incentive for making a tournament that everyone gets to make. Great, you might as well just tack that on to the salary. But anyways, my point though is, again, it is feasible, I guess.

I just think it's absolutely ridiculous. And especially considering the fact that Iowa shouldn't be a bubble team this year, I really don't want it to happen. Even if Iowa was a bubble team, I would rather Iowa not make it because they didn't deserve to be there than make it because everyone got in. It's like giving a freaking participation trophy to every kid that went out for T-ball and lost. I don't care. I'm sorry, but there's a winner and there's a loser in sports. And I really feel like participation trophies and that whole mindset is getting a little bit ridiculous. And this to me

feels very much like a participation trophy, masked and the fact that there's also a lot of money to be had by doing it and i personally just feel like i would rather they stick you know maybe if you want to expand it maybe go you know 100 teams 102 whatever that number is right maybe add 30 or 40 more teams but with the fact that the ncaa is trying to keep non-conference games as much as possible um you know we're already celebrating the game the fact that the NCAA is trying to keep non-conference games as much as possible, you know, we're already celebrating the game. The fact that basketball might be back is huge. And then you get to factor in what if we don't have non-conference games? What if the schedule is limited and they have to go to some sort of bubble format for the NCAA tournament? That is impossible to do with that

many teams. It's already a ridiculously difficult avenue to pursue with the 68 teams. But nevertheless, that makes it even more logistically difficult. And they're already putting a lot more pressure on the NCAA trying to make that happen. When they can't even figure out what exactly is going to happen for college basketball's regular season. I think even there you're seeing some divide starting to occur. And people kind of getting concerned about what is actually happening. It does sound like, though, on the Big Ten front, that they do want to play their non-conference games. And I think that's great.

We talked a little bit about that earlier in the week. But what does that mean? Are we sticking to a regional schedule? What about the teams who maybe didn't jump into a major tournament like Iowa? What kind of non-conference games are they playing? So there's just so many things to be thought out here that I feel like wasn't thought through with the ACC. And I would love to understand if there's any additional reasons why they would want to pursue that.

I feel like it's just the only real thing could be money. Celebrating the game doesn't do it. That's not a reason that gives me any sort of hope in terms of, how are you actually celebrating the game by allowing the worst team in college basketball to play in the NCAA tournament? I'm sorry, but that's just not fair to the guys who worked hard, the teams who have worked hard to recruit. That's not fair to Fran McCaffrey and the Iowa basketball team, who has worked tirelessly to make sure they are in a position to win an NCAA championship this year. I think that is absolutely ridiculous.

So that's my thoughts on it. I don't think it should happen. I'm okay with expanding it a little bit, maybe 128 teams if you really want to. But all teams I think is logistically a nightmare from holding up the hotels and all that kind of stuff, especially if you're in a bubble atmosphere. I don't think it's going to make that much money. I'm not really going to care a lot about the 363rd team or whatever in the nation playing basketball. It doesn't really matter to me. And I think it's just making it even more difficult for the good teams who have worked hard to get

there to get all the way through. And I mean, obviously, if you were able to survive a 360-so team tournament and win, that's pretty impressive. But I just think it's not worth it. The NCAA tournament is already a lot of fun to watch, and I think they already have a good thing going for it. I would understand maybe expanding it a little bit to increase potential profits because you lost so much from last year, but not as much as the ACC clearly wants it to be. But that's my thoughts on the NCAA tournament expansion. Coming up on segment number two, we're going to talk about that 2021 recruiting class, where it ranks now,

and how the Big Ten has also been doing as well within that. So we'll be taking a break and then giving you that in just a few short minutes. Before we do that, though, I do want to let you know there's a great message from Bilt Bar because they have came out with a better tasting Bilt Bar. That's right. The Bilt Bar was already delicious.

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and use promo code LOCKEDON. We are back for segment number two of the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. And I saw actually some people talking a little bit about recruiting on Twitter. I thought it'd be good to talk about it here as well because I'm kind of sharing some of the thoughts. I mean, it's a little bit frustrating.

We haven't seen any commitment in a while. It's been a little while since we've seen an Iowa prospect commit to the Hawkeyes. And I have a couple thoughts on why that is. But the first thing I want to touch on is the fact that it is an interesting time right now in college football recruiting. Kids cannot go visit campus for an official visit. And it makes it very difficult, especially for a school like Iowa who likes to have those kids on campus and make sure they fit the program's vibe and they love the atmosphere and the college and all that kind of stuff.

If you can't do that, it makes it very hard and difficult to recruit new players. Also, I think where Iowa is currently is impressive, all things considered. They have 17 commits currently. Usually, so the lowest ranked class or the lowest amount of commitments they've had in the past 10 years has been 21. And I will say this, Iowa typically does bring in 3 to 5 commitments in the final month prior to signing day. People who just balled out during their senior year of high school football, they usually bring in about 3 to five of those guys as well.

So 17 is actually right in line with what we would expect. I think what we're kind of not familiar to is the fact that Iowa has really wrapped up this recruiting class pretty darn early. They got these guys in there. They got these guys committed super early in the process and they've stuck to Iowa and those guys have stuck to Iowa. Iowa stuck to those guys. So that is something to keep in mind there. Right now, this class though, 17 commits, ranked 20th in the nation, fifth in the Big Ten. They've dropped a little bit, especially, I mean, Wisconsin has come along hot lately. They have 17 commits as well, including five-star Nolan Rucci, who was looking at Penn State. I think he was a legacy at Penn State.

He went to Wisconsin. They've been doing a fantastic job in the Big Ten above Iowa. We actually have Ohio State at two. They have four five-star recruits, 12 four-star recruits. And then we have, let's see, Michigan at 11 with 20 commitments, 10 four-stars, one five-star. Go down a little bit more. We got Wisconsin at 16 with 17 commits.

They have one five star, five four stars. And then Maryland's right above Iowa with 20 commits, three four stars, 17 three stars. They are likely to drop a little bit, especially given the fact that Iowa is right on their tail. Again, I think Iowa is going to be probably getting in a few more guys later in the process. And if they are to do that, I'm looking kind of at their recruiting right now and out of their current offers. So they have a hundred and three offers out there for the class of 2021, 104 now, excuse me, that has changed and 11 are not committed. So there's not a lot of recruits out there that they've had conversations with and actually extended an offer that are not currently committed. And there's not a lot of recruits out there that they've had conversations with and actually extended an offer that are not currently committed. And there's not a lot of prospects that appear to be warming up to Iowa based off of 24-7 sports. If you haven't looked at 24-7 sports, I think they

do a fantastic job of handling the recruiting side of things. And that's why I want to make sure I'm giving you that information based off of that. But we're looking at what they need. information based off of that. But we're looking at what they need based out of that class. I think the two, I would say two biggest needs they really have at this point is the secondary, is the running back position, and possibly the tight end position. So you're looking at this and right now as it goes, they have one quarterback, one wide receiver, four offensive linemen, five defensive linemen, one linebacker, two defensive backs, and three athletes. But Zach Tweet, he is going to be a linebacker. Arlen Bruce is also listed as an athlete.

He is likely going to be a wide receiver as well. And Keegan Johnson is also listed as an athlete. He will also be a wide receiver. I guess there's some potential for Arlen Bruce to play running back. But if they do plan on having him at wide receiver, which is where he's primarily going to line up at Ankeny, if he does ever get his eligibility approved, looking like they need a running back and probably a tight end and one more or two more folks in that secondary. So that's kind of where I see them focusing on going forward. We'll see what happens there. I know there was a running back in the class of 2021

that Iowa was hot on his tail, Ricky Parks out of Tampa. He did commit to the University of Utah. He was the 359th ranked player in the nation. It looked like he could be leaning towards Iowa, in the nation. It looked like he could be leaning towards Iowa. Ultimately, he did not choose Iowa. He chose Utah. I know he has some friends in that Tampa area. I believe he actually is at the same school as

Jordan Oladulcan and Ricky Parks go to the same school. There is a chance there that maybe Jordan can convince Ricky to switch his mind and come out. I do expect Iowa to pick up three to five more commitments, probably closer to that November, December, January timeframe. I know there's an early exciting day in December, but I do expect that to happen later on, especially if we can kind of get past the coronavirus stuff and they allow

on-campus visits. That could be an opportunity as well for Iowa to pick up a late commitment. And don't fret, just a reminder, George Kittle didn't get an offer like the last day of the recruiting period. And look what happened to George Kittle. Maybe not the most stellar Iowa career. I mean, definitely a good Iowa career, but has turned into an NFL Pro Bowler and he was a late signing day commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes. So more to come on that. But just wanted to kind of talk through that. I also have kind of been experiencing that thought process of what's happening. Why are we not getting more commitments in that class of 2021? Especially as you see a team like Wisconsin continually picking up guys like a Skyler Bell,

like a Nolan Rucci, like a TJ Bowler. So definitely interesting stuff all around there. We're going to take a quick break, though. And then we're going to come back and talk about the class of 2022 and 2023, which I think is a big reason why we're also not seeing as much movement in this 2021 class, because I was already pretty happy with their class and they have moved on to start getting some of those guys early on in the 2022 and 2023 class. So we'll talk about that in just a few short moments, but I do want to tell you about the great website called rockauto.com. I used rockauto.com last week to purchase air filters and save myself $70. Rockauto.com is absolutely fantastic place

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So they know we sent you amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. RockAuto.com And as I said before we took our break going into that last break, segment number three, I wanted to talk about the class of 2022 and the class of 2023 because it's starting to heat up for the Iowa Hawkeyes. You know, they've done a great job with that class 2021. And now they're looking at that class 2022, which they've done some pretty good work on. And there's some really positive signs, I would say, going.

It's a little bit difficult because they don't, you know, they didn't get to have that junior day and whatnot where they would typically see some of these prospects. But they are doing a great job of getting on that recruiting trail. They've extended 49 offers so far. And there's quite a few guys who are actually looking like they're pretty interested in Iowa at this point. Right now, I want to quickly cover this. They have one commitment. That is Aaron Graves out of Southeast Valley.

He committed a while ago and he came in the rankings as a four-star prospect at six foot five and a half, 260 pounds. He is ranked the 107th player in the nation. So that's fantastic. But along with him, there's a couple of other guys who are quite interested in the Iowa Hawkeyes and some pretty talented guys at that. I'm looking at a Micah Riley, um, and Caden Helms, both out of Bellevue West, which is also conveniently where Keegan Johnson also came from. They are wide receiver and tight end duo. Caden Helms is 6'5", 215 pounds. I don't know what they have planned for him. At that size, I can imagine he could probably put some weight on and they would put him at tight end.

At that size, I can imagine he could probably put some weight on and they would put him at tight end. Micah Riley, a 6'5", 228-pound tight end. He is ranked 319th in the nation. Again, Caden Helms ranked 464th, both out of Bellevue West. Iowa has established a decent pipeline there already. Both those guys definitely interested in the Hawks. In the state of Iowa at that tight end position, and we talked about this for the class of 2021, Iowa doesn't have that tight end position. And we talked about this for the class of 2021. Iowa doesn't have a tight end yet,

but over the last two years, they brought in quite a few tight ends that I think could be big time players for the Hawks. But you always want to see Iowa bringing in at least one tight end every year, but they're definitely hitting that recruiting front hard in the class of 2022. They've also offered three-star prospect, Eli Raritan, tight end out of West Des Moines Valley.

He's definitely interested. Jack Johnson, a wide receiver at Iowa, is recruiting him hard and telling him all about the great things that he could do at the University of Iowa. Isaac Hamm, out of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Not a long drive from Iowa City. A strong side defensive end, 6'5", 260 pounds. The 227th ranked player in the nation. He's also a guy to watch

out for. He is high on Iowa's list, and Iowa is high on his list, along with Wisconsin. Right now, they actually have him crystal balled to Wisconsin, but that would be a huge steal for Iowa to be able to grab him out of Wisconsin. Also, Hunter Deo

out of Lewis Central, Council Bluffs, Iowa. Defensive tackle, 270 pounds. You got to check out this guy's picture. Dude's got a nice beard going already. He is very interested in the Iowa Hawkeyes, ranked the 253rd player in the nation. Going down, we got Will McLaughlin,

inside linebacker out of Harlan, Iowa. A top 500 player as well. The guy I really want to talk about, though, is, at this point, Xavier Wampa. It might be Xavier Wampa. I might have said that wrong. Xavier Wampa, a four-star safety out of Southeast Polk. 127th ranked player in the nation. This dude is tearing up the recruiting trail.

18 offers already. Literally, offers are coming in every single day for this kid. Right now, Iowa, Iowa State, and Missouri are supposedly high on his list. This would be a huge gift for Iowa, an absolutely huge gift for the Hawks because there are teams coming from all over the nation to recruit this kid. Just in the last couple days, he's picked up offers from Ohio State. He's picked up offers from Penn State. We got Texas on his trail. Oklahoma's on his trail Michigan I mean you got some big time blue

bloods coming at this kid and if Iowa can get him that would be huge along with speaking on the terms of huge in the class of 2023 Caden Proctor his teammate at Southeast Polk, a 6'7", 280 pound tackle, ranked 31 in the nation as of right now. There's still working on some rankings. There's going to be a lot of movement around there as well. He already has 9 offers though. Apparently this kid is built

for lack of a better term like a brick crap house, just strong. And he idolizes Tristan Wirth. So hopefully that could bode well for the Iowa Hawkeyes grabbing a four-star tackle of the future in Xavier Wampa. Again, these are the guys of the future and these are the guys that Iowa is targeting right now. As more offers come out, we'll definitely be letting you know. I mean, for example, Iowa has 49 offers in the class of 2022. In the class of 2023, they're just getting started. They're just starting to offer

these guys. They have seven offers out there right now. And it's worth noting as well. Iowa does do a lot of work on the interior. They like to get four or five guys, offensive line, defensive line. They like to get a quarterback. They like to get at least one running back. So expect that to kind of happen over the course of the next couple couple months, especially in that class of 2022, where there isn't a quarterback that seems to be interested in Iowa. And when I say that, I mean, Iowa hasn't actually offered a single quarterback in that class of 2022. So that'll be interesting to see how that all plays out as well. We saw it work really well when they got Deuce Hogan so early on.

He did a great job of trying to recruit players in that class. The class after him, Joey LaBosse, came in a little bit late, but looks like a phenomenal quarterback. But they recruited him quite late in that process. Nate Stanley came in quite late in the process. It would be great, though, if Iowa could get that quarterback locked up pretty early. Seems like they're trying to do some work on that, but nothing has been happening as of right now. But that'll do it though for our recruiting recap, kind of running you through the class of 2021,

class of 2022, and class 2023, the future of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Again, I appreciate you all tuning in on this beautiful Friday morning. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. We got more college football back. If you want to listen to more college football talk, go to the Locked On College Football Podcast. I'm hosting every single Wednesday along with Josh Ward, and there's other hosts every single day breaking you down and letting you know exactly what's happening in the college football world

outside of the Iowa Hawkeye world. Again, thank you all for tuning in, though. Have a fantastic weekend, and as always, let's go Hawks.